Kidnapping The Princess

[Alistair]

Words would have ruined the moment; or moments that the walk was giving them. He walked beside her, his hand laced with her's knowing that with every step closer they grew the final goodbye was coming. He wondered; had he knew this would be how it would come about, and ultimately end; would he still have done it? Would he had done anything differently? Picked another princess?

He had heard of only one other Princess spoken of. Vivian or something. He wasn't sure what she was the princess of, but he had heard the servants speaking of how spoiled she was. He had not thought anything of it, nor worried the was the princess of Gwent that he was after. He had assumed all princesses were like that.

With his Princess however, he had been proved wrong. He never would have have thought that in three days time, not only would be actually respect a member of the upper class but he would feel loyalty to one.

At one point, with only about five hours walk left he stopped. Letting her rest. He spoke the first words he had spoken in hours. "It's down hill from here. An easier walk."

[isadora]

Even if their speed was manageable for the princess, she still wasn't used to exerting herself this much in a single day, and she was grateful for the chance to rest. It wasn't as bad as when she'd been carrying water to and from the river for a village full of people, but it was a much longer walk, and she was tired. She was going to sleep for about a week before she even attempted the ride home, not looking forward to being on the road again. She knew it would be easier, with servants and knights to look after her, but she'd constantly be reminded of Alistair while they were traveling.

She nodded when he told her it would be easier from here, glad for that. She leaned back against a large tree, letting it hold her weight while she caught her breath. She was sure that if she sat down, she wouldn't be able to get up again, so it was probably better if she stayed upright; she didn't think Alistair would appreciate it if he had to carry her the rest of the way back to the castle.

She watched him as she rested, etching the lines of his face into her memory, but something was bothering her. It had been tugging at the back of her mind all day, but she'd been trying to banish it, focusing on what she wanted to remember later, but it was becoming harder to ignore, and she knew it would continue to torment her even after they were separated. She didn't want to ask, but she knew that she wouldn't get another chance. "Alistair...you've...well, you've been with other women before, haven't you?" She tried to sound casual, like his answer wouldn't tear her heart apart if he gave the wrong one.

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[Alistair]

"Alistair," He had been looking at her, staring at her face when she spoke. He gave her a half grin, when she said his name and not 'you Druid' this time. Apparently she had given up on trying to annoy him. ".you've...well, you've been with other women before, haven't you?"

Alistair was psychically uncomfortable with her question. The answer was yes, of course. He was man, who had just hit 30 a few years back. He had known a few women casually but he was not very social. He sifted his feet once before looking behind her as if hoping some random foe would spring up and need smiting. ANYTHING to not answer.

he did not wish to fight with her, however nor could he lie to her. "A few." He admitted, watching her face closely. He wondered why she'd asked. It was not like he was Vaughn, who had more girls then strands of hair. Alistair was not like most men in this part of his life. He was to solitary to be at ease with people. Especially most women, who wanted a man who talked and shared feelings. Vaughn could lie to them. Alistair would just ignore them.

[isadora]

She had forgotten about her efforts to annoy him, especially since she was asking such a...delicate question. One she wasn't entirely certain she wanted the answer to, but she was certain it would kill her with curiosity if she didn't get an answer. She watched him somewhat nervously, she knew it was ridiculous to think she would have been his first; he was both older than she was and a man, and no one expected a man to be pure until marriage, especially one of the lower classes. Still, waiting for him to answer was driving her crazy.

It seemed the longer he drew it out, the more certain she was of the answer. Was he going to lie to her? Tell her that she was the only one? A part of her wanted to hear that, even if it was a lie, some irrational part of her desperately wanted to hear it. But she was a little relieved to hear it when he finally admitted it, despite the way it broke her heart to hear him say the words. He was watching her as intently as she was watching him, and she didn't want him to see how it hurt her, so she averted her eyes to the ground, telling herself it wasn't that big a deal.

It wasn't his fault, not really, she tried to make herself believe. He was a man, after all, and she hardly expected him to have been waiting for her his entire life. "I...thought so." She said, still not looking up at him. She wasn't going to get angry at him for it, she had been the one to ask, after all. "We should probably get moving." She said, trying not to dwell on the subject, she started walking again.

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[Alistair]

Was she upset at him for not knowing she was going to come into his live and changing everything? He knew she did not look mad but she could not ask a loaded question such as that one and then just be like 'time to go home and never see you again'!

"Princess," He said in a tone that was telling, "I don't know what the future hold." Which was an ironic twist of fate for a seer, but he only saw some things not everything. "I know what the past has held for me. You lived your life in your way and I lived mine in my way. The future I have no idea of. I could take you to the castle gate, and die there. I could live for 40 more years. Unless . . . " His eyes dropped down to her middle for a moment until he forced them to her face, "Unless you carry my child, then I will never see you again. I can not make promises you. You can not make them to me."

