Disclaimer: I don't own the story of sleeping beauty but I am proud to say I came up with the characters and plot!

Unbeloved Beauty

Chapter I

Aurelia stood at the top of the stairs leading into the ballroom, and she could feel herself starting to gasp for breath. The last time her birthday ball had rolled around, she'd walked out onto the stair case, and tripped over her too long hem and fell all the way down the stairs.

After the incident, she'd had a broken arm and a very bruised pride, and the whole court saw fit to remind her of the incident at almost every fancy event.

This time, though, she'd made sure her dress wasn't too long. She wore a springy green gown, with cropped sleeves and a square neck. The hem just barely touched the ground, but just in case, she wore flat, slipper-like shoes that were easy to walk in.

Aurelia forced herself to take deep breaths, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. Finally, the herald harumphed, and she put on her court face, the full smile and crinkled cheeks.

"Her majesty, Princess Aurelia Tsarina Denise Du Voir" he said to the crowd. Aurelia stepped out, her smile on, nodding at the people in the crowd. She could see some of the ladies giggling at her stumble on the bottom stairs, but Aurelia was just thankful that she hadn't fallen.

She walked to where the dinner table and her mother and sister were, grabbing a chair beside them. Her half-brother, Edward, was away and couldn't make it.

"Well, daughter, that was a lovely entrance you made, though the last steps were clumsy, the dress looks lovely on you, child." Isabella said absently, looking to be fifteen herself in her wine red gown, with the huge ruby necklace and tiara of Dyrria, her dark hair twisted into knots, the white streak weaving in and out of them.

Aurelia smiled back at Isabella, rolling her eyes when she wasn't looking and making her eldest sister, Maria, laugh out loud. Isabella turned back, "Maria, just because you've married does not give you an excuse to be rude; don't laugh at your sister's clumsiness."

Maria was married to Kristoph, King of Faiiyorn, and had been for a few months. Maria nodded back at Isabella solemnly, and Aurelia snickered, looking back at Maria.

Maria lounged beside her on a chair, wearing her house's colors of gold and blue. She wore a beautiful blue gown, in the of style Fayiiorn (long, trailing sleeves, a high waist and flowing skirt) with a ribbon of gold around the waist line. Her chocolate brown hair, like her father's, was plaited in many teeny braids.

Aurelia's two sisters were out dancing, Yvonna in a beautiful white gown that had a long train. Beads glimmered in the train and on the bosom of her dress. Her thick black wavy hair lay in a net of white and pink jewels and her pale face was glowing and flushed from the dancing.

Aurelia watched enviously when, at the end of each dance another man would ask her to dance, their faces fixed worshippingly on Yvonna. She would smile graciously, accepting their hands and sweep into another dance, the men watching as enviously as Aurelia did.

Yvonna, despite the fact that her almost perfect grace made her look snobby, was kind and the men knew it.

Rose was also dancing, even though she could not dance as well as Yvonna, she was good. She usually danced with the same man for a few songs, before another man would dare to ask for the beauty to consider them as a partner. Rose was known for her temper.

Rose wore her strait brown hair in loose ringlets, a string of jewels weaved in it and hanging into her dress. She wore a gown of pale yellow, the sleeves trailing on the ground with the train. On her neck was a yellow gem carved into a rose.

Aurelia sat down at the table, turning to Maria and letting out a squeal.

"I can't wait until summer!" Aurelia said, smiling at the thought of a whole summer with Maria in Faiiyorn.

"It'll be nice to have you see Faiiyorn. Finally! It's so lovely and cold and it's nice all year round…you'll love it!" Maria said excitedly.

"I will have an entire summer to be free of Her Majesty and Rose… Rose is so freaking bossy and Her Majesty is starting to just…ugh. –" Aurelia shook her head.

Maria laughed, smiling as she looked out at the dancers, " She's just been plain mean lately. Rose, I mean, Her Majesty is just…I dunno." Maria shook her head.

"Look at Rose and Robarte Normande out there! She's practically throwing herself at him!" Aurelia said. Robarte Normande was the Crown Prince of Normandy, handsome and rich…he was Rose's dream. She'd seen him somewhere…

Aurelia heard the bell for dinner ringing, and got up to move to the spot that had been set for her. She looked and saw that she was seated across from Maria, and beside Isabella… and Robarte Normande.

Aurelia sighed, and prepared herself for a long and boring dinner.

Robarte turned out to be intelligent and very good company, though sometimes mean about stuff.Throughout the dinner, he told many jokes about everything and Aurelia began to loosen up and enjoy herself. Though, throughout the dinner, Aurelia felt a nagging feeling that she had seen the man before, but she couldn't place him.

Shaking her head, Aurelia told herself that the less she concentrated on it, the sooner she'd remember. She smiled at Robert as he guffawed over a mean-spirited joke made on somebody from court, she hadn't payed attention.

As Aurelia began to rise after dinner was done, Robarte grabbed her hand, "I must say, I am quite taken with you, humor me with a dance, please?" he said, smiling at her. He gave her a look as though he was thinking Of course you'll dance with me.

