Read Online The Enchanted Rose by Konstanz Silverbow - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Konstanz Silverbow
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ivy begins thinning out. I’m also grateful she’s only on the third level of the castle.
I pull myself over the banister, slick from rain. I lose my grip and land on my back with a thud. I have to remain still on the balcony floor long enough for the air to re-enter my lungs before getting to my feet and poking my head through the curtains hiding me from the view of anyone who might be in the room.
Madrid is less than a foot away. The surprised sound coming from me is similar to that of a bird squawking while she jumps and screams. My panic is over in an instant as I surge forward and cover her mouth with my hand.
Her eyes widen, but she calms down when she realizes it’s me. I take a step back, removing my hand.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to startle you so,” I say, unsure what to do.
“It’s not your fault. It’s fine. With the storm, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight. You are the reason Roselyn left, isn’t it?” She gives me a small smile and returns to her task.
She is sweeping up broken glass. It only takes me a moment to realize where that glass came from. I look at the rose lying on the table. The tips of the petals have turned crimson, almost as if they are stained with blood. It is a terrifying sight, causing my heart to beat in an irregular rhythm.
“What happened?” I manage to get out, gripping the table, my knuckles now white.
“When the storm started, the vase shattered, and the petals began to change. I planned to tell you, but we were both busy when I found you in the village,” a timid voice says from behind me. I turn to find Roselyn soaking wet.
Even wet, I can see the trails of tears that have fallen down her cheeks. I don’t say a word as I take two steps toward her, closing the distance and wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s all right. It will all be all right,” I say, though I understand and fear what the rose means. The wizard said our love would find a way if that rose remained white. But if it should turn red, there was no hope. I'm standing here with Roselyn in my arms, and all I can feel is determination.
“Osric, what are we going to do?” She sniffles.
“I don’t know, love. But we’ll do something. We will figure this out. I promise you we will.” I kiss her forehead and hold her close. Madrid has disappeared, which I am eternally grateful for in this moment.
“What about the wizard, what he said?” She is shaking, and I don’t know if it is from fear or cold. I pull her toward the bed and grab the comforter from it, wrapping the blanket around Roselyn’s shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“Rose, look at me.” She does, her eyes shining with tears. A blush covers her cheeks from the cold. She is the most important person in my life. I can’t lose her now. “We will figure out a way to be together. We will. True love knows no bounds.”
“What if . . . what if we aren’t meant to be together? What if all this happening—the betrothal, my parents, the rose, the storm—what if they are all signs showing us we aren’t right for each other?”
“How could you say that? How, for even a moment, could you entertain that thought?” Fear grips me as I realize that perhaps she does not want us to be together nearly as much as I do. But how can I doubt her love?
“Jossa has pushed the wedding forward.” She steps away from my embrace, dropping the blanket on the floor as she begins to walk around the room, though her arms are still covered in goose bumps. I want to wrap her up again, but I give her the space she clearly desires.
“Chavez will be here tomorrow. My mother has already sent me for dress fittings. She does not want me here. She wants to rule, and she will stop at nothing to do just that. To always be on the throne.”
The words I was ready to speak leave my every thought. Jossa is sending Roselyn—her only daughter—away to marry a man she barely knows. I worry about Rose, I
I pull myself over the banister, slick from rain. I lose my grip and land on my back with a thud. I have to remain still on the balcony floor long enough for the air to re-enter my lungs before getting to my feet and poking my head through the curtains hiding me from the view of anyone who might be in the room.
Madrid is less than a foot away. The surprised sound coming from me is similar to that of a bird squawking while she jumps and screams. My panic is over in an instant as I surge forward and cover her mouth with my hand.
Her eyes widen, but she calms down when she realizes it’s me. I take a step back, removing my hand.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to startle you so,” I say, unsure what to do.
“It’s not your fault. It’s fine. With the storm, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight. You are the reason Roselyn left, isn’t it?” She gives me a small smile and returns to her task.
She is sweeping up broken glass. It only takes me a moment to realize where that glass came from. I look at the rose lying on the table. The tips of the petals have turned crimson, almost as if they are stained with blood. It is a terrifying sight, causing my heart to beat in an irregular rhythm.
“What happened?” I manage to get out, gripping the table, my knuckles now white.
“When the storm started, the vase shattered, and the petals began to change. I planned to tell you, but we were both busy when I found you in the village,” a timid voice says from behind me. I turn to find Roselyn soaking wet.
Even wet, I can see the trails of tears that have fallen down her cheeks. I don’t say a word as I take two steps toward her, closing the distance and wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s all right. It will all be all right,” I say, though I understand and fear what the rose means. The wizard said our love would find a way if that rose remained white. But if it should turn red, there was no hope. I'm standing here with Roselyn in my arms, and all I can feel is determination.
“Osric, what are we going to do?” She sniffles.
“I don’t know, love. But we’ll do something. We will figure this out. I promise you we will.” I kiss her forehead and hold her close. Madrid has disappeared, which I am eternally grateful for in this moment.
“What about the wizard, what he said?” She is shaking, and I don’t know if it is from fear or cold. I pull her toward the bed and grab the comforter from it, wrapping the blanket around Roselyn’s shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“Rose, look at me.” She does, her eyes shining with tears. A blush covers her cheeks from the cold. She is the most important person in my life. I can’t lose her now. “We will figure out a way to be together. We will. True love knows no bounds.”
“What if . . . what if we aren’t meant to be together? What if all this happening—the betrothal, my parents, the rose, the storm—what if they are all signs showing us we aren’t right for each other?”
“How could you say that? How, for even a moment, could you entertain that thought?” Fear grips me as I realize that perhaps she does not want us to be together nearly as much as I do. But how can I doubt her love?
“Jossa has pushed the wedding forward.” She steps away from my embrace, dropping the blanket on the floor as she begins to walk around the room, though her arms are still covered in goose bumps. I want to wrap her up again, but I give her the space she clearly desires.
“Chavez will be here tomorrow. My mother has already sent me for dress fittings. She does not want me here. She wants to rule, and she will stop at nothing to do just that. To always be on the throne.”
The words I was ready to speak leave my every thought. Jossa is sending Roselyn—her only daughter—away to marry a man she barely knows. I worry about Rose, I
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