Hello everyone, and welcome to a new story of mine! I've been intrigued by Roman and medieval times since I can remember and Best Friends Whenever now has a princess from medieval times in their regular cast. I couldn't let the opportunity pass by and decided to write some sort of prologue to Daisy's life in modern times. I should mention there will be no mention of Cyd, Shelby, Barry or Naldo at all, or until we're at the end. Sebastian may show up or be mentioned, but that's it. Also, this will probably be sporadically updated until I have finished one of my other stories. I do this to prevent updating each story once a month while I can also finish one story sooner with more regular updates. Everyone loves regular updates more than sporadical ones, so you'll have to wait a while before this story will be updated regularly.
Okay, this is getting a bit long AN, so here is the story. Enjoy!
It was a bright and sunny day in the spring. After the cold winter, the forests of North Upswich seemed to come back to life. The animals left their holes and resting places to see the beginning of a new warm season. The birds returned from the southern lands and the deer and swine came out in the open again as the trees and flowers blossomed.
Today was a perfect day for hunting. A delegate of twenty men rode out at dawn and arrived at their desired hunting spot a few hours later. They hadn't been hasty, nor would they be during the hunt – they would spend the night in one of the nearby villages, if they had to. Only one of those twenty men was allowed to hunt in these forests. That man was Leofrick Grundenwald, King of North Upswich with his trusted guards.
The King liked hunting, and today was the first time he could go hunting again after the cold months of winter. It was one of his most beloved things to do. He normally liked more adventurous events than hunting, but he could not engage in such activities anytime soon. He was bound to this province – his wife, Queen Lavinia, was pregnant with their first child.
King Leofrick loaded the arrow onto the crossbow when he saw a doe. The old man who taught him how to hunt was sitting next to him. The remaining eighteen men stood a few hundred yards away from them – the noise they'd make would scare the animals away. The King aimed for the doe, closing one eye for maximal chance of killing it. he was about to let the arrow fly when a fawn jumped out of the bushes towards the doe. The King lowered his crossbow and he and the hunter watched mother and child leave.
"You could've had him, your Majesty."
"It would be unfair, Martin. That fawn doesn't stand a chance without his mother." Their conversations in the woods usually consisted of a couple of statements at the tone of barely audible whispers. They didn't want to scare the animal away. Leofrick could just as easily release the dogs in the forest, but he wanted to do it himself.
A hare ran into their sight. He sat on its hind legs and looked around, its ears up for any sign of danger. Slowly, silently, the King lifted up the crossbow and aimed for the hare. Suddenly, it turned towards the group of two and before the King could shoot, the hare raced away from this place.
The King sighed and rose from his hiding place. Next to him, Martin did the same. It had not been them, but the sound of hooves that had scared the hare. The King and hunter walked in the direction of the guards, hearing how the sound of hooves grew louder with every passing second.
"This isn't good," Martin said and Leofrick nodded in agreement. They were not allowed to interrupt him while he was hunting unless there was an emergency. Soon, they saw the blonde messenger coming closer to them. He had already passed the guards. It was one of his personal messengers. He wore his armor with the Grundenwald banner on his chest: a black oak tree on a green and silver background. Both the horse and its driver were exhausted – they had not taken a break. Whatever it was, was important enough to have ridden the full two hours it takes to come here.
"Your Majesty," the messenger began, but he continued to pant and he could not finish his sentence. His decision not to take a break prevented him from saying anything else.
"Martin, help the guy," Leofrick said. Martin nodded and walked to the messenger, helping him off the horse. The blonde man thankfully let the hunter get him off the horse and made it easier for the hunter when necessary. Soon, the man sat on the ground and Martin led the horse to the guard's horses.
The messenger leaned against a tree. The King sat on one knee to be at eye-height of the man.
"What is your name?" Leofrick asked him.
"Barnaby, your Majesty," the man said. Leofrick nodded.
"Barnaby, what is the news?" he asked the messenger. Barnaby tried to speak, but he still paused every now and then to take a deep breath.
