Rosa Briar, a picture of resilience, took a breath, a moment to center herself, as the cloud of chaos around her threatened to overwhelm her. These meetings, both of the utmost importance and a complete waste of time, were a constant battle she faced with unwavering determination.
The Estate of Baroness Paulownia Primrose was just a short distance now; the fact that she managed to herd six children through the city and still be early was a feat that was unappreciated by most. But she was well practiced by now; this was the sixteenth budget meeting she’d attended and the fifteenth as the Director. Rosa learned that bringing along some of the more behaved and promising children often made the discussion easier; it was harder to ignore children in need when they were physically present. But today was different; she didn’t have an extra pair of hands to help her wrangle the children.
With a deep breath, Rosa turned the final corner to the Baroness’s estate, steeling herself for the negotiation ahead with Mr. Addy, the man to whom the Baroness had delegated this particular task. When she suddenly stopped, a few children ran into her legs and hips. She saw a pair of women standing at the entrance to the estate, seemingly waiting. The closer of the two women was standing tall in a white uniform with black accents, complete with a cloak. There was finally a spark of recognition when she let out a small laugh.
“Kira?” Rosa asked, her voice filled with surprise and joy, drawing the woman’s and her companion’s attention. As their eyes met, Kira smiled and started to walk in Rosa’s direction, trailed by her companion.
“Rosa! It’s so good to see you.”, Kira exclaimed, seemingly overwhelmed with happy energy, as she rushed up for a hug. Rosa couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought that the ambitious young girl she’d known was still in there somewhere.
“To what do I owe this surprise?” Rosa replied as she found herself wrapped up in a hug. A smile spread across her face as the memory of a young girl who used to throw her arms around Rosa’s hips towered over her. Her hugs were the same; now, she just had a different perspective.
When Kira released her and stepped back, she looked at her companion. A shorter woman with blonde hair, she wore what appeared to be black robes with purple accents, likely a uniform for one of the magical academies overseen by House Iris.
“Hi, a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Briar. I’m Mori, a friend of Kira’s; we heard you’d had a meeting planned for today and thought we’d come to support you.”, she said as Kira nodded.
“Yup, I told Mori here how painful these things were back when you brought me along, and she insisted on showing up.”, Kira added with a nod.
A wave of relief had come over Rosa; while it was genuinely great to see Kira again, the extra pair of hands to help wrangle the children was indeed a blessing. Looking at the pair, she said, “If you could help with the children, I’d really appreciate it, ladies.”
Mori nodded, “Well, I can see to the children.”, she said as she knelt down, bringing her hands together in front of one of the girls. With a whisper and slight glow, the girl’s eyes went wide as Mori conjured swirls of blue, green, and violet energy, shaping something and fading away, leaving a small tiara. The girl looked up at Mori with a wide grin as Mori smiled back. “Besides, these knights and princesses are attending a magical tea party at the Baroness’s estate.”
After a brief moment of surprise and amazement, the children swarmed Mori, and Kira and Rosa chuckled.
“They’re in good hands, so why don’t we focus on what you came here to do?” Kira asked in her usual helpful but direct tone. Rosa couldn’t help but smirk, a warmth spreading in her as she had one of her former children here ready to help her fight for her current children. But that was always who Kira was, even as a little girl.
“Well, I’m sure you recall how these things go. We ask for what we need, then Mr. Addy tells me I’m being frivolous or delusional and insists they will only provide half of what we ask.”, Rosa said, the energy from Kira’s surprise visit now gone, replaced with the weariness of continuing what was becoming a never-ending fight. She forced a smile for Kira’s sake and slowly marched forward.
As they approached the gate guard, Rosa handed over a document and said they had an appointment with Mr. Addy. The guard asked Kira and Mori simple questions as Rosa tried to gather herself and arrange her thoughts for the coming battle. The children were depending on her, and she couldn’t fail them.
