Finding Sleeping Beauty

by Tarrah Montgomery

  Readers’ Praise for I’m Not Cinderella

  This was a totally cute, fun, clean romance. I loved it and can’t wait for another book by the author! —Kindle Customer

  This is an awesome book for every girl. It will be the one book you won’t be able to put down. It’s classic and contemporary all in the same paragraph. Ingenious! —Amazon Customer

  I loved [I’m Not Cinderella]. Such a cute twist to the Cinderella story. After I finished it, my ten-year-old daughter read it and loved it too. Now my mom has it and is loving it as well. We all can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out. —Meg Neff

  This book was so good I stayed up and finished it at 2:00 AM. I loved the funny references to the many Cinderella-type fairy tales found in many cultures and languages. I also liked the twists in the plot and the deviations from the traditional fairy tale. It was refreshing and unique. I’m looking forward to more titles from this author! —jf

  This book is such a fun read. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. It was such a unique twist on Cinderella. I was sad when it ended. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an enchanting story full of fun and surprises. —Amazon customer

  A fun and creative twist on the Cinderella story. I recommend this novel for anyone looking to escape in a good, clean romance. —CC

  Absolutely loved [I’m Not Cinderella]. I couldn’t put it down the moment I started reading. It is filled with adventure, mystery, and romance, and it is not your typical Cinderella story. —Krista

  This was an absolutely wonderful Cinderella story! A great book from start to finish! What young lady doesn’t dream of being Cinderella or finding her own Prince Charming? Once I started reading I couldn’t stop until I finished. I look forward to reading many more books from this gifted writer, who can make dreams come true. —Gina Miller

  What a fascinating, wonderful book. Exceptionally well-written, the story will transport you to another place and time. As you journey through the pages, the author’s portraits of the characters make the story come alive with people you possibly already know. Seemingly written for a teenage, female audience, this book will be enjoyed by all who can still be captivated by a mysterious prince, beautiful maidens, castles in the air, the quest for everlasting love, and a dog named Fred. —Mike Ramsdell, author of A Train to Potevka

  I picked up [I’m Not Cinderella] yesterday with the notion of just starting it, but I couldn’t put it down until I finished! It may be geared to teenage girls, but it has enough humor and delightful insights to keep anyone’s attention . . . I loved how the author put her own spin on this magical fairy tale and taught a valuable lesson in the end. A great book. I’m sure my girls are also going to love it. —Trina Hansen

  I loved this book! Wonderful story that kept me hooked and invested in the characters until the end. I wanted the book to go on and on, even though the ending was so great and unexpected. Loved all the pop-culture references; how does she squeeze a Sandlot quote into a Cinderella story? Talented writer, great first novel. Can’t wait for the next book in the Princess Chronicles. — Tami Patlogar

  I really enjoyed this book. Cinderella has always been my favorite princess. This story was a fun twist . . . The ending is not how I expected it to end which I think made the story even better. I can’t wait to read more books by this author. I would highly recommend this book to others, especially teenage girls . . . but adults will enjoy it too. —Rebecca Charlton

  Wow! I’m Not Cinderellas is way beyond good. Wonderful, magical, brilliant! I saw the title and knew it would be a twist to the story every girl loves . . . The story that unfolds is everything I imagined it would be and so much more! . . . Fairy tales, Prince Charming, a wicked step-family, adventure, and love. This is a book you will want to read over and over again! —Shauna Wheelwright

  Finding

  Sleeping Beauty

  TARRAH MONTGOMERY

  WALNUT SPRINGS PRESS

  Text copyright © 2015 by Tarrah Montgomery

  Cover design copyright © 2015 by Walnut Springs Press

  Interior design copyright © 2015 by Walnut Springs Press

  All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be transmitted, stored in a database, or reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  eISBN-13: 978-1-59992-983-5

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real, and any resemblance to real people and events is not intentional.

  The Princess Chronicles

  I’m Not Cinderella

  Finding Sleeping Beauty

  Rescuing Rapunzel (coming in 2016)

  To my parents, for showing me

  what happily ever after looks like

  Acknowledgments

  My Heavenly Father has blessed me with so many people who have loved me and helped me write this book. I couldn’t have done it without Him or any of my family and friends. Thanks especially to my husband, Ryan, who was always excited to hear about the latest developments of my writing process and for being my muse for any love interest I could ever write about. You will always be my Prince Charming. My five sweet children are always so proud of me, and I want to thank them for their patience when it’s time to go to bed early so Mommy can work on her book. I want them to know that anything is possible if you work hard and follow your dreams.

  My mom and dad, Steven and Susan Chadaz, are the best parents anyone could ever have. They were so excited for me to publish my first book, and they told everybody about it. A little over a year ago, my father passed away unexpectedly, and when we were cleaning out his office he had my book on display on his shelf. I’ll always remember how much he loved me, and I’m grateful I get to be his daughter forever. Many characteristics of Sleeping Beauty’s father in this book came from my own father, even the double hand squeeze (once you read this book, you’ll understand what I mean). I love you, Dad!

