Rose Red

Long ago a little girl, the daughter of a queen, was born with fiery red hair and eyes of green and because her red hair reminded her mother of the petals of a rose that grew outside her window and her green eyes of its two green leaves, she called the child rose red.
But the queens evil sister, Demonica was jealous of her child because all she had been able to give birth to was toads and scorpions and so she placed a curse upon the child that she would live no longer than the rose after which she had been named.
Frightened that her sisters curse would come true and her daughter would die, the queen had the rose dug up and taking it to her grandmother who was a white witch, her grandmother placed the rose within a magic glass box, saying,
"As long as the rose remains within the glass box it will live and bloom forever but you must hide the rose from your sister for if the box is ever broken then time will enter and the rose will die".
So, following her grandmothers instructions, the queen took the box with the rose in it to the cave of a friendly giant named Arthred who lived in the forest and asked him to guard the box.
"And if a strange woman comes here asking about the rose she is my evil sister and must not be allowed to get hold of it for if she does she'll break the box, the rose will die and with it my daughter", she said.
Now many years passed; Princess Rose Red grew into a beautiful young woman and Demonica, although she searched the world upon her broomstick looking for the rose never found it.
One day, however, a crow that was one of Demonicas children was perched upon a twig nearby the giants cave when it heard Arthred say to the rose,
"Oh Princess rose red, how I love you. You could never love a monster like me but nevertheless I will guard your rose all of my life".
And, knowing that Demonica was searching for the rose, the crow flew to tell her.
Then, changing her shape so that she looked just like her sister the queen, Demonica went to the cave of the giant and said to him,
"Good news. Demonica is dead and when a witch dies her curses die with her so now Rose Red is free and there is no need for you to watch over the rose anymore but my daughter Rose Red desires that I take the flower back to her".
Hearing this the giant was happy for Rose Red but sad to give up his duty of guarding her rose. Nonetheless he handed the box with the rose in it to Demonica, thinking her the queen.
The moment he did however, Demonica dropped the box upon the floor of his cave and it shattered then, as he looked on shocked, laughing the evil witch revealed her true form.
"No!", said the giant, horrified, "What have I done?".
"Doomed your beloved Princess to die thats what", said Demonica, turning herself into an echo of laughter that blew away upon the wind.
Weeping, in desperation, Arthred picked up and gently cradled the rose just like an infant then carried it as fast as he could to the palace of the queen.
But as he was going to the palace he saw the red petals of the rose, one by one start to drop from it and weeping upon his his hands he feared that the rose would be dead before he reached the queen and, just as he had feared when, knocking guards aside, the giant stormed into the palace carrying the rose there was only 2 red petals left hanging upon it.
"Please", he begged the queen handing the rose to her, "Can you do something to stop it dying?".
Sadly, weeping aswell, the queen shook her head and as she did another petal fell from the rose so that there was only one red rose petal left hanging upon the flower and, just at that moment the serving maid of rose red entered the room claiming that the Princess had fainted and was lying unconcious upon her bed.
But then, suddenly, the echo of evil laughter was heard in the room, and before them the queens evil sister, Demonica appeared.
"Its too late, my sister", she said to the queen, "There is nothing you can do to save Rose Red. Soon your precious daughter will be dead".
But then the giant remembered what Demonica had said to him earlier when she'd been impersonating the Queen, "When a witch dies her curses die with her".
And so, rushing towards the witch he threw her and himself off of a balcony falling onto the palace courtyard many feet below.
The fall broke the witches neck and,immediately, Rose Red recovered, the witches curse broken forever.
And the giant did not die either because the power of his unselfish act broke the curse that had been placed upon him at birth turning him into a giant and he was transformed into a young handsome man.
And after that, the Queen, believing that Arthred was the best husband for her daughter since he had loved her enough to sacrifice his own life, arranged for them to be engaged and after sometime the young man and Rose Red fell in love, were married and lived happily ever after.