Ethyn squirmed in his seat as all eyes fell on him expectantly. There seemed to be no way around giving them at least some recount of his time at the palace, especially after Silver's not too subtle demand.
"There isn't much to tell and you really shouldn't make a big deal out of it. It was just a normal knighting ceremony." The young man smiled politely. He could feel his ears burning.
"I doubt the king recognizes every knight in such a special way," Aiden coaxed the redhead. The former soldier was quite proud of his trainee.
"Yes, I remember the king said you showed great promise," Silver filled in the gap because Ethyn seemed unwilling.
"Just friendly words, nothing more." Ethyn assured them. "The king is quite generous with his attention."
"We have a kind king," Lily cooed like a dutiful subject. "May his eyes be opened to the snake in his midst." She raised her glass. Those around the table joined her.
Grateful for the reprieve, Ethyn drank deeply. His throat felt very dry.
"Did the sword hurt when it touched your shoulders?" Kai asked.
Setting down the cup, the knight shook his head. "The king uses the flat side of the sword, so no, I barely felt it." Other than a fear for his earlobes and a surge of pride, Ethyn had barely noticed the blade glancing against his armor.
"I believe his Majesty prefers his knights not to lose their heads before they even begin to serve him," Aristos told his son. "It would cut down on the number of people in his service."
Kai rolled his eyes at the fatherly pun. He turn his attention back to his personal hero with stars in his eyes. "It must have been so amazing to meet the king. Maybe someday I can be a knight too."
Ethyn knew that this was unlikely. Only landowning families had any chance to send a child off to be a knight. The land on which Kai and his family lived was part of the Baron's province, so unless the Baron gifted them some of it, they would never have a claim. The mirth from the table was gone for a moment, but the young knight smiled at the boy.
"Maybe," the knight answered after a little thought. "Anything is possible under the right circumstances."
Looking around the table, he knew it was true. He, as an abandoned orphan had somehow caught the attention of a Guardian. Without his patronage, there is no way he could have risen to such heights.
"Tell us about the knighting ceremony again. But this time, I want to know what the ladies were wearing," the eldest daughter of Lily and Aristos asked sweetly. Even at seven years of age, she already considered herself quite a young lady. And ladies, in her opinion, needed to dress properly.
"Ew, Morwenna!" Kai stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Uncle Silver does not want to hear about that!"
"You don't know what Uncle Silver wants to hear. I doubt he got to see any of that on his visit," the girl argued.
The Guardian chuckled. "On the contrary, I saw a lovely yellow dress that I assume is the height of fashion," Silver half-joked. He saw the little girl's pleading gaze and relented. "Though I would not mind hearing Sir Ethyn's version of palace life, fashions included."
Feeling like this was a safe topic, the green-eyed man delved into the intricacies of the ceremony, including what everyone was wearing. The boy was a good storyteller, a skill he had learned from Silver himself. By the end, the whole company felt like they were in the room with Ethyn during his shining moment.
"And then King Rhodri said, 'Rise, Sir Samberg.' I didn't have to turn around to know Sir Cyneheard was smiling ear to ear. He told me later that I have been his favorite apprentice. He is a good man."
Those listening were also smiling. Even baby Dru, who was just two, seemed proud of the boy who Rynnlee claimed as their own.
"I suppose that's my story," Ethyn announced, getting ready to stand from the table. Everyone had finished eating and some of the clean up had already been started.
"Sit down, my boy!" Conall ordered with a grunt. "You skipped over the part that our Guardian wanted to hear the most!"
Ethyn pressed his eyes shut for a moment. "And what part is that?"
"The, uh, Princess..." the mayor stuttered to get out her name.
"Rose," both Ethyn and Silver filled in the blank, though the latter did it with some bitterness. The two men looked at one another.
"It wasn't a big deal." Ethyn rubbed the back of his neck. "I did speak to the princess."
"No big deal? You said she fell all over you, boy!" The mayor lifted his glass jovially.
"What I said was..." the boy was cut off by Aiden.
"Princess Rose must have really liked you to give you such special attention," the burly man winked.
"Liked is not the right word," the boy smiled, but his eyes were darting about.
"It is a little early to consider love, Ethyn," Lily scolded. "Love at first sight is exceedingly rare."
"I wasn't going to say love either!" the boy defended himself.
"Really? The way you told the story the other night, I would have thought you would be asked back to the palace immediately." Aristos teased.
"Oh no," Ethyn's voice cracked. "I would not count on so quick an invitation. Those sorts of things take time, if they happen at all."
"Don't let her get away," Conall sat back in his chair and patted his round stomach. "A beauty like you described only comes around once in a generation." Katherine arched her brow at her husband. He blew her a kiss and added. "I should know, I found the beauty in mine."
"If Princess Rose wanted to marry you, you would do it, right?" Morwenna asked with a dreamy look. The girl was already planning out the event in her head.
"I would consider it." The boy swallowed hard.
"What is there to consider? She's the princess. Of course he would marry her. You don't say no to a princess," Conall laughed. "If I were young and handsome, I would..."
Silver banged his fist on the table, silencing them all. "What exactly happened between you and the princess to inspire such...confidence," he asked, his voice eerily calm. There was a threat in the words that was not lost on the knight.
"Confidence? Well..."
Ethyn suddenly felt that the collar of his tunic was too tight. And the room was unusually hot. A man could boil is such a stuffy place…Ethyn began to sweat.
"Are you alright, dear?" Kathrine, who was clearing plates, reached out and placed her hand on the knight's forehead. Her lips puckered as her motherly instincts overrode the man's age. Counting those in the room, Ethyn had quite a few parental figures. Sometimes that was wonderful and other times... "You don't seem to have a fever but you don't look well." the innkeeper furrowed her brow.
Pushing her hand away, the young man smiled weakly. "I'm fine. I just..."
A knock at the door saved him further explanation. "Who could that be? Everyone is here." Conall wondered.
Then a booming voice through the door answered his mumbled question. "Open up in the name of the king!"