The Forbidden Mountains could not be more different from the forest Rose grew up in, but they had an undeniable beauty of their own all the same.

Rose decided this by the end of the third day, which was how long it had taken her to observe the surrounding landscape from every corner of Maleficent's castle. It was a savage beauty, the kind that arrested the senses, that manifested in unexpected ways – sharp-edged rock formations thrusting up from the earth like a thousand daggers, colors changing with the time of day; vast, heavy clouds churning the sky in ever-shifting shapes and patterns; a sudden rainstorm transforming dry beds into surging rivers, cascading over sheer cliff faces amid great plumes of silver mist into a deep abyss.

The sights alone were quite enough to take Rose's breath away. She'd never seen anything like it before in her life, could not help being drawn to it, fascinated by it, despite the danger implicit in its very nature. In this regard, Rose reflected while changing for bed one night, the Forbidden Mountains were much like their mistress (immediately, the thought struck her as so untoward that she dove under the covers and tried to forget it ever occurred to her).

Still, curiosity won out over trepidation, and Rose couldn't resist plying the castle's more talkative inhabitants for anything they could tell her about the enigmatic Mistress of All Evil. Maleficent took her meals alone and kept to herself unless she wanted something. Her only friend was the raven Diablo, who was also the only being ever permitted to touch her. She hated interruptions, was prone to mood swings, and never hid her displeasure. Late at night, green flashes of light sometimes shone from the window of Maleficent's private tower for reasons that remained an unexplained mystery.

Rose, for her part, had settled into a sort of surreal routine, finding tasks for the minions to carry out during the day and exploring the castle with Mort as her guide in the evenings. After clearing what looked like over a decade's worth of debris and grime from the kitchens, Rose soon took over meal preparation duties, much to the delight of her helpers. Their first terrifying encounter aside, she found the creatures to be agreeable enough company. Simple-minded and accident prone, yes, but a lifetime of cleaning up after her three aunts had given Rose a nearly inexhaustible supply of patience. And if she thought of the castle as an gigantic cottage, the idea of putting it to rights no longer seemed as impossible an undertaking as it once did.

She often saw Maleficent going about her own business, neither approving nor disapproving of Rose's activities. Whenever they crossed paths, Rose's greetings were returned curtly and attempts at conversation deflected. It was almost – almost – as if Maleficent had some reason for avoiding her, but that was a notion as absurd as it was improbable.

It wasn't until the end of the week that Rose had the opportunity to have her presence acknowledged for longer than a few passing moments.

That afternoon, the minions were out collecting limestone from a nearby quarry to repair the giant fissure in the wall of the throne room, and Diablo had gone at Maleficent's behest to make sure they didn't get too lost. Rose was sweeping the stairs in front of the study when the doors swung open and Maleficent walked out onto the landing above her.

The tune Rose had been humming died in her throat with a squeak. Remembering her manners, she curtseyed and then backed out of the way.

"Good day!" Rose said as brightly as she could. "I hope I didn't disturb you."

"It is no such thing," Maleficent replied snippily. "And you didn't." She descended the stairs, but instead of going elsewhere as she usually did, leaned over the battlements and surveyed the ground below, then the sky above. She seemed preoccupied, fingers drumming against the stonework.

That was odd, Rose thought. She edged closer and looked in the same direction, standing up on her tiptoes. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, if anything about this place could be considered ordinary.

"Is something wrong?" Rose asked, glancing over.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about," Maleficent said in a dismissive tone, her gaze still fixed on the horizon.

Oh, this again. If Rose had learned anything from her fairy godmother-aunts, being told she needn't be concerned about something was almost a guarantee that she ought to do just the opposite.

"Are you certain of that?" Rose said without thinking.

"Did you just question my judgment?" Maleficent glared at Rose as if she had taken complete leave of her senses (and perhaps she very well had).

"No!" Rose said quickly, clutching the broom handle close to her chest. "That wasn't- I just… I don't like being left in the dark about things, is all," she admitted.

Maleficent gave her a long, considering look. "Put that down," she said at last, "and come with me."

"I- oh." Rose blinked. "All right." She did as she was told and hurried to keep up.

They took a direct route to the heart of the castle, where Maleficent led the way down a dark, winding stairwell into what seemed like endless depths. Her scepter glowed with a steady golden-green light, illuminating the stones underfoot and casting long shadows in her wake. Rose felt glad for this, because she was fairly sure being unable to see where she was going would not be an acceptable excuse for tripping and falling on her face, or worse, on top of Maleficent.

Turn after turn they descended, silence broken only by their footsteps and the sibilant slide of Maleficent's long robes over the stairs. Rose lost track of how many steps they had taken, but eventually became aware that they'd been walking down for much longer than the trek up the mountain path her first night at the castle. Which meant—

"Are we underground?" Rose asked with surprise.

