Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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“ Now, do not go too close to the treeline dear. And don’t speak to any strangers.” A wooden door opened slowly, revealing two figures.

“ If you see one, punch them in the face and then run!"  Merryweather exclaimed from somewhere inside the cottage. Someone gasped but no further comment was given on the subject.

“ Yes, well, you must not stray from the path. Do not go far.” Flora instructed. The older woman handed out a dark purple shawl.

“ I won’t. I’ll be back soon.”

The girl, Briar Rose, waved her delicate hand as she walked down the path and deeper into the woods. Long golden hair flowed elegantly behind her, even after being covered with the shawl.

She hummed a tune, soft and beautiful, as her shoeless feet carried her gracefully through the bushes and fallen branches. Animals crawled from their hiding spots and birds flew down from the sky just to see the gorgeous maiden. The woven basket she carried filled slowly with sweet berries as she went further.

“ Ahh  ̴ I wonder, I wonder  ̴” Echo the lyrics all around.

The sun was up in the cloudless sky, though it’s rays could not reach the ground in the dark forest. Rose paid it no mind, she knew the thick branches provided safety. She wasn’t exactly sure as to why she needed protection, but a part of her didn’t want to know. Her aunts had always told stories about the darkness, how nothing good came from it, how it snuffed out the light. She had also heard them whisper. Saying things, fearing things. Briar Rose was scared to ask so she never did.

A whistle made the young girl turn. The birds following her had made a turn to the right like expecting her to come there too. Now they chirped and chittered as if asking “Where are you going?”. Usually Rose would have followed her friends. Every single time she would take that right turn and head for the cliff overlooking the city far, far away. Dream about the castle and the town, how much fun the folk there were having. If they were happy. If they longed for something more, like she did? No, that’s absurd.

Today however, the girl felt like going straight and deeper into the woods. She had never wandered too far, heeding the warnings, and sticking to the rules. But maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if she just went a little deeper. No one has to ever know.

Just like that the beautiful maiden had made up her mind.

“ Oh, I would like to go this way today.”

Her bird friends didn’t seem too happy about it. They tried tugging on her long golden hair, to get her to go back, their cheerful song turning to distressed and one of them took a hold of the hem of her dress and pulled.

“ I’m sure it’s fine. Just a little ways down the road.” When that did nothing she continued.

“ How about just to that large oak tree? Then I’ll turn back, I promise!”

One of the birds settled on her shoulder, still clearly hesitant. Rose didn’t think anything of their unsureness as she headed for the tree. A hand was holding her skirts hem while jumping over puddles and leaping across rivers. Despite of the promise made, Rose did not stop after reaching the old tree. Instead she walked a bit farther, in her mind promising to turn back soon. Just a little more. Just over to that stump, and then through that thicket. Soon she stood next to a clearing, filled with wildflowers and carnations of all colours.

“ My, how lovely! Isn’t it just wonderful!” Rose turned excitedly to her friend, but they weren’t there anymore. She hadn’t even seen them leave. While looking around she stepped into the meadow. Something else she did not see was a line constructed from twigs, on the ground, right next to where plants began to grow. Stepping over it, she began to collect the flowers, humming her tune once more. Her aunts would be delighted to get such beautiful flowers.

Somewhere, a little to the right and a bit more to the left, over a mountain and past the thick thorn bushes, something long forgotten stirred awake.

Someplace else where the sun never graced anyone with its presence and no plant, but spiky shrub grew. There, surrounded by dark and gloomy mountains lay a castle, once powerful and respected, now only a whisper in the breeze. Does it exist or is it a myth? No one wants to find out. Only the being inside knows how it once looked. The glory days where they stood tall and won every battle. Now the towers are falling, and the gates are rusted. Instead of swords clashing against each other there is only the howling of the wind. The empty halls grew more and more cold as each year passed by, the remaining tapestry becoming raggedy and losing colour as elements tormented them.

The castle however in not as empty as one might believe. There lived a being, no one knew its name anymore. He’s lived hundreds of years in solitude, surrounded by the slain bodies of soldiers.

Of course there were the men that despite their fears, would pledge allegiance to him. Most would have to prove their loyalty, show their strength, though most perished. The being wasn’t exactly sure how many mortal fighters had been acquired. Perhaps twenty? Most likely over that.

Slow steps walked to a window, or what’s left of one, and then still. There they stay unmoving while he listened. Something, or someone, was close, too close! Who dared to come this close to the feared ruler of the northern lands? But even if the being itself knew that to not be the case anymore the rumours and legends should be enough to keep anyone at bay. Turning away from the window they marched down the old stone steps and uttered the almost silent spell. And in a flash he’s gone.

The wind picks up. Eyes looked around to determine where exactly they are now. A quiet forest, somewhere well beyond the castle walls. Crackling blue lightning and crimson smoke seeped from between the trees and bushes as the figure ascended to its full hight and advanced slowly, silently. The trespasser was somewhere in front of him.

The being could almost imagine it. There would be a fearless soldier, or perhaps a child, either not believing the stories or maybe trying to prove their bravery. No matter, they were foolish enough to cross the border. They might even have a weapon of sorts, or maybe not, and they could try and run away all they like. They, just like all the others, would perish painfully. He would close his long fingers around their throat until they were blue or possibly throw them in the dungeon and let them die slowly. And when the time finally came to wake his undead army, the unfortunate soul would be one of his soldiers.

At last the cloaked figure laid its eyes upon the mortal and froze.

A girl with the gold of morning sun in her hair, lips that could bring any rose to shame and singing such a melody unmatched, was standing there before him.

“ Mhh  ̴ I wonder, oh I wonder why each little bird has a someone  ̴ ”  She sang, voice ethereal. Her basket was filled with plants, most he could not even name. The shawl she had been wearing slipped off and on to her shoulders loosely. Her steps were light as she moved around, her hair shining in the sunlight like gold itself. Her smile could mend even the most broken of hearts, bring light to even the darkest ones. She was completely unaware of the red eyes watching her every move.

This girl must not have been local to these lands. There was not a possibility that she had lived all her life here and come this close to his lands willingly. “Even if they weren’t mine anymore” He thought bitterly.

It should not have been possible to have something so beautiful live this long without him knowing.

His cold hands balled into fists. He could not stray his eyes away from the beauty in front of him and he hated it. Something like this, something like her, could be seen as a weakness. And he had no weaknesses. She would have to die. His cloak covered what little flesh he still had, leaving his face to be swallowed by shadows when he approached her.

“ You shouldn’t be here.” The being spoke seldom, but when he did, it ran fear through even the bravest warriors.

Rose had such a pleasant afternoon. She had collected so many flowers that her basket was completely full, but she wasn’t ready to leave just yet. It was so much fun being near all these flowers she had only seen once or twice before they would disappear. She twirled around, imagining being somebody’s dance partner at a wonderful ball. Her humming came to abrupt stop when a voice, a terrifying one at that, spoke from behind her. Her head whipped around only to see a large, cloaked figure standing next to the treeline on the other side of this meadow.

He was absolutely horrid, standing as still as one of the trees behind him. As he advanced closer she could see he towered over her.

Rose felt truly terror-stricken. She accidentally dropped the basket as she brought her hand to her face, to stifle a gasp that could have made it out of her mouth. The only thing that came to her mind was to ask for forgiveness, and fast.

“ I-I apologize. I had no idea these lands were owned by someone! I will leave immediately.” She was about to reach for her basket, but a strong hand gripped her wrist.

For whatever reason, the being could not bring himself to fulfil his self-imposed quest. Her small hand was warm, like the summer wind, skin as smooth as the finest silk. Up close he could see the colour of those alluring eyes, so blue that they almost appeared purple. Almost like lavender. And what he could sense, she was a pure hearted one too.

Since the dawn of his regime, had he not encountered such a creature of beauty. He’d seen countless lands and towns, the most extravagant kings, and queens. No noble woman could match her radiating beauty.

So, he made a decision.

“ What is your name?” Though posed as a question, it still felt more like a demand.

“ Briar Rose.” She answered softly. The grip on her wrist loosened, the large hand sliding down to just hold her smaller hand. Normally she would have never given out her name so freely, but the whole situation was rather bizarre. And maybe she felt like she owed it to this man, whose lands she had apparently stepped on.

She tilted her head, as to study the stranger. Yes, he appeared to be quite scary, and he had a voice just dripping with hatred and anger, but his actions did not match the appearance. Obviously she had been startled when her wrist was grabbed like that, but now, the way his cold hand was carefully holding hers... It all was so confusing.

“ You shouldn't be this deep in the woods.”

“ Well, I usually do stay close to home. But I was curious.” Rose replied, bringing one hand up to run her fingers through her hair.

She waited for him to speak. Curse her to high heavens, threaten her, or maybe even share something about himself. When so did not happen, she chose to inquire of his name.

“ What might I call you, sire?”

He was silent for a while. Should he take the chance and risk her being afraid of him? Running away never to be seen again by him? But it’s not like he ever cared before.

“ I presume, my dear girl, that you have never heard of the Horned King?”

Rose could feel her face redden. If she had known this strange man was a king of all people, she would have bowed before. Oh, how ill-mannered of her to not show the appreciation he clearly deserved. She pulled her hand out of his grasp in an instant and stepped back.

He on the other hand could feel the disappointment. He knew that look in her eyes. The Horned King had traded his mortality decades ago for darkness, power born from death, leaving him heartless and soulless. Had accepted leaving behind everything that made humans, well, human. Had grown accustomed to hardly ever feeling something other than hate or anger. And yet he could feel pressure somewhere inside of his chest where he believed his heart to have once been.

The king would never see her again. And maybe that was for the bes-

Her curtsy was slow and deep, one hand raising the skirts edge. She had never actually had to bow to anyone before and could only imagine how silly she must have looked. Her three aunts would teach her how a proper lady should act but had never taught her this. She should ask them how to do it properly since they knew so much.

His glowing eyes seemed to widen and, for just a second, you could have sworn his breath was caught. His hand that held her's previously, was now frozen in the air. When was the last time any a mortal had regarded him with such respect she had, apart from the men he had recruited?

But there was also a difference. The men, no matter their level of skill in battle or the things they had seen, feared him and were willing to do anything for their king, if only he spared their pathetic lives. They did it out of obligation, because if they didn’t, they died. Simple.

The girl, Rose, had shown him true hearted admiration by her own free will. She hadn’t run away.

When straightening back up, she had on a shining, sweet smile so bright and full of kindness. And, for the very first time in ages, the lonely king could feel his world light up, all plans for revenge and war gone.

“ You could have told me sooner! I was rather impolite, don’t you agree?” She laughed. A sweet melody to his ears.

Then the moment was gone. Briar Rose looked at the sky and gasped. It must have been hours, the sun was starting to go down painting the sky various hues of red and purple. She took a hold of her basket and turned to look at the king.

“ I must head back now. Will I see you again?” She covered her head with the purple shawl once more.

His long fingers held up a rose, red like blood. She didn’t have much time to wonder where it had come from when it was offered for her to take. Rose took it slowly, mindful of the sharp thorns and brought it close to her face. It smelled sweet, like any rose would. The girl didn’t know it yet but as long as she was unharmed, it would stay alive, only growing more beautiful with time. The blonde smiled, shy but thankful. No one had ever given her such a gift. Her aunt Fauna would pick her forget-me-nots every year on her birthday, but that was it.

“ We shall meet again.”

And with that he walked back into the woods and disappeared.

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Chapter Text

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It took a while before Briar Rose saw the strange king again. After realizing how filthy the floors were, Flora decided then and there that the old cottage needed a thorough cleaning. So for three days they dusted and wiped every table and self, polished each cup and plate. Rose spent most of her time hurrying between the house and a small river getting fresh water and hauling furniture around and out of the way. They had a jolly time, they sang songs and she got to hear all kind of stories from her aunts while they all worked.

While Fauna arranged the cupboards, Rose washed the windows until they shined.

“ Put the jams to the left, canned vegetables to the right-“

“ No, no, no! The vegetables need to be on the left. There they are reachable.” Flora took the jar from Merryweather’s hand. She placed it on the other side and smiled.

“ Can we at least put the raspberry jam to the front? I love raspberry jam in the morning.”

…

Briar sat in her room upstairs, wooden door slightly ajar. She had spent the afternoon fixing her blue bed canopy and was finally done. A sigh escaped from her rosy lips as she sat down and looked around. The room was clean, no dust or cobwebs anywhere to be seen. Her dresses were washed, sorted, and folded, her bed was made and the dark blue vase next to the window was filled with fresh water. Inside the vase was the red rose she had been gifted, looking just as beautiful as the day she first saw it in his hand.

As her blue eyes wandered to it, she could not help but smile. When she had returned back home that evening, her aunts were waiting, worried sick. They had inquired of her whereabouts, what she had been doing the entire day and where she had gotten the beautiful red rose. Aunt Merryweather had gazed at it with such intensity that the blonde had to excuse herself, reasoning that she was extremely tired. When they tried to stop her, to ask more questions, she gave them the flowers she picked.

All three were delighted by the gift, Fauna a bit more that the other two, but still.

Rose touched the petals delicately, like afraid the flower would break. She wanted to see the king again but was not sure how. Maybe if she returned to the place they had first met, she might catch him doing the same?

…

Rose got up at the break of dawn. Her golden hair glistened under the morning sun while she prepared breakfast, whisking eggs and flour together. The windows were all open, letting the singing of birds be her only companion while she twirled from counter to counter gathering ingredients. Knowing very well that her three aunts enjoyed having baked pumpkin bread with cream, Briar spent the morning preparing dough into little hearts. When she was done baking, the aroma in the house was do wonderful it drew the three older women from their beds.

“ Oh my! What a delicious smell.”

“ Thank you dear.”

“ Rose, darling. Come sit next to me here!”

The girl fiddled with the sleeves of her shirt.

“ Actually, aunt Fauna. I wished to go out today. You won’t mind, do you?”

“ Oh, of course not dear-“

“ Now wait just a moment!” Merryweather stood up and walked over to Briar.

“ You seem to be in a hurry. Why child?”

“ Well, I haven’t seen my friends in such a long time. And today was going to rain.”

“ Ah yes, your bird friends! They think you sing beautifully.” Fauna smiled, bringing her hands to her cheeks.

“ Alright, alright. Merryweather dear, come sit back down. Now, Rose, please do not go too far.”

“ I won’t dear aunt. I’ll see you later!”

And off she went, doing her best to walk calmly down the stone path and deeper into the woods. When she was certain they could not see, her careful steps turned faster, faster, until she was running. The shawl covering her hair fell down to her shoulders, but Rose did not stop to fix it.

Heavy clouds promising storm formed up in the sky, covering what little sunlight there had been that day. She was left in the darkened forest path, alone and even a bit afraid. But the girl had made up her mind to go see if the king was there, and so powered on. She took a left, another left, then right. Was she heading in the right direction?

Soon there stood the large oak tree, proud and strong, like it was guarding the woodland. Aunt Fauna had always reminded her to be kind to the forest. Otherwise it might trick her and not let her out.

She touched the trunk of the tree, almost like thanking it for the job it was doing. Her eyes might have played tricks on her in this dim light, but she could have sworn the branches moved to let more light in her path. Rose paid mind to her surroundings, wanting to be certain she remembered the route next time. The road, if you could call it that, had clearly not been in great use for some time now. It had almost faded, taken over by plants in all directions. Bushes lining the road had nearly grown too large to let anyone pass and the trees had started to claim back the once lost space by blocking it with branches. It might have once been an actual road that nearby folk used to travel between kingdoms or maybe a route to well-used fields for sheep or cows. But that must have been years and years ago.

Shoeless feet came to a halt when she got to the clearing. To her disappointment there didn’t seem to be a soul anywhere. Not even a single bird. Her eyes searched for anything, a sign of somebody having been there, an indentation on the grass or a footprint on the mud. But still no matter how hard she tried, there were no indications of anyone having been there recently, and no ruby fabric caught her eye. Rose made her way to the middle of the clearing and called out a delicate “Hello?”. Nothing.

Not wanting to return just yet, the girl sat under a tree. Her hands wrapped the purple shawl tighter around her small body, shivering. It was windy, every sign of upcoming rain was there. Rose knew she might get sick if she gets caught up in the rain, but the desperation kept her from getting up and going home. Just a moment longer.

“ You’re back.”

She gasped. Looking to her right there was the king. He appeared just as he did before, in all his terrifying glory, tall and silent as ever. The dark cloak he wore hung heavy on his broad shoulders.

“ I am. Forgive me for disturbing you. I just wished to see your majesty again.” She got up and gave a small curtsy.

He tilted his head to the side. She was a strange one indeed. The kings eyes lingered on the unsuspecting maiden maybe a bit longer than he would have liked. Her appearance had not at all changed, that much was clear, still having the same woollen clothes on, her golden locks shining healthily and the smile she wore was as lovely as the last time he saw it. Yet the king found himself at a loss for words. Somehow Briar Rose seemed to grow even more beautiful during the short time they were apart. Could he have… Missed her company?

There was rumbling. Dead, dark eyes spied at the storm clouds for a moment, and then he extended his cold hand.

“ There will be a storm. Come.”

He, with utmost grace, took her small hand in his, leading the young lady towards the woods, away from any possible rain. They walked together, arm in arm, every once in a while she would point something out that caught her interest and they’d make polite small talk.

…

When the king had returned to his fortress the day they had first met, it had been late evening. The only sound that could be heard throughout the dusty stone halls were the cheers and chants of humans, men of all ages. There was once again a celebratory feast of sorts, for an utterly foolish reason no doubt. His servant, Creeper, a small green creature had informed him that these festivities would boost morale among the people, but he disregarded the idea. Though as long as they did not bother him, they were free to do as they wished. He wouldn’t need these weak mortals once he had his defeated soldiers back from the dead…

The Horned King had marched to his (heavily water damaged) library and combed through books and scrolls, trying to find it. Trying to find the information of the nearby lands, their history. His thin fingers slid across pages, sending dust flying into the air, but he has his focus solely on the task at hand. Then a map was opened. On the east and across a series of lakes of all sizes was a small village. Unnoteworthy and much too far away.

To the west were the rocky arid mountains, surrounded by a dead forest. If he rememberes correctly, at some point in time there used to live a sorceress. A true mistress of evil, or so she called herself. The king had never given her much thought, mostly because their paths had never crossed, nor had she ever interfered with his plans. He doesn’t know if she’s alive still. Or on the path of darkness.

All of the southern lands were once owned by another king who ruled with an iron fist. He, king Albert he believes was his name, could almost rival him when he still possessed a living body, and a soul. But the man died over a hundred and fifty years ago leaving his two sons to take the throne when they became of age. But they must have passed also! The book was old.

There on the bottom of the last page was mention of a child, born to the eldest son. Receiving the name Stefan of Prumor.

During the last hundred and fifty years the kingdom of Prumor had apparently flourished under the care of the unnamed son, becoming rather prosperous. The number of citizens residing inside the town had at least doubled, bringing along talents once unseen. Prumor had also signed a peace treaty with their neighbour even further south, the kingdom of Serin, thus ending a feud spanning centuries. King Frederik of Serin’s son had been born quite late in the kings life, so he, Hubert of Serin, must still be holding the throne currently.

Yes, the Horned King was getting closer to discovering the truth behind this strange girl! Until he realized that Rose could not have been from the village of Prumor. It was much too far away to travel by foot, and without any food or a map. In his fury he swiped everything from the desk, breaking a wine pitcher in the process.

Small, tentative knocks came from the door. There, cowering in fear stood the green goblin like creature.

“ S-sire? Y-you seem, ah, quite t-t-troubled. C-can I p-possibly be of any assistance?” It squeaked out.

He was about to reply, strike the small beast dead for his insolence, when he glanced at one of the books on the floor. There it lay, open to a page he had never seen. He did not remember owning such a book.

“ What,” He paused, now intrigued. “ Is this?”

Creeper looked at the book at issue, relief adamant on his face that his master had not proceeded with his wrath. He hopped closer to the tall man, hands rubbing together excitedly.

“ I-I believe sire, that that is one of the b-books we con-confiscated from the new recruits.” He laughed, joyful that the gift had pleased his king so. He couldn’t understand why, but who was he to question it. It had probably saved his lonely life.

“ They, they do not deserve to have s-such items! I brought it straight here, your majesty!”

On the open page was a picture, depicting a woman. One with sun coloured hair.

“ Who is she?”

This was not something the goblin could answer.

“ I-I do not know sire. I c-can get the worthless human who brought the book?”

The king waved his hand, indicating that he wished for him to do so. After a while a man, no, more like a boy, came to stand in front of him. He wasn’t much, skinny and young, definitely not soldier material. At least he had the decency to bow down to him.

“ You wished to see me, your majesty?”

One of the kings hands extended as he beckoned the boy over. The human gulped but did as was requested of him. His long black hair swayed from shoulder to shoulder as he walked across the room.

“ I presume, my boy, that you are the owner of this book?”

“ W-well yes, sir, I was.”

He pointed at the open page.

“ Then tell me, who might she be?”

“ T-that is the current queen of Prumor, y-your majesty, Q-queen Leah, sire. The wife of King Stefan.”

The boy, Hugo, could not see how the brows of the king furrowed. If he had, he would be running for his life. Why? Because this was not the answer the king wanted to hear. It made everything much more complicated, and he hated when things did not make sense. His hand rose up slowly.

“ How old are you?”

“ Si-sixteen, sire. W-will turn s-seventeen in a m-month.” The boy trembled.

The king let out a long hum. It echoed around them, like a snake.

“ Too bad you won’t see it.”

He brought his hand down, hard. Sharp nails sliced through the boy’s throat, so deep it almost severed his head and left it hanging limply to one side. The cry that came from him wasn’t loud. A scream for help was cut off and replaced by gurgling when his airways were filled by his own blood. He fell to the floor, legs twitching for a minute. A wheeze from the corpses deflating lungs made Creeper want to leap out of the nearest window, just to escape the horrid noise. Blood spilled to the floor, soaking everything in its path and colouring all in crimson. No sound was heard after that.  

…

“ Oh look. Lovely, don’t you agree!”  Briar marvelled at the wild rose bushes growing on the side of the path they were walking on. The flowers were white, like the stars that shone so brightly at night. Her hold tightened around his arm every time she got excited about something.

“ Quite, like you.”

The blonde whipped her head around, a soft blush covering her cheeks. She had never received a compliment from anybody other than her guardians. Especially not from a man. It made her smile.

“ Thank you.” She whispered.

The Horned King hadn’t discovered any information about the girl, but he knew he will. Soon. He had his suspicions.

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Chapter Text

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” And I do adore them so, my aunts are my whole world. We dance and we sing. And once we baked until the sun came up.” Rose sighed and leaned closer to the king. They had stopped to sit under a large chestnut-tree. The shade provided by its branches was gladly welcomed, for it happened to be a scorching hot day. Rose gave the king a porcelain cup, filled with dandelion honey tea.

“ There was this birthday where we made sugar cookies together. It was unusual, since it’s not a custom in our house to celebrate such events. I once asked about it, but they didn’t give a reason.” She mused. Aunt Fauna had almost seemed frightened by the idea.

“ What about you, my lord? Do you spend much time with your family?” She asked while slicing an apple.

He pondered for a moment. The tea in his hand gleamed in the sun like liquid gold.

“ I have no family left.”

“ Oh, forgive me. I was being insensitive.” She sat her cup down.

On her left sat a basket filled with refreshments like apples, pears, and cheese. The girl had packed them the night before, happy that she could spend the day with the Horned King once more. Though reticent, his company was still much cherished by her.

“ You must be awfully busy, so I do appreciate you sparing time for me.“

Roses three aunts were traveling to Prumor. Every year, on the first week of June they would be gone for a day or two selling their fresh strawberry jam at the market. That is the only time they would allow her to be home alone. Flora always made Briar promise to not leave the house or open any doors, and usually she would obey. Now, however, she wouldn’t miss the chance to spend more time with the king.

Once they finished, she packed up and turned. Her delicate hand took a hold of the kings.

“ Will I see you tomorrow?” He tightened his hold on it.

“ Of course.”

…

Outside of the forest, surrounded by glistening lakes and green hills, stood the unusually silent kingdom of Prumor. The towering stone walls that protected the village were covered in dark vines and the wooden gates to the kingdom were closed. There hadn’t been real joy for seventeen long years. Now, three cloaked figures walked through the houses and over bridges. They entered from the side of the castle and walked to the throne room.

“ Their most honoured excellencies, the good fairies mistress Flora and mistress Fauna!” Called out the announcer as the two women walked along a red and yellow carpet, in front of the king, and bowed.

“ Ah, good to see you. All has been well, I hope?” King Stefan asked. His long woollen tunic almost reached the floor when he stood up. The king was tall and slender, on his head a golden crown passed to him from his father a long time ago. His appearance demanded respect, but you could see from his eyes that he was wise and kind. A ruler who was respected and trusted. On his finger shined a golden wedding band embedded with a red ruby.

“ Where’s mistress Merryweather?”  The beautiful Queen Leah asked from next to her husband. She, not unlike her daughter, was truly one of the most beautiful women in the whole land. No wonder the king was so fond of her, she was the perfect balance of beauty and intelligence, helping to rule with perception.

“ Your Majesties, thank you. Merryweather is standing outside, guarding us from any passer-by’s. The walls have ears, you know. Now, we came here today to tell you that everything seems to be in order. Your daughter has grown into a kind young woman who will rule the kingdom just like her father. Maleficent has no idea where she is.” Flora spoke.

“ It is all true your highness, she is extremely clever for her age.”

“ That is good to hear. Very good indeed.” The old king smiled, happy to hear of his beloved daughter. He sat down again with a hand on his heart.

“ Yes, and in a couple of weeks you shall be together again.”

“ Her seventeenth birthday! That’s in two weeks, I can’t believe I almost forgot. We must hold a celebration, Richart send out invitations! And get the cook.” Stefan jumped back up again and hurried out of the room, leaving the women behind.

“ How is she really? Have you told her already?” Queen Leah made her way closer to the two, her golden locks shining from under the lilac veil on her head. Her eyes were filled with worry, and longing, as she glanced at the tallest tower from the window. Even after all these years she was still grieving heavily.

“ No your grace, we haven’t done so yet. We planned on telling her the day of her birthday.” Fauna placed a hand on the mothers shoulder, comforting.

“ Very well, but please do it gently.” And she too left. Merryweather entered the room and closed the door.

“ Ladies, we still have two weeks before the princess can come back home, so we must beware. There’s a great danger lurking about, and we are already standing on our toes by coming here!”

“ We must head back soon. I’d suggest during the cover of night!”

“ Shh! Keep your voice down.”

“ No, no we cannot do that anymore. Maleficent is getting more and more desperate to find Aurora in time with the prophecy. She has called in the creatures of the night. I have seen them.”

“ Well then what do we do Flora?”

“ I think I have an idea. We’ll leave at early morning.”

…

Time had long since lost all its meaning to him. Years seemed like days, minutes mixed in with the hours. The seasons did not matter anymore, no rain or heat or snow could stop him. So, when one day Creeper dared to ask where he had been going every day for over a month, came it as a surprise. He hadn’t realized it had been that long already.

“ S-sire, going out a-again?” It held up a silver cup with at least a hundred-year-old wine. He took a sip, and promptly threw it at the goblin. It was a bad year.

“ That is none of your business.” His large hand curled into a fist. He did not have to share his personal affairs.

It gulped but somehow found the courage to press on.

“ W-what a-about the book, sir? Has it b-been to your li-liking?”

The book in question sat at his bedside table, almost fully finished, and opened to a page about the marriage of Queen Leah and King Stefan. When the body of the previous owner had finally been taken away and all of the blood was washed, the Horned King had intended to read through it. He hadn’t gotten far at first, sensing the presence of Briar Rose once again. He promised himself that he would finish it later and left to see the girl.

That night, in the light of a candle, he continued. His interest had been captured by the awfully familiar face depicted on page 135. How could this woman, a queen of all people, look exactly like a village girl.

Once this unnamed king had passed, his son Stefan of Prumor took his rightful place at the throne. He had started courting a young noble woman from a small nearby village, that one too unnamed, and apparently captured her interest, along with her heart. She was described as beautiful, with long hair and eyes like diamonds. Multiple men had tried but also failed to win her over, until Stefan came along.

They were wed on the last day of May, to symbolize a new beginning in their lives just like in nature when everything grows and blooms once more. That nameless village had then been merged with the kingdom and it became the Prumor known today. All of that happened in the last twenty years. During their time as rulers, they acquired an interesting friendship with the three good fairies. Of course The Horned King knew about them and their good magic. They do only good and promise nothing but happiness. They are weak.

He had finally begun the last chapter when something touched his mind. Something was in the wind, something angry. It dripped with venom, a smell of rotten in the air like a cloud. He walked to his window. Nothing. So it wasn’t close? Interesting. The king strode down to one of the many treasure chambers and opened the door. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs that swung wildly when he passed. He looked and looked until his majesty stood in front of a small covered object. Pulling a torn brown cloth to reveal a purple crystal ball, shining in the low light, he hummed in satisfaction.  

“ Show me the source of this magic that plagues the air.”

The ball glowed a dim blue, and a scene played. A woman clothed in black robes was lashing out, throwing magic around carelessly. On the sorceresses hand was a golden staff that he recognized.

“ Maleficent.”

…

“ You fools!” She struck with her magic again and again at the fleeting minions. Her anger knew no bounds. The whole of the Forbidden Mountain shook when she summoned the last lightning.

“ Idiots, all of them!”

The sorceress sat down with a heavy-hearted sigh and looked pleadingly at her companion. A beautifully black raven, as dark as the night she was born, came closer to try and offer some solace to its mistress. The woman, Maleficent, looked down at it deep in thought.

“ My dear pet, you are my only hope. The seventeen years are almost over, and I am at a loss. I have suffered for all of these long years, do not let me down and fulfil my wish. Find a girl with the suns gold on her hair and the red of rose on her lips.” She hissed at it. The bird flew out of an open window and disappeared.

“ They think they could defeat me. They think of me as an imbecile. I’ll show them, I’ll show them all!”

…

The Horned King stormed back to his chambers and in front of the book. His eyes, lifeless and empty, hurriedly read the last chapter. And there he found it. The answers he had been looking for.

Seventeen years ago Queen Leah had given birth to a child. A beautiful baby girl named after the dawn, Aurora, who was rumoured to have hair of sunshine gold and lips red as the rose. Upon her christening had she been cursed by Maleficent to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and perish. The prophecy would only be void after the sun had set on her seventeenth birthday. But shall the curse be fulfilled, one of the good fairies had given her the gift of a second chance. If she pricks her finger, shall she only fall to eternal slumber, only waking when kissed by her true love.

The king flung the book across the room. No, this was not what he wanted. She was destined to die, there was no one in her life to take the position of true love. All the cards were stacked against the young princess, and it made him furious. The thought of her body lying cold on a bed, her lips turning gray and her hair loosing its shine was too much for him. This unfamiliar feeling crept over his long dead heart and wrapping around him like a snake.

He was about to throw a mirror across the hall when he felt a familiar aura. Briar Ro- no, Aurora, was at the clearing.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The cottage was on fire, the flames poison green and sulfur yellow. All was swallowed by the blaze, nothing was left. It flickered and flashed until there was nothing left for the fire to feed itself on. All of it went up in smoke. All gone.

Maleficent cackled, hard and deep. She stood tall and proud next to the remains of the home, or what was left of it, her enemy formerly resided in. It had taken some time but soon her pet, Diablo was he named, had flown down from the heavens and screeched so hard it awoke the whole of Forbidden Mountain. It led her troops to the cottage hidden in the glen and she wasted no time in destroying it. The woman didn’t look twice when she summoned the hottest magical fire possible and threw it at the wooden structure, taking pleasure in the sounds of breaking glass and falling logs. All of the surrounding trees went with the home, earth scorched black. She could hear it, how the woods around her cried in agony, the trees turning away from the flames to try and save themselves. The sorceress walked around looking for any sigh of survivors, stepping on anything that didn’t look destroyed enough. Her foot knocked over a piece of broken pottery and there on the ground lay a single red rose, unharmed. Her smile temporarily vanished as her slim hand picked it up, examining it. Her hand set ablaze, burning the thing to a crisp.

She continued to walk, opening her palm, and letting the wind distribute the now black ashes around to the ground. To her amusement she also found a blue dress, fit for a seventeen-year-old princess, covered in burn marks and something… Red, and sticky. That made her laugh even harder.

“ The princess has died! Our work here is done and now we shall celebrate!” Diablo flew to her shoulder.

“ Marvellous. For the first time in seventeen long years, I shall sleep well.”

The troops cheered and retreated as fast as they had come. All the chanting and yelling slowly faded away until it could not be heard anymore.

That might have been the biggest mistake Maleficent had ever made.

For no sooner had she left the three good fairies emerged from the bushes nearby and looked at the cabin in horror. And to think they had just sent Briar out some hours ago to gather berries, though that was really an excuse so they could plan a surprise birthday party for her. In fact, Fauna had just completed making the rose red frosting when they heard the impending siege. In their hurry to escape Merryweather knocked the frosting on the just finished dress that sat on a lone chair. It seemed to have fooled the vengeful sorceress for now.

“ Oh Flora, what shall we do?” Fauna cried.

“ We must find Aurora before Maleficent realizes her mistake. Fauna I need you to fly to the castle, we seek help from there!” In a flash gone were the rustic aprons and linen dresses and in their place were their court appropriate gowns.

“ Ask for prince Phillip!” Flora shouted after the retreating figure.

The other two flew into the woods where Rose usually spent her time. They looked by the lake and behind the bushes but could not find her.

“ Where could she have gone?”

…

Briar sat under the oak tree where she and The Horned King had their first of many picnics. Her shoulders went up and down as her lungs were desperately trying to get air. She had just witnessed the most horrible thing in her life. Her home, the only place she had to go to was gone. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“ You’re here.” Came a relieved voice.

She turned.

“ It’s you…”

She, not caring if it was proper or not, leapt up and hugged the man. The king froze, hands raised on either side and unsure of what to do. Then they gently lowered to hold her back, wrapping her in a protective embrace. He would never tell a soul, but for a moment he was sure she was gone. He had felt the rose wilt and die and was sure the reason was Briars death. He had never been so glad to not have been correct.

The girl shook as she cried, true agony clear in her voice. Her small hands desperately held onto the kings robes, seeking comfort.

