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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.
YOU ARE READING
Bring Me Joy: Aurora x The Horned King
FantasyHis 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. Briar Rose...
