*Note: This chapter takes place during the events of Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 16: Once Upon a Dream Pt. 1

The imps and I traveled the rest of the morning to get to the next Border. It was quieter now without Genie, but I knew him leaving was for the best. He was needed elsewhere, but I'll miss him. As we walked to find the Border, we were surprised to find that when we entered through it, the scenery hardly changed at all. Sure, my outfit now looked like a medieval peasant girl in a cloak instead of my pajamas, but we were still in the deep woods. Thankfully, I knew that if the imps and I were now in medieval times, we might get lucky and find someone living in the woods. Heck, we could bump into Merlin again, and maybe he could help us find the king.

"Is it just me, or did these woods just get a whole lot creepier?" Panic asked as he flew next to me.

"It's just you." Pain told him. "But it is a little weird that we're not really out of the woods."

"Yeah, literally." I gave a slight scoff. We had spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon walking, and to be honest, I didn't think I could survive another step. My feet were killing me, I smelt like a dump truck on a hot garbage day, and there was still no sign of the king or anyone else in this world.

"Hey, over there!" Panic smiled as he pointed at something.

We all looked, and saw an old woodcutter's cottage, with smoke coming out of the chimney. Someone lived here, and we had some help at last from our long trip.

"Oh, thank God!" I grinned as the imps and I raced to the cottage. I nearly tripped over my dress skirt before reaching the door but managed to pull myself together to appear somewhat modest. But just before I knocked, I looked down at the imps.

"What?" Pain asked me in a confused way.

"Might be a good idea to disguise yourselves." I suggested to them. "We got lucky these past couple of worlds, but if we are in medieval times, we could get in trouble."

"How bad is it for a girl to walk around with a pair of imps?" Panic asked.

"Pretty bad." I told them nonchalantly. "They'll accuse me of witchcraft and burn me alive."

"Oh." the eyes on both imps widened at my answer.

They then turned into a familiar couple of critters; A cute rabbit and a gopher, and each of them hopped on me, the rabbit in my arms and the gopher perched on my shoulders. I knocked on the door and was greeted by a familiar older woman in a red dress and a small yellow shawl over her grey hair: It was Flora, one of the three good fairies from Sleeping Beauty in her human disguise. Which meant that I was in the middle of the movie where she and the other fairies were raising Princess Aurora, or should I say Briar Rose, in secret.

"Uh, hello." I greeted her.

"What are you doing in the woods all by yourself, young lady?" Flora asked me worriedly. "Come in, quickly."

I walked inside the cottage, where I spotted the other two fairies, Fauna and Merryweather, in their disguises as well. Fauna gasped at the sight of my tired appearance and rushed over to help me in. Merryweather followed shortly after.

"Thank you." I told them as they helped me inside their cottage.

"Oh, you poor thing," Fauna said as she removed my cloak and hung it up for me. "You look like you've been travelling for days."

"We have." I told her as Flora helped me sit down in a chair to rest my feet.

"I'll get you something to drink." Merryweather said as she went to find a cup.

"Thank you." I told her.

"Rose, dear," Fauna called for someone upstairs. "We have visitors."

Footsteps came down from the stairs, and I saw the main attraction of this world. A girl about my age, wearing a grey peasant dress, with hair of sunshine gold and lips as red as the rose and practically walked into the room full of grace: Princess Aurora, or Briar Rose as she's known at this point, walked downstairs and greeted the imps and I with a kind smile. The imps stared at her with open jaws, I'm betting they thought only Aphrodite was the only most beautiful woman they ever saw up until now.

"Uh, h-hi." I greeted.

"Hello." Aurora said before noticing the disguised imps and rushed towards them. "Oh, what adorable little companions you have."

"Yeah, they are pretty cute." I smiled as I handed her the rabbit for her to pet.

Pain tried his best to escape the warm hug from the fair maiden, but he practically melted like butter while he was receiving attention from Aurora. Panic then stared up at me in an offended way, so, me thinking he was feeling left out of receiving attention, I picked him up and started petting him too. The little guy started smiling again once he got the attention.

"What's your name?" Aurora then asked me.

"Frank-" I caught myself and just told her my real name. "Francesca."

"That's a lovely name." she complimented before introducing herself. "I am Briar Rose, but my aunts just call me Rose."

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

"So, Francesca, what brings you to our cottage?" Merryweather asked me as she handed me a cup of water. "We hardly ever see strangers in the area."

"I'm trying to find someone who can help me get back home." I explained to her as Panic hopped onto my shoulder. "Some king, but everywhere we've went, we haven't been close to finding him."

