The Rose and the Beast: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A house just outside of town stood still; its windmill turning slowly, and the waterwheel flowing. It was early and the sun was had just risen. Leaves fell and blew around trees riding the current of the wind.

A pink hedgehog walked out of the house with a basket and book in hand. She wore a long red dress with a white apron around her waist and red flats. She had short quills just above her shoulders framing her face, 3 bangs, a red headband, and sparkling green eyes.
She had a smile on her face she walked down the steps and onto the path leading to town. She started to sing softly to herself gradually getting louder without notice.

“Little town, it’s a quiet village... Every day like the one before. Little town full of little people...waking up to say...”

“Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!”

Soon the whole town was buzzing with people all around going to different markets, shops, getting food, it was mayhem!

“There goes the baker with his tray like always. The same old bread and rolls to sell.....Every morning’s been the same…since the morning that we came…to this poor, provincial town...”

“Good morning, Amy,” the bread seller said as she walked by.

“Morning, monsieur.”

“Where you off to?”

“The book shop. I just finished this wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre-”

“That’s nice. Sally! The baguettes! Hurry up!”

Amy rolled her eyes as she kept walking to the book shop.

“Look, there she goes. That girl is strange; no question,” 2 ladies said as she walked by daydreaming, “dazed and distracted can’t you tell?”

“Never part of any crowd. Cause her head’s up on some cloud.”

“Now denying she a funny girl, that Rose.”

Amy jumped onto the end of a wagon passing by multiple people.

“Bonjour!” the man said to the woman.

“Good day.”

“How is your family?”

A man gave a girl a ham with a love look in his eyes.

“Bonjour.” She said.

“Good day.” He replied.

“How is your wife?” once she asked, his wife bopped him on the head with a rolling pin.

“I need 6 eggs!” a woman who had 8 kids running around her said to an egg seller.

“That’s too expensive!” said a man to a vase seller.

“There must be more than this provincial life!” Amy sang. She jumped on the wagon and walked into the bookshop to see a red echidna putting books away.

“Ah, Amy.” He exclaimed.

“Good morning, Monsieur Knuckles. I’ve come to return the book I borrowed.” She said giving him the book and walking over to the book shelf. She climbed up the ladder and scrolled through the books.

“Finished already?”

“I couldn’t put it down. Have ya got anything new?”

“Ha-ha. Not since yesterday.”

“That’s alright. I’ll borrow...this one.” She took out a book with a blue leather cover and gold writing on the front. Amy gave it to Knuckles so he could look at it.

“That one? But you’ve already read it twice!”

“But it’s my favorite!” She exclaimed. “Daring sword fights, far off places, magic spells, a prince in disguise!”

Knuckles laughed, “Well, if you like it all that much it’s yours.” He said giving it back to her. They started to walk out of the shop and 3 men turned around pretending they didn’t spy on her through the window.

“But, Monsieur-”

“I insist.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much!” She waved goodbye as she walked away reading the book. She jumped through kids playing jump rope and ruffled a little girl’s hair as she walked by making her laugh.

“Look, there she’s goes, that girl is so peculiar.” The 3 men said.  “I wonder if she’s feeling well.”
“With a dreamy far of look.” The women said.
“And her nose stuck in a book.”
“What a puzzle the rest of us is Rose.”

Amy sat down on the edge of a fountain with a herd of sheep surrounding her.

“Aaaahhh, isn’t this amazing? It’s my favorite part because...you’ll see. Here’s where see meets prince charming, but she won’t discover that it’s him till chapter 3.” She got up and walked back down the road still reading.

“Now it’s no wonder that her name means “beauty.” Her looks have got no parallel.”

“But behind that fair façade, I’m afraid she’s rather odd. Very different from the rest of us.”

“Yes, different from the rest of us. She’s nothing like the rest of us. Yes, different from the rest of us is Rose.”

A gunshot was heard as a herd of geese flew by. One of them fell to the ground and a little yellow fox tied to catch it in the sack but missed. He grabbed the bird and put it in the sack running up to his friend and idol.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “You didn’t miss a shot, Sonic! You’re the greatest hunter in the whole world!”

