The Folklore of the (hacked) Paradise
Episode 2 : Nothing is as it seemed, nothing is what you were told
For EPISODE 1: https://readmedium.com/the-folklore-of-the-hacked-paradise-36dd97baada7
CHAPTER 4 : Beauty, Hansel & Gretel and Rosamund
The night, washed away in thunder and lightening, was replaced with a bright clear morning. Rose woke up to the rays of the morning sun streaming in from the dormer — the last and the only such memory she had was of waking up the day before to the view of a painted roof. She could hear a busy early morning at the kitchen downstairs.
A creak of the ladder and so emerged a pretty looking young girl, delicate in her features, a friendly demeanor and a determined look on her face. She was dressed impeccably in a floral frock draped over which was an apron, her hair neatly done in a pretty braid studded with flowers but a stray lock of hair dancing around her cheeks. She carried on a tray with a pot of tea, scones, some cups and a book.
“Morning. I hope you slept well?”, her voice had a soothing sing-song quality to it.
“Morning. Yes, thank you.”
“I am Belle — I stay at the castle right outside the village, you must have seen it on your way here.”
Rose looked at her blankly. Undeterred, Belle went on.
“Its nestled on top of the hillock towards the south side of the village, the one with little turrets at the corners, and the spire rising from the center. You must come sometime, you will like it.”
She set the tray on the side table, and continued to speak
“Well, Auntie told me to come and wake you. But here, you are already awake. You are an early riser I see. You look so fresh.”
Rose found herself tongue tied, she wanted to reciprocate to the friendly overtures of the chatty Belle but was at loss of anything relevant to say. Belle looked back at Rose, pausing her monologue to read the girl. Failing to pick any cues from her appearance, she continued speaking.
“I come here daily to help Auntie run the tavern. Its quite a charming place, isn’t it. I wish Auntie would agree to do some renovations we could seriously spruce this place up. Anyway, for now I help with book keeping.”
Another creak on the ladder, Auntie emerged into the attic.
“Hey lassie, ya slept well?” she asked Rose, picking up a scone and seating on a stool.
“So ya lassies become friends already?”
Belle laughed — even her laugh sounded musical to Rose.
“Not yet Auntie. But I am sure we will soon. You do look the shy types, are you Rose?”
Rose wondered; she did not really know that much about herself yet.
“Well”, she cleared her throats, “I am not sure. But if I had to guess, I guess not”
“Its ok, lassie. Ya new here. A day and a half in the village and at the Tavern, you’ll be like a monkey on a merry-go-round.”
Auntie guffawed at her joke and Belle laughed a musical note. Rose just smiled.
Belle pulled closer to Rose on the bed, and gently tugged at her shoulder to turn
“Let me do your hair please, if you don’t mind. I do make such good braids, and you have such pretty hair.”
Rose obliged immediately, hoping to compensate her lack of conversation with this gesture of appreciation.
“Awright girl. Now we gotta figure your chores here. It’s a tavern lassie so it’s a busy place and mind ya I have lotsa help, but you never got enough of it when you run a place like this.” said Auntie.
“Auntie I am happy to do anything. But maybe kitchen would be the best place to start for me, I don’t know much about cooking or baking but I chop and peel and clean quite well. And Sally, she is a kind girl, she offered to teach me more.”
“Ya, that Sally, she is a peach. Ya Rosie, you help Sally in the kitchen. No, no, not right away. You sit here a while, breakfast jobs are on the clock, you go in a couple of hours to help with lunch.”
Belle continued to comb Rose’s hair, “Your hair is all a tangle Rose, wherever you been girl?”
“Oh, I guess it must be cause I rode on a horse most of day yesterday.”
“So where do you come from?”, Belle asked between deft strokes of the comb
“I was in a tower in the forest”
“A tower? Your family lives in a tower? How fascinating — where?”
“No…. I don’t know. Well, I woke up yesterday and found myself on top of a tower.”
Belle paused the combing. “What do you mean, you found yourself there?”