Maleficent stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Of course we are," she said.

"No, I mean, we've gone under the mountain entirely by now, haven't we?"

"How astute of you to notice," said Maleficent. She held the scepter aloft, throwing its light onto Rose's face, and raised an eyebrow.

Rose looked about herself in wonder. "How far down does this go?"

Something that appeared suspiciously close to amusement flickered across Maleficent's face. She turned back around and continued the descent. "You'll soon see," her voice drifted up.

True to Maleficent's word, a few turns later the stairs bottomed out into a sloping tunnel, wide enough for two to walk side by side. Rose reached to the right, trailing her fingers along the wall – it was rough to the touch, pocked with shallow dimples, curved and solid in a way that suggested it had not been hewn by hands – and pulled back with a start when she heard a dull, distant roar, felt it reverberating through the rock. She stumbled into Maleficent, who stiffened at the contact.

"Sorry," Rose said, righting herself. "What's that sound?"

"What, and spoil the surprise? Have some patience, Briar Rose." It was the first time Maleficent had said her name since revoking the curse, with the same odd emphasis and formality that somehow made Rose feel both small and important all at once. Rose fell into confused silence and kept walking.

She did not have long to wait, for a few minutes later the tunnel widened as it went around a bend. Maleficent beckoned for her to stay close before moving ahead.

They stepped into an enormous cavern, and Rose gasped at what she saw.


The Good Fairies had a serious problem on their hands.

Or rather, if one were to be precise about these things, they had a serious problem locked inside a supply closet of the village inn they were passing through.

"Let me out!" said Prince Phillip, banging on the door.

"Not until you tell us why Aurora isn't with you," Flora called back. They hadn't expected to stumble across him alone at the inn, and when he looked ready to bolt upon seeing them, well, somewhat drastic measures had to be taken.

Phillip made a frustrated noise. "I told you, I haven't seen Aurora!"

"But you met a peasant girl in the woods last week?" asked Merryweather.

"Yes, but I don't see what-"

"That girl was Aurora in disguise, dear," said Fauna.

"What?" Pause. "None of this makes any sense."

"It will in due time," said Flora. "We'll explain everything, if you promise not to run or make a fuss."

There was a heavy thump from inside. "Fine." Phillip sounded defeated. "I promise." At that, Flora opened the door with a wave of her wand, causing Phillip to tumble out and nearly fall over.

"Now," Phillip said, straightening his cap, "will you tell me what's going on?"

"Aurora ran away on the day she was to return to the castle."

"We thought she was with you!"

"But if she isn't, then where is she now? And what are you doing here?"

Phillip raised and lowered his hands placatingly. "Please, please. I don't know any more than you do. If the girl I met really was Aurora like you say, then I've been looking for her too."

"You have?" said Fauna.

"The cottage in the glen was empty, but I wasn't about to give up so easily." Phillip shrugged. "I just had to see her again."

Flora and Merryweather exchanged a meaningful look. "Are you in love with her?" Merryweather asked.

Phillip looked taken aback. "Why yes, of course!" he said. "That's what I told Father!"

The three fairies put their heads together in a circle.

"You know what this means we can do," Flora whispered, wings aflutter.

"Only if it's true love. It won't work otherwise," Merryweather countered.

"I'll ask him," Fauna said, and went to take Phillip's hand. "Phillip dear, how did you fall in love with Aurora?"

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met," Phillip replied in earnest. "And her singing voice, oh, it's divine! I rode all over the woods, and when I finally laid eyes on her, I suppose it was love at first sight."

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather nodded to each other. The road ahead would be challenging, but Phillip was their best hope for finding Aurora again. He seemed up to the task, having grown since they had last seen him from a boy of seven years at Aurora's christening to the strapping young man who stood before them today. Yes, he would do nicely.

"We know how to reunite you with your love," Flora told him. "But first, you must come with us to the Sage Kingdom. There's somebody you need to see."


Rose could scarcely believe her eyes. Her first impression was that they had walked into an underground forest, but as she adjusted to the vast expanse of blackness, she perceived a space filled with great, tapering columns of stone. The cavern's ceiling swept upward from its edges and rose far, far away in an arched dome, scattered with luminous clusters of pale blue dots that shone brighter than any stars she'd ever seen at night.

At Rose's side, Maleficent gestured over her scepter. A glowing green cloud rose from its crystal top, gathering speed as it spun in place before flinging itself forward and up. She heard a distant, echoing bang, and magical light suffused the cavern.

"Oh," Rose breathed.

