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[h1][color=DarkOrchid]Freya Beauchamp[/color] and [color=Crimson]Aurora Rose[/color][/h1]
[h2]Present Day - The Moors[/h2][/center]

Lifting her hand up she let her long slender fingers slip back through her hair pushing it back and off her face as she let her perfectly manicured nails glide over her scalp her head lifting high as she let her dark brown orbs flick from title to title that were decorating on the spines of the books that lined the floor to ceiling bookcases in her library, reaching out her free hand she let fingers glide slowly over the leather bound covers her head tilting slightly as she looked for one that was going to pop out taking her interest.

Turning her hand she gripped hold of one in particular the brown leather causing the bright golden letters to stand out her back facing the book case as she turned away her feet carrying her over to the settee that stood before the large stone fireplace, dropping back into it she leant her body into the single arm of the chair settling herself down into the cushions as she opened it up allowing her eyes to lower and flick back and forth slowly over the words lain out before her.

Aurora's bare feet padded against the ground as she walked through the halls of Maleficent's palace. Her hands clutched tightly to a small envelope with a wax seal. Aurora dared not touch the seal in fear of what might happen if she angered the Queen who held her very life in the balance. She made her way to the throne room with no clue where it was that the woman had tucked herself away but found that the throne room, even when Maleficent wasn't there, had someone who could tell her where the Queen was. 

When she reached the large doors, she carefully pushed one open and stuck her head in to ensure that she wasn't interrupting something. Finding very few people in the room, she entered and looked around until she found an older manservant and quickly made her way to him, "Henry," She asked in a quiet voice, not wanting upset the near silent room, "Do you know where her majesty is?"

The man straightened and pressed his lips together in thought, "I believe... She might be in the library, Miss."

Aurora nodded her head and made her way hastily out of the room and toward the library. Over the years, she had come to know much of this place. Though some of it was forbidden for her to enter or even think about, she took her time exploring every where that she was allowed. Just as she had when she reached the throne room doors, she opened the door as quietly as possible. When she poked in her head to see Maleficent alone in the room. She slipped inside and made her way over before grabbing her dirt covered skirts and curtsying to the Queen, "I have the letter from Gaston, your majesty."

She held out the envelope before she lowered to her knees, giving her tired feet a rest. The walk from the Moors to the Province was not a quick one but Aurora feared resting too long when she knew that she could rest easily when she returned. She glanced down at the book in the woman's lap and a small smile twitched at the edge of her lips, "I... remember when you used to read to me," It had been when Aurora was still young and struggled to sleep at nights due to her fear of the woman. She looked at her lap quickly, "My apologies, your highness, that did not need to be said."

Lifting her head up her eyes flicked over to the young girl who wandered into the room quickly making her way over to where she sat before she held out the envelope she hadn't really been looking forward to getting, the self-obsessed French King had always gotten on her nerves with his large ego and tendancy to take any woman he pleased causing her anger to flair whenever he made a pass at her or any of the women in her service. Pursing her lips slightly she reached out taking a hold of the envelope before pulling it towards her her free hand working to break the seal and release the paper from the envelope, "What in the name gods does that womanizer want from me now..."

She paused her eyes flicking from the sentence she was halfway through reading to meet with those of her ward, "I do hope he did not make a pass at you, nor that you have led him on in some way... It would not do well for either of you in such a situation."

"I have done my best to let him know that I have no interest in him without... upsetting him in anyway," She bit her lip, "But he does try to change my mind most times I go there. I feel as though that is why he continues to write you letters."

Lowering her gaze down to the letter once more she skimmed over the rest making a mental note to read it through properly at a later time before she dropped her attention back down to the book on her lap her hand working to throw the letter and envelope to the other side of the couch, "Do not apologize, you have no need to do so at this stage. Besides, what you speak of was so very long ago, I barely remember doing such things..." Her voice trailed off slightly as her mind flicked back to the times in when the only way to calm the crying and frightened child was to read to her until she fell asleep, shoving the thoughts from her mind her jaw clenched her finger lifting to her lips to allow her tongue to flick over it before she flipped the page.

Aurora's eyes rose slowly when the woman told her not to apologize. She nodded her head a little as she played with her hands watching as the woman continued to speak, explaining how she had forgotten most things the two had done when she was young. She gave her a sad smile as she thought back to her parents who she had been taken from all those years ago. She wondered if they would remember those things... She remembered every new thing she did with them to be a celebration but it was not the same with Maleficent. How could she expect it to be though? She may spend most days with the woman but... she was not her mother. She noticed the tightness in the woman's jaw and moved forward before she placed a hand on her knee, "Oh, I have not upset you, my Queen, have I?"

