Brier Rose - A Short Story

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, a king and queen gave birth to a tiny baby girl. That night, they had a grand ball to celebrate their new bundle of joy. All the noblepeople of the town were invited, including the town witches. Well, most of the town witches. This particular king was only in possession of twelve gold plates, meaning one of the witches was to stay at home (why the king couldn't just have a thirteenth plate made, no one knows).
Everything was going splendidly. The music was lively, the food was delicious, and everyone was having a wonderful time. Towards the end of the night, each guest came forth and bestowed a gift upon the princess. The twelve witches, using their magical powers, gave the princess magical gifts. The first witch gave beauty, the second gave wealth, the third virtue, and so on, giving all that the girl could ever want or need. The eleventh witch was just finishing her blessing when the thirteenth burst into the hall and screamed, "The princess shall prick her finger on a spindle in her fifteenth year and fall down dead!" With that, the witch turned on her heels and marched out.
The twelfth witch, yet to give her magical gift, stepped forward. Unable to completely reverse the evil gift, the witch granted that the princess would not die, but rather fall into a hundred-year sleep.
Though preventative measures were taken - all spindles in the town were ordered to be burned - the princess found herself alone and bored on the morning of her fifteenth birthday. Exploring an uncharted tower in the palace, she came upon a small room. In the room, there was an old woman spinning flax. Mesmerized by the spindle, the girl slowly approached it and, taking hold of it, pricked her finger. She instantly fell back onto a bed that was conveniently standing there and was overcome by sleep. The sleep spread slowly through the kingdom until everyone and everything was still.
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The legend of Brier Rose (as she had come to be called) circulated around the world. From time to time, brave men would attempt to scale the thorn hedge that encompassed the kingdom, but never were they very successful. The thorns were so thick and the hedge was so high, nearly all men that made their way through it were skewered or otherwise greatly injured.
One day, a stranger arrived in the town closest to the kingdom. This stranger, wearing their hood up, entered the lone tavern in the town and took a seat. Keeping their face covered, they ordered one drink and nursed it through the entire night, listening intently to the tale of the sweet, sleeping Brier Rose. Finally, the stranger stood up and declared, "I must see this sleeping beauty!"
The barkeep said, "I must discourage this. It's far too dangerous! Most men who have attempted this journey have never returned!"
The stranger lifted their hood and replied, "Where they failed, I shall succeed."
And with that, the fair maiden whisked out of the tavern and off toward the hedge.

Of course, by the time the young woman had reached the thorny hedge, the hundred years had passed and the thorns had transformed into beautiful flowers. The woman climbed up the hedge nimbly and dropped down into the kingdom. She walked slowly but confidently up to the castle, glancing at all the sleeping villagers around her. Guided by some sort of force, the maiden found herself working her way up to the tallest tower of the castle, until she finally reached a large wooden door. When she pushed it open, she found a beautiful young woman asleep on a bed. The maiden approached the bed, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on the princess's lips. With that, Brier Rose's eyes fluttered open. The entire kingdom came out of it's sleepy stupor. The king and queen, also awaking from their long nap, hurried to the top of the tower where they found their beautiful Brier Rose entangled in the arms of her savior.

Had the maiden simply had good timing? Would a prince have had the same luck in her circumstance? Had she come on the right day by luck, or were there magical forces at work here? These questions were never important. Rose and her princess charming were wed immediately after her parents had come to terms with the relationship, and everyone lived happily ever after.