Time passes much more quickly in Rohandor and many long and happy years have gone by since the characters retired to enjoy their respective 'happily ever afters,' their greatest foes were imprisoned in the Forever Stone, bound in an eternal sleep. Until Now.
Happily Ever Afters takes place in Rohandor, a mystical realm on another plane of existence from our own. Here our favorite Disney heroes and villains live in a world all their own; Alive, but far from well. Heroes and heroines fight to keep peace while newly freed villains seek their revenge. Come join us in an epic adventure as the characters you love clash in a struggle that will determine the fate of Rohandor!
HEA is an AU canon-only animated crossover Disney Play-By-Post Role Play with minimal word count.
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4/24/21: We've been on hiatus for a number of years now. I don't know that I'm entirely ready to return BUT I have been cleaning up the site and working to update everything since a number of movies have released. There is still A LOT of work to do but if you see this update and were an active member of the site prior to the hiatus, please send the Yen Sid account a DM to let me know you're still interested in playing and if you wish to retain your current roster. I hope you've all been doing well and staying safe!
Happily Ever Afters is a play-by-post forum role playing game based on the movies and television series of Disney and Pixar. It was created for recreational and entertainment purposes only and not intended to step on any toes, offend, or infringe. We did not create nor do we own the content from the Disney and Pixar stories and movies. None of the threads and writing on this forum is associated or affiliated with Disney/Pixar in any way. We do not make any money off of this site or its content. The icons used in the Forum Information & Statistics and those like it throughout the board as well as the BBC buttons and smileys were taken from a layout called Absolute Madness made by PookyTart from Userbar Depot. All of the other graphics used on this board were found, created, or otherwise edited by Yen Sid or Te Fiti. Please don't steal or use any graphic from this board without explicit permission. All storylines and plots used in the threads/topics were created by the staff and members of HEA and should not be copied or used on another board without permission.
When Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had first come to Aurora with news that the spell keeping the Forever Stone locked and the occupants bound within had been dispelled, she almost didn’t believe them. She most certainly didn’t want to believe them. That couldn’t be possible could it? All of the most formidable adversaries anyone in her lands had ever faced all free again? Free- and angry. Free, angry, and now being brought together for a common goal, working together under none other than the evil fairy that had cursed her to death on the day of her christening.
When she had delivered the news to her beloved Philip, he too had been distraught to put it mildly. The only way he had been able to defeat Maleficent on her own was only thanks to the intervention of the three good fairies. He had immediately made preparations to depart. He needed to be out there defending the people. Fighting to protect their kingdoms from this new threat.
Aurora hated to be parted from Philip. When he was gone it was like a piece of her soul was missing. She knew however that she would be more of a liability in the field than an asset. She was no fighter and her magical abilities were not as honed as they should have been. She had been come complacent in their life of peace and now she was not ready for what was coming for them.
But she was not completely helpless, she would do her part the best she could from her castle and fight in her own way. As she was now a queen in her own right, Aurora had quickly dispatched couriers and sent messages to every corner of the kingdom to warn her people of the impending danger their realm now faced before contacting Cinderella and Snow White to discuss what they could possibly do to limit the chaos and panic.
How had everything gone so terribly awry so quickly? Like water through a sieve, years of peace and tranquility had gone so fast it was almost like they never happened at all.
There were days when Aurora longed for the simple and easy days of her youth, back when she lived out in the middle of the forest and away from anything and everything. She didn't have to worry about running her kingdom or taking care of the entire country nor did she have to worry about anyone trying to do her or any of her subjects harm. No responsibility to anyone but herself.
Those days were long gone no question about it, but at times like this she couldn't help but think fondly back on them. Even still she wouldn’t trade her current life away for anything. The years she had been able to spend with Philip as they built their life together and learned about not only each other but the lands that they now ruled together, were times that she treasured. It was what made it so difficult now, knowing what they had lost.
"Your majesty?"
Aurora had been pacing before her throne feeling helpless and frustrated and turned towards the doors of the main hall, holding her head regally, "Yes?"
"There is someone here from one of the other islands. They were hoping to have an audience with you?"
Aurora nodded, "Of course." She responded taking a seat in the majestic throne. Despite her years of court life, she was never going to get used to all the protocol and procedures, "Send them in."
