30 November 2022

Here it is; the end of Nanowrimo. I wrote a more extensive on my thoughts reflecting on the month as a whole Dec 1, the day after, so I will not put too much here. It’s pretty short; I was struggling with motivation, a bit, and this rounded out the scene fairly nicely, at least for where the draft is at now.

Sorry about the delay in posting; I was feeling sick yesterday, and did not accomplish much of anything. Including writing, unfortunately. I’ll be posting the regularly scheduled post for Dec 1 at 9:30 like normal.

The day before Rapunzel’s birthday at breakfast, Hannah made a declaration. “We should make an extra effort to celebrate Aurora’s birthday tomorrow.”

The others at the table, sans Maleficent and Frederick, stared at her in shock. It was Phillip who broke the silence. “Um, but… Isn’t that the day she’s going to die, Your Majesty?”

Hannah nodded. “And that’s why. I want to make as many special memories together with Aurora as I can before we’re separated. Not many people are lucky enough to get advance notice on when their time will run out, after all.” She turned to Rapunzel. “Of course, that’s only if you’re okay with it, Aurora. It is your birthday, after all.”

Rapunzel blinked. She’d never thought about it that way before. She still didn’t think she’d consider herself lucky, but it did make her feel more positive about the circumstances. “Yeah… Yeah. I like that idea.”

So they did. The innkeeper and his wife baked and decorated a massive, lavish cake. While it was baking, Rapunzel set up a small chess tournament, which got far more noisy than chess had any right to be (mostly courtesy of Phillip). They even managed to con Maleficent into participating, which turned out to be the best thing ever for Rapunzel. They met in the finals, and that was the funnest, and toughest, game Rapunzel had ever played; even though she lost, she felt like she learned a ton just from watching Maleficent.

After the cake, Rapunzel tried to teach Hannah and Phillip how to paint, and it wasn’t long before it devolved into an all out paint war. They absolutely splattered the guest room of the inn they were using, and it wasn’t long before Frederick had the three of them down in front of the innkeeper to apologize. For his part, the innkeeper seemed more put out about getting the apology than the paint-splattered room.

Throughout it all, though, Isaac always wore the same sullen expression. He never smiled, and only participated the bare minimum. Not once did he meet Rapunzel’s eyes; in fact, when she tried to corner him to ask him what was up, he slipped away and vanished. Part of her wanted to think he didn’t want to admit she was dying that evening, and that they’d gotten too close in the last few weeks, just like she’d been afraid of. Something told her this was something else, however, and it bothered her she couldn’t figure it out.

When her parents presented her with a pet puppy that afternoon, though, everything clicked into place. She held the puppy ip to stare into its eyes, as a way to avoid looking at either of her parents. “Hey, Mom? Dad?”

They tensed; after the way Rapunzel lit up when she talked about taking care of the animals at the Tower, this wasn’t the reaction they were expecting. “What is it, sweetie?” Hannah asked.

“Generally, a pet is something you give to someone who can take care of it, right? So why are you giving her to me if I’m going to be dead within the next 24 hours?”

Hannah and Frederick exchanged glances with each other, then glanced over at Maleficent. Frederick scratched the back of his head. “Actually, Aurora, we’ve been thinking. And with Maleficent’s help, we’ve come up with a plan.”

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29 November 2022

After I finished the draft on the 28th, it was hard to get motivated to put the same energy into writing, or specifically setting aside the time to write. It was as if subconsciously, I’d given myself permission to pursue other projects or pastimes.

Still, the bit between Hannah’s arrival and reunion with Aurora and her sacrifice always felt too short. So I chose to expand that scene, and give them more time together. It took me the next two days to finish it up. I also forgot Phillip; he’s definitely around somewhere. Maybe he’d stay away to give them more time together; maybe not. It still needs to be addressed regardless.

..request.” She gave Frederick a pointed look, and a quick glance at Rapunzel told him all he needed to know.

He grimaced, but the tension in his shoulders eased up. “Alright.” He dipped his head toward Maleficent. “Welcome to Lowenveil.”

Maleficent returned the bow, but she kept a wary eye on both Frederick and his captain of the guard.

As the tension eased up, the princess asked, “So… what now? I’ve never really been part of a family before. And not to be a stick in the mud, but I don’t have a lot of time…”

The air in the room turned frosty, until Isaac spoke up. “Whatever we do, I think we should do it here. I don’t want to waste the last few days we have with you traveling.”

Hannah nodded. “I want to get to know you. What has your life been like? What are your interests? Things like that.”

A small smile curled at one corner of Rapunzel’s mouth. “I’d like that.”

Over the next three to four days, they did all kinds of things. They played games, most of which were suggested by Isaac, and at mealtimes they took turns cooking together. Rapunzel and Hannah even sat and watched Isaac’s sword training with Frederick. Mostly, however, they just talked telling stories about everything from Rapunzel’s relationship with the Tower to the time Hannah caught Frederick sneaking down to the kitchens for a late night snack, only to join him.

A couple days after Hannah arrived, Frederick and Hannah found out Rapunzel could paint. “We should do a family portrait!” Hannah’s eyes twinkled.

Rapunzel looked away. “I’m, uh… I’m not very good with faces yet.”

Frederick shrugged. “Better than I would be.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to have a professional do it?”

Hannah shook her head. “I’d rather have yours.”

In the end, Rapunzel finally relented, and they found a good location for it. It took a long time; long enough Isaac was getting irritable. But in time Rapunzel finished it and presented it to her family.

