Carabosse watched Cezanne pacing back and forth, from the shadows. The glitter of her red wings cast dancing specks of light upon the sleeping princess. She was laid upon her four-poster bed, the lilac skirt of her ball gown fanned out beautifully across the mattress and her golden hair perfectly framed her upper half. Carabosse's gaze landed upon the princess's delicate hands that lay limply upon her chest that rose and fell in a perfect rhythm.

A smile played on her red lips and her eyes began to glow with her emerald magic. She flicked her finger and sent a glittering green mist across the room. Cezanne's eyes grew in horror as she saw a white rose appear under Aurora's hands.

"No! Oh no!" she exclaimed and ran to the princess's side.

She grabbed the flower and tried to pull it away, but it wouldn't move. Thorns then grew from its green stem and dug into her skin. A loud gasp left Cezanne, as her red blood dripped onto the lacey bodice of Aurora's dress. She let go of the rose and began to panic as more and more white roses began to appear. They grew rapidly all around the princess, caressing her skin and clothes with their silky, white petals.

Carabosse revelled in witnessing the red fairy fail to remove the flowers with her magic. Cezanne eventually gave up and clawed at her face in anguish, sobs crushing through her. Collapsing to her knees, she cried out in pain and her twin fluttered to her side.

"What is it, Sister?" Fleurine asked, alarmed at how broken her twin had become.

Cezanne couldn't summon the words, all she could manage was to point her finger at the numerous white roses that sat proudly around Aurora's slumbering form. Fleurine, with a scowl, waved her hand at them, but her pink magic dissolved uselessly before it could touch the closest rose.

"Oh!" Fleurine exclaimed. "What does this mean, Sister?"

"It means Carabosse is not finished and her powers are beyond ours," Cezanne said through her tears.

"Her power is not beyond the power of love, it can't be!" Fleurine argued.

"None of the suitors have managed to wake her, and that was before these enchanted flowers appeared!"

"I don't understand." Fleurine's voice began to match the defeated tone of her sister's.

"We clearly underestimated our dark sister, Fleurine."

Cezanne's words made Carabosse's smile widen.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We must go to Mother, she's our only hope!" Cezanne said getting to her feet. Then she stopped as her gaze fell upon the princess. A sad sigh left her as she struggled to tear herself away from her favourite human.

"Cezanne, are you coming?" Fleurine asked, hovering in the doorway.

"I just can't leave her." Fresh tears sprung into Cezanne's eyes.

"You must, Sister. We must go and do all we can to release her from this curse!" Fleurine started to say then decided to change tact as she saw her sister begin to crumble. "You needn't leave her alone, we can call for Claudia to watch over her until we get back."

After thinking for a moment, Cezanne nodded her head.

"Very well, please find Claudia. We'll go to the Enchanted Forest immediately."

Fleurine did as instructed and disappeared out of the doorway. She returned with Aurora's lady's maid in minutes.

Once the Rosebush Twins finally left, Claudia's attention was drawn to the shadow in the corner of the room.

"I know you're here, Fairy," Claudia said to the darkness, "Come out!"

Carabosse, impressed by the girl's confidence, stepped out of the shadow. Claudia's eyes grew as she took in Carabosse's human sized, fairy form; a sight she saw in her dreams ever since she first saw her when she was a young child.

"I knew it, I knew you were here. You were here all along weren't you?" Claudia said, bravely standing up to the dark fairy.

Carabosse refused to satisfy the maid with an answer, instead, she held herself strongly and looked down at the human with a look of disdain.

"Others may see you as evil, but I know there's another side to you," Claudia began, her eyes not leaving the dark abyss within Carabosse's irises. "Do you remember me?"

Carabosse broke the link between them, moving her gaze to the slumbering Princess. Her lips sealed shut in a stern glower. Claudia's inner bravery grew more and she leant forward into Carabosse's view.

"Please, Fairy, please wake her up," she pleaded while stroking the golden hair framing her best friend's face. "I know you have it in you. Please, set Aurora free."

Carabosse's eyes suddenly snapped away from the princess and Claudia, turning towards the window.

"Please, Carabosse, please free her," Claudia continued to plead, through trembling lips.

"No," the dark fairy answered plainly, before raising her hands and sending her magic into the sky outside.

Claudia covered her face as a gust of wind crashed through the window. She then watched Carabosse transform, swiftly, into a snowy owl and fly into the orange hues of the sunset sky; leaving the open window swinging back and forth on its hinges.

◇

Twilight fell upon the land as Carabosse reached the Dark One's cave. She swooped in and out of the stalactites and stalagmites towards the wooden door leading to the slate room. She entered and changed back into her fairy form. Her black raven wings dragged on the cold slate floor as she walked.

