Rose's Thorns

Chapter 13

Wolfe....

The sun was not up yet when I awoke from my dreams of Rowan, a wetness was on my leg, I threw back my covers seeing my own seed covering my thigh. I got out of bed grumbling, pulling on my trousers and belt along with my sword. I grabbed my shirt leaving my chest bare, I left my room and went to the bath chambers where I found Irene, our eldest maid. 

"Your Grace." She said unfazed by my appearance, even with the large s***h across the right side of my body that stopped on my third rib, luckily the blade of the man who left me with this large scar missed my throat. Even the hair I grew could not cover the large scar. 

"Good morning Irene, would you be kind enough as to grab me some trousers and shirt, preferably black and green." 

"Of course." She said, taking the shirt from my arm. "I'll take your trousers while you are in the bath your grace, and leave you the fresh set of clothes."

"Thank you." I said to her walking into the room with the warm bath. I pulled my belt and sword off the trousers before laying them on a chair and walking into the large oval hole in the floor. I scrubbed myself with the bar of soap and tried to get my mind off the woman who was plaguing it. After I was clean I dried, running my hands through my hair and pulling on the dark trousers, tying the leather string above my crotch. I pulled on the loose fitting pine green top, I left the top two buttons undone and pulled on my belt. I made my way to the kitchen and filled my stomach with bacon, eggs and bread. I knew the day was going to be long. 

I went to the stables as the sun began to rise, I walked over to Torrand, my brilliant stallion, above his head on a wooden beam a pure white owl hooted and looked down at me. Torrand pawed at the ground and I chuckled. I grabbed his rope and tied it on his face, I walked him out to a field surrounded by a fence and I let him run loose. He was the kind of stallion who would go crazy boxed up all the time, the owl from the barn flew over my head and flew to a tree where a pair of emerald green eyes glistened in the shade of the everlasting pines. 

As suddenly as they appeared, the eyes disappeared. The snowy owl hooted before flying into the woods. I shook my head before heading back into the castle, I went to the grand hall and found my mother talking to the royal dressmaker and her three daughters and two grandchildren. They left the hall and my mother beckoned me over. 

"Have you come to a decision on Rowan." She asked sitting in her chair, a dark green cushion that was cleaned and refilled with feathers twice a year. 

"No, I won't ask Rowan to marry me before I know what she wants in her life." 

"That is fair." She said with a small smile. "But do tell me son, how would you fair if she were to leave? never to return to you." My heart would shrivel up in my chest and my c**k would remain limp until I saw her in my dreams. 

"I hardly know her mother." I said pushing the mushy thoughts aside. 

"That is true, and yet when you look at her, even the emerald shines a little brighter. I hoped one day I would see you look at a woman like that, and before you were married and had a queen." 

"Mother...." I said in annoyance. 

"Face the truth Aspen." My father walked into the room with my brothers, all three of them. Once he was seated we went on to inform them of what happened, Zuko was pissed at the boldness of Ulain and wanted to have her hanged for treason. We had just got done speaking when Lorin walked in and announced the arrival of Roeger, Sigmond, Rayburn and a handful of the names, Lily and Rowan's names were unspoken. The two youngest children still looked bed ready, the smaller of the two looked at me and gripped onto her sister tightly. Fear. 

"Irene, would you take...Aster and Petunia.?" My mother asked, the girl with the dark hair and eyes as blue as my mothers nodded. "To the bath, and go see Marlee please, she has something for the two of them."

"Aye, my queen." Irene said leading the two young girls away. After they left Rowan and Lily walked into the room, Rowan looked stunning with her wet hair clinging to her pink dress, falling to the middle of her ribs. Part of her hair was pulled back showing off the full splendor of her face, her lip was no longer swollen other than the area around the cut. She took her place between the men and her sisters, ever the guardian, protecting them. Her mossy eyes met mine before she looked to my mother and bowed. 

"Good morning." I could tell my mother was smiling as she spoke by the tone of her voice. 

"Good morning, your grace." Lily responded, she seemed shy and meek so it surprised me that she would speak for the woman when Dahlia or Daisy would. 

"I know Tyson and I said you would be leaving this morning, but I noticed your dresses seemed to be outdated so I took the liberty of arranging for you all to be fitted, please follow Sir Forest so he can show you there. Men, you will be provided with a breakfast of your choosing while you wait." Again I watched as Rowan was led away by my best friend. The pull to go to her and rip Forest a new hide for even being close was so strong I could feel my body ready to move. This jealousy was new to me, wanting to maim one of my only friends for her, I would move the world if she asked, and that was a horrifying thought. 

I left the hall, leaving the men I wanted to shred with my bare hands, my parents, and my brothers, and I ended up approaching Forest. He and two other soldiers stood by the redwood door talking while still in a protective stance. Forest has dark half circles under his eyes showing just how tired he really was, he had been up all night guarding her on my request, and still he protected her. 

"Forest you may take leave and rest, I will watch over the ladies, men if you have been awake all night as well find replacements for yourselves."

"Aye Prince Aspen." Forest said, he looked back at the door before turning to me and winking. He was aware of my fondness for Rowan. He left but the other two men stayed, my dear friend had already sent for replacements of the other guards but remained as Rose's. 

A while later I was still speaking with the guards when Henry showed up, his cheeks were red like he had been outside. "I should have known this is where you had gone off to." He began, "I checked the stables, library, armory and the kitchens, but here you are waiting on a woman." He said with an amused smile. 

"You went to all those places? How long has it been?" It only felt like twenty minutes. 

"Nearly two hours brother." 

I was about to comment when the door behind me opened, I turned around and my eyes were instantly drawn to her. She looked ravishing in the dark pine green dress with emerald and silver designs. Her mossy green eyes found mine and I had to fight the urge to rip her dress off and f**k her like she was already mine. Henry said something while I struggled to recapture the breath she stole from my lungs. 

