The Dark Fairy

Chapter Seventeen

Carabosse watched Cezanne pacing back and forth, from the shadows. The glitter of her red wings cast dancing specks of light upon the sleeping princess. She was laid upon her four-poster bed, the lilac skirt of her ball gown fanned out beautifully across the mattress and her golden hair perfectly framed her upper half. Carabosse's gaze landed upon the princess's delicate hands that lay limply upon her chest that rose and fell in a perfect rhythm.

A smile played on her red lips and her eyes began to glow with her emerald magic. She flicked her finger and sent a glittering green mist across the room. Cezanne's eyes grew in horror as she saw a white rose appear under Aurora's hands.

"No! Oh no!" she exclaimed and ran to the princess's side.

She grabbed the flower and tried to pull it away, but it wouldn't move. Thorns then grew from its green stem and dug into her skin. A loud gasp left Cezanne, as her red blood dripped onto the lacey bodice of Aurora's dress. She let go of the rose and began to panic as more and more white roses began to appear. They grew rapidly all around the princess, caressing her skin and clothes with their silky, white petals.

Carabosse revelled in witnessing the red fairy fail to remove the flowers with her magic. Cezanne eventually gave up and clawed at her face in anguish, sobs crushing through her. Collapsing to her knees, she cried out in pain and her twin fluttered to her side.

"What is it, Sister?" Fleurine asked, alarmed at how broken her twin had become.

Cezanne couldn't summon the words, all she could manage was to point her finger at the numerous white roses that sat proudly around Aurora's slumbering form. Fleurine, with a scowl, waved her hand at them, but her pink magic dissolved uselessly before it could touch the closest rose.

"Oh!" Fleurine exclaimed. "What does this mean, Sister?"

"It means Carabosse is not finished and her powers are beyond ours," Cezanne said through her tears.

"Her power is not beyond the power of love, it can't be!" Fleurine argued.

"None of the suitors have managed to wake her, and that was before these enchanted flowers appeared!"

"I don't understand." Fleurine's voice began to match the defeated tone of her sister's.

"We clearly underestimated our dark sister, Fleurine."

Cezanne's words made Carabosse's smile widen.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We must go to Mother, she's our only hope!" Cezanne said getting to her feet. Then she stopped as her gaze fell upon the princess. A sad sigh left her as she struggled to tear herself away from her favourite human.

"Cezanne, are you coming?" Fleurine asked, hovering in the doorway.

"I just can't leave her." Fresh tears sprung into Cezanne's eyes.

"You must, Sister. We must go and do all we can to release her from this curse!" Fleurine started to say then decided to change tact as she saw her sister begin to crumble. "You needn't leave her alone, we can call for Claudia to watch over her until we get back."

After thinking for a moment, Cezanne nodded her head.

"Very well, please find Claudia. We'll go to the Enchanted Forest immediately."

Fleurine did as instructed and disappeared out of the doorway. She returned with Aurora's lady's maid in minutes.

Once the Rosebush Twins finally left, Claudia's attention was drawn to the shadow in the corner of the room.

"I know you're here, Fairy," Claudia said to the darkness, "Come out!"

Carabosse, impressed by the girl's confidence, stepped out of the shadow. Claudia's eyes grew as she took in Carabosse's human sized, fairy form; a sight she saw in her dreams ever since she first saw her when she was a young child.