Princess Fantasy D X-2
A/N: I have never been inspired enough to write stories about any fanart before, until I saw the work of deviantart artist Skirtzzz, specifically her Final Fantasy Disney Dressphere series. With her blessing, this will be another part of a series of final scene rewrites, using the powers of the dresspheres to possibly change the script, or failing that, make the scene worthy of a Final Fantasy series. Replicating the feel for such an incredible franchise will be a challenge, but I swear I'll do my best!
If you haven't seen any of the movies or their endings, this could be a little spoilerific, but if you have or don't mind, hang on for the ride!
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
The Sinister Spindle
The forest of the French-German border was beautiful as the sun slowly set over it, but beneath the tree line, a frantic race was afoot. Through the waning twilight, three wisps of red, green and blue light darted through the branches and trees.
If one looked closer, one would see that said wisps were actually three miniature women with wings, shrunken to the size of dragonflies. Their movements were swift, rapid, and infused with a frantic focus as they flew around tree trunks and over lakes, rivers and clearings.
Ever since the birth of Princess Aurora of House Habsburg, her fairy aunts Flora, Fauna and Merryweather were tasked with raising her to adulthood, in order to conceal her from the vindictive Fae Maleficent and the curse she had cast. But on the cusp of Aurora's 16th birthday, Maleficent managed to find her and complete the curse, pricking her with a spindle and putting her into a deathly sleep.
Wanting to avoid the King's heartbreak, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather decided to put the rest of the castle to sleep until Aurora herself woke up. But in the process, Flora found out that by sheer coincidence, Prince Phillip, the son of the French King Hubert, had met Aurora in the forest and they had fallen in love with each other.
If Phillip were as besotted with Aurora as Flora thought, he would be going back to where they had met to see her again. And if Maleficent had discovered Aurora's identity, she would know where she had been hidden, which meant Phillip was in grave danger.
Just thinking about it made Flora fly that much faster, which made her sisters struggle to catch up.
So focused were they that they didn't pause when another orb of light passed over an opening in the canopy just as they flew under it. Nor did they notice when the orb paused and floated down for a closer look.
Barely two minutes later, the massive tree and the thatched cottage built around its roots came into view. Even from that distance, the Fairies' hearts sank when they noticed the top half of the front door was wide open.
When they flew in and regained their full size in a burst of fairy dust, all three of them gasped as their worst fears were realized.
The cottage was in shambles, and from the shattered and strewn furniture, it was clear a vicious fight had taken place. In the center of it all lay a discarded red hat with a feather in it.
Merryweather hurried to pick the hat up. "Maleficent! She's got Prince Phillip."
Flora knew there was only one place she would take him. "At the Forbidden Mountain," she said grimly.
Fauna was aghast at the thought. "But… but we can't go there!"
Flora felt her sister's distress, but her face remained resolute. "We can, and we must! It's the only way to save him, and Aurora!"
Merryweather nodded in agreement, one of the few times that she and Flora were on the same page. Fauna looked back and forth between the two, but before she could voice her opinion, a loud, boisterous voice suddenly boomed from the window.
"Aha! So here's where you've been all this time!"
All three women whirled around to gape in amazement. Looking in through the open door of the cottage was a burly middle-aged man grinning at them. Everything about him was orange, his orange-furred cape, his tunic and breeches, and even his thick orange beard, moustache and mane of hair. His skin was weathered and his face wrinkled, but his frame was muscled and his eyes were bright.
"Wha – Brother Delbert?" exclaimed Merryweather. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Delbert blinked, then burst out laughing. "What am I doing here? I should be the one asking you that! The last I saw of you three, you were heading off for the christening for Princess Aurora, but when we get back from our meeting with Merlin, we end up combing the entire continent looking for you for 16 whole years! I think it was sheer luck that Clifford saw you when he did!"
The three women fairies were torn between feeling sheepish that they didn't inform their companions about what had happened or relieved that Delbert wasn't angry about it.
The big man's gaze fell to the obvious mess inside the cottage. "And from the looks of things, whatever happened that made you hide away for this long must be one doozy of a tale!"
"Oh, it is, Delbert," said Flora, "but we really don't have time to explain everything. We have to go save Prince Phillip before it's too late!" She made to hurry to the exit, when Delbert cleared his throat.
"Hold on there, Miss Flora. If you're in such a hurry, then you can just tell the story once when Clifford, Lady Titania and old man Oberon get here." He pulled a stout stick from his belt, flicked it at the sky and sent a burst of orange sparks from the tip into the air. "I'm sure the Lord and Lady will be very interested to hear why their three best apprentices vanished without so much as a by-your-leave."
Flora and Merryweather looked like they wanted to argue the point, but Fauna placed her hands on their arms to calm them down. "I think we'd better wait for Lord Oberon. If we're going to do this, we will need all the help we can get." This convinced her two sisters, and they nodded.
The three fairies exited the cottage, looking up at the sky. A moment later, three balls of multi-colored light flew through the trees to land in the clearing, and with three flashes of magic, they unshrunk back to their regular sizes.
"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather!" exclaimed a tall, lanky man, brushing down his long, purple robes. "You're all alright! I was really getting worri-" He started towards the three of them but stumbled when the hood of his cloak fell down over his eyes. Despite their agitation, the familiar sight of their friend fumbling with his usual oversized clothing made the three women smile.
"Well, of course we are, Brother Clifford," chided Merryweather fondly, helping to tug the hood off his head and brushing his dishevelled dark hair away. "Still haven't gotten that thing fitted, I see."
Clifford chuckled sheepishly.
"Really, Ms. Merryweather," a musical voice spoke up in a droll tone, "you reunite with all your old friends after so long and that's the first thing you say?" The speaker in question was a tall woman standing off to the side, clothed in sparkling yellow and gold raiment and with wings like gossamer. Despite the obvious lines on her face, her poise, figure and complexion all showed a woman that had aged like fine wine.
Merryweather gasped and quickly bowed. "My Queen!"
Flora and Fauna curtseyed as well, the former stepping forward to explain. "Queen Titania, please excuse us for our absence, but there was something that we had to do that couldn't be avoided." She turned to address the elderly man at her side, "King Oberon, will you allow us to explain ourselves?"
King Oberon chuckled, smoothing out his snow-white cloak. With his neatly trimmed beard and aged, erudite features, he looked every inch as handsome and awe-inspiring as his wife. "My dear apprentices, have you already forgotten that there's no need to stand on ceremony with us? Surely 16 years isn't that long."
The three fairies visibly relaxed that their lord wasn't upset with them.
"But yes," he went on, "I would very much like to hear what would cause the three of you to disappear for 16 years. I expect it to be quite a tale." He tapped the long crook he carried on the ground, and chairs of gnarled wood rose up behind each person.
Flora didn't take her seat, instead vanishing it with a flick of her wand. "Apologies, my lord, but there isn't enough time for long stories. I'll make this tale as fast as possible, and it all starts with Maleficent."
