Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Author's Note: Ok, the scene you've all been waiting for---the spinning wheel.

To Aurora, thank you for the chastisement. I should have noticed that. To dorkiegirl186: Let me explain, it's not the the Queen hates Rose, it's just that she is extremely overprotective, almost to the point of insanity. I mean, if you had had three misscarriages, risked your life to ask an evil fairy for help and when at last got your baby were told you were going to lose her to the said witch's curse---you'd be overprotective too. Think about it.

Thank you to Tranquill who has reviewed at least three times. And to singingstrawberri who gave an AWESOME review. That made me happy! To the rest of you-REVIEW!

~~Chapter Twelve~~

I flung myself at the heavy oak door and somewhere between screaming and crying shouted after the guard to let me out. I clawed at the door handle and attempted to wrench it open, but to no avail. The door refused to budge.

I ran to the window, perhaps I could cry out to Mother from my room. I threw open the windowpanes and leaned out calling, "MOTHER! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T DO THIS!" But all I succeeded in was drenching myself yet again. Even if she could have heard me over the thunderstorm, Mother was the most stubborn woman in the entire world.

There was a scrapping sound at my door. The lock was turning. I turned around to see Maximus' haggard face emerging from the doorway. I threw myself at him and began to cry, "Maximus you've got to do something! Mother's insane! She's going to do something horrible to Jason!"

"What happened?" Maximus placed his hands firmly on my shoulders and stared intently into my eyes with great control and restraint. I do not believe Maximus ever asked a question he did not know the answer to, for even then his voice was steady and certain.

I lowered my voice and said, "Godfrey was saying terrible things to me. I denied that I would marry him and left the hall. I met Jason outside and we started talking and dancing and before I knew it we almost---" Here I trailed off. I suddenly began to realize exactly what had almost happened.

"Almost what Rose?" Maximus asked in a slightly urgent voice.

I was silent for a moment in dawning realization and then said quietly, "Almost kissed."

For reasons unknown to me there was a sudden look of triumph in Maximus' eyes as he asked gently, "Rose, do you---care for Jason?"

I had never known it before. But occurred to me now that, "I love him," I said with certainty. Everything began to make sense. I knew why I had had that jolting shock yesterday when I had been so close to Jason. Why it was he from whom I sought comfort and advice. Why it was he who I felt safe with. Why I had always hated Godfrey for his advances, and Mother for trying to marry me off to him. I loved Jason. I had loved him all along.

As I was considering these thoughts Maximus reached down to my neck and gently lifted my necklace a few inches to examine it. For the first time I saw confusion cross his face. "Rose, where did you get this?"

Lost in the haze of thought I replied, "What?"

"This necklace, where did you get it?"

I glanced down at the shimmering silver rose-shaped pendant and glowing stone within. "Oh, Jason gave it to me as a birthday gift. It's beautiful isn't it?"

Astonishment mixed with amazement covered his face. "Jason gave---but no one would ever---of course he doesn't---but I mean---my God I didn't even know he had this to begin with," then he paused and breathed, "Myranda."

"Who---" I began but was cut off when my mother entered the room. Her face was fixed with fury. She quickly marched over to me and gave my face a stinging slap!

I gasped and clasped my burning face as Maximus started towards us, "Marigold---"

Mother ignored him. "How dare you defy me? I gave strict orders that you were not to create a scene and you still managed to cause a scandal!" She paused and continued, "A stable boy?! He is nothing! He is common trash, dirt beneath our feet! I offer you a prince, a man who descends from an ancient line of nobility, who could offer you a lifetime of comfort, and you choose a penniless, peasant boy who shovels horse manure for a living?!"

There was silence in the room. Maximus appeared frozen in his tracks. I was still bent with pain. Mother's voice grew deadly cold and she continued, "Tomorrow morning you will journey to Linderly under guard, where you will marry Prince Godfrey before the sun sets. Jason will be sent far away. I will make certain you will never see him again."

I stood up strait and looked my mother directly in the eyes, "No."

"I gave you an order Briar Rose."

"I don't care. I will not marry Prince Godfrey. I will not leave Jason."

Mother's voice rose slightly, "You will not sacrifice your safety for a stable boy!"

"What safety?" I cried, "What are you talking about? All my life you've been keeping something from me! What?" I took a breath, "I love him. I do. I love Jason Kelmond and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I will not marry your weasel-faced prince!"

"For God's sake, I nearly lost you once, I will not lost you again!"

"What are you talking about?!" I cried.

"Nothing!"

"What are you hiding from me?!"

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"What is it?! Tell me!" I grabbed a hold of her shoulders and shook my mother as I screamed.

Finally she broke down in sobs, "Fine! Rose, you are under a curse."

I let go and took a step back, "What?"

"Before you were born I had lost three children before they left my womb. I was desperate to bear a child and in desperation sought aid from a witch."

"Sylvanna," I murmered the name of the witch fairy in dissbelief.

"I made a deal with the devil herself to get you Rose. But I---I did not uphold my end of bargain and she arrived at your christening to repay me for my actions. She curse you. Swearing you would die before midnight on your eighteenth birthday."

Unconsiously, I glanced at the clock in my bedroom which read, 11:52. "Die?" I repeated in shock.

"But someone else, a wise and kind fairy softened the curse. Now you will only sleep until awakened by true love's kiss."

