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HelpRumpelstiltskin - Finished
in reply to a message by britto08
UN: Starshelle
King: Robert Lucian III (31)
Queen: Rosabel (19)
-DPrincess1: Junia "Juniper" Catherine (2)
-DPrince1: Robert "Robin" Lucian IV (nb)
Tale: Rumpelstiltskin
Rosabel's heart ached as she saw her husband so blatantly ignore their daughter. Junia's eyes, gray like her father's, would light up at the sight of him, but the king would rarely hold her and never hugged or kissed her.
"It's not fair," the queen lamented to her favorite servant, Millie. "I know he wants a son, but that doesn't mean he should neglect and ignore his daughter and love her less."
Millie sighs, "Aye, I agree, your highness, but that is the way of things. Perhaps he'll be more warm to her once you do have son."
"Most likely he'll ignore her even more, but instead Juniper will be extra hurt and jealous when she sees how much more attention her baby brother gets."
"You can't know for certain, my lady. That might not be the case."
"Well, I hope you're right Millie."
"In the meantime we'll give Juniper as much love an affection as possible to make up for it." The dark blond haired servant and her pox scarred face smiled in the way that always endeared her to Rosabel. The queen often felt better after talking to Millie. Between her and the king's personal physician, Malachi, who had a warm grandfatherly kindness about him, she managed to make it through her loveless marriage with the king of Camoria with her sanity intact.
Lately her mind could not help but compare her father to her daughter's father, and her hatred for her own father began to soften. Her father had lied about her being able to spin straw into gold, and King Robert, well known for his harshness and greed, locked her in a tower, demanding she spin the straw into gold and if she failed, she'd be executed. She had little choice then but to accept the help this little short man who did have the ability to spin the straw into gold. He made her promise to give him her firstborn child in return.
Watching little Junia playing with a puppy, surrounded by lilacs whose sweet scent filled the air of the castle's garden, Rosabel shuddered at the memory. Thank goodness that messenger—Eduard wasn't it his name?— overheard that little man singing about how his name was Rumpelstiltskin! I couldn't have gone on living without my Juniper.
Her anger at her father for getting her mired in this situation had gone unabated until recently. She later learned that he had in fact attended her royal wedding but kept his distance from everyone, in part because he knew how mad she was with him, and probably because he felt hopelessly out of place—a simple miller among the most wealthy of nobles and royalty. King Robert granted him piece of rich farmland outside the capital city of Gordian, and though not a farmer himself, he was bestowed with enough from the royal treasury to hire the people who could.
Recently, she received an invitation to her father's wedding. He was remarrying someone, a young duchess. Apparently being the father of the queen had made him a suitable marriage prospect despite his commoner birth, at least for the youngest of five daughters that Duke Florian had.
Despite his propensity to drink too much and tell ridiculous lies, her father, the queen mused, he wasn't a truly terrible father to her. He certainly loved her dearly and unlike King Robert he never hesitated to hug and kiss her. Some days after dinner he'd even play with her. A fan of card games, he took great delight in teaching her how to play various games with him and his buddies. His other male friends found it delightfully amusing to see a young girl like herself play a mean hand of poker.
Of course, most girls would not be permitted to learn such things. Her mother surely would have forbidden it, but she died, along with her sister Juniper and her two little brothers in the terrible plague that went through kingdom many years ago. As her father's only surviving child, she meant the world to him, and he had begged, she later learned, with the king to reconsider.
Malachi told her about this plea: "My king, please do not punish my daughter for the foolish lie told by her father. She's all that I have, and if you must take a life, then I beg you to execute me in her stead."
How could he have possibly known that the king would have taken such a silly lie so seriously? In the end, it all did work out all right. While King Robert was not a kind and loving husband to her, she did now at least have a life of luxury and a beautiful, darling daughter. However, she still carried the fear that someday he would ask her to spin more straw into gold.
What would happen then? Would he still execute her? She was a very popular, beloved queen of the people, and all the other nobles she had met since then seemed quite charmed and taken by her too. Perhaps that would protect her, surely? Oh, how she longed to be in a marriage where she didn't fear her husband, but one where love was mutual!
Her daydreams would often turn to the cobbler's son whom she knew in her youth, who had a crush on her and would stammer as he spoke to her. As younger kids they enjoyed playing by the brook looking under rocks, trying to catch weird looking bugs, lizards, or frogs. One time they had seen a snake, and though likely it wasn't poisonous, the two children screeched and ran away, their hearts thumping wildly when they finally came to a rest under a large oak tree. It was then that the normally shy boy found the courage to give her their first kiss.
I would have been happier married to him, but then I wouldn't have Juniper, so I should stop dwelling on the past and be happy with what I do have, the queen resolved silently.
Later that day, the queen had one of her other servants, Louisa, compose her acceptance to her father's invitation. Like most common born women, Rosabel was never taught write, though she had managed to learn to read some, it was still a difficult and slow process for her. King Robert declined to accompany her, explaining bluntly that he had "more important matters to attend to." He demanded that she return the day after the wedding, but she pleaded and he relented, allowing her to spend four days there instead.
