The Story of the Duchess of Cicogne and of Monsieur de Boulingrin

A curious narrator has unearthed forgotten memoirs that reveal the hidden drama behind a familiar fairy tale. When Princess Paule‑Marie‑Aurore is born to King Cloche and Queen Satine, her baptism becomes a dazzling court spectacle, attended by seven illustrious fairy godmothers—Titania, Mab, Vivien, Melusina, Urgèle, White Anna and Mourgue—each arriving in robes that glitter like time itself. Yet the rigid etiquette of the royal court excludes the aging fairy Alcuine, whose quarter‑blood lineage is deemed insufficient for such an honor, and her snub sets a dangerous tension simmering beneath the celebration.

Incensed by the slight, Alcuine places a dire enchantment on the infant princess: a spindle will one day prick her finger, sending her into a century‑long sleep that only a king’s son can break. The bewildered monarchs turn to scholars and physicians for counsel, questioning whether such a prolonged slumber could ever truly occur. Their desperate search for answers hints at the fragile balance between courtly protocol and the capricious power of the fairy realm, promising a tale where a single slight may echo through generations.