The Enchanted Rose (12 page)

We stayed with the seamstress until my wedding dress was long on its way to being complete. The sun, though still hidden behind a wall of clouds, was set when we finally returned to the castle. Had I been out that late on my own, my mother would have scolded me. But because I was with Prince Chavez, she took it as a good sign. Perhaps she expected me to happily leave everything—and everyone—behind now that I had spent the afternoon with the prince. 

Little did she understand how much I still do not want to leave with him, to become his wife, and to walk away from the love and friendship I have with Osric. 

Upon returning to the castle, we are greeted by the guards at the door, and informed that supper awaits us. I can’t pretend to be more than friends with Chavez for another meal in front of Mother and the entire royal court, so I feign a headache and excuse myself. 

Madrid follows after me. Once I am locked inside my room, she corners me. “What is the matter,

Your Highness?” 

“Madrid, we are alone. You do not have to address me so, and you know it.” 

“I am sorry, Roselyn. Please, tell me what the matter is.” 

“Everything.” I sink down to the floor and lean against the wall. “Osric is out there in that storm, trying to fix it. I have no idea if he’s all right, if he made it to their destination. Is he alive? What if he doesn’t figure this out? What if he can’t succeed? Am I fighting this arranged marriage for nothing because in the end, I won’t have Osric anyway?” I think about what I said and realize my mistake.

So many fearful thoughts course through me. What if I never see him again? What if he’s just disappeared, and no one will ever know what happened to him? 

“I’m sorry, Madrid. I know I am also fighting for you and Chavez. I just—” 

“Rose.” Madrid interrupts my apology as she sits beside me. “Do you believe your love is true?” Her question takes me by surprise. 

“Of course.” Though, a sliver of doubt plagues me, because the rose is turning red. Is that just because of the storm, or are we truly not supposed to be together? After all this time, how could that be, though? 

“So, you are in love with Osric, and you want to spend the rest of your forever with him?” 

“He is my everything. Without him, I am not whole. I want to spend the rest of forever with him, and then some.” 

“Then trust yourself. Trust your heart. And most importantly, trust him. If your love is true, nothing can stop it. Not a queen looking for more power, not a magical storm. He needs you to stop this wedding, and you need him to stop the storm. So trust that he will do his part, and don’t worry for or about him. Worry about finding a way to convince your mother that marrying Chavez isn’t right. Find a way to show her how much you love Osric.” Her voice catches on Chavez’s name. 

My heart breaks for her. In a way, she has it worse than anyone else, having to watch me parade around with Chavez, pretending to be in love for the sake of both our kingdoms. 

“I have tried for years to reason with her. Why would she listen to me? She is two days away from getting what she wants most. She won’t change her mind now.” 

“Then don’t change her mind.” Madrid says it so straight forwardly. 

“What do you mean? How else can I stop the wedding?” 

“Have Chavez do it for you.” 

I sit down on the bed, and she sits beside me. 

“How would that work? What could he possibly do that I can’t or haven’t already tried?” 

“Speak with his parents. Perhaps he can reason with them instead. Surely someone around here has to see that this is not a good idea, aside from the four of us caught in the middle.” 

“And what if that doesn’t work?” 

“Take matters into your own hands. You may not be able to convince your mother to change or stop this, and Chavez might not be able to change his parents’ minds, but you already know that you can’t live without Osric. So don’t. Find a way to make your happy ending come true because you can have all the power in the world, but nothing will fill the void of love lost.” 

“If Osric doesn’t succeed, there won’t be any magic left in this world, so power won’t matter,” I state glumly. 

“Love is a power all its own. And it’s the strongest magic there is,” she counters. 

“Do you truly believe Chavez can convince his parents that we aren’t meant to be together?”
“If anyone can, it’s him. Or you.” She smiles. 

“All right, but first, I need to ask a favor of you.” I never got a chance to ask her for help earlier, so I had better do it now before I do not get another chance. 

“Anything, Rose. And you know it.” 

“I need to sneak into Jossa’s quarters. There is more to this marriage than her getting the kingdom to herself. I must know what she is hiding.” 

“What do you need from me?” 

“I need you to keep the prince busy. He cannot know what I am doing, but no doubt, Mother has planned another outing of some sort to force us together.” 

“You know I would love nothing more than to spend time with the prince. But what could I do that wouldn’t cause suspicion? We can’t be seen together without you.” Panic fills her voice. The fear in her eyes says much the same thing. 

“You’re right. Perhaps we can convince the men of the court to go on a hunt tomorrow and take him along. I just need you to find something he can do and or be distracted by long enough for me to have a moment alone in Jossa’s quarters.” 

“There is word going around that the queen is leaving tomorrow on a short journey. Perhaps she will not be here long enough to convince the prince that you two should spend every waking moment together.” 

“The queen is going somewhere tomorrow?” What could she possibly be doing outside the city at a time like this?

