Poppies and Rosemaries

The Boy of Her Nightmares

"Stay away from me," he glowered at her. 

Rosemary still couldn't believe that the boy she had dreamed about, the one she had wanted to touch so badly, was standing right before her eyes. 

"Why are you looking at me?" he snapped at her.

"Why would I look at you? There's nothing there that's appealing to look at," she said, deciding to be petty and irritating toward the boy, as there clearly wasn't a reason to become friends with him. 

He glared at her and a smug, satisfied smile played on Rosemary's lips. And then he proceeded to take his shirt off. Rosemary's eyes widened with panic, but she shut them closed. 

"Guess I blinded you," she could hear the smirk in his voice.  

Rosemary snorted, "Yeah, with your idiocy." Her eyes were opened now, and she was subtly checking him out. He must've had a lot of physical exercise because his body, at least the top half, was bulging with well-defined muscles. She looked up to meet his gaze and he cocked an eyebrow. 

"What's your name?" he asked, suddenly curious.

"Why do you want to know?" Rosemary seethed. 

He shrugged, "Just curious, I guess. If you don't want to tell me, don't."

"I thought you hated me," Rosemary said, puzzled.

"I do. But that doesn't put a stop to my curiosity."

He made a fair point. Besides, Rosemary didn't have a better argument, so she gave in. However, before she could open her mouth to speak, the boy held out his hand, for a handshake, apparently, and introduced himself. 

"I'm Solas. Previously known as Prince Solas. That is, before my mother sentenced me to prison," he said, hand still extended, but Rosemary swatted it away. 

"My name's Rosemary. My friends call me Rosie. Since you are not my friend, you don't have the liberty to call me that," she answered, still bitter from today's events. 

He shrugged and turned, and that gave Rosemary the freedom to delve into her thoughts. She wondered why this boy wasn't like the one she had seen in her dream. He looked the same, but he didn't have the same overall vibe. He was arrogant, rude, and seemed to be overly rebellious, as his own mother had sent him to jail. 

Wait a second. His mother was the queen...which meant that he knew more about this place than anyone else...and he must understand the system...because he was born into it. This could later prove to be useful...

"So, I have a question," Rosemary started, to break the ice, "what charges are you here for?"

"Oh?" Solas smirked, "look who's interested."

"Answer the question," she said through gritted teeth. 

"For trying to escape this damned island," he replied, evenly, "once you get in, there's no way out. But technically, I never got in. I was born here, so I've always lived here."

His warning seemed to turn on her panic button.

"Why is there no way out?" she asked, calmly, even though what he had said terrified her so much her fingers were trembling, but she dug her fingers into her palm, causing her fingernails to draw blood. 

"That's two questions. It will only be fair if I get to ask you one," he turned his back to her. 

"Fine," she rolled her eyes, thinking that his question would be an easy one to answer. 

He turned once again, except this time he did so to face her. 

"What is your story?" he asked her. 

She was taken aback by this question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, tell me everything. About you."

Her mind was spinning. She didn't understand why he wanted to know about her so much. She didn't understand anything about him; he did the most surprising things at the most surprising times. 

"Why are you interested in my past?" she countered. 

"Like I said, I'm just curious. Besides, I haven't had a conversation with another person in so long, I think I'm going insane. My mother thinks she punished me by putting you in the same cell as me. Little does she know, I simply crave human interaction. That's all," he said, his voice a whisper by the end of his monologue, the warmth of his body closer to her. 

"What kind of human interaction?" Rosemary whispered, shuddering slightly. 

"The kind where you stop asking me questions and gawking at me," he said, his cold, harsh tone back. 

Rosemary shoved him away and raised her voice, "I do not gawk, and I would not gawk at the likes of you."

He sighed, "Please stop talking and let me think in peace."

She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him, like a little kid. He just laughed at her and shook his head, amused at her childishness. 

Solas went to the corner of the cell, where there were makeshift weights, barbells, and dumbells. Rosemary snickered at the sight. He turned to her, offended, and said, "You know, it took me a long time to get a body this sculpted. I've had to find ways to maintain it. You're just jealous that you're not as smart, creative, and strong as me." He flexed his biceps, but Rosemary continued giggling at his stupidity. 

"You're right; I'm not as smart as you. I'm smarter," she retorted, still glaring at him with her arms crossed. 

He glared back, his eyes full of hatred, disdain, and coldness.

And that was how her first interaction with the boy of her nightmares went.