Little things gave away people's feelings when you knew what you were looking for. Aurora learnt to pick up on Maleficent's very quickly to avoid the woman's wrath that she had seen her unleash on more than a few people. She removed her hand from the woman's knee and returned to sitting back on her heels, "My apol-" She cut herself off and bit her tongue to stop herself from apologizing to the queen again, "Is there anything you need me to do for you, your majesty?"

Pausing her rereading for a moment she let her eyes wander over to where the young girl had placed her hand on her knee in a reassuring and calming manner something she had managed to get used to over the years of having her within the walls of her castle, "No child. You are perfectly fine. Guests barging in and out of my home without invitation has been what has me sitting on edge."

Lifting her head up she let her gaze bare down into the young girl before her as she felt her hand slip from her knee causing the Queen to huff out a sigh, "You have done enough for the day, you are free to spend the rest of the afternoon as you wish... I will warn you however, the sea witch is wandering about the castle halls. Do not engage her in any way, not strike any deals with her, do I make myself clear?" Narrowing her eyes she kept her eyes locked on those of the child showing her that there was in no way she was playing around.

Aurora's eyes widened when Maleficent stared her down, insisting that the girl make no deals with the sea witch, who was walking about the halls. She nodded her head vigorously, "Yes, your majesty... Crystal."

She stood to dismiss herself, her eyes still on the Queen, before she started to move away. She hesitated on the other side of the couch, her fingers playing with the chain of her cloak. She glanced over her shoulder at Maleficent, daring to ask her to stay before deciding against it. She was most likely too busy and she was covered in dirt still from her trip. She walked over to the door and opened it, "Farewell, your majesty," She said quietly before slipping out the door. 

She gathered her skirts in her hands again and headed to her room, hoping to run herself a warm bath to clean up before dinner. As she walked away from the library, she stole another glance at the doors. She is not my mother, she reminded herself before turning to face front again and run up the stairs of the east tower to her bedroom. Sometimes she got lonely, she was not exactly royalty anymore and allowed to be with the Queen as she might have when she was younger but she was not exactly wait staff, which made them just as uncomfortable to speak to her as it was sometimes for her to speak to Maleficent. 

Closing her eyes she closed the book her lips pursing into a thin line as she listened to the girl farewell her before leaving the room and in turn leaving her on her own once more in the silence of the library the only thing breaking it being the crackling of the flames in the fireplace, placing the book beside her she stood back up her feet carrying her over to the bookcases once again her eyes searching through the titles before her until she reached up grabbing a book down from its place the fingers of her free hand gliding over the cover.

Turning on her heels her arm came up her fingers clicking causing a thick plume of purple smoke to spread out searching through the castle until it had found the girl quickly wrapping around her causing her to disappear from sight only to reappear in the library that she had just left, "Sit..."

Nodding over at the settee she hurried her step letting her body fall back into it her back pressing against the arm and her eyes flicking up to the girl as she waited for her to join her on the couch her arm resting along the back in an invitation for her to lay in on her, "Come now child, I don't have all night."

Aurora just made it up the flight of stairs to her bedroom rather proud of herself. There had been a time when she had to stop along the way to breath or when she would reach the top gasping for breath. She supposed walking up and down them along with the long walking journeys that Maleficent sent her one had done more for her that she had actually been aware of. She went to reach for the door handle when she noticed the purple smoke around her feet. She gasped, worried. Aurora had developed a fear of most magic when the curse had been laid upon her. That fear intensified when Maleficent changed that very curse. She feared that any magic that came her way was going to be the magic that put her to sleep for the rest of her life.

This was not that magic though. So, she ended up in library once more with her arms up, protecting her face. She looked around herself when she found that she was still awake and looked to Maleficent when she told her to sit. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly confused as to why the woman had brought her back after sending her away. However, when she held her arm over the top of the couch, Aurora was quick to move to her. Tentatively, she leaned against the woman and looked up at her as she let her dirty feet hang of the settee, "Y-your majesty?..." She said quietly, still rather confused about what was going on.

Watching the girl settle back into her arms she brought the book around in front of the both of them so that they could both gaze upon the pages she opened the book her body shifting so that it was turned into Aurora's, "The roles however shall be reversed. You are old enough to read and therefore you can now make up for the time in which I wasted reading to you when you were no more than a little beastie who insisted on crying all the time."

Her words were harsh though her expression didn't show a hint of anger or frustration as she waited patiently for her to begin reading.

