Read Sleeping Beauty (Faerie Tale Collection) Online
Authors: Jenni James
Tags: #YA, #fairy tale, #clean fiction, #Young Adult
Sleeping Beauty (Faerie Tale Collection) (16 page)
RUMPLESTILTSKIN
CHAPTER ONE
HIS ROYAL MAJESTY FREDERICO Baldrich Layton’s little legs ran fast—faster than they had ever traveled before. Soon he would be at the meadow, the pretty one with the magic pond. If he could just get there before Nurse Landon did, he knew he could collect the strange small rocks and stuff them into his pockets before she would ever know.
She did not let him bring the stones back yesterday when they had played at the magic pond. It was now or never, while she was sipping her tea and talking to the Reverend Townesend, now was the time to dash to the pond and bring back those stones.
He could hardly wait to show his baby brother. Marcus was only three, but he sure did love rocks as much as Frederico did, especially strange rocks.
Frederico rounded the corner past the old willow tree and skidded to a halt, glancing back through the hanging branches he saw Nurse Landon all the way across the field still talking with the Reverend.
“Good!” She had not even noticed he was missing yet. Without another thought he rushed past the blackberry bushes over to the pond, to the special spot where he was told to set the stones down. “They are still here!” Quickly he collected all six of the odd shiny black and blue striped stones and stuffed them into his coat pocket. Then just as he was about to rush back to Nurse Landon he heard a shuffling in the bushes.
Turning toward the sound, he was surprised to see a crooked old lady step out of them.
“Do you live in there?” he asked before remembering it was not polite to speak until spoken to.
“No, I do not,” snapped the old woman and glanced around. “Where do you live, young man? And how old are you? You do not look old enough to be scampering about alone.”
Prince Frederico stood to his full height, his little chest puffed out like he had seen his father the king do many times and said, “I am five, nearly six and I live in the castle over there.” He pointed to the large fortress.
“Do you?” the old woman seemed very interested. “Whose castle is it?”
“My father, King Albert, of course.”
The old woman’s eyes snapped to his and she looked long and hard at the young boy before asking, “Are you certain King Albert lives there?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Are you his heir, then?”
“Yes, I am!” he stated proudly.
She surprised him by spitting on the ground, some of the spittle landed upon his shiny kid leather boots. Frederico backed a few paces away.
“Well, it is a sad day indeed, because you seem like a nice hardy lad—however, your family is pure evil and I will not stand to have this land ruined, when just twenty years ago your grandfather ruled as kindness and a perfect example to all. Therefore, I am sorry to say, but they must be taught a lesson, and it will be through you I choose to do it.”
“Through me?” asked Frederico not quite certain of what she was speaking of.
“Yes, boy. Come here quickly, before they find you missing and come after their little jewel.”
“I—”
“Come lad. Now.” She held her hand out and grasped his tiny fingers pulling him sharply behind the bush she had come from. Before he even knew what was happening, she mumbled several incoherent words over him and watched satisfied as his face contorted with pain. “It is for your own good, my boy, for the good of us all, you will see.”
And that was that.
She shoved him out from under the bushes and disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Confused the young prince was scared as he attempted to head back to his nurse. He was hurting too. His fingers were all twisted and bent and his body was too. One foot would not even move anymore. All he wanted most was to return home and feel better again.
As quick as his crippled body could take him, dragging his unusable foot the whole way, he burst into the garden and interrupted tea time with the Reverend.
Nurse Landon screamed and shattered her cup upon the table as she jumped up to get away from him.
Reverend Townesend placed an arm over her and another out toward the young boy. “Do not come another step closer, do you hear? Do not do it.”
Big tears began to build within Frederico, he had been so brave until now, but when Nurse screamed it frightened him. He did not know what was wrong, but he wanted to be better. “Help me.” He tried to walk closer, but she only moved further away. “Help me.”
“You—you are cursed! You will make us all cursed!” Nurse Landon shouted.
“Help me, please.”
