If you wonder why I am red, ask one of the villagers who live perched on my cliffs. Those good people will tell you that my color comes from the hue of the princess, whose beauty shines through the seven veils that cover her.

No one has ever beheld her face. She sits in her castle, and speaks not a word. Where is her castle, you wonder? It is three and a half months from where you are. Keep seeking.

The Red Mountain in The Silent Princess, Olive Fairy Book. Prehistoric painting from the Chauvet Cave in France.