There was a happy celebration all around the kingdom, which was drenched in golden sunlight and lovely winds. Finally, the beloved King Stefan and Queen Leah had a daughter. They named her Aurora, and she was a beautiful baby girl. The king and queen thought she would bring a new light to the realm, so they named her “dawn.”
Everyone in the kingdom was happy. From the tallest towers, bells rung. Rose petals fell from the balconies. Birds sang in the trees while musicians played, bakers prepared, and kids danced in circles. There was a big party in the palace’s biggest hall to honour Aurora. Both nobles and villagers came together to give presents and blessings to the new princess.
Three good fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather—were among the honoured guests. They came down from the sky in colourful trails of light, each wearing a flowing dress of crimson, green, and blue. They had come to bless Aurora with presents that no amount of money could buy, with warm smiles and compassionate hearts.
Flora was the first to move forward. She waved her wand over the baby who was sleeping. “I give you the gift of beauty, which is as bright as the sun and as soft as a rose.”
Fauna followed. “I give you the gift of song, a voice so clear that it will bring peace to everyone who hears it.”
A rush of wind blew through the hall just as Merryweather raised her wand to give her gift. The candles flickered. The music came to an end. A towering, dark creature came out of a whirling cloud of green smoke. It was cloaked in shadows, had eyes like fire, and a vicious smile that twisted like a serpent.
Maleficent, the witch of the Forbidden Mountain, was the one.
“You didn’t invite me,” she whispered quietly, her voice like velvet around a knife.
The queen held Aurora close to her chest, while the king stood between them and the black figure.
The monarch said, “Get out of here.” “You are not welcome here.”
Maleficent squinted. “Okay. But before I leave, I will also provide a gift.
She stepped forward, and her staff glowed with evil magic.
“Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday,” she muttered, “Aurora will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall asleep, never to wake up again.”
People gasped in the hallway. The queen cried. The king pulled out his sword.
But Maleficent just smiled and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Merryweather, who was scared but brave, moved forward. She said, “I can’t completely undo the curse.” “But I can make it less harsh. The princess might fall into a deep sleep, but she won’t die. She will sleep till true love’s kiss wakes her up.
The monarch told everyone in the realm to destroy all the spinning wheels right away. He put twice as many guards at the castle and sealed all the tower doors. But the fairies had other ideas.
Flora responded, “We have to take her away.” “To live in secret and safety until the curse can’t touch her anymore.”
The king and queen agreed, even though it made them sad. And so, in the dark of night, the three fairies took baby Aurora to a small home deep in the woods where no one could find her. They called her Briar Rose and raised her as if she were their own.
The Years in the Forest
As time went on, Briar Rose became a kind and graceful young woman. Her golden hair and sky-blue eyes weren’t the only things that made her beautiful. She also talked to birds, calmed animals, and hummed lullabies to flowers. She danced barefoot through the fields, sung under the trees, and dreamed of a life full of laughter, music, and a love she hadn’t met yet, even if she didn’t know why.
Even though they were dressed up as plain peasant women, the fairies adored her like a daughter. Flora taught her how to sew seams and make pies. Fauna taught her how to talk to birds. Merryweather, who was always a little impatient, taught her how to stand up for herself.
Aurora’s life was basic but happy.
Aurora and her animal pals were going through the woods one day when she sung a song about a dream she had a lot. In the dream, someone made her heart flutter with their voice and presence.
A young man on horseback, dressed in a cloak, heard her voice as she sang. Prince Phillip, the son of a monarch from a nearby country, heard the song while he was out hunting. He was so fascinated that he followed the sound until he saw her dancing in the trees.
They looked at each other. For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then they smiled.
“Do you think love at first sight is real?” She asked with a mischievous look in her eye.
“I didn’t,” Phillip said with a smile. “But I might now.”
They talked, danced, and laughed like they had known one other for a long time. He assured her he would locate her again before they left.
Go back to the Castle
That night, the fairies told Aurora the truth. They said softly, “You are a princess, and your parents are waiting for you.”
Aurora couldn’t believe it. “But what about the man I saw today?” she asked. “What about the life I want?”
Flora responded, “We have to protect you.” “The curse is still out there.”
Aurora left the forest cabin with tears in her eyes. Her parents were overjoyed to see her at the palace and greeted her with open arms. The party started right away, but Aurora felt like she was only a visitor in her own story.
The curse started to wake up as the sun went down. A gentle, chilling voice echoed through the walls of the fortress.
Aurora got up from her room in a trance. She wandered through hidden halls and twisting staircases. The fairies looked everywhere, but Maleficent’s power was already in action.
Aurora went into a dark area at the top of the tower. There was a spinning wheel there, as if it had been waiting for her. Its spindle glowed softly.
A voice said, “Touch it.”
She reached out, her finger shaking…
And poked it.
She collapsed to the ground, and her eyes shut.
A Kingdom in Grief
The fairies cried when they found her. The queen and king cried. The whole palace was quiet with mourning. The fairies carefully took Aurora to a comfortable bed of roses and put her in a tower room that was full of light.
But they still had hope.
Merryweather said, “We have to find the prince.” “Only true love can break the spell.”
They flew through the air and discovered Prince Phillip back in the woods looking for the girl he loved.
They told him, “She is the princess.” “She is cursed in a terrible way.” And you, and only you, can wake her up.
The Fight for Love
Maleficent, sensing danger, took the prince and imprisoned him up in the dungeons of her dark castle. But the fairies, who were full of fiery love and stubborn magic, released him and granted him magical weapons: a sword of truth and a shield of virtue.
The witch was waiting. With a roar, she created a dense, sharp forest of thorns that surrounded the castle in a wall of darkness. Phillip kept on, though, cutting his way through.
Then Maleficent turned into a huge dragon, and her wings made the sky shake with thunder.
There was a lot of fighting. The flames roared. The ground trembled. But Prince Phillip stayed strong and avoided the dragon’s searing breath. He threw the sword of truth into her heart with a shout of love and hope.
The dragon let out one last awful scream… and turned to ash.
A Kiss of True Love
Prince Phillip climbed the stairs to the tower, panting and with bruises. Aurora laid calm, her golden hair spread out like a halo, and her hands were over her heart.
He got down on one knee next to her.
“I’ve loved you since the first time I heard your song,” he said softly.
He bent down and kissed her very gently.
Nothing happened for a while.
Then her lashes started to move.
She opened her eyes.
She grinned when she gazed at his face.
Joy Comes Back
The news travelled through the kingdom like fire. The princess was awake! The spell was broken! The clouds cleared, the birds flew, and the bells sounded again.
There was a big party that was much happier than her birth. Aurora and Phillip danced under the stars, surrounded by love, light, and laughter.
And what about Maleficent? The shadows took away her magic. The kingdom she had once condemned was now doing better than ever.
A New Day
Aurora and Phillip were wise and kind rulers. The trees sang again. The fairies kept coming to see them and always kept an eye on them.
And anytime someone felt lost in the dark, they thought of the girl who had fallen into a deep sleep and woke up because of love, bravery, and the unbreakable power of light.
Dawn always comes back, even when the night seems to last forever.
The end.
