Jospehina made her way back to the gardens. When she arrived the sun began its descent below the horizon. The garden party was making its way back to the palace led by the King holding the hand of the Queen. Josephina stood in the shadows as they passed and fell in behind the other ladies. They all expected to return to the Queen's apartments for a small evening meal. Instead the King led them into the great hall. They were in awe as they walked in and found it to have been decorated in the most beautiful flowers they had seen. Rosette recognized her favorite flowers from her home. She looked to the King with tears in her eyes. Edmund had watched her look around and smiled as tears rolled down her face. " Happy Birthday, sweetheart." he kissed her cheek. " Not that I am complaining, however my birthday was a few weeks ago." she said. " I know and I am sorry that I missed it. I have not been kind to you nor have I respected my wife and Queen over the last months. You have been nothing but true and loving to me and our Kingdom. I lost sight of your beauty and your loving heart. This is the beginning my amends to you." he said as they approached the King's table. He held her chair out so that she could sit. " Edmund, this is wonderful." she cried. " This is just the beginning. I have brought a chef from Alcantara to recreate the feast we ate when we met." He announced. She just stared at him, she could not find the words. "Yes, my love. I remember what was served all those years ago. I remember everything about that day. It was the day I found the other half of my soul. It was also the day that sealed our fates." he explained. " I can not believe that you remember that long ago." she finally spoke. '` you do not believe?" he questioned, " I do believe that you were wearing a golden gown with pearl embellishments down the bodice, a necklace of pearls with an emerald at the center that sat just above your bosom with matching earrings. You also wore a crown of gold and emeralds. Your hair was only partially up with curls cascading down your back. When I first walked in you sat in your chair with a look of frustration. You obviously did not want to be there." he recalled. She looked at him shocked. She could not believe he remembered so many details or that he had seen her before she saw him and started to smile. " I remember that when you saw me your face changed. You looked happy." he added. " Edmund, you surprise me everyday. That day was so long ago that I have forgotten some of the small details. I do remember the feelings and the food." she cried. " That day is one of the best days of my life. The next best was when I found you in the kitchen of the castle and I was able to be your knight in shining armor." he smiled. " That was one of the best of my life as well. The day that you rescued me from a cloud of loneliness and uncertainty." she remarked. He smiled at her then looked up to Rosalina, who had been standing behind the Queen. " Lady Rosalina, we would be honored if you would join us at our table for the feast," he said. " Thank you, Your Majesty. It would be an absolute honor." Rosalina smiled and bowed, then took a chair right next to her Aunt. The other ladies dispersed among the rest of the revelers. All but Lady Lucilla and Lady Lucinda. Lady Lucinda stayed behind the queen ready to fulfill any request from her majesty. Lady Lucinda stayed close to watch over Rosalina and to fulfill her needs as well. The court was impressed with the flowers that adorned the heads of the Queen and her ladies. They smiled when they looked at the King and Queen and saw how happy they were and the happy young woman beside her. All but one man, at the back of the hall a nobleman stood glaring at the young girl. Beside him stood his son who was also not happy with Rosalina.
Lionel whispered something to his son and the pair separated. The King and Queen were sipping wine watching the room. Rosette could not imagine how they could get any better. Then a hush fell over the great hall and the crowd parted and they all bowed to the princess that just walked through the door. Rosette looked to her daughter approaching the head of the hall with tears in her eyes. The Queen stood and waited to embrace her daughter. Bethany reached her mother and they embraced. " I have missed you, Mi hija." Rosetted cried. " I have missed you as well, Mama." Bethany cried into her mother's shoulder. They parted and smiled at each other. "I am so happy that his majesty has allowed you to return to court tonight." Rosette said.
" It was a shock when Uncle Edric arrived today and told me that father had requested that I return to court tonight." Bethany admitted. Rosette turned to her husband with questioning eyes. " I am sorry that I sent her away. Bethany, you are welcome at court whenever and for however long you wish." Edmund responded. " Thank you, Your Majesty." Behtany bowed. "Your Majesty? I thought I was Papa?" Edmund questioned. " Thank you, Papa. I have missed you as well." Behtany hugged her father with a smile. " Bethany, there is someone I would like for you to meet." Rosette announced. Bethany turned back to her mother. Rosette led her over to the other side of the table and a young red haired girl stood. " Bethany, this is your cousin, Lady Rosalina of Baelo Claudia. She is the granddaughter of my younger sister, Graciela. Rosalina, this is my daughter, Princess Bethany." Rosette introduced. " It is nice to meet you, Your Highness." Rosalina bowed. " It is nice to meet you as well, Lady Rosalina." Bethany smiled. They all returned to their seats, Rosalina moved over one to allow the princess to sit next to her mother. Bethany turned and started talking to Rosalina. " You are the granddaughter of Princess Graciela of Alcantara?" she questioned. " Yes, your Highness." Rosalina answered. " You do not have to address me so formally. We are family, you may call me Bethany." Bethany instructed. " Thank you, Bethany." Rosalina replied with a smile. " I was never able to meet Aunt Graciela. What was she like?" the princess asked. " I did not know her that well. She died when I was just two, so I do not remember her. My mother would often talk about her beauty and her generous heart. She would also tell me how intelligent she was.
