DISCLAIMER: I do not own the fairy tale, but should since mine is so much
better than the Brother's Grimm-did I say that out loud?
Author's Note: Come on people. There are only three reviews so far. Now I KNOW that more people than that have read my fanfic. It only takes you about two seconds. Review!!!!
~~Chapter Five~~
Seven years crawled by. With each of my passing birthdays my parents breathed a sigh of relief. I was another year closer to eighteen and safety from a poisoned sleep. In the interest of my "safety" my parents agreed that it was best I should not know of this curse. In retrospect this makes no sense to me as it would seem safer for me to know about it and therefore avoid suspicious situations, but I digress.
Since it was forbidden in out kingdom to use spinning wheels we had to import all of our cloth from our neighboring sovereignty, Linderly. I had never even seen a spinning wheel. However, importation of the cloth cost our government much more money than we would be spending to spin the cloth ourselves. Some of the councilors in my parents' cabinet began to worry about the strain it would place on the economy. Something had to be done.
For weeks advisors tried to come up with a plan to solve this quandary, but nothing could be decided upon. Finally, some obscure filing clerk for one of the lower members casually remarked that the King of Linderly, King Marius, had a son. A young prince by the name of Godfrey who would one day become king. He was only a year older than I and it was decided that it would be best if we were to marry and join our non-spinning nation with one who was famous for their spinning.
A proposal was sent to King Marius suggesting that the Prince and I meet, and that if we got along without killing each other that we wed on my eighteenth birthday. This was received with warm welcome and a date was set. We would meet on my tenth birthday. Most likely, I would not have given my parents any trouble about any of this had it not been for one event that occurred when I was seven.
Princes are usually thought to be brave, chivalrous, honorable, kind, generous and loving. That is what the word "prince" embodies. And we expect anyone born with that title to possess those qualities. But to be a prince and to be princely are two very different things. You can be a prince and have a cold, common heart; you can also be a commoner with a warm, princely heart. This is something I was ignorant of for the first few years of my life. But I would soon discover the difference between being a prince and being princely.
One afternoon, I was up in Maximus' tower begging him to train me to work magic, with little success, when a servant threw open the door with a bang causing Maximus to thrust his staff in the direction of the door and me to spill a vial of bright lime-colored fluid.
The servant gave a quick bow, "Milord, you must come quickly. Something has happened."
Maximus quickly mopped up the potion and lifted me off of my stool, "Rose, go to your room."
"But Maximus, I want to-" I cried as he shooed me out the door.
"Rose please!" He hurried down the stairs. I, curious creature that I was, followed him. "Maximus, what's happening? What's wrong?" I ran under his feet, making him fall a few times before we exited the stairs.
"Nothing Rose," he lifted me off the floor and handed me to the servant, "Here, take her to the stables. She likes the horses."
"I don't want to play with the horses, I want to know what's going on!" I cried indignantly. Obviously something important had happened if Maximus was so upset. But he was off through a door into our drawing room before the protest left my lips.
"Come on miss," the young man carrying me said and gestured to a door leading outside as he sat me down.
But I wasn't ready to give up. "Alright!" I agreed with a sudden change in enthusiasm, "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'll hide and you seek." If the attendant suspected that I was up to mischief he did not let on, but walked with me outside and leaned against a tree with his eyes closed and began to count, "One, two, three-"
I smiled to myself, slightly amused at the lack of intelligence the young man displayed and scurried back inside to the door Maximus had entered. I sank to my knees and put my ear to the door to hear the conversation inside.
An unfamiliar voice said, "-dead. Absolutely no relation to your sister. Just a freak accident."
"Have you told him about--?" That was Maximus.
A third voice, this one foreign sounding cut in, "No, vee vought voo might not vish to tell heem."
"No, I do not wish for him to know just yet. When he is ready," there was a pause, "No one needs to know. It is safer that way. I will see to it that the King and Queen take him in as a stable boy and as a part-time apprentice to me. Very well, show the boy in. Good day gentlemen."
I heard the scraping of furniture and rapping of feet as the men rose from their seats, shook hands, and made for the door. I quickly got to my feet to run away before they saw me, but as I turned to flee I tripped on my dress and fell! At that moment Maximus and the two men exited the room and the servant burst in from outside. I was caught!
