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Aurora POV
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Rapunzel was prattling about how marvelous her charming Dante was, large mouth flapping extravagantly. I was staring intently at my embroidery, pretending to hear her, murmuring my assent every few seconds to assure my ever-watchful companion that I was indeed paying attention to her excess praising of the somewhat lacking Dante.
"He is just so incredibly suave, Rora. You can't believe it."
"Mm-hmm."
Somehow, Rapunzel caught on to my act.
"And he is just so adorable when he smiles!"
"Of course."
"And so much cuter than Tarrant."
"Obviously."
"I mean, that Tarrant is extremely boorish, don't you agree?"
"Most assuredly."
She raised one eyebrow at me. "And of course, you aren't listening to a word I say, are you?" she asked.
"Mmm-hmm."
"AURORA!" she screeched. My body twitched skyward, and I leapt so high into the air I fell out of my chair. Rapunzel, contrary to polite behavior, smirked from her seat while I struggled to regain my former pose. And when I had finally seated myself in a more flattering position, she laughed aloud at my disheveled appearance. Charming, that one is.
"Why ever did you frighten me?" I asked, forcing my tongue to tell polite while my head told insults. She raised a condescending eyebrow. "You had already been inside for nearly an hour when Dante and I returned. Usually, you are out in the fields with 'precious' Tarrant for hours, walking around and conversing incessantly. What happened?"
"I don't know - I-how did you know I was here for nearly an hour?"
"You had added an entire dark purple flower to your new gown, simple one. That showed you had been embroidering for at least forty five minutes."
"Glad to know I am so predictable."
"Glad to alert you to the fact."
I sniffed, sounding injured. "I guess you don't want to know what happened." Rapunzel's eyes widened. I knew how to get that gossip every time. "No, it is not that," she promised, "It is just ---"
A delicate knock glanced our door, causing a slight ripple of sound to flow through the air towards us. I quickly placed the dress on a waiting vacant chair, and rose to greet whoever was knocking. The handle of the door was unusually cool as I threw open our confine.
A nervous messenger was quaking by the threshold. He held a delicate letter on a silver tray. "My - my lady?" he asked nervously, "My lady Aurora? Or is it Lady Rapunzel I have the pleasure of addressing?"
"I am the lady Aurora. How are you today, good sir?"
The messenger nearly fainted when I smiled at him. I guess he wasn't used to being addressed as "good sir." My mistake, I suppose. "Is that message for me?" I asked, desperate to change the subject. He nodded meekly, and held the shining tray towards me. I lifted the letter off of its resting place and nodded at him. "You may leave now," I ordered. Nodding frantically in return, he scurried away. A slight smile drifted over my lips. The royal seal was on this one.
I had no sooner closed the door then Rapunzel leaped up and tore the message form my hands. "The royal seal!" she squealed, "We are invited to the ball!" She flung my invitation at me and then resumed sitting in order to better decipher her own. I flailed in an attempt to retrieve the floating paper, and finally managed to snag the extreme left corner between my fingernails. "That was a decided lack of cordiality, Rapunzel," I sniffed. She shrugged, poring over her message. "For me, dear, that WAS cordial. I mean, I took the time to throw it in your general direction, didn't I?"
Oblivious to my attempt at a response, she prattled on. 'Screw the prince, I want to know if that suave young Dante is eligible. Now THAT is someone who's courtship I would be interested in." She grinned. "I will have to ask if he got an invitation. And don't worry, I'll be sure to find out if "darling" Tarrant received one, also. But they might have invited him solely to entertain others with his idiocy. You know, a dancing monkey type of thing." I rolled my eyes at her and surveyed my letter. It went on about how the king was sorry if anyone was hurt by his son's refusal, but that was the way the dice rolled when you were squabbling over HIS son. Bah! The prince was charming, of course, but not compared to the adorable and gorgeous Tarrant of Rose. Yes, Rose is a moronic name for a country, but some of Tarrant's countrymen are less than intelligent.
I allowed my invitation to drift slowly to the floor. And that was when the strangest looking freak show in all of folklore popped beside my chair.
