A/N: Hello everyone. I know, it has been a awfully long time since I posted, and I'm sorry for that. Some of you may know that there was a death in the family and it hit me very hard. Life has been difficult these past few months and I am slowly trying to pull myself back together. This chapter has actually been ready for some time, I just couldn't find the time to post it. Here it is now, I hope you all enjoy it.

The sun was shining, and people were bustling around out in the courtyard. Merlin had been extra quiet when he brought in breakfast, he hadn't woken me up with noise, and he hadn't even woken Arthur up. It was only when I started fidgeting that Arthur began to wake up. It was actually kind of cute, the way he wrapped his arms around me tighter and buried his head into the pillow and my hair. But then I went and spoiled it all but whispering that his father was there. He quickly shot up and almost threw me off the bed.

Arthur hadn't been impressed with what I had done, except when I told him that it was revenge for having Gaius drug me a few nights ago he did calm down. Of course, he made me promise to never do anything like that ever again.

"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked him cheerfully, tucking into the slightly cold porridge that was sitting on the table. "I hope it's going to be something more exciting than just sitting around here all day."

"Well, I was thinking that we could take the horses out, hang around in the forests for a while, maybe come across a bandit or two. After that, stop for a spot of lunch before heading out to try and find a few more bandits. And, if we are really lucky, one of them might even damage your dress." Even I could see that he was being sarcastic, but it fun, Arthur was being fun.

I simply smiled at him before shovelling another spoonful of porridge into my mouth. "Sounds like a good plan. Maybe at the end, if we've got time before dinner, we can challenge a few knights." There was no harm in me playing along with it, it wasn't as if we were actually going to do all of those things.

"Actually, I was thinking we could do that first thing. As soon as you've finished eating, we'll head down to the training grounds." It looked to me as if Arthur was serious, and not joking about that.

I needed to do some more training, it had been a while since Arthur had worked with me on my sword skills. "Sure, it's about time we went back to training." And it really was, after everything that had happened, I knew that I needed to work harder.

My uncle wasn't finished with me yet, what he had done was nothing compared to what he was planning, I knew it, because I could feel it. I had to build up my strength and stamina, I had to be better at using a sword, not just for fighting, but for defending myself as well. There was no way I was going to just sit back and wait for someone to save me, I was not a Princess who needed rescuing, I was a Princess who needed someone to stand and fight beside me. I was pretty sure that Arthur was becoming that person very quickly.

After taking the Prince by surprise and rushing myself to get ready, we were on the training ground in record time. Although I knew that everywhere was going to be aching for days after just a few hours of work, I knew that it needed to be done. There was so much that I needed to prove, not just to other people, like my brothers, but to myself as well. If I wanted to survive in this world of beasts and magic, then I had to learn to do that.

For the first hour, we practiced with the swords, and to my surprise, and that of Arthur, I wasn't actually too bad at it anymore. Before, I would lose my grip, and I really wasn't fast enough, but the sword was as light as anything in my hand, and it moved so gracefully, like it had a mind of its own. I may not have beaten him, but I sure was giving him a run for his money, and surprising him in the process.

"Are you sure you haven't been practicing behind my back?" Arthur asked me, while I took aim of another dagger.

"What, you think I've been sneaking off doing this while you've been asleep?" I replied, before throwing the dagger as hard as I could at the target Merlin had set up. "You must be mad if you think I'd do that." I watched and waited, and the dagger landed in the inner ring. Not bad, but not the centre, I was going to hit that damn bullseye.

"It's just, you seemed to be a lot more comfortable, and confident, than the last time we were out here. I expected to have you moaning after ten minutes, but hours later and that still hasn't happened." I could tell that he was surprised, it was there in his voice. "Plus, you do seem to have made some remarkable improvements."

I knew it was a compliment, and I wasn't going to argue that I had been great at it before, because I knew that was far from the truth. "Arthur, that was some time ago now, a lot has happened." That was most certainly true. "Moaning and complaining is not going to get me anywhere. If I want to be able to defend myself, then I need to work hard for it. I get that now." If only I had learnt that lesson sooner, maybe I would have been able to avoid that horrid situation with my uncle altogether.

By the time we stopped for lunch, I was utterly exhausted and covered in dirt and sweat. We had finished with some hand to hand combat, and naturally Arthur had bested me. I hadn't given up though, I was still fighting back the best I could, and did take him by surprise at one point by grabbing a pressure point in his wrist and making his whole arm go dead. It was actually an accident, I hadn't meant to hit that point, but it did give me an advantage, for all of five seconds.

"Oh, I need a bath." I moaned to myself as we walked back to Arthur's chamber. "I'm pretty sure that even the pigs don't smell as bad as I do right now." If he could smell it, he was acting as if it was nothing but a fragrant bouquet of flowers. "The mud I can handle, but the stink…"

Finally, the Prince let out a chuckle. "It just proves that you have worked hard today, and have deserved a break." He told me, smiling away like an idiot still. "If you're lucky, after lunch I might just take you down to the stream so that you can have a bath." Oh joy, to wash in a freezing cold stream out in the open, wouldn't that just be grand?

I gave him a look that told him I was not impressed. "I'll settle for a basin of water and a little bit of privacy while you eat like a pig." The strangest thing was, it never bothered me that I washed behind a screen while he was still in the room. At first, this whole 'never letting you out of my sight' business was hard to deal with. I never had a moment to myself and it really bothered me, but now I didn't even think about it. Before I was really nervous about getting undressed with him still in the room, even if I was protected by the screen, now I didn't even think about it.

Once again he chucked at me, but we carried on walking. There was something different about the whole day, there was no tension in the air, and I really just could not put my finger on it. Maybe that talk I had with my brothers in my dream world had helped, maybe that had eased my mind a little. I wasn't sure, but it was a good feeling, it wasn't one of dread or foreboding. For once.

When we finally reached the chamber, he opened the door, and the smell of lavender swiftly attacked my nose. I couldn't help but breath it in, because it smelt much better than I did. What I also noticed was the steam that was gently rising from behind the wooden screen that I always hid behind to get dressed. A second later, and Merlin appeared from behind it, a large empty bucket in his hands. All he did was smile at me, before ducking out of the room.

I knew what he had been doing, he had just filled up a tub with nice, hot, clean water. But knowing my luck, it was for Arthur. He must have seen the look of longing and the hint of disappointment on my face. "If you do not wish for me to eat like a pig, then I suggest you rectify the fact that you currently smell like one." He told me, nudging me over to where the tub was hidden. "I know you better than you think, Isabella. Take as long as you want."

Knowing that he had arranged that for me, it was kind of sweet, especially with the springs of lavender floating on the surface of the water as well. "Thank you, Arthur." I sighed in a breath of relief. "There is no way I could have managed to rest of the day looking and smelling like this."

Without hesitation, I disappeared behind the screen, yanked off my dirty clothes and throwing them over the screen. It was amazing how comfortable and relaxing it was to just lay in that water. And I knew that I was going to spend a lot of time in there, if Arthur wasn't going to keep on disturbing me by trying to talk to me.

To my surprise, he was rather quiet, but every time I called out to him to make sure he was still there, he called back, telling me to just enjoy my bath. I heard Merlin coming and going a fair amount, I noticed him taking my dirty clothes from the screen before hanging something clean over it for me to wear when I was done. It was actually turning out to be one of the best baths I had ever had, and that's saying something.

It was only when the water was starting to get a little cold, and I had become a little bored of messing around with the water with my magic, that I decided that it really was time for me to get out. I was clean, I didn't smell like a pig, and I was not aching all over. So far, it had been a pretty good day, except now I was rather hungry.

My stomach gave out a slight growl just as I was getting dressed, telling me that food was most definitely the next thing that I required. Stepping out from behind the screen I froze. The silence really should have been a clue that something was amiss, that there was something going on that I just couldn't see, I was stupid to have missed it.

"Arthur, what… what's all this?" I managed to ask him, wondering what on earth he was thinking.

All I could do was stand there as he took a step towards me, a soft smile on his face. "This would be lunch, my strange Princess." He told me, holding out his hand towards me. In a bit of a daze I placed mine in his waiting one, and let him lead me to where a blanket had been laid out on the floor.

It wasn't the first time he had surprised me with a picnic or something of the kind, but this was the first time he had surprised me with a grand feast of a picnic. "I don't… I…" It was frustrating, my word just seemed to be failing me completely, and I absolutely hated it.

