Sometimes I look at the situation I had landed us in and think to myself, "This is one heck of a mishap." Then again, I should probably mention how the Princess of Wisteria and I were entangled in the exact vines that had given the Kingdom its name. To this day I still remember walking down the overgrown dirt path during August. The sickly sweet scent of dying flowers, an aroma that will be forever stained in my brain. I can still feel the weight of the book and paints that were in the small bag I held in my hands. However you don't know the entire story yet or how everything came to be and to be truthfully honest neither do I. So let me start from the beginning. This is the story of how Vintage clothing and a beaten down path in the middle of the woods transported me to another reality.
~
It was August fifteenth. I remember the date so easily since I had brought my journal as a way to paint the vast array of flowers, though it also proved to be reliable as a way to keep track of time. My Mary Janes tossed up dust as I walked along the path. Not many people came along here, which was evident in the weeds that were starting to sprout in the dirt. Trees overhead flourished, light peaking out between the green leaves. Green was my favorite color, as seen on my dress. It was a pale green and white plain with a satin ribbon across my midsection. Puffy sleeves adorned both of my arms while frilly socks embellished my ankles.
A monarch butterfly flew in front of me, landing on a nearby flower. I stood there, gaze focused on the insect. The atmosphere was quiet except for the trickling of the stream nearby and the buzzing of bees. The air was quite humid as the sun blared down from the clear blue sky, the only place somewhat free of its glare was under the trees. It appeared to be a nice day that would last awhile. The butterfly fluttered its wings before taking off into the sky. My eyes followed it for a few seconds before I continued my pace.
It had been nearly thirty minutes of walking and an overwhelming sense of lightheadedness overcame me. A painful ache began behind to throb behind my eyes. I stumbled over to where a bench should have been yet it wasn't there. Not thinking much of it, I sat on the rock. I took a few deep breaths and began to shiver. My teeth chattered as I sat there. A gust of wind nearly knocked me over and I looked up at the trees. The leaves were gone and above the bare branches was a brewing storm. I anxiously stood up and gripped my bag. There was a small abandoned cottage nearby that I often visited when the summer heat became to much for me. As I briskly walked in it's direction a heavy rain began to fall. Soon I broke out into a sprint, the rain making it difficult to see. Hard particles began pounding on my head. It had started hailing.
Through the thick rain I spotted the distorted cottage. I used the last ounce of energy contained in my small body as I bursted underneath the overhanging roof. Muttering curses under my breath, I pushed open the door. It opened harshly with a large cracking noise. I observed my surroundings. Nearly everything was covered in dust. There were a few foot prints imprinted in the grime on the floor and the futon in the corner seemed to be used. Occasionally the homeless people that could find this place would stay there. It was evident in the food remains and wrappers that could be seen littering the floor.
A small mouse scurried across the wooden planted floor, making imprints in the dirt. I watched as it snatched up a bit of the food and rushed away to it's nearby home. A slight shudder ran down my spine. I pulled my phone out of my bag to call my mom yet it soon became clear there was no service. I looked out the slightly cracked window, the rain and hail still pouring down. I shivered, my dress soaked in water. The fireplace in the middle of the room looked welcoming, especially since a stack of wood lay beside it.
The small two-roomed house was alight with a warm glow. I had disposed of my dress and it was hanging near the fire. Luckily the small cottage still had running water which wasn't as red as I expected, which allowed me to wash the mud off my clothes. The porcelain bathtub and sinks were all stained though. I had found a broom and swept up the dust into a corner. The wrappers that dotted the floor had became fire starter. I now sat on the bed in my undergarments. Silk pants and a gentle silk tank-top adorned my body. My eyes looked intently at the fire. The methodic dripping of the rain that leaked in a bucket I placed in the corner lulled my eyes slowly shut. Sighing, seeing that the storm outside had yet to get better, I curled up in the bed and allowed myself to get some rest.
