Chapter 12 : Returning and Reuniting
Luana was worried and that was clearly visible as she fiddled with her dirty nails, trying to get the dirt from under them. It was the only thing that kept her busy. But her mind was still fixated on Lancelot.
His pale face had scared her, she had seen dead before but never had she been so terrified of it. Luana sighed and sat down on the chair, looking at the wall in front of her. Her cheeks were still dirty from all the grime and dirt of the fight.
Tear stains were clearly visible on her cheeks as she bit her nails, trying to get her mind of the worry for Lancelot. The other knights were just as worried as her. The outcome of the battle had been victory for all of them.
But instead of going and celebrating their victory, they all sat in the waiting room, trying to wait, as patient as they could, for any news of Lancelot or Tristan. The young Sarmatian girl thought of going home.
What would happen to her? Her mind answered the question almost immediately. Marriage. It was probably already arranged and she knew her parents would be furious at her for leaving the tribe just to follow Tristan and turn into a knight herself.
But she was happy being a knight, knowing she could defend herself instead of hiding between the men when it was necessary. Luana sighed frustrated and ran out of the room before she slammed the door of her own bed room roughly behind her.
She saw some food standing at her small table but Luana wasn't hungry. She knew she was starving herself but she just couldn't get something through her throat at that moment. Luana sat down on her bed, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks as she heard a knock on the door.
Luana didn't look up towards the door, she only pulled her legs closer to her chest and placed her head on her knees. Arthur walked in the room, looking for her. When he noticed her sitting against the wall on her bed, he walked over to her and placed his arm over her shoulder.
Luana looked up from her position and smiled a little at Arthur, a tear fell down her cheek as she placed her head on his shoulder and cried while Arthur rubbed soft circles on her back.
X
Rain poured down on the knights. Galahad grumbled and wrapped his cloak tighter around him for warmth. Luana smiled softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the drops of water falling down on her eyelids.
"You know, we could've been out of here already." He complained, looking at Arthur with a small glare.
"Well don't look at me, you were the ones who decided to come and help me out." Luana chuckled a little and looked around to the group of knights.
"Tell me again...why are we standing outside in the first place?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Arthur and the other knights. Bors shrugged and walked back inside.
The young girl shook her head and walked away, probably towards the stalls to prepare her horse for their upcoming journey towards Sarmatia. Their home. Luana had to admit to herself that she was a little scared of what would happen once her parents saw her again.
She met Tristan sitting with his horse, the hawk silently eating from his palm. Luana smiled at her brother and the hawk, knowing he would make it through alright.
"I thought you had freed her." Luana whispered, pulling Tristan's attention away from the bird and towards her. Luana went to sit down next to her brother and placed her head on his chest, looking at the bird.
"She returned to me after the battle." Tristan said calmly. Luana nodded and smiled as her brother wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.
"He's going to be alright Luana. Don't be afraid." The scout softly whispered in her hair as she nodded, knowing that Lancelot survived the first few nights on his own.
"Ready to go home?" Tristan asked, looking down at his sister.
"I'm not sure..." Luana frowned, her mind had been on returning to Sarmatia all the time since she had heard that Lancelot would survive.
And she didn't' want to imagine how her parents would react when she returned. Tristan nodded and gave Luana a small kiss on the crown of her head before he held his arm in the air, telling the hawk to fly away.
The young Sarmatian girl looked at the sky as the bird flew away and the sun cleared the dark skies up.
X
"I guess we have to say goodbye after all." Lancelot said sadly, looking at Luana who had difficulty with holding back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. She bit her lip, trying to stop them but failing miserably. Luana nodded, knowing she might not see him again.
"Don't forget, two weeks." Lancelot whispered as Luana suddenly wrapped her arms around his chest and cried in his shirt. The young Sarmatian girl nodded in his shirt, not wanting to let him go.
Lancelot wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her head, closing his eyes and enjoying the last moment they had together.
"I don't' want you to go." Luana whispered, pulling back from the hug with tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Lancelot used his thumb to whip some of the tears away and gave her another kiss on the lips.