“ They are gone! My home, my aunts, everything! Why, oh why did this happen?” She cried out.

“ Listen to me. Your three aunts are not gone.”

“ W-what are you saying?”

“ Follow me, let us leave. It is unwise to stay here.”

By some gracious whim of fate the two managed to get to the fortress unharmed and unnoticed. Their path was illuminated by fireflies dancing in the air. The king kept the girl hidden behind his robes, trying to shield her from any spying eyes. The late evening was slowly but surely turning into a night, with its thousands of stars. It also meant that the temperature would drop and leave the girl in his arms shivering, so the king made the decision to use his magic to get them back even quicker. It had been his plan from the start, but all magic leaves residue and he wanted no one after them. So he took them deeper, deeper.

The Horned King guided the princess under a large tree and spoke.

“ I shall use magic to get us to safety.” His cold voice echoed.

Briar wanted to ask questions but then decided to hold her tongue. Questions could wait till later. Her hands held on tighter as she closed her eyes, not knowing what to expect.

In a flash the two vanished, only to appear inside the library of his castle.

“ Open your eyes.” He commanded.

She did so and was instantly amazed by the amount of books there. Hundreds upon thousands were tucked on wooden shelves, stacked on top of each other and stashed in corners. Some sat open on tables while others were dropped to the floor, discarded. There were scrolls and papers everywhere she dare look. She would ask about reading some of them later but now she needed answers and was ready to demand them if she had to.

“ You said that my aunts were still alive. What did you mean by that?”

He looked down at her.

“ I meant what I said. They are still amongst the living.”

“ But how! I saw them perish in the flames.”

“ No, my dear. They were not in the fire. They are still in the forest.”

“ How do you know this?” She inquired.

“ Their magic is still blooming strong. It is traveling around the forest right as we speak.”

“ W-what? Magic?”

“ Allow me to enlighten you.”

…

Fauna flew in from the iron crested window, halting the music and any other festivities that had begun. The woman cried loudly.

“ Aurora has disappeared!”

And then there was widespread panic among the crowd.

“ What! What do you mean disappeared, what happened?!” Both King Stefan and King Hubert asked, disbelieving. Next to them stood the now grown prince Phillip. He was indeed very handsome, standing there by his father tall and proud.

“ We were ambushed! Maleficent found the cottage. All is lost.” The poor woman wept.

It only took but a moment for King Stefan to get up and call out.

“ General! Gather up the troops immediately, I want the entire forest searched! We still have three hours till sundown!”

The young prince looked concerned for his future bride, but also determined to help. The man was rumoured to be an excellent swordsman, so it is no wonder he offered up his help.

“ Father, I too shall go and look for the princess. She must be found before the sun sets. She has a target on her back even after the curse is gone.” He grabbed his silver sword and inspected it for any rust. Not finding any he put it back in its holster.

“ B-but Phillip! My boy you mustn’t-“

“ Do not fear King Hubert, for I shall guide him.” Fauna, with a wave of her wand, transformed to the size of a songbird and sat on the princes shoulder. Phillip ran out and mounted his horse in one graceful movement. His red cape swung in the wind wildly.

“ We must make haste! We have no idea of where she might have gone.”

They rode off, leaving the kingdom of Prumor in shambles.

…

The Horned King showed Rose the book. She studied the picture of the beautiful queen.

“ South from here, days away and behind the forests and rivers, lies the prosperous kingdom of Prumor.”

He turned a page. There a castle was depicted with bright colours of maroon, sky blue and silver.

“ Seventeen years ago the rulers King Stefan and his wife Queen Leah welcomed a daughter to this world. They gave her the symbolic name Aurora.” He paused to see if the girl understood. She nodded along confused.

“ On the day of her royal christening a scorned sorceress cast a curse on the child. The prophecy dictates that she shall die on her seventeenth birthday.”

“ That’s horrible.” She gasped and brought a hand to her cheek.

“ But one of your aunts gave her a gift. A gift that could possibly save her life. Instead of death, the princess would only fall asleep, that she could be woken from.”

Rose let out a sigh, glad that the princess still had a chance.

“ What happened then? Is she okay?”

“ Your aunts, also known as the three good fairies, hid the child in the forest-“

He came closer to her.

“ And raised her up with a different name. Tonight, at sundown, was going to be the long-awaited reunion between the royal couple and their daughter.”

“ Raised her up-“ Her breath hitched as she realized. Her diamond eyes widened, and she took a step back.

“ Seventeen years...”

“ The other two fairies gave gifts also. One the gift of song and the other of beauty.”

“ No.”

“ Hair of sunshine gold, lips so red they bring a rose to shame, spring in every step…”

“ No…” A single tear fell from her eye and slid down her soft cheek.

“ Yes.”

He closed the book and handed it to the girl.

“ You are the lost princess. Princess Aurora of Prumor.”

For awhile she had no words. She just held on to the book and stared at the ground.

“ Thank you for telling me. But for now I must be alone. Is there somewhere I could go?” Her voice was small, and she did not raise her head.

He led her to his bedchambers and opened the door.

“ This room is no longer in use, you will not be disturbed.”

He turned to leave when her small hand grasped his larger one.

“ Your majesty thank you. For all of this. You are kind.”  

“ We shall talk more when you are ready.” And with that he left.

But he was not a kind person. He was a selfish man, with his selfish desires. He told her all of this, not from the kindness of his heart, but in hopes that he could keep her here with him. Could lead her to believe that there were dangers out there, lurking, waiting. Waiting for her to leave so they could devour her. Even if that may be true to an extent, he could still manipulate the situation in his favour. He had thought of telling her lies but quickly dismissed the idea. Briar Rose would never believe ill of her aunts no matter what he told her, so it was in his best interest to stick with the truth.

Now she was here, from her own free will and was going to stay as long as he had the answers for her questions.

Things were going perfectly.

She was going to be his.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A new morning laid its warmth upon the sleeping kingdom of darkness. There was no sunshine sparkling through the windows or singing of any kind from the birds waking up, but one could still feel the change. The way the air around slowly warmed up signified the change from night to day. Crippling darkness gave away to something more manageable and the mist that had risen during the evening was gone.

Rose opened her eyes and looked around, the memories from last night still fresh in her head. She had fallen asleep on a large wood framed bed with dark hangings. The fabrics were old and torn, but still maintained their original vibrant red colouring. On top of the burgundy-coloured camlet blankets was this beautifully crafted coverlet, decorated in golden symbols she could not recognise. The tapestry next to the bed depicted a battle of sorts, there were faded pictured of men in armour fighting each other with long spears, till there was nothing but destruction. Over these men loomed a dark figure, arms open and from his chest came bony, fire spewing demons. In the middle of it all stood a black object, a cauldron of sorts that spout light. The girl found it quite scary, so she turned to study the rest of the room.

There were only two windows, one smaller than the other but both broken. The right one was almost fully void of glass, only having the decorative iron bars left. The other window much further to the left of the room was half intact, still managing to preserve the glass on the bottom. It was gray from dust.

A brown bearskin rug lay almost abandoned on the floor, clearly having seen better days. Now that Rose thought about it, apart from the few cobwebs up in the corner, the dusty glass window and the torn canopy, the room looked surprisingly clean.  

Briar had spent the night in a strange state. At first, though thoroughly exhausted, she could not fall asleep. Her small hands kept holding on to the book she had received from the king, but she did not dare open it. What if she read something horrible about her father or, worse yet, herself.

But soon the curiosity got the best of her, and the princess opened the book. She read the first five chapters slowly, wanting to take in as much as possible. They described the birth of the kingdom, its struggles and shortcomings, but also its victories and many strengths. It told her that the then king, her grandfather, had ruled the kingdom with wisdom, not leaving the citizens who worshipped him even when there was an outbreak of sickness. Or when the famine hit especially hard one year.

When the kingdom of Prumor had signed the treaty with the kingdom of Serin, it was not only to strengthen the relationship but to get help, medicine and food delivered to aid the dying people. He had made mistakes while ruling, but the more Briar Rose read, the more she came to admire the man.

When her father, King Stefan took over the throne, he had followed in his father’s footsteps the best he could. Dragging her tired eyes through the rest she got the impression that her parents were good people. But how could she be sure the book wasn’t just filled with traitorous lies?

Rose thought for a moment. If the Horned King knew about her family and aunts, he must have answers. So, she decided to seek him out.

Rose peeked into the cold stone hall and, not seeing anyone, walked to the library. It was the second door to the right when going down the steps. She opened the door and was quite surprised to see the king already there. He sat on an old wooden chair, carved from dark walnut. In front of him was a book, much older than the one she carried. 

“ G-good morning, my lord. I hope your rest was well.” She played with a strand of her hair, wondering how to ask the man. Luckily, he seemed to know what her thoughts were. He did not even turn to look at the princess when he spoke.

“ You have questions.”

“ Yes, I do. I hope you do not mind.”

He motioned for her to sit down. She did, next to him.

“ I was hoping to ask you about my parents. I just… I read the book and it described them as wonderful people, good rulers, but I have no way of knowing if it is all but mere disinformation.”

“ What I have heard, the royal couple are well loved for a reason. You should not worry about such trivial matters when there is much proof saying otherwise.”   

“ And my aunts? All this time I had assumed that they found me somewhere where my parents had abandoned me, though when I asked them, they strongly denied it. Aunt Fauna always assured me that my mother and father loved me very much, but I thought they were just too kind to tell me the truth. But they weren’t just kind village ladies, were they? ”

“ They play a part in the royal court. They, the three good fairies, are known for kind deeds and good magic that gives and grants. It is formed from light. They have been close friends of the royal couple for years.”  

“ Is that the kind of magic you use?”

He was silent.

“ Um, what about my- the person I was supposed to be married to? What is he like?”  

Rose did not see the way the kings sharp nails dug violently into the wood of the armrest, splitting it in half. He did not even flinch when a piece of wood pierced his skin. He would later burn the chair in his anger but now was not the time. He masked the sound of the breaking armrest with a spell and then offered her a silver plate. There was a piece of maslin bread with honey and cheese. She took it in her hands and gave it a taste.

“ Prince Phillip, the son of King Hubert of Serin. He is… Adequate. You would have wed on the day after your reunion.”

“ I still do not understand. Why was this sorceress so mad at me? Had I done something to offend her?”

“ You did no such thing. Your father, in his fear of her, did not dare to invite her to your christening. Or maybe he simply forgot, having just received a long awaited child. Maleficent took it as an insult, perhaps she was only waiting for an excuse to strike. Wherever she goes, sorrow follows.”  

“ Was there an attempt to speak with her? Maybe offer apologies?”

“ You have a kind heart, princess, but no one reasons with the mistress of evil. Your parents tried their best to apologize but she cursed you to die.”

Aurora ran her fingers through her hair, feeling a sense of dread. She set the plate down and wrapped her delicate arms around herself.

“ You… You do not think she’ll find me, do you?”

This was what he had waited for.

“ As long as you stay here where she cannot sense you, no, she will never find you here.”

“ Thank you.” She smiled at the man.

“ You said the name Aurora was symbolic. Why ?” He raised his head, hood moving just enough to let her see his chin.

“ They named you after dawn, the first appearance of light before sunrise, to symbolise how you brought light to their lives once more. How with you a new chapter, a new journey would begin. You were their most precious jewel, and they would have sacrificed who knows how much to keep you safe and happy. That is the only thing they ever wanted for you.”

Her eyes were wide, the explanation was so simple yet beautiful. It showed just how much her father and mother really loved her.

“ Then,” She started, “Then I wish to be called Aurora. That, or Briar Rose. Both names are a part of me.” Her smile was blinding, cheeks rosy red and eyes bright like stars.

He took a hold of her small hand and brought it close to his face, bowing slightly.

“ Aurora.”

...

Creeper had been hopping down the halls in a good mood, lilac cowl swinging from side to side. They had just brought in a new cartload of fallen soldiers and he had the intention of going and informing his master about it. As the creature used the low light coming from the broken windows to guide him through these stone halls, he heard a noise. A small creak coming from the library made the being stop and turn to look at the closed door. He knew he should knock, the last time Creeper didn’t, his master had thrown a wine glass at him that damaged his right eye. But the small beast was so curious.

“ Just a p-peek wouldn’t hurt, maybe.” It gulped but kept at his task. His small fingers slid under the door and then pulled, desperately trying to be as quiet as possible. He needed it open just enough to see into the room.

“ Who tries to enter here?”

The creature jumped in surprise and then backed away when the door threw itself open. His king stood there, next to the table in the centre of the room, in his full towering hight. He held his cape out so that it concealed the books laid beyond him, or so Creeper believed. From this position and due to his small stature, he couldn't possibly see the young princess hidden behind the man’s robes.

“ F-forgive me s-sire! I had no idea-“

“ Didn’t I say not to be disturbed!”

“ Y-yes b-but-“

“ State your business and make it snappy. Then leave and do not come back.”

“ W-we got a good lot this time, from the east! We just need the approval…”

The king growled.

“ I’ll see to them later. Now go!”

...

“ We must go there again! What if there was some clue we missed, a stone that was left unturned.”

“ Oh, it must have been a day by now. Can’t we take a break?”

“ Now wait a moment! You didn’t happen to check in here, did you?” Merryweather exclaimed, frowning at the raspberry bushes like they personally had something to do with her bad fortune.

“ I think we should head back to the cabin.” Prince Phillip walked from between the trees. His silver sword swung from left to right as he cleared a path for the women. All steps came to a halt when they reached the burned remains. The blue fairy put her hands on her hips and yelled in exasperation.

“ You see? Nothing, everything is gone and buried!”

“ But what is this?” Fauna asked as she lifted a piece of a porcelain plate out of the way. There lay a single small petal of a rose, as red as Briar's lips. It must have fallen from the rose when Maleficent burned it.

“ Is that a rose petal?”

Flora walked closer.

“ That,” She took it in her hand and examined it. “Is not from a real flower. There is no life in it!” She gasped, horrified.

“ What do you mean no life? Give it here.” Merryweather grabbed it.

“ It’s true! Oh, why did none of us check that thing when we first saw it? I told you it was fishy.”

“ Well, we cannot do a thing about it now.”

“ But we can still use it.”

“ What do you have in mind, dear?”

“ Forgive me but can somebody please explain to me what is going on?” Phillip cut in, confused.

“ This here.” Flora pointed at the red petal, “Is from a rose formed magically. It appeared one day but we never really questioned it, always being hidden in Aurora's room and all…”

“ And we can use it to track where this magic came from.”

“ It might not have anything to do with the disappearance but it’s worth a try. I mean what else do we have?”

Flora took the piece in her hands and made a wish. The petal excreted a weak red light and then turned to dust, floating slowly down a path opposite to them.

“ Quickly! Follow that dust.”

...

Aurora sat next to a window, reading a book thicker than any she had ever seen. The girl had taken it from the library after the talk with the king had ended. It told stories of battles from a faraway land and of forbidden love between a war generals’ daughter and a lonely soldier. It had a sorrowful beginning and a tragic ending, which made the girl sigh. She set it down, turning her attention to the window.

The air was heavy, there were no animals to be seen nor heard. All around the land was dead, dry, rocky and without life in any form. Her heart was growing heavier.  

“ I wish…” Stopping mid thought, she shook her head. No, here she was safe, there was no need to wish to be anywhere else but here.

She was fully oblivious to a pair of red glowing eyes observing her from the darkness. They lingered on her for some time before disappearing.

...

"It's leading to that clearing. This way!"

The three fairies and the prince had just managed their way to the meadow hidden behind the bushes. Its flowers were in full bloom, no signs of anything strange in sight. On the surface there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, appearing to be rather ordinary. However once Merryweather’s feet touched the ground she let out a yelp and fell back. Fauna was there at her side instantly to help her up.

" My dear, what's the matter? Did you feel something?"

The blue fairy’s teeth chattered, and she brought her arms to her side, trying to provide some warmth.

" I-I can't believe it. It is like the whole meadow has been sucked out of joy! There has been something, or someone who knows only sorrow." 

“ B-by who? Maleficent has not been-“ The others turned to Fauna.

“ Who else lives here?”

“ What?”

“ These lands, who else lives here?”

“ No one. Or at least not to my knowledge.”

“ Maybe we have to dig a little deeper. There is something going on and we need to figure out what that something is!” Merryweather solemnly remarked as she walked around the flowers. They were ice cold.

“ We shall return to the palace at once. Oh, we need a book on local history, and a map! Or maybe two…”

“ But we would need to go back for at least,” Fauna thought about it, “ Two or three hundred years.”

“ Yes, and we have no time to waste. Prince Phillip I shall bestow upon you a great task so listen closely…”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A golden door, decorated with the king’s coat of arms, closed behind his majesty king Stefan. The man walks away, each step sending a new wave of sadness up from his chest and then down through his eyes. He was crying, not had he cried since he was but a small boy. His hair, long and black as a raven’s wings, lay on his shoulders like a vail. His back and shoulders ached with years not yet lived and his heart was heavy with grief. His beloved wife, queen Leah, had all of a sudden collapsed and was subsequently rushed to her chambers to rest. They had spent the entire night awake and alert, hoping to hear any kind of news of their daughter or of her whereabouts. The royal couple waited till the suns first rays made an appearance through one of the many windows, shining down on them with unintentional cruelty. That’s when, with a cry of unimaginable sorrow, the queen had fallen on her knees and cried herself into hysteria. A handmaiden had ushered Stefan out of her room and closed the door, muffling the sounds of pleading and begging. Begging for somebody to return her daughter.

Stefan wanders aimlessly around the empty hallways, accompanied only by the echoes of his shoes and the wind outside. His gaze is lazily set on the stone floor, only having enough energy to look at the carpets. There was the red and gold one in the west hall, a long blue one by the entrance, a green and yellow square next to the window overlooking the eastern lands. One of them was broken, a corner coming undone. Something would have to be done about that, but now he could only walk. At some point he lost count.

In a day Aurora first came to their lives and in a day, she was taken from their arms. The childbirth had lasted from sundown till sunrise and the entire time Stefan sat next to the royal priest, praying to God. He, on his knees, begged God to spare his beloved wife and their child when a miracle happened. A new morning lit up the corridor, light reflecting off of the golden chandeliers and precious stones decorating the nursery door. While Stefan was marvelling at the sudden glow around him, the doors opened, and an old nursemaid announced.

“ Your majesty, it’s a girl.”

And just like that corridor, in that precious moment, Stefans’s world brightened almost as if he was seeing colours for the very first time. When he held the child in his arms, he promised to give her the whole world. He sent the joyous word out immediately, wishing to host the grandest of celebrations. He declared this to be a great holiday so that every person could pay homage to his child. The birth of a daughter instead of a son had finally allowed the kingdom of Prumor and the kingdom of Serin to unite so there was every reason to celebrate. Soon after the christening was held, Maleficent cursed his daughter and she, for her own safety, was ripped from their lives. That was seventeen years ago, but time had yet to cloud his memory of those times.

Hustling and bustling all around woke Stefan from his musings with a jolt. Two maids hurriedly passed him, hastily greeting him and then disappearing behind a small side door. Then two guards, a small bulky man and a much younger and taller man, saluted him and continued their journey. When the royal carpenter also came to stand before him and bow, the king took the opportunity to ask what was going on.

“ Haven’t you heard, your majesty? The queen has gone missing.” And with that he too was left.

Worry flashed in Stefans old eyes but as quickly a memory passed him. This had happened before, sixteen years ago in fact. He had an idea of where his queen had possibly gone to.

The kings’ steps slowed when he came upon that door. The one decorated in stones and laced with gold, the one he only ever saw in his dreams where they were all together once more. The nursery door. It was open a crack and Stefan could see Leahs slumped figure. She sat next to the crib, now dusty and old. It was once as blue as the sky, but with time had come to resemble more of a dull grey. Her shoulders moved up and down in such a rhythm that told him she was crying. Stefan stood next to her and placed a comforting had on her back.

“ We’ll find her, my beloved.”

She cried harder.

...

“ The Golden Pelydryn.”

The Horned King turned a page. On his hands the man had a book, dressed in leather, listing off magical beings, artifacts, and knickknacks from all over the lands. He had read through the chapters detailing magical wands, a cursed lamp, enchanted animals, and crystal balls but none had seemed too promising. He happened to know from experience that crystal balls were much too afraid of showing what he wished to see. And a talking mirror, belonging to a foreign queen was far too long of a travel away.

Many did not know this, but there weren’t many fairies, some choosing to be a part of the lives of mortals and some only choosing to observe from afar. The ones that wished to be a part of human lives were mostly known as good godmothers, granting wishes and happy endings. Then there were the rogue ones, going around and casting magic spells carelessly. The king had heard of a beautiful enchantress, a name you could also use for a fairy, who used to go around to test young men. If she deemed them to not be worthy of a chance, she would curse them.

But there also were wizards and witches, pixies, who were truly nasty creatures, gnomes, goblins, and mermaids. During his long life, the Horned King had possessed many items listed on these pages and talked to majority of the creatures. None had been too helpful at finding what he desired though, and thus had been, without warning, killed. An old gipsy fortune teller once told him that if he ate the tail of a mermaid expecting, he would gain the knowledge of the universe. It obviously had not worked and so the woman was executed for her lies by hanging.

Now having journeyed to the last chapter, he found something piquing his interest. The dusted and tattered pages described a golden orb harbouring magical properties yet fully understood. It had been gifted to the royal family of Llyr by a traveling merchant years ago, who had not been fully aware of its abilities. In fact no-one was quite sure of what it was capable of and that just made him want it more. There was a possibility that it could show him the whereabouts of the Black cauldron.

So, he sent for his men.

“ Get me the princess. She can control the Pelydryn.”

“ Yes, your highness.”

“ And burn down the towns on your way. Harvest the corpses and bring them back. Kill anyone who survives.”

“ Sire, we aren’t complete in numbers. Riderch and his crew aren’t back from the battle yet and it takes time to haul all of the bodies back-“

The king silenced them with a raise of his hand. The men did not say more.

“ What are you still standing here for? Get going!” Creeper screeched, hopping down the stairs one by one, small finger pointing violently towards the entrance. The two soldiers murmured threats unheard but complied. Once the doors were closed, the goblin turned to its master.

“ Soon, very soon, I’ll have the cauldron in my hands.”

“ Y-you really think t-that the orb can find the c-cauldron?”

The king turned with a threatening glare, silencing his servant. He removed himself from the company of these mere mortals, seeking out his most prized possession.

...

A delicate tweet and a sweet chirp rose Aurora from her feather light slumber. The heavy blankets fell from her slender shoulders to the girl’s waist along with the book she had been reading as she got up. She let out a quiet yawn and stretched her arms, for a moment imagining herself reaching for the stars. Then she turned to look where the noise had come from. By the broken window, on the dilapidated stone ledge outside, sat a small brown house sparrow. It hopped to the left, then to the right, until finally stalling and staring at Rose. Its beady black eyes peered, unblinking.

“ Why hello there. Are you lost?”

It chirped again and flew inside, settling down next to her feet.

“ Are you alone too? Where’s your family?” The animal turned its head, wings flapping up and down.

“ You must have a special someone waiting for you? Everyone has someone.” It just stared.

“ Oh, I see, you don’t have to tell me. But you know, I actually have a secret that I wish to tell no-one. Would you be willing to hear?” She looked around, smiling with a twingle in her blue eyes. “ Do not tell a soul now, but I have finally met someone.” The bird came closer, intrigued.

“ He’s tall and handsome, and so romantic. We walk together and talk together, and just before we say goodbye-“  

Unbeknownst to Aurora, the cruel king stood behind the doors, seething with anger. He stood still as a mountain, listening the girl talk. He was about to knock when she mentioned someone. A man she had taken great interest in while staying here or so he presumed. He gritted his sharp teeth, malice mixing in with hatred inside of him. Who could have possibly gone behind his back?

“ I wish he took me into his arms.” She put her hands together, smiling at the thought.

“ And then-“

His large hand knocked, rather harshly. Briar Rose, startled, jumped up and opened the door.

“ Oh, it’s you.” Her smile was radiating.

“ It appears you were waiting for someone?” His voice was cold like a winters breeze, leaving no trace of life behind. Aurora was taken aback by this, shaking her head, denying the allegation.

“ No, just you sire.”

“ We better keep it that way. After all your life may depend on that.”

“ I-I know.”

“ This castle is filled with men, true barbarians, who would sell your whereabouts out for a piece of silver. Or perhaps take you against your will, touch you, hurt you.”

She looked down in fear of the idea. Her hands covered her eyes, not wishing to imagine those horrible scenarios the king had laid out. The Horned King took the girl in his arms and pressed her against his chest. His comforting embrace was welcomed.

“ I would see the underworld freeze over before letting them lay a finger on you. I would curse the gods themselves before letting anything happen to you.”

...

Somewhere far away, deep inside the lively forests of Prydain, on the farm of Caer Dallben, an old enchanter stirs a pot. He does so, slowly and with a purpose. The stew is going to be a real delicacy, filled to the brim with meat and potatoes. Oh yes, it will be absolutely wonderful.  

Then the wooden spoon drops to the floor, and the man sifts. One step back, then a shake of his head. His heart is pounding, and he looks to the window alarmed. There is something in the air. Something is wrong, but he’s not sure what.

“ Hey, Dallben! I’m all finished up.” A young boy walks in, surprising amount of pride in each step.

“ T-that’s good my boy. Now, come inside and sit down. You sure you finished putting all the tools away?”

“ Sure did-“ There was a large crash and a distinct sound of animals yelping in surprise. The red-haired boy looked sheepish.

“ I’ll… Go put those away!” The door is left swinging in the breeze. Dallben looks outside, worry growing. He rushes to shut the door.

The cold shivers hadn’t subsided, but Dallben felt more at ease. Maybe he should see what was going on, ask the neighbours. He could even request an audience with King Eidilleg, though the fair folk have disappeared recently.

“ Tomorrow. I’ll ask tomorrow.”  

…

The three good fairies were gathered in the royal library, around a round table. Their surroundings were lit by a dozen candles, since that was their only source of light. They had covered all of the windows and all of the cracks, so that no passerby could eavesdrop.

“ Aha! It says here, `The East was grand, such a king was never seen before´.”

“ Yes, that was king Lionel and his seven wives. Such a pompous old fool he was. Continue.”

“ And then there was his son who practised dark magic. Prince Roul, who died of- oh dear, the plaque.”

“ So that’s a no.”

Merryweather threw the book over her shoulder, grumbling about useless tasks when they should be out there looking for the princess. Fauna waved her wand and made a cup of tea for her friend.

“ What about that one lady who once claimed she could find the magic mirror? Did she ever return from the lands of Germany?”

Flora shook her head, whether it was because she did not know or because the answer was negative, Fauna will never quess. The topic was dropped when there was a quiet knock on one of the doors. Immediately the three ladies rose up, two raising their wands as the third opened the sealed entrance. Prince Phillip, escorting his majesty, shuffled in.

“ What is the meaning of this?”

“ Your Grace, thank you for meeting us on such short notice. This will only take a moment.”

“ H-have you made any progress in finding her?” Stefan anxiously fixed his crown.

“ Yes, but we must not reveal anything just yet.”

“ Please trust us your Majesty.”

The man sat down and straightened his aching back.

“ How may I be of service?”

“ You have read history excessively. So, am I correct in assuming that you know about your lands better that any knowledgeable man?”

“ I suppose you could say that. I have always harboured a keen interest in history, so that I can make the best of decisions while on the throne. But w-“

“ If you could enlighten us with any wars or conflicts, the names of sorcerers, kings and their kingdoms, from  Gladron to here, that would be much appreciated.” Stefan hummed thoughtful, it had been some time when anyone had asked him such a question.

“ Oh, that is quite the distance. Well, I am sure you remember the famine twenty-two years ago. Fortunately, we fared better than most thanks to our alliance with the Kingdom of Serin. It, however, led to an uprising in the west. The king there was dethroned and banished. Back then there was a lord who owned the majority of the land beyond the lakes west from here. Let’s see… Ah, now I remember, he had an enchanted lamp, with a spirit inside. Though I believe it was all but gossip. They said he was given as a gift to a king of the hot lands. Then, while my father was still young, there was the great war-“

While the man spoke, Fauna furiously scribbled notes on everything. That way they could make a timeline and see if anyone piqued their interest. They just needed the name of a spellcaster, or the initials of a landowner, to understand the odd spell that had left residue. You see, Flora had come to understand that the mere presence that had driven all life out of that meadow was not responsible alone. Somebody had used black magic while there, multiple times in fact.

Only, there weren’t any more black magic users near the area since the great war two hundred or so years ago. They were all labelled as witches and wizards, driven away or killed for their crimes. Only Maleficent, the mistress of evil and the cause of Merryweather’s frequent headache, stayed put. She had stored magic away in her staff years ago but that had a very recognisable signature. It smelled of rotten apples and bitter winter. That alone told them she had never stepped foot on to that meadow. Somebody else had and they had to determine if it was a new threat or an old enemy.

“ King Frederius had his brother murdered, then took the throne and the kingdom. Later his son was passed the burden of ruling a stolen kingdom. I would have felt bad if he wasn’t such a tyrant.” The king wiped his forehead and sighed. His hand was under his chin, eyes closed.

“ Later came a rumour he, the son, had a child with the wife of a foreign king, although I do not know his name, or anything about him. It’s quite funny actually, my late father used to tell me if I did not behave well, I would have the same fate the infant prince did.”

“ The same fate ?” Prince Phillip asked. Fauna set her cup down, hand shaking and answered.

“ I remember now. He was said to be so evil even the gods feared him. Allegedly, he sacrificed the child, threw him into liquid metal. And as a punishment the king was thrown, by his most trusted allies, into the same cauldron… Alive.”

The room fell into silence, no one had more to add to the story. A candle drips down wax on to the carpets below.

“ Wasn’t there someone who wanted that, that pot?” Merryweather dared to ask, trying her hardest to remember something long forgotten.

“ Yes, loads of men tried to find the cauldron back in the day. It was said to have power, but I cannot confirm such accusations, I never saw it.” Flora shrugged her hunched shoulders.

“ I thought you if anyone would know?” The king asked.

“ Oh child! We have been alive longer than your kingdom has had a name. We have seen countless lands and talked to hundreds of people. We tend to forget the little things.”

“ And during that time, we weren’t even here, nor there. We were traveling up north in the cold lands.” Fauna remarked matter-of-factly.

“ …But no, there was someone who was particularly persistent about it. A lord, or a warrior, or a…” Merryweather muttered to herself.

“ A king?” Phillip tried. It caught the attention of the others.

“ A king who wanted the cauldron? But weren’t there many?”

Flora clinked a silver spoon against her cup, silencing the chatter.

“ Let’s not talk about this right now, ladies. We still have a job to do! You can search more about the cursed cauldron tomorrow, but today the fact is king Frederius, and his offspring are all long buried, so it’s a dead end. Now, your majesty please continue.”

...

Aurora stood by the Horned King, both overlooking the forest. Or what was left of one anyway. Surrounding the castle was but dead thorns and shrubs, only growing green some miles away. There was stone of all colours, shape, and size. Lichen could be seen on some of them, grey as ever.

Rose gazed longingly at the far away lush green, the colours reminding her of moss and shamrock. She wished to gaze at the vines wrapping around old trees and the fresh flowers that spread as far as the eye could see. Aurora moved the shawl from her head to her shoulders and turned to look up at the man.

“ I wish I could go there.”

His head turned, but only the slightest. It still let the girl know his attention was on her.

The Horned King had never been a fool. He knew she would ask for freedom sooner or later, and if he refused, she might leave and disappear from his life forever. He had to think fast.

He reached to hold the edge of the shawl and pulled it back to cover her head. She gave him a smile.

“ Tomorrow. I shall come too.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was dim, the forest was swallowed by shadows. The new morning, a promised day, was here and the air was full of excitement. The sun had just barely shown its first rays when Aurora, barefooted, found herself amongst the flowers she kept dreaming about every night. The trees were old and tall, all in a furious race to reach the skies first. The morning sun managed to rain down its light from between the heavy branches, casting little golden lines that, like fine rope, travelled down to the ground. In the light you could see the layer of morning mist move with the breeze. Most of the grass and bushes were wet, morning dew coating everything in sparkling pearls of water that shone like stars. There were only trees and grass and thick layers of deep green moss as far as the eye could see. Red hatted toadstool mushrooms were visible, peeking from behind the bushes at the newcomers.

Somewhere running water, gentle and carefree, made its way through the trees but could only be heard. Fern in all of its colours stood tall in every corner and nook. She had no idea where she was, but it was beautiful. She bent down, marvelling at the flowers, so small and delicate. The king was close behind her, in the shadows of the trees, observing. So still he stood in fact, that if you did not know he was there, might have you mistaken him for one of the trees. He kept a watchful eye not only on the girl but also on their surroundings.

He could see, next to a fallen tree, only a stone’s throw away, stood a white deer observing them. Its flaming eyes were cool blue, like ice on an untouched lake on a winter’s morning. When the princess returned to him, arms full of blue cornflowers and white mayweeds, he gently drew her attention to it.

She let the flowers fall from her grasps and, one arm reaching out, closed the distance between her and the animal. It was all like a trance, the animal drew her to itself. It was curious, never had it seen a human such as her. It sniffed the offered hand cautiously and then licked it. It was an invitation to touch, a permission to come closer. A twinkle graced her eyes when she ran her fingers through its soft fur, being even softer that the bearskin rug back at the castle. Then the deer raised its head in alarm and ran to the opposite direction, vanishing into the mist and from sight. Aurora turned, confused, to seek answers from the approaching king.

“ Why did it run off?”

“ It was no mere animal. That was a spirit. It ran from human magic.”

“ Oh…”

They enjoyed the day hidden in the shadows, crossing rivers, and passing meadows. Their arms were intertwined as they headed east. The man had carried them far, far away with his abilities, just so no one would disturb them. The breeze made the trees sing a melody not hearable to normal humans, but this time the nature made an exception. Aurora sang too, so charming it was, that the nearby animals came to see her despite of the king’s presence. She sang a sweet melody of a fated encounter only seen once before. You see, she had had a dream last night, concerning the king, where they walked together in a field from her past. It had been so lovely it made her heart leap with joy.

“ I know you  ̴ ” She spun around, “ I walked with you once upon a dream  ̴   “

She hurried to the king and held out her hands. To perhaps humor her, the man placed his into her smaller ones. She did not pull him into dance, but instead came closer herself.

“ I know you  ̴  the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam  ̴  ”

She held the hands in hers delicately, after all they were the hands of a king.

