After a time, Caitlyn joined her mistress. What she found was as bad as she had imagined. A sad figure lay sprawled on one of the couches.
When the princess lifted her head, her eyes were red and swollen. Her sobs were no longer wails, but still had considerable power behind them.
"They arrested Ethyn and Silver, Cait!" she yelled before the woman even had a chance to ask. "They are in the dungeon by now. Borit wants them put to death. Why is this happening, Cait? Why!" Rose needed answers. As the Maker was not before the blonde, the question fell to her lady-in-waiting to respond.
Cait was stunned by the words. She had been kept from viewing either of the prisoners, though she had her suspicions. But hearing them confirmed so blatantly, Caitlyn struggled to find an explanation that might ease the Princess's mind.
But there was none.
"I don't know." Cait said sympathetically. Sitting down on the couch next to the princess, the lady-in-waiting began to rub small circles on her mistress's back.
"I called out to Hanna but she has not answered. How can she not answer when one of her chosen is in jeopardy?" Rose dissolved into bitter sobs once more.
A light wind brushed against Caitlyn's cheek. The lady-in-waiting frowned. " I don't know," she answered sadly, "but I'm sure she has her reasons. Perhaps her interference would only make things worse. If I'm not mistaken, they cannot mess with the human world too much."
"But this is important!" Rose ignored the fact that Caitlyn suddenly appeared extra knowledgeable on the subject. "If ever there was a time to intervene, it is now!"
"Perhaps it is because things are so important that the Fates must be silent," Caitlyn countered. "Who knows for sure? What I do know is that just means the choices fall to us."
"I cannot do anything locked up here in this tower. At least not until father arrives," Rose whined, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," the brunette pulled the princess to sit upright. "The first thing you can do is stop crying and looking hysterical. That behavior may garner some sympathy from His Majesty, but I very much doubt it will give you any credibility."
Rose bit her lip, unable to argue the other woman's words. Accepting a handkerchief, the princess dabbed at her puffy eyes.
"Now, tell me everything that happened with His Majesty. Together we can organize your thoughts." Caitlyn's calm attitude and motherly tone slowly soothed Rose's soul.
Like a flood, all the words came flowing out form Rose's mouth to Caitlyn's ears. Every move, every feeling, every word was laid bare for the lady-in-waiting to view.
Listening carefully, Caitlyn tucked away the information she thought was the most vital. When Rose was finally finished, she heaved a great sigh.
"I don't know why Ethyn and Silver didn't speak more in their own defense," the princess lamented.
"Perhaps they couldn't," the older lady tapped her chin in contemplation.
"What do you mean?" The princess hadn't considered the men's motivation.
"Well, the way I see it either they were being prevented from speaking all that they knew, or they knew they were guilty and felt bad for the deception." Caitlyn measured the Princess's response before she continued. "Do you know for certain that they aren't guilty?"
"Lady Caitlyn!" Rose could not believe her ears.
The brunette held up her hands in defense. "Just stop and think for a moment. Is there even a small chance that this was indeed a plot to manipulate you by the people of Rynnlee?"
Rose stopped and considered for a moment. "Anything is possible," she responded slowly.
The princess reviewed all the events in her mind. Silver had come into her room those weeks ago like a breath of fresh air. He had only kindled her desire for adventure. The mysterious Guardian had been in desperate need of her help, and he had helped her when she cut her hand. Both had been endearing.
Silver could have carefully orchestrated the meeting. He could have done each and every nudge behind the scenes to push her toward himself. It was very possible that the man was a master manipulator. A 'king-maker.'
But there were issues with this line of thought. Silver could not have guaranteed that Rose would solve the riddle of his note. That would have been a huge risk.
More than that, it was her real name that had unlocked her memories. No amount of suggestion and insinuation could fake knowing her childhood name and the situation surrounding her being adopted by King Rhodri. Only her brother could know how that occurred.
And the way Silver looked at her. Well, there was no faking the mix of love and regret contained within his gaze. His heart for her was genuine.
As for Ethyn, she could not doubt him without also doubting Silver. Her brother would never have sent him to protect her if he didn't trust the knight.
The young man had protected Rose's honor from Nuall even when no one was looking. Ethyn's heart was hers. She had not a shred of doubt.
"I do not think that either Silver or Ethyn would ever enter into such a dastardly plot. Silver works for the Fates and wants to help the king, not hurt him. And my Ethyn, Sir Samberg, he has sworn to protect the king. I cannot fathom a world where he would go back on that oath." Rose saw Caitlyn's face lighten slightly.
"I would agree with you. Borit did not hesitate to nearly break my arm when I went against him, but I have seen Ethyn be nothing but kindness towards you and everyone else except maybe Sir Nuall. And I heard how the man speaks of you when he doesn't even know we are listening. He loves you, I am sure of it." The lady-in-waiting nodded approvingly.
"I am glad we are on the same page," the princess sighed in relief. "Now what?"
"You said the king was coming? Let's organize the evidence for him. I think I have the documents you needed, though the librarian was more than a little confused. It took some time for him to locate what I wanted. In the end, I told him to start with the books next to the archives that looked untouched. That worked much better."
Caitlyn pointed to three books on the table, one of which was the correct tome. Rose recognized it by its spine immediately. Rose would find all the exact passages and mark them. Even if Rhodri could not jump to the same conclusion she had, her father would not be able to deny that it was suspicious.
"Thank you, Cait, for everything." Rose was very grateful that her friend had brought her back from despair. Having something to do, an action to take, made all the difference in her mood.
"If it pleases you, I will order some food both to feed our little feathered guest and ourselves. I do think with some food in our stomachs, things will look a little less bleak." Caitlyn stood and curtsied.
The formal gesture made the princess smile in spite of herself. "Yes, thank you. I will start finding the entries in the archives. There are a few different passages that I need to mark."
While Caitlyn went to ring the correct bell, Rose flipped through the pages to find the information she needed. Looking at things with fresh eyes, the evidence seemed even more glaring that Borit had committed some misconduct. The book where the two soldiers had been mysteriously killed was missing, but Rose figured after showing her father what she had, he would be able to help her get the last piece of the puzzle.
There was a knock at the door.
Caitlyn bustled back through the sitting room. "That was fast," she said idly, "the servant must have run!"
But when Caitlyn opened the door, it was not a servant.
It was a soldier. And a familiar one at that.