We began walking, my feet moving on their own accord, falling into step by her side, right where I belonged. Would I really be okay if she wanted to leave? When we got to the hall I regrettably left her side once again and took my place standing tall and menacing beside my soft and kind mother. 

All hope of the conversation keeping my attention was lost as I tried my best to keep my eyes off of Rowan, I was sure my mother had planned this to see what kind of reaction I would give. All I knew is that the leather fabric of my trousers was way too damn tight and I was thankful for the long loose shirt I had decided to wear. 

"Whoever told you we was murders, and thieves was lying." I wanted to knock what was left of his teeth out for calling my woman a liar. 

"Is that so?" I sneered at the pathetic man, I felt Cedar poke his head out from behind me, before pushing past my side going to sit between Rowan and the fat man with less brain cells than teeth. "What if I told you I had proof of all of your crimes?"

"There aint no proof for something that aint never happened." Sigmond the i***t replied. 

"Have it your way." My mother growled, she sounded like a little bunny. I took a few steps forward and I reached my hand out to Rowan, she took a single step forward before the fucker Roeger tried to grab at her. 

"ROSE! You stupid little b***h! " I was furious that he had the nerve to call her a b***h and try to touch her in my presence. Cedar must have felt the same because he grabbed the fat bastards arm in his sharp teeth and shook his head in fury, ripping at the flesh and splattering the pigs blood everywhere. 

"My name is Rowan;" She told the man, her voice was cold and devoid of all emotion, I whistled to Cedar and he let go of the nasty pig and padded to her side as I took my place behind her back just able to glare at the men from behind her head. The other two morons were right to look at us in horror, I was their worst nightmare. "And combined, all three of you are guilty of all three charges."

"What have you to say now?" Came the strong deep voice of my father. 

"Ladies? Have you anything to add?" She asked the rest of the girls, I took notice how the one with the eyes like my mother was the only one who didn't seem too afraid of the situation. 

"They took me from an orphanage, I was playing in the trees when the thin man grabbed me from behind and dragged me to the cart where he told everyone he bought me." 

"What was your name before they took you?" Rowan asked kindly. 

"Vienna." She replied, I reached my hand down to my dog who was leaning on Rowan, and our hands brushed, hers were cold, not like ice, but a cool lake in the summer, cold. She seemed content letting her hand linger on mine for a few seconds. 

"Thank you for presenting us with the truth Vienna." My mother said before turning back to the dumb bastards. "You Sigmond are charged with murder and theft along with the illegal dealings of selling and or trading humans as livestock. Do you deny it?" 

"Aye, I aint never killed nobody." The twig man tried to sound tough as my soldier restrained him but he sounded like a dying sheep instead. 

"Vaynir was somebody. He was one of the last survivors of our village and my little brother of nine years old. And you killed him. Now you will pay." Rowan seethed, I saw her wipe an angry tear that fell from her beautiful eye only pissing me off more. 

"What have you to say now?" I said letting anger roll off of me, Cedar bared his teeth and snarled at the man feeding off of my emotions. I used my right hand to pull Rowan's perfect body against mine as instinct began to take over. As he felt the severity of my rage that puny little man shrunk away from me. "What did you have in mind for him Rowan?" I asked looking down at her, she tilted her head back, her eyes meeting mine, if the situation were different, I would have lost all control with the way her lips parted slightly, her soft ass pressed against by already tight pants, lighting a fire not to be burnt out. 

"I'm sure the witches down south could use him, if not as a slave, they could always use him as a sacrifice. Be it blood, bodily or life." She said looking away from me and back at him, more rage filled me, because he dared take her attention from me, she was mine and only mine. 

"So it shall be." I told her, I knew the witches were vile and sending them this man would only fuel their cause, but I would do anything for her...only her.

"I thought the dealing of humans was illegal?" Roeger snapped. "Why then; should a prince be able to do it?"

"I am not trading nor selling him. Therefore it is not illegal." I informed the stupid man, I waved my hand to the soldiers who held Sigmond ready to carry out his punishment. "Bind him and get him ready for transport south.

"Aye my prince." I faintly heard them say, once again I was lost in her, the smell of pine and honey that softly filled my nose, testing the restraint I thought I had. I was brought back to focus when the smallest girl walked over to Rowan and took her right arm. Once the sentencing was finished I went back to my post beside my mother, I saw Rowan shiver slightly and a part of me was glad she missed my body. 

"What is it that you ladies want to do now that you are free?" Henry asked, I waited not so patiently for all the girls to speak, I wanted to know only what Rowan would do. 

"Rowan?" I asked, unable to wait a second longer to know what she wanted to do.  

"I have no home to go to. I have no mother, I am unaware if either my uncle or father survived Summerville in the last war. My sisters are all I have, but I won't stop them from finding their own happiness. I will likely stay in the north, with Aster and Daisy taking care of them until they can take care of themselves." She planned on staying in the north, but where, here with me, or with some other man?

"My son said that he would offer his hand to the one who aided Cedar last night at dinner." My mother questioned unexpectedly, making me ponder her sanity. But still I held my breath waiting for Rowan to speak. "Were he to offer his hand to you what would you say?" I wasn't expecting her too keep going and to be so blunt, so I looked at Rowan and her cheeks were rosy, her eyes warm. 

"I would accept." She sounded calm but I could see her small smile. "However, were we to take the throne as king and queen I would like to see the whole north. I feel as a queen it would be my duty to know the land and people I would swear to protect." I was looking down at her trying to restrain myself from grabbing her and taking her to see the entire north right away. I let a smirk fall onto the lips that would one day taste every part of her.