"BEASTIE! STOP!" Maleficent threw her arm out in front of the human girl as she gasped through clenched teeth and violently jerked on the reins of the carriage. The four horses whinnied in protest, but managed to stop in the nick of time as another carriage went speeding past, perpendicular to theirs. Had Aurora been even a second slower, they might've crashed.
For a moment, the three passengers inside the carriage didn't move, didn't even breathe, then in perfect unison, they all exhaled loudly.
"Whew! That was a close one!" Aurora gave a shaky laugh, hands shaking around the reins.
"Beastie. What have I told you about going the speed limit?"
"I'm sorry, I genuinely didn't realize!" Aurora knew her words sounded like a lie, but she locked eyes with Maleficent, pleading. She'd just gotten so lost in the thrill of driving the carriage, feeling the wind in her hair, that she hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to stop.
On the other side of Aurora, Diaval sank deeper into his seat and rubbed his temples. "Why couldn't I be the noble steed again?"
"Because. Beastie needs to learn how to drive carriage. It's what she signed up for when she agreed to take on a life in the human kingdom." Maleficent's baleful gaze slid from her partner to her daughter. Aurora looked like she wanted to protest, but unfortunately, Maleficent had a point. If she was to marry Phillip and play any sort of role in Ulstead, she was going to need to familiarize herself with human behaviors. That included driving. But Maleficent didn't like the idea of Aurora going off on her own, so of course, mother was coming to supervise.
"Besides, there will be plenty of time for me to ride you later, if that is what you wish," she added a moment later, smirking slyly.
"Mistress!" Diaval choked on air as he gestured with his eyes to the girl sitting between them. Good thing for them, her eyes were locked on the road. To her credit, when the roads were empty, Aurora was an excellent driver. She was just… a little absentminded, which could come back to haunt her any time the roads weren't empty.
I blame myself for that, Maleficent winced. In the Moors, they had no such methods of transportation, so the type of attention needed to navigate a busy city street in a human kingdom was utterly absent in the Moors.
"Sorry, guys…" Aurora also winced in embarrassment, shoulders rising around her ears.
"Just… Strap yourself in more securely," Maleficent sighed tiredly, gesturing to the ropes on either side of the carriage seats.
"But they're so restrictive!" Aurora pouted. She'd liked the feeling of going so fast that she was practically standing up and driving. She'd seen pictures in books, and there were such vehicles in centuries past, called chariots.
"But this is not a chariot," Maleficent deadpanned. "Now sit down, and buckle up. Or do you want me to take the reins and turn this carriage right around?"
"Yes, mother…"
Maleficent smirked. Then her eyes darted over to Diaval.
"What?"
She didn't stop staring intently until it clicked. At first, he protested too, just like Aurora, but Maleficent's continued stare finally unsettled him enough that his seatbelt clicked as well. He slipped the rope around his waist, then fastened it to the metal hook in the corner of his seat.
"Why don't you need to wear one?" he complained under his breath, arms crossed, pouting.
Maleficent answered by flicking her fingers, wisps of green magic emanating from them.
"No fair!" Diaval sank even deeper into his seat.
"Couldn't you just use your magic to rescue us if we got into a crash?" Aurora asked at the same time.
"Don't test me or push your luck," Maleficent replied sharply. "Honestly! Are both of you petulant, young children now?"
"Hey, we are not—!" The two other passengers protested.
"Again. Do you want me to turn this carriage around? Or would you prefer seatbelts made of thorny vine?"
They fell silent after that.
Eventually, though, Diaval realized that he no longer recognized where they were. They were nearing one of the edges of the city, but which one? Aurora looked troubled, and after a moment, even Maleficent's smirk faded. They'd been so distracted driving that they forgot to pay attention to the signs. Diaval sighed and rubbed his temples again.
"Well, we can always pull over and ask for directions…"
"Absolutely not!" Maleficent almost didn't let him finish speaking before she protested vehemently. "We have a map!" She gestured to the sheaf of papers sticking out of the back of their carriage seats.
"Which you don't know how to read," Diaval smirked. As with carriages and roads, Moor folk didn't typically use or need maps.
"Then I'll use my magic!" The dark fairy sighed in exasperation. She lifted a hand into the air, and again, a green wisp escaped her fingertips. Triangulate our position. Locate the nearest large-scale landmark, she commanded silently.
"Mistress…" Now it was Diaval's turn to deadpan. Oh, come on, what? The big, bad, scary, mean Queen of the Moors can't stop and ask for a few directions? She'd rather use a complicated magic spell when we literally could just stop for a minute and ask someone? What a baby!
"We're not stopping or pulling over, and that's final!"
Diaval and Aurora both sighed.
If there's one advantage to learning how to drive like this, an actual carriage ride should be a breeze! Aurora thought, eyes shifting left and right as she continued watching her parental figures bicker and banter over her. Maleficent, take the reins!