“Well, I just woke up yesterday and I was there at the tower all alone. So I got out of it and rode away from there.”
Belle was amazed, Aunty in part astonished, but both curious.
“So how did you get into the tower? And if the tower is not your home, then where are you from? Where’s your family?”, asked Belle now braiding with consummate style, adding flowers from her braid to Rose’s.
Before Rose could say she doesn’t know, a shadow cast across the room, startling all the three women.
“Why so edgy, ladies?”
Puss looks up at the two girls on the bed with a smirk on her face.
“Puss! You sly girl!”
Rose looked at Puss in wonder, never having seen a cat in boots and hat, but then she wondered, had she seen a cat before? She couldn’t be sure, but she did seem to have faint memories of cats.
“Introduce yourself properly Puss”, Belle remarks cattily.
“Hi. I am Puss…..sometimes referred to as Boots, cause of the boots you see”, she clicks the boots
“Yeah we’d all hoped that if we called her Boots she would give them up and put on something more lady like or better still go barefoot. But it did not work.”
“No it did not.”
“But the boots aren’t ok for a girl to wear”, cried Belle in frustration.
“Well, I like annoying the village folk. They see feline in boots and hat and they think it’s a guy not a girl”
“Its not your looks but your deeds that make them think of you as a guy. Ladies don’t fleece and play tricks,” quipped Auntie.
“I don’t fleece” retorted Puss stoutly but not bothered enough to contest the allegation.
“Heelllllllo” — the voice came from the ladder as in peered another face. A youngish girl in a frock and two plaits entered the attic, followed by a boy. They were both about the same height but somehow the boy looked younger of the two. The girl bore a determined, sharp look on her freckled face, her clothes were plain and practical, and shoes sturdy and sensible. In fact aside from the skirt and the shorts that the two of them wore which could be told apart, rest of their clothes looked like they could be exchanged between the two.
The attic was now a crowded place and Rose was beginning to wonder how many more people were likely to come up. Auntie lit up a pipe, Rose scowled at her and with a disgusted look asked the girl to open the window.
The girl opened the window in the dormer while the shy boy barely exchanged gaze with anyone and went into a corner to play with his doll.
“Rose, these are Hansel and Gretel. They are siblings from the village and totally inseparable”, said Belle
“Well I can be separated from Hansel but he cannot be from me. There’s a difference”, corrected Gretel
Rose was not sure if she could figure that out.
“And who are you?”
“Well”, Belle responded on behalf of Rose, “this is Rose and she woke up at the tower all alone, yesterday. So she rode a horse and came to the town.”
In one sentence Belle had summed up a rather peculiar context.
“Bewitching! Blimey, is this true?”
“Well, I was just thinking that if this is true then your tale sounds very much like that of the Sleeping Princess”, said Belle.
“Who?”, inquired Rose.
A sudden thud on the floor made everyone look at Auntie, she had dropped her pipe.
“This tobacco is strong stuff huh. Got a spinning in my head and dropped me pipe”
Belle made a face at her and got back to the story
“There is a legend that a princess was cursed to sleep only be awakened by a true love’s kiss.”
Gretel gawked at Belle, and then turned to Auntie
“And you trust this girl with your books? She’s gone loony — A sleeping princess in a tower!”
Belle took offence at the insinuation
“Do not comment on my work. Have I not managed to make Bastarnado feel that the tavern makes just enough money for his beer and tobacco per week? Don’t you ever challenge my accounts, Gretie?”
Auntie smiled in admiration, and Gretel gave a cheeky grin in appreciation too
“And yeah, I do read a lot of books but what’s one gotta do? I get bored, there is nothing else to do. Little did Beast know, when I said I love book keeping I meant accounting not keeping a library! Men can be dense sometimes.”
“Ah, you are way too kind on them type”, said Auntie.
“You call your husband BEAST?”, inquired Rose opening up to the conversation.