As soon as she said that, the mood darkened visibly. Oberon's brow furrowed deeply and Titania's wings buzzed in agitation, her expression grim. Clifford solemnly closed his eyes, while Delbert's lip curled beneath his bristling beard.
"Should've known it was her," he growled. "What other Faery would be behind this much trouble? She was banished from Queen Mab's court for being too ambitious, petty and cruel, for crying out loud!"
Titania turned glittering eyes on her eldest apprentice. "Pray tell, Flora, what has our dear Carrabose been up to?"
Flora took a deep breath. "It all began at Aurora's christening celebration. Maleficent was so annoyed at not being invited that she put a curse on Aurora, that she would die on her 16th birthday from a prick of a spindle."
Clifford gasped and the two monarchs exchanged vengeful looks, but Merryweather continued before they got too agitated. "It was only luck that I hadn't made my blessing yet, and I managed to alter her curse so that she would only fall into a timeless sleep that would only be awakened by true love's kiss. It was all I could do; we all know how much stronger Maleficent's pact has made her compared to any one of us."
"Indeed," concurred Oberon grimly. "That satanic pact made her more than any one fairy's match in raw magic power; the only thing keeping her from the Unseelie Court's throne was Queen Mab's millennia of experience compared to her centuries."
Fauna nodded and continued the story. "Even with Maleficent's curse, we couldn't let King Stefan down, not after everything he's done for us. So we eventually came up with a plan: to raise Princess Aurora ourselves, out in the woods, as peasants."
"But without magic, of course," added Flora. "We couldn't let Maleficent's forces find us before she was old enough."
A look of understanding dawned on Delbert's face. "So that's why we couldn't find you for all those years!"
"No magic for all those years," mused Clifford, astonished at the thought. "How did you all manage it?"
"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Fauna replied. "We managed alright… at least, until the last year…" She gave her sisters a searching look.
Flora had the decency to look sheepish as she remembered the squabble she and Merryweather had. "Yes, yes. But that part isn't important. When Aurora's 16th birthday came around and Maleficent was nowhere to be seen, we returned her to the castle, thinking everything would be okay."
Her face fell. "But we grew complacent. Maleficent was waiting for us back at the palace. She lured Aurora away and pricked her with a spindle, casting her into a deep sleep. Everything we did to keep her safe… and it all amounted to naught." Fauna and Merryweather looked equally saddened at this.
Oberon's expression was solemn, but he gestured for them to continue.
"We didn't want Aurora to feel lonely when she woke up and found that her kingdom had aged without her, nor did we want King Stefan and Queen Leah to find that all their efforts to keep her safe had failed. So we put the kingdom to sleep while we searched for the only one who could break the spell."
"And it was at that moment we found that fate had its own twist to this tale," Flora continued. "Before we returned to the castle, Aurora had told us that she'd met someone in the woods, someone she met once upon a dream. We told her not to pursue it, for she was already betrothed to Prince Phillip of House Lothringen. But while we were putting the castle to sleep, we heard King Hubert, Phillip's father, say that Phillip himself had rode off to meet a peasant girl he met recently in the woods, someone he met once upon a dream."
Clifford's eyes widened. "You mean to say that… Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip met in the woods and fell in love, with neither of them realizing they were already betrothed?"
"Exactly, Clifford," the red-clad fairy answered. "When we realized this, we flew back here as fast as we could, to try and reach Phillip before Maleficent could. But as you can see," she gestured to the mess inside the cottage and the red hat in Merryweather's hands, "we didn't quite make it in time."
"And if she has Prince Phillip, you all know where she could've taken him," finished Merryweather. "And we've wasted enough time telling you all; we have to hurry there before Maleficent does the worst to him!"
The butt of Oberon's crook thumping into the ground prevented Merryweather from just flying off. "Just a moment, Merryweather," he interjected, "am I to understand that you're to just waltz into the Forbidden Mountain and spirit the prince out to save the princess's life, right from under Maleficent's nose?"
The almost-reproachful tone in his voice startled all three of his apprentices. "My Lord?!" Fauna uttered. "Are… are you telling us to not –"
"That mountain will be crawling with Maleficent's evil minions, and if she catches sight of you, even the three of your magics combined wouldn't protect you from the hellfire she can conjure. You and the prince would be cinders before you could escape."
"You can't just fly into a place like that unprepared." The old Fae's eyes glittered with amusement and his frown changed into a grin. "You need a plan."
The relief Flora, Fauna and Merryweather felt was invigorating. "Then… you will help us?"
Delbert flexed his arms and placed his cudgel over his shoulder, excitement coloring his posture. Clifford stood up straight, sweat beading his forehead but a firm set to his jaw. Queen Titania cast a kindly smile their way, but the steely glint in her eyes belied her conviction and support.
Oberon stepped forward to place a hand on Flora's shoulder. "Now, what sort of Lords would we be if we didn't? Now come on, we can plan while we fly."
With that, seven balls of multi-colored light darted away through the woods.
Due to Maleficent's dark sorcery, the peak of the Forbidden Mountain was perpetually surrounded in dark fog, making it treacherous and deadly for any mortal adventurer who might get too close. And woe betide anyone who actually made it close enough to see her dark citadel perched at the mountain's crest; if Maleficent spotted them, they were goners.
As such, Prince Phillip of House Lothringen felt nothing but hopelessness as he slumped in the depths of the castle dungeons, manacled to the wall. Above him, he could hear Maleficent's many goons raucously celebrating, and he had no idea where his loyal steed Samson was.
Smiling cruelly down at him was the dark Faery herself, Maleficent, and her chacking crow familiar Diablo. Phillip could've sworn that the bird was even more mocking than his mistress.
"Oh, come now, Prince Phillip, why so melancholy?" Maleficent said silkily. "A wondrous future lies before you. You, the destined hero of a charming fairy tale come true."
Raising her sceptre, she waved her hand over the green orb at the top and moved it close enough for Phillip to see into it. Images blossomed into it as Maleficent began her spiel.
"Behold, King Stefan's castle, and in yonder topmost tower, dreaming of her true love, the princess Aurora. But see the gracious whim of fate. Why, 'tis the self-same peasant maid, who won the heart of our noble prince but yesterday."
Phillip's face went slack at that revelation.
"She is indeed most wondrous fair. Gold of sunshine in her hair, lips that shame the red, red rose. In ageless sleep she finds repose."
Maleficent's words took on a slight edge. "The years roll by, but a hundred years to a steadfast heart are 'bout a day. And now, the gates of the dungeon part, and the prince is free to go his way."
As if to mock him, Phillip could indeed see himself walking out of the dungeon on Samson, but both had obviously been aged to decrepitude. Anger welled up inside him.
"Off he rides on his noble steed, a valiant figure, straight and tall, to wake his love with love's first kiss, and prove that true love conquers all-"
"What ho, dark Maleficent! The Court of the Seelie seeks your audience!"
A booming voice echoed into the dungeon just as Maleficent finished her tale. Her head whipped towards the exit, just as one of her goons came running in.
"Mistress, mistress! Fairies at the drawbridge! They wish to see you!"
