With only a hint of surprise, Sir Ashton strode graciously forward and bowed before the princess.
"It would be my honor, Your Highness," he said evenly.
Taking his outstretched hand, Rose eagerly passed through the other knights without giving any of them a second glance. Together they exited the platform and joined the throng of dancers already on the floor.
With nothing better to do, Ethyn studied Sir Ashton. The young man was a good height and build, adequate with a sword and any other weapon put in his hand, and was a decent conversationalist.
Ethyn had heard that Ashton's chestnut eyes were the talk of many a young lady, but other than his general politeness, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.
'So why did Princess Rose select him first?' The redhead stroked his chin and shrugged. It would have to remain a mystery for now. He watched the couple chat a little longer and then turned his attention to his fellow knights.
Realizing another dance was unlikely to be in his immediate future, Nuall had left the platform, leaving Ethyn and the six other honorees to wait for a turn to speak to the beautiful princess.
Half of them looked anxious for their chance and the other three looked to be dreading it. Both reactions made some sort of sense. None of them, except for Nuall, had had almost any interaction with the lovely princess before.
What happened with her could mean the difference between a good mission and position from the king and being placed as far in the outskirts as possible. Or, Ethyn reasoned, it could just be a dance.
However, the green-eyed man doubted it. The look on the king's face spoke of an ulterior motive. Rhodri and Sir Cyneheard looked far too pleased with themselves.
The dance finished and Rose chose knight after knight with which to dance. Often, she would glance Ethyn's way, seeming to taunt him with her eyes, and then select another honoree.
At the end, Ethyn was the only young man left on the platform with the king. While he appreciated the reprieve from Mirella and Augusta, who were also watching things carefully, the young man could not help but feel humiliated.
Sensing the young knight's unhappiness, Rhodri clapped the boy on the shoulder. "I see she saved the best for last, Sir Samberg."
'Did the king just wink at me?' Ethyn could swear he was imagining things.
"I am not sure that was her intention," the green-eyed man responded humbly.
For some reason, Rhodri laughed, and Sir Cyneheard joined him!
The king finally calmed down enough to speak. "I will not claim to know everything about women, but when a woman picks you last, she has a very good reason."
"I cannot argue with that reasoning, Sire." Ethyn scratched behind his ear.
"Be flattered to be the grand finale. No one else will get that honor." Rhodri released the man's shoulder and smiled warmly at him as if he had conveyed some hidden message.
'Grand finale?! What could he possibly mean?' Ethyn had no opportunity to ask the king because at that very moment the orchestra finished playing.
Ethyn's gaze instinctively moved to the blonde princess in the middle of the dance floor. He noticed Rose laughing at something her current dance partner had said. She obviously found him quite enchanting.
'Good.' Ethyn told himself. 'Maybe her thoughts will stay with him and we can have a quiet dance. That way I won't say anything else I will regret.'
With a plan in mind, the green-eyed man awaited the princess's approach. She glided elegantly toward him, and he was once again entranced by her angelic form. When she came near enough, he bowed and offered his hand.
Rose did not take it. "I am very tired," she told her father. "I would like a rest."
Rhodri tilted his head, wise to her game. "Then it is very good you only have Sir Samberg left. After your dance with him, perhaps you can retire to the gardens for some fresh air."
The princess pressed her lips together. "Very well."
Dipping her head to the king, Rose accepted the hand of the final knight. Without a word, he led her on to the dance floor.
The song that began was a slow and sweet melody. 'Of course...' Ethyn rolled his eyes internally.
If it had been a lively tune, the young man could have joined the line of dancers and the two would be far too busy weaving in and out of the other couples to have time for conversation.
It would have been ideal, but unfortunately it was not meant to be. Instead the slow melody meant the two would have to glide about the floor in each other's arms. 'This better not be Hanna's doing...'
Tentatively, he held her right hand with his left and wrapped his right arm around Rose's waist. The princess winced slightly.
"I promise to be careful," Ethyn assured her. Then in a mild tone he added. "There will be no accidents this time..." He tried a lopsided grin, but it only made Rose tense.
"I should hope not!" The princess arched her back, and the green-eyed man realized he had said the wrong thing. He moved his hand higher up on her back to avoid any confusion on his motives.
The wise thing to do would be to let the matter go, but Ethyn did not like the idea of being misunderstood yet again. "Forgive me again for the other day. I try not to make a habit of being so woefully misguided. I truly do not like causing beautiful young ladies discomfort."
The princess's tense expression turned sour. "Yes, I can see that you like to make the young ladies very happy indeed."
"I am afraid I do not follow..." Ethyn spun the princess out and embraced her once more. There was a tinge of pink on her cheeks as their eyes met.
"You have danced with nearly every woman in this room," Rose looked placid, but the disdain in her voice was fraught with disapproval.
"Not every woman!" This was clearly an exaggeration.
"Every eligible woman then..." The princess turned her nose up in the air. They glided along the floor for a moment as Ethyn scrambled for a reply.
He looked around the ballroom, searching for any young lady to which the had not had the pleasure of being introduced. The young man smirked.
"Don't you dare say you have not danced with Mirella or Augusta! I saw how cozy you were with them at dinner." Rose cut off his comment before he could make it. Her biting tone only made Ethyn want to dig in his heels much harder.
"I was not going to say anything of the sort. Aside from dancing with you, of which I have not had the absolute pleasure until this point," Ethyn tilted his chin knowingly, "Yes, aside from you, there was this lovely older lady who I asked to dance, but to my dismay, she declined. I was thoroughly rebuffed."
The princess laughed, a sound that the knight realized he enjoyed more than he cared to admit. "Oh no! I will not swoon over you, Sir knight. That charm of yours has claimed far too many victims as it is..." Rose spun herself out only to have Ethyn expertly spin her back in.
Her smile when they came back together was deceptive. Anyone watching would think the lady was having a pleasant time, when Ethyn was almost sure it was all for show.
"You think I'm charming?" The young man's question was genuine.
The princess leaned forward and whispered so only the young man could hear. "There is only one thing I think about you Sir Samberg, if you must know..." Rose trailed off.
Feeling her breath brush against his ear, Ethyn cocked his head to one side and smiled at her. "What is that, Your Highness?"
Rose pulled away and curtsied as the song abruptly came to a close. It seemed like she might leave his question unanswered. But as she turned to leave, Ethyn caught her parting words.
"You want to know what I think? I think you, Sir Ethyn, are a shameless flirt."
With that, the princess entered the crowd, leaving stunned Ethyn alone and confused.