"Your Majesty," the messenger began, "when I left… the castle… the Queen… gone into labor."
Leofrick nodded at the man, to know whether he could still move. "Thank you for sharing the news, Barnaby," he said and stood up. "I'll tell my guards to take care of you." He walked away from the messenger, who nodded thankfully. It was happening, he thought. Of all the days, it was happening today. His Queen was giving birth to the heir to his throne. He soon reached the guards and passed Martin, who was bringing water to Barnaby. The hunter called out for him, but Leofrick ignored him. It left Martin speechless, since the King never ignored him. It was not his intention, either. His wife was on his mind and time was of the essence.
He reached the group of soldiers, guards, men who pledged to protect the King with their lives. They jumped up when they saw their monarch approach them.
"Ademar, Norman, Geffrey, with me," Leofrick said. "The rest stays here with Martin." The fifteen other men looked at each other, confused, talking with each other, wondering what was going on. The three men Leofrick had chosen – the three knights the King trusted more than anyone else in the realm – followed him to the horses. He loosened the reins from his horse, Iantho, and climbed it. Norman and Geffrey followed his example. Ademar was more doubtful of the King's intentions.
"Your Majesty," he said, "What's going on?" The King may not had answered the question if it had been a younger man not to waste any time. But it wasn't a younger man, it was Ademar. A man he trusted with his life, one of the best guards (along with Norman and Geffrey) and the best men to accompany him.
"My wife is giving birth." That was all he said, all he needed to convince Ademar to climb his horse. Martin did approach them, but Leofrick didn't notice. He spurred the horse and rode ahead of the three guards, leaving the others behind.
They soon left the forest behind them and rode on the roads, through villages and fields, on their way to the castle, where Lavinia would be waiting for him. You see, Leofrick had promised to his wife that he'd be there when their first child is born. Now it's happening and he was hours away, he feared he could not live up to that promise. He knew he shouldn't have gone out hunting, but today was a perfect day to do so.
Before they realized it, they had passed one hour on the saddle. Norman rode a bit faster to catch up with Leofrick and Iantho. He spoke when they rode neck and neck.
"Your Majesty, we need to rest. The horses are tired and so are we." But the King shook his head.
"We must continue," he shouted, so Geffrey and Ademar could hear it, too. Eventually, he noticed Normal was no longer riding beside him, and another voice called out for him. He held his horse and turned his head. Norman, Geffrey and Ademar all had their horses stand still, while the King had galloped away from them with a considerable distance.
Leofrick sighed. Stubborn men, he thought. That's why he chose them to come with him. Other, younger knights would have obeyed him and would have kept on galloping with him. These men knew when it was time to stop, when it was time to tell their King to slow down. he turned Iantho around and let him walk to the three men.
The King dismounted from his horse and tied the reins to a nearby tree. "Her Majesty will be fine," Ademar said, trying to comfort him, "The best doctors in the country are with her as we speak. We don't have to stay long." Leofrick agreed with him and sat on the grass beside them. Only then he realized how much he needed this break. After an hour on the horse, numerous body parts were sore. He would definitely feel the pain tomorrow, but that did not matter now. He had to go to Lavinia. But for now, they rested.
They ended up sitting in the grass for longer than they thought they would. After the twenty minute break, they continued their journey. Instead of galloping, they let their horses trot, as not to deplete their energy too soon. Iantho definitely liked it more than galloping for an hour, but he seemed to go faster than the other three horses. Almost as if he knew Leofrick was in a big hurry and wanted to help him reach that goal by going slightly faster.
After three hours of trotting and some short breaks in between, they saw the castle rise up in the background. The closer they came, the bigger it grew. Before they knew it, the horses were galloping closer and closer. A loud bell rang through the castle, audible from the hundreds of meters they had to go there. The drawbridge was lowered just in time for the galloping horses. As soon as the men were inside on the courtyard, they held their horses and the drawbridge was lifted again.
