Into The Storm

42

Rosalis laid in a wooden bathtub, relaxing, trying to deal with the unholy amounts of stress. She heard the door creak open and opened her eyes, seeing Uliraf peeking inside. "Come in, don't be shy." She told him. "Have you never seen a pair of breasts before?"

Uliraf came in and pulled up a stool near her, sat down at it. "I just want to get one thing straight." He said. "Why do you want to betray your own people?"

"Tell me, what would you do if your own knights turned against you and exiled you from Wolfholde?"

"That be true. How will your knights react to you returning?"

"They are not mine any longer, they are someone else's." Rosalis sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Uliraf stood up and left her.

Uliraf invited Rosalis into his chambers and they sat at a table, discussing matters. "So you want my help to destroy Frinnor if you do not manage to take back the throne?" Uliraf asked her.

"Yes. That is all I ask."

"Then it shall be done." He suddenly tilted his head. "You seem stressed."

Rosalis chuckled wryly. "Stressed is not the word for it."

"Let me help you take your mind off things."

Rosalis' eyebrows jumped up and down once. She shot him a seductive smile. "Please, be my guest."

They walked up to each other and proceeded to strip themselves of their armour, throwing it down onto the floor in a disorderly pile, scattering it everywhere. They threw down each other's tunics and then fell onto the bed, caressing their bodies and kissing each other without a care in the world.

Uliraf fell asleep and Rosalis stared out into the night sky, clad in a long white dressing gown. Suddenly, she heard the door creak and snapped her head towards the sound, saw that it was slightly open. She walked up to it and opened it, looking out into the corridor. She saw a messenger escaping from her. A messenger from Frinnor. Not having time to change into her armour or even grab her sword, she pursued after him in her nightgown with the intent of beating him to death. The messenger crawled through a priest hole and went down a dug out tunnel. Rosalis followed after him, crawling on her hands and knees, trying to stop him from escaping her grasp. The messenger dropped something down onto the ground and continued forward. Rosalis placed her hands down onto the ground, continuously crawling forward when suddenly, she screamed. She stopped, looking at her trembling hand. A caltrop had pierced itself through her palm . She drew it out of herself, bleeding slightly and then pushed away the rest, continuing forward. She stepped out of the tunnel, making her way outside the Kingdom of Wolfholde and looked around, seeing that the messenger was gone. She screamed, cursing to the sky.

Rosalis made her way back to the chambers and saw Uliraf, awake. He turned, hearing the door open.

"Where did you go?" He asked her, but then noticed the dirt on her dressing gown. A couple of seconds later, he noticed the blood covering her wounded hand, dripping down in large drips. He quickly strode up to her and took her hand, seeing the hole in it, caused by the caltrop. His eyes widened in shock and then he quickly walked up to a drawer, opened it up. "Sit, sit." He said as he searched through it. Rosalis sat at the edge of the bed and Uliraf proceeded to wrap her hand in a linen bandage. "What happened?" He asked as he cut away the bandage and tied a knot in it.

"A messenger from Frinnor saw me." She explained. "He is now most likely back on his way to the kingdom, to deliver the news to the regent king."

"Regent?"

"I am still alive." She pointed out. "They need me dead to elect another ruler."

"Ah, of course."