ROSE

Beep, beep, beep.

I groaned at the sound of the alarm my clock was emitting.

"Rose dear, wake up. You going to be late for your dance lessons." My mom called out. I groaned again while covering my ears with a pillow.

"Five more minutes mom." Silence.

"Ros Cinderella!" I bolted up of bed, startled by mom saying my full name. She only uses it when she's really mad, which I think she is right now.

I sighed. "Coming mom."

I got out of my nightgown and quickly got dressed with my usual outfit which was a simple baby blue dress that had lace around the edges of the sleeves with a white layered skirt. I placed my hair down with a silver tiara and blue heels.

"Another boring day." I said while smoothening the wrinkles from my dress. I went out my room and was greeted by Lingling, my female bodyguard and my best friend.

"Good morning Your Highness!"

"Good morning to you too Ling-ling," I laughed. "And how many times do I have to tell you that it's just Rose. I hate the 'your highness' stuff."

"Okay…Rose." I smiled brightly at her.

"That's more like it."

"By the way Rose, your mother and your grandmother is downstairs. From the looks on their faces earlier, it looked like they were discussing something very important."

I grimaced. "I hope it has nothing to do with the 'ball incident' last week." Ling-ling nodded.

"I hope so too. Things may be difficult then."

"I'm just a little clumsy, that's all."

Ling-ling raised an eyebrow at me. "A little?" I laughed.

"Okay, maybe I was very clumsy that I spilled champagne all over some Duke. Drat! I don't even know his name." We both laughed.

"He was furious that you spilled the champagne all over his favorite trousers," And in a funny voice she said, "Who spilled this liquid all over my favorite trousers, these are horribly expensive." We laughed again.

"At least I apologized to him, even though it wasn't necessary." Ling-ling shrugged.

"Anyway, get going. I'm sure it's nothing bad." I nodded.

"I hope so too."

After one last wave, I left Ling-ling and continued making my way downstairs for breakfast and already saw my mother and grandmother seated. I presumed that father already finished eating his breakfast since he always starts breakfast without us since he has a lot of duties as king. Like Ling-ling said, I had an uneasy feeling they were going to tell me something that I wouldn't want to hear.

"Good morning Mother, Grandmother." They ended the conversation they were having currently.

"Oh good morning dear." My grandmother greeted back while mother just nodded. I sat down in my usual seat and stared at the food on the table. Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast, delish! After taking a bite, I turned towards them.

"Rose dear, your grandmother and I have something to tell you." Even though I stopped eating I gulped, already getting nervous.

"Oh, was it something I did?," I continued rambling. "Is this about the ball last week? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to spill it on the duke's favorite trousers. I even apologized to hi—" Apparently mother got tired of all my rambling that she interrupted me.

"No Rose, it had nothing to do with that incident, even though I am still very disappointed in you," I smiled sheepishly. "but it's something else." I sighed in relief but I was confused to what it was.

"What is it mother?" She looked at my grandmother as if unsure to tell me the news. My grandmother urged her to go ahead. She took a deep breath.

"Apparently the Queen Aria and King Ben is throwing a ball for their son who is celebrating his eighteenth birthday tomorrow and she invited all royal families in the fairytale land, us included." I had my mouth wide open, and I assumed mom saw it because she hurriedly explained.

"And I know how much you hate balls Rose but you can't turn down this invitation. You cannot refuse to go." I really wanted to shout that I didn't want to go but what choice do I have. I sighed in defeat.

"Sure mother, whatever you say." She nodded in approval.

"Good. Now I suggest you behave properly. There are going to be a lot of royals attending the ball." I nodded.

"Yes mother."

"Now finish your breakfast. You're already late for your dancing lessons. Mr. Harrington is already waiting." With that the both of them left the table at the same time leaving me to finish my breakfast that didn't seem to be delicious anymore.

∞ § ∞ § ∞

HAWK

Honestly, I don't know what to do with my life anymore.

Clang.

I'm not the one deciding what to do or what I want to do. There was always someone to do that for me.

Clang.

Why can't I decide things for myself. For goodness sake I'm seventeen soon to be eighteen, old enough to do that without anyone interfering.

Swosh.

I bolted out of my thoughts to see my sword already on the ground. Travis had his sword at my neck, signaling that I lost.

