Author's Note: here it the second installment to Royal Affairs, I hope you all are enjoying it so far. A bit of a slow start, boring the readers with details most likely, but anyways, in this chapter Ben Finn makes his long awaited appearance; and will the princess finally find a warm bed? On another note, if you had a mustache like Major Swifts, wouldn't you just be twirling it all day?...Hope you enjoy!
Almost there her arse; they had been wondering around the forest for nearly an hour, and she was fairly certain that this was the third time they passed that tree. Cautiously she stepped over a large puddle, not wishing to become knee deep in stagnate water and add that to the list of why she needed a bath. Somewhat perturbed she looked up to Walter, who was currently looking at the map once more.
"It should be around here somewhere, you can't just up and move a bloody fort!" he grumble to himself, looking around in annoyance.
Yvette sighed and looked down to Ambrose who whined softly at her and cocked his head to the side.
"Hopefully, we'll be there soon boy...hopefully." she said and gave him a quick pat on the head before looking back up at Walter, who was now pacing. "Are we lost?"
"No, no...I think this map might be wrong..." he replied, not bothering to look up.
"So...we're lost..." she repeated
She watched as he opened his mouth to correct her when a loud blasted sounded out through the forest, shaking the earth and causing the birds roosting in the trees to go into a frenzy.
"Ha! That sounded like a mortar!" Walter exclaimed and shoved the abused map back into his pocket. "It doesn't sound like they're too far off, come on!" with that he sprinted off towards the sound, Yvette trying to keep up with him while trying to keep herself from losing her shoes in the mud.
"You don't think they'll fire on us do you?" she called up to him as she nearly tripped over a log rounding a tight bend in the overgrown path.
"If they do hopefully they're new recruits and have shoddy aim!" he called back with a bark of laughter.
She was unsure if he was being serious or if he was just joking with her; though either way she did not want a search party looking for bits and pieces of her in the forest canopy, if they did end up shooting at them.
They emerged from the overgrown forest into a clearing marred with mortar craters and temporary wooden barriers and just beyond that the flag of Albion flying over the walls of the Fort.
"You're wasting time, you don't want to get shot now do you?" Walter teased over his shoulder as he slowed his stride to a brisk walk.
"No..." she replied and quickly began to hurry down the knoll after him.
Yvette was quite relieved when they walked up to the wooden gates of the fort all in one piece and not any worse for wear.
"Open the gates!" Walter shouted up at the man controlling the lever to the gate.
"Are you, man or Hollow man?" came the somewhat nervous reply.
Walter groaned and looked back to the princess with a look of mild annoyance, before turning back to the Fort entrance.
"Well why do you take a look for yourself." he said mockingly. "what do you think!"
"...Man...alright I'm opening up the gate!" the man replied, frightened by Walter's gruff tone.
"What was that all about?" Yvette looked to Walter in confusion.
"I have no idea, but I have a feeling we'll find out sooner rather than later." he replied and began to walk through the gates, now opened to them.
Almost immediately the old soldiers' gloomy demeanor perked up as he spotted two soldiers standing not far from the Fort entrance.
The seemingly older of the two men looked up, his face held a look of surprise as he watched the odd group of companions approach.
"...Walter?" he said in slight disbelief as the taller man came to stand in front of him.
"There he is! The one and only Major Swift." Walter exclaimed and extended his hand expectantly.
The one called "Swift" broke into a grin and quickly took the invitation and shook Walter's hand firmly.
"It is you! Its been awhile!" he said and laughed happily.
"Aye, it has! Logan just loves to put you on missions like this doesn't he? " he asked grinning.
Major Swift smiled slyly.
"That he does." he replied and gave his old friend an firm pat on the shoulder.
Walter laughed and then looked over to man standing at Swift's side.
"And is that Ben Finn?" he asked still grinning like a fox in the hen house, knowing full well the answer.
"You know it." came the man's cocky reply, along with a smug smirk.
Yvette had fallen behind, as she took in the sight of the fort and dragged her tired feet; it looked different that she had expected it to. She watched as Ambrose ran around the barricaded area, with newfound energy, going up to each soldier he came across and begged for attention.
She was so caught up in watching Ambroses' antics that she nearly ran into Walter, and she jumped back in surprise.
"Ah there she is!" she heard her mentor say with a chuckle and he looked over his shoulder at her and gave her an amused grin.
She immediately composed herself, somewhat embarrassed she had already made a fool out of herself, and she quickly stepped around the large man and stood at his side, trying to regain some of her dignity.
"So this is the princess." the taller of the two men said and twirled the tip of his long mustache around his index finger thoughtfully.
"Aye, Yvette, this is Major Swift, Major Swift Yvette." Walter said introducing them quickly.
