Chapter Eleven

The final day outside proved to be educational as Rowen learns more about Rose and gives her a choice. Will she take it?

The Game

by omegax45

Chapter 11

A loud clap of thunder awoke Rose the next morning, the rain still pouring heavy and the clouds only a shade lighter thanks to the sun trying to break through them.  With good fortune, she did remembered where she was unlike yesterday and blushed when she realized that Rowen’s arm was still around her waist, although loosely.  Said head butler had been startled awake by Rose’s sudden movements, yawning as he pulled his arm back and rolled to his other side before sitting up.

“Are you okay,” he asked groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and looking outside their shelter, “I don’t suppose you would be up for looking around on such a wet and dreary day.”

“I would rather not if I can help it,” the poor girl replied, blinking from a sudden flash of lightning, “I also would ill-advised it out of fear that the thieves from yesterday would return for more of our supplies.”

“Agreed.  I wouldn’t be able to make another shelter again in such conditions, and I would prefer not to take from the forest any further than I already have.  Let us remake our fish nets to catch something for dinner after we have breakfast.  I’ll prepare the rabbit meat from yesterday.”

“What about the snares we set back up?”

“I’m not certain if even the animals would be out today.  Once it clears up, we’ll go check them.”

Rowen took a flat stone and dug a hole near the entrance of their shelter before putting sticks inside it.  Rose started a fire with the flint stones and a small ball of dry grass, placing it in the new fire pit.  Rowen then took out the rabbit meat in the pot and was thankful the pot came with a lid to keep insects out.  He used the hatchet to cut the meat into thin strips before setting them on sticks by the fire to cook.  Rose looked out at the furs that were still on the makeshift racks, water dripping off them and making her think what a waste.

“I’m sure the furs are fine,” the head butler said when he saw what she was looking at, “The rain will actually clean any dirt and blood off of them.  We can also set them by the fire when the rain stops and dry them off for you to have.”

“Oh,” the poor girl blushed lightly, “Sorry.  It’s in my blood now not to let things go to waste if it can be useful for something.  It is how I survived all this time.”

“A good instinct too.  So many things wasted over the years by those who never once lack for anything.  Many just assumed they could just go out and get more.”

“But one day, those things will be gone.  I heard the farmers talk about how they have to switch plots of land every few years to keep the soil from running out of nutrients for their crops.  The merchants are having difficult times finding the materials needed to make their products to sell at decent prices.  It also seems that the nobles are having problems with maintaining their positions while showing off their wealth with parties and buying fancy things for their families.”

“How do you know so much,” Rowen asked, “I am certain no noble would want to speak to anyone of the poor class.”

“We are so low to them that they do not think about us eavesdropping upon them, let alone be able to do anything with what we learn about them.”

“They should be careful.   They do not what their enemies do with such information, and they will be devious enough to use it in the worst possible way.

“In any case, I’ll see if there is anything I can do about the furs if you still want them.  I must ask, though.  What do you want to do with those furs?”

“I was thinking of making a pair of gloves for the winter,” Rose answered after a minute of thought, “Fur is good for insulation.  I would need to find a thicker needle to pierce through the fur and skin to make the gloves.  I think I can get one from the hunters with enough stitching jobs, since it has to be made with animal bones.”

“No need for that.  I can get it for you once the game is over.”

“Are you sure?  I don’t want to impose-“

“You are to be my wife whether we win or lose.  It is my job to make certain all of your needs are taken care of.  It would be my honor to.”

“…It doesn’t have to be…”

“Beg pardon?”

“I mean,” Rose looked away, guilt and shame filling her being, “You were forced into this, and when you had the chance to leave, I took it from you.  Out of sheer selfishness because I couldn’t bring myself to trust any of the other men.  If need to, I can just walk away from this game and save you the humiliation of being married to some poor girl off the streets that was only chosen because she caught Her Majesty’s interest.”

“…Then why don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Why don’t you leave?  Right now?  You can escape within the storm and flee to the next village and start a new life.  I can always tell Her Majesty that you escaped into the night while I slept and couldn’t find you.  I will only be slapped for my carelessness, and we won’t have to worry about being in a miserable marriage to each other.  If you go now, you won’t have to worry about trapping me in anything.  

“As for me,” he took her hand in his, “I only care for your feelings upon this.  I would actually enjoy having you as a bride.  You are the most selfless, caring, and intellectual person I have had the honor of meeting.  You would make any man happy.  If you wish not to marry me, then so be it.  But you must make the choice here and now.  I cannot protect you later on.  

“And don’t be mistaken.  I do not feel trapped by you.  I only see a scared young woman pulled into a deadly game by Her Majesty and the nobles for their twisted version of fun.  If anything, I wish to stay with you and protect you.  However, I will not keep you if you do not wish to be kept.  But you must make your choice.

