Duncan frowned and looked around the place he just so happened to find himself at.
"Aw crap, elderberrywood" he grumbled, and lowered himself back to the ground, just incase anyone would see him. The bandit crawled along the floor, hiding in the bushes not paying attention to the wood that was scratching his skin and causing all types of little cuts and scrapes.
Every now and then he'd turn to look to his right, out of the bush where the main road was. Soon, the king would be passing, and when he did ... Duncan grinned to himself, remembering why he loved his job. Duncan heard a noise coming from his left, deeper in the woods coming from some other trees.
"Duncan?" a familiar voice whisped. Duncan then realised why he couldn't make out who it was, because it was his fellow bandit Trent. The one who insisted they wore green so they were camouflaged, but only Trent actually listened to himself. Duncan wore a strangely more flattering grey. Grey was always better in the cases of action anyway; where it be at night or in castles.
Duncan looked behind him, checking the road then turned around to see Trent already standing up and brushing his clothes.
"What are you doing man? We're meant to be hiding!" Duncan hissed, and Trent just shrugged.
"It's not coming till later" Trent pointed to the sky, and Duncan rolled his eyes and slapped his head, still remaining on the hard green earth.
"And how do you know? Oh wait let me guess," Duncan pretended to laugh, slightly angrily, "the dweeb told you"
"No the wizard did"
"Same thing," Duncan told him, now standing up himself, "listen, if we're going to stand up and talk, at least walk further into the woods"
Trent obeyed Duncan, and led Duncan further into the lush green wood, picking up a large stick along the way to subconsciously hit the trees they walked past. Trent started to hum something Duncan didn't recognize, nor really care about.
After a few minutes of silently walking, Duncan motioned for them to stop, and walked over to sit under a large tree, leaning on the thick trunk. Duncan closed his eyes and pulled out the small dagger out of his belt and started to mindlessly fiddle with it. Nothing made him fell safer.
Trent watched Duncan for a moment, taking in how odd and unsafe it could be being with him right now. Trent then sighed realising he had to be with Duncan right now, and also sat down on the seemingly cold ground, thinking back to how he got this fate. Probably that dam blacksmith. If he hadn't taken after his father, his father's father, his father's father's father, and his father's father's father's uncle, he'd be find. He should've taken that job in the printer's shop with Brady or whatever his name was.
"Did you hear something?" Duncan suddenly opened his eyes, and turned around, ever aware of his surrounds. Rumour had it in the village that Duncan slept with one eye open. Trent could only believe it as he didn't want to talk to the village whores. It did make him wonder how Owen knew, but Owen heard everything somehow. Owen heard everything, and paid attention to nothing but food, his lover and the blacksmiths.
"No" Trent replied, getting off the ground to check around. Suddenly he heard what Duncan heard; a sweet singing voice. And he knew that song! Yes, it was the song that had been played in church last week. Or was it the song his mother used to send him to sleep when he was younger? Oh what did it matter, he knew the song. Trent couldn't help but follow the sound, using his skilful musician ears like a dog would use their nose, hunting it down.
Duncan now stood up too, curious as ever to what Trent was doing.
"Hey, where'd you think you're going?" Duncan asked, suddenly scared Trent was backing out on the plan; the mission.
"To follow that voice" Trent replied like a poet, or blind man. Blinded by love that was; those daft fouls. Duncan shook his head in disbelief, but followed non-the-less, also curious. Nothing usually entered these parts of the woods; ever. And he should now. He had spent most his life hiding in them.
It was then when Trent discovered something Duncan had never seen before, a stone wall.
"Should we climb it?" Trent asked Duncan, scared to see what was behind the wall. Duncan started to climb over, but Trent suddenly noticed a large iron gate, covered with what looked like moss. Trent peeked through the gate, and gasped.
"Duncan, can you see that?" Trent whispered.
Duncan however couldn't hear his companion above his grunts he was producing as he was struggling to climb up the wall. Eventually he turned to look around, and noticed Trent wasn't there. Duncan instantly leaped off the wall.
