Three Twisted Knots

Cherish Gelato [CG]: Greetings to you, Wicked Fairy Carabosse! It’s so lovely to be able to visit you at your room on the Mystical Moors. I always love it when I can get a real sense of the fascinating beings we cover.

Carabosse [CB]: Of course you are welcome in my home: if you were not, your life would be worth little right now. Also, as we discussed in our pre-interview emails, I would prefer not to be described as “wicked”. In fact, every action I take, every gift I bestow, every wish or curse I grant, has a logical and discernible reason. Not to mention these things take an incredible amount of work! The word “wicked” belittles my skill, expertise, and accomplishments and taints any description with a connotation I’ve always associated with wilful children and reckless criminals.

CG: Noted. But isn’t it true you cursed Sleeping Beauty because you were not invited to her christening?

CB: Well, well, well. Misinformation spreads faster than a house fire in a wood elf village, doesn’t it? No; being disinvited to that wretched child’s christening was merely the last straw. I had performed some magical work for her parents, magic that was complex and cost me dearly in terms of time and effort, multiple times, and had not been paid adequately. They chose not to invite me to this event so they would not have to worry about some sort of public confrontation. And I can’t believe that after hundreds of years, we are still talking about this!

CG: I ask the questions my readers want to know the answers to! Stories have a way of staying alive, don’t they? For so much longer than we think. But let’s hear your side. Tell our readers about the work you did for Sleeping Beauty’s parents.

CB: Potions, mostly. This is my potions kitchen, and I spend a lot of time and effort getting things just exactly right. Don’t mind the floating apples: those are left over from another job I did—coincidentally at around the same time this whole fiasco started. Potions require deep knowledge, precise measurement, and exactly the right magical energy and timing. They are not simple spells, and this whole notion of fairy-wand wish-craft is just hogwash, frankly, a myth perpetuated by fairy godmothers looking for work at any cost. Nobody ever tells you how much Cinderella paid in the end for those glass slippers, I’ll tell you that.

CB: Each spell, each potion, requires incredible concentration, and my work does not come cheap. The King, whose name I’ve forgotten, and so has everybody else by this point, enlisted me to prepare two very difficult potions. First, he had enemies all over the place, so he needed potions for his warriors. That was the less difficult part. Secondly, and this is the real kicker, he and his wife, whose name I’ve also forgotten, had trouble conceiving a child. So, in fact, the most valuable and difficult potion I prepared for him was the potion that created the opportunity for Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, Talia, whatever you want to call the little urchin, to be born at all! For months I reminded him that payment would be due, and for months he ignored my messages. And then, when the child was finally born, healthy and perfect as promised in our contract, he conveniently forgot to invite me to her christening. It was the last straw.

CG: And that’s when you became the evil fairy of myth and legend!

CB: And that’s when I turned my anger into action. What do you do when subscribers stop paying for your publication? You stop sending it to them! When writers stop writing? You relieve them of their jobs. His Majesty had not paid for services rendered. The service I rendered created the circumstances under which that little girl could be born at all. I gave them sixteen years: I think that was generous of me.

CG: But what about the other fairies, who modified the curse on Sleeping Beauty so that she would not die but merely sleep for a hundred years, or until True Love’s First Kiss broke the spell?

CB: Well, they chose their paths, didn’t they? We don’t really run in the same circles any more. But to answer the question I think you are actually asking, a curse modification requires nothing like the kind of preparation that the curse itself requires. So yes, this is simple fairy-wand wish magic, the kind you all wish existed every day. All little what’s her name had to do was have a little conversation with her wand.

I have conversations with my wand all the time. I’d say, ‘Don’t you’? but obviously, if you have a wand it’s just for show. This is a spectacular wand, isn’t it? One of the finest I’ve ever had. But even it needs a stern talking-to from time to time. You just can’t let them get away with anything.

CG: Well, all right, then! So the other fairy merely modified your curse because she didn’t have the power to take it away: that’s in the stories.

CB: Is it? Well, they got at least that right. And yes; that’s what she did. I suppose she might have been doing both me and the king a favour: if he paid up in the ensuing sixteen years of course I’d have lifted the curse. But no; he chose to be offended and — why do I even still talk about this? It’s been hundreds of years!

CG: Tell you what! Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about the quote behind you on the wall there, about eternal sleep. Is that a saying from one of the stories in which you feature?

CB: No; it’s not even from a fairy tale! It’s from a silent film called  A Poor Little Rich Girl. The poor little girl is given some medicine to make her sleep so the maid can go out, and she has hallucinations, and one of them is Death coming for her. I just like the rhyme. It’s comforting somehow.

CG: Comforting. OK, I can see that. What do you do to relax?

CB: Here; I’ll show you! waves her wand

CG: Ooh! For our readers, Carabosse has just changed into a t-shirt and jeans! And I do like that t-shirt! Readers, the caption is, Everyone wants a fairytale wedding, but when I show up and curse their first born, suddenly I’m a jerk! So even though you don’t want to talk about that story, you wear a shirt like this to relax?

CB: I find it ironically funny. Do sit down and have a glass of wine, Miss Gelato, and perhaps we’ll read your Tarot.

CG: Ooh, don’t mind if I do! Readers, thank you for coming along with me as I speak with Fairy Carabosse. It’s been a lovely conversation, and I hope we can look forward to a few more int he future!

CB: It’s always good to get to tell my story. Do dismiss your photographer and let’s have a nice visit now.

Notes & Credits:
The Gorgeous Green Gown: Silvan Moon Designs, Lady Aliana Gown, in Olive (Get it at We Love Role-play, which opens on 4th August!)
The Moon Halo and Forehead Jewels: Petrichor, Lunaveina Halo, Moon Forehead (Get it at Wizarding Faire!)
The Spectacular Wand: Petrichor, Lunaveina Wand (Get it at Wizarding Faire!)
The Perfect Wicked Faery Skin: Wyrd, Alva
The Forehead Rune: Wyrd, Third Eye Rune
The Ears: Swallow, Noldor Elf Ears
The Dark Green Eyes: Madame Noir, Lizz Eyes
The I-Got-Taken-Over-By-My-Garden Body & Face Tattoos: Nefekalum, Gaia
The Red-Tipped Wings: Trap, Riven Wings
The Hair: Magika, Midnight
The Lipstick: Warpaint, My Favourite Lip Balm, Aubergine
The Eyeshadow: Gorsimi, Crow Shadows
The Ironically Funny T-Shirt: ZFG, Fairytale Shirt
The Jeans: Blueberry, Evie Jeans
The Boots, Eudora3D, Morgan Boots

Environment:
All Wall Art: Created By The Author. Ping me in world if you are interested in any of it.
House: Dragon Magick Wares, Soora Cottage
Floor Magic Circle: Pierce Design Studios, Magic Circle Wheel (runes)
Potion Table: Foxwood, Grandma’s Kitchen, Table
Book Stack: Raindale, Sparrownest, Stack Of Books (Get it at Wizarding Faire!)
Cauldron: Raindale, Sparrownest, Cauldron (Get it at Wizarding Faire!)
Couch & Living Room Furniture: Oubliette, Oracle Gacha (Cushion Sofa, Lamps, Table, Tea Set, Floor, Pillows, Cat Chair) (Get it at the Gacha Garden!)

Enchantment’s Sleeping Beauty round opens on the 8th of August! I can’t wait!