"Butterflies are fairies, Louise, but not exactly like us," Rosalind replied thoughtfully. "See, we Rose Fairies have our garden. The other Flower Fairies stay in their meadow, the Tree Elves live in the forest, our soldiers in the lake... But Butterfly Fairies are... wayfarers. They never settle anywhere long enough to establish their own kingdom, they follow their Monarchs from place to place. That's why my parents don't think that Blue is a suitable match for me."
"But that sounds amazing. The whole world is their realm, then," Louise said dreamily. "Just imagine all the places they see during their travels, all their adventures!"
"Yes!" Rosalind called, sounding as excited as Louise. "Once I find Blue, I'll travel with them. They are all so kind and friendly, nothing like my parents."
"Excuse me, Rosalind, but why do all the butterflies on our side of the lake look... well... just like butterflies? I have never seen one resembling you," Hans asked, getting quite sleepy and a little bored with the girls' fantasizing. He wanted to know the important things.
"For the same reason why you thought I was a dragonfly until you cared to look at me properly," she retorted. "And I even revealed myself to you two because I needed your help! Still, it took you a good while to see me for what I am. Those of us who don't want to be recognised can use magic to conceal their real looks from human eyes forever."
"So you insist that all the butterflies in our world are fairies... Are you sure?"
"Yes. They are curious and adventurous. Many of them decide to visit your world and some of them choose to stay there."
Louise and Hans looked at each other. None of them had ever thought about this... Was it really true? Or was this all just this fairy's fairy tale?
Hans chuckled at the words his mind produced even as Rosalind scowled at him before turning to Louise.
"I hear what you are thinking, remember?" Rosalind told the girl, frowning. "You didn't trust me in the lake, and that's why you nearly drowned! You still don't trust me completely even now, after all that you've seen. And neither do you, Hans. Please, believe me, I'm not lying!"
"I trust you, Rosalind," Louise said after a few moments of thoughtful silence. "I really do now."
"I trust you, too," Hans said, recalling how many incredible things and creatures they encountered since they found this fairy in that old shed.
"Good. You do believe me in the end, I can see it," Rosalind said, smiling at them contentedly, even as someone knocked on the door.
"Come in!" she called.
Rolo entered, followed by another Rose Elf. A tiny girl, a head shorter than him.
"Roza! I missed you!" Rosalind jumped to her feet.
She sank to her knees once she reached them and embraced the little elf even as the creature begged, "Please, Princess, don't do this anymore, I've been so worried. First, you elope with that butterfly of yours, and then you disappear in the lake..."
"I thought you liked Blue, Roza." Rosalind smiled at her, making the elf girl smile in response.
"I do. We do," she said, taking Rolo's hand in hers. "But we didn't like that you left us here, tell her, Rolo."
"Yes, Princess. We..." he said, looking at Roza for support. "If you have to do that again, then take us with you, please."
"But... Are you sure, Rolo? Don't you always say that you do not understand the Butterfly Fairies, that you could never live out of this castle?"
"We don't agree with your parents, Princess. They should not force you to marry who they choose for you. You must follow your heart. And if that means that you'll leave this rose bush forever, we will come with you," Roza insisted.
Hans was surprised by so much loyalty coming from the two elves. They seemed to love Rosalind nearly as much as Orangebeak loved her. She must really be a good person, just a little moody, and broken-hearted at the moment...
"Finally, Hans. Thank you," Rosalind muttered, making the boy blush for his unspoken thoughts, as she looked at him through her unshed tears caused by the elves' words.
"Thank you, Rolo, Roza," she said then, embracing the two little creatures at the same time. "If you are really sure that you want to come with me, you must be ready to leave at any moment."
The fairy looked at the elves seriously, and once they both nodded, she continued, "Rolo, I'll need a couple of your bird whistles. Those that call Orangebeak and Brownie will be enough for us, keep Skylar's whistle with you. Roza, you must awaken us all as soon as the sun is up in the morning. We," she explained, indicating herself, Louise and Hans, "must fly back to the lake and talk to Captain Garrett before lunch."
Roza nodded again, then asked, "What can we do for you while we wait, Princess?"
"You two could try to speak to Sir Francis when he arrives, and try to understand why he suddenly decided to marry me. Maybe you could suggest to him somehow that it is not a good idea. Tell him anything, invent something, if you must."
"We will. But promise us that you will be careful and back before...." Roza pleaded, but Rosalind didn't let her finish.
"We will be back on time to get dressed for lunch, hopefully with Garrett on our side, and a plan to escape from this place. Then we will follow the butterflies!"
"We may come with you, then?" Roza asked, beaming at the fairy.
"Of course. Get ready, I'm sure that we will leave before tomorrow night."
How exciting! Louise thought, reaching for Hans' hand and squeezing it. They exchanged a smile. Neither of them had felt this happy and carefree in a long time.
"Roza, let me introduce you Louise and Hans, my new friends," Rosalind spoke again, disturbing their reverie. "Yes, they seem to like staring into each other's eyes," she added, giggling and making them both blush as she pulled herself to her feet.
"Just like you and Master Blue," Roza stated.
"That's true," Rosalind admitted, smiling at her elf.
