Tale 7- The Rose Princess

The Traveler wandered through the woods, before seeing a young woman in a brown pinafore approach her. She began to panic- it had to be his doing, and if this girl was really the eyes of the beast, she had no way of defending herself. Wary, she tried to keep her distance, ducking between trees and rushing out of darker patches, where he may be hiding, before stumbling in a clearing and dropping the precious book. The woman approached her, the Traveler shielding herself, and bent down to pick up the book. Quietly, she handed it to the Traveler, offering a hand. The Traveler paused. Was such a gesture trustworthy? And what was the intent? She shook her head and stood up by herself, turning away and beginning to walk toward the nearby town. The woman spoke. “You won’t find a tale there, I tried.” The Traveler’s heart began to race. This person knew her goal. She had to be in leagues with him. She continued walking. “Traveler! I mean you no harm. My name is Sarafelle, and I only want to help.” She continued, the Traveler stopping in her tracks. Silently, she turned around. Sarafelle quickly moved closer, catching up. “If you’ll allow me, I have a tale.” She offered, the two sitting on a nearby log. The Traveler opened her book in silence and Sarafelle began, telling the tale of ‘the Rose Princess’.

‘When the world was young, there was a princess who lived in a shining tower. Her jealous advisor, a witch, put a spell on her to turn her into a flower, convinced that nobody would be able to break it as it required a kiss of true love, and flowers have no lover. She discarded the rose on the side of the street, where it was found by a baker. Seeing it beginning to wilt, he placed the bud in a vase on his windowsill and began to tend to it as he worked. The flower grew used to the smell of bread, the warmth of the kitchen, the light flooding in through the window, but most of all got used to his company. The baker was extremely lonely, and often talked to himself and jokingly to the flower, who listened to his woes and could only imagine what she would say in response. Having lost his partner many years ago, he was left alone, without children or other family members, so he only desired company. He enjoyed seeing the customers when they visited him, but he hadn’t got a single real friend in the town, so he was very lonely. One day, after tending to the flower for an entire year, he gently kissed the bud, as she had grown more and more beautiful as the days went by. In a flash of light, she transformed back into a princess, and immediately hugged the baker, promising him he would never be alone again.’

Sarafelle finished her story and stared at the Traveler, watching her calligraphy. She smiled slightly. The Traveler looked up at her from under her hood and nodded, before standing up, ready to move on. Sarafelle didn’t have another chance. She, too, stood up, and faced the Traveler. “Can I come with you?”