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Old 06-15-2010, 08:49 PM

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Lillian Rochester just lost her parents and is placed under her uncle's protection. With her cousin Constance gone away with her new husband, and Lillian's uncle soon to be dead, Lillian is placed under the protection of King Arthur and his knights and Queen Guenivere. But when Sir Percival starts to show interest in Lillian, will she push him away during the celebration at Avaloch, far from Camelot? And will the even Mordred separate them?

Prologue will be posted shortly.

----------

Prologue

I remember it almost too clearly now. It was spring and all of the coldness of winter had left. Instead of being covered in white death, wildflowers of different colors and shapes had blended in with the grass. This memory stains my life to this day.

I was only five years of age when it had happened. I was in the field picking what had bloomed of the wildflowers. I was just on my way home with a bouquet of flowers that I had picked especially for my mother when a pack of dark knights on horses were on a path that led only to my home.

I ran after them, wandering what they wanted. When I had arrived home, I had come to find everything in flames. I looked around for the dark knights but they were nowhere in sight. They were gone.

I realized what had just happened as tears welled up in my eyes. "Mommy!" I cried. "Daddy!" I cried more as I fell to the grass, watching the flames eat up everything that had once mattered to me.

After nearly an hour of crying and the flames had left, I heard more horses approaching. Had the dark knights returned? No, for it was King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. But what were they doing in Northumberland when they live in Camelot. Maybe they were just passing through.

When they had arrived to me, they all dismounted from their horses as they ran towards the remains of my home. They gave orders to each other as I just sat there in the grass, frozen with shock.

"Percival, get the girl and put her on the back of your horse. Arthur will want to hear about this," a knight ordered as a young squire approached me with caution.

I looked up at him blankly with no more tears left to cry. "Where are mommy and daddy?" I asked.

"They are not here right now. Come with me," he said in a gentle tone. I trusted him too easily. "What is thy name?" he then asked me.

I had then realized I was still looking at him blankly and that I was still sitting in the grass. "Lillian. Lillian Rochester." I answered in a rather shaky voice.

"Well, Miss Rochester, come with me." he said in the same gentle tone as before, holding out his hand for me to grab.

I hesitated before I took his hand, but when I did, he gently pulled me off of the ground as I suddenly gave a shudder. Goose Bumps had covered my body as the coldness of the evening swept around me in a tight grip.

"You are cold?" Percival asked as he suddenly unwrapped his hand from mine and untied his cape as he then wrapped it warmly around me.

"Percival, there is nothing left here except this." A knight ran over to us, showing my mother's heart necklace.

I jumped as I grabbed it rudely from his hands as I hid it away from them. It was the only thing I had left from my parents.

"Well, it belongs to Lillian," said Percival.

"We must away. Arthur will be wandering why we are late."

****

"William of Wessex, please come forth," the king said as I stood before the king and the queen with Percival holding my hand as his cape was still wrapped around me. My mother's necklace was still clutched tightly within my free hand.

I turned my head slightly to see a tall, dark and fatherly figure approach me. I knew him perfectly well right away. He was a spitting image of my father. He was my uncle.

It was late and I was tired.

"William, I hereby place this young girl under your protection," he paused. "You are this girl's only living family."

My uncle bowed in an honored manor. "Yes, my king," he said as he then turned to me with a warm smile upon his mouth that lit up his features.

"Percival, Sir Charles needs you," a knight, who had just entered the throne room, said.

"Bid your final goodbye's, Percival. You will see her soon," the king said as he looked from me to Percival.

And even though Percival did not ask for his cape back, I was relieved to go. I just wished I could curl up somewhere in peace and drift off to sleep.

So, Percival told me 'goodbye' with the same gentle smile as his hand that had held my left hand was replaced with a warm gloved hand; my uncle's.

"You may leave now. The child needs her rest," the queen said softly.

We walked away with Percival's oversized red and golden cape dragged behind me. I will be able to have this cape for a while as long as Percival does not ask for it back.

****

When my eyes had finally opened, I was in a rather comfortable bed. The sun was shining fully upon my face as I looked all around. Where was I? This was not my bedroom.

I only then remembered that my parents were no longer living when I noticed a girl reading a book beside my bed. When she noticed that I had awakened, she closed her book and smiled warmly and friendly to me.

She looked similar to me, but she was taller, had a little bit darker sandy blonde hair than I, and she had teal eyes whereas I have blue. And her face was not brushed with freckles like me.

"Hello," she said. "You have finally awoken," she pointed out.

"Where am I?" I asked, sitting up slowly in the bed that I was in. I then saw the cape Percival had let me use and my dress underneath in on a bench in front of my bed.

She smiled a little bit wider, still friendly. "We are in Camelot. We are in my father's, your uncle's, house." She paused. "I am Constance," she then said. "And you are my cousin, Lillian." she smiled in a happy way, nodding once at me.