With the letter sealed, the servant offered to take the letter to one of the royal messengers, and on impulse she asked her which one it would likely be.
"Oh that route would be Eduard's, your Grace."
Eduard, the young, handsome man with curly black hair who had brought her Rumpelstiltskin's name. She had thanked him with a gold sapphire bracelet and begged him to keep silent about what he heard Since then she had seen him a few times, and he always smiled at her, in a similarly bashful way the cobbler's son used to with her. Occasionally she found herself daydreaming of him instead, but she tried to repress those thoughts as they could only lead to trouble. She was determined not to do anything that could hurt or endanger her daughter.
So why did she tell the servant to bring Eduard to her? She used the excuse that she had some special delivery instructions for him, but the truth was she just wanted to see him and thank him again. Yes, she told herself, that is all. No male was permitted to enter the queen's chambers unescorted, so the servant that fetched him listened. She'd have to choose her words carefully as she didn't trust this one as much as she would have Millie.
Louisa was the daughter of one of the many royal bastard's King Robert II sired during his 50 year reign and has the auburn hair commonly found in the royal family, including the current king. His son, Robert III, did not partake in the promiscuous activities his father was known for though. Before Rosabel became queen, she'd hear people joke all the time in the streets that it was a shame the current King Robert refused to get laid as much as his father did, as maybe it'd help him not to be have such a stiff hard ass.
Carefully, cognizant that Louisa is listening to every word, the queen speaks to Eduard formally as he knelt before her.
"Sir, thank you for coming at my request. You assisted me two years ago in finding out an important piece of information, and I have not forgotten that and am still grateful."
"Your highness, it was my honor to be able to assist you." Rosabel must focus on maintaining her demeanor, but the very sound of his voice made her want to swoon.
"You have an interesting accent, sir. Where do you hail from if I may so inquire?"
He blushed slightly but answered with a confident smile. "I come from the Garland mountains located in the province farthest east from here."
"Oh, I have heard they are spectacular. I would love to arrange a visit there someday to see them myself."
"Your grace, I know I speak for everyone when I say we would be more than honored by your visit."
"If you would not mind indulging my curiosity, what brings you so far from home?"
"Alas, the beauty of those lands does not lend itself well for those who do not desire to make a living by any other means than mining, so I came here hoping for more opportunities, and I found them. Your Grace, I am more than grateful to have been given the chance to serve the royal family as a messenger."
"We thank you for your exemplary service. I wish for you to deliver this letter to my father. He plans to remarry, and I will be traveling to his estate to attend the wedding. I could not, however, due to the rules of formality, declare as openly as I would have liked in my letter how much I love him and miss him, and that I have forgiven him for the wrongs he has committed. I am looking forward to seeing him again, and I cannot wait for him to meet his granddaughter for the first time. Her name is formally Junia, but I call her Juniper after my dear sister who died as a child. I think he'll take comfort in that knowledge until I see him in a few months. You will convey these things to him, will you not?"
"Your highness, I will do gladly. Is there anything else I may do for you?"
Oh how she longed to give him another answer than, "No" but she shook her head and dismissed him. As he left Louisa looked at her with a smirk.
"Garlanders have the most fetching accents, don't they, your highness?"
Rosabel cannot help but laugh at her boldness. "I'm not sure how fetching I find it, but it is quite different than ours. Have you ever been to the province?"
She shakes her head. "No, my grace."
"Ah, well if I am able to arrange the trip someday, you would be welcome to accompany me."
Louisa, Rosabel always got the impression, didn't really care for the queen. The daughter of a royal bastard, she seemed almost insulted that a mere commoner was raised to the rank of queen which she had to serve. Rosabel always treated her kindly though despite her occasional impetuous behavior. She seemed to brighten at the queen's offer and curtsied.
A couple of months later, they were packed and ready to go her father's wedding. Holding her daughter, she entered the king's study.
"My husband, we're about to depart. Junia wanted to give you a kiss good-bye."
The king put down his quill and gave them his usual annoyed look.
"Why? You will be gone for only four days."
"Dada kiss!" Junia squealed and squirmed in her mother's arms. She hadn't crawled for long and learned to walk early.
"Please indulge us; it will only take a moment then we'll be gone."
She let Junia run over to her husband, who sighed reluctantly as he lifted her onto his lap and grimaced with disgust when Junia gives her a sloppy kiss with saliva that stuck to his beard. He immediately reached for a handkerchief to wipe it off.
"Bye, bye Dada!" Junia told him cheerily.
"Yes, well, uh, good-bye." He gives her an awkward pat on the head and stood up, removing her from her lap. "Now, go back and mind your mother while you are gone. I will not hear of you misbehaving."
"Might you give your lady wife a farewell kiss as well? I shall miss you." Rosabel smiled to him. Deep down she still hoped that he might eventually soften and come to love her, and so she tried.
However, the king scrutinized her coldly with cynical eyes. He spoke to her in his infamously frightening, intimidating voice.
"You lie. Do not lie to me, my wife. I do not take kindly to that as you may recall. I know you're eager to be gone from here, so go."
Rosabel fought back tears, scooped her daughter up and hurried out the room.
