Topic: Sleeping Beauty {Cyrce & Gardenia-mooN

[Cyrce]

Continuing from Sleeping Beauty


The surprise of marriage had left Aurora speechless and stunned. He’d never met the man that was suddenly his new fiance, there was no way that this person was already his true love! There was something very wrong with his parents and this court. With all the attention that everyone was giving him, all he felt he could really do was smile and softly acknowledge his surprise at his parents' announcement.

Since that strange feast welcoming him back to the castle, Aurora has been awkwardly introduced to his grandfather. The former king still had a commanding presence and hardly looked anything like the grandfatherly sort. More like a warrior that hadn’t stopped fighting. The former king also had a cadre of guards that were following him around. They had been...terrifying, particularly the expression in the captain’s eyes when he looked over Aurora. It had been a bit of a relief when his grandfather excused himself and those soldiers all followed after him.

Today was the day when his supposed true love was arriving for yet another feast. So far all Aurora knew about him was that it was a prince from a neighbouring kingdom and the prince’s name was Phillip. His parents had insisted every time that he would be loved and that the man he was set to marry would be doting and perfect for him in every way, ignoring Aurora every time he tried to ask about even visiting his home in the forest. It wasn’t what he wanted, this marriage or being trapped with the strange people around and part of his parents’ court. Aurora missed the forest, he missed Maleficient and all the fairies he’d been introduced to there. Aurora moved through the halls of the castle, dressed in the simplest clothes that he could find in the wardrobe he’d been provided. His father was waiting for him in the throne room, according to one of the maids that had been assigned to serve him. Aurora smiled gently as he approached his father. “You called for me?” There wasn’t anyone else in the room except for a few soldiers that had the same expressions as his grandfather’s guards. Aurora’s smile faltered and his eyes flitted around the room nervously. “Father?”

[Gardenia-mooN]

The king and the queen were pleased with their son's reactions. The other was beautiful and would make a perfect bride to Prince Phillip Hubert. They would consolidate their power and wouldn't have to worry about those nasty magic things getting in their way. All the court cheered when Aurora smiled and acknowledged the proposal, this meant that the royalty would be in a good mood and that hopefully no one would end up at the end of their cruelty for the day.

As the days went by it became obvious that their child was nothing like them. Aurora was so soft and kind and he kept on asking to go back and visit his friends in the forest, the very thought was laughable to the royals and by the day that Prince Phillip would arrive the king had planned out something to help his son see the light and hopefully strengthen him up. The other was to be a bride and so beauty was the most important thing but the king felt like he should also be educated in all of their values and understand them all properly.

"Son! How good of you to come!" He spoke in a bright jovial tone and patted his leg as if he were summoning a dog, there was a smaller cushion on the floor beside his throne. "Sit here, I have something to show you!" Once Aurora was properly seated by his feet he ruffled the younger male's hair and then snapped his fingers, the guards went to get the example he wished to show his son. "I know you keep asking to visit that silly forest but you must learn the difference between those things and our own people. You were there for your own protection but you must never look at those things as equals, it would make you look like a soft fool and Prince Phillip might even spurn you." He lectured the other while the guard brought in a battered shrieking young fae man.

[Cyrce]

Aurora had hoped that his father would allow him the chance to visit his strange caretakers—those fairies were definitely not his aunts—and to see Maleficient. Even with the curse hanging over his head, Aurora wanted to see his fairy godmother again. He felt so badly for leaving without responding to what Maleficient had told him and he really did not like how everyone in this palace eyed him oddly. The forest was much more familiar and safer. No one stared at him oddly there or whispered behind his back.

Unfortunately, it definitely was not what his father was planning. Aurora’s lips parted in confusion. His parents had mostly stepped back from spending much time with him apart from when there were any public functions. This was not one of those times. It should have been a warning but Aurora walked the long stretch to his father’s throne and obediently sat on the cushion. It had been almost a week, but his father could have arranged another seat beside the throne for Aurora. His parents had known when he returned to the palace, they could have arranged several hundreds of chairs for their son, but no. It didn’t make much sense. His parents didn’t treat him like family in spite of their performance when Aurora was brought here. Instead it was as though Aurora was something precious, a treasure to show off and boast of.

