A/N: This is a story that I have had in my head for a long time since I've read the amazing story "The Prisoner", written by the amazingly talented Masquerading as Quality. If you haven't read that story I highly suggest you do so. It really is a wonderful story. Which is what I've based some parts of this story on. I do Hope you all enjoy it. WARNING! The first chapter gets pretty dark.

One year.

It had been one year since the day that Briar Rose, or Princess Aurora as she was now called, had been rescued by Prince Philip from the dreaded Sleeping Curse. One year since she had found out that she was not the lonely peasant girl that she had grown up to know, but rather a lost Princess who was curse from birth by the Wicked Fairy Maleficent. One year since her life had changed forever.

Rose was currently in her bedroom, sitting by the windowsill overlooking her kingdom as the sky was starting to turn into that beautiful shade of orange as the sun was beginning to set. Rose had been sitting there for what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to only one. It was her Birthday and Anniversary today, and Rose had been thinking of her life during the past year of her life as a princess. And it was far different that what she had imagined it would be.

One year ago, Rose had always grown up to think that the world was a dangerous place by her aunts. They had always told her never to speak to strangers, because they were capable of such horrid things. At first she had always believed them, but that did not stop her from longing to meet someone know. Maybe meet someone to fall in love with. She now realizes that her aunts were only telling her these things in order to protect her from Maleficent, and also so that she wouldn't accidentally fall in love with someone when she was already betrothed to Philip. Of course Rose was mad at them for a while, but deep down she understood why they did it. And after about three weeks or so, she finally forgave them. After all, she was a princess now. She had a Mother and father, and now a loving husband. Her life was now perfect... or so she thought.

Rose sat at the windowsill thinking of the life she had left behind. Sure she loved to finally be free and meet knew people and finally have a family, but deep down she missed the simple life of a peasant girl deep in the forest. There, her life was filled with love and purpose. She was surrounded by only her three beloved Aunts Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Now, she still had her aunts, but now she was more lonely than ever before. Yes, a year ago she thought that she was merely a peasant girl who was to never meat another living soul for as long as she would live. Never to find true love and live happily ever after. It wasn't a bad life mind you, for she was loved by her three loving aunts who took care of her all her life. Each day that she could remember was filled with love and happiness. Everyday she was surrounded by love, but she always longed for more. To be like one of the princesses who would be swept off their feet by a handsome prince in the stories that her aunts would read to her every night when she was a little girl. But she wasn't allowed to speak to strangers so her hopes of that ever happening were almost non-existent. But all that changed on the very day when she turned sixteen.

She had met a very handsome and charming man in the woods and it was almost love at first sight. Then she returned back home to tell her dear aunts all about him, only for them to reveal to her that she is a long lost princess and that she was to never see that boy again. Heartbroken as her beloved aunts lead her back to her true home, Rose found herself under a sleeping curse, only to be awakened by the very same man that she met in the woods. moments later she was able to meet her parents for the very first time. And for the first time in her life, Rose felt that she could finally live happily ever after like she had always dreamed of. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

At first, everything was wonderful. She had a much larger family now and a loving husband. She was able to spend time with her parents and actually get to know them and be around so many new people. Moving from a life of solitude to having to meet new faces everyday was a welcoming change, one she had longed for for most of her life. Rose would always get excited whenever a Ball was held at her castle. It was a chance for her to meet even more people. But she soon discovered that just because there were new faces to see and new people to meet, doesn't exactly mean she was able to. Most occasions, she was to sit with her parents by their thrones while the guests would step forward to greet them, then be on their way to enjoy the party. Even Philip was allowed to mingle with the guests while she was to remain in her seat. It was increasingly boring.

But there were times when her beloved aunts would purposefully distract the King and Queen so that Rose could sneak off and mingle with the guests. She would even find Philip in the middle of a story of how he defeated Maleficent. At first, Rose loved to hear of how Philip was able to save her from a dreaded sleeping curse so that they could finally be happy together. But as Rose continued to hear the same story of how the Mighty Prince Philip slayed the Evil Fairy Maleficent, and rescued the fair Princess, the more she felt like a token, a prized that had been won. This would happen at almost every event that was held at the castle. So Rose decided to return back to her place next to her Mother and Father during such events, where at least she could engage in a conversation that didn't involve slaying Dragons and rescuing Princesses.