“Like I said, I’m really not good with drawing people yet,” she said. And the painting had evidence of that; Frederick’s jaw was a bit too square, and Isaac’s nose wasn’t quite right. Rapunzel, in particular, was less than satisfied with it. The rest of the family, on the other hand, seemed quite impressed, although Isaac had to make the joke, “Definitely a heck of a lot better than whatever the heck it was you showed me in the Tower.”

Rapunzel scowled, and Hannah and Frederick laughed.

That night, Isaac had trouble sleeping, and decided to head outside for a walk. As he passed the room his parents were staying in, though, he heard his mother’s voice. “...The gifts a fairy-blessed child receives must be paid back, correct?” There was a pause, and then she continued, “Does she have to be the one to pay the price?”

Another voice, Maleficent’s, asked, “What are you suggesting?”

Isaac couldn’t help himself; he moved closer and peered through the crack in the door. Maleficent sat on a chair facing Hannah and Frederick. Hannah sat on the bed, while Frederick paced back and forth, an expression of consternation on his face.

Hannah said, “Well, if anyone can pay the price, couldn’t I take that burden for her?”

Isaac barely stopped himself from gasping and revealing himself. Maleficent herself seemed utterly in shock. She turned to Frederick. “And you’re okay with this?”

Frederick stopped. “I… no. Yes? I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair and turned to Hannah. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I am.”

Frederick sighed, then paused and turned to Maleficent. “Would it be possible for me to split the cost with her?”

Before Maleficent answered, Isaac crept away. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all; he needed to think.

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28 November 2022

And here it is. The last piece of the climax. With this I could officially say I’d written the whole story from start to finish, and had a working draft. There was one scene that felt incomplete that I added to to finish off my last two days, but this was the moment it all came together.

As for the climax itself…I’m not sure. I really enjoyed all the different emotions at play here, and I hope I was able to express them well. It surprised me how anti-climactic the actual moment was, though. I don’t know that I want to change that, even if it’s possible; a lot of major life events are small, simple, anti-climactic things, I think.

…gathered. “In particular, you want to see how viable it would be to use some facet of my existence to replace the curse now afflicting the king and queen?”

Maleficent nodded. “I believe that has the best chance of making this solution work. However, even then…”

“Indeed. I do not have a close enough connection to the rest of Aurora’s family, or anyone else whose life was affected, to impact them the same way the curse has. Additionally, the risks of unraveling are too great.” He stroked his beard. “However, if, rather than replacing the curse, you just wanted to divert it again, you would only need the target to be someone close to Aurora.”

Maleficent pressed her lips into a thin line. She looked over to the corner where Aurora sulked in a corner, arms folded. “She’s not going to like that. And things have not exactly been easy for her, recently.”

“No, they haven’t. And you’re right, she won’t.” The Tower’s gaze followed Maleficent’s to Aurora. “By chance, could I beg of you to lend Aurora your ears? I’d like to speak with her about it.”

Maleficent nodded, and pulled a piece of her own hearing to lend to Aurora.

“She’s not going to like that. And things have not exactly been easy for her, recently.”

As soon as Aurora heard those words, especially with the way Maleficent and Tower looked at her, ice crawled up her back. It was like a claw squeezed her heart. What were they talking about?

Then Maleficent pulled something out of her ear and sent it to Aurora.

All of a sudden, Aurora could hear things that she didn’t even know had sounds; the echoes of moonlight off the rain-soaked grass, for example, or the secrets that whispered from the corners of the room. Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as the faerie sight had been, and Aurora was able to tune most of it out. She focused on the Tower. “What’s going on?”

“We have a way to save your parents,” Maleficent said. “But that doesn’t mean the solution doesn’t come with complications of its own.”

“Well, what is it?”

The Tower interjected. “I will be the one to take on the curse.”

For a second Aurora couldn’t breathe. Then she began to shake her head as she said, “No. No! That’s not a solution. We’re just passing the curse around again. There’s… there’s got to be a way to fix it.”

“Aurora…” Maleficent began, but Aurora ignored her.

“We still had that replacement idea, right?”

“Aurora.” The Tower, this time.

“Or… or we could find someone random. A criminal. Someone on death row. If we have to give someone the curse, might as well be–”

“Aurora.” Tower’s voice was soft but insistent.

Aurora looked up at him, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

Tower kneeled down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is the only other option. This is the best way.”

Aurora shook her head. “Please, don’t go. I can’t lose you, too.”

Tower smiled at her, though tears filled his eyes, as well. “I’m old. So old I don’t even know how old I am. And look at me.” He gestured to his transparent body. “I’m not even truly a part of reality anymore. It’s time for me to move on.” He looked over to her parents. “I’ve been blessed to watch over you these last sixteen years; they’ve only had a chance to be with you a few days. They still have full lives ahead of them; so please, let me go, so you can be with your real family.”

“But you’re my family, too.”

Tower couldn’t respond for a moment. Then he swept her in a hug. “Thank you.” When he pulled back, he stared straight into her eyes. “But isn’t that all the more reason for me to do this?”

Aurora bit her lower lip, then looked over to Isaac. He just watched her, and when their eyes met he nodded to her once. He trusted her; the decision was hers.

She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay, then.”

Tower stood up and stepped back. Over by the bed, however, Maleficent had an apologetic expression. “There is one more thing, however.”

Both Aurora and the Tower looked at her. Maleficent sighed, then tried to pick up some of the Tower’s threads. “I cannot touch his fate. You have to be the one to do this, Aurora.”

