Part of Your World

[isadora]

She noticed that he didn't really seem to be paying attention...but at least he wasn't interrupting her. And he didn't run out screaming, so that was a bonus. Instead, he asked a question, one that was tricky enough even when he had his memory. "You realized that I could do more for them than you could alone." It was true; but she'd tried to find ways to keep his people alive for him. She'd learned his language, and she'd even let his 'druid healer' look at her when she was pregnant, when he was worried about her. And now that Sabina was here, she didn't fear magic as much as she once did. They could broach the subject without the conversation breaking down into a fight, anyways. They had a ways to go still...a much longer way if he couldn't get his memory back.

But she knew that in the end...yes, he had given up his people for her. It was clear as it was that he didn't believe her, and she knew that would be one more thing he'd have trouble with. So she left it at that. "I know, it sounds insane. But would I really make something this crazy up?" She said hopefully; surely, if she were trying to trick him, she'd have come up with something better. Why would she even try to trick him? "I have no reason to deceive you. Do I look like I would have trouble finding a willing man? Why would I go to the trouble of erasing the memory of a paranoid, suspicious druid in order to convince him he's the father of my child?" She didn't know he'd already accepted that Sabina was his, even if he wasn't so sure about Isadora. She didn't know he was planning to take her child away, or she would have called the guards to lock him up by now. She might love him; but she loved her baby more.

She sighed, just before she heard a little squeal from the cradle. She looked down, and Sabina smiled when the attention was back on her again. Isadora couldn't help the adoring smile it brought to her face, and she reach down into the cradle to tickle the little princess' tummy affectionately. She squealed with gleeful laughter, clearly pleased that she was the center of attention again. Isadora couldn't help but laugh along with her, she just looked so happy, it was infectious. She couldn't believe how much she loved her. And how could anyone look at her and not love her?

[/size]

[Alistair]

"Would I really make something this crazy up?" It was not the would she; but the why would she that concerned him. He did not believe her. "Do I look like I would have trouble finding a willing man?" Apparently he was fond of arrogance as well; granted she was beautiful; and he took that moment to look over her face; and below taking in that she might have cause of her arrogance; but it was still arrogant. Nobles were arrogant.

"Why would I go to the trouble of erasing the memory of a paranoid, suspicious druid in order to convince him he's the father of my child?" "I have no doubt that it is my child." He told her; admitting that he believed that much. He did not let him self look at her to compare her with the child. He wondered if he should; if he find answers there. While she was still guarding the child however; in her subtle way; he could not be sure. And yet he could not bring himself to ask to hold the babe. Alistair knew he was a strong man; and in a battle or fight relied on that; however he was aware that he could easily hurt her. She'd be too small and fragile.

That would complicate everything. How did you get something so small from a castle? What to do with it after that? Her. What to do with her after that? He refused to be his uncle. He would not do that to a child; but nor did he know how to raise a babe.

[isadora]

Isadora knew she was beautiful, people had been saying so all her life. Pointing it out might not be the most gracious act in the world, but she was running out of convincing arguments for why he should believe her. Briefly, she considered asking Vaughn for help, before dismissing that thought. Alistair might trust the man, which would make him ideal for this task, but she didn't. For all she knew...he'd decide to convince Alistair that Isadora really was the crazy kidnapper who had erased his memory. For all she knew, this whole thing was his doing, his idea of some sick joke! She wouldn't put it past him. Not for the first time, she regretted caving in and letting Alistair make him Sabina's godfather. There wasn't a worse candidate in all the world.

She blinked when he admitted that he thought Sabina was his, not taking her eyes off the baby while she considered what that meant. Alistair had wanted a child from the moment he'd known it might be possible; so maybe that was why he was so open to the idea of having had a child. Or, maybe it was some deeper connection to his daughter, something stronger than memory that couldn't be wiped away so easily. Either way, she wasn't sure it was a good thing. She remembered the arguments they'd had years ago when they thought there might be a child; each of them had thought they'd give her a better life on their own. If he didn't remember any of it, what was to keep him from deciding their daughter would be better off with him?

