Black Rose (33 page)

“Black
Rose.”

Garreth
raised his eyes to Phillip’s. “Did she just?”

“Yes.”

“No
one has taken the Vow of the Black Rose in centuries.

“No
court has had a murdered Princess either,” came Garreth’s response. “She was
Liza’s Captain. The vow is hers to take.”

“And
if she takes the Order of the Black Rose…”

“It
places her beyond the power of the Courts—including the Queen.”

“Along
with all those who choose to serve her,” Phillip finished for him.

“Yes.”
The two men exchanged a bewildered glance. “If she takes the Vow of the Black
Rose, she won’t only save Edward, she will save us all.”

“It
is a mad quest. If our entire force cannot find Liza’s killers, then how can
she be expected to…?”

“Does
it matter?” Garreth replied. “As long as it gets her away from this?” Both men
turned their gaze to the unrecognizable form of the girl lying between them.
“Mara Sethian,” Garreth said in a reserved tone, “the Captain of the Black
Rose.”

Garreth
and Phillip held off Edward’s demands to see Mara for the next three days. They
lied, informing him that she had received only a minor punishment and the
Queen, despite her initial anger, had softened at the reminder that Mara was,
in fact, her niece. They said that she was recovering from these minor injuries
and begged his patience before she saw him again. However, on the third day, he
could stand it no more and told Phillip coldly that if she would not come to
him, then he would go to her.

Every
muscle screamed as the flesh of Mara’s back ripped even further apart with
every motion. Yet when she reached Edward’s door, she pushed Garreth away,
refusing assistance as she stepped forward to slowly meet her Captain. “Not a
word,” she hissed to Garreth in a strained voice. “Not one single word.”

She
walked forward, her back far too straight, her steps careful and slow. When she
reached the center of the room, she knelt down, lowering herself gingerly to the
stone floor.

“Mara.”
He spoke her name softly and her eyes closed at the sound. She had to resist
the urge to fall apart. “Mara,” he said again.

“Edward.”
She spoke his name and offered a silent prayer for strength. “I’m leaving,
Edward.”

A
long pause followed the statement before he finally asked, “What do you mean,
leaving? Where is she sending you? Is it because of what you did for me?”

“She
is not sending me anywhere,” Mara replied.

“I
don’t understand. Where are you going? For how long? I need you here.”

“No,”
Mara shook her head. “You needed me, for a time. But today, you placed yourself
between the Queen and your men. You do not need me; not anymore.”

“Yes,
I do! If you had not been there, the Queen would have…she…”

“Edward,”
Mara cut through his words. “Don’t you see? You did not act further, because I
did not let you; and it was not my place to intercede.”

“You
swore an oath to serve the Queen. What makes you think you can…I don’t
understand.”

Mara
fought to control a swirl of emotions. “When I joined this guard, I swore a vow
of obedience to the Captain of this guard. I swore another to Liza when you
named me her Captain. I never once, nor was I ever asked, to swear an oath of
loyalty to the Queen.” She inhaled deeply, “Now, I have sworn another.”

“And
what vow would that be?”

“I
have taken the order of the Black Rose.” Mara’s right arm began to shake from
the effort required to remain kneeling. “I will take vengeance upon those who
killed her.”

“The
Black Rose?” Edward asked in a tone of disbelief. “No one has taken that oath
since…it must have been the beginning of the Roman Empire.”

“Nevertheless,
I have taken the oath and will, from this day forward, be sworn to avenge the
death of our Princess. And Edward, I want you to come with me.” She paused for
several heartbeats to allow him to process her words before she added, “Come
away from here. I know the men would follow you—as would I. It is only fitting
that she be avenged by your hand.”

Edward
shook his head, pushing himself to a seated position on the bed. “Mara,” he
finally replied. “The Queen—”

“Cannot
prevent you from leaving.” The trembling throughout Mara’s body became steadily
worse. “She cannot stop you, not if you take the vow of the Rose.” Edward’s
dark eyes seemed to stare straight to her soul. “Please, come with me,
Edward.  I…” She fought to keep the desperation from her voice. “Please, I
cannot watch her hurt you anymore. Please.” The word escaped as a sob. “Don’t
make me. I just…can’t do it anymore.” She lost her battle as a stream of tears
escaped the corner of her eye. “Please.”

“Mara,
I am the Captain of the Queen’s Guard. I can’t.”

Mara
gazed into the jet black eyes of the man she had loved all her life, and
broached the forbidden subject. “The Queen,” she paused between each word, “who
killed her daughter.”

Edward
was unable to hide the shock from showing on his face. “What? You do not know
that. How could you say such a thing? How could you even begin to believe it?
They could kill you for saying such a thing!”

“Then
how did she die?” Mara’s tears ceased as her voice grew in intensity. “She was
killed by an enchanted blade. The only sword unaccounted for—was hers. Don’t
you see?” She tilted her head slightly as her voice began to hollow. “It does not
matter whose hand made the stroke. Liza died by the Queen’s own blade.”

“You
don’t know that!” Edward’s voice was as firm as Mara had ever heard. “There
could be another. You will not make accusations against the Queen of this court
and you will not repeat your words to anyone. Do you understand me, Mara? Not
to anyone!”

Mara
stared into his eyes and spoke the unforgivable words. “You cannot issue me
orders, Edward. You are not my Captain anymore.” The words cut deep. “But I
will make you this promise, for the love that Liza bore you.” She gave a hard
swallow. “I will not raise my blade to the Queen as long as you stand before
her. You, who Liza loved above all others.”

Deadly
silence stood between them when Edward finally asked, “And what is to stop me then,
from killing you now, for this threat you have made against my Queen?”

