Hey again, long time no see!
I've been away for some time due to negligence but now I'm back!
My motivation has been a bit lacking but it's on the upswing.
What is this writing challenge? Well, a friend suggested that we should write together as a source of motivation. We have write-mission twice each week were we have to hand in our stories to each other before deadline. Knowing that another person is doing the same thing that I'm doing and might struggle as I do is actually really helpful and sort of comforting. So let's see how this goes!
I will continue post Writing Prompts from Reddit and Writing Exercises, they won't disappear!
So the first challenge was to rewrite a classic story, spin it in your own words. I didn't add any twists on my rewrite, I was more focused on using words and phrases that suited me more. Comment how you liked it!
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Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a princess proudest of them all. She would test every potential partner's wit by giving out a riddle for them to guess, she promised to marry if they answered correctly but if wrong, they would be sent away with shame upon their shoulders.
Three tailors decided to try out their luck, the two eldest believing that their success in the business could correlate well with the ability to solve riddles. The third tailor was of small stature and body, a traveling vagabond barely staying alive on the roads and towns he visits by repairing the elder and poor one's clothes for whatever the customer wanted to pay, a rotten apple, a loaf of bread or even a single worn out boot. When the other two tailors saw the shaggy outfit the small tailor was wearing they recommended this poor sod to go back home since he probably didn’t stand a chance. Unwavering, the little tailor joined with the other two and went to see this proud princess.
The three tailors arrived at the castle and managed to get an audience with the princess. She was hidden behind a black mask covering both the face and the hair, but the clothes she wore told of royalty and riches. The tailors gave their compliments and encouraged the princess to give out the riddle. The princess politely accepted the sweet words from each tailor and then continued with the test:
“I have two kinds of hair on my head, of what color is it?” she said simply.
This confused the tailors since they expected a problem that needed calculations and logical thinking, not a guessing game.
The first tailor knew that the majority of the royal lineage had black hair and therefore guessed: “I believe you have the colors of black and white in your head.”
The princess shook her head slowly. “Wrong, anyone else wants to try?”
The second tailor has heard some rumors that about once in a blue moon, a child with hair like flames would be born in the royal household and took a leap of faith:
“I believe your hair has the colors of red and orange,” he guessed.
The princess shook her head once again. “Wrong.” She turned her head towards the third tailor. “You want to take a guess?”
The small tailor shrugged his shoulders and said half-jokingly: “Since princess is a royalty, it wouldn’t surprise me if your hair would be gold and silver.”
A gasp echoed around the royal hall as the maidens and knights around did a sharp intake of breath. The small tailor had guessed right!
The princess nodded. “Correct.” She then turned around showing her back to the three tailors. “However, the test is still not done. Now I know your wit, but I need to know your courage. Captain, I leave the rest of the instructions to you.”
As the princess left, an elderly man clad in armor started to explain to the small tailor what more he needed to do.
“Beneath us, is a stable with a vicious bear, your second test is to spend one night in the stable together with the bear,” the old soldier explained. “If the princess wakes up in the morning tomorrow and finds you still alive in the stable, she will marry you. Will you accept the challenge?”
The small tailor let out a smile of delight as he quickly accepted the challenge and ventured to the stable.
Evening came and the small tailor entered the stable and the bear, both big and frightening, didn’t waste a second to greet the small tailor with its paws.
The small tailor managed to avoid the love taps of the beast and started casually without any fears or anxieties in the world crack open some kernels, eating them with loud smacking as if they were the most precious and delicious of treats.
The bear, puzzled by the small man’s reactions, looked at the seeds with curiosity and signaled to the tailor that it wanted to try some of it.
The tailor reached into his pocket and gave the animal a handful, but what the bear didn’t know was that the tailor gave pebbles, not snacks. The bear took a bite but the hard pebbles remained intact. The beast crunched down with all its strength but to no avail, leaving the bear sad and begging the tailor for help.
This time the tailor took a handful of real nuts and cracked them with his bare hands, giving them to the bear. The bear impressed by the feat of strength ate the seeds happily.
The tailor then pulled out a violin out from his shaggy cloak and started playing soothing music. It was a happy lullaby, which made the bear drowsy and its eyelids heavy. It didn’t take long until the bear started to snore loudly.
Morning came and as soon as the princess woke up she hurried down to the stable, only to see the tailor sleeping soundly on top of the bear’s belly.
Impressed by the tailor's courage she asked the soldiers to get the small tailor out of the stable and make him ready for the marriage.
The ceremony went over fast, and the last I remember of the small tailor was him riding in a horse carriage with a happy smile on his face, a beautiful wife next to him and the other two tailors scowling.
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