Thorns by liahime
One Rose Red:
Disclaimer that states liahime does not own Digimon is here. Only a wise person who is fit for their job is able to see it. Can you see it:
After the good fairy had left, years ago, the King had ordered the beloved roses of the kingdom burned. Briar rose, tea rose, the tiniest bud- all were burned to ashes. And so the kingdom grew for seven years, barren of roses. Though the subjects of the King wished to have their roses back- for even the poorest can have a rose to call their own- they knew it was the best. And so-
The little princess had never before seen a rose.
"No." The seven year old princess glared at the other girl.
Her mother swooped in to apologize. "I'm sorry, our little princess has been having a tiring day- I'm sure she wants to play with a charming girl like you, Priscilla dear." She smiled at the tearful girl.
"I don't. She's stupid."
Her mother gave up and went off to deal with something else.
Suddenly, the tearful girl pushed the glaring girl. "You are a brat, you know that?"
Off balance, the girl was about to fall, when an unseen force pushed her gracefully back up. The princess glared at the other, her pale skin only intensifying the glare. "And if I am?"
"Your daddy doesn't care about you at all. He hates you. That's why he never talks to you, you know that? My mommy says that you are just a burden on the kingdom. All that fairy magic wasted. A waste that EVERYONE hates." She sniffed snottily. "My father says I am a little bundle of joy from heaven. I don't need fairy gifts to be cute."
The flame haired princess jumped on the snotty one, punching her in the nose. "My father loves me, Priscilla. And you know what? You're a snotty little stuck up brat that colors outside of the lines!" She punched her one more time. "And I am right."
"Get off of me!"
The princess just punched her one more time. "So take it back."
Blood streamed from the snotty princess's nose. She started to cry. "NO!"
A strong pair of arms in blue velvetseparated them. The little princesses reacted differently. One cried. One glared up at the owner of the arms. Two sea blue eyes grinned back at the glaring princess. "My princess wild cat. Don't scratch more than you can handle."
"I was handling it perfectly before you came, boy."
"Whatever, wild cat."
The seven year old stomped on his foot. "I'm NOT wildcat, hero-boy."
"Then who are you?"
The girl glared at him. He grinned back.
"What's it to you?"
"I'm Ryo Akiyama. I'm from the kingdom over there. Where Priscilla is from." He pointed west. "What's your name?"
"Rika. Rika Nonaka. And I was handling it."
"Of course."
"How old are you anyway? I'm already seven.Because I can handle my own business. I don't need the average pageboy who's trying to be a hero to help me. "
Priscilla decided that this was a really good time to leave.
"Wait. You're the princess Nonaka? The one with all the fairy gifts and all?"
"So?" Her eyes hardened again, ready to punch him in the nose too.
He bowed. "Nothing, my lady. I'm just the average pageboy who's being a hero."
There was silence.
He looked up from mid-bow. "You're not like other princesses, are you?"
And for the first time he had seen her, the girl grinned. "Nope."
There was shouting outside. "RYO!" His head turned, and then whipped back in place. He whispered to Rika. "I'm not supposed to be here... Help me hide, please? Quick?"
Rika hesitated, but the urgency in his voice made her rush and stuff him behind a huge potted plant. She stood in front of it innocently as a tall man ran into the room. "RYO!" A digimon ran behind him, trying to calm him down.
"WHERE IS HE?"
"Sir, sir, I'm sure he's just off playing somewhere. He's so young, don't get angry."
They ran out of the room, and into the hall, the man still shouting.
Rika pulled the page out from behind the plant. "Explain yourself." She sat down on the floor, arms crossed. "If you're hiding from work, you should go back now. The kingdom and the king don't harbor criminals."
He grinned. "It's not work I have to do... it's something worse."
"Every person has their duty, and they need to fill it."
"Are you always this way? You sound like a grown up."
Rika lifted her chin proudly. "My daddy is the king, and he's devoted his life to serving justice." Her gaze dropped. "So he's always really busy...defending the kingdom, so that we can have a better life." She mumbled something. "But he never lives it..."
Another awkward silence, both not looking at each other.
Ryo stood up and pulled her up too. "You're right. I should go."
She brushed the dust off her dress. "You actually agree with me?"
"Yep!"
She looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"
"No... But it makes sense, sorta..." With little kid randomness, he rolled up his sleeves. "Hey, wanna see a magic trick?"
"Magic? I thought that was impossible now. You're lying. Liar, liar! Pants on fire!"
"Am not! It's all over my kingdom. You don't know about it?"
"Hmph."
He sighed. "OK, then. Here goes." He concentrated, his forehead wrinkling in concentration. "Three...two...one.." A small puff of smoke came from his hands and suddenly, he was holding a small scarlet rose.
"I told you I could do it! See?" He waved the rose in the air.
Rika stared at his hands. "So even a page can do magic in your kingdom?"
"Well...um.. I'm not exactly a page..."
"Oh, you're a.. wizard's son? I read about them in books!"
"Um..uh... Here! Have this!" He held the rose out to her.
"What is it?" Rika held the rose carefully, avoiding the thorns. She was fascinated, but her seven year old pride wouldn't let her show it. "It's pretty... but I've never seen it before. Is it fake?"
