The Lady Knight

Each step towards the frozen lake felt like a march towards the gateways of hell itself. I could hear every crunch my boots made against the snow, every sharp breath I inhaled and exhaled with astonishing clarity and foreboding.

My grip on my skates tightened.

The lake outside Roche Manor was not as large as Bordeux Lake, and I was very much afraid that it would not be able to support thirteen, heavy people. However, I knew that I would still be afraid even if we were skating on lakes bigger than Bordeux Lake.

The lake was a peaceful haven that was hidden among a circle of ash trees with long, weeping fronds. Lady Rosanna had forbidden to cut down these to preserve the utter beauty and tranquillity of the place. The majestic Sun and its orange rays were reflected on the rugged surface of the ice, glittering and gleaming in the fading light.

It was a lovely place. Lovely, and yet so deadly.

I plopped down on the snow beside Kat and Lisa, and struggled to put on the pair of borrowed skates that Lady Rosanna had only been toohappy to allow me to borrow.

"I still cannot believe he would ask me to come skating. Skating," I muttered angrily, tugging the laces, "the insipid, idiotic, infuriating – "

"– insensitive baboon," Kat finished for me impishly.

Lisa rolled her eyes at the both of us. "Scolding him is going to get you nowhere," she reminded me, "and have we not already established that you are mainly doing this for yourself – to get rid of your fear?"

"Yes, but he is a significant reason too," Kat shrugged, standing up, "come now, poppet."

I placed my hand in hers and heaved myself upright, wobbling a little as I did so.

"Easy, easy," she cautioned, "it has been a while since you have skated. Take it slow." With that, she and Lisa took both my hands and led me onto the dreaded ice.

The moment the blades on the skates made contact with the ice, I almost staggered.

"Jules, it is all right. You are safe. We are here. Deep breaths," Lisa whispered in my ear, "come now. Move along." She proceeded to pull me very, very slowly.

I looked down at the glittering, white ice, trembling badly. "I feel so ashamed," I muttered with frustration, "I am a Knight, and yet, I still fear the ice like a four-year old."

"Dare not be ashamed," Kat's expression hardened, "if I were you, I would have fled this duchy by now. Distract yourself. Look, there is the Crown Prince."

She pointed to the other end of the lake, where Nick, Ned, Evoric and Tess were racing each other at high speeds.

Nick seemed to be winning, as the cold wind whipped his already dishevelled hair into a curly mess on top of his head. He was laughing loudly at his slower competitors, much to their aggravation, as his speed steadily increased, until he became a grey blur.

Please do not allow the ice to crack, please do not allow the ice to crack, I silently begged, as my heart thudded against my ribcage in white hot fear not for myself, but for him.

"See? Skating is not so terrible, is it? Would you like to go a little faster?" Lisa observed kindly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at my best friends, and took a deep breath. I knew that we were skating slower than a grandmother's pace, and I did not want them to have a bad time merely due to my ridiculous fears.

"All right," I smiled a wobbly grin, "it is high time we sped up!"

***

Prince Nicholas

I skated in an arc, slowly building up momentum, before I heaved myself high up in the air. Time seemed to slow down considerably, as I viewed the rich green forests of Roche and feasted my eyes on the brilliant sunset. Before one second could end, I flipped myself twice in a somersault.

"Yahoo!" the shout of exhilaration left my lips, as I swiftly landed on my two feet.

The sound of applause sounded from behind me. "That was incredible, Your Royal Highness!" Tess looked impressed, as she skated towards me, "mayhap I will learn to do that when I am not wearing a gown." She scowled down at her attire.

I pretended to bow. "Why, thank you, my Lady," I gave her a quick smile, "mayhap you can borrow one of Julie's military uniforms one of these days, and I can teach you how to somersault in the air."

Her smile seemed to freeze on her face at the mention of Julie. "She is very possessive over her uniforms. I highly doubt that she would allow me to borrow them," she chuckled in amusement, before I could call her out for it, "in the meantime, you can try teaching her to somersault, since she is already properly attired."

Her ocean blue eyes twinkled strangely, as she gestured to Kat and Julie, who were circling the centre of the lake at a leisurely pace, followed closely by Evoric and Lisa.

