The Incredibly Bizarre Fairy-Tale
Mackenzie W
A/N: I have been tossing this idea down for awhile and so I decided to finally write it down. It is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, which is retold in the opening chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Mackenzie W doesn't only the plot of Sleeping Beauty. Do the Grimm Brothers?…
Chapter One:
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who was cursed from birth. On her sixteenth birthday, she pricked her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and feel into a deep sleep. Her court also fell fast asleep and thorns grew around the castle. All would remain that way until the prince was awoken by true love's first kiss.
One day, a handsome prince rode up to the castle. The story of the sleeping princess had long passed into folklore and the prince wanted to see if it was true. He entered into the enchanted castle, fighting his way through the thorns. He found the sleeping nobles and servants inside. Encourage by this sight, the prince came upon the princess. He gently kissed her, awaking her. The nobles and servants were also awoken, and they celebrated. The prince and his princess lived happily ever after, the end.
"Oh my God, why did we ever like that old story?" asked a red-haired woman about twenty years old. "You never did," her friend, a brunette with a clipboard in her hand, answered. Cecilia turned and faced her friend. "It never made any sense to me," she answered. The two watched as an old lady walked by the door, the six young children gathered around her clamoring for more about the sleeping beauty. The old woman looked up and shared a knowing glance between the two young woman in the room.
The brunette stood up and closed the door as Cecilia entered into her closet. "Why didn't you like it, Cecilia?"
"One, it seemed improbable it could actually happen. Two, the prince and the princess never met. How could they be each other's true love? Give me a break, Tina!" Cecilia answered back. "The story sounds improbable?" Tina repeated. "This coming from a princess who has an entire society of sorcerers and sorceresses at her disposal. You know better not to believe those old fairy tales aren't true." Cecilia walked out of the closet and gave Tina a pointed look.
She herself was dressed in a white blouse, a long brown wool skirt, and a ragged shawl draped over her shoulders. Her outfit stood in stark contrast to the dresses behind her, all in rich cloths and an array of colors. "Alright, wise guy," she retorted. "You made your point. But you can't tell me the last point I made isn't true." Tina put up her hands in a surrender position. "I thought not," Cecilia said.
Tina observed her friend's attire and sighed. "Cece, you are not going out into the village and masquerading as a peasant again, are you?" she asked. Cecilia grabbed her friend's clipboard. "I did everything on this list already today. And I'll be back in time for dinner. My parents won't suspect a thing," she said, handing the clipboard back. "Why are you going?" her friend asked. "If I'm going to be queen, I should know what my subjects want."
"Oh, and a certain Orlando wouldn't have anything to do with your visits?"
"He is just an added bonus to this whole thing," Cecilia responded, returning her friend's sly look. Tina could see her friend had feelings for this man. "Your parents would never approve and your brother would kill him," Tina said, trying to talk some sense into her friend. "Well, we won't let any of them find out about Orlando, now will we? Not until I can soften my parents up to him at least," Cecilia said. "Once my parents approve then we can introduce him to my brother. He can't hurt Orlando then." Cecilia finished putting on her hair covering on. "There, I look like another peasant girl," she said. Tina smiled and nodded.
Tina accompanied her friend to the servants' entrance and exit. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Tina asked Cecilia again. Cecilia flashed a smile and ducked out of the palace. "Tina, just cover for me. Tell them anything you like, alright?" Cecilia asked. "I will, but you do realize how many times I have been to confession with all the times I've covered for you?" Tina asked. Cecilia waved and disappeared into the fields. Tina stood up and walked back to her chambers, wondering how much longer she was going to survive with such a fiery princess as her best friend.