Once Aurora’s brain caught up with what she was hearing, all she could do was give a dry laugh. If she botched this, she’d be responsible for the death of literally every parental figure she ever had. Even if it worked, she’d be responsible for half their deaths. She curled into a ball and wept into her knees for a moment.

Isaac reached out for her, but Aurora waved him off. “I’ll be alright, just give me a moment.” She took a deep breath, then stood and walked over beside Maleficent. “Alright. What do I need to do?”

Maleficent walked her through it, and Aurora, very delicately, shifted the bump representing the curse through until it only diverted the Tower’s silver string away from the rest.

When she finally finished and pulled away, Tower was already starting to flicker. Black streaks spiderwebbed up his face from his neck. Despite all that, he seemed utterly at peace. “Farewell, little one. I’m grateful my last few years of existence could be spent watching you frow up. I’m so proud of you.”

A fresh wave of tears spilled across Aurora’s cheeks. “Me, me too! Thank you for raising me!”

The Tower nodded and waved, and finally he disappeared. Aurora sank to her knees.

Isaac moved to comfort her, but before he could reach her, Hannah and Frederick stirred and began to sit up. Hannah, in particular, seemed a little confused, but as soon as she saw Aurora weeping she jumped out of bed and held her tight. Aurora turned and began sobbing into Hannah’s chest.

Frederick moved more slowly. As she stood, he looked between Aurora, Isaac, and Maleficent. “What happened?”

Isaac wasn’t sure what to say. “There was… a tower. Aurora’s tower, where she grew up. It was… alive somehow.”

“Alive enough to offer his existence in exchange for yours.” Maleficent wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “All so Aurora would have a chance to know you.”

Hannah’s eyes widened, and she hugged Aurora closer and kissed the top of her head. Frederick spread his arms around both of them, and Isaac moved in and leaned against his mom. Maleficent dipped her head and left the room, and they stayed there for a very long time.

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26 November 2022

I tried so hard to figure out the climax and how it all fits together, and it just wasn’t coming together for me yet. So I decided to switch to something else, and I wrote the epilogue.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’m satisfied with it. The epilogue, I mean. It feels a bit too dry, and there’s also this nagging sensation that I’ve forgotten something. Not Phillip; at the time, I’d intentionally left him out so anyone who shipped him with Aurora could be free to do so. There’s still things I could figure out and say about him, though.

“Perhaps. But this is not the time for that, you are right. My apologies.” Maleficent turned back to the weaving. “There is one other thought I considered. If we found a way to replace the curse with something else, we might be able to choose something to tie things together rather than split them off. Even if we were to find something, however, it would be incredibly subtle and detailed work, and the risks are immense; if we handle this poorly, it would be as catastrophic as simply removing the curse, if not worse.”

“Well… what could we replace it with?” Isaac asked. “And what would that mean for us?”

“To be honest, I was still looking for the right materials and methods.” She fingered a deep blue thread. “I’d considered using Gothel’s threads, but even if she were yet alive, she is too wrapped up in all this, and too present in the real world, for that to be a viable option.”

Aurora looked back at the tapestry, and the silver thread that connected to the mini tower. “Is that why you were interested in this? Would Tower’s thread work?”

Maleficent shrugged. “That is one reason for my interest, though not the only reason. And it is a possibility; however, I do not know what the ramifications might be, either for the tower or for all of us.”

Aurora bit her lower lip, then held the tower figurine up and pushed her will into it. It glowed with violet light, and then expanded to cover the far wall with a new, stone one. A doorway opened in the center, and the more humanoid form of the Tower walked out. Unlike last time Aurora spoke with him, he was translucent, as though he wasn’t truly there.

He bowed to Maleficent, and Aurora could tell from his lips he was introducing himself to her. However, Aurora could hear nothing.

Once they’d all returned to the capital - for the most part via carriage - King Frederick and Queen Hannah declared the date they reunited with Aurora to be a national holiday. They formally accepted Venwald as an ally, and lauded Queen Brynne (or Maleficent) as a friend and hero. For the next two weeks, the capital celebrated like it never had before.

Before she left, around a month later, Maleficent made a point to spend time with Isaac, teaching him how to make sense of the things he could see now. In particular, she taught him how to recognize what it looked like when people lied to him, or when they were trying to skirt around the truth. When Frederick and Hannah stepped down and bequeathed him the throne, almost two decades later, that ability served him well, and he was known far and wide for generations as one of the most just and honest kings in all the land.

Hannah continued visiting Queen Brynne every year, though it was always after Aurora’s birthday now that she’d returned. The people of Venwald all spoke of how much the queen had softened due to Hannah’s influence, and Maleficent herself was surprised at the increased respect the people offered her. Nevertheless, there came a day, after Queen Hannah started getting old, when Maleficent appointed one of her counselors as ruler in her stead, and she vanished. No one knew where she went or what she was up to.

Fairies were, understandably, unwelcome in any of the western kingdoms after everything that had happened. They’d already been viewed with skepticism after Aurora had been kidnapped, but after the events surrounding her return to Lowenveil’s royal family, and all the stories she and her family told of Gothel (particularly her transformation into a dragon), the western kingdoms redoubled their stance.

As for Aurora, she lived a happy and full life, short as it was. Artists and connoisseurs from all over the known world came to see her work, and her fame grew, not only for her skill but also her temper. More than one foolish young man had come expecting a demure and sickly artiste, and experienced the ire of the firebrand princess.

