it's about the journey || bear & campion

[HeyThereLittleBear]

The Road was no place for a Princess. This she had been told since she was a young sprout but yet here she was, a woman grown that was travelling on The Road that had been forbidden to her the entirety of her life... And for what? A marriage to a man that she didn't love and had as of yet to meet, and a partnership with a neighboring country? It didn't make sense to her, but she wasn't privy to the private conversations that happened in the quiet of her father's chamber hall.

She was eighteen and she was understanding that in many ways her father was correct -- The Road was no place for a Princess. They'd hardly walked two miles and already her cheeks were rosy in the spring sunlight, her gentle face lit up with the strange but exciting addiction that was an adventure.

Lina, you see, was a Princess that had truly been pampered. Her life had been lived in the safety of her father's castle and her world had been enclosed to the gates, which she had been permitted to approach only if the commoners were not near. She had been sheltered embarrassingly so and it was a shame, really, that she didn't know of the tragedies that the commonfolk suffered, even in passing.

She had never once feared if there would be a roof over her head, never once missed a meal, and daresay she had even been rather rounded with her size. Though still a lovely girl, her lavish and sheltered lifestyle showed on her face and the way her weight carried still in her very full breasts and round belly. Though large, she was not uncomely. Her hair fell in tender ringlets that fell down her back and her eyes were the most lovely shade of green - like emeralds, her father promised as he kissed her forehead as a child.

Though her eyes remained the same innocent tenderness of her youth, she was a woman in entirety now and due to be wed. As her mother before her and her mother. And this wedding was to be Sir Richard of.... Of... She couldn't even recall his kingdom. But she'd heard of him often in passing in talks of politics that she'd barely listened to. She probably should have, seeing that she would one day be expected to rule a kingdom.

Instead, she talked to the one bestowed the duty to guard her, a good man that had been with her every step of their journey so far "Do you think he is fair and handsome?' She mused to them as they trekked throuugh the woods in the heat of the day, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, her breathing a bit heavier than his as she was not used to walking like he was.

"Or perhaps he'll be dark and mysterious. What say you?"

 

[Campion]

To say that Hugh was feeling conflicted would be a gross understatement. He was to escort the Princess Lina to her destination...the castle of her affianced by political arrangement King Richard of Poligrad. Granted, calling the man a King was a bit of a stretch. It seemed that this loosely knit land had far too many who took that grandiose title upon their shoulders as though a bit of noble blood made them superior to all and sundry.
But since the old kingdom fell into splintering factions, there were no less than 17 kings where once had been a single monarch of Rotland. But Richard had the largest army by far and looked to make a bid to expand his holdings. Lina's aging father, a REAL King hight Jason, true Majesty over Swartland, was making a bet and then backing his horse...or in this case man. With King Jason's only daughter marrying Richard, his neighbors might hesitate to band together to take him down and he might eventually gobble up the other principalities.
So why was Baron Sir Hugh of Swartland out performing this duty?
First, it was his sworn duty. When King Jason had requested that a strong Protector be assigned to guard over Princess Lina, Hugh had been the obvious choice. Not only one of the most acclaimed swordsmen and archers in the land, he had performed deeds and served the kingdom since childhood and his honor was unimpeachable.
Second, he had personally promised Princess Lina that he would be there for her through thick and thin. So now that she had to leave the kingdom, he would go with her as her first defense. Of course there were soldiers ahead and behind them at a proper distance, but only Hugh was by her side at all proper times.
Thirdly, he was a nobleman of the kingdom, though a landless one, so while the kingdom could do without him, he could carry its banner.
Fourthly, and most importantly, he adored her. He had worked very hard to hide this fact from all eyes. Often his answers to her appeared cold to outsiders, but he knew she was aware he was fond of her. While she might call him Uncle fondly, he was really a second cousin once removed...which meant that he was a cousin to her mother. For all that, he was but six years her senior...of course, at this age, that much time could be an eternity.

