Daniel Errico has written a new children's book, "The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived," that relays a fairy tale in which the main character—a young boy named Cedric—turns out to be gay. (Warning! Plot spoilers below)
Readers are introduced to Cedric as a poor pumpkin farmer who becomes a knight and has to outwit a dragon. Unlike most conventional fairy tales, though, Cedric ends up marrying a prince, rather than the expected princess, who pops the question to Cedric after his victory. The knight and prince close out the story with "a royal wedding like you've never seen before."
"Princess you are kind and I'm glad that we are friends, but now I must be brave and say, that isn't how it ends. There's someone else I love and I believe we're meant to be. I'd like to wed the prince, if he does feel the same for me," Cedric tells the princess. The story continues, "The prince was overjoyed, and yet the king, a bit confused. At first he didn't understand, at first he did refuse. But as he saw their faces, in his heart, the truth was clear. His son was meant to find his knight; he needn't doubt nor fear."
Daniel told BuzzFeed, “I hope that readers see that there is a bravery and beauty in being true to yourself. I believe it’s important to show kids different forms of love in a positive light instead of just one. Alternatively, avoidance could potentially put kids at a disadvantage towards understanding and acceptance later on in life."
He also shared with the Huffington Post, " Hopefully, the choice of marrying a prince over a princess will be less noteworthy for a hero like Cedric in the future."
Another modern twist to this tale is that you can check out the whole story on Vimeo below: