Once Upon A Curse

Caged Part 1

Rosaline grabs a satchel and starts packing food, warm clothes and her sewing kit. Just as she's about to leave her room she looks back. She really was spoon fed all her life. And she's sick of it. She doesn't need to worry about maids stopping her because they aren't allowed to speak to her unless spoken to first or its a message.

Still running, Rosaline goes back to the stables with the big satchel slung over her shoulders. She goes past all the gates til she reaches where Elliot and Lucinda stayed. Elliot is still curled up asleep in his coat which looks big in his frail frame. Rosaline reaches for his bony shoulder and shakes him. Elliot flinches getting scared then sits up. He had ripped a strip of fabric from his ruined clothes and wrapped it over his eyes.

"Elliot, we need to leave like right now." Rosaline demands but her voice shakes.
"Where are we going?" Elliot goes on hands and knees to stand up and dusts himself off.
"To the tower. The girl in there must know how to help you." Rosaline knows that maybe this was destiny, her chance to prove herself.
"Why would you want to help me?" Elliot says not unkindly but like he has given up.
"This is my chance to prove that i can be independent. If i do this i can leave home and do whatever i want. Besides who else is gonna help you?" Rosaline raises her eyebrow then remembers he can't see her. Elliot freezes for a few seconds before relaxing.
"I won't be able to guide the way but Lucinda can. We have been there a lot together so she'll know where to go." Elliot stretches his hand out until he finally reaches Lucinda and strokes her soft hair. Rosaline helps Elliot climb and sit himself on Lucinda. Rosaline sits in front of Elliot and hands him the satchel.
"Have you ridden a horse without a harness and reins before?" Elliot questions.
"Lets just say I'm doing a lot of new things today." Rosaline tightens her grip and Lucinda takes off to find the river.

Lucinda leads Rosaline and Elliot to the forest where they first met and continues onward on their journey. It's darker now and Rosaline and Elliot are starting to shiver from the cold air. Every once in a while Rosaline strokes Lucinda admiring how smart the creature is.
"It's almost completely dark, we should stop and set up a fire." Rosaline taps Lucinda who stops and lays down.
"Wait, it's dark?" Elliot asks getting off Lucinda.
"You're not afraid of the night are you?" Rosaline smiles.
"No it's just weird because everything is black to me." He murmurs. Rosaline feeds Lucinda an apple and pulls out some bread for herself.
"I can make the fire." Elliot suggests.
"Oh no you don't." Rosaline denies.
"Oh yeah, right. I forgot I'm useless now." Elliot sighs sitting down.
"Just tell me what to do."

Elliot managed to instruct Rosaline to make a fire place.
"Man, it's so dark i blend in with the sky." Rosaline mutters laying down.
"Blend in?" Elliot questions on the other side of the fire place. Rosalines eyes quickly widen.
"Of course. You have no idea what i look like." The idea makes Rosaline smile. Rosaline might not be ladylike but she is quite girly and she feels like a mess from running away so that the fact she's hidden is comforting.
"Yes that would make sense considering I'm blind. Can you give me a description? Just be more comforting because the only face i see in my head is Cecilias.."
"Well, I have very dark tan skin, dark brown eyes and even though I'm 18 I'm a little taller then the average person. I also have black curly hair." Rosaline responds. Elliot takes a moment to soak up this information and conjure up in his mind how his savior looks.

"So.."- Rosaline starts -"Tell me about this Cecilia girl." Elliots heart flutters a bit at the sounds of her name.
"She's 2 years younger then me. She has long copper hair, dark green eyes and her skin is like a beige color." He describes.
"That's her appearance. What's she like?" Elliot wanted to say many things at that question but he took a moment to choose his words carefully.
"Even though she's locked up she is always cheerful and optimistic. Her favourite scent is lavender because it makes her think of flowers even though she's never seen one in real life. Loves to play games and stargaze. Also her favourite fruit is strawberries." Rosaline chuckles at the response.
"You really like her." It wasn't a question. Rosaline thought she saw Elliot smile for a split second.
"It's more than that." He says tiredly.
"Too bad. I bet she would of loved going on a date." Rosaline mentions making Elliots face heat up a bit which he blames on the fire.
"Well we have had dates it was just always in the tower. She must be confused that I haven't seen her in days." Elliot grieves.
"How did you know when to visit her when her mother wasn't around?" Rosaline questions.
"The river where i met the swan has a bunch of flowers growing there. When they are alive and in bloom she's gone. When they are dead and droopy she's in the tower or near the area."
Rosalines face falters, she really doesn't know much about magic. "I don't understand how that works?"
"It's because her magic is poisonous, it makes the flowers feel like they can't breathe." Elliot explains. Rosaline closes her eyes and lets the feeling of the fires warmth consume her.

