Once upon a time, a king and queen longed for a child. As the years passed, the king tried to be patient. But he was an impatient man.
"My queen!" he moaned one day. "We need a child. Other kings have children—lots of children. Why, I know a king with 12 of them!"
The queen lifted an eyebrow. "Twelve children?" She patted the king's arm. "Our turn will come. Just be patient."
The king sighed and went outside. Walking along the palace's lovely lake always made him feel better.
Soon their turn came. The queen gave birth to a child.
"A beautiful daughter!" the king cried in delight. "We'll name her Ellen!"
The new parents began planning the baby's baptism. The king was in charge of sending out invitations. He was in such a hurry, he made a mistake. He forgot to invite his sister, Lady Agnes.
This might surprise you, reader. How could the king forget to invite his own sister? Because he tried never to think of her! Agnes was a sour, spiteful woman.
In fact, no one liked Agnes, not even her black cat. She had a huge forehead and a face filled with ugly wrinkles. When she was mad, her eyes flashed blue. When she was really mad, they flashed yellow and green.
Oh, and Agnes had a dark secret, which few people knew. She was a witch—a very wicked witch!
The news about Princess Ellen spread through the kingdom.
"There will be a special baptism at the palace," Agnes said. "And I will be invited!"
Each day Agnes checked her mail. Each day she found the same thing—no invitation.
"Grr." Agnes stomped her foot. "I hope my brother didn't forget about me!"
The day of the baptism finally arrived. By now Agnes' mind was made up.
"I'll go to the baptism without an invitation!" she said. She put on her best dress and climbed into a carriage.
As she traveled toward the palace, Agnes' eyes flashed yellow and green. "Mark my words! My rude brother will never forget about me again!"