Rain Sonnett Chapter 1

Chapter 11

Aurora woke up, drenched in sweat. Somebody was screaming, and she didn’t realize it was her until her throat was raw. Even after that it took a moment to calm down enough to stop. Her heart still hurt from where Madam Boulstrang stabbed the knife of Safire into her. She lay there a moment, trying to calm herself with deep breaths. It wasn’t working. Aurora sighed and got out of bed, where she glided over to the mirror. She looked at her reflection, shocked, until she realized that the woman with snow white hair was her.2

Yes, hair white as snow from fear… she thought it amazing too. Ever since she was 3, her mother began to see a change in Aurora’s hair. It would grow really long in a few weeks, then not any longer for months at a time. After that, there was a subtle difference in color. At first, when she was mad, there seemed to be a red tinge to it. When she was surprised, pink. The difference became more pronounced as Aurora grew. Now, her hair would change drastically when she would change moods, but she was able to change it back to her normal hair color. Which was what she was trying to do now. 3

As she thought her calming thoughts-the moon, the stars, the sea,-she watched as her hair turned slowly from white to gray to slate to her normal navy blue. 4

After her reflection was back to normal, Aurora continued to study it for a while longer. She had ice blue eyes, straight dark blue hair that was almost black, that went down to her waist. she also had very pale skin, and pronounced cheekbones. Behind her, there was the shimmer of her wings. They were a special color, a color that had only been seen once before, long ago. They were the color of the Northern Lights. That was where she had gotten her name. From the Aurora borealis. The other fairy was named Aurora also. 5

Suddenly a woman came bursting through the door, and Aurora’s hair immediately turned a bright bubble gum pink in surprise.6

The intruder was wearing a light blue gown, long sleeved and to the floor, trimmed with fur. Her hair was relatively short, down to her shoulders or so, and a nice soft lavender. Her wings were an icy color, meaning royalty of the ice fairies, but you could still see the memory of her previous color, lavender. On her head was a crown of the purest silver, with an aquamarine stone in the middle, and sprinkled with little diamonds.7

“Halki, mother,” aurora said absently, dipping her head at the queen and busy turning her hair blue again. 8

“Oh, so sorry dear. I just heard screaming, and I thought you might need some help. The guards outside said no one had come in, but there’s still a chance they might use the window and—“9

“No that was me. I had the dream again.”10

“Again? It’s getting worse and worse. Maybe we should call—“11

“Mom, don’t worry. It’s just a dream. Besides, the dream isn’t that bad.” Actually it was that bad. Aurora had not told anyone any details about her nightmares. They were happening almost every night now. They were also getting more vivid every night. They weren’t dreams anymore, they were... visions.12

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She knew her hair was turning an orange color in confusion, and her mother was getting worried. “Can you leave now? I want to get dressed.”13

“Alright. Be down in the dining hall in 20 minutes for breakfast.” Queen Icethia said on her way out the door. 14

Aurora sighed. She knew her mother was right. Her powers were getting more unpredictable each year. What if she was looking into the future in her dreams?15

“Don’t be silly,” she muttered to herself. She looked past her bedchamber, nodding in satisfaction. She liked this room. It suited her greatly. She had a king sized bed, with silver bedcovers, and a cherry wood frame. It hung from the ceiling, so it swayed when you move. There was a full length body mirror, a gorgeous cherry wood dresser, a few bookshelves stuffed full of books and scrolls, and a window seat, perfect for reading on. Out the door where queen Icethia came through was a little sitting room, with a door that led to her enormous bathroom. On the opposite side of the room, there was a door leading to Aurora’s closet. This was where she headed now.16

The closet was huge. It had at least 300 outfits, all of differing colors and design, with matching gloves. She hated this. She had no idea why royalty had to have so many clothes. She chose a simple one, dark green, that went down to her knees and had no sleeves. She pulled on matching gloves that went up to her elbows. These were like a second skin to her; they didn’t bother her at all. As she came back into her room, the maid was already making the bed.17

“Oh, halki, Beth,” using the word in her language that meant hello. Beth was a kind, round woman with yellow eyes and bee wings. Like all servants, she was wearing a yellow and black apron, and a black dress. She also had black skin and hair. 18

