Although Rose wanted a bath, food and rest, she allowed Josiah to lead her to his playroom. It was spectacular and every child's dream, filled with the finest toys carved by master artisans and the most new and exciting inventions designed to delight. A large fur rug covered the stone floor, and huge diamond shaped windows lined the back wall allowing in a flood of light. Josiah's nanny followed behind them with little Kinnette who was most displeased at being separated from her mother.

"Auntie Rosilibef look!" Josiah exclaimed as he tugged her forward to his specially tailored full body armour equipped with a wooden sword and helmet.

He would soon be starting lessons on how to be a knight with the Head of the Royal Guard, as it was expected for the Crown Prince to be a handsome, successful soldier bringing honour to his homeland. Rose's heart tightened as she realised within a blink of an eye he would no longer be a child but a young man, and then King of Aubriemia.

"Wow that is certainly impressive Josiah." Rose hummed with a small smile as he unsheathed his sword and started swinging it around menacingly.

"I am going to be the best knight ever! Mummy told me so." He exclaimed confidently as he swung the sword around grunting with effort and nearly hit Rose.

"Be careful with that Josiah you do not want to hurt yourself," Rose warned him, "and your mummy is right. With lots of practice and hard work you will be just as good as your father and uncles."

"Thank you Auntie Rosilibef. You are my favourite auntie!" He declared with a wide gap-toothed smile and then dropped his sword, which landed with a dull thud.

Rose's heart warmed with bittersweet love. She may not have been able to be his mother, but at least she had the title of favourite auntie.

"And you are my favourite nephew, but do not tell any of your cousins I said that!" Rose exclaimed with a teasing smile.

"Ok!" Josiah exclaimed happily with a chubby baby grin, but did not seem too bothered by the remark, as he was quick to grab Rose's hand and pull her down to his toy knights placed neatly away in a box.

Within moments they were scattered all over the room and an epic game of 'goodies and baddies' (there was an unspoken agreement that Rose took on the role of the bad people) commenced. Rose did not know how one little being could have so much energy, as Josiah jumped, screamed and hid all around the room making Rose dizzy, although that was probably more to do with the lack of food and sleep in her system. Still she put her personal needs aside and spent a few wondrous minutes with her darling Josiah, who took her by surprise and jumped in her arms when there came a knock at the door.

"Nooo!" He whined. "I do not want to go to lessons Auntie! I want to play with you." He pouted with those huge innocent eyes, looking so adorable that Rose wanted to squeeze him tight and never let go.

"Aw, well I will come and play with you again soon." Rose suggested as he sighed and laid his head on her shoulder.

"Promise?" Josiah asked, staring up at Rose with huge emerald eyes that sparkled next to his dark complexion, and looking so much like his father, it hurt her heart.

"I promise." Rose agreed, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Oh come in!" Rose called out, as there was another more impatient knock at the door.

It turned out it was Josiah's tutor, a plump woman named Mrs Cece with a kind smile and small glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Please excuse the intrusion your Highness, I have come to collect Prince Josiah for his afternoon lessons." She explained after she dipped into a respectful curtsey.

"No problem Mrs Cece." Rose smiled as she stood up with Josiah in her arms. "Come on then Josiah, you have got to go now."

"I know, I know." He grumbled but wearily got down from Rose's protective hold and took his teacher's hand.

"Well done... your mummy is very proud of you for being a good boy." Rose exhaled. "Oh and me of course." She added in quickly when Mrs Cece rose her eyebrows.

"Fank you, bye auntie!" Josiah called out with a little wave as he bobbed out of the room.

Although she felt emotional, for the first time... ever, Rose did not cry at the unfairness of her situation. She could feel her scar of losing him healing a little more. There were two young maids waiting outside, ready to clean up after them, but Rose asked for one of them to come with her to her chambers to run a bath and bring her some food. She was feeling a little lightheaded.

Soon enough she was having a quick dip relaxing her tight muscles and troubled mind, but her thoughts kept running back to Romi. She had to see him. For some reason everything reminded her of him. The hickory coloured bathtub was a reflexion of his expressive eyes, the black waxy soap reminded her of his endearingly-always-messy-curls, and even the tepid water, which lapped at her skin, reminded her of his soft touch.

Her feelings were undistinguished, which made her squirm.

They were friends, of course... but were they venturing into new waters beyond the boundaries of friends? The unknown was making Rose feel like she had elephants stampeding in her stomach and caused a dull throbbing to form in her temples. She had to see Romi to make sure he was all right, but she was nervous to do so. When he left to see the doctor he did not look happy, and Rose knew that he was suspicious that she was keeping the circumstances around her disappearance a secret from him.

Rose knew she would not be able to relax until she had cleared the air between them, even with the heavenly bath oil and head massage she was receiving, so with a sigh she pushed up from the bath causing the water to cascade off her and drip a little onto the marble floor. Her dress maid Salma was there to wrap a towel around her and dry her off before helping her get dressed into a simple floral day gown at Rosilabeth's request. A banquet had been laid out for her on the chestnut circular table in her bedroom, so she was quick to sate her hunger before making her way to Romi.

A quick check in with the tall Doctor Dakota told her that Romi would be ok although he should rest, and had gone back to work in the stables. Ringing true to Nijah's promise there were two guards following her everywhere, comically struggling to keep up as Rose hurried around. Although it felt like an invasion of privacy, Rose was comforted knowing she would be protected at all times.

