Chapter Three

It's time to choose from the twenty nobles who is to be Dios. Who will Rose choose?

The Game

by omegax45

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

                        Rose woke up early dawn the next morning, feeling a bit refreshed.  She felt something was off and took a whiff of the air.  It smelled… Nice.  Better than nice, it smelled clean.   For so long, she had awakened to the horrid stench of her dress and the alleyways full of garbage.  She had gotten used to the smell of rotting food and body odor that to be lack of it left her confused for a minute.  With the mystery solved, she stretched carefully and crawled out from underneath the bed.

                        She then pulled the blankets and pillows out and threw them on to the bed to make it look like she slept in it and slipped out of her nightgown.  She put on a simple dress and put on basic jewelry, nothing too fancy.  Everyone knew that Queen Usio loved to outshine everyone, so if someone tried to dress fancier than her, there would be hell to pay. 

                        She had put on the finishing touches to her outfit and made the bed when she heard a knock at the door.  Putting on a pair of her new shoes, she opens the door to see a few servants standing in the hallway, looking shocked.

                        “G-good morning Milady,” one of the them stuttered, “You are dressed.  And the bed…”

                        “I am not used to having others do things for me,” Rose smiled honestly with a light laugh in her voice, “Could one of you please escort me to the dining hall?  I fear I have yet to memorize the route.”

                        “O-of course,” the first one answered, indicating one of the servants to lead Rose away while he and the other went to clean her room.

                        Rose followed the servant into the dining hall, finding herself to be the first one there.  She sat at the far end again as a servant handed her a glass of juice while she waited for the others.

                        “Good morning Rose,” said young woman turned to see Rowen walking in, “You’re up early this morning.  The other noble girls are still getting ready for the day.”

                        “When one lives on the streets like I do,” Rose explained, “You have to be up early to avoid the guards from attacking you.  The only place safe is the poor section of Minstal, but sometimes it was so full you couldn’t find a place to sleep.”

                        “How terrible,” Rowen sat down next to her, “I have heard the living conditions of the poor was bad, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad.”

                        “The population keeps increasing each year.  More and more families are finding themselves out on the streets either because their businesses have fail or they fell on hard times due to illness or death.  Without a means to travel to the next kingdom safely, the poor have no choice but to remain and try to make a living while praying their luck would change for the better.”

                        “I would think one such as yourself would be happy that you had your luck changed, but you seemed so scared and sad.  Did you not want to part from your friend?”

                        “Joseph is very dear to me, and I pray that he made it back to his family safely.  He was always protecting me from the noble girls that make fun of me because of my situation and my fear.”

                        “That fear of yours… Are you afraid of large crowds?”

                        “I’m afraid of large crowds fighting over material things.  It sounds stupid, but it reminds me of how scavengers in the wild fight over a carcass, biting and ripping pieces of flesh off or fighting over scraps between each other.  Sometimes, I have dreams that I am the carcass and the noble girls are the scavengers picking away at me and tearing me apart.”

                        “I see,” Rowen nodded his head in understanding, “That’s why you were afraid yesterday.  Don’t worry.  Starting today, you will be assigned one of the twenty noble men Her Majesty Queen Usio has selected herself, and that noble will protect you throughout the duration of the game.”

                        “I fear that the noble I will be assigned to will not appreciate that I am not bridal material,” Rose lowered her head as the doors opened and the noble girls came in.

                        “What the,” one of them shouted in shock, pointing at Rose, “How did you beat us here?!  And that outfit… Your servants could not have had enough time to dress you as so and have you arrive fast enough without a single hair out of place!”

                        “I merely woke early and dressed myself,” the poor girl shrugged, “It is what I am used to.”

                        “Most likely to rummage for scraps before the guards come to chase you out,” another noble girl state snobbishly, making the other noble girls laugh and whisper amongst themselves before they sat down.