She became particularly known for her portraits and figure paintings, in a variety of styles. However, it was near universally agreed on that her most famous piece, and likely the best, was the one that hung above her mantel, depicting a tall, thin man with steel-gray hair in a charcoal suit. Art critics from all over the world debated who the figure might be, or what he might represent, but Aurora never shared.

She had a mansion built in the forest at the site where the remains of the Tower had been. Frederick gifted her the forest and its environs as her personal fiefdom, and named her a grand duchess after she formally seceded from the line of succession. It was there she raised her family, after she got married. She had three children, and finally passed away giving birth to the third. Despite her weakness, she was perpetually optimistic, and her only regret when she died was that her children would grow up without their mother.

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21 November 2022

Looking over this, it kind of seems like I was all over the place. Bouncing from one scene to another. Part of that has to do with the fact that as we’re getting close to the end of the month, I actually have been really close to wrapping up the first draft, which makes this more of a novella than a novel I suppose. And due to the disjointed way I approached the project, I needed to take time to fill in the gaps between scenes. There is some new stuff, of course; Aurora’s second confrontation with Maleficent, for example, right as we hit the climax.

Isaac grit his teeth, as he knelt behind a fragment of the wall. How many men had he lost already? Was there anything he could do about the dragon’s fire breath?

The dragon sniffed the air again, and turned to look right at him. She began to suck in, and Isaac knew this was the end. There was no way he’d be able to get away in time. He sighed in resignation; while he didn’t regret anything, he did wish his citizens didn’t have to be the ones to pay the price.

Right before the dragon released her fire breath, however, a transparent, violet-colored image of a stone wall appeared between him and the dragon, then materialized into stone right as the flames hit. Isaac watched in awe as they bore the brunt of the flames without any signs of melting or burning.

On Isaac’s side of the new wall, it shifted to form a door, which opened to reveal Aurora looking quite proud of herself. She grinned at Isaac then turned to stare up at the dragon. “What do you need us to do?”

(Near the climax, after the second half of the dragon fight)

Aurora was incredibly apprehensive as she approached the fortress of thorns and roses. When she finally stepped inside, she found Maleficent focusing intently on some magic.

It took a moment for Maleficent to notice her presence. When the witch-queen finally saw her, her eyes widened, and she slowly walked up to Aurora. Aurora bit her lower lip and looked away. Maleficent slapped her and said, “You foolish, foolish girl!”

Before Aurora could protest, however, Maleficent dropped to her knees in front of Aurora, and Aurora was shocked to see tears in her eyes. She pulled Aurora into a hug and whispered, “I thought we’d lost you forever.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maleficent pulled back. “You understand, though, right? How dangerous fate-spinning is. I still cannot let you do this.”

“What if I had help?” Aurora gestured, and a mini Tower formed beside her.

Maleficent looked surprised, and considered the idea for a moment. Finally, though, she shook her head. “The risks are still far too great.”

She turned to leave, and Aurora had to force herself to keep calm. Then she called after Maleficent, “If there’s no hope in saving them, why did you keep them alive?”

Maleficent turned to her, one eyebrow raised. Aurora took a deep breath and continued, “I think somewhere, deep down, you’re hoping they can be saved. Maybe you’re even planning on saving them yourself.”

(After Aurora reunites with Frederick, when they’ve said Gothel is harmless)

Frederick frowned and turned to Conners. “Your thoughts?”

Conners thought for a moment. “Isaac’s always had a good head on his shoulders, and I would assume your daughter is similar. That said, it might not be a bad idea to leave a small contingent of men nearby to keep a watch on the forest, just to be safe.”

Frederick nodded to her. “Make it happen.”

Conners saluted and began ordering her men around. Frederick gestured to Rapunzel and Isaac. “Shall we head in? We have a lot to talk about.”

Conversation was incredibly awkward at first. Rapunzel had no idea what to say to the king, and Frederick looked just as lost as she was. There were a few false starts, from both sides, and Isaac did his best to bridge the gap, but both Rapunzel and the king were too self-conscious to relax and let the conversation flow.

Eventually, Frederick asked, “So… What are your plans going forward?”

Rapunzel bit her lip. Plans? For what? Three days from now? She had to take a minute to calm herself down. “Well, first off, I’d like to formally remove myself from the line of succession, if that hasn’t already been taken care of.”

Frederick nodded. “May I ask your reasons?”

“There are two main ones. First, Isaac’s trained all his life to take your place as king, correct?” Frederick and Isaac both nodded, and Rapunzel continued. “I haven’t. I’ve been living in the Tower my whole life. That alone would be reason enough. However…” A ghost of a smile flit across her features. “If I am, somehow, alive here in another week, I’m not exactly going to be in any condition to rule.”

Frederick grimaced. “So you are aware of that, at least.”

Rapunzel nodded, and Frederick sank, like the weight of the world had just settled on his shoulders. “Well, at least we get to have a few days together, right?”

“Yeah.” Rapunzel wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

They continued talking for the next few hours. Rapunzel talked about her paintings, and the Tower and everything it did to take care of her. She tried to make a point to avoid talking about Gothel too much, especially some of her…issues. Frederick talked about the kingdom and his goals for it a bit, but mostly he talked about Isaac and Hannah and their life together, including a number of embarrassing stories, to Isaac’s chagrin. Isaac himself would interject here and there, and sometimes gave as good as he got.