My eyes widened in confusion. Julie?

What in the world was she doing here?

I had requested Tess to inform Julie that we were going skating after dinner, so that the latter would not worry when she found me and her Captains missing from the Manor.

Was she so concerned over my safety that she decided to come, and face her worst fear?

I felt Ned stiffen beside me at Tess's words. "You make me sick," he whispered, disgust filling his tone as he stared at her with hatred for the umpteenth time that evening, "you would do that to your own cousin sister?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Tess sounded rather hurt, her lips trembling slightly at his curt, harsh sounding answer.

"Ned, she probably does not know. There is no need to be so rude," I frowned at him, before turning to Tess, "my Lady, I cannot teach Julie to somersault, because she is not even fond of skating in the first place. Truth be told, I have no clue why she joined us on the ice today."

I sighed in bewilderment, and looked over at Julie, who was staring hard at her skates as she moved, her shoulders trembling.

"Well, I do," Ned snarled in the meanwhile, glaring straight at Tess, "she must have twisted and turned her words as usual, and forced Jules to come."

The air between Tess and Ned grew extremely frosty, to the point of discomfort for me.

"Dare not take that tone with me, Raymond Fourier!" her ocean blue eyes flashed with anger, "I did not force her to do anything! She chose to come out of her own will!"

"Well, she hardly had any choice but to come skating with us," he snapped, "especially when she knew you were going to be with him." He scowled fiercely at her.

I looked between them, frowning. "What are you both talking about?"

Before they could answer, a familiar, ear-splitting scream of pure agony shattered the somewhat peaceful silence of the evening, almost at once, the ice we were standing on began to tremble violently.

"Poppet, nay!" I heard Kat's shrill scream from across the lake.

***

Lady Therese De Beauharnais of Roche

"Poppet, nay!" Kat yelled loudly, her voice tinged with terror, "dare not move."

Lisa's astonished gasp followed soon after, and she was about to rush forward to aid her friends, before Evoric held her back, locking his arms firmly around her waist on instinct, daring not to move any further. He glanced back at the three of us, his gaze full of unspoken horror.

The Crown Prince went deadly pale beside me.

The three of us, frozen with shock, watched the ice around Jules, who had been skating slightly ahead of Kat, Lisa and Evoric, steadily crack outward, each crack sounding more frightening than the previous one.

Jules stood rooted to the spot, her usual cool expression worn down to reveal her vulnerability in this particular situation. Her pupils dilated in chilling fear, knowing well what would happen after this.

After all, this was hardly the first time.

Without hesitation, the Crown Prince began to skate towards the other end of the lake with all speed, followed closely behind by a tense Ned.

However, that very instant, the cracked ice on which Jules stood chose to give way, taking her with it into its icy depths with a loud splash.

To their credit, the both of them did not stop once. Their sole intention was to reach Jules and Kat before the ice broke further.

In the meanwhile, Kat had dropped down on her knees beside the gaping hole, and plunged a hand into the water, despite the fact that the slab of ice she was sprawled on was also starting to crack.

I huffed heavily, feeling my body tense up with cold dread. This was not supposed to happen. This was not part of the plan Mama had formed. The plan was only to manipulate Jules into skating on the ice, and torment her with a few antics - not for her to fall in!

It was true that I despised my cousin with everything I had, for all the pain and trouble she had caused me over the years. Not a single day had passed where I did not wish she were not who she was - daughter of the Lord President, darling of the King and Queen, with the freedom to be whom she wanted to be, to live as she wished to.

It was so unfair that she was able to live in a sheltered, precious bubble that was Bordeux, while I was forced to rot away in my own home for the last ten years in constant fear and paranoia.

Yet, I used to pride myself on the fact that I had something she never would - the Crown Prince's affections. He had once hated her as much as I still did. We had once been united on that front.

But the tables had turned this time - against me. And I hated her more for it. It was true. I would never deny that.

However, by God, I would never wish for her death, let alone plan for it. I was not so heartless. Despite everything, she was still family.

So who -

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the slender silhouette of a woman cleverly hidden among the ash trees, watching the scene unfold in front of her. She was holding a stone scraper, covered in frost and dripping with water, a manic smile gracing her cruel lips.

