Work Text:
Once upon a time, there was a young lady called Clara. She was a very hardworking and kind person. Ever since her parents passed away, she had to take care of her little sister, Aurore, who was cursed to be in eternal slumber by a jealous sorcerer. The only way to break the curse is by her true love shaking her by the shoulders and screaming in her face the words: “Wake the fuck up!”.
With no company around, except Aurore, who still remains in eternal beauty sleep, it is natural that Clara would become insatiably lonely.
So much, in fact, that she started talking to the frogs and the cockroaches in her backyard.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination that they started talking back to her, but soon she found out that they could actually talk- no, that she could understand them.
Clara, the frogs, and the cockroaches usually partook in mundane conversations about the weather and their favorite food, but today it seems that two of them have an announcement to make to Clara.
“Clara!” Clara heard a loud screech coming her way. It was one of the frogs, Brahms.
“Out of the way, you bastard!” Robert the cockroach shouted, attempting to push Brahms away with his straw-like cockroach arms.
“Come on boys,” Clara chided, “don’t fight!”
Once both Brahms and Robert had considerably calmed down, Clara then asked them: “Could you tell me what you were about to say?”
Brahms immediately perked up, “The pala-”
Robert cut him out, “Rumor has it that the royal family are holding a ball at the palace to find a bride for the prince!”
Clara gasped. Perhaps this was the chance to find Aurore’s true love! There was only a tiny possibility that the prince will be the one to break her curse, but it was a possibility worth contemplating.
“When will it be held?” Clara asked, her eyes lighting up.
“A week from now- wait, Clara, where are you going?” Brahms’ eyes widened. “No, it can’t be! Clara, are you going to attend?”
“WHAT?” Robert screeched. “Clara, you can’t be serious!”
“I am,” Clara replied. “It’s the only way to lug the prince back here and get him to curse in Aurore’s face. He could break the spell!”
Brahms suddenly broke into a wide grin, “Oh! So, it’s for Aurore! Thank the gods, for a second, I thought you wanted to get hitc-”
“WOW, THAT’S REALLY NICE, CLARA!” Robert screamed in relief, drowning out the rest of Brahms’ words.
“Well, I’d better start preparing,” Clara said, walking away.
“Let me help!” Both Brahms and Robert simultaneously said, and then proceeded to glare at each other.
“Then follow me,” Clara said with a smile.
Clara had patched up an old gown of her late mother’s, with the help of the cockroach and the frog.
The day of the ball was steadily approaching, and Clara couldn’t have been more excited for her sister.
“Ah! I’ll be late!” Clara patted her dress one last time as she left her cottage, not before instructing the frogs and cockroaches to take care of Aurore.
But when she arrived at the ball, everyone seemed to be in a panic.
“Prince Frederic was kidnapped!” The guests cried, weeping for their lost chances with him.
Clara stopped in her tracks. It couldn’t be!
She had barely recovered from her state of shock when suddenly, there was a loud clearing of the throat, managing to silence the panicked crowd.
“Silence!” A beautiful bearded man shouted. He was Pyotr Ilyich, head of the royal guard. “His and her royal majesty have an announcement to make!”
A sobbing man came into view. It was the king, Wolfgang. His wife, Ludwig, was sympathetically patting his back.
“W-Whoever find my son and- and get him back- you will get him- just find him-” his speech was cut off by a loud wail, King Wolfgang burying his face in his hands.
Queen Ludwig stepped in, “What he means by that is that whoever manages to find our son, Prince Frederic and safely returns him to us, you will earn Frederic’s hand in marriage.”
“YES,” King Wolfgang sobbed, reaffirming the statement.
After that, many, including Clara, rushed to the palace gates to start trying to rescue the prince.
Clara wandered through the woods, and suddenly found a trail of crumbs.
‘Perhaps,’ She mused, ‘This trail of crumbs leads to the location where the prince is trapped in!”
Clara followed the trail of crumbs, and eventually found a tower as tall as the sky.
‘This must be where the prince is trapped.’ Clara thought.
She didn’t know how she would get up there, though. She was tempted to climb the tower, but ultimately decided against it. When she walked around the tower, she found a shiny glass elevator at the back.
She took the elevator, and after what seemed like a lifetime, she finally reached the top floor.
“Why would you do this?” A soft voice asked bitterly.
“Don’t you love me?” Another voice desperately replied.
