The afternoon sun was warm as the young woman tended to the garden. White roses, ripe vegetables, herbs, and sweet fruit were her charges. She hummed a simple tune, pulling the stubborn weeds and plucking the dead growth from the ground. Occasionally, her focus was broken by the gentle sounds of the forest near her cottage though this time, it was the call of her mother. 

"Rosa! Don't forget to bring in the rosemary when you're done!" The elder witch requested. "That Angus has got the aches in his belly again. They'll be by later to pick up a potion. I want to have it done as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mother." Rosa answered, blue eyes looking up to greet the green of her mother's. "Perhaps some peppermint as well?"

Rosa's mother smiled. "Yes, that will do nicely. Don't take too long now. We have supper to prepare." With that, the older woman went back inside the hut. Rosa nodded, turning her attention to the green herbs.

Just as she was picking them, a shiver ran down her back. "How odd..." Rosa thought, pondering how she shivered when it was so warm without even a cloud in sight. She looked around and noticed that even the sounds of the forest had ceased. The young woman stood, brow furrowed as she attempted to sense with her powers anything that could be awry. And awry, something was...

Rosa put the herbs that she had gathered in her basket before venturing out of the garden into the forest. Using her powers, she focused on the new spirit she sensed. The spirit appeared distressed but the overall aura of it was quite powerful. Rosa had never encountered something like this before... 

As she got deeper in the forest, the ground began to rumble and shake with great footsteps and effort. Rosa frowned, hearing the groaning and creaking of old trees. It had been a long while since the tree spirits had been disturbed. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a scream. The young witch quickened her pace into a run until she reached a large clearing created by fallen trees and trodden ground. In the middle of the clearing, a large oak tree appeared to be moving wildly; as if it were caught in a terrible windstorm. But it was not any ordinary tree.

Tree spirits were guardians of the forest. They were vital to protecting the ancient saplings and wood all over the land. Nefarious forces usually went missing due to the surprising speed of the spirits. The tree spirits were also fiercely loyal to their fellow branchy folk, and there was a crippled sapling spirit near the edge of the clearing. It's faint greenish soul was barely hovering above it. A young man with startling white blond hair was attempting to approach the sapling before getting tangled in the resentful tree spirit's roots again. 

His pale face was already spotted with purple bruises and scrapes. The man had grey eyes that met Rosa's briefly as the tree spirit hoisted him up. "O-oh! Help!" He yelped pathetically, flying through the air with another toss of branches. The man landed with a snap and a thump into another thorny bush. He crumpled, arm clearly facing in a painfully, wrong direction. Rosa winced, seeing his broken form. She was called to action when she noticed that the tree spirit was moving in for the final swoop. 

"Wait!!" Rosa called out, rushing forward in front of the massive tree spirit. She stood protectively before the wooden assailant, arms stretched wide. "You can't kill him!" 

The tree spirit paused, the eye knots in the face of the bark squinting pensively at the witch. "Why do you protect a killer, girl?" Its voice creaked. "Look at what it did to the sapling!?"

"He couldn't have done that! Look at the bark!" Rosa protested. During her initial inspection of the scene, she noticed something off about the dying sapling.

"What do you speak of? The bark is normal." The tree groaned, not admitting that it's vision was dimmed with age.

"No, no... The bark has holes! From bugs... The... The beetle! That eats bark?" Rosa countered. "And the sapling was starting to turn!"

The tree spirit turned back to its colleague before what sounded like a gasp shivered some leaves out of its branches. "Not the beetles!'

"I'm sorry about your friend... But I think this man was just trying to help it move on to better pastures. It's soul is hovering just above." Rosa explained softly. "Perhaps your friend will find peace in the fields of Mother Earth?"

A ripple went through the branches and sap leaked out of the gnarled knots. "We spirits of the trees would be honored to grace Gaia's presence again..." It moaned woefully. The tree spirit took a step back, bowing its head in apology before slowly moving on back to the heart of the forest. It passed by the dead sapling, brushing some leaves away from the ground. "Goodbye... Young one... May Gaia grant you new life in a less skittery land." And with that it was gone. Slowly.

Rosa watched the tree spirit depart for a moment before turning to the collapsed man. He had passed out from shock and pain. Rosa frowned. Even though the man seemed malnourished, he was incredibly tall. The young witch sighed and attempted to lift the reaper up from under his shoulders. She started to drag the dead weight, grunting in determination.

It took Rosa some time, but she finally made it back to the village. Her mother had begun to summon a search party since her daughter had disappeared without a word. Seeing Rosa though, she gave a loud gasp of relief. That relief was short-lived when she saw that Rosa was dragging what appeared to be a dead body. "Mother Goddess... Rosa!? What is this??" The witch mother sputtered.

