Author's Note:

Hi, everyone!

I don't know about you, but I love gender-bend fairy tales. I was inspired to write this story after seeing Doro's Sleeping Beauty Genderbend artwork on Tumblr. You guys should all go check her out— . This is largely how I envisioned the characters in my head as I was writing. She's amazing!

Every fanfic's gotta have disclaimers, so here we go:

1. As I said in the summary, this story is based off of the Disney movie. Some things will be similar, some things won't be. Obviously, I don't own any of the Disney tropes.

2. I also wanted to say that I didn't make up the term "Sparrow Men" for male fairies. I adopted it from Gail Carson Levine's Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg, which is a beautiful book and in my opinion a great model for aspiring fantasy writers.

This story will have 8 or 9 chapters and an epilogue, most of which I have already finished. If you like it, I'll post more. Gender-bend is new territory for me, but I'm excited to venture forth with you guys!

-EpicPenguin

The Prince and the Spindle

Once upon a time, the kingdom of Glairwen was entrapped in a great war with the neighboring land of Gothiel. Gothiel, a realm of magic, was ruled by a wicked sorcerer, Rhaokros, and under his rule the two kingdoms had a long and bloody history. He had placed a curse on King Theodore of Glairwen and his wife, Miriam: as long as Rhaokros lived, the king and the queen would be unable to have a child. To protect his people from the sorcerer and in his desperation to preserve his family line, King Theodore gathered an army and mounted an attack on Gothiel. Hundreds of his men were slain, but their deaths were not in vain: Rhaokros was defeated, perishing on the end of the king's blade, and his son, Malefor, fled the land.

For a time, Theodore's triumph brought peace to Glairwen, and to his and Miriam's joy, one day the queen felt the nausea of morning sickness.

"We're going to have a child at last!" she said to Theodore, tears rolling down her cheeks.

In another nine months, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom they named Rory. On the day of the prince's christening, nobles poured in from all corners of the kingdom to meet their future ruler. Even for the peasants, the king declared the day a holiday, and passed out food parcels to every family.

But that wasn't all. As the king and queen welcomed the crowd, a gentle breeze suddenly blew through the throne room, and with it appeared an envoy of three male fairies, called the Sparrow Men. Their leader, Aspen, approached the king and bowed low. He was well-built, with elegant moth's wings protruding from his back.

"Your majesty, we—the magical folk of Gothiel—are endlessly grateful to you for freeing us from Rhaokros' tyrannical rule."

"To show our appreciation, we've been sent with special gifts for the prince," said the second, whose name was Cedar.

"A prince has little need of material things, so each of us will bestow the boy with a single magical gift," added the third, Pine.

Theodore nodded, smiling, and the three proceeded to the cradle where the baby lay asleep.

"Prince Rory, I give you the gift of bravery," said Aspen, letting a shower of fairy dust fall into the cradle. After him, Cedar stepped up.

"Young prince, my gift to you is a loving heart." He gently placed his finger on Rory's chest, before letting his own dust cascade down.

Eagerly, Pine came forward, planning to bless the boy with the gift of wisdom, fitting for a future king. He had barely opened his mouth to speak, however, when a powerful wind suddenly swept through the hall. It blew out all the candles, plunging the room into darkness. Then, in a burst of green flame, a dark figure appeared, a raven perched on his shoulder.

"No. It can't be!" the king cried. There was no mistaking it, however. The sorcerer looked just like his father, with his sleek black hair and his gray lips parted in a hideous grin. Malefor walked forward, his elegant staff clunking ominously on the stone floor.

"Ah, King Theodore," he said, his voice as slithering as a serpent's. "What a pleasure to see you again after all this time…and on such a joyous occasion, too."

"Malefor. How dare you come here?" said the king. "I thought you had left these realms for good!"