Mama said that grandmother adored me." Rosalina explained. " I am sorry, I did not know my grandmother either." Bethany commented. " Have you met Uncle Maximo and Aunt Bethany?" Bethany asked. " Just once. I did not have much interaction with them. Last year my father and I were invited to the palace to celebrate Yule with the Royal family. I was introduced to King Maximo and Queen Bethany. We spoke for a few minutes, then I was taken to the nursery with the royal children. From that short meeting Uncle Maximo is incredibly kind and funny. Aunt Bethany is very kind and beautiful." Rosalina explained. " I hope to meet them one day soon." Bethany commented. " I am sure that we can come up with a way to convince the King to invite them soon." Rosalina responded. Bethany smiled, the pair laughed and talked about everything. It made Rosette smile to see her daughter and her niece getting along so well. Edmund stood and offered his hand to his Queen `` care for a dance?" he asked. She smiled and took his hand, he led her to the middle of the floor as the crowd parted. The King's best friend, Edric Hainault Duke of Northumberland, asked Princess Bethany to dance. She accepted and allowed him to lead her to the floor. Rosalina sat sipping her wine watching as the King spun her aunt around the floor and Bethany smiled as Edric twirled her through the crowd. "Would you care to dance, Lady Rosalina?" asked a voice next to Rosalina. She looked up at him and was surprised and a little afraid. It was Owen Ivrae. Rosalina thought about it for a moment and decided that he could not do anything with the King and Queen so close. It also looked suspicious if she refused him. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the floor.
He started twirling her around the floor. He leaned in close and spoke to her in hushed tones, " I hear you have no fear of my family." " No, Owen, I do not fear your family." she responded defiantly. " You should fear us. We are powerful and are not afraid to do what is necessary to achieve our goals. That includes removing a foreign slip of a child pretending to be a proper lady of Mercia. You should know by now that you do not belong here and neither does that foreign bitch who stole the throne." he sneered. " That 'Foreign Bitch', as you call her, is your Queen and you need to respect her. The King and most of the country loves her. You would do well to remember that." she glared at him. " She is a lying Foreigner that should never have been placed on the throne. We will remove her from the throne and if we must from this very life. At this point you are our target and we will stop at nothing to make sure that you can no longer interfere." Owen spat at her. " Owen, I do not believe any of you know the danger you are in. I do not fear you nor do I fear death. I would sacrifice my own life for my family. I have been silent and made the Queen promise not to inform the King of what you and your family are doing and that you are threatening my life. I also have not told either of them about the plots against my Aunt. If you do not step back and leave my family alone the King will find out everything and you all will suffer the consequences." she snapped back. " You will be lucky to live long enough to tell the King anything." he sneered. " If I do not, someone else will." she replied. She pulled away from him and left the floor. She returned to her chair and watched everyone. It was not long before the Queen noticed her niece's absence from the crowd.
She looked around and found her sitting at the table with an uneasy look on her face. She told Edmund that her feet hurt and ended the dance with him. He kissed her hand and let her return to the table while he stole his daughter from Edric. Rosette made her way back to the table and sat next to her niece. " What is it, Rosalina?" she asked. " That horrible family. They just do not know when to stop." Rosalina answered angrily. " What happened?" Rosette questioned. " Owen Ivrae asked me to dance. Then he used the time to threaten me." the redhead answered. " What did he say?" the Queen questioned. " He said that I should fear his family. That they were powerful and they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. That includes removing a foreign child pretending to be a proper lady of Mercia. He also said... he said...'' Rosalina trailed off not wanting to really tell her aunt that the family planned on harming her aunt as well. " What else did he say?" Rosette pushed. Rosalina held back the tears and shook her head. " Just tell me." Rosette commanded. " Rosalina looked into the Queen's eyes with sadness and worry. " He said that you were a lying Foreign bitch that stole the throne. They plan on removing you from the throne even if that means killing you. He did not say it but I am sure that Bethany is on their list as well." Rosalina's voice cracked as she held the tears in. She did not want to cry and give it all away. " You know that this has gone too far and we have no choice but to inform the King. Damn what he may say or do. I will not allow you to live in fear of these people any longer." Rosette began to stand to find the King. Rosalina stopped her, " Wait, he is happy tonight. I do not want to ruin his mood. We can tell him tomorrow." she said.
Rosette sat back down defeated. " Alright, we can wait. But we will talk to him together tomorrow after his privy council meeting. Promise me you will not try and back out." Rosette said. " I promise we will talk to him tomorrow." Rosalina gave a weak smile. Rosette smiled back and hugged her niece. The pair sat sipping wine and smiling as they watched Edmund and Bethany circle the floor.
