"Simsney's Rose Alba"Queen Selene, who had ruled for years, taking care of the kingdom, managing relations with dozens of other monarchs, was now having her plans foiled by her stepdaughter. The girl was lovely to look at, when you could get her to lift her nose from whatever book she was reading, but she obviously didn't appreciate that she needed to marry, sooner rather than later, so that she could start producing heirs. Rose had actually ran away when told that a prospective suiter was arriving any day now!
She'd had to search quite far for the right man for Rose to marry, as there were few sons available of the right age and lineage even in kingdoms not so near her own. She needed a man close to her stepdaughter's age, because she didn't want to risk the kingdom's future to someone older who would always think that he knew better than
she did.
Whether or not I carry the title, I'll be Queen for all intents and purposes for a while yet. Selene thought.
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The queen admires herself in the mirror. One of the pleasures of being queen was in having gowns in any style she liked, no matter what kingdom's culture they originated in.
Prince Rowan and his twin sister Aspen had arrived only to be told that the princess had gotten lost in the forest. The queen assured them that Rose would be found soon. Aspen had doubts about what the queen had told them and decided to go looking for the princess himself. There was rumored to be Elven blood on their mother's side, and though Aspen didn't know if that was true, he had an excellent sense of direction, and he'd always been lucky when it came to finding things and people that he was searching for. He kept his mind on the image from the portrait of the lovely princess that the queen had sent his parents to show to Rowan.
He eventually came upon a clearing containing a rustic home and a flourishing garden. He introduced himself to the gnome couple that lived there and when Aspen asked after the princess they claimed not to have seen her. He asked that if they did see her, that they tell her that if she didn't want to return to the castle to meet his brother, he would honor her wishes. He only wanted to know that she was safe and well. He added that if she did not mind it, he would like to speak to her as well.
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Aspen speaks to the gnome couple, Daisy and Gardner Greenleaf.
Aspen returned to the castle, but when the princess didn't return, he went back a couple of days later. He was near the gnomes' cabin when he heard someone speaking softly. Moving cautiously closer to the sound, he came upon a small clearing. There he spied Princess Rose, who appeared to be trying to coax a bird to take a bit of bread from her hand. Aspen watched as the bird suddenly flew down from the branch it sat on, grabbed the bread, then flew off. As soon as the bird was gone, the princess laughed in delight. She took his breath away with her beauty. He couldn't resist stepping forward. He quickly bowed and introduced himself, careful not to get too close to her. He didn't want to frighten her away.
Rose wasn't frightened of him; she said that she'd gotten the message he'd left with the gnomes. The sat on a felled tree, after Aspen placed his coat upon it, and ended up talking for several hours. He began visiting her in the clearing daily. He'd explained about his differences, and she saw for herself twice when he arrived dressed in a feminine version of his usual clothing. She was surprised, but she still wanted him (or her) to visit. After many days of visits for long talks and strolls near the gnomes' cabin, he dared to kiss her.
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Aspen gives Rose her first kiss.
They were in love, but what would the queen think? They decided that Rose would return to the castle and they would talk to her together. Rose was doubtful that the queen would approve, even once she learned that Rose wouldn't be marrying Rowan no matter what happened. Aspen assured her that he and his twin had a plan.
The four of them gathered in the throne room. Just as Rose had feared, the queen said that if she wouldn't marry Rowan, she'd find someone else for her. Rose protested that she was in love with Aspen, but the queen didn't care. Didn't Rose understand that the kingdom needed heirs? Did Rose care so little about the fate of the kingdom and her people?
That's when Aspen spoke up. She revealed that while she'd been in the forest with Rose, Rowan had been doing research on the kingdom's laws and Rose's lineage. There was a way for everyone to be happy. Rose and Aspen could marry, and if her late father's brother agreed (and surely he would for the chance for one of his sons to be king someday), they could foster his two youngest sons in a few years when they were old enough. The oldest boy could be formally named heir once he showed that he was up to the task.
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The meeting in the throne room.
The queen pondered this solution. She would likely have to give up power sooner than she liked, but the young couple would still need her advice for years surely. She agreed to their proposal.
But what of Rowan? What would he do? That's when Rowan revealed to the queen what his sister and her intended already knew. He was in love with a young lord back in his home kingdom. Everyone there knew about this, but his parents had asked him to travel to meet Rose to see if he felt differently when he got to spend time with a beautiful young woman of the appropriate station that he wasn't related to. If it didn't work out, they would allow him to marry the young man he loved with no objections. Since several of the twin's older brothers and sisters already had children, he was not needed for the succession, after all. He would miss Aspen, but they already planned to visit as often as possible.
And they all lived happily ever after!
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A huge thank you to @kirareedagain for the use of her castle for two of the interior images. You can find it here:
Off the Grid BG Castle You should take a look; it's amazing! I did make a small change so that I could have the queen admiring herself in the mirror. In her build, there's a grand piano there instead.
I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this up. I worked on it up until the last minute, if it's not obvious. I hope you enjoyed reading more of the story. ?
Edit: I forgot to add that in our day and age, Aspen would be known as non-binary, perhaps even bi-gender & use the pronouns he, she, or they, so I've given them both masculine & feminine outfits in each category.
I forgot to caption one picture too. I also needed to fix some typos. Hopefully I got them all. They're sneaky. ?
