Christabel, Part III (in fairy tale format)
Bracy the bard stood silently, stunned by Sir Leoline’s dismissive and fleeting regard for his warning, albeit a warning that came in a dream. Sir Leoline was never one to question Bracy’s sense, for his sense was always good and accurate. ‘They should not leave today, they should postpone immediately,’ thought Bracy. But that was simply no longer an option. Sir Leoline had made up his mind, it appeared, and there was no changing it. To have led Geraldine away, leaving his beloved daughter Christabel in a puddle of tears and emotional turmoil on the cold castle floor, despite her pleas, was strange behaviour on his part. ‘Something was amyss,’ thought Bracy. Sir Leoline’s behaviour was surprising, for Christabel was the one person Sir Leoline would do anything for. She was his only daughter, and the only living reminder of his dead wife that he so adored. ‘Something terrible is looming over the castle,’ thought Bracy, but he did not know what. Bracy led a wailing Christabel to her bedroom, shaking his head.
Moments passed, and Sir Leoline and Geraldine were walking through the castle. Geraldine stopped Sir Leoline suddenly, sobbing quietly. She turned to Sir Leoline and looked deep into his eyes. Her eyes turned snake-like and glared. Sir Leoline did not appear to notice, but only seemed mesmerized. Geraldine began to speak, and expressed her regret for having caused Christabel to act so wildly. ‘I want nothing more than the best for dear Christabel, who helped me seek refuge here in your beautiful home,’ exclaimed Geraldine, ‘but she has pained me so with her hurtful words and her wild and erratic behaviour.’ Geraldine began to shiver and pout, looking small and frailly into Sir Leoline eyes. ‘Lovely Geraldine,’ said Sir Leoline, unphased, ‘my daughter’s hostility is inexcusable. I can see you are shaken up and will catch a cold if we do not get you into warmer attire.’ Geraldine’s expression softened. She appeared to have a hold on Sir Leoline. Satisfied, Geraldine led Sir Leoline down the hall towards his dead wife’s dressing room.
Later that morning, Christabel sat at her vanity table. In an effort to comfort herself, Christabel wondered whether her knight would arrive, and save her from the castle and relieve her of her sorrows. Christabel was interrupted suddenly by Sir Leoline and Geraldine entering unannounced into her bedroom. ‘Christabel, I ask that you apologize to me for your unladylike and cruelness towards me,’ said Geraldine. Christabel took one look at Geraldine and screamed a scream filled with fear, anger and sadness. Geraldine was wearing her mother’s favorite gown! Christabel had her father recount the very romantic story of this gown endless times: the gown had been a gift to her mother from her father, on the night of their engagement. It was their family’s most cherished item, for it was a symbol of the deep love between Christabel’s mother and father, a symbol of a wonderful time, the happiest time of their life. Christabel, enraged, leaped towards Geraldine in an effort to take the gown back, or hurt Geraldine, or both. Geraldine slapped Christabel across the face, and she crumbled to the ground. ‘I banish you to the deepest, darkest part of the woods forever!’ exclaimed Geraldine, with her serpent eyes. Sir Leoline did not flintch, but stood there passively without any expression on his face.
Geraldine dragged Christabel down the stairs and through the court where both Christabel and Geraldine had walked through not so many hours before. They passed by the female mastiff, who began to moan angrily again, only this time she was not asleep and her moans turned to growls and ferocious barking. Her teeth were barred, her eyes were dark, and saliva was dripping from her mouth.
‘STOP! RELEASE CHRISTABEL!’ yelled someone in the shadows. The figure came forward and Christabel saw that is was her own betrothed knight, tall, dark and beautiful. ‘You are evil, Geraldine, because the mastiff tells us so!’ From behind the knight, Bracy the bard appeared. Bracy had alerted the approaching knight that something was amyss in the nearby castle and that they must go there, for his beloved Christabel and her father were there. The knight and Bracy raced to the castle in an effort to save Christabel from impending doom, only to have to hide in the court when they saw Christabel and Geraldine coming their way. The mastiff had never uttered a growl in the presence of Christabel, so when Bracy saw the mastiff’s reaction to the pair crossing through the court, he knew that what was amyss in the castle was nothing and no one other Geraldine! Bracy alerted the prince, and here they now stood in an apparent stand-off. Before Geraldine could use her snake-like eyes to mesmerize anyone, the knight brought down his glistening sword, slashing the thick chain that bound the mastiff to the castle wall. The mastiff bounded across the court, pounced on Geraldine, slashing her with his razor-sharp nails. Geraldine screamed, and then the mastiff ate her for breakfast.
Christabel ran into the arms of her betrothed knight. She knew he was out there somewhere! Moments later, Sir Leoline came running into the court. ‘Dearest daughter! I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I do not know what came over me!’ he cried. Christabel hugged her father and kissed him on the cheek. All was forgiven. ‘And Bracy,’ said Sir Leoline, turning to his most loyal wordsmith, ‘I promise to never doubt you again’. Sir Leoline then turned to the knight and said, ‘Thank you for saving my daughter’s life. Without your undoubted courage and sharp sword, who knows what might have come to our family.’
Months later, Christabel and the knight were married. They lived happily ever after.
THE END

Rationale
The original poem exibited a number of elements of a fairytale. These included most importantly that the poem is set in and around a Castle, and that the opening introduction of the poem is set in a gloomy dark forest where Christabel lay all by herself. There is also the cliché of an evil step sister or stepmother, in this case an evil stranger who pretends she is a damsel in distress in order to get invited into the castle. There is trickery and magic, as Geraldine casts a spell of sorts upon the characters while making animals uneasy. Sir Leoline also takes the part of a king set in your typical fairy tale, and the protaganist Christabel loses her mother at birth. These elements of a fairytale led me to finish this poem as such, and in a way that the reader might believe plausible.
I chose to have the typical happy ending of a modern fairytale version. I chose to have good win over evil because I believe that Coleridge would have done so himself had he finished the poem. For example, Coleridge makes reference to the knight who does not show up in Part 1 or Part 2 who Christabel claims to be betrothed to. I think Coleridge mentioned the knight because he was meaning to bring forth his appearance at some point later in the novel, hence why I ended the fairytale the way I did. The mastiff also appeared to be playing a similar role that modern day fairy tale animals usually play; they usually come to the aid of the damsel in distress. I chose to follow the same plot line and end my fairytale in your typical happily ever after story.