The Hidden Princess

The Walk

Cladd

Cladd had gone about his day as if it were any other after he had escorted Angela to the Ladies in Waiting. He did not want to linger because they can talk too much sometimes, and one wrong look can send a man’s career down the road.

He was trying to sleep, and he kept seeing her face when he closed his eyes.  He thought about her and his heart started racing and that swirling happened again in his stomach.  He just stared at the ceiling and wondered what it all meant.

Cladd was an orphan that was found by the King’s sister and brought to the castle and raised.  He was reminded daily that he was not in their bloodline, but they loved him very much.  He had trained to be a knight and had hoped that he would be able to travel and visit new lands, but his adopted mother would not let him leave.  She had never been able to have children and she was unwilling to lose him, she felt that God himself delivered Cladd to her on that fateful day. His curly brown hair and big brown eyes reminded everyone that he was not blood of their blood.  No matter he was a happy person, he enjoyed helping others and enjoyed his status thus far.  His mother was starting to wonder if he was ever going to get married and he would roll his eyes at her.

“Mother, I do not have time for a women.” He would say over breakfast obviously annoyed at his Mother.  The truth was he never liked a girl, he had plenty of chances with them but none of them made him feel anything and so he would not bother with them.

“Son, I only want you to be happy.”  She would always retort.  The King often would listen to them and smile to himself. 

Cladd got up early in the morning, just before dawn and found himself walking down the market ally.  Things were starting to wake up and people were moving around in their homes getting ready for the day.  He could smell the bread baking and the iron cooling.  He stopped in front of the seamstress store and wondering about going in.  Then he heard a door open behind him and he looked.  There she was and his heart stopped.  She was standing there with a man; she touched his arm and he pulled her in for a hug.  It was like they were familiar.  She kissed him on the cheek.  His heart sank into his belly.  She was already married.  Disappointment dominated the feelings swirling around in him.  Then he heard her sweet voice “I love you Father.  Send all my love home too!”.  Joy sprung into his heart and a smile he could not stop crossed his face.  It was her Father.  

Cladd and Angela

He watched her start to skip across the street when she looked at him and stopped in her tracks surprised to see him.  She stood there and slight smile crossed her lips and her cute dimples showed slightly.  He thought he was going to die she was so beautiful. Then he realized she was looking at HIM.  Was that smile for him? He turned and looked behind him, but he already knew nobody was there.  He smiled back at her and nodded toward her.  She waved a little wave at him and started walking again.  He could not stop himself and he ran to meet her before she went into the seamstress workplace.  She stopped at the door and he could see that she was breathless, but she did not do anything.  He was breathless too and it took him a moment to say something to her.

“Milady” he bowed slightly to her and then just stared at her unable to speak.

“Yes.” Angela finally said she looked deep into his eyes and it was everything she could muster to not jump into his arms.  She felt it, she felt this electric charge he gave her.

“I was hoping to escort you again to the castle, or anywhere else, if you needed it.” He stumbled over the words and had never felt so inadequate in his life. “I was lucky I could rescue you yesterday.”

“I would like that very much.” She reached out an touched his hand that was resting on the railing.  The electric spark and followed scared them both.  They both pulled back from it and looked at each other. “I will see if there are any deliveries first thing this morning.  Please wait here.”

“I will wait all day for your return.” He was glad she left him, he needed time to recover.  Inside his head he wondered to himself: ‘what was that?  Did I actually get a shock from her?  Maybe I shocked her because she pulled away too. I feel overwhelmed by this pull toward her.’ He went on and on in his head while he waited.  Part of him wanted to run away and jump for joy that she talked with him. 

The door opened back up and she stood in front of him, still breathless. “I will be right out.  I have a delivery that requires going slightly outside the market, is that okay?” She looked at him hopeful.

“I would escort you to the end of the earth.” He smiled at her and thought to himself how stupid he sounded.

She smiled and opened the door for him to come in and he did.  Charity was standing there getting the garment ready for Angela to deliver.  She had seen their exchange and picked the garment with the longest distance for them.  Besides then she would get back safely.  Charity smiled at herself for her good deed and handed the garment over to Angela.  “Here are your instructions.” Handing her a parchment.

Angela took the parchment and read it aloud to ensure she was taking it to the right place.  Charity confirmed her destination and Cladd was excited that it was so far away.  He also noticed that she could read which meant she has some sort of upbringing. 

