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Rosemary Pov : 1500 years ago

“Princess , are you ready?” I hear a tender gentle voice cruelly awakening me from my own blissful thoughts. Upon opening my eyes , I see the once misty room clear from any steam. The beautiful stained-glass windows are smeared with crystal like droplets of water , my eyes stare at a particular one. It catches my eyes , as the sunray reflect upon it – I watch as it slowly slides down the window , my eyes following it’s every movement.

I love the way it goes in any direction that it pleases – the way it freely makes it’s own choice. I have so much admiration for it as it follows no one , it does not take orders , it does not have to dress or act in a certain way and most definitely , it does not have to attend this stupid party! I am so caught up in envying this tiny lifeless droplet that I do not acknowledge my best friend , who is also the royal maid/servant walk in.

“Are you still in the bath?!” she whispers yells at me. Almost instantly , I bring my eyes to her. Her brown hair is neatly combed back into a small low bun , her face glows even though she wears little to no make up , her uniform is neat without a speck of dirt or crease – this always surprises me as  her job revolves around cleaning. I watch her as she raves on about something , while I am still lost in thought.

“Rosemary!!” she says snapping her fingers in front of my face. Almost instantly , I feel my senses coming back…to their senses.

“Hmmm?” I sound , looking to her in utter confusion.

“You have not been listening to a word I’ve said,” she shakes her head and places her hand on her forehead , “ nevermind that now , I need to start getting you ready!”. I can not help but shiver – however the icy cold water that I sit in is not the cause , it is the realization that today is the day of the party.

“Come on , get up..” Natalie askes me to do so very gently. I am reluctant to do so at first , but realize that she has seen me nude for years. Natalie and I , have been the best of friends since we were 5. Her mom was my mom’s private maid , but after my mom died and I got a bit older – Natalie took the place of her mom. I prefer having her as my private maid as she knows me so well , I am comfortable with her.

I stand up from my bath , I suck in a breath as the air hits against my wet flesh. Luckily , before I can complain , Natalie wraps a white warm towel around my body and helps me out of the bath. I cave into the warmth of the towel , it gives me the feeling of utter bliss for a few seconds. Upon entering my room , my breath is blown away as I look at the white garment laid on my bed. It is absolutely perfect! Unlike the other dresses I’ve worn , this one is simple yet eye catching. I have not been one for dressing fancy , therefore this is so much appealing than the dresses I used before. After wiping myself off , I watch as Natalie rushes around trying to find everything I need. When coming back to me with everything she needs to get me ready , she rolls her eyes at me as she catches me giggling at her.  

“Are you excited?” she asks me a question , which quietens my little giggles.

“Not really…” I admit looking at the soft white fabric around me.

“Why not?” she questions with a voice laced with disbelief. I just shrug my shoulders , not finding the need to explain. She just smiles at me – this is why I love her , she knows when to let me be , how to talk to me , she understands that I have the personality of a child. I am goofy , I get gigglish and I throw tantrums. If my tantrums do not work , I play the silent game – pretty childish right?

Why am I playing the silent game now?...Because I do not want to go to my father’s birthday party. Do not misunderstand me , I love my father ; however , his birthday parties are always about setting me up for marriage. The previous year , he almost wed me to a 35 year old when I am 23 years. Luckily , I avoided that and here I am today – dreading to meet all the new faces.

“Fuck!” I hear Natalie curses under her breath and starts working twice as fast. Only when I concentrate hard do I realize why she is rushing – in the distance , I hear my dad’s voice blaring from the castles ballroom. It means that the party has begun and I am late – good! I told him I did not want to go , so being late did not bother me at all.

“All…done” Natalie says after what seems like hours. She steps away from me , taking a few steps back. I watch her tilt her head to the side a bit , as she admires her masterpiece. A wide smile appears upon her face , and she claps her hands together bringing it to her chest.

“You looking so beautiful love” she says , with endearment laced in her voice. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears , to which I roll my eyes to.

“The way you are acting , is as if I am getting married..” I roll my eyes at her playfully.

“ Who knows , maybe you will find a dashing prince here today” she playfully winks at me , and I click my tongue in irritation. I turn around to face the giant mirror that my father had ordered be placed in my room , and I gasp. The gown fits me perfectly , even better than I had expected. I can not help but twirl in front of the mirror , and watch as the dress beautifully sets in place again. I marvel at the golden branches that were skillfully sown on the gown , I adore the simplicity of the upper part of it ; it is an off shoulder dress that perfectly falls on me.