---------------------------------------
"Rosie!" Her father greeted her with such joy and hugged her fiercely, kissing her on each cheek. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you and that you have forgiven me." Tears welled in his brown eyes. He did not have any gray hairs yet unlike her husband who had started to grow them, but much of his blond hair had receded, and he definitely had put on some weight since she last saw him.
"You're looking more and more like your mother everyday." He reached out his hand to touch her brown hair and then his eyes turned downward and he gasped.
"And this must be our little Juniper."
Rosabel could not stop smiling. She hadn't felt so loved and happy in a long time. Her father picked Junia up and swung her up into the air, tossing her up. Junia lets out a peel of laughter as he caught her and hugged her securely in his arms.
"What a darling, darling little girl. You named her well. She does remind me of your sister."
"Junie, this is your Grandpa. Can you say 'Hi Grandpa'?"
"Hi, hi Gapa!" The little girl attempted to do as her mother said. She basked in his attention.
He chuckled with delight and ruffled his fingers through her hair. "It's so hard to believe what has happened. My daughter, the Queen of Camoria, and me soon to be Duke John. Duke. I am not ever going to used to that title." Normally in Camoria if the woman married beneath her status, she had to take the lower title or give hers up altogether. However, Duke Florian had no sons to carry on his line, so marrying one of his daughters to a man willing to take on his house's name instead of his own was beneficial for both parties.
If the Duchess Marguerite was unhappy about marrying a plump commoner old enough to be her father, she didn't show it outwardly. She greeted Rosabel and Junia with friendly cheer. Her bubbly personality immediately made Rosabel like her, and she and was quite eager to exchange the latest court gossip with the queen.
Soon time came to retire to bed; the wedding ceremony would take place in the morning. Rosabel kissed her daughter good night and closed the door. Millie slept in a bed near Junia to tend to her at night if needed. The queen's room was adjoining, so she would be nearby if the queen needed to summon her, which Rosabel usually did with a bell. Both Junia and Millie were exhausted having been traveling all day and soon they were fast asleep.
Rosabel on the other hand was still energized by the wonderful reunion she had had with her father. She changed her into her nightgown, glad to shed the restrictive dress and sat by her mirror humming softly as she ran her brush through her long, dark hair.
In the mirror's reflection, she caught some movement behind her and froze. Some instinct told her it wasn't Millie or Junia and for a moment her heart beat rapidly in terror. Some intruder had sneaked into her room! Then she heard his lovely, familiar, accented voice.
"You are so beautiful, my queen."
"Eduard!" She let out a gasp of surprise and stood up, her hairbrush dropping to the floor forgotten. "You-you shouldn't here. How did you get in?"
He smiled and beckoned her over to the side of her bed, and lifts up the bed covers.
"Look under the bed, there's a door trap door that leads until a secret tunnel used as an emergency escape 100 years ago during the civil war. The passageway's exit had long since been blocked off and part of the tunnel caved in and all it was all but forgotten except by an elderly servant who told me about it. When you sent me here a couple of months ago to deliver your father's message, I overheard him tell the servants which rooms he wanted prepared for your stay. I then called in some favors so I could take some time off work and to clear it secretly."
"But, but why?" the queen looked at him in shock. A sinking feeling in her stomach told her that he wanted to do more than just talk with her tonight.
Eduard appeared surprised at her question. "Why I thought you wanted to be with me. Am I wrong your highness? I've seen the way you've looked at me, and how you've made excuses to see me. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since the day you embraced and kissed me after I told you that strange little man's name."
Queen Rosabel's face flushed with embarrassment. She shouldn't have done that; it had been grossly improper of her, but she had been so sick with worry and fear about losing her daughter, that she gotten carried away in her joyful relief.
"Eduard, it's not that I wouldn't like to be with you, but it's not possible! I'm the queen of Camoria. My husband is King Robert Lucian III, Robert the Merciless I hear some call him. Just having this conversation with you endangers both our lives."
"Look, I know it's not without risk, but that's why I waited until you were outside the palace grounds to see you privately. There's far too many eyes and ears in the castle, but not here. I took every possible precaution; no one will know."
"And if I were to give birth to a black haired child when my hair is brown and my husband's hair auburn. How would I explain that then?"
His blue eyes sparkled, "I even thought of that. Did you not know that King Robert's grandfather was also called Robert the Black? He had a mane of the darkest black hair and beard; he was famous for it."
"Yes," Rosabel conceded, "This is true." Slowly her resolve chipped away. She had fantasized about being with Eduard, and now here she had a the remarkable chance to make that fantasy come true. His eyes gazed at her with passion and adulation that her soul had been yearning for years.
"You realize, Eduard, that nothing more will ever come of this relationship when I leave here. When I return to the palace, we must never be alone together and avoid each other. When you do come to deliver a message, you should deliver it to one of my servants and if we do cross paths, we should only treat each other formally as queen and messenger and nothing more."
"Of course, I will do all of that, so no one will even suspect. I know you are worried, and I am too, but we each only have one life to live. Is it not better to taste pleasure at least once, than it is to go without and never know but always wonder?"