The two gentlemen glanced at each other and tried to suppress the chuckling that threatened to erupt from them if they so much as opened their mouths. When the attendant saw me he simply threw his hands up in the air and stormed back outside in exasperation. Maximus tilted his eyeglasses on the bridge of his nose and looked down at me from over the lenses. He sighed, "I should have known. Oh well, I suppose you heard the entire conversation didn't you?"
I sighed as well and tossed my hair a bit, "Only part." I got to my feet and rubbed my knee. There would be a sickly olive colored bruise there within an hour.
Maximus shook his head and took my hand, "Very well then, come along, let's meet Jason."
He was waiting for us in a small reception room on the first floor. It was early afternoon and the sunlight streamed in through the open oval windows and cast golden patterns on the purple carpet. A gentle breeze cooled us in the heat of the June sun. And there on an ivory chair, upholstered in purple satin, sat a young boy.
He was sitting self consciously in the great throne of an arm chair, feet raised so as not to tough the carpet and dirty it, which must have been uncomfortable as he was easily tall enough to rest both feel flat upon the floor. His dirty clothes shouted, "Peasant!" to all that beheld him, but he still maintained a game air about himself. When he saw us enter he jumped up and gave a rather clumsy bow to us.
"Please have a seat," Maximus said softly. The men and Jason took their seats and I alighted a small sofa, all the while staring curiously at this strange boy. He did likewise.
Maximus spoke, "Jason, I know that losing your father has been difficult for you and I am going to do everything in my power to make it easier for you. I was-a good friend of your parents all my life and-"
"I don't understand," the boy cut in, "Why can't I go to my mother? Don't YOU know where she is?"
There was a pregnant pause, "No, I do not. But you will be staying here at the palace so it is not relevant. You have been accepted as a stable boy and I will train you in the ways of sorcery-"
"But Maximus, you won't even let ME learn magic! Why does HE get to?" I cried incensed. But a stern look from Maximus was all it took for me to silence myself.
"Vell, Zees ess good!" the messanger sang cheerfully, "Vere vould voo like hees belongings?
Everyone stood up. "There is a spare room on the second floor down the Eastern corridor. If you will put his things in there then you may be on your way Maximus said softly, looking not at the messengers, but at Jason whom he stood up to place a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise."
"Thank you," Jason whispered, took a deep breath, stood, and resolutely followed us out of the room. We went downstairs to retrieve his luggage and two servants carried it with us to his room.
It was a charming little chamber, done in shades of brown and forest green with an attractive picture window. A wooden bed stood beside one wall with a nightstand and an armoire with a mirror on the other. It was humble, but comfortable. However, it had not been used in quite a while and was rather dusty. I discovered this piece of trivia upon a sudden clamorous sneeze.
The attendants deposited Jason's luggage on the floor and exited along with Maximus and the two messengers. Curious, I remained where I was. Left alone we just stood and stared at each other for a minute, studying each other. Then I said, "Hello."
"Hi," he replied.
"I'm Briar Rose."
"Yes, I know. Everyone knows who you are. Eldron's one and only heir. I'm Jason Kelmond." He stuck out a hand for me to shake. Slightly shocked, but pleasantly surprised at this informal gesture I complied with the greeting.
"I don't mean to be rude, but, why exactly are you here?" I asked awkwardly.
"My father died. He was crushed in a mine collapse. No one knows where my mother is. I've never even met her. Maximus was a good friend of my parents though. So-here I am."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright. It could be worse."
It felt awkward just standing there so I asked if there was anything I could do to help him unpack. He seemed a little surprised and invited me to help him unpack his clothes and other objects in his chest. As I hung shirts and folded breeches I examined him out of the corner of my eye.
There was something unusual about him. I couldn't quite place it. It was almost as if he wasn't completely human. He seemed rather too tall for his age, which he revealed to be the same as mine, seven. He moved so lightly and swiftly over the stone floor and his brunette hair possessed an unusual luster. But it was his eyes that shook me. They seemed to-sparkle. He was by no means frightening, he just seemed too beautiful to be real.
Under a layer of stockings I came upon a silver necklace with a peculiar stone set in the rose-shaped pendant. "Jason, what's this?" I asked, unable to take my eyes from the glowing stone.
"It was my mother's. It's all I have of hers."
I tucked the beautiful chain into a stocking to protect it and placed it into the drawer. To change the subject I said, "If you'd like, I can show you to the stables after dinner. They're my favorite place to play."