“Good morning, princess Aurora,” Beth answered briskly, changing the silver sheets and pouring water in the washstand. “You’d better wash up quickly; the water is almost cold already. it didn’t heat completely.”19

Aurora went over to the washstand and dipped her hands in the water, and quickly washed her face. Beth was right: the water was cold. It also left her gloves drenched with freezing water. She leaned over and put her hands up to her face and breathed on them. Where her breath touched her gloves, they warmed and dried. Aurora smiled.20

“I told you to call me Aurora, without the princess,” she told Beth. 21

“Ah, but to me you are always a princess, and to the whole kingdom too.” Beth answered, now putting the sheets in the chute. “Besides, it’s my job to clean up after you, and that’s what I've been doing for 15 years.”22

“I'm sixteen,” aurora pointed out.23

“I took over when you were a year old.” She smiled. “And that’s how I will do it until the day I die. Oh, and you need to go down to breakfast.”24

“Thank you Beth,” Aurora said, knowing she was defeated. She left the room, deciding to take her favorite way, just to distract her. 25

She flew down the hallway at top speed, avoiding the servants and other inhabitants of the castle, until she suddenly took a left and flew behind a tapestry. Behind it was a deserted hallway, with stairs and a banister on one side. Aurora landed carefully on the banister, and looked down. It was at least a hundred foot drop. ‘This’, she thought, ‘is my favorite part.’26

And then she was diving, plummeting through the air, folding in her wings so that she was a bullet, falling too fast to stop before she hit the floor. As the ground came closer, she closed her eyes. 27

Just as Aurora was supposed to connect with the ice floor, she dove through it. The sensation was amazing, like falling through water, only you didn’t get wet. As she came out, she saw that she was in the right place; the Ice Flower Garden. Perfect. Now all she had to do was fly a little ways longer and she could enter straight into the dining hall.28

As Aurora glided along the path, her wings suddenly gave way, and she fell. Luckily she was able to land on her hands and feet. Better take it easy, she thought. Aurora walked along for a while, but soon her feet were cold from the walking along the ice. 29

Finally Aurora came to the end of the path, and just before the path ended there was a bench. She sat down, taking a crown from a pouch she always kept at her hip. She looked at the she looked at the silver crown; it had a very thin silver band, but she loved it. She looked at the special ice stone, which was still purple from the outfit she wore yesterday. She passed her gloved hand over it, lightly brushing the surface, and it immediately turned the exact shade of green. Some people asked her if she had matching crowns for every outfit; she just told them only one with a special ice stone. 30

Then she reached up and put the crown in place. After it was on, Aurora stood up and went to breakfast.31

After breakfast, Aurora’s day went the same as usual. She went about, doing the court with her mother and father, lessons, lunch, and now to more lessons. First, she had magic. Today she had learned how to conjure a snowstorm. It wasn’t very hard, but it took a lot of practice to learn how to control it. She left the magic room with snow in her hair and giggling at what had happened.32

“Do you like the snow, princess? Because today we are going to learn how to control it.” Says Mr. Aloun, the magic instructor.33

“I love the snow! I just can't wait to control it.” I say, always to eager when it comes to magic. I focused and tell the imaginary snow to become real.34

“Good. Now let the snow come through you and out your fingertips. Excellent!”35

I can feel the snow, the power, coming out of my fingertips. Its cold, but I don’t care. The power is surging through me now, like little electric jolts running through my system. I can hear Mr. Aloun saying something, but the sudden wind in the room makes it so I can't hear.36

Then suddenly the winds calm, the snow settles. I look over in surprise at Mr. Aloun, his face turning red and contorted in an expression that can only be intense concentration, as he puts his arms down. With his arms settles the snow and wind. All is calm.37

“Well, that gave me quite a workout, my little pixie,” he says, “next time please keeps it below blizzard level.” 38

I look up, expecting to see a stern face, and seeing his long black robes drenched with melted snow, his black hair and dark skin wet, his face smiling, and his yellow eyes laughing.39

“Sorry,” I say, trying not to laugh, and failing miserably. “I was having too much fun!” 40

And now we laugh until we cry.41

Aurora giggled again as she headed to her next lesson. It wasn’t as fun as her magic lesson, or her occasional Flight Lessons (everybody had to have them), but she still liked her History Lessons.42

