Rose's Thorns

Chapter 18

He took off my dress and set me down while he pulled off his clothes. I waded into the warm water and began washing myself while he got naked. Once he was in the water, Aspen washed my back. When I was clean we got to work on him, I used my nails to gently clean his back. Like the rest of his body his back was covered in dark hair. Beneath the hair I could tell his beige skin was covered in small light brown freckles. We spent another ten minutes goofing about before getting out of the water and drying our bodies. We got dressed before heading to the grand hall where everyone was sitting and talking over breakfast. 

"How lovely of you to join us." Queen Reymira said raising an eyebrow. 

"We were busy." Aspen snapped, he followed me and took the empty chair at my side. 

"So when will I have grand children?" King Tyson asked. 

"I'm bleeding so not for a few more days." I said taking a bite of food and smiling at the queen who began to pout. 

"You just had to bleed now." She sighed in mock anger. 

"Well you don't want a grandchild born from a rotten egg do you?"

"Nay I suppose I don't" She muttered like a small child.

"Does that mean all you did was sleep last night?" Zuko gasped. "My poor dear brother and his little friend."

"Rowan said she can't get pregnant right now, but that doesn't mean we can't try." Aspen growled at his brother in a playful manner. I looked over at my sisters, all but Wren and Vienna we red faced. I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from giggling as Aspen locked our hands together on my lap. 

"I suppose that means your bedding will need to be changed?" Irene said as she walked over handing both of us plates with our breakfast on it. 

"Aye, that it will." Aspen answered taking a bite of his food. 

"Thank you Irene." I smiled at her before taking a bite of my food, Aspen smirked before nodding at the older woman. 

She walked away as Cedar ventured in, he yawned before laying between Aspen and I, he licked my feet which I had put into the leather shoes lined with rabbit fur on the inside to keep my feet warm. Breakfast was delicious as all the food here was. When it was over it had come the time for my sisters to depart, going to lead the lives they wanted. 

We were standing out in the chilly air as my sisters climbed into wagons, all were covered with fresh horses pulling them. Sigmond was in a cart as well, only his was more like a cell, the top open so the elements could have their way with him. The first to go was Ginny, she waved with a large smile on her face as she began to get more minuscule. Sigmond's cell went after her,  he looked worse than I had ever seen, and I didn't give one care. Solice and Vienna were the next to leave, exited to see their homes. Solice was rambling on about how she would never take her family for granted again. Aspen pulled me into his side, making sure I was okay without saying a word. I leaned my head on him thankful for this man who stormed into my life only a few days ago. 

Last to leave was Lily, and by far she was the sister I was most upset to see leave. I grabbed onto her leaving my husbands side. I felt my eyes sting as she began to tremble. We clung to one another for a long time before we let go. I brushed away her tears before wiping mine and grabbing her shoulders in both hands, our eyes meeting. 

"Be safe sister, I love you." she smiled before more tears fell down her beautiful face. 

"I love you too Rowan, I promise I'll come see you." I nodded and hugged her once more before she got into the back of her wagon and was pulled away. I held the rest of my tears in until she was gone, then I let them fall. I didn't make a sound as I cried. Staring at the road even after she was out of sight I finally smiled, she was going to get the happy ending I had always hoped she would. 

I turned to my husband who pulled me into his arms, the rest of the family having left once Lily was gone. I rested my head on his chest, my arms snaked around his torso. "Since we are leaving tomorrow, we should get you on a horse again today." He said pressing his lips to my temple. I nodded and pulled away slightly settling for clasping our hands together as we walked to the stables.

Aspen fitted Torrand with his saddle first before we both worked on my mare. "Have you come up with a name for her yet?" He asked as we tightened the cinch, she snorted and flattened her ears. 

"Fey." I said aloud, she perked her ears up and snorted once more as we placed the bridle on her face. I led her out to the paddock while Aspen tended to Torrand. Once we were out I walked Fey around before making sure her cinch was still tight. As I thought it needed to be tightened. 

"Let me give you a hand milady." Aspen said with a cute bow making me laugh. He aided me up onto Fey who had been properly saddle trained. Staying on her wasn't too difficult but it would have been better in trousers. 

"I believe I'm going to need trousers if I am to ride her as I am now." I said to Aspen as he and Torrand walked to our side. He looked at my dress and nodded with a laugh. 

"Aye I believe you are correct my dear." We spent quite a bit of time just walking around the paddock talking about nonsense. Though we were married we didn't know much about one another. Turns out we have much in common, the few things we did disagree on weren't that important, like my hatred for beans. Turns out he loved the taste of them when freshly picked from a garden. 