"It's okay, Isabella, I don't expect you to say anything." He told me, obviously recognising my stunned expression and my lack of coherent speech. "You put everything you had into training this morning, you worked harder than most of my knights do." The Prince decided to inform me as he held my hand while I sat on the blanket. "After all that has happened, this is the least that I can do for you."

My head was still trying to process everything, the whole indoor picnic thing, what Arthur was saying to me, I just couldn't get it all in at once. "I don't expect you to do anything for me, Arthur. There is so much that you have already done for me, I can never repay you for all you have done. You've taken me in, protected me, cared for me. If anything, I should be doing something amazing for you." It was true, he really had done so much for me, he didn't need to do any more.

He still had that soft smile on his face as he sat down on the blanket beside me. "Just having you in my life is enough for me." There was so much honesty and sincerity in his voice, that I couldn't stop a few tears from escaping from my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. "You've changed my life, Isabella, you've changed me. I know now what it takes to be a king, to be the king that Camelot deserves, all thanks to you."

"It was always going to happen, Arthur. I know the man that you can be, I've seen it. You will do great things for Camelot, you've always had it in you to be that person. It's just a coincidence that I'm here." It was true, he really didn't need me there, and yet he just didn't know that and would never believe that either.

"You see me as a person, Isabella, you always have, from the moment I first met you. To you, I was just a stranger, a normal person, and not a Prince." I wasn't entirely sure what he was getting at, but it seemed we were both going to be getting a little emotional. "You showed me what it was to be a man, not just a Prince. Being royal doesn't mean having to power to do what I want, to have what I want, it means that I can make a change to everyone's lives. I can make them better, I can look at the world through their eyes and see what they need. All thanks to you."

I hated the way that he was thanking me so much, telling me that it was because of me that he had changed. Maybe part of it was because of me, but it was him, all him. I was not going to take credit for something that would have happened anyway. "I don't know what to say, Arthur. You were always capable of becoming who you are now, and maybe I did help, maybe I didn't. In all honesty, none of that matters. What does matter is that one day you will become a great king." And he would, I knew he would, and so did Merlin.

There was a smile on his face as he looked at me, such a soft and genuine smile. "The only thing that matters is that you are here, Isabella. I couldn't imagine my life without you now, Camelot would certainly be a lot quieter, but I wouldn't change that for anything." I could feel my eyes starting to well up, and I hated it just as much as everything he was saying.

If he ever found out who I really was, of what I really was, he would be running for the hills right now. Either that or I would be dead. There was one problem with all of that, with everything in my life, I didn't want him to run from me. Over the time I had been in Camelot, the time I had really spent with him and gotten to know him, I had fallen for him. Badly. Just thinking of going back to my old life scared me, of a life without him. It may have been selfish and wrong, but I didn't want to give him up. The legend no longer mattered to me, the relationship he was meant to have with Gwen meant nothing. I wanted to be with him, because I honestly loved him.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on the side of my face. When I looked up, I saw Arthur gazing at me with concern in his eyes. "Isabella, are you all right? Did I say something to upset you?" He asked me, gently rubbing his thumb across my cheek.

It was only then that I realised that I had been crying. "I love you, Arthur." I blurted out to him, not even thinking about it or having a chance to stop myself. "I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you. At first I didn't want to, I tried to stop myself. I didn't want to get hurt, and I didn't want to hurt you. But it happened, and I would do anything for you." It was far too late, I just couldn't stop myself now. "There is so much that has happened, there are people that are trying to tear us apart. Every day I am scared that I'm going to wake up and you won't be there, and it hurts."

The Prince chuckled at me sightly, still brushing the tears away from my cheeks. "I love you as well, Isabella. You are annoying, stubborn, strange and completely impossible. You have endured so much in your life, the loss of your parents, the traitorous actions of your uncle, the distance between you and your brothers. What I have also learned is that you are strong, and smart. You will do anything to protect the ones you love and care about the most, and I am honoured to be one of those people." How differently this day had gone from when I woke up and we trained for a few hours. that stupid Prince just kept on surprising me. "I am honoured to have you in my life, Isabella, and that is why I want to give you this."

His hands disappeared from my cheeks and reappeared in front of me, but with a small polished wooden box held tightly within them. "Arthur, you don't have to give me anything. You've already given me so much. You've given me a home, a new life, a chance to live and be happy." I could feel my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The blood was pumping in my ears, making the sound of my heart beating even louder.

