Sleeping Beauty The Story

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a king and a queen. Their kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, and they enjoyed the esteem and affection of their subjects. But the rulers were very unhappy, for they had no child to call their own.

Then one day, their prayers were answered! The king and queen were blessed with a baby girl; she was so sweet and fair of face, that they decided to name her Beauty. And since they wished for everyone to share in their joy, they sent out invitations to everyone in the entire kingdom, to come to the royal christening.

The invitations pleased everyone, including three faerie sisters who were close friends of the royal family. The Morning Faerie, the Noontide Faerie and the Twilight Faerie immediately began to prepare their gifts for the new princess. But before doing so, they placed their invitations -- along with that of the Midnight Faerie -- in a safe place, so that their sister would be sure to see them.

But something strange happened, and the Midnight Faerie's envelope disappeared. So when she returned from her errands, she noticed an invitation for the Morning Faerie...one for the Noontide Faerie...one for the Twilight Faerie...and none for her! Furious at being snubbed, she decided to make an appearance at the christening anyway -- with a gift of her own.

The day of the christening arrived, and people from all over the kingdom came to pay their respects. When it was the Faeries' turn, each presented a gift to the new princess, in the form of a spell. The Twilight Faerie went first, and gave Beauty the gift of grace. The Noontide Faerie went next, granting her the gift of virtue.

The Morning Faerie, who had been waiting impatiently, was about to speak when the Midnight Faerie suddenly appeared. She haughtily rebuked the king and queen for their snub, and cut short their protests and apologies. Then she proceeded to cast her spell on the princess: "You shall never be the queen...for on the day you turn sixteen, you'll see a spindle, by and by...you'll prick your finger...and you'll die!" And, with a wicked laugh, she disappeared.

Unfortunately for the princess, no one -- not even another faerie -- could undo a spell, and a faerie was allowed only one spell per mortal. But there was still hope; the Morning Faerie had not yet used her spell, and thus could soften her sister's magic. This she did (after much thinking and worrying); instead of dying, Beauty would only sleep for a hundred years.

The king and queen still hoped to save Beauty from the Midnight Faerie's curse. They immediately ordered that all of the spindles in the kingdom be destroyed. Moreover, they became very protective of their daughter; she was never out of their sight for even one moment, and was never allowed to leave the castle, even to play with other children.

Despite leading such a sheltered life, Beauty grew up to be a lovely, virtuous young lady. She loved the game of hide-and-seek, and would often sing and dance as she played. Her best friends were the Morning, Noontide and Twilight Faeries, and she would often talk to them, and ask them questions about the world.

No matter how many times she asked, however, she never learned why her parents watched her so carefully. All she wanted was a little freedom, to explore life outside the castle. The king and queen, however, still felt that it was better that she not even know of the curse, and the Faeries did not think it was their place to tell her.

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