Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Aurora was born to the king and queen after great difficulty. The fairies and pixies all blessed her with wit and grace, all charms and no pain, until an unwelcome guest cast her shadow amidst the rainbows. Faces turned to be greeted by the green eyes of the protector of the Moors. Her wings spread completely, and a raven perched delicately on her arm. She stared at Aurora but did not see her at all, then brandished the curse with a sweet smile of revenge.
As a cannon event, the curse did make it to life, with Aurora pricking her finger on a spindle on her sixteenth birthday and entering a sleep akin to death only to be woken up by a true love's kiss. The palace came to a standstill, guards stopped mid-track, and servants dozed off with dustpans as the castle cat curled up in a corner.
Hundreds of years passed as the princess lay sleeping in the forested castle. Many kings reigned, but the curse held on. Until one day, a prince arrived, and hope thrived. He beheld the castle, adorned with thick vines and overgrown leaves, and tore through the sheltered canopy.
There, he saw the princess sound asleep in the abandoned castle. He, most naturally, was smitten by her beauty and kissed her. True love or not, the curse broke. The palace came back to life, all free from their age-long naps, except the cat, of course (it just loved to sleep).
But to his surprise, instead of kissing him back, she pushed him away with disgust. The unsolicited kiss was not the rescue she thought she needed or wanted. She would rather spend a hundred more years sleeping than rouse to a stranger’s lips on hers.
The Prince, however, was just as confused. Always used to having his wishes granted on a silver platter, he deemed this no different. He expected her to be all head over heels in gratitude, for he had saved a damsel in distress, hadn't he? The idea of a non-consensual kiss offending her didn't cross his silver-armored brain.
Aurora felt helpless. She was disgusted. Her rage doubled when the people all praised Prince Charming for his valour and spirit. As for Aurora, no one cared to remember how she could never sleep again. This was partly because she already had enough sleep for a lifetime, but entirely because the trauma was rooted so deeply inside her that she lay awake on endless nights for the fear of being kissed without consent again.
Comments