Rosalie
FIFTEEN
The physician received a letter from the Queen after three more weeks, making him aware of the fact that court was now free from Liympin disease and as a result King Harold had once more been invited as a guest, so she had hope that her daughter would return before the fortnight's end. With how well the princess had been improving, he was certain that she would be able to return to court just after the week's end.
Though the princess was now able to roam about the manor, he hadn't yet given her permission to walkabout the gardens. He was being as cautious as possible but now, with the letter in mind, he left his chamber to deliver the news to the princess. She was alone with her lady when he found her and was certain her face brightened when he told the news.
The physician stood in the hallway by one of the large windows and watched until the princess appeared in the gardens, accompanied by her lady with a guard trailing behind. He didn't have to see the guard's face to know which one it was. He suspected the other guards had been taken into her household as an attempt at masking her familiarity with him. Regardless of how they had met, he was sure that the Queen would not approve.
In her letter, she had specified that she wished that he return with the princess, a request he knew he could not deny. Her reason was clear: she wanted him to become her official physician and he was certain that she would not take no for an answer this time. While he still did not wish to be bound into one's service, the threat the guard had issued weighed on him heavily. As a physician and a nomad, he had been threatened many a time but there was something different about this threat. He could feel it lingering and was certain that should he become a permanent member of the Queen's household, his life would truly in danger.
Yet he still did not want to alert the Queen to his speculation.
"I have just seen the princess head into the gardens," Lord Bastian said as he approached.
"She waited all of a minute to leave her chamber after I gave her permission."
The lord smiled. "Peculiar sort of princess, is she not?"
"That is she," the physician agreed. "The Queen has requested she return to court within the fortnight."
"Yes, I have received a letter of the same news. The princess is to be betrothed to the Prince Christian, for which my attendance is a must. I have tried my best to avoid returning to court but I am sure not attending her daughter's betrothal will be taken as a slight."
The physician frowned. "Prince Christian?"
"Son of King Harold. He's the one who returned the princess to the Queen."
"I see," the physician said. "And what does the princess make of him?"
Lord Bastian looked out the window to where the princess was pulling her lady over to the rose bushes. "I hear that she doesn't hold much fondness towards him, though her true feelings might be entirely different," he said, looking back at the physician. "I suppose it doesn't matter what her feelings are towards him; she must wed who her mother chooses, such is the burden of being a princess."
"Did you not endure a wife you did not choose?" the physician questioned.
"It is true that my late wife was chosen by my mother, but I must confess it was a childhood match. We were partial to one another for many years, and when my mother expressed her wish that I wed their daughter, her mother - and in some instances, her father - began to encourage her to spend time in my company. By the time we wed, we were quite familiar with one another."
"From observing the princess, I wouldn't think that she'd take too kindly to being forced into marriage with someone she did like," the physician said.
"I suppose we'll see when the time comes," Lord Bastian replied.
As the men conversed by the window, in the garden the princess had plucked one of the roses and was showing Clarice the thorn. "See, all beauty has a protector," she said.
"Are you sure you feel fine?"
"Stop fretting!" she chided. "I am healed, to be sent back to court at any time, and yet you do not stop your worrying! It's awfully irritating."
"I'm sorry, my lady," Clarice said, "but on the staircase--"
"But I am healed. Honestly, I am fine. In a window behind us the physician is watching. Don't look! But see, if I stumble or fall or feel faint, he shall see and I will not be able to hide it from him. So let him fret and watch while you admire the gardens with me. I had wished to spend more time out here but alas, the disease did not skip me."
The princess kept the rose in her hand as they wandered away from the bushes, heading towards the tree that had a bench sat beneath it. They were shaded from the sun as they sat down, her guard standing a few feet behind them. Lord Bastian's gardener was tending to some hedges on the other side of the garden while the rest of her own guards were ambling all about. The physician had expressed his wish that she be constantly around them all if she chose to go into the gardens, just so that there was more than just one guard about to help if she felt faint or an incident occurred, and she was more than happy to relate to them all that they were allowed to freely roam the gardens so long as they occasionally trained an eye on her.
