When men come to my castle, I offer them food, drink, and rest. When they go to sleep, they do not wake.

Sixteen years have passed and my castle is overflowing with sleeping men.

I wonder what would happen if a man came in and refused my offer to eat and drink? What if, instead, he asked me who I am, where I come from, and what has brought me here?

How could I tell him my situation? He would want to free me, but he’d never survive the abuse he would have to suffer.

So I just offer my visitors food and drink and endless sleep.

The Princess in the Great Forest Castle in The Blue Mountains, Yellow Fairy Book. Illustration by H.J. Ford.