There was no way he was taking that, and quickly held the box closer to me, waiting for me to take it from him. I didn't take it, I let him hold it while I lifted the lid. I couldn't stop the gasp from escaping my mouth when I saw what he was presenting me with. It was a solid silver band, a ring, with delicate engravings all around it. "I had this made for you. It's a sign of our friendship, of how much you mean to me." I was glad that he had said that, and not something else. "It is so that anyone who sees it knows that you are protected, by me."

It was such a sweet thing for him to do. No one had ever given me jewellery before, not real jewellery anyway. As kids, my brothers used to make paper necklaces and stuff for me, even went so far as to buy me a cheap bracelet that turned my whole arm green once, but nothing like what Arthur was giving me. "Arthur I… I don't know what to say…" And I really didn't.

"I don't expect you to say anything, Isabella." He told me, gently taking the ring from the padding in the box. "Just promise me that you will wear it, and never take it off."

I looked at him and nodded. "I promise." My voice came out in most of a whisper than anything else, before he carefully slipped the ring on the index finger of my left hand. To my surprise, it was a perfect fit. "It's beautiful."

Arthur just smiled at me and my words. "Just like you." He told me, before his lips gently pressed against mine. As he kissed me, my mind went completely blank. Everything felt right, perfect in fact. I had real friends, and someone who truly loved me, it was like a dream.

Just like a dream, the moment ended and I was tossed back into the real world. I knew I was blushing, I could feel the heat rushing into my cheeks and up my neck, but Arthur didn't seem to care. Infact, he seemed to just smile at me even more. "I haven't gotten you anything." I told him randomly. "I didn't know we were going to have a gift giving picnic in your chamber after training."

Once more he smiled at me and chuckled slightly. "You have given me everything I want. Just seeing you smile and happy is enough for me." His eyes just seemed to be sparkling more now, everytime I looked at them they seemed to be brighter than before.

After that, we actually ate the lunch that was sitting there, just begging for us to eat it. It was only when my stomach decided to rumble again that we remembered about the food that was before us. It was a lovely picnic, and having by the roaring fire seemed to make it all the better. However, it did make me feel a little drowsy. I was tired from all the training, full from all the food, emotionally exhausted from the gift that Arthur had given me, and comforted by the raging embers of the fire.

The Prince ended up lying down on the blanket on the floor, and I huddled up next to him, my head resting in the crook of his neck. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer towards him, and I closed my eyes. "Do you ever imagine what our lives would be like if he wasn't out there? If I had arrived in Camelot of my accord and still treated you like I did that first day?" I asked him, making myself more comfortable against him.

"I admit that I have wondered what our lives would be like without your uncle. You would be free to go wherever you wanted, and I wonder if you would leave Camelot and return to your brothers." Someone about the way he said that made me think he had thought about it a lot, and that it was something that actually bothered him. "Without him, your parents would still be alive, and you would be living a happy life in Elbear with your family."

"No, I wouldn't." I couldn't let him think that, that I would have been happy there with my family. Yes, of course I would have been happy with my parents and brother, but I wouldn't have him. "I wouldn't be happy, because I would be alone. I wouldn't have you. The only good thing that has come out of all this, the great big mess that my uncle has created, is meeting you."

I felt his hand entangle in my hair, the tips of his fingers lightly touching my scalp. "I'd still be the prat that you met in the forest that day, the little boy who had a lot of growing up to do."

"You would have grown up, eventually." I informed him, knowing that he would have. "But even now, you're still a prat." I wasn't able to resist, I just had to say it. Any chance I had to call him a prat, I would take it, especially if I could get away with it.

I had been right, I was able to get away with it, as Arthur just laughed lightly at my comment. "I would be a lonely prat. I couldn't imagine myself ever meeting a woman as strange and wonderful as you, Isabella." Oh, I wished that had been true. Even though I defied it, tried to ignore it, Gwen was always there, scratching away, reminding me of what I was doing, and how wrong it was.

