Black Rose (24 page)

Mara
did not scream, but merely collapsed into Garreth’s arms. He carried her from
the room down a series of long hallways into her own chambers. She clung numbly
to her cousin until he laid her down on her large bed. She would never remember
reaching the room or the details of the next few hours. However, it was still
night when her sanity finally decided to return. She was lying on the edge of
the large bed with Garreth speaking softly beside her. It seemed as though he
had been speaking for a long time.

She
drew a deep breath and moved herself to a seated position and Garreth’s voice
fell to silence with her movements. She pushed a gulp of air down her sore
throat. Her eyes burned with tears which refused to fall. She finally managed
to force herself to face her cousin. “Garreth.” A thousand questions raced
through her mind, but only one passed her lips. “Does Edward know?”

“Mara,
you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Garreth,”
she stated again as something deadly seeped into her voice. “Has Edward been
told?”

He
stared at her for several moments, then said, “No.”

Mara
gave a slow nod. “I shall inform him.”

“That
is not your job.”

“Yes,”
she said flatly, “it is.”

“Mara,
please.”

“I
was the Sub-Captain in command of her guard. I was the one, charged by Captain
Edward, to protect the Princess of the Ciar Court.”

“We
were all charged with…”

“It
was my job!” Mara stood from the bed and walked across the room to the small
closet which stood on the right side. Not bothering to close the door, she
chose a simple black gown and quickly changed into the selected garment. It was
a full-length dress that reached her ankles with long, loose sleeves. It hung
slightly off the shoulders, with a scooped neckline. She had just positioned
the gown into place when Garreth appeared behind her. He reached for the corset
laces of the gown and began to cinch the dress around her slender frame. When
he was finished, Mara turned towards the large mirror leaning against the
vanity and took a seat in a small chair. Picking up a silver comb, Mara brushed
through the long strands of her hair until it laid in soft, straight layers
along her back. Then she finally put down the comb and addressed the man
standing beside her. “Tell Phillip I am ready to receive him.”

Garreth
did not break the room’s silence, but instead turned and walked to the entrance
of her chambers. As expected, Phillip was standing on the opposite side of the
door, awaiting Mara’s invitation to enter. He entered the room slowly,
acknowledging Mara with a slight bow of the head. When he finally stood only a
few paces from her seated position, Phillip knelt down. “My Lady.”

“What
happened?” she asked tersely.

Phillip
cleared his throat. “A group entered the grounds. How they did so has yet to be
determined.”

“Are
they dead?”

“No,
my Lady. No sign has been found of the killers.”

Mara
closed her eyes attempting to sift through the turmoil in her mind.
Concentrate
,
she thought silently before forcing herself to open her eyes. “The Queen?”

“She
has ordered a search of the grounds and has contacted the Muir Court.”

Mara
nodded then turned from both men and walked slowly to the far side of the room
and stepped inside of a small closet. She moved to one of the shelves and
gently pulled back a series of black cloths wrapped around a silver blade.
Rubies were embedded in both sides of the black hilt while a string of silver
roses were etched into the metal on either side of the blade. She rarely
carried her father’s Arius sword. She withdrew the blade with great reverence
and turned back towards the men standing behind her.

It
was Garreth who spoke first in recognition of one of the few blades in
existence which held the power to kill an immortal. “No, Mara. This was not
your fault.”

“It
was my job, Garreth,” she said, repeating her earlier statement.

“Yes.
To see her protected, which she was. The ground is littered with the bodies of
those who died protecting her.”

“I
made a vow to protect her, Garreth. I failed.”

“Yes,”
Phillip said, entering the conversation. “But it was my job to keep intruders
from entering the grounds. Here, within this palace, she should have been safe.
Therefore, we all failed.”

“You
cannot do this,” Garreth added. “We all…”

“It
is not your judgment to cast, Garreth. It belongs to the Captain alone.”

“Then
I am going with you.”