Rose very much enjoyed spending time with her parents, as she had never had any with the exception of her aunts. She would ask them so many questions about who they were and what they loved. But soon the days where she would spend hours with her parents began to fade away as her parents returned to their duties of running a kingdom. Even during special events such as Balls or other gatherings, she would get little to almost no time with her parents, as some Dignitary or Nobleman would come and gain her parents full attention with trivial matters that she had understanding, nor patience for. Soon Rose began to dread any form of celebration that was held at the castle and found herself alone once again. Only this time her aunts weren't there to cheer her up as they too were called to counsel the King And Queen.

This was the case as Rose sat in her bedroom, staring at the sunset over the horizon. She had wanted to spend the day with her parents, but they were caught up in a meeting with some foreign emissary from the Kingdom of Arendelle, or something like that. On a day such as this no less. She gave up long ago trying to get her parents attention and sat alone in her room with her thoughts. She thought of how much of a different life this was, how this was not the life she expected to have. How much more lonely it was. She thought of the her life back at the cottage. How much more simpler it was. How less lonely it was. And as she thought about it, the more she began to miss it. Almost to the point where she would very nearly cry herself to sleep at night. How she would like nothing more than to return to that life. Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard the bedroom doors open behind her.

"Aurora?" she heard Philip's voice. Rose visibly cringed at the name. How she hated that name. In the beginning Rose didn't mind it when her family would call her by her new name. But now, a year later, the very name nearly caused her to vomit. She was not Princess Aurora, she was Briar Rose.

Rose turned her head around to see Philip in the doorway with a smile on his face.

"Happy Birthday," he said softy as he made his way over to his wife. Rose smiled up at him and stood up to meet him halfway, where they shared a lovingly kiss.

"And also Happy Anniversary." Rose's smile grew a little wider.

"Thank you," she replied. "And Happy Anniversary to you too."Philip gave his wife another kiss on the forehead.

"The guests are arriving," he said. "They are waiting to see the birthday girl." On the outside, Rose was smiling excitingly, but on the inside she was feeling anxious. She had been dreading this all day as she was sure it would be like all of the others. She would go to the party and hear all the stories of how she was rescued by Philip when he slayed the evil dragon. It honestly made her feel less like a princess and more like a treasure chest that was to be claimed. Philip smiled at her once more and placed another kiss on her forehead.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll make sure that no one talks about it when I'm around." Rose let out a exhausted sigh and smiled up at her husband. Philip could always tell when she was faking a smile. He had always so kind to her. Even though he loved to hear the stories of how he rescued Aurora, he knew that it bothered his wife. So whenever he was around her and one of the guests would bring it up, he would kindly ask them to stop and move away from the conversation. It was one of the few things that made this life bearable.

"Thank you Philip," Rose said. "Hopefully this will all end soon." Philip nodded his head in agreement.

"Indeed." Philip then looked down at Aurora's body. "And maybe afterwards..." He gently placed his hands on Rose's waist. Rose's smile quickly turned to an uncomfortable grimace as she gently pushed Philip's hands away.

"I'm sorry, Philip," she apologized, "but I'm still not ready for that." Philip's face instantly dropped to a frown, then to a look of anger.

"It's been a year Aurora! How long until you are ready?!" Rose quickly turned around and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her relationship with Philip had deteriorated over the past few months with her husband. Philip had been trying to share the bed with Rose since their wedding night, but Rose had explained to him that she was not ready for that kind of thing, having that her life had just so drastically changed in only a single day. At first, Philip was more than understanding and just laid there holding his wife. This would happen every month or so, and Philip was still as understanding as the first time. But after the fifth month, Philip began to get more and more irritable. He would start asking more frequently, and each time Rose would turn him down. This caused them to have more fights, sometimes to the point where they wouldn't speak to one another for a few days. Then Philip would apologize and say how wrong he was. Rose would then forgive him and they would act as if nothing had happened. But there would still be a bit of tension between the two, more so with Rose. But she would forgive him anyway and act like the loving wife that she was meant to. But she still wasn't didn't feel ready for that next step.

