Henry's brows knitted the moment Maleficent finished her words, "When and where did this come out all of a sudden?" He asked.
Maleficent crossed her arms and pressed, "Just answer my question, boy." Henry raised his hands in surrender and replied.
"How am I supposed to answer such a question in a short amount of time? It's like you're asking me to narrate how our entire planet was created from scratch." Henry took a breath then continued.
"Although I want to know why you're asking me this question, give me a little bit of time to think. This isn't something where I can casually pull an answer out of my damn arse."
Perhaps seeing the logic behind his reasoning, Maleficent grumbled that is eerily similar to a child throwing a silent tantrum before stepping away from his personal space.
Only for her to come back a few minutes later, "You got an answer yet?"
Henry monotonously stared at her, "Seriously? Teacher, when I said I need a bit of time, I don't mean it as short as minutes. Maybe hours, or probably better, a whole day."
"How come such a simple question requires you an entire day to think of an answer?"
Faced with another grumble of hers, Henry rolled his eyes and retorted, "Why are you asking me the question in the first place?"
After that, she silently left.
Now that he was finally left alone, Henry went back to brooding. He was contemplating what was going to happen tonight. Today is the final day before Aurora's sixteenth birthday. Which means tomorrow, or later tonight at exactly 12 noon, the curse would activate.
And as the condition stated by Maleficent, it is a curse that no creature that lives on the planet can lift, which includes Maleficent herself as she also lives on the very same planet she referred to. Only a true love's kiss can lift the curse.
Yet, that part was the one she didn't state clearly. Yes, there is indeed true love in this world but it's not as common as one might think. Some even consider it a myth or an impossible concept.
However, the glaring weakness of this True Love's Kiss part was that everyone who hears it, instantly thinks of a lover's kiss, the opposite gender, and anything that comes close to that.
Without ever considering the fact that among most breathing creatures especially humans, there is no love that is stronger than maternal and paternal love.
And Maleficent, throughout the years of having the girl under her care whether she likes it or not, has made her unconsciously form the maternal love that resembles true love.
'My kiss wouldn't be the one to lift the curse. Only Maleficent can. But she doesn't know that yet and even if I told her, I doubt she would believe me. As much as I'd like to get a non-illegal, yet also non-consensual kiss on a sleeping girl that would definitely get me arrested and behind bars for years, my own morality doesn't allow it.'
Henry's face turned slightly dim and bitter. Aurora clearly sees him only as a friend, that's a fact that he had already confirmed after living under the same roof as her for the past two days. So clearly the true love's kiss between them would be all for naught.
Shaking his head from such negative thoughts. Henry shifted his focus back to the magic spell he's developing. Currently, he's still at the initial stage of forming the intention and goal of the spell—it's pretty obvious that this stage isn't as easy as it says.
Thankfully, Maleficent had a plethora of experience when it came to developing her own magic spells, so Henry was able to rip a few pages out of her book.
'This'll take me a long time. Maybe a week or so.' This was what Henry realized after a few hours had passed and he had just briefly passed through the first stage. Now he's on the stage of measuring the proper amount of ambient Magic and mental energy to be used when cast.
Though Henry is confident that once he successfully develops this spell, the magic spells he would develop in the future would be easier to create compared to the current..
But for now, he might refrain from spamming the use of curse magic while the spell is still undeveloped.
———
A few more hours passed and he barely noticed that it was already nighttime. Only when Maleficent interrupted his session did he finally snap out of his focus.
"I didn't realise it was already dark. I'd better get back, King Stefan is definitely going to issue a Kingdom-wide quarantine." He wiped off a few pieces of dust over his bottom as he stood from the dirt ground.
When he noticed Maleficent standing silently beside him, Henry assumed what she came for and replied, "Give me a few more, maybe tomorrow. I'll have an ans—"
He barely finished his words when Maleficent interrupted him, "I didn't come here for that. I need you to take me to the castle."
"I'm sorry but even with my status and all that, I don't think King Stefan is crazy enough to let you enter his castle freely. He might even flash his shiny sword as soon as he sets his eyes on you."
Maleficent shook her head, correcting him, "I'm not an idiot. I didn't say anything about entering through the front entrance." Then, she tapped the foot of her staff on the ground and she instantly transformed into a sleek -black furred raven, looking eerily similar to Diaval, except her eyes were green rather than red.
She softly perched on Henry's left shoulder while Diaval landed on the other.
"I'll get inside through your room. Just open your window and I'll be able to enter easily. After that, just leave the rest to me, I'm capable enough to sneak around with my magic."
Henry's lips thinned, "Alright fine. What could go wrong right?" With that being said, he turned and left the forest, climbing atop Boy who is smart enough not to question the two ravens on Henry's shoulders, and just rode off.
———
"I'm sorry what?" Henry blinked his eyes in surprise. In front of him, several guards were with their guards up.
