A Cracking Good Time

"What the blazes are you doing?" Silver shook his cloak, sending a spray of drops around the room.

"Funny choice of words," Ethyn gave a lopsided grin. He stepped in front of the charred table. "Welcome home! You are back early!"

"It is a good thing I did. I might not have had a home to come back to. Now I repeat, what were you doing?" The man threw back his hood, revealing streaks of lightning striking across his silver irises.

"I was just sharpening my sword and things got out of hand." Ethyn tried to defend himself as he stepped back into the charred wood. He pointed to the sword on the ground and the whetstone behind him.

"Even a fool knows to do that sort of thing outside or at least on a wet surface. Didn't your mentor teach you better?!" Silver stalked toward him, raising his arms as he neared.

"I'm sorry!" The knight flinched. Then the hands that the young man thought might strike him wrapped around his chest instead. Ethyn relaxed, embracing the Guardian as well.

"Don't let it happen again…" Silver said sternly, his voice in stark contrast with his action. "I am the only one allowed to set fire to things!"

The Guardian released his friend after patting him slightly too firmly on the back.

"I would never take that reputation from you. You can take credit for this one if you like as well," Ethyn chirped happily.

"Don't push it." The Guardian rolled his eyes. "I want to enjoy my time with you, not cut it short because I've killed you."

"I'm far too lovable to be murdered, Silver," Ethyn shrugged, happy to see his friend was in a good mood. "Though if you did it now, no one would suspect you. Why are you back so early?"

"I caught a lift with our dear Fate friend." Silver examined one of the wooden chairs before to make sure it hadn't been damaged by the inferno. Then he sat down, happy to be in a seat that did not move.

"Why would Hanna do that?" Ethyn walked toward the wall and picked up his sword. Sheathing it, he took the seat across the table from his friend.

"She had her reasons. She wanted us to have more time together..." Silver answered him, his voice trailing off.

"That's very kind." The green-eyed man smiled brightly.

"She had something to show me too," the Guardian continued.

Ethyn nodded, "Thoughtful of her, I suppose."

Silver stroked his chin, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Although my biggest guess of why she finally brought me home was that I asked her."

Nearly choking, the younger man opened his eyes wide. "You asked her for help?!"

The Guardian continued as if the other had not spoken. "I also suppose it was the least she could do after pushing me off the side of the castle right in front of Borit."

This time the Ethyn did choke. He hit his fist against his chest as he tried to catch his breath. "Did you say Borit? He wasn't even supposed to be at the palace!"

"That information was obviously faulty," Sliver shrugged.

He wasn't sure if something had gotten lost in the chain of information or if Borit had changed his plans. Or there was always the chance that someone was giving the Guardian false information on purpose. The man fell into a pensive state as he thought about the final option.

Ethyn sat there staring at the man's far off gaze. He waves his open palm in front of Silver's vision. "Do not leave me hanging like I am on some l cliff! Tell me everything. What did you do? What happened?"

Refocusing, Silver cocked his head to one side. "You know what they said about curiosity."

"It killed the cat. But you are far more catlike than anyone I know, and you are still here."

"Hey! I am nothing like a cat!" The Guardian scrunched his nose as if he had smelled the knight's feet.

"Oh please, you stalk around at night, are prickly to most everyone, and you change moods without warning. C-A-T." Having proved his point, Ethyn crossed his arms.

Silver pursed his lips. "Glad to see those reading lessons I gave you paid off. How would you ever be able to sass me in my own house if I hadn't taught you how to spell?"

"Enough stalling, old man! Now tell me what happened!" The knight could not wait to hear the gripping tale any longer. The almost eighteen-year-old may have had the fighting skills of a man much older, but his patience was not as honed.

'I've tortured him enough,' the Guardian smirked. His ears perked up slightly, 'Or have I?' Flipping up his hood, Silver began his tale. "Well there is not much to tell, you see..."

There was a loud knock at the door, but only Ethyn jumped in surprise. The hooded figure did not even look toward the opening.

"Come in, Conall," Silver called.

The rotund mayor opened the door and ambled in, a joyous expression on his face.

"Conall!" Ethyn yelled, banging his fist on the table. A small, almost imperceptible crack formed in the weakened wood. "Seriously? Your timing could not have been worse..." he pushed his face into his other hand and pulled his cheeks downward in frustration.

