THE FALSE KNIGHT | Percabeth AU

6: Meeting the Prince

After day one, things got a lot harder. Annabeth had woken up in a good mood, but when she opened her bag up, she realized she was running out of food. I have to find some work somewhere. She quickly ate the last of her bread and stretched. The sun was barely at the horizon as she quickly started on her way.

    Thankfully, after a whole day of running, her legs had adjusted. She could jog for a longer distance and walked for longer before needing a break. The next time she took a break was when the sun was high in the sky. Looking at a nearby map, she could tell the next town square wasn't too far.

    She kept on going, walking and walking. It was boring and hard, but Annabeth knew this was her only choice. Finally, she got to the next town square, collapsing and getting a drink of water from the nearby well. Since she wasn't from here, she could have more water than allowed since she wasn't going to be documented.

    I have to go find some work, Annabeth remembered. She looked around for anyone nearby available. "Excuse me, sir?" She asked a nearby man, remembering to switch her stance and deepen her voice. "You need a farmhand? I can work today for pay." The farmer studied her. "Ya small thing? Won't getcha lot of money, but go for it." Annabeth grinned. "Thank you, sir."  He nodded slightly. "Let's go."

    Thankfully the farmer had horses, so Annabeth rode on one next to him. They finally reached his house, which was larger than Annabeth's but smaller than a noble or commoner. "Ya need to work in the garden." The farmer nodded, gesturing to the rows of corn and veggies.

    Annabeth worked in the garden all afternoon, planting seeds, shoveling dirt, and pulling weeds. It was gruesome and hard work, and Annabeth wasn't used to it. These were usually jobs her brothers and dad did. She pulled through it anyway, and finally the farmer came up to her. "That's enough, boy. Here's your change."

He handed Annabeth a few coins, enough for just a meal. "Thank you, sir." Annabeth nodded, and turned back when the farmer said something. "Also, everyone's been looking for a girl. Same hair and eye color as you, actually. Wait a second..." He squinted at Annabeth. "Are ya..."

    "Thank you sir!" Annabeth grinned hastily and quickly ran, holding the flyer in one hand and the coins in another. She quickly rushed to the town center, almost as fast as the horses, and quickly picked out a piece of bread and some porridge. She ate about half of it, reveling in finally getting some food, and quickly continued on her way, grinning about the fact that she would be ahead.

    Day three, though, was the worst day there could be.

    To start off, Annabeth woke up a little bit later than she should have. She didn't think anything about it. But she had to go quickly. Second, she had finished her food for breakfast, and the heat was excruciating. Third, there was no nearby water, and things were getting tough.

    Fourth, everyone was looking for her. Annabeth had to cover her hair with a boy cap and look down, so that nobody noticed her. Even though she was a boy, she couldn't risk it after the whispers about the peasant girl who ran away. Thankfully, Annabeth had gotten an idea. She spread the word that the missing peasant girl had brown hair and blue eyes. That way, people would stop looking for her. But she knew she still had to be careful.

With all the running, heat, and energy used, Annabeth was exhausted. Yet she somehow pulled herself forward, and forward. She barely noticed as she neared the palace. She felt warm and dizzy. I-have-to-g-get- Suddenly, she fell and everything went black.

    She saw flashes of things. She saw the sky. She saw her mom - Athena - and her dad, only it was at a palace. The sky was bright blue with clouds everywhere. She saw a young girl with grey eyes -- young her -- surrounded by palace officials. She saw herself with a princess crown, and wondered, What does that mean?

    Suddenly, the flashes went black. She opened her eyes, to find everything going blurry. She could see the worried faces of a nurse, wearing all white, and something on her head. A hair covering.

    "Whe-where am I?" She croaked. The nurse smiled. "You're at the palace, child. You were found outside laying on the ground in front of the castle." Annabeth internally grinned. She made it! The nurse quickly held a glass to her lips. "Drink up." She drank, and the water was clearer than she ever knew. She inhaled deeply. This was amazing!

    "What time is it?" She asked the nurse, remembering to deepen her voice. The nurse checked behind her. "It's around 7 in the morning." Annabeth nodded. She still had a lot of time for the initiation.

"What happened to me?" Annabeth said. "We think you fainted from dehydration and lack of food." The nurse said. "We had to force feed you to get you to survive. You're stick thin and tiny." Annabeth looked down at her peasant clothes. It was true that she had eaten considerably less since she started her journey.

"By the way, my name is Piper," the nurse said. Annabeth realized that she was still really young, maybe a little younger than her. She had choppy brown hair, under her hair covering, and pretty multicolored eyes. "You called me child, but you seem really young." Annabeth noted. Piper sighed. "Please don't tell anyone. Nobody really pays that much attention to me, enough to notice, but you did. Please don't tell anyone or I'll be kicked out." "I promise." Annabeth nodded, grinning. After all, she wasn't the only one with secrets. "Anna- Andrew Chase." Annabeth hastily added. She shook hands with the nurse. Suddenly, the door opened. Nurse Piper gave her a worried glance and quickly left the area. Annabeth turned away and closed her eyes. I made it.

    Suddenly Nurse Piper came back. "Andrew, the Prince would like to see you." She said, nodding as she left the area.

    Behind her came up a guy, about her age, maybe a little bit older. He was tall and tanned, with messy black hair and startling blue-green eyes. Annabeth realized she was staring and looked away.

    Obviously, the guy didn't know what to say. He finally said. "I'm Percy." Annabeth quickly felt a burning hatred for him. He was the one, or at least his parents, who forced her and her family to live how they were living. She knew she was taking a risk but she didn't care. She rolled her eyes. "Good for you." And looked away.

    Percy grinned. "You know you're supposed to be polite and say 'Your Highness' right?" "Yup." Annabeth said, still staring at the wall.

    The prince sighed. "Well, anyways, I have to interrogate you, to find out whether your an enemy or not." He sat down next to her bed. "So, what's your name?"

    "Andrew. Andrew...Glass." Annabeth quickly improvised. Percy nodded. "And why were you here?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "For the knight training thing. Ya know, the thing that was supposed to be today." Percy nodded, then frowned. "Well, are you sure? You look really...well... unprepared." Annabeth knew he was regarding her small and skinny stature. "Believe me, I'm stronger than I look." She was expecting this question.

Percy nodded. "Well, I believe you."