Hello everyone! This story is only my second on here (my first is still not finished yet) :P but I fell in love with the Eclare parring and just had to write this! This story is set in... like the time of Tangled... ya know, the days with horses and... knights.
I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters. :'( Sadness.
But anyway, please enjoy!... or not... no one's forcing you. ;)

"Clare, darling." Her mother, Helen Edwards called as she sat beside her looking at a row of men bowing before them. Clare felt her stomach flip as she waited for the men to arise; today was the day that Clare had to pick a lover. The man she would spend the rest of her life with, and she was terrified.

Darcy, Clare's sister, had had a partner sense she was fourteen; all the men just loved Darcy. She was beautiful, why wouldn't they love her.

But sadly, Clare was the complete opposite; she was not beautiful, she didn't suck up to everyone to get them to like her- though she was always kind-, she never went around flaunting her body, and because of this, she had no one to love.

No one could look past her unwillingness to not find someone she actually loved before getting married. Not even her own mother.

Next week is Clare's seventeenth birthday, and she needed to be married by then. So all of the men in front of her were battling for her love, or more likely, to be wed into the Edwards royal family. No one here cared about Clare and her feelings. And that is why Clare woudn't pick any of them. Not if she could help it.

"Do you see one you like?" Her mother asked hopefully. Clare mentally scoffed.

"Listen mother..." Clare wondered how she should word it. Maybe she should tell her exactly how she feels... no. Definitely not. "I'm rather tired tonight. Maybe we can pick this up in the morning? I'll be much better to entertain them if I got some rest." Clare said kindly.

Helen thought for a moment, looking over the twenty-five men with careful eyes.

"Yes, you're right, dear." Helen replied standing up and motioning for the guards to take the men away. "Besides, that bunch had not one that was built for a good nights loving." Helen in her daughters ear. Clare's face burned red as her mother chuckled and stepped out of the large whispered room along with two guards.

That was another reason Clare wished not to be wed to a stranger; she was very self-conscience, and giving what was supposed to be one of the most important things you do as a married couple to some man she did not know didn't sit well with her.

Clare made her way to her chambers in the castle along with the two guards that had followed her out of the room. She opened the large wooden doors and waltzed inside shutting them quietly so as not to disturb the others that had their chambers next to her own.

Clare let out a sigh and walked over to her servant Gwen and began to undo her tight corset.
"Please, Milady. Let me." Gwen said moving Clare's hands aside and untied it, allowing Clare to breath again.

"Thank you, Gwen. You've been a good servant to me." Clare said walking over to her closet and taking out four dresses and placing them on her bed.

"It's my pleasure, Milady. May I ask what you are doing with those dresses?" Gwen asked tentatively.

Clare smiled sadly at her servant and sat on her bed. "I'm so sorry, Gwen, but I cannot. I must not tell anyone, but I do want you to know that out of all the servants I've had in my life, you're by far the one with the kindest heart." Clare said. Clare watched as Gwen shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

"Something troubling you?" Clare asked worried. Gwen shook her head and walked closer to Clare.

"Are you going to leave, Milady?" Gwen asked in a quiet voice.

Clare now regretted her rebellious choice to leave the castle, but didn't know how she was going to stay and marry a stranger. 'Goodness, Clare. Look at what you're doing to your poor servant. How can you be so rude!' Clare scolded herself mentally for being so selfish.

"Because I think you should." Those words broke Clare from her thoughts.

"What?" Clare asked, completely in shock.

"Well, if I may, Milady. I believe it would be the best for you." Clare gave her a shocked look and Gwen apologized profusely for saying such a crazy thing.

"No, no. Gwen, stop." Clare said smiling at her. "You did nothing wrong. I was thinking about leaving." Clare admitted.

Gwen picked her head up and began to speak. "I think that it would be the best if you did. I know you wont be happy if you stay here with a man you do not love. And you deserve to be happy."

Clare lowered her head and stood up walking over to Gwen. "Yes but... if I leave, you will be fired because I will be gone, and you will have no reason for them to keep you."

"So be it." Gwen said bravely. "I've never much cared for the castle. I would much rather be home taking care of my children." Gwen said sheepishly. Clare's face instantly brightened.

"So you really don't mind then?" Clare asked about ready to jump with joy.

"Of course not, Milady." Gwen said and smiled. Clare ran up to Gwen and squeezed her tight.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Clare pulled back and kissed Gwen on the cheek. "I cannot thank you enough for being so understanding."

"No need to thank me, now get a move on. It will be dark soon." Gwen said smiling brightly at the girl. Clare gave her another kiss on the cheek and began to pack a small bag with clothes and food and other necessities.

Clare's plan was to go a few towns over where people would not know who she was, and no one could force her to marry a stranger.

Clare had successfully made her way out of the castle without being caught and now stood at the beginning of the forest, staring with wide eyes. She had never been in the forest without her father and a horse, this was going to be new.

Clare quickly ran into the trees as she heard horses coming down the road next to her. She hid behind a tree as the noise passed and then looked back at the castle. "Goodbye, maybe we'll meet again." Clare said and chuckled lightly at herself for talking to a building. Clare made her way into the forest with no regrets.

Clare walked for only thirty minutes before it became dark out. Clare's father had taught her many years ago how to light a fire, but right now Clare's mind completely blanked. 'This is much harder then I thought it would be.' Clare thought as she set her pack down and began to rub some sticks together.

Finely, after over an hour of trying, she had gotten a fire going with the flint and steel she remembered about forty minutes into trying to get the logs to magically ignite.

Clare set one of her dresses down on the dry forest floor and sat upon it. She looked into the fire thinking, thinking about her parents and how they would react when they found out she was gone, what they would say about her, what all the men that had signed up to be her husband would think. She laughed at the thought. That was all behind her now. Too late to go back.

After many moments of trying to get comfortable, Clare finely found a position that suited her and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, Clare had walked over five hours before finding a little stream in the middle of the forest and decided to clean herself up.

She stripped off all her clothes, placing them on a large rock and entered the water. It was somewhat cold, but extremely refreshing. Clare smiled and closed her eyes, sitting on a rock underwater. She dipped her head back wetting her hair, and by doing so her chest popped out of the top of the water. Clare heard a snap from behind her and quickly shielded her arms over her chest, ducking down so that all of her, up to her chin, was covered in the water. Another snap came from just behind her and Clare closed her eyes tightly, silently praying that it was a small animal and would just run away if she yelled loud enough.

Clare could feel the animal behind her staring, not moving or making a sound. Clare figured that it probably wasn't a bear, it didn't sound heavy enough, but it sounded more like maybe... a deer? She could scare off a deer, right? Of course she could!

Clare opened her eyes slowly, shaking under the water slightly from the adrenalin rush. She decided that she should move fast and scare it away, and if it did happen to be a bear, it would tear her face off. 'Well I can't just sit here all day.' she thought to herself as she quickly spun around in the water and yelled loudly, thrashing her arm around to try and scare the creature.

"AAAAHHHHH!" She yelled, but she soon realized that it was not a creature, it was a man, and he was staring at her chest with an amused look on his face. Clare gasped and threw her arms over her chest once more sinking down into the water.

"Don't see that everyday." The man with piecing green eyes said with a chuckle as he continued to stare.

Hope you enjoyed it. If you like it, the next chapter will be up soon. If you don't, I'll delete it. Let me know if you want me to continue.