So here he was, walking as they led their horses. He'd had to explain that the fitted stone roads close to the capital were hard on a horse's hoof, and hers had four softer whiter hooves. So they would walk a little further until the road turned to dirt. At least she listened to him. She might argue, or not heed what he said, but she did listen.
Four years they'd had an agreement, if she asked him a question, when he could answer without danger, he would do so honestly, even if the answer was unpleasant. He'd decided she needed this...truth, when so many would flatter, gossip and outright lie.

Now as they walked together and she looked at a future not of her making, he could not lie to her. As was their custom, when speaking so, they were on a first name basis.
"Fair and handsome? As for handsome, I have not seen him, but I'm told pictures of him are attractive...but artists can enhance. Fair? If you mean light of skin, that would be expected of one hailing from the Rotlander realms. If by fair you mean evenhanded, and of unbiased mind and action, then no...by all accounts he prejudges people, and takes advantage in a way that most would consider unfair.
Dark and Mysterious... well, not dark haired likely, but as to his soul...well, I have not heard that he is a kindly or giving king. Mysterious? Well, it is a mystery how the sixth son of a second son rose so quickly and all of the relatives who would have had prior claim either ceded those claims or had unfortunate coincidences that claims their lives or sanity.
You ask what say I? I say that you should carry a dagger close to hand and be wary of him and his court. Lina, I am not political artificer, but even I can sift through rumor to find that I am concerned for you. I am so sorry. I wish truly that I had grand news to give you, but you have always wanted the truth from me, hard as that has been at times."

He walked another half mile in silence before speaking again. "Dear Cousin, I have one other thing to tell you. I am sworn in service to Swartland, but before that I am sworn to you. Though it might be considered treason to say so, I am your hand. I am here for you first and last. I don't like this union and I will be watching in case we must leave quickly." He quieted and chewed his lip.

"Lina, I have one thing to ask of you. While we are here, if I tell you to do something, don't ask questions, and don't argue. Just do what I instruct you, for it will be for your safety first. Ah look, the paving ends. Let us mount up!"

 

[HeyThereLittleBear]

As always, it seemed that her cousin was the more level-headed of the two of them, his feet firmly planted on the ground, which was rooted deeply in solid facts and harsh truths. Even as children he had been the more wary of the two, less trusting than herself of strangers and most definitely the first to sense when trouble was near. It was his astute sense of danger swiftly approaching that had saved their skins more often than not and his quick wit which had gotten them out of trouble.

But now, she didn’t value the words he spoke, not because they were untrue but because they struck like a knife into her gut. Lina had been told little of the man she was to wed save for his title in life and that he was a man has handsome as he was valiant. These things were told to her as truths that were not to be discussed or questioned, like many other things in her life. Though she had been spoiled in a lavish lifestyle, she had not been spoiled in her freedoms. Her next few steps would be the farthest she had been from home her entire life, even by way of carriage.

She chewed over what he said to her, her cheeks bright and eyes focused as she struggled to find words that would not only bring comfort to her closest friend and confidant, but be a start to their new relationship. Though they had been friends growing up, her father had cautioned her to put space between them for their own benefit. In a new land, their comfort with each other may be seen as something a bit more familiar than that, and though he was a man that was more handsome than others, he was still someone that was.... A complicated choice.

Her fate was not to be with someone that made her happy, but someone that would benefit her entire kingdom.

They were still far from her betrothed’s land and Hugh was still her friend and cousin.

She broke the silence finally with a soft sigh, “Do you truly think it will come to something like that, Hugh?” She asked, her voice full of the innocence of a child. Though a woman grown, she had been sheltered too much from the world and still viewed it much as the youth would have. She didn’t know the ravages of war or the evil of man, and she certainly didn’t understand what could lie in the hearts of a man who loved power above all else.

“Tell me what you know of him.”

 

[Campion]

Before answering, Hugh knelt and cupped his hands to assist her in mounting. He had been teased by other nobles that at times he did things in her service that usually fell to a footman or a servant. He'd always replied, "I serve at the Princess' pleasure. If I can do something to make the heavy burden of her station lighter, then I will do it. Doing others a service should never lower a person in their mind...unless one does so looking for payment.
It would also have been easier to have taken her by her waist and hoisted her, but even with the rest of their party a distance away, such would be unseemly for a Princess.

