Sophia's Story
A Disney crossover by talking2myself
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable Disney characters. All original characters are my own creations.
CHAPTER 17. The Woodcutter's Cottage
Flewddur Flam was a man who could lay on the charm thick when he wanted to. Sophia decided this as she followed Briar Rose through the forest and into the forest glen were she lived. Flewddur was talking animatedly to Briar Rose. He was rambling for the most part, gallantly carrying her basket of berries as he told her about not only the adventures they had had since leaving the Beast's castle and ditching the witches, but the journeys he had experienced before he and Sophia crossed paths. He kept waving his hands and arms for emphasis and Sophia was a little worried that he was going to spill them all over the forest floor. Sophia listened to his stories with half an ear. Some of them Sophia had heard, they inspired a few of his songs, but some of them she was hearing for the first time.
"We're on our way to the palace," Flewddur explained. "I'm sure you've heard about the big celebration?" Briar Rose shook her head. "No?" Flweddur seemed mildly surprised. "Well, it's the 16th birthday of the princess Aurora."
"Really?" Briar Rose cried. "My birthday is tomorrow as well."
"Well, what do you know," Flweddur exclaimed. "Maybe you can come with us? We'll all celebrate together!"
"Oh I don't think so," Briar Rose said quickly. "My aunts don't care much for celebrations. I've never been to the kingdom."
Sophia cocked her head to one side in puzzlement, but said nothing. There was something odd about this girl. In many ways, Sophia related to her. The girl walked about with an entourage of animals that made Sophia miss Pip and the other forest creatures that had lived with her and Giselle. Briar Rose's upbringing did not seem very different from Sophia's. She was clearly sheltered, a side effect of living life in the middle of the forest. She didn't seem to know any more about her kingdom than Sophia did, making Flewddur the resident expert on the area.
Still… there did seem something off about this entire situation. From what Sophia was able to glean from the situation, Briar Rose had been raised by three aunts in a woodcutter's cottage….with no woodcutter. Admittedly, Sophia herself had lived almost completely on her own apart from Giselle and Granny, but that still required trips into town for supplies every now and again. Judging by the conversation, Briar Rose had never seen a city.
"I'm sure I'll make a good impression on the princess," Flewddur continued. "I'm actually a close personal friend of Princess Eilonwy of Pyrdain. She's a lovely girl." Sophia eyed Flewddur's harp suspiciously, but surprisingly enough the strings didn't so much as twitch. It appeared that Flewddur Flam was a strange blend of truth and fiction. He lied about common foolish things, but his most outlandish stories were often true. Sophia didn't think she would ever understand him completely.
"It's this way," Briar Rose said brightly, pointing ahead. The forest began to clear and a neat little cottage came into view. It was a small 2-story house with a thatched roof and several square windows.
"How lovely," Flewddur said. "And your aunts live there with you?"
"Yes, they will be so happy to meet you," Briar Rose, running ahead.
"What a sweet, charming girl," Flweddur said.
"Yeah, she does seem very nice," Sophia agreed. "But… do you find anything… odd… about her living situation?"
"Odd?" Flewddur asked.
"Well, yes," Sophia admitted. "This whole place is a bit remote."
"I suppose," Flewddur shrugged. "She must have some fearsome aunts."
"Right," Sophia said to herself, "Fearsome."
Briar Rose had opened the door to the cottage. "Flora! Fauna! Merryweather!" she called out. "I'm home and I've brought visitors."
As soon as the word "visitors" left her lips, three middle-aged women instantly appeared in the parlor as if by magic.
"Visitors?!" the tallest woman, a gray-haired woman dressed in red cried.
"Oh my! Who are these people?!" a shorter woman of about the same age dressed in green cried.
Suddenly, a shorter woman with black hair raced forwards stepping front of Briar and shielding her with her arms. "Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded.
"Great Balin!" Flewddur cried throwing up his harp like a shield.
Sophia threw up her hands defensively.
"Merryweather!" Briar Rose cried. "For goodness sakes, they don't want anything. They're just on their way to the kingdom."
"Quite right," Flewddur agreed, he swept off his hat and bowed low. "I am Flweddur Flam, a wandering bard at your service."
"And… I'm… Sophia," Sophia added lamely. She performed a quick awkward curtsey as the three women stared at her suspiciously.
"What has gotten into you three dears?" Briar Rose asked.
"Rose, you really shouldn't speak to strangers," the woman in green said reproachfully. "It's very dangerous."
"Oh… well, maybe we should go…" Flewddur said awkwardly.
"Oh no, please don't leave!" Briar Rose cried. "We never have any visitors."
The woman in red cleared her throat and stepped forwards. "Forgive us, we seem to have forgotten our manners. My name is Flora, this is Fauna and this is Merryweather." She gestured to the women in green and blue respectively.
