The Twisted Chain || A Disney Fanfic [discontinued]

2. the curse

Hello, everybody! My name is Leslie, the writer of this story. First off, I couldn't have been happier when I saw all the feedback for the first chapter. I'd like to thank every single commenter- your reviews made my day.

If you could spread the word about this story, whether it be on social media or just mentioning it to your friends, that would be amazing!

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Weddings were incredibly complicated things. Aurora knew that better than anyone. Sixteen years worth of fantasies and four months worth of headache-inducing planning had led up to one night- a single night- on which she would become shackled to another person for all eternity.

Not so desirable when put that way, is it?

Needless to say, Aurora was nervous. Fear chewed on her insides, and she felt as though her heart was caving in on itself.

"I can't do it," she moaned, clutching her stomach in anguish.

Aurora's mother, however, wasn't having any of it. "Aurora Cornelia Disney. You've dreamt about this day throughout your entire life, and I am not going to stand back and allow you to give it up now. You love Philip, don't you?"

"I do, mother. Really, I do."

"So, why the big fuss?"

"It's difficult to explain-"

"Try me."

Aurora was barely able to fight against the lump in her throat. "I was told thousands of fairytales when I was little, and each one ended with a wedding. The princess becomes a bride, and the story comes to a close. No one ever explains what happens after the wedding." She swallowed, attempting to cleanse her words of any wavers. "What if it isn't as wonderful as I imagined? What will I do then?"

"Well, that's the fun of it all. You get to find out what happens for yourself. You get to have your own adventure."

With hands burdened by age, the queen placed a tri-pointed slab of gold onto Aurora's head- a tiara, embellished with the crest of the Disney family. "It will be wonderful, Aurora, but not all the time. There will be hardships, and there will be arguments, as there are in any marriage. But you'll soon realize that that's what makes it all worthwhile."

Aurora was coming to realize, now more than ever, that not everything her mother said was going to make sense. This was one of those occurrences.

The princess wrestled with her nerves and descended down the steps of the palace, cloaking her anxiety with a set of rosy cheeks. After all, it was the only option that she had, as her mother had been more than willing to remind her. "What else are you going to do, Aurora? Cancel the ceremony? Leave the nobles to exchange rumors?"

Is this what her life would become? Masking her agony for the benefit of others? Was that what a royal family was for?

Warmth gushed into her palm- Philip's fingers, lanky and a bit on the coarse side, intertwined with Aurora's smooth ones. She blinked. The altar. She was at the altar.

And, just as quickly as they'd descended upon her, all those agonizing sensations drained from her stomach. Philip was there.

Philip was, in a word, perfect. He was gentle and heroic and nothing short of wonderful. The second eldest of the Southern Isles' thirteen princes, a beautiful cliché, plucked from the crinkled pages of a storybook. Exactly what Aurora had dreamt of.

Why her? He could have risked his life for any other maiden in the universe- why was it her?

"By the power invested in me by the kingdom of Elia, I now pronounce you husband and wife."