The Prince's Rose

Harry’s POV

I woke with a start, hearing the sounds of screams coming from the room next door. Without a second thought I ran over to my bedroom and saw the girl cowering in the corner of the room while a maid and the doctor tried to calm her down.

“N No! Get away from me!” She cried as she pressed herself further into the wall.

The french accent was faint, but I still heard it and it made me wonder where she came from.

“Miss, you need to get back into bed or you'll rip your stitches.” The doctor tried to reason with her as he reached out for her but she screamed again.

“Enough.” I finally spoke, catching their attention. “Clara… George... Leave us please.”

They nodded and left us alone in the room. I kept my eyes on the terrified girl in front of me, staying still so she would relax.

“He is right you know. You'll have to rest and get your strength back so we can get you back home.” I said softly.

“Home?” She asked, furrowing her brows slightly.

“Yes. Can you tell us where you live? I'm sure your family is worried.” I said as I took a couple steps closer.

“I… I don't know. I can't remember. Where am I? How did I get here?”

I could see the fear wash over her features as she struggled to remember anything that happened before she woke up this morning. Her eyes filled with tears and I didn’t hesitate to walk over and kneel in front of her.

“Shh. It's alright, love. The doctor said you hit your head pretty hard. It’s normal for you to have some memory loss and I'm sure it'll return soon. In the meantime you need to rest and get your strength back. You're welcome here and I'll make sure you're safe. I promise. Now let’s get you back into bed.”

I stood up and reached my hand down to help her to her feet. She seemed hesitant, but slowly reached up to clasp my hand so I could lift her to her feet. After carefully getting her back into bed I covered her up then poured her a cup of water so she could drink.

“I'm Harry by the way. Do you remember your name?” I asked.

She looked down at her cup and quietly shook her head. My heart broke as her eyes filled with tears. I could only imagine how hard it must be to not remember anything.

“Hey. It'll be alright. We can give you a temporary name for now until you remember. What about…” I trailed off, glancing over at the rose garden. “Rose.”

“Rose?” She asked, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment before she nodded. “Okay. I like that.”

A faint smile grew on her lips and I smiled in return.

“Rose it is then. I'll go see about getting you some food. Is there anything in particular that you want?” I asked.

“Um… I don't know. I don't remember what I like, but at this point anything is good.” She said as she looked over at me.

“Right. I'll get something ready for you. Just please stay in bed and rest.” I said.

She nodded then I finally got up and left the room to make sure the cook could prepare something for her. The poor girl was so weak and definitely needed to gain her strength back. Eventually I returned with the food to find her asleep, but she was tossing and turning with a cold sweat glistening on her forehead. I frowned and quickly put the tray down then gently touched her arm.

“Rose… Rose wake up.” I said softly.

Her body jolted as she woke up and she cried out for me to leave her alone, but when she finally realized where she was she let out a sob of relief and clung to me. I froze for a moment, surprised that she was hugging me but it didn’t take long for me to wrap my arms around her tiny body.

“Shh. It's okay. You're safe.” I said softly as I rubbed her back.

For some reason this situation felt familiar. I remembered years ago when I was a child Rosalie came over and she had gotten lost in the garden. I had been the one to find her so she clung to me and cried so hard. I comforted her until our parents found us and ever since then I felt a need to protect her. Even now with Rose I felt that same urge.

Thinking about Rosalie made me wonder if this girl could possibly be her. I pulled back to look at her, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. Now that I had a chance I looked into her bright blue eyes which were the exact shade of blue that Rosalie had. It couldn’t be her… could it?

“Rosalie?” I asked quietly, waiting for her reaction.

“What did you call me?” She seemed confused and I sighed softly.

“Nothing… Anyway I brought you food.” I said as I pulled back to grab the tray, setting it on her lap.

“Thank you.” She said softly as she took a small bite.

“What was your dream about? If you don't mind me asking.” I asked after a moment.

“I… I think it was a memory. I was chained up in this cold room and it was so dark. I couldn’t see anything. But I remember this man… He… He would come in and talk to me sometimes. He said such horrible things. I I could feel his hands on me and I don't remember the rest because you woke me up.” She said, allowing a tear to fall down her cheek which I quickly wiped away with my thumb.

“I'm sorry that happened to you… but I promise you that I will protect you from now on. I'm going to keep you safe and I'm going to help you get back to your family.” I assured her.

“If I even have one… I don't remember them if I do. How can I forget my family?” She sniffled and teared up again.

I couldn’t do much else besides give her what little comfort I could offer. It must be horrible for her to not have any memories apart from awful ones of her captors doing god knows what to her. I only wish I could do more for her.

Notes