“Just set it on the table. I will pick it up before I go downstairs.” I don’t bother looking at it. I do not wish to see it. Jossa, thinking she was ever so clever, had the wedding hall decorated with the deepest red roses I’ve ever seen. I don’t doubt she had my bouquet made from the same flowers.
“Of course, Your Highness.” She sets the flowers on the table and disappears behind me, I assume to put the finishing touches on my hair. I do not know why Jossa insisted I dress so early in the day. The ceremony is not for several more hours, and now I am trapped in my room until then.
A servant appears before me with a tray of food. She places it on the table and leaves. Madrid hands me a small plate with little sandwiches on it. I assume Jossa made sure I was given a minimal amount of food and something not messy to ensure that I did not ruin my dress.
Out of spite, I’m tempted to ruin it anyway, but I don’t. I eat properly, meticulously. The day passes slowly. I’m pretty sure I nod off in the chair a few times, but I am not allowed to lie down or move until my father comes to walk me down the aisle.
The time has come. King Inginio stands at my door, his arm out so I can take it. What should be the most anticipated walk of my life feels like a death march instead. But I take his arm anyway.
“You look lovely, my beautiful Roselyn.” He smiles, and it’s the first real smile I’ve seen on his face for quite some time.
“Thank you.” I look down and realize I don’t have my bouquet. “Father, we must return to my quarters. I do not have my flowers.”
He nods and leads me back to my room. Thankfully, I noticed before we made it to the wedding hall—what used to be the grand hall. I rush into my room and head straight for the table. I reach down to grab my flowers without looking and prick my thumb. A small bead of blood drips down.
I look at the flowers, shocked that there would be thorns left on them. A dozen roses, and my thumb grazed the only one with a thorn. I look closer. It isn’t a dozen red roses. It is eleven red roses, and one rose that is almost pure white once more.
The hope I lost returns once more. The sick rose looks healthy. Only the very rim at the top is still red. The rest has begun to change to its original enchanted white.
There’s an extra bounce in my step as I take my father’s arm once more and walk with him to where everyone awaits. Music begins playing, and my father leads me down the aisle. I make a note of all the faces we pass.
Queen Krea and King Romondino; King Jareth, and a woman I do not know beside him. King Nicklaus and Queen Amber. But seeing Queen Shanice, King Valentino, Prince Alaric, and Prince Ulric breaks my heart. They came, and they too are saddened by the sight they see.
I’m walking down the aisle, but the man I walk toward is not their son. I suddenly wonder if I should have spoken to them once more. Could they have helped us? But they sit, and they watch, and they say and do nothing.
I can’t fault them. I just wish I was approaching Osric.
The priest drones on and on about marriage and what it means. I might be interested in his speech if I were standing up here clasping hands with someone else, but not with Chavez. Instead, I allow my mind to wander.
I try to think of anything else but this very moment. What could I have done differently?
Love always finds a way. If that were true, why has it not found a way for us? For Madrid and Chavez? Why has love not made its way into Jossa’s heart and shown her that this isn’t right?
And why does the king look so pleased with this arrangement when I couldn’t be more upset? Do they not see what this will do to me? The only one who looks at me with pity, with sadness, is Queen Shanice. Well, and Chavez.
Shanice seems to understand. She continues to look back at the doors just as I am doing, and I wonder if she’s hoping her son arrives at any moment, just like I am.
“Do you, Prince Chavez, take Princess Roselyn to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
I look at Chavez, waiting to hear his answer. He looks at me, looks at his mother and father, and glances at Queen Jossa. Whatever he sees must convince him that he has no other choice. “I do,” he says, looking at me apologetically.
“And do you, Princess Roselyn, take Prince Chavez to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I look out into the crowd once more. I can’t stall, but I can’t answer the question, either. If I say yes, I am throwing my life away and allowing Jossa to win. If I say no, she may have the same fate in mind for me as she did those farmers.
