The Clockwork Rose by Redirov on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

In the heart of the bustling metropolis of Cogsworth, where steam wafts through the air and gears churn the rhythm of life, there existed a legend—whispered in the corners of the smoke-filled taverns and sung by the street poets—about a mysterious figure known only as the Clockwork Rose.

The Clockwork Rose was no ordinary woman. With flowing, fiery orange hair that blazed like the embers of a sunset and piercing blue eyes that seemed to peer into the very soul, she possessed an aura that was at once serene and commanding. She roamed the labyrinthine alleys of Cogsworth, enveloped by a swirling vortex of mechanical gears and vibrant roses that bloomed in her wake, an enchanting spectacle that drew the eyes of all who beheld her.

The origins of the Clockwork Rose were as enigmatic as her presence. Some said she was the creation of the reclusive inventor, Old Man Tinker, who, in his quest to blend the beauty of nature with the precision of machinery, crafted a daughter from copper and vines. Others believed she was a goddess from an ancient realm, sent to Cogsworth to remind its clockwork-hearted citizens of the wild magic of the natural world they had forsaken in their pursuit of progress.

Whatever her true nature, the Clockwork Rose had a purpose that went beyond mere spectacle. She was the keeper of time, not just in the literal sense of the ticking, tocking, and clicking that accompanied her every movement, but in preserving the moments that truly mattered. She appeared at crossroads and turning points, her presence a signal of impending change or a momentous decision.

One chilly autumn evening, as the copper leaves crunched underfoot and the setting sun bathed the city in gold, a young tinkerer named Eli stumbled upon the Clockwork Rose standing silent in the square. Her gears whispered secrets, and her roses swayed, casting enchanting patterns in the air.

“Why do you follow me?” Eli asked, his voice a mix of wonder and fear.

“I follow no one,” the Clockwork Rose replied, her voice melodious, yet as firm as steel. “But I appear where change is needed. Tonight, Eli, the gears of fate are turning for you.”

Eli, whose inventions had failed to catch the eyes of the Guildmasters time and again, felt a stir of hope. “What change do you speak of?”

“Look not to the gears of approval, but to the garden of your own making,” she advised, gesturing to the mechanical rose she plucked from the air and handed to him. “Your worth isn’t measured by the ticks of approval but by the blooms of your ingenuity.”

With those words, the Clockwork Rose faded into the night, leaving behind a trail of petals and possibilities. Energized by her words, Eli returned to his workshop, his mind afire with ideas that blended flora and metal in ways the city had never seen.

Years later, Eli's inventions would transform Cogsworth, but the tale of the Clockwork Rose lived on, a reminder of the delicate dance between time and nature, between the mechanical and the magical, forever interwoven in the heart of the city and its people.

Written by AI

The "pay off" of the story is somewhat flimsy in my opinion but I love the concepts it's playing with.