DON'T TELL A SOUL GOODBYE {Arthur}

[Alegra Silvertongue]

"Must've been quite the creature to have led the prince on such a journey," she teased mildly. She'd never really had an interest in hunting, so she knew very little of the dynamics, though it interested her a bit more now; a huge chase sounded adventurous to her, and in fact he made it sound quite fun to her twisted little mind. She doubted if she'd ever try it, though, which was a shame; but the chances of her convincing Drake to take her were little to none, and seeing as she didn't have any idea how to go about it on her own, that depleted her options. She didn't want to risk trying to do so as a knight.

In regards to his question, she let out a tinkling laugh and informed him, "I just wanted to go for a ride." A very odd answer when one considered the circumstances - ie the weather, the distance, the (lack thereof) company - but he'd respected her enough to admit the truth, no doubt a bit of a blow to his pride, so why shouldn't she? He might think her rather odd, but he wouldn't be the first. Besides, she was completely at peace with her decision, and would make the same one again whenever given the chance. She enjoyed the rain, enjoyed solitary riding. It was only natural to do what you loved, wasn't it?

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur gave a bit of a smile. "Oh it was," he began to say in an exaggerated serious voice. "Perhaps one day, I will tell you the tale." It was really not that dramatic; he was just joking in the way he spoke about it. This would not be the first time a hunt had led Arthur this far out of the kingdom . . . and he doubted it would be the last. "I can handle strange creatures, but apparently, when it comes to a simple beehive, I am rendered defenseless." That damn beehive had been what startled his horse, which had forced Arthur onto the ground. While it was a bit embarrassing, he may as well go along with the joke now. Besides, he was feeling a bit more at ease in her company.

Her simple response to his next question was an interesting one. "Really? In this weather, you felt compelled to go for a ride so far from your estate?" Then again, he may have contributed to how far she was from her home right now . . . but still. She was not close enough for either of them to have been able to see it. And so his questions begged for more answers. Unsure if she would give them to him or not, he had to at least try to ask. Or the sole purpose of the fact that he was curious.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

"An excellent tale, I'm sure," she said with a grin. "Moment by moment recount, of course. I look forward to the day." It wasn't just the teasing that had her so amused, though that was certainly part of it; additionally, she found it well-nigh hilarious the precedent put before knights to tell an engaging story of their conquests and battles. She'd been in many battles herself, and had never found that to be the case - though perhaps the knights around her were simply braver and more talented than she and therefore experienced much more dramatic situations, only feet away. Somehow she doubted it.

"Bees are scary creatures," she said gravely, managing to keep a straight face though her eyes still sparkled with humor. She considered his next question/observation with a tilt of her head. His reaction hadn't been unexpected, of course, but still she had to decide whether to backtrack and call herself a fool or be honest. Honesty won out, but not because of a tender soul that didn't want to lie to a prince - it won because she was absolutely not about to pretend to be a scatterbrained, foolish girl. She doubted he'd believe her if she suddenly took up such a facade, anyway. "I like the rain," she explained. "And it's nice to just get away sometimes."

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was not sure if she was just humoring by saying that she looked forward to it, or if she genuinely meant it. Perhaps a bit of both? Who knows. All he knew was that this was not the appropriate time to delve into his past adventures. He just wanted to get out of the rain, find his horse, and head back to Camelot where a warm bath and hot meal awaited him. "Its just a shame that the conclusion to the tale is still undetermined. But that really depends on what happens now," he said, continuing with the dramatic talk of tales and adventures. It was a light conversation, nothing too intense, nothing legitimately dramatic. It was refreshing and relaxing. He continued to smile when she said that bees were scary, knowing that that part was probably made in a more teasing light. But he would of course encourage it, as he was not offended.

"They are," he agreed, also trying to maintain a degree of seriousness. "The most vicious of all creatures." He knew what that felt like . . . the enjoyment of just getting away from it all. Of having that time to oneself where you could just ignore your responsibilities and go for long rides. Such things were very scarce in a Prince's life, so he could understand to how precious such a time was. "I know the feeling," he admitted. While his duties had been the initial reason he had left Camelot right now, at least he had been able to have some time to ride on his own . . . until the attack of the bees.

As they headed deeper into the forest, Arthur began to pick up on surrounding noises. He knew that they were not alone in the woods, and that who ever was nearby . . . well, there were a few of them from the sounds of it and they were not that far from Alegra and the Prince. While Arthur was not fully paranoid, he did raise his guard a bit for one never knew what dangers lurked within the woods. It could be a creature -- but from the sounds of it, the multiple noises, it was most likely a group of people. Still. They could be anyone: travelers, bandits, a band of sorcerers . . . the possibilities were endless. And unfortunately the tracks of his horse seemed to be in the same direction as where the sounds were coming from. When they got a bit closer, he would have to part ways with her, for he did not know who was there, and he was not about to endanger her life just so that he could retrieve his horse.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

"I'm sure adventure is simply lurking somewhere," she forshadowed airily with a wide gesture of her hand and a laugh. "Or we could just invent one. We'll have all sorts of fun relaying the events of our perilous journey after your horse back to our friends and family." She knew she would, at least. Her mother's expression would be priceless, and she simply couldn't wait for her brother's reaction - he'd be torn by loyalty to the prince and annoyance with her for gallivanting off on her own, she was sure of it. And, in her own twisted sense of ironic humor, that sounded absolutely divine; she took great pleasure in disconcerting her poor sibling, for all she loved him.