But the outcome will be the same either way. I lose.
“I d—”
The doors burst open, and walking toward me is Osric. I can’t stop myself. I throw the veil from my head, pick up my skirts, and run toward him. He catches me as I jump into his arms, and though more than an entire kingdom is watching, I kiss him.
I’m not sure if he’s more surprised by my jumping onto him or the kiss, but he doesn’t hesitate in returning it. “Oh, how I’ve missed you,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“And I you,” he whispers.
“How dare you burst in here in the middle of a wedding? You have no right to be here. I demand that you leave at once. And Roselyn, you had best get back up to that altar and finish what you were about to say before you make any more embarrassing mistakes.” Jossa stands in the aisle with us, staring us down.
I let go of Osric and face the queen. “I don’t,” I say loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
“Excuse me?” If Jossa’s face could become any redder, it would.
“I don’t accept Prince Chavez as my lawfully—or unlawfully—wedded husband. I will not marry him.”
“Yes, you will,” she commands.
“I will not. I will marry for love, and love alone. For too long, you have tried to control me, to change how I feel about Osric. For whatever reason, you do not want me to be with him, but I am sorry—I would sooner die than marry anyone but him.” I take his hand and pull him to my side, leaning on him for strength.
“I would not care if you married a toad so long as it got you out of my way! The king is the one who does not wish for you to marry him. So he has spoken; there is nothing more to discuss. You will marry Chavez, and tomorrow, you will leave with him for Elna.”
“No, she won’t. You have no power over her, Jossa.” Osric speaks. It surprises me, but I’m not complaining.
“I am Queen Jossa to you. How dare you speak to me in such a patronizing tone?” she shrieks.
“Because you are a liar. You are queen by marriage, and only so. I know the truth, and you are not royalty unless King Inginio forgives your lies and keeps you.” I turn to him in shock. His words make sense, but I never expected him to speak to her this way, to defend me in front of all these people.
“What are you talking about?” King Inginio steps forward now, outraged at the assumptions and accusations.
“Roselyn is not your daughter. She was born to a farmer and his wife. Jossa paid them and took their daughter to pass off as her own. The real princess, your true daughter, has been hidden in plain sight as the princess’s maid.”
I look to Madrid, standing in the back. She’s the princess? I’m not the princess? I’m truly not Jossa’s daughter?
“That is preposterous! Why would you concoct such a story? I demand that you leave at once.” Jossa points to the door.
“These are very serious claims, Prince. I suggest that you show proof to back them up, or do as the queen says and leave, never to return to Tivor,” the king demands.
Now I worry. Would Osric come here without proof?
“Madrid, please come forward,” Osric says, glaring at Inginio and Jossa.
“Yes, Your Highness?” She curtsies to Osric.
“Do not treat me as though we are not equals. Show the king your birthmarks.”
Madrid does as she is told and walks forward, allowing the king to see the marks on her face. He examines them, but still appears utterly confused.
; “What of them, boy?”
I hear shuffling, and turn to notice Shanice and Valentino standing behind me and Osric. I suppose that when their son is threatened, so are they.
“It didn’t make sense at first why, when the storm broke, and magic was being wiped away, that Roselyn’s features changed slightly. It also didn’t make sense when Madrid appeared to have birthmarks that weren’t there before. But I didn’t piece it together until Selma told us that the person responsible for the storm was the woman who shouldn’t be queen.
“Mind you, it took a while for us to understand what she was talking about. It took another riddle regarding murder for us to find out the truth. You married a commoner, King Inginio. She pretended to be royalty so she could rule. It’s all she cared about it. She’s already said that she just wants Roselyn out of the way.”
“Where are you going with this? I suggest you be very clear.” King Inginio seems to be more and more frustrated. Jossa says nothing as Osric speaks.
