The Fairies Plan A

Author's Note: In the movie "Sleeping Beauty" we saw the fairies improvising after Phillip discovered Aurora in the forest. What was their original plan for getting the princess home? Would it have worked?

Telling the King

"Your Majesties," began Flora the fairy as the three fairies approached the royal family in their private sitting room. "Burning the spinning wheels is not going to be enough to stop her, you know that?"

"Would an assault on the Mountain work? If we kill her would that make a difference?" asked the king.

The fairies shook their heads in unison. "That would probably get a lot of your people killed or worse. Even if you did succeed, it wouldn't do anything about the curse. She doesn't need to be alive to accomplish the curse."

King Stefan nodded sadly, he had his arms around his quietly weeping wife, who was holding their miracle daughter, as they sat on one of the sofas.

"We have a plan to protect the princess. She needs to be hidden from Maleficent. She can't stay here. She will expect us to try to protect her here in some way. I'm sorry but given sixteen years we are sure that she could find a weakness in any defense we could create and accomplish the curse. We need to do something that doesn't expect." Flora explained.

"I take it it has something to do with the peasant clothes you're wearing now." Stefan said.

"Yes. She'll be raised as a foundling child by peasant women in the forest. We know of an aban..."

"Stop!" King Stefan commanded.

The fairies were taken aback by the forcefulness of his tone. Few people had ever spoken that way to them.

Stefan sighed, "Please, don't tell us where. We cannot risk anyone finding her, not even ourselves."

"We understand, Your Majesty." said Flora.

"We should make the place you are going crown land. That would help protect our baby," said Queen Leah.

"Since you are going to hide her in a forest, we can designate it crown land so fewer people will enter it." King Stefan got up, and pulled a map from his desk. He laid it on the table and then retrieved quill and ink. "The kingdom has many forests. Please mark at least ...twelve of them. I'll do some other things too so this plan isn't so obvious. That will help confuse Maleficent and anyone else. Our baby must be protected."

Stefan knew about the kidnapping that had happened in Corona a couple of years ago. He now knew why King Leonard had asked about torture techniques. He probably could never take vengeance out on Maleficent, but he surely wanted to now.

"Good thinking, Your Majesty," said Flora going to the map, trying to figure out where the abandoned woodcutter's cottage was but she didn't know how a map worked. So she ended up waving her wand at the map and in a burst of sparkles circles appeared around twelve forests.

"What about Phillip?" Asked Merryweather.

"What about him?" asked Flora.

"He's Aurora true love, isn't he? He's the cursebreaker, if we fail. Won't Maleficent go after him too?" asked Merryweather.

"Oh dear." said Fauna.

"We can't keep them together."

"It might be best if they aren't both magically protected. Maleficent won't expect him to go into hiding using just human resources. I'll talk to Hubert about it," said King Stefan.

Just then Aurora started to fuss. Queen Leah opened her dress and began to give suck to her beloved child.

"I love you. I love you so much, my dear one. We both love you. You'll be safe with them. You'll come back to us." Leah began to sing as tears dripped down her face onto her beloved baby. She knew this was the last time she would be doing this for her baby. What would her baby be like in 16 years? She was going to miss out on everything as her baby grew up.

Leah knew enough about the fairies that they cared deeply, but they were sometimes ignorant of the ways of humankind. They wanted to keep Aurora safe, they wouldn't take her away if they didn't know how to care for her, would they?

Leah swaddled Aurora nice and tight and gave her kisses as did Stefan. Why was their life so hard? It had taken so much effort to conceive her babies. She had two stillbirths, their bodies in the royal crypt. Leah was rocking back and forth trying not to sob.

King Stefan put his hand on the head of his beloved miracle daughter. "My dearest, beloved Aurora. My blessing upon you. Know that your mother and I love you with all our hearts. Listen to the fairies, obey them, be a good girl and they will be able to keep you safe so you will be able to return to us and your betrothed. We love you. We love you." Stefan wept as his hand dropped and he kissed her.

"We'll take good care of her. We'll bring her back after the curse is broken," promised Fauna, seeing the distress in the king and queen, as she held out her hands for the now sleeping baby.

Leah kissed Aurora one last time, put her on her shoulder for a few more pats, cradled her in her arms and slowly extended Aurora to the waiting fairy. "Good-bye. My baby. Good-bye."

Fauna cradled the baby princess close, and turned away into the protective circle of the two other fairies.

Stefan and Leah went to the balcony and watched as the fairies and their daughter snuck out of the castle. Stefan put his arm around Leah as the door closed behind the fairies and together they walked with heavy hearts back to their rooms.