I have been so excited to write this - from the very beginning I was planning this chapter and now you get to read it!
Here comes the showdown.
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"Father is terribly angry, Tristan."

Tristan turned around to see Suzanna walking into the throne room, where Tristan was waiting.

"Suzanna!" He cried happily. He moved forward to give her a quick hug.

"I am so glad you have returned. We were all so worried. Where is Rose - is she okay?" Suzanna asked. Tristan hesitated, immediately feeling the familiar surge of panic for Rose rise up in him. The past few days had been torture; having to leave the forest knowing that Rose was still in danger. Knowing that William was with her and would try to free her only just made the pain bearable.

"Oh Suzy," Tristan said slowly, shaking his head miserably. Suzanna's eyes darkened with worry.

"What? What is it? Did something bad happen to Rose? Oh God, tell me she was not gravely harmed. Wh-"

"Suzanna!" Tristan interrupted, before his sister could release a flood of words. "Rose is still in captivity; I was not able to free her. But she is alive." He stared at the ground, shamefaced from his failure. Suzanna gave a quiet gasp.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"The man who took her, Eliad, knew we were coming. He outsmarted us - he outsmarted me. I had to leave the forest, otherwise Eliad would have known I was still there. He could have harmed Rose - I left to protect her," Tristan murmured dismally. He may have protected her, but it did not mean he did not feel like the largest failure on the earth. "One of my knights stayed behind in secret; he will try to rescue Rose by himself."

Suzanna looked at him sorrowfully. "Such a tragedy, I was sure she would be home soon. She must be so afraid," Suzanna whispered. "Are you okay?" She finally asked, raising her eyebrows.

Tristan shook his head. "Not in the least. I miss her so much - it feels like it has been months without her."

For once, Suzanna did not have anything to say. She stood quietly with her hand resting gently on Tristan's shoulder - the only support she could offer.

"I am sorry, Tristan. You will rescue her soon; I do not doubt it. You are the most determined and the bravest man I know - do not lose hope."

Tristan smiled at her but could not find the words to say.

"Will you be leaving before Father arrives?" Tristan eventually asked Suzanna. She shook her head in response.

"Nay, I think I should stay for this. Perhaps I can be of assistance if things turn... bad," she finished lamely.

"He is furious then?"

"He is r-" Suzanna was cut off before she could finish her sentence by the bang of the throne room doors being swung open aggressively. The King stormed in, his footsteps like thunder and eyes like daggers.

"Have you lost your mind?" The King nearly yelled. The servants and guards in the room scrambled to leave and close the doors. Tristan flinched at his father's aggressive tone. He had scarcely opened his mouth before the King continued. "Going off to chase after a servant girl in the dead of the night! What on earth were you thinking? You did not even pause to seek my advice on the matter. I have half a mind to strip you of your knighthood this moment," he fumed, his voice seeming to raise in volume with every word. Suzanna glanced at Tristan with wide eyes.

"I was merely doing my knightly dut-"

"You were looking to play the hero, and you know it!" The King interrupted with a roar.

"I have not done anything wrong!"

"You were foolish and acted without thought!"

"What would you have me do - leave her to be kidnapped?" Tristan yelled.

"Yes! That is exactly what I would have had you do! You are the Prince! You cannot run off every time you feel like being heroic!"

"This was not about being a hero!"

"I did not raise my son to be a fool!"

"No, you raised an arrogant, conceited boy who cared for no one but himself!" Tristan growled back.

"Do not put the fault of your past behaviour on me! It was you who chose to act without dignity, and you alone! I spent practically every other day trying to protect you and clear your name from your own imprudent deeds," the King hissed.

"Ha! Yo-"

"Stop! Stop it," Suzanna yelled, coming up to stand between them with one of her hands on each man's chest. "If you cannot talk about this calmly then do not talk at all. I have already lost my mother and one sister, I will not watch the two of you tear each other to shreds just for the sake of seeing who can win the argument! I have never seen such ridiculous behaviour from two grown men in my life! If you cannot sort out a disagreement peacefully then I fail to see how either of you can claim to be good rulers of the Kingdom. I am disgraced to have witnessed your behaviour! Shame on you both! Now both of you regain your composure and stop this behaviour! Right. Now." Suzanna stared at them both so ferociously that they were stunned into silence. Tristan felt his jaw drop. He could not remember ever seeing or hearing Suzanna speaking in such a commanding manner in his entire life.

"Suzanna, this discussion does not involve you. Leave now," the King eventually said, his tone somewhat gentler but still angry.

"No! I will not go and you cannot make me!"

The King sighed and stepped away from his daughter and slowly began pacing, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "I cannot condone you running off into the woods with only one other knight - in the middle of the night, at that! - all on a whim to go and follow one servant girl!"

