With a few tasty morsels and a conversation with Aurora our handsome Prince soon learns the details of how the curse was broken!
Chapter 4: Tea Party
It was a quarter till two in the summer afternoon, the sun shined warmly with only a few puffy clouds pinned to the sky and a cool breeze ruffling his hair. The young prince looked at the table before him with pride. It was a perfect set up for an afternoon tea with fresh fruit, black tea and cream, sugar cubes neatly stacked into a pyramid, cookies, and the berry crumpets Aurora had requested. The table had a white linen table cloth covering it with two matching chairs on either side. Now if only the garden matched its perfection! If it could be called a garden, there were plants yes, but they were all dried up. Sad representation of the once blooming and fruitful oasis it used to be. There were a few shrubberies that coped better with the neglect; the vines especially seemed to thrive, crawling up the walls and crowding the windows with dark green leaves. Alas there were no flowers blooming, hopefully the sweet smell of the cakes would do instead.
"Phillip?" Aurora's voice called to him, flitting to his ear like a sparrow. How he loved to hear her say his name!
"Aurora! Over here." He replied, waiving her over to the finely set table.
"Is all this for me?" She gasped, a smile broadening across her pretty face. Phillip couldn't help but smile in return and nodded his head. "How wonderful!" She clapped her hands and jumped up and down with giddiness.
Phillip pulled out a chair for the princess. "Please sit. " He said. Aurora took her place at the table. Phillip gently pushed in under her so she would be comfortable, then he sat in his own chair. "I hope you like pastries." He said.
"Oh I do!" She exclaimed, taking a small cream puff from a bowel and popped it in her mouth. Philip decided to follow suit and took a cream puff. The outside was perfectly flaky with sugar and the inside cream melted on his tongue, tasty.
"When I went down to the kitchens to ask them personally to create these dishes the staff nearly died of surprise. I don't think they have ever been visited by royalty before in their workspace." Phillip said.
"Really?" Aurora said, leaning forward. "Funny, you don't look overly frightening to me." She giggled.
"You should see my hair in the morning!" Phillip replied. "My bed-head as scared the servants at home for nearly seventeen years!" Aurora laughed. The prince brightened, he was making her smile! "Pray tell, I hope the same isn't true for you in the morning, your gold hair is always so perfect. " He sighed. Aurora quickly blushed at the compliment, looking down for a quick moment then back at him with a shy smile.
"Only after a thorough brushing I assure you." She replied. Looking at the table full of wonders she said. "I hope that making all these treats weren't too much trouble for them."
"Oh not at all, when the staff learned that it was all to cheer you up Aurora they all joined in. I had to start batting them off with a rolling pin they were making so much!" He replied. The blond girl laughed again, making him laugh. "I dare say there will be enough pastries left in the kitchen to last a week."
"I hope it doesn't all go to waste." She said
"Certainly not." Phillip said. "I'm sure there are plenty of people in the castle who would take their share before that happened." The prince lifted the tea pot and hovered over her cup. "I hope you like Earl Grey." He said. Aurora nodded and with her permission poured the tea. Phillip was not used to pouring tea himself, but he made a special request of the kitchen staff to teach him earlier that afternoon so he might impress the princess, also he did not want anyone else around. Perhaps he was being selfish, but he wanted to spend time with her alone without ears to listen, even servants. He wanted to know everything about her. "How are you settling in?" He asked. "I'm sure a castle is quite the extravagant change than the cottage you resided in when we first met."
Aurora paused for a moment. "It's alright. Though I must admit it is a much bigger space than I'm used to. I'm feeling a little homesick to tell you the truth." She said sadly. "But the servants have been nothing but kind to me. I appreciate their efforts to encourage me." She said, taking a berry crumpet. "This is wonderful."
"Is it?" Phillip took one and tried it. Delicious! It was soft in his mouth and the berries were all the sugar it needed. "Is that why you were crying earlier? Because you missed home?" He asked. Aurora's eyes sunk to the table.
"Not entirely." She said, then corrected herself. "No, I do miss home."
"But that's not all you miss." Phillip filled in, growing concerned. If something was bothering her he wanted to know what it was so he might be able to fix it. Then he spoke with the utmost sincerity. "Please tell me, Aurora. I hate to see you without a smile to grace upon your face." Aurora blushed again, looking down. Opening her mouth, she closed it again, considering if she should trust her worries a boy she just met.
"CAW!" Landing on the table a large raven began squawking at him. "Caw caw!"
"What the devil?" Phillip exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his chair.
"CAW"
"Diaval!" Aurora exclaimed. "Diaval its alright."
"You know this bird?" Phillip asked, perplexed at the wild bird's strange behavior.
"Yes, I've known him ever since I was small." Aurora began petting the raven's feathers. "It's alright, Diaval. I want to tell him."
"Caw." The bird objected.
"We have to trust somebody and he is the only one in the castle who might understand." She said. Phillip looked back and forth from the raven to the princess. Did the bird really understand her? Trust him with what? Did she need his help? He wanted to help her, very much.
"Understand what, Aurora?" He asked. Curiosity building he leaned forward, a quick peck from the raven made him snatch his hand away. "Ow."