One of the House Primrose staff showed the group through the halls until they entered a room familiar to Rosa. The room was large and impressive; its walls were adorned with beautiful scenic art and various depictions of the Baron and Baroness. No doubt that Mr. Addy had chosen this room to put himself in the best position; speaking for the Primrose family carried quite a weight, but it was easy to imagine he’d often gotten his way in a place like this.
Rosa turned to the table set up for the children and found Mori talking with three staff; shortly after, two scurried off.
“They’re going to be fine. Between Mori watching over them and you fighting for their future, they have nothing to worry about.”, Kira said to reassure Rosa.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Addy entered the room, chin raised as he walked by everyone. He glanced at the unexpected guests and tried to contain his contempt when he saw the children in the corner. Mr. Addy was familiar with Ms. Briar’s tactic of bringing the children to garner sympathy. He’d always insisted it never worked and she should leave the children home. However, that never seemed to dissuade Ms. Briar from bringing them.
He cleared his throat, eager to begin what would likely be a long lesson on why the Primrose family wasn’t willing to throw the coin away, helping the children of criminals and the lower class. The days of the House of Foundlings caring for the children of nobles and heroes were gone. “As I’ve said, repeatedly, in our correspondence the budget this year is tight. There simply is no wiggle room or coin to be found.”
Faced with the aggressive statement and harsh tone, Rosa realized that this would definitely be an uphill battle. However, she was ready for such a fight. “Mr. Addy, the most recent report from Her Royal Highness, The Dutchess of Primrose, has the cost to raise a child well above what you provide.”, she said as she shuffled for the papers to back up her claim.
Mr. Addy nodded back. “Yes, you are correct, Ms. Briar. What we offered has been adjusted to account for your garden. After all, if you’re growing it, you don’t need to buy it.”
That pushed Rosa back on her heels for a second. While he technically was right, it was utterly heartless. The burst of sadness was short-lived as Kira spoke up. “So, Mr. Addy, the Primrose family is okay with relying upon child labor to feed these children?” she said in a dry, matter-of-fact tone that seemed to mirror his own.
He turned a shade of red at Kira’s comments; clearly, the statement struck him. Rosa wouldn’t attack the family this way, but since the door was already open, she might as well walk through. “You see, Mr. Addy, the children are the ones who maintain the garden. We’d hate to see someone get the wrong idea.”
He nodded at her, “Of course, Ms. Briar. It’s good to teach them to be self-reliant; I’ve always liked that about you. But we can’t have people think that a family relies on the efforts of children to meet its commitment.”
The woman across the table from him recognized that this was intended as a compliment and smiled. “We need to make sure these children become functional and productive members of Everbloom.”, he added.
Rosa couldn’t help but feel the swelling of an agitated depression blooming within her. The undertone of being bad at her job and implying that she’d been failing her children was a lot to shrug off, but she had to.
“Mr. Addy, most of the children under my watch have grown to become productive adults. Take, for example, Kira here; she went from the House of Foundlings and now serves both Astra and Everbloom as a member of the Order of Twilight. She might not serve anyone as paramount as the Baroness or directly as you, but her purpose is essential.”, Rosa said with a confidence that shook Mr. Addy.
Mr. Addy closed his eyes briefly, trying to regain some composure. This was going to take more work than he thought it would.
“Well, I don’t think we’ll solve this today. But perhaps we can at least settle on a framework we can agree upon?” Mr. Addy said as he started to fan papers before him and reached for a pen.
After two hours of back-and-forth, Mr. Addy and Rosa agreed on a basic funding framework that included an amount per child to cover their needs and an amount for maintaining and repairing the house. While the numbers were still quite far apart, this agreement was enough for one day. As Mr. Addy left the room, Rosa let out a sigh. “This would be so much easier if someone from the Primrose family could meet the kids and see what I see. I’m not delusional; I know there will always be a fight for the funding. But the fight wouldn’t feel impossible if someone like the Baroness understood.”
