A/N: Sorry guys! I actually had this finished last week or something and was meant to post it then but completely forgot. Also, forgive the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that I have no doubt missed (there's always a few of the little buggers slipping through the net).
I was standing there in utter shock. How could he be there? Why was Arthur standing right in front of me? "What… what are you doing here?" I managed to breathe, still trying to process the fact that he was in fact standing there in front of me. Either I was imagining him, or…
"Isabella, what happened?" He asked me, reaching out and touching my face. There were cuts and bruises all over it, as well as my arms and legs. The battle hadn't just been with magic, we had resulted to some real fighting at times.
his hand was warm against my cheek, and although I was rather happy to see him, I knew he shouldn't be there with me. "Arthur, you can't be here. You have to leave, do you understand? It isn't safe, and you have to go." I had to keep my voice strong, I had to remember what was really going on all around me as I tugged his hand away from my face.
"I don't understand, where are we? Why isn't it safe?" I could see the confusion in his eyes, and it made me scared about what I should tell him. There was no possible way that I could tell him the truth, that I could tell him he was in my own private little world that had been invaded by my uncle and that I was using magic, my magic, to fight him.
No, but there was a way that I could bend the truth a little. "Welcome to my own little world inside of my head, Arthur. You always wanted to see it, didn't you, but I told you I needed to tidy up a little. Well, here you are." I told him, opening my arms wide and turning around. For some reason, the trees seemed a lot greener now that he was there, and the flowers on the forest floor had started to bloom. Maybe it was just my imagination.
He looked at me, and then at the world around him. "So, there really is a little world inside of your head." He actually seemed rather amused about it all. "But you still haven't told me why it isn't safe here."
Time to bend the truth a little more. "My uncle." I told him, sobering up and going very serious. "He's trapped me in my mind, Arthur, and he is here. He is in my head, and he just will not shut up. He's trying to take over, to control me." That much was true, but there was so much that I was leaving out as well.
"He used his magic to trap you in here?" I could tell from the look on his face that he was still trying to process it all, and I really couldn't blame him. It was a lot to take in, and I still didn't understand how he managed to get there.
"Yes, and every day we fight for control. Right now, I'm not doing too bad, but I don't know how much longer I can last, it's been almost eighteen days already." I informed him, letting out a slight sigh. "It feels like I'm getting nowhere."
Although I still didn't understand how Arthur managed to get there, or why he was even there, I was so glad to see him. There were things I needed to tell him, like how sorry I was for attacking him and not thinking things through properly first. I was about to tell him, but he spoke before I could form my words. "Then we need to think of a new strategy."
"Uh,we? What do you mean, we?" I didn't like the sound of that, of Arthur confronting my uncle with me. No, there was no chance I was going to let him do that. "No way, Arthur, not in a million years."
But I could tell by the look in his eyes that there was no possible way I could convince him otherwise. "I am not going to let you face him alone. We face him together, Isabella."
Right there and then, I wanted nothing more than to take his hand and run as far as we possibly could, away from my uncle, away from the danger, away from the real world. That was never going to happen, I had to be realistic. "Arthur, he still has magic here. You could get hurt. I don't know what would happen if either of us was hurt here, I don't know if that would happen back in… well, the real world. Because none of this is real, Arthur, this is all in my head." I had to make sure he understood that, just in case I did use my magic, and he happened to see that.
"Is doesn't matter, Isabella. I will defend you to my dying breath, no matter where we are." Those words, that short little sentence, it broke me.
I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. "Arthur, you never gave me to my uncle did you?" I knew I had to ask him, I had to make sure, I had to be certain that I was wrong. I had to be wrong. I could not have been right. That would kill me.
He reached out for me, running his hands down my arms until he found my hands. "Isabella, I don't know why you would think I would ever do such a thing." He asked me, the pain showing in his eyes. "I care about you far too much to ever do something like that. He is a monster, I swore to protect you from him, not hand you over to him." Arthur was being honest with me, he was one hundred percent, completely and utterly honest with me.
It was clear what I had to do now. "Arthur, I'm so sorry. He tricked me, he made me think that it was you, that you wanted to get rid of me. All of those things I said, I didn't mean them, I was angry, I was hurt. I'm sorry, I attacked you, and I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Arthur." The barriers had broken, the flood had arrived. The tears were streaming down my face, my eyes locked with Arthur's.
Within a heartbeat, his arms were wrapped around me, pulling me closer towards him, holding onto me tightly, as if he were scared I would just disappeared. "It's not your fault, Isabella, I promise you, I do not blame you for any of it. He tricked you, and I know you were upset. I don't blame you for how you reacted."