Am I really considering this? The queen looked at him uncertainly. She never imagined this young man would be so bold, but here he was, and she could not deny that she wanted him. Still, all the recriminations she had heard when growing up about the evilness of adulterous women and how they deserved of death ran through her head. Past queens have been beheaded or exiled over such accusations, and she doubted King Robert would grant her the latter option. Doing this, giving into her longings and lust, would be wrong, a terrible action for her to do. She couldn't do it. She opens her mouth to tell Eduard that she cannot after all, but then he kisses her.
Never before had she experienced such a passionate, deep kiss, one that she returned with equal fervor. She wrapped her arms around him and all doubts and worries temporarily melted away as she felt his tongue dance with hers. Soon he was kissing her neck, then her breasts. Working his way downward, he introduced her to previously unfathomable pleasures. Where Robert was rough, unsentimental and quick, Eduard was slow and tender as though savoring every moment, working his way slowly and carefully to bring them both to a climax.
The dreadful risk they were taking did not entirely leave her mind though. Even in the height of passion, she managed to strangle her cries of ecstasy into softer moans. Finally, they rested together catching their breaths. His fingers gently stroked her hair as he gazed lovingly at her.
"My queen, words cannot describe how beautiful and wonderful you are."
"Please, do not refer to me as your queen, at least not while you are here in this way. In this room, I am simply your Rosabel, a common miller's daughter. Outside though I am your queen though and would never entertain such an improper thought, so please, I beg do not forget that."
"Of course I will not. I am rather fond of my head and have no desire to have your husband remove it from me. You needn't fear, my lovely Rose."
She sighed dreamily, "Then I shall not."
But after he had disappeared down the secret tunnel, worry was what assailed her, worry and guilt. How could she have so recklessly endangered her life and by extension her daughter's? Not that she thought King Robert would physically harm Junia over her mother's grave transgression, but once a woman was named an adulteress, suspicion would be cast on the legitimacy of all her children. Junia could have her titles, all her bright future as a princess stripped away from her. What sort of life would she have without her mother to love her? Rosabel knows her father would take her in and raise her, but the scandal could similarly affect the soon to be duke by association.
She donned her nightgown again, and sat by the window looking out at the night sky, and the stars shining like distant diamonds. Please, gods, forgive me for what I have done. I promise when I return home, I'll resume being the ever dutiful, loyal wife of King Robert, but if you can find it in your hearts to grant me this small reprieve without word of it ever getting out, I promise to never again to stray. All her life Rosabel had always tried to be good and never wished harm on anyone and hoped perhaps that would count for something. Nobody, after all, can be good all the time, can they?
Their final night together, Eduard produced the gold sapphire bracelet Rosabel had given him.
"I want you to have this back. I couldn't bear to sell it like you told me to, but I had something engraved for you inside.
She squinted her eyes by the candlelight, but the swirly loops and lines have no meaning to her, and she admitted with some embarrassment that she never learned to read such fancy script very well.
"Oh, it says: Never forget you are the fairest of roses.
Tears come to her eyes. "Eduard, you didn't have to do this. You are too kind." She kissed him again, and the kiss lingered on as long as they could let it before they parted.
"I should go." He said finally with great reluctance.
"Eduard, I do so regret that I did not arrange to stay longer. I'm going to miss you so much."
He grabbed her hands and squeezed them.
"We could run away. Junia is just in the next room. Grab her, and we could go."
"Go? Go where? Oh Eduard, you are such a romantic, and so am I to an extent, but I have to think of my daughter, and the life on the run could not be the sort of life I would want her to have. Robert would be furious and would not ever rest until we were found. I broke my vows to be with you, but for these nights and these nights only."
"I know, and in these last few minutes, you are my Rose, a beautiful daughter of a simple miller, but when I leave tonight, from then on you are once again the Queen of Camoria, and I but a simple messenger."
He took her in his arms one last time, and kissed her softly. Angrily, she wiped away her tears that annoyingly blurred her vision, so she could take in every last detail of his face. With a sad smile he turned away and crawled under the bed. She could hear him open the trapdoor then close it.
Oddly enough though she began to feel at peace. As much as dearly already began to miss Eduard, she had been preparing for it to end, and once it had, determination to go forward set in.
I shall not dwell on what I cannot ever have again. I have been given a gift, a chance to experience true love, and I'm grateful for that gift, but now I must return to my duties and derive my happiness in seeing my daughter grow and flourish into the lovely young woman I know she'll be someday.
That night she slept soundly as she ever had before and the next day she and Junia said their fond farewells to her father and set out for home.
--------------
A month later the kingdom was abuzz with rumors that the queen was pregnant again and later that year, the streets were wild with celebration that a son had been born to the royal family. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the line of succession was secured.
"I heard from my friend whose has cousin who knows a royal guard who has seen the baby. He has tuft of black hair just like his great-grandfather, Robert the Black!" A serving girl at a local tavern told Eduard one day.
"You don't say?" He laughed so hard that the girl and others nearby started to give him peculiar looks.
"I think you've had too much to drink. You should go home, Ed."
"Bah, just one more, Jess." He tossed the coin to her. Taking the ale into his hand, he silently gave a toast to Rosabel and their son.