"I don't know Philip," Rose said calmly, but slowly clenched her fists against the sleeves of her shirt. "I thought we discussed this." Philip let out an irritated scoff.

"All you ever say is that you're not ready! You said that on our wedding night and I understood. But It's been a year Aurora!" Rose scoffed as well and turned to face Philip.

"Well I'm sorry that things are complicated right now!" she shouted. Philip raised his hands in exasperation.

"What could you possibly not be comfortable?! You have everything that you could possibly ask for!"

"Things are just difficult right now Philip. I thought you would have understood that!"

"Do not put that on me, Aurora!" He shouted. "Do not make me be the bad guy here! I have been more than patient Aurora! I've tried to be the understanding husband. But you always have an excuse! My father has been on my case for months about having an heir Aurora. Do you have any idea what that's like?" Rose just rolled her eyes and turned around once more.

"I'm sorry that my feelings are impacting your relationship with your father," she said. "But at least you get to have time with him. I barely get to see my parents anymore. I don't even get to see my aunts anymore because they're always with the King and Queen."

"They're not your aunts, Aurora!" Philip said in frustration. "They were just fairies that were ordered to keep you safe. That's it." Rose quickly turned around and glared at Philip.

"Oh, so that means that they never loved me? Is that what you're saying?" Philip angrily huffed before pacing around the room.

"This isn't about who are your aunts and who aren't," he said finally after he stopped pacing. "This is about you and I and the duties that are bestowed upon us." Rose scoffed after hearing this.

"And what duties are they?" she asked. Philip was silent for a moment, but the frustrated glare never left his face. He then began to step closer to Rose, causing her to take a few steps back. Philip stopped only less than foot away from Rose. He stood at full height, easily towering over Rose. She was now growing nervous of the silence and tension in the air as she was now unsure of what Philip's next actions might be. Rose could feel Philip's hot breath on her face and she was growing increasingly nervous.

"The duties of a loving wife to her husband," he said in a low tone. Despite feeling nervous and her heart racing, she found the courage to glare at Philip.

"Is that all I am to you?" she replied in the same low tone. "The wife of the Courageous Prince Philip whose job is to please him?" Rose turned to walk away from Philip, hoping to get away before things got worse, when she felt his tight grip on her right wrist. She looked back to see the pure anger that was in Philip's eyes.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Philip hissed. Without thinking, Rose quickly brought her other hand up and slapped Philip across the face, causing him to release his grip on her. Philip staggered back a few steps while holding his cheek. He was completely taken by surprise as he looked at Rose with wide eyes. Rose was as surprised herself. Never in her life had she ever raised her hand to anyone. She looked down at her left hand, which was now stinging from the impact, before looking up at Philip with worried eyes. Philip removed his hand from his cheek and checked to see if there was any blood. Finding none, he placed his hand back on his cheek to ease the pain slightly. He then looked up at Rose. He features slowly changed from shock to one of rage. He began to breath heavily through his nose as he tried to keep his anger in check. Rose was beginning to visibly tremble where she stood, fearing the repercussions of her actions. She had no idea what to expect next, whether or not Philip would lash out at her. The room as silent, but the tension was thick.

After a few moments of uneasy stillness, Philip quickly turned and stormed out of the room. Once he was truly gone, Rose lowered herself to her knees and let out a huge sigh of relief, but her body was still trembling. She slowly embraced herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. She had never been afraid of Philip before. Not even when they had their fights had she ever felt the need to be afraid of Philip. But this time was different. This time he didn't look annoyed or angry; he looked absolutely furious, as if she had just something to betray him. She had never seen that look in his eye before, and it terrified her. And the way he looked at her after she had struck him, the look of pure rage. Rose brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob gently, wishing that her life could be different.

Rose descended down the stairs towards the ballroom. She could hear the guests chattering amongst each other, laughing and talking cheerfully. But even though she dreaded these parties, she was actually looking forward to being here for once. Maybe it will help calm Philip down after their fight, at least that was what she hoped for. The party was now in sight and all Rose could see were bright colors and happy faces. For the fist time in a year she had been a princess, she was actually happy to be there. Rose had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she hear three familiar voices.

