Of Blood and Roses

Chapter 9

I answered my door later that day. When I saw the Marquise I did my best to hide a frown before I remembered she was there to give me a tour of the palace. She was dressed as grandly as she had been last night, trading in her deep emerald robes for shades of jade and gold.

The first part went smoothly. Though the Marquise remained polite, there was a tenseness to her movements as she walked me around the hallways. I floated along beside her, in awe as I took in the walls full of beautiful art depicting heroic kings and regal queens surrounded by jewels and battle. Each art piece was framed in walls made of mahogany with rich, ebony finishes. Though I was not used to the dark decor, I could not deny it was lovely.

"And this here is the throne room," she said indicating a set of closed double doors, where a set of dark-clad Garnetti guards stood outside, tall ceremonial golden spears held in front of them. She nodded to them and they stepped aside in perfect unison. A servant approached the doors, swinging them open for us. It was not a large room, similar to my mother's back in Verenice. But that was where the similarities stopped.

 A single ornate golden throne sat at its center, shining garnets and diamonds encrusted within it, flourished by swirling decorative gold. It had a plush looking red cushion, with seats for the rest of the royal family lined up on either side of it. The roof was made up of beautiful golden beams, framing the ceiling like a gilded rib-cage. At middle of the dome was the largest garnet stone I had ever seen. It appeared to swirl with life, like a beating heart, filled with the life of all the past kings or Garnette.  Around it were paintings of noble Garnetti warriors, each weapon encrusted with red garnets where the blood would have been.

The images left a chill down my spine, reminding me of that same, open, vulnerable feeling I had experienced during dinner last night. Like the warriors were watching me, waiting for me to slip up, so they could stab me in the back.

I knew I was being silly. The king's choice in entertainment had been in poor taste, but that did not mean they wanted me dead. They had bargained for peace just as Rosailles had, after all. They needed this treaty as well, as it would open up trade with Rosailles which would benefit them as much as it would benefit Rosailles. I had seen its countryside and I knew their geography. Half covered in frozen land most of the year, Garnette's resources were limited. Their mines may have supplied a near-endless supply of gems and jewels, but the stones, no matter how precious, wouldn't fill the hungry stomachs of its people. The years of war had taken their toll.

The Marquise followed my gaze. "It is called the Garnet Room, after our sacred stone."

Never had I seen so much of the blood-red stone. But it was visible in every turn of Garnette's palace, much like how roses were in Rosailles. I had also heard of the beautiful Pearl Palace of Perle, which rose up over the sea, and the beautiful Crystal walls of Cristaney—its gates made up entirely of crystal spikes. There was plenty of this world I had not seen.

That I may never see.

"It's beautiful," I said, genuinely impressed.

When I looked back at the Marquise, I caught her staring at the right-hand seat to the king. The place of honor reserved for the Queen. Her gaze was distant, as if caught somewhere in the past. After a pause, she smiled thinly. "Well, one day it will all be yours as well, Princess. It is best that you get used to it."

After the Garnet Room, we continued to several other rooms of the palace. A room filled with green emeralds, and another one dedicated to sapphires. Lastly, the Marquise brought me to the Pearl Room, the one dedicated to the queen. We were allowed in, discovering a brightly lit room made up of opalescent painted shells and pearls spreading across the wall. It was as if I had been transported to Perle by simply walking into the room. A few servants flitted past us to a woman sitting on one of the many ornate chairs. I immediately curtsied, the Marquise following at my side.

"That is alright, you may stand," said a soft, slightly accented voice, the 'r' rolling off her tongue.. I looked up at the Queen. There was no denying her frailty, her arms were thin and her face gaunt, but that did not change that her beauty had remained with her even through her illness. I recognized the golden blonde color of her hair, which was met with sun-kissed skin, faint freckles a memory of her years in her homeland. Her eyes were the same color as Jourdon's, a soft brown, and sharply angled, indicating she had some northern Perle heritage. She smiled openly at us, waving a hand to the seats in the room.

"Had I known you would be bringing the princess here today, I would have prepared something more, Etienne. Please have a seat. You two must have tea with me."

The Marquise paused, frowning at the Queen. "I am giving the Princess a tour currently; I fear we do not have much time."

The Queen waved away the Marquise's concerns. "Please, I feel terrible for not being there yesterday. Let me properly introduce myself." She tried to stand, but it took great effort, a servant running to her side to help her.

"Oh please," I said. It was clear she was not yet fully recovered. "Please stay seated. It is my duty to introduce myself first." I gave her another curtsey, looking up to see her smiling at me as she allowed the servant to settle her back in her chair. "Princess Ophelia Giselle Rosiers. Please look after me, Your Majesty."

She shook her head. "My, my. I remember your mother coming to visit our Court once and being in awe of her beauty. To think I would get to see another Roserian Rose in my lifetime. Though we do not worship the same Angels as you in Perle, seeing your magic before my eyes always makes me question it." She studied me, but not unkindly. "Queen Carissa Anne Otto-Laurient, now of Garnette."

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

Queen Carissa shifted more comfortably in her chair and nodded to me.

"The honor is mine, Princess Ophelia."

Beside me the Marquise curtsied, her head tilting forward with more respect than I had expected considering how she had sat next to the King last night. I was not sure what the relationship was between the two women, but I got the sense it was complicated. I studied the Marquise carefully, trying to decide what Sabine would have to say about her. The regal woman sat somewhere along a grey line, and I had a hard time deciding if she was a friend or foe.

"If we may, I still have much to show the Princess."

"Very well, you are excused." The queen smiled, not unkindly. There was a slight sadness to her eyes. "Hopefully I can get to know you better. Now off with you, I know you have a busy day."