Thorn in the Rose {Book 1 Of The Once Upon A Time Chronicles}

Chapter 11: The Girl in the Window

The second my feet hit the ground on the other side of the door, I release the shaky breath that has been caged in my chest since I left that cursed room in the servant's quarters. The rims of my eyes grow warm as small puddles form. As I wipe the tears away before they can even begin to escape my breaths come out jagged and rough, something that hasn't happened to me since I killed my first deer when I was eight.

But this time it isn't because I killed something. It's because the thing I shot didn't die. Something that shouldn't even exist. A beast. A seven-foot tall, fur-covered monster. One that the people of this village treat as a myth. A campfire story with the purpose to scare or amaze people. But it isn't a myth. It's not just a simple campfire story. He is real and apparently, he was a prince... a human prince, and today he tried to kill me.

I did attempt to kill him, but that's not really the point here. This shouldn't be happening. He shouldn't be real. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe none of this was. Maybe I'm losing my sanity. This might signify that the boundaries between reality and my imagination are being blurred. This could all be a dream. I could have injured myself after getting separated from the search party and all of this is a figment of my unconscious state. I could be laying between some bushes right now dying and by the time they find me, it would already be too late. I might be dying and this is how my mind is trying to cope or something. 

On the other hand, though this could all be real, and life as I have known it is ruined forever because if this thing can exist then who am I to say that other myths could be real as well? Insanity, to me, sounds like the more viable option. Sounds a lot more like something that could happen to me.

As much as I desperately want to be insane right now or in some sort of strange dream when I'm laying in a ditch somewhere dying which trust me is a big thing to wish for, those are simply excuses I'm making up because I don't want to accept what I just saw. A myth that came to life. 

Before I can run away any further I glance back over my shoulder at the ruined castle hiding far more than priceless artefacts in its walls. A castle hiding insane people, a beast, and a dark figure of a woman in the window. Wait... what?

Gasping, I focus my attention on a window on the second-floor aliment that my eyes had just played a trick on me. However, to my utter shock-which seems to be today's theme- my backward glance didn't deceive me and I stare up in horror at a woman who is standing tall and creepily behind the lack of glass.

As if her stare holds some sort of power over me I remain still in my place, unable to do anything other than look back at her. The lack of sunlight combined with the dirty pieces of what glass is left of the window makes it difficult for me to make out many defining features about her. I know she is tall, slightly taller than most women I have met in my life and I can briefly make out the outline of her mud-coloured hair that trails down to her hips and holds a slight curl in it. I can't see her eyes but a gut feeling is telling me that they hold anger at seeing me. A sort of anger that is making me uncomfortable, giving me no other choice than to leave.

Turning towards the rusting metal gate I bolt to it, out the castle grounds, and back into the woods where I can only hope I will be able to escape.

I watch as the woman sprints out the gate and back into the woods from which she came. My hands now clenched into fists find their way to rest on each of my hips as my mind swarms with countless questions.

Who is she?

How did she find us?

Did she have anything to do with the young boys who came here last night?

Did she see him?

Did she try to do anything?

But more importantly, will she ever come back?

I knew something was wrong when I woke up in a cold bed but I didn't think it would be this. Before last night we haven't had unwanted visitors for almost five years with that crazy old man with a death wish being the last one. Now in the span of a day three people have broken in.

"I don't have to be nice to someone who broke into my house!"

The Beast's roar of anger shakes the ground under me. His outburst although annoying at least proves necessary as it answers one of my questions. She did see him.

"This day just gets better and better," I hiss under my breath.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself I rush downstairs towards the Beast, I need to keep up appearances after all.

Miss Potts and Maurie raise their hands, lovingly placing them on his arms in an attempt to call him down but I can see how much rage he is holding in, it's almost at the point where he is shaking.

"Well, you didn't have to chase her through the halls like a madman," Miss Potts scolds him in that tone that makes anyone wish they could go deaf right then and there just so that they can never hear it again.

"And she didn't have to try to shoot me with an arrow. Guess we are all doing things we didn't have to do today," he snaps.

"She tried to kill you," I say making my presence known.

He sighs and shakes his head as he looks at me. "I thought you were asleep."

Forcing my lips to curve up into a smile I move to stand beside him. "I just woke up and I saw the woman running away. What happened?"

"I heard the gate opening and when I saw that little voleuse coming in I came down here and we had a little confrontation."

Miss Potts scoffs.

"Little confrontation that poor girl will be traumatized for the rest of her life," Maurie snaps.

"Good, then she will never come back."

 A girl can only dream.

I'm back!

While I'm still not finished with my trial exams I just couldn't stay away from this book for any longer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I certainly hope to give you another one soon.

Translation:

Voleuse= thief (feminine)