Fawn in the Wood

A childless king and queen receive an extraordinary gift from a mysterious crab-fairy: a daughter named Desired, destined to be beautiful, virtuous, and gifted beyond measure. But the blessing carries a perilous warning—if the princess sees daylight before her fifteenth birthday, disaster will strike—so she is raised in a windowless palace, protected from the world's light and secrets. When her birthday nears, the powerful Prince Warrior falls in love with her portrait, and their fated romance begins under a shadow of enchantment. Escorted to meet him in a closed coach, Desired is betrayed when the scheming Long-Nails tears open the roof and exposes her to the sun. Instantly transformed into a white fawn, she flees into the forest, where loyalty and magic offer hope: Clove-Flower remains true, a fairy eases the curse so Desired may regain human form at night, and Warrior, wandering the woods, slowly realizes the fawn and the missing princess are one. When he finally finds her weeping in human shape, their love is confirmed, the deception is exposed, and the tale ends in royal joy, with Desired restored, married to Warrior, and rewarded with a splendid fairy-tale justice. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.