"Yes, I heard," snapped Maleficent, obviously irritated. Diablo flew to her shoulder as she made her way out of the dungeon. The door locked behind her with a loud clank.
Barely a minute later, Phillip was startled by three balls of light flying in through the grate in the door, which bloomed into three elderly women with wings and wands. "What -"
"Shh! No time to explain!" the one in red hissed. "We're here to get you out." Sparks flew from her wand to strike Phillip's wrist shackles, while the one in green worked on his ankles and the one in blue cut away at the door.
Outside he could hear Maleficent, her voice somehow echoing through her domain. "Well, well! King Oberon and Queen Titania, what a… lovely… surprise! What brings you to my humble abode?"
"Just a small inquiry, Maleficent," said a calm female voice that was just as regal as Maleficent's without any of the malice. "What do you know about the disappearance of Prince Phillip of House Lothringen?"
Maleficent's reply was icy-cold. "And why does that concern you?"
Before the young prince knew it, he was free again. "Thank you all kindly," he said, rubbing his wrists. "But who are you all?"
"Oh, my name is Fauna, and that's Flora and Merryweather," piped up the green-clad woman. "We've been Princess Aurora's caretakers ever since she was a baby, trying to keep her safe from Maleficent. Unfortunately, we weren't quite careful enough on her 16th birthday…"
"Fauna, this is no time for self-pity!" Flora hissed. "We've got to get the Prince out of here and to Aurora's castle before Maleficent notices; our Lord and Lady can't keep her occupied for long!"
She raised her wand. "Phillip, the road to true love may be barriered by still many more dangers, which you alone will have to face."
With two flashes of magic, Phillip was holding a gleaming longsword and a matching kite shield, emblazoned with a silver cross. "So arm thyself with this enchanted Shield of Virtue and this mighty Sword of Truth. For these weapons of righteousness will triumph over evil."
Phillip examined his new arms with frank appreciation. "Thank you kindly, ladies," he said. "But you are right; we should make haste!"
Quickly, the four of them moved to the door that Merryweather had cut open and hastened through it. Navigating through stone corridors and ruined passageways, they soon arrived at what had once been a window.
Looking out from it, Phillip could see Samson shackled to a stone in the middle of the courtyard, whickering impatiently. A fairy-winged purple figure was crouching at the base, trying to unlock the chains. On the battlements, just a few levels above them, he could also see Maleficent, her back to them as she continued her colloquy with whoever was outside.
The regal voice hadn't lost an iota of patience. "We have a debt to repay to the House of Lothringen, and assisting King Hubert in finding his wayward scion will settle that debt. If you know anything about this, now is the time to tell us, or there will be consequences from both him and us."
Maleficent scoffed. "Do you really think I fear the likes of the Seelie Court, much less the wrath of some foolish, potbellied mortal king? Even if I did have King Hubert's pup, what could he possibly do to make me give him up?"
"It's not him you should be worried about, dear Carrabose," spoke an old, authoritative voice. "Or have your years of isolation actually made you overconfident?"
Phillip could hear the snarl in Maleficent's reply. "Was that a challenge, you old goat?"
Confident that she was sufficiently distracted, Phillip clambered out the window and dropped down into a pile of loose dirt and scree. The fall was staggering, but much less painful than it could've been.
As he and the fairies made their way to Samson, who was luckily still equipped with saddle and bridle, the shackle around his front leg finally broke open with a loud click. Everyone froze, but the click was quickly drowned out by a loud guffaw from outside.
"Hah! Need we remind you, Maleficent, that Queen Mab is just as old as old man Oberon here? I don't recall you calling her an old goat when she threw you out of the Unseelie Court!"
"Thank you, Delbert," came Titania's clipped voice.
"Good grief, Delbert, you're supposed to distract Maleficent, not make her explode!" muttered the purple-clad man, seeing Maleficent's silhouette tremble with impotent rage. "Hurry, your Highness, we don't have much time left!"
Phillip quickly hopped into Samson's saddle, before freezing as he suddenly realized something. "Wait… how are we going to get out? Isn't the only way out through the front gate? Maleficent's bound to see us if we go out that way!"
"Well, that's why Clifford's here," answered Merryweather. "He's the best at transportation spells."
"But we'll have to be careful," warned Clifford, withdrawing his carved quarterstaff from his back. "If you get too far away from me, you'll miss the spell, and if anything interrupts me, I'll have to start it all over again, so we'll only get one try once she spots us. I'm trusting the three of you to keep us safe."
The three Good Fairies nodded, drawing their wands and looking around cautiously. As Clifford began tracing sparkling glyphs in the air with his staff, Phillip kept a worried eye and ear on Maleficent.
The sole lady negotiator, who Phillip identified as Queen Titania, still hadn't deviated from her serene tone. "Come now, Maleficent, this doesn't have to be difficult. Everyone in King Stefan's kingdom knows about that petty curse you put on his daughter, and how she was already betrothed to Prince Phillip. And now that your curse has come to pass, don't you think we'd find it suspicious when the only one who could break the curse is nowhere to be found? Just tell us what you know about Prince Phillip and we'll be on our way."
"Spare me your high ground, Titania," Maleficent audibly scowled. "You march up to my home, to badger me about some royal whelp, for no other reason than the edict of some fool of a king? Pray tell, when did the Seelie court become a crowd of human-loving lapdogs?"
Delbert's trademark laugh was heard again. "Someone's awfully defensive this evening, isn't she? And I'm not hearing a 'no' there, either; are you sure you don't have something to hide, Carrabose?"
"If you weren't snivelling behind those two dotards down there, you'd be nothing but ashes, you fat oaf!"
Phillip could hear the smirk in the voice of who he surmised was King Oberon "I believe you're right, Delbert, I'm not hearing a 'no', either. I wonder if we should take that as a confess-"
The crack of Maleficent's sceptre on the stone battlements cut Oberon off, which also sent Diablo fluttering into the air. "If you test my patience any more, Oberon, I will personally go down there and cut out that silver tongue of yours!"
Diablo cawed irritably as he fluttered back down to his perch on his mistress's shoulder, but as he balanced himself, his head turned around to see into the castle courtyard behind him. Phillip's blood surged when the raven's beady eyes fixed on the scene behind him.
"Hurry, Clifford!" he hissed. "We've been spotted!"
"Almost done! Almost done!" Clifford replied, floating the glyphs into a circle on the floor around them.
Maleficent was internally debating whether or not to continue being civil when, as if he'd been shot at, Diablo went crazy. He took flight and flapped around her head, cawing and screeching in her face at the top of his lungs.
"Diablo, you pest, what's gotten into you?" she snapped. With black feathers in her eyes, she did not notice the three fairies below her exchange looks.
Her raven didn't stop cawing, only flew behind her out of her line of sight. Maleficent whirled around to see where her familiar went…
… and her eyes fell on the scene below.
A half-second later, Clifford shouted, "Done!" The base of his staff rapped on the stone ground.
Phillip had only enough time to see the dark Fae's jaw drop open in disbelief before a blast of white, sparkling fairy dust filled his vision.
