After many days of traveling on dusty roads Sir Dalewin approached the castle gates and prepared himself for the debt of service that brought him to this kingdom. A whimsical bet between two kings had torn him from his homeland and into a year of service to a king he did not know. Without hesitation he had begun his journey, not knowing what lay ahead of him.

Upon entering the castle he was brought before the King. Bowing before him he announced his intentions, "Good King Gareth, I am Sir Dalewin, I have been sent by King Bernard to fulfill his debt to you. I shall serve your kingdom as if it were my own".

King Gareth begins to speak, "Arise Sir Dalewin, Your King hath told me you are an honorable man. He hath great trust in you. Thy service shall not be hard but shall be more important and any task thou hath ever taken. The head of the Royal Guard who hath been protecting my daughter the Lady Karina, was killed protecting my daughter from a kidnapping attempt.. I entrust you with her care. My daughter is the only Royal heir. Her care and welfare must come before even your own life."

Sir Dalewin nods, "I shall protect the princess with my life. No harm shall come to her whilst I live."

The King nodded and motioned for the palace guards to show the knight to his quarters and introduce him to the princess. His quarters were more spacious than he had imagined. It seemed that this service would not be as bad as he had feared. How hard would it be to watch over one little princess, a child should be no trouble. The guards came to show him to the princess. Although his chambers were directly across the hall, the princess was in the royal garden and he would have to be taken to her.

The guards led him through the corridors of the castle. He committed each turn and hallway to memory. He would have to know this castle by heart in order to keep his charge safe. The Royal garden was beautiful. Fruit trees and roses bushes bloomed all throughout the garden. The smell of the flowers filled the air. This spring was lovely indeed. The Princess was kneeling beside a rose bush.

The Knight began to speak. "Your Highness. I am Sir Dalewin. Thy hath been placed in my charge by your father. I shall be yours to command."

The princess rose to her feet. She was not the young child Sir Dalewin had expected. She was a beautiful young maiden. Her face shown as the midday sun and her long auburn hair hung loosely upon her shoulders. Her olive skin glistened in the morning sun. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"My father hath spoken of you. He told me thou wouldst arrive shortly." It was at this point that the Princess got her first look at the knight who would be her protector. Sir Dalewin was tall, well built and very handsome. But the feature that caught her attention was his eyes. She hadnever seen eyes like his. "Doest thou swear to protect me from those who wouldst harm me?"

The knight's answer was immediate and certain, "I shall protect thee with my life." He bowed to the princess. The Princess smiled.

The days that followed were not what either of them had expected. The princess had expected a stuffy old man who never smiled while the knight had expected to find a somewhat spoiled child. Both were pleasantly surprised that this had not been the case. Princess Karina found that her morning walks became longer and longer. Her walks now included spending several hours at the cliffs over looking the ocean. She enjoyed the knight's company and was in no hurry to return to the castle. She listened to the stories of his adventures and watched intently as occasionally he would act them out for her.

She knew that some tales were just that, tales of fancy but it didn't matter she loved spending the time with him. On occasion she had given him "quests" to fulfill. How she had laughed when he had fallen from the apple tree when given the impossible task of retrieving the highest apple on the tree. Instead of the embarrassment she expected to see, she saw him draw his sword and say, " My Lady, If thou doest truly want that apple I shall use my sword to cut the tree to the ground and give you your hearts desire."

"That thy would make the offer is enough for me, let the tree stand." It was with this act that she knew she was truly in love with the handsome knight.

She longed to tell him how she felt. She yearned for the warmth of his touch, to feel him cradle her in his arms. The times that he had touched her having taken her hand to help her in the coach had sent shivers through her. His hands though tough and callused had held hers with the softest of touches that not even the purest of silks could compare. Though she was in love with him, he was but a servant to her father. She dared not speak of her feelings lest her father find out and have the knight leave her service. She continued on each day loving him in secret.

With each day that passed Sir Dalewin knew he was falling in love with the princess. His soul soared when he heard her laughter as she played with the children in the courtyard. No dragon's claw could have ripped through his heart more viciously than the tears that flowed down her face when she found a sparrow brought down by an archer's arrow. Nothing he had ever seen in all of his travels could compare to her beauty. Just the very thought of her brought a smile to his face. His greatest wish was to place but a single kiss upon her lips. His love would have to go unspoken. He could never betray the king's trust.

The months passed too quickly. Summer, fall and winter passed and the time they had together was coming to an end. Tomorrow's dawn would bring and end to his service to her. The thought of not seeing her face was enough to drive him to the depths of despair. This night he would go to her and tell her how he felt. Perhaps by some miracle she would feel the same.

