Archery in the forest

[Avelyn De Beaumont]

Avelyn breathed a sigh of relief and let out a singular laugh to herself. The morning breeze was cool on her skin, it tickled the tips of her hair away from her body and raised tiny goose bumps on her exposed skin. In a moment of spontaneity Avelyn lifted her hand and pulled out the pins and ribbon that held the heavy plait in place until a blonde waterfall curled to her waist. She would worry about the consequences when she returned home later. Another welt from her grandfathers belt was no consequence for the freedom she was feeling now.

The clearing she had been looking for was small and almost perfectly circular. Hannah the kitchen maid had assured her that it was very unlikely that someone would happen to come across her whilst she was there. Hannah had bragged that it was far enough away from the road that it was not visible or audible to travellers, but close enough to Lord de Beaumont’s lands so that outlaws would not venture there. Avelyn was sure that whilst Hannah’s wits were sound, her uses for the clearing may not have been so honourable. Although Avelyn suspected that Hannah may have used the clearing for trysting, Avelyn on the other hand had decided to escape her oppressive home for a morning alone to practice her archery without the watchful eyes of her grandfather following her. The only flaw in her perfect plan was that she had not decided to bring an escort with her. However she suspected that that would have been impossible since almost every member of staff working on her grandfathers lands would have stopped her from leaving and reported her unsightly individual behaviour to her Grandfather. The exceptions to this were the kitchen and stable staff, although her Grandfather would hardly expect her to be talking to those people of whom he deemed mattered so little.
No, it was a much better idea for her to have gone alone, if she had taken an escort from the kitchen or the stables they would have been fired.

At the opposite end of the clearing was a large oak tree which was perfect for her archery practice. Avelyn placed her arrow pack and bow on the ground so that she could pull on her forearm guard. Avelyn had planned this carefully, right down to the dress that she was going to wear. Her dress was made out of dark green cotton which she had chosen because it was less likely to show stains; the sleeves were tight to her wrists so that she could easily shoot without the traditional hanging sleeves that most of her dresses featured getting in the way. The dress was fitted- like all of her dresses at her grandfathers command- but at least it was manoeuvrable. In her haste to leave her grandfathers holding without being seen, Avelyn had forgotten her cape. However the day was slowly becoming warmer and Avelyn didn’t mind being without another layer of clothing.

Tagged: Sir Lucan
Time line- after s3 ending

[lucan]

It had been a long morning – Lucan had hardly any sleep the previous evening due to circumstances that drained him. Now that the patrol was over he had some time to kill before heading back to the castle and carrying out the rest of his duties for the day. He was starting to feel the point of a headache coming on. Brilliant. Yvain had been enough of a headache on the patrol as it was. Lucan had told him to head back without him.

He rode along through the forest silently. The only sound being that of his horses hooves and the breeze through the trees. Lucan took the opportunity to dismount at that moment, leading his horse over to a grassy piece of ground for him to eat, while his master took the opportunity to clear his head a little. He knew what had caused the lack of rest. Griflet. His brother was a pain and now it had become physical. He still didn’t know about whether Griflet would take any kind of job offer. Lucan had gone to Arthur for advice. It was well needed and well received. But that didn’t stop Lucan from losing sleep over what Griflet would do next. He was helping his brother all he could and he hope that he’d get something in return from it. Lucan was the only family that Griflet had any contact left with.

He could hear something through the trees. And it wasn’t the sound of any kind of wildlife he’d ever heard. Making his way in the direction that the sound was coming from, Lucan drew his sword incase of any kind of attack. The sounds were coming from a clearing. His hand firmly on the hilt of the sword he pushed back the leaves. He was right, it wasn’t any animal but nor did she seem like a person to just attack him – still he couldn’t be sure. It was indeed a woman. Lucan pushed back the leaves some more and walked through out into the open where she could see him. He had his suspicions but part of him told himself that she was most likely harmless.

“May I suggest moving the arrow a little to the right?”

Tagged: Avelyn de Beaumont
Timeline: Just after the s3 ending
Muse Song: The Other Boelyn Girl Opening Theme
Notes: Sorry it’s taken me forever and a day to reply to this!![/color]

[Avelyn De Beaumont]

She was on form today, the feeling was completely exhilarating. Take away the curious and disapproving stares that she would have gotten had she been practicing in the courtyard. Take away the constant worry that her grandfather might be assessing her skill and its suitability for a lady of her standing. And now, just look what happened. Rather than the long and hard process of trying to rid her mind of worrying thoughts before discovering that she had forgotten to aim and the arrow had flown several rings away from her desired bullseye. Now however it seemed more that the arrows were directing themselves to their target rather than her own conscious thought. The smile that lit up Avelyns face had been there for over ten minutes. Avelyn could not remember the last time she had smiled for so long.

