Tales Retold ♥ Sleeping Beauty

It had been two days since he'd broken the sleeping spell that protected the castle. Two days since she'd reunited with her parents and introduced her savior to their subjects.

The initial hubbub had died down, and now here she was in her home's rose garden. The prince who'd rescued her sat at her side, admiring the flowers around them.

She tried to do the same, but her eyes were always drawn back to him instead. The man sitting beside her, as if sensing her attention, turned his head and smiled.

"You seem lost in thought, Princess," he said. "Might I know what's on your mind?" The princess gulped and debated whether she should speak the truth or not.

In the end, she decided to be honest with him. "Father and mother told me to meet you here." The king and queen had also said that she should say yes to whatever he asked her.

"I see," he murmured. "They seem to be excited and in a hurry to get things done." She thought so too, but she herself did not share their sentiment.

As much as she admired the prince and found him handsome, she did not know him at all. "Are you going to propose to me?" she asked. "If you are, then my answer is-"

"Wait." He stopped her. "I just want to know. Will the answer you give me truly be yours?" Her eyes widened. "If I... gave you my real answer, the one I have... will you get mad?"

The prince smiled wider, then moved from his seat, knelt before her and took her hands. "I would much rather you speak from your heart, so that I can work on winning it over."

She blushed prettily. "Are you saying that you will court me? That you understand?" "I am a gallant prince," he replied. "It is not in my nature to force myself upon you."

"Then my answer is no..." she said at last, and the prince tried his best to keep smiling. But then she squeezed his hands, leaned forward, kissed his cheek and whispered,

"But perhaps in the future when you ask me again, I will wish to say yes."

END Thank you for reading! Not sure how often I can post, but I'll try to whenever inspiration strikes. Or you can leave fairy tale requests through the comments, and I'll see if I can do them. Have a great day! ♥ Ann Sepino (annsepino.mystrikingly.com)