Fractured Fairytales: Sleeping Beauty

[Amber LaMorte]

Perhaps. Hm, yes. Just perhaps. "No, I don't believe I've seen one like it before," he said quietly, going thoughtful. Perhaps he was simply being overcautious, but never let it be said that was a bad thing (when not taken to excess, of course). Especially as this was Aurora's eighteenth birthday, and despite the smiles and laughter and levity, he hadn't for a second forgotten that. This was the day when the curse, if it was around, would come into effect. And, even to him, the butterfly had seemed almost mesmerizing. Perhaps it was the wings - he'd never seen anything quite like that before. Shimmering, every shade of purple flashing in a way that didn't create any sort of division but rather another kind of whole.

He shook his attention back away as it flitted off the flower, moving in a dizzying twirl of the enticing purple and ominous black, then allowed Aurora to take his arm easily and wondered at it.

Focus.

"I'm glad you like her," he said smilingly, putting the butterfly out of his head. It might really be nothing, and even if it wasn't it was gone now. "And of course we can, if you wish."

[Aurora Snow]

"Great," she affirmed. "I guess we'd better head back. I'm sure our parents are probably almost done getting everyone organized. I hope my father doesn't try to embarrass me too much," she said with a giggle. "I wonder what the reception will be like. My mother promised this was going to be a night to remember. Hm, maybe they got jesters or something," she said with a laugh.

"I should go change," she said when they got to the front steps. Just then, her father came outside.

"Nicholas, my boy!" he called. "Come, leave Aurora to the women for a moment and see what your father and I have come up with," he said, waving him over. The truth was, he wanted to discuss security measures with him without Aurora being present. He didn't want to scare her.

Aurora rolled onto her tiptoes and stole a kiss from Nicholas, something her father allowed much more than her mother, and then brushed passed them to go towards her room. "I'll see you soon, daddy!" she called.

[Amber LaMorte]

Nicholas smiled a little as he listened to Aurora prattle - it was soothing, in an odd sort of can't-explain-it wait. She was so childlike sometimes, and so happy. And then her father came outside and called for him. He blinked and stood slightly straighter - but this was Nicholas, naturally everything that he did was proper. Well, most things.

He kissed her lightly and then watched with a smile as she almost danced off again - so innocent. He watched her go with a slight laugh - which was rather unusual, as normally Nicholas was somewhat stoic. Then he turned back to the king.

"Before anything else, thank you for letting me give her my gift," he said softly. "She loved it. What is it that you wanted me for?"

[Aurora Snow]

The King shrugged in his gallic fashion and then smiled broadly. "You make her happy. My wife was positively livid, but it is my firm belief that she worries entirely too much. A horse now or in two years will be no different - if Aurora hasn't learned to properly care for one by now than there's no hope for her. She has, though, so that pretty white mare is in good hands," he said with a rumbling laugh.

"What I actually wanted to discuss with you was the small detail of this being Aurora's eighteenth birthday. I know that her mother has gone a little overboard with the whole curse thing, and while I'm a little worried, too, I think that the witch might have just been blowing off some steam. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't see how waiting eighteen years is going to do anyone any good. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you'd keep an eye on her. For her mother's sake," he added, gruffly. He was worried, too, but he couldn't act like it. It would be un... Kingly.

[Amber LaMorte]

Nicholas laughed a little. "I... I don't know how ridiculous it is, actually," he said, almost reluctantly - but this was the king of the land that he was visiting, and it was his daughter that was concerned. He deserved to know - needed to know. "There was a very strange butterfly just a little bit earlier - velvety black and purple. I could easily be reading too much into this, given the date, but it seemed odd; mesmerizing, and not in a healthy way.

"Maybe the spell needed eighteen years to gain its full power," he said with a sigh, looking in the direction that Aurora had gone. He shook his head and sighed.

"I'll keep watch, in any case." His expression was somewhat hard as he said it, fixed. Fierce, in a way - Nicholas didn't like the idea of anything getting past him, and it was unlikely that it would.

[Aurora Snow]

The King straightened a little, fuzzy brows furrowing to a definite point above his eyes. "You don't say," he said softly, to himself more than anything. "I suppose it can't hurt to double up the guard, just in case. Most of our palace staff, including our personal guard, is well versed in this very specific matter. They should aid you in any way they can," he said with a small gesture.

"I need to go find my wife, but let's just... keep the butterfly between us, shall we? If this does turn out to be nothing, I don't want her entire celebration ruined by her mother's constant wails of danger. She's so melodramatic," he hissed.

"I'll see you in a few moments," he said. He nodded to Nicholas and departed the hall.

Aurora, on the other hand, was definitely side-tracked. She'd gotten into her dress by now, and chased her handmaidens away angrily after they tried to get her to wear her hair too many different ways. She settled for letting her loose curls spill over her shoulders - Nicholas liked her hair down, anyways.

On the way down the stairs, she paused, looking over across to a door she'd never really noticed before. "Huh," she said. "I wonder what's in there." She stood there for a few moments, debating on what she was going to do, but she heard voices in the hall - her mother's specifically, and darted across to the door. She opened it and ran in, shutting it softly behind her.

It took her across a balcony in the great hall she'd never been on before - and again, had never noticed before. She saw her father disappear into the next room and watched Nicholas standing alone for a moment, pursing her lips. Finally, she leaned against it and called down to him.

"Hey, Nicholas!" she cheered. "Can you believe it? I just found a way to get up here, after all these years." She laughed a little, and then looked to her left again - there was another door. This one was much smaller, though. She wondered if she could even fit into it.

"There's another door, too! I bet it's got to be some sort of secret passage!"

And with that, she disappeared into it, laughter trailing behind her.