The Golden Branch

The Golden Branch is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy.

He told her how a wicked enchanter had changed him to this form because they both loved the same fairy, and she preferred him.

The princess, unable to forget that she was not really a shepherdess, could not bring herself to marry a poor shepherd.

He asked her to marry him and told her that the cats and mice were once princes and princesses in love, but they had offended him.

The prince set out to find her, but was lured by a phantom into a castle where a hideous old fairy asked him to marry her.

He made such a good fight against them that she stopped them, showed him the phantom, and threatened to have her killed if he refused her.

He called on the fairy he had saved, and heard a voice telling him to stand firm and seek the Golden Branch.

The cricket and grasshopper met, discovered they could both speak, and explained to each other that they had been a prince and a princess.

Two mice, both speaking, arrived at their hiding place, and one knew the way to the Golden Branch.

She transformed them all back, and gave the prince and princess the castle and garden of the Golden Branch to live in.

[1] The tale was one of many from d'Aulnoy's pen to be adapted to the stage by James Planché, as part of his Fairy Extravaganza.