Alluring Aurora
Disclaimer: I do not own Sleeping Beauty of any of the characters there within. They are all property of Disney.
She would never see him again. This singular thought ran over and over in the young woman's mind; a tear fell to match each melancholy repetition. Her heart had only just learned what it was to love; why so many sang ballads and composed poetry of this feeling. She had found love in a stranger she had met once in her dreams come true, and now she would never see him again.
She knew the women—fairies—she had spent the entirety of her life with, had only meant her well, to return her to her rightful place, of which she had only just learned. An ugly feeling of disbelief and betrayal plagued her as the four of them walked the quiet, gloomy halls of the castle. But even through her distress, she still clung to the fragile hope that the women whom surrounded her now were still her dutiful, affectionate guardians; her aunts through and through. A few hours ago, she had been a simple woodland girl and now as though by some magical twist of fate, she had become a princess. The homecoming seemed anything but, the cottage and the forest had been her home. She had lost so much in such a short time. She felt so lost, and she was frightened.
Princess Aurora. The simple Rose she thought she had been was gone; it had all been a lie. Her life had been a lie. Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather had been her loving guardians and now they were to leave her too; after sixteen years of safeguarding her from something extraordinary—something terrible.
The magnificent cobalt blue gown she had received as a birthday present had been light in her arms when she discovered it, but it now rested on her like a weight with the pressure of responsibility that graced royalty. She sat before the mirror, hardly recognizing herself, as her guardians pressed closely around her, bestowing a glittering golden crown upon her hair that splintered the faint firelight into a rainbow of dancing light and color across the stone walls. The crown seemed impossibly heavy for its size, was a true princess supposed to feel this alienation; this perjury?
It was all too much! She had lost everything she had ever known, ever been certain about and been forced into a world she knew nothing of in such a short span of time….
Rose felt the grief tear through her anew at these anguished thoughts, and the tears sprang forward again. She crumpled to the vanity desk before her, racked with sobs.
"Oh, now dear…"
"Come, let her have a few moments alone."
She heard Aunt Flora say, she could still think no less of the dear old women, as they left her. Even this small action felt horrifically final. Tears flowed with double the passion as before, distraught.
She was utterly alone…
Aurora…Aurora…
A soft, beautifully ethereal voice called to Rose like a gentle caress. She withheld another breath that would have formed a sob; halting in her crying to listen more carefully. A wave of heat rolled over her from the fireplace and the room dimmed.
Aurora…Aurora…
She had not imagined it. The voice, like that of an angel, was filling Rose's mind; pushing out all other thought. The resonating tones lasted within her being with curling warm contours. Her sadness was swallowed by the hazy cloud that seemed to fog throughout her thoughts; she was being carried by a light breeze over land and sea. She felt so light as everything fell away, her sadness, her fear, her weight; she was flying.
Aurora.
The flying settled and she was within her body once more. Oh, she did not want this, she wanted to be free again. The voice was calling to her, summoning her forward with a promise of freedom, of sweet liberation, if only she would raise that tear-stricken face to see. Aurora did as the voice subtly instructed. Mesmerized, she sat up from the vanity's desk.
Aurora.
There, across the room, hovering over the now silent fireplace, was a brilliant green orb of light aligned with swirling tendrils of frothy radiance. A beautiful, miracle aurora of light. Was this her angel?
Yes child, I am your angel.
The caressing voice assured her euphoniously, speaking in slow, lilting tones.
Come, come with me and I shall grant you your freedom, Aurora.
The last word seemed to echo around the chamber, so that it seemed the voice was calling her over and over again. Fear stabbed at the girl's heart. She was not Aurora, she was the simple Rose; a daughter of the forest and nothing more.
I am afraid.
The girl thought silently. The orb continued to hover, almost thoughtfully. Then the scene before her softened and shifted, and there, there was the forest path she knew so well; a path of the deer, the winding trail that led her home to the cottage.
Come, be not afraid.
Aurora stood. The orb flashed brilliantly for a moment and Aurora felt spectral fingers slip delicately over her shoulders; her traveling cloak fell away. Ah, her heart felt lighter already. She would not have to stay in this wretched place. Already her angel had taught her not to fear her true name; what was a name after all? Naught but letters and sound, not but a summons. Rose smiled, her last thought was positively absurd.
The orb pulled back and Aurora felt a pull, an odd tugging in her heart to follow.
Come to me, I will lead you home.
The glowing green orb made sure that the princess was in tow before flashing ever brighter than before and the wall behind the fireplace vanished, revealing a hidden doorway beyond. The orb entered spinning and dipping in a playfully graceful fashion.
Aurora.
More beautifully than before, the voice called her and the unspoken command came again. Follow, follow; lift the chains of oppression to liberation. My gift to you…
Aurora was numbly aware that her guardians were calling after her as she mounted the stairs that cut through the forest. She wanted to turn to see why they called her, but was immediately reprimanded by the voice. A burning lash seared across her mind like a whip and the force tugging at her chest intensified. She cringed from it, fearful but in wonder all the same. She felt guilt tear through her; she did not wish to anger her angel. The angel seemed forgiving and called her onward, the crying voices behind Aurora were now muffled to nearly nothing.
The voice seemed more insistent now in its urgings. It flashed twice its most brilliant luminescence yet, as though impatient.
Make haste!
Aurora hurried to obey the voice, trying to take the steps more quickly, but a dizzying spell disoriented her for a moment and she slowed. Another unvoiced command blasted through Aurora with a heat she had never known. Her pace increased two-fold. Again the voices of her guardians came to her, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own; her legs kept carrying her onward, her ears did not seem to work properly; all of her senses seemed dull. But she did not want to stop, the orb summoned her ever forward.