King: Robert Lucian III (31)
Queen: Rosabel (19)
-DPrincess1: Junia "Juniper" Catherine (2)
-DPrince1: Robert "Robin" Lucian IV (nb)
Tale: Rumpelstiltskin
Rosabel's heart ached as she saw her husband so blatantly ignore their daughter. Junia's eyes, gray like her father's, would light up at the sight of him, but the king would rarely hold her and never hugged or kissed her.
"It's not fair," the queen lamented to her favorite servant, Millie. "I know he wants a son, but that doesn't mean he should neglect and ignore his daughter and love her less."
Millie sighs, "Aye, I agree, your highness, but that is the way of things. Perhaps he'll be more warm to her once you do have son."
"Most likely he'll ignore her even more, but instead Juniper will be extra hurt and jealous when she sees how much more attention her baby brother gets."
"You can't know for certain, my lady. That might not be the case."
"Well, I hope you're right Millie."
"In the meantime we'll give Juniper as much love an affection as possible to make up for it." The dark blond haired servant and her pox scarred face smiled in the way that always endeared her to Rosabel. The queen often felt better after talking to Millie. Between her and the king's personal physician, Malachi, who had a warm grandfatherly kindness about him, she managed to make it through her loveless marriage with the king of Camoria with her sanity intact.
Lately her mind could not help but compare her father to her daughter's father, and her hatred for her own father began to soften. Her father had lied about her being able to spin straw into gold, and King Robert, well known for his harshness and greed, locked her in a tower, demanding she spin the straw into gold and if she failed, she'd be executed. She had little choice then but to accept the help this little short man who did have the ability to spin the straw into gold. He made her promise to give him her firstborn child in return.
Watching little Junia playing with a puppy, surrounded by lilacs whose sweet scent filled the air of the castle's garden, Rosabel shuddered at the memory. Thank goodness that messenger—Eduard wasn't it his name?— overheard that little man singing about how his name was Rumpelstiltskin! I couldn't have gone on living without my Juniper.
Her anger at her father for getting her mired in this situation had gone unabated until recently. She later learned that he had in fact attended her royal wedding but kept his distance from everyone, in part because he knew how mad she was with him, and probably because he felt hopelessly out of place—a simple miller among the most wealthy of nobles and royalty. King Robert granted him piece of rich farmland outside the capital city of Gordian, and though not a farmer himself, he was bestowed with enough from the royal treasury to hire the people who could.
Recently, she received an invitation to her father's wedding. He was remarrying someone, a young duchess. Apparently being the father of the queen had made him a suitable marriage prospect despite his commoner birth, at least for the youngest of five daughters that Duke Florian had.
Despite his propensity to drink too much and tell ridiculous lies, her father, the queen mused, he wasn't a truly terrible father to her. He certainly loved her dearly and unlike King Robert he never hesitated to hug and kiss her. Some days after dinner he'd even play with her. A fan of card games, he took great delight in teaching her how to play various games with him and his buddies. His other male friends found it delightfully amusing to see a young girl like herself play a mean hand of poker.
Of course, most girls would not be permitted to learn such things. Her mother surely would have forbidden it, but she died, along with her sister Juniper and her two little brothers in the terrible plague that went through kingdom many years ago. As her father's only surviving child, she meant the world to him, and he had begged, she later learned, with the king to reconsider.
Malachi told her about this plea: "My king, please do not punish my daughter for the foolish lie told by her father. She's all that I have, and if you must take a life, then I beg you to execute me in her stead."
How could he have possibly known that the king would have taken such a silly lie so seriously? In the end, it all did work out all right. While King Robert was not a kind and loving husband to her, she did now at least have a life of luxury and a beautiful, darling daughter. However, she still carried the fear that someday he would ask her to spin more straw into gold.
What would happen then? Would he still execute her? She was a very popular, beloved queen of the people, and all the other nobles she had met since then seemed quite charmed and taken by her too. Perhaps that would protect her, surely? Oh, how she longed to be in a marriage where she didn't fear her husband, but one where love was mutual!
Her daydreams would often turn to the cobbler's son whom she knew in her youth, who had a crush on her and would stammer as he spoke to her. As younger kids they enjoyed playing by the brook looking under rocks, trying to catch weird looking bugs, lizards, or frogs. One time they had seen a snake, and though likely it wasn't poisonous, the two children screeched and ran away, their hearts thumping wildly when they finally came to a rest under a large oak tree. It was then that the normally shy boy found the courage to give her their first kiss.
I would have been happier married to him, but then I wouldn't have Juniper, so I should stop dwelling on the past and be happy with what I do have, the queen resolved silently.
Later that day, the queen had one of her other servants, Louisa, compose her acceptance to her father's invitation. Like most common born women, Rosabel was never taught write, though she had managed to learn to read some, it was still a difficult and slow process for her. King Robert declined to accompany her, explaining bluntly that he had "more important matters to attend to." He demanded that she return the day after the wedding, but she pleaded and he relented, allowing her to spend four days there instead.
With the letter sealed, the servant offered to take the letter to one of the royal messengers, and on impulse she asked her which one it would likely be.
