Chapter 5: Roses with Thorns
1657 Words
The beautiful woman’s name was Maria Dansdale.
At least, that was what she introduced herself as the night she appeared beneath the flowering trees.
“I apologize if I frightened you,” Maria had said softly. “I rarely find anyone wandering these gardens at night besides myself.”
Her voice was elegant. Gentle.
Everything about her seemed effortless.
Moonlight had silvered the edges of her dark cloak while strands of carefully curled hair framed a face so perfect it almost seemed sculpted. She carried herself like someone born admired.
Elowen distrusted beautiful women instinctively.
Years beside Eleanor had taught her that beauty often concealed sharp teeth.
Still, Maria smiled kindly enough to soften suspicion.
“You are Queen Elowen,” Maria had said warmly. “I have wanted to meet you properly for quite some time.”
Queen.
The title still felt foreign.
“You know who I am,” Elowen answered carefully.
“Everyone in Delmatia knows who you are.”
Something unreadable flickered behind Maria’s eyes before vanishing instantly.
“My brother serves in court,” she continued smoothly. “House Dansdale has supported the crown for generations.”
Elowen nodded politely.
Maria stepped closer then, gaze drifting briefly toward the palace windows towering above them.
“You must find this place lonely.”
The words surprised her.
Elowen hesitated before answering quietly, “Not particularly.”
Maria tilted her head slightly, studying her as though she did not believe that answer.
“Well,” she smiled softly, “perhaps I can change that.”
---
And somehow,
she did.
Over the following weeks, Maria became a constant presence in Elowen’s isolated life.
She visited frequently, often appearing during afternoon tea with stories from court and gossip about nobles Elowen had never met. Unlike the servants, Maria spoke freely around her. Comfortably.
It was… nice.
Strangely nice.
“You should see Lord Vasric attempting diplomacy after wine,” Maria laughed one afternoon while seated beside the fireplace. “The man nearly declared war on a dessert tray last winter.”
Elowen blinked before unexpectedly laughing softly.
Maria smiled immediately at the sound.
“There,” she said triumphantly. “You can smile.”
Elowen looked away slightly embarrassed.
Conversations with Maria felt dangerously easy.
Too easy.
She found herself waiting for the woman’s visits without meaning to.
It reminded her painfully of the friendships she had once wished for as a child but never received.
Maria brought pieces of the outside world into her prison.
Court rumors.
Seasonal festivals.
Stories about Delmatia’s cities.
Sometimes books.
Sometimes flowers.
Never cruelty.
And after months alone, kindness became difficult not to cling to.
“You know,” Maria said casually one evening while examining the bookshelves, “many people expected King Demitri to marry within Delmatia.”
Elowen glanced up from her embroidery. “Did they?”
“Oh yes.” Maria smiled faintly. “The nobles pushed endlessly for it.”
Elowen lowered her gaze again.
She knew very little about her husband despite living under his roof for months. He still rarely appeared before her. Their interactions remained brief, distant, impossible to decipher.
Sometimes she wondered if he regretted marrying her entirely.
Maria settled elegantly into a chair nearby.
“There were even rumors once,” she continued lightly, “that I might become queen.”
The embroidery needle slipped against Elowen’s finger.
A tiny bead of blood surfaced instantly.
Maria noticed immediately.
“Oh dear.”
She rose quickly, kneeling beside Elowen with surprising urgency.
“Careful.”
Elowen stared at her quietly while Maria dabbed the blood away with a handkerchief.
“You loved him,” Elowen realized softly.
Maria’s hands paused almost imperceptibly.
Then she smiled again.
“Everyone loves King Demitri.”
But something about the way she said it unsettled Elowen deeply.
---
The weather warmed gradually as spring settled across Delmatia.
Flowers bloomed throughout the palace gardens, melting away the harshness of winter. For the first time since arriving, Elowen occasionally left her chambers during daylight hours,though only when accompanied by servants or Maria.
No one stopped her anymore.
That alone felt strange.
One bright afternoon, Maria appeared unusually excited.
“The roses have finally bloomed,” she announced. “You must come see them.”
Elowen looked uncertainly toward the windows.
“Now?”
“Of course now.” Maria grinned. “The gardens are beautiful this time of year.”
Elowen hesitated.
Daytime still felt dangerous somehow. Exposed. Open.
At night the gardens belonged only to shadows and silence.
During the day,
people watched.
Maria noticed her reluctance immediately.
“You cannot remain hidden forever, Elowen.”
The words landed oddly.
Not cruel.
But sharp enough to sting.
Finally, Elowen nodded quietly.
“All right.”
Maria smiled brilliantly.
---
The gardens looked entirely different beneath sunlight.
Golden light filtered through flowering trees while fountains shimmered beside winding stone paths. Servants trimmed hedges in the distance, and the scent of roses lingered heavily in the warm air.