“Will you leave, or will you stay?”

Rose was silent, her cheeks tinting pink as she stared into those cloudy eyes that seem to barely see her.  Tears filled her own eyes and blurred her vision.  How could she choose and unknown future and possible freedom after he told her all of that?  She didn’t want to burden him with marriage because of some game, but she also didn’t want to burden him with punishment if she ran away.  He claimed that Queen Usio would just slap him, but the poor girl knew better.  Queen Usio didn’t slap anyone.  Oh no, she did worse.  Also, what would happen to Joseph?  Everyone in town knew of the two of them working together.  The queen would go after him next in search of her.  The one thing everyone knew about Queen Usio was that she did not let go of those that have insulted her, and Rose abandoning the game would be considered insulting.  Marigold and Sarah got off easy because of their families’ wealth, but Rowen and her are not so fortunate.  Thinking of all the horrible things she had heard Queen Usio did to her prisoners, she knew she couldn’t do that to him.  Even if it meant feeling guilty forever, she just couldn’t leave and save herself while someone that cares about her is harmed… or worse.

“I… I won’t leave you to her wrath,” the poor girl said with finalization, “I will stay, and I will be the best wife you could ever have.”

“You need not to strain yourself too much,” Rowen smiled softly, patting her head, “Just be yourself.  That is all I ask of you.”

“… Thank you.”

They watched the rain in silence afterwards, the fire crackling and giving them warmth from the slight chill the rain had brought.  Rowen cooked the rabbit meat that hadn’t spoiled yet and tossed out the spoiled pieces as far as he could throw them from the shelter.  They ate their breakfast in peace and waited for the rain to slow to a drizzle.  Once it did, the head butler went out to check on the snares and find anything to make the fish traps again just in case while Rose collected the furs from the makeshift stand.  She wrung them out as best as she could before laying them near the fire to dry, wondering what other things she could use them for.

Suddenly, she heard rustling from the bushes and she peeked outside the shelter to see if it was Rowen.  The poor girl didn’t see anybody, but she noticed that the spoiled meat from before was gone.

“Hello,” she called out, hoping that whatever took the meat was a small and hungry predator that was just leaving.  She heard rustling again, and she looked at another bush before the sound died off.  Not hearing anything anymore after a few minutes, she slipped back inside and waited for Rowen while straining her ears for anymore noises.

Some time later, Rowen returned to the camp with a dead rabbit in hand.  He slipped inside the shelter quickly as a loud boom of thunder announced another bout of heavy rain before heavy drops fell all around them.

“Sorry for taking so long,” the head butler said as he placed the rabbit on a flat stone, “I only managed to find one snare with this little one in it.  The others had been taken.”

“I heard noises earlier and something took the spoiled meat outside,” Rose reported, “I couldn’t see what it was.  I was hiding in the bushes.”

“Hopefully it was an animal and not a person,” Rowen commented as he began to cut into the rabbit, “Do we still have any herbs from the other day?”

“I managed to find some rosemary, but that was all I could find.”

“That should work for some flavoring.  This will be our last night out here, so we only need to tolerate one more rest on the ground, then we’ll be back in our soft beds and having a hot bath to clean off the dirt we have accumulated.”

“Sleeping on the ground or being filthy had never bothered me before,” Rose replied with a soft smile, “As one from the streets, beds and baths were luxuries I could only dream of.  At most, we poor people use the rain or the river to wash off if we really need to.”

“What about in the winter?”

“Nothing we can do about it.  Too cold.  We’re too busy trying to keep warm or finding something to eat to worry about something like that.”

“Hm.”

Rowen skinned the fur away and gave it to Rose to clean, slicing the meat off the bones and setting them into the pot.  He used the rainwater to clean the hatchet before chopping the rosemary and putting it in the pot.  He mixed the meat and the rosemary together before setting the meat on sticks to cook.  Rose used a flat rock with a sharp curve to scrape away any excess skin and stretched the fur as much as she could, using the logs making up their shelter to tie it up for now.  Rowen took the meat off the fire several moments later and they ate their meal in silence, watching the sky darken with the coming of night.  They heard someone crying out in the distance, but they were unable to recognize the voice.  

“Could someone be in trouble,” Rose asked, worried.

“No need to worry,” Rowen replied, “The soldiers are out there guarding the forest.  If anyone is in trouble, they will help them.”

“… But what about having our things stolen?  They did not come for us then.”

“That is because they have been ordered to prevent us from leaving the forest or letting anyone in.  Anything else, we are on our own.”

“That doesn’t seem right.”