"Rose!" Said princess looked at the crowd to see her three dear aunts flying towards her. Rose couldn't help but smile as they were a much needed welcoming sight. She hurried over to meet them and embraced each of her aunts in a loving hug.

"Happy Birthday!" Flora shouted gleefully.

"Yes, Happy Birthday, Dear," Fauna agreed. Rose's smile grew even wider.

"Thank you." She looked towards Merryweather, who had her hands behind her back. Rose smirk at her while raising an eyebrow. "Now what are you hiding back there?" Merryweather smiled before revealing a small box that she was hiding behind her back and handed it to Rose.

"This is from all of us," she said with pride. "We hope you like it." Rose took the box, examining the pink, green and blue striped coloring on top. Her smile shifted to one of excitement as she removed the lid from the box. When she did, she was amazed to see the most beautiful necklace that she had ever seen. It had a beautiful circular pendant with a red rose in the center with three pink, green and blue stars surrounding it.

Rose took the pendant from the box and held it in her hands. It wasn't the most glamorous of her jewelry, or many of the other gifts she received as a princess, but because it came from her aunts, it was far more precious gift that she had ever received. But then Rose thought of what Philip said about them, about how they weren't really her aunts. Rose's heart began to ache as she looked from the pendant to her aunts with watery eyes, which caused her aunts to worry.

"Oh Rose," Fauna said, "Do you not like it?" Rose quickly shook her head and wiped her eyes. She was still a little shaken up from her fight with Philip, and what he said about must have triggered something inside her, but she didn't want her aunts to worry. Rose quickly wiped away her tears and smiled lovingly at her aunts.

"No, it isn't that," she said. "I love it more than anything. Philip and I just had another fight, is all." This only made the Three Good Fairies only looked more concerned. They all knew that Philip and Rose were having some troubles and did their best to comfort

"Is everything alright," Fauna asked, placing a hand gently on the hand that Rose held the pendant. Rose looked at all three of her aunts. She looked deep into every one of their eyes. Each one showed great concern in their eyes for her. Any doubt she had about their love for her had vanished right there and then. Rose's smile widened further and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, only this time they were filled with joy. Rose looked down at Fauna and surprised her with a sudden embrace.

"Yes," she said warmly. "Everything is fine." Fauna, after recovering from the sudden embrace, quickly returned the gesture. They were soon joined by Flora as well. The three shared a loving embrace for a few moments longer before her aunts pulled away.

"Well," Flora said, "We must be on our way. The King and Queen are expecting us back. Come along dears." With that, the fairs lifted off the floor and flew off towards the direction the King and Queen were awaiting, all except Merryweather. Rose looked down at her aunt Merryweather, who was giving her a raised eyebrow look. Rose looked around, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. But that hard gaze from her blue aunt made it very difficult. Finally, she nervously looked up at Merryweather.

"What?" Rose asked hesitantly. Merryweather crossed her arms.

"I know you, Rose," she said. "What's the matter?" Rose looked from side to side before looking back at Merryweather.

"Nothing," she said as she tried to put on the most convincing smile she could muster. "Philip and I just had another fight, that's all." But Merryweather wasn't convinced.

"Yes, but none have had you shaken up so." Rose was silent as she lowered her gaze towards the floor. Merryweather's features softened and she reached out and grabbed both of Rose's hands, causing the princess to look up at her blue fairy aunt. "Rose, I know it's none of my business. But I don't want you to feel like you an't tell me anything. You're my precious little girl, no matter how old you are." Rose smiled down at the little fairy. Out of all her aunts, Merryweather was the one that was most nurturing. Yes, Flora and Fauna both loved her just as much, but Flora was very demanding and always tried to teach her proper manner, which makes so much sense now. Fauna was sometimes too caring and overprotective. She would try to be the good aunt and let Rose do whatever she wanted, not wanting to upset the little princess. But Merryweather was more like a mother to her. She was always the one that cooked and sewed for her. She would read her stories most when she was a little girl before she would go to sleep. Merryweather would even rush to her aid whenever she did something wrong, or that Flora didn't approve of. She would actually sit down and talk to Rose and explain to her what she did wrong, rather than yell at her. Rose loved all of her aunts equally, but the relationship that she had with Merryweather was special.

