The Dying Rose (Completed)

Chapter 15: Stargazing

"Of course, Belle," he whispered in response, eyes closed.

I swallowed. "Well, now I have a story to tell you, if you'll hear it. You told me you didn't know anything about me, besides that I had two sisters?"

He nodded.

"Would you like to know more?"

He turned his face towards me. "I'm listening." Then he returned to the position he had been in before.

"Once Upon a Time, a long, long time ago, there lived a little girl. She was skinny, with long brown hair, and knobby knees. And yet, she was her parent's little princess. She always did what they asked, was quiet, and never fought with her two little sisters. Because she was so good, her parents often indulged in her, so she grew up very privileged. Her father, who was a merchant, would always let her pick what she wanted from his wares before her sisters. I suppose most people would have called her spoiled. And yet, these privileges never went to her little head. She let her little sisters play with her fine china dolls, even though they had their own. She let them wear her dresses, even when she knew that they'd spoil the fine fabrics. She had a temper, but only showed it to defend other children, in particular her sisters, from bullies. And, because of her kind heart, her parents adored her even more.

But, no fairytale lasts forever, and hers was no exception. When she was eleven years old, her life was changed forever. One of her father's ships was lost at sea, carrying a full load of cargo. The company he supplied demanded its money back, and he had no choice but to comply. The family was left destitute. Together with his wife, they decided to sell their home. They moved to a smaller house in the city, but the father couldn't get his business back on its feet. Soon, he was forced to sell it too. His new job, as a legal scribe, wasn't making ends meet. The mother, fearing poverty for her children, secretly sold the summer home that her father, a lesser duke, had given her as a wedding gift. She put the money safely away in a box with her jewels. However, she didn't have to use it. She found a job with a healer, tending to the sick. As her mother had taught the little princess to read, it became her duty to continue teaching her sisters, and to cook and clean during the day. And for a very brief time, things were alright again.

But tragedy wasn't through with the family. Soon, the girl's mother began to feel tired. Whenever she got home from the hospital, it was all she could do to fall into bed. And then came the fever, and the cough. The princess called for the doctor, but he said that there was nothing that could be done. She had gotten something from a patient, something incurable. Soon she began to cough up blood, massive amounts of blood- and it fell to the little princess to wipe the blood from her mother's mouth. She tended to her without complaint, and stood by her mother's side as she- as she-"

The words choked off in my throat. Wet, hot tears streamed down my face, filling my eyes so quickly that I couldn't see. I began to shake, as audible sobs racked my body.

Galien lifted his head from my lap. His blue-green eyes blazed with concern.

"Shhh, Belle. It's alright, I've got you," he whispered as he pulled me from the chair to the floor beside him.

His thumb gently brushed underneath each of my eyes, wiping away my tears. He tucked my head underneath his, and held me tightly against him. His muscular frame rocked us both back and forth, and as we rocked my face rubbed against the soft skin of his neck. When my sobs finally stopped, I raised my head to look at him. His blue-grey eyes met mine, blazing with something I hadn't seen in them before, and I could neither move nor breathe. His hand, which had been on the back of my neck, slid around and cupped my chin, tilting my face upward. Galien leaned towards me, eyes never leaving mine, imploring my permission. And then there was no more space, and his lips touched mine. The kiss was gentle as the beating of a butterfly's wings, and softer than the petals of a rose. And it had the brevity of both.

Galien pulled away from me and, lifting his head, kissed the tip of my nose, and then the center of my forehead. He hugged me tightly to his chest, and then continued to rock me for a few more minutes.

My eyes fluttered shut, trying to contain the rush of emotions that I was feeling. He meant it to comfort you, I told myself.

Finally, I leaned away, taking my head from his muscular chest.

With a sigh, Galien stood and then pulled me to my feet.

"I'd like to share something with you now," he said softly, leading me from the library by my hand.

We made our way from the third floor of the castle to the second, and to the West Wing. Galien lead me to a door I had never noticed before. He pulled its key from the pocket of his black breeches, and unlocked the door. Dropping the keys back in his pocket, he pushed open the door, and we walked into what must have been his bedroom years and years before. It looked as though it had been untouched since he was a boy. My feet turned to blocks of cement, and I gazed around the room, captivated, and blushing.

The bed and carpet were the same shade of deep blue, nearly violet. The walls were an even darker shade, like the sky at midnight, and were beautiful. They seemed to shimmer, as though iridescent dew drops lined them. But Galien didn't let me admire the room for long. Still leading me by the hand, he pulled me across the room, and out of a set of glass doors, onto a balcony. I gasped at the view. His room looked out at the waterfall I had seen only a few days ago. Now I could see that it emptied out into a pool, surrounded by trees. At night, with the temperature even colder than the curse kept it, and the breeze blowing the cold from the castle towards the water, it was frozen. It was a sculpture of solid icy beauty, the likes of which I had never seen. I felt Galien's hold on my wrist slacken, but I was so absorbed that I didn't notice.

"Stay here," he said, before retreating back into his room. He returned in a moment with a chair and a blanket.

"Make yourself comfortable," he prompted, handing me the blanket. He grinned mischievously, and rushed back into his room. When he came back this time, he had a telescope.

"Stargazing was one of my favorite things to do as a boy," he said with a smile, as he set up the telescope in front of the chair I now occupied. "I've often wondered if that was why the witch who cursed me only did so by the moon and the sun... I like to think it's because the stars wouldn't have it. My mother loved the stars, you see..." He then began to show me different stars and constellations as he leaned over the back of the chair. He told me the stories his mother had told him, about how each set of stars got hung; Stories about brave adventurers, and beautiful princesses, fierce animals, and handsome heroes.

And so, we watched the stars until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was to the feeling of a hand shaking me. I flailed a little before Galien spoke.

"Belle, it's me. Wake up." He sat on the balcony's floor, at my feet.

Stretching as I sat up, I questioned, "Why'd you wake me?"

His small smile disappeared all together. "The sun will rise soon. You should go back to your room, before..." his voice trailed off.

Standing, I ran my fingers through his blond curls, just as I had earlier,

"Goodnight, Galien. And, thank you, for such an enchanted evening,"

"The pleasure was all mine, I assure you," he replied, his smile returning.