(OOC: This is only open to those NOT located on the Isle of the Crown. Also, a villain wouldn't be able to just walk past security so this is better suited to someone that isn't one of the baddie power players.)
Belle could be very proud sometimes. Usually when that pride was the least helpful to her, or those around her. Once upon a time, she would have scoffed at the idea of spiriting through cities cleverly hidden so no one could note her passing. Belle was proud of who she was, and she didn't care what peculiar glances were angled her way, or what poisonous gossip was whispered behind hands with her as the subject. Times had changed, though. Belle was a Princess, and with that title came a fair amount of notoriety. Especially on the Isle of the Crown, where royalty came out of the woodwork. There was reason and cause to justify Belle's secrecy, and she had to continually list them to keep herself calm and collected.
Every few minutes she would get so frustrated with the need that she had to resist the urge to cast aside the pale blue cloak fastened about her neck that kept her identity in check. Hiding, for whatever reason, was so against the nature of the woman, who usually didn't care enough to change her behavior whatsoever the standing in the public eye. Rohandor wasn't immune to gossip, and with what had happened of late, that gossip was at an all-time high. Thus far, the ruling figures of the various isles and kingdoms had managed to harbor continued calm in their people. A task not easily managed with the dreadful discovery of the Forever Stone's state. If any saw Belle arrive at another Princess's palace - one of the Three, especially - it would breed rumor and discontent.
What more, Belle needed to be swift. An official visit would have involved far too many cumbersome technicalities that needed to be addressed. She would have been there for a number of days, not the brief visit that was intended. While Adam and his parties of soldiers were plunging through the forests on the Isle of the Beast to prove or disprove whispers and rumors that were rising, Belle had fled the palace during the predawn hours, leaving instruction with Madame de la Grande Bouche of what to tell her husband if she did not return before him. Thus, Belle had stolen secretly through the kingdoms and between Isles. Thankfully there were measures taken that allowed most royalty of Rohandur to get to the Isle of the Crown (the most central point of the realm) with relative ease and haste.
Snow White, as the unofficial head of the Three was likely the most pressed, given the state of things. Belle had decided it would be the most difficult to gain audience with her, and so decided against going to the Kingdom of the Mirror. Cinderella, in the Kingdom of the Slipper was the furthest for Belle to travel. Aurora, meanwhile, was - in Belle's mind - the most contemplative of the two. While Snow White was wise, and Cinderella levelheaded, Aurora was a mixture of those two qualities. It didn't hurt that the two had always gotten along either. Belle arrived at Aurora's palace, cloak cast over her chest, hood drawn, a brooch in the shape of a rose the only noteworthy factor in her appearance.
With a little ingenuity, and the slightest touch of magic to get past the woman who was escorting her's inhibitions of allowing a hooded figure audience with Aurora, Belle was in. Prince Philip and Princess Aurora's throne room was grand and stately. Honestly, Belle thought that it was slightly at odds with the princess who was arranged in her seat of power. Not that Aurora was lacking in grandeur or stateliness, of course. It was just that she was regal enough without the atmosphere. More regal than the atmosphere, really, which just made the throne room seem like it was trying to hard to accommodate its mistress.
Belle was halfway down the carpeted path that led to the thrones when she knew that the servant who escorted her was safely departed. Only then did the learned woman reach up and slowly discard her hood, showing bright brown eyes and chocolate curls that flowed down her back, drawn together by a pale blue ribbon. "Sorry for the secrecy, Aurora, but I needed to see you." Most of the other princesses would have given a slight curtsy, or a respectful nod. Something indicative of their acknowledgement that they were secondary in power in that room to the golden-haired beauty on the throne. Belle didn't.
In fact, she did not even pause on the carpet, but mounted the stairs to the dais on which the thrones sat, extending her hands for Aurora to take in greeting.
Over the years Aurora's throne room had seen quite a bit of traffic. Many individuals had come to her seeking counsel, guidance, or favor. Any number of people, animals, or even objects had traversed the thick red carpet that ran the length of the room from the doorway all the way up to the throne upon which Aurora now sat. Aurora had passed decrees, verdicts, and offered any advice she was able from her perch there and she readied herself to receive yet another guest. She and Philip both had always done their best to offer all the assistance that they were able to provide though it was never possible to please everyone.
