I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Every time I closed my eyes I replayed what had happened the night before, when that man my uncle sent tried to rip me away from Camelot, from Arthur. Something was telling me that Arthur was still awake as well, because I had not once heard his awful snoring.

I rolled over onto my other side, scrunching my eyes shut even tighter. "Can you possibly make any more noise?" I heard Arthur call to me.

"I could start singing if you want?" I was tired, I was going to be sarcastic. I wanted to sleep but I couldn't, so I was just going to be stupid instead and blame the lack of sleep.

"Actually, no, I'd rather not go deaf, thank you very much." He replied. I didn't bother to respond to that, I just hugged the covers closer, constantly willing myself to sleep. It really wasn't working. "Isabella?" Arthur called quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" I grumbled, really starting to get fed up. It was frustrating, not being able to sleep. I was tired, but my mind was racing, I wanted to sleep, but my brain just wouldn't let me. All I wanted to do was get some sleep.

I heard some rustling of covers coming from where Arthur was in my bed. "Is everything all right?" Everything was far from being all right, but I couldn't really tell him that, not without him starting to stress out and worry some more.

"Yeah, fine. I'm fine." I managed to reply, refraining from letting out a sigh. Inside, I was praying that he wasn't going to push it, I really wasn't in the mood to have a conversation.

There was silence, before I felt the bed dip a little on the other side. "Of course you are, Isabella, that is why you have been tossing and turning for the past few hours. So, will you tell me the truth?" I hated how much he was starting to be able to read me. I really, really hated it.

"I just can't sleep, that's all." I told him, still refusing to turn and look at where I knew he was now sitting. "I'll try to keep quiet, sorry."

I had expected him to get up and go back over to the other bed, say goodnight, and leave me alone. But he didn't, because Arthur really did know me better. Instead, I felt the covers move, before a strong pair of arms wrapped around me. Without hesitation, I managed to twist myself around, so that I was facing him.

It was kind of becoming our little thing now, where I would end up cuddling the Prince of Camelot in his bed. I know it sounded wrong, but I just felt so much safer when he was right there beside me. I knew the only person likely to catch us was Merlin, but he had caught us before, and he knew nothing ever happened.

"You're still thinking about your uncle." Arthur told me quietly, his hand slowly moving through my hair.

"Yeah, I am. I can't help it, Arthur, I can't help but be scared." There was absolutely no point in lying to him, he would see right through it in an instant. "I was terrified, I didn't know what to do. I had no way to defend myself, and I just… I had never been more scared in my life."

"I'm sorry, Isabella. I never should have left you on your own, not when we knew there were spies." I hated the way he kept blaming himself. It wasn't his fault, it really wasn't his fault. "I should have made you stay here, where I could have keep you safe."

I let out a sigh. "Stop it, Arthur. No one was to know what was to come, no one. Just be thankful that Merlin was wandering around when he was." Be thankful that he was able to use his magic to creep into my head and find out where I was.

"I am thankful, Isabella. Merlin saved your life, a debt that is hard to repay." He had me slightly curious now, since I knew he was already rewarding Merlin with a nice new bed and a few days off. "I don't think I would be able to cope of something did happen to you."

I decided to open my eyes and look up at him. He was just gazing at me, with his hand still entangled in my hair. "Well, that is why you're here. To make sure that something doesn't happen to me." I told him, trying to lighten the mood a little. "My own personal guard, who just so happens to be a Prince, and is also a fearsome warrior. It's what every Princess dreams of, you know."

"Is that so, Princess?" There was actually a hint of amusement in his voice, which is exactly what I was looking for. There was too much tension, too much blame going on.

"But of course, my dear Prince." I told him, giving him a small smile. "Except my Prince has gone even further to protect me, he even takes it upon himself to guard me while I sleep." It probably sounded really corny, but joking around with Arthur like that was always something that helped me to relax.

He smiled at me, before he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "And he will always protect his Princess." I just couldn't stop myself from smiling back up at him. "Now, there is something that the Prince wishes to propose to his Princess." Oh, that didn't exactly sound too good, that word scared me a little, propose.

"Well, the Princess is curious to know what her Prince has to propose?" I was doing my best to mask the slight hint of fear that I was feeling. Well, not so much fear but apprehension.

"I want to show you how to defend yourself." Arthur ended up telling me seriously. "Isabella, I just want to make sure that nothing will happen, and that you are able to defend yourself. It would make me feel a little more at ease if I knew you were able to…" I reached up and put my hand on his cheek, getting him to shut up and stop talking.

