I Know You

21

Aurora glanced across at Prince Philip, finally starting to relax as the butterflies in her tummy settled.

They had been sitting together in the meadow for some time now, and the sun was starting to set.

Philip had brought all manner of foods with him, some of which Aurora had never seen before, coming from the moors. She herself wasn't able to bring much, save for some oddly shaped cupcakes that her aunties had made for the occasion.

They had talked about a number of things – Phillip's home in Ulstead, his parents, his favourite hobby, horseback archery.

In fact, they had talked quite a lot about Philip, and Aurora was beginning to grow tired as the sun stared to set.

"So, where is she then? Your Godmother? I would have thought she'd be here with you," Philip said eventually, offering Aurora a grape.

She shook her head. "She's here."

Philip glanced up at the trees that surrounded them, somewhat nervously, and Aurora laughed.

"She won't hurt you, you know?"

"Hmm. I think we can safely conclude that she is not my biggest fan," he said. "So what's it like then? Living here in the moors?"

Aurora smiled. "It's wonderful."

"Is that why you gave up your kingdom?" Philip asked, though there was no malice or ill-intent in his voice.

She shrugged. "I didn't belong there."

"You did once."

"Well, it was a long time ago. And now, I only want to live here, with my Fairy Godmother," she told him. "Do you think that strange?"

Philip smiled faintly, shaking his head. "No, I suppose not."

"As a matter of interest, do you know who they crowned? After I abdicated?" Aurora asked.

"I do," he nodded. "His name is Magnus. He was your father's right hand man. Perhaps you came across him when you were at the palace."

She nodded in confirmation, relatively unsurprised by the turn of events.

"Doesn't it bother you?" he asked, surprised at her nonchalance.

"Not particularly," she said, distracted by the dark clouds that had appeared on the horizon. "A storm is coming."

At that exact moment, lightning flickered in the distance, accompanied by a low rumble of thunder.

Philip smiled, impressed. "How did you know?"

Aurora smiled back, shrugging.

As if on cue, the heavens opened and the first large rain drops hit them.

"We had better find some shelter," she said, standing up.

Philip nodded, clearing away the food and following suit as the downpour worsened.

Aurora squealed, laughing as they ran for the cover of the trees. They stopped at the edge of the forest, looking back out across the meadow, rapidly becoming sodden as the rain continued relentlessly.

"Well. This is quite something," Philip said, eventually.

Aurora gave him a shy smile, wringing the rainwater from her hair, and he took off his jacket, putting it over her shoulders.

"I don't think he likes the rain," Aurora noted, gesturing to Philip's horse which had become restless and begun to circle.

"Perhaps not. All the same, I should get back..." the prince began.

"Maybe you should wait until it dies down?" she suggested.

A whooshing noise to their rear startled Philip, and he turned on his heel as Maleficent dropped almost-silently from the tree tops above.

This, apparently, was the last straw for the anxious horse, who took off across the meadow before Philip had a chance to do anything about it.

"Hey! Fauvel!" he cried in dismay, watching as the animal disappeared into the heavy sheet of rain.

Aurora looked back at her Godmother, biting on her lip, but the fairy did not seem in the least bit fazed.

"Good evening," was all she said.

Philip nodded his response, casting a nervous glance in the direction that his horse had gone.

"Hello Godmother."

"It is late, Beastie," the fairy said.

Aurora nodded. "I know. But Godmother, the weather is awful. And as you can see, Philip no longer has a horse. Do you think he could stay in the moors with us tonight?"

Maleficent arched a brow.

"He can't very well travel all that way on foot in the rain," she added. "And... well... it was your fault his horse bolted."

Philip gave Aurora a look of disbelief, evidently trying to decide whether she was brave or simply stupid.

But the girl simply folded her arms, mirroring the fairy's expression as she bit back a smile.

The fairy exhaled. "Alright."

And then she turned, heading deeper into the trees.

Aurora moved after her, catching the fairy's hand in her own and turning to gesture for Philip to follow them.

Philip did, because he wasn't sure what else to do.

Aurora waited whilst Maleficent made a pathway through the wall of thorns, suddenly beginning to wonder how deeply into the moors they might go, and where the prince might sleep.

She did not have to wonder for long however, as her Godmother abruptly came to a stop in the clearing. With a flick of her hand, she created a canopy overhead, to keep them dry.

Aurora smiled, seeing that they had stopped close by to one of the pools frequented by the luminous water fairies whom she adored.

"Are we going to stay here?" she guessed.

Maleficent inclined her head, and set continued to move through the space, protecting it against the elements.

"Perhaps a fire for your guest?" she called over her shoulder. "I daresay he isn't accustomed to sleeping outdoors."

"Should we... collect some wood?" Philip asked Aurora uncertainly.

Another hand gesture from Maleficent told them no, as a roaring campfire appeared in the middle of the space.

Aurora giggled as she noted the look of bewilderment on the prince's face.

"I suppose not," he muttered, sitting down beside the fire.

They talked for some time then, with Philip admiring the view and Aurora regaling him with tales of the moors, until she could no longer stifle her yawns.

"I expect we should get some sleep," the prince said eventually.

Aurora nodded, standing up and handing him back his jacket. "Here, you might need this. For your head."

"What about you? Won't you be cold?" he asked, rolling the jacket up into a makeshift pillow.

Aurora shook her head now, glancing across at her Godmother, who had settled against a tree several metres away. "I'll be fine. Goodnight Philip."

"Goodnight Aurora."

And Philip watched as the young girl made her way across to Maleficent, tugging gently at the fairy's wing which immediately expanded to make room for her.

If anybody had been paying close attention to the prince, they might have noticed the look of disappointment etched across his features, as he settled down to sleep alone.

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