Sleeping Beauty

Chapter One

Mistress M watched the young girl frolic through the woods. She was indeed exquisite, her golden hair glistening in the sunlight as she danced alone, enjoying the beauty of her surroundings. She seemed happy and content surrounded by nature. After all she had never known the world outside of these woods. Mistress M had watched her for many years now, as she grew into the young woman before her. Yet she had always kept her distance, never making herself known. It had been easier to just watch, waiting for the day when she would finally introduce herself to young Rose.

A lot of time had passed, eighteen years in fact, but Mistress M had not forgotten the pain that the King had forced upon her, and she was a patient woman. He had humiliated her, stolen her innocence, and worse, he had betrayed her. As the King he thought he was indestructible. He had underestimated her, Mistress M thought wryly to herself. He would soon learn what heartbreak and pain felt like. She smiled as she watched Rose gather flowers, arranging them carefully into a beautiful bouquet. She wondered if the girl was ever lonely here in the woods, with no one to keep her company.

Rose lived in a small cottage not far away, but it was rustic and secluded, exactly what the King had hoped for. Her only human company was her three eccentric aunts. Mistress M sniffed at the thought of the three of them actually being suitable company for an eighteen year old. The old aunts were well into their sixties, and they could barely look after themselves half the time, let alone a growing young woman. Rose seemed happy enough on the outside, but Mistress M still wondered what she was thinking as she watched the young woman sing to herself, seemingly without a care in the world.

Why should she have a care in the world? Mistress M asked herself. She didn’t even know who she really was. That was what made Mistress M’s plan so wonderful. Rose had absolutely no idea that she was a Princess, that there was an entire kingdom that eagerly awaited her return to society on her nineteenth birthday. The King’s plan to hide his daughter from her was flawed, smiled Mistress M. He thought she would give up looking, but he was wrong. Yes, it had taken several years to track down the young princess, but she had been relentless in her search and her vendetta against the man who ruined her life.

Mistress M wondered if the King still worried about his daughter’s fate. He had reacted quickly to the threats the Mistress had made at the birth of his first child. She could see the fear on his face and he hadn’t wasted any time in sending his daughter far, far away from possible harm. The Queen had been ignorant and yielding to her husband’s decision to give the care of her only daughter to his crazy sisters. Mistress M snorted silently to herself; What mother allows her daughter to be sent away, misses out on all those wonderful early milestones? The woman was completely spineless in Mistress M’s mind, but that was why they were so well suited, she thought bitterly.

Had the Queen ever questioned why the King held such fear of Mistress M’s intentions? Did she even know the full story? Those questions had plagued the Mistress for many years now, but soon the time would come and she would get her answers. Soon they would all be sorry that they ever crossed Mistress M!

Chapter Two

Mistress M remembered the day the Princess was born as though it was only yesterday. Everyone in the kingdom celebrated the news − everyone except one person. For Mistress M, it was the final seal of the King and Queen’s marriage, of his complete and utter betrayal of her.

Their marriage had been swift, he had met the Queen at the annual palace summer ball and he claimed it was love at first sight. They had barely courted before announcing their engagement and their wedding was set for the end of the same summer. Mistress M had watched on helplessly as the man who promised her his undying love and devotion pushed her aside. She was utterly ruined, her reputation tarnished and she had been powerless to stop it. He had taken her innocence, made her pregnant with his first born child and then left her destitute, penniless and unmarried.

The King had cast her aside without even a second glance. The summer ball was meant to be their own public announcement of their relationship, he had promised to introduce the Mistress to his family to make their courtship official. She remembered spending hours getting dressed and prepared, knowing that all eyes would be on her that evening once he had declared his love for her to the entire Kingdom. The giddiness of her excitement and anticipation had made her late to arrive that evening. She wanted everything to be perfect and she couldn’t wait to make their relationship official.

They had been courting in secret for almost twelve months before the summer ball. She had been patient, accepting his desire to keep their love a secret, agreeing to meet after dark on the outskirts of the palace gardens. The Mistress was in love with the King and she wanted to please him, and please him she did, many a night, over and over. He had been a gentle but coercive lover, and she had trusted him with her virginity as he promised to soon make their relationship official.

The King had assured her many times that it would become complicated, that he wanted to keep her to himself until the time was right. He had made vows of his love, promising to marry the Mistress and make her his Queen. He had been delighted with her news, that she was expecting his child. He proclaimed that it was at the Summer Ball where he would announce their intentions to marry, and they would wed quickly so that she could bear him a legitimate heir to the throne. She had believed every word he told her for there was no reason not to, and she had loved him unconditionally.

Sadly, Mistress M knew that she still loved him, regardless of everything he did to her. But love and hate were closely interlinked emotions, and when he refused to even acknowledge her that evening at the ball, she was sure she felt her heart break into pieces. She had been humiliated as she watched him fawn all over the young princess his extended family had invited from a distant Kingdom. The young woman who would soon become his Queen. He had