“Told you , that you look beautiful” I hear Natalie saying from the other side of the room.

“Now wait here , I need to get something that will add a great finishing touch to you..” she says exiting the room. I still hear my fathers voice in the distance , and my blood boils at the thought of him scouting the hall while looking for a perfect suitor for me.

To calm myself down , I do what I always do to calm me down. I slowly walk to the big glass – stained door opposite to my room door. As I near it , I feel the suns warmth trying to fight their way through the glass – stained door.

Don’t

A voice echoes in my head ; a warning but I took no notice to it – I needed the warmth. Taking hold of the door handles , I forcefully push the door open and instantly the sun rays comes charging in. I just stand there with my eyes shut , embracing the warmth and the peace it gives me. I loudly exhale feeling my nervousness and anger melt away.

I open my eyes and relish the the view that I see – the royal garden. It is truly one of my favorite places to be in or look at. It is like a maze , a maze that is easy to exit but if you truly want to you would be able to get lost in it forever. I spent most of my time there , walking around , planting , bird watching… it takes me to another place , a place where I am free to do what ever I want to do. I walk to the end of the balcony and I feel the warm breeze blow through my hair ; the feeling of freedom is intoxicating.   

I gently place my cold hands on the balcony railing , and instantly I feel the heat from it rush through my hands. It’s heat warms my body , ultimately killing of any traces of anxiety that I once had. I was just getting lost in this amazing moment , when something pulls me out of my dream land. A muffled scream erupts from the garden just below me ; an eerie feeling fills my heart. A few seconds later , a bunch of birds lift up into the air and take flight – escaping what ever or whom ever that has scared them. My eyes scan the maze like garden , looking for the source of that muffled noise.

While looking , another noise erupts from the garden but I can not quite put my finger on it as it is very low. The noise is of that of a man and woman ; the man’s voice is more audio able as the sounds he makes makes it clear that he is a man , however , the woman is camouflaged  by a wet sloppy noise. This is quite intriguing and I just keep searching for the source , however I am unable to locate it. With no luck , I give up and rest my elbows on the railing ; my chin rests on my hands. I try to ignore my curiosity , but with no such luck.

Suddenly…I felt the need to cover up. Though my dress was not revealing , I had a deep desire to cover up or hide away. I felt somebodies stare burn every inch of my exposed skin – I could feel my face reddening by this. I stand up taller , pulling my hands away from the railing. My eyes begin to scan around , looking for the person who is giving me this uneasy feeling – but without any luck , I find no one. The stares become so intense that I just start looking to my shoes , to afraid to find this person. Even if I were to find the person , I would not want to make any interaction with them. I want this feeling to end , it does not feel right. The burn from their stares travel from my cheeks , to my arms all the way to my breasts ; this makes me wrap my arms around myself giving myself a tight embrace. I start backing up from the balcony ; with every step I take backwards , I feel safer. However , I know this makes the looker angry as I feel hatred directed to me now.

Finally entering my room once again , I quickly shut my balcony door shut – almost instantly I feel myself relaxing. I am safe ; I am hidden from preying eyes.

“I’m back…” Natalie sings as she enters my room again. I slightly jump at her sudden reappearance. When her eyes land on me , I watch as her smile fades into an expression of worry.

“Are you okay?...You look like you have seen a ghost..” she asks worriedly , as she walks over to me. She places a hand on my shoulder , giving me some comfort.

“Yeah…I – I just got this weird feeling..” I say , relaxing under her touch. I offer her a smile , so that she does not have to worry about me. She looks at me for a while , and I see on her face that she is trying to convince herself that I am fine. She then breaks out in a smile and lifts something near my face. My concentration lands on it and I can not help but gasp at it’s majesty.

“That’s my - …” I say in disbelief. In front of me , is a beautiful gem necklace. It is small and dainty , but it is worth more than anything in this world. I have so much memories of this necklace , I remember it dangling from my mothers neck as she rocked me to sleep in her arms.

“…How do you have it?” I ask her with awe.

“Your dad… I can not tell you ; he wants to tell you himself” she says while putting the chain around my neck. I feel it’s cold glaucous pendent touch my skin , and it send shivers down my spine.

“Now…let’s get you to the ball..” she says to me , giving me her famous pearly smile.