I ran down the hall, my heels clacking against the stone floor. The thick braid in my hair thumping against my back. My dress was flowing like a river of rose petal behind me.
My mind was racing. Only one thought was running through it, though. Don't turn back.
I could hear the soldiers shouting. "find the princess!" Their metal boots clanking down the stairs. I tore down the hall, going through almost any open door I found, trying to get outside.
One more door sat at the end of the hall. I ran out, into a beautiful garden. There were weeping willows flowing in the cool, spring breeze, large patches of lilies, and in the middle, was a bench surrounded with pure white roses. One the bench was a familiar face.
"Taltis," I sighed, out of breath from running. He has been my friend for as long as I can remember.
"Delta. What is going on in there? I heard the alarm signal." His eyes were full of concern. I opened my mouth to explain when the door to the garden flew opened. Soldiers poured in, weapons drawn. I screamed, Tatlis jumped in front of me, sword in hand.
"Get back, Delta!" He shouted. I ducked behind the bench. The soldiers got into formation, Tatlis flexed his hand muscles on the grip of his sword. He was trained as a soldier to protect the princess, me.
One soldier lunged at him with a dagger. Tatlis side-stepped and slashed the man's neck opened. The soldier crumpled to the ground, blood spurting on the flowers.
A full on battle broke out. I hid, to afraid to look, in fear of watching Tatlis die.
"Delta," I looked up at the sound of my name. Tatlis stood there covered in the blood of the soldiers, who were now all dead. Tatlis had beaten them, ten to one. I looked around the garden. All the flowers and plants were splattered with blood, except for the roses. The were like stars in a sky of blood.
"Tatlis," I said, my voice cracking. He held out his arms. I embraced him. He hugged my hard.
"Delta, I need to tell you something." Said Tatlis, loosening his grip on me. I looked up at him, his green eyes sparkling back into my brown one's. "I-" his face froze. His skin lost about four shades. He fell to the ground, a cross-bow arrow in his neck. I screamed.
I dropped to the ground and pulled his head into my lap.
"Tatlis?"I said in a small voice. He open his mouth to speak and all that came out was gargled noises, blood bubbled out of his mouth. I stroked his dark hair, like you would pet a cat. He coughed and blood poured out of his mouth. Tatlis gasped.
"-love you." Tatlis breathed.
He died.
I burst into tears. He loved me. I kissed his forehead, but I knew he wouldn't wake up. This wasn't a fairy tale. Tatlis was dead, and I couldn't change it.
After almost an hour I stood, and walked to the bench. I sat there and looked out over the garden. Eleven people lay dead in the garden. All the plants were painted with blood. I saw the roses were still pure white like first snowfall.
I looked at Tatlis's still, cold body. Then, like water on a cloth, Tatlis's blood soaked into the cracks in the cobble-stone ground. The rose bush shook. I turned toward it. The roses looked as if they were bleeding. Tatlis's blood was soaking up the roots and turning the white roses to ruby red roses.
Slowly, I reached to touch the petals. Dry, not wet, like I expected. I turned to look over the garden. I gasped when I only saw the ten soldiers bodies. Tatlis was gone. I turned back to the rose bush. All the roses were now red and glowing.
"Tatlis," I said softly. The rose bush seemed to move in response. I smiled. "I love you, too."
