A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I had a bad case of writers block and I also have to share my computer with another member of my family so I don't always have it at my disposal. This ones mainly just a filler chapter but I made sure to try and make it a little interesting. ;)

Chapter 12

When I reached the house, it was barely light out. The birds had all gone to bed and all the night creatures had started up their songs for the evening. I stumbled through the doorway and collapsed into the closest chair, exhausted. I didn't see any of the fairies but I figured they'd be there soon.

I closed my eyes and nearly fell asleep, but as soon as I started to slip away, the image of August being strangled appeared in my mind and I shot my eyes open to erase the image. Okay, so sleeping was out of the question. Good to know.

"Aurora! You're back!" Fauna said in an unusually high voice.

"Where have you been?" Merriweather demanded.

"We've been worried sick!" Flora exclaimed.

"Out." I replied, leaning back in the chair.

"You look absolutely dreadful!" Flora cried, rushing over to me. "What on earth have you been doing?"

"Dancing." I replied honestly. "With a perfect stranger." They all gasped. "Oh, don't go getting your panties in a twist. I'd met him before."

"Then how could he have been a perfect stranger?" Fauna asked clearly confused.

"I've met him before in a dream." I tried to sound wistful and romantic, but I think it came out more as annoyance and just plain old exhaustion.

"A dream?" Merriweather said with a frown. "Aurora, what are you talking about?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Forget it. I'm going back tomorrow to meet him."

They all gasped again. "You can't do that, dear." Fauna told me with sorrow in her eyes.

"And why not?"

"You are already betrothed."

"Excuse me?" I must admit, I played the part nicely. Romantic and sappy, I couldn't do, but shocked and angry, now that I could act.

"To Prince Phillip!"

"The Prince?! Are you kidding me? You're saying that I'll never be able to see the man I love again and now I have to marry some snob of a prince?" I couldn't help the tiny smile on my lips. Alfie was anything but snobby. If anything he was much too insecure or just too carefree to worry about what anyone else thought.

"It's time." Flora said with little hesitance. "It's getting to dangerous here. Who knows who that man was. We have no way of knowing if he was working for Maleficent! We must get her out of here."

"Where are we going?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"Home." All three of them said in unison.

The rest of the night I was forced to hike up to the castle with the fairies as they told me my 'life story'. Believe me, it was not an easy walk, especially when I was fighting just to breathe. When we finally did arrive, I could barely stand.

The fairies led me through the dark halls of the castle to a small room on the fourth floor. They instructed me to stay there and wait for them while they went to find the king. I nodded obediently and waited for them to close the door before scouring the room. I knew Maleficent was going to be coming soon, and I wanted to know where she was coming from. There was no fireplace in this room like there was in the movie. The room was too small to house a fireplace. There was a small mirror hanging on the wall and a single chair in the room. A small window allowed the moonlight to light up the room but other than that, there was nothing.

I sighed and collapsed into the chair. There was no telling where she would come from. I'd just have to wait and see. So I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.

I had completely zoned out, staring unblinkingly at the wall when it suddenly dissolved into thin air. I jumped to my feet in shock and backed up against the opposite wall. When I turned my slightly, I got a glimpse of the mirror. Inside it, I could see Maleficent beckoning me toward the opening in the wall.

I whipped my head around to the opening but no one was there. I looked again to the mirror to find her still motioning me forward. Knowing there was no way to avoid it, I cautiously stepped forward. As soon as I did, a green light appeared, lighting up the tunnel. I took another step forward. The curse decided I was taking too long and gave me a push. I was forced to walk into the tunnel and follow the green light down the winding paths.

After experiencing death a few times already, you would think that I would have gotten used to it by now. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't. My stomach was twisting itself into knots I was so scared. I didn't have August this time. I had to rely on Alfie to wake me which didn't give me much reassurance.

I climbed up several narrow staircases and walked down an even more creepy, spider-infested passageways. Eventually, the light veered left and disappeared through a wooden door. I took a deep breath and followed it through, opening the door slowly. It let out a low creak as I did and I cringed at the sound.

Waiting for me in the middle of the room was Maleficent. Beside her was the largest spinning-wheel I had ever seen.

"Welcome, Aurora." I didn't reply. I couldn't take my eyes off the spindle. Literally, I couldn't physically take my eyes off the spindle. The curse was making it impossible for me to escape my fate.

"Just one touch. That's all it takes." Maleficent said with far too much eagerness in my opinion. The villains in these tales really were demented.

No matter what I did, I couldn't fight it. My hand reached out and touched the spindle.

The light was so bright compared to the dark room I was just in; it blinded me for a moment. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw that I was back in the woods where Alfie and I had danced. I must have been dreaming. The edges of the scene were slightly blurred.

