Chapter 4

The sounds of the earth rumbling around her woke Aurora from her sleep. As she opened her eyes slowly the room was dark, with only a single flame from a black candle lighting her surroundings. She was not in her room, she could tell just from the smell of fresh rained on earth around her. She sat up from now no longer her bed, but a frame with animal furs and skin draped around her. The walls were stone, a cave that echoed songs of birds from out of the lone doorway.

"A dream" she thought to herself "I must be dreaming"...

Her feet moved out of the bed but Aurora's eyes were hazy as she stood up in her room looking around as if she had never seen the place before. Luna lay snoozing in a chair next to the bed while her daughter had a walking vision, not knowing she was moving around her very room right at the same moment she was having her vision.

The cloth from the doorway moved slightly as Aurora turned to see what it was. There standing in the entrance was the male from her other visions. His chest was bare but tattered pants covered his legs while his feet remained dirty and bare. But Aurora seldom noticed his appearance, the only thing she was looking at were his eyes.

"It's you.." she whispered looking into those blue eyes. He wasn't in chains, he was here, standing before her.

"We haven't got much time" the male said, his voice even and smooth as he looked at her with such an intense gaze "Follow me."

The male gestured to the doorway and moved out of site behind the cloth. Aurora's feet moved with only the intention of getting closer to him, to only be near him. He had spoken to her, had moved and looked at her with a different gaze then the one she had known since childhood. Her heart was racing as she moved the cloth aside only to find a tunnel of the cave that showed a hint of light from the exit.

She had to follow him, she just had to...

Aurora opened the door and entered the hallway, still silent with eyes wide open as she stared down the vast hallway. Her feet suddenly moved with purpose, as if she were looking for something. Her footsteps were barely heard as she moved out of the corridor into the grand hall where the picture of the apple tree on the wall glowed ominously above her.

Aurora moved up the stairs quickly, looking right at the grand door's of the king's office. Her hands moved the doors open slowly as she moved quickly towards the window that looked high over the gardens of the mansion.

"I have to find him..."

Aurora stared at the vastness of the forest below her. The tunnel had led to stone stairs that she climbed in a hurry to get to a wooden door above where the light was coming from. But when she opened the door it opened to nothing but the edge of a cliff. The early glow of dawn was in the sky, just the faded blue that would soon turn bright with the oncoming sun. Birds chirped and flew around her as the forest was coming alive. Aurora looked down at herself in wonder. She had on a white dress that fluttered in the breeze.

"But I didn't.." she said with confusion. Suddenly the breeze picked up as it gusted around Aurora.

"Find..me..."

The wind whispered the phrase in Aurora's ear as she looked up the cliff. There at the top stood the male with his wavy blonde hair dancing around his face, looking down at her as if to say "Hurry up."

Aurora looked to her side and saw the edge of the cliff break and jut out just enough for someone to tip toe to the side and make their way to the rocks that would surely hold someone climbing up them.

Aurora looked back up at the male who had now disappeared from her sight.

"I'm coming.." she thought to herself and reached to move on the edge.

Luna woke with a gasp as her head flew forward from the chair. A dream, she was just having a bad dream about Aurora when...

Luna looked with terror at the empty bed in front of her. The queen quickly stood up, her robe wrapped tightly around her as she moved for the bedroom door that was wide open.

"Aurora!" Luna screamed. When no answer came, Luna felt that horrible gut feeling she got when her children were in danger. It was the same feeling she had when Hunter fell off one of Manny's horses and nearly broke his neck.

"Aurora!" Luna screamed with desperation as she began to run down the hallway. Suddenly Mayhem was running down the other and grabbed Luna steadily.

"What's happened?! What's wrong Luna?!" Mayhem said giving her a quick shake.

"Aurora" Luna said through tears "She's not in her room, she's gone and I can't find her."

"All right stay calm" Mayhem said "We'll search the mansion and the grounds, she couldn't have gotten far."

