Sleeping Beauty

By: thecoconutcyclone

Once long ago, when the spirits of the elements still walked among mortals and magic was something to be revered instead of scoffed at, there was a kingdom on the edge of the sea. Those who lived in this land were a chosen people, they lived in harmony with the sea and it was said that their Queen could decipher the words of the waves themselves. She and her King ruled with compassion and honored the teachings of spirits. The land was filled with joy and laughter.

However, this joy was incomplete. For you see the King and Queen longed for a child. Everyday they would say to each other, "Would that we had a child." They tried in vain for several years to conceive. Many believed that for the Queen to bare a child the spirits would have to intervene. Yet, one day, without any magic or outside interference at all, the Queen announced that she was with child.

There was much rejoicing throughout the land. Everyone from the wealthiest courtiers to the poorest peasants began to plan for the arrival of their new prince or princess. Excitement flowed from every cottage and shop. And as the time for the birth drew nearer this excitement only grew.

Then finally it happened. The Queen bore a daughter so beautiful that the King could not contain himself for sheer joy, and he declared a great holiday. He decreed that for an entire week everyone in the kingdom should make merry. He also had his advisors organize a great feast to be held at the climax of the weeklong celebration. Not only did he invite his relations, friends, and acquaintances, but also the Guardian spirits themselves, that they might be kind and favorable to the child. However, his advisors, in a show of sheer pride, decided for the King that only the nine most powerful spirits should be invited to the feast. After all, it simply wouldn't do for the guardian of the toadstools or the protector of pond scum to be seen in the royal palace.

So as the week drew to a close the feast began. The heady aroma of fresh flowers greeted the guests as they made their way into the palace. Anything and everything was draped in fabrics dyed the colors of the kingdom. The grand dining hall was awash with the soft glow of thousands of candles. Many of the guests were taken aback by the splendor of the event. The people remarked that surely this celebration would be remembered throughout the ages. Little did they know how right they were.

As the event drew to a close, the Guardians stepped forward to present to the little princess their gifts. The first, the Guardian of Beauty, came forward in a gown of gold. She seemed to fill the room with energy as she hurriedly made her way towards the bassinet. She leaned down and softly kissed the baby on her forehead. As she rose, the Guardian said, "Little Princess of the Seas, I grant you the gift of Love. Yours will be a heart that is full, and one day you will be reunited with the other half of your soul." With that the Guardian of Beauty returned to her seat.

A second spirit then came forward. This spirit was cloaked in blue and instead of rushing forward like her sister, she gracefully walked to the bassinet. All assembled instantly knew that this was the spirit of the waters. She mimicked her sister's actions and kissed the Princess on the forehead before speaking. "Princess, I give you the gift of wisdom so that you may see the world with eyes open."

As the Guardian of the Waters stepped away from the bassinet, a third spirit took her place. This spirit was a raven-haired woman in robes the color of fire. She was clearly the Guardian of the Flames. "Princess I give you the gift of intuition, so that you may see some of the road before you."

Then a fourth spirit rose. She strode to the bassinet in a gown of green. Her hair, which was the color of autumn leaves, caught the light as she walked. A hush fell over the room as the Guardian of the Forrest spoke. "Little one, I grant you strength, so that you may protect those in your kingdom who cannot protect themselves."

Then in turn the other Guardian spirits rose and bestowed their own gifts on the Princess. The frail Guardian of Death gave the princess the gift of compassion, "So that sorrow will not frequent this happy land." The Guardian of the Seas allowed the child to share her mother's gift of understanding the words of the waves. While the Guardian of the Winds, gave the gift of music. The crimson-eyed Guardian of Time bestowed nobility, "For the ages teach us that power is not a guarantee of nobility."

Finally, it came time for the final and most powerful spirit, the Guardian of Light, to present her gift. However, before she could speak, a great shadow fell across the room. In strode one of the uninvited lesser spirits. Burning to avenge herself for what she saw as a grievous insult, and without greeting or respect, she cried with a loud voice, "In the fifteenth year of her age the Princess shall prick herself with a spindle and shall fall down dead." And without speaking one more word she turned away and left the hall.

