The Wherewolf Prince's Wife

I awoke in an extremely good mood for two reasons, first it is my eighteenth birthday and secondly is the fact that since I'm now eighteen father will allow me to finally accept the courtship of the village men in hopes that I can find a proper husband.  I slipped out of bed quietly as to not wake my younger sister Lily, and tiptoe over to the shared wardrobe.  I pull out my blue dress and slip it over my head closing the door as quietly as possible.  Walking over to the shared vanity I run a brush through my long wavy hair and plait it in one braid down my back.  I look at my reflection and smile, with my long wavy red hair down to my slim waist, pale skin and emerald green eyes I am considered the village beauty and hope it will help me secure a caring and hardworking husband like my older sister Jasmine has with father's farmhand Wilbert.  As I walk towards the bedroom door to start on my chores, I hear Lily from her side of the room mumble sleepily, "What time is it Rose?"  I stop and turn towards her, "It is 5 am and I'm going to feed Chestnut, Bessie, and Bertha, and milk the cows.  Then I'm going to feed the chickens and collect the eggs.  I hope breakfast will be ready by the time I return."  "I'm sure it will be," she replies sitting up, "I need to get up and help mother and Jasmine with the finishing touches of your party tonight. I'll see you at breakfast."  She says getting up as I slip out the door to start on my chores.  I stand outside the room for a moment and smile, our farm cottage is small, but homey and comfortable.  My sister Lily and I share one room that we also use to share with Jasmine before she moved into the farmhand cottage next door with her husband.  My parents share the other room, and we also have a living space, dining area, and kitchen combined in the main area of the cottage.  I walk to the front of the cottage and step outside into the warm spring morning air.   I head towards the small barn that houses our one old mare Chestnut and our two milk cows, stepping inside I'm greeted by the muzzle of Chestnut awaiting her breakfast.  "Good morn Chestnut," I greet her with a muzzle rub as I head to fill her trough "I trust you slept well."  After I'm done feeding her, I head to the cows Bessie and Bertha, I fill their trough also and then pull up my small stool near them to start milking.  After I have both cows milked, I head back out the barn and towards the pig pen and chicken coop.  I stop to admire the 5 pink piglets our momma pig just birthed yesterday (papa butchers the male pigs for meat and this batch of piglets has 3 males that he will butcher in about 6-9 months)  He will keep the females to breed or sell to neighboring farms.  I continue to the coop to feed the hens and collect the eggs.  We have 10 hens at the moment, which I throw some grain to in the chicken yard while I go check out the coop.  I'm pleasantly surprised when I find 6 eggs in the coop and congratulate the hens on a job well done and head back towards the cottage.  I step into the cottage and find my mother up and preparing breakfast along with my sister Jasmine doing the morning baking.  I smile at them and kiss both on the cheek before I take my place at the table beside Lily.  Wilbert and father walk in shortly after and kiss their wives on the cheek before taking their seats at the table also, father at the head and Wilbert across from me.  He smiles at me and as he pulls a small carved box out of his pocket says to me, "Happy birthday Rose.  I wanted to get you something special for your 18th birthday."  He hands me the box and I gasp out loud at how gorgeous it is.  I can tell he carved it himself, with little roses in the corners of the lid and twisting vines around the edges.  He painted the roses a deep red and the vines brown on the thorny stems and a dark green for the leaves.  I can tell right away its a jewelry box that he spent a lot of time and care making.  "Oh my goodness Wilbert, it is beautiful.  You really shouldn't have."  I gush with tears in my eyes and beam a smile at him.  "He chuckles and says, "It was nothing, but the box is only half of it look inside."  My eyes widen at the statement as I open the lid and see the box is red velvet lined and nestled in the bottom is a deep green emerald heart pendant on a thin gold chain, and 2 smaller deep green emerald studs for my ears.  "No, no, no.  I can not accept these.  They are way to expensive, and you have a baby on the way."  He and my sister married 6 months ago and started a family right away as Jasmine is 4 months pregnant.  "Rose, don't worry about the cost or the baby I have it all handled.  