The entire crowd gasped, and Doina sobbed, “She will prick her finger while spinning, and meet our Lord in heaven.” Lady Opara continued, “Oh, though her life will be short, she will be full of happiness and luck, always.” She gave one last sneer before patting Doina’s cheek. “There, there, dear, don’t cry like that. It is a wonderful gift.” She turned to leave, cackling as she crossed the dining hall’s threshhold to the outside.

The feast disbanded almost immediately, as villagers ran to their churches, and nobles loaded their families away for protection from the curse. A small, hunchbacked old woman from the village remained, though, and approached the weeping Doina and her husband. She introduced herself as a healer from the village, and offered to help if she could.

“I cannot remove your gift, no… because once given, a thing such as this can never be fully taken away.” She shook her head, covered in a red and yellow-patterned scarf, at the babe, “But, Aurora, it will not be death you find…”