Arthur slowly made his way back to his chamber. There was something about that woman, something so different and something intriguing. She seemed so shy around him in the castle, and yet when he had first met her, she had a big mouth and a big attitude. Where could that person have gone?
He couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for her, losing her memories. He wondered if that was the reason why she was keeping herself so closed off, because she didn't know who she really was anymore.
The Prince was determined to do something about that, for some reason he could not explain, he wanted to get to know her and help her. That was why he had done some research on her family and kingdom, but that didn't go down to well with the Princess. He noted that she seemed to be afraid of her uncle, and when she told him about the dream, that was confirmed. He hoped that it only was a dream, and not her memory.
He changed for bed and pulled himself under the covers, although he was far from tired. His mind just kept drifting back to Isabella, and those eyes of her. When he looked at her, he could see fear and sorrow. He tired to imagine her eyes brighter, a smile on her face.
All he could do was hope that the dawning of a new day would bring better hope and luck. He noticed how relaxed she seemed to be around Merlin before they spotted him, and then she instantly clammed up.
0000
I heard someone come into my chamber. I was lying on my bed with my eyes closed, but I hadn't slept a wink. In all honesty, I was too scared to sleep. "Don't you know how to knock, Merlin?" I mumbled, slowly opening my heavy eyelids.
"How did you know it was me?" He asked in surprise as he put a tray of food down on the table.
"Because you are the only person in the whole of Camelot who fails to knock before entering a room." I told him, swinging my legs off the bed. I noticed him blush a little and avert his eyes. "Oh, come on, Merlin. It's not as if I have my legs on show is it?" I told him, knowing it was because I was in my nightdress that he was embarrassed.
"No, but…"
"But nothing, Merlin. I am not displaying anything inappropriate. You lot are so medieval." I said before grabbing a dress and ducking behind the changing screen.
"What do you mean, medieval?" He asked me curiously.
That's when I realised that I had slipped up. Of course they were medieval, this was Camelot for God sake. "Nothing, never mind." I told him before carrying on changing. A few minutes later I emerged, completely dressed, apart from my shoes. "What are you doing here anyway?" I asked as I sat down in front of the mirror and began to fight with my hair.
"Arthur wanted me to make sure you ate something before we left. He said you didn't eat much at dinner last night." I couldn't understand why the prince was worrying about me so much.
I let out a sigh. "That is because I do not feel the need to eat like a pig." I told him, walking over and inspecting the food. There was something that looked like it may have been porridge, along with fruit. I opted for an apple. "There, I'm eating." I said, taking a bite out of it. It tasted so much better than what I was used to. I had to remember that this was a time where they didn't use chemicals to keep bugs away and to help them grow. It was what people would have called organic.
"Is that all you're having?" He asked, watching me carefully.
"Yes, it is. Now, I'm sure Arthur has plenty of other things for you to be doing before we leave, so off you go." I said, waving him away and towards the door. Reluctantly he left, and I could have sworn I heard him speaking with Arthur as soon as he left the room. It made me curious, had he been standing outside while I had been talking to Merlin?
0000
Arthur had in fact been standing by the door, listening to the conversation between his servant and the visiting Princess. He didn't know what to make of it really. She was speaking to him like she had known him forever. And her comment about the nightdress, that was bothering him. Why had she been so calm about it all?
"Well?" Arthur said as Merlin emerged from the room.
"She started eating an apple and said that was all she was going to eat, pretty much." He said, looking at his master.
"She is going to make herself ill is she doesn't start to eat properly." The Prince replied, seemingly a little frustrated.
"Arthur, she's not used to having so much food available to her. It's going to take time for her to adjust. We don't know how long she has been away from her kingdom for." Merlin assured him. Even he couldn't explain why the Prince was getting so worked up over this new woman in his life.
"Still, if she doesn't start eating more soon, then I shall have to find a way to encourage her." He said, walking back to his own room.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Merlin asked, walking beside Arthur.
