Rose's Thorns

Chapter 9

"I have to at least make an appearance at this dinner." I said lowly. "Keep looking for her and let me know if you should find the woman we search for." I told the captain of our forces and my closest companion, Sir Forest Ghinn. 

"Aye Prince Aspen." He said with a small bow. He was one of the few people allowed to call me by the name I was given at birth. I marched unhappily toward the dining hall where my parents were in a meeting with whores and their traders. It was like the selling of livestock with these women, selling every part of their body just for coin, absolutely disgusting. I pushed open the large redwood doors and entered the room, the loud sound of the doors had every pair of eyes focused on me, which was something I was quite used to already. As I looked upon their faces I saw the common looks I often got, fear, disgust, at the large scar that ran down the right side of my face. And pity, the one I hated the most, fear I could deal with, I had learned to use fear as a weapon, always keeping it sharp and ready for battle. Disgust I wore like armor, if they were disgusted by men then why the hell should I care about them and what they want. Pity however only threw logs on the fire of my rage, how dare they pity me for surviving a battle and getting a scar to prove it. I am the son of a king, one who is too damn stubborn to die and they dare tarnish my name by looking at me with pity?! 

That was when I got a real good look at them, some of them were only girls, much too young to be bleeding or a w***e. The ones who were old enough to be whores were much too shy and introverted, none dare met my eye and tried seducing me with theirs. Only one woman dared meet my eye, and hers were filled with curiosity and....wonder? Then she bowed her head, she must have been looking past me, so I made my eye leave her beautiful face and onto the horrendous men next to her. I know the rumors spread about me, that I was a sword swallower, a dog fucker and a fearer of p***y. The truth of it was I didn't want to bed a w***e and have her come claiming to me she was pregnant with my heir and demand I make her my queen. I also did not want to have my married one look at me with fear every time we were together. 

My eye wandered back to her as I took my seat, her hair was the color of a newborn fawn, a golden brown color that would shine should the sun hit it just right. Her skin was flawless and unmarred unlike my own, it was a light tan color that made her hair really shine. Her thin yet supple lips were a rosy pink, slightly chapped from days in the sun without moisture no doubt had done that to her. Her nose was small and straight, and her eyes, I had never seen an iris of that mossy green color. The way the light from the candles danced in her eyes I swore I saw tiny emerald stones that looked like smaller versions of the stone I kept in my right socket.

I noticed the bones in her face were pronounced but not to the point where she looked like a skeleton, her rose pink dress matched her lips, but not her, she was beautiful no doubt, but she would look even better in a dress of green and gold. I looked at my father as he spoke clearing the notions in my head, I hardly knew this woman and I was going to offer my hand to another. I had seen a plethora of women that were beautiful, yet none had me wishing to put them in the royal colors of my kingdom. 

"Tell me my son, have any one of these women caught your eye?" My mother asked, I knew she was ready for me to marry and give her the grandchildren she has been wanting since I was 13.

"I won't marry off of looks." I said looking at her and speaking sternly. 

"So one of them has." She said looking at me with a hopeful grin and a playful look in her eyes. I was about to speak when a small whimper caught my ear, I looked over to see my beloved Cedar making his way toward me with a slight limp, his bandaged paw only briefly touching the ground before he lifted it again. "Cedar? I thought it was his end." Mother said in astonishment. 

"A warrior like him would not die from a wound to his paw." My father said while looking upon the noble dog with a proud grin on his face. I looked down at Cedar as he reached me and smiled at him, he laid at my feet and showed me his stomach. I gently rubbed his belly before sitting back up. 

"Elder Garrick said a woman, possibly one of the new maids had seen another in this state and she was able to save him. I mean a bur, who would have thought something of that size could turn a loyal beast so feral."  I said looking between my mother and father. 

"Did they say anything else?" Mother inquired.

"Aye, that she was offered a reward, yet she left before telling them her name. They also said she was kind, Cedar let her close which isn't something he would do especially in his state of pain."

"What are your plans? Should you find her?" My father asked resting his hands on his lap and leaning back in his seat. 

"It depends on who she is. If she is an elderly woman or very young a satchel of gold coin, if she is the proper age I will offer her my hand."

"You what?!" Mother practically screeched, "You know nothing of her."

"And I know of these women?" I retorted "I would rather marry a woman I don't know who Cedar didn't maim after she got near him without my presence,  than a woman I know nothing of entirely." Not even one as beautiful as the woman sitting across from my lucky brother Carson. 

My father, ever the peacekeeper, sighed deeply before speaking. "Let's finish dinner, when it is over we will discuss this while the rest of you can explore a bit more." 

