A/N: Bryn ~ The original Sleeping Beauty, a.k.a. the Grimm brothers' version (as I've already stated) was named Briar Rose. In fact, the story is sometimes even entitled "Little Briar Rose". As for her prince, he is merely referred to as "the youth", "the prince" or "the king's son". The names you are referring to, which are used in the Disney version, may have come from other representations, but I choose to stick to the Bros. Grimm version.
Alright, I know this chapter is kind of choppy, jumping from one POV to another pretty quickly. I just didn't want to waste time on too much detail… I want to get to the plot already! Yes, there is a plot, and it's just waiting for its cue.
Chapter 8Intersections: "Tall, dark… and mud-covered"
The long ride from Ella's own kingdom to that of her good friend Snow's had been made only more so by the fact that her eldest daughter refused to speak to her. The carriage was large and lavish, as far as carriages go, but today it seemed the equivalent of a broom closet as both mother and daughter attempted to avoid each other. It was a difficult, though not impossible, thing to do. Of course, there was no helping the physical proximity, but they more than made up for that through the cold indifference, the pointedly averted gazes, and the refusal to utter a single word to each other.
In fact, the only one who had spoken throughout the entire trip was Lillith. The king, who had never before been a great admirer of physical activity, suddenly professed an overwhelming desire to make the journey on horseback. Ella knew her husband simply didn't want to be caught in the middle of the standoff between her and Vivienne, and his response did not surprise her. There were a great many words she might use to describe Charming, but brave was not one of them.
Lillith, however, had had no choice in the matter, for it would have been unthinkable for a princess to travel by any other method. Ella glanced toward her younger daughter, who had long since given up trying to draw either of the other two women into conversation. Currently, she was slumped in her seat, staring out the uncovered window, an expression of intense boredom on her face.
Reflexively, Ella shot out, "Sit up straight, Lillith." Damn, she wasn't supposed to be talking.
Surprised to hear another human voice after four endless hours of silence, Lillith immediately complied.
Ella stole a glance at her other daughter and could detect the faintest shadow of a triumphant grin on Vivienne's face. Damn!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As far as Vivienne was concerned, little victories were victories nonetheless. When the carriage finally rolled to a stop in what she could only presume to be the kingdom of the man her mother wanted her to marry, she let out a mental sigh of relief. Though outwardly she had carried the appearance of complete apathy, the past few hours had almost been enough to drive her out of her mind. The unbearable silence, the utter boredom! She had been greatly disappointed when Lillith had finally ceased her futile attempts at conversation. Even the sound of her sister's solitary voice had been a comforting presence.
When the carriage stopped and it was clear they had reached their final destination, Lillith was the first one out the door, bounding out at a speed that Vivienne had hereto thought her incapable of. Her body stiff from the lack of activity, she moved to exit the coach, watching her mother to make sure they weren't aiming to make their departures at the same time.
Two sets of brown eyes, both containing the identical stubborn light, met for a brief yet hostile moment. Then abruptly Vivienne turned and followed the path that her sister had taken. Head raised high, nose slightly upturned in a haughty manner, it was shocking how much she resembled her mother in that instance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The meeting with their royal hosts had been boring and oh-so-predictable from Lillith's point of view. And judging from the expression on her sister's face, which would have been indiscernible to anyone but her, Vivienne felt the same way.
Queen Snow was exactly as the stories described her: black hair, pale skin, red lips… an image of beauty even after all these years. Her husband, Charming, though he shared Lillith's father's name, was nothing like the other king. Brown hair and dancing blue eyes that revealed an essence of youth she had thought impossible in someone of his age, he actually appeared to be a rather interesting person. However, his true nature had been somewhat toned down, obviously in accordance to the "proper" behavior that was expected of the hosting king.
Currently, Queen Snow was speaking to her own parents. Her tone apologetic, though laced with slight exasperation, she said, "I don't know where those two went. They left this morning to go riding… I suppose they must have lost track of time, or perhaps they didn't realize when you would be arriving."
"Oh, it's quite alright, Snow," Ella replied pleasantly. "We all understand how children can be. They do have that certain tendency to do simply as they please." All was said in that same sweet tone, not even turning to acknowledge the real subject of her comment.
Lillith watched her sister respond with a simple rolling of the eyes, although she was facing away from the two royal couples so that her action would go unnoticed.
"Ah yes, well hopefully they should be returning—" Snow's remark was cut off as a petite girl, little older than Lillith herself, entered the room with hurried steps. Her brown hair was a little wild and windblown, her cheeks slightly reddened from exertion, and she had the same dancing blue eyes as the king. Though she wore a dress befitting a princess, it was clear from her movements that she was someone unused to such clothes.
"Virtue!" Snow exclaimed.
