A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the long wait of almost a month for this update. I've been rather busy, what with graduation and stuff like that. But here is the next chapter, and sorry if there are still a few spelling or grammar errors floating around!
Lillian woke to the first rays of the morning light creeping into her chamber. Her head was pounding and her limbs felt heavy. She hadn't slept, she had spent most of the night crying, thinking about Arthur, praying that he was not going to do anything stupid. Dread filled her completely, because she knew that today was the day that Lord Hogan destroyed her life.
Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was blotchy from the tears. She had no energy left, and she really had just given up on everything. Lillian wanted to go back to sleep, to close her eyes and forget all of this was happening.
There was a gentle knocking at her chamber door, but she didn't have the energy to get up and answer it. "Enter!" Lillian called, before coughing a little. Her throat was sore as well, most likely from all the sobbing. She had turned into a complete mess.
"Princess Lillian, are you all right?" It was the young girl Tia, and she had a tray of food with her. "You do not look very well." She said, placing the tray down on the table.
"I'm fine, just… I did not sleep very well last night." Lillian admitted, her stomach turning at the thought of food. "Is everything going smoothly this morning?"
Tia gave her a curious look, knowing that the Princess didn't want to go through with what had been planned. "As far as I am aware there have been no problems. But there is still time for something to go wrong." The young woman replied, putting a smile on her face, trying to cheer Lillian up a little.
Lillian let out a slight groan. "It isn't that I want something to go wrong, Tia, I am extremely worried that Prince Arthur is going to do something extremely stupid." She didn't want him to show up, because she just knew that he would end up getting himself hurt. Hopefully Merlin would have made it back safely and warned them of the potential attack.
"But would that be such a terrible thing? Do you not wish for the Prince to return and rescue you?" It was clear that she was confused, as she wandered around the chamber, tidying things up as she went.
"You don't know Prince Arthur, he can act rash at times. He often acts before thinking, and I do not want anything to happen to him." Lillian told her, still not planning on moving from the bed. "He can be very stubborn at times, and I just hope that my brother will be able to talk some sense into him."
Tia stopped, turning to face Lillian. "King Irwin, he is a good man and a good King. I was born in the city, my family still lives there. I have seen what he will do to protect the people, so I know he will do more to protect his sister." Lillian was touched that the young woman that she barely even knew was able to say such a thing.
Then a thought came to her. "Tia, if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here?" She had wondered how the three women had ended up there and severing that horrible man.
Lillian watched as the woman let out a sigh. "My… my father. He liked to visit the tavern, and while he was there he used to gamble away all his money." Tia explained, her voice wavering a little. "The debt ran up, threats were made, and then Lord Hogan came along, and offered my father a deal. He would… make my fathers debts disappear, but only… only if…"
She was getting upset, and Lillian managed to drag herself from her bed and over to the woman. "I'm so sorry, Tia. I did not mean to upset you."
"It's… it's okay. Really, it's okay. A bargain was struck." She said, holding her head high. "His debts would be cleared in return for one of his daughters." Lillian could feel her own eyes welling up with tears at hearing what had happened to her. "I have three younger sisters, they were even younger when this happened, just kids, I wasn't going to let them be taken away. I offered myself to Lord Hogan."
"Oh, Tia…" Lillian said, letting out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around her. "You done a very brave thing, you protected your sisters." She told her, knowing that the woman was silently crying. "And I promise you, after all of this, I will find a way to get you out of here, to get you back to your sisters."
Tia looked up at her, wiping her eyes dry. "But… why would you do that, Princess? I'm just a commoner, why would you even think of helping me?" It was clear that she was confused as to why Lillian would actually say something like that.
"Because you shouldn't be here, Tia. You have done nothing to warrant being here. It was not your fault that your father managed to get himself into trouble with money." She told her, trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling in her head. "I believe that the only one who actually wants to be here is Hogan."
"Sera and Julia, they are here for a similar reason to me. Their families were in trouble, they were sold to Lord Hogan." Tia told her, pulling herself together.
