Aurora (a.k.a Sleeping Beauty)'s POV
I watched from my spinning wheel as Lady Malifice pulled Rapunzel's hair. "Has it not grown in two days!" she screeched in her witch's voice. Rapunzel glowered wickedly. "Mayhap if you did not murder my ends with you infernal pulling!" she screamed in reply. Lady Malifice sighed and dropped it. She had apparently lost interest.
"How are your fingers?" she asked me irritably. I held up impeccable hands and smiled slightly. "I have not spilt a drop of blood upon your white linen, my lady," I promised, smiling sweetly. She nodded, looking considerably displeased, and stormed out of the room.
Rapunzel sat down in a nearby chair and glowered ferociously. "I hate sitting in this tower all day!" she roared, "And I hate the woman who keeps us in here!" I shrugged. "One must be patient," I replied. I had once been a princess, but like my allies the Hyrene people, I had been taken prisoner and put to work. Luckily, I was not put to labor as a swineherd or something horrid of that nature. Instead, I was lady-in-waiting to the wickedest woman in any kingdom.
Rapunzel was just some girl taken as payment for stolen herbs and slammed into this tower with me. She tended to pout, but I wove dresses for us both to pass the time, all of fine cloth made from my hands. Strange thing was, my hands never once bled during all that stitching. I could prick myself, and the skin never wore away. Of course, I was but fifteen winters, and as the years passed, my hands would likely callus and break as everyone else's. But my lack of hand injury was always a matter of great interest.
I beckoned with the aforementioned hands. "Come now, Rapunzel. Stand and let me see this color against your eyes." She stood, arms crossed and lip protruding. I smiled. Green truly was her color.
"Ah, if there were a ball, dearest friend, than should we have some fun! You would be the most beautiful dame at the ball!" I told her. She blushed furiously, but she could not keep back her giggle. "You only want me to do something," she rebuked. I only smirked merrily, implying that she was indeed correct. We both laughed.
A quiet rap tapped against our chamber door. 'Come in," I ordered, still beaming. A rather dirty, yet still pretty, serving girl came in. She smiled sweetly at us.
"I brought today's meal, my ladies," she said timidly, soft blue eyes downcast. "Of course," I told her, "Place it on the table there." She did as she was bid. "Thank you."
She smiled with much trepidation. I only then noticed her perfect smile. "Here, sweet," I offered, holding forth a bit of cake. "Have some, it is nearly as soft as your smile."
She blushed. "Please do not say things like that," she asked, "It does cause me to blush so." I nodded, but she did take the cake. Poor thing appeared so hungry. I would give it all to her, but I had another visitor I needed to feed.
"Please tell the cook I would like for you to bring all our meals up." She all-and-out grinned then. Her perfect teeth nearly blinded me with their spectacular shine.
As she was leaving, Vermin came by her in the hall. He waved. 'Ella!" he cried. She giggled and hugged him close. "Hope the king was not too cruel," she said. Vermin shook his head. "I never let that boar get to me, you know that." Ella nodded. "I'm glad."
"No serving wicked witches today, eh?"
Ella giggled. "No, Jocelyn, only her ladies-in-waiting. And they are quite nice."
"I KNOW, Ella, there."
"I KNOW you know, Jocelyn, there."
He rolled his eyes and was about to reply when Lady Malifice stepped onto the scene. "CINDERS Ella!" she screeched, pointing angrily at Ella, "And Vermin!" she continued, pointing at the person I now knew to be Jocelyn. Knowing his real name filled me with guilt, when I thought of how I usually addressed him. "GET DOWNSTAIRS!" Lady Malifice screamed.
Vermin's face twisted with misery. His insides were screaming for the food he received from my hands only once a week.
I threw the door open. "My lady!" I nearly screamed. Noticing her expression, I lowered my horribly loud voice. I had never been the ideal princess. "I called for him to clean the cobwebs under the bed! I figured he is so dirty, I could not make him so much as an ounce more filthy with the task."
Lady Malifice nodded, and shoved Vermin towards my room. He waved slightly to Ella as she flew down the stairs, golden locks streaming behind her.
I closed my door behind him. As soon as the wooden latch had been locked, Vermin hit his knees. "Thank you, my lady," he whispered. I smiled. "Get up."
He stood, and an immense pity rose in me. We had been such strong allies before. Boorish Dashing. That was our saying in regard to King Dashing, who had taken both our kingdoms. I offered him the piece of cake and he took it in his dirty hand. A grin of such intense ecstasy spread across his face that I could not help grinning myself. He ate it tiny piece by tiny piece, conversing happily with Rapunzel and me.
Vermin was the only human being besides myself that Rapunzel could stand to converse with. She was usually irritable and moody towards everyone else, fickle beast that she was.
Before I knew it, his piece was gone. He stood and bowed awkwardly. He was the only one in the castle who still addressed me as Princess Aurora. I embraced him before he left, holding my breath against the smell of him. Rapunzel winked at him and he winked in return, saluting as well.
"VERMIN!" someone screamed. His ears cocked and he fled. A member of the Hyrene race was clearly identified by their ears, which they could cock in the direction of a sound. Quite alarming if you did not know what to expect. I sighed. "Sometimes I wish someone would just take him away from here, you know?" I held some deep blue fabric in my fingers. It was wonderfully smooth. Rapunzel nodded her agreement. "And mayhap us as well," she replied moodily, frowning outside the window.
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Ta-da! Thank you sooooo much to everybody who reviewed the first chapter. And Vermin is not Prince Charming. *sorry* I'll reveal his origin after I post two more chapters. But for now here's a hint --- what does Hyrene mean? Add that with someone I mentioned in the summary. That'll help you figure it out.
