Inachevé

Nineteen - The Man with the White Rose

There was once a universe beyond human comprehension. It laid far outside the border of where our cosmos ends; a place where even Earth’s most intelligent machinery could not venture. For an uncountable amount of time, this culture has remained hidden from human history. It wasn’t until a seed of the sacred White Rose fell into the soils of Earth. The White Rose was no ordinary rose with its five petals spiraling around the sacred center, it instead was found with one large petal wrapped around the style. It was an immortal rose—never needing water to survive. The stem was sealed and the petals remained closed. It had a satin feel, yet had the quality of silk. The petals were as tough as deer’s hide, yet swayed and danced in the wind. Its fragrance was a warm, lulling scent that could not be described, but was so unique that it could not be hidden among other flowers. The White Rose was first discovered in the orange sands of Egypt in 3200 BC by a servant boy.

The boy revealed it to his pharaoh, Serkit, who had not seen a one-petal rose before. The great pharaoh summoned all his magicians and wise men to explain the origin of the rose, but no conjured power could reveal the rose’s identity. Settling with the notion that the rose was a symbol of power given from an unseen deity, Serkit kept it in his private collection, believing it would die. However, the rose outlived him and every ruler after him. Thousands of years passed and the White Rose handed over to the next ruler, more out of tradition than knowing the reasons why. When wars filtered through the lands, so did the rose. It ended up with the Chinese, then the Greeks, and then the Romans. And then, it was lost. For over a thousand years, the White Rose remained unfound and soon, its name became a myth.

It wasn’t until the late fifteenth century was the rose discovered again in England.  It wasn’t found under royal blood, but instead under the possession of a young peasant girl named, Anne.  Unlike the other rulers who did not understand its power, nor saw what made it different from an ordinary rose, Anne did. Anne knew the rose’s purpose from the moment she had clasped eyes with it. There were many where she had come from—many from the world beyond Earth’s borders known as Heimr.  Anne had broken free of her realm and descended to the world of humans, taking with her a seed of a White Rose, a token for her protection.  Anne was an immortal creature with an ageless spirit. In both worlds, she was known as an Elf.

Anne was the next kin to rule, but she was a maiden. She did not want to marry the arranged husband her father had chosen, so, in an impetuous decision, she fled to Earth where, on her landing, the seed was blown from her pocket and disappeared for centuries. When Anne had at last found the rose in the mucky streets of Canterbury, she did not hesitate to cloak it and return home with it. She lived in the rotting streets of England, disguised as a seamstress. She had a bastard son, whom she christened “Lewis Clarke.”  Anne knew her fate that evening, which was why the finding of the rose was so perfect. She had heard the townsfolk speak ill words about how she had slept with a stranger, who left her swiftly in the morning. Such a reputation was not permitted where Anne lived. She could not flee to Heimr, for she had been banished, for any Elf sent to Earth without a proper sending was considered a traitor.

When she bore her ill-bred son, the townspeople promised she could raise him until he reached a year old, and when he did, they would kill her of her sin. Anne knew the only way to protect her son was to find the White Rose from her homeland. If she found it, she knew it would protect him. She was certain the power of the White Rose would stop all who would attempt to slay her son, for she knew what the White Rose signified, and she knew her son had the right to bear it.  

This is the tale, whether you wish it to be true or not, about the most unlikely hero who is the only being who can restore brokenness to a world he grew up in, and a world far beyond his imagination. His name is Lewis Clarke, a hybrid unknown of his descent or destiny. It is through his ignorance and kindness, though, that marks him the deliverer of two nations.