~
Birds chirped loudly in the sweet morning air. I moved around in bed, cozy in the soft quilt that wrapped around my body. The crackling of a fire nearby alerted my senses. I sat up quickly and looked around, everything from yesterday coming back to me. What was even stranger, was that the cottage seemed to be in mint condition. A delicious aroma floated in through the air. My stomach growled, reminding me of how long it had been since I last ate. I lifted myself from the bed, thankfully spotting my dress cleaned, dried, and folded on the rocking chain in the corner. Had that chair always been there? Then it struck me. I didn't get a chance to wash my dress and I hadn't moved it from by the fireplace.
A slight chill ran down my spine but I brushed it off. Perhaps one of the homeless people had came in during the night to escape the cold and had cleaned up my dress. That explanation, however, didn't seem lightly. Trying to shake the feeling of uneasiness, I quickly dressed myself. Strangely enough the dress appeared to have no wrinkles. Hopefully I would be able to get home soon. My mother was used to me running off or losing track of time, but the storm from last night must've caused her to be worried sick. A sudden noise broke the silence of the cottage. My head snapped up, eyes focused on the door. At first came in a petite girl. She was fairly short, probably only standing at five feet tall. Thick black hair cascaded down to her lower back in a single braid. She had light brown, monolid eyes which complemented her brown plaid dress. A stained apron adorned her front and her black shoes showed wear to them. She appeared to be young, around twenty years old.
The young lady stood aside, holding the door open for a tall and thin man. His wavy black hair had a few grey strands which shone brighter in contrast to his cold grey eyes. He wore a black suit with a tail coat. Unlike the girl's, his appearance was sharper and had less wear to it. He held a cane in his left hand, a shimmering jewel on top. The man appeared to be very wealthy. He had a thick mustache, that was upturned at the edges, along with stubble on his chin. He appeared to be much His ring covered hand came up and plucked the tall hat off of his head and he held it out for the girl to take.
"Opal, hold my hat." The man spoke coldly, gesturing for the girl, who I presume to be Opal, to hold his hat.
The girl only nodded in response, clutching the hat's brim in her hands until her knuckles turned white. I could feel the anxiety radiating off of her. The man strode over to me, nearly a foot taller than me. I gulped, anxious in his presence. The man put out his hand, seemingly waiting for something. I blinked before coming to the realization that he had been asking for a hand shake. My hand trembled as I lifted it up to clutch his. I lightly shook his hand and he began to speak once more.
"Good morning, miss. My name is Julius Summersaw. This is my assistant Opal. Pay her no mind." There was a slight tone of arrogance in his voice as he spoke which rubbed me the wrong way though I did not wish to be rude to him.
"My name is Imogene Grey. It is a pleasure to meet you sir, how may I help you?" I spoke cautiously.
"One of the council's duties is to keep track of all of the townsfolk in Wisteria as well as keep track of all buildings in the kingdom. Both you and your cottage have yet to been registered and a house simply cannot be formed over night, so I have been sent to collect you on suspicion of witchcraft." Julius replied, his tone icily.
The man turned to Opal, "Clean up the cottage and put out the fire. Help Imogene pack her things while I search for any more signs of witchcraft."
The girl silently walked over to the fireplace where she poured a bucket of water that had been sitting on the stoop over the hot wood. Steam went up and into the chimney. Opal rushed out of the door and proceeded to return with a large trunk. Despite her small frame, the girl was strong. Setting it by the wardrobe next to the bed she looked over at me before speaking for the first time.
"Gather your things. This chest should fit enough garments for your stay and a personal item if you wish to bring anything." She uttered.
"I don't understand. It was just raining so I chose to stay here for the night and now everything is so strange. What is Wisteria? I thought witch trials and such were a thing of the past?" I questioned, my voice filled with anxiety.
"Wisteria is the kingdom we are located in. Don't feign ignorance of your crimes." She responded dully.
"I'm not!" I cried out, "This is so confusing. This must be a fever dream."
Opal merely rolled her eyes before yanking a few dresses out of the wardrobe. She stuffed them into the trunk. I grabbed my bag from earlier and dug into it. Strangely enough, my phone was missing. However this morning was strange enough. I didn't have time to worry about my phone. Opening up my paint kit, I checked that everything was in mint condition before setting it and my journal at the top of the trunk before Opal shut it. The petite girl gestured for me to grab one end of the Trunk and we both carried it out of the house.
