Signy, 'what a delightful idea! Do let me come
too, and live in one of your trees. I will bring all my pretty things
and ornaments, and the trees are so near home we shall be quite safe
in them.'

Asmund, who was extremely fond of his sister, readily consented, and
they had a very happy time together, carrying over all their pet
treasures, and Signy's jewels and other ornaments, and arranging them
in the pretty little rooms inside the trees.

Unfortunately sadder days were to come. A war with another country
broke out, and the king had to lead his army against their enemy.
During his absence the queen fell ill, and after lingering for some
time she died, to the great grief of her children. They made up their
minds to live altogether for a time in their trees, and for this
purpose they had provisions enough stored up inside to last them a
year.

Now, I must tell you, in another country a long way off, there reigned
a king who had an only son named Ring. Prince Ring had heard so much
about the beauty and goodness of Princess Signy that he determined to
marry her if possible. So he begged his father to let him have a ship
for the voyage, set sail with a favourable wind, and after a time
landed in the country where Signy lived.

The prince lost no time in setting out for the royal palace, and on
his way there he met such a wonderfully lovely woman that he felt he
had never seen such beauty before in all his life. He stopped her and
at once asked who she was.

'I am Signy, the king's daughter,' was the reply.

Then the prince inquired why she was wandering about all by herself,
and she told him that since her mother's death she was so sad that
whilst her father was away she preferred being alone.

Ring was quite deceived by her, and never guessed that she was not
Princess Signy at all, but a strong, gigantic, wicked witch bent on
deceiving him under a beautiful shape. He confided to her that he had
travelled all the way from his own country for her sake, having fallen
in love with the accounts he had heard of her beauty, and he then and
there asked her to be his wife.

The witch listened to all he said and, much pleased, ended by
accepting his offer; but she begged him to return to his ship for a
little while as she wished to go some way further into the forest,
promising to join him later on.

Prince Ring did as she wished and went back to his ship to wait,
whilst she walked on into the forest till she reached