Silver Rose

The Palace

[Dear Readers,
On Jan. 15, 2005, I noticed that Chapter 24 cut off abrutly in the middle of a sentence. So, I started out finishing the sentence, but ended up adding a new ending to the chapter. Therefore, if you read Chapter 24 "The Vows" before Jan. 15, then you'll need to go back and read the new ending before reading this chapter. Sorry for the inconvience. Happy Reading!!!
Trisha]



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"Horse thief!"

Zander groaned silently. The oafs, Hector and Herbert, were back. He continued brushing the horse's mane.

"Back to the cell!" Hector, yelled.

"I'd rather sleep out here," Zander said.

"So you can steal another horse? I don't think so thief," Hector said.

"C'mon," Herbert, said grabbing Zander's arm.

"I know the way." Zander wretched his arm out of Herbert's grasp.

Hector punched him in the stomach.
"Don't talk back!"

Zander doubled over in pain. Hector grabbed his collar and pulled him out of the stable. They practically dragged him across the grounds, and into the prison. It was all he'd ever seen of the great palace of Akinsis-- the hall to the dungeon. There was only two other people besides him in it though, since there was a prison some miles from the city where real criminals were sent.

At first, Zander couldn't believe they would still charge him with theft when those horses he'd let loose were found the same day. But then he remembered he was in Brovan, and the laws were only fair and equal when they were applied to the upper-class. It was no wondered the people were ready to revolt.

Hector took out a set of keys and unlocked the huge door to the dungeon. Then Herbert pulled him down the short hallway, where the only prison guard had opened another door (this one without a lock). Zander smiled at the guard as they passed him. The guard scowled back. They went down a stairwell and walked past a few cells before coming to his own.

"Ah, home sweet home," Zander said.

"Shut up!" Herbert ordered as Hector unlocked the door.

Hector swung the door open. Zander began to walk into the cell, one of them kicked him from behind. They laughed as he picked himself up.

"Don't forget my supper," Zander said as he turned around.

"Oh, we've got it right here for you, thief!"
A bowl was thrown at him, its contents landing on his face and shirt. The men laughed and slammed the door.

"Mmmm, cold mush," Zander said, trying his best not to show his anger. "My favorite."

"Good. Have a sip of water to wash it down with." Hector said as he grabbed a bucket.
Zander didn't move an inch when he threw the cold water at him.

"Thanks for washing off the mush," he said leaning his face against the bars.

Hector threw the empty bucket at him. It bounce off the metal bars.

"You won't be so happy in a couple days, thief," Hector said. "You've got an appointment with her Royal Majesty the queen."

Hector and Herbert laughed loudly as they left.

"Just make sure I'm on time," Zander yelled after them, "those royals hate it when your late!"

The door to the prison slammed loudly. Zander listened to its rumbling echo before letting out a sigh.

"You shouldn't joke so," one of the other prisoners, Kasper, said. "An appointment with the queen means they're going to execute you."

Zander didn't reply. He couldn't see Kasper. Their cells were separated by two others. Frederick, the other prisoner, was across and one down from Zander's, but it was too dark to see him. There were only four torches in the whole dungeon so almost everything was in shadows or complete darkness.

"We'll all have our 'appointments'; it's just a matter of time," said Fredrick. "I've already lived my life. S'pose it don't matter much. Though it'll be a shame to miss my 75th birthday. It'll come in eight days, but I doubt I'll make it that far."

They fell into silence.

"I don't want to die," a small voice sobbed.

"Who's that?" Zander asked.

"New girl," Kasper said, "name's Roxella. Charged with attempted murder of a soldier. But by her story he tried to rape her and when she fought back he taught her a lesson by having her arrested."

"I didn't mean to," Roxella cried. "I didn't know what to do... He was hurting me and-- and I hit him..."

"How old are you?" Zander asked.

"Fourteen..."

Fourteen. Zander slumped against a wall and slid down to the floor. The young face of another fourteen-year-old filled his mind. His sister, Elsa, was that age when the Brovanians came, when she was raped. He pressed his hand against his forehead. He hated thinking about it. They were only a year apart and they had always been best friends. But after that... she changed so much. And he was never able to even begin to understand her. And now they were as far apart as two strangers on opposite sides of the world.

A lump began to grow in his throat. Quickly, he pushed thoughts of his sister aside. Instead he replaced them with new thoughts, thoughts of the betrayers. The DeLaneys-- it was all their fault. They killed his father, ruined his country... and, although she'd never revealed her attacker, he was sure Prince Sebastian had done it. The prince had been the last person known to be with Elsa.

