Of Winds And Quakes

48. The Rose

Year of the Roses
Floral Season
The Orchard
Altsas

Alysia

WORDS IN MY THROAT are trapped in a bubble. I struggle to form something coherent but all I come up with are stutters. Ross steps back, fright marring her features. "I was just-"

"Rosa isn't going to be my maid after we marrying because I'm going to be staying in your room, right?" The words come out in a jumble, I don't think it through.

Kyan's eyes darts at Rosa's face and then mine. "I suppose," he says suspiciously.

"I have delivered the food, your Majesty." Rosa curtseys and turns to leave.

"Wait," Kyan calls out and my heart gallops in my ears. "Make sure my sister eats something, force it down her throat if you have to."

Rosa nods quickly and scurries away.

"How are you doing?" Kyan asks me. I can feel his warm emerald eyes on my face, heating it till it's flushed.

"Fine," I say in the most flat voice I can muster.

I walk over to the rose bushes and reach for the newly bloomed rose. I don't flinch or wince when the pointy thorns prickles me. I bite my lip and hover the rose under my nose inhaling gently. It smells like a perfectly good rose to me but how did I get it to bloom? I can not believe wistful thinking did this.

I hold out the flower to him, a daring move. I expect him to crush it's velvety petals and stamp on the stalk. I didn't expect him to collect it from my hand, which he doesn't. Instead, he curls his hand around my wrist and brings it closer to his face. His warm misty breath tickles my hand as he scrutinises it. "Look," he says, "you are bleeding." There is something about the way he says it. Like a dotting brother.

I pull my hand out of his grip and make a silly move by hiding it behind my back, hiding the flower too. He chuckles and reaches into the rose bushes and he comes back with a big bloom. I begin to shake my head before he even offers it to me.

"What's wrong with it?" He enquiries. Do I hear a hurt in his tone?

"Nothing. I just prefer this one." I hold up the newly bloomed rose and he stares at it for a long while with a smirk playing on his lips. "It's small", his eyes darts to my face, "like you."

I want to laugh out loud. "I'm not small."

He raises an amused brow, "you manage to reach my shoulder."

I clench the rose tighter and the sharp thorns pierce into my fingers and I yelp in pain letting it fall to the ground. Kyan looks at my dripping hand, and then rises his heavily booted foot.

"No!" I bend and pick it up with my uninjured hand, "I bloomed it, Kyan. I can't let it go." I don't know why I'm telling him this but the words tumble out easily.

He freezes, he watches me sniff the flower again. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said!" I don't mean it to sound rude.

He doesn't seem fazed at all. "Let me." He conjures a handkerchief from his pocket and ties it round my hand. Tossing the rose he was holding to the ground, he links his fingers in my uninjured hand and tries to lead me towards the Palace. "We should get you cleaned up."

"No," I snatch my hand back, "stop being so bossy!"

Something dark flashes in his eyes and his jawline becomes stubbornly set. "I'm not bossy," he retorts, "you are just being stubborn."

I roll my eyes and using my uninjured hand, I push open the flap of the basket. Luckily, Rosa packed a blanket. I try to grip it and spread it on the grassy ground but it's too heavy and weighs down my hand. Kyan takes it from me and spreads it on the ground.