Hi and welcome to my new POTO fic! :) This is an AU version, medieval-ish setting. Names of places are fictional and if some place exists like that, it's completely accidental. The land is fictional too, though I've loosely based the look on Scotland.

The look of Erik is based on Gerard Butler's role in Atilla (less tanned, though). If you haven't seen it, google it. Guh. :D Other POTO characters are based on the looks of their movie counterparts.

If you want to see a larger cover, PM me. :)

It's my first time writing something for this era, so any feedback is very much appreciated!

POTO characters don't belong to me.

The carriage rocked back and forth as it drove on the uneven road. Christine looked out of the window into the forest that surrounded them and not for the first time thought about where they were headed and what would wait for them there. She was accompanied by her father Gustave, the only parent she had ever known for her mother died giving birth to her. As an only child, she was cherished by her father and protected fiercely, which sometimes annoyed her.

Her father was the Earl of Baideanach, a small province south of the capital and king Charles deemed Baideanach one of his favourite provinces for it flourished under Gustave's care. That was why they were currently headed to the Alterwood Castle. Christine had been promised to the eldest son and successor of the King, prince Raoul. Besides Raoul, the King had one more son and two daughters, all of which were married and living in their own provinces. Christine and Raoul had once been playmates shortly one summer. She had been five and he had been ten at the time. That would make him twenty-five to date.

Normally women her age of twenty years were already married and had several children, but due to the overprotective nature of her father, she had never had the chance to be courted properly. Unbeknownst to him, her young heart of sixteen summers burned for a lad named George and she enjoyed the first stirrings of love as they met discreetly time and time again. Fooled by his whispered promises and words of love, she had allowed him to take her maidenhood and after that she had never seen him again. She had been heartbroken but masked it for the sake of her father, crying only in the privacy of her chambers. George had been her only regret and wished she had never met him.

Inwardly shaking herself from the unpleasant memories, Christine once again focused on the terrain outside. She knew Glayweth was a beautiful large province with picturesque terrain. Forests, rolling hills, cliffs overlooking the ocean, lakes, fields, plains and highlands all parts of the vast land. She could not wait to see everything again and commit to the memory what her younger self could not.

Her thoughts turned back to prince Raoul. She had always wanted to marry for love, that kind of love which she read about in her books of fair maidens and brave knights. However, she knew she could do much worse; at least she knew Raoul and at one point they had been friends as opposed to marrying someone she did not know or even disliked. When her father had come home with the news, she had wanted to argue. But he was genuinely excited by the King's proposal and she had not had the heart to oppose him. Christine knew he wanted the best for her, so she accepted, reconciled to her destiny to never fall in love on her own. True, she might even learn to love prince Raoul during their marriage and he could turn out to be the love of her life in the end. For the next two months they would be living at Alterwood, where Raoul will be able to court her properly and after that, they would get married.

Sighing, she focused again on the nature outside, pleasantly surprised they were out of the forest and taken aback by the sheer beauty of the vast expanse of land around them. The sun was shining, illuminating rolling hills, fields and lakes, sparse clouds floating in the sky and casting tiny shadows upon the ground below. This was different than home, Baideanach was made of mostly plains and the land was flat, but still she fell in love with her current surroundings.

"Don't worry, my dear. We will be there soon." Gustave spoke next to her, noting her sigh. Christine merely acknowledged his words with a nod and kept watching the scenery, wondering what awaited her at Alterwood. They had been travelling for two days, stopping at night in one of the inns by the road. The journey was long and tiring and despite the motions and sounds of the vehicle, she dozed off.

True to her father's word, it wasn't long before they passed the surrounding villages of Alterwood. Gustave woke her up then with a gentle shake.

"We are almost there, Christine." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and tried to make herself look presentable and looked out of the window. The majestic Alterwood castle loomed at a nearby hill; it had been 15 years since she had last seen it and the sight of it now took her breath away. The drawbridge was lowered over the moat and the portcullis was already raised. Her heart picked up its beat in her chest as they drove into the courtyard, the driver signalling for the horses to stop. There was a slight commotion outside and then the door was opened. Her father left the carriage first before helping her out of the vehicle.

The large courtyard was mostly empty; groups of people watched their arrival from afar but her attention was held by a group of three men making their way from the main keep towards them.

"Gustave!" The tall grey-haired man greeted her father. King Charles was a warm, kind person yet strong, just and respectable. He was well liked by all people in his kingdom. Dressed in all finery and his gold crown, he displayed his power and royal blood.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see you again." They shook hands and smiled at one another like old friends. The king's gaze then fell on her and he smiled. "Your Majesty, please let me introduce you my daughter Christine." Christine smiled politely and gave a small curtsy.

"Your Majesty."

"I see your daughter has grown into a beautiful young woman. She takes after Charlotte no doubt." Christine fought a blush; while she had never known her mother, her father often told her with delight how like her mother she looked. "May I introduce you to my son, prince Raoul?" He gestured to his side and Christine looked at the man she was supposed to marry. His features were vaguely familiar but age had turned his chubby cheeks into well chiseled features. His eyes were blue and his hair light brown with blonde overtones, pulled back with a ribbon. He was dressed very much like his father in the finest fabrics. Her playmate had grown into a handsome nobleman, his soft smile and eyes exuding the same warmth as his father's.

"Your Highness." She made another curtsy and he chuckled.

"Call me Raoul, My Lady, we are betrothed. Besides, we have known each other since we were children."

"Very well, Raoul." She was not entirely comfortable addressing him as such so soon but let it slide. Her eyes slid from her betrothed to the tall man standing next to him. It was not hard to notice him for he wore all black clothing; black doublet with gold trim, black brocade breeches, hose and boots. His hair was raven and fell to his shoulders in mild waves, the top layer pulled back with a ribbon. His skin was slightly touched from the sun, his nose straight and he wore a short beard on the one side that she could see. What surprised her was the white half-mask covering the right side of his face. He stood tall and straight, his arms linked behind his back. He did not look too happy about being here but looked as if he resigned himself to this obligation. Much like her, if she were honest. Who was this man, dressed in finery that could rival that of Raoul's, holding himself like a nobleman?

"And this is my nephew, Marquis Erik of Craewen." As her father went to greet the Marquis, she took the opportunity to study him. He was very intriguing and almost mysterious with that mask. She wondered what it was made of and of course, what was it hiding? She knew some noblemen were rather eccentric but he did not seem the type to be just wearing the mask as some sort of accessory. When he turned to her and their eyes met, her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were piercing green and if he turned his head just so, they would be almost blue with tiny flecks of gold. They held a a note of deep sadness in their gorgeous depths.

"My Lord." Giving another curtsy, she greeted him when she got her voice back and moistened her lips with her tongue.

"My Lady. A pleasure to meet you." His voice shook her to the core, deep, rich and soft as velvet, almost making her legs unsteady. He took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the back of it gently. A bolt of electricity shot from the spot he touched down her spine.

"We should get you situated, I am sure the journey was tiring." The King motioned for his servants to unload the carriage and bring their trunks inside the prepared chambers, while the stable-boys took care of the carriage and the horses. They followed the King inside and Christine could barely keep her eyes off the Marquis' back before he excused himself and departed from the group.