"I'm sorry, Arthur. I am so, so sorry." I blubbered, still crying, still trying to pull it all together. I wanted him to forgive me, I needed it. If he never forgave me, then what was the point? "I know you probably won't, and I understand, but can you ever forgive me?"
"There is nothing to forgive you for, Isabella." Arthur told me softly, his hand running through my hair, soothing me, like it always did. "None of it was your fault, do you understand me? I know that you were upset and hurt, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let him take you in the first place. It was my fault, Isabella, I'm the one that failed, not you. Can you ever forgive me?"
I froze, before managing to twist my head a little so that I could look at him. His eyes were pleading with me, begging for me to forgive him. But I didn't need to forgive him did he not understand that it was all my fault? I'm the one who fell for his tricks, not him. I was the one who needed to be forgiven. "You didn't do anything wrong, Arthur. I don't blame you, you did everything you could to protect me, the only other thing you could have done was shackle me to you every hour of every day."
He chuckled, a low, amused chuckle. "You know, that isn't a bad idea. After this, I'll have it arranged." The worst thing was, I knew he was by no means joking. "But only if you forgive me."
"I'll forgive you, if you forgive me. Deal?" I didn't know if it would work, but I had to at least try. In my eyes, there was nothing to forgive him for, but then again, I had no idea what had happened from his point of view on that horrible night.
"Deal. I'll always forgive you, Isabella." He held me a little tighter, and it shattered that last wall that I was holding with my hands. After everything that had happened that night, after all the pain and hurt I thought he had inflicted on me, I shielded myself. I saw my uncle and build all those walls, promising never to be naive like that again. Now they had all crumbled, a pile of rubble at my feet.
I wanted him to hold me there until the world crumbled around us, but I knew we had other things to deal with. "Come on, we have to move, Arthur. The sun will be rising soon, and that is when this place goes to hell." the sky was getting brighter, an orange burning the edges of my world.
"Why do I feel something familiar about this place?" He asked me as I dragged him through the forest and towards the river. Well, I wasn't going to tell him that he had been to my private world before, I didn't even want to remember that myself.
It had been an accident, dragging Arthur into my dreams with me, sharking my nightmares, admitting him entrance to my world. "Not time to stop and smell the roses today, I'm afraid. Maybe I can invite you back once we've rebuilt after the war." I was trying to be as calm and normal as I could, but the truth was, I was never calm, and I certainly was not normal.
"And where exactly are we going? What is your plan, Isabella?" I didn't know how to answer him, because I didn't really have a plan. Every day it was a case of build up as much strength as I could before my uncle attacked. On the odd occasion, it would be me attacking him, but those were rare. Every day we would fight with our magic, and every day I was no closer to getting rid of him.
"The river offers a good form of protection. Plus, I stink and I'm covered in dirt." At least that much was true, I could definitely use a bath. I hadn't bothered because I knew no one was going to see me, it didn't matter because it was all in my head. But now, with Arthur there, it felt a little different.
After a while I stopped dragging him, but I didn't let go of his hand. Actually, he didn't let go of mine either. He was holding it so tightly, like he really was afraid I was going to just disappear right in front of him. Once we reached the river, I let out a sigh of relief. It was flowing steadily, meaning that my uncle hadn't blocked it off further back, like he claimed he was going to do.
I knelt down by the edge and started splashing the cool water over my face. "You still haven't told me what your plan is, Isabella." Arthur asked me, leaning against the tree, watching me carefully.
"My plan is to defeat my uncle and get him out of my head. I think that is a pretty good plan, an excellent plan." I told him, still splashing my face, still acting as collected as I could.
"And how's that working out for you?" Obviously he knew it wasn't going well.
I shrugged my shoulders at him. "Eh, not so great. It wasn't too bad at first, I had the element of surprise on my side, but not anymore." Well now, that wasn't entirely true, there was something I had that my uncle didn't know about.
"And how does he fight? What's his style?" I had seen this coming, I knew exactly what would happen if Arthur ever decided to pop into my head. Now he wanted to get involved, he wanted to fight my uncle. I told him once, and I'll telling him again. Not going to happen.
I turned and looked at Arthur, wiping my wet face with my arm. "He fights with his magic. He has no rules to follow, he does whatever he wants. He burnt this place down to the ground, Arthur, he turned everything into ash. I had to rebuild this world, I had to take it back from him. He destroyed everything." I could actually feel some anger bubbling up inside of me now, the anger I had for my uncle, for what he had done, not to me, but to my world, to my forest.
