The Kingdom of Talador

Chapter Eighty

Rowan of Monalin

As expected, it had been too much to ask for an uneventful day. Thankfully, however, that was the only event that day. Ro, Will, Owen, and Torin all made it back safely. And as with yesterday, the travelling had taken all day. Knowing that she and her brother were travelling in complete opposite directions—her to safety and him to speak with King Ruarc of Mointeach, and to arrest Tierney Trutha.

What a wonderful sentence.

However, the ride between Caelfall and Monalin was only a day. The ride between Monalin and Belsale was twice that, and then to Shanbriggan where Trutha presided over was another half a day in a separate direction. The knights would be gone a while, that was for sure.

But, at least there was plenty to occupy Rowan's mind with.

Of course, the king was buggered to hear that Ro's da was agreeable towards the courtship, but now that it was happening there was little he could do, unless he wanted to lose his firstborn son.

Isn't coercion great?

And finally, Ro got to have the uneventful day she'd been asking for. Uneventful few days at that. At least, uneventful in the sense that nothing really went wrong. No assassination attempts, no arguments, no jealous rages. Torin was eventually strong enough to be on his feet on his own, and had taken to following Rowan around. She was so proud of him, and glad that she didn't need to carry him around anymore. Though, he was still a bit uncoordinated, and fell over occasionally, especially when he got excited. Not to mention, things between Ro and Will were great. Never in her life had Rowan felt an affection such as she did for William, and it was both new and a little frightening.

Mostly because courting the crown prince of Talador implied that she would one day be the crown princess, and one day yet the queen herself.

For someone raised out of an inn in a small village, that was daunting.

But Ro was nothing if not determined, and she would prove herself worthy of him, to him and his parents. As such, she attempted to learn some etiquette. Looking like a lady, though still not her favorite, was warming up to her, and though the prospect of acting like a lady, especially while looking like one, was not something she was fond of, she would do it for Will's sake. For the kingdom's sake. Because she may deny being a lady now, but whether she liked it or not, she was on her way there.

Six days went by without hide, hair, nor news of the knights and their mission. Rowan was mildly concerned, but William tried to reassure her that Mointeach was a vast place. A really vast place. They would be back any day now. To get her mind off of it, he'd taken her hand and started to bring her somewhere.

"Where're we goin'?" she murmured, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Do you know how to dance?" he asked casually.

Rowan blushed and frowned slightly with embarrassment. "I can....I can stepdance?" Then she sighed. "Y'mean ballroom dancin' don't ye?"

Will chuckled. "I'll take that as a no?" he teased, raising a brow at her.

Her embarrassment worsened. "It's not exactly somethin' y'learn when yer mum runs an inn an' yer da's a blacksmith," she muttered, glancing away. She didn't know why, but she found this incredibly distressing. Courting the prince and she doesn't even know how to ballroom dance. For shame, Ro.

"You don't need to be embarrassed about it, Ro," Will reassured her, stopping them at a set of ornate doors. He smiled at her before pushing them open and bringing her into, apparently the ballroom. It was large, and round, high-ceilinged, and intimidatingly pretty. She didn't feel like she belonged in there. Or, if she did, she felt like she would be more appropriate hanging out with the handservants, despite the silks she was indeed wearing. And they were alone.