There was once a couple that after many years of trying, had a child. This child was weak and sickly, but it brought great joy to the couple. Unfortunately, the child passed away a month after its birth. The couple was deeply distraught by this sudden turn of events and decided to live in isolation; a cabin in a meadow being the only place where they could find peace. Years passed and the couple grew old, as did the woods around them.
One day, the old woman noticed that a new type of bush had appeared in the meadow. It was a gift from the goddess Hera, whom –being the goddess of childbirth-had taking pity on the old couple for the tragedy that they suffered years before. Flowers soon appeared on the bush, each a different color. Right before the old woman's eyes, the flowers gave way to seven young girls. Each girl represented the color of the flower that they grew from in some way. Sometimes it was the color of their eyes, in others, it was in the color of their hair.
The little girls brightened up the older couple's life. Every day was a different experience, another happy memory. Ten years passed and the girls grew into beautiful young women. Rumors of their beauty spread across the land, seas and eventually the heavens.
Of course this didn't escape the king of the gods, Zeus's, ears.
Zeus had his eyes set on the young woman with startling blue eyes –the blue rose, Azoria. It was well known that she was the most beautiful among her sisters; however, no man, mortal or immortal had succeeded at courting her or bedding her.
Zeus wanted to change this. He wanted to be the one that captured the seemingly unattainable young woman.
One day, Azoria was taking a walk around the meadow when she saw a bright blue orb. The orb swayed side to side, as if it was teasing her, before disappearing into the forest. Azoria followed it, running through the woods to keep up. The orb stopped above a stream, and Azoria stopped at the bank, reaching for it…
She would have fallen in if it wasn't for the strong arms that wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. The orb disappeared as the young man jerked Azoria back and she huffed in annoyance, pushing the man away.
"Look what you did! Now it's gone…" She sighed and looked at the dashing young man. "Why are you even here? This is my parents' property."
"I came to see you, my fair maiden. I wanted to see if you were as beautiful as they say…and now I can see that your beauty is no match for any other, mortal or immortal." The man gently lifted her hand and attempted to kiss it, when Azoria yanked her hand away.
"If you think flattery will get you places, then you are wrong. You're going to get me in trouble with Aphrodite if you keep saying those silly things." She turned slightly. "Now if you would excuse me…" She started to walk back towards the cottage.
Zeus was slightly annoyed by this motion, wondering why his usual charms and good looks were not working on her. He quickly followed Azoria.
"But young maiden, what I say is true. Not even Aphrodite can match your-"Azoria turned and slapped him.
"Are you crazy?! Saying things like that will surely get me punished by the goddess herself!"
Zeus stood there shocked for a second; a murderous rage suddenly grew on his face like a dark storm cloud rolling over a midsummer's night.
"Do you know what you just did, foolish girl?!" He roared, shedding his mortal guise and revealing his splendid true form. Upon seeing this, Azoria bowed, shaking with fear.
"L-Lord Z-Zeus, I am terribly sorry for-"
"SILENCE!" He thundered; Azoria complied. "Nothing can atone for what you did except…." He licked his lips. "Pay me back with your body."
"….Never." She glared up at him from her bow, fear no longer clouding her mind, only pure anger existed there.
"Foolish girl!" Zeus grabbed a large fistful of Azoria's hair and yanked her up, causing her to cry out in pain. "I gave you a chance at redemption…and you threw it away. Now you will have to pay for your crime." He dragged her out of the forest and into the meadow, Azoria kicked and screamed the whole way.
Now ten years have passed since the Azoria and her sisters came to be. The rose bushes have spread across the meadow at this point, each girl having 10 bushes of their respective color.
Zeus walked to the center of the meadow, where the original rose bush stood in its glory. He tossed Azoria to the ground, who shot him a spiteful glance. He smirked when he saw her expression and sauntered over to the original rose bush…plucking the blue rose off of the bush.
Azoria's body contorted in pain and as Zeus crushed the delicate rose in his hand, her eyes rolled back into her head and a scream spilled from her lips.
...
As Zeus released the crushed rose from his hand, Azoria's lifeless body fell to the ground and all of the blue roses in the meadow wilted and fell off of their bushes.
Since that day, blue roses have been non-existent.
Where am I? Definitely not hell. It's too…cold here.
My eyes flutter open at the sound of a heavy door opening and closing. A bright light fills the room. I automatically clench my eyes shut, throwing my arms over my eyes and flinching away from the light.
Wait, arms? I haven't had arms in ages…
I slowly open my eyes. Some form of bright light in a tube is above me.
It hurts.
Sitting up, I could see that my body is covered in a white gown of some sort and that I'm lying on a shiny, silver table. Strange things making beeping noises surround me and metal instruments lie on another table besides me. A tube is stuck in my arm and circular disks with thin string attached are above my heart.
Where am I?
This isn't the hell that I'm used to seeing…and it's certainly not heaven.
Could it be…?
No, that's not it.
A door opens and strange, foreign voices fill the room, speaking in languages that I've never heard of. My panic level spikes and I rip the tube out of my arm, along with the strange circles and wires that are connected to my skin.
Then I see it.
A single blue rose, on a bush in some kind of strange see-through box.
I'm alive?
I hope that you enjoyed it :) -May