He walked closer, placing one hand on each side of her face, "But I can tell you this. I have never meet a more a more annoying, madding, troublesome woman, and I do not think I will ever get you out of head, or from under my skin." It would be as slow as he would get to admitting she was unforgettable in ways he could not say.

[isadora]

She wasn't upset at him...or, she wasn't trying to be. She had wanted to know for sure, and it wasn't fair to blame him for the fact that she didn't like his answer. Isadora figured it was best to just move on and pretend that she had never asked, no matter how much it bothered her that she had, but Alistair had other ideas. She turned back towards him when he addressed her, pausing in her attempts to walk away.

She listened to his explanation, wondering if this was some sort of apology. She didn't expect him to apologize, or even to explain, she couldn't even quite understand why it hurt to know that other women knew him like that, when she had assumed as much before she'd even asked. He brought up their hypothetical child again, and she wondered what he meant when he said she'd see him again if it weren't merely hypothetical. He'd let her assume that if they were to have a child, she'd have to look after it herself. If he intended otherwise, why hadn't he said something? "You're right...you can't promise me anything, and I don't expect you to."

It wasn't true. She might not ask him to promise her anything, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be upset if she found out he was sleeping with another woman, or had gotten married. Maybe it was best she wouldn't see him again after this; she couldn't take it. She frowned when he told her how he felt about her, and tilted her head to one side in confusion. "I'm not sure whether I should slap you or kiss you right now." She said honestly, it had sounded like he meant it fondly, but no one had ever before dared to say things like that to her.[/blockuote]

[Alistair]

He just chuckled, not about to tell her how he meant it. She could figure it out, if she thought about it. Most women in this world, would have done what he said, when he said but complained very moment of the way. She had done what he said, but not complained and plotted to drug him and escape. It was in these actions; the ones that annoyed him, drove him mad, and gave him trouble; that he found the best in her.

He gave her a light kiss before dropping his hands. He knew that once the crossed over the next few hills she would start seeing the red flags of Camelot on the highest towers. Soon after that she would see more of the roof and before long she would see the castle. It would be from a distance, but it would be the thing that would signal that their time was officially up.

It was growing late, and he did not want to stop and hunt here. They were to close to the Castle and out of the other kingdom to be safe (for him). If she grew hungry then she would have to wait to eat in the castle. He was sure they would feed her. They would bundle her up, feed her, question her, let her bathe and put her to bed. "Come, the hour grows late. I promised to have you home today." He told her, not wanting her to go, but knowing she could not stay.

[isadora]

Her lips twisted up into a smile after he kissed her, somehow, he had made her feel better, even if she still didn't like the idea of another woman having her hands on him. He couldn't change what he'd done in the past, and as long as she didn't have to deal with the thought of him being with someone else in the future, she could deal with what he'd done before...as long as she didn't have to hear about it.

She nodded when he decided they should get moving again, much as she might like to spend another night with him, she knew it was a terrible idea. If she convinced him to break his promise today, what would keep her from doing the same thing tomorrow, or the next day? If she gave into her emotions now, she wasn't sure there would come a time when she'd regain her sense enough to actually go home. This was for the best, she just had to convince herself of that.

She had no idea how much further it was, but like he said, it was getting late, so she assumed they would arrive soon. This time, it was Isadora who reached out and took his hand, she knew their time together couldn't last, but she wanted to be as close to him as she possibly could, for however long she could.

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[Alistair]

Alistair's fingers tightened around her's for a quick moment, in a gesture that was part comfort and part teasing before he started walking again. He had not promised to never see another woman after her, but he knew that it would be a long time before he could even think about moving on. He would want a son, even the small maybe that she had given him had told him that. He would not mind a daughter, but he wanted a son. One to he could raise, and teach.

It was not something he had thought about often, but it was something that he was almost sure about. He knew it might be better to wait a year or two before seeking out this son but he also knew he could die in this war he was starting between himself and the King.

It also was bothered him that it was more and more likely that the Princess would not be the mother of his son. So no, he could not promise her that there would be no women after her. He could only promise that they would not be as special as she was.

He was silent as they walked closer. His mind running over her question, and while he knew that there were no men before him he knew there would be at lest one man after him. Her husband. She would marry, and that man would have a life time with her while he only have three days. Stolen hours in a lifetime.

[isadora]

Isadora wasn't sure how long it was before she saw them; the red and gold banners of Camelot, twisting and pulling in the breeze from the top of the spiraling towers of the castle, a monument that could be seen for miles around. The castle was a landmark, one that meant she would be home soon...and that soon, she would say goodbye to Alistair, maybe forever. She stared up at them for a long moment as they slowly drew closer, torn by her conflicting emotions. She knew what she had to do, she just had to keep on walking and soon enough her decision would be made and she wouldn't be able to change her mind.

