All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wonder are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.
A small smile appeared on Rosemary's face as she read over the beautiful words in her favorite book, The Fellowship of the Ring. She had read the book well over a dozen times now and could probably cite most of the book orally, but she still couldn't stop herself from reading it.
She was a dreamer after all and getting to imagine that she was in a place such as the Shire or the Mines of Moria made it hard for her to put the book down.
Besides, it was a good escape from what was happening around her. With the war going on and bad things happening on what seemed to be every corner, Rosemary needed an escape and her books did just that.
It wasn't like Rosemary was avoiding the war cause she wasn't. She knew what was happening and wasn't blind to the horrible events that were going on. But having all of that sadness and misery surrounding her was exactly why she needed an escape which is why she always looked to reading to help her and Rosemary loved reading. She always had.
Her grandfather, Digory Kirke, had been the one to give her her first book and Rosemary had instantly fallen in love with both the book and reading. From then on Rosemary started to grow her collection of books and whenever her grandfather and Mrs. Macready were looking for the young girl, they would find her with a book in her hand.
Reading was her favorite thing to do. When she wasn't being homeschooled or doing chores, Rosemary was reading. There weren't any kids near where Rosemary lived, so the only friends she had consisted of her grandfather, Mrs. Macready, and the characters in her books.
Reading was a big part of her life which was probably why her room was more of a library than an actual bedroom. She had books everywhere ranging from Nancy Drew to The Sword in the Stone to her personal favorite, The Lord of the Rings.
Rosemary loved getting to read about different worlds and she sometimes liked to come up with her own. It was something to help pass the time and help keep her from thinking about her parents who she knew almost nothing about.
Her grandfather didn't like to talk about her parents much, but what she got out of him was that her mother had died when she was born and that her father had given her up. Rosemary always felt like there was more to the story, but her grandfather would always get this far away look in his eyes and would make up an excuse as he left the room and headed to what she assumed was his study.
"Rosemary!" a voice called out making said girl snap out of her thoughts and almost go falling out of the tree she was sitting in. Rosemary quickly caught herself and closed her book before swinging upside down so that she was hanging by her legs from the tree branch.
She looked towards the house and saw Mrs. Macready at the door yelling for her as she looked around. Rosemary's eyes widened and she hauled herself up and jumped down from the tree, her feet instantly landing in the soft and itchy grass.
The brunette then ran through the grass and towards Mrs. Macready, hoping that the lady hadn't seen her in the trees. Mrs. Macrady had told her multiple times to stop climbing up there, but something about being able to read while sitting in a tree always seemed to calm Rosemary down.
Mrs. Macrady turned in the direction of Rosemary and sighed upon seeing the girl. "Rosemary, there you are. You weren't in those trees again, were you?" Mrs. Macready asked as Rosemary came to a stop in front of her. Rosemary gave her a small smile and said, "Why would I be in the trees when you specifically told me not to?"
Mrs. Macready looked at the girl with her hands on her hips. Her eyes seemed to scan over her and Rosemary continued to give her an innocent smile until Mrs. Macready gave a small nod.
"Very well then. If you say you weren't up in the trees, then I believe you. Now come on in, dear. Your grandfather is waiting at the dinner table," Mrs. Macready told the girl as she turned around and began to walk inside. Rosemary sighed in relief.
"Oh, and Rosemary?" Mrs. Macready called back. "Yes, Mrs. Macready?" Rosemary replied. The woman turned to look at Rosemary and gave her a small innocent smile as she said, "You have a small twig in your hair."
Rosemary blushed slightly and quickly pulled said twig out of her hair. "Oh, it must've gotten caught in there when I was lying on the ground," Rosemary said. Mrs. Macready just gave her a small nod and continued walking forward. Rosemary huffed knowing that she hadn't believed a word she said and threw the twig on the ground before heading inside.
Once Rosemary had washed her hands, she headed to the dining room where her grandfather was already sitting with a plate of chicken pot pie in front of him. Rosemary paused in the doorway and Professor Kirke looked up. "Rosemary, dear, come on in. I've got news to tell you," Professor Kirke said.
The girl smiled and walked over to the seat next to her grandfather. She instantly started to dig into her food while her grandfather looked at her in amusement. "Hungry?" He asked and Rosemary blushed as she nodded her head. Professor Kirke chuckled and took a bite of his own food before looking over at Rosemary.
"Now before I tell you the exciting news, let's talk about your day. Read anything interesting today?" Professor Kirke asked. Rosemary shrugged and said, "It's all interesting." Professor Kirke gave her a look and Rosemary giggled. "I read The Fellowship of the Rings," Rosemary told him.
