“Do it, don’t do it. Do it, don’t do it.”
As each petal fell slowly to the ground, I tried to avoid looking at how many remained. As the petals dwindled, I thought of Sapphira’s control over me, her coldness, and her prevention of me pursuing my dreams. Then I thought of the stranger I had met, a man whose name I didn’t even know. He had been fascinated and even impressed by my knowledge. Would others be impressed, too?
As my fingers landed on the last petal, I plucked it in slow motion as I silently mouthed, “Don’t.”
I stood motionless for a moment, staring at the naked stem. As the idea of giving up settled into my brain, a flash of Sapphira’s wicked grin flickered into my mind. If I abandoned the idea of pursuing my dreams, then that was it; she won…
No, I wasn’t going to cower. This was my chance to be brave and claim whatever control over my life I still possessed. I plucked the entire stem from the root, and dropped it onto the ground with the fallen petals. A mischievous smile curled at my lips as I whispered once more, “Do it.”
chapter six
The low burning campfire flickered weakly against the dark background of the surrounding forest. Shadows of the four men, huddled around its warmth, danced eerily between the trees.
Prince Conan stared grimly into the flames, watching as it burned through the stacked logs. Silence ensued as the men waited patiently for their fifth companion. When the cracking of a twig alerted them to his presence, the group rose to their feet. A medium height man with combed brown and silver hair stepped calmly into their campsite, his eyes trained on the prince.
“Well?” the prince growled. “Did you find a suitable victim?” His dark eyes reflected the impatience in his tone.
“Not only suitable...” the man smiled, “I would say they’re rather perfect for the task at hand. They’re in desperate need of money and don’t have any confidants. I believe they’ll play the part we require seamlessly.” The other men exchanged pleased glances before turning their attention back to their prince.
“And you’re certain they’ll follow through?” the prince questioned challengingly. “We can’t afford any mistakes. I won’t allow any of this to trace back to Ashbourne.”
The man smiled, then removed a small scrap of fabric from his vest. “Don’t worry, Your Highness.” He twirled the fabric around in his fingers. “You can always count on a desperate soul.”
A few humored snickers resonated from the surrounding men, and the man smiled to his companions with malicious pride.
“Very well, then.” The prince approached the man, snatching the scrap from his fingers. “Begin the preparations. We have a ball to attend…”
Two Weeks Later…
“Your Highness.”
I turned my attention away from the book that had been hogging my focus. The familiar face of my private messenger stood in the doorway of my personal library. Usually nothing could break me away from my studies, yet there had been a recent exception to that rule…
“Another letter, Marlon?” I tried to hide the enthusiasm in my voice, but it wasn’t a convincing act. The stoic expression on the messenger’s face gave a slight twinge of amusement from my false composure.
“Indeed, Your Highness.” He approached my desk, and placed a simple envelope, sealed with its signature muddy thumbprint, onto the surface.
It had been a few weeks since the flower maiden and I had first collided. Our letters had mainly focused on surface conversation, but there was something deeper to it than that. We truly only talked of flowers and casual topics that would be deemed appropriate for polite company, yet I felt as though we shared a deeper connection. We both seemed to be placed under social restrictions. In my case, I was the crown prince, therefore, my duties to maintain my reputation always lingered. This flower maiden didn’t appear to be a member of court, yet she seemed to understand my sentiments. Her letters often alluded to being restrained from living to the fullest or even tethered to her current position, and she wanted to change that. It inspired me how she maintained such a positive outlook. Perhaps that was why I grew so anticipatory about her letters.
“Ah yes, thank you, Marlon.” I gave a slight side glance at the letter, attempting to display a lack of interest. “Do you happen to recall where the letter was specifically located?” My eyebrows raised in polite interest.
“Yes, Your Highness, it was located beneath a yellow rosebush.” Marlon answered flatly, but his eyes held suspicious intrigue. “Shall I stop by later to deliver your return?”
“Yes, please. This evening should be a suitable time.” I replied calmly, my eyes twitching toward the sealed letter. “I shall summon you when it is prepared. You may be dismissed for now.”
The young man gave a respectful bow, then turned to exit without another word. No sooner than he had exited the room had my hands blindly grabbed the letter.A yellow rose bush?Roses were known to symbolize many things, but a yellow rose often alluded to friendship. I opened the envelope and grazed my eyes across the neat calligraphy.
To the man I know, yet have hardly met,
You seem to have grown more comfortable in your addresses toward me, yet we still know nothing of each other’s true names. Personally, I intend to keep my identity a mystery for the time being for my own unspoken reasons, and I anticipate that you will do the same. However, our companionship seems to have bloomed, much like these yellow roses. I do believe I could consider you a friend, but friends typically know each other’s names.
Do you suppose we could choose our own names? I’m not quite certain what to call you yet, but I have chosen a suitable alias for myself. How does “Daisy” sound to you? As I’m sure you’re aware, a daisy has many meanings, but my reasoning behind choosing this name is due to one specific interpretation.
New beginnings.
I hope this new friendship is one that you are equally pleased with. I find great joy in receiving your letters and hope to continue exchanging thoughts for as long as you find me entertaining. I hope to hear from you soon, although I must warn you that I may grow slower to reply over the coming weeks. Please know that my delay in response is simply caused by the inconvenience of my family duties. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my chosen name, and your own as well.
-Daisy