I wanted to ask him why he suggested that, because it sounded like he was unsure that he was going to be able to protect me. "Okay."

Arthur just looked at me, a hint of surprise on his face. "Okay?"

"Yes, okay. Arthur, I would be honoured if you would teach me how to defend myself. I may know how to handle a sword, but that's not enough." I wasn't going to object to it, because I knew I needed to be able to take care of myself. It was unfair having to rely on Arthur and Merlin to protect me, I had to do something for myself. "You're the best there is, and I know there are times when you're not going to be around."

Straight away he frowned at me. "I said I would never leave you alone, Isabella, and I meant that. If I have to train the knights, then you shall be joining us. When I go on patrol, you will be right there with me. Whilst I am sitting with my father in the council, you will be sitting beside me." I could tell by the look on his face that he was serious. "It will just reassure me that if anything were to happen, that you could defend yourself and escape as quickly as possible."

Honestly, that really did sound fair to me. I was surprised that he was still so eager to not let me out of his sight, but I wasn't going to question it. "I still don't think it's fair on you, Arthur, having to watch over me all the time." I admitted to him. "I'm not saying that I don't understand, because I do, but still."

Once again he smiled at me, his hand moving in my hair a little now. "Isabella, I wouldn't have suggested it in the first place if I didn't want to do it. I want to protect you."

"Arthur, I still don't understand why you are so determined to protect me." It was true, I just didn't get it. Why would anyone want to bother to protect me? I wasn't exactly worth anything, not to anyone. So, why was the Prince of Camelot so intent on protecting me?

"Because I care about you, Isabella. I can't even begin to imagine everything that you have been through. You were lost, with no memory, and have an uncle who is a murderer and a traitor." I could feel his hand still moving through my hair, and it was actually kind of relaxing. "You've lost both your parents and have to live so far away from your brothers. I want you to be happy, Isabella."

I couldn't stop my eyes from closing as I let out a sigh. "I am happy, Arthur. And, as strange as this may sound, I care about you as well. You make me laugh and smile, and I feel safe when you're around. No one… no one has ever made me feel like that before."

The smile didn't fade from his face. "I could say the same about you. You are the most impossible woman I have ever met, and I wouldn't want it any other way." He told me, before reaching down and lightly pressing his lips against mine. It was only a very short kiss, because soon enough he was back to gazing at me. "Now, I suggest you at least try to get some sleep, Isabella."

He really didn't need to tell me that, because I was starting to drift off. I couldn't explain why, but when I was wrapped up in his arms, I always felt so much safer, and because of that, I wanted to sleep. "Hey, you're the one that's still talking."

"Oh, I do apologies, Princess. I shall silence myself so as not to disturb you from getting your much needed sleep." My head reached out and lightly whacked him on the chest. "You're strength is something that we need to work on as well, that was pathetic."

"Arthur, shut up." I ordered, before snuggling up closer towards him. He just had this way of calming me down, of relaxing me, just by being there. It was kind of weird, but I wasn't going to complain, I had no reason to complain.

I heard him chuckle a little, before his arms shifted a little tighter around me. "Goodnight, Isabella." He whispered, his lips pressing against my forehead once more. All I could do was murmur a little, my head getting fuzzy from the sleep that was trying to pull me under.

It really didn't take me that long to fall asleep. I was happy, and relaxed, and my head was completely clear of anything. I wasn't thinking about my uncle, or my brothers. There were no thoughts of Arthur and all the things that could happen to him, it was just a blank canvas in my head.

A few hours later, I began to stir a little, but only because I had felt Arthur shifting around a little. I kept my eyes closed and listened, his breathing was slightly erratic, and I could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Something was telling me that he was having a nightmare, something that I was a little too used to. Instead of trying to wake him up, I moved closer towards him, making sure he knew that I was there.

It seemed to work, but only a little. His heart rate lowered slightly, but his breathing was still telling me that he was stuck in a nightmare. I was still half asleep myself, and it was a challenge for me to actually think straight, which is probably why I let out a slight groan before mumbling his name.

But it seemed to do the trick, and he let out a gasp, leading me to believe that he was finally awake and out of that terrible dream that he must have been having. It was confirmed when I felt him run his hand through my hair again, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing against my scalp. "Everything's going to be okay, Isabella." I managed to hear him whisper. I wanted to say something back to him, but I was just falling back to sleep again. "I care for you a great deal more than you know, my strange Princess."