Even now, as he looked up at his father, there was a sense of unease. The colour drained from his face bit by bit at his father’s words. “I left the forest not expecting anything from you or mother. I miss it. Even just going back for a few hours would be enough.” Aurora begged once more, reaching up and touching the edge of the throne in supplication. He blinked and then stiffened, eyes going wide when he saw the battered fae. “Father, what is this?” His heart twisted at the sight of the poor fae. He couldn’t believe that anyone could be so cruel to hurt such a fragile creature. “Father, what’s going on?” It was clear to everyone else there that the young prince was not understanding what the king was trying to teach him. One of the guards in the room closed and locked the doors while Aurora worriedly looked between the poor fae and his father.

[Gardenia-mooN]

Deep in the forest poor Maleficent was steadily growing more and more worried for his beloved Aurora. He knew the other must have felt terribly betrayed by him but he didn't understand and he wasn't like those evil minded royals. Poor sweet Aurora would be wounded by them more than his curse could ever hurt him. Maleficent wanted to take him away but he couldn't do anything else for the lovely prince unless he wished it. He just paced the edges of the forest and kept his eyes and ears out for any news of his beloved.

Aurora truly didn't know his parents. They were cruel and selfish people and they viewed the beautiful child they made as a tool, a treasure they could trade for more power and luxury. It was obvious how the king saw him by how he preened at the way his child settled on the cushion by his feet. He was ready to teach his child a lesson and he knew that Aurora would absorb this one and quit with his silly fantasies about equality with the fae folk. The fae the guards dragged in was bruised and cut up all over, his skin was a pale bluish green and his hair was the color of a deep lake while his eyes looked similar to frogs' eyes. He was pretty in his own way but terror and injuries distracted from his pretty looks. He screamed and jerked against the hand holding him and looked for any kindness or sympathy from the humans around him.

"Going back in unacceptable. It isn't your world anymore and I'm sure they don't want you back, they certainly can't appreciate you the way I do." His words were icy and silky all at the same time and he smirked condescendingly at his child. "This is a punishment, this creature was found in the lake near the village. It was probably poisoning it or preparing to drown children, their kind do all sorts of evil things, you know." The reality was that the creature was a simple water fae who had just entered the new lake to play and had been brutally trapped and abused. As the king spoke the guards tore what little clothing was on its body off and pulled out a whip. "See how it shrieks? It is nothing more than a beast." He snapped his fingers and the guards chained the poor sobbing fae to a column and dragged the whip with a sound like an evil hiss. "Once you understand they are beasts then you will do much better." 

[Cyrce]

Aurora‘s brow furrowed, disheartened. Why was his father saying that he couldn't go back or that the fae there didn't want him to return to the forest he spent his childhood in? Maleficient would never turn on him like that. The dark faerie had been with him through thick and thin. Even with how they parted all those weeks ago, the young prince was certain that Maleficient would still want him to return to the forest. There might be some awkwardness, of course, but Aurora could deal with that. If only he could convince his parents to let him go back in the first place.

And right at this moment there was something much more important to convince his father of. The poor fae looked so scared. Aurora winced when the little cloth covering the fae was ripped away.

“That's not true. ” Nothing made sense now. How could his father possibly come to the conclusion that fae could be so dangerous? They had left him with three very silly fae when he was practically a newborn. It was too hypocritical to call fae dangerous when his parents trusted them enough to have them raise their son. Aurora had not yet realized his parents were shameless and didn't balk at doing anything where they'd benefit in the end. He did hold out a bit of hope for the supposed true love he was to be meeting later that night. Although he was starting to understand that his parents were not the kind people that he had imagined them to be.

