Long ago, when castles had pointy towers and kings wore sparkly crowns, lived a King and Queen who were super happy. Well, almost. They really, really, *really* wanted a little baby.

One day, the Queen was taking a bath, splish-splash, when a little green frog hopped onto the edge of the tub. "Ribbit!" he said. "Your wish will come true! Soon, you'll have a baby girl!"

And guess what? The frog was right! A beautiful baby girl was born, and they named her Rose. The King was so excited he threw a giant party. He invited all the wise women in the kingdom to come and give Rose special wishes. There were thirteen wise women, but oh dear, the King only had twelve golden plates! So, one wise woman didn't get an invitation. She was not a happy camper. Not at all.

The first eleven wise women gave Rose wonderful gifts: one wished her to be kind, another to be clever, another to be beautiful, and so on. Just as the twelfth wise woman was about to give her gift, the uninvited wise woman stomped in! Her face was like a thunderstorm. "Because you didn't invite me," she boomed, "when Rose turns fifteen, she will touch a spindle – that's a pointy thing for making thread – and she will fall down, gone forever!"

Everyone gasped! But the twelfth wise woman, who hadn't given her gift yet, stepped forward. "I can't undo the whole wish," she said sadly, "but I can change it. Rose won't be gone forever. She will prick her finger, yes, but she and the whole castle will fall into a deep, deep sleep for one hundred years."

The King, very worried, said, "No more spindles in my kingdom! Collect them all and hide them away!"

Rose grew up to be a lovely, curious girl. She loved to explore. On her fifteenth birthday, when the King and Queen were out, Rose wandered all over the castle. She climbed a winding staircase in an old tower she'd never seen before. At the very top, in a tiny room, sat an old woman, spinning thread with a spindle.

"Hello," said Rose. "What's that pointy thing?"
"It's a spindle, dear," said the old woman with a little smile.
Rose, who had never seen one, reached out to touch it...

And ZAP! She pricked her finger. Instantly, Rose felt very, very sleepy. She lay down on a nearby bed and fell fast asleep. And as she slept, everyone in the castle fell asleep too! The King and Queen, who had just returned, yawned and snoozed on their thrones. The cook in the kitchen, the horses in the stable, even the flies on the wall – Zzzzzzz.

A giant, prickly hedge of thorns grew all around the castle, so thick and sharp that no one could get through.

Years and years went by. Many brave princes heard the story of the sleeping Rose Princess and tried to reach her. But the thorns were too strong, and they all had to turn back.

Exactly one hundred years later, a new, kind prince came to the land. He heard the old tale. "I'm not afraid," he said. "I want to see this Rose Princess."

When he reached the thorny hedge, something magical happened! The one hundred years were up. The thorns turned into beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers, and they parted to let him pass.

He walked into the silent castle. He saw the sleeping guards, the sleeping cook, even the little dog curled up asleep by the fire. Everything was quiet and dusty. He climbed the tower and found the room where Rose lay sleeping. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. The prince leaned down and gently kissed her.

Rose's eyes fluttered open! She smiled at the prince. At that very moment, the King and Queen woke up. The cook woke up and finished cooking dinner. The horses woke up and neighed. The flies buzzed again. The whole castle was awake and bustling!

Rose and the prince soon had a wonderful wedding, full of dancing and cake. And they all lived happily, with no more super-long naps, ever after.

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