“ Yet I know it’s true that visions are seldom all they seem   ̴  But If I know you, I know what you’ll do   ̴  “

The man had never heard such a song before, he was intrigued. The girl constantly did and said things that made him pause and rethink his life’s work. If it was all worth it.

“ You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream   ̴   “

Then she let go and left, taking all the warmth with. The word ‘love’ lingered in the air, and his ears, much to the man's annoyance. He touched his chest but felt nothing. No pulse, no heart.

The king found himself sitting on a fallen spruce. The soft lichen he sat on cushioned the hard surface of the tree pleasantly. Aurora had wondered about for a bit, but then taken a place next to the man. The beautiful girl lay there, under his gaze like the most marvellous diamond. Her golden locks splayed on the forest floor and her sparkling eyes were looking up at the sky. Unconsciously, or perhaps he was just trying to delude himself into thinking that, he stroked the golden strands. They slipped between his fingers like the finest silk.

Awhile passed, the sun rose more. The trees whispered to each other in horror and wonder, the nature was weary. It was welcoming to Aurora, always was and always would be, but the king was a different story. He had an aura of hate around him, his shadow caused the green grass to turn yellow and die. It was afraid, for its sake and for the girls. Surely such a wonderful creature would in time suffocate. It dutifully continued to watch over the girl, who was now examining a flower.

“ This one is called Polygale-du-calcaire, isn’t it gorgeous.”

He only hummed.

Then, just like the deer spirit earlier, shot his head up so fast it startled a nearby bird. The man looked around warily, not making a sound when he stood. He was next to the girl in three strides, sliding a hand on her shoulder. Rose turned, questions on her eye.

“ I need to take care of something. Stay here.”

It wasn’t a request, it was a command. And before she could ask, he disappeared.

...

Briar leaned on one of the trees, eyes blissfully closed, humming. On her lap a tiny squirrel lay, that she strokes. She listened to the songs of the forest, the breeze, the running spring river, the leaves. It was the only sound to ever lull her to sleep as a babe, and even after she had learned to walk and talk. Now that she was alone once more with nothing but her thoughts, could she not help but think about her aunts. Fairies.

Rose wasn’t sure what they were to her anymore. Her heart ached remembering all the merry times they had. The stories Fauna would read to her before falling asleep, the gardening she did with Flora, the baking on lonely nights with Merryweather. All of that was now a distant memory, tainted by trauma of what she had witnessed when she saw Maleficent.

Then a voice, tiny like a mouse, whispered inside her mind. It gave a suggestion, just one only one. But that one was enough to make her already whirling mind combust.

“ Wouldn’t you like to meet your parents?”

She buried the thought as fast as she could. It would be impossibly rude of her to leave the king now after he had gone out of his way to save her. She would have to find a way to repay him for his kindness first… There was also the murderous sorceress, of whom only a thought of made a shiver run down her arms, she was scared of her.

Terribly so.

Briar wished the king would return soon. To keep her safe. 

Behind her a crash was heard, so loud in fact that the squirrel scurried away in fear of its life. Aurora hid herself behind a tree before peeking out. Behind a spruce, near the patch of bluebells, stood an odd man, cursing like no one had ever, struggling to get up from the pile of slippery leaves. His long blue robe was caught on a fallen branch in a way that made moving near impossible. The more he moved the more tangled he became.

But this was enough observing. Briar Rose could not just stand idly by so against her better judgment, and the many warnings of The Horned King, she tiptoed over and helped the poor man up. She gently took ahold of the pointy blue hat that seemed to be stuck to his face and lifted it. Once the man was able to see again, he looked around and then to the young girl, assessing his surroundings. Rose took a step back, as he adjusted a large branch in his hand and spoke.

“ T-t-thank you, young lady.” He attempted to bow down, and low, only for his long beard to wrap around his face like a scarf, almost as if it had a mind of its own. The man pulled at it, annoyed.

“ What are you doing in the middle of the forest ?” She asked.

“ We were, we…” He finally managed to untangle the silver hairs of his beard. The man let out a scoff and then continued.

“ We were just here to teach this boy the meaning of exploring. Seeing the unseen, leaping headfirst for the unknown! So that he can understand that living in fear is not the answer.” He finished matter-of-factly. He cut air with the branch on his right hand, like Rose imagined was done with a sword when fighting. There was a swish and a woosh, and then a book, thick as a castle wall, appeared and landed on his outstretched hand.

Rose looked around but saw no boy.

“ I-“ The man turned to look at her.

“ I’m sorry, but who are you ?” Aurora finished, wide eyes stared at the book in amazement.

“ Ah, where has my head gone to? Now, pleased to meet you, my name is Merlin.” He paused dramatically, closing the book with one hand, and looking at her expectedly. “ A wizard, a soothsayer, a prognosticator! I have the ability to see into the future, to go there, to experience it all myself. I travel different lands, even worlds to try and find where my help is needed… But we are from the lands of young England.” He then pointed to the owl, who stood like a statue on his head, jabbing it right on the chest. How she hadn’t seen it before was anyones guess.

“ And this is Archimedes, a wise and sophisticated owl.”

“ It is an honour to meet such wise people.” Aurora bowed to them both. The owl shook its head, intrigued, and walked closer.

“ F-f-finally! Someone who has proper manners. I like her already.” The bird spoke, puffing his chest out and pointing.

Merlin turned to look around as if trying to find something. He called out “Wart?” but did not receive an answer right away. Only after some wondering they heard a crack of a branch, and a child came out from the bushes. He had a head of straw blonde hair and a brown shirt. He looked to be, perhaps twelve or eleven years of age, and rather skinny. On his head, a few leaves with their branches stuck, that only fell when he shook it.

“ I-I’m here !”

“ And this is young Arthur. He is under my care.”

She knelt down to be on his level and smiled. The boy looked surprised by the stranger, not having expected to meet anyone there.

“ Hello Arthur. You must be the one they are teaching ?”

“ H-hello there miss, and yes, that would be me.” He managed to find the courage to look at the pretty princess, but then quickly turned red as a tomato and hid his face again. Merlin chuckled, patting the boys head.

“ And who might you be, young lady? You are awfully deep inside these woods. Are you alone ?”

“ Forgive me, my name is Aurora. And no, I was with someone, but he had to leave.“

“ Say, you don’t seem to have much of a reaction even when you saw a book appear out of thin air. You have some experience with magic, I assume?”

“ Yes, but only since recently. A friend of mine practices the art of magic.“

“ Ah how interesting !” Merlin looked pleased, he was rather partial to magic himself and could appreciate anyone who found it anything but frightening.  

...

A lone snowflake, delicate and sparkling like the finest of jewellery, strayed from its path and fell on the wooden windowsill. He watched it sit there for a moment until it melted in the heat that escaped from inside. Snow blanketed the grounds outside pure untouched white. He turns, the floorboards old and worn creak under his weight. There a stone fireplace is burning, crackling. It lights up the room into orange dim, especially the person infront of it. He knows that hair, he knows those hands. He walks there, sits on the bearskin rug, and looks at the woman. When his right hand touches the delicate skin, felt it like burning hot embers. He longed to ravish the body before him, to drown her in his passion, addicting like wine. She tilts her head, opening her rosy lips and asking, in a soft voice -

“ Sire?”

The Horned King snapped his empty eyes open. Whether it was all dream or an apparition he was not sure, but it had felt good. Up until somebody had interrupted him that is. His majesty rose to his feet, looking at the hundreds of dead men on his feet. Their broken mangled corpses were still mostly warm, leaking crimson blood the same colour as his robes. They had arrived here last night from the city of Gateshead, some hadn’t been completely finished off but had died of blood loss here, on the cold stone floor. There were bloody handprints and drag marks everywhere. The sight pleased his angered mind but only a fraction.

In the middle of the room, a lone soldier stood, awaiting for more orders or just too afraid to move. He was average build, clearly been a soldier for some years now. He had many a scar on his face and arms, telling of many fights and battles. In other circumstances he would have been much more likely to look the other way, not care if his thoughts had been interrupted. But this time he took it as a direct insult, even if the soldier had no idea his majesty had been thinking.

“ Never-“ He turns, towering over the human.

“ Interrupt me again.” Things happened too fast for any human to comprehend. The man’s head fell with a heavy thud and rolled towards the door. He left the body to be eaten by the gwythaints, a species of a winged lizard. They did so and without hesitation, tearing the limbs from the torso and fighting over the spine like a pair of puppy dogs.

Earlier the man had sensed that his presence had been needed in the castle and quickly returned from the forest. It had been indeed needed. The group he'd been waiting on had at long last come back from their journey and gifted their king with a cartload of bodies and a little surprise. The corpses were rolled in, unceremoniously thrown into the piles of skeletons and other rotting bodies and then inspected for any valuables. His majesty allowed the men to keep the little bronze rings and silver bracelets, for he did not see any value in them. Only on rare occasion did he find it enjoyable to walk amongst the treasures of his private rooms, the piles of gold and precious stones far exceeding the amounts of many lords and rulers. Other than those times he did not see any kind of desirability in treasure.

But what he was interested in was any sort of written texts, art, undamaged bottles of spells and any amulets there were. And this time there were not one, but two humans who carried scrolls with such knowledge that made him desire to take them for himself. After all that was done, the men showed what the surprise was. They, by a sheer stroke of luck, managed to capture the princess of Llyr while she was being escorted to a far off summer palace. She was going to be killed off like the others when the company he had sent to retrieve the princess arrived at the scene. 

While the humans fixed themselves up, gathered their weapons and made sure no one had followed them, the king found himself getting lost inside his own mind. His thoughts became dreamlike, one might even believe that to be the case. But the man could not sleep, or at least not dream. He hadn’t been able to for a hundred and twenty years, so when he saw the image of the snowy cabin, raised it some questions in his troubled mind. Questions that the man had no time to find answers for. 

Now, the king marched for the dungeon to see the only prisoner who ever had lived this long inside these walls unharmed. The candles on the walls went out as he passed, guards hurried to look away.

“ Why have you taken me? I order you to release me at once !” Princess Eilonwy squeaked out, hands on her hips and both eyebrows frowning. She wouldn’t look so sure of herself if she could fully see him. There was not one source of light in the room apart from the magical artifact sitting on the girl’s head. The reason she was here in the first place.

“ I require the assistance of your Pelydryn. I need the location of the black cauldron.”

“ You think my bauble could tell where some, some cauldron is?”

He said no more, just observed the golden ball dance around the room. It went from chasing rats to holes in the walls to hovering over the girl. It never came close to the king though and so, try as she might, could she not discern the man’s features.

He tried to determine the magical capabilities of the Pelydryn by just feeling its power in the room. He had hoped for a strong presence, a fiery warmth in his hands or maybe a breathtaking force in his chest, but instead felt next to nothing. He had miscalculated and could taste the disappointment.

“ Well, it can’t. I once asked it to find a lost necklace and it couldn’t. It- it’s a toy, nothing more.” The young princess tried to plead.  

The Horned King could see what the girl was talking about, but before he could make up his mind, he remembered Aurora, who he had left alone in the forest. He had been already gone for way too long. He closed the heavy door to the dungeon and left. The Horned King could hear the guard behind him lock the door again, a loud rattling of keys echoing in the narrow halls.

“ I’ve got to get out of here.” Eilonwy looked around, desperate. She was about to take a step to the right when her foot moved one of the tiles on the floor. She grasped it with her hands, lifted in with all her power. Undre there were shallow tunnels, filled with cobwebs and dust. The young princess did not want to go there, but what choice did she have?

“ I should at least take a look…”

...

Back at the forest the three people were merrily discussing. The topics were not specific, it would have been hard for anyone to follow along if not having been there from the beginning. It only being interrupted when Arthur noticed something peculiar in the air.

“ Merlin, what are those ?”

“ Are they fireflies ?”  

“ Oh, those. Hmm, let’s see…” The man opened the book in his lap, turning pages feverishly. One of his fingers went along with the words as he searched.

“ Ah, here it is! They are pixies, a smaller cousin to common fairies. Their sparkling wings flap so fast that they appear to be just glowing orbs.” Arthur went closer, trying to touch one only for it to fly around his head and then disappear. Merlin closed the book.

“ There are many types of fair-folks, in all sizes and with many abilities. For example, these pixies, but also there are cunning fae and wingless elfs.”

“ That’s incredible.”

“ Yes, quite. I prefer thecnology myself, inventions of humans that are without the interference of magic. But”, He pointed at the sparkling little balls, dancing around the air. “ I still find myself lost in the magic of the universe. I quess it is, as you said, pretty incredible.”

“ And you, are you magic ?” Aurora asked. Archimedes laughed, flying to sit on a branch, muttering something about Merlin being just an old fool. He was swiftly hit with a pinecone.  

“ Y-yes, and no. I was a human, still am. I just chose a path of learning magic decades ago, that’s what wizards and witches do. But with using it comes the inevitable curse of a prolonged life.”

“ Then how long have you been alive ?”

Merlin looked flustered, rubbing his hands on his sky-blue robes.

“ I believe I might have turned two hundred and fifty some time ago.” At the looks he was getting, he continued. “I may have lost count.”

Arthur leaned in closer to Aurora, one hand covering his mouth as he whispered.

“ Should have guessed from the beard.” They laughed, while Merlin remained blissfully unaware.

“ So, are you training to become a wizard too ?”

“ Oh no, I wish to be a knight someday, though that is impossible.” Arthur looked sad, passing a piece of wood from one hand to another.  

“ Why is that ?”

“ Well, you see, I’m an orphan, and knights must be of proper birth. So, I’m being trained to be a squire.”

“ That sounds exciting, I’m sure you’ll be remembered as one of the best. And who knows, maybe things change, one day you might get an honorary knighting.”

“ T-t-thank you miss. That made me feel a bit better.”

They exchanged glances, and then looked back at the still rambling elder.

“ Alright children. Any more questions ?”

Briar raised her hand.

“ I have one. Are you familiar with black magic ?”

The wizard dropped the book, alarmed, and concerned. Even Archimedes had the sense to open his eyes and fly over.

“ My magic is used mainly for educational purposes. I don’t dare touch that disgusting evil stuff. How do you even know of it, my dear girl?”

Now it was her turn to appear uncomfortable.

“ Oh! A friend once told me about it but did not explain the difference.”

“ Well good magic, my magic,” He emphasized, “Has its limits, it does good, and it can be used to teach. It build things back up and lets new things grow, coming from light and love. With black magic, things get really tricky. There are less limits and rules, it comes from shadows, creatures of the night. You see, when one starts using magic to destroy, to cause harm, that’s when you have crossed the line. No ordinary magic can harm directly, but black magic can. That’s why so many evil wizards and witches get so powerful. Because nothing is off limits!” Merlin crossed his arms.

“ Did the both of you understand ? Black magic is evil, you hear ?”

Both of the youngsters gave an affirmative nod. Merlin slapped his knees and got up from the stone he had sat on.

“ But now, we must head off. I trust you've learned your lesson ?”

Arthur thought for a moment.

“ Do not be afraid to leap into the unknown just because it’s not known.”

“ Good job, boy.”

The duo turned to Aurora. Merlin pulled something from his hidden pocket, handing it to the girl. He held Rose's closed hands in his own, almost in a way ones grandfather might.

“ Many thanks for entertaining us, but now we better leave. If you ever need help, do not be afraid to ask me.”

“ Are you going back to England now ?”

“ No, we have some more business here before we can return! I, in fact, wanted the wart to meet an old sorcerer friend of mine. He, that old sour turnip, lives on a farm somewhere here- or was it there ?” The man only quieted when Aurora wrapped her arms around him.

“ Sounds lovely. Have safe travels, you too Arthur.” She waved.

And as fast as they had appeared, they vanished in a cloud of sparkling smoke, to have their next adventure.

“ Bye lady Aurora !”

Rose opened her hands to look what he had given her. It was a small locket, golden, and on the lid was carved a blooming rose. She raised it to the sunlight, marvelling at the beauty of it. She hid it inside of her skirt pocket just before, somewhere behind her, the girl heard the whistle of a sudden wind. It loudly made its way to her, tussling her hair in what ever direction it pleased.

The wind was replaced by two slim hands, settling on her shoulders like a heavy cloak.

“ You have returned.”

“ Yes.”

He stayed close after that. It was by mere chance he did not sense Merlin’s magic.

...

Merryweather sat in a chair twice her size, mumbling and grumbling. Her hands were folded, a small way of showing her displeasure without having to say a single word. She sat inside the fairies own thrown room, trying to calm her racing heart and tired eyes. Their darling Rose had now been gone for nearly three days and she was about to walk into the afterlife and demand answers from the gods. Only one small thing kept her sitting there and that was an object hidden inside her cape.

Prince Phillip, in all his hight and glory, strode to the woman with a quest. His mind had been plagued by their conversation about the horrible king who was thrown into the cauldron, but only now found the time and courage to ask about it. Deciding Merryweather to be the safest one to ask he went to find her, when they finally took a breather.

“ Your excellency. I was wondering if you could spare me some time ?”

“ Oh, alright prince Phillip, what is it that troubles you ?”

He took a seat on a stone step, setting down his sword.

“ I was wondering… The story about the cauldron where the son was thrown into. Why exactly was it so sought after? Why did the king want it ?”

“ Weren’t you listening? It was said to have some sort of power.”

“ But that is the thing I find strange. How come a cauldron would have power? ”

“ You see, the evil son was sentenced to death, due to no prison being able to hold him, and as the saying goes ‘You get what you deliver’. But when they threw him into the cauldron, his rotten soul latched on to it. I took this-“ She at last showed what she had hidden in her cape, a small green book, reading “Forbidden artifacts” in silver lettering.

“ I wanted more answers, and my head’s all jumbled up from listening to his majesty, I had to do something else, or I would have gone mad.”

“ What does it say ?”

“ I’m happy you seem to be as interested in this as me.” She mused, choosing to ignore the protests of ‘no I was just curious’ from the prince.

“ Here, it says all the things Flora and Fauna did. It details how the evil men searched for the cauldron so long it isn’t certain when exactly it started and when it stopped. Talk about how ruthless they were. But only one of them seems to have multiple mentions, a sorcerer who later claimed to be a king. Yes, I believe this to be the one I was talking about. He wanted the cauldron more than anything else in the world. So much in fact that he changed his mortal form and started many a war over it. Some say he wished to be a god amongst mortal men. But what it doesn’t say concerns me…”

“ What do you mean ?”

“ It doesn’t say how or when this sorcerer perished. It almost appears as if he was still alive.”

Phillip stared at the woman, brows furrowed. That did not sound good at all. He unconsciously touches his sword. They stayed in silence while the woman read, pages flying to one side so fast it made his head spin.

“ I don’t understand why the others did not deem this valuable enough to look at-”

“ Why? It sounds peculiar yes, but it doesn’t concern the search? “ The prince inquired.

“ And I say it might! King Frederius and his horrid son might be gone, but if there’s a sorcerer roaming around near our lands, I think we should investigate. If he, for example, decided to claim residency in the old castle of Frederius-“

“ But why would he? What makes you believe he- ”.

“ Stop interrupting me. We had to go over all the castles, fortresses, villages, and any other hideouts there were in the area, right? This castle is on the radar, even though it’s far. One of those books said that the castle of king Frederius was left abandoned by the royal family after his son’s death.”

“ That old thing had stood abandoned for centuries. It must be caving in on itself by now.” Phillip added.

“ Obviously, but it was still invaded many a times by the searchers who believe the cauldron to still be there. Though this one,” She pulled out another book. “Says that apparently one person was lucky enough to claim it as their own. And there is a possibility that the person was that sorcerer.”  She took a breath.

“ Alright, let us believe that there resides some war mongering thief. But what does the cauldron have to do with anything? Or the sorcerer?”

“ Child you are not listening! Use your head.” She hit her fist on the top of his head. “ If the person resides there because they want to find the black cauldron, they could be a real threat, even if no one has seen it for four hundred years. That pot can only be used for great evil!” Her hands moved again, and the man covered his head instinctively.

“ Then there was that magic presence on that field in the woods and the rose Aurora brought home, clearly black magic. And if any of the things they wrote about the sorcerer is true, he only used black magic. The castle is close enough to cause worry and I think we should investigate immediately and not waste time on history lectures. There is a possibility that Rose- I mean Aurora went too close to their boarders and was captured and locked up. The more power people want, the more aggressive and paranoid they become.”

“ I see. And we did not find any other black magic users, they all have disappeared from these lands. And if the sorcerer was still alive… But we haven’t heard of anything happening in that area for years. It’s so far away that I don’t think the land even has any inhabitants.”

“ I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we might need more books. Now, the castle is miles away, yes, but we should take a look for our sake of mind-”

At that moment Fauna burst into the room holding a large map. It had two red circles drawn, one a bit farther from their current location that the other.

“ We think we got it! There are two possibilities, Briar must be either in the city of Kishire or in king Frederius’s old castle!”

The prince leaned in, whispering. “ But how do we know for certain the princess wasn’t taken by some traveling foe?”

Merryweather only graced him with a long look as she got up. She gathered her books and scrolls and headed for the door, intending to follow her friend. At the last minute she spoke.

“ The trees told us they hadn’t seen her go past, which means she travelled by other means. Possibly a spell. Also, prolonged exposure. The dark presence in that field indicates magic having been used there, multiple times. It accumulated into a life sucking force, and it most likely needed at least a month to do so.”

Then she whispered. “ We might have a foe greater than Maleficent on our hands.”

...

Dallben pushed branches and leafs from the path ahead. It was hard enough to travel through the rough terrain, but having to hop over large roots at his age was ridiculous. He journeyed until reaching a hidden pier. It was a raggedy wooden thing, used once when families escaped from the area, in fear of the plaque and famine. After that it rarely saw any use, becoming dilapidated and overgrown by the nature who wanted to claim the open space. The holes and green algae raised some concern, but when the man took a few steps on it, received he only a long creak. His old bones struggled to pull the boat closer, for a while being convinced it had been anchored to the ground. Once sat comfortably, he sighed a breath of relief.

He rowed on, going under the long vines and past the arching willows. The enchanter was looking for a specific stone configuration which would lead him to the right place. Once it was on sight, the man stopped the boat and jumped up.

He stormed to a clearing, a hundred or so questions ready on his tongue when he came to a halt. No one was there, the little huts and holes and shelters were all empty, no light or sound to be seen nor heard. Every decoration, plant, pot, bench, and cart was gone. Windows left open thumped against the walls, hauntingly leaving the impression of loneliness.

“ Your majesty ?” He calls out, only to be responded by his own echo.

Just when he needed to rely on his oldest friends, the fair-folk were gone, having disappeared without a trace. Or possibly ran away from something. Maybe he should keep a closer eye on Hen Wen, strange things were happening, and he did not like it one bit.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Evening was fast approaching but caught no one by surprise. The setting sun already casted lines of pink and orange far and wide into the sky when Merlin appeared at the door of an old cottage. The air was cool, a smell of wet grass lingered. A straw roofed cabin, older than most humans, stood there at the edge of a forest, protected from any trespassers by vast green hills. A pair of goose ran through the yard as a sign that it was still inhabited.

It lay on the lands of Prydain, northeast of France and far away from any true civilisation. It isn’t certain where the name Prydain came from, or if it was once its own kingdom, but you could still find locals who referred to it as such. Most of the lands had long unofficially belonged to king Stefan, and his father before him, but only by claim of word. The most eastern part of Prydain had been taken by the small kingdom of Llyr, who kept to themselves most of the time, refusing to trade or do business with anyone.

There was no inhabited castle, no town nor village, and if there had been, were they long gone. Only enchanted forests and their magical beings, that had called the place home for centuries now, stayed. But a few humans ever wandered through these thickets, and so was preferred by the creatures. Humans tended to bring trouble wherever they went. But of course, there was one old enchanter and his young apprentice who also lived there.

“ Well, I would never have guessed. It is you, my old friend!”

“ Dallben, you do not appear a day over hundred.”

The two men, both wise beyond understanding, shook hands merrily. Behind the wizard peeked Arthur, who seemed speechless by all the bottles and scrolls that lined the shelves and surfaces. An orange cat came to sniff at the boy. Archimedes, who sat on top of the boy’s head, looked at it displeasingly.

“ This is Arthur, he was guided to me by a prophecy, and I have decided to teach him.” The enchanter gave him a nod for a greeting. “And you remember Archimedes, no?”

“ Ah, yes. I could never forget.”

The bird gave a nod of his own. He did not remember exactly who the other man was, but was not going to tell anyone that.

“ I take it your journey was well.”

“ Oh yes, yes. We actually took a shortcut here, through a forest-.“

“ We landed in a bush!” Arthur exclaimed, stroking the cat, its fur coarse and long. Merlin sent a glare at the boy and Dallben chuckled.

“ Perhaps I miscalculated a bit-.“

“ And we met a beautiful peasant girl with hair of gold.”

“ Oh, how interesting. Well, I would like you to meet Taran. My young apprentice.”

A boy with autumn red hair stood from the dining table and bowed, the dagger he had been working on lay forgotten. He must have only been a few years older than Arthur himself, and not much taller.

“ Ah, you finally found an apprentice. Took you long enough. Now we just need to get you to grow a beard.”

The two old friends headed for the chairs in the corner, both taking out a pipe of their own.

Arthur stood there by the door, awkward and alone, when he heard a sharp whistle. The other boy, Taran, motioned for him to walk to him, which he hurriedly did. He exited the house and walked to a shed, to stand beside the teenager.

“ So, are you studying magic?” Arthur asked, after a while of uncomfortable silence.

“ Not really, I wish to be something more… Something else.” Taran said, a smile on his face when he thought about his dreams. He picked up a branch and, pretending it was a sword, cut the air rapidly. As if he fought a hundred soldiers at once.

“ And what’s that?” The blonde inquired.

“ Why, I wish to become Prydain’s finest warrior, of course!”

“ I want to be a warrior too! But what’s Prydain?” Arthur scratched his forehead, trying to recall the map Archimedes had showed him. The bird who had followed the two, walked circles on his head.

“ These lands obviously, what else?” Taran threw the branch, it landing somewhere behind a bush and out of sight.

“ Th-th-there is no such place!” The bird said matter-of-factly. He puffed out his chest and flapped his wings, confrontational that somebody had put his knowledge to a test.

“ But I thought we were in Prumor, in France?” Arthur echoed the confusion.

“ Yes, there is! Well, the southern lands of France are owned by some king whose kingdom is named Prumor, and officially we do belong to him. But the original name the locals use is Prydain so that’s what I shall use.”

The boys tossed some stones into the river, both watching as each sank and disappeared. They passed the time by talking this and that, nothing special at first. Then they discussed about dreams of becoming a warrior, how hard it would be but also how their names would be remembered one day. They imagined great battles together, only pausing to laugh when Archimedes told them not to be foolish.

“ You said you met someone? When you came here.” Taran passed an apple to the younger boy. He took it, grateful.

“ Yes, we met a kind lady in the woods. I have never seen anyone so beautiful.” Arthur munched. Then he continued. “I’m sure she had hair made out of gold and her lips were as res as a freshy bloomed rose!”

Taran nodded, either not believing or really caring.

Inside the hut, the talk was much more serious.

“ So, the burning and killing is still going on?”

“ I’m afraid it is.” Dallben let out a resigned sigh. "After all these years of nothing, it begins all over again."

They both knew, without having to clarify, what the topic of discussion was about. A century or so ago, they had a run in with another sorcerer, who practised powerful black magic. They were walking through a burned down village, a place that had once held life and joy. The towns name had long since lost a place in their memory, but they could still recall the smell, the sound, the good-natured feel of it. But when the two men had walked down that stone path, the only thing there was chaos and fire. It had become barren and cold, bodies lined the wet cobble streets. Men, women, children, even the animals, no one had escaped alive.

As the two men looked on in horror, a great warrior appeared. He rode a black horse conjured from hell, straight through the flames, not caring about the heat even as it burned the cape he wore. Indeed, instead of a shining silver armor he wore red, and black. It was quite the sight truly. On top his head were two horns, and on his hand a black sword. He rode next to a body, possibly a man, and with that sword cut his head off. The head rolled onto the road and stopped, unblinking eyes frozen to look straight ahead, and at them. The two men fled as fast as they could into the forest.  

Afterwards they heard of a few similar incidents with the rider, all around the country. But at some point, during the years the attacks, or at least the news of them, stopped. So, his mysterious and dark presence was forgotten until now. There was a new incident in Gateshead, where the town was burned, inhabitants slaughtered, and their bodies collected. The rider, according to the rumours, had not made an appearance, but everything else matched perfectly to what they had seen all those years ago.

“ The culprit must be the horned rider. That black hearted devil.”

“ Are you certain it is him? After all these years of nothing-.”

“ Who else could it be?” Dallben argued.

They stared at each other, almost like in a competition to see which one would look away first. But neither was known for loosing so Merlin continued, without blinking.  

“ If there is a chance the Horned King is finally back for good, you have to continue to keep your eyes open. If you are right, this might mean war.”

“ I know, old friend. I just wish to be wrong for the sake of humanity. For the sake of Taran.”

They looked out of the window, making sure the two young ones were okay. They observed for a while, and then Dallben reached to touch the other's hand.

“ Merlin. If war does break out, can I send Taran to your care?”

The wizard looked back. He places his other hand on top of Dallben’s reassuringly. It was warm.

“ Of course.”

...

Aurora lay sleeping in her bed, on top of the covers, dreaming of faraway palaces and forbidden dances, where a handsome prince would sweep a fair maiden off her feet, and they’d dance till the night gave way to a new morning. A palace so grand the walls were made of gold and roofs of silver, the floors the finest and whitest of marbles. The windows would be from floor to ceiling and their blue curtains even longer. There would be dukes and lords and barons and princesses and other nobles. They would wear gowns of all sizes and colours, such as juniper and champagne and magenta and indigo. They would have lengthy white pearls, golden crowns, and sparkling sapphire earrings. Maybe it was a masquerade, where everyone wore a mask with a different design. Or perhaps a moonlit dance to celebrate summer solstice in the candlelight.

She would wear a beautiful azure dress, stitched together with silver thread, and made of the most valuable silk. When she would twirl, it would flare out and shine a sky blue, and in a specific light of the morning sun look almost the colour of French rose. On her head a golden tiara, adorned with four red rubies and twelve tiny diamonds.

The sleeping princess could be none the wiser of the evil standing next to her slumbering form. In the dark room, by her bed, the King stood just observing, listening to her heartbeat. He hadn’t intended to come here, especially at this hour, but he had the sudden urge to confirm that the girl was alive. It was nonsense really, but soon here he stood, red glowing eyes roaming up and down the body before him. She was so fragile, would break so easily if given the chance. Like an expensive, hand painted and sculpted, flower vase made entirely of porcelain and gold. He pushed aside the red curtain surrounding the bed, letting the sleeping girl be touched by moonlight. His hand then went to caress her cheek but stopped a mere breaths away from her. The hand continued down her neck and all the way to the centre of her chest, not touching, but almost. So close, yet so far. His hand stayed there, basking in the warmth or her pure heart as it beat, slow and steady, like a songbird in spring.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a heartbeat.

He longed to stay, lay down next to her and hold her close. To wrap his arms around her slender waist and stroke her hair. But that could not yet happen, it was not to be. Yet.

Let us not live in delusion, if he wanted to, he could simply have her. But for the first time in his life, he wished to do things different, wished for her to share his passion before acting. So, he would have to wait, it could still happen. It did not matter how he got the permission, using manipulation or coercion, as long as he got one. Reluctantly the king moved his hand, but not before ghosting it over her rosy lips.

The man had other things in mind as well. He had come to possess some valuable information concerning his quest in finding the black cauldron. Having the need to begin the search for it immediately, he laid a blanket over the girl and then disappeared, the canopy curtain swallowing her in shadows once more.

...

“ There’s something wrong… I can feel it in my bones.”

Dallben set his cup down with a thud. The tea was lovely, a blend of herbs and honey, Merlin really knew how to make a nice drink for a cold day. But he wasn’t thirsty anymore, there were heavy things plaguing his mind.

“ Your bones are just old.” Merlin puffed out smoke, and then continued, “Tell me why you suspect something to be wrong? Right now, at this very moment, everything seems to be fine.”

“ The fair folk disappeared recently. You don’t see them anymore.”

“ Even his majesty king Eidilleg? Oh, dear me.” The wizard paused, glancing at his friend who looked like he had something to say. “That might not mean it’s him, you hear! There is the possibility it doesn’t have anything to do with the Horned King.” Merlin added.

“ Don’t you think it is a sign? But what would that horned beast be waiting for?”

“ I think we need more evidence.”

The men settled for silence after that, both smoking and thinking.

Suddenly, there was a myriad of screams in the yard, distressed ones. A crash, a splash and a loud “Hen!”. Worry bubbled in their chest as the men shot up from their chairs, ready to defend the lands and their boys. The enchanter threw open the window they had earlier used to watch over the boys.

“ Taran! What’s going on?”

“ I don’t know! There’s something wrong with Hen Wen.” Both boys were trying and failing to keep the small pig calm. It let out another high-pitched wail, writhing and twisting in their grasps as if possessed. Archimedes flew over to Merlin in alarm.

" That animal's gone mad! Mad, I say!" The bird declared.

Dallben paled, heart racing. This could not be good.

“ What? Quickly lads, bring her inside!”

Inside the pitch-black house, in the darkness of the night, the four gathered around a bucket filled to the brim with water. Three candles were lit, but no more.

“ Boys! What you are about to see, you must never reveal to anyone.” They all nodded, the seriousness of the situation catching them all off guard.

“ Hen Wen, from you I beseech, knowledge that lies beyond my reach.” The enchanter swirled his walking staff in the water. “Troubled thoughts weigh on your heart, pray you now those thoughts impart.”

As soon as Hen Wen's snout touched the water's surface, colours appeared. They swirled around in motion with the wooden staff until forming a figure, riding a stallion.

“ Ah the Horned King!” Merlin exclaimed. Dallben mouthed the words “I told you so.”

“ He is searching for the Black Cauldron! If he was to find it, nothing could stand in his way.”

The shapes moved again, turning light in colour. Taran let out a gasp.

“ That’s Hen Wen!”

“ So he knows.”

“ Stop enough!” Dallben was about to end it all, not wanting to see more, when Merlin stopped him with a hand on the staff.

“ No wait! There is more and it could be important.”