"We'll see each other again. Two weeks and then we will meet again. Here, on this spot. For one last journey." Lancelot smiled a little at her, encouraging her to do the same. He didn't want to leave with her being sad. He wanted her to be happy.
Tristan nodded to Lancelot, placing his hand on Luana's shoulder as the first knight mounted his horse and drove off towards the other side of the hill. The young Sarmatian girl took a deep breath and whipped the remaining tears away with her sleeve before she followed Tristan to their own horses.
Looking down the hill to the little village at the foot of the hill, Luana frowned and a small smile appeared on her lips.
"I finally remember what home was like." Luana stated, looking at Tristan as they looked over their village. Her older brother looked in surprise at his sister and smiled brightly, leading her down the hill to finally meet their family again after 15 years.
X
In opposite of Tristan jumping of his horse the moment he stood in front of their parents, Luana slowly dismounted her horse and stood shy behind her older brothers frame, trying to hide herself from her parents judging gaze.
Yes, these were her parents. But she had a sense of fear for them as she knew she was in trouble for leaving in the middle of the night. Luana knew for herself that she had changed a lot in the last past 15 years and that she didn't look like the girl they had seen last time.
Their mother was smiling so brightly that it shocked Luana. She hugged Tristan, telling him how much he had actually changed over the years. Their father however, kept his eyes on her, causing Luana to start and play nervously with her long, dirty brown hair.
Her mother turned her eyes towards her standing behind Tristan's larger frame, gasping in shock as she saw how much her youngest daughter had actually changed. Luana's eyes widened as she gazed at Tristan in shock when her mother pulled her in a breath taking hug.
Tristan showed a shocked Luana a smile as his father lead him away from the girls. Her mother looked Luana straight in the eye and smiled with some small tears of happiness in her eyes.
"Look how much you've changed. I barely recognized you." Her mother said excited while looking at Luana from head to toe. Luana smiled shy and nodded, playing with a stray of her dirty and greasy brown hair.
She wasn't used to this situation and knew that somewhere deep inside, her mother was still angry at her. The older woman shook her head disapproving as she noticed how dirty Luana actually was, Luana noticed the look and looked at herself.
Her shirt was a little ripped at her waist and her pants were hanging loose around her hips. Her mother grabbed the young woman by her wrist, pulling her inside the small hut. Luana started to protest when her mother called out to several other women of the tribe.
As a team, the elders began to brush her hair and search for some proper clothes that the young Sarmatian girl could wear.
Tristan entered the home he had been taken away from fifteen years earlier and was happy to see that everything was still as he remembered it. His father sat by the fire, looking deep in thought.
Tristan's mother however, was busy in the kitchen, yelling to Luana to come out and help. The scout heard his sister groan in frustration as she entered the hut. A long black dress followed her every move as she walked to the kitchen, ignoring Tristan for the first time.
She placed a stray of her somewhat neater hair as she finally managed to look at her older brother while she placed some things on the dinner table. Luana felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Tristan was looking at her with an amazed look in his eyes.
His mouth hung slightly open as he looked straightly in her deep brown eyes. Luana looked away and directed her eyes to the floor while Tristan finally realized how much she could change with only wearing other clothes.
"Don't stare at me like that." Luana said softly while she blushed under Tristan's gaze. Her older brother chuckled at her and gave his younger sister a hug before taking her smaller hand in his and giving it a small kiss on her knuckles.
"You look amazing." Tristan whispered. Luana rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back from his grasp and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You're only saying that to be nice."
"Doesn't she look lovely Tristan? Much better than when she arrived here." Their mother entered the room, smiling brightly at her daughter and then at her eldest son.
"She does." Tristan agreed with his mother but Luana rolled her eyes.
"I was comfortable in those clothes." Luana muttered under her breath, pouting a little.
"They were dirty dear and you don't want your husband to be terrified of you when he sees you do you?" The elder woman looked at her daughter with a pointed look.
"Wait...what? Husband?" Luana asked shocked with her mouth hanging open and a frown on her face. She had only returned from England and they were already talking about the marriage arrangement.
