Disappointment upon disappointment greeted Ethyn as he was not seated by the lovely blonde princess at dinner. He watched Rose be placed between two incredibly handsome men as he was ushered across the table and to the King's right.
'At least this way I can see her across from me,' he comforted himself.
Caitlyn could sense his sadness as she joined his other side. "I know I am a poor substitute," she whispered to the knight.
"Is it that obvious?" Ethyn chewed his lip.
"Only to those with eyes. But I do think the princess is blind if that helps," Caitlyn's gentle nature comforted Ethyn.
His only other real encounter with her had been when he entered the women's washroom, but she thankfully seemed to have forgiven him for that mistake.
"I should be quite happy to be in His Majesty's and Her Highness's presence at all. I just expected things to go…differently." Ethyn admitted.
"Please place all the blame on me, good sir. I seem to have pushed the king into inviting more guests at the last minute. It was not my intention…" Caitlyn wanted to explain more but the king raised his hand for the food to be served.
With food piled high on his plate, Ethyn decided he had no choice but to dig in.
"What was your intention, Lady Caitlyn, if not to cause some sort of competition?" Ethyn's remarked after taking a few delicious bites. With his hunger beginning to be sated, his words sounded merely curious.
Caitlyn laughed. "No one needed my help to be competitive. You boys do that all on your own."
Ethyn winced. It was true. He had already been thinking about how much better each of the men across the table would be at making Rose happy.
"And anyway, there is no competition. Sir Ashton is kind and charming, but Rose said herself if she had a royal brother that he would be a good candidate because he is easy to get along with. And Sir Ultrian is...how can I say this? Handsome, but..." the brunette lowered her voice even further and leaned into Ethyn's ear. "He is dull as a post."
The knight nearly spit out his food as he laughed. He looked up and met the princess's eye. She seemed to be glaring at him, though he had no idea why. Realizing she had been caught staring, the princess's gaze darted back toward Sir Ashton.
"Don't get me wrong," Cait said quickly, "He is a predictable party guest, which is likely why His Majesty invited him. There is something to be said for knowing exactly what you will get."
Ethyn swallowed and tilted toward Lady Cait. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Ultrian has been chasing the princess for years with no affection in return. You, on the other hand, are something new entirely. The princess feels it too. I have never seen her give more than a passing glance to any man. With you, her eyes linger. Even right now." Caitlyn tilted her head towards her mistress across the table.
Again Rose had to shift her gaze quickly away from the pair.
"I'm cheering for you," Cait said quickly before leaning away.
"Are you quite finished with your secrets over there?" Rhodri cleared his throat. The pair of gossipers straightened in their seats.
The king had a habit of being silent for the first part of the meal. Rhodri always seemed like he was so fully engrossed in his food that no one believed him to be listening to their conversations. Yet Caitlyn often suspected this was just a ploy to put people at ease so he could eavesdrop.
It seemed her suspicions were confirmed, for the monarch conveniently waited until she was done talking to Ethyn to intervene. 'Such a clever king.'
"We are quite at your leisure, my king, to speak about whatever your heart desires." Caitlyn said as she dipped her head.
"I am most glad to have your approval, my lady. The topic I choose is… growing up!" Rhodri tapped his hand on the table twice to punctuate his point. "And as the selector of the conversation, I shall go first. I was born in this very palace. My elder brother and I enjoyed causing mayhem for the late king and queen, and the castle was a most lively place when we were young. If only we could have stayed so innocent and never have grown up!.. Though, I suppose in a way my dear brother did. He abdicated his position and fled, leaving me this old fuddy-duddy you see today."
Ethyn realized the king was studying his reaction. The redhead had never heard about the king's older brother nor his abdication of the throne. Why should he know?! It had all happened long before he was even born. So his shock was legitimate.
'Oh the face I must be making!' Ethyn's eyes opened even wider. "I would never consider you a fuddy-duddy, Your Majesty. Without you, the kingdom would have been lost."
"I would have been lost too," Rose said. "You raised me and taught me what I needed to know about life and love. The palace would have been utterly lonely if not for your care. No one could replace you in my life, father. That is for certain. Without you, I would never know the joy of cream tarts!"
Rhodri stroked his chin seriously. "The last part is exceptionally true." His face broke out into a wide grin. "And it is a joy we shall all know at the end of this meal!"
Unconsciously licking his lips, Rhodri lifted his hands for the plates to be taken away. The others hastily took a final bite knowing that once the king was finished, they were also.
"Time for the main course," Rhodri said with a wide grin.
"That was the appetizer?!" Ethyn exclaimed. Everyone else chuckled, making the young man suddenly feel like a country cousin.
"I would never have such a paltry sum for my esteemed guests. I do not want you to leave hungry!" The king patted his stomach. Unlike Ethyn, who had nearly filled his belly to avoid being rude, the king still had plenty of room for the things to come. "You are quite funny, Sir Samberg. I had no idea you were a comedian."
"I was finding him quite amusing myself, Your Majesty." Caitlyn fanned herself, ignoring the glare from her mistress. "Very amusing indeed."
"I have always said, Lady Cait, with your esteemed background, you are without a doubt the highest judge in comedy." Rose bit her lip and grinned, realizing she had given rather too strong of a reaction. "It is too bad you have a mistress with no sense of humor."
Caitlyn beamed at her successful prodding. "Alas, I have no claim to comedy either, I am afraid. For those who do not know my background, I was raised in this fine Capital of Burke to attend court and look lovely. My lessons in joviality were sorely lacking."
"Yet even with no coaching, you make us smile. Such a prodigy!" Rhodri nodded his approval.
"Perhaps I missed my calling as a circus performer," Caitlyn snapped her fan and opened it as if she were on stage.
"Court is its own circus, my dear. And your presence is always most welcome." Rhodri held up his glass to have it refilled. He was in a most excellent mood.
As the next course began to be served, Rhodri turned his attention to his other guests. "The ladies and I have given our background, now it is your turn, gentleman. Entertain us, gentlemen. What was your childhood like?"
Ethyn froze. He had always been vague about his background. But now it was facing a very pointed question from the King of Birle.
'What do I say?'