The next morning I woke up, and turned over, staring at the book which was on my bedside table. I pulled myself out of the bed, and smiled as Alice walked in the room. "How are you feeling this morning?" She asked me, genuine concern laced through her voice. "Better, oh, and Alexander and I are going to go for a ride straight after breakfast, so I need to be in my riding clothes today." I said, reminding myself of what was going to happen today.
Alexander and I decided that we should spend as much time together as possible for the next few days, until the engagement was announced, so our fathers thought we were getting to know each other, even though we already knew each other very well. Alice nodded, and helped me into my riding clothes, before we walked down to breakfast together, discussing how we were going to tell Morgana.
After a slightly more comfortable breakfast, Alexander and I headed out to the stable along with Alice, his manservant, and a few guards got ready to go. I went straight to Flame, and petted her, before going into her stall and saddling her up. I led her out the stall and was happy to see that Alex was doing the same to a beautiful grey horse. I gasped at the sight, and went over to the horse, stroking his muzzle.
"Whose horse is this?" I asked, confused, because I'd never seen it before, and I spent quite a lot of time in the stables. "He's mine, his name is Storm." Alex said, smiling at Storm proudly. I smiled at him, before calling Flame over. "This is my horse, her name is Flame." I said, as Alex stroked her. She whinied softly and we both giggled. "I guess she likes you." I said, and he nodded.
Then we both mounted our horses, and ensured that the knights were all ready, before we rode out into the forest. It was actually really nice, being out there with the guards not flanking my every side, because I had heard father give them explicit instructions that he wasn't to intervene between me and Alexander unless we were in danger.
Alexander and I talked and laughed the whole journey, and spent hours out on our horses. I did really like being in his company, but I didn't think I could ever love him, not in the same way I did Arthur. When we got back to the castle, we put our horses back in the stables, and when I was feeding Flame a small prize, I noticed that Morgana's black steed was back in it's stall.
I left Storm's stall and went over to where Alexander was. "Alex, I had a wonderful time today, and I'll see you at dinner, but I have to go, Morgana's back." I said, quickly, and the prince nodded, understanding my sisterly bond with the older girl. I looked around to find Alice and saw that she was already coming over. "Come on, let's go." She said, and I leaned up to Alex, giving him a small peck on the cheek before we headed into the castle.
We hurried through the corridors, and quickly found Morgana's chambers. I didn't even bother knocking on the door and just rushed in to find Gwen and Morgana on the latter's bed, talking. When the door banged open, the two girls looked up, and they both gasped happily. I hugged Gwen first, before pulling Morgana into a tight hug, slightly scared of the news I was going to tell her.
"Hey, are you alright?" She asked, looking into my eyes, and I could already feel the tears brimming in them. I shook my head, and proceeded to sit down on Morgana's bed, letting out a large sigh. The other three shared a concerned look, and Alice looked at me in sympathy, already knowing what was going on.
"What happened while we were gone? Did Arthur do something, because if he did, god forbid..." Morgana started, coming to sit beside me. "No, it's nothing like that Morgana, Arthur isn't even back yet, and he won't return until Saturday at the earliest, thank god." I said, muttering the last part under my breath, but Morgana heard it.
"I thought you would be upset that Arthur isn't coming home for another two days." Morgana said, and I knew she was confused. By now Gwen and Alice had come over, and were stood by the bedside. "On Wednesday, father called me into the Main Hall, when I got there I found out that King David and Prince Alexander were here, for a visit, and I was obviously happy, because I haven't seen Alex in a few years, but... but..." I said, struggling to get the words out.
"Hey, whatever it is, we'll get through it." Gwen said, placing her hand on mine. "Father and King David arranged a marriage between me and Alex, we have to be engaged by the end of the week." I said, not looking any of them in the eye. Morgana gasped at this information and immediately wrapped her arm around me. I took a few shaky breaths, telling myself that I wasn't going to cry again.
"Hey, we'll deal with this, okay." Morgana said, but I could hear the doubt in her voice. "Arthur's going to kill me." I said in a small voice, and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. Morgana pulled me closer to her, and Gwen and Alice joined in on the hug. What were we going to do? I asked in my head, so fearful of what was to come.
Saturday came way too quickly for my liking, there was nothing that could calm the nerves I felt, as I knew Arthur would come back today, and I would have to face him knowing that I was going to get married to someone else. I groaned as Alice forced me out of bed. I got ready for breakfast when there was a knock on the door.
Alice greeted them as I put my shoes on. "...I'll tell her, thank you." Alice said, closing the door. She turned around and looked at me. "Alexander has requested you eat breakfast with him, and then spend the day with him." She said, and I sighed gently. "Do you think he's going to properly propose?" I asked, knowing that if he did I would have no choice but to say yes.
