'Of all the places to go...' Rose sighed inwardly.
Normally Rose would have fought her own suggestion to go down the same old path with every fiber of her being. But today was different. Ethyn had never seen the forest, and for some reason she longed to show him the way she knew so well.
Perhaps the familiarity would give the princess the courage to pursue the topic which was unable to be broached anywhere else.
Once the way was chosen, the four soldiers with the Rose fanned out to give the knight and princess some space. The purpose of the action was two-fold. It was to scour the approaching woods for potential problems, but it was also due to the fact that Philip had received a missive just before leaving that he should give the couple some privacy.
While the official message was not signed, the soldier recognized the hand as that of Lady Caitlyn. And who was he to disregard the explicit instructions of the princess's closest confidant?
It helped that he had eyes. Philip himself had seen the young knight and beautiful maiden playing a game of cat and mouse ever since he returned to his duties. It was as entertaining as it was frustrating, and on one occasion, Philip had even caught himself groaning audibly. In response to the curious glances from the princess, he feigned indigestion.
So when Philip had directed the men to form a four-post perimeter around the couple, he had done it just as much for his own sanity as he had for security.
Unaware of all that was going on in Philip's head, Rose tried to think of some pleasant topic that would get the ball rolling. She was an excellent conversationalist normally, but whenever she looked at Ethyn just now, her tongue felt as heavy as her stomach did light.
"I think the leaves are about to change," Ethyn broke the tense silence between them.
Rose blinked at him a couple of times, her mind flooded with a thousand answers. "Yes," was all she managed in the end. 'Come on! You can be more clever than that!' the princess chided herself inwardly.
Thankfully the young man did not seem to notice. He continued on his line of thought. "Do the trees change all at once like at home or in phases like I have heard in some places?"
Considering his question, Rose gripped at the reins and tugged when Belle went a little too close to Courage. 'Don't you go rogue on me!' The princess wanted to squeal.
She nearly forgot the question in the process. "The leaves? Oh! They change all together overnight. They transform into brilliant reds and golds. This path right here will look prettier than the palace in a week or two."
"It already does," Ethyn commented, garnering a curious glance from the woman. "Wherever you are is the prettiest place in the world, and no one will ever convince me otherwise."
The compliment was so unexpected and so sincerely delivered that Rose nearly lost her seat. Her face flushed. "Ethyn," she said breathily.
Because the green-eyed man was not wearing his helmet, he was able to peek out of the corner of his eye at the young woman's response.
Her face was very flushed and her breathing more rapid than usual. Her back was so straight and rigid that a pole could not have done a better job. Had he really upset her that much?
The knight sighed. "I know I promised not to compliment you, but it needed to be said. Sometimes my tongue does what it wants in spite of my best efforts. I shall strive to be better. Perhaps it would be easier if I cut out my tongue. Then I would not say anything which would offend you." His lopsided grin told the princess he was not serious in his proposition.
Rose finally found her voice again. Somehow she could handle the teasing far more than his sincerity. His words had stirred something deep within her. And she was unsure what to do with the emotions welling up inside. Teasing the young man, however, required far less inner turmoil.
"I think even if you had no tongue you would find ways to voice your thoughts, Sir Ethyn. I shall not deprive you of your primary method of communication just to curb your compliments. I am beginning...I am beginning to become accustomed to them." The princess added shyly.
Hope lit in Ethyn's eyes. Did she mean what he thought she meant? "Accustomed to as in wanting me to say more or accustomed to as in you no longer want to have me drawn and quartered when I tell you that I think your eyes are prettier than any of the royal jewels?"
The knight had worded his question carefully. If the princess answered seriously, he would gain some valuable information. If she seemed offended, then he could easily play it off as one of his many jokes.
But Rose seemed wise to his game. She smiled mildly. "It is one of those options, I'm pretty sure."
They continued in companionable silence for a few moments while Ethyn desperately tried to divine some meaning from her statement and failed.
Closing her eyes, Rose searched for a way to both remain comfortable and yet still get the answers she sought. "Other than the company, what is your impression of the King's Forest?" She smiled brightly at the knight, and he returned a dazzling grin.
"It is quite lovely. I can see why His Majesty has claimed it as his own and nurtured it." Ethyn's gaze never left her face.
"I don't know that he does much nurturing of the woods." Rose noticed the intensity of his green eyes and felt the blood running to her face.
Sensing her discomfort, Ethyn looked away and cleared his throat. "On the contrary. This path is very well maintained. The brush has been cleared and I have yet to see any dead wood. That can only mean someone is taking care of it."
The knight pointed out different spots where extra care had been taken to ensure the comfort of those who traveled the path. The stones laid down in a historically muddied area, the perfect arch trimmed out of an exceptionally large tree, the sand which had been carted in to ease the slope down the hill.
The princess had to admit that in the hundreds of times she had gone on this path, she had never stopped to consider these details. "The King must really like to come this way." Ethyn held his reins as Courage trotted down an embankment.
"He rarely comes this way except on royal hunts. I believe most of these improvements must be for my benefit." Rose would remember to thank her father when she saw him next. He really did love her very much.
Ethyn nodded thoughtfully. "Then he is a very wise king. He knows where real treasure lies."
"In the forest?" Rose chuckled, "Or in his crazy daughter whose stubbornness thwarts him at every turn?"
"It is one of the two, I am pretty sure." The knight smiled so big that his eyes nearly disappeared. It felt like they were back outside Rynnlee without any titles or responsibilities. If only he could recreate that lovely cove with a waterfall--but no bandits--perhaps he could...
As if reading his thoughts, a soft wind blew against his face as the sound of rushing water wafted into his ears.
"What is that?" he asked reflexively.
"A waterfall. It is in the cove up ahead nestled in the bottom of the hill." Rose did not seem bothered by the sudden appearance of exactly what Ethyn had wished. Of course she had no idea he had wished it.
Ethyn straightened in his saddle. This was his chance. He cleared his throat and tried to sound nonchalant.
"Oh really? Would you show it to me? Please?"