"He was attacked by a tree spirit in the forest! He need healing, Mother!" Rosa quickly explained. "His arm is shattered and then he's bleeding in some areas." Her mother nodded and ordered some of the warlocks to help Rosa with the man and to bring them into her hut. Once inside, they lay him on the spare bed. 

"What do you intend to do, Fiona?" One of the warlocks asked Rosa's mother. 

"Heal him, of course." Fiona reached to take off the man's tunic to examine where the blood was coming from when she saw his belt. "God and Goddess alive!" She gasped before whipping around and looking at her daughter aghast. "Rosa! Do you know what he is?!" 

Rosa furrowed her brow and tilted her head in confusion. "A man? Mother, I don't understand." 

Fiona took the man's belt off and held it up. On the black leather belt, a small urn was hanging. The urn had silver markings on it and a stamp of wax on front that bore a small skull overlaying two scythes. "He is a reaper! You've brought Death to our village!" The elder woman shrieked. The warlocks and few witches that had been standing idle in the hut began muttering worriedly. 

Rosa frowned. "Death or not. This man needed help then and needs help now. How can we call ourselves a coven of healing witches if we turn away those beings that desperately need assistance." She stated sternly, blue eyes looking steely. The young woman could not believe her mother was denying to help someone because of what race he was. The others in the hut murmured, echoing Rosa's sentiment though half-heartedly.  

Fiona's face was solemn but she finally gave a sigh. "You're right... But I still don't trust him. We don't know who he's here for." 

"We'll handle that when he wakes up. For now, we need to heal him." Rosa told her mother firmly. Fiona nodded and sent away the stragglers before ordering her daughter to help her with the task at hand. 

The two witches worked for a few hours; adding salves, mending the broken bones, and whispering healing incantations. When they finished, the reaper was sleeping a little more peacefully. As he did, Rosa took the time to study his face. His pale skin was blotted with bruises and scrapes but she determined that he probably was quite handsome what with those cheek bones and what could be small dimple on his left cheek. Even asleep, he continued to wear a worried, almost anxious expression. Rosa wondered what could be bothering him even as he was asleep. Finally, Fiona pulled her daughter away from their charge as they still had their own business to attend to. "He won't be waking for a while." The elder witch remarked. Rosa nodded and followed her mother out of the room.

The reaper slept for a few days before waking up on a blustery evening. He groaned, his arm still throbbing painfully. Pushing himself up with his one good arm, the reaper looked around at the small room he was in. It was modest but still held some warmth with flowers and trinkets on the side table. He was unfamiliar with such comfort that he couldn't help but relax a little back into the bed he was in. 

Hearing him stir from the other room, Rosa dropped what she was working on to check on her charge. She paused at the door and gave a small knock on the doorframe. "Hello there..." The witch started. The reaper jumped in surprise before sitting back up and facing her.

"Hello... Where am I?" The reaper asked. His voice was deep but had an anxious tone to it. 

"You're in Rósan Geala. A witch village." Rosa explained. "My name is Rosa Whiteheart. What is your name?"

"Barnabus." He replied. "What happened? I remember that tree attacking me."

"You had upset it. The tree spirit thought that you had killed the young sapling." Rosa remarked. "I brought you here and tended to your wounds."

A dark look passed over Barnabus' face as he muttered "Father is trying to get me killed by not giving me any intel." He glanced back up at the witch who was pulling up a chair to sit next to him. "Thank you... You saved my life."

Rosa nodded, wondering what was bothering the reaper. "You're welcome." She paused to pick at a stray thread in her dress nervously. "Are you really a reaper?"

Barnabus frowned slightly. "I am..."

"Are you here to kill one of us?" Rosa asked cautiously, her mother's warnings still fresh in her mind. The reaper blinked in surprise. Did people really think reapers killed people in order to get the souls?

"No... I was just here to collect the soul of the smaller tree spirit. Reapers don't kill things to get the souls. We just wait until they are already dead. Then we get the soul." Barnabus explained in a slightly arrogant tone. 

The witch frowned. "Don't you have scythes though? Aren't those weapons?"

"Yes and no. We use our scythes to sever the connection between the body and the soul. We only use scythes as weapons to battle against our true foe. The Fallen." The reaper related. "We barely even battle now though."

Rosa tilted her head in confusion. She had never heard the term Fallen before. Perhaps her village was isolated from the troubles of the rest of the world. "Fallen? What is that?"

Barnabus blinked. "You've never heard of the Fallen? What about The Great Fallen War?" He questioned. Rosa shook her head, feeling only more confused.

