Rose's Thorns

Chapter 16

A tingling sensation spread throughout my body starting at my toes and making its way up to the tip of my head. Every nerve in my body lit up, not in a painful way, in a way that felt like I was being re-made. My soul lifted intertwining with the soul of my husband. A flash of emerald green flashed beneath my eyelids. No sooner than it did Aspen pulled away, I opened my eyes and looked at my husband....damn that felt good, calling him my husband. He was looking down, his eye catching mine as he smiled. Everyone else faded away leaving only him and I. 

We were brought back to the grand hall when Garrick began to speak. "All in this room have claimed witness to this sacred union. Now only the gods can separate these two souls." Garrick began unbinding our hands, the string held in place by Aspen's thumb. He took his hands and wrapped it around my arm three times until tying it there. I was so profoundly happy that tears began to pool in my eyes finding their way down my cheeks. I looked over at my sisters, still beaming, they were all smiling and crying in happiness. Lily walked over and we clung to one another. 

"Go find him Lily." I whispered to her before letting go. She smiled and we both wiped tears from our faces. "Remember to bring him here. When you do, I'm going to have to make you get married to the same man for a second time."

"We should all get some rest." King Tyson said before embracing Aspen. 

"I fear Rowan and Wolfe will be getting no rest tonight." Zuko commented, I chuckled as Reymira cuffed her son lightly on the back of the head in warning. 

"f**k off." Aspen growled before he hugged his mother. Reymira came to me and pulled me into her arms, I held her gently. 

"I am thankful that those men brought you here to us Rowan. Only you are meant to be his wife and his queen." She whispered, before pulling away. "As my husband said, we should all get some rest. There is much to do tomorrow for those who are staying, and a long journey for those who are leaving." 

"Aye." Forest and two guards he called in took my sisters away, Wren holding onto Opal's arm. Aspen led me out behind them taking us to the northern end of the castle. We made our way to a tower, he walked us up a flight of twenty steps ushering me into the already opened door. His room was magnificent, and it carried his smell. It was large nearly 8 meters (28 feet) from the door to the window on the opposite side of the room.

To the right was the bed, covered in large animal skins, some black, grey, and fawn colored. Across from the bed was a hearth, it was dead, no fire to be seen. Over on the right side of the room was a window that was no more than the length of my forearm across. On the left was a wooden bucket I assumed was his piss pot. I walked into the room, not chancing sitting on the bed, knowing my blood cloth would need to be changed. 

"It's perfect." I said facing him, he grinned walking over and sitting on the bed patting the space beside him. "I have to clean my blood cloth." I told him, he looked a bit shy before he nodded and stood. 

"I'll have two basins brought up." He said taking my hand and leading me back down to the bathing room. "Irene will bring you in a night dress." He said kissing my temple before walking off. I went inside and took off my new dress, leaving it on a chair with the white cotton under dress that had a small red stain on it. I sighed and took out my blood cloth. I washed it in a basin near the bath and returned it to my p***y before stepping into the water and cleaning the blood off of my legs and vaginal area. As promised the old maid from earlier walked in with a eggshell colored nightdress.

"Thank you Irene." I said taking it from her and slipping it over my body. "For all you have done for me today."

"It is an honor to serve you Lady Rowan after all not just any woman can tame the heart of a man like Prince Wolfe."

"Well I thank you anyway, once Aspen and I come back from visiting the rest of the Emerald pines kingdom, would you show me around the entirety of the castle. I know my husband would love to do the honor, but I wouldn't want him to miss any more days of training than he already is."

"It would be an honor my lady." I smiled and took my dress and cotton under dress back to Aspen's room where he was getting a fire started in the hearth. He was only wearing his trousers, his entire upper body exposed. He stood and turned to me with a grin. I took my clothes and set them on the left side of the room where a large oak bureau sat, I laid my dress on the chair on the right side of it seeing as two basins sat on the top. 

"Tis empty love." He said from where he added a few mid sized logs to the growing fire. "I had it brought up today, we will need more clothing once winter fully sets in." I put my dress in the second drawer down before walking over to the bed and sitting on the fur covers, running my fingers through the fine hair. 

"Did you kill the animals used to make the blanket?" I asked my husband who turned to me and nodded. 

"Aye, the biggest fur, the long haired brown one was a bear Forest and I took down after I turned 18. Man that thing was a beast. I took one half of the skin while Forest took the other. It took both of us to kill the beast, so we both shared the harvest."

