SAME DISCLAIMER AS IN CHAPTER 1

6. Mirage

Arthur had left his chambers very early the following morning surprising Merlin to no end in the process. After a brief discussion in which he had forbidden his servant to leave their quarters under penalty of indescribable suffering, he had gone straight to Finnabair's quarters.

The Prince was taken aback, however, when a young knight—perhaps the royal guard he had seen in the courtyard—answered the door. There was also surprise, albeit an unwelcomed one, in the soldier's face.

"Is Lady Finnabair available?"

The eyes of the young knight narrowed slightly at the commanding tone, but he nodded and walked inside. A moment later, Finnabair appeared at the door.

"Sir Merlin, good morning!" she greeted with a bright smile.

The guard was standing a step behind her with a quite unfriendly expression, and when Arthur kissed the hand she had extended he could feel the disapproval burning in the other man's eyes.

"Good morning milady."
What is going on here?

As if reading his mind, Finnabair announced.
"Sir Merlin, please let me introduce to you Sir Lescaut. He is the Princess' royal guard." And turning towards the young soldier she explained with a smile. "Sir Merlin is Prince Arthur's trusted knight and his companion on this trip."

He might be the Princess' guard, milady, but he seems a bit too possessive of you actually. I wonder if you are aware of that.
In spite of his thoughts, Arthur's face did not betray anything at all and both men nodded briefly, cautiously measuring each other.

Regardless of the slightly awkward situation, the Prince did not want to waste time and went straight to business.
"Is the Princess feeling well today, milady?"

Her face straightened and her voice took a slightly mortified cadence, or so he thought. "I am afraid not, Sir Merlin. It seems that the trip has been more arduous on her than expected."

"I am sorry to hear that."
Liar.

Although the Princess' absence worked perfectly with his plans, Arthur wondered briefly if he should have looked more preoccupied; but in truth his mind had currently only one concern and that was to spend more time with this lady.

"Nevertheless, I would be happy to meet the Prince this morning," she offered in a business-like tone.

Arthur's brain began to work in overdrive. There was no way he would allow Finnabair to spend time with Merlin instead of him.

He needed to find a compromising solution and quickly, before the stalling became too obvious. Not to mention that Lescaut was still looking at him with utmost suspicion.

"I do not think it would be possible, milady. You see, yesterday I explained the situation to the Prince, and although he appreciates your offer and that of your lady, he would rather wait for the Princess to recover and meet in person."

Yes. That was a good justification, or was it?

Her expression turned unreadable again and, if Arthur had not known any better, he could have sworn that she was the one stalling now. The guard, meanwhile, kept looking at him like a hawk.

After a pause Finnabair seemed to have reached a conclusion.
"Very well then, I will inform the Princess." And she prepared to go back inside.

That was not what Arthur had intended either. Without Finnabair, his options were reduced to spend the day quarrelling with Merlin; the sole idea made him almost panic.

"Milady", he spoke quickly. "If the Princess can part from your services temporarily, could I interest you in a ride?"

She seemed to hesitate and he took that as a good sign. Perhaps if he adorned the temptation a bit more she would yield.

"It is a beautiful day outside and there won't be many more like this as summer is reaching its end. The Prince does not need me today, thus I have time in my hands and I was hoping to have a knowledgeable guide to show me the surroundings?" He finished with what he hoped was his most irresistible smile.

Finnabair blushed slightly and Arthur knew it had worked. "All right, my lord. Let me talk to the Princess and I will see what I can do."

She left and Lescaut followed, but not before throwing a not-so-subtle warning look at the Prince. Arthur lifted an eyebrow. He should probably keep an eye on the young knight. There was no need for this relaxed state of affairs to develop some hostile edges.

They had ridden to the outskirts of the village and stopped in the ruins of a very old castle. There was a large oak that had managed to grow in a middle of what appeared to have been the throne room. They sat comfortably on some eroded short pillars right under the generous shade of the tree.

Arthur decided to break the silence that had traveled along with them ever since they had left the state.

"I am glad Princess Gwynn had allowed you to accompany me, milady."