"Fallen are beings that reject everything good and pure in the world. They are rotten from the inside." He remarked. "They are a nasty bunch that can be created from any group of beings. Fallen also have a terrible appetite for souls and flesh." 

Rosa grimaced and made a sound of disgust. "How awful. But you mentioned you barely battle. Isn't that a good thing?" 

"Not really... Our Lord Death doesn't believe the Fallen are a threat even though everyone else does. It is a reaper's job to keep the balance of nature and the Fallen keep throwing it out of wack!" Barnabus huffed. He didn't mention that his father was stubborn and worried only about keeping as much of his power as he could. 

Rosa gave a slow nod before changing the subject. "How is your arm feeling?"

"It is sore. But better I think?" Barnabus replied. 

"I'll bring you some food and tea. That will help give you strength as well." Rosa explained. "Go ahead and lay back down. Get some rest." 

Barnabus nodded before laying back, watching the witch leave to get the food. He was surprised by their conversation but could not believe how easy it was to talk to her. She seemed to have a very calming effect on him despite his frustrations about the Fallen. The reaper sighed, wondering what this new feeling was.

Barnabus and Rosa continued to talk as he healed over the course of a few weeks. With his natural healing abilities finally taking control, he was gaining strength every day. By the third week, he was out of bed, trying to help the women in the garden. Fiona had finally gotten over her initial fears about the reaper, finding that he was quite a respectable young man despite his profession and the nasty scars on his arms. The elder witch was surprised at how quickly her daughter and Barnabus had bonded. Being an expert in magic, she could sense the thread of fate between the two. She only hoped that Barnabus wouldn't get her only daughter in trouble. 

Barnabus found himself feeling quite at peace in the witch village. He didn't feel as depressed and anxious as he did back home at Reaper Headquarters. His father wasn't screaming at him and he wasn't in constant danger of being sent on perilous missions. The only thing he really missed was his best friend Gerald. Hopefully he was still surviving.

The reaper sighed, rubbing his arm a bit. It wasn't as sore but if he over worked it, there was a pang of discomfort. Rosa heard his sigh and paused her pruning of the roses. "Are you okay? Do you need a break?" She asked, worriedly. 

Barnabus gave a slight smile, "I'm fine. Thank you though." He brushed the dirt from his hands as he stood up. "I think I got all the weeds. Is there anything else you need me to do?" 

"You could get some more water? The soil is getting dry and the flowers are starting to wilt." Rosa suggested, turning back to her roses.

"Roger that!" Barnabus gave a mock salute before going to find the bucket and water pump. 

Rosa smiled and shook her head. She was finding that the reaper had a sense of humor and even though some of his jokes were terrible, she found herself laughing at them. 

Barnabus found the bucket and was filling it up at the water pump when he suddenly heard a hushed voice call his name. It couldn't be... "Ger? Is that you?" Barnabus called back. In a flash of silver, a tall and skinny reaper appeared in front of him. His dirty blond hair was disheveled and his grey eyes were surprised and worried. 

"Ger, it is you!" Barnabus exclaimed, a smile crossing his face. "What are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same thing! When you didn't return from your mission, Lord Death sent agents to look for you! We thought you died! They found the soul you were supposed to collect was still there!" Gerald explained. "We finally had to do a scry to find you! Your father is furious!"

Barnabus slumped. He had forgotten about the soul. "I was injured... A tree spirit attacked me. I probably would have died had a witch not saved me." A pit grew in his stomach and his ears burned, imagining the tongue lashing his father was planning. "Gerald... I don't want to go back..." He muttered.

"What?! Come on, mate!" Gerald exclaimed, aghast. "You know you can't stay here!"

Barnabus sighed again before looking up as he heard Rosa behind them. "Barn?" Rosa asked. "What's going on? Who is this?"

Gerald glanced between the two before it finally dawned on him why his friend was so reluctant to go. He stepped up and gave a slight bow of greeting. "Hello ma'am. My name is Gerald Alligood. I'm a reaper who works with Prince Barnabus here." 

Confusion crossed Rosa's face as she looked back at Barnabus. "Prince?"

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "He never said...? His father is Lord Death. Emperor of all the reapers." 

Barnabus grimaced as Rosa's jaw dropped. "I don't like talking about it." He murmured under his breath. "What's the point of it?" 

Rosa barely heard him but frowned slightly. "Barnabus... You could have said something." She sighed. "I don't know why you didn't. But... I understand you are unhappy with your father." The witch looked back to the other reaper. "My name is Rosa Whiteheart. Your friend here was injured so we have been taking care of him. Now state your business." 