Mama.

I should have known she had something further up her sleeves. Her loathing of the Van Helsing family ran deeper than her issue with Jules, that extended to as far back as my late Tante Jeanne.

How she had managed to tamper with the ice was beyond me, but no way in hell was I going to allow her to succeed.

She had gone much too far this time.

***

The Lady Knight

By the Lord, I could not believe this was happening. Again.

"Everyone, leave the lake at once!" I heard Kat shout, her voice fading away as I sunk deeper and deeper.

Panic was beginning to choke me, as I struggled underwater to resurface. However, the ice above my head prevented me from doing so.

Damn, I was well and truly trapped under the ice, exactly as I had been seventeen years ago.

I vaguely sensed a hand plunging into the water to touch my beret, before it delved deeper to catch hold of my slippery hand.

"Hold on! Do you hear me? Dare not release my hand, poppet!"

My mind attempted to recognise the voice. Kat.

I attempted to grip her hand tightly. I truly did. However, the world was closing in on me too quickly, and I could not breathe –

Another panicking voice. "Harrington, leave at once! The ice is breaking!"

Tess.

I could faintly hear the cracking sounds somewhere above me -

"I will not leave her until she is out of the water, De Beauharnais, please fetch the Crown Prince! I cannot hold her for much longer. The ice will give way soon -"

Tess again. "Harrington, nay – "

Kat's terrified scream.

More ice broke, and the strength of the water waves overwhelmed me, tossing my entire body as if I were weightless, as I felt a few more chunks of floating ice hit me on the head.

By this time, I could no longer feel the pain. In fact, I could think of nothing else but the cold that was seeping into every crevice in my body, and the blackness that seemed to be insistent on closing in on me.

Was it possible to feel hot and cold at the same time? My lungs were burning with the need for air, but my extremities were almost frozen due to the iced water.

When the tremendous energy of the water waves died away at long last, I felt another warm body being tossed none too gently against mine, and instinctively, I knew it was Kat.

She still had not released my hand.

I forced my eyes open underwater, and caught sight of my best friend. Her grip on my hand was slackening, and her eyes were fluttering close.

Alarmed, I tugged violently on her hand, trying hard to keep her awake. It would be disastrous if she or I passed out now. I had learned that the hard way seventeen years ago.

"Heughlp!" Mama struggled, holding onto my hand.

However, she was losing consciousness too quickly. Her eyes fluttered close, as I writhed and wriggled to pull the both of us to the surface of the water, amidst the ice chunks that were bombarding my little body in all directions –

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to rid my mind of the memory.

The cold and the lack of air had all but paralysed my soul, but fiercely forced my mind and my limbs to function.

Look at me, Kat, I silently willed her, shaking her as hard as I could, open your eyes and look at me. Dare not faint. You are better than that. Dare not give in to the cold.

Slowly, as if she heard the words I could not speak, her eyes opened underwater and widened into the size of saucers. With the little strength I had left, I lifted my hand that was holding hers, and gripped it in a vice-like grip.

We can do this, I tried to tell her, we will remain alive. Together. Stay awake.

She managed a small nod, as she writhed for all it was worth in the water, wanting to breathe but unable to do so. I attempted to tug the both of us up to the surface, but the weight of my sword and our clothes were such that I could not even move my own body. My feeble strength was responsible for that as well.

How long were we going to stay conscious? How long were we going to try and escape this prison without air?

Passing out resulted in definite death. That was what happened to Mama. She had given up on life too soon, and I had given up on her too soon. As a result, I was still suffering today because of that one moment of weakness.

I fiercely tried to keep my mind on the problem at hand, holding onto the wriggling Kat for all it was worth. Unlike Mama, she was fighting. Unlike the past, I was determined not to allow the same events unfold once more.

Amidst all our struggling, the water was suddenly disturbed again.

The effervescence and the waves that resulted from the disturbance disrupted my vision for a moment, as I held onto Kat, and tried to prevent the both of us from colliding into the ice chunks that surrounded us like a group of sharks.

Even before the water waves could become still, however, I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist, guide my arms around their neck and gently pry my fingers from Kat's hand.

