Princess Aurora opened her eyes and looked up at the draped silken canopy that hung over her head. For a few minutes, she simply lay very still like that. She felt her breath going in and out, her chest rising and falling. Her heart was racing, but the slow, even breaths were helping to slow it back down to a normal speed.

It had been only a few days since she had awoken from her cursed sleep and she still panicked just a little bit every time she woke up, fearing the curse had come back. As bad as mornings were, though, going to bed at night was always much, much worse.

When her breathing and heartbeat had returned to normal, Aurora carefully pushed herself up and climbed out of the high bed. A silver bell-pull hung over her wash-basin and she pulled it, summoning a servant. While she waited for her attendant to arrive, she began to wash her face and hands using the fresh water in her golden washbasin. A servant must come and fill it while she was still asleep, for it was fresh, warm water every morning and she had yet to see anyone change it.

A waiting woman bustled into the room, smiling broadly.

"Good morning, your highness," she cooed as she bobbed a curtsy.

"Good morning, Lilla," Aurora replied with a smile.

She watched the young woman cross the room and throw open a large wardrobe. She liked Lilla and the rest of the people in the palace, but she missed the three good fairies who had raised her. It was nice that they now got to return to their fairy lives, but they had been the only people Aurora had ever met until a week ago. She found that she missed them a great deal now that they were gone. They had promised to return for her wedding, which she was glad of, but that didn't make her miss them any less.

"Pink or blue today, your highness?" Lilla asked as she held up two gowns for Aurora to choose between.

With a smile, Aurora crossed the room and reached past the waiting woman to pluck a violet gown from the dozens that hung there.

"How about today we compromise?"