She smiled briefly but did not answer. Even though Arthur had never been very good at reading human emotions, he could tell that she was troubled in spite of her efforts to conceal it. What he could not, however, was to fathom the reason behind her silent mood.

He looked for another venue to try and bring back the light atmosphere of the day before. It disconcerted him that the spirited lady of yesterday seemed to have been replaced by this cold and distant maid of today. Could everything have been only a mirage after all?

"The Princess must be very generous to allow you to come despite her indisposition."

She tried another smile that did not fully reach her eyes. "You could say that, milord."

"I imagine you like her quite much."

Her face took a sadder expression and she looked away. "No, milord. Not really."

That was certainly not the answer Arthur was expecting and his surprised expression spoke plainly of it.

"You do not?"

Finnabair sighed and the Prince thought she would not respond. After a couple of seconds, though, her voice came back a bit bitter if he was hearing correctly.

"I wish she had more courage…" was all she said.

Arthur did not really know what etiquette he should follow there. Should he continue making inquiries and risking offending her with his probing? Of should he shut up and risk offending her with his lack of interest? Fortunately for him, she came to his rescue.

"She is afraid of her uncle." Darkened green eyes looked at him. "She knows she should not be, but does not seem to be able to help it."

Arthur's surprise began to mix with incipient anger. Why would the Princess be afraid of her own family? The words escaped him without a second thought.
"Why is she afraid of the King? Does he mistreat her?"

She understood that it was the overprotecting Knight in him speaking and smiled softly.
"No, milord. He is too cunning to do so."

Arthur was even more confused but did not have time to ask. Without warning, her voice turned as cold as ice.

"And he is not the King. He is just the Steward of Leoness". The latter title was accentuated with a distinct derisiveness.

The Prince was taken aback by this fact but Finnabair wasn't done yet.

"After the death of her brother, the Princess became the only heir to the throne. However, because she is a woman", there was a more than noticeable annoyance in her tone, "she can only become queen once she marries, thus the kingdom will be inherited by an outsider king."

According to Arthur, this new disclosure may have very well explained why the Princess did not want to marry him. Maybe, and just like him, she did not want to marry at all.

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts quick enough.
"I am sure that in Camelot they are perfectly aware of this situation." Again that contemptuous tone he could clearly sense, but which grounds he could not comprehend. Why was the lady so edgy this morning?

He pondered on the issue for a moment before answering. "I cannot say about King Uther, but I am certain Prince Arthur does not know any of this."

She arched a perfect eyebrow in disbelief and the Prince let out a small laugh.

"Do not look so surprised, my lady. " He teased. "Prince Arthur is not court material."

He paused for a second as he thought there was an actual smile of approval on her lips.

"He never paid too much attention to the matters of the states as he has always preferred battlefield to court." And approaching her a bit more as if telling a secret, he concluded. "Less politics, simpler rules."

This time the smile of approval fully lightened up her face. Finally she seemed to be coming out of her shell!

Since the topic had apparently worked, Arthur thought that this was an excellent opportunity to learn something else about the elusive Princess. The general mood felt relaxed enough.

"So, is that the reason why the Princess does not want to marry the Prince?"

As soon as his words were out, however, Arthur realized that he had misjudged the truce. Finnabair sighed again and stood up walking a few steps away from him; she began to play absentmindedly with the leaves of a lower branch.

There was a long pause before she answered, and when she did the coldness in her voice came back tenfold.
"That's the reason she dreads marriage, milord. Your Prince in particular is an added inconvenience."

Arthur stiffened and stood up with a jump. He could recall being called many things, but never an 'inconvenience'. He closed the distance towards where Finnabair was standing in purposeful strides. At that point, he could care less weather he was risking blowing up his cover or not. His icy response cut the air like a blade.

"That's a very bold statement for someone who hasn't met the Prince yet."

She noted the abrupt change in his demeanor—understandable, if she was to be honest—but rather than letting the issue go, she felt compelled to push even further. Startled by her own audacity, she continued without facing him.

"It doesn't matter, milord, he hails from Camelot after all. What else is there to know…"

Arthur's blood was heating up quite rapidly. First she had insulted him… or his royal persona as it was, and now she was attacking his Kingdom nonetheless!
He took a deep breath trying to calm his raising ire. And even though it was not his true intention, his next question came underlined by all the sarcasm he had accrued over the years.

