The week leading up to Aurora's sixteenth birthday passed by so quickly that all who lived within the human kingdom didn't know where to put themselves. They were under strict instructions from the King and Queen not to discuss the curse; but, of course, that's all they wanted to talk about.
The only person that wasn't filled with dread was Aurora, for she was the only one unaware of what awaited her the next day. However, she couldn't help but feel the strange atmosphere that crushed around her.
"What is wrong with everybody?" she asked Claudia and Cezanne's long faces, not able to contain her concern. "It's my birthday tomorrow and everyone is walking around like they're about to attend a funeral!"
Carabosse watched Claudia then quickly glanced towards Cezanne. The fairy's nervous face showed the conflict going on between her heart and mind. She eventually shook her head, making Claudia turn back towards Aurora to carry on brushing her long, golden hair, in sad silence.
Worry embedded itself deeply into Aurora's gut.
"What's going on?" she said in a hurt, trembling voice. "Why are you not talking to me?"
Suddenly the hairbrush in Claudia's hand was slammed against the princess's dressing table, making Aurora jump.
"This is stupid!" Claudia hissed, angrily. "Why can't we just tell her? She has the right to know!"
"We can't, the King and Queen..." Cezanne began looking nervously over her red clad shoulder.
"What is the point of it all though? Will Aurora's lack of knowledge stop it from happening?"
"No, of course not. Nothing can stop it!" Cezanne snapped in a hushed voice, hoping that Claudia would take the hint and lower her voice too.
A dark smile stretched across Carabosse's hidden face.
Feeling ignored, Aurora angrily got to her feet. "Why are you talking as though I'm not here?" she demanded. "What is this all about? What is everybody keeping from me?"
"Aurora, I'm sorry, we just can't..." Cezanne began, but was soon interrupted.
"No, Fairy Cezanne! This isn't fair!"
"Claudia..." Cezanne warned, as the lady's maid turned to Aurora and stood face-to-face to her, holding her hands firmly on the princess's trembling shoulders.
"I'll tell you, Princess, I don't care what happens to me! You have a right to know."
"Claudia, don't you dare!"
Cezanne's objections fell on deaf ears.
"You were cursed, Aurora. When you were a baby," Claudia said, throwing caution to the wind. "You are cursed to fall into a death sleep on your sixteenth birthday."
Aurora's face looked as though it was slapped. Fully believing her best friend, she collapsed back onto her expensive, upholstered stool, and stared into the vast emptiness that opened up in front of her.
Carabosse hushed the wicked laugh that was fighting to escape her, as she watched a frightened tear trickle down the princess's cheek.
"I'm cursed? W-who would do such a thing?" Aurora asked under her trembling breath.
"An evil, jealous fairy," Cezanne began. A scowl etched its way onto Carabosse's brow in response to the red rose fairy's claim.
"Who is this fairy?"
"The dark fairy, Carabosse," Cezanne answered, no longer seeing the point of holding back, since Claudia already blurted the truth out.
"B-but why me? What have I done?" Aurora's words fought against her tears.
"Nothing! You have done absolutely nothing, Aurora. Carabosse is just a twisted soul. She always has been, she was born from ash and was always jealous of those more beautiful and bright than her!" Cezanne explained to her favourite human, whilst gently caressing her shaking, rosey cheek.
The deep rooted hatred that Carabosse felt towards her sister lit up in scorching flames. With a quick snap of her fingers she sent a hanging picture flying across the room, making it smash loudly against the wall opposite. This caused all that were unaware of her presence to cry out in fright.
"What was that?" Claudia gasped, looking nervously around the room.
She then caught a glimpse of a familiar, winged silhouette before it disappeared out of Aurora's open window.
Being reminded of the day when a scary-looking fairy saved her from torment as a young child, Claudia couldn't bring herself to tell them what she had seen. Instead she looked at Cezanne's hate-filled face, as she clearly had her suspicions of who caused the destructive mess. Claudia then watched her quickly compose herself and embrace Aurora.
"You are safe, my dear. I promise you. I'll fix everything. I'll do all that it takes, for that is my purpose," she said whilst stroking her fairy hand along the soft strands of the princess's hair.
◇
Ibis rushed to catch up with Carabosse in the sky as she made her way to the Dark One's cave.
"What's the matter, what happened?" He communicated to her as he pushed his wings to keep up with her.
"That wretch, that miserable wretch!" was all he could make out of her ranting thoughts before she began to pick up the pace.
"Carabosse!" he called after her as she disappeared into the distance.