Jumping into his own saddle, he patted his Percheron Mare's neck. He and Rache had been through much together. Just a squeeze of his knees and she started forward. Lina's own Lippezan stayed close.

Hugh looked over at Lina. "Princess...no...cousin. What I tell you, I could never say to the Princess. If most ears around heard it, it could be my head. So please indulge me. I will tell what I know that is verified, what is suspected, and what I believe to be the case."

He stretched and looked to make sure their escort was the proper distance and that no good spots for an ambush were nearby.
"Truth...he is brave in battle and very fierce there. He has shown mercy on the field, but only to nobility, whom he ransomed after. He is very intelligent. You won't lack for thoughtful conversation, but had best be very careful what opinions you voice. Like many men, he is no virgin, and it is solidly believed that he has quite a few young bastard children. But he has never supported their mothers, nor given them any benefit. Many of them are physically scarred, though it has never been proven that he was one to do so."
Hugh thought a little more. "He is a highly trained warrior. Very capable. Note that he greatly enjoys being reminded of that fact. It is a point of personal pride to him that he officially gained his position through advancement on the field. If you care for advice, you might take the tack that earned nobility should be at least equal and possibly higher in repute than inherited. I believe that would please him.
Anyone making sport of him will pay tenfold...there is no jester in his home. They are all dead.

He greatly dislikes being questioned in his decisions. If something really bothers you, I'd approach him privately and ask him as a favor to you to explain his stance...being very respectful.

My hope is that he will respect your title and purity, and will desire to promote himself through his support of you.

That is all I feel it is fair to say at the moment."

 

[HeyThereLittleBear]

As courteous as he was kind, Hugh had never permitted her to go asaddle without assisting her, his hand an ever present thing in her life as much as her father's. He was much like her father in the respect of his help, though there was a tenderness to Hugh that her father lacked. His eyes looked at her with a love that had always warmed her heart, and frankly she had always been fond of permitting him to assist her through whatever he felt the need to step in on.

In her younger years she'd been foolish enough to hope that she may eventually find someone as good as him, but she was no child anymore and knew that love was not for the noble. They married because of gold, or treaties, or simply to keep blood lines regal. She could have found someone that would have been as good as Hugh, but there was no one like Hugh in nobility.

And just as good, he was truthful. He didn't spare her feelings as he told her quite literally all that she seemed to fear about the man that she was to wed. The whispers had been circulating through the castle by the mouth of servants since the marriage had been announced, her heart growing fearful as her handmaids had whispered back and forth while brushing her hair and tending to lacing her dresses. They'd fussed over trying to make her waist skinnier, making her appear more fair in the skin so he would find her lovelier, or even paying a witch to ensure she wouldn't feel pain when he first bed her.

It didn't sit well on her heart to know this going in and her face showed it, though she couldn't immediately word what was going on in her mind. Tears were welling in her eyes and one dared to slip free, her hand wiping it away as it ran stray. "Oh, Hugh," She lamented, her voice quavering, "I fear this won't end well for me. How am I to pretend to love a man that I... I don't love?" She asked, trying to focus on not crying by stroking her horse gently.

Her hand guided the horse closer to her cousin's, looking at him pleadingly though she knew her esscort was watching her. "I don't know if I can do this." She whispered, voice hardly loud enough he could hear.

 

[Campion]

Hugh clenched his eyes shut.
"My dearest cousin. Were I able to take this burden from you , I would do so. But I can not...Right at this moment there is truly nothing I can do but be here for you, sad solace as that may be."
He inhaled, and continued. "But perhaps you are seeing this wrong. King Richard is not looking for a girl who loves him...he needs a tool to strengthen his position. You are intelligent. Be calm, let him know that you are fully capable of bearing his children and being his ears when he is away. Set yourself out as a willing ally and I think that you might gain his appreciation. Granted, you may have to hurt others to stay safe, but he would likely hurt them anyway. This way, you at the least, may come through mostly unharmed."