She straightened up in the seat as best she could manage. Though she was certain she would never get used to the idea of being royalty and sitting on a throne, the seat was comfortable enough and the stone of the armrests was cool to the touch and oddly comforting. Gold and silver objects decorated the small tables along the walls and thick elaborate tapestries hung from the walls. Colored lights spilled onto the floor of the room in sharp patterns as the sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows.
The newcomer strode to the throne with purpose in their step. The figure was tall but slight and covered from head to toe in a thick blue cloak that obscured their face and identity. Aurora could only guess at their gender, the only thing she was able to discern was that they appeared to be an adult humanoid. They had no entourage, no parcels. Just a single figure moving quickly across the room. Then they dropped their hood and spoke.
“Belle,” Aurora exclaimed, rising hastily to her feet and reaching out to clutch at the other woman’s hands. It wasn’t that the other woman’s visit was unusual, but it was certainly unexpected. And a little unconventional for Belle to turn up like this unannounced. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware of the protocols that were being ignored but seeing as Aurora had no use for them she took no note of it.
The determined and mild unease on the brunette’s face was enough to bring a look of concern to her own face. “Belle, what is it? You've never come so unannounced. Is something wrong?”
The surprise that bloomed on Aurora's face had been expected by her unlikely visitor. Belle would have been more off put if her fellow princess had taken the development in stride. Aurora's reaction hadn't entirely manifested, and she was already on her feet, which Belle was thankful for. Knowing that the princess on whom she had payed a call was just as ready to forego stringent pleasantries when friends were present. Aurora appeared equal parts alarmed and intrigued as to Belle's odd behavior. Thankfully, all of the young brunette's fellow royals had long ago dismissed the theory that she would do what was predictable.
Belle clasped Aurora's hands tightly, then released them. Reaching up, she unclasped her traveling cloak and after folding it once or twice smoothly she draped it over one arm for safekeeping. Belle's brow furrowed in worry at Aurora's question. "That's just it," she said, brown eyes pleading, "I don't know." The young woman knew that her reply was cryptic, even by her standards. They were, however, the honest truth. Belle wasn't sure. They were just rumors. Whispers. Nothing was concrete yet. No evidence had produced itself. But Belle felt something in her gut, and she knew she had to do something.
That was why Belle was there, visiting Aurora. "I-" she paused, lips still pursed to speak, and bit her bottom lip as she cast a broad look around the spacious throne room. Its majesty made even the most tentative whisper grow in volume, bouncing and slithering through the tapestries. "Is there somewhere we can speak more privately?" Belle decided to ask instead. "I can't stay long, but..." she paused. Adam would be irate if he knew that she had spirited away to the Kingdom of the Dawn in his absence, when he had forbade her from just that kind of action.
Honestly though, he should have known that 'forbidding' something from Belle was just going to make her that much more earnest in doing it. The young woman pressed those concerns from her already taxed mind. She was here already. No use feeling guilty now. "I need your advice."
Last Edit: Jun 10, 2013 13:50:00 GMT -5 by Deleted
The request to speak somewhere more privately was a little unconventional but then again that word described their entire encounter so far. It was this request more than anything else however, that sent up the red flag for Aurora. A memory tickled in the back of her mind. It was from the night she had first returned to the palace and how Maleficent had been able to lure her away from her companions in order to complete her killing curse. Or sleeping curse as it mercifully turned out to be. She vaguely wondered if Maleficent had known of the change before she collapsed as a result of touching the spindle.
Aurora looked at Belle intently. She knew that her friend would never intentionally put her in any sort of danger and if this was in fact Belle she probably hadn't even given a second thought that someone might come under similarly vague circumstances in an attempt to place her in a more vulnerable position. Perhaps disguised as someone she trusted. She certainly looked and acted like her friend, but with the Forever Stone breached there was no way to know for certain.