"How often do you see bears up here in the north?" I asked, I had never seen a bear, but I was not looking forward to it if all of them were that big.

"Not too often, they like to stay near the mountains, catching the river fish for food. Then come winter they spend all of their time sleeping."

"Which animal was the most dangerous one to kill?" I asked. 

"There is a black pelt next to a grey one. Those were two wolves in a pack of ten that was raiding some farms near house Porter. Henry, Forest and a handful of  Porter's soldiers along with three other members of the royal guard went after the pack. I killed the grey one and the black wolf came at me, it was sheer luck that my blade caught him in the heart." Three men died taking care of that one pack of wolves." He stood, walking over to where I was and he sat next to me. 

"We should rest." I sighed and stood, mentally preparing myself for what was to happen next. 

"Aye, but there is something you need to see first." He looked intrigued, his gaze growing heated as I began taking off my night dress. I turned away from him and pulled the fabric over my head, allowing him the full view of my back. I shivered as his hands began to play with the scarred skin. 

"They did this didn't they?" He growled. 

"Aye, the first time was the night we tried to escape. It was only after Roeger was done, Sigmond came back to us dragging Lily by her hair, a dagger dripping blood in the other. I screamed until I was too weak to stay awake. the next few days the wounds began to fester and I prayed the gods would let me die." I told him as he used his fingers to trace the marks. 

"And the other times?"

"Once I told a man they were trying to sell me to that I had an itching rash on my p***y, and he refused to buy any of us. The next time I told a lord I was a eunuch, they dressed me like a woman so they could make coin. The last time was when one of my sisters was sold, her name was Poppy. Roeger sold her to a man named Clie, he is a trainer for hounds in the lowest region of the southern kingdom. It is known that Clie rapes women and uses their bastard babes as dog toys. He takes the babes from the women and hides them in the woods, then he sets his hounds loose. Clie has never had a babe live more than three days."

"A man like that should be dead." Aspen growled, both of his hands were on my back, a fire ignited in my stomach. A ripple of pain hit me, much like usual with the bleeding. Only this time it was fueled by a need to get pregnant by my husband. I sighed before turning my head over my shoulder where Aspen was focused on my skin. 

"Aye he should be." He looked up at me and smirked before leaning forward, his hands on my hips holding me in place as he began placing soft kisses all over my back. The fire began to grow hotter and the pain in my stomach seemed to double. I gasped turning my head back around and letting it fall back, he stopped just above my ass, making me need him even more. Then I thought of his bed, we would ruin all of his furs were we to keep going. 

I slipped my nightdress back on before turning to face my pouting husband. I sat down beside him, not wanting to tempt him. "The bleeding will stop in a few days. Once it is over we can have our fun." I said taking my hand and brushing strands of hair away from his eye. 

"Don't expect to be riding horses for a few days after I've had my way with you." He said pressing his lips to mine. "The wait will indeed make the reward sweeter, but I'll have to make up for lost time." I giggled and used my left hand to reach across his body and trace the trail of skin where no hair dared to grow. 

"I've only known you a short time, but I already love you Aspen." I said after he pulled his lips from mine. The smile he gave in response was breathtaking. His teeth were white as pure snow, only a few of his bottom teeth were a smidge out of place. 

"And I love you Rowan, my wife." I smiled at him before kissing his cheek and getting myself tucked under the heavy skins. "Just so you know, I sleep naked." I giggled as he stood up, placing another log on the fire. I winced as he walked to is piss pot, while he did his thing I curled into a ball trying to lesson the pain of bleeding. I heard him take off his leather trousers before the skins lifted. I took a few deep breaths and looked over my shoulder at him, his eye went from clam and peaceful to concerned. 

"What's wrong?" He asked leaning over me. 

"The bleeding comes with pain. Tis the punishment for not bearing a child." I said wincing again as the pain got worse. 

"How do you usually stop it?"

"We live through it." I turned to face him putting my head under his chin, he held me tightly. 

"Is there anything I can do?" 

"Nay, I just have to take the pain as it comes. Once I fall asleep the pain will fade."

"Okay then Ro, lets get some sleep." He rolled us to our sides, keeping me curled into him the entire time. He was asleep within an hour, but it took 3 more for the pain to subside enough to where I could finally rest.