Chapter 45: Chapter 43

The room became quiet. Neither Lena nor Rosetta knew what was to come next, but both tightened their grip on the other. Greta and Luthar shared a glance.

“Well…” Greta trailed off, seemingly uncertain of what to say. Admittedly, Rosetta had sprung their plan to elope onto the couple with no warning or lead-up. But better to not put it off and instead be direct about their plans, she felt.

Luthar’s eyes flickered between the both of them, his expression surprisingly neutral. “I see you finally confessed your feelings for the girl, Little Rosie. Certainly took you long enough.” Despite the positive words, the lower tone in his voice did little to cut the tension in the air.

This response did not entirely surprise Rose. Luthar had known about her crush on the girl for years and had supported her when she first decided that she wanted to become the lady’s maid. He hadn’t cared that she was a noble or a girl. With the announcement of them wanting to skip town, however, the maid wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. Hesitantly, Rosetta responded, “We’ve been ‘together’ for a few years, now Uncle Luthar. And we’re serious about this.”

He let out a deep sigh that she couldn’t determine the meaning behind, and then stared Rose eye to eye, as though to glean the truth from her gaze. When he finally looked back over to Lena, the room seemed to cool. She got an uncomfortable feeling in her gut.

His words came out like molten iron. “Little Rose is like a daughter to us. We raised her nearly as much as her own parents did. I won’t stand for some—“

“Luthar,” Greta interrupted in a warning.

His fierce gaze stayed focused on the lady. “I will not allow some noble girl to show up and give our little Rose unrealistic illusions of a better life somewhere else because she was feeling skittish about her upcoming wedding. So tell me. Why should I allow you to show up here feeding her ideas of running off to who knows where with you?”

The silence that followed seemed to echo her complete shock. Then, after just the briefest moment, Rosetta saw red. Both of her hands tightened into fists, unintentionally squeezing Lena’s fingers. She released her as the girl wiggled her hand from her grasp and then stepped forward. Just as she opened her mouth to spew out fire, Lena placed her palm along her shoulder and Rosetta paused. The touch tempered her anger long enough for Lena to move in front of her. The maid decided to at least hear what her love and lady had to say first. Though she wanted to give the man a piece of her mind, family or not.

Lena’s words weren’t what Rose was expecting. “I once read a story of a man who loved another, of a love that could never last.” Her eyes gazed out the window to their left, and Luthar raised a curious eyebrow. “Both knew that what they had together was an impossibility, doomed to fail. Not because they had wives and children, for they were both young and unwed. Not because their families would disapprove, for their families were nowhere near and neither of the men cared about such.

“No, the reason they could not be together was because they were soldiers in a war, on opposite sides. The gods themselves fated each to fight the other, or so it seemed to them.” Lena glanced back over at the man. “Can you guess how the story ends?”

“How?” Luthar replied after a pause, giving no hint of his thoughts.

“In the next battle, they both fought, and they both die.”

“While I’d say that’s a sad tale, it does not answer my question,” the man insisted.

“It’s a story that has lingered in my mind ever since I first read it. Increasingly more so over the past few months. I can’t help but wonder if they made the right choice. They could have deserted, ran away from their responsibilities to their countries, abandoned their fellows and neighbors that fought to the death while they escaped. They would have been labeled deserters, possibly hunted down after the war was over. It would be foolish, a terribly rash decision — to abandon their fellows, all for a love that might not even last. Yet still, I’ve long wondered if the choice they made, the choice to stay, was truly the right one.”

A moment of silence held the room before Luthar gave an earthy hum and softly asked, “Was it?”

She stared the man in the eyes. “I… do not know.” Luthar raised an eyebrow at the response, and she continued. “I realize that’s not the answer you are hoping for. For a long time, I was content with following my parents’ wishes, in marrying Silas despite how much I despised the boy. It is my responsibility to my family, the town, and the Empire. It is, by all reasonings, what I should do. But it has never been what I’ve wanted to do.”

Lena turned towards Rosetta.

Staring into her beautiful shining eyes, the young Lady Dyere grabbed her maid’s hands in her own and repeated, “It was never what I wanted. I’m sorry that it has taken me this long to get here — to see how my stubborn insistence on marrying has hurt you. Perhaps it is selfish of me; perhaps we’re both selfish. But I love you, Rose. And I’ll do whatever is necessary to be your love, friend, and partner. To be together, really together, and not just settling for being a married woman who’s sometimes intimate with her maid. Even if it means abandoning everything I’ve lived for until now.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper.

Rose stared, lips parted. There were so many things she wanted to say and questions she wanted to ask. For the longest time, things had been simple for them. Rosetta was her maid and friend. Becoming physically intimate hadn’t really changed that. She was a commoner, and her lady, part of the nobility. Eventually, they would marry and that would be the end of things. But as time passed, they became closer, more romantic. There was a connection there, something Rosetta couldn’t describe, one that continued to grow. She began to hope — hope that once Lena eventually married, things between them could continue. Then the betrothal with Silas happened, nearly destroying them both. Rose knew being the maid was no longer enough for her. She’d also resigned herself to the fact that it was ultimately all she would ever be. No matter how much the lady professed her desire for some level of equality. Even with the plan to run away, Rosetta couldn’t bring herself to hope for more.

