Chapter 12: Putting the Castle to Sleep

Back inside the castle hall, the party was ready to begin, yet neither the princess nor the fairies were present. The entire court, especially Blue Diamond, was starting to get a little worried.

"You don't think that White Diamond's curse is the reason why Lapis hasn't appeared yet, do you?" whispered the queen to the duchess, fearing the worst.

"Nonsense," Yellow Diamond replied. "She must still be getting ready, besides the curse can't and shouldn't come true, as every spinning wheel in this kingdom has been burned."

The queen took solace in this and hoped that her daughter was just running late. Though little did she or the rest of the court know that this was far from the truth.

Meanwhile, the fairies had carried the peacefully sleeping Lapis to the castle's highest tower, where they laid her on a small canopy bed nearby, with her head lying on a soft pillow. Then they pulled the bed's long silk cover up to the princess' waist, before placing her hands gently over it in a crossed position. The fairies were still in a state of grief, not only from how White Diamond's curse had come true but also from how they felt responsible for allowing the wicked fairy to lure Lapis away from them. Steven, in particular, was most upset with what had happened that he went outside to mourn on the tower's balcony, not wanting to look at his friend in such an unfortunate state.

Once the other fairies had finished tucking Lapis in, they all went out onto the balcony, to try and comfort Steven as best they could.

"I can't believe it," the fairy prince sobbed. "Lapis is gone forever, and it's all my fault."

"Oh, Steven," said Pearl, as she tenderly put her arms around him. "It wasn't your fault; we all should have been more aware that White Diamond would pull a trick such as this."

"Besides," added Bismuth. "Didn't you hear what Amethyst said? Lapis isn't dead."

Steven began to wipe away his tears, intrigued by what the periwinkle fairy had said. "She isn't?" he asked nervously.

"Yep," replied Amethyst. "She has only fallen into a magical sleep."

"And it's all thanks to your mother, that she's still alive," added Garnet. "Come, let me show you."

So, Garnet took Steven back into the room, to show him the sleeping princess. Steven was astonished, for he thought Lapis looked like an angel, and he could tell from her light breathing that she was only asleep. Feeling reassured, Steven embraced the magenta fairy with gratitude, happy that his friend was alive. However, his sadness soon returned when he remembered Lapis' party.

"What is the queen going to say when she finds out what happened?" the fairy prince asked worryingly. "Does she know about the curse?"

The other fairies frowned, for they knew that they would have to inform Blue Diamond about her daughter's fate, even though they didn't want to.

"Oh dear, she is going to be heartbroken when she finds out what happened," said Pearl as she dried her eyes with her handkerchief. "What are we going to do?"

Just then, a bright, yet compact shimmer of light filled the tower room. To the fairies' surprise, it was none other than Rose Quartz, who had gotten word of their plight and came to help them in any way she could.

"Oh, Rose," Pearl said anxiously. "We failed in our task; White Diamond has won."

The fairy queen could only respond with a low sigh before turning her sights to the slumbering princess. "So, the curse has come to pass," Rose replied sadly. "What a horrible outcome."

"Rose," interjected Bismuth. "How are we going to break this news to the queen and her subjects?"

"Indeed," added Peridot. "They are likely going to fall into immense grief if we tell them what happened to Lapis."

The fairy queen thought for a moment, realising the severity of the situation at hand. Suddenly, she had a risky yet thoughtful idea. "They are not going to find out," she answered. "At least, not yet."

The other fairies were stunned by this response, especially since this was coming from the Queen of Fairies herself.

"But Rose!" interrupted Pearl. "The entire court will be worried sick about this, they'll think that Lapis has disappeared or been kidnapped!"

Before the ivory fairy could continue her expression, Garnet interrupted her and told her to stay calm, thus allowing Rose to justify her actions.

"Here is the plan," the fairy queen informed the others. "I want you all to put the entire castle to sleep until Lapis has awoken from her slumber."

Whilst the other fairies were somewhat conflicted about this in terms of morality, they knew that it was the kindest thing they could do, without sending the whole castle into despair.

"Once you have done that," continued the fairy queen. "You must search for the one whom Lapis considers her true love, as only they can break the spell."

