It took some time, but eventually, Ethyn came to believe what Rhodri knew to be true: the redheaded young man was the nephew of the king.
The thought of being royalty had never once entered Ethyn's mind before that morning. If it had, perhaps he would have seen the signs sooner. Rhodri looked older but very similar to the few memories Ethyn retained of his own father.
The longer the two men talked, the more pieces fell into place. Rhodri's laugh, which skipped on the third chuckle, was identical to his father's. It was something Ethyn's mother had teased her husband for when he told a joke.
Ethyn shared a lullaby from his childhood. No sooner had he begun to sing it than the king joined heartily in. It turned out that the song was one that Rhodri's mother had taught both her boys.
With each comment, the two men found additional common ground.
Rose and Silver remained for a while, but eventually, they felt like they were intruding. What right had they to eavesdrop on this reunion? With a curtsy and a bow, the sibling pair excused themselves from the king's presence.
"Are you alright?" Silver asked as soon as the doors closed behind them, and they were out in the hall.
"I'm fine," Rose hesitated and then sighed. "I think I need some fresh air. Do you think they will let me take a walk around the garden?"
A small legion of guards surrounded them as they began to walk down the hall. While Rose understood that the precautions were necessary until the traitors were all weeded out, she still felt suffocated.
"I would like to see them try to go against me. What the princess wants, she gets." Silver offered his arm.
Unwilling to contradict the Guardian after he had saved the kingdom, the men followed the pair through the corridors and into the princess's garden. The soldiers stationed themselves around the walled retreat, giving the pair a bit of privacy as they wandered around.
The small world inside the walls looked greener than it had all summer. Rose wondered if it was actually brighter or if her mood had influenced her perception.
"So tell me, sister," Silver said tenderly as they walked below the vines, "Now that we are alone, you can be honest. How are you?"
"I am...very good, actually. We have stopped Lakyle and even if we go to war, we have taken out one of their foremost generals. I have found my brother. After I made peace with you going home, you have returned and are beside me. The man I love is actually the legitimate heir to the throne, taking the burden from me. My world is in perfect order, all things considered."
Rose left out the part where she had seen a lot of death and pain the day before. There would be a time for processing all of it later. Right now, she would bask in the sunshine and revel in the good things in her life.
"I am glad I am able to have a little more time with you. I must admit, I am as shocked as Ethyn that he is a royal." Silver shook his head.
In response, Rose nodded. "I know! Father told me about his missing nephew. Who would have guessed that would turn out to be my personal knight!"
"I can think of one person..." The Guardian felt the wind shift slightly.
"I am glad it is Ethyn and not someone else. I know Father would never have forced me into marrying an heir, but it would have made things quite complicated."
"The Maker is gracious," Silver agreed.
Rose smiled, understanding his meaning immediately.
"I don't want you to feel pressured into marrying Ethyn." The Guardian placed his free hand on the delicate fingers gasping his elbow.
"I do feel pressure, but from my own heart, not the outside." Rose smiled at her brother. "Does love always feel this way?"
"In my very limited experience, it ebbs and flows, but never goes. Sometimes it roars like a lion and others it is quiet as a whisper. But, it is always there." Silver could feel the ache in his own heart for the woman he loved.
It was a dull sort of pressure right now, but if he dwelt on it, he knew the sensation would grow.
"Good. I don't want it to leave," Rose leaned on her brother's arm.
They walked in companionable silence for a long while. The world, though warm, felt frozen in time around them. It was unlikely that they would ever get a moment quite like this one again. Sure, they would try to meet whenever they could, but things would be different. Just now, neither had anywhere to be or any pressing matter.
They could just... be.
"I wish we could go on like this forever." Rose sighed as she surveyed a bed of purplish flowers.
"I thought you would save that line for Ethyn." One side of Silver's mouth formed into a strange smile.
"Spending time with you and spending time with him are not mutually exclusive," Rose pointed out. "I want both of you in my life."
"The only way to fulfill the dream of having us both around is for the two of you to return to Rynnlee..." Silver sighed, knowing it was impossible.
Rose bit her lip. "There is a second option. You could stay at the palace."
"And watch you and my closest friend be love-dovey all day long. No thanks!"
Rose looked at him and his heart melted. "The king asked me to come and work for him. For you, I will consider it. But I must return to Rynnlee before any long-term decisions can be made. I would also like to speak to Hanna before I give my word and she asks me to break it."
The princess's smile brightened. "I am just happy you will think about it at all. I don't want to lose you again."
"Barring an intervention from the Maker himself, you aren't losing me like that again. I'll return whenever you need me." The Guardian's eyes flashed.
He picked a white bloom from a bush and handed it to Rose. "These were your mother's favorites. Seeing these makes me feel close to her. I had no idea they could bloom in bushes like this. Alexis could only make them grow in her window box."
Rose looked down at the delicate blossom. It looked just like a snowflake. "I am told these are very rare flowers for this area. Father has the bushes brought in every year from Marek. I always wondered why he went to so much trouble."
"I think I know," Silver answered mysteriously.
"Oh? Did he tell you?" The princess had already been surprised to see her brother and father in the same room. Had they grown close enough to share gardening secrets in the matter of a day?
"He did not. I think you should ask him why he likes the flower though. You may come to the same conclusion I did." The Guardian hugged his sister tightly. "I feel our time here is slowly coming to an end. Before it does, I want you to know that no matter what, I am on your team. Even if that means knocking some sense into that personal knight-turned-prince of yours."
Rose laughed and her cheeks flushed. "Hopefully it will never come to that. But I appreciate the offer. I love you, Sean."
"I love you too, Haven."
The pair walked a little more in the garden.
For a moment, their world was exactly as it should be.