Aurora didn't protest when the woman informed her that she wouldn't be reading but Aurora would be. Maleficent seemed to always be like, she did something unexpectedly sweet then twisted it. The woman reading to her was one of her few fond memories of her time as her... well... prisoner and to hear that she saw it as wasted time... It hurt a little more than she expected it to. She rested her head against Maleficent's shoulder and took a deep breath, "[i]Jenny didn’t have to run away to join the circus—it came to her. But not with midgets, bearded ladies or elephant men in tow. No sir, the circus had gone out and bought itself some style. Cirque de Magie rolled into town polished but sterile, with a poster that was slick and silver...[/i]"

Aurora's voice was quiet as she spoke. Her voice was always quiet, she couldn't remember a time, even as a child, that she rose her voice. Of course, she could just barely remember a time when she wasn't scared to raise her voice. She reached out when she needed to to flip the page and continue reading, "[i]"I’ll wait for the movie,” I said disdainfully.

“It’s not at all what you think,” she said. “The circus is not a carnival. There’s been a renaissance. The circus has class.”

“You’re just saying that because its name is in French.”

“Don’t be absurd, François, Not everything French has class.” She gazed up at the advertisement. “You’ll take me,” she said. A week later, she was gone."[/i]"

Her eyes flickered away from the page now and again as she read. She was curious if Maleficent liked it or if she just wanted to be done with this. Did the woman regret dragging her back down here? Did the woman even like her? Some part of her, deep down, under all the darkness, had to like her. Surely...

She returned to the book and kept reading before she read the last line of the story, "[i]“You must be Celeste,” Jenny said. “François and I are getting married,” Celeste replied...[/i] By Joel Fishbane," She added quieter than the rest.

Taking a deep breath in she closed her eyes her head dropping back against the arm of the chair her eyes closing as she enjoyed the sound of her voice reading out the words on the page that she was on, the story filling her mind as she relaxed in the settee with the young girl she had taken in under not so conventional means her arm dropping down from the back of the couch to fall over Aurora's shoulder keeping her close against her as she continued to read the thoughts that she had been dwelling on about her relationship with Jafar as well as the other calling on her constantly for meaningless drivel leaving her mind for the time being.

Opening her eyes slowly as the young girls voice slowed to a stop she turned her head looking down at her seeming to notice the way she was dressed and the amount of dirt that had accumilated on her skin, frowning she reached out taking some of the material of her skirt up in her hand, "You will not be at dinner in such a state. I will not have my ward wandering around the castle in such clothes and with grime all over her." Pulling herself away from her she stood up her hand taking hers as she lifted her from the settee to stand up her arms folding over her chest as she looked her over, flicking her hand out towards her she caused another thick plume of purple smoke to surround the young girl dissapearing only once she was clean and dressed to the Queens standard, her hair pulled back into a soft bun with a white flower resting to the right of it, "Hm... That will do I guess..."

Aurora's eyes drifted to the hand that rested on her shoulder and smiled softly at the tenderness of the moment. However, in true Maleficent fashion, she derailed the moment entirely as she gathered her dirt skirts and frowned. Aurora looked at her as she took her hand and attempted to explain, "My apologies, your majesty, I came straight to you once I arrived and I was heading to my rooms to prepare for dinner whe-"

The girl's words were cut off when she tensed as the purple plume enveloped her again. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt the plume move around her, removing the dirt and putting her into a new dress as well as cleaning up her hair. She released the air she held in her lungs for a long portion of the time she was enveloped but tried to appear as unaffected as possible not wishing to upset the Queen. She looked down at the dress and ran her hand over the skirts a little before her eyes drifted back up to Maleficent, "Th-Thank you, your majesty... The dress is lovely," She glanced at the door for a moment, "Would you like to go to dinner now, your highness?"

Letting her gaze turn to look over at the large doors that led out to the hallway she pursed her lips shaking her head from side to side slowly before she motioned over to the settee where the book she had been reading before and the letter that she needed to look over once more with more interest than she had done earlier, "Not at this moment child. Go ahead. I shall be there once I have finished everything that I need to get done."

Moving past her she leant forward gathering up both books and the letter in her arms before she stood up tall her head nodding towards the exit, "I shall be in my chambers if I am needed. Remember my warning, do not approach the sea witch under any circumstances. At dinner you are to be seated on my left, do I make myself clear?" Not bothering to wait for a reply she turned her back on the girl her bare feet carrying her out the room and into the hallway following the path as she headed towards her chambers a small smile playing on her lips, the woman reveling in the small moment that had made her forget about the larger things that were weighing upon her shoulders.

"Left..." Was all Aurora really had the chance to get out before the woman left her standing alone in the library. She crossed her arms across her body, holding her elbows as she stood in front of the fire. Her eyes looked at the settee for a moment taking in the moment that had happened between the two of them before Maleficent went back to her ways. A sad smile appeared on the young girl's lips, she almost wished Maleficent had left the book behind... She would have liked to have it in her room. She dropped her arms to her skirts and gather the white fabric in her hands before she headed out of the room, leaving the library behind her.