Now there was a little garden round the enchanted house , in which grew twelve tall lilies . The girl , wishing to please her brothers , plucked the twelve flowers , meaning to present one to each of them as they sat at supper . But hardly had she plucked the flowers when her brothers were turned into twelve ravens , who flew croaking over the wood , and the house and garden vanished also . So the poor girl found herself left all alone in the wood , and as she looked round her she noticed an old woman standing close beside her , who said : ` My child , what have you done ? Why did n't you leave the flowers alone ? They were your twelve brothers . Now they are changed for ever into ravens . ' The girl asked , sobbing : ` Is there no means of setting them free ? ' ` No , ' said the old woman , ` there is only one way in the whole world , and that is so difficult that you wo n't free them by it , for you would have to be dumb and not laugh for seven years , and if you spoke a single word , though but an hour were wanting to the time , your silence would all have been in vain , and that one word would slay your brothers . ' Then the girl said to herself : ` If that is all I am quite sure I can free my brothers . ' So she searched for a high tree , and when she had found one she climbed up it and spun all day long , never laughing or speaking one word . Now it happened one day that a King who was hunting in the wood had a large greyhound , who ran sniffing to the tree on which the girl sat , and jumped round it , yelping and barking furiously . The King 's attention was attracted , and when he looked up and beheld the beautiful Princess with the golden star on her forehead , he was so enchanted by her beauty that he asked her on the spot to be his wife . She gave no answer , but nodded slightly with her head . Then he climbed up the tree himself , lifted her down , put her on his horse and bore her home to his palace . The marriage was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony , but the bride neither spoke nor laughed . When they had lived a few years happily together , the King 's mother , who was a wicked old woman , began to slander the young Queen , and said to the King : ` She is only a low-born beggar maid that you have married ; who knows what mischief she is up to ? If she is deaf and ca n't speak , she might at least laugh ; depend upon it , those who do n't laugh have a bad conscience . ' At first the King paid no heed to her words , but the old woman harped so long on the subject , and accused the young Queen of so many bad things , that at last he let himself be talked over , and condemned his beautiful wife to death . So a great fire was lit in the courtyard of the palace , where she was to be burnt , and the King watched the proceedings from an upper window , crying bitterly the while , for he still loved his wife dearly .
But just XXXXX she had been bound to the stake , and the flames were licking her garments with their red tongues , the very last moment of the seven years had come .
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