The sun was bright in the sky and the wind was warm on their skin as they walked in silence for a bit. The market was a busy place with lots of noise from horses, goats and people talking.  Once they got out of the market noise, he finally got up the nerve to talk with her. “So, you got home safely yesterday I presume?  Did the guards give you any hassle?  I will take care of them if you like.  Most of the time they have no manners.”

“No, I did like you said and just walked right by.” She was dancing on the inside that he seemed to care.  She looked over at him with his curly brown hair that shimmered in the sunlight.  His features were chiseled but not cold to her.  He was not wearing his armor and she could see his body under his cloths.  He was muscular but not hairy.  She was not really opposed to hairy she just noted it. 

“Good, good.” He caught her looking at him and noticed that her eyes were a most unusual color. They were bright blue with specks of lavender like sunlight off the oceans.  He had seen the ocean once, the family had to travel to marry off one of the Kings daughters not so long ago.  Angela’s face was beautifully heart shaped and she had full lips and little dimples at each corner when she smiled like they were just there for him.  The freckles on her cheeks and nose were the most enduring of her features, making her look so innocent. 

“So, you are a knight?  I am from a small village that is a three-day trip from here.  I have never seen a knight before.” She wanted him to keep talking.  She loved the sound of his voice.

“Yes, I am a knight.  I had to train for a long time to become a knight.  My mother found me on the side of the road during one of her travels and she adopted me.  I am her only child, but I cannot be in line for the throne because I am not blood. So, I decided to make the best of it and trained to join the Kings Guard.  My specialty is sword fighting and archery.”  He began to relax taking his hands out of his pockets.

“I was too.” He quickly looked at her “I was found on the side of the road as well.  Although I just found out 4 days ago about it.  My parents raised me as their own and never treated me any different.  My father just thought I should know before he left me here.  I am not sure what difference it makes but it was important to him that I know the truth I guess.”  She paused for a moment. “My specialty is cooking and sewing.” She giggled and began to relax herself. 

“Ha ha.  Aren’t you a funny girl?” Cladd laughed and reached out and touched her hand. As he did that the shock was not there, but the flow of electricity was palpable.  “Do you feel that?” He was afraid to ask because what if he was going crazy.

Angela felt so many things right at that moment.  She wanted to cry, laugh, run, hug him, kiss him the list was almost endless.  She could feel it, it was warm and inviting a lot like the light in her dream but different at the same time.  “Yes, Cladd, I do feel it. I don’t know what it means, but it feels good.”

Cladd was satisfied with that answer and they held hands and walked along in a peaceful quiet until she got to her delivery location about an hour later.

Angela completed her delivery and was getting to know her patrons.  She took an extra few minuet to play with the kids before she left.  Cladd watched her laugh and dance and there was no denying he wanted her.  He felt this pull to be a very strange, very final feeling.  The sunlight danced off her hair making it look a little blond and sometimes he saw a shimmer of white, but he was sure that was just the sunlight playing tricks. She was so genuine with her feelings, it seemed, about everything.  Inside his head he heard a voice that wasn’t really his “We will die for her.  She is ours.” It was just the faintest whisper, but he definitely heard it.  As she skipped up to him ready to walk back to the market he agreed with this voice.  He would die for her and he will not let her go.  He offered her his hand, and she took it like she had done that same move a million times even though it was only the second time and they left.

During the two-hour walk back to the market they talked about a lot of things. She had 5 siblings and he had none. She was interested in learning to swing a sword or defend herself in some way.  They agreed that she could learn the sling shot first.  It was the easiest to carry around without getting noticed.  He never let her hand go and she never pulled it away.  They laughed at the same things; it was like they were made for each other. 

He walked her back to the seamstress and left her at the door.  It was all his power to leave her, he wanted to kiss her, but he did not want to push anything too fast.  He had never kissed a girl, but he could daydream about kissing her. He was doing just that as he walked back into the castle.

“Where have you been all day?” His Mother asked both relieved and angry.

“I walked a young lady for a delivery out of the market.  They were fearful for her as she is new here, so I volunteered.”  He knew his Mother most likely already knew that.

“Oh, I see.  What is her name?” His mother had short curly blond hair and small blue eyes.  Her husband had died just before she found him, and she never wanted to marry again.

“Angela” Cladd said and had to hold in the sigh because saying her name made him so happy.

“Annnngelaaaaaa” his Mother made fun of him with a sigh saying her name and then smiled brightly at him.  He could tell she was excited at the prospects of a woman in his life.

“Mother, it’s not like that. She just needed my help.” His voice did not carry the usual annoyed undertone and his mother knew she had to meet this Angela and invite her straight away for lunch.