23) “Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady” by Vernon Lee
Plot:
Prince Alberic grows up as the heir and ward of his grandfather, Duke Balthasar Maria. The Prince is closer to his nurse than to the Duke. In his room, he has a faded tapestry that he barely understands, but he’s intrigued by the border. The nurse tells him the names of some of the plants and flowers. She also tells him those animals are called “rabbits.” The couple in the center are his ancestors, Alberic the Blond and the Snake Lady Oriana. They seem very much in love.
He’s all the more intrigued.
The Duke, however, says he wants nothing to do with the nonsense on the tapestry and replaces it with one depicting Susana and the Elders. Alberic destroys the new tapestry. Rearrangement of the furniture later reveals that the Snake Lady Oriana is part beautiful woman and part snake. Alberic doesn’t care.
The news of destruction of the perfectly good tapestry does not immediately reach the Duke, who is busy composing ballets and spending the ducal treasury on a magnificent mausoleum for himself in a grotto. When he does at last hear of what Alberic has done, he banishes the Prince to the Castle of Sparkling Waters, a ruined ancestral palace inhabited only by a peasant family.
Or so he thinks. For there, Alberic meets a snake he takes for a pet. He also meets a beautiful woman who tells him she is his godmother. She will come to him every day, but he must never tell the Duke about her.
Thoughts:
This is a fairy tale, albeit a dark one. The reader hopes for the best for the little dreamer Alberic. He’s lost his mom and dad, and he’s an afterthought to his grandfather. Even banishment doesn’t break his spirit. With the help of the *cough* godmother, he reads the classics, learns how to ride, and handle a sword. When his grandfather recalls him, he’s already quite the accomplished young gentleman.
The reader never finds out what the Snake Lady’s intentions are. Does she fall in love and want to be human, like the little mermaid? Or does she want to lead a soul to perdition?
The chapters are short, but this takes a while to get through. I enjoyed it, but it would probably appeal to a narrow audience.
Bio: Vernon Lee is a pseudonym for Violet Paget (1856-1935). Paget is best known as a writer of supernatural fiction. She was born in France to British parents but lived in Italy, where much of her fiction is set. She also wrote essays on art, music, and travel.
The story can be listened to here.
Title: “Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady”
Author: Vernon Lee (legal name: Violet Paget) (1856-1935)
First published: The Yellow Book, July 1896
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 