Briar

Ch. 6 The Truth

Mr. Happershap might not have been much of a talker, but he loved his daughter more than he could pronounce. And he saw the changes in her. Where she used to rush into things without a thought, she now weighed her options. Where her eyes used to be bright and clear, confident, it had been replaced with doubt and pain. So much pain, it hurt Mr. Happershap that his baby could hold a pain that she could neither bear or discuss. It gnawed at him that Rose had even more problems than she thought. These were the thoughts that forced Mr. Happershap make a decision. No more lies. Mrs. Happershap was not at all pleased with his decision, but Mr. Happershap was not to be deterred. This was something his baby needed, and she would not be denied. All that was left to do was to find the right time to tell her.
The day arrived like all spring days, bright and cheery with the treat of rain. It was more lenient to the hot and steamy like most days at the break between summer and spring. Birthdays in Numberland were not the grand occasions that they were in other places. Rose still had to do all of her chores; the geese were still rowdy even if the walked as delicately as they could. Jilly was excited bopping her head against Rose’s thigh. Once the sun went down, everyone had dinner together for once. There was a giant cake which sparks flew from until Mrs. Fonderal gave Jonas a look, and he stopped. Jillian gave Rose a nice golden clip that she had found on the bottom of the lake and then had cleaned herself. Jonas gave her a magiced needle that could sew up a side of a gown in ten minutes flat. Even the ladies and the princess collaborated to give her a cast off bonnet. Mr. and Mrs. Fonderal gave her an apple, for her health.
At the end of the night Rose didn’t have much else to do except blush and, “Thank you so much everyone.” It was strange to be the center of attention after being close to invisible for so long.
“It’s not over yet, dear,” Mrs. Happershap cut in, “but our gift is one that must be given in private.”
Rose and her parents retired to their set of rooms. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom and a little living room. When in these rooms it was almost like living in a different house. They sat down in the living room. Mrs. Happershap was beaming a bit too hard at her little girl while her father was slightly blushing?
“What is it?” Rose had no idea what could make her stoic father look so.
“Well, dear…” her mother began. Mrs. Happershap looked at Mr. Happershap for courage. “We … we’ve lied.”
“Lied about what?”
“Well for one your birthday.” Rose was even more confused than she had been at the beginning of the conversation.
“I’ll do it dear.” Mr. Happershap put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. She exhaled a sigh of relief burring her nose in his warm cotton shirt.
“It was exactly nineteen years ago when we found you Rose.” Rose’s mouth opened like she was going to speak, but her father kept going. “It was spring, and your mother and I were walking around the estate. She had just had a miscarriage, our fifth. We wanted a child so much. We had come to the conclusion to stop trying. To go through so many … losses, it was too painful. Just as the words came out of our mouths, we heard it. A baby’s cry--”
Her mother broke in. “It was you Rose. You were inside one of the rose bushes. We had no idea how you got in there, but Earl had a heck of a time getting out. He was bleeding all over, but you. You didn’t have a scratch. We decided right there to call you Rose.”
“We didn’t really know what to do. You were so little. We wanted a baby so much. But still we didn’t want to take you from someone else. So we went to Azzelbreth. He did a reading, trying to see where you were from. What he saw …. It scared him. He saw death, and someone very powerful looking for you.”
“He told us that you were cursed, that your parents had sent you away to protect you. He suspected that you were a princess, taking into account your clothes. Oh… they were so beautiful, all golden and frills. They were the most decadent baby clothes that I have ever seen. I wish I had been able to keep them, but Azzelbreth said we should burn them. Just in case.
“Seeing how you were cursed an all, we thought that here with Azzelbreth. It would be the safest place for you. He warned us, though, that you should stay away from magic, just in case your …”
“Magic ripples.”
“Yeah, ripples got back to the one who was looking for you.”
“So we brought you up as our own. Kept you safe, away from magic, away from the village. Strangers.”
Rose just sat in her high back chair for a while, staring at two who had raised her.
A silent road stretched before them, and Mrs. Happershap bore it as long as she could. “Please, sweety, say something.”
“Why tell me now?”
“It was your father’s idea. He thought it was time you knew.”
“You’re an adult now. You have the right to know where you’re from.”
“But I still don’t know where I’m from. All you’ve done is to add to my confusion.” The words burst from Rose before she could stop them.
Her father’s face was hard sticking by his decision. Her mother walked over to her and put her arms around her, “Oh, darlin’ I know. We all have problems, but it’s how you deal with that makes you who you are.”
Maybe not the perfect words, but good enough, “Mommy,” Rose clung to her mother.
“It’s so good to hear you say that baby.”
Rose laughed a little. “Just because you found me doesn’t mean you can get out of being my parents.”
“Now for the real gift them,” Mrs. Happershap briskly went to the dresser in her room. She came back with a little box.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.” Mrs. Happershap briskly went to the dresser in her bedroom and got out a small box.
It was just a small but surprisingly heavy brown box tied with a simple blue bow. Rose slowly pulled one end out and then lifted the lid of the box.
“Cash.” She looked at her parents. “Why would I need this much money?”
“Well, dear you haven’t been too happy. Don’t think we haven’t noticed.” Rose looked down ashamed. “We thought that with this new development that you could …”
“That you could go find them.”
“Your real parents.” Her mother tried to brighten the mood with, “Besides your curse should be over with. They usually end at 17; we looked into it. Looks like we kept you two years over. Do you think they’ll be mad?”
Rose was unexpectedly hurt by this, and even now she was not one to hold her feelings in. “You are my real parents. I don’t want to leave, this is the only home I’ve ever known. And don’t you think I’ll be mad with you both kicking me out.”
“Oh honey we didn’t mean it like that!” Mrs. Happershap started to go to her daughter, but her husband put a hand over his overly emotional wife.
“You can’t stay hidden forever Rose. One day you’re going to have to face your destiny.”
Her father’s words chased around her head for a long while. In the end, she realized, he was right. She couldn’t hide forever and it was unfair to everyone and everything she loved here to try, but how could she just leave the only place she had ever known?


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So there's the new chapter. I know these are kind of short but I promise they get longer and more complex so don't worry.