He could still remember the thin, pale man sitting across from him at dinner that night. Sebastian sat there looking like it was the most boring thing he'd ever been too. At the time, Zander had silently agreed with him because his father could be very long winded and his speech seemed to go on forever. Then his father invited King Elbert to stand next to him as they celebrated their new peace treaty. They shook hands and that's when King Elbert pulled out the knife. Both queens screamed when the knife plunged into his father's chest. Zander didn't move, he watched in horror as his father fell back against his chair. King Elbert came at him again. His father was stabbed three times before two men were able to drag him away. It was then that Zander had glanced over at Prince Sebastian. The man still looked bored!

Zander stood up and paced in his cell. How many times since then had he wished he'd understood what that bored look meant? It was in that split second that they could have hurt Brovan. If he had known... Queen Safie was sitting on his left, he could have slit her throat, he could have rammed his sword through the prince's heart, he could have-- he could have...

He banged his fist against the stone wall until it throbbed in pain. He'd been in this prison for three weeks and now what? They were going to kill him? Just like that?
No. They beat him once, he wouldn't let them do it again.

He heard the scritch-scratch of a rat coming towards him. Silently, he waited until it came closer. It squealed as his foot kicked it; there was a soft thud when it's body hit the opposite wall.
No. The DeLaney's wouldn't be rid of him so easily.


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"I am his sister!"

"I realize that, princess, but the prince refuses to see anyone unless they make an appointment." The long-nosed secretary said.

Marina was beyond anger. She wanted to whack the man upside his head with the newspaper she was holding. But that wouldn't do any good. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down enough to steady her voice.

"When is his next opening?" She asked through clenched teeth.

The secretary pulled out a huge leather bound book and began flipping through it.
"Let's see..." he mumbled, slowly turning page after page.

Marina let out a frustrated sigh. All she wanted was to talk to her brother. Normal people didn't have to make appointments to see their own family.

"Ah, here's an opening," the secretary said. "2:15- 3:00pm on November 23."

"November 23!" Marina exclaimed. "That's more than a month away!"

"Shall I put you down for that time, then?"

"No! You won't put me down for any time! I am the princess! I can see my brother whenever I want!"
Marina marched over to the double doors and pulled them open. The shocked guards just stood there while she walked down the hall.

"Your Highness!" The secretary called after her. "Please, stop!"

Marina ignored him. She hadn't been in her brother's quarters in three weeks since he repriminded her for running away. She should have told him that he needed an appointment to yell at her! He may have suspended her to the palace grounds, but what she'd just discovered was more punishment than she could handle. The thought made her clench the newspaper even tighter.

She burst into her brother's office. He and several men looked up in surprise.

"Marina!" The prince barked.

"I know running away was not the brightest idea. And you felt a need to punish me for it, but this is uncalled for!" She yelled.

"I'm in the middle of something important," Sebastian yelled back. "You have no right to--"

Marina threw the newspaper down on the desk in front of him. Sebastian opened his mouth to say something, then pressed his lips tightly together.

"Leave us," he told the men.

The men, whom she recognized as palace officials, quickly gathered some papers together and left. She could tell they were upset at the intrusion, but she didn't care. She was more important than whatever nonsense they'd been discussing.

She crossed her arms.
"Well?"

Sebastian picked the paper up and sat down. She watched his gray eyes squint down at the paper. She really wished he would just get spectacles. He was in his mid-40s after all. His eyesight wasn't going to get any better. She looked at his wavy black (well, now it was mostly gray) hair. It was the only thing they'd both gotten from their father. Of course, now what was left of their father's locks was white and falling out.

“Where did you get this from?” Sebastian asked.

“I saw one of the servants reading it.”

“We didn’t mean for you to find out about it like this.”

“We?”

“The queen and I,” Sebastian said. “Allow me to explain…”

Marina didn’t hear anything her brother said. All she could do was stare at the headline on the newspaper he’d laid down: Princess’ Marriage to Prince of Ecknosh in Two Weeks. The article said that Prince Val, the fifth son of Ecknosh, was currently on his way to Akinsis for the wedding. There would be a great festival held the next day after his arrival which would be in four days. And feasts and celebrations would be held everyday up ‘til the wedding. The bride and groom would stay in Akinsis for two days and then it was off to Ecknosh. The article praised the match sayings that Brovanians could breath easy since all their hopes for an heir rested in this marriage.

