Escape to Ealdor (A BBC Merlin (Percival) Fanfic by DFBLover)

Escape to Ealdor

Princess Jessica fell asleep in the prison cell which she has now called home for a week. She woke suddenly after hearing the clanging of keys on her cell door. Her brother, King Arthur, was standing next to the so-called mattress that was her bed and started talking to her.

"I'm sorry Jess, but since you've been consorting with Mordred, I have no choice but to sentence you to death in two days."

"Arthur you can't! He captured me and violated me without consent! He should be the one that's being punished, not me!"

"I'm sorry Jessica. I really am," he said and left his sister's cell. The seventeen-year-old princess sobbed until she could cry no longer. she tried to sleep but her dreams were plagued by nightmares. 

**********

The princess spent the next day waiting for someone to save her. Night time came and by that time, no one had rescued her. As she was lying on her makeshift bed, she heard Sir Lancelot and Sir Gwaine talking to the knights guarding her cell. After around fifteen minutes, Lancelot opened the cell door.

"Pack your bags princess. We're busting you out of here," said Gwaine with his thick Irish accent. A smile spread across Jessica's face and rushed out of the cell with Lancelot whilst Gwaine stayed to create a diversion if necessary. Lancelot led her to Sir Leon, who then continued to lead her to a door. When Leon opened the said door that led into the woods, Jessica saw Sir Percival and two horses, both being loaded with supplies.

"I bid you farewell, my Lady, and I hope that one day, you and I will meet again in Camelot."

"I hope that by that time, Arthur changes his mind about the laws against magic. If he had, I wouldn't be running away. After all, it wasn't my fault that Mordred took me into his bed without my consent and that of his wife. Thank you Leon," she said, whilst kissing the knight on the cheek and mounted her horse.

"Tell Arthur that I went to visit my family in Howden and that I'll be staying for a long time," said Percival, who in turn, mounted his own horse. Leon turned back and returned to the castle. "Are you ready to go Jessica?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Where are we going anyway?"

"Ealdor."

**********

The princess and the knight kept riding until midday of the following day. they went to was in the river and ate some bread and cheese which the four knights had saved from their own dinners in order to rescue Jessica. After hearing this, Jessica felt guilty for being the cause of their hunger but Percival replied that it was all for the greater good. 

They kept on riding until nightfall, the point at which they were exhausted. They lit a fire and laid out their sleeping things. After thanking Percival for coming with her and defying Arthur in order to do so, the knight asked her what had happened when Mordred took her. She couldn't answer and tears started to flow. He embraced her and told her that no harm could come to her now. She nodded and laid down on the forest floor to get some sleep.

Percival lay down tree feet away from the girl and looked at her for a good thirty minutes. He wondered how someone could damage someone that beautiful. He drove his feelings out by thinking that she probably was in love with someone else and that she could never see anything in someone like him.

**********

The following morning, the pair continued their journey. By sunset, they reached their destination and Jessica was desperate to fins someone called Alice, who she had known ever since she was a child. After asking a man for directions, she went to a hut with several chickens running around the front door. When Percival knocked, a girl that looked slightly older than the princess opened it. "Jessica!" the girl exclaimed and invited them into her home.

The girl introduced herself to Percival and the three sat down. Jessica told her story to her childhood friend and the girl was surprised that the king would dare to keep his sister in the cells for a week. Alice told Percival how she came to meet Jessica and in turn, he was surprised to discover that the girl was only eighteen and had no family, just like him. When the pair asked if they could stay at Alice's place, just until they could get a place of their own, Alice agreed immediately.

"I've only got two beds. Would you like to share because I can sleep on the floor if you wouldn't want to?"

"I'm not having you sleep on the floor Alice. Not after you were kind enough to let me and Percival stay. We can share, right Perce?" 

"That's right. I'll get our supplies from the horses."

When Percival walked out of the door rather hurriedly, Alice giggled. "Did you see his face when I told you that you guys had to share? He was as red as a tomato! Looks like someone's caught his eye," she said, nudging the princess.

"Come off it Alice. He's probably got his eye on a girl back home. There's no way that he can ever like me. I was born to royalty and he was born in a farming village. It's against the law."

"But he's a knight of Camelot so that kind of classifies as royalty or nobility. How can a man not go crazy after your beauty?"

"He was one of my brother's most trusted knights Alice. Arthur probably threatened every one of them not to look at me."

**********

Jessica woke up screaming. She still hadn't got used to the fact that she and Percival were shared so when she screamed, he woke up too. Sweat poured out onto the girl's skin and the knight sang to her until she calmed down. Her head was on his bare chest and he stroked the princess's hair. "You're safe Jess. I'm here." Jessica muttered words of thanks and drifted into sleep again. 

Eventually, Jessica and her knight in shining armour (A/N: No pun intended) returned to Camelot, as soon as her brother was seriously injured in a battle against Morgana and Mordred. When Arthur was on his deathbed and Jessica was at his side, he begged him to forgive her. The princess took his hand and told him that she had already forgiven him, many years before. Arthur's soul left him and Jessica Pendragon became the Queen of Camelot, since Arthur did not leave an heir. Jessica married Percival at the age of twenty-five and they reigned together, extending the Pendragon line for many years after. 

The End