KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Knocking on a door so weather-beaten that it swang open at the ratatat of The King's balled fist. "H-hello. Please come in quietly: our son is sleeping and I can't bear for him to wake. " Rosa muttered, bowing her head in honour.
"Perhaps you have somewhere we could take a seat and talk in private. " The King murmured.
Rosa hovered near the cramped hallway hesitantly "Come in," she offered, gesturing to the small front room. The King glimpsed a baby, eerily similar to his own, sleeping peacefully in his crudely carved crib.
The King sank down in a creaky armchair and his wife perched hesitantly on a wooden chest. "Would you care for some bread - fresh out of the oven?" Rosa asked, glancing at the King.
"Sorry, we aren't particularly hungry..." He glanced to his wife with hollowed-out eyes and worried at the sight of her sunken cheeks and pinched nose. The royal baby slept on without realizing that he was the reason for this visit. He didn't realize his crooked, ruined features meant he had to be left behind and swapped for someone else...
There was a moment of silence before John said, with a trace of impatience, "Well, why are you here?"
Rosa's blue eyes widened. "Don't be so rude," she hissed quietly, though John's face remained hard and impassive. The King looked down, before meeting Rosa's calm eyes. "No, no, it's quite alright. I understand," he said. "We're here because of our son and - and about yours."
"What about ours?" John watched The King cautiously, his dark eyes stormy.
The King shifted "Our son is... different." The King sighed before continuing. "We're here, to-"
"Swap children." The Queen was silent up until this point. "Our child for yours."
There was a moment of silence as Rosa and John took in the Queen's words. "Come again?" John suddenly snarled. "Are you mad?"
"I am perfectly sane. I am simply obeying royal law. If a child (born of royal blood) is born deformed - even with a single mark wrong - then it must be exchanged for another by law."
Rosa froze, her face filled with horror, and started rocking herself: "You want our baby? You want to take our beautiful son?"
John's face contorted with rage and the tips of his ears burned red. "YOU WANT MY SON? THE SON I RAISED? THE SON I CREATED? WHAT KIND OF A MONSTER ARE YOU?" John abruptly stood up and stormed to the hallway, suddenly quiet. Rosa knew her husband. She knew he was seething with anger and bubbling up inside. John bent over and looked down at his son, suddenly emotional. "You are the most beautiful thing to have happened to me. You are a miracle. A little miracle, Ju. And even if we aren't together, you will always be in my heart. Always. We'll never stop loving you.". Rosa had crept up and stood behind him, sensing the importance of these last moments. "We really love you, Ju." She hushed, curling into her husband. Julian shook his tiny fist and babbled, "MaMa." He had said his first word and now, he was leaving.
The King coughed. "In exchange, you may have our son. Of course, we will also pay you for your kindness."