Back at the palace, the Captain and princess spoke no more until they reached the young woman's quarters.
"Do not let anyone else enter, except the king himself, do you understand?" Rabert ordered. He turned to the detail that had followed him. "All of you wait out here. I will go inside to make sure Her Highness is safe. She does not need a bunch of burly men messing up her nice room. Not to mention, some of you smell horribly!" The last bit was added to ease some tension among the men.
It worked. There was a rumble of agreement as each soldier elbowed his neighbor. Idle chatter began to spring up as many were accused of needing to bathe.
"It is good to get them talking. Less ability to eavesdrop," Rabert whispered.
Rose smiled. It was just another example of how clever the man was. She tucked away the little nugget of wisdom with the other gems he had given over the years. 'I might need it some day.'
Opening the door for the princess, the captain bowed his head and allowed her to enter first. She swept past him, leaving the growing amount of talking behind.
Once the pair were inside, Rabert barred the door to the sitting room and looked at Rose expectantly. Holding a finger to her lips, the princess tiptoed over to her friend's bedroom door.
"Lady Caitlyn, how are you? Can you talk?"
The door swung wide and Caitlyn appeared fully clothed in a luxurious pink gown. The color had returned to her cheeks and her skin no longer had a greenish tinge. "I am quite well, thank you, your highness." Lady Caitlyn glided across the floor to the captain and smiled. "Greetings, Captain Rabert. To what do we owe the pleasure? Is your visit today personal or professional?"
Rabert was caught off guard. Based on Rose's words earlier in the day, he had expected to see a frail and delicate woman who was recovering from illness. Instead he was look at a vivacious brunette who could take on the world. Not for the first time, Rabert admired Caitlyn's tenacity.
The captain took off his leather helmet and placed it under one arm. The dark hair underneath the cap was wild, though thinned slightly by his age.
"My visit is, uh, I suppose it is a bit of both, my lady." Rabert bobbed his head in deference to the beautiful lady-in-waiting.
The auburn-haired woman nodded her comprehension. "Very good, Captain. We welcome you. Princess Rose, perhaps you would like to offer our guest a seat and some refreshments?"
Rose smiled widely, her heart close to bursting. "It's wonderful to have you back, Lady Cait. I don't know where I would be without your manners and decorum." The princess motioned to the seats surrounding a low table. "Please come sit with us, Captain Rabert. Would you like something to eat or drink?"
Gliding across the room, Rose and her lady-in-waiting took seats on a small couch. Rabert selected a sturdy chair across from the pair.
"Nothing for me, thank you." Rabert looked anxiously at Lady Caitlyn. As Captain of the Guards, Rabert had the privilege of meeting with the royals privately if the need arose. "The topic I need to discuss is rather sensitive, Your Highness..." The man wasn't sure if Rose wanted the subject discussed in front of her lady-in-waiting. Rose acknowledged his hesitance.
"Go ahead and say what you have to say, Captain. If you know what I think you know, then it is easier to have this conversation only once. Lady Cait knows for what I was searching."
"Very well, Your Highness. Cole told me what you were looking for. It is a little strange, I must admit." Rabert scratched at his eyebrow. "But your findings leave me even more puzzled."
"Did Cole show you the report?" the princess asked.
Nodding, the Captain pulled something from the pouch at his waist. "He did. I also confiscated this book from him. I hope you don't mind." Passing over the tome, the man gave her a curious glance. Rose gripped the book before tucking it into the couch beside her.
"Wait, did you actually find something?" Caitlyn was suddenly interested. She hadn't expected the princess would do anything but dig through old books until she was frustrated. Rose smiled triumphantly. It wasn't often she could truly surprise her friend.
"I did," Rose answered smugly. She continued after a dramatic pause. "Actually, to be fair, Cole found the report. I was a bit...distracted right at that moment."
Lady Caitlyn narrowed her gaze at the princess's stalling. "If you would, Your Highness, I would like to know what you found," the brunette said politely.
Seeing her fun was finished, the princess got straight to the point. "Borit filed a report on the massacre of a village. It was burned to the ground killing almost everyone. It was originally reported that only a boy and baby escaped the blaze. Then the two other soldiers who were there during the incident died mysteriously in a raid. After that, Borit changed the report. He removed any mention of the baby and blamed the boy for the fire."
Cole had passed the report to the Captain and explained the assignment that the princess had given him. But he had left out his own commentary and the lady's conclusions. While he trusted the Captain, he did not want to get the princess or himself in additional trouble by relaying those thoughts.
As such, Rose's version of events caused the captain to view the report in a new light. "I had noticed the discrepancy. Why would Borit change the report?" Rabert mumbled to himself more than the women. He continued on in a more informational tone. "It's very uncommon for a soldier to revisit and amend a report unless new information comes to light. I did not see anything to suggest he was investigating the matter."
"He did not need to investigate," the princess asserted. "I think Borit was there from the start and knew exactly what happened. The commander didn't want any witnesses, so he changed the report once he was in the clear."
Caitlyn's mouth opened slightly in shock. "You think Borit set the fire and then tried to cover it up?"
"I do," Rose confirmed.
"That sounds crazy!" Caitlyn tried to align the charming man she admired with the cold-blooded killer that Rose had just described. The headache from earlier began to return.
"I would love your thoughts on the matter, Captain Rabert." Rose knew the Captain did not like the Commander, but Rabert was also a good judge of character.
Unsure what to think, Rabert shook his head slowly. "If I may be honest, I have seen our Commander do some questionable things. I am not sure I am willing to go so far as what you are suggesting, but I cannot rule it out either. I need some time to think and reflect."
"It looks like your mysterious visitor might have been right." Lady Caitlyn mused. Rose shot her friend an angry look. Caitlyn feigned ignorance. "Were you not going to tell him? My mistake."
"I was planning to do that, just not right this second." the princess snipped.
"What mysterious visitor?" Rabert felt a lump in his throat. The two ladies turned their eyes toward him, one with a look of satisfaction and the other with a hint of guilt.
Rose smiled at him innocently. "Yes, please don't be angry, Captain. You see…Silver was in my room last night. Not only that… I kind of helped him escape."
Rabert blinked uncomprehending for a moment.
"WHAT?!?"