When the green knight stopped coming to the castle, I became frantic. What happened to my love? Surely he did not give his heart to another. Yet, what could I know, isolated on that lonely island? It was the only place where I could live safely, out of the reach of my murderous  stepmother.

One day when I was sitting by the window, a little bird lit on the lintel and sang a song I understood. The green knight was gravely ill, and only I could make the medicine. I would have to catch nine young snakes, turn them into broth, and feed the soup to him.

I was afraid of snakes and disgusted by task. But I had to do it. I had to get off that island.

Princess Coming Out of Isolation in The Green Knight, Olive Fairy Book. Painting by Pierre-Charles Comte.