Painted Roses

A Chill in The Bones

Rosalia was knee deep in water.

She didn't know why she was knee deep in water or where she was but she did know that her already-heavy skirts were dragging her down and she couldn't move.

Something, some sort of invisible force, was pinning her back against a wall and she couldn't move.

All around her, she was in darkness. Blue and white lights, like firefly dots, glittered up from under the water but the light didn't illuminate anything around her.

And worst of all, the water was raising.

It was now up to her thighs.

And rising still.

She pulled at her binds.

They tightened.

She turned her head, trying to look down.

Something tangled in her hair and wrenched it back, knocking the back of her head against the wall, forcing her to look straight ahead.

Someone said something in the darkness, someone laughed.

She couldn't understand them. She didn't know if it was because it was too muffled or if it was some other language. Someone was mocking her in the distance.

The water was up to her waist.

She suddenly became aware that the water was freezing, that she was freezing. All the layers of her dress wasn't helping to keep her warm, they just soaked up the freezing water. Any metal in her corset started to chill. She was shivering. Her teeth were chattering. She could see her breath.

Cold.

She was so cold.

A dark shape appeared below in the water – if her hands had been free it would have been just out of reach.

It was small and limp, shadowed against the little lights.

Rosalia chattering teeth bit into her tongue making her gasp in pain.

She was too cold.

She couldn't feel her legs anymore. Her skin was becoming numb. Her nerves were aching. The cold hurt so much.

The little shape floated to the surface.

It was The Frog.

She stared at him.

He was lying on his back, his limbs limp, eyes closed, mouth open, water lapping in and out between his gaping lips. He wasn't moving.

"Mr Frog!" she cried, her voice echoing around her – startling loud.

He didn't respond. He didn't even twitch.

She pulled at her restraints.

They gave a little against her pulls.

"Frog!" she shouted, kicking back against the wall, trying to pull free, struggling. The binds bit into her skin. Her hair felt like it would be pulled out of her head.

And then she was suddenly released.

All restraints let her go in the same instant. She plunged forwards.

One step, two steps and the floor fell away from her.

She plunged into the freezing water, gasping and coughing before she found her feet, now chest deep in the water.

The shivering grew even worse. She felt sick from the cold.

Stumbling forwards, forcing her legs to move, she made her way to The Frog who was floating away from her, the ripples of her movements drawing him away.

The floor sloped upwards, she started to climb. She was back to waist deep and she grabbed him. Her hand closed around The Frog's body and dragged him out of the water, pulling him close, holding him up.

He was so cold but so was she.

What scared her wasn't the cold.

It was the stiffness of the limbs.

That wasn't the rigidness of cold, that was the rigidness of death.

"FROG!" she shrieked, her eyes widening, horror bringing tears to her eyes.

A scream startled her.

A gentle hand, large and male, cupped her cheek.

She heard her name and her eyes snapped open.

She sat bolt upright, breathing hard, sweat staining her hair, face and body, her nightdress clinging to her. She was freezing and trembling.

She was in her bedroom.

Home, in town, where she'd been for the past week since she'd left Rose Castle. Her family would be sleeping in their own rooms, some on her floor, some on others. The servants would be asleep by this point, apart from the night watchman and his boy.

She wasn't in raising water. She wasn't in freezing water. She wasn't holding a dead frog.

"Miss Rosalia."

She felt something cool and smooth touch her hand and looked back at it.

The Frog sat beside her, a shard of moonlight illuminating his big green eyes, one of his front feet on her hand as he looked up at her.

She let out a breath.

"You're back," she gasped, warmth starting to return to her freezing body.

"You appeared to be having a nightmare," The Frog said gently, his hand still on hers as she slowly lay down again.

"Yes," she muttered, turning onto her side to face him. In her own mind, she realised he was in her bed without kicking up a he fuss, but she didn't mention it because he would kick up a fuss and she was shaken and his small presence gave her a lot of comfort.

"What was it about?"

"Drowning," she said. The Frog looked at her in surprise and she closed her eyes. "And you. But... you weren't alive." She forced a smile and caught the covers, pulling them back up to her shoulder. "It was hardly a fun dream."

"I'm sorry you dreamt something so disturbing," The Frog said. She felt him hop up onto the pillow and then his gentle touch on her hair. She could believe he had once been a human, at some point in his life; this soothing behaviour was that of a man.

"Well, no matter," she muttered. Silence fell.

She was finally warm again. It was just a dream after all. Nothing to be scared of – it had just caught her by surprise. She hadn't dreamt anything at all over the last few days.

The stroking on her hair stopped. She felt The Frog begin to move away.

She opened her eyes to see him at the edge of the bed. "Will you stay?"

He looked back at her, then nodded. "Yes," he said, nodding, "For now. Goodnight Miss Rosalia."

"... Goodnight," she said, smiling slightly, before closing her eyes again.

~~~~~

Next up: (Read Below) 

Art By: Jvdas Berra

Ok, this is a REALLY short chapter. It's only two A4 pages. And since I missed out on a couple of uploads the other week, would you guys like another chapter up right away? You gotta tell me or it'll just be a wait and it'll be up on Monday lol. Let me know if you want one asap (aka, once i'm awake) or you're fine with waiting.