"Maybe you're looking for King Stefan?" Fauna suggested. "He is the only king within miles."

"No, it can't be him." I shook my head. "The king I'm looking for is supposed to be gifted in magic."

Flora thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, I suppose we could provide some assistance."

Aurora turned her head. "How so, Aunt Flora?"

"Well, when your aunts and I were younger, we used to be fascinated by magic and even researched on the most powerful magic holders of the world."

"Oh, yes!" Fauna added. "We once had a book that told us all about them."

"But we lost it years ago to-" Merryweather finished with a grumble. "To her."

"Her who?" Aurora asked.

"Maleficent." her three guardians said in unison.

The name of my all-time favorite Disney villain ran chills down my spine. But then I thought, if Maleficent had this book, maybe giving it back to the good fairies could result in them helping me find the king. Yeah, this new plan was risky. Riskier than any other plan involving a villain I had thus far, but if I could use that book to find the king, then I could get home quicker than expected. Which was good, because I was running out of time. I only had a few days left before my parents got home.

"Who's she?" Aurora asked a second question.

"She's said to be most powerful user of dark magic." I explained to her. "So far to call herself the Mistress of all Evil."

"Indeed. She's a dark fae born with the horns and wings of a dragon," Flora continued. "But her status is one not to reckon with."

"How do you mean?" Aurora asked her.

"Maleficent is evil." Merryweather stated with a huff at the dark fae's name. "So evil that speaking her name should be considered a sin."

"But if she has this book," I spoke up. "Then where can I find her?"

"Oh, she lives in upon the Forbidden Mountains-" Fauna began to say before realizing what I was talking about. "Oh! Oh, you can't be seriously thinking about stealing the book from Maleficent!"

"If she's the only one who has something that could get me to the king, I'm afraid that's my only option." I told her.

"But you could get cursed! Or worse, killed!" she worried.

"Listen, I know you all mean well, but I have to do this." I explained to her and the other fairies. "I have to get back to my family, and if the king is the only way to do so, and if Maleficent has the only key linked to him, then so be it."

"Very, well, child," Flora finally agreed before she headed to a door upstairs. "But we must give you something before you go on your quest."

I gave Panic to Aurora, who wanted to follow us, but was stopped by Fauna.

"Rose, stay here, please." she told her.

I could tell Aurora wanted to know more, but in any case, she still obeyed her caretaker and sat down with the rabbit and gopher in her lap. "Yes, Aunt Fauna."

When the fairies led me into the room where Flora had gone to, which turned out was a simple storage room. They then shut all the windows and blocked out any opening they could find with rags, including a small crack in the widow bind and the keyhole to the door. Whatever they wanted to give me, they really didn't want Aurora to know, or anyone who would be listening, for that matter. This was to be done in absolute secrecy.

"Merlin was the one who sent you, wasn't he?" Flora asked me when she and the others had finished securing the storage room.

My eyes widened in a mix of surprise and confusion at her question. "You know Merlin?"

"We're all members of a high council of magicians, sorcerers, and fairies." Merryweather explained as she pointed to herself and Flora and Fauna.

"He told us a great deal about you, Francesca Cole." Flora continued. "And we'd like to help you."

"Really?" I smiled. I was in more luck than I thought, I mean Genie was great to have as a friend, but I was in the presence of the three good fairies. They're magic was known for bringing happiness to others, and nothing would make me happier than having something that could help me get back home.

"The book is magic, but Maleficent doesn't know it." Fauna continued.

"How magical?" I asked.

"By simply asking the book to take you to one of the magical beings in it's pages, it'll send you there directly." Flora explained.

"Like a portal." I summed up the book's ability. So, if I get my hands on the book, I teleport to the king, and I'm home free. I feel like I was denied critical, need-to-know information when I first found out about the king, but Genie only knew so much, so I didn't held it against him.

"Maleficent mustn't know about its power." Merryweather warned me. "Who knows what would happen if she ever found out."

"I understand." I told her. Well, here's hoping I could protect a book better than I could a spell.

"Here, to protect you from Maleficent's guards and her powers." Flora told me as she went to a small hole in the wall. "A Beacon of Hope."

Flora pulled out a small golden stick: her magic wand and used it to instantly magicked up an amulet that appeared around my neck. A pretty little necklace with a gold chain and a large blue crystal charm hanging off of it. It was beautiful, but I could feel some sort of energy coming from it as I touched the crystal.

