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Tristan shifted his attention back to her hand. “Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Not as much anymore,” she replied.
There was a brief pause as Tristan absorbed her response. “So, how did you make it back down the mountain without falling into any traps?” he asked.
“Someone entered the Dreamworld, so I was able to use the fog as a shortcut and leave the mountain peak,” she explained.
Tristan nodded as he finished wrapping the bandage around her wounded palm. “Were you able to help them escape?”
Aurora leaned forward, searching for his eyes. “Is that truly what you came here to discuss?” she asked, her words gently pushing beyond the surface of his defenses.
Tristan watched the bandage with a curious gaze. “How come the bandage is touching your blood but isn't turning to gold?” he asked, a note of genuine curiosity coloring his words.
Aurora wasn’t sure where his questions were leading, but it didn’t matter. She had decided that she would not keep anything from him anymore. “The water in the basin contains sunflower petals,” she answered. “It possesses a unique property that prevents objects from turning to gold. It seems that sunflowers hold a special connection to my powers.”
Tristan’s eyes sparkled with fascination. “I’ve heard stories of King Midas and his renowned sunflower gardens at his palace.”
Aurora nodded, a wistful smile gracing her lips as memories flickered to life within her mind. “Yes, those gardens were very special to him.”
Tristan’s voice dipped with curiosity. “I also heard that he would kill anyone who tried to grow their own.”
“Only if they took it from his garden,” Aurora clarified, then she plucked a single sunflower petal from the bowl and held it up for Tristan to see. The petal shimmered with an ethereal glow, reflecting the flickering fire. “As you can see, these aren’t your average sunflowers.”
A flicker of realization crossed Tristan’s face as he connected the dots. “Are you saying that your father’s sunflowers are from the Dreamworld?”
“Where else do you think my father obtained his golden powers?” she asked, giving him a knowing look. “Many moons ago, my father was an ordinary king, content with a loving wife and a beloved son. But one day, he brought a bag of sunflower seeds for my mother’s garden, and she nurtured them into a flourishing field. In time, his blood began turning everything to gold, and he became the most powerful ruler of his time. All of this happened long before I was even born.”
“Wait, Midas has a son?” Tristan asked, surprised.
“Yes, he was taken from us when I was just a child,” she whispered, her voice heavy with the weight of loss. “He was a victim of someone’s vendetta against my father. It was a tragedy that shook our family to its core.”
Tristan frowned. “I had no idea.”
“After my brother was killed, my father locked me away in a tower, erasing both of our existences from the world,” she continued. “He believed he was protecting me from his enemies, but in doing so, he turned me into a prisoner. For many years, I lived in isolation, deprived of freedom.”
Tristan’s eyes narrowed curiously. “Is that why you came here? To escape?”
Aurora shook her head gently. “No, I came here because the sunflower seeds originated from this place,” she clarified. “I had hoped to find a way to break the curse my father passed down to me, to undo the burden that plagues my existence.”
“So, you came here seeking something that would strip you of your golden touch?” he asked, his disbelief seeping through his words. “Why would you want that?”
Aurora’s expression softened, her vulnerability tethering on the edge. “Growing up as a princess, my deepest desire was to meet a prince and find true love. To live a life filled with happiness, and to bear enough children to fill a castle. But my abilities posed a threat to my father’s kingdom. If ever I were to marry outside its borders, it would have to be someone my father deemed worthy of wealth. Soon, I became a transaction of power, and my happiness was no longer of any importance.”
Tristan frowned. “I am sorry you had to endure that,” he said sincerely. “I can’t even fathom what it must have been like for you to go through all of that alone.”
“I wasn’t completely alone,” she confessed. “Eventually, my father brought girls my age to the castle, ensuring I had companionship. They were the only ones privy to my existence, which meant they were also forbidden to leave. Among them, one girl in particular became my dearest friend. Her name was Rapunzel. She was one of the firsts, enduring the tower’s confines for as long as I did.”
Tristan’s curiosity piqued. “How long did you live in that tower?”
Aurora responded with a humorless laugh. “Let’s just say I reached the age when marriage was expected,” she replied. “Yet, my father refused to give any other kingdom the power of the golden touch. So, I remained hidden, nonexistent.”
Tristan shook his head in disbelief. “And what about in the Dreamworld?” he pressed. “How long have you been trapped here?”
“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted. “Time holds no meaning in this realm. There are no sunrises or sunsets, only an eternal darkness that encases everything.”
As Tristan fell silent, Aurora found herself drawn to his gaze once more. “I’m sorry I didn’t reveal my true identity to you,” she said softly.
“Why didn’t you?” he asked.