No. I was going to ignore it. Arthur was mine, not hers. She would have Lancelot, she would be happy. If I let her near Arthur, she would only break his heart because she loved someone else. I was going to stop that, because I loved him, completely. I was going to love him like he deserved to be loved, like he loved me. Wholly, completely, I would give him absolutely everything. "I have a confession to make." I said, quickly forming my next words in my head. "Even though you were a prat when I met you, I knew you were a much better man than that. The moment I saw you I knew, I just knew, that you were destined to be something greater. Straight away, I saw the man that you could become, that you would become. I confess to you, Arthur Pendragon, that I know you will be the greatest king to ever live."

"Well, since we're making confessions, I had best make one as well." Arthur told me, his hand running through my hair, causing me to relax even more. "I knew that you were different the moment I met you." He whispered to me. "And I knew that you would be the one to steal my heart."

His words, those last few words he had said, caused me to slowly open my eyes and look up up at him. "You had mine before we even met." It was hard to explain, but there had always been something there. At first I had tried to deny it, to push it away and ignore it. That just wasn't possible, especially not after everything that dumb dragon had told me, and my brothers. "I have never cared for anyone the way I care for you, and I never will again."

The Prince kissed the top of my head, and we both fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually, I started to doze off. Training had been hard for me, it had exhausted me and my whole body was still aching from it, even after the amazing bath Merlin had set up for me. The way Arthur had been running his hand through my hair hadn't helped, that had been sending me off to the land of nod as well. I'm pretty sure he knew what he was doing, because every time I had gone to speak, his hand seemed to move just a little more. He had started to pick up on those little things as well.

That was probably why I only heard little snippets of the conversation Arthur had with someone. There was something about someone arriving, a king or something. I was pretty sure I heard Arthur telling him that we would be present at dinner and that we would see them then. I may have just imagined it, or dreamed it even, but I was sure there was a hint of worry in Arthur's voice when he spoke to our friend.

I felt safe. In Arthur's arms I felt so safe, nothing else in the world matter. He would protect me from my uncle, no matter what the cost. But there was one thing that kept on running through my mind, who would protect him from my uncle? I knew I wasn't strong enough, no matter what I did or said to my brothers to try to convince them. As long as I had Arthur, I could make it through anything.

When I finally decided that it was time to rejoin the land of the living, Arthur was just looking at me. "What, do I have something on my face?" I asked him, my voice not exactly loud and my vision just a little blurry still.

Instead of answering me, he chuckled. "I think you need a little fresh air. You've been sleeping for hours, time for a walk to wake you up a bit." There was something about the way that he said it that made me a little suspicious. I was pretty good at knowing when he was up to something now, the signs were easy to spot, and he was most definitely up to something.

"You know, if you had asked me if I wanted to take a little walk around the castle grounds, or even just the castle itself, then I would have said yes." I informed him, letting him know that I knew that he was upto something. "However, the fact that you 'think I need a little air' makes me a little suspicious. I would recommend you tell me what is really going on." Then, I gave him the look.

I could see that he was shocked, and a little worried. I may have given him the look that told him I wanted to know what was going on, but he was giving me the look that told me I really didn't want to know. "There is nothing going on, Isabella. Just because I suggested we go for a walk, it does not mean that I am up to something." Of course it didn't, but the panicked look on his face said otherwise.

I couldn't help but keep eyeing him with suspicion, before finally relenting and letting out a sigh. "Okay, fine. You're not up to something." Just because I said that, it really didn't mean that I meant it. Oh, I knew he was up to something, I just had to find a way to prove it. The bath and picnic had already been surprises, but they had been nice ones, what he was hiding now was nothing good. "But you are still hiding something from me."

An even more worried look spread across his face. "If I am hiding something from you, it is only to protect you." That did not sound good, not one little bit. He was pretty much admitting to hiding something, making out that he was doing it for my own good.

"Maybe that should be for me to decide, not you." I told him, pushing myself up and off the blanket. It was actually making me kind of nervous, but I didn't want Arthur to see that. "Are we going for this walk then, or not?" I would let the matter drop, for now, but I was going to find out what he was hiding from me.

A/N: I know there are still some mistakes that I need to stamp out, and I will find time to do that.

I would just like to say a really big thank you to all of you for your continued support, through absolutely everything. There have been many times when I simply wanted to give up, but you guys are the ones that keep me going, so thank you.

Hopefully the next chapter will not take as long to post as this one has. But until then...

Pippa.