Chapter 3 of 11

Story 3

The King and Queen had been waiting for what felt like an eternity to have a child. Years have gone by without any luck nor sign of such a blessing. Finally, after years of trying, they were blessed with a child. A beautiful baby girl, with golden blond hair and lovely violet eyes. The two were ecstatic at the birth of their beloved daughter and decided to host a grand celebration in her honor.

The celebration came, with all coming to give gifts and blessings to the newborn baby princess. Three fairies came, two of them giving the young baby the gifts of beauty and the gifts of song. However, before the third fairy could give her gift to the princess a cloud of black smoke appeared. Out of the smoke came a horrible voice, and two sets of gleaming green eyes.

After a brief moment, the figures holding those sets of eyes stepped out of the smoke. One was tall and thin, with singed black hair and charred skin, an ever-present grief-filled look on its face. The other figure was a large black raven, feathers shimmering with rainbow colors in the light, yet the ends of its feathers looked as if they had been caught by some fire.

"You didn't invite me." The first figure spoke, taking another step out of the smoke.

"I heard about this wonderful news secondhand." It continued, taking another step towards the crib which held the princess.

"I was so disappointed when I heard because I wish I had heard from you." Now at the side of the princess's cradle, the figure turned to lock eyes with the king and queen.

"I am overjoyed for you both, such a blessing she is. I too wish to give her a gift."

There were screams and cries as the creature spoke. Its appearance is that of a charred body dressed in ornate feathered cloaks, and its voice that of a haunted child. Guards were rushed in, but it was too late. For the feathered creature had begun to lay its gift onto the child.

"May you indeed be blessed with both beauty and song, may your life be forever sweet and long. May you live many fruitful years, full of grace. May you soon prick your finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and fall into a peaceful forever sleep. Never to be woken by this world's cruelty."

A flash of light, blinding and vile, was spread across the room. When it cleared the smoke had once again started to pile up, swallowing the figure whole. "Happy birthday, little princess." It sing-songed hauntingly as it disappeared into the mist, leaving the banquet hall and its horrified guests.

Once the smoke fully cleared the king and queen raced towards the crib, picking up their small daughter. The two were distraught over the curse that was laid onto their small precious child.

Panic ensued, guests being ushered out by guards as the King and Queen wept over their child's apparent fate. Finally, after most of the commotion faded, the third fairy flitted forward and offered her gift. She and the other two fairies were not able to lift the curse, but the third would be able to alter it. The curse was changed, having it so that the princess wouldn't be pricked until her sixteenth birthday, and it changed it from being an eternal sleep with no hope of waking, into a peaceful slumber that would be awoken with true love's kiss.

This calmed the parents, though the king and queen were still paranoid about their daughter's safety. So they commanded that all spinning wheels were to be burned and that the princess was to be taken away and hidden far from the heinous creature's eyes and reach.

And so, the beautiful princess Aurora was taken to live in a beautiful summer cottage that was owned by the royal family. She was raised amongst her own personal servants, guards, and three fairies who were her nannies and caretakers.

Seasons changed and soon years passed, the small baby now a child of five. She had always been a curious thing, wandering around as much as possible. One day, during these wanderings, she happened upon a sleeping figure. It was tall and thin, with burnt hair and charred skin. It lay sleeping against the roots of a willow tree in the forest near the princess's home. Above the creature sat a giant raven with singed feathers.

The child, ever curious and naïve to the dangers of the world around her, reached out and gently touched the creature's burned face, causing it to stir. Its eyes opened, revealing beautiful violet hues, which were quickly covered by a vile green glow. The creature sat still, watching the small child as she continued to gently touch its face, cloak, and hands, seemingly confused by it.

"You shouldn't be here, little princess," it whispered softly, allowing the girl to hold onto its hand as she stared at it.

"Hello!" She smiled back joyously in response, sitting herself down next to the creature. "Everyone was busy and I was bored. So I came out here to find a friend, and I found you!" she declared, still smiling brightly.

