Marycia, the princess with a heart of ice

## Story

Marycia is the princess of the kingdom of the silver summit, named like this because of a mountain of ice in the middle of the land.

Marycia is so beautiful, butterflies follow her everywhere, and guests for her birthdays came just to admire her. Unfortunately, she is so evil at heart, it is rumored she did not have one, but a stone made of ice instead.

She never smiled or cried, and when angry, she could made a flower fade with a single glance. Among others cruelties, she wanted an African page to carry her train. But there were no black persons in her kingdom, so she planned to roast an orphan named John until he turn black. Fortunately, the cook pitied John and he covered him with chocolate instead.

Not everyone was as lucky as John, like a young servant Marycia once saw crying. She found her tears so pretty, she decided to make a necklace with them. The little girl was beaten until the princess had enough tears, but she couldn't wear the necklace, which burnt her skin.

Her parents wondered how to make her become better, and decided to marry their daughter. But all her suitors would go as soon as they discovered who she really was. Marycia was offended, and heard a nightingale asking for her hand. She say she would accept, if the bird sang for three entire days. He tried, but finally died of exhaustion.

Feeling even more offended, Marycia go near a small lake to listen to birds. Two brothers swans come to her, and asked for her hand. She answer she'll take for a husband, the one who would sing the best. But a swan's song, is always his last. One swan, the white one, loved her so much that he did sang, and died.

His brother the black swan, furious, took Marycia on his back and let her on the ice summit, telling her she would have to make it melt entirely with her tears.

Marycia does indeed start to cry cold tears, but left alone, she started to miss her parents and regret what she did to them, or to the white swan and the nightingale. Her tears became warm, and started to melt ice, while Marycia heard her heart beat for the first time.

Her heart became kind, she started to smile, and everywhere she set down her eyes, the ice would melt.

After three days, the mountain totally melted, and Marycia nearly drowned in the lake it left, but the black swan saves her, and turn into a prince. Taking Marycia back to her parents, he told them that by now Marycia became the kindest woman on earth, he'll take her as his wife.

## Trivia

-Marycia is from the novel *Marycia, the princess with the heart of ice,* by polish writer Kornel Makuszynski.

-Her kingdom is the kingdom of Silver Summit.

-She is with no doubt one of the cruelest princess ever invented, though she reforms. For instance, a hundred textile workers made for her a dress from spider's web during one year, and many became blind because of the experience.

-The novel does not explain a few plot holes, such as why two brothers were turned into swans, and how the black one knew how to change Marycia.

-The ice mountain seems a metaphor for her evilness, but there is no explanation on how it erupted.

-According to the narrator, Marycia felt she spent three days on the ice mountain, but discover when it's over that she make it melt for 30 years. This seems difficult to understand, as there is no indication that Marycia got old.