"Diaval, really, what has gotten into you?" Aurora said. "Leave him be, we need his help. We can't help Godmother on our own." The raven seemed to settle down at this, ruffled his feathers once then hopped closer to Aurora. The bird eyed the prince with a look Phillip could hardly believe. It was as if the bird was telling him 'I'm watching you.' Phillip looked curiously from the bird to the girl across the table. It amazed him how the air had changed so quickly from one of laughter to a tone of serious consequence. "I.. oh, well, we need your help, Phillip."
Phillip swallowed. This was hardly what he had expected to happen at an afternoon tea. "What do you need?" He asked.
"I .. oh, I don't know where to start."
"You mentioned your Godmother." Phillip encouraged her.
"Yes, right." She said. Then having thought of a starting point the princess looked him in the eye. "You know I was placed under an enchantment."
"Yes, you were sleeping." Phillip replied. "The faeries told me that only a kiss could wake you. But mine didn't work." Aurora looked at him puzzled. "Oh, I um, well the three faeries told me to." Phillip flustered, face burning red. Then he realized he errored. "I did want to. But I just wish you were awake for it." He paused, now he hoped he didn't look too much like a fool. How could he recover from it? Forgiveness, that's a good place to start! "Forgive me. I really did hope it would work." He looked at the half eaten crumpet, hoping he didn't offend her.
"Thank you." She said. Phillip looked up in surprise. "For trying." A smile returned to Phillip's face. The princess's heart match her beauty! Oh glorious day!
"How did you awaken? If it wasn't my kiss… then whose was it?"
"My Godmother." She replied. "Not long after you kissed me I suppose." The raven nodded to confirm her assumption. So the bird really did understand them.
"Why do you need my help? Is your Godmother in trouble? Are you in trouble?"
"Yes, the King… my father." Aurora said. Phillip was amazed by how hard it was for Aurora to call her father as her own parent. Aurora's voice choked. "He locked her up. I don't even know if she is alright or sick or d-dying." Tears formed in her eyes as it became harder for her to speak.
"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would King Stephen lock up the one person who broke the spell?" Phillip asked. "Surely he knows that your Godmother loves you. Why would he reward her with imprisonment?"
"He does know she loves me. I told him everything. But he wont listen, his hatred has grown too fierce and has bound him from showing mercy."
"Why would he hate her? Who is she?" Phillip asked, astounded at what he was being told. Surely the king seemed a bit unhinged when he met him briefly a week prior but he had been very courteous to the prince during his stay. He even allowed him to sit at his table during the celebration of the defeat of the King's greatest enemy and of Aurora's awakening, though the princess had not been present.
Aurora blue eyes met Phillip's brown ones. "Maleficent." She said quietly.
"Maleficent?" Phillip repeated, not understanding.
"She broke the curse." Aurora said. "True love. The love of a mother." Phillip's eyes widened, mouth agape. Did he hear what he thought her heard?
"I thought the faery Maleficent cursed you."
"She did, long before she knew me. I was a babe." Aurora said. "I can't defend her actions then, but all I know is that she and her companion Diaval… " Aurora motioned to the raven. "… have watched over me my whole life. They have become my family."
"So… what do you want me to do?" Phillip asked.
"Um…" Aurora said. "Well. I haven't thought that through yet. I just know that as long as Godmother is in the dungeon she isn't safe. After she woke me up it was my wish to return home, the Moors. But the King, my father, set a trap for Maleficent and captured her. He beat her." Aurora's voice broke again. The memories of that night fresh before her eyes and Phillip looked on with sympathy. There was not an ounce of dishonesty in her story. "He kept beating her with the iron whip. If I had not intervened, I dare not think… he- he would have killed her. I begged him not to and that is why she is imprisoned. He does not trust her with me and I am not allowed to see her." Tears soaked the princess's face now, the raven cawed lightly, nuzzling her shoulder. "I don't even know if she is still alive."
"She is." Phillip said.
"What?" Aurora sniffed, looking up with hope. "How do you know?"
"Because Maleficent is the King's greatest enemy. If she were dead news would spread throughout the kingdom like wildfire." The prince assured her. "If she were gone the King's men would rejoice. But there has been no celebration of her death, your Godmother is still alive."
Aurora looked at him, hope growing in her heart. "Do you know if you can find out for sure?"
"Yes, Aurora. I shall help you." Phillip puffed up, making a promise with such undeniable confidence he felt ten feet tall.
"You will?"
"Yes, but I demand one small thing in return." The prince said, tapping the table.
The raven spoke on the princess's behalf. "Caw?"
"That you finish at least one more crumpet and cup of tea. I would hate for the hard work of your adoring staff be put to waste." Phillip said. Taking a bite of another berry crumpet he chewed then said: "Especially ones as tasty as these. Mm."
Aurora giggled, then straightened. "You make a convincing argument. Very well." She agreed, placing another delicious morsel of berry crumpet behind her pink lips. Phillip smile with his mouth closed, please with himself that he was able to cheer her up again after such a serious conversation. He did not know yet what he could do to really help, after all this was not his kingdom, but his status would give him sway where it could prove useful in his endeavor to find out her Godmother's fate.
...
Our young prince is about to set forth on a mission, not just to earn Aurora's heart but to find the truth. Should he believe Aurora or the stories of an entire court? There is only one person he needs to see to have his questions answered.
Thank you for reading. 3
