"Haven?" Silver's voice faltered. He gently pulled back the hood to reveal his sister's head of golden hair.
She chuckled softly. "Not who you expected?"
"Considering that Borit stole my cloak, you are the last person I was expecting to see." The Guardian blinked many times trying to process the sight before him.
"That explains why you are still sitting on me." Rose shifted her weight with a soft grunt.
At her words, the Guardian snapped out of his shock. He released his sister and drew her into a sitting hug instead. "Haven," he said, wracked with emotion.
"It's good to see you too, Sean." Rose immediately felt calmer.
Her brother was the Mighty Silver. He could do anything!
"What are you doing up here?" Although Silver would rather savor the reunion with his baby sister, now was not the time.
Rose blushed. "I figured out that the soldiers of Lakyle were invading, and I wanted to help. The Seeker brought me here to see what was happening in the throne room. Not ideal, but it is effective."
Silver was relieved to find his sister already seemed to know what was happening. There was a small part of him that was worried that she would believe he really was behind everything. The loving way Rose looked at him dismissed those fears.
He ran two fingers down her cheek until they landed on the brim of the black hood. The fabric seemed to hug his fingers in welcome.
Silver raised one eyebrow. "How did you end up with my little friend here?"
The princess touched the metal clasp and winced. "Oh, that was a bit of an accident. A soldier named Ingrid was escaping with it and attacked me."
Silver's eyes flashed. "Ingrid?! Did she hurt you?" His voice came out as a low growl.
"No. I threw tea in her face, and she fell into the stove. I grabbed the cloak to try and stop her, but it came unclasped instead." Rose spoke quickly, unsure of what her brother would think of the strange woman and what had happened.
But Silver's face broke into a smile. "I am beginning to think my cloak likes you better than me."
Rose touched her shoulder and felt the cloth. It warmed to her touch. "What do you mean?"
"It did not shock you when you grabbed it suddenly, but it did give me a little nip when I tackled you just now." Silver had assumed the cloak had been helping him subdue the thief, but now he knew that it was protecting Rose even from its master.
"I assume it is because I have the Seeker. Perhaps it feels a kinship to it." Rose reached for the necklace tucked under her uniform. Her brow furrowed. "How did you find me?"
"I was not looking for you. After running into and dealing with a…situation…I had the same idea as you about needing to see the throne room without being seen. I overheard a guard mentioning a ghost on an upper floor, and I thought maybe Hanna was at work. Maybe she was. It was only by chance that I noticed the fluttering table cloth and investigated." Silver silently thanked the Maker.
"I thought you were one of the soldiers. I'm very glad to be wrong." Rose crawled and peeked over the edge of the circle and pointed. "There's Ethyn, and there is my lady-in-waiting, Caitlyn. I don't know where Father is."
"I do," Silver did not elaborate.
"Is he…?" Rose held her breath.
"He's alive. And before you ask, I have a plan." The Guardian loved seeing his sister's face light up.
"What do you need me to do?!" The princess was excited to be part of a team. Rose felt a profound sense of relief knowing she could contribute.
"Well the first thing you can do is give me my cape back," Silver nudged the princess with his shoulder.
"Oh!" Rose hastily unclasped the cape and passed it to the rightful owner.
Slipping the cloak onto his shoulders, Silver could not help but feel a deep sense of calm. The gift from Hanna was as much a part of him as a limb of his body. He was once again whole.
"Now," the princess smiled brightly as she scanned the ground. "How will we infiltrate the enemy? Do you need me to play a maid or get on a different disguise? Whatever you need me to do, I am ready!."
The Guardian inhaled deeply. "What I need you to do is get to safety."
The words stung. "You don't trust me?" Rose felt her eyes sting with tears. This was her home! How could her brother realistically expect her to run away like a coward?
"I do trust you. But I also love you, and I need to know you are not in danger," Silver was also filled with emotion. Getting back his sister was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time. He had no desire to let her die if things went wrong.
"If you trust me, then let me help. I will fight with or without your permission." The princess pressed her lips together.
Rose was worried that her brother might think she was throwing a childish tantrum when really she was full of determination. The palace needed saving and no one was above doing their part to help the kingdom.
"Fine," Silver answered, his voice somewhat strained. An idea had come into his head, but he wasn't sure if he liked it.
"Tell me what to do. Anything! And I will do it." Rose felt suddenly giddy.
Tilting his head, Silver looked towards the front gate. "There is a horn on the outer curtain wall. I need you to blow it and summon the garrison which is down in the city. With the reinforcements, we have a fighting chance to take back the castle from the usurpers."
"But the soldiers of Lakyle! Won't they notice me blowing the Distress Horn?" Rose might be able to get there and blow the horn, but at that point she was a sitting duck.
"The men on the wall are not from Lakyle. Kaarel hasn't been willing to risk openly fighting yet. If you can get out the call for help, hopefully some of the General's men will come to investigate and lower the pressure in the throne room." Silver ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Your success may be the key to winning this. Can you handle it?"
"Get to the wall. Sound the horn. Sounds simple enough." Rose tried not to sound cocky. The task was indeed simple. The execution would likely be less so.
"Very good. Now we need to hurry. The king will be here any moment to make the announcement. After that I have a feeling that they will execute him." Silver winced.
Killing the king would send a distinct message to all who would try to oppose the new leadership: join them or die.
Nodding her head, Rose pressed her lips into a firm line. "Understood. I won't let you down."
"You never could," Silver answered. He wanted to say more, give some bolstering speech, but they were already nearly out of time. So he said the thing most on his heart. "I love you, sister. Be safe."
"I love you too. See you on the other side." Rose crawled off of the platform and back onto the beam. This time she moved slow and steady, keeping only the small wooden door in her sights.
"Think about the mission," she repeated over and over again, refusing to look down. Thankfully, her body complied.
Before long, the door was within her reach. She pulled it open and the cooler air from the hall hit her in the face. She pushed aside the white curtain of the tablecloth and climbed out.
Almost immediately, she found trouble.