The Princess Knight by: Tauriel Rogers

Chapter 13

-AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello readers and fellow writers! So excited that some of you are actually reading what will be my very first fan fiction on here! I'm sorry for all of the grammatical errors in the last chapter; I was tired and a little stressed when I wrote it. Hope your all liking the story so far and please comment :) Thank you!

After supper, it was tradition to see a guest out, something that Alice and her family had been practicing for years, but she was most infuriated. "Please stay close to me Captain, I don't trust him," Alice whispered as they trailed behind the group on their way out of the Dining Hall.

"I was planning on it anyway," Captain Riley whispered back reassuringly. The group stopped outside of the castle entrance and waited for the gate to be drawn back down.

"Thank you for having me join you for supper tonight Princess Alice," Prince Rorick said.

"It was not me who invited you, my parents did," Alice answered coldly. Prince Rorick nodded, making the connection in his head.

"Will you see me off?" he asked hopeful.

"No, it has been a long day for me, but Captain Riley would be more than happy to," she suggested. Captain Riley glanced at Alice, sharing a look of understanding.

"But you are the Princess, is it not your duty to see me out?" the Prince pushed.

"Like I said, I have had a long day and would prefer to retire for the night. I trust the Captain of the Royal Guard with my life, so I know I can trust him when it comes to yours," Alice answered harshly.

"You heard the Princess, get moving!" Captain Riley ordered when Prince Rorick didn't move. Alice didn't waste her time. As soon as the Prince started to leave, she turned on her heal and hurriedly made her way to her room.

"Lydia, I don't require your assistance tonight," Princess Alice released her.

"Why were you so hostile last night at supper?" Queen Rosalind asked angrily.

"Because of all the Princes, you think Prince Rorick, PRINCE RORICK is the one for me?! Not a chance!" Princess Alice objected.

"We thought it would be best," the Queen said casually.

"I will not agree to it," Alice said stubbornly. Her parents sighed.

"We will see who else we can find," King Bard said. Alice still wasn't satisfied. To get her headache to go away, she read some of her books on her stone balcony. She loved her fairytales, but the sound of clanging swords soon distracted her. She set her book down and gazed out to the Royal Courtyard, leaning on her railing. Alice spotted Captain Riley and smiled dreamily to herself. He was sparring with guards she had never met before, but recognized. One of them leaned forward to say something in his ear, and he nodded enthusiastically. Soon, a group of eight guards surrounded him. Alice stood to attention, gripping her railing so hard, her knuckles turned white.

"What is he doing?" she thought. The men began fighting and Captain Riley got into action, blocking and kicking as his attackers tried to take them out. He was so fast Alice found herself leaning back and forth, following his movements. Captain Riley beat them, was completely breathless. The courtyard cheered and she clapped, clearly impressed. The old guard realized the Princess clapping and nudged the Captain. Captain Riley grinned as he waved. Princess Alice giggled and smiled widely as she waved back. Alice wasn't expecting for him to wave his hand for her to come down from her tower. The Princess nodded and rushed through her door. Alice sat on her stair rail and flawlessly slid down, jumping off before the last step.

"Where are you running off to?" Maid Lydia called as Alice rushed by.

"To the courtyard!" Alice happily shouted back. She grabbed a pillar to keep from running into anyone. She peered around the pillar to see if she could spy Captain Riley out. Her brow furrowed, finding that he was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, someone pushed her from behind and because she was in her normal fancy dress, she tripped.