I left the Gardens confused and slightly elated. I met the old king of Blaneria and he told me the real story about what happened to the Other Kings and how they were killed.
Yet, there was still one question I had,
How does the current King of Uderhelm have his magic if it's in the flower?
I shook my head, no I can't be thinking of things like that. I promised the Gardener that I wouldn't touch or go near the flower again and I must forget it exists for that to happen.
I walk back to the village that I live in, the village of Trangeria, a small insignificant village in the middle of nowhere and far away from the capital of Blaneria and the royal palace. I was walking through the village when I heard the raspy, cool voice of the local town idiot plotting.
"Hey Randell, listen to this plan I have. Tonight, we're going to go into the Gardens and pluck one of the flowers to anger the Gardener!" Dravern said.
I snorted, thinking of the Gardener's face when he sees Dravern and his sidekick Randell plucking roses in the Gardens trying to do whatever they will with them. I don't think much of it, he's always playing games like this.
See, Dravern was the town hottie but then he fell from grace when the mayor caught him and his daughter kissing in the fields when his daughter was supposed to be married to a wealthy nobleman's son in a few days. I used to be friends with Dravern but we fell apart after a while because I'd never go along with his schemes. It's not like he's hated or anything, nobody scorns him because of what he did, in fact it was proven that Tressa kissed him not the other way around.
"Dravern, do you really want the Gardener to hate you? Plucking his flowers sounds like a bad idea. Rumor is, he's a powerful mage, one that could rival an Other King! Besides, he doesn't try anything to you, why should we do something to him?" Randell asks.
Randell is smart. He only hangs around Dravern in order to keep damage control to a minimum, but he can come up with his own ideas sometimes that are a bit dangerous. I snort when I hear Randell talk about the Gardener being on par with an Other King.
Only if they knew he actually was an Other King, and the King of Blaneria nonetheless.
"That's fine! I can take that old fart! I heard a rare flower that temporarily gives you powers lives in that Garden! I'll pluck it and take him on! Besides, I just want some roses to try and impress Verna!" He exclaims loudly.
I laugh, Verna Frimena is a beautiful girl from our class. She's the type to go for the actual rich kid with good looks which Dravern is not. He has the looks, just not the money. Verna is hard to get to know because unless you fit into her circle, she'll never talk to you, which is why I never talk to Verna.
"What are you laughing at Alisa?" I hear Dravern say behind me. Oh great here we go.
"Nothing Dravern, just the thought of Verna falling for you by plucking some flowers from the Gardeners garden is funny seeing as she never talks to you and always pointedly ignores you." I say dryly.
Ever since I stopped being friends with Dravern he makes it his point to make sure he knows I'm not his friend anymore.
"Just you wait Alisa! Verna will be mine! I'm going to pluck the mystery flower that will give me powers to defeat the Gardener and impress Verna!" He says boastingly.
"Really? I was just in the Gardens, what color is this flower and who told you about it?" I say not really caring but giving into Draverns want for attention and still walking home.
"A man in a black robe had told me that there's a black flower in the garden that will give me the power to beat the Gardener and that the power is temporary!" He says in a tone I don't believe.
I stopped in my tracks. Dravern is smarter than that to think about plucking a rare flower that has powers because a random stranger told him to. Slowly, I turn to him, he has the biggest smile on his face but it's not the innocent kind at all.
He knows about the rose. He knows it has powers.
"Dravern..." I start scared about what he's planning.
"Don't worry, Alisa. You'll be the first to see what the flower does." He said and walked away towards the Gardens.
No. NO NO NO!
YOU ARE READING
The Black Rose
FantasyThis was a story I created in Creative Writing for a short story. It was so good apparently that my Creative Writing Teacher wanted me to publish it, though I never did...until now. Inspired by All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace, I present to y...