Lillian could feel a fire boiling in her stomach. She knew that Hogan was capable of some terrible things, but this was something that really made her hate him even more. He claimed that the murders were not down to him, and that he had dealt with those that were involved. With the children he claimed to have no intention of hurting them, and he showed compassion for those who were sick. But this, this was something else entirely.
She was about to something back, to say how she would help them all get out of there, but her legs gave way. Tia managed to latch onto her arms and ease her onto the stone floor rather than let her hit it. "Princess Lillian, are you… are you all right?" She asked her in concern.
Lillian's whole body was shaking. "Yes, I'm fine." She mumbled, not feeling fine at all. Her head just would not stop spinning, and her limbs were aching.
"Princess, you're shaking." The young woman who was still holding onto her stated. "I'm getting help. You… you need help. You're not well, Princess." Before Lillian had a chance to protest, there was another knocking on the door, and Tia was quick to tell them to enter. She was relieved when she saw Seraphina and Julia standing there. "Sera, go and get the master, quickly."
Sera looked at her in utter confusion. "Why? What's happened?"
Tia growled slightly. "Princess Lillian is not well. Now go and fetch the master!" She bellowed, as Julia rushed over to help.
"No, it's okay, I'm fine. I'm okay, really." Lillian protested, as Julia helped Tia to get the woman up. "Really, you are all worrying over absolutely nothing. I may still be a little tired, that's all."
Julia looked at Tai, who simply shook her head with a worried look on her face. "When was the last time that you had something to eat, Princess Lillian?" Julia asked her gently.
Lillian thought about it, it was long before Merlin had left, it must have been the previous morning. No, she hadn't eaten then either, had she? She really couldn't remember. "I… I can't remember. Yesterday?"
It was a struggle to get Lillian over to the bed, she could barely stand and her whole body just would not stop shaking. Both the young women were doing their best, but neither of them really knew what to think, let alone what to do.
Just as they had gotten to the bed and forced Lillian to sit down, the door flew open and Seraphina rushed back in. "He'll be here in a few moments." She told them, moving over quickly to help get the Princess on the bed. "Princess Lillian, are you all right?"
"Does she look all right?" Tia snapped suddenly. "I knew something was going to happen. Lord Hogan is going to punish all of us. He's going to think we planned this." There was panic in her voice, and Lillian hadn't failed to hear it.
"Tia, calm down." Lillian said calmly. "This isn't your fault, and I will make sure to let Hogan know that." She didn't want them to get the blame for anything. It really wasn't their fault that she had no energy left, if anyone was to blame then it was him. He was the one that had torn her world apart, it was Hogan that had destroyed everything she held dear to her.
The three maids glanced around at each other, not really knowing what to do. They knew it was an important day, a happy day for their master, and a terrible day for their Princess. All they could really do was wait until Lord Hogan arrived and see what he had to say on the matter.
And they didn't have to wait long, as the door was thrown open and a rather haggard looking Hogan came into the room. "What was so urgent that I was disturbed so early?" He growled, looking at the three serving girls.
Straight away they all let their gaze fall to the ground beneath their feet. "It's Princess Lillian, my Lord. She… she isn't feeling very well." Sera told him, trying not to show her nervousness around the man.
With a frown on his face he marched over to where Lillian was sitting on the edge of the bed, gripping onto the edges tightly. "I keep telling them, I am fine. I just… I got up to quickly and my head started spinning. That's all it is."
But he didn't believe her, and he sat on the bed next to her, placing a hand on her forehead. "Princess Lillian, you also have a fever." His tone was slightly confusing. Hogan did sound angry, but he did sound concerned as well. "When was the last time you ate something?"
"Yesterday." Lillian answered without hesitation. "Before bed." She didn't want all this fuss, she didn't need all of the fuss, so she lied.
"Where is your servant? Why isn't he here?" He looked from Lillian and then towards the three young women. Lillian couldn't help but notice how much Sera was trembling.
"I told him I was feeling a little under the weather and so he went to gather some herbs to make a draught to help me." Lillian told him confidently. She was not going to let those girls take the blame for anything, she was going to protect them from Hogan as much as she could.
