The Pigeon and the Dove

The Pigeon and the Dove (French: Le Pigeon et la Colombe) is a French literary fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy and published in her book New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion (Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fees a la Mode) written in 1698.

One day she saw a wolf carrying Ruson off and chased after; this brought her in sight of the giant, who instantly fell in love with her.

His orders to send the girl back to the sheep annoyed the queen, and instead, she set out to find out how their son felt toward Constancia.

She learned they were in love, and ordered him to go visit her brother; they had arranged to him to marry a princess there, and they should meet first.

His mother intercepted his letters and found him confiding in Mirtain, whom she immediately imprisoned on a false charge.

One day, Constancia found the garden filled with poisonous creatures, from which she was protected only by the ring the prince had given her.

When that failed, the queen sent her to get the girdle of affection from a fairy whose home was unreachable because of the elephants she kept in the forest, but Constancia had heard from an old shepherd that the sight of a lamb made the elephants gentle, and that the girdle would burn up when she left, so she should tie it about trees.

He implored help from some giants, who did not answer, but Cupid himself came and said he must aid him: if Constancio cast himself in a fire, he could reach her, but if his love was not true, he would die.

They flew off, the giant drowned himself in despair, and the fairy and Cupid gave the couple a secret home where they could live.