A kind king, who loved his seven children more than all the jewels in his kingdom, once found himself in a bit of a pickle. He had six brave sons and one sweet daughter. One day, while chasing a speedy deer deep in the woods, he got terribly, hopelessly lost.

As dusk fell, an old woman with a sly smile appeared. "Lost, are we, Your Majesty?" she croaked. "I can show you the way out, but there's a tiny price. You must marry my daughter." The king wasn't too keen on this idea, but he really wanted to get back to his castle. So, he agreed.

The old woman's daughter was beautiful, but her heart was as cold as an icicle. The king, worried for his beloved children, decided to hide them. He took his six sons and his dear daughter to a secret castle, tucked away so deep in the forest that even he could only find it by following a magic ball of yarn that unrolled itself.

But the new queen was no fool. She was also a bit of a witch! "Why does my husband keep disappearing?" she wondered. She cleverly found out about the magic yarn and the hidden children. Oh, she was not happy! She sewed six tiny, white, silk shirts, and with a flick of her wrist and a wicked whisper, she put a powerful spell on them.

Then, she snuck to the secret castle. When the six princes ran out, thinking their father had come to visit, she threw the enchanted shirts over them. Poof! In a flash, the six boys turned into six magnificent white swans. With sad honks, they soared into the sky and flew away.

Their little sister, let's call her Elisa, had been watching from a window. Heartbroken and scared, she knew she couldn't stay. She ran away from the castle, determined to find her brothers. After many days of searching, she found a little hut by a lake. And who did she see gliding on the water? Her six swan brothers!

At sunset, the swans waddled ashore, and for a few precious moments, they turned back into princes. "Oh, Elisa!" they cried. "To break the spell, you must do something very difficult. You must gather starflowers that grow in graveyards, spin them into thread, and sew six shirts, one for each of us. But here’s the hardest part: for six whole years, while you do this, you must not speak a single word, nor laugh. If you make even one tiny sound, all your work will be for nothing, and we will remain swans forever!"

Elisa, brave and loving, nodded. She found a quiet cave, gathered the prickly starflowers, and began her silent work. Her fingers bled, but she didn't make a sound.

One day, a handsome young king was out hunting. He stumbled upon Elisa, quietly sewing. He was captivated by her beauty and gentle nature, even though she wouldn't speak. He fell in love and asked her to be his queen. Elisa, still silent, nodded yes, hoping she could finish her task in his grand castle.

They married, but the young king's mother was a suspicious and unkind woman. "She never speaks! She's always sewing those strange flower shirts! She must be a witch!" she grumbled to everyone who would listen. When Elisa had her first baby, the evil mother-in-law secretly took the child away and smeared Elisa's mouth with blood while she slept, then told the king that Elisa had harmed their child.

The young king was horrified but loved Elisa. When it happened again with their second baby, he was filled with sorrow but, influenced by his mother, he finally agreed that Elisa must be punished.

Poor Elisa was to be burned at the stake as a witch. Even as they led her to the pyre, she clutched her nearly finished shirts. She had completed five, and the sixth was almost done – just one sleeve was missing. The six years were just about to end!

As the fire was about to be lit, a great rushing of wings filled the air! Six white swans swooped down from the sky. Elisa, with a final burst of strength, threw the shirts over them.
Instantly, five of her brothers stood before her, handsome princes once more! The youngest brother, whose shirt was missing a sleeve, was human again too, but where his left arm should have been, he had a beautiful white swan's wing.

"Now I can speak!" cried Elisa, her voice clear and strong. She told the astonished crowd her whole story – about her wicked stepmother, the swan spell, her silent vow, and the evil deeds of the king's mother.

The young king was overjoyed to hear the truth and to have his true love speak. He quickly found their two babies, who the wicked mother-in-law had hidden away. The evil old woman was punished (in a way that wasn't very nice at all!).

And so, Elisa, her king, her children, and her six brothers (including the one with the rather dashing swan wing) lived happily, with much talking and laughter, for the rest of their days.

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