Or even if she was Belle, which Aurora's instincts told her it was, someone could easily be threatening someone her friend cared about or otherwise blackmailing her into helping them. She knew she would do anything for her parents, her aunts, Philip or anyone that she cared about so she wouldn't blame Belle if that was a factor as well but it only served to heighten her awareness. She almost reached up to clasp a protective hand around the medallion that hung always in its place about her neck but forced her arms to remain where they were.
"If it is mine to give, you know it is yours." She paused, unsure how to phrase her concerns, a crease forming on her delicate brow. Though she did not want to offend her friend, there was nothing apologetic about her tone when she continued. When the kingdom was in such a state of emergency, she couldn't afford to be careless. "But first, I'm afraid I must ask you to answer these questions. I was once called a different name which I confided in you- What was it? How long has it been since my last visit to your kingdom and what did you show me? And finally, what code word did we discuss should you ever be in trouble?"
(OOC: I'm sorry if this is lame LOL and you can make up whatever you like for the second question. The third question is a trick seeing as they never discussed a code word. ...unless you think they would have. In any event whatever you answer, Aurora will know it's her and take her to a private chamber.)
Even past Belle's own need for haste, and inner conflicts, she could see that Aurora was deep in thought for a few moments. The golden-haired princess' eyes searched Belle's face, then locked on her eyes. They were glazed with wise deliberation, but at the same time precise and plunging, scouring Belle's own brown eyes with nimble precision. The foreign princess was slightly perplexed by Aurora's expression, and the rapid speed that her mind was working, glimpsed through her tender glance. That confusion no doubt wrung Belle's features momentarily.
Aurora appeared to sort her concerns, and offered her a firm promise. Belle smiled gently, already grateful and put more at ease just with the first reassuring comment that her friend had to offer. Then Aurora went on to say things that Belle hadn't expected. When she realized what route Aurora was treading, Belle blinked, and then shook her head in slight frustration with herself. Of course, the woman before her had all the right in the world to be asking what she was. Aurora should have been as careful as she was being.
Belle should have had enough forethought to think of this issue. Blame it on her sense of fervent flight, the troubles that were clouding her heart, or simply that she was so fixated on the issue that had driven her to seek Aurora's council. Surly each of the three contributed to her negligence. Belle listened to all three questions posed, and smiled with wry approval at them. They were astute and varied, which would have made it impossible for anyone but Belle herself to answer them. Adam would even be at a loss.
"Briar Rose; four months ago; a magic hand mirror;" Belle wavered only here, smiling blandly as she said, "Rumpelstiltskin."
Last Edit: Jun 19, 2013 22:53:59 GMT -5 by Deleted
Despite the dire circumstances Aurora quirked a small smile at the specified 'code word' she and Belle had decided upon what hardly seemed like days ago. Time was such a strange thing. The smile however, did not reach her eyes and was not as joyful as it might have once been. Though Aurora was grateful that this was in fact her friend and not some all powerful being trying to trick her for whatever diabolical reason, that meant that the distress in her friends eyes was real and the result of real trouble she was dealing with. Whatever had brought Belle here seeking her counsel, it was not an ordinary kind of concern.
Stepping close to Belle, Aurora placed a reassuring arm around the woman's shoulders pulling her close and placed her other hand on the shoulder closest her, squeezing it comfortingly, "It's going to be all right. Whatever it is. I promise." Perhaps she shouldn't offer a promise so flippantly, but Aurora didn't care what it was. She would do everything in her power to make sure not only Belle, but everyone in all of the realms of her kingdom remained safe and well. Even if it meant sacrificing herself.
She led Belle back down the throne room steps and around the stairs to a golden door set into the wall to the right of the throne. Or at least, it appeared to be a door. There was no handle or knob to be seen blemishing the intricate patterns and designs carved into its gleaming surface. Aurora placed a hand on the center of the door and she felt the smooth cool surface for only a moment before she felt what seemed like hundreds of blunt needles press against her hand accompanied by a dim flash of silvery light as the magic surface recognized her and allowed the door to swing open.
The room wasn't very big, but it wasn't so small that Aurora ever felt trapped. An enormous round golden table was situated in the center of the room surrounded by a handful of elegant chairs. It was the room that The Three conducted their meetings in, infrequent as they had needed, when they took place in Aurora's castle. The golden door swung shut behind the pair after they had cleared the doorway and Aurora stepped away from Belle to pull out one of the intricately carved seats, "Please, sit down and tell me what's troubling you."