Redness overtook the waters, moving around wildly, until settling in the middle in a shape of something. There were edges and circles and lines.

“ A rose?”

“ S-some flower?” Taran asked.

“ Shh, don’t interrupt.”

Then it moved again, changing, and morphing into a golden outline of a person. The person appeared to be walking, and behind them, large skeletal hands came ever closer.

“ A girl?”

“ Dallben what could it mean?”

The man raised his head to glance at them, eyes unreadable. Merlin hadn’t seen him look so defeated in years.

“ I-I’m not sure, I have never seen anything like this. But whoever she is, she seems to be in grave danger.”

They stayed quiet, while they cleaned, while they put out the candles, while they finished their tea and all the way until the two guests were out the door.

“ Take heed. Both of you.”

“ We shall, don’t you worry about us. Just let me know if I’m needed and I’ll be there.”

After they had left, the man of the house called for his apprentice.

“ Taran, I must bestow upon you a great task. In the morning you must take Hen Wen to the hidden cottage.”

...

“ What is she like?”

Flora turned to look at prince Phillip, who stirred the fire with his sword. The flames have almost died, the ashes now glowing deep red and orange. Their company had stopped to have a rest by the fire, since the journey would take at least another day or two. After having determined the possible places where the princess could be, had they decided to split into pairs. Phillip and Merryweather were going to travel and see the old castle of Frederius whereas Flora and Fauna were getting ready to head for Kishire. It was but a small kingdom just past the boarder to Germany where they believed a black magic user, powerful enough to utilize transfer magic, resided.

That is what it all came down to, according to Flora that is. Who could use such spells and also black magic. Teleportation took much concentration and precision from the user, no beginner or novice could do so as it took years to master. Moving two living beings spoke volumes of the person they were dealing with.

But two people now had their interest, though they weren’t entirely sure if either of them were still alive.

“ Who?”

“ Princess Aurora. Could you tell me more about her, as I know nothing.”

“ Aurora is-.” The red fairy began, only to stop and look up with lack of words.

“ Describing her with just words doesn’t do justice, she is so much more. But Rose is kind...” She settled.

“ Clever and thoughtful.” The blue fairy added.

“ Imaginative and understanding.”

“ Generous and gentle, rarely ever did she make a fuss.” Fauna reminisced fondly.

“ Even when we did not know what we were doing, she never complained.”

“ She loves to read books, especially fairytales.”

“ And to tell them too!”

“ She is a talented seamstress. She used to sew her own dresses and shirts because we didn’t know how t-.”

“ Oh goodness, don’t tell him that, dear!” Flora hit the younger fairy on the arm.

“ Yes, she brought us many years of happiness.” Phillip smiled. He longed to meet her, to talk to her. The young prince wasn’t sure if he wholeheartedly agreed with the idea of their marriage, but if she was half the woman they described, would he not be so opposed to the idea of spending the rest of his life with her.

“ Though, we could tell she was often lonely. Her heart wasn’t full, no matter how much love we tried to give her.”

His smile melted, mouth turning downward. He could almost understand the loneliness she must have felt. After his own mother died, his royal father, king Hubert, locked himself away in his own bed chamber for a year. Even after returning to rule his kingdom, was he never truly the same warm father he once was. In his memories, Phillip stands by the palace entrance, or the gate, or on the balcony, waiting patiently for his father’s return from Prumor, until he was soaked from rain or cold from snow.

“ Well how would you react if you thought you had been abandoned?” Merryweather snapped, eating the last piece of bread from her plate. She had spent many a night comforting the crying child, trying, and failing to reassure her that she was wanted.

“ Why would you tell her that she was abandoned?” The prince asked, disbelieving.

“ We would never say such things!” The women rushed to defend themselves.

“ We told her that her parents loved her very much, as did we. But I don’t think she believed us.”

And so was the case that Briar Rose had grown up believing in having been abandoned by the people who were supposed to love her the most. She spent countless nights wishing upon the brightest star to find love, no matter where it came from. Sometimes the girl hoped for her mother to come and find her, tell her that she was loved and that there was a reason why she was left behind. Other times Rose prayed for her father to hold her when she was scared, when the thunder loudly boomed over their little hut or when the rain threathened to bring down the walls around them. But no matter how hard she tried, wailed, prayed, or waited, no one ever came for her.

Except in her dreams, where she sometimes met a stranger. It could be, like it usually was, in the forests she had grown up in. But sometimes it was a field, where they would walk and dance and embrace each other.

The dreams were the girl's own and no one would ever know about them, but the wishing and praying could be often heard downstairs. The three fairies would listen with tears in eyes as their beloved child cried herself sick from longing. When she grew up, came a new kind of need that needed filling in her life, and that was romantic love. Somebody to hold and dance with and share stories no one else was to hear. She wished for companionship.

The three women tried their best to give her the love she deserved, brush her hair like a mother would, or hold her hand like a father could. And for a while that was enough. But when it came to true love, the truth is, they had no idea what exactly that kind of love looked like. They knew about bonds, they shared one too, but it was more familial than anything. So, assuming that it would be as easy and as fast, they lulled themselves into believing that once Rose met prince Phillip, her heart would become magically whole. Briar had always loved them, so why wouldn’t she love her betrothed?

“ There is much more to life than we anticipated…”

The green fairy placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“ In a way she had the right idea, you know.” When he looked confused, she continued, in a soft whisper.

“ It doesn’t matter who you are. When you wish upon a star, anything your heart desires will come true.”

...

A figure let out a gasp, the air was much colder than it had been the night before. They stood in a doorway, looking at the quiet woods in wonder. It was beautiful even if the plants had begun to die.

“ M-my dear. You should not be outside this late. It could be dangerous!”

The figure turned, their shadow moving from left to right.

“ You know, I have a strange feeling that someone is coming.”

“ Coming? Who is?” Another voice asked. There were footsteps somewhere near the entrance, belonging to a fourth person.

“ Yes, but I do not know who. It’s just a feeling that I have.”

The door shut, lock clicked, and then the little house was quiet.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

At last a beginning of a new day of a new season arrives and there is anticipation in the air. Summer is ending, not today and not tomorrow, but soon. The warmth of sunny days are slowly making way to winters biting cold. The clouds in the sky let no light past them, even as the day went on, but there was no drop of rain either. On most days like this, the castle would echo with laughter, banter, and chants as the barbarians celebrated their successful days out raiding and pillaging. The sound of lutes could, if the time was just right, be heard even from one side of the fortress to another.  

Aurora looked outside, humming to herself as she evaluated the day ahead. She had woken up from her slumber only to find breakfast on the table and the king nowhere to be seen. She had hoped he would stay with her and talk, but then again, he was a king and was surely busy. So she ate alone, savouring the taste of honey in her tea. She looked back on the time they had sat under that old chestnut-tree, drinking dandelion tea and just, talked like old friends. She wished for those times to return.   

The princess next walked to a side table where a steaming ewer of water was awaiting. She poured some out into a tiny porcelain washtub intending on cleaning herself up before heading for the library. Rose brought her cupped hands to her face and let the remaining sleep get washed away from her eyes.

When she raised her head again, the girl saw her image reflected in the mirror, and for a short moment could have sworn it looked different. Water dripped down her chin and on to her dress when she leaned in closer. It almost seemed like her cheeks were hallower, skin pale and lips a sickly shade of blue. There was no rouge on her cheeks or shine in her hair, almost like she were dead… Briar rubbed her eyes in a fright, then looked at the reflection again. It appeared normal, no longer was there a shadow of death under her eyes. Everything was as it was supposed to.

She heard a ruckus somewhere. There were several bangs, a loud screech and then she heard footsteps. They were coming closer to her door, so out of instinct, she hid behind the bedcurtain. There were three loud knocks, and then the door opened. She holds her breath.

But it is just the king. He shut the door and took a few steps in, his long robes dragging behind, as he calmly examined the room. When she came out of hiding, could he be seen visibly relax, shoulders lowering and hands unclenching.

“ Your majesty? Is everything alright ?” She voiced her concern. The man said nothing, only reaching to touch her golden locks. The smooth strand of hair slipped from between his fingers, and he relished in the softness. He wondered if the shiny hair would still look as good covered with silk and decorated in pearls and diamonds. It was the custom for wedded women to wear a veil to show their marital and social status, though if she were to ever become his queen, he would forbit her from covering it.

“ Do not look so down, my lord. I was only behind the curtain. I have not gone anywhere.”

He kept silent, so Aurora took his hand into hers, as if trying to show him that she was still present. The girl asked again.

“ There must be a reason for you to have come here ?”

“ I’m afraid we must reschedule our dinner to a later date.” His large hand engulfed hers. His touch was almost warm.  

“ Oh ?”

“ There have been some… unforeseen events. Nothing that you should pay any mind to. Though I must encourage you to stay in your chambers tonight. ” She kept her hand where it was.

“ I shall do as you ask of me. But there is something else on your mind, troubling you greatly. I can tell so.”

On his disordered mind lay indeed the thoughts of a plan so terrible even the ancient spirits had to look away. His life’s work was at last coming to fruition, everything being the matter of days now, and finally after hundred years he could afford to pay attention to other things in his life without worry. Just a handful of sunsets and the evil king could begin to court the young princess. The man had every intention of making her belong to him as soon as possible, but where was the enjoyment in taking things immediately?

“ Trouble at court. I’m a busy man.” He brushed the topic off and she let it go.

“ That’s quite alright. Although if you have some time now, do join me for lunch.”

His left arm reaches out, as he offers it to the princess. She loops her hand around his and they make their way towards the library. It was the only place they wouldn’t be disturbed, due to no soul being allowed to enter in without the kings permission. There were many valuable books and scrolls, containing spells and curses and enchantments. That sort of knowledge was and would be his, and his alone. Briar Rose was the only exception to these rules, as she liked very much to go through the books and play with the decorated talismans and other trinkets.

The man watched her, as she studied the runes of an old tapestry. A language that had no alive speakers besides him fascinated her to no end, and Aurora asked if he would be willing to teach her. He promised to think about it.

Above them, on the stone wall, was a painting depicting a sparrow flying over the roaring seas in a foreign country. She recalled a dream she once had, where the girl was not a human, but a white dove who flew over the lands and mountains and towards the sun.

As he listened, he took a sip of wine, the cup made of silver. Once she finished with her tale, he made a request she had heard before.

“ Sing for me.”

She did.

...

During the night is when it happened. Aurora woke from her dreamless rest with a fright when a gust of wind carried shouts from somewhere in the castle to her quiet room. There were multiple shouts and screams and cries and they made her clutch the blankets to her chest. It sounded like they were under an attack and her mind in an instant went to the evil sorceress. The woman had surely discovered Aurora was still alive and residing in the castle. She was scared, but she continued to listened.

Somebody burst into her room so fast the door hit the wall with a loud bang. She covered her eyes, but when she did manage to look at the intruder, was she surprised. It was but three people, one carrying a large sword and the other two holding sticks, most likely legs of a chair. The people searched for something with their gaze but stopped when they saw her on the bed. One of them, a young girl, took a step back, and the boy in the front held up the sword. Rose backed away until her back touched the headboard. The gesture must have caught them all off guard, because the boy lowered the swords and, in an unsure manner, asked.

“ Y-you- I don’t suppose you know how to get out of here ?”

She shook her head but replied. “No, but I do know where the stairs are.”

“ Are you being held against your will too ?” The young girl asked, tucking her straw blonde hair behind her ear. A shining ball of light flew from behind her head and close to Rose. It circled her a few times and then stilled besides her. The older princess stared at it in wonder when the words registered in her mind.

“ Held? Why would I be? Who are you and what are you doing in my room ?”

“ Don’t you know where you are? Haven’t you seen him?” The third person asked, an older man with a golden harp hanging from his neck. He held it close as he spoke.

“ Seen who? Who are you-?”

“ There they are, up the stairs !” A distant voice echoed.

“ No time to explain, we must run! Come !” The boy urged. They all ducked down as a spear came flying over their heads and landed on a wooden dresser. The wood split, but the weapon did not budge.

Aurora jumped from the bed and hurried after them, in fear of what might be behind them.

In the low light of the torches, and the rising sun, she could finally see the rest of the castle, its wide corridors and narrow hallways, torn tapestry, and water-soaked carpets. Green and grey beard moss grew from every wooden support beam and pillar. Piled up in every corner were leaves that had managed to fly in, and in the ceilings were thick cobwebs. Most of the windows were shattered, glass lay on the floor un-swept, doors were crooked and broken, furniture of any kind was lacking, and no matter how many rooms they passed, were there only barbarians to be seen. No entertainers, no priests, no noble women, no armoured knights, and no ordinary staff, like bakers and maids. It was not like the castles she had read about at all.

Scary, tall, scarred men with swords and spears ran after them like they were responsible for every crime in the world. They yelled and screamed, so terribly loud, that Rose was sure the stone walls would crumble on top of them. They ran up and down stairs, then split up with the young princess going through a small side door with the old man, and Aurora with the boy, who suddenly tripped and dropped his sword. They hid together under a bridge and waited for their pursuers to pass, hearts beating in their ears. Once it was quiet, they climbed out, the boy offering his hand to her.

“ Thank you, um ?”

“ Taran of Caer Dallben, a warrior! And you are ?”

“ Nice to meet you Taran, my name is Aurora.” Her smile was radiating, and Taran had to wonder if he was hit on the head. She was familiar somehow, but he could not understand how that was possible. His hand wrapped tightly around the golden sword as they began moving again.

“ Where did you get that sword ?” She whispered.

“ Oh, just… From there.” He vaguely pointed behind them. Rose imagined a room full of treasure or a chamber full of weapons. She would have liked to know more, but decided to accept the image she had created.

“ There they are !”

“ Shoot them! Get them !”

“ Don’t let them get away !”

The rising sun was greeting them when the four rejoined and made their way outside. They ran across the courtyard and, after dodging a handful of spears, managed to lower the drawbridge and run to the safety of the forest, disappearing.

...

His majesty, The Horned King, sat at his worn down throne, when his servant came in to deliver the news. The door creaked open, light pouring inside the dusty hall, illuminating chains and broken weapons on the floor. Creeper peeked his head in carefully, hands shaking and back hunched. It did not dare speak first, so the king asked.

“ You bring news of the pig ?”

“ N-not exactly, sire. The p-p-pig keeper-“ He took a breath, “-he has es-es-escaped !”

The king let out a short breath, annoyance ever-growing. Though it did not take long for his brilliant mind to come up with a plan so good, it quenched his burning anger.

“ Good, he shall show us the way to the pig. Send the gwythaints to follow that boy. Now leave !”

“ Oh, s-sire! T-there is s-something else I-I must c-confess.”

The king faced his servant again, what else could there be?

“ T-the boy did not escape alone, he had ot-other prisoners with him! There w-was that old bard and the young princess too. And a lady. They-they all escaped.” The goblin closed its eyes in fear.

“ A lady.” The man stilled all movement, like a predator out hunting.

“ Y-y-yes, yes! I do not k-know who she was. She had h-hair of gold and-“

He shot up from his seat so fast that Creeper threw itself on the ground and cried out for mercy. But the king only stormed past, blinded by pure white rage. After its master was gone, the goblin ran down to the kitchen and hid inside a discarded ale barrel, praying for the wrath to be over soon.

In his mind, the king tried to reason, no it could not have been her, she was much too far away from the dungeons. It had been somebody else, or the imbecile had its eyes deceive it. Yes, Aurora was safely hidden in the tower, no-one would be able to find her there. It would not be logical.

He burst into the bed chamber, not bothering to wait for premission and knock. He searched and searched for the princess, wild eyes running from one corner of the room to another. Was she on the bed? Or by the window? Or sitting at the table? No, she was not in the room. His gaze moved to a lone candle by the nightstand, and judging by the smoke rising from it, had the thing just recently gone out. So she had just recently left? In his fury, he threw the nearby flower vase on the opposite wall, shattering it into thousands of pieces. The flowers died in his shadow, turning to dust, and disappearing like they had never even been there.

There was only one other place where she could have gone. He turned and nearly ran to the library. The wooden door was no match for his strength, and it broke off the hinges when he pushed it open. He called her name, but there was no answer. It was dark.

He looked behind the bookcases, under the desk and even behind the curtain, until he just tore them all down. Dust flew up in clouds as he moved, but the man did not even take notice. He threw chairs and knocked over stacks and stacks of books. He ripped the talismans and windchimes down and crushed them.

The man pondered, “Where is she, where is she?!”, because she had to still be here somewhere. He could not accept the reality that the princess was gone. But the truth was so, the girl had slipped from his grasps probably never to be seen again. Not only had he lost the one thing that could lead him to where the Black cauldron was, but also his most precious treasure. 

“ Sire! We heard a ruckus and-“

The guard halted, and then screamed. The kings sharp nails were lodged into the man’s head, piercing his eyes. Blood trickled down his pale face and onto his green robes and the floor. He tried to back away, to hit his arm, to do anything. But the kings other hand came up to slash his throat, not being bothered by his attempts. The unnamed man’s arms twitched, a sound akin to a drowning man replaced the yells of pleas. There was a twist, and a pull, and then his body fell without care. The king let him fall without looking, and when the next guard came, he did the same to them.

The desperate screams bounced off of the surrounding stone walls, echoes carrying far and wide. Creeper listened to them all night long, shaking and crying, his praying whispers only quieted when he passed out from exhaustion.

...

The group of four ran until their legs could not carry them anymore. When Taran announced they were far enough away, each dropped down, exhausted to the bone. They leaned against a tree, welcoming the cool shade it provided, and tried to gather strength to carry on. After a while, they had a drink from a nearby stream. That is the point where Aurora, who’s curiosity was eating her from the inside, decided to inquire.

“ Can you please tell me, why did we run from the castle ?” Briars voice made the others turn.

“ A-are you saying you truly don’t know ?” The older man asked, wiping his face.

“ I do not.” She shook her head.

“ Why, we were in the castle of the Horned King !”

“ Yes ?”

“ You… You don’t know who he is, do you ?” Eilonwy asked, unsure. She rubbed her hands together, looking at the others for help in explaining.

“ The Horned King is a horrible beast.”

“ He kills innocent people, burns down villages and robs them.”

“ A joke on humanity !”

“ He captured me and had my companions murdered.”

Aurora couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The person, her first friend, who she had grown to care for, was a monster no better than Maleficent? How could this be, how could she be so foolish.

“ No, that… That can’t be.” She laughed, though weakly.

“ No he saved me, you must be mistaken. He’s a good king. I mean, I would be dead if he wasn’t there-”  The words were replaced by tears, as the girl broke down. They fell from her eyes like tiny gems, sliding down her cheeks and onto the ground.

“ Child, what kind of lies have you been told ?” Fflewddur asked worriedly. He came closer and laid a hand on her shoulder. Eilonwy went to hug the older girl, trying her best to comfort her.

“ It’s alright now, you’re safe.”

“ But I’m not.”

“ Why’s that ?”

“ Because if Maleficent finds out I’m alive she’ll surely kill me.” She covered her eyes with her hands.

Before any of them could ask for her to explain, they heard a crack of a branch. It made them remember that they were still most likely being hunted.

“ We should probably keep moving. They might be after us already.” Taran remarked, sheathing the sword he was holding. The gold of the handle shined now that he had polished it.

“ I know! Come with us, after we find Hen Wen, I’ll take you to see Dallben, my master. He’s an old enchanter, so he must know what to do.” Taran promised.

She bit her lip and weighed the possibilities. If she refused the offer and returned to the castle, she would surely be shot on sight. But if she went with them, she could as well be found and killed by the blood thirsty sorceress. She chose the option that allowed her to live the longest.

“ I’ll come with. I’m Aurora.” She gave them a curtsy.

“ My name is princess Eilonwy.” The other girl also bowed, lifting her skirts edge in a childlike manner. It was clear, from her short stature, round face, and childlike demeanour, she was much younger than her.

“ Fflewddur Fflam, at your service.” The old man held up the harp, “ I am a minstrel you know, I have played in the finest of courts-“ The harps string broke suddenly, making the bard chuckle nervously and place a hand on top of it. “ I was only waiting for an invitation !”, he spoke to it and turned.

“ We already introduced.” Taran rubbed his neck. Briar, in a friendly gesture, still chose to give him a little wave with her hand.

“ I just have one question…”  She paused. “ Who’s Hen Wen ?”

That is how their journey began. A princess, a peasant girl, a bard, and a pig keeper-turned-warrior. They journeyed down paths, travelled past blooming meadows, and crossed rivers. They, in spite of the situation, found it impossible to be silent, and began talking good-naturedly.

“ Why, if I may ask, were you in the castle in the first place ?” Rose questioned, finding it strange that such a variety of characters were all in the same place.

“ I came too close, they thought I was a spy. I swear, I had no idea whose castle that was.” Fflewddur defended himself.

“ Well I was stolen from my carriage while traveling to my family’s summer palace. The Horned King was after my bauble because he believed it could tell where, some, cauldron was.”  The young girl waved her hand dismissively around.

“ The Black Cauldron… He can never have his hands on it.” Taran spoke, an odd sense of calm urgency settling on his shoulders.  “ It’s an awesome weapon. And if he gets it, he’ll kill us all.”

“ But I still don’t understand, why would the Horned King want your pig?” Eilonwy asked, one side of her red lips quirking up, despite the sift in topic of the conversation.

“ My pig can see the future! She can show where the cauldron is.”

“ Then.” Briar began. “We must find the cauldron before he does and destroy it.”

Taran, brows furrowed, nodded agreeing. Then he suddenly lowered his head.

“ But the tracks end here. I don’t know where to go.”

Fflewddur chose this moment to speak.

“ I remember an old tale I once heard. Long ago, there was a boy, who got lost in the mountains. He walked, and walked until he could go no further. In a last attempt to survive, he turned to ask the moon for guidance, and they say the moon answered. It was believed that the sun and the moon are gods.”

“ That’s ridicilous.” Eilonwy remarked.

“ A-a-and a flying magic ball isn’t ?”

Aurora, however, had heard a story similar before. Aunt Merryweather had told her a bedtime story about the Sun man and Moon lady, who were ever walking, so that the cycle of day and night continued in a steady rhythm. So, she quietly parted from the others and walked past the treeline, so that she could see the sun.

She placed her hands together, unsure how to ask. But once she did, her tone was pleading.

“ Oh sun. You rain your light down on to these lands, you guide us, you watch us. You see the roaring seas, you see the barren lands. Your strength knows no bounds. If you could please help, if you could please answer, have you seen a pink pig anywhere.” 

At first nothing happened. The birds continued to sing their tunes and the wind rustled the leaves on the trees. Her heart was beating fast as she held her breath and waited. Suddenly the shining rays that touched her arms and legs felt warmer. Pleasant and deep was the voice that answered, being heard from here and from there. Like a father talking to a child, like a warm fire on a cold winters morning. It was inviting, it was welcoming.

“ My sight reaches far, I see it all as it once was and how it will be. But I have not seen a pink pig anywhere.”

Disappointment trumped the feeling of success as Rose turned to head back into the safety of the forest.

“ But listen now, for you were kind to me, I shall be kind to you. I know what you must do. Ask the moon once she arrives, for she will surely know where your pig is.”

And then the shine was hidden behind clouds, and everything was as it once were.

“ Great Belin.” Briar Rose heard Fflewddur mutter as he slumped down and fainted. They had all heard it, it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks.

They were instructed to ask the moon and so they settled down to wait. Once the day gave way to the darkness of night, Rose walked out from the shade and asked, polite as ever.

“ Oh moon. Thou shine all alone a silver light, you guide us down here, you won’t let us live in darkness. If you could please help, if you could please answer, have you seen a pink pig anywhere.”

“ My sight reaches far, I see it all as it once was and how it will be. And I have seen your pink pig, for I see all that travels at night. It ran through the prickly thorns in the east, past the diamond mines and towards the crystal lakes.”

And then the clouds covered the sky, and everything was as it once were.

...

The king, now that his rage had been somewhat quenched, mounted a steed black as night, with six legs and breathing smoke, and rode off from the castle. His fury must have alerted every spirit and animal, for they all disappeared from his path. The hooves of his ride left charred marks on the grass, setting bushes and flowers on fire without mercy. On his side a heavy silver sword hung and on his hand a scroll of eternal curses sat. He would get her back, even if it took days of travel, even if he had to burn every village he came across, to the ground.

Soon he would make her see that he was the only one she needed. He would lock her into the tower, so that she would never disappear again. She wouldn’t even need to do much, oh no, only sit there by the window for him to enjoy.

Aurora would be his. And he would kill the people who took her away.

...

Taran was beginning to grow tired as he pushed the eighteenth branch away so that he could pass. They had been travelling for the entire night and he was beginning to grow exhausted with tripping on his face. He could have sworn the trees did it on purpose.

At some point they had stumbled upon a camp, deserted and quiet. There was a piece of cloth hanging from one of the trees, acting as a shield from the harsh wind, and a still smoking pile of wood, which had been used as a fireplace. Next to a large tree lay a soft cushion, meant for most likely sleeping. Eilonwy also found a lantern, which they decided to borrow.

Aurora volunteered to carry the lantern as they marched.

“ I can’t take one more step.” Fflewddur declared. He leaned against a large rock and sighed.

“ Alright, I think we should-“

“ Look! Light.” Eilonwy exclaimed. She pointed in front of them.

There, between the trees, shone a small light. It must have only been a whiles walk away, so they grew excited, tired limbs regaining some strength.

“ Where? I don’t see anything ?”

“ It’s right there. Come on !”

They ran until they came across a small cabin. It had a crooked straw roof and a tiny, round red door. From the tiny front window, the light of a candle shone brightly, illuminating the yard and a tiny wooden bridge, crossing a river. There, tied to two trees was a clothesline, full of colourful shirts and socks. They went to knock.

The door opened, but just a crack.

“ Yes ?” The person asked, voice sweet as sugar.

“ Good evening. We-we are lost and can’t see which way we are going. Can you perhaps tell us where we might be ?” Fflewddur asked, taking off his hat and holding it politely in his hands.

They all moved to try and see who they were talking to.

The person opened the door a bit more than a crack and peeked outside cautiously. It was a girl, wearing a long white nightgown. She was beautiful, having the skin as pale as freshy fallen snow and short hair as dark as ebony. On her cheeks bloomed rouge and her lips were a red so deep, it reminded Aurora of an apple.

“ Come in, I have been expecting you.”

“ Expecting us? How ?” Taran questioned, suspicious.

“ My heart just told me so. That people in need were going to come.” The girl simply said, closing the door behind them. The cabin was lovely, filled with hand grafted furniture and the smell of freshy baked pie. Rose found it nostalgic, considering she grew up in a home just like this one.

“ Oh dear, where are my manners? My name is Snow White.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Aurora had been basking in the fleeting sunlight shining in from the cracked windows, in the library’s most secluded corner, when The Horned King appeared next to her. On her lap sat forgotten three books, stories about forbidden romances with handsome princes and beautiful princesses who meet in secret during the night and exchange letters or kisses. They had been read from front to back, but now the young woman was plainly enjoying the golden rays that made her skin warm and hair glow. The man’s suffocating presence made its way towards the maiden at a leisurely pace, hands neatly placed behind his back and head somewhat bowed forward.

When she glanced up and took notice of him, you’d have sworn his advances halted for a mere moment. The way her diamond eyes glimmered with so much joy, and her lips curved into a pleasant smile, by him just joining her made the man’s chest ache. It made some of his plans stronger, and some that much more difficult.

“ My lord.” Aurora greeted, polite as ever. “Enjoying the sunset? Oh, it’s simply lovely from up here, and seemingly rare for I have not seen a proper one in days now.”

The man wasted no time in handing the princess a box, no bigger than a teacup. It was wrapped in sapphire-coloured cotton and tied with a red ribbon.

She looked at it, curious. It did not sound when shook, it did not weigh when lifted, it was a true mystery.

“ A blessed birthday.” He wished, tone not giving up the box’s contents.

She began to open the wraps, peeling and folding them neatly away in order to not rip anything.

“ Although I believe myself to be days late. My apologies.”

“ No harm done, I was not expecting you to remember. A lot has happened in a very short time, and you have had to make all sorts of accommodations for me. Though I must admit, I am quite flattered.”

She got it open to reveal a delicate chain and hanging from it a golden pendant. In the centre is laid a red stone. It was long enough to reach past her collarbone. Her immediate reaction was to get up, strands of hair flying over her shoulder when she turned her head to look up at the man. She held the gift back towards him.

“ I cannot accept this, it is much too grand! I know you must have other such jewels, by the dozens I’m sure, but that does not mean you should give one of them to me. And besides I have not done a thing to deserve this--” Her protests were shut down when the man took the piece of jewellery with just two fingers and lifted it up. He stood behind her, and, while moving her hair to one side and out of the way, placed it around her neck.

“ It belongs to you, I shan’t take it back. I chose this specifically for this very purpose and hope it is to your liking. Admittedly, its beauty pales in comparison to you.”

Even after clasping the piece shut, his fingers lingered on the warm skin of her exposed upper back. The dress she had chosen to wear had to have been repurposed from something else, because otherwise it would be deemed to be much too inappropriate. Not only was the fabric cut just above the shoulder blades, giving a good glimpse of the skin meant to be covered, but the skirt was also shorter than what he had grown accustomed to ladies wearing. It showed her petite ankles, and even the calves as well.

He stared at the nape of her neck, the little birthmark behind the right shoulder, and then at the way the indigo fabric hugger her narrow waist.

How he longed to rip it off of her body.

Even if these actions did not go unnoticed, Aurora did not comment on them. A rouge bloomed on her cheeks when she turned to thank the generous man. He would never tell a soul, but her radiating smile was a reward in on itself. 

“ Thank you, thank you, thank you !” The girl's arms circled the man into an embrace.

...

That moment had been moons ago, it felt like a distant, long since passed memory to all but the Horned King. His skeletal hand reached up to touch his chest, remembering those moments hurt. Back then things had been so simple, everything had played to his tunes so well. Now, the castles he had built in his mind about their future together were beginning to crumble into nothingness, and he was desperate to stop that from happening.

The six-legged steed stomped to a halt near a cliffs edge, neighing loudly in protest to the reins being pulled. The king spied at the houses below, trying to see if there were any warriors. It was but three worker houses, made out of stone and straw, and a large wooden mill. There were geese and sheep and cats and dogs, but no strong men nor soldiers to be seen. Peasant houses, simple farmers and millers.

He could have, and most likely should have, waited for the gwythaints to locate the pig keeper and his fellow escapees, for Aurora would most likely be journeying with them. It might take a handful of days, but those creatures had nearly as much energy as he himself did, and their eyes nor wings grew not tired even after days of travel. But the man was much wiser than he appeared, and after pondering the situation, knew she would soon hear the whole tale about him. They would poison her against him, not with filthy lies, but with the ugly truth, and what was more terrifying than that?

He had come this far and was not about to lose to some mortals. Or Maleficent, who would surely kill her if she sensed the girl’s life force. With those thoughts he descended from the mountaintop.

Once standing in front of the only seemingly occupied house, he wasted no time in knocking. A man, middle aged and greying, opened the door with little to no hesitation, that was the first mistake. He, after laying eyes on the flaming horse and its hellish rider, stumbled many steps back and knocked over a stool and a candle. He gazed upon the horrid beast from the floor, eyes wide and fearful, and mouth hanging open. A bead of sweat ran from his furrowed brow, down along his pointed chin and onto the floor.

“ A-a-a demon! Oh p-please sire, s-spare my wife and old father and I shall give you anything you seek! I have not a piece of gold on me, but a soul I do have !”

“ I am not here to make any deals and you possess nothing I seek for.” He waved a hand and the fireplace in the corner lit up with a burst, though the fire’s light was not yellow and orange, but rotten green. Alas, it let him see the other inhabitants, cowering behind two simple beds. The mentioned wife and father no doubt. ”I search for a young maiden, with hair of pure gold and lips as red as a rose.”

“ T-there are n-no such girls h-here. Nor s-should I say anywhere, for someone as beautiful as you claim would surely be taken as a wife without hesitation and carried far away to a palace or a village! Bu-bu-but no, leave now, we have not seen the person who you seek. In-in fact, we have not seen any sort of travellers since la-la-last spring. It has been a-a terrible year, sir, it has.”

His mood soured further. How dare this man insinuate Aurora had been taken as a wife by anyone but him? Or was it meant as an insult, to call him a fool for having her in his life without intentions of unification? Does he not realize that is exactly what he planned on doing? The creature was about to strike the human when he desperately went to continue with his ramblings.

“ But, but, but! T-there was something strange that just recently happened, yes! We saw no soul, but something definitely did occur. Honest to the Gods themselves !”

The beings arm lowered, making the man sigh in relief. A false sense of hope, the king mused. A second mistake.

“ D-during the late night it was that our campsite o-out in the woods was robbed! M-my lantern was gone with the wind, and so was my rope. Just like that, disappeared. Yes, stolen from right under my very nose. And I was bloody furious I was! Dirty little thieves, at least three !” The more he spoke the more courage he gained.

“ Three ?”

“ Y-yes, three! Or perhaps more! F-four most likely. Y-you see, there was a heavy storm the other night, and the ground was all wet and muddy, and there were these footprints and that’s when I said to my wife ‘I think we’ve been robbed, so you better go write to old mister Charles ‘cause I don’t think it was the racoons’ and then she said-- “

“ These prints, where were they heading ?”

The human babbled no more about it, only pointed weakly behind him, and somewhere into the thorny thickets.

“ I swear we-we know nothing more and nothing less! Have mercy my good lord, I beg of you !” The miller’s hands clutched onto the king’s long maroon robes as he begged and sobbed.

“ Yes, begone now, from this house, from our sight! No evil spirit shall enter here !” The even older man cursed, holding up a hand carved statue of the goddess of these lands. Or he assumed it to depict her, he had seen many religious statues in his time.

This was the third mistake.

Night fell upon them like a woollen blanket, thick and heavy, but the king was truly much wiser than he appeared. But we, who still possess life, knew that already. The burning mill seemed to be the perfect tool to light his way in the darkness, so that he did not stumble into the unknown blind. The surrounding trees cried out in pain and agony, flowers shut and curled up, and animals hurried away from the flames. But the man did not stop to look or listen, no, he had much too important things to worry about.

Despite now decades living on these lands, had he never seen it of importance to explore them, like he used to do in his younger days. If there was no fortress, no worthy opponent, no compelling reward for the task, it would not be done, and so, the land was left unfamiliar to him. Thick, black, suffocating smoke rose high, high up and into the sky, covering the glaring stars and the judging moon.