"Oh, I'll think of something." He said, with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. "Now, go and prepare the horses. I hope you have everything ready." Merlin nodded at him and rushed off.
He was determined that he was going to use the day to try and get to know her better, and get her to actually look at him. When he had touched her hand last night, he had surprised her and she finally looked at him. He memorised her face, every detail of her soft skin, and those eyes of hers.
He was already dressed and ready to leave, but Merlin being Merlin, had been late, as always. He sat down at the table and looked through some more of the records he had found on Elbear. The kingdom was farther north than he had ever travelled, he had never even heard of it until they found her. He was hoping that the envoy would return quickly, bearing good news for Isabella and more information to her.
0000
I had found some riding boots in the wardrobe and was so grateful that they had no holes in them. I was really looking forward to this little trip, it had been too long since I had last been on a horse. Back on the farm, I used to have my own horse, Nova. He was a magnificent stallion, but my uncle had sold him after my parents died, claiming that it was to help pay for my keep and upbringing. I cried for weeks after that.
I pulled a green riding cloak out as well, from the look of it outside and the chilliness of the stone on the outer walls, it was going to be a cold day. I didn't even know what time of year it was, but at a guess I would say mid October. That was roughly the same time of year it was when I was back at the farm.
I looked at the food Merlin had left on the table. I had to admit that I was still a little hungry and so decided to grab another apple from plate. As I sunk my teeth into it, someone knocked at the door.
I casually walked over, munching away at the piece of apple in my mouth, and pulled the door open. "Good morning, Lady Isabella. I trust you slept well last night?" Oh, great. It was Prince arrogant.
I quickly swallowed the contents of my mouth and hid the apple behind my back. "I did, sire. Thank you." I said, lowering my gaze. Yes, I was doing it again, I was avoiding looking at him.
"I'm not going to throw you in the stocks of eating you know." He told me. Clearly he had noticed the apple I had, or at least that I had been eating something. I slowly brought my hand so that it was by my side, the apple now clearly in his sight. "Is that all you are having? An apple?" He asked.
"Yes, sire. I do not have a big appetite."
"Well, once you are ready, come meet us in the court yard. I see you have found your cloak, a wise choice, the weather is turning bitter." I didn't really know what to say and so we both stood there in silence for a moment. "I shall see you soon." Arthur said, before disappearing from my view.
I quietly closed the door and hurriedly finished the apple in my hand before making sure my cloak was fastened tightly. Once I was certain that I was ready to go I made my way through the castle. Everyone I passed bowed to me and called me 'My Lady' or 'Princess', it was getting a little annoying so I quickened my pace.
Lucky enough I had remembered the way and found the Prince standing by a horse, trying to calm it down. I just walked over and began to gently stroke the white horses nose. Instantly it calmed and started to nuzzle me, which brought a small smile to my face. The grey spots around the eyes reminded me a lot of Nova.
"He seems to like you." Arthur commented, standing beside me.
I was too busy to notice how close he was to me, or that my whole body was tingling. "He reminds me of a horse I used to have when I was younger." I said as I began to absentmindedly scratch him behind the ear. He seemed to like that even more, and began to nuzzle at me again. He was even acting the same way that Nova did.
"Do you need help in mounting him?" He asked, holding a hand out to me.
That brought me back to my sense and I backed away a little, my eyes falling from the horse and to the ground. "No thank you, sire. I am sure I can manage." I whispered before swiftly mounting myself.
I was now at such a high level that it was impossible for me to hide my face from him, especially since my hair was pinned back and out of my face. He was staring at me, and it looked like a smile was tugging at the corner of his lips.
Soon enough, both he and Merlin were also mounted and we were making our way outside of the citadel. I was keeping a few paces behind Arthur, and Merlin was almost next to me. The ride was relaxing me, and it was so nice to be out in the open, even if the chill was biting me through my cloak.
"How are you enjoying your tour, Lady Isabella?" Arthur asked, getting his horse to stop and waiting for me to be next to him.