Just as the sun began to set, a woman burst in, with wavy, dark brown hair. It took Rapunzel a moment to recognize her as Queen Hannah.

“Mom!?” Isaac stood, shock written all over his face. “How did you get here so fast? You were two weeks away; I didn’t think you were going to make it!”

“I had help,” Hannah replied. She dipped her head to her husband, and then walked over to Rapunzel and rested a hand on her cheek. She stared deep into Rapunzel’s eyes for a long moment. Then Hannah smiled and hugged Rapunzel tight.

Rapunzel wasn’t really sure if she should reciprocate or not. Before she decided to return the hug, Hannah pulled back and smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you.”

Rapunzel broke eye contact and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry. I know you guys are my parents, and you’ve been searching for me for ages. I know you love me. But… It’s all a bit surreal, to me. I don’t really know you yet.”

“That’s alright, sweetie. Take your time.” Then Hannah’s face fell, as if she, too, just remembered time was something Rapunzel didn’t have a lot of,

To Rapunzel’s surprise, though, rather than getting depressed or weepy, Hannah’s expression grew determined. “Well, for now, we’ll do what we can, alright? Tell me if your father or I start acting too familiar.”

Rapunzel gave her an awkward smile. “Alright.”

(Returning to the climax scene with Maleficent earlier)

“Would it matter if I was?”

Aurora sucked in a deep breath, and bowed her head low. “Please let me help. You’re right; I don’t know what I’m doing. But the two of us together have a better chance than either of us alone, right?”

Maleficent frowned, and over the next minute or so her eyes never left Aurora’s face. “You must do exactly as I say, is that clear?”

Aurora straightened and nodded. Maleficent continued, “That means if I tell you to leave for your own safety, you will. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Maleficent sighed. “Very well. Come this way.” She peered past Aurora. “And you, boy. You have faerie sight, correct? You come too. They’re your parents, as well, and having a second pair of eyes that can see what we’re doing can’t hurt.”

Aurora gasped and spun around. Isaac stepped out from behind the bushes and smiled awkwardly. Part of her wanted to get mad, but her more rational side realized that would be hypocritical.

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20 November 2022

We’re starting to get close to the end here. It’s actually becoming harder and harder to know what to write, and this was one of the first days I started to feel that. I did enjoy writing Frederick’s arrival, and tried to catch some of the subsequent awkwardness. But I had no idea where to go with her talk with her Tower, so I shelved it for quite a long time.

For a long time, Tower just held her close. Finally, he said, “You are an amazing and wonderful young woman. And don’t let anyone, especially yourself, tell you otherwise.” He smiled down at her. “These people - your parents, Maleficent, your brother Isaac - it is clear how much they care for and love you. That’s because they see the things inside you worth loving.”

Aurora smiled weakly. It was a nice sentiment, if nothing else.

Tower raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, if you don’t believe me, answer this. Is a life’s value only in how long it is? Does being the oldest automatically make someone the best or the wisest?”

“Well… no. Not really.”

“Then why should you be worth any less just because you may not live as long? Isn’t it the same principle?”

Aurora shook her head. “But I’m sick. I can barely walk from one town to the next without collapsing. I can’t do anything worthwhile.”

Once again, Tower looked at her with a single eyebrow raised. “Excuse me? You brought an entire room to life with your paintings and skills. And that is just one example. Do you know how happy it made me to see you working on something you enjoyed so much?”

A couple days after collapsing and waking up in town.

When Rapunzel woke the next day, she could hear a great commotion from outside the inn. She forced herself to her feet and struggled out the door.

She gawked as soon as she got outside. Somehow, overnight an entire army had appeared as if out of nowhere. Isaac seemed to be arguing with the man in charge, who looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s. The family connection between the two was obvious, and he had the same bright red hair as Rapunzel, with a well-trimmed beard to match. King Frederick; Rapunzel’s father.

He and Rapunzel made eye contact, and Rapunzel gave him an awkward wave. He stopped mid-sentence and walked over to her. He stared at her face long enough she started to get uncomfortable, before he finally said, “Aurora?”

“Um, yeah.” Rapunzel looked down at the ground and rubbed her arm. “Although, um, I actually go by Rapunzel now.”

Frederick gingerly raised a hand to Rapunzel’s cheek. She looked up at him, and in the softest voice he said, “You have your mother’s eyes.”

A moment later, he hugged her tight, as if he was afraid she’d disappear if he let go. Once that thought crossed her mind, Rapunzel’s heart sank. She would disappear soon, wouldn’t she? In two or three days, now, she’d most likely be dead. And if she avoided that, whatever was left wouldn’t be her, would it?

Isaac coughed, and Frederick finally released her. He gave her one last smile, then looked over to Isaac. “What happened to the fairy? And I thought Aurora–” He paused, then corrected himself. “Rapunzel wasn’t going to leave?”

“Yeah… about that…” Rapunzel smiled sheepishly and wouldn’t meet Frederick’s gaze. “Moth… *cough* Gothel stole away Isaac’s eyesight when she caught him in the Tower, so I kind of… got mad and stole hers back? And after that, well, I couldn’t exactly stay, could I? So… here I am.”

Frederick’s eyes widened, and he looked at rapunzel with newfound respect. Then his expression hardened. “Still, she might come after you, either in retaliation or hoping to take you back.” He turned to one of his officers. “Conners, take a squad and–”

“Please don’t!” Rapunzel ran out into the road ahead of the army. “Gothel is… okay, I know she kidnapped me as a baby, but she’s mostly harmless. She’s still dealing with trauma from whatever happened between her and Queen Maleficent, that’s all.”