I nodded back, knowing if I couldn't smile easily after what had just happened recently. "'Tis a pleasure to finally meet you, cousin." I said.

"Father made sure that the maids had saved you some breakfast." she said as she then got up from the chair she was sitting on that was placed beside my bed. "We must get you ready for the day. The maids are already here to make you a dress since you only have one." she giggled, still friendly.

I looked over to the door to see two maids standing with their heads bowed low. One was holding four different colored patterns and the other holding a tray of fresh breakfast. They waited for their directions.

"Which color do you wish for your dress to be?" Constance asked.

I looked over the colors. There were brown, cream, green, and red. "I would like cream," I said as I got out of the bed with my nightgown flowing newly on me as a fresh morning breeze came through the opened window.

After my dress was made and after I had eaten, Constance did final touches on my braided hair, adding small red daisy's here and there within the braids. "Do you wish to keep the cape?" Constance asked me as she looked at me in the vanity mirror.

I looked from the cape to her in the mirror and nodded quietly, trying not to tear my braids out of her hands. "Yes," was all that I said.

Constance smiled. "'Tis a good winter cape. We will make you a proper cape for the remainder of this Spring." she said as she tied the red ribbon holding my braids together in a neat bow.

----------

Chapter One - Death Bed


My uncle's shaking hand held mine for the longest time. My uncle was deeply sick with consumption. I had written to Constance, who was away with her new husband, to come home as soon as possible.

"My dearest Lillian," he paused, coughing roughly into his cloth.

"Uncle, do not speak," I said as a tear escaped my right eye. "Tis not good for you," I said in a shaky voice, trying to hold back the tears for my dying uncle.

"One say you shall be married off to a knight as a lady in waiting," he forced out as he placed his free hand on my cheek, wiping away the tear that had escaped once again.

"Do not say that. You are not going to die." I shook my head with tears now running down my cheek.

It was already decided for me. If my uncle dies, which we all know he will, I will have to be put in place of Constance under the royal court of Camelot as a lady in waiting. I will do so until I am married off to one of the Knights of the Round Table. The only thing that I easily contemplate about is that I want to marry for love, not because 'tis my duty as a lady in waiting. And…I am not ready for love….

****

Constance and I stood before my uncle's ashes with endless tears yet to be seen. Today was yet another sad day as part of my life. My uncle is dead and there is no one left to take care of me except the queen.

"Why did he have to die, Constance?" I asked as I hiccupped and endless tears trailed down my cheek as I turned to face her. "You are all I have left now."

"Come on." she said as we walked towards some of the Knights of the Round Table.

King Arthur made sure that my uncle had an honorable funeral. I thank them for that. My uncle deserved the funeral after all he has done for me. He took me in when I had no one else and treated me like I was one of his own. Constance still stands by me this day as a sister at heart.

"I thank you for the funeral, Sir Percival," I heard Constance say as I kept my face down, not wanting to speak nor look at anyone at the moment, even if it is Percival. And even though he was one of many who saved my life the night of my parents death….

"Lillian, you are being rude. Do you not say 'thank you' to Percival?" she said in a surprised tone.

But I did not care.

I just turned around. "I think I shall take a walk." I sighed as I walked towards the field of wildflowers. I needed to be away from everyone and everything at the time.

"And I shall go with her," I heard Percival say in his usual gentle voice.

No…

But the words never made it out of my mouth. I just walked in silence as Percival trailed behind me.

"You do know  it has been a while since I last saw you." Percival said, hoping that I would say something.

But I didn't say anything.

"You don't look that much different," he said as he shook his head. "I had meant that in a good way."

I then stopped and turned around to face him. He was not going to let me be and the least I could do is speak to him. Even though I did not want to, I knew I must have seemed rude and ignorant.

"Nor do you, Sir Percival," I said, looking up at him with slightly raised eyebrows as I took a good look at his features.

I regret saying that his looks has not changed since the last time that I had seen him. He now had bolder brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail, his hazel eyes looked more like hawk eyes, he was taller than I, and yet he still wore that same gentle face that I remember seeing when I was five years of age. And he also has a certain charm to him that I could not quite put my finger on.

"I hear you are to be in place of your cousin as part of King Arthur's royal court." he smiled that same gentle smile that I remember.

"'Tis true." I nodded slowly to confirm.

Percival then looked beyond me and straightened his mouth from his smile to a relaxed line. I turned around to see Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad walking over to us. Must I not have some time alone with my friend?

"Percival, 'tis time we leave." Sir Galahad said.

And before he went to trail behind them and finally leave me, he gently grabbed my right hand and kissed it. He then bowed as he then left, giving me one last gentle smile.

