Prim's Oath

A Basket of Roses

"Oh dear"

That was the only thing I could mutter to myself as shiny, deep red, blood slid down my finger. Though this pain was all to familiar.

"What would be me picking roses without pricking myself?"

As I placed the slightly bloodied flower into the basket, I couldn't help but think it seemed to be a tradition, pick flowers, get pricked, patch it up, get pricked again soon after. While I had gotten used to it, something about the way the blood slowly slid into the crevices of the lonely ring on my finger drew me in like it never had before. I found myself so caught up in it that I must not have heard the sounds of their footsteps approaching. Though I believe if I had I may have run away, not that I would have been able to outrun them anyway.

In the midst of finding myself almost hypnotized in my own blood, I was knocked to the dirt below me. I felt my shoulders bare a sudden, heavy burden. The air that was so smoothly flowing through my lungs completely left me as my back hit the ground. Before I could even realize who it even was that attacked me, I exclaimed-

"Whoever you are, I don't carry money with me outside the palace walls!! In case people like YOU try and..."

I felt my words cut off but a very sharp intake of breath from the figure looming above me, still feeling too frightened to dare open my eyes. The person then finally spoke.

"Money? You REEK of blood, why do you smell like blood?!"

It honestly surprised me to hear another females voice speaking back to me, which for some reason gave me the courage to open my eyes to see who it was that had me in their grasp. In that moment, I realized I shouldn't be worried about WHO she was.
But WHAT she was.

My breath hitched inside my chest even worse than when I took the initial fall. I suddenly started to feel very sick, trying to breathe all while being frozen with fear and still being pinned down to the hard earth. Two short, yet slender ears protruded from her, human in appearance yet elongated, twitching every so slightly. Her pupils sharp and sleek and surrounded by  lush emerald green orbs.

She was very clearly an elf.

My mind felt hazy as I tried to find a way to answer her question while also take in the reality of the situation I was now in.

"B-Blood?"

I managed to sputter out through my obviously trembling lips, looking anywhere but the direction of her gaze. She hounded back at me

"YES! Blood! I thought humans were smart, do you not know what blood is?"

Though I wasn't looking her in the eye, I could feel the burning glare suddenly directed toward my bleeding finger. I heard her scoff under breath, breath that smelled of....iron? It was like taking a huge whiff of a handful of pennies.  Since being a young girl I'd heard the handful of stories passed down generation to generation about elves from my family - none of them starting, or ending in a good way. It started with the chase, then the apprehension, then ended with the feast. In that moment I knew I had to start thinking fast before her teeth were the next thing to make contact with my skin, and then it hit me, the stories. My grandmother wasn't missing a whole foot for nothing. I stood cautiously still, knowing she was still awaiting my answer though it was there right in front of her. The goal was to stall her as long as possible.

"I...cut my finger picking flowers"

I spoke as slowly as I could while doing my best not to give off the impression I was doing in on purpose to stall her. She simply sneered, with my eyes finally open and adjusted I could see the crimson red stains all over her lips and covering bits of of her neck.

"Tch, humans are so delicate. All you have to do is pick flowers and you-"

RING
RING
RING

There it was, the palace bells. The once still ground rumbled with every chime as the elf girl ripped her hands away from me to place them over her large ears, her eyes pierced shut in pain.

"MAKE IT STOP, WHAT IS THAT?! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS YOU-"

She screamed above the sound of the bells.
I took her moment of weakness, launching myself forward and head butting her as hard as I could. I felt her body wither beneath me all while my head pounded with pain. I pushed her past my legs and brought myself to my feet as quickly as I could muster, sprinting toward the direction of the castle.

Leaving my basket of roses far behind.