1. Rose Quartz

08. past, present and future

Aurora furrowed her brows. "A jewel-I swear on the stars, if he buys me diamonds or something, he will never hear the end of it."

"Well, I think you would look nice with some diamonds, personally."

"Well, I do not."

"At least take a look. He doesn't need you to select any. Just... be there." He shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugging slightly. "Sometimes that makes more of a difference than anything."

"You're right. It does," she said thoughtfully. "Thank you for being there for me." She pulled him into a hug, gentler than all of hers usually were, and by the time he was able to hug back with a scowl at her words, she'd pulled away. "I'm supposed to have minimal physical contact. Sorry. Madam Eilidh's orders."

His eyes widened. "You wouldn't want to piss off her."

"Actually, I sort of do." He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm a little curious to see what'll happen if I do," she said. "Legend has it only the Queen has ever been able to." There was an odd glint in his eyes at the mention of her. "Okay, enough with the talking. We'll continue this downstairs. You need to help me get there first."

"Anything for the birthday girl," he said with a smile as he held out his arm.

She took it, stepping out and continuing down the hall. She could hear the guards closing and locking her chambers even from the slowly increasing distance they'd put between them and the sleeping quarters.

"Where's Dawn?" she asked.

"Definitely not planning anything," he said.

Aurora looked at Dusk and smiled, but there was a bit of cheekiness to it he could make out. Her eyes gave her away-they always did.

"You're a horrible liar," she said. "And also, that was a very blatant lie."

"Maybe because she told me not to tell you but I don't really care what she wants me to do because I love her but she's not ever ordering me around when it comes to your birthday. Dawn is a hectic planner with special events."

"Oh, I'm aware. I still remember your sixteenth birthday party. I am still deathly afraid of her planning skills to this day."

"We all are."

Aurora smiled, holding onto his arm with her second, her left hand clasped over his bicep.

"Thank you for coming today," she said. "Or at all. You didn't have to come with your family but you did, and you also went out of your way to get ready for this party of mine. It means a lot to me."

"Stop it. You don't ever need to thank me for that, Aurora-or anything. I'll always be there. It isn't some burden, like you're somehow making it sound."

"Cross your heart?" She stuck out her pinky.

He smiled, intertwining his with hers. "Cross my heart."

They smiled at each other.

"There you are," King Ace said as he appeared in front of them at the end of the hallway. "I want you to see your uncle and aunt before the jeweller, so hurry up, please. We are on a tight schedule today and we cannot afford to fall behind; not today."

Aurora's eyes widened with joyous anticipation. "Uncle Elio and Aunt Aylin are here?"

He smiled. "Do you really think they could miss your eighteenth birthday?" She beamed. "Come on."