Sins Within Fairy Tales

A small Drabble on the darker side of fairy tales, the things people missed while reading to get to the happily ever after. Except, these tales don't have much of a happy ending.

Sins Within Fairy Tales
by omegax45




Whether we believe it or not, the characters within our favorite fairy tales have committed one sin or another, yet these sins were covered in pretty words and making the villain more hideous to draw attention away. All one needs is good eyes and a full understanding of the story to see that the characters we love so much are not as pretty nor as shiny as we saw them in our youth. As we grow older and wiser, the veil of ignorance fades away and we are left to wonder what it was we ever saw in these fairy tales, and yet must act ignorant for future generations that have stars in their eyes and heads full of dreams.




Greed- King Midas


King Midas loved gold. He loved the appearance, the smell, the texture as he rubbed a coin between his fingers. He couldn’t have enough of it. He loved gold so much that he demanded all of his gifts from other kingdoms to be gold, from clothes made with gold thread to furniture carved out of gold. So it was not difficult for him to make his wish when he saw the bright star in the sky that became a goddess to reward him for all the good he did for his kingdom. He wished all that he touch would turn to gold. The goddess warned him to be careful what he wished for, but King Midas made up his mind. His wish was granted.
King Midas was overjoyed with his gift that he spent all day touching things and turning them into gold. He found so much happiness to be surrounded by everything gold that he forgot his hunger until supper time. He looked around to find that, in his blind giddiness, he had turned everyone and everything into gold. The flowers, the servants, the animals… He ran for some food to calm his growing hunger, and found to his horror that the food and drink quickly became gold. He was cursed, and he cursed himself for not listening to the goddess’ words. His daughter came down from her room to comfort her father, only to turn to gold upon trying to give him a hug. King Midas screamed in loss, blaming the goddess, blaming himself, blaming his greed.
The people of his kingdom became worried when they saw not a soul from the castle in weeks. A brave few entered the castle to see no one but gold statues and almost everything made of gold. More people came upon hearing of the gold to take some for themselves, some horrified that the gold statues were carved in the forms of those they knew. They eventually found King Midas, dead and rotting as he held a gold statue of his daughter. He had starved to death.


Envy/Jealousy- Snow White


The wicked queen had learned quickly as a child that beauty was everything. The more beautiful you were, the higher in rank you went. Men of higher power would not resist you, and you could become a queen one day by marrying the right person. Therefore, the wicked queen spent years making herself the fairest of all, from learning how to put makeup on right, how long to stay out in the sun, and even how to dress to show off her beauty. And it paid off.
Sadly, no one told her that it was the beauty of the soul and heart that what made a person the fairest of them all. Her heart grew cold and twisted as the years passed and she realized that she couldn’t maintain her beauty by normal means. So she turned to the dark arts, a mirror that would find those that would outshine her in beauty and had them killed. So it shocked her that it would be her step daughter that was to be the next fairest of them all when the young woman had nothing about her in looks to make her the fairest. The wicked queen was blinded to the fact that it was her warm heart and gentle soul that made her the fairest, that made the animals of the forest love her and the hunter she sent to kill Snow White warn her and had her run off.
Desperate to get rid of Snow White and maintain her title as Fairest of Them All, the wicked queen went so far as to change her form to what she feared the most to kill Snow White herself. And yet, her plans were foiled by the kiss of a passing prince and she succumbed to the dark arts that were her best weapon… All because she couldn’t understand.


