Josephina watched as the man that swore his undying love for her looked back to the foreign bitch as if she was the only woman in the world. She also saw how happy the others were and noticed that no one was making an effort to acknowledge her. Rosalina saw the lady and decided to make nice with her. "Lady Josephina, we are going to spend the day in the gardens.
Would you like for me to weave flowers in your hair like the rest of us and join the garden party?" she asked. "That would be lovely." Josephina smiled. The ladies and the Queen looked at Rosalina questioningly, the Queen for reasons the other ladies did not understand. She simply smiled at them and said, "We will meet you all in the gardens." The Queen nodded as did the king. The party left and Josephina picked out flowers from what had been left.
The selection was limited because the best flowers had already been claimed. When she was ready Rosalina had Josephina sit in a chair and started to brush through her hair. As she set to work Rosalina began to speak, "Lady Josephina there are many things that we need to discuss." she said. "What do you mean, Lady Rosalina?" Josephina questioned. "I am sure that you already know. But I will explain. Last night your father snuck into my chambers and attacked me. He threatened my life. He said that if I did not stay out of the way of his ambitions and those of his family he would slit my throat and throw my corpse in the river. Then before he left he pushed me forward and allowed the blade he held to my throat to tear the skin." the young red head explained. "I am sorry that, that has happened but I swear that I have no knowledge of what my father is planning or what he has done." Josephina tried to sound ignorant of the situation, "I do not see my father sneaking into the chambers of the Queen's niece and threatening her life." She tried to defend her father.
Rosalina stopped messing with the long dark hair and walked in front of the lady. She knelt and revealed the wound on her neck that she had kept covered. "Lady Josephina I would not lie about this. This is the wound caused by his dagger. If this was some sort of ploy to make you and your family loose favor with the King I would not have made the Queen promise not to mention it to his majesty. I do not wish to cause discord or unhappiness in the palace. I know the King's affection for you and what he has been planning. I do not agree with what he wants but it is not my place to tell him that it would be a mistake to give your father anymore power and to shunt my Aunt aside. It is, however, my place to do what I can to make the Queen happy and to give the King companionship and someone that he can trust to talk to. I have no desire for power or wealth. My desires lie in love and family. I know that you believe that you are in love with the King and that you think that his marrying my aunt was a mistake. You and your family seem to think that you would make a better Queen. You do not truly know the King so you cannot truly love him. You love the crown and position. You do not know what it means to be Queen. You know that you would be expected to produce heirs and comfort the King. You do not understand that you must earn the love and respect of the country. You should help the citizens live better lives. If you do not produce an heir in the time frame that the court feels you should they will doubt you. If, due to forces out of your control, you cannot produce living children you will be shunned, doubted, and there will be those that will try and replace you. As you have been trying to do with my aunt.
You not understand the pressure and heartbreak that comes with being married to a King. You really need to re-evaluate what these moves you are making will affect more than just you. I will tell you now and you can pass the message on. I am not afraid of any of you. I am not afraid of death and will not change how I interact with the King and Queen just because your family thinks that they deserve more wealth and power. I have done nothing to your family, I have merely found my family and intent on keeping them happy and safe. I would forfeit my life for that purpose." Rosalina said considering the dark green eyes of the Lady. Josephina looked into the red heads emerald green eyes unsure how to respond. "Lady Rosalina, I am sorry that my father attacked and threatened you. I really did not know what he had been planning. He and my uncle told me to get in the King's path and turn his head. I do love the King, we have talked at length and I want to spend my life with him. You should know that she was first married to the King's brother. James was supposed to take the throne with her as his Queen. Then James died and later Edmund married Rosette." Josephina explained. "I know that whole story, from many points. You apparently do not know everything about it. Yes, she was married to Prince James. Neither one of them wanted the union. The queen often wrote to her sister-in-law saying that he would leave in the morning and not return until late at night and refused to even look at her. She also did not wish to see him. He was in love with a noble woman and she was in love with another. They were sent the date in which had been agreed upon to consummate the marriage.
They had to wait because both were a bit young and all parties wanted to make sure that both would have been healthy enough. The date arrived and they went into her chambers alone. Before the act could be accomplished his heart gave out and he collapsed on top of her. She was a girl of 15 and scared. It was just weeks later and she became a widow. Then she was sent to another castle further away from the capital. There she spent seven long years with little means to care for herself or even her staff. She was left with two ladies and a cook. She could not even take care of her dog that Edmund had given her when they left Alcantara. She was at the point she would have had to dismiss the cook and possibly another lady. It was at her most desperate moments Edmund showed up like a knight in shining armor to take her to where she belonged. He did not rescue her out of pity it was out of love. He had loved her since he met her in Alcantara. The moment they laid eyes upon each other they knew that they were meant to be together." Rosalina explained as she continued her work on Josephina's hair. Josephina sat in the chair silent not knowing what to say. "Do we have an understanding, Lady Josephina?" Rosalina questioned finishing her hair. "Yes." Josephina whispered. "Good, now we can be friends." Rosalina smiled and handed Josephina a small mirror. Josephina inspected her hair and noticed that it was just as nice as the other ladies. Rosalina had taken wilting flowers and made them beautiful again. "Thank you, Lady Rosalina." she said. "You are welcome. Come, let's rejoin the Queen." Rosalina said walking towards the door. Josephina quickly followed.