Hey, here's the next chapter! Isabel and Zachary arrive in Camelot and meet the familiar cast of Merlin…
Enjoy!
-Lauren
x.x.x
Dawn came, and Isabel finally broke away from Zachary, her eyes tear-stained.
'Are you alright?' Zachary asked, looking at Isabel, deeply anxious.
'I'm fine,' lied Isabel, shaking Zachary off and standing up. She wiped the tears off her face and feigned a smile. 'Shall we get going, then?' she asked, trying to sound normal but failing to disguise the tremble in her voice.
'Are you sure you're ready?'
'Yeah,' said Isabel feebly. Zachary didn't quite believe her.
'We can wait another day if you like – I don't mind –'
'I'm fine,' said Isabel decisively. 'Let's go.'
x.x.x
Isabel was all the more eager to ride through the night so that she didn't have to risk having a nightmare while sleeping. As they expected, they reached Camelot by the following dawn.
It surprised Isabel how many peasants were awake in the early hours of the morning – the sun had only just risen, yet as they rode through the city of Camelot, the place was buzzing with activity. A few locals recognised Prince Zachary, bowing deeply as he passed.
They reached the gates of the palace, dismounted their horses and were met with the red-cloaked guards.
'Your purpose, boy?' they demanded, watching Zachary and Isabel suspiciously. Obviously they didn't recognise Prince Zachary.
'That's your highness for you,' said Zachary, not pleased with the guards.
'Your highness?' scoffed the guard. 'You're not Prince Arthur – who do you think you are?'
Before Zachary could reply with a princely scolding, King Uther came rushing out, saving his guards from further embarrassment.
'Sire, this boy here –' said one of the guards, but King Uther simply knocked him out of the way and stood in front of Prince Zachary, smiling.
'Prince Zachary, your father told me of your arrival! It is good to see you again,' said King Uther, stepping forward with open arms. Prince Zachary knew the protocol – he did not have to bow, as they were both royalty. Prince Zachary and King Uther embraced for a moment, and then broke apart.
'It is good to see you again, King Uther,' said Zachary.
'It is good to see you again,' King Uther replied.
'My father sends his apologise – he cannot leave just yet, so he sent me in his place,' explained Zachary. King Uther nodded.
'He has informed me of that. Your father and I are good friends,' said King Uther. Zachary smiled. 'Who is the woman that accompanies you?' King Uther asked.
'Lady Isabel, daughter of Phillip Escutcheon and Lady Leah,' said Zachary. King Uther smiled.
'Your highness,' said Isabel politely, curtsying.
'Rise, my child,' said King Uther. Hesitantly, Isabel rose and looked into the eyes of the King. She was not usually nervous around royalty – she had no problems chatting with King Tristan, but King Uther was a stranger, someone she didn't know and someone she couldn't predict. Luckily, as Isabel looked at the King, she found that he had a kind face. She was put at ease and smiled.
'It's an honour to meet you, your highness,' said Isabel.
'Welcome to Camelot, Lady Isabel,' said King Uther. 'How long will you be staying, Prince Zachary?'
'A few weeks,' answered Prince Zachary.
'Excellent,' said King Uther. 'I will prepare a welcome feast for you tonight. Oh, I'm sorry, you must be exhausted from riding! I will have some servants to show you to your chambers in just a few minutes,' promised King Uther.
'Thank you,' said Prince Zachary.
'Please, follow me. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask,' said King Uther.
'Your hospitality is greatly appreciated,' said Zachary, nodding.
They followed King Uther into the palace. Even though Isabel had lived in the palace her whole life, surrounded by beauty and splendour, the royal palace of King Uther was quite a beautiful place to behold, with its high ceilings and stained glass windows. There was something very majestic about the whole place. Isabel smiled.
Their footsteps rang out among the hallways as they strode into the castle, all three of them holding their head high, knowing their status well. Servant gawked at the sight of the newcomers, but King Uther shooed them away. Finally they reached the dining hall, where the court members were having breakfast.
King Uther introduced them to everyone at the table – when they learned of Prince Zachary's identity, every single one of them rose to their feet and bowed or curtseyed.
Prince Zachary was trying to keep his face straight. Isabel was grinning – she knew how much Zachary detested being bowed to – he was a good man and believed all men were equal. It was too bad everybody adored him, really.
Isabel tried to remember the names of the courtiers, but her memory wasn't that great. She just hoped she wouldn't be put on the spot any time soon.
'And this is Lady Morgana, my ward,' said King Uther, waving his hand at the woman sitting beside the throne. She was very beautiful, with pale skin, wavy black hair and moss green eyes. She rose and curtseyed to Prince Zachary, who kissed her hand in return.
'I'm afraid my son is absent,' said King Uther. 'He should be here shortly. Will you join us for breakfast?'
Isabel's stomach growled embarrassingly. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson – she was mortified!
'I guess so,' said Zachary, grinning at Isabel.
At that moment, a man entered the room, wearing a billowing red cloak and armour.
'Ah, Arthur! This is my son, Prince Arthur – Arthur, there are some guests I would like you to meet,' said King Uther.
Isabel didn't get a good look at Prince Arthur until he crossed the hall and turned to them. When she looked at him, her heart stopped.
Yes, Prince Arthur was extremely handsome. He had golden blond hair that was ruffled slightly, attractive eyes and a brilliant smile. His shoulders were broad and he was tall and muscular, carrying a sword at his side and looking extremely majestic as he stood with his back completely straight, the truest portrayal of a prince.
Yet it was not any of this that made Isabel's heart stop.
Prince Arthur was the man in her dream.
