Apple Staff and Silver Crown: A Fairy Tale

Al Stray is manager of the Port Credit Public Library.

Set long ago in a mythical kingdom, Apple Staff and Silver Crown is a fantasy that recounts the three-year odyssey of two teenagers, one a scrub-maid, the other a prince. Though life-long friends, neither Irmengarde nor Garth knows anything of the 13-year-old girl’s past. Attempts by Prince Garth to find out are rebuffed by his step-father, King Darkspur. The plot hinges on the reason why.

Darkspur seeks out the scrub-maid on Garth’s fifteenth birthday. While the prince is away on a fox hunt, the king forbids Irmengarde to see Garth ever again. Confused, she wanders away from Apple Castle and disappears. Later that day Garth himself becomes lost in an eerie oaken forest; he is summoned by a talon-toed enchantress on May Eve and given a riddle to unravel that eventually leads him to Irmengarde.

Forty-seven short chapters alternately describe their adventures. With each succeeding one, Garth and Irmengarde mature, so that by the end of the tale they are able to take on the adult roles thrust upon them. Helping them along the way are a “fantastic” supporting cast (both human and non-) that includes a talking unicorn and dragon. The significance of the title becomes evident as the plot unfolds toward a satisfying conclusion. Even the demise of King Darkspur has a silver lining in it.

Skillful use of language breathes life into the author’s characters and enables the reader to see and smell the scenes described. Accompanying art work enhances one’s mental images of what is taking place. Her imagery is a pleasure to read:

the giant circle of seagulls was wheeling majestically around and around with the sunlight winking from their flashing wings like a million candles from a million silver candlesticks...

Though it is set in the distant past, this fairy tale’s portrayal of women is contemporary. Women are seen as independent, knowledgeable, and strong. By the story’s end Irmengarde is successfully combining the roles of wife, mother, and Queen.