Rosewood Kingdom

Make it Make Sense, Please!

Spring 1329

"You did what now?"

"I joined the army." He announces again, sure of himself this time. WHACK! Helia smacks him upside the head with a wooden spoon.

"Who the fuck told you that was a good idea when we are literally on the run?"

"Yeah but check this out. We get benefits, a monthly lil income, and after some years or battle, I get a lil land of my own."

"Sir, you are not a commoner. You are a born Prince, a made King. What's really going on?" she put the meat in the pan along with the herbs and spices.

"I just wanna shift gears, live like the people I used to rule to understand where they come from. What their life is like and why sometimes they didn't like the decisions I made." He spoke honestly from his heart. "Being here with you is helping with that goal."

"And what are you learning?" The pair is sitting on a huge boulder in front of the fire.

"That some things have to change. If I ever decide to be king again in a different land, a number of things would have to change."

"Like what?"

"Education. It's so easy ruling people who are uneducated. They literally don't know any better than what you've told them. What I'd want are involved people. I had a council in Shadowcourt and they hardly agreed with my suggestions. One of the things I remember vividly is possibly expanding our lands to ward off a food shortage. They didn't agree."

"What about alternating crops?" Helia asked. York gave her a frown of confusion. "Let me explain. When I lived at the cottage, my husband taught me about how come crops fertilize the land as it grows. It replenishes what other crops may take out of the soil. Instead of constantly taking land, y'all should have found other alternatives like we did." Helia leaves the dumbfounded York on the boulder to turn the meat.

"I never knew that."

"I noticed." She smiled. "But this military shit is a no go. What's the purpose of laying low if you're gonna be infiltrating the damn army!"

"It's the least I could do to repay you for your sacrifices for me." He mumbles. Helia doesn't hear his answer but instead works on the few sides she could come up with surrounding them.

Later that night, Helia laid in the covered wagon while York slept in the cave. They'd had an argument about how she wasn't going to be safe there outside, but Helia insisted. She wrapped herself up in the warm blanket and dozed off to sleep.

"Helia!" a bright light caught her off guard as a moving figure got closer to her. Helia used her hand to shield her eyes as best she could. The voice was musical, beautiful to her ears.

A woman wearing all white with diamond crosses adorning her ears came in full view. Helia stepped back in fear. "No need to step back."

"Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The woman sits down with a smile. Helia hesitantly sits next to her. They are overlooking the valley below them. It's like the land had extended itself. The two sit in silence for a while. "My name is Millicent."

Helia looks over at her again. "Milly?"

"That silly name my husband gave me. Nobody called me that but him." she smiled. "We need to talk."

"But you're..."

"No need to call out the obvious, Helia. But I've come to you for a reason. My husband loved me very much. More than he loved himself most times."

"He speaks so highly of you."

"I've noticed." Milly frowns. "But those days are behind him...and me." the sun makes her shine even brighter.

"I loved my husband, I probably loved him as a little teenager. He'd bring me flowers and little candies he could steal. A true prince, if I say so myself. We had a very rare love outside of being betrothed as babies. When we were starting the process, York started learning the ways of being a king. And then, shortly after that, he was sent away to the Great War. And he changed..."

"How?"

"He was short patient, angry. He didn't sleep much and I hated it. I wanted my prince back. On top of that, his father was getting weaker so they rushed our wedding plans so the King could see us marry and York be coronated before he was too bedridden to see any of it. And I hated every second of it. Our lives had solely become about the kingdom, serving the country."

"Why did you hate it?"

"I couldn't contribute to much. My training was pretty much how to stay pretty and silent. Sure I could read and write but what good was it when people didn't want to hear what I had to say. I wasn't like other queens that could make people listen to me. That's where we're different, Helia. You have knowledge and people listen. York listens."

"He didn't listen to you?"

"I never took his advice and made people listen to me." she gives a half smile. "In addition, we tried for a long time for a child. Until one day I felt my dress tighten around the band. We were so excited. I started the birthing chamber right away."

"I could never give my husband a child." Helia sighs.

"Everything in due time." Milly insists. "York is falling for you Helia. And he is destined for greatness, whether he runs from it or not. Greatness will always catch up with him."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"I was his silent queen. I was the love of his former life and I'm okay with that. But you, you two are connected far beyond any connection York and I ever had. Transcending centuries. York's soul will always seek you. Always. Remember."

"Wait!" Helia yelled. "I have more questions!"

"Remember..." Milly faded into nothingness in front of her.

Helia jolted up in shock. The sun was fully up and the birds were chirping. York was preparing to leave. "I left you some to eat." He pointed to the nicely prepared breakfast. "First day of this thing they call basic training...should be fun."

"Be, uh, safe."

"It ain't me that needs to be safe." He mounted his horse and was off. Remember...

Meanwhile, Brie and Mikaela traveled behind Damien and his small army of men to keep tabs. "So you didn't look at any tree marks?" he asked.

"My King, he is definitely in the east."

"Then we go until we have no other towns to look in." Damien forces them on. The group stopped in Eastmont. "Has anybody seen this man?" he holds up a drawing.

"He came through here months ago and then disappeared. Took a woman with him."

"What was her name?"

"Helia of Eastmont."

"My Helia?" Damien gripped the reigns tighter.