"Maybe, oh, I'm so sorry Lizzie, but we'll get through this." She said as she pulled me into a hug. I sighed. Morgana, Gwen, and Alice had been saying that since I told them, but I was starting to believe it less and less. I let go of Alice and walked out the room, and through the castle, to where I knew Alex was staying.
I knocked on the door, before it opened and I was met with Alexander. I smiled at him, and he turned around, opening the door more to let me in. I went in, and saw that breakfast was already laid out on the table. I took a deep breath, then went over to the table and sat on one of the chairs.
He came over and sat on the other chair. We ate breakfast in silence and then sat awkwardly as the servants came and cleared the table. "I-I'm really sorry about this, Lizzie. If I had any control over this, I would stop it." Alex said, placing his hand over mine. I sighed, but lifted my head and gave him a weak smile.
We left the room, and headed out to the stables. I went over to Flame and stroked her muzzle. I sighed and a few stray tears fell down my cheeks. I giggled lightly as Flame bumped into me. I jumped lightly as a hand was placed on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Alex stood there with Storm. He nodded to me, and he moved around and jumped onto his horse.
I pulled Flame from her stables and then got onto her. We walked out the stables, and then paused for a second. I took a deep breath and thought about what was about to happen. How was Alex going to propose? And how would I be able to say yes to him, when I was in love with someone else?
I was brought out of my thoughts by the royal horn being blown. I recognised the tune, which said that a royal was coming into the city, and the only person who wasn't in Camelot who got that call was Arthur. My breath caught in my throat. I moved Flame so I was closer to Alexander. "Come on, I know a beautiful place on the other side of Camelot." I said, not giving him a chance to respond, before forcing Flame into a canter and racing out the city.
I found the small entrance and sped through it, not even checking that Alex was following me. I continued riding, and we followed the small, dirt path, before we came to a clearing. I took a deep breath and smiled at the view. There was a large lake that glistened in the sun, and there were flowers blooming all around it. The trees grew tall, and were a luscious green.
I closed my eyes before looking back, seeing that Alex and Storm were just coming into the clearing. Alex had a concerned look on his face as he came over to me. "Are you alright? You just took off." He said, slightly out of breath. "Fine." I said, in a small, shaky voice, getting down from Flame.
Alex followed in suit, dismounting Storm. We both tied our horses to a nearby tree and then sat down by the edge of the lake. "I'm sorry about earlier, I just got scared. Those horns, they were playing the royal salute, which means that Arthur was returning from his hunt, and he doesn't know about... us." I said, not looking up at Alexander.
"It's alright," Alex said in a small voice, "you two are close aren't you." He asked, and I only nodded in response. I let out a small sigh, and felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'm really sorry you've been put in this position." Alex said, and I could hear the sympathy in his voice. I gave him a weak smile, but shuffled closer to him, secretly wanting comfort in that moment.
We sat there for a few hours, just making small talk, and I felt slightly more comfortable with the idea of spending my life with Alex, but there was a small voice in the back of my mind saying that I could never truly love him. I ignored it for most of the day, until Alex then moved over to his horse to open the lunch pack that he had brought with him.
We ate in silence, and my mind was racing. I could never be fully committed to Alexander, he was a wonderful person, but my heart belonged to Arthur, always. And Alex had a right to know, considering he was going to be the one married to me. So, after we'd finished eating I took a deep breath and turned to the prince.
"Alex, there's something you should know before... this happens, I owe you the truth, but you can't tell anyone, or I'll get into a lot of trouble." I said, my voice shaking slightly. Alex looked at me concerned, but nodded slightly, willing me to go on. "About a year ago, maybe slightly longer ago, I fell in love with someone. But, I hid my feelings away, until one day, close after my seventeenth birthday, I found out he feels the same. Morgana sort of set us up.
"We've been together ever since, hiding ourselves away, because father would murder us both if he found out I had been involved with someone before my eighteenth. And in that year I fell so much more deeply in love with him. Then when it came to a week ago, when I turned eighteen, we decided that we would wait until the celebrations were over, and then he could ask father if we were allowed to court.
"Unfortunately, he then got pulled away from Camelot, and then all this happened, and he doesn't even know, and he won't until tomorrow, when it's announced to the entire kingdom." I said, tears filling my eyes as I imagined what Arthur's reaction would be when he found out. "I'm so sorry Alex, you're incredible, and I'm sure you'll be amazing, and we can't avoid this wedding, but I know that I won't be entirely devoted to you..." I said, before the prince cut me off.
"Because you love him." He said. I looked over to him, and he just had sympathy written all over his face. I was slightly relieved that he wasn't mad about it. "It's okay, Lizzie, I had a slight suspicion that there was someone else, just the way you act, like you know you have to do this, but there is this sliver of you which is begging to run away from everything." Alex said in a calm voice, moving over to me, and wrapping me in his arms.
