Disclaimer: Same as before. Please don't make me keep writing it out!
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE, SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
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'—' signifies thoughts.
"—" signifies speech.
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ABANDONED PRINCESS
Chapter Twelve – Adjustments
The following morning Storm woke to find herself huddled up to Arthur. He was asleep, she checked; but his hand was idly stroking her back, and the other was cupping her shoulder as if holding her to him.
She sighed, she could get used to this; he made her feel safe, cared for. But she did not love him, not as he should be loved and he did not love her; but did not her mother once tell her that love can also come if you like the person and worked for it?
She liked him….well, now she liked him – a few short months ago she could cheerfully have killed him with her bare hands and then done a happy dance on his corpse.
But now, now she would hate to see aught harm befall him and she was sure he felt the same about her. She reached up and smoothed his face, the frown lines disappeared and he smiled even as he slept. She moved slightly to get a better look at him……..and fell down the gap.
Her squeak of surprise woke him and he peered over at her "Storm, are you alright, what happened?"
"I fell down the gap."
"I can see that." His face had crinkled into a smile and she giggled, causing him to frown in confusion "what?"
"Oh do not frown Arthur – you look much more handsome when you smile." She pleaded and he grinned.
"You think me handsome?"
"Oh and here comes Lancelot again – always fishing for bloody compliments!" she rolled her eyes and smirked "but aye, I think you handsome." She held up a hand "now for the love of the Goddess help me up!"
He hauled her out and against him; he braced himself for her to struggle and push him away, but she did neither. She merely leant her head on his shoulder.
"I saw Lancelot and Tristan last night – I thought they had come back to me." She sighed sadly "but Tris said it was but a visit."
He gave her a squeeze, silently revelling in her closeness "I am sorry you did not make it back in time for Tristan at least."
"They told me things….important things."
"Aye, you said….." his voice sounded grateful and peaceful too.
"Nay, more than that – it was important I remember, Tris kept telling me to remember" she shook her head against his shoulder "I do not like failing my brother yet again Arthur."
"You have not, if it is important you will remember it; mayhap when the time is right."
"Aye….." she sighed "but it is there and nags at my brain."
"I have found that the more you try and remember something the harder it is to do so."
"That is contrary – if you try to remember surely you would do so?"
"Aye, I agree – but none the less, that is the way of it. If you put it from your mind, it will come back to you – particularly if it is as important as you say."
"Aye, Aye….I will try." She thought for a moment "So what to do this day?"
"We have a meeting with an emissary of Rome this morning, followed by another meeting with the advisors." He smiled as she pulled a face against his shoulder.
"Do you always have meetings?"
"Aye, most days."
"Do you not get bored?"
He chuckled "I have to say I have almost fallen asleep on occasion."
She raised herself one elbow "Nay, really?!"
"Aye – I am ashamed to say it." Green eyes creased in amusement at her.
"Why; if they bore you what else is there to do?"
"Aye mayhap you are right, but I doubt those I am in a meeting with would so understand the king of the Britons falling asleep whilst they spoke!!"
"Mayhap you could rest your hand over your eyes as if you are deep in thought?"
He burst out laughing "Storm, you are crafty!!"
"Aye, I am a woman –why would I be aught else?" she grinned.
"We are making this work are we not?" he asked suddenly serious "you do not regret the match?"
She stroked his face and lay her head on his shoulder "Nay Arthur, I do not regret the match; we are making it work very well. I do not even want to kill you any longer."
A deep rumble of laughter sounded as he replied "Oh I suspect that will change soon enough! The one thing you and I have always done well is argue."
She smiled "Aye, even Tris used to say he was surprised with how much I got away with – anyone else would have been put to death with what I called you!"
"Tris was one to talk – he got away with a lot too, and Lancelot" he smiled as he remembered the old days "in fact they all did."
"They were good days were they not?"
"Aye, the best."
She sighed "and yet they will not come again."
"Nay, they will not – but we can make more."
"We can, we can indeed." She leapt up "starting now, let us deal with the meetings quickly and then escape!"
"Where, and what of Lucan and Belle?"
"Down to the river and they can come – they will go and play and we can…..find something to do I am sure!"
He looked at her standing on the bed in just her under things and shirt, almost jumping up and down with excitement and he thought 'oh I could think of things to do with you…….and probably lose my head for it!'
"Come Arthur, release the imp!" she held out her hand.
He allowed himself to be pulled up "Aye, well I suppose it is possible."
There was a cough from the doorway "is that what you call it now, the imp?" Van chuckled.
"VAN!" Storm was scandalised "it is not like that!"
"Sorry, I forgot – you are friends only." She smiled at Arthur who grinned ruefully.
Storm saw the look, and the something in her mind began to nag all the harder.
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They went to the meetings; the last of which did not go well. Storm was most protective of Arthur; he was her friend and her husband. Even in the old days, when they would fight like cat and dog, she would defend him to all others.
