After

Part 1

I gasp awake to a sharp pain in my arm, looking down to see a long scratch marring my forearm, droplets of blood beginning to form. My head spins from sitting up so suddenly, and I feel myself swaying as I lean my head in my hands. I can feel the rivulet of blood running down to my elbow and dripping onto the ground below.

drip

drip

drip

I frown at the sound, so quiet I can barely hear it, so quiet I shouldn't be able to hear it. I struggle to my feet and nearly immediately fall over again in shock. My kingdom, the place I grew up, my life, is covered in thorns. Rapidly growing thorns.

And everything is silent.

No birds are chirping, no clip clop of horse hooves on the cobbled street, no smell of freshly backing bread, or the hustle and bustle of the market. Dead silent. I stumble down the main street, tripping over my own feet as I stare in horror at what has become of my home.

The thorns strain houses and hang from roofs, some still spreading to the outskirts of the kingdom. I jump over a particularly large stem and keep walking, away from the farms and towards the richer part of the kingdom. The houses become larger; the once beautiful gardens being ripped to shreds by the vicious thorns. My feet take me well past any place I've been before, to a huge pair of wrought iron gates. To my surprise, they're cracked open, the thorn bushes spilling out as though they came from the building behind the gate. And, for the first time in all of my sixteen years of living, I slip inside the palace gardens.

I'm not old enough to remember the princess' christening, or the events that unfolded there. The king has always tried to keep it hush hush, but dad always found a way around that rule. He would tell me the story at bedtime, about the evil fairy that cursed princess Aurora, and how the entire kingdom fell asleep with her. He would act out the brave prince, fighting through thick and thin to get to the fair princess on the other side of the castle walls. We never knew it was going to happen.

I find myself telling the story in my head as I walk through the silent palace. The tale resounds in my head as my footsteps echo off the high domed ceiling, making a harsh clicking noise against the tiled floor. I see guards fast asleep, leaning o each other, helmets hanging off their heads. I can see sleeping servants, still for once in their lives instead of bustling around. The king and queen are slumped over in their thrones, their crown have fallen off and onto the floor. A devilish idea springs into my mind, and I sneak towards the throne. Everyone is asleep right? I can do whatever I want! I grab the king's crown and slip it onto my head. It falls over my eyes and I giggle, the sound losing itself in the enormity of the castle. I prance around the ballroom, imagining the huge space full of coloured gown and swishing fabric, music swelling in the air. I am broken out if my trance by the king shuffling in his sleep, and I immediately feel guilty, placing his crown back where I found it and sprinting out of the room as fast as I can.

Panic begins to set in. Everyone in the kingdom is asleep, my mum, my dad, the king, the queen, the princess.

Oh.

Oh.

The princess.

I race around the castle, dodging around rogue thorns and sleeping guards and servants. I slam open doors, scanning each room briefly before moving onto the next one. Higher and higher I climb, racing through abandoned halls and empty staircases. I run until I'm choking on my breath and tears stream down my face. As I reach the top of a small spiral staircase, my legs give out under me, and I fall against a small wooden door. It clicks open under the impact, and I tumble into a small round room.

I slowly stand up, shaking, my heart beating like a rabbits in my ears. I stumble forward, hope swelling in my chest as I see what's in the room. A large bed, covered by a silky white canopy, takes pride of place.

And on it?

Princess Aurora.

I can fix this. I can fix all of this. I just need to find a prince, right?

Suddenly, the sharp sound of hurried footsteps breaks the sleepy silence. My eyes widen and I duck behind the bed as the door to the room slams shut. I'm trapped. My heart rate picks up again as I peer at the newcomer, a young woman dressed entirely in black. She seems to be in a panic, shaking her head and mumbling the same word under her breathe, over and over again.

"No. No. No, no, no."

She whirls around...

And locks eyes with me.

Brown meets black.

She runs at me, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Who are you? Who are you?"

She looks almost demonic, and my words choke in my throat.

"Am-Amy."

I manage to stutter out, terrified as she grips me tighter.

"Why are you awake? How are you awake? What did you di to the princess?"

"I didn't do anything!"

I manage to gasp, as her fingers cut into my skin. She breathes out and drops me, looking back over at the princess.

"I'm so sorry."

She says it to herself more than me. I watch in wonder as she walks over to the bed, brushing the princess's hair out of her eyes.

"I'm so, so, sorry."

The strange lady turns back to me.

"I only meant for her to fall asleep."

She whispers, tears filling her eyes.

And then I realise.

The princess is dead.

And this is the witch who killed her.

Oh.

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