Chapter 12: The First Test

The white rose remained on my table, a silent, fragile testament to a crack in the armor of a king. It did not wilt. Each morning, its petals seemed to unfurl a little more, glowing with a soft, internal light that had nothing to do with the sun. It was as if my very presence in the room sustained it, a small, unconscious magic I had no desire to control. It was a constant, quiet reminder of his apology, and my own unresolved conflict. Caleb, for his part, ceased his clumsy attempts at gifting....