Roses I Send to You (Beauty and the Beast)

Amelie the Dying

I woke up in extreme pain. I missed when everything was numb. The wolves were gone, and it was night. Chandler was nowhere to be found. I was alone and I was in pain.

All my life, my biggest fear had been dying. Now, my biggest fear was surviving. It would mean that I would be in pain and alone until someone found me or I actually died for real. 

I looked down at my body. I was once regarded as the most beautiful child in my village, but now I wasn't even a complete person anymore because so much flesh had been ripped away. The dress that had once been green was now green and red with blood. It had tears and holes and i didn't even know if I could call it a dress or a pile of rags.

The only thing that stayed normal was my hair. I didn't have serious injury to my head, so my hair wasn't really close enough to an open wound to become bloodstained. It was dirty, because I had been lying in the dirt for hours. But, other than that, it still looked beautiful.

"Help," I managed to say, hoping that someone was nearby in the castle grounds and I would be helped. Or they could kill me. That would be a blessing.

After about ninety seconds, I closed my eyes and I accepted the fact that no one would save me and that it was possible for me to be in pain for hours until I finally died. Just as I began to pray for death again, I heard a beautiful, pure, female voice singing through the night.

"Days in the sun,

When my whole life has barely begun

Not until my whole life is done

Will I ever leave you"

It was becoming closer. Maybe my prayers had been answered and it was an angel taking me away. But I was wrong. The singing continued and I still remained dying. I was still alive. But I was comforted by the voice. Even if she wasn't an angel, she still sounded like one.

"Princess Jeanne, I will always sing this lullaby to you, whether I am close to your physical body or not. Your father, brother and I all miss you very much and we can't wait to see you again," the voice said. It sounded like she was only ten feet away from me. I summoned my strength and I moved my head so I could examine the owner of this voice.

It was the Queen Mother Anne-Marie. She looked like she was sitting by a small tombstone. Then I remembered. Queen Mother Anne-Marie had given birth to another baby less than three weeks ago. It was a girl named Jeanne. Princess Jeanne died when she was eleven hours old. It was sweet that the Queen Mother was singing to her. I had heard that lullaby before. Where had I heard it?

Then I remembered. Madeleine taught it to me.

Madeleine. It seemed like she was approaching me, but she wasn't walking. No, it was like she was gliding across the ground. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her. Her brown hair fell around her like a curtain and she was dressed in white. She seemed to be glowing.

Queen Mother Anne-Marie had started singing again. I used the last bit of strength, the strength that was keeping me alive, to sing a verse with her.

"Days in the sun

When my life had just barely begun

Not until my whole life is done

Will I ever leave you"

Just as I got that last word out, the glowing Madeleine reached out to me as if she wanted to