Trying to keep her actions casual and normal, which was fairly easy since she was already leaning over the cradle, she bent down and picked up her daughter again, holding her close to keep her safe. If Alistair did decide to take her and he managed to get away, Isadora might never find them. He was good at hiding, and tracking, and running. "Well at least that's something." She said, giving a smile, and casually taking a few steps back, making it look like she was just trying to rock the baby back to sleep with the motion.

[/size]

[Alistair]

Alistair did not miss how she lifted the child back into her arms rather then standing guard over her; and his eyes narrowed in on the move. she told it that was at least something. "Something." He repeated; and refused to any anything else. IF she wasn't lieing about the princess bit then getting the babe our would be a pain in the ass. Unless he was really a knight like she claimed; and he he could just walk out.

Could he just walk out? Was that even possible? IF everyone though he was a knight then he could just walk out. No one would think twice about hi being here. Would that prove her words? If everyone thought he was what she claimed he was?

It was a bit difficult to decide on what to believe and what is disbelieve; for he knew nothing about this world and who she claimed he was. None of it felt like something he would do; yet she knew his language and knew his scars. The one he'd felt on his chest should have claimed his life; but to claim a old 'friend' had saved him? Why not claim she had done it to gain something?

[isadora]

He didn't move towards her when she picked up the baby, and she hoped that meant that he wasn't going to try and take her...she hoped she was just overreacting and being too protective, but she'd rather play it safe and keep her daughter close. But she still hoped that she could convince him to believe her, the question was how? Their life together was too unbelievable for him to grasp, and trying to convince him otherwise seemed like a fool's errand. Absently, she stroked her daughter's hair as she thought, and then it occurred to her.

"You were just a child when Uther outlawed all magic," her voice was quiet, her words hesitant...and she wished she could think of another way to make him believe her. She knew these memories caused him pain, and she hated to do that to him. "Your mother was gifted as you are, with visions of the future. When the knights came for her, your father fought to protect her, but your uncle grabbed you and ran." Her eyes were apologetic when she looked up to meet his gaze, it pained her to think she was stirring up something that would hurt him.

"He saved your life, but...your uncle was a cruel man, and it was a hard life for a child." He didn't often talk about his uncle, not even to her. She knew that he didn't wish to be like his uncle, it was part of what had made him hesitate when he might have been harsher with her. "You never wanted to be like him; instead you remembered your father, and held onto the memory of your mother, and she's the reason you returned to this land." Sabina seemed content to be held and rocked softly, her eyes closing and a little yawn escaping her as she let herself be coaxed back to sleep.

[/size]

[Alistair]

"You were just a child when Uther outlawed all magic," God guess; his age must have gave that away. "Your mother was gifted as you are, with visions of the future. When the knights came for her, your father fought to protect her, but your uncle grabbed you and ran." He didn't hide who he was. He'd learned not to bring it up; and when to sleep apart from the others but it would not be hard to find out his past. He'd been twelve the the Pendragon knights came looking for his mother. she'd been rather open with her gifts; even saw the coming deaths of so many and tried to warn a people. Little did they know that it was their own king that they needed protecting from. Farmers. Not evil witches; not people who sold spells for any amount of coin. Farmers.

And they murdered them before their families. "He saved your life, but...your uncle was a cruel man, and it was a hard life for a child." He grew still again; knowing that wasn't something he'd share with anyone. He did not even speak of it to Vaughn. Especially not to Vaughn. His Uncle had not been abusive in the way that some men were; never raising a ran to him but he remembered being mocked for his dreams. He'd learned not to show emotions; and that he was better off alone.

"You never wanted to be like him; instead you remembered your father, and held onto the memory of your mother, and she's the reason you returned to this land." Now he knew he'd not told a soul that. How the bloody hell did she know? He watched her; and tried to read the emotions on her face.

She was telling the truth. How else would she know something that he'd not just tell anyone. Apparently he was a husband; a father; a bloody knight and noble. Alistair felt the ground shift under him; and felt like he was spinning. Sher will was all that kept him still and staring at her. Why her?

What was special about her? She claimed he liked it when she made his life harder. Didn't stop fighting him. If true then he was the bloody idiot. He wasn't even sure what to say to her; much less act around her. He wished this was a paramicha, a fairytale. He did not want this to be real. "What gain would a person get from taking my history from me?" Not bothering to tell her he believed her; he moved on to the next major question in his mind.