“Sigh, it’s a long story. Will tell you sometime. But yeah, he was a Beast and yeah now he isn’t”
“So tell me more about this story of the Sleeping princess. Is it a true story?” asked Rose
“Well, I don’t know — I just recall hearing it a long time ago. According to the story, princess Rosamund is still sleeping somewhere waiting for that one true love’s kiss to break the spell.”
“ROSAMUND!! I think that’s my name” blurted out Rose, surprising herself as much as everyone else in the room
“What do you mean? Your name is Rose”
“That name Auntie gave me”
“But then why did not u tell her your name is Rosamund”, asked Belle.
“Because I did not remember. I don’t seem to remember anything from before I was sleeping. But when I see something familiar, a part of my mind like clears up suddenly. Like yesterday, I came into the town and saw the center was called “Emancipation Square” — I was looking at the letters not sure if they were symbols of some weird drawing, and then suddenly the alphabet got clear in my head and I could read it!”
Everyone looked at Rose in amazement and she turned red.
“Beautiful name by the way,” she added.
“Yes its actually named after a similar square in the big city –its also called Emancipation Square, but in some South Eastern language.”
Rose was impressed at Belle’s knowledge.
Belle stared back at Rose — “Are you sure your name is Rosamund?”
“I sort of feel it is!”
“Wow! That feels spooky. Does that mean the story is actually true? But if so, then how come you came awake without a true love’s kiss? the essence of the legend of the Sleeping Princess was the power of true love and yearning for the same, and that was to establish when the true love’s kiss would break the curse.”
CHAPTER 5 : About Last Night
“Who is that?”, Belle looked up from the ledger to see who Rose was pointing at.
Both were by the reception desk of the tavern — Belle recording the proceeds from last night while Rose dusted.
Sitting around the fountain were the men of the village.
“The one Auntie is talking to? That’s Bastarnado, her husband, the owner of the tavern,” responded Belle
“Oh, I thought Auntie was the owner.”
“That’s silly Rose. Auntie helps run the tavern. Its Bastarnado’s.”
“Hmmm.” Rose gave it a little thought her gaze still fixed at the men in white & beige uniforms listening intently to Auntie and nodding and shaking their heads.
“Then tell me, who asked you to keep the books at the Tanvern?”
“Auntie did”, Belle responded without so much as lifting her head from the books
“So the Tavern is Bastarnado’s but you are employed by Auntie!”
Belle looked up perplexed
“You make it sound so complicated Rose. Of course the tavern is Auntie’s also. She is Bastarnado’s wife, isn’t she. That’s why she helps him run it. But the tavern has to belong to Bastarnado.”
“Oh! Is that a rule?”
“Rule? No, why would there be a rule? Its just how it is.”
Belle looked up at Rose, following her gaze to the fountain at the Square paused in wonder.
“Wonder what are they so engrossed in?”
“Is it uncommon?”
“Men at the square? No, not at all. They spend most of the day sitting there. Its just surprising that Auntie’s there.”
“We could tell you what’s happening”, came a squeaky voice from a bar stool.
Leland looked up at the ladies, with a sly smile. He jumped up to the counter and settled himself in crevices of the open ledger an air of haughtiness hung around him.
“Hello Leland. And Prescott & Thaddeus. Why am I not surprised to see you here” said Belle with a mocking smile.
“Lady, we are not just here for your scrapes. We are men of honour”, responded Leland, now with an air of dignity.
“Yes of course, its not always scrapes of food…but sometimes scrapes of news”, jested Belle
Leland rubs his hands in excitement, “And do I have a juicy one”.
“Pray, tell”
“How about trading scrapes? We are, after all, in the Tavern.”
Belle took out a small block of cheese from the shelf below and placed it before Leland. Thaddeus bowed at the lady in sight of the gift and with an air of dignity walked closer to the cheese. Prescott in his usual lost self did not even notice that cheese had been moved.
“Will you believe it — Prince Charming has vanished!”
“What?!”
“Yeah. That’s what the town is a-buzz with”.