Nocking yet another arrow Avelyn straitened up, sighted her target and then smoothly pulled back until the wood curved to her pressure. She then released a slow breath before letting go of the bowstring. It was all very satisfying really. The fact that she Avelyn, a woman and therefore inferior and degraded, could release something so raw in power that if a men (such as her grandfather) had been stood in front of that tree when she had relinquished her hold on the arrow, he would have been likely dead within less than a second. But that was of course a terrible thought, if her grandfather had any idea that such thoughts were free to course though her head whilst she was at mass, or silently eating dinner. He would most likely thrash her until blood pooled in her wounds. Avelyn shook her head and laughed out loud. He could never know that. Too know such things he would have to be able to read minds, and to read minds he would need to be God or a sorcerer. No person could deny that Lord de Beaumont was a tyrant, but to think of him as God or a powerful sorcerer was a laughable idea.

Her next arrow was nocked and pulled back before she heard the noise, she had just been about to let out a breath but the rustling of leaves to her right had stopped her. Avelyn held still and did not release the pressure she was exerting on the bowstring. Endless thoughts were surging through her brain. What if Hannah had been wrong and this place was often visited by terrible men and thieves. Or what if she had been gone longer than she had thought and the whole of her grandfathers household had been raised to search for her. ‘May I suggest moving the arrow a little to the right?’ Although the voice quenched her fears a little because it did not sound angry or lust filled. It did nothing to deflate her new found confidence and anger at being discovered. In a moment of stupid spontaneity Avelyn spun quickly to face her query, pointing the arrow clearly towards his face.

‘No you may not’, in the moment it took her to speak she realised that she did not recognise him as one of her grandfathers men. But she did however recognise his armour from other soldiers that she had seen hanging around Camelot. Because he had scared her, she decided that he deserved the same in return, she quickly tiled the arm holding the wooden bow and released the arrow. Less than a second later it hit her desired location, embedding itself in the bough of a tree a couple of inches from his face.

For a second she felt like laughing, her heart was racing from the exertion, her face was still stern. But in a moment that confidence suddenly crumpled as she realised what she had just done. ’

‘Oh’, her hand suddenly came to her mouth and her eyes were wide with horror as she stepped back suddenly. ‘What have I done?’ she took another step back. She had just aimed an arrow at a living man. Of course she had not shot him but if this man decided to tell her grandfather- which he most likely would- she would be in the most trouble she could ever imagine. ‘I am so sorry, please forgive me please don’t tell my grandfather’, she was rambling now, the world was shaking…. No it wasn’t the world that was shaking it was her ‘oh no, please he will kill me, I’m so sorry I don’t know why…. Why I did that. He’ll make me stop practicing, he will snap my bow, please its my only solace I’ll die… I’m so sorry’.

[lucan]

Lucan quick thinking allowed him to duck as the arrow missed him. What the…?! Clearly she was crazy, and she had more arrows on her! His hand left the hilt of his sword and instead he looked at the arrow and then back at her. “You know when I said move it a little to the right…” he smirked, “I didn’t exactly mean it so as you could shoot me in the head!”

Lucan could see the funny side of it, as the woman now looked shocked at what she’d done. Not only had she aimed at a living man but also a Knight of Camelot. Usually in more in depth circumstances, Lucan would have drawn his sword – but this was a woman, and a woman who clearly meant no harm. Instead he pulled the arrow out of the tree and turned it over in his hands.

‘I am so sorry, please forgive me please don’t tell my grandfather’
He frowned at this. “Your grandfather?” he asked, “Why would I tell your grandfather?” Who on earth was her grandfather anyway?! Did they know each other? Did she know him? He didn’t recognise her.

‘Oh no, please he will kill me, I’m so sorry I don’t know why…. Why I did that. He’ll make me stop practicing, he will snap my bow, please it’s my only solace I’ll die… I’m so sorry’.
Lucan stepped forward and passed her the arrow. “Hey, hey – look…no harm done” he smiled as he gestured to her that he was still in one piece. “And whoever this grandfather is of yours, then im certain that I won’t tell if you won’t”.
Even if he knew her grandfather, Lucan wouldn’t go running and telling him that his granddaughter had tried to use him for target practice. “

“What’s your name?” he asked

[Avelyn De Beaumont]

Her heart was still pounding, he didn’t look angry or even seem that bothered to be honest. But he was a man and being shot at by a woman was not something that in her mind Avelyn expected that he would like. His pride would most likely be injured. The look on his face suggested that after the initial shock he was actually finding the whole incident rather humorous. Avelyn didn’t trust it, she didn’t want to for a moment give in to the feeling of relief that was coursing through her body.