“Yes. She didn’t say where, just that she was taking a few guards with her and she will not be back until nightfall.” 

“Go spread the word about the hunt immediately. Convince the servants that it’s true. Tell everyone the king will be going with them in order to get to know his future son-in-law.”

“I thought I was to distract the prince.” 

“No. You’re going to sneak into the queen’s quarters and look for anything that explains her actions and reasonings.” 

“And what will you be doing?” 

“Following the queen.”

As requested, Madrid spread the word about the hunt. It meant there were quite a few very confused and panicked people, but nonetheless, hunting they went. The queen wasn’t pleased with the news either, but she could hardly stop it from happening when most of the men were already on their horses, heading for the forest.

I was ever thankful that the storm let up just enough to make a hunt feasible. If the rain was still pouring, no doubt—no matter how many rumors were spread—the outing would be canceled. 

Jossa is quick to mount her horse and begin her journey. I wait all of ten seconds before following her. With the castle void of the king and queen, Madrid has a fair chance of getting into their quarters to find anything useful to us. 

All the while, I will follow Jossa and see what could be so important to her that she is willing to leave the kingdom one day before the wedding she herself planned. And with only two guards? It also means it’s secret, something she doesn’t want anyone to know about, including the king. Which is all the more reason for me to follow after her. And should Chavez’s parents arrive today with no welcoming party, I can only imagine the tension between families, related or not.

I ride through the forest, avoiding the path but staying close enough to watch the queen’s convoy. They go southwest toward a small village of mostly farmers. The ride seems endless, as I must remain silent and invisible, watching their every movement, on our slow journey. 

By noon, we have slowed the pace. Jossa seems to be searching for something in the woods, which worries me as it will be harder to follow her through there, so I keep more distance. The sky is dark, and I am grateful the sun isn’t beating down on me, but I still worry about Osric. 

Finally, Jossa seems satisfied and continues on. The small village is most likely nameless because the homes are so scattered, it hardly counts. Field after field proves that following Jossa through the forest is impossible, as it has ended. 

I stay farther behind and walk the horse slower to avoid detection. When the queen finally turns down a small lane leading to a cottage, I leave my horse behind and continue on foot. 

I make my way through the maze of corn and bushes and stand out of sight, but within earshot of the small house. Jossa has always had a demanding and controlling—not to mention, loud—voice, so her words are very clear to me. 

“We need to speak.” Her tone catches me off guard. I did not expect to hear her be menacing. 

“Yo—your Majesty, of course. Please, come in,” an older man replies, his voice shaking. 

“Where is Brenna?” the queen demands. 

“L—let me get her.” All is silent for a few moments before I hear shuffling. 

“Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise.” The woman’s voice is deeper than I thought it would be, but beautiful.

“Do not take me for a fool. I demand to know who you’ve told about our deal.” Jossa sounds beyond upset. She’s livid. 

I want to part the leaves and take a peek at the scene, but I do not dare for fear I would be heard, seen, caught, and then have to face the already very angry queen. So instead, I squat down and listen. 

“Your Majesty, you paid us for our silence. We assure you, we would not break that promise. We have spoken of this to no one.” If there is one thing I know, getting defensive with the queen is never a good idea. I fear for this couple’s lives. 

“The princess is about to be married and sent to live in Elna with her husband. I need to be sure that you cannot speak of this to anyone.” My curiosity gets the best of me. I part the branches just enough to peek through. The first thing I notice is Brenna. Her cheekbones are high. She is thin and appears frail, though she can’t be much older than Jossa. Her blonde hair is pulled tight into a bun, but a few strands have loosened and fall around her face. “If the truth were found out, it would not only bring down her kingdom, but mine.” The way Jossa speaks has me genuinely concerned. What could these people possibly know that could bring down two kingdoms? 

“I am sorry for all your troubles, but as I said, I have to be sure you can speak of this to no one.” Jossa draws a sword from her cloak. 

Brenna shrieks. “Your Majesty, we assure you, we have told no one and never
will
tell anyone. Please, do not do this.” She holds her hands before her, as if they are a shield. 

“I believe you, because I have come to ensure it.” With that, she strikes the woman with the blade before twisting the sword around and piercing her heart. The man stumbles as he tries to catch the woman, but it is too late for him to do anything. Jossa quickly does the same to him.  

The last thing I hear is a moan of pain escaping his lips before two lifeless bodies are left in the doorway of the cottage. I can’t hold in the contents of my stomach any longer. I let go of the twigs and leaves I was holding on to and turn around to vomit. 

Could they have witnessed the queen doing something awful? What did they know that warranted their death because I was about to get married? 

And even worse, they died for nothing because I will not be marrying Chavez. I retch again until there is nothing left in me and all I can do is dry heave. Not only did I just witness a double murder, but the murderer is my own mother.