Minnie watched as Rosella spun around the room, humming to herself as she got ready to go out for the day. The little mouse smiled in delight and finally asked "So I'm guessing it went well yesterday." She giggled
Rosella sighed "It was pretty wonderful." She continued to hum to herself as Minnie quirked an eyebrow "You have a pretty voice Rosella."
She blushed "Oh.. thankyou. I never really sung our loud.. in front of a real audience before." Minnie brightened up "Say, Mickey is holding auditions for new acts in the club! You should sing!"
The girl nervously sat down "Oh no thank you.. I don't think I could."
Minnie shrugged her shoulders "I understand." She noticed Rosella paking her bag "Where are you off too?"
She nervously stiffened. She thought to herself If anyone figured what I was doing… she'd think I'm crazy.. she didn't know what to say "I-I'm going to.." she fiddled with her fingers "Go for a walk."
"With books and notepads?" she asked, looking at Rosella's backpack. Rosella looked at the brown backpack, filled with different papers and books Merlin had given her.. or at least showed up at her bedside this morning. Rosella nervously smiled "Belle gave me these books, I was going to return them after my walk."
"OH how nice!" Minnie headed to the stairs "I think I'll take a nap while you go out.."
Rosella smiled "Get some rest! See you in a few hours!" she watched Minnie walk up the steps and took a breath to herself. She walked out the door and headed to Merlin's, taking the path she usually took. Rosella felt a tingling sensation coming from her spine, she sensed correct: someone was following her. She turned and met a pair of bright haunting yellow eyes in the dark forest. Her first instinct was to run, the usual trail became a fearsome trek through broken branches and trees. She tripped and saw the being was now gone off her trail. The forest was completely silent. She sighed and noticed she had made it to the cottage. There was a sign on the door that Rosella ripped off:
Rosella, meet at the small pond at the east side of the cottage.
She quirked an eyebrow and muttered to herself "Pond? What is he thinking?"
Rosella huffed and held her bag close, walking past the house and through the marsh. She took in the lake, a large beautiful pond with an abandoned castle beside it. The tallest tower was in ruins, but was covered in vines and small flowers the shades of purple and blue. "It's so beautiful.." She said to herself.
"Good of the young lady to show up!"
Rosella quickly turned around and saw Archidemes fluffing his wings and resting on a branch. He huffed as usual "I told you Merlin she'd take too long.. And look at those cheeks, still red from last night with that boy I see!"
Merlin waved his cane at the bird "Now, Now Archimedes! I'll handle this!" he pointed to the girl "Rosella.. You know better than to flounder with some.. boy, I am disappointed to hear such atrocities!"
Rosella huffed to herself "But Merlin-"
"No butts! Now child, your parents would not like to hear about you not taking your studies so seriously." Merlin crossed his arms and cleared his throat "Now about our lesson." He motioned her to the pond "There could be more than just a boy.. don't you ever think of that?"
She slowly grinned "Yeah.. I'd give anything to ride on a steed, to fight dragons, and go on adventures to great places, sword fights!" she laughed and held her arm in the air.
"Well aren't you?"
She laughed "No.. I'm just an ordinary girl, well I do have some powers but.." she stopped herself "Who am I kidding, it's impossible."
he looked into the pond "So is swimming like a fish.. did you know I could swim AS a fish?" he smiled.
"You can turn yourself into a fish?" her green eyes widened.
Merlin laughed "Well we are a family of wizards, and I think I can do it-"
Rosella backed away from the pond "Oh I'm not very sure I want to do this.."
He snickered "Oh I understand, wart was very nervous when I- Pinnulas Piscium!" he shouted and pointed his stick to Rosella, quickly turning her into a small little yellow fish! She flopped around on the grass "What did you to me! I'm a fish! Turn me back! NOW!"
Merlin attempted to grab the small fish as she was flopping on the floor "Now Now my dear, don't panic! I'll turn you back as soon as your lesson is over!" he grabbed her and set her in the water "Now stay in the tules and I'll be there in just a minute." He waved his wand over himself and turned into a slightly larger fish, he landed in the water and swam towards Rosella "Alright now, stop fidgeting.. your back fin acts like a motor."
Rosella thought for a second and started using her back fin, she smiled and bumped into Merlin knocking off his glasses "Goh! It's alright, you're excitable! Every flick of a fin creates movement. So, first we'll start with a caudal fin." Rosella hesitated and attempted to get her back to work, but only got her front ones going. As she was flipped upside down, she noticed a small green frog following her movements.
"No, no, Girl Your tail. Tail. Now, now, that gives you the forward thrust now." They began to swim in a neat steady rhythm "Come on. Let's get a rhythm. Right, left. Right, left. One, two!" Merlin began to smile.
"Left and right!
Like day and night
That's what makes
the world go 'round
In and out
Thin and stout
That's what makes
the world go 'round
For every up
there is a down
For every square-"
Rosella grinned as she swam along "There is a round!"
"Yes!
Merlin continued "For every high-"
Rosella finished "There is a low."
"And for every to...
There is a..." Merlin waited for her to finish
"Fro."
"Yes, fro.