"Hey, what about me?" she looked over to the man at Swift's side,
The man was shorter than the Major, perhaps her height, with soft blonde hair, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen.
"What about you?" Walter asked gruffly but she could tell he was pulling the mans' chain and she quickly, less she be caught starring, turned her attention back to the Major, trying not to pay any heed to the sound of Walter and the blonde soldiers' bickering.
"Pleased to meet you." she said and shook Swift's hand firmly.
"You as well, princess." he replied with a nod and a kind smile.
"Please, just call me Yvette, no need for such formality." she told him with a shy smile.
"Of course."
She looked over to Walter who must had finished his squabble, he glared at the other man before beginning to speak.
"Yvette, this is Ben Finn, Ben this is the princess." he said gruffly.
Yvette gave the old soldier a look and sighed at his childishness, before turning her attention to the man called Ben Finn.
"Pleased to meet you mister Finn..." she began and extended her hand to him.
Though instead of shaking it, he took it in his, bowed his head and placed a kiss upon it.
"Just Ben, please." he told her looking up at her, giving her a sly smile.
She quickly told herself not to look into it too much, but she could already feel her face and ears becoming hot
"Ben!" Walter huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What?" the blonde soldier asked, trying to sound as though he had no idea why the man would be upset with him.
But before either of them could say any more Yvette quickly piped up ending the squabble before it even began.
"I am sure you both know why we are here." she said looking from Major Swift to Ben Finn curiously.
"At first we suspected it was only a rumor, King Logan's little sister, going out and trying to gather up an army." Swift replied giving her a thoughtful glance. "But here you are."
"We can't do this without your help." Walter said in all seriousness.
"Yes, but we have our hands full at the moment." the Major said shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" she asked giving him an odd look.
"Every night, we have been attacked by the undead...Hollow men..." Swift said gravely, casting a weary glance to Ben.
"No matter how many times we send them back to their bloody graves, they just keep coming back." Ben said through gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes.
"Why would they be attacking?" Yvette asked softly looking up to Walter who was stroking his beard in thought.
Walter finally shrugged his massive shoulders and looked down to her in defeat.
"I have no idea." he replied and then looked over to Major Swift. "What can we do to help?"
"A few extra hands would be great sending those demons back to their graves." Swift replied with a smile.
"Ah, then it will be just like old times my friend!" Walter said with a laugh.
"Wonderful! Ben why don't you take the princess up to the mortar and show her the ropes." Swift said glancing over to Ben and the princess.
"Sure thing." the other soldier replied with a crooked smile, before turning to the woman before him. "My lady, this way." he added with a mocking bow, playfully glancing at Walter out of the corner of his eye.
"behave yourself Finn." the old soldier said with a sigh as he watched the princess follow after the blonde man.
As Yvette followed behind Ben, her curiosity quickly got the better of her and she found herself opening her mouth once again.
"Why is it you tease Walter so?" she questioned the man as they made their way over to a worn granite staircase.
At first he didn't answer and for a moment she thought that maybe her question had insulted him.
"For old times sake...and I just like to pull the old goats beard." he finally said over his shoulder as they climbed the staircase briskly.
"Oh..." was all she said and fell silent.
As she reached the top of the steps she nearly ran into the blonde soldier who had stopped on the last step, and she quickly muttered an apology.
He turned to her.
"I realized I might have come off as a bit brash..." he said crossing his arms over his chest, his piercing blue eyes giving her a look of curiosity.
"It's alright, I understand you're under a lot of stress right now, who wouldn't be with Hollow men and such?" she replied, her eyes darting away from his gaze, feeling slightly fidgety under the scrutiny of those blue orbs.
He laughed heartedly before continuing.
"Well, either way, I wish to introduce myself properly, especially in the face of such royalty." he said with a crooked smile, one she had decided was one of his defining attributes.
"Of course." she replied, a smile playing across her lips. "You must be on good terms when I become queen." she added jokingly, beginning to feel slightly more at ease.
"That I must!" he replied his smile growing, as he extended his hand to her, which she took without hesitation. "My lady, might I introduce myself, I am Captain Benjamin Finn of the Royal Army." he said while giving her hand a firm shake, before once again bowing his head and pressing a mocking kiss to her knuckles.
She found herself giggling softly.
"At ease soldier." she told him playfully as he straightened back up and gave her a grin.
"Aye, ma'am...now we've got a mortar to attend to, I fear it might think we have forgotten it." he said, glancing over his shoulder.
"Oh, of course!" Yvette stammered, feeling as though she was the cause of the delay.
Ben smiled at her sudden uneasiness.
"Come on, you have a date with heavy weaponry." he said to her as he continued to walk again.
Yvette nodded, though mostly to herself, and once again found herself following after him; glad that she would be shooting and being shot at.