[isadora]

He went still, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He often went still when he was angry, or wary, or unsure what to say next. As far as she could tell, it meant he was thinking, and not dismissing her out of hand anymore. It meant she'd said something right, and even if she hadn't convinced him yet, at least she had given him pause. She knew that as long as he was uncertain, he wouldn't disappear. Even if he decided he was better off without his memories, he would neither leave his child behind or take her from the woman who might be her mother. He had grown up without a mother, and she was reasonably certain it wasn't a life he wished for his child. When he started to look like he might be sick, her eyes widened with worry. "Perhaps you should sit down...you don't look so well."

Then he asked why someone would do this, and she didn't have an answer...well, maybe she did. "You're not exactly easy to get along with." She pointed out, and she wasn't just referring to their constant bickering --not that she was going to remind him about that right now. He was only just starting to believe her. "You've made enemies of a few very powerful people, those who would like to see you suffer...or maybe just see you leave." Murdering a prince would be messy, difficult to accomplish and risky. But if he left on his own....

"If you left now, it would weaken my rule. A symbolic weakness, but there are those who would take advantage of that to undermine my authority." Her father hadn't been seen in public for so long that even with his condition a secret, people were beginning to suspect. It hadn't mattered once she'd married Alistair, because he was young and strong, a former knight, and had already given her an heir. She was a girl, but she was healthy, and gave the people assurance that she would not be the only heir.

But if Alistair had left, it would be worse than if they'd never been married. Suddenly, she would be a lone woman with a kingdom and an infant to look after, and regardless of how much help she would have, she would be seen as alone. That would present weakness to those who sought power, and they would seize upon it. "In short...they have a kingdom to gain from taking your memories."

[/size]

[Alistair]

He did not move from where he was she she told him to sit down; for he was not about to give a sign of any weakness. Especially when he did not know who was watching them. How far they would take this; and how to get it back. From she made him sound like; he wasn't sure he wasn't stronger with out it. It might be better to never get them back; move forward with his mind solid and not the mind of a man who'd rather be here then fighting.

Even if she could do more; he knew that he'd have hated sitting and watching. Knowing that if she did what she could here; he could still be doing more out there. Why stop? Why let her do it all?

When she spoke of weakening her rule; he turned to walk to the window. He put one hand on each side of the window and looked out. Keeping his hands there; kept them from shaking. He needed to appear clam and in control of what was going on around him. But her words had just told him something else. Something he knew but hearing the form she had said; and now him believing her when she said them; was enough to make him want to leave right that very second. With or without her. Bloody &^%ing hell; weakening her rule meant as her husband . . . .

He muttered a few curses under his breath while looking at the kingdom below the window. When he trusted himself to speak with out sounding like and idiot he spoke again; "Why not just kill me? Or you."

[isadora]

Isadora held in her sigh when he refused to take a seat, even though he looked about ready to pass out. She couldn't blame him; if their positions were reversed, and she'd just woken up next to a man she didn't know who told her he was the father of a child she couldn't remember having had...she'd probably have had him arrested by now. She looked down at the sleeping child bundled in her arms, and she was horrified at the idea that she might forget her. It was bad enough Alistair had, even if he believed who she was easily enough, but Isadora couldn't imagine being forgotten by your own mother. She felt far too connected to the baby to even believe she could just forget her.

Since he wouldn't sit down, Isadora did, taking the chair she'd used not so long ago to feed the baby, considering what they were going to do next. Clearly, Alistair needed a moment --or perhaps more-- to wrap his mind around what was going on, but now that he seemed to accept her story, she needed to decide what to do next. She needed to find out who exactly had done this, of course...find them and make them pay. She looked up when he asked why they wouldn't just kill them.

"It would be very difficult. You're not an easy man to kill, even if you didn't have a castle full of knights, soldiers and guards willing to die to protect you." Which he did. "They'd need a lot of men, and there would be a lot of bloodshed. Even if they have all that, it would be easier to kill Sabina and I if you were gone first." Because he would do anything to protect them; although she wasn't sure if that was even true anymore. "This way, if you leave on your own, and they can start spreading rumors that I can't handle the throne on my own, and the people will start to doubt me, and then the knights will wonder if they don't need a stronger leader, and so when they eventually make their move, the people will accept it, think it might just be for the best. Even the knights might be won over to the usurper's side. They'd have less rebellions to worry about, less chance that their people might rise up against their new king." Politics were awful, but that would be how someone unscrupulous would play it.

