Sleeping Beau

Retold by Elizabeth Mayuku

Illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi

Chapter 1: Good news

Many years ago, a king and queen lived in a magical castle. They had everything they could want except…

…a baby. Year after year, the king stitched and sewed tiny clothes.

And made toys in her palace workshop. But still there was no baby.

Then, one day, while the king sat knitting by the lake, a bright green frog

hopped…

skipped…

and jumped…

right onto his lap.

“Don’t be sad, Your Majesty,” said the frog. “Your queen was going to have a baby this year.” “What?” gasped the king.

“Ribbit!” the frog croaked. And, with that, she bowed and leaped back into the lake.

True to the frog’s words, the queen gave birth — to a lovely baby boy.

“I shall call him Roja,” the king declared happily.

The queen was so pleased she planned a feast to celebrate.

“I shall invite every princess and prince in the land!” she decided, and asked seven fairies to be Roja’s fairy godfathers.

The queen sent the invitations by bluebird post — and everyone agreed to come.

Servants scrubbed and cleaned until the castle gleamed. There had never been a party like it.

Chapter 2: Seven wishes

On the day of the feast, crowds came to cheer and watch the guests arrive.

The men wore cloaks of the finest velvet and the women shimmered in silks.

Seven fairies flew in through a castle window, leaving a glittering trail behind them.

“The godfathers!” cried the queen, holding out her hands to greet them.

“Let the feast begin!” announced the king and merry music filled the room.

The tables were piled high with scrumptious food and everyone ate off golden plates.

When no one could manage another bite, the fairies gathered before the king and queen.

“We have some wishes for Prince Roja,” said Snowbell, the first fairy, with a curtsy.

He fluttered his fairy fingers. “Roja will be the most handsome boy in the kingdom…”

Then Honeycomb waved his wand. “…and he’ll be clever enough to beat the queen at chess!”

The third fairy, Will, floated over. “He will have grace in all he does.”

“And he’ll dance to perfection.” added Blue.

Bloom and Butter wished that Roja would… “…play every instrument like an angel! And.. …sing like a nightingale.”

Everyone wondered what Jazmín, the seventh and wisest fairy, would wish for.

Chapter 3: The uninvited guest

As Jazmín hovered over the cradle, a blast of icy air swept through the Great Hall.

Then a chilling voice rang out of nowhere. “Haven’t you forgotten someone?”

Suddenly, the mean fairy Nightshade appeared in appeared in a whirlwind of foul green smoke.

“How DARE you not invite me?” he roared. “W-we didn’t mean to, Nightshade,” the queen stammered. “We just…” “…forgot you,” finished the king meekly.

“FORGOT ME?” Nightshade screamed, so fiercely the flames in the fireplace went out.

“Well, you won’t forget this!” He flicked his cloak and marched up to the cradle.

“Now, my pretty,” he purred, lifting a golden curl with a bony finger, “what shall I wish for you?”

Everyone in the palace held their breath. Silent tears ran down the queen’s face.

Nightshade leaned into the cradle and snarled, “On your sixteenth birthday, you will prick your finger on a spinning wheel and… DIE!”

“No! Cried the king. But Nightshade cackled gleefully and disappeared with a deafening bang.

“I still have my wish,” said Jazmín softly. “I can’t undo that wicked spell, but I can try to change it.”

“You will prick your finger, little Roja,” Jazmín began, “but you won’t die. You and everyone else in the castle will fall into a deep sleep. Only a kiss from your true love will break the spell.”

“Burn every spinning wheel in the land at once!” bellowed the queen. Roja must never ever see one!”

That night, the flames from a massive bonfire could be seen for miles. They licked the dark sky like serpents’ tongues.

Chapter 4: A special birthday

The years passed and Roja grew into a delightful boy. Everyone he met adored him.

He danced, sang and played music as wonderfully as the fairies had wished.

He was clever and played to win. “Ha ha! Checkmate!” he cried.

Roja loved playing hide-and-seek in the castle gardens.

And, secretly, he liked to sketch the princess of his dreams.

Time went happily by and Roja’s sixteenth birthday drew near. The castle began to buzz with excitement.

The king and queen were planning a huge ball. Roja was so excited, he could hardly keep still.

Chapter 5: The long sleep

The night of the ball finally arrived. Beautiful princesses and pretty princes flooded into the Great Hall.

The king and queen smiled proudly as they watched Roja from their thrones.

He swirled and twirled in a dazzling ball doublet and every princess fell in love with him.

When the feasting was nearly over, Roja pleaded for a game. “Hide-and-seek!” he shouted and dashed off into the castle.

He raced up twisting stairs…

down a long narrow corridor…

through a tiny door…

…and found himself at the staircase of a tower he had never seen before.

Soft singing floated down the turret stairs. In a trance, Roja followed the music.

At the top of the stairs, he found a heavy iron door.

Inside, an old man sat hunched over a spinning wheel. “Come and see, my pretty,” he said, beckoning Roja with a bony finger.

“I’m spinning, my dear,” croaked the old man. “It’s amazing,’ said Roja, touching the silky thread. “May I try?” “Of course,” said the old man, taking his hand.

At once, Roja snapped out of the trance. “Ow!” he cried, as he pricked his finger.

Roja fell to the floor. The old man cackled, then disappeared in a whirlwind of foul green smoke.

In the same instant, everyone in the castle fell asleep.

The queen nodded off over her pudding…

…and the court jester froze mid-leap.

All the clocks stopped. The place was silent and still… except for the rose bushes. They spread like ivy, covering everything in the path.

They grew so quickly that, soon, the entire castle was covered in thick roots and sharp thorns.

Chapter 6: A princess rides by

For one hundred years the castle stayed hidden. Only the tops of the towers showed through the bushes. Passers-by stopped to stare at the forgotten castle.

Princesses from far and wide heard about the spell. They came in their hundreds to try to rescue the prince known as Sleeping Beau.

But the thorns cut their skin and the roots wrapped around their legs like snakes. One by one, they gave up.

One day, a brave princess named Florita rode by. She had dreamed of Sleeping Beau and was determined to find him.

She pulled out her sword with a flourish and began to tackle the spiky bushes.

As Florita’s sword touched a branch, something magical happened. Each sharp thorn became a sweet-smelling rose.

A path cleared before her. She followed its twists and turns until she reached the topmost turret and climbed to where Sleeping Beau lay.

Florita’s heart fluttered like a bird when she saw him. He was the most handsome boy she had ever seen.

Taking his hand, she kissed his soft lips. His eyes flickered open and Roja found himself face to face with the princess of his dreams.

“You’re the princess I drew!” he cried. She bowed. “Princess Florita here to rescue you,” she announced and scooped him up.

As they walked through tunnels of roses, everyone else in the castle woke up too.

The queen fell into her pudding with a splosh…

…and the court jester landed with an unexpected bump. “Ow!” he cried.

Roja and Florita entered the Great Hall. “My Roja!” cried the king. “And his true love,” smiled the queen.

Roja and Florita were married the very next day. They lived happily ever after — and the princess always lost at chess.

— The End —