"Princess Seraphina, I highly suggest you stop running, what if you fall your father would kill me." Arthur Barnes shouted after the princess.
"Oh Arthur you worry way to much lighten up a little." The blonde girl laughed.
"I have to worry because if I don't you do crazy things," the knight muttered.
"Arty, you are always so up-tight I know why we don't go riding that always cheers you up." The princess suggested.
"I can hardly say no Seraphina I am your royal guard I go everywhere with you even if I don't want too. Shall I tell the stable boys to get the horses ready?"
"Yes, I'll be waiting right here for you to return."
"No way princess your coming with me, whenever I leave you alone you thing trouble do I have to mention the incident that happened last week. No you're coming with me away from danger." Arthur grabbed Sara's wrist gently and lead her to the stables.
The knight and the princess had just mounted their horses when the king arrived followed closely by his wife. "Good we caught you before you left. Sorry Sara but no riding today, you have been invited to Doleham for dinner and meet his royal equestrian team." King Stewart said running a hand through his curly dark brown hair.
"Do I have too? Why can't you and Mum go you're more experienced at this type of thing?" Seraphina moaned and dismounted her horse.
"We would normally go but this invitation is addressed only to you and i and your father see this as an opportunity to get to know your allies. I had to do this type of thing at your age, 15 was the worst year for me." Her mother said, her long sandy brown hair pulled back in a curly bun.
"Fine I'll go at least I'll meet people who ride as often as I do. I'll go but on one condition Arthur comes too."
"Oh Honey he was going to go with you whether you liked it or not, do you really think we would send you to a strange country with no protection." Her father crossed his arms and waited for his daughter to answer.
"No I guess not. I don't think I'll ever get rid of him even after I'm married he'll still be here by my side." Seraphina sarcastically said.
"Good you leave in two days-" Christina told her.
"Yeah on a boat, I get sea sick, this adventure is not having a very good start." Her daughter interrupted.
"Well yes but you'll have to deal with it. Don't worry it's a two day trip on ship so it won't last long." Stewart reassured her. "Now go riding and then get ready for tomorrow, okay."
The Knight and princess nodded and rode out of the stables wanting to see Jewelina before they left tomorrow. Sara smiled at Arthur who was falling way behind in their race to the waterfall; she smiled to herself, but then frowned. What would her future be like, would Arthur still be in her service protecting her and her family or would be have his own wife and children? Would they still see each other or will they only see each other on holidays?
-*Innocence of Youth*-
"Arthur please tells me the ship is near port." The blonde female asked as she threw up her lunch into the sea, her guard was standing next to her, holding her curly sandy blonde locks out of her face.
"Not long now, Sara." Arthur replied softly patting her back. "We will be on solid ground soon and then you can eat food without bringing it back up."
"You know Arty no-one else would do this for me-holding my hair back and talking to me whilst I was being sick, my parents do but none of the guards or maids. So thank you."
"That's what friends are for Sara."
"I never had proper friends apart from Louis, everyone else wants to be my friend to get something out of it like popularity, but I know you are my true friend," the princess hugged her guard but the happy moment didn't last long as Sara soon got another wave of motion sickness and needed to return to the ships banister.
"Come on Sara you need to sleep, return to your room." Arthur suggested.
Seraphina turned around and made her way to the door but her legs shacked and she fell to the floor. "Poor Sara she's so tired that her legs gave way. Princess is you okay?"
"I'm fine, I just felt dizzy all of a sudden." Sara murmured as she tried to stand up but fell back down.
"Sara don't strain yourself, here let me help you." Arthur whispered as the ships stewards and crew stared at the two of them. "Return to your posts, the princess is just tired." The guard commanded and because he was the protector of the princess he had the power to order the crew around.
"Sara put your arm around my neck." Her guard ordered any other time Sara would have scolded him about ordering her around, to day however she was too tired to argue she put her arm around his neck. He carried her bridal style to her chambers; he lay her down gently and pulled her sheets over her.
"Arty thank you." Sara whispered
"You're welcome," he bent down to kiss her forehead like he always did as he so he noticed she was sweating and had a temperature. "Sara you've got a temperature, you need a doctor and don't you dare tell me you don't need one. I usually let you talk me out of these things but not now."
The guard called the ship's doctor who examined the sleeping princess. With her blonde hair, rosy cheeks and red lips she could have been sleeping beauty. The doctor was old and wrinkly but he had seen enough diseases and sicknesses in his life time to know the princess was going to survive.
"Don't worry Mr Barnes the princess is fine, I have seen this many times before, it is dehydration and exhaustion. Lots of rest and water will soon cure this illness right up. The princess gets sea sick so she is kept up at night but every time she drinks water it comes back up, but she has to drink if she doesn't she'll get worse. We dock tomorrow so she needs to sleep and by tomorrow she will be her normal energetic self."
The doctor left and Arthur sat beside her on a chair. He ran a hand through his brown highlighted blonde hair; he held her fragile hand and spoke softly to her.
"You scared me back there, you did. I could never forgive myself if you were hurt and I couldn't do anything to anything to stop your pain. Please just get better I don't want to tell your parents I got you sick." To his surprise he saw blue and green eyes looking at him and smiling.
"You are always worrying. You would be such a protective father when you marry, and I will accept her because I want you to be happy." She then closed her eyes and fell back to sleep leaving Arthur embarrassed that the princess had heard everything he had said.