As he walked the familiar corridors he drew nearer to her chambers. The sound he heard from her room was enough to drive him mad. The sounds of the princess's sobbing echoed through the castle. He reached her door and was about to knock as he heard a voice. He listened as the King tried to comfort his daughter.

"My daughter, I know this news doest distress thee. Prince Erick is a good man and thy betrothal to him will bring a strong ally to our kingdom. Perhaps in time thou shall grow to love him as I did your mother. I loved your mother with all my heart. When I lost her as she was giving birth to thee, I knew I shall never truly love another. I had hoped the same for thee, that true love would someday come thy way. It is with a heavy heart I do this."

And with that the King departed. Sir Dalewin hid in the shadows as the king walked slowly to his chambers. He could not believe what his ears had heard. His beloved had been promised to another. The sobs from the Princess's room grew louder. Before he realized, he found himself through the door to her chamber.

"My Lady, What hath brought tears to thine eyes? I cannot bear to see such grief in thy heart."

"Sir Dalewin, my father hath told me I hath been betrothed to Prince Erick. Our marriage is to unite our two kingdoms. We are to be married within the year. My heart is broken for I love another. Alas, I am bound by my royal duty and must marry a man I do not love."

Did the knights ear deceive him? Had he heard her say she would marry another? Pain grew in his heart. The words that came from him surprised even him.

"My lady, your father doeth love thee. He wouldst surely do nothing to harm thee. In time thy may be happy with the Prince."

His words only made the tears flower harder. It was more than the knight could bear.

" I will take my leave now, My Lady. I doest hope that your pain will ease."

Sir Dalewin sat in his chambers. He could barely believe what had happened. He had left hoping to tell her of his love only to find that she was to marry another. An impossible dream perhaps. He was of common blood and surely would never be considered a suitable match for the princess. He could not bear to bring anymore pain to her. He took a quill and began to write a farewell letter to his beloved. His heart ached as he wrote.

In the princess's room, she cried tears of a broken heart. She had hoped he would say something, anything, everything. Her greatest hope was that he loved her too. She wished for nothing more than for him to rush to her side and tell her of his love. To take her far away from here where they could live together as she had dreamed in her heart. The princess cried herself to sleep..

As he finished his letter, he tied it with a scarf, one given him as a trophy after he had fulfilled one of his "quests". The memory of that day brought a smile to his face. Then reality brought pain back to his heart. To the letter he tied a yellow rose. He had long known these were her favorites. As she slept he placed the parchment on her pillow, and tenderly caressed her face. Looking one last time upon her beauty, he left the castle and began his journey.

The princess awoke to the smell of the rose. Her eyes fell upon the scroll that lay upon her pillow. With trembling hands, she slowly untied the delicate bow, pausing but for a moment to gaze upon the beautiful flower. She began to read:

Tears stained the parchment as she read his words. Her heart was filled with joy as she realized that he too loved her. Her only need now was to find him, to tell him of her love. The princess sent forth a messenger. His instructions were simple.

"Find Sir Dalewin", she said as she handed the messenger the scarf he had tied the scroll in, "give this to him. Ask him to return to the castle. Do not return until thy hath fulfilled thy mission". The messenger bowed and set forth on his journey.

Hope once again returned to the princess. She knew she would never marry Prince Erick no matter her royal duty. Her love had been returned by the knight and she would forsake everything to be with him. She smelled the rose he had laid on her pillow. She dressed and went to the garden where they had shared many afternoons. Just being here made her feel closer to him. It was spring once again. She looked at the roses that were blooming by the wall and then to the one in her hand. She ordered all the roses in the garden to be replaced with yellow ones. From this day forth no color rose but yellow would bloom in the garden. The work in the garden was finished promptly and the roses began to bloom. It seemed that these roses were more beautiful than she had ever seen.

The princess continued her daily walks to the cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Each day her mind was filled of thoughts of him. The sound of his voice echoed through her soul. Soon he would return to her and they would be together.

Months passed and the roses continued to bloom in the garden. The messenger had never returned. She could only guess that the knight's journey had taken him far from her kingdom. She spent more and more time on the cliffs dreaming of him, hoping that he would soon return.

Winter came upon her and the roses in the garden lost their petals. Preparations for her forthcoming wedding were being made. The ceremony would take place in early summer. She only pretended interest to spare her father the embarrassment of canceling a royal betrothal She loved her father but her heart belonged to Sir Dalewin and when he returned she would be with him.