Hogan studied her carefully, obviously trying to decide whether to believe her or not. "Well then, he had best hurry. We have a very busy day today, I would not wish for you to become ill." He told her, before facing the trio. "You will be assisting Princess Lillian all day. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Lord Hogan." The three women said in unison.
He nodded at them slightly. "Good. Now, there are things I must be doing." A rather large smile spread across his face. "Oh, this will be such a glorious day. Everything is finally coming together, after all these years. It never seemed possible, but this is the chance I have always dreamed of." Everything he was saying was making Lillian feel uneasy.
"If you will excuse us, Lord Hogan, we really should be helping Princess Lillian to prepare." Tia said boldly. She had found some courage, all because of Lillian and what she was willing to do for other people.
"Yes, of course. Make sure that everything is perfect." Hogan's voice was firm, but Tia refused to let him intimidate her any more. "I shall have you collected when it is time, Princess Lillian. And I hope you begin to feel better soon." He said, before he left the room.
Julia just looked at her in horror. "Why did you lie to him? Your servant hasn't gone to collect herbs." She seemed to be absolutely shocked at what Lillian had said. "He will find out, and then we will all be punished.
Lillian pushed herself off the bed, doing her best to make it look like she was over her little turn. "Because Merlin has gone to warn my brother of what is to come." She admitted to them all. "I know the full extent of Hogan's plans, and Rolana is in danger."
"Danger? What… what kind of danger?" Sera asked her nervously.
"This union is only the start. After, he plans to kill my brother, staking claim to the throne. He will make himself the King of Rolana, and knowing his grudge, he will start a war with King Uther of Camelot." That was all that had been running through her mind. If Hogan succeeded, if he killed her brother, if he took the throne, would he go after Arthur? Would he then try to take Camelot?
"I hope you have a plan then, Princess Lillian." Tia asked her, walking over to the table with her, ready to help her if she decided to fall again. She knew that it was more than just being a little tired, Tia could see that Lillian had just given up on everything.
Lillian plonked herself down in the chair at the table. "Not really, not yet. Merlin left to warn my brother and Prince Arthur. So, if he made it, then they can prepare for Hogan to make a move." She just hoped that Merlin had made it there all right. She would call to him, to ask him, but she just didn't have the physical or mental strength to do it.
"So, you're just going to sit here and go through with it?" Tia had suddenly found even more courage, and a little bit of attitude as well. "You're going to allow this union with Hogan when the only man you want to be with is Prince Arthur?"
Princess Lillian didn't know where this woman had come from all of a sudden. Tia had been quiet, and sensible, but now she was speaking her mind with no fear of any repercussions. "I must admit, that is a very bold thing to say, Tia. But there is nothing that I can do to stop Hogan from proceeding with this union." Although she really wished that there was.
"There has to be something. You do not deserve this, Princess Lillian, there has to be a way to stop this."
Lillian didn't like the way that Tia was speaking, it was the same way that Merlin spoke when he was about to go and do something stupid, and that applied to Arthur as well. "No. Whatever it is you have in that head of yours, get rid of it, Tia." She told the woman firmly. "This is my problem, and I will deal with it. I know you only wish to help, but that will just bring more problems upon yourself."
Tia was about to reply, but she held her tongue. She could tell that the Princess was not going to listen to her, she was not going to relent, and that made her admire her even more. "Then what do we do?" She eventually asked.
"We keep Hogan happy. If that man is happy, then less people are likely to get hurt." Tia opened her mouth, about to say something. "You have to trust me on this, Tia, you all do. We just… we need to just get on with things."
A few hours later, and Lillian was looking worse than when she first woke up. The fever had really taken hold, and her skin felt like it was on fire. The three girls had done nothing but worry about her as they fitted the special dress that they had created. "Please, reconsider, My Lady." Sera begged, handing Lillian a goblet of water.
The Princess took a small slip of the water, before shaking her head. "It's too late now, Seraphina. We just need to get on with it now."
There came a rapping at the door, nervous looks passing between the girls before Tia got up and went to open it. One of Hogan's men stood there, one that Lillian recognised slightly as the man who kept her from Arthur. "Is the Princess ready? Lord Hogan is becoming impatient."
