It's horrible, really, to be the eldest.

Not only are you considered to be responsible for your other siblings' behavior, but you feel old. Especially when you have eleven younger sisters.

Now, I love my sisters—don't get me wrong. It's fun to talk with each other and be able to go to someone else for help. We work together as a giant support group, almost. I'm help my sisters with their studies—math and reading, mostly, although Ellyn and Rose greatly dislike music theory and ask for my help almost every week. The first set of twins—Elizabeth and Ellyn—are noted for their taste in fashion and help the rest of us prepare for balls. The first set of triplets—Catharine, Gwen, and Cristiana—are juicy sources of gossip and are usually the first to tell us any news. Isabelle, Mirabelle, and Annabelle, the second set of triplets, are the kingdom's biggest flirts…we usually go to them for boy advice. Helena and Juliana are the second set of twins, and they are always great entertainers. And Rose, the youngest, is a fabulous cook. We all share a spacious room together that overlooks the beautiful palace gardens, which are separated from the Darkwood Forest by a two-story high stone wall.

My name is Aurora Mariel Juniper of Caldenshire. I am the firstborn of King Geoffrey and Queen Erin. I am the first of twelve daughters because, in my kingdom, a son is a very important thing for a royal family to have, and my parents really wanted a son. But since there is no son, I feel as if my father is a little distant towards us. Maybe it is just my imagination, or my guilt at there not being a brother to take my place as future ruler of Caldenshire. More than anything, I want my parents to be happy—to be proud—and sometimes, it seems that only their nonexistent son could do such a thing.

Many nights, when I was younger, I wished that I had been born a boy to please my father, or at least to have not been born as the first child. I do not want to take the throne after my father's passing, especially if I have not yet chosen a husband, for then I will probably be forced to marry wretched Prince Simon, who will ruthlessly take advantage of my poor kingdom and turn it into a dishonorable place. That man is not fit to be a ruler, and if he must rule, he should rule his own kingdom and let it go to waste, not mine. The problem is that he is a prince, and my kingdom is a bit hard-pressed for money since last year's drought and subsequent crop failure. Sure, I could marry a duke or someone else of nobility, but with the current money shortage, my parents have their sights set on a prince.

I have been forced into Prince Simon's company many times. He is a bloated, greedy man who thinks only for his own pleasure, but my parents believe he is a noble match for me. I shudder at the thought.

"Aurora, let me do something with your hair," Ellyn said, approaching my bed where I was reading Political Trolls and How to Deal with Them, one of the many books I had to read to prepare me for becoming the next queen. It was a dry, boring book, and the purpose for which I was reading it was not a pleasant one—I will only become queen and need to learn about politics in the event of my parents' deaths.

"Did you hear?" Gwen said, bouncing over to us happily. "Father is going to hold a Spring Awakening Ball! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Really?" Ellyn asked in excitement as she brushed my hair. "I thought that we wouldn't be spending much money on celebrations this year with the money shortage."

"Oh, but it'll just be a small event, nothing too expensive," Gwen said. "Every kingdom has to put on a dance at least once every six months—it's good manners, you know—so even though it might hurt our monetary situation a little, Father doesn't want to risk losing friendships with other kingdoms."

"Yay!" Ellyn exclaimed. I put down my book and groaned.

"What's the matter, Aurora?" Ellyn asked. "And do sit up straight—you'll mess up your hair."

"If there's a ball, Mother and Father are going to match me up with more potential suitors," I grumbled. "Especially Simon, since he's a prince who would add to the dwindling wealth of our kingdom."

"Well, I'm sure we could have you play sick or something," Gwen said.

"No, I did that last time," I said. "And the time before that, I pretended I sprained my ankle within the first two minutes of the first dance. I'm running out of excuses, and it will look suspicious if I keep missing these events. I think I'll just have to grin and bear it this time."

"It'll be fun, you'll see," Isabelle said, joining the group on my bed. "Not all boys are horrible like Prince Simon."

"Prince," I scoffed. "What a title for that pig." I refused to address him by his title unless absolutely necessary. He didn't deserve it.

"Awww," Gwen leaned over to give me a comforting hug, but was swatted away by a hairbrush-wielding Ellyn. "Hey!"

"You'll mess up her hair!" Ellyn growled, parting my long dishwater blond hair for a braid.

Just then, a rat scurried past us, and we each gave out an involuntary yelp of fright.

"Ah!" Isabelle shrieked, jumping up to stand on her bed and get a better view of where the rat was going.

"Rat!" Gwen screamed, causing our sisters to all jump up on chairs, tables, and beds, and look around the floor in fright.

"Where?" Cristiana asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"I see it!" Helena suddenly shouted, causing another round of shrieks.

"Where?" Cristiana repeated anxiously.

"What's all this noise about?"

All twelve of us froze and turned towards the door to our room slowly. Our father was standing between the heavy wooden doors, his hands on his hips, and looking very irritated.

"Nothing," I answered quickly, jumping off of my bed and hoping the rat wouldn't run by again. I wanted to tell Father about the rat problem that our bedroom had recently been having, but Father was always in a bad mood since the crop failure, it seemed, and I didn't want to anger him. Plus, a rat infestation meant that he would have to spend our kingdom's dwindling monetary supply on ridding the palace of the pestilential vermin, instead of bettering the country.

My sisters followed my example.

"Nothing, Father," Elizabeth said, stepping down from her chair. I tugged on Ellyn and Gwen's dresses, and they quickly got off of my bed.

"I will not have any foolishness take place in this palace, is that clear?" Father said, his voice laced with fury.

"Yes, Father," we murmured collectively, bowing our heads in submission.

"Now," Father continued after a moment of silence, the tone of his voice altering slightly. "I have decided to hold a Spring Awakening Ball two weeks from now—" he held up a hand for silence as some of my sisters who had not yet heard this news gasped in excitement. "And I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Your mother and I will be trying to find a suitable match for Aurora."

He looked at me pointedly, as if to say "do not mess this up." My sisters didn't dare look at me, but I felt the wave of mixed emotions sent my way. They knew I hated matchmaking, and that I wasn't all too eager to become the next ruler. Most of my sisters were sympathetic, but some, like Rose and Mirabelle, envied the future power I would have, and the attention I was getting. They wanted Father to spend as much time looking for a husband for them as he did for me. As if I wanted all this attention in the first place.

"That is all. Goodnight," Father said, turning to leave. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he hesitated at the door. "Oh, and Aurora…you are nineteen years of age. Please try to act like it, and not bounce around on the beds. I expect you to be a positive influence on your sisters."

And then he left. I sunk back down on my bed, ashamed. He hadn't even turned around to look at me. If he was in a forgiving mood, usually he would call me over and reprimand me privately, instead of scolding me in front of my sisters.

I was used to taking the blame, though. My father believed that if we were doing something we weren't supposed to, I was the culprit.

"It's alright," Gwen said, trying to comfort me. "He still loves you, you know. And you'll have fun at this ball—you'll see."

With that, she and Ellyn left to get ready for bed.