This story begins in one of the many human kingdoms of the world. Though not one of the largest, it was one of the wealthiest. This place was called Ulrike (pronounced oohl-ree-keh). Ulrike was nestled in the soft, rolling green hills just south of the stony, black mountains of her sister kingdom, Vibeke (pronounced vee-beh-keh). Vibeke was not only a wealthy nation, but was also very large, and had a substantial army. Though the two nations never fought each other directly, they would compete with each other every excuse they got. This went for the citizens and the rulers of the kingdoms themselves, who held the strongest of rivalries against each other.

It came to pass that one year, within two months of one another, daughters were born to the royal families of both kingdoms, and again the two nations fought over every minute detail—from which babe was sure to be fairer when she grew older, to minor details such as the girls' intelligence. By the time the girls were toddlers, it seemed that the Vibeken princess, called Silje, would be the prettier of the two, whilst Tilde, the Ulriken princess, was smarter--as evidenced by the facts that she had learned to walk and speak before Silje, who was the older of the two.

Though of course both nations discovered other means of competition throughout the years, for the kings of Ulrike and Vibeke this rivalry was personal. And so, the eve after Silje's 12th birthday, the king of Vibeke announced to the king of Ulrike his plans for his daughter's 13th birthday. Following a great celebration, he would have Silje locked in a tower and guarded by a mighty ogre. The announcement itself was not a surprise, as locking princesses away at puberty was considered quite fashionable at the time, but it sparked an idea into the Ulriken king. He proposed that they would each fortify the other's daughter in a tower, and whomever could find a knight—taken from the country's own citizens--valiant enough to rescue the princess and bring her home first would be the winner. That is, it would be a contest based on two points: who could construct a better tower, and which kingdom could produce a braver knight. He would even give the Vibeken king a head start, as his daughter was two months older. With confidence, the Vibeken king agreed, and they each began searching their kingdom for the tallest, most well guarded and secluded towers.

By the next year, the towers were prepared, and after her birthday ball and feast, each princess was shipped away from her homeland, to be left in seclusion until the first rescue attempt on her 18th birthday, which was the custom. Silje was sent away first. Her tower resided in a secluded marsh valley just west of the Ulriken capital. The tower was very old, and more famous for its width than its height. The place had many rooms, a majority of which the Ulriken king had his men set traps in. It was like a labyrinth where one had to choose not only where to turn, but when to go up a stair or when to go down. The map that lead the only safe way was a family heirloom of the Ulriken royal family, and locked safely away after Silje was placed safely in the living quarters of the highest floor. Of course, they could not leave her unguarded, so the king had two nasty ogres shipped in, and locked into the grounds beneath the tower as soon as the gates leading inside were locked.

After two months, the Ulriken princess Tilde was also shipped away from her homeland, and to a fortress deep within the black mountaintops of Vibeke. The terrain surrounding the fortress was harsh, rocky and dead. The fortress itself sat on the top of a mountain, and the only way up was a very old, winding, black stone path that seemed to be crumbling away. A false step could result in a tumble down the steep, jagged mountainside. As with Silje, an old witch crone--under the employ of the king--cast a spell on the princess, binding her to the location until the time of her first kiss; this spell also provided for her so she would not need to eat or drink. Ultimately, food fit for a princess for 5 years would add up to more than the cost of reagents for the spell—and wart of an elf was hard to find. Elves are one of the most wart-free and beautiful races, after all. Despite this spell, Tilde was given a potion to drink that would make her sleep until she was kissed. On top of all of this, a mighty dragon was placed in the fortress, and bound there by another of the witch crone's spells, which also kept the dragon from even considering attacking the princess—this spell would be broken only when the dragon was slaughtered by the knight who came to rescue her.

Thusly, the stages were set, and the two kingdoms began their searches for the candidates who would be their daughter's saviors.