Belle looked at Leland in shock, who continued to nibble at the cheese maximizing returns on each scrape of news he would share.
“Tell us more.”
“Prince was last seen at 3 , he left the pub to go up to his room. Morning when the maid went to wake him for breakfast…”
“….there was no one in the room!,” cried Prescott, feeling obligated to partake in the discussion.
“And more so, the bed was not slept in!!” — Prescott added.
“No, no. We don’t know that,” said Leland angrily.
“Yes we do. I heard the maids in the parlour. They said that when the pub shut, the local boys took the Prince to the ladies house to have some fun”, Prescott stood his ground.
“Ewe! Dirty mind. A prince would never do that.”
“Then may be to meet some local girl to pick flowers”
“Its called “deflower” not “pick flowers”. And no such thing happened,” snubbed Leland
“It did too”, cried Prescott adamantly.
As everyone looked at him disbelieving, he was not so sure if he could pick up another piece of the cheese. He shrank back.
“Ok. Getting back to what we know — he went up to his room at 3, because Auntie said she heard him walk up the stairs. And in the morning the maid went to the room at 7 to serve tea and no one was in the room.” summed up Belle
“She did find the bed to have been made up properly,” added Prescott softly.
“Then are you saying Auntie was wrong when she said she heard the stairs creak” Leland glared at his brother.
“I hear them, them creaks! Yeah, it creaked”, and this was Thaddeus. The exertion of speaking making him go faint.
“Yeah. Yea, there was a creak.” Leland liked the reinforcement even if it came from the unassuming brother, “But wait, you did not hear it Thaddeus. You mean Auntie heard it. You were with us in the kitchen at 3, eating dinner off the floor. Remember?”
“Ah, non, non. I hear them creaks. I hear them just before dawn. We sleep under the stairs and I hear them creak — and I wake up.”, this was the longest Thaddeus had ever spoken a sentence, falling asleep midway.
Leland and Prescott both glared at Thaddeus, “You bluffing Thad! You heard nothing”
Thaddeus couldn’t care less.
Auntie made her way back from the square towards the tavern, her face bearing a worried look. The girls looked up expectantly at her, she looked at them and then at the mice
“Ah darn. You boys been messing around?”
The brothers scuttled away.
“Bad times are a-coming, I warn you”, and so saying she made her way into the kitchen.
“Wow, what do you think that meant?”, asked Rose
“Hmmm, I don’t know. But I am curious.”
“Why does everyone think the Prince vanished? Maybe he just woke up in the morning and left,” Rose wondered aloud, dusting the sofa.
“Without leaving a shilling at the Tavern? He may be from Danmork, but they hold courtesies there too, don’t they?,” responded Belle.
The girls look at each other and deep within her heart Rose wondered, what an unusual time to wake up to.
Chapter 6 : The Curse of the Sleeping Princess
“He was a reluctant ruler. He never wanted to succeed on the throne.”
“Yeah, he took his chance at escape and is now gone”
“Imagine he left his horse at my stable, the poor thing is all shoed in and new, and nowhere to go”
“Rumour from the Palace is that until we discovered what happened, Emperor has directed all tabloids to fan the rumour that the Prince is on the run.”
“Why?”
“A foreign Prince kidnapped on his soil?! It will be an outrage, shame to the kingdom and might provoke Danmork to attack.”
“Attack!! Is that a threat? Those Danish, who do they think they are scaring. Their prince runs away and they think they will attack us, we will mince them”
The pitch at the pub was feverish that evening. Since the vanishing of the Prince the pub had become busier than usual. The news had put the little hamlet right at the center of the action, and everyone wanted in on the real news, and shamelessly add their tuppence to the fake news.
It had been two days since the unfortunate incident, and the buzz around it was only on the rise.
Rose was behind the counter wiping the glasses when someone jumped up on the counter and lay itself comfortably on top of it
“Hello lovely”
“Hey, Puss!”
“Where’ve you been? Haven’t seen you since…”
“Since the Prince disappeared?”, completed Puss smiling.