“There was never anything between us, Franz,” The soft voice said, “and there never will be.”
“But-”
Clara stormed in, shouting. “Your Highness! Are you saf-”
...Only to be met with the image of an unbelievably handsome man clutching the prince’s hand in his own; the man holding the prince in a tight embrace.
“Ah. Am I... interrupting something?”
The man, Franz quickly let go of the prince, clearing his throat in embarrassment afterwards.
“No, not at all,” Prince Frederic calmly replied, accompanied by a loud “YES,” from Franz.
“So, you were the one who kidnapped the prince!” cried Clara, pointing in Franz’s direction.
Franz quickly gathered his composure and laughed evilly: “Yes, it was I, Franz Liszt, who kidnapped your precious prince!”
“Franz... Liszt?” Clara’s eyes widened.
“The one and only!”
“Franz... Liszt...! You were the sorcerer that cursed my sister to eternal sleep!”
“That girl...” Franz said, “So you’re her sister?” He scratched his chin. “Well, you two do look alik-”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was silenced by an uppercut from Clara.
“Shut up, you spoiled child!” Clara cried out, retrieving her fist from the under of Franz’s chin, then punching him once again, this time square in the face, “Just because you have the hots for the prince doesn’t mean you curse my sister, you bastard!”
Then, Clara scooped up Prince Frederic into her arms and headed to the shiny glass elevator, not before she flipped Franz off.
She left the tower with Prince Frederic in her arms, bridal style.
She managed to find a way back to her cottage, still carrying the prince.
“Ah! Clara, you’re back!” Brahms the frog jumped excitedly.
“Yes, I am,” Clara said, with Prince Frederic listening quizzically to her response. Clara stifled a small giggle. Even she sometimes forgot that the frogs and cockroaches’ speech must sound like pure gibberish to other people besides herself.
She let the prince down onto his feet. “Follow me,” She said. She led Prince Frederic into the small cottage, and then into Aurore’s room.
“Is this the poor woman that Franz cursed?” Prince Frederic asked softly, looking down at Aurore’s unconscious body, deep in her slumber.
“Yes,” Clara replied, “and I think you can break her curse.”
“How do I break the curse? I hope not by true love’s kiss.”
“You grab her by the shoulders and scream in her face: ‘Wake the fuck up!’”
The prince chuckled, “Is that true? How amusing.”
The prince softly gripped Aurore’s shoulders.
“WAKE THE FUCK UP!” The prince screamed out, shaking Aurore’s shoulders with as much strength as he had.
After the prince had finished his screaming session, he softly placed Aurore back onto the bed. But before Aurore could fully lie down, her eyes snapped open.
“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO WAKE ME UP AT- oh.”
There were tears running down Clara’s face.
“Aurore, you’re awake!” She said, and then tightly embraced her sister.
“Clara?” Aurore murmured confusedly, but ultimately let herself fall into the embrace.
After explaining to Aurore her curse and how she broke it, Clara and Aurore travelled to the palace, with Prince Frederic in Clara’s arms, bridal style.
When they finally reached the palace, they got ushered inside by the royal advisor, Schubert, when he saw the prince in Clara’s arms.
“OH, THANK GOD!” King Wolfgang sniveled in relief, blowing his nose on an incredibly expensive silk handkerchief, “YOU FOUND FREDERIC! WHAT KIND OF GOWN WOULD YOU LIKE FOR YOUR WEDDING?”
Queen Ludwig cleared his throat. “What he means by that is that we are extremely grateful to you for rescuing Frederic. You have our gratitude. Which one of you would like to accept the reward?”
“Reward?” Prince Frederic questioned.
“Ah, his and her majesty promised whoever you were rescued by your hand in marriage,” Clara said.
“Then…” The prince looked at Clara, “My bride would be…”
“Aurore,” Clara continued, gesturing at Aurore, “Aurore would be your bride.”
King Wolfgang grinned at Aurore, “Ah, so you’re the one who saved Frederic? Welcome to the family!”
“Me? But I-” Aurore began, but was quickly elbowed by Clara.
‘Go along with it,’ Clara mouthed.
“Oh yes!” Aurore smiled.
Although it was hard at first, Aurore and Prince Frederic got to know each other, and fell in love. Even though the prince was quite sickly and Aurore had to often take care of him, Aurore and Prince Frederic got married, and they lived happily ever after.