So the emissary from the Pope found himself on the receiving end of her sharp tongue and even sharper temper.
It had started well enough; they had greeted the new queen with due respect and then all had taken their places round the table.
However from there it had degenerated into an argument that had Bors, Gawain and Galahad grinning as they remembered the old days – for the worst of the argument was not between the emissary and her, but her and Arthur.
He had taken umbrage at her tone and attitude with the man; despite his being disrespectful to the council and himself – she had defended them.
The advisors were surprised at her bitter condemnation of the man on their behalf, and one said as much to his colleague "I do not understand the lady; she would as soon separate our heads from our shoulders and yet she defends our honour to this stranger." His companion shrugged in his own confusion.
Storm heard them and turned "you are our advisors; whilst I may not agree with you, or even like a lot of you, you are men who deserve respect from outsiders none the less – I would not see you disrespected so. It not only disrespects your honour, but that of my husband the king."
One or two smiled at her heartfelt words – a lot didn't like her any more than she did them, but they had to respect her. Her loyalty was beyond reproach.
"What of you, my Queen?" The emissary asked haughtily "does not your opinion matter here?"
"Aye, but my concern is for my husband and those that serve him. My love is for him, his knights, this country and his people: I am still as much a loyal subject as any other."
"Even a lowly farm hard or someone that scrapes the latrines?" was the sneered reply.
Storm eyed him calmly but with icy eyes – many of the advisors remembered this from her first few altercations with them, and swallowed.
"Well, without the lowly farmhand we would not have crops to eat or milk to drink – for there would be none to grow them or milk the cattle and goats.
There would be waste spilling into the streets spreading disease and sickness if the latrines were not kept empty. So aye, even as much as they for they are as good as I; mayhap better, for without them all would fall to naught."
Before any could interrupt she added with an arched eyebrow "and after all does not your God say that in His eyes all men are equal? Or am I mistaken mayhap, and it is merely that some are more equal than others?"
The emissary open and shut his mouth a few times, having no reply to such a bald assessment of his implied insult.
Arthur could not believe she had spoken so to an emissary; Arthur knew they needed good trade relations with the countries that came to meet with him, and that would not be forthcoming if Storm spoke so to all of them.
He called forth a maid to take the still dumb-founded man back to his room, thinking it odd the girl had come in almost immediately grinning widely at Storm; before realising that she had probably been listening (and with many cohorts) so the news would round the fort and then the land like wildfire before nightfall.
This only fuelled his rising temper; he did not see that people would love her all the more for being their champion, for not putting herself above them merely because she was queen – instead he saw the wench who plagued his dreams and made his body ache with want, now driving his meetings to the same chaos he felt his life had become.
As soon as the door was shut behind the man he launched a tirade at Storm "What in the name of all that is Holy did you think you were doing wench?!!"
She turned stunned eyes to him "Doing? What I was doing was defending your honour, and the honour of the men round this table that serve you! For it was clear to all with eyes in their heads that you would not defend it!!"
"I had no need – the man was merely posturing! With a little diplomacy all could have been righted."
"Diplomacy, diplomacy!!" she sneered angrily, her temper flaring fast to match his "is that all you bloody think of?! He has come to gawk at the barbarian king – the roman that turned his back on Rome to lead a land of heathen animals! That is all he sees – you are a curiosity Arthur; and until you start acting like a leader and not a sodding diplomat, then that is all he will see!"
She caste her arm about "This is not the roman senate Arthur – to mull over grand questions and philosophy; this is a land that is struggling to pull itself together now it has no boot of Rome on its neck! Diplomacy did not stop the Saxons, fighting did and well you should remember that lesson!!"
"We need their trade, your words all very well Storm – but we need them!!"
"They need us Arthur, much more than we need them! Rome has extended its borders too far and its government is too corrupt to sustain them. All those in power worry about is how to gain more power; those beneath them struggle to maintain order – the Roman Empire is crumbling and all is chaos!
They need new trade treaties to ensure their people do not starve – you should remember well Arthur that not all peoples are as loyal as yours; many nations not only fight their enemies, but each other as well!"
This fight continued for some time, all the advisors left – stunned at her grasp of the situation in Rome; it seemed their queen was much more astute than they'd thought.
The knights left smirking "Just wish Lancelot and Tristan were here" mused Bors sadly "they would have made much of this."
"Aye" chuckled Gawain "Tristan would have said naught, but his eyes would have been merry and Lancelot would have been laying bets with us as to who would die first."
"If Dag were here I reckon he would be trying to keep the peace…." Bors smiled.
"Well he was very good that was he not?" Galahad grinned "but I think even he would give up with those two!"
They left the couple yelling at each other; grinning wider as they heard crashes "I hope her aim is off, she can be as deadly as my Van if it ain't – he will have a few bruises that is for sure!" Bors chuckled ruefully.