Ch03: Princess Bride
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Dear Diary,
It's been a week and my arms are still purple and greenish. Though it was not swollen anymore like days before, it still feels painful to wear a gauntlet around it.
Morrigan suggested I should not force myself to use my arms as they could only worsen the injury. To help me continue our training to be a knight, she gave me lessons in remedies and tonics to use for different illnesses and injuries that could help any warrior in battle.
Then, she taught me how to open locks with iron sticks, how to tightly bind an enemy with rope, and make fire using stones and ground wood.
Isn't she excellent?
I wonder what else Sir Wulfric taught her.
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"What happened to your arms, Princess Matilda?" the king asked, noticing the dressings while she wrote.
"I-I fell on the steps going up from the tower, father," she answered, hiding the wrappings from the sleeves of her dress.
"Let me take a good look at your arms," King Henry requested.
"Father?"
"I ordered you to take off the dressings, Matilda!" the king yelled, slamming the table with his fist.
"I'm sorry, your majesty but I do not wish to."
"I heard there was a duel in the courtyard. Were you involved in that?"
The absence of words from her lips made her father mad. "Answer me or I won't let you go back to training."
"I'm the one at fault here, father. I started it."
"And Sir Stephen allowed you to get hurt?!"
Nodding her head as a reply to her father pushed the king's limit. To her surprise, his majesty marched towards the knight's quarters where the Lord Knight resided. They noticed Sir Stephen with a visitor, Sir Wulfric, and beside the retired knight was her daughter, Morrigan.
"Your majesty, King Henry and Princess Matilda!" they announced and kneel in respect.
"I heard about the duel at the courtyard, Sir Stephen," the king fiercely asked.
"I think everyone heard about it, your majesty," Sir Wulfric answered.
"I was talking to my nephew, Sir Wulfric," the king turned to silence the grey-haired knight.
"It was only a fight among young lads, your majesty," Sir Stephen answered and glanced her way.
Not wanting to infuriate the king's furious sentiment, she stayed tight-lipped in front of the knights and avoided staring directly at any of them.
"Is that how you teach them to become men? By being barbarians, fighting among each other whenever they want?"
"No, your majesty," Sir Stephen replied.
"Your majesty, if I may speak. The two lads were fighting over my daughter's attention. It was valiant," Sir Wulfric appealed.
"The training was for them to learn patience. They are not knights yet but they are already broken in pieces."
"You are wise, majesty. I shall never let this kind of fight happen again," Sir Stephen assured.
"Your majesty, King Henry and your highness, Princess Matilda, let me present to you my daughter, Morrigan," Sir Wulfric announced, "She joined the training to become a knight."
The young lady bowed her head and kneeled with half of her knee to give respect to the king and princess.
"I am looking forward to the day you join the ranks of lord knights such as your father, lady Morrigan," the king cited.
"Thank you, your majesty," Morrigan answered.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Morrigan. Your father talked highly of you," she stated with a weak smile.
"My father never mentioned a word about you, your highness," the aspiring knight countered and noticed the wrappings on her arms "What happened to your limbs, Princess Matilda?"
"I-I s-slipped climbing up the stairs at the tower," she hesitated and hid them behind her body.
"I apologize, your highness. My daughter has a foul mouth like a wild beast and a curiosity like a cat," Sit Wulfric excused his daughter's manner of words.
"It's fine, Sir Wulfric."
"I hope I had voiced out my decree very clearly, Sir Stephen," the king asked.
"Yes, your majesty," Sir Stephen replied.
"Good. We'll take our leave. I hope you all have a pleasant evening," the king bid farewell.
"Your majesty." they bowed their heads graciously.
Avoiding to make herself noticeable again, she left the knights without a word and followed the king marching back to the castle. Praying for her father would allow her to continue her training after reprimanding her cousin from the fight she started.
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The sound of her wooden sword being thrown echoed through the lawn. Morrigan attacked her continuously, aiming at her head with the wooden sword. Deflecting it with her own weapon until it was thrown away from her hands.
The girl swung her sword to attack her again but the Lord Knight saw the incoming strike.
"Morrigan! Your partner already dropped his sword."
"Forgive me, Sir Stephen. I was passionately training Maude's defense," Morrigan reasoned.
"I thought you wanted to kill me," she claimed.
"Morrigan, take it easy with Maude. His arms were still bruised."
"Yes, Sir Stephen," the novice answered.
"All men gather around!" Sir Stephen called, "We will have a training in the forest tomorrow morning. Bring all your necessities. We shall gather here first and trail the land towards the foot of the mountain. Is that clear, men!"
"YES, MY LORD!"
"Do you want to make your bruised arms heal faster?" Morrigan whispered in her ear.
"Of course!" she replied blushing inside her helmet.
"Then bring your horse outside the castle after practice and I'll take you to a magical place my father would go to heal quickly."
After their training, they rode their horses past the forest and into the steaming lake. The hot water produced a thin mist around the trees. It felt hot inside her armor once she got near the lake but she didn't mind gazing at the wonder of nature around her.
"It's beautiful," she beheld and stepped down from her steed.
With her eyes fixed on the foggy lake, she dragged the horse on the nearby tree and jabbed her dagger on its trunk to use as a hook to tie the horse to. Morrigan did the same and walked past her, stopping at the edge of the lake.
The scenery was captivating as the misty air made the clear water blurry. It was mystifying to see it continue to steam like a dragon was breathing underneath.
"It would be more beautiful if you took off your helmet," Morrigan suggested.
"I don't want to scare you off with my face."
"Why don't we take a swim?" the novice proposed.
"Swim? Us?"
The thought of submerging herself in deep water scared her after her brother drowned. Remembering the nightmares she had watching him shout for help as the monsters from beneath the sea drag his corpse away.
"No!" she shouted.
"You wouldn't take advantage of a lady taking a swim, right?" Morrigan teased.
"O-Of course! I'm a gentleman!"
Morrigan laughed and began to strip the armor on her body. Before the woman took off her greaves, she turned around to avert her eyes from the enticement.
"How are you going to heal your body if you're not going to dip yourself in?" the novice asked.
Hearing the water splashing around tempted her to turn and watch the lady dipped in simmering water. To heal her limbs as the novice advised, she took off her gauntlets and freed her arms from the wrappings. Carefully stepping into the edge of the rock and kneeled, leaning her body to reach the steaming liquid.
"WOAH!" she cried out before losing balance and splashing down on the water.
With every gasp for air, the water flooded her mouth and nostril. The heavy armor made it hard for her to find her footing. Frantically paddling her arms at the shallow water to lift herself until she was dragged by hands who set her beside the massive stones at the corner of the lake.
Lifting her helmet off, she stared at her savior with teary eyes.
"Morrigan…," she whimpered and wrapped her arms around her knight.
"Princess Matilda?"
It was like an angel calling her name and inciting her to gaze at the mystic eyes of the lady in her arms. With her trembling fingers, she brushed off the wet strands from the knight's lovely face and grazed her palm against the soft cheek.
"M-Morrigan…," she called her in the sweetest way.
The beating heart caged in her chest was wildly prancing around, warming her body as she inhaled the air the lady breathed between them. Gazing at the plump lips of the woman, she mouthed the words she was yearning to convey.
"C-Can I kiss you?"
"If you promise to stop your training to be a knight, your highness," Morrigan asked.
"Why?"
"P-Please, your majesty. This is for your safety," the novice pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," she answered and stepped back, "I must learn to fight and defend myself to become a strong knight. And someday become a formidable queen."
"Then, I promise to kiss you when you become a queen," Morrigan vowed.