A woman tightened her hair into a bun on the back of her head. She combed it back, slick to her skull with a fine brush made of dried grass root. She looked in the mirror and sighed lightly, looking over her hair once more before being satisfied. Her face was a deep green, and moss grew from the edge of her hair down her face and neck. She took a moment to watch her eyes in the reflection of the mirror. She had only been in the castle for a few days, but she could already feel the moss on her body growing brighter, fuller, and denser by the tree's magic. She could always hear it. The ringing. That high pitched hum in the back of her ear that pushed her to explore past everyone else.
"Magic can't be harnessed." She spoke aloud to herself. It never sat right in her stomach. Magic was such an integral part of living; it didn't make sense. It also didn’t help that her mother never seemed to respond to her questions. Honestly, her mother was aloof, specifically around magic, and it was suspicious. She was always so secretive about what she did at the castle, but Scarlet could feel it. She could feel the difference in the air when her mother was home.
She could remember the night her mother came home in disarray. She had been gone for days with no word. She collapsed next to her bed, and Scarlet could smell the smoke.
"Scarlet. It's time." She spoke in a whisper.
"Time for what?" Scarlet replied, half asleep under her covers.
"For you to learn the truth. Pack your bags. I must take you to the castle." She had been trying to catch her breath as she talked. There were no words spoken on their way to the castle. She dropped Scarlet off in a room and disappeared.
Scarlet dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her eyes. That was two days ago, and she needed answers. She needed to know. Could she find answers about that scratching curiosity that never stopped? Scarlet needed the truth her mother wasn't telling her. She couldn't just sit here and wait anymore. Scarlet couldn’t just hope this was about magic. She needed answers. Her reflection greeted her as she looked back up. Maybe the Queen could help. Scarlet heard talk about the queen’s golden honey hair and her love for gardening. They say, every day, the queen tended to the plants outside of the castle. Scarlet couldn't be sure if the Queen would be there, but it was her best chance of finding answers. She stood from her chair and brushed the wrinkles from her dress before turning and walking out of the room. She pushed back the curtain and stepped into the hallway. Her pace was quick and determined, knuckles turning white as she gripped her hands into fists by her sides. Scarlet didn't even know where the garden was. Trusting her gut was all she had. The massive front doors of the castle appeared as she came around the corner. Her hands reached out, grabbed both handles, and swung the doors open with all her weight. Sun-filled her vision, and she shielded her eyes, rushing down the stairs. Her breath became shallow. She spotted a break in the grass. This is where the queen was. She could feel it in her stomach. It had to be. The vines twirled around in the dirt as she stepped to the path. Flowers littered the sky above. Their stalks were sturdy in the ground, and Scarlet stopped in her tracks. The smell was overwhelming, and she could feel the power of the roots under her feet. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.
"You found me." A soft, smooth voice reached her ears. Her eyes opened and darted around to find the source. A woman stood slowly from the ground, her baby pink dress soiled with dirt. Cascading in loose curls, her hair draped over her shoulders. The fabric on her head kept them out of her face. Scarlet took a sharp breath in and bowed hastily.
"My Queen! I apologize for the intrusion," she could feel her heartbeat in her palms.
"Do not apologize. I've been waiting for you." The queen bent over, picking up the basket beside her. Scarlet slowly looked up, her back stiff.
"Waiting for me?" Her eyebrows knit together, and the queen nodded.
"Jasmine speaks well of you, but she didn't tell me you've already been connected." The queen strolled up to Scarlet, reaching out to gently touch the moss on her face.
"I'm confused, my Queen," Did the queen already know what she was going to ask?
"You can call me Rossette, dear. No need for formalities." She slowly pulled a large seed from her basket.
"Your hand, child." Shaking, Scarlet reached out her open hand. The queen dropped the seed into her hand and closed her fingers around it.
"What is this for?" Scarlet felt as though she was stepping over a line just by asking, but her desire for truth pushed her forward. Now that she was IN FRONT of the queen… her courage seemed to melt away. The curiosity that typically filled her mind was blank pages swirling in the air.
"I want you to think about a time something or someone made a positive change. How they were affected by the things around them." Rossette wrapped her hands around Scarlet’s hand. The seed in her palm pierced her skin, and she nodded. Scarlet closed her eyes and fished around in her memories.
She thought of her mother and father and how she was just a bit kinder every moment they were together. It was like her father's calm words allowed her to be understanding and not fight for her place in the world. Scarlet could remember when she messed up simple things like sweeping the front patio or clearing the bathroom basin. Her mother would fuss for hours about how she would never amount to her destiny. But, recently, with her father's guidance, her mother was sweeter. She wasn't disappointed as often. In fact, she wouldn't say anything negative if Scarlet’s father responded first. She remembered noticing the change, feeling the change. Not just in her mother's actions but within the air of their house, within the way the floorboards felt.
The seed inside Scarlet’s hand squirmed around, and Scarlet shot her eyes open quickly, pulling her hand out of Rossette’s grasp. She opened her fingers and looked down, her heart practically stopping when she saw what laid in her palm. The seed was split, and a small sprout was inching its way across Scarlet's hand. Her breath stopped, and she looked up at Rossette.
"What did you do? Did you do that?" Her frantic words stumbled over each other, and she took a step back. All that she's known was crumbling before her eyes. She should have expected it but, she never thought the day would come.
"No, dear. That was you."