"What is this now? The tenth time you've read that book?" Professor Kirke asked, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Fifteenth," Rosemary corrected. "Only your fifteenth time? Are you sure it's not more than that?" Professor Kirke asked teasingly and the two chuckled.
"Very funny, Grandfather," Rosemary muttered. She took another bite of her pie and looked at the old man curiously. "So what's this news you were wanting to tell me?"
"Oh," Professor Kirke said with a smile. He placed his fork down on the table and sat up straighter as he looked over at his granddaughter. He smiled widely and asked, "How would you like it if you got to have a couple of friends around the house?"
Rosemary furrowed her eyebrows as she swallowed her food. "Friends?" Rosemary asked, her eyes narrowing. "What kind of friends? If you say three more Mrs. Macready's I might scream."
Professor Kirke chuckled and shook his head. "No, my dear. These friends would be around your age," he told her. Rosemary raised an eyebrow. "Kids? You want to have more kids around the house?" Rosemary asked.
"It would only be for a little while. With the war going on and everything, a family needed somewhere to send their four kids and I thought it would be nice to let them stay here for a while," Professor Kirke said.
Rosemary looked down at her plate. She wasn't particularly sure if she liked the idea of having four other kids here. What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she was weird for reading so many books? What if they made made her life a living nightmare?
Professor Kirke saw the look on Rosemary's face and sighed. "I know it's probably not the best thing in the world, but you need some people to talk to that aren't me or Mrs. Macready. Besides, you might enjoy having them here. I bet by the time they have to leave you're going to be begging them to stay," Professor Kirke told her.
Rosemary sighed and glanced up at him. He gave her a small smile. She knew he was doing this not only for her but for the kids who were going through a tough time with the war. She also knew that by the look in his eyes, he was actually looking forward to her having kids around her age here for her.
He had only ever wanted the best for her and if he thought letting four kids would help her, then she might as well give it a shot. So Rosemary smiled back at him and asked, "So who are they and when do they get here?"
Professor Kirke smiled widely at his granddaughter and sat back in his chair. "Oh, you're going to love them, Rosemary. As I already said, there are four of them. There are two boys and two girls and they should arrive sometime next week," Professor Kirke started.
Rosemary smiled softly as she took another bite of her dinner, listening intently as her grandfather talked about the kids that would end up changing her life.
The Pevensies.
- - -
A week went by and before Rosemary knew it, the day the Pevensies were to arrive had come. Rosemary sighed as she lay in her bed, her eyes looking over at the window and out at the sky that had begun to turn a yellowish color from the sun finally peeking out from behind the hills.
Rosemary didn't dare move as the sun rose higher causing the sky to turn into its normal light blue color. Her stomach churned slightly at the thought of four more kids being in her home. She knew she was probably overreacting, but Rosemary had a small nagging feeling like everything was about to change.
If it was to be a good change or a bad change, she had no clue.
A knock on the door made Rosemary jump slightly in her bed. She quickly pulled the covers closer to her face and closed her eyes, not wanting whoever was at the door to know that she had been up since the crack of dawn.
She heard the familiar creak of the door as it opened and she tried to slow her breathing down as the sound of Mrs. Macready's heels filled the room. Even though her eyes weren't open, it was like she knew exactly where Mrs. Macready was as she walked across the room and over to the side of the bed that faced Rosemary.
There was a long moment of silence before Mrs. Macready said, "I know you're awake."
Rosemary couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered opened to look at the old woman who was trying to suppress a smile. The brunette's laughter died down and she smiled softly at Mrs. Macready before asking, "How'd you know?"
Mrs. Macready just smirked and said, "I didn't." Rosemary frowned and muttered out, "You tricked me." "It worked, didn't it?" Mrs. Macready asked as she looked at the little girl in amusement. Rosemary smiled slightly, but her smile faded as she thought about what today was.
Mrs. Macready noticed the girl's face and sat down on the bed. "Now, you want to tell me why you were up so early?" Mrs. Macready asked. Rosemary's eyes flickered over to the lady before looking down at her hands that were messing with her covers. "I was nervous," Rosemary explained.
"About what? The kids?" Mrs. Macready asked and Rosemary nodded. There was a pause before Rosemary asked, "Do you think they'll like me?" Mrs. Macready smiled softly at the girl before letting out a small laugh. "There would have to be something wrong with them if they didn't," she said. "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure they'll love you."
Rosemary nodded, but remained quiet, still not one hundred percent sure that the kids would love her. Mrs. Macready rubbed the girl's arm and smiled as she stood up. "I'm heading off to pick the Pevensies up. I expect you to be dressed and fed before they get here, understand?" She asked.
"Yes, Mrs. Macready," Rosemary whispered. "Good. I'll be leaving soon. Your grandfather is in his study, but I advise you not to disturb him. Be a good girl while I'm gone," Mrs. Macready told her as she walked out of the room.