And that is what we did, I heard a stabbing noise and I looked over at the beauty across from Carson, she looked at the bean she had just stabbed with sadness before eating it with a disgusted look on her face. She pushed her plate away and wiped her face properly with the cloth provided, she had all the proper manners of a lady, and yet here she was in the company of men who wanted to trade her like livestock. She kept her eyes on the table as the rest of us with more to eat finished our meals. 

She stood and offered my mother a small smile when dismissed from the table. I noticed that her smile didn't reach her eyes, she looked wary, perhaps even tired as she took the hand of one of the other girls as they left the room. I noticed the way Carson was looking at the woman beside hers breasts, they were quite large. But I also took notice of the girl they belonged to, she was looking around as if caught in a dream, her eyes hazy and a smile played on her lips, either she ingested some type of poison that gave strange visions or she was stupid. Once the rest of our guests were excused we began discussing the matters of marriage. 

"Only three of them were of age," My mother said with a sigh. "Rose, Dahlia and Lily." I wondered which girl was which.  "Dahlia seems way too ditzy to be a proper queen, Lily is too shy and dependent on Rose who is mute."

"Yes none seem like a good fit to be queen, nor a princess."

"I disagree, Daisy seems like a perfect princess to me." Zuko said, crossing his arms over his chest. My brother had always had the need to defy my parents. 

"And what gave you that impression?" My mother asked with a fierce and challenging look. "She spoke once, and it was softer than that of a barn mouse. You cannot marry a girl based solely on her looks."

"You're correct I can't. I say we let them stay a week and we get to the women for who they are, see what they are like and such things." Zuko proposed. 

"And what if that is their goal brother? If they are spies from another kingdom a week is all they need to find and record our weaknesses, next thing you know we have a southern king on our door trying to kill us." Henry said ending his words in a slight yell. 

"And if their intentions are nothing but pure? Even you could find a bride.....oops I forgot you prefer sticks up your..."

"ENOUGH!" My father shouted, from there on it was nothing but chaos trying to quell my brothers exploding emotions. It was no secret to the family that it was my brother Henry who favored the same s*x, as his family we accepted it, but the rest of our proud kingdom would harass him and try to take his crown.

"Please tell Roeger, he and the others can come back in." My mother said to one of the guards posted at the door.

When they arrived however one of them was missing, it was the one who had caught my eye earlier. Roeger seemed to be a bit shy and the girls seemed to keep away from him. A second later she appeared, she walked with purpose before standing between the man and the rest of the girls, on her face was a fresh mark of a hand along with a little cut on her bottom lip that still had a bead of blood on it. Her tired eyes found my mother and she bowed her head. 

"It has been decided that we will not purchase any of these young women." My father said looking at the men, their faces showed their disappointment and anger. 

"As we said earlier, we know nothing of their intentions. All we know are their names, what they look like and that Rose is a mute." My mother added. "It is unfortunate you traveled all this way for nothing, but we cannot make a queen nor wife like this. Those kings who believe they can are idiotic." 

"You can stay the night, but in the morning you should go before the snow falls."

"Tis already snowing your grace." Elder Garrick said as he walked in with Cedar.  "It is only a dusting though." 

"Do you wish to add input to our situation Elder Garrick?" I asked.  

"Nay, though I wish to speak with you after, meet me in the gardens."

"We can go now, we are done here, a decision has been made." I looked at my father, if I stayed my attraction to the beauty in the pink dress would be known by everyone. 

"Everyone may go." My father said waving his hand and sending them away. Elder Garrick left right after the others, I was about to leave when my father called me back. "Do come back later, we have more to discuss about your mystery woman." I nodded before leaving. 

The sound of a bellowing man hit my ears as I walked into the large corridor made of stones, I walked down a few steps to see Elder Garrick holding the arm of one of the girls, of course it was the one who made it hard (wink wink) to be around. 

"What is the commotion?" I asked as I walked up behind the girl who jumped at the sound of my voice. 

"I was asking Miss Rose to walk with me to the garden, I was hoping to give her the last white rose seeing as it will be dead in a week anyway." So this was Rose, too bad she was mute, I would have loved to hear what her voice sounded like. 

"How is that cause for commotion?" I asked once I understood what he was saying. 

"Your grace, we are traveling far, Rose needs her rest." Roeger said with a bow. 

"She will come to the garden, then I will have one of my men escort her to a room."

"Yes, your grace." I noticed the way the overly plump man glared at Rose before turning away. 

Our walk to the garden was silent, once we hit the outside air, our breath became visible. I struggled to keep my eyes up and not on the bouncing of Rose's round plump ass jiggling slightly as she walked. My trousers seemed to be getting tighter every moment I was with her. 

"My dear Rose, how did you end up in the company of that man?" Garrick asked, he spoke to Rose the way he spoke to my mother which was quite different from the way he spoke to other women around the castle. 

"She is mute." I said to Garrick. 

"It is a long story."