Belle attempted to smile when Aurora gave her word that all would be well. The expression came off more of a wince than anything, though. For all the cause that had driven the princess to seek out Aurora's council, she was as lost in thought as ever. Troubled to the point of dazed distraction, even when the other woman began leading Belle down the stairs of the throne's dais and toward a golden door recessed in a shadow of the chamber's exterior wall. Belle was glad for Aurora's reassurance. Not only in word, but in the gentle grasp that was curled around both of her shoulders.
She was fortunate to have such a good friend. Belle was pressed her lips in a firm line to keep herself from biting them in thought. Aurora paused at the golden door and extended a hand. Her brunette companion felt a stir in the air of ancient magic. Like a transparent giant turning slightly in its sleep. Those age-old spells awoke at Aurora's touch in the door, making Belle feel both incredibly young, and incredibly weak in comparison. Brown eyes widened in curiosity as the door swung inward to admit them, and Aurora guided her beyond.
The chamber within maintained a more comfortable air than the grandeur of the throne room from whence the pair had come, but was just as regal. Stretches of powdery blue cloth swept down from a central point on the ceiling, where a simple kind of chandelier hung. The banners curled down, but were pinned to the outer walls of the room, so that the stone was mostly covered, giving the chamber a feeling of closeness, privacy and intimacy. Belle looked at the table at the room's heart, which left only a little bit of room to walk along the exterior.
Questions welled up in Belle. If there were any way to divert her mind from the issues that troubled her, Aurora had done so. Then the elder princess offered her companion a seat, and everything rose to the surface again. Belle draped her cloak over the back of her chair and then sat gingerly on its edge, hands clasped in her lap to keep from fidgeting with them. Belle looked up and into Aurora's comforting gaze, and took a deep breath to brace herself. "It started with a dream," Belle admitted. "A nightmare."
Belle went on to explain, and her voice would occasionally quiver, whereupon she'd take pause, calm her nerves, and pick back up in a tone of forced control. She told Aurora how she had seen in this nightmare the Forever Stone, wreathed in mist and shadow. How, with a pale green flame, Belle had watched it crack and shatter. That the crack had spread to the earth, creating a fissure in the ground, and that fissure spread and raced. On and on it snaked, until the crack came upon her and Adam's palace gate.
Then the fissure had opened wide, and with one colossal roar, it had swallowed the castle whole, sending it into the bowels of Rohandor. "When I woke up, the news came." Yes. Belle had just sat upright in bed, terrified of what she'd beheld, when Adam - already awake in the predawn hours - came into the room looking grave, announcing that a message had just came: the Forever Stone was empty. Its inhabitants free. "I didn't tell Adam my dream," she confessed with a pained expresion, "I hoped that nothing would come of it."
"But the dreams they... they've been getting worse." Belle tried to summarize as quickly as she could what she was seeing of late when she lay down to rest. Mist rising up in the Isle of the Beast's forests, giant shapes shifting just out of sight, primal snarls and woeful screams. She didn't like to relive them in the daylight. She liked to pretend they didn't exist. "Now, there are rumors," Belle went on. "About the wolves of the Isle getting more and more brave against the people. More ferocious."
The princess tried to rub a tiredness from her eyes and looked up to Aurora. "Adam's investigating as we speak with his men, but... I'm worried. There's a shadow on the Isle of the Beast. Right now it's just a rumor... What if it becomes more?" Belle's brows knit in a fretful frown as she searched for refuge in Aurora's council.
((OOC: Blargh. I hope it's decent, at the very least. :L))
Last Edit: Jun 28, 2013 10:36:27 GMT -5 by Deleted
Never had Aurora seen Belle at quite this level of anxiety before and she could feel her own brow crease with worry as the other woman began to speak and reveal the purpose of her visit. Aurora was both curious and wary of the explanation. She certainly wanted to quell the other woman’s fears and help in any way she could but she was almost loath to hear exactly what it was that had her friend so worked up. The Forever Stone was simply an empty shell now and there could be any number of scenarios out there that Aurora wasn’t looking forward to contending with. What was especially disconcerting about the situation was that this would probably be the first of many visits from her subjects with bigger problems than livestock disputes. That observation did nothing to ease her mind.