I appeared to be alone. There was no one else there that I could see, so you can imagine how much I freaked out when I heard, "Taryn?"

I recognized his voice immediately and tears sprung to my eyes as I turned to face him. "August." I breathed. I would have been in his arms already if I wasn't so scared to move forward. What was this? Some kind of test from Isis? Was this even real?

He seemed just as hesitant to move. "Are you alright?" He asked without moving.

I shrugged. "Could be better. I miss you."

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry, Taryn."

I made a scan of the woods around us. They didn't even seem real. It was more like a background on a stage than the forest I had been in earlier. "Do you think it's safe?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure. As far as I know, I'm dreaming." August said.

"So am I. I was just put under the sleeping curse."

"So we're both dreaming." He said slowly, trying to piece it all together. "Stay where you are. I'm coming to you."

I held my breath as he slowly made his way forward; stopping frequently to make sure nothing was happing. What seemed like forever later, I was once again wrapped in his arms. I buried my head in his chest and took in the familiar scent of pine. The one I'd grown to love so much.

At any moment, I expected him to erupt into flames or disintegrate on the spot. August immediately picked up on my tenseness and questioned it. "What's the matter, Taryn? Why are you so tense?"

"I'm just scared." I admitted. "The last time I fell asleep, I had a horrible nightmare. Isis killed you because I'd found you."

August took a shaky breath. "I had the same dream. Only, it was you she had killed."

"Are you serious?" I pulled back enough to look him in the eyes.

"Very. She warned me it would happen if I ever went near you again. That's why I was so hesitant to come over here."

I gently reached up to touch his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. "I was so scared when you didn't come back down after the transformation in the last tale. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought I'd lost you forever."

He opened his deep green eyes once more to stare into mine. "You'll never lose me. I'll always be there for you. I'll always be your Prince Charming." He smiled. "Speaking of which, how are you faring now without a 'prince charming'?"

"I have one actually. Yup, his name is Alfie Barcus. He's some English dude that Isis dragged into the curse. Truthfully, he's kind of annoying. He's definitely no 'prince charming'." I hugged him tight again. "I miss you so much."

"I know. I don't know what Isis has up her sleeve, but we'll figure it out. She let us be together here, right?"

I shook my head. "This is the dream world. She has no power here unless she initiates the dream. I doubt she did that with this one."

He didn't respond. We simply stood there, soaking in each other as much as we could before we were torn apart again. "I'm scared, August. What if I can't find you? What if we can't escape this curse?" As soon as I started, I couldn't stop. The words rolled off my tongue in a rush as if they were worried they'd be cut short. "Isis told me that I was the key to breaking my family's curse. That's why I'm here. She poisoned me so that I would die inside the curse and never be able to return. If I don't break the curse, no one will be able to."

"Taryn." August said sternly, grabbing my face in both his hands and lifting it up so that I was forced to look him in the eye again. "Listen to me. She's messing with you, trying to get inside your head. She's trying to scare you so that you can't escape." He gently wiped a stray tear from my cheek. "Don't let her. You have to stay strong, Taryn. Don't let Isis in. You have to remember you're not alone and never will be as long as I'm alive. You have to remember who you are and what you're capable of. Not just anyone could go through what you did and come out of it sane. Believe me, Taryn. You're special. You're amazing and wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But what if-"

"No." August cut me off. "You have to start thinking positively. We'll find each other. In that I have complete faith. We'll escape this curse together and you'll defeat Isis and free your family. I'll be with you, every step of the way. I promise."

"I love you, August." I whispered, our lips inching closer and closer.

August smiled. "I love you too, Taryn. More than you will ever know." He kissed me then, his lips meeting mine in the most passionate kiss. As soon as our lips met, my whole body erupted into sparks. It was the single most amazing feeling I'd ever experienced and I never wanted it to end. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me, if we could even get any closer. His hands ran up to the small of my back and he held me just as tightly.

We kissed until the need for air was too great and we had to pull apart to breathe. When I opened my eyes, they immediately widened and my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. My grip tightened on his disappearing form. "No. No, I'm not ready. Please, don't leave me." Tears slipped down my face as his image slowly disappeared.

"I love you, Taryn. I'll see you soon." He disappeared and I was left standing there, alone. Slowly, the images around me faded as well, and I could feel myself starting to wake up.

"No!" Isis' voice ricocheted off the walls of the small room.

I bolted up and wildly looked around. I took a deep breath when she wasn't there. It was just her voice again. The weird thing was, Alfie wasn't there either. So why was I awake? I was lying on a small bed in the tallest room in the tower of the castle. I could tell by the major drop outside my small window. It was just about sunset, the sun lighting up the sky and clouds in beautiful shades of pink and orange.