“She pretended to be royalty so she could marry you. You two wed and had a child. A baby girl. That girl is Madrid. But she was born with these marks on her face. For whatever reason, Jossa was embarrassed or ashamed. She was afraid that Madrid would be ugly, and no prince would want her. How could she get rid of the child if she couldn’t marry her off?
“So she concocted a plan to find a baby girl she could purchase to pass off as her own. She found Roselyn. She allowed Madrid to grow up in the castle as a servant, and the farmer’s daughter grew up as the princess. They grew close, became friends, and Roselyn asked that Madrid be her maid rather than a helping hand in the castle.
“I’m sure you never intended for that to happen. But it did. Now you had a problem. You nor
Roselyn have magic.”
Everything is beginning to make sense. It’s why Chavez could open the doors when I could not. But how could she steal Madrid’s magic? I reach up and grasp the ear cuff. The piece of jewelry Mother always told me never to remove.
“So you stole your true daughter’s powers. It would fix everything. You would have magic, and Roselyn would have magic, just like all the other royals. And Madrid, a servant, would not appear to have powers. It was the perfect plan.”
“It was, until she grew weak. Her magic wasn’t enough anymore,” Jossa spits.
“That’s why we were never to remove our ear cuffs, isn’t it?” I launch the little piece of metal at her, not caring where it ends up. She yelps as it hits her arm, bouncing off and rolling out of sight.
Madrid removes hers as well, though she doesn’t throw it at Jossa.
“Of course that’s why I demanded you always wear them. You were too stupid to realize they had meaning. You just fell for the excuse that they were a bond of friendship between you and your maid. Which, I suppose, in a way they were.” Jossa’s eyes gleam. She is so proud of herself. “Then when I realized it was no longer properly working, I removed mine.”
“Yours?” I ask, astounded that she still feels like she has the right to gloat.
“Of course. There were always three pieces, dear. Two crowns, and the gold band separating them.” I shake my head, sickened with this news. All this time, I was just a puppet for this woman.
“Indeed. Which is why you went to the Oracle and begged for more. She said no, which angered you. So you stole it, and in the process, set off a storm that would wipe away all magic. You didn’t mean for that to happen, but it helped you figure out what to do. If no one had magic, no one would suspect a thing when you couldn’t use yours either.”
“I deserve to be queen. I deserve to rule. This nitwit does nothing but moan and whine. He is hardly a king as it is. As for marrying Roselyn off, I just wanted her to be happy. This wedding is the king’s fault. Not mine.” She sneers.
“You murdered the Oracle. You set off a storm that wiped away all magic. You killed the only people who knew your secret.” My heart aches. The farmers . . . They were my parents, after all. “This is why you interrogated Madrid. You needed to make sure she didn’t remember anything. You’ve been wiping her memories, haven’t you?”
“She was a baby, but I couldn’t risk even the smallest of things coming to her. So of course I had to make sure she didn’t remember anything.”
“This is all true, Jossa?” The king turns to her now.
“Everything I’ve done was for the betterment of the kingdom while you wallowed.”
“You are to be stripped of your title immediately,” he says, anger filling him. I’ve never seen him show this much emotion all at once.
“No, I won’t.” Jossa raises her hand as if to strike the king. A ball of magic appears in her palm. It must be the magic she stole. I try to stop her, but remember that my powers were stolen.
Madrid screams. “No!” She throws her ball of magic at Jossa, who shrieks at the attack. People begin to scatter as the two women face each other.
“You. I knew I should have gotten rid of you the moment you were born. You have been nothing but a nuisance!” Jossa shrieks before going to attack Madrid. Madrid defends herself, but under the attack, she can’t do more than create a shield.
“Enough!” the king yells, his voice reverberating throughout the room. “Guards, take this woman to the dungeon.” He looks at the two men at the doors. They begin to approach just as Jossa becomes hysterical.
“No! I am the queen of Tivor! I will not tolerate this! I am not going to the dungeon!” She flings herself at the king, but before she can reach him, he has magic in either hand, shielding himself.
