The Rose and The Briar

Chapter 3, pt1- A protective wing

Alma opened her eyes.
Every single muscle in her body was on fire, her back ached as if it had been stretched and crumpled, even the light fabric surrounding her was aggravating her pain.
The world around her was a mass of blurry colours and shadows, muffled sounds reverberated in her ears and reached her mind veiled by a fog-like curtain.

A shadow stepped forward, towering over her.

She narrowed her eyes and the hazy shapes merged into a pale face, the same size as her own. Behind a pair of round glasses, resting on an upturned nose, two small, black, eyes looked at her with curiosity.
His thin lips parted, exposing a pair of long canines.

"She regained-"

"Aaah!"
She backed away kicking and wriggling, trying to free herself from the suffocating grip of the blanket.
Her leg hit something, something that emitted a low gasp.

The small monster leapt back, holding his stomach. A pair of membranes spread out behind him, the black skin stretched around long, bony structures, and with quick beats he lifted himself into the air.

Alma's back sank into a soft wall of embroidered cloth that put an end to her desperate attempt to escape.

A rich laughter erupted in the room.
A huge monster was leaning against the frame of a fireplace.
His fangs were bared in a smile, the white feathers of his wings shook with laughter, a pair of horns rose from the honey-colored curls that covered part of his face.

"Is everything alright Benjamin?"
A shrill voice asked.
Sitting on an armchair on the other side of a small table, a girl tried to hide a smile behind a white wing.

Alma followed the gaze of her bright blue eyes and met the emperor's icy one.
The monster-bat perched on his stiff shoulder, straightening his crumpled shirt with his head down.

"Please be careful. "
On the expanse of fabric sat a woman as imposing as a mountain. Her greyish hair was pulled up in a bun, two of her arms crossed, while the other two, just under the first set, were busy rolling up some bandages scattered over her apron.
"There are enough wounded already."

The little girl got up and walked in her direction.

Alma remained frozen, her eyes wide open before the huge body as she got closer and closer, more and more looming, until the pink ruffles of her dress completely engulfed the room. She leaned over her, a cascade of golden curls falling from her shoulders.

"Hi."
She said in a smile of white fangs.

Alma dug her nails into the cushion she was sitting on, her eyes wide open, her breathing laboured.
A trembling sigh left her lips.
"Hi."

Silence fell on the room.
The weight of the monsters' gazes crushed her from above, like a hammer slamming on her chest, forcing her to stay pressed against the soft ground.
She swallowed hard, her rigid fingers losing all traces of colour.

"Not so close. "
The emperor jumped twords her, putting a hand on her shoulder and then dragging her back, but the little girl freed herself from his grip with a jerk.

The boy stepped closer in her direction, his blue eyes fixed on hers.
"What did she say?"

"Probably she was just imitating the sound of her voice."
Said the monster-bat.

The older lady leaned forward, her soft and warm voice run like a stream:
"Can you understand us? Can you speak Esperanto? "

Alma stiffly shook her head up and down, but her nod went almost unnoticed amid the chills that shook her.

"Yes, she can speak."
Burst out the emperor with a sigh.
"But it doesn't change the fact that she's dangerous."

The boy moved towards him to give him a light nudge in the arm, barely managing to keep himself from laughing by biting his lips.
"Oh yes, you can see it in her eyes, a true beast."