"What's the matter Isis? Everything not going according to plan?" I mocked.

"You weren't supposed to wake up yet! Alfie hasn't even slayed the dragon." She complained. I looked outside again to see the front of the castle hadn't even been covered in thorns yet. What was taking that boy so long?

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow you're whiny today, aren't you?"

"What happened?" She gasped suddenly, the anger building in her voice as she spoke. "You saw him." It wasn't a question. "You spoke to him." She paused for a moment before growling, "You kissed him."

"I believe that is none of your business." I replied hotly.

"This can't be! Ugh! How could he have woken you from inside of a dream? Just think what would have happened if you'd both been awake!" She was hysterical. "The stakes are higher now, Taryn. One of you will die if you continue to search for him. I swear it."

"You can't tell me what to do, Isis. I'm not your puppet. I'll find August. We'll destroy this curse along with my family's curse. Then I'll destroy you. You have no hope." I bit back.

She let out a nervous laugh though she tried to sound confident. "You can't defeat me." She scoffed. "Besides, you'll die before you can escape the curse. The poison will make sure of that. Even if you don't, once you leave, the poison will kill you instantly. I have no fear that my plans will work out perfectly." The more she spoke, the more confident she became, and the more insecure I felt inside.

"Don't count on it, Isis. Never underestimate me. If you do, you'll be sorry you ever did." I threatened. "I'm tougher than you give me credit for. The poison hasn't killed me yet and it's not going to. I'll find a way to stop it, just like I'll stop you."

"Please, Taryn. You're weak and pathetic. You barely made the walk to the castle without passing out. Do you really think you'll have the strength to take me on?" Her cockiness had returned and I instantly matched it.

"You're just afraid I will find my way out of the curse because you don't think you could defeat me on your own."

Isis let out a mocking laugh. "Don't make me laugh! You have no power over me. I have powers beyond belief and you're nothing but a weak little girl who isn't even capable of escaping a simple curse. Honestly, Taryn. People put this curse on others as practical jokes. It's completely harmless unless someone were to deliberately let loose all of the dangers."

"Which you did."

"Not yet. I've let some of the minor ones out, yes, but nothing major. You have no idea what's coming. If you couldn't even avoid the curabitur alata you'll never be able to conquer what's ahead."

"Cure a what?"

"It's Latin for winged monkeys. Their claws are filled with a deadly poison. But you already knew that." She scoffed. "Rest assured that what I'm about to set loose on you will be far more dangerous than a little poison."

"I'm not scared of you Isis, or you threats." I told her even as my hands started to shake. I quickly balled my hands into fists.

"We'll see about that." With that, she left, emerging the room into complete silence again.

I sighed in relief and relaxed my stance. I took another glance outside to see the thorns starting to grow outside the castle gates. Alfie had finally decided to join the party. There was something I needed to do though before he got up here. I needed to talk with the fairy.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" I called out to the ceiling. Nothing happened. "Really? You'll come for August but you won't help me?" I sat on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest. "I didn't want to talk to you anyway."

"Oh, don't be such a baby." The fairy's annoyed voice rang through the room following a slight 'pop'. "And you can quit calling me 'the fairy'. I have a name." She sounded grumpier than usual.

"Than what is it?"

"It's Dixie."

"Dixie." I repeated. "I like it. It suits you." I smiled at her, gaining a confused stare in return. "What?" I shrugged innocently.

"You never smile at me." She said suspiciously.

"Can't a girl be friendly to her 'best fairy friend'?"

"What do you want?" She asked impatiently.

"Fine, I need some information."

"Like what?"

"I need to know what Isis could possibly release on us. What dangers is she talking about?"

Dixie sighed and walked over to sit on the bed next to me. "Who knows what she'll release on you. The creator of the curse can bring in any foe he or she feels like sending. They range anything from Minotaur's to mythical creatures that they've created."

"But Isis didn't create the curse, she was just the castor." I said, confused.

Dixie shook her head slowly. "Isis created this curse when she was a little girl. It was made specifically to contain you. It was all done in preparation for this moment. It's completely harmless unless intentionally made otherwise." She paused to take a deep breath. "In other words, Isis has complete control over the curse. She can send in anyone or anything she thinks that might be able to destroy you."

I was doomed. Plain and simple. "How many curses has that family created?" I said, exasperated.

"Honestly? They hold the record for the most curses ever created by the same family."

"Great." I said with sarcasm ringing through my words. "Is there any way you can help?"

She shook her head sadly. "I can only give information. I don't actually have the power to do anything." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. We'll find a way out. I swear it."

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