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Aurora POV
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Rapunzel was prattling about how marvelous her charming Dante was, large mouth flapping extravagantly. I was staring intently at my embroidery, pretending to hear her, murmuring my assent every few seconds to assure my ever-watchful companion that I was indeed paying attention to her excess praising of the somewhat lacking Dante.
"He is just so incredibly suave, Rora. You can't believe it."
"Mm-hmm."
Somehow, Rapunzel caught on to my act.
"And he is just so adorable when he smiles!"
"Of course."
"And so much cuter than Tarrant."
"Obviously."
"I mean, that Tarrant is extremely boorish, don't you agree?"
"Most assuredly."
She raised one eyebrow at me. "And of course, you aren't listening to a word I say, are you?" she asked.
"Mmm-hmm."
"AURORA!" she screeched. My body twitched skyward, and I leapt so high into the air I fell out of my chair. Rapunzel, contrary to polite behavior, smirked from her seat while I struggled to regain my former pose. And when I had finally seated myself in a more flattering position, she laughed aloud at my disheveled appearance. Charming, that one is.
"Why ever did you frighten me?" I asked, forcing my tongue to tell polite while my head told insults. She raised a condescending eyebrow. "You had already been inside for nearly an hour when Dante and I returned. Usually, you are out in the fields with 'precious' Tarrant for hours, walking around and conversing incessantly. What happened?"
"I don't know - I-how did you know I was here for nearly an hour?"
"You had added an entire dark purple flower to your new gown, simple one. That showed you had been embroidering for at least forty five minutes."
"Glad to know I am so predictable."
"Glad to alert you to the fact."
I sniffed, sounding injured. "I guess you don't want to know what happened." Rapunzel's eyes widened. I knew how to get that gossip every time. "No, it is not that," she promised, "It is just ---"
A delicate knock glanced our door, causing a slight ripple of sound to flow through the air towards us. I quickly placed the dress on a waiting vacant chair, and rose to greet whoever was knocking. The handle of the door was unusually cool as I threw open our confine.
A nervous messenger was quaking by the threshold. He held a delicate letter on a silver tray. "My - my lady?" he asked nervously, "My lady Aurora? Or is it Lady Rapunzel I have the pleasure of addressing?"
"I am the lady Aurora. How are you today, good sir?"
The messenger nearly fainted when I smiled at him. I guess he wasn't used to being addressed as "good sir." My mistake, I suppose. "Is that message for me?" I asked, desperate to change the subject. He nodded meekly, and held the shining tray towards me. I lifted the letter off of its resting place and nodded at him. "You may leave now," I ordered. Nodding frantically in return, he scurried away. A slight smile drifted over my lips. The royal seal was on this one.
I had no sooner closed the door then Rapunzel leaped up and tore the message form my hands. "The royal seal!" she squealed, "We are invited to the ball!" She flung my invitation at me and then resumed sitting in order to better decipher her own. I flailed in an attempt to retrieve the floating paper, and finally managed to snag the extreme left corner between my fingernails. "That was a decided lack of cordiality, Rapunzel," I sniffed. She shrugged, poring over her message. "For me, dear, that WAS cordial. I mean, I took the time to throw it in your general direction, didn't I?"
Oblivious to my attempt at a response, she prattled on. 'Screw the prince, I want to know if that suave young Dante is eligible. Now THAT is someone who's courtship I would be interested in." She grinned. "I will have to ask if he got an invitation. And don't worry, I'll be sure to find out if "darling" Tarrant received one, also. But they might have invited him solely to entertain others with his idiocy. You know, a dancing monkey type of thing." I rolled my eyes at her and surveyed my letter. It went on about how the king was sorry if anyone was hurt by his son's refusal, but that was the way the dice rolled when you were squabbling over HIS son. Bah! The prince was charming, of course, but not compared to the adorable and gorgeous Tarrant of Rose. Yes, Rose is a moronic name for a country, but some of Tarrant's countrymen are less than intelligent.
I allowed my invitation to drift slowly to the floor. And that was when the strangest looking freak show in all of folklore popped beside my chair.
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