As she came in, Mr. Aloun was already there and waiting for her. The classroom was different now. There was a solitary desk, made of maple, and it had a stack of books and papers on the top. Aurora went to sit there. Mr. Aloun began at once.43

“As you know, we have many servants on the castle. All of them look like me.” He gestured toward his bumblebee wings, his dark hair, and his dark skin. “But before you were born, we had much less freedom.44

“We were once a great civilization. Just south of the artic. We were well suited for any weather, and very hardworking, too. Then your great-great-great grandfather decided that we were too big of a threat. So he led his army against us.45

“We fought valiantly, and oh, it was a glorious battle!” his eyes lit up with the stories and the mere memories of it. “There were many losses on both sides, but the Bumbelians were winning. Then your ancestor, King Starmont, led his enchanters against us. We had never seen magic before, and it frightened us. Our armies scattered, and soon we had no choice but to surrender. 46

“The Bumbelians were in slavery for about 200 years, until your grandfather came into power. He didn’t want slaves. He felt it was wrong to keep someone somewhere against their will. So he let all the slaves free.47

“There was quite an uproar. The people didn’t want to have to give up slaves. But no one ever dared rise up before the king, so all the slaves were released. Then a strange thing happened. After a few months the Bumbelians came back, begging to be put back into slavery. They didn’t know what to do and didn’t know how to do anything but attend to people. So your grandfather decided to hire any Bumbelian as a servant. They could do what they knew how to do, and they would get paid for it. Many came back to the castle, but those who worked for the middle class went off to universities and now are treated as equals. So, tomorrow, you will have a quiz on…” 48

Aurora noticed that every time Mr. Aloun--or anybody, for that matter--said her grandfather’s name, they said it with the utmost gratitude. She thought of how she would be remembered. Maybe she would be like King Starmont, and be remembered with distaste, or her grandfather, who was remembered with respect and gratitude.49

She remembered his funeral, nine years ago now. Everybody in the whole dynasty was there. All had heads bowed, tears streaming down their faces. He had died in battle, in of the many with the Fire Fairies. She remembered when he was alive, the stories he used to tell of the old days. She thought them silly at the time, but now she realized how important to her future they were. 50

Aurora left the classroom and headed for dinner. But before she knew it she was in the Ice Flower Garden. Strange. As she floated along, the wind picked up. She hurried now, eager to be in the warmth of the dining hall, but she suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground. The wind was getting too strong for flight. She decided to sit on a bench for a moment.51

When it became apparent that the wind wasn’t going to die down any time soon, she decided to hurry and get inside. Then, three things happened at exactly the same time. The wind blew a really hard gust of wind that blew her forward, the floor fell away so that she was floating over a hole, and guards jumped out of nowhere. And then she fell.52

As Aurora was plummeting downwards, she realized that she was a scrawny, brown-haired girl, with no wings, and no powers. Aurora fell, not to the hall, where she was expecting, but to an oddly familiar peaked room. She was kneeling, and she could not stop herself from shaking.53

Suddenly the door opened, and an old woman came in, this time flanked with about 20 guards. Each guard had a stocky, muscular build, with tunics and swords. They had leather armbands and deep blue cloaks that were almost black, and you could see their wings jutting out from them. The wings were leathery, bat-like and stronger built than those of women.54

“Good morning, Madam Boulstrang,” Aurora found herself saying, though her voice was fearful.55

“Well, it would seem that way, wouldn’t it? And yet—“56

“Madam Boulstrang,” interrupted a gravely voice, impatient, “but I thought we were going to be quick?”57

“Well, wait a minute.” Madam Boulstrang said, “Just let me finish this first. She needs to know what we’re doing.”58

“Oh, I know what you're going to do,” Aurora said, her voice sounding braver than she felt. “You’re going to take the knife of Safire, strip me of my magic, and banish me to live with the humans.”59

“no, actually. you won't live with the humans. In fact, you won't live at all. I've decided to grant your wish. But before we begin, I wanted to show you something.” The guard stepped forward, catching Aurora’s attention. “It’s very interesting.” He laughed.60

The guards parted, and Aurora saw Beth, held between two guards.61

“Beth!”62

At the sound of her voice, Beth looked up. “Aurora?” she asked.63

Aurora tried to run to her maid, but two guards stepped forward, grabbing her and pulling her back. She noticed with distaste that on of those guards was the one who had spoken to her.64

