Prologue Pt:2
"You are looking exquisite, my sweet" Alexander smoothly complemented.
Rozmarie's eye twitched as she suppressed herself from glaring at him. She forced a smile at him as she sat at the dining room table. She looked at his smug face and noticed his eyes draw toward the open door behind her, for a split second. She curled her hands into fists beneath the table. As usual, Molly had followed her, but waited just outside the doorway. She wanted the day to end. She wanted to go home.
"What would you like to do today before you leave?" Alexander asked.
Besides going home? Rozmarie shrugged her shoulders "Anything is fine, surprise me." As if anything else can surprise me anymore, she thought.
"Very well, how about a ride through the grounds? You can ride yes?"
Rozmarie nodded "I can."
The ride through the grounds made Rozmarie forget what she witnessed the night before. She even laughed and smiled at his jokes and compliments without forcing them. Perhaps what he did last night was a mistake, a one time thing. Until she saw Molly. Beautiful, servent girl, Molly. Standing in front of the stables with her gaze following Alexanders every move. Rozmarie slowed the horse to a stop. Sheer hatred flashed across her face as she stared at Molly.
xxxxx
The carriage ride home was even more silent and awkward then before. Rozmarie stared at Molly the entire time, studying her face. Looking for any sort of blemish or negative thing about her features. There was nothing off about her looks at all. She really was perfect. Well face-wise that is. Rozmarie hoped that Mollys boobs were mis-shapened at least. No one can be that perfect! Unless magic was involved. Rozmarie narrowed her eyes at the servent girl. "Molly."
Molly turned gaze away from the window and toward Rozmarie "Yes M'lady?"
Rozmarie folded her arms and crossed her arms and sat up straight in an im-better-than-you-and-dont-forget-it manner. "Do you know of any Mages?"
"No, m'lady"
"What about you? Have you ever been interested in the magical arts?"
"No m'lady, 'ave you?"
Rozmarie sighed. "No, I'm not one for books. Anyway, when we get there, I will be turning in early so you are free to do whatver you wish."
"Yes m'lady"
xxxxx
Before heading to her room, Rozmarie made a quick beeline toward the Library, where her mother sat. Before closing the door behind her, she quickly peered down either side of the hallway to make sure the Rat was nowhere in sight.
"Rozmarie! how was your visit?" Lady Delia stood from her seat and walked over to greet her daughter.
Rozmarie ignored her mothers question and asked "Mother, am I ugly?"
Lady Delia scoffed "If you are ugly then what am I? You are the spitting image of me when I was your age, But your eyes, you have your fathers eyes. Hazel. Those eyes make you look more beautiful than I was."
Lady Delia walked back to where she sat, Rozmarie followed "If Im so beautiful then why is Alexander sleeping with other women? We are engaged to be married!"
Lady Delia signed at her daughter "He's a man, my child. It is what they do out of respect for our virtue that they turn to other women until they are married. You wouldnt want to lose your virtue before marriage would you?"
Rozmarie shook her head "No mother."
"Thats right, that is why they do it. it's normal."
"But he did it with Molly, my hand-maiden!" Rozmarie cried.
Lady Delia rose, her face like stone "Your...hand-maiden? Are you certain?"
Rozmarie nodded this time with tears forming in her eyes. "I saw them in the woods Last night, I couldn't sleep so I walked around the grounds and I saw them!"
Rozmarie smiled in triumph as she watched Molly being escorted out of the premises and into an awaiting carriage. Molly glared at Rozmarie and wanted to wipe that smug smile off her face and yelled "'e fucked me alright! and He liked it, m'lord liked what I gave 'im! We fucked 'ere too! right under ya nose! 'e said I was tha best fuck 'e ever 'ad!"
It worked.
The smile slowly erased from Rozmarie's face and converted into a frown. Molly cackled as she was pushed into the carriage.
Go back to your shithole in Westfall! Rozmarie wanted to yell. Instead, she stood gracefully just as a lady should.
xxxxx
"My sweet! I couldnt stay away longer, I missed you" Alexander gushed the next day.
Rozmarie held out her hand to him and noticed the flicker in Alexanders eyes as he searched where Molly usually stood. He didnt even try to hide looking for her this time as he scanned the sitting room.
"Looking for Molly?" Rozmarie asked.
Alexander tensed. "Why would I be looking for your servent?"
"Because she's your fuck toy" Rozmarie said bluntly.
Alexanders demeaner failed to match his face, his body was still tense. "Why would you say such a thing?"
"I saw you. At your home. In the Forest. I saw the both of you. Why Alexander? Why her?"
"She threw herself at me, what was I supposed to do?" He answered.
Rozmarie stared at him incredulously, "You could have sent her away! She is a servent after all, servents follow ord-" Rozmarie stopped speaking, servents follow orders, she thought. Then raised her voice "You.. you made her didnt you? You forced her for it! Thats why she could never look me in the eyes! You have been forcing her since-" Rozmarie was silenced with a backhand across her face.
"Now look what you made me do." Alexander smirked.
Rozmarie put a hand to her cheek where alexanders hand struck. It stung. She forgot how to breathe for that mere moment. Tears welling in her eyes as she stared at the man she was once falling for. She realized that she did not know him at all.
Alexander sighed "now now my sweet dont cry. It doesnt suit you."
"Get out of my house." Rozmarie growled as she ran from the room.
xxxxx
"I dont want to marry him, please dont make me marry him!" Rozmarie cried to her parents the next morning before they had even gotten out of bed.
Rozmaries parents looked bored
"You must Marry him, child. Our house has had this arrangement with his since before you were born." If my late brother had sired a daughter, she would have married Lord alexander, but no, he sired a Son who became a priest. What a disappointment to their bloodline." Rozmaries father, Lord Maxwell, rested his hand on his face.
"But he hit me! and he forced himself onto Molly!" Rozmarie argued.
"try not to make him angry, dear. a lady must always keep her husband happy." Lady Delia stated.
Rozmarie stared at her parents in disbelief, have they gone mad? "So you're forcing me to marry him over a stupid arrangement your father made?"
Rozmarie left the room before her parents could reply. She headed down to the kitchens, she knew Greta would listen to her.
"You should have seen him, Greta. It was as if he were a whole different person. His entire demeaner had changed" Rozmare finished.
Greta had stopped cracking eggs for the mornings breakfast to listen to what went down the past few days. Greta leaned in "and you cant get out of it?"
Rozmarie shook her head "I wish I could, I wish there was something I could do to get out of it, but I dont know what to do. Maybe I should just run away" Rozmarie mumbled.
A light bulb went on in Gretas mind as she spoke in a low whisper "What if you could do that? Run away, would you?"
Rozmarie glanced around to make sure they were out of earshot from the other cooks, "I would love to, but I wouldnt know where to go" she sighed.
"I know you're good with a bow, you would fit in quite well amongst us commoners"
Rozmarie was startled "How do you know about that?!"
"All the staff knows, you practice right below their windows in the servents quarters!"
They arranged Rozmaries escape for the night before her wedding. Each night from the day they planned to her escape, Rozmarie had left bags of clothes and other articles of things she knew she would need by the shed where the archery supplies were, and every day the bag would be empy.
Greta had arranged for her brother-in-law, Sam Redwald and his wife, Ina, to take her in. Sam was once a sniper for the SI:7 but had recently retired and lived his days as a hunter who traded meat and animal pelts for supplies. They unofficially adopted Rozmarie and even allowed her to take their last name. Sam was impressed by her abilities with the bow and even decided to teach her the ways of the wilderness.
That was Ten years ago.