"And you know that if Philip hurts you in anyway," Merryweather continued with a sly grin, "I'll give him a good talking to." Rose couldn't help but giggle at the blue fairy's little quip. With that, they two shared one final embrace before the Merryweather took off towards her sisters. Rose watched the little fairy until she disappeared into the crowd, leaving the young princess alone once again. Not exactly sure of what to do next, Rose began to wonder the ballroom.

She was greeted by all sorts of guests, all wishing her a happy birthday. A smile was present of Rose's face as greeted her guests. She had even engaged in a few very pleasant conversations. It seemed as though that now she was older, many of the guests were more inclined to include her and their gossips. It was a very pleasant feeling as now she wasn't so focused on her past anymore. She was actually starting to feel welcomed into the high society after so long. Some of the guests would talk about political manners, but Rose wasn't exactly experienced in that sort of area. So she would kindly excuse herself and go about the rest of the Ball. It was then that she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure that made her stop in her tracks. It was Philip. He was chatting away with some very lovely looking ladies.

Rose's heart began to race as she wasn't sure if Philip was still upset with her. but by the way that he was smiling, maybe he had calmed down. Maybe she could apologies to him, see if they could work things out. She slowly began walking over to him, until he looked her way. Once again, Rose stopped in her tracks and her heart raced faster. She wasn't sure of what to do now. She was about to smile and wave to him, but the look that he gave her stopped that. His eyebrows furrowed and he sneered at her. Even from a few meters away, she could see the anger and rage in his eyes. Rose's smile faltered and she took a couple steps back. She had never seen Philip glare like that at anyone before, let alone at her. Philip stared at her like that for another moment or so before quickly storming off in a hast. Whatever thoughts Rose had of fixing things tonight were immediately extinguished. The look on his face made that clear. The ladies that Philip was talking to looked her way before giving her disapproving glares before storming off after Philip. Roses heart began to ache. Normally Rose didn't care for the approval of others, but But then another voice broke through the crowd.

"Aurora!" Rose turned just in time to see Snow white running at her and give her a big hug, almost knocking the her over in the process. "Happy birthday, Aurora." Rose couldn't help but smile at the slightly younger princess as she returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Snow," she said softly.

"Okay, Snow. Give the girl some air," said another voice. Rose looked up to see Cinderella, Ariel and Belle making their way towards them. Snow White released her hold from Rose and smiled sheepishly at Cinderella.

"Sorry," she said. "Got a little carried away." Cinderella let out a slight giggle before walking past her and giving Rose a hug.

"Happy birthday, Rose," she said. Rose, appreciating her friend using her preferred name, gratefully hugged her back.

"Thank you, Cinderella." Cinderella moved aside to give room for Belle and Ariel to embrace the Birthday girl. "How are you girls doing?"

"Well the journey here was unbearable," Belle said, "But it's worth it to see everyone here."

"Yeah," Ariel agreed as she looked around the ballroom, "and the Ball is absolutely wonderful." Rose smiled faintly, at least someone was enjoying the night.

"So how have you all been?" Rose asked. She looked over to Belle. "Is Adam doing much better now?" Belle smiled and nodded her head.

"Very much," she replied. "He's still having nightmares of being a beast again, but they been far in between."

"That's wonderful to hear," Rose said warmly before looking around. "Is he around somewhere?" Belle shook her head.

"No, unfortunately," she said. "After the spell was broken and everyone regained their memory of him, Adam's older brother Louis wanted him to be more involved with royals affairs and to make up for lost time, and memory." She finished her sentence with a giggle, causing the other princesses to giggle in response. Rose then turned to the Cinderella and Snow White.

"And How have Florian and Henry?" she asked. "Are they not here as well?"

"No, they're here," Snow White said. "They're fooling around here somewhere together."

"They're like long lost brothers if you ask me," Cinderella chimed in, gaining some laughter from everyone. after calming down, Rose turned her attention to Ariel, who had been oddly quiet through the whole conversation. Normally she was the most bubbly and outspoken of them.