“I have one question for you Sebastian,” Marina interrupted him. “How can I marry this prince if we’re not even engaged?”

Sebastian sighed.
“We discussed this with Prince Val and he wants to marry you. So…” Sebastian looked at her wistfully. “So you two can court for a few days, then he’ll ask for your hand and of course you’ll say yes.”

“You discussed this with Prince Val and not me?!”

“He’s a much more reasonable person.”

“I’m reasonable!”

“Marina…”

“And you’ve already got the whole thing planned!”

“Please, calm down!”

“I won’t calm down!” Marina yelled. “Not when I’m the last person to find out about my own marriage! And how do you know I’d say yes? Maybe I’d say no!”

“Marina, we both know one of your only duties as a woman and as a princess is to marry. You knew this would happen one day. And you’ve never had any problems with marriage before.”

Marina fumbled for words. He was right. Before, she had looked forward to the day she would marry. Marriage and children were really the only things she could look forward to. There was nothing else in her future. She’d never cared who it was. In fact, she was upset when she discovered that most of the girls her age were betrothed and she wasn’t. She actually went to her father (whom she’d only gone to twice in her life) and begged him to arrange a marriage for her. That was when she was 17 and most of the girls she knew were already married and she was on her way to becoming a spinster. He father refused. He didn’t trust anyone. And Marina had been pining and whining for a husband ever since. It wasn’t fair that the princess was the only girl in the country not married.

But now that it was happening, she didn’t like it.

“I know what I’ve said…” she began, “but I don’t… I don’t know… I don’t like this.”

Sebastian walked over to her.
“Marina, it doesn’t matter. This is for your country. Don’t you think it’s time Brovan had an heir?”

“Yes…” she answered softly.

“And the only way to get an heir is for you to marry and, um, produce one.”

Marina knew this was true. But it wasn’t the complete truth. Sebastian could have his own heir. Yet he refused to marry and produce one. When she came along the pressure was taken off him and all eyes turned to her. It’d been explained to her many times.

“And what if I can’t produce one? Or what if I find Prince Val too revolting?” She asked.

“Don’t worry. Renata has promised to take care of that.”

“Renata?” He’d been mentioning her a lot. “What does the queen have to do with this?”

“She put everything together,” Sebastian said walking back to his desk.

“Why? She’s not even family.”

“She’s your stepmother.”

She was their stepmother.

“I don’t trust her,” Marina said.

Sebastian sat down behind his desk.
“Marina, please don’t start this again.”

“She is up to something. I know it. Why else would she be so interested in me all of a sudden?”

“Because she cares about you,” Sebastian said.

“Cares about me? She didn’t even know I existed until a few months ago.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

“That witch wants to get rid of me,” Marina said.

“First of all, she is not a witch. Secondly, if she wanted to be rid of you then she wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to bring you home.”

That was true…
“She is an evil witch and God knows what she’ll do!”

“The queen is not a witch and she is not evil!” Sebastian stood. “Do not slander the name of your queen!”

“It’s not slander when it’s true!”

Sebastian sat down and rubbed his temples.
“There aren’t such things as witches!” He said slowly. “There are only people. Normal people.”

“Then how do you explain her eyes changing from empty black to flaming green?” Marina asked.

“They’re hazel.”

“How do you explain the disappearance of so many servants? Or the sudden death of my nanny?”

“Your nanny, Tara, was probably older than father. It would have been a miracle if she were still alive. And the servants are… well, we just don’t need as many of them to run the palace.”

“Oh, did the queen tell you that?”
Sebastian looked up at her, startled. She already knew the answer.

“What about the human body parts she eats?” Marina asked.

“Those are animals.”

“Then how do you explain—“
A cold rush of wind blew through the room. Papers flew off Sebastian’s desk and swirled around the room. The wind stopped and the papers floated to the floor.

“How do you explain that?” Marina asked.

“The windows are open,” Sebastian answered as he bent down to pick his papers up.

Marina opened all the curtains in the room.
“It’s October. The windows are closed!”

Sebastian looked up at her for a long time. Marina crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

“Something is greatly amiss here and you know it. And you also know it didn’t start until father married Renata.” Marina said.

“It’s not true,” Sebastian said. “And even if it were, you couldn’t prove it.”

“I can prove it.” Marina said. “I will prove it. And I won’t marry any prince that witch has matched me up with!” Marina turned on her heels and walked out of Sebastian’s office.

“She’s not a witch!” Sebastian yelled after her. “And you will marry Prince Val of Ecknosh!”