The winter was cold and harsh. At times it seemed she could no longer go on. The cold no longer permitted her to take her walks to the cliffs. She felt so distanced from him. The only thoughts that got her through the days were those of spring and the return of the roses. This spring she knew in her heart he would return.

As surely as the sun comes up on a new day, spring once again returned to the garden. Her roses began blooming once again. A year had passed since she had heard his voice. Since she had gazed into his eyes. Her heart loved him more this day than she had ever before. This year there were more roses than she could have ever hoped for. Surely this was a sign that he was returning to her. Joy filled her heart as roses filled the garden. With the return of warm weather she resumed her walks to the cliffs. Today the sky and water seemed bluer than ever before. The clouds whiter than she had ever seen. She returned home the castle and fell into a blissful sleep dreaming of her knight.

In her dreams she heard his voice calling her name as he rode back through the castle gates. She ran to him and he took her into his arms. She once again looked into his beautiful eyes. She felt the warmth of his lips as he gently kissed her and told her of his love. Now she felt whole.

She awoke the next morning and took her morning walk to the garden. The morning air was bitterly cold. An unexpected freeze had fallen upon the land and not even the garden was spared. Tears feel down her face as she looked at her garden. The petals she so dearly loved were now dead or dying. She wept uncontrollably. Her garden was dead and she felt as though she were too. No longer would her daily visits to the garden continue she would instead go to the cliffs they had once shared.

Two days later the messenger returned. The day was still early and the princess would have to be woken. The steps down the corridor to her chambers were painfully slow and long. He knocked on her door.

Awoken from a dreamless slumber, the princess went to her door. She had not dreamt a single dream since the roses had died. She asked who was at the door.

"Your Highness, I have returned with news of Sir Dalewin" was the reply she heard.

She flung open the door. "What news doest thou have?" Her eyes were drawn to the scarf he held in his hand. "Thou was instructed to give that to Sir Dalewin. Why hath thou not done so?"

The messenger could not bear to look the princess in the eye for the news he carried with him would bring her nothing but pain. "My Lady, my search for Sir Dalewin took many months and took me to far away lands. I didst find him and gave him your message. We immediately began our journey back to the castle. Two days ago we were met by assassins, Sir Dalewin fought bravely but was no match for them. My Princess, his wounds were fatal. His last words to me were,

'Give this to the Princess. Tell her I loved her as I have never loved another. My love for her wilst last forever.'

She now looked at the scarf as the messenger reached out his hand. She saw the stains his blood had left. She now knew why the garden had died. The light in her heart went out as quickly as a candle on a stormy night. No joy would ever touch her heart again. She dismissed the messenger and sat in stunned silence on her bed. So deep was her sorrow that not a single tear fell from her eyes. Without him she would never be complete.

She got dressed and made the walk to the cliffs as she had most everyday that the weather had allowed. Today she carried the blood stained scarf. His last thought had been of her and of his love for her. Despair took her in its terrible grasp, never again would she see his face. Her ears would never hear his voice call to her. The light of his eyes would never shine upon her again. Still the tears did not flow. She stood on the cliffs edge and looked once again at the scene she loved so well. Today the sky was gray and the sea seemed black as night. Gone were the colors she had came to expect when she stood here. She looked around her and saw no color anywhere, not on the trees nor on the grass. She stared at the ocean, watching numbly as the waves pounded on the beach. Each wave seemingly sending her deeper into despair. The agony she felt in her heart was too much to bear.

She felt the cold water as it engulfed her. She did not struggle to free herself from its grasp. She welcomed the embrace of the darkness. No longer could she live without her love. The only way to be with him was to join him. Where ever his journey had taken him she would follow. As the life drained from her she only saw his face. Peace came over her as her heart beat its last beat.

The kingdom was thrown into a panic once nightfall came and the princess had not returned. She had refused another guard when Sir Dalewin left. No one had accompanied her to the cliffs that day. The king sent out every staff member he had to find her and bring her home.

The messenger was the one to find the princess. Upon hearing she was missing he knew she often spent time by the ocean, he went immediately there. He had hoped to find her simply asleep in the meadow. He feared the worst knowing the news he had brought her filled her with grief. He saw her lifeless body in the surf below the cliffs. He went to the beach to attend to his princess. His grim task would now be to return her to her father.

Even in death the princess was beautiful. A look of peace had come over her as if she had found her heart's desire. In her hand she still grasped the scarf, the only remaining symbol of their love. Not even death could rob her of it. If there were any gods surely they have joined them in death as they had not done in life.