A/N: Welcome back to the new chapter of The Black Arrow :)
As usual I'd like to thank my beta Wanderlustandfreedom for her precious help and support and Carvie16, fresh-BLOOD-was-drawn-2night, AmethystDragon14, Stardust28 and SparkyGurly 227 for having left a review for the last chapter:
Any feedback (big or small) is always appreciated and is a great motivational boost for me to continue writing so don't be afraid to leave me a message with your thoughts.
Carvie16: You said that Harry is creepy and I'm delighted because that was my intention. Between Evie and Uma I'd keep a close eye on Uma...just saying. To clarify your question...it took Ben two days to reach Camelot and he needs another 2 to go back to Auradon hence the reason for him telling Arthur that he'll be leaving Camelot in seven days. As for your discomfort for the upcoming battle of wits I'd love to calm your fears but I can't...there is an eventual "Pitch Fork" moment that I'm quite scared to pull off (and by that I mean readers running after me with pitch forks in hand).
fresh-BLOOD-was-drawn-2night: The whole armor incident will be resolved in the coming chapters. I hope you like the rest of the story and once again thank you for finding the time to leave me a review after every chapter lately.
AmethystDragon14: Mmm...excited or scared...what about both? ;) I hope you like this chapter because although our favorite couple are apart they're still very much in each other's thoughts.
Stardust28: Welcome to my story. I'm so glad you liked it and thank so much for taking the time to write a review. I'd love to hear what to think of the next chapters. The story is about to get even so much more intense.
SparkyGurly 227: Thank you for reviewing every chapter and reassuring me about Evie. I'd really want nothing more than reassure everyone that Ben will see through Uma's web of deceit but I'd spoil the plot of the future chapters so all I'm going to say is that you'll have to wait and see.
Anyways, unto the new chapter. Last time Ben managed to sneak in Auradon's castle to save Mal but the princess decided to stay behind in an attempt to uncover Gaston's plan. Evie revealed her back story to Mal as the two women begin getting to know each other while Ben arrived in Camelot and warned Arthur of Mal's discovery. How are our heroes going to adjust being apart from one another as they try to thwart Gaston's plans? ...read to find out :)
Chapter 24
Mal shifted her weight to one foot and ran a hand over the fur adorning the collar of her dress. She paused to catch her balance as she stared at her reflection in the large mirror in front of her. The princess was wearing the long, brown silk tunic Gaston had gifted her. Mal observed with a raised brow as Evie secured a furry, woolen outer tunic over her shoulders before fastening the garment behind her.
"Wouldn't it be easier to fasten it from the front?" Mal asked.
Gaston's boisterous laughter echoed across the entire chamber as he appeared beside her. "You wouldn't need a handmaiden if you could fasten it on your own," the lord remarked with an amused smirk. "And what would distinguish you from the common folk then, without servants to help you get dressed?" Mal frowned, eyeing the lord's reflection in front of her. "Don't you like the dress?" Gaston asked.
"It's not me," Mal whispered.
Gaston circled the princess, ignoring her subdued comment. "Well done, Evie!" he praised. "Our little rosebud is about to bloom." The handmaiden's face broke into a wide grin. "But there's still something missing," the lord pondered, staring at Mal's short purple hair. "Let's do something with her hair."
"Of course, sire," Evie replied, reaching out to pull back Mal's short hair from her face.
Gaston rested a finger under Mal's chin. A shiver ran down her entire spine at his icy touch. She used every ounce of her self-control to not jerk away from him. "It's a pity to hide such a pretty face," Gaston mused. "Don't you think?" The lord pulled away and smirked at the two women before making his way out of the room.
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Mal had been walking around the castle for almost an hour. She wasn't surprised when she found herself on top of the outer castle walls. The gentle afternoon breeze made the short veil attached to the princess's headpiece dance around her face while Mal closed her eyes. For a moment, the princess was back at the convent, galloping through the valleys. She could almost hear Merlin's voice in her head as he scolded her for the umpteenth time for practicing with her bow and arrow.
