DREAMS of a CLOUD
Peruse the many random ramblings of a writer-in-training as I build stories and develop my craft.
20 November 2022
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.”
19 November 2022
She ran forward and reached out to grab Maleficent’s intelligence; she didn’t want to hurt her, just incapacitate her enough to get past and…
Wait. What was she doing? Aurora stopped short and looked around. What was with all the roses and thorns? And who was that tall, intimidating woman glaring down at her, with her hand outstretched?
Then her memories all snapped back into place, and Aurora’s eyes widened. She looked up at the woman she now recognized as Maleficent.
18 November 2022
Gothel struggled to keep her emotions under control. Her thought flashed from that witch, the one who stole away her sisters, to Rapunzel. Then she shook her head. No, they were not the same. …Weren’t they?
She called out again, “Rapunzel! Come out, come out, wherever you are. Everything can be alright again! It must. So it’s not the time for games, dear!”
…Above her, Rapunzel’s voice was firm. “My name is Aurora. My mother gave it to me. And don't you forget it.”
Then something solid struck the side of Gothel’s head, and she fell unconscious.
17 November 2022
There, Gothel was sniffing the air, turning her head this way and that. Her eyes were milky white, and she kept one hand on a wall or bookshelf as she walked. “Somewhere, somewhere, here,” she said, her voice almost sing-song. “My Rapunzel is here somewhere. The nose knows, and I can smell her.”
Then Gothel paused, and turned straight toward Aurora. A horrid grin spread on Gothel’s face, and she began walking down the aisle in her direction. “My darling Rapunzel has finally come home! But she’s been a naughty, naughty girl. For she’s gone and become a witch, and even stolen my eyesight away!”
16 November 2022
“But–”
“You think I did not consider this? That I would not do anything for the sake of the only true friend I’ve had in nearly a century of life? Do you think if I, with the combined magics of twelve fairies and decades of experience, had a way to save her, I would not have already used it?”
15 November 2022
She’d been there long enough for her legs to ache by the time Maleficent walked in. For a long moment, the witch just studied her. Finally, she quietly moved up next to Aurora to pay her respects. “They’ve done a lovely job with the arrangement of the room.”
Aurora nodded, and the two waited in silence for a long time. Then Aurora sobbed, “Why? I don’t understand. I’m sick. I’m weak… I didn’t even try to find them, or leave my Tower. Even after I learned the truth. Why would they give up so much for someone like me?”
14 November 2022
When Aurora had rushed in on horseback, Isaac had just a split second to feel relieved she was safe before he wondered how she could attract so much trouble so quickly.
How else could you describe being chased by a dragon, after all?
13 November 2022
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 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.
12 November 2022
Isaac said softly, “So you’d rather just give it up? Sixteen years with someone you love is still better than six months, and even that is better than nothing.”
Rapunzel gave him a wan smile. “And then what? Become the royal heir? I have no training in how to rule a kingdom.” She looked up, in the direction her paint studio was located. “And honestly, I don’t want to be a princess. I’m happy here.”
11 November 2022
Hannah gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes, and once she’d finished, she began to read the message again from the start.
Concerned, Maleficent stood. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Hannah shook her head and struggled to find words. “He’s, they… They’ve found her! Isaac, he’s…” The tears spilled out onto her cheeks, and she turned to Maleficent. “Isaac found Aurora!”
10 November 2022
The corridor led them up a long, winding stairway. That eventually led to a large set of double doors. When Isaac opened them, though, his jaw dropped; inside the room was a massive lake. “How… Where does it all fit?”
“It’s fairy magic, obviously.” Rapunzel waved them to sit down, then stared at Isaac intently enough to bore holes into him. “You said you wanted to talk. So talk.”
9 November 2022
Lena felt trapped. Sword at her back, even if it wasn’t drawn yet, and some kind of scary magic user ahead. She thought, after they’d escaped prison and the search for them had died down, that she and Frieda had put the whole “Aurora the baby was kidnapped” debacle behind them.
Apparently not.
8 November 2022
Phillip gave him a pitiful look. “Dude, seriously?”
“Well, you try it, then!” Isaac huffed and folded his arms.
With a shrug, Phillip grabbed the grappling hook and tried it himself. He got it twenty, maybe twenty-five feet up, but it bounced off the tower without getting close to the window.
Isaac’s scowl deepened. “You still missed.”
7 November 2022
I got home from work utterly exhausted this day. I don’t remember why; it might not have been anything specific. But it was all I could do to even get this much down before I crashed. Fortunately, I haven’t had another day this bad since. Tuesday the 8th, the very next day, was also a bit rough, but not this bad. I didn’t even finish the sentence before I zonked…
6 November 2022
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?”
5 November 2022
Rapunzel moved to accept the handshake, then stopped when she heard his name. “Isaac? As in, Isaac Lowenveil? The prince?”
Isaac grew sheepish. “Um, yeah. That’s me. I wasn’t sure you’d even know who I was out here.”
Crap. Crap crap crap. Rapunzel put her hands to her temples. “Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad.”
“Wait, what’s wrong?” Isaac reached out for her but Rapunzel pulled back and snapped her fingers.
The two boys screamed as the floor fell out from under them, and the Tower dumped them outside.
4 November 2022
Gothel’s eyes widened, and her mouth slipped open. Rapunzel touched to the floor and slowly began to advance on her, forcing Gothel to back up towards the door. “What, you thought I was a fool? That I wouldn’t find out on my own? Your friend gifted me with cleverness, remember? I know I was born Princess Aurora. I’ve known for years. If that was enough to make me leave, I WOULD HAVE LEFT YEARS AGO!”
3 November 2022
Lena shuddered and shuffled closer to the fire. “So now what? No magic, no money, no connections. What can we even do now?”
Frieda flashed her a grin and a peace sign. “Isn’t it obvious? We find something sentimental and get our magic back. Scam the owner, rob them, charm them, whatever works. And once we get enough magic saved up, we can go home.”
“Home, huh.” Lena sighed.
2 November 2022
Frederick turned to the blue fairy. For her part, Gothel still seemed unaware of any of them; her focus was solely on Aurora. She murmured to herself, “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.
1 November 2022
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.