A Rose With Thorns

Parchment

Parchment

Rose couldn’t stand sitting any longer, she wondered around the library searching for something to ease her pain. There were many books that lined the walls, but nothing seemed to catch her eye. Eventually she wondered to the oldest section of the library. None of these books were dusted and the shelves weren’t polished. It was odd to see, a dirty part of the castle. Rose gently brushed some of the dust off one of the books.

The spine was so old that no words remained. Curious she pulled it off and looked at the front, but no title remained. The book was so old it bore no name. That thought made her chuckle, because she had never seen such a thing.

Taking the book she sat down and flipped it open.

The words were old, very old. They were even hand written, nothing like the new books that were lining the polished shelves that were written with a special typewriter, so that many copies could be made. Rose flipped several pages in, it looked like a cook book, but for very strange recipes. She began randomly flipping until something caught her eye.

Wolf’s Bane.

She checked the page searching for what it said. “Wolf’s Bane is very poisonous. It will kill a vampire with a single bite. Deadly and evil. A witch’s brew! But not incurable. Oh! No, no, there is a cure. You just have to look in the right places.

Well I did the looking for you, you have the easy part of just putting the cure together yourself. Just understand a bitten vampire is NOT a happy vampire getting their blood will be difficult because it has to be fresh.”

Rose, excited read on. “What you’ll need first is simple tea, and enough honey to cover the taste. Add in three leaves of Nightshade, two crow feathers, hairs of a dog, rose petals (Pink is best) and finally the last ingredient is blood. Two types if you please. A human virgin (they’re everywhere, just a prick of the finger) and the infected vampires. Be careful young witches, you don’t want yourselves getting bitten.”

Rose was shocked. She was reading from a Witches book! They were thought to be extinct! Rose didn’t care though, the cure called for no magic. All she needed to do was gather the ingredients and make a tea for Charles.

Rose jumped to her feet and hid the book in her dress before rushing out of the library and to the kitchen. Everyone was confused, horrible screaming came from one of the guest rooms, and no one seemed to know why. Rose knew why, the Wolf’s bane was slowly killing Charles.

“Princess what are you doing here?” The cook asked surprised that she has appeared.

“I’m going to make a cup of tea, can you find me some rose petals?” she asked. “Pink ones?” The cook nodded and vanished. Rose got right to work, digging around for the ingredients she needed. The crow feathers she was concerned about. There were no crows out this time of year, there shouldn’t be any. She pulled out the dog hairs from the mutt sleeping in the corner and found a stash of nightshade leaves in the back of the cupboard. It was considered poisonous to humans, but it was considered a very expensive tea for vampires. That was why there was a jar of it in the palace. Rose put on a kettle to boil and the cook came back with the petals and a dead crow in her hand.

“This little bugger was trying to steal some grain!” She snapped dropping the bird on the counter. Rose cringed at the sight, but quickly grabbed two feathers without the cook noticing. “Here are your petals.” She said sweetly, putting a cloth of light pink, dried, petals on the counter. The cook turned and started cursing. In a bustle she left the kitchen.

Rose couldn’t believe her luck! She threw the ingredients together and added a tea bag, she poured the now boiling water over and let it steep. Just before the cook came back she threw out her witch brew and added a tea bag and lots of honey. She didn’t know if that was enough but she wasn’t going to try it to find out.

Slipping out she snuck upstairs through the servants passages. She poked her head into the room where the screaming was coming from. Charles was alone with his cries. Rose slipped in quietly and took the seat beside Charles. “Rose?” Charles grunted seeing her. He tried to hold in hi pain, hoping not to scare her.

“Hi Charles.” Rose whispered. “I brought you some tea. It’ll make you feel better I promise.” Charles grunted and looked away as another surge of pain spread through his body. Rose frowned but pulled out a needle and pricked her finger. Instantly Charles face whipped back at her. The scent of her sweet blood filling his senses.

“R-ose!” he gasped trying to hold himself back.

“I know, I know, I’m going to help you I swear!” She pleaded with him. He frowned but bucked back when pain hit him. Rose used that moment to grab his hand a prick him with the needle. Blood instantly pooled on his hand.

Rose tipped it over the cup and let the red swirl in the water with hers. She sighed when it was done. Suddenly Charles grabbed her wrist tightly. She looked up shocked to see his eyes black, and long fangs extended from his gums. Rose squeaked, trying to hold in her scream.

Charles shook trying hold himself from attacking her. He had lost so much blood that he was now going crazy. Rose’s scent filled him, and all he wanted to do was take it all. Pain hit him and he became distracted, Rose used that to escape. She knew Charles wouldn’t hurt her, but in his state he didn’t have much control.

“Here, drink it!” Rose whispered holding the cup to his lips. Charles smelled her blood in the drink and took in a deep drag. It smelled just like her. He opened his lips and took a few drinks. It tasted terrible, like honey. It was much too sweet. But he drank anyway. Soon the cup was empty. He sighed, the pain numbed right away. “Charles?” Rose whispered, his eyes drooped and he was suddenly tired.

“Rose?”He whispered back, catching sight of her briefly.

“Sleep, I’ll see you later.” She whispered and kissed his head. Charles caught her scent again but refrained this time, he felt too tired to even attack at that moment. Rose backed away and slipped out of the room before anybody entered.

Rose felt like she had just saved the world. She washed the cup and left the kitchen quickly and popped back into the library. She guessed that no one even noticed that she had left. Smiling she sat back down and opened the book back to the Wolf Bane page. She read it over, making sure that she didn’t miss anything. She flipped the pages, but new titles and words filled the pages.

Now all she had to do was wait.