"I've only been stung once, thankfully," she recalled. "I was probably four or five years of age, and I cried so hard and for so long that my eyes were redder than the sting." At this, she grinned. "And never was I so doted upon by my family, either. Perhaps I should return later to the nest that assaulted you, see if I can't get a necklace out of the bargain." That point, at the very least, had not a shred of seriousness to it; her tolerance for pain was actually a lack there of, and she would probably cry even now if she found herself stung by one of those wretched creatures.

It was the unnatural sound of shuffling that caught Alegra's attention. She didn't spend much time out in these parts, so she didn't know if there might be an animal that could be making such a noise - but it certainly didn't sound beastly to her. It sounded human; dangerously human, at that, and in the same direction as the prince's horse. "There are people ahead," she murmured, though she was quite certain he already knew that - she just wanted him to know that she knew, which would un-complicate things in the event that they weren't innocent travelers. The last thing she needed him concerning himself with was the possibility that he could have a distraught noblewoman on his hands, which was the exact opposite of the case.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur chuckled at her story about having been stung, and furthermore perhaps returning to the source of evil so that she could be doted upon again. He was rather enjoying her sense of humor, finding it refreshing . . . finding it comfortable. She remained respectful to him, but not entirely reserved. He knew he probably did not look like a prince right now, but she knew he was. And their conversation was casual. Yes. Refreshing and enjoyable were good words to describe it. He was not surprised that he family had been so concerned about her when she was upset. It merely showed that they cared for her. And after all, it was better to care too much than too little, right? The Silvertongue's were an honorable family, and talking to one of their members only further proved this.

He would have carried on the conversation, and he not began drawing his full attention on the people ahead. They could not see them yet but he heard them . . . and apparently so had she. He did not fail to recognize the calmness in her voice. She did not sound overly fearful or concerned, which was most certainly a good thing. It would only increase the guilt he felt in having made her come this far. But she had done more than enough for him, and he was not about to endanger her life. It was of course uncertain as to whether those ahead were dangerous or not, but he would not risk it. If they were outnumbered, then he would only be putting her in a horrid position. He brought the horse to a complete halt, swiftly dismounting and holding out the reigns for her to take.

"Thank you for having taken me this far, but I shall continue the journey on my own now." He would just have to find a way around them, would should be easy enough if he walked with caution and remained inconspicuous. It was better to just avoid whoever was ahead rather than walk head on into a potentially dangerous situation. "Ride back safely," he told her, hoping she would leave as soon as possible so that her family would not be worried as to what was taking her so long to return to them and that she could avoid . . . whatever was going to happen in the near future, if anything.

[Alegra Silvertongue]

Alegra quirked a brow. She supposed it was understandable, him being the Crown Prince and her being a noblewoman, that he wouldn't want her to come along or even expect her to. She suspected if he'd known she was a knight - well, if she was male, that was - he'd feel a bit differently; but the important thing was that she knew, and she was certainly not about to let him go off alone - the loyalty was ingrained in her, as was her inability to back off from what was clearly not going to go very well. She knew very well that the chances of them being travelers who just happened to be in the exact same direction as his horse were very, very small.

But feigning ignorance was, perhaps, the best way to go about this. He may even see through the ruse, but he couldn't call her out on it without admitting there was danger, in which case her decision would remain even so. Her intention was not to manipulate him, far from it, but only to ensure he remained safe... or at least, safer than if he was alone. He was their prince, she could hardly allow something to happen to him while she was around to prevent it.

"What for?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side. "The horse tracks are that way - perhaps those people have found your horse for you." She quirked a brow. "And if they get too far ahead, it will be quite difficult for you to travel on foot after them. You don't want to become stranded out here." Her logic was only as sound as she could make it, but she couldn't help that. And regardless, as long as it wasn't some huge coven of men, she was fairly certain they'd be able to fight them successfully if it came to it. Arthur's skills were renowned throughout Camelot, not to mention she'd seen them first-hand, and she knew her own equally well.

[Arthur Pendragon]

While her logic was indeed sound, it was not the primary issue with her coming along. He was not going to risk his convenience over her safety. Perhaps he would have to be more blunt in his reason for sending her back home and not asking her to pursue this journey with him. She may like adventure, but the last thing he wanted was to deliberately put her in a dangerous situation where there was a high risk of her getting hurt. He respected her and her family far too much to do such a thing. "It might be dangerous," he said, not saying it in a way to offend or underestimate her. It was just common instinct for any knight to want to protect a noble woman, or any woman really. She was far from being an exception to this natural urge.

"I do not want to put you in a potentially dangerous situation," he added speaking aloud his thoughts. He wanted her to understand his reasons for going on his own now, for he would never have expected her to go with him. "Besides, I think I have kept you from your home long enough," he added faintly smiling, though he meant every word. He let go of the reigns and placed his hand on the neck of the horse, patting it a few times before beginning to turn to walk deeper into the woods, following the trail of his animal, hoping that he would not regret taking this route instead of just going back to Alegra's estate, borrowing a horse from there, and heading back to Camelot with safety and ease. Then again, he was far too attached to his horse to just let him go.

[[ HAHA Sorry! Arthur is being a bit stubborn . . . as usual! ]]