The one in the front replied to him, there was hesitation in the tone of his voice, clearly he didn't want to be the bearer of the news to someone of Henry's status, "His Highness's orders. You are to stay in a temporary bedroom he arranged for you. Please just come with us peacefully."
Henry's eyes twitched a few times before sighing in defeat, "Can I at least visit my room first to grab my things?"
Not taking into account his request, the knight fidgeted a few times before finally surrendering, "Alright. Of course, you may. Allow us to escort you."
With three of the knights following closely behind, he looked less like a royal figure being protected from danger and more like a prisoner being escorted to his jail cell.
When they got to his room, Henry entered and thankfully, the three guards were nice enough not to pry into his privacy and stayed outside the door. Fortunately for them, Henry might resort to some unruly method if they persist in watching him for every second.
A whole minute passed, he finally stepped out. This time, he was holding a satchel that contained his pouch and books. He wasn't worried about leaving the satchel in his room without his supervision, not like the pouch of gold or the magic tomes are confidential and all that. It would take a well-established scholar to understand at least a single page of one of the magic tomes.
"Let's go." He smiled at the three knights and hurriedly dragged them out of the hallway.
A few seconds later, the door to his room suddenly creaked open, two raven heads peeked out, scanned the area, before finally turning back into their human forms. It was Maleficent and Diaval of course.
"Why did the King ban Henry from staying in his room?" Diaval asked in a whisper.
Maleficent scoffed, "You will never understand what goes inside the mind of a madman. Henry can handle himself, we need to find Aurora and stop whatever harm comes to her." Her expression shifted to warmth and resolve.
Diaval, as her most loyal servant, nodded his head and said, "Henry told us Aurora's room is on the highest floor." He took the lead and marched towards the nearest flight of stairs, Maleficent smoothly striding behind him.
———
The entire castle of Ironmere Kingdom has entered a very high state of alert. Almost half of the knight army was dispatched to roam the halls. Each patrol of knights contains a squad of five. All expressions sharp and determined.
They know this day would come. All they had to do was prevent anyone suspicious from getting into the castle and absolutely prevent Aurora from escaping her locked room.
Speaking of Aurora, she was pacing back and forth in her room. She kept staring at the grandfather's clock in the corner of her room. Just an hour away from her sixteenth birthday.
Despite being aware of the curse, she still couldn't help but feel nervous. To the point that she became cautious of her surroundings, glancing around from time to time, as if the spinning spindle would magically appear behind her and surprisingly prick her finger.
And as the loud ticking of the clock ticked by, the more she grew nervous. She even got tired of pacing around and finally sat on her bed.
"I'm gonna die aren't I?" She muttered to herself, there was horror in her tone but at the same time, a small part of her felt like accepting the inevitable.
As for blaming Maleficent for her predicament? It never once crossed her mind. All thanks to Henry.
Yesterday, Henry finally told her the truth behind her curse, why she cursed, and what led to it. Suffice to say, if there is only one person she would blame right now—which she's already doing currently, it would be her despicable father.
In the end, blaming doesn't get her anywhere. She finally lost the will and simply slumped her body on the bed, her head facing the standing clock and simply counted as each hand of the clock moved more slowly than usual.
———
"…Are you guys sure this is my new room?" Henry was speechless as the knight guards successfully brought him to his new guest room.
Or more accurately to say, a room in the dungeons. Yes, the guards actually brought him to the castle's dungeons and showed him the dark and dirty jail room.
"I-It's his highness's orders. I'm truly sorry. But don't worry, this will only be for tonight. Tomorrow, you'll be free to go back out…" The knight could only throw his own King under the bus (or carriage?) while shifting uncomfortably.
In the meantime, Henry was contemplating whether he should just go and knock every single guard in the castle and take matters into his own hands. But that would leave a very bad reputation, and it's not like he can stop the rumors from spreading about what he did to the castle's guards.
However, he found himself accepting his new situation, not because he had no choice. But because he just noticed that the room at the end of the basement looks a little bit the same as the one where Aurora pricked her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel.
So he shrugged his shoulders and casually entered the room, "Alright. Fine by me. Can I at least request dinner? I'm feeling quite hungry."
The weight on the knight's shoulders was lifted, and Henry could clearly hear the sigh of relief. Is it really that scary if he actually refused?
"Of course. That can be arranged in a moment, Prince Henry. Thank you so much for…agreeing to His Highness's new arrangement." There he goes again, throwing his King under the carriage. At this point, the other two knights beside him nodded their heads to back him up. Frankly, because they'd do the same in his situation.
And just like that, Henry found himself staying at the same place where Aurora would prick her finger. Though he's also curious about some things.
Would the butterfly effect flap its wings again this time? Change the course of events? Or would Aurora still descend the stairs and prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel?
If so, what would happen if he tried to stop it?