Chapter Three
The Rose Beauty
Long before Jane entered the Hedge Labyrinth...
The one beneath the magical curtain, heard all that went on around her. A few years back, one she had been very close to, put the finishing touches on her proverbial coffin by taking away the last thing she had, the ability to see the world around her. The curse that was linked to her allowed her to know the positions of the moon and sun, but nothing else about her world. She was permitted to know the days that went by and the years that went by, and so she longed for death, caught in a curse she had no way of breaking, not when she was so isolated. She decided today would be the day, but in her current form she had no way of taking her own life, so as the moon hung in the sky above, she removed her roots from the ground, determined to slowly starve herself to death.
The fairies came, those pesky creatures as the moon neared the horizon, and she heard them flying around her garden tomb and whispering to one another. She thought they came to mock her powerlessness. She thought they came to cheer on her demise, but then something very unexpected happened as the sun came up over the garden; the fairies began to sing. The song wasn't one of victory like she once heard when the first wicked witch of the west died, freeing the realm of her tyranny. The song was one of hope. She recognized the melody; it was Saah'Mee, and it slowly took away her fear, loneliness, and despair as the fairies continued their enchanting chorus. The fairies sang out the song with no words, and their souls touched her own soul, telling her forgiveness was possible, she only had to seek it. She remembered a time when her life was still good and filled with joy and happiness. The fairies beseeched her to join in with them, and she relented, lifted her beautiful voice, and they all sang together.
The chorus swept her up in its enchanting wordless meanings, and she realized her life turned out nothing like she envisioned it. The wishes and expectations of her childhood were eventually trampled on and crushed to dust by those she trusted most. She wished with all her heart she could change the person she had become, and the song that came from her heart was no longer one of hope but of despair. After a while, she also realized she sang alone, but she continued with the chorus as something she could hold onto until death came and took her from this world.
Movement in her garden distracted her, and she stopped the song. Someone stood in front of her, then they walked around her, and ended up in front of her again. Had the betrayer who she betrayed come to put her out of her misery or only add to it? The magical curtain lifted off of her, and she saw the most beautiful thing, the morning light. There was also a female from one of the elf races standing before her, but she couldn't take in enough of the sunlight. She basked in it and reveled in it, and then she decided today wouldn't be the day, and placed her roots back into the ground, drawing nutrients from the dirt again. The person she envisioned herself becoming when she was a child fled her mind as the person she had become took front and center again. She would teach this servant a lesson for meddling in things that didn't pertain to her.
The curious looking female elf folded up the clear magical curtain and set it on the ground. She wondered when such a creature came to work for the master of the castle. She also wondered if some new punishment was coming that could be more cruel than the magical curtain. She sensed something about the female elf. Some magical power emanated from her as if the female elf possessed a great power but had no control over it.
Jane stood in front of the giant red rose that was a head taller than herself, but she was still a ways from the plant, not knowing if it was dangerous or not. The plant was beautiful, and Jane saw a lady's face within the open red petals. The solo had ended, but she was sure the rose was the one who sang it and if that was true, the rose was the one who she vowed to help. She needed to find out, so she introduced herself.
"Hello, my name's Jane. I heard the fairies singing and followed their song into the maze. I actually wanted to meet them again, but I guess they're gone." Jane paused to see if the giant rose would respond and when she didn't, Jane asked, "Can you talk? Can you tell me your name?"
The giant rose peered at the strange female elf a little more curious of her than before. She spoke of the fairies and those pesky creatures rarely made themselves known to those not of their race. What was different about this female elf? Could it be the power she sensed emanating from her? She would wait to see before she decided what to do with Jane.
"I cannot tell you my name," the giant rose told her. "The curse that binds me here prevents me from uttering it."
"Oh... I'm sorry," Jane spoke as she took a step closer to the giant rose. If she stretched out her hand, she was still about five feet from her. "I'm finding out many are cursed in your world," Jane told her as she looked closer to the faint hint of a face within the red petals, and Jane noticed a mark of a double lightning bolt on what seemed like a cheek. Now she understood why she was there as she twirled the silver flower ring, but that would mean somehow the Beast was the prince from her dream and this giant rose was the girl. Jane needed more information, so she asked, "Why were you covered with that curtain, Erosa?"
"Why do you call me Erosa?"
"I hope I didn't offend you, but it seemed like the proper thing to do. Do you want me to call you by a different name?"
"No, it is fine, and to answer your question, the master of the castle was punishing me," Erosa replied. "I can be a very naughty rose."
"The master of the castle? I keep hearing about him. One of the Beast's servants spoke of him and warned me to stay away from the castle from now on."
"You are not one of the Beast's servants?"
"No, I'm the new delivery girl for the Tasty Dwarf Bakery, and I need to get back before I'm fired. Before I go..." She wasn't sure how to pose her next question as she asked, "I heard your song, and I was wondering... Could it be..? Is there anything you need?"
"Why would you believe I need anything from you?"
"Didn't you call me here?" Jane inquired. "Or maybe the fairies called me here, but I still get this feeling you need my help. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?"
"No, I do not need anything from you," Erosa replied, then she thought about it, and she stated, "If you could take that magical curtain with you, I would appreciate it. I hate that thing and looking at it... well... it is not pleasant."
"I can do that," Jane replied as she went over to the clear cloth, folded it up, and then placed it in her backpack. She knew there was so much more she could do for the giant rose, so Jane repeated, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Erosa thought about her query as she glanced around the dead garden and then she answered, "I need nothing else, but do come back and visit me. It does get lonely here."
"You do need something," Jane replied with a smile. "You need a friend, and I will come back," she promised. "I'll come back today if I can. I want to talk to you some more, but I have to get back to my job."
The female elf ran out, and Erosa watched as she went. Jane was a very curious creature. The master warned her to stay away from the castle, and the fairies led Jane to the dead garden. Erosa also wondered why a smidgen of hope crept up in the back of her mind when she spoke to the female elf. A lovely butterfly landed on her petals, one of orange with black stripes, and it also had a mark of an ax imprinted on each wing as Erosa chuckled to herself. It would seem that life around the estate was about to get interesting. The butterfly crawled toward the center of her petals, and Erosa whipped one of her thorny vines up and sliced the butterfly in half. Its lifeless carcass fell to the dirt, and she gathered it up with her roots and dragged it underground. She believed life around the estate was about to get very interesting.