The room broke into an uproar. Whatever were they to do? How might their little princess be spared this horrible fate? The Guardian of Light stepped forward and raised a delicate hand. Upon seeing the silver-haired spirit rise the room fell silent. "While I can not do away with this evil prophecy, I can soften it." She leaned down and kissed the Princess. "Little one you will not die, but instead fall into a deep sleep until the one whom my sister spoke of arrives to awaken you."

Now the King, wanting to spare his daughter even this misfortune, ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be destroyed.

Years passed and the little princess grew up, adorned with all the gifts of the spirits. She was the perfect picture of a princess; so lovely, sweet, kind, and graceful that no one who saw her could help loving her. However, she was far more than a pretty face; she was clever, creative, and always willing to aid anyone in need. She was a talented artist and musician, and it was said that her music made the waves dance and calmed the roughest winds. Many believed that the spirits often visited her, and that they were teaching her their ways. It was clear to all that the Princess of the Seas would be a remarkable ruler when her time came.

It happened one day, the Princess being already fifteen years old, that the King and Queen rode abroad; and the maiden was left behind alone in the castle. She wandered about the castle, into all the chambers and parlors, as fancy took her, till finally she came to an old forgotten tower. Suddenly, she was struck with a sense of foreboding. She knew that there was something evil in this place. She also knew that since her mother and father were away, that it was her duty to investigate this feeling in order to protect the kingdom.

So the Princess climbed the tower's narrow winding stair, which led to a small door. Beyond the door she could hear someone singing softly. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and discovered an old woman with a spindle, diligently spinning her flax.

"Good day, mother," said the Princess, "what are you doing?"

"I am spinning," answered the old woman, nodding her head.

Now the Princess had never seen this woman before in her life, let alone a spindle because of the prophecy. Naturally, her interest was piqued. "What thing is that that twists round so briskly?" she asked, and taking the spindle into her hand she began to spin; but no sooner had she touched it than the evil prophecy was fulfilled, and she pricked her finger with it. In that very instant she fell back upon the bed that stood in the room, and lay in a deep sleep, and a great hush fell upon the entire castle. It was almost as if time had stopped. The horses in their stalls, the dogs in the yard, the birds on the roof, the very fire that flickered on the hearth, all became still. The wind ceased, and not a leaf fell from the trees about the castle.

When the Queen and King returned from their journey they could not gain access to the castle. Try as they might they could not open the doors. For many days they camped outside and called upon the spirits for aid. Yet none came. Finally, the Queen went to the sea and asked the waves their counsel. But even they could offer no assistance. With heavy hearts, the Queen and King left their home never to return again.

Then all around the place there grew a hedge of thorns thicker every year, until at last the whole castle was hidden from view, and nothing of it could be seen but the vane on the roof. And a rumor went abroad in all that country of the beautiful sleeping Michiru, for so was the Princess called; and from time to time many brave knights came and tried to force their way through the hedge; but it was impossible for them to do so. The thorns held so fast together, like many strong hands in fact, that they caught many men, and not being able to free themselves, these men died a terrible death there.

Many a long year afterwards, in a neighboring land, there was born another Princess favored by the spirits. This girl, however, grew to be much different than your typical princess. She had grace and beauty, true; yet she was a restless soul. While other princesses her age were learning to sew and be good wives, this girl raced the kitchen boys and learned to fence. While other princesses grew their hair long and wore flowing gowns, this girl kept her sandy hair short and wore breeches. Many said that she seemed a child of the wind itself.

Haruka, as the princess was called, grew to be a fine, though rather unorthodox, young woman. However, not long after her fifteenth birthday she began to have strange dreams. Sometimes she would be walking along a gray sea and suddenly the music of a lone violin would drift down to her. Then the scene would shift and she would be standing in a room with a beautiful aqua haired woman, who would be playing the violin. As she stood and listened to the music and looked upon the musician, Haruka would feel a kind of peace that she never imagined possible and even a feeling of love. Other times she would dream that she and the woman were simply standing together watching the sun set from a cliff high above the sea. There were nights when she would speak with the woman in her dreams, and nights when they danced along the shore. Yet with every dream came the overwhelming feeling of peace and love.

Finally, after months of these dreams, Haruka sought the council of the spirits. She kneeled at the castle's small altar and prayed for guidance, for a name, anything that would reveal the true nature of her dreams and the woman in them. After several moments a voice came to her upon the wind. "My child, you must leave this place in order to find the answers you seek."