[/size]

[Alistair]

"It would be very difficult. You're not an easy man to kill, even if you didn't have a castle full of knights, soldiers and guards willing to die to protect you." He had what? "They'd need a lot of men, and there would be a lot of bloodshed. Even if they have all that, it would be easier to kill Sabina and I if you were gone first."

Alistair's shoulders drew back very subtly, and he looked at the babe in her arms taking the words she had just dared to speak. He didn't know if she was aware of what she had spoken but she'd done it. Said the few words that was guaranteed to get his full and complete attention. His first family having being killed; and taken from him because of magic and she thought that someone could be using it against them now to make dispatching them easier. He'd always made sure he was strong enough to fight back should the day come when someone tried to attack a family when he was near. Few things could have impacted his calm as much as her words had in that moment.

He looked from the child to attempt to decide where he would keep weapons in a house of stone. Had he been in the woods he'd had kept them on him person; or by his side. Close. Here he seemed comfortable to get stupid. "Daggers?" He knew enough about magic to know how some spells worked; but never practiced it. He lacked the passion for using it; and rather just let it work naturally by controlling you. It was when others tried to control the magic that things went weary.

He ignored everything else she said; not caring about her fear of loosing her little kingdom. A small corner of the grander world that people seemed to enjoy placing claim to as if they could own it. Fools; let them lose it. His only concern was finding who was behind this before they made their next move. Taking them down before they could take his family down. He didn't know them; but he wasn't going to let his unsureness be the reason that he lost them. He would decide as he went along what the best course of action was at the time.

[isadora]

She watched him as he watched the baby sleep, noticing how still he became. At least the thought of their daughter's death impacted him, it seemed, although she wondered if that should be anything of comfort to her. Right now, she would take what small victories she could, but she knew she couldn't just be satisfied with that. They needed a plan, a course of action, and...a lead. She knew they needed to know more about the spell that had been cast on him if they were going to figure out who had cast it and why.

He asked about his weapons, and she frowned, but didn't express her displeasure otherwise. She knew he'd probably been looking for them since the moment he'd let her go, but they were hidden here. He didn't want the servants moving them around if they found them, or even knowing they were there, but Isadora knew he never got too far from a weapon he was comfortable with. She'd never tried to look for them before.

"You'd keep them somewhere I wouldn't think to look." That was supremely unhelpful, she knew. "And somewhere the servants wouldn't find them." That didn't leave a lot of choices, since the servants cleaned and organized just about everything in the royal chambers. There were, however, a few places she could think where he might have hidden them. "Try under the mattress?" Oh, why did she have a feeling Alistair just wouldn't feel safe without weaponry in their bed?

[/size]

[Alistair]

That was odd. Alistair watched her for a moment before moving to look under the heavy mattress. There was nothing. "Why would I hide them from my wife?" He asked her; finding that a very important fact in his state of mind. They were his life line of sorts and the way he kept alive. He needed them down to begin hunting down the people who took his memories from him; and his wife didn't know where he kept them?

He looked around the room; trying to decide on a place that he would feel safe to put them. Where would be a place easy to get too; but out of reach of people he did not wish to get them. "Do I wear them often?" He asked; looking toward the sword he'd seen earlier and wondering if that was the clue he needed. "Or just that." THAT overly heavy and too long of a blade that could slow a man down in a fight.

[isadora]

Isadora didn't like his daggers...mostly because one of them was the one she'd used to murder a man. Or at least, it looked very much the same. He might've gotten new daggers since then, but she couldn't tell the difference. When she saw them, they reminded her of what she had done. She didn't break down or freak out anymore, but Alistair noticed how it affected her when she accidentally found them lying around their room, and so he'd found better places to keep them, where she wouldn't accidentally come across them.

"I...used one to kill a man, once." She knew he'd killed many, many men. Many of them to protect her. So she knew that killing one man really shouldn't be such a big deal, and yet...Isadora was a gentle woman. A pacifist. She hated bloodshed, so killing a man, even just one, had weighed heavily on her. "I don't like to be reminded of it." She wondered if that would be explanation enough.