"And how are you Ariel?" Rose asked. "How are things with you and Eric?" Ariel gave a sheepish smile.

"We're fine," she said. "Wonderful, even. In fact..." Ariel placed her hands on her stomach. "I actually have some news for all of you." Everyone was silent as they waited patiently for Ariel to deliver her news. But when she said nothing and looked down at her stomach and back at them again, Cinderella was the first to speak.

"Oh my..." she whispered in awe. "Ariel, are you...?" Ariel could only giggle and nod in response. Rose's eyes widened in

"Oh my God!" Rose cried out as she rushed to give Ariel a giant hug. "I'm so happy for you Ariel!" The rest of her friends all joined in, laughing and squealing in delight at the wonderful news. Some of the guests around them looked over, wondering what the commotion was about, some were giving them looks of disapproval. But the Princesses paid them no heed as they continued to congratulate Ariel.

"Thank you girls," the red headed princess giggled and pulled away. Instinctively, Ariel then placed her hands upon her stomach. "Eric and I couldn't be happier."

"Have you thought of any names?" Snow asked. Ariel looked down lovingly at her stomach.

"Well, if it's a boy, we were thinking of naming him after Eric's father, Fredrick. But if its a girl..." she looked up at her friends, "... I was thinking, Melody." Everyone had warm smiles upon their faces.

"That's such a wonderful name," Cinderella said. Rose looked on at her dear friends. Everyone was so happy with their lives. Everything seemed perfect for them. They had the lives of their dreams and had wonderful husbands. And now Ariel was expecting a child. Even Snow White, who was the youngest out of all of them, was happy beyond her dreams. Rose almost felt envious of her friends, but she quickly shook that feeling away. She was happy for her friends. But she couldn't help but feel sad. They had the lives that they've always wanted. Whereas she just wanted to go back to the forest and live out the rest of her life as a peasant.

"So what about you, Aurora?" Snow White asked, bringing Rose out of her thoughts. "How are things with you and Philip? I would have thought that he would be here with you." Rose, unsure of what to do, tired to put on her most convincing smile.

"Oh, we're fine," she said in her best peppy voice, but only coming out sounding forced. "He's around here somewhere. He's probably chatting away with the other princes or something." Rose looked around at her friends, hoping that they would by her story. But by the look on their faces, they knew that something was up.

"Is everything alright, Aurora?" Ariel asked. Rose tried once again to sound confident.

"Of course," she said awkwardly. "Everything is fine." This time, Cinderella stood in front of her and crossed her arms.

"Rose," she said with a stern look. "What's going on?" Rose did her best to avoid eye contact with Cinderella.

"Nothing," she said nervously. "Everything is fine." But Cinderella wasn't buying it.

"You know you can't lie to me, Rose." Her face then softened. "You two had another fight again, didn't you?" Rose looked away completely from the eldest of the princesses. She really didn't want to bring her problems upon them. But then she felt a hand under her chin pull her head up to so that she was once again gazing upon Cinderella.

"It's okay, Rose." Cinderella said. "You know you can talk to us." Rose looked over at her other princess friends, who all had looks of concern upon their faces. Reluctantly, Rose let out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry, girls," she finally said. "I didn't want to bring you all down with my problems."

"Nonsense, Rose," Belle said. "We're your friends. And we'll always be here to help you.

"What's going on?" Ariel asked. Rose lowered her gaze towards the floor, still reluctant to confess her troubles. But she knew that it would make her feel a little better to confide in her closest friends.

"Philip and I have been have problems lately," she said. "We just had a really big fight earlier and I..." Rose paused, not wanting to admit what she had done. "Things just got a haven't been going so well lately."

"What do you mean?" Ariel asked.

"Well it's just that..." Rose paused for a moment, not sure on how to continue. She lowered her gaze downward. "I-I haven't exactly been feeling comfortable in my life as a princess. All I've ever know was the peasant life. And suddenly being thrown into a new life of being a princess has been a little bit of a challenge for me. And lately, all I've been wanted to do was to go back to the life I once had." Rose let out another sigh. "It's a little hard to explain."

"Rose, we completely understand," Belle said. Rose looked up at her friends to see them all smiling at her.

