[Beauty and the Beast] Rose Castle

It is said that on the mountain range to the west of the village, there is a castle surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of rose fields. Whenever the sun rises, the castle will be reflected in a gorgeous rose color.

However, in such a fairytale castle, there lived a cold-blooded, cruel and capricious boa constrictor.

Some people say that this snake was once a noble and handsome prince; others say that he was an ancient evil god sealed by a witch.

Whether the legend is true or not, I must go to that castle.

—My father picked the roses there when he passed the castle, and when he got home he was ill.

I'm going to pray to that evil snake to spare his life.Whatever the cost.

******

Tightening the reins, I rolled over from the horse.The horse's hooves raised, kicking up gray-black dust.I quickly stroked the horse's cheek and coaxed it softly.It bowed its head and snorted a few times. Under my comfort, it gradually calmed down, but it refused to move forward no matter what.I had no choice but to tie the reins to the trunk beside me, and walked forward alone.

I have never seen such a strange scene: the soil is gray and black, the thorns are tall and dense, and colorful flowers bloom on the ground.The crow perched on a twisting dead branch, watching my movements with black eyes.I bit the bullet, brushed aside the thorns and branches, and held up the cumbersome skirt, trying to cross over.

However, the thorns here are too dense. In desperation, I had to take off the pannier and break it in half to make a simple walking stick. Then, I tore off the hem of the skirt to cover my head, face and arms, and took a deep breath , rushed forward.Strangely, when I closed my eyes, the journey was unexpectedly smooth, but when I looked back, I was covered by a thick white mist.

Forget it, this is an adventure with no return.Thinking of this, I gritted my teeth and moved on.

To my surprise, the legend was actually true.There is really an endless field of roses here, and they are all red roses with bright colors.The rich fragrance of flowers filled the air, making people dizzy.Realizing that the scent of flowers might have the effect of confusing the mind, I pulled down the cloth covering my head to cover my mouth and nose.

Walking forward, a magnificent and elegant castle appeared in front of me.It is impossible to describe the magnificence of this castle. The dome is so high that it points to the clouds, and the walls are covered with beautiful but weird rose vines.Two huge statues stood before the castle gates, the gilded knockers covered with a thick layer of dust.

This castle is beautiful, but too weird - can you imagine?Crimson roses clustered around the castle, but above the castle was a large cloud of dark clouds, and even pale lightning could be seen; obviously the sky over the flower field was still clear and cloudless.Now, I somewhat believe that this is a cursed land.

Still going forward?

Must go forward.Father's illness is imminent.

I closed my eyes, tried not to look at those weird black clouds, walked to the gate of the castle, and knocked on the knocker.

I thought it would take some effort to get in, but the door opened slowly by itself.

The deep red but dilapidated thick carpet is in the eyes, and one can still feel the luxurious and soft touch of the past when walking on it.Entering the interior of the castle, the space is so large that it is almost empty. One——yes, I never thought that one day, I would use "a" to describe an indoor staircase, but that staircase is indeed so magnificent that it can be called "a" .It spirals up to the top of the castle, at least tens of meters high.I looked up for a few seconds, feeling dizzy and weak.

The fireplace was burning and crackling.Someone here... or a snake?Or is it an unknown monster?For a moment, my scalp tensed up, thinking that I was about to see that evil snake, and the fear was that a gloomy cold climbed up my back.

At this moment, something tapped my shoulder.I took two steps back in fright, picked up the cane made of panniers, and swept it behind me.

A slender hand catches my cane.

It was a man in white all over. He was wearing a pure white woolen coat with silver buttons, white leather gloves, and a pair of tanned goatskin boots on his feet.Looking at the pure gold pocket watch on his vest, his status should not be low, he might be a manor owner, or a noble nobleman, but he must be a rich man anyway—what are rich people doing here?Did his father pick the roses here too?

My thoughts are in a mess.I thought I would run into a python, but saw a noble and handsome man.I lowered my head, my expression must have been extremely embarrassing.

The man smiled slightly: "Don't be so flustered, Miss. I am a human being, a real human being."

I tore off the fabric on my face, nodded, a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, are you not hurt?"

When he saw my face, he seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "No, I'm a royal guard, how could I be so easily injured."

I didn't know what to say, so I could only stand there stupidly.The royal family is too far away for me.

He didn't care about my rudeness, and continued: "What about you? You are a weak woman, what are you doing here? I must remind you that although the roses here are beautiful, they cannot be picked. They were all witched by that snake. If you take it off, you will be seriously ill."

