A PURPLE ROSE?
"My princess, a little girl is after us!" The second guard called out to the princess.
Princess Gabriella averted her gaze and caught the sight of the little girl from a distance, lying on the floor and having a rose in her hand.
Without wasting any much time, she turned her horse and headed back to the girl.
Getting to the place, she dismounted from her horse. Immediately she reached for the hands of the little girl whose gown had sprawled on the floor and having her eyes eagerly looking at her as she approached. Gently, she helped her stand as she saw her mother run towards them.
"Hey, are you okay?" Gabriella dusted the dirt on the little angel's gown which sent a smile to her face as she replied,
"Yes, my princess. It's just a little fall. I'm happy you finally heard my call." The purple rose still clung to her fingers.
"Do you remember me, my princess?" The little girl Gabriella came to know her name as Anna, asked.
Gabriella peered at Anna for a while before she shook her head disapprovingly and said, "Pardon me if I can't remember you."
A slight frown clicked on the girl's brow.
"My princess, it's the girl you healed with the herb at Huston town, the one with convulsing sickness."
"I have healed so many with herbs, and I can't remember most of them, why does she persist that I need to remember her?" Gabriella stood and whispered to the guard in other not to make the girl sad.
As she waited for the guard to answer the question which she knew fully well he had no answer to it, she saw the girl wipe her eyes and stretch her hands towards her.
"I only wanted to give this to you, to thank you for what you did for me."
A purple rose?
Of all the people she healed and remembered she had healed, this little princess coming back to thank her through thins and thorns caught her heart the most. Said as thins and thorns because running after a horse was not an easy task to accomplish.
But she was taken aback by the girl's ability to keep up with such strength. She ignored the thought and reached out to grab the girls' rose.
"Anna come here you naughty child." The woman who had been chasing after Anna finally reached the spot.
"My princess, please forgive this little one... I'm sorry she disturbed your journey. I beg on her behalf, please don't punish her, she's the only child I have." The woman knelt immediately, in front of the princess.
Gabriella took the girl into her arms and said to her mother, "Don't worry. Her actions are not punishable. Your daughter's actions and perseverance greatly amazed me. This girl is the bravest child I've ever seen in this kingdom." She tapped the girl playfully on her cheeks which made her giggle.
The princess's guards, who had dismounted from their horses and stood behind her, smiled.
"Thank you so much, my princess." Anna's mother bowed, as low that her head touched the floor in her kneeling position.
Gabriella put the girl down. "Get me the gold pendant in that bag." She ordered one of the guards.
"Yes, my princess." The guard took a pendant from the bag tied to the horse's back.
The princess took the gold from him, clipping the necklace on Anna's neck, she said. "This is a mark of friendship from Princess Gabriella. Keep it as I too will keep this purple rose, that's the mark that shows I will always remember you and never forget you again." Gabriella kissed the girl on her forehead which left tears to flow not only on the eyes of the girl but on her mother.
"Thank you, my princess! Thank you so much, my princess." The girl's mother thanked the princess as she watched her stand and wave goodbye to them.
Gabriella mounted on her horse, ready to leave again, however, the wretched second daughter of King Tristan and her chariot stood, blocking her way.
"Bravo! Gabriella. I can see you're trying to please the people again." Came the voice of Vanessa the second princess of Horndragon.
Vanessa disembarked from her chariot and walked towards Gabriella who had also gone down from her horse, returning the glare to Vanessa as hot as she had given it to her.
"It will be best you get out of my way. I have no time to listen to your—"
"Same here Gabriella. I only have to leave one important message to you before I continue my journey. I'm going to the priest to get my blessings in wait for the masquerade ball when I can fully become the crown princess."
"Vanessa, I can see your greed has blinded your eyes to the point that you no longer know what's right. The blessings from the priest should not be done personally,"
"Yes, I know, I know. But that's not my problem." Vanessa sang and scoffed. "I also have to remind you that no matter how you please these people, it can never make you the crown princess of Horndragon."
"You're such a loser! Hahaha!" Vanessa exclaimed triumphantly.
Gabriella could only clench her hands by her side and watch Vanessa disappear with her chariot into the busy town.
"My princess, what Princess Vanessa is about to do is very dangerous. It might have great consequences on all of us." One of the guards, Liam, stated.
"Anyway, we shouldn't worry, whatever the princess does she will fall victim to it. It is fortunate we had planned ahead of her, right my princess?" Liam nodded thoughtfully at his words and looked at Princess Gabriella.
"Yes, you're right. But we have no time to discuss that here, let's proceed with our journey."
"Yes, my princess." Liam bowed and focused on the road.
Noah the other guard remained silent, a malicious smile appeared on his face which the princess failed to notice.
"Hah!"
Clip clop!
The voice of the princess and the scuttles of the horses rose again.