Pride- Beauty and the Beast


Prince William refused to ask for any form of help since he began to walk. He was taught young that to ask for help was a sign of weakness, and princes do not have weaknesses of any kind. He didn’t cry when his parents died, refusing hugs from the servants. He didn’t yell for help when he broke his leg, hobbling all the way back to his castle until he passed out at the entrance in time for his servants to sprint his leg. He didn’t even asked for help when another kingdom tried to invade his, his army taking the invading kingdom’s army out and then burning the kingdom to the ground as a warning to all. Asking for help was a sin in his eyes, and everyone was wary around him when the need to ask was great.
An elderly woman came by in the middle of a cold spring night, asking kindly for a place to stay until morning and would pay in servitude if needed. Prince William cast her out, claiming that she should build her own shelter outside and not ask others for help. The elderly woman told him that there was no shame in asking for help, especially when one could not do the things they once could themselves. Prince William declared that the day one could no longer do anything themselves would be the day they should die and turned her away. The old woman suddenly turned into an enchantress and claimed that Prince William’s pride had made his heart turn to stone to those in need, and the path he was following would lead to destruction. Prince William tried to apologize, but the enchantress would not hear him. She punished him by turning him into a beast and cursed his servants and soldiers into different creatures. She told him that the only way to break the curse was to find true love and understand that asking for help was not a weakness. He had ten years to do this, or else he and his kingdom was cursed forever.
Nearly ten years later, his kingdom forgotten by the world, Prince William threatened an elderly man simply wishing for a rose for his daughter. He granted the request in exchange for said daughter. He did not feel sympathy for their teary farewell, nor the tears the woman shed each night. No matter what gifts he showered her with, stories of glory he shared, or the beauty of his kingdom he showed her, she was always sad. He wanted to make her happy, as he found himself falling for her each day like his servants and soldiers. Eventually, he let her go back home, as he realized that she was homesick. His heart torn in two upon seeing her go.
A month later, upon the final days of the curse, the woman returned. She was horrified to find him near death from an arrow piercing his heart. A nearby hunter had saw him and shot him out of fear. Prince William never knew fear in his life until that moment, to die in front of the woman he loved. Without realizing it, he was begging her for help. He didn’t want to die, but he knew not what to do. The woman, who found herself in love with such a beastly and prideful man, called upon her siblings that came with her to help. Together, they tended to his wound and watched in awe that the beast they thought to be evil change into a man before their eyes. Since then, Prince William took the enchantress’ words to heart and vowed to never let pride get in the way of his heart again.


Gluttony- Hansel and Gretel


Hansel and Gretel loved to eat. Sweet things, spicy things, things that made their taste buds dance with joy. Their mother could make a tasty meal out of anything, despite them being poor. She was their hero, and she earned more of their love than their hard-working father, who spent days looking for work just to keep food on the table.
Hansel and Gretel mourned the loss of their mother after she fell to illness, their father marrying again a time later when they complained about his cooking. Despite how much love his new wife gave her step children, hansel and Gretel still complained about the food given to them. Too bland, too small. Their parents told them to stop complaining and be grateful for what they had. Their father was having a hard time finding work and their step mother was doing all she can with what little they had. The children’s stomachs demanded tasty food, and tasty food they shall have, one way or another.
They fled into the night with all the food they could carry, leaving behind breadcrumbs to lead them back if needed. They ran and ran in hopes of finding food that tasted better than what they had. After a few days, they cried upon finding both the breadcrumbs eaten by birds and their stolen food gone. They wandered around until they found a house made of gingerbread and candy. Too overjoyed to realize possible danger, they began eating the house with tears in their eyes. It tasted too good to give up. They were found out by the owner of the house, a witch that imprisoned Hansel and Gretel, putting them to work. She fed them small meals that didn’t taste as good as the house, to which they complained. The witch smacked th with her broom and told them to be grateful for what they were given. So many people had less than what they were given. They eventually had enough of working for their food and for eating the witch’s house, having enjoyed their life at home more so, since they didn’t had to do anything but a few chores. Something had to be done about the witch, and their desire for delicious food grew so much that they knew what they must do.
When the witch turned on the oven to cook a meal, she opened the door to put the food inside. With her back turned, Hansel and Gretel pushed her inside and closed the door. They pushed their bodies against the door to keep the witch trapped as she was cooked alive. A part of them was horrified that they had killed a person, but soon their hunger had them convinced that she was a witch and she had to die for the greater purpose: to eat delicious food. And ate they did.
Their father, who had searched for them for over a month, finally found his children in the rotten remains of a cabin that had teeth marks all over it. Hansel and Gretel were hunched over a burnt corpse and were eating it, calling it candy and that they had to kill a witch to save themselves. He had brought them to a doctor and was told that they were poisoned from eating mushrooms in the forest and they were suffering from hallucinations. There was no witch. In fact, the woman they were eating had been their step grandmother.




