Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the support so far! It's greatly appreciated! Things are about to take a unexpected turn in the next few chapters! Please keep leaving reviews and continue reading, enjoy! :)

Chapter Four – Deep Slumber

-Aurora's POV-

When I awoke in the morning, I stretched cracking a few bones. I stood up and walked out of my room and into the bathroom beside my bedroom. I walked into and washed my face and used the toilet, I left the bathroom.

I made my way back towards my room and my maids were waiting for me, "Good morning, Princess Aurora."

I smiled and they followed me into the room, I stood in front of my mirror while they picked out my gown for the day. "Is this one alright, Princess?" One of the maidens called and I turned towards them and inspected the gown.

"Marvelous," I nodded my head while looking at the baby blue dress that was being pulled out of my closet. "Margaret, Anna, please call me Aurora, Princess sounds so overdramatic. I am just a normal girl," I walked over to them and they nodded.

"Of course my grace," They both answered and I raised my eyebrows, "I mean, Aurora." They both ducked away from me and I turned away from them.

I walked over to my bureau and picked up my hair brush and started to comb through my hair, unknotting it. I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw them walk up behind me. I extended my arms as they unbuttoned my night gown and it fell onto the ground. I stepped into my dress and they began to button it, then pulled the strings of my corset together.

I sucked in a breath as one of the strings tightened around my chest, "Could you untighten the strings slightly, it seems I am growing out of my dress."

The door swung open and I watched my mother walk into the room, "There is my beautiful birthday girl." She ran over to me and kissed my cheek, "This dress fills you much better know, I see you've grown somewhere," She laughed and pointed at my chest.

I felt uncomfortable and placed my hand over my chest, "Mother," I hissed and she just laughed and shooed the maidens out of my room.

She finished tying the corset and I stepped down off of the pedestal, "Phillip will be in complete awe when he lays his eyes on you. I raised a beautiful daughter," She grinned and I tried to smile back but it was forced. She didn't really raise me, Diane did, more or less. Last year on my birthday, I was still living in the French Court. I've only been back in Ireland for one year, but everything seems different.

"Darling, I bought you something," She opened a little box and a tiara was placed inside. I furrowed my eyebrows together and gave her an odd look, "This is so you do not have to keep continuing to wear that one from Henry's mistress."

She tried to place it on my head but I walked away towards my other tiara, "Mother, I like this tiara." I picked it up and put it on my head but she walked towards me angrily, "Mother, I appreciate the gesture, but I will not wear any other tiara but this one."

"It is not fit for a Princess, Aurora," She barked at me but I shook my head.

"That's right, it is not fit for a Princess," I agreed with her and she smiled, thinking I was taking her side. "Lady Diane told me that it was fit for a Queen."

She pointed her finger in my face, "Do not talk to your mother with that tongue."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of my room and down the stairwell, I walked into the ballroom and spotted Phillip. He ran over to me and kissed my cheek gently, "Happy sixteenth birthday, Aurora."

"Thank you, Phillip," I grinned at him and kissed his lips gently.

He grabbed my hand in his and pulled me out of the room and into the living area and I saw a huge spin wheel in the corner. "It is a present from my country," He extended his hand towards it and I made my way over to it.

"May I have one dance before you begin spinning?" He called after me and I spun around on my foot, "Only one dance with my love."

I agreed and walked over to him, "But there is no music."

He ignored me and placed his left hand on my waist and interlocked out fingers with my left hand. I put my right hand on his shoulder and we spun around the room in complete silence. "You look breath-taking," He whispered in my ear and I stared up at him. "I am so lucky to have such a beautiful fiancé," He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I kissed him back, "Well my fiancé is quite handsome, as well."

"I love you, Aurora. This past year has been unbelievable and I would never trade it for anything," He said in a raspy voice.

I just stared at him blankly through my eyelashes and smiled, "May I try the spin wheel now?" I asked and he let go of me and led the way towards it. I sat down on the tiny stool and he sat down beside me and I took a deep breath before beginning. "I have never done this before," I admitted and he chuckled lightly.

