Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Rosewood lived two princesses, a prince and a lonely widowed king. It had been years since the royal family had been a family. The Queen of Rosewood, Queen Jessica had caught a cold one day, five years ago, which later turned into pneumonia and had peacefully passed on.
From that day onwards, King Robert had sunk into depression and was a shadow of his former self. The kingdom, though not as prosperous as it once was, thrived on, though everyone mourned the loss of such a beautiful, kind queen. His children fared slightly better than their father, with the kindred servants, maids and tutors being able to coax them out of their grieving states.
The crowned prince, William, a boy of now 15 had learned all that he could from his tutor, Master Sensei and was soon to leave for school for 5 years at least before being able to return to Rosewood. His only regrets were leaving his beloved sisters, Aurora and Elena who were 13 behind. However, with promises that they would keep safe, watch out for father, he left with a less heavy heart.
Aurora and Elena watched their brother's dark hair and grey horse fade away as he got further and further away from the palace, tears flowing freely down their cheeks. Turning inside, they entered the palace to begin their studies for the day. The princesses were loved by everyone in the palace for they were always kind, patient and caring. Whenever they saw an ill servant, they would send the servant off to bed and pick up the servant's duties themselves.
Though Aurora and Elena were twins, they did not look alike at all. Aurora had silvery blonde hair with startling blue eyes and though at the tender age of 13, was a splitting image of her mother. Elena on the other hand, took after her father and brother and had dark, chestnut brown hair with her mother's startling blue eyes. Though they missed their mother terribly, who had been not only a mother to them but a teacher, friend and sister too, they were still happy. Life in the palace was always cheerful, bright and bustling with a hint of sadness until that fateful day, a year after Prince William had departed.
An evil enchantress by the name of Persephone had entered the kingdom disguising herself as a beautiful maiden and hid in the forest that bordered the Rosewood and Alceste kingdoms, the Black Forest. King Robert was coaxed into taking a hunting trip by his friend Sir Hugh and discovered a beautiful maiden lying "unconsciously" surrounded by a "pool of blood".
Gathering her up in his cloak, the King rode onwards to the palace. He sent maids and the doctor to tend to her and quickly fell under her spell. Once she was better, he introduced her to Aurora and Elena. To the King, she was the kindest, loveliest lady who would be a lovely mother to his children. However, to everyone else she was a beautiful lady with a cold stone heart. Unlike the King, everyone in the palace had seen the malicious, calculating, evil glint in her eyes.
King Robert was enamoured by her and quickly married the devious enchantress. From that day on the palace changed. The King was under control of the now Queen and he did whatever she wished. It was no longer a cheerful, bright bustling place but a dark, gloomy one instead. The kingdom began to decline in prosperity, and after two years poverty began to spring up among the royal subjects and after another year, people were starving.
Princess Aurora and Princess Elena were also badly treated. They were stripped of there beautiful gowns and dresses and forced to work alongside the servants. At first, the princesses didn't mind doing servant work but then the beatings and whippings came into play. The Queen had placed her nephews into the palace as guards and gave them leave to whip and beat anybody who misbehaved, did not do their work or was causing trouble for her. The princesses had witnessed one of their once maids being whipped and cried out to try to protect her. Enraged the guard whipped the princesses causing them to both bleed from their backs.
Distraught, the princesses turned to their father to try to stop the whippings but the King was no longer in the right state of mind and said that if his beloved Queen Persephone thought the servants deserved a whipping then they probably did. The Queen heard the princesses talk to their father and knowing that they were a threat to her became utterly furious, she threw them into the dungeons and ordered a guard to later slit their throats at night.
Terrified, the princesses knew that the palace was no longer their home. Scared, they manage to pick the lock of their door and escape. They ran as fast as they could, trying to get further and further away from the palace. They ran through a nearby village and became even more distressed, after seeing the poverty. They ran faster and faster, deciding to hide in the Black forest for safety. Night had now fallen and knowing it was not safe to remain on the grounds with the wolves and foxes about, Aurora and Elena climbed up a tree to rest.
The guard who was to kill the princesses found their dungeon cell empty. Rushing up, he told the Queen and she went into a fit of rage. After regaining some calm, seething she cast this curse, where all the water in the Black forest would turn the princesses, if they dared to drink, into a hideous forest beast. Cackling at her genius, the Queen went to sleep.
The morning had arisen and extremely hungry and thirsty, the princesses went out to look for food and water. Stumbling on a pond, they cried in delight and began to cup their hands to drink the water. But before they could start drinking, a vision of their mother appeared. The spirit of beautiful Queen Jessica stood before them whispering in a far away voice, telling them not to drink the water:
My dearest daughters do not drink any water here,
A curse has been placed on any pool of water near,
Do not heed this warning for you are all to dear,
You shall turn into a beast if you do no stay clear
Then the water turned from its pretty crystal blue colour to reveal the face of a tiger. Scared the princesses began to flee. Queen Persephone saw this in her enchanted vanity mirror and seethed. Soon the princesses wandered around the forest and each time, they approached a river, spring, stream, pond or lake they heard their mother's words. Scared they backed away.
