Chapter Two ~ The Colors of a Rose

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I fixed my pale pink skirt in a way so that I would be able to ride Chestnut, the horse, without showing off my white stocking to the village. Prim was already settled on her own blond beauty, Misa. She wore her favorite dark blue hat and white blouse.

I was waiting for Lily to hurry up so that we could both ride Chestnut. Why was she late? She claimed that she wouldn't be ready until she kissed all of her children.

When I say children, I mean the pigs that she adopted as her own. The pigs don't belong to us, they belong to Mr. Gales and it was our duty to watch over them because he didn't have space on his massive farm.

He has my father working like a dog for him and has turned my sisters and me into pig sitters.

How lovely.

"Lily! Hurry up, will you?" Prim called out, her horse turning around in a circle. I watched as Lily left the barn and began bounding towards us. Her blond hair shined like the straws of hay and her blue eyes sparkled with the excitement of the day. I couldn't help but smile at her delighted face.

She lifted her skirt and climbed onto the back of the brown stallion. I took my position behind her, making a tik sound with my mouth to let Chestnut know that she could get up now. I wrapped my arms around her bony waist. I frowned a bit at the idea of her being hungry.

I'll admit there were some nights we would have to go without dinner, but Prim and I always made sure that Lily at least had something. The idea of her going to sleep hungry made my eyes water.

Hopefully, one day it won't have to be like this anymore.

"Let's go, Misa," Prim announced, shaking me out of my thoughts. She rubbed Misa's neck, making her neigh before sprinting down the green hills. Chestnut followed after them, her hooves hitting the ground with force.

We raced down the grasslands, the wind hitting our faces and creating a halo with our hair. We passed down the huge valleys and the huge evergreen trees. From my peripheral vision, I could see the black mountains and the heavy gray clouds that surrounded it. This was The Mountains of Wozoid. On the other side of this was Ceasian, the kingdom of Barbarism.

The Mountains of Wozoid were the most dangerous place after Ceasian. It was filled with vicious raiders who looted travelers, killing the men and keeping the women. I shuddered at the thought of ever having to enter it.

The smell of nature wafted my nose, and I couldn't help but sigh happily at the freedom. This was when I felt truly free with no responsibilities. For a minute, I felt no strings attached to my soul, and my duties were long forgotten. Only for a minute. Everything came barreling back after that. The fact that I'm a farmer's daughter under so much debt will probably last me a lifetime.

Hooray.

Soon we leave the beautiful green luscious valleys and we enter the rowdy village of Tuwiurith. The village was aligned with beautiful golden and white houses rimmed with red and brown windows and roofs. The roads were rocky and somewhat sandy, but they were paved in a way to allowed many people to walk or ride by.

The village of Tuwiurith was located in Craewyth, which was the capital of Chuvaria. Craewyth was at the bottom of where the Royalties lived. King Heron lived in the Castle with his son and daughter. The queen's passing was about two years ago and it was a sad year for the kingdom of Chuvaria. Queen Maria was a soft soul and had a brilliant smile that could probably bloom flowers. She treated the peasants as if they were her own family and never did she show an ounce of greed or selfishness. However, she was very sickly and didn't make it through the harsh winters of our land.

The townspeople would sing of her to honor her name.

She was as brilliant as the summer

A vibrant divine color

Her eyes, they shone with wonder

A beautiful wonderful lover

A magnificent lovely mother

Queen Queen Maria

The Queen of Chuvaria

I find myself singing it from time to time, and I can't help but also grieve for our beautiful queen. The king did not remarry, and his kind ways soon became a bit twisted and his attitude harsher. His just ways have been clouded by grief and sorrow, and he relishes the idea of punishments just to keep his mind busy from the pain of losing the love of his life.

Well, that was the word on the street and it was the only logical reason as to why he's become the way he is.

"Prim! Rose! Lily!" I heard some of the villagers shout. I smiled and waved at the baker whom we used to buy bread from, the florist that I used to help pick flowers with, the blacksmith who helped me create my wooden arrows and taught me how to use my bow and the villagers who would call out our names with excited expressions.

Once upon a time before my mother died, we used to live in this very village. Those were the happiest moments of my life. They were carefree days full of soft bread, nice dresses, and wonderful people. Like my mother.