"Thanks for taking care of him. But, I'm here to take him back. Barnabus has a duty to his people. He needs to come home." Gerald explained, a little icy since Rosa had been so quick to the point. Barnabus groaned, looking down. He could almost hear his father behind those words. 

Rosa frowned. "Duty aside. He is still in my care. His arm is still healing."

"Sure it is. That's why he's working in a garden." 

There was a cool wind that came through as Rosa's eyes became an icy blue in anger. Her aura was building up and she was ready to show that arrogant reaper that he couldn't just waltz in and be rude. Her thought process was broken though when Barnabus took her hand. "Hey. Rosa... It's okay." He whispered. 

Rosa looked back at him before her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You can't leave... I'll miss you..." 

Barnabus felt a pang in his chest hearing that and pulled her into a hug. "I'll miss you too... I wish I didn't have to leave but my father is a relentless man. He'd never stop until I was back." He explained, as he pulled away. 

Rosa's blue eyes were filling with tears. "Will I ever see you again?" She asked in a heartbroken tone. 

Barnabus wiped a few tears away. "Sure you will. I'll try and visit." He knew that it would be so difficult though... Suddenly, he had an idea. On his index finger, he had a silver ring with an opal skull design on it. He slipped it off, whispered an incantation, and put it on Rosa's finger. Gerald had tried to protest but was silenced by a look from Barnabus. "Anytime you miss me, just look at the ring. But if you ever need me right away, twist it three times. It'll let me know."

Rosa looked at the ring before turning her gaze back up at him. "Promise?"

Barnabus gave a smile, dimple showing in his left cheek. "I promise. And I promise I'll come back to you." 

Rosa hugged him again tightly. "I promise I'll wait for you then." She whispered to him before pulling away. "Please Barn. Be safe. I won't be there to save you." 

Barnabus laughed. "No guarantees but I'll do my best." He kissed her temple before turning around to Gerald. "Alright. Let's go."

Gerald nodded before giving another bow to Rosa. She watched them disappear in a flash of silver before running off to tell her mother what had happened.  

SMACK! THUD! 

Barnabus fell harshly to the marble floor after a brutal blow from his father. He landed on his healing arm and felt it crack. The reaper didn't dare make a cry of pain lest he wanted another blow. He slid to his knees, cheek bright red and stinging. Barnabus then slowly fixed his gaze on his father, Hereweald. 

The elder reaper was tall and skinny too. But his silver hair was turning a dark grey with age and his grey eyes were dark with rage. "You imbecile! How dare you fail at what is such a simple mission? And then you give your scythe away to some tramp?!" Hereweald yelled harshly. "You are a disgrace to our people!"

Barnabus narrowed his eyes. "She isn't a tramp. Rosa saved me! Due to your lack of intel, I almost died!" He spat back angrily. The reaper took another blow from his father. He crumbled down and panted as he could feel his cheek swelling. 

"Only an idiot would need intel to take a soul from a tree!" Hereweald growled. "You should've died. Maybe then we wouldn't have to deal with such a failure as a son."  The elder reaper stood towering over his son. "As punishment for your continued failures... You are taken off of active duty until you prove to me you can handle simple tasks. Like cleaning the main area. Or tending to the entrance. I think so weeds have started growing there. Since you like pulling weeds for a simple woman. You can do it here." 

Barnabus glared at his father but said nothing, choosing to bite his lip so that he wouldn't spit out another response that could land another blow on him. Hereweald huffed and stomped off back to his drawing rooms, Barnabus' mother following behind silently. Barnabus groaned and he struggled to his feet. Staggering out of Lord Death's office, he was met by Gerald who was waiting anxiously for his friend. 

"Gods alive... He really didn't hold back..." Gerald remarked, brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

Barnabus pushed past him with his good shoulder. "What do you think? He rebroke my arm, my face looks like shit, and now I'm taken off of active duty." He growled. "Thanks for bringing me back, friend." 

Gerald frowned. "Hey! No need to be like that! I was following orders too you know!" 

"It's always orders! Do you think just once, you could have ignored them and just let me be!" Barnabus snapped. "I actually felt happy Gerald! Not filled with sadness and the doom that is our profession."

Gerald slumped. "I wanted to... But you know how your father is..." He grabbed Barnabus arm as he was attempting to retreat. "Barnabus..."

Barnabus wrestled his arm painfully out of the other reaper's grasp. "No. Leave me alone. I have work to do and I need to do something about my arm." He hissed before striding away.

Gerald watched him go, chewing his lip. He was hoping that Barnabus had noticed the signs of falling in Lord Death. But it seemed that with the beating, his friend hadn't noticed the amount of danger they were now all in.