After that he pulled me closer, and the darkness claimed me once more. But those last few words of his kept swimming in my head, how he cared for me more than I knew. I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that, and made a mental note to ask him about it in the morning, if I actually remembered it of course.

I had no idea how long I had been sleeping for, but something had bothered me, a light knocking on the door. Before I could actually process any of my thoughts, the door slowly creaked open. I tried to roll over, to look at the door and see who was there, but those damn arms that were around me stopped me. I knew it was still Arthur that was holding onto me, so I wasn't going to panic.

"Shush, go back to sleep, Isabella." I then heard the Prince whisper to me, before his hand worked its way through my hair again. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even, but I didn't attempt to go back to sleep like he had told me to. I wanted to know who was at the door and what was going on.

In the silence I heard the door closing again, and soft footsteps across the stone floor. I knew that it had to be Merlin, which caused me to wonder what time it was if he had arrived. "Is everything all right?" I was right, it was Merlin.

Arthur was still running his hand through my hair, and it was really annoying, because it was sending me back to sleep and I wanted to listen to their conversation. Yes, eavesdropping was wrong, sure, but they didn't know I was awake. "She was a little restless, but soon settled down." He told him quietly. "At least she didn't seem to have any nightmares." That reminded me, he was the one that seemed to have nightmares.

The room seemed to fall into silence after that. I knew Merlin was still there, most likely picking up the dirty clothes and starting his cleaning chores. Arthur's hand was still entangled in my hair, and I was still struggling to stay awake. I didn't want to keep sleeping, I wanted to actually get up and out of bed and face the word.

Lucky for me, someone else decided to knock on the door, only a little louder, causing Arthur to instantly freeze. I heard Merlin pad back over to the door before opening it. "Good morning, Sire." He had said that rather nervously, and knowing that he never really spoke to Arthur like that, I could only assume that it was actually Arthur's father.

The footsteps that entered the room were heavier, and now I was regretting not letting myself go back to sleep, because this was going to be embarrassing. Arthur must have felt the same, as his hand quickly disappeared from my hair and he shifted a little.

He still had his arms around me, and he was still holding me rather firmly. "Father…" He was definitely nervous, I could hear it in his voice.

"I came to see how Princess Isabella is this morning." Uther said. I was pretty sure I heard some amusement in his voice, but he was doing well to mask it.

I decided to make things a little more… interesting, and I fidgeted on the bed slightly, one of my hands resting on Arthur's chest. After that, I let out a long breath, in the form of a sigh. The response I received, was not the one that I was expecting. Instead of Arthur telling me that it was time to get up, he just put his hand back into my hair.

"She was rather restless, and scared." Arthur told his father quietly. "It took some time for her to settle down and actually fall asleep." I think both of us were waiting for him to say something about the state he had found us in, both of us cuddled up in the same bed.

The King's heavy footsteps sounded in the room again, but they were slower, and slightly softer. "It is only natural for her to be scared. This isn't something that she is going to get over easily, Arthur, and she will need plenty of support."

"And I will be here to support her." I knew Arthur was being sincere, I could hear it in his voice. Plus, there was the fact that he had moved me into his chamber, and been there for me when I was upset, as well as stayed with me throughout the night to make sure that I actually slept.

"Yes, I can see that." Uther said, clearly referring to the way that we were huddled up in the Prince's bed together. "And I hope that is all it is." His tone had changed, and it was certainly more serious now.

Now, that was more like what I had expected him to say. But what bothered me was that the King still didn't sound too bothered about the way that he had found us. "Father, you know I care a great deal about Isabella. My intention is to look after her and protect her, nothing more." For some reason, Arthur sounded slightly irritated and he pulled me closer towards him.

I kept up with the act that I was still asleep, and adjusted myself so that I was a little more comfortable. I knew that I was eventually going to have to give it up, but I didn't really want to do that when Arthur's father was still in the room with us.

"I believe you care for her more than just a great deal, Arthur. Isabella is a very unique young woman, a rare jewel, especially in these times." I was pretty sure that Arthur was confused by what his father was saying, because I sure was. "However, she is also as delicate as a flower. Do not take advantage of the situation, Arthur."

I wanted to laugh at the way Uther had spoken to his son, it was like he was scolding him. The truth was, Arthur wasn't taking advantage, at least not in my eyes. What was socially acceptable in my time was a scandal in Camelot, but it was what I was used to. Cuddling in bed with a guy was nothing really, not when he was just there to comfort me, nothing else ever happened that would be deemed inappropriate.

