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Burg Eltz, Germany
Over mossy rocks and submerged branches, the river leapt and splashed on its way through the valley. It passed under the shadow of the looming fortress standing watch over the valley, but the river continued cheerfully playing and tripping through the riverbed. As it gurgled through the shallows of the ford, it spotted a ragged girl kneeling on the banks. The river paused, curious.
The girl held pieces of clothing, which she twisted in the water to wash. Damp fabric was spread on the banks around her, already washed and drying in the noonday sun. As she worked, she sang a lilting mountain air, with a voice as clear and sweet as the scent of the wildflowers along the river's edge.
The river ventured closer, delighted by the simple creature. It flicked up water droplets that landed on her nose and cheeks, causing her to pause in her singing and erupt into peals of laughter that rang in the valley. The bright, happy sound echoed up and into the castle, where the servants and nobility were going about their daily tasks. The women in the kitchen started to chatter and laugh with each other as they kneaded the bread and tended the hearth. The maids pulled back the drapes and let light flood the great hall. The blacksmith in the forge began to whistle in time with the fall of his hammer. The princesses sitting at their needlepoint threw open the shutters to let the fresh spring air into the gloomy chamber.
At the top of the tower, the king looked down at the winding, glittering river and at the child splashing through the shallows, and his smile at her joy finally lifted the lines of worry from his brow.
