"Hold still, please, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, please hold your arms out so I can pin the sleeves."

"Which sash would you prefer, Your Majesty?"

On and on the servants and new ladies-in-waiting went. They poked and pinched the girl with pins and fingers. Aurora quickly lost interest in their nips and tucks. Instead she decided to focus on her three new lady attendants. They were all very eager and very…similar. All three were in their teens and stair steps of each other. Aurora finally decided they must be sisters. When she asked their names they curtsied and replied in turn.

"I'm Anna."

"I'm Bella."

"And I'm Candela!" The third replied enthusiastically.

'At least they are in alphabetical order. I wonder if they have any more sisters at home,' Aurora thought. Their appearances were nearly identical. Each had chestnut eyes and rich, creamy skin. They had long broad noses and beautiful soft pink mouths. The only differences between them were their height and their shade of hair. Anna's hair was a deep silky black, Bella's was a beautiful auburn, and Candela's was like a golden ray of sun. Aurora did not know they were daughters of one of the premier families in Valiant, nor did she realize how much their father had given to secure not one, but three of his daughters such esteemed positions. Aurora was far too busy trying not to become a pincushion. Next, the ladies-in-waiting went to work on Aurora's hair and face. They intertwined a golden circlet into the strands of her hair. They brought out powders of red, beige and brown. They dabbed them liberally on the girls face, occasionally pausing to observe the effect.

Finally, the work was complete. "Your Majesty, what do you think?" Anna asked.

The princess turned to the looking glass. At first she thought it was a mistake. The person in the mirror could not possibly be herself. The image she saw was a woman in a flowing deep blue gown with a white sash. The Royal colors looked radiant. The dark hair wrapped elegantly around the small crown. All of it was stunning. None of this drew Aurora's attention. Instead she was mesmerized by the face looking back at her.

The face had rouge cheeks, brown shadow above her eyes and thick pink lips. "Amazing! How did you make me look so much older?" The princess was astonished, touching her face to check that it was indeed hers.

"We will do better tomorrow. It's just some hair pins." Anna shrugged.

"And some make up," Bella told her.

"And a little bit of magic!" Candella giggled. Aurora wasn't sure if she was kidding and was too embarrassed to ask. She lifted her feet and the tall shoes she was wearing off the floor. Her arms waved wildly to catch her balance.

"I feel like a clown. I'm not sure how well I can walk."

"I'm sure you will figure it out, future Empress," one of ladies said. Aurora hadn't been looking, and as the voices were identical, she couldn't be sure who had spoken.

"I hope so."

"Shall I invite Chief Cafer to view the results?" Anna inquired.

The corners of Aurora's lips curved slightly. "Did he tell you to ask me that?"

Anna's cheeks flushed. "He did, Your Majesty."

"I suppose he may come. I would like to know his opinion."

It turned out that Cafer was indeed impressed. "Wonderful work, ladies." He turned to the princess. "You look regal, Your Majesty."

"The effect is good, but I feel like a fool. What will I do at the official announcement tomorrow?"

"I will be happy to go over all the details in the morning, but your job is to stand next to your husband, step forward when you are introduced, and then wave and smile like the world belongs to you— because it does."

Aurora nodded. "I will do my best. Thank you, Cafer."

"Glory to the Empress." Cafer nodded and bowed deeply as he left. Aurora sighed deeply, relieved that, for now, the scrutiny was over.

After all of the make-up and accessories were removed, Aurora had a light meal in her room. The day had been a whirlwind; already it was dark outside. Aurora put on her bedclothes and a thick robe, dismissing the three sisters to the outer rooms of her new chambers. Overnight the Empress's chambers had been emptied, painted and refilled with new furniture and tapestries more suited to Aurora's taste. Whereas Zephyra enjoyed stark colors and somewhat grotesque scenes of war to fill her rooms, Aurora appreciated soft hues and happy pastoral scenes. An observer would not have recognized the room from only a day before.

