Stories Retold

Sleeping Beauty

A deer's antlers spread to the brush above, barely touching the green leaves of the willow tree. A small waterfall trickles in the back, running into the lake where the brown stag grazes alongside. His eyes are soft and subtle, the air is calm. Another buck, smaller and younger, comes up alongside him, feeding upon the tiny blue flowers nearby. Songbirds sing songs as sweet as the richest honey.

A loud horn rings through the air, causing the buck to stop and raise their head, ears pinned back, and they look around in distress. A great stone castle, not a stone's throw away, was the culprit of the loud thunderous noises.

A Crow flaps her wings and glides onto a moving carriage. The white horses pulled it across the large stone bridge, colored flags were carried by guards trailing behind them. There were several hundred different flags, each from a different wealthy family coming to present themselves. Bright Greens, soft pinks, dark blacks, rich blues, stunning yellows, creamy whites, some depicted pictures of lions, others had swords, or cats, deer, wolves, roses, lilies, shields, dragons, eagles, or castles.

Women and men dressed in their finest attires draped in soft and rich imported silks, they all flooded in the great pillar doors. Weaving through beautifully decorated courtyards and hallways, they reached the throne room. Large dark green banners draped down from the high-hung ceilings. They had soft lines that formed the shape of pine trees, fitting for Pine's family castle. A mother and father cradled a baby girl wrapped in a pink silk blanket. Her face was bright as she giggled and her mother's soft cooing, Mable, this baby girl was Mable. She had the same brown hair gifted by her father and the chocolatey and rich brown eyes of her mother. She was not given her mother's bright blonde hair or freckles, she was also not given her father's white streaked hair or green eyes.

Her mother laughed at the girl and handed her to a small little maid. The maid cradled the girl softly, the queen whispered something softly into her ears, the maid nodded and padded off into a different room, probably off to find a wet nurse to feed to a young girl.

The King then turned his attention to the large wooden bassinet containing his son, Mable's twin brother Mason. His eyes were closed, as he was sleeping softly, but they shared the same rich brown color as his twin's eyes. He was the complete same, except for a strange birthmark depicting a constellation upon his forehead. It was odd, but oddities were not rare in the Pines lineage, the greatest example would be Stanford Pines, the twin's great uncle, and his six-fingered hands.

A church bell rang above to signal it was noon. Women, children, and men lined up in front of the bassinet. The Queen seemed a little stressed that her baby girl wasn't there with her son, but the king placed a hand on her shoulder, "She'll return in just a moment". The queen smiled and gave him a soft nod.

Guests came up in droves placing bundles of colorful roses and candies at the base of the cradle. Perfumes, gold, candles, cakes, jewelry, rich silks, and silver piled up. A father with his three sons pulls them up, two of them, one dressed in red and the other blue, play with a bundle of flowers at the cradle, "Stefan", "William". The two laughed and hugged each other, striking up a conversation. The three sons meanwhile leaned over the cradle, "He's too small" declared the blue one, William IV or 'Will' for short. "He'll grow I think, mom says that's how it works" the one, clad in red, William III goes by 'Kill'. The last one, the oldest, was dressed in yellow and black, a small crown draped over his head, it didn't fit him yet, but he liked to wear it, it made him feel like a really cool adult. He shoved his brothers out of the way, "No, they don't grow! Idiot!". William II, 'Bill', was not the brightest.

The Queen smiled, she knelt next to the boys, "He'll grow, he'll be the same size as you very soon". She picked up the sleeping boy, "Bill yes?". Bill pushed past his brothers. "Gently", her milky white hands cradled the sleeping boy gently, as she passed him off to the older boy. The young boy held him carefully, the queen smiled softly, Kill and Will grew bored and went off to converse with their father. Bill stared at the young boy for a while, he'd opened his eyes, and for a baby, they were immensely deep like they were trying to figure him out to the best of his abilities. Bill was not a fan of a baby, analyzing him, so he thought the best solution would just be to rid himself of the nescience.