SCENE VI
Curtain rises on Princesses’ bedroom. The bed which was the Prince’s remains, but it should now be more suitably covered, something fitting for a Princess. Each of the other Princesses has a bed as well. They are seated on their beds, brushing hair and tying on dancing shoes. A particularly loud snore comes from offstage, from the direction of the Prince’s “room.” The Princesses laugh.
ALUSAIR: He too could have done better things with his life.
AURORA: Yes. I wish they’d stop coming!
ANASTASIA: It seems such a waste!
ALUSAIR: Yes, but it must be done! If we are caught, we shall never manage to free our Princes!
AURORA: True. Are we ready to go?
ANASTASIA: I don’t know. You’re all happy, yet I have a strange feeling. I’m sure that something bad is going to happen to us.
ALUSAIR: You’re a silly goose. You’re always afraid. Have you forgotten how many princes have already tried in vain? I didn’t really need to give this one a sleeping potion. The lout would never have awakened even without it.
AURORA: Just in case, we should check again.
ALUSAIR: I suppose you’re right. Go and check, will you Aurora?
Aurora goes offstage, in the direction of the snoring. After a moment she returns.
AURORA: Not so much as a twitch. His eyes are shut tight and he’s neither moved nor stirred so much as an inch since we last checked.
Alusair nods and gestures for her sisters to gather around her bed. When they are ready, she grandly knocks three times on the headboard. Slowly, the mattress rises up, such that it is standing balanced on the foot of the bed, obscuring the audience’s view. A stage hand should be able to hide under the bed and do this. As the mattress rises, the sound of footsteps is heard making their way across the stage.
ANASTASIA: What’s that?
AURORA: What’s what?
ANASTASIA: I thought I heard footsteps!
ALUSAIR: It’s just your imagination! Come on, we mustn’t keep our princes waiting!
One by one the Princesses step into the vacancy left by the mattress. The head of the bed should be close to the backdrop curtain, such that the Princesses can crawl out under it and make room for the next one. After the last Princess disappears, the footsteps resume, with a slight pause before the mattress slowly begins to lower itself back down.
Curtain.
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