"That amulet will allow you to change form, to guise yourself when you act out your quest." she explained to me how the Beacon worked. "Use it wisely, child."

"And don't tell this to Rose." Fauna said. "The less she knows about Maleficent, the better."

"I know." I assured her and the others. "You have to keep her safe."

"Thank you." Flora said as she hid away her wand. "And good luck."

I thanked them for their help and left the storage room, where I saw Aurora still gently petting the imps, who were absolutely smitten and dreamy eyed at the kindness of the unknown princess. Aurora then noticed me watching her and saw her guardians leave the storage room shortly after.

"You're leaving already?" she asked me.

"I'll stop by after I find the book." I assured her with a smile as I grabbed my cloak from the hook. "I promise."

Aurora handed me the imps as I made my way to the door, but I didn't leave without saying a kind goodbye to my kind hostesses. "It was a pleasure to meet you all."

"It was a pleasure to meet you too, Francesca." Rose smiled as the fairies stood next to her.

"Fare thee well." I waved Aurora and the fairies goodbye, and the imps and I set out for our biggest challenge yet.

Later

"This is it?" Pain asked me as we stood a few feet from the base of the Forbidden Mountains.

"Yep." I nodded with a gulp.

It didn't take us long to get to Maleficent's domain, about a good hour or so, but by the time the imps and I got there, it didn't take a genius to know that we were extremely nervous about going in there to steal the fairies' book. Especially since it won't be an easy thing, what with Maleficent's goons standing guard at every possible entrance or exit surrounding her castle, her pet raven Diablo -or Diaval, depending on which you prefer, and Maleficent herself. She wasn't a sleazy dealmaker like the previous villains I've encountered, but she was twice as powerful as both Jafar and Ursula combined but only ranked slightly lower than Hades in the same terms.

"Sure is creepy." Panic shuddered at the crackling thunder surrounding Maleficent's lair.

Pain gave a slight shrug. "Least it's got a better view than the Underworld."

"You really think this Maleficent lady has that book?" Panic asked me.

"She has to." I said. "Those fairies aren't known for deceiving people."

"So, what's the plan?" he asked.

"We sneak in, find the book, and get out before anybody notices the three of us." I listed out the plan.

"Four actually." a familiar voice corrected me.

The imps and I whipped our heads around to see someone in a blue cloak standing behind us. I was just about to interrogate this stranger for following us, that is, until I saw that under the hood, this stranger had sunshine gold hair, rose red lips, and kind amethyst violet eyes.

"Rose?" I gasped in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to help." Aurora said as she pulled her hood back, showing that she was confident in helping us steal a book from the one who cursed her, and was conveniently wearing her purple shawl over her head.

"No, no, no. No. You don't get it." I did my best to send her back for her safety the nicest -if not warning- way imaginable. "If Maleficent sees you, she'll kill you."

"I'm not afraid of her." Aurora said as she put her hands on her hips. "Not when my friend is going after her alone."

I tried to argue back, but there was no point. Sure, Aurora might not have been developed as a character -like, at all- but if she was so insistent in helping the imps and I steal the book and wasn't backing down no matter how much I warned her about what would happen if Maleficent found her, then there was no point in sending her back to the cottage. I supposed that having Aurora help would be alright. The good fairies were gonna kill me if they found out Aurora snuck out to help me, but the extra help would be good to have.

"Okay, but stay close to me." I told her. "And whatever you do, don't reveal your face to her if she sees us."

"Why?" Aurora asked me as she put her hood back on.

"Because you look a little like someone she really doesn't like." I told her.

"My goodness, what strange creatures." Aurora changed the subject when she saw the imps in their true forms. "Are they changelings?"

"Changelings?" I repeated.

"Fae with the ability to change their shape." Aurora explained. "I'm no expert, but I believe that these two were the animals that were with you back in my aunts' cottage."

While she was right about that last part, the imps were far different from changelings. I eyed at the imps and then back at Aurora. I didn't have the heart nor time to correct her on her mythical species identification, so I just went with it.

"Yes. They're changelings." I finally spoke, noting the offended faces on the imps.

Aurora smiled at the imps as she knelt down to their heights. "Well, they're positively adorable, nonetheless."

The imps started giggling like a bunch of dorks at the compliment before they were stopped when Aurora kissed each of them on their cheek. After that, Aurora stood back up and started making her way towards the Forbidden Mountains, with me and the imps close behind. All though, the latter were still star struck about the kiss.

"I think I could get used to pretty girls thinking we're cute." Panic gave a giggle as he and Pain swayed lovestruck after Aurora kissed them.

