Royal Blood (Book I)

5. Kindness

CHAPTER FIVE - KINDNESS

Golden rays of light filtered in through the gaps of the curtains, causing Rosalie to turn away from the window as she fought consciousness.

"No," She mumbled to herself dragging the soft bed covers over her head.

These covers where much softer than she had remembered, maybe Aunt Iris had brought some new material with the money her Uncle had recently made.

Rose shot up in the bed and scrambled out from under the unfamiliar sheets in such a rush that she fell onto the wooden floor with a thud.

She raised her head and looked up at the bed, which definitely wasn't hers; hers was a singular bed with a thin cover with only one small pillow. This bed was about three times the size of hers with plush cushions and a soft padded cover. Pushing her hair out of her face so that it fell behind her shoulders, Rosalie stood up shakily and glanced around the room.

"Where am I?" She whispered.

She slowly wandered around the room. The morning sunlight brightened the room and allowed her to inspect a few objects she hadn't ever come across before.

A small table was pushed against a wall and an oval mirror hung above it. The table was empty except for a vase of freshly cut wild flowers; Rosalie lifted the vase up to her nose and inhaled deeply. The smell reminded her of the fields next to her house and how she had desperately wanted to play in them when she was younger but her Aunt had always stopped her.

She placed the vase back onto the table and turned around scanning her eyes over a small bookcase filled with different sized books. Walking away from bookcase she noticed her bag had been placed on a small seat at the end of the bed.

Rosalie rushed forwards and clutched the bag to her chest.

Aunt Iris.

Uncle Brandon.

Memories of the day before flooded into her head and the image of her Uncle and Aunt's lifeless bodies made her collapse onto the lush seat and her heart ached in grievance.

Still clutching the bag to her chest she opened it slightly and looked at the contents. She pulled out a small bottle that looked as though it cost twice the amount of her Uncle's house. The bottle was made of different coloured glass placed carefully together to create a delicate design.

Rosalie opened the bottle and held it up to her nose. The smell of sweet roses filled her senses and she couldn't help but think she had come across the sent before.

Knock, knock, knock.

The abrupt sound made Rosalie jump and she quickly placed the bottle safety back into her bag. The door opened just as Rosalie had hidden the bag discreetly under the bed.

"Thank goodness you're awake," A slender girl, who by the looks of it was not much older than Rosalie, said entering the room ignoring the shocked look on Rosalie's face.

The girl walked confidently into the room and opened the curtains, filling the room with light.

"That's better I can see you properly now," The girl turned around so that she was facing Rosalie.

"How are you feeling Rosalie?" She asked.

Rosalie remained still, quite taken aback but the girl's confidence and beauty. She had dark brown hair which was plaited and secured in a neat bun, her eyes were also brown but more of a dark honey colour when the light caught her eye.

From the glimpse Rosalie had caught off her the day before, the riding clothes and cloak were gone and a long sleeved dress with a bell-shaped skirt replaced them, complimenting her figure well.

"Rosalie?" The girl prompted bringing her out of her memories.

"I'm sorry, I'm having trouble remembering," Rosalie said quietly.

The girl gave her a sympathetic nod before pulling her into her arms, "Don't worry I'll explain everything at breakfast. Shall we get you ready for the day first?"

Rosalie smiled at the girl. She was still hesitant around her but she could feel herself warming up to the stranger.

"Sit down here Rosalie and I'll be back in a moment with some help." The girl ordered before gracefully leaving the room.

Rosalie sat quietly waiting for her return, glancing at her appearance in the mirror.

Dear lord, I look like I've walked through a thousand bushes backwards!

She quickly tried to tame her hair but the girl once again entered the room only this time she was followed by two other women.

"Mary and Gretchen will help you get dressed and then I shall help tame this hair of yours," The girl giggled to herself as she let the two women take over.

"Which gown would you recommend Lady Georgiana?" One of the women asked.

Oh so her name was Georgiana.

"The blue one" She said holding the dress up against Rosalie's body.

"No on second thought the green one. It'll match your eyes perfectly!" She added excitedly.

The women removed Rosalie's robe and dressed her in the lavish gown. The dress was no way near as luxurious as Lady Georgiana's but Rosalie felt like royalty in it. The sleeves were long and covered in lace, the love heart neckline made her feel sophisticated and the long skirt wasn't as flamboyant as Georgiana's but it was the most beautiful dress she had ever worn.

"Thank you Mary, Gretchen, I will take it from here," Lady Georgiana said dismissively. The two women left without another word.

"Right shall we try and tame this bird's nest?" Georgiana said smiling widely at Rosalie. Her enthusiasm made Rosalie giggle and soon Georgiana was giggling alongside her.

Once Georgiana had managed to comb through Rosalie's long blonde hair she groomed it into the same style as her own but left a few pieces of hair to frame Rosalie's face.

Next was Rosalie's make up. Rosalie had never worn make up before, her Aunt had never used it so she didn't even know what it looked like.

Georgiana shared the seat next to Rosalie and began to apply a small amount of make-up. As she did this she could not help but grow more and more intrigued by this mysterious girl that she had found alone in the woods. In no way shape or form did she seem dangerous.

Georgiana could tell that the girl was nervous and felt uncomfortable in her new environment. Georgiana liked her, if her mother and father allowed her to stay with them in the castle then she could see them becoming the best of friends, something she had lacked in her childhood.

"There, you look even more beautiful then you did before. How jealous am I that you don't even have to wear make-up to look a hundred times prettier than me?" She exclaimed.

Rosalie shook her head in disagreement, "You're wrong, your eyes are the warmest honey colour I've ever seen!"

"That's nothing compared to your emerald ones, they're captivating. I feel that if I look you in the eye too much I might run the risk of falling helplessly in love with you!" Georgiana said causing them both to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"Shall we go down for some breakfast, I'm sure you're starving?" Georgiana said once their laughing ceased.