“He's not a beast, he's scared.” Had Aurora would have been the same had he faced with these fierce guards after being hurt so much. He inhaled sharply when his father ordered those imposing men with just a snap of his fingers. ”He's already so injured.” It was so clear to him that the poor fae needed to be rescued but Aurora wasn't sure how to get the poor fae free of the chains and then past the guards. But his distress over the poor fae’s pain was clear and Aurora couldn't stop from squirming on the pillow he was sitting on, wanting to rush over to the other's side.

[Gardenia-mooN]

The king and others in the court had noticed Aurora's strange interest in the fae folk and the king knew he would have to nip that in the bud. The other was a human prince and he was to be the jewel of their kingdom, he needed to understand his place. The cruel king hated the fae folk and he would make sure his son would stop babbling about showing them kindness

This lesson would hurt others far more than it would even inconvenience the selfish king, he liked a show and watching a pretty fae getting whipped was just another kind of show for the cruel man.

"It is true, their kind do nothing but cause misery." He spoke callously as the men chained the fae to the pillar for his punishment. The king couldn't help but appreciate the smooth delicate curves of the fae's body and idly he thought that it was just another way that they trapped people. A part of the reason he had been punished with the curse of his son was because he was so disrespectful to the fae. He saw them as animals, lovely animals but animals none the less and he couldn't for the life of him learn how to humanize or empathize with them. That being said he didn't empathize with anyone really, even his son was more an object than a person to him.

"What is he if not a beast?" The king snorted and waved his hand and the guard pulled the whip back. When Aurora protested some more the king grew visibly annoyed. "He's not injured enough, fae are tough and if you don't beat lessons into them then they never learn." His words were brutal and his hand waved down, the the whip went down with the motion and cracked in the air and against the poor fae's back. The scream that escaped him was full of despair and empty of hope, the poor thing knew it was doomed.

[Cyrce]

Aurora had no idea his bias in favour of the fae was drawing attention that his parents didn’t approve of. Not until he watched, stricken, as his father demeaned the poor water fae and then ordered the guards to begin torturing him. Was this his parents’ true nature? Maleficient had tried to warn him, then he’d known who Aurora’s parents were and what they were like. Why couldn’t his godmother have told him straight instead of delaying and then babbling a lot of nonsense the day he left the forest?

He was going to be sick. He started to get up, drawing the attention of one of the guards near the dais. Aurora looked away from the guard’s heavy gaze. Aurora leaned over, slouching against his father’s throne. “Father, please.” His heart ached as he listened to the fae’s screams, but there wasn’t much he could do. He felt powerless, the only person in the room that seemed to care about the fae and unable to move anyone to stop it.

If only, if only. Was there anything or anyone that could stop this? Maleficient, but he didn’t want to involve his dear fairy godmother. Or his grandfather, perhaps. Scary man that he was. But what was the likelihood of that old man appearing out of thin air? Everyone else in the palace was busy with…

Oh. Oh.

Aurora sat up and held the edge of the king’s throne again. “Father. W-when is Prince Philip arriving?” His face, pale and tear-stained, while alluring in its own way, was not the face his parents’ kingdom wanted to present at the first meeting.

[Gardenia-mooN]

The king felt a deep wave of satisfaction as he watched the fae being punished and heard the pretty screams. Whenever they tortured the fae he felt like he was one step closer to putting them all in their place. The fact that his son was so sympathetic to them was a disappointment but he felt certain that he'd be able to show the other the true nature of the fae. Everyone else in the court with them had the same mindset of the king and saw nothing wrong with his brutal and cruel show.

He held his hand up roughly when Aurora begged to him and snorted. How dare his son beg on behalf of something that was no better than an animal! The other was such a fool, it was clear they would have to enforce more of these lessons so the other would learn his place better. He didn't want his child to embarrass him by being so weak and by favoring the fae so openly. As a human he should have hated them on principle.

When the other mentioned the prince that did excite the king and he finally turned his attention to his son and gave him an approving look. "Looking forward to your wedding, hmm?" His voice was low and pleased. "He should be arriving in the evening but you'll need to get cleaned up and changed for him." The tears weren't exactly charming, even though his son was still ridiculously beautiful in spite of them.

The king made a motion and two servants swiftly came to Aurora's sides.