I gave a chuckle and helped them move forward. "C'mon, you little smitten kittens."

Later

It took about another hour to climb up the Forbidden Mountains. For being such a creepy and dangerous looking domain, it was actually easy to climb up. I guess it was all played for a rouse to scare away any passer-byers who came across the domain of Maleficent. The four of us managed to reach a small path that was clear and out of the way from any danger, when Aurora felt that something wasn't quite right with the path we were on. And her fears were proven right when we heard a scraping sound approach us.

"What's that?" Aurora asked as the scraping got louder and more threatening.

"I dunno." Pain said as he looked around. "But it's weird and getting angry."

"Just stay close to me." I told everyone.

Just then, strange creatures jumped from behind trees and bushes. All dressed in dark clothes and helmets and having faces of either lizards, bats, birds, or pigs. These creatures were an army of goblins and goons. Aka: Minions of Maleficent. And they all surrounded us with spears and swords in hand, ready to strike for an attack for trespassing onto their mistress' land. I put myself in front of the princess and the imps so they wouldn't get hurt.

"What are they?" Aurora asked me as she tried to hide her face away from them so they wouldn't see her.

"Maleficent's goons." I said.

One of the goons, the pig-faced one I remember from the movie, stepped forward and pointed a spear at us as he ordered. "Who dares trespass onto the territory of Maleficent? State your purpose!"

"We don't mean any trouble." I told the goon. "We're just looking for something."

A bat-faced goon holding a sword noticed the imps and tapped the pig-faced one's shoulder. "Captain, innit those-"

"They are." the captain gave a sadistic pig grunt as he grinned menacingly at the imps. "Mistress will love to have those."

"Wh-what are they talking about, Frankie?" Panic asked as he sank behind me.

"I don't know." I answered, not liking what the captain said. If Maleficent wanted the imps, she'd have to take them away from my cold, dead hands herself instead of sending her goons to steal them for her.

"Seize the changelings and kill the girls." the captain ordered the other goons.

The goblins started closing in on us, but the imps then jumped out from behind me and turned into a pair of tigers. They roared at the goons and started swatting at them with their massive, clawed paws.

"Get back!" Panic threatened with a snarl at them as he and Pain protected Aurora and I, giving us time to escape.

"Run!" I yelled at Aurora.

Aurora nodded and started running back down the mountain. I followed after her, and the imps -now back in their normal forms- followed me. We ran, but the goons were still chasing after us. I only hoped we could find a way to get them off our tracks, but more importantly to never let them find out that Aurora was with me. I couldn't afford to get her discovered by Maleficent so soon.

"Frankie!"

My heart stopped and so did my body when I turned around and saw that one of the goons had snared the imps up in a net. Neither one of them could get out or shapeshift themselves free, the net had too small of holes, that it almost looked like an ant couldn't crawl through them.

"Boys!" I gasped as I ran back to them. The captain then pointed his spear at me in a threatening manner, but I pulled it away from him and snapped the thing in half as I then tried to reach for the net with the imps in it.

"Let them go!" I ordered the bat-faced goon holding the bag, but I was then met with a bird-faced goon who then pushed me away. Aurora came rushing to my aid, and we watched helplessly as the captain took a vial out from a pocket and threw it to the ground, releasing a foul-smelling cloud of purple smoke. And when the smoke cleared, Aurora and I gasped. The goons were gone, and so were the imps.

"NO!" I screamed. I fell to my knees and pounded on the dirt in anger. How could I let my friends get kidnapped like that? How could I break my promise to them? This was worse than any horrible thing that had happened to me on this trip.

"I'm so sorry, Francesca." Aurora apologized. "I truly am."

"I promised I'd keep them safe…" I said as I sat there in disbelief, processing what had happened. "I promised I wouldn't let anything bad happen to them."

"Let's go." Aurora then said with a determined tone.

I looked up at her in confusion. "Rose?"

"Your friends have been kidnaped, but they're being taken directly to those mountains." she explained as she pointed up to Maleficent's lair. "Where the book is."

"So, we go in to save them and get the book at the same time." I pieced together what she was saying. "Rose, that's brilliant!"

I get that she didn't have a lot of screentime, but I don't really understand why people underestimate Aurora. If they realized how clever, brave, and kind she is, they'd probably treat her with more, if not the same respect as the other Disney princesses. And I certainly had more respect for her when she was the first to realize that we could save the imps and get the book from Maleficent.

"Hang on, boys, we're coming!" I shouted up towards the mountains as Aurora and I started climbing up again.