Snippet #1303886

Veta crouches on the ground, surrounded by an array of flowers - red roses. She is humming a tune to herself, oblivious to the dirt under her fingernails and the slight wind blowing her jet black hair around her face. This is somewhat of a tradition to the princess. She rises dutifully every morning at the break of dawn to work on her garden. Today happens to be planting day. Steadily, Veta turns the soil over, loosening it before she scoops it out in a neat hole just large enough for her to put her plants in. She started growing the roses in pots, enjoying their beauty each morning when she arose. It is time to let her children go, now, letting them grow freely into the earth that she loves so very much. With a satisfied pat, she plants the last of the flowers, whispering to them, "Grow tall and strong and beautiful."

Rising up, she gathers her skirts about her, brushing off her dirty hands. Her mother and father do not think it is dignified for a young princess such as herself to do a gardener's job, but her love for nature and planting overrides her desire to please her parents. "Apollo!" Veta calls, releasing a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, a rather large, light brown dog comes bounding around the corner, his lips turned up at the sides almost as if he is smiling. "It's time to go wash up," she says, patting him lovingly between the ears. "We wouldn't want to miss breakfast, would we?" Apollo just looks at her with that same near-smiling face that seems to hint at a higher intelligence than dogs are usually accredited with. The duo bounds off, heading back to the large, stone castle that they call home.