Oh, the moon… The Horned King had for a brief moment of time considered asking the moon for guidance but knew he would receive no answers from her no matter how hard he threatened. In fact, she must be the reason why the night had seemed to come with such force in the first place. The dark ate everything with its unyielding blackness and made it close to impossible to continue the journey. Could she be trying to protect the fugitives? If so, how very interesting…

...

Deep in the safety of the forest, over the seven diamond mountains, five whisking lakes and far from any village or city, lay the now lively little hut of the seven dwarfs. There was music and laughter and light-hearted banter coming from the open windows, where animals had gathered to listen. In the beginning the little birds and squirrels stuck to observing at the newcomers, trying their best to determine whether they were a threat or not. But once they saw how comfortable their princess was with them, could they start to enjoy the songs and dances as well.

“ -The world will applaud me, its praise will reward me, and I, Fflewddur Fflam will find fame !”

Once the show ended, multiple pairs of hands clapped in delight and adoration, even when the animals jumped away from the windowsill to escape the horrible melodies. Eilonwy and Taran let go of each other’s hands long enough to join in on the applause, before going back to their little dance. It wasn’t really a real dance, more so prancing in circles, but it was enough to them.

For now everything seemed to be normal. All of the days troubles, for a moment, were forgotten.

“ That was wonderful Fflewddur.”

“ Bravo, sir, bravo !” Clap, clap, clap.

“ It was lovely. And it happened to last just long enough that I’m almost done with these.” Aurora said, holding the man’s trousers up. There, on the backside, was a neatly stitched patch of leather.

“ Yes, I shall sing of your deed.”

“ I think you should sing about our gracious host, for she is the reason we all sleep safe tonight.” Taran suggested, sitting back down and beginning to polish the golden weapon on his lap. The young princess joined him, holding a plate of stew that she spooned into her mouth with hurry. She hadn’t had anything to eat in days.

Snow White hid her face in her hands, much embarrassed, for the older man had eagerly agreed to do so. It made Eilonwy giggle, though it was soon replaced by a deep yawn. The others followed suit, their heroic escape had really taken a toll on their bodies that now required rest. The ebony haired princess rose from her seat and stretched.

“ Looks like we should cut the festivities and head to bed now. I myself am so very tired. I suggest we all sleep and, in the morning, things will surely appear better that they do now.”

“ I think that’s a wonderful idea. I shall second it.” The harpist nodded, at long last placing the instrument down from his neck. He drank the rest of his tea, setting the empty cup in the basin to be washed later, and then went to lay down. They divided the blankets and pillows and began to settle down, in their own respective corners where the women took one side and the men other.

“ But do not even think about leaving without a proper breakfast! I will make us porridge with sugar and milk, and then we’ll wait for my friends to return. They’ll surely know which way you must travel.” Snow wagged her small finger, and then turned to walk up the stairs to her quarters. Before she could close the door, she saw Aurora hurrying after her. Round, brown eyes looked at her good naturedly but also questioningly. 

“ I just wanted to thank you for everything and wish you restful night.”

“ Oh! Well isn’t that sweet of you. Good night, Aurora, and do not burden your heart, for tomorrow is a new day, filled with new hope.” Snow smiled, and then shut the bedroom door.

Briar Rose held up the last remaining candle lit inside the hut and descended the wooden steps back to the others. She turned to see Fflewddur fast asleep on a bench, near the front door and a large pile of stacked firewood. Below, on the floor, lay Taran under three blankets placed there most likely by the older man, for he had no coverings on him. The teen held the magical sword close to his chest, but it seemed to calm him down, so she did not attempt to remove it.

She walked to the other side of the room, where two little spaces had been made to sleep in. One was unoccupied, one was in use, but both had a single pillow and a nice apple red blanket. As the lady sat down onto her blanket, could she begin to hear a soft cry from beneath the covers that shook with repressed sobs.

Eilonwy was weeping.

“ I’m s-so terribly afraid. I miss my royal mother, I miss my royal father. I want to go home, but it seems the faith of the world rests on our shoulders.” Eilonwy sniffled.

Aurora gently stroked the young girl’s hair, in an attempt to soothe her to sleep. Her sorrows reminded Rose of her own when she was much younger. She too would make a cocoon from her sheets and lay there, for hours even, and simply cry away the days pains.

“ Dry your eyes dear child, for this is not a place to cry. Good will always win, you’ll see. You will get to go home soon.“ She spoke in a whisper, careful as to not wake their sleeping companions. Eilonwy peeked from under the covers and looked up at the older princess, eyes shiny and so sad.

“ What about you, you have a home to return to also. Your mother must be worried.” Briar wiped the tears from the girl’s eyes with her thumb.

“ I… Did once, yes. Have a home, I mean.” She averted her gaze. “But I cannot go back anymore, for you see it was destroyed. And I have never met my mother or my father.”

“ Oh, I’m sorry.”

“ There is nothing to apologize for.” Rose blew the candle out and settled down next to the younger, still continuing to run fingers through her hair. It seemed to be a habit picked up from aunt Merryweather, who used to do so whenever she was heartbroken.

Briar moved her arm and tried her best to get comfortable. The floor was hard, but she was so grateful to have a place to even begin with, she refused to let it bother her too much. 

“ Aurora?”

“ Yes?”

“ Can you tell me…” Eilonwy bit her lip. “…How exactly did you end up in the Horned King’s castle?”

For a moment neither uttered a word. The evening wind rattled the windows, and an animal made the bushes crunch outside. Eilonwy was about to apologize for overstepping when there was a long exhale and Rose sat back up.

“ If it’ll help you sleep, let me tell you the story. Get comfortable now.” The girl shuffled closer, resting her head on the older girl’s lap. “It was many, many days ago, when spring had just had its last day and the sun was at its brightest. I was curious about a path, once used, now overgrown and decided, despite the many warnings of my aunts, to walk it. I journeyed until I saw a vast meadow filled with many flowers. Never had I seen anything so wonderful.” She opened her eyes to see the other girl stare at her intently, so the story continued.

“ I tried to pick as many up as I could, and by the end my basket was full. But just before I had the chance to get up and leave, there was a voice, like the most threatening of thunders. It was him, standing between the spruce trees, and he was furious. I was sure he would strike me down right there and then.”

“ But he didn’t.”

“ Well, no. In fact he showed kindness to me. He became my first friend.”

“ I can hardly imagine.” Eilonwy scoffed, but Briar Rose paid it no mind.

“ One cloudy day, before my seventeenth birthday, my home was destroyed in flames by someone I had never met before. And I also believed my family to have been killed, that I had lost everything. When I was at my lowest, scared and confused and alone, he appeared and comforted me. He let me live in his castle, gave me a room and clothes and food. That is why I was there.”

“ But why would he do that? I don’t understand.”

“ I have no idea, for he asked nothing of me, and he stole nothing from me. Not even once.”

Suddenly the younger girl wrapped her arms around the older princess, tightly. She clung to her waist and spoke.

“ You can come to stay with me. We-we can be sisters! I’ll talk to my father, and he’ll surely give you permission to stay with us. You do not have to be alone again, I promise. And you certainly do not have to return to him.”

“ Thank you, you are a wonderful, caring girl. But there still are people who are waiting for me to return. But for now do not worry, close your eyes and go to sleep, for I shall be here when you wake.”

“ Good night, Aurora.” And then, with some hesitation, she added. “Please don’t leave me.”

“ Good night, Eilonwy. I won’t.”

Once the young princess was surely sound asleep, Aurora whispered, mostly to herself and the spirits roaming the night.

“ …Perhaps I was wrong. He did steal something after all.” She placed a hand over her chest. “My heart.”

...

The chambers are all dark and void of any previous life, not even a mouse dares travel through the abandoned hallways. The curtains on the windows are tattered and torn, some missing entirely. They move back and forth violently in rhythm to the howling wind finding its way inside through the broken windows. The smell is of something damp, of something rotting away like a carcase whose meat and flesh has fallen off of its bones into wet clumps on the floor and are now infested with worms and buzzing flies.

She wants to gag, wants to scream and cry and run away from this awful place. But she cannot, not anymore. Outside, the surrounding nature is long dead, trees are but barren trunks and grass is faded and yellow. There is nowhere to run for, there is nothing to hide behind. When was the last time she saw something that was alive, or spoke to another being? A week, a month, a year? Or has it been a hundred years? Or has she only been there for a few moments that now seem like a twistedly cruel eternity?

Despite the smell and the atmosphere, one could think themselves to be mad for wishing to leave, for the room is filled to the utmost brim with gold and silver. Every available surface is covered in gifts of various sizes, there are decorated boxes cased in red velvet that have necklaces and bracelets in them, shiny glass bottles with scents most sweet, and long pearly chains peek out from countless chests. There are headpieces, like sparkling tiaras and glamorous headbands, and dainty anklets with embedded sapphires and rubies. A dozen silver rings, and even more golden ones are piled in front of her sitting form, now nearly reaching the ceiling.

Why is there so many? Because every day, one or two more appear in the growing pile, each one more beautiful than the other. They are an apology, a peace offering. But she never wears them.

In the closets are gowns, one a long scarlet one with ruffles, another the colour of ice and adorned with silver beads, the third one a pine green and very wide. No amount of fabric is spared with them, they are all floor sweeping and layered. There were simply too many to count, so she did not even attempt.

But not only is the room grand with possessions, even she is decorated, from head to toe, in finest of things. She wears a gown most exquisite, seashell white in colour. It is embroidered in gold, pearls and gems hang from its bodice. There are red stones and green stones and blue stones that she doesn’t even know the name of, but none make her want to read poems or attend a ball. On her head sits a golden crown, and from it comes down a vail with lace. It is see-through, it doesn’t give her the luxury to hide, it covers nothing.

The girl studies at, reflected on the mirror in front of her, the swirling gold detailing of her dress, then observes the ruffles, the chains traveling from her shoulders to the middle of her back, the hunter green cape, everything. She wonders who made it, how long it took, and if the person was paid a fair wage for the labour. But deep-down Aurora knows the seamster is most likely not in this world anymore, because that is the fate everyone else has suffered.

From behind her, from the dark nothingness, a pair of skeletal hands appear and land on her slumped shoulders. They are not warm, and they provide not a speckle of comfort to her like they once had. They instead squeeze, making the girl tense up and the fabric wrinkle.

“ Why do you insist on sitting here all day? Crying every waking moment, from sunrise till bitter sunset? What is the point, what are you trying to accomplish?”

The words end with an echo, cold and lifeless. They happen to be the only thing she has heard in a while, apart from her own breathing. The right hand lifts up and moves towards her face, a finger runs across her cheek, careful as to not scratch her unblemished skin. The movement is slow, but despite the best of efforts, painful.

“ Don’t you see, my dear? You wither away, day after day, like a once magnificent flower right after summers warmth, after the sun is gone and the ground freezes over. Why, you do not eat or drink, you won’t accept my comfort.”

She turns to look away, leaving the hand empty in midair. It, after hesitating, lowers back down onto her shoulder.  

“ Why don’t you sing, why won’t you dance? I long to hear your voice.”

She cannot help the large droplets from once again escaping her now dull eyes.

“ Accept my offer, do not refuse me.” The voice commands.

“ It is all but a mere façade! You know not a thing about these feelings you speak about, for you have never truly felt them. You lied, nothing you say is or was ever true. You have stolen me from my family and my friends, you are not to be trusted!” She wants to scream, but she had no more words to speak with. They had bled out with her feelings long ago.

The hands disappear again, the mirror refuses to show the owner of them. They return with another gift, setting it onto her lap this time. It is a perfectly cut diamond the size of an apple, and it shines brighter than anything in the room currently.

She stares.

“ This isn’t to your liking either? Behold its size, behold its sparkling glory. There is no other like it.”

She doesn’t have the energy to shake her head, but does pick it up and places it on top of a pile of other gems.

“ You have refused every one of my gifts, you do not respond to my inquiries. Aren’t these stones good enough? Aren’t these jewels fancy enough? You sit here like a caged songbird longing to be set free but know this.” Something moves at a lightning speed past her. “ One day, you will wake up and realize how much I care for you. I do not require much.”

There’s a creak, a step, one that makes even her look up. In the mirror, just past her shoulder are two eyes, bright glowing red. She could recognize them from anywhere.

“ My life has no more meaning, so I only ask of you to bring me joy.”

...

Aurora jolts up from her sleep, heart racing and hands shaking. She sits up, and blinks rapidly. She tries her best to calm down and looks around with sleep clouded eyes, the darkness is not as heavy as first appeared. Her surroundings do not look familiar, they are all wrong and just completely off but that’s because she isn’t at home. Oh yes, they had taken refuge in a cabin in the woods where a kind girl resided. That is why there are so many chairs and so many rugs.

Her blue gaze moves to the other person, now pressed onto her side.

Eilonwy sleeps soundly, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm to tell she wasn’t also in a nightmare. Her hands have taken hold of Rose’s dress, and her legs have kicked off the blanket that now lays abandoned by her feet.  

She hums, amused. It is still early, the sky has a lovely dark blue hue to it, that tells her the sun is just about to come up and make the day lovely and warm. It would be wise to let the others sleep as long as they can, to gather up strength so they can travel longer. However, she knows there is no going back to sleep for her, so gets up and spoons a drink of water from a pot.

Aurora stares at the hazy image of her in the water's surface, unkempt hair and pale face, until the ripples break it and have it disappear. Her hand lets go of the spoon and her legs make her sit down.

A dream, it had all been just a dream. It’s not reality, no matter what her heart keeps telling her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“ Not there, sonny! Come now, this way. Hurry! ”

Brown, dry leaves and fallen twigs crunched under their feet for what felt like ages, though they soon turned to loose rocks and stones as alive vegetation was left behind in favour of more, mountainy, scenery. On either side stood the sparse tree every now and again, but they were all long dead, resembling shrivelled up and chipped bones more than anything. The two travellers looked back at the colourful treeline far behind them longingly, wishing it had reached a bit farther. Although the branches had been thick and hard to see past with all their greenery, had they still done their duty and protected them with their shadows. Now they were in the open and vulnerable, surrounded by the hollow corpses of once grand forests, and they had to move quickly.

After coming face to face with the tall mountains that had not a moment ago seemed so small, Merryweather studied their surroundings with confusion.

“ There doesn’t seem to be a way around, we might have to climb.”

“ Are you certain?” Phillip scratched his head, looking horrified by the steep, endless mountainside. Just one misstep and it would surely lead to his doom, his neck would surely break, and a hungry vulture would peck out his eyes, not caring whether the young prince was alive or not. “I thought the way was, after crossing the Great Lake, to go through a forest and then a hidden mountain pass.”

“ Well, do you see a pass anywhere? We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”

Merryweather stopped, and stared at the map in her small hands, then turned it sideways, around, and back to its original side. She huffed and puffed and threw it to the ground in her frustrations. 

“ Tsk-tsk, this old, outdated, illegible, useless piece of trash, why, I ought to just…!” The woman took a steadying breath, to try and calm down. It had been a long few days of rough travel, but they were so close, she could practically feel it in her stomach. They couldn’t just give up now, and so, a way over the mountains had to be found. “Alright, listen up, what we need to do is,” The fairy hit a fist onto her palm in a determined manner. “We trace our steps back, yes that’s what we’ll do. We start over from the east path and follow it to the waterfall. And this time, I suggest we leave the horsie there.”

Samson neighed in protest, and she gave it a look right back.

“ Uhm, mistress Merryweather?”

“ From there we should go to- oh no, wait- it wouldn’t take us to the waterfall at all! It would lead us right back to the village of Padstow.”

“ Your excellency?”

“ Oh, I’m unfamiliar with these lands! Forget about the waterfalls, those are useless, we should instead take a turn to the right and go through the forbidden forest.”

“ Ma’am?”

“ Yes, yes, yes?! What is it, can’t you see I’m in the middle of-” She stormed to where the younger was standing, next to a mound of dirt and a dead prickly bush. “-Forming a-”  She hopped on top of a small rock, to take a peek at what the prince was looking at. “—Plan...”

In front of her very nose stood the rumoured hidden path, narrow and winding, between two mountains and nearly overgrown with spiky shrub and dead vines. It seemed to have once been much wider, but deliberately blocked with all size boulders. Luckily for them, it still had enough space to walk through. Merryweather headed closer and experimentally touched the plants lightly with her staff. They, in a blink of an eye, retreated and curled up, if only for a moment before growing back to block the way.

“ Looks like we have to be brisk. We only have a moment before these impale us. Ready ?”

“ Ready !” The man determinately nodded.

The blue fairy touched the long stems, and just as they began to move out of the way, they made a mad dash onward. Prince Phillip hurried after the woman, red cape flowing, as they trekked through. It was sheer luck it didn’t get caught in the thorns and rip.

“ I don’t understand why anyone would build a castle here. This place isn’t close to any village nor trade route, there is no way to do business or keep up with relations. It’s as remote as can be.”

“ Oh there used to be a village, alright. Two, in fact, one closer to the castle, one a bit farther down the road. They were both small, and instead of agriculture, they had a strong focus on mining. They traded metals like iron and copper and sold weapons to other kingdoms and their armies. But when King Frederius the second, the younger son of King Leonard, stole the kingdom from his older brother, many people moved away and took the trades with them. Even when he turned out to be a decent ruler, the idea of murdering your own kin drove the younger generations to flee in disgust… Soon the shipments stopped, the connections dried up and after that, the village became a ghost town and the kingdom merely part of the forgotten past. There was even a rumour the remaining people were slaughtered by the king’s evil son, but I don’t see that to be likely.”

“ You said you were traveling up north when Frederius was in power, and the Black Cauldron was created. How do you know this?”

The woman said no words, only throwing a book at his face. This had to have been the third time already, and he suspected it to be a deliberate action to relieve some build up stress, but would not dare question her in fear of retribution. It, the book, happened to be so old there were no covers left, only stacked, unbinded pages now freely disordered in his hands. Also, where she kept getting these books remained a mystery.

Once they crossed the path and neared the imposing castle, the two ducked behind a sizable boulder next to an old drawbridge.

“ It seems to be abandoned, as suspected.” Phillip observed. The towers were tilted, and they lacked an awful amount of roofs. Visible moss grew from every pillar left standing. Windows became doors and doors became windows as the stones fell in whichever direction once loose.

“ No, no it’s not. But somebody definitely wants us to think that.” The woman held a hand to her chin. “I might just need to use some- oh, look! There! You see what I’m seeing?“

A distant orange glow of a torch, moving from window to window on the lowest floor, was the only sign of any life inside the dilapidated pile of rock and wood. The light rapidly travelled west until gradually dimming and disappearing as the person moved further inside, no doubt.

“ You were right… There is someone, or something, inside. That complicates matters, we cannot just waltz in there.”

“ That’s why I’ll be going alone.”

The fairy waved her hand and shrunk again in size.

“ But I wish to help !”

“ No, my prince. You need to stay here, while I have a look around. It’s too dangerous for you to walk in there when we don’t even know what we’re up against.” Her head went from left to right as she looked for anything he could do in the meantime. “If you wish to be useful, try and listen to any passing guard or being. We could greatly benefit from any inside information.”

Merryweather flew along the bridge’s thick rusty chains as she gauged the best way to get inside. Just as seen before, there were windows, cracks and holes in the walls, all shaped doors and paths. The possibilities seemed endless, though that was also worrying. Where were the guards? Why wasn’t anyone on night watch? Why was everything left so open? Something didn’t add up here…

Despite her worries, she slipped through a tiny, cracked window, doing her very best to mind the broken, sharp pieces coming dangerously close to her brilliantly blue dress. Once inside, and after sighing a shoulder raising breath of relief, the woman took off flying to one of the many directions there were. The distinct lack of any living creature patrolling the hallways was feeding into the idea of there actually being no one, and she could have almost come to believe that they’d seen a ghost, if a sudden boom of song hadn't proven it all wrong. She opened a tiny, odd door and looked down.

" What in the name of..." Merryweather spied with her eyes the men below her. It was a hall of sorts, with at least twenty-five barbarians. Men of all ages, some with beards and some without, they wore tattered clothes of leather and fur, swung chipped swords and hollered tunes of unintelligible nature.

" Ho, ho, down we go! Into the depths of the oceans we row !" A small man sang, the mead in his hand splashed and spilled.

" To sea, to see the great sea witch! Her mighty name shall freeze the seas."

" Urs-" One man began to serenade throat straight but was knocked over by another.

" You imbecile! Don't say her name out loud, you'll curse us all. Do you want to be bloody killed the next time we cross seas ?!"

The fairy had seen enough. There had been no guards because they were all here. They were a bunch of drunken, superstitious idiots with no clear leader, let alone some sorcerer, in sight. But even so, she saw signs that the group of mismatched humans did indeed have a leader. A sizable stone throne sat high on top of a staircase, empty and with no sign of its owner. A tall silver cup sat on its armrest, fit for someone who gave commands and passed judgement. The men seemed to fear the seat, staying far away, and even avoiding looking at it, as if it would attack them.

Amidst the grey and brown and black of their clothing, something brightly green and small hobbled and wobbled through the men. A small, green, unappealing goblin with one bad eye who drew her attention immediately. The thing gazed at the throne, and once seeing it barren, left through a doorway on the right with not a single word to the people around it. So dark it was, she hadn't even noticed it there before but decided against her better judgement to follow.

" —And all they do is complain, oh! And what do I get? Blamed, that's what. It’s always me." The creature whined, but she had no idea what about.

Merryweather stealthily followed after the beast as it hopped from one step to another in a staircase with a thousand steps. Secretly she longed to kick it in the behind to hurry things along, but that obviously wasn't doable. Their journey seemed to go on for ages, until they reached the very top.

The creature stomped to a large door and knocked, hesitantly once, then twice for good measure.

“ S-s-sire?” It stammered with all the sleazy flattery it could apparently muster.

There happened to be no answers from behind the door.

“ S-sire? Are-are you there?” It hesitated. “P-perhaps I-I co-could just have a peek, augh!” The being hit itself on its head. “No, no, no I couldn’t go in. Sire wo-would wring my sorry neck for that.” It- he- whatever, turned around and the fairy watched the goblin hop away, and out of sight, before she came out from the shadows. Her thoughts raced, this ‘Sire’ must be in charge of the castle, so his room must be very important. There might even be possible evidence of ransom notes or secret plans. One chubby hand tried the doorknob, but in vain, for it was locked.

" Hmm... There must be a way inside."

She flew back outside and began to circle the tower, until she indeed found a window to the room. To no one’s shock, it wasn't only shattered but in absolute pieces, barely any glass remained in its original place, and it was easy to get through. So she flew in, turned back to human sized, floated to the ground and just as her feet had touched the stone floor, the woman gasped out loud. A hand flew to her chest where it suddenly burned and pulsed, a deep feeling of sorrowful loneliness crept around her heart and squeezed.

The room possessed the same energy, or lack of, as the forest clearing had back when they first began searching. It sucked out every bit of light and life that came contact with it. There was no room for any other kind of presence, it was ever consuming with an unyielding hunger, like a diseased wolf after a harsh winter. The woman shook and trembled, teeth chattered, and her breath came out in puffy clouds of white even if the temperature had been a pleasant autumn warm just moments ago. She rubbed her hands together and focused on happier thoughts and memories, to try and give herself some room to breathe in this space. It helped.

Once she felt recovered enough, Merryweather swept every surface with her gaze, too afraid to touch anything. The room she was in was a bedroom and must have looked grand at one point in its history. There was a large bed, a dresser, a chair, and a nice chest. She spotted a few rugs, quality furs, even if dusty. The amount of furniture spoke of the importance of the person calling this dwelling a bedroom. The taste seemed unusually expensive, carefully hand carved details lined the bedframe, the mirrors were painted with gold and there seemed to have been no sparing in expenses when it came to the fabrics.

And yet most things were in pieces, curtains were ripped down and some ended in a lining of uneven black as if burned. She took a careful step, but not careful enough because her shoe made two pieces of glass and mirror crunch into thousand smaller ones. The woman winced and chose not to walk any further. It was blatantly clear there was no leader, sorcerer, Aurora or anything of interest in there. Even if there had been some clue, would it most likely have been destroyed.

“ Quess I’ll have to check the dungeons, just to be sure…”

Her wings fluttered back and forth as she got in position to get out from there. She neared the window when the heavy clouds parted and allowed the tiniest sliver of light to pass.

Oh, the woman hadn't even noticed the passing of time. The sun that had guarded their travels for an entire day was gone, leaving the world in darkness like it did every other night. Replacing the spirit of day was the spirit of night, who usually helped the ones lost to find their way back home.

Surrounding the castle seemed to be unusually thick walls of clouds and mist, but the moon always found some way to help. The few moments of time the moon got to get past the clouds was enough to touch something shiny.            

In the middle of the never ending grey and mirky black, was something golden. On top of the torn bedding, next to the shattered mirror was a pristine golden hairbrush. It sat lonely and out of place, in the midst of all the ruin and chaos. Every time the clouds had enough strength to part ways and let the moon shine through, would the light hit it and make it glimmer and shine. The stones embedded on the handle sparkled brilliantly, there were red larger ones and green smaller ones. It was not the strangest thing she had seen today, nor the second or even third, but it was on the list, nonetheless.

She would have flown past it, not even given a second glance, writing it off as stolen treasure, if it didn’t have something that piqued her interest immensely.

“ Is… Is that?”

Stuck in the bristles lay a single, golden curly hair. She could recognise it from anywhere.

“ I-it’s- it’s- it- oh, oh !” She flew toward it with furious speed and cradled the object in her hands, like afraid it would disappear. It needed not much examination, she knew who it belonged to.

“ Y-you were here, oh my dear sweet Rose.” The woman nearly wailed. “You were here this-this whole time, and we did not come. We-we weren’t even close! You must have been so scared, so afraid. I am so sorry.” The brush was gently held against her chest, like it was a newborn baby, while her blue eyes looked around the destroyed chamber with new perspective. “But-but it l-looks like you put up quite the fight, I’m so proud of you!” The fairy wiped away her tears and smiled. “You managed to escape! That’s my clever girl. Now, do not worry, we will find you and you will never be in harm’s way again.”

She waved her wand and turned back to the size of a songbird. She flew through the window and back down to the ground where the prince was awaiting.

“ Well ?”

“ Only two guards have passed since you left. They didn’t talk much but I heard the other say something about how escaped prisoners had thrown everything off schedule.”

“ Oh that’s wonderful.” She sighed, lips stretching into a relieved smile.

“ It is?”

“ Look what I found.” She thrusted the tool into his face. The hair was still there, seemingly stuck, like frozen.

“ A brush?”

“ Yes, and what’s in it.”

“ A golden thread?”

“ It’s a hair, you fool.” The man took a step back but kept staring at the strand, eyes wide.

“ Is- is that, uh, hers?” The woman nodded.

“ It is indisputable proof Rose was here, at some point, and by the looks of the room I’d even say she was cared for. There was a nice proper bed, and-and a vanity table, and a mirror.” The fairy told in a relieved manner, she was so happy.

“ I say, never would I have expected them to treat their prisoners so well. Maybe I should get caught.”

“ Don’t even joke about these things.” She elbowed him on the side. “Alright, we have proof that she was being held here, and that she managed to escape.”

“ At this point she could be anywhere, right? Hiding in the mountains, sailing seas on a ship, traveling across the sand lands…”

“ No, I think she’ll try and get home. Back to the only place she has ever really known.“

“ Then we need to hurry back to King Stefan’s castle, and if the princess isn’t there by then, I shall command father to give me soldiers to aid in our search.”

“ Now I think we ought to think rationally here. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’ll take us a while to get back to Prumor, and we cannot forget to send word to Flora and Fauna and tell them we found something —“ She looked at him for a bit, as he gazed into the skies, seemingly ignoring her attempts at conversation. “Phillip what’s wrong?”

“ Your excellency,” The young man unsheathed his sword with swift strength. “I believe we’re being watched.”  

...

Stefan adjusted his crown again, long dark and dull robes weighing his body down like a bucket of iron. The image which greeted him in the mirror was a stranger wearing his face, sickly, tired, and much a fraud. On his fingers were his best rings and around his neck a decorated pendant. The man was ready. 

Today he was no king, but a father. A father who had lost his only child. 

He wordlessly thought back on the conversation his wife and he'd had with the good fairies before their abrupt departure from the castle.

“ Your most Royal Highnesses, you both must listen carefully.” Mistress Flora had pleaded with the couple. “You are most certainly being watched by Maleficent, and if you wish for your daughter to remain unharmed, you must hold a funeral for her. That way we can continue searching in peace. Suspicion might arise if you do not react accordingly, so be sad and mourn. Now is the time.”

And so was done. The command came nearly as fast as lightning, it spread far and wide to every corner and every nook in the land. The entire kingdom was to be mourning for eighteen days and eighteen nights, in which no labour was to be done, no fields ploughed, and no trade made. All flags, tapestry and buntings were to be taken down for that time, replaced by candles and flowers in loving memory for their beloved princess who none got to know. People came to the streets to sing hymns and say prayers, which were appreciated even if they were for nought.

Lanterns painted light pink and light blue were set free into the sky on the first afternoon, where they lit up the city before either coming down or disappearing. All wished to pay respects and show condolences for their lost princess. A great ruler who never was or got to be.

But at the end of the day, king Stefan knew better. He knew his daughter was most likely still alive and well somewhere, and there was a chance she would find her way home and they'd be happy for the rest of time. But even that knowledge could not begin to comfort him in this time of need, could not stop the shaking of his hands, nor the tears escaping from his closed eyes. It all felt much too real, it felt suffocating! 

It wasn’t meant to be like this, she was supposed to come home where he would embrace her for the first time in seventeen years. They would get to know each other, make up for lost time, talk and have tea, then one day she would give them a grandchild, and everyone would be happy.

An old acquaintance, a foreign royal, had given him a piece of advice the day after their daughter was cursed. He had, if memory served, told them to try and have a son this time. That way the kingdom’s future would be guaranteed with or without marriage, and that there was no use in waiting for over a decade to see if one child survived. Stefan had nearly started a war with the man, so mad and insulted he had been, but settled on banning him from coming anywhere near his lands ever again. That was over seventeen years ago, though it felt like yesterday, the rage came back with a blooming force and the man had to calm himself down. 

Back in the present, His Majesty lit a tall candle, like he was supposed to. He gave one to his wife, and they held them close to their hearts as a prayer was said.

“ Memoria De valens vivat tamque vestri. The princess was loved and will be loved forever more.” The priest declared. Somebody sobbed loudly.

Then they set them down onto an altar amongst a hundred similar candles and got up to leave. He took Leah’s hand onto his larger one and squeezed.

“ My, my, my. What a dazzling affair, wouldn’t you say so, king Stefan?” Came a voice behind them. 

The amount of sudden detestation was nearly suffocating as the King turned to yell at the intruder. 

“ You! Haven’t you caused us enough grief already!?” The king bellowed. He pointed at the doors with one finger, like lecturing a dog. “Begone! Begone, I say, you have no power here! We have a right to grieve in peace, don’t you have shame?”

Maleficent, who stood at the chapel's entrance, chuckled merrily. Her long robes blended in with the shadows so well, that she seemed to possess more room that she in reality did. To no one’s shock, she still appeared the same as that fateful day seventeen years ago, not seemingly having aged a day. She possessed cruel beauty, her lips were masterfully painted, and her long eyelashes naturally curled. If you asked the sorceress, she would unashamedly reply that it was a Forbidden forest root that gave her lips their glorious colour, but most, including Stefan, had their suspicion it was the blood of the innocent she murdered.

Though, under her sharp eyes did sit dark bags, the only sign of her efforts in finding the princess. 

It was scant consolation to the people of Prumor.

“ Do not fret, for I am just stopping by.” Her gaze was almost shining with glee when her cloaked figure approached the royal couple. The staff on her hand glowed every time it touched the floor. “I just felt it necessary to come and, ah how do you say it, pay my respects. One must be polite after all.”

“ And now you have done so.” Queen Leah, wearing a pitch-black veil, pleaded from behind Stefan. Her own anger was much better concealed than her husband's, she had always been better at that. “Please leave us to mourn. Allow us that much at least.”

The sorceress looked at her, looked quite some time, before approaching the smaller woman with unknown intent. Her sharp painted nails ran along the lace of the cloth shielding the queens hair, leaving unravelling threads in their wake. Perhaps she wished to ignite the fear in her heart once more, but the Lady of Prumor seemed unfaced by the attempt.

“ I don’t know what we did to deserve this.” Leah whispered, breathless, though still not afraid. She hadn't been afraid of the Mistress of all evil since that day she handed her daughter to the good fairies and watched her disappear behind the palace gates. “Our brief flourishing joy got replaced by heart crushing sadness and worry for seventeen long years, and now, we have lost our only child. We were never blessed with another, and we never will. I will never get to hold a child that is my own. I won't get to see one grow and learn. You took that from me, from us.” She took a step back. “I hope you are finally happy, I hope this brought you the thing you were searching for, though I highly doubt it.”

Maleficent simply continued to stare. 

Pain and the suffering of others were the water that made the garden of spikes and roses in her heart grow, until they bloomed into fleeting feelings of happiness. For a while she would be content, revelling in the misery she caused no matter how big or small.

But the Queen was right. After experiencing the newborn reactions to the destruction or loss, the feeling of being powerful would fade, and fast. After everything was said and done, this servant of evil would be left feeling hollower than ever, only accompanied by the distant echoes of once happy memories. And that had not changed even after three hundred years.

Maleficent watched the guests, the nobility and royalty leave the chapel, abandoning the flowers and the candles and the other offerings. They lay in the place of a casket, because there was no body to bury, she had made sure of that when her flames destroyed the cottage until there was not a pole standing. 

" Happiness? Hmph, useless." She pushed the door open and fled in frustration. 

The wind made the empty chapel hum, the hinges creaked as the door moved back and forth. 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“ This porridge is exceptional my dear! A true marvel, a culinary masterpiece.” Fflewddur Fflam praised as he licked his third bowl clean. Setting the thing down with enthusiasm he craned his neck to see if there was any left in the large pot. There was but a serving still at the bottom, so the man held out his dish for more. Snow White laughed delighted, though she felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.

“ Why thank you, you are quite generous with your kind words.”

“ Oh, I must have the recipe, it would simply be a waste to never have this again.” The older man rambled as the steaming ladle was brought to his bowl and the white milky grains spilled out and onto it. “Do you use sour milk?”

