Rose
I walk up with the King's arm slung roughly over me, trapping me. This isn't how it would be with Jack, I think. No, how it will be with Jack. I trust Jack, we'll get away from here. The King rolls away from me and I breathe an involuntary sigh of relief as his arm falls away from me.
The relief almost immediately fades as he wakes up and presses his repulsive lips to mine. "Good morning." I smile, trying not to grimace.
"Good morning, my love." He drawls and as he turns to dress, I catch a whiff of scent that most certainly belongs to someone other than the King. Married two days and already bored of me. He was gone for hours last night. His love indeed. As I am not being faithful myself, I don't really have the right to complain, but then I wasn't the pursuer of this marriage. He knew I had no choice once he wanted to marry me.
We walk downstairs to breakfast and once that is over, he leaves to speak to his advisors and I am left to myself. Finally. I walk in the gardens to think. How on earth are we supposed to escape now? I cannot leave all the planning to Jack. Maybe, if I climbed out the window, Jack could knock out the guard in the garden and we could run? But that seems to risky, so much could go wrong.
Maybe I could kill the King, in his sleep. Kill him, and then run. That would work. No, no it wouldn't. Much as I hate to admit it to myself, I would never be able to take his life, much as he repulses me. And Jack would never ask me to do it, I know that.
"Your Majesty?" a voice breaks me from my thoughts. I jump, startled by the sudden appearance of the maid. For a moment, I worry that she heard my thoughts before I compose myself. Of course she can't have. "Yes?"
"His Majesty wants you to be with him while he watches the Court jester." She informs me. I sigh inwardly but muster a smile.
"Of course."
When I hold up my fist to knock on the door to the King's private chamber, I hear something that makes me pause.
"A man tried to get into the wedding?" The King's angry voice demands.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty." Another man's voice stutters "He tried to get in, we held him back, but while we were deciding what to do with him, he ran." The poor man sounds terrified but that's not what matters. Jack, they must be talking about Jack. Who else would try to stop the wedding?
"What did he seem to want? Aside from just trying to get into the wedding. Did he betray his reason?"
"Well, he was shouting to the Queen, I think, Your Majesty. Telling her 'she didn't have to do this'."
"Any other information you can give me?" The King interrogates the guard.
"He called the Queen by her first name, like he knew her, Your Majesty."
"Interesting." The King's voice is no longer angry, its triumphant almost. Like a cat who's about to catch a mouse. "One final question, what did this man look like?" Dread crawls up my spine.
"He was about six foot, blonde, from the village." The guard recounts.
Now the realisation hits me. I can't continue to see Jack, the King will kill him if I do, he knows what Jack looks like, he'll find him. I have to make Jack leave, by any means necessary. I'm sorry, Jack, I really am. I hope one day he'll forgive me for the broken heart I know I'm going to leave him with. I knock on the door and the King's voice answers "Who is it?"
"The Queen, Your Majesty."
He laughs "Ah, come in, my lady." I enter the room and he pats the armchair beside him. I sit down next to him and watch the Court jester, trying as hard as I can to take my thoughts away Jack. It doesn't work. Jack's smiling face fills my head. Then memories of his anger when I was hurt take their place.
Hours later, when I am alone, I sneak out to see Jack. It will be the last time. When I walk into the cover of the trees, Jack is already there, waiting.
"Rose." A smile graces his lips and he embraces me. I fight the instinct to hug him back. He notices. "Rose?" Jack lifts my face and his ocean-blue eyes bore into mine. I tear my eyes from his gaze and in the same movement, pull away from his arms. It sends an almost physical pain through me, but it must be done.
"Jack, this is impossible."
His face twists with confusion "Rose what happened? Did he threaten you? Did he hurt you?" Jack steps towards me, reaching out his hand to brush my arm, concern and fear written on his features.
"No, he didn't. I've just come to my senses is all." His face falls and I hate myself, I really do but I carry on speaking. "This was never going to work out. The King is my husband and that is the way it is going to stay." I fight to keep my voice steady. "Goodbye Jack." I spin around on my heel as fast as I can before he can see the tears.
But before I can take more than one step out of the cover of the trees, Jack's hand catches my arm, not roughly, so, so gently, but firmly. Reluctantly, I step back under the trees. "Rose, I know when you're lying." He's just making this harder. He's not even a little angry.
"Well, you think very highly of yourself, don't you?" I snap, putting as much anger into my voice as I can muster, ripping my arm out of his grip.
"Rose, I know you well enough to know when you're lying. What's happened?"
"You don't know me at all." I reply, hating the coldness of my tone.
"Then tell me! Rose, please, talk to me!" Jack begs. I can't cave, I can't. This is for Jack's safety. He won't thank me for it, but I have to do it.
"I am talking to you. For the last time." I avoid saying his name, a simple act, but saying his name feels like an act of intimacy in itself. I try to leave again but he catches my shoulder, stopping me from leaving again.
"Please, Rose, at least tell me why you've changed your mind."
"I've told you. I am the King's wife."
"Rose."
Then I snap. "It's too dangerous, Jack! Too dangerous, for you! The King will kill you!" I scream.
Jack looks not quite relieved, but something close to it. "Rose, I've told you, I don't care about the danger. I care about you!"
"Well I care about you Jack! And the King is too powerful! You can't fight him!"
He comes closer to me "I can fight him, Rose. Let me fight for you. Please."
I shake my head "You can't fight for me, Jack. I won't let you." Then I turn and run away before he can stop me.
"Rose!" Jack shouts "Wait! Please!" His agonised voice calls after me but I don't stop, don't look back, don't stop running until I'm back in my room. Thankfully the King is out being unfaithful, so I have the room to myself as I throw myself on the bed and cry myself to sleep.