"Take him and help him prepare." They bowed low and moved to help lead Aurora away. The king was about to renew the torture but then he noticed the blood and mess on the floor and sighed out. "I suppose we should have this place cleaned and prepped as well..."

[Cyrce]

It wasn't much of a relief that his father agreed to let him leave. Aurora cast a worried glance back towards the fae as he was escorted out of the room. He might be escaping this horror but his father's delight and insistence that fae were terrible creatures convinced him that this was not the end. There had to be some way to end all of this. Aurora lowered his gaze, guilt clawing up from his gut. He should have done more, rather than escape on his own. It was a vain hope that his father would leave the fae be.

The two servants marched him through the palace, one in front and one behind, as if to ensure that he wouldn't slip away and disrupt the preparations for the foreign prince's arrival. Aurora peeked back at the one trailing behind, internally wincing at the impassive expression before face forward and praying to reach his chambers in short order. It was a blessing that they didn't encounter his mother, grandfather or any other courtiers along the way. One of the two servants sheparded Aurora to a seat before joining the other in drawing the bath, adding scents and other oils into the water.

Aurora turned ashen as he waited, processing everything that had happened in the throne room. Marriage. When he first arrived, he hadn't thought too much of the fiance his parents surprised him with but now... This fiance he'd never met had been chosen by his parents and would be just like them, wouldn't he? Aurora covered his mouth as one servant took him by the elbow and led him over to the steaming tub.

No.

No, he would not marry a man that would be equal to his parents in cruelty towards the fae. He needed to escape. It would be wonderful to return to the forest and to his friends. And Maleficient. A small frown settled on his face as he undressed with the aid of the two servants before slipping into the tub. Aurora paused and looked to them. They had been serving in court for years, perhaps…

"Can you tell me what the curse was?" His parents had dismissed the curse as too cruel to speak of when he first arrived. But there had to be a way to find out. Maybe it could help him rather than hurt him, even if he no longer suffered from it. Aurora offered the two an awkward smile. "I'd like to know what kept me away for so long. Isn't it broken now?"

[Gardenia-mooN]

The king watched his son leave with a stern expression and then sighed out in disappointment. It was ridiculous that any child of his would feel pity for the fae. That damned fae has cursed his child and now Aurora was useless as anything but a broodmare for another royal. The other obviously didn't have the spine or mind for true leadership and clearly didn't see the threat that the fae promised with their very existence. It was unfortunate but he was glad he could get some value out of his son before the curse took place.

The servants who took Aurora to his room were loyal to the king and the queen but were not untouched by Aurora's beauty and kindness. When they helped him undressed and prepared his bath they felt honored and hopeful. Such a lovely prince truly was a jewel in their kingdom's crown and even though he didn't seem to understand the laws and principles in the kingdom they hoped he'd be able to learn and prove himself worthy.

When he questioned them the servants both froze.

"Well it was an evil curse...the wicked fae darkened the skies and shot into your Christening ceremony." The servant spoke solemnly, eager to show and prove to Aurora how bad the fae were. "The fae said he would punish the child for the sins of the father but as you can see the king is a just man and the fae was just wickedness and spite." The other servant butted dramatically, hoping to help his partner show off his awful the fae were.

"The curse was that you would fall into an eternal sleep on your eighteenth birthday but you have turned eighteen and the curse has been lifted!" They smiled at him sweetly and hoped he would feel as grateful and happy as the kingdom did. The curse was an evil wicked thing but surely the evil had passed. None of them seemed to realize that Aurora wasn't quite eighteen yet.

[Cyrce]

It was a relief that the servants were willing to share information of the curse. Aurora listened carefully, looking between them as each took up the narrative. The prince couldn't hide the flash of pain, his heart aching with the terrible description of the fae and the poor water fae he'd left behind in the throne room. He didn't understand why everyone despised the fae so much, and he wouldn't fault them not knowing why. Instead, as they moved onto the curse and smiled at him, he returned it as he pushed down that pain.