“Stay right there until I send someone for you.” The reverend took the nurse by the hand and began to walk toward the castle. On his way he hollered at a maidservant who was just exiting with her arms full of new refreshments for their tea. “Get the prince and take him to his room. Do not let anyone see him. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” The maid curtsied and scurried over to Frederico.
He will never forget the terror in her eyes or the scream she let out when she first beheld his crippled form. The boy had no idea how awful he looked, but it made him cry so very much more to see their fear.
She stepped back a pace and pointed. “What happened to you? Your skin is all rumpled and stilted.”
“A woman hurt me. I do not know why. I did not do anything to her.”
“A woman?” She came forward. “A woman did this to you? Was she on the grounds here? Where was she?”
“Over by the lake. I came as fast as I could.”
“Just a few moments ago?”
“Yes.”
“Wait right here. I will be back. No one can see you like this!” The maid gathered her skirts and ran as fast as she could to the head gardener and told him she had seen a strange woman walking the grounds who needed to be caught and brought to the king. When she had got back little Frederico was sitting upon the ground, his head in his bent hands staring at the grass.
“Come on you little one. Let us get you back to the palace and get you washed up.”
Frederico rubbed his eyes with a crooked fist, sniffled and looked up at the maid. She flinched a little but did not scream again. He became a little less scared and tried to scramble to his feet. “When can I get better?” he asked once he was standing.
“Soon. Very soon. But first we must get you all cleaned up. I am sure the king and queen will be wanting to see what has happened to you.” The maid was afraid of the curse, but the little boy’s wet eyes checked her. Hesitantly she held her hand out for him to hold and prayed nothing bad would happen to her.
Frederico smiled a crooked smile and clasped her hand tight.
Her eyes were wide, but she put a brave grin on her face as she began to walk back with the little prince. “Do not look at anyone right now. And be sure to walk as straight as possible. Try not to make a scene. We will head through the back door and up the servants entrance. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes. I think so.” He tried miserably to walk normal, but a rolling gait was all he could accomplish. Thankfully, they made it into the castle without anyone noticing.
Once they were in his room, it was just a few minutes to get the little boy undressed and in the bath. The maid pressed her lips together many a time and tried desperately not to sob at the sight of the ruined little body. He had been so beautiful before. So lively and handsome. Now his whole person was deformed, rumpled and crippled. She closed her eyes to the protruding awkward bones that formed his crooked back and sang a small song instead as she slipped the bathwater over his head.
Bathing the baby.
Bathing the boy.
Bathing the master’s dog
And its toy.
Soon they will be all clean as a whistle
Ready to scamper about in the thistle.
Bathing the baby.
Bathing the boy.
Bathing the master’s dog.
What a joy!
Frederico liked that song. He hummed along with the maid the whole rest of the time it took to get dried off and dressed with socks and boots on. She was very nice. When she was brushing out his hair he asked her, “What is your name?”
Surprised she looked down at his distorted features. “Why do you ask?”
“Mamma always calls you ‘maid.’ Do you have a name?”
“Of course I have a name, Your Majesty! Everyone has a name!”
“Do you know my name?”
She chuckled. “Yes! Everyone better know your name if they knows what’s good for em.”
“Then what is yours? I want to know yours.”
She looked at him a very long time and then said, “Tilly, my little Rumple-stilt-skin, my name is Tilly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenni James
is the happy mother of seven boisterous children and the author of several book babies that include:
Pride & Popularity
,
Northanger Alibi
and
Persuaded
from The Jane Austen Diaries for teens and Prince Tennyson an inspirational novel. She enjoys writing clean literature for children, teens and adults. Look out for more of her Faerie Tale Collection! To get all the latest news and updates come find her on Facebook (Author Jenni James) or visit her website
authorjennijames.com
. She loves to hear from her readers and can be emailed directly at [email protected]
Sleeping Beauty
Jenni James © copyright 2012
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
StoneHouse Ink 2012
StoneHouse Ink
Boise ID 83713
http://www.stonehouseink.net
Second eBook Edition: 2012
First Paperback Edition: 2013
Cover design by Phatpuppy Art
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published in the United States of America
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