Back at court she knew she would never be allowed to grant such freedom to her guards. Once she had thought herself the only one with her freedom restricted, but the more time she spent observing her household the more she saw how little they were allowed to stray from their occupation. Her ladies could do much more than her guards could do, but even when she looked to Clarice she saw that she had duties and a role to fulfil and would struggle whenever she was asked to stray from it.
She had begun to pull the rose petals before she spoke again. "I do not wish to return to court. Never did I think I would find a place as peaceful as I've found here," she said quietly.
"Lost Bastian is a gracious host, my lady, but I do not think even he would dare disobey the Queen."
The princess smiled. "In the turn of the moon she could confiscate his title and lands. I assume that is enough to cement most of the loyalty she has."
"Court should not be all tiresome. Spring is near its end and there is a festival to celebrate the passing into summer, which lasts for three nights. There will be new gowns and now with you there shall be a boat trip down the river. I've never seen that before. It's an activity solely for a prince or princess, where you are able to guide the boat if you wish. I am sure that will be enjoyable!"
"Perhaps," she said drily.
Clarice clapped her hands. "Oh! It is the season of marriage! How could I forget? The end of spring will mark the beginning of the season of marriage and there is sure to be many petitions to the Queen for her blessing. I heard that a few years back one of her ladies dared to marry without her blessing and was subsequently banished from court. She may also decline a match, though I haven't heard of her doing so in many years."
The princess stopped at the last petal and looked at her lady. "Can a marriage not take place during any other season?"
"Not within court," her lady said. "Most courtships begin during this season as well, for many well-bred ladies will be sent to court with the intention to enter into one. A usual courtship will last a full year before the couple is wed during the season. I suppose some enter courtships in the spring or even winter, but any courtship begun at court must abide by the seasons. Some lesser lords, or perhaps even lords who don't send their children to court, might arrange their child's marriage during other seasons, but very seldom are they likely to occur in the winter."
She stood abruptly, startling her lady. "I will not!" she exclaimed.
"My lady?"
"She will attempt to marry me off this season, I know it! To that vile Prince Christian, still!"
Her lady tried to get her to sit back down. "You don't know that."
"I do," she said, "but I will not marry him."
"If the Queen desires you marry--"
The princess cut her off. "I will die before I wed that wretched man," she stated before turning and marching towards the manor. Her lady jumped up from the bench and followed after her, leaving the rose with only one petal behind.
Though the princess was now able to roam about the manor, he hadn't yet given her permission to walkabout the gardens. He was being as cautious as possible but now, with the letter in mind, he left his chamber to deliver the news to the princess. She was alone with her lady when he found her and was certain her face brightened when he told the news.
The physician stood in the hallway by one of the large windows and watched until the princess appeared in the gardens, accompanied by her lady with a guard trailing behind. He didn't have to see the guard's face to know which one it was. He suspected the other guards had been taken into her household as an attempt at masking her familiarity with him. Regardless of how they had met, he was sure that the Queen would not approve.
In her letter, she had specified that she wished that he return with the princess, a request he knew he could not deny. Her reason was clear: she wanted him to become her official physician and he was certain that she would not take no for an answer this time. While he still did not wish to be bound into one's service, the threat the guard had issued weighed on him heavily. As a physician and a nomad, he had been threatened many a time but there was something different about this threat. He could feel it lingering and was certain that should he become a permanent member of the Queen's household, his life would truly in danger.
Yet he still did not want to alert the Queen to his speculation.
"I have just seen the princess head into the gardens," Lord Bastian said as he approached.
"She waited all of a minute to leave her chamber after I gave her permission."
The lord smiled. "Peculiar sort of princess, is she not?"
"That is she," the physician agreed. "The Queen has requested she return to court within the fortnight."
"Yes, I have received a letter of the same news. The princess is to be betrothed to the Prince Christian, for which my attendance is a must. I have tried my best to avoid returning to court but I am sure not attending her daughter's betrothal will be taken as a slight."
The physician frowned. "Prince Christian?"
"Son of King Harold. He's the one who returned the princess to the Queen."
"I see," the physician said. "And what does the princess make of him?"
Lord Bastian looked out the window to where the princess was pulling her lady over to the rose bushes. "I hear that she doesn't hold much fondness towards him, though her true feelings might be entirely different," he said, looking back at the physician. "I suppose it doesn't matter what her feelings are towards him; she must wed who her mother chooses, such is the burden of being a princess."
