Description

   Sun sat inside his castle that overlooked the small hill beyond the forest. People rarely come to visit him. He was sad because he needed someone to help him tend his roses. The trouble was no one wanted the job. Was it due to his beast-like appearance?

   Sun's  POV:

    I do not understand why I had my best men put up posters to announce the need for a flower expert.  Why has no one responded? I was certain someone would understand my love for the roses. They were an inheritance from my great-grandma passed to my grandma who passed them to my mother who in turn passed them to me.

     "Doesn't anyone appreciate roses anymore?" I growled.

   "Sire, it seems many do not like the thorny part of the roses," One of the men said.

      "It is impossible to have such fine roses without thorns." The prince remarked.

     "Yes, we know, but in these times not everyone appreciates the delicate things in life as much as they used to," Another servant added

     "Prince Sun, many have switched to artificial flowers because there is less maintenance to take care of them,"  The third servant told him.

   "Artificial " is the same thing as fake, as in counterfeit or plastic. I will no such talk in my kingdom," He sneered.

    The servants were dismissed and returned to their quarters for the moment. They had no idea what to do to help the prince for his mood had grown worse since the castle, and all its occupants were put under a great burden—one which had not been seen in years.

      Prince Sun frowned. His great-grandma, grandma, and mother wouldn't have stood back and let the roses die because of some far-fetched nonsense that artificial flowers were better for the environment. No they would have stood for what is right. He knew he had to stand firm in what he believed. 

        While he was trying to decide how to proceed next with getting the proper help he needed around here, a stranger arrived outside the castle's gates. She was a young girl who had a cat-like appearance. She was from a group called the Faunus. She smiled despite her confusion about what had brought her to such a place. It was the usual place she would prefer to venture to get out of the storm. 

   "Hello, is anyone there?" Blake called out. She wore an all-black dress with purple flowers printed on the bottom section, black fishnet-style tights, and black boots. Her ears were disguised -on top of her head with a solid black hair ribbon. She held a solid black weapon, a chain sytche in her left hand, and a sword attached to her back.

    Sun gritted his teeth in frustration. "Get rid of her at once,"  He ordered.

     One of his guards went to the gate, "Miss this is private property, I must ask you to go away. No shoo!"  "I can't shoo as you put it because of the storm, I promise only to stay one night, and I won't cause the least bit of noise. You shall hardly notice I am even here," Blake argued. The guard smiled at her and glanced her over. He supposed she would do nicely.

   "Fine, do come in Miss and I will have one of the maids bring you some dry clothes and something to eat," The guard stated. Blake smiled perhaps this dreary place was not so bad after all. She thought. 

    "Miss, here are the dry garments you requested, oh, and you may change in there," The maid said. Blake thanked her and entered the room.  It was a small bathroom.  Blake removed her wet things and put on the dry  clothing. The dry stuff was black with some blue intertwined within the fabric. She smiled. Not bad, she thought when she saw her reflection in the mirror. 

      She put the wet items on a drying rack she had found inside the bathroom. Hopefully, they would dry fast. She entered the room she had first come into once out of the storm. It was small but quaint. She sat on one of the chairs. Another maid gave her tea, a sandwich, fries, and a cookie.  She ate the food and sipped the tea.

        Blake did not notice a presence staring at her. She did not see him enter after she was done. She stood enjoying the view outside the windows. Though they had something coating the glass to keep the sun's rays from overheating the room she felt it made everything stand out. She also noticed the roses.  By the looks of it, the poor things could use some help. Good thing she knew about botany. She had taken a course about it at the university and passed it. That was before she had dropped out to tend to her ailing father. He had passed soon afterward and now she had her mother to concern herself with.

         She knew many had a hatred, for the Fanus, so she attempted to keep her identity a secret from any outside prying eyes. She dared not tell the servants here about her past. She hardly knew them no matter how kind they were to her. She might as well not get comfortable here, because she was headed home tomorrow.

             "Tomorrow, Miss, so soon?  Surely you had no intention to do such a thing, as you only came to us today,"  A servant argued. "Yes, the place would be horrid without you here." Another told her.  Each servant told her various stories about what could happen in her absence. Blake thought it was only meant to guilt trip her into staying. Staying was not what she intended at all.

            That evening, she slept surprisingly well for someone who had to spend the night in such a strange place. A place without so much as a light switch. How did they seem to do anything around here?

  Find out more as the story continues in Thorny Part 2- a two-shot story by Summer Chneg (SummerCheng37).

       Until then,

bye-bye,

little owlets!

Summer out!