"Thank you for telling me." He sat in the bathwater, thinking over what he now knew of his curse. He’d turned eighteen the day he left Maleficient and the forest a few weeks ago, though it felt like an age. If he had been cursed to fall into an eternal sleep on his eighteenth birthday, then the curse was broken. “Yes, you’re right. The curse has been lifted."

If those were the exact words.

Perhaps because Aurora had grown up among the fae rather than humans, he knew a bit more than the people of this kingdom how spells were crafted by the fae. Curses were notoriously hard to break, according to what he knew. It was a miracle that he had avoided the curse. If the curse was exactly that, on his eighteenth birthday, he would fall into an eternal slumber in the care of the fae of the forest, but that hadn't happened. Even still, Maleficient had made it seem like the curse wasn't broken when he'd left the forest.

If it wasn't, then... Aurora leaned back, dipping his head back into the bathwater, and closed his eyes for a moment. If it wasn't, if it was eighteen years from his christening or nineteenth birthday, falling into an eternal slumber wouldn't do much apart from leave him unaware of the world around him and what was being done to him. Someone could literally do anything to him and he wouldn't be able to stop it. That would be, terrifying he supposed.

But the curse ought to be broken. Aurora sat up, pushing back his now wet hair. Regardless, it wouldn't help with his fiance that evening. "It isn't that long before Prince Philip arrives, is it?" He would hope for the best with his fiance and, if it was as he feared, he would try to find a way back to the forest. If only there was a way to reach out to Maleficient from here.

[Gardenia-mooN]

The servants felt like they did a good job, they saw the tenseness in Aurora's expression and his general seriousness and assumed it was because he was starting to understand how devilish and wicked the faerie folk were. The servants, much like most in the kingdom, had a simplistic view of the fae and believed everything their royals and nobles told them of the magic folk. The bobbed and bowed when the pretty prince thanked them and both of them felt a great deal of pride over being thanked and appreciated by one of noble blood.

"You are most welcome, Prince!" They spoke and seemed quite giddy over being appreciated. The nodded knowingly when the other spoke of the curse being lifted, they knew that the goodness of their human rulers wouldn't be defeated by the tricks of the faerie folk. "That is right! All is well now that you are here!" They beamed at him and watched him bath with content unquestioning gazes.

When Aurora dipped down and then came up with a question about his future husband the servants beamed even more, it was clear the other was starting to see his place and that was something to be celebrated. "He should arrive this very evening if all his travels go well!" The older servant nodded and the younger sighed out wistfully. "It is said that he is the handsomest and best prince in all the lands. He will make you a wonderful husband!" They had no clue but since the queen and king spoke highly of the man they believed it.

Elsewhere in the forest poor Maleficent was desperately making his way through shadow and mist to get as close as possible to his darling.

The humans had not truly understood the other male's curse. It was the prick of adulthood that would cast the sweet soul into his spelled slumber and the more powerful the prick the more souls Aurora's curse would take with him. Maleficent did not care for any of the pathetic humans in the kingdom but he did care for Aurora. He loved the other and the thought of him being placed in that cursed sleep was too much to bear. The cursed sleep for the souls who were captured was a true and simple sleep but the one he cast on Aurora was devious.

It was a sleep that would at times be true, one of dreams and nightmares like any other...but when it was not like a normal sleep it was a devilish thing where poor Aurora would be aware of everything that was happening around him while his body was helpless and at the will of those around him. He had made the curse as a way to torment the humans but he was horrified that it would torment the one good soul in all the world.

[Cyrce]

Unaware that Maleficient was trying to get to the castle and oblivious to the true conditions of his curse, Aurora sadly set aside thoughts regarding the poor fae his father had tortured and the forest he missed dearly. He could only handle what was in front of him, and that was the upcoming banquet and meeting his fiancé. He hoped that something could change the situation for the fae within this kingdom, unsure if he even could with his lack of knowledge.

