"It was a very hilly place surrounded by towering mountain ranges. It was a surprisingly dismal land, although the twins weren't sure what they had expected. All the fields were dry, and all the trees were bare. Everything seemed like it hadn't been alive for a very long time."[2]
Background Information[]
The third largest kingdom, stretched along the east. The kingdom used to be known as the Eastern Kingdom, but it was renamed 'the Sleeping Kingdom' after the entire kingdom fell into a deep sleep due to the Sleeping Curse.
The kingdom was ruled by Queen Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast) formerly, but now, Queen Sleeping Beauty and her husband King Chase Charming. When Alex and Conner first laid eyes on the kingdom in The Wishing Spell, it was in poor shape and its inhabitants had trouble keeping awake. In The Enchantress Returns, the kingdom has recovered from the curse and is again renamed the Eastern Kingdom.[3]
The kingdom has a history of "spindle-related" misfortune due to Ezmia, an evil enchantress. She has held a grudge against the royal family of the Eastern Kingdom for decades, first cursing the old King for not returning her feelings and falling in love with a spinner girl instead of with her, then cursing his son so he would only fall in love with a woman who could spin gold out of hay, and finally, cursing his granddaughter so she would die when she pricked herself on a spinning wheel.[4] This curse was weakened by The Fairy Godmother, turning it into the Sleeping Curse instead.
History[]
The Dragon Age[]
The kingdom was consumed with volcanoes. Dragons would lay their eggs in the magma so their offspring could grow in the heat.[5] So it was a Dragon hotspot which lead to the Sleeping Kingdom's terrorization.
The Age of Magic[]
The Happily Ever After Assembly is founded and the kingdoms are divided. The kingdom falls under the Sleeping Curse; eventually, the curse is lifted by Prince Chase Charming, and he and Sleeping Beauty are wed. The kingdom is renamed the Eastern Kingdom.
The Golden Age[]
After years of "living happily ever after", the Enchantress threatens to take over the Land of Stories. Roughly a year later, General Marquis and the Grande Armée arrive and attack the kingdoms. When that crisis is overcome, the Masked Man attacks the kingdom.
Story[]
The Wishing Spell[]
Alex and Conner meet Queen Sleeping Beauty and she allows them to borrow her spindle if they promise to bring it back. They then go to the other kingdoms to fetch other items for the Wishing Spell, and return to the Sleeping Kingdom to go to the Thornbush Pit and the Abandoned Castle.
The Enchantress Returns[]
The Sleeping Kingdom is the first kingdom to be attacked by Ezmia, the enchantress who originally cursed Sleeping Beauty and her kingdom with the Sleeping Curse, and for a long while she assumes the enchantress has returned to "finish the job" and kill her. Ezmia corrects her and makes it clear she means to take over the entire Land of Stories. The kingdom is briefly surrendered to Ezmia before she is defeated.
A Grimm Warning[]
Once the threat of the Grand Armée becomes real to the inhabitants of the Land of Stories, each kingdom begins organizing their armies. The Masked Man leads the Grande Armée to the Eastern Kingdom to hatch their dragon egg. Villagers are kidnapped to work for them. The Eastern Kingdom army fights along in the battle.
Beyond the Kingdoms[]
After the Masked Man travels into works of literature to recruit for his army, the Eastern Kingdom is attacked by the Queen of Heart's Playing Card Army.[6] As part of the Invasion against the Fairy Tale World.
An Author's Odyssey[]
At the beginning of An Author's Odyssey, it is mentioned that after the Playing Card army attack, the kingdom ceased to be and was integrated into a large empire ruled by the Masked Man. When he is deposed by the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, and the Wicked Witch of the West, the three literary villains take over the rule of the Land of Stories. Queen Sleeping Beauty and King Chase Charming are saved by Jack, Goldilocks, and their friends.
A Tale of Magic[]
In A Tale of Magic, the Eastern Kingdom existed nearly as big as during The Land of Stories. The ruler was Queen Endustria. For being a witch or a warlock you got hung on the gallows. At the end of A Tale of Magic... magic was legalized.
Notable Places[]
- Ironhand: The capital of the Eastern Kingdom in A Tale of Magic. It is unknown whether Ironhand is still the capital.
- Sleeping Valley: A village in the Sleeping Kingdom
- Sleeping Beauty's Castle: The home of Queen Sleeping Beauty and her husband, King Chance Charming.
- Sleeping Beauty's Bedroom
- Sleeping Beauty's Castle: The home of Queen Sleeping Beauty and her husband, King Chance Charming.
- The Abandoned Castle: hiding place of the Evil Queen
- Pinocchio Prison: home to the most dangerous criminals in the kingdoms
- The Thirteenth Floor: The cell of Rumpelstiltskin.
- The Masked Man's Cell: The Masked Man's home for a few years.
- Lady Gretel's Cell: Lady Gretel's home for years.
- The Thornbush Pit: A pit full of thorn bushes.
Notable Characters[]
- Queen Sleeping Beauty: Ruling monarch.
- King Chase Charming: Husband of Queen Sleeping Beauty and king of the Eastern Kingdom.
- Princess Ash: Sleeping Beauty and King Chase's adopted daughter.
- Sleeping Beauty's royal advisor: A short, old man with a white beard.[7]
- The Eastern Kingdom army: The army was said to have approximately 1,500 soldiers (before fighting the Grande Armée).[8]
- Farmer Robins: A farmer living in the Eastern Kingdom.
- Rook Robins: Farmer Robins son and former boyfriend of Alex Bailey.
- Rumpelstiltskin (while imprisoned): A criminal who turned himself in after working for Ezmia.
- The Masked Man (while imprisoned): A dangerous criminal who stole the portal potion from his mother, the Fairy Godmother.
- Lady Gretel (while imprisoned and possibly before imprisonment): A criminal who accidentally murdered her brother, Sir Hansel and turned herself in for it.
- Lady of the East: Former queen of the Eastern Kingdom and a ghost haunting Sleeping Beauty's Castle.
References[]
- ↑ In A Tale of Sorcery, Immortalia, disguised as Endustria says “It’s about your thirteenth-great-grandmother, Queen Immortalia.” Thirteen women plus Princess Endustria, and Princess Proxima would equal fifteen women.
- ↑ The Wishing Spell, ch 14, p. 285
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, prologue
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 24, p. 432-435
- ↑ A Grimm Warning, ch 22, p. 347
- ↑ Beyond the Kingdoms, ch 29, p 399
- ↑ The Wishing Spell, ch 14, p. 287
- ↑ A Grimm Warning, ch 18, p. 301