Sable

Content notes: needles, poison, abusive parent, blackmail, caskets

A queen sat by an open window while she sewed, leaning against the ebony frame. There were children playing outside in the snow, and she laughed at their games. Distracted from her work, she dropped the needle, the thread forming a heart in the snow.

And she thought, “If only I had a daughter, with a soul as pure as snow, skin as dark as dark as my own and a heart that could change the world.”

When her child was born, it was as pure as all children, and with ebony skin, gleaming like a black pearl. Only time would tell if her heart would change anything. She was loved and treasured by all, and her parents named her Sable. Not long after, Sable got first one, and then another little brother.

The king of the neighboring country to the south had long since desired an alliance between the two kingdoms. He had a daughter he thought to marry to one of the princes, but he knew their parents would not have it, as they had denied all previous requests for alliance.

In the following years the southern king came up with a plan. On Sable’s nineteenth birthday he visited with a basket of fruit to give her. Her parents wanted to send him away, but he appealed to Sable for the kindness of allowing an old man to give her at least one of the apples from his late queen’s favorite tree, to show his respect.

Sable, being compassionate and having known so much love, accepted the gift and bit into the apple, only to fall to the floor – poisoned, as if dead.

Her parents were shocked, and the southern king declared he had an antidote that he would give to Sable – if one of her brothers would pledge to marry his daughter. The brothers were eager to agree as they loved their sister dearly, but they were not yet of age and their parents forbade it, having seen once more what a cold and heartless person their neighbor was.

The southern king gave them one week to decide, as after that time it would be too late for the antidote to work.

The king and queen sent out for help, asking in other kingdoms if anyone had a remedy. Sable was laid into a casket of glass, where her family could still see her but she would be safe from further harm, if any was possible.

As everyone knows that true love’s kiss can overcome many ills, princes from the neighboring countries came and kissed Sable, even though they weren’t promised that they would win her as a bride or half the kingdom as a reward, as was the custom in such cases. Her parents did not want to save her life just to give it away. They felt bad enough about having strangers kissing their daughter, but did not know what else to do. As Sable was well loved, the princes were many, but not one of them could wake Sable from her poisoned sleep.

On the seventh day, the southern king visited again and brought his daughter, sure there would be an engagement to celebrate. But though the sons had implored their parents, they would not allow either of them to marry the southern princess. With a father this cruel, they feared for their sons’ happiness, and as much as they loved Sable, they did not want to trade one child for another. Also, they did not wish to expose their people to the selfish influence of their neighbor.

While the visiting king gloated and preened, taunting the grieving parents, his daughter looked first at the king and queen, then at the young princes, one of whom was intended to be her husband, and she was moved by their love for Sable. She had never known such love from her father.

Then she looked at the glass casket and Sable. The eyes were closed, and she wondered if they would be the deep black of her father or the glowing amber of her mother. The lashes were hardly visible on the smooth dark skin. She willed the pert nose to breathe, the soft lips to open and gasp for breath, the chest to rise and fall – but nothing happened. Her heart grew both tight and wide all at once.

Unnoticed by the crowd, she walked up to the casket and, as if in a dream, touched the lid. The glass seemed to hum under her fingers and on impulse she lifted the lid. With the glass barrier removed, she wanted nothing more than to kiss those lips that looked as though they loved to laugh. As it felt wrong to take such liberties with a helpless woman, no matter how pretty, she instead very gently blew Sable a kiss.

When the kiss reached Sable, she began to stir, coughed once to dislodge the bite of the apple from her throat, and fell into the waiting embrace of the visiting princess.
At this commotion the other people noticed what had happened. The southern king froze in shock, never to move again. His statue is kept in a dungeon, just in case he ever recovers. So he was not present when an engagement was celebrated between Sable and his daughter, who together went to rule the southern kingdom in peace and kindness. After a while they got married, to the joy of both kingdoms, and could not be happier.

Maybe Sable’s heart did not change the world. But it changed the world of one woman, and from one change, who knows what else might happen?