#so...this happened

“Father.” She said as she curtsied to him. “Why have you called me?”

Zarc looked at his daughter dressed in finery from head to toe – literally, since the heavy dress layers covered her feet – and almost wanted to shake his head in disapproval, but such behavior was not proper of an Emperor, at least not in the middle of his court.

It was also the only reason Serena allowed herself to be adorned to such excess, as if she was a doll.

She needed to play the part if the prim and perfect princess.

“It has come to my attention that you have yet to pick a suitor, despite the fact that you have since come of age.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth, yet, the sharp shine of betrayal in her eyes felt a thousand times worse.

Snickers were heard all over the room; delighting on the princess’ forced to behave as such; if it was up to Zarc he would behead all of them, but such thoughts came to a halt when she used her fan to hide her smirk.

“I have given deep thought to all of them, a suitor, must be suitable for me the First and Only Princess of this Empire, and I have found every single one of them lacking.” No one dared to contradict his and Ray’s daughter, no matter how much they wanted to and Zarc allowed himself to laugh.

“You are most right!” He continued to laugh for a couple of seconds before calming down. “As Emperor I would never deliver the hand of my only daughter, the jewel of the palace, to just anyone! Does anyone here disagree?”

Of course they did, but they couldn’t say anything out loud; if he concentrated, he might be able to hear them grinding their teeth.

“If his majesty agrees, then it only makes sense that I, as princess under your heavenly guidance, must be allowed to set the requirements for the perfect suitor.”

“Ah, I see, after all the one who marries my daughter will become my heir…” If it was up to him, Serena would be proclaimed the Crown Princess, but there was only so much both of them could push the court before they started to scheme. “…I can’t possibly take such matters lightly, and I cannot trust a better judgement than yours.”

Serena was quiet for several minutes, making the trepidation in the room to raise to almost tangible levels; If Zarc knew her, she had already come up with an idea and was only enjoying the control over the court she had at the moment, however limited.

“I will only marry the one who will bring me a blue rose.”

A pin could have dropped in the courtroom and made and echo, due to the aghast her answer provoked; some of their faces had even turned the same shade of blue the flower would be.

Blue roses, were taught by many to be a legend, very few had ever heard of it, even fewer heard the rumors of its existence, and even less knew of the remote place where the sky and earth met and a lake where all rivers were born.

Only its waters could nurture the mythical rose.

“Perfect, if they wish for your hand in marriage and my throne so badly, then, such request should laughable, let this decree be known across the empire!”

ᵜ

“It has been a very quiet week.” Her father said in her tea parlor; even though he left his cup untouched, instead he chowed down all the candies and tiny cakes.

“You sound almost bored.” She said as she moved her pieces in the board.

“Are you kidding me?” He said, flashing the brightest smile. “Finally some peace and quiet! I didn’t even remember how nice the palace was without those leeches abusing my hospitality and pushing me to force you into marriage; then they dared to suggest that if I didn’t want a new empress, then I could at least choose a concubine…. I was this close to execute them.” His fingers dug into the board while saying this.

There were very little things that would make her father truly furious, and suggesting he replace her mother or herself was the top one.

“As annoying as they are, their influence and money is very much needed,” Serena chewed on her rice cake a little too hard.

“Were you serious then?” He asked, looking at her for any shred of mischief. “What if one of them really does bring a blue rose?”

“Then I will make good of my promise.” Serena was sure everyone at the court thought her to be a spoiled and foolish princess for asking a pretty flower as a token of marriage; the rest surely thought that she was once more dodging her duties by setting an impossible task.

But if a man managed to be smart enough, resourceful and determined to fulfil her task, then there shouldn’t be a more appropriate person for the throne.

“Aw, and here you have me thinking that you chased them all off because you missed your old dad and wanted to be my little girl a bit longer.” How did he manage to go from a fearless ruler to pout like a child was beyond her.

Why had her mother chosen such a man anyway?

“Please, if I do not desire to share my life with young men, what makes you think I want the company of an older man?” She drank her tea when she finished saying this, just in time to see his expression going from pouting to crestfallen.

“Meanie.” He mumbled.

Serena allowed herself to smile behind her sleeve; her father was really such a foolish man.

ᵜ

The first one was a very known and very rich son of a nobleman who always stared greedily at the jewels and gold in the throne whenever he set foot in it.

The rose was pretty, but nothing much could be said about it; granted, Serena had nothing beyond aesthetic appreciation for flowers, but she was sure a blue rose must be magnificent or at least wondrous to look at.

She took the flower in her fingers, the stem was smooth, no tiny hairs or thorns.

Too pretty… She walked to where her servants had already deposited a vase of water for her flower.

To everyone horror, Serena turned the rose upside down and submerged it in the water, slowly, the water started to tint a pale color blue whereas the petals turned white again.

“Do you really think I will marry a man who uses deceit and bribery to achieve their means?”

.

.

.

The second one was a warrior, he had not been present for Serena’s decree, but having heard of it, he had led campaigns to find the blue rose, ransacking town after town, and interrogating people left and right.

The rose presented was not a flower at all, its likeness to an actual rose was uncanny though, but it was hard and frozen to the touch she noticed that it was carved from a sapphire, its rightful owner was probably dead.

Serena didn’t even dare to touch it, and turned her eyes away from the man.

