In The Name of The King (#Wattys2016)

The Knight In The Shining Armor

Chapter 5

Water enveloped me, feeling like hundreds of small daggers were stabbing my skin.

I screamed, sucking in gulps of water. My lungs burned for air, the water thrashing me about. Neela was snatched from my grip by the current. Panic settled in, causing me to writhe sideways. I tried swimming upwards, but the current was too strong for my weak body. The flow pulled and turned until, suddenly, everything went black. Like a light switch went off inside my head.

The sounds of rushing water could be heard in the background. Birds chirped harmonious songs from tree to tree. My eyes fluttered slightly, then drifted open. The trees above made a canopy around me, like they were shielding me from the suns rays. Confusion nagged at the back of my mind, how did I end up here? The last thing I could remember was tumbling down the river. A blinding pain stretched across my forehead. I lifted my hand to my hairline. I could feel a gooey like substance coating my fingertips. When I looked to inspect the substance I gasped in horror. The color red covered my fingers. What did I not remember? I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. My gaze drifted to the tree branch that was near the bank I was laying on. I could hear footsteps approaching, hastening my decision. I thought about all the times I had a chance to defend myself and didn't, I thought about how naive I was. Without thinking, I snatched the tree branch and swung with record time. Whoever this person was, they weren't going to imprison me. I learned that no one is to be trusted, that everyone has a hidden motive. Even though I never found out what Caldwell's motive was, I will find out with the best of my ability. The branch made a swoosh as it cut through the air. I was preparing to swing again, only to have a hand grip the branch in mid swing. My eyes widened in astonishment, how? what? I stuttered slightly. Striking blue and green eyes connected with mine. The unknown individual had shaggy blonde hair, and a chiseled jawline to match. A small smirk played on his full lips.

"Were you planning on decapitating me or?" His voice had a deep authoritative quality about it. He had a layer of shining silver armor on. Everything from Gorget to Sabaton. On the Breastplate of his armor were three jeweled crowns, it reminded me of the Knights my father used to take me to. The Knights who were so poised and effortless in their many formations. The unknown gentlemen cleared his throat, snapping me out of my reverie. Just realizing, I was blankly staring at him the entire time, a slight blush creeped up my neck. I cleared my throat, straightening my shoulders, and gazed at him in a determined manner.

"Who are you?" I nudged the branch at him a little, to emphasize my question. That only made him chuckle softly, as he turned the branch away from himself.

"No need for the force miss," a smile graced his lips once more, making me frown. I didn't have time for games, he was either going to answer my question the easy way or the hard way.

"Tell me what your name is, Sir," I accentuated the last word, glaring at him. He looked taken aback by my abrupt statement for a moment.

"I'm Artorius, but you can call me Arthur," he flashed his perfect straight teeth, holding his hand out. I debated internally for a moment. Should I trust this man? Look where that got me last time.....I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Coming to a conclusion, I shook his hand, nodding.

"I'm Mary Kingston," the lie rolled off my tongue like butter. This man could be one of Caldwell's mercenaries, you're lying to protect yourself. Even though that's what I kept repeating to myself, it didn't dispel my guilt. Arthur nodded in acknowledgement.

"Is your head feeling better?" His eyes held a hint of concern in their depths. Subconsciously I lightly touched my forehead. He went on, "I saw you drifting down the bank...," his smile vanished, replacing it with a frown.

"Were you the one who brought me to shore?" I asked, genuinely curious. Neela's small furry face suddenly popped in my head, worry instantly grabbed ahold of me.

"I was, you're lucky I was just passing by," Arthur scratched the back of his head as if he was nervous. I itched to ask about Neela and if she was safe. Everything else flew out of my mind at that very moment.

"Did you happen to come across a cat?" I mentally crossed my fingers that Neela would be alive and well. She was all that I had, she was the only one I trusted. To have her taken away from me, or worse, killed. I don't know what I would do.

"Sorry, Mary, I didn't see anything besides you," Arthur shook his head, a small frown tugging at his lips. I sighed, feeling nauseous all of a sudden.

Unexpectedly, a small mewing sound reached my ears. Out of the bushes, came Neela with her big blue eyes and miniature body. She was looking at me in a pleading way, with water droplets dripping on the ground.

"Neela!" I shouted, scooping her up from the ground. I smiled widely with relief. In a short period of time Neela became a fundamental part of my life. She reminded me of a cat I used to have at my family's country house. My brothers would always tease me, hiding Moscow in various places around the estate. I hugged Neela firmly against my chest, burying my face into her moist fur. A content smile spread across my face.

"You seem to be attached to that cat," Arthur scratched the space between Neela's ears. His full lips went into a side smile, like he was laughing to himself. The mood seemed to lighten significantly.

The wetness of my clothes finally registered, making me shiver slightly. Arthur glanced up at me, "you're cold, take my cloak," he took off his cloak in one swift motion, wrapping it around my shoulders.

"Thank you...," I whispered quietly, surprised by his sudden kindness. It felt so long since someone showed kindness to me. It was like a foreign language.

"Where did you come from anyways?" Arthur looked me straight in the eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek, considering whether to tell him the truth or not.

"I was running from my abductors," I gazed at him with a blank look on my face. The thought of my father popped into my head, it brought tears to my eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of this man I just met. I didn't want to show how vulnerable I still was. Because if I did, I don't think I could stop the tears from flowing.

"You were kidnapped?" Arthur's voice was so small and quiet, like he couldn't believe what had just came out of my mouth. I nodded, pulling off the cloak to reposition Neela. When suddenly, Arthur's strong hand clutched my wrist. My eyes widened, images from having a knife held to my neck, Forannan tying me up, and his evil smirk, had me flinch slightly. Arthur's eyes widened, noticing my detachment. "What did they do to you...," he trailed off, worry etched into his handsome features. I could tell by the short time we've known each other that he was very compassionate.

I didn't talk, couldn't talk. It was like I lost all the will to speak. There was no point in spilling my life story, or even the horrendous events I had to endure. They made me cringe just by remembering them. This man didn't need to get wrapped up into my problems. I knew Caldwell would go to the ends of the earth to find me, to kill me. For the life of me, I didn't want to drag an innocent into my mess....

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Hey readers! I'm back! I hope you guys like it. Remember to vote for this chapter! Tell me if you like Arthur or not, I'd love your input. If there are some editing errors I'm so sorry. I'm half asleep writing this haha.

Cheers!
Natalie