Hours passed and they had passed the border of Rosewood and Alceste and entered into the kingdom of Alceste. They found a clear sparkling stream and approached hungrily, thirstily but their mother's voice rang out again. Desperately thirsty and not thinking straight, Elena exclaimed "Surely, it's not cursed. We are now in the kingdom of Alceste and the Queen could not have got to this spring as well."
"Elena, no! What about what mother said?" asked Aurora but it was too late. Elena had taken a drink from the spring.
"See, Aurora, I'm perfectly fine" smiled Elena and turned back to take another drink. Apprehensively, Aurora slowly approached but then stopped. "Elena!" she screamed.
Where her sister once stood, was now a stag. "Aurora?" asked Elena worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"Look at you" gasped Aurora shaking and trembling furiously, trying not to faint.
Elena now thoroughly confused, looked down and gasped. She was no longer human. "Oh Elena!" sobbed Aurora as she went to embrace her sister. Queen Persephone saw this and cackled madly though a bit disappointed that the princess wasn't a more hideous beast. However she overcame this disappointment, knowing that Elena would be killed by a hunter. Turning away from the vanity mirror, she sighed and knew now nothing stood in her way except the return of Prince William. But that wouldn't happen for another year. Sighing, contently the evil enchantress turned to perform her duties and start the day.
"Don't worry Aurora" murmured Elena trying to placate her sobbing sister. "I don't really mind being a stag. Now I can carry you and you can ride on my back if you ever get tired."
"But Elena" hiccuped Aurora "You're a princess, you're my sister, not a forest animal!" Aurora then went and hugged Elena before they headed up a hill together. Night had slowly fallen again and they came across an old abandoned cottage. Hesitantly, Aurora knocked on the door and pushed it open when no reply was given.
The princesses lived in the cottage the next few days, Aurora gathering wild berries and apples that grew off the apple tree near the cottage. Elena wanted to help and roam the forest but Aurora forbade her. "Elena, you're a stag now" scolded Aurora "Hunters will be out there and will not hesitate to shoot you down with one of their arrows. You're all I have now. I can't let you go"
Elena bowed her head and submitted but one early morning it was too much. The call of the wild, the sun shining down, the birds chirping, Elena had to get out and see it all. Glancing at her sister sleeping, Elena reasoned that she'd be only gone for a bit and would get breakfast for Aurora and then leaped outside the cottage.
Elena was only a short way from the cottage when she heard a trumpet. "A hunting party!" flashed through her mind and she decided to flee, but not being too good with directions, galloped right into the hunting party.
A young handsome man saw Elena and exclaimed "What a beautiful stag!" The rest of the hunting party backed away as the young man, drew his arrow back; and with perfect aim struck Elena. Elena collapsed, gave a moan of pain before falling into unconsciousness. Aurora had heard the trumpets and woken up, not seeing Elena she dashed out of the cottage and saw the hunting party and Elena. "No…." she screamed as the arrow hit Elena.
The hunting party saw her and were shocked into silence. A beautiful maiden was streaming towards them. "A goddess" some thought while others thought "An angel". The young man, who was the crown prince of Alceste stood in awe at the beauty before him. "My lady, what are you doing in the forest?" he addressed Aurora. But all Aurora's response was "Elena, my sister!" before she gasped in pain and fell on top of Elena.
Worried, the prince turned to his hunting party with a questioning look. His father, the King, took charge and ordered that the maiden and stag be brought to the castle at once. The doctor soon arrived and checked on the maiden and stag. He saw the cuts that the whippings had caused and his eyes widen in alarm and bandaged the wounded leg of the stag. "Sure the cuts were deep but it wouldn't have caused the lady to become unconscious" he pondered and was disrupted by the entry of the Royal family.
"Are they alright?" asked the concerned King. Standing next to King Alexander of Alceste was his wife, Queen Amelia and only child, Prince Andrew.
The doctor looked up at the Royal family and cautiously began talking "The lady and stag will both be fine. The cuts on each of their backs will heal in time but I am curious on how they had appeared in the first place. The lady's condition is very puzzling as well…" trailed off the doctor.
"Why?" Prince Andrew asked as he sent a worried glance at the beautiful lady, his parents caught the look that their son was giving the lady and smiled at each other.
"You shot the stag with your arrow" began the doctor "So no harm should have befallen this lady. There's only one condition that could have caused this lady to… but it's ridiculous"
"What is it?" asked Queen Amelia.
"It is called twinsinitis, but that would have to mean the lady and stag were twins. But that is evidently not the case here" chuckled the doctor at the end.