To and fro, stop and go
That's what makes
the world go 'round
In and out
Thin and stout-"
While he was singing along, Rosella saw a water bug sitting on the top of the water, Rosella quickly nabbed the bug and swallowed it, immediately regretting her decision "Merlin! Merlin!" she shouted.
"What!" he said
She stuck out her tongue "I just swallowed a bug!"
"Oh. What's wrong with that? After all, my dear girl, you are a fish. Instinct, you know. But the main thing is you must..." they continued to swim:
"Set your sights
upon the heights
Don't be a mediocrity
She quirked her eyebrow "Mediocrity?"
He smiled "That's right.
Don't just wait
and trust to fate
And say that's how
it's meant to be
It's up to you
how far you go
If you don't try
you'll never know
And so, my dear
as I've explained
Nothing ventured
nothing gained!"
They swam through a tall amount of grass and started to giggle. Merlin laughed as they reached the end of the path "Let's, let's swim through that tall grass again. It tickles." They continued to laugh "It tickles!" Rosella said with a grin. They burst out of the grass and bumped into a large and confused bass that stared at them with interest. Merlin laughed "Oh. Oh, I beg your pardon."
Rosella smiled along "Me too."
She started to swim on her own "For every to there is a fro
For every stop
there is a go
And that's what makes
the world go 'round!" she finished and noticed she was going idle. Looking behind her she saw the same frog clinging to her tail. In annoyance she shouted "Oh, let go, let go, let go!" the green from let go and she huffed Oh, you big, bug-eyed bully, you!
Merlin turned around "Who, me?"
He saw her frustration "Oh, here, here, here, here, here, now, girl. There's no sense in goingaround insulting bullfrogs. A fish has plenty of other problems without that. The water world has its forests and its jungles too. So it has its tigers and its wolves. And that, eh, ah..."
"That's what makes
the world go 'round
You see, my girl
it's nature's way
Upon the weak
the strong ones prey!"
As he was turning again, a large barracuda was making its way towards Rosella, sharp teeth barred ready to kill its prey. Rosella gasped and attempted to out swim it!
Merlin smiled, oblivious to what is happening behind him "In human life
it's also true
The strong will try
to conquer you
And that is what
you must expect
Unless you use
your intellect
Brains and brawn
Weak and strong-"
Rosella shouted "Help, Merlin! Help! Help!"
Merlin turned his eyes going wide "Jehoshaphat! Oh!" the large fish swam past him and pushed him away. Rosella pleaded "Quick, Merlin, the magic!
Merlin hid in a helmet of armor, underneath the small pond. He said "No, no. You're on your own, girl! Now's your chance to prove the point of my lesson!"
She was going out of breath "Wha-What point?!"
Merlin smiled within his cage "He's the brawn and you're the 's inevitable how most great battles result too!" He saw her panicked look "Oh, now, don't, don't, don't panic! You use your head. Outsmart the big brute!" Rosella quickly turned, right as the large fish crashed into a rock and hit his head. Merlin jumped up "Smart move, girl! That's using the old noggin!"
She hid behind the helmet to no avail, being caught by the fish's eye again "Is the lesson about over?"
Merlin smiled "Did you get the point?"
Rosella huffed in panic and gasped "Yes, yes, brain over brawn."
Merlin continued to smile "Okay, dear, I'll fix the big brute. Higgeldy piggeldy...No, no. Hocus pocus...Now, what in blaze... Eh..." he quirked an eyebrow, thinking slowly.
Rosella gasped "Merlin!" she began to swim away.
"Now what? Oh, it's-"
Rosella hopped out of the water and shouted "Archimedes!"
The owl woke up "Wh-Wh-What in b-blazes!
Rosella jumped out of the water again "Help! Help! Help!" Archimedes saw the fish attacking her quickly dove down and grabbed the girl, setting her on the grass to flop. Merlin burst out of the water, taking off the helmet "What in thunder is a monster like that doing in the moat? By George, l-l-l... I'll, I'll... I'll turn him into a minnow."
"Merlin!" Rosella gasped for air. Merlin waved his wand in the air "Oh! Oh, there you are. Snick snack snorum!" Rosella turned back into her human form and started to breathe comfortably. Merlin leaned on a tree, draining his beard of water "How in the world did you ever get out of that mess?"
Rosella sat up "That, that big fish almost swallowed me and, and Archimedes, he, he saved me." She said with a sense of gratefulness
Archimedes closed his eyes "I did nothing of the sort I intended to eat her. Young perch is my favorite dish. You know that!"
Rosella turned to the owl and rubbed his head "Thank you Archimedes.. maybe you're not such a bird brain after all."
"Bird brain?! Bird brain?!" his feathers ruffled.
Merlin brushed off his sleeves "Now, now, I think that is enough excitement for one day, This didn't work well with Wart either.." he muttered underneath his breath "You are free to go girl.."
"Thank you! Have a good day-"
Merlin stopped her "Rosella, please attend to your priorities."
She slowly walked off, he motioned to the owl lying underneath the trees shade "Archimedes please keep an eye on her.. and that.. boy for that matter."
"I am not a babysitter!" he started to fly off.
Merlin started to walk off towards the cottage "You've been watching over them since they were little ones! I think you can handle a little romantic interest."
REVIEW AND FOLLOW! I'm sorry i've been taking so long.. school is almost over my friends!