AN. Thanks to Julia-Caesar again for helping me.
This was requested by Elphaba wanabe. Enjoy!
Sleeping Beauty
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, the king and queen of a kingdom were thrilled when the queen gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl, for the king and queen had longed for a child for many years. They named her Elphaba, and invited all the fairies of the land to the christening to serve as godmothers to the tiny princess.
It was a joyous occasion, and all the subjects of the kingdom were gathered in excitement, to see which gifts the fairies would bestow upon the princess. First to give her gift, was the fairy Nessarose, who was famed for her beauty. She curtseyed to the king and queen, before turning to the infant princess in her cradle.
"Little princess, I give thee the gift of beauty. This beauty will be manifested both physically and through the kindness and purity of your soul for all those around you."
Other fairies gave the gifts of musical talent, wit and intelligence, all virtues and characteristics befitting a princess. Last to step forward before the king and queen was the fairy Galinda. Her magic was not as strong as some of the other fairies, but she was beloved throughout the kingdom for her sweet personality and love of pink.
"Your majesties, I offer your daughter the gift of-"
Galinda was interrupted as a whirl of wind and lightening abruptly sounded throughout the room. What appeared to be a tornado grew steadily in the centre of the room, and when it faded, there stood the only fairy in the kingdom not invited to the christening of Princess Elphaba.
Madame Morrible was known for her talents in sorcery and for her control of the weather, but also for her dark soul and twisted nature.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she announced to the silent room. "I'm sure my invitation to this little festivation simply got lost in the mail. Hmm? Nevertheless, I too, have a gift for the little princess," she continued, nodding her head to the king and queen before turning to the cradle.
"The princess shall indeed grow up wise, intelligent and graceful. But the beauty and purity of her soul shall be forever blemished by the outward manifestorium of her curse. For on her twenty-first birthday, the princess shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!"
With a loud cackle and another gust of wind, Madame Morrible disappeared, leaving a stunned silence and a devastated king and queen behind. The queen rushed to the cradle, picking up Elphaba and holding the baby to her chest in horror. For abruptly, the baby's pearly white skin was now an emerald shade of green.
"Oh, no! What will we do?" she sobbed to her husband, who could barely stand to look at his now cursed infant daughter in agony.
Galinda timidly stepped forward. "Begging your pardon, your Highness- I still have my gift to give Princess Elphaba."
The king was hopeful. "Can- can you reverse this?"
"No. Madame Morrible's magic is much stronger than mine," Galinda said sadly. "However, I can help."
She lifted her wand and turned to the baby, lying in her mother's arms. "Princess Elphaba, if by some unfortunate chance, you cannot avoid the spindle prick; it shall not end in your death. Instead, you shall fall into a cursed sleep until such a time when your true love will find you and bestow love's first kiss."
Galinda was sure her spell would work, but the king and queen still despaired- for even if true love's kiss would break the spell, who would want to kiss anyone with green skin? The king immediately issued a proclamation throughout the land that no one was allowed to own or use a spindle from that day forward, under the penalty of death, trying to keep Madame Morrible's curse from coming true.
As the fairies had promised, Elphaba grew into a beautiful young woman. She was brilliant, and witty and intelligent and kind. However, she didn't have an easy life. Her father still could hardly bring himself to have anything to do with his daughter, both because of the unnatural colour of her skin, as well as his own fear that despite his precautions, Madame Morrible's wicked curse might fulfil itself. Many people in the kingdom were apprehensive of their princess because of her skin. There were also many rumours flying around that the curse might be transferrable to anyone who came into contact with the princess, and so they avoided her.
So, Elphaba grew up lonely and isolated. She knew nothing of the curse, just that for some unfortunate reason, she was the only person in the world with green skin. The king and queen had decided not to tell their daughter of the curse, not wanting her to live in fear.
"Happy birthday, darling!"
Elphaba smiled at her mother as she entered the dining hall for breakfast on the morning of her twenty-first birthday.
"Good morning, mother."
The queen embraced her daughter warmly. "Twenty-one," she mused quietly, trying not to let her voice betray her fear and worry about what this day signified and what it might bring, and Elphaba only smiled fondly at her mother, completely innocent of her mother's worries.
"Where's Father?" Elphaba asked and the queen hesitated.
"He had some urgent business to attend to in the next kingdom," she lied.
In truth, the king had fled for the day, unable to sit idly by and wait for the prophecy to come true.
Elphaba didn't doubt her mother's word and simply sat down in her usual seat for breakfast.
"What will you be doing today?" the queen asked and Elphaba shrugged.
"I thought I might just stay in and read," she replied and the queen nodded.
It was raining outside, so Elphaba could not go out. She didn't mind the rain, however, it made good weather for curling up before the library fireplace with a good book.
When Elphaba entered the library however, leaving her mother to perform her royal duties, she found that no books on the shelves caught her interest. Bored, she eventually left the library and began to restlessly wander the halls of the castle. Paying no mind to where she was going, she paused to find herself in a part of the castle she was unfamiliar with.
Elphaba was never one to be afraid, so she pressed on and walked up a winding staircase, until she came into a small annexe. To her surprise, the room was not empty. An old woman sat in the room, spinning delicate cloth on a spindle.