The weather outside was warm yet overcast, with many grey clouds blotting out the sun like an army of chariots filling up a desert plain. She found Romi cleaning out the stables with the other stable hands. He had a bandage around his eye and was stabbing at the hay he was sorting out angrily. He turned to see what the commotion was about as his fellow workers saw the Princess and rushed out to bow and greet her. She murmured a 'hello' to them but her eyes were locked with Romi's hardened ones as she wandered up to him.

Fortunately, the guards stopped and guarded the stable door as she stepped inside, although they could still hear every word Rose and Romi said, which was frustrating.

"Your Highness." Romi murmured and dropped his head a little in respect, before he went back to gathering the hay with his pitchfork.

"Are you ok Romi?" Rose asked as she stood awkwardly.

It did not take a genius to realise he did not want to talk to her.

"Yes fine," he nodded and glanced at her over his shoulder. "You?"

"Yes, yes I am fine now. So we are ok? You are not mad at me?"

Romi sighed and leant on his pitchfork before answering. "No I am not mad at you. Just a little... hurt. I care for you Rose and yet you do not trust me. When I woke up and realised you were gone I had never felt such anguish! I do not know what I would have done if you were injured or worse. Then you suddenly show up, kick me out the room, and do not tell me what really happened to you, which is... hurtful."

Rose was shocked. Of course she trusted Romi - he had quickly become one of her closest confidants - but what was happening was far bigger then the both of them. Aubriemia as they knew it was under attack.

"No I do trust you!" She insisted, although her words were futile.

Actions speak louder the words.

"It is ok Rose, I do not blame you. I am just a stable hand." Romi shrugged as if he was nonchalant about the whole matter, but the pained and embarrassed look which fluttered across his features before he turned back to face the wall spoke volumes otherwise.

"Romi stop, that is not..." Rose began feeling awful about the situation and how Romi was putting himself down, but then suddenly she heard new voices behind her.

Two guards who were both menacingly tall with arms bigger then Rose's thighs and midnight-black beards soon stomped into her vision. The guards waiting outside the stable door straightened.

"Your highness." The one on the left with a deep, booming voice nodded as they both stooped into bows. "Queen Nijah has instructed us to take you to her with the highest urgency."

'Oh just perfect...' Rose thought, knowing she now had to leave Romi with their relationship under worse circumstances then when she came.

"Oh, I see." She sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"The Queen also instructed for your previous guards to go and meet with the captain on the training field for an important update." The other man with greying hair declared.

"I am not sure about that, we were instructed to stay with the..." One of the original guards started but was soon interrupted.

"You would dare disobey your reigning sovereign? We shall take care of the Princess; we have been in the guard for twenty-five years between us!" The new guard roared - his voice alarming and cold.

"It is fine; if Queen Nijah requested it then I shall go with them." Rose sighed, eager to get their meeting over with so that she could hurry back to Romi.

"Romi I will come back as soon as possible - we will talk later." Rose decreed, and did not give him a chance to refuse before scurrying out of the door and gesturing for the two new guards to lead her to her Queen and sister-in-law.

"Thank you your highness." The guard nodded as he smirked at his partner.

They began an uncomfortable walk across the castle grounds and into the castle, Rose striding uncommonly fast as she went over her exchange with Romi in her head. Should she just tell him the truth? Nijah had told her to keep her mouth sealed though, and although she did want to tell him, she could not risk him getting any more hurt because of her. She already had enough guilt piercing at her insides.

Rose did not realise something was wrong until it was too late. She had been blindly following the guards, expecting to go to the throne room or even Nijah's private quarters, when actually she was being led down a distant dark corridor away from the warm heart of the castle.

"Wait a minute, where are we going?" Rose asked, suddenly feeling a sense of trepidation.

A deep-seated feeling told her to run, but then the guards grabbed her forearms and a rough hand covered her mouth, silencing her screams. She kicked out wondering how she could be kidnapped again in a matter of hours, when she was dragged into a dark room and the door was locked behind them.

"Scream and I will break your fingers." A voice hissed in her ear.

Rose whimpered in fear as her heartbeat rocketed in her chest. She went limp offering no resistance and felt incredibly vulnerable. She was trapped in a room with two large men, and she was not brave enough to scream. It was not likely that anyone would hear her anyway.

"W-what do you w-want?" She whispered as she was pushed with a thud against the wall.

"Where is Korian?" The guard with the darkest skin demanded.

"I-I do not know!" Rose panicked realising these must be some of Algernon's minions.

She gasped as the other guard roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. "You have until sundown tomorrow; otherwise your stable boy's life will come to a painful end."

"O-ok..." Rose squeaked, shaking so much she felt like she would not be able to stand if he let her go.

With a final squeeze to her chin she was released from his death grip, and slid down the wall as they warned her not tell anyone about their 'meeting'. She finally allowed her tears to drop as they vacated the room and left her squatting in darkness. She was understandably thoroughly shaken, and knew that she could not trust anyone but Henri, Nijah, Romi and herself. There were spies in the palace and she definitely could not trust the guards.

Rose did not have the faintest idea on how to find out Korian's location, but she knew she had to. Although she would be helping the traitors, which filled her with self-hatred, she could not allow Romi to be in the firing line. She had to protect him in anyway that she could.

Edited

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