Roselena
The kingdom of Dhernon was known to be a lawless place. A place of indulgence and evil, where anything was allowed, but as I looked around at the people arriving at the ball, all I saw were normal appearing people. All of them were dressed to the nines and were obviously very wealthy, but evil wasn't the first word that came to mind. Indulgent maybe.
Then again, my father always said that evil wasn't always dressed in black. Sometimes it was wrapped in beauty.
I watched from the small balcony of the master bedroom of the Ruby Palace, where the ball would be held. I tried to keep my mind off the fact that I would soon be meeting the Queen of Dhernon. The same one who fostered such rumors of Dhernon had to be conniving and unpleasant, right? I was imagining the female version of King Rovan but ten times worse.
King Rovan was cold and unpredictable, but he at least had some semblance of self control. Though... Even his self control was a thinly veiled rage and madness at times. One moment he was fighting the temptation to swing the sword on his friend, and the next, he was looking at me like a wounded animal, telling me to keep my literacy a secret.
This morning, for example, when I arrived at his bedroom door, I could hear the sound of arguing and shattering glass. My hands shook as I reached up to knock, but the guards quickly shifted their pointy staffs to block my hand.
The King has ordered us to keep everyone out, including you, Miss.
I was secretly relieved. I already had the doom of serving the Queen of Dhernon upon her arrival and serving an unreadable, easily angered man who had a propensity for blood... that would've sent me over the edge.
My nerves grew weaker and weaker by the day. I was always around the king, making sure I didn't make the wrong move or say the wrong thing, and at night I often spent it, searching for the Most High's instructions. I had yet to know what I was doing here.
What's worse... As I grew antsier and antsier, I longed to have a sheet of paper or a scroll to sketch or journal on. That was my only escape back home, and now, even that was taken from me. Still, I was grateful I was alive to see another day. I might not be able to say the same once I meet the Queen.
I returned to the room, scanning the grand bed imbued with the scent of petals and vanilla. Sheets of deep red velvet lavishly adorned the bed, and red roses were stuffed into vases all around the room. All the red made me feel antsy, but I only had to endure until the end of the coronation.
Small flapping wings descended into the room, drawing my attention to the bed once more. A small black bird looked up at me with innocent eyes and curious gaze. The thought that it might poop on the covers dawned at me, and I gently neared it.
Most High, help me...
I took a step forward and just as I was about to try and catch it, the door opened.
"She's here." Katari said in a grave tone. I nodded as I turned back to the bed to find it open without any evidence of the bird having been there. With the anxiety I felt of meeting the famous Dark Queen — whom Adelia and I spent many days blaspheming — I chose to ignore it and follow Katar into the hall.
We were on the second floor of a less grandiose palace than the main castle where a ball would be held to begin the King's coronation celebration. One night of celebration today at the Queen's sudden request, and a morning coronation in the throne room located in the commons palace near the base of the mountain the palace was built into. It was easier for common people to access when necessary, and it held a library the Bermillian people were always welcome to visit. An unconditionally built palace called for unconventional functionality.
Even more surprising was that each palace was connected by a tunnel system built into the mountain with yet even more stairs. It was only used by guards, but it often made me wonder where it all led to and whether it'd be a good escape plan.
I often thought of this at night, but now I was far too wound up to actually focus. As we neared the lip of the exit of the stairs, I kept fidgeting with my hair and my apron. I suppose I made it obvious because Katar stopped me at the side of the exit of the palace.
I was disturbed for a second as I watched the same woman who constantly chewed me out for the smallest of things smile at me out of the kindness of her heart.
"Remember what we spoke about?" She asked, reaching out to brush back a stray hair with her fingers.
I nodded, "Curtsy and don't stand straight until she says so-"
"And always smile politely to anything she says or asks. Try not to speak to her too much." She finished as she reached down to straighten my apron.
I watched her fret over me and frowned, "Why are you being so nice to me right now?"
She glanced up at me, the sun shining in her eyes at just the right angle. My stomach flipped in home-sickness as I realized she and my brother had similar green eyes.
"I'm hard on you because you've never done this before and you can't afford to make a mistake. But today it seemed like you needed comfort." She squeezed my arm gently. "You won't fail today. No matter how mad she turns out to be."
I nodded and blinked away the urge to cry. This was the first time since my kidnapping that I was shown any unconditional kindness, and it overwhelmed me.
Katar narrowed her eyes, "Why are you–"
"You remind me of my mom." I told her looking up, trying to dry the water gathering in my eyes.
I missed the strange look crossing her face as I blinked away my tears. She waited until I regained my composure to nudge me forward.
"Come, the King and his secretary have arrived."
