Stones that Sing:

Chapter One: Barbed Wire and Roses

Nagia

"I went closer and I got tangled…You were like barbed wire, barbed wire and roses" Pinmonkey, Barbed Wire and Roses

1

Rose ignored the dampness of the log she was sitting on and stared silently into the flames of the campfire, listening to the noises of the forest at night. Ever since her talk with Haschel, Rose had been haunted with images of the past, and they swamped her now, taking remembered senses as simple as how Zieg looked when he laughed and thrusting them before her eyes, drenching her in the sounds of long ago battles. Feelings from eleven thousand years earlier saturated her like water would a rag. Someone behind her moved and then cursed, Albert by the sound of it–– A three foot tree branch could hit him from a mile away, he's so unlucky, Rose mused.

"What are you doing awake?" Albert asked.

"I only rarely sleep," Rose replied quietly.

"Why?"

"……I'd rather not go into it."

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" he asked, wisely switching topics.

She was silent for a long while. "Yes."

Neither said a word.

At long last, Rose stirred. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," Albert said.

"What about?"

"Rose, you've always been distant," Albert's words were as carefully placed as a cat's steps, "while I've been here at least–– but you've been even more distant lately, ever since that second ride on the Queen Fury. Why is that?"

"……...I don't want to go into that, either."

"Come on, Rose. I want to know. I'm not going to blackmail you with it." Albert persisted.

"I…I've been thinking." Rose said.

"What have you been thinking about?"

Rose frowned. "I've been thinking about the past. Ever since my second ride on the Queen Fury, I've been haunted by some painful memories." She was being more honest than she'd meant to be.

"What brought them back?" Albert asked.

"…That's none of your concern," she replied stiffly.

"You're right, it isn't my concern. I'm just curious. I'm not about to judge you."

"…I spoke with Haschel."

Albert said nothing.

"…Only Haschel knows about most of my past. I didn't tell him all."

"What was there to tell? I'm sure an ex-priestess wouldn't have a lot to say."

Rose smirked. "Ex-priestess, huh? If I was in the habit, I'd laugh."

"What, you aren't an ex-priestess?"

"No…I'm a Dragoon. That's all I am and all I ever was…except a slave. I was a slave for twenty six years."

"……You can't be much more than twenty six now." Albert's mouth fell open.

"Eleven thousand more than twenty six, actually." Rose said nonchalantly.

"……So you knew the others?" Albert asked.

"…Yes. I knew Zieg, and Kansas, and Shirley, and Belzac, and all the others. I helped to destroy Kadessa, and killed more Virages than I care to think about. I was the only one to witness Zieg's destruction, and I thank whatever gods may be for that one boon." Rose smiled bitterly. "But there are probably none I should thank."

"You're like thorn wire and roses." Albert said after a long silence.

"How so?"

"You just…are. I mean, you've practically got that new thorn wire around your heart, and you're pretty as hell but you've got a seriously bad attitude."

"Thank you." Rose was careful to school her expression into one of indifference. Zieg had told her the same thing after Shirley's death.

"You should hear yourself. It's really scary how you can brush off any comment that might be misconstrued as an insult."

"Sticks and stones, I'll break your bones, but names aren't worth the quarrel," Rose replied.

"See? Thorn wire and roses."

"……"

=====

This takes place right after Crow's Nest and Crow's Feet. It started out as a Miranda back story that gave her a really big reason to hate her mother, but then it turned into a conversation between Rose and Albert. The quote in the beginning is from Pinmonkey, a country band.

And yes, I do like country.