  While writing this book, I was rewarded with some great help from beta readers, fellow authors who were also trying to polish their own work. Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback on my story. I want to give a shout-out to Camille Lindquist, Rebecca Charlton, Jana King, and Amber Hall. Also, thanks to Sydney Anderson and Shauna Wheelwright for the great reviews and interviews. We authors love people like you. Speaking of authors, I appreciate the great examples of bestsellers Deeanne Gist and Marcia Lynn McClure, who have given me personal guidance and who inspire me every day with their wonderful books. You are amazing.

  Thanks to my sister, Torie, for the fun school visits and for being the best librarian. I love you, awesome nerd! And thank you to Linda Prince, number-one editor who does a hundred jobs in one. You need a raise.

  Last, but not least, thanks to all of you who bought my first book. It was always my dream to write and publish novels, and I’m pinching myself that I get to live my dream. Fairy tales do come true.

  Prologue

  Once upon a time in a land far away, a king and queen yearned for a child. After many heartbreaking years, their desire was fulfilled, but their joy came with a price. As many fairy tales do, this one starts with a bit of magic.

  This story is about me, a girl born with a curse. I exist because my mom, the queen, made a deal with a wizard. Even though I had a happy childhood with parents who adored me, my first sixteen years were overshadowed by that wizard’s bargain.

  When my mom and her cousin were young, an old woma
n claiming to be a magic worker tried to sell them “enchanted” apples that could supposedly grant their every wish. Magic workers had always been rumored to exist in the kingdom, but few people had met one.

  Many years after my mom married the king, a stranger visited the castle and offered her a potion he said would cure her childlessness. In exchange, he asked for a favor. Recalling the tales of the magic workers, my mom hastily agreed and drank the potion. The stranger informed her that if she did not follow through with the favor she had promised to grant him, a dreadful curse would fall on the head of her future child—me. She figured the curse was probably only a threat, and besides, the time when it might come to pass seemed so far away.

  A month later when she realized she was expecting a baby, my mom told my dad about the bargain she had made with the

  magic worker, who, of course, was an evil wizard.

  My parents refused to tell me what the wizard’s curse was, and they didn’t want anyone else to know about his threat. But to protect me just in case the curse was real, my mom and dad would not allow me to leave the castle and its grounds.

  This is where the plot thickens—at my birthday ball on the eve of my sixteenth birthday.

  Chapter 1

  The Beginning of the End of My Life

  My dance partner had not said a word during our waltz, which gratefully was about to end. I listened to the orchestra play the melody and stared at the young man’s dark, bushy eyebrows, imagining them turning into caterpillars.

  I had danced with my father at the commencement of the ball, followed by a song each with two gentlemen. Then I was introduced to my current partner, who presented himself with the name Matthew. Leading me in the dance, he was awkward and a little off-beat, as if he had only just learned these basic steps.

  Suddenly he said, “Princess Danielle?”

  “Yes?” Faking a sweet smile, I tried not to stare at the stray hairs growing between the hairy caterpillars above his eyes.

  “I know about the curse,” he whispered next to my ear.

  Wait, what?!

  Nobody was supposed to know about the curse. Only my parents, my maid Cathy, and my best friend Jack were aware of the bargain my mom had made with the wizard all those years ago. Or so I’d thought.

  Matthew gave me a smug look, like a lion that had trapped a deer in a corner.

  Shocked, I stepped away, my heart pounding in my ears. I couldn’t breathe. I gathered the skirt of my pink silk gown in my hands and rushed through the crowd to the door.

  Before I hurried out of the ballroom, I glanced toward my parents, who were sitting on their thrones on the royal dais. My mom and dad both stared at me, clearly worried. I hoped my look of dread would clue them in. My life had just taken a path more dangerous than any of us could have ever imagined.

  Ten Minutes Later in My Bedchamber

  “What was his name?” Cathy asked as she peered under my bed, where I lay on the cold stone floor. The bed was high, making the space roomy, and it was often the only place where no one could find me.

  Except for Cathy and Jack.

  And I think my parents also knew about my hiding spot.

  Mental note: I need a new hiding place.

  “He said his name was Matthew,” I replied finally.

  Cathy sighed. “Perhaps he meant nothing. Or you could have heard him wrong.”

  “Maybe.” Actually I was sure I didn’t hear him wrong, and what other curse could he be referring to?

  I stretched out under the bed. For the ball, Cathy had pulled half of my blond curls into a bun at the top of my head and let the rest cascade down my back like a waterfall. Now I tossed the loose hair behind one shoulder and tucked some strands behind my ears.

  I grabbed some of the sketch paper scattered across the floor, then found a pen and some ink and began to fill in notes for my next piece of music. Drafting music on paper always helped me feel better. Playing the piano was my specialty, but inside my brain was something bigger that longed to get out. Maybe it was the start of a symphony or perhaps just a silly girl’s dream, but I heard melodies all around me. The musical notes in my head kept spinning around until I could pin them down with pen and paper.

