Magical Encounters

Chapter 4

"You can't be serious?" Clara stared at Nathan incredulously.

It was her first day as his bodyguard, though nobody else knew this.

The King and Queen both agreed that a young girl would seem strange protection for anyone, let alone the prince and telling people about her magic was out of the question.

And so Clara was to pose as his chief maidservant, also a good excuse to follow him around everywhere.

Of course to look like a maidservant, she'd actually have to clean for him,which was how she ended up waist deep in dirty laundry.

"You can't really expect me to wash this!" Clara grimaced as a particularly stinky piece of clothing landed on her face.

"Why not?" he asked "After all it is your job"

Clara scowled at him, "No, my job is to make sure you're safe, not to clean up after you!"

He shrugged, "Whatever". He started to walk towards the door. "Now where are you going ?" Clara asked, exasperation clear in her voice.

"Sword practice"

"Oh, okay", she trotted over to him.

"Where do you think your going?" he asked

"To your sword practice, obviously"

"Oh no" ,he shook his head, "No, no, no, you are not going anywhere with me"

She rolled her eyes  "You realise that I do need to be present in order to protect you?"

"I do not require protection from anyone least of all you," He said harshly. Nathan figured this would be the time she'd be so hurt that she would go running to his parents to free her from her duties.

"Of course you do not my Lord," she said, her tone clearly stating she believed otherwise, "But the King and Queen seem to believe you do and who am I to argue? Shall we go now?"

Nathan gritted his teeth and stalked out the door, Clara trailing behind him with a small smirk on her face.

Clara was bored. The knights had been practicing with Nathan for over an hour. There was nothing to do but watch him fight.

She had to admit, he was good but it was still nice to know that in a fight she could beat him silly in a few seconds. Unless you're taken b surprise or incapacitated that is.

Loitering around the field, she was careful to make herself look busy. Dodging work was her area of expertise.

Afterall, she mused, if her actual job was to protect Nathan- she could never bring herself to call him 'His Majesty', even in her head- then she needn't really do anything else, need she?

Directly across her stood two knights duelling so fiercely with long swords, she was not completely sure they were practicing.

A tall man with flaxen locks, Sir Lancelot cut a handsome figure as he gracefully parried the thrusts of his fellow knight, Sir Percival. Sir Percival was a man of average height with fiery red hair.

"Good aren't they?"

Startled, Clara turned towards the accented voice.

Sitting on a flat rock, facing Clara, was a young boy a few years older than her.

He had straight, jet black hair that reached his shoulders. He was lanky and even sitting looked quite tall.

With his big, black eyes and colouring, it was at once obvious to Clara that he was foreign.

"Yes, they are" Clara eyed him curiously, "I'm Clara"

"Farid," he replied, "That man over there? He is my father." He pointed towards a tall Knight with the same jet black hair as he, quietly sharpening his sword.

She plopped down beside him on the flat rock.

"Sir Safir is your father?" She asked, "I guessed as much."

"You know of him?" He asked, surprise evident in his tone.

"Of course, I doubt there is anyone who does not know of one of the only two Saracen Knights in Camelot."

"Ex-Saracen," He corrected.

"Yes, of course," She was silent for a moment.

He twisted a blade of grass in his hand, staring into space, "Would not the prince prefer you to be working rather than talking?"

Shrugging she replied, "He doesn't need me at the moment." She turned to him, "So tell me...how exactly did a Saracen knight and his son join King Arthur and his band?'

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curiousity I suppose."

"Alright," he said, crossing and uncrossing his long legs, "I may as well tell you."

Then he began: