Sorry this took a while. I had to rewrite half of it because I wasn't happy with how it turned out. This is waaay better than what it was. Hope you enjoy.
~~~

Keira and Rose parted not long after. Keira wanted to visit her father and Rose had to return to Suzanna.

She walked with shaky legs up the stairs to the hall where Suzanna's chamber was. No matter how deeply and rhythmically she breathed, she could not get the shaking to cease. Rose paused outside Suzanna's door and smoothed down her dress as she took a deep breath. Okay, Rose. You can do this. Nothing has changed; just go in and be yourself, she told herself. You can do this; you can do this. She breathed in deeply once more, then raised a steady hand and lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard Suzanna call. Rose opened the door gently and slipped inside. She exchanged a smile with Suzanna as she closed the door. The Princess was seated by the fire and was reading a book. She closed the tome at Rose's entrance and placed it next to her. "Good afternoon," Suzanna greeted. Rose curtsied and walked towards the Princess as she hid her hands in the folds of her dress.

"I have returned; shall I begin cleaning now?" Rose asked politely.

"Of course, but first, how was James?" Suzanna questioned.

"Oh, he was sleeping, but Brianne is sure he will recover."

"That is good, I am glad to hear it," Suzanna said as she stood up from her position and brushed down her dress. "I am afraid I must go; I will not be able to keep you company. My father wants to spend some time with me," she said with a smile.

"That is okay; you go have fun." Rose knew how much Suzanna loved her father and wished she could see him more. As the King, his duties often meant he could not spend much time with his children. Suzanna said goodbye and raced out of the room eagerly. Rose went to stoke the fire, then continued with her normal daily duties.

She was sweeping when a knock sounded at the door. Before she could reply, it opened slowly and someone poked their head through the gap cautiously. Rose sucked in a breath when she realised it was Tristan. Her heart immediately began racing in her chest and she felt a smile make its way onto her face. Tristan made eye contact with her and he grinned. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. For a moment neither one of them moved. Rose was preparing to speak when Tristan suddenly raced forwards and scooped her into his arms. She gasped in surprise, dropping her broom, as she was pulled up to him.

"I do not have long, but I had to see you," Tristan murmured as he wrapped his arms securely around her waist. Rose's heart pounded - at any moment someone could open the door and see them.

Oh well.

She shrugged off the fear and moved her arms to circle around his neck. With a happy sigh, she rested her head on his chest. It was as if everything was perfect when she was with him. Nothing seemed to matter anymore as she breathed in deeply and focused on their embrace. She had missed Tristan terribly - they had not seen each other since the day Keira's rumour appeared, and that was three days ago. She almost laughed at how ridiculous she sounded - missing someone after only three days - but it was the truth. She sighed again as she felt Tristan bow his head so that he was closer to her.

"I missed you," Tristan said quietly, for her ears only.

"So did I," Rose answered. They laughed briefly at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Tristan gradually began pulling back and Rose dropped her arms from around him. He let go of her, but not before lightly brushing her cheek in the softest, briefest caress. He raised her hand gently and kissed the top of it reverently. Rose would have melted into a puddle if it were possible. Her breath hitched when she saw the way he was looking at her. He was staring at her like she was the most beautiful, precious person in the entire world, like she was everything to him.

Tristan released her hand and cleared his throat, as if trying to break the trance that seemed to have formed between them. Rose shook her head and held her hand up to her pounding heart. What. Was. That. He had never openly displayed so much affection at once.

"Are you well?" He asked her.

"Yes, of course," Rose responded as the blush in her cheeks faded. "I heard what you did for Keira," Rose said after a moment of silence. "You spared her even though she was guilty."

"Does that make you angry?"

"No! Of course not. I am overjoyed; you showed her compassion and I think... I think... that you are incredible," she finished with a whisper. Tristan's face lit up and he moved closer to take her hands into his.

"I learned something about mercy from the most beautiful servant girl," Tristan responded quietly, squeezing her hands.

