For every fairytale fan - An ideal bed-time story for children of all ages.

Once upon a time a princess, pure of heart, whose loveliness no poet dare impart, lived locked within the highest tower, her lot to bide the daylight hours, without solace or respite. The tower’s guard was, the familiar and the feared, a fierce, fire breathing dragon, to whom she would adhere. The princess stood day by day at the only window, and there she’d pray a prince, brave and bold, might hear of her plight and take upon himself the heroic deed of dispatching the dragon.
Until one day, as she waited, pondered on her prince belated, she thought to herself “That’s it. Why should I wait for some prince to save me?” That thought marked a revelation for Princess Alyssa. She realized then that she was more than just the symbolic trophy-object that patriarchal society had reduced her to. She picked the lock on the tower door with her metal hair pin, a skill she’d acquired during her youth, and descended the stone staircase.

A mass of corpses; evidence of the dragons permanency, lay decomposing at the towers base. Upon seeing this spectacle Alyssa contemplated how she might deal with the creature. As it came into view she braced herself. Her muscles tensed. She bravely held her stance. Her heart skipped a beat. Then she noticed a particularly important detail that all of her post-humorous, would-be saviors seemed to have missed; the dragon didn’t care much for instigating violence, nor was it particularly concerned with the princess’s escape. The dragon seemed content wandering about placidly, eating fruit that had fallen from a nearby tree. The princess approached and once close enough she extended her arm and stroked what little of the dragon’s underbelly she could reach. The dragon, startled and understandably hesitant, recoiled at first and then realized Alyssa was not trying to impale him with a long shiny piece of tempered steel.
Won-over by this gentle gesture the dragon spoke softly “H-H-Hello, k-kind stranger. My-y name’s-s Alex.” The two bonded instantly and, both needing of a little company, spent the next few hours sitting beneath the night sky engaged in a conversation about all manner of things. Until eventually Alyssa posed the question lingering at the back of her mind.
“Who is responsible for locking me in that tower? Do you know Alex?”
“N-n-no, n-not ex-ex-exactly, only there w-was-s this s-s-sorcerer when you were l-l-locked up. I-I could take you to him, i-i-if you like.”

Meanwhile far away in the Castle, the nameless prince readied his armor.
“I hereby swear that I shall slay the wicked dragon and save the helpless princess” he bellowed so that the reader might be awe stricken by his phallic masculinity. Without regard for anything but the intended task, he entered the throne room, un-caring that his armor had damaged the delicate wooden archway in passing. Inside the king forced himself upon the queen. The prince paused upon seeing this and then respectfully diverted his gaze before speaking. It wasn’t the rape itself that brought the queen to tears, for that was a common occurrence, but rather that her only son bear witness and do nothing.
Aware that she had become distraught the prince offered “Fret not mother, I give you my word I’ll return home safely”. The prince then bid his father farewell and departed.
The king, not bothering to withdraw himself from inside the queen, shouted over his shoulder “Good luck on your noble quest my beloved son”.

With the dragons help princess Alyssa soon reached her intended destination.
“T-T-There. I-In that old c-cottage. T-That’s where the s-s-sorcerer is” Alex said and gestured with his head towards what appeared to be an abandoned residence. Alyssa entered this decrepit abode alone. To her surprise interior was warm, dimly lit, and smelt vaguely of jasmine. A cloaked figure sat crossed-legged, books piled around him, in the centre of a large pentagram that was etched into the wooden floor boards.
Filled with resolve and courage by her recent escape, Alyssa addressed the figure “Answer me sorcerer. Why imprison me within that tower? What have I done to make you want such a thing?” Startled by her presence he jumped.
He paused, looking a little bewildered, and then in moment of recollection he replied “I wanted no such thing and how did you find me here?” It was then, as he raised his head and the candle light danced across his face to some inaudible melody, that Alyssa noticed how indisputably attractive he was.
“Why then?” she said.
“Why do you think?” he replied and she responded with an impatient gaze. He sighed submissively “The narrative requires of me a suitable antagonist to create conflict and convey the traditional humanist theme of good triumphing over evil, blah-d, blah, blah”. He sighed again “and what better villain for a prince to dispatch than one with a belief system that is feared by dominant ideology.” The princess noted then that the books scattered beneath their feet were not of sorcery per say. He obviously dabbled in the occult but, as it would seem, mostly astrology, with a little Wicca in the mix. Still Alyssa’s only response was her icy gaze and by this he felt implored to offer more still. “I’m not a sorcerer, my name is Gabriel, and I’m sorry I locked you in that tower.”
The princess stood silently, taking a moment to process, and then finally spoke ”Mine’s Alyssa and I shall accept your apology Gabriel, if you grant me but one favor?”
“And what might that favor be?” he asked and she outlined her terms. Soon after, with the help of the dragon, she left Gabriel and returned to the tower to await her prince in shining armor.

The prince reached the tower just as the rising sun began to swathe the horizon with a welcoming red glow. Coming to a halt and dismounting, he moved towards the stairwell entrance on foot. His sword drawn and ready. His shield held out before him. He scoured the land for his intended victim. Eventually he came upon the dragon, hiding behind the tower itself. The prince had the advantage. The dragon hadn’t seen him yet. His heart skipped a beat. He approached cautiously. Then quickly he thrust his sword into the dragons back. Alex roared in agony. He slashed at the dragon’s leg, severing muscle and tendon. Alex stumbled forward in a desperate attempt to evade. Blood gushed from his open wounds. Alex turned to defend himself. Without mercy the prince thrust his sword again. The blade penetrated the dragon’s torso this time. Alex screamed until his voice was swallowed up by the blood that filled his lungs. The prince left Alex there to die. As he walked away he smiled widely, deeply satisfied with the cruelty he believed to be his birth right and personal claim to glory. Shedding his armor and shield like a serpent he then proceeded to ascend the stairs and push the unlocked door open. The princess stood by the window waiting patiently.
“Fear not my love” he announced, “for I have slain the dragon, the wretched creature is no more. Now come quickly I will save you from this place, take you to be my bride and we shall live happily ever after”.
“I’d rather jump out the window and die on impact” Alyssa muttered under her breath.
The prince, unequipped to respond, pretended not to notice this remark.
“Come! Now my love, into my arms” he said and extended his arms. Without saying a word Alyssa turned to face him, grabbed his right wrist, twisted his arm behind his back and collapsed his legs with her foot to the back of his knees. He fell to the ground with her on top of him, her knee pressed into the small of his back. She held him down for a few minutes while he struggled helplessly against her wrath as a worm does against the hook.
“Be your bride! And what then, would you have me bend to your every whim, fill your every desire as though I had none of my own? Would you have me swap this prison for a lavishly furnished one? You’re the reason I was locked up here to begin with. It was so you could save me.”
“What! My father the king sent me on this noble quest. How dare you accuse me whore!”
“Your father, I’ll remember that” Alyssa replied then composed herself and stood calmly. She collected his sword as he tried desperately to scamper to his feet then she casually walked out the door and into the stairwell. Remembering the favor Gabriel had granted her she paused and reached into the bust of her dress for the key. She locked the tower door and watched it shake from the impact of the prince’s body as he threw himself against it. As she again descended the stairs she called out for Alex. Of course she had heard his cries but she never actually believed him to be dead. She’d thought rather that the prince had failed like so many before him and was simply lying when he claimed to have slain the dragon. When she found Alex’s body she dropped to her knees and wept uncontrollably.
“My dear friend, my only friend. I’m so sorry. I swear to you I will have revenge against the bastard king for his part in your death as well” As she became aware of the prince’s pitiful pleas for help she looked up at the tower and was suddenly overcome with the compulsion to see it reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble. Trying not to dwell on this thought she mounted the prince’s horse and galloped towards her intended destination.

Back in the castle the king was once more upon Queen Kate. He pinned her arms to the floor like the wings of a display case butterfly. Her neck was bent crooked against the base of the throne. She no longer bothered to contest or fight, knowing well enough he would only have his guards hold her down and then perhaps, if he felt particularly charitable, they would take turns with her after. He was more violent than usual on this occasion. She bled and could not help but whimper, choking on the tears as they cascaded down her face. The sound of her head smashing against the marble throne reverberated through the castle, over and over and over and over. One of the maids appeared in the doorway with a bottle of red wine and two glasses.
Distraught by what she saw, she chanced an intervention “My lord, please do taste th…”.
“How dare you interrupt me whore? Stand over there, in that corner, and watch. I’ll deal with you shortly.” Terrified the maid placed the wine and glasses on a nearby table and withdrew to the room’s far corner where she stood silently. Her dark complexion turned pale with grief as she witnessed the affair.