When the dust finally dissipated, Phillip, Samson, Clifford and the three Good Fairies found themselves just outside the gatehouse, on the other side of the drawbridge leading to Maleficent's fortress. Turning around, he spotted a large man in orange, a tall woman in yellow, and an old man in white standing behind him, the latter aiming his crooked staff at the castle.
"What the-" Phillip exclaimed, looking back up at the castle. To his astonishment, where Maleficent was standing a moment ago, now bloomed a huge white blossom, closed up tight, which spiralled into the sky on a long, curved stem.
"That won't hold her long," Oberon said grimly. "Hurry, we must get back to King Stefan's castle to undo the curse!"
"Just a moment, old man," Delbert said, looking into the castle depths where a whole mob of minions was charging out at them. He lifted his cudgel and firmly struck the drawbridge; in a flash, the bridge evaporated into a mass of clouds that floated into the air, leaving behind a yawning gap that the goons had to struggle to not fall into. A few didn't manage it.
Delbert offered himself a laugh before shrinking himself down and flying after his lord, comrades, and the prince on the galloping steed. They had barely crossed the stone path through the cliffs when a furious shriek and a burst of green light across the sky heralded Maleficent's escape from the blossom's grasp.
"HOW DARE YOU!" they heard the dark Fae's booming voice even as they raced away. "YOU WILL PAY FOR MOCKING THE MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL!"
Maleficent's eldritch spells surged through the skies, sending bolts of lightning down upon them. Phillip held his shield above himself as the bolts sheared rocks off the cliffs and down on their heads.
"How crude," sighed Titania. "All that power, and no finesse." As another lightning bolt split the mountainous path in front of them, the Queen of the Seelie withdrew her own wand and flicked it upwards, as Oberon did the same behind him.
Instantly, a streak of gold rushed from the edge of the new chasm, and before Samson knew it, he was galloping above the cliff-peaks on a path of shimmering light. As the lightning bolts dissolved into rainbows behind them at Oberon's will, the golden path carried them out of the mountain range and set them down near the woods, leaving a clear road straight to King's Stefan's palace in the distance.
But Maleficent was not about to give up so easily. A black miasma formed as she swirled her sceptre in the air, blackening the very air with her satanic magic.
"MY GRUDGE WITH HABSBURG SHALL NEVER CEASE,
IN ENCHANTED SLEEP, SHE SHALL FIND NO PEACE!
NOW POISON HER DREAMS WITH NIGHTMARE AND STRIFE,
TILL HER TORTURED SOUL IS BARREN OF LIFE!"
Oberon and Titania almost stalled in shock. "She wouldn't!" gasped Titania.
The miasma of dark sorcery roiling over their heads proved otherwise. Before Phillip and the Fairies' horrified eyes, it covered the palace like a storm cloud, and even from a distance, they could see a tendril of dark magic flowing into the tower where Aurora was sleeping.
"No! Aurora!" Flora, Fauna and Merryweather cried in dismay.
The foreboding sight only served to galvanize Phillip. "Faster, Samson! Faster!" he shouted, and his steed snorted as he redoubled his efforts.
Maleficent cackled at the sight. "YOU CAN RUN AS FAST AS YOU LIKE, NOBLE PRINCE, BUT YOU'LL NEVER REACH HER IN TIME!" More lightning surged through the air as she cast another spell.
"A FOREST OF THORNS SHALL BE HIS TOMB,
BORNE THROUGH THE SKIES ON A FOG OF DOOM!
NOW GO WITH A CURSE AND SERVE ME WELL,
ROUND STEFAN'S CASTLE, CAST MY SPELL!"
The miasma of dark clouds rumbled and shook, spitting more lightning from its innards down around the castle. Wherever the lightning struck, thick branches with deadly thorns capable of eviscerating a man sprouted and grew within moments, until the entire palace and the hill it was on was subsumed in a deadly forest of brambles, spikes and thorns.
Samson whinnied and balked at the impassable barrier, but forged on at his master's urging. As thorns scratched and scraped at legs and cape, Phillip's sword slashed and hacked away at it, slowly but surely forcing a way through.
"This is taking too long!" Oberon scowled. "If we don't hurry, Princess Aurora won't survive long enough for the Prince to awaken her!" He turned to the rest. "We have to get up there and try to break that curse!"
"My Lord, we'll stay here to guard Phillip!" Flora spoke up for herself and her sisters. "Please, save our niece's life!"
"We won't let you down!" Delbert grinned. "Cliff, my boy, you know what to do!"
Clifford nodded and whipped his staff through the air. Instantly, he, Delbert, Titania and Oberon flashed into balls of light and accelerated away towards the castle.
Phillip, meanwhile, continued his steady march towards his goal. Despite the multitude of unnatural brambles that would've deterred any sane mortal, his tenacity refused to waver. As Flora, Fauna and Merryweather helped keep his cape from getting snagged and caught, he continued to chop his way through the tangle, hewing down vines left and right.
Just when he was beginning to think that it would never end, one last slash revealed a stone path right in front of him. He cut away at it until Samson could get through, and his spirits brightened when he saw a clear path to the front doors.
But just as Samson began running towards them, a shout of "NOT SO FAST, BOY!" echoed out and a spiral of black and gold landed in front of him, enveloping the stone walkway and the surrounding brambles in green fire. Samson reared up in shock and Phillip sucked in a breath as Maleficent stepped out of the flames, her expression thunderous.
"You are more stubborn than I expected, boy, but with you dead, even those old fools will only delay the inevitable!" she boomed. "Now you shall face, me, oh Prince, and all the powers of HELL!"
The flames erupted into a blinding pillar of emerald that reached the dark clouds above, their caster visible as a black shadow in their center. Before Phillip and the Fairies' horrified eyes, the shadow that was Maleficent rose through the pillar into the sky and growing larger, and fiercer, and more monstrous…
Maleficent's dark laughter filled the air, as, from the midst of the miasma, she emerged in the form of a terrifying dark dragon, with scales hewn from obsidian, spikes lining her crest and back, green flames curling around her black fangs, and evil green eyes that gazed at him like death incarnate. The air around her literally smoked of destruction and despair.
With a flap of her leathery wings, she dropped from the sky to land on the walkway, barring Phillip's way into the castle. Stone crunched around her claws, and she looked at the Prince with a reptilian smirk, daring him to ride to his doom.
For an agonizing moment, the thought of retreat flitted through Phillip's mind, but it was immediately consumed by an inferno of raw determination. The girl he loved was in dire peril, and a life where he left her to perish was a life not worth contemplating.
He would save her, and he would slay this dragon to do it.
With a valorous shout, he spurred Samson into a charge, storming towards Maleficent with his sword and shield aloft.
Aurora was not sure exactly what happened. The last thing she could coherently remember was a green light telling her to touch the needle of some strange wooden machine she'd never seen before, then a feeling of immense exhaustion falling over her…
For the longest time, she had no idea where she was, or even if she was anywhere at all.