"Oh that route would be Eduard's, your Grace."
Eduard, the young, handsome man with curly black hair who had brought her Rumpelstiltskin's name. She had thanked him with a gold sapphire bracelet and begged him to keep silent about what he heard Since then she had seen him a few times, and he always smiled at her, in a similarly bashful way the cobbler's son used to with her. Occasionally she found herself daydreaming of him instead, but she tried to repress those thoughts as they could only lead to trouble. She was determined not to do anything that could hurt or endanger her daughter.
So why did she tell the servant to bring Eduard to her? She used the excuse that she had some special delivery instructions for him, but the truth was she just wanted to see him and thank him again. Yes, she told herself, that is all. No male was permitted to enter the queen's chambers unescorted, so the servant that fetched him listened. She'd have to choose her words carefully as she didn't trust this one as much as she would have Millie.
Louisa was the daughter of one of the many royal bastard's King Robert II sired during his 50 year reign and has the auburn hair commonly found in the royal family, including the current king. His son, Robert III, did not partake in the promiscuous activities his father was known for though. Before Rosabel became queen, she'd hear people joke all the time in the streets that it was a shame the current King Robert refused to get laid as much as his father did, as maybe it'd help him not to be have such a stiff hard ass.
Carefully, cognizant that Louisa is listening to every word, the queen speaks to Eduard formally as he knelt before her.
"Sir, thank you for coming at my request. You assisted me two years ago in finding out an important piece of information, and I have not forgotten that and am still grateful."
"Your highness, it was my honor to be able to assist you." Rosabel must focus on maintaining her demeanor, but the very sound of his voice made her want to swoon.
"You have an interesting accent, sir. Where do you hail from if I may so inquire?"
He blushed slightly but answered with a confident smile. "I come from the Garland mountains located in the province farthest east from here."
"Oh, I have heard they are spectacular. I would love to arrange a visit there someday to see them myself."
"Your grace, I know I speak for everyone when I say we would be more than honored by your visit."
"If you would not mind indulging my curiosity, what brings you so far from home?"
"Alas, the beauty of those lands does not lend itself well for those who do not desire to make a living by any other means than mining, so I came here hoping for more opportunities, and I found them. Your Grace, I am more than grateful to have been given the chance to serve the royal family as a messenger."
"We thank you for your exemplary service. I wish for you to deliver this letter to my father. He plans to remarry, and I will be traveling to his estate to attend the wedding. I could not, however, due to the rules of formality, declare as openly as I would have liked in my letter how much I love him and miss him, and that I have forgiven him for the wrongs he has committed. I am looking forward to seeing him again, and I cannot wait for him to meet his granddaughter for the first time. Her name is formally Junia, but I call her Juniper after my dear sister who died as a child. I think he'll take comfort in that knowledge until I see him in a few months. You will convey these things to him, will you not?"
"Your highness, I will do gladly. Is there anything else I may do for you?"
Oh how she longed to give him another answer than, "No" but she shook her head and dismissed him. As he left Louisa looked at her with a smirk.
"Garlanders have the most fetching accents, don't they, your highness?"
Rosabel cannot help but laugh at her boldness. "I'm not sure how fetching I find it, but it is quite different than ours. Have you ever been to the province?"
She shakes her head. "No, my grace."
"Ah, well if I am able to arrange the trip someday, you would be welcome to accompany me."
Louisa, Rosabel always got the impression, didn't really care for the queen. The daughter of a royal bastard, she seemed almost insulted that a mere commoner was raised to the rank of queen which she had to serve. Rosabel always treated her kindly though despite her occasional impetuous behavior. She seemed to brighten at the queen's offer and curtsied.
A couple of months later, they were packed and ready to go her father's wedding. Holding her daughter, she entered the king's study.
"My husband, we're about to depart. Junia wanted to give you a kiss good-bye."
The king put down his quill and gave them his usual annoyed look.
"Why? You will be gone for only four days."
"Dada kiss!" Junia squealed and squirmed in her mother's arms. She hadn't crawled for long and learned to walk early.
"Please indulge us; it will only take a moment then we'll be gone."
She let Junia run over to her husband, who sighed reluctantly as he lifted her onto his lap and grimaced with disgust when Junia gives her a sloppy kiss with saliva that stuck to his beard. He immediately reached for a handkerchief to wipe it off.
"Bye, bye Dada!" Junia told him cheerily.
"Yes, well, uh, good-bye." He gives her an awkward pat on the head and stood up, removing her from her lap. "Now, go back and mind your mother while you are gone. I will not hear of you misbehaving."
"Might you give your lady wife a farewell kiss as well? I shall miss you." Rosabel smiled to him. Deep down she still hoped that he might eventually soften and come to love her, and so she tried.
However, the king scrutinized her coldly with cynical eyes. He spoke to her in his infamously frightening, intimidating voice.
"You lie. Do not lie to me, my wife. I do not take kindly to that as you may recall. I know you're eager to be gone from here, so go."
Rosabel fought back tears, scooped her daughter up and hurried out the room.
