Like A Fairytale – Part One: Tell Me A Story

"Come on! What happens next?" A little boy asked, tugging at his sister's skirt.

"Yeah, tell us Sango!" Another added

"Boys, it's time for your lessons." An older woman said from the doorway. She had a spiffy haircut, long black hair and a side ponytail. Whoever would have thought she was a duchess.

"Aw... Rin! Sango hasn't finished the story yet!"

"She never does... Besides, you can hear it another time. Souta, you have numbers now. You too Kohaku, no more dilly dallying." She scolded, "I didn't travel all the way here to listen to fairy tales, not hop to it." She clapped. Souta and Kohaku grumbled but obliged, stomping out of Sango's room to their own.

"If I remember correctly, you used to like my stories." Sango taunted.

"You were little Sango, I was only being polite." Rin lied. Sango could see right through it and after a few minutes, Rin's face broke into a smile. "So... What story was it this time?" Rin asked, siting on Sango's bed.

"The fragmentary."

"Ahh.... Are you ever going to finish telling that? I've never heard past when the queen sends them off."

Sango shrugged and looked out her window to the river. She and her brother, Kohaku, had come here that way. Rin was the one who found them. She came here as a little girl for her lessons, staying in the rainy season with her Aunt and Uncle, the Queen and King. She had been walking along the riverbed when she came across Sango and a baby Kohaku washed up on shore. There had been news of a fallen Kingdom up north so everyone simply figured that they were refugees. Rin instantly became attached to them and begged her uncle to allow them to stay. Her uncle agreed, but only as servants. Those plans were promptly thrown out however, when two of the King's children befriended Sango and Kohaku. She and her brother were immediately moved to the rooms by the royal family's own children. They still worked in the castle, but were treated better.

"Maybe that's what happened to you Sango, your own little fairy tale" Rin suggested.

The story had never been heard before Sango started telling it to Souta and Kohaku. Souta told his father (the king) and he had Sango tell it to him and his wife. It instantly became a court favorite except for one thing... Sango never finished it. In truth, she didn't know the end. The stories would come to her in her dreams and she'd add a bit on, little by little.

This led some of the more imaginative kids in the court the think that this was the tale of Sango's life. As if her own vitality was a story. And why shouldn't it be? She was beautiful, had a lost past, and was taken in by a king. Sango could not remember anything from before she was taken into the castle. Everything was a blur. Kohaku wouldn't be too much help... He was simply a baby. All of this led for most of the younger children to think Sango and Kohaku were the lost prince and princess but Sango thought that was foolish. It was just a fairy tale. She didn't believe in fairy tales.

"Come on Sango, it could happen."

"Oh please Rin, you know I don't believe in that stuff."

"Yet you make it up." A Voice said from the door.

"Kagome!" Sango yelled, running to her friend.

"Sango! Oh! You don't know how much I've missed you! It was so boring!" Kagome complained.

"Kagome!" Sango laughed, "It was a ball... How could it be boring?"

"Well for one thing, my evil step sister was there."

"Kagome, you don't have an evil step sister" Rin sighed.

"I've got Kikyou, that's close enough."

Kikyou and Kagome were twins, and along with Souta, were children of the King. Royal. They both had delicate builds and raven hair. Kikyou's was a bit longer, but only because Kagome had to cut it when she got twigs stuck in hers. How? On a trip the girls took into the woods. Kikyou, Kagome and Sango used to play as children but Kikyou soon grew cold and spoiled. Soon it wasn't dignified for her to play with a servant. Sango would admit, she was a bit hurt, but she saw it coming. Kikyou never seemed like the kind of child who liked to have fun. Kagome and Souta still played with her and Kohaku though, and that was good enough. Even Rin would fool around when she came to give the boys their lessons.

"So really, how was it?" Sango asked, sitting back down on the windowsill.

"It was ok I guess." Kagome sighed.

"Meet any Prince Charmings?"

Kagome smiled. She'd always loved Sango's stories and almost all of them had a prince charming. All except the fragmentary that is. "There were a few. I think my parents are trying to set Kikyou up with one of them."

"And how about you?" Rin asked.

"Well... Uh....."

"Ah ha! You can't hide anything from me Kag. You met someone there, admit it!" Sango accused.

"Okay okay! He's a prince from the west... But he's half demon, I don't think my parents would approve."

"Awwww This reminds me of a story!"

"Sango..." Rin warned.

"No no! I wanna hear it! Go on Sango, tell me a story."

"Okay, Once upon a time....

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Once upon a time, There were a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.

One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion - Rapunzel, and itt looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, and had the greatest desire to eat some. This desire increased every day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable.

Then her husband was alarmed, and asked, "What ails you, dear wife?"

"Ah," she replied, "if I can't eat some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die."

The man, who loved her, thought, sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it will. At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her - so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening, therefore, he let himself down again. But when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him....

.........

.........

....On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the enchantress fastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king's son came and cried, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair!"

she let the hair down. The king's son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks.

"Aha," she cried mockingly, "you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest. The cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to you. You will never see her again."

The king's son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife.

Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness.

He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented.

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"The End" Sango finished. "....Kagome...Rin?"

Sango looked up to see Rin and Kagome leaning against each other, sleeping. She sighed and got up, grabbing the blanket from her bed and draping it over them. This always happened. Kagome would as for a story, Sango would tell it, and Kagome would fall asleep. Figures.

"What Children." A voice said from the door. Sango whipped around to see a glaring Kikyou. "So childish, fairy tales."

"Why don't you go to hell Kikyou? I'm sure they've got a spot waiting for you." Sango spat.

"I've been there, it's not all it cracks up to be." Kikyou said before stomping down the hall.

"Spoiled brat..." Sango muttered.

"Sango?" Kohaku said from the door after Kikyou left.

"Hmmm?"

"Aren't we supposed to have our lessons now?"

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The Rapunzel story is (C) to the Grimm Brothers. ^_^ How did you like that? You get the story I'm writing and a real fairy tale. (well... Parts of it) I really should stop spoiling you guys ^-~ I didn't think you guys would really want the entire story. If so, just let me know ok? Next time I'll add the whole thing if you want.