Forever Forest

Chapter 7

Every day since, Terra would return to the forest, the same old path with the same old plants trampled down and decayed by her own two feet. Everywhere else was as it had always been. Beautiful vines, roots, flowers, and mushrooms of all sorts splayed across the floor. A floor darkened by the vast overlay of canopy leaves created by the never ending assortment of trees she would now have to navigate on a day to day basis.

"Hello Blue Haired Boy."

She finally found her new friend sitting against a tree and sat down beside him, a strange prickling arising in her heart. She never had a friend before, never needed one. Though he was strange, he was someone to know, something to look forward to figuring out besides math equations and science books.

"We have spent more than a few days together now, perhaps we should reveal our true names." He grinned without lifting his eyes from picking the dirt from his fingernails.

"Fair enough." She agreed and waited.

"Reuel. Prince to any young lady who might find herself upon these woods."

Her eyes darted to his, now studying hers.

She rolled them and frowned.

"Don't be ridiculous. Reuel is a good enough name for you."

"What? Afraid of a good looking prince you found in the middle of the woods?"

She glared at him but found herself laughing a bit. What was wrong with this boy, pretending to be a prince. She wondered if he knew that princes were the ones who caused wars and corruption in history.

"The only thing I fear is your absurd imagination." She grinned.

"Fine, so you don't like fairy tales, what do you like then."

His eyes shone in curiosity.

She looked around thoughtfully. Her eyes caught a small patch of daisies in the clearing before them. A small patch where the canopy cleared of leaves casting a scattered dusting of sunlight upon the pretty yellow petals.

"Flowers." He looked where she looked, then cast his glance back towards her, smiling faintly. 

Terra explained; "They are beautiful and real and growing constantly, even in cold weather."

"Then, you're in luck." His smile broadened. "Crowns are my specialty."

Before she could question his meaning Reuel stood from the tree they leaned against and strolled to the flower patch. He ripped up a clump of the precious yellow.

Her mouth twitched in annoyance. Though he sat back down and handed her a single flower from his new collection. Before she knew it he was braiding and tying the rest of them together.

"A flower crown?"

He nodded with a smile and lifted his new creation to the top of her crimson curls.

"Now you're a princess! Though it seems you do not care for a fairytale so perhaps we should just call you 'The crowned flower girl.'"

"Perhaps." She grinned.

"That reminds me though, you haven't told me your name."

"Terra."

"No last name?" He tilted his head.

"What do you mean last name?" This blue haired boy could not possibly get stranger.

"Nothing." He annoyingly shrugged and looked to the sky. "You should get home, it's getting dark."

"I'm not afraid of the dark, especially not in the woods."

He gave her a knowing look, one that made her flush.