Sloth- Rip Van Winkle


Rip Van Winkle never liked to do work, even as a child. He liked to sit around and talk to friends or take a nap. He was notorious for being so lazy. The villagers wondered what his wife ever saw in him. The most work he ever did was help her create their son, and even then he didn’t help take care of him. He only sat his son on his knee and told him stories, the only kind of interaction he ever did with the child.
One day, Rip Van Winkle was so desperate to escape his nagging wife that had enough of his laziness, not to mention the insults from their neighbors, he fled to the mountains to find some peace while pretending that he was going hunting for supper. He found some good quiet and walked without any direction, just looking for a place to lie down and take a nap.
He eventually got himself lost, yet he still did not cared. He was away from the scolding words about his laziness. So what if he was lazy? He still provided for his family, when he felt like it. His wife should be grateful and take care of him, like a good wife should. Eventually, he found a tree to lie down on and fell asleep, blissfully in peace.
Rip Van Winkle dreamed that he scaled one of the mountains and found himself in a cave full of men that lived there. The mountain men welcomed him with open around invited him to stay. They spent days swapping stories and drinking good alcohol. He even took naps in the dream, although it felt more real than any dream he had. Yet, he knew it had to be a dream, as he didn’t feel hungry or any pain when he hit something really hard. Eventually, he was reminded of his wife and son and he told the mountain men he had to return. The mountain men asked him if he really had to go, and Rip Van Winkle said he did, but he would be back. He missed the sad faces of the mountain men as he walked to the exit and was enveloped in a bright light.
Rip Van Winkle awoke with a gasp, feeling like he went without breathing for a long time. He took deep breaths before trying to stand. He found even the attempt to sit very difficult, his joint aching from being stiff for so long. He managed to stand, stretching and wiping leaves off his body. Just how long had he been sleeping? His place of rest looked like someone just buried him in leaves.
He headed back to the village, finding to his horror that it was abandoned and in ruins. He ran to his home, screaming for his wife and son. No answer came to his ears, his body aching as he ran to each home and screaming for anyone to answer him. He met a traveling merchant that heard his screams and asked him what happened to the village. The merchant looked at the elderly man in confusion and told him that the village was attacked and destroyed during a war fifty years ago. There are no survivors.




Wrath- Rumplestiltskin


The imp had nothing against the young woman Beatrice being held by the greedy King Atlas. His business was with the king, who had cursed him just to take his kingdom and run it to the ground. He just wanted back what was rightfully his and make the false king pay. A part of him felt sorry that her drunken father put her in such a predicament, but she should had said the truth and saved herself. Both of them would’ve paid for his lie and the imp not stepped in. If anything, she should be grateful.
Beatrice was the best weapon he could use against King Atlas, especially since King Atlas was falling for her. The witch that helped King Atlas caused him after being tricked by him gave him the means to set himself free. The curse had to be passed to another of royal blood if the mother was willing to give up her child and speak the word that would seal the deal: Rumplestiltskin. Her predicament put her in the right spot for deal-making, especially with her life on the line. She even thought that she would not have any children in the future, a foolish notion that led her to agree giving up her first-born child for him to spin straw into gold. One of the benefits of the curse was magic, and magic he used well.
The next part wasn’t difficult. Beatrice fell for King Atlas and they married and she had a son. He waited a bit before coming to take the child away. He wasn’t surprised that she looked at him with fear and hatred, not wanting to part with her son. He understood that women are very protective of their children, yet feigned surprise and anger that she wanted to back out on their deal. He then offered her a chance to have him release his claim on the child- she had to any his name in three days.
As expected, she got many people involved to find out his name. Even the advisors helped by sending guards to find all the names in the land while keeping it a secret from King Atlas. It wasn’t that hard to appear as a stranger and give them the name, the sealing word that Beatrice uttered with such hatred and smugness that it took all the imp had not to burst into laughing. He pretend to had vanished due to his magic, and left her be until the child’s thirteenth birthday. He appeared once again at the party and told them the story of how he was cursed and what he did to set himself free. Beatrice screamed her fear and rage as the imp passed the curse to the unsuspecting prince, becoming a man once more as the prince became an imp. King Atlas screamed his rage, calling Beatrice a witch. The advisors were in shock to find their real king before them and that they were fooled by an imposter for so long. Despite all the chaos and King Atlas being dethroned, it wasn’t enough for the true king. He had waited so long for this day, and it wasn’t enough for all the suffering had endured. He picked up a sword and killed anyone that are within reach, sparing only the cursed prince. Once he calmed and felt satisfied, he grunted in shock as eh found a sword through his stomach. He turned his head to see it had been the cursed prince that stabbed him from behind, rage and hatred him his eyes. The true king smiled, seeing that he didn’t just passed his curse onto the child, but his wrath as well. He died happily.