"You will do amazing," He said while kissing the back of my hand.

I cracked my knuckles and reached my hands out getting ready to grab the wheel in my hands. I raised my finger and poked the spindle with my finger and felt dizzy immediately. I turned my head to look at Phillip and I saw him talking but couldn't make out any words. "What-what is wrong with me?" I mumbled and toppled over. My head landed in Phillip's lap and I heard him begin screaming my name and for the guards before everything went black.

-Phillips's POV-

I sat in the back of the carriage with Aurora, I had her hand intertwined with my own. We were being brought back to the French Court because her Father thought that would be the safest place for her. None of them knew why we were coming back, they only knew that we were planning on moving into the Court for safety.

When she fell into her slumber, we were all in shock, we still are. Her skin was still the same color, no discoloration. She looked peaceful.

We pulled up the castle and I felt the carriage pull into a complete stop, I jumped out of the carriage and I saw everyone waiting for her. "We need a stretcher," I called out to one of the guards but I saw someone walking towards me. He was one of the boys that lived in the castle, the one she was saying goodbye too for a while.

"What is wrong? Where is Aurora?" He yelled at me but I ignored him, "What did you do to her?" He pushed past me and jumped into the carriage, I listened closely. "Aurora? Hello? What is-" He emerged from the carriage, "What is wrong with her?"

"On her birthday, I don't know what it was. She was poisoned I think. She has not woken up since that moment, she just keeps sleeping. We have tried everything, she will not wake up." Panic covered his face and I bit the inside of my lip, "Her father thought that she would be safest here."

He chuckled at me, "Maybe she would be safer anywhere away from you. She has been perfectly fine the past seven years, she left for one year and now she was poisoned. Not only did you put her country in danger and force her into an engagement to save her country, but now you cannot even care for her properly."

"Oh, keep your mouth quiet, this was not in my control!" I yelled back and I heard a few guards remove their swords but I backed down and put my hands up in defense. "I never wanted to put her in any danger, I truly do care about her."

He just ignored me and two guards came back with a stretcher, Sebastian climbed in and picked her up. He carried her out of the carriage and placed her down onto the stretcher and she didn't move one inch. We both followed the guards into the infirmary and sat with her.

"I cannot believe you let this happen to her," I heard Sebastian mumble under his breath and I looked up at him.

I cleared my throat, "Will you knock of this wild goose chase? I love her, should that not be enough for your blessing. I understand that you two were close friends, but she is my fiancé. I ensure that she would not be pleased with this bickering."

He looked over at me and shook his head laughing, "If she still lived in this castle, this situation would have been avoided completely. She could have enjoyed her sixteenth birthday in peace," He put his face in the palms of his hands.

A man walked into the room, I stood up and extended my hand towards him, "Hello, I'm Prince Phillip. Aurora's fiancé."

"I know who you are, no need to add the "fiancé" part to the end," He mumbled and I heard Sebastian chuckle. "I am Nostradamus, can I ask you a few questions?" I nodded and sat back down in my chair and sat patiently.

"When did this happen?" He asked.

"Three days ago, on her sixteenth birthday," I answered. Sebastian was watching me intently as I swung my right foot back and forth under the chair.

He nodded and wrote that down in his tiny notepad, "Now tell me, did she have many enemies?"

Sebastian mumbled, "Oh you mean besides of the Germans, which include her fiancé?"

I snapped my head in his direction, "What have I ever done to you to deserve such disrespect? I have done no wrong to you nor Aurora. I just want what is best for her, as you should as well."

"I know what is best for her and believe me, it is not you." He shouted back, raising his voice slightly and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"So you are sure that this was poison?" Nostradamus asked and I shrugged with a nod, "After the poison entered her body, she just fell asleep and never woke up?"

I looked over toward Aurora, who was still not moving, "Exactly."

