The silence was thick in her room, the curtains were drawn and the last rays of sunset peeked between the shades casting beams upon the floor. My sisters and I stood around her bed, our heads bowed and our words unspoken. It wasn't easy to say goodbye to one of our own.

She was a beloved and special part of us; one might say the heart and core of our existence and her loss was felt by all. Though the rest of us grew with time she had always remained as if age never touched her. Her golden hair never seemed to dull and the sparkle in her blue eyes never dimmed. We all loved her dearly and sought to protect her but she always seemed beyond protection, vulnerable, hopeful and pure of spirit. I think back to a better time, when her laughter had floated on the wind like butterflies fluttering through our house. My sisters and I felt younger again with her presence and we rejoiced and danced in her presence.

To some she was easy prey. Her naive faith in the world and the heart was paramount, there have been very few people have I known that had such a tenacity in their conviction. When she was absent I had missed her terribly and I wanted to believe, as she did, so I called her forth from her slumber. I can still remember her sunshine smile as she awoke. She was a breath of fresh air in my life and one I didn't want to live without.

I felt the weight of guilt, being the most intelligent of my sisters, because I was the one who woke her out of her regenerative slumber, only to hurt her in the end. This time, I intervened on her behalf, and interfered in her world. Had I not stepped in the prince may still have loved her today and yet I was so protective of her and distrusting of men I crossed the line and caused her this pain.

Many times my sister had suffered, the emotional wounds showed on her pale skin in the form of scars but she was faithful and true to the end. Her suffering was proof to the world of her loving and giving nature, never one to complain she wore her wounds as a testament to her faith in her love. When I would ask her about them she would smile a sad smile at me and whisper "he makes the pain go away." I wish, as I have before, that I had not set her free from her slumber only to watch her return there again, slightly less than she was when she woke but ever steadfast in her belief.

Had I the strength I would have torn her away from the scenario I saw laying before her. When it became apparent that I had been mistaken I tried to make amends, but I was unable to do so to the satisfaction of the prince but he was unsatisfied. Instead she willingly paid for my mistakes which I deeply regretted, especially now, but I was powerless to stop her. She had made up her mind not to give up, she hoped to make him see that despite my error in judgment that she was worth forgiveness.

Hours we would sit, her and I, and she would tell me the most beautiful things about her prince. She insisted he cherished her and often I walked away from those meetings feeling hopeful for her. Her faith was indeed that strong that it would make me doubt my assessment, even as protective of her as I was, I wanted to believe she was right this time. As time went on I saw her weaken, the scars becoming once again visible and her vulnerabilities laid bare and I knew how it would end. Still she insisted he returned her love and they would be together again. She would not hear my objections as I desperately tried to ease her into the inevitable.

My sisters and I watch her breath, slowing and even now, as she entered a dream world that is far fairer to her than reality has been. In that world she was cherished and cared for, evident by the calm of her sleeping face. I wonder if anyone can truly care for such a frail creature as my slumbering sister or find redemption in my hasty actions. Surely there will be someone, I think to myself; that will not fail. Though I guess everyone fails someone else in life eventually.

The prince's picture still sat on the table by her bed, a reminder of a better time as the face smiled into eternity, a moment caught in time. If she could speak, she would say it was worth every tear for those moments, when he would turn that smile to her. I scooped up the picture and put it in the drawer, it is best that it not remain there, the reminder of my failure to my sister and the pain the bore because of it. I couldn't bear to see it. Looking back I wonder why I took the risk in waking her when I didn't have the ability to trust.

It is time now for my sisters and I leave her to her peaceful slumber. My sisters and I will become one again, yet not completely. We will sorely miss her, and the empty place inside where she dwelt will serve as a reminder lest one of these times she sustain a more permanent damage. At least now she rests and recovers and the scars will fade again as they have before, leaving very few behind. Someday she will wake again renewed and ready to love again.

Before I leave, I kiss her forehead once more lovingly, I will miss her and I hope someday soon we will see her again. Having learned my lesson not to interfere in her realm I vow to learn this lesson so that someday she may be happy. Perhaps next time she will find the one to sustain her. Perhaps by then I will have learned to trust this world and again the world will be as beautiful as her smile, which lingers in my memory.