Hello. My name is Flora Rose, but you know that already.

I guess some introduction is in order, I've been away for some time. Where? To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure. What I do know is that I was trapped inside a faerie circle and there I've been since I was tricked into following someone I'd previously thought of as a friend outside the castle, across the bridge over the river, and past the open field between that side of the river and the woods. The side the king and his armies used for contests and to stage for wars.

Then I was gone and then I wasn't gone and when I wasn't gone anymore I was back in reality. Except, reality wasn't what I remembered. For example, the castle and the keep were gone. The rive that still ran along both sides of the castle was still there, but had moved its tail both above and below where the bridges and foundations had been.

Where the field had been was now overgrown with old growth trees and underbrush and the land had been returned to the wild. I could sense the land had been returned to the wild. Instead of a land and the surrounding mountains I had known, I was suddenly thrust into a world I didn't know and couldn't quite understand, naturally that is.

By naturally I, of course, mean that I am one with nature. At least, that's what I've always understood the relationship to be. I'd go places and the land and trees, the creatures and monsters of the forests would just talk to me. I was on friendly terms with most, if not all, the wildlife and never had to worry about my safety.

But now I wasn't as certain and I didn't feel as safe.

The land had changed and because I'd been gone for so long, I'd not changed properly with it.

Since the faerie ring was involved, I'm guessing I was never supposed to escape my prison. That's how faerie rings work. You step inside and unless you know how to step out again, you're just lost. Outside of the fae, it was said that only the most skilled and powerful of the creations could escape. Which, as you clearly realize, makes me pretty amazing and skilled.

Since I did escape, the ring clearly wasn't good enough and now I'm left in a world that doesn't speak to me in the same way.

I did look around for the remnants of the ring and couldn't find it. I'd like to pretend I'm an expert in these areas, but that may be pushing my credibility a little too far in the wrong direction and besides, it's not in my contract to be an expert. Simply me.

The me I'm talking about, of course, is gorgeous with wavy red hair and silver-blue eyes and a figure any woman in any time would kill for. I know, many women have tried to kill me for it. They've never succeeded and never will and when they're dead and buried, dust-to-dust and all that, I will continue to remain perfect.

One of my first goals, now free, was to find people. As much as I'd like you to believe I am truly an island unto myself, I thrive best when around people. A group of creatures are sometimes okay. Remind me to tell you about this horse I knew. Being around trolls, goblins, gnomes, and the like is fine, though they lack a certain je ne sais quoi that really gets me going.

Since most of my story may have probably been misreported or altered in my absence, it should be noted that I don't play well with others. Or maybe it may be more accurate I don't worry about the same things that people do. I'm a live and let live kind of gal. As in I live and everyone should let me continue to live my life the way I want.

There was this time in the castle, I think it was either the third or sixth king, when I showed up and the king decided to demand my head on a platter and then on a pike. Not at all a nice thing to demand. I looked at the king and said, "Your royal highness, if it pleases you, I shall fulfill your request."

I then turned to the scullery maid he was clearly boinking behind the queen's back, and made her into my exact replica. Without a second thought, I swung my seax in a neat little arc and chopped her head off and picked it up by the beautiful fiery red tresses plopped it onto a tray and with a flourish presented it all to the king.

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That didn't go down well, the roast duck and rindfleisch was delicious. Before I was done eating, the king was serving the food, the queen was actively cleaning the floors, and half the court was diddling the other half of the court and I was having the time of my life. One of the times of my life.

Remembering this pinged something deep down inside of me and I realized, as I was reflecting on what used to be all around me and the things I'd done, to the indisputable need for sustenance. Food, specifically. But even knowing I needed food, I also knew that wasn't going to be enough.

Some creatures, as I said, would suffice, ogres, centaurs, and the like. Other creature, forest animals like deer, bears, or foxes not so much. I mean, yeah, bears are cute and cuddly and I've yet to meet one who wasn't a descent conversationalist, but when it came down to what I needed, bears simply weren't enough.

I really don't know why I didn't realize how ravished my body was, how desperate I was for sustenance. Realizing it gave me purpose and purpose meant I no longer had to try to figure out when I was and the extent everything had changed.

Now I could begin looking for food and someone to play with.

Changing direction, I started to look for any sign of people. Closing my eyes, because this is something I didn't feel as though I could do without really concentrating, I started to search the forest for signs of life. What I was really doing was asking the forest for information about who or what might be in the woods and as I tried to connect, it wasn't easy, I started to sense both the presence of food not too far away, but also one person somewhere nearby. Beyond that, I was unable to get much of a handle on anything else.

Creatures I would normally expect to find in large numbers, I couldn't find at all. There were none of the fae or other fantastical creatures around. Not even a bridge troll or a small gathering of gnomes making music and eating rocks or moss or whatever it is gnomes enjoy eating. In fact, I was barely able to sense less interesting, the more mundane, forest creatures including but not limited to the Kenchin. While not exactly my favorite group, they were certainly better than no one.

Instead of worrying about who or what wasn't nearby, I started to follow my senses toward the food and whoever was in the forest. There weren't any manmade paths, which made the bushwhacking a bit harder, and the small animal tracks I could follow didn't last very long or went through bramble bushes forcing me to find a different route. The closer I got to the food, the harder it seemed to be to find it. It was almost as though the forest itself was attempting to keep me away. I knew that wasn't true, the forest working against me, while not currently besties we had been and it was only a matter of time before we were again.

I ended up pushing through some brush and stumbled into a clearing that was clearly also a campsite. Score. Looking around I could see what looked like a temporary shelter. When I touched it I could tell it was made of natural materials, waxed against he weather, with a small stove inside. Not too far off was the beginning of a woodpile most likely meant to last through a season or two of cold weather. And beyond that was a fire pit and some rudimentary seating. Though only one seat in any real state of being finished.

Having found the campsite, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd come across the food and I started to look around for anywhere food might've been stored against rather curious creatures, raccoons or a bear - though bears typically need to be really hungry or in need of a snack before they start going after human food. There is just too much for them in the woods between berries and fish and whatever else a bear is likely to eat.

It took some doing. Okay, it took a lot of doing, but I eventually found a bag that was hung high up by rope that had been thrown over a branch and then tied off on another tree. While the food was relatively easy to find, the rope and knot wasn't as easy to manipulate. Especially for someone like a bear. I never really understood that, how bears could be so nice and intelligent and had wonderfully entertaining ideas and couldn't, to save their lives, figure out ropes and knots. That was a mystery that needed to be explored and answered, someday.

Since there were no bears with whom to discuss these thoughts, I untied the knot and let the sack fall. Once on the ground, I opened it and looked inside. Sure enough, there was a bit of food. Not as much as I was expecting given the preparations around the campsite, but enough to at least help with my intense hunger. Being able to see and smell the food only seemed to make things worse and I found I was having a hard time concentrating on anything that wasn't stuffing my face full of everything in the bag. Had anyone been nearby, I would've looked the height of unladylike behavior.