“Well yeah, the event’s got etched like become a milestone in time. So where have you been?”
“I was a part of an entourage to the Palace”
“You went to the city? And back in 2 days?”
“It takes but a day and a night to get there.”
“And yeah, we were there just to perform. I was asked to join them. You know… I am quite a piece”
Rose smiled, “Yes you are. Quite a fascinating one at that.”
“So how much of what these guys are saying is true? Is the city preparing for war?”
Puss smirked condescendingly, “These village folk! They wont know a thing. The Emperor is far from concerned about a war. He is furious as the Prince’s disappearance botches up the mission he was sent for! He suspects foul play.”
“Our emperor sent a foreign prince on a mission? A bit far fetched don’t you think?”
“Peculiar as it may be but everyone in the palace knows that the Guardians of the Spectre have been commanded to find the Prince at the earliest and make sure he accomplish his mission? And apparently time is of essence.”
“What’s the Guardians of the Spectre?” asked Rose curious.
Suddenly they notice the Auntie looking at both of them.
Puss sauntered off haughtily.
“Now lassie you pay attention to me,” Auntie takes Rose by her arm into the kitchen.
“You be careful lassie. Don’t be messing into these goings-on. Winds of trouble are here, and me wants you safe. You hear me?”
“Yes Auntie. But what’s all this got to do with me?”
“Maybe nothing me Rosie. But in times as these, when people get the jitters, they suspect anyone, they believe anything. You be my responsibility.”
Rose nodded, confused but trusting the generous lady.
“You hear anything, you tell me. But you say nothing to no one.”
She patted her head, turned to go, but stops and turns back again.
“And if you remember anything, ya know, your past likes, you come straight and tell me bout it.” Rose nods.
The storm that night was deafening, the crack of the lightning could have set the whole forest on fire had it not been for the rain. Crossing their hearts and a prayer on their tongue, men darted towards their homes from the tavern.
Auntie cleaned up the counter as Belle placed all the glasses back into the cupboards.
As Auntie went back into the larder she stopped startled.
“What’s this here! Gretel’s left him, Hansel here,”
Lying on the floor clutching in his hands his doll, Hansel was fast asleep
Up in the attic, Rose spotted on her bed, huddled together Gretel & Belle.
Armed with a bottle of Cognac and four goblets, Auntie came into the attic.
“God bless us all, ya gals are gonna be death to me.”
“Hey Auntie, we meant to stay back for a little while to talk to you and Rose. And then the storm hit so we decided to stay back and fell asleep here,” said Belle.
“Wont your husband miss you?”, enquired Rose
“He is out on one of his hunting trips.”
“Left you with your books again?” quipped Gretel. Belle gave her a stare but did not retort.
“That boy and his doll are sleeping down in the larder”
“Yes, he felt too cold here so he went down with Sally to peep into the oven and watch the croissants rise as they bake”
Rose helped Auntie as she poured cognac in the glasses and popped a cherry in each.
“We have big news! Rose — about you and about the disappearance of the Prince too.”
Auntie and Rose looked at them their interest piquing in general. Gretel beckoned at Belle, and she produced a piece of a parchment aged yellow and brittle and –delicately unfolded it.
The parchment was titled: “The Curse of Sleeping Princess”
And upon reading the title, the expression on both their faces changed — Rose’s a tad curious while Auntie’s astonishment.
Rose read it aloud:
“There once was a Princess Rosamund, the apple of her father’s eye
For her christening, were called many-a nobelty, from lands low and high.
Seven aunts, all talented and bewitching, came to lay their blessing
But one felt so slighted by the fare, that she laid a curse of suffering.
‘A prick of a thimble, at the youth of Rosamund
And Her life shall so sorrowfully come to an end.’
Enraged at the curse, the king ordered to have her banished
So she sought forgiveness and instead lay forth a wish
Rosamund shan’t die, but fall in a dreamless sleep of bliss
Only to be awakened by a true love’s kiss.