"Exile just doesn't suit me. Besides, how could I miss such a grand celebration?" he said. He turned to the queen, giving her a deferential little bow. "Queen Miriam, as lovely as ever. And…" His eyes fell on the cradle. "Ah. This must be your little bundle of joy, the young Prince Rory himself…"

Miriam darted forward, snatching up her son in her arms. Theodore nodded to a nearby servant, sending a silent message to bring him his sword, while Malefor's gaze travelled over the crowd.

"What a marvelous party. If only my father's wake had had such good attendance…why, you even let the vermin in," he said, gestured toward the Sparrow Men. Pine started towards the sorcerer, but Aspen held out his arm to stop him.

Malefor continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Considering that, you can imagine I really felt quite insulted not to receive an invitation. I said to myself, surely even the man who killed my father couldn't be so cruel as to exclude me…"

"You're not welcome here," said Miriam suddenly, holding Rory tightly to her chest. Theodore stood up.

"Malefor, I will only say this once: leave us!" said the king. "Leave my castle and never return!"

The sorcerer's eyebrows lifted in pretend shock. "Oh, dear…how dreadfully awkward. I suppose I had hoped it was all just a misunderstanding."

"I won't tell you again!" the king shouted. He drew his sword. "Leave this place, and I may just spare your life!—"

Quick as a flash, the king suddenly found the sword yanked from his hands by some unseen force. It flew into the sorcerer's long-nailed hand, where it crumbled into ash.

"Spare my life, indeed!" Malefor sneered. "The way you spared my father's! Don't worry, Theodore, I shall be taking my leave, but not before I deliver my gift to the little prince."

"No!" Miriam rose.

"Seize him!" Theodore yelled to the guards, but the sorcerer blasted them backwards with a simple flick of his hand. His eyes glittered.

"It is I who am doing the telling now, your majesties. Now heed my words!"

He began to wave a hand slowly over the orb atop his staff, where a green aura grew stronger and stronger.

"The young prince shall indeed grow to be everything the vermin have wished for him, and more. With his heart of gold and his lion's courage, he shall be everything a king ought to be, loved by all who meet him…" He looked up at the king and queen. "But, sadly, he shall never get the chance to rule."

"No," croaked the king. "No, please!—"

"What was that?" said Malefor. "Did I just hear the great king begging me for mercy?"

Out of options, Theodore nodded.

"How very touching," the sorcerer sneered. "Had you showed some, I might just be inclined to return the favor."

He gestured over his staff, thunder rumbling overhead.

"My gift to the prince is this: at sunset on his eighteenth birthday, he shall pierce his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a deathlike sleep, from which he shall never awaken!"

He threw his head back, laughing, as the green aura blasted outward from his staff, sweeping over everyone in the hall.

"NO!"

Miriam crumpled to the floor, sobbing, her body folded over her son's tiny form. The king and the Sparrow Men rushed to attend her. Chaos erupted; people were screaming; but one voice rose above the rest.

"Not so fast, Malefor!" Pine stepped forward, his evergreen eyes focused like lasers on the sorcerer. "It's far too early for you to celebrate your triumph. I haven't given my gift to the boy just yet!"

Malefor just smirked, stroking his raven's head. "You think I feel threatened by you, little vermin? Tell me, how can a creature of your meager power possibly hope to overthrow a curse of my magnitude?"

Pine's jaw tightened. "I may not be able to reverse it—but that doesn't mean it can't be weakened."

The sorcerer faltered. "What do you mean?"

"My gift to the prince is an avenue of awakening." Pine waved his hand over the baby, sending a soft shower of dust falling over him. "True Love's Kiss will break the curse."

Malefor clenched his staff. "Hah! Is that the best you can do, vermin? True Love? It doesn't exist. It's nothing more than a childlike fantasy!"

"Or maybe you're just unable to recognize it," said Aspen.

"Your antidote is as useless as you are," Malefor spat, before he turned to the king and queen. "Relish these few short years I have so generously given you with your son. And remember, I'll always be watching!"

In a burst of green flame, the sorcerer vanished.