"Thank you, I'd like that." His eyes met mine, and from that moment on, we were the best of friends.
Author's Note: Come on people. There are only three reviews so far. Now I KNOW that more people than that have read my fanfic. It only takes you about two seconds. Review!!!!
~~Chapter Five~~
Seven years crawled by. With each of my passing birthdays my parents breathed a sigh of relief. I was another year closer to eighteen and safety from a poisoned sleep. In the interest of my "safety" my parents agreed that it was best I should not know of this curse. In retrospect this makes no sense to me as it would seem safer for me to know about it and therefore avoid suspicious situations, but I digress.
Since it was forbidden in out kingdom to use spinning wheels we had to import all of our cloth from our neighboring sovereignty, Linderly. I had never even seen a spinning wheel. However, importation of the cloth cost our government much more money than we would be spending to spin the cloth ourselves. Some of the councilors in my parents' cabinet began to worry about the strain it would place on the economy. Something had to be done.
For weeks advisors tried to come up with a plan to solve this quandary, but nothing could be decided upon. Finally, some obscure filing clerk for one of the lower members casually remarked that the King of Linderly, King Marius, had a son. A young prince by the name of Godfrey who would one day become king. He was only a year older than I and it was decided that it would be best if we were to marry and join our non-spinning nation with one who was famous for their spinning.
A proposal was sent to King Marius suggesting that the Prince and I meet, and that if we got along without killing each other that we wed on my eighteenth birthday. This was received with warm welcome and a date was set. We would meet on my tenth birthday. Most likely, I would not have given my parents any trouble about any of this had it not been for one event that occurred when I was seven.
Princes are usually thought to be brave, chivalrous, honorable, kind, generous and loving. That is what the word "prince" embodies. And we expect anyone born with that title to possess those qualities. But to be a prince and to be princely are two very different things. You can be a prince and have a cold, common heart; you can also be a commoner with a warm, princely heart. This is something I was ignorant of for the first few years of my life. But I would soon discover the difference between being a prince and being princely.
One afternoon, I was up in Maximus' tower begging him to train me to work magic, with little success, when a servant threw open the door with a bang causing Maximus to thrust his staff in the direction of the door and me to spill a vial of bright lime-colored fluid.
The servant gave a quick bow, "Milord, you must come quickly. Something has happened."
Maximus quickly mopped up the potion and lifted me off of my stool, "Rose, go to your room."
"But Maximus, I want to-" I cried as he shooed me out the door.
"Rose please!" He hurried down the stairs. I, curious creature that I was, followed him. "Maximus, what's happening? What's wrong?" I ran under his feet, making him fall a few times before we exited the stairs.
"Nothing Rose," he lifted me off the floor and handed me to the servant, "Here, take her to the stables. She likes the horses."
"I don't want to play with the horses, I want to know what's going on!" I cried indignantly. Obviously something important had happened if Maximus was so upset. But he was off through a door into our drawing room before the protest left my lips.
"Come on miss," the young man carrying me said and gestured to a door leading outside as he sat me down.
But I wasn't ready to give up. "Alright!" I agreed with a sudden change in enthusiasm, "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'll hide and you seek." If the attendant suspected that I was up to mischief he did not let on, but walked with me outside and leaned against a tree with his eyes closed and began to count, "One, two, three-"
I smiled to myself, slightly amused at the lack of intelligence the young man displayed and scurried back inside to the door Maximus had entered. I sank to my knees and put my ear to the door to hear the conversation inside.
An unfamiliar voice said, "-dead. Absolutely no relation to your sister. Just a freak accident."
"Have you told him about--?" That was Maximus.
A third voice, this one foreign sounding cut in, "No, vee vought voo might not vish to tell heem."
"No, I do not wish for him to know just yet. When he is ready," there was a pause, "No one needs to know. It is safer that way. I will see to it that the King and Queen take him in as a stable boy and as a part-time apprentice to me. Very well, show the boy in. Good day gentlemen."
I heard the scraping of furniture and rapping of feet as the men rose from their seats, shook hands, and made for the door. I quickly got to my feet to run away before they saw me, but as I turned to flee I tripped on my dress and fell! At that moment Maximus and the two men exited the room and the servant burst in from outside. I was caught!
