Pleasure and Pain

"I do appreciate you honesty on the matter, Sir Ashton. It does you great credit," Rhodri tapped his fingers together as he thought. "I owe you a great debt, Sir Samberg. Not only did you do the right thing, you were willing to let someone else take the credit for it."

"Thank you, Sir Ethyn," Rose said timidly. She felt a little bad about her jealous thoughts earlier. Ethyn may have been chatting intently with Caitlyn, but it seemed he was actually watching the princess's every move enough to sense her distress as soon as the moment arose. 'Though he was still very cozy with her...Not that it should matter to me!'

The king was oblivious to Rose's wavering thoughts. His mouth twisted in contemplation.

"It seems you have gained some esteem in my daughter's eyes. Impressive for one so...young." Rhodri stole the word Rose had used to describe the knight when he was first invited to dinner.

The princess wanted to hide under the table. 'Why did I say something so childish!? I judged someone I did not know...' Thankfully neither Ethyn nor the king looked her way, so she resisted the urge to flee.

Ashton cleared his throat lightly to finish his point. "In light of this evidence, I hope you will concede that Sir Samberg is the obvious choice for the princess's personal knight. He may be youthful, but he is quite capable."

"I agree," Ultrian said suddenly, holding up his glass to the man across from him. "If I am not able to serve in that role, I do think Sir Samberg will be most adequate."

Ethyn shot Ultrian a startled glance. He had at least expected an argument of some sort from the knight who had been supposedly chasing after the princess for years. Yet the man had just toasted him without any hint of jealousy. 'Touching, but strange...'

"Thank you." Ethyn dipped his head graciously.

Rhodri nodded. "I must agree with Sir Ultrian though I would say your qualifications are more than adequate. I asked to see the the results of the trials after we last spoke. I saw that you excelled at every point!"

"Not every point." The green-eyed knight did not feel like his archery had been nearly where it should have been. But Silver usually took the impossible shots when on a mission, so he had no real world practice to hone his skill. "I am always looking to improve."

The king stroked his chin, coming to a decision. "That settles the matter. What say you, Sir Samberg? Would you serve the kingdom in the role of personal knight of the princess?"

"My opinion does not matter unless the princess is willing." Ethyn deferred. He knew that looking too eager might give away their secret plans, and he also wanted to give Rose a chance to decline if she desired. The plan was her brother's and not hers after all.

"Fair point." Rhodri looked at his daughter. Why was she slouching? "What do you say to having a personal knight? Will you accept Sir Samberg to protect you and ease the worry for you in my soul?"

The words were heavy handed, even moreso than when he had offered up Sir Ashton. It seemed that the king wanted to settle the matter before the dinner was concluded and Ethyn was his final chance to do so. Whenever her father tried to push her into a decision, her automatic response was to resist.

No matter how desirable the decision actually was. She straightened her back and fought the urge to make him wait for her answer.

"If it will make you happy, my father, I will oblige. After all, it is only a personal knight. It is not like you a trying to marry me off to a foreign prince or anything."

Rhodri nearly choked on his own drink, which would have brought the count of royal emergencies to two for the evening. When he had recovered, the king chuckled softly. "What a thing to say! You do have a sense of humor, dearest Rose," he told her less-than-convincingly. "Now what do you say, Sir Samberg. Since my daughter so enthusiastically accepted..."

"If the princess is willing, I will do as my king commands." Ethyn took a deep breath, suddenly nervous.

Rhodri clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "It is settled then. Sir Samberg, you will start this very evening. I will have any of your personal possessions retrieved for you that you need. I know this is a personal sacrifice. There is of course a generous stipend for your service."

"I would not be doing it for the money, Your Majesty." Ethyn smiled at the princess much bigger than he had intended. Surprisingly, she seemed to return his grin.

"I can see that," the king agreed a little too easily, "but at the very least you will be able to buy some clothing for court. You will want to look your best when by the princess's side."

"Yes, Your Majesty." A huge weight lifted off of Ethyn's shoulders. He had accomplished his goal and put himself in the position to both protect the princess and get to know her better. And he had not even been the one to make the suggestion!

'I must be dreaming!'

But as dinner wore on, he found he was not. The food and company were quite real, and Ethyn could only barely hide his elation at being a part of it.

'I will get to be here every day. Me, an orphan from Rynnlee…it seems dreams come true.'

The young man wondered about where his room would be. Not that he cared. As long as it had a cot and a place for him to store his gear, he would be content. Though with the king's care for all things concerning his daughter, he doubted that lodging would be less than perfect.

'And the king mentioned a stipend!'

While all knights got a reasonable sum each month for serving their country, extra rewards were paid to those who completed special jobs for the king or a wealthy nobleman.

Ethyn thought about the money he was going to receive. Exactly how much would the king consider generous?

'I might finally be a wealthy man!' Ethyn gave a lopsided grin. As he had only just become a knight, the young man had never been paid for work before. Since Silver had paid for him to be Cyneheard's apprentice, Ethyn had no money to his name.

Now the redhead would have an income of his own. Of course Ethyn would certainly buy the clothing as the king had suggested. The rest he would send back to those in Rynnlee. While he could never repay all the kindness they had shown him, Ethyn would at least try.

'Won't they be surprised!'

At last the famous cream tarts arrived, along with a myriad of other desserts, to finish off the meal. The happy thoughts had distracted Ethyn from how much of a stomachache he was developing.

He patted his stomach tenderly. 'I'm sorry old friend. Just hold on a little longer!'

Ethyn bit at his cheek to make it look like he was chewing, but Rhodri caught on to his trick.

"Do you not like tarts?" He asked, confused.

"It isn't that…" Ethyn sighed, "I'm just very full."

"Nonsense!" The king waved off his concern, "You haven't lived until you have tried one of these beauties."

Rhodri held up a flakey treat filled with fluffy white cream. Defeated, the young man picked up the sweet treat and stuffed it in his mouth.

For better or worse, it was absolutely delicious. Ethyn groaned both in pleasure and pain.

At this rate, his first new purchase with his newfound wealth would have to be a new belt.