Rose Candy

By: Amethyst'sDiamondRosé

A/N: Yeah! Chapter 2! I hoped you enjoyed the first Chapter (short I know!) and the same for this one! Please read and review! (Flames accepted too!)

Chapter 2

I swung my legs out from under my bed covers sleepily as the pale morning sun shone brilliantly through the bedroom windows and hit my face. Groggily, I stumbled over to my bureau mirror and looked at my reflection intently. I touched my cheek softly admiring the lightly colored skin that covered it. Seldom did I notice something this evident. Tiny fingers traced down my face noticing everything that would often go unnoticed. The eyes, cheeks, the delicate pink skin of my lips. Everything.

I sat stiffly in my chair as I sipped jadedly at the warm teacup sitting in my hands. I was about to burst to tears or scream or something. Of course, he didn't look to thrilled either. Pierre Roak, another one of my father's suitors, was seated across the table from me, nervously fidgeting with the end of the crème colored table cloth. 'Another one of these boring dates...' I thought uneasily.

"Princess Marie..." Pierre asked timidly. He trailed off but I was lost in my own thoughts.

'George and I were sitting hand in hand and he had just confessed his love for me, now it was my turn. "George," I said in my head.'

"Marie?" Pierre interrupted my thoughts as I quickly realized I was daydreaming. "Marie?" He inquired again.

I swiftly looked up at him again. He had the most confused look on his face I had ever seen. I couldn't help it but the smallest trace of a snicker fell from my lips.

It was three o' clock now, at least an hour after I had gotten away from my so called 'date' with Pierre, and I was in my room now, more closely examining my precious rose.

With all this new technology in this Future Century you would think that by now they could make a rose much less deadly, but then the whole rose it self would be ruined, wouldn't it? The rose wouldn't be the beautiful and unique flower it is today. My hands traced the rose kindly and gently so as not to bruise the sparkling silk petals. The grayish-brown colored stem held the rose petals up straight and tall. But could it be possible that a gorgeous flower such as this one could be so vulnerable? Thorns. Thorns were wrapped protectively around the stem. Thorns that could pierce and penetrate anything that dared to harm the rose.

I couldn't help myself. My finger impulsively moved toward the jagged barb. Once my finger tapped the thorn, a bead of scarlet blood crept through the small cut and trickled down my almost perfect princess skin. I watched the blood slowly drip onto the surface of the tabletop.

"Oh Marie! What have you done!" It was Rachelle again. Always intruding at the most horrible times. She hastily shuffled over to where I stood, still holding the rose, in my room. "Look at you Marie, you're bleeding!"

'Who wouldn't have noticed!' I considered fiercely as Rachelle laid the rose next to her stuff and dabbed my index finger lightly and quickly with a soft white cloth. I felt like a feral dog. Fierce, wild and ready to attack with all of my strength, ready to gnaw her head off. 'So she doesn't think I can fend for myself huh! Well I'll show her! I'll show them all!'

I sighed irritably trying to rid the leftover rage that would probably carry over to my voice. "You may go now." I think I said it a lot ruder than I had meant it to sound.

"Are you sure Miss Louise?" Rachelle asked in her innocent but timid voice.

"Yes," I answered after calming my voice even more. The maid quickly scurried to the door, opened it and closed it before leaving. I decided to look for my rose and put it back safely where it belonged, back on my bedside table.

It had been almost three minutes after I had started looking when it dawned on me. "Rachelle," I whispered so softly that it was almost silent. 'Rachelle has my rose.' "No, pas mon botanique!" As quickly as I could I leapt off the cold, hardwood floor of my bedroom and scampered through the door almost tripping over my lengthy pink dress. My feet darted across the hall and down the stairs faster than I had ever seen them move before. "Rachelle," I started shouting though the large house. "Rachelle!"

"Marie Louise!" A deep voice called my name. I knew right away who it was.

"Yes father?" I inquired quickly ready to start searching for the maid again.

"Quite shouting, it's giving me a headache."

I nodded my head rapidly as I began to turn a corner.

"Oh, and Marie." My father caught me before I could get any farther.

I poked my head back around the corner to look at my father once again. "Yes, father?"

"There's going to be an important assembly tonight at eight and you are required to come."

"Yes daddy."

I examined the slightly bruised rose. 'Well having it in this condition is better than not having it at all...' I figured that if I touched for much longer I'd damage it more than it already was so I laid it gingerly back on the hard surface of the drawer and looked at the digital clock. 7:33. Half an hour to get ready.

I lifted myself gently off of the covers of my bed and into my spacious closet filled with dresses of many shapes and colors. I took my favorite dress; a pink and white one with a bow colored a slightly darker shade of pink around my waist, and slipped it off the hanger which it was suspended on.