“My queen, thou art as beautiful as the morning sky, this I have said time and time again, and shall do ever after” said the king as he finished himself. He filled both glasses with wine and handed one to queen Kate. He raised his glass and tilted it slightly forward. “To you and I, my love” he said warmly, the words like salt to an open cut. Kate’s glass slipped through her fingers, hit the floor and shattered. The king became infuriated by this. Slamming his own glass down upon the table he grabbed Kate by the throat with both hands. He strangled her until the color of her face faded to a deep purple and her eyes began to roll back into her head. Then he relinquished his hold, leaving her to suffer, gasping for air. “I’m sorry but you know you bring this down upon yourself, if only you could hold a simple wine glass!” At that moment princess Alyssa entered the throne room, the guards had let her pass under the pretense that she was just a woman. She threw the prince’s sword down on the floor before the king.
“Here that’s all that’s left of your beloved son. And now it’s your turn to pay for your part in all this. For what you made me endure and of course for the death of my sweet harmless Alex”

“How dare you wretched harpy” the king said as he quickly retrieved the sword from the floor and held its point against Alyssa’s bare neck. She realized instantly the stupidity of her decision to unhand the weapon. “You! Maid! What the hell are you staring at? Clean that glass up now” the king shouted. As though those words had been uttered by an apostle they triggered a sudden miraculous change in the maid Sara. They awarded her formerly convoluted mind a rare clarity. The fear that once consumed her dissipated. Beneath her complacency something dark and beautiful flourished. A perfect rage. She picked up the base and neck of the broken wine glass, which had remained in one piece. From behind she forced the broken glass into the king’s rib cage, making sure to cover his mouth with her free hand so that he couldn’t scream for help. He struggled furiously against her but she held fast with a strength she did not know she possessed. She twisted the glass and pushed it in deeper. A single muffled cry escaped the king’s mouth before he went limp in her arms. Then she carefully, not out of reverence but rather for the sake of an already compromised stealth, laid the corpse down upon floor. Blood and spilt wine entangled beneath it until they were one pool of crimson red. Fearing an unwelcome intrusion by the guards Alyssa immediately set to work bolting closed the throne room doors.
“There that should keep them at bay a while” she said and no sooner did the words leave her mouth than the awful thud of bodies ramming against the doors exterior began.

The queen Kate was oblivious to this pounding. To her it was no more audible than the beat of her own heart. She was oblivious to everything in fact. She sat there naked, exposed, her back arched and pressed against the throne, her hands quaintly on her lap. Her body shivered without her wanting it to, and convulsed on occasion. Her eyes were clouded with detachment; the kind of numbness that only years of abuse can cause. Sara, after briefly disappearing into another room, reappeared with a cotton sheet, and a pail of warm water. She tended to Kate’s wounds and covered Kate’s body.
“I hate to interrupt but the guards are…” Alyssa began as she walked towards the two. She slipped on the pool of blood and fell backwards. Her head impacted against the concrete floor. It made a crunching sound that pierced the air and resonated over the guard’s incessant pounding. Alyssa stopped moving after that.

At the sight of this Sara embraced Kate tightly, pulling her close. She pressed her lips against Kate’s ear and whispered “Never after”. As if those words where a spell to re-animate the dead, Kate’s eyes slowly came to life and darted about the room absorbing all. She clung tightly to Sara and wept, a little at first and then uncontrollably. The two sat there upon the throne for some time, limbs clumsily entangled, neither wanting to let the other go until finally Sara broke the relative silence.
“Its ok now baby. It doesn’t matter anymore” she said softly and then kissed Kate tenderly on the lips. “The king’s guards… they will surely kill us both but at least it will be quick”
“Yes” Kate replied “but first let them see how weak I am when I’m not being held down”. She took the sword from next to the king’s corpse. From that point forward they both lived happily ever after, which equated to no more than twenty minutes. Never the less, they were both happier in those brief moments than ever before in their lives. The end.

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