Mal sighed and continued to walk down the passageway before she stopped and took hold of one of the stone crenellations. She gazed at the mountain range in the distance. The fading afternoon sun blazed close to the peaks – nightfall was a couple of hours away. The princess's thoughts drifted off to Ben and her heart shriveled in her chest. This was the first time they'd been apart for more than a few hours since they'd declared their love for each other. She missed the Auradonian prince. Ben should've arrived at Camelot by now and warned Arthur of what she'd seen in the stables. Mal straightened herself. Ten days – that was the time frame she had to discover Gaston's plans. She wouldn't fail. She'd stop the rogue lord and return to Ben's side and together they'd find a way to end this war and bring peace to the fairy-tale lands. "Ben," Mal whispered to herself, curling her fingers into the stone.
"Fancy seeing you here," a soft voice greeted at Mal's side, bringing her back to the present. The princess had been so absorbed in her melancholy thoughts that she hadn't noticed Claudette, who'd stopped beside her. Mal relaxed and flashed a genuine smile at Ben's adopted mother. This was the first time Mal had seen the matriarch since she'd been imprisoned inside the castle and her heart warmed, remembering the woman's words at the Black Arrow's camps. Claudette wouldn't harm her.
Claudette returned Mal's smile. The matriarch tore her gaze away from the princess and looked at the mountains ahead. "Do you see those mountains?" she asked, pointing to the horizon. "What do you see?"
Mal's squinted her eyes and drew a blank look. "I don't know," she replied.
"I think it's a woman's profile," Claudette stated. "Look, that's the forehead, the nose and the chin."
"Yes, I think I see it now," Mal said.
Claudette perked up and smiled brightly at the Fae princess. "I call her The Sleeping Beauty." The matriarch shifted position, tearing her gaze away from the mountains to face Mal. Her expression sobered. "Don't believe any of Gaston's promises."
"Why?" Mal asked. Dread formed in her chest and the princess swallowed. "What do you mean?"
"War is without mercy and hardens men's hearts," Claudette stated, looking away. "I still love him. Like the very first day. But he's not trustworthy." Ben's adopted mother dipped her head, hiding her face from view. When she looked up a moment later, her sorrowful expression was gone and replaced with a gentle smile instead. "Come, Mal. There's something I want to show you." The matriarch didn't wait for her to reply and began to walk in the direction of the stairs. Mal stared at her retreating form for a few seconds before hurrying to catch up with her.
Together, they descended the stairs. The pair made their way over to the other side of the castle, where Mal hadn't been yet. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around her and noticing the lack of servants around them as they continued to walk along the winding corridors.
"These are the royal apartments," Claudette said, stopping in front of a closed door. "This is Ben's room."
Mal's face broke into a radiant, glowing smile. "Can I go inside?" she asked, reaching out for the knob. Her expression fell when she found the heavy wooden door locked.
"No," Claudette sighed. "Gaston locked it when Ben left the castle."
"Why?" Mal said with a raised brow. "What's inside?"
Claudette bowed her head and Mal couldn't see her expression. "Nothing's inside but painful memories," she whispered. "My husband will never admit it but deep down, I know he still loves Ben like a son." Mal glared at Claudette with a deep scowl.
Silence formed for a few seconds. Then Claudette looked up with a smile. "Follow me," she told Mal, taking her wrist and leading her away. They walked a few more meters and entered another room. "Come," Claudette grinned. Mal relaxed her tight muscles at the matriarch's happy, almost giddy expression.
Mal stopped in the middle of the room and gave a quick look around her, examining the lavish bedroom they'd just entered. The large poster bed and curtains were made from the finest materials the princess had seen. This must be Claudette's room. Mal watched as Ben's adopted mother walked to the right side of the bed and crouched beside a large wooden chest. A thought suddenly passed through the princess's head and Mal decided to voice it. "Claudette, did you ever meet my parents?" she asked.
Claudette stood, swaying for a moment before straightening herself and walked back to her. "They say your mother was beautiful," she replied, her eyes roaming over Mal's face before shaking her head. "No, I didn't meet either of your parents."