"If I had not 'ran off' we would not be standing with the valuable information that I currently possess!" Tristan defended, ignoring his father's comment on Rose's station.

"What are you talking about?" The King asked, still angry but clearly curious.

"Eliad is back, and he appears to be gathering people and forming a group that plans to hurt our family."

"Where did you learn this?"

"From Rose, the 'servant girl', who was brave enough to tell me even though she was scared. When I followed her, I saw for myself the people who were joining Eliad."

The King shook his head and focused back on Tristan. "I will deal with this matter later. Where is the servant girl?"

"Rose! Her name is Rose," Tristan huffed out. "She is still with Eliad; I was not able to rescue her."

"Unbelievable," the King muttered to himself. "What were you thinking - running after her? Do you have any idea what the servants and townsfolk are saying!"

"Let them say what they w-"

"Listen to me," the King hissed dangerously. "Your actions were without thought. One servant girl is not worth you risking your life or the future of the kingdom!"

Tristan recoiled from the spiteful words. "She is my friend."

"Ridiculous!"

"I could not leave her! I am going back after her if she is not returned in a few days."

"You will do no such thing!" The King yelled.

"Nothing you can say or do will keep me here!" Tristan shouted back. Suzanna rolled her eyes as the two men began their loud argument once again.

"She is not worth the dange-"

"She is worth everything!"

The King's eyes seemed to darken. "No! I will not permit you or any of my knights to follow this ridiculous plight to save one servant who can easily be replaced!"

"R-replaced?" Tristan repeated, flabbergasted. "I hardly believe my ears at this moment!"

"Well believe them, because I am serious and I am King!" He roared. "You will NOT follow after her again - that is an order!"

"You don't even know her!" Tristan cried out, exasperated.

"No! And I have no intention to acquaint myself with one so low in station." Tristan stared at his father furiously, disgusted at his words. "Even to hear the notion that you have befriended such a lowly woman - an old beggar, at that - why I-"

"How dare you insult her!"

"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!" The King's voice boomed.

"I will go after her alone, if I must!"

"She is a servant!" The King yelled. Tristan snapped, protectiveness of Rose rising.

"She is more!"

"How much more? You think you know this girl? You think you know how to protect her? You think you are noble for calling a servant your friend?"

"I do know her!"

"No! All you know is the projection that she has shown you. You do not know the hearts of those around you."

"I know her heart," Tristan mumbled quietly.

"Ha! You think she cares for you just because she smiles? You think she is glad to call you her friend? All she will ever see is your crown and the wealth that comes with it. Do not let the lower class deceive you - all they desire is your fortune."

"I would choose Rose over any 'wealthy' person any day!" Tristan fought back. "She has never cared about my crown or my wealth - the materialistic things of the world do not hold any weight to her."

"You will not go after her," the King hissed.

"I will! I cannot stay here without her!"

"Do not be ridi-"

"I love her, Father! I love her with every breath I breathe and with every beat of my heart!"

The throne room fell into utter silence. Tristan breathed hard, his head pounding with the shock of what he had just done. He looked up; the King's pallor was turning a faint red. Tristan looked at Suzanna - she wore a small smile and gave him the tiniest nod of encouragement. This was going to happen sooner or later, Tristan told himself. He had planned to confess to his father when he was in a good mood, but either way, Tristan had known he would be in for a fight.

"Do not be foolish, boy!" The King hissed. "Love! You do not know what love is!"

"I know that it hurts to be away from her; or that when I see her it is as if my world is perfect; and that when I am with her I cannot stop smiling. I know that she makes me a better person, and that she challenges me to be the best Prince I can be. I know that she is the only woman I will ever care for. I know that without her, my heart has ached. Tell me, Father, if these are not the signs of love, then what are?" Tristan challenged.

"She is a seductress! She has charmed you - this is an infatuation that will soon pass," the King fired out. "She only wants to deceive you, and if I ever meet her I will be sure to make sure she knows my judgement!"

"No!" Tristan yelled. "She is not a deceitful person!"

"She sought you out and tried to charm you!"

"Nay. I pursued her, she is not at fault," Tristan whispered.

"Impossible!"

"She begged me to stay away from her and to remember both my place and her own. She fought against her own heart for so long. She was afraid! But I could not help it - I was drawn to her and she to me from the moment we met."

"I would sooner have you stripped of your title than see you partnered with a servant!" The King roared. Suzanna gasped and Tristan flinched. His father's words went into his heart like daggers. Tristan felt his blood boiling under his skin. How could he judge Rose so severely?

"Then strip me of my title and inheritance! I will not leave Rose and I will not give her up, no matter what the consequence may be!"

The King's face turned a shade of deep red and his eyes seemed to blaze with ferocity. "You are a fool!"

"You cannot take her away from me!"

"You will not go after her," the King ordered.

"I will - with or without your favour! But," Tristan dropped his voice to a gentle murmur. "Were it that you helped her too, I would be glad."

