An Alternative Sleeping Beauty

A damsel in distress version of Sleeping Beauty, a twist on the original




Once upon a time there was a princess who, while very beautiful, could be quite frightful.  She would boss her servants about and treat her people shamefully whenever she was in a bad mood, which was quite often as she had been very spoilt as a child.  One day, after she had been particularly difficult her maid went out to the dark forest to see the local witch and pleaded with her for help.  The witch thought for a while then agreed to help and sent the maid back to the castle while she prepared the spells she would need.

As the night closed in, the witch crept to the castle, noting that there were just two sleepy guards at the castle gate.  Taking a deep breath she concentrated on the complex spell and cast it.  An aura appeared over the castle, blue lights swirling.  Inside the aura, the princess and her servants slowly fell into a deep sleep, gently dropping to the ground where they stood.  

Nodding in satisfaction as the gate guards fell asleep she cast the next spell and a thorny hedge, several metres thick and just as tall, grew and surrounded the castle.  She left a notice hanging on the signpost by the castle, and returned home.

When the locals came across the sign the following day, they smiled and went about their business much happier and all was well in the kingdom.

Well, it was for six months.

One afternoon the locals were surprised by a prince who rode into the town, having heard all about the all about how beautiful the princess was and the predicament she was in.  He rode up to the castle, determinate to rescue this damsel from her distress.  As he approached, he saw the sign:

THE PRINCESS IS UNDERGOING A PERIOD OF ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT.  SHE WILL SLEEP FOR ONE YEAR, AFTER WHICH SHE WILL WAKE UP IN A MUCH BETTER FRAME OF MIND.  Signed, The Witch!

The Prince was incensed!  How dare anyone do that to a Royal Princess!  He was determined to rescue her and profess his undying love, hoping to win her fair hand in marriage.  He immediately set about finding the witch, in order to get the spell lifted.

At first the locals refused to tell him where the witch lived, they were enjoying the princess's absence too much.  But eventually, with the exchange of a few coins, someone finally gave him the information he needed and he entered the dark forest, brave of heart and sure of purpose.

He followed the track until he came to the witch's cottage and without even knocking he burst in, demanding to see the wicked witch that had imprisoned his intended in her own castle.  The witch had been tearing up an old sheet, intending to use it as bandages and slings and when the prince burst in, she jumped out of her chair in fright and the strips of cloth fell to the floor.  

This gave the prince an idea and he grabbed her wrists quickly, binding them with strips of cloth.  As the witch opened her mouth to cast a spell, he filled her mouth with the material and tied more around her head to keep it there.  All the witch could do was making faint moans as he finished tying her up, making sure her legs were securely wrapped too.  Assuring her that he meant her no harm, he picked her up and carried her back to the castle where he told her he would release her only if she broke the spell.

She shook her head, and tried to explain that the spell must keep going for another six months if it was to work but she couldn't make any coherent sounds.  He tied her to a nearby tree, removed her shoes, and ticked her feet for a moment.  Then he removed the gag and told the witch that he would keep tickling her until she reversed her magic and let him enter.

He tickled her feet some more, drawing first giggles then shrieks of laughter until she finally agreed to break the spell.  Once the giggles had subsided he watched as she said the words that cancelled the enchantment.  The thorny hedge vanished and the aura faded but the guards didn't wake.  Puzzled, he turned back to the witch who told him that he must kiss the princess to wake her and the rest of the castle would then wake up.  He gagged her again and said that if the witch had really lifted the spell he would happily release her.

He ventured inside the castle, past sleeping servants and dusty furniture, until he found the Royal Bedchamber, where the princess, in all her beauty, lay asleep on her bed.  He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips, and watched as her eyes flickered open.  She smiled up at him and he took her hand and kissed it, telling her he was here to rescue her from the evil enchantments of the witch and hoped she would be his forever more.

The princess sat up and as she did sounds from around the castle indicated that all the servants were waking up too.  She took the prince's hand and led him down to the throne room where they sat together, watching the servants cleaning away the dust as though they'd never been asleep.  The princess's smile turned to a frown as she surveyed the mess and within minutes she was rudely ordering her servants around and completely ignored her rescuer.  

The prince was shocked, such a beautiful princess but her manners were worse than some common peasant.  He soon realised he had made a big mistake and, while her attention was turned by some curtains that were too dusty, he sneaked out from the castle, past the two sleepy guards at the gate.

Returning to where the he had left the witch, he was surprised to find her untied and ungagged and sat on a tree stump, waiting for him.  She smiled as he returned and nodded when he explained what had happened.  He apologised and left the small kingdom, continuing his search for a bride elsewhere.  The witch recast the spell and the castle was soon returned to its slumber, behind the thorny hedge.

The witch returned home, wondering why people were so convinced that witches had to be able to move their hands or speak their spells aloud (although admitted to herself, it was a useful thing for them not to know) and the kingdom settled down for peace for the next 6 months.  

The end.