Belle was increasingly anxious and becoming visibly distressed the more she spoke having to pause more than once to try and compose herself. Aurora listened in silence attempting to keep a neutral expression but she could feel the weight of Belle’s words and the gravity of their implication pressing down upon her as though trying to crush the air from her lungs. As much as she would like to assure Belle that this was nothing to concern herself with Aurora could not in good conscience tell her friend to brush off the incidents as dreams and coincidences.
Even Aurora who was part of one of the oldest kingdoms in Rohandor still didn’t know all the secrets this land held and couldn’t always understand the ones she did. Some people were tied naturally closer to their homelands while others developed a bond over time. Belle had been practicing magic it probably had resulted in a closer tie to her kingdom’s land allowing her to receive visions of future events. Or at least possible outcomes if things continued on the way they were. Aurora had taken the seat beside Belle and turned the chair to face the other woman. She reached out and took one of Belle’s hands with her own giving it a gentle squeeze. It was doubtful the small gesture could offer much encouragement but she hoped she could somehow offer her some strength. She didn’t smile however, instead tilting her head and staring at an arbitrary reflection of the light glinting off the golden table as she processed the unsettling tale Belle had brought to her.
“I wish I could tell you that your fears were unfounded,” Aurora said grudgingly. She didn’t want to cause Belle further distress but she didn’t feel as though there were any point in acting as though there were nothing to worry about. That would simply leave them unprepared for what might come. “But I think you have every right to be concerned.” Aurora turned her head back to look at Belle, her expression thoughtful. “I'm not sure I have the answers you're looking for just yet. But in the meantime, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the safety of your people. Have the wolves been straying into the town? Or attacking those that have wandered into the forest? If they are getting bold enough to actively pass into populated areas perhaps measures should be taken in order to keep them from leaving the woodland areas. That I can help with.”
Aurora could guess that Belle had come in an attempt to understand her visions and perhaps why the wolves were becoming more primal and violent but at least for the moment she didn’t have an answer and she was curious as to any steps Belle had already taken. There were only practical things that Aurora could think to start work on and perhaps a more specific cause could be determined as more information was acquired. It wasn’t completely far fetched to think that one of the newly freed adversaries had done something to the animals but that was the only conclusion she could draw. Who and how was another situation entirely.
(OOC: Your post was delightful as ever. …in a foreboding sort of way )
Belle finished her story, and realized that she was breathing heavily, having deprived herself of casual breathing to embrace the urgency she felt her tale needed to be delivered with. While the princess strove to tame her hitching breath, she looked on at Aurora's troubled, contemplative expression with her own brown eyes pleading. There had to be something that Aurora knew - and, through which, the Council - that was not Belle's knowledge to boast. Something to either reassure her of how inconsequential or unsanctioned her worries were - the brunette knew this eventuality was slim, at best - or something to justify her anxiety. Aurora took her time replying, but that was one of the reasons that Belle had sought her out of the Council of Three.
Aurora would not get frazzled without necessity, and even then would take pause to assure her words would carry the greatest wisdom at her disposal. Belle exhaled through her nose, deflating a bit, when her golden-haired company began with a preamble to what was not going to be good news. "Don't apologize," Belle insisted after Aurora began. She wanted honesty. Sincerity, whether toward good or ill. "It's a relief to know that I'm not losing my mind." The admission might have sounded petty, but it was true. As much as fretting over her kingdom, Belle wondered if the strange dreams and senses of foreboding were genuine premonitions, or some crazed cost of her having dabbled in magic within recent years.
Princess Aurora went on smoothly to coax more details of the Ruby Kingdom's situation after that, assuring Belle that she would do what was in her power to help. The brunette smiled, though the corners of her lips were weighed down by troubles made real by this meeting. "Nothing like that yet," she assured. "Now that I know the possible dangers ahead, I have time to prepare defenses. This has given me a forewarning, and that might make all the difference." Belle was thinking aloud as much as she was confiding fact with Aurora. Thousands of thoughts were swirling through her head, from primal barricades in ancient texts she'd read, to defensive enchantments that her mystic studies had presented her with.