“It’s beautiful,” Elowen admitted softly.
Maria glanced toward her.
“You sound surprised.”
“I suppose I am.”
The two women wandered slowly through the pathways together while Maria pointed out different flowers and sculptures.
For a while, it almost felt peaceful.
Normal.
Something Elowen had rarely experienced.
“You know,” Maria said conversationally as they approached the central rose gardens, “the court speaks about you constantly.”
Elowen stiffened slightly. “Do they?”
“Oh yes.” Maria plucked a flower absentmindedly. “Mostly curiosity.”
“And the rest?”
Maria smiled faintly.
“Fear.”
Elowen frowned.
“Fear?”
“You are the foreign queen who captured Demitri’s attention.” Maria’s voice remained light. “That alone terrifies people.”
Elowen nearly laughed at the absurdity.
Captured his attention?
The man barely acknowledged her existence.
“I think they misunderstand our marriage.”
Maria looked at her then.
Really looked at her.
And for one strange second, something ugly flickered beneath her pleasant expression.
“You truly believe he does not care for you?”
The question caught Elowen off guard.
Before she could answer, Maria suddenly gasped softly.
“Oh!”
She stumbled sideways directly into Elowen.
Hard.
Everything happened instantly.
Elowen lost her footing against the uneven stone path and fell backward violently into the rose bushes lining the garden walls.
Pain exploded across her skin.
Sharp.
Burning.
Hundreds of thorns tore through silk and flesh alike as her body crashed deep into the tangled roses.
Elowen cried out involuntarily.
The world blurred painfully.
Thorns scratched across her arms, neck, hands,some embedding themselves beneath skin. Others ripped through the thin fabric protecting her legs.
For one disoriented second, she could not breathe.
“Elowen!”
Maria rushed toward her immediately, sounding horrified.
“Oh my goodness,I am so sorry!”
She grabbed Elowen’s arm attempting to pull her upright.
More thorns tore into exposed skin instantly.
Elowen gasped sharply.
Maria tugged again in panic, accidentally dragging sharp branches against Elowen’s shoulders and wrists.
“I’m trying to help,hold still,”
Pain flared everywhere.
The roses seemed endless.
By the time servants finally rushed over after hearing the commotion, blood stained petals crimson beneath Elowen’s trembling body.
“Oh God,”
“Call a physician!”
“Careful, careful,”
The servants carefully cut tangled branches away while Elowen struggled to remain conscious through the stinging agony.
Maria knelt nearby pale-faced and trembling.
“This is my fault,” she whispered repeatedly. “I tripped,I didn’t mean,”
Elowen barely heard her.
Everything hurt.
Her skin burned as though fire crawled beneath it.
When the servants finally lifted her from the roses, dozens of thin scratches and puncture wounds covered her arms and exposed skin. Torn fabric clung to bloodied cuts while smaller thorns remained embedded painfully in several places.
One servant looked genuinely horrified.
“Bring hot water immediately.”
Another hurried ahead toward the palace.
Maria touched Elowen’s hand softly.
“I’m so sorry.”
Elowen managed a weak nod despite the pain.
Accidents happened.
Didn’t they?
---
The physician spent nearly two hours treating her injuries.
Most were shallow.
Some were not.
Tiny thorns had lodged beneath her skin across her arms and back, requiring painful removal one by one while maids cleaned blood from her wounds.
By evening, white bandages wrapped around her forearms, shoulders, and ankle.
Even moving hurt.
“You were fortunate the fall missed your face,” the physician muttered while preparing another salve. “Rose thorns can scar deeply.”
Elowen sat silently through the treatment.
Exhausted.
Ashamed.
Foolish.
When the physician finally left, the room dimmed into quiet candlelight once more.
Maria had sent flowers.
Elowen stared at them from across the room for a long time before asking a servant to remove them.
---
Days passed.
Elowen rarely left bed.
Her injuries ached constantly beneath the bandages, especially along her back and legs where the thorns had cut deepest. Even changing clothes became exhausting.
Worst of all,
she looked weak.
Vulnerable.
The thought of anyone seeing her covered in injuries filled her with humiliation she could not explain.
So she refused visitors.
The servants respected it without question.
For three days, her chambers remained quiet except for physicians and maids replacing bandages.
On the fourth night, rain battered softly against the palace windows while Elowen sat awake beside the fireplace unable to sleep.
A sharp knock echoed suddenly through the room.
She frowned slightly.
“At this hour?”
No one answered.
Another knock came.
Slower this time.
The servant nearest to the door glanced uncertainly toward Elowen.
“Shall I send them away, Your Majesty?”
Elowen hesitated.
Then nodded once.
The servant opened the doors carefully.
And immediately stepped aside in shock.
Elowen looked up.
Then froze completely.
Because standing beyond the doorway,
was King Demitri.
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