Zealak's [Reluctant] Note
I hate reading author's notes (and writing them) at the beginning of a story, but this one was necessary. Forget the story you once knew as A Rose and a Warrior, because I'm revamping it. The story is still roughly the same, but the writing, characters and plot development have hopefully changed for the better. The chapters may end up being really short, just because it'll be easier to update and for me to pick up where I left off, what with university and all. Sorry for this eyesore of a paragraph, but read on, I eagerly await your feedback!

A Rose and a Warrior

Chapter I

The fog was lifting. The sound of screams; the scent of blood and sweat was disappearing, leaving behind a dead calm, a silence. A light breeze tickled the maid's fur, something she had not noticed during... during...

During what? She felt her brows knit together in frustration, trying to grasp at anything that could explain how she used to be, if she had been anything to begin with. As her conscious mind began to take over, it seemed there were more and more questions formulating.

She could still feel a sharp pain in her skull, heard a sickening crack, and the memory of a loss of sensation, and then darkness. But what was after the darkness? Lifting her eyelids with some difficulty, the mousemaid found herself in a forest filled with green. Trees, grasses, and flowers bloomed everywhere, filtering the sunlight and casting the area in a perpetual shade.

"Like Noonvale..." she whispered, not quite understanding. There was no reason for her to use such a name, and yet it fit this place so perfectly, maybe reminded her of something... And quick as it had come, it was gone.

Lifting her head, she took the liberty of stretching her paws, which had been lying on a flat rock before her. One paw brushed a willow wisp above her, and she recoiled, fearing it would bring with it more unexplained thoughts. There was no doubt the forest was beautiful, but there was something eerie about its stillness, like it was baiting her with ideas, pulling them away, leaving her confused and alone.

'I should get out of here,' she concluded. Perhaps there was a place that would leave her in peace. Standing on shaky paws, the mousemaid began to pick her way through the lush, overgrown grass. Eventually the forest would have to end, right?

"And just where do you think you're going, Laterose of Noonvale?"

Turning to face the speaker, the mousemaid had to clutch her head in her paws, her mind whirling and her footpaws ready to give way. She closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her balance.

"Watch yourself, my dear. It takes time to get used to everything," the speaker placed gentle paws on her shoulders to support her. "A real shame." The last part was said quietly, as though the speaker did not wish to be heard.

Blinking to clear the stars from her vision, the mousemaid stared into the face of another mouse, whose eyes reflected wisdom beyond her youthful appearance. "Thank you," the mousemaid responded automatically, and stepped away. "I have to be going."

"Where to? You've got no clue where you are, probably don't even know who you are. But I do, and I must say I'm delighted to meet you, despite the circumstances," the other mouse smiled, but her eyes were sad.

"What do you know?" the mousemaid raised a brow, confused.

"Oh, I know a lot of things, but I don't know as much about you as I would like. Then again, there's plenty of time to get to know you, Laterose of Noonvale, or do you prefer Rose?"

"Erm... Rose?" the mousemaid stared back at her vacantly.

"Rose, yes. I always seem to forget that a sudden passing can mean the memories take some time to recall. Wasn't the same for me, I remember wishing for the day that I'd come here, watching myself waste away-" She halted and bit her lip, as though she had said too much.

"Pardon me?" the mousemaid frowned, pushing away the image of a deserted beach, the scent of blood and salt. Every word this mouse said seemed to crowd her head with the same strange thoughts.

"Truthfully, dear, you are in a different state of being. You are a form of who you once were, but your memories will take time to restore, and not all of your memories will be happy ones. And even the happy ones will be bittersweet without friends to share them. Welcome to Dark Forest."

Dark Forest. It was the place creatures were meant to go when they died. Where the old were supposed to find rest after a season of pain. She knew that much. But she was still young, what need did she have of Dark Forest?

"How can you prove that we're both..."

"Dead? Well, I've head things about you for a long time, when you were with another young mouse, Martin, son of Luke. I have been a mother and grandmother to both."

'Martin's grandmother?' the thought echoed through her mind. If this was indeed her, than the other mouse was Windred, and she was Rose. And they were both...

"How can a young mouselady like you be a grandmother?" Rose almost screamed, trying desperately to keep her thoughts from that ugly word.

Windred shrugged. "I was old when I died, a slave to Badrang and his horde. But upon entering Dark Forest, I have been renewed. I look like I did as a young mousemaid, but all my memories are with me, as yours soon will be."

Rose could feel a prickling sensation in her eyes, but there were no tears, just an emptiness. Memories flooded her mind unbidden. Grumm Trencher's cooking, Brome's mischievous smile, her parents... and Martin. They were all alive together, and she was alone, save for a mouselady with a flare for brutal honesty.

Windred sighed, and wrapped the unwilling mousemaid in a hug. "It will be a long time before you can see your memories as a blessing, my dear. Your life was too short, and it is never fair to see a young life taken so easily. That is why I came looking for you, to help you."

Rose could no longer hold back her sobs, and dropped her head on Windred's shoulder, finding a little comfort in the mouselady's kind gesture. But it could not change the fact that she was confused and far from anything she had ever known.

It would be a long time before she could feel happiness again.

xxxx

To be continued...

There's chapter one for you! Enjoy.