"Who?" I asked.

"I did," Maximus said quietly. "As your Godfather it was my right to bestow a gift upon you. I was not powerful enough to remove the curse, but I did what I could to ease it."

I stepped forward, my hands shaking, "Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.

"I---we---we didn't want you to worry."

"What?!" I cried outraged.

"We didn't want you to grow up living in fear!"

Like the fuse to a bomb my anger and grief were piling up on top of each other. Finally I could take it no more! The bomb exploded! I bolted out of the room, throwing the heavy oak door aside as if it were made of feathers! I raced down the hall crying.

"Rose!---Rose!" I heard mother and Maximus calling after me, but I barely heard them. I just kept running. It was all I could do.

Blinded by my tears and quaking with rage I ran, not even knowing where I was going. Flying through the halls like a mad woman. Fickle fate loves to stick his affairs into affairs such as these. He thrives on chaos. He will always find a role to play.

And he found his in me. Not knowing where I was going he guided me through the castle corridors and up a long flight of spiraling stairs. Up, and up and up, until at last, through a wooden door, which I threw myself against to slam shut behind me and slid to the floor in broken sobs. It seemed as if the world had fallen down around me. I lay on the floor for a few moments and finished weeping.

When I had recovered enough to stand I got to my feet and wiped my eyes. It was only then that I realized where I was. I had found solace in the very same room Godfrey had dared me to enter eight years ago. The tower.

I glanced up at the domed glass ceiling. No stars were visible through the thick thunderclouds but now and then brilliant strikes of lightening would flash across the sky and light up the room with their blazing light. The rain cascaded down the glass dome as though I was standing under a waterfall.

I wiped my tears and began to examine the chamber. Nothing had changed in eight years. The layers of dust were thicker but as I examined the scared windowpane in the Eastern window I could see my ten-year-old fingerprints on the window. As I marveled at this phenomenon I noticed a strange red light begin to flicker behind me.

I turned around slowly, shaking. I had seen this light before. I faced the glow and realized that is was growing into high flames.

I stood there, transfixed, watching the silent flames climb higher and higher. Then, they seemed to take on the form of a woman. First, the outline of a body, then slowly, individual features began to draw themselves in.

She was tall. She must have stood nearly seven feet. Her black robes draped her body like they were made of lead. Bone colored wraps underneath, just visible under her sleeves gave her a mummified appearance. Her skin was paler than the moon, with a splash of ruby red lips. Her black hair was caught up in a bun underneath an iron horn-like crown. In her hand right hand rested a tall iron staff. But it wasn't her attire, or her skin, or even the fact than she was standing unharmed within red flames that caught your attention, it was her eyes. They were red, ruby red. And they glowed. They seemed to capture my own eyes, pulling me into them. They were hypnotic. Then she spoke.

"Hello little princess. I see we meet again," her voice hissed at me, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, calling to Eve. "Do you remember me?"

Involuntarily, I shook my head. My thoughts were growing dimmer.

"My name is Sylvanna. I am the one who created you. My, my you have grown. You have blossomed under the protection of my brother, Maximus."

Shock at this revelation registered it's self somewhere in the depths of my remaining conscientiousness. I could almost feel my pupils dilate and my eyes glaze over.

Sylvanna continued, "Now it is time for me to give you my gift. I have seen you crying. I know of your grief. But come to me, do as I say, and I can free you from all your worries."

I lost myself in her shinning eyes. The red glow seemed to engulf me and I became lost in her eyes. I wasn't even sure her voice was coming from her mouth, it might very well have jumped directly from her head to my mind, but I did as she asked. I stepped forward. Part of me knew she was not to be trusted, but I did not care. I did not and could not listen to the voice that told me so inside my head. It could only whisper, and her voice filled my mind. I WANTED to step forward.

"That's a good girl," she hissed, "now look down."

At my feet I was vaguely surprised to find a shinning mahogany spinning wheel. There rose carvings upon it's spokes and it gleamed in the lightening flashes overhead.

"Touch it. Touch the spindle."

I moved towards it. Guided by a will other than my own.

"It will take all of your worries away. Touch the spindle." I reached a hand out to touch it and then--

NO! a voice cried inside my head! I hesitated and for a moment I was again slightly conscience. Then her voice slithered back into my mind and smothered my thought. Once again I was in her control. "Rose---touch the spindle."

I wanted to fight it, but how can you fight yourself? As Medea said, "My irrational self is stronger than my resolution." I moved forward. My hand stretched it's self out, finger tilted forward, yearning for the cold, dark, metal. It came closer, and closer still until---

Someone screamed. I think it was me. Something collided with me and knocked me to the ground before I could reach the spindle.

I gasped as I rolled over to see what had happened. I was again conscious. Jason lay across me, a small pinpoint of red at the tip of his left index finger.

"NO!" cried Sylvanna. The flames burst to the ceiling in her rage. Wind howled and the floor began to shake.

"SYLVANNA!" I heard Maximus scream just at the glass ceiling above us shattered and shards of glass rained down upon us as Sylvanna rose into the air. I threw myself over Jason and buried my head under my arms in the turmoil. Everything was shaking, tumbling, rocking. I looked up only long enough to catch a glimpse of a metal beam before it collided with my head.

Somewhere in the distance, a church bell tower chimed twelve times.