"But Mayhem it's nearly dawn what happens when the sun comes up?!" Luna said grabbing at his arm.

"We'll find her I promise" Mayhem said giving his mate a quick kiss before going to sound the alarm to the Brotherhood.

While the Brotherhood awoke and began the search, Aurora stood at the edge of a window terrace looking down at the ground far below her. She had climbed through the window of the office and side stepped on the terrace. The stone wall was cold behind her as her hands clung tightly to the sides.

"Almost there, just keep going.."

Aurora stared down at the forest, hoping, praying her balance did not give as she clung to the cliff wall. If she could just make it to the jutting rocks, she could climb her way up...

A small part of the cliff gave way as the rocks tumbled far below her. Aurora gasped and pressed herself closer to the cliff wall.

"Breathe" she whispered to herself "Just breathe." As her body calmed she lightly stepped over the break in the cliff side and quickly moved to the rocks.

Aurora looked up and felt determination sweep through her. She could do this, damn it. She had been nothing but a burden her whole life, and now she was getting answers hell or high water.

"Or a very high cliff" she joked with herself as she grabbed the first rock "Here goes nothing."

Aurora hoisted herself to the rocks and unsteadily placed her feet on certain parts to get a good footing. Her eyes looked up, daring herself to not look down anymore. What she needed was up at the top, and she was going to get there.

The wind gusted around her once more with the same phrase in her ear "Find me...find me...find me..."

She was coming, she swore she was. Her hands shakily grabbed at the rocks as she made her way farther up, never stopping, never taking a breath, just moving to get to the top. Her hands grasped at the edge when she finally reached it, her fingers dug into the rock to save her life as she lifted herself over the edge. When Aurora looked up the cliff top was not that big, with giant rocks jutting out of the surface, but she could faintly hear the sound of rushing water...

Aurora stood on the roof, her feet climbing over the shingles as she moved towards the center of the mansion where the roof lifted up above the grand hallway entrance. Aurora moved in a daze, moving past gargoyles that looked down at the ground until she finally reached the part of the roof that flattened out. As the wind rushed past her she looked to the tree tops with such wonder as the sun's rays glinted in the horizon.

Down below the whole mansion was alive, looking for the princess that had seemed to vanish into thin air.

Luna was in the library when it finally hit her. Aurora had tried to jump out of a window years ago when she was young, that's why she had a room with no windows. But if she had left her room, she could have...

"Everyone outside!" Luna screamed "She's not in the house, start looking outside!"

He was there, standing at the edge of the cliff with a river rushing past at his side as it tumbled down below in a waterfall. He now had the same look on his face as he had before. Such sadness...

Aurora now saw the scars on his chest, deep cuts in the flesh that had not healed right for some reason. And his neck now held bruises along with his wrists and ankles. That wavy blonde hair fell in front of his face in such beautiful wisps.

"Who are you?" Aurora said moving towards him. Her dress whipped around her body as it gave a shiver right down to her bones.

"You will know me" he said looking down at her. He was quite tall, and built, his skin a beige that could only be that perfect if he was a vampire.

"When" she said looking now into his eyes "When will I know? I have seen you my whole life, I need to know now, who are you?"

The male now looked at her with such tenderness her heart almost broke. His hand brushed her face as his thumb gently stroked her cheek.

"You have to find me. You have to find a way to break the curse, then you will know me, and I will know you" he said with such softness.

"But how? How do I find you?" Aurora said moving closer to him.

Suddenly a great howl, like a beast from hell sounded throughout the forest. Birds flew in masses with panicked chirps as the sounds of trees crashing echoed through the cliff. The male stared at where the sound was coming from.

"You have to go" the male said with hatred now filling in his eyes. He looked at Aurora with panic "You have to go now!" He quickly pushed her towards the edge of the cliff where it cascaded out above the waterfall.

"What do you mean?!" Aurora yelled as he moved her farther along the plank of stone.

"Listen to me!" the male said grabbing her "There is a monster, a beast. If he catches you you'll never find me. You have to go!"

