Few, it seemed, within the territories of Sliabh had a knack for wise decisions, least of all its supposed ruler or his waif of a sister who believed the best way to commute was by supplying every member of the procession with their own carriage. It seemed as if the concept of money, among other matters, was lost on the girl; what else was new, considering the complaints about the arrangement that had been uttered well before the journey. It had been a rather terrible idea, though not nearly as terrible in the eyes of the queen as the supposed princess deciding it would be better to ride alone. Not that Rhoslyn had any desire to accompany the naive girl, but there were few things as foolish as a member of any royal family being left to their own devices.
One need only look to Slibah's king for proof of that.
Rhoslyn had not known many true kings in her time and she still could not say she knew one despite her having both crown and title. The man, another term used loosely, that called himself both Slibah's king and her husband was not keen on being an example of a decent ruler, one who puts the needs of the people or the kingdom above all. No. When it came to the petulant child that called himself a king, the only thing that mattered was the king. Rhoslyn still remembered the night she spoke up. It was but a simple word but one 'his majesty' desperately needed to hear. The word was a simple 'No'. It had been worth the next day's discomfort just to see the look on his face. It hadn't been the last time Rhoslyn used the word, either.
Perhaps that was why Jack needed the bed of mistresses and maidens, because the word no never enters their mind. They see the king and it is not admiration that looks up at him, but fear of reprisal. That was no way to lead. The only way a leader like that lead a country was into ruin, be it slowly or all at once. It was a small wonder that this marriage treaty was even considered. A fool of a sister and a fool of a king. What did it say about Rhoslyn, then, that she was inbetween the both of them. Better the fool you know than the one you don't.
The royal carriage was mercifully silent for the duration of the journey. Rhoslyn was in no mood to offer small talk to Jack, as if he would even care or understand much of it anyway. He was rather boorish, though she did find herself offering advice that should have gone without saying. And yet, she felt that it had to be stressed.
"Do try to make a good impression. If not for the sake of our kingdom then for the sake of your sister." Rhoslyn felt the need to stress the 'our' part of 'our kingdom'. She was not going to let Jack think for too long that Slibah was his and his alone.
Behind every great man, as a saying went. Though none would call Jack a great man. The jury was yet out on Rhoslyn, though considering she was by far the more reasonable one there was at least some manner of sanity within Silbah's royal family.
During the trip, there were many moments where Rhoslyn had a desire to make a stinging remark about the whereabouts of Jack on the morning of the departure, if only to remind him that just because he was the king did not make him above reproach or infallible, but there would be little sense in arguing over infidelity when she was certain there would be another chance to do so before long. There was little in the way of courtesies being expressed in the carriage, with Rhoslyn merely wishing for the trip to be over and wondering just how Jack would make a bad name not just for himself but for Slibah. Perhaps at the celebratory banquet he would sodomize a server for bringing him white wine instead of red. Surely not. That was probably too tame.
After they had arrived in Abhainn, Rhoslyn found herself sighing deeply in a mixture of disgust and disbelief within minutes, if not seconds, of their arrival.
"If you only learn one thing, Antoine," Rhoslyn spoke to the young prince before they set out on the journey to the neighboring kingdom,
"Make it to never follow the example of Jack." It had been meant as a lesson on how to hold proper court with a neighboring kingdom, warring or otherwise, but it now had the example of public murder.
Rhoslyn waited until the door was opened for her, understandably it took longer than usual due to the nature of the...incident (for it was no accident), but Rhoslyn gave the steward a smile all the same as he helped her out of the carriage. Normally there was some manner of fanfare for the arrival of royalty, but Rhoslyn didn't need a crowd gasping in awe, be it true admiration of her stature or otherwise.
"I should have taken my waiting lady up on her gambit. She assured me you would not embarrass yourself, Jack." Rhoslyn made her presence known amongst the gathered lords, ladies, and nobles as she made her way from the carriage towards Jack, Julianna, and King Maddox, her smile present but her eyes expressing her displeasure with the actions of Slibah's seated ruler.
"I told her she was asking for the impossible. Do try and act like your title suggests, if not for your sake than for the sake of your sister. This is her moment, not yours, and such acts serve only to weaken when you mean to intimidate." Rhoslyn's words were meant for Jack but her voice carried enough so that those gathered would likely hear it.
"Your Highness," Rhoslyn greeted King Maddox with a low bow of her head.
"I do apologize for my husband's vile actions upon your lovely kingdom. I hope it does not spoil the mood nor reflect on Slibah as a whole. While we are here I can assure you there will be no further incidents of the sort. I would just so hate for this marriage to be sullied. Save that for the consummation, yes?" Rhoslyn lightly laughed at her closing remark. Nothing like a little bit of color to brighten up the introductions.
"Here you are, dear." Rhoslyn turned now to Julianna and extended a small cloth with which she wiped off what she could of the blood on the girl's shoulder.
"I daresay not even the poor man's blood could make you less beautiful. It's only natural, you have that pre-marital glow about you and that makes every girl as radiant as the sun." Rhoslyn smiled towards the soon-to-be-queen before pulling her hand back and passing the cloth to a passing attendant.
Though Rhoslyn was smiling, and it seemed genuine, it was yet difficult to determine how much of what she said was seeped in truth. After all, one didn't become known as a Black Rose for beauty alone...
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