Blue Blood

ROSE

Sweat dripped off her forehead, some seeped into her eyes making them sting sharply. She stumbled helplessly over fallen branches which snapped harshly beneath her bare feet. The pale moonlight lit up the forest floor but only enough for her to see a few meters ahead of her. "Rose" A cold gust of wind made her turn around to see where the voice had come from."Rose!" A voice shrieked in the distance. ‘Aunt Iris!'' Rose shouted but she produced no sound. Suddenly a hand peeled around the trunk of the tree. Rose watched in horror as a tall man slowly made his way around the tree and into her line of vision.

His face was hidden by a dark shadow. "Run!'' She jumped at her Aunt's shriek. The man began to take a few steps towards her."Rose" Her Aunt's voice seemed closer this time and Rose quickly looked past the man to see if she could see her. The man looked up at her and the shadow slowly faded away from his face."Rose'' Her breath haltered as the man before her screamed. It wasn't his voice, it was her Aunt's. ''Run!" Rose watched in horror as his mouth moved in the time with her Aunt's desperate plea.

A bloodcurdling scream came from her behind and she spun around.

Nothing.

She turned back to face the man but he wasn't there. She stumbled through the forest, the broken tree branches cutting at her bare feet. The pale pink dress she was wearing was useless against the bitter cold winds that swirled around her. Her legs gave away and she fell to the ground. She looked down and saw that her knees were grazed and bloody.

"Rose?" The sound of her Aunt's concerned voice made her head snap up.

"Aunt?" Rose's voice was barely a whisper. She had her voice back.

''There was once a King and Queen and they had a beautiful little baby girl.''

''Aunt there was a man after me. He-he had your voice.'' Rose cried.

''They loved their baby so much. But one day the King's alleged alley-turned enemy attacked their castle." Aunt Iris's voice was distorted and her words came out slow and sinister. ''Why are you telling me this?'' Rose asked. "Silence you ungrateful child!'' Her Aunt roared, her figure flicked slightly revealing her true identity. ''Death took a lot of lives that day. They chopped up the King into little pieces and as for the Queen, well, men will be men."

Aunt Iris's voice morphed into a deeper tone.

Suddenly her head thrashed to the side and a scream ripped out of her throat. All of a sudden her Aunt was holding onto Rose's shoulders.

''Do you remember the story I told you when you were a child?"

''The-the one about the lost Princess? "

'It's true."

"What?"

Rose looked helplessly into her Aunt's eyes.

''It’s true..Its y-''

There was a huge crash of thunder which caused the ground beneath Rose to shake and all of a sudden the person in front of her wasn't her beloved Aunt, but the cruel Prince of France, Edward.

"We're coming for you princess."

"Wake up!"

Rose's eyes flew open and her hand closed around the man's neck.''Alex? I-I had a nightmare." Tears started to flood her eyes and her body shivered from the cold night.

''Ssh I've got you. You're safe." Reassured Alexander.

''He murdered my Uncle and Aunt and now he's coming for me."

'I've got you Rose, and nothing is going to happen to you princess.''

She stilled in his arms.

''Princess."

- Rtr Rishika Banerjee

Rotaract Club of NM College

The clue to the next article is :

Many men have tried

(But only few have won)

To stand on my icy head,

Face to face with the sun.

Let's see how smart-witted you are to  answer this riddle and thus, guess the theme of the next article...