Camelot
March, 505 AD
The midday sun shone proudly over the legendary kingdom of Camelot, its warmth alerting all citizens that the end of winter was approaching as the heavens prepared to let spring reign upon the lands. Birds chirped as they raced each other across the skies, the grasslands shook off the last remaining traces of snow as they gathered the energy to show their colours again, and the animals in the forest ended their hibernation periods and skipped out of their dens and caves to explore the promise of a new cycle.
Life in the city was electric as the hopes of a prosperous season blossomed in the hearts of the people. Farmers were especially eager to get out onto their fields, blacksmiths worked merrily for the ambitious fresh men that passed by their forges, seamstresses shared in the joy of the new epoch, mothers allowed their children to run freely, no longer fearing the consequences of the cold… All in all, the people were happy.
Prince Arthur Pendragon was part of a crowd that had gathered at the far side of the castle, an atmosphere of curiosity settling in as spectators watched the Lady Astraea Aphelion carry out her recently appointed job of 'King's Horsewoman'. King Uther – with a little pressure from his son – had created the position for Astra as a reward for her successful re-raining of 'Cinderella', harbouring hopes that her unique connection with horses might serve to improve how knights function in hand with their equine partners; and, thus, bring in better tournament performances.
The nineteen-year-old girl had been quick to lay out her conditions, these being that horses would be trained without coercion and without the use of potentially harmful tools; and the Pendragons had agreed without argument. She has proven that she knows what she's doing, after all.
"Stop pulling on 'er, dude!" Arthur watched as Astra scolded Sir Leon while she bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes fixed on the knight's hands, which were tightly fisting the reins. A look of concern had taken over his features while his mare – a beautiful bay roan Iberian-style horse named Faye – fought against the side-pull bridle on her face.
"You're stressin' her out!" the brunette continued as she followed the duo closely, her hands visibly itching to stop the horse's anguish as they fiddled with the strings of her blue camouflage hoodie. "Loosen your reins! Use your voice!"
"How will it understand words?!" Leon questioned while sending the girl a quick glare. Arthur narrowed his eyes at that, not liking the roughness with which he was addressing her. "It is a horse!"
"She," Astra corrected through gritted teeth, "is trained to associate certain words with certain actions!"
"How!?" the knight cried. "She is just a dumb animal!"
It took the entirety of Arthur's will, and then some, not to step in and reprimand his knight's behaviour towards the Lady as he watched the two of them argue while Faye continued to grow increasingly more restless.
Fed up, the mare ended the heated conversation by kicking out her back legs, which threw the distracted knight off balance and he promptly fell to the dirt below them with a groan and a thud.
Arthur didn't hold back a snort and his heart skipped a beat when he watched a pleased grin form on Astra's lips as she hurried to calm down the horse. "You're okay, Faye," she spoke gently while stroking the animal's neck.
Leon scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet. "I am all right, thank you for asking," he sassed while narrowing his eyes at the girl; obviously embarrassed that he'd fallen off his horse in front of such a big crowd. The Prince narrowed his eyes once more, still very much displeased with the attitude that was so unlike the curly blond.
"Shut up, Lee," Astra waved him off, her grin not fading, "it was your fault." Her forest-coloured eyes gave him a pointed look before she turned back to the mare and offered her a small piece of carrot out of a waist-bag she carried.
A small grin formed on Arthur's lips as he conceded in his mind that she's perfectly capable of handling the knight.
"She is out of control," Leon claimed bitterly.
The girl from far away quirked an eyebrow and smirked as she returned her attention to him. "Oh, is she, now?" she asked challengingly. Leon simply crossed his arms and squared his shoulders, his eyes showing a glint of defiance.
Astra glanced around at the crowd and gulped a little, then she gently led the mare towards a mounting block; using it to get on her back in a smooth manner that asserted her skill as a rider. There isn't a single doubt in the Prince's mind that she is one of the best ones he has ever seen, and a spark formed in his eyes as he watched her intently.
Astraea allowed the reins to hang loosely, only holding onto the tip to avoid them slipping down the mare's neck. "Walk on," she commanded in a gentle-but-firm tone, and Faye complied instantly, walking around the arena at a steady pace. "Good girl," Astra praised as she stroked the horse's mane for a few moments. "Trot," she then ordered and, once again, the animal cooperated without resistance.
Arthur's eyes didn't dare to leave her for a single moment and his heart skipped another beat when the duo trotted by him.
In contrast with how she'd behaved with the knight, Faye now showed zero signs of stress as she kept her neck stretched forwards and her ears pointed slightly backwards with their attention placed fully on Astra.
"How is that any different from what I was doing?" Leon questioned.
"You had a death-grip on the reins!" Astra responded. "You'll never get her to cooperate if all you do is fight her!"
"If I do not hold her, she will run off!" the knight claimed.
Astra rolled her eyes in exasperation; then a smirk formed on her lips and she promptly nudged Faye into a canter. The horse maintained her relaxation as she moved around the arena with entrancing floaty strides, and the girl let go of the reins completely as she extended her arms to the sides.
The Prince smirked at the sight, feeling proud of her.