I smiled longingly at our old home before we were hit by debt. It was a golden homey house with stone steps and brown windows. We had to sell it for half the price it was worth. There were such beautiful memories made in that home. Prim, Lily, and I were all born there, my parents bought it together when they got married. Giving up the home was probably the hardest thing my father had to do and it was the second time I ever saw my father cry.

We stopped in front of the wooden stables that were slightly empty except for the three horses. The stables belonged to our friend's brother. Her name was Milly and she was also going to the tournament. Milly had short red hair and forest green eyes making her look like a gorgeous pixie. She was short for her eighteen years of age and wore a light blue dress that reached her ankles.

"Preem! Roose! And Lele!" she called out in her accent. Milly wasn't from Chuvaria; she came from overseas, a small island north of Crescala. Her features were considered exotic and people would stare at her red hair often.

"Milly," Prim said, smiling as she hopped down from her horse. She hugged her tightly for a minute while I helped Lily down from Chestnut.

Prim went on to lead her horse inside, and I took that opportunity to greet Milly.

"Hello, Milly," I smiled, and almost fell back when she attacked me with a hug.

"Roose! It is so wo-onderful to see you aga'in," Milly cried, releasing me from her tight hold. She turned to Lily and gave her the same greeting. I lead my horse into the stables, tying the ropes to the metal bar as a precaution. Chestnut was obedient and would stay if told but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Thank you for allowing us to put our horses in your stables," Prim thanked, grabbing Milly's hand.

"No need for thanks," Milly replied, shaking her head before gesturing toward the streets. "Let's go o'onwards or else we'll be late for the Ladies and Knight event!"

We walked together down the paved roads, conversing and catching up with our dear friend Milly. She was the only friend who stuck with us after we were hit with debt.

Soon enough we made it to the arena, where many people of all sorts gathered. The nobles in their fancy dresses and expensive clothing, the villagers who wore bright excited faces for the battle ahead, and the knights who patrolled the area to make sure everything was in order.

We followed after Milly as she led us toward a huge blue tent that was a little farther away from the arena. I could hear the sounds of giggling maidens and their hushed voices of excitement.

I entered the tent after Prim and I took Lily's hand to refrain from shaking. I wasn't a people person, and some would say I was shy. I just didn't know how to socialize. I've heard of characters in books being shy, and they enjoy the company of books. If only I could read, then I would have gladly joined that group.

I'm not afraid of standing up for what's right, and I wouldn't exactly call myself a pushover. The problem is I stutter and begin to babble when I get nervous. It's a horrible trait of mine that doesn't plague my sisters, who enjoy socializing as much as old women enjoy their gossip.

"Isn't he absolutely dreamy?" I heard a lady whisper to her lady friends, who both sighed and nodded. What is this disease that has plagued their minds? I turned to look at whoever they were sighing dreamily at, and couldn't help but snort.

Him?

The man who was 'absolutely dreamy' leaned against a barrel in his red knight uniform, flexing his arms and pretending to not notice the ladies who were gushing over him.

Dear Lord, help these women who seem to have lost their minds. He wasn't ugly but he wasn't necessarily dreamy. I could count on one hand of who was considered dreamy, and they weren't even real people.

I'd say cheese was dreamier. Lord knows I would dream about that more than him. I shuddered a bit when his gaze turned to me and he sent me a flirtatious wink.

Thank you, but no.

We walked deeper into the tent and past swarms of ladies who hid behind their colored handkerchiefs and gave flirtatious looks to the competing knights. Those who were rejected could only walk away with their heads lowered and with bloodshot eyes. I couldn't help but be empathetic, and could only give them small smiles in hopes that that would lift their spirits.

The crowds of women began to decrease as the rejected women left to find their seats or to go home. Only twenty-five knights were competing, and most already had their eyes on someone.

I stood back with Lily and Prim as we watched Milly stand in line to offer to her handkerchief to the blue knight. The blue knight looked admirable with his amicable brown eyes and dimpled smile. He shook his head at the ladies offering their handkerchiefs, looking apologetic but still thanked them for their thoughts.

I could only smile when I saw his eyes brighten when his eyes fell on Milly, who stood out the most with her red hair and short figure. He excused himself from the woman who stood in front of him and made his way to her. He stopped in front of her, towering over her small figure, and fell to one knee.