"Am I your friend now?" It asked softly, being careful in its movements and tone so as to not scare the sweet child.

"Yes!" The princess shouted excitedly, jumping a bit on her knees.

"That's lovely." The creature said sincerely, smiling with its eyes if it was able to.

"Do you know any stories? I love stories, I love to tell them and to listen to them!" Her blonde hair bounced and her violet eyes sparked with excitement as the creature nodded.

The sun moved throughout the sky, and soon the princess fell asleep next to the creature. It moved gently, lifting her up and placing her into her bedroom.

"Happy Birthday, little princess." He whispered softly, eyes smiling as a single tear went down his face. Today was the little princess's sixth birthday.

The creature's and the princess's days went on for years. The smiling child would wander and happen upon the creature, not knowing that it was he who cursed her all those years ago, and they would spend the day together. They would play adventure, the creature would tell her stories of faraway lands and magic, and She would help care for the creatures of the forest alongside him.

"What is this place?" She one day asked softly. They had wandered deeper into the forest, as they usually did. Entering a surreal realm full of magic and wonderful beings.

"Home. My home." He answered softly.

Over the years Aurora had learned that the creature did not like to speak. It hurt his voice to do so, and it hurt his face to show much expression, so he showed his emotions with his eyes. The princess had never questioned it before, but she had always wondered. Why did her friend look like that? Burned and charred all over? His pet raven singed as well? She would never ask, of course. It was a hard thing for him to talk about and he preferred to stay away from such conversations.

"Your home is lovely! Is this where your raven is from?" The now twelve-year-old princess asked as she hopped onto some stones peaking above the water of a flowing river.

"Yes. Diaval is from these lands, he was born here. I came to them many years ago and made my home here with him." the creature nodded slightly, moving to sit at the base of what must be this place's version of a willow tree.

"Wonderful! It is absolutely lovely!" Aurora declared again, laughing as she and Diaval began to play in the water with the other creatures.

Hours passed, the sun moved in the sky, and soon it was nearly night. The Creature stood and gathered up the princess and the raven so they could make their way back to her home. They talked softly as they walked, carrying the little princess and the raven hopping from branch to branch overhead.

"You'll never guess what the nanny told me today." Aurora sleepily murmured as her eyes began to drift shut.

"Hmm?"

"She said that soon I will meet with my mother and father. And that I'll get to live in a palace!" She sleepily declared joyfully "She told me that I'm a Princess and that on my sixteenth birthday they will take me back home, to my family. I don't know why I had to leave it, but she said it was because some horrible witch put a curse on me." With a final sigh, the child fell asleep in the creature's arms. Not noticing that he had stopped walking as she was speaking. He was frozen to the spot, darkness flooding the forest as the sun set. Time seemed frozen to him, and he only partially broke from his trance when he heard the shouting of guards begin to grow closer.

Still, in some bit of this trance, he was not able to react quickly enough. So soon guards rounded around trees and boulders and saw him holding the princess. These guards knew who he was, and what he had done to her on her birthday twelve years ago, so they managed to attack him. The creature snapped awake, placing the princess down and teleporting himself and the raven away in a blizzard of smoke.

When it cleared, the princess was sitting awake sleepily on the ground. The barest whisper could be heard by her over the sounds of the guards shouting.

"Happy birthday, little princess."

And so the night of her thirteenth birthday passed. The next day was full of commotion, servants packing, guards running around, the fairies flitting everywhere nervously.

"What's happening?" The newly thirteen-year-old princess asked softly, her violet eyes scanning her packed-up home with worry.

It was explained to her that, last night in her sleep, she had been taken by the horrible monster who had cursed her thirteen years ago. And that by some miracle he slipped up and left her behind when he teleported. The King and Queen had already heard of this and demanded that the princess be brought back home at once. The summer cottage was no longer safe, and they believed she would be safer in the castle, with her family.

The princess and all of her belongings, servants, guards, and nannies, were quickly brought to the castle in the center of the kingdom. Forcing Aurora away from her friend that she had made so many years ago, forcing her away from him without any answers to her many questions.