She thought about what he'd said about her being with child...unless she was, she wouldn't see him again. Did that mean he planned to return if she was? She assumed as much, but she couldn't fathom why. He would never be able to claim the child, not without destroying its entire social standing; but that didn't matter to Alistair. He hated nobles, and she was the only exception. He'd never let his child grow up in a castle, waited on by servants, he'd consider it more valuable to learn how to fish and hunt and live off the land than to learn how to rule and deal with people. If she returned now, she could never tell him if she had their child. He would try and take the child away from her.

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[Alistair]

Alistair would have taken the child, once the babe was old enough to leave his mother. He would not however, take the baby away from her. She would just have to join him out in the real world, and either learn to rule a new way. He was not going to let nobles raise his child.

When he saw the flags he wanted to start dragging his feet but he knew she would be able to tell what he was up to so instead he just made sure they keep the same pace as before. No faster, and no slower. He did not wish to make her think he was dragging his feet, nor did he want to hurry them along. It was madness trying to decided something as simple as how fast to travel.

They grew closer and closer, and Alistair knew that this was it. As they exited the woods, and started making their way into the town, Alistair slowed their pace. He paused, before they got past any buildings and looked down at her. "In your world, I hear they have formal greets and farwells. How does one say good bye to a Princess in there?"

[isadora]

Isadora wanted to go home; no matter how she felt about Alistair, she missed her life. There were her responsibilities to consider, but she also wanted to sleep in her nice soft bed again, eat food she hadn't caught and prepared herself, and most of all, Isadora wanted to wash her hair. The last few days had been...interesting, but with all the running and menial labor and near-death experiences, she had no desire to continue living this way. Maybe if she could go a day without being tied up and dragged around for a while, it wouldn't be so bad...but it was far too dangerous out here to even think of raising a child out here, without walls or soldiers to protect them and keep them safe.

She looked up at him when he asked how one formally bade goodbye to a princess, and smiled somewhat crookedly at him. "It would require you to bow." She wasn't sure Alistair would be willing to bow to her, but if he wanted a truly formal farewell; he would bow, and she would curtsy. The words exchanged were relatively unimportant, and they varied depending on the relationship shared between the two, but it was the actions that were considered most important. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was around to see them, then she leaned up to kiss him quickly on the lips. "For you, that's good enough."

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[Alistair]

She kissed him and then pulled away. That was good enough for him? He took a step back from her and gave her a dramatic bow, one with a bit to much sarcasm, and lacking the respect that should go alone with the gesture but a bow none the less. He then walked bast her, so he was behind one of the buildings and reached over to pull her with him. "This is how you say goodbye to man, Princess."

This kiss was deep, slightly forceful and because he was loathe to let her go, his grip was tight and strong. He knew this was the last moment, the last kiss, the last touch. There would be no more any of.

After a long moment he pulled away. "Go." He said, knowing if she did not walk away right now that he would drag her into the woods. Never let her go. "Find the first knight on patrol that you can and run to them. They will make sure you're safe." He was not sure why, but his chest ached at the thought of her running from her, and never seeing her again. He gently tucked a few strands behind her ear before, forcing or growling out his next words. "Go!"

[isadora]

She couldn't help but laugh at his mockery of a bow, aware that he was making fun of her lifestyle, but she didn't take offense. Instead, she folded her hands in front of her and dipped into a graceful, but shallow curtsy in return, still smiling gleefully. When she rose, he pulled her over to a building, saying something about how you said goodbye to a man. She let her eyes close as he stole her breath with a kiss, his hands tight around her, and for that moment, she couldn't remember why she would possibly want to be anywhere he wasn't.

Pulling back, she remembered why she'd tried to keep her goodbye small and brief; she didn't want to let go. She was clinging to his shirt as he told her to go, anguished as she tried to tear herself away from him. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave him, but she had to. The exact reasons weren't exactly forthcoming right now, her mind was buzzing, her emotions conflicted, she felt as though she was being torn in two. But he was telling her to go...ordering her away.

Numbly, she untangled her fists from his shirt and backed away from him, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared up at him, then, when he growled at her to go...she did. She couldn't even bring herself to say goodbye, to say anything at all, not trusting herself to actually leave if she tried to say anything more. She turned and fled into the city, doing as he had told her, not stopping until she found a knight. It wasn't hard, they were everywhere, and they recognized her immediately. They escorted her back to the castle, where her father was waiting for her, worried but otherwise in good health. It was a happy ending...but then, why couldn't she stop crying?

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