When the old man returned, a cup of tea in his hand, the boy was calm again, waiting eagerly for the rest of the story.
"So, the princess, did she resist?"
"Ah, yes, the princess. Well, As I said before, she really was stubborn. As she travelled through the Labyrinth, she began to see the king for what he truly was. He was extremely smart with his tricks, for it offered the best protection he could hope to give his castle. As Sarah went through the mazes and found her way between walls of old stone, she realised that the king was also extremely lonely."
"Of course he is lonely; he's evil!"
"Oh, that's what Sarah thought at the beginning too. But then she began to change her mind as time went by. The king was a sad soul for he never let anyone close to him, but most of what he did, he did it to protect himself, and he did it following the ancient rules of his kingdom."
The boy looked confused at his grandfather explanations.
"So… He was not lonely because he was evil… But he was evil because he was lonely?"
One of the old men's brow went up on his forehead.
"I suppose it is a way to see him. That is actually a really clever thing to say, little one."
The child beamed at his comment, his smile brighter than the flames in the chimney.
"As Sarah got to knew the king better, she grew more attracted to him. It is important to say, I think, that the king was in fact a very handsome man."
The boy's face crunched again.
"So she let herself be seduced?"
"Oh no. That would be admitting her feelings to herself, and the princess was too stubborn for that. When the king tried to convince her, she did not flinch, overcoming his last trial. She finally reached the heart of castle where she uncovered her price."
"A big treasure with gold and crowns and swords?"
"Ah, no, something far more precious."
The eyes of the grandson gleamed with amazement, until the grandfather revealed:
"It was her younger brother, the prince."
"What? Her brother?"
"Yes. She had wished him away to the king before she realised her mistake."
"But… She… He…"
The boy's confusion was clear as day in his eyes.
"She wished her brother away?"
"Yes, she did. As I told you, Sarah was every bit of the teenager she was. In a fit of anger, she had asked for the king to take her brother away. The king obliged, but Sarah realised her mistake and wanted her brother back. However, the rules of the king's kingdom were to keep her brother within his castle's walls at every cost, for if someone broke into the castle's walls, the king would be left vulnerable."
The old me remained quiet, watching as his grandson thought about the story.
After a while, the child finally spoke:
"If Sarah did that, if she wished her brother away… And if the evil king… If the king just wanted to protect himself… Is she really the hero?"
The grandfather smiled.
"That would be to you to decide, little one. It is a story of redemption, of love and of adventures. Now, whose it is… It's a choice you have to make."
Silence settled down a little more while the child thought again about what his grandfather had said.
"And then, after she gets her brother back?"
"The king had fallen in love with her by the time she reached the heart of the castle. When she found her brother, she had no reason to stay, and so he begged her, he told her he would make himself her slave to have her stay at his side. But the princess was still young and impetuous. She did not believe in her feelings for him or in his feelings for her, and she left. The king was so heartbroken his lost his powers overs the Labyrinth."
The grandfather took a sip from his cup, his eyes lost in the fire. The child looked at him expectantly, waiting for another word, but nothing came. He lost patience and asked:
"And then?"
"And then what?", answered the old men. "Then what?", insisted the child. "What?", the old man seemed confused. "What 'what'?", said the boy, surprised.
The child became frustrated as his grandfather could only offer him a lack of response.
"What happened after she left him?"
"What do you think happened?"
The boy seemed completely lost. He had no idea what would happen next.
"I… I don't know. Don't they… Don't they end up together?"
"I thought you found it was… What was your choice of word? 'Gross'."
"No! I mean it is!", he corrected quickly. "It just that I… It's how it is supposed to end, isn't it? 'They lived happily ever after'."
"Do you want it to have a happily ever after?"
"Yes!", replied the boy without hesitation.
A small laugh escaped the old man's beard, and he continued:
"Several years later, the king was still stricken with grief over his rejected love. His kingdom had lost its flourish. Babies that were rejected by their parents had to be abandoned before the king's subjects took them to the kingdom. In her own kingdom, Sarah had grown. She was more beautiful and clever than before, but more than anything, she had become mature. As the princess, she had responsibilities. One day, she heard of the fallen kingdom. She realised it was her responsibility to take, for when she had entered the heart of the castle, she had claimed half of what the kingdom. As she was young, she did not realise the meaning of her claim."
The grandfather caught and took another sip of his cup. It would soon be empty.
"She decided, with the authorisation of her father the king and of her step-mother the queen, to visit the fallen kingdom. Upon her horse, she entered the dark forest which marked the separation between the fallen kingdom and her. As she progressed through the trees, it was as if life was coming back to the forest. The birds flew, announcing her return. Soon, the three friends she made were back. The dwarf, who was no longer alone, the giant with a gentle soul and the small and courageous knight. They escorted her to the king. When he saw her, his pride had been wounded, so he was imperious in his welcoming. He declared that if she wanted to repair the damage she had done, she had to marry him to unite their respective kingdoms."
The grandfather took the last sip of his cup, watching as the boy's eyelids seemed to become heavier and heavier.
"Sarah was a princess and she knew her duty, but she still was every bit as stubborn as before. She declared they could get married, but only if they got to know each other before."
"And did they get marry? whispered the boy who had trouble staying awake."
"Maybe. One thing his sure, declared the old man as his joint cracked when he got up from his chair."
"What?"
"You, little one, have to go to bed."
The child yawned a protests as he got up and returned to the bedroom he shared with the other grandchildren of the old man.
He smiled as he watched him return to the embrace of the night, away from the dying light of the fire. He should get to bed, decided the old man. Sarah always scolded him when stayed up late. He wondered if she had watched him tell her – albeit altered – story. He'd visit her in his dreams tonight, and he'd visit her friends and her king. He had to tell her all about her grand-nephews.
