One example can be found in The Rose Tree. In the tale, the wicked stepmother despises her stepdaughter so much that she kills her by chopping off her head. She then takes her heart and liver and feeds them to her husband, the girl's father. Justice is served after her brother buries her and a white bird collects things to give to her father, brother, and stepmother. The first two get good things because they loved her. The stepmother, however, gets a millstone to the head. These kinds of stories are interesting because justice comes into play differently than it does in the real world. Had this actually occurred, a long and tedious police investigation would occur, and then an even longer trial would take place. Justice is taken into the characters' own hands in the most creative of ways.
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh present another perfect example of crime and justice. The stepmother and new queen is jealous of the king's daughter and turns her into a fierce dragon, one that must be rescued by her brother. Her brother has to kiss her three times to break the spell, but he has gone overseas to seek fame and everything else knights sought at the time. Even when he hears about his sister's plight and returns, he has a hard time getting to land because the witch step mother attempts to use the dragon against him. Justice is served when he manages to land and rescues the princess. Justice is further served when the evil queen is turned into a toad. Justice ends up being very sweet in this tale, and what’s even better is that nobody really dies.
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