“Nothing,”
Mara replied. “But I ask you to think well upon your choice, Captain. If you
wish my life, take it now, for tomorrow I ride to Lethia Castle with a hundred
men sworn to trade their life for mine.”

Mara’s
left hand touched the ground beneath her, physically lacking the strength to
remain in her kneeling position. Edward leaned forward and grabbed her arm. He
jerked her forward, causing her to slide across the floor, her chest crashing
against the side of the bed. His hand rose to Mara’s chin, raising her face to
meet his eyes as his fingers pressed against the hollow of her throat. Mara
leaned forward, increasing the pressure of Edward’s fingers against her
delicate skin. “If you wish my life, my Lord, you have but to ask.”

In
response, Edward leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Time seemed to
seep into a small eternity as their kiss lingered and deepened. Then as Edward
drew back to draw breath, the moment was broken.

Mara
closed her eyes tightly, but was unable to keep fresh tears from spilling down
her face. She drew several ragged breaths and finally returned her gaze to the
man before her. She reached her arm forward until her fingertips touched the
left side of his face. She offered this small, single caress. “Goodbye,
Edward.”
Goodbye, my love
.

It
was the next morning when Edward realized the truth. His chambers being one of
few which held a small window for morning light, he awoke to find the path to
his bed smeared with blood, saturating the spot where Mara had knelt before
him.

Edward
rose quickly and flew to Garreth’s chambers where he proceeded to bang upon the
door. “Come in!”

Edward
opened the door so hard it slammed against the wall behind him. “Minor
punishment!” he all but screamed. “What, by all the Gods, happened to her? How
dare you lie to me! How dare you!”

“It
was her secret to keep. And I’m shocked you didn’t notice. She could barely
stand when she entered your chambers last night. Did you notice how she had to
reach down to support herself? There is no way she held a kneeling position
without doing so.”

“What
happened?”

“What
do you think? She pulled a blade on the Queen!” Garreth shook his head and
spoke through gritted teeth. “What. Do. You. Think?”

Edward’s
gaze dropped to the floor. “I didn’t want…Why didn’t she call for me?”

“She
did,” Garreth answered with tears searing the corner of his eyes. “She screamed
for you as we cut into her… As we… She had made me promise that no matter what
she said, I would not tell you. And I know it was wrong, I know I should have,
we…” 

He
grabbed a goblet from his bedside and threw it hard against the wall. “Damn
you! She made me swear. She begged no matter what. But yes, yes, she called for
you. Screamed for you!” Garreth paused to breathe and then forced himself to
continue. “The Queen called her by her mother’s name, screwed her up so much
emotionally that I’m not even sure she knew what we were about to do until it
had already begun. She…I…I couldn’t.” He buried his face in his hands. “I know
she needed you, but Gods…what would you have done? I wanted to kill the Queen
myself. If you had been there; if you had seen, Edward I…” He suddenly looked
up and met his Captain’s eyes. “I don’t know what you would have done. Do you?”

Edward’s
voice was as controlled as it had been angry moments before. “It was that bad,
wasn’t it?”

Garreth
simply nodded. “I’ve seen worse, but…only once.”

“By
the Gods, I am such a fool.” Edward turned towards the door. “I have to find
her. I have to tell her that…I have to tell her…”

“It’s
too late. The next time you see her, it will be at the head of the Black Rose
Guard.”

“And
you?”

“Will
join her. I am sorry, Edward. You are my Captain and my brother, but…I can’t
watch the Queen do this anymore. Just…no more.”

           
“A few days later our men gathered in the rose garden outside these walls. Like
those of the Ciar Court, every single rose had turned black. As they have been
ever since…until now.” Her voice faded in the quiet room where she sat between
Garreth and Nolan.

           
“My Lady.” Jonathan, who had slipped into the room part way through the story,
approached from the left side of the room. “I thought you should know…”

           
“What is it?”

           
“The roses, they are not just red. They are violet as well.”

           
Her eyes moved to Garreth’s. “At the Ciar Court?”

           
“They were violet as well.”

           
She turned back to Jonathan. “When did you see this?”

           
“Right before the fight. Brendan and I were standing near the garden and they
literally transformed before our eyes. One moment they were red and then random
petals began to bleed purple.

           
Just as they turned black all those years ago, Mara thought silently.

           
“Red, purple, black. What does it mean?” Nolan asked.

           
Mara turned to Garreth, allowing him to answer the question. “The myth of the
roses,” he began, “is that the roses are connected to the royal family. When a
new Prince or Princess is born, the roses bloom white. During a royal wedding,
they turn a deep, crimson red and during a war, a more brilliant shade, closer
to freshly spilt blood. Once, you could tell the state of the family from the
color of the roses in the royal gardens.” He drew a deep breath. “When Liza
died, the first black rose was seen in the garden. But then…”

           
“The night I took the Vow of the Black Rose, every rose in the courts turned
black.”

           
“The men took it as a sign,” Garreth stated. “That the Gods had blessed Mara’s
quest for vengeance. Men flocked to take their vows from the youngest to the
most experienced of knights. She rode out with well over a hundred men. The
number grew to well over three-hundred before the year was over.” He looked at
Jonathan. “When did you say the roses changed?”

           
“Just before the fight began. We were trying to figure out what was going on
with the roses, which is why we were not in the castle at the time of the
attack.”

           
Mara turned back to Garreth. “What were you doing before you saw the roses at
the Ciar Court?”

           
Garreth gazed at her for several moments attempting to recall what had sent him
to the garden. “I had just finished escorting Lady Sandra to see Edward.”

           
Her head turned slowly from Garreth to where Regald stood in the far corner of
the room. “And when you escorted her to the ancient grounds, what happened?”