Forget About Me (Knight!Tom AU)

Forget About Me (6)

Her boots crunched against the rocks on the road as she stepped out of the carriage with ease. Tom's head whipped towards her as she pulled her bow up, aiming at the man who was settled in front of the group of raggedy men.

"Oh look, John, I think that little girl wants to shoot you," his right-hand man chuckled, winking at the princess in the process. The large man

"It would be such a shame to ruin that pretty face with my blade," John snickered back, looking at Adaline like she was a piece of meat which made Tom's stomach churn.

"Adaline, please get inside the carriage," Tom said calmly, gesturing her back towards the door she came out of.

"Not a chance," she retorted, making Tom's brown eyes narrow. She rolled her eyes as she caught his glare. "Don't look at me like that, you should know by now that I am not afraid of a fight," she responded to his facial expression before he sighed and turned back to the robbers they were facing, drawing out his sword.

The two footmen had swords as well, which they pulled form their sheaths, following Tom's example. The odds were fifteen to four, not great for the princess and the knight, but it would have to do.

One man in particular came charging towards the carriage, eliciting an arrow to the chest from Adaline. With his death, the other men came barreling towards them, turning the once calm country road into a blood bath. Adaline shot four men in succession, each of their blood spattering on her once fair blue dress. Tom fought off three men at once, dodging their swings and countering with his own sword, hitting each of them in the gut, spilling their insides onto the gravel. They were obviously outnumbered, but even more obviously underestimated. Adaline watched as Tom defended the carriage...or was he defending her? Either way, she was more than impressed as they fought side by side. It was almost thrilling for Adaline until she saw one of her footmen decapitated at her feet. Her eyes were wide, and her body was frozen in shock. His blood spewed from his arteries for a few moments before stopping and the man who held the sword responsible was laughing at her ghostly expression. It was their leader, John.

"Don't worry darling, I'll make it quick," he hiccupped, taking one stomp towards her, the blood of her footman dripping down onto the ground from his blade as he stepped over his lifeless body. The other footman ran forward, to place himself in front of the blade that was now swinging down towards the princess. The metal slashed through his shoulder, his arm falling to the wayside next to his fallen comrade. His screams were curdling as they mixed with the moans of their enemies that also scattered across the ground. She watched him fall to the ground before the final blow was taken, his head now rolling away from his body.

This is where she realized that she was different from her parents. Being trained to kill is one thing entirely, but seeing people she knew being slaughtered in front of her...she didn't know if she could bare it.

All the other men were dead, Tom's body the only one left standing in the center of the valley of death. He watched in slow motion as the footman fell and Adaline was still just standing there, her bow resting against her hip as he watched what would most certainly be her last moments unfold in front of her. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and the blood of his fallen victims was dripping down his soaked clothing and armor. His feet reacted before his mind could process what was about to happen and his sword flew forward, impaling the man onto the side of the carriage. Adaline fell back in shock, but she was uninjured. John's body went limp against the vehicle, soon falling to the ground when Tom approached, pulling the sword from his chest and placing it back in his sheath.

"Princess," Tom reached forward, taking her hand in his and pulled her to her feet. There was blood splattered across her face and body. Her eyes were still wide as if she'd been frozen. Sure, she'd seen dead people before, but she had never watched them be killed, let alone at her feet. "Princess, we must go," Tom's voice was like a breath of fresh air and her head turned, looking over the scene in front of her. They had even killed the horses whose bodies laid at the front of the vehicle, still attached to their harnesses and settled in a pool of red.

Tom unpinned the veil from his face and he used it to wipe her cheeks delicately, streaks of blood disappearing against the black fabric. She tried not to think about what was staining her skin, but it wasn't easy. She had felt their blood become spattered on her as they were killed two feet in front of her. He threw the cloth into the bushes before turning back to the carriage.

There was no way for them to travel but on foot and if they didn't keep moving, they'd be sitting ducks for other thieves that roamed the forest.

She reached inside the carriage, grabbing the rest of her arrows as well as some food and what little she could carry in a makeshift bag Tom had crafted from a shirt of one of their footmen.

They disappeared into the thickness of the trees that lined the country road, the mid-day sun only shining down in small ropes through the canopy. She followed Tom, keeping her eyes along the far reaches of the forest so she could see any potential danger before it saw them.

She watched him as he walked next to her. His hair was falling over his uncovered face, dried blood running down the sides of his cheeks, but somehow he still looked kind. Her thoughts traveled back to the road, watching him fight for her in her mind's eye. Regardless of what she had just seen, she felt calm.

She had never felt this feeling before, but she pushed it as far back in her mind as it would go. This was no time to be selfish when her father was being held captive or even dead and her kingdom was counting on her union to Prince Sam.

But...

She argued with herself as she continued to walk next to the brave knight.

They had to head in their original direction, for the Northern Kingdom, but now, it would take at least a week for them to reach their destination since they were now are on foot so she had to endure this mental torture for a prolonged period, but if also crossed her mind that Tom had no idea of her confliction. He was only doing his job and knew nothing about her feelings for him.

They walked in silence for a long while. Tom didn't know what to say. He had seen the battlefield and was almost used to what it brought, but how could he comfort someone after seeing all that for the first time?

"You," he started after deafening silence, but hesitated as if deciding where he wanted to go with his thoughts. "You did really well back there. You're an excellent shot," his voice was shaky, hoping that his words came out as a compliment like he intended.

She smiled at him half-heartedly, his voice alone bringing her comfort. She knew she was a great shot and shooting arrows at enemies is what she always trained for. "Thank you," she said as she continued to walk alongside him, over tree roots and between bushes. He held out his hand when needed, making sure she didn't trip over the rough terrain.

Once the pathway was relatively clear, Tom went ahead a few paces, making sure that if they ran into any trouble, he would intercept it first. After all, his job was to get her to their destination safe, not to fall in love with her, but not everything is planned.

As he got a bit further away, Adaline panicked.

"Tom," she squeaked out, causing the knight to freeze, turning back and looking at her with those deep brown eyes. He didn't even ask what was wrong, he only slowed his pace to let her catch up. Even if he didn't know what to say, he knew that she did not need to be alone in that moment.

The sun was traveling across the sky at a snail's pace, but eventually, the sky turned a dark periwinkle and walking through the forest would soon be too dangerous.

They had hiked for about four hours until they stumbled upon a creek. Tom bent down, washing the dried blood off his hands before using them to drink from the fresh water.

Adaline followed his example, drinking slowly from her hands as her eyes glanced up, catching Tom's reflection in the water. Her mind was tired from fighting with herself over whether or not her new feelings were justified but, justified or not, they were there and she was in trouble.

"I think its best that we camp out here tonight. We need to be near a body of water and I'm not sure where there is another one," Tom said, pointing out a spot underneath a large tree that was only a few meters from the creek.

The area was covered well with trees and seemed safe enough to spend the night before they had to continue their journey in the morning.