I became pregnant, not by my husband, but by an apple that an old woman gave me. After eating it, I threw the rind out the window. It was eaten by a horse who gave birth to a foal.

My son and his speaking horse have grown up together, and who knows? Together they might remove the curse from our kingdom. Every year we feed our children to the seven-headed serpent, and soon we won’t have children anymore.

The Apple Queen in The Seven Headed Serpent, Yellow Fairy Book. Art nouveau, artist unknown.