Little Rose

~^~Chapter 1~^~

He navigates easily, finally opening the double doors at the end of a hallway.

"Welcome to my rooms Love." My eyes widen as I enter the lavishly decorated sitting room.

"Wow..."

"You're welcome to explore later, but let's get you into bed. You look like you haven't slept well in a very long time." He's right, I haven't been sleeping well recently. The few times I could actually sleep deeply it wasn't very peaceful. I doubt it will be now. I follow him into a bedroom decorated much the same way as the sitting room. Black and red, with gold accents -- some of which I'm sure are actual gold. The bed is made of the same dark wood as the other furniture, the sheets a glimmering gold. It looks really comfortable too. What's the point of having that nice of a bed if you don't even sleep? I push the thought aside, instead flopping onto the bed and allowing my wings out to blanket me. Turns out it isn't really comfortable. It's really, really, really, really, really, comfortable. I could close my eyes and think I'm in heaven again comfortable. Actually, let's not pretend I'm in heaven. It's super comfy though. "Enjoying yourself?" He's amused again. And chuckling. I send him another glare.

"So what if I am? Is that a problem?"

"No." He flashes me a smile. A swoon-worthy blinding smile that has me melting. Any previous thoughts of just being friends briefly fly out the window. I yank them back in with a mental reminder: he's the devil. "Your wings are very unique." He comments. My face falls. I shove it into a pillow.

"I know. It sucks." I'm not sure if he can hear me or not -- fallen have advanced senses, but I've never learned exactly how advanced. Apparently it fluxuates. We aren't sure why either.

"How did something so beautiful become a bad thing?" I feel his weight as he leans on the bed and his breath on my hair as he speaks.

"What do people like to do to beautiful things?"

"I feel like 'treasure them' isn't the right answer."

"Think flowers."

"I'm guessing you mean people who aren't gardeners. What does picking flowers have to do with your wings?"

"I'm the meadow."

"Ah. Count me as a gardener then. I'd enjoy taking care of you, Little Meadow. That includes your beautiful wings." I make use of the pillow to further hide my face, and newly formed blush.

"Why are you so charming?!?"

"You've heard the stories of me charming girls into deals and leaving them women?"

"Everyone's heard them."

"That was my way of practicing so I'd have it perfected when I met you."

"I- You- What?" The blush deepens. That's kind of sweet. In a really strange way.

"I figured the best way to get my Destined to stick around was to be able to charm her into it. After all, who wants to be paired with the devil? And don't try and tell me you do, I saw you. You were debating on whether to stay or not. I'm still wondering what made you decide like that." The honey shines with bitterness now.

"I was always taught not to judge before I knew. The girls for example. Most would have thought you didn't care and were messing around until you explained."

"I've got solutions for that, in case you were wondering."

"They include lies?"

"You think so low of me. Of course not." I sigh sleepily at that. Then yawn. "Go to sleep Love. Nothing can get to you here."

"It's Rosette." I manage to mutter, before sleep drapes over me like the blanket I can feel over my shoulders.

I open my eyes to fire.

A burning forest surrounds me, smoke clogging the air along with my lungs. I cough, eyes watering.

Not again. I don't want to have to live through this again.

"Rosette! Rosette! Where are you?!" My mother calls from the distance. I feel myself turn frantically to find the source.

"Here! I'm over here Momma!" I shout, tears in my eyes. Not just from the smoke. I try to turn away, close my eyes, do anything, but can't -- I always do, it never works. My mom appears through the trees, scooping me up in her arms.

"I'm right here girlie, right here." She soothes, carefully picking her way through the trees. Steps come up -- I know it's my brother, though I can't see him -- hard and fast, running.

"Mom, you found her!" He pants, breathless and scared -- not that he'd admit it the douche. "Dad's gone already, he went to fetch healers in case one of us got hurt. Left a portal, it's just through here."

"Take your sister and run, I-" She coughs, I shake with her chest, before being handed to my brother. "I'll follow you. Get her through no matter what, alright?"

"Got it Mom." He takes off, holding me against his chest. I have a good view of behind us over his shoulder -- Barely though, my seven-year-old self was short. I wish I didn't.

I'm forced to watch as a tree falls, landing square on my mom and pinning her to the ground. As she screams at my brother to get me to safety, to not worry about her. As she uses her wings to push it off of her. As she follows after us again, wings leaving a trail of fire behind her.

We cross through. A healer takes me. Checks me over. Works a bit of magic for my lungs. Does the same for my brother. Rushes off to help my mom.

My brother pulls me away, takes me home. The last thing I see is the seventeen-year-old version of my brother's face.

I wake up.

"Are you alright Little Rose?" His voice fills my ears again, concerned. I bring myself into a ball, not able to muster the voice to answer him. My hair is brushed from my forehead and tucked behind my ear, a gentle kiss pressed to the crown of my head, fingers running soothingly through the feathers of my wings. "Your heartbeat was going crazy. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize it was a nightmare, I wasn't sure if I should have woken you up or not..." He breathes. I feel it on my head, right where he'd previously kissed me.

I don't want to live through it again.

"Wake me up." I murmur in reply. "They're never worth the sleep."

"Next time I will." He promises, lips brushing my head once more. I wonder if he'll keep it.

"What time is it?" I ask, moving enough to look up at him kneeling over me.

"Early morning. You've only been asleep an hour or so." That felt like more than an hour. I sigh, pushing the rest of the covers off of me and sliding off the bed. There's only one way to get this out of my head, and I don't know if he's going to like it much. Oh well. "May I ask where you're planning on going?"

"Somewhere I can fly."