I’m one drop of a prince’s blood. He left three of us on a stool that stood beside a sleeping giant. Our job was to speak to the giant and keep him from waking so the prince could get away.

Every time the giant woke, we reassured him that everything was okay. The pot hadn’t come to a boil and he could go back to sleep.

Once the prince had escaped, we woke him.

The giant sat up and rubbed his eyes. He could not see who it was who had spoken to him. Maybe something in a dream.

The Prince’s Blood in The Mastermaid, Blue Fairy Book. Picture by Irene Patten.