The clouds rumbled furiously in anticipation of the storm that loomed.
Much like the enraged heavens, Rose stomped the halls of the mountainous palace she shared with her dear husband.
The journey to her destination only took her an eternity but her determination never once withered.
"Ma'am, I beg, slow your pace. The floor has just seen the cloth. His Highness won't be very pleased if anything were to happen to you."
Martha pleaded with her noblewoman as she ran hastily behind her.
She treasured her duty desperately and she feared the likelihood of any incident that might cause harm to the lady.
The Prince would lose it if anything happened to his future Queen.
"Has he gone yet?"
Rose's heart fell to the pits of her stomach at the thought of her husband leaving without saying goodbye.
"I doubt it would be ill-intended ma'am."
Martha attempted to calm the lady down but Rose sped up her pace.
The Princess's mind ran a marathon. She could not believe what was about to happen.
She understood her husband had duties he needed to fulfill but she didn't understand what duty his recent act would be good for.
When she finally arrived where his carriage was being prepared, it was clear to her he truly wasn't planning on announcing his leave.
Her eyes glistened with tears as she stared at the man who owned her heart preparing to leave her. He was going to a place he promised her he would never return to.
Her heart felt dense against her chest. She didn't like the image that stood before her.
Prince Edward stood idly on the side when his wife appeared. He felt his heart beat a mile a minute at her sight.
"I have to, my love. I know you don't understand why but they are my family."
Edward spoke softly to his wife, as if she were a rare jewel. To him she was.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt her but he knew she would never understand. That was why he'd planned his trip without informing her.
He didn't want his relationship with his wife to be at odds right before leaving the kingdom for an indefinite period.
He was going to return to her soon enough and they would talk through whatever they needed to, maybe even fight through it... as long as it would be after he returned.
"They have done nothing but conspire against us. They wish me dead and you will still run to them when they write."
Rose knew that even though her husband hadn't spoken to his family since their last scheme, he still missed them and wanted them to be present at the coronation.
"She is sick. My mother is sick."
His voice carried frustration.
Why did she not understand?
"She is imperfect in every way possible, and maybe she's a terrible mother too, but she gave birth to me and she is sick.
My love, you don't understand the unconditional love between a mother and child, and for that, I am sorry, truly. But my mother needs me.
I know she hasn't been the most agreeable to you but she's still my mother and I will always be there for her, no matter what."
Rose's eyes were not glistening anymore, they rained tears of blood and deep pain.
Perhaps it was because he was right, she didn't know the love between a mother and child. But she did know when her husband was being naive. She'd been with him long enough to notice the switch happen.
She'd seen him turn from husband to son a few many times, and those were very different people.
The letter's arrival was too convenient. It had come a mere few months before the coronation. His family clearly wanted to do their last bidding before he became king. And he was falling for it because deep down, he still missed them.
She felt for him but she didn't know if she could handle it anymore.
"I cannot believe it. After everything they've done... not just to me, to us - you're just going to run after them?
They expect you to. They know your heart and they're playing with its strings... and you're just letting them.
I cannot stop you. You're our future ruler, you do as you please. So... have a safe journey, your royal highness."
After curtsying to the Prince, Rose turned around to leave, without sparing him another glare. Martha followed suit.
It was all too familiar to her, they'd certainly been there before and the outcome was consistent.
They hadn't heard from his family for a while that time around but Rose knew the rules stayed the same.
His family cared not about his well-being, they cared about the crown, and there was nothing they weren't prepared to do to keep it.
The two women walked quietly back to the royal chambers where Martha prepared a bath for the broken-hearted Princess.
She needn't be told. She knew Rose all too well.
As the future Queen sat in the tub filled with warm water, she couldn't help but think of the time before they got married.
When she didn't even know he was the infamous Prince that had run away.
To her, he was a troubled boy who was always involved in some kind of fight with the locals. She found him on the side of the road bleeding after being attacked.
She nursed not only his physical form but his bruised heart back to health.
Edward had lost all hope until he set his eyes on his beautiful Rose. Suddenly he wasn't a useless second son to the king anymore, her was hers... wholeheartedly.
They didn't have much but they had each other.