I felt my face heat up, but then I decided to turn around and catch up with Constance and Edmund. Tonight will be my last night of freedom. I might as well make the best of it.

----------

Chapter Two - The Royal Court


My heart was pounding so fast that I could hear it clearly, ringing in my ears. I was scared and quite frankly, I was imaginably nervous. Constance was not here with me to help take my shaking nerves away completely.

Two guards were escorting me to the throne room. I had never felt so alone in my life. I hardly knew anyone here and there were hardly anyone who knew me. There was no one to be there beside me in case I might faint with how fast my heart had been beating at the moment.

When I had entered the throne room, it seemed as if I had just been in there yesterday…after my parents had died in that fire that was caused by the dark knights that I remember too clearly. The king and queen were sitting in the same place that I remember them sitting in. The only thing different were how the knights were no longer squires and there were new ladies in waiting.

I bowed respectively before the king and queen as I then stood straight up, trying to calm myself down and stop myself from shaking.

"Lillian, my dear, how you have grown!" the queen laughed in a friendly way as she smiled at me brightly.

My face grew red as I forced a smile.

"Welcome, Lillian, to my kingdom once again," the king said, cheerfully. "I hope you will come to feel right at home here."

I hope so too, I thought to myself.

I just kept on my forced smile. "Thank you, my king and queen." I bowed my head.

"Come now, Lady Lillian. Your smile could do better than that," a voice spoke from beside the king. It was Percival and his usual gentle smile.

I frowned out of senses as I looked at him. "Sir Percival," I addressed him as we bowed to each other.

He then looked over at a lady in waiting standing by the queen. "Lady Narissa, she does look remarkably like Duchess Constance, does she not?" Percival asked her.

Lady Narissa looked at me and smiled both friendly and warmly. "Yes, she does, Percival," she answered with a chuckle.

"Lady Lillian, allow me to introduce to you my knights." the king said as all of the knights stepped forward. "You already know Percival. This is Sir Evian, Sir Henry, Sir Palamedes, Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Gawain." the king said as they all bowed to me and I curtsied back.

Sir Evian, above all of the knights, was the biggest, his muscles stood out from his blouse and he stood by far the tallest. He had short dark brown hair that was cut just above his chin and he looked like a giant, in a good way.

Sir Henry had long golden brown hair that was tied back in a red bow and he had green eyes as he simply looked as if he was your average Knight of the Round Table. He wore a proud smile.

Sir Palamedes, from what I have heard, came from the deserts. He had a read turban above his head that easily matched his outfit. He had a dark black beard and exquisite blue eyes.

Now I knew Sir Galahad was a holy man. He wore a large wooden cross necklace and had the cross symbol stitched onto his outfit. He was the one who preached for my uncle at his funeral.

Sir Lancelot, from what I have heard, was the king's favorite. Constance told me that they were childhood friends. He had glossy curly black hair and pale blue eyes.

Sir Gawain was different from the rest. He had short golden blonde hair that had streaks of brown here and there and his eyes were like the ocean  an unknown bright blue with a mix of bright green.

"Lady Lillian, I am most sorry, but one of our knights and ladies in waiting is delayed." the king apologized.

"But they should be back soon." The queen hoped with a large happy smile. "Well, these are the present ladies in waiting. Lady Narissa, Lady Rebecca, and Lady Helena." she finished.

Lady Narissa must have been one of Constance's best friends. She smiled at me with a friendly smile. She had calm blue eyes and the brownest hair I have ever seen.

Lady Rebecca looked like a true lady in waiting. She had long curly red hair, warm green eyes, and a posture of a queen. Freckles brushed her cheeks and nose.

Lady Helena was different. She was quiet with black hair that shined blue in the sunlight and beautiful warm brown eyes. She had a more paleness to her skin than others including myself.

"You are just in time, Lady Lillian. There is supposed to be a celebration of us going to Avaloch," Percival said as he walked over to me.

"Avaloch?" I asked. I had never heard of such a place before.

"Avaloch, as we know, is a place of Fairies, Elves, Ogres, and other magical creatures," a voice said from behind me.

Percival and I turned around to find a girl with a large friendly smile, pale blue eyes, red hair with a knight with short black hair, brown eyes, and a proud posture to him trailing beside her.

"Isolde!" the queen called in a happy way as she hurried over to Lady Isolde.

"Lady Lillian, this is our other lady in waiting, Lady Isolde and our other knight, Sir Tristan." the king said.

"Well, 'tis Lillian Rochester?" Lady Isolde asked as she walked over to me with a smile.

I bowed. "'Tis, Lady Isolde" I said.

"Lady Lillian needs to be shown to her room, does she not?" Lady Narissa said as she walked over to us.

"Ah, yes." The queen agreed.

"I will show her," Lady Isolde and Percival said at the same time as they then laughed together.

"You both can show her." The queen joined in the laugh.
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