Katie Manley

Princess Chatterbox

          My name is Prince Phillip. No one ever knew my name or who I was until I did a little favor for a quaint girl who was quite famous. You probably know her as Sleeping Beauty, her real name is Aurora, but I knew her first as Briar Rose. All I did was wake her up from a long nap and now I can’t go anywhere without people trying to get my autograph or take my picture. Let me tell you how it happened.

            Once upon a time (it’s a long story and I thought I’d start off the way most long stories do), I was out riding in the forest near my castle, minding my own business, when I noticed someone was following me. I tried to loose it, switching trails and going in circles, but it wouldn’t go away. Finally I wheeled my horse around and confronted it. It was a girl; more beautiful than all the girls in my kingdom. She was tall, skinny as a bean pole, with long hair the color of the sun, and perfectly straight teeth. I thought she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen until she opened her mouth:

            “Well, h-e-y. My name is Briar Rose,” she said tousling her hair.

            “Hi Bria.”

            “I live in a cottage nearby with my three aunts; Flora, Fauna, and Meriwether. They are great. They let me do whatever I want to...,” she interrupted.

            Yada, yada, yada…. I don’t even want to tell you the rest of what she said because it was so boring. There are few things that make me mad, but one is someone who interrupts. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

            Anyway, I think one of her Aunts called her in for supper or something but all I know is that she left. I was glad to be rid of her. She talked a mile a minute with those straight teeth.

            All I can remember now is that her name was Briar Rose and she lived in the woods with three aunts. She didn’t know where her parents were or what happened to them. (If you ask me, she seemed a little dimwitted.) She didn’t let me get a word in at all, or I would have told her that I was a prince and that I couldn’t talk to commoners. She seemed really interested in me, but I thought she was pretty and not much else. I like girls who are funny, able to think for themselves, and able to carry on a two-way conversation; not a lecture on how great she is.  

            At least I finally got away from this Briar Rose; grateful to be away from her incessant chatter. It was getting dark, so I started home. I rode towards home and saw the setting sun’s glistening reflection off the palace windows and marble walls. The drawbridge came down just as I reached it and the Captain of the guard bowed low. It wasn’t until I was inside the main hall that I noticed there was something odd in everyone’s behavior.

            The servants were rushing around chattering amongst themselves, stealing glances as I walked by, and everyone seemed to be really excited. I went to the King, my father, to find out what was going on. Then he dropped the bomb:

            “Son, you are going to marry Aurora, the princess in the Kingdom next to ours,” he bellowed as he paced excitedly up and down the hall.

            “Wait Dad, who is this Aurora and why have I never heard of her or met her at any of the balls?,” I asked, a little upset.

            “Well, son, it is because no one has seen her since she was a baby. A spell was cast on her when she was born and she has been in hiding since then. It has been a long sixteen years for her parents.”

            “SIXTEEN?! You expect me to marry a girl whom I have never met, who is only sixteen, and cursed?” My emotions were boiling over. I couldn’t believe he was going to make me marry someone I had never met. I was furious.

            “I know, isn’t it exciting Phillip. She’s young, but so are you. Her curse will be over today because it’s her birthday. But she’s really nice and very beautiful; so her father tells me.”

            “But Dad, how would he know if he hasn’t seen her in sixteen years either?”

            “Son, you’re just gonna have to accept this! You will marry her because I said so, so you can have a son to pass the crown on to, and you will be happy about it.”

            I exploded, “Your Highness (I always call him that when I’m mad), I refuse to marry someone I do not know. She could be a total ditz. You know I don’t like girls like that. And she’s only sixteen.” I had gotten a little carried away.

            “WHO ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO MARRY? You have turned down all the girls at the balls, even that Cinderella girl. I thought that engagement would last. You even went out and searched for her. She was too in love with animals I guess,” he roared.

            “Well, I’ll have you know that, that…I’m already engaged!”

            “To whom and why haven’t I heard about her?”

            Stuck in my own lie, I suddenly remember Briar Rose. “She’s- led- a sheltered life. She lives in the woods with her aunts. She’s pretty and blond.” Proud of myself for this complete lie, I hadn’t noticed three fairies entering the hall.

            “We’ll talk about this later Phillip.” And turning to the fairies, “Ladies, welcome. I hope Aurora is doing well and her parents. We are excited about the arrangements and…”

            I let myself out quietly. I didn’t mean to blurt out about Briar Rose. I didn’t even like her one bit, let alone want to marry her. Sometimes my temper got the best of me and I often said things that later got me into trouble.

            I resolved that I had two choices…present Briar Rose to my father and marry her (at least I had met her and knew what to expect) or to come clean. I opted to come clean at the next available moment.

            Well the next available moment never came. My father had decided to ignore my engagement announcement to Briar Rose. He could usually tell when I was lying. He went to visit King Stephan, Aurora’s Father, to set the date and prepare for the wedding.

