hair strung like gold around her pillow  ,  soft red lips and the shimmering of a crown donned upon her head to complete the ensemble.  the wizard could see why they had dubbed her to be SLEEPING BEAUTY  ,  though the sight of her being dressed up and painted like this made him feel a slight bit... sick. Â
it had been months ---- nearly an entire YEAR  ,  as a matter of fact ---- since he had last heard the news from the fairies that his childhood friend had DISAPPEARED before the supposed curse had been lifted from her.  he remembered feeling a form of shock at that time  ,  unable to completely process the true meaning behind their words.  she wasnât dead  ,  was she ?  of course not.  but she also was not as lively as she once was  ,  unable to react to his playful teasing or let out her chime-like laughter like she used to. Â
to howl pendragon  ,  briar ros- ...princess aurora  ,  was dead.  he had lost a friend that day and now  ,  even with his eyes brushing along her fair and lifeless features ---- his expression remained gravely solemn.  this visit was a mistake to begin with  ,  considering she would never wake to the sound of his voice anyway.  he was not her â true love â  or the one the fairies had said to be DESTINED to save her and yet .... howl still found it difficult to leave her side.Â
â  iâm sorry  ,  love.  â  his words came out hushed and a pitiful scoff would follow suit  ,  as he brushed his fingers along her cheeks to clear them of any loose hair.  â  i should have never left.  â Â
and as a final act of goodbye  ,  howl would lean down and gently place his lips on top of her own  ,  pulling away after only a few seconds.  a kiss was all he could give her now and as he start to turn away ---- the wizard could only hope that her true love could do more for her than he ever had.