Then, slowly, her surroundings drew into focus. She was walking through the forest where she had lived all her life; the trees, the lake, and even the birds in the trees all were very familiar to her.
The young woman tried to slow down to take stock of exactly where she was in the woods, but she couldn't seem to stop walking. Soon, she began wondering where she was going, as her feet seemed to want to take her somewhere of their own volition.
Then, out from behind a tree, stepped someone into view.
Aurora's heart leapt. It was him; the young man she had met in the woods, that she had met many times in her dreams, and once in real life.
"Hello, milady," he said politely. "I was hoping to see you again."
"It's you!" she cried, hurrying forward to embrace him. "You came back!"
"Of course I did," he said with a smile that made her heart flutter. "Dance with me?"
Aurora nodded, and the two joined hands and began dancing across the forest floor. Above them, the birds sang with human words, the song that they had shared on their first dance together.
If this was another of her dreams, she didn't ever want to wake up.
As their pace slowed, the man gazed right into her eyes. "Fair maiden, not a moment has passed since that day we met, that I have not wondered who you are. I beseech thee once more, please tell me of your name."
The mention of her name brought Aurora's last memories back to the fore. She remembered what she was told, that she wasn't the peasant Briar Rose, but the Princess Aurora, that the three people she trusted most had hidden it from her all her life, and that she would never be allowed to see this lovely man again as she was betrothed to someone else.
For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say to him.
But before she could make her mind up, a loud voice suddenly cut through everything else. "What ho, Princess Aurora of House Habsburg!"
Involuntarily, Aurora looked up, the man turning around. Standing a short distance away between two trees was an intimidating man on a snorting black stallion. Aurora couldn't make out anything under the voluminous black and purple cape with a hood he wore, but something about the way he was looking right at her sent chills down her spine.
The dark man pointed a black-gloved hand right at the man standing beside her. "Stand aside, knave. The dear princess has no need for any man other than I, her betrothed, Prince Phillip!"
The young man looked back at her in shock. "Princess? You're a princess?"
Aurora's mouth opened and closed as she tried to answer. "I… I…"
"Indeed she is," spoke the man in the dark cloak, his horse cantering closer. "And our wedding is coming up soon, so I have come to bring her home. So step aside; we can't keep our families waiting."
But Aurora didn't move, paralyzed with indecision. Thoughts chased each other around her head about her future, torn between the life of a princess and the family she lost, or running away to the man she had fallen in love with.
Sensing her confusion, the young man stepped protectively in front of her. "I beg your pardon, sir, but can't you see the lady's distress? Give her some space, for God's sake!"
Though his face was completely shadowed by the hood, Aurora got the sense of a loathing sneer from the dark man as he jumped off his horse. "I didn't ask you for your opinion, knave. I won't ask again; stand aside."
"Please…" whispered Aurora, taking a step back, apprehension making up her mind, "stop acting like that; you're scaring me. I don't know who you are, but you can't be the one I will marry!"
The dark man seemed completely unfazed by that. "Now how can you say that, dear Princess? I've already got our wedding gift!"
In a manner that appeared impossible, he whipped his cloak to the side, unveiling something concealed under it.
A spinning wheel crafted entirely of black wood.
Aurora gasped in fright as the terrifying memories of the mechanism came flooding back. She staggered back, eyes wide as saucers.
The dark man burst out in laughter, throwing back his hood to reveal the pale, black-horned head of Maleficent. A wave of her hand set the spinning wheel alight with green fire, and with its wheel whirling at blinding speeds, the wooden contraption came to life and began walking jerkily towards Aurora.
"Aurora!" the young man cried, rushing to her aid, but Maleficent was faster, wrapping her black-clad arms around his neck and tightening.
"Your dear prince can't save you now!" she cackled, rising into the air with him in tow. Her dark cloak filled the sky and shrouded the entire forest in black, the only illumination coming from the green fire of the spinning wheel.
Now all alone, Aurora had nowhere to run. Just like a nightmare, the ghastly machine swelled to the height of the trees as it bore down on her, flames crackling like demonic laughter.
Lost in panic, Aurora stumbled over a tree root and fell to the forest floor, too afraid to even scream. As the spinning wheel loomed over her, four wooden arms with glinting black spindles unfolded from its base, wrapped with dark, thorny brambles in place of thread.
The thorn-laden arms shoved over a nearby tree in a shower of burning leaves to get closer. One wooden leg stamped down on the hem of her dress, preventing her from running away.
Aurora shut her eyes, praying that she would wake up from this absolute nightmare. The tears leaking from her eyes evaporated in the heat.
She could hear the creaking as the machine prepared its needles to impale her.
But before they came down, a loud voice suddenly boomed out of the sky. "Young princess, though fear and terror obstruct your way, you shall stand tall with the break of day! Take heart like the sun, shining bright and true, for courage is my gift to you!"
Like magic, all the fear in Aurora's heart melted away like snow, as a sensation of bravery and confidence filled her from top to bottom. As she looked up at the attacking contrivance, one clear thought resonated through her mind, that she would not give the evil witch the pleasure of breaking her.
As the first spindle came down straight towards her head, Aurora threw herself aside at the last moment, the metal spike instead embedding into the ground. The brambles on the arm just barely missed scratching her face.
Then, the clouds resonated with another voice, this one calm, soothing and motherly. "Dear princess, from the winds and leaves in their lasting race, they bring my gifts of dance and grace. Nimble and swift, elegant and fleet, no mortal body with you can compete!"
Another blossom of energy surged through Aurora's body, and as if her feet had minds of their own, she found herself up and running, tearing away from the pinned spot on her dress and neatly evading the other stabbing arms until she was several yards away. The machine clattered as it tried to extricate its spindles from the ground, scorching the grass beneath it.
A moment later came a third voice, male and quietly intellectual. "Lovely princess, just as the mountain peaks touch the sky, so too will your mind grow wise and high! Ideas and thoughts as royalty befit, my gift to you is the gift of wit!"
For a third time, Aurora felt the rush of a new sensation, this time coursing through her head and making it feel like it was full of bubbles. Ideas flew through her head faster than she could blink, and as she looked at the struggling spinning wheel, a solid plan formed when she turned to look at the coursing stream behind her.
By the time the machine had managed to pull itself free, Aurora had moved so that she was between it and the river. With the wheel buzzing angrily, it rampaged towards her like an out-of-control bull, flaming-green spikes raised.
But unlike moments before, Aurora stood her ground, every part of her thrumming with courage and excitement.
As soon as the machine was less than five yards away, Aurora leapt aside once again, revealing the thick tree root she was standing in front of. The spinning wheel's leg caught on the root, and though it broke apart, the force was still more than enough to trip the machine and send it legs over spindles right into the stream.
A cloud of steam washed over Aurora as water met magic fire. When it finally cleared, the oversized spinning wheel lay in the middle of the stream, smouldering, smoking, and quivering feebly.
