Disclaimer: I don not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OC is entirely my own.
Prologue: Fairy Tales
"In a faraway land long ago, King Stefan and his fair queen wished for a child. At last a daughter was born. They named her Aurora.
"To honor the baby princess, the king held a great feast. Nobles, peasants, knights, and ladies all joyfully flocked to the caste.
"King Stefan welcomed his good friend King Hubert to the feast. King Hubert had brought his young son, Phillip, with him. The kings agreed that someday Phillip and Aurora would be married.
"Among the guests were three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Each of them wished to bliss the infant with a gift. Waving her wand, Flora chanted, 'My gift shall be the gift of Beauty.'
"'And mine,' said Fauna, 'shall be the gift of Song."
"Merryweather's turn was next. But before she could speak, the castle doors flew open.
"Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. A tiny flame appeared and grew into the form of the evil fairy Maleficent. Her pet raven was perched on her shoulder.
"Maleficent was angry that she hadn't been invited to the feast.
"'I, too, have a gift for the newborn babe,' she said with a sneer. 'She shall indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel...and die!'
"With a cruel laugh, the evil fairy vanished. Everyone in the room was grief-stricken.
"But Merryweather still had a gift to give. She tried to undo the curse by saying these words to the baby;
"'If through this evil fairy's trick
A spindle should your finger prick,
Not in death, but just in sleep
The fateful prophecy you'll keep
And from this slumber you shall wake
When true love's kiss the spell shall break.'
"King Stefan ordered that every spinning wheel in the land be burned. But he still feared the evil fairy's curse, so the good fairies hatched a plan. They would take Aurora to live with them, deep in the woods, safe from Maleficent.
"The king and queen agreed. They watched with heavy hearts as the fairies hurried from the castle, carrying the baby princess.
"To guard their secret, the fairies disguised themselves as peasant woman and changed Aurora's name to Briar Rose. The years passed quietly, and Briar Rose slowly grew into a beautiful young woman.
"At last the princess reached her sixteenth birthday. Planning a surprise, the fairies sent her out to pick berries. Fauna baked a cake for her, while the others sewed her a new gown.
"In a mossy glen, Briar Rose danced and sang with her friends, the birds and animals. She told them of her beautiful dream about meeting a tall, handsome stranger and falling in love.
"A young man came riding by. When he heard Briar Rose singing, he jumped from his horse and hid in the bushes to watch her. Then he reached out to take her hand.
"Briar Rose was startled. 'I didn't mean to frighten you,' he said with a smile, 'but I feel as though we've met before.'
"Briar Rose felt very happy. She and her admirer gazed into each other's eyes. The young man didn't know she was Princess Aurora. And she didn't know he was Prince Phillip.
"Back at the cottage, the fairies gave Briar Rose her birthday surprises. Then Briar Rose told them that she had fallen in love.
"'Impossible!' they cried. They told her the truth at last - that she was a royal princess, betrothed at birth to a prince. And it was time for her to return home. So poor Aurora was led away, still wishing for her handsome stranger.
"Maleficent's raven, perched on the chimney of the cottage, had heard everything. It flew off to warn Maleficent that the princess was finally coming home.
"Maleficent sped to the castle. Using her evil powers, she lured Aurora to a high tower. There a spinning wheel suddenly appeared.
"'Touch the spindle!' urged Maleficent. 'Touch it, I say!'
"The three good fairies rushed to the rescue, but they were too late. Aurora had touched the sharp spindle and instantly fallen into a deep sleep. Maleficent's curse had come true. Now, with a harsh laugh, the evil fairy vanished.
"The good fairies wept. 'Poor King Stefan and the queen,' said Fauna.
"'They'll be heartbroken when they find out,' said Merryweather.
"'They're not going to,' said Flora. 'We'll put them all to sleep until the princess awakens.' So the three fairies flew around, casting a dreamlike spell over everyone in the castle.
"Meanwhile, Maleficent had captured Phillip and chained him deep in her dungeon.
"But the good fairies had other plans for him. They magically melted his chains. They armed him with a Shield of Virtue and the Sword of Truth. Then they sent him racing to the castle to awaken the princess.
"Maleficent tried to stop Phillip from escaping. She hurled heavy boulders at him, but the brave prince rode on.
"When he reached Aurora's castle, Maleficent caused a forest of thorns to grow all around it. Phillip hacked the thorns aside with his powerful sword.
"In a rage, the evil fairy soared to the top of the highest tower. There she changed into a monstrous dragon. 'Now you shall deal with me, O Prince,' she shrieked. 'And all the Power of Evil!'
"Maleficent breathed huge waves of fire. Phillip ducked behind his strong shield.
"Thunder cracked! Flames roared around him! The prince fought bravely. Guided by the good fairies, he flung his magic sword straight as an arrow. It buried itself deep in the dragon's evil heart. Maleficent was no more.
"Phillip raced to the tower where his love lay sleeping. He gently kissed her. Aurora's eyes slowly opened. Now everyone awoke.
"The king and queen were overjoyed to see their daughter again.
"Wedding plans were soon made. And everyone lived happily ever after!"
"Papa?"
"Yes princess?"
"Are they real?"
A kind faced man, with soft emerald eyes and wavy brown hair, frowned slightly at the little girl before him. In a small bedroom, delicately decorated with light pink walls and white daisy prints, a little black haired girl with the same emerald eyes looked up expectantly at her father.
"Are who real, sweetheart?" her father asked, as he put the book down in his lap.
"Princes..." the little girl stated. "And castles?"
"Of course they are!" the father chuckled. "Remember? Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward? And we visited a castle this summer...near Halifax!" At the mention of the castle, the little girl nodded her head vigorously.
"But what about...Dragons?" the little girl whispered; her emerald eyes suddenly turning wide with fear. "And evil fairies?"
"There all just make-believe, sweetheart," he told her calmly, as he placed the book on her nightstand, and moved to tuck her into bed. "There are no such things as dragons, evil fairies or even witches for that matter. "
"Promise?" she asked quietly, as her eyes began to close.
"I promise," he said, as he kissed her on the forehead and backed out of the room softly. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
Turning off the lights, her father left the tiny pink bedroom. The room was softly glowing from the little star nightlight in the furthest corner, and the little girl shifted slightly on her feather downed bed. Slowly, she shifted into a world that was entirely her own; one where the fairy tales her father told her really existed.
Where there were far off places, filled with castles...and magic. Where mythical creatures like dragons and trolls lived. Where there was always an evil witch capturing and locking away a princess in a high tower. Or putting her into a deep sleep and she could only be set free by a kiss.
A kiss from a brave and handsome knight.
Or...a Prince.
A handsome prince who would rescue the princess from the tower; and slay the dragons and rid the world of the evil witches and wizards that dared to place a curse on the fair princess.
Little did they know the real truth to the stories they read. And that those fairy tale dreams would come to an end on the day she turned eleven.
a/n: Alright...so here we go! I decided to restart this story, and deleted the old one. I didn't like how that one had started out. The story above, of course, is "Sleeping Beauty" (This is the Little Golden's Book's Disney version from 1986...I tried to find the one from 1959, but was unsuccessful). Let me know what you think of the restart! Thanks!