"It's uh… a pleasure to meet you," Fauna said, smiling awkwardly.
"What are you doing in the forest?" Merryweather asked, in a tone that was only slightly more polite than previously.
"We were passing through on our way to the Kingdom," Flewddur said. "We've spent the last few days wandering through the forest and we were wondering if we could possibly impose upon your hospitality."
"We can pay," Sophia added quickly.
"Oh of course!" Flewddur agreed. "Or we could perhaps regale you ladies with a song? I've got a couple of fantastic original compositions…"
"With coins," Sophia interjected quickly. "We can pay with coins!"
The three elder women seemed to exchange concerned looks with one another. "Well, I suppose…" Flora said at last.
"This is wonderful," Briar Rose cried. "I'll bring these to the kitchen and we can start dinner. Please have a seat."
Briar Rose vanished into the kitchen. For a few moments, the remaining people stood in awkward silence. "We best get started on dinner," Flora said. "Please make yourselves at home." Briar Rose gripped Merryweather and Fauna by their shoulders and aggressively guided them into the kitchen.
"Was it something we said?" Flewddur asked scratching his head.
"I think there's something else going on here," Sophia said.
"Hmm," Flewddur said thoughtfully. "They do seem a bit jumpy." He paused and warmed his hands by the fire in the hearth. "Though that could come from being alone for so long. I must say it is pleasant to have some company that isn't trying to turn me into a frog. The tavern-goers usually don't want to talk much… Sophia what are you doing?"
Sophia froze sheepishly and blushed. While Flewddur was talking, Sophia had been examining the mantel. She had run a finger through the dust that had collected on its surface and was now using the edge of her apron to wipe it clean. Flewddur's shoulders slumped. "Are you cleaning again?" he asked in exasperation.
"No…" Sophia said releasing the corner of her apron.
"Really Sophia," Flewddur sighed. "It's one thing to do it in the taverns, less work for the housekeeping staff, but the ladies might not appreciate you tidying their home."
"Fine, I'll stop," Sophia said. Even as she did, Sophia could feel her fingers twitching, eager to continue dusting. It was an odd habit that Sophia had developed. Sophia had always been neat, but she seemed to develop a compulsive desire to clean. She couldn't stand the sight of dirt. Flweddur was right, she usually did wind up on her hands and knees cleaning spots off the tavern floors simply because she couldn't stand the sight of them. She wasn't totally sure, but Sophia suspected that it was a side effect from her years spent as a broom. She had spent years of her life cleaning. No sleeping, no eating, just cleaning. Apparently, old habits were hard to break.
Flewddur continued to ramble on about the next day's celebrations, but Sophia was looking around, searching for my dirt if she was honest. She slowly wandered towards the doorway and halted once she heard whispered voices.
"… I bet they're spies for Maleficent!" Merryweather whispered.
" They don't look like spies," Fauna pointed out. "Doesn't she usually have goblins to do her bidding?"
"Well, why would anyone else come here?"
"They could be lost!"
"If I had my magic, I could just…"
"NO MAGIC!" Flora's voice was oddly firm. As if they had had this conversation numerous times before. Sophia's eyes widened as soon as she heard the word. Magic? These silly women had magic? A new surge of hope rushed through Sophia's body at the thought. Sophia strained her ears but she couldn't hear anything more.
Sophia paced the parlor thoughtfully. Mysterious magical women, an oddly sheltered young woman with the same birthday as a princess, a big celebration. There was something very strange going on. Why were they so jumpy? Who was Maleficent? Why did they suspect them of being spies. This seemed like a lot of suspicion for a group of women quietly making their way in the woods. "Flewddur…" Sophia said, thoughtfully. "WHY is the princess's birthday such a big deal?"
"I'm not really sure," Flewdurr said with a shrug. "I suppose it's not everyday a princess turns 16."
At that moment, Briar Rose appeared in the parlor again, carrying a delicate tray with tea things.
"Please, sit down and have a cup of tea," she said with a smile. "My aunts will be right with us."
"Oh thank you my dear!" Flewddur grinned, accepting a cup of tea. "So very kind of you."
"Uh yes, thank you," Sophia accepted the cup as Flewddur plopped two spoonfuls of sugar into his tea. She took a few sips before setting down her cup again. "Flewddur, why don't you play Rose one of your songs while I go help her aunts with the cooking."
Flewddur beamed. "That is a fantastic idea." He leapt to his feet and began to strum his harp while singing at the top of his lungs. Sophia winced, but Rose seemed very amused by his antics. Sophia rose to her feet and slipped from the room while Rose laughed and clapped along with the song. She was probably the first person to genuinely enjoy Flewddur's original songs. With Briar Rose distracted, Sophia slipped into the kitchen. There was something very unusual here, something magical, and she was determined to find out what.