Unexpected Circumstances By Savage7289.pdf

Unexpected Circumstances By Savage7289

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6496709/1/

"I offer as your prize," King Aro said, "the hand of any available maid in my

Kingdom."

Chapter 1 – Covertly Strike

"Isabella! Get in here now!"

I draped the stockings I was mending over my shoulder and hurried to the other

side of the changing screen. Cool autumn breezes blew through the open window

at the top of the castle turret where I had served as a handmaid as long as I

could remember. The Princess Jessica had been on edge all morning, though I

didn't understand why. Today the Kingdom of Volterra would host the Grand

Tournament, but we had attended plenty of tournaments and jousts presented by

Jessica's father, King Aro, before. Granted, this one was a little more significant

than others, and the number of knights from neighboring kingdoms of all sizes

had been pouring in since daybreak, but there had been other important

tournaments. Jessica hadn't been so particular about her wardrobe at those

times. I finished helping her with her hair and pinned ribbons of black and gold at

the top of her head.

I finished dressing her with the help of Angela, Kate, and Lauren – Princess

Jessica's other handmaids. When we were finished, she looked as stunning as she

always did. Kate pinched Princess Jessica's cheeks to redden them, and touched

her lips with the juice of crushed raspberries to give them a deep hue. We all

stood back, and Angela and I smiled at each other, pleased with our work, and

followed dutifully behind the Princess and her flowing train.

"There are several princes competing today," Angela whispered to me. "Do you

think she's trying to catch their eyes?"

I shrugged, not wanting to be caught gossiping. To be completely honest, I

wasn't very interested in who was competing in the games today. I was used to

my own, simple life. All the hustle and bustle of the nobles seemed very

unnecessary to me.

By the time we reached the arena, many of the knights were already entering

through the gates on tall, decorated stallions. Most of them I recognized, for they

were well known champions of the kingdom, and stories of their legendary battles

had been told time and time again. There were always a few new ones, and one

in particular I noticed because of the coloring of his banner – black and gold. It

was suddenly obvious whose attention the Princess Jessica was trying to capture.

I couldn't see his face due to the helm, but I assumed the princess had likely

seen him before.

Settling down on the bench behind the princess, I pulled out some of the sewing I

had been working on prior to preparing Princess Jessica. I was not interested in

the tournament itself – I had seen them before and thought them brutal and

frightening. I kept my eyes down on the work in my hands as the knights

galloped their horses towards each other, broke lances, and fought with swords. I

knew this was only a game, like most tournaments, but there was always the

danger of one of them being hurt or even killed. At least this wasn't one of the

tournaments where death was quite likely, as the stakes were so high. I

wondered to myself what the prize would be for the knight winning this

tournament.

"Oh no!" Princess Jessica gasped.

I looked up for the first time in an hour to see the black and gold knight on his

back, thrown from his horse, with Sir James riding up beside him with sword

drawn. The blade connected with the knight's helm and sent him in a

summersault over the sand. The helm flew off and rolled away, uncovering

copper-colored locks, dampened with exertion. While Sir James rode in a large

circle, turning at the end of the arena and heading back for another pass, the

knight retrieved his helm and placed it back on his head.

As the knight righted himself, a page threw a long sword to his right hand and a

shield to his left. The next time Sir James passed by, the black and gold knight

flung his shield into Sir James' head, toppling him from his mount. They were on

each other at once, and I could no longer watch.

When Princess Jessica began cheering, I could only assume the black and gold

knight had defeated Sir James – no easy feat – and was victorious. I finally

looked up to see the knight back on his stallion and riding with his banner held

high in a large circle around the outside of the arena, both to cheers and cries of

outrage.

Trumpets blared, and all eyes turned towards King Aro. He stood at the edge of

the platform and held up his arms until the arena quieted enough for him to be

heard.

"Sir Edward, good knight of the neighboring realm of Forks, we are honored

today by your presence and your bravery! Come forth and name your prize!"

I watched Sir Edward as he rode past, removing his helm and dropping it to the

ground for one of his pages to retrieve. His dark hair was plastered around his

forehead with moisture, but despite his current appearance, it was easy to see

why the Princess Jessica was so concerned with her own appearance this day. He

was extraordinarily handsome.

As he passed by the Princess and her entourage, he looked up, and my eyes met

his, though only for a moment. I quickly looked away, ashamed to have made

eye contact with a Lord of our neighboring realm. I hoped it would not be

considered an insult to either Sir Edward or King Carlisle.

I looked up again while keeping my head bowed and watched him approach the

podium where the King Aro stood overlooking the arena. He bowed at his waist to

both King Aro and Queen Renata, and the King repeated his request that Sir

Edward name his prize.

"I trust in your judgment, King Aro," the knight finally spoke. His voice was clear

and melodic. "I fight only for your enjoyment, and require no prize."

"I insist, Sir Edward," King Aro said. "Gallantry such as yours must be rewarded.

Otherwise I may be considered a neighbor without graciousness."

"Then I shall accept whatever prize you consider worthy, King Aro," Sir Edward

responded.

King Aro looked over to his Queen and spoke with her quietly. She nodded to

him, and I noticed her eyes meeting with those of Princess Jessica before going

back to her husband. King Aro turned to Sir Edward and smiled.

"I offer as your prize," King Aro said, "the hand of any available maid in my

Kingdom."

Now I understood. The Princess must have known of this arrangement, and she

planned to wed this Sir Edward, nephew of King Carlisle and heir to his throne. It

would unite the two kingdoms quite neatly.

"That is very generous of you," Sir Edward chuckled. He glanced over in our

direction. "Any available female? Any at all?"

"Of course, Sir Edward."