"And what do you know about Camelot, milady?"

She looked at him with narrowed, fiery eyes; his biting disdain not lost to her.

"What every other kingdom knows, milord. That Camelot is a mere citadel built with the sole purpose of protecting a tyrant."

The Prince was so appalled at the blunt offense that could only repeat her words in a strangled sound. "A citadel? A tyrant?"

Finnabair did not know what had come over her to explode like that, but it was too late already. The damage had been done, so she might as well finish it.

"Everyone knows that King Uther is a despotic ruler. " She shrugged her shoulders derisively. "He is obsessed with his own beliefs and does not hesitate in killing innocent people… You surely know that too."

"The King does what is best for his Kingdom!" he roared coming even closer, crowding her. His eyes were two slits of blue rage sending a loud warning, but she maintained her stance.

In any other circumstance, Arthur could have acknowledged the fact that his previous statement might not have been entirely true. After all, he had challenged his father's judgments more times than he would dare to admit. This lady, however, had no right to say so.

She let out a mirthless laugh. This warrior was blinded by honor and duty, just like all warriors.

"Milord… " She hissed. "I understand that you have sworn an oath to the kingdom… But I thought you had a bit more of independent thinking! King Uther does not care about his people; all he cares about is he and his royal house!"

Arthur swallowed hard. He had never heard so many insults to his father and kingdom at once.
He knew very well his father's faults and shortcomings. He could even remember the times Morgana had used similar words when she had rebelled against some of his father's rulings. But this lady was an outsider and this was simply too much.

"You…" He said between gritted teeth, "have NO right to insult my king and my kingdom! Camelot is a great kingdom, a kingdom worth fighting and dying for! I've been fighting for it ever since I can remember; I had put my life on the line for it more times than I care to count… " His voice became a deadly whisper, "Camelot is my kingdom as well, milady. You should not forget that."

He was towering over her and she felt trapped, physically and emotionally. This knight was a force to be reckoned with and she should have remembered that.

She should have also remembered that his closeness could disturb her as nothing ever had. It was perhaps time to admit defeat and walk away before things got really out of hand.

Her resentment for the Pendragons had broken the incipient bond that seemed to have blossomed with this noble knight only yesterday. With everything ruined on that end, she could only hope now to keep some of her dignity intact; and she knew she was walking a thin line already on that part too.

"Point taken, sire. It was not my intention to insult you and I understand your love for Camelot… I apologize for my words... I was only thinking of the Princess." The frostiness of her voice somehow negated the apology, but it was the best she could do at the moment.

Arthur was breathing hard… still very angry. The worst part, he discovered, was that instead of wanting to throttle her, suddenly all he could think of was kissing her senseless.

This side of Finnabair was a new and very startling discovery. It had been obvious from the moment they'd met that she was a very sharp and independent person. But the passion she had shown defending her opinion—however misguided—was certainly a revelation on a whole other level.

"For someone who said not to like the Princess very much, you seem very adamant in defending her views."

Check mate.
He knew it and his lips curved in a lop-sided smirk. He had trapped her in her own words.

Although she did not verbally acknowledge the defeat, her cheeks blushed heatedly in humiliation and she kept looking at him utterly annoyed. Her eyes were two pools of flaming green fury.

Oh… baiting her brought forth an added and unexpected satisfaction, and Arthur felt his ire melting away. She was close; so close that her uneven breathing was tickling his chin.

Damn the consequences, he just wanted to taste her lips and kiss her anger away. Most of all, he wanted her to surrender.

His eyes kept her in place as he closed the scarce distance that remained between their bodies. His mouth was almost closing on hers when the loud neighing of the horses, scared by a curious squirrel, brought him back to the harsh reality.

At the sound, Finnabair's eyelashes fluttered effectively breaking his hypnotic hold and Arthur retreated.

"We should go back."

The Prince only nodded. With a heavy heart he helped her on her horse and mounted his own. Perhaps what he thought he had found the previous day had been a mirage after all.