"Are you okay Hawk. You seem a bit out today." Travis asked, voice filled with concern. We were momentarily sparring with wooden swords at the training room. Travis was the head of the royal guards, my personal bodyguard and aside from that, was the closest person to me that I considered him as a big brother since ehe was a year older than me. I sighed as I picked up my wooden sword.

"I don't know Trav, I guess I'm just not myself these days. I guess it's stress." I lied. Travis shrugged.

"Maybe," he grinned at me. "Maybe it has something to do with your birthday coming up." My birthday? Okay I have been seriously busy that I haven't remembered that my own birthday was tomorrow.

"Oh right. Maybe it has something to do with why I'm acting like this. Maybe it strangled my growth hormones." We both cracked up while laughing.

"Your Highness," me and Travis both stopped laughing as soon as we both heard the servant calling out. "your grandmother would like to see you." I grimaced, I knew that when it has something to do with granny, it was nothing good for me. Travis saw my grim expression and patted my back assuringly. I smiled weakly at him before exiting the training room. I went inside grandma's study only to also find my parents there.

"Mom? Dad?" They both turned around.

"Oh Hawk, you're here." Grandmother said while sitting down on one of the chairs, my parents also sitting down only to leave me standing.

"Yes granny." She nodded.

"Mother, what is the meaning of this?" My father asked. I eyed my grandmother curiously.

"Meaning of what?" My father sighed desperately while turning to face me.

"It seems like your grandmother decided to hold a ball on your birthday and she also decided to invite all the royals in the fairytale land." It took me a few seconds to register all of what my father said.

"What?" I looked at my grandmother and he nodded.

"It's true, Hawk. I invited all of the royals to attend your birthday party celebration. I also invited princesses. You might be able to find a bride there." I internally groaned.

"But without our permission? Mother, I would have liked your idea but you should have told us before you have invited, dozens of royals to go inside the castle. And you don't have to force Hawk to marry yet, he can choose whether to marry or not." Gosh, I have never seen dad this frustrated.

"Calm down Ben." My mom soothed my dad while my grandmother looked like nothing's the problem.

"So everything's settled then." With that she left the room, probably going to start telling the servants to start cleaning the castle. After she left my parents faced me with apologetic looks. I knew that they weren't informed either.

"Hawk son, I'm so sorry," my dad paused. "I didn't know you're grandmother was planning all of this. I guess she's like this because she's getting old."

"It's okay dad." But no, I'm not okay. Mother seemed to sense my discomfort and kissed my forehead.

"I guess your tired Hawk, how about you rest in your room for a moment. All those sword fighting must really have tired you out." I wasn't tired but being the obedient son I always was I obeyed my mother and went to my room. The moment I entered my room, I flopped onto my bed.

"Ugh, why is this day getting incredibly worse." My pet owl, Doc, flew towards me and landed on the side of my bed.

"Doc, what am I going to do?"

Hoot. He responded. I grinned at him.

"Well it's still tomorrow. I might still have a chance to sneak out of the city today. But who can accompany me. I don't want to attract the attention of the people there." I thought for a moment and the answer flashed into my mind. Travis.

"How about Travis? I'm sure he can go with me. After all, he knows the kingdom better than I do. Besides it's just for today. It's my last chance to see the kingdom from outside the castle walls."

"If he agrees to do it."

?

"Ha ha ha ha ha." I laughed evilly as I read the invitation the messenger gave me.

"So the Snow White Family decided to throw a ball for their dear prince, huh," I laughed again. "Well their celebration will be will be disrupted by the evilest of them all." I continued to stir the cauldron with the potion inside bubbling.

"It's almost ready, I just need one more ingredient." I picked an unusual herb that emitted an uneasy greenish glow that looked toxic even though you wouldn't see a label.

"Leaves from the Tree of Unforgivingness." I dropped them into the cauldron and stepped back just in time to avoid the green flames towering into the cauldron. It took a few seconds for the flames to minimize before I could examine the success I had in making the potion. I smiled evilly when I saw that all my hard work paid off. The strange green potion was still bubbling and the appearance was the one that was described in the potion book, which was supposed to look palest green with a little bit of blue. I leaned against the cauldron, closing in my face in the potion.

"Great. I could smell the evil from it." I took a small portion of the potion and placed it inside a small delicate vial and grinned.

"Time for your worst nightmares Snow White."