Ethyn moved far into the forest in the deepening darkness, careful not to disturb the large cats that stalked the night.
"I'm going to be stripped of my title after this, I just know it," he mumbled. "Even if the princess did not tell the king of all the foolish things I have done, refusing a direct request by the king should be enough to get me exiled. But what can I do? Surely he already knows what happened at the palace. That was why King Rhodri summoned me in the first place." Ethyn lamented.
The knight had no delusions that the king simply wanted to have a nice chat. The dinner was always meant to be a death sentence to his career. Refusing the invitation only hastened his demise.
Like his mentor, Ethyn stalked seamlessly through the stillness of the trees, pressing his toes underneath the brush to keep from snapping a wayward twig.
If not for his slightly incoherent mumbling, he would have been traveling virtually silently. As it was, his mind was humming with as much activity as his feet.
"Why did she have to be Silver's sister? If I had survived the dinner, then I could have avoided the princess even if I had been stationed at the palace, but now...now everyone here will know what a complete idiot I am."
Ethyn stopped as he came to a small clearing. It was a place he knew well. He had replaced the canvas tarp the last time he was in town and placed a bedroll up underneath where it would not get wet. The stone circle beside it was intact and wood was neatly stacked nearby.
It was intended to be a respite for weary travelers. Tonight, Ethyn was the weary one.
Absent-mindedly, he took some of the wood from the pile and formed a cone inside the stone circle. After a little coaxing, the small amount of tinder lit, and a cozy fire began to burn.
Although the green-eyed man did not need the fire for heat this time of year, the flames kept him company while his mind tried to puzzle out what to do next.
The crackling and burning of the dry wood reminded him of the future he had wanted going up in flames. 'Quite a turn of events.'
Ethyn had always wanted to be a knight. He had wanted to make Birle a better place. Seeing how the Guardian had improved Rynnlee only strengthened the young man's conviction.
But all that work was for naught, it seemed.
Maybe he could try his luck in Lakyle. Sage probably needed help.
Silver had mentioned that she was about to go to war or something like that. If it was true, then she could certainly use the help of a capable knight! It wasn't a bad plan. In fact…
"Planning to run, are you? I thought my poor example had taught you that running doesn't work." The shadow on the other side of the fire had appeared from nowhere, yet Ethyn was not the least bit startled.
He had become accustomed to this phantom in the night.
"How did you find me?" The young man barely glanced up at his comrade.
Silver motioned to the fiery pit. "With this beacon burning it is amazing all of Birle doesn't know your location!" In a more serious tone he added, "This is where I found you that night so long ago. I know you like to come here to think."
It was true, but Ethyn was still annoyed that Silver should find him so predictable. "So, I suppose you know all my secrets, then."
"Most…though I am a little stumped on why you made us both leave the party…" the Guardian crossed his arms.
"You didn't have to come," the younger man grumbled, "I certainly didn't ask you to follow me."
Silver tapped his foot impatiently. "Oh I didn't come because you asked me. I came because Haven did."
The woman's name caused Ethyn to hang his head in his hands. "Why did the princess have to be your sister?!"
Silver wanted to be stern, but seeing his friend in such a sorry state melted his resolve. He sighed and sat down in the dirt next to the green-eyed man.
"How do you think I feel? I spent three years looking for her. I passed by the palace at least a dozen times not knowing Haven was within reach. I wonder if Hanna was laughing or crying by how close I came…" Silver clicked his tongue.
"I hadn't thought about that…" the young man knew the Guardian had abandoned his calling to search for the girl.
Around the same time Silver had begun his quest to find Hanna, Ethyn had been thrown from his home and made an attempt to find his missing father. Unfortunately neither were found until now.
Clasping his hands across his folded legs, Silver breathed out in exasperation. "I now wonder if I caught a glimpse of her at some point and didn't recognize her. What could I have done differently?"
The green-eyed man furrowed his brow. "You cannot do that to yourself. You cannot change the past. You can only control what happens now to try to make a better future for you both."
"Exactly." The Guardian's voice changed from self-pity to smug satisfaction.
Realizing he had been tricked, Ethyn held up his finger in objection. "Wait! Did you just make me give myself a life lesson?"
Breathing his hot breath of his fingernails, Silver rubbed his fingers smugly against his cloak. "It was too easy."
The young man sighed, "It is good advice…The difference is your sister doesn't hate you. I am not sure I can fix what I've done."
"Did you murder someone she cared about?" Silver asked.
"No!" Ethyn was shocked. What must the Guardian think of him?!
"Did you insult the king in some irrevocable way?"
"No..." the young knight shook his head.
"Then, with time, she will forgive you if you try to make amends." Silver gently shoved the young man's shoulder with his own.
Blowing out his cheeks, Ethyn was unconvinced. "How can you be sure?"
"Experience. You see, I broke into Haven's room, abducted her, stole from the palace and abandoned her without telling her who I was, and she still came to find me and forgive me. Most anything is tame by comparison." Silver's eyes flashed. When he put it like that, the Guardian sounded more like a villain than a hero.
The knight choked. "Did you say you abducted Haven?!"
"I did. Held her at knife point no less," Silver pushed back his hood so that Ethyn could see his face. There was amusement but not deceit.
"You are serious! How did the guards not kill you?!" Knowing how protective the king was of his daughter, Ethyn marveled that his friend was still in one piece.
"They didn't find out. When they came to try and find the intruder, Haven hid me from them. She didn't even know who I was, but still she protected me. That is just who she is." Silver could not say enough nice things about his sister.
"The princess did that?" Ethyn was surprised.
Silver stared intently at the fire. "She did....which brings me to my confusion. What exactly happened to cause this problem between you two?"
"Your sister didn't tell you anything?" The man had assumed that the princess would tell everything as soon as he left. After all, he had made her look bad at her own celebration.
"Haven did not want to embarrass you. She only told me that your time together was memorable."
'That's an understatement.' "Very kind of her." The man got up and threw another log on the fire. Feelings of gratitude and frustration mixed up inside him.
"So...? Spill. What could a little nobody knight have done to incur the ire of the king's daughter?" Silver was clearly teasing him, but it helped to lessen the tension.
Ethyn lowered his head in shame. "Among other things, I assaulted her…"