"I am enjoying it very much, sire. It somewhat reminds me of home. I can remember a forest, my brothers and I used to run off and play there all the time. And I would go there alone if I just wanted time to myself or to think." Home, my home before the farm, when we had lived on the outskirts of a big city. That forest had been a magical place, tales of knights in shining armour, damsels in distress, and an outlaw with his bow and arrows.
"We're you and your brothers very close?" Merlin asked from behind.
"Inseparable most of the time. Dominic and Mitchel were twins, so they were always together and causing trouble anyway. I found out at a very young age that I could cause as much trouble as I wanted and they would get the blame for it." Oh how true that had been. And they never dared try to convince our parents otherwise, because I had more information on them that could get them into even more trouble.
"What kind of trouble did you get them into?" Arthur asked, as we started slowly moving forwards again.
"Well, I used to borrow their clothes so that I could sneak out. Most of the time, when I returned, they were filthy and torn. Mother was not amused." I told him, chuckling a little at the amount of times I had actually done that.
"You, are most possibly the strangest princess I have ever met." Arthur said, looking straight at me.
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Prince Arthur." I said, holding my head up high. I was feeling so much more relaxed now. Maybe it was because we weren't cooped up in that castle and there aren't eyes everywhere. Either way, I was feeling so much better, and a little braver.
I looked up at the sky, I could just make out the sun through the trees. Arthur looked at me and then also looked up. "Just past noon. Shall we stop for a while?" He suggested. I shrugged my shoulders, I wasn't really that bothered about stopping. I patted the horse on his neck and he nodded at me.
"I think he wants a little break." I said, rubbing the horse between his ears. "You have been a very good boy today, haven't you?" I kept making a fuss of him while Merlin started a small fire and began unpacking things.
"May I assist you in getting down?" Arthur asked me, holding out his hands before me. I let out a sigh and nodded, mounting a horse I could do alone, but I had a tendency to stumble when I dismounted.
If felt his hands settle on my waist as he helped me to get off. Once both me feet were firmly on the ground I felt my cheeks burning. "Thank you, sire." I said, before quickly turning away from him.
"Didn't I tell you before that you could call me Arthur?" He said, following me towards the fire.
"That is highly possible, but you see, I have problems remembering things." I sat down on a log, and the prince just had to sit himself down next to me.
"May I ask you something?"
I watched Merlin unpack some food from one of the bags his horse was carrying before answering Arthur. "I believe you just did, sire."
I heard him groan and had to refrain from just laughing at him. "Why do you act so differently out here to when we are in the castle?" This time I had nowhere to run to. I was going to have to answer his question. Possibly.
"Whatever do you mean, sire?" I pretended to be shocked at his question.
"Every time I have seen you around the castle you have kept your head down and avoided looking at me. And you insist on calling me sire even when I tell you to call me Arthur." I saw a look of frustration on his face. "And now, out here, you just seem different."
I let out a sigh. "Whenever we were in a new place, I was always told to keep my head down, stay out of trouble and be quiet. It's just something that has stuck with me I guess."
"So why is it different out here?" Damn him and his curiosity.
"Not so many eyes. Out here I know I can be who I am without anyone thinking badly of me."
I saw him raise an eyebrow. "I'm here, does what I think of you not count?"
"Nope. You're the Prince who brought me here against my will. Merlin ranks higher than you do in my books." I said, nodding to the warlock who instantly looked up when he heard his name.
"How can a servant rank higher than a prince?" Arthur asked in utter disgust.
"Quite easily. He made a better first impression than you did. Even Sir Leon ranks higher than you." I was trying my best not to laugh at his reaction. It was clear he was far from happy.
"How was Merlin's better than mine?" he demanded.
I cleared my throat, covering up the giggles that were escaping. "He was polite to me, and kind. While you, Prince Arthur the arrogant prat, decided to make a spectacle in front of your knights, which seriously backfired at one point I would like to add. And then you kidnapped me."