"Take advantage? What exactly are you suggesting, father? Do you believe that I would harm her in some way?" Oh dear, now Arthur was starting to get a little angry. "I know what she has been through, and I know how much she has struggled. I have held her in my arms while she has cried, I have sat beside her while she has been sick. I check on her throughout the night because I know she has nightmares. Everything I do, I do for her."

He was angry, and I couldn't take it any more. Arthur really needed to calm down, and I really needed to stop pretending to be asleep so that I could listen to their conversation. "Arthur? Why are you shouting?" I mumbled, let out a slight groan of annoyance. I had to make it look like I had just woken up.

I heard him let out a sigh, and I knew he was going to calm down now. "I'm sorry, Isabella, I did not mean to wake you." His voice had lowered and he was speaking softly once more, causing me to hum in response as his hand entangled into my hair some more.

"As I said, you care more than just a great deal, Arthur." I heard his father tell him, before his heavy footsteps began and faded. I listened carefully and finally heard the door open and then close.

Arthur let out another sigh, and I just knew he was thinking about what had just happened with his father. "Why were you shouting, Arthur? And who were you shouting at?" I asked him, not actually making any attempt to move. It was comfortable, and if he wasn't moving then neither was I.

"I was talking with my father, that's all. I'm sorry that I disturbed you." He wasn't just talking with his father, I knew he wasn't, unbeknown to him, I had heard it all.

"Well, what were you talking about that has you so stressed?" I wondered if he was actually going to tell me the truth, or just make it up and say it was about my uncle or something else. Either way, I was curious to hear his answer.

I thought he was going to let out a sigh, but he didn't. "You, actually. My father seems to think that I may take advantage of the situation. But I can assure you now, Isabella, that I will not." At least he had been honest with me.

"I know you wouldn't, Arthur, it's fine. The truth is… I… I do sleep better when you're around. I told you, you make me feel safe. We both know that nothing inappropriate has happened, and I don't particularly care what other people think." And I didn't. If people wanted to start gossiping that Arthur and I were unmarried and sharing the same bed, then let them. There were plenty of people who would want to cause trouble, but I wouldn't rise to it, because I would know the truth.

"You did seem to sleep rather peacefully, when you finally went to sleep." He told me, not attempting to move even though he knew I was awake. "I take it you didn't have an nightmares?"

That reminded me, I may have not had any nightmares, but I was pretty sure that he did. "No, I didn't. What about you, did you sleep all right?" I didn't want to outright ask him, because he was more likely to deny it. So far he was being honest with me, I just hoped he would continue that streak.

"Not as well as you." Arthur admitted. "I was too concerned for you, I just wanted to make sure that you slept well." Well, he wasn't lying to me, but he wasn't telling me the whole truth either. I knew it was more than just being worried about me, he had been restless, and his heart had been beating rapidly. Something had been wrong, but he didn't want to tell me about it. "Anyway, since you're up now, Merlin will go and fetch breakfast."

I groaned, and buried my head back into Arthur's chest. "Can't we just go back to sleep? I don't want to get up." I was still nice and cosy, and I didn't see the harm in just lying in bed for a little while longer.

He chuckled at me. "No, Isabella, we can't. You need to eat, and I need to tend the wound on your cheek." Arthur reminded me, gently running his thumb underneath it.

I had forgotten all about it really, that cut had been the last thing on my mind. I had thought about so many other things, but that hadn't been one of them. "How… how does it look?" I had deliberately avoided looking in a mirror, slightly scared of how it actually looked.

"It looks better, Isabella. It's already starting to heal, but we have to make sure that it doesn't become infected." He told me, his thumb still trailing along where it was. "So, while Merlin deals with breakfast, I will deal with you."

I let out a sigh as I looked up at him. "I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?" Arthur shook his head at me, as Merlin quietly slipped out of the room, his arms full of clothes for washing. "Fine. Get on with it then."

Arthur seemed to already have everything prepared, and it made me think that Merlin had brought it in with him when he arrived. I watched him as he dipped a cloth in some cold water that was in a bowl. He looked at me with sympathy in his eyes, before he gently put his free hand back through my hair. I knew he was doing it so that I wouldn't pull my head away, and so that he could clean it properly.

The moment the cloth touched my cheek I did flinch a little, just like Arthur knew I would. It did still hurt, not as bad as it had been, but it was definitely still tender. "See, it's not really that bad, is it?" Arthur asked me, doing his best to be gentle while cleaning it.