The smell of the blown out fire still hangs in the air along with Rosalines thick perfume. Elliot is the first to awake. He sits up and crawls on the floor to find Lucinda. He reaches his hand out to feel hair but instead feels the delicate feeling of feathers. Elliot pulls his hand back in. "Rosaline." Elliot whispers hoping to awake her. "Rosaline." He says louder this time. The sudden stern tone he used in her name awoke Rosaline as it reminded her of her mother. Stretching she looks over to Elliot crouched next to a swan.
"What did i just touch?" Elliot gulps. Rosaline looks at Elliot and the swan stunned. She recognises the swan from his tale.
"It's the swan." Rosaline confirms in awe. Elliot stands up quickly.
"Rosaline could you please get Lucinda, the swan will show us the way."

Rosalines hand never leaves Lucinda's side while Elliot holds onto Lucinda on the other side so he can be guided. Rosaline couldn't keep her eyes of the snow-white swan. The way it looked around like it understood directions and how it walked was so very human like. Rosaline figured that the swans intelligence was very similar to Lucindas, she wish she got to see more animals.

They continued following the swan til it led them to a field of flowers. Every single flower was yellow carnations, all of them were in bloom. The bright yellow colour resembled the Lolita dress she wore to the market. Rosaline knows that the one who cursed Elliot isn't here because the flowers are breathing beautifully. The field of flowers was at a dead end of vines and bushes. Rosaline draws her eyes away from the vines to turn to the swan leading them the way. The swan wasn't there anymore. Rosalines eyes widen looking up in the sky to see where it had gone.
"Are we near the vines?" Elliot asks. Rosaline looks at him with her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, but the swan it disappeared."
"Don't worry about the swan, she did that to me too. Walk through the vines." Elliot constructs.

The smell of the grassy environment and flowers fill Rosalines senses as she pushes past the vines guiding Lucinda and Elliot. Rosalines eyes lit up to see how easy it was to go through the vines. She knew that whoever put that girl in the tower obviously didn't want anyone getting close. The vines continued to trail into a dark cave with only a bit of light from the end of the tunnel. The cave walls felt like they were draining the life bit by bit. Rosalines pace quickens.
"How do you stand going through this?" Rosaline coughs.
"Trust me, what lays at the end of this tunnel is worth it." Elliot slightly smiles to himself.
"That's sweet and everything but it's dark, slimy and long." Rosalines spine shivers. Elliot sighs and readjusts the fabric on his eyes.
"I admire you for helping me but... why? Your a marchioness which means you don't need to help commoners like me." Elliots words make Rosalines stomach churn.
"There's something I really want to do, but my mother won't go through with it because she thinks I don't know how to handle the real world." I'll prove her wrong Rosalines chants in her head. "Either way I also have to help someone even if it doesn't do anything." Elliots sinks the words in and nods.
"Well, thanks anyway." Elliot murmurs.
"Don't thank me yet." Rosaline smile resembles a child who has a secret to share.

The light at the end continues to grow until they eventually reach the end. The tower. You couldn't miss it even if you tried. It was surrounded by a flower garden that only contained roses of every colour. The tower was so long that the peak could probably touch a cloud. The brick tower had massive windows on each side with detailed wires keeping anything from inside from escaping. Rosaline scans the tower in awe.
"It's so big and beautiful." Rosalines eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Beautiful, for a cage that is." Elliot then starts to quicken his pace, eager to see Cecilia again. The roses leave a path for the doorway.

"We are at the door." Rosaline lets go off Lucinda and guides Elliot by his shoulder. She was about half a head taller than him so she could still see. Opening the door she peaks her head inside. The stairs were just as big and wide, but the stairs look like a long way up.
"There's a step, step, step and another step"
"Thanks, I got it" Elliot has been up there so many times that his muscle memory leads him, he is actually a step before Rosaline.
"Wow"- Rosaline breaks the silence-"I wonder what it would be like to live like this, never going outside because of your mother. Oh wait never mind. Of course i know."
"I have seen Marchioness house, they are so beautiful." Elliot responds.
"Nonetheless, a cage is still a cage."