I looked at her for a moment, with her perfect blonde hair, fair skin, and shimmering silk gown.  She seemed the absolute opposite of me, and yet she was one of the kindest people I’d ever met.

“Why are you being nice to me?”  I asked abruptly.  “Why are you trying to figure out how to make me happy, whether with learning what I want or with clothes I might like, instead of attempting to force me like Olwen?”

Genevieve seemed surprised this question, but turned thoughtful immediately.  “For one thing, I don’t think it would work to try to force you.  You seem to be a person of strong convictions and I strongly doubt most people could force you to do anything.”  She delicately ignored the part about Arthur forcing me to come here, although of course she wasn’t aware that I could actually have stopped him.

“But it’s more than that.  Initially, I assumed you’d be a rather simple girl, potentially scared after being uprooted like this, but you’re far from that.  You’re educated, intelligent, and quick-witted.  You don’t fear the unknown and you aren’t intimidated by things or people that, quite honestly, would scare me.  I can’t imagine being brought to a place like this if I had no familiarity with it, and yet you’ve taken it all in stride and won’t let anyone intimidate you.  I admire you,” she admitted.  “I know when I formally step into the role of queen and start to show people that they can’t ignore my authority simply because I am a woman, there will be times I must have a backbone like yours.  I must not let anyone intimidate me or sway me.  I’m not used to that personally, but I know I’ll have to do it when the time comes.  And I think I will try to mimic you when I do.”

I was startled by this.  I wasn’t used to people praising me – it wasn’t like my mother didn’t, but it was different than someone like Genevieve, who seemed so beautiful and perfect, to tell me she was going to try to be like me.

“And of course, I also understand that you aren’t here willingly, and I remember a time when I was your age and trying to find who I was.  You already seem quite confident in who you are.”

In a way, yes.  In most areas, I was, but I wasn’t entirely sure what my future was, even if I wasn’t about to admit that.  My mother had stressed it several times, that I was free to pick any future I wanted, but I’d always assumed my future would be there, in the ancient woods, as it had been for my younger years.

The vision I’d had made me second-guess that, but it didn’t make me feel scared of the future, just that now I had to figure that out.

“I want you to be happy here,” she told me simply.  “I know you’re not here by choice, and I am, as Arthur’s betrothed, responsible in part for your care here.  If I can make your life better, I think it’ll be best for everyone.”  She paused, a kind of far-away expression coming across her face.  “Plus, there’s something about you.  Something I can’t explain, but you’re compelling.  Maybe it’s just your confidence, but I can’t help feeling that having you on our side would be far better than not.”

Two paths.  On one, treachery and deception.  A tyrant sat on the throne and the people starved.  Rebellion, a new ruler rises.  But the country is weakened, and another comes to rule.  The country is never free again.

On the other, the country rises strong.  Other countries kneel, and the entire land is united under a single banner.  A kingdom line established, lasting for ages.  Peace and prosperity.

I blinked away the vestiges of the vision.  Well then, yet another vision, and this time I couldn’t ignore what it was implying.

For some reason, it seemed fairly evident that magic was telling me that my future was here.  In Camelot.  Helping Arthur, of all things.  I wasn’t sure why, and I wasn’t happy about it, but one can’t argue with fate.  It looked as if there was some sort of event coming, something where I was needed, and which could result in very different outcomes otherwise.

In that case, I might as well make the best of things.  At least Genevieve was trying to offer me the best option possible here, and I could work with that.  I could figure out how to make life here in Camelot – for however long I had to stay to prevent this event – something that I enjoyed instead of a prison in a stone box.