“ No, but a dash of cream does the job quite well.” The girl thought for a moment, glancing at the kitchen counter. “A pinch of sugar and a little bit of nutmeg, then we stir until the milk thickens.” She explained to the tune of her soupspoon which she waved back and forth.

“ C-could I perhaps write that down?” He asked hopefully.

“ Oh, you don’t mean that—.”

“ Now, now, I insist!” Fflewddur leaned forward with a look of utmost seriousness. Though the brief surfacing of bravery was not long lasting, and he leaned away ashamedly. “But, just, i-if it isn’t too much trouble of course, young lady.”

While the two were engaged in a lively conversation, at the other end of the table Aurora sat alone, stirring her own food distractedly. She watched as the small sugar crystals melted and disappeared the more she whisked the rapidly cooling mixture. Steam rose from it in tiny swirls that would have eventually reached the wooden roof, had not a force disturbed them. Aurora raised her gaze to see who had approached her.

“ Are you alright? You haven’t touched your food.” Eilonwy inquired as she sat down. The wooden bench groaned but did not bend.

“ I’m alright. I just didn’t sleep too well last night. What about you?” She admitted.

“ Oh, I say I have never slept as deeply as I did last night! I was too tired to even dream any dreams. Must have had something to do with all that running for our lives thing.” Both girls smiled. “Here, have some water.”

“ Thank you.”

The princess poured some for them each before setting the pitcher down. They ate in silence, dishes emptying from every bit of the porridge, before the younger opened her mouth again.

“ Was it a nightmare?”

“ I’m sorry?”

“ I was asking if you had trouble sleeping because of bad dreams.” Eilonwy placed her spoon down and wiped her mouth with a cloth. “I too often had bad dreams back at home. Mother would always order the passionflower tea, to help calm my nerves, she’d say. Then she’d braid my hair and sing about running through a grassy meadow.” 

“ That sounds wonderful.” Briar Rose whispered. She closed her eyes and imagined her aunts, how they would comfort her by holding her hand and telling stories. Fauna would sometimes sing a lullaby of a bird flying home, and Aurora would fall right back asleep. Her heart was heavy when she opened her eyes and returned back to the present. “But no, no, my sleep was very light. I woke up to turn around on the mattress several times, no nightmares involved.” She assured.  

Footsteps arrived at the entrance before the door swung open.

“ Alright, let’s finish up here. We need to pack and get going! There’s still much ground to cover, I’m sure, and we don’t have much time before they might catch up to us.” Taran announced while coming in, in one hand hung a bucket of water most likely from Snow’s request. “We need supplies. Some food, and uh, a new candle for the lantern, a-and a map.” He listed off the top of his head the more simple and obvious things that came to mind, raising fingers every time he remembered a new addition to their list of needs. “Maybe some rope and lots of water.”

“ Y-y-you’re right my boy, we can’t lose anymore daylight. Thank you for the meal.” The old man said as he got up, pushing his bowl away. “We are also going to need weapons. You might have that sword of yours but we three remain unarmed and vulnerable. I normally would never arm myself with anything but my words, but this time I am willing to make an exception.” His harp made a noise of protest about something, and he slammed a hand onto its strings. “You do not get a say in the matter! Us Fflams are known for our bravery.” He hissed to the object.

“ I’ll get the map for you!” The ebony haired princess rose from her seat and hurried to a large chest under the stairs. She opened it, only to have dust fly right in her face. Her hand rose to wave it away as she sneezed and coughed, until finally managing to get a hold of herself. Her small hands went through the numerous papers as the rest cleaned and packed.

“ Oh, there are so many maps in here. I wonder which one is right.” Snow White pondered. Above her neatly done hair floated the bauble, dimly glowing a rich yellow. It was interested in the big chest.

“ What then, when we get past the diamond mines and to the crystal lake? What shall we do then?” Eilonwy asked as she picked up her bedroll.

“ We start by looking for clues of Hen Wen, a-any sort of small footprints, marks, eaten apples. I’m sure she hasn’t gone too far, she’s real smart, you know? She knows when to hide and knows I’m coming for her.” The auburn boy explained. “Then, once we find her, we deliver her safely to Dallben’s care and—.”

“ W-w-what is the meaning of this?!”

...

The hall was eerily dark, white candles on the wall were seemingly in their last cycle of life, being burnt so many times they were practically collapsing in on themselves. A sizable throne sat empty on the other side decorated in the king’s coat of arms and a large, golden peacock in which feathers were embedded sapphires. It was simultaneously a lavish showcasing of incomparable wealth and unshaken power, and if the fine rugs and embroidered curtains were anything to go by, was in not even unfounded. Next to the seat was placed a cushioned little chair, where the King’s crown and staff awaited for someone to finally pick them up and put them to use. They rested on top of blue velvety cushions, golden tassels hung on the sides serving no other purpose than to look good.

“ His Majesty passed away long ago.” Flora explained to Fauna, as they sneaked about the castle like poorly mice. They did their best to avoid the dustier corners, both holding up their skirts hems. “Ten years ago, I believe.”

“ Then who rules currently, Flora?”

“ The new Queen alone, no doubt. Though, it has been a while since I was last here.” The woman peeked behind one of the many curtains. Behind it was hidden a portrait of sizable magnitude, framed in finely carved wood. It was of an older man, wearing an apple red cape and a golden livery collar. However, where the face had once been, was now just a hole, burnt or torn away by something. Flora shivered. “Ooh, it’s so cold in here! And the air smells odd, don’t you agree?”

“ Just like at the meadow.” Fauna bemoaned while clutching her wand. “Does the Kingdom have a sorcerer? A court witch or a soothsayer? Could they be the apprentice of dark arts the book mentioned?” The compiled works of an unnamed author had led them to blindly chase an unfamiliar foe to here, well past the boarders of France.

Back at the royal library of Prumor, they’d been seeking for the whereabouts of somebody highly capable in black magic, who had even at some point resided close to said Kingdom. Unfortunately, they had only found a few tales, of some who they recognised as deceased or unlikely culprits. They even stumbled across another tale of the dark sorcerer who supposedly had lived in King Frederius’s castle. It differed from the version Merryweather had read by a bit, because the blue fairy’s book had only speculated that the sorcerer might have taken up residence in the old castle, but this one claimed outright that he actually did so. One thing the books did have in common, however, was that both ended on the note that the person might still be alive.  

They put the book to the side and continued to dig further into the extensive library.

After Merryweather had departed with the young Prince Phillip, the two fairies were left alone with His Majesty to investigate other cases of interest. That’s when they found it, The Old Diary of a Wandering Man, who had stories of encounters with magical beings. One of those encounters sounded awfully like it might have had something to do with black magic.  

It was a short tale, the man’s own account on how a person was driven out of a village after ripping a woman’s heart out in a jealous rage. They had used only their hand, which penetrated both the cloth and the skin just as easily as one picked flowers. The person had sworn to become mighty one way or another, before disappearing in a flash of light toward the city of Kishire, where strange reports of deaths and trickery began to echo even across kingdoms. The person could very well have wormed their way to the palace and been poisoning the royal family for years to do as they wanted. That would explain why the villagers were speaking of a disappeared Princess. Perhaps this ‘apprentice of the dark arts’ as the author had described them, had locked her somewhere, where no one was able to find her.

“ That is very likely. Although, I just do not see what they would want with Rose? Or be doing at that meadow, so far from the castle. I still firmly believe we are this much closer to discovering the truth-” The woman paused, feeling the spells practically against her fingertips. She sniffed the air one more time. “But…”

“ But?”

“ We need to leave.” Flora suddenly turned around. “This magic is not the same as in that meadow!”  

A rapid clicking of shoes hurried to their direction, halting any attempted escape they might have had planned. Someone was coming, fast as storm, so the two women scrambled to hide behind one of the marble columns. The dark green double doors opened with great force, the light of the candles in the other hallway casted a singular long line into the room, turning the gems on the throne into fireflies, shining reflections of deep maroon and elegant blue on the curtained walls and pillars.

“ A swine heart! How dare he? Who does he think he is?! That dirty, good for nothing, little—!” The figure raged. They breezed past the two fairies, black cape flowing dramatically behind them. It was a woman, one they, to their horror, recognised.

“ T-that’s Grimhilde!” Fauna whispered and then slapped a hand onto of her mouth with alarm. Luckily the enraged Queen did not seem to hear them.

“ Are you absolutely certain?” Flora whispered back. She couldn’t see as well as the younger fairy.

“ Who else could it be? Look at that red pendant. It must be her.”

They turned back to the woman.

“ How could that bastardly fool betray me like that?! After all these years of loyal service and devotion to the crown…” She paced back and forth, high heels clicking against the stone floors. Then she abruptly stopped, raised one petite hand and flicked her wrist back. With that the candles once unlit began to burst aglow one by one, the flames deep orange. Now her appearance previously concealed by darkness was exposed. The Queen was beautiful, in a way only those harbouring evil desires seemed to be. Her cold eyes fostered the same smokiness a deadly fire does. Her lips were painted the same colour as pomegranate, or maybe an apple. On her head sat a crown, solid gold, and worth a good man’s life salary. The surrounding air that follower her was thick with the smell of rotten, something only the ones working with witchcraft could accumulate, and those experienced with spells could detect.

“ My goodness, it is her. And she hasn’t aged a day.”

“ Suspicious, don’t you agree? Well, at least we found one of the magic user, possibly the same one from the old tale. Though she’s no apprentice, probably hasn’t been for fifty or so years. And clearly, we have followed the wrong lead, for she is not the one who visited that field. The feel of her magic is completely horrid, but simply not in the same way…”

“ Hopefully Merryweather had better luck.” Fauna placed a hand onto the other’s shoulder.  

“ Hm, I can’t wait to tell her that Grimhilde is—.”

“ Shh! Look.”

The Queen marched to the other end of the hall and took hold of one of the curtains on the wall. She ripped it, and two candles in the process, down. First the fairies thought it was to relieve some of the rage and frustration she seemed to be experiencing, but on the wall was mounted a large mirror.

" Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space. Through wind and darkness I summon thee!” A gust of wind began to circulate the room, the flames flickered, but none went out. Flora held onto her hat as a precaution.

“ Speak thou words to me!” She commanded in the empty throne room. The two fairies looked at each other unsurely. Grimhilde would indeed have appeared mad, downright insane, if the mirror did not change right after she finished speaking. Thunder struck and flashed in the reflecting surface, the whole wall seemed to shake. Then a sickly green face appeared onto it from flames the same colour as the Queen’s magic. The thing took a breath, smoke from its mouth penetrating through the glass and into the real world, before speaking in a deep, monotone voice.

“ What wouldst thou know now, my Queen?”

“ Magic mirror on the wall, show me my desire’s not too far. What must I do, give me a resolution! I demand you to solve my problem. Where is Snow White?”

“ Over the seven jewelled mountains, beyond the seventh fall, in the cottage of the seven dwarfs dwells Snow White, fairest of all.” The mirror seemed unbothered by the rudeness as it spoke. Time seemed to have taken its toll on the spirit, as it seemed entirely unamused by the half mortal.

“ She’s with the peasants? Of course, how I didn’t see that is beyond me.”

“ My Queen, a warning I shall carry.”

She looked at the mirror again, digging her painted nails into her gown.  

“ Thou will indeed find Snow White at the cottage of the seven dwarfs. But beware, of hubris that will be thy downfall, of selfishness that will be thy doom. A stone heart will lead to thy grave.”  

“ What speak you?!” She raged, every movement from her clenched hand unlit a candle from the wall. First it was one, then three, then eight. It was slowly becoming much too dim to see, but the woman paid it no mind. “Explain, I demand you explain!”

The apparition closed its eyes and let the flames swallow it whole. The Queen was left in the pitch-black hall, after the last of the candles were snuffed out by her outburst.

Flora held Fauna’s hand as they scurried away from the room.

“ S-she’s the one who found the magic mirror?! I thought it to have been somebody else!”

“ Let’s not dwell on that, for now we must run.”

...

“ W-w-what is the meaning of this?! Who are you and what are you doing in our ho-ho-home?” A man demanded to know, a sentiment that seemed to be echoed by the others standing right behind him. Aurora counted there were four- no, five, oh no, seven! Seven little men armed with fine pickaxes and shovels, standing by the doorway. They pointed them at the humans with clear intent to harm if they so much as looked at them the wrong way.

“ Snow! Come stand behind us dear, quickly. We’ll protect you!”

“ You old devil woman! You think you could fool us into giving you Snow White just like that, huh? Well, we weren’t born yesterday!” One of them challenged as he looked at Fflewddur. “Come on, come on! Fight like a man- I mean woman, you witch!”

“ No, no, no you’ve got it all wrong. They were lost in the forest!” Snow White explained, to not much success. The two sides were yelling over each other, one accusations, the other explanations, though both went unheard or ununderstood. Her last resort was to bang one of the ladles onto the side of the pot above the fireplace. After it was quiet, she repeated.

“ These poor people were lost in the forest. They are not affiliated with Her Majesty.”

“ Hooray, so more mouths to feed!” The man in a red tunic angrily spat. He threw the pickaxe onto the ground with frustration, not much unlike a child. “I knew this day was rotten from the start. I knew it! My nose was twitchy.”

“ His nose? Oh no, not his nose! That’s a sign.” The rest mumbled.

“ We,” Eilonwy began, gathering the attention to her. “We are terribly sorry to have invaded your lovely home like this, but we really were lost.”

“ Yes, we just need a map and then we’ll be on our way!” Taran tried to reason. “You see, we do not know where we are. We’re supposed to journey past the diamond mines and toward a crystal lake. You wouldn’t happen to know where we are supposed to go, do you?”

“ Please help us.”

“ Hmm…” The man with glasses appeared thoughtful, rubbing his chin and scrunching his eyebrows. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, and the little men gathered into a circle, each ducking their heads down and placing their arms around one another. No one in the room had the heart to tell them they could still be heard. 

“ Hey Doc, what do we do? What do we do?” One of the men asked. “Do we give ‘em a map? Or do we boot them out like a sack of yesterday’s potatoes?”

“ There are mighty many, yes there are. But we’re not outnumbered. We have spirit!”

“ Did you see the golden sword, why, it was as big as me. He must be a prince, or a lord. But that weapon ain’t our handywork, no sir.”

“ It might be magic! And all magic’s bad.”

“ And if that isn’t, then the flying ball sure is!”

“ That thing ain’t right, it ain’t natural.”

“ Oh shut up you old turnip.”  

“ Silence men! I say we give them a map and then hope and pray that they’ll go away.”

“ Sounds good to me.” There were varying agreements and nods before the seven men turned back to the humans. They hid the tools behind their backs and sweetly smiled.

“ Oh, you say you’re lost, eh. W-we have here meveral saps- several maps! Would you like to take a l-l-look?”

Their sudden agreement seemed to put Taran at ease. He let go of his sword and let it settle back against his hip.

“ Yes, thank you, uh, sir.”

“ S-s-sir! Oh, Doc’s fine, my boy.” The dwarf fixed his glasses and took another look at the company. Then he pointed to his right. “And this is Happy and Bashful.”

The two men waved, though the other seemed to go beet red right after. “Sleepy, Sneezy and Dopey.” Doc introduced and they nodded to them. “And that one by the door’s Grumpy. I-ignore him, he’s a real goose.”

“ Huh?!” Grumpy exclaimed, before storming closer to the boy with the sword. “Listen up here buster! I ‘on’t much care whether you be a lord or a knight. But if any of you tell anyone about this place or who resides in ‘ere, I swear on me bones, I will find you, you hear!” He spat on the ground dramatically and then stared at him, as if to see if the threat was understood.

“ Uh-um…” Taran blinked but nodded. “Y-yes, sir.”

Doc clapped his hands loudly together, drawing the attention of everyone. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“ Alright men, that’s enough. These people require a map of the west path, and I say we give it to them.” He pointed to the only dwarf without a beard. “Go on and get it from the back. We need to m-mark some things down so that you won’t get lost, alright.” The man went to search for a pen. Sleepy let out a deep yawn, stretched loudly and then remarked.

“ We forgot to…” He smacked his lips and swiped at his nose. “Ask them who they were.”

“ By the stars, that we did!” Bashful buried his face into his beard. “Ooh, gosh an’ golly.”

“ Now you know who we are, but who are you!? So, out with it, give us names.” Grumpy hollered, but Snow White jabbed him with a rolling pin.

“ W-well it is always nice to meet n-n-n-nice, friendly folk.” The harpist began while clutching his instrument to his chest protectively. “I am Fflewddur Fflam, a humble and immensely talented royal minstrel. Then let me introduce you to Princess Eilonwy.” The girl curtsied. “Taran of Caer Dallen.” The boy nodded. “And Aurora.” She smiled.

“ Hmm…” Sneezy surveyed them from head to toe. He took a few steps closer as he circled them. “You lot aren’t from here, now, are you? Then where exactly?”

“ We come from France. W-we seek a way to return home.”

“ If you so want to return then why’d you leave in the first place?”

“ You see, we didn’t leave voluntarily. We were being chased by bad people and the Moon told us to come this way.”

The six dwarfs turned to glance at Doc, who was making his way back to them, a map in hand and a gleeful Dopey tailing right behind him. “The Moon’s an old spirit, who has guided even my grandpappy down the mountainside when there was nothing but coal to be mined. If she trusts them, I say we do as well.” He rolled the map open onto the table and began to circle things. “The ol’ silver gal told ya to come this way for a reason. Now, I won’t pry, your business is yours alone. But I think your appearance here was no coincidence.”

Taran walked to his side, silent as the older man showed him the markings he’d made.

“ You should walk down west there and then go climbing up this side of the mountain, not the other, that’s far more dangerous.”

“ Oh, all of this sounds so very dangerous.” Fflewddur sighed somewhere behind them.

“ We’ve made a good, proper path for ya there, so not to worry about it. Then after you have crossed the mines here, you continue down to the forest where the lake’s hidden away by thorns. You’re going to need something sharp to go through.” He moved his head to face the boy. “Yer sword will do finely, lad.” Doc rolled the paper back up and handed it to Taran’s waiting hand. “That’s the quickest way to the crystal-clear lakes.”

“ Ain’t no faster way known!” Somebody laughed.

“ Thank you.” Taran put it in his belt, where it sat ready to be opened again when needed.

“ Hah! You also cannot leave without supplies! Take a few rolls of bread, here.” Happy walked to Eilonwy and handed her a bag. She looked at it before placing the strap over her shoulder. She wasn’t used to carrying things like this, but knew she wasn’t in a position to complain.

“ I packed a few candles in there as well. And a waterskin.” Snow walked to them, carrying a pile of something that looked like blankets, deep blue and grey. “I also want you to have these capes. It’s the least I can do. They’ll keep you nice and warm when travelling. Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”

“ Thank you so much.” Aurora smiled and the two girls hugged. “I hope we’ll see each other again someday.”

“ Oh, I’m sure we will!”

Doc coughed. He threw his pickaxe over his shoulder and motioned onward with a wave of his hand.

“ Alright, Happy, Sneezy, come along. We shall see to it that they cross into Iron land safely. The rest will stay back here.”

“ Ay!” The two men got up.

“ Goodbye! Goodbye!” Eilonwy called as they began heading back into the forest. The cabin was left behind, the dwarfs and Snow White waved at them as they disappeared.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The pale-yellow hay swayed softly back and forth as the spring wind caressed it with every little blow. In the right-hand corner grew a myriad of flowers, sprinkled around the landscape like stars in the night sky. A hundred star shaped white wood anemones mixed in with a hundred indigo bluebells that sung every time the breeze moved them. There were small daisies with sunny centers, round cow parsleys and ever vibrant cornflowers as far as the eye could see. On the opposite side stood an old apple tree, its crooked growth stunted by decades of shadow and bad weather. It was not even near the time for apples of any kind, so in their place grew little delicate clusters of five petal flowers smelling so sweet the air around them turned practically intoxicating. Each of the petals had a dusting of light blush painting them, and the tree’s bark was ridden with a mixture of lichen and moss traveling up and around the trunk. The green scenery of the meadow was misty, morning dew gathered on the heavier leaves where it brilliantly pearled up into little beads that, once too heavy, would roll down and fall to the ground. What little sunlight managed to weave between the leaves and the clouds made them shine and sparkle like diamonds.

In the middle of it all, on the damp ground and on top of the cushioning grass, was a sizable patchwork quilt. There were little uneven squares of light blue and pink and green, some with patterns and some without. An unfamiliar coat-of-arms decorated every other patch. The edges were hemmed and crudely sewn, a loose thread had begun to come undone by one of the seams. It was a ratty old thing, but perfect for the purpose it was currently being used in.

On that thick blanket, amidst painted porcelain cups and their matching saucers, a serving dish with two slices of pie and a steaming pot of tea, sat two figures. The forest had welcomed them to seek a day’s refuge ever since the sun had first come up, and the two had taken every advantage of the kindly offered security.

Aurora’s petite fingers worked a sharp needle lazily through the cloth in her hand. The basil-coloured floss was getting shorter and shorter with every pull, it seemed as though she hadn’t brought enough. Despite that the girl continued to embroider at the beige cotton fabric, it stretched past the wooden embroidery hoop and fell to her knees. This was a skill taught to her by Aunt Fauna, who loved to turn memories into pieces of art abundant in colour and texture. Every time it rained, the woman would sit in her rocking chair by the open kitchen window and work for hours on her craft. One day she had offered to teach Rose, if she was at all willing, and the rest is history.

Currently the girl also attempted to turn a hazy image deep in her mind into something others could observe and enjoy. The string came to an end, and she blindly picked up another ball of yarn from her side where various other colours surrounded her.

“ Hm, hm, hmm   ̴ ” She hummed along with the passing winds, eyes falling closed.

The Horned King lifted his gaze from the book he’d been studying and turned his attention to the young lady next to him. She had her back to him, concealing her doings nearly completely. Rose could sense him watching but dared not say a word. Instead, she kept at her task and waited for something to happen.

Without sound her companion leaned closer, the blanket crinkling under the shifting weight as two slender hands settled onto her shoulders. He seemed to harbour every intention of seeing what it was she had been working on for so long. On the cloth were the beginnings of a magnificent garden with curvy rosebushes climbing all around the circular surface. The leaves were in layers of darker on the bottom and lighter on the top, some of the pinkish rosebuds were in full bloom.

Suddenly she pulled the work to her chest, hiding the delicate needlework with her hands.

“ No peeking.” Her tone was mock chastising as her lips curved into a secretive smile. Aurora craned her neck ever so slightly to see him better. “It is not finished yet. I’ll show you when it’s done.”

His roaming eyes could still be felt, leaving imaginary trails of heat from her neck and all the way down along her spine. For a moment the wind stopped blowing, the faraway songs of birds disappeared from her ears. She couldn’t hear the woodland’s enchanting humming or the hidden streams traveling. The heart in Aurora’s chest beat a little faster as she awaited for the man to speak, his low, gravelly voice always left her feeling a sort of security and longing. Be it wisdom born from age, or power coming from wealth, she found him entirely and endlessly fascinating. Each of his words always exuded an underlying sense of authority, in a way no one’s words had ever before, or at least not in her presence. It drew attention -no, it commanded it to be given whenever he spoke.

But he said nothing. The king only leaned back and reopened his book, burying himself in the world of knowledge once more.

...

“ Miss Aurora?”

The woman blinked, startled back into the present by a voice next to her. It took her a while to comprehend the changing scenery before her, eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar land with the caution of a newborn doe. They weren’t at the cabin of the seven dwarfs anymore but somewhere high and mountainy, with white rock and small prickly bushes. Currently the company was traveling up a steep slope alongside the mountain, staying close to the cliffside in order not to fall. They were so far off the ground that if she just reached past the edge of their path, could her fingers graze the treetops.

In response to her flinching, the hand on her shoulder immediately withdrew with a shakiness only associated with the elderly.

“ I-I-I am sorry, my dear. It’s just that, well, you have been so quiet. I didn’t mean to startle you like that.” Fflewddur Flamm hurriedly apologized, face twisting so much with regret it left him to appear years older.

“ Oh, I’m sorry Fflewddur. It seems my head must have been up in the clouds.”

“ What were you thinking, if you don’t mind me asking?” He offered a hand to help her past a particularly slippery stone. She took it and got past without a fuss.

" Truthfully, I believe I was thinking of the happier times.” She wistfully admitted, eyes gaining a shine of sadness as she recalled the memory. It now felt like a lifetime ago, something impossible and unreachable.

“ That’s understandable, dear. We all wish for those times, believe you me. I-I’m sure we’ll face them again, things aren’t truly hopeless.”

“…If you’ll please excuse me.”

Her dainty feet picked up the pace, leaving the man to walk by himself. He stared after her with diluted worry, which only grew in strength when Eilonwy spoke.

“ She’s been like that all morning. Told me she had a bad night.” She explained to the harpist who nodded sympathetically.

Aurora sighed. With every step her heart grew to ache a bit more. Soon would come the time for her to make choices, ones her entire soul seemed to be screaming against, and her troubled mind could not seem to make sense of it. Briar Rose would make the decision to protect the people dearest to her, she’d offer up her own life to save another’s, there was not a question about it.

But if it was all so clear, why was her mind speaking doubts now? Why were her feet ready to run in the opposite direction?

“ –And that side of the land was owned by my grandpappy in his time. He was one of the very best, that he was. They settled here over a hundred years ago, along with some friends and build a cabin. When I say those dwarfs were the best at their craft, I full heartedly mean it. Back then some families sent their sons out here to learn, and then they stayed.” Doc’s voice caught her attention.

“ Stayed? But what about their families, they just never returned to them?” Taran asked, lifting a fallen log out of the path and pushing it to the side.

“ That had always been the intention, to return home, I mean. But over the years of good company and peace, who’d want to leave?” The dwarf shrugged as if all made sense to him. “First it was just my grandpappy and his two friends who worked at the mines, and when their sons came of age, they joined. When I was about wee high-“ The dwarf placed his hand to his waist. “My grandpappy received a letter about a young lad whose mother wished to send him to work for us. Afterwards came another, and another until there were fourteen of us, fathers and sons and son’s sons. That is how we all came in the end, fate brought us together. When the elders passed, our fathers came into possession of the business, and once our fathers passed, the business was left to all of us remaining.”

“ What is it that you mine, exactly? Coal?” The warrior looked around while asking, the scenery was very different from what he was used to back home.

“ C-c-c-coal?! What outrageous, outdated claims you make! No, dear heavens no, mining coal is dirty b-b-business and takes no skill whatsoever.” Doc sputtered, cheeks reddening from the displeasure and adamant need to prove the claims wrong. He attempted to collect himself by taking his glasses and wiping them with the hem of his shirt, as if the words had dirtied them. This was something he seemed to be very passionate about, and the boy could only mutter sheepish apologies.

“ We specialize in gems, the precious kind. It’s our job to extricate them from the regular stone, sort out the highest quality merchandise and then sell them like so. But we do harbour the skill to make custom designed pieces with ‘em.” Sneezy explained when Doc wasn’t fast enough.

“ Hah, that’s the job, alright! We craft hair ornaments and necklaces, make brooches and bracelets.“ Happy gleefully added, chuckling as he counted invisible things with his short fingers. He lowered three more, as he said, “Rings, anklets, earrings...”

“ And not only those, but decorations too. Them fancy boxes and chests for rich people to store things in. There are no finer jewelsmiths in all of Germany, there ain’t!”

“ But don’t forget, we have sold to the royalty of other lands as well. Remember the christening gift to the princess of Prumor?” The leader dwarf chimed in, glasses now securely back on top of his nose. “Though that was nearly twenty years ago.”

Aurora nearly stumbled, caught off guard.

“ Oh yeah, the tiara! How could I ever forget, we slaved for that thin’. We had to source the cast from the east and the silver from the west, and let me tell ya, that was a hassle.” Happy slapped the palm of his hand onto his forehead with sudden realization. “Hey Sneezy, didn’t ya lose sleep over that dainty little thing? He was in charge of the decorating, you see, and that guy sure takes his work seriously. He used to stand by the forge and hack away at the molded gold until it was just right. Tis too bad she never got to wear it.”

“ Oh, don’t remind him, the poor dwarf’s still heartbroken about it.“

“ It was my best work!” Came a sob from the back of the line. Doc rolled his eyes and dismissively waved a hand towards the crying.

“ Ignore him, a sentimental fool. Anyway, if a thing with stones and gold resides anywhere near here, it most likely came from us. There simply ain’t no other smith in town.”

“ Gold and stones… Then this could be your work as well?” Taran’s gaze hopped from his hands to the men, before timidly offering his sword toward the two dwarfs. Both took a fast step back as it neared, eyes wide. It might as well have been aflame, for their reaction to it was poison sharp. Doc rubbed his cheek, seemingly nervous.

“ W-we don’t do swords, or daggers or weapons at all. We don’t believe in war, no good has ever come from a blade. Y-you better put that away before—.”

“ Now wait a second Doc! Look at the handle. See how the gold is wrapped around the stones, and how the gems have been polished? Don’t that look like the handiwork of old man Tubby?” Happy pointed at the metal, leaning slightly toward it.

“ L-let me see.” Doc grasped a hold of the boy’s arm and brought him closer, without touching the sword. He hummed thoughtfully as he studied the handle. “Turn it over, please.“ He asked, and then gasped.

“ Gosh by golly, you’re right as rain. It do look like the work of great uncle Tubby. But he only ever made three weapons with the blue man, and that was such a long time ago. Could this really be one of them?”

“ Hold your ho-ho-horses, good sirs!” Fflewddur Fflam picked up his pace and hurried to their side. “A-are you saying you know so-something about this strange weapon, huh?”

“ That is precisely what I’m saying. I just don’t see how it got to you, lad. You must be from a family of great warriors.”

The auburn boy hung his head as if caught in some elaborate lie. He glanced at his skinny arms, then at his lanky legs. “I-It’s not mine. I took it from a castle, it used to belong to a king. Me and the sword have no connection, this is my first time holding such a weapon. I’m not even fit to be a warrior.”

The shame must have shown on his face, for the wisest dwarf did not make a comment about the ownership. He offered no words of encouragements either but showed tact by beginning the tale he was expected to tell. He coughed once, clearing his throat.

“ This is how the story was told to me when I was a wee lad. On a day of a great snowstorm, my grandfather and his men got trapped in the mines with not a crumb to eat or drop to drink. They were certain their days were numbered until a stranger came to their aid. A tall, angry man with not too many words to speak, but many acts of generosity to give. He, with force unseeable, shielded them from the storm and led them back to their cabin, unharmed. The dwarfs asked what they could do for the stranger in return for his kindness, and boy did the man have a request.” Doc lowered his voice. “He asked for a dwarf to forge three things with him. A sword, a dagger and a wand. This did not please our grandfathers, they attempted to offer him riches, gems and gold, but the man would not have it. He had made up his mind.”

“ So what did they do? Did they refuse?” Aurora whispered back, voice matching the storyteller’s.

“ The others adamantly refused, all but one dwarf, our great uncle Tubby. He accepted the man’s request without complaint. He was to forge the handle to the sword, the strange man would do the rest. I’m certain you know already that your sword is no normal weapon.”

Taran looked at the covered tool in his hands, the handle sparkled in the sunlight. He tightened his grip and pulled it closer.

“ It is magic. But how did you know?”

“ The man, this blue wizard, told our uncle Tubby that the mightiest swords are only forged in the hottest of flames.” Doc explained.

“ A dragon’s fire…” Somebody muttered.

“ Precisely.” The short man nodded. “He gave Tubby a map to guide him to a dragon, a real one, but it was long ways from home. All of his friends told him he would surely die if he left, but he just shook his head. That dwarf had sworn an oath of loyalty, and he intended on upholding it to the fullest. He had given the man his word, and that alone has a weight in gold. And so Tubby left and was gone for a whole season, through rain and sun, night and day. My father believed him to have met his fate, until one late winter’s night, there was a knock on the door.”

Doc raised his gaze to cast a look at all the members, spying if anyone seemed disbelieving of his tale. The rest of the company had gathered to also listen, and none seemed to be too incredulous. He took a deep breath and continued on.

“ Once he returned, oh boy did he have stories to tell. He spoke of lands and of kingdoms, of Kings and Queens, told our fathers about battles and feasts. But their favourite tale was about the great dragon, whom he had somehow managed to befriend. Once old Tubby had reached its mountain lair, did he witness it being in grand peril unlike any other, or so he said. He never told us what that peril was, but you could see it in his eyes it was something unspeakably horrible.” The dwarf looked past the group as he recalled the one time he himself had heard the story from his kin. How, even before his passing, his uncle’s eyes had glazed over like untouched ice on a frosted lake as he relived the memory of those times. A lone tear had fallen from his eye as he told him that it was something one should never speak of, and Doc had never asked again. “He saved the beast and in return the dragon not only gave its flame to melt the gold in, but also one of its deep red scales.”

“ That’s preposterous! Dragon scales are known for being indestructible, meaning that they cannot be removed by any normal means, right?” Fflewddur argued with the strength of an ant. He just couldn’t believe what he was hearing, even if he too had witnessed things once thought impossible.

“ Yes, but you see, if a dragon chooses to give them up willingly, they shall fall as easily as an orange leaf in autumn. Our great uncle got one as a reward for his good deed.” The dwarf eyed the weapon again, but this time with something akin to knowing, recognition. “You might have noticed one of those red stones ain’t no ruby. I believe that’s the dragon scale. The old dog embedded the thing into the weapon fully knowing it would grant the sword durability.”

“ That explains why it shatters weapons!” Taran smiled excitedly and held the thing with new fervour. The boyish excitement would have been contagious had it not somehow involved a link to an alleged fire breathing beast. “But then- hang on, how come it seems to have a mind of its own?”

“ Once the thing was finished, it leaned against the backdoor waiting for the return of the blue wizard. It sat there long enough to start collecting dust, but uncle was adamant the man would return for the first part of their deal. It took only three nights before he showed up, like somehow knowing about the completion, and as promised he brought the blade with him. Tubby forged them together and then the stranger cast a spell on it.”

“ What sort of spell?”

“ Who knows.” Happy swiped at his nose. “But I’ll tell you this much, it was a powerful one.”

“ And it must have been meant for a person equally powerful. Those sort of weapons aren’t just handed out to anyone.” Sneezy stated, nodding. “It do make sense if a King of all people had it. I wonder if the old man knew who he was making that thing for.”

