Long long ago, in a sleepy little kingdom deep in the woods, a lone cloaked figure came riding slowly into the village. This quaint village sat at the base of a very big hill, at the top of which sat a large imposing castle, which in turn protected the village.

The village was quiet and dark and the rider was curious as to why. It looked charming enough, but there was a sense of foreboding and dread that permeated the whole town. The figure rode slowly through town, stopping at a small market where he could get some supplies. He went inside and up to the counter where a small, chubby, balding shopkeeper stood.

“Hello, fine Sir,” the cloaked figure said. “I need some supplies to continue my travels.” He handed his list to the shopkeeper who began filling his needs. As the last items were going into his rucksack, he asked the shopkeeper, “This is a nice little village, but why is it so dark and gloomy here? Surely this place gets plenty of sunshine?”

“Stranger, it isn’t the sunshine – or lack of it – that caused the dreary mood here,” he said, simply.

“What then? What could cause such discord?” he pressed.

“Do you not know of the curse? Of what happened here so long ago?” the shopkeeper said.

“Sir, I am a stranger from a land far off. I am not knowlegable about these parts and am only traveling through.”

So the shopkeeper began telling the curious visitor about the legend and curse that had befallen their village.

“Many many years ago, this was a happy place. Our King and Queen lived up in the castle on yonder hill and life here in the village was good. The King and Queen were expecting their first child and they were very happy. Finally, the day arrived for the birth of the child. The whole town was excited and waited anxiously for word from the castle. At last the news came – it was a girl!

Well, such an uproar you never heard! There was cheering, women chattering to each other, and men patting each other on the backs, it was quite festive. Almost immediately plans began forming for an enormous celebration ... a way to introduce the royal child to the village.

Men began constructing a great platform for the royal family and women began their preparations for the feast. The baker started baking pies and cakes and the townswomen went about making other foods and gifts for the baby. Everyone was wondering what the child looked like and what it’s name would be. Various names were tossed about, and everyone had their favorite ideas.

The day came about two weeks later for the child’s introduction to the townspeople. Everything was in readiness and the Royal Family arrived right on time. As the crowd pressed closer to get a good view, the King approached the edge of the elevated platform. He held the baby in his strong arms and uncovered the baby’s head. A hush fell over the crowd as the King began to speak.

“Good people of Novenia, I give you Princess Aurora!” He exclaimed.

The crowd responded with an enormous roar, “Long Live Princess Aurora!” and a cheer went up so loud the very heavens above must have heard it! Then the celebration began in earnest. And while the women all talked about the beautiful child and the town children played in the streets, all was joyous and happy.

But sadly, it was not to last. As the festivities progressed, a dark shadow came to pass over the crowds. Not a shadow like the mountain cast, either. This was an evil, malevolent shadow. The women stopped their chatter, the children stopped their playing, and all eyes turned upwards to see a black figure flying into view from high above.

The figure came down slowly to light on the platform in front of the crowd. The crowd all gasped when they saw who it was. It was Morgana, a witch from the dark country to the far north of here.

“Let me see the child!” she cackled. The Queen refused at first, pulling the child back. But our Queen is nothing if not gracious, so she allowed Morgana to view the baby cautiously.

“A very pretty child,” Morgana said, “TOO pretty!” And Morgana began her incantation and cast her spell on the poor Aurora.

“Upon this child’s 18th birthday, I will return in disguise and give her an apple, which she will eat. She will fall into a deep slumber that will last forever, unless her true love comes and kisses her,” she said, laughing wickedly.

Upon hearing her words, the Queen screamed and the King took them both away. The King’s guards all charged at Morgana, but she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Well time passed, and the curse was eventually forgotten. But sure enough, on Princess Aurora’s 18th birthday, she decided to come into the village and into this very shop to buy some things. At the time, a little old lady owned this market.

She came in and got some fruit and vegetables to take back to the castle. On her way out, she picked up an apple from the bin, paid the kindly old woman, and took a bite of the delicious red fruit. Immediately she fell to the floor fast asleep.

The townspeople were devastated that their sweet, beautiful princess had been struck down. They brought Aurora back up to the castle where they laid her in a beautiful bed and she remains to this very day, 100 years hence.”

“Has no one come to try to rescue her?” the stranger asked.

