I Am Not Cinderella

Chapter 10

Jacinda passed a small note to Arthur as she walked by him.  He subtly slipped the note inside his shirt as Fionn's sharp eyes landed on him.  She'd been annoying in her pursuit of him.  Arthur was turning into a handsome man.  At 16 years of age he was a handsome man.  He stood just over 6 feet tall with broad shoulders, strong muscular arms, sinfully long legs, narrow hips, brown eyes revealing nothing, brown hair tied back with a leather thong, and the beginnings of a beard appearing on his face.  His long strong fingers touched the edges of the note gently before he blinked at Fionn before he ignored her.

Fionn glared at him as Arthur studiously ignored her.  He carefully ate his food while he listened to the subtly words that Jacinda spoke about the Princess.  Arthur hid a smile at the news that Jacinda told him.  She had been the go between between him and the Princess.  Her sister, Grekken, helped out a lot too.  The evening meal lasted a long time before Arthur was able to escape.  He headed quickly through the village in an effort to lose Fionn who lately had been tailing him wherever he went. 

Arthur climbed the rocks by the waterfall and slipped into the cave that was there.  He moved as far back as he could before he squatted down and pulled out Barrie's note.  Her maidservants cramped writing scrawled his name across the crinkled parchment.  He unfolded the parchment and smoothed it out on his knee.  Barrie's elegant script flowed gracefully across the parchment.  

My Dearest Arthur,

I trust you are feeling better.  I wish I could have come and tended to you.  I learned how to make a very healing soup last year when I visited the outlying towns.  It's a recipe that has been passed down for centuries. 

I am still working on getting you a job in the castle when your apprenticeship is over.  I've already shown the head blacksmith some of your work.  He was very impressed with the torque that you made me.  He said it was the best that he's ever seen.    

I won't be able to meet this week.  On the next full moon meet me at midnight in that clearing of wildflowers that we like to lay in.  I have something to show you.  Grekken will be waiting for your reply in the millers house tomorrow night.  I am anxiously awaiting your reply.

Your Princess,

Barrie

Arthur folded the letter and tucked it back into his shirt.  He sat watching the water cascade down in front of him.  The full moon was a little over a fortnight away.  Arthur finally climbed to his feet and left the waterfall.  Fionn waylaid him and bugged him all the way back to the blacksmiths shop.  He had to keep pushing her hands away from him.  He knew that she was busy trying to find whatever it was that he had.  Arthur slipped into the shop and got to work.  Fionn left him away as he began to work.  Later tonight he would move his stash of letters again.  He didn't want her to find Barrie's letters.  It would be bad if she did.