The voices continued to cry out and they sounded most worrisome, but a dull roaring was filling her ears now, a sound of rushing water, like waves crashing against rocks on a lonely, stormy night. The only sound that came clearly through her mind was the voice of her angel; silken, honeyed, melodious. The enchanting voice detained Aurora's swooning fascination like a warm embrace; swirling about her in a cloud of musky perfume and promise—hazing out anything of lesser importance. A caress of reassurance put all from her mind, but to follow the beautiful, floating orb.
My gift lies at the height of the stairs, you must hurry. It is an enchanted spinning wheel with a spindle which, when touched, will grant a heart its greatest desire.
The princess felt some of the weight on her lighten, though the pull did not lose any of its strength. A marvelous gift awaited her.
My promise must be kept, the spindle awaits, make haste!
And with these words, an exquisite laughter echoed down to Aurora as the messenger orb flew ever faster, taking the stairs within the forest flights at a time. How it moved so quickly, Aurora did not know; angels worked in mysterious ways. She hurried her step more to comply with the voice, afraid the orb would leave her for good lest she was too slow.
Make haste!
The orb entered a tree-woven door at the top of the stairway, Aurora a few steps behind it. She passed through the elegant doorway, the orb spiraling purposefully before her before transforming itself into her gift. A spinning wheel.
Rose was reeling back into a realm as misty as the vision before her now. She had often dreamt of the apparatus, revolving with a constant tranquility. A woman frequently accompanied the dream, working at the device, and she often smile when Rose entered, as though the elder woman knew she would appear. Long black hair spilled across the floor from the woman's head, like a dark blanket or a sweeping garment. The woman had an angular face with high cheekbones and crimson lips, as though she had kissed blood. The lips would part into a smile then. She paid no more heed to her graceful motions when Rose entered, her long fingers and pointed fingernails methodically working the thread as she watched the young girl with those eyes that reminded the girl of a cat's; all yellow and pupils narrowed to slits. The woman's posture was always majestic and retained a regal air, causing Rose to believe she stood before royalty. She was horrifically fascinating and mysterious; a terribly alluring combination.
"What is it?" Rose would always ask her breathlessly. The woman would smile and answer: "A spinning wheel. It is an enchanted device, with all of its magic poised at the spindle's end. Wishes come true with a single touch." The woman would then grin in a catlike fashion. "Have you a wish?"
Rose would nod and reach out, but every time she touched the sharp point, she would wake up. Now, those very same words seemed to echo in her head, blending in a cacophony of sounds with the words her angel spoke to her; enthralling words of power, words that held promise in every breath.
The words of Rose's dreams always sounded true and sincere, but they were nothing more than the skillful weavings of a dream.
But this time she was awake, this was real. Could she finally have her wish?
Waves of power seemed to radiate from the spindle's shining tip. The voice did not speak, but there was a pulsing energy within the familiar, tree-lined chamber that Aurora found irresistible. The spindle called to her; her gift. She reached out to touch the magical object.
"Rose, don't touch anything!"
The beautiful scene before her shuddered and split, revealing a much grayer, bleak landscape than she had originally walked into. The cry was so familiar…Merriweather. Aunt Merriweather. A frightened face of the blue clothed woman flashed through Rose's mind. The angelic voice that had led her here seemed to have lost some of its constricting control around her. Merriweather's cry had been filled with horror and alarm; it was a warning. Aurora was thrown into doubt and she drew her hand back from the bright spindle tip. Something was amiss.
The angel's voice returned to Aurora, its voice much stronger, much deeper and harsher than before. The scene Aurora had been following returned with a force; as though she had missed a step on the leafy stairs, leaving the princess no room to think properly; heavy with irresolution, but cradled in the hazy heaven of the voice still.
Touch the spindle. Touch it I say!
A final compulsion filled the entirety of the girl's mind and she obeyed.
The radiant spindle seemed eager to be received by her, as Aurora reached out again, her middle fingertip pressed onto the sharp point.
Wishes come true with a single touch.
Pain blossomed on the spot, before her arm lost all sensation, falling completely numb, climbing up and out, racing all through her body. She felt her legs crumple beneath her and she fell.
Have you a wish?
Her eyelids became heavy; her blood felt thick and body sluggish, her mind was plunged from the welcoming arms of the forest into an asphyxiating darkness. The last thing she saw was a green angular face belonging to a woman dressed all in black, with high cheekbones and spiteful crimson lips; hair, black as a raven's wing, was twisted and curled into horns above her head. Cruel, yellow catlike eyes seemed to smile pitilessly down at her, before all went black.
A happy wish come true.
Author's Note: I must immediately thank my reviser and editor: Eric Blair, who without his great help, I would have posted this story in haste and it would not have given me as great a satisfaction as it does now! Thanks so much for helping make my story shine, Eric!!
Good God, I love Maleficent--she has to be my favorite disney villain of all time. And of course, I used to rewatch the evil enchantment scene over and over again (I was under a spell myself!), if not the first three times for motion picture, then another three for music. And YES, I do own the soundtrack. Now every time I hear the oboe I think "Maleficent. She's around here somewhere!"
I tried to stay as true to the movie as possible, with my own little creative twists here and there, I hope it is still believable. I don't know what Aurora saw that got her so transfixed--maybe glowing light just has an overwhelming effect on people, ha, I wanted to give Aurora a better reason than just "duh, pretty lights." I've got a soft spot for this princess out of them all, I can't really explain why, I was an impressionable youth!!
At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed the story and will please review!! (Thanks again for all the help Eric!)
Blackfire 18