I do not own the WWE or any of the characters associated with it. There is a warning of rape in this chapter, though only mentioned. I only own Rose and her family.

Chapter 9

The next month had passed by quickly. It was a shame that the men had to leave tomorrow, but the Irish were being unruly. Rose had the company of Lady Elizabeth, Lady Stephanie, Lady Maria, Richard, and Morgana to occupy her time, but it wasn't enough for her.

Marcus was leaving tomorrow and Lord Kane was staying to govern. Lord Adam was placed on security, but it wasn't the same without Marcus. She was sure he knew that. At the very least, she could insure that Richard was well taken care of.

There was a feast this evening to celebrate the completion of training by the new troops and a proper farewell to Marcus was to be had later. Rose dressed in her black shiny cote and her green gown with Richard making noises on the bed. She turned and smiled.

"Maybe you can have a brother or sister in another eight months. Would you like that?" She asked her son, who just giggled. "Perhaps your father is right. I need to stop fretting about you."

Morgana was in her room with Lord Adam, who these past few nights had been sharing her bed. Adam seemed upset and Morgana knew why.

"You want your queen." She stated.

"From the moment I saw her." Adam answered.

"Marcus would kill you or worse." Morgana said.

"I know, but I need Lady Rose. She's wonderful and she doesn't have an evil bone in her body."

"Maybe not like us, but you must stay away from her. You could jeopardize everything. Wait until Marcus is High King before asking what you wish." Adam nodded. "Let's go, Richard is probably driving her mad."

They went to the door and knocked. "Come in" was the answer from Rose and they obliged. Sitting on top of her stomach was Richard who looked victorious and Rose who was giggling.

"I'm sorry, my son wished to play and I couldn't say no." Rose smiled.

"You spoil that child, my lady." Morgana answered, albeit in jest.

"He is the first born and my only son." She said distantly.

"Don't worry, my lady. You will be fine." Adam responded, helping Richard down from the bed. "Lord Marcus is probably waiting for his family."

"Richard needs his open gown." Rose said.

"I have it." Morgana stated, getting Richard into the garment.

The four of them walked slowly, keeping pace with Richard, as he had learned to walk and run better. It was something that Marcus was very proud of. They arrived in the dining hall to see everyone bowing to Marcus. Lady Evelyn was on her knees in front of him.

Rose didn't know if she should take Richard from the room, but Marcus locked eyes with her and she remained frozen, holding Richard's small hand as gently as she could. Marcus looked at Morgana and Adam and they nodded, knowing Evelyn had done something to warrant the wrath of the Lord.

"Lady Evelyn, you are to suffer for your heinous crime of insulting my wife. Tell the court what you said. I grow impatient." Marcus stated darkly.

"I told a servant that she didn't deserve you and that you could do better than that trollop scum who licked your boots." Evelyn never looked smaller.

"My lady Rose, come forward." I gave Richard's hand to Morgana and walked gingerly to Marcus whose eyes kept flashing. "Do you wish to say something to Lady Evelyn before she is punished?"

Rose looked at Lady Evelyn mustering what little pride she had. "I would never say anything of the kind about you. You insult me at every turn because you believe you are the better woman for my lord. I believe that you are more than unworthy to look at him, much less lick his boots clean. After your punishment, if it isn't death, I would rather you work as a slave. Maybe that would teach you some manners towards your future High Queen."

Everyone held their breath and the silence was most deafening. Marcus nodded in approval and stepped in front of Rose. "You are forthwith stripped of your title and you are to be bonded to me as a slave. You will do whatever Lady Rose or my child asks of you and you will do it with no fuss. If you don't follow these rules, I will have my son take your soul and he's not very good at it yet. It would be excruciatingly painful. Kane, the bonding weapon."

Kane came forward and took the knife to Evelyn's skin. The blood seeped out and Marcus tasted it, spit it in a bowl, then drank of her cut once more. Evelyn screamed, knowing her freedom was taken from her, but what could she do? Rose felt some measure of pity. She was being bonded against her will, Rose's son had bonded her willingly.