As Aurora stared at the machine that had pulled her into this nightmare in the first place, one more voice broke through the clouds, elderly and wise. "Good princess, your loving heart is a boon to this land, and against the evils it shall help you stand! Strength of will is my gift to thee, and from this horror, you will be free!"
Once more, Aurora's body was wracked with a surge of energy, this one more invigorating than before. She took a deep breath as her thoughts coalesced. This was her dream, her mind, and she would not let this nightmare scare her any longer!
With all the grace she was gifted with, Aurora jumped into the stream, navigating the river rocks until she could clamber onto the twitching spinning wheel. She closed her eyes, placed her hands on the black wood, and willed the dream to change.
The dream responded.
From her touch, the black wood of the wheel bleached out to a stolid oak color, and the brambles unraveled from the spindles to coil in a floating circle around her. What appeared to be strands of her own hair spooled from her head to wrap around the spindles, forming coils of gold.
Aurora's whole body flared with gold, enveloping her, the ring of thorns, and the spinning wheel she stood on. The next moment, it all lifted into the air and rose towards the black sky, illuminating the darkness with a shining beacon of light.
Maleficent's viridescent flames hammered against Philip's shield, the force throwing him off Samson's back. Hauling himself to his feet, Philip gritted his teeth and stood his ground, slashing at the snapping dragon's snout.
Stray embers from Maleficent's flames set the brambles around them alight. The stone walkway crumbled beneath Philip's feet as he backed up, trying to find sure footing again.
Philip could almost hear Maleficent's cackling mixed in with her roars as her horned head smashed flaming plant matter aside, clearing her path towards him.
Just then, a blaze of light lit up the area like a lighthouse and caught everyone's attention. Philip, Maleficent and the fairies all turned their eyes to where the light was coming from: beaming out the windows and doors of Aurora's castle tower.
"What in Heaven?" Philip uttered.
Flora, Fauna and Merryweather's faces all lit up. "They did it!" Flora whispered excitedly.
Before their eyes, a solid mass of gold coalesced out of the light to hover in the air above them. Slowly, it twisted and morphed, changing shape, growing appendages, becoming more distinct…
… until the light died away to reveal a sight no-one had ever expected to see.
Maleficent's reptilian eyes bulged when she saw Princess Aurora floating above her, eyes shut and expression serene. She was now clad in an off-the-shoulder top and flared open-front skirt that left her shoulders, middle and calves visible, both coloured in shades of pink, violet and lilac. A flowing violet cape linked her top with detached lilac sleeves, gold shoes adorned her feet, and various matching gold bands encircled her wrists, ankles, hips and head.
However, standing out in stark contrast from the rest of her outfit were the belt and circlet of dark brambles and thorns that matched the surrounding prickly plants. More striking, though, was the giant wooden spinning wheel that seemed to be affixed to her back, rotating lazily behind her like an otherworldly halo. In addition, four long spindles attached to wooden arms and covered in gold thread also protruded from the wheel's center, waving like claws.
The dark Faerie was so gobsmacked she could barely speak. "What… But… How…?!"
Then, Aurora's eyes opened and she spoke, her voice filled with an etherealness that belied the power beneath. "Maleficent, this grudge you have ends here. I will not tolerate this attack on my home."
Maleficent snarled, an inferno blossoming in her throat. "Insolent girl… I don't know what those old fools did to you, but you should've just stayed in your dreams! Now I see how you and that boy fell for each other; both of you are foolish enough to challenge me, the Mistress of All Evil!"
Aurora's eyes flicked towards Philip, and her expression darkened just a hair. She gestured with her arms, and the four spindles on her back straightened out and aimed at Maleficent's face, their points gleaming.
"Oh, I don't believe so, Maleficent. For what was once my dream… is now your worst nightmare."
With a whir, Aurora swooped down at the dragon, the spinning wheel on her back clacking and churning and the spindles slashing the air. Maleficent snapped out at her as she approached, but the spinning wheel looped around her head and evaded her teeth. There was a flash of steel, and the black dragon roared as the spindle points left a deep cut across her muzzle.
Philip took the opportunity to regroup. He whistled sharply, and Samson pulled his way out of the brambles to re-join his master. Philip mounted his steed and charged for the distracted dragon, delivering a fierce slash to her hindquarters as he galloped by.
"AAGH! You little pests!" screeched Maleficent, spewing flame in all directions and thrashing her tail violently. Philip ducked under the thrashing appendage and managed to ride past her, across the crumbling walkway, to the safety of the castle steps.
Aurora pulled in her wooden arms to tumble past the jet of flame, regaining her balance moments later. With two more gestures, the top two spindles rose and began spooling out loops of gold thread, which began wrapping around Maleficent's muzzle.
"What…" Maleficent managed to utter before the thread tightened.
"Mute Thread!" Aurora spoke sharply, and the layer of thread now tangled around Maleficent's jaws mutated into a layer of glowing gold chain, effectively binding the dragon's mouth shut. The princess flew out of the way as Maleficent gave a muffled howl of rage, clawing fruitlessly at her gag.
With the dragon preoccupied, Aurora drew back several yards and flexed her arms. All four spindles straightened and pointed themselves forward, and with her blood racing with magical courage, she fearlessly flew straight towards the dragon's side at full speed.
"Steel Spindle!" she shouted a moment before impact, and her giant spindles flashed and took on a metallic sheen right before they were buried in Maleficent's flank. A strangled screech of pain echoed from Maleficent's throat as the force shoved her clear off the pathway and into the tangle of brambles.
As Maleficent flailed about in the brambles, trying to escape from the pricking and stabbing thorns and branches, Aurora pulled away and floated above out of tail-lashing range. From their vantage point, Prince Phillip and the Fairies watched. Did that manage to do it?
A sudden surge of dark sorcery was their answer, as the gold chains constricting Maleficent's mouth were torn free by glittering off-black claws. Wood and thorns were sent flying by the black dragon's limbs, and a spiraling cone of green flame erupted up at Aurora.
The princess had no time except to gasp "Diamond Spindle!" and cross her wooden arms in front of her, before she was engulfed in the eldritch flames. A trail of smoke traced her arc as she tumbled through the air, barely catching herself mere feet from the ground, right in front of Phillip.
"Princess Aurora! Are you alright?" Phillip shouted in dismay, Samson cantering up to her.
The princess coughed, waving away the smoke from around her body. "I'm alright," she answered. Her four spindles gleamed with a crystalline luster, showing how she managed to defend herself, but as Phillip observed her, he noticed that parts of her wheel and her body were slowly starting to transmute into golden threads.
Aurora glanced down to look at her steadily changing fingers in concern. "I won't be able to maintain this body for much longer," she said. "We have to end this quickly."
Phillip ignored the urge to ask questions and forced himself to focus on the immediate problem. He turned his head to look at where Maleficent was shaking the thorns loose from her body and brushing them from her eyes. He looked down at his sword. "If I could just get one good strike to her throat, it might do the trick, but I'll never get that close before I get burnt to cinders. I just need a clear opening…"
At that, Aurora looked up. "And I believe I can give you one. All I require is a moment…"
But a roar of "Enough of this nonsense! I'll burn you both to cinders!" suddenly broke their trains of thoughts, as emerald flames struck down from a recovered black dragon right at Phillip. The prince got his shield up just in time, but the burning stream blew him off his feet and clear off the stone walkway.