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Of course," Cinderella said. "Rose, we know that this isn't the life you may have wanted, or what you're use to. It's hard adjusting to the princess life."

"Exactly," Belle added. "I was exactly in your shoes before I married Adam. A lowly peasant girl from a small town that didn't quite get me. But even so, it was still a simpler time."

"Cinderella and I were made into servants in our own homes," Snow White said. "But believe it or not, it was still easier than being a Princess."

"And even though I was a princess of Atlantica," Ariel chimed in, "The human world was much different that the underwater world. There were so many new things that I had to learn."

"The point is, Rose," Cinderella said. "We all know what its like being thrown into a world we are unfamiliar with. But just know it will make you stronger in the end. And also know that we are hear for you whenever you need us." Rose looked at each one of her friends, seeing them all smile at her. But part of her was still unsure.

"I don't know girls," she said with a somber voice.

"Hey" Cinderella said as she gently placed her hands on roses cheeks. "Things will get better, Rose," Cinderella said. "I promise you that." Rose looked into Cinderella's eyes and something in her sparked. She didn't know what it was, her felt her cheeks begin to fluster. But whatever it was, it made Rose smile once again. She leaned and wrapped her arms around Cinderella and rested her head on Cinderella's shoulder.

"Thank you, Cinderella," Rose whispered. Cinderella's only response was a tighter hold around her shoulders. And in that moment, all of Rose's worries faded away.

"Everyone!" Shouted a voice from across the Ballroom. "I would like your attention please!" Rose looked up to the front of the Ballroom to see her father, King Stefan, along with her mother, standing by his thrown with a glass of wine in their hands.

"I would like to propose a toast, to my wonderful Daughter on her seventeenth birthday." The room thundered with applause as Stefan looked around the room. "Will my daughter please come up here?" Rose stood still for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention. But then she felt a few pair of hands from her friends behind her gently pushing her towards the thrones. After being gently guided to the front, Rose climbed the small steps the lead to the throne chairs where her parents were. Reaching the top, Rose looked up to see her father giving her a loving smile as he handed her a glass full of wine. Stephen then motioned for her to stand next to him and her mother. Once she had done so, Stephen once again addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he called out. "Today is my beautiful daughter's seventeenth birthday. It has been one year since she came back into our lives. And what a wonderful year it has been." The crowd began to clap once more. Rose, on the other hand, was silent. This year hasn't exactly been wonderful for her. But her friends words filled her thoughts. She sighed and looked up at the guests and smiled.

"However," Stefan continued, "I fear that things haven't been quite so wonderful." The crowd became silent. Even Rose looked up at her father curiously. "This past year, I had thought that everything was going well. That my family was back together and happy. Little did I know that my poor little girl wasn't feeling that way at all." Stefan looked down towards the floor.

"I fear that I have been neglecting my duties. Not as King, but as a father." Rose was now listening to his every word. Stephen looked up and turned to his daughter. "I know I haven't been around since you came back into our lives. We've been so busy with our duties as King and Queen, that we have not been there for you."

"But that is no excuse," Queen Leah, causing Rose to look her way. "We haven't been the proper parents that you deserve."

"But that ends today," Stefan said confidently. "From this day out, Aurora will be our top concern. We will no longer be just King Stefen and Queen Leah." Stefan smiled warmly and placed a gently hand upon Rose's shoulder. "We will be a Mother and Father to you." Stefan then quickly turned towards the crowd and raised his glass.

"To Princess Aurora!" he called. "And to a Brighter future!" All the guest in the room erupted in thunderous applause. Rose looked around the room at the smiling faces gazing at her. So much happiness around her. See then saw her dear friends within the crowd. The smiles that they had for her mad Rose's heart flutter. All the troubles of tonight had disappeared from her mind. She then looked towards her mother and father. The words that they said were heartfelt and true. She smiled at them and raised her glass to them

"To a brighter future." And for that moment, Rose believe that things truly were going to be better.

Rose had returned to her bedroom and was now dressed him her blue nightgown getting ready for bed. She sat in front of her vanity mirror and was currently brushing her hair. She was feeling quite happy with herself. She was just hoping beyond all hope that Philip had calmed down during the party, but the way he looked at her made it seem otherwise. He had been gone for a long time as well, she thought. After glancing at one another at the party, she hadn't seen him for the rest of the night. Maybe he was out taking a walk around the castle. Whatever the case, Rose was incredibly tired.