There was no way of telling what was running through Arthur's head, I couldn't even begin to guess at what he was thinking. Lucky for me, it didn't take long for him to share his thoughts. "We will stop him, Isabella, together. Merlin explained to me what had happened, how your uncle had used some kind of enchantment to control you, but you are fighting it. He has trapped you here, but you have not given up."
"Of course I haven't given up, I would never give up. This is my world, Arthur, mine. You need to understand that right now, this is my place, my little piece of safety, and he, he has tried to take it away. This is where I am in control, and plan on keeping it that way." He needed to understand that this was about a lot more than just my uncle wanting control. If he destroyed this place, if he won, everything I am would be lost.
For some reason, there was a smirk on Arthur's face, and a twinkle in his eyes. "Then we are going to defend your world. I'm here now, Isabella, and I am not going to leave you here alone." Even after what I had said to him, after hurting him, going completely crazy and animalistic on him, he still wants to stand by me, to help me.
There was nothing that I could say that would express the way I was feeling, how grateful I was. Instead, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I don't deserve a friend like you, Arthur, not after everything I've done. I've been anything but a friend, yet you're still here."
He pulled away from my slightly, his hand reaching down and lifting up my chin, my eyes meeting his. "And I am always going to be here, Isabella. I care about you so much more than you could imagine, you know that. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."
"Do you… do you remember, after the jousting tournament, when that assassin had tried to kill you, do you…" I knew what I was trying to say, but I wasn't that great at getting my words out. "And I was scared, of so many things. I was scared of losing you, of my uncle, of hurting you, of you getting hurt because of me, I was scared of so much. But most of all, I was scared of my feelings, of what I felt… for you." It appeared that I was taking the scenic route to what I was trying to say. "Well, I… I think…"
Arthur stopped me, he shut me up by shaking his head and gently resting a finger against my lips. "Don't… not here." His voice was so soft, so gentle, I couldn't help but listen to him. "Whatever you have to say to me, I want you to say it to me for real. This is your world, and it is under attack. When all this is over, we'll have all the time in the world to talk, okay?" Like the idiot I was, I simply nodded at him. "Good, but first."
My world swam around me as Arthur pressed his lips against mine. He quite literally took my breath away. It wasn't the first time, and I knew for certain that it wasn't going to be the last. Now I had even more motivation, I had to claim my world back, get Arthur back where he belonged and out of my head, and tell him the truth. I needed to tell him how I really felt. I didn't understand it before, but now it was all so much clearer.
Hours past, but I knew it couldn't have been that long, not really. The sun was now lighting up the sky, and I knew that it was time to move. "Come on, we really do need to move. By noon, this place will be burnt to the ground. We need to come up with a plan, a better plan than mine." I told him when our lips finally separated.
"Well, it's a good job you have Camelot's mightiest warrior here then, isn't it?" Well of course he was going to be smug about it, how could he not?
"Hmm, and it's a good job I like you, otherwise I'd be feeding you to the wild beast that roam around here." It may have been a joke, but I still saw the caution in Arthur's eyes. "I'm kidding! They roam on the other side of the river." This time he rolled his eyes at me, took a tight hold of my hand, and dragged me through the trees.
It really didn't take that long for Arthur to explain every little detail of his place to me, but there was something crucial that he was missing. "Arthur, you have no weapons. I've got plenty, everything you see around you, I can use against him. What have you got?" He couldn't answer me, I knew that he couldn't, because I was right. "You're lucky I'm feeling generous right now." I grumbled at him, before shoving my hands deep into the dirt under our feet.
"Isabella, what are you doing?" The Prince asked me, clearly out of curiosity.
I hushed him, knowing that I needed to concentrate. "I'm work on something, now be quiet and be patient." I could feel the tips of my fingers tingling. Come on, please. The perfect sword for Arthur, that's what we need. He's going to help us, save us all. Please, give me the perfect sword. I was thinking about it so hard, I was so desperate for it, that I was taken by surprise when I felt something hard, cold, and smooth suddenly clenched in my hands.
My hands wrapped around it gently, pulling it from the ground, the hilt in one hand, and part of the blade in the other. It was sharp, I knew that much, but for some reason, it wasn't cutting me. Once it was free from the forest floor, Arthur looked at me, stunned. "Where did you get that?" He breathed. I wasn't sure if he was terrified or impressed, but his reaction made me nervous.
"Uh, this is my world, Arthur, I can create whatever I want here." I told him, gently reminding him that things were not real. "All my uncle can do is destroy, he can't actually make anything, he can't build cities or castles, he can't even make a bowl of stew appear. But I can, because this is my mind." I saw him nodding, and the hint of fear that I saw in his eyes quickly faded. "Anyway, this is for you, you're going to need it."
