D' Arc || The King

Chapter XII

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Anne asked as Isabel stood on the threshold of her house. Isabel nodded and she forced a smile before saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, Anne."

The woman shrugged and opened the door. "Our house is always open to travelers," Anne said and she chuckled. "I don't know what I would have done without your kindness last night," admitted Isabel as she placed a hand on Anne's arm. "Thank you."

"Make sure you're bundled up and warm. The winter is quite harsh this year," Anne cautioned and Isabel tightened her grip around her shawl and faked a salute. "Yes, Ma'am," she said in a serious voice and Anne snorted, pushing her out the door. "Do not do anything stupid!" Anne called before she slammed the door behind her.

Isabel let out a quiet laugh before shivering when she found herself in snow that was up to her knees. She slid her basket onto her arm and lifted up her legs, freeing them from the icy ground before beginning her long walk all the way back to the English camp.

Last night, her revelation had kept her up, striking her in the face at unexpected times. The anger, sadness, and guilt kept her eyes open and plagued her in the dreams she managed to snatch in little bits of sleep. Although she was mad at Thomas, Isabel still found that she still worried about him. It had been snowing heavily last night and he had almost turned into an icicle on his way to town. What if he hadn't made it back and was lying dead in the snow?

She slipped and fell forward, landing face-first in the icy surface, breaking her out of her thoughts. Isabel sputtered and floundered as she tried to find her footing. When she finally managed to stand, snow was melting and dripping down her back and shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment, but she hoped that people who saw it thought it was the cold. Isabel cursed as she attempted to shake off the powdery stuff before it froze to her clothes before marching as quickly as she could out of the boundaries of the town.

After pushing up multiple hills and having some very close calls, Isabel wished she could just lie in the snow and never get up again. Her lungs burned, her muscles and head throbbed. Dragging her feet forward, she found herself at the edge of the camp. The snow had been dug out and it had been piled around the outer rim of it. A small smile tugged at her lips as a vague memory of a castle made from snow appeared in her brain.

Isabel sucked in a breath of air that felt like she was swallowing jagged pieces of ice before pushing forward. She gave out her greetings to men she passed, slipping into her normal routine that had been embedded into her brain. But when she saw Henry her whole body froze. Isabel felt like a fire was raging inside of her, one part warm and soft while the other half wanted her to rip him to shreds. Her hand clenched into a fist as her feet moved forward as he turned around with a smile on his face. That sent her over the edge. How dare he smile at her after what he did?

"Isabel-" his words were cut off as she slapped him. "Why didn't you tell me?" She questioned and Henry blinked and she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Why did you kill them? Tell me!"

Realizing what she was talking about, Henry pulled her close so she wouldn't hurt him or herself. "Isabel, I was going to explain my decision to execute the prisoners earlier," he said, his nose brushing against her cold hair. Isabel shook her head against his shoulder, struggling against his grip. "No, do not make up some flimsy excuse to justify what you've done!" She cried, tears welling in her eyes and slipping down her face. Isabel didn't care if people saw her tears and thought of her as weak because of it, right now, nothing mattered except for the truth that had been kept from her and the blood on Henry's hands.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he murmured softly and she finally managed to pull away from him. "Well, you failed miserably. Henry, you should have told me," she snapped, wiping her tears away with the heel over her palm. "Yes, I understand that you wanted to keep me safe, but what hurts the most is the fact that you didn't tell me when you had every opportunity to bring it up!"