Oh, I was so afraid, don’t you see? Once my husband died, I had no protection at all, and so, when I was caught by the robber chief, what could I do but obey his commands?

“Make me king and kill your son or I will kill you,” he said.

“How can I kill my son?” I cried.

He told me to send him out into a the forest for apples. The wild beasts would tear him to pieces.

I agreed, thinking, Well at least I don’t have to do it myself.

I was cowed by the robber’s commanding presence, but also, I must admit, more than a little enthralled….

The Subjugated Queen in The Prince and Princess in the Forest, Olive Fairy Book. Illustration by H.J. Ford.