All at once Rose remembered the object she had bought from the market in town. It was hanging around her neck, hidden under the neckline of her dress. She had kept it there, waiting, until she had seen Tristan again. She had bought it for him, she had to give it to him.

"I suppose I should go," Tristan said reluctantly after a moment.

"No, wait! Please," Rose begged. Tristan stood still and looked at her curiously. Rose felt her breathing grow shallow. How could she do this? What if he laughed at her and told her she was silly? What if he said he never wanted to speak to her again? Would she disgrace him? Would he refuse the gift?

"What is wrong?" Tristan murmured when Rose still had not spoken. Be brave, be brave, she told herself over and over.

"Nothing," she murmured, losing her nerve. She dropped her gaze and stared at the floor. A moment later, Tristan's hand lightly caressed her chin and tipped her face up.

"You can tell me," he said softly.

"I just-" she paused and bit her lip as her heart hammered away inside her chest.

"What is it, my Rose?" Tristan whispered, cupping her face with both his hands. The intensity in his eyes burned away at her. All at once she felt in a trance. She could not tear her gaze from him and, it seemed, neither could he tear his eyes from her.

"What are we doing, Tristan?" She whispered, moving her hands to rest on his elbows. She closed her eyes briefly and reopened them, feeling torn and lost. "W-we have to stop. I can't-can't feel this way," she hiccupped, as tears flooded her eyes. Tristan's thumbs moved to trace under her eyes.

"What way?" He asked gently. Was he really going to make her say it?

"N-nothing," she said again, blinking to clear the tears.

"Rose..."

"I'm scared."

"Of me?" He asked, aghast.

"No. Of me - of my feelings. I can't feel this way," she repeated dismally.

"You can feel any way you want," Tristan murmured, delicately kissing her forehead. Rose's heart stopped.

"What are you doing?" She asked, breathless.

"Well at the moment I am trying to get the girl I love to open up to me," Tristan said bluntly, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"What?" Rose asked quietly, sure she had imagined his words. Tristan raised one of her hands and kissed it, not the least bit flustered.

"I am tired of holding the truth back. It is agony for me, pretending that I am myself when I am with you. I am not myself, I have never felt this way before. But the truth... the truth is that my heart races when I see you. I cannot help but smile when I am with you. You never leave my thoughts, not matter what I am doing - I always end up thinking about you. It drives Samuel mad whenever I am with him," Tristan said in amusement. Rose released a light, breathless laugh. She did not dare to speak and ruin the moment. "I do not understand how this has happened, but it has happened. All I want to do is spent time with you, my precious Rose," he confessed in a whispered. "And I confess that when I am apart from you, I miss you. When I am with you, I cannot spend enough time with you. I do not care that you are a servant or are not nobility, for I am completely, entirely in love with you."

He raised a hand and caressed her cheek gently. Rose's breath stopped and she stared at him in a daze. Her heart was pounding so fast she could hear it in her ears. She felt a huge smile begin to develop on her face. Tristan - the Prince - was in love with her, just as surely as she was in love with him. Tristan watched her warily, though a small smile still made its way onto his face. He traced the dimple that had formed on her cheek with his thumb.

"Can it be true?" She whispered, mostly to herself. She took one step closer and raised a hand to lay it on his chest. Tristan moved the hand that was caressing her and covered Rose's hand, pressing it firmly over his heart. Rose could just make out the steady, fast thumping of his heart.

"This heart is beating for you, my Rose," he told her gently. "I love you, and I will only ever care for you. Nothing will ever change that, not status or wealth or the expectations of the kingdom. Nothing," he promised.

"You love me?" She repeated, still feeling in a daze.

"I love you," he assured.

Rose gasped and a bubble of laughter sounded from her. She pulled her hands from Tristan's, then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Tristan responded instantly and moved his own arms around her waist. He held her as if his life depended on it. Rose moved her head and placed the lightest kiss on his neck. She almost laughed when she heard Tristan's breathing stop for a moment. She was content to just rest in his arms when she realised she had not yet responded to him.