Mara
did not argue but simply gave a reluctant nod and began to walk towards the
door. As she entered the outer chambers, her pace began to increase, terrified
that even a moment’s pause would cause her to lose the last shred of courage
which she was fighting to protect. It was not until she reached the stone doors
of the Captain’s chambers that she stopped, allowing Garreth and Phillip to
reach her side before knocking on the large door.

At
the sound of Edward’s voice, Garreth and Phillip reached for the doors, parting
them as Mara stepped inside the dark chambers. A roaring fire provided the only
light, casting the room in dark shadows as the three Sub-Captains stepped
forward.

“Mara,
Phillip, thank goodness! You had been gone so long I was starting to worry.”

Mara
stared at his relieved expression and all but collapsed to her knees. Garreth
raced towards her, but froze with a warning glance from Phillip. Garreth
stopped, torn between the anguish of Mara’s kneeling form and the silent
command of his superior. He eventually drew a breath and dropped to his knees a
few feet from where Mara knelt. 

“Mara?”
Edward asked, struggling to a seated position upon the bed. “Mara, what is it?”
Her breathing became a tight wheeze, and she lacked the oxygen required to
speak. “Mara?” Edward asked again. “Oh Gods, what has happened? The Queen, did
she hurt you? What did…” He switched his gaze to the man still standing.
“Phillip?”

Phillip
took a step forward, placing himself directly across from Mara. He also took a
knee. “Captain,” he said to Edward formally.

“What
is going on?”

“Captain,”
Phillip said again. “I…” He found himself unable to continue. Then, much to his
chagrin, Mara found her voice.

“Captain,”
she stated, trying desperately to form the words, but what came out instead
was, “I’m sorry. Edward, I...” Her voice trembled. “I am so sorry. I couldn’t…
It’s…it’s my fault. I am so sorry.”

Edward
sat still for several long moments. “What are you talking about, Mara? You
sacrificed yourself to protect Liza from the Queen. You saved my life. I never
would have survived without. I don’t understand. You saved me. You saved Liza.”

At
his words, a harsh sound bordered between a gasp and a sob escaped Mara’s lips.
“Don’t, Edward. Please, I didn’t. I didn’t…”

“What?”
He gazed at the three kneeling figures.

“Captain,”
Phillip tried again, this time managing to raise his gaze from the floor to
meet Edward’s. “I am so sorry, My Lord.”

“What
are you talking about?” Edward demanded, frustration entering his tone.

“My
Lord,” Phillip continued, “a group of unidentified men entered the palace
grounds tonight.”

“What?
What are you talking about?”

“We
don’t know how many,” Garreth added. “But they were highly trained. I’ve never
seen an attack so expertly executed.”

“The
Queen, is she…”

“The
Queen is fine, my Lord.  But…”

“And
Liza?” An edge of fear entered his voice. “Phillip, where is Liza? Is she
okay?”

“My
Captain,” Phillip answered. “Twelve members of the Royal Guard were killed
tonight. Lord Davith was among them.”

“Davith?”
Edward asked, fear transforming to panic. He tried to stand, but was still too
weak to do so without his hand upon the bed for support. “Davith is dead?”

“Yes,”
Phillip replied.

“Where
is Liza? Where is the Princess?”

It
was Mara who finally broke the silence by taking her father’s deadly blade and
holding it out, offering it to the man seated upon the bed. “I swore a vow to
protect the Princess, unto my death.” She finally forced herself to gaze up
from the floor. “I failed, Captain. I failed. And I offer you my life in
payment for this gravest of crimes.”

She
met his gaze head on, her pained expression leaving Edward no room to doubt her
words. “I am so sorry, Edward.”

He
took a step forward, forgetting his injuries, and collapsed to the floor, his
legs still not strong enough to support his weight. He fell face-down, leaving
the three kneeling Sub-Captains unsure of how to respond. The silence stretched
on and Mara finally turned towards Phillip. The two Sub-Captains exchanged a
helpless glance. She turned back to Edward as the hush continued to fill the
room. Then, Edward’s body began to shake against the cold, stone floor. All
three Sub-Captains remained kneeling, afraid to break the silence of the room.
Then, Edward’s breathing became loud and unsteady.

Mara
again turned, this time towards Garreth, whose eyes were glued to Edward’s
broken form. Tears rose in the corner of Mara’s eyes, at long last threatening
to fall when suddenly, Edward gave a single, heart-wrenching scream before
uttering a single word: “Mara.”

She
rushed forward, Phillip’s blade clattering to the floor. She touched his
shoulder and he rose from the ground.  He threw himself into her arms,
clutching her close as he buried his face against her chest and great, heaving
sobs wracked his body. Mara wrapped her arms around him tightly, rocking him
gently in the circle of her arms. “Mara.”

“I
am here,” she replied, finally losing the battle with her own tears. “I am
here, Edward.  I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

“Please,
Mara.”

“I
am not going anywhere, mi amor. ignosce mihi, mi amor.”

           
It had taken both men to move Edward back onto the side of the large bed. He
clung to Mara as they moved him, and she whispered in the language of their
childhood, attempting to soothe him as best she could. Afterwards, she laid
beside him, his head tucked against her chest, his arms clinging to her until
long after his tears were spent. She did not tell him it would be okay or offer
any assurances of the days to come. Instead she simply held him, occasionally quieting
him from troubled dreams. Garreth stood outside the door, barring all from
entering while Phillip had reported to the Queen, citing the extent of Edward’s
physical injuries as his reason to assume temporary command over the Royal
Guard.

           
Mara remained in the chamber for days, refusing to leave Edward’s side. On the
third morning, he rose to attend the funeral. A funeral which, dictated by the
long-standing tradition that ruling members of royalty could in no way be
associated with death, the Queen was unable to attend. Mara and Garreth stood
in her stead, along with several Aunts and Uncles. Her body had been shrouded
in layers of black silk and veiled to hide her disfiguration from those
gathered. Garreth and Mara stood on either side of Edward, guiding him to the
funeral pyre where he eventually fell to his knees, collapsing under the weight
of his grief. By tradition, each member of the funeral party was permitted to
lay a single rose upon the fallen Princess. This began with the lowest ranked,
yet still noble, members and proceeded up to those highest in rank.

           
Mara watched for a long time, awaiting her turn. Lower ranked members of the
party would place black roses upon the side of the large funeral pyre. However,
those closest to the throne would carry the far more rare violet rose—a symbol
of the royal rank which Liza bore in life, and would now relinquish in death.
When it was finally their turn, Mara and Garreth each offered Edward an arm and
walked toward the shrouded form. Leaning between them, Edward forced himself to
step forward enough to place his rose beside the clasped hands of his beloved.
When the black rose touched the Princess’ hands, it turned red. A gasp arose
between those close enough to witness the enchantment. The red rose, a sign of
eternal love.

           
Edward’s body again began to tremble, and Mara stepped in front of him, forcing
him to meet her gaze. “Not here, Edward,” she stated in a low, commanding tone.
“Just hold on, okay? Hold on.” A sharp tremor raced through him, but he managed
to nod in spite of this. Mara turned and offered a low bow before the fallen
Princess and placed her own rose beside Edward’s. “Forgive me, my Lady,” was
all she could manage before being forced to once again focus her attention back
upon the broken form that had replaced the once powerful Captain of the Guard.

           
They managed to escort Edward back to his chambers before he again collapsed in
inconsolable grief. 

From
that moment, Edward would spend the next century as Captain only in name. The
three Sub-Captains gathered around him, forming a protective shield, preventing
prying eyes from learning the truth; that the Edward they had known, trusted
and loved no longer existed. It would be nearly two-hundred years before even
the slightest glimpse of him would be seen again, and it would take an act of
betrayal to force him to return.