Claudette returned to the wooden chest and opened the heavy looking lid. Mal glanced at her in concern when she noticed her arms shake from the effort. Claudette took a long audible breathe before bending to pick up an object inside. "Why didn't you leave with my son last night?" she asked.
Mal's brow furrowed and she retreated a step. She froze for a few seconds to process her words and then crouched beside her. "How did you know that Ben was here?" she said.
Claudette turned to face Mal and flashed her a reassuring smile, noting Mal's worried expression. "I don't sleep at night anymore - ever since Ben's left the castle. But don't worry. I won't tell Gaston. You have my word." Claudette lowered her eyes to the chest and reached out for two, large wooden sticks. Mal gave a closer look and arched an eyebrow at the small wooden sword and the carved shape of a horse head attached to the top of the other stick.
Mal snapped back to the present. "I've seen something in the stables, Claudette, and I'm suspecting Gaston wants to assassinate Arthur in Camelot." Mal paused when Claudette's head shot up to look at her. "Do you know anything?"
Claudette pinched her lips together and a sad smile broke through her tight expression. "I'm only his wife, Mal. He doesn't tell me anything about his plans," Claudette sighed, running her hand across the smooth wood of the sword in her hands. She suddenly perked up. "This was Ben's horse and this was his sword," Claudette mused, standing up, grasping the two objects in a tight grip. "When he was little, he used to run and run across the rooms and corridors of the castle," she laughed and began to run in circles around a large table in the room before making her way back towards Mal. "He was young but already showed signs of being a great knight."
Mal joined in the laughter for a moment before her eyes clouded in worry and she chewed her lower lip as Claudette's laughter turned into hysterical giggles before erupting in a fit of coughing. Claudette eventually quietened down and her expression turned into sadness as her grin turned into a frown. "Ben was such a sweet and kind boy," she whispered. The matriarch bent and hugged the wooden items to her before carefully placing them inside.
Silence hung in the air as Claudette closed the lid. Ben's adopted mother ran a hand across the top before resting her head against it with a sad, far-away look. Mal's throat tightened as stared at Claudette, not knowing what to say. She tried to imagine what a young Ben would've looked like and a soft smile broke across her lips as she pictured him laughing as he ran, carefree and happy, across the castle. "I can imagine," Mal whispered, walking up to Claudette. The princess bent down and set a hand on Claudette's shoulder. The matriarch seemed to relaxed at her words, as if someone had removed an entire heavy load from her shoulders and she returned her smile.
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The fiery golden orb of the sun faded to hues of orange. Ben marveled at its beauty as it merged with the sky, , as he walked past one of the windows of Duchess Uma's palace. After being introduced, the Duchess had invited Ben to reside in her estate during his stay in Camelot. Silence accompanied the pair as the Duchess guided the young prince through a serious of corridors while the servants around them busied themselves, getting the palace ready for the night. A light evening breeze whipped around them and upon inhaling the comforting smell of food, Ben stomach began to growl.
Silhouettes of the birds flying home littered the sky, which was now turning magenta. Ben kept his eyes fixed on the wondrous horizon for a long moment as his thoughts inevitably wandered off to Mal and a weight of fear settled in the pit of his stomach. No one would save Gaston from his wrath if he dared harm the princess in any way.
"You know," Uma called with a smile, "I've always wanted to meet the son of the honorable and valiant King Adam."
Ben's head turned upon hearing the duchess's voice and hurried to catch up with her. "Did you know my father?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he examined the aqua-haired noblewoman.
Uma stilled, facing the young prince. "Yes, I'd met him when he'd visited Camelot years ago," the duchess revealed before her lips stretched into a playful grin, "And I even loved him. Too bad, I was only five years old. I was only a child then and you weren't even born." Uma paused, locking eyes with Ben before turning around and resuming her walk along the corridor. "Otherwise, I would have fallen in love with you instead," she grinned. "I loved your father secretly like any crushing child would do."
