A Handful of Flowers, Scene v1

This scene follows "The Great Outdoors", introducing a few new characters. As always, please leave comments and feedback!

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Sara began to walk off until Kismet’s skin crawled at the sound of the Queen’s yelling. “Where in heaven’s name have you been, Delphi?”

Queen Natalia and Princess Lydia entered the courtyard. The Queen scowled at Delphi and Kismet, with Lydia walking by her side. Natalia glared at the grass stains and dirt that defiled Delphi’s embroidered, white dress. “Look at you, you’re filthy!"

Sara grinned. “I found these two just on the other side of the river, Your Highness.”

The vein on Queen Natalia’s temple sprouted into view. “What? You left the castle?”

Delphi shrank behind Kismet. “I-I just wanted to pick some flowers for Father…”

Lydia watched indifferently, as her mother continued scolding and gesturing wildly. “Flowers? You left the castle for some flowers? Don’t you realize how dangerous it is out there? What if you were attacked by wild animals; or kidnapped? Honestly, sometimes I just don’t know what to do with you. First your studies, and now this?”

The residents of the castle continued about their business and forced themselves to ignore the spectacle. The furious Queen redirected her anger toward Kismet. “And you!”

Natalia slapped Kismet across the face. “Just what were you thinking? You’re supposed to protect her, not help her break the rules. And you want to become her personal guard?”

“Useless cat, just be thankful King Marcus is more forgiving when it comes to Delphi,” concluded Natalia, as she stormed off.

Sara left the scene, frowning in disappointment. Lydia shook her head at Delphi with a sigh. “My dear sister, such a simple rule yet you still ignored it. Rules are in place for a reason, you know.”

“Why is it only me that has to stay? Why can everyone else leave but I can’t?” questioned Delphi.

Lydia’s mouth twitched. She pondered a moment before replying, struggling to maintain her composure. “Complaining won’t change anything. You’re obviously still too immature to have the right to leave the castle. If you want to leave the castle so much, why don’t you try doing the things you’re supposed to, and earn the right? I swear; it’s as though you enjoy being a disappointment to Mother.”

Tears welled up in Delphi’s eyes. Kismet placed her hand on Delphi’s shoulder sympathetically. Delphi sobbed then ran off. Kismet snarled at Lydia. “Have you no shame?”

Lydia glared at Kismet. “Me? If I’m not mistaken, you’re the one trying to become a member of the Royal Guard. Even then, you still go about assisting my sister in sneaking out of the castle.”

The princess closed her eyes with an arrogant smirk as she continued. “You’re lucky, Kismet. If any other soldier did what you did they would’ve been discharged on the spot, if not worse, yet here you still are. If it weren’t for
Father’s kindness, you would’ve been left out in the wild, living off of scraps and being chased by hunters. So, try to show a little more respect. It’s bad enough that merely having you around has damaged our reputation.”

Kismet restrained herself as Lydia took her leave. The frustrated Cathera searched the castle for the saddened princess. Delphi sobbed in the confines of her room as

Kismet knocked on the door. “Delphi—”

“Leave me alone…”

Kismet gazed sympathetically at the bedroom door, wracking through her mind for a way to cheer Delphi up. A little disappointed, all that came to mind was to pick some cavalillies for the young princess, but it was better than doing nothing.


Wasting no time, Kismet quickly treaded across the bridge to the cavalily patch. The sound of terrified sobs and quick footsteps drew her attention away from the flower patch. In the distance, she spotted a little girl attempting to climb a tree, with three wolves closing in from a distance. Seeing no other option, Kismet sprinted to girls aid and called out to the girl to draw wolves’ attention. “Don’t worry, I’m coming!”

The little girl, too frightened to respond, trembled uncontrollably as she shuddered behind the tree. Two of the wolves snapped their heads and began surrounding Kismet, while the last one continued approaching the child. She watched the wolves intently, while inching toward the girl, ready to react. The wolves growled at her, as the positioned themselves to attack. One of the two wolves lunged at Kismet’s leg. She quickly countered its attack by jumping off its head. The wolf chasing the cowering child dashed toward its prey. Kismet swiftly threw one of the several throwing knives fastened onto the leather band on her thigh, striking the wolf in its side. The wolf fell in front of the terrified child, struggling against the pain to rise back to its feet. It ran away as the second wolf near Kismet attempted to bite her arm but she evaded the attack and swiped at the wolf’s torso with her claws, leaving deep scratches. The wolf whimpered in pain, signaling the pack’s retreat.

Kismet rushed over to the little girl who was shaking uncontrollably behind the tree. “Are you alright?”

Although the wolves were gone, the sight of the foreign cat-human left the little girl uneasy.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”

The girl hesitated. A woman’s voice called out from the distance, catching the girls attention and calming her down.

Kismet offered her hand. “It’s okay.”

The child eyed the fur-covered hand with uncertainty. With a trembling hand, she slowly placed hers on top of Kismet’s soft, leathery palm. Kismet gently held the girls hand, and eased her away from the tree.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” asked Kismet, as rushed footsteps approached.

A disheveled woman with long, dark-brown hair, dressed in a ragged dress ran up calling, “Lita! Lita!”

The little girl ran into her mother’s open arms. The woman sobbed with relief. “Oh, my precious little girl…Don’t you ever run off like that again!”

Lita hugged her mother back and replied with a muffled voice, “Sorry, Mommy…”

Lita’s mother looked up slowly at Kismet, who watched from a few yards away. She quickly pulled her daughter away, never taking her eyes off Kismet. Her glare pierced through Kismet’s heart. “Stay away! What have you done to Lita?”

Kismet took a step forward and tried to calm her, “Please, calm dow—“

“Stay back!”

Kismet froze in her tracks. She watched Lita gaze back at her, confused at her mother’s reaction toward the one who rescued her. Lita squirmed out of her mother’s arms then ran up to Kismet.

“Lita!” cried her mother.

Lita opened her satchel and pulled out a handful of cavalillies. Her mother watched, paralyzed with anxiety. Lita offered the vibrant, white flowers with a smile that warmed Kismet’s soul and left her speechless. Apart from Delphi, no one has ever given her a gift, much less given her such acceptance. Her hands trembled when she took the flowers from Lita. Kismet stood there, frozen, as she watched Lita leave along side her mother, the child’s glimmering brown eyes still glued on her feline savior.



First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: The Great Outdoors, Scene v1
Next: A Gift for Father, Scene v1