Aurora gasped and made to fly after him, but a set of deadly dragon teeth snapped viciously at her and almost swallowed her whole. She quickly righted herself, but Maleficent came after her again, forcing her to dart higher into the sky to escape. Undeterred, Maleficent spread her black wings and gave pursuit with a screech of determination.
"Fly, little girl! Fly all you wish! But once I'm finished with you, your precious love will be nought but ash, and you will never be set free by true love's kiss!"
With a grunt, Phillip pulled himself past his sword that he had managed to wedge into the stonework, and hauled himself back onto the stone bridge. He yanked his sword free and gazed futilely up at the dragon now snapping and breathing fire at the shape that was darting and dancing around her like a sparrow.
"Blast it! How am I to reach them up there?" he growled.
"Worry not, Prince Phillip," spoke up Merryweather. The fairies flitted down to circle Samson's hooves, and raised their wands in unison. "Now, hooves of faith, step fast and with care! Ascend to the skies with tread on the air!"
Samson's four hooves shimmered with magic, and he pawed the ground with renewed vigor. As Phillip mounted him, the white stallion whinnied and galloped forward, slowly gaining height as if the air was a solid ramp beneath his hooves.
Above them, Phillip kept a concerned eye on the aerial battle. Aurora had managed to get enough of a breather to counterattack, and though her spell names were drowned out by Maleficent's roars, streams of glowing thread lashed out from her spindles like whips at her foe. Though the strikes left bright scars on the dragon's muzzle and hide, the transformed Fae was too infuriated or charged with dark magic to notice or care, and she grew ever-closer to knocking the dancing princess out of the sky.
Phillip watched Maleficent swoop and glide through the air after Aurora, subtly twitching Samson's reins to both get closer and stay in her blind spot. He gripped his sword as he tracked the dragon's flight, waiting for just the right moment when he could dart in…
Then he saw it when Aurora began leading Maleficent on a wide, swooping arc, and he urged Samson into a gallop, aiming for a point where their paths would intersect. By the time Maleficent caught sight of Phillip and Samson, they were already too close.
A piercing screech filled the air as the Sword of Truth thrust up and dug a deep gash into Maleficent's belly, spraying black blood everywhere. Maleficent writhed, her wings briefly locking up, and she tumbled.
Aurora gladly took the chance to ascend out of harm's way. "It's time," she stated, closing her eyes and raising her arms to the side. At her command, all four spindles started to spin like drills, the threads coating them starting to coruscate with power.
Maleficent's fall only lasted a short while before she flared her wings and regained control. Her head snaked up and snapped at Phillip and Samson, who barely made an impressive turn that evaded the draconian teeth by a tail-hair. Maleficent twisted around, trying to get a bead on the prince, but in doing so, she glimpsed the princess many yards above her, shining like a star.
"Insolent child!" she roared, beating her wings furiously and ascending straight at the hovering princess. Flames as purplish-black as her scales started to spew from her mouth.
"No!" Phillip yelled. With a crack of the reins, Samson whinnied and galloped right past the dragon like a comet, his rider praying he could intercept whatever attack came for Aurora.
From where she was clinging to Phillip's arm, Fauna raised her wand and led her sisters in channeling more magic, this time into Phillip's shield. "Now Shield of Virtue, hold strong and true! By your stalwart defense, let no devil break through!"
On his arm, Phillip's shield sparkled as the Fae magic was infused into it, slowly growing a layer of gleaming white crystal. He reached the mid-point between Maleficent and Aurora, and raised his energized defense with a shouted challenge just as Maleficent unleashed a purple-green-black blast of eldritch fire.
Sparks and embers flew in all directions as the blast struck the Shield of Virtue and skirled off like a boulder in the middle of a raging river. Samson whinnied at the otherworldly heat, but Phillip gritted his teeth and stalwartly stood his ground, hardly deterred at all by the attack.
Behind him, untouched by the flames, Aurora continued her channeling, the wooden wheel attached to her back beginning to rotate like the spindles.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of holding off the inferno, Phillip felt the pressure begin to abate, at the same time he sensed the completion of Aurora's channeling behind him and her eyes flicking open. With a thunderous yell, he threw his arm aside and scattered the remnants of black fire like leaves from a dead tree. "NOW, AURORA!" he yelled, Samson galloping out of the way and giving the princess a clear path.
Aurora's eyes shone like two miniature white suns, her spinning wheel and spindles now forming a giant circle of flashing light and color behind her. She stared unflinchingly at the black dragon bearing down on her.
Her next words vibrated with imperiality. "DreamWeave!"
With a surge of magic, glittering strings of every color in existence began flying out of the whirling wheel, as if pulled by invisible hands. The sky was crisscrossed with psychedelic, vibrant, mesmerizing lines of light as they flew every which way, into the clouds above, into the brambles below, and all around in between Aurora and the charging Maleficent, forming a giant, shimmering net.
With claws and teeth flashing, Maleficent plunged headlong into the net, fully intent on ripping right through it. But to her shock, the weave of light bowed and quivered and held, fully keeping the dragon away from her prey. Her teeth snapped shut scant inches from Aurora's face.
The only thing she could utter was "…what?"
With a placid expression, Aurora flexed her fingers and drew her arms back, and the net closed in, wrapping around Maleficent and pulling her back before she could fly away. More glowing strings flew back down from the clouds, knotting themselves on to the dragon's wings, shoulders, neck and forelimbs as if they were sewing themselves into cloth. Yet more shot from the ground, pulling the long thorny vines from the forest along with them, snaring her legs, tail and lower body.
Her shock transforming into rage and denial, Maleficent roared, screeched and spewed hellfire that scarred the sky, but her efforts were in vain. Like the chains on a drawbridge, the strings pulled taut, inexorably pulling the dragon's limbs in different directions and crucifying her in mid-air.
"No! NO! This cannot be!" the transformed Fae howled. "I am the Mistress of All Evil! The Favored of the Seven Princes! I cannot fall to a pair of mortal whelps!"
A horse's whinny cut her tirade short. Though she could not move her neck, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Samson charging headlong towards her exposed breast. On his back, Phillip stood ready, his sword glimmering like an omen.
Flora's eyes were hard as the three fairies infused the blade with all the magic they could muster. "Now Sword of Truth, strike swift and sure! Let evil die…"
Phillip's final cry joined the fairies and echoed across the land. "…AND GOOD ENDURE!"
Green fire, black smoke and white light surged everywhere as the shining Sword of Truth was buried hilt-deep in Maleficent's vulnerable heart. Maleficent's dying screech rang in Phillip's ears as Samson galloped away from the wound that was gushing blood and smoke.
Phillip cantered to a halt next to Aurora and watched in awe as the emerald flames spread from the wound, completely immolating Maleficent in an otherworldly inferno as if she was covered in oil. Her voice was soon swallowed up, lost in the roaring of the flames.
