"Hey" the soft voice almost warms her heart. Constantly hearing Arthur's loud, booming, cocky and arrogant voice makes this voice sound like melted chocolate. Not that she ever had melted chocolate or any kind of chocolate before in her life.
She looks up from her work and her eyes connect with green ones. Richard. She smiles sadly at him.
"Why the long face?" he asks as he leans against the doorway.
"You're leaving" she says and its not a question. She's been hearing about his departure for days now. She remembers how Luke left yesterday.
She was called as usual but was lead, unusually, to the back of the castle. First, she was naturally suspicious then she caught a glance of Arthur and instantly calmed down. He had been standing outside talking to someone who Bell was not able to see yet.
When she walked out, she gasped.
"George" she said, surprisingly very happy to see him.
He smiled to her and even gave her a hug.
"how are you Bluebell?" he asked and she replied with "I'm great. What about you?"
"Never been better" he said, looking at Arthur. She too glanced at Arthur
"Why was I called?" she asked and Arthur simply nudged his head towards something. She looked that way and was faced with Luke's back who was standing away from them. She looked back at Arthur.
"he wanted to say good bye" explained George
When she walked closer to Luke, he turned around and put his hands in his pockets.
"you came" he said
"how do you feel?" she asked cautiously but he didn't reply to her question. Honestly, he looked like crap to Bell.
"I just wanted to thank you" he said "I haven't been that kind to you but you still fought hard for me...I wasn't expecting that from someone other than Arthur... You even fought harder for me than he did..."
Bell could hear the hurt loud and clear.
"he did fight for you"
he scoffed bitterly "he's sending me away as punishment"
"He's sending you away to protect you. People here want your head-"
"Well they can goddamn have it" he snapped suddenly, looking up at her.
She sighed "don't leave mad at him" she said slowly "you might not get to see him again"
"that's what he wants"
Bell ended up walking back to Arthur and George visibly upset.
"Still mad I presume?" asked George and Bell said "he's hurt"
"He did it to himself" snapped Arthur "he's the one that screwed me over and he's the one who's mad at me?"
Bell glanced at George who sent her a weary look then glanced back at Luke who was standing farther away from all of them. She wondered why he was so far away when she first showed up but then she knew. He was staying away from Arthur.
"you better be on your way before somebody sees you" said Arthur eventually
George nodded his head "I'll talk to him for you"
Bell honestly thought he was going to argue or say something hurtful or arrogant but he simply nodded his head and looked at the ground.
"Don't worry about him Arthur" said George "He'll get over it. It's you and Luke"
"Not this time George" said Arthur "He'll never forgive me for sending him away"
"Give him time" he said and pulled Arthur into a hug "You take care of yourself here. You hear me?"
Arthur looked away from him again
"you too" he said then glanced at Luke and Bell could see a flash of...what? Pain...sadness...? in his eyes and he said "Take care of the idiot. He's dangerous without me pulling him back"
"He'll be fine with me" said George then smiled at Bell. Bell smiled warmly back.
"I know" whispered Arthur.
Then Arthur and Bell stood and watched George and Luke get on their horses and gallop away into the horizon. She held his hand that day.
"Not forever but I intend to stay away for as long as I can" Richard says, making her blink away the painful memories "I hate the castle"
She laughs softly, looking down at her hands "who doesn't..." she mutters
"I've never seen you do something so...domestic"
Bell looks up from the fabric she's stitching "I usually don't but I offered"
"You can sew?"
"not at all" she laughs "but I try"
She looks up at him again "so where are you going?"
"I'm going to carry off where Arthur stopped to come back for Luke" he says, and he says it in a condescending way that Bell glances up at him.
"you're not pleased" she says
he sighs "I just think the King should be above his personal feelings and not ruin a planned trip for a single man"
"I thought he was unfeeling" says Bell, smiling.
Richards stops for a second then says "he's complicated"
Bell laughs "sure is" she glances up at him "so is this goodbye?"
She tries to insert the needle through the fabric
"it doesn't have to be"
"What do you mean?" she asks, distracted as she struggles to push the needle through the thick fabric.
"you could come with me"
She jumps, wincing as she watches the blood pool on the surface of her finger. She looks up at him slowly.
"I don't understand-"
"Come with me" he says again, walking closer to her. She's shocked, her eyes wide and unblinking as she looks up at him
"I heard you asked Arthur to let you leave once..." he says slowly "still want to go?"
She stays frozen. He crouches in front of her "Bluebell..."
When he takes in the shocked look in her face, he looks down.
"I understand" he says, standing up.
She stops him, blinking out of her shock "wait I'm sorry" she says quickly "You just caught me off guard"
He crouches back down in front of her "what do you say?"
She shakes her head "I don't know" she says "I've given up the thought of ever leaving this place"
"Do you still want to leave it?"
If he asked her this the first couple of months, she would've jumped and screamed yes. Now she's unsure.
"and go where?" she asks
"come with me on the trip" he says "we're going all over the country, distributing rations and gathering charities on the way... You don't have to stay here"
She looks down, her head spinning "Richard..." she says, her voice lower "Arthur would never let me leave..."
"you're not his slave"
"but I am his subject" she says "I asked once, he said no-"
"It's not up to him" he says "Remember when I told you I have royal blood? I can pull a few strings and get you out of here...If that's what you want"
She laughs softly "I don't know..." she admits then thinks of something "what am I going to be to you?... If I do go with you..."
"whatever you want to be" he says "friends, colleagues...more... Anything you want"
Her eyes almost widen and she almost says wow but she stops herself. When was the last time someone told her she could be whatever she wanted. Ever since she came to the castle she's been ordered around. So why is she being indecisive about this?
"Can I think about it?" she asks
He smiles "of course you can" he says "I leave tomorrow. Let me know"
He stands up and she says "okay"
----------------
eeeck
Decisions, decisions.
What will she choose?
Happy New Years Guys.