Sleep

Aurora

The wedding was tomorrow and the palace staff were running around like madmen.  I hadn't talked to Jeanne in a while, but I could understand that.  She was busier than any one else this week.  Which is why I was surprised when she ran up to me, grabbed my arm and yanked me to a private chamber, locking the door.  Something was definitely wrong.

"I've only got ten minutes until the palace staff hunt me down and drag me into more and more wedding preparations, so I need to make this really quick. And there's no time for questions," she whispered while panting.

"Okay," I said. 

"So, the other day, Carmen took me out for a picnic during supper, on the edge of the courtyard, right by the river, on the west side of the castle.  After eating, we went for a ride on a little rowboat," she said.  Pausing and catching her breath. 

Was this entire story going to be about a lovey-dovey romantic evening?  I don't really see why she had to go out of her way to tell me this. 

"While we were drifting down the river, we bumped into something," she stopped a for minute and whipped away a tear.  If Carmen hurt my sister, I swear I'll gut him like a salmon. 

"But it wasn't a something," Jeanne continued,  "it was... a someone.  We... bumped into... R-Rapunzle's d-dead b-body... floating in the river."

Jeanne was full on sobbing.  I couldn't sob.  I couldn't talk.  I could hardly breathe.  When I attempted to say something, a creaking noise came out.  Finally, I pinched myself breathed and managed to ask,  "is it still there?"

Together, we ran to the courtyard on the west side.  Through the green grass field and to the river.  The river water was rather clear water, only about twelve feet wide, and seven feet deep.   Jeanne and I ran along the river edge for about twenty minutes.  My heart beat fast, and dread filled my veins. I did not, I repeat, did not, want to see a dead body, especially the body of a friend. I couldn't look up from the ground. We had gone in a complete circle around the river.

"The body's gone," Jeanne said. 

*************

Jeanne had been whisked away for more wedding preparations, leaving me alone.   To get things off my mind, I decided to walk along the palace. 

On the north and east courtyard, tents had been set up for guests to talk, dine, and celebrate.  Many guests were already here.  I passed some families, some single women and men, some women and men flirting, and some single women with kids.  A threesome walked up to me.  It was a single women with two daughters.  The women was a bit older, and her face looked slightly pulled back, with her tangled hair in a bun. Her two daughters looked unusual. Their hair looked like stringy wigs. As a matter of fact, I think they were wearing wigs. Their faces were covered in so much power, it had layers.

"Hello, your highness," the mothers spoke, nudging her two daughters to do the same. They curtsied and bobbled into one another, starting a shoving game, until their mother gave the, the death stare.

"I'm sorry for these two imbeciles. They grew up fatherless," the mother spoke.

"Now mother?" One daughter asked. The mother nodded.

"Your highness," the daughter said hooking her arm in mine, "let's take a walk along the courtyard, if that's okay. A nice stroll," she insisted.

"I guess," I said.

We started walking, getting farther away from the people. Not long passed until we entered a grove, where the ground was full of thick tree roots and rocks hidden from sight by leaf cover.  Suddenly, The girl tripped on a root.   She ripped off her right shoe to look at her foot where she had stubbed her toes.  But, there were only four toes.  Where the last toe should have been, there was a patch of very thin skin, thin as paper.  The lack of layers made it look almost translucent, so the area was very red, and a little bit of bone was visible.  The bone looked fractured, as if snapped off.  The toe had been cut off.  I knew who this girl was. 

"Take the wig off, Druzella, you're not fooling me," I said.  I had only briefly met Druzella, even then I had only seen her in a dream when Jeanne was enslaved to them.  But Jeanne had told me stories on secret visits. 

"Well, well well.  What are you going to do about it.  You are alone, with no protection, far away from others, and looky here, I have a weapon," Druzella drew a bloodstained blade. Fear bubbled in my stomach. I was such an idiot. I should have brought a guard.

"You killed Phillip didn't you?" I said.  I sounded certain, but I actually was unsure. At least if I died, I would choke some answers out of her first.

"It was so easy. I could've stabbed lover boy in my sleep.  He was too busy kissing some girl, who wasn't you, by the way.  But you probably already figured that out.  Goodbye Aurora," Druzella bragged. She spun her dagger around in her hand and I watched the parts that weren't stained by blood glint in the sun. To hasten the kill, she kicked me down to the ground and was beginning to draw her blade.  Scenes of death I had seen earlier played in my mind. The voice like knives in a rattle that attacked me earlier this week spoke in my mind again.

As long as your going, here is a parting gift. Congratulations, you solved my riddle. You memories could be found through death! Almost there now!

I opened my eyes and looked at the world one last time. A flash of metal, and Druzella fell in a heap. Through my mind, memories flashed like dry lightening. But I wasn't dead. The thing that stole my memories gave them back out of a false assumption.

I sat up confused.  Then, James stepped out of the shadows. He smiled, but he looked pained. His falsetto mask. I was just happy to see him.

"You didn't think I'd let you go into the woods with a stranger unguarded, did you?" He smiled. 

I looked left of me and saw Druzella lying dead, with a blade in her bloodied gut. I shuddered. I've seen enough deaths. I tried getting up, but my head spun and I would've collapsed except James caught me, and held me bridal style. Perfect mood for a kiss. Or two, or five. No one was around. I was making out with James in the woods. It felt great.

Just then, past memories of times with James flashed in my mind. Kisses, secret dates, a fight, heartbreak, laughter...

"James," I said, "I remember everything from the past. My memories came back," I hugged him. He picked me up and spun me around.

"This calls for a celebration," he said.

Just then, I made a decision. I know it was fast, but I was certain.

A glint passed through the corner of my eye. We turned out heads just in time to see that someone picked up Druzella's knife and threw it, aimed at James's head.  Out of instinct, I threw out my hand and water spouted from it, spraying a strong stream, stopping the knife in it's path.  I almost forgot I had weird powers. 

"Your just like Cinderella, you're a freak!" The girl yelled. It must've been Anastasia. 

"Go, or I'll incinerate you!" I said.  Of course I was lying, but it got Anastasia to squeal and flee in fear.

"Oh, you can't incinerate people," James smiled.

"I know," I said.  I just remembered that James knew all about my special abilities with plants and water.  I also remember using them many times before I was cursed with my long sleep. 

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Author's note
Told you guys I would update before I went off.  Enjoy.