Prologue
~ Roused
~ Chapter 003
~ Awakening
I awake. I feel warmth spreading from my red, red lips, across my face and down my body.
I'm alive. How disappointing.
The pain of everything those hated fairies, my beloved aunts, did to me returns to me, after the pleasant dreams of my true love.
My heart feels like it has been ripped from my chest and torn to shreds. Every heartbeat pulsed Pain. I feel like the bones have been wrenched from my limbs. I had so hoped Maleficent could have killed me somehow. It would hurt less then living.
I open my eyes and see him, and the Pain flees.
The stranger from the forest, the young man from my dreams.
The young man I was to never see again.
The man I so desperately love.
I see him now, no matter what those hated fairies, my beloved aunts had said.
The man I destroyed my life for, because I talked to him.
He is my true love and I would be with him no matter what, I pay the cost, gladly.
I'll be dead soon anyway, monsters, fairies or the king or queen will kill me, but it is so good to be with him.
I smile. He smiles back at me and my heart leaps with joy.
He tells me he is Prince Phillip and that I am the Princess Aurora and we are betrothed.
He is a prince! I am safe, and we are to be married, could there be anything better.
I have my prince and I'll be safe from the monsters and the fairies and the witches and the king and queen.
I have passed through the darkness and good has come back to me.
I lost everything, but I have found my true love and he is a prince, who can keep me safe.
I throw my arms around him and hug him close. I am safe. I see the hated fairies floating near the ceiling, but they are powerless now that I have my prince. They fly off. I am weak with happiness and relief. I am, finally, safe from them.
I wonder if I can find my parents, I would like to meet them, surely it would be as happy as this, I've missed my parents so much, for so long.
He says we should go down and meet my parents.
Oh, everything good was coming back to me now. I want to weep with joy.
I nod. I place a hand on my throat to show him I cannot talk as yet and I smile to let him know it is from happiness.
He understands. Of course he does, he is my true love, we hardly need words to speak to each other.
Then he said that our parents and kingdoms were downstairs waiting for my return. He helped me up and we went down the stairs. I kept my eyes on him the whole way down; I drank in his face and the feel of his hands guiding me.
I fit so well into the curve of his arm. The terrible Pain of what had been done to me was held at arms length.
I was happy and safe again.
He held me close; worried about my falling. I wasn't worried about tripping on the stairs, I never have, one of the advantages of Maleficent's gifts, I've since learned.
Philip told me that my mother looked much like me and that my father was tall and had a black beard and his father was short with a white beard, and they were all wearing crowns fancier then mine.
He excuses himself; he wants to change for the ball. He wouldn't be long.
Crowns.
My crown; one last gift of the hated fairies, I see it on my head, in a mirror on the wall as I wait outside his room. It marked me as a princess; a target of monsters, witches and fairies, and I can't take it off myself anymore.
The Pain comes closer.
I didn't want to think about my crown. I wanted to keep the Pain away. The crown focused the Pain. I look into his eyes as he comes out of his room in a handsome new doublet and the Pain retreats. I didn't want to go near the king and queen. They hurt and kill their princesses in the stories, but those were usually stepparents. These are my real parents, I am a good girl, mostly; they won't hurt me, would they? My prince is here too; I am safe with him.
Of course, I am.
We made it to the throne room, there were strangers everywhere, but I was brave and held onto Phillip. Phillip would keep me safe. I knew in my heart he would.
As we got close to the thrones I finally looked away from Philip and I saw someone who looked so much like me. It must have been my real mom, and the man next to her must have been my dad, they looked so good and kind, like they would never hurt anyone.
Oh, what happiness filled my soul!
I curtsied like my etiquette book said to do to kings and queens.
I rushed and gave mom a hug and his father a kiss. But I wanted to be with Phillip more, he would keep me safe from the fairies, I see them up on a balcony. It felt so good and right to be with him, and he kept the Pain of my betrayal away.
And then he took me to dance and there was no Pain while we danced. I was safe again and happy again.
The fairies couldn't touch me while I was with Phillip, even as they launch magic at me. That terrible dress they made changes with their impotent spells, but I was safe.
We were safe.
There was just us and we danced. I just wanted to be near him. To never be away from him. I was safe with him. I clung to him as strangers came close. I felt happy near him and the Pain was kept away, and we danced.
It felt so right to be held by him as we danced.
I never wanted that moment to end. Even as darkness came again.
To feel happy again.
To put my head on his chest.
To rest for a moment.
To feel safe again.
To sleep.
~ End of Chapter 003
Author's Note: It certainly looked like a happy ending, didn't it? A home, parents, boyfriend, what more could she want?
Her thinking that just having a prince would keep her safe was a false assumption but it seemed to fit reality.
They danced until she fell asleep on his chest.