Roses and Thorns

.46.

Violet slid down in her chair. It was two days since she had arrived, today being the third day. Her sister was a very changed person.

And also the largest donor to the Burn The Forest Fundraiser. 

Violet rubbed her temples. She was tired of the news reports she had to do of her sudden reappearance. She didn't tell them she was going back. Didn't even hint.

"Miss Violet, could you schedule for another news report tomorrow evening?"

And Violet, being caught up in the matter of days the forest would be destroyed, responded with, "Yeah. I have nothing else to do. And tell everyone the day after tomorrow I need rest or something. Then the day after that we can start up again."

And then she realized her mistake. She felt something inside her break.

And leave.

She forgot him.

Violet shot up from the chair she had sat in and pushed past the stout old woman who had asked her that question. She spun the ring three times on her finger as fast as she could and closed her eyes when she flung herself on her bed.

She opened her eyes and found the castle bedroom she always woke up too it seemed. Only it was grey. And everything was dead looking. She ran out of her room and her feet never even touched the ground as she ran through hall after hall after hall and room after room after room to try and find Adam. Her heart was pounding faster than a cheetah could run, and her throat was constricting. She checked all of the floors, and she finally dashed out into the garden. She ran through all of the twisting mazes and such and bushes and plants. She ran out of breath and stopped, tears running down her face. Then she realized she was in the rose bushes. She turned corner after corner, and paused finally after searching everywhere. The sky seemed to turn the same grey the castle was turning, and she dropped to her knees.

She turned her head to look at a darker corner. It was a pavilion, and special single roses were planted in each pot. And on the ground next to the potato plant in the center was a heaping mass. All Violet saw was white feathers.

But she knew who them belonged to.

She rushed to Adam and turned his limp, cold body over. He looked dead.

She pressed her ear to his heart, trying to hear a soft drumming.

Silence greeted her.

He wasn't breathing. His eyes didn't flick around. He was limp as a dead anything.

"Adam?"

She didn't expect him to respond.

"You can't be dead. You aren't. I remembered you."

Sniff, sniff. Wipe a tear.

"I'm sorry. I thought you would live beyond your death date. But you died before all because I went. I shouldn't have gone. I guess I didn't think you could ever be dead. And now.." Pause.

Long pause.

"Now you are."

She cried. Long, and hard. She hugged his limp body and cried into his shoulder, wishing he could wrap his arms around her again. Make her laugh. Make her smile. Calm her down. She wishes he is alive, so he can hold her chin and tell her that he isn't dead and he can live forever and it was all a game. Violet wants his kind words, his perfect smile. She wants to race against him because he finally learned how to swim, she wants to ride a dragon again. She wants Adam alive.

But what has been done it done.

He remained a pale, limp body in Violet's arms as she cried into his shirt. Nothing has ever been so real for her until now. This was never supposed to happen. Violet sniffed, and then found something in his hand. She saw it was an envelope. With many letters. On the front it only said her name in squiggly cursive. She opened the letters and read them.

  Dear Violet,

You have been gone about eight hours, thirty nine minutes and fifteen seconds. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen.
I really miss you. You tend to make the castle a brighter place, very much. In those said eight hours, I have been bored out of my mind. Everyone is off to work, and I am left to just wait until you get back. 
As if you are.
I know you won't come back for me. I bet you that you probably wish I was dead already or something. I could have let you leave the castle any time you wanted, Violet. Yes, I am trying to make you hate me so when I die you don't have as bad grief. I hate seeing you cry. You could have walked right out of the castle of your own free will.
I am an idiot. How am I supposed to get this to you? Argh.
If you ever do read this...um...Hi? I'm going to die and or I am dead. I wonder if you read that in my voice...

                                                       --Love, Adam.

And then the next letter.

Dear Vi,

It is the middle of the night. I remember the sunset just a few hours ago. Did you watch it? It reminded me of you. Soft hearted and beautiful, but we all know that the sun that makes it is pure fire.
Wait, that was an insult to you. I am sorry. No sun is as bright at the smile you can make.
Frick, this sounds like a love letter. I guess it is now. Oh well. Love that laugh, don't get rid of it. SMILE.  Because guess what I just did.

I just realized again how I can't send this to you! I'm probably just going to keep on writing letters to you, and the day you supposedly "come back" I will put them in an envelope and you have to find it. If you even come back.
I still miss you. Not even been a day yet.

                                                   --Love, Adam.

She kept reading and reading. In just three days, he wrote fifteen letters. She looked at the most recent one.

From two hours ago.

Dear Violet,

It has come to my attention that you are busy. I understand if you cannot come back, you need to be there for your family. I have never had a real family. It was always screwed up and stuff.
Great, now I am beginning to cry. You have me remembering EVERYTHING. To the smallest things, like Christmas. Or how on my birthday you had special twinkle in your eyes. And on the New Year how you helped me through the petal falling. I guess I should tell you now, because you are never going to read this anyway.
I love you, Violet.
This is embarrassing, but sometimes when you are asleep and I am not I daydream about you being my wife. But reality always comes, you know? I realize that you probably will find another man and be a lot happier with him than me.
I'm okay with that. Yes, it will break my heart. A lot. But I am pretty sure I would be dead, too. So as I watch from Heaven or some place else, I will probably cry. But at least you would be happy. I hope you find the man of your dreams, and have many children as beautiful as you. As smart as you, as kind, as funny, as fiery. I hope you forget me, because I of all people know remembering hurts.

                                                                       --The one and only, truly yours,
                                                                                      Prince Aamon James Adam Johnathan Leroux

Violet set the letter down with a shaky hand. She flicked red eyes over to Adam. She hugged him again, and looked up to the heavens.

"Adam? Can you hear me?"

Nothing. At all. And she knew that.

"I love you more." she said, letting the tears fall all over again. Because the man she loved is dead.