Evelyn finally passed out and Marcus grinned darkly. "Put her with the other unwilling and let us celebrate this feast." Marcus grabbed Rose roughly for a kiss. The taste of blood was still in his mouth and Rose resisted pulling away from him. When they broke, she saw a monster. "Do you like it, Rose?"

"Please, Marcus. I beg you. Not in front of Richard." She pleaded.

He conceded, but whispered. "You are mine to do what I wish tonight."

She shivered and Richard felt it, running to his mother. She shook her head at her son and Richard looked at his father confused. Why was he hurting his mother?

"Don't worry, my child. I will explain it to you in due time." Marcus answered.

Richard went back to Morgana and Rose almost wished he hadn't. She was forced into this and she should be happy that she was married to the soon to be most powerful man in Britain, but she was sickened.

She ate what she could, and then begged to be excused. Lord Marcus obliged, but warned if she was not in his bed when he retired from the revelry, he would be upset. She walked down the corridor where Evelyn had been dragged off to. She heard muffled screaming and realized she had never been in this area of the castle before.

Following the screams, she tiptoed down it, wondering if this was where the "unwilling" were taken and continued, despite wanting to turn back. She stopped by a door and opened it slowly. Inside, there was screaming and the sight of it made her blood run cold.

There were women on the floor bleeding from recent beatings, in rags or naked, huddling together as if it would protect them. Evelyn was in a corner by herself crying, hoping not to die.

"Who did this to you?" Rose whispered. The mass looked at her, but she recognized none of them.

"Our master." One answered.

"Who is your master?" She asked.

"Lord Marcus and Lord Kane are our masters." Evelyn answered dejectedly. "You had better go, my lady, Lord Kane is coming to beat us again."

"I won't leave." The door opened and revealed Lord Kane with a switch and whip in hand. "Lord Kane, how could you?"

Kane stopped in his tracks and looked at his queen. What would Marcus do? This was bad. "My lady, perhaps I should escort you to your chambers? You don't wish to be here and if Marcus finds out…"

"Too late…" came the dark voice behind Kane. Now Rose was terrified. "I gave you all of it Rose. Your freedom, a son that loves you, a castle, a garden that you fancy, and this is how you repay your lord and master?"

"I'm sorry, my lord. My curiosity doesn't help me." Rose whispered.

"No, it doesn't. Go to my chambers! Now!" Rose crossed to the door and ran as quickly as she could to the bedroom. Morgana was there with Richard. Rose's heart was racing.

"You found them." Morgana was no fool. She had heard Marcus bellow. Richard tried to climb up his mother's skirts. "Richard, your mother is going to be punished. You don't want to be near her child. It will hurt you enough already."

"He's going to hurt Richard?" Rose asked, panicking.

"Through you, my lady. Brace yourself. It will hurt." With that, Morgana swept out with Richard.

Now feeling completely and utterly alone, she thought of what she could do. Going to the window with tears in her eyes, she could see no solution. She wept openly, hoping Marcus would see that she was punishing herself. "I just wish that I could apologize. I'm sorry, my lord. Please, I won't do it again. I should have just come back to the bed chambers. I was a fool."

Without warning, her gown was in tatters and she was naked and vulnerable. Marcus was here and angry. "You were a fool to think that you could sneak around, Rose." He appeared beside her. "I would have thought you wanted to protect our son from my wrath."

"Please, my lord. I beg you. Richard doesn't need or want to feel my pain." Rose pleaded.

"Too bad. He needs to learn to be ruthless, even against his own mother." She could tell that he was a monster, but not to this degree. "Get on the bed, Rose."

She did as she was told, not wishing to make it worse. "You will do as I please tonight without question and I will not beat you. You ask a question or you don't do something I want and I will beat you. Is that clear?" Rose nodded. "Good. This hurts me more than it will hurt you, my dear."

She screamed as he began his assault and began to cry. Both Richard and her next child would be conceived through rape because Marcus deemed it so. Morgana had been wrong, she couldn't change a monster and she didn't think she should try.