Frederick scowled at the mention of Maleficent, then sighed and softened. He focused his gaze on Rapunzel. “You say she’s harmless? Are you sure?”

“If she were going to come after us, she already would have,” Rapunzel answered. “Besides, she’s blind now.” Assuming she hadn’t used Isaac’s eyesight. But she didn’t need to tell them that.

“Plus, disturbing her now when she’s stable might be like kicking a hornet’s nest,” Isaac added. “Who knows how much damage she could cause if she gets serious.”

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13 November 2022

Not much to say about this one. Continuing the sacrifice scene from the Sunday before. I’m still not certain how vulnerable I should let Maleficent be; would she allow herself even one tear where people can see? I’d also like to add a bit more of Isaac’s reaction as he realizes he’s in charge now.

Maleficent turned to Frederick. “With your permission?”

Frederick swept Hannah and Aurora into a strong hug. He kissed the top of Aurora’s head, and stared into Hannah’s eyes as he asked Maleficent, “Would it be possible for me to split the cost with her?”

For the first time since she had become “Maleficent”, tears rose to her eyes. And yet, a flicker of hope began to flicker in her chest. “That… could theoretically work. Ordinarily, you would both just die together, but where I was the one to set the initial curse…” She trailed off as she began working on the magical formulas in her head.

“What is it?” Frederick looked hopeful.

“If you are sharing the burden with her, I should by able to weaken my curse enough that you both fall into an deep sleep, rather than kill you outright. Additionally, you both would take half the cost for Aurora’s ‘gifts’.”

A gentle smile formed on his face. “Then I will do it.”

The prince stepped forward. “Then I–”

“No, Isaac.” Hannah stopped him and pulled him into the group hug. “We need you to stay here. Aurora’s finally come home; we can’t just leave her alone, can we?”

“And the kingdom needs a ruler.” Frederick clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry to leave this to you, son. But I know you will do fine.”

Isaac bit his lower lip, but he squared his shoulders and nodded.

Aurora burst into another round of tears. “No. Please don’t do this.”

Frederick responded by squeezing her tighter. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t be there to watch you grow up. Let us do this much for you.”

He nodded to Maleficent, and she began to cast the spell. She wove words from the ancient faerie tongue into the magic as she pulled her curse out of Aurora’s body and split it between Frederick and Hannah, looking like a sickly green light bound the three together. While she was at it, Maleficent messed with the threads of beauty and intelligence tangled around Aurora, and returned her to a natural state, pulling from the royal to make up the difference where necessary.

Soon, the spell finished, and Frederick and Hannah sank to the floor. Only the slight rise and fall of their chests gave any indication they were alive at all.

Maleficent knelt and brushed a lock of hair from Hannah’s face, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Farewell, my friend. May you wake up someday.” She stood, and dipped her head to Isaac. “Your Majesty.”

Isaac barely seemed to register her presence even as he acknowledge her greeting. He simply stared at his parents, too overwhelmed to do anything.

Aurora sank to her knees and wept bitterly. Maleficent couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through the girl’s mind. Whatever else, she knew it was possible, perhaps likely, Aurora would come after her for what had happened here, no matter the promise Maleficent had made with Frederick. Maleficent wasn’t sure she could blame the girl if she did.

Maleficent turned and swept out of the room. As she went through the doorway, she said, “I’ll be in the throne room if you need me.”

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6 November 2022

This is the scene that revealed that titles always lie. Turns out, despite everything building up to that before this, it is not Aurora/Rapunzel who becomes the sleeping beauty, but rather her mother Hannah. And to a certain extent her father, though one of the potential endings actually changes that to just be Hannah.

I wrote this scene, despite taking place quite a ways further in, because I still wanted to focus only on this story this month, but I still wanted to do something more spiritual on Sunday, and this fit in my head.

Maleficent hovered just outside the family group. They hadn’t noticed her yet, which was just as well. Even she didn’t know why she was here, but something about Hannah’s request compelled her to come.

Frederick, the ever-vigilant husband and father, was the first to notice Maleficent, and he immediately leaped forward and drew his sword, sheltering the rest of his family behind him. “You! What more do you want from us?”

Before Maleficent could even form a response, Hannah rose and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, love; she’s here at my request.” She pushed sword arm down as she stepped past him and faced Maleficent. With a small curtsy, the queen said, “Thank you for responding to my letter, Queen Maleficent.”

Maleficent bowed her head, then turned to look at the two children. The boy watched her with wariness, his right hand on the sword at his side. Maleficent was surprised to realize he had faerie sight. The girl’s doing, perhaps?

The girl, Aurora, was different. There was none of the hostility or wariness Maleficent would have expected, especially considering she had doomed the young girl to death just after she’d been born. No, Aurora studied her like a puzzle she hadn’t quite figured out yet.

Maleficent turned back to Hannah. “You requested to see me?”

Hannah nodded, then glanced back toward Aurora. “When I went to see you earlier, you said that the gifts a fairy-blessed child receives must be paid back, correct?” When Maleficent dipped her head, Hannah asked, “Does she have to be the one that pays the price?”

Both Maleficent’s and Aurora’s eyes went wide. Maleficent would have chuckled, had the situation been any less serious; this woman never ceased to surprise her. 

However, Aurora’s face turned white, and for the first time Maleficent could see true fear in her eyes. “No! Han– Mom, you can’t! Don’t do this!”