"Not lately," she answered when he asked if he used them often. Knights didn't use daggers; they wore armor and carried broadswords. Alistair had been training with the weapon for some time now, and especially when they were only in the castle, he didn't need to carry all his weapons. "You're getting pretty good with that, you know." She answered when he gestured to the swordbelt, his sword still inside it. "Why don't you give it a try, see what happens?" Maybe his body would remember better than his mind.

[/size]

[Alistair]

Why the bloody hell had she needed to use one the weapons that he did not normally even let off his body to kill a man? How had she even gotten it? His hand lifted to the scar on his chest and he wondered if he'd been down. Ignoring what said asked of him using the long blade he walked over to the fireplace and reached in to it; feeling along the hot wall that lead up into the smoke tunnel.

When his hand emerged it was a little darker from soot but there was a bundle wrapped up in his hands. Bigger then anticipated. Why hide this from his wife? Opening it just enough to pull the two daggers out he pulled it back closed; not wanting to expose anything in it. He knew without looking what it was. A travel pack; he had been ready to leave. In it would be coin, and a empty water skin, with string an a sharp bit of metal so that if their was a place for fishing it could be done. It was slightly bigger then just a small pack; so he knew he had not been planning to leave alone.

"I need names." He told her; putting the pack on top of one of the higher closet or wardrobes; so she could not reach it with ease. "Of anyone in this castle last night that would have reason to do this." He told her; coming to stand before where she sat. "And I need to know were to find them." Because he was going hunting.

[isadora]

Isadora watched as he went to the hearth, ignoring her suggestion about trying out his sword, she wondered what he was up to. The fireplace? He had hidden his weapons up there? She leaned forward in her chair to see what he removed from the hiding place, unsurprised to see his daggers in his hands, but what was the rest of what he was holding? It looked like a bundle...she wondered what it was. He couldn't possibly have that much stuff he wanted kept hidden from her, could he? She knew he didn't have that many weapons.

He put it up high, where she wouldn't be able to reach on her own, and she wondered what he was still hiding from her, even when he didn't even know her. Of course, she didn't know that he had always remained ready to escape; to take her and Sabina away from here if he thought they were in danger. She stared at the wrapped bundle wonderingly for a moment, before her eyes abruptly switched back to him as he approached her.

She bit her lip when he asked for names. She knew exactly who the biggest threats in her castle were, but she wasn't sure if she should tell him. He'd probably break down their doors and threaten them, and her most likely suspects were nobles. If they were innocent, she couldn't have her husband accosting them for nothing. "We need to figure out what exactly they did, before we try to figure out who did it." He wouldn't like that. He'd rather fight than search for clues. "We have some books on magic in the library, I'll look there." In the forbidden area...but she was the princess. She could go where she pleased. Asking those of magic about it might be quicker, but she wasn't sure that Alistair would be able to find the druids now that he didn't remember having found them in the first place; besides, she didn't want him leaving the castle.

[/size]

[Alistair]

That wasn't a bloody name! Why did she not want to give him names? Either she knew there was no names to give; because she was behind this; or she was confused as he was. Why else hide something? What was there to hide? Bloody hell! She could want to protect the bastard who did this; because he was her lover? Could that be behind this?

Alistair watched her for a long moment before folding his arms over his chest and giving her a blank stare. "Your plan is to read a book?" He couldn't read. It meant doing nothing on his part and trusting her far too much. So she could protect her lover and get out of this; or be the one who did this--

He wasn't sure he did not trust her; but he wasn't sure he did. Right now he wasn't completely sure about many things but he knew that the child look like him; and she knew things that caused him to believe she was his wife and his other self trusted her.

[isadora]

Of course he didn't like her plan; it meant no going around threatening people until they knew exactly what was going on. Alistair wasn't a man with patience, and he did have a tendency to run into things half-cocked, like when he had decided on the spur of the moment to kidnap a princess. It worked for him, usually. But Isadora didn't want to take that chance and wind up paying for it later.

"Yes, that's my plan." She nodded, before she stood up and brushed past him, putting the baby down in her crib again. He hadn't tried to take her yet, so Isadora was reasonably sure that he believed her enough that he wouldn't try to kidnap the baby. She hoped not, at least. Then she walked over to the wardrobe --the same one he'd put the mysterious bundle on top of-- and she opened it. She couldn't reach the top, and she wasn't going to make him even more nervous by trying. No, right now, she was going to get dressed.