Kira smiled at her, “I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be satisfied until they were all sleeping in Castle Everbloom and attending Zenith Academy.”, she said with a light chuckle.
Rosa chuckled in kind. “That’s not true! Castle Primrose and the schools run by House Iris are perfectly acceptable.”
The doors to the room opened, and once more, Rosa looked up expecting a servant, only to find two servants flanking the Baroness herself. A million thoughts flew through Rosa’s head: Did the Baroness hear her? Did Mr. Addy say something to her? When her brain eventually caught up, she bowed, “My Lady of the East Gardens, this is such an honor.”
Paulownia Primrose nodded at her. “Please, you need not be so formal. Especially when you travel with princes, princesses, several members of the Order of Twilight, and, I believe, a general of Her Majesty’s Royal Magi. Since tea is now finished, I thought they might like to take some time in the interior garden.”, she said, motioning to the table with the children at it.
“Oh, of … course.”, Rosa said as she looked at Kira. She’d known Kira was a member of the Order of Twilight, and she might earn a favor from someone. But a baroness visit seemed like a big favor for someone who’d only been in the order for a few years.
Paulownia smiled and walked past the two women, approaching the children. As she approached, Mori stood up and smiled at the Baroness.
“Ah, My Lady, it’s good to see you. Please allow me the honor of introducing you to Princess Gia, Prince Danic, General Saphia, and Order of Twilight Members Gorda and Bea.” Mori said with a smile as Paulownia bowed to each of the children in kind.
“Kira, why is a baroness inviting my children to spend an afternoon in the garden?” she said with an undercurrent of shock in her voice. Clearly, the events that had unfolded still needed to be clarified.
“Why don’t we join them? Seems like the easiest way to find out.”, Kira replied with a grin as she started to walk toward the table.
Rosa focused on Kira for a moment. She knew when the girl was being secretive, but she also knew Kira didn’t have a malicious bone in her body. She nodded and fell in line, approaching the table alongside Kira.
As all the kids exited their seats, Rosa noticed a subtle glance between Mori and the Baroness. Then it hit her: Maybe she’d have figured it out sooner if she hadn’t been worried about her kids. As the Baroness led everyone through the halls, taking time to point out all the rooms and their purpose to the mesmerized children, Rosa stepped up beside Mori.
“So, you prefer Mori to The Most Honorable Marchioness of Thorns?” Rosa asked. A small part of her was concerned about how the girl might respond, but curiosity won out.
“Well, since you’ve come to that realization, how about you just call me Morrigan?” she smiled. There was a warmth there that seemed genuine and a confidence that made it seem like she wasn’t concerned about the discovery.
“And here, I was just wishing that your Aunt might get to know my children.”, she said with a bit of a laugh. “Oh, do they know?”
Morrigan nodded at her. “Yes, I told them about all the games I loved to play with Livia. I apologize in advance if they start drawing pixies on shelves and under the furniture.”
“So long as Mr. Addy amends the budget, you’ll hear no complaints from me.” Rosa smiled. Even when joking, she still advocated for her kids. “Also, not that I’m not immensely thankful for the help. But how did Kira convince you to come and help?”
Morrigan laughed. “She’d never admit it, but Kira’s spent the past couple of years becoming my best friend.”
“You know, I can hear you,” Kira said from a few steps behind them.
Morrigan chuckled but was clearly undeterred by the comment. “She talks about you quite a bit. For a couple of months, I was convinced you were an incarnation of Titania herself.”, she said as she grinned at Kira.
“As far as Mr. Addy goes, you gave him the verbal thrashing he deserved. Feel free to consider me a squire in any future matches, but I think a game of trolls and pixies might be in order.”, Morrigan said as she picked up the pace to catch up with the kids who were now turning into the garden.
Kira stepped up beside Rosa, “So that’s Morrigan Primrose? Not what I would have expected.”
Kira chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a side she rarely shows. She likes to say that kids don’t have expectations or agendas, so she’s free to be herself.”