Rose's Thorns

I smiled as the wind softly flowed around myself and the flowers, causing the roses, violets, and poppies to dance all together. A soft song surrounded me as Aster, my youngest sister and by far the sweetest, sang her little tune. Unlike myself her hair was dark and was cut short nearly reaching her chin after surrounding her chubby cheeks. I stayed kneeling in front of the flowers while the breeders, as my siblings and I called them, we were traveling with, talked to Lady Harter about one of her three sons marrying one of my siblings, the fairest by far.  Dahlia had always been the most desired of all of us girls, her only downfall was that she was all beauty and no brains. Instead of listening to the teachings of her elders, before being taken from her home, she would run around trying to catch the attention of the young Lord Panson of Kanihal. I looked away from the white petals of the roses and up to the doors as they opened with a large thud as the heavy wood slammed against the firm stone. The fat master who thought of us as livestock was the first to appear in my line of sight. The usually drunken fool had a large round gut from years of drink, his skin was red from riding in the sun. His slow grey eyes found my sister Tallulah who stood beside me.  "Tallulah!" He bellowed, his grimy yellow teeth, the four he had, showed under his disgusting smirk. His eldest son who by far was the most tolerable of the three men stood still in the darkened doorway. He looked like his father, same complexion, dull grey eyes, revolting smirk, rounded face and crooked nose. Little red spots filled with pus covered his face, he was somewhat kind when his father was passed out drunk.  "Yes, good sir." My sister said timidly from my left side, her soft voice cracked with uncertainty.  "Come here." He growled. After being on the road with these men since I was eleven years old I have learned not to hinder their deals. I wanted to grab my sister and pull her into me, I wanted to defy these horrible men, but I didn't. As I watched them all walk back inside I repeated my silent vow. "One day your heads will roll," I grabbed one of the roses at my side, the thorns digging into my flesh breaking it and causing blood to leak out of the wounds.  I pulled my hand away from the rose and watched my blood drip from the barb and down the stem. The red swirled with the green creating a nasty brown color, letting out another breath I turned back to Aster who began singing a tune, it was about the White lions who lived in the snow and left the once white powder a crimson slush with each swing of the paw. .  They were frightful beasts large as horses that roared like thunder and could run faster than any other animal ever seen. Their fur blended so well in the snow that it was impossible to see them until they were upon you. And before there was time to react, you were a heap of flesh being devoured. I hoped to see one before it was my time to die.  The heavy door banged again and the fat master left the hall with his son and the thin master who looked more like a branch than a person. The fat master had a leather pouch presumably filled with coin from selling Tallulah. As the men passed us their stench filled my nostrils. As much as I wanted to run in the other direction I followed them to the front of the sandstone palace and stood before the old rotting hay wagon we were transported in.  The thin master, Sigmond, and the fat master's son, Rayburn, grabbed us harshly one by one and loaded us up like animals. I pushed at Sigmond lightly and climbed on alone, I hated the way their hands lingered too long. I was pushed forward by rough hands, I stumbled and fell to my knees on the rotting and splintered wood. My hands and legs filled with tiny wooden spikes. I pulled myself up and found a dry enough spot to sit on.  This was how every "meeting" went. The men would take interest in Dahlia and would be talked out of it by our masters. They would then be manipulated into accepting one of us "lesser" siblings. It was always, Stella has better birthing hips, or Dahlia is infertile, but Lucille is pretty and can have children. And just like all the others they would settle for one of my sisters. I looked around at the six of us who remained, I was the second oldest next to Marigold, her hair was the color of gold and her eyes the beautiful green color of the sea, her face was a pale cream color that was littered with freckles. She had been picked up in the Northern Kingdom of the Emerald Pines, her mother was a w***e and her father was said to be the King's fool hearted younger brother by law who was killed in the last war.  Beside her sat Aster, her dark brown hair was dull in comparison, her milky white skin was clean, usually it was covered in dirt and grime. Her dark brown eyes scanned the surroundings of the cart as we trotted along. From what I remember we picked her up at an orphanage in Summerville after selling my sister Margery to an elderly weapons smith who wanted her to pop out one kid after another, just like a broodmare.  I turned my head and found Lily next, she was very reserved and rarely talked at all, less before strangers. Her black curls stuck out of her head. Her chocolate skin and black doe shaped eyes gave her an air of innocence that a woman nearly 18 years of age had. She had been bleeding for only a few years and had caught the attention of many suitors, too bad they didn't have enough money to please the fat master. One of the men after her was a simple soldier in the army of Queen Sienna of the Eastern country of Azilia. He was a large man who could have stolen her away had the fat master not made us leave in the middle of the night. Lily cried silently for days, she had fallen for him. He was kind to her and was ready to set us all free. Beside Lily, Dahlia sat playing with her dark brown locks that had a hint of red in them. When she smiled two dimples were able to be seen on her cheeks, her skin was the color of warm honey. Her eyes were the brightest sapphire blue I had ever seen. As I said before she was the most beautiful of us all, her face was soft, yet strong. Her eyes held no trace of intelligence, but they had long dark lashes, her lips were plump and a soft shade of pink. Her cheeks always seemed to have a rosy hue in then no matter the conditions. "Where are we headed to next?" Marigold whispered to Rayburn, who had a massive crush on her.  "Father says we are headed to the Kingdom of Zexpyro." I groaned inwardly, the kingdom of Zexpyro was ruled by a ruthless king named Orion, he was said to be built like a mountain and cruel as they come. I shivered at the thought of meeting a man like him. I noticed Marigold's face had paled considerably, her eyes were wide and a small gasp escaped Daisy.  Daisy was a small girl, she was barely above the size of a young boy, she was thin and her light brown hair clung to her hollowed cheeks. Her skin was a golden brown color and her eyes were a shining grey color, she was pretty but too thin and small for most men we met seeing as she still looked like a child. She began bleeding only a few months prior to her 14th year, she had only just turned 15 a few days ago.  "He really only sees us as livestock doesn't he?" Marigold whispered under her breath.  "One of us is going to be a dead woman soon." Lily mumbled as her eyes stared off into the distance.  "Perhaps he isn't as bad as people make him out to be." Dahlia said naively as she twisted her fingers in her hair.  "There are reasons people claim he is that bad, Dahl." Marigold growled in a hushed tone. Silence followed, the only sounds heard were those of the horses and the wagon wheels. The six of us jostled our way down the road swaying with each bump like a flower in the breeze. All I could do was hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It can’t get much worse than these men, or should I say vermin.