The Other Curse ~ Robin De Noir [2]

Chapter Seventeen

Coeur De Noirs words haunted Rose's soul, filling her with a terrifying dread. "Nooo!" Rose screamed as she struggled against her bonds. The guards holding her tight.

Maria whimpered in Coeur De Noirs grasp as he pressed the knife to her neck, a thick trail of blood falling onto her chest. Rose pulled against her bonds, panic racing through her veins like white, hot fire.

"Please", she begged, her voice nearly failing her under the weight of a cracking psyche as her eyes darted to her little sister, tears streaming down her pale face. "Please, don't hurt her, hurt me instead".

Coeur De Noir cocked his eyebrow, "is that what you think?" He chuckled and moved closer, dumping Maria into the firm grasp of Luke. He moved to stick the blade under Rose's chin, forcing Rose to look him in the eyes. "Oh you poor, naive, little thing, I was always going to hurt both of you.

I just planned to hurt you worst".

********************************************

The guards had dragged them back to the great hall. Maria and Robin held back by two, beefy looking men and Rose had been brought before Coeur De Noir.

"Ahhhhhhhhh", she screamed as the dagger pierced her flesh. The makings of 'filth' beginning to be engraved on her arm by Luke as everyone stood and watched. 

"ROSE!" Robin shouted, struggling against his bonds as he was forced to watch her being tortured. Rose had tears falling down her face and screamed again as Luke pressed the blade deeper into her skin.

"You and your filthy Merryweather family took everything from me! My daughter! My son! I will not let you take the forest!" Coeur De Noir boomed.

"The forest is not yours to take", Rose sputtered out, sweaty and pale, but her eyes were clear and focused.

Coeur De Noir chuckled, "is that so my dear? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it already is.

You may be the Princess, but I was ruling this forest before you were born, I don't intend to let some silly girl destroy everything I've worked for!"

Rose gritted her teeth, not ready to give up just yet. "So full of fire aren't you?" Coeur De Noir snarled, "it's going to be glorious to watch you burn up. How long do you have left? Oh I'd say no more than a couple of hours from the looks of you".

Rose sank back into her thoughts, his words stinging like lemon on a cut. She had failed. Robin hadn't even kissed her yet. Robin. His name warmed her ever so slightly, this fight wasn't over yet.

"Why are you doing this?!" She heard the same familiar voice beg from behind her. Coeur De Noir frowned, his malice as tangible as the ground beneath his feet, "because my boy, you fell in love, and you need to learn that love won't save you when there's a knife to your throat. The only thing that can save you is power!" Coeur De Noir bellowed, he went to continue, but the grand doors swung open, and every one gasped.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that", a deep booming voice echoed through the room as Sir Benjamin, Miss Heliotrope, Loveday, Marmaduke, and Digweed entered with some sort of weapon in each of their hands.

"MERRYWEATHER!" Coeur De Noir snarled as the De Noirs scattered. Sir Benjamin glared fiercely back at him, then stepped aside to reveal a huge, black lion behind him. "ROOOOAAARRR", Wrolf growled.

"ATTACK!" Coeur De Noir ordered as the De Noirs began charging towards the black lion, "CHARGE!" Miss Helitrope shouted back and charged into the battle with her umbrella.

Robin and Maria rushed over to help Rose up, "let's finish this", she told them both as she struggled to stand, her arms wrapped around them both as the hurried through the chaos. "Go my dears! It's not to late!" Miss Helitrope told them as she wacked a De Noir on the head, "what about you and the others?" Maria asked as the three of them took notice of their families fighting, "we'll be fine. Just get out of here, go somewhere safe and break this curse! We're all so proud of you!" Miss Heliotrope added.

Rose's eyes fogged up, before she allowed Robin and Maria to help her out of the hall, no one paid any attention to them, they were all far to occupied with the ongoing battle. Rose quickly looked back to see Sir Benjamin confronting Coeur De Noir, "he'll be fine", Robin whispered in her ear, before they took off down the hall.

Rose was exhausted, but she hobbled as fast as she could through the castle and into the forest, they ran deeper and deeper, not stopping to take a breath.

"Do you know where we're going?!" Maria called, "I have an idea", Rose replied as she lead them through the trees towards a hill.

They climbed the hill, till they reached the top to see a single Rose blooming out of the ground, it's petals falling fast, looking old and withered.

"It's almost time", Rose gasped as she collapsed down by the flower, her head aching.
"Pass me the ingredients", she asked, and held out her hand. Maria grabbed the fae's dust, moon water and Vervain out of the bag and gave them to Rose.

Rose took a deep breath and allowed the roots to grow out of the ground into a wooden bowl in front of her. She was still getting used to her new powers, but it did the tick. She mixed everything together, as fast and as carefully as she could, Robin's hands holding her steady.

Once all combined, the potion turned into a thick, black liquid, as bleak as the night, yet it seemed to shine like the sun.

"It's ready", Rose gasped, growing weaker by the second. She could hardly sit up now, but she was so close.

Rose closed her eyes and held the bowl close to her heart, "seek the source of the spirit, back to where it began", she whispered to herself, remembering where the true power lay.

"When sun, moon and nature meet once more, life will be restored" Rose thought, remembering the saying written on pages of various books in her uncle's study.

"Here goes", Rose mumbled as she poured the potion over the dying flower. At first nothing happened, but they waited.

After many moments, Robin piped up, "was that it?"

"I'm not sure? Do you feel any different?" Maria asked Rose as she continued to stare at the black, gooey flower, wilting in front of them.

"It didn't work", Rose told them, feebily, "I failed", she cried as still nothing happened. Maria gasped and Robin looked at Rose, waiting for the punch line. But it never came.

Rose looked to the sky and felt a single tear trail down her cheek as, the last glimmers of hope, diminishing from her eyes, before her final breath fell from her chest and Rose collapsed on the floor.

Hope was gone. They had failed.