When he asked for her hand in marriage, she'd been joyful beyond measure. She never knew that someone could see all her broken parts and still love her anyway. She was sure she would die alone, her own parents didn't even want her.
She later found out he'd proposed because he didn't want to be separated from her.
When his brother died, Edward knew the knights were going to come looking for him and he feared, more than anything, losing the one person who gave him hope.
He'd rushed the wedding to happen and when they finally found him, the pair was a packaged deal.
She'd been upset he'd lied to her at first, but after meeting his family, she understood why he'd run away and wanted nothing to do with them.
But even then, Rose could tell that her husband still longed for his family's approval.
She feared that no matter what, they were always going to have the upper hand. She feared that they won that time around because they had him right where they wanted him - away from her.
After being notified that all was ready for his travel, Edward stared up at the window of the chambers he shared with his wife.
The pain in her eyes was evident and he hated being the person that was responsible for it.
He knew he couldn't make her see his point of view if he tried.
She never had anyone in her life so it was always easier for her to walk away when things got hard.
He looked forward to when they would eventually have kids of their own. Then she would know of the familial bond and how unbreakable it was.
He got in the carriage and was soon on his way to see his ill mother.
------------
Days passed, weeks too.
She got sick every day.
She'd wondered if something had happened along his journey, she'd hoped desperately that wasn't the case.
She missed him, she forgave him.
It didn't matter that they didn't part on the best terms. He was her husband and she wanted him to return.
She needed him to return.
After what felt like an eternity, he did.
Rose stared out the window as multiple carriages emerged from a distance. She was sure there were only three carriages when he left.
The carriages that had triple the amount of knights on horses accompanying them drew closer to the castle.
Rose didn't understand what was happening so she went downstairs to see for herself when they arrived.
She saw several servants with wardrobe cases enter through the door, accompanied by the castle's staff who assisted them with where they needed to go.
She hid behind a wall as a few more people made it inside the palace.
She noted a few familiar faces enter through the large door.
Her heart sank when she saw Edward's mother as well as the Queen; his late brother's wife, enter through the door too.
As she was still trying to process what was going on, an unknown figure appeared behind Edward's family.
Her perfectly knitted gown clung to her body desperately. Her neck and ears shined with the finest of jewels.
She looked to be of noble blood but Rose had surely never met her in any of the royal events she'd been forced to attend.
Trailing behind the unknown beaut was non-other than her husband. The two seemed to be familiar with each other, as if they'd known one another their whole lives.
Something about the image rubbed her the wrong way, she couldn't explain what it was.
He seemed to be chatting her up about the palace's architecture as they both looked around the interior while he pointed out objects to her.
Rose watched the two laugh at what she assumed was a joke made only between them since no one else appeared to be laughing.
And as Edward smiled brightly with the noble lady, his eyes accidentally landed on that of his wife who still hid behind the wall by the staircase, his smile immediately dropped.
The two stared at each other for a short while before Rose finally disappeared.
Martha who was helping the newly arrived set up their belongings witnessed the whole thing.
She too didn't know what was going on but she knew why her Highness was upset.
When she was first introduced to the future Queen, Rose had been in ruins... at least that was how the other royals described her.
She hadn't any jewels and her gown was hardly a gown at all.
They'd made fun of her. Martha had heard them speak about how she wasn't fit to be Queen and how she wasn't going to last a week in the royal house.
When she did last, however, they did everything in their power to get rid of her.
As far as Martha was concerned, Rose had every right to be displeased with their arrival.
After helping out where she was needed, Martha made her way to the Princess's chambers with a fruit platter in hand.
When she entered, she found her quietly sitting on a chair looking through the window.
Her mind seemed to be elsewhere but she did take note of Martha's presence when she came in through the door.
"I have nowhere to go."
The Princess simply said to her.
If they'd really won, then they were likely going to tell her to leave. Most people had at least one person they could count on. She'd initially had the church she grew up in but they'd disowned her when she pursued a man instead of becoming a nun.
And then she had her husband, but that didn't quite seem like it was an option anymore.
Martha put the fruit platter in front of the Princess and sat quietly on the chair opposite hers while Rose continued to speak.
"They got to him. I don't know how but they did. I could see it on his face... the guilt."
She felt numb.
"Ma'am, Prince Edward is not just Prince Edward. He is your husband, your best friend. Before concluding the worst, give him a chance to explain himself."