A shimmering lake stretched out before them, reflecting the stone formations and pinpricks of light that hung above it in a kaleidoscope of ripples. In the back, to the right, was the source of the sound Rose had heard in the tunnel – there, a waterfall flowed forth from a dark crevice and plunged into the waters below.

"It's wonderful!" Rose felt giddy. "It's, it's… thank you!"

Maleficent gave her a strange look. "For what?"

"For showing me this place! I could never have dreamed of anything so beautiful in all my days." Overcome with delight, Rose threw her arms out and spun in a circle.

"You have uncommon notions of beauty."

"Do I?" Rose stopped turning and faced Maleficent, head tilted. "I do find lots of things beautiful, but that's just the way I am."

Maleficent placed both hands on her scepter. "Most humans fear what they do not know, loathe what they fear, and shun or attempt to destroy what they loathe," she said.

"That can't be right."

"No?"

Rose shook her head. "If it was, how would we get to know anything at all? Isn't that the point of discovering things? To start out not knowing, and then finding out what you didn't know before?"

"I said most–"

"It's like… oh! It's like meeting a stranger," Rose continued, getting worked up. "If you've met someone once, then they're not a stranger anymore!"

"And how well that's worked out for you," Maleficent retorted.

Rose folded her arms. "My point is, just because something is strange, or even frightening at first, doesn't mean I can't like it."

"Is that so?"

"Your minions, for instance. Once you get to know them, they're quite cute, in their own way."

Maleficent reared her head back, as if the very thought offended her. "Cute," she said.

"And Diablo. He has such pretty feathers."

Maleficent's eye twitched. "Pretty," she said.

"And…" Rose's mind stuttered to a halt at the half-formed thought that had nearly escaped from her mouth.

"And?" Maleficent prompted.

"Nothing!" Rose said with alarm, averting her gaze.

Maleficent sniffed. "So you do have a modicum of self-preservation instinct in that head of yours. I was beginning to wonder."

Rose busied herself with studying a stalagmite that protruded from the ground, running a finger over its bumps and ridges. When enough time passed for her embarrassment to subside, she chanced a look up at Maleficent, whose expression was back to completely neutral.

"Why did you bring me here?" Rose asked.

Maleficent glided along the rocky shoreline at a deliberate pace. "My line of work involves making a great many deals. Various forms of barter, if you will." She reached up and plucked something from the end of a low-hanging stalactite. "This place, being the only one of its kind in the land, contains rarities of great value to those engaged in certain professions."

"So you come here to collect them? For trade?" Rose asked, intrigued beyond measure.

"Yes." Maleficent returned to Rose's side and opened her hand.

Resting in Maleficent's palm was a snow-white flower, with perfectly formed tubular petals amid a spray of spiky leaves. Something looked uncanny about it, though. Rose leaned in for a closer look and exclaimed, "It's made of crystal!"

"It's an anthodite," said Maleficent. "A potent additive, when handled properly. It grows in no other conditions but these." She handed it to Rose, conjured a basket from thin air, and handed that to her too. "Find more of them. Mind you don't fall in, though."

For a dreadful moment, Rose thought Maleficent was going to leave her here by herself. But she merely turned aside, walking to the water's edge. Rose breathed a sigh of relief. Despite her earlier bravado, the idea of wandering around alone in the dark filled Rose with unease. For once, Maleficent's presence chased away her anxiety instead of causing it. Funny how that's worked out, Rose thought, and set about the task given to her.


"Oh, a quest, we're going on a quest!" Fauna said eagerly.

"Better than waiting around doing a whole lot of nothing, that's for sure," Merryweather agreed. "We've wasted too much time already."

"I've always wanted to go on a quest." Fauna flitted about the cottage, shrinking their belongings. They were going to meet Phillip back at the inn and leave at first light. Journeys to the Sage Kingdom took around two weeks on horseback, so they had to be prepared for anything.

"This isn't about what you want, dear," said Flora.

"I know, but isn't it so perfect? Just like the tales! A valiant prince finds a missing princess through the power of true love," said Fauna, clasping her hands and leaning her cheek against them.

"How do you know this is going to work?" Merryweather asked Flora.

"Mistress Camellia is an old friend of mine," Flora replied. "She has just the charm we need, and I'm sure she'll let us borrow it to use on Phillip once she hears our story."

"We'll be gone an awfully long time," said Merryweather.

"Yes, yes, there's nothing to be done about that."

"Won't the King and Queen be worried sick?"

"The King and Qu-" Flora covered her mouth. "Oh dear, I knew I was forgetting something."

"And Hubert, too!" Fauna chimed in.

"They won't be happy when they find out," said Merryweather.

Flora held her wand tightly. "They're not going to."

"They're not?"

Flora had a determined look in her eyes, the kind that brooked no argument.

"We'll put them all to sleep," she said, "until we return with Aurora."