Without warning, her vision faded and everything went black.
x.x.x
Isabel fainted, falling to the floor fluidly like a feather. Zachary moved quickly to catch her so that she didn't hit her head on the floor. He quickly checked for a pulse – her heart rate was fast, but her heart was pounding nonetheless. She was breathing as well – just simply unconscious.
'She must be exhausted from the journey,' said King Uther. 'I'm sorry I didn't show you to your chambers straightaway!'
'No, no,' said Zachary, 'don't apologise. It's alright.'
'Gaius!' called King Uther. From the sidelines emerged a white-haired man with a kind face and many wrinkles.
'Yes, sire?' asked the man called Gaius.
'Please tend to Lady Isabel,' ordered King Uther. Gaius nodded. King Uther clicked and a few servants appeared at the scene. 'Show Prince Zachary to the rooms I have set aside for him and Lady Isabel,' King Uther ordered.
'Yes, sire,' said the servants, bowing.
Zachary gathered Isabel into his arms – luckily she was a slim girl, she was very light.
'Your highness, please follow me,' said one of the servants. Zachary followed the servants, accompanied by Gaius, out of the dining hall.
x.x.x
When Isabel awoke, she was no longer in the dining hall, faced with the man in her dreams, but lying in a four-poster bed with Zachary at her side.
'What happened?' she asked Zachary groggily.
'You fainted,' Zachary informed her. 'In front of the whole court, as well as King Uther, Lady Morgana and Prince Arthur.' He grinned at her.
'Oh no!' cried Isabel, deeply embarrassed.
'Don't worry, no one thinks worse of you because of it,' said Zachary. 'Are you alright, though?'
Isabel thought of the dream, and Prince Arthur. No, she was not alright.
'I'm fine,' she lied. 'I guess I was just a bit… exhausted.'
'Guess I can ride longer than you, then,' teased Zachary.
'Hey! Wait! No, that doesn't mean anything!' protested Isabel vehemently, sitting up. Zachary laughed.
'Okay, okay, calm down,' he said.
'Here, this will make you feel better, my lady,' said an old man that Isabel had not noticed before, holding out a small phial of a clear, colourless liquid.
'Thank you,' said Isabel, taking the phial.
'That's Gaius, the court physician,' Zachary explained. Isabel nodded, and drunk the liquid in the phial. She gagged – it was disgusting! But once the vile taste had slid down her throat, she suddenly lost the feeling of sluggishness and felt much more energetic.
'Thank you,' she said, rather surprised. 'I feel much better.'
'Gaius' potions always make people feel better,' said a boy, who Isabel had not seen until now. She looked at him, and found herself confused. He was quite young, maybe around her own age, with dark hair, piercing blue eyes and a goofy smile.
Somehow, Isabel felt that she had seen this boy before. But how… He was so familiar, but his identity was just out of reach. She couldn't quite place him, but she did know him, she knew this boy…
Zachary saw Isabel's furrowed eyebrows and quickly explained.
'That's Merlin, he lives with Gaius and is Prince Arthur's manservant,' said Zachary. Isabel nodded and tried to remove the confused expression from her face. Who was this Merlin? He was so familiar. She kept eye contact with him for one moment longer, and then was distracted by a knocking at the door.
Merlin jumped up to open the door, and Isabel's eyes followed him to the doorway.
Prince Arthur came striding in a moment later. Isabel tried not to look directly at him, for fear she might faint again. She braced herself – she knew she would have to face him sooner or later – it would be rude not to look at the Prince. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and saw Prince Arthur at the foot of the bed.
Her heart was racing but she kept herself under control.
'Your highness, I'm afraid I can't curtsey,' she said, but nodding her head in respect instead.
'That's perfectly alright,' said Prince Arthur, breaking his grim expression and smiling. Now that she was calmed, Isabel noticed that Arthur was extremely handsome.
'I'm sorry about earlier,' said Isabel. She had fainted just as they were meant to be being introduced to Prince Arthur.
'Oh, don't worry about that,' said Arthur. 'I'm used to it.'
Isabel shot him a quizzical look.
'Many girls faint at the sight of me,' he said arrogantly, grinning. Isabel wasn't expecting that comment. She paused. She wasn't sure what to say back to Prince Arthur. He was a prince, after all.
Zachary sniggered; Isabel elbowed him and shut him up.
'I'm sorry,' said Isabel. 'Truly, I am. If only you weren't born with such a horrifying face, maybe it wouldn't happen so often.' Gaius gasped, and Zachary and Merlin tried to stifle their laughter. Arthur was taken aback, looking both shocked and amused at the same time.
Isabel suddenly realised how rude she had been, but she was not going to back down now. She hoped Arthur had realised she was joking, and had not been offended.
Arthur paused for a few moments. Isabel didn't say anything; her eyes just sparkled with cheekiness.
A single laugh broke the tense silence. Arthur turned and found that it was Merlin.
'Merlin!' Arthur scolded.
'Sorry, sire,' said Merlin, hanging his head.
Arthur stood up, and Isabel could swear he was almost smiling. Good, so he hadn't taken offence to the whole thing.
'Well I'm glad you're well, Lady Isabel,' he said finally.
'Thank you,' said Isabel, not knowing what else to say to the prince she had just teased.
'Merlin, come with me. I need you to polish my armour,' said Arthur. Isabel watched Merlin as he rose. There was something, something about him. It was so close, yet so far. Isabel couldn't put her finger on it, and it was bugging her. He watched the two boys leave, and then turned back to Zachary.
'I can't believe you did that!' he said, staring at Isabel as if she was some sort of god.
'Neither can I,' she said, laughing nervously.
x.x.x