“ Yes, well, Tubby took the rest of the secrets with him to his grave.” Doc took a wipe at his left eye and then looked distractedly at the clouds. “They say that his spirit now rides with the dragon, not searching for a way home but forever exploring the vast oceans and many lands. Reliving his former travels with the friend we never knew.”

Aurora placed a hand onto his shoulder and squeezed before she too took a look at the skies. The story had been beautiful, yet sorrowful. Doc placed his own hand on top of hers, in a gesture of thanks, before clearing his throat again.

“ Speaking of home, our journey seems to have come to an end.”

They now stood at the very top of a hill, overlooking a dirt path below that curved and swerved before it eventually disappeared into the woods.

“ We won’t come any further, you’ll have to continue on your own.”

“ Thank you for everything, you didn’t have to show us kindness and yet you opened up your hearts to us.” Briar curtsied, and then the men shook hands.

“ Best of luck to you!” Happy grinned.

“ Be safe now, you hear?” Sneezy called and then waved.

“ Thank you! Goodbye!” Eilonwy managed to call before their company of four were hidden behind the trees.

...

A songbird sized Merryweather sat on Prince Phillip’s shoulder, one hand holding onto her hat and the other holding onto the youth’s cape for dear life. They rode through a particularly uneven stretch of ground, and she almost fell off as the horse jumped over a ravine. The woman wanted to tell him to slow down, but knew they needed to make haste.

Once they got through the hidden mountain pass and were safely back in the forest, Merryweather had immediately began to write a letter. With a wave of a hand she had conjured a shining quill and a roll of nearly see-through paper out of thin air, where onto she then began to scribble. She wrote and wrote, line after line, all neat cursive even if it was hurried. After finishing writing her news to Flora, she crumpled the paper into a tight ball and threw it back with all her might. It had shot far into the sky as a shooting star, traveling precisely where it was meant to.

Afterwards the two got up onto Samson’s saddle and began to ride back towards the lands of Prumor. They had only stopped once when it became too dark to see, but let’s just say much sleep was cut so that they could keep moving.

“Your excellency, I believe we’re being watched.”  The prince’s words echoed in her ears long after they were spoken into existence. He had said that horrible line right before dragging her away from the crumbling castle. He hadn’t bothered to elaborate further no matter how hard she had interrogated, so her only option had been to wait.  

Later after the cover of nightfall, he had explained with hushed whispers to having seen a suspicious bird, circling around his whereabouts. It seemed to have been staring into his soul as it landed onto a nearby cliff’s edge, not even once blinking. The shiny black feathers reminded him of something, but he hadn’t been certain of what exactly.

But Merryweather had an inkling. She had her strong suspicions of who the bird belonged to, and she did not like those ideas at all. So they rode faster, stayed up longer, cut their rest short whenever they afforded themselves some.  

She hoped and prayed they’d make it to Prumor safely, and without any a incident. That, or more spying eyes. The castle flags could be seen waving in the horizon now, the towers are sure to come into view soon, and then the tall walls and then the gates. She could almost hear the buzzling streets, the vendors, the market goers, the geese and the horse drawn carriages. A wave of nostalgia suddenly overcame her, and the woman had to wipe a tear from her cheek. This was the closest thing to a home she’d ever had, having resided inside the palace for over forty years, and been part of King Stefan’s court for twenty. She had witnessed the aforementioned man grow and learn and fail and succeed, had seen him get married, had been one of the first one’s to see little baby Aurora, and had been one of three to become the Queen’s most trusted confidant.  

Little Aurora… Briar Rose to her. Her little darling who only just recently had sat by their side and sung and laughed with them as they waited for the porridge to bubble. Wasn’t it only yesterday that they had been planning the big birthday surprise? No, that was so many days ago Merryweather had lost count.

“ Good day, your highness, your excellency!” They were greeted by the standing guards as they trotted through the gates.

“ Let’s go. We have much planning to do, and I think we might need some help.” She whispered in his ear and the boy flicked the reins again.

...

Sniff, sniff, sniff.

A peculiar creature sniffed around a large tree, with roots nearly the same size as its own body. It had detected an unfamiliar smell earlier and was determined to find out where it was coming from. It went around and around on all fours, then again on two legs for good measure, examining each blade of grass like some humans studied things on paper. The scent was definitely stronger on the right than on the left, it possessed a hint of something sweet that mixed in with the muddy scent of the wet ground.

“ Hmm…” It rubbed its furry chin. Strange, round, crescent moon shaped marks seemed to be everywhere, going in wide circles around the forest floor. The imprints lead past a pile of stones and through a thicket of varying kinds of bushes, on the ground lay a dozen fallen leaves. It seemed the thing that had left the prints had been in a real hurry.

In spite of the fears he held for the unknown, the being’s legs began to take it toward a thick berry bush, picked clean of any berries. The creature crawled under it, heading cautiously toward the nearest opening where little strings of light managed to touch the dark ground. It was the perfect way out, just the right size for anyone, albeit small enough, to exit. A fat rat seemed to have the same idea, as it too made its way toward the light. Out of politeness, the little thing stopped and stared at the rodent as it went on its way, giving it ample space to pass without confrontation. It gave a little squeak as the tailed being gave it a look, but no fights or flights happened. The rat must have sensed no danger, because it wobbled away, leaving only the sounds of crunching branches and hay in its wake.  

“ Bye-bye.” The creature whispered to the rodent, before moving closer to the opening. It peeked its hairy head out and listened. Something, or rather someone was coming closer.

Crunch, crunch, thud.

“ – I told you we were walking in the wrong direction!”

“ And I told you we weren’t! This is the path, isn’t it? They told us to follow it.”

“ Ha! Do you see any lakes anywhere?” Eilonwy scoffed and crossed her arms. She threw the sack down from her shoulder and refused to take another step.

“ Well, uhm, no, but we will get there soon! I know it.” Taran stubbornly answered back while looking around in hopes of finding a sign that they were still going in the right direction.

“ Le-let’s all calm down, now. I’m sure we will find it. We just need to keep walking.” Fflewddur picked the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He faced the road again, but even he had to admit he was beginning to lose hope. There was not a lick of water anywhere and hadn’t been for who knows how long.  

“ But we have walked for hours! This-this road is never-ending.” The young princess sighed. The bauble suddenly shot past her head and flew around with furious speed. “Oh, look, now it found a rat, or a mouse. We must get out of here, I don’t want to know which.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

The creature in the bushes crunched his face in thought. What were these trespassers doing in his forest? He should tell them to leave at once or at least ask if they had any food with- wait, he knew that human. Yes, he recognised that hair!

“ Master!” It yelled and jumped out. The old man screeched as the creature latched onto the front of Taran’s shirt like the most annoying burdock.

“ W-w-what?! Gurgi, what are you doing here?”

“ Master remembers! Great prince has survived the evil place and has come back alive!” It rejoiced.

“ Ge-get off!” The boy managed to detach the furry ball of energy from his shirt, but not before it gave him a slobbering kiss on the cheek. Taran wiped it away as Eilonwy chuckled with amusement.

“ Wha-wha-what is tha-that thing?” The musician peeked at it from behind the boy’s back with uncertainty. He held his harp close in hopes that it could be traded for his life if things came down to that. “Is it dangerous? A beast like that cannot be trusted, right?” He whispered.

Gurgi looked at the elder most offended. It stomped its foot down with displeasure and growled. It was far from threatening, as intimidating as an angry kitten, but the human shrunk further behind the youths.

“ A-alright, you can leave n-now. Little beast, off with you! We do not want your company.” He shooed.

“ Oh come now, he doesn’t mean any harm. Am I right?” Aurora laughed and crouched down. She offered her hand to it, palm facing forward. It was a way she usually neared creatures unknown to her. “Gurgi was it? My name is Aurora. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“ Ah!” The hairy creature came closer. “Pretty lady like a rose! What is kind lady doing in the scary forest?”

“ We’re lost.” Princess Eilonwy came to crouch next to them, smiling her sweet smile as she studied the being. “We’re looking for a round lake.”

Gurgi seemed surprised by the presence of both ladies, humans of beauty it had never seen before.

“ Sister of rose like a cherry blossom.” It pointed and then looked away coyly. Gurgi took a lick at its hand and brushed it against its head, attempting to smooth the messy fur. It didn’t work, so it gave up and just grinned at the women, who smiled back. “And nice ladies are looking for lake? Gurgi has seen no water, nope, never.”

“ Oh, don’t waste your time, it’s no use! He doesn’t know where it is, and we don’t seem to be any closer than we were an hour ago. At this rate we’ll never find Hen Wen.” Taran slumped against a rock, defeated. He rested his head against his palm, secretly fear and doubt were beginning to eat away at his heart. “Dallben would be so disappointed in me…”

“ Don’t say that!” The younger princess got up and gently placed her hands to his cheeks. He looked into her sapphire eyes, feeling a new sort of warmth in his stomach. “Taran of Caer Dallben, I won’t let you give up. Not after what we faced back at that castle. Not when we’re almost a stone’s throw away from finding her.” She caressed her thumb against his face. “You might not see yourself as a warrior, but I believe in you. You’re as good a warrior as any. But you mustn’t give up now.”

The two stared into each other’s eyes, the days of running and fear and heart racing stress were forgotten for a moment as they were seemingly the only two people in existence. Her hands were soft and warm against his scuffed cheeks, though soon they felt freezing as heat rose to his otherwise pale complexion.

“ P-princess, uh, I mean, Eilonwy, t-thank you.” He muttered quietly.

A tug at his tunic woke him from the dreamland. Gurgi was looking up at him, grinning.

“ Master, master. Gurgi hasn’t seen any lakes, but Gurgi knows where the pink pig is!” It made a sound imitating a pig. “Yes, yes, yes! The one Master’s searching for. Ran right through here, it did.”

The farm keep wiped his eyes furiously as he hurried up.

“ You know where she is?! Where, how? Can I trust you this time?”

The creature wordlessly pointed at the tracks, which now made a lot more sense.

“ Oh, how did we miss these.” They marvelled at the clear prints, which led straight ahead.

“ See, Gurgi not lie!” It jumped up and down, then muttered under its breath “Not this time, never again to friends.”

“ Alright everybody, let’s go! We don’t have a moment to lose here.” Taran gestured for them to begin moving. Gurgi grasped his hand, and he was too distracted to shake it off.

They walked down the path, climbed over stones and jumped over dry trenches. Gurgi plucked a small, bent daisy and brought is to Rose, who placed it behind her ear and, in thanks, kissed the top of his head. The mood seemed to slowly grow light as a feather as the harpist began to piece together a new song about their adventures. They threw around words such as “bravery”, “mighty” and “strength” to describe their ordeals, and by the end of their journey, the lyrics had gained a melody to accompany them.

“ And bravery is a mighty strength!” The man belted out, plucking one of the harp strings. “One which I have seen before. One which I- uh, I have um…” He thought, scratching his head. “How does the word ‘ possess‘ sound? One which I possess a great deal. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you agree?”

“ That’s brilliant. You might also want to add something about the—.” Aurora began to suggest but was shushed by Taran’s abrupt stop.

“ Look!”  He rejoiced pointing. “It’s the crystal lake, perfectly round and clear as a gem. Just as we were told.” His feet hurried to the shoreline. “The tracks end here. Look, they go from here to there and then disappear just by those rocks. She must have crossed it.”

Gurgi used all of its strength to jump over to one of the rocks, hopping along them until he reached the very middle of the water. Just as he was about to jump onto another one, it sunk and disappeared into the depths. He looked at it positively horrified, but before he managed to call out or jump back, the stone he was standing on began to also sink. In a desperate plea for aid he called out,

“ M-master! Master!”

“ Gurgi!” Taran ran into the lake, it only being about waist high, and reached out to grab the creature’s hand. Instead of managing to pull him to safety, he lost his balance and was knocked over by the suddenly rushing water. It had transformed into a spiralling vortex, more powerful than all of the humans strength combined. No matter if you held on, or not, or if you were old or still young, it dragged you down into its depth without care. Fflewddur attempted to take hold of his shirt but was pulled in and soon both went around the lake, struggling against the watery grasps of something.

“ Taran! Taran, no! Fflewddur!” Eilonwy gasped and jumped in. Out of instinct Aurora grabbed onto the younger princess’s dress, but that did nothing. They both also fell under, the waves became stronger and stronger, going around and around like teased by the wildest of storms. No matter how hard they tried to cling onto the reaching plants, claw at the sandy sides or hold onto one another, they were ripped apart from each other and spun around without air, until all of the waters calmed down and everything fell to black.

Birds chirped, a frog croaked. The water’s surface was still once more, as clear as crystal in the setting sun.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The smell was of something damp and earthy, thoroughly invading and lingering. A hint of an underlying, savoury scent of salt could be detected in the back of one’s nose if focused on hard enough. Every now and then a drop of water would fall from the ceiling, echoing with a small plop when eventually hitting the rocky ground. There they accumulated into little puddles that weaved their way forward between the cracks in a never-ending line, until they reached far beyond the sight of a mere human eye.

Aurora blinked her eyes open, before bracing herself up by a pair of shaky hands. She took a slow, self-studying breath as she set out to gage the extent of any possible injuries. Her legs moved even if cautiously, all fingers were present and accounted for, there didn’t seem to be any bleeding. Her chest rose without pain, both of her ears picked up on the water’s happy sloshing. By some gracious miracle she seemed to be completely intact and uninjured.

“ Eilonwy?” She whispered into the darkness, eyes yet accustomed to it. She swiped hair out of her face but that did little to help. From the pitch black came back no answer, so the girl tried again. “Taran? Fflewddur? Is anybody there?”

A groan came from somewhere not far from where she now sat. It was low but possessed a sort of boyishness unintentionally revealing who it might possibly belong to. The woman’s eyes narrowed as she began to make out barely visible shapes, mere outlines of things, some darker and some lighter.

“ Taran? I-is that you?”

“ Ugh, uh.” A different voice replied back with a whine, this one from behind her. It was deeper, weaker, older. “I-it’s not,” There was another groan and a pop, most likely from stretching limbs, “Morning yet, is it? Quit making such a ruckus. Young people these days…”

“ Fflewddur! Are you alright?” Aurora inquired and reached out near blind to help him stand. Her hand brushed empty air with wide useless swipes until settling on top of his arm, where she then adjusted her grip.

“ Q-q-quite alright, m-my dear. Don’t worry about little old me, I’m fit as a fiddle.” His knees shook like twigs in a storm, but she held him upright by the arm with all her strength. “I-I just need to c-catch my breath, is all. No need to fuss.” The man attempted to half-heartedly extract himself from her hold and show he was fully capable of standing on his own. That almost ended with him falling face first onto the ground, before she managed to regain her hold under his arm. “B-b-but perhaps it might be best if you kept holding on, just in case.”

“ Wha-what happened? Where are we?” Eilonwy asked, taking a wobbly step towards the others before she coughed. “Ah, I feel so dizzy… And I must have inhaled dust.” Taran hurried to her side, not touching or steadying like Aurora had done, but instead hovering over the small princess like a guard in case she fainted.   

Something shiny neared abruptly, and they had to shield their vision from the light. The bauble came flying before them with the strength and energy of a puppy dog, glowing a faint, but still blindingly painful yellow as it too looked around. In its light the humans could see they had been transported into a cave of sorts, one with many a round pathways and no visible markings of any life. Very much there wasn’t to see, tall limestone walls were jagged and chipped, sharp spikes in the place of trees and ready to snag anyone who got too close.

“ We were going to, uh, to the Crystal lake. I think.” Taran strived to clear the mystery as he rubbed his head. He felt no injury, only a steadily disappearing pounding in the back of his skull. “Then we found it. We began looking around. Gurgi went to jump over the- wait, where’s Gurgi?”

“ Master.” Came a sad whimper from behind a pile of rocks before the aforementioned creature walked to them, thoroughly wet and miserable. “Gurgi,” sniff, “Does not like water. Now, is all wet.” It sighed before getting on all fours and shaking its body dry. He was left resembling a puffy dandelion reaching the end of its flowering cycle, when the sunny petals get replaced by soft, cloud-like seeds before flying away.

“ Glad to see everyone’s alright.” The boy with the sword sighed from relief once the last of their party was accounted for. “We need to find a way out of here. I don’t feel any breeze, but there has to be some way to get back to the surface.” He placed a hand behind his ear and closed his eyes, in an attempt to listen for any possible sound. The water was frustratingly loud, in this suffocating echo chamber it seemed to drown out any other noise there could have possibly been. His brows scrunched in concentration, lungs full of air his body wouldn’t let escape. His heart pounded against his chest so hard Taran could feel the vibrations in his bones.

Little pebbles were kicked around as the others in their company were beginning to gain the courage to look around, Fflewddur’s back cracked, Gurgi sniffed at the ground by their feet. In the midst of all that cacophony it was hard to concentrate.

“ Perhaps we should try to call for-for help?”

“ No, we should follow the water! It has to lead somewhere. It can’t possibly go on forever.”

“ Everyone quiet!” Taran burst out, louder than intended. “Please, I’m trying to listen.” He positioned himself back into facing one of the tunnels, held his breath and listened.

Tiny, little mumbles somewhere far away. Unintelligible, unexplainable, not getting any closer but not going farther either. The unmistakable sounds of talking. The boy’s eyes flew back open, but his hands stayed frozen behind his ears. The harpist was about to set a hand onto his shoulder and ask if he was in any pain, when Taran placed a finger onto his lips and motioned for his friends to follow. They tiptoed onwards, past puddles and spikes before reaching a particularly large pile of carefully arranged stones. The rocks were in a formation resembling a hedge, reaching to the level of their waist.

The humans peeked over it, the mumbling now loud enough for the others to hear. 

“ Oh, aren’t you all darling!” Eilonwy cried out in delight as she finally laid her eyes upon the ones making noise. It was two small, glowing creatures, wearing little hats and even tinier shoes. They seemed most caught off guard by the large intruders.

“ O-oh, ah, good day to you.” The one clothed in red spoke with alarmed friendliness, taking a step or two back as the uninvited guests hopped on over. “W-well this sure is a surprise! How very peculiar.”

“ What are you?” Taran questioned while staring, mouth nearly agape. He had never seen a creature so small. Gurgi, who had stayed faithfully glued to his right leg, snarled at the two.

“ I-I am King Eidilleg of the fair folk. Whom do I have the utmost pleasure in speaking with?” His smile was clearly guarded and forced, but etiquette appropriate good manners took hold fast.

“ I tell ye what they are. Burglars, thieves, trespassers!” The other fairy seemed to shake with rage, casting a fiery glare at each hugeling. “How in the blaze did they manage to get in here? Where's the guard?!” He readjusted the yellow hat on his head, but it kept falling in front of his eyes, seemingly enraging him further. The pressing issue about rats, or perhaps moles, they had been privately discussing seemed to have been forgotten.  

“ I’m Taran of Caer Dallben, and this is Princess Eilonwy.” The girl waved. “Aurora.” The older girl curtsied. “And Fflewddur and Gurgi.”

" Might you perhaps be on a f-friendly visit? Per-perhaps I could be of assistance?" King Eidilleg held his crown respectfully in his hands, hoping and praying that the trespassers harboured no ill will to him or his people.

“ We didn’t mean to intrude, your majesty. We fell here on accident.” Aurora explained. “We were crossing a lake and something strange happened. It was as if it had swallowed us whole.”

“ A lake you say…” The king looked pointedly at the other fairy, voice gaining an accusatory tone.

" Oh, I get it! Everything that happens around here is my fault, right? First, it's the spirit of the lake and then the pig and now these blasted humans—!”

" Pig? Did you say pig?" Taran gasped.

" Oh, is she yours lad? Well, it is mighty swell that you came then. She has eaten most of our supply of corn and cabbage." King Eidilleg put the crown back on with a relieved smile. “Someone fetch me the pig! Chop, chop.”

An undoubtedly happy squeal and a grunt rang from the tunnel to their right as a small pink pig came running to Taran's awaiting arms. The boy had crouched down in preparation and instantly wrapped both hands around the animal with just as much enthusiasm. The pig nuzzled its snout into the crook of his neck.

" Hen Wen! Thank heavens you're alright, oh, I was so worried. But all is alright now! I’m here, I’m here."

" Ah, so this is the Hen Wen I’ve heard so much about. Nice to meet you." The younger princess introduced herself with a playful bow. The pig, once calmed down enough, looked at the girl before offering one of its short legs to her. Eilonwy giggled good-naturedly as she shook it.

“ Hen, this is Princess Eilonwy, my good friend. She helped me find you. Oh, me and Hen have gone on all kinds of adventures, you wouldn’t even believe! There was this one time, the cat got lost in the woods and we had to—.”

The King watched at the youths conversing, he so enjoyed heartwarming reunions, before leaning closer to the only adult he could see. 

" My good man, tell me something. Is the burning and killing still going on up there?" He pointed up to the surface, not wishing to say more. Luckily the human caught on immediately. 

" Oh y-y-you mean that awful, horrible, joke on humanity! The Horned King!"

" Won't that bastar- Ow! Sorry… Won't that beast ever die? Hasn’t he lived plenty enough? I wish he would kick the bucket already and leave us normal, peaceful folk to mind our own business." Doli complained while settling to fly next to his majesty. Decidedly he chose the spot farthest away from the humans.

" Don't be silly, that's what all of us are hoping for." Fflewddur crossed his arms and nodded pointedly. “It is good that we can agree on something.” Even the harp seemed to share the opinion for it did not make a single sound.

" Ah, many men have tried and even more have failed in their pursuit to destroy that devil. No one, and I mean no one, escapes him alive."

" That's not true, we escaped and we're unharmed!" The younger princess piped up excitedly, cutting off Taran’s tale of grand, and most likely exaggerated, adventure. Her hand rose to scratch behind the animal’s ear as she diverted her attention to the adults.

" But you didn't face his horned majesty. That," The fairy king shuddered, rubbing his forearms with his tiny hands, as if he were cold, "Would have been a certain death. Possibly a day more and you most likely would have met your fate." 

" Did you hear that, Aurora? That means we were luckier than most." Eilonwy moved to grasp Aurora's arm with both hands. The older girl said nothing, but stood there feeling something horrible stir in the pit of her stomach.

“ Stupid, that’s what you are, you hear! ‘Luckier than most’, bah!” Doli spat in the girls’ direction. “Not an ounce of sense in that head, no.”

" Why would that be, child?" King Eidilleg inquired, now intrigued. He flew past Doli who seemed offended by being ignored.

" Because we did meet him! Came face to face and all that.” Eilonwy explained like telling a common story. It showed how young she was, not realizing how close death had actually been for her.

“ This is no joking matter, child. You were incredibly fortunate to have escaped with your lives, not to say in one piece. It’s been quite a while since I’ve met anyone who has been in his presence and lived to tell the tale, apart from the men pledging loyalty to him.”

" Oh, shut up!” Doli chastised, brushing his arm down in a dismissive motion. “Don’t praise them for surviving something their stupid little human minds got themselves into! They need no reward for that.”

“ Hey! I didn’t go there willingly, I was taken! By force might I add!” Eilonwy rushed to defend herself, hands on her hips.

“ As was I.” The minstrel chimed in, holding tightly onto his harp like he did every time he was displeased. Even if it indeed was his poor skill in recognition that got himself trapped there in the first place, well, no-one had to know.

“ And you?” The angry fairy flew in Taran’s face, pointing a blaming finger at him. “What’s your excuse, huh? They might have not been stupid enough to waltz right in the castle, but you certainly did.”

“ H-h-how did you know that?”

“ Oh, Hen Wen has told us all about it. Quite heroic if you ask me. Challenging his majesty by denying his request and then fleeing like that, while a dozen armed barbarians chase after you, how brave and noble of you, my lad.”

“ And stupid! Simply idiotic!” The inventor fairy practically screamed, kicking the air around them. The king ignored him as he turned to the last member who had yet to speak up.

“ And you my dear? You must have been captured also. Terrible business I’ve got to tell you…”

“ No, your majesty.” She shook her head. “I was there of my own free will. I walked through those crumbling hallways on my own two feet.” Aurora bowed her head, cheeks colouring with growing shame. She couldn’t bear to look at the sympathetic faces of her friends, nor the baffled face of Doli. “So if Taran’s actions were stupid, how foolish were mine?”

Both of the fairies were, for once, silent. It might have been the shock or disgust, whichever it was she did not wish to know.

“ Aurora, it wasn’t your fault. He tricked you. Manipulated you.”

“ Yes, but it was plain to see for the whole world, yet my eyes remained blind until the very end.”

“ You stop that.” Fflewddur set a firm hand onto her back, just as she had done earlier. “No more of that! Who knows what horrid fate he’d have planned for a sweet child like you if you hadn’t escaped with us. I don’t understand why he saved you, but it couldn’t have been good. There must have been an ulterior motive, he has no heart after all. He can only cause harm.” He looked down at the ground, the thought of the young woman unknowingly in the clutches of that monster was positively terrifying.

“ And that is why we need to stop him by finding the Black Cauldron and destroying it before he gets his hands on it! Its powers could be used to destroy the world, and we cannot allow that.” Taran declared as if they had some great plan already figured out. 

“ Oh, you really believe the witches of Morva will just give it to you? Ha!” Doli rolled his eyes. Taran raised an eyebrow.

“ Morva?”

The humans looked at each other confused.

“ Ah, Doli, could you perhaps…?”

“ Oh, blast it!” 

...

“ Pha-Phew...” Merlin blew another one of those perfectly circular smoke rings out of his mouth before setting the pipe down with gentle hands. The thing was well worn out, and he did not need it breaking any time soon. It had been a gift from a craftsman long ago, but he must have passed already, so there would be no-one to make him a new one.

The old man stood by the tower’s crooked window and looked mindlessly down onto the messy, overgrown courtyard. It should have been the perfect place for royal knights to practise their swordsmanship, dodging, swinging and ducking. Currently however, the space was invaded by weeds of all sorts pushing from between the tiles and growing across broken pillars. In every corner was a pile of unswept leaves and rubble, once grand archways were now nothing but ghosts of their former selves.

It was no real castle, and not a proper home either, but it had to do for now.

And he wasn’t standing there to judge the state of someone else’s home. Or not out loud at least, and not today either. No, he was busy looking at young Arthur as he dutifully aided his foster brother in his practise. Jousting was such an outdated, brutish form of problem solving, and a classless style of sport in his opinion, but Merlin kept those thoughts to himself. He did that a lot nowadays, keep his mouth shut, I mean.

“ Use your muscles, not your head!” Sir Ector, the owner of the castle, yelled as he jammed a finger onto his son’s helmet hard enough to dent it. The decorative blue feather, which had been holding on for dear life, fell in the process. “Keep your eyes strictly on the target, swing only when the time is right, you understand?! Do not think anything else. Knees tight, hands firm and make sure not to lose your grip.” The adult barked. “And if the other bloke does not go down that easy, then the swords shall speak! You’ll both draw your weapons and!” He finished the sentence without words by swinging his hands wildly imitating a swordfight. The efforts seemed to have been greater than anticipated, because the large man had to sit down and take a breath, forehead sweaty and gleaming even in the cold air. “Thu-trust me- whew, I am an expert.”

“ Ha, ha! An expert indeed.” The wizard shook his head and leaned against his palm, suddenly bored.

Ector hurried to point at Arthur, red moustache bouncing with every word.

“ Wart! Straighten that training dummy at once, boy! We’ll try once more, and this time you better land a hit Kay. Otherwise it’s good-bye to London. We need you knighted by Christmas, you hear?”

The wizard sighed and shook his head again. A human would always need to use their head, no matter what position they were seated in life, or otherwise certain doom would befall them. He wanted to march down there and tell them just that, but of course someone like Sir Ector would never understand or entertain such an idea.

Truth be told, Merlin’s head wasn’t really in the happenings of the courtyard. Or the state of the castle or his pipe. No, his thoughts were swimming through a hazy mist of white and grey, somewhere far above the clouds. An unnameable worry tasting of metal and dirt had ruined his perfectly good breakfast, his inability to stay focused had left his tea cold and way too sweet, and an unyielding feeling of unease made no space in his bed for sleep. It was all so ridiculous!

And yet when Merlin closed his eyes, images of red and steel flashed behind his heavy eyelids, stirring him from any possible rest. The feeling of freezing breath in his face made his teeth chatter, in his nose the smell of wet mould. At times it was like somebody was coming closer, step by step, inch by inch until—!

“ W-what now, what’s the matter now?!” Archimedes peeked out from his very own comfortable, and more importantly waterproof, housing. He must have seen Merlin’s distracted demeanour, because the bird flew straight over. “I cannot concentrate when you keep huffing and puffing like a broken chimney. What’s on your mind, anyway?”  He too spied at the people down in the courtyard but saw no reason to act like a worried hen mother.

“ Ah…” The human said as if just realizing he had been deep in thought again. Absentmindedly stroking his long beard, he glanced from Arthur’s running form to the impatient bird next to him. “What is it? What did you say?”

“ Oh, for the last time! What is the matter with you?”

“ …In truth, I’m not certain, Archimedes. I just have this feeling. Like as if something were very, very wrong.”

“ Well, what is wrong? The weather is nice, the boy is learning, we have a roof over our heads even if said roof belongs to the most miserable old castle in all the Kingdom.” The bird fluffed its feathers as it puffed its chest. “So what, what? Why do you believe something to be wrong, huh?”

“ Hmph, like I said, I simply have a feeling. You know very well that I’m capable of seeing into the future.” The old man grumbled back defensively, ready for a fight with his familiar.

“ Maybe it’s something you ate.” Archimedes chuckled mockingly before flying back to its little house, and its unfinished book. A page was flipped loudly, but Merlin knew the bird was too occupied with thoughts to focus. They had the same conversation every time he had a feeling, and those feelings always came true, for better or for worse. But there was no harm in hoping.

“ …Maybe you’re right, Archimedes. I certainly hope you are.”

The clouds moved in mountainlike formations toward the city of London, a travel’s away. The sun bathed the usually gloomy and rainy country in a blanket of vibrancy, very much unusual seeing as it was soon the time for snow. If the wizard’s calculations were right, the first snowfall should reach them by next week, quite early but not unusual.

His troubled mind was blessed with an image of his oldest friend, handing him the perfect cup of warm tea by the lit fireplace.

“ I really do hope…” Merlin muttered one more time before picking up his abandoned pipe.

...

The roads were lined with bony trees, mere haggard twigs without any a branch left. The leaves had all fallen and died, coating the stony earth with a carpet of brown that had become an unmovable wet mass from the autumn rains. The bushes remained as hollow corpses of their former selves, perhaps once bearing flower or fruit, but not anymore. Not in ages.

There weren't any animals or spirits in sight, they had all long fled, leaving behind no trace of their existence.

Or so the travellers believed.

" T-there are no animals, no birds in the sky and no fish in the waters! No squirrels in the trees or rabbits in the bushes." Eilonwy gasped as she looked around, hands grasped together from shock.

" Bah, I doubt even a wood spirit lives in a place as horrible as this." Doli scoffed while flying next to the minstrel.

" What happened here? Was there a fire or an attack or—?"

Taran's questions were answered when he stepped onto something that broke with a sickening crunch. He grinned with discontent and reluctantly raised his shoe to see what on earth had come on his path.

It was a bone, a human one. Long and brittle, yellowed from the weather and lightly chewed on by the once residing wild animals, no doubt. Parts of it had been covered by thin moss-like growth.

The sight made the others take a cautious look around at the nearly barren terrain. They wished they hadn't, wished they had chosen to remain ignorant.

There, by a sad tree stump lay a broken skull, next to it a shattered weapon of iron. The sword's, or dagger's, broken off pieces were beginning to rust. Behind them a set of crushed ribs and a curving spine stuck from the ground, and right by that a set of arrowheads thrown into a ceremonial pile. Instead of carrots or cabbages, from the sand and mud peeked white everywhere.

" Yikes!" Gurgi yelped and dove behind Eilonwy's skirt’s hem.

" Oh, how horrible..." She covered her eyes. The boy too looked away, holding tightly to his sword. The sight was disturbing.

" A graveyard of the forgotten." Doli replied but instead of looking indifferent to the situation, or even annoyed by the humans crude reactions, he seemed oddly agitated. The fairy landed on Fflewddur’s shoulder and placed a hand onto the man’s wrinkled neck, for the first time looking as small as he truly was."T-they, ahem, the humans make these on occasion. An old tradition, probably not practised anymore." The grumpy fairy explained with words so heavy they seemed to hang in the air. "There are no marked stones here. No names, no dates and no numbers. It was-is, easier that way."

After a second of polite silence, Doli jumped back into flight.

" They, the ones still alive, gather as many fallen as possible and pile them onto their final resting place. Then they leave them like that, for mother nature and the gods to care for. There is no burial, no burning or sacrificing. Merely the slain with their chosen weapons, ready to cross the big rivers.”

" That seems so sad." Aurora whispered and kneeled down to pray. She didn't know any proper prayers, or even who exactly she was supposed to address them to, but alas, asked for the sun and the moon to watch over the spirits of the nameless soldiers.

" Is that the reason there are no animals anywhere?" Taran inspected the surroundings again.

" You have the right idea. The smell of death does repel animals, boy. But there should be crows and rats, wandering gods, spirits, entities... At the very least shepherds, they gather lost souls."

" But what would they want with the souls? Are they useful for something?" The younger princess queried.

" For no other reason than because it's their job, ha!” There was no humour in his laugh. “They have done it long before you were even in this world and they shall continue to do so long after you're gone. They herd the dead on the right path for afterlife, if you choose to believe in such. I’ve met many, but in truth I have no idea where they travel to. They just appear, collect the wandering and head off, never to be seen with the same ghosts again."

The five living paid their respects, in their own ways of course.

“ Come along children. It’s bad manners to walk on top of burial sites.” The fairy instructed with the firmness of a parent as he motioned for them to move on from the horrid sight.

The forest gradually became colder and more unfeeling as the company went on, the ground beneath their feet changed from solid to soft. Round slopes went as far as the eye could see, and in the air lingered a stench most odd. Doli kept pointing them in the right direction, going past puddles of murky water and fallen logs, but with no road to guide them it was hard to tell how much more they still had to trek.

It was steadily growing hot, uncomfortably so. Fflewddur ran a finger across his collar, stretching the fabric just enough to allow some air closer to his skin, to ease his discomfort.

“ H-how much longer do we have to go, Doli?” Fflewddur practically begged, wiping his forehead. “Are you certain we are on the right path?”

