The girl is a baker's daughter, who discovers that she is actually a princess, switched at birth with the baker's son because the queen was desperate to provide the king with a son. She goes to the palace to ask for treatment for her mother, who is possessed with a spirit and cannot travel to seek a healer. When she reaches the palace, she is kept waiting for an audience with the royal physician for many days, as the king is ill. Whilst waiting, she makes friends with a count, who discovers that she is the princess. He is the member of a powerful family whose influence is on the wane due to poor performance in the wars overseas, and he plans to marry her to his brother and then reveal her identity, so that his family can have control over the throne.
Meanwhile, a young servant girl discovers that she is a witch, and practices her magic in secret. Her skills would be well respected, but she does not want to have to leave her job in the palace stables, where she is often able to see the prince, whom she loves. He tells her of his troubles with untrustworthy courtiers and his father's illness and increasing emotional distance. She supports him as he increasingly feels that he is unable to cope with his responsibilities.
The count's brother, the earl, struggles to keep control over his followers, and worries that his younger brother is beginning to eclipse him in power.
A duke is abroad, fighting in the war and distinguishing himself. He receives regular updates from his spies, and has them also communicate their knowledge to the young prince. He also sends false information to the enemies of the prince. He collects books, and prevents soldiers from burning down a library.
One morning, the girl is surprised to see her family gathering in a hall in the count's house. She runs down to them, but finds the doors blocked. The count explains the situation to her: how the hall is scheduled for demolition, but will be destroyed later if there is a wedding taking place. She must marry the earl to save her family. Horrified, she eventually agrees.
Just as the sermon begins (the priest mindful of the children whose lives are in danger) the prince and the servant sweep in. The servant uses her magic to freeze the fire, and the wedding is called off. All hell breaks loose. The prince declares which men have been conspiring against the king, and they are imprisoned. The count escapes, but not before transforming the earl into a large slug, in an act of extreme spite.
'Why waste a wedding?' exclaims the girl's mother, and the king agrees heartily. They accept, and are married. 'Treat him well,' the witch whispers to her before vanishing.
They try to fall in love, but it is difficult. The prince is always busy and making excuses, and spends all his time riding and hunting. The girl tries to ride, and fails both spectacularly and hilariously. They have a heated argument, during which he accidentally reveals his love for the servant girl. The princess sneaks away and tells her this, and promises that she will not interfere so long as they do not publicly humiliate her.
The duke returns to the capital, mindful of the count's plotting and desiring the ear of the king. He tells the aged king that the prince and princess will rule well together - one has royal blood, the other a royal upbringing. He makes him see his daughter. They have an emotional father-daughter moment, and he dies. The prince is resentful that he was not there.
The prince is crowned king, and his wife is queen. The count comes to him, telling him that the only way to be happy is to be with his love publicly. He suggests thaat he murder his wife. The count is sure that once the direct royal line is extinct, he will be able to seize power in a coup, and claim power for his nephew.
The duke's spies hear of this, and he hastens to warn the princess. He spirits her away to a safehouse, after she tells her husband that she intends to retire to pray for children. They fall in love, and begin a passionate affair.
The king refuses to kill his wife, and says that nobody's life is less important than his own happiness. He wants to do what is right for the country, and continue the royal bloodline through their heirs. The count blackmails him, threatening to reveal his affair and damage his already unsteady position as king. They are at a stalemate, and neither side attacks.
The count plots to marry her, claiming her as the widow of his brother. He has the duke kidnapped, knowing her weakness for helping others in danger. She is found in her safehouse, and also taken to the count's castle. However, she manages to escape with the duke, and they return to the king. The king declares that this is too much, and that the count must be stopped. To safeguard his position, he decrees that, since they are adopted siblings and both recognised as children of the king, their marriage was unlawful.
The count's leverage gone, he is soon apprehended by the witch and the queen, working together as good friends. They intend to capture him, but he will not be taken alive, and he dies in an explosion that takes the whole castle down. His final act is to apologise to her. She denies him forgiveness.
She marries the duke, and he marries the witch. She lives as the duchess at court, and the king rules well. When the king has a son he abdicates in favour of his adopted sister, who becomes queen.
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