Through the many years of being a servant to the royals, Martha had never known a future King who loved his wife quite like Edward loved his.
The two reminded her of the bond she'd shared with her late husband. So pure and eternal. They'd been through a great deal together yet they still remained impenetrable.
She understood what Rose was going through but she felt she needed to remind her who she married.
"He loves you. Maybe hold on to that a little longer?"
Rose's eyes softened at Martha's words.
She was right. Her husband was right too.
She ran away when things got hard. Back then it felt like it was the only thing she could do. Nobody had her best interest at heart, not really - so she had to protect herself otherwise nobody would.
She ran, every single time. That was how she survived.
Until she ran into the arms of someone who became her home. Someone who made her feel safe and promised her she would never have to run anymore.
That was the man who claimed her heart. The man she was married to... and she wasn't going to give up on that man.
"There's a dinner in a few minutes. I'll say you're not feeling well. But speak to your husband when you can, okay?"
Rose smiled at Martha. She truly didn't know what she would do if she didn't have her around.
"Thank you, Martha."
The last thing she wanted was to sit at a table with people who'd made it their personal mission to make her life a living hell.
She knew she would have to greet her in-laws eventually but she needed to take the evening off to process their sudden arrival.
Martha smiled at the younger lady before leaving to relay the message to the Prince.
Hours passed and Rose finally decided to follow through with Martha's advice.
She was going to speak to her husband.
It had been much later in the evening and she was surprised he still hadn't checked up on her, or even bothered to say hello, but as she'd walked through the massive halls, she decided she wasn't going to jump to any conclusions.
She continued walking, not sure where exactly she was going but she'd planned to start with his office chambers.
The princess stopped in her tracks when she saw her husband's butler, Eric, standing outside bedroom quarters that were much further from the one she shared with her husband.
She walked closer to him, knowing that her husband was likely somewhere in the vicinity. He wouldn't be doing his job if he let the future King out of his sight.
Eric looked at the Princess in what seemed to be terror before stepping in front of her, blocking her from entering the room.
He respected the lady, of course, but he respected his master more.
Rose, however, gave Eric one deadly glare, causing him to get out of her way instantly.
When she entered the chambers, she was surprised to see a few servants readying the room.
She looked on in confusion before figuring they'd been preparing it for one of the guests. She couldn't explain why Eric was standing outside but she reminded herself she wasn't making any assumptions.
However, her heart's pace increased when she saw her husband's clothes in the wardrobe cases that were laid open on the floor.
They were clothes from his travel. But why were they not in the chambers they shared? The ones she'd been waiting patiently in for him.
"My love."
His voice sounded like he'd just been convicted of murder.
He scanned her physical form, remembering that Martha had said she wasn't feeling well.
"Are you okay? Martha said you...-"
"I'm fine."
Rose turned around to look at her husband, not understanding any of the day's events. And to top it all, he wasn't even going to sleep in their bed chambers?
Was a trip to see his family all it took for their marriage to end?
She knew she'd been upset with him when he left but she didn't think he would want to leave her because of it.
"What is going on?"
Her voice broke. She didn't know if she was ready to hear whatever he had to say.
Edward asked all the servants to give them space and then led his wife to sit on the chamber's lounge. He then took a long breath to prepare himself for his reveal.
"When I got to Shepherds Bay, I found out that we... our marriage wasn't... legitimate. We got the minister to sign but we needed the court and the high church's approval.
I never really bothered to know any of the royal rules, and that's my fault. I wasn't ever going to be King so it didn't matter. I thought just taking you to a minister would mean you would be my Queen after the coronation.
It wasn't a big thing when I was just the Prince, but now that I'm going to be king, we have to follow the books.
And... I have to get married to someone else."
Rose looked at her husband in shock.
"What do you mean you have to get married to someone else? I don't understand. We can still fix it, right? Fix our marriage. It'll be ok, my love."
She suddenly felt scared. The thought of losing her best friend terrified her.
"It's not that simple. Plus, it's already too late."
His eyes shined with unreleased tears.
"That woman you were with earlier, is she?"
"Yes."
Her breath felt heavy.
"Do you know her? I mean, why her?"
"She's... pregnant with my child."