Rosemary sat up in her bed and glanced over at her nightstand where her book was lying. She smiled and reached out before grabbing ahold of it. Rosemary knew exactly what she was going to do until the Pevensies arrived.
"And no climbing up into those trees!" Mrs. Macready exclaimed, but Rosemary wasn't listening. She was already trying to figure out how long she would have to read up in the trees before Mrs. Macready got back.
- - -
It was well past lunch time before Mrs. Macready returned with the four Pevensie children. They all stared at the house in awe. It was way bigger than their home back in London, a lot nicer too.
The youngest sibling, Lucy Pevensie, looked at the house with a big grin before yanking on the sleeve of her older brother, Peter. Peter looked down at Lucy who smiled and asked, "We're staying here? It's huge!"
Peter chuckled and wrapped an arm around the girl before looking over at his other sister, Susan. The two shared a look, both of them happy at the fact that Lucy had finally smiled for the first time since they had left their mother back at the train station.
Peter found his eyes flickering over to his younger brother, Edmund, who was looking at a tree in curiosity. "Is there someone in the trees?" Edmund asked causing the other children and Mrs. Macready to turn their heads to look at him.
"Someone in the trees? Where?" Lucy asked as she stood up and walked over to the other side of the cart next to Edmund. The boy lifted a hand up and pointed towards a figure sitting on one of the branches in a giant tree. "There! You see it?" Edmund asked.
Before anyone could respond, Mrs. Macready let out a groan. "I've told that girl a million times to stop climbing up there. I swear she never listens to me," Mrs. Macready mumbled as she yanked on the reins to make the horses move them towards the direction of the tree.
"One of these days, she's going to fall and hurt something," Mrs. Macready said with a shake of her head. "Who is it?" Susan asked, but the old woman wasn't listening.
The cart came to a stop under the tree where the siblings could faintly make out what seemed to be a blue dress. "Rosemary!" Mrs. Macready yelled up and the person let out a small yelp of surprise.
Edmund looked up and saw a flash of brown hair and wide brown eyes before they disappeared. Suddenly, something came swinging down from the other side of the branch and before he knew it, he was face to face with a girl around his age.
The girl stared at him with wide eyes, him staring back at her with equal shock. His eyes scanned over her face as she tilted her head curiously. Her brown hair was standing on end and her brown eyes sparkled as she asked, "Who are you?"
Edmund furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Who are you?" The girl laughed and Edmund had to try and conceal a small smile from appearing on his face from the cheerful noise that came from the girl.
Edmund's eyes flickered up and past her blue dress that she was currently holding up to prevent from falling down and to her legs that were hooked around a tree branch. He looked back down at the girl and was about to question her when Mrs. Macready spoke up.
"Rosemary," the woman said sternly and the girl winced slightly. Edmund watched as the girl turned her face to look at the lady and it was only when her brown hair blew into his face that he realized he was still standing really close to her.
He quickly took a step back and would've went tumbling off the side of the cart if Peter hadn't caught him and helped him steady himself. Edmund pushed the boy's hands off of him and gave him a small glare before looking back at the girl who he now knew was named Rosemary.
"Mrs. Macready, funny seeing you here," Rosemary said with an awkward laugh. The woman only gave her an unimpressed look in response.
"What do I always tell you about climbing on the trees?" Mrs. Macready asked. Rosemary sighed and avoided eye contact as she said, "Not to." Mrs. Macready raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why are you?"
Rosemary looked back up at the woman and gave her a small smile. "Cause it's so peaceful up there. It feels like the trees are hugging you while you read," Rosemary told her and it took all of Mrs. Macready's willpower not to smile at the girl. She always did have a weak spot for the little one.
Instead, Mrs. Macready let out a sigh. "I know, dear. You tell me all the time. Just please stop climbing into those trees. It's dangerous and you might break something," Mrs. Macready told the girl.
Rosemary sighed and muttered, "Yes, Mrs. Macready." Mrs. Macready nodded slightly before turning around and sitting back down. Rosemary looked over at the four siblings and her eyes landed on Edmund before she whispered, "I'm totally climbing back into the trees once she's gone." Edmund laughed softly and his siblings looked over at him shocked while Rosemary smiled.
Edmund then seemed to notice the looks his siblings were giving him and quickly stopped laughing before glaring at Rosemary. The girl gave him a confused look, wondering why his mood had changed so suddenly.
"Rosemary, please get down," Mrs. Macready told the girl. Rosemary let out a dramatic sigh that only the Pevensies were able to hear. All of them except for Edmund chuckled as they watched the girl haul herself up.
