Black Rose (12 page)

           
“Sub-Captain Brendan.” Garreth bowed his head in greeting.

           
“Welcome back to the Rose,” Brendan stated to his former superior. “What has it
been?  Sixty, seventy years?”

           
Garreth nodded. “That sounds about right.”

           
“What brings you to my humble door?

           
“Came to see the Captain.”

           
“Ah. I don’t suppose there is any way that this visit might
not
involve
Edward?”

           
“Afraid I can’t say that.”

           
Brendan sighed. “He leaves her in the foulest moods. Little tired of the worst
of it falling on me.”

“I
know,” Garreth responded. “I remember well.” 

Brendan
nodded. “What can I do for you?”

Garreth
motioned to Nolan. “This is Nolan, a member of the Arum Guard, assigned to the
Ciar by Mara.”

Brendan
offered a firm handshake to the younger man. “Hell of a mentor you have there.”
He nodded towards Garreth. “He was mine, once upon a time.”

“And
now look at you; second-in-command of the Black Rose.”

Brendan
smiled. “It’s good to see you, Garreth. Miss you around here.”

Garreth
nodded. “It is good to see you as well. I wish this was a visit for
pleasantries.”

“But
it never is.”

“The
roses from the Lorcan Court. The ones transported here when Mara took ownership
of the castle. Do they still bloom?”

“Same
place they have always been.”

Garreth
nodded. “Perhaps we should…”

“Garreth!”
A feminine voice entered the room. Mara stood at the top of the spiral
staircase. She wore a gown of thin silk under an open robe of black velvet. Her
hair hung straight down her back, cascading over her shoulders to frame her
face. Her eyes searched the room, fully appraising the new arrivals. Her eyes
narrowed as she began to walk down the steps, her black heels echoing through
the room as they stuck the dark stone with every step. When she finally reached
the ground, she glided slowly across the faded red carpets. “Did I or did I not,
order this one,” she motioned towards Nolan, “to remain with the Ciar Court
Guard?”

“Technically,
you ordered him to serve in the Ciar,” Garreth stated. “Which he is still
technically doing.”

She
shot him a glare than had made braver men squirm. “What are you doing here,
Garreth?”

“Let
me show you. If I am right, then you are going to want to see this.”

Mara
did not ask, but merely motioned him back towards the outer doors. The group
walked together into the brisk mountain air and turned down a dirt path which
Garreth remembered well. Nothing seemed to have changed in the four hundred
years since he had left the Rose to return to Edward’s service. It had been a
difficult choice and one for which Garreth knew Mara had never forgiven him.
Hurting her in spite of their best efforts not to—another thing that he and
Edward had in common.

“I’m
sorry,” he had told her. “But the war is over, Mara. Her memory is
avenged.  Maintaining this guard,” he shook his head, “I know you say it
is for the protection of the realm, but come on, Mara; be honest. “

“I
can’t go back,” she replied tersely. “You know that I cannot.”

“Mara,”
he said. “You have done your job. You avenged her. Please, put it to rest. Come
home with me. You don’t have to do this anymore. Liza would not want you to…”

“Don’t
speak her name! Please, just…don’t.”

“Mara,
I can’t do this anymore. This living in the past. I…” He drew a deep breath
attempting to gather his words. “I need to move forward.”

“Then
go!” she had shouted. “If you want my blessing then fine; you have it.”

“Mara
I can’t leave you.”

Her
eyes closed tightly for several moments, silence filling the space between
them.  When she finally opened them, her voice was firm and steady. “Yes
you can. You have to.” She offered a sad smile. “Just do one thing for me,
please.”

He
stared at her for what seemed a long time and then said, “I’ll watch over him,
Mara.” Those words, spoken so long ago, had now become yet another in a long
line of broken promises.

The
group continued down the dirt path in silence until they eventually emerged
into the small garden where not even weeds had been able to thrive.
rosae
immortals
survived at every court, though they thrived at few. The Black
Rose was one of those few. Unlike the scattered bushes of the Ciar Court, the
transplanted roses thrived here, as though sustained by the power of the Guard
which had been named exclusively in their honor. They climbed the taller
shrubberies and trees, their thorns piercing deeply into the other plants upon
which they clung.

It
had always been a dark affair, the black roses upon the deep green vines laying
against the grey backdrop of the mountains. Yet as they rounded the familiar
corner, the entire party froze. In place of the familiar black petals, every
rose in the garden, was the color of freshly spilt blood. “By the Gods!” Mara
whispered. “Is this what you have come to tell me?” She took several steps
forward, still not sure if she could believe her eyes. “Are the roses in the
Ciar Court…”

“Violet,”
he answered. “The roses in the Ciar garden are violet.”

“They
haven’t been violet since she died.”

“Or
red, since the night you took your vows.”

“I
don’t understand…” She forced herself to turn and face Garreth. “What is going
on?”

“Let’s
go inside and talk.”

She
nodded and the group turned back towards the castle. When they entered the
chambers, Mara led them up several flights of the spiral staircase until they
emerged into one of the large guest rooms on the upper floor. Mara walked to
the back of the room where a series of chairs sat before a massive unlit
fireplace. Each of them took a seat in the large, velvet chairs.

After
everyone was settled, Mara drew a deep breath and said, “Okay, Garreth. I’m
listening.”

Garreth
began to speak, quickly recounting the arrival of the young girl and his
discovery of violet roses along the palace grounds.  “Wait,” Mara
inquired. “You are saying that this young woman shows up and suddenly, the
roses begin to change color?”

           
Garreth nodded. “According to Nolan, the girl threw herself over Edward’s body
when he was being whipped. Took the brunt of a few blows before they were able
to stop, effectively ending his torture. Yet, when Edward was asked why the
girl would have done such a thing…”

           
“Edward said he had never seen Lady Sandra before,” Nolan finished for him.

