Author's Note: I wrote this last year for my Creative Writing class. The prompt was that we had to write a post 'happily ever after' fic for our favorite fairy tale and I chose Sleeping Beauty.

As of April 2011 I am completely revamping all of my fics, which obviously includes this one. Hopefully I will get around to creating a sequel for this, but that will not be until the summer of 2011 so be on the look out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sleeping Beauty.

"I'm not sure if I can do this anymore." I whisper to myself as I look out over the vast landscape surrounding the castle, which is very green with rolling hills as far as the eye can see.

I must admit, these past ten years have been some of the best of my life. I have learned much of my past from my parents who I have reconnected with since my return to normal society and I have learned plenty from my love and husband Phillip. I shiver at the thought of the latter because I spend majority of my time worrying about him. After Maleficent was killed and the curse had finally broken, everything began to settle down. Within a year Phillip and I were married and he offered Merryweather, Fauna, and Flora a place in the castle permanently to live, which they respectively denied claiming that they enjoyed their quiet little cottage in the middle of nowhere, even so, they visit quite often.

Then months after things completely settled down we had to take up the 'royal duties' we seemed to be avoiding so long. We had to move on from just enjoying each other's company and love to having more responsibility. As time passed he began to be gone on royal trips going to places while I stayed behind controlling things here and I began to realize how much it hurts to be seperated from the one you love for long periods of time. It was like an empty pain that nothing can really fill accept that one person... Sometimes I have a fear that he will find someone else while he is gone, or he will become injured while traveling to places that are more hostile. After a few years of this traveling, another occurance had forced us to grow up even more.

"Mommy!" A young voice that will forever tug on my heart strings yells from behind me.

I turn to face the child, my casual dress twirling with my movements, and I face him just in time for him to hurl himself into my arms for a tight hug. His hair is clouding my vision with wisps of gold as he squeezes his small arms around my neck and we stay this way for a long while. Finally, he looks up at me with his bright blue eyes and I realize though his eyes and hair are both traits he inherited from me, everything else about him is completely from his father, my Phillip. This forces the loneliness in my heart become more prominent and almost physically painful as I look into my child's eyes as I think that he too is without his father which in some ways is even worse than my own pain.

"Did you need something, my love?" I ask as he takes some of my golden curls into his small hands and studies it.

"When will Daddy come home?" His eyes seem to plea with me to answer that it will be soon.

Unfortunately, I cannot give him the answer he is looking for because I really do not know when he will return. Phillip has been gone for three months and in the letters we have sent back and forth he has not given me a straight answer about when he will return. The kingdom of Nymira, the place he has traveled to, was a very strong ally of Maleficent and he has been trying to make peace with them for sometime. Phillip and his accomplices have been trying most of this three months and from what I have heard from the slow correspondence, it has not been going well. The fear of what might happen to Phillip makes my heart ache so I force the dark thoughts from my mind.

"I wish I knew," I sigh as I pull him back for another hug, so I won't have to see the disappointment in his eyes.

As I stand there holding our son, I cannot help but wish darkly that I hated Phillip. I wish I could leave or stop the pain that Noah and I feel almost constantly when he is away. Sure it is selfish, but a family should be together as much as possible. A family shouldn't be seperated most of the year and I cannot help but wonder, will this ever end? Will I be expected to live like this for the rest of my life or will I be forced to make Noah to travel around in unstable environments for his younger years? I know I must tell Phillip of my worries because I know that I could never stop loving him, it would probably be easier to stop breathing.

I'm pulled from my thoughts and the time with my son by the sound of trumpets blaring from the courtyard below. I'm puzzled momentarily before I look out and see that the royal carriage is approaching and my heart begins to soar. Noah squirms out of my arms and sprints for the stairs before I can even blink.

I see Phillip exit the carriage and my breathe catches. It feels like this is the first time I have ever laid eyes on him and his beauty stuns me as it always does. I watch him make his way out of the carriage for a moment, long enough to watch as Noah launches himself into his father's arms and I cannot help but chuckle at the sight. Then I feel guilty that he has to miss Phillip so...

I follow my son's parth down the stone steps from the balcony and as Phillip pulls away from Noah's tight hug he looks up and our eyes meet. His deep brown eyes and my bright blue eyes meet for the first time in three months, and he flashes a very wide and bright smile, which brightens the darker mood I had spent most of the day in and I cannot help but respond with my own smile. He places Noah onto the ground and opens his arms to me, and I jump into his arms copying the same motions Noah practiced. He twirls us around as we cling to one another as though we don't fully believe the other is really there. I bury my face into his neck and I take in the scent that feels almost new to me due to the recent seperation and I almost don't believe that now, if only for a little while, I get the real living Phillip not just the traces of him that he leaves behind in his wake.

He stops twirling and lets me drop gently back onto my feet before pulling me into a small kiss that lingers on my lips as though I had just tasted a spicy herb.

I hear my son verbalize his disdain for out displayed effection with a loud, "Ewww…"

"I love you Aurora," Phillip whispers his dark eyes shining happily, but they seem to be twinkling with mischief as though he knows something I don't. I let it go and decide to contemplate it later because right here and right now-her Phillip is here.

"I love you too Phillip."

Noah takes the chance to jump into Phillip's now free arms and we walk together toward the castle.

Later on in the evening, I find myself once again on a balcony with my dark thoughts as I stand outside the master suite as Phillip says good night to Noah in his room down the hall.

The door behind me opens and within a moment Phillip is beside me in his nightly attire. He leans on the ledge of the balcony resting his weight on his elbows as he breathes, "Aurora."

I act as though I'm too lost in thought to have heard him, and I continue to stare off into the dark abyss of the night. He confronts my silence with slight agitation. "I know you can hear me Aurora."

"I don't think I can do this anymore." I whisper before moving my gaze to his, which mirror confusion back to me.

"What?" He stands up and moves closer to me.

"I cannot worry like this anymore, Phillip!" I cry out angrily, "I cannot be alone like this all of the time, I know it may be selfish of me but at the moment I don't care!" I ramble on, "Noah shouldn't have to worry either, he shouldn't have to wonder when he will see his father because you are gone all of the time. Then there is the stress of whether or not you have been hurt because of the more hostile kingdoms and it is very obvious that you are."

"I'm not—," He begins.

I interrupt, "You have been flinching all night! Don't you dare lie to me!"

He looks to the ground, "Alright, maybe things have not been going so well in Nymira."

"What happened?" I ask my voice lowering an octave.

"That doesn't matter," he says strongly and I have a feeling he will not budge on the subject of telling me, "I understand and I'm sorry I put you through all of this. I love you more than anything…"

I put my arms around his neck and his slither around my abdomen.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"I'm sorry I have made you and Noah worry." He whispers giving me a light feathery kiss, "Forgive me?"

"Hmmm, yes." I answer hugging him. It is then I realize I could never leave him and maybe our happily ever after will keep going on, even if we have to be separated for long periods of time… In the end we will always be meant for each other, as it is said true love knows no bounds.