Chapter 3:
Arthur sat down at the table when Merlin walked through the door, "What are you going to do with Ashley?" Merlin asked after waiting a few moments.
"I think I may make her my ward."
"Arthur, if you want her to be your friend… Don't make her your ward. She would view you as a parent, she doesn't need that."
"I can't believe that my own knights brought in a terrified girl, claimed she was a sorceress, and then she passed out from fear," Arthur sighs and runs a hand down his face. "No wonder she doesn't trust us… well, most of us."
"Arthur… she had nightmares for a long time, about Morgana torturing her and killing her. We would show up in those dreams, but before we did anything, she would wake up. Ashley doesn't know what to do, but that doesn't mean she is stupid and it definitely doesn't mean that she is a child."
Arthur nods, "Get my armor ready for training. And look out for Ashley, the last thing we need is another woman against Camelot." Merlin nods, and leaves, concern written all over his face.
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After Gwen gave Ashley almost an entire wardrobe (that description was the understatement of the year), the girl had decided to go onto the field to practice her knife throwing, sword fighting, and archery. A few years back, she had asked her father to let her take a class on medieval fighting, and he did. She found the sounds the swords made and the way the arrows flew toward their mark mesmerizing. Most of all, she loved the knife throwing, and how, even in real life, she could use it for self-defense, even though she has also taken a hand to hand combat class.
Ashley put her hair into a plait after putting on a grey blouse, adorned with a silver belt, and black trousers with a pair of tan combat boots. She grabbed some of the knives and walked about twice as far than she should have, or what was suggested.
Ashley squinted at the target, but when she took them off to wipe them on her shirt, her vision was clear. Odd, but I guess maybe the magic did this… she thought. She left her glasses on the side and pulled back her arm, aiming at the target. Then, the knife flew with so much force that when it hit dead center of the target, it was embedded at least an inch deep into the oak.
Well, at least I haven't lost my touch. She grinned, then realized that the knights had been watching. Merlin had seen that, too. Ashley didn't understand why she felt so drawn to him, felt so safe when he was near. "That was a pretty good shot, Ashley," the king yelled.
"T-thank you, milord. I hadn't realized you'd come, caught up in the moment, I guess. I took a few lessons, I was wondering if I could join you in practice today," Ashley smiled, trying to bite back her retorts.
"Of course, though, are you sure? We tend to be a little rough."
"Oh, I think I can manage," she countered, voice dripping with sarcasm. The knights come out of the tents, dressed in armor.
Then, Arthur speaks up again, "Maybe would you like to go up against, Merlin? He may be a better opponent for you. Considering you are a girl." You could tell that he wasn't exactly trying to be rude, but it came out more than offensive.
"I think I would much rather go against Camelot's finest, milord," she smirks at the king's shocked face.
"Are you sure? You are aware that I have been trained to kill since birth?"
"And, how long have you been training to make up excuses so you don't have to fight a girl?" Then, Ashley starts the fight, and the deafening sounds of metal hitting metal don't overcome the quick beats of her heart nor the adrenaline running through her pumping blood. She quickly reacts to Arthur's movements, surprise evident on his face. Then, Arthur falls backward, losing his footing, and hits the ground with a thud. The girl wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, "That was a challenge, but I ask myself, was it harder for me, or you?" she chuckles, extending a hand to the king, "Need a hand?" Arthur takes it and stands up. Then, Ashley goes to walk over to the bench, hearing a sword swing through the air, she whips around and blocks it, knocking it from Arthur's hand. "Don't underestimate me. Because I think I have demonstrated here that I am more than a helpless girl. And by the way, don't go easy on me next time."
Ashley then turns on her heel and walks toward the bench that Merlin sits at, she plops down next to him. "Congratulations. It couldn't have been easy doing that."
"He went easy on me, I could tell the whole time."
"I mean standing up to him. I think you earned a lot of respect in his book, if not his, than definitely the knights."
"What about you? He treats you terribly. I mean, I know you are his servant, no offense, but he should really be nicer to you."
Merlin sighs, "I know it doesn't seem that way, but we are friends. We are just teasing each other, even if it does get a bit much. I think that you and me, we are good friends right now. We can become great friends, everyone here, you, the knights, Arthur, and me… You just need to give us a chance. By the way, His Royal Pratness is coming, you better go see what he wants."
"Thanks, I think I will… The friends thing I mean…" Merlin smiles and nods, "Oh, and by the way, Merlin. You are a great man, Merlin. Arthur's lucky to have a friend like you." Then, Ashley turns around walking toward the king.
Arthur rubs the back of his neck, "Ashley, I'm sorry. You were right, I did go easy on you. If you would like, I would be happy to do a rematch."
"Gladly," Ashley smiles, sword in hand, and they begin. She has a tougher time while fighting this time, seeing that Arthur is actually trying. Her body is being pushed to the limit. He swipes at her feet and she jumps over the sword, swinging her own at his shoulder. Her muscles burn and her blood pumps. Ashley's lungs scream for oxygen, but she refuses to surrender. Her breathing quickens as she continues to fight until the end. Arthur comes at her with the sword again, but Ashley blocks it, only to lose her footing. She falls onto her back, sword only a few inches from her grasp, and Arthur steps over her.