                        Rose was ignored once again during the meal, to which she couldn’t believe how many delicious things there were.  Bacon, toast, scones, eggs made in different forms.  She couldn’t understand how anyone could complain like the noble girls did when it all tasted so good and there was so much variety.  She remembered her breakfast usually being something she grabbed from the garbage and ate quickly before she was chased away.  Remnants of evening meals mainly, sometimes a sweet half-eaten treat, if she was lucky.  The more she got to know the noble girls, the more she pitied them.

                        Once they were finished, Rowen and Marin came in and told them that Queen Usio had arrive and was waiting.  The noble girls grew excited and got up to follow them while Rose followed behind.  She was becoming nervous.  Were they going to choose a noble man that they think was Dios now?  Was Dios even among one of the noble men they had to choose?  She was so full of questions, with no one to give her the answers.  She knew she shouldn’t be questioning the ruler of their kingdom, but Rose had lived on the streets long enough to know something was suspicious when she saw it.

                        “Now then,” Marin said as they arrived at two large wooden doors, “Her Majesty Queen Usio is inside along with the twenty nobles you will be choosing from.  Mind your manners, for you will be in the presence of the absolute ruler of our kingdom.”

                        Rowen and Marin opened the doors and the girls stepped into the room, looking around in awe.  It was large and luxurious, with golden furniture and purple draperies, the carpet a mix of red and gold designs.  In the central back sat a large and plush throne with golden arms and legs, and sitting on that throne was a beautiful young woman with curly hair cascading down her back and wearing a gown of silk and gemstones with a crown shimmering upon her head.  Everyone in the room knew her to be Queen Usio, ruler of Minstal.  Many stared at her in admiration.  Some in envy.  Rose, on the other hand, stared at her with hidden suspicion before everyone bowed before her.  What could the queen be up to?

                        “Good morning to you all and thank you for coming,”. Queen Usio greeted with a warm smile, “I am Usio, queen of Minstal.  I have invited you all here to Redreu Castle for a little game of mine.  You see, the hero paladin Dios is in need of a bride, but he has yet to find his match.  He has always complained to me how none of the women he had courted wanted to get to know him.  Rather, they were too busy with his fame and power.  That is where you all come in.

                        “In a minute, I will be calling in twenty noble men.  Among these men is Dios himself in disguise.  You will choose one of these men as your choice of being Dios and you will have several weeks from today to bring forth your evidence as to why your chosen noble is Dios.  There will be questions and contests throughout the game to give you clues about Dios to aid you in your investigations.

                        “I am certain that Rowen and Marin had told you the rules, but I shall repeat them for you.  You have full reign of the castle with the exception of certain rooms so long as you are escorted by either your chosen noble, a servant, Marin, or Rowen themselves.  You may not leave your rooms at night for any reason at all, so do please take care of any personal needs beforehand.  Do not skip out on mealtimes, or you will not eat for the rest of the day that you skipped.  Violence will absolutely not be tolerated here.You will also treat the servants with respect, as they outranked normal servants that I am certain most of you are used to.”

                        Some of the noble girls snickered at Rose upon that comment.

                        “Now, then.  With the rules and introductions out of the way, here are the noble men you will be choosing from.”

                        Queen Usio waved a hand and two servants opened a pair of doors to her left.  One-by-one, young men dressed in nobility walked into the room, each smiling before the noble girls and Rose.  They lined up behind Queen Usio, the noble girls giving off coos and noises of approval.  Rose simply looked away, not sure of who to pick or what she should do.

                        “Before me are,” Queen Usio began before she turned to the noble men and realized something, “Rowen, could you come here, please.”

                        “Yes Your Majesty,” Rowen bowed before walking over, both of them whispering to each other and the queen’s face twisting in frustration before she turned it into an apologetic smile before her guests.

                        “I must apologize my dears, but it seems that we are short one noble man due to a family crisis.  His family has come to the Sweat and the doctors have forbid them from leaving their home.”

                        Everyone nearly cringed at that.  The Sweat was a terrible plague, making those infected terribly sick and, as the name stated, continue to sweat and feel hot even in icy cold temperatures.  Considering how fast it can spread, any and all families infected were quarantined until they were either dead and burned or, by some miracle, make a full recovery.  So far, no miracle had occurred and the Sweat has claimed thousands already in other kingdoms.  The very stories about the infected were enough to give them nightmares.