"I did not kidnap you." He said, his temper flaring a little.
"Kidnap, definition; taking a person against their will. I do believe I made it quite clear that I did not want to go with you, you took me against me will. You, sire, kidnapped me." I said, a smug grin on my face. Being a human dictionary was sometimes fun.
"Merlin, did I kidnap Princess Isabella?" He called.
Merlin looked between the prince and me. "Well, yeah. She didn't want to go, but you took her anyway."
"Game, set and match." I said, getting up from where I was sitting and going over to help Merlin.
"What does that mean?" Arthur called, following me again.
"It means, dear prince, that you do not have a valid argument." It was strange how amusing I found it, seeing the prince so worked up.
"You are intolerable and infuriating." He said, turning away from me and back over to the log we had been sitting on.
"Thank you. I aim to please." I said, smiling and him and giving him a little curtsy. He let out a growl of frustration and I couldn't help but let a laugh slip out. "Need any help there, Merlin?"
"No, it's fine." He told me, before glancing over at Arthur. "You really know how to upset Arthur, don't you?"
I tilted my head to the side a little, thinking. "He is just too easy to annoy. And anyway, everything I said was true, and he needs to accept that."
"I know. But I'm usually the one…" I quickly put my hand over his mouth to shut him up. 'What's wrong?' He asked me.
'Listen.' I told him before closing my eyes. I had heard twigs snapping under a heavy weight. I heard another and my eyes flew open and I quickly looked in several different places. I slowly moved my hand and quietly walked over to Arthur.
"What do you want?" He snapped.
I sat down next to him, as close to him as I could. "I came to apologise." I said, before leaning closer to him. "And to tell you we are surrounded by roughly 7 men." I whispered in his ear. I was so close to him that anyone would have thought I was kissing his cheek, not whispering to him.
I saw his eyes widen and he seemed to be silently asking me if I was sure. I just nodded at him, I had been able to sense them after hearing them. They were close and we were surrounded. Arthur leaned close to me and put a hand on my cheek. I suddenly found it hard to breathe. "Where?" He whispered to me when he moved closer.
"Two directly behind us. Three directly opposite and one either side." I managed to say. He still had his hand on my cheek, and I could feel my face burning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him put his free hand on the hilt of his sword.
"As soon as you get the chance, run." His breath tickled against my face and I felt a little shiver go down my spine. I was about to nod at him when the men we were expecting charged in. Arthur grabbed my hand and dragged me into the middle so that I was with Merlin.
He pulled out his sword and began battling with the men that had come from behind him. I knew that I couldn't leave them there, I knew I needed to fight as well if they stood a chance if getting out of this.
One of them came straight for me, all I had to do was duck and he went and ran through one of his friends. Arthur had already taken one down, and out of the corner of my eye I had seen Merlin use his magic to take two of them out as well. There was only three left now, so I grabbed a sword and joined in.
"Isabella, run!" Arthur shouted at me.
"What, and let you have all the fun?" I said, blocking the attacks against me. Arthur didn't really have time to protest, he had two men fighting against him. Merlin threw a rock at the guy I was facing, getting his attention and I took my opening. I sent Merlin a silent thank you before turning back to Arthur.
He was struggling, both the men were built like houses. I knew I needed to help him, I wasn't going to let him get hurt, the urge to protect him was just too strong. One of the men was about to attack Arthur from behind, so I ran and stood back to back with Arthur.
"I thought I told you to run." He moaned.
"Oh, don't say thanks or anything. Oh no, just moan that I'm here saving your royal backside." I told him as I parried the attacks that came at me. I felt a sharp pain on my left arm and looked to see my dress torn and blood trickling from the wound. I turned to face the man, my eyes full of fury. "You did not just rip my dress." I growled before charging at him and taking him down.
I looked around at the mess while Arthur finished taking care of the last man. "Merlin, you can stop hiding now." I called, knowing that he was behind a tree. He had stayed there so that no one would notice him using his magic.