But this… What Lena was proposing was something different. 

Rosetta sniffed. “I…” but despite all the thoughts rushing through her mind, the right words wouldn’t come.

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The large man in front of them rumbled. “You truly think that is enough?”

Rose's eye twitched. She’d had enough of this charade. Releasing her love’s hands, she turned toward her uncle. The dark glare that came his way made the man take a nervous step back, and her rage boiled over.

“Now listen, ya stubborn old ass,” she hissed. “I’ve had enough of you harassing and vexing my Lena over this. You may be family, but do’n think that I will continue to stand for it. She is not,” Rosetta punctuated the word with a stab of her finger into his side, causing the tough man to wince and step back again, “forcing me into some kind of decision. If anything, I’ve been the one who’s pressing her into making this choice, because I despise the monster in human skin she is being forced to marry. I’m my own woman and can make my own decisions. And I can assure you that I won't let it continue.

“So, go ahead,” she challenged with a snarl, glaring the man down. “Try and stop me, try and stop us, and I’ll make sure you live to regret it.”

Her uncle held up two hands, an offering of peace when it became clear he’d become in over his head. “I’m sorry, Rosie. I wasn’t trying to anger you. As difficult as it’s been for me to come to terms with over the last few years, I’ve already accepted you’re a grown woman now and not the tiny little flower you used to be. Though you’ll always be the little rose in my heart. I just wanted to be certain of the lady’s dedication to ya. To get a sense of her and how she really felt about you. A little intimidation and pressure never hurt anyone much.” He shrugged, as though it were water under the bridge.

Rosetta’s eyes narrowed.

It took several long minutes, with a few more heated comments from Rose, for tensions to lower. Greta procured some tea from somewhere, and they found seats around a short table not made to fit more than one or two. With the warm tea inside them, things began to finally cool.

“We’re wanting your help,” the maid said.

Luthar raised an eyebrow, though it was clear he was still hesitant to step on any toes and thus kept silent.

“With leaving town. I know you have connections with someone who might can help us,” she continued.

The man’s expression hardened. “I don’t know what you’re implying here, Rosetta. I’m sure you know already that the Praevus has the town encircled and has banned anyone from entering or leaving. Not sure how you’re expecting me to help with that, much as I might like to.”

Rose, still feeling irate from earlier, stated bluntly in a half-whisper, “I’ve told Lena about your work with the smugglers.”

A vein bulged on the man’s forehead, and he nearly stood from his seat. “I don’t like what you’re implying, girl. I’m a blacksmith. I do honest work. Too much to do here at the smithy as is to be even considering something else. And even were that not the case, there’s plenty of honest work around town that needs doing. I don’t know where you think you heard such a rumor, but don’t be telling your lady nonsense like that. That kind of talk will get the four of us hung,” he concluded with a scowl. 

Rose paused, wondering how far she was willing to push this. Her uncle was a surprisingly good liar, almost enough to make her doubt herself. But she was certain of what she knew, even if it had occurred many years ago and her memory of it was fuzzy. Lena’s arm wrapped around her back, an obscured gesture of comfort and support.

“Your uncle is right,” Greta added. “You can’t just go accusing someone of something like that. It’s dangerous, especially with sentinels and a Praevus in town,” she snapped. “It is good of you to bring it to our attention, though. I’d like to know who told you such a thing.” Left unsaid was whatever Greta planned to do about such a person. Rosetta doubted it would involve a mere scolding.

The young maid met her uncle's eyes, and a wave of guilt crushed over her for what she was about to admit. But it had to be done. 

“I know you probably remember when I broke into your locked cabinet all those years ago and you scolded me about it. What I never told you was that it wasn’t the first time I’d done it. The first time,” she paused. “The first time, it wasn’t empty. I was young and didn’t fully understand what it all meant. But over time, I eventually put it together.” Her expression shifted. “I don’t know if you do it anymore, but years ago, I know you helped to hide gems and things being moved from town to town.” There, she’d said it. It was out in the open now. Rose took a breath and then pleaded, “Uncle Luthar, please. We need to leave from here. The wedding is only days away, and I worry that by then it will be too late. Please. I don’t want to think of what Silas might do to her after the wedding is over. Nor,” her voice trailed to a faint whisper, as she laid down what she hoped would be the linchpin, “what he might do to me.”

Not mentioned was how she had no plans to let it come to that. She’d kill the bastard first. But that was perhaps a bit too dangerous to admit. She would consider telling them, though, if they still refused, even if the admission was a risky one. Better to let them know the stakes of their refusal.

Luthar stared back at her, the silence pooling around them. Even Greta appeared to have no response ready. Rosetta couldn’t parse what either was thinking, and so all she could do was wait and clench her hands together nervously in her lap. It all came down to this.

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