Blood Roses

Chapter One: Andra

Andra hated everything. 

 From the way the sun reflected off the lake into her eyes to the way her mother's red dress scratched her wrists it was hard to find something Andra didn't despise. Though top of the list would probably have to be Bakven. 'Of course, you wouldn't like it if you only moved there in defiance,' her grandmother's voice rang through her head. 'You should've stayed in Rotkhen with Donna, helped her with the baby'.

Andra tried not to focus on the 'should haves' but it was hard for her thoughts to really go anywhere else. Being miserable was all her family knew.

The moment her horse trotted past the guard post Andra was immediately assaulted by the bitter smoke fumes of anti-war protesters or was it, anti-anti-war protesters? Hard to tell just by the smell of their smoke plumes. She continued riding past.

Two more blocks, Andra.

Two more blocks.

Vykuli line the streets begging for money;Unfortunately Krow was one of the only places West of Overton that didn't kill the glorified Witches on sight, making them think it was a 'safe-space' for them to come in. Dia, Andra's only friend in this mother-cursed place, always said she was to harsh on the Vkyuli. Saying that some of them were children who didn't ask for the powers. Andra would politely agree, but then curse the witches under her breath.  

If you kidnapped someone from a place with a semblances of dignity left in its soul-Livhi seems to be keeping its shit straight recently-and brought them to Bakven, they would never guess it was only 2 short miles from Karrion and the Royal Palace. Though the front gate was shining in gold and the guards were wearing only the finest of armor, inside the walls of Bakven in was pure chaos and thievery. Andra had tried living only in Bakven at the beginning of her adventures on her own, but found life in the rolling hills and fancy dinner parties of Rotkhen did not prepare her for city life. So she instead starting living in a tiny cottage only a short walk outside the cities walls.

Luckily for Andra, The flower shop was in the nicest part of Bakven. Which was quite sad in context. The buildings thinned out, you could actually see the sunlight, the swarms of people seemed too thin, the mud was actually sprouting some life.

The shop didn't have a name, Andra didn't find the need in one. It just had a sign that said simply, flowers. She didn't get very good business. As she fiddled with the lock on the door of the shop she was interrupted by someone calling her name from above.

"Good morning Andra" Andra looked up to see the voice

"Good morning Ms.Brewer '' Ms.Brewer was the landlord of the shop and, quite annoyingly, lived right above the shop. The old widow claimed to have moved to be above the shop, because she 'enjoyed the smell of the flowers'. But Andra knew one of her siblings had probably bribed the shrivelled hag to move up there so someone could keep an eye on Andra in Bakven.

Andra threw open the oak door into the small shop, knocking over the vase sitting at a small table against the wall. The aggressive scent of 34 types of different flowers assaulted her, but it was significantly better than the smell of smoke so she would live with it. The shop was small but it had she really needed to run it, and all she could afford without taking money from her siblings. A heavy oak wood desk was shoved in between the wall and the pasques, it had a few stray clippings from bouquets. She picked up some mail that had been slipped through the small slot in the door and was laying on the floor.

Andra sat down the letters on the desk and moved over to a small vase that had gotten knocked over. Lifting the clay vase up right, her fingers running around the groves of the coils that built it. Andra had found it under neath a floor board in the attic one bored hot afternoon at Bergully, the estate her family stayed in during the summer, it was nothing like the other vases she'd seen; it was bright, full of colour, it was the complete opposite of the delicate light vase's that were scattered around every hallway in the Korvis court and Rotkhen. After discovering the small thing she showed it to her mother, she'd laughed when saw the little thing. Dark fingers circling the grooves in the coils, she'd told her about how she had made it with one of her tutors who had grown up in Tijli and egnighted her passion for travel. That was probably the only good memory that came out of those long summers in Bergully.

As soon as Andra had sat down at the desk the door flew open, topling over the vase.

"Hi Andra," Dia said in her usual overly cheery voice.

Andra nodded her head in acknowledgement, trying to hold back her scowl, as she pulled back her curly black hair back into a bun and started sorting through the stack of letters.

Dia shifted from foot to foot, like a dog waiting to be fed, her bright blue eyes wandering around the room before falling back on Andra. Her eyes focused on the letter Andra was looking at.

"What's all the mail from?"

"Just some stuff from Korvis, a ball to celebrate the princess' 20th birthday next week she must be feeling better." Andra trailed off eyes still scanning over the paper

"I know you're lying," Dia smirked, "the princess' birthday is next week, and the ball is in two weeks."

"Come on, I'm a better liar than that."

"You're really not though," Dia leaned over the desk, her long golden hair falling over onto the table, trying to grab the letter but Andra pulled away from her grasping hand backing her chair up further and further. She giggled. "come on, hand it over"

"No," Andra laughed, her chair now completely against the wall. "It's really nothing."

"I don't believe you," Dia's hand had nearly grasped the ends of the parchment. "Andra, if you do not tell me what is in that oh-so-important letter I am going to kill you!"

"Okay okay, no need to get into threats" Andra's chest hurt from laughing "It's from my brother"

"Which one, you have like six?" Dia said, dusting off her skirt.

"Five actually"Andra countered "it is Aster"

"What'd he say?"

"Just birthday stuff"

"Birthday... like your birthday" Dia cocked her head, Andra stayed silent.

"ANDRA! And You didn't tell me!" Dia had an overt enthusiasm in her tone, even more than usual. "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"

"Because, then you do that thing where you go overboard over the littlest things that really don't matter, making me feel like a terrible person because I never do the same for you" Andra offered.

"But you are a terrible person." Dia responded "Anyways, what should I buy you?" Dia said as she trailed towards the door.

"Maybe you could," Dia slammed the heavy oak door shut "... buy something"