Camelot

Chapter One

Otto wiped the dirt and grime from his face with a gloved hand. He and a hunting party had been out stalking boar for nearly three hours. Fate be it that they should head back to the castle with three decently sized males that would make for a beautiful banquet dinner. They had been hunting with bows and although Otto was a good shot, he still had a few stray arrows to retrieve. After he pulled one buried in the trunk of a ash tree he resaddled his horse that Castellan had been holding the reins of for him. Together, and with the rest of their hunting party, they made their way back to the castle to wash up and get some rest. Otto always liked to take a short gander through the market inside the outer wall and so as the rest of the party headed straight through the three sets of gates, Otto and Castellan turned towards the market streets. They had only passed a handful of shops when Otto spotted someone familiar. He smiled to himself before calling out, "And why exactly would my little sister have ditched her guards to hang out in the streets by herself?" He sidled up to Viola and forced her to stop walking the way she was going.

Viola halted "Ditched the guards? Of course not, that's a silly notion. I must have lost them back in the square," she laughed dryly, "you know me, can never stay in one place." In actuality, she hadn't left the castle with any guards. They were too strict about where she could and couldn't go. It was nice to stroll at her own pace for once, without someone's eyes boring into her back. The whole ordeal of leaving the castle was mad too, having to get in a carriage and have villagers gawk at her, try to grab her hand, or ask for blessings. It was easier to throw on a robe and pass as a commoner. Viola had even taken a maid's uniform for this occasion, which she tried to hide to avoid suspicion. "Do you mind if I ride back to the castle with you? It would be the safest option, my guards must be worried sick."

"Of course you may." Otto held out an arm for Viola to use to get into the saddle. Once she was settled, he urged his horse onward at a leisurely pace. Otto knew his sister was lying, he knew her too well, but he had to play the good big brother. "Make sure you find your guards when we get back to the castle so that they all know you've returned safe and sound. And, I like your dress."

Castellan staggered slightly behind Otto's horse, staying close but trying to give the two privacy; not that he still wasn't going to strain his ears for their conversation. He smiled at their backs but refrained from making a noise at Otto's compliment of Viola's servant's dress. He loved when Otto talked that way.

Viola flushed. "This old thing? Funny story, I was eating breakfast this morning and spilled some on my gown. Of course, I didn't want to make a scene, and all of the others require a bit of help to put on. I thought it would be best to put on something simple, and this was all we had lying around." She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "How was your hunting trip? Did you have any success?" Viola prompted, changing the topic, "I hope you catch another elk sometime, their meat is always delicious."

Absolute bullshit. Otto kept his thoughts to himself though. He understood a bit of what she was going through and he knew how much he loved visiting the market when he was younger. Luckily for him, he was allowed to ditch his guards since his mother always went with him. He made a mental note to bring Viola out some days when it could be just the two of them. He shook out his thoughts, "It was alright. We spent three hours out there and only got three boar but that's better than spending hours out there and coming back with nothing but a sour mood. I'm still not the archer I want to be but definitely improving." Otto glanced back at Castellan who was riding with his head down. "And Cas here even took a few shots with my bow." He smiled his deep dimple smile as they turned into one of the gates that led deeper into the castle grounds. "I can't make any promises about an elk right now, there hasn't been any sign of one around our hunting grounds for weeks. But when we come across one, I'll keep you in mind." They were nearing the royal stables but Otto was in no rush to ditch his company so he kept their pace slow.

Viola looked briefly at Castellan as Otto mentioned him. She had never learned much about him, although sometimes she wished she did. Viola turned back to Otto, "Do you think you could teach me to shoot sometime? I know it's not considered ladylike and Beatrice would probably be upset with me, but it's such a valuable skill to have." Her sister definitely wouldn't like the idea; she was always about making sure Viola acted prim and proper, never allowing her to experience things outside of the role of a princess. Undenounced to Beatrice, Viola had taught herself several skills her sister would deem unsuitable. One more to add to the list couldn't hurt, this one being the least suspicious. "You don't have to tell her; she doesn't need to know. I doubt she would even notice with the way she's always stuck in the study reading, doing lessons. We could go out one morning when the weather permits; it could be fun." She smiled, picturing them out in the woods. It would do her good to get out and forget her role and responsibilities for a time.

Otto's face beamed with excitement. "Absolutely. Teaching you to shoot would help me tone my own skills too. And you've got to know by now that I do not give a fuck about what's ladylike or not. If Bea ever gives you shit just tell her that I taught you readily and she can bring it up with me." Their short trip finally came to an end as they rode up to the stables and Otto dismounted. He held out a hand for Viola to get down; he knew she did not need it but he offered it anyway. "So, off to talk to your guards now I presume?" He maintained eye contact and a smug smile.

Viola's eyes widened, "Mhm. Yup, going to find them. They'll want to know where I was-" she realized that was probably the wrong thing to say, "or rather where I went in the square. Hah." She plastered a false smile across her face. "Thank you for your offer; I'm gonna go now." Viola sped off, keeping her robe closed. Stupid! You need to be more careful! She groaned internally. Avoiding the staff, she made her way up to her room and quietly shut the door. Viola opened her closet and picked out a violet, long-sleeved dress with a neckline that reached her collarbone. She shrugged off the robe and maid outfit, then carefully put on the new one. She shoved the old one under a chair beside her bed, making sure to keep it completely hidden from sight. She replaced her boots with soft leather shoes, putting the boots to the side as well. Those could be excused. Ensuring everything was in its place, Viola dusted herself off and left the room, making her way to the study.

Otto shook his head and smiled at the ground as his sister walked away in a hurry. She reminded him so much of himself when he were younger. He turned to Castellan who had already finished untacking the horses. "Well, I'm exhausted. Back to my chambers then?" Otto did not wait for a response as he turned on his heel and dramatically strutted towards the castle doors.

Castellan loved being privy to the royal families drama. It was not like he had any one to share the gossip with but the fact that he got to overhear things he shouldn't just made his life a little more exciting. He also really liked Viola. He thought that if they ever got to know each other they might just make good friends. Unfortunately Otto did not spend a whole lot of time with just Viola. If they ever hung out, Beatrice was usually there too and Castellan got the feeling Beatrice was none to pleased with his presence. But, who knows, he could be entirely wrong. Castellan rolled his eyes at Otto as he walked away. 'I'm exhausted' did not usually mean going to sleep in Otto's book. In actuality, they were going to both go lie in Otto's bed and talk until someone summoned Otto for some princely activity or another.