I took the steps down to the stone floor after her. The steps led to an expansive circle with a fountain at its center, and the King had just landed on Blue. As always Blue looked gallant and beautiful in her secured, leather saddle. Today though, she wore thin chainmail over her head just above her eyes. It sparkled under the sunlight and made her look even more magical.
Drawing my eyes away from Blue, I met eyes with the King, who was swinging his leg over the side so he could hop off of the bird. He landed on his pristine looking boots and reached up to fix his carefully fixed hair.
I was too busy scanning his clean shaven face to notice him approaching Katar and me. His jawline was defined without his usual growing beard shrouding it in mystery, and his usual wavy hair was slicked back and to the side, sharpening all of his features. It made him look older and younger in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on.
My eyes trailed down his neck to his clothes.
The expensive fabric was fitted and firm against his body in a midnight blue shade with gold embroidery at its edges. His black cavalier shoulder cape was elegantly made of fine fur. He looked like what I thought a King should look like, and it made me stare a bit too long.
He cleared his throat and nodded to me as I broke from my stupor, realizing I had been staring at him quite obviously. I lowered my gaze and curtsied in greeting. I nodded to Sir Joaquim as I straightened.
He smiled encouragingly at Katar and I, asking, "You remember what we spoke about, yes?"
I nodded as Katar recited our instructions, " Wait on her hand and foot. Don't look into her eyes for more than a minute, and minimize time alone with her."
Sir Joaquim grinned at her, "Have I ever told you that you're my favorite?"
She only nodded at his compliment. Then he turned to me as I fidgeted with my hands in my lap, "This is especially important for you, Miss Roselena. The queen may try to engage you in conversation because you exclusively only serve the king. You must give answers that don't reveal too much, but that don't seem evasive."
I glanced at the King who stood with his hand on the hilt of the sword and nervously nodded. My voice was quiet as I asked, "Any idea on how to do that? I'm not good at evasion."
King Rovan finally spoke, "Just tell a surface level truth. If she asks what I've been up to, say you don't understand what I do so it would be hard to answer. Something like that."
But I did understand what he did all day. That would be a lie, and though I'd lied many times, I was never quite gifted at it, and I always got caught.
King Rovan looked at me with a heavy gaze as if testing me. I nodded obediently, deciding that surface level truths were the best course of action. I wasn't clever enough to do anything else like Adelia. She was always the clever one, and if we ever did get caught for something, it was my fault. She was smarter and more suited for these types of things, but I... All I did was read, work, cook, and journal. All of my life.
King Rovan's gaze began to make my skin crawl, but Sir Joaquim interrupted him by telling us to stand in formation.
I stood the farthest from the King who stood at the front of our line up. Katar's hands were folded before her next to me, and I squeezed mine tightly behind me.
Then the large Avostha glided down gently and landed with a saddle full of cargo. It looked exhausted and in need of rest with a young man and a tall, elegant woman sat behind him.
He made a face as he hopped off and held out his hand toward her.
She didn't take it. She instead hopped off on her own, her dress fluttering up on her legs a bit as she landed in tall heeled shoes. When she neared us, I caught sight of her unnatural beauty. She seemed to radiate it as if it were nothing of effort. Long, dark, wavy hair, and deep red lips. Fair, impeccable skin, and beautiful gray eyes.
She stood still as we bowed and curtsied. She held us in that position until she finally spoke, "You may rise."
When we rose, she had a kind smile on her face as she appraised each of us, starting at my end of the line. Her eyes lingered on King Rovan far longer than the rest of us.
"What a warm welcome. How kind." She spoke sweetly as she stepped forward and touched Sir Joaquim's shoulder.
He didn't react as he smiled and gestured toward Katar and me, "This is our head maid and Miss Roselena, the best personal attendant on the premises."
Her eyes jumped over Katar and straight to me. She tilted her head curiously and smiled once more. She smiled a lot.
"I've heard a lot about you." She held her hand up and a moment passed before a small black bird flew and landed on her finger. She smiled at it as I realized that little bird was the same bird that stared at me on the bed.
She petted the bird affectionately, "I look forward to spending time with you."
Then she turned to the others, "Now, I believe Rovan and I have a lot to speak about."
Katar and Sir Joaquim nodded and turned to leave like robots. Meanwhile, I followed her as she held her hand out to Rovan. He looked at it for a second before taking it and escorting her. I followed closely behind at his side out of habit only to see her glance at me with a raised brow.
I quickly changed sides and lowered my gaze.
"It's a beautiful land, is it not? You'll probably get snow here." She noted.
He nodded, "It's quite lovely. I wouldn't know about the snow."
"Roselena, would you say there's a lot of snowfall in the winter?"