"Did you not endure a wife you did not choose?" the physician questioned.
"It is true that my late wife was chosen by my mother, but I must confess it was a childhood match. We were partial to one another for many years, and when my mother expressed her wish that I wed their daughter, her mother - and in some instances, her father - began to encourage her to spend time in my company. By the time we wed, we were quite familiar with one another."
"From observing the princess, I wouldn't think that she'd take too kindly to being forced into marriage with someone she did like," the physician said.
"I suppose we'll see when the time comes," Lord Bastian replied.
As the men conversed by the window, in the garden the princess had plucked one of the roses and was showing Clarice the thorn. "See, all beauty has a protector," she said.
"Are you sure you feel fine?"
"Stop fretting!" she chided. "I am healed, to be sent back to court at any time, and yet you do not stop your worrying! It's awfully irritating."
"I'm sorry, my lady," Clarice said, "but on the staircase--"
"But I am healed. Honestly, I am fine. In a window behind us the physician is watching. Don't look! But see, if I stumble or fall or feel faint, he shall see and I will not be able to hide it from him. So let him fret and watch while you admire the gardens with me. I had wished to spend more time out here but alas, the disease did not skip me."
The princess kept the rose in her hand as they wandered away from the bushes, heading towards the tree that had a bench sat beneath it. They were shaded from the sun as they sat down, her guard standing a few feet behind them. Lord Bastian's gardener was tending to some hedges on the other side of the garden while the rest of her own guards were ambling all about. The physician had expressed his wish that she be constantly around them all if she chose to go into the gardens, just so that there was more than just one guard about to help if she felt faint or an incident occurred, and she was more than happy to relate to them all that they were allowed to freely roam the gardens so long as they occasionally trained an eye on her.
Back at court she knew she would never be allowed to grant such freedom to her guards. Once she had thought herself the only one with her freedom restricted, but the more time she spent observing her household the more she saw how little they were allowed to stray from their occupation. Her ladies could do much more than her guards could do, but even when she looked to Clarice she saw that she had duties and a role to fulfil and would struggle whenever she was asked to stray from it.
She had begun to pull the rose petals before she spoke again. "I do not wish to return to court. Never did I think I would find a place as peaceful as I've found here," she said quietly.
"Lost Bastian is a gracious host, my lady, but I do not think even he would dare disobey the Queen."
The princess smiled. "In the turn of the moon she could confiscate his title and lands. I assume that is enough to cement most of the loyalty she has."
"Court should not be all tiresome. Spring is near its end and there is a festival to celebrate the passing into summer, which lasts for three nights. There will be new gowns and now with you there shall be a boat trip down the river. I've never seen that before. It's an activity solely for a prince or princess, where you are able to guide the boat if you wish. I am sure that will be enjoyable!"
"Perhaps," she said drily.
Clarice clapped her hands. "Oh! It is the season of marriage! How could I forget? The end of spring will mark the beginning of the season of marriage and there is sure to be many petitions to the Queen for her blessing. I heard that a few years back one of her ladies dared to marry without her blessing and was subsequently banished from court. She may also decline a match, though I haven't heard of her doing so in many years."
The princess stopped at the last petal and looked at her lady. "Can a marriage not take place during any other season?"
"Not within court," her lady said. "Most courtships begin during this season as well, for many well-bred ladies will be sent to court with the intention to enter into one. A usual courtship will last a full year before the couple is wed during the season. I suppose some enter courtships in the spring or even winter, but any courtship begun at court must abide by the seasons. Some lesser lords, or perhaps even lords who don't send their children to court, might arrange their child's marriage during other seasons, but very seldom are they likely to occur in the winter."
She stood abruptly, startling her lady. "I will not!" she exclaimed.
"My lady?"
"She will attempt to marry me off this season, I know it! To that vile Prince Christian, still!"
Her lady tried to get her to sit back down. "You don't know that."
"I do," she said, "but I will not marry him."
"If the Queen desires you marry--"
The princess cut her off. "I will die before I wed that wretched man," she stated before turning and marching towards the manor. Her lady jumped up from the bench and followed after her, leaving the rose with only one petal behind.