D' Arc || The King

Chapter V

"Where is she?" Henry demanded, storming through the camp. The morning sun hovered in the air like it was hanging by a thread. The dirty white cloth of tents came down like they had been blown over, disappearing as quickly as they had come.

They were leaving soon and Isabel was nowhere to be found. He had practically ripped apart each tent to find her, scaring his men in the process. "Henry, what is it?" Thomas asked, turning away from his horse to look at his older brother in exasperation.

"Do you know where Isabel is?"

Thomas strapped his bag to his horse before pointing towards a tree where only Isabel's blonde hair was visible through the leaves. Henry grumbled something and marched over to the tree before looking up and getting an apple to the face.

There was a gasp and he found Isabel looking down at him as she stood on a branch. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to - I didn't see you there!" She rambled as Henry glowered up at her.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Up. There?" He questioned, resisting the urge to rub his nose, which was throbbing in pain. "Getting food," Isabel said like she was talking to a five-year-old. "Are you seriously planning to march to where ever you're going to go without eating?"

"We don't have time for eating," Henry said, crossing his arms. Isabel rolled her eyes and jumped down and out of the tree, holding the fruit in her hand. "Have you actually asked your men if they're hungry? Marching for twelve hours and then going into battle on an empty stomach isn't good for them at all."

"We eat bread and meat when we can," Henry stubbornly said, making Isabel snort as she rolled the apple in her hand. "I noticed."

"What's that supposed the mean?" He demanded as she picked up her basket and walked away. "You stick to what you do best and I'll make sure your men stay alive in the process," she called over her shoulder. "Eat your fruit!" Isabel added, pointing at the apple that had hit Henry in the face.

He grumbled under his breath as he picked it up and glared at the fruit. "Stubborn French girl." Henry turned and marched away to his horse.

He mounted the animal and turned it around, looking over the crowd of soldiers. They were almost ready to march. A frown deepened on his face as he watched Isabel make her way to a cart. From the way she was motioning with her hands, he guessed that she was asking if the man would let her sit in the back. The soldier nodded offered her a hand. She shook her head, but smiled and said something that made him chuckle.

Henry tore his gaze away from her, but a small part of him, the dark jealous part, didn't want Isabel to smile at anyone but him. Tightening his hand around the reigns of his horse as he called out, "John! Are the men ready?"

His brother appeared next to him as his horse galloped forward at his urging. "Yes. What put you in such a sour mood today, Brother?"

"Nothing," Henry grumbled and John leaned closer to him. "Didn't sleep well? Or perhaps you're regretting not coming over to talk to Isabel last night."

"What? NO!" He nearly roared, making the men nearest to them jump in surprise. "I slept fine last night and I refuse to talk to that girl!" He snapped in a lowered voice. "And I refuse to spend the rest of the day listening to your japes."

John shrugged as Henry's mood soured. "Let's move out," he said and John echoed his command before shooting his brother a playful look which was returned with a glare. Henry was already having a bad day when he woke up. It had been dreadfully cold last night and a specter of Isabel kept haunting him at night, depriving him of any sleep. Then the real Isabel had thrown an apple at his face, criticized him, and then after that told him to eat the insulting piece of fruit.

He shook his head and looked straight forward. Isabel might be here because he wanted her talent, but beyond that she meant nothing, Henry thought trying to convince himself that he was right. They rode until the sun was beginning to set, the giant orange orb hovering above the horizon.

Thomas and Humphrey moved to organize the men and watch over them as they readied for the next day. John was nowhere to be found, so Henry went to go check on Isabel without thinking. He walked through the men and found her sitting on the same cart from earlier in the day, surrounded by a group of men.

"And then the whole herd turned on us and it was just me and my idiot brother in their way," she said, laughing with the men. Henry cleared his throat and Isabel looked over her shoulder at him as the soldier jumped to attention. "If you're done telling your stories, we have to set up camp."

Isabel rolled her eyes and turned around to look at Henry. "What's got your feathers ruffled, Hal?" She questioned tilting her head to the side. "Do you need to switch places with me?" She said teasingly before waving a hand in the air. "Never mind, I'll let you do what you wish. But your soldiers do have a will of their own. I did nothing but offer to tell a story."

"It was quite entertaining," one of the men said, shrugging and Isabel smiled at him. "See! Even James agrees with me."

Henry grumbled, "Why do I feel like you're trying to overthrow me?" Isabel placed a hand on her chest and gasped dramatically. "I would never do such a thing! You're such a good and wise king, o great Henry!" She cried theatrically, making a begrudging smile grow on Henry's face despite himself.

"Fine, just this once, I'll let you entertain my men," he said before leaning forward and looking Isabel in the eye. "But nothing further than tales of your life." Her eyes narrowed and she met his gaze with her own fierce one. "Are you just afraid that I'll find myself in someone's company that isn't yours, Hal?"

"No," he said and she tilted her head to the side, a slight smirk on her face. "Well then, I'm sure you won't mind it if I became friends with your brothers?" Henry's jaw clenched and she reached up and patted his cheek.

"Don't worry, Hal. I'm all yours," she said sarcastically before turning away from him and back to his men, already visibly and pointedly ignoring Henry's presence. "Now where was I?"

Henry shook his head and walked off, making his rounds through the growing camp. His men were getting restless. They had been marching for a while and since the Battle of Agincourt, they had met no resistance. Many of the towns they had passed had either given them the cold shoulder or cowered. Henry, soon enough, had found out that he had gotten the reputation for being a violent and cruel king because of his actions after the battle. He internally winced but did not regret killing the prisoners.

After a while, he circled back to the cart where Isabel had been and found her staring across the moors. Curious, Henry walked over to her, stepping around a horse and stopping at her side. Her eyes were wandering, looking across the rolling green of the land. The setting sun seemed to cast her in a warm glow and Henry felt that suddenly it was hard to breathe.

"Do you know where we are?" Henry asked and Isabel turned to look at him. "It might have escaped your notice, but France is large and this is the farthest out I've been from of Orleans."

"You're lying," Henry said and she crossed her arms, lifting her chin defiantly like she was being challenged. "What do you mean?"

"Well obviously, you're better off than most, not everyone learns how to heal others properly." Isabel stared at him before her eyes began to narrow and Henry knew he had made a mistake. "Are you insulting the very people who hold you up and define your country by saying that they are not educated like the way you and I are?"

"That is not at all what I meant-" "Oh I know you didn't mean it, but it doesn't make it any less insulting," Isabel snapped, cutting Henry off. "It just shows how out of touch you are with the situation of your people."

"And what do you know about the situation in England?" He questioned, his own temper flaring to meet Isabel's.

"Apparently more than a king!" She hissed and Henry glared down at her before stalking off, annoyance stamping out any interest in staying with her and trying to apologize or even interacting with her.

The horse behind Isabel nickered as Henry disappeared from sight. She turned away from the moor and to the great grey beast before letting the animal finish what was left of her food from hours before.

"That's right, don't let that arrogant English king bully you," she said, mostly talking to herself allowing a smile to grow across her face as she stroked the horse's muzzle.