Her Dark Knight

The Aftermath

Even hidden away in the darkness, Arabella heard the sounds of metals clashing and screaming men like it was occurring right next to her. The Noble Lady screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears to try and block out the sounds, humming a little tune to herself that her mother had always sang to her when she was younger.

“My darling little girl, oh how you’ve always shined. You came into the world and now you’re only mine. I’ll always give you kisses, and you’ll know I’ll never lie. And when you’re losing hope, I’ll always be nearby-,“ .

Her quiet singing was interrupted by heavy footsteps racing towards her. Arabella whimpered and shuffled into the darkest corner of the room, letting her eyes adjust as she peered out into the abyss.

It was her father. He came running around the corner and stopped abruptly when he saw her. “Oh child thank god I’ve found you. Quickly! Come, come. We need to leave now,” he informed, grabbing her small hand in his and wrenching her off the floor. With that, he started running away from the direction of the battle, through the empty corridors whilst dragging his daughter behind him.

Arabella was stumbling after her father, still shocked at how the evening had changed so drastically in such a short time. Eventually, they made it to her father’s office. His butler, Igor, was guarding the door which he opened as soon as he saw the duo hurrying towards him. All three entered the room, where Arabella was relieved to see her mother already sat waiting for them. At their entry, the older Duchess stood up and scurried over to her daughter, gathering her into a tight hug. Duchess Astara started weeping onto her daughter’s shoulder, thanking the Moon Goddess that she was safe.

Her father proceeded to swoop onto both of his Ladies and engulf them in the tightest hug of all. They all started laughing with elation as they knew that their small family was safe and together again. Arabella slowly withdrew from the comfort, glancing between both of her parent’s faces before opening her mouth and asking, “What is happening? Who were those men?”

Her father sighed, wiping his hand across his face in a weary manner. He seemed to have aged years within these last few hours. “It’s difficult to tell at this moment, my child. From the looks of things, though, they appear to be part of the group of anti-Monarchy rebels who’ve called themselves The Rogues. They probably came here tonight to target the King and the Prince, who I'm sure have already left by now.”

Arabella furrowed her brows, pondering, “But Father, if I am to be the Queen, then one day they will be targeting me! What will I do?”

“Don't worry, my child. We would never let anything happen to you. And I'm sure Prince Alaric wouldn't, either. And I'm sure that the King will get it all under control soon. No one can defeat the Royal army - I'm sure you will be completely safe.” He replied, giving Arabella a somewhat reassuring look.

Arabella did not know what to say. Through her whole life she had thought that the Kingdom was running smoothly, that there were no problems to be concerned about. This was the first time that she was getting a glimpse into the real Epineio, and it frightened her.

The family all took seats around the room, waiting in silence as they all pondered where it had gone wrong this evening. After a lengthy silence that was neither tense nor reassuring, there was a swift knock at the door. Igor withdrew a sword from his waist and crept towards the door, unbolting and opening it to see who was on the other side. He quickly stooped at the waist, pushing the door open wider behind him and moving to the side to allow Prince Alaric to rush past him.

The young Prince immediately caught sight of his betrothed, whom he ran towards and engulfed in a tight hug. The Duchess, caught off guard, hesitated before hugging him back. “Thank Goddess that you’re alright…” The Prince said, staring into her eyes, “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been harmed.”

Arabella felt her face turn bright red, very unbecoming of a future Princess, so she hid her face within his chest, breathing in his light and fresh scent.

As her face was hidden in his shirt, she felt the Prince turn his head to face her father and informed him, “Duke Angelos, all the targets have been dealt with and the estate is now safe. Minimal casualties on our side, but we shall look into getting a higher security detailing, especially as Lady Arabella will be staying here for now.”

She heard her father agree with him, and then shuffling as everyone seemed to vacate the room, until it was obvious that her and the Prince were left alone. He moved her slightly away from him to peer down into her face, grasping her chin gently and rubbing its soft skin. “My Queen…” He whispered, “I’m so glad that you are safe.”

Arabella smiled at him and took his hand off her cheek, grasping it gently in hers, “Prince Alaric, I’m safe because you stood up for me. There’s no way I could ever repay you, so thank you.”

The young man gazed into her eyes and smirked, “I can think of a few ways, but we can save them until our wedding night. Wouldn’t want to give your poor father a heart attack.”

She giggled, hitting him lightly on the chest at his jesting, and then moved away. Turning serious, she inhaled deeply and sighed, “Prince Alaric, what just happened? I need to know the truth.”

He returned her sigh, moving to sit upon the plush sofa in the corner of the room, “It’s the Rogues. We know that they hate my family and would do anything to get us off the throne. Normally, we wouldn’t worry too much about these things as rebellions have occurred all through the years, but this one… It seems different. It seems structured, like there is someone intelligent in control. That is what is so worrying. We have no idea what we’re up against.” He leaned forward on the seat and put his head in his hands, pulling on his hair as if to calm himself down.

Arabella sighed and joined him on the sofa, wrapping her arm around his back, and murmured softly, “I’m sure it will all be okay. You’ve had rebellions before? Can't you deal with them like you have done previously?”

The older Prince grunted but did not respond. Her father really had hidden her from all the dark secrets of their city. “Yes… Well, nevermind, let’s not talk about this now. As long as you are safe, Bella.” With that, he turned to face her again and smiled, studying her dainty features that gazed up at him with pure innocence in her eyes.

“You are so very beautiful, Bella,” he whispered, leaning into her as he stared into her eyes. The moment paused as they both looked at each other, the background of her father's office fading from her sight as all she could focus on was those perfect, green eyes. A silence had fallen across the room, so still and quiet that they could have heard a pin drop, yet neither cared as they slowly leaned into one another. Their lips were barely an inch away, puffs of air escaping his lips and hitting her wettened pink ones as her eyes fluttered shut.

A knock at the door interrupted their moment. He slowly pulled away, growling ever so slightly as he rose to head towards the door. As soon as his back was turned, Arabella sank in to her seat, heart pounding in delight as she realised how close they'd been to kissing. How scandalous!

Prince Alaric, now standing at the door, glancing back at her quickly before he opened it. He grinned at her, his dimple creasing his left cheek shamelessly, “I shall take my leave now, Lady Arabella. Thank you for a lovely evening.” He eyed her shaken form, green eyes sparkling mischievously before he turned and left the room.

A few seconds later, her mother entered the room. She paused when she saw a flustered Arabella perched on the sofa, and arched her eyebrow. “Everything alright, dear?” She asked.

“Uh, yes Mother.” She cleared her throat awkwardly, “did you need anything?” Arabella asked, moving to stand in front of her mother.

“Just wanted to see how you were doing. To make sure that boy wasn't doing anything he shouldn't have been,” her mother responded teasingly.

“Mother!” Arabella flushed with embarrassment, voice rising in pitch, “Stop please! He wasn't doing anything he shouldn't have, and I don’t need you butting in to my life.” She stopped, hands nervously creasing and uncreasing her dress. She paused for a moment, breathing in deeply before exhaling and adding, “I'm a fully-fledged Were now and can judge for myself. And he is the Prince to you, so you must call him that, please Mother.”

The older Duchess baulked, watching in shock as her daughter swept past her and out of the room. She didn't know what else to say, but only wanted the best for her daughter. She just wanted her child to be safe, and she had a terrible feeling that her engagement to the Prince would jeopardise that.

Arabella ignored the look on her mother's face, walking silently through the halls. She soon reached her bed chambers and, with Delores’ help, was nestled into bed wearing her thin nightgown. With the memory of the Prince's green gaze boring in to her own, Lady Arabella drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.