"When I first me you," she began, "I hated you." Tristan grimaced. "But now everything is different. When you saved my life I saw you were not who I thought. From that moment you have been nothing but chivalrous and kind and altogether perfect. I fought against it for so long, but every time you smiled at me or spoke to me or spent time with me, my feelings only grew. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid," Rose admitted. Tristan smiled softly, never removing his arms from her. "You have my heart."

Tristan sighed in relief, then he pulled back and stared at her mischievously.

"I thought you would never hurry up and tell me," he teased. Rose gasped and swatted his arm playfully. Tristan chuckled, a deep rumble from inside his chest. She moved her head to rest against his chest again. They stood together for a minute before she pulled away.

"I have something for you," she told him. She raised her hands behind her neck until she felt the clasp of the object. She pulled the object away from her neck and held it in her hands, covering it.

"What is it?" Tristan asked, she could see the curiosity burning in his eyes.

"I saw it when I was at the market and I wanted to buy it to give it to you. I did not know how you felt about me, but I knew how I felt about you and that I would have to tell you eventually," she said with a blush.

Rose opened her hand slowly to reveal the necklace she had bought. Its long chain was thin and a pure silver. On it hung a delicate, silver heart. It was only small but its detail was intricate and exquisite; the whole necklace seemed to shine in the sunlight.

Rose held it out toward him shyly, suddenly feeling silly. "So that you will always know my heart is yours," she said softly. She looked up, expecting Tristan to laugh at her or think her immature. Instead he looked at her so tenderly it stole her breath away. He reached out and took the necklace from her - it seemed so tiny in his larger hands, she could not help but smile.

"It is beautiful, I thank you," he told her, holding the necklace up higher so he could examine it.

"I know it is not common for men to wear adornments; you do not have to wear it," Rose said, her blush slowly fading away.

"Nay, I want to wear it. I will keep it hidden under my shirt." He pulled the necklace up around his neck and Rose helped him with the clasp. He dropped the necklace under his shirt so that it was no longer visible. "Now it will be like you are always with me," Tristan said as he reached out and took one of her hands again.

Rose felt like she was floating through a cloud - this could not be real, she could not understand it; yet here she stood, the Prince confessing his love and holding her hand. Thank you, God.

"I want to ask you something," Rose said suddenly.

"You can ask me anything," he responded, raising her hand to kiss it once more.

"I visited Brianne today and something came to my attention. I never paid her for her service to me," Rose began. Tristan's expression grew meek. "When I asked her about it she told me I did not owe her a coin, that someone had paid on my behalf." Rose paused and observed Tristan who had on the most unassuming expression. "It was you, was it not?" She said when he did not speak. "You paid my bill for me," Rose continued. She raised her free hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, close to his neck. Tristan gradually relaxed and chuckled.

"Aye, it was me," he confirmed.

"Why did you not want me to know?"

"I did not want you to feel like you owed me anything. I paid because I wanted to, not because I wanted to make you indebted to me."

"You paid my bill... I seem to owe you more and more each day," Rose mused.

"You owe me nothing, my love, my Rose," Tristan said softly, dropping his hands around her waist lightly.

"But-"

"Nothing," he repeated firmly.

"Thank you," she finally whispered.

"You are welcome," he said with a gentle squeeze of her waist.

"What will happen now? A servant and a Prince..." she trailed off.

Tristan's brow furrowed. "I love you and only you," he began, smiling tenderly at her before his expression dropped back to serious. "I want to be with you."

"I want to be with you, too," she responded quietly.

"Even though I am a heartless, arrogant Prince?" Tristan joked, raising his eyebrows. Rose laughed and flicked his forehead gently.

"Stay focused," she told him. Tristan chuckled and captured her hand with his own.

