City of the Underground

The Garden and The Rogue

King Henry leaned back in his chair and patted his belly in satisfaction. The food had been more than to his liking. He wore a happy smile. The only qualm with the meal was the young couples lack of enthusiasm. If King Caleb sat them together in hopes of sparking a conversation, than he was sorely disappointed. Not one word escaped either pair of lips. No soft and gentle laugh of a courted maiden. No deep voice filled with the longing desire of an avid suitor. Straight faced silence lingered over head like the plague. The only conversation came from the parents of the soon to be couple.

King Caleb was more than irate at his daughters lack of obedience. Though she had protested to the match on more than one occasion, he never thought should would blatantly defy him. He felt the sting of underestimating her resolve. Fortunately, she did not get such stubbornness from her mother. He could be just as unyielding as his determined princess. As he turned these matters over in his mind, an ample opportunity arose.

"Father, may I be excused," Kaylana asked curtly as she rose to take her leave.

"Of course my sweet! What an excellent idea!" he replied.

My sweet? He never called her that. Excellent?... What was he up to? Kaylana looked at him quizzically.

"I should have thought of it before," he continued. "You and young Jonathan will be wanting some time to yourselves." He smiled slyly. "Best take him out to the garden though, I'm sure he's in need of some fresh night air."

Jonathan looked from one to the other, dumbfounded. An angry red flush filled Kaylana's cheeks and a triumphant smile spread across her father's face. Before Jonathan had time to respond his father was behind him sloppily helping him to stand. The empty goblets clattered as he steadied himself against the table.

"What an excellent thought m'lady. I quite agree," King Henry gave a hearty laugh as he watched the two young people's disoriented reactions.

"Father," Jonathan's gruff voice intervened, "the long journey has tired me. I'd rather take time to rest."

"There will be plenty of time to rest later. This is what we came here for my boy." he slapped the prince on the back before adding in an undertone, "This is not some game, son. This is for our kingdom. For your brother." A sorrowful touch shone in his eyes.

The mention of Thomas filled Jonathan with anger and regret. Had he been searching hard enough, long enough? He sighed.

"Aye father. You're right." For his father's sake, he agreed. "Come m'lady."

He stuck out a strong arm for her to grab onto. Unsure if it was wise to refuse she took one last look at her father before taking his arm. Sigh. "This way," she began as she led him out of the great hall.

The two made their way through the high double doors in less than high spirits. The palace garden was a fair way off from the castle. The blowing winds carried through the surrounding tress and rustled up a gentle melody for the sunset. The gentle hues lit the sky. The surrounding natural beauty was lost on the two grieving hearts. When the castle doors were out of view both Kaylana and Jonathan dropped all pretenses. Her grip quickly dropped as did the offer of his arm. Kaylana still led him toward the garden that lay only a few feet away. As she walked before him, head held high and cascading brown hair running down her back, he only wished he knew a better solution than the one he had come up with. He could see she was not a maiden to be trifled with, but all he wanted was to return home to Caitlin.

They turned around the final bend to reveal an array of exotic plant and flower life. If there was such a thing as royalty among flowers, than this was it. The lilies stood high and dipped in every hue and color imaginable. The pathways that stretched through the greenery seemed endless. It continued up a high hill that rose just beyond the garden. Kaylana stood in the middle of the garden thinking over her next move. With an amused smile, Kaylana turned to face the prince.