The next morning Haruka saddled her fastest horse and set out in whatever direction the winds took her. She wandered for many months before one day coming upon a long forgotten kingdom by the sea. There she heard an old woman tell of how there existed nearby a castle hidden behind a hedge of thorns, and that there a beautiful Princess named Michiru slept, having been cursed by a vengeful spirit. The old woman had been told by her grandfather that many brave knights had tried to enter the castle and awaken the Princess, but all had been caught and pierced by the thorns, and had died a miserable death.

At first Haruka had the impulse to wave off the woman's tale as simple superstition, however a voice in the back of her mind urged her to look further into things. She smiled roguishly at the old woman. "I do not fear death; I will win through and see your sleeping princess." The kind woman tried to dissuade her, but she would not listen to her warnings.

So once again Haruka set out on her journey. She wandered the land for several days, but she could find no sign of the enchanted castle. Then one afternoon she came upon a young woman dressed in black standing at a crossroads. As she approached the woman, Haruka noted that she was rather pale. "Good afternoon, Haruka," the young woman called.

Haruka raised an eyebrow at the greeting. How did this woman know her name? "Good afternoon, you have me at a loss. You seem to know me, yet I don't recall ever meeting you."

The young woman smiled warmly at Haruka. "Unfortunately, I can not properly introduce myself to you at this time. Let's just say that I am a friend." Haruka was still curious as to whom this woman was but there was something about her that Haruka knew she could trust, so she nodded. "Good. Now I understand that you seek the castle of the sleeping princess?"

Again Haruka nodded, astounded by what this frail stranger knew. The strange woman smiled as if reading Haruka's thoughts. She then pointed towards the left branch of the road. "You will find it in that direction." Haruka turned to look down the path, and when she turned to thank the woman she found that she had already vanished.

All she could do then was shake her head and move on. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when she came upon what appeared to be a wall of thorns. "This must be the place," Haruka sighed to herself, "but how to get in?"

As in response to her question a woman in green stepped out from the shadows. "You can enter through this weak patch in the thorns here, there's a small path which you can follow to one of the castle doors." Then just as quickly as she had appeared, the woman vanished.

"Well, this is certainly getting stranger by the moment." Haruka chuckled, and then made her way through the thorns on the path the woman had indicated. When she reached the castle-yard, she saw the horses and hunting dogs standing frozen, and on the roof the birds perched as if made of stone. And when she came indoors she found that everything was still there as well. As she went deeper into the castle she could not find a single thing which would respond to her presence. All was so quiet that she could hear her own breathing; and at last she came to the tower, and went up the winding stair, and opened the door to the little room where Michiru lay.

Her breath caught as she recognized the face of the sleeping Princess to be that of the woman in her dreams. She looked so lovely in her sleep, that Haruka could not turn away her eyes; and presently she stooped and kissed her, and she awoke, opened her eyes, and smiled warmly at her. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"I dreamed about you." Haruka breathed.

"And I of you, " Michiru replied, as she rose. And the two left the tower together. As they walked further in to the castle things began to stir again. The fires roared back to life, and the creatures in the yard once again took breath into their lungs. Hand in hand they left the castle and walked to the shore to watch the final rays of sunlight caress the sea. And as the final light faded from the land each knew that she had found the other half of her soul.

And somewhere not too far off the nine spirits rejoiced.

Allrightie I hope you enjoyed this installment of Thecoconutcyclone's Fairy Tale Theatre. One of these days I may even write one using a different couple. Or not, you never know with me. Any way this is a small detour in the grand scheme of things. Presently I am working on a tale of epic proportions, focusing on the Silver Millenium. I hope to have the first part out soon. But since I'm finally legal I decided to take a break and write something warm and fuzzy to celebrate, to share the good vibes I'm feeling with tha world. Now that this is done, I'm off to have some Midnight Margaritas! Hope you liked it, and thanks for your time!

Remember kiddies, the cyclone doesn't own anything, if she did there would be crappy cyclone merchandise all over the place, and the suits at CN would ensure that Sailor Moon would never leave the air waves for fear of incurring the cyclone's terrible wrath.