tsubasa

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye stood and walked over to him as he spoke. She looked at him, "May I?" She asked quietly before she reached out and gently stroked the feathers. Her father came running into the room then, followed by a horde of men. He saw his daughter and only her as he pulled her into his arms. Lauralye wrapped her arms around him as he whispered, "Thank the Gods you are okay..."

Lauralye closed her eyes, feeling the comfort of her father's presence. He kissed her head before looking to Robert. Lauralye felt his hold on her tighten, "He's a demon. He was part of this!" He exclaimed.

Lauralye opened her eyes and shook her head, "No, Father... He is an angel.... and he saved my life.... If it were not for him I would be.... dead.... He protected me... as he should as my guard."

The King looked at her bewildered then back to Robert. His eyes took in the bandages for a moment. He seemed to realize that if Robert had not been there, his daughter would have taken all those arrows. He cleared his throat and looked at Robert, "Thank you..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye smiled softly at him, "I'm glad that you think so..."

She glanced at her bandaged wings as he spoke of her father. She bit her lip for a moment, "I will make sure he does nothing to them.... You could not have protected my properly without them...." She remembered the arrow that had scraped her arm... That would have been lodged in it if it weren't for his wings. Surely her father would understand that. She finally took a seat, her entire body was shaking with fear from what just happened. She sighed, "Was.... That what you were talking about? Earlier... when you mentioned something bad coming?"

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye was trying her best not to look at his arrow riddled wings. She didn't want to see them. She didn't want to know just how many arrows were supposed to be lodged in her. There was a small sound a door opening as a nurse entered through a secret passage. She bowed to the Princess before she rushed over to Robert. Lauralye could see the amazement in her eyes. It was clear that even with warning she was not prepared for the site in front of her.

The Princess stepped back allowing the nurse to work. Once she had finished removing the arrows and applying the healing salve, she bandaged him up the best she could. Finally, she came over to Lauralye and bandaged up her arm that was bleeding slightly from a scrape. Then she left, to not arouse suspicion. Lauralye looked at Robert, "Thank you..." She said quietly.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye allowed them to usher her out of the garden and back into the hall. The guard looked at him, "There are too many windows here. We're going to move you two into one of the hidden rooms, just in case they manage to get passed the guards on the wall. He walked over to the nearest tapestry and opened the door behind it. Lauralye looked at the guard, "Can you send a nurse?" She asked after she heard Robert groan.

The guard nodded, "Of course, your highness, and we'll um... forewarn her as well."

Lauralye stepped through the door, "And please don't tell my father..."

"Of course, Princess."

Then the door closed and Lauralye and Robert were alone. Lauralye looked at his wings, "Are you hurt badly?" She asked worriedly.

Avatar: Trusting your enemy

Jaya looked at the apple that he offered to her and took it when he took the bun from her. She smiled, "Thank you."

She stared at it as she ate her toasted bun. She'd never actually ate an apple before, "We don't have these in the Fire Nation," She commented quietly. She turned if over in her hand as she finished off the last of her bun, "Are they any good?" she laughed a shook her head, "I would assume so, otherwise you wouldn't have them."

She held the apple in both her hands and after a moment of hesitation, she bit into it. Her eyes widened, "Mm, this is quite good!" She said as she wiped away some of the juice that was falling from her mouth.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye was staring at her hands when Robert stood. She looked up at him confused as he suddenly wrapped his wings around her. Then she felt the tip of an arrow cut at the sleeve of her dress. She gasped and looked at the arrow head, which had got straight through Robert's wing. However, it only caused her minor injury. She buried her face in Robert's chest, not wanting to see the arrows sticking out of his wings. She clung to his shirt and closed her eyes tightly as she shook. Someone wanted to kill her... As a Royal, this was not something uncommon, however, she had never actually had an attempt on her life. Guards ran out into the garden as she heard yelling on the walls. One of the men looked at Robert, "Let's get her inside, somewhere safe," The guard made no attempt to try and remove Lauralye from Robert's hold, nor did he make comment about his wings. At that moment, all that matter was Lauralye's safety and getting her inside.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye pursed her lips, "Sadly... I think you will only be able to stretch them in your room... If you don't want anyone to see.... I'm not allowed to leave the castle.... Not after what happened to my mother..."

She sighed and listened to him as he warned her about something wicked coming this way. She looked at him, "I... I don't know what to say.... Or do... I mean... I don't think there is anything I can do... My father.. He wouldn't listen to me if I told him that you had a hunch... He'd want facts..."

She looked at her hands in her lap, "I'm not much use..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye released his arm when they were away from her father and his men. She looked at Robert when he spoke, thanking her for getting him out of the hairy situation he had been in moments before. She smiled and nodded, "My father... is not always a kind man. He allows what he believes to over shadow what is... You are the only person in this castle whom I have more power over than my father. You are the only person who I can protect from my father... And it is his own doing. He'll hate it... but I will make sure that you are treated kindly unless you prove that you need to be treated otherwise."

She smiled at him and walked down the hall and out a set of doors, into a garden. She took a seat on a bench and placed her hands in her lap, "This is one of my favourite places in the palace..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye let out a small sigh when the guards lowered their swords. However, with her in the way, there wasn't much else they could do that wouldn't be considered treason. She was grabbed and pulled away once more when Robert's arms were restrained behind his back. She looked around, bewildered. This made not sense, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Release him," Lauralye said in a voice unlike her own. It was powerful and demanding as it echoed off the stone walls. The guards looked at her confused, the one holding her immediately let go. She looked to her father, "Again, you are punishing the innocent for being innocent."

Her attention went back to the guards, "Release him now."

The guards quickly scrambled to unlock Robert's restraints as her father made no attempts to go against his daughter. Lauralye held Robert's arm with one hand and looked at her father, "You have bestowed him upon me, Father. I get to choose what happens to him."

She gave her father a curt nod before pulled Robert away.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye nodded her head when he assured her that he would protect her, not hurt her. She tried her best to believe it and decided that he had not proved that he would do otherwise... The moment she stepped out of the room, her arm was seized and she was yanked away from Robert, who now had swords held to his throat. Lauralye to her father, "What is happening?"

"We heard you scream, darling," The king glared at Robert, "What did he do?"

Lauralye shook her head, "No, I saw... A spider. You know how frightened I am of them. I was merely showing Robert around when I saw it and screamed."

The guards did not lower their swords nor did her father give them the order to. She pulled herself out of the guard who held her's hold and stepped between Robert and the guards, "He's done nothing wrong. There is no reason to treat him like a criminal... Please, lower your swords."