Luana had thought they'd at least wait a couple of days to get her back in the way of life in Sarmatia but clearly, she was wrong. Her father looked away from the fire and stood up, walking over to the rest of his family.
"Yes, you're getting married next week." He said firmly, "to the prince of the lion tribe."
Luana had expected this. But never thought it was going to happen so soon after her return. She looked in shock at her father and suddenly glared at him.
"Prince of the lion tribe?" Luana asked angry "Next week?"
The young girl felt her body tremble as she thought of the marriage coming closer every minute. She didn't want this to happen. Her heart longed for Lancelot as she tried to deal with the new founded information about her future.
"Mother, don't you think next week is a little too soon?" Tristan asked worried while Luana screamed it out and ran out of the room, throwing the pin that was in her hair earlier on the dirty floor in the progress.
Her long brown hair fell down over her shoulders even more than before as her dress flowed behind her. Their parents looked at the spot where Luana had stood earlier before they looked back at Tristan.
"There's nothing you or her can change. She will get married next week and that's final." His father said confident before Tristan ran off to find Luana.
X
"Next week?" Lancelot managed to say as he placed his cup neatly back on the table. He looked at his father with a ridiculous look in his eyes. He had known from the beginning he would be forced to marry someone besides Luana but never knew it was that close to his return.
"Yes Lancelot, next week." His father said firmly as he glared a little at his eldest son. He was tired of hearing complains about the upcoming marriage as he closed of the topic. Lancelot glared a little at his father and ran away from the table.
When Lancelot had arrived, his whole tribe had been in a uproar. The smiles on every one's faces had cheered him up but his heart still ached for Luana as he looked out at the horizon from his bedroom window. He wanted to hold Luana's small frame in his arms. He closed his eyes and thought of their departure, hoping she was still alright.
His father had pulled him inside immediately, talking about plans and other things in which Lancelot wasn't aware of in the first place. How was he going to explain to his family he had already found someone? He wondered. He knew his parents had someone in mind already.
"Nonsense Lancelot, we've already picked out the perfect girl for you." His father laughed as the first knight smiled sadly.
He didn't want another girl than Luana. She was the one that loved him like he was, she was the girl who he knew was perfect for him. His mind was constantly on Luana while his mother and father kept preparing and talking about the upcoming wedding.
"Listen to me! I love Luana alright! So don't go forcing me into a marriage with someone I probably don't even know!" He had yelled out, surprising his parents a little but clearly they never cared about his love for Luana as they just laughed at him.
Lancelot sighed as he sat on his bed, the reaction of his parents had been an expected one. Lovingly, Lancelot held the small ring in his hand. He had planed to give it to Luana at the hill where they said their goodbyes but in all of his time, his mind had been more on her than on the little present.
Knowing that she was probably in the same situation as himself, forced into a marriage, gave Lancelot a heartache as he laid down on his bed. His mind kept plaguing him with the thought of Luana with another man as he tried to sleep.
X
One week later
Luana looked at her reflection in the full length mirror in which she saw herself in the white wedding dress. She held the flowers in front of her chest and looked at herself. Her long brown hair, that was still not exactly as clean as her mother wanted, was pinned up with some soft strays curled up falling over her bare shoulders.
Luana sighed deeply and sadness crept over her senses as she knew that she couldn't escape this. Some young girls of the tribe helped her pin up up the last strays but Luana refused, telling them it was good like it looked.
They tried to change it but Luana had heavily protested against it, eventually winning the argument. The young Sarmatian girl that she would marry someone else than Lancelot today, sighing deeply, she looked away from her reflection and sat down on the bed, happy to know that the women had given her some time alone to think about everything.
The young girl sighed sadly as her heart longed for Lancelot taking her in her arms and telling everything was going to be alright. It was then that it dawned upon her that she couldn't stop any of this.
That she had to give in to her fathers wishes and choices. Tristan slowly entered the small hut where Luana was residing before the wedding and smiled sadly at her. Kneeling down in front of her, he placed his hand on her cheek, whipping away some of the fallen tears with his thumb.