"I'm sorry," Elphaba said apologetically. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."
The old woman smiled. "Oh, begging your pardon, Princess. You didn't disturb me."
Elphaba paused curiously, she had never seen such a machine before. "What are you doing?"
"Making cloth," the old woman replied. Then she paused, and looked up at the princess.
"Would you like to try, Your Highness?"
Elphaba smiled. "I would, thank you."
The old woman helped the princess sit before the spinning wheel and showed her how to work the machine. Elphaba was pleased to find the task was simple enough and was grateful to the woman for teaching her. But as she turned the wheel, her finger touched the needle and she was overcome, instantly feeling faint.
"Oh!" she cried faintly, before she slumped off the chair, to the floor in a dead faint.
The old woman cackled and her disguise was cast off to reveal Madame Morrible, her eye glinting with triumph that her curse had been fulfilled. However, she knew what the good fairy Galinda had done, the modifications she had made and the conditions that were required to break the spell.
So, Morrible performed another spell and a forest of briars sprang up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world; no one could try to penetrate it without facing certain death in the thorns. Likewise, no one inside the castle could get out.
When Elphaba was discovered, the queen was frantic. Several knights within the castle attempted to break through the thorns to the outside, but it was hopeless. When the king received work what had happened, he rushed back with his army. When he realised nothing could be done, he called upon Galinda for aid.
Galinda reassured the king and came up with a plan. She waved her wand and all those within the castle and outside the castle fell into a deep sleep. Only when Elphaba's true love found and kissed her, thus breaking the spell, would they awaken. She then called upon the other fairies to help keep the kingdom safe from harm until that time.
News quickly spread through the land of the kingdom where all subjects slept, and the princess who lay in the tower. It was the land where time stood still. Occasionally, a young man would try and break through the forest of thorns to get into the castle, but none prevailed. A prince from a distant land, Prince Fiyero heard these stories, and was intrigued by the mystery of the sleeping princess.
He began to dream of the girl, of finding her and being the one to break the spell, and without even seeing her or knowing her, he fell in love. Announcing his intention to his parents to follow his dreams, convinced they meant something, he travelled on his horse to the kingdom, and Galinda let him enter, hopeful that after several months, this could be the one meant to break the spell.
Upon seeing the forest of thorns, Fiyero drew his sword, and fought his way through the briars until eventually, he reached the castle doors. When he entered, he was struck by the stillness of the castle, as everyone inside still slept peacefully. As though guided by some invisible force, Fiyero walked through the castle until he came upon the tower where the servants had placed the princess after finding her.
When he saw Elphaba, he stilled. The stories were true- yes, the princess was green, but she was also beautiful and he could see that, looking beyond the unusual shade of her skin. Kneeling down beside the bed, he was suddenly compelled to kiss her, and he gently pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back, startled, as he felt the princess begin to stir and after a few moments, the princess opened her eyes and found Fiyero's face.
She startled, shocked and confused to find a strange man before her, and she sat up with a gasp.
"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to startle you," Fiyero said quietly and Elphaba swallowed nervously.
"Who- who are you?" she asked and Fiyero rose to his feet, bowing.
"My name is Prince Fiyero. And you are, my lady?"
"Princess Elphaba," she replied shyly.
Throughout the entire kingdom, people began to awake and the forest of thorns disappeared. When the king found his wife, they realised what must have happened, and dashed up to the tower, Galinda following eagerly. There, they found Elphaba and the king and queen were thrillified to see their daughter alive and well.
They then explained everything to Elphaba and Fiyero, all about Madame Morrible and the curse and what Galinda had done to help. Elphaba was surprised to hear about all of this, especially the implication that Fiyero was her true love. When she had heard everything, Elphaba turned to Fiyero and lowered her eyes.
"I'm very grateful to you, for fighting through the thorns. But you cannot love me."
"Why not?" Fiyero argued, for seeing the princess only confirmed what he'd been dreaming of.
"The colour of my skin," she replied simply. "I just- I wish I could be beautiful. For you. No, don't tell me that I am- you don't have to lie to me," she said quietly, when she saw Fiyero begin to protest.
"It's not lying," Fiyero insisted gently. "It's looking at things another way."
Elphaba smiled slightly and Fiyero kissed her. The king and queen were thrilled, they had never dreamed that the spell would be lifted, that there would be someone who wasn't discouraged by the colour of Elphaba's skin.
Elphaba was still shy and unsure, but the more time she spent with Fiyero, the more she too, fell in love with him and accepted that he was her true love. Fiyero took her back to his kingdom to meet his parents, who were amazed to learn about the curse.
Fiyero's father ordered his army to assist the king and queen hunt down Morrible. When they eventually found the wicked fairy, she was tried for the crime of attempting to bring about the death of the princess, and sentenced to be drowned in the river.
Fiyero asked the king and queen for permission to marry Elphaba and they agreed. Fiyero and Elphaba were married and the two kingdoms were joined as one. The wedding was a huge, joyous occasion and all the fairies who had been at Elphaba's christening were in attendance.
And they all lived happily ever after.