Week 2 Story: The Three Roses

NOTE: This story can now be read over on my portfolio site, A Monster's Bond, so please go check it out there, since it will have more editing and refinement than this version!

The Three Roses

There once was a woman of middling age who lived in a beautiful cottage with her three daughters. One day, she asked of each of them what they would like for her to bring back for them when she went to visit the town.

"I want three of the most beautiful dresses that can be found, so that I might catch the eye of a prince at a ball," said the oldest daughter.

"I would like three of the most fanciful combs, so that I might grab the attention of a wealthy lord in the streets," said the middle daughter.

"I wish for just three roses, any kind will do, so that I might use them to brighten the day of a stranger," said the youngest daughter.

Thus, the mother went to town, and worked to find the things that her daughters had sought. She passed through a vast many shops, searching and searching to find the most fanciful combs and the most beautiful dresses. With the combs and dresses in hand, she began the trek back to the cottage as the sun began to set.

However, the forest grew darker and darker, until she finally stumbled across a most fantastical walled garden. Flanking either side of the elegant wrought-iron gate were flawless rose bushes, and they reminded the woman of her youngest daughter, whose request had been all but forgotten in her quest to fetch the things her other daughters had asked for.

And so she picked three roses from the bush, for who would miss three roses amid so many? But before she could walk more than three steps, a terrifying basilisk charged through the gate. 

"You dare steal from my garden?" he bellowed.

The woman prostrated herself on the ground and begged for forgiveness, offering to return the three roses in exchange for her life. But the basilisk wanted none of it, for roses, once picked, are destined only to wilt and die. Instead, the basilisk allowed the woman to go off on her way, but decreed that she must send the person the roses were for back to him.

The distraught woman returned home and gave her two eldest daughters the things that they had asked for, but she wept over her youngest daughter as she handed her the beautiful roses.

"I have brought you the roses you desired, but they come at great cost," the mother said. "You must return to the most stunning garden in the forest and ask of the basilisk what he wants in exchange for these roses."

Sorrow settled in the heart of the youngest daughter, but she did as her mother had asked, and bid farewell to her mother and her sisters before setting off to meet the basilisk. 

Waiting in front of his garden stood the basilisk. The youngest daughter approached, and he turned to her.

"You will clean my feathers for three hours each day for three days, else I will strip the flesh from your bones," said the basilisk.

And so the youngest daughter hastily agreed to the terms of the basilisk, and for three hours that day, she cleaned the feathers of the basilisk. On the following day, she again cleaned the basilisk's feathers for three hours. And on the third day, the basilisk set a sword in the grass before he had the daughter again clean his feathers for a span of three hours. When she was finally finished, he told her to cut off his head, or he would strip the flesh from her bones.

The daughter grasped the sword with shaky hands and fear in her heart, but nonetheless did as the basilisk bid her to do. Once she cut off his head, from the severed neck of the basilisk sprung a fearsome cockatrice.

"You will scrub my scales for three hours each day for three days, else I will tear off your limbs," said the cockatrice.

And so the youngest daughter carefully scrubbed the scales of the cockatrice for three hours that day. She again scrubbed the scales of the cockatrice for three hours on the following day. On the third day, the cockatrice set an axe in the grass, and had the daughter again scrub his scales for three hours. Once she had finished, the cockatrice told her to cut off his head, or he would tear off her limbs.

The daughter held the axe with clammy hands and dread in her heart, but she resolved to do as the cockatrice had asked of her. When she cut off the head of the cockatrice, a dreadful serpent bounded out of the creature's severed neck.

"You will shed my skin for three hours each day for three days, else I will swallow you whole," said the serpent.

And so the youngest daughter did as she was bid once more, and she shed the serpent's skin for three hours that day. For three hours of the next day, she again shed the skin of the serpent. Finally, on the third day, the serpent set a knife in the grass, and again had the daughter shed his skin for a length of three hours. When she was finished at last, the serpent told her to cut off his head, or he would swallow her whole.

The daughter gripped the dagger with steady hands and determination in her heart, and she steadfastly chose to do as the serpent had ordered her to. She cut off the head of the serpent, and from its severed neck leapt a most handsome man.

"You have freed me from my curse!" the man exclaimed. "I am the rightful king of this forest, and if you will but have me, I would be honored to have you as my bride," the king said with a flourish.

And so the youngest daughter was wedded to the great king of the forest, in a wedding most spectacular, to which all nearby were invited.

Author's Note

I largely kept the story pretty true to the original, though I changed up what the daughters asked for, tweaked the location in which the basilisk was found, and altered who came from the neck of the serpent, as a couple examples of some of the minor changes I made. 

My most notable change though, was that I decided to lean more heavily on the presence of three that was in the original story. The story had many things in threes, and so I carried that even further into this story, hence why each daughter asked for three of something, unlike in the original story. 

While I kept the basilisk's original timeframe of three hours of care each day for three days, I decided to multiply it by three, by adding in a cockatrice between the basilisk and serpent in order to have three monsters, and I also gave the serpent its own set of three days, instead of having the daughter immediately cut off its head like in the original story.

I hope it was as enjoyable for you to read as it was for me to write!

Bibliography

Story Source: "The Three Roses" from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Image Source: Photo by Светлана Бердник from Pixabay