The four men descended from their horses. Ademar, Norman and Geffrey brought their horses to the stable. Leofrick had not the intention to do so – he had to go straight to his wife. Fortunately, one of the stable boys had watched him enter the castle again. He led Iantho to this boy.
"Rickon," the King told the boy, "take Iantho to the stables. Please care for him." Rickon nodded, muttered a quick 'yes, your Majesty' and led the horse to the stable. The King turned around and entered the castle, going immediately to their private quarters.
As he was going there, he could already hear her screams from afar. This urged him to walk faster, be by her side faster. He knew where she would be giving birth – Lavinia barely left the room the past few weeks in anticipation of the child, only leaving it to join her husband in their bed.
The King opened the door to the room Lavinia had chosen to give birth in. He was at the right room – the screams were definitely coming from inside. He didn't hesitate. Leofrick opened the door and walked in, stopping for one brief moment to take in the scene.
They were all here: the doctor, some maids who helped him and his wife, Queen Lavinia. Her blonde hair was pushed back so it would not get in the way. Her beautiful eyes were now filled with pain and effort and there was sweat on her brow. Her legs were spread and the doctor looked between them, to free the child from his mother's womb. One of her hands crushed the wooden bed with her firm grip, the other was held by one of the maids.
Leofrick entered the room and changed positions with the maid holding her hand. The moment he had walked in, Lavinia smiled, even if she still suffered. She squeezed his hands.
"You came," she managed to say. Leofrick nodded.
"Of course I did," he said and they shared a quick kiss before he let her focus on putting their child on this world. She held his hand firmly, and he knew she wouldn't let go until their child was born. He didn't mind – he just wanted to be there for his wife.
"Push," the doctor said, "I think I can see the head." Lavinia, for once, did as she was told and pushed. She screamed out as she pushed, hoping it would help her give birth. Leofrick's hand got almost crushed, but he didn't mind. She pushed again, and again, and kept on screaming with each push until they could hear an as of yet unknown voice.
It was a young voice, the youngest voice in the room. It wasn't talking, but screaming. Screaming as it first touched the cold air, screamed as it first saw the light, cried as it was born. The queen panted in relief, happy the child was here, screaming and healthy. The King couldn't help but shed a tear, either.
One maid – he thought her name was Joan – took the child after the doctor had cut something. She brought it to the other side of the room, where she cleaned it.
"Push, your Majesty," the doctor said, "The baby is born, but not everything is out. Push." And the queen did as she was told. She did not see what else had to be pushed out, and she did not care either. The doctor cleaned up what else Lavinia had pushed out while Joan came with the child, wrapped up in a warm blanket, and handed it to the Queen.
Lavinia finally held her baby against her chest. It was still screaming, but a bit less loud than before. Leofrick caressed the child with one finger over his cheek. Lavinia couldn't help but smile. She unwrapped the blanket for a short time, but long enough for them to see what their child was.
"A princess," Lavinia said and Leofrick nodded. A princess. After so many months, they had a daughter. And a beautiful one, too. Their daughter, the princess, the future Queen of North Upswich. He grinned.
"Our Daisy," Leofrick said and Lavinia nodded. That's what they had agreed on: Daisy for their princess, Iantho for a boy.
They did not know how long they stayed in this position, but it was long enough to feed the child at least once and see her fall asleep. There were three knocks on the door before Ademar entered the room.
"Your Majesty?" he asked and the King nodded, giving him permission to enter.
"Ademar, you have great timing," Leofrick said, "Spread the word. Make sure everyone knows princess Daisy has been born." Ademar bowed and when he looked up, he smiled.
"I will, your Majesty," he said. he opened the door, ready to leave. Before he left, however, he turned to the King again.
"Congratulations, your Majesty." He closed the door as silently as he possibly could, as not to wake up the baby.
He spread the news, sending several messengers to the many lord and ladies North Upswich housed. When they heard the news, the notified the village near them and news always spread quickly when the civilians heard of it. No week later, everyone in North Upswich stopped their work for one day and used their time to celebrate the birth of princess Daisy.