With their irregular conversations, and a good pace down the trail, the afternoon sun began to dip and Hugh called a halt to make a suitable camp for the Princess near a flowing stream.
All the company pitched in, setting up a pavilion for her to have privacy. Rocks were placed in a fire to heat to warm a bath for her. It was a half bath, but better than none. Others cleaned off downstream.

It was not quite dark when one of the sentries failed to report. Hugh immediately sent four men to investigate and the sound of combat ensued. He calmly armored himself and prepared his crossbow and sword, then stepped forth. "Princess. I direct you to lie down behind your bed, under the sheets so you are not seen. Do not speak or make your presence known until I come for you. I don't think this is a random stroke by brigands."

 

[HeyThereLittleBear]

Lina could see the pain in his face when she showed her weakness to him and she wished that she had never spoken up about her feelings. Hugh was a good man and he didn't need to worry about her happiness, but perhaps he was right. The man wasn't looking for a wife in the traditional sense. He wanted someone that could bear him sons and carry on his line and to hang on his arm at parties, but he didn't want a counsel. He didn't want a partner in life as much as he wished to have a partnership with her country.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of herself in that position - a woman swollen with child and bearing babes for a man that she didn't love. It made her heart sink into her stomach as she imagined holding a child that she didn't care for, or possibly handing them off to a milkmaid to be tended to and raised by someone else as her mother had done with her. She had always been a dreamer and it had been spun into her head through old milk tales that true love was possible for a princess, should she wed a man fair and kind. It seemed that her story wouldn't be like the old stories.

Instead, she would have to grow up and face reality. Which meant to wed Sir Richard.

Her words ran dry as her mouth did, her eyes solemn as she tried to work through her emotions without causing a commotion with Hugh. She didn't want to run the risk of hurting his heart further. He cared so dearly for her that she knew he truly would bear her burden if he could. It wasn't his to bear. He shouldn't have even concerned himself with it, but yet here he was.

She tried to work through the rest of her day in normalcy, still enjoying the riches that could be provided to her such as bathing herself and being provided a warm bed to sleep in. Lina was still naive to the evils of the world even as Hugh came into her private tent, his face looking distressed but calm at the same time. There was something in his eyes that made her hesitate, though she did obey him.

Her face was pale as she rushed to hide behind her bed, tucking herself down as quietly as she could in her nightclothes. In the distance, she could hear the clash of squabbles she had mistaken for friendly brawls among men. This wasn't the kingdom and these men were not wine drunk. This was danger.

 

[Campion]

The defending party was outnumbered, but they were a mercenary group, not the king's elite. Hugh moved from place to place, fighting both skillfully and dirty as needed. This was no duel or challenge, it was attempted kidnapping or assassination and he was determined neither should succeed.

After killing his ninth opponent and continuing to work around the Princess' pavilion, the King's warriors began to regroup and systematically cut down the attackers working as teams.

It wasn't long before the last of the ambushing group were running off, but many fell to the archery skill of her party.
One who had a sword wound to one leg and a bolt in the other was trying to pull it out when Hugh stepped on the side of the arrow, causing a scream.

"Hello Puppy. You were great fools to attack us. Now almost all your friends are dead. I don't appreciate you attacking my cousin...so let's make this easy. You tell me who sent you, and I run you through and don't slowly peel back your eyelids, hmm?"

The man was shaking, but knew he was dead. "It were Gregor, King o'er Roteland. He figured did he get the Princess an' take her for his own, twould undermine that bastard Richard."

Hugh knew men and this one was telling the truth. "Do you know of any other groups waiting to attack us?"

The man shook his head and close his eyes. Hugh quickly finished him with a poniard to the brain.

Then he checked on Lina. "Cousin, it is I, your loyal Hugh. The danger is past for now. Are you still well? Please don't let me be worried. Or should I come in to check on you?"
He entered her pavilion. Something he'd have killed another man for. Seeking her out behind her cot, he gently pulled her up and for a moment hugged her. "All safe, my dearest Lina. The attack was but a testament to your value. Are...Are you OK?"

He didn't let her go quite yet. If she was terrified, who could blame her...and who could blame him for comforting her...and wanting to hold her forever.

(Sorry dear readers, but our little story ends here.)