“… This is not a blue rose, a man who delivers such a lavish token must be as cold and unfeeling as the stone it was made from.”

.

.

.

Surely the Princess must accept this blue rose.

It’s what they are all probably thinking as this third suitor – the son of a scholar – presented a glass box in which the most magnificent blue rose resided, the man was accompanied by an old man, which robes she recognized as being a medicine man; in a quiet voice he explained that such a rare flower must be encased for it’s very fragile outside its native environment.

How convenient it was that the glass was sealed, making it impossible to confirm his claim.

That was when a sunray shone in the middle of the throne room and Serena noticed that neither the box or the rose casted a shadow.

Serena took the box as if it was the most delicate of treasures.

And smashed it against the floor, tiny pieces of crystal spilled to her feet, but no blue rose was anywhere to be seen.

“You dare using an illusion to achieve your goal? A man who twists the lies into truths will never marry me.”

ᵜ

At night, Serena had slipped unnoticed from her room, wearing one of her servant’s dresses as to not call attention. She could not sleep, and the only thing that calmed her down, was watching the quiet waters of the pond and feeding the fishes.

“Maybe it really is an impossible task…” She whispered to no one.

In the still water, the full moon was reflected like an enormous ray of light… sometimes she liked to think that her mother was watching her from the moon, along with the rabbits and the moon goddess.

A strange fish that she had never seen disrupted the reflection and her thoughts; she threw food into the air and the fish jumped to catch it… as it turned out it was not a fish at all, but a sort of water snake, its color was a rare combination of golden and purple scales.

Odd, she would have to talk to the servants in the morning and see if they could catch it.

ᵜ

The fourth man was causing lots of whispers in the court.

He arrived covered almost completely in a cape that hid his features from anyone; the only reason the guards allowed him in, was because he assured them he came to claim the hand of the princess in marriage, that he had the blue rose in his possession.

When requested to prove his words, he claimed that the rose was for the princess eyes only and no one else. They all laughed, the captain probably thought it would be funny to watch this commoner make a fool of himself in front of the imperial family.

He didn’t acknowledge any of them as he passed through the gates.

This suitor had no lavish clothes, no entourage behind him, speaking of great possessions and power.

Before even seeing him, Serena feels her chest tighten in trepidation, something that she had not felt for any other suitor.

Why? Was it the unexpectedness? The whispers of the palace? The supposed low station of his person?

When her father took his seat, then she stepped up and waited for him.

His steps echoed loudly into the room, he was still clad into that cape, it didn’t look tattered or dirty, but it was nothing special either, the fabric was a dark color and it looked comfortable enough to walk around and warm for the cold of the night.

No one dared to speak as he knelt, first to the Emperor and then to the Princess and then he removed his hood.

A head full of purple hair met her eye, his head was still lowered and hiding his face but by the silky and healthy looking hair, she could deduce he was a young man.

“Greetings, your majesty, I have come to fulfil your request.” His voice sounded young too.

“Raise your head and state your name and precedence.” She ordered, feeling her palms sweat, unlike her other suitors, he exuded an air of confidence on meeting her requirement, but not of arrogance as if he was planning to deceive her like all the others.

“In my home, I’m called Yuri, I reside on the place where all the rivers are born.”

Serena said nor asked anything else, not even as the disbelieving looks of the court pressured her to question him further, she waited, signaling that it was time to prove his claim.

He rose to his feet and she could finally see him, his face and she was instantly drawn to his eyes, an even more vibrant shade of purple than his hair. The most entrancing part of his expression was his smile, as if he was private to a secret no one else shared.

From somewhere under his garments his hand fumbled and slowly, almost too slow, produced a blue rose.

Serena used her fan to hide her agape mouth; not because the rose was beyond perfect or magnificent like stories said they would be, she did what she had not done with any of the previous suitor and went down the steps that separate her from him, when she took the rose in her hand, even though she was careful not to not brush her hand against his in the slightest, she still felt a shiver due to their proximity.

The stem was rough to the touch, and if she could see a tiny spot of blood where one of its thorns had pierced her skin, the shade of blue of the petals mirrored that of her own hair and it spread evenly from the tip to the base in the calix of the flower.

She could hear everyone’s gasps when she lowered her fan, allowing the stranger to see her face up close, and when she brought the rose against her nose, she was assaulted by the memories of red hair, flowing in the wind as they led her through the halls of the palace, of the scent of jasmine of her clothes, and the feeling of joy and safety the smile of her mother brought to her.

This close she realized… his eyes, they were looking at her, the same way her father always used to look at her mother.

“This is a blue rose.”

ᵜ

When Serena could finally breath again, it was not a pleasant experience; she coughed the water she had swallowed before and her mouth tasted awful.

Her dress was drenched in water and it was now too heavy for her to even try to stand up.

Her father was screaming frantically for the servants to bring her dry clothes and for the doctor to check up on her.

Apparently she had made quite a ruckus when she slipped and feel into the pond, which wouldn’t be too bad if it wasn’t for the heavy clothes, becoming heavier under the water and the recently grown roots of the lotus flowers twisting around her body.

It was nothing short of a miracle that she was alive.

Before losing consciousness, Serena watched a kid on the bank of the pond, his eyes look too shiny in the middle of the night, his teeth look slightly sharp, and on the sides of his face his skin stops looking soft and turns into purple scales.

The same shade as his hair.