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"Rosie!" Her father greeted her with such joy and hugged her fiercely, kissing her on each cheek. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you and that you have forgiven me." Tears welled in his brown eyes. He did not have any gray hairs yet unlike her husband who had started to grow them, but much of his blond hair had receded, and he definitely had put on some weight since she last saw him.
"You're looking more and more like your mother everyday." He reached out his hand to touch her brown hair and then his eyes turned downward and he gasped.
"And this must be our little Juniper."
Rosabel could not stop smiling. She hadn't felt so loved and happy in a long time. Her father picked Junia up and swung her up into the air, tossing her up. Junia lets out a peel of laughter as he caught her and hugged her securely in his arms.
"What a darling, darling little girl. You named her well. She does remind me of your sister."
"Junie, this is your Grandpa. Can you say 'Hi Grandpa'?"
"Hi, hi Gapa!" The little girl attempted to do as her mother said. She basked in his attention.
He chuckled with delight and ruffled his fingers through her hair. "It's so hard to believe what has happened. My daughter, the Queen of Camoria, and me soon to be Duke John. Duke. I am not ever going to used to that title." Normally in Camoria if the woman married beneath her status, she had to take the lower title or give hers up altogether. However, Duke Florian had no sons to carry on his line, so marrying one of his daughters to a man willing to take on his house's name instead of his own was beneficial for both parties.
If the Duchess Marguerite was unhappy about marrying a plump commoner old enough to be her father, she didn't show it outwardly. She greeted Rosabel and Junia with friendly cheer. Her bubbly personality immediately made Rosabel like her, and she and was quite eager to exchange the latest court gossip with the queen.
Soon time came to retire to bed; the wedding ceremony would take place in the morning. Rosabel kissed her daughter good night and closed the door. Millie slept in a bed near Junia to tend to her at night if needed. The queen's room was adjoining, so she would be nearby if the queen needed to summon her, which Rosabel usually did with a bell. Both Junia and Millie were exhausted having been traveling all day and soon they were fast asleep.
Rosabel on the other hand was still energized by the wonderful reunion she had had with her father. She changed her into her nightgown, glad to shed the restrictive dress and sat by her mirror humming softly as she ran her brush through her long, dark hair.
In the mirror's reflection, she caught some movement behind her and froze. Some instinct told her it wasn't Millie or Junia and for a moment her heart beat rapidly in terror. Some intruder had sneaked into her room! Then she heard his lovely, familiar, accented voice.
"You are so beautiful, my queen."
"Eduard!" She let out a gasp of surprise and stood up, her hairbrush dropping to the floor forgotten. "You-you shouldn't here. How did you get in?"
He smiled and beckoned her over to the side of her bed, and lifts up the bed covers.
"Look under the bed, there's a door trap door that leads until a secret tunnel used as an emergency escape 100 years ago during the civil war. The passageway's exit had long since been blocked off and part of the tunnel caved in and all it was all but forgotten except by an elderly servant who told me about it. When you sent me here a couple of months ago to deliver your father's message, I overheard him tell the servants which rooms he wanted prepared for your stay. I then called in some favors so I could take some time off work and to clear it secretly."
"But, but why?" the queen looked at him in shock. A sinking feeling in her stomach told her that he wanted to do more than just talk with her tonight.
Eduard appeared surprised at her question. "Why I thought you wanted to be with me. Am I wrong your highness? I've seen the way you've looked at me, and how you've made excuses to see me. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since the day you embraced and kissed me after I told you that strange little man's name."
Queen Rosabel's face flushed with embarrassment. She shouldn't have done that; it had been grossly improper of her, but she had been so sick with worry and fear about losing her daughter, that she gotten carried away in her joyful relief.
"Eduard, it's not that I wouldn't like to be with you, but it's not possible! I'm the queen of Camoria. My husband is King Robert Lucian III, Robert the Merciless I hear some call him. Just having this conversation with you endangers both our lives."
"Look, I know it's not without risk, but that's why I waited until you were outside the palace grounds to see you privately. There's far too many eyes and ears in the castle, but not here. I took every possible precaution; no one will know."
"And if I were to give birth to a black haired child when my hair is brown and my husband's hair auburn. How would I explain that then?"
His blue eyes sparkled, "I even thought of that. Did you not know that King Robert's grandfather was also called Robert the Black? He had a mane of the darkest black hair and beard; he was famous for it."
"Yes," Rosabel conceded, "This is true." Slowly her resolve chipped away. She had fantasized about being with Eduard, and now here she had a the remarkable chance to make that fantasy come true. His eyes gazed at her with passion and adulation that her soul had been yearning for years.
"You realize, Eduard, that nothing more will ever come of this relationship when I leave here. When I return to the palace, we must never be alone together and avoid each other. When you do come to deliver a message, you should deliver it to one of my servants and if we do cross paths, we should only treat each other formally as queen and messenger and nothing more."
"Of course, I will do all of that, so no one will even suspect. I know you are worried, and I am too, but we each only have one life to live. Is it not better to taste pleasure at least once, than it is to go without and never know but always wonder?"
