The Magpie Queen

In a faraway kingdom, there once lived an evil queen. The people she ruled were very poor, while she herself was incredibly rich. That’s because she stole everything she could from them. Even though her land was vast, it didn’t take long before all her subjects had nothing left but the bare walls of their homes.

Nearby, there was also a white witch living deep in the forest. She lived alone and usually avoided people, but she hated to see the queen's subjects in such misery. She decided to pay her a visit and give a warning.

The greedy queen was sitting on her throne, scheming how to extend the borders of her kingdom, which suddenly seemed too small for her. An old woman in ragged clothes entered the room. She carried a crying baby in her arms.

“My queen, please, spare a piece of bread. My children are starving to death! It would help us greatly - you wouldn’t even notice it,” begged the poor woman, kneeling.

“How dare you!” yelled the queen, getting up from her throne. “How did you even get in here? Guards!” she called, and her knights appeared at her side.

“Why did you let this disgusting beggar inside?” she screamed, looking at the woman with contempt.

“But… we didn’t let anyone inside, your majesty,” they stuttered.

In a flash, the poor woman was gone. Instead, the white witch stood in her place.

“Let this be your first warning!” said the witch, wagging a finger at the queen. “Unless you give back everything you’ve stolen, you'll lose all you have, and more…”

“Seize her!” cried the queen, but the witch disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

The words nagged at the back of the queen’s mind for a…