“ Stop your whining, we get there when we get there! Don’t you trust me, huh?!”

“ I-I-I didn’t say that, I was simply wondering if you—.” The man attempted to backtrack with his words, only to walk headfirst into a tall pole. He went down like a sack of potatoes, while the others scrambled to help him back up.

“ Fflewddur are you alright?” Taran grimaced and handed the older man his fallen hat.

“ I-It’s nothing, don’t worry, but-,” The Flamm got up and looked at what had appeared in his way. “Wh-what in Great Belin’s name is that?”

On the wooden pole was bound a chipped sign, made out of a singular piece of tree bark. On there runes were hastily carved, unfamiliar to the humans.

‘ᚹᛖᛚᚲᛟᛗᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛗᛟᚱᚢᚨ’

" What does it say?" Rose asked, hesitatingly ghosting a finger over the letters. She had made an effort to learn runes when she still resided in the castle, but it was hard and slow work. Especially with no teacher. “There’s a W, an E, and uh-an L…”

“ It welcomes us.” Doli crossed his arms, cutting the older girl off.

“ Welcomes us? To where? Why, there’s nothing here!”

An especially heavy mist of green rolled past them before revealing an old hut the same colour as the yellowed surroundings.

" Because we have arrived. Welcome to Morva."

...

The cottage was a sight to behold. A tree larger than most had its roots wrapped around the entirety of the structure, securing it in a loose embrace. Dead grass and hay lay piled over the roof, and on the door was drawn a symbol with chalk. It distantly resembled a child’s drawing, lopsided all around, but still discernible.

“ It seems quite abandoned.” Eilonwy instinctively raised her skirts hem, in fear of all the mud. “Don’t you think we should go back?”

“ No, someone must live here. The marks look fresh.” Taran peeked in through the glassless windows but grew discouraged upon seeing no one. “But it does seem empty.”

“ I think we should have a look inside, just in case. Who knows what we’ll find.” Rose suggested. Taran nodded and threw his shoulder against the locked door, breaking it open. Once the thing swung uselessly in its hinges, the boy proposed an idea.   

“ One of us should wait outside and keep watch. I have a feeling we’re close and don’t want to take any risks.”

“ I can do that. You go on ahead.” Aurora volunteered. She gave them a reassuring smile in hopes that they wouldn’t argue back. Taran gave her a long look before nodding.

“ Alright, if you’re sure about that. But I don’t feel comfortable leaving you out alone here.” The boy looked down. “Gurgi, could you stay here with miss Aurora?”

“ Master can count on Gurgi! Gurgi will not disappoint.”  He enthusiastically agreed.

“ Good, we’ll be back soon. Let’s go get that cauldron.”

Aurora took a stance against the wall, suddenly exhausted. Soon they would, hopefully, have the cauldron in their hands and could destroy it. The pieces of its metal could then be buried or melted down, so that no one could ever use them for anything. Though she had a feeling a weapon of such mass destruction and wielding such power could not be so easily dismantled, its curse not so simply undone. What if they weren’t strong enough to break it? What if it turned out to be impossible? What if the thing wasn’t even inside and they had come here for nothing? Doubt was eating her once hopeful spirits.  

“ Ooh, a pretty necklace on pretty lady’s neck!” Gurgi purred, eyes staring intently at the golden locket. She had been unconsciously playing with it.

“ Oh, yes. It was a gift. One of my most treasured things in fact.” She held it so he could see the detailing better. The rose on the lid was as beautiful as it had been when it was gifted to her, it bore no smudge or scratch. “I received it from a friend some time ago.”

“ Gurgi has no jewels, but one day Gurgi will find the perfect, juicy apple. Then Gurgi will dance and jump from joy.”

She giggled as the creature continued to explain. The young woman took a step away from where she had previously stood, intending on crouching down to his level and continuing their little conversation.

A gentle gust of wind carried the smell of swamp water and earth to her nose. It played with a few strands of her hair, tossed them over her shoulder and away from the face. But that wasn’t the only thing the wind carried. 

“ Aurora ~"

She stopped laughing. It had sounded as if someone had whispered her name. The voice held no hint of recognisability, it could have been anyone, could have come from the other side of the world for all she knew.

“ Did you hear that?” The girl asked, voice barely above a frightened whisper. Gurgi looked around before shaking his head.

“ Uh-uh, Gurgi hear no sound.”

“ Aurora ~”

This time when it reached her ears, sounded it almost like a small child. Unlike with adult voices, there was a hint of innocent curiosity and weightlessness. It wasn’t deep or gruff or distinct, but more androgynous. It was bizarre.

“ I’ll,” Rose crept closer to where she supposed the sound may have been coming from. “I’ll go take a quick look. In case somebody’s in trouble. You-You stay here, okay?” The words sounded hollow to her ears.

“ Wait! Wait miss, wait!” The fluffy creature attempted but the girl would not hear it. Her legs seemed to be taking her forward without much thought, eyes firmly locked onto the tree on their right. There was nothing in particular that had caught her attention, but it was like she was possessed by something.

“ Aurora ~”

Her hand settled on the tree’s trunk, and she peeked behind it. Nothing. No little child, no mysterious person, no animal or spirit, nothing. Her blue eyes studied at every piece of stone but none of them had any answers for her.

She sighed. What had she even been thinking, had she actually expected to find someone? She should get back to the others, they must be done by now. The mist was getting heavier, it was much harder to see, and it was entirely possible they would soon be making their way forward blind. The woman turned to head back.

A pair of strong hands shot through the white fog and landed onto her forearms, squeezing so hard the sleeves nearly tore. In a flash her body was pulled unwillingly forward and towards the towering figure, whose mere presence seemed to exude rage. The shine of two red eyes, eyes she had only ever seen in her worst nightmares, painted her face in a faint glow.

“ What—!?”

“ Found you.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chapter Text

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“ In here, master! In here!” Gurgi hollered like a mad beast, a rabid squirrel sensing its territory to be threatened.

The furry companion hopped up and down by an old tree ways away from the cottage, motioning for the young warrior to hurry on over. The impenetrable fog had just mere moments ago thinned and seemingly, to everyone’s shock, taken Aurora with it.

“ The mist took her! That’s it. Evil mist, evil!” The animal glared at the floating whiteness, which almost seemed to roll away faster under the bared teeth of the creature. Then Gurgi spotted a group of toads and eyed them suspiciously. “Or maybe it was you?”

“ No, I don’t think it was the fog or the toads, Gurgi.” Taran spoke as he looked around. After giving up his magic sword, he had armed himself with a long stick found by the cottage, or where there had once been one anyway. Right after their deal was done, the witches of Morva had disappeared along with every single pot and pan. The house, foundation and all, tore to pieces under the harsh winds, floating into the skies never to be seen by them again. “Be on guard everyone! Something weird is definitely going on here and I don’t like it one bit.”

“ Oh, Taran, do be careful.” Eilonwy begged as she looked at the murky, muddy wasteland. She lifted her skirt’s hem away from any possible dirt as she jumped across puddles and ditches. A twig snapped under her foot, which caused her to yelp in surprise.

“ It was only a branch Eilonwy. No need to be frightened.” Taran smiled and offered her his hand. She took it and the two headed closer to where Gurgi was.

They reached the tree but to their immediate dismay saw no evidence of Aurora. There were no tracks in the dirt, no marks or signs of a scuffle, no weapons or blood. It was as if the young woman had just disappeared into thin air.

“ Gurgi, are you sure she—?”

“ Ah! Look over there!” Eilonwy suddenly exclaimed and pointed at something near the roots. “What’s that there?”

“ What? I don’t see anything.” Fflewddur, who also came to look, squinted. “Where, where? W-what did you see?”

Taran had to also lean closer. Something small and glittering securely tucked right between the roots caught the young boy’s eye.

“ It’s a,” Taran crouched down to pick the thing up. He held it in between his fingers cautiously. “A necklace?”

“ The correct term is a locket, you moron.” Doli quipped over his shoulder and flew to circle it. “What? Never seen one before, huh?”

“ I recognise that! It’s Aurora’s, I’m sure of it.” Eilonwy gasped, breaking into a smile. She took the piece from him with both hands and Taran gladly let go of it in favour of looking around again. He went to see if there were any more hidden objects but found nothing on the ground.

“ Hmm, let’s see,“ Doli spoke, a finger on his chin, “Solid gold, with tiny engravings, weighs about,” There was a pause, “Three bags of acorns, I’d say. But… Do any of you have the faintest of ideas where she might have gotten this from?” He asked while settling to stand on the princess’s hand. The fairy used his entire bodyweight to turn the locket over, humming as he investigated. It’s reflection caught his light and shined bright, there was no dirt on it.

The younglings shook their heads.

“ No, but she has it around her neck all the time! It must have been very important to her. Why do you ask? Is something off about it?”

“ There’s something off about it, alright. I just can’t seem to figure it out. I wonder if…” He brushed a finger along its surface and then brought it to his mouth. Taran made a face of utter confusion at the action. “Hm, yes, eye of newt and the wool of bat, interesting. It ain’t dark magic, but it sure is something. It must have been given to her for a reason. You kids better keep a tight hold of it, she’ll surely want it back.” The fairy jumped back into flight, muttering and mumbling. “If we find her that is. Now I’m never getting home, oh, these blasted lifeforms and their mundane problems.”

“ Gurgi,” The pig keeper began, brushing dead branches from his way as he went deeper into a bush, “You sure this is the way she came?”

“ Yes, yes!” Gurgi nodded from the human’s side. “The pretty lady came,” He pointed to his right. “From here, to there. I saw it, I did!”

“ H-h-hold on, Taran. Now don’t go wandering about by-by yourself. I’m coming with you.” The harpist called, holding onto his hat as he hurried. “We could try a different path, like this one here. Come along.”

While the men searched, the princess of Llyr played with the golden locket, sadly admiring it’s lovely engravings. The rose on the lid was framed by something that looked like vines, and on the back, there was the letter A, most likely for Aurora.

“ I wonder,” She quietly mused to herself. “What happened to you? Was it the spirits that took you? Or was it really the fog?” She closed her palms and hugged the jewel to her chest. “Oh, I hope not. Please, somebody, give us answers.”

At a distance she could hear Taran and Fflewddur calling for the lost woman.

“ Aurora!”

“ Miss Aurora, where are you?!”

Eilonwy sniffled, then hiccupped. She was afraid, she wished the other girl would magically appear and comfort her, tell her that everything was just a bad dream and that they were still at the cabin of the seven dwarfs. An involuntary shiver jolted through her body, from her legs and along her spine and all the way to her arms where she could feel every hair rise up. For a moment she felt like a threatened cat, hissing at the danger despite being afraid. With all the strength she could muster, the young girl took a brave glance behind her.

There, near where the welcome sign had been, in the cracked ground stood the much-feared black cauldron. The energy emanating from its iron shell was pure evil, the face etched onto its side forever-frowning.

She turned away.

“ I wish somebody would help us.” Eilonwy closed her eyes and began to pray to her own gods.

Then the locket in her hand moved. A faint glow of blue emanated from between her fingers, bright enough to catch her attention. The princess opened her hands in amazement and watched as the necklace began to vibrate, rising into the air out from her palms.

“ T-Taran! Fflewddur! Doli!”

Just as she had managed to gain the attention of the others, the locket burst open and in a whirl of sparkling specks and a flurry of snow-like dust, an old man appeared in front of her. He seemed as caught off guard as the company were, eyes opening wide before he took some time to study the surroundings. The man appeared confused, but not a bit nervous.

“ A-ah, this is not quite what I had in mind. No, not at all.” He took off his long hat and ran a hand through his hair slowly. The short strands of white were smoothed back in place before the hat was put back on. He corrected the round glasses on his nose before turning to stare at the young princess. “And you are not whom I expected either! How curious… Now who might you be?”

“ W-what? Me? But who are you and where did you come from?” Eilonwy picked the necklace back up and brought it closer to her face, inspecting it. “Were you in here? How did you manage to fit in this tiny locket?”

“ No I wasn’t in the locket, you fool! I was summoned here after you pled out for help.” He extended a long, skinny wooden pole in her direction and fished the jewel out from her hands. She was too surprised to take it back. “Now, I believe this doesn’t belong to you, young lady. If my memory still serves, and by golly it does, I gave this to another little girl back at the—.”

“ M-Merlin?! W-what are you doing here? Is Dallben with you?”

The old man turned to face the familiar voice. A boy he recognised came running to them from between the dead bushes and stones, face split into the brightest smile he had ever seen.

“ Ah, great havens! If it isn’t young Taran of Caer Dallben. Far from home, I see.” Merlin looked around. “Yes, very far. So the old baboon sent you on an adventure already.”

“ Yes.” Taran wiped his face with his sleeve, the thought of his master made him teary eyed. “He did, and everything has been going downhill ever since. We’ve faced so many things and I-I was beginning to lose hope. But I’m so glad that you’re here.” The boy threw himself at the wizard, who hadn’t expected to be nearly tackled. Merlin had to straighten his glasses but eventually reciprocated the hug. His right hand began to pat the boy gently on the head, an affectionate smile on his lips.

“ Yes, yes. Here I am. Always when needed.”

The boy sniffled again.

“ Bah, there’s no need for tears, lad. Look how far you’ve come!”

“ But I promised Dallben I’d be brave, and, the truth is,” He looked up at the wizard, eyes glossy. “I’ve been afraid. So, so afraid. How can I be a warrior when all I do is fear things?”

“ Don’t be silly, my boy.” Merlin chuckled. “Without fear one will do stupid things. Fear is what keeps us safe! You wouldn’t travel through Crowstop forest all by yourself now, would you?”

The boy hurriedly shook his head. “A-and run into the infamous Madam Mim? No, I wouldn’t dare! Dallben says she can turn people into trolls!”

“ And that is precisely why we need fear! It leads us into making better, smarter decisions.”

“ Oh, I guess you’re right.”

“ You see, even though you have been afraid, you have still managed to come this far. That must mean that you have succeeded in something, no?”

“ Thank you, Merlin. That does make me feel better.”

The wizard smiled one more time at the child before coughing nervously. He placed both hands onto Taran’s shoulders and pushed him to be at arm’s length, but instead of letting go and changing the subject, his old eyes studied the pig keeper. 

“ This will not do. Stand tall, my boy.” He instructed. “Straighten that posture, show the world that Taran of Caer Dallben can’t be defeated by a few setbacks!”  

Taran did as he was told. He raised his head and squared his shoulders, an image of him in full knight’s armour flashed in the back of his mind. He would wear a long cape of red, and it would fly in the wind as he rode a prized horse to battle. The idea of him someday being knighted made something warm pool in his chest.

The wizard nodded before leaning closer to whisper.

“ Remember, the only way from the bottom is always up.”

Taran nodded in silent thanks.

Merlin seemed satisfied, reaching into his robes to pull out his pipe. He brought it closer to his mouth before asking.  

“ Now, you called me here, so what seems to be the proble—?”

An ear-splitting screech echoed far above them so loud the pipe was dropped, tobacco scattering to the ground. The group looked up and were alarmed to see a pair of winged creatures circling their whereabouts like vultures. Their wings flapped, eyes glowed, razorlike yellow teeth reflected the dim light of the moon.

“ Look! Oh no! The Gwythaints.”

“ They-they found us!”

“ We need to go, now!” Doli landed onto Fflewddur’s hat, nearly knocking it off the man’s head. He took a hold of its rim with both hands before bellowing. “Go, run! Run for my life! Aren’t those skinny legs good for anything?!”

Distant shouting made their heads snap to the right, then to the left. Torches came closer from every direction, the sound of heavy boots and snide laughing told of unfriendly folk.

“ They have us surrounded!” The harpist gasped in horror and held his instrument protectively in front of his face. “Ahh! I knew it, we’re going to die!”

“ Merlin what do we do?!” Taran asked, panicked.

“ Leave it to me, my boy.” The man rolled up his sleeves in preparation for a spell but was stopped right before he could open his mouth.

“ Wait, we can’t leave yet. We have to take this with us! We can’t let them have it.” Taran ran to the cauldron. Merlin was about to say something before his eyes understood what they were seeing. He seemed to freeze in place, with his arms still up.

“ That-that i-i-is, why that is the,” Merlin stared at the evil cauldron, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. “It-it-it’s the-the—!”

“ Urgh, we don’t have time for this!” Doli yelled. “Can you get us out of here or not?!”

“ Ah, y-yes, yes! Wait just a moment.”

“ I fear we don’t have that much.” The Fflam gulped and looked behind them. Merlin however did not seem to care.

“ Ahem, ahem.” The wizard rolled up his sleeves again. “Higitus figitus zumbakazing! Come now closer, you evil thing, rise from the earthy tomb you’re in! I command thee, rise!” The cauldron began to rise from the ground, bits of earth fell from its legs. Dust flew around as roots holding it down snapped and tore. 

“ Now everybody, come close and hold hands. Tightly.”

Once they were all in place, Merlin roared.

“ lǣfan, hamcyme!”

And they were gone, cauldron and all. The toads croaked before jumping away.

A red eyed rat scurried along one of the many crumbling windowsills of the castle, in great hurry and with not much time. The pouring rain hadn’t ceased for a moment, no, it had only gained strength and fury as the day went on. So much so that the dilapidated roof was beginning to lose its battle against it, not that it stood any match to it in the first place. From the ceiling it dripped right onto the floors, from the broken windows it was carried in by gusts of air, it was autumn at its truest and most brutal form.

A large drop fell right onto the rat’s head. The creature sneezed, shook its moist fur and then trotted on. Something or someone was coming, it could feel the vibrations in the foundation, could smell the danger in the air. Lightning flashed and for a moment the entire corridor was lit aglow. It’s crooked walls which previously wore flags were now bare, on the left most corner a sliver of torn fabric remained.

The hall was, like all the others, dark and dank. Not a single torch had been lit tonight, even if they sporadically lined the walls. Two long carpets that had survived on the floors were soaked through, the once red yarn fraying from the corners and unravelling into a soggy mass of brown. The carefully woven design of maybe a family crest or some other symbol was buried beneath the rotting leaves that had somehow managed to find their way inside, despite there being no alive trees left in the area.

Oh well, the rodent couldn’t understand the significance of things made by humans, so it did not care for it’s slow decay.

The moisture made the heavy air smell of damp and mould, with an underlying hint of burnt wood and hot metal. Thick dust coated every beam and every nook, it came down from the ceiling like beard moss from trees. A wonky suit of armour stood alone and empty near one of the windows, longing for battles and wars it would never get to see again. From one of the broken windows harsh winds howled like hungry wolves, scavenging for scraps to eat in the surrounding wastelands of twigs and thorns.

The rat’s tiny feet took it across the hall and securely embraced it with its shadows before it heard something. Stomps, coming from straight behind. Its nose scrunched as it sniffed the air, whiskers bouncing up and down, before it turned to hurry for the nearest hiding place, a hole in the wall.

Two shapes, identities hidden by the ever-consuming darkness, approached fast. Their shadows stretched onto the walls and all the way to the roof, blending together into an eldritch monstrosity with two heads and too many legs to count. The figures were barely touched by what little moonlight there manage to be, its light was a mere caress against their clothing.

They approached the creature’s hiding place but ultimately passed with no signs of detection. The rat’s beady eyes stared after them, the footsteps weren’t what it was used to. It had grown accustomed to steps that synced, those of guards on duty that patrolled the fortress, or steps that stumbled, those of drunken men swinging and faltering before falling face first onto whatever it was that lay under them. But these were unusual to say the least, one pair was clearly more confident. They stepped with determinacy, urgency, there was something angry about them the animal couldn’t quite place.

The second pair was also curious. They were stumbly and out of tune, sometimes they went twice forward before going back once. They were hesitating, cautious, not at all like the other’s.

Odd, but it was only a rat, so it did not think about it further. Once they were out of sight, it emerged from the hole and ran.

Unknowing of having been watched by the rodent, Aurora couldn’t manage to say a word as she was dragged along by her sore wrist. The skeletal grip was much stronger than one might think, it had latched onto her limb back at the marshes of Morva and had not faltered since.

Soon a familiar door lay in sight, it’s heavy hinges rusty and loud. They entered with no words spoken, both people standing silently in the room to properly take in one another. It had been a while since they had seen each other, but apart from Aurora’s tangled hair and a new piece of cloth hanging from her shoulders, she hadn’t changed at all. Her hair still harboured the gold of the morning sun, her lips still possessed the redness of a rose. Still those eyes captivated whoever had the utmost fortune of looking into them, still those elegant hands held the softness of the priciest silk.

The Horned King on the other hand somehow looked worse. His robes were tattered and weather stricken, much more so than before. The animal skin on his shoulders was matted, the bottom muddy from the travel done by foot. The stance his body rested in was rigid, alert, he seemed to be holding himself back from something.

The room had also changed in many ways. The side table, the chairs, the books and the chests were all gone, the curtains were absent, and the brown fur rug was missing. The only thing left of the terrifying battle tapestry was a shredded strip of burnt and some strings. Her vase wasn’t by the window, there was not even a petal from the flowers as evidence, like they had never even existed in the first place. What was left of the previously luxurious assemblage of furniture was now just three pitiful candles, a barely held together bedframe with its covers and ripped hangings, and the vanity. The round mirror she had spent time in front of while brushing her hair was cracked with spiderweb-like lines.

Rose wondered what sort of scary things had happened in this room while she had been gone but ultimately chose to bury her inquiries.

After the woman had familiarized herself with the surroundings, she chose to finally end the stretched silence.

“ What happened to my friends? Where have you taken them? Have they been harmed?”

“ You should spend less time worrying for those insignificant pests, seeing as you are here and they are not.”

This seemed to make her pause. What had he meant by that? Was there a possibility that her friends had managed to escape his clutches, and she was the only one taken? Or maybe they simply hadn’t been brought to the castle yet and he hadn’t meant anything at all.

“ W-what do you want from me?” She gestured to herself. “Why am I here? I-if it’s my father’s throne you seek—.”

He suddenly hummed, like something she had said amused him. Her mouth closed, the questions dying on her tongue.

“ King Stefan’s kingdom, however grand, is of no use to me. My goals require much more than that.”

“ You seek strength greater than a kingdom’s worth of power, more than that of a hundred men’s? So, what use could I be to you? For what purpose have you brought me here?”

“ You are correct in assuming that I seek power, but not by normal means. Humans are so fragile,” He picked up one of the candles from the vanity. The stick of wax was passed almost playfully around from one hand to another, before his grip on it noticeably tightened. He clutched it in one hand, thumb pressing onto the middle. “They grow tired and old and rot away, they quickly outlive their usefulness. Like candles they burn brightly before all that rises is smoke.” The king pressed his finger through the candle, splitting it in two. The top was left dangling by the wick.

“ I long for a matter much more powerful, a thing a mere mortal could never comprehend. The power I seek is as old as time, has existed longer than any written script, it can be achieved by no wealth or soldiers, and only with one weapon.” 

“ T-the black cauldron.” Aurora muttered. He raised his head to look at her, the broken candle falling uselessly to the ground as he let go.

“ Yes!” He breathed out in wonder. “Yes, oh yes, the black cauldron and it’s powers unmatched. With it I can awaken an army unlike anything the world has ever seen, an army of the undead. And it’ll be unstoppable.” The more he spoke, the redder his eyes began to glow. Like the dreaded fires of the underworld, torturing evil souls.

“ W-what are you?” The princess asked, feet taking a generous step back. She eyed the man as if seeing him for the first time as he truly was. Dangerous, calculating, unpredictable. “Are the things they say about you really true? That you are nothing, but a merciless beast cloaked in the flesh and skin of a man. That your soulless, heartless body seeks nothing but destruction and blood? That you know no empathy, or kindness, or love?”

She couldn’t believe it, any of it. How could he be the person others claimed when he had shown her clear kindness. Saved her from Maleficent’s clutches and asked nothing in return, kept her securely hidden and properly fed without a condition. Or had it all been a ruse, a dirty trick to manipulate her?

“ That-that you hurt people?” She shivered at the thought. “Kill them?”

“ Hm, so they did have time to spew lies about me. Such untruths are nothing but hearsay and rumours, exaggerated, tall tales, spread by drunken men and little children.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I admit, some accusation are not entirely unfounded. I have lived more than most, and I have seen more than most. I crave for knowledge, for recognition, for me to become a god amongst mortal men. At long last I’m close, this close to that reality. For years I have patiently waited for this day to come.” He gestured to his diminishing body and Aurora’s eyes unconsciously ran over his decaying teeth and hollowed cheeks. “I have made sacrifices during those years, many more so than most ever would. But they were prices I was willing to pay, and I shall continue to make them because some things require for them to be made. You can understand that, can’t you.”

Suddenly Aurora became highly aware of where exactly she stood. A crumbling castle in the midst of unliveable lands, filled with barbaric outlaws with no compassion for anyone. And those people served under his cruel majesty, following his commands without question. They killed Eilonwy’s companions, they captured and were about to kill Taran and Fflewddur, the fair folk had gone into hiding because of him. And now, the safety of the world was at stake because of the man she had once considered dear to her heart.

The person in front of her was no real king. And this was not a life she would ever make sacrifices towards.

“ No, I do not! Not if they affect your ability to feel, to have compassion for others! To-to live in a world where things are alive!” The young woman vehemently disagreed. “How could you? How could you live like that? What price would be worth giving up your humanity over? Or better yet, destroying the world over? You say it is godhood that you are after, but that is a poor excuse! What use is there in becoming a god when you can do nothing with it! With the destruction you cause, there will be no-one left to worship you, no-one to recognise you as such. Is that what you really want? To be alone in a dead, dark world filled with violence?!”

“ You are young, so naïve. You have no idea how the world works. The strong are meant to survive and the weak, well…” The king began to walk, lazily stepping circles around her as if trying to intimidate her. “I may want power, yes that is my ultimate goal, but that is not the only thing I now wish to have.”

“ What more could you possibly want?” Rose asked, following him with her eyes but stubbornly not moving her head. She refused to turn, to dance to his tunes like some puppet. For a brief moment she caught sight of the broken mirror, her fractured reflection seemed so small next to him.

“ I want,” His footsteps stopped right behind her. A pair of hands settled onto her shoulders, and she could feel his raspy, warm breath on her neck as he exhaled. He leaned close, so close his teeth nearly grazed her ear.

“ You.”

Aurora inhaled sharply, like a fish out of water. It was suddenly colder, she half expected her breath to burst out of her mouth in a pale cloud. 

“ Me?”

His majesty didn’t let go.

“ From the moment I first laid my eyes upon you, I have known.” His thin fingers played with a strand of her hair as he reminisced those days back in late spring. “No other would be fit to stand by my side and rule, except you.”

Her gaze was locked onto their reflections in the mirror, unable to look anywhere else. The hands retreated back over her shoulders and were swallowed by darkness, until they reappeared above her. They held something shiny over her head and were just about to lower it down.

“ No!” Was her sharp reply at the sight. She finally turned and retreated closer to the window. Yes, her eyes hadn’t lied, in his hands was a beautiful crown of gold. It was skinny and sharp, with unpolished stones attached to its body.

“ With this everyone would know where you belong. A symbol of royalty, dignity, a sign of authority.”

“ No, I don’t want it!” She turned her head to reject it, closing her eyes. “Take it back, please.”

“ You dare refuse?” The headpiece was taken out of sight. “I understand. You are not convinced. Perhaps this will be to your liking.”

The Horned King set the tiara down and raised an arm. With a snap of his fingers the entire room was filled with hundreds of flowers in full glorious bloom. Deep lilac lupines and pearl-like lily-of-the-valley grew from in between the stone floor, vines crawled along the ceiling and around the iron bars on the windows. Where there were no flowers, green grass grew with hues of yellow and sage. It was as if she was back home and not in a water damaged tower. 

“ See? Like those summer’s days. Flowers galore, never fading, forever thriving. You could enjoy them every day without fear of them withering away. No rain can harm them, no frost can bite them. They will remain unharmed for as long as you wish for them to.”

Aurora however shook her head.

“ No? Maybe some more will do.” The man snapped his fingers again and even more appeared by her feet. Flowers popped open as they reached out to her, every leaf grew in size. The room was beginning to resemble a garden from her dreams, one she wished to one day have. Soft hay tickled her calves as it swayed in the non-existent wind, she could almost hear the whispers of the forest.

“ Just agree to be mine, and I promise all of this,” He motioned around them. “To you.”

The princess swept her eyes over the vegetation. It was beautiful and just as he had said the scenery did remind her of the meadow where they had spent countless days together, sitting under that old chestnut-tree drinking tea. She almost, almost, wanted to lay down to rest her tired eyes and forget about the worries of life. Wanted to let the roses and carnations lull her to sleep with their soft songs.

But something stopped her. Something was wrong.

When her skin came into contact with any of the colourful petals or the green leaves, felt they cool to the touch like the air in winter. They did not smell sweet or fresh or of mornings and sunlight. Where there were supposed to be flowers there were leaves, and where there were supposed to be blue there was red. Dandelions had the petals of roses and daisies the stems of lavender.

It was nothing but cheap imitation of the real thing.

His spells weren’t to grow things, to bring life, but to fool the eye, to manipulate. The plants did not feel or look real because they weren’t, simple as that. His spells had conjured twisted, mashed together forgeries, copied from whatever formed inside his mind whenever he had to spare a thought for anything living. And because he did not appreciate flowers, nor see any benefits to them, he clearly had never taken the time to really look at them. And because he had never really looked, couldn’t he tell how wrong these illusions were.

“ This is all wrong. None of it is real.” She shook her head, trying her best not to touch the ghost flowers. “What delight would a mere illusion bring me when I know there exists none of it for others to enjoy? What joy would it bring for me to never be able to walk on real grass, or smell real roses? Please take them away.”

The man did nothing but turn his head. He couldn’t understand why his magic wasn’t pleasing enough, but luckily, he had something else in mind. 

“ Perhaps you might find enjoyment in something more luxurious.” He extended his hands and opened up his palms. There piles and piles of gold and silver appeared, like born from his own body. There were stones of iridescent blue and red, pearls in long chains and golden ropes. As he beckoned for her to come have a closer look, some of the riches fell to the floor like grains of rice from between his fingers, but the piles didn’t dwindle. No, they seemed to only greaten.

The room changed too. Hanging from the ceiling were now the finest of curtains and ropes of pearls, on her bed the softest of sheets and fluffiest of pillows only a king could dream of. Hanging in the closet were vibrant dresses, detailed with embroidery unachievable by just hands. Mats on the floor had long tussles, the furniture were made out of quality wood, it was a far cry from the previous state of the chamber.

The woman was so busy looking at the changed surroundings she almost missed her new attire. It was a gown of nightly blue, so long it reached long past the floor. As if the deep ocean had come to hug her, the hem was sown with tiny seafoam like pearls.

“ I could give you unimaginable riches, the most precious jewels. I have rooms of treasures untold. You would be dressed from head to toe in gold, in the finest of fabrics, no expense spared. No-one would compare! You would never have to worry about a thing, you’d live the rest of our days in luxury. Stay by my side and all this, and more, could be yours.”

Aurora couldn’t deny the allure of the sparkling stones and the pretty clothes. Couldn’t complain about the soft dress keeping her warm instead of the old one that smelled of the marshes and of the dusty road. But still she shook her head.

“ What happiness would wealth bring me when I’d have no-one to share it with? What would I do with rooms full of shiny stones or closets full of gowns?” She steeled her gaze the best she could and then raised her head. ”I don’t want this, any of it. I will never accept, never in this lifetime!”

There was a beat of silence. The rain drummed against the roof and the wind wailed.

“ …Very well then.” The man spoke bitterly and closed his fists with force. With that everything he had conjured disappeared. The flowers wilted from green to brown in a blink of an eye before burning, the gold melted and slid along his arms into puddles. The fabrics unravelled into piles of string, the curtains turned to dust, every illusion and every trickery was revealed before them.

His horned majesty was clearly much more than just displeased. When every last bit of his magic was gone, he took a long, steadying breath that made her flinch.

“ Refuse me now,” His stern voice caught an almost lighter tone and with it he unclenched his hands. Calmly he set them back to rest on his sides, where hands are supposed to rest. “But that doesn’t mean you can forever. One lifetime may not be enough for you to see things my way, my dear, but perhaps in two or three… A hundred years is a mere blink of an eye for me.” It almost sounded like he was grinning. “I have patients, I can wait.”

“ I-I, but!” Aurora stammered, caught unprepared of what the king was insinuating. A hand rose to shield her heart tenderly, trembling fingers clutching the coarse material of her cape. “I don’t have that much. I-I’m a human, I will die.”

The Horned King chuckled, lowly and with not much humour. The strained sound was so unfamiliar even the castle shuddered. 

“ Under natural circumstances yes, but I have the power to change that. I can make you immortal, live as long as I have to. How long do you think you can resist me?”

“ Y-you- you wouldn’t!”

“ Oh, but I would. And maybe after a century or two you’ll change your mind. You’ll be my Queen and accept my proposal.”

“ No.” She gasped. “No!”

She rushed to the door in a mad dash, but the king was faster. He stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him, locking it with a long, skinny key of brass. He could hear her pulling and twisting the handle, all in vain.

“ No please, you cannot do this, please!” She sobbed.

He stepped away, pocketing the key.

“ Please, you can’t leave me here!”

He went past the mouse hole in the wall.

“ Please!”

He turned a corner and stopped.

The ceiling dripped water.

The lonely suit of armour couldn’t have seen the strike coming. It was smashed to pieces, the helmet went rolling down a set of stairs to be blissfully forgotten by the world. In his fury the man crushed the chest plate and bent the gauntlets, tore any piece fragile enough he could get his hands on. Once everything had stopped ringing, he steadied himself.

A squeak came from below him. The king looked down, dead eyes meeting those of a frantic rodent. Its tail had been caught under his foot where it now ran around trying to escape. 

Another lightning flashed as the Horned King bent down and picked the animal up by the scruff of its neck. Its small paws scratched and clawed, mouth attempting to bite his hand. The helplessness of the creature might have been amusing if his mood hadn’t been so bad.

“ She will accept.” He whispered into the empty hallway before adjusting his grip.

“ You’ll see.”

The animal was growing more and more desperate to escape as the hold became crushing.

Lightning flashed.

A splat. The sound was wet, like stepping onto a rotten apple that turns into mush under one’s feet. The rat’s body fell just like the candle had.  

“ She will be mine.”

And the rat was no more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.