"Trent?" he growled.
"Once a lad, meet a lass, you're a gentle one said he, in my heart, I'd be glad, if you loved me for me"
Lindsay sang as she danced in the gardens, preparing for tonight's ball. She hadn't quite mastered the dance in the practice today, and Courtney had angrily sent her to the King's gardens to practice.
"Who can say where we'll go, who can promise what we'll be? But I'll stay by your side, if you love me for me. If you love me for me" she sang aloud, focusing on getting the lyrics right instead of her dancing steps. Heather had promised to come help her later once she'd chosen her gown for the ball tonight. Lindsay suddenly stopped singing and pouted to herself. Heather was probably going through her dresses no doubt. She'd had to ask to borrow one of Bridgette's and take it in with pins. Ouch. The last time she did that, it'd scratched her during every dance.
Oh wait! Silly Lindsay, she suddenly giggled to herself, now swishing her skirts around like Heather had taught her, Heather was sorting out Lindsay's outfits. Lindsay was soo lucky to have such good friends in the other ladies in waiting. Expect Courtney, she was a bossy, controlling witch. Lindsay never liked it when the king had given Courtney the role of organizing the dance.
Lindsay suddenly nodded to herself, determined to get this dance steps right so Courtney wouldn't have another go at her when she asked to see them later.
"I know there's someone, somewhere, someone. Who's sure to find me soon" Lindsay sang the song her mother use to make her maids sing her, and sat down on the ground, once again distracted in song instead of dancing like she should be, "After the rain goes, there are rainbows. I'll find my rainbow soon"
"Love can you hear me? If your near me"
"Pure and strong sing your song and- ohmygosh!" Lindsay jumped realising she wasn't singing alone. Lindsay turned to look at the stone wall behind her, and saw nothing. Lindsay then noticed the Iron Gate, and then the two figures behind it.
"sing your song, pure and strong and soon" one of the figures finished off, and didn't leave. Lindsay got up, fixed her skirts and strode towards the wall, before a voice from elsewhere stopped her.
"And what do you think you're doing?"
"I know that song!" Trent smiled.
"No shit," Duncan replied, staring through the gate. He'd seen what Trent had run off too. Whoever the blonde was that was singing to herself.
"Who is she?" Trent asked like he was watching a dream, and Duncan shrugged.
"I don't know, where are we?" Duncan asked, "Looks like the- noo it couldn't- who's that?" Duncan asked with the same interest as Trent had just had, and point to the object of his attention.
A new girl was now gracefully making her way across the grass and through the gardens of flowers and past the knot-cut mazes to the blonde girl sat on the floor. Her dress was a dark dusty red, which matched perfectly with her black hair which followed down her back like a black river and danced freely in the wind. Unlike the other girl who was wearing a French hat, this girl wasn't which only mention one thing; she was a virgin. Unmarried.
Duncan grinned to himself. No husband to come chasing him out of the room at night, and down the street with a knife. Perfect.
"You know you're meant to be practising the dance for tonight. The King will want you to look your best you know. And don't even get me started on that bitch Courtney" the dark haired girl trailed on, but Duncan could only focus on two words. Dance, and King.
"Yes!" he suddenly shouted out, unaware of catching the two girls attention, and grabbing Trent's shoulders to shake sense into him, "that's IT!"
"W-what's it?" Trent raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't looking at Duncan. He was watching two figures the other side of the gate make their way over.
"And who are you and what do you think you're doing here?" The black-haired girl asked, not risking coming too close and the blonde one in toe, nodding in agreement.
"Nothing sweetheart" Duncan smiled, "why should we tell you?"
Trent and the blonde one's eyes met and locked for a moment.
"I could call someone you know, get you thrown back to where-ever you belong. GUARDS" the dark-haired one threatened then shouted, and Duncan shook his head.
"You won't wanna be doing that princess" he smirked at her, and the girl fumed.
