Rhodri settled back in his seat. He was clearly exhausted, but far too worried about the state of his palace to rest.
"Tell me about your trip to Rynnlee," he asked Rose. "I promise I will not get upset, and I need something to occupy my mind."
"If I may, Your Majesty," Ethyn interrupted apologetically, "I would like to be excused to check on the status of the rest of the castle. I will return with the good news when I know for certain that you can come out."
"Thank you, Sir Samberg. I would appreciate that." Rhodri allowed the man to leave. As the door shut, he leaned over to the princess and asked with a small smile. "Is he afraid you are going to embarrass him?"
Rose shrugged innocently. "Me? Never."
The princess took a deep breath and proceeded to tell her father the whole story of her trip to Rynnlee and her visit with her brother. It took a great deal of time. Rose only withheld a few things she did not feel comfortable sharing in front of three men, but for the most part she was able to give the events in their entirety.
"That...is a lot to take in. I knew about the attack on the inn, but the rest..." Rhodri struggled, "I am sorry you did not feel like you could tell me."
"You know now," Rose laid her head on her father's shoulder. "Silver is my brother, and Ethyn is both his friend and the man I love."
Aiden and Conall had long before moved as close to the door as they could to give the two some privacy. Even so, the king and princess were both speaking barely above a whisper. So it sounded exceptionally strange when Rhodri let out a mournful sob.
"Oh, Rose. Or should I call you Haven?" There was such sadness in his words that Rose teared up herself.
"You can call me anything you like, Father," Rose assured him.
"I must beg your forgiveness. I made a mess of things when it comes to you, didn't I?" Rhodri took her hand in his.
"You did the best you could." After the princess's experiences both at the palace and outside of it in the past couple of weeks, she knew for sure that this was true.
Rhodri opened his mouth and then shut it again, his words dying on his lips. He sighed. "I cannot ever make it up to you. I am most sorry for all the pain I have caused you. But I will work to be better."
"I will be better too," Rose said firmly.
"Oh?" the king raised one eyebrow at her, wiping the stray tear from his eye. "And how will you be better than the perfect angel you are?"
Rose pursed her lips. "For starters, I do think I should have a plan on how to land when I jump off a wall next time. I cannot count on a gallant knight being there to catch me every time."
There was a knock at the door identical to the one Silver had done when they first arrived. Aiden took the lead to answer the door. It was Ethyn.
"I have confirmed that the rest of the castle is clear. It is safe for you to exit. I have come to take you and the princess where ever you wish to go." With permission, Aiden admitted the knight. Behind him two familiar faces entered the room with him.
"Caitlyn! Philip!" Rose hugged the lady-in-waiting tightly and smiled at the soldier.
"Are you alright?!" both ladies asked at once.
"I am fine, a little worse for wear but I'm intact." Rose brushed aside the concerned look of her friend. "What about you?"
"Don't worry about me," Caitlyn answered unconvincingly. While she did not seem to have any visible wounds, the lady-in-waiting surely had some injuries that were likely to leave mental scars. "I am very glad to see you," the brunette added with another hug.
Snapping out of the daze she was in, Caitlyn took a look at both of the royals and frowned. Her court training took over as she curtsied.
"If it pleases Your Majesty and Your Highness, I think you both need to be cleaned up before you are seen anywhere else publicly. The nobility and soldiers will be bolstered if they see you are well, and I do not think your present condition suggests that."
Rhodri and Rose examined one another curiously. Their clothes were filthy and torn in places. Both of them had blood that wasn't theirs staining their garments.
"As you say," Rhodri motioned to the door. We will head to our chambers and get cleaned up. I will escort you two ladies to the tower to make sure you get there safely. Philip?"
The soldier was startled to hear his name from the king's lips. He straightened. "Yes, Sire?"
"Do an extra sweep of the princess's rooms. I will feel better knowing you did it personally. We will walk there slowly while you complete the task." Rhodri stood, causing everyone but Rose to lower their heads.
"It shall be done." Philip saluted and left.
The king studied Aiden and Conall. "I do not suppose that you both would suffer me a little longer. I am still in need of protection and everyone else must be very busy at the moment."
"It is an honor to serve you, my king. It was always a dream of mine if I may be honest." In spite of the battle that had just happened, the former soldier swelled with pride that he had at last achieved his goal, if only for a day.
"If that is your aim, I can certainly make that happen. I have seen very few fight like you have. It would be my pleasure to have you here, assuming Captain Rabert awakens and approves." Rhodri's smile faded slightly at the mention of his faithful companion.
"Rabert is alive?!" Rose's knees went weak, forcing Ethyn to catch her in his arms.
If Rhodri thought anything of the action, he didn't share it. The king sighed. "The captain was alive when I last saw him. I had the doctor hide him away because he suspected that someone had tried to kill him. I am guessing that someone was General Kaarel."
"After we change, can we go see him? I was told he was dead. I am not sure I will believe otherwise until I see him with my own eyes." The princess dared not hope too much until she was sure.
"I think that is a wonderful idea. Hopefully we can speak to others in the infirmary as well. I imagine there are a great deal of people who need comfort just now." Rhodri appeared older all of a sudden.
The grey in his hair seemed more pronounced and his features more wrinkled. The weight of ruling the kingdom was vast, but being a source of strength in times of trouble was extra taxing. Especially when this time, he had not even seen the trouble coming. Rhodri took every injury and death today quite personally.
"We will face it all, together," the Princess left Ethyn's embrace to loop her arm into the crook of her father's elbow.
"I thank the Maker for you, my love." The king smiled at his daughter as he patted her arm. "Let's go get cleaned up. There is work to be done."