Palace News

"You made the Commander run away like a startled cat. I have never seen that man actually embarrassed." Caitlyn's mouth hung open after she shut the door to the room. "Why in the world would you tell him something like that?"

The princess shrugged, unconcerned by the information she let slip.

"Because it was true. I ran away to see a man. Let him fill in his own blanks. It will keep him from discovering my secrets…ah the secret!" Rose squealed and then laughed all over again. "Borit said he knew my secret. He thought I was going to introduce my father to Gilbert as my fiancé. No wonder he was so dead set on getting rid of him!"

Really, things could not have gone better for the princess. If Borit was chasing down her mystery lover, he would be distracted from the real reason she left: to see Silver. And since there was no mystery lover to find, he would inevitably come up empty.

"I think you must be careful, Your Highness. Borit is a dangerous man." Caitlyn's eyes filled with fear.

Rose pulled her friend over to one of their many couches, forgetting all about sleep once again. "I know Borit is dangerous. But you did not seem convinced of this when I left. What changed?"

"When I told him that you had run away, Borit went into a rage and nearly broke my arm with his bare hands. The Commander is unusually strong." Caitlyn lifted her billowy sleeve.

Halfway up her forearm, a bruise still ringed her delicate skin. The deepest of the purple was gone, but yellow-green edges of the injury told of its depth.

"How could he?!" Rose held Caitlyn's arm gently in her hands, barely believing her eyes. Just a few weeks ago, the princess believed that Caitlyn would have happily said yes to a proposal from the commander. Now, her eyes spoke of untold sadness and worry.

"Only the king's intervention stopped him from doing more. I think Borit would have tortured me to get information without a second thought. There was such a hatred in his eyes. I will never forget it." Caitlyn shivered.

"So that is why father sent Borit to give you the good news of my return. He is trying to put you back on better terms." Rose nodded slowly as she processed this information.

'If Borit had done something like that to me, I doubt the king would have been so lenient.' An idea came into Rose's head, but she stored it away for later.

"Tell me, what else happened while I was gone?" The princess settled into her seat.

"I thought you were going to bed." Caitlyn pulled down her sleeve and looked curiously at the blonde woman.

"I said I would rest. This is me resting." Rose pulled one of cushions from behind her and brought it to the top of the armrest. Then she laid her head lightly on the pillow and motioned for Caitlyn to continue.

The lady-in-waiting sighed. There was no use fighting it when Caitlyn knew she would have to share what she knew if the lady wanted any information in return.

"Very well. After you left, the king sent me back to your room to make it look like you were sleeping. At court he told others that you were ill and confined to your rooms. The doctor came, but I assured him it was just a cold and you that you were trying to prevent certain suitors from seeing your reddened nose. Thankfully he bought the story and went away with a bit of juicy gossip."

'Gossip is as good as currency in the palace.' Rose heaved a heavy sigh. A strong floral scent filled her lungs.

Around the princess's sitting room, dozens of bouquets of flowers sprung up from the floor and sat atop every available surface. They were every size and color and made the room look more like a forest than a place to receive guests. Caitlin pointed toward the blooms.

"As you can see, word traveled quickly. Every eligible gentleman within riding distance has brought by flowers to pay their respects. The king and I obviously let no one be admitted to your chambers, but the constant stream of concerned visitors has kept me very busy." Caitlyn rolled her eyes.

With a few exceptions, none of the men had a chance with the princess, and Rose was unlikely to even remember those men's names to thank them for their kindness.

"I am very relieved you are feeling better. Perhaps my own sneezing will subside very soon." The lady-in-waiting took a handkerchief from the waistband of her gown and wiped her nose.

"You did not have to keep them if they bothered you..." Rose scrunched her own nose. The smell was overwhelming.

"Oh no, you get to suffer, I mean enjoy them with me, Your Highness, and then write all the thank you notes which such gifts require." Caitlyn might not have been able to formally sanction her mistress, but she certainly had ways to make the woman face the consequences of her actions.

"I understand," Rose shrugged. It was a small price to pay for the time she had gotten with her brother.

Caitlyn's face drew tight, "You really do owe the King quite a lot. As devastated as he was, he was determined to protect you from scandal. He carried on as normal, except for when he excused himself to 'visit you.' We spent many late hours wondering about what happened to you. Even when we got word of the attack, we held out hope that you would be alright."

Having no response, the princess simply nodded. She would need to be more mindful in the future. "What about Borit? What was he up to while I was gone?"

"I tried to avoid him as much as I could, but he seemed intent on finding you covertly. He was exceptionally upset by the attack on the inn. He sent dozens of men to investigate..."

"I'm sure he did." Rose pursed her lips. "Did he find anything?"

"Not that I know of. You would have to ask him."

"We both know that will not happen. I guess we will have to figure out things another way." Rose's lids shut for a moment and snapped back open. "Is there anything else?"

Caitlyn gave a few tidbits about the gossip of court, which was underwhelming and wholly uninteresting except for the new heartthrob being Sir Ashton. The name rang a bell with Rose as being one of the new knights of Birle. Beyond that, nothing seemed particularly noteworthy.

Seeing the princess's eyes close for the third time, Caitlyn wrapped up her summary. "And that was how Sir Samberg showed up a day early and has been waiting to see you..."

Rose's eyes flew open, "What?!"

"I am of course not serious, but I did want to see if you were even listening." The brunette covered her mouth to hide her giggle.

"Perhaps I do need a little sleep after all," Rose hugged the couch pillow and closed her eyes only to have the soft fabric inexplicably disappear. The princess looked up to see Caitlyn placing it back on the couch and brushing off her hands.

"Rest time is over. I will barely have time to help you bathe and get dressed for dinner. And now that you have ruined His Majesty's fun between Borit and Gilbert, it will likely be a very tame dinner. I better make your water extra hot to wake you up!"

Rose gave her friend a weary look. "Just perfect..."