Once out of my closet I held the dress in front of me and looked at my reflection in the body length mirror. It still looked good, just not as good as it did a year ago. I'd need to get a new one next time I had an opportunity but this one had to do this time. I took off my usual dress and laid it on my bed before putting the other one on. It took me awhile to tie the bow and get the zipper all by myself. I glanced up at the clock. 7:47. 'It took me fourteen minutes to put on a dress?' I asked myself silently.

I only had thirteen minutes to re-do my hair and put on my makeup. First my hair which I put in a half ponytail and tied with a bow as usual. Then came the makeup. Eye shadow, blush, lip stick.

When I was finished I still had five minutes to spare. I figured that if I was there early my father might be more pleased and let me off easily for whatever might've I've done so I started down the stairs and toward the ballroom where the meeting was taking place. Actually, it was already packed with people to my surprise. Most of the people I've seen here in the Neo French palace before at parties and meetings though some I hadn't. As I scanned some of the others in the room as my eyes drifted toward him. It felt like my legs had melted away and the rest of my body was going with it. George de Sand. I was glad he wasn't looking at me because I guarantee that my face was glowing red hot. I had to look away. What if he saw me blushing? I quickly turned my face forward as I sat down and my father began to speak.

The king cleared his throat before he began his speech, "Today you are all here for the very special occasion of my daughter and princess of Neo France, Miss Marie Louise."

'Special occasion...' I thought. 'What special occasion?' You'd think I'd know about any 'special occasion' in my life.

"My daughter, Marie," He continued, "Will getting married to Jon Gimour on Sunday February the twentieth next month." As the king ended his sentence everybody stood up and clapped. I felt a large lump forming in the back of my throat. I tried to swallow it. Couldn't.

As everybody took their seats once again, my father went on with his speech. I didn't listen, couldn't listen to the rest. I felt the blood drain from my face. I hoped no one was looking at me but somehow I knew everyone was. Everyone was looking at me, the newly engaged princess of Neo France. I looked back at George.

I'll never forget the look on his face just then.

The rest of the seminar took around ten minutes and I could tell just by looks, George was about to explode with fury. Everyone quickly moved out of the ballroom leaving George and I. I was glued to my seat in shock and anger. George's hands were balled into fists and his head hung.

Minutes passed and neither of us had moved or spoken. My eyes burned as I tried to hold back the tears. I heard bits of a conversation buzz from the dining room. "Marie and Jon are going to be so happy together." A man that sounded about sixty said. Soon I couldn't help it, a lustrous tear slipped. Soon enough I was actually crying in waterfalls of tears and George was right there watching me!

'I'm getting married to a guy I don't even know! Sure, I met him like ONCE in my life!' An angry voice shouted in my head. I felt to hurt to do anything but I got up anyway and started to make my way to where George stood, his face now in the palms of his hands. My body slunk across the floor. 'One foot in front of the other, left, right, left, right.'

George looked up once I finally reached him. I don't really remember if it was me who loved him or if he loved me but at that moment our arms were around each other in a passionate kiss. His arms around my neck and mine, around him. A swirl of emotions entwined me. Love and hate, happiness and sorrow. No one ever said it or even needed to say it, we were in love. 'I'm finally the one in his arms.' It felt so right being there with him. I clung onto him like if I let go, he'd disappear.

As we finally let go of each other I realized something. Someone was looking at us with venomous eyes.

My fiancé to be, Jon Gimour, stared at the two of us, hatred showing clearly in his silver tinted eyes. Without saying a word he stomped rudely across the floor toward us. I looked him squarely in eye, I wasn't about to take any crap from him or anybody anymore! "Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I can be told what to do like, like some sort of animal!" I retorted angrily addressing the message to Jon as I held tightly onto George's right arm. It took a lot of courage to stand up to a guy like that and I could tell I was nervous mostly because of my stammering voice.

Jon was enraged by now. His face was scarlet red with anger, "Vous dieu maudire chienne!" He screamed in French and slapped me across the face before trudging off leaving me and George alone in the roomy dancehall.

I stood in shock holding the stinging pain on my delicate face, it was sure to leave a red mark soon enough. "Are you okay mademoiselle?" George asked in his very caring, poised voice.

I paused for a moment before nodding my head. Before I knew what had happened, I was in George's arms again. As he held me in his arms the pain seemed ebb from my cheek. I wanted to stay like that forever but soon enough, he pulled away. I was stunned when George de Sand, my knight, my rose knight knelt down on one knee.

'I must be dreaming!' I thought. 'What I always wanted!'

A/N: Hahaha! Cliff hanger! (even though all of us probably know what's going to happen!) R/R! Flames also accepted.