At last the soldiers of Birle and the prisoners from Lakyle were far out of sight and out of range to hear the people in the cove heave a sigh of relief. A crisis had been narrowly averted. They were safe.
Silver made his way below the closest boulder and tilted his head up. It was interesting how no matter the angle, the Guardian could manage to keep his hood in place. As he watched, Ethyn wondered if it was due to skill or magic that it was always in the perfect spot to conceal his face.
"It's safe now, sister." The man's voice was full of softness that Ethyn found jarring. Even with Sage, he had been kind--loving even-- but not exactly tender.
A delicate face peered over the rockface and beamed a smile on them that could rival the sun. "May I come down now? I am getting rather tired of being up here."
"Are you able to get down?" The way Silver worded his question made Rose blush.
She could tell by his tone that he was raising one eyebrow at her incredulously. He must have had at least some knowledge of her lack of skill.
"I am not sure," she answered honestly. "Climbing up was hard enough. I am a little nervous that I shall fall if my feet go wrong."
The vision of Ethyn plummeting to the ground was fresh on her mind. And only a few days ago, she nearly lost her own life in a foolish attempt to repel from her bedroom window. The fear of heights was something she had very recently acquired, but it was no less real.
"Then jump."
Silver's words were met with a narrowed gaze from his sister.
"That isn't funny."
The Guardian did not flinch. "I am serious. I will catch you. If you prefer, I can come up there, anchor a rope and help you repel, but this will be over much faster and have you on the ground in no time."
"I will be on the ground particularly quickly if you don't catch me..." Rose snorted.
"Trust me. I will not let you fall. Ever." Silver spread his legs slightly and held out his arms.
Rose stood up on the rock. Before Ethyn could open his mouth to speak his hesitation, the princess backed up and took a two-stepped leap to clear the edge of her perch.
Her dress, still tucked between her legs resembling trousers, fluttered like hummingbird wings as she descended through the air. It would have been beautiful if not for the rising panic in the young knight.
Silver had clearly not anticipated that his sister would fly from the boulder with such force. He was too close to the wall to be able to easily break her fall.
"Silver!" Ethyn yelped as he also lunged forward.
Yet his worry was in vain. The inhuman speed of the Guardian allowed him to adjust in a blur of motion, just in time for the lady to land safely his embrace.
Rose's arms instinctively reached for his neck, her hands running up against his hood. But rather than shock her, the cloak complied and allowed Silver's face to be revealed.
The Guardian cradled the princess in his arms for a moment. It brought back so many memories, both happy and painful. The love in Rose's eyes reminded the man so much of his adoptive mother that Silver almost whispered Alexis's name. He blinked to clear his vision.
"Are you hurt?" he choked out at last. Setting down the princess, Silver began to check the woman for injuries.
She pulled away from his attention and laughed softly. "Just a skinned knee and that is entirely my fault. And don't you dare pull out that vial of yours! It is my injury, and I am keeping it."
Silver's hands were already in his cloak, presumably to grab the glowing light. Instead, he pulled out a bandage and tended to his sister's shallow wound.
When he was done, he took a small knife and snipped off the end of the bandage as well as the torn hem of Roses skirt. Concerned for her injuries over his own, Ethyn tried to watch how Silver treated the wound only to have the Guardian keep blocking his view on purpose.
The young man realized that the older brother was protecting his sister's dignity. Rather than push the issue, Ethyn found a seat against one of the boulders and let out a heavy sigh followed by a groan.
With the excitement of the day gone, he realized just how much he was hurt. Thankfully, his throat wound was minor, but the damage to his ribs and stomach was rather severe.
"You'll survive," Silver said over his shoulder as Rose fixed her dress to cover her legs. "I have seen you in far worse shape."
"I know, but only just barely," the young man groaned again.
Grunting, Silver threw a parcel of waxed paper at the redhead, hitting Ethyn squarely in the chest.
Ethyn yelped. "What is wrong with you?! Can't you see I am in pain."
The Guardian clicked his tongue dismissively. "Open it and rub it on your chest and back. It will help with the pain and bruising."
"I can help you with your back," Rose offered while smoothing her skirt. Because she was looking down at her covered legs, she did not see the appalled face of her brother nor the astonished expression of the knight.
"That won't be necessary," Ethyn blurted. He began unwrapping the parcel to avoid meeting her gaze.
"You won't be touching or even looking at his bare skin, Haven. Avert your eyes at least!" Silver was truly scandalized.
"You act like I haven't seen a Ethyn's bare chest before, brother..." Rose grinned.
"What?!" Both men said in unison.
Ethyn recalled the incident in the washroom at the palace; he had lifted the tunic over his head to wash it before realizing his mistake. He knew Lady Caitlyn had seen him. It seemed the princess had as well.
"Are you trying to get me killed, my lady?! Silver, I promise it is not what you think." Ethyn stood up against the wall to escape the anger of the Guardian only to be shoved back roughly on his seat.
"It is better that I not know. Or as you suggested I might just murder you instead of help you." The man's eyes flashed silver. "Haven, turn around."
Knowing better than tease her brother or his friend further, Haven dutifully averted her gaze and faced the far wall. She resisted the urge to turn around and check the men's progress as she listened to the young knight's sudden hiss.
With a tug, Silver helped his friend remove his long shirt, his face expressionless as the Guardian rubbed the ointment onto his friend's bruised back. Ethyn handled the front of his body and his head.
"Where did you find that?" the redhead asked, trying to fill the silence.
"I made it." The Guardian pressed the salve into a tender spot and Ethyn sucked in his breath.
"And where did you find this recipe?" The young man persisted.
"It was part of a bunch of notes I found in some ancient ruins." Silver's touch was rough, but the cream was more than soothing enough to make up for the questionable nursemaid.
Ethyn's eyes rolled back into his head as the pain slowly began to subside. "I would love to see those notes sometime."
"You cannot. Hanna took them from me due to some of the other things in them. You see, I made a good little crater in the palace gardens using information from that journal." There was a hint of pride in the Guardian's voice. There certainly more to that story.
"Can I turn around yet?" Rose asked impatiently.
Ethyn pulled his tunic back over his head and fastened his scabbard. "All clear," he said.
"How do you feel?" The Guardian asked while he stowed the rest of the medicine into his cloak.
The young man stood up and rolled her shoulders and twisted at his waist. While the pain was not gone, it was easily manageable. "I feel as right as rain," he answered with a cheery grin. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. That conversation we had put off until later? Well, it's later..." Silver's scowled. The warmth in his voice was completely gone.
Ethyn paled. 'Uh Oh.'
The cloaked man's nostril's flared as he tried to control his anger, but his voice echoed a hundred fold in the enclosed cove.
"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!"