"Oh, is it over then?" He asked casually, as if he had just missed the end of a film he never wanted to watch.
"Yes, Merlin. It's all over now." I said, patting him on the shoulder.
Arthur stomped over to me. "I thought I told you to run!" He yelled at me.
I just rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, because you really would have stood a chance against all 7 of them on your own wouldn't you?" I snapped at him. "It's fine, I don't expect you to thank me for my help." I said, tossing the bloody sword to the ground.
"How did you know they were there?" He asked after calming down a little.
"You're not the only one trained for battle. I was taught to use my senses, after hearing twigs snapping, I managed to pin point where they were hiding." I said, turning to walk away from him. He grabbed the top of my arm and I hissed in pain.
Arthur quickly removed his hand and looked my arm. I looked down as well, there was a fair amount of blood soaking into my dress there now. "Yeah, he tore my dress. I really liked this dress. Never mess with a woman's clothing." I knew that it was a fight for our lives, the only option was to kill him.
"You're bleeding." Arthur told me, taking me to sit on the log with him.
"Oh, is that what the red stuff is. I never would have guessed." I told him sarcastically.
"Will you be quiet and let me look at it." He snapped, glaring at me. I knew in an instant that he was serious and kept my mouth shut.
'Well, he's in a good mood isn't he?' I said to Merlin as he came over with a wet cloth.
'I think he is just concerned because you've been hurt.' He said, passing the cloth to Arthur to clean the cut.
"I think we should head back. I need to inform my father that there are bandits close to the city." He said, not taking his eyes off my arm. I was actually disappointed, I was really starting to enjoy myself out here.
"I'll get the horses ready." Merlin said, before walking off and packing up our things.
I stayed silent and done my best not to flinch every time Arthur touched me. Now that the adrenalin was fading, the pain was starting to kick in. "It doesn't look too deep, but Gaius will still need to take a look at it when we get back." I just nodded at him, wondering why he was being so caring suddenly. "You should have ran, and let me take care of them." Arthur said when he was satisfied it was clean and had wrapped a bandage around my arm.
"And leave you to die? You would not have been able to take on all of them on your own, Arthur. I am not a coward." I told him firmly. I noticed a smile appear on his face. "What?"
"You called me Arthur. And I would not have though you a coward for running." He told me softly.
"No, but I would. I am not a coward, nor am I a little girl. I know how to defend myself, as you have seen. I bet I could put most of your knights to shame." I told him confidently.
"Oh, is that so? Well then, Isabella, why don't we put that to the test?" Was he actually going to let me fight his knights? Oh, that was going to be fun.
"I have one condition." I said, it was a very reasonable condition as well. "They cannot know it is me. I don't want them to go easy on me because I am a girl."
"I think that can be arranged." He said, before Merlin interrupted us by informing us that we were ready to head off. "Will you be alright riding with your arm?"
"I will be fine, Arthur. My arm is not about to fall off you know. It's only a cut, I've suffered worse injuries." He looked at me quizzically, clearly he wanted to know more. "I've had broken bones before. Can't say it was much fun having them broken, but it was fun breaking them."
"You really are very strange." Arthur told me, having to help me up onto the horse.
"Like I said before, I aim to please." I replied, keeping a stupid smile on my face.
Once Arthur was on his horse he led the way back. We were going at a faster pace than we did in the morning, but I guess that was because Arthur needed to inform his father of what had happened and get the patrols sent to out make sure the bandits kept away.
A/N: Sorry again for the long wait. I honestly have been rather busy. Planning 5 weeks of Maths and Literacy isn't easy when I have to plan ICT, RE and Music as well. Being a teacher is hard work sometimes.
Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I'm glad you are enjoying it. Also a thank you to those who have followed/favourited this story.
Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long for this chapter, but I hope it has been worth it. As always, reviews are more than welcome. If you think I can make it better, don't be afraid to tell me. Or if you don't feel like review, send me a PM, I'd love to hear from you about any comments.
Pippa.