He took one of her hands and I couldn't hear the words he spoke, but judging by the starstruck look on Milly's face and the way her green eyes lit up like a sparked fire, I knew it was something romantic. She offered him her blue handkerchief that matched her dress and his uniform perfectly. She wore his colors. That had me gushing endlessly in my head.

So adorable!

She had mentioned meeting him when she had visited Chovatia, the city of Nobles. 

I turned to find Prim talking to a couple of other girls that I soon recognized as her friends from the past. Lily hovered over the table of food, stuffing her face with no dignity whatsoever. I giggled and clasped my hands behind my back, enjoying my time for the moment.

The knights that were yet to have been claimed were surrounded by girls who were all gesturing their silken cloths. I looked to the left and did a takeback when I saw a tall huge knight cloaked in black armor. He wore his black iron helmet, which only revealed his cerulean blue eyes framed with dark eyelashes. They were so blue, I could see them from where I stood.

He stood with both his hands on the handle of his sword which looked incredibly sharp. It was facing downward and the tip dug into the ground.

Strangely, he wasn't surrounded by a hoard of women and his wrist didn't have the cloth of a woman. I looked around wondering why nobody was surrounding him. Nobody even seemed to be looking at him. My heart panged at the thought of nobody approaching him because they saw black as a bad omen.

Villagers were superstitious like that.

I pulled out my pink handkerchief from around my neck and stared at it for a moment.

Was I going to do this?

I looked back at him again to see him looking at the ground, his hand ticking on the handle of his sword. Since nobody was around him, then he probably wasn't popular. He probably wouldn't win and I won't be forced to accept a kiss from him.

Definitely.

I moved my legs and began walking toward him, my heart beating faster and my stomach lurching in nervousness. What if I say something weird? Relax, Rose, it's just a handkerchief. You probably won't embarrass and make a fool out of yourself.

Probably.

I stopped in front of him and I lost my breath when I looked up and made eye contact with him. His eyes were so beautiful. So blue and light with flecks of green.

"H-Hello, I am handkerchief, and it would be an honor if you could accept my Rose," I stuttered out quickly. I paused my mind racing to comprehend my words.

 What did I say? 

Did I just introduce myself as a handkerchief? 

"I-I mean my name is Rose and it would be an honor if you could accept my symbol of loyalty," I said, sighing in relief before my mouth opened up on its own again. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but it would be fairly embarrassing to be turned away. Not that I'm conceited in thinking that you ought to accept my rose... I mean handkerchief. I'm just going to be quiet now."

I quickly turned away, wanting to distance myself as far away as I could but I was suddenly stopped. The black knight had grabbed my arm in his iron fist, stopping me from going anywhere. His hold on my arm was gentle, but looking at the muscles that bulged in his arms, if he really wanted to he could have broken my arm by just squeezing it.

The thought of that made my breath quicken and I looked at him questioningly. Was he going to report me for being strange? Did I remind him of a criminal that the kingdom had been searching for? Was he going to tell me I was a disgrace of a woman and humiliate me in front of everybody?

Instead, he gestured out with his right wrist, waiting. I realized he wanted me to tie my pink silk cloth around his wrist. He let go of my arm, and I began to slowly double-tie the handkerchief around his wrist tightly so that it wouldn't fall off. The light hue of pink contrasted with his dark black armored uniform. Once I was done, I retracted my hand and began to lower it, but then he grabbed my hand quickly and leaned down a bit.

His eyes stared right into my soul, shaking me to the core. He brought my pale hand to where his mouth would be if he wasn't wearing a helmet. He pressed my hand to the cool metal, his alluring eyes still holding me hostage. I couldn't escape from his gaze, and could only look back at him, forgetting how to breathe.

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, and I could already imagine that I looked like a burnt tomato. His gaze didn't flicker away and it felt like I was drowning in his cerulean blue eyes.

The sound of the trumpet startled me and woke me up from my reverie. I quickly pulled my hand away from his grasp before turning around and running back to where I knew my sister was.

I waved my hands over my cheeks, hoping that they would go back to their normal pale color.

She could still feel his burning gaze on the back of her head.

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

That is all.