"Oh, shut up." I grumbled at him, knowing that it wasn't all that bad and that I was probably just making a big deal over nothing. "It still hurts."

"Of course it's going to hurt, Isabella. How does your arm feel?" Well, of course he was going to be a pain in the backside and ask me that.

I let out a sigh as he continued with my cheek. "Well, that hurts as well, obviously. So does my neck." I was pretty sure that there was some bruising there, but I wasn't exactly able to see it without the use of a mirror, and I was avoiding them.

Arthur gently took hold of my chin, and lifted my head up a little so that he could see my neck better. I noticed his eyes darken for a moment. "There is some bruising, but that will certainly fade very quickly. Show me your arms." I didn't like the tone he was using, it was serious and commanding, and it frightened me a little. But I didn't question him as I pulled up the loose sleeves of my nightdress.

That was when I noticed it, the bruising around my wrists and on my arms from where that man had held onto me. Not only did he slice my arm and face, he also left a trail of bruising as well. "It's only bruising." I mumbled to myself, closing my eyes and trying my best not to get upset.

"And it will soon heal and your skin will be perfect once more." Arthur told me, picking up my hand and placing a kiss on my injured wrist that was bandaged up tightly still.

Before I could say anything, tell him that my skin had never been perfect in the first place, there was a knocking at the door. The man beside me let out a sigh, and called for them to enter as I pulled my sleeves back down.

The door opened, and Morgana stood there, a worried look on her face. "I wanted to see that Isabella was all right."

"Well, come in, Morgana. Don't just stand there, you're letting in a draft." I said to her, while Arthur took one final look at my injuries. "And don't mind Arthur, he's just making sure that I'm not going to die any time soon."

She did as she was told and wandered over towards the bed, that worried look still on her pale face. "I came by yesterday, but you were asleep. I heard what happened."

Well of course she had heard, the whole of Camelot was probably talking about it by now. "Yeah, Merlin's a hero. Bet you never saw that one coming, did you?" I asked her, a smirk on my face.

"I dare not think of what could have happened if Merlin had not crossed your path. How are you feeling?" I was actually really grateful, because Morgana was not asking me to explain to her what had happened, she wasn't asking me to tell her everything, to relive it.

"I'm good, Morgana. A few injuries and battle scars, but that's about all." I was putting on a brave face, and Arthur knew it. "Oh, but as you can see I have now moved into Arthur's chamber. I think it needs a bit of a woman's touch, what do you think?"

The woman smiled at me. "What exactly did you have in mind, Isabella?" Arthur let out a groan at her comment.

"Arthur, be quiet, we're discussing on how to redecorate your chamber." I told him, nudging him a little with my arm.

"Oh, I should have seen this coming." He moaned, throwing himself back on his bed, which I was still claiming as my own. "You're going to completely take over my chamber now, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but laugh at him a little. "You're only just realising that now? I've already stolen your bed, and filled your chamber with all my belongings. What else did you expect?" It had been his idea to move me in with him, I just went along with it all.

"I'm really going to regret this, I know I am." The Prince mumbled, causing Morgana and myself to laugh some more. "Where is Merlin with that breakfast?" It was clear that he wasn't in the best of moods now, he was grumping because he was hungry and probably bored and fed up with me.

Morgana shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. "Well, I only came to make sure that you were all right, Isabella. I'll come by later, and we can start planning on how we can brighten this room up." She told me, before getting up and heading towards the door.

"Oh, I look forward to it, Morgana. Bring Gwen with you as well, the more female heads we have working on this the better it will be." I called to her, before she left the room chuckling. "Come on, time to get up oh great and grumpy Prince."

He turned his head and looked at me. "Whatever you command, oh great and impossible Princess." At least he was still able to joke around with me, while we were waiting for Merlin to make an appearance with some breakfast.

The day seemed to be starting off rather well, even if Arthur had engaged in a rather heated conversation with his father. I had actually managed to get some sleep, and I hadn't had a single dream, which was also a good thing. The one problem I had now, how the hell was Merlin going to teach me how to control this magic if Arthur was never going to leave me alone?

A/N: Hey all! update is a little late, and I apologise for that. Things have been a little busy and hectic recently, hopefully it should calm down a little now.

Welcome to all the new people who have followed/favourited the story, glad you are all STILL enjoying it! And for all those people who take the time to leave a review, no matter how long or short, thank you all so much!

I am working on the next chapter, and I do know what I'm doing with it, I just need to get it out of my head and written up. So, until next time!

Pippa.