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Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen. They had always wanted a child. Finally, their wish was granted. The queen gave birth to a baby girl. They named the baby princess Buffy. The king and queen planned a royal party to celebrate Princess Buffy's christening. The king invited everyone in the kingdom. He even invited the king of a neighboring kingdom and his son, Prince Angel. The guests of honor were the 3 good fairies, Willow, Tara, and Anya.
Everyone invited to the party was having a wonderful time. Lords and ladies from many different kingdoms were invited. Then, the time came for the 3 fairies to bestow gifts upon the baby princess. Willow was the first to step forward.
"Sweet princess, my gift to you is the gift of beauty. One gift, beauty rare, gold of sunshine in her hair. Lips that shame the red, red rose, she'll walk in springtime, wherever she goes."
The next fairy to step forward was Tara. "Little princess, my gift for you is the gift of music. One gift, the gift of song, melody her whole life long."
The last one to give her gift was Anya. Just as she was about to bestow her gift onto the princess, there was a crash of lightning, and a malevolent figure appeared in a ball of green fire. The king thought he had invited every fairy to the feast. But, there was one fairy the king forgot to invite. She was the evil fairy, Drusilla. She became very angry about not being invited. She came to the party without an invitation.
"Quite an assemblage, your Majesty. I was quite distressed at not receiving an invitation," Drusilla said to the king.
"You weren't wanted," Anya blurted.
"Not want... Oh, I see. Well, if that's the case, I guess I should be going," Drusilla answered.
"But you're not offended, your excellency?" the queen asked.
"Offended? Why no. And to show I hold no ill will, I too will bestow a gift on the child. Listen well, all of you. The princess will indeed grow up to be young and beautiful, beloved by all who know her. But, before the sun sets on her 19th birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die!"
After speaking these words, Drusilla laughed and disappeared in a flash of lightning. The queen immediately ran and picked up the baby, cradling her close.
"Fear not, your Majesties. Anya still has her gift to give," Willow pointed out.
"Then she can undo this terrible curse?" the king asked.
"Not completely, your Majesty. Drusilla's evil is far too great. But, she CAN lessen the blow," Tara said.
Anya stepped forward. "Tiny princess, if through this wicked witch's trick, a spindle should your finger prick, a ray of hope there still may be in this, my gift to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, this fateful prophesy you'll keep. And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss, the spell shall break."
But, to make doubly sure, the king had all spinning wheels in the kingdom burned. They wanted to take no chances that might endanger the baby princess's life.
The three fairies got an idea. They decided to take the child into the woods, and raise her themselves, where Drusilla would not look for the princess.
So, for nineteen years the fairies lived, without using their magic, in an abandoned cottage deep in the woods. There, hidden from sight, Princess Buffy grew up into a beautiful woman, with skin the color of milk, eyes bluer than a sapphire, lips redder than the rose, and hair the color of the golden sunshine. She had been given a false name by the fairies, so that Drusilla couldn't track where she was. They named her Lilia.
Lilia had an amazing singing voice, and, on her 19th birthday, the prince to whom she had been betrothed to since she was a baby, Prince Angel, was riding through the forest. He heard a beautiful voice and followed it to its owner. The moment the two met, they fell madly in love. She returned to the cottage to discover the truth of her identity. She was heartbroken to learn that she was already betrothed to some prince she didn't know.
But, the fairies had made a huge mistake. While Buffy had been gone, they had taken out their magic wands and, as a surprise, made Buffy a beautiful gown fit for a queen and a birthday cake through magic. Just as some of the magic dust from the wands was coming through the chimney, a spy for Drusilla, a ghost named Xander, was flying overhead. He was hit with the magic, and followed it to the source. He saw the princess come back home, and quickly flew away to tell his mistress of his success.
Princess Buffy, wearing her new gown, was lead to her new home in the palace by the fairies. They led her to a room in the topmost tower and left her alone to collect herself. But, Drusilla was waiting there. She enchanted the princess and forced her to prick her finger on a spindle, thus fulfilling the prophesy. When the fairies returned, they discovered the princess lying as one dead on the floor. They placed her in the bed, and then cast a spell on everyone in the kingdom. They all would sleep until the princess awakened.
But, Drusilla was still one step ahead of the fairies. She captured Prince Angel, so that he could never awaken the princess. She took him to her fortress on Forbidden Mountain. There, she revealed to her prisoner that his beloved was really not a peasant girl, but the very princess he was betrothed to.
The fairies discovered Drusilla's plot and traveled to Forbidden Mountain to set the prince free. Once they had, they conjured up a sword and shield to help the prince protect himself during his escape. But, this was no ordinary sword and shield. It was the enchanted Sword of Truth and Shield of Virtue. Prince Angel escaped from Forbidden Mountain and was almost to the palace when Drusilla learned of his escape. She conjured up a forest of thorns to surround the palace and stop Prince Angel. But, his enchanted weapons allowed him to hack through the forest and on to the palace.
Fed up with losing, Drusilla turned herself into a dragon and began to fight Prince Angel. She was able to back him almost off a cliff before he stabbed her through the heart and killed her.
After destroying Drusilla once and for all, Prince Angel ran up the steps to the tiny room in topmost tower. There, he saw his beloved, so beautiful in sleep, lying there. He slowly bent down and kissed her.
Princess Buffy woke up and they all lived happily ever after.
THE END
