Queens

Ros

The trees were towering over her, swaying in the breeze. She had never seen it so peaceful. The birds weren't singing, the bees were in their hives, it was almost silent. There were no workers out in the garden, and she couldn't even hear the Knights training out on the field. It was too quiet.

She stood, walking back through the garden, picking a few carnations on the way, holding them in her hands as she walked back to the castle. As soon as she walked through the gates, she was met with the familiar yell of the guards and the hustling workers of the castle. They all bowed their heads as she passed by and she muttered hellos to them in return. She had learned a long time ago that they only said hello to her because it was their job, so she eventually just stop trying to be nice to them.

She found herself walking towards Giaus' chambers, which wasn't completely on purpose. When she arrived there, he knocked on the door only to find Gwen answering. "Oh, Princess Ros, let me get Giaus for you-"

"Oh no Gwen that's fine, and please, call me Ros when we are among friend alright?"

"Of course," she bowed to her. "Are you here to see Giaus?"

"I actually came to see Ana, I didn't see her this morning so I assumed she was sick, I brought her some flowers as a gift." Ros held out the flowers to show Gwen. "If she's here, perhaps I could give them to her?"

"Oh yes of course, I do apologize greatly. Ana was found in the forest yesterday with no horse."

"Oh is she alright?"

"She's resting right now, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind having a visitor, especially from you." Ros nodded and walked past Gwen, into the back room where Ana lay alone. Gwen followed her and sat down.

"Who found her?"

"Hmm?"

"You said she was found in the forest, who found her?"

"I did," a voice said. Ros turned around to see a tall man with long hair, pulled back by a tie. He was dressed in a peasants clothing, but his face was that of a knight. "My name is Lancelot," he grabbed one of her hands away from the flowers, and brought it to his lips. "My lady." he kissed her knuckles. She pulled her hand away gently, nodding in thanks.

"Well I am grateful for you to have brought her back safely, is she awake at all?"

"No, my lady, she is still fast asleep."

"Lancelot, this is the Princess Ros," Gwen gestured to her,"she was worried about Ana's health so she brought her flowers." Ros noticed a glimmer in Gwen's eyes as she spoke to Lancelot.

"My apologies your highness, if I would've known I-"

"Please, Ros is fine. May I go in to see her?"

"Of course your hi- Ros." He bowed and Ros turned away from him, rolling her eyes. She knew that he was just trying to be polite, but she was getting quite annoyed with people calling her 'your highness' so often. She knew they meant well, so she didn't let it get to her that often, but every now and then it really bugged her.

As she walked in to Ana and Merlin's room, she immediately saw Ana asleep in one of the beds. Ros walked over to her, sitting down on the stool beside her, placing the flowers in the vase on the floor beside her.

Ana looked so peacefully innocent while she slept, blissfully unaware that Ros was even there by her side. She wondered if Arthur was aware that Ana was found in the woods yesterday. She had bandages around her arm, and she recognized them as Giaus' work of expertly wrapping the cloth, for she had her fair share of injuries as a child.

It made her wonder what had happened, but she was sure that the two outside of the door didn't know exactly what happened, so she would have to wait for Ana to wake up. She knew that Merlin was helping Arthur all day today, and Giaus was busy attending to the king, and Gwen would need to return to Morgana soon. So if the only person here was Lancelot when Ana woke up, she might be uneasy around him. Of course there was the chance that she would be grateful and want to be left alone, but there was also the chance of her wanting a familiar face around, and if that's what Ana needed then Ros was willing to be there when she woke up.

She walked out to where Lancelot was talking with Gwen, Gwen awing at every word coming out of his mouth. It was extremely obvious that she was taken with him, and she hoped for Gwen's sake that Lancelot was either unaware of it, or he returned the feeling. Ros shook her head and walked over to the table, pouring some water from the pitcher into a bowl and grabbing a cloth, returning to the room unnoticed by Gwen or Lancelot.

Ros sat down once again, with the bowl of water in her lap. She submerged the cloth into the water, soaking it, then bringing it above and wringing it out before slowly folding it and placing it gently on Ana's warm forehead. "Your head is really hot Ana, maybe this will help to bring the fever down," she murmured. The water was cool, and she resubmverged it every fifteen minutes or so, when the towel began getting too warm.

"If you need anything, I'm right out here your highness," she heard his voice behind her. Sighing, she turned over the cloth on her head.

"Ros, Lancelot call me Ros. I've grown tired of telling people more than twice to call me that, so please don't make me tell you a third time." Her voice was flat. She was aware at how rude she was being, but frankly she didn't really care at this point.

"I apologize."

"That's alright." She pulled the cloth away from Ana's forehead and gently wiped the rest of her face, hopefully cooling her down in the process. "Do you know why she needed her arm to be bandaged?"

"It happened to fast I'm afraid, as I brought her into Camelot they immediately sent me here, and then from here they took her back into this room. She had gotten bit by some of the giant lizards in the forest, that's all I know." Ros felt her brow pull together. If Ana had really gotten bitten by one of them, she knew that Giaus was able to help, but it was always hard for him to tell if she was strong enough to actually pull through it all.

"Thank you for finding her," Ros whispered to him. "I don't know if she realizes this, but I've grown quite fond of her."

"How do you know her?"

"She is my handmaiden, or at least half of the time. She switched out days between myself and my brother, Arthur."

"So she is important to you then?"

"Yes, very, I'm not sure if she realized how important she is to me actually. I see her as more than just a handmaiden, a friend, and I hope that she sees me the same way..."