I glanced up and saw neither of them were looking at me. Clearing my throat, I said, "It depends on where you are. I've never spent a winter in the city, so I wouldn't know, your Majesty."
She sighed, "We'll see, I suppose."
This conversation was awkward and tense, and we had barely reached the stairs leading up to the second floor. I wasn't sure how much more I could stand of this conversation.
"How's king-dom treating you, my dear?" She asked.
"It's quite befitting. I'm enjoying it." He smiled in self-satisfaction.
She smiled, "I knew it. To think, you were only seventeen when I first laid eyes on you. You were absolutely adorable then, but you've certainly grown."
"And you haven't aged a day." He said it flatteringly. If I wasn't so nervous, I would have made a face.
She smiled, "You know how to flatter. Though I suppose it is time for you to consider marriage, isn't it?"
"My queen, you aren't married. Why should you expect that from me?"
She smiled and shrugged, "Like I once told you, I knew your father and your grandfather before that. I am very interested in seeing you continue the bloodline, but if you desire to do so out of wedlock, just choose a woman and impregnate her. It doesn't matter to me. Marriage is just a construct anyway."
Such words coming out of such a seemingly sweet woman was appalling. It made my stomach boil, and my face pale.
King Rovan merely waved the idea off, "Having children at this point is unwise. There are still many kingdoms to conquer."
She laughed sweetly, "How do you expect to conquer more kingdoms when you can barely control the people you're ruling over now? I've seen the list of citizens, and there are many missing."
King Rovan didn't flinch as he stopped a few stairs below her, "I'm sorry to disappoint, your majesty. I'll do better."
She gazed at him from the top of the stairs and touched his cheek gently, "I'll forgive you once you have a child."
His fists clenched, and I couldn't see his face from this angle. He didn't say anything though. My gaze moved from him to her, and I felt like a deer caught in the path of a hunter when the queen's gaze centered on mine. I quickly looked away.
She merely smiled at me like an innocent goddess as she spoke again, "I quite like your personal attendant. She would give you a beautiful son."
This made my hands tingle from the nerves deep inside my bones to the top of my head.
He scoffed loudly, "Leave the girl alone. You can't expect the son of a king to be born of a commoner like her. She's barely even palatable."
Relief and hurt registered in my bones. Echos of teenage boys comparing me to Adelia sifted through my head.
Roselena is a lovely person, but I would much prefer Adelia. She's easier on the eyes.
I'd have to agree. Roselena is too thin like a spider. Imagine trying to bed her? Just bones and flesh like a corpse.
Those were among the nicest words they said. A lot of them were sexually degrading on Adelia, and a lot of them commented on my less than likable looks at the time. One boy even went as far as saying I looked like I was dying like my mother.
I tried to forget them, especially since I knew I had since gained weight and looked a bit like my mother in her youth, but sometimes, they were all I thought about, especially when my father accepted Bellfire's request to court me. Having a boy who participated in such talk about me and Adelia was barely tolerable. It didn't help that he was kind to me, which made me feel like I was an awful twit for not reciprocating his feelings.
But now... To hear those less than complimentary words, "barely palatable" during a time when I thought I may be even a little bit pretty. It was discouraging, and it made me feel awful.
I kept my eyes low, a lump in my throat.
The queen's next words were unbothered, "If that's your preference..."
We continued on toward her room, and she paused to look at me in front of Rovan who swallowed. She seemed to size me up.
"Don't let his words discourage you. Someone's trash is another's gold is what they say." Her words were double edged as they fell from her smirking lips. I looked up from my gaze on the ground, and I looked straight into her eyes.
She was making fun of me. All the unkind words I'd learned from Adelia bubbled up inside me in frustration and humiliation as I stared at her. I doubted I was doing a good job of hiding my displeasure as I plastered a smile on my face.
"Thank you for your words. I've a lot to learn from you." I said, mimicking her sweet tone.
Her eyes flashed for a second as she smiled, "You're welcome."
Then she turned and went into the room, "Roselena, dear, please wait outside. Rovan and I have a big adult conversation to have that little girls like you shouldn't hear."
I curtsied and moved to stand beside the door, shielding my resentful expression by turning my face to the side. King Rovan obviously stared at me as he walked past but I kept my eyes trained to my right. My adrenaline had me in a high as he closed the door behind him, but it crashed low just as fast.
I bit my lip and pressed my hand to my chest. So many years of working on my self esteem went down the drain with only a few words from people I didn't even like. I felt like a pathetic fifteen year old all over again, and I hated it.
Shifting my gaze onto the open windows, I peered at the greenery outside, wishing I could escape from my awful reality.