In many versions of Sleeping Beauty, the story begins directly after the princess's birth, when the 12 Witches are invited to bestow blessings upon her.
But in other versions, the story starts even earlier.
The beginning of the story is precisely the scene Rhine now witnessed—the King and Queen had longed for a child for many years but were unable to conceive.
If he was in the story of Sleeping Beauty, then the King and Queen, as the protagonist's parents, would be important characters in the story, belonging to the "Protagonists of Fate," which made perfect sense!
Rhine knew clearly that even though the King and Queen were now at their wits' end and heartbroken.
Since this was the Kingdom of Sleeping Beauty, the predicament faced by the King and Queen was definitely not an insoluble problem!
After all, they were destined to give birth to a little princess in the future.
And that was the protagonist of the story—Sleeping Beauty!
At this moment, the young man's heart was filled with both surprise and excitement:
I've actually arrived in such an early era?
An era before the story even began!
He suppressed the astonishment in his heart and bowed slightly:
"Your Majesties, the King and Queen, there is no need to worry; I have a way to fulfill your wishes."
Hearing Rhine's promise, the King trembled and immediately sat up straight.
He was unsure whether the Little Magician in front of him was just making empty boasts or truly had a plan.
The Queen, who had been silent all this time, was equally shocked and looked at Rhine with doubt.
Over the years, due to her long-term inability to bear children, her relationship with the King had grown increasingly distant, and in recent years, she had been repeatedly neglected.
The Queen had always suspected that the lack of children was not her fault, but she could not possibly voice this.
After seeing that even the 12 Witches with powerful magic were helpless, the Queen had long lost hope of "having her own child."
Therefore, when summoning Rhine, the Queen had no expectation of any turn for the better.
However, the determined attitude displayed by this overly young Magician made the Queen regain some confidence.
Perhaps this child could truly create a miracle?
"Your Majesties, allow me to cast a healing spell for both of you."
Rhine gently raised his hand, chanted a spell, and a soft, pure white light radiated from his hand, bathing both the King and Queen in its warm glow.
Healing Arts!
Magic obtained after fulfilling the wish of thousands to be "restored to health."
Feeling the warm radiance bathing their entire bodies, the King and Queen immediately felt completely comfortable, as if they had suddenly become several years younger, and all their old injuries and hidden ailments were cleansed away.
The rumors were indeed true; although this Little Magician looked very young, his abilities were extraordinary!
The King and Queen secretly marveled in their hearts.
After the light faded, the King eagerly asked, "Sir Rhine, is it done?"
"Not yet, Your Majesty. To complete the treatment, it also needs to be combined with medicine."
Rhine requested paper and pen and wrote down a prescription.
"Your Majesty, take the medicine according to the prescription I have written. Before long, you and the Queen will surely bear offspring."
After writing, Rhine showed a worried expression again:
"It's just that one of the ingredients is too rare; I don't know if it can be found in Your Majesty's kingdom."
The King beckoned for a servant to bring the prescription to him and smiled as he examined it.
He wasn't worried at all about any hard-to-obtain medicine.
He was a monarch who ruled a kingdom; even if a herb was rare, so what? Was there any herb he couldn't get?
"They are all common medicines…"
The King scanned through each medicinal name.
Just as the King thought Rhine was exaggerating the rarity of the medicine, his gaze fell on the last item.
The monarch's eyes instantly froze.
"What's going on with this last medicine?"
[Medicine Name: A blessing spoken by an aquatic animal in human language.]
[Method of Use: Have an aquatic fish or frog bless the Queen in human language. Bless the Queen to have her own child.]
The King's expression immediately became awkward.
Even though this was a fantasy continent, animals that could speak human language usually only appeared in legends.
At least the King himself had never seen one!
The King suppressed his anger and put down the prescription:
"Sir Rhine, please tell me, where can I find a fish that can speak human language?"
Rhine replied calmly, neither humble nor arrogant:
"Let us follow the arrangement of fate.
"Fate will guide all of us."
As a visitor from outside this world, Rhine knew that compared to other Magicians in this world, he possessed an unknown advantage!
He knew how fate and the future would unfold.
In this fairy tale world, he was the most brilliant prophet and seer!
According to what Rhine knew, at the beginning of the Sleeping Beauty story, the Queen, who had been childless for many years, gave birth to offspring precisely after receiving a blessing from a fish (in some versions, a frog)!
Therefore, as long as the plot developed normally, the King and Queen would surely receive the fish's blessing and eventually bear offspring.
He merely advanced this process, and in doing so, he could fulfill the wishes of the King and Queen.
The King, of course, could not know what the Little Magician at the foot of the throne was thinking, only assuming that this Magician was uttering some meaningless charlatan remarks.
The monarch's expression suddenly darkened.
His cloudy eyes once again became dim.
Sure enough…was there still no hope?
The King sighed deeply.
As a monarch who had ruled the kingdom for decades, the King understood:
When Magicians and learned Sages believe a goal is too difficult to achieve, they will deliberately propose difficult conditions or unobtainable materials to give both parties a way out.
This Little Magician in front of him clearly believed that his request was simply too difficult.
Even the 12 Witches with powerful magic could not achieve it!
So, the Little Magician had no confidence in the medicine's effectiveness and deliberately wrote an impossible-to-collect ingredient at the end of the prescription.
Even if it ultimately had no effect, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Well, that's fine too.
Asking a novice Magician to solve a problem that even the 12 Witches, with all their vast powers, couldn't handle, was indeed a bit much to ask…
The aged monarch waved his hand somewhat helplessly, dismissing Rhine.
"Alright, Sage of the Forest, thank you for the prescription.
"I will reward you with gold and silver."
Regardless, Rhine at least did his best, provided a prescription, and used magic to make him healthier than before, so he certainly deserved a reward.
Rhine thanked the King and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment, Sir Magician!"
Just as Rhine was about to step out of the palace gates, the Queen suddenly called out to him:
"May I ask, will our child be a boy or a girl, and what will she look like?"
The King looked at his wife's excited expression, feeling slightly amused, but it was not good to point it out directly.
Under the King's astonished gaze, the Little Magician, clad in a hooded cloak and robe, turned, bowed slightly, spread his arms, and spoke with a confident tone as if stating a fact:
"Your child will be a beautiful and clever little princess.
"She carries a legendary destiny and will surely step onto the stage of fate, becoming the protagonist of a legendary chapter!"
… … … …
Three months passed since Rhine left the palace.
During these three months, the King had completely given up the idea of having a child and accepted reality.
He knew that even if he, being old, took more consorts, it would be difficult to bear offspring.
The vast kingdom would inevitably fall into his brother's hands.
He also took the medicine from the prescription on time.
But he only held a glimmer of hope, waiting for a miracle, without truly believing the medicine could bring any change.
To the monarch's surprise, Rhine's medicine was truly effective!
The King could feel that ever since he started taking the medicine from the prescription, his body had indeed improved day by day, becoming more energetic and spirited.
But even so, the Queen showed no signs of pregnancy.
Unlike the King, who had long given up hope, the Queen still remembered Rhine's words from back then.
The Little Magician's parting words echoed repeatedly in the Queen's waking hours and dreams.
"He spoke with such certainty."
"He even explicitly said I would have a beautiful and lovely little princess."
"Is he a prophet or a seer?"
"He must be; I've heard that many Magicians can foresee the future!"
"As long as I receive the fish's blessing, I can have my own child!"
"Should I…actively go to the river to seek the opportunity for a blessing?"