The opening story of Castle Waiting, which explains how the castle came to be abandoned, so to speak, is a variation on Sleeping Beauty. Only once the princess is awakened from her century of sleep and the hedge surrounding the castle lets people in and out, she goes off with her prince and pretty much forgets about the place where she slumbered and the people in it. As the years pass, the castle becomes a refuge for various outcasts and odd characters, with the princess’ now elderly handmaidens being the only original inhabitants still staying there.
The second story concerns the journey of a mysterious lady, who is revealed to be pregnant, who after travelling for months, arrives at the castle, seeking sanctuary. Once the baby is born, she reveals that the baby’s father is not her husband, and while not much is revealed about the baby daddy, the child has green skin and his father apparently had horns, at least, so he’s clearly something a bit out of the ordinary. I’m assuming more about the lady Jain and her baby may be revealed in future volumes, it’s not actually given that much focus here.
We are also given the story of the nun, sister Peaceful, and her order of bearded nuns. Turns out, Peaceful was originally a tavern keeper’s daughter, until she started growing a beard and decided to join the circus. There she discovers they already have a bearded lady (who becomes her BFF) and the two eventually run off and discover the convent of the Solicitine nuns, all of whom have facial hair. My favourite story was probably that of the Mother Superior of the order, and her life before she came to the convent.
Linda Medley studied folklore and it shows in her gentle twist on a number of fairy tales. Full review here.