Rosemary then jumped off of the branch and landed perfectly on her feet before turning and climbing into the cart, her book still in her hand. Mrs. Macready looked back to make sure that Rosemary was safely in before signaling the horses to start moving.
Rosemary sat down and was about to open her book back up when she felt eyes on her. She glanced up and saw a little girl who looked to be around ten years old with brown hair that fell to her shoulders staring at her with wide blue eyes. Rosemary smiled at her and the girl smiled back.
"Hi, I'm Rosemary Kirke," Rosemary introduced herself as she held a hand out to the young girl. "I'm Lucy Pevensie," the girl said as she grabbed Rosemary's hand. Rosemary smiled at Lucy and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lucy," she said.
Rosemary then looked over at the other siblings with the same soft smile. "And you all are?" Rosemary asked. "I'm Peter," a blonde boy with blue eyes told her. She nodded, remembering some of what the Professor had said about Peter. Rosemary could faintly remember him saying something about Peter being the oldest. She was pretty sure her grandfather had said he was around fifteen.
"I'm Susan," the brunette girl with striking blue eyes said. Susan. She was the second oldest, if Rosemary was remembering correctly. Fourteen years old.
Rosemary couldn't help but think that she was quite beautiful. They all were actually and Rosemary felt herself instantly become self conscious as she looked over at the last boy, the same one that she had been face to face with only a few minutes ago.
"Edmund," the brunette boy said with a small nod in greeting, his dark brown eyes flickering over and instantly locking with her own. Rosemary found herself staring at him for a second and she blinked before looking away.
Rosemary smiled at the siblings and gestured towards her house as they came to a stop. "Well, I hope you all like the house. We don't have any neighbors anywhere close, so you all are free to explore if you want. If you need anything just let me know," Rosemary told them and they all smiled in response.
"Thanks," Peter said and Rosemary gave him a small nod in return before hoping out of the cart and heading towards the door. She quickly rushed over and held it open as she smiled innocently at Mrs. Macready.
"Thanks, dear, but you're not off the hook," Mrs. Macready told her and Rosemary let out a sigh. "It was worth a shot," Rosemary said to which the Pevensie siblings chuckled at. The brunette held the door open for them as well and watched with a small smile on her face as they all walked in and looked around in awe.
Rosemary closed the door behind them and walked by them and over to a chair where she instantly sat down and began to read.
Edmund cocked his head to the side as he stared at the girl wondering how she was able to just sit back and read so easily. It took him three hours just to convince himself to open the cover, but here this girl was almost done with a book that looked as if it had been read many times and by the looks of it, it was highly likely that each of those times had been by her.
"Professor Kirke is not accustomed to having any children in this house besides Rosemary," Mrs. Macready began, instantly snapping Edmund out of his thoughts. He quickly looked away from the girl and turned his attention towards the woman who was currently looking at them like they were some sort of pests.
"And, as such, there are a few rules we need to follow," Mrs. Macready told them. Edmund swore he heard Rosemary mutter a soft "oh lord" at those words.
"There will no shouting. Or running. No improper use of the dumbwaiter," Mrs. Macready said as she started to walk away. The group followed after her and Susan stopped in front of a statue. Rosemary's eyes flickered up from her book and watched as Susan began to reach for the statue.
"I wouldn't if I were you," Rosemary said, but her voice was cut off by Mrs. Macready who was looking at Susan angrily. "NO touching of the historical artifacts!" Mrs. Macready bellowed causing Susan to pull her hand away with a frightened look on her face.
Rosemary let out a small sigh as she went back to her book. "Nobody ever listens to me," Rosemary muttered under her breath.
"And above all, there shall be no disturbin' of the professor," Mrs. Macready told them. "Understand?" The siblings all nodded their heads and Mrs. Macready looked pleased. She then proceeded to show the Pevensies around the house before ending back up in the main hall.
Mrs. Macready turned her head and looked over at the young girl who was lost in the pages of her book, her eyes glossing over as she read every word.
"Rosemary," Mrs. Macready called out. The girl instantly looked up at the woman who gave her a small smile and asked, "Can you please show them to their rooms?"
If it were up to Rosemary, she would've politely declined before going back to her book, but knowing that she had no choice in the matter, she closed her book and stood up as she said, "Yes, Mrs. Macready." "Thank you," the lady told her before walking away, leaving Rosemary with the Pevensies.
The siblings all looked over at Rosemary who gave them an awkward smile. "Uh. . .your rooms are this way," Rosemary said as she walked past them. They quickly followed her down another hallway where she stopped in front of two rooms. "Here's your rooms. I'll let you all get settled. Dinner should be ready around five thirty," Rosemary told them.
And with that, she walked away and left the Pevensies to get settled into their new home.