One Dark Destiny

Queen Rosalie Chapter 3

Rosalie wakes to a knock on her door.
"Kalypso is ready for you downstairs," a voice says. She opens her eyes as Holly enters her bedroom. Rosalie groans silently and sits up in bed, and Holly spreads out an outfit over the end of her dovet. Rosalie finds that she feels fine. Breathing onto her wrist, she decides that her temperature is normal. Just to make sure, she pulls an amethyst encrusted hand-mirror from her bedside table and examines her reflection. Aside from her hair, she looks fine. She puts down the mirror and shuts her eyes again. Today she is to go into town with Kalypso. Why, she has no idea. It is just about the last thing that she wants to do now. She slides out of bed and crosses the room to her dressing table, roughly pulling a brush through the tangles in her dark curls, little patience for her hair this morning. She brushes white powder onto her cheeks and curls her eyelashes. She uncaps her smoky black lipstick, and spreads it over her lips. She struggles into the dress, a long skirt falling around her feet, and a corset made from thick material with sharp stitching that digs into her skin. It has wide sleeves that are slightly too long to fit her. Holly tightens the corset and Rosalie grimaces, gritting her teeth. She slips on her black pumps and glances in the mirror. She looks just as unenthusiastic as she feels. Holly holds open the door for her.

Downstairs, Rosalie steps out of the Arron House and onto the stones of the courtyard. An overdecorated carriage waits there for her, sleek black horses standing at the front and plum-colored curtains hanging at the sides. She pulls the curtain to the side, and she sees Kalypso inside, examining her.
"Ah, Rosalie, here you are," she says, gesturing to the space beside her. Rosalie slides inside and pulls the curtain back across, straightening out her skirt. The carriage starts to move and Rosalie takes a deep breath and sets her hands in her lap and tries to find something to think about.

The carriage rolls through the streets and Kalypso tells Rosalie to wave to her people. Rosalie draws back the curtain and sees all the people on the streets. Watching them. She raises her hand and waves, not bothering to force a smile. She cannot concentrate.

Suddenly the carriage draws to a halt and Rosalie looks up. She steps out after Kalypso onto the grass, realising where they are. The Prynn Temple. A group of priestesses come to greet them.
"The High Priestess will be here," Kalypso says, examining Rosalie.
"She is visiting from the capital."
Rosalie stops.
"The High Priestess?" she asks. She has never met High Priestess Aspen.
She can only guess that speaking to her will be much like speaking to Kalypso or any of the Arrons. Meaningless and unreasonably boring.
The priestesses escort them inside the temple, where Rosalie has been hundreds of times. She recognises the patterned tiles on the floor, the statues that surround the room, of past Poisoner Queens. They all look just the way you would expect, solemn faces carved from black marble. At the end of the long hall, is the altar, where offerings are left for the Goddess. In the pale morning light that filters through the tall windows, Rosalie sees a figure bent over before the altar. Her white robes long enough that they cover her feet. Rosalie stops some way away from her, gripped by some feeling of... wondering. After a couple of moments the figure rises and turns towards her. She is tall and walks with authority. Her footsteps echo through the temple louder than they should. The air is still.
"Queen Rosalie, I presume," she says, pulling back her hood.
"I am High Priestess Aspen."
The High Priestess is younger than Rosalie expected, with tan skin and long dark hair, and bright amber eyes like those of an animal in the dark. She does not curtsy to Rosalie, there is no need; the high priestess holds enough power herself.
"I like your temple very much," she says, glancing around.
Enough not to visit for ten years, Rosalie thinks.
"The statues are beautiful."
Rosalie nods, and Kalypso steps up next to her.
"High Preistess," Kalypso says, holding out her hand for her to take. She does.
"I... would like to apologise for not coming to see you sooner, Queen Rosalie," the High Priestess says, addressing Rosalie again.
"I know how it must look... I understand that this may not mean anything to you, but the Black Council has been... a little busy with some things for a while now."
She is right, it means nothing to Rosalie, but she nods anyway.
"However," The High Preistess continues,
"The situation has taken a turn for the worse in the last few months, and I think that it is important now that we should involve you and your sisters."
Rosalie is interested now. Something like curiosity pulls at the sides of her mind.
"Perhaps we should have said something before... but the time has come."