The wilted flower

Chapter one:

It started off as just a normal day for Areeva as she sat in the palace garden tending to all of the flora. Looking around, she noticed that a beautiful rose had started to wilt because a larger rose was blocking the sunlight. Slowly, she stood and walked over to the rose bush. Waving her hand as if waving to someone across the flower, she made the rose grow to where it could reach the rays of light trikling through the trees. A small smile graced her face as she watched the small rose drink in the light it had sorely needed. She stood turning around to walk back towards the forest where she lived. She made her way towards the gate but stopped when she saw a small girl crying on the bench beside the fountain. A frown creased her forehead as she started towards the girl. "Are you alright, little girl?" she asked once she got close enough. The girl looked up from her lap as she glanced around to see who'd asked her the question. Her eyes widened slightly once she saw Areeva standing not too far from her. "Who are you? I've not seen you before." the little girl asked while studying Areeva. "Pardon me. I'm Areeva, a flower nymph of the Altress forest." Areeva replied while bowing. The girl, while seemingly still a little suspicious, replied, "I'm Lilith, the princess of Altress. Nice to meet you." Areeva smiled. "Well, princes, may I ask why you were crying?" Lilith's eyes seemed to glaze over as she replied, "Father was yelling at a maid because she'd given me a cookie. I felt bad, so I told him I ordered her to do it, yet he still continued to yell at her." Lilith's brows furrowed as she told Areeva what had happened. A small smile graced Areevas' face as she heard what the princess had done. "Well, my brave princess, there is no reason to fret. Let me give you something for that maid." Lilith's face lit up with curiosity as she replied, "alright." Areeva opened her palm, and up from it grew a beautiful blue rose. "Give this rose to that maid, and she shall be protected as long as I am alive." Lilith's face filled with gratitude as she took the rose. "Thank you very much. How can I repay you?" Lilith asked, staring at the beautiful rose. "You need not repay me, princess." Areeva said smiling as she continued on the path she was on before she spotted the princess. She did not realise at that moment, but that very same princess would save her life in the future. Lilith stared after Areeva until she was no longer in her line of sight. She then ran into the palace, rose in hand shouting for the maid. Areeva continued down the path towards the forest at a faster pace because she'd be late if she didn't. She watched as a monarch butterfly flew past her to land on a petunia. She glanced back as few more butterflies went to join that one before hurrying towards the forest's edge. She sighed as she entered the forest and began her way towards her home. Not long after, she reached the meadow where her house was. She walked to the door and was tackled to the ground. "Sissy!" yelled an excited Mirda. Areeva sat up, pulling her little sister with her as she laughed. "Hello, Mirda. How was your day?" Areeva asked as she carried her sister to the living room. Mirda's eyes lit up as she began to tell her sister what she'd done that day. "...and Zuza read me a book while we sat in the meadow tree!" she finally finished telling her tale and looked at Areeva with an excited glow in her eyes. "What did you do sissy?" Mirda asked. "Well, I went to the palace gardens and healed some of the flowers." Areeva replied, smiling. "Is that all?" Mirda frowned. " Well, I also met the princess. " Areeva replied. Mirda's jaw dropped in shock as she bombarded Areeva with questions. Areeva chuckled, "All right, calm down. I'll tell you all about her."
About a half hour later
Areeva ran her fingers through her sisters hair as she finished her story. She looked down to find Mirda asleep. She smiled and picked her up before walking up the stairs and into Mirda's bedroom. Areeva set Mirda on her bed and pulled the covers over her before kissing her forhead. She stood up and walked towards the bathroom to shower before she headed to bed. Closing the door, she turned towards the mirror. She gave herself a once over and began to undress. Walking over to the shower, she turned the handle and put the water on hot before grabbing a towel and a washcloth from the cabinet. She stepped into the shower and shivered, waiting for the water to warm up. She sighed as the water turned warmer and began to wash her hair. She lathered her hair with shampoo before rinsing it and doing the same with conditioner. Wiping her face with the washcloth so that there wouldn't be any in her eyes. She grabbed the soap off of the ledge it was on. She held the washcloth under the water until it was sufficiently wet and then put soap on it. She washed her body and then rinsed the soap off before turning the water off and stepping out of the shower. She walked over to the sink and washed her face before brushing her teeth and drying her hair. She rapped the towel around her and opened the bathroom door. Shivering, she rushed towards her room as fast as she could. She opened the door and closed it once inside the room. Then she walked towards her dresser and grabbed a pair of leggings and a tank top along with some underwear. Dropping the towel, she slid the clothes on before picking the towel back up and putting the towel in the clothes hamper. She turned and flopped on her bed as she realized how tired she was. She crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly. What she didn't see was the figure standing outside her window. She slept peacefully, unaware of the horror that was about to occur. Not even an hour later, she woke startled to a hand covering her mouth and a knife to her throat. "Scream, and you die." The mysterious intruder whispered. Areeva's eyes widened in shock as she tried to find a way out of her situation. She glanced around and realized there was nothing of use within her reach. she spotted the grape vines she'd been taking care of and carefully used her magic to make the grow towards the person trapping her. "You're going to get up silently and come with me. Nod if you understand." She nodded and urged the plants to yank the person off of her. He let out a startled scream, and she jumped up and towards the door as soon as he was off of her. "Mirda, run! Please run to the castle and ask the princess for help!" Mirda's rushed out of her room and stared wild-eyed and scared at her sister, "why? What's going on sissy!" Mirda asked. "Just go, Mirda, and don't look back. I'll be right behind you as soon as I can! Make sure you let the princess know you're my sister. I'm sure she'll help you. Now go!" Areeva screamed as her sister burst out of the house. Areeva turned to see that the man had broken out of the restraints and ran towards the kitchen to attempt to get a knife. Sadly, she wasn't fast enough, and the man tackled her to the ground and once again put a hand over her mouth and held the knife to her neck."You've just made a huge mistake." The man said, staring into Areeva's fearful eyes. Areeva froze as a state of pure terror overcame her. What was he planning to do with her. She struggled, but to no avail. The man then tied her wrists and ankles together before slinging her over his shoulder. Exhausted from using her powers so much and struggling, the last thing she saw before darkness consumed her was the fading sight of her home getting further and further away.