Villainess Of Hearts

It was frustrating—frustratingly annoying that this day would be a series of events that would pull the proverbial rug underneath her feet. And yet Rosalyn Lockhart was the Queen and so she had to keep her composure. Keep it despite her pounding heart that toiled needlessly so in her chest.

Genuine. Raw. Vulnerable.

All of these could be said of the man in front of her and it would be a lie to say that his words and his expression failed to reach out and touch a portion of her heart—because it did. A child begging on her knees for acceptance flashed momentarily in her mind and left as quickly as it had appeared.

What a morning it has been, Your Majesty? Are you in some need for medication and tea?

Would such words be that callous to say? Even if it was so long, perhaps far too long if she were that she could no longer recall that vividly, but she had maybe waited for such a day to come. He had already apologized before, had shouted at her before in pain and anguish at their situation but it was only now that she seemed to take his words as truth.

That perhaps the King did concern himself with her and that his actions, his actions were genuine as well, he had never wanted to hurt her in the first place. And perhaps everything was a misunderstanding. He did what he did to survive and so did she.

And it just so happened that their ideals and desires did not match at all.

She should have held no expectations with him.

The Queen of Hearts took another step back and smiled, leaning back against her office door to steady her shaking legs. It was a blessing to be wearing a gown that hid all the trembling from him, to hide the weakness that her body was betraying her.

"You are correct that you cannot simply ask me to forgive you—and it is not easy to forget what has already happened. A child touches an open flame once and never again to avoid the heat and the burn, that is something that makes complete sense." she eyed him with a careful look. Rosalyn Lockhart modulated her words, "Make no promises, utter nothing that you think that might absolve you of your actions because there is none."

Shadows loomed over his face, a crestfallen expression wrought forth with her words.

She wished to relish such a face, but then she continued her line. "If you wish to perform acts for forgiveness then do so, plead and beg, but you must prove it. I wish nothing to come out from your lips but for you to take control, Your Majesty." Rosalyn wasn't even exactly sure what she was saying.

And yet a firm nod would be his response.

Nothing more and nothing less.

One of her eyes twitched momentarily, "I did not say that to mean that you should yourself mum whenever I am around you, but please do not speak of empty promises. They make your words pithy like copper."

"I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty." He rested a hand over his chest and bowed.

His actions were now a mix between his informal and formal manner, and she didn't exactly know why she was more pleased with this than his previous method of conversing with her. The distance was supposed to be safe and a comforting thing for her that the two of them acted as such.

But now… 

She grasped the handle of her doorknob and nodded, "Thank you then, Your Majesty." she inwardly chastised herself. What did she have to thank him for? "I shall return to my office then, good day."

Before he could utter a word in response, she walked in and slammed the door behind her. And then it was there that Rosalyn Lockhart would sink to the floor and hug her knees together, a still strange sensation in her chest. It was a cross between some mild discomfort and relief. A throbbing one.

The man truly did not know how to understand her message.

The Queen of Hearts had already told him that it was all for the sake of the kingdom and he still insisted to take it as if she had done it out of personal concern. Rosalyn Lockhart only did it because the Joker had overstepped his boundaries. Was that fool even here? 

How long exactly did he decide to persist in his making his presence a common thing here in the Kingdom of Hearts? Surely the man had other places to go to.

.

.

.

"No." he replied with a closed eye smile.

It hadn't exactly been in her plans, but with the man still here and her Knight nowhere to be found, the Joker suddenly dropping by at her office door and wishing for tea—she had no reason to refuse it. She had plans to rebuke him, but this was what he said.

"Pardon?"

"I'm afraid that the Kingdom of Clovers might choose to ignore the pact formed between the Kingdom and I if I were to go there, and I hate that smuggish King of Spades—I for one do not understand how the two of you had gotten along. He thinks that he can replace my post? I've orchestrated much more bloodshed than he had in my life."

Rosalyn Lockhart didn't think it was a good time to point out his age and listened on.

"Now as for the Kingdom of Diamonds, the King and Queen is prissy and the lands there are cold. Surely you understand that out of all the four kingdoms in the Card Suit Kingdom it is the Kingdom of Hearts that is blessed and most bountiful. The rays of the sun are not harsh, the breeze is gentle and not biting and it is where things bloom and not wither off." the Joker finished it all in one word and then sipped his tea.

The Queen of Hearts eyed the man with less… fear? Perhaps less uptightness as she had before. When the Prime Minister had first run off to inform her of his arrival, Rosalyn had froze. But then she realized it was him and that perhaps changed things.

And now she could almost interact with him almost similarly to when she was a child.

"You often used to urge me to tell you more stories about the lands beyond your Kingdom and yet here you are now sitting in silence. Ah, times change far too quickly."

She sighed and frowned, placing her teacup down. "Indeed it has, I do not recall you ever being so cruel to other people. I believe there are times when you had indeed gone too far, especially last night to His Majesty of Hearts. It would be a favor for me if you could refrain yourself from doing that—or else, I may have to remove your presence from here."

"Ah, I don't quite recall you threatening me either… Well, actually you did already have such a personality before, tried to use your position to make me bring you more tarts," a small chuckle escaped his lips, "Fond times, ever so dear when one is naught but a child and nothing to fear."

Rosalyn Lockhart only stared at him.

"But it does seem to have improved your relationship with him," he said. A smile curled on his lips, "It sometimes reminds me of how necessary the role of a villain is to some stories."

She fought the urge to gawk at him, "What nonsense are you saying? I'm only saying this because I do not wish for my kingdom to suffer under the reign of a king with a terrible state of mind."

"Then you could have killed him."

"Killing him would deteriorate my already poor standing with the common people, surely you know about it more than I do." The Queen of Hearts averted her gaze, studying the fine cloth of her couch, "The victor you crowned is beloved whereas I..."

"You could rule with an iron fist or with a heavy sword that strikes," the Joker pointed out. There was a smile in his voice as if he wasn't openly suggesting tyranny to run over the kingdom. "Surely that had never crossed your mind, did it? Had it? Perhaps unconsciously you have always desired to be beloved and so you keep him in hopes that some of the love will be given to you."

She lifted her gaze at him, no longer toying with the loose threads on her couch. "I have heard nonsense from you but by far this is the most—"

"Ludicrous?" he grinned. "I've heard. But even more so with your actions years ago, the search for the Queen occurred during the dispute between the ongoing war. The war divided between a minor sum Nobility and the common people versus those of the majority of the Noble Houses and their trusted people. It was a schism."

"...it was only a decision I've made in case we lost." she said. "It was never something I had in mind, my brother he was the best one." She thought it wouldn't exactly shame her saying it aloud but it did. A place in the throne that wasn't supposed to be hers. She claimed it, but the prize for it had been the washing away of blood and kin.

"But you fulfill the role quite well, it suits you. I'm sure they must be proud." 

And yet the other instigator was right in front of her. He said it with such a tone that even Rosalyn wasn't sure if it was genuine or a sarcastic statement.

"Quite amazing that the records have been clean for the surrendering Houses, especially of the Lockhart House. It is all because of your hard work indeed." he continued, "It's the latest one out of all schisms, the most recent. But the Nobility does have a way of keeping things in a clean slate—unfortunately your parents never had the chance to come here. They would have cleared this Castle of everything."

"Haven't I already asked for you to not speak too much?"

"Oh, indeed.. My apologies, a slip of the tongue—quite a bad habit to erase."