After soaring through the purple galaxy cave, she crashed through the wooden door that led to the slate room. Achlys, not at all affected by her rude entrance, didn't even bother to turn away from the rippling water of the looking pool.
"What is it, Carabosse? Why are you so upset?" he asked through an exasperated sigh.
Carabosse was too angry to stop moving, she paced around the slate room, letting her skirt swish around her like a cloud of black smoke.
"How dare she call me jealous!" she growled under her breath. "Like I could ever be jealous of that thing!"
"Carabosse," Achlys addressed her calmly. The dark magic swirling in his eyes managed to calm her enough to make her stop and look at him. Yet the storm still brewed upon her face.
"Come here," he said gently, whilst raising his arms, inviting her into an embrace. She cuddled tightly into his black clothed, marble chest.
"I hate her..." Carabosse's voice shook with overwhelming emotion. "I h-hate that rosebush fool!"
"It's not long now, my child, just a few hours till your curse is fulfilled - till you finally hit her where it hurts. Then we can plan what to do next," he said quietly into her ear.
"What to do next?" Carabosse questioned, moving her head so that her black eyes met with his.
"Your curse is only a drop in the ocean of what we must achieve to truly punish your enemies," Achlys explained with determination in his steely gaze. "Once the royal offspring is sleeping, you can forget all about her and the humans, then finally work by my side to get Heartha."
Carabosse was so lost within her mission to get back at her school bullies, Cezanne especially, she almost forgot about what her true goal was - to destroy the Mother of Fairies.
"Now, don't allow Cezanne to get under your skin. You have already won and she knows it, she is just in denial," Achlys reassured her, making a smile stretch her red lips.
"Soon, she'll realise there is no hope for her princess!" Carabosse sneered, through her wicked grin and Achlys mirrored her smile that was full of dark delight.
◇
Nobody could stop Aurora's sixteenth birthday from finally arriving. All the human kingdom could do in the face of the inevitable sorrow, was to pretend that nothing bad was going to happen.
The King and Queen organised the biggest, most wonderful celebration. They had the castle decorated with colourful flowers, gathered the kingdom's orchestra and invited everybody to dance the day away. Cezanne also put her hand in, she approached Aurora's suitors herself and encouraged them to give the princess their full attention. This was a last, desperate attempt to ensure Aurora would have somebody to wake her up.
Another thing Cezanne made sure of, was to keep all white roses away from the birthday girl for the duration of the day. This confused a lot of people though, for everybody knew that Aurora was partial to these delicate flowers. However, Cezanne knew there was something dodgy about them, she just didn't know what exactly.
Aurora skipped and twirled happily amongst her guests. Her lilac, lace ball gown flowed beautifully along with her graceful movements. She looked so jovial, nobody would've known that she held the burden of the curse upon her shoulders. She was never going to let her parents know that Claudia told her about it, she didn't want to risk her best friend getting into trouble.
As the whole kingdom, danced and clapped to the medieval music, nobody noticed the looming darkness that followed Aurora's every foot step. Soon a heavy shadow fell upon the entire castle and all who were present, apart from Aurora, began to move in an eerily, slow way.
Carabosse menacingly approached the princess, the only person who could see her; it was as if they were all dancing behind a smoke screen.
"It's you..." Aurora's voice echoed in an unnatural way as the dark magic began to seep under her skin, putting her into a trance. Carabosse said nothing, with an evil smirk, she waved her hand and there in the centre of the dance floor, amongst the bewitched dancers, appeared a wooden spinning wheel. The spindle shone with its magical properties and called the princess towards it.
Touch me, touch me...
Aurora held out her hand and mindlessly squeezed her fingertip against the sharp needle's point. Her crimson blood dripped down the length of the thin metal rod and she fell to the floor.
At that moment, Carabosse clapped her hands together making the slowed down music suddenly stop, and the trance lift from all who surrounded the sleeping princess.
A horrified gasp made its way through the crowd as they noticed their princess lying on the floor.
"No, Aurora!" cried the Queen, who collapsed into her husband's arms in despair.
Cezanne fluttered to the princess's side, closely followed by her supportive twin. She picked up Aurora's limp body and cradled her in her arms, then with a dangerous scowl, glared up at Carabosse. "This is not the end! You'll see! You have not won, Carabosse!"
Carabosse laughed wickedly, looking down at her red rose sister.
"You're right, Sister," Carabosse declared with confidence. "This is not the end."
Then without another word, she disappeared within blinding, green flames; leaving the sleeping princess lying in Cezanne's arms, in the middle of the silenced ballroom.