The Thornprincess

... a kingdom that bore the name Albion. There, a ruler with a magical sword once bravely defended his kingdom against his enemies and brought them a time of peace. He married a noble lady from another kingdom across the sea, a beauty called Guinevere, the sight of whom caused even the most virtuous hearts to stumble. At her side stood a wise man, known throughout the land as the wizard Merlin.

So it came to pass at a time when the king and queen had defeated their enemies that King Arthur and his wife were blissfully expecting their first child. Only a short time later, on a tender spring morning, a beautiful daughter was born to them, whom they affectionately named Aurelia because that meant ‘the golden one’ and she was their greatest treasure. The whole country rejoiced and celebrated the birth of the princess. So, understandably, the king wanted to organize a big party for his daughter.

Everyone of rank and name was a guest at Camelot Castle, and they celebrated for three days and three nights, dancing under the sun and with twinkling stars. Even the 12 fairies of the realm came to the celebration, and among them was the Lady of Avalon, Nimue, herself. Only the 13th fairy was not invited, for she was mistress of the Dark Court and had devoted herself to dark magic.

Everyone, whether peasant or nobleman, brought gifts to the princess. Soon, the gifts were piling up from near and far, and finally, it was the fairies’ turn. But fairies are not made for worldly things and are not as attracted to trinkets and jewelry as humans are. So their gifts were not boxes full of gold, fabrics from the Orient, or shimmering jewelry, but of a different nature.

The first of the fairies benevolently gave the king’s daughter the beauty of a blossoming rose. The next gave her the happiness of thousands of leaves of fresh clover, and the third gave her the fortune of a cat. They continued with their blessings and gifts until only the Lady of Avalon herself remained.

The beautiful enchantress had just stepped up to the princess’s cradle when, all at once, dark clouds obscured the sun's golden glow. Under the loud roar of the wind and the ominous rumble of thunder, the 13th fairy appeared uninvited at the festival. Full of anger and resentment that she alone had not been invited, she spoke a dark curse over the innocent child:

On her 16th birthday, the girl was to prick her finger on a spindle and die.

No sooner had she uttered the curse and accomplished her dark work than she disappeared with a roar of laughter, already certain of her revenge for the offense.

King Arthur roared with concern for the life of his child. He declared the fairy to be Camelot’s enemy and immediately prepared to go against the fairy with his magic sword, for if he found and killed her, it would be impossible to fulfill her dark spell. So he also wanted to take her dark life with Excalibur. Even the wizard Merlin was barely able to appease the king.

Then the Lady of Avalon, the wisest of the fairies, approached the king and queen and offered them help, for she had not yet forgiven their gift. Even if she could not lift the dark curse, she at least wanted to soften it: the poor girl would not prick her finger and die but would only fall into a deep sleep for 100 years.

This may sound mild, but it could hardly quell the grief in her parents’ hearts. Unlike the fairy folk, humans and their lives were not endless. So, the king ordered all the spinning wheels in the whole country to be collected and burned.

For seven days and seven nights, farmers and soldiers, fairies, and goblins collected every spinning wheel in the remotest corners of the kingdom. Soon, large pyres were blazing in every town and village, and the mountains of burning spinning wheels lit up the nights until the last one had been reduced to ashes.

But the king and queen’s hearts were still heavy. They did not want to lose their favorite daughter, and dark dreams plagued them at night.

So that the poor parents could find happiness again, the Lady of the Lake took the girl to Avalon so that she could live there safely until she was 18 years old and the danger had passed.

But fate cannot be cheated.

Despite the fog, the hidden home, the burnt spinning wheels, and the worries of fairies and humans, none of them could save Aurelia from the inevitable.

And so it came as it had been foretold...