                        “Since we have only nineteen noble men for the contest,” Rowen began, “how about one of the girls head home?  It would be awkward for one of them to be without a noble to choose from.”

                        “Then perhaps the poor pig would like to volunteer,” one of the noble girls suggested with a sneer towards Rose.

                        “Good idea Catherine,” another noble girl laughed, “She’s no noble, and would put a stain upon anyone of these fine men’s reputation if she were to marry them, let alone choose one of them.”

                        “She would need to prove herself worthy of being alongside us Marigold,” another noble girl, one a bit taller than the others pointed out, “I, Octavia, do believe she is not worthy until she does so.”

                        “Now now girls,” Queen Usio smirked, making them quiet down and become frightened, Rose looking confused and a bit hopeful to be able to leave, “That’s no way to treat an honored guest.  In this game, you are all equals.  Your standings outside these castle walls are meaningless.  That means, you should treat each other with equality and respect.  Who knows, this poor rat from the sewers may prove to be quite the competitor.”

                        ‘I wish she didn’t do that,’ Rose thought, seeing the angry glares of the noble girls upon her.

                        “Besides, I got a much better idea.  Seeing is that my dear head butler failed to mention to me beforehand we were short one noble man, he will be taking that man’s place as one of the twenty for you to choose from.”

                        “Me,” Rowen exclaimed in shock, “Bu-but Your Majesty, surely you jest for a simple servant to partake in your wonderful game.”

                        “A servant,” a noble girl exclaimed, “You must be jesting, Your Majesty.”

                        “Who in their right mind would choose him,” another noble girl argued, “He’s all poor and ugly and I bet his children would be born grotesque as well.”

                        Queen Usio raised a hand to silence them, the look in her eyes making everyone shiver in fright.

                        “You have five minutes to choose one of these men as your choice of being Dios,” Queen Usio declared, taking a few steps back, “If you don’t choose, you will be paired with Rowen automatically.”

                        The noble girls took one look at Rowen, seeing his scarred face and one eye swollen near shut and the other appearing to be blind, and they ran quickly for the noble men.  Rose stood back, trying to fight the urge to run into a corner as she saw them arguing over the noble men like they were the latest merchandise, some even close to starting fights for the same noble man.  Rowen saw her about to lose her courage and quickly came before her, placing a comforting hand on her back to ease her, urging her to move forward and choose.  Rose was grateful for a friend, even if she knew they would end up being stuck together for the game, and chose to remain where she was.

                        After five minutes, the noble girls have made their choices and stood before their noble man, giggling at the fact that the poor girl in their group ended up with Rowen anyway without a fight.  Queen Usio, on the other hand, giggled at the noble girls’ choices and found them to be amusing.

                        “Now girls,” the queen spoke up, “Tell me your names and why you chose that specific man to be Dios.”

                        “My name is Tulip,” the first noble girl spoke first, “I chose Marcus because everyone has heard of his wins in jousting.  Surely, he could be Dios in disguise.”

                        “I am Pearl,” a noble girl introduced, “and I choose Henry upon hearing his stories about being raised by wolves as a child.  He could be no other than Dios to survive in such a cruel life.”

                        “I am Octavia, and I chose Alexander because many know how his family struggled to reach their noble status, and I recall that Dios had done the same as a child.”

                        “My name is Ivy, and I chose Vincent because he has such a mysterious aura around him.  Perhaps it is the magic of a glamour at work to hide his identity as Dios.”

                        “As if you can tell,” a noble girl scoffed, “My name is Amelia, Your Majesty, and I chose David to prove to everyone he is Dios.”

                        “What makes you think he is Dios,” Queen Usio asked.

                        “I don’t,” Amelia confessed proudly, “but throughout this game, we shall find out.  The results are only part of the fun.  The experimenting is where the real fun is.”

                        Some noble girls felt sorry for David.  Everyone knew of Amelia, the self-proclaimed mad scientist that even had the brass to declare in a church that she would find evidence that God did not exist, nearly getting her whole family excommunicated.  Luckily for them, Amelia never fulfilled her vow.