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I watched from my spinning wheel as Lady Malifice pulled Rapunzel's hair. "Has it not grown in two days!" she screeched in her witch's voice. Rapunzel glowered wickedly. "Mayhap if you did not murder my ends with you infernal pulling!" she screamed in reply. Lady Malifice sighed and dropped it. She had apparently lost interest.
"How are your fingers?" she asked me irritably. I held up impeccable hands and smiled slightly. "I have not spilt a drop of blood upon your white linen, my lady," I promised, smiling sweetly. She nodded, looking considerably displeased, and stormed out of the room.
Rapunzel sat down in a nearby chair and glowered ferociously. "I hate sitting in this tower all day!" she roared, "And I hate the woman who keeps us in here!" I shrugged. "One must be patient," I replied. I had once been a princess, but like my allies the Hyrene people, I had been taken prisoner and put to work. Luckily, I was not put to labor as a swineherd or something horrid of that nature. Instead, I was lady-in-waiting to the wickedest woman in any kingdom.
Rapunzel was just some girl taken as payment for stolen herbs and slammed into this tower with me. She tended to pout, but I wove dresses for us both to pass the time, all of fine cloth made from my hands. Strange thing was, my hands never once bled during all that stitching. I could prick myself, and the skin never wore away. Of course, I was but fifteen winters, and as the years passed, my hands would likely callus and break as everyone else's. But my lack of hand injury was always a matter of great interest.
I beckoned with the aforementioned hands. "Come now, Rapunzel. Stand and let me see this color against your eyes." She stood, arms crossed and lip protruding. I smiled. Green truly was her color.
"Ah, if there were a ball, dearest friend, than should we have some fun! You would be the most beautiful dame at the ball!" I told her. She blushed furiously, but she could not keep back her giggle. "You only want me to do something," she rebuked. I only smirked merrily, implying that she was indeed correct. We both laughed.
A quiet rap tapped against our chamber door. 'Come in," I ordered, still beaming. A rather dirty, yet still pretty, serving girl came in. She smiled sweetly at us.
"I brought today's meal, my ladies," she said timidly, soft blue eyes downcast. "Of course," I told her, "Place it on the table there." She did as she was bid. "Thank you."
She smiled with much trepidation. I only then noticed her perfect smile. "Here, sweet," I offered, holding forth a bit of cake. "Have some, it is nearly as soft as your smile."
She blushed. "Please do not say things like that," she asked, "It does cause me to blush so." I nodded, but she did take the cake. Poor thing appeared so hungry. I would give it all to her, but I had another visitor I needed to feed.
"Please tell the cook I would like for you to bring all our meals up." She all-and-out grinned then. Her perfect teeth nearly blinded me with their spectacular shine.
As she was leaving, Vermin came by her in the hall. He waved. 'Ella!" he cried. She giggled and hugged him close. "Hope the king was not too cruel," she said. Vermin shook his head. "I never let that boar get to me, you know that." Ella nodded. "I'm glad."
"No serving wicked witches today, eh?"
Ella giggled. "No, Jocelyn, only her ladies-in-waiting. And they are quite nice."
"I KNOW, Ella, there."
"I KNOW you know, Jocelyn, there."
He rolled his eyes and was about to reply when Lady Malifice stepped onto the scene. "CINDERS Ella!" she screeched, pointing angrily at Ella, "And Vermin!" she continued, pointing at the person I now knew to be Jocelyn. Knowing his real name filled me with guilt, when I thought of how I usually addressed him. "GET DOWNSTAIRS!" Lady Malifice screamed.
Vermin's face twisted with misery. His insides were screaming for the food he received from my hands only once a week.
I threw the door open. "My lady!" I nearly screamed. Noticing her expression, I lowered my horribly loud voice. I had never been the ideal princess. "I called for him to clean the cobwebs under the bed! I figured he is so dirty, I could not make him so much as an ounce more filthy with the task."
Lady Malifice nodded, and shoved Vermin towards my room. He waved slightly to Ella as she flew down the stairs, golden locks streaming behind her.
I closed my door behind him. As soon as the wooden latch had been locked, Vermin hit his knees. "Thank you, my lady," he whispered. I smiled. "Get up."
He stood, and an immense pity rose in me. We had been such strong allies before. Boorish Dashing. That was our saying in regard to King Dashing, who had taken both our kingdoms. I offered him the piece of cake and he took it in his dirty hand. A grin of such intense ecstasy spread across his face that I could not help grinning myself. He ate it tiny piece by tiny piece, conversing happily with Rapunzel and me.
Vermin was the only human being besides myself that Rapunzel could stand to converse with. She was usually irritable and moody towards everyone else, fickle beast that she was.
Before I knew it, his piece was gone. He stood and bowed awkwardly. He was the only one in the castle who still addressed me as Princess Aurora. I embraced him before he left, holding my breath against the smell of him. Rapunzel winked at him and he winked in return, saluting as well.
"VERMIN!" someone screamed. His ears cocked and he fled. A member of the Hyrene race was clearly identified by their ears, which they could cock in the direction of a sound. Quite alarming if you did not know what to expect. I sighed. "Sometimes I wish someone would just take him away from here, you know?" I held some deep blue fabric in my fingers. It was wonderfully smooth. Rapunzel nodded her agreement. "And mayhap us as well," she replied moodily, frowning outside the window.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Ta-da! Thank you sooooo much to everybody who reviewed the first chapter. And Vermin is not Prince Charming. *sorry* I'll reveal his origin after I post two more chapters. But for now here's a hint --- what does Hyrene mean? Add that with someone I mentioned in the summary. That'll help you figure it out.
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