We all know the story

Snow White

She barely had a bite of the poisoned apple when she fell to the ground, lifeless. For three days the seven dwarves mourned, and for her they made a coffin made of glass. Even then, she was the fairest of them all — white as snow, red as blood. In her deep sleep on a mountain in the woods, she waited for her prince to come and help her spit the poison from her mouth.

Sleeping Beauty

One who was both blessed and cursed. In her sixteenth year she pricked herself with a spindle, making her fall into a very deep sleep. The queen did everything for her to come back to life, but the misery only brought her to her grave. For a hundred years the princess waited in her dreams for a man with a pure heart to love her and break the spell with a kiss.

Cinderella

The mistreated one who was given a chance. In her beautiful disguise she was able to capture the heart of the prince, but the fear of him knowing the truth made her leave him with nothing but a shoe. News came that the prince was seeking for the shoe’s owner, and covered in cinder she waited for him to find her – the perfect fit.

Rapunzel

 The damsel in a high tower without a door. She had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold. Every day she would let down her hair for the enchantress, but in her heart she waited for a man to climb her walls and take her away.

Little Mermaid

The one who traded a tail and a tongue for two feet. With pain each day she danced with grace for the prince, waiting for the day that he’d fall for her and be granted an immortal soul.

Belle

Only Belle was different. She did not wait idly for some handsome prince to find her. She was the one who saved the Beast – the prince who was waiting for her to find him.

We all know the story.

~

A response to Wordpress Daily Prompt: A Bend in Time

Knife

“We have given our hair to the witch, to obtain help for you, that you may not die tonight.” I replayed my sisters’ words in my head.

“She has given us a knife, see, it is very sharp.” My hand’s grip tightened on the object that would seal both our fates.

“Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince… either he or you must die before sunrise.” I see the first red streaks in the sky and I know I must hurry.

You die, or I do.

As I draw back the crimson curtain of your tent, I see you sleeping with her head resting on your chest.

That should have been me.

I feel my chest tighten, the invisible knives under my feet coursing deeper into my flesh.  I walk closer not minding the pain, as I have been doing since the day I decided to give up everything for you,  and with a soft kiss on your brow, I try to say goodbye.

I glance at the knife I have been gripping, a token of my family’s love, my sisters’ sacrifice. I left them for you, but still they gave up the beautiful hair so I can have my tail and voice back. So I can come back to them. Indeed, love is about sacrifices.

Is my love for my family strong enough to stab your heart?

I hear you whisper her name in your dreams. I forget how to breathe.

If only you knew it was me. I was the one who saved you when you were drowning. It was my face that has haunted you all this time, not hers. It was me, my prince. If I have only kept my voice, I would have told you how I rescued you through the raging waves. I would have told you how much I love you.

I still love you now, as I watch you sleep with your bride in your arms.

I lift the knife and my hand trembles. I must do it now before it is too late. I must kill you now, and my suffering ends. Or will it?

Will I be living a good life with my sisters while knowing that I destroyed the man I love and would ever love? Will I ever find the heart to sing when I get my voice back? Will I swing my tail and not remember the little feet that danced through the pain for your smile?

Will I be able to smile again?

I feel tears escape my eyes and I run.

I give the knife one final look and throw it far from me into the waves.

The water turned red where the knife fell.

And then I’m gone.

~
A response to Wordpress Weekly Challenge: Dialogue
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’