I was watching the queen, not the king. Therefore I was startled when, after a brief pause, he suddenly spoke with decision.

“If he’s disappeared, and no one has heard from him, then the only solution is for someone to go after him. I myself shall go.”

The queen took a short, sharp breath, but she did not raise the objections which I myself had to bite back.

“I told you earlier this winter about the blue rose,” the king continued. “According to the rumors-and it was even mentioned in one of my rose catalogs-the rose has been successfully grown by an emir south of the Holy Land. I can try to find your uncle, try to find the rose, and make a pilgrimage myself. I’ve always wanted to go on a quest.”

They had forgotten all about me. The shadows of a winter afternoon darkened the great hall, but they did not bother to turn on the lights. The fire on the great hearth flickered yellow, but its light reached only a short way into the room. I sat in semi-darkness, feeling I should not listen to their conversation but shy to remind them of my presence by standing up and leaving.

“I’m afraid it’s no use trying to talk you into letting me come with you,” said the queen. It was not quite a question.

“No use at all, my dear. If I don’t come back, you’ll need to be here to act as regent, to make sure Paul grows up to be the excellent king we know he will be.”

“I’ll miss you. I don’t like to hear you talk about not coming back.”

“And I shall miss you.” He chuckled quietly. “You visit your parents every summer, so I know what it’s like to be left behind. But unless I’m dead, you know I’ll be back.”