"Yes, I am ready." Lillian announced, forcing herself to walk over to the door, ignoring the hands that were trying to help her.
The man just stood there, staring at her, his mouth parted slightly in awe. It took him a few moments to compose himself and pull himself back together. "Princess Lillian, Lord Hogan is waiting for you. I am here to escort you to him."
She nodded her head at him slightly, knowing exactly why he was escorting her. There was still the hint of distrust that Hogan held for her, because he clearly still thought she was going to try and escape. "Then let us go." Lillian said, holding her head high.
Tia, Sera, and Julia all followed behind, watching the back end of Lillian's dress trail across the stone floor. Sera and Julia were both playing with their hands nervously, as a few tears were glistening in their eyes. Tia, however, looked more angry than anything else. There were no tears in her eyes, just a fire that was beginning to burn brighter.
As they got closer to the great hall, more people were seen. All of them were looking at the floor, looking somewhat ashamed, but it wasn't clear why. Some of the younger servants were actually crying. Then she saw an elderly lady, looking at her with admiration and sorrow.
Eventually, they reached the great hall, and the men guarding the door let them in. As the doors opened, the people already inside of the room stood and turned to face her. This was the part that Lillian had been dreading the most, and the tears started building in her eyes instantly.
Lord Hogan stood at the other end, a large smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Lillian's stomach turned, and her head started spinning. Lucky for her, the three maids were still walking closely behind her, and all three of them reached out to her, keeping her steady on her feet.
The smile on Hogan's face falter a little as the girls went to help her. But it soon turned back into a smirk when Lillian spoke. "It's all right, I'm fine." She told the maids, brushing them off and continuing to walk on her own, even if she was struggling.
It took her longer than anticipated, but she eventually made it from the doors and to where Hogan was standing, along with a priest. It was abundantly clear that the priest did not want to be there. He was fidgety and rather nervous, shuffling from one foot to the other and looking at the few people that were gathered in the room.
Hogan tried to take a hold of her hand, to help her to stand, but Lillian quickly snatched it away. She didn't want him to touch her, she didn't want to be anywhere near him. She wanted to be back home, with Arthur, whether home be Camelot or Rolana, she didn't care, she desperately wanted Arthur to be there.
The man beside her frowned at her, before turning to the priest standing before them both. "Let's get on with it." He hissed, causing the man to jump.
He cleared his throat, and looked down at the book in his shaking hands. In an instant, Lillian knew that he was forced to be there. "Today, we will witness the union of two people, Lord Hogan and Princess Lillian of Rolana." He started, trying to keep himself calm. "A union is a…"
"Yes, yes, yes. We all know what a union is." Hogan said, sounding rather bored and irritated. "Move it along. And quickly." Lillian couldn't help but notice the way that he seemed to be rather on edge.
All she could think was that something was wrong, that there was something that had happened that had put him in a bad mood, but she wasn't entirely sure what. Either way, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of someone ruining his plans. She was only going through with it all for Arthur, and everyone else, she didn't want to go through with it.
Suddenly, her head starting spinning madly once more. Lillian still hadn't bothered to have anything to eat, she didn't feel hungry and she just didn't want to eat. It was really starting to take its toll on her now, as she swayed a little where she was standing.
In an instant, there were three sets of hands there, holding her and steadying her. Tia, Seraphina, and Julia all looked at her with serious concern. They knew that no matter how much she said she was fine, she more certainly wasn't.
Even Lord Hogan seemed to look at her with genuine concern. The priest before them cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. They had all just been watching Lillian, giving her strange looks. "Now, shall we continue?" He asked, receiving a nod from Hogan. "Very well…"
He didn't get very far, as the sound of metal clanging outside of the main doors drew the attention of the whole room. Straight away, Hogan's men rushed to the door, ready to open them and find out what all the noise was about. Before they had the chance, the doors swung open, and King Irwin came charging in.
Lillian wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but the figure that followed her brother in grasped her attention. Her heart was pounding in her chest, watching as he fought off Lord Hogan's men. She wanted to help him, but before she could even think of moving, some grabbed a hold of her wrist tightly, pulling her backwards.
