Work Text:
Sleeping Beauty
by Ciejye
A long time ago there were a King and Queen who said every day, "Ah, if only we had a child," but they never had one.
But it happened that once when the Queen was bathing, a frog crept out of the water on to the land, and said to her, "Your wish shall be fulfilled, before a year has gone by, you shall have a son."
What the frog had said came true, and the Queen had a little boy and named him Foxy-Rose. The baby was so beautiful that the King could not contain himself for joy, and ordered a great feast. He invited not only his kindred, friends and acquaintances, but also the wise men, in order that they might be kind and well-disposed towards the child. There were thirteen of them in his Kingdom, but, as he had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out of, one of them had to be left at home.
The feast was held with all manner of splendor and when it came to an end the wise men bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby, Foxy-Rose - one gave virtue, another beauty, a third riches, and soon with everything in the world that one can wish for.
When eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly the thirteenth came in, smoke billowing around him. He wished to avenge himself for not having been invited, and without greeting, or even looking at anyone, he cried with a loud voice, "The King's son shall in his fifteenth year prick himself with a spindle, and fall down dead." And, without saying a word more, he blew a smoke ring, turned round and left the room.
They were all shocked, but the twelfth the fairy Scully, whose good wish still remained unspoken, came forward, and as he could not undo the evil sentence, but only soften it, he said, it shall not be death, but a deep sleep of a hundred years, into which the Prince shall fall.
The King, who would fain keep his dear child from the misfortune, gave orders that every spindle in the whole Kingdom should be burnt. Meanwhile the gifts of the wise men were plenteously fulfilled on the young lad, for he was so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, that everyone who saw him was bound to love him.
It happened that on the very day when he was fifteen years old, the King and Queen were not at home, and the lad was left in the palace quite alone. So Foxy-Rose went round into all sorts of places, looked into rooms and bed-chambers just as he liked, and at last came to an old tower. he climbed up the narrow winding-staircase, and reached a little door. A rusty key was in the lock, and when he turned it the door sprang open, and there in a little room sat an old man with a spindle, busily spinning his flax.
"Good day, old father," said the King's son, "what are you doing there?"
"I am spinning," said the old man in a deep voice, and nodded his head.
"What sort of thing is that, that rattles round so merrily," said the lad, and he took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But scarcely had he touched the spindle when the magic decree was fulfilled, and he pricked his finger with it.
And, in the very moment when Foxy-Rose felt the prick, he fell down upon the bed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep. And this sleep extended over the whole palace, the King and Queen who had just come home, and had entered the great hall, began to go to sleep, and the whole of the court with them. The horses, too, went to sleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall, even the fire that was flaming on the hearth became quiet and slept, the roast meat left off frizzling, and the cook, who was just going to pull the hair of the scullery boy, because he had forgotten something, let him go, and went to sleep. And the wind fell, and on the trees before the castle not a leaf moved again.
But round about the castle there began to grow a hedge of thorns, which every year became higher, and at last grew close up round the castle and all over it, so that there was nothing of it to be seen, not even the flag upon the roof. But the story of the beautiful sleeping Foxy-Rose, for so the Prince was named, went about the country, so that from time to time Kings' sons came and tried to get through the thorny hedge into the castle. But they found it impossible, for the thorns held fast together, as if they had hands, and the youths were caught in them, could not get loose again, and died a miserable death.
After long, long years a King's son named Walter came again to that country, and heard an old man talking about the thorn-hedge, and that a castle was said to stand behind it in which a wonderfully beautiful Prince, named Foxy-Rose, had been asleep for a hundred years, and that the King and Queen and the whole court were asleep likewise. He had heard, too, from his grandfather, that many Kings, sons had already come, and had tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had remained sticking fast in it, and had died a pitiful death.
Then Prince Walter said, "I am not afraid, I will go and see the beautiful Foxy-Rose." The good old man might dissuade him as he would, he did not listen to his words.
But by this time the hundred years had just passed, and the day had come when Foxy-Rose was to awake again. When the King's son came near to the thorn-hedge, it was nothing but large and beautiful flowers, which parted from each other of their own accord, and let him pass unhurt, then they closed again behind him like a hedge. In the castle yard he saw the horses and the spotted hounds lying asleep, on the roof sat the pigeons with their heads under their wings. And when he entered the house, the flies were asleep upon the wall, the cook in the kitchen was still holding out his hand to seize the boy Alex, and the maid was sitting by the black hen which he was going to pluck.
He went on farther, and in the great hall he saw the whole of the court lying asleep, and up by the throne lay the King and Queen. Then he went on still farther, and all was so quiet that a breath could be heard, and at last he came to the tower, and opened the door into the little room where Foxy-Rose was sleeping.
There Foxy-Rose lay, so beautiful that Prince Walter could not turn his eyes away, and he stooped down and gave him a kiss. But as soon as he kissed him, Foxy-Rose opened his eyes and awoke, and looked at him quite sweetly.
Prince Walter lifted Foxy-Rose from his bed, and turned him over his powerful knees. A moment later, Foxy-Rose was bare bottomed and receiving the spanking of his life as his Prince lectured him.
"Of all the irresponsible things to do, " swat SWAT swat " going off on your own to explore, " swat SWAT swat " without backup. " swat SWAT swat "Touching something you didn't even know what it was. " swat SWAT swat " Well my beautiful Prince, " swat SWAT swat "it suits you well to have the name a rose behind you, " swat SWAT swat " for that is what color your behind will be, rose." swat SWAT swat swat SWAT swat swat SWAT swat swat SWAT swat
Foxy-Rose kicked and cried but that did not stop Prince Walter from seeing his love was one well punished little Prince, who no doubt would think twice before exploring the castle alone again.
Then they went down together, and the King awoke, and the Queen, and the whole court, and looked at each other in great astonishment. And the horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves, the hounds jumped up and wagged their tails, the pigeons upon the roof pulled out their heads from under their wings, looked round, and flew into the open country, the flies on the wall crept again, the fire in the kitchen burned up and flickered and cooked the meat, the joint began to turn and sizzle again, and the cook gave the boy Alex such a box on the ear that he screamed, and the maid finished plucking the fowl.
And then the marriage of Prince Walter with Foxy-Rose was celebrated with all splendor, even though Foxy-Rose couldn't sit down, and they lived contented to the end of their days.
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