Wow, thanks for reviewing for me TrudiRose, you had some good questions. Okay, first off, I'm sorry that the second chapter was confusing, I guess my train of thought got mixed up somewhere. Second, the curse is not going to be as easy as you think for them to fix, you'll see why later on. You would think that they would figure that out, but I knew it would be too easy, so I threw in an act of stupididty, you'll see. You had a good guess on what will happen, but you'll just have towait and find out! The thing with the suitors is that he wants her to find a guy that she can tollerate just because he is old and needs her to find a huspand soon so that she can rule. It sounds silly, but that was how I came up with it...good thought though! I really hope that my little mind twists aren't to silly for you, that was just how I envisioned this going, but trust me, it all makes sence later, or last least I hope it does. Thanks for reading! Well, on with the story...

Chapter 8

Reflection

Sitting in the parlor, Aurora sat in her favorite arm chair embroidering a shawl that she was going to give to her daughter for Haligation Day. Haligation Day was a tradition of the kingdom were everyone gave gifts, threw parties, many got drink…it was basically a day of celebration. No one remembered anymore what the day was celebrating because the holiday was so old, but it hardly mattered anymore.

Rose was now just over seventeen, so it was time for her to start looking for a suitor. So far, the girl had refused every boy her father had brought to the castle, and Aurora was beginning to think that they would have to arrange her marriage for her, as much as she herself hated the idea.

Concentrating on here stitching was hard today for some reason. Aurora kept thinking of old memories from watching Rose grow up. The girl was hardly a child anymore, but Aurora didn't want to admit it, not yet anyways. She couldn't keep her mind from wondering; reminiscing was a thing a queen never did. Today for some reason was different…

It was the day after the announcement ball, and Aurora was sitting in a rocking chair, trying do calm her child down. The baby was not sleeping well so she was a bit cranky.

The door to the nursery opened, and a tired looking man walked in. "Oh Philip, you look horrid! Go get some sleep!" Aurora said looking at her disgruntled husband. "You're not still upset about…you know...the curse…are you?" she asked meekly.

Philip looked at his wife and child. "How can I not be? I knew something was going to happen…I could feel it…yet I did nothing to stop it! I'm a horrible father!" Philip cried out, collapsing on the floor. A flood of tears streamed down his face.

"Oh hunny!" Aurora crooned from her chair. The baby had finally gone to sleep so she didn't want to get up. "There was nothing you could have done! It is best that we live with what happened, and deal with it when the time comes." She was sitting in the rocker as if it were her throne. Her face was as regal and serine as could be, and anyone would stare in disbelieve at the sight she made if they were told that her new born child was cursed to die the day before.

Aurora may have looked every bit of the queen she was at the moment, but on the inside, she felt just what her husband looked like.

It was raining outside, and Aurora was sitting at her desk looking over reports from the soldiers. Philip was leading a small army to a small town on the boarder of their kingdom to settle a riot that had started up. With her husband gone, she was in charge of the kingdom.

Suddenly a head peered around the door of the study. "Mommy, mommy, come look!" the head said.

"Why Rosalina Katrina, you are all wet!" Aurora exclaimed, looking at her child.

"Yes, I know, but come look!" the child persisted.

Looking down at the report, Aurora sighed and followed her daughter. It turned out that they where going outside, which would explain why the girl was wet.

Rosalina Katrina stopped at a bush and pointed at a single red blossom. "The bush, it's bleeding!" she said, looking at her mother. The child was only four, and had never noticed or seen a bush bloom with flowers.

Kneeling down next to her daughter, Aurora tried to explain, "No, don't worry, it's just growing! You see, certain plants can grow into different colors. This is a rose bush, so it will grow a little red in some areas. But the red leaves are different! They grow into beautiful flowers that have the most heavenly cent! Do you understand?" the girl stood for a moment, and then nodded her head.

"Lady, are you alright?" a voice asked. Aurora snapped back into the present. "Can I get you anything? Tea, crumpets…more thread?"

Aurora glanced down at her work. Even though her mind had been wondering, she had unconsciously kept working and was almost out of thread. "More thread would be wonderful Lucy. Tea and crumpets sound marvelous, thank you." she said to the maid. Aurora watched ass the girl scampered off to her tasks.

"Mommy! They bloomed, they bloomed! Come see for yourself!" Rosalina Katrina called from the garden. She was only seven, but she had planted it herself.

"Your roses are lovely darling!" Aurora told her. That day was the first of many that the little princess spent in her rose garden. In fact, Aurora and Philip years later had come to teasing their daughter that she spent so much time there that she might as well live out there!

It was three days after Aurora and Philip had told Rose of her curse. They had seen hardly anything of her since then, except if they called her to have dinner with them or by chance went to breakfast at the same time.

"Aurora," Philip asked over his breakfast of eggs and grits. "Do you think that we should have waited a year before telling Rose the full truth? I mean, we have seen so little of her lately that I worry that we frightened the poor girl to death! I mean, it can't be easy finding out that you are cursed." Philip had lost his appetite by now and had pushed his plate away.

"No, she had a right to know. We did what we were supposed to." Aurora replied. "I just wish that there had been an easier way of telling her."

"Mother?" came another voice from the parlor door. Aurora snapped back to reality once again, and quickly pulled out another piece of cloth to cover the shawl. "Mother, are you alright? You seem a little distracted lately." Rose asked, truly concerned for Aurora's well being.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just wondering when you will finally bring home a boy you would like to court." Aurora teased. Rose, to her mother's surprise, blushed at the comment. Usually when the subject of courtship arose, the girl would say that she was too young or not pretty enough, that she didn't know any boy of any interest, or that she wasn't ready and hoped to never be ready.

"Um, I have a friend I would like you to meet." Rose said, trying to gain control of her coloring again.

Aurora had not been expecting that, of all things, to ever come out of her daughter's mouth. "Oh? And when do I get to meet this, friend?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her daughter. To her surprise, another blush appeared in her cheeks. So the lass has finally gotten a crush! Aurora thought to herself, trying to hide a smile.

"I…I thought that I could introduce you at the Haligation Day Ball." Rose stammered. "Would that be okay?"

The holiday was get another month off, so why was Rose bringing this up now? "That would be fine dear. Would you like to have a new gown made? And maybe you would actually like a tiara now instead of your head jewel? It is a lovely thing, but you are too old for it now. And maybe some jewelry…" Aurora trailed off because she noticed that her daughter was not just blushing anymore, she was beat red. She must really like this boy! She thought in wonder. "Whatever you want darling, you may have."

"Thanks you mother." Rose whispered, and scampered out of the room so fast that you would have thought she had seen and evil fairy!

That started a thought into aurora's mind that scared her senseless. Oh no, she doesn't like him, she loves him! The curse is starting to come true! I need to find out who this boy is before it's too late! Wait, she is not eighteen yet…she is hardly seventeen in a half! How can it be happening now? As she thought, Aurora realized that Mortisha had never said an age.