I awoke to light peeking through the roots of the tree that still covered me.
"The day is waiting for you. Eat, you will hear the rest later," the tree gently whispered to me through the wind. My body felt refreshed, but I still took a moment to make sure that everything was in working order. I walked through the forest looking for anything edible and found a blackberry bush. A thousand years of silence, and suddenly the world was filled with sound. It was so beautiful yet, simultaneously, overwhelming.
I never thought I'd hear birds sing again, or the rustle of leaves. It was so consuming that I was devastated and keenly aware of the moment that everything went silent. I stood up in panic, looking around for what had caused it. I met eyes with a man, riding on a horse, who looked only slightly older than me. His bright blue eyes and black hair stood out against his blood red clothing. He looked shocked, as though he might fall off of his horse, but he managed to stay on.
"You're really her...the princess from the garden…" he stuttered as he slid off his horse and took a step closer to me.
"Who are you?" I asked, surprised to find that my voice had fully returned. I wanted to take a step back, to turn and flee; but I stayed where I was.
"I'm Prince Phillip," he replied, taking another step towards me. I backed away. "For generations, every prince has had to kiss you when they come of age to inherit the throne." The thought of his lips on mine made me blush in anger and embarrassment. "I remember because my mouth tasted like ashes for days afterwards."
"Ashes?" I wondered to myself. He took a few more steps so that he was close enough that he could reach out and touch me.
"I have to say," He grinned sheepishly, "you're much more beautiful awake than you were when you were asleep." I felt my brows furrow as I debated whether to be offended or flattered by his attempted compliment. For whatever reason, it felt as though he had some advantage in this situation. He had seen me before, kissed me before; and, after the initial shock of seeing me, now seemed at ease. I, on the other hand, was all too aware of the tension in my body asking me if I should run. I wasn't sure what to do. He seemed to pick up on that. "I'm not going to hurt you." He lifted his hand as though he would touch me, but thought better of it. "I can't believe it's really you. You're…the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I couldn't stop thinking about your lips, your taste. When I lost the taste of ashes in my mouth, I actually missed it." He stared at me with an intensity that I couldn't match. "Come with me to the castle. Meet my father. You'll be a princess in your own right here." I looked towards the tree that had bade me to return. There were still things it had to share with me.
"Tomorrow," I insisted. "Come back tomorrow and I'll come with you." His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why not now? Where will you be?" he asked in quick succession. He looked towards the tree I'd glanced at a moment ago. "Here? At least let me take you to the village and you can stay there for the night." Part of me was moved by his kindness, but then there was another thought…
"No one seemed to mind that I lay out in the open before." His face fell.
"We all thought you were as good as dead. You hadn't woken up in a thousand years."
"And yet I was never covered, not even in the winter?"
"Whatever curse my ancestor put on you, it protected you from the elements." My eyes widened in surprise.
"Your ancestor? Your ancestor is Maleficent?" I demanded.
"Yes." He slowly nodded, realizing that this might not be information I'd like hearing.
"Maleficent tried to kill me" I spit out angrily. "Nothing about that curse could be meant to protect me." My mind flashed to the moment I'd made the deal with the blue god. Perhaps that was what had kept my body safe all these years.
"Legend says you were going to destroy the world. My ancestor was protecting us all."
"And protect you she did." I couldn't hide the bitterness in my voice. He looked me up and down with a fresh gaze. When our eyes met, I could tell that he was debating with himself how much danger a young woman could pose.
"But the curse has been broken," he said more to himself than me, pushing the thought aside. "You found your true love." His eyes widened. "Where is he? Your true love." He began frantically looking around the forest for any sign of him.
"Gone," I answered with a smirk. "Some true love." His jaw set for a moment, then he smiled broadly.
"No matter. We can find him another time." Terran's voice echoed in my mind, reminding me that Henry's connection to me might do him more harm than good. "Please, let me at least take you to the inn in the village. It would make me feel better to know that you're safe and sheltered." I hesitated, then nodded.
"Do I have your word that you'll take me to the village inn?" I asked. He stepped back as though I'd hit him.
"Of course," he insisted. "I would never force you." He held out his hand to me. Taking a deep breath, I took it and was lifted onto his horse. I'd always hated riding sidesaddle, but decided not to say anything at this point. I wanted to believe that he was genuine, and that his father would restore me to my rightful place; but I was not going to blindly trust him. The less information I could give away about myself, the better.
All eyes were on us as we rode into the village. As we rode by the market, I was struck by how similar everything looked to when my family ruled here. It was as if nothing had changed in these last thousand years. As comforted as I was to be somewhere familiar, I was also unnerved.