The smouldering dragon flesh fell away from the magical strings, and the dragon-Fae tumbled like a stone into the brambles below, trailing thick, cloying smoke. In just a scant few seconds, the dark fairy Maleficent was nothing more than a black shadow lying in a clearing amongst the thorns.
Slowly, Aurora, Phillip, Samson and the Fairies floated back down to the castle. All around them, the strings dissolved into sparkles, and the forest of brambles faded away like the bad dream that they were.
"Thank you so much for your aid, noble sir," Aurora said softly. "How can I ever repay you?"
Phillip shook his head gallantly. "Think nothing of it, your Majesty," he replied. "It is every man's duty to a lady after all."
Aurora gave him a smile, then turned regretful eyes on her three Fae aunts. "Flora, Fauna, Merryweather… I'm so, so sorry… if I'd only been more careful, and not listened to that woman…"
"Shhh," soothed Flora, floating up to her and hugging Aurora's cheek. "Please, Aurora, there's no need to apologize. Maybe we should've told you about the dangers when you were old enough to understand them, then maybe this whole thing could've been avoided. But who can say for certain?"
Fauna and Merryweather patted their sister with a bittersweet smile on their faces.
Aurora smiled back, unshed tears in her eyes, then turned back to Phillip. "Good sir, I don't know how my family will ever repay you for saving me," she said, reaching out and taking his hand. "Even from this short time we've known each other, I can see your kindness, your courage, your noble heart. I feel like I've fallen in love with you all over again."
Then she sighed and her face fell. "If I could, I would gladly accept your hand in marriage… but I am told I am already betrothed to another; Prince Phillip. But perhaps your deeds would be enough to convince them…"
She made to pull her hand away, but to her surprise, Phillip held onto it and just chuckled. "I don't believe that will be necessary, your Majesty," he said. "I just realized that I haven't yet introduced myself." He dismounted Samson, and Aurora realized that they had reached the balcony of the castle's tallest tower.
With all the grace of nobility, her hero bowed and kissed her hand. "Prince Phillip of the noble House of Lothringen, at your service."
Aurora gasped and her free hand flew to her mouth. She tried to formulate a response, but even the wit gifted to her by Clifford couldn't find the words to say.
In the end all she could manage was, "You're Prince Phillip?"
Phillip nodded in response, but before he could say more, he suddenly felt the hand he was holding onto begin to fade away beneath his fingers. He looked down in shock, and saw that Aurora's fingers were dissolving into threads of gold light that were streaming away.
"Wha… what is this?" he gasped, looking back up and seeing the wooden spindles and arms on Aurora's back, along with her feet and skirt, also dissolving into unraveling golden strings.
"Our magic could only last for so long, dear prince," came the voice of Queen Titania, as she, her husband and her retainers flitted out onto the balcony. "We granted her enough power to banish the corruption from her dreams, and her soul used it to form an avatar in this waking world. But with her power spent, this avatar is slowly fading away."
"Soon this waking dream will only become just that: a dream," Aurora said, a wan smile on her lips and her lower body already fully discorporated into strings. Suddenly, her voice fell to a whisper and tears threatened to spring forth. "What… what if Maleficent was lying… what if true love's kiss won't wake me? ... what if – what if you're not-"
Phillip raised one hand to Aurora's cheek, wiping away the sole tear that trickled down her face. "Princess Aurora, you are beautiful, you are gracious, you are kind and you are loving. You captured my heart from the moment we met, all those days ago, once upon a dream. I am honored to be the one you have chosen to give your heart to, and I am glad that you have accepted mine."
"We are the true loves for each other. I can feel it."
Aurora nearly cried from the sheer honesty, earnestness and love permeating Phillip's voice. She leaned into his hand, even as the rest of her form unraveled, leaving only her head and torso.
"Then I shall see you in the morning, dear prince. When I wake up."
Aurora turned and pressed one last kiss of her own to Phillip's palm, before the last of her avatar dissolved away. Phillip watched the golden threads trail through the air, past the watching Fae, into the tower room that was still tinted green with magic sleep, and to the bed where the sleeping Princess Aurora lay, flowing into her heart.
The young man's breath hitched as he approached the slumbering princess. Though he tried not to stare, he was awestruck at just how beautiful she was; how delicate, pure and innocent was her form. However, her pallor was pale and her expression weary, reflecting the ordeal she had gone through.
As Phillip drew closer, he could see the threads coalescing into a strange card tucked beneath her folded hands, next to the rose over her heart.
With the seven fairies watching him with anticipation, Phillip knelt down next to Aurora, moistened his lips, took a deep breath, and gave her the kiss they'd both been longing for.
When Phillip opened his eyes, he barely noticed that the world had lost its sleepy green hue. His gaze was focused purely on the blinking, vibrant violent eyes that were now staring back at him.
The smile that appeared on Aurora's face was like the dawning sun. "It's you. You're here," she whispered, as if still in awe that this was real and no longer a dream.
Phillip beamed back. "Good morning, Princess Aurora. I trust you've slept well?"
Aurora laughed, a musical sound filled with joy, and she sat up to properly embrace Phillip for the first time.
Behind them, Merryweather applauded and Flora and Fauna hugged, tears running down their faces. Titania rested her head on Oberon's shoulder, her husband pressing a kiss to her hair. Delbert folded his arms, grinning like a clear summer's day, and Clifford dabbed at his eyes with the hem of his hood. Samson poked his head into the room, snorting happily at his master's joy.
Delbert turned to the stallion and raised an eyebrow. He gave Clifford an elbow. "I'll let you take care of the horse."
"Wha-" Clifford glanced over at Samson, then realized where they were with a start. "Oh, thanks a lot, you oaf," he muttered, giving Delbert a gimlet stare.
Even as the other fairies looked at the exchange with varying levels of fond exasperation, Prince Aurora and Prince Phillip could hardly care less, both of them content and happy in their embrace, both overflowing with joy at having found their true love at last.
Geez Louise. This took so much longer than I thought.
Well, I never expected to only be back in 2016, let alone only after my final uni term has ended, but here's another chapter ready for everyone, jumbo-sized! Hope you enjoy it!
Firstly, I'd like to heartily apologize for the delay, but my final year of university took up all my time; I'm sure we've all been there.
I'll admit, I've been waiting for this fight for quite a while. While some of the other princesses like Ariel and Jasmine have had to face big, monstrous enemies, only Aurora truly has the Dressphere and the firepower to really fight back!
Skirtzzz, thank you so, so much for waiting again! I know it's been a long time, but I really hope you enjoy this chapter!
Find Aurora's Full Throttle costume, created by the talented DeviantArtist Skirtzzz here (scrap all the spaces):
orig13 . deviantart dotnet / 2df3 / f / 2016 / 193 / 7 / 3 / full_throttle_aurora_by_skirtzzz-da9sr1u . png
Review and Critique please; I'd really like to know someone's reading this! But please, no flaming!
Next Chapter: The Cyber Clairvoyant