Chapter I

1.9K 24 40
                                    

Rose ran through the woods, glancing behind her every so often. She was breathing heavily as she tried her best to stay calm.

There was a whimpering and Rose stopped. She turned to follow the noise before seeing a wolf pup caught in a hunter's trap.

"Oh, you poor thing. Let me help you," Rose said softly as she slowly approached the pup.

There was a growl coming from her left and she looked to see the mama wolf.

"Easy. I only want to help," Rose said as she held out a hand before a boy ran between her and the wolf.

"Get back!" The boy ordered as he tried to protect her.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm just trying to get the pup out," Rosamund said as she looked at the boy.

"Oh. I thought you were in danger," the boy said as Rosie bent down and helped the pup out of the trap it was caught in.

The pup licked her happily before scampering over to its mother.

Rosamund stood as she smiled at the two wolves retreating into the woods.

"Who are you?" The boy asked curiously, thinking she was quite beautiful.

"I'm Nobody," Rose replied. "Just call me Nobody."

"No, no. You aren't Nobody. I'm gonna call you Artemis. You saved that pup so it's only fitting," he replied with a kind smile and she hummed.

"I'm not worthy of that title," Rosie said softly, seeing that he was kind and gentle. She felt like she could trust him, but just not with everything. "My name is Rosamund."

"Quirin," the boy introduced as he carefully grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Rose blushed lightly as she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Hey, um, would you mind if I come with you. I don't have a home so I'm really just scrounging at this point."

"Of course! Come on! I'll make you lunch. My parents would be more than happy to let you live with us until you can move out if that's what you want," Quirin offered with a bright smile.

"Thank you so much, Quirin. How can I ever repay you?" Rosie asked as she hugged him tight.

"You don't have to. We're friends now and it's just what friends do," Quirin replied as he hugged her back.

Friends.

🧪

"The Ever Realm?! But that place is just a children's tale!" Varian didn't believe his father.

"And yet your mother found proof that it was real," Quirin said as he stood up. "Your mother searched for the book for years and she found it. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wanted to know the truth..."

"The book the Maruvians brought to cross between realms," Aqua spoke, remembering the fairytale and Quirin nodded.

"Yes." Quirin closed his eyes as he thought about Rosamund. "She was always so curious about everything. She wanted to go to the Ever Realm to find a way to take back her kingdom."

The Alchemist's Journey | Book 3Where stories live. Discover now