“I know.” He replied. Sonic was a blue hedgehog with emerald green eyes and red sneakers. And as always, he had his trademark grin.

“No beast alive stands a chance against you.” They started walking. “And no girl for that matter.”

“It’s true, Tails. And I’ve got my sights set on that one.” Sonic pointed to Amy and she stopped reading to buy some apples.

“The inventor’s daughter?!” Tails asked shocked.

“She’s the one. The lucky girl I’m going to marry.”

“But she’s-”

“The most beautiful girl in town.”

“I know! But-”

“That makes her the best.” He picked up Tails and brought him close to his face. “And don’t I deserve the best?”

“Yeah! Of course, but-”

Sonic dropped Tails and started to talk about Amy. “Right the moment when I met her, saw her. I said she’s gorgeous and I fell. And in there’s only she’s who’s as beautiful as me. So I’m making plans to woo and marry, Rose.”

Amy walked passed him as he looked at himself in the reflection of a pan. He turned to see her disappear into the crowd. Sonic started to walk after her passing 3 girls getting water from the water-pump.

The first was a girl with short red hair, gray eyes, and pale skin. She wore a short white dress with gold lacing, tan tights, and red heels. The second was a girl with purple hair and blue eyes. She wore a purple dress with pink sleeves and gold detailing and held a staff. The last was a girl with pink hair in a ponytail curling forward with a bun in the back and had gray eyes. She had pointed ears, and wore a purple tube top, beige harem pants and had a pale pink sash around her waist with a pink sheer cover over her pants.

“Look, there he goes. Isn’t he dreamy? Monsieur Sonic. Oh he’s so cute. Be still my heart. I’m hardly breathing. He’s such a tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute!”

As Amy kept walking through the crowd reading her book without bumping into anyone, Sonic had trouble getting to her. Everyone with carts, pans, goats; they all got in the way.

“There must be more than this provincial life!” Amy sang.

“Just watch. I’m going to make Rose my wife.” Sonic proclaimed.

“Look, there she goes. That girl is strange but special!” the people sang as she walked by. Sonic had gone onto roofs of houses to pass the crowd. “A most peculiar mademoiselle. It’s a pity and a sin, she doesn’t quite fit in. But she really is a funny girl. A beauty but a funny girl. She really is a funny girl...that Rose.

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour!”

Amy looked up from her book and turned around to see people going back to their business. Sonic landed in front of her as she kept walking.

“Hello, Amy.”

“Bonjour, Sonic.” Sonic came around her and took the book out of her hands. “Sonic, may I have my book please?”

“How can you read this? It has no pictures.” He said while looking through it.

“Well, some people use their imagination.”

Sonic threw the book away into a mud puddle. “Ames, it’s time you got you head outta those book and paid attention to more important things.”

Amy bent down to get it but Sonic stood in the way. “Like me.”

The 3 girls, Elise, Merlina, and Shahra, sighed at him.

Sonic walked around her and she picked up her book and put it in the basket. “The whole town’s talking about it. It’s not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and.....thinking.”

“Sonic, you are positively primeval.”

“Why thank you, Ames.” Amy had a confused look, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulder leading her away. “What’s say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies?”

“Maybe some other time.”

The girls gasped at her as they walked by.

“What’s wrong with her?” Shahra said.

“She’s crazy!” Merlina added.

“He’s gorgeous!” Elise ended and they all went starstruck.

Amy ripped free from Sonic’s grasp and started walking back home. “Please, Sonic. I can’t. I have to get back home to help my uncle. Goodbye.”

Tails caught up with them and laughed. “Hahaha! That crazy old loon? He needs all the help he can get!” Sonic laughed along.

“Don’t talk about my uncle that way!”

Sonic hit him in the head, “Yeah, don’t talk about her uncle that way!”

“My uncle is not crazy! He’s a genius.” Once she said it a small explosion of smoke came from the house in the distance. Amy started running towards the house leaving Sonic and Tails laughing.