"You will pay for this, and so will they." Hogan hissed in her ear, keeping a tight hold of her as he tried to drag her further away from her bother and Arthur.
But Lillian wasn't going to take it any more. She saw how determined her brother and Prince Arthur were, she wasn't going to just sit back and let it happen anymore. When she woke, she had no hope, but now she had plenty. "No, Hogan, you will pay." She whispered to him, before elbowing him sharply in the ribs.
His grip on her loosened from the shock, and she managed to pull away. But her freedom was short lived, as he threw himself at her, knocking her to the ground. Hogan was determined not to let her get away, he had worked too hard for it, and it was all so close, he was not going to let her slip through his fingers.
"Lord Hogan!" A voice bellowed through the hall. "You will release Princess Lillian." There was a fire raging in Irwin's eyes as he held his sword out towards the man. "And accept your punishment."
All Hogan could do was laugh. "Oh, you have just made this very easy." He said, still laughing manically as he got to his feet, taking Lillian with him. "Now I don't have to plan your death, it will happen right here, right in front of your little sister." Lillian watched as her brother was thrown across the room by an invisible force.
"Irwin!" She cried, trying to wiggle herself out from Hogan's grip. She kept pulling and tugging and trying to get away from him, but his grip just tightened. "Irwin!"
He finally moved a little, letting out a groan and a breath of relief escaped Lillian's lips. Her eyes then darted over to Arthur, to see him battling against some of Hogan's brutish men. She wanted to help him, she needed to help him. Lillian silently cursed herself for letting herself get into such a terrible and useless state, before her eyes flashed gold for the briefest of seconds.
One of the men that had been attacking Arthur was now struggling to free his sword from where he had somehow managed to embed it into the stone wall. That gave Arthur his chance, and he dealt a final blow to the man.
Hogan could see that he was loosing. His men were falling, and some were retreating. He knew that he had to take the situation into his own hands now. He had to fight for what was his himself. "I admire your courage, Prince Arthur, but you have made a grave mistake." He announced, watching as the last of his men fled the room. "I let you leave with your life last time, this time I shall not be so gracious."
Whilst still keeping a tight hold of Lillian, he threw a massive ball of fire towards Arthur. She watched as he only just managed to dart out of the way of it in time. Lillian was wondering where Merlin was, because he should have been there, with her brother and Arthur, but she had yet to see him. All she could do was hope that Merlin had actually reached them and that something hadn't happened to him.
"This ends, Hogan." Arthur shouted at the man, getting himself up from where he had landed on the ground. "I never should have left Lillian here in the first place. I am sorry for what happened to your parents, but I had nothing to do with it, and neither did Lillian." He was hoping to at least talk some sense into the man, but he didn't hold out much hope.
"You had everything to do with it!" Hogan shouted, his grip on Lillian tightening so much that she winced from the pain. "It was your father who had them executed! You follow his views on magic, you kill anyone who has magic without a second thought. Men, women, and children have all died at the hand of your father, and you are no better than him!"
Everyone could see that Hogan was in a rage, and all Arthur could do was gaze at Lillian, watching the pained expression on her face. "Everyone, get out." Irwin said loudly, looking over at the people who had been cowering in the room while the fighting had been taking place. "If you wish to leave unharmed, I suggest you all leave."
Tia, Seraphina, and Julia all looked towards Lillian. She gave the three of them a small smile and a nod of the head. She wanted them to get out, to leave safely, she wanted to get them back home to their families. Reluctantly, they all started shuffling towards the door, and soon the room was clear of any innocent person that could be accidently harmed.
In all the chaos of people rushing out, Merlin had managed to slip in. Lillian was certainly glad to see him, she had feared something awful had happened. "This needs to stop, Hogan." Irwin said, taking a small step closer to the man. "Do you full understand what happened to your parents? Do you know how they were discovered?"
"Someone turned them in, someone they knew, someone they trusted." Hogan answered, dragging Lillian back a little.
