Written Destinies (Arthur Pendragon)

Valiant 2: Late Night Talks

Elizabeth's POV:

          The sun rose high above the kingdom, and I was awakened by rays of light coming through my window. It was day two of the tournament. The knight who had won their fights stayed another day, whereas those who lost, left last night. 

          I sat with Uther and Morgana, her lady in waiting, Gwen, sitting on the other side of her. We watched intensely as Arthur entered the arena, his eyes finding mine immediately. He smiled at me, giving me a wink before focusing his attention on his first opponent of the day. 

        In seconds the fight began, blow after blow being sent from both knights. Yet, it ended quicker than it started. With Arthur as the winner.  We watched fight after fight, the group of participants slowly getting smaller and smaller with each one. 

        Valiant soon entered the ring, absorbing the crowd's praise. He faced his opponent and without a second of hesitation, strikes first. He aimed for the head with each swing of his sword, a look of anger in his eyes. His opponent had no chance, he was out-skilled.  Valiant soon had his opponent on the ground, and with one loud cry, he brought down his winning blow. His opponent's body went limp, not a single sign of movement coming from him. 

         Silence overtook the arena, as we watched with wide eyes, waiting for the knight to rise from his place, declaring that he was okay. Yet the moment never came, and we were instead greeted with the sight of Gaius hastily making his way to the fallen knight. Valiant's eyes meet mine, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. I looked away, heat rising up in my chest. I was scared to say the least, not for me, but for Arthur. If Valiant can take down one experienced knight that fast, then who knows what he is capable of doing to Arthur.

        Valiant kept winning after that, taking down knight after knight in record time. Some left the arena fine, only a few cuts and bruises to say the least, while others left with a sheet over their head. In the end, it came down to Valiant and Arthur competing in the finals. 

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          I made my way across the hall towards Arthur's room. My hands nervously fiddled with the silk material of my nightgown as outcomes of tomorrow's fight played in my head, some outcomes better than others. I gently knocked on the wooden door, hoping that the blue-eyed prince was still awake.

"Come in," Arthur called from the other side of the door. I opened the door slightly, poking my head in.

"You're still awake," He said, sounding surprised. He sat in front of the fire, nothing but a pair of silk pants on.

"I couldn't sleep. Have a lot on my mind," I explained softly, Arthur nodded in understanding, ushering for me to enter.  

I stepped in, gently closing the door behind me. I glided across the wooden floor, sitting in the chair across from him.

"Bad dreams," He asked.

"Something like that," I quietly mumbled, "What about you? Why are you still awake?"

"To be honest, I don't know," He replied with a sigh.

"You're scared, aren't you," I pried.

"I don't get scared," He said with a cocky grin.

"Everyone get's scared," I explained, "It's human nature."

"Not me," He shrugged, yet by the way he was tapping his foot, I could tell he was lying.

"I'm scared too," I admitted softly. Arthur looked at me, his blue eyes meeting my hazel ones.

"Why are you scared," he asked, his brows furrowing.

I let out a forced sigh, "Watching as Valiant took down those men so easily, showing no mercy. I worried about what might happen to you."

Arthur nodded in understanding.

"I'm scared I will disappoint the kingdom, and my father, and most importantly you," He said with a sad sigh.

"Arthur... You could never disappoint me," I stated softly. Arthur smiled, his eyes sparkling in the light of the fireplace. An awkward silence filled the room as our eyes bore into one another's.

"What's your plan of action," I asked curiously, breaking the silence.

"To be honest, I don't know," he replied with a shrug.

"Well, Valiant has this thing he does... he is more of an offense kind of knight than a defense," I explained. "So he rarely blocks with his shield. You might be able to use that to your advantage."

Arthur looked at me bewildered, his eyes wide in shock.

"How do you know about all this," He asked, quite intrigued.

"I'm really good at observing people," I said with a shrug, Arthur just chuckled, "Now, I should leave you to get some rest. You have to be wide awake for tomorrow's fight."

"Thank you," he said with a smile, "You get some rest as well."

I nodded, rising from the chair, I made my way to the door, stopping only momentarily.

"Promise me something," I mumbled, he nodded, "promise me you won't die."

"I can't promise that," he said with a forced smile, I nodded sadly, exiting the room.