Presently the Prince noticed the turret steps that led to the tower, and he climbed them, just as the Princess had done. And when he opened the door and stepped in, he stood still in wonder and delight.
The Princess lay there fast asleep, her fair face turned towards him, just as she had sunk down to rest a hundred years ago. Everything was unchanged except that now around the bed was a canopy of briar-roses protecting her as she slept. The flowers breathed their beauty around her, and the sharp thorns guarded her from all harm.
So beautiful did the Princess look lying there, like a pale rose herself, that the Prince was drawn to her side, and bending over her he kissed her cheek.
The Princess’s eyelids quivered, and the next moment her eyes opened. She looked up and saw the Prince bending over her, and when their eyes met she gave a little cry of joy.
‘Oh,’ she cried, ‘you have come at last. I have been dreaming and dreaming of you, and I thought you were never coming to wake me.’