Aurelia grinned, a little turned off by the cockiness, but said anyways, "Sure."

Aurelia was quite tired, Robarte had had her dancing much more than one dance and her feet were beginning to hurt, and she was sure Robarte's were…especially with all the stepping on them Aurelia had done.

She sat down, and watched guiltily as Robarte limped to a chair. The last dance had involved lifts, and she'd landed on his right foot. Again. Then she frowned when she remembered what a jerk he'd been about her clumsiness.

At first he would smile, and shrug it off, but after the third time she stepped on his foot, he started giving her a sneer when it happened, saying every time, "Third… fourth… fifth…" keeping track of the amount of times her foot stepped on his. Aurelia, at the end, got so mad, she felt lodging her foot up somewhere else, and left him.

Aurelia was interrupted in her thoughts by a tapping on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Rose looking down on her, an arched brow raised over her hazel eyes.

"Well, if it isn't our own little boy stealer. How's it feel to be so unloved that you have to steal other people's lovers?" Rose said, sneering at her.

'Huh?…oh! Robarte was her…lover? Oh no! He was the man she'd talked about, the one coming in from a foreign country that had fallen 'passionately' in love with her. She thinks I'm trying to steal him. I wouldn't have if she'd…oh, crap she's gunna kill me.'

Yes, the fact remained that she really was royal, in blood, but since no one respected or listened to her worth a crap (except for Maria and Yvonna), no one would have dared to stop Rose from taking her neck and strangling her.

"Hello, Rose." She said, turning back to the wall, her heart beating. Rose stepped in front of it, her thick dark hair swooshing as she turned. Aurelia raised a hand subconsciously to her copper and white hair.

"What were you doing with him? Havn't you taken enough from me? Don't even try to seduce him, your nothing- nothing- compared with me. That's my fiancee!" Rose hissed, her face writhing in anger.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't realize, I'm not trying to steal him or anything! You always called him Art and…" Aurelia took a deep breath, and anger started to flood through her, "God, Rose…you think everyone's out to get you! You know what, get a grip…I don't care anymore what you think! You can go to hell and stopgiving itto me!"

Rose's smirk widened into an evil-lookingsmile at Aurelia's flushed face, " Darling sister, I forgot my manners, didn't I? How horrible of me to get you all riled up…Well, let me start over…happy 15th darling. What a wonderful ball this is…I would hate to spoil your birthday with…unpleasent things for saying cruel, hurtful things." Rose winked.

Aurelia swallowed, hearing the threat in her.Rose already thought she was stealing Robarte from her and if she felt she wasbeing disrespectful or whatever, she'd make her pay…and not in the conventional way either. Rose and Aurelia had disliked each other ever since Rose had come back from Queen Trina at 10 years, acting like a 17 year old, though.

"Could you say something nice for once, Rose?" Aurelia asked defiantly, looking her in the eye, after all Rose wasn't evil…just spoiled like year-old meat.

"I was being nice, but I'll be nicer if you wish. How's this, I love your hair, it looks like my favorite governess's Madame L'agore- wasn't she your's, too-you're starting to look more like her every day." Rose gave her a wink, then sashayed off.

Madame L'agore was their governess. She was old, fat, with crazy grey hair that had a habit of shaking whenever she became particularly excited about a topic.

Aurelia raised a hand to her hair self-conciously, blushing again. Rose looked for every opportunity to make fun of Aurelia. All because ofthat stupid thing when they were young.

Luckily for Aurelia, Rose went back to her foster mother every summer. There was talk of a betrothal between RoseTrina's nephew, Art (as he was called…Robarte was his actual name), which was the jerky guy she'd danced with.

"Yea well…it looks better than yours." Aurelia yelled after her, feeling like the ultimate loser, watching the people around her look pityingly on her and laugh behind their hands.

'It's like living in a fairy land where nothing is what it seems, Rose thinks the court likes her, but they'd throw her out on her ass if they had the chance. At least I know they don't like me.'

well, this is longer than what I usually write, but I'm suprisingly happy with it. Not much plot in here but I was hoping to show the characters...tell me what you think of them...corrective critiscm is always acceptable.

Um...what can i say? I am working on the next chapter and I now havea plot which was the problem...i had this idea but no plot, ya know? Well, I updated and now am working on The Color of Black and the following chapter for this story (I may change the title...i dunno). Luckily, though, I don't have any new story ideas so I can devote my brainto this story!

Txchcica2815:thanks for the compliment! I hope you enjoy this chapter

Glaze:you updated! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed your story and this story will sorta end like the original...you'll see

Aerinha:This'll be a little more complex and original (I hope) than the actual story, but we'll see. I didn't think the humor was corny, I liked that little 'series' I guess you would call it.

Please review! I'm trying to break my habit of procrastination and maticulation (a very bad combination) and update more often. PLease review, I could use comments, just no flames.

§DG§