Conall took a step back, surprised by the anger in the young man's voice. "What has gotten into you, my boy?"

"Ignore him. He's just upset because he wanted to know what happened when I ran into Borit at the castle," Silver explained briefly.

"I am sorry for the interruption. Daisy came back to the stable only a short time ago--thank you for tying up her reins so we knew you were alright-- and so I was going to come to see, uh, how things went. You say you ran into Borit? I thought he was not supposed to be there."

"That is the information we received, but it was wrong. Borit was stalking the castle, much like the prowling lion Ethyn claims I am."

"It is better than calling you a house cat," the boy joked. When the void of the hood turned his way, Ethyn knew the Guardian was glaring at him. "Sorry, please proceed."

Silver adjusted his cloak and then motioned for Conall to grab one of the chairs along the wall to join them. When they were ready, the story continued.

"Well, whatever intelligence we received, Borit was there. I managed to avoid him on the way to get the documents, but coming out, I was not so fortunate. Every turn I took was blocked until I ended up a the top of the inner curtain wall. That is when I spotted the Commander walking in the garden with two beautiful women."

"Which women?" Ethyn interrupted. He had met so many while at the palace and a few had definite feelings for the handsome man with so much power.

"You'll forgive me if we did not make introductions right then and there," Silver answered with an arched brow.

"What did you do?" Conall didn't want a debate. It was too easy for the pair to begin to bicker like old times.

"I did the only thing a self-respecting thief could do. When you cannot escape, you hide and wait for a chance to get out. There was only one hiccup." The Guardian's eyes flashed.

"Hanna!" Ethyn cried triumphantly.

"Fate Hanna?" Conall echoed the name as a question. His mouth pulled to one side as he thought about the possibilities.

"Yes, Hanna." Silver confirmed. "She chucked me over the wall like the contents of a chamber pot. It was only by sheer force of will that I managed to catch hold of the ledge and not land in Borit's clutches."

"What happened then?" the two other men asked in unison. The Guardian chuckled at how they reminded him of children listening to a master storyteller.

"Not much, I scrambled up the wall, shot Borit in the thigh with an arrow and high-tailed it as far from him as I could."

"Not much?! You shot Borit!" Ethyn's mouth hung open.

"You should have killed him," Conall grumbled angrily.

"It is no small thing to take another life and even moreso for a Guardian." Silver detailed the escape from the guards and his ascent of the tower, but stopped short of mentioning the princess or Rabert. "I waited until first light and slipped out. Somehow Ingrid--remember that crazy woman who used to dam rivers?--she saw me leave and tried to take off my head. Borit seems to have added her to his band of merry criminals. However even she couldn't succeed to end me, and I am here before you now."

"That doesn't explain why, uh, Hanna pushed you in the first place." Conall narrowed his eyes. Something did not add up.

"I am still processing that," Silver said simply.

"I see," the mayor shifted in his seat, "Well, please join me at my house for dinner and we can discuss what you found at the palace," Conall offered.

"Maybe after I rest. I have not slept in quite some time." The Guardian stifled a yawn, hoping the mayor would get the message.

"Get out, Conall," Ethyn coaxed him, brushing his hands toward the rotund man. "Don't worry, Silver, I will make sure no one else disturbs you. I will protect the protector." The knight leaned back proudly in his chair and propped his feet up on the table.

It was the last straw for the battered piece of furniture. With a groan and a crack, the entire blackened surface gave way and split in two. Ethyn lost his balance and fell out of his chair, joining the table on the ground.

Conall offered the boy his hand. "What happened?"

"What happened is Ethyn is building me a new table!" Silver stormed off into his room and slammed the door.

"Uh, what's wrong with him? Something must have already been wrong with the table for it to break when you put so little weight on it." Conall scratched his head.

"Don't be too hard on him. He must have 'splitting' headache." Ethyn grimaced as he nudged the broken table with his foot. "Hey, Conall? Two questions."

"Yes?" The mayor raised one eyebrow.

The knight bowed graciously. "First off, I want to thank you for volunteering. As for my questions, I need to know: Where can we get the best wood to build a table? And do you think we can finish it before Silver wakes up?" Ethyn's innocent look was met with a glare.

"There is no 'we.' I didn't volunteer..." Conall saw the young man's helpless look and wavered. He thrust Ethyn towards the door with a push. "Come on, uh, my boy, let's get to work."