Sleeping Beauty
Once upon a time there was a king and a queen who wanted nothing more than a child. And when they had given up almost their desire for a child, the queen gave birth to a healthy boy. The joy was so great that the king invited the complete kingdom to a feast.
The fairies of the kingdom were invited to express their good wishes to the young prince. As the last charged fairy comment to the child their wish for the future, the sky darkened and out from the dark smoke rose a dark-clad woman. It was Maleficent, the evil fairy, who lived in the dark and remote corner of the kingdom. Not have invited her considered now as a serious error.
Enraged, she went to the cradle of the child, and expressed her evil desire: "Prince Riku, on your 16th Birthday you shall stab on a spindle and fall down dead!" Maleficent then disappeared with an evil laugh as soon as she had come.
The queen began to weep bitterly and the king put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "What - what shall we do?", asked the king in despair. Then came the fairy, who had not yet expressed their wish before and said: "While I can not undo Maleficent's request, but I can relieve him". She went to the cradle and said smiling at the sleeping child: "Prince Riku, on your 16th Birthday you shall stab on a spindle and fall into a 100-year sleep. For this you shall be redeemed with a kiss that is given to you by someone who loves you with all his heart". Then she turned to the royal parents: "That's all I can do for the prince, I'm sorry".
Sadly the fairies left the king and queen and the king decided that night to destroy each spindle in the kingdom. But Maleficent held a spindle in her tower for the day on which her curse would come true.
So the years went by and prince Riku has become a handsome young man, which was popular throughout the Kingdom. On the morning of his 16th Birthday, the royal couple left the palace and left the prince back alone with the royal household. The royal couple had forgotten Maleficent's curse, as they thought, by the burning of all the spindle in their kingdom, the curse could not get on their son.
So it happened that the prince shortly afterwards received a visit from an old woman. The prince – was known as very helpful - accompanied the old woman to her tower in the darkest part of his kingdom to help her in moving her spindle.
Astonished the prince looked at the spindle and Maleficent asked with a smile: "Would you like to turn the spinning wheel, my lord?" Prince Riku walked up to the spinning wheel, wanted to touch it, but dared not. "Fear not, my lord. Spin it only"., Maleficent said, took the hand of the prince and led her to the spinning wheel. Reluctantly prince Riku took the spinning wheel in his hand and pierced his finger with the spindle.
As the blood dripped from the wound, the sky grew dark, there was thunder and lightning, Maleficent was evil laughing and the prince fell lifeless to the ground. With diabolical laughter the wicked fairy disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke and fate took its course. The prince fell into a 100-year sleep and the whole kingdom with him. Over the years grew a hedge of thorns around the tower and shut away the sleeping prince.
Many brave knights and princesses wanted to free the sleeping prince, but none of them penetrated the thorn hedge. That way people forgot the sleeping prince and he became a legend.
As the 100th year moved into the country, the young knight Sora opened the search for the mysterious tower. By days he reached with his horse the tower, which was covered all over with sharp thorns. Sora got off his horse with his sword and struck at the thorns. As he was discouraged after hours and wanted to ride back home, the thorn hedge opened and Sora entered the stairs that led up to the tower.
The brave knight laid step by step back and finally came to a small room in which a spinning wheel stood. Next to it prince Riku was sleeping, who was identified in the legend as 'Sleeping Beauty'. But the brave knight did not know that the sleeping beauty was a prince, for the years they had forgotten that the royal child´s sex in the legend was male. So Sora knelt beside him, put his head in his lap and kissed the supposed princess on her rosy lips. The prince opened his eyes and just at that moment the lost kingdom was reborn. He noticed his mistake when he looked more closely at 'the princess' after she had opened her eyes and had gotten up.
For minutes the two looked at each other only, before the prince regained his language. "I want to thank you that you free me from my curse and saved the kingdom. Tell me what you wish for most. I'm sure my parents will lavish you with wealth, since you saved my life and freed the kingdom". Even the knight had regained his voice and whispered, ashamed: "I do not need wealth, I only wish what my heart could desire". "What's that?", the prince asked surprised. "You, my lord, if you agree"., Sora replied and turned around so that the prince did not see his glowing cheeks.
The prince stood there speechless for several seconds before he answered, smiling: "So it is, my noble knight". "Forgive my foolish wish, my lord, farewell"., whispered the knight and went on his way to leave the tower because he had not heard the words of the prince. But the prince drew him half way back on his arm, turned him over, pushed his head into the air, so they had to look at each other and laughed: "You're surely not going to want to leave me here alone, right?" Sora just looked at him quizzically and before he could say a word, the prince sealed his mouth with his lips. As the kiss had ended, the knight stammered: "But ... your parents ... the kingdom ...". "My wish is to complay, because I also get what my heart desires".
Together the two left the tower and returned to the lost kingdom. After the royal couple received their son with joy and had heard his request, shortly after the wedding of the prince and the brave knight was celebrated. So the two lived happily ever after.