Ben raised an eyebrow at Uma and the duchess began chuckling. "Don't look at me like that, Prince Ben. When you're a young girl, you choose the strongest, most brave and courageous knights so that they can protect you from the dragons and ogres that live in the forests," the aqua-haired woman explained. "Didn't anyone ever tell you bedtime stories of ogres and monsters when you were young?"
"No," Ben replied with a shake of his head. "No one."
"Well, that means that I'll have to do it," the duchess replied with a coy smile.
Ben felt his muscles tense at Uma's statement and he began to fidget with the hem of his doublet. "And what about my father?" he asked, changing the argument to hide his uneasiness.
"He was the hero of my childhood fairy tales," Uma replied with a far-away look. "One day, I was running through these corridors and tripped. I was about to tumble down the castle's main staircase, but your father caught me in the nick of time."
Ben lowered his head. "I don't remember that much about him," he blurted. "Maybe you could tell me something more about him."
"Maybe another time," Uma replied. "We've arrived." The pair stopped in front of a large wooden door, which a servant in attendance opened to let them through. They entered a bedroom chamber and Ben looked around him. It wasn't a very large room in area but had tall walls lined with several shelves of books while the wall on his far left-hand side led to a small balcony. "Now you know the way," Uma stated, swirling around to face him. "I hope you like this room."
"Yes," Ben replied with a grateful smile. The prince's body ached from the long trip and he longed for a warm bath and soft bed. "Thank you."
"Tell me, Prince Ben, from where are you going to start looking?" Uma asked.
"I need to go through the castle's archives and speak to the person in charge of recruiting Arthur's special guard," Ben declared.
"That's Sir Lancelot," Uma replied. "I'm sure that Arthur has the utmost trust in your judgment. Otherwise, he wouldn't allow you to investigate his men. Who knows? You might end up becoming a hero, just like your father!"
A wave of deep sadness flooded over Ben as the memories of the last days' events bore into his soul. A hero wouldn't have killed his best friend. The prince ducked his head and dropped his chin to his chest. "No, I think you're wrong, duchess. I don't have what it takes to become a hero like him," he whispered.
Uma brought a gloved hand to Ben's cheek. "Oh, but you've got the same eyes and noble expression as your father," she commented. Ben's head shot up. He stiffened and reached for her hand, removing it from his face. Uma squeezed his fingers before releasing it. "And the same hands! I've never been wrong in spotting heroes, you know." She paused. "I'll help you with anything you'll need. Tomorrow I'll ask Arthur's secretary to escort you to any part of the castle you'd like to visit."
"Thank you, Duchess," Ben nodded.
Uma's eyes narrowed. "And what about Princess Mal. Aren't you worried?" she asked.
Ben's expression darkened. The prince stepped towards the balcony, turning his back to the duchess. "Of course I'm worried," He stated. "She's trapped inside Auradon's castle, defenseless and at the mercy of Gaston's every whim."
Uma walked up to the chest-fallen prince. "It's so easy for a good-looking woman like the princess to lose herself when all you've got to rely upon is yourself and your beauty." The aqua-haired woman inwardly smirked at the sudden worry-stricken expression painted on Ben's face. "But I'm sure Princess Mal will be fine and she'll return home safely. Now I'll leave you to settle in. Call anyone of my attendants if you need anything." Uma instructed before scurrying away, leaving Ben with his troubled thoughts.
Ben stepped out on the balcony and gazed at the now star-speckled sky. He imagined that somewhere out there, Mal was looking at the same sky. Maybe she was even thinking the same thoughts as him.
A/N: So what do you think? As I explained last week the upcoming chapters will be a little shorter because of my current busy schedule. Mal is adjusting to life in the castle but even though she'd apart from Ben she still somehow shared a sweet moment with him through Claudette's memories. Speaking of Claudette...something has changed in the Matriarch and I've given a few subtle hints about it in the scene. Those hints will become even more evident in the coming chapters. And Ben has arrived in Uma's palace and the Duchess didn't waste time in spinning her web of deceit around the young prince. Will he fall for her lies or will see through her mask?
I'd love to hear your reactions so drop me a review if you'd like. See ya all next weekend :)