The fairies thought for a moment, thinking about who Lapis would consider her true love. That was until Garnet remembered what the princess had told them earlier today.

"The young man she met in the forest!" the magenta fairy exclaimed. "We must find him!"

All the other fairies agreed, except for Pearl, who was still doubtful over what they had said to Lapis beforehand.

"But Garnet," the ivory fairy inquired. "Didn't we tell Lapis that she couldn't see this stranger again?"

The other fairies acknowledged this, as they were still feeling guilty about what they told the princess earlier.

"That may be so, but Lapis' life is now at stake," Garnet responded. "And that young man may be the only one who has a chance of waking her, regardless of what his position is."

Everyone else agreed and pledged to Rose that they wouldn't stop until they found the young man, no matter how long it took them. Soon even Pearl agreed to help, though she was still reluctant. "Alright," she proclaimed. "Let's go and look for him."

So, without any further delay, the fairies flew out of the window and were ready to cast their spell. All that was except for Steven, who before leaving, wanted to bid farewell to his slumbering friend.

"Don't worry Lapis," he whispered. "We'll find your true love, then you'll awake and be happy again."

Then, the fairy prince took out his wand and conjured up a beautiful pink rose which he placed in between Lapis' delicate hands, as a symbol of his promise to her. Rose smiled and went to give her son a small kiss on his forehead for good luck.

"Will Lapis be alright here alone?" the fairy prince asked.

"Don't worry Steven," replied the fairy queen. "I will keep an eye on her and the castle whilst they're asleep."

Steven could only respond with a beaming smile. "Now go," Rose informed her son, "Go help the others, and make Lapis' dream come true."

With the words of his mother in mind, Steven waved goodbye and flew out the window to join the rest of the fairies, who were patiently floating above the castle entrance.

"Where were you?" asked Pearl. "We need to cast our spell immediately."

"Sorry," the fairy prince replied. "I just wanted to bid Lapis goodbye before I left and give her a promise in the form of a rose."

Garnet smiled and put her hand on Steven's shoulder.

"That's such a sweet and considerate thing to do," the magenta fairy spoke. "Though, I wouldn't expect any less from someone as kindhearted as you Steven."

"Also," added Bismuth. "We shouldn't have let you and Peridot leave Lapis alone earlier, we're deeply sorry."

Amethyst and Pearl also apologised, knowing that Steven and Peridot's company would have kept Lapis protected.

"That's alright," said Steven happily. "Now let's go and give everyone a nice long nap."

The other fairies nodded in agreement and with Garnet leading the way, they went to put the entire castle to sleep. The fairies flew in and out of every castle room, sprinkling fairy dust upon the various castle residents. Cooks, servants, ladies in waiting, and even some of the animals all fell asleep within a matter of seconds. The last room to sort was the castle hall, where Blue Diamond was growing more concerned about her daughter's absence.

"I can't take it anymore!" she cried. "I'm going to look for Lapis!"

But before the queen could ask her guards to aid in the search, she, along with the duchess and the rest of the court, became overwhelmed with drowsiness, and soon the entire room fell silent.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but your sleep will only be temporary," whispered Steven. "When you wake up, your daughter will be reunited with you."

Then, the fairy prince went to join the others, who were standing above the castle, admiring their work. By now, everyone in the entire castle was asleep and therefore Lapis would no longer be alone.

"Well done everybody," said Bismuth proudly. "Now let's go and find this stranger Lapis spoke of."

So, without further delay the six fairies headed straight for the kingdom, to begin their search for Lapis' true love. Further, in the distance, Rose had been observing her subjects' work from the tower balcony and recognised their achievement.

"Good luck," she said, as she headed back inside.

Rose took out a chair underneath a nearby dressing table and placed it by Lapis' bedside. Then, she conjured up a candlestick, which she used her magic to light before placing it on the dressing table. Finally, the fairy queen drew the tower drapes to ensure that Lapis wouldn't be disturbed.

With everything now set, Rose sat down on the chair next to Lapis, keeping a careful eye on her as she slept. "Soon my dear," Rose said to the sleeping princess. "Soon, you'll be awake again and your true love will be by your side!"