Inwardly, Lillith winced in sympathy for the latecomer. There was a name that could not have made life an easier.
"Where's your brother?" the king asked.
Virtue looked toward her parents, in her face a hint of humor that she couldn't seem to conceal. "Still out riding, I suppose. I ran into him once, just before I headed back. Last I saw, he was going the other way."
"The other way?" her mother frowned. "Didn't he realize that our guests would be arriving today?"
Indeed, there was laughter barely contained within those eyes as they glanced away from her parents and connected with Lillith's. "I don't know, but he appeared to have other concerns at the time."
Lillith found herself taking an instant liking to this girl, sure that she had found yet another person who failed to conform to the notions that her own mother and the rest of the world held about what a princess should be. With Vivienne's time claimed by the would-be suitor, Lillith had feared that she would be left entirely to herself, especially when it came time for the ball.
Well, if nothing else, she might now have a companion in her suffering.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With the initial pleasantries aside, and still no sign of the mysterious Prince Valor, Vivienne was finally free to leave the company of her insufferable mother and the other three royals. Virtue had offered to give both sisters a tour of the castle, but Vivienne had begged off, opting instead for a bath to refresh her from her trip. It wasn't so much true that she desire one, but that she had wanted some time alone and the bath was the only way she could felt she could achieve that without appearing rude.
She didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with the other princess since Virtue seemed like a genuinely nice person. Not at all like the phoney princesses she had met throughout her life, all those princesses that her mother wished she could be more like.
So she had been shown to her room, provided with her bath, and left to her own devices. Eventually, of course, the bath had to end, and finding little else to do within the confines of the bedchamber, she found herself wandering aimlessly through the castle halls. After maybe a half hour of such wandering, she decided to admit to herself that she was lost. It didn't really bother her, and she knew that at some point someone would chance upon her and she could be led out of the maze of corridors. Until then, she was content to roam.
She knew it was kind of silly that she could get lost in one castle when she had spent her whole life in another, especially when neither differed much in terms of size or style. But each castle had its own structure, and the maze was something to be conquered through time, if nothing else. Even after eighteen years, there were parts of her own home that could confuse her, especially if she were to face them at night. Not enough to conquer her completely, but enough to disorient and delay.
But essentially, all castles were the same, and there was nothing about this one that impressed her any more than her own. Soon she found herself becoming bored with her endless roving, and wondered whether she shouldn't just swallow her pride and call out for help.
Before she could make a decision, however, her thoughts were cut off by a dark figure that came storming around the corner, almost slamming right into her. They both stopped abruptly, just barely preventing the impact.
Her words, which were automatically forming into an apology though she had nothing to apologize for, were cut short when she glanced up into the face ahead of her. Her eyes widened slightly, taking in the sight.
A tall male figure with hair that could possibly be black beneath the cake of mud, and eyes an incredibly light brown that contrasted sharply against the same dark substance that covered most of his face. And his arms, and his legs, and pretty much all of his body. He seemed rather young, but she could have been mistaken—the mud obscured most details.
A deep voice sharpened by irritation, bit out, "Watch where you're going."
Vivienne's face conveyed astonishment then hardened in anger. "Me watch where I'm going? What about you? You're the one who came careening around the corner, you should watch where you're going!"
Brown eyes glared back at her unrepentantly. He crossed his arms over his chest, obviously unaware of how unimpressive the gesture appeared when he was covered head to toe in mud. "What do you want, an apology?"
She hadn't initially, but now as she stared back at the insolent figure before her, Vivienne decided that the prospect of one suddenly seemed quite appealing. "Yes, that would be nice," she replied, hands on her hips.
"Well, you better pull up a chair because you're going to have a long wait," he said with a slight smirk.
The princess part of Vivienne's brain, one that she wasn't even consciously aware existed, kicked into action. Who did this jackass think he was? She was a guest of the royal family, and possibly the future queen of this kingdom (wait, no, scratch that last part—there was no way she was agreeing to marry Prince Valor, not over her mother's dead body). Indignant, she shot back, "Listen here, you filthy mongrel, why don't you go back to whatever puddle you were rolling around in so that I can continue on my way and pretend that this never happened?"
A returning anger sparked in the brown eyes, but before he could reply, two new participants joined them in the suddenly lively hallway.
Lillith stared in bewilderment at the scene before her, taking in the vision of mud and ruined clothing that seemed locked in a heated argument with her sister. Virtue's face held a comprehension that should not have been there, as well as a great deal of amusement.
"Vivienne, Val, so you guys already met!"
TBC
A/N: It's that dreaded time of the semester again: FINALS! What does that mean for you? Well, don't expect another chapter of FTNG for the next 2-3 weeks. I'll be too busy cramming and coping with anxiety attacks to do much of anything else.