"I just hope that they won't be needed in the first place." Belle gave a lopsided twist of her lips, and her eyes focused back on Aurora. This time it was her turn to squeeze the other woman's smooth hands in her own.
It's a relief to know that I'm not losing my mind. It would be easier if you were, Aurora thought bitterly. It wasn’t as though Aurora wished any sort of ill fortune on her friend but their world was in the throws of change. For as long as she could remember the worst their realm had experienced were disputes among each other over land or possessions. There was no war, no magical curses, no monsters. No reason to fight. Now there was evil in the world again and after the countless years of peace her people were substantially under equipped to deal with what might be coming their way. And it wasn’t just them, even the Council themselves had become complacent in that time and she still wasn’t sure she could wrap her head around the scope of what the beings now released upon the world could accomplish.
“I hope for the same but it would certainly be wise to take any precautions you are able.” Aurora nodded in agreement, sometimes feeling as though someone else was talking through her. Sometimes she still felt like the girl who grew up in the woods and didn’t feel as though she had the right to be giving anyone advice. But then, perhaps Belle felt the same way about herself which was why she sought out her advice.
She released the other woman’s hand and in a rare show of vulnerability sank back into the cushiony softness of the chair allowing it to wrap around her. She was unable to stifle a sigh as her eyes drifted back towards the golden surface of the table. Aurora was at a loss as to what she should be doing in this situation. Wait until the other side made their first move? Take the offensive? She wished Philip would check in with her. He’d been gone so long and that didn’t help her anxiety levels. Aurora didn’t want to allow her own concerns to worry Belle any more than she already was but there was nothing to be done about it. Their situation was serious and there was no point in pretending otherwise. “Things are changing Belle. I can feel it already. Our greatest enemies are free. I couldn’t even begin to guess what lies in our future but I doubt they will just leave us be.”
There was a kind of resolution that Belle felt in the moments after her imaginings were realized to be much more than just that. Yes, she wished that it weren't so. That the prophetic dreams that had been plaguing her were nothing more than an unwanted side-affect from some spell she'd been tampering with. That would have been easier. But life wasn't easy, as Belle knew full well, and now, at least, she had closure over the fitful chapter that had been unfolding in the wake of the Forever Stone's destruction. Now she could move forward with purpose, not confusion. Her heart was made steely, and certain because of it. She was sure her resolve would be tested, and nothing about the coming days would be quite as simple as the peace that Rohandor had until then - a peace most believed to be everlasting.
Inwardly, Belle grimaced at that new thought. One would think that with the ever-expanding realm that Rohandor was, where new cultures, civilizations and so on cropped up every few years, generally, the people therein would be enlightened and accepting. Quite contrarily, the vast majority of Rohandor's inhabitants just became less accommodating, and clung more resolutely to their original way of life because of it. Most of Belle's everyday duties as princess of the Ruby Kingdom involved settling disputes between her land's natives, and those that were either passing through, or had immigrated to it. The truth was that Belle knew only something terribly large would convince most of Rohandor's people that the villains of a distant past were returned.
How tirelessly they would maintain denial, Belle could already see. Protecting her people from evil was one thing. Protecting them from an evil that they staunchly refused to believe existed was another entirely. Belle just hoped to heaven that she would be able to convince her people of the danger before something dreadful occurred that would force them to accept it. The brunette was wrested from her thoughts when Aurora sighed and sank back into the cushions of her chair. Belle's gaze widened at this breach of character, then became consoling almost immediately afterward, realizing that the other woman was showing her own exhaustion.
Belle listened intently to Aurora's tired comment and bit her lip in concern. Not just for her friend, though that was plain, but for their realm as a whole. She was forced to think about what Aurora was going through specifically, not for the first time. The news of the Forever Stone fracturing was undoubtedly observed by every royal differently. For Belle, it only meant that a cruel-spirited man who had by now lost all respect in her people would once again be sauntering around. Not so for many of her allies. Aurora, for example, now had the self-proclaimed Mistress of Evil alive again, bent on her destruction. And, so did Belle.