Arthur took the sword from me carefully, inspecting it, making sure to take a closer look at things. He stepped back and away from me, the sword now hand in his hand. I just stood there and watched him as he tested it out, checking the weight of it, making sure that it was a good sword. "This is the perfect sword, Isabella." I couldn't help but smile at hearing those words. "Which is why you should have it." My smile faded.
Why would Arthur say that I should have that sword? I made it just for him, did he not understand that? "No, it's for you, Arthur. I don't need a sword here, I have… my own way of dealing with things." There was no way I could miss the questioning in his eyes, and I knew I had to somehow show him. "Remember, my world." I told him, before imagining the vines creeping over to him, snaking up his legs and carrying on until they reached his arms, before they yanked the sword from his hands.
I definitely took him by surprise, and when I got the vines to release him, he dropped to the ground. "What, was that?" He asked me, looking at the sword I had given him. The vines were still clutching hold of it, but they were offering it back to him.
"I keep telling you, this is my world, I can do anything here. This is my head, my mind, and my imagination, I can have the ground swallow you up if I wanted to." Not that I actually would to that to him, he was here to help me, and I wasn't going to hurt him, not again.
"And why haven't you done that to your uncle already?" He asked me, taking the sword back from the vines and watching as they retreated back into the ground. "If you can move the ground, use the trees and the vines, why have you not been able to defeat him yet?"
A sigh escaped my lips. "Because he uses his magic. Everything I do, he can counter with his magic. We've had a few scuffles, and as you can see, that didn't work too well either." I informed him, pointing to the marks on my face.
I suddenly found myself wrapped up in Arthur's arms, and the whole world just melted away. I was glad that he was there, because I really did need him. There was no way that I was going to be able to defeat my uncle on my own, I needed help, I needed someone to be on my side, to stand there with me, and fight alongside me.
"Come on, time to get into position." He told me, kissing the top of my head before releasing me. This was it, this was my chance to get rid of my uncle. We had a plan, a real plan, one that might just work, and it wouldn't be possible if Arthur wasn't there. I just hoped that it really did work, because the stakes were higher now. Before it was just me trapped there, and I could handle that, but it wasn't just me any more, Arthur was stuck there as well. I had to protect him as well, I had to make sure that he wasn't going to be trapped forever, like I felt I was.
Everything was putting me on edge as we waiting for my uncle to arrive. I knew he was coming, and Arthur had helped me to leave a trail for him to follow. He was safely hidden, my vines and bushes doing some excellent work to keep him out of sight. We were both ready, but the waiting was agony.
Then, all of a sudden, time seemed to stop. The slight breeze died without even a whisper, the air chilled all around me, and I knew he was just a few steps away from where I was standing. "Isabella!" His voice screeched, sending shivers down my spine. "Oh Isabella! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" This was his normal taunt, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at it.
"Why, you finally decided to leave?" I called back to him, knowing that he was just a stones throw away from me now. I always gave him attitude, it was really all that I had left now.
He laughed, and stepped into my view. "Why would I ever want to leave, Isabella? As long as I am here, I control you, and as long as I control you, you are nothing." His laughing rang in my ears once more, and it really wanted to hit him, I really, really wanted to smack him in the mouth to get him to shut up.
"Give it up. It doesn't matter what you do, I will always beat you. For every tree you burn to the ground, I will grow two more." I had to be strong, I had to make sure that I didn't fail, I had to make sure that my uncle didn't notice Arthur. "You will never control me, not ever."
I was getting so sick of hearing his laugh now, and I sent some vines to entangle his legs, trapping him. "Oh please, that trick, again? Haven't you learnt anything?" He asked me, tugging at the vines, knowing that he would eventually be able to get himself out of them.
"I've learnt a lot, actually. I've learnt that you will never be able to have this place, but in all honesty, I knew that already. Also, there is the fact that me wanting to be free of you, and I know that if I want to be free of you forever, then you have to die. I've got a list of people that are willing to do that for me, actually." A scowl spread across his face ,and I knew he was getting annoyed with me. Good, that was the point, I was trying to irritate him. "But the most important thing I have learnt, the thing that matters the most, is how much I trust Arthur."
"You've learnt that? To trust the man that wanted you gone, the man that caused all of this in the first place?" He was clearly amused at me comment, and that was going to be his downfall. "You wouldn't be stuck here if he actually cared about you, he never would have walked you into the darkness to leave you with me." By now his eyes were twinkling, and I just knew that he was about to underestimate me, like people always seemed to do.