‘I’m so sorry’ she whispered, her eyes prickled slightly and her vision was becoming blurry, she blinked quickly as her eyes became watery and she only just managed to hold them back.

He was holding the arrow in his hands, maybe this was it. He was going to keep the arrow and show it to her grandfather as proof of her murderous nature. Or, maybe he was going to stab her with it. They were alone in the forest away from the road and away from her Grandfathers manor. No, she was a lady and it was unlikely he would kill her. It was much more likely that he was going to thrash her with wood of the shaft to teach her a lesson about messing with men. Of course most of these things were unlikely. Avelyn wasn’t his woman to kill or thrash. But it was likely that he would keep the arrow as a memento of the event to hand to her grandfather.

‘Why would I tell your Grandfather?’ Avelyn took another step back. Surely this man wasn’t serious, he must have been trying to trick her, ‘But I shot an arrow near you, you’re a man, why wouldn’t you?’

Avelyn was truly baffled when he handed her the arrow back. Once she had the arrow safely in her grasp again she took another step back. She felt strangely exposed, like she wasn’t wearing any clothes and she didn’t want him to see her, ‘And whoever this grandfather is of yours, then I’m certain I wont tell if you wont’. Avelyn hugged her bow to her chest unconsciously.

‘But why?’ a small part of her brain registered that her present behaviour wasn’t as particularly Lady-like as it should have been. ’I’m so sorry’, she just couldn’t stop apologising, surely he must intend to tell at least someone who could rally the information to her grandfather. Her behaviour wasn’t acceptable for a Lady of her standing, even the fact that she was here on her own was serious. At his next question she lowered her eyes. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t be able to find out her name if he didn’t ask around.

‘Avelyn de Beaumont my Lord’.

[lucan]

She was almost near to tears, obviously regretting trying to kill him. Lucan wondered whether this Grandfather of hers was a violent man. She appeared to be so scared of him and so apprehensive of Lucan himself that the knight knew he had to put her mind at rest. 'But I shot an arrow near you, you’re a man, why wouldn’t you?’

“Im not a typical man” he smirked, “and even if I wanted to – the code doesn’t permit me to lay a finger on a woman”.
It was true. Lucan would rather shoot himself in the head than hurt a woman. His father had taught him all of the chivalrous values and how not to treat them as just a possession on the arm. Lucan couldn’t imagine doing that anyway, even from a young age.

A look of relief crossed her face when he handed her the arrow. Then she happened to shy away again. He frowned slightly when she asked why he wouldn’t tell. “For one I have no idea who the man is, and two? It isn’t in my nature to want revenge – so you almost killed me with an arrow? So what? It could’ve been a lot worse…and messy” he chuckled, “so stop apologising” he lifted up a part of his cloak for her to wipe her eyes, “dry your eyes, otherwise you’ll make me start bawling like a baby, and believe me that is a sight I wouldn’t wish upon anyone”. He was still grinning and trying to make it a less awkward situation for her.

“Avelyn” he rolled the name on his tongue and nodded in approval, “I’m Lucan” he introduced himself, after all she’d just told him her name. Perhaps now she’d start to calm down a little and trust him.

[Avelyn De Beaumont]

She was beginning to feel calmer, if his easy nature and calming speech was trying to fool her into thinking that everything was going to be ok then Avelyn was becoming completely fooled. Besides, she had now made enough of a fool of herself acting like the defenceless she was. Perhaps if instead of tearing up she had acted strong an nonchalant things would have been different. But if she had done that then she wouldn’t have been acting as herself. The truth was that after years of oppression and punishment, Avelyn had changed. She still had flares of confidence and individuality and flashes of what her younger self had been. But they were rare these days.
‘Ok’ was all she could answer to his statement, although she didn’t really know anything about the code of chivalry that some men took, she knew enough about it to know that respecting women was part of it. She doubted her grandfather had ever taken any code outlining any sort for respect for women. Lord de Beaumont had always said that women only existed for the furthering of their men folk.

She was hesitant when he lifted his cloak up for her to wipe her eyes, it would mean stepping forwards so that she was within a 2 foot distance from him and she still wasn’t completely sure yet whether he was safe. Slowly she stepped forwards and lifted the cloak to dry her eyes quickly before stepping away slightly again and averting her eyes.

‘Thank you’

She smiled slightly at his comment about bawling like a baby and glanced at him. Slowly she lowered the bow from its cradle on her chest so that it was held loosely at her side.

‘I’m please to meet you Lucan. I’m a little out of sorts today I shouldn’t really be here alone’, she confessed, smiling slightly again, ‘I just wanted to get away alone for a couple of hours’.