As the pair neared Sir Leon, Astraea let out a firm "Woah," which caused the mare to slide to a stop immediately. "Yes! Good girl!" the girl quickly praised and rewarded the horse with another piece of carrot before looking towards the knight again, still grinning. "So… will you trust me, now?" she asked while hopping off the horse.
Arthur crossed his arms in defiance of the urge he got to leap into the arena and wrap the girl in a hug.
Leon let out some incoherent grumbles as he moved to mount again. This time, he was much less resistant to the girl's instructions as he maintained a soft hold on the reins.
The training session ended some ten minutes later and the crowd slowly dissipated. Sir Leon was gallant enough to stop by Astraea and thank her for her help (if a bit reluctantly) before he exited the arena and moved on towards the stables so that he could unsaddle and groom Faye.
Prince Arthur waved Astra over to him when her eyes landed on him, a small grin still playing on his lips. "That was impressive," he praised, causing a smile to form on her face and a faint blush to appear on her cheeks as she lowered her head timidly. His heart skipped a beat again.
"It was more Faye, really," she dismissed the comment. "Lee knows that I ride Dal without a bridle. I dunno why he thinks that Faye can't be trained similarly."
Arthur watched with an amused smile as the girl climbed over the fence and jumped to the other side – the gate apparently being too far away to bother with it – and his stomach fluttered with fondness for the way in which she does the weirdest things in the most casual of manners.
Astra shot him a grin once she'd landed beside him, causing his heart-rate to speed up.
Without a word, the pair began making their way back towards the castle at a slow pace; wanting to make the most of the time they were getting to spend together. Unbeknownst to them, their hearts seemed to be holding a competition for which could race the fastest and do the most back-flips and cartwheels. Especially when their hands brushed against one another for a moment.
Arthur's gaze travelled towards the girl's figure and he took note of the red tint in her cheeks before his attention fixed on how she was rolling along a rock with her foot. "I know that I say this a lot," he broke the silence, causing her to glance up at him for a moment, "but I am very glad that you came back."
"Yeah, same. I was stupid to ever leave in the first place," Astra responded in a mumble. Then her jaw clenched and her cheeks lost some of the colour they had acquired over the past few minutes.
The Prince felt his heart churn when he noticed the shift in her mood.
"Well, you are here now. That is all that matters," he offered in a soft tone and he gently bumped her shoulder with his arm.
Astra let out a long exhale and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," she answered; then she shook her head almost invisibly.
Her gaze remained on the dirt path below them and Arthur's heart continued to behave erratically while he examined her features in a not-so-discreet manner. Maybe it wasn't a very chivalrous action, but he couldn't help himself as his eyes traced over the constellations formed by the freckles on her face. Then he looked at her eyes, his stomach fluttering again at the way in which the sun was illuminating the enchanting forest that seemed to be trapped in her irises…
Astra suddenly froze in her tracks before looking up at him, her face acquiring a red tint once more. Arthur offered a small, embarrassed smile; his cheeks also reddening as he mentally chastised himself for being so intrusive with his stare.
"Snap a photo, it'll last longer," she blurted out.
Arthur frowned a little (though his grin did not fade) as he thought over her strange words – what is a photo?
Astra's eyes widened in apparent fear and she quickly mumbled, "Never mind," before carrying on walking at a slightly faster pace than before.
The Prince knew better than to ask. From experience, he was likely to end up feeling even more confused than he already was. He's long grown to accept that there are big cultural differences between Camelot and America.
He sighed as he sped up a little to catch up with the girl while wishing that he had the ability to read her mind. Her eyes were on the ground once more and her hands were playing with one of the strings of her hoodie, making and undoing loops and knots. He yearned to hold her hand, or to put an arm around her shoulders, or around her waist… but he wasn't sure if either motion would be welcome.
Merlin repeatedly assured him that she reciprocates his romantic feelings; but he was still uncertain because she never seems to give any indications of it. Quite the contrary, she seems to dislike his presence, judging by how she tends to keep her gaze on the ground when he's around, and how her body cowers, and how her features show apprehension.
Soon, the pair made it to the royal apartments and they exchanged tense half-smiles before going into their separate rooms. Well, Astra did. Arthur lingered in the corridor for a while longer as he stared at the closed door of her chambers, his mind flashing back to the kiss they had shared almost two months ago as a lump formed in his throat. Everything had seemed so clear and perfect for a moment back then…
After a minute, he sighed and entered his own room. He barely acknowledged Merlin – who was sweeping the floor – as he threw himself face-first on his bed with a frustrated groan.
"I am almost done," the sorcerer stated in a rush.
Arthur decided to ignore the comment as images of Astra continued to flash around his mind. Why is she so hard to read?! Does he have a chance with her?! Does she even like him?!
He heard footsteps and turned to find that Merlin was about to open the door, so he stopped him by saying, "I need your help."
The servant seemed to freeze as his shoulders tensed up. "With what?" he asked.
"Astraea."
"I thought you did not want my advice," the sorcerer noted in a teasing tone as a smirk formed on his lips.
"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur growled while flinging a pillow at him. "Are you going to do it, or should I put you in the stocks for a week?"