I tried to hold it in, but couldn't and started crying into his arms. After a short while I calmed down and Alex cleared everything away. "I have to give you this before we return to the castle, but I won't make it fancy, or difficult for you." He said, taking a small box out of his pocket. He opened the box and took a ring from within it. "Here." He said, holding the ring out to me.
I took it, my fingers shaking slightly. I looked up at Alex and smiled. "It's beautiful." I whispered, before placing the ring on my finger.
We then both mounted our horses and started to walk back to the castle, this time at a much slower pace than before. Alex cleared his throat awkwardly, before he turned to me. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I'm afraid my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Who is this man? Y-You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable." He said, and I giggled lightly at his nerves.
"It's fine Alex, you deserve to know, and," I took a deep breath, preparing for the worst reaction from Alex, "Arthur." I said, closing my eyes and bracing myself for the prince to get mad at me.
"Arthur?" He asked incredulously, and I was surprised to hear no anger in his voice. "That's why you rode off earlier, because you didn't want to face him, knowing what was going to happen." Alex said in a soft voice. I looked over at him, tears brimming in my eyes, but I nodded anyway. I felt a few tears drip down my face and I brushed them away.
"I'm really sorry Lizzie, I wish there was something I could do, you and Arthur would've been incredible together." He said, and a flash of pain struck through me, I chuckled lightly, and tried to hide my pain with a comical line. "I'm sure we'll be amazing together, Alex." I said, and he smiled slightly at this.
We didn't talk for much of the ride back to the stables and once we got there we both sorted our respective horses out and then just stood there. "Thank you, for today, the ring really is beautiful." I said, and Alex smiled at me. "Your welcome, and thank my father, he was the one who had it made." He said. I took a deep breath and stepped towards Alex, hugging him tightly.
A servant then walked past the entrance of the stables and I let go of the prince. "Excuse me, can you go to Lady Morgana and tell her that I request her to eat dinner with me tonight, my chambers." I said, and she nodded, turning back and going into the castle. "Please don't be too awkward with Arthur tonight at dinner." I said to Alex and he chuckled, but nodded anyway.
I leant up and pecked him on the cheek, before leaving the stable and going up to my room. On the way I saw Alice and got her to come with me. Once we were standing outside my room she was about to open the door, but I stopped her. "Can you go in and check that Arthur isn't in there." I asked her, and she gave me a sympathetic nod and opened the door. She came back around a few seconds later and nodded. "It's fine he's not here."
I sighed and went into my room, pulling a book from the shelf and sitting at the table, beginning to read. Alice started milling around, cleaning up and putting some of my dresses that she'd washed, away. "Oh, Alice, Morgana and Gwen are coming here for dinner, all four of us are going to eat together tonight." I informed her, and she nodded, before turning back to what she was doing, only to turn back around again.
"All four of us?" She questioned, probably wondering if she'd heard me right. "Yeah, figured I should celebrate my engagement with you four before everyone else, considering you and Gwen will still have to work during the party tomorrow." I said, and Alice gasped. "So he did ask you?" She asked excitedly, and I nodded, holding my hand out to her, so she could see the ring.
"Oh, it's so beautiful." She gushed and I giggled at the envious look in her eyes. "Don't worry Alice, you'll find yourself a nice man someday." I said, just as the door opened and Morgana and Gwen came in, along with a few servants, carrying four plates of dinner for us. I thanked them and they left.
The four of us talked all evening, Morgana and Gwen both commenting on how lovely the engagement ring was. We ended up talking long after we'd finished eating, and it had gotten dark outside. I smiled at the three girls, who I knew I would have to leave soon. I hadn't shared this with any of them yet, but I knew that because Alex was the man I would have to go with him to his kingdom to live there with him when we were married.
That meant leaving the girls, and father, and everything here in Camelot. I was really scared for this part, because I knew no one in Alex's kingdom, apart from maybe a few Lords who had come to do business with father. I may be allowed to take Alice with me, but I couldn't pull her away from her family and her life here in Camelot, maybe father would let her be a second handmaiden for Morgana
"Lizzie... Lizzie, are you okay?" Gwen asked, slight concern lacing her voice. I looked up to her, and realised the other three were staring at me. "Yeah, of course. It's just been a long day, and I fear tomorrow will be longer." I said, sighed slightly. "Come on Gwen, we should go back to my chambers, let Lizzie get some sleep." Morgana said.
I hugged them both and thanked them for coming, before Alice helped me into my nightdress and into bed. "Everything will be fine, Lizzie, stop worrying about it." Alice said, and I gave her a weak smile, before rolling over, listening to her leave the room and lock it.
A/N: I know this is a really long chapter, but I wasn't sure where to finish it, and start a new one, so I decided to put it all in one. I promise that they won't always be this long.