Queens

Ros

"It seems to me that you've been avoiding my company these past few days Princess Roselyn. You still owe me a picnic do you not?" Prince Dane had been very prominent company the weeks before she had spoken to Merlin, but now that she and Merlin had agreed to speak once more she was growing tired of his returning presence in her day to day life.

Merlin had begun working as her servant once more, and she was glad that they could carry on common conversations now. Her father seemed to be less on edge now that Arthur had returned, and had freed her of the guard chaperones.

"My brother has returned. I no longer need to care for the citizens in the kingdom, he has taken to my rounds to comfort them in these times. It calms the kingdom to know that their prince has returned." She avoided answering his question right away, and she knew that he would throw it back at her in a few minutes anyway but she didn't mind. Merlin was talking nonchalantly with the servant of Prince Dane, and every now and again she would catch his gaze on her, only to have him turn away with a slight blush.

"That wasn't answering my question Ros, why is it that the moment your brother returns, you push me away? I think that we were getting rather close and I may have even been beginning to tear away at that wall you've put up," Dane went on, rambling his thought process out loud. "I'm almost sure that another week or two, I would've convinced you that your heart is taken with me and persuaded you to come back to my kingdom with me less than a week after-"

"Prince Dane, highness, I appreciate your advances but if I'm being honest, I don't think that I would suit you well as a wife," she uttered blatantly. "We are much too different and I-"

"Sorry to interrupt Princess Ros, but King Uther requests your presence. It's an urgent matter." Ros turned her head to see one of her fathers personal guards standing about a foot away. He took her by surprise, she hadn't seen or heard him approach which was rather strange considering he was dressed in full armor.

"My father?"

"Yes your highness." She turned back towards Dane and curtsied, praying that he wouldn't start yet another conflict with her father. It already seemed that she was in enough trouble nowadays. Without giving the prince another moment to speak, she was ushered away by the guards. It seemed that her father wanted her to go straight to the throne room without delay, and she was not about to push her luck.

There had been a plethora of commotion within the castle walls since her brother's return, and she had yet to sneak a few moments with him herself. He had been requested by her father and sent out among the townspeople, then to the armory, and on plenty of other duties that he had missed while he was away finding Ana. Ana. How was she? There was no news of her from her brother, and Arthur had taken Merlin on many of his duties as well so she had been left in the dark in the matter of Ana's whereabouts. Ros was unsure if she was still within the kingdom at all.

Her footsteps were drowned out by the babble of sergeants and knights and the people of the castle as she made her way down the halls towards the throne room, but she made it to the large doors in due time. They had already been pulled ajar and the knights that stood guard nodded at her as she passed by them. Her father was standing up on the pedestal by the throne with Arthur lower on the steps in front of him kneeling. Ur her was speaking in hushed tones to his son, which peaked Ros' interest. What were they speaking of that Uther did not think it wise for her to hear?

As she approached them she one again curtsied, deeper this time, for her father. Her eyes were down at the floor until she heard him address her.

"What took you so long?" He didn't sound in the best of moods, and when she lifted her head to look at Uther he had dark circles unter his eyes.

"My apologies father. I was accompanied by Prince Dane and had to properly excuse myself from his company." She folded her hands and held them near her bodice, trying her best to stand tall. She knew her father did not like it when she would slouch.  Her eyes darted to Arthur, who also had a exhausted expression on his face. He caught her gaze and offered the slightest of smiles.

"Yes good. I need you to step up with the foreign prince, the treaty between our kingdoms would open new trade and bring prosperity to the kingdom, don't ruin this."

"Yes father."

"Also, Roselyn you will be traveling with Arthur around the kingdom in the coming weeks to ease the people. His disappearance has made them uneasy, and they seem to have taken a liking to you for whatever ungodly reason." Uther steppes down to the same level his children were on and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. Roselyn made a mental note to ask him about it once Uther had left. Uther pulled away from her brother and turned towards her now, this time bringing his lips to her own ear. "The Prince will not be accompanying you this time, however I think we can both agree that a marriage between you two would be whats best not only for the kingdom, but for your dear servants as well." Uther drew out the word 'servants' like venom and her heart nearly stopped. Does he know?