"Right now, whoever did this is probably waiting for you to do something. Leave, cause a fuss, something. If you don't," she said 'if' because she wasn't sure he wouldn't do something stupid yet, "they might get nervous and make a mistake. Think their spell hasn't worked, and try something else." Maybe. She couldn't be sure, of course, but she was willing to play those odds. Waiting to see wasn't going to hurt anything, after all. She picked out a dress and laid it out on the bed, glancing at him briefly. She didn't mind getting dressed in front of him anymore, but he didn't remember her, and it felt awkward again.

[/size]

[Alistair]

Her plan was not only to read a book; but sit and wait for the next wave to hit? Was she not a princess?! Is this how she planned to rule a bloody kingdom?! Wait for things to happen?! How the bloody hell was she still in power? She had moved away from the child; and over to the same wardrobe that he'd hidden the package one. Either she was very careful about not looking at it; or she knew what as in it. Why did she not know where it was?

Too many damn questions. Alistair walked over to stand over the large box thing the baby was resting in. Some sort of bed made just for a baby this size. Most were too poor for things like this; and baskets were used or beds were shared. When he looked up at her; he noticed she paused and looked at him. He didn't move and did his damnest to not blink. Apparently there were some advantages to being her husband. Turning so that he could fully face her; Alistair folded his arms over his chest and waited for the show. He would talk about her idiotic plan when she was done.

[isadora]

Isadora watched him as he leaned over the baby's cradle, but he didn't reach out to take her out, or even to touch her; just looked. When he looked back at her, she knew that glancing at him had been a mistake, as he now put his full attention on her, having realized what she was doing. She almost laughed; at least some things never changed. She went back to the wardrobe to pick out an underdress, laying it out on top of the other dress she'd selected, before she cast a final, quick glance in his direction...and of course, he was still staring, arms folded defiantly over his chest.

She could go behind the changing screen, but then he'd wonder why his wife didn't want him to see her naked; after all, he'd seen it plenty of times. And she knew how irritable it made him any time she showed any desire to have some modesty. So she didn't try to hide as she slipped the straps of her loose fitting night gown down off her shoulders, letting the garment fall to the floor around her, before she picked up the undergown and stepped into it, avoiding meeting his gaze because she knew if she did she'd blush. Alistair wouldn't remember that even now, he still made her blush. Often.

She pulled the undergown on, securing the straps before she picked up the overdress, wondering if he would criticize her for the layers of clothing like he usually did. She pulled it up, only realizing now that she'd picked one of her gowns that laced up in the back; she hadn't thought about it. But now, it seemed like a good opportunity to try and remind him of something he liked. Even before he had liked her, he had been willing to help with this. She looked up at him, then half-turned her back towards him so he'd see the loose laces. "Will you help me with these?"

[/size]

[Alistair]

Alistair watched as she paused for a moment and then began undressing. He'd seen woman with out their skirts before but never a noble woman. He would have made the judgment that you couldn't tell one from the other naked but it didn't take long before he was amending his judgments. Her skin was too pure white; untouched by the sun and labor; and unscared or winkled. Alistair's face didn't exchange expressions but his shoulders tightened from the effort to attempt to remain neutral.

She finally hid herself under a layer; then more layers of clothing. Why the bloody hell did she wear so much? If that caught on fire she'd be dead before he could pull it off. Not that it was a worry here in this pristine castle; but he felt the need to find a flaw in it. It was not til she asked him to touch her that he knew it was a bad idea.

he wanted to tell her no; and demand she find something she could dress in all on her own; but he was rather in a hurry to get her skin out of sight. He wanted to tell her that if she had sensible clothes she could do it her self; but instead he silently reached out to pull the lances together. The backs of his fingers brushed over the soft skin of her back; and his actions slowed. She was so damn soft.

When the laces were done up; his hand turned around and his fingers brushed upwards from her spine up her neck. It took a long moment for him to realize what he was doing and to stop himself. Moving his hand to her arm he pushed her a few steps forward to get her moving. "Shoes." He told her; wanting her dressed so they could go find her bloody book.