Hannah simply cupped Aurora’s cheek and smiled gently. She turned back to Maleficent. “Can you do it?”

Maleficent glanced at Aurora, who desperately shook her head, then over to Frederick and the boy, who seemed a little bewildered. “I will not unless both you and your husband fully understand what it is you are asking, and I have Frederick’s word that both he and every citizen of this kingdom will not pursue me for doing this.”

Frederick glanced back and forth between the two queens and asked, “Why? What are you asking her to do, Hannah?”

Hannah set her face, then nodded to Maleficent. Maleficent explained, “For sixteen years, you daughter has been blessed with extraordinary beauty and cleverness. Even if she was locked away in a tower during that time, the price for her gifts must be paid. Ordinarily, that would come from Aurora herself in the second half of her life, where she would become ugly and dim-witted. And then there’s the matter of the curse I left on her.” Maleficent was surprised at the bitterness in her own voice at that last part. Was that regret?

“And Mom wants to take all that on herself,” Aurora whispered. “Take my place and pay the cost. And probably die.”

For a long moment, Frederick stared at Aurora, then turned back and stared into Hannah’s eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Hannah nodded again. Tears poured down Aurora’s face. “No, please! Even if you do this, I won’t live long anyway! I’m sick! I was born weak, and I—”

Hannah cut her off with a hug. “And you are still my daughter. And I love you. And no matter how short your chance at life will be after this, it will be more than you’ve had so far.” She turned and nodded to Maleficent.

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2 November 2022

I realized the next day I never showed how or why Aurora was taken by Gothel. So I wrote that scene, and used it as a chance to get to know the rest of the family better by making King Frederick, her father, the POV character. Once I get it all down, that’s something I’ll have to mess with; how many POV’s will I have, and how to tighten that up. But not right now.

Phillip… kind of came out of nowhere. I figured Isaac would probably travel with a friend, and I named that friend Phillip as a reference to Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, but I didn’t really expect much from him. He’s still not a main character, but he’s a lot more important than I’d expected. No romance, though, at least not during the events of the story. They’re teenagers. I’m not going to mess with that.

When Maleficent had arrived, King Frederick could tell there would be trouble. He’d heard the rumors from Venwald; the way their king had suddenly become ill and passed away, right as Queen Maleficent had increased in vigor and beauty. Other rumors floated around, as well, enough that he would have preferred if the two nations left each other well enough alone.

He also noticed the way her face darkened when she saw the trio of fairies. And when Maleficent spoke to them later in the language of magic, Frederick was certain they knew each other, or at least knew of each other, and his suspicions spread to the fairies, too.

He and Hannah had heard the stories of the great powers fairies wielded and the boons they granted to those who aided them. So when these three had arrived and offered their blessings, Hannah had been ecstatic, and even he’d been pleasantly surprised. But even then, and more so now, Frederick had to wonder, why their child? What had they done to warrant such a courtesy?

So when Maleficent cast her curse and left the palace, Frederick immediately wheeled on the fairies. “What was that? Who was that woman?”

Gothel, the blue fairy, stood off to the side and just stared at little Aurora. She didn’t seem to hear him. Lena and Frieda, meanwhile, froze for a moment before Frieda answered, “That… that was a witch. A powerful one.”

“One of the darkest and most dangerous creatures of all,” Lena added.

Hannah caught her breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “She spoke magic like you. Can you undo what she did? Break the curse?”

At the word “curse”, Lena and Frieda flinched, and Frederick’s eyes narrowed. They explained, “Alas, we’ve already offered the babe our blessings, and can do nothing more.” Lena turned and offered Gothel a smile that was much too large to be believed. “What about you, Gothel dearest?”

Frederick wasn’t certain he believed they could do nothing, but he, too, turned to the blue fairy. For her part, Gothel still seemed unaware of any of them; her focus was solely on Aurora. “She is such a beautiful baby, isn’t she? Too beautiful for this cruel world. Cruel people, cruel destinies. No, we must keep her safe.” She snapped out of her reverie, and looked defiantly at Frederick and Hannah. “I will keep her safe!”

And with that, she scooped the baby in her arms, snapped her fingers, and disappeared. Silence enveloped the ballroom.

Queen Hannah stared in shock at the empty crib and sank to her knees. The remaining two fairies looked in horror from her to Frederick, and their faces turned pale white once they saw his expression. He unsheathed the first couple inches of his sword, and with steel in his voice, he said, “No more lies. You had best start explaining. And quickly.”

Isaac circled the base of the withered apple tree, looking for any other signs of what might have caused it to die. “And it was just fine yesterday?” he confirmed with the farmer. “No signs of beetles or rot or whatever else?”

“Healthiest tree in the whole damn orchard,” the farmer replied with a nod.

“Come on, Isaac. No matter how many times you look, you won’t find anything new. Let’s go already.” Phillip, Isaac’s best friend and traveling companion, lounged against the farmer’s garden fence. He made no effort to hide the boredom in his expression. He wore his brown hair almost shoulder-length, arranged in a way that might have worked if he were more than fourteen years old; as it was, he still had too round a face to pull it off.

Isaac ignored his friend and ran his fingers through his blonde hair. “Has anything else unusual happened? Missing needles? Broken spinning wheels?”

The farmer thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it, yes. There was something. When I got up this morning, the spindle on my late wife’s old spinning wheel had broken off. With all the commotion about the tree, I’d completely forgotten.”