            Back at home, I had no idea what to do. I paced and decided I would go on a crusade, fight some dragons, search for El Dorado, something. The whole Kingdom was preparing for the wedding, so no one noticed me pack or leave, not even my mother.

            I rode out into the sunset, my horse Silver and I, alone.

            With a “Hi, ho, Silver,” I was gone.

            I hadn’t gotten too far when I noticed someone following me again. I decided to shake them. I kicked Silver into a canter and we rode toward freedom. Well, I glanced over my left shoulder to see how far back my followers were, but they were gaining on me. By this time my assailants were close enough that I could tell I was being followed by three, and they were flying. Well, I didn’t know what to make of that. I have to admit I got a little scared. I had never seen anyone fly before. Before I knew it, the three flying hunters had me pinned. Somehow I was pinned against something hard and I couldn’t move.

            I looked down and saw I was pinned against a great oak tree, fifty feet up. They didn’t use any rope, I just stayed there. To top it off, my attackers were floating in front of me, circled together. I guess they were deciding what to do with me. I was sure they were going to boil me in stew or grind my bones to make their bread.

            Then I noticed they were little women. Each about 5 feet tall, old as my grandmother and holding a little stick. They were dressed funny too; one was wearing all red, another all green, and another all blue.

            The three of them turned around, and I closed my eyes expecting a curse or at least a blow to the heard. Instead, they introduced themselves:

            “I’m Flora, this is Fauna, and that is Meriwether,” explained the red one.

            I knew I had heard those names before, were was it…aha.

            “You are Briar Rose’s aunts. Who are you really? How did you fly? How did you get here so fast? How am I up in this tree?.” I had so many questions.

            “Flora and Fauna, I told you he knew Briar Rose, I’ll bet he really loves her too. He’ll do it, ask him,” the blue whispered excitedly.

            “Do what?” I was a little afraid to ask.

            “We don’t have time to answer all your questions, but we’ll answer your last one. You are going to save Aurora,” explained Flora.

            “I’m going to do what? I can’t save anyone, and I haven’t even met Aurora. How do you know her?”

            “You know her as Briar Rose.

            “How do you know that I know Briar Rose?”

            “We were coming to talk to your father when we heard you declare your love for Briar Rose. She had been so happy that one day when she came back from a walk, we knew she must be in love. From what you said, we just put two and two together. Isn’t it so sweet how things work out?”

            “No it’s not,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t tell them the truth. They had me kidnapped in the top of a tree. So I just went along with it. I knew my lie would get me in trouble.

            “I guess you haven’t heard the legend. Well girls,” Flora turned to the other two, “we’ll just have to tell him the whole story. You tell it Fauna, you remember it better.”

            “Well, sixteen years ago yesterday, Aurora was born to King Stephan and his beautiful Queen. From far and wide people brought gifts and celebrated the royal birth. The three of us were invited as honored guests and we could each give the child a single gift. Flora blessed the child with beauty, I gave her the gift of song, and Meriwether was about to give her gift when a blinding flash of green light filled the great hall and before us stood the evil Maleficent.

            ‘Well, King Stephan. I was quite upset that I did not receive an invitation. I too have a gift to give the child. The Princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die.’”

            At this point Meriwether began to cry and was only quieted by Flora.

            “Everyone in the hall let out a cry and Aurora’s mother was inconsolable. But before anyone could seize Maleficent, the flash of green light, and she was gone. Meriwether could not undo the wicked curse but she could help. She blessed the child so that she would not die with the prick of the spindle, but would fall into a deep sleep and could only be awakened by true love’s kiss.”

            “And that is where you come in,” interjected Meriwether with a hopeful smile.

            “Now wait just one minute. Your saying that some evil fairy used her magic, cursed a baby, and all she could do was make her go to sleep? And you want me to wake her up with a kiss?”

            “Yes,” all three chimed in together.

            “Oh no, this can’t be true. You were sent by my father to trick me into marrying a girl I don’t know. This is just a story to get me to come home.” I had begun to fidget, trying to get down from my perch but nothing worked.

            The three of them huddled together again and then:

            “Well, then we are just going to leave you up here until we can find another young man to kiss this beautiful girl. It would have been a great adventure for you to tell your grandchildren…but if you don’t want to…”

            “I’LL DO IT! Just get me down. I’ll do it.”

            Then all of a sudden I was on Silver again, headed back home. The fairies flew beside me and we made it back in record time.

            We headed straight for King Stephan’s castle. The entire castle was asleep; from guard to King, everyone was in a deep slumber.

            “She’s in the top of the tower. That’s where Maleficent lured her and hypnotized her to touch the spindle,” said Fauna.

            “Ok, so is there any danger involved?” I whispered.

            “Honey, you don’t have to whisper. It is magic that is keeping them asleep,” chuckled Fauna; A little too loudly for the situation I thought.

            Flora, Fauna, and Meriwether each made a little ball of fire that led us up the stairs where Aurora was sleeping peacefully. As I approached her bed, I took a moment and noticed how sweet she looked sleeping, and not saying a word.