It was nice to have that time with him, no interruptions, no tears and no sadness. For the first time in a while I was happy, just plain happy. 

When the ride was done we put the horses away and went back into the castle, both of us still smiling and laughing. We happened across Marlee and asked her to prepare some clothes for our journey, she happily obliged saying she was in need of doing something. 

"Do you think we can give her a two extra coins?" I asked once we were back in his room. His bed was made, and Cedar was resting, his paw only slightly swollen. "I mean she has to make eight outfits total tonight." 

"Aye, we'll hand her some extra coin for her work love." He said sitting on the clean bed next to Cedar. "Tell me dear, did you ever learn how to use a weapon?" 

"If I had, those men would have died long ago." I informed him with a smirk. He chuckled before puling me onto his lap. 

"I can imagine so." Our eyes met before he placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. "I'm going to teach you how to use a bow. Your arms are not strong enough for a sword and using a dagger would put you much too close to danger." 

"When will be start training?" I asked him.

"We will start tomorrow while the horses rest. Everyday while our horses rest we will be training, by the time we arrive home you will be a master archer."

"I'm positive I'll be more than an archer." I teased with a smirk and a wink when he looked down at me. He growled and pulled me down onto the bed climbing on top of me. 

"Don't tease me." His deep voice growled playfully, Cedar got up from his spot and put his body between us lightly growling at Aspen, protecting me. "Is that how it is now?" He sat back his face showed his surprise, I found the situation hilarious and was laughing like a crazy person. 

"Good boy." I said once I was done laughing, massaging his head with my right hand. 

"Aye, you protect her boy." Aspen said to Cedar as he gently pet him. Cedar opened his mouth in a smile before getting off of me and going back to his spot on the foot of the bed. 

"I'm glad he loves you as much as I do." Aspen said letting out a deep breath. "What is something you have always wanted to do?" I thought for a second as I sat back up and curled up on his lap, just like a toddler would with her father. 

"Everything I wanted I have, a loving husband who is going to each me to use a bow. The chance to finally ride a horse again, I even have a dog who is protective of me. Not only that but I gained a whole new family in the span of three days. I'm so much happier than I have been in so many years, and I have you to thank for that my love." 

"As I said last night, I had yet to meet a woman who was not repulsed by my face or who wanted me not for my crown. I never hoped I would meet a beautiful woman like yourself who would take my hand even if I had no throne." We fell into a comfortable silence, our breathing synchronized and so did the beats of our hearts. My head rested in the crook of his neck while he layed his chin on the top of my head. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the quiet of the room. 

We stayed that way until I had to get up and clean my blood cloth, Aspen sighed sadly.  I giggled after I put the cloth back in and walked over to my man. There was still a bit of time before dinner so I took his hand and called Cedar, leading them to the library. I found a book of records in the Elders section and brought it to a candle lit table as the sun had begun to sink early in the day. We sat down and I began reading the record aloud. 

"When Elder Haggler was alive and the kingdom of the Emerald pines was but twenty winters old, the largest snowfall to date had fallen. It was said the snow reached the window of the tallest tower on the old castle at the base of the mountains. Crops from that years harvest could not sustain them and most of the northerners perished. It was considered the winter of Ghalloch, the god of monsters, for that was the winter that all of those who survived lost a piece of themselves by eating pieces of others." I cringed before skipping over the nasty details. "Those who lived never spoke of the winter so there are no life accounts, but it was said the flayed bones of men can still be found by the ruins of the old castle."

"I remember hearing about that winter when I was younger. It is the reason we need such a large harvest each year, also why the capital was moved down here instead of at the mountains." Aspen said playing with his beard. I nodded and put the book back finding the records of the harvests. 

"The best harvest to date was nearly 150 years ago under the reign of King Cypress, he had over two thousand bushels of wheat, fifty wagon loads of carrots, beans, potatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, and peppers. The birthing season was the greatest still even in this day, records show over 5 thousand calves throughout the north along with 8 thousand goats, 4 thousand horses and 10 thousand sheep. Pigs remained in the low 2 thousands and chickens were too frail to have more than 500. It was a time of great prosperity and peace. King Cypress made an alliance with King Jakob and was able to farm land in the west aiding the north in the best way possible." I stopped reading and sighed, getting back up and grabbing the book of Elder Francis, who was King Cypress's advisor. 

"The following years were also prosperous, until the death of Cypress's daughter Ayella (A-yell-a)." Aspen finished as I sat down with the book I had just grabbed. "I remember reading of Ayella before I went to battle, it was said she was as much of a snake as the babe Beatrice the beauty bore." 

"Well then we should inform ourselves in case history decides to repeat events from the past."