"Go where?! Where the hell can I go!?" Aurora screamed as the howling got louder. The sounds of rocks crashing echoed now as the beast was going up the cliff where Aurora had just climbed.

"You have to jump Aurora!" the male yelled at her moving away from her. He now faced where the noise was coming from, his stance ready for battle for whatever lay ahead.

"No!" Aurora screamed as she looked down "I won't leave you!"

The male looked at her with the sadness still in his eyes. He turned towards her and moved so close to her she could feel his heart beating against her chest. His hand held her cheek and his eyes looked at her with so much...love.

"Remember me" he whispered as he lay a gentle kiss on her lips. Then the beast rampaged over the cliff side.

Aurora stood on the edge of a stone gargoyle that stood out above the roof, overlooking the ground far below her. The width of the stone was not very wide, just enough for her two feet to be placed on. Her arms stuck out at her sides, trying to keep balance as she watched in terror as the vision progressed. The wind sharply tried to unbalance her but the vision held Aurora still as stone, but one wrong step, and she would fall to the pavement below.

Mayhem ran out the entrance of the grand hallway as soon as he heard the cry from Luna to go outside. When the morning air hit him, he could feel the disturbance in atmosphere. Quickly the king looked up as the Brotherhood formed around him, their eyes and ears and noses looking for any trace of Aurora.

Suddenly Mayhem felt shingles fall at his shoulder as he quickly looked up. There he saw Aurora doing a balancing act on a stone gargoyle that flew out from the roof of the building.

Rhage caught the king's look and quickly looked up to see the same thing. "Oh Jesus, Aurora!" he began before Tohr quickly shut him up with a quick kick.

"Don't wake her up!" Tohr hissed "If she wakes she may fall!"

"How do you know she's asleep?" Rhage said at the Brother.

"Look" Tohr said pointing "She's talking to someone."

Mayhem saw his daughter, her gaze distraught as she shook her head at whatever she was seeing. Suddenly her face was looking up, her body calmed as she stared at someone or something.

"She's having a vision" Mayhem said.

Something must have happened because Aurora now quickly moved back, her hands on her mouth as she gazed at something terrible.

"NO!" she cried out her body losing balance but quickly regaining it as her arms flew out to steady herself. Tears where now shedding on her face as her eyes stared at something with such awful fear...

Aurora watched the black shadow wrestle with the male, it's gaping mouth showing horrid white teeth that looked like ivory knives.

"GO NOW!" the male yelled at Aurora, his arms flailing at the creature as it snapped its jaws at him.

Aurora turned and looked down at the rushing waterfall.

"JUMP AURORA! HURRY!" he screamed behind her. Aurora turned her head and looked at the male once more. He had the creature pinned, but not for long as it wriggled beneath him. The male looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Make me remember!" he said "Find me!"

The creature broke loose from the male's hold. The world suddenly slowed for Aurora as the creatures gaze looked at her. It's eyes...it had the same blue as the male...

Aurora turned her head away and stuck out her arms at her side as moved to the edge.

"JUMP!" she heard him scream before her legs took a leap from the stone plank of the cliff into the air.

Aurora lept into the darkness of the waterfall, letting the blackness suck her in..

"NO!" Mayhem screamed as he watched Aurora leap from the stone gargoyle into the air. He quickly dematerialized and caught his daughter in mid air before returning back to the ground with her held tightly in his arms.

Aurora lay as still as the dead, her arms falling to her sides in a heap.

"Aurora!" Mayhem screamed as he shook her hard "Damnit baby wake up!"

Suddenly the princess gasped as the darkness tore away from her and she was left grasping as her father's nightshirt, letting the morning air fill her lungs.

"Jesus Aurora" Mayhem groaned as he held her tight "You scared us all to death."

"Your not the only one who's scared" she thought to herself as the image of the beast came into her head. Her body gave out a shiver as she closed her eyes, and tried hard to block out the darkness.