I spin around, pulling the sword from one of the soldier's scabbards. Swinging it around, I bring it against Jossa’s throat. “Stop!” I yell.
The room freezes as everyone assesses the situation. “I will not be brought down by you, of all people,” she hisses, gathering more magic in her hand.
“And once upon a time, I thought I knew you,” the king says, pity in his voice. In one single movement, he grabs his sword and plunges it into the queen’s chest.
A look of pure shock fills her eyes before her now-lifeless body falls to the floor. I step back, just as shocked. The sword falls from my limp fingers. Osric wraps his arms around me and holds me.
The guests have all been given a place to sleep for the night somewhere in the castle. All but one. I haven’t left Roselyn’s side since the incident in the great hall. She leans into me and lets me hold her, for which I am grateful, considering I never thought I would see her again.
When we are called into the king’s study, I fear the worst. I can’t calm my nerves as I wait for him to speak, for him to tell me to stay away from Roselyn. I have to keep reminding myself that he no longer has power over her.
Madrid sits in the chair beside us, and Chavez sits beside her. And while they aren’t holding on to one another like a lifeline, they are holding hands.
Roselyn filled me in on how they feel about one another, and I can’t help but smile as I think of the way things played out, how all along, the woman I wanted to be with had the freedom to be with me. We just didn’t know it.
I think of the life she would have had if Jossa hadn’t interfered. Would we have ever met? Despite the heartache she caused, I can’t actually hate Jossa. In the end, she brought me and Roselyn together.
“Thank you for waiting.” The king enters the room and takes his seat behind the desk. “I have asked around, but no one knows anything. It appears Jossa eliminated the only witnesses. I suppose that is proof enough. For what she did, Roselyn, my sincerest apologies.”
Rose nods, biting her lower lip while trying to hold back tears. I place a kiss on her forehead that makes her smile.
“Prince Osric, I must apologize to you as well. I have hated your mother for too long for something that was ultimately not her fault, yet I placed the blame with her to ease my pain. She came to me and my twin brother and asked for help in defeating the princess witch. Baccio willingly agreed to help, yet I was hesitant. Because he wanted to fig
ht, he was killed. All this time, I’ve blamed Queen Shanice, and I realize it was never her fault, just as the magic storm was not your fault, yet it was you who went to fix it. So please, forgive me.” He stands and bows before me.
All this time, Jossa was telling the truth. She didn’t care who Roselyn married so long as she left the castle. All this time, we were kept apart because the king held a grudge. “All is forgiven. And . . . Your Majesty?”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry for your loss. Both twenty years ago and today.” I bow my head to him, not willing to move from Roselyn’s embrace.
“Thank you. Today I lost my wife, it is true. But I should never have fallen for her lies, and that is what I regret most. I also regret not getting to know my daughter. Roselyn, I am sorry that I was not a father to you. Madrid, I am sorry that Jossa was able to trick us all, and that I was not a father to you either. But I would like to be there now, for both of you, if will allow me.”
“But I’m not your daughter, Your Majesty.” Roselyn sits up now, paying full attention to the conversation.
“Not by birth, true. But you have lived in my castle all your life. You have lived the life of a princess. The kingdom recognizes you as my daughter, and I could not be happier to keep you as part of the family. Besides, I am sure Madrid would like a sister.” “Very much!” Madrid looks to Roselyn and then to the king.
“As would I.” Roselyn smiles.
“Then it is settled. Tomorrow, we will have a ball in honor of you both. And you will both be rightfully crowned as princesses of Tivor.”
“Thank you,” they say together. We all laugh.
“Your Majesty,” Prince Chavez speaks for the first time. “I would like permission to court your daughter.”
“Have you not been listening? I now have two.” Roselyn bursts into giggles, and the king smiles.
“Princess Madrid, sir.” Chavez blushes.
“Permission granted. As long as that is what she wants.”
The Enchanted Rose Page 15