The two gentlemen glanced at each other and tried to suppress the chuckling that threatened to erupt from them if they so much as opened their mouths. When the attendant saw me he simply threw his hands up in the air and stormed back outside in exasperation. Maximus tilted his eyeglasses on the bridge of his nose and looked down at me from over the lenses. He sighed, "I should have known. Oh well, I suppose you heard the entire conversation didn't you?"
I sighed as well and tossed my hair a bit, "Only part." I got to my feet and rubbed my knee. There would be a sickly olive colored bruise there within an hour.
Maximus shook his head and took my hand, "Very well then, come along, let's meet Jason."
He was waiting for us in a small reception room on the first floor. It was early afternoon and the sunlight streamed in through the open oval windows and cast golden patterns on the purple carpet. A gentle breeze cooled us in the heat of the June sun. And there on an ivory chair, upholstered in purple satin, sat a young boy.
He was sitting self consciously in the great throne of an arm chair, feet raised so as not to tough the carpet and dirty it, which must have been uncomfortable as he was easily tall enough to rest both feel flat upon the floor. His dirty clothes shouted, "Peasant!" to all that beheld him, but he still maintained a game air about himself. When he saw us enter he jumped up and gave a rather clumsy bow to us.
"Please have a seat," Maximus said softly. The men and Jason took their seats and I alighted a small sofa, all the while staring curiously at this strange boy. He did likewise.
Maximus spoke, "Jason, I know that losing your father has been difficult for you and I am going to do everything in my power to make it easier for you. I was-a good friend of your parents all my life and-"
"I don't understand," the boy cut in, "Why can't I go to my mother? Don't YOU know where she is?"
There was a pregnant pause, "No, I do not. But you will be staying here at the palace so it is not relevant. You have been accepted as a stable boy and I will train you in the ways of sorcery-"
"But Maximus, you won't even let ME learn magic! Why does HE get to?" I cried incensed. But a stern look from Maximus was all it took for me to silence myself.
"Vell, Zees ess good!" the messanger sang cheerfully, "Vere vould voo like hees belongings?
Everyone stood up. "There is a spare room on the second floor down the Eastern corridor. If you will put his things in there then you may be on your way Maximus said softly, looking not at the messengers, but at Jason whom he stood up to place a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise."
"Thank you," Jason whispered, took a deep breath, stood, and resolutely followed us out of the room. We went downstairs to retrieve his luggage and two servants carried it with us to his room.
It was a charming little chamber, done in shades of brown and forest green with an attractive picture window. A wooden bed stood beside one wall with a nightstand and an armoire with a mirror on the other. It was humble, but comfortable. However, it had not been used in quite a while and was rather dusty. I discovered this piece of trivia upon a sudden clamorous sneeze.
The attendants deposited Jason's luggage on the floor and exited along with Maximus and the two messengers. Curious, I remained where I was. Left alone we just stood and stared at each other for a minute, studying each other. Then I said, "Hello."
"Hi," he replied.
"I'm Briar Rose."
"Yes, I know. Everyone knows who you are. Eldron's one and only heir. I'm Jason Kelmond." He stuck out a hand for me to shake. Slightly shocked, but pleasantly surprised at this informal gesture I complied with the greeting.
"I don't mean to be rude, but, why exactly are you here?" I asked awkwardly.
"My father died. He was crushed in a mine collapse. No one knows where my mother is. I've never even met her. Maximus was a good friend of my parents though. So-here I am."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's alright. It could be worse."
It felt awkward just standing there so I asked if there was anything I could do to help him unpack. He seemed a little surprised and invited me to help him unpack his clothes and other objects in his chest. As I hung shirts and folded breeches I examined him out of the corner of my eye.
There was something unusual about him. I couldn't quite place it. It was almost as if he wasn't completely human. He seemed rather too tall for his age, which he revealed to be the same as mine, seven. He moved so lightly and swiftly over the stone floor and his brunette hair possessed an unusual luster. But it was his eyes that shook me. They seemed to-sparkle. He was by no means frightening, he just seemed too beautiful to be real.
Under a layer of stockings I came upon a silver necklace with a peculiar stone set in the rose-shaped pendant. "Jason, what's this?" I asked, unable to take my eyes from the glowing stone.
"It was my mother's. It's all I have of hers."
I tucked the beautiful chain into a stocking to protect it and placed it into the drawer. To change the subject I said, "If you'd like, I can show you to the stables after dinner. They're my favorite place to play."
"Thank you, I'd like that." His eyes met mine, and from that moment on, we were the best of friends.