"Do you yield?" he asks, pointing a sword at her throat. Ashley searches for a mistake in his footing, and sees that his left foot is too far away from his right, but also too close to her leg. If she shifts slightly, and kicks her leg out, she could win the fight. She looks up straight into Arthur's face.
"Never," she pants, kicking out his leg from under him and watching the king fall face first into the mud. She picks up her sword and strides over to him, "Do you?"
"Yes." Ashley extends a hand to help him up and he pats her on the back, "Nice fight."
"Thanks, it was a pleasure. You almost had me there for a second," she chuckles and walks over to the knights to chat with some of them. She meets Percival and Leon, already having met Gwaine, and talks with them. She mostly listens in to Leon and Gwaine's conversation, Percival and her being kind of shy and quiet. She can tell that Leon is very loyal and has probably been training to be a knight since her was very young.
Ashley is able to tell that Gwaine is very protective, spends a lot of time in bars or taverns, and likes to have fun. He plays pranks, tells jokes, and despite the fact that his tavern stories may or may not be true, either way he still looks for trouble and adventure wherever he goes. He likes the danger and taking risks.
Ashley can't really tell much about Percival. He loves a good joke as much as the next person. He is very smart, but doesn't like to show off. He is understanding and overly protective of people close to him. There is something else, but Ashley can't put her finger on it.
Then, Arthur says that they are going to work on knife throwing. Also, that they will be working on hand to hand combat, but that will be all for today's practice. Ashley grabs a few knives, thankful that they won't be working on archery. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, she was terrible at it. While throwing, and hitting the bull's eye almost every time, she notices that someone is doing the same. Merlin. Ashley doesn't understand why a servant would be able to throw knives with that much precision, but she doesn't question it. Most people don't understand why she does it either.
Ashley continues throwing and getting her knives from the target, almost getting narrowly dodging a stray knife from a knight whom she doesn't know the name of. Later on, she learns that his name is Sir Rowan. Eventually, they go onto hand to hand combat. Arthur decides to pair up Ashley and a knight named Mordred. He seems nice, though a little timid. Ashley thinks that he looks a little cute.
They begin sparring. Ashley works on the defensive side, looking for a weakness in the fight. She realizes that Mordred is afraid of hurting her, so that if she goes for a blow, he probably won't see it coming. Ashley goes to kick Mordred in the stomach and reaches her goal. He stumbles back, and soon regains his footing. He's quick, but I'm quicker. Ashley knows that she can't win this fight unscathed, but she does know that she can definitely win.
After she blocks a few punches and jabs Mordred in the ribs a few times, they both realize that they are the last fighting. Ashley has beads of sweat on her forehead, and she figures out that she has to strike soon, or else Mordred will. Ashley jabs Mordred in the throat, then kicks him in the stomach, and he falls to the ground, defeated. She holds out a hand to him, and he takes it saying, "Good fight. You are very skilled."
"So are you, I thought I was going to lose for a few moments," Ashley says smiling. "Um, I'll see you around. I have to go." Ashley runs off to the castle. She goes into the chambers that were given to her. Ashley looks around the giant walk-in closet. Because Gwen and her were the same size, they had decided to share the clothes. So, this was technically Gwen's closet.
Ashley chooses a dark turquoise dress with lacy sleeves and a dress that show off her curves. It falls down to her ankles. For shoes, she chooses one inch silver heels. Then, she walks around a bit, getting used to the way she has to walk. Before she begins to go back to her room, she takes a white nightgown to wear so that she can go right to sleep after the dinner. A servant comes into the room, "Excuse me, milady? Dinner will start in a few moments. My name is Arianna, I will be your maidservant for your stay. Most people call me Ari, though. Do you need any assistance?"
Ashley turns around, "No, thank you. Ari, why don't you sit? You look like you are about to fall over." The maid was thin and small, her brown hair was curly and held in a ponytail. A few stray locks fall into her face, covering her green eyes.
"Oh, milady, I really shouldn't. I am here to serve you," the girl, probably only thirteen, insists.
"You look like you are about to collapse, please. Call me Ashley." Then, Ari walks over to the table and sits down.
The maid, shifts uncomfortably and clasps her hands together. "Are you sure you don't need any help, mil- I mean – Ashley?"
"I'm sure. You know what? Take the rest of the night off… I'm sure that I can manage."
"I'm sorry, Ashley. I'm supposed to serve at the dinner. I'll come back in the morning through. Goodbye, Ashley." Ari bows her head and leaves the room, closing the door with a soft click behind her. Ashley bangs her head against the wall. How am I going to go into a room full of nobles? Why doesn't someone just put me in the center of a crowd of over five thousand people? Then, Ashley pulls herself together, the voice of reason in her mind being Isabelle. Telling her that she could do this. Ashley plays with her bracelet as she walks down the hallways to the throne room. She comes up to the door, and lays a hand on it, closing her eyes. Then, she opens her eyes just as she pushes the door open.
Now, I really hope I am like Ashley when I am older, because I think that she is awesome. I must start to learn how to throw knives! Then, people won't mess with me. HEHEHE! Ok, well, I went on a writing spree while I really should have been doing work for school... Yeah, story of my life. So, reviews are appreciated! See you next chapter, Merlin fans!
XOXO,
Lunatris262
