Story idea - Sleeping Beauty modified

So I [Melanie] had an idea for a story premise recently. It's kind of fun, modifying fairy tales. It's a popular genre lately, and I'm rather fond of that fact. This is a Sleeping Beauty premise. I think it would be a particularly fun way of exploring that ever popular topic, true love. Without further ado, here is my prologue, titled, A Terrible Gift.



It seemed like such a good idea at the time. It was the finest gift I could think of to give the only daughter of my best friend, the good Queen Auriel. Beauty, kindness, wit, these things and more my sisters would give her, and all would make her delightful to those around her. But I wanted little Briar Rose to be happy. Really happy. Happy as Auriel was not, for all her rank and goodness. Happy as few princesses ever could be, let alone only daughters who carried the throne with them when they wed. It was clear as could be that Princess Rose, so precious and innocent, was destined to be bartered away in marriage like her mother before her. And she would do her duty, for one of my brethren would doubtless give her a sense of duty.

And so that was the gift of my heart to Princess Briar Rose: that just at the time when she would normally be bartered away to the highest bidder, sent to a prince for the kingdom’s purposes, she would fall asleep instead, and only true love’s kiss could awaken her. No one could force her into a marriage, not even herself. No one who did not love her could have her. That was my gift: true love.

Wouldn’t you want to sleep for a hundred years if you knew that at the end of it you would awaken to true love?

That was the idea.

My name is Ficienne, and I am Briar Rose’s fairy godmother. You may have heard me called Maleficent, for malice. I cannot blame those who spread that story, those who saw the horror of my gift more clearly than I. But there was no malice in it. So: I am Ficienne, and I beg you to forget the name of Maleficent. Forgive me my terrible gift. I meant well.



...That's what I've written so far.

Thing is, in my version there's no hundred-year time limit, and Ficienne doesn't have any prophetic gift. She just says Briar Rose will sleep an enchanted sleep until she is awakened by true love's kiss. But can a man feel true love for a princess only based on rumors of her beauty and goodness? If Rose sleeps for too long, will she be able to understand the world at all when she awakens? What of all the friends and family she will lose if she sleeps for a hundred years? And so, Briar Rose frantically attempts to find true love - whatever that means - before her fifteenth birthday, so that when she falls asleep her love can promptly awaken her.

I think it could be a fun little premise, particularly for exploring that ever-popular concept, true love, and what it means. I'm not sure I'll write the story anytime soon, or ever, but... it could be fun. What do you guys think?