Rosie set off into the woods alone, carrying nothing. She had done this before, plenty of times, but each time was as thrilling as the last. There were some small, weak trails that had been made by deer and their hunters, but that was all. Out there, she was on her own.
She was wandering the woods, trying to get lost. She always tried to get lost, and she had a few times. Not anymore, though. Rosie could never get lost, not out here.
Now, the forest was her home. She knew every tree, every stone, every dip in the landscape. The last one had come from years of falling. Thankfully, those days of twisted ankles and bruises were over.
Tweet tweet! A familiar noise came. Rosie looked up and saw a canary.
"Hey Zazzles!" Rosie said cheerfully. "How are you?"
Tweet tweet! was his reply.
"I hope that means good," Rosie laughed.
"Hello?" came a familiar voice.
Rosie gasped as Matt came into view.
"Mathias!" she yelled. "Are you following me?"
"I could ask you the same question, Rose," Matt said chuckling. "But no, I'm not. Who's this fellow?"
"Oh, this is Zazzles," Rosie answered happily. "He's a... pet of sorts."
"Now that sounds like an interesting story," replied Matt. "And an interesting name to go with it."
"Oh yes," Rosie said. "Would you like to hear it?"
"Of course," answered Matt. "I love a good tale."
"Alright, then," started Rosie. "Well, when I was seven, my aunts got me a canary from the market, after much begging on my part. I named him Zazzles."
"Odd name," commented Matt.
"Hey, I was only seven!" Rosie said defensively. "Anyway, I took care of Zazzles. I babied him, and that's what he became. My baby."
"How adorable," Matt said.
"Oh, be quiet!" Rosie replied.
"No, I'm serious," Matt said. "It really is kind of cute."
Rosie looked at him, amused.
"Oh be quiet!" Matt repeated.
"I didn't say anything!" Rosie laughed.
"You were about to!" Matt said defensively, before breaking into a grin. "Okay, so what happened?"
"Well, one day he got out of his cage. He flew away. I was so sad, and the aunts tried and failed to comfort me. The next day, I ran into the woods to look for him. I wandered around for hours, and then I got lost. It was terrifying. I sat down on the ground and started to cry. I cried until I could cry no more. I cried over being lost, over Zazzles, and over the aunts. I would never see them again."
"Oh, Rose!" Matt cried sympathetically. He hugged her, and she tingled at his touch.
He pulled away too soon. "How did you get out? Did someone find you?"
"Sort of," continued Rosie. "Actually, as I was on the ground, I felt something on my shoulder. I looked up, and guess who was there?"
"Who?" Matt asked, enthralled.
"Zazzles," said Rosie, laughing. "Zazzles was sitting there on my shoulder, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He tweeted, and then he started to fly away. I got up and ran after him. He took me to the edge of the forest, and then home. After that, he just flew back into the forest. I've come to see him nearly every day since then. Now I know the forest like the back of my hand. I haven't gotten lost in years."
"I was right," Matt said suddenly.
"What about?" asked Rosie.
"I knew it was an interesting story," Matt answered smugly.
Rosie punched him in the arm. "Ouch!" she cried.
"Aren't I the one who's supposed to say ouch?" Matt asked chuckling.
"How.." Rosie trailed off.
"The royal horsemaster says that stable hands need to be strong," Matt answered her unasked question.
"Oh," Rosie said, not knowing how to respond.
"Are you blushing?" Matt teased. That wiped the smile right off of Rosie's face.
"I have to go," Rosie said quickly.
"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you!" Matt said. "I was only joking. Do you really have to leave?"
"I'm sorry," Rosie answered, flustered and blushing even more. "I do." She cringed. "I mean, yes. I have to leave. Goodbye."
Rosie ran away.
"Goodbye, Rose," Matt said quietly.
- - - - - - -
Rosie was running through the woods, Zazzles following hurriedly behind.
After what felt like hours, she collapsed onto the forest floor. She started to cry.
Why was she crying? She didn't want to cry! She didn't want a lot of things that were happening to her right now.
Rosie paused. That must be it. Why she was crying. She didn't want to be a princess! She didn't want to marry a prince. She didn't want to be shackled into a title. Rosie just wanted freedom.
Aurora, she corrected herself. Her name was Aurora.
Rosie started to cry again. She didn't want her name to be Aurora. She wanted her name to be Briar Rose. To be called Rosie by everyone. Except...
No! She couldn't think about that, about anyone like that. She was betrothed! She should just suck it up and stop moping. Plenty of girls would give everything to be in her shoes right now.
Rosie, no, Aurora took a deep breath. She stood up. She was ready to go back, to do her duty. To forget her life as a normal girl, and her friends. To forget Jenny and Mikayla. To forget Matt.
With this new attitude, Aurora started to walk back home. No, to the cottage. Her home was Useses, her parents the king and queen. She was a princess.
What about the needle? her subconscious asked. You know, the one you prick your finger on and die of?
"Oh, be quiet!" she said aloud. She covered her mouth with her hands. Rosie hadn't meant to say it aloud.
Aurora! That would take sone getting used to. She still didn't want to be called Aurora, even if she had to give everything else up. Maybe another day of being Rosie wouldn't hurt....
Okay. Rosie for another day. Wonderful.
That's everything she needed to work through. For now. Hopefully the aunts wouldn't have any other news for her when she got back.
Back. Now that was an idea. Back to the cottage it was.
Rosie started to walk back. Tweet tweet! Zazzles whistled as he landed on her shoulder.
Zazzles. Maybe he would consent to coming to the castle with her. That would make it feel more like home. She'd bring him to the cottage and ask the aunts.
Finally at peace, or as close as she could be, Rosie returned to the cottage with Zazzles on her shoulder.
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Hey guys! I apologize, because I don't like this chapter as much. It's too mushy, and there's not enough humor in the second part. Sorry! The next one should be better. See you guys soon! Happy reading!