"You don't know?" Now Ryo was amazed. "It's a rose. They're really common."
"I've seen them carved on the doors and stuff, but I thought it was just a random thing... Papa- my father said that there was no such thing."
"You've never seen ONE?"
"NO."
"That's so STRANGE!"
Rumiko rushed in to prevent another fight. "So, Rika darling! Have you made a charming new friend?" She smiled at the little boy. "Very handsome, isn't he? Dear, it's time for that new surprise we were talking about." She pulled Rika away, bubbling about a new dress that was just divine, darling. Rika looked back, the rose still in her hand. She waved at him with her free hand, and shouted back.
"NO IT'S NOT!"
Rika was standing, her back to the wall. She didn't really want her mother to see the magical flower. She inched away from her mother, who was talking to the Royal Dressmaker about something white. And lacy. Turning the corner, she ran up to her room, past the guards and the knights standing around in the hallway. Shoving past the servants that had just gotten the portrait of the king to hang just right on its hook.
There was a loud, very unprincess-like slam from the tower bedroom.
The portrait fell to the ground.
Renamon, one of the palace's guardian Digimon, slipped out of the shadows. "Was that really neccessary, Rika?"
Rika was looking at the rose in her hand. "Yes."
Renamon sighed. "Then next time, please punch the girl when no one is watching you. Princess Priscilla was dripping blood onto the carpets, and it left a stain on the royal carpet."
Rika nodded. "OK... Renamon? Do these things actually exist in the real world?"
Renamon glanced at the red flower. "Yes."
"Then it must not be so bad, right?"
"Yes."
"But then..." Rika looked a bit confused. "Why is Daddy gone so much fighting?" Her eyes were hurt as she ran her finger along the stem of the rose. "Why?"
The door burst open. In burst the queen. And she was carrying that thing that was white and lacy.
"Rika darling, guess what? It's beautiful! Beautiful! It's perfect for you."
Rika looked at the thing. "Is it a tablecloth?"
"Of course not, dear. Try it on."
"Why would I wear something that looks like a tablecloth?"
"For heaven's sake darling, it's a dress. A designer dress."
"NO."
"Yes, darling."
"NO."
"Dear, you can either go to the ball in this beautiful dress or nothing."
Several moments later, a frustrated queen rushed off from the room, to consult the special forces of the palace..
Behind her, the portrait fell on the ground once more.
The special forces committee was not a force to be trifled lightly with. Consisting of one individual alone, it was the secret to the palace's perfect peace. The reason the kingdom had gotten so good at diplomacy. The queen's way to tip the scale in her favor. The perfect secret weapon.
And at this moment, the perfect secret weapon was sitting in her chambers, sipping hot tea and reflecting on the view from her window. Light streamed down onto her gray hair, and filled the room with golden panels of sun.
Rumiko rushed in, disturbing the perfect balance of the moment, coming in through the west door. "MOTHER!"
Another door slammed open, making the tea jump in the cup. "GRANDMA!"
They both looked at each other and then started to talk as fast as they could, spilling their side of the story to her.
"SHE WANTS ME TO WEAR A TABLECLOTH!"
"YOUR GRANDCHILD WON'T WEAR THE DRESS! AND SHE'S BEING COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE ABOUT IT-"
"TABLECLOTHS ARE FOR TABLES!"
"It's SO BEAUTIFUL! BUT WILL SHE WEAR IT?"
"TABLES TABLES TABLES THAT WEAR DRESSES WEAR THOSE THINGS!"
"CONVINCE HER!" Rumiko screamed over her daughter.
"TELL HER ONLY SNOBS LIKE PRISCILLA WEAR THOSE THINGS." Rika glared at the dress.
The older woman stood up, setting her teacup down with a hard clack.
"Enough."
They fell silent. She frowned at both of them. "I have decided what we will do. Rika, you will wear a dress of your mother's choice."
Rumiko smiled triumphantly.
"But you will pick three dresses for her to pick from."
Both sniffed, tilting their head to the same angle. "Fine." They turned around and walked out of the room, arguing again... But that was normal.
Another day in work of the secret forces of the palace. Seiko sat down and sipped her tea.
AUTHORESS NOTE:
darling wonderful people! > this is not going as smoothly as I hoped... but who cares! it will get better, I promise. But I really really REALLY wanted to write Rika as a seven year old to try it out...I made her sound like my cuz who was in my room while I was typing...hope this is better than the first chap... IT WILL GET BETTER! PROMISE! ( i hope..) and if Rumiko's dear mother is not Seiko, I'm sorry... I know it started with S... but I wasn't completely sure.
thank you dear reviewers:
lady-snow: glad you like this... hope you had a great b-day
GTKari-123: hehe.. thanks for reading!
Crystal Luna Starr: Good idea.. I think I'll use it.. but it might turn out weird after it goes through my brain...
Dolce Saito: nope not finished yet... please read more and review!
and to my dear friend kau-sama, my evil editor who tries to edit, but I won't let her (ever!) : hahaha.. i'm posting this but you will never see a RD at all! buahahaha..
liahime is obsessed with getting reviews, so please do read and review it all! thank you thank you thank you everyone. If this chapter is weird-ish, it's cuz I wrote it all under the influence of Tylenol and was hyper-tired and very strange...but...thank you for reading!