  Creak. I heard my bedroom door open. I held my breath, waiting to see who had entered.

  “Dani?” came the voice of my best friend, Jack. Besides my parents, he was the only person who called me by my shortened name. He soon squished his 160 pounds of muscle under my bed and looked at me with those big hazel eyes.

  “Hey, beautiful, why aren’t you at your birthday party?” He nudged me with his elbow, causing me to splatter a bit of ink on my sleeve.

  “Hey,” I exclaimed, then reached out and ruffled his brown hair. “How did you know I left? You’re not supposed to be anywhere close to the ballroom.”

  Jack was a servant. My first act as queen would be to open the festivities to everyone, no matter their station. Guests could wear masks to hide their rank, so everyone would be equal.

  “You’re the princess, silly! Everybody is talking about your absence. The king has even left the ball.”

  “Oh no!” I jerked and hit my head on the underside of my bed. “Ow!” I rubbed the spot on my skull, then carefully crawled out of my hiding place. Feeling a little frantic, I tried to press the wrinkles from my dress. If my dad left the ball, it only meant one thing. He was coming to see me.

  Sure enough, not ten seconds later, a firm knock sounded at my door. Cathy quickly straightened her white cap and opened the door. At my dad’s glance, she left us alone.

  Jack remained hidden under my bed. His mother was a friend of the king and queen’s, and he and I had been close since we were children. But of course I couldn’t be alone with any boy, especially in my bedchamber.

  My dad walked up to me, towering over my five-foot-six-inch frame by almost a foot. “Danielle Channing,” he began in his strong but gentle voice. “What happened?”

  “Matthew knows about the curse,” I said.

  My dad looked at me with his brown eyes, which were much like mine, with green specks dancing in their depths. “Matthew was your dance partner?” he asked.

  I answered with a nod.

  “Did he say how he learned of the curse?”

  “I didn’t give him time to explain.”

  My dad began to pace the floor. I counted the seconds of silence. One, two, three, four, five, six . . .

  That’s all it took—six seconds—before my dad turned around with the decision already etched on his face. “We leave tonight.”

  My mouth opened but no words came out.

  I had never left the castle. Not ever. My dad wouldn’t allow it, because of the fear of the curse, though I had no idea why staying in the castle helped.

  “Yes, we’ll leave tonight,” he continued. “If we go now, I’ll make it back to bid farewell to our guests. It’s already been announced that the princess isn’t feeling well and has retired for the evening, so there will be no suspicion.”

  I rubbed my hand over the bump forming on my head and stared out the window at the evening sky. The descending sun left a glow over the rest of the kingdom, where no one had an idea what was happening in the castle.

  My dad continued to wear paths in the stones of my room, but he paused a couple of times to fiddle with things on my dressing table. “We won’t tell your mother,” he said. “She’ll only worry. I’ll speak with her when I get back.”

  I finally asked, “Get back from where?”

  My dad stopped in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders. He was always a pillar of strength, but now he had tears in his eyes. “Oh, Danielle, I must take you far away from here.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand. It’s just a stupid curse, right?”

  He cupped my cheek in his hand. “It’s more than a stupid curse, sweetheart.”

  “What is it then? Why can’t you just tell me?” My heart pounded hard against my chest.

  “He
’s coming for you,” Dad said.

  My world stopped. “Who?”

  “The wizard.”

  Chapter 2

  An Unanswered Question from My Childhood:

  Why Can’t I Leave the Castle?

  “Why?” I threw my head back, acting like a typical eight-year-old.

  “I’m sorry, my dear.” My mom smoothed a hand over my hair. “We’re only trying to protect you.”

  “But why can Jack go and not me?” It seemed as if the entire kingdom got to attend the school picnic this afternoon . . . except me, of course.

  My dad walked into the room. “Danielle, that’s enough,” he said firmly.

  I bowed my head. “It’s not fair.” My voice was barely above a whisper. But there was no arguing with the king—everything he said was the law.

  He glanced at my mom. “We’re doing all we can to protect you from a life that is not fair.”

  His words didn’t make sense, especially to a little girl who just wanted to go on a picnic.

  He put his finger under my chin and looked directly at me. “Dying young would be unfair, and we won’t let that happen to you.”

  Saying Goodbye to the Only Life I Knew

  Five minutes after I admitted what Matthew had said to me on the dance floor, my dad and I left the castle, telling no one. Only my bewildered maid standing at my door and my best friend who was still under my bed knew about our departure.

  Why is the wizard coming for me? I wondered. Is this part of the bargain Mom made?

  As we drove away, I stared out the carriage window. It was the first time I’d seen the castle from this perspective, since I’d never been allowed to go outside except for a horseback ride on the grounds, or a walk in the gardens. With its tall towers shining like beacons, the castle on the hill was truly magnificent. Melancholy pierced my heart at leaving my fortress and protection.

  “Dad,” I spoke in the darkness of the carriage. “Where are we going?”