Luana looked up at her older brother and was a little surprised to see his natural long brown hair out of the various braids that previously adorned his face by falling in front of his eyes. Tristan felt like he could only hug her and rub her back while whispering soft words in her ear when Luana buried her face in his chest like she had done a week ago when she said goodbye to Lancelot.
Tristan had yet to meet his future brother in law. But wasn't really looking forward to it as he wanted Luana to marry Lancelot as much as anyone else who had known the couple.
X
Lancelot looked around the people that were present at the wedding. He was nervous and yet to meet his future bride. He looked up to the sky, hoping that Luana was going to be alright after all.
He sighed deeply and knew that the knights weren't going to be present at the ceremony, no matter how much he had pleaded with his parents. He felt like a stranger, standing in front of the crowd nervously as they all waited for the bride to walk down the aisle.
The first knight had met many dangers in his service to Arthur and never had been so nervous or afraid as he was at that very moment. Lancelot felt his parents eyes on his back as he started to look a little bored, just standing there.
They looked at him for another couple of seconds before returning to their conversation with his future in-laws. Lancelot's attention was pulled away from his thoughts on Luana as the music started to play softly in the background.
He sighed deeply again, realizing that he couldn't stop what was about to happen anyway. Lancelot looked at the bride coming closer to the altar. Her eyes were casted downwards on the ground and tear stains were visible on her cheeks.
But Lancelot noticed something familiar at her. Her long brown hair was pinned up and falling in some small strays over her shoulders. Lancelot smiled brightly and recognized Luana after a while, he looked at Tristan who walked his sister down the aisle.
He hid his shock to see Lancelot well, the first knight had to admit that. Tristan gave Luana a last soft kiss on her forehead before handing her over to Lancelot, smiling a little with his eyes. Lancelot placed his fingers under Luana's chin, almost forcing her to look up in his eyes.
Their brown eyes connected and Luana's sad smile turned brighter than she could've expected when she saw Lancelot standing in front of her. Before the priest could begin the holy ceremony officially, she softly pressed her lips against his, surprising most of the crowd present.
The high priest cleared his throat, pulling Luana's attention away from Lancelot so he could start the ceremony.
"I was supposed to be marrying a prince. All I see is a idiot." Luana smirked, teasing Lancelot a little.
"You never really told me you were the princess of your tribe so we're even." Lancelot whispered back, smirking. Luana raised her eyebrows, considering his answer as a worthy one. She laughed a little, receiving a pointed look from both her parents and the high priest.
She smiled at Lancelot and the couple received some strange looks from both families, except Tristan, when Lancelot pressed his lips against Luana's and spun her around at the end of the ceremony. Luana laughed and threw her arms around his neck to pull Lancelot in for a second kiss.
"I guess everything worked out in the end after all." Luana said as she watched her new husband gaze at her face.
"And you said you'd have a loveless marriage." Lancelot smirked, taking Luana in his arms. The young Sarmatian girl couldn't get the big smile away from her face as she kissed him again. Never had she expected this to happen to her and yet it did.
"How could I know I was to marry you?" Luana laughed, snuggling in Lancelot's chest. She felt the gaze of their parents on her back as Lancelot kissed her forehead lovingly.
Tristan ticked Lancelot on the shoulder and pulled the shocked first knight in for a hug. Lancelot relaxed and laughed before turning to Luana.
"Please don't tell me this guy is my brother in law now." Lancelot pointed at Tristan, causing him to receive a knock on the head by Tristan. Luana laughed and shook her head. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her eyebrows at her new husband.
"Still want to be part of this family?"
"I'm considering it." Lancelot joked as Luana looked hurt for a moment. "I think I can handle mister scout back there." He winked, making Luana and Tristan laugh. For the moment, her life couldn't get any worse.
She felt Tristan's arms wrap around her and he pulled her in for a loving hug before he turned towards Lancelot who waited on the siblings to end their hug.
"Take care of her Lancelot." Tristan patted the first knight on his shoulder before he left the newly wedded couple alone. Luana smiled sweetly as Lancelot presented his arm, which she gladly took as they walked back towards the crowd.
R&R please
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