I invested some money in the new inn that opened in the village and it has been doing well.  My investment is paying off and I have enough now to spoil my favorite girls a little.  I saw the necklace and knew it had your name written all over it. It matches the green of your eyes and the dress your sisters have made you for your birthday."  At that Lily cried out quite loudly, "WILBERT!  THAT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE A SUPRISE."  I shrink a little at the tone, as she practically yelled it in my ear.  Mother walks over at that moment and puts our plates at the table, "Lily please do not shout at the table.  I'm sure Wilbert did not mean to ruin the surprise,"  She says quietly.  Mother has always been soft spoken, and gentle when reprimanding us.  "Sorry momma," she says sheepishly, "Sorry Wilbert for my uncalled for outburst."  "I apologize also Lily as I was not aware that Rose did not know of the dress yet." Wilbert looks at her with a somber expression.  My mouth waters at the plate mother just placed in front of me, it has all my favorite breakfast foods, two over easy eggs, buttered homemade bread, 3 strips of bacon, half an orange and fresh pressed apple cider.  "Oh my goodness momma and Jasmine YUM!" I cry as I dig in.  They both chuckle and mother gives me a peck on the top of my head, "Anything for my red Rose on her birthday."  Mother always calls me her red Rose as a pet name as I'm the only person in our family with red hair.  Father and Jasmine have sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, while mother and Lily have light brown hair and brown eyes.  No one knows where my red hair came from or why my eyes are such a deep green color. After breakfast mother informs me that the rest of the day's chores have been taken care of and I am to bathe and dress in the new dress that Jasmine and Lily have sewn for my birthday gift from them.   I stand up and peck Wilbert on the cheek for my lovely present telling him how much I love it, and walk into mine and Lily's shared room to find the wood tub already halfway filled.  Mother, Jasmine and Lily also walk in with kettles of hot water to warm the water up and fill the tub the rest of the way before leaving and closing the door to give me some privacy.  I take off my dress and step into the tub, which only comes up to my navel when I sit down in it, but I don't complain as it always does the job of getting me clean.  I grab the bar of soap and start lathering my skin, the soft scent of rose petals I found near the river bank last week and added to the homemade soap invade my senses.  Then I do the same for my hair and rinse off with the bucket of warm water Lily left beside the tub.  I step out and find the threadbare towel mother left for me to dry off and start rubbing the water off my skin, wrapping the towel around my damp hair I walk over to my bed and gasp.  Dress is an under stamen, what my sisters have created is a GOWN fit for royalty.  A deep emerald silk gown is laid out along with silk under garments and petticoats to give the skirt volume, it has balloon sleeves and an off the shoulders neckline.  There are little red roses embroidered along the hem and bodice.  A green ribbon corseted back will make the bodice hug my figure like a second skin.  I literally scream as my eyes take it in.  I hear my family laugh on the other side of the door before Jasmine and Lily walk in to help me dress.  "How did you two ever manage a dress this gorgeous?" I gush as they dress me, "and why so extravagant? I have nowhere to wear a dress like this after tonight."  They exchange a look and keep silent.  After I am dressed Jasmine tells Lily to go help mother in the other room and makes me sit in front of the vanity.  She brushes my long hair and pulls it away from my face securing it with a silk ribbon I'm sure was left over from the dress.  She leaves my hair hanging down my back and turns my chair to face her while she opens a bag of face paints I didn't see earlier.  "These are gifts from Karla and Marissa, " she says as she starts applying a deep shade of red to my lips and gold glittery stuff to the lids of my eyes.  She turns me back to face the mirror and I gasp.  No longer is little Rose looking back at me, in her place is a red haired Princess that looks more mature.  "Oh my, how did you?  Oh my, I don't look like myself."  I start to tear up.  "NO!  None of that or your face will run."  Jasmine states as she dabs my tears with a handkerchief.  "Jazz, I'm the happiest farm girl ever.  You and Lil are the best of sisters."  I cry. (Jazz and Lil are my nicknames for my sisters) Jazz and I walk out of the room together to get my birthday/coming out party started.