                        “Good luck to you both,” a noble girl smiled brightly in order to change the subject, “My name is Golde, and I chose Alfred because of his unique smell.”

                        “His….smell,” Queen Usio looked skeptical and disturbed.

                        “Yep!  I got a good nose for delicious smells, and he smells the best out all these men here.  I also find those that wield magic have a pleasant smell to them as well, so he has to be Dios!”

                        “Whatever pig,” a thin noble girl snorted, “I am Joan, Your Majesty, and I chose Lewis for being Dios.  His body figure appears to be correct from the description of Dios in the stories I heard.”

                        “I am Sarah,” a noble girl curtsied, “an inspiring seamstress.  I chose Edward because his clothing making us think he is dress well, but is in fact hiding something.  His true identity, perhaps?”

                        “My name is Elanor,” the noble girl next to Sarah introduced, “and like Sarah, I chose George as possibly being Dios because I feel he may be hiding his true self.  I feel… Like we knew each other from another lifetime.”

                        “Are you done yet,” a noble girl pouted, “I want my turn!  My name is Emma, and I chose Geoffrey here because he’s obviously Dios.”

                        “Really,” Queen Usio asked, “How so?”
                        “Well… Just like Amelia said, finding out is the fun part!”
                        “You just chose him because you didn’t want to end up with the butler,” a noble girl stated, making Emma stick her tongue out at her, “My name is Dorothy, Your Majesty, and I chose John due to his family being with the High Council.  I believe that Dios’ disappearance until now was a set strategy so he could aid Her Majesty with political affairs.”

                        “Are we really certain about that,” a noble girl prodded, “I am Mary, and I chose Anthony because he has traveled to many lands, just like Dios had and most likely did before returning to us to get married.”

                        “I am Raven,” a noble girl curtsied, “I choose Christopher to be Dios because he doesn’t feel fake like the others.”

                        “Feel… fake,” Queen Usio blinked in confusion.

                        “A real man has no need to hide behind fancy clothes or prestige titles to make himself look beautiful before everyone, just as a natural beauty like Your Majesty has no need for makeup for fancy clothing to show just how radiant you really are.  And someone like Dios was most likely too busy keeping our kingdom safe to worry about his looks.”

                        “You flatter me,” Queen Usio giggled.

                        “I am Helen,”  a noble girl spoke up, “and I chose James because he has a large family, just like Dios did.”

                        “My name is Fayette, Your Majesty, and I chose Robert because, unlike the others here, he has a impressive record in sword fighting and has a title in his father’s army.”

                        “I am Claire, and I chose Patrick for the same reason as Octavia.”
                        “That’s all,” a noble girl raised her head and laughed haughtily, “What a poor excuse.  I, Marigold, have chosen Peter after carefully examining the other men here because of his submissive nature.  It’s obvious that if Dios, a powerful general, were to hide himself amongst us, he would choose a nature opposite of his own to fool us all.”

                        “If that’s how you see it,” Catherine snickered, “Unlike you girls, I, Catherine, had relatives that knew Dios from times long ago.  And I have chosen Richard to be him in disguise from the stories they have told me.  Unlike the rest of you, including that pathetic mud girl, I have the clear advantage.”

                        “Remember what I said about all of you being equal,” Queen Usio warned slightly before walking up to Rose, “My dear, it seems that fate was not on your side and you ended up with Rowen.  Tell me, why did you not fight for a noble man’s hand?”
                        “Well,” Rose’s cheeks burned hot and she looked away, “I do not like fighting crowds.  That is why I did not approach them.”

                        Everyone but Marin and Rowen looked surprised at Rose’s answer.  The noble girls looked at each other in confusion while Queen Usio smiled softly in understanding.  The noble girls did looked like a bunch of ravenous animals before a feast of fresh game.

                        “All of you will be spending today getting to know your chosen noble man or servant other than what you heard from gossip on the streets,” Queen Usio commanded, “Come tomorrow, we will start the game early in the morning.  You are all dismissed.”