The Other Aurora - Chapter Eight: Journey.

“The only journey is the one within.” 

Rainer Maria Rilke

As they started their journey back to the kingdom, Aurora was shocked to find a devastated landscape. There were no sounds of birds chirping, running water or crackling fire lit by peasants. The kingdom she once knew was gone for good.

She remained silent most of their journey into the forest, until they arrived to a stream where Philip let Samson rest and drink some water, and he improvised a shelter to spend the night.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Aurora.
She waited for a moment, avoiding his eyes and looked down. 
"I am still getting used to...being awake. I feel numbness in my arms and legs and..."
"Oh, don't worry," Philip interrupted. "It'll all get better as days go by." "We just have to be patient."

Philip looked at her, staring deep into her blue eyes. He searched for some kind of confirmation, a trace of hope. He wanted to believe in what she was saying.

Aurora stared at him too, whispering to herself that she should not fear. This was the man she had once loved. He had given up everything for her. He had waited her for five years and rescued her from the greatest evil.

As they stood there in silence, Aurora started to feel and to remember.

She loved him. The feeling had not changed, but...had she?

The Other Aurora - Chapter Seven: Joy.

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."

Rabindranath Tagore 

As they got closer to the gates of the palace, Aurora asked Philip to put her down. She wanted to walk, or at least to give it a try. She took baby steps first, unsure of how her body would respond after five years of lying unconsciously.

'Samson!' screamed Aurora in tears. She recognised the horse that she had ridden years ago. In fact, that horse had been the reason of her meeting Philip. She hugged the horse and he seemed to recognise her as well. Samson leaned his head closer to her in what looked like a perfect picture to the blissful Prince.

'Let's go, we should be on our way to reach safe grounds before nightfall,' said the Prince.

Aurora hopped on the horse almost without help. It seemed she was getting her strength faster than Philip would have imagined. And so the Prince took a second to savour such perfect moment: her Princess awakened after all the sorrow and obstacles he had had to endure. 

This was a time of joy.     

The Other Aurora - Chapter Six: Worries.

"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow." 

Swedish Proverb

Philip also witnessed the devastated kingdom. It was clear that the cursed had been broken for Aurora, but the rebirth of the kingdom would need more than a Prince's kiss. However, this was not the time to worry about that. First things first: Aurora was back and she had a long journey home.

What worried Philip the most was whether the people affected by Maleficent's curse had also woken up from their slumber or not. One thing was to deal with a bunch of dead trees and run down towns, but having the whole inhabitants of the kingdom asleep was something different.

As far as he was concerned, Aurora's parents, the fairy godmothers and the people from the court had been put to sleep when the curse became effective. However, he ignored whether throughout the years the curse had spread to the inhabitants of the kingdom and its whereabouts. Since he fled the place as soon as Aurora was put to sleep, he had no idea the conditions in which it would be now, after five years.