All eyes were on the knight as he scanned the ladies and princesses sitting

prettily in a row. I watched the eyes of Princess Jessica as they watched the

knight make his way over in front of her. His horse halted not ten feet from

Princess Jessica's seat, and he looked back to the King.

"Any available female, sire?"

"I have already answered your question Sir Edward," the King scowled. "Choose

your prize."

"Very well," Sir Edward's horse sidestepped to the left and the knight extended

his arm. "I choose her."

My eyes were on Princess Jessica's face, and I heard the surprised gasps of

everyone in the arena. Jessica's eyes swiveled to mine, her expression angry. I

wondered if I had been mistaken, and she didn't actually want to be with him

after all.

"The handmaid?" the King called out. "Is this a jest?"

Princess Jessica turned her head back to the knight, and then back to me again,

her eyes narrowed. As the King's words slowly processed inside of my head, I

turned to look at Sir Edward. He sat on his horse, looking directly at me. His hand

was still pointing in my direction. I looked over to Angela, and her eyes were on

me as well.

"Is she already betrothed?" Sir Edward inquired, turning to face King Aro.

"She is not, but..."

"Then she is available," Edward surmised. "And she is female, so she is my choice

in prize."

He glanced back at me again, and I quickly looked down at my feet, trying to

understand just what was happening.

"He means you, Isabella," Angela whispered beside me. "He's asking for your

hand as his prize!"

"Me?" I heard myself stammer. There was no possible way a lord – heir to the

throne as well – was suggesting a handmaid be taken as a bride. If he was asking

for a night with me, I would have understood. Such a request would not be

unheard of for a lord to demand. Perhaps he had misunderstood the King's offer.

Perhaps we all had. "There must be a mistake…"

"If you wish to take her and use her as you like, please do not hesitate," King Aro

said, his voice lowered and no longer carried across the arena. "Though I would

think a modicum of discretion…"

"King Aro," Sir Edward's voice was deep and carried far. It made my ears hum.

"You offered the bride of my choice. Are you changing the conditions of you

offer?"

"Of course not," King Aro sneered.

"Good," Sir Edward turned back and held his hand out towards me again. I had

no idea what I was supposed to do. Was this knight seriously planning to take me

as his bride? Why would he consider such a thing? I was not of noble blood, and

my position was completely beneath him.

"Go, you stupid girl," Princess Jessica snarled, and I jumped out of my trance.

"Before you are any more of an embarrassment!"

I looked back into the face of the mounted knight before me. With two fingers

coiling back towards his chest, he beckoned to me. I stood on wobbly legs and

made my way around the gaping onlookers and stood in front of the knight. His

gloved hand touched mine, and he pulled me closer until he could reach my

waist. With both hands, he lifted me easily from the stands and placed me in

front of him on his stallion.

His arm circled my waist, and he pulled me tight against his chest. I could feel

the cold steel of his armored breastplate against my back. I shivered, though not

at the cold. I had never been touched by a man in such a way, and I did not

know what to do, or even where I should hold on.

Sir Edward's other hand grasped the reins, and the stallion leapt forward. I cried

out, grasping the knight's arm and holding on tight as he circled the arena twice.

The second time around I felt him lean in close to my ear, and his nose brushed

against the skin of my neck. I heard him take a deep breath before racing out of

the gate at the far end. He did not slow until he reached the stables.

Sir Edward dismounted swiftly, then reached up to grasp me at my waist and lift

me down from his steed. Once my feet touched the ground, he continued to hold

me at my hips for a moment to keep me from falling. My hands gripped his

forearms for balance.

"Look at me, handmaid," his melodic voice sang softly to me.

I looked up to his eyes and noticed how tall he really was. I barely reached his

shoulder. His eyes were the brightest green, and despite the rough stubble

covering his cheeks and neck and his hair plastered all over the place from the

helm he had discarded, he was quite handsome.

Very handsome.

I couldn't actually seem to stop looking at him. His eyes were not just bright, but

intense, and I felt as though he could see right into my thoughts. My hands

began to tremble, and I realized I was holding his forearms very tightly, though

he did not seem to notice. I could feel the chain linked armor on his arm and hard

muscles underneath.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Isabella, my lord," I responded, my voice with barely enough volume to be

heard.

"Are you agreeable?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.

"My lord?" I questioned. I did not understand his question.

"Are you agreeable, Isabella?" he repeated, and then clarified. "Will you agree to

marry me?"

My jumbled thoughts began to leap about in my head in all different directions. I

did not know what I should say. A nobleman was standing before me, proposing

marriage. Not just any nobleman, but heir to the throne in another kingdom. I

had never even heard the name of King Carlisle's nephew before this day, and I

certainly did not get up this morning with thoughts of marrying him.

The man before me was a future king, and I was only marginally of higher class

than a serf. To refuse him would likely be considered of highest insult, both to his

king and mine. It could even mean my death. But what would marriage to this

man mean to me? Would I still be no more than a handmaid to him? I was not of

noble blood, and would not know how to act with such people. Princess Jessica

could be harsh, but I knew her ways and I knew my position with her. She could

also be jealous and vindictive – how would she react if I turned down the man

she obviously wanted? I shuddered at the thought.

I did not know this man. I didn't know his likes or temperament. Would he be

kind and generous? Aloof and absent? He was a knight, and used to violence.

Would he be cruel? Would he take pleasure in harming me?

"Isabella?" Sir Edward said, his finger touching gently under my chin, tilting my

face towards his. "I would prefer to hear your answer without an audience, and

we will have one soon. If your answer is no, so be it. I will not be unduly

affronted. I will make another choice, but you must answer now."

Thoughts of a proposal with a ring and the love of my life down on one knee in

the gardens fluttered through my head for a moment. I had never even had a

suitor before, let alone been in love. It was more likely for me to either be

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