Edmund ended his dance with Bethany with a kiss on her hand. Then he returned to the table and his wife's side. " Is everything alright?" he asked. " Yes, your Majesty. Everything is fine." The Queen smiled. " Good," he said, then turned to Rosalina. " Lady Rosalina, would you honor me with a dance?" he asked, offering her his hand. " It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty." she smiled and took his hand. Before leading her to the floor he leaned over and kissed his Queen. He spun her around the floor through the crowd. " Are you sure you are alright?" he asked. " Of course, your majesty. This is a wonderful feast. The court and the Queen seem to be having a wonderful time." she answered with a smile looking around at the crowd. He looked around then back to her, " They do seem like they are all enjoying themselves. You on the other hand seem very distracted. You ended your dance with Owen Ivrae abruptly then went to the table and looked upset. Did he say something?" the King questioned. " I did not sleep well last night. I had to sit down. Then I started thinking about things." she answered. " I have heard rumors that your healers were sent last night. Apparently an incident occurred and your lady-in-waiting was searching the palace frantically looking for you." he commented. " I could not sleep so I wandered around, letting my mind clear. She went to check on me but I was not in my chamber and she panicked. I was found and my healers were called to bring me some tea to help me sleep." Rosalina explained. " Are you sure that is all?" He questioned looking at her face. She smiled at him, " yes your majesty. Everything is fine." she answered. He knew that she was hiding something but did not push her to explain further, " If you are sure that is all. You look very beautiful tonight." he smiled. " Thank you. Edmund." she smiled with a little blush. " You know that you have made Aunt Rosette very happy." she commented. " I know that I have not been around as much as I should be. Also I know that I have not been giving the Queen any consideration. Tell me, how has she been?" he asked. " Aunt Rosette may get upset if I divulge her current and recent past states." Rosalina commented. " I understand. you are very close with her, closer than anyone else. I know that she does not tell me everything. She is a very proud, stubborn woman who does not show her true heart, especially If it will cause another pain." he responded. " Alright, I will tell you what I can. Since your affair with Josephina began, her majesty has been feeling a failure. That all of the losses had been her fault and knows that you blamed her. She was sadder than any of her ladies have ever seen her. She felt that you no longer loved her and that you would find a way to replace her. She knew that she was a disappointment but did everything she could to make up for it. I was told that before I joined her household she had slipped into such a dark place that her ladies feared that worst.
They worried that the dark clouds would take her life." she explained. " I can not believe that I have missed all of that. Was she really that depressed?" he questioned. "From what I have been told she was so deep into the darkness that she barely ate and did not show as much passion for helping others. Her charity work was just to occupy her time." Rosalina responded. " I am sorry that you arrived at the darkest time in the life of the Queen. What can I do to bring her out of the darkness and keep her out?" he asked, desperate to undo what he did. " I am not sure what can be done. The hurt that she feels deep in her heart and soul will be hard to heal. I would say trying to mend her heart. You just have to be there with her and for her. Not just sit with her but talk to her and be engaged. You have to be the light to chase away the darkness." she replied. " Thank you, Lady Rosalina. I knew that you would give me an honest answer and sound council. I have noticed since your arrival Rosette has been happier. I know that I am the one that pushed her to the edge. I should have been holding her back from the fall. How can I possibly mend a heart that I tore apart with my own hands., then I continued to trample on the pieces? The damage I have caused may not be mendable." he responded. " No one can tell you how to mend her heart. That is a heart that only you can mend and only you can find the way. That path is yours alone to travel. At the end she is waiting for you." Rosalina said. " Thank you, I will do what I can but if you think of any ideas that may help please tell me. I want to make her happy again." he said. " I will let you know if I think of something." Rosalina smiled. " You are an amazing young woman.
It warms my heart that you have come here and found your place within the court." he commented. " I am happy to be here as well. At first I was afraid of the prospect of court life. However, this past year has been one of the best years of my life." She admitted. " You just had to open yourself to something new." he responded." he said. " That is what my father said." she smiled, " Edmund, I am tired, could we sit?" she asked. " Of course." he answered and led her back to the table. He sat next to his wife and Rosalina sat next to Princess Bethany, who was talking with her mother. " Are you enjoying that feast, my love?" Edmund asked Rosette. " Very much, love." Rosette answered. " That makes me happy. I am sorry that I put it off for so long." he apologized. " It is alright, Edmund. I do not need a big celebration for my birthday. I would have just liked to have a small evening meal with you." she admitted. "I wanted the entire court to celebrate with us. I should be eating the evening meal with you every night. Whether that meal be held in your apartments or in the great hall. I apologize for not being the husband that you deserve." he said. " I accept your apology, but do not worry about yourself, Love. I have not fulfilled all of my duties as a proper wife either." she admitted. "Do not blame yourself, sweetheart, what has befallen us is in no way your fault and does not mean that you have failed. You are a wonderful wife and mother. No King could ever ask for a better Queen than you." He kissed her hand. She looked at him, unable to find the words to say. Tears started to stream down her face, rolling over her smile. " Sweetheart, please do not cry. Come, let's go to bed." he offered. She nodded and the pair stood and he led her from the hall. Her ladies followed. They walked into the apartments, Rosette went to sit before the fire but he steered her to the bedchamber. He closed the door before the ladies could follow. The ladies smiled at one another. Some of them left and rejoined the feast. Others went to their chambers and turned in for the night. Rosalina sat in a chair staring into the fire for a while. She allowed the flames to make her mind wander. The recent events played over and over in her mind.