A Princess and A Zombie (A Z-O-M-B-I-E-S and Descendants AU)

Ch. 25

Tears were still running down her cheeks when she entered the house.

Lumiere rushed up to her, "Your majesty, what happened? What did he-"

"It wasn't him, it was me." She wiped at the tears on her cheeks, "I just need some time alone."

"But Miss-" But she had already ran up the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

Aurelia looked around her room, her eyes landing on her desk.

A picture of her, Eliza, Zed, and Bonzo sat to the side. An apple carved into a rose sat next to it, a gift from Bonzo.

Her eyes lingered on the photo, more so, on Zed.

"A million thoughts in my head, should I let my heart keep listening?" She strode up to the photo, picking it up, "Cause up 'til now, I've walked the line, nothing lost but something missing."

"I can't decide- What's wrong, what's right," She set the photo back down, "Which way should I go?"

"If only I knew what my heart was telling me," She ran a hand over the decorative box Zed had given her, a sad smile on her face, "Don't know what I'm feeling- Is this just a dream?"

"If only I could read the signs in front of me," She made her way over to the enchanted mirror, "I could find the way to who I'm meant to be." She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers brushing against the enchanted ribbon as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"If only, If only."

"Every step, every word" She turned away from the mirror, "With every hour I am falling in."

"To something new, something brave" She eyed the photo once more, "To someone I, I have never been."

"I can't decide- What's wrong, what's right," She glanced out her window, "Which way should I go?"

"If only I knew what my heart was telling me," She let out a shaky breath, "Don't know what I'm feeling, Is this just a dream?"

"If only I could read the signs in front of me," Her fingers traced the design on the decorative box, "I could find the way to who I'm meant to be, if only."

"Am I crazy? Maybe we could happen," She glanced back at the mirror, touching the ribbon once more. "Will you still be with me when the magic's all run out?"

"If only I knew what my heart was telling me," She traced the design of the decorative box, making the lid shift slightly, "Don't know what I'm feeling- Is this just a dream?"

"If only I could read the signs in front of me," She lifted the lid, something she hadnt done when she received the gift, "I could find the way to who I'm meant to be."

"If only, If only."

Inside the decorative box laid a hair pin with a dead rose pinned to it.

A sad smiled crept onto her face as she looked at it, her fingers gently tracing over the delicate petals. The rose, despite being dead, held a certain beauty and grace, a silent testament to a moment frozen in time.

Aurelia's heart ached as she picked up the hairpin, memories flooding back to her. She remembered the day Zed had given her the box, the look in his eyes as he handed it to her, full of hope and affection. She had been so overwhelmed at the time, unsure of how to handle his feelings or her own.

Now, holding the rose in her hands, she felt a deep sense of regret and longing. She had pushed Zed away, scared of her own feelings and the complications that came with them. But in doing so, she realized she had also pushed away a chance at happiness, at something real and genuine.

The tears that had stopped started to flow once again as she sank onto her bed, the hairpin clutched tightly in her hand. She felt lost, torn between her duty and her heart. She knew she had responsibilities, secrets that she needed to keep, but she also knew that she couldn't stop her heart from wanting what it wanted.