The eyebrows of the queen and king rose and were soon to disappear into their hair after they heard what their son said. Prince Andrew spoke up "before the lady in question fell unconscious she said Elena, my sister!"
Confused, the party left leaving what they thought was the lady and a stag to rest. Elena was the first to recover but that could be put down to her being an animal and thus being much stronger than her beloved sister. Waking up, Elena gasped at her surroundings. Here she was in a room, on a comfortable bed and yelled "Aurora!" Elena jumped out of bed and saw Aurora lying there pale and still on a bed not far away.
She trotted to her sister's side when the doors open causing her to turn her head. A young handsome man approached and she gave him a weary glance once over. He was the man who shot her! Tensing up, Elena took a breath in and asked "What are you doing here? What do you want?"
Prince Andrew gasped and took a couple of steps back. He had come into the room followed by his parents after hearing the word Aurora. Was this a talking stag? "Son?" asked the King as he and the Queen entered.
"The stag t-t-talked" stuttered the prince. The Queen sent her son a worried glance. "My name is Elena. What do you want with me and my sister?" asked the stag causing both the king's and queen's eyes to bulge.
Startled, the Queen began to speak questioning her sanity while doing so. "My husband and son found you and your… ummm… sister when they were out hunting. My son shot you with his arrow and well your sister fainted and we brought you here into Alceste"
"Will Aurora be alright?" asked Elena. Seeing the confused faces "My sister, the lady over there."
"Aurora?" asked the prince. "She will be fine in a couple of days. If you don't mind me asking how did you umm… become a… uhh… stag?"
"It is a long story, perhaps you would like to all take a seat." Spoke Elena. As she began to tell her and Aurora's story the Queen let out a series of gasps and the King embraced his wife.
"We will kill her!" exclaimed Prince Andrew after Elena finished her story.
"No, it is not your duty. It is our brother's. We must find him" said Elena sadly.
And as if the fates were listening, a servant knocked on the door and entered and bowed. "Your majesty, a Prince William of Rosewood has come to seek shelter from the storm. May I give him your permission to shelter here?" asked the servant.
Elena gasped and King Alexander said calmly, "You may, but bring him here first."
Prince William entered the room a few minutes later. He had grown taller and had matured into a handsome young man. "Thank you your majesties for…" he began but was interrupted by Elena's joyful cry of "Brother!"
William gasped surprised. Surely the stag did not just talk and call him brother. Smiling, at the young man, Queen Amelia spoke up first "You may recognise your other sister, Aurora better" and pointed to Aurora's direction.
"Aurora!" exclaimed Prince William before firing off many questions. "What happened? Why is she here? Where's Elena? What happened at Rosewood?"
"I am here brother" spoke up Elena as she trotted towards her brother. "It is a long story and I'll have to tell it again now. Won't you sit?"
The Alceste Royal Family exited to give the siblings some privacy. "Oh my gosh, Elena!" exclaimed William after she had finished the tale. "I will kill that enchantress!"
"You'll have to be careful, she'll be expecting you and she is very powerful. Don't underestimate her because that would be a mistake" whispered Elena.
"I'll be careful my beloved sister" replied William as he hugged and kissed Elena before turning to Aurora and doing the same before leaving the room.
Prince William discussed the problem with Prince Andrew and King Alexander and the rest of the nobles of Alceste. The armies of Rosewood would easily defect to their side and Prince Andrew would pretend to be Prince William. The plan had been formulated and would be put into action tomorrow morning. Each soldier and the princes slept preparing for the battle to come tomorrow.
They rode into Rosewood with 200 hundred mean behind them. After seeing Prince William, the Rosewood armies defected and together they marched towards the Rosewood Palace to defeat the evil queen. Queen Persephone was easily defeated after both William and Andrew thought against her and confused the malicious enchantress. William pierced her heart and she gave a piercing shriek rivalling a banshee's.
All her curses, spells were broken and King Robert woke up none the wiser. "What is going on here?" he demanded as he saw the armies of Alceste. An explanation was soon given as King Robert became more alarmed and disgusted with himself as the tale went on. King Robert then travelled to Alceste with the armies, his son and Prince Andrew.
When they reached Alceste castle, King Robert embraced his dear daughters Aurora who had waken up and Elena who was transformed back into a human. King Robert, Prince William, Princess Aurora and Princess Elena stayed in Alceste castle for two weeks before returning back to Rosewood.
Under the reign of King Robert and the prince and princesses, the kingdom of Rosewood recovered and became bright, cheery and bustling and prosperous once more. The subjects came to love their King once more but were wary of any new strangers. The bond between Alceste and Rosewood became stronger and stronger. After Princess Aurora and Princess Elena turned 20, Prince Andrew declared his love for and proposed to Princess Aurora and they were married within a year. King Robert never fell in love and married again but both Prince William and Princess Elena did. But that's another story.