Author's Note: I did this story on a whim, so please tell me if I failed in any aspect. Please and thank you.

This is set in the Disney Kingdom, where all Disney Characters go to live out their lives after the movies, but they never knew it was all just a movie...until now.

Roses
by the March Hare

"Do you ever wonder what it's like to be important?"

"What was that?"

"I said 'Do you ever wonder what it's like to be important?'"

The chamber door was heavy, and it took Belle a hard shove to get it to move. The light sliced in, but the room remained mostly dark. There was no movement.

"Hello, dear."

Belle jumped. "Oh…" she pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh…hello, Aurora."

Nothing. Void of sound, warmth, joy, and light, the place seemed ill-fitting for the lady of the dawn.

"What would you like, dear?" Her voice was emotionless, as if coming from miles away.

Bell was at loss what to say. It was fortunate she never had to deal with situations like this, but it also made it hard to deal with situations like this when they did pop up. She decided to go out on a limb.

"May I come in?"

Silence. "Do you wilt without light?"

Belle took a breath, and thought. "Don't we all?"

More silence. "Come in."

Slipping in, Belle slowly shut the door behind her.

Now it was the dark, the beauty, and the rising sun.

"Why?"

"Why, what?" Belle replied.

"Why are we here?"

"I don't know, Aurora," Bell said resignedly, sitting down on the floor. "I only know we can do our best while we're here."

"Your words are wise, but I feel the same uncertainty in your voice that is in my soul."

Belle sighed. "Yes, I suppose this has been quite a shock, but that is no reason to just give up. What about Philip and your parents and all of your friends and…everyone who has ever needed you when things got hard."

Aurora laughed. In the hollow chamber, miles below the surface, it was an unearthly, empty thing that rang off the cold walls.

"What's so funny?" Belle responded. "It this your idea of a joke?"

"No," Aurora finished chuckling. "I've done better, anyway."

"True." Belle replied, "But what was so funny?"

"You. Us. Everyone." The formless voice said. "Everything we have ever done, ever did, ever will do will be based in the near-purest of emotions. Now that we have discovered the truth, it seems we were merely golems, things meant to perform tasks for all eternity." She laughed again. "Which is ironic, because we are not even liked much by the real world."

Belle mused for moment. What were they ever? Things created to entertain, to make others money, to inspire, to teach, to…

Belle smiled. "But we are."

Aurora raised her invisible head. "What? What do you see that my old eyes cannot?"

"We, our current forms, are not liked overall. That much is true. Some may find us weak, childish, or wishful thinkers, creations for the blind and youthful. But our lessons, our love, isn't that something people never forget? Even when these real people leave us to go on to more 'mature' things, the lessons we taught will always be written on their hearts. Even if they refused to admit, they hope, they do all the things we do."

Belle reached her hand out, into the void, into the cold nothingness in every soul yearning for more.

"Let's do it for the dreamers."

The morning sun rose over the fields, as the wind, seemingly awaking from a long sleep, ran wild through the tall fields of grass. Belle shielded her eyes from the burning light, and smiled.

She had missed the light.

The morning dew shined bright in the Daystar's light, creating an ocean of glowing fires across the opening in the forest. The trees shook with the zephyr, and a giant eagle flew across the sky. For a moment, just a moment, it eclipsed the sun, and appeared to the eye as a phoenix.

"Is this life?" timidly spoke a voice from behind. Belle looked back to view the tattered princess. Her eyes were red, and her skin looked pale, but she looked at the sun like it was only there for that moment, and smiled.

"Yes, Aurora, this is life." Belle smiled, and gave her a slight tug. Stepping from the dungeon's steps, the girls daintily sat down in the field, enraptured in the sight before them.

"Thank you," Aurora said timidly.

"No," Belle said, "Thank you for believing."

Disclaimer: The characters of this story belong to the Walt Disney Company. I own nothing but the idea and literary work.

Reviews and honest critiques are appreciated.