Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a wicked queen in a tower who was always being mean to other people. No matter what anyone did, nothing seemed to please her. When men came from far-off lands to pay her homage, she would scold them for not doing so sooner. When she received a gift, she’d say it wasn’t pretty enough or too small, and throw it away. She was not happy unless everyone around her was miserable, and as time passed, the people who lived around her tower grew sad, for nothing they did was ever good enough for her.

And then, one day, a beautiful stranger came into the village. Her hair was like a river of night and her eyes were soft and gentle, and quickly, the people came to appreciate it, for she was kind and friendly where the queen was cruel. Whenever she saw someone in trouble, she did her best to help them, and where sadness reigned, she tried to make people smile again. And when bad things happened, as they sometimes did, she did not let her become bitter, but kept trying her best.

The queen saw her and grew jealous, fearing that if the people loved this stranger, then they would not care for her. So one day, she had the stranger captured by her guards and thrown into a cell. The stranger pleaded with the queen, trying to understand why she would do such a thing, but in her rage, the queen left her in the dungeon, never to see the light of day again.

But that was not the end. For the stranger had made many friends, people who loved her, and they called upon a brave knight to rescue her. The knight had long red hair, and she rode into the village on a great white horse, and wore a—

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A soft sigh interrupted Andrea Maurer before she could continue her fairy tale, and she looked over to the bed where her six-year-old nephew Gabriel was sleeping peacefully, the bedtime story having done its work. With a gentle smile, the beautiful redhead drew the boy’s bedsheets over him. “Good night, nephew. I’ll tell you the rest of the story some other time.”

Once I know the ending…