Am I really considering this? The queen looked at him uncertainly. She never imagined this young man would be so bold, but here he was, and she could not deny that she wanted him. Still, all the recriminations she had heard when growing up about the evilness of adulterous women and how they deserved of death ran through her head. Past queens have been beheaded or exiled over such accusations, and she doubted King Robert would grant her the latter option. Doing this, giving into her longings and lust, would be wrong, a terrible action for her to do. She couldn't do it. She opens her mouth to tell Eduard that she cannot after all, but then he kisses her.
Never before had she experienced such a passionate, deep kiss, one that she returned with equal fervor. She wrapped her arms around him and all doubts and worries temporarily melted away as she felt his tongue dance with hers. Soon he was kissing her neck, then her breasts. Working his way downward, he introduced her to previously unfathomable pleasures. Where Robert was rough, unsentimental and quick, Eduard was slow and tender as though savoring every moment, working his way slowly and carefully to bring them both to a climax.
The dreadful risk they were taking did not entirely leave her mind though. Even in the height of passion, she managed to strangle her cries of ecstasy into softer moans. Finally, they rested together catching their breaths. His fingers gently stroked her hair as he gazed lovingly at her.
"My queen, words cannot describe how beautiful and wonderful you are."
"Please, do not refer to me as your queen, at least not while you are here in this way. In this room, I am simply your Rosabel, a common miller's daughter. Outside though I am your queen though and would never entertain such an improper thought, so please, I beg do not forget that."
"Of course I will not. I am rather fond of my head and have no desire to have your husband remove it from me. You needn't fear, my lovely Rose."
She sighed dreamily, "Then I shall not."
But after he had disappeared down the secret tunnel, worry was what assailed her, worry and guilt. How could she have so recklessly endangered her life and by extension her daughter's? Not that she thought King Robert would physically harm Junia over her mother's grave transgression, but once a woman was named an adulteress, suspicion would be cast on the legitimacy of all her children. Junia could have her titles, all her bright future as a princess stripped away from her. What sort of life would she have without her mother to love her? Rosabel knows her father would take her in and raise her, but the scandal could similarly affect the soon to be duke by association.
She donned her nightgown again, and sat by the window looking out at the night sky, and the stars shining like distant diamonds. Please, gods, forgive me for what I have done. I promise when I return home, I'll resume being the ever dutiful, loyal wife of King Robert, but if you can find it in your hearts to grant me this small reprieve without word of it ever getting out, I promise to never again to stray. All her life Rosabel had always tried to be good and never wished harm on anyone and hoped perhaps that would count for something. Nobody, after all, can be good all the time, can they?
Their final night together, Eduard produced the gold sapphire bracelet Rosabel had given him.
"I want you to have this back. I couldn't bear to sell it like you told me to, but I had something engraved for you inside.
She squinted her eyes by the candlelight, but the swirly loops and lines have no meaning to her, and she admitted with some embarrassment that she never learned to read such fancy script very well.
"Oh, it says: Never forget you are the fairest of roses.
Tears come to her eyes. "Eduard, you didn't have to do this. You are too kind." She kissed him again, and the kiss lingered on as long as they could let it before they parted.
"I should go." He said finally with great reluctance.
"Eduard, I do so regret that I did not arrange to stay longer. I'm going to miss you so much."
He grabbed her hands and squeezed them.
"We could run away. Junia is just in the next room. Grab her, and we could go."
"Go? Go where? Oh Eduard, you are such a romantic, and so am I to an extent, but I have to think of my daughter, and the life on the run could not be the sort of life I would want her to have. Robert would be furious and would not ever rest until we were found. I broke my vows to be with you, but for these nights and these nights only."
"I know, and in these last few minutes, you are my Rose, a beautiful daughter of a simple miller, but when I leave tonight, from then on you are once again the Queen of Camoria, and I but a simple messenger."
He took her in his arms one last time, and kissed her softly. Angrily, she wiped away her tears that annoyingly blurred her vision, so she could take in every last detail of his face. With a sad smile he turned away and crawled under the bed. She could hear him open the trapdoor then close it.
Oddly enough though she began to feel at peace. As much as dearly already began to miss Eduard, she had been preparing for it to end, and once it had, determination to go forward set in.
I shall not dwell on what I cannot ever have again. I have been given a gift, a chance to experience true love, and I'm grateful for that gift, but now I must return to my duties and derive my happiness in seeing my daughter grow and flourish into the lovely young woman I know she'll be someday.
That night she slept soundly as she ever had before and the next day she and Junia said their fond farewells to her father and set out for home.
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A month later the kingdom was abuzz with rumors that the queen was pregnant again and later that year, the streets were wild with celebration that a son had been born to the royal family. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the line of succession was secured.
"I heard from my friend whose has cousin who knows a royal guard who has seen the baby. He has tuft of black hair just like his great-grandfather, Robert the Black!" A serving girl at a local tavern told Eduard one day.
"You don't say?" He laughed so hard that the girl and others nearby started to give him peculiar looks.
"I think you've had too much to drink. You should go home, Ed."
"Bah, just one more, Jess." He tossed the coin to her. Taking the ale into his hand, he silently gave a toast to Rosabel and their son.
This message was edited 2/24/2011, 8:44 PM
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