The Crystal Bird:
Long ago, a bird flew through the skies. It beared a beautiful suit of feathers of a deep sky blue color. Only a few could see it by the day and even less could do so at night; but those who could desired its plumage. Many times they did try to catch it, but from the skies no one could bring it down. It was not until a mage crossed the earth to catch the bird that it was finally caught.
The man was wise and he took the bird from the hands of the hunters through wiles. Three days later, he returned to the same lands and offered the bird as a gift for the noble princess. He demanded only one thing. The mage wanted to part with the seasonal winter of the kingdom.
Without a proper conversation the King thankfully granted the region's winter in exchange for the bird. With a swift motif and a snapping of fingers the mage produced a wand from his sleeve and enchanted the land so it would never see snow again. He took leave politely and patted the bird one last time.
The first years were full of joy for the people of the kingdom. Without snow, they could harvest and plow the land throughout the full year. Old men healed and lived longer as did the good climate. Everything seemed so filled with peace and harmony within the kingdom, but times changed when the plagues arrived. Some strange year was specially horrible. Plagues ravaged every region and as winter closed in around them the plagues withdrew into the region without one. The warm climate nourished the locusts and the crops were constantly destroyed. The situation grew worse with every year, and the locusts barely left the region at any season but summer.
The King commanded search parties to look for the mage, but he was never found. However, a witch came from the west and offered the King help. In despair the King agreed to the demands made by the witch, who solely asked for gold and jewels. She enchanted the bird and its beautiful plumage turned into shards of ice crystals. Then, she instructed the King on what must be done. During winter, the bird must fly free so the needed snows may come.
So that was how it was made. The King liberated the bird almost immidiately and snow fell down after two hours. However, no one was ever able to find the bird again and the castle was burried in ice.