Lust- Sleeping Beauty


Princess Rose was the most beautiful princess in all the kingdom. Anyone that laid their eyes upon her fell instantly in love with her. Yet, people felt sorry for her. She had a curse placed on her as a child. If she pricked her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel before her sixteenth birthday, she would all into a deep sleep for one hundred years. The king was so scared that he had all the spinning wheels in the kingdom destroyed and forbidden from being built or brought into his lands. They had to buy their cloths from neighboring kingdoms if they wanted to make clothes, or simply buy the clothes instead. The princess’ birthday was not far off and she was seeking a suitor to marry. So many came, and she didn’t know who to choose. Her father welcomed them to his kingdom, spending time getting her birthday party ready while mourning that his child was becoming a woman before his eyes. As all fathers do, so no one questioned it.
One day before Princess Rose’s birthday, the kingdom fell in mourning. Princess Rose was found in a tower in a deep sleep, a spinning wheel inside with the needle covered in blood. No one knew where the spinning wheel came from nor why the princess was there in the first place. The king was weeping terribly before taking Princess Rose to her room to mourn. He later had the spinning wheel destroyed and declared that it had to the work of the witch that cursed her. He announced that whoever breaks the curse on his daughter would win her hand in marriage.
Princes, nobles, and even commoners alike tried their luck in reviving Princess Rose. All of them failed, no one knowing why they couldn’t wake her. The king believed that they didn’t love her enough and that is why their kisses did not work. The people that came to save the princess gave coins, jewelry, fine clothing, even making promises of showing her beautiful lands and giving her beautiful castles full of treasures. Sadly, none of these promises worked and the gifts were either taken back of thrown into a storage room.
Years passed, and Princess Rose slept. The number of suitors became less and less. The servants aged and were later replaced with new servants. Yet, all of them have said the strangest thing that they swore was true.
The princess never aged, not even a little.
Rumors began to spread that the princess’ curse would devour the life force of other girls if one was near her. This rumor began when a young maid was busy caring for Princess Rose’s room when she suddenly died. No one knew the cause, but it would not be the last time it happened. Three more maids died within the last year, and the people became worried. Soon, several families left in fear for their daughters that would soon be called to the castle to be maids. Other families followed, some being hunted down by soldiers to be punished for abandoning their duties to the kingdom while others managed to blend in with the populace of other kingdoms so they won't get caught. In time, even the soldiers abandoned the kingdom out of fear for their own families. In time, there was no one left but the king and his sleeping daughter.
A hundred years later, a young hunter was passing by in the forest when he came across a large briar bush covering a castle. He cut his way through inside with his axe and explored the old castle with awe and wonder. He eventually found himself in a bedroom with a young woman sleeping on a bed, the corpse of a noble, a king perhaps, kneeling at one side with his head lying in his crossed arms. Ignoring the horrific smell from the corpse, the hunter walked to the other side to see the young woman and felt his heart reach out to her. He lowered down to kiss her, but reared back in shock upon seeing one of her eyelids collapsed into her head. He touched her face to find it felt like wax, and it crumbled to reveal her face decomposing underneath.
Terrified, he ran out of the room and found himself in another bedroom, much larger than the other room. He found a book and brought it back to the elder of his village after explaining what he found. The elder revealed that the book was a journal from the king of the castle. It said that his daughter Princess Rose was cursed by a crazed noble that was not given an invite to the celebration because she was a considered a witch, and that the king had loved his daughter so much that the very thought of having her marry drove him to insanity. He had a spinning wheel made in secret and led Princess Rose to it in hopes of the curse being real. When it was proven false and everyone had no reason to worry about her, the king had killed Princess Rose in order to keep her for himself and encased her body in beeswax to hide his crimes. He declared that whoever woke his daughter from the curse would marry her, knowing fully well that no one could. Whenever one of the maids nudged the body and saw the truth from the beeswax falling off due to decay, the king had them killed in secret with poison and spread the rumor that they died from the curse on Princess Rose. The king was so happy when he was alone, for he had Rose all to himself. However, he eventually ran out of food and starved to death. His last entry in the book was that he thought Princess Rose was still sleeping and was begging her to wake up, having completely forgotten that she had been dead for over a hundred years.

Author's Note

Just something I thought up when I went back and read these childhood tales when I was younger. Most of the original versions were actually quite dark, more so than what I wrote. I hoped you enjoyed.