            “Well, here goes nothing.” I bent down and kissed her gently. She woke up, screamed at the top of her lungs, and slapped me right across the cheek.

            “Aurora, this young man just saved your life. Be kind to him,” chastised Flora.

            “Oh, sorry. Hey, you are the guy from the forest. How did you get here, and why were you kissing me?”

            “It’s a long story, ask your aunts, or should I say fairy godmothers. Well, I guess I should be going, check on my folks and all. It’s been real, bye.”

            Before anyone could catch up with me, I ran down the stairs, out the front door, jumped on Silver and galloped off into the sunset.

            This would be a great place to end the story, but it isn’t.

            So I went home to check on my parents, but word of the “life-saving” kiss had somehow beaten me home. There was a crowd of people at the front door so I had to sneak in the back. I climbed the stairs to my parents’ room and I found them waiting with none other than Flora, Fauna, and Meriwether. They had told my parents the whole story. Now my father was even more adamant about my marrying Aurora; and so were her parents and even Aurora had agreed.

            While I was thinking it over, I heard the mob outside growing restless. A servant rushed in and said:

            “The people want to see Prince Phillip, your Majesties. They won’t leave until they have seen him. Some of them even want autographs and to have their picture taken with him. What should I do?”

            “Tell them that he will be out there shortly. Now Son, I want you to go out there, give your best “I’m gonna be king” speech, and sign some autographs,” in his most kingly voice.

            He honestly thought he could use me as a publicity stunt. I will not let him do that to me. Instead, I walked away. I went to my room, packed my things, and headed out.

            No matter where I went, people knew who I was before I got there. I could only stay in one kingdom about a week before people started getting curious and knocking on my door.

            Ever since then, I have been wandering from town to town, looking only to be left alone. Well, I can’t do that anymore. I can’t find anyplace where no one has heard of me or that kiss. Some people have even thought I have magical healing powers. Lots of fathers have asked me to kiss their daughter to cure aches and pains, diseases, and other illnesses; all I have to say about that is:

            “GROSS. Yeah right I’m gonna kiss your gross daughter with gross sicknesses.”

            A statement like that usually gets me kicked out of town.

            This kind of life is too much for me. I’m going back to Aurora. Maybe she’ll marry me.

            So here’s what happened when I went back home. The fairies had put everyone to sleep until I came back. It turns out that everyone was grieving when I left. My mother cried for days, my father was furious, and Aurora thought that it was her that made me leave; which is partly true. I just couldn’t stand her; but not for long.

            I came back home, not dressed in my royal clothes, but in the guise of a peasant. So Aurora didn’t see me when I came walking down the street, but I saw her. I quickly ducked into the alley and watched to see what she was doing. She was at the orphanage, talking to some boys who had obviously been teasing a little girl with red pig tails. She was totally changed. Her long blond hair was tied neatly back into a pleated bun, and she looked great in her long, pink dress rippling in the cool evening breeze.

            I watched as she quietly soothed the little girl, and firmly, but kindly scolded the older boys. It was amazing to see how much she had changed, so quiet and thinking of others. It seemed no semblance was left of the girl I had met in the forest.

            So I left Aurora to the orphans and walked back home replaying in my mind what I had just seen. I got back to the castle and my parents were overjoyed. Dad said I didn’t have to marry anyone I didn’t want to and Mom even suggested we have a ball in which I meet all the eligible ladies in the kingdom. This was what I had wanted the whole time, but I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be to hear it.

            I bathed, and changed into my princely attire, all the while thinking of what I really wanted. My parents were throwing a ball tonight in honor of my return and of course Aurora and her parents were invited.

            I was enjoying seeing all my friends that I had missed in my two years away when the most beautiful belle entered the ballroom. I got a little closer and found that it was Aurora. All the dukes and lords of the kingdom were circling around her, begging for a dance. I walked over and pulled her from among the wolves and asked her to dance.

            “That isn’t the first time you’ve saved my life, your highness,” she quietly whispered in my ear as I twirled her in a waltz.

            “It’s my job, after all I am a gallant prince. You have changed a lot since the last time we talked. As I recall, we didn’t talk at all. You did most of the talking.”

            “I know and I’m sorry. I get nervous when I meet knew people. After all, I had lived in the woods for sixteen years with just the fairies to talk too. Can you even imagine my excitement when I found someone new, and my own age? I had had some much to say for so long, and no one to tell it too.”

            “Oh, well, I guess I didn’t give you another chance to explain yourself. I did judge you on a first impression, and they aren’t usually very good.”

            “That’s all right. I did come on strong, and Flora tells me I can go on, too much sometimes. But let’s talk about something else. Where have you been for the last two years?”

            For the rest of the night we danced and talked, and while twirling on the dance floor we tuned out the rest of the guests and talked about everything. As we danced out onto the balcony, looking at the moon, I knew she was the one I was going to marry; I felt as if I had known her all my life.

            Twelve weeks later we were married, and we sat on the balcony of our own castle, silently watching the sun set.

AND WE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

THE END