Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur groggily opened his eyes as a slightly pained moan emitted from his throat. He squinted a bit at the -- well, not so bright sky as it was evening -- brighter than darkness surroundings. He lay on his back for a few moments before struggling to get to his feet, stumbling in the process. He blinked a few times, trying to catch his balance as well as attempt to understand where he was and why he was alone. And . . . where was his horse? Where was his weapon? . . . Wait . . . where was his servant?! Oh this was not good at all. First thought, was how Arthur was going to kill his idiotic man servant . . . that is, if he was not dead already. The pricne, now forced into full alert consciousness, looking around where he was stanidn.g He saw a set of trails that led deeper into the woods. There were small, and frantic and . . . yes. They were his servants. So the fool was alive, and probably decided to flee the scene.

That was when it all started to come back to him.

Arthur had been out here for a regular, good ol' fashioned hunt. Instead, he had met a creature of magic. Even Arthur knew -- though he did not care to verbally admit it -- that he was not match for sorcery. And clearly, he had been no match for the creature for he had been thrown to the ground, hitting his head -- which was now incredibly, painfully sore -- rendering him unconscious. And his servant. The moron probably took his crossbow . . . and his horse must have gotten scared off. Yes. That is what happened! And now Arthur stood here, alone in the middle of the woods, without even a sword at his side. He had a small dagger tucked in his boot, but no sword! How could he travel back home with no sword, and no horse?! It was already slowly getting dark and he was so far out from the city.

Annoyed at his current predicament, he began to angrily storm . . . whatever direction he could. The more he walked forward, the better idea he knew of where he was going. He knew the kingdom well, and if he was not mistaken, there should be an estate not . . . too . . . far -- there it was! It belonged to one of his knights; one that Arthur got along with rather well. This gave him a bit of hope. He would probably have to spend the night for it was too dangerous to venture back to the castle in this state; weaponless and still not fully coherent. No matter though; he had found shelter for the night and surely, the lord of Engel estate would permit him to. He was the Prince after all.

Arthur knew he probably looked terrible; he was dressed in his hunting attire and his face was probably stained with dirt. He tried to fix his hair a bit before stepping into the clearing and making his way down what seemed like the never ending path that would eventually lead to the entrance. A few servants and guards were out and about, and upon seeing him, they immediately stiffened. "Inform Lord Engel of my arrival," he told one of the servants. His very unexpected arrival. Whether it was an inconvenience to them, it was the exact opposite for Arthur.


_{Setting: Engel Estate in Camelot
Time of Day: Late Afternoon, or evening
Timeline: Pre-Season 1
Tag: Lady Mary Engel}

[Lady Marian Engel]

"My lady! The Prince is here!" Marian looked up from the books she was reading with a wide eyes look of panic. Her blue green eyes drifted over the room while her mind raced with all the thoughts of what this meant for her and her household. Jimminy! What should she do? Her father was a strong man who liked his hunting very much so, and was often out hunting during the days when the weather was warm and bright like it was today. Since her mother had moved on from this world and her sisters all married she was all that was in the form of her father's hostess.

Which meant she going to meet with the prince all by her self! Jimminy indeed! Marian gave the servant a small nod before slowly shutting the book and squaring her shoulders so she could stand. It would not do at all to keep a prince waiting! Her sisters would just die when they learned the prince was here at their home but they would take her with them if they learned she kept the prince waiting. Marian hurried as quick as she dared down the halls and turns away from the warm conservatory and to the main hall where the prince was. She dared not run for a lady never ran and never yelled and never kept princes waiting.

She slowed her walk before she came into his view so that she could enter at a lady like calm pace. She had meet the prince before but never alone where his attention would not be distracted by his friend or the other ladies of the court. It was enough to make her belly twist and turn from the nerves. "Your highness," She greeted softly before forcing her voice to speak up but not yell for ladies did not yell. "You have surprised us." She paused at her words and then continued as her brows bent with her flustered thoughts. She did not wish to make it seem he was unwelcome in his visit "Awonderful surprise. My father however is out hunting and unable to greet you til supper time."

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur waited, more patiently than usual, as Lord Engel was a dedicated knight, one that Arthur truly respected. So if it took him a few extra moments, then that was quite alright --- . . . . . . yes, quite alright indeed. For it had not been the knight who came to greet him. But rather, his daughter. His, very attractive daughter. She had a very, innocent beauty about her, something that instantly drew the prince to her. He slightly lowered his head in a bit of a nod, the closest thing that would come to a bow for anyone who was not of a similar rank as him. He did not recall having met her before. Surely he would have remembered such a beautiful face. Then again, there were many women who drew his attention at court. And now that he thought about it, he did remember Lord Engel taking about his daughters, as in more than one. Either way, Arthur was going to take advantage of being in the presence of such beauty . . . with completely honorable intentions of course.

"My Lady," he greeted with a bit of a smile, as he approached her. He gently took her hand and kissed the top of it. It was the only gentlemanly thing to do after all. He then slowly released as his own hand fell back at his side. "Would it be a terrible inconvenience to wait for him?" Arthur did not expect the answer to be no. He only asked to be polite. It was too late to go anywhere else, and besides . . . it would give him a chance to better get to know his daughter. Who wouldn't want that?!