A twist on one of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
A prosperous King and Queen sat on their thrones, surveying the kingdom that they ruled. One would think that they would be happy but their handsome faces were drawn in distress. For as wonderful as their castle was and as comfortable as their villains were, there were no children to fill the echoing spaces with joy and laughter.
On this day, the Queen and her maid, Mia, were lounging together in the royal bath when the Queen noticed a small green toad sitting on the floor nearby. "Dear Queen," It said. "Do not fret. You will bear a daughter within the year."
The frog's words came true. The Queen gave birth to a child and the King was so overjoyed that he ordered a huge banquet and bade everyone to come. He also invited the Wise Women, but in his haste, he realized that he only had golden plates for twelve, which meant that the thirteenth would have to be left out.
The lavish banquet was held and everyone brought presents for the newborn princess. The gifts of Wise Women were intangible, but still important, such as virtue, riches, beauty, etc. As the last Wise Woman stood to bestow her gift, the uninvited Thirteenth stepped forward and in a loud voice said,
"In her eighteenth year, the Princess will be pricked by a spindle and will die!"
The entire crowd of partygoers gasped, watching in frozen horror as she departed. The last Wise Woman stepped forward, her presence demanding silence.
"In her eighteenth year, the Princess shall not die, but shall fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years."
After the banquet, the King gave the order that all spindles in the kingdom be burned so that the prophecy would not come true and the Princess grew up, tall, elegant and beautiful. And curious. It was this curious nature that found her wandering the halls of the castle, doing a little exploring while her parents were away. At the top of the narrowest stair was a door with a rusty key in its lock. She turned it and stepped into an old, musty storage area and was surprised to find an old woman with a spindle, spinning flax.
"Good morning, madam. What is it that you're doing?"
"Spinning, dear girl."
"And what is that object?"
"A spindle, of course." The old woman paused. "Would you like to see me use it another way?"
"Sure!"
"Lie down."