Then she walked over to Louise and Hans and handed them the bird whistles that Rolo had given her. "Keep them always with you. Your one calls Orangebeak, Hans, and the one you have, Louise, is Brownie's. She's Orangebeak's friend. We will need their help on our journey."
Louise put her whistle around her neck the way Rolo wore his, thinking it was very pretty, while Hans hid his in his pocket.
"Shall I show Master Hans his chamber?" Rolo proposed. "It's rather late."
"Hmm, I think it might be better if we all just sleep here tonight. This way, we'll waste less time in the morning. What do you think, Louise, Hans?" Rosalind asked them.
"Yes," they both spoke at the same moment.
Neither of them would feel comfortable if they were separated in this peculiar place teeming with magical creatures and talking animals as big as themselves. They needed some time to get used to all the strangeness together.
"Good," Rosalind said, producing her wand from the folds of her dress and pointing it at the rose petal wall opposite her bed.
Another, smaller round bed appeared there as soon as she muttered a couple of incomprehensible words.
"That's done. Hans, you can sleep there, Louise and I will share my bed. Roza, would you bring us some breakfast when you come to wake us up in the morning? And Rolo, would you distract my parents so they don't notice that I'm gone again? I promise we'll be back on time."
"Of course, Princess." The elves agreed.
They took tiny wands similar to Rosalind's from their pockets, and with a couple of swift movements made all the used dishes vanish.
After having wished them a goodnight and promising again that they would do all that Rosalind had asked of them, the two Rose Elves left.
The fairy then showed Hans and Louise a little bathroom situated behind one of the rose petals and a wardrobe where they both found more comfortable clothes to sleep in, behind another.
Once they were washed and changed, they all laid down on their soft beds. The girls drew the curtains enveloping Rosalind's bed together and fell asleep immediately. Hans observed the eerie glow of the Foxfire, his thoughts chasing each other in his mind, until he fell asleep too, hoping that somehow, his mother and Louise's father would not notice that they were missing.
As Hans had thought, the rose bloom opened with the sunrise. Because he had forgotten to draw the curtain around his bed at night, he woke up before the girls, the moment when the first sunbeam grew long enough to reach the inside of the rose, and tickle his nose.
He just finished getting dressed when Roza, carrying a large tray with their breakfast, knocked on the door.
"Good morning, Master Hans," the elf greeted him. "Are the ladies up, too?"
"No. You need to wake them up, Roza," he said, grabbing a little sweet roll from her tray, then walking behind the rose petals, out of the chamber. He wanted to see how the garden looked in the daylight.
Hans walked at least three times around the entire flower, through narrow corridors lined with its petals, always more distant from its centre, before he finally stepped outside. He found himself on a little balcony, a sort of a silver ring preventing the bloom from opening completely.
The boy looked around in awe, at the fairy world bathed in the soft, shy, early morning's light. The beauty of Terra Sonalis took his breath away.
As far as he could see, there were rose bushes in different colours growing in circles around the Rose Castle. Sprinkled with glittering dew-drops, nearly translucent against the rising sun, their blooms seemed to be made of colourful, opaque glass. Rosalind's bush was the only one red. The smallest, closest circle right next to it was composed of purple roses, the next one was dark pink, then orange, yellow and white...
"That's... wonderful!" Louise's voice disturbed him, and he turned around to find his friend, dressed again in her white gown and red shoes, standing behind him.
She smiled at him, her eyes full of joy, her cheeks pink with health. As Rosalind had said, Louise really seemed to feel much better in her world.
"Come," she said when he didn't move, the sight of her filling him with awe. "We must eat, then leave before the rest of the castle wakes up."
"How are you feeling?" Hans asked, following her back inside.
"I know it is unbelievable, but... great." Louise said, looking in his eyes.
He nodded, smiling at her, happy to hear the words he thought he would never hear again.
"Of course she is well. I told you so," Rosalind spoke as soon as they entered the chamber. "Now eat, we must hurry."
When they were ready to leave, instead of walking out of the castle through the long corridors and staircases, risking meeting someone on their way, Rosalind flew to the ground from the top of her bloom. Louise and Hans climbed down a rope ladder produced by Rolo and attached safely to the flower's silver balcony.
"Be careful and don't take too long!" the elf called after them as they ran towards the edge of the garden under the tall rose bushes, avoiding the gravel lane and the firefly guards.
As soon as they reached a little clearing, a spot large enough for a blackbird to land, Rosalind asked Hans to call Orangebeak. He brought his bird whistle to his lips obediently, and even though it made no sound, in no time, they were joined by the blackbird.
"Good morning, Princess, Miss Louise, Master Hans," the bird chirped merrily. "Quick, let's go. I spoke to Roza last night, I know everything."
"Thank you, Orangebeak." Rosalind said, spreading her silvery wings and flying away.
"Are you ready?" the bird asked once Hans and Louise settled safely on his back.
"Yes, Orangebeak. Fly!" Hans said, and the next moment, they were with Rosalind.
They flew high above the garden, through the air scented by the half-opened roses and warmed up by the early morning's sunshine, towards the blue lake spreading beyond the large meadow encompassing the rose garden, its tall grass swaying and rippling ceaselessly like a green sea in the summer breeze.