A/N: Wow, an update already! Shock, horror! It must be the holidays. Thank you very very much for the reviews:
Aerinha: Well, this one's a bit longer, and the next one will be longer still. Does that help? I'm really glad you enjoyed it – I've also been really liking your stories (I'm just too lazy to have reviewed them yet).
Phillippa of the Phoenix: There's always someone who asks awkward questions, isn't there? I was hoping that no-one would notice ;-) Ummm… Thumbelina is adopted by the fairies (some of the short variety), given a better name, raised in a loving home, and ends up marrying the fairy prince (the one that she marries in the original version). Thus the same eventual outcome is achieved without all the mucking around in the middle with frogs, beetles, moles, etc. Sorry about the lack of resolution to the story – hopefully matters will improve.
This one is based on the story of Sleeping Beauty. It was written with the help of my sister's kitten, who enjoys walking on the keyboard and trying to catch the cursor on the screen. Any typos are probably her fault.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Two: Blessings and Curses"I decree that on the princess's sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on a spindle and die!"
The evil fairy Maligna (her parents had actually named her Daphne, but how could you inspire any terror with a name like that?) looked with satisfaction around the hall, taking in the stunned, pale, faces, everyone turned to watch her, and her alone. She revelled in the moment, drinking in the shocked silence, sneering at the eleven ineffectual twits standing helplessly by the dais. Call themselves fairies? Why, they were barely fit to wield a – wait a moment, eleven? Hadn't there been twelve invited?
There was a slight rustle of cloth behind her, only audible by virtue of the near-complete silence (there were also a few gurgling sounds coming from the cradle; babies have no sense of occasion). Maligna spun, brushing away the last wisps of eerily-glowing green smoke surrounding her. The twelfth, and youngest, fairy extracted herself from behind the curtain and walked forwards, nervously fiddling with her wand. It had a big glittery gold star stuck on top of it. She ignored Maligna entirely (much to the latter's outrage) and stepped up to address the king and queen.
"Your Majesties, " she began, twiddling her wand harder, "it is with deepest regret I announce that I cannot lift this dreadful curse."
"You're right, you can't." sneered Maligna, wondering where this was going.
"However, " the fairy continued, as if Maligna had not spoken, "I can ameliorate it."
Before Maligna could react, the fairy turned to the princess's cradle and began flourishing her wand.
"You shall not die when you prick your finger. Instead, you shall fall into a deep sleep, a sleep that shall last for one hundred long years, until your true love awakens you with his kiss. Furthermore, the castle and all the life within it shall sleep with you. Thus do I spell you."
She turned back to face the king, face calm, waiting for his words of thanks. The king stared at her for a while, mouth moving silently, speechless with astonishment. Eventually, he managed to get some words out.
"Excuse me? This is meant to be an improvement?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As always, thank you very much for reading, hope you liked it, and please review.
iridescent mists