Need to Know

"When you say you are going to find him, you are talking about Cole and Philip going to find him for you. Right? They will deliver any message you send so you only need to..." Caitlyn bit her lip and shut her eyes, pretending not to see the princess shake her head.

"I'm going myself to see him. I cannot trust what I want to know to secondhand knowledge." The princess stood, already beginning to gather her things.

The lady-in-waiting opened her eyes, blinking at the blue-eyed woman in disbelief. "You've had some unorthodox ideas, Your Highness, but this is by far your craziest."

Rose walked into her closet and found an unassuming carpet bag. Although it was still very fine, it was a solid color and the princess believed it would not draw too much attention.

"Crazy? No, I have never been saner," Rose countered. She flipped open the bag, trying to discern what clothing she could take. "Hmm...I wonder if I could borrow a servant's uniform or a shift of some sort."

"This is insane, Princess Rose! Please listen. We will get Cole and Philip to bring Silver back with them. If he is indeed your brother, surely he will be willing to return if he is invited." Caitlyn's heart lifted slightly as Rose seriously contemplated her words. Perhaps she would listen to reason after all.

Alas, her hope was in vain, for the blonde went back to packing after a brief pause. "I cannot ask him to risk himself for me again. I will not. Who knows how Borit will react if he find outs that Silver has returned? And even moreso...do you want to find out what he will do if the commander finds out I am related to the man who shot him?"

"Borit will have to respect you no matter your familial ties. You aren't some common girl that the commander can do with as he pleases," Caitlyn placed her hands on the bag and tried to shut it.

Rose ripped the upholstered sack from the other woman's hands. Her voice was pained. "That's exactly what I am! I'm common, Cait. More common than you will ever be. There is no royal blood in me, no matter how much we pretend there is. What happens when my adoptive father dies, hm? His nephew or some other nobleman will come in search of the throne. I have no following or claim. I will either be forced into marriage, thrown out on my ear or killed in some plot."

"I didn't realize..." Caitlyn grew very quiet. Although this decision seemed to be spur of the moment, the young woman had actually given the matter quite a bit of thought, it seemed.

Rose's eyes brimmed with tears. "Things cannot go on as they are forever. Sooner or later, I will be chucked out or sold off to the highest bidder. My only hope is finding a family that I can run to when the time comes. Do not deny me that, please."

"The king will not force you to marry if you do not want to," the lady-in-waiting tried. Already she could see the mistake in her words.

"I know he will not force me, but his desire to see me married is strong. I will have to oblige sooner or later. To honor him, I will make sure to be back in time for the dinner with Sir Samberg as I promised." She smiled at her friend. "I am not running away for good. I promise to come back as soon as I have the answers I seek."

A thousand arguments came to the brunette's mind, but none dared come out of her mouth. She could already hear the Princess's rebuttal on each. And those sapphire-blue eyes were so full of sadness and longing that even the level headed Caitlyn could not deny her.

"Well…" the beautiful brunette waffled.

Rose was overcome with gratitude. She dropped the bag and threw her arms around her friend. "You're the best, Cait! You won't regret this."

"I already do." The lady-in-waiting had never felt so many conflicting emotions in all her life. A seedling tossed in the wind had more direction than she did at that moment.

She walked out of the room and returned with a folded set of clothing and some simple shoes.

"This is what I wear when I need to run an errand for you and I do not want to be recognized. You'll still stick out a little but not like you will in your night dress." Caitlyn sighed.

Rose chuckled as she took the garments from the lady. "Don't look so glum. You are acting as if this is my funeral."

"It may end up being yours, Your Highness, but it is most certainly mine. What do you think will happen when the king finds out you are gone. Perhaps I shall go with you and see if your family will take me in, for I have no future here."

The princess froze. She had not stopped to consider how her actions would affect her closest confidant. Walking over to her private writing desk, Rose took a pen and paper and wrote a hurried note. "I am telling the king where I have gone so that you do not have to speak about the matter at all. I am also telling him that you are not to blame."

"That is very gracious of you, Your Highness, but the king may dismiss me despite your words."

"Then I shall fix it when I get back. I will not be gone a week if all goes well. Ten days at the most. I will not break my word even though it means seeing Sir Samberg's green eyes staring uncomfortably at me from across the dinner table."

'You remembered they were green?' Caitlyn knew better than to point this out. There were too many other problems for her to go seeking a new one.

Unaware of the other lady's thoughts, Rose placed the note for her father on her pillow. "You will find it here in the morning."

"Shouldn't you get at least a little rest?" Caitlyn saw the woman taking off her night dress and already knew the answer.

"I slept strange hours today, so I do not think I could sleep even if I wanted to. Besides, there is work to be done." The princess's voice was muffled by the thick brown cloth as it slipped over her head.

Her arms and face moved into the appropriate holes and she surveyed her new appearance in the mirror. Her loose blonde hair shimmered against the dull fabric, but even the coarsely woven dress could not hide her delicate skin and soft red lips. She went and found a long pale scarf to wrap around her face and hair.

"It is a little early to be bundled in that manner," Caitlyn tried not to laugh at the sight. The princess looked like a child about to play in the snow.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Rose huffed at her.

"I do." The brunette twisted Rose's hair into a tight bun and found a plain white kerchief among her own things. She tied the small square around the woman's hair.

Then she refolded the scarf to be a shawl and draped it across the woman's shoulders.

"You can still see my face," the princess did not understand.

"Well, when you are in the countryside, this will draw far less attention than that mess you had going on. When you go in the city, pull that shawl up over your head and tuck either side around your face. Just like that, you have a mask that just looks like you are protecting yourself from the heat of the sun." Caitlyn watched as Rose tried it a few times.

"That's a neat trick!" Rose was quite pleased with her new skill.

"I shouldn't be helping you. I want you to get caught and be dragged back to the palace as soon as possible." The lady-in-waiting scratched behind her ear.

"I appreciate your help, Cait. Now, I recommend you take a sleeping draught. The less you know about my leaving, the better." Rose really did want her friend to be able to claim some innocence.

Caitlyn nodded and turned to go, but her curiosity got the better of her. "One question, Princess. How do you plan on finding Silver all alone? You have no map, no sense of direction and little to no real life experience. Excuse me for saying so, but it is true."

"Let me set your mind at ease," Rose smiled gently. "I have no intention of going alone. I will be accompanied by two dedicated soldiers. They just don't know it yet."

"You don't mean..." The lady-in-waiting now realized why the woman was so hastily packing her bags.

Rose nodded. "That's right. Cole and Philip will be my escorts, whether or not they agree."

The brunette rubbed her head. "I can easily guess which one it will be..."