King Stefan entered the room. Rose didn't know what she was supposed to do; he was the King so she should probably bow, but he was also her father, so she should probably give him a hug. But neither felt appropriate and she settled for a tentative smile. At first he didn't look at her at all, his eyes were fixated on the green-skinned woman on the floor, as if he couldn't believe what he saw. Then he looked at Merryweather.

"I am impressed, Merryweather. I thought nobody could conquer this wicked creature."

"Maleficent," Rose said. Everyone turned to look at her. She was standing in front of the fairy, as if shielding her from the hate that radiated from them. She folded her arms across her chest and stared back at them - the good ones, the ones who loved her and in spite of it had betrayed her so. In some strange way she felt kinship with the defeated enemy.

"She is a person and her name is Maleficent."

"Aurora," the King said and held out his arms. "My daughter. I have missed you every single day for sixteen years."

And for sixteen years I didn't know you existed, Rose thought.

"Father," she said simply and walked into the offered embrace. But her mind was preoccupied with Maleficent's wellbeing, and she broke off the hug much sooner than her father had expected her to.

"What will happen to Maleficent?" she asked.

"She will be burned at the stake, of course. She is a witch, Aurora."

"But if we kill her, we are worse than she was. Maleficent did not kill anyone," Rose said. King Stefan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Then what do you suggest we do, my daughter?"

"What would you have done with me if I had been the one lost in an enchanted sleep?"

"We would have kept you in the tower room, with the most magnificent view… and every day we would have come to see you and speak with you, whether or not you could hear us."

"Then that is what we should do with Maleficent."

"Talk to her? Sit by her side and tell her we miss her? Aurora, you are a very kind young woman, but she does not deserve such kindness. I would stretch so far as to put her in a cell in the dungeons, but in the tower room? That is ridiculous."

"Consider it a gift to me?" she asked. She wasn't certain why she'd behave like this, but there was something about Maleficent that intrigued her.

The King sighed and shrugged.

"Very well. But the room will be sealed and guarded at all times."

"How can she be a threat if she's asleep?"

"If she wakes up, she will have no mercy on any of us."

Merryweather cleared her throat.

"Your Majesty, the spell is far too strong. It's not merely any kind of sleep, it truly is the sleep of death. The only thing that can ever break it, is true love's kiss."

King Stefan laughed out loud and Rose felt the first tug of contempt towards him. Perhaps even hatred.

"True love's kiss," he snorted. "Then she will stay asleep forever. Nobody could ever love a monster like her."

"Perhaps not," Rose said, "But if she's going to sleep for eternity, she might as well do so in a proper bed instead of on a cold floor."

Her voice was unusually demanding, and nobody would continue the argument. Briar Rose had just won her first debate.

"Fauna, do you know if Zemi is still alive?" Rose asked as the guards carried the body of the wicked fairy towards the tower room.

"Rose!" Fauna looked shocked. "You cannot possibly consider…!"

"What I consider or not is none of your business," Rose said calmly. "I merely asked you a question. Do I have to remind you that I am now a member of the Royal family and shall be treated as such?"

She hated to use haughty words, but if it worked, she could learn to do it. There were a lot of things a person could learn if they had to.

"No, Your Majesty. Zemi was a human. She lived a long life, that much is true, but she died of natural causes many years ago. If you considered finding her and hope against hope that she still loves Maleficent enough to break the spell, I must disappoint you. Maleficent ensnared herself in the trap she set for you, but unlike you, she never had anyone who cared about her. Keep that in mind, Your Highness. Never push your loved ones too far away."

"And what if they leave on their own accord?" Rose countered.

Fauna did not reply. But Rose hadn't expected her to.