His Girl Knight novel Chapter 2

"I'm... Fine," he manages to say.

Helping him up I reply, "How did you know I was going to be here?"

"I figured you wouldn't be able to sleep so I thought that maybe you would want some company."

Caleb and I have been best friends for as long as we can remember. He lives in a nice house that has a farm just down the road from us. Our parents are convinced that someday we'll marry and live to be old together. I think differently. I promised myself that I would never let love get in the way of my dreams.

"I also brought you something," Caleb says.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. I open it carefully and pull out a necklace. There is a little silver arrow attached to a thin chain. I look closely at it and see my name engraved in the arrow. I finger the delicate chain and gasp in surprise.

"This is beautiful," I whisper.

"Just like you," I hear him say.

At this I turn towards him and start to say in a warning voice, "Caleb-,"

"I know," He cuts me off. "You will never fall in love and marry. But just think about how great we would be together-"

"No," I reply firmly. "You can't think like this Caleb."

He sighs and gives me a quick hug before saying, "Go and show them who you are. Be strong and fierce like the Iris I know. I'm proud of you." With this he turned and walked away.

Tears start running down my face as I finally break. I sit down and lean against the trunk of a tree. Finally able to control myself, I get up and head back to the house. Once I'm back in bed, I fall asleep quickly.

The next day, I begin to pack up my belongings. In only a day, I'll be leaving. My mother sits next to me, silent as she helps me.

"I'm scared," I suddenly say without thinking.

She stops what she's doing and takes my hands into hers. "You are a strong and brave girl. Nothing has ever gotten in your way before so don't let this. I believe in you and your abilities."

Suddenly, the tears start again. My mother holds me and comforts me for a while. I really need to learn to control my emotions. There is no way that I'm going to prove the prince that he's right.

That afternoon, I head outside to go train. When I get there, Caleb is standing already ready to fight with me. I grab my sword and as he makes the first move, I respond quickly. Letting the my instincts take over, I duck and step with the sound of swords clashing together. When I manage to get his sword and pin him, he raises his arms in surrender. "Okay okay," he says. "You win." Grinning I hand him his sword and step back.

"I'm going to miss you," I say.

Then he turns and leaves me to my own thoughts.

Today is the day that I am leaving. I stare out the window as I watch the servants pack the carriage. Inside, my heart is beating fast, and thoughts are running through my head. Rummaging through my closet, I cannot decide what to wear. I've never really cared about what to wear, but today I'm fretting over everything. Should I wear a nicer dress because I am a lady entering the prince's presence, or should I dress like those who will be around me in breeches and a white shirt? I decide to go with the nicer dress. It is a deep blue with white stitching. My mother made it for me.

As I walk throughout the house, looking at things so that I remember them, I begin to regret my decision. The laces of my corset begin to feel too tight and I don't like being unable to move in case I were to be attacked.

Outside, my mother and I exchange tearful goodbyes. I know I said goodbye to Caleb yesterday, but I still can't help but feel disappointed that he's not here. Instinctively, my fingers clutch the necklace around my neck. Finally, I say goodbye to my father. He hugs me tightly and whispers in my ear, "I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper back.

As I step into the carriage, I can't look back at my family for I fear that I will lose it and change my mind.

After only an hour or two, I get bored. My mother gave me some embroidery to work on, but I've never liked doing it. It just cramps up my neck and makes my fingers and eyes tired. Instead, my fingers play with the arrow on my necklace as I stare out the window, trying to take my mind off of how nervous I am. Finally, I stop the carriage so that I can get out and stretch my legs.

As I'm walking around, I suddenly hear an arrow whiz past me. I then hear a sickening thunk as it lands in the driver's chest. Immediately I take action. I grab one of the horses as quickly as possible and begin riding away, praying that the bandits don't have that great of aim.

After riding for about an hour, I stop and look back. It doesn't seem as if anyone tried to pursue me. I lead my horse over to the stream and give him a drink. Then I continue on my way. Unfortunately for me, the journey takes about two days. Why do we live so far away?