"Have you tried a true love's kiss?" He asked and I shot him an odd expression, "You mean like the kisses from fairy-tales? Like Snow White?"

He nodded, "Exactly. That might just be the cure for all of this madness, you should give it a try."

He walked out of the room leaving Sebastian and I alone in the room once again, "You heard him, I should try true love's kiss, so shouldn't you be leaving?"

He threw his head back, "You know nothing, I am not leaving my best friend's side until all of this is over. Until I get to look into her blue eyes and see her smile, hear her laugh at one of my lame jokes."

I walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her face, "Well here goes nothing, Aurora. Please wake up," I muttered quietly. I closed my eyes and leaned down, pressing my lips against hers.

-Sebastian's POV-

I sat down as Nostradamus finished up diagnosing her, it was no use. She was out cold. She fell into a deep sleep and nothing could help her.

"Have you tried a true love's kiss," I heard Nostradamus ask Phillip and I looked up and directing a glare towards him.

Phillip gave him a confused look, "You mean like the kisses from fairy-tales? Like Snow White?"

Nostradamus nodded and I rolled my eyes, there was no way a "true love's kiss" would work, especially from the Prince she was being forced to marry. He wasn't her true love. I could see it, she could see it, everyone could see it, except for the Prince himself.

"Exactly," He boasted and I snapped my head back in his direction, "That might just be the cure for all of this madness, you should give it a try."

Nostradamus walked out of the infirmary leaving Phillip and me alone with Aurora, he kept staring at her lifeless body. "You heard him, I should try a true love's kiss. So shouldn't you be leaving?" He barked at me and I straightened myself up in my chair.

I leaned forward and chuckled, "You know nothing, I am not leaving my best friend's side until all of this is over. Until I get to look into her blue eyes and see her smile, hear her laugh at one of my lame jokes," I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair.

He walked over to her and pushed the hair away from her forehead, "Well here goes nothing, Aurora. Please wake up," He mumbled lowly and pressed his lips against hers. He kept them lingered there for a little longer than necessary then pulled away. He slammed his hand against the table beside her and stood up angrily. "Why did that not work?" He yelled and I looked away from him.

He stormed out of the room and into the castle, I stood up and walked over to her. I sat down on the edge of the bed and traced my fingers along the back of her hand to halfway up her arm. "Aurora, can you hear me? Move a finger or something if you're in there." She didn't move or anything, it was useless. I could feel myself losing hope and I sat down on the chair next to her. I placed my hand on top of hers and leaned my head down and closed my eyes.

"When you said that this wasn't goodbye, but I'll see you again, this isn't really what I imagined," I whispered even though she couldn't hear me. "Please wake up, Aurora, we're running out of options."

I lifted my head to look at her and I felt tears fogging up my vision, "Well it is worth a shot," I shook my head and leaned up. I bent down over her and grazed my fingertips along her cheek, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.

I pulled away and I heard her take a deep breath and her eyelids fluttered open, she opened her eyes and looked at me. She kept taking small breaths and she was staring at me in shock, "Bash?" She mumbled barely audible.

I broke into a wide, childish grin immediately and I leaned down and pressed my forehead against her bare shoulder. "Yes, Aurora. Thank God, you woke up," I muttered and looked back up at her.

"What happened? Why-why am I here? Where's Phillip?" She tried leaning up but I pushed her back down so she couldn't move. "Bash, what is going on?"

I helped her up and she awaited my answer, "Apparently you were poisoned on your birthday. No one knows who the perpetrator is yet. Your Father sent you here because he believed you'd be safest here," I replied and she nodded.

She pulled my face into hers and kissed me, I put my hand under her chin and kissed her harder. "I am so glad that it was you who awakened me," She admitted and I grinned at her.

"Shut up," I said sternly and kissed her more passionately. She tangled her fingers in the back of my hair and I bit her bottom lip slightly.

I heard footsteps enter the room and we both pulled away quickly, we turned to look at the person in the doorway, "Aurora?"

She swallowed hard staring back at him, "Phillip."