"There you are, I wasn't sure if I was going to see you today." Carabosse detected a sneering tone within Achlys' voice, which sent her brows into a confused scowl.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying this obsession is getting out of hand," Achlys hissed through gritted teeth.

"What obsession?" Carabosse leapt to her defence. "I needed to plant the white roses to ensure my curse stays put, that's all."

"Sure, that was all..." the Dark One spat out his fairy companion's last words back at her.

"What are you getting at?"

"You like being around the humans, admit it, you are allowing them to manipulate your emotions!"

"Of course I don't! I'm not! How can you say that?" Suddenly a thought flashed in her mind and she glared at the tawny owl that was perched inconspicuously upon the side of the looking pool. "You! Ibis what have you said to him?"

"Ibis had no need to tell me anything, I have seen it all for myself!" Achlys raised his voice angrily, slapping the water of the looking pool - startling Ibis from his seat.

Carabosse's scarlet lips sealed shut as she watched Achlys quickly compose himself. He leant upon the side of the pool, with both hands, taking in deep breaths. He then glanced over his shoulder towards his fairy protégé. Her heart fluttered as her eyes met his, which were much darker than usual.

"You are not to return to that human kingdom. It is time for you to work by my side to tear down Heartha," he said in a dangerously calm voice that Carabosse didn't dare argue with. She nodded her head in fearful silence, then saw his marble hand reach out towards her, as he beckoned her to come and stand by his side.

She slowly made her way to the looking pool and Ibis returned to his perch, so to give his friend moral support.

When Carabosse reached the Dark One's side, he stroked his cold index finger along her jawline and encouraged her to look into the pool.

"Let's watch what my sister is up to shall we?" he said with a crooked smile then dipped his finger into the rippling water. It lit up with colour, showing Heartha, Cezanne, Fleurine and Claudia standing beside Aurora's bed. This sight caused Achlys to hesitate and his smile to disappear. Carabosse's eyes widened with interest, and before Achlys could stop her, she drew a circle in the water with her own finger and made the air around them ring with their voices.

"This is nothing at all to worry about." Heartha's voice echoed around the slate room.

"It isn't?" Cezanne asked, hope filling her tired eyes.

"Indeed, we, the wielders of good magic, have time on our side."

"What do you mean, Mother?" Fleurine piped up.

"I mean, dark magic has no control over time. That control belongs to the Great Power. If we wait, the enchantment upon these flowers will weaken and your princess will be able to receive her true love's kiss."

"She will?" Cezanne asked in a whisper.

"Yes," Heartha matched her fairy daughter's hushed tone with a smile. "I've seen it."

"When? How long must we wait?" the red fairy pressed on.

"One-hundred years," the Mother of Fairies answered with certainty.

"One-hundred years?" Claudia interrupted. "B-but in one-hundred years, her family, her friends, everyone she knows will be gone. She'll wake up knowing nobody - she'll be alone."

"That's easily remedied," Heartha said gently to the worried maid. "What we'll do, my beautiful Rosebush Twins and I, with our combined good magic, will send the whole kingdom to sleep - Aurora's royal family, her friends, staff and subjects, rich and poor, even the livestock. They'll only wake up when the princess does."

Cezanne's eyes lit up.

"Yes! And as they sleep we can search for her true love!" she said excitedly.

The Mother of Fairies nodded her head with a proud smile. "Shall we get to work?"

The three then took up their wands and began casting their powerful sleeping spell upon the entire human kingdom.

◇

Carabosse's hand crashed through the water with a loud splash, breaking up the picture that was displayed upon its surface. She then began to pace along the cold slate floor. Her face twisted in angry contortions as she moved.

Achlys revelled in her rage.

"Yes, Carabosse, feed the fury!" he encouraged her flame.

"You knew this all along didn't you?" Her words hissed through her gritted teeth, causing Achlys's smile to dwindle. "You knew that my curse was doomed to fail! You knew it would only take time for them to undermine me!"

"Carabosse, listen..."

"Why didn't you warn me?" Carabosse screamed then stormed towards the large wooden door.

"Where are you going?" Achlys called after her.

"You can't be so stupid and think that I can sit idly by while they work together to take me down!"

"Stop! We must work together, there are bigger goals to achieve here!"

"What good are they, if we can't keep just one curse from being broken?" Carabosse snapped back over her shoulder.

"What do you plan to do exactly?" Achlys questioned with a mocking tone.

"Everything it takes!"

"You are a fool, Child!"

"A fool you raised, Master!" Carabosse spat at the Dark One before slamming the door open and taking flight.

Ibis stared at Achlys with his wide, owl eyes.

"Go after her if you wish," he snapped at the bird-of-prey. "I am done!"