Heart of Rose

A promise to Rose

Chapter 4

Rose froze. She was extremely unsure of what to do. She told herself not to panic, took a deep breath and faced Marie. “What are you talking about, Marie? I have no secrets to keep.”

“Rose, how old would you say I am?”

Rose eyed Marie. “I’m not sure of what you’re asking, Marie.”

Marie gave her a knowing look. “Rose, I have been at this castle a long time. I was here before the evil hit this kingdom and I know who you are.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Marie. I’ve been a prisoner my whole life.”

“Not your whole life, Rose. Just the last ten years, am I correct?”

Rose was starting to become frightened. Marie knew too much but then Marie surprised her with her next statement.

“Rose, I knew your mother very well before she died. I respected her; I even loved her as if she were my own flesh and blood. I promise you I will not give away your true identity. But tell me one thing: how did you survive the change alone without anyone noticing?”

Rose gave in. She knew she could trust Marie and she finally broke down and really cried. Marie pulled her into the room on the right that she had prepared for her. Marie simply waited for Rose to calm down and stared until she was ready to speak. After a few moments, Rose was finally calm enough to speak to Marie through trembling lips.

“About a year after I arrived there, Desmond came along. He is a guardian sent to protect me, to teach me and to keep me safe until I am able to do that myself. When I was fifteen, I first started to experience the change. I became temperamental. I would spend days locked in a closet for disobeying the men by fighting them back when they would hit me. I would tell myself to let them do it next time, to not fight back but every time, I just snapped. I was terribly blinded with rage that I couldn’t control myself and that’s when Desmond stepped in. He taught me how to control it—to push the rage down. He said I had to control it because my eyes turned to a deep unnatural blue when I became angry and one day, one of my captors would be smart enough to figure out that I was not like the rest.”

Marie just stared, encouraging Rose to keep talking to finish the story.

“By the time I was sixteen, I had learned to control the cold. I could freeze water, chill a room, drop the temperature within a ten-mile radius as low as I wanted to, and by the time I turned seventeen, I had transformed. I had gained looks that could drop a man to his knees; perfect skin, perfect auburn hair and perfect blue eyes—those were a few of the things the men started to whisper about me and that’s when the men started with their advances. One time, Desmond was farther away than normal and one of my captors decided I was worth trying. He had me pinned down and my dress scooted up to my thigh. He had groped my chest and slapped me for fighting . . .”

Marie cut in, “Why didn’t you use your powers? I know your mother would do that before they even got close to her. Finally, they left her alone when she met your father.”

“I had two reasons: he got so close because having powers and letting them know would result in being locked away and sold to the highest bidder. I also didn’t use them because once he hurt me since fear was something I had not felt before and I didn’t think about using my powers—just about fighting back the man who was moving his hand up my leg. When Desmond clocked the fellow on the head, he knocked him clear out for a good half hour and from that day forward, I went Desmond went.”

Marie looked horrified. “Did your Desmond not know of the curse?”

“What curse?”

“The curse that comes with your powers having so much does not come without consequences. The gods cursed your bloodline when the first of your kind used their powers to seduce the men and from then on, you were gifted or rather cursed with beauty all men will fight for. Some may see that as a gift, but you know better now, don’t you?”

“Yes, and I thank the Lord that I didn’t learn more than I have.”

“Don’t worry, Rose. I will protect your secret. I’ll show you the ropes. I know it would be dangerous for you to take your place as queen.”

“I just want to live contently without problems in my life. Is that too much to ask for, Marie?”

Marie felt a bit of déjà vu as Rose spoke those words. She knew a little over twenty years ago, she had heard those same exact words out of her mother’s mouth. This time, she would do all she could to protect Rose as she wasn’t able to do for her mother—protect her until her last breath left her body.

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