Aurelia and her sisters laughed happily with their mother. It was a bright sunny day and the warm sunlight shone through the windows in the ballroom.
"Higher,higher girls! On your TOES Jessenia! Twirl with more grace Miss Felicity! Get out of the way Violet the older girls are practicing!" Their mother laughed as she did an impression of their stuffy dance teacher Mr. Morris.
"Well doesn't it sound lovely in here?"
"Father!" All 11 girls rushed to him laughing twirling around,showing him their new dance slippers.
"Beautiful girls. Purely beautiful!"
"Father,Mother can't you two teach us the waltz you two danced when you first met at the Canterbury ball?" 12 year old Violet asked her brown eyes pleading.
"Oh yes please!" Chimed 8 year old twins Sarah and Genevieve.
Mother's smile faded and Father's sparkling blue eyes looked sad.
"We can't darlings. Don't you remember? We are dead. Aurelia you of all the girls should remember."
Suddenly the brilliant ballroom scene faded and Aurelia was whisked off to her mother's death bed.
There in the middle of soft white sheets lay her mother. Her blond hair loosing it's color and her brown eyes moist with tears. She lay slowly dying clutching the newest princess.
"Aurelia promise me you will take care of her? Now that you will be queen she will need you. Promise me you will take care of her and the other girls. Promise me Aurelia so I may rest peacefully."
"No! No! Mother no! You can't die! You can't leave! Father already left and now you too!"
"Aurelia you know how this ends. Look."
Like a flash of light Aurelia was in a graveyard. The one by the palace wearing black. Everyone wore black. She held baby Gretel and four old Alana's hand.
Into the ground went a pearl white casket. Tears coursed down her face as she realized it was her mother. Next to the small plot was her father's grave.
The king. Killed by the same disease her mother was killed by. Then the world turned so black she couldn't see.
She could hear Gretel crying and her other sisters yelling for help. Yelling for her.
"You promised!" She heard her mother's voice ring out.
"Aurelia! Aurelia! Wake up!" With a hard shove from Jessenia Aurelia awoke sweat lining her eyebrows.
"Dream again?" Jessenia asked concerned.
"Yes this time it was worse though. This time I SAW her I didn't just hear her."
"Well try and rest some more. You nearly woke the others with your screaming. Remember now Aurelia your going to be the queen. You can't scare so easily." With that 15 year old Jessenia walked to bed her long red hair trailing down her back.
"Yes I can't forget." She whispered pulling the covers around her shoulders still shivering from the dream.
She smiled as she saw the peaceful face of Violet in the bed next to her. Violet slept like a rock. Nothing could wake her. Tears stung her eyes as she looked around.
11 girls. She had to raise 11 girls let alone take care of a kingdom. Not to mention Jessenia was of age and Carissa would be of age in a month which meant endless suitors.
Poor Gretle wasn't even a year old and she had no mother and the Christmas ball would have to be planned soon.
Deciding she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep she quietly dressed then slipped out of the room not bothering to put on her shoes in fear they might make too much noise.
As soon as she shut the bedroom door she took a deep breath. This was her favorite part of the day. The sky a light grey color. The birds weren't even up yet. Everything was completely quiet and still.
She remembered Father liked this time of day too. Often as a little girl she and him would be up and about for hours before the girls and Mother even stirred.
This was her time of day. The time when she could be by herself. Without a worry to have time just to think and sort out her day without any distractions...or so she thought.
"Aurelia! Aurelia you goose! Why didn't you tell us you were up?" The twins dressed in matching nightgowns said looking at her as if she had gone crazy. Once the twins were up everyone was up.
Suddenly all the girls came out of the bedroom rubbing their eyes and groaning.
"Really Sarah,Gen this is MUCH to early!" 10 year old Daisy groaned grumpily.
"Yes MUCH!" Robin agreed. At 7 years old she thought she knew everything and often spoke as if the whole world should agree with her.
"Girls! Calm down! Those who feel they absolutely can not sleep may go down to the dining room and wait for breakfast. Those who can sleep may go back to bed." Aurelia said in the calmest voice possible.
Most of the girls went to bed but the twins,Gretel,Jessenia,and Felicity all went down to the small family dining room with Aurelia their bare feet making small sounds on the cool wood floor.
They walked down the long hallways lined with family portraits. Just the 11 girls themselves could take up and entire hallways. With that she made a mental note to have a portrait of Gretel made up.
They passed the portraits of each girl as a young princess then of them before royal balls or coming out balls. Each girl had such a ball when they turned 15. Aurelia and Jessenia had theirs but Carissa's birthday was in a month and her ball still wasn't planned.
Yet another thing to add to the list of things to do.
When Aurelia entered the dining room she was grateful for the warm fire. She was still shivering from her dream. She just couldn't get the darkness out of her head. It had been so dark.
She couldn't forget Mother's voice either ringing out so loud and clear. She sighed and sat down. Now the day would begien and with any luck the dream would not happen again tonight.
