Ivory Roses

POV - Leofwin

Sunlight streamed through the window and hit my face as soon as the sun rose. My eyes slowly opened, taking in the view out my window. Rolling hills, patches of flowers, leading out to an ocean framed by mountains on 2 sides.

I slowly got out of bed, feeling the light shine on my unclothed body. I blinked slowly, then looked around my room. A crown on my bedside table, made of gold, as well as a candle. Against one wall is a chair and a long bookshelf filled with books. Most of them were for my little brother, Phyrravyn. I don't read much.

Against the other wall, there was the door, and a candle mounted on the wall next to it. A small dresser was pressed against the wall too. I walked over to the dresser and dug through the clothes, picking between the multiple vibrant colors and settling with a light blue shirt with black embroidery and buttons, and simple black pants.

I turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind me, because I knew the servants would come to clean it and I wouldn't want them not to due to thinking I was in there. I walked down the twisting hallways, feeling the cold stone floor against my bare feet. After several minutes, I arrived at my brother's room. Just as I raised my hand to knock, the door flew open.

Phyrravyn stood there rubbing his eyes with one hand, other still on the door. His looks contrasted mine. I had brown eyes and long blond hair, and he had black hair he kept cut sloppily above his ears, slim where I was broad, shorter than I, and he had green eyes. The eyes of a mage. I never thought he was a mage though. He had shown no signs, always been a good child. And the son of a king, though supposedly not the queen's son. Perhaps the child of a consort.

He jumped back when he saw me, eyes going wide. "Shit- Leofwin, you scared me." He walked back up and pushed me playfully. I felt a smile push it's way onto my face. "Good morning." He smiled back, only for a second. "Good morning, your royal majesty," he said mockingly. Then he grinned and turned around.

"Come in. I have something to show you." I hesitantly walked through the doorway, I tend not to go into his room, so even with permission, it was odd. He had a larger dresser than I did, with a mirror hung on the wall over it. I didn't know what was in the drawers, but all he had in his room was a dresser, a bed, and a small desk in the corner, cluttered with papers and books. I did notice something different.

He was walking to the window he likes to sit on the sill of, and on the sill was a rose. A white rose in a vase. He carefully picked it up, and I watched as the thorns pricked his porcelain skin on his fingertips. He didn't seem to notice, even as his crimson blood dripped onto the floor.

"Where did you get that?" I hissed at him. "You know it's forbidden to go to the mountains and that's the only place those grow? Did you go yourself?" He stared at me, clutching his rose tightly, shocked by my voice's sudden change in tone.

"I didn't get it.. A knight brought it to me, Leo... He came into my room last night when I was reading and he left it on my desk and told me I should sleep." He smiled as he remembered what happened. "Which knight was it? Did he tell you his name? What did he look like?" I asked.

"He... didn't tell me his name.. but he was blond and had a scar on his forehead..." He set the rose back in the vase and rubbed his hands together, smearing the blood. "And his eyes... grey, I think?" Phyrravyn looked at me with wide eyes as he gave his description. "Please don't be mad at him though... I thought it was kind of sweet..." As he said that, he looked down and shifted his weight.

I sighed and leaned down. "Phyrravyn, you can't fall for every man that brings you gifts, because as soon as you turn 18, there are going to be thousands of men and women from other kingdoms trying to win you over and the one that brings you the best gift might not be the right one to marry..."

He listened to me, and processed it. I could tell he was thinking by the way he nibbled his lip and closed his eyes. "But... What if I don't want to marry a suitor...?" He asked. "I'm like a political pawn and... I don't want to do that... Just to become the powerless count or duke or king so you have an alliance with another country..."

I listened to him too, then grabbed Phyrravyn's shoulders. "You are SO much more than a pawn. You're my brother and I love you, Vy. I want you to be happy, which is why I'm telling you that you shouldn't just marry the richest suitor. But it's your duty of the second-born to marry into another family to form alliances. And duty comes before your wants. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

Phyrravyn stared up at me with his wide green eyes. "Leofwin, I... Thank you.. I promise you I won't marry a suitor I don't like." I smiled brightly. "Good. Now let's go eat breakfast and maybe we'll find that knight that brought you your flower."

He swayed and looked up at me. "I hope so..." Then he took my hand carefully, and I felt his soft fingertips rub against my palm. "But yeah. Let's go." He led me out of his room and to the dining room. I left his side and my hand dropped to my side as I pulled away to sit at the far end of the table.

Phyrravyn sat on the other end and shot a smile at me. I smiled back as food was set in front of us. I looked down at the food and took a deep breath through my nose. It smelled delicious. Just an omelette with toast and hashbrowns, as well as fresh strawberries, cantaloupe and grapes from the garden.

I picked up my fork and poked a strawberry with it. I lifted it up to my mouth, looking up at Phyrravyn as I did to see he had devoured half of his food and there was egg in his hair. I stifled a laugh as I popped the strawberry into my mouth and chewed, savoring every bite and feeling the sweet juice run over my tongue.

Everything seemed perfect like this, Vy and I were happy by ourselves.

It's unfortunate it didn't stay like this.