-*Innocence of Youth*-
The doctor was true to his word Sara was right as rain when she was on solid ground. She no-longer looked pale and dark eyed, she was glowing with healthy skin. The carriage was waiting for them when they left the ship. The guard who was protecting the coach eyed Arthur suspiciously then stopped him.
"Sorry this carriage is only for Royals." The guard said flatly, Sara stood in front of him, shorter and younger then he was, she had the power to change things. Arthur smirked knowing what was about to come.
"Release that man" the princess ordered her voice icy, the royal guards had begun to remove the man from her side.
"But your Highness, he doesn't have permission to be with you." The guards voice showed no emotion or weakness.
"He is with me and I would appreciate it if you would release my royal guard immediately." The guard was going to object but Sara wouldn't allow him. "Are you refusing to follow an order Captain because I can reassure you the King will not appreciate his guest getting angry and flustered before we dine together."
The guard knew he had lost and released the knight from his grasp. Sara thanked the guard and then climbed into the awaiting carriage quickly followed by her knight.
"You defiantly showed that guard who was boss." Arthur commented on their way to the palace.
"I couldn't help but see you smirking, you knew I was going to use my authority to get my way."
"Yep, I was smirking because that poor man had no-idea what he had gotten himself into, you hardly ever use your power but when you do, you are very intimidating."
Sara slapped his arm playfully "I am not."
-*Innocence of Youth*-
"You look every- pretty this afternoon." Queen Alice commented over dinner.
"Thank you Queen Alice, your home is beautiful. I will have to speak with mother if we could have such paintings of the royal family." The princess smiled. "Although I couldn't help but notice the absence of Prince Lionel and Prince John."
"My sons are very competitive I would suggest they are going something that proves whose better." Alice smiled, she had laughter lines around her eyes and cheeks. Her blonde hair was streaked with white.
"Seraphina I must ask who is that man standing behind your chair, he doesn't move and always has his hand on his sword. Also a little birdy told me that you commanded one of my guards to release him when they tried to drag him away." It was King Brandon who spoke.
Sara took a sip of her water, and beamed. "This man" she gestured to the man behind me "is my protector, sworn to protect me till his dying breath, though hopefully that won't happen. He is my royal guard and thus he must remain by my side when your guard wouldn't allow him in the coach I had no choice but to order then to release my knight. He is also my friend."
"Ah yes you're the only heir to the throne and many people wish you dead, so he tastes your food and drink before you do?" Alice mentioned.
"Yes, he does he ate some of my food before it was delivered and I would know if he was poisoned because Arthur would be sick." Seraphina declared. Arthur's grip tightened on his sword.
"Well he's very intimidating, he looks very evil in this lightning." The king observed.
"Oh, Arthur please could you release you grip on the sword your scaring our hosts," Sara offered, Arthur stared at her for a moment and nodded. "Yes your highness." And released his sword.
"Thank you." Though this did not make the King or Queen feel more comfortable.
After lunch the King invited his guests to meet the reason why they were asked to visit. The princess was lead outside and into a pasture full of gleaming white horses. Lionel ad John were waiting for their parents. Lionel was tall and had tanned skin. He had blonde hair like his mother but the black eyes of his father. John was the complete opposite, he was short not much taller than Sara, pale skinned with black hair like his father and his mother's dark blue eyes.
Lionel sent shivers up Sara's spine, she glanced at Arthur he had the same feeling. The princesses bowed politely to the princess and Sara offered them a curtsy.
"Princess Seraphina these are Doleham's national treasure. Shape shifters. We wish to give you a herd because you have offered us such great friendship over the years, I hear you're a rider." Brandon smiled brightly down at her.
"I am your Majesty but if their national treasure why are you giving them to Jewelina?" Sara asked as she entered the pasture with the king. Arthur standing near the gate.
"They are hunted Seraphina, they are so rare we need to make sure they survive, we trust you with them. It is a gift but also a way to make sure the species is protected. Please."
"I would love to take them back home they will be protected, the kingdom won't know where they're hidden." She stroked the closest horse to her, its gold eyes pierced her own. "They are such beautiful creatures I don't know why anyone would hurt them."
"I knew you would help, your father said you were an animal lover. So you'll take them when you return home in four days."
"I will." Sara giggled as the horse she had been petting nuzzled her neck. "This one seems to become attached." Unknown to Arthur and Seraphina this friendly horse would soon be called White Christmas.
-*Innocence of Youth*-
"These horses need a home Christina, a safe place where they won't be hunted." Stewart discussed with his wife the night after their daughter's return.
"They are beautiful creature Stewart they deserve love and peace. We have a big forest why don't they live there and make it protected. Other wild beats live there, the shape shifters will be happy there. And Sara could see them anytime she wanted.
"Though we have to keep it secret if people knew we had rare Doleham horses in the country poachers would come hunting here." Stewart kissed his wife's cheek. "Get some sleep, I'll arrange everything. These creatures will not be harmed."
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update this I had writers block. So here you are the shape shifters. Anyone else think Arthur was so cute when he lifted Sara bridle style to her bed. J
Any way I will try to update this every-week. They'll be around 18 chapters at the most, so Review please.
Oh and don't forget to review my other completed Sorry 'finding the princess' I have a target of 50 reviews, so far we have 34, so come on.
Love,
PrincessGeekelle