"Hey, erm, Opal was it? Why is there a carriage and not a car?" I questioned growing evermore anxious by the second.
"Everyone uses a carriage here. I'm not certain of what a car is, but I can assure you that you will not be seeing any one of them today." She replied.
I sighed and heaved it up into the back before Opal escorted me into the carriage. We sat in silence for a moment and I bounced my leg anxiously. My fingers fidgeted together, picking at loose skin.
"Would you stop that?" Opal snapped impatiently.
"It's just stimming..." I murmured, moving my hands underneath me and trying to settle my legs.
Opal soon got defensive, "Is that some type of spell? Don't try that with me, miss! You don't want a witness!"
I merely chuckled at her, before holding still. In a few moments, Julius came out soon and we were off. My eyes traveled to the window and I looked out. I tapped my foot as I observed the scenery.
~
It took quite some time but eventually we arrived into town. I was pressed against the window, the sights mesmerizing. Opal sighed in annoyance as I watched how the townspeople went about their days. In reality I was only observing the patterns on the dresses worn. Some were rather expensive while others didn't seem to be. I didn't see that as a bad thing though. Each dress was entirely unique, and I admired each one.
It was in no time when we reached the castle. I let out an audible gasp as I looked at the spokes and colours that adorned the building. It was a magnificent sight. I wished that I had time to paint it. Opal guided me out of the carriage and we carried in my trunk like before. Some strange people came and took the trunk from us, taking it away to wherever I was planning to stay.
I fidgeted with my hands behind my back as we walked through the castle. Soon Julius caught up to us and led the way. The inside of the castle was very well decorated. Most of the items appeared to be very expensive. The pure gold statue of what appeared to be a girl my age for example. I felt poor standing next to it. It was very pretty though, each and every detail was prominent in the statue. My eyes were glued to it.
Opal caught me staring and snapped her fingers before speaking, "That is the princess. You'll likely never meet her so don't dwell on her beauty."
I let out a huff before rushing after the two.
~
It didn't take long for us to find the throne room. I made note of how the others bowed in the king's presence and copied their movements. He had dark skin that would be described as cedar if it were a paint. Long black hair hung in braids down to his collar bones. The man had a long scare running acrossed his face and he observed me coldly with his dark brown eyes. Lines of stress were etched acrossed his face. I shifted nervously in the silence, observing is rich looking suit. The deep red complemented him. With a sigh he broke the silence.
"Take her to the west wing, second floor and third bedroom on the right side of the hall. Keep an eye on her." He announced rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I can't deal with this bullshit today."
The two only nodded and began to escort me to my room. I had thought the conversation would last longer. Soon we arrived at my room, my trunk sat at the end of my bed. I gasped at how georgous the room was. Opal merely sighed and went on a rant about how there are guards all over the place and an attempt to escape would be a death wish. Soon they left and I pulled out my notebook and paints.
There was a georgous hand mirror on the beside table as well as a vase of roses, and I chose that to be the object of my work. I began sketching the outline gradually, trying to perfect the linework before I brought in any color. As I was finishing up a line, a knock from the door startled me.
"Come in!" I hollared, not wanting to leave the bed.
A dark-skinned girl opened the door, long curles of black hair bouncing as she skipped over to me. A smile was stretched acrossed her face, and she seemed to brighted the room as she walked in. Her brilliant brown eyes glowed with excitement and curiousity as she observed me intently. In an instant I realized she was the girl from the painting.
"Hello! Father told me not to come in here but I couldn't help myself. I had watched you enter the castle from my room and might I say you looked very adorable!" She gushed, waving her hands wildly before holding one out in means of offering a handshake, "I'm Florence, by the way."
I took her hand and shook it gently, a bit overwhelmed with how much energy she was filled with before speaking, "Imogene. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"So are you really a witch?" Florence asked with excitement while giggling.
"Well no. Not really. I just moved into a cottage that had been already built. I guess it wasn't registered or something." I lied. After the deal with Opal, I didn't want want this girl to think I was overly strange and a witch either.
