The Rose Garden

Chapter Two

It was a while after the prince's departure and Astra was once again busy in her garden, the young man's smile etched firmly in her mind. A distant rumble makes her head snap towards the forest at the base of the valley, dark menacing clouds rolling with lightening and thunder, preparing itself for a terrible storm.

'Isn't it suppose to be until after midday?' she though. Her eyes widen in horror as the thought hits her.

"Oliver!" she shouts. Grabbing her skirting both hands she rushes further into the valley where the pack resides, meeting a pack member guarding their territory.

"I need to speak with your Alpha! It's urgent" I demanded out of breath. Not long after Astra was on her broom and a few of the wolves from the pack were searching the forest for the prince, rain pouring and almost blinding. Among the rumbling of the raging sky, Astra hears a howl making her recklessly zip through the sky towards the sound. At the bottom of a steep incline, the prince lay unconscious, his head bleeding and breathing shallow. Rushing to his side soaking wet, the witch feels his skin, pulling back in shock from the heat of his skin. Thanking the wolves and sending here regards to the Alpha, Astra mounts her broom, securing the prince's unconscious body against her, rushing back home to treat him. Feeding him some of her rose tonic, Astra turns her back to him and waves her hand, having the wet clothes taken of his body. With the blanket above his waist, Astra gets a full view of the princes torso, she never really looked at him before but now it was clear that skinny was not the correct work, lean was best to describe him. Taking a deep breath and slapping both her hands onto her cheeks, Astra starts to take care of him, never leaving his side until his fever subsided and his wound was healed. Even with the rose tonic, it took three days for him to come around and within those three days, the storm continues to rage on and even spread slight towards them, cast a gloomy sky over them, light showers here and there, however not strong enough to harm her garden. A groan alerted Astra that the prince was waking up, causing her to drop the spell book she was busily reading and rush to his side. Opening his eyes the prince found Astra's green eyes staring into his deeply.

"Oh thank goodness" she breathes, tears welling up in her eyes as she sinks onto her knees, her hands on the bed squeezed together in a shaking grip. Slowly the prince remembers the events leading up to his fall, he was rushing through the forest try to get out of it before the rain starts to fall, only to tumble down a slope and hit his head. The prince caress Astra's head making her look up at him with glassy eyes, causing his throat to tighten.

"I'm fine Astra, there's no need to cry or worry. I'm not going anywhere" He assures her. Astra nods her head and recollects herself.

"So, what are we having for dinner?" she asks. The prince could tell Astra was exhausted, the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin told the story. So when he saw her getting onto the chair to sleep he takes her hand and leads her to the bed.

"You need to sleep, I'll take the couch tonight." he insists.

"No! You're sick and I'm perfectly fine on the chair." she stubbornly says trying to get out of bed, however the prince stands in front of her, arms folded, unmoving.

"You are sleeping on the bed." he persists.

"No I'm not" she refuses. Both simply stare at each other, unwavering. Astra could easily turn the chair into a cozy bed, but it required energy she did not have from the lack of sleep.

"Astra you need sleep" the prince sternly says.

"So do you" she mumbles, eyes burning and consciousness on the brink of sleep. Gently laying her onto the bed, a whine leaving her lips but not resisting, the prince pulls the quilt over her, moving towards the chair. Astra hand lovely grips onto the prince's hand, drawing his attention to her drowsy expression.