           
“I don’t understand. Why would she do that for a stranger?”

           
“I am not certain,” Nolan continued. “However, the Princess did not seem
herself that night; not in any way. She seemed lost, confused and when they
pulled her away, she started screaming, in Latin no less. I didn’t understand
much of it, but I did distinctly hear her say the words: sanguis rosarum.”

           
“The Blood of Roses,” Mara translated.
hic iacet sanguis rosarum
.

           
“Garreth had the same reaction, but…I’m afraid I don’t understand. What does it
mean?”

           
It was here that Mara grew silent, her posture straightening in her chair. The
last time she had seen that many red roses had been the day Edward had returned
from the Queen’s mission. 
sanguis rosarum
. “Please, Mara,” the
young knight asked. “Can you tell me what is going on?”

           
“It’s none of your concern,” she answered, anger slipping into her tone.
“Garreth, why did you bring him here?”

           
Wait for me
, Edward had pleaded. The red roses had vanished from the
garden the day he left. And again, the day she had sworn herself to the Black
Rose. Why were they returning? Another form of torment for the woman forever
trapped in her isolation
. I will have them torn from their very roots
,
she vowed silently.
I will burn them as though they had never existed
.

           
“Mara, we need to tell him about Liza.”

           
She started at the Princess’ name, rising from the chair to gather her full
height. “Like hell I do! He’s naught more than a child. A child I specifically
instructed you to keep away from here.”

           
“It is too late,” Garreth stated. “He is involved now. He’s been involved since
the first stroke of the whip landed on Edward’s back.”

           
She glared at him and then turned to walk towards the glass doors leading to a
large balcony. She stepped into the cool air, the previously still wind now
rising in the form of a cool mountain breeze. She took a deep breath, trying to
drive back the overwhelming emotions which threatened to crawl along her skin.
“He doesn’t need to know!” she all but hissed at Garreth as he followed her
onto the balcony.

           
“Mara, I’m sorry, but…something is happening here. The roses changing color,
the Arum Court moving against Edward, the appearance of this woman; something
is not right, you know it is not.”

           
Rage filled her eyes. “I’m assuming that you already started this story?” She
turned her gaze upon the younger man. “Did he tell you, Nolan? That is strictly
forbidden to speak of such things? To even speak her name! What the hell did he
tell you? Some sad story about the Captain and the young girl he left standing
in the garden? How he left me, broke my heart.” She stepped closer, pausing
mere inches from him. “Do you pity me now, Nolan? The poor, broken Captain of
the desolate rose?”

           
“No!” he said hurriedly. “Not at all. I asked him about Edward. I saw the way
you looked at him; the way you risked everything to get him away from King
Mathew. I…I just asked him.” He shook his head. “I just want to understand what
happened. Please, my Lady, please tell me.”

           
Mara drew a deep breath and finally asked, “What has he told you?”

           
Nolan turned to Garreth, who produced the thick, leather-bound book. “I see,”
Mara replied. “So everything, then.”

           
“No. I’ve only read the beginning. Enough to know that you were orphaned as a
child and that Edward initiated you into the guard at seventeen.”

           
Mara turned from both men and moved her gaze to the high mountains where the
sun was just beginning to lower itself from the sky. 

           
“Mara.” Garreth moved to her side speaking softly. “I know how hard it is for
you to talk about this.”

           
“No, you don’t.” The anger fled her voice, replaced by a deep sadness Garreth
knew all too well. “How could you possibly know what it is to live, to breathe,
to exist, without your heart? Without your soul? I avenged her; but even that
wasn’t enough. The price of honoring my vow,” her lungs gave a slight gasp for
air, “the cost, was his love. I swore, I would never see him again. I would
never open that door. But, Garreth,” she turned to give him pain-filed eyes, “I
couldn’t let him die. I couldn’t let Mathew…how could Mathew do that? I don’t
understand. He knows. He saw the fight. Why would he do it? Him and Edward and
roses…what is happening?”

           
Garreth looked at her with sorrow. “I don’t know, Mara. But I think, I truly
think…that the answer lies in the past as you always suspected it would.”

“You
must understand that I have always loved Edward,” Mara stated in a haunted
voice. “I loved him when I was five years old and he told me that he would one
day teach me to be a knight, in spite of my father’s protests. I loved him when
I was seventeen and he initiated me into the guard. I loved him when he kissed
me in the garden. And yes,” she drew an unsteady breath, “when he professed his
love to Liza, I loved him still.” She closed her eyes, a cool mountain breeze
nipping at the edge of her gown.

           
“Anything you can tell.”

           
“Nolan,” Mara replied slowly. “I loved Edward as the Queen plunged a blade into
his chest. It…all of this, comes back to that night. I loved him so much, that
I stood by and let him sacrifice himself for Liza. Because I understood, Nolan,
the cost of the love that he had for her. The cost of a love that ravages the
soul, and breaks every piece of your heart until you know, it will never again
be whole. I loved him as he lay upon the bed, shattered and broken. I…” She
shook her head, returning her gaze to the sun setting slowly behind the massive
mountains from her balcony. “I have loved Edward all my life. I loved him then,
I love him now, and I will love him the day I draw my last breath.” She gave a
slow nod before turning back to meet Nolan’s eyes. “Liza died over eight hundred
years ago, and I still wake up in the night and hear her screams. They will
haunt me until the very last star falls from the sky.”

           
Nolan remained silent, allowing Mara to continue in her own time. “When Liza
was young, she had terrible nightmares. Edward was walking by her room one
night and heard her cry out in her sleep. He woke her and stayed by her side,
promising Liza that he would watch over her while she slept. He was always kind
to children, myself included – once upon a time.”