Fairytale Detective - The Curse of Briar Rose

Chapter 3 - 'The True Story of Sleeping Beauty'

Edinburgh, Scotland

10th September, 23:00

'So, what did you find on Briar Rose?' asked Leah. She and Chester had immediately returned to the cottage after their encounter and started going through the Internet records.

'You won't like it, boss. Briar Rose is said to be the name of the Sleeping Beauty from the Charles Perrault fairytale...'

'I thought that was Aurora.'

'That is the Disney version. The princess from Perrault's fairy tale was originally called Briar Rose. The name changed throughout the years due to the different versions.'

'You have to be kidding me. Fairytale characters aren't real?'

'Aren't they? I mean, every story has its roots from somewhere. Who is to say that all those characters didn't really exist? You need to be more open-minded about these things, boss.' grinned Chester.

'Ok, let's go with your version and for a minute imagine that we have somehow stumbled across a real life fairy tale. Didn't the princess from the story actually wake up?'

'According to the tale, she did, but as you say...'

'Every story has two sides. Maybe there is something that got lost or twisted during the ages just like the name.'

'What can you find about the author?'

'He was a prolific author during the 17th century in France. Many believe that he laid the foundations of the fairy tale genre. He died at the age of 75 in Paris, in 1703.

'Anything about the descendants?'

'Hmm, it says in one of the records that he had descendants who immigrated to Scotand during the 19th century, but then their traces are lost.'

'Ok, let's say that the Abercrombies are actually connected to them, we have to check out the family records at the manor library tomorrow.'

Edinburgh, Scotland

11th September, 08:00

The rest of the manor was in no better shape than the basement. The briars made it quite difficult to go through the various halls and rooms. What is more, it looks like the Abercrombies' wealth had started to wane at some point, as most of the rooms were also bolted shut and apart from the vines, everything was covered in cobwebs and dust that made Catterly sneeze every 2 seconds.

'Honestly, if the manor was full, you would have spoiled our cover, Chester.'

'It's not my fault that I have allergies, boss. These people need to get a better housekeeper when they return.'

Thankfully, the library wasn't damaged and most of the books were intact. Catterly sprawled like a cat on one of the vines and began inspecting the books. Leah also started going through some of the tomes that were scattered on the tables. Maybe an hour or two had passed, when she came across a journal that looked quite old.

'Catterly, I think I found something. This journal contains part of the Perrault family history. It says that one of his descendants, Amelie Perrault, was part of that group which immigrated from France. She married Lord Augustus Abercrombie and the manor actually contains rooms dedicated to Perrault's fairy tales.'

'Neat, anything else in there?'

'Well, there is a story at the end of it, I think it is Perrault's original version of the Sleeping Beauty tale' and Leah started reading...

On the day the princess was born, the king held a great festival and invited all but one godmother, who was strong in sorcery yet wicked in heart.

Upon hearing the news of the festival, the Evil Godmother placed a curse on the newborn child. Later in life, the young princess came across a spindle in a dusty old room in the castle and pricked her finger. The inhabitants of the castle instantly fell under the power of a sleeping spell while briars burst from the ground and enshrouded the castle.

One day, a daring prince braved the thick vines and ventured into the castle. Upon finding the princess, he gave her a kiss, which was foretold to free the princess from her curse.

Though the kiss removed the briars and awakened the inhabitants, the princess never rose from her eternal slumber. Many years have passed and the truth behind the sleeping princess has been forgotten. What remains is the tale passed down through generations as "The Sleeping Beauty."

As decades and centuries passed, the tale has been assumed to be a myth, with only a handful of beings knowing the reality of the situation. The thorns continually returned to the castle, as though they were weeds that could not be completely eradicated. Two of the original godmothers, Godmother of Rose and Godmother of Ivy, worked diligently over the years to contain the curse of the thorns. Through their tireless efforts, eventually, the curse was contained.

However, the danger of the curse's return remains and the only way to stop it is to wake Briar Rose. If she doesn't wake up, then the vines would slowly consume the entire world...

'Bow that is one ominous tale to tell your children before bedtime.' said Catterly 'I love it!'

'Now is not the time to be joking...If this is true, then it means that we have the body of a 1,000 year-old cursed princess, hidden away in the manor. And to top it all, three missing people.'

'Which reminds me' said Chester 'I found this under one of the shelves' and he handed Leah a police badge.

'This belongs to one of the missing people. Maybe he was also trying to find the princess. But what happened? Where did he go?'

'I think I know the answer to that one.' grinned Catterly 'In the journal it is said that two of the godmothers were called Rose and Ivy. Well, the Abercrombie crest has a rose and ivy on it, I saw it, while flipping one of the family records. Plus, the Abercrombie's tradition is for all family members to be buried in the crypt, located at the manor grounds.'

'It is a good assumption. Where better to hide a sleeping princess, then a crypt. We need to go and check it out right now.'

'And here you thought that it would be a boring case, boss.' winked Catterly.