Isaac thanked him, collected Phillip, and the two were off. Phillip snarked, “what business does a prince have with apple trees and spinning wheels, anyway?”

“You’d be surprised. A fair amount of the kingdom’s food and income come from orchards. And the number of spinning wheels that have broken in recent years has been enough to have a significant effect on-”

“Enough, enough, geez! Man, have I ever told you how utterly boring a person you are?”

With a smile, Isaac gave him a playful shove. “Yet you keep hanging around me anyway.”

“‘Course! Someone’s gotta keep things interesting around you.” Phillip dropped the grin. “But seriously, this is all about that search for your sister, isn’t it?”

Isaac shrugged, but he didn’t fool either of them.

“Dude, it’s already been, what, fifteen years? Sixteen? We weren’t even born yet. What’s with this?”

Isaac shrugged again. “I guess it’s just… She’s family. And Mom and Dad haven’t given up yet; why should I?” He grinned and bumped his shoulder into Phillip’s. “Besides, if you don’t like it, you could always leave.”

“Like I said before, someone’s gotta keep your life interesting.” Phillip grew thoughtful. “Say, d’you think she’s hot?”

The only thing Isaac could do was stare incredulously at his friend. “That’s my sister you’re talking about!”

“I know, I’m just sayin’...”

Isaac shook his head, and the two headed on into town.

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1 November 2022

Somehow, it seems fitting to start posting my Nanowrimo work just after we get halfway through the month. It’s been good to reflect; I had the barest hints of ideas and worldbuilding when I wrote this, and now it’s expanded into so much more. I just have to remember that doesn’t mean it’s done growing; it still is. I was - am - proud of the first section, from Maleficent’s point of view. A lot has changed since I wrote that, though, so there are definitely tweaks to be made. The last section was mostly just to keep writing something, and has since been scrapped.

I do not expect to hit 50k this year; as of writing this (early evening of the 16th), I only have roughly 14,500 words. I’m still shooting for 40k, though, even if it’s a bit unreasonable.

Maleficent strode through the massive double doors into the ballroom, paying no mind to the guards scurrying this way and that. A quick survey of the room confirmed her suspicions; of the rulers of major nations in the region, all others were already represented, which meant she was the only who had not been invited. That, in itself, was fine; expected even, given recent events. But the sight of the trio of fairies… that infuriated her.

Maleficent managed to contain herself, and plucked the smallest strand of composure from a passing serving girl just to be safe. She went to greet the hosts, and smiled widely, even if that smile never reached her eyes. “Good evening, King Frederick. Queen Hannah.”

Frederick looked rather uncomfortable with her presence, and Maleficent took some small satisfaction in that fact. Hannah, however, positively beamed at her. “Queen Maleficent! I’m so happy to see you.” She took Maleficent’s hand in both of hers. “We heard about your late husband; I’m sorry for your loss. We figured it might be rude to intrude on your time of grief to ask you to come celebrate with us.”

“Yes, quite.” Maleficent withdrew her hand from the other queen’s grasp and pursed her lips; she hadn’t quite figured out what to make of Queen Hannah as of yet. She looked past the royal couple at the baby girl lying in a crib behind them. The three fairies, green, pink, and blue, had gathered around it. “I presume this is the child?”

“Yes. We’ve named her Aurora.” Queen Hannah smiled down at her daughter. “The fairies were just bestowing their gifts; Lena blessed her with beauty, and Frieda with cleverness.” She gestured to the pink and green fairies, who nodded their heads in turn. “Isn’t it marvelous?”

Marvelous? Did she really not know? Were witches so rare in this part of the realm? Maleficent turned to the two fairies just named, and in the ancient language of fae magic demanded of them, “And you did not warn them of the cost? Of what will happen to their beloved child halfway through her time in mortality? Are the fae now so underhanded?”

All three fairies gasped and turned pale, but not from what she’d said. No, they looked at her in horror when they realized she could speak their tongue, and the implications that carried.

Maleficent looked at the baby once more and reached out a hand, only to pull it back. Things were even worse than they appeared; the child was not destined to be long for the world. Such was part of Maleficent’s gift, and her curse; the things she could do let her see the span of a person’s life with just a glance.

She switched back to common tongue and announced, “Then I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child. Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will be poisoned, whether by the prick of a finger or th flesh of an apple, and she will die, and be spared the cruelty of this unjust world.” And thus, the very day the child’s gifts would become curses, instead of the child, the cost would be reflected back on the wretched creatures that would so abuse the human race.

The entire hall was stunned silent, until Frederick shouted to the guard, “Seize her!”

Before the guards could take more than a single step, however, Maleficent stole the light and heat from all the torches in the room and released it in a burst around her. With all the dignity she carried as a queen, she strode out of the castle unimpeded, heedless of the mother’s cries that echoed behind her.

Prince Isaac was eight when his family went to go bring his sister back home. He didn’t know the details; most times, he didn’t even remember he had an older sister. She’d been taken by a fairy named Gothel before he was born to keep her safe. Something about a witch’s curse?

It all sounded like a grand adventure. But then Gothel stopped sending letters. Mum and Dad grew worried, and decided to go see her. Isaac asked to come along.

However, when they arrived, all they found was a long-abandoned shack in the woods. No sign of fairies or sisters, or even that anyone had ever lived here at all. The only thing they found was a single letter, and Isaac hadn’t been allowed to read it.

Soon, they went home, and Dad ordered his men to scour the land for even the faintest hint of where Gothel could have gone.

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