Once she had arrived at the castle she learned that there was no reason for her to have been excited to come here and meet her parents. The castle was awful, the people were awful, and they were awful.

The King and Queen didn't treat her like their daughter, they didn't even treat her like a child. They forced her to act in a 'princessly' way and to start reviewing suitors. She was starved in order to lose weight and gain a prettier figure, her hair was ruined as the maids of the castle and her mother used product after product on it to make it more 'in style'. Soon her violet eyes lost the shine they had once held, her smiling fading with it.

She would lay awake at night, on her beautiful bedspreads and silken sheets, and cry. She missed her old way of life. The freedom, the sun, the love she had experienced then. All of her personal servants went back to their old ways once they arrived here. Becoming cold, cruel, and gossipy. Even her nannies had betrayed her, leaving to go back to their homes now that they didn't need to care for her. She felt so alone, with no nannies, animals, or her friend to comfort her.

So she cried herself to sleep at night. Every night. For the next three years.

On the day before her sixteenth birthday Aurora sat before a standing mirror as maids and her mother fussed over her appearance. They covered bruises left by her father's disciplines, they covered her hollowed cheeks left by her mother's obsession with her figure, and they tried to cover the lost sparkle and false smile that left with her old life.

She was to throw a grand party tonight, on the night of her sixteenth birthday. It was the first time her birthday had ever been celebrated. It was also the night that the curse was supposed to take effect.

Her parents insisted that it was all planned out. She would meet a long list of suitors tonight and fall in love with one. They would be engaged, and when she fell into her cursed sleep, he would recuse her with a true love's kiss.

She was not enthusiastic about the prospects of this evening. But she had no choice but to go along with her parents' whims. To be that perfect princess they had been forcing her to be these past three years.

The celebration occurred, guests arriving in droves with gifts and greetings, suitors arriving in nearly as many numbers with even more gifts and the unfortunate flirting and evening walks to 'grow close'.

The night passed, and the celebration ended. Aurora had found no love, but her parents had. A wealthy, handsome young prince from the neighboring kingdom. They were strong and powerful and very very rich, was it mentioned that they were incredibly rich? Her parents decided then and there, that the two were in love. He might have been, but she was not. It didn't matter though, for they were engaged, and she was sent off to bed shortly after.

In her room, she found a spinning wheel, with a beautifully carved and sharp needle sitting on its peak.

The creature sat by, watching the princess as she left her sixteenth birthday party. Was she crying? He couldn't tell. He felt like crying, but he didn't know if he could anymore. Not after what happened. These last three years had been hell for him. Trying to find his way back here in order to rescue her from their clutches, but he had failed. It was already too late. She entered her room, where they had left a spinning wheel for her, and she fell into a trance. Pricking her finger she collapsed, asleep, forever.

He knew that the fairy had altered his curse, but he also knew that no one truly loved the princess, nor did she truly love anyone.

"Such a shame. I wish there was another way." He murmured to himself. Watching from a distance as servants came in and put the princess into bed, as planned by the King and Queen.

"It didn't have to happen this way. There were many other ways." Diaval whispered from his shoulder. The raven's head was twisted so that it could see what was occurring with its master.

"I know... But this was the least harmful way."

Diaval nodded, in a bird way, and the two fell into their usual silence. Watching as the moon sank and the sun rose. Watching as the prince, who was Aurora's fiance, entered the room and kissed her sweetly. Watching as it did nothing. Watching as she remained asleep. Watching as the sun set and the moon rose again.

He entered the princess's chambers, looking at her sleeping form wistfully.

He whispered the curse that had left his lips sixteen years ago, staring at her as a single tear fell down his face once again.

*This story is inspired by the classic French Fairytale that many now know as 'Sleeping Beauty'. This is my own twist on the original fairytale and I'm working on the full version. This short version was cut off early as I didn't want to include any plot-spoiling parts.

- Moki-Mori*