“It is Her Majesty’s way.  She will not expand her resources if she does not have to.”

They fell silent after that.  The rain outside the darkening world had lessened, but the wind had picked up along with a decrease in temperature.  Rowen went to his bedroll and wrapped his blanket over his shoulders, trying to ward off the cold.  Rose, meanwhile, still sat near the fire and placed a few more sticks into it before settling down and looking content just staring at the dancing flames.  A sudden gust of wind made the head butler shiver a little, but the poor girl appeared to not be phased by it at all.

“Pardon m for asking,” he said, curiosity getting the better of him, “but how are you not cold right now?  I am wearing a suit, and even I’m feeling the chill.”

“My dress is a patchwork of fabrics I have come across over the years,” Rose answered, looking down at her dress, “It was once a pretty white dress before I was sent into the streets.  As a child, I didn’t know how to make money and I was soon outgrowing my dress as it became worn from time and running away from those that pursued me for fun.  I found a ripped and torn dress in the garbage by the seamstress’ shop along with a  needle and some thread.  I assumed that either the dress was beyond repair or it was custom made and the customer didn’t want it anymore.  I took the dress apart and added to my dress.  Every time I needed to extend the length of the skirt or patch a hole in the sleeves, I just took whatever pieces of fabric I had and used them to patch it up.  

                         “A hunter saw me working on one such hole and had me sew up a hole on his shirt for a few coins.  That was how I learned to make money.  I fixed the clothing of anybody willing and I used the coins for food or to buy more thread and other pieces of fabric that were cheap, using the pieces too small or nobody wants for my dress.

“As I said earlier, the reason I wanted the furs was to make gloves for my hands when winter comes.  The dress keeps me warm, but not my hands when I’m at work, and even squirrel or rabbit fur is expensive.”

“I see… Reusing items the townspeople threw away to your benefit.  Very clever.”

“Hee hee.  Thank you.” 

“Now as my future wife, that simply won’t due.  You won’t need to search for such things once we’re wed.  I may not be able to afford the finest dresses for you, but I will make certain they will be quite pretty and warm.”

“I appreciate the generosity,” Rose blushed,  “but I have no need for fancy clothing.  Something simple will do.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Rowen teased, “but do refrain from arguing with me if I get you something nice for your birthday or holidays.”

“Even I know not to insult one that give me a gift,” Rose teased back.

They watched the fire for a few more moments of silence before Rose yawned and placed more sticks and dry grass into the fire before crawling into her bedroll, wishing Rowen a good night before falling asleep in no time.  Rowen chuckled quietly as he watched her sleep.  He had to admit that Rose was quite beautiful even in rags that barely passed as a dress.  A dress as fancy as the ones the noble girls wear would make her radiate like the sun.

He mulled over the information he learned about the poor girl.  Her sharp mind and quick wit had enabled her to live on the streets when others would have died long ago.  Her warm spirit and heart made her worry about those she cared about and she would never allow anyone to be harmed.  Indeed, he found a wonderful woman to be his wife.  She wasn’t even scared or disgusted by his scars.  He normally paid no heed to the sneers and comments by others, but they did sting him deep inside when he was alone.  It was nice to be around someone that did not care about such things, even more so when they weren’t around those that did.

He remembered a time when he lived in a village before being called to serve in the royal army like every young man in Minstal.  His family scraped by as farmers, doing all they can to raise crops to sell and fighting off both the land owner that kept demanding more coin for rent of their land or other farmers that tried to sabotage their crops.  He thought he had been lucky to serve, making plenty of coin to send to his family and keep them happy.  He had bene lucky, for enemy soldiers in the war burned his village to the ground and killed everyone in it, including his family.  He had been angry, vengeful even, and fought to kill every enemy soldier he could get his hands on.  That recklessness was what caused him to become who he was today, partially blind and scarred to the point many women want nothing to do with him, and cost him many a dear friend and fellow soldier.  It was something he was never proud of, and something he would be redeeming himself for for the rest of his life.

As he laid down to sleep, he hoped that Rose would not have to pay as well as he for just associating with him.  The very thought didn’t allow him much rest, and he was soon awoken groggily as the sun was rising by noises in the bushes.  He got up and headed out with a hatchet in hand in case it was a predator or the ones that stole from them before, but lowered it as the bushes parted to reveal a royal soldier.

“Good morning,” the soldier bowed, one hand holding his helmet on his hand, “I am here to bring you back to the castle.  I hope your stay outdoors was to your liking.”

“Brings back old memories,” Rowen smiled.

Author's Note

Trying to get the chapters out as fast as I can. Hoping for a goal of one a week, two at the most. Work is getting busy and my vacation is over, so please bear with me.