The servants’ praises for Prince Philip didn’t tell Aurora anything new about his future husband. His parents had said the same thing about the man he was to marry. Handsome and markedly above the other princes in the known lands. All the descriptions lacked any real substance, unfortunately. He would have to wait until that evening, if the prince arrived in time for the banquet at all. It would have been nicer to meet with Prince Philip privately before the banquet, but that was unlikely given the king and queen’s…preference for large audience and the melodramatic.

“Mm. I do hope that he will arrive early.” Aurora sighed and sat soaking in the bath. His gaze flit around the room, pausing on each servant before fixing on the edge of the tub. He soaked in the bath a while longer, splashing some water on his face and pushing back his wet hair before standing and stepping out of the tub. He almost rushed to wrap himself in the robe that had been laid out for him. Aurora was trying to be comfortable with people being around, helping him wash and dress, but it still felt awkward.

He turned back to the servants, noting that another three servants had slipped into his chambers during his bath. “Do we have much time to prepare for tonight’s banquet?” Aurora had no idea what would be involved in preparing for such a formal occasion. On top of that he had little say in his clothing. His wardrobe had been prepared by his mother’s handmaidens, and tonight’s clothing had been specifically selected to fall in line with his fiancé’s tastes.

[Gardenia-mooN]

Maleficent was on his way, slipping through the shadows and the in between places of the forest. He was the most powerful fae and was able to do far more things than his weaker counterparts. He knew now more than before that he had fallen in love with Aurora and that there was no power on this earth that would keep him from finding the other and saving him from his curse. He knew that seeking Aurora out was dangerous but he couldn't allow the other to be with those vapid evil humans.

Meanwhile Prince Philip was also on his way, his entourage following him with all the fanfare and glitz that one of his station deserved. He was ridiculously handsome, talented, and secretly about as devious as one could be. He would be consolidating a ridiculous amount of power in marrying the mysterious beautiful prince. Combining their two kingdoms and gaining possession of one of the most beautiful royals in the land. Philip was beyond pleased and he was eager to finally see his prize and claim him utterly and completely. He wanted to conquer the prince the way he conquered so many others before him.

"Oh we are certain he will! We shall prepare you for him!" The servants gushed and grew even more thrilled. This was what they had expected from their prince! Someone hopeful and eager for romance and who would participate in the spectacle of a royal wedding. They watched their prince with glowing eyes and when the other left the tub and asked about preparations they jumped to attention. "We shall start now! There is much to do! No as much as the wedding but still very very much!" The servants moved as quickly as their old bodies could to gather everything. 

Soon poor Aurora was surrounded by several approved gowns, all glittering and lovely. "We shall decorate your face and hair to match, you shall be so lovely! The Prince will be awestruck with you!" They gushed to him and started babbling about the merits of different colors and cuts against his skin hair and frame. Aurora would look lovely in anything but they would make sure that everyone would be in awe of the beautiful prince.

[Cyrce]

Unaware of the two men on their way to take him away from his parents for two very different reasons, Aurora stared at the clothes he had been presented with, mentally trying to reconcile the dissonant situations he was finding himself in today. First the fae being tortured, and now just a scant time later choosing clothes to welcome his prospective fiancé in.

The servants all looked so excited to dress him up, where there hadn't been any reaction to that poor fae's pain on their part. It was the complete opposite of his own feelings. Aurora didn’t think there could be much needed to prepare for meeting with his prospective fiancé. He was still too angry with himself for not being able to do much of anything to help that fae. The finery of the gowns presented paled when remembering the blood and the screams, and his own abject powerlessness.

Yet he still had to entertain this decision. It had been easier when he'd been unaware of the cruelty his father expressed. It struck Aurora that his feelings on this reunion fell in line with how Maleficient described it to be. Oh, how he wished he was back in the forest with the fae again. But he needed to deal with his current situation for now. And the gown.

“ Um... The blue one.” Aurora nodded to the least bejewelled one. It wasn't the dress that his mother would have chosen among all the options presented. The gown was simple: a lovely powder blue with cream embroidered flower accents, with a slim silhouette. Small, colourless jewels were scattered among the embroidery, but they served to enhance the designs rather than demanding attention. “That's the one.”