"And why is that?" she threatened back.
Before Duncan had time to give his remark, they all heard another voice.
"Heather! Lindsay! We're practicing the dance again in the dining room; Courtney was practicing with Bridgette and she tripped over and she demanded we all do it again!" the voice called out, but Duncan wasn't listening. He'd run a mile away as soon as he heard the voice.
Now only Trent was there at the gate and he didn't realise he was alone on his side.
"Eugh!" the dark haired girl grunted, before walking back towards the castle, "alright, we're coming! Hey Beth I needed to ask you a favour-"
The blonde one was now alone on her side, still staring into Trent's green eyes.
"What's your name? Oh we must meet again... but how? Wait, where's that ball?"
The blonde girl giggled, "I'm Lindsay. And it's at-"
"LINDSAY?"
"Oops sorry Heather, I'm coming!" Lindsay quickly turned to face Trent, and whispered a "bye" before skipping off.
Lindsay and Heather huh? Only the name of angels he was sure. Trent then turned to look for Duncan, who was leaning against a tree just in the distance.
"Who was that?" Heather asked as Lindsay and her made their way back inside.
"I don't know," Lindsay smiled, "he was soooo cute though!"
Heather stopped walking, and turned back to face Lindsay.
"You can't say that! That may be true, but you can't say it!"
"Why not?"
"Eugh! Don't you remember anything? Haven't you noticed how hard I'm working for you? Can't you remember why?"
"So we can have nice clothes and pearls?"
"No. Well, yes, that's our reward, but don't you remember what you have to do to get that reward?"
"Sleep with the king?"
"Exactly. Lindsay, the king won't have you if you go off with some outlaw or whatever they were"
"But, it's only sleeping Heather. We sleep together all the time!" Lindsay naively said.
"I told you Lindsay, that's a different type of sleeping. We share a bed, that is all"
"Isn't that what I'd do with the king?"
"Yes but- Don't you remember that talk we had the other day?"
"Of course I do, and I completely agree, Courtney is such a bitch"
"Eugh, forget it. You'll know what to do when the time comes like you did with that idiot Tyler"
Heather forgot that was a soft spot on Lindsay, and Lindsay's smile from earlier dropped, and her eyes reflected the happiness of a broken mirror, crushed into tiny pieces.
"I-I'm sorry Lindsay, I forgot" Heather said, and Lindsay shook her head.
"It's okay Heather. Let's go inside and get singing!"
"Dancing" Heather smiled, and Lindsay laughed suddenly forgetting the Tyler-issue and linking her arm with Heather's whilst they walked inside.
"So, can we go back later? For that ball?"
"They said they were going to the king's ball right? Of course we're going. Don't forget our mission Trent. Now I need you to do me a favour. You go and get us some really fancy costumes for this ball"
"You'll need a shave if we're going" Trent pointed to Duncan's stubble, and Duncan nodded in agreement for once.
"I'll go get the dirt on this ball, and where abouts the King's having it"
"Then where will we meet?"
"At yours"
"Mine?"
"Yes, we need somewhere to get ready don't we? I'll meet you there later"
"But how will I know when-"
"just get the clothes okay? Look, here's the money" Duncan pulled out a small bag from his pocket, and handed it to Trent. Trent just took the money, knowing better then to ask Duncan where he got it from.
I'm so excited to be starting this. I don't fully now the outcomes past a certain point in the story, but we'll see as we go along XD There will be a few twists for you to find out of course, so it could be going completely differently to where you think it's heading. I'll re-read my second and third chapters and they will be up shortly!
While no characters are meant to be any historically figures, I am trying to keep this as accurate to early English-middle ages as I can make it. I don't know everything, so certain traditions won't be fully-accurate I suppose (but, it won't because it needs to fit with these characters too) but I know quite alot XD
I hope you guys enjoy! The new chapter should be up in an hour or less (if my internet doesn't die) or tomorrow! Thanks for reading!
