Of Blood and Roses

Chapter 5

Several hours later, we reached the roads of Roche. I only knew this due to the change of sound outside the carriage, the bustle of traffic around us growing steadier. Voices carried outside the carriage.

Back home in Rosailles when I had passed through Verenice, people had gathered to see me off. There had been cheers and music and merrymaking;  a festival held in my honor. The reception in Roche upon my arrival was  very different.

"You leeches! Keep raising taxes and we'll have nothing left to give you. Here, take this too! I know you'll come looking for it soon enough anyway," yelled a belligerent voice from beyond the carriage. A moment later, something smacked against the wall beside me. I jumped, but Jourdon barely even flinched, his lips twitching slightly.

A scuffle broke out, a soldier detaining the angry man.

"Marrying a witch!" Another voice called out, a woman. "Spineless idiots. What have those angel-loving bitches ever done for us? Killed our fathers--our sons! I will never support her!"

More voices chimed in. More anger. Some were frustrated over high taxes. Others yelled about the poor year they'd had, some of the mines drying up, and less work available. But most yelled about me.

"That red-haired bitch wears the blood of our families!"

"She should be hunted and killed, like the good old days!"

"She should be locked in our prison, not sitting out throne!"

More anger. More frustration. I could sense the crowd growing restless. I swallowed, tying my fingers in knots in my lap. I knew I had my soldiers out there but...

I looked up at Jourdon, his lips curled as he gazed back at me. There was a darkness to his eyes...

If his people came after me, would he stop them?

Just as the tension of the crowd teetered on the verge of a breaking point, the ground beneath the carriage smoothed out. The sounds of the angry crowd faded, but its effects lingered.

My stomach churned with nerves. I should have expected a certain level of dissent upon my arrival. I had never expected everyone to love me. I knew this was an enemy kingdom. But the vitriol... the rage.

There was an unrestrained edge to Garnette's people that went deeper than just my arrival. It had built steadily over the years. It was only a matter of time until it burst through the seams and created something much more dangerous. And now I was the perfect target for all of their ire.

I swallowed and tried to calm myself, looking anywhere but at Jourdon, fearing what else I would find in his expression. I knew Darren was out there, somewhere, and took in a  deep, placating breath as I prepared myself to see the Roche Palace.  At least I was not completely alone.

The carriage came to a stop, and the soldiers started calling out orders,  men quickly moving to start unpacking their mounts. I could hear the Garnetti palace guards directing my new arrivals where to go. The door to the carriage opened to reveal Jourdon's footman.

Jourdon moved out the door first, turning to me. He seems to think for a moment, before holding out a hand to me. Maybe it was a show for the people I could hear outside, but I  accepted it. But his hesitation still weighed on me. This wasn't going to be easy.

I had thought meeting Jourdon would be the next step toward peace, but today I learned that peace was still something not quite in reach. Winning over Jourdon would be the first step. Once I had him in my corner, maybe he could help me convince the people.

His hand was calloused and rough, scratching against my gloves. He pulled me out of the carriage, and the gathered courtiers and servants feasted their eyes on me, like a gathered group of feral birds. Behind them, I glimpsed the  Roche Palace for the first time.