"My father will not be pleased; I will need to find the right time to speak to him. If I am not careful I will anger the King."

"What will happen if he does grow angry?" Rose felt a moment of fear as she imagined the King's wrath directed at her.

"I do not know, but you do not need to fear. I will not let any harm come to you," Tristan promised, squeezing her hands. "Until my father has been subdued we cannot be together," Tristan told her seriously. Rose felt her face fall. "Not publicly, at least," he murmured, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Tristan, are you sure this is what you want? I am a servant. The rumours and gossip will be dreadful, people will accuse both you and me. What if they say you are not worthy to be the Prince? Or what if-" Rose was cut off by Tristan placing his hand over her mouth. She stared at him over his hand, wide eyed.

"Rose, listen to me when I say this, for this is the last time I will say it: I do not care that you are a servant. You have never been just a servant to me, do you understand? You are perfect to me and perfect for me, and I do not want to hear you question your position with me again, okay?" He said gently as he dropped his hand from her mouth.

"Yes sir," Rose answered playfully, with a fake salute.

"Now I want to ask you something," he said as he raised an eyebrow.

"You can ask me anything," Rose mimicked, attempting to deepen her voice. Tristan laughed, and then turned solemn again.

"You are worried about something. What is wrong?" Tristan asked seriously, concern openly showing in his eyes. Rose felt herself pale a little as her thoughts instantly moved to what Keira had told her. How had he known?

"I am worried about many things," Rose responded as she tried to avoid the question.

"No, something in particular is distressing you."

"Why do you say that?" Rose asked, swallowing as she tried to calm her nerves. She could not tell him; she had promised Keira. Tristan would tell his father and then the news of the threat would spread through the land - the rebels would probably try to do harm to Keira.

"I saw the way you looked when I entered the room. You were white and practically shaking on the spot. Are you ill?" Tristan looked so anxious for her she felt a tug of pain in her heart.

"No, I am well. Do not fear."

"You will not tell me what is worrying you?" Tristan asked with a furrowed brow. Rose swallowed back a sudden surge of panic. She did not want Tristan to be angry or hurt with her, but she could not tell him, yet she did not want to lie.

"I cannot tell you," Rose said as she pulled her hands from his and clutched the fabric of her dress.

"Rose," Tristan began, folding his arms. Rose felt panicked. If she told him Keira would despise her and could be danger; but if she did not tell him, what if the rebel group did attack? Tristan would not be prepared, he could be hurt - killed even - and it would be her fault. She could lose him forever. If he was hurt, she would never be able to forgive herself.

"I do not want to lose you," Rose blurted out. Immediately she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"You will not lose me, you could never lose me," Tristan said gently, his expression confused. Rose turned around and took a step away from him, her mouth still covered as her heart raced. She felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. "Rose, you can trust me."

"I do trust you, completely," she assured him as she turned around so she could look at him. "But I feel like no matter what I do, I will be placing someone in danger."

"Who is in danger?" Tristan pressed.

"You are," Rose mumbled as she inhaled a shaky breath. Tristan's face turned blank.

"What?" He asked, dumfounded.

"I have... information from... from an anonymous person," Rose confessed. If she did not reveal that it was Keira who had told her, then perhaps Keira would still stay safe.

"I trust you know who this anonymous person is."

"Yes."

"I will not pressure you to reveal their identity," Tristan said with a reluctant sigh.

"Thank you. But you were right, Tristan, there is a rebel group forming. They are recruiting people who feel like they have been wronged by... by the King," Rose muttered. Tristan raised his eyebrows but did not say anything. "This person was approached by a man with dark hair who was dressed odd and wore all brown and green."

"Camouflage," Tristan stated.

"What?" Rose responded, confused.

"The colours would help him blend in with his surroundings if this group is in fact forming in the woods."