My eyes locked with his, the vines having crept up his body, his legs bound together, his arms held out at the sides. He was lucky that I wanted him to talk, otherwise there was be a fist full of leaves in his mouth so I didn't have to deal with him and his comments. "Arthur never left Camelot, he never even left his chamber. It was you, that whole time, it was you." And he flinched, I was really starting to get on his nerves. "You see, if he had known about that broken wall, he would have had it repaired straight away. Plus, you know, the person who dragged me into the night wasn't very cautious. Arthur would have tried to disguise me, and he would have disguised himself as well."
Anger, that was what was showing on his face now. "Oh please, you just can't accept that fact that he wanted to get rid of you." He was trying to sound confident, but I could hear the break in his voice, he was starting to slip.
"See, I've spent a hell of a lot of time with the Prince of Camelot. I know that he snores in his sleep, I know he is very proud, he has a lot of pride, and he does everything he can to prove himself to his father and the people of his kingdom." I told him, not actually caring that Arthur could hear everything. I wanted him to hear it all, I needed him to understand everything I was talking about. "But, do you know what else I know? I know that Arthur cares about so many people. He may act like he doesn't, like he is too good to be friends with someone who isn't a noble, but do you know what, he does care."
"And what exactly does that prove?" My uncle asked me, obviously getting fed up with all my chatting.
I couldn't help but smile at him. "I proves that, no matter what, Arthur never would have handed me to you. He swore to protect me, from you. I was living in his chamber before you tricked me away. Most nights we spent huddled up together on the same bed, with him protecting me. And I know, I know for certain, that Arthur would never go back on his word." I held out my hand, and the green leaves rustled, the branches creaking as they started to part, revealing one very angry looking Prince.
He wasted no time in taking a tight hold of my hand as he stepped towards me, the sword I gave him held tightly in his other hand. His eyes were burning into my uncle, the hatred just radiating from them. "You seem to underestimate Isabella, a mistake you have made more than once, actually." That was true. When he first decided to show himself, I had managed to send the whole of CAmelot into a panic, where everyone was out searching for me day and night while I was hidden under Arthur's bed.
There was shock and horror on his face, his eyes locked on Arthur, his mouth hanging open slightly. "How… how can you be here. You can't be here, it isn't possible." He stammered, clearly not having expected Arthur to show up, and now not really knowing what to do. "You shouldn't be here."
"And yet, here I am." Arthur told him, clutching my hand just a little tighter. "I will protect Isabella, from you and anyone else who tries to harm her. If she is in danger, I will find her, no matter how impossible it seems."
My uncle was looking pretty horrified now, and I was ready to put him out of his misery. "I want Arthur here, he is always going to be welcome here. But you, no. I don't want you here, you should have never been able to come here in the first place. You lie, and you cheat, and I do not want you here. You are not welcome." I felt a gust of wind suddenly pick up from nowhere. "I trust Arthur with my life, and I know he will protect me."
Those words seemed to crack my uncle, and he doubled over in what looked like agony. "No, you can't do this to me, Isabella. He left you there, he abandoned you, he wanted to get rid of you. He wants you dead!" He shouted at me, giving it one last attempt. "He will kill you! I'll look after you, Isabella, I swear."
His words meant nothing to me, nothing. "I trust Arthur, and I will always trust him." I shouted, making sure to grip Arthur's hand a little tighter as the wind picked up even more.
Everything was being blown around us, some of the leaves being ripped from their branches. Arthur ended up wrapping both of his arms around me, shielding me, protecting me. The dust and dirt began to swirl around us, and I closed my eyes tightly. There was screaming, my uncle was screaming. And then, it was silent.
When I opened my eyes he was gone. My uncle was no where to be seen and everything seemed to have stopped. The trees were still, a light breeze brushing against my skin. The reason I had never been able to get rid of my uncle was because I needed help, I needed Arthur. With him standing there beside me, I felt so much stronger, so much more sure of everything, my whole world was happier with him there. He was the missing link, he had always been the missing link. And now, he had helped me to fight off my uncle, without even having to use the sword I gave him. My uncle was out of my head, I was free from him for a little while longer.
A/N: Faith, Trust, but not so much the pixie dust. I hope you all enjoyed it, I had so many things floating around my head while I was writing this one that I have actually got 2 other versions of it that I couldn't bear to part with.
Of course it wasn't Arthur who stole her away in the middle of the night, it was her uncle. At least now she knows the truth and has actually decided to listen to Arthur. But there is still that question, isn't there? How did he get there in the first place?
A massive thank you to all of you wonderful people who take the time out of your busy day to not only read my story, but to leave a review as well. It really does mean a lot to me, to know there are people out there who still enjoy my writing and the little plots in my head.
Fingers crossed that the next chapter will be posted a bit sooner! Until then...
Pippa.