Irwin shook his head at him. "No, Hogan, no one revealed the magic your mother possessed, no one but herself." There was a slightly bemused look on Hogan's face now. "They were not in Camelot for the festival, they were there to steal from the people. They were thieves, Hogan, they stole from anyone they could."
"What? No, no they were not thieves. They were highly respected and wealthy." He didn't want to believe what he was hearing, why would he?
"They were caught, trying to steal from a knight. That was what they were originally imprisoned for. But your mother, she decided to use her magic to try and escape. She revealed herself. She sealed the fate of herself and your father."
Hogan began to shake his head. "No, No! You're lying!" He bellowed, before sending a fireball at Irwin, knocking him off his feet. "You will pay for this, Pendragon! You will pay with your life!"
Lillian couldn't just stand there anymore. She had seen her brother be tossed around by magic, she was not going to let Arthur get hurt as well. "Ic áscildest." She shouted, just as Hogan conjured another, more fierce fireball and sent it at Prince Arthur. There wasn't even time for Merlin to react to do anything to protect him, but he was already protected.
The raging fire turned into soft flakes of snow, drifting to the stone floor in front of Arthur. Straight away his eyes locked with Lillian's, and he knew it had taken the last of her strength to protect him.
Hogan was just looking around in panic. He had heard someone shouting, but he wasn't sure where it had come from. What he did know, was that he wasn't the only person there with magic. In his panic, his grip had loosened on Lillian, and she slumped to the ground, her legs finally giving up.
Arthur took that as his chance, and he rushed at Hogan, tackling him to the floor. Merlin took that as his chance as well, to run over to Lillian and make sure that she was all right. "Lillian? Lillian, are you okay?" The warlock asked her, kneeling down beside her. "Lillian?"
His attention was quickly taken away from her, when he heard a loud cry of pain. He looked up to see Arthur standing there, his sword thrust through Lord Hogan. They had battled it out, and Arthur had some how won, against a man with magic. He knew why he had won, how he had survived and beaten the man.
He dropped his sword and rushed over to where Merlin was. "Lily? Lily can you hear me?" Arthur asked her, resting a hand against her cheek. He could feel that she was burning up, and he was extremely concerned. "Merlin, go wake her brother. Now!" He ordered, his servant quickly on his feet and doing as he was told. "Everything's all right now, Lily. It's over, I promise you, it's over." The Prince whispered to her, holding onto her tightly.
A few minutes later, and Merlin was back, King Irwin right behind him. "Lillian…" He breathed, looking at his sister. "Arthur, you need to take her back, right now. It is clear she is unwell and that this has taken its toll on her."
A groan escaped from Lillian's lips. "Arthur?" She mumbled, trying to force her eyes open.
"I'm here, Lily." He replied, grasping her hand tightly. "Lily, we need to get you back to Rolana. You are not well, you have fever."
"Irwin, can you cover for me?" She asked, holding onto Arthur for support as she tried to pull herself up so that she wasn't just lying there.
Her brother nodded a little. "Of course I can, Lillian. Do what you have to, I just want you to get there safely."
"Merlin, give me your hand." She ordered quietly, knowing what she needed to do. He reached out and took a hold of her free hand, the hand that Arthur wasn't basically crushing. The moment he did, Lillian felt some of her strength return to her. Without Merlin there, she wouldn't be able to do what she needed to do to get them out of there. "Geanoirr mec æt Rolana…" She whispered, closing her eyes tightly.
She couldn't believe that Arthur was there, that he had come back for her with her brother and Merlin. Lillian hadn't expected him to come back for her, for him to come and save her, and that was why she had given up all hope and just accepted her fate. But fate had other plans, and he been there, he had disturbed the union, stopped Hogan, and saved her.
A/N: Well, I hope you liked it and think that it was worth the wait. I haven't given up on this story, I just lost all motivation and have been so busy that I just didn't have the time to focus on writing much.
I would like to thank the few people that have been reviewing, you guys are awesome! Also, big welcome to all the people who have favourited/followed the story as well.
I'm not going to promise when the next update will be, but I will work my backside off to try and get it done as soon as I can. I have too many stories and not enough time!
So, until next time…
Pippa.