Chapter 19: The Spindle

After Rose Briar had reluctantly changed into the blue dress her Fairy guardians made using magic, the four of them left the cottage wearing black cloaks and headed into the city. They took a series of buses till they eventually reached a large mansion resembling a gray castle.

"This is where my Father lives?" Rose asked, feeling intimidated by the house's enormous size.

"For now," Flora answered. "Kingpin Stephen lived here many years ago when you were born, and then when we agreed to raise you he and his wife moved away."

"And tonight they're renting the place to celebrate your return, Aurora," Fauna added, smiling.

"Please don't call me 'Aurora,'" Rose growled.

"Sorry, dear," Fauna apologized.

After that, everyone was silent as Flora walked alongside the iron fence that bordered the house with stone posts along it while the others followed her. She stopped at a particular post, and knocked. To Rose's surprise, a part of the stone post opened up revealing a hidden passageway. Flora went in first, then Fauna Rose and Mary. It turned out to be a winding staircase that spiraled downward, leading into a dark hallway that had a light at the end.

"By the way, who was the fairy that cursed me?" Rose questioned.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Mary replied.

Irritated, Rose said, "Why not? You've told me a lot of fantastic things today. How is this detail any different?"

Just then, Flora waved her hand down to indicate silence. So Rose and Mary said nothing as Flora walked up to the light which illuminated a wooden door. On it was an electronic lock, which Flora punched a series of numbers into. The light then turned from red to green as the door swung open, allowing Flora and the others to enter. On the other side was a wine cellar and beyond that a flight of stairs leading upward.

"Now you wait in here, dear," Flora ordered, pointing to a nearby office that was seen behind a glass window. "And we'll get Stephen."

Not willing to argue her, Rose went into the office while Flora and the other Fairies went up the stairs. Locking the door Rose took off her cloak and sat down at the desk.

"I wonder how Cindy's doing, or Philip for that matter," Rose wondered out loud. "He's probably confused about why the cottage is empty and heading back home in disappointment."

She heard a door opening and looked up. The door to the office was still closed, causing her to turn around and see a green light hovering inside another hidden passageway that was revealed. Strangely drawn to the light, Rose walked towards it into the passageway not paying attention as the entrance closed behind her. She followed the light up a staircase that spiraled upwards instead of downwards, finding herself in a dark room with a spinning wheel made of ebony-colored wood.

"Touch the spindle," said an echoing voice.

Holding her index finger out, Rose moved closer to the spinning wheel with the light shining over the spindle.

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"Rose!" Flora exclaimed, beholding an empty office.

"Where are you?" Fauna asked out loud, looking under the desk and in the closet.

"The door was locked," Mary observed and looked at the back wall. "Unless…"

Waving her wand, Flora shot a magical beam at the back wall revealing the hidden passage behind it. Quickly, the three Fairies made their way up the staircase and came into the room where Maleficent was waiting looking like a teenage girl wearing a dark robe that matched her ebony horns and held a glowing green orb that was the same color as her skin.

"You fools," Maleficent sneered, becoming older and taller than the three Fairies. "Thinking you could defeat me, with all your powers?"

The Fairies gaped in horror.

"Well, here's your precious princess." Lifting her robe, Maleficent revealed Rose who was lying on the floor and not moving.

While the Fairies gasped, Maleficent laughed maniacally as she changed into a raven and flew out a window that was now open showing a setting sun.

"We're too late," Mary realized, examining Rose's body. "She's gone into a deep sleep."

"This used to be Aurora's nursery," Flora remembered, and saw the wooden spinning wheel nearby. "Maleficent must've lured Rose up here and caused her to touch the spindle so her curse could be completed."

"Hopefully, she's not aware that Mary changed the curse to where Rose falls asleep instead of dies like she originally planned," Fauna said nervously.

"Indeed, but let's not waste any time," Flora stated. "We must get back to the cottage and bring Philip here so he can break the curse with a kiss of true love."

Shrinking into smaller versions of themselves, the three Fairies flew out the window into the sunset. Passing over buildings and skyscrapers, they came to the forest and arrived at the cottage in the span of a couple hours. To their surprise, the door was open so they returned back to normal size and walked in. The cottage's interior was trashed, with turned over furniture and muddy footprints belonging to strange creatures as well as a couple human ones. On the ground, Flora found a tan hat with a red band around it.

"This is Philip's," Flora recognized as she picked the hat up. "I've seen him wear it after leaving school. But this means—

"Maleficent got to Philip before us!" Mary exclaimed. "She knows I changed the curse, and that Philip's the key to breaking it!"

"Oh, dear," Fauna fretted. "What are we going to do?"

"We've got to find them, obviously," Flora replied.

"But where could they be?" Fauna asked out loud.

"The Forbidden Mountain," Flora figured. "It was the place that our 'student' Maleficent listed as her home, so she must be there."

"But several people have gone missing on that mountain in the past few weeks," Fauna reminded Flora. "What if that happens to us?"

"It won't!" Flora insisted, holding up her ivory-colored wand. "Not when we have these to protect us."

End of Chapter 19