"Stella stay still" a short woman shouted. Wrangling a white haired woman who refused to stay still. She twist and turned out of the dress she was being forced into.
"If you're late to another date your father has agreed upon he will have your head." Stella crossed her arms and said "I already told you I'm not going." The maid moved into her hair and said "Oh hush, you know your father has been working really hard to find you a suitable prince. Stop being ungrateful, it's unbecoming of a princess."
"Stella finally allowed the maid to finish adjusting her dress Well, if he's so worried. He can go marry him for all I care." She said in a firm tone.
The only thing she wanted to do was indulge in her hobby. She enjoyed collecting herbs which she used to make custom perfumes. She was out of, dying miracle peach a herb which blossom during this time of season.
"Stella try to stay still and not undo your hair while I go get the black ribbon" said the middle aged woman. Stella wasn't going to meet another self absorbed money bag. She had an entire world to smell. Thinking about the ribbon furthest from her closet, Stella shouted "Actually lady Stephanie can you get me the red ribbon." Lady Stephanie happily answered and obliged to the princesses demand.
Stella jumped out of her chair, her high heels clicking she ran as fast as she could out of the room. She made her way down the winding stairs, through the quiet halls of the castle. Hoping she wouldn't be seen making her maid run up and down the castle.
Stella eventually reached a passage beneath an old rug. Underneath a tunnel ran all the way passed the castle and into the forest. Very few knew about this underground passage.
Stella was very familiar with the forest that decorated the back of their kingdom. This is was where she collected the majority of her herbs. One of the rarer plants native to her peoples lands was dying miracle peach. It was currently in season and she had to stock up for the rest of the year.
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She stopped in a familiar field that looked like a red think layer on the green grass below. She bent over to pick up a dark red, thorny flower, its smell was pungent sweet. This specific plant was a common ingredient for her perfumes.
As stella paced around like a child in a candy store looking for dying miracle peach, a cracking branch fell hitting her on the head. Stella gasps as she dropped the dying miracle peach which she needed to make her favorite perfume.
A white and red bird like creature with claw like feet and dirty feathers was rocking back and forth on the top of a tree. "I like your necklace, it's very exquisite. May I hold it?"
Stella grabs the necklace. "Yeah right, I wouldn't trade this necklace for my life"
She picks up the dying miracle peach she had dropped earlier only for it to whither and die in her hands. The bird realizing Stella is upset about losing the herb shouts at her "Don't worry my master has a mountain of those. He lives in the nearby cave a little farther from here and he'll be happy to give you as many as you need"
Stella looks at the bird suspiciously, she didn't know about a nearby cave. "Lead the way" stella's voice cracked with a hint of fear and uncertainty. It quickly washed away and was replaced with confidence as she remembered her necklace.
The bird flew back and forth leading Stella into the dark decrepit cave. Her surroundings went from blossoming fields and lively trees to a stone cold shadowy cave.
The flapping sounds echoed through the cave leading stella like a firefly in the night. "Over here snow monkey," the birds distant voice echoed through the cave.
After a couple of steps the light of the outside world was swallowed by the cave. Stella stumbled blindly reaching around. She felt her hand touch a cold hard wooden surface. Accidently, she pushed over a glass object. The ground the glass object landed on burst into flames lighting up the cave. A wave of gold brilliantly illuminated the sidewalls of the cave.
A cold strong draft slightly lifted her dress before hot air enveloped the back skin of her neck.
"Ahh, another relic to add to my collection." The voice pieced her head, it felt like it was inside her mind. The entire cave reverberated. Her heart felt like it was about to come out of her chest. The cave was washed with the cries of the strange looking bird. "Kill her, kill her!" Going against her instinct to run away she turned around.
The fire in the ground dwindled as the shadows danced in the cave. In front of her two giant blood red eyes the size of wagon wheels were looking right at her.