5. The King's Library

Lonely was just one if the feelings Lucy was experiencing right now. Her sister was missing, Arthur was out looking for her and she was trapped in the castle. She knew no one here and of course she wasn't allowed to leave. Normally she would be excited to explore the luxurious castle, but today she felt numb and a bit useless.

Lucy prided herself in being an independent single woman taking care of her sister. Of course as her sister has gotten older things have changed, but Lucy will always feel responsible for the the girl. Failure was an something Lucy was accustomed to.

Laying on the biggest bed she's ever seen, Lucy stared solemnly at the ceiling. It had been about an hour and a half since Arthur had left her to ''rest''. She had wallowed in self pity the entire time and was actually considering a nap, and then her stomach growled.

Her unyielding hunger outweighed herself loathing and she decided to get up and try and find the kitchen in this monstrous place. She wandered down the halls, admiring the tall ceilings and the intricate details. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Soon she came to a staircase that went up and down, taking her chances she went down. Making her way down to the level below, she began to smell the makings of roast, potatoes, and bread. Following the delicious smells, she found the kitchen with several cooks putting the meal together.

One of the women helping noticed Lucy and approached her. "The seamstress right? Lucy?''

''Uh, yeah.'' She smiled.

''I'm Maggie. Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready soon.''

''Yeah, it smells great in here.''

''It does. Until then, allow me to show you around.''

''Thanks.

Maggie toured Lucy through the castle, showing her all the rooms she had access to. The grandest was the library which held more books and knowledge than she could ever imagine to know. Lucy wanted to spend the rest of her life in here reading every book on these shelves.

''That's quite the library.'' Lucy smiled to her guide.

''The oldest in the kingdom. It holds all of our history and more.''

''You mean the entire history of Camelot is gathered in this library.''

''Yes, and it is up to the King to preserve it.''

She spent several minutes admiring the bookcases that were ceiling tall and full to the brim with every book known to man. She could spend the rest of her life reading and she doubted she would be able to finish every book here.

''Let me show you the rest of the palace then we will go and eat.'' Maggie suggested.

''Sounds good.'' She smiled at the courteous lady.

They wandered through the castle for a little while longer before going back down to the dinning room where the grand table was already being set. Lucy seated herself next to Maggie and waited for the meal to begin. Soon others began to join them until all but a few seats were full and dinner was served. Lucy couldn't help but notice that the head of the grand table was empty. Arthur and his gallant knights were still gone, and that only worried her more. Where was her sister? Was she okay? When would she get answers?

Lucy spent the dinner keeping to herself before finally excusing herself and then going to the library. She was so entranced the first time that she barely got to explore the place. This time she took her time reading the shelves. She let her fingers scroll over the leather bound spines of more knowledge and adventures than she could ever hope to know.

Instead of picking something fact filled, she settled down with a romance about a knight in shining armor. She let herself be distracted by the handsome knight and damsel in distress. After reading for only a couple of hours she happened to slip to sleep, taking a much needed nap.

The girls and I were going to our favorite pub to have a few drinks and talk gossip about the new King. Everyone knew he was the hottest single bachelor in all of England.

''He is so gorgeous, Casey's sister-in-law says she seen him at the market talking to the fisherman.'' Morgan said.

''Katrina's mom said she him at the brothel talking with Mistress Estelle.'' Brooke added.

''I heard he wants to offer the brothels protection.'' Mary said.

''What? Really?'' Elizabeth asked.

''Yeah, I guess he grew up in one. At least that's what I've heard.'' Mary answered.

''He is like no King I've even heard of before.'' Morgan said.

''Now if he'd take a commoner for a wife, I'd be set for life.'' Brooke joked.

''As if.'' Elizabeth scoffed. ''You're too clingy.''

''And your not?'' Mary laughed.

The girls chided and joked with one another, discussing who the King would marry and why.

''What about you Lucy, why should he marry you?'' Elizabeth asked.

''Oh, I'm sure he's already seeing someone. No point in getting my hopes up. Its not like we made eye contact and had this amazing moment where it was just the two of us and nobody else mattered.'' Lucy explained with a calm and cool deposition.

''You know Lucy, could you just once quit being so modest? We know you have fantasies about the king too.''

''They are just that though. Fantasies. Its not like he is going to walk through that door, looking for me, just so he can get my name.'' Lucy argued, meanwhile her friends went utterly quiet and were seemingly no longer paying attention. Lucy decided to see what they were looking and turned around to find the King standing at the doorway looking for someone.

He looked over at her and for moment the world quit spinning. As his gaze landed on her so did all of her friends. ''Um, Lucy. Care to explain?'' Brooke asked.

Out the corner of her eye, Lucy watched her sister slip away in the back of the crowd before exiting the bar. Soon Arthur was covered by a mob of women too eager to touch his skin to stop and consider their own self respect. Wondering where her sister was going Lucy followed Mary out of the bar.

The night was foggy, blocking out any natural light that may have illuminated the path to where they were going. Lucy tried calling out her sisters name but she received no response. She followed the bare ground in front of her until they came to a grassy swamp. She watched her sister approach the water, holding a leather bound book. What was she doing? Suddenly Lucy felt a pinch on her side that quickly turned into a burning sensation. She touched the spot and her fingers were wet. Her head felt heavy and the world tilted on its side. Someone then picked her up and carried her away.

When Lucy awoke there was a near 200 pounds in pure muscle crushing her very being and burning her bare skin to the touch. Convinced she was in bed with a dragon, she recoiled away from the terrifying being until she escaped its grasp. She made her way out of the bed, sighing in relief to feeling cold fresh air cooling her skin. Once cool enough to think again and get her bearings straight and few concerning questions rolled through her mind. Where was she? When did she get here? And who was the burning hot blond man laying in the bed in front of her. The sleepy haze slowly drifted away and she began to remember small details like she fell asleep in the library, meaning she was most likely still in the castle. That single deduction started an avalanche of realizations beginning with the smoldering hot King of England that was sleeping soundly in front of her.

So not only did he put her to bed, her put her in his bed, with him, shirtless and openly cuddled with her, (whether she was seemingly willing or not.) Lucy was at a loss for words, she couldn't comprehend spending the night in the King's bed with said king. She wasn't even betrothed to him. How long until rumor spread that she was a wanton whore?

Author's Note:

Okay guys I just wanted to let you know what's going on. When I started this I really had no plan so I sat down and actually came up with a basic plot that should (hopefully) be more satisfying than unsuspecting girl has moment with handsome king and they lived happily ever after. X-P

Because of this, I actually have some research to do in order to ensure that this world I build is in line with the movie. Also I have started a free online course called introduction to screenwriting which will take up some of my time and potentially help me take story from screen and turn it into book and vice versa.

If that isn't enough I work 46 hours a week and have an adorable ferret that requires my attention for at least a solid hour everyday, so weekends will be when I have the most time to write. Expect updates then.

Otherwise keep commenting, I love every one of them. They are so motivating! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!