Many years ago, in the Northernmost tip of the old continent, in an old village, there lived a young woman named Varelia, her little brothers, and grandmother.
They lived in a simple, serene way.
One day in late Winter, they were all out in the woods, when suddenly a strong wind stormed the fir trees. They were deep in the forest, and it took a long while before they could get back home.
When they finally did so, the grandmother was out of breath, and soon had to lie in her bed because of pneumonia.
Varelia took good care of her, but as the days went by, the grandmother grew weaker and weaker.
One morning, Varelia left her brothers in charge of the grandmother, and set out towards the mountaintop where lived a great magician.
It took her a whole day to climb up there, and kept herself strong and cheerful by singing to herself.
Varelia had in fact a beautiful, clear voice, and even the birds would stop chirping and listen to her song, then they would answer back.
When she got to the mountain peak, she offered three red apples to the three ravens guarding the entrance to the magician's mansion.
It was an old, dilapidated place that blended into the rock wall of the mountain.
When she went inside, the magician said:
"I have been waiting for you. I heard your song down below."
"I have come to ask for a cure for my grandmother. She's dying of pneumonia," said Varelia.
"I will give you a powerful remedy," said the magician, "but you will have to give me your singing voice, so that I may turn it into a pleasurable Spring gale."
Varelia thought a little, but her resolve to save her granny's life was strong, so she agreed.
When she left, holding the remedy carefully wrapped up, she realized she could no longer sing, she could only whisper.
All the way down the mountain, she kicked stones in her path, and tried to scream as her eyes filled with tears, but only a weak voice came out of her mouth.
In this terrible mood, she headed back home, where she brewed a potion with the magician's remedy and had her grandma drink it, despite being very bitter. Varelia lost her temper with her grandma, as she was refusing to drink.
At the end, Varelia forced the potion into her mouth. As a result, the woman recovered almost instantly.
However, in the following days, and ever since Varelia's song was no longer heard in the valley.
In Spring, though, when the swans flew back from the South, a beautiful, warm gale blew in, causing the Northern ice to thaw, and the buds to open again.
Varelia remembered the words of the magician and in her heart she called the Spring gale her song.
She lived on many, many years, serene and content, and at peace with the world. From time to time, she regretted her voice still
When her brothers left, and her grandmother died of old age, she stayed in the cottage and learned to play a bronze flute.
One day, after many years, the magician came to her, wearing a swan feather cape, voyaging on the wings of powerful winds that he summoned at will.
"I have come to give you back your song," he said, but Varelia, now quite mature, shrugged and said: "You can keep it, so that people can still enjoy the Spring gale."
The magician was moved, and struck a deal with her: " Take it back," he said, " but whenever I send a swan feather at your door, you will know it is time to play the flute and sing your song: I will catch your notes, and turn them into a Spring gale again."
