Tears
I open my eyes. The sunlight hurts them and I quickly shut them again. It is daylight, but I don't feel like getting up. Everyday, I tell myself, I must get up, I must. But I never do.
I must be fated to lie down always. I don't want to. I want a life. A life outside darkness, and night. Night is the only time I get up. When there is no one around me. No, more like when there is no life. The fairy comes every night and she clucks her tongue at me.
"You should try, at least, to stand in the day," she says.
And I always reply, "It is not my fault that I am cursed."
"You must try," she insists. Does she not know, that I try? I do. But I simply cannot.
"You are going to miss something important one day, if you keep up like that," she shooked her head before dawn just now. I just lie down on my bed of roses. Now, only the sounds of the brambles outside my windows will accompany me for the whole day.
The brambles whisper, "There is someone here." Foolish person. I know so many have tried for so long to get into the castle, but to no avail. The castle is enchanted. So are the brambles, the plants, whole forests that surrounds my home. They are magicked to stop anyone from breaking into the castle. And they will.
There have been countless, who had tried and was ripped into pieces. At night, the brambles slither into my window, carrying pieces of torn flesh, and cloth, and whatever belongings they salvaged. And they lay it before me.
I choke at the horrendous scene I expect to see.
At sunset, I wake up from my 'slumber'. But no brambles slither in. I keep looking out of the window, half expecting, half scared. Nothing still.
"You will see. He is the most beautiful prince I have ever laid my eyes onto," a voice says. The fairy has come. I turn around and inspect her. She still wears the same gown as she wore when I first met her.
She has long auburn hair that comes tumbling down in locks. Her skin is glowing quite literally, denoting that she is of magical descent. Her body, which is quite thin, is wrapped in silver.
"He is the one," the fairy says.
"The one?" I move closer to her. She is taller than me. My eyes fall onto her mouth.
"The one who will help you lift the curse, the one who you'll marry." She is happy. "The one who will disenchant the castle."
"I don't know about that," I say unsurely.
"Aurora, dear," the fairy moves to the window. "You may not realise it, but even a fairy can be tired of looking after her charge for a hundred years."
"I believe, you were the one who put this curse on me."
Her eyes flash angrily, but she replies only wearily, "I was trying to save you."
"Then, you should have let me die," I turn away. She does not know my feelings. Nobody knows.
"You will feel better after you marry the prince who will rescue you. It is dawn, I must be going," and she vanishes into the air.
I lie down quickly on my bed. I do not want to be rescued. I do not ever want to marry that Prince. Because...because...
My memories haunt me.
-"Aurora, Aurora!" a voice calls me. Smooth and husky voice. A male voice. "I see you!"
I see myself running, and laughing. Laughing and running through the forest. A pair of arms hug me from behind.
"Caught you!" he says.
"I let you catch me," I protest. He lets go of me and squeezes my hand. He smiles shyly, his brown eyes glazing over.
"I love you," he whispers in my ear. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," I say. "Yes. I will marry you."
"I promise I will marry you, if you love me."
"I love you," I say-
"I love you," I whisper over and over again. "I love you, I promise," I say sadly. Yet, the word 'promise' shatter in my heart. The 'promise' was probably broken when I was enchanted. When the castle was enchanted. He was a prince, the only heir to his kingdom. Would he wait that long? Would he wait a hundred years? He won't...
A single tear rolls down my heated cheeks. I whisper his name, then 'I love you'.
"The prince will be here by tomorrow's dawn," the brambles whisper.
"Tear him, tear him..." I say to the brambles. "Rip him." I am frightened. Never have anyone come so close to rescuing me. "Please."
At night, I await his flesh to come before me. The brambles slither in with patches of cloth. But there is no flesh. The last vines to come in are hacked, and torned. "No..." I whisper and back away. "Kill him! Kill him!" I shriek and fall onto my bed, weakened.
I close my eyes, wishing the hacking of the brambles, the forests away.
"Thud, thud," the hacking goes on. Oh wretched me! I would rather die than be rescued. I go to the window. He is now beneath me, where he will rest for the night. The vines crawl towards him. But they shrink within visible sight. I see a glow in front of him. The fairy.
She is protecting him. I loath her with all my heart. I close my eyes as I lie on my bed. I will kill him myself.
At dawn he enters my room. He touches my face. I wish I could open my eyes right at the moment and kill him. I wish I could open my eyes. The brambles shiver, but they do not dare to harm one who is under the fairy's protection.
"Princess Aurora, at last I found you," he says. I feel him coming closer to me. He kisses me on the forehead. Then on the cheeks. "Why are you crying?" he asks. I realise tears have wet my cheeks again.
He kisses my tears away, and then he kisses me softly on the lips.
"Please wake," he pleads.
I refuse to open my eyes. I do not want to see him. But I know I could open my eyes now. The breeze enters my windows. The brambles are gone. The forest is gone. And the rest of the enchanted castle awakes.
Yet I refuse.
"Open your eyes. I...I won't force you to marry me," he says. "I promise if you open your eyes. Just once. Just...acknowledge my presence."
"Good," I whisper. "Because I love..." I open my eyes. I see brown eyes looking down at me. Brown familiar eyes. A familiar face. There are tears in his eyes. These tears fall into my eyes. I blink them away.
"Aurora? It's me." It is him. He is the one I love.
"How?" I ask.
"I surrendered all my kingdom and lands. My titles. I surrendered to find the fairy who keeps you so safely these years. I found her and I worked for her in return that she keeps me living long enough to find you. To keep my promise." He squeezes my hand. "Do you still love me?"
"All these years," I whispered and cried. "All these years."