I might not be happy with the way my future was laid out, but I’d find a way to change that.  I’d find a way to make Camelot home while I was here, even if I still hated the king.

~~~~~

I paused, looking down at the fluffy cat in front of me, considering.  Humans had pets, didn’t they?  Dogs?  They usually welcomed cats as pest control, but some kept them as pets, as the kitchen staff demonstrated.  So…I could have a pet.

Nodding firmly to myself, I scooped up the cat and carried her off to my room, setting her down on the bed.

“I’ll make you paths,” I told her as she sniffed around.  “Magical portals you can use to get through the castle quickly and return here.”

She turned to look at me and offered a “mew?” in response.

I reached out and gently petted the cat’s head, pleased at my new friend.  “I suppose I should give you a name.”  I frowned.  “Gilly,” I decided.  “I’m going to call you Gilly.”

Gilly seemed happy enough with this name and with my impromptu adopting of her, calmly climbing into my lap for more pettings.

I was delighted with this and continued to pet her, explaining that I would give her food even if she didn’t hunt, and this room was now her home, as long as she wanted it.  Of course I wouldn’t force her to stay if she didn’t want it – I would never do that to an animal unless they were injured and I needed them to stay while I cared for them – but thankfully she seemed satisfied with my accommodations.

Next step, after adopting a cat, was to make the room feel more home.  The cold stone walls didn’t achieve that, so after Gilly fell asleep, I set off to achieve my second goal.

Johfrit found me later and immediately started his lecture.

“What are you doing, playing in the garden – ?”  His words cut off as he spotted what I was doing, speechless in shock.

I patted the dirt in the pot I’d obtained, pleased.  “I took dirt from several areas, so it’s not obvious,” I informed him.  “No one will notice, don’t worry.”

“Is that – is that a spoon?”  His voice rose to almost a screech as he spotted what I’d been digging with.

I eyed him as I picked up the offending object and held it out for him, letting him practically snatch it from my fingers.  “I needed something to dig with and there were plenty of spoons.  I didn’t hurt it, don’t worry.”

His face was red with something between rage and disbelief, still almost speechless.

However, that changed when I stood up and grabbed the pot.  “I guess that means you’ll take the spoon back for me?”

He stuck the spoon in his belt and quickly snatched the pot from me, startling me with his suddenness.  “You – what ever are you doing?”  He seethed.  “Trying to bring dirt into the castle?  This is utterly ridiculous.  You cannot – ”

“Johfrit,” I cut him off coldly, my tone icy and my eyes narrowed.  “Never take things from me.  I only allow people to take what’s mine if they need it.  And you do not need either my dirt or my pot.”  I reached out and took it from him.  He attempted to stop me, but his grip on the pot was not enough to stop me, which clearly startled him.

He shook it off, though.  “The pot – ” he started to say.

“Was discarded.  I asked before I took it, don’t worry.  I repaired it and now it’s mine.”  I held the pot easily, despite the weight, looking back up at him fearlessly.  “And like I said, I took the dirt from various places so no one could ever tell the garden was disturbed.  Look now if you like, you’ll find no evidence of anything being taken.  You don’t need the dirt or the pot.  You can’t have them.  They’re mine now.”

He practically trembled with rage.  “You cannot bring this into the castle,” he hissed.

“Why?”  I demanded.  “I won’t make a mess for anyone else to clean up and I won’t disturb anyone.”  I eyed him.  “I already told the servants that I will tend to my room myself.  I don’t want them to clean it, I will handle it.  If I bring dirt in there, first of all, it’s in a pot, it won’t be a mess, but second, it won’t disturb anyone.  So what are your complaints?”  I raised an eyebrow.  “Just that I am doing this on my own, and a gardener is not?  I’m not helpless.  I can handle things on my own.”

I started to walk off, when he made a motion to stop me.  I turned, my hands still holding onto the large pot as I looked over my shoulder at him, and gave him a warning look.  “Never try to take what’s mine again.  And don’t put your hands on me.  You won’t like the results.”

I left the defeated and still speechless Johfrit, returning to my room where I carefully took an injured sapling I’d found and planted it in the pot.  It was going to need some care to recover and it couldn’t stay in a pot forever, but for now, I could help it survive while also adding some plant life to my room, something that felt sorely missing after going from a life in the forest to a life in a castle.

Gilly was curious about the sapling, but when I informed her that she shouldn’t eat it, she obediently left it alone.

A benefit to being what I was.  Animals not only realized I was dangerous, they listened when I gave them orders.  Gilly might not view me as a predator – cats did tend to be more curious about Arcane than afraid of us – but she did know I was boss and that she had to go along with what I said.