The King then sought for the High Priest, as he foretold the future
That for years and years this shan’t come true, so he offered to help the Princess endure
A boon, as such, that shall keep her ageless from the day she falls to the curse
Keep her away from the mankind at large, and the boon shall serve as a nurse
Till the day of the arrival of the Prince, as foretold by her star
This boon of the Priest shall remain in power.”
Silence followed for a few moments.
“And lassie how this paper comes to ya?”
“Auntie, this was in the archives of the Keeper of the Keys at the library in our Castle. After our conversation in the afternoon I went back looking at the archives for this. The legend of the Sleeping Beauty is not a made-up story, it’s truth”
“How do you say that?”, asked Rose
“Rose, Keeper of the Keys are custodians of history and document actual events.”
Both Gretel and Auntie nodded vigorously in agreement.
“This bears too many similarities to your story — your connection with the name Rosamund, you being kept sleeping away in the tower, you not knowing how long you have slept yet being in your youth. In fact Gretel and I think basis this parchment you have been sleeping for over 98 years! You must indeed be the Sleeping Beauty.”
Rose looked unsure, not as much from not believing in the tale but more as a matter of abundant precaution before accepting it as her mortal truth.
“It is still a mystery how come you woke up without a true love’s kiss but this parchment does shed light on the events that are currently unfolding in our village”, said Belle calmly
“How so?”
“The Prince Charming’s mission was to find you and awaken you.”, responded Belle
“WHAT??”
“What would the Prince of Danmork be doing here in a land far far away otherwise? He told Auntie that he had just another day or two of ride to complete his mission. Also, its open knowledge that the Emperor hopes to have ties of matrimony between the two kingdoms to strengthen the bond.”
Belle paused before sharing more information
“And incidentally, the Prince’s disappearance also alludes to the fact that someone is eager to ensure that the boon wanes off before he reaches the tower, thus the curse finally takes your life.”
A chill runs down Auntie and Rose’s spine.
“Read the foot note of the parchment”
“Upon hearing of the boon, in her anger did she burn
And so she pledged to make the boon inurn.
Thus, her heart went black and the soul charred
A witch whose hope to rob the princess of her youth now marred”
“If the prince does not reach to awaken the Sleeping Beauty at the ordained time, the boon would wear off and she would attain her natural age, which would basically mean death in her sleep.”
Belle felt an immediate need to hug Rose, “But by God’s grace you are alive and fine.”
“How are you feeling Rose?” asked Gretel,
“Its bewildering indeed, but everything so far has been.”
Rose looked at her, “You still don’t believe this?”
Rose does not respond.
“Well, there’s one more thing Rose. In that room in the tower, was there an hourglass there?”
Rose nods.
“When the sand would have run out of it, so would have the boon. You know what that means — whatever woke you up, did you a favour.”
Rose did not need any further evidence.
“So what do we do now?”
“We have got to find this witch– she is evil and holding the Prince. Once you and Prince reunite, the story will achieve its true purpose.”, responds a determined Belle.
“A royal wedding, oh, wont that be lovely!” Gretel’s eyes lit up at the thought.
“Not to forget that the witch will be the gateway to knowing more about your past, your family. Over the last 98 years we have had over 5 emperors, two dozen kings, scores of bloody murders in the pursuit of the Crown and more than a dozen members banished from Court. Not only do we not know which royal family you descend from but whether it’s the one that ruled or got banished.”
For a moment Rose just paused in wonder of masses of knowledge that Belle possessed.
“But how do we find the evil witch? Is she still alive all these years later?”, wondered Rose aloud
“The Wise Owl!”, cried Auntie.
“Ah, yes, responded Belle He is an old friend of Auntie’s. Can you call upon him.”
She turned to Rose, “Whenever in doubt he is the man to go to. Something about staying quiet and being observant — it makes him very wise and in any muddled situation clear the wheat from the chaff. He will help us think how to reach the Witch.”
“An adventure awaits,” cried Belle & Gretel!
