Sleeping Roses

Search On Through The Woods

The whole morning was spent slowly making their way back down the trail Beldon had taken when he had found Kilan, both of them examining the path, the trees and the bushes with hawk eyes to try and catch a glimpse of the missing bag.

They ended up covering the route three times.

When they finally settled down in a clearing for a quick lunch, Kilan was so disheartened by the morning he felt slightly sick at the idea of eating.

He just stared at the apple in his hand and thought miserably that he’d never find his book again. All that work, all he’d been so proud of, gone in one night because he had been careless.

He just couldn’t understand how he could have lost it. He’d always been so paranoid about losing it. Had always touched his hand to his bag just to feel the hardness of the cover through the soft leather of the bag.

And when he’d lost it, he hadn’t even noticed. His parents would have been ashamed.

“So, is your room to your liking?”

The question took a moment to register through his worry, and he looked around at Beldon confused. “What?”

“Your bedroom,” Beldon said, raising an eyebrow at him; “is it to your liking?”

“Oh!” Kilan almost dropped the apple as he quickly turned towards his host, fumbling with it for a moment before grabbing it out of the air. “Yes, yes it perfect, you didn’t have to put me in such a room. It’s a room fit for royalty.”

“Well,” Beldon said with a smile, calmly slicing a segment out of his own apple, “That’s technically what it is.” He took a bite of the apple. “I’m glad you like it, that was originally my room actually.”

Kilan stared at him and Beldon quickly glanced up and held up a hand to stop him before he launched to the conclusion that was half formed in his mind.

“No, now, no, I’m not royalty myself,” he said, “It is just that it was originally designed for a royal.”

“You’re not royalty?”

“No.”

“You are aristocracy though?”

“I am.”

“My attitude really has been too casual, hasn’t it, please forgive me.”

Beldon rolled his eyes. “Kilan, do we really seem like the type of household that follow the strict rules of social convention?”

Kilan glanced at him and he waved it off.

“Stay around for a few more days and you’ll see how things are run in the Rose Castle.” He pulled water from his pack and settled with that as Kilan watched him.

“So, do more live in the castle or is it just you and your brother?”

Beldon looked blankly at him for a moment. “What?” he eventually asked.

“Um, you and your brother, Luka, is it just you or are there other masters and mistresses?” Kilan asked, his fingers pressing into the apple, somewhat uneasy by the look of confusion.

Beldon stared for another long, long moment, then threw his head back and started laughing. Laughing like Kilan was the greatest comic in all the world and Kilan flushed in humiliation without quite knowing what he should be humiliated by.

“Oh goodness, I do beg your pardon,” Beldon said, still laughing. “Forgive me; I’m not used to hearing such a thing. Do Luka and I look like brothers?”