Sleeping Fairy

Chapter V

The next morning:

Derek opens his eyes and rolls over, expecting to lay his arm over Rose's side, but instead finds empty air. Sitting bolt upright, Derek looks around frantically, finally spying Rose, bent over a bubbling cauldron, sitting in the clearing. Curious, he watches Rose raise a spoonful of the stuff to her lips and start reciting a rhyme of some sort. Before his eyes, Rose's wings begin to change, morphing slowly into beautiful purple-accented pixie butterfly wings. Sensing him on the wind, Rose turns and smiles slightly, saying, "I thought you would never get up."

"You did it!" Derek says, his voice trembling in amazement. Slowly walking around her, he can see no trace of Rose's original wings. Deciding to surprise him, Rose lets the spell go, and knocks Derek over with her still frail wings. Just strong enough to tip him over, her wings change right back to pixie wings before Derek can see her feathered ones. "Jeez, those pixie wings are strong!! Wait a second, why is there a white and gold feather on the ground? Rose, you sneak. You've really figured out how to switch fast. I guess the student does surpass the master, but I didn't think it was going to happen this fast. Ok, come on, girl, confess."

"Oh all right, I did knock you over, but only in the name of testing myself." Rose replies, smiling innocently.

"Did you ever think about the fact that it might test my tailbone? Ouch." Derek complains, wincing.

"Oh, Derek, I'm sorry!" Rose exclaims, "I didn't think about that part." As they both sit down to a picnic breakfast, Rose's mind starts churning with questions. What was he doing that day in the forest? Where was he going? Why was he acting so suspicious? Why did he look so guilty when he saw Extia in the cave? "Derek?" Rose starts, "What were you doing that day we first met? In the forest?" Derek looks up, startled.

"I-I uh was, uh. Ugh. What do I say??? I....."

"You what?" Rose interjects. Seeing his upset face, Rose quickly says, "Sorry!" Derek looks at her sadly and simply says,

"I can't tell you, Rose." he sighs, "I wish I could, but I can't."

"Well, why not?" Rose questions, "Is it classified information? As a princess, I'd better know it or I'm not set out to be a queen!"

"Rose, my employer has forbidden me to tell anyone the reason I was out in the forest that day."

"Aww," Rose sighs, "Okay, but are you sure?" Derek nods once.

"Then tell me what Extia did to you and how you found out."

"Okay... When I was really little, Extia tripped over some rose bushes that were the love of my mom's life, except my dad, of course. So, she uprooted them, and caused them to die. And these weren't your local roses either, they came all the way from my mom's home kingdom, Ridil. They were her lifeline to her past. So when Extia killed them, my Mother and Father were furious and they banned her from the kingdom. So, when I was born, Extia came to take revenge. She cursed me with these wings, and said 'You will never be able to change them, no matter what you do.' Yeah, so that's my life."

"I didn't know why she would attack you, but now I do. I know I would attack anybody I had cursed, 'cause if I did that, I would be mad enough at them to want to kill them. Do you follow me? And what in Faerie are roses?" Derek looks at her, confused. "Ok, you don't. What I was saying, was, if I cursed someone, I would have to be really mad at them. Mad enough that I would attack them, even though I cursed them. I'd want to make their lives as miserable as possible. Got it now?" Derek nods. I wish I could tell her. Derek sighs inside his head. I wish I could tell her that I'm working for the person who wants to put me on her throne. I wish I could tell her that somehow Extia will escape from that vase she's put her inside. I wish I could tell her that I'm working for Extia, who wants her... dead. "Derek, what's wrong? I can see that something is bothering you." Rose says, trying to look into his eyes.