“Oh, certainly. We have had many princes, brave and honorable, come to try to wake her, but none have succeeded,” the shopkeeper said. “The King was so distraught after what happened to his little girl that He gave up caring for the castle and it has fallen into a terrible state of disrepair. Now there are vicious thorns and bushes which further prevent anyone from attempting to rescue the sleeping princess.”

“That is quite a tale,” the stranger said. “But it is getting late, and I don’t want to travel at night. Is there a place in town that a weary traveler can lay his head for the night?”

“There is a room above the shop here that you can stay in. It costs two shillings, but it is clean and warm, and includes a stall and hay for your horse,” the shopkeeper said.

“It’s a deal, I’ll take it. My name is Aristos.”

“Nice to meet you, Aristos. My name is Caelan,” the shopkeeper said. So Aristos took his few belongings and went up to see the room and get some much-needed sleep.

But sleep was not to come easy to Aristos. The story that the shopkeeper told kept running through his mind. He imagined the scenes that he had heard about ... the King and Queen with their baby ... the wicked witch, casting her evil spell ... and what Princess Aurora might look like, sleeping in her bed.

The next morning he came downstairs into the shop. “Good morning Caelan,” he said.

“Good morning, Aristos. How did you sleep?” Caelan said.

“Fitfully, I’m afraid. Your tale kept my mind wandering most of the night,” he said.

“Yes, it is a woeful tale to be sure,” Caelan said, looking down.

“How does one get up to the castle? I should like to take a look at it, just for curiosity’s sake,” Aristos asked.

“At the end of this street you will see a footpath. It is quite overgrown these days and may be very difficult to get up there,” Caelan said.

“Not to worry, I have a good sword. I shall hack my way through the thorns and briars if need be.”

“Oh, Aristos, your sword, good as it may be, is no match for those briars. For you see they are not ordinary woodland briars. They are another product of Morgana’s handiwork. She put them there to grow and prevent anyone from attempting to rescue the princess. Mere mortal steel is useless against those bushes,” Caelan said.

“So what do I use?” he asked.

Caelan went to the window and peeked out. Then he drew the shades down and locked the front door. He took Aristos into the back room and over to large shelving unit. Pulling on one side, it swung out and behind it Aristos found a sword and a shield, covered in years of dust. Caelan took the tools down and dusted them off.

He handed the sword and shield to Aristos. “You have the Sword of Justice and the Shield of Truth. These are magical weapons that will allow you to cut through even Morgana’s thickest briars. Use them for good and they will not fail you. I give these tools to you with our hopes that you will be the one who can save our beloved princess from her sleep prison. Go now, and good luck.”

With a hearty handshake, Aristos left the shopkeeper and began the long walk to the castle. Aristos reached the end of the street and found the beginnings of the footpath. Without hesitation, he left the cobblestone street behind and began walking up the overgrown trail.

Aristos wasn’t afraid. He may not be a prince, but he wasn’t afraid of the legend, or the mythical curse. He was merely curious to see the castle and if possible, see the princess herself.

As the trail began to get thicker with thorns and briars, Aristos took out the Sword of Justice and began hacking away at the bushes in his way. Sure enough, the sword cut them cleanly and easily, and he was able to move forward.

The trail got steeper, but he was able to keep climbing. Aristos was an excellent climber and he made it to the castle with a minimum of effort.

Now standing at the base of the castle, he slung the shield onto his back and sheathed his sword, leaving his hands free to climb. He scrambled up the castle wall and was soon standing at the top. Looking back down the wall and the trail, he was surprised it had been so easy, and could not understand why so many of the high bred Princes had failed.

Aristos turned and made his way into the castle itself. It was very dark inside, but he was able to find a sconce and he lit it, which provided a flickering light he could make his way with. He went through the different halls and cavernous rooms looking for the place where the princess lay.

He found the dining room where dozens of nobles had been eating and several were asleep right at the table. In another room there was a giant fireplace with a fire still burning in it. He came to a great staircase and went upstairs to see what he could find.

Finally, he went into a room at the far end of the upstairs hallway and there in the middle of the room he found her ... Princess Aurora, sleeping in her beautifully ornate bed!

The young girl was laying on a gold embellished carved bed with a red satin pillow and a white silk nightdress that covered her from her neck to her toes. Yes, this must be Princess Aurora, for she was the most exquisite creature he had ever seen. He feasted his eyes on her, a vision of supple breasts and curvy hips beneath the thin cover of her nightdress.