The girl lay down on the satin of her light purple bed. In the past forty-eight hours, she had been constantly pushed beyond her limit. She had seen her mother die, met not one, but TWO new siblings, inherited the world, changed her age by eight years, gotten fake married, and adopted her siblings to save them from death. Any one of these events would have been enough to overload her spirit. On top of everything, her mother's final words kept coming back to her.

"Be better," Zephyra had said.

Better than what? Herself? Better at what? Being Empress? Or was it merely one last attempt by her mother to put down the little girl: to tell Aurora that she will never be good enough. "What did you mean?!?" Aurora cried out in frustration. The tears began to flow. Days and years' worth of tears ran runnels down her cheeks. Her heart pounded in her head as she placed her fingers on her temples. "It's all too much for me…"

Aurora heard a soft knocking. At first, she ignored it. Then she heard it a second time. It wasn't coming from her door. "Hello?" The princess called quietly, wiping her eyes as she looked for the source. By the third set of raps, she realized that the sound was coming from the wall to the far left of her bed. She felt the wall. It seemed solid enough. Aurora's eyes fell on a sconce attached to the wall. Unlike the rest of the ones in the room, this sconce was not lit. On a hunch, Aurora gripped the metal sconce firmly. Part of the sconce gave way with a *click*. Without warning, a section of the wall swung wide.

Fighting the urge to run, the princess watched the newly revealed passage. "Hello?" She called softly. A figure appeared from the darkness and fell at her feet.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! I did not know this was your room!" Devrim pressed his face to the floor, obviously embarrassed.

"How…how did you get here?" The princess was almost too astonished for words.

"There is a similar passage from the emperor's rooms. The tunnels go all over the palace, maybe even to the outside."

"You've been all around?"

The boy looked up from the floor guiltily with a half smile. "I was bored."

"I'm impressed. Please get up off my floor." The girl easily forgave him.

The boy brushed off his shirt as he sat up. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I… You've been crying!" Devrim rose, and escorted the princess to the closest chair. He took a handkerchief from the vanity and handed it to the girl to wipe her eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"The day finally caught up with me, that's all. I'm feeling better now that you are here."

Devrim put his hand on her shoulder gently. "You are very brave. You've got the world on your shoulders…like the actual world."

Aurora smiled at him weakly. "It's what I have to do, but you don't. You can walk away any time, and perhaps you should. I won't stop you. If I could, I'd run."

Devrim held up his hand to stop her. "Are you kidding? If only you knew what my life was like up until today…I'm never going back. I am here for you, Your Majesty."

"Please call me Aurora."

"I shouldn't."

"Please," she pleaded. Tears began to form in her eyes again. It was too much for Devrim.

"Alright! Aurora. But not in public. I think Cafer is out to get me already. No need to make it worse. You should have seen the look he gave me when he inspected me in my new clothes." Devrim pulled his face like he had eaten a rotten sour lemon. Aurora laughed.

"Stop it! You look just like him when you do that. I agree we should be careful. Cafer makes me uncomfortable."

"He wants what is best for the world," Devrim offered in the Chief's defense.

"But at what cost?" The girl wondered aloud. She shook off the question. "I'm so glad you found me, Devrim!" She said, her mood much improved.

"I'm happy too. I don't think anyone else knows about these passageways. They look like they haven't been used in a very long time. Perhaps they are some long lost royal secret." he paused to let the words seep in.

"Now they are our secret," Aurora told him. She held out her hand and Devrim happily shook it.

"Our secret," he repeated. The boy scratched his head. "You seem like you are doing better. If it pleases you, I suppose I should go. It's very late."

"Will you visit again?" Aurora sounded overeager, but she didn't care.

"For you, I'd do anything! Maybe tomorrow night you can explore with me." Devrim offered.

"That sounds perfect."

"Goodnight then. I'll see you soon. And thank you." Devrim ducked into the passageway.

"Thanks? For what?"

Devrim peeked his head out from the darkness. "For picking me. Thank you…Aurora."