"Oh! Well you can't tell my father, but I have been practicing witchcraft behind clothes doors! You should come with me today and visit my garden!" She cheered.
"I'm working on an art peice at the moment, but if you would be alright with it then I could paint you in the garden?" I asked nervously, showing the girl my sketchbook.
"That would be magnificent!" She smiled and hopped off of the bed and grabbed my hand, pulling me off. "Grab your supplies!"
"Wait we are going now?" I questioned.
"Yes, silly! The lady who helps to guide me in my craft said that it was supposed to be raining and cold all of this week!" She explained cheerfully.
"Do you think that you can bring me to her if I give you the painting?" I questioned cautiously.
"Sure! We'll have to sneak past the guards though!" She giggled mischievously, "I'm an expert at that!"
With that we set off down the hallway, whispering together and giggling quietly in attempts to hide from the gaurds. She showed me secret passages that the servants used to gwt from place to place. Soon we reached a door that led outside. There was a large glass house and through the foggy glass I could see what appeared to be plants. I reached my hand out to open the door yet Florence swatted my hand away.
"Don't go in there. The plants are dangerous." She spoke forcefully.
I nodded swiftly as she showed me around the garden before sitting on a bench underneath a willow tree. The sun shined down through the branches, illuminating her soft skin.
"Is this a good place for you, Imogene?" She questioned.
"Yep! Can you sit there naturally for me? Just relax." I answered before opening up to a clean page and begining a sketch.
~
Nearly an hour later, Florence and I were relaxing there waiting for the paint to dry. She pulled out a pair of intricately decorated scissors before heading over to the flower area. I left my book on the table next to the bench, trusting that a breeze would not come and mess with my work. I followed her quickly, matching her pace smoothly.
"What's your favorite flower, Imogene?" Florence asked, observing the land happily.
"Angelonia are mine. What about yours?" I questioned.
"Hyacinth. The myth behind it is so sad yet so beautiful." She spoke before heading over to a patch of flowers and clipping them up.
She walked around collecting flowers like a bee before coming up to me and presenting a bouquet of brilliantly purple flowers.
"Hyacinth and Angelonia. So that you can remember this day." She smiled.
"Thank you for today, Florence. I haven't had this much fun in years."
We sat in silence, enjoying eachothers company before we left the garden. We would exchange soft glances every now and then as she escorted me back to my room. She helped me to replace the roses with the fresh flowers and I carefully cut out the painting before giving it to her. Her eyes lit up at the peice and she jumped up to pull me into a hug. I graciously returned it before she said farewell and left my room. Exhaustedly, I fell onto the bed and closed my eyes tiredly.
"Well you a certainly talented." I heard a deep voice from the corner of my room. A desk was placed there that hadn't been there before.
Looking over I spotted the king and my face went white, "I- Sir I meant no harm! How long have you been sitting there?"
"I've been here since before you two came back. Anyway, I haven't seen my daughter look that elated in ages." He spoke, pausing before continuing, "Now you mustn't tell her how you got here or of your old world."
"You knew about that?" I asked bewilderedly.
"Who do you think ordered a trusted witch to bring you here? I needed an artist who would be able to paint well enough portraits to help find my daughter a suitor. You would be in charge of spending time with her, painter her portraits, and looking through eligible suitors. If you can find her a prince, then I can arrange transportation to your old reality." The king explained.
"Your daughter is outstanding to be around, however what if I don't want to do this? You can't just make me!" My voice gradually got louder.
"I already have. Your work starts tomorrow and unless you wish to be executed for witchcraft I suggest you play along. Who is the public going to believe more? A strange young girl or me, their king?" He glowered coldly.
I stayed silent, not meeting his gaze.
"Exactly. You start tomorrow. You can't escape. I have my most trusted guards placed nearby for extra protection."
As he left the room I flopped backward onto the bed, hands over my face as I groaned. My mother would be worried sick. I didn't want to hurt her like that, but I guess I didn't have a choice. Despite not taking my shoes or dress off, I proceeded to pass out on the comfortable bed.