“Aurora?” Beth looked horrible; she had surely been tortured. “Are you ok?” her voice sounded worried now.65

I'm fin—“ but the rest of her sentence was halted by a guard gagging her and shaking her by the shoulders. 66

“Just thought you might want to see this, before we—“67

“Tom, stop gloating and do it already,” Madam Boulstrang interrupted sharply, as if she wasn’t exactly approving of the idea. 68

“With pleasure,” Tom said, showing a toothy grin and brandishing his sword.69

Before she could say anything, if she could, Tom thrust his sword into Beth’s heart. As she fell to the ground, the guards laughed, and the chancellor sighed. Tom then turned on Aurora. She suddenly felt very cold on one side, and Tom advanced on her, showing his toothy grin. 70

Abruptly his wings shot him upward, then folded, sending him pelting towards Aurora, who was frozen with fear. “If its death you want, then it’s death you'll get!” he yelled.71

At the exact moment that Tom’s sword met Aurora’s skin, she woke up staring at Beth’s worried face and the Northern sky.72

“Just a dream then.” she said weakly, and then all was black.73

Aurora woke up form the blackness, to find Tom standing over her, looking worried.74

“You!” she gasped, trying to get away from him, but her arms and legs felt like led.75

“Shhhh, princess! You'll have me thrown out!” his voice didn’t sound hard and gravelly, but soft and gentle. Aurora relaxed a little. “There,” he said, showing a set of perfect, straight teeth. She relaxed even more. 76

“Where am I? How did I get here? Why are you here?” her head was spinning, and the questions were all coming out in a rush now. “Where are my parents? Where’s Beth?”77

“We are in the infirmary, because you fainted and hit your head on the ice, and you went onto shock from your dream.” He said simply. “I am here to watch over you, although they gave you something for the pain that would give you a dreamless sleep. I carried you here when Beth couldn’t hold you up anymore. Not that your fat or anything,” he added, “It’s just that she was in too much trauma, so I offered to help. Not that I would know how your body is, it’s just… well that—“ he was babbling now; Aurora thought it was really funny.78

“Ok, I get it. Now where’s Beth?” she said, stifling a giggle.79

“Um, I don’t know. Why, do you need her? Can't survive without your maid?” he asked, teasing now.80

“Just go get her. Please? And my parents too.”81

Tom left, doing what she asked. A few minutes later he returned, with Beth and the King and Queen following closely behind.82

“What is it darling?” Queen Icethia asked immediately, rushing over to her daughter’s bedside. The rest of the audience followed.83

“Mom, I need to tell you something. All of you.” And then she dived into the dream, watching four faces get steadily more worried. As soon as she was finished, she looked back and forth between the shocked faces. Her worried mother, her sympathetic and understanding maid, her stony faced father, but when she looked at Tom, he didn’t look worried at all. In fact, he seemed to be thinking of something completely different.84

Finally Queen Icethia broke the silence. “You mean we died? To save you?” she said incredulously. 85

“Icethia, I'm sure it was just a dream,” 86

“But George, this is our daughter. She has powers that none of us have discovered. Why, she can almost change her hair color at will. Show him, baby.”87

Aurora, with some effort, slowly changed her hair from blue to red.88

“She can also change her eye color.” Queen Icethia continued, clearly distraught, “I've noticed that they change colors, depending on what she’s thinking. Although I don’t know that she’s noticed.89

“You’re right, mom, I haven’t noticed,” Aurora said, feeling astonished about her eyes but also about the fact that her parents might actually die to save her. Save her from what?90

“How about lunch?” Tom asked suddenly, obviously to change the subject.91

“Lunch? How long have I been asleep?”92

“Um, a long—“started King George.93

“About 3 days, dear,” queen Icethia interrupted, “you must be so hungry.”94

Until then, Aurora didn’t realize that she was ravenous. “Yeah, I am,” she said, starting to get up. “I could eat a polar bear!”95

“Well, darling, you have to stay in bed.” King George said gently, pushing Aurora back down on the pillows. She reluctantly agreed. 96

And in bed she stayed, with no dreams, for the rest of the week.97