"You ask me for my assistance? For my resources? After all that you have said to me?" The King scoffed.

"She is out there alone and she needs us. If not us, who will help her?"

"She is a servant."

Suzanna stepped between them once more and stared at the King. "She is so much more than that. If the world loses Rose, then the world will lose one of its greatest treasures. Father, you must help her," she demanded.

"I do not have to do anything," the King replied stubbornly.

"Tristan loves her! Are you really going to refuse to help her?" The King stared at Suzanna unwavering. "Do not be so prejudiced as to dislike her simply because of her status. Rose is my lady-in-waiting, a very respectable position, and she is my friend. You will regret having the blood of an innocent woman on your hands."

"It is not I who will harm her," the King scoffed.

"But it is you who will not help her."

"My son and a servant? Can you imagine what everyone will say? How could you be so foolish, Tristan? Have you learned nothing about guarding your heart?" The King asked, though with less force than he had previously been using.

"If you met her you would understand," Tristan muttered. "She will have you adoring her, just as surely as everyone who meets her adores her."

"I am sure her family must be overjoyed that their plans of improving their wealth have succeeded," the King muttered bitterly. Tristan clenched his jaw and held back his anger as much as he could.

"How wrong you are about her. She has no family. She is an orphan. She is not this devious creature you have imagined - she is kind and gentle and pure. I cannot be without her."

"An orphan?"

"Aye... in fact, I believe you knew her parents," Tristan said suddenly, an idea dawning on him.

"Who were they?" The King asked curiously.

"Daniel and Roseanna Culbert," Tristan replied calmly. The King's eyes softened slightly in response.

"She is the daughter of Daniel and Roseanna?" He asked in wonder.

"Aye. Would you have refused my love for her if she was the daughter of one of your own knights?"

The King was silent, then he quietly spoke: "No."

"She is the daughter of a knight. She is the daughter of two heroes - two people who sacrificed their lives for your own. This life has been cruel to Rose, but she is no less deserving of me now than what she would have once been. She is more deserving, if anything."

The King could not answer.

"Oh Father," Suzanna spoke up, a gentle smile gracing her features. "If you only saw what Tristan was like when he was with Rose. He stares at her and can barely stop smiling. And Rose! If you saw her looking at Tristan, you would give your blessing without a moment's hesitation. She loves him so much - and it has terrified her. Rose was never after wealth; you are wrong about her. You must give her a chance - do not doom them both to misery and heartache."

"You approve the match, Suzanna?" The King asked, both eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Of course I do. I would be a fool not to."

The King turned his gaze to Tristan and stared at him hard. "Do you truly love her?"

"Truly, completely. She is everything to me - she is my gift from God. I cannot lose her. I love her."

"So you have chosen her?"

"I could not choose another even if I tried."

The King paused and tapped his fingers against his chin thoughtfully. "I wish to meet her and decide for myself whether she is worthy," he finally said. Tristan's heart leapt inside his chest. "I give my permission for you to go and rescue her."

Suzanna beamed at Tristan in victory.

"However," the King continued. Tristan's heart immediately plummeted, expecting the worst. "This time you will strategize and go with a plan. You are not to run off without thinking, I forbid it."

"Of course, Father," Tristan agreed humbly, though his heart pounded in anticipation of returning to Rose.

"Tell me more about Eliad."

It did not take long for Tristan to relay all the information he knew about Eliad and his plans. The King listened seriously, his eyes grave and worried.

"Surely I cannot have offended that many people," the King finally said. Tristan chuckled at his father's expression.

"People are easily convinced to follow one way," he replied. The King released a quiet murmur of agreement.

"I will not simply wait for Eliad to attack. We will attack first," the King decided.

"He knew about my arrival in the forest. He will know we are coming if we set foot in that forest," Tristan warned.

"Good," the King replied sinisterly. "He will have to face us, or flee further into the woods. We will bring the fight to him - before he has had time to prepare his troops and construct his battle plan. He will be off guard and will have to face an army."

"Or he could threaten to kill Rose and halt us all in our pursuit," Tristan mumbled, clenching his hands into fists.

"Assuming your knight fails."

"Yes, assuming he fails," Tristan replied, sending a quick prayer out for William.

"Perhaps seeing the size of our army will deter him from such an act."

"I do not think Eliad will be so easily discouraged. He has been harbouring his anger for a long time."

The King hummed thoughtfully. "Call for a meeting in the strategy room. I want all our best men there to discuss the situation and devise a plan," the King decided. "Eliad will not get away with this. Mark my words, he will pay for his crimes."

The King stormed out of the room, barking orders to the servants standing outside. Tristan felt a smile slip onto his face. One more battle, then Rose would be with him again. Oh let it be soon, God.

~~~

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Xx Divine Romance