I open my eyes. The sunlight hurts them and I quickly shut them again. It is daylight, but I don't feel like getting up. Everyday, I tell myself, I must get up, I must. But I never do.
I must be fated to lie down always. I don't want to. I want a life. A life outside darkness, and night. Night is the only time I get up. When there is no one around me. No, more like when there is no life. The fairy comes every night and she clucks her tongue at me.
"You should try, at least, to stand in the day," she says.
And I always reply, "It is not my fault that I am cursed."
"You must try," she insists. Does she not know, that I try? I do. But I simply cannot.
"You are going to miss something important one day, if you keep up like that," she shooked her head before dawn just now. I just lie down on my bed of roses. Now, only the sounds of the brambles outside my windows will accompany me for the whole day.
The brambles whisper, "There is someone here." Foolish person. I know so many have tried for so long to get into the castle, but to no avail. The castle is enchanted. So are the brambles, the plants, whole forests that surrounds my home. They are magicked to stop anyone from breaking into the castle. And they will.
There have been countless, who had tried and was ripped into pieces. At night, the brambles slither into my window, carrying pieces of torn flesh, and cloth, and whatever belongings they salvaged. And they lay it before me.
I choke at the horrendous scene I expect to see.
At sunset, I wake up from my 'slumber'. But no brambles slither in. I keep looking out of the window, half expecting, half scared. Nothing still.
"You will see. He is the most beautiful prince I have ever laid my eyes onto," a voice says. The fairy has come. I turn around and inspect her. She still wears the same gown as she wore when I first met her.
She has long auburn hair that comes tumbling down in locks. Her skin is glowing quite literally, denoting that she is of magical descent. Her body, which is quite thin, is wrapped in silver.
"He is the one," the fairy says.
"The one?" I move closer to her. She is taller than me. My eyes fall onto her mouth.
"The one who will help you lift the curse, the one who you'll marry." She is happy. "The one who will disenchant the castle."
"I don't know about that," I say unsurely.
"Aurora, dear," the fairy moves to the window. "You may not realise it, but even a fairy can be tired of looking after her charge for a hundred years."
"I believe, you were the one who put this curse on me."
Her eyes flash angrily, but she replies only wearily, "I was trying to save you."
"Then, you should have let me die," I turn away. She does not know my feelings. Nobody knows.
"You will feel better after you marry the prince who will rescue you. It is dawn, I must be going," and she vanishes into the air.
I lie down quickly on my bed. I do not want to be rescued. I do not ever want to marry that Prince. Because...because...
My memories haunt me.
-"Aurora, Aurora!" a voice calls me. Smooth and husky voice. A male voice. "I see you!"
I see myself running, and laughing. Laughing and running through the forest. A pair of arms hug me from behind.
"Caught you!" he says.
"I let you catch me," I protest. He lets go of me and squeezes my hand. He smiles shyly, his brown eyes glazing over.
"I love you," he whispers in my ear. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," I say. "Yes. I will marry you."
"I promise I will marry you, if you love me."
"I love you," I say-
"I love you," I whisper over and over again. "I love you, I promise," I say sadly. Yet, the word 'promise' shatter in my heart. The 'promise' was probably broken when I was enchanted. When the castle was enchanted. He was a prince, the only heir to his kingdom. Would he wait that long? Would he wait a hundred years? He won't...
A single tear rolls down my heated cheeks. I whisper his name, then 'I love you'.
"The prince will be here by tomorrow's dawn," the brambles whisper.
"Tear him, tear him..." I say to the brambles. "Rip him." I am frightened. Never have anyone come so close to rescuing me. "Please."
At night, I await his flesh to come before me. The brambles slither in with patches of cloth. But there is no flesh. The last vines to come in are hacked, and torned. "No..." I whisper and back away. "Kill him! Kill him!" I shriek and fall onto my bed, weakened.
I close my eyes, wishing the hacking of the brambles, the forests away.
"Thud, thud," the hacking goes on. Oh wretched me! I would rather die than be rescued. I go to the window. He is now beneath me, where he will rest for the night. The vines crawl towards him. But they shrink within visible sight. I see a glow in front of him. The fairy.
She is protecting him. I loath her with all my heart. I close my eyes as I lie on my bed. I will kill him myself.
At dawn he enters my room. He touches my face. I wish I could open my eyes right at the moment and kill him. I wish I could open my eyes. The brambles shiver, but they do not dare to harm one who is under the fairy's protection.
"Princess Aurora, at last I found you," he says. I feel him coming closer to me. He kisses me on the forehead. Then on the cheeks. "Why are you crying?" he asks. I realise tears have wet my cheeks again.
He kisses my tears away, and then he kisses me softly on the lips.
"Please wake," he pleads.
I refuse to open my eyes. I do not want to see him. But I know I could open my eyes now. The breeze enters my windows. The brambles are gone. The forest is gone. And the rest of the enchanted castle awakes.
Yet I refuse.
"Open your eyes. I...I won't force you to marry me," he says. "I promise if you open your eyes. Just once. Just...acknowledge my presence."
"Good," I whisper. "Because I love..." I open my eyes. I see brown eyes looking down at me. Brown familiar eyes. A familiar face. There are tears in his eyes. These tears fall into my eyes. I blink them away.
"Aurora? It's me." It is him. He is the one I love.
"How?" I ask.
"I surrendered all my kingdom and lands. My titles. I surrendered to find the fairy who keeps you so safely these years. I found her and I worked for her in return that she keeps me living long enough to find you. To keep my promise." He squeezes my hand. "Do you still love me?"
"All these years," I whispered and cried. "All these years."