She put down her brush and looked herself over in the mirror. Her thoughts then returned to her time as a peasant girl. Her and her aunts may not have had much, but they were still able to get her a rather large mirror for her attic room. It wasn't nearly as nice as the one she possessed now, but she loved it a lot more than this one. She then began to think of all of the simple things that she and her aunts had while she was growing up. They didn't have many books to read, nor did they have a lot of nice clothes. But they always seemed to manage just fine. And she was happy.

Rose shook her head of these thoughts. That life was over now and she had to look towards a brighter future, just like her friends and family told her. She smiled at the thought of spending more time with her parents not that they promised to include her in their duties. Maybe this could be what she needed after all. Rose stood from her seat and started towards her bed. After everything that happen tonight, she was looking forward to some much needed rest. But just as she was about to get under the covers, her bedroom door opened. Rose turned to see Philip standing in the doorway.

"Oh Philip," she said, "I've been meaning to talk to-" but before she could finish her sentence, Philip slammed the door behind him, having his back towards her. With the amount of force her put into slamming the doors, Rose was now beginning to feel nervous.

"Philip?" Rose asked hesitantly. Philip didn't move. After a few moments of silence, Philip suddenly looked towards Rose, startling her. The look on his face was nothing more than pure rage. His eyes were wide and red and his hair was a mess. He didn't look like the man was. He looked like a bad man.

"Philip are you alright?" she asked.

"Shut up!" Philip shouted, causing Rose to jump. Philip pushed off the door and began stomping his way over to her with heavy feet. Rose was not terrified.

"Philip," she pleaded. "What's going on?"

"You think you're better than me, don't you?!" Philip hissed at her. Rose took a few steps back as Philip continued advancing towards her.

"What?" she said confused. Her heart was pounding tremendously with fear. She had never seen Philip act like this before.

"You think that I'm not worthy of you, is that it?!" Rose nearly fell as she hit the edge of the bedside.

"NO! Philip, of course not! Why would you think that?!" Philip was now only a couple feet away.

"You think I'm not a good husband!" Philip shouted, his voice louder than ever. "I've tried to be the best husband to you. I've tried to give you time to adjust. And all you've done was ignore me."

"Philip, you know that's not true." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She had no idea what was going to happen. "I've just haven't adjusted to life here. But things will get better I promise." Philip let out a harsh laugh.

"That's all you've ever said," he whispered in a harsh voice. "Things will get better. I just need time. Empty promises and empty words, that all it is. Well I'm sick of it. Sick of it all!" Philip was in a blind rage right now and Rose had no idea what to do to calm him down. Then Rose sniffed the air and could smell the alcohol on his breath. Hoping to calm the situation, Rose smiled at him.

"Philip, you're drunk," she said, trying to calm him down. "Let's just go to bed and we can talk about this tom-"

"NO!" Philip shouted as he grabbed Rose by the shoulders. "My Father has been on my case about producing an heir for months! I've tried to be considerate to you but no more! You are going preform your duties as a wife! Even if I have to make you!" He shoved Rose onto the bed. Rose fearing what is about to happen, tried to crawl away, but Philip climbed on top of her, forcing her down. He grabbed her shoulder and forced her on her back.

"Philip no!" Rose cried. She then felt a hand slap her across the face. She let out a cry of pain as she hear him unbuckle his belt.

"Philip! Please stop!" But her cries fell on deaf ears as Philip grabbed her skirt and lifted it up, exposing her bare skin. Rose tried to scream as loud as she could, hoping that someone would come help her. But Philip covered her mouth with one of his hands and proceeded to take his pants off. Rose began to scratch and claw at him, but he managed to grab both of her hands and hold them above her head. She then felt Philip thrust himself inside of her. She tried desperately to scream for help, but it was no use. He was going to have his way tonight, and nothing was going to stop him.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I'm sorry if this was too dark for some of you. Please leave a review and tell me what your thoughts are and I will hopefully see you all soon.