Dinner was indeed very late. It had been sometime since Silver had made himself a substantial meal, and his lack of practice shown.

"Is it the pot supposed to smoke like that?" Ethyn asked.

"I think I may have boiled off too much of the water," the Guardian mused as he removed the pot from the fire and fanned it with the edge of his cape.

"And here I thought it was a joke that you could set water on fire," Ethyn gawked, looking far too innocent.

Narrowing his eyes at the boy, Silver grunted. "I see Conall has been running his mouth again. It wasn't the water that caught fire. It was the bits of fat on the side of the pot that then floated on the water like little candles...ugh, nevermind."

At last the meal was complete. Ethyn grabbed bowls--he debated whether to grab bowls or plates-- and Silver ladled out the 'stew' between them. With the preparations finished, the pair dug in and enjoyed the hearty meal.

Ethyn sighed between bites, "I'm going to have to learn to actually cook. We won't have any more meals brought over here by Sa—. "

Ethyn stopped himself and looked tentatively at his friend. Silver's cloak was now draped over the back of his chair, and his mouth chewed feverishly at a gamey piece of meat. Overall the Guardian seemed unperturbed. He looked up at the boy and noticed his nervous glace. The silver-eyed man smiled and waved away the boy's concern.

"We'll both have to improve our cooking," he said after he swallowed the meat. "This meal could use some seasoning for sure."

"It could use a lot of things," Ethyn grimaced.

The Guardian opened his mouth, but snapped it shut. He had to agree. "I will make sure Katherine keeps sending some food from the inn at least once a day so we don't starve. We will just have to go get it ourselves."

"I will happily make the sacrifice and fetch it." The boy nodded vigorously.

"How generous of you." Silver rolled his eyes before leveling his gaze at his friend, "And since you mentioned Sage..."

Ethyn dropped his spoon. "I didn't mean to! It was a slip of my tongue."

The Guardian held up his hands to calm his friend. "I know, but you do not need to worry or treat her name like it is sacred. I know I can be a bit...dramatic...but I am fine, I promise. I am also very sorry for all the trouble Sage caused between us. I know you won't miss her."

The boy shrugged. "In the end, Sage wasn't so bad. I will miss how happy you were when you were around her. And I will definitely miss all the free food." Ethyn bit into a gristly part of the meat and cupped his cheek.

Silver chuckled, "I guess I should have asked for some recipes before she left."

"You definitely should have," the redhead agreed. "She would be scandalized by this attempt."

"Indeed, she would."

The boy raised his water cup. "To Sage."

Touched by the sentiment, Silver also raised his wooden mug. "To Sage," he repeated, clunking his water against his friend's. "Though I never thought those words would escape your lips."

The two drank deeply. The boy wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "What can I say? I'm maturing."

Ethyn chomped down on a particularly unruly piece of rabbit. At least he assumed it was rabbit. The vegetables and meat all were the same charred color. For all he knew, it was a carrot that was giving him fits.

Yet Ethyn chewed on in silence.

Studying Silver's pensive face, the boy could see that there was something else on the Guardian's mind. So he patiently waited for his friend to share his thoughts.

Patting his stomach, Silver pushed back his chair from the table and propped up his feet. It was bad manners to put one's feet on the table, but as it was Silver's table, the boy did not point this out. All this was punctuated by a very guttural belch.

At last, the Guardian decided to share his thoughts. "I have been meaning to tell you that I've talked to Aiden about you."

Ethyn's ears perked up. "Why? Should I be worried?"

"Why? Did you do something that I don't know about?" Silver arched his brow.

Ethyn thought for a second and shook his head. He had already admitted his transgression with Haven's room and could think of nothing else that would get him into trouble.

The Guardian hooked his mouth into a lopsided grin. "Good. No, you aren't in trouble. Aiden told me that he has sent a message to Sir Cyneheard on your behalf. The old knight is apparently a friend of his family."

"What message did he send?" Ethyn could feel the hair on his arms stand up. He dared not guess for fear of disappointment.

"Aiden asked if the knight would be willing to train an apprentice in a couple years." Silver tilted his head.

The redhead sucked in his breath and held it, afraid to ask the burning question in his mind. Silver smiled broadly as he could sense the boy's impatience with him for the dramatic pause.

He continued in an unconcerned tone. "It is a formality really. Aiden is sure Sir Cyneheard will oblige." Silver raised his eyebrows in invitation. "What do you say, Ethyn? Would you like to be a knight?"

Leaping from his chair, Ethyn knocked the silver-eyed man to the ground with his enthusiastic hug. They were sprawled on the ground for a moment in a heap as Silver couldn't help but laugh.

"Is that a yes?" He asked when he finally caught his breath.

"Yes!" Ethyn stood and helped his friend to his feet. "Absolutely…" uncertainty crossed the boy's face, "But how can we afford it?"

It was a fair question. Apprenticeships were costly as the trainee had to pay for his room and board as well as compensate the master for imparting his skills.

There was also the matter of a contribution to the king at the knighting ceremony. While any landowner could seek knighthood, the funds to achieve it were a huge barrier.

This is why so few knights existed in the land, but also why they were so respected.

Silver frowned. "Ah, yes. Money…such a pesky thing to come between a young man and his dreams. Then is it quite a lucky thing that I have come into a small fortune today."

Silver's eyes flashed and he looked up at the ceiling innocently. He took one of the sacks from his cloak and tossed it casually on the table. A few of the coins inside spilled over the top of the bag and clattered across the table

Immediately the boy pounced on his words, "Did you steal it?!"

Throwing up his hands in defense, the Guardian feigned indignation. "I'm an honest man now!" Then in a gentler tone he added, "Hanna, via Baron Monte, has been very generous. We need not worry about money for a long time."

Ethyn relaxed. Silently, he thanked the Fate for taking care of them. "What will I do until training starts?"

"You will stay with me, of course. Aiden and I will give you all the training we can provide. I am sure we can find a way to put your particular talents to use. You can even start helping me on missions, unless you were planning on moving on after all this excitement…" Silver drawled.

Ethyn crossed his arms. "No sir! I'm staying right here. I am supposed to take care of you, remember? I've seen how a pretty face can turn your head. Someone has to be the brains of this operation."

Silver guffawed, unoffended. He knew how foolish he had been. "How about this," he offered, "Let's promise that any woman—no matter how pretty or charming—who enters our lives will not put a wedge between us. Deal?"

Ethyn offered his arm and they shook on it. "Deal!"