Sleeping Beauty The Story

Before anyone knew it, Beauty turned sixteen. The king and queen threw a birthday party the likes of which never had been seen. The party lasted the entire evening, and her parents breathed a sigh of relief as the tired girl headed back to the safety of her room.

But as Beauty entered one of the castle's corridors, she saw a curious-looking object, which she had never encountered. A strange woman who was there explained that the object was a spinning wheel, and invited the girl to try her hand. Eager to learn new things, Beauty did so -- and, pricking her finger, fell down in a swoon!

The strange woman was none other than the Midnight Faerie, who (or so she thought) had found a way to make her curse work after all. Beauty, because of the Morning Faerie's spell, was really just in a very deep sleep. But the evil faerie's spell was so strong, that everyone in the kingdom gradually fell asleep as well.

As the years went by, the entire kingdom disappeared under the brushes and briars, and the legend of Sleeping Beauty was born. The story, which spread from land to land, said that Beauty would never be awakened -- except by a kiss from the son of a king. Many young princes went off in search of the kingdom, never to return.

None of the danger stopped one prince, Lionel of Terragon, from making the journey to Beauty's castle. He was drawn not only by the legend, but also by a recurring dream of his. In it, a beautiful young lady would beckon to him, and sing, "Look for me..." For the past twenty years -- ever since he was a little boy -- he had experienced this same dream.

After many days of travel, Lionel finally found the castle. When he tried to make his way through the undergrowth, the briars attacked him. The prince, however, hacked at them with his sword, and managed to cut his way through.

Lionel then searched through all of the rooms in the castle, before coming across Beauty's chamber. Even after one hundred years of sleep, the princess was still as fair as ever. As gently as he could, Lionel took her in his arms and kissed her lips.

A few moments passed, and Beauty gradually stirred out of her slumber. She and Lionel were exchanging introductions when, out of nowhere, the Midnight Faerie appeared! The wicked faerie was very angry that Lionel had defeated her curse, and prepared to cast another nasty spell. A chase ensued, ending with the prince being cornered.

"Powers of darkness, listen to me," the Midnight Faerie commanded, "one touch of my stick...and you become a tree!" But before she could touch Lionel with her wand, Beauty grabbed it from behind and tossed it to the prince. He promptly used it on the faerie, who was instantly turned into a tree.

As the Midnight Faerie's magic wore off, the kingdom gradually awoke out of its slumber. Beauty and Lionel were married, to much rejoicing, and explored the world together. The king and queen, with the help of the three good faeries, ruled wisely for the rest of their years, and everyone lived happily ever after.

THE END

Production Credits | Characters | Beginning of Story