That's Sweet...I Think

"If you left during the ball, why did you arrive a whole day later than you should have?" Silver watched the dying embers of the fire. He had become so engrossed in the story that he had not stoked it. It, like the story, was coming to a close.

"Well, riding Courage while poisoned and injured was not the easiest task. He's a good horse, but still a horse."

Ethyn hesitated, collecting his thoughts.

"Beyond that, I did not want to arrive all battered and broken. Can you imagine the fuss that Lily and Katherine would have made? No thank you! So in the end I sought out a healer and spent a night in an inn. Either that healer is extremely underpaid or Hanna must have helped in some way, because, by morning, my wounds were very nearly gone and I had enough of an appetite to eat and keep down the food. The difference was night and day."

The young man pulled back his cloak and bore his back. There was a slight scab, but the bulk of the wound was gone.

"That's a pity," Silver mumbled as he stroked his chin. At least that is what Ethyn thought he was doing. The hood of the Guardian's cape was preventing him from telling much of anything.

"What do you mean, 'a pity'? Did you want me to continue to be sick and injured?" The green-eyed man glared at his companion. Was it a poorly timed joke?

"I mean that if you had been able to show your injury to the king, he would have known you did not start the disagreement. And you can almost bet that servant who poisoned you is long gone if he has any wits about him. I hope Nuall paid him handsomely for his treachery." Silver shook his head.

Things that should be done in the moment rarely were. Only with clear minds and hindsight were things so easy to decipher.

"I don't know that any of that would have mattered. Princess Rose—Haven?—she had made up her mind. She wasn't not keen on hearing my side of the story. I am not sure even that amount of proof would have swayed her right then." Ethyn ran the events over in his mind.

What she had heard made it sound like Ethyn was trying to control who Rose married, which in a way he supposed he was. Yet it was in an effort to protect her, not hurt her that Ethyn had acted.

"Don't discount Haven..." Silver started when Ethyn looked at him with wild eyes.

"I am not discounting her at all." The young man ran his fingers nervously through his auburn hair. "I did every possible thing in front of her for her to think poorly of me. The princess would be a fool to trust me now."

"Well, being a fool does run in the family," Silver chuckled.

The Guardian recalled taking in a little whisp of a boy who had just tried to rob him. And Haven's own parents had taken in a nearly grown man after knowing almost nothing about him. If that wasn't foolish, then Silver didn't know what was.

"It doesn't matter what the princess thinks now anyway..." The young man sighed. There was a resignation in his voice that confused the Guardian.

"I don't follow," Silver said honestly.

"I may have come back to Rynnlee all happy and chipper, but deep down I knew that the king had already been told of my misdeeds. I decided to act normal and enjoy my time here until word came. I figured I would receive word from Sir Cyneheard about the developments or even receive a warrant for my arrest..."

The Guardian nodded. "And instead you got an invitation to come and dine with the king."

"I know it is just so they can break the bad news formally. Or perhaps they want to make sure I come so that they do not have to track me down to arrest me. However now I have told the princess that I will ignore the summons so she doesn't have to see me. I've made an even bigger mess than before...I will probably have to flee the country after this."

The green-eyed man finally had everything off of his chest. It felt good and terrible all at the same time. He never had liked having secrets, but now his shame was out in the open.

Silver pursed his lips. "That is a lot to process. It is sad that it took my sister arriving and scaring you straight to let me know all of this."

Ethyn blew out his cheeks. "I was planning on telling you everything; I just kept losing my nerve. Everyone in Rynnlee worked so hard to get me to the point of becoming a knight and I blew it in less than two days. I couldn't take letting all of you down so much."

"You haven't let anyone down except maybe yourself. We don't care about what you achieve. We care about you, you idiot." Silver pushed the other man's head to one side, nearly knocking them from their shared fallen log. "Talk to my sister and work things out. She will be able to tell you what happened at the palace after you left. If nothing else you can put your fears to rest because you will know."

"Talk to her...now?" Ethyn looked around to see if Rose had been eavesdropping this entire time. When she did not materialize from the darkness, he was both relieved and disappointed.

"She is asleep now, you fool. You think I would force my sister to hide out in the night air and listen to your ramblings in secret?" Silver's eyes flashed.

"No..." Ethyn gritted his teeth. 'Sometimes I wonder if he can read minds.'

"You can speak with her in the morning. For what little bit is left of the night, you can sleep in room six of the inn. Katherine made sure to make everything extra comfortable for you." Silver stood and offered his hand down to lift his companion from the log bench.

"Katherine is too kind. Wait. Why am I staying at the inn?" The knight furrowed his brow as he was pulled from the ground.

"I cannot have you and my sister sleeping under the same roof. I would never get a wink of sleep that way, would I?" Silver spoke as if the conclusion was the most natural thing in the world.

Ethyn lifted a finger in objection. "But I naturally thought that..."

"That Haven would take her old room while I would take my old room? Then how fortunate we came to the same conclusion. I appreciate you making the sacrifice for the princess's sake."

Although Ethyn couldn't prove it, he was positive that Silver was grinning from ear to ear.

"My stuff is still in my--'your old'--room. I at least need to go and retrieve it." The redhead felt the satchel hit him in the chest and land in his arms before he could even see it.

"I took the liberty of getting your essentials. You can retrieve anything else when you come by in the morning for your friendly little chat." Silver crossed his arms, daring the young man to argue. "If Katherine hadn't been so kind as to offer you a room, I would have suggested you sleep in the stable with Courage, so you really should thank her."

"I will make sure to do that," Ethyn said resignedly.

The young man looped the bag across his shoulder, and the two began the trek back to town.

"You don't like me very much right now, do you, Silver?" The young man asked sheepishly. Ethyn had unceremoniously been thrown out from his home and it stung.

"On the contrary, I love you as close as a brother." Silver shrugged as he regarded his companion from beneath his inscrutable hood. "If I didn't, then after everything you did to Haven--flirting, dancing, and I am not entirely certain that thing with your sword was an accident--after all that you would very likely be dead and no one would be able to find you. I'm actually a little offended that you don't know how much I like you."

"That's sweet...I think." Ethyn chuckled nervously. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

"Ha! Even after everything you are still a comedian!" Silver tousled Ethyn's hair. "Always keep that sense of humor."

"....is that a no?"