She knew that the villains were working together, most definitely. Which meant that everyone shared the others' enemies. They were all at risk, in every way, shape or form. Not just by everyday evils like Gaston (which, admittedly, could be just as awful as more blatant villains), but by entities of frightening power. Belle took a breath to calm her thoughts, which were threatening to overcome her again, and frowned at her hands, clasped in her lap. "No, they won't sit idly by," she admitted. "But we'll be ready for them when they make their move. Just like the first time, and any time after this."
Belle stood then, and swept her cloak over her shoulders absently. "I may not be that accomplished at magic, but I do know one fundamental law of it." While she spoke, the princess subconsciously awoke the spells she'd worked into the cloak. Spells for camouflage, normalcy and forgetfulness. To make ones eye skitter over her and pay no heed, or to recognize her, only to lose their train of thought and abandon it. "When there's even the tiniest bit of light? Darkness can't truly win." Belle plucked Aurora's hand up again and pressed it between both of hers in thanks.
"I think that we'll both be busy in the near future, so I don't know when I'll get to visit again, but I want you to know how dear your advice is to me." Belle didn't speak the obvious: that being that she needed to go, and quickly. Their conversation had given the brunette a recognition of the necessity of haste. Not to the point where details were overlooked, but she could no longer sit and wait. Action was called for, and a great deal of work - tedious for the most part. Not just for Adam and Belle, either, but for every champion of peace in Rohandor throughout.
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Shoutbox
Welcome to Happily Ever Afters!
Tony Dracon: Responded to your PM, Kat/Ratigan, incidentally.
Jun 27, 2018 20:25:02 GMT -5
David Xanatos: Kat's back. Hope the vacation was fun.
Jul 21, 2018 21:00:05 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: 'Twas a good trip! I'm sad it's over, but at the same time I'm glad to be back home so I can finish up my cosplays for a con next month and hang out with my cats
Jul 26, 2018 12:34:56 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Hope the cosplay goes well. I'm putting away a little extra for a con in a few weeks. and yay cats, they're always good company. Except for that one who slaps me unprovoked XD. So what cosplays do you have in mind unless they're secret?
Jul 26, 2018 17:07:41 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I'm cosplaying Pearl from Steven Universe and Joseph Joestar from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!
Jul 26, 2018 23:16:41 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I'm almost done both of them, I just have to finish styling Pearl's wig and fix up Joseph's gloves and wristbands
Jul 26, 2018 23:17:31 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Awesome. Had to look up Jojo because I'm not hip with the modern pop culture but I hope they turn out well.
Jul 30, 2018 15:33:15 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I only just started watching the anime last year and I haven't even touched the manga, so I'm barely hip with it lol. fortunately I have my cosplay buddy guiding me through the whole experience
Jul 30, 2018 22:29:38 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: also I finally finished the gloves! They were more of a pain to work with than I expected, but they'll hold together... I hope...
Jul 30, 2018 22:30:13 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Niceness. Hoping they hold also. Got the Dublin comic con next Saturday here. Hoping to meet Karl Urban.
Aug 1, 2018 19:05:32 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: Cool! I think he's coming to my city in the fall, if I remember correctly. Hope you enjoy the con, Daryl!
Aug 2, 2018 19:10:23 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: I spoke too soon. Karl Urban had to cancel for schedule conflicts. They got Nick Frost though, I'm gonna ask him if he'll sign my Hot Fuzz.
Aug 3, 2018 18:08:47 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: Dang! Nick Frost is great though, I love his character in Into the Badlands
Aug 4, 2018 22:54:36 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Enjoy your weekend Kat, hope the costumes came out as you wanted.
Aug 10, 2018 16:49:31 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Met Nick Frost and Michael Dorn at the weekend. Both very nice blokes.
Aug 13, 2018 15:22:59 GMT -5
Dodger: Happy 2019 everyone
Jan 1, 2019 10:54:04 GMT -5
Yen Sid: If anyone is passing by I posted a Hiatus update. Hope everyone is doing well!
Apr 18, 2021 11:31:09 GMT -5
Yen Sid: I've temporarily disabled account creation while I update the site. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience!
May 9, 2021 18:31:45 GMT -5
Owen Burnett/Puck: Checked the site again and saw the update! Here's hoping to a revitalized 2022.
Dec 15, 2021 14:41:27 GMT -5