With feet made of granite, Ethyn dragged himself toward the royal table. His reticence was obvious by his slow movement.
"We cannot wait all day," King Rhodri boomed, waving his hand impatiently. The words startled the young man into action, and he hurried at last to the king's side and bowed.
"Forgive me Your Majesty..." the redhead wasn't sure where to start or how much he needed to explain.
"Squire Hamberg," the king said formally. "I would like you to meet my daughter, Princess Rose."
Freezing in his bow, Ethyn tried to process his words. 'Meet?'
The king looked at his daughter. "Rose, this is the soon-to-be-knighted Ethyn Hamberg."
With great effort, Ethyn straightened his body and met the stoic face of the gorgeous princess. Her blue eyes stared back at him accusingly before darting away toward her father. Pink tinged her cheeks.
"We've met," she said to the grey-haired king, forgoing a formal greeting.
From his seat, Rhodri glanced between the two people awkwardly not looking at one another. "I see," he answered with a twinkle in his eye.
'That's it?! Where is the army to arrest me? Did she not tell him?' Now that the squire thought about it, informing the king of the events in the washroom just now in front of all these people did not make sense.
It would expose Rose to ridicule for not being more careful, which would be completely unfair when she had done nothing wrong. It seemed more likely that the princess would tell her father of the unfortunate encounter after dinner, giving Ethyn the perfect opportunity to apologize now.
"Princess Rose and I have indeed met, Your Majesty, but were not properly introduced." He stared intently at the woman before him as he addressed her. "My humblest apologies for being too forward before. I am most honored to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. Your loveliness and character know no bounds. Please know that if you need anything, I am your dutiful servant. Do not hesitate to give me even the most mundane task. My loyalty is with the crown." Dipping his head to show his sincerity, Ethyn hoped his coded message made it through to the princess.
'I had no idea who you were before! I am so sorry. I will do anything to make it up to you. I am a good man, truly!' The young man wanted to scream all of these things, but he settled for the words he had actually spoken. He only hoped it was enough.
Rose's cheeks reddened, but she nodded slightly. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were a sea of emotion. Though what emotion, Ethyn was not sure.
The king clapped his hands thrice. "That was quite eloquent, Squire Hamberg. You may yet have a future as a courtier!"
Ethyn gave a pained smile. "Thank you, Sire, but send me to a little stretch of countryside for me to defend, and I shall be quite content."
The king looked behind the squire to his sponsor. "Eloquent and humble. You have picked well, Sir Cyneheard."
The two older men smiled at one another, an unspoken message passing between them. Oblivious, Ethyn had already glanced away from the king to stare into the deep blue eyes of the princess once more. Oddly, she was staring back.
However, the words of the king broke whatever spell was between them, and Rose blinked a few times and turned away. "I should be getting back to my guests, father." She kissed the man on his bearded cheek and spread her arms wide toward those at the table. "It was very good to see all of you. I hope you will enjoy your stay." The princess curtsied and said her last farewell, "Good eve, Sir Ethyn."
The last words were said with the same aloof tone that Rose had used on him in the washroom. His heart clinched slightly, though he could not say why. As she left, a small part of his heart felt pricked.
The entire room watched as Rose rejoined Lady Caitlyn, who was waiting with a strange grin along the wall, and waited until the two women were well out of earshot to continue their nightly banter.
Ethyn stared after the door until Sir Cyneheard made the young man's chair tip back against him. The high back nudged the redhead, and he caught hold of it instinctively.
Taking the hint, Ethyn sat back in his chair next to the king. The young man's attention was not lost on the sovereign.
"You'll see Rose again at the ceremony. Just don't lose your head or while I am knighting you, or you may be separated from your shoulders for real," Rhodri eyed the young man carefully.
Ethyn quickly shook his head and stammered. "Your Majesty, I...I would never even presume to... Please don't think..."
Laughing, Rhodri leaned forward and winked at Sir Cyneheard. "It is too easy to mess with the young ones. It almost isn't fair."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. They do not know you well enough to sense your jokes." Cyneheard chuckled lightly. The older men at the table all nodded their agreement.
Covertly, Cyneheard nudged Ethyn's knee under the table. Ethyn understood.
"Very funny, Sire. Few can put me on the defensive so easily." The green-eyed man smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck.
The king was turning out to be a very kind man, but there was something in the man's fierce gaze at the mention of his daughter that told the young man to be wary.
The presence he put forth when Rose was mentioned was similar to when Silver talked about Sage: protective. Ethyn would do well to heed the king's advice and not lose his head.
"Usually it is my daughter who puts everyone on the defensive," Rhodri frowned slightly.
"What a helpful family trait for a monarch to have!" Ethyn could feel his natural flow begin. He just needed to make sure to filter his speech lest he say something he might regret.
"Family trait?" the king gave a lopsided grin to the charming young man. "And why do you think it is a good family trait for royals?"
"When you catch someone off guard, you can discern their true nature..." Ethyn trailed off.
Rose had certainly caught him off guard--twice. The redhead paled to think about the conclusions she must have come to about his true nature.
Realizing he had not finished his thought, the green-eyed man picked up the plot. "...at least that is what my mentor told me. It is why we must always strive to be better. For then even when we are at our worst, our character still shines through."
The king raised his hands in surrender. "You have a very wise mentor in Sir Cyneheard. Who knew he could lecture me through such a knowledgeable squire!"
"I did not mean to lecture you! You asked, and I was only trying to give you..." the young man paused upon seeing the king's shoulders shake with merriment.
"Does he always oscillate so quickly between eloquence and stumbling?" Rhodri asked the old knight.
Cyneheard gave a sagely nod. "He does, I'm afraid. My squire came to me that way. Even now, the young man lectures me with lessons I do not remember giving him."
"It is a very dutiful student who can recall lessons even his master has forgotten." Rhodri looked approvingly at the young man.
Ethyn shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The reason Cyneheard often did not recognize Ethyn's wisdom is that it did not come from the noble knight.
Lily, Katherine, Conall, Aiden, and even Hanna had poured their droplets of knowledge into the thirsty young man. But most of the information he possessed came from only one source: the mysterious Guardian, Silver.
Yet, the things Cyneheard had taught him were also invaluable. Without him, the squire would have committed at least three times as many mistakes in the palace as he already had. The old knight's contribution to Ethyn's life could not be undervalued.
"Sir Cyneheard is the perfect teacher. I am truly fortunate." Ethyn felt the knight pat him on the shoulder and a warm feeling spread through his body. He could feel Cyneheard beam with pride as the old man was praised in front of his sovereign.
At last, Ethyn knew he had done something right today.