"Oh, I see. But there is a group forming, Tristan, and they want to do harm to you and your family. They are threatening people if they do not agree to join them. I am scared," Rose said as she took a deep breath to calm down. Tristan immediately reached over to her and squeezed her shoulders.

"Do not be scared, I will keep you safe."

"I am not scared for myself, I am scared for you. I cannot lose you," Rose said as her eyes filled with tears at the thought of losing Tristan.

"Do not fear, God will protect me. I am glad you told me this information."

"What will you do?"

"I am not sure," Tristan said with a frown. "When we searched the forest we found no trace of the group. They are either skilled at hiding or they have someone who knows how to conceal their tracks. I do not know how to find them without a tracker. The woods are so expansive; it is possible this group is further into the forest than we first thought. They could be days away."

"You will hire a tracker, then?"

"Aye, but he will take some time to arrive. Until then, promise me you will stay safe. Do not go near the woods or far from the castle at night," Tristan said. He cupped her face with his hands so he could gaze at her. Rose stared into his wonderful brown eyes and felt her fear slowly fade.

"I promise. You will be safe too, won't you?"

"Of course; nothing will happen to me. I may be the Prince but I am also a Knight; I know how to protect myself."

"What about your family? Suzanna; she is my friend."

Tristan ran his thumbs up and down her cheeks softly, his hands still cupping her face. "I will have extra guards placed around them. Everything will turn out well, you will see." Rose closed her eyes and nodded, relaxing and focusing on the gentle touch of his hands. When she opened her eyes, Tristan was staring at her tenderly. They watched each other for a moment, though they did not speak. Tristan slowly began lowering his head as his hands moved to the back of her hair. He is going to kiss me, Rose celebrated. She moved her hands up to his shoulders and her eyelids fluttered closed. His breath tickled her cheek as he neared her.

The sound of a knock at the door had them hurling away from each other. Rose gasped and pulled away from him. Tristan released a quiet groan at the interruption and ran as Rose pushed him to hide next to the closet, where he would not be seen from the door. Rose inhaled a breath to calm herself down, then jogged to the door and opened it. She hoped her cheeks were not flushed. A servant girl stood on the other side of the door. Lacy, Rose thought her name was.

"Hello, Rose," the maidservant greeted. They curtsied quickly to each other. "I was hoping to speak to Princess Suzanna briefly; Mistress Eudora wanted me to pass on a message to her about Prince Liam's birthday," Lacy said with a roll of her eyes. The Prince's birthday was in a few days, he would be turning ten and a celebration was to be held for him.

"I am sorry; she went to spend time with the King. I believe they are out riding; but she will be back tonight," Rose responded. Lacy nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, that is not a problem. I will come back later." Lacy waved and walked away without a backwards glance. Rose leaned against the door as she closed it softly. She sighed and felt the tension in her fade. That was too close. If Lacy had entered she would have undoubtedly discovered Tristan in the room.

Tristan poked his head out from beside the closet. When he saw it was safe, he left his position and walked up to her with a wry smile. Rose held her hand up to her racing heart.

"That was close," Tristan murmured, running his hand through his hair.

"You can say that again," Rose agreed, laughing tensely. Tristan placed a hand on her cheek and smiled.

"I wish I could stay longer, but I really do have to go. My Knights are expecting me; I have already tarried too long."

"More training?" Rose asked, smiling back at him.

"A Prince's work is never done," he joked. Rose laughed and placed her own hand on his cheek.

"Go, have fun. I will see you soon?"

"As soon as possible; I will miss you if I stay away too long," he said in jest. Rose laughed and moved her hands around his shoulders to hug him. He returned the embrace, holding her close. They stood unmoving for a minute before he reluctantly moved away. "Be safe, my beautiful Rose," he murmured.

"I will," Rose promised. Tristan raised one of her hands and kissed it briefly.

He opened the door and slipped out, his hand lingering on hers until he was too far away to hold onto.

Long after he was gone, Rose still felt warm and light all over.