"But...my father has already picked it." I whispered.

He frowned: "That's really unfortunate."

"Is there any way to save him?"

"With all due respect, sweet little girl." He smiled pityingly, but his tone became a little cold. "Whoever picks the rose, whether male or female, old or young, will die. You can't expect That inhuman snake, go save your father. Listen to me and go home. The only thing you can do now is prepare your father for his funeral. It sounds cruel, but this is your child , the only thing that can be done.”

"...Is this the only way? There is no other way?"

His expression became impatient: "I said it, that snake doesn't understand human nature. Hurry up and go home, don't let me say it a second time."

At this moment, he exuded a cold and powerful aura, making it hard to breathe.I didn't dare to refute his words, and I didn't dare to look him in the eyes, so I lowered my head and said obediently, "...OK."

Seeing me submitting, his tone returned to gentleness and politeness: "Sorry, the tone just now was a bit harsh, but my intention is good. You must know that not only your father picked the roses here, but also your father was not the only one who plucked the roses. Seriously ill. We tried everything we could, but nothing worked, and we were mocked by that snake. I really can't bear to see you go back to the old way, so I can't help but speak a bit harshly. Please forgive me. "

I whispered, "It's okay, I understand."

"It's good to understand. It's getting late now, let's go back quickly." He gestured to drive away the guests, as if he was the owner of the castle, "By the way, I haven't asked your name yet—you look taller than The roses here are even more beautiful, and the name must be beautiful too."

"Rosalind."

"Rosalind... Rosalind, the roses in full bloom are so beautiful." He narrowed his eyes and murmured, "I'll go find you after I kill this snake. Please come see me when the time comes."

It stands to reason that I should blush, but now I'm really not in the mood to deal with his flirting: "Thank you, I'll go first."

I bowed my head and walked out of the castle.After I came out, I realized that he didn't seem to tell me my name.

Forget it, it's just a passer-by who just met by chance, do you really think that something will happen between you and the royal family?I shook my head, shaking off those meaningless thoughts.The grief of losing my father filled my chest and made my steps heavy.After walking a few steps, I was really unwilling to leave like this. I have come all the time, and I have never tried it. How can I be sure that the boa constrictor is really inhuman?

I gritted my teeth and walked towards the castle again.Only this time, the main entrance was bypassed.

After searching around the castle for a long time, I finally found a narrow secret door.I squatted on the ground, trying to push away with all my strength, but as soon as I tried, there was a sharp stabbing sound, which made me stop quickly, and stood up stiffly against the wall, with cold sweat streaming down in big drops, for fear of the man in the main hall. Come over and see that I haven't left yet.

Fortunately, the sound insulation of this castle is much better than I imagined.He should not have heard.After waiting for a while, I squatted down again and continued to struggle with the secret door.

This time I learned how to behave, and pulled it out little by little, so that it would only make a very slight sound, but the efficiency was too slow.

After half an hour passed, the secret door was finally opened by me.I put one leg in carefully, and only after I hit the floor did I put both legs in.

After entering, a strong rust smell filled my nostrils.I don't know if it's real rust or the smell of blood.I wanted to hold on to the wall, but when I touched the dense insect shells, I almost screamed.

In the end, the desire to save my father overwhelmed the fear of insects.With tears of fear in my eyes, I wrapped my hands in the hem of my skirt, leaned on the wall, and walked forward slowly.

I don’t know how long it has passed—just when I was about to be driven crazy by these beetles, I finally saw some sporadic bright spots, and walked quickly, but saw a blood-stained cage.

where is thisA castle dungeon?

I held my breath, and just wanted to go over to find out, but a voice rang out, which instantly made my blood freeze: "Brother, haven't you figured it out yet? Do you really think that there will be a beautiful woman who will fall in love with you and break the witch's curse? Turn you back into the high-spirited heir to the throne?"

——It was the man in white all over.He leaned against the stone wall with a sneering expression: "If I were you, I would have killed myself a long time ago, but you have survived until now. It seems that your obsession with the throne is really not small. "

No one answered him.

Just when I thought he was a lunatic talking into the air, a pair of golden pupils lit up in the darkness. They were two cold and bright golden fires, illuminating the armor-like hard scales around them.Then, a cold, deep, hoarse voice sounded:

"Get out of my place, Ulysses."

It seems the legend is true.

That snake really existed... and he was indeed a noble prince.

The author has something to say: medium and short stories, quick decision =w=