Nay! I wanted to scream, do not force me to release her!

Despite my silent protests and struggling, whoever it was kept a tight hold on my waist and swam up to the surface with me, careful to avoid all the floating ice blocks in our way. When my head bobbed up on the surface, the sudden presence of air was so overwhelming that I swooned.

"Nay! Dare not pass out on me, Julie," an urgent baritone begged in my ear, filled with raw, wild desperation, "please keep your eyes open. By the Lord, please look at me."

I would know that voice anywhere. Nick.

Where is Kat? I wanted to scream, but I could not open my mouth. I could only stare at him, weak, drained and exhausted, all the while wishing that I was well enough to go after Kat this very instant. That I could will away the pained anxiety in his stoic expression.

In the meanwhile, we were fast approaching the banks, where a huge group stood waiting with lanterns and coats, most of their faces deathly pale with anxiety and fear.

We had to navigate carefully through the large ice slabs in our way, but Nick's arms cut through the freezing water with clean, swift strokes, bringing us to the banks in no time.

"Bring her some coats and warm water!" Nick yelled, sounding more despaired than I had ever heard him.

He slipped an arm under my knee and carried me bridal-style out of the water, and heaved himself onto the bank with the other, expecting me to hold onto his neck tight enough to be able to achieve this feat with only one arm holding me.

I shuddered with relief when I was out of the water, and I was shivering so badly with the cold that I instinctively curled up in his arms and burrowed my face in his bare chest, desperate for some warmth. His arms tightened around me, holding me as if he would never let me go.

Relieved cheers and applause sounded, and almost at once, we were surrounded by many concerned, anxious people. However, OncleThomas' face was the first one to register in my mind, followed by that of the unnerved Tess beside him.

"Jules?" she sounded genuinely shaken, as she took my freezing, limp hand and held it against her cheek, looking strangely terrified and vulnerable.

I blinked at her, very much surprised to see true anxiety in her eyes for me.

"Are you all right?" Oncle Thomas' face was pinched, as white as sheet, "by the Lord, dear, you can breathe?" He felt my forehead, my cheeks desperately, nearly on the verge of tears.

"Worry not, you both," I forced my lips apart to get the words out of my throat, "I will be fine." I raised a trembling hand to his face to catch a tear that had escaped his control.

A wobbly smile unfolded on his lips. "God bless you, child," he whispered, before, "son, hand her over to Tess. She will take care of her. Ned needs your help with Kat - " He glanced at Nick urgently.

"I am not leaving her." Nick's tone was firm, final, as his arms tightened further around me.

"Kat?" my ears had perked up, "how is she?"

"She will be fine," Oncle Tom answered distractedly, "Your Royal Highness - "

Fear gripped my heart. "Nick, go to Kat. Ensure that she lives," I ordered weakly, "I will be all right. If something happens to her on my account, I swear to God - " I was starting to become agitated.

"All right, all right, I will go. Calm down, Julie," he murmured to me, worried, before gazing up at Tess, "Tess, if you please."

Tess nodded hesitantly, as he gently set me on my feet, keeping a tight hold on my waist all the while. I almost staggered upon feeling the ground beneath me again, as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders to support my weight.

With one last glance at me, Nick disappeared into the crowd, leaving a strangely depressed Tess to handle me.

***

"All right, Jules, all done."

Tess sighed, stepping back, before she assessed me critically. "You had best finish that tray of food soon, and -"

"How is Kat?" I asked again that evening.

"For the last time, Harrington is alive and well, and is making lots of trouble for us, as usual," she threw her hands up in exasperation, "lo behold if you keep one foot out of this room until Lisa or I tell you to do so. Am I clear?" She set down the towel she had been using to dry my hair wearily, gesturing to the tray of fruits and tea on the table.

I nodded mutely.

For the last hour, Tess had all but pushed me into a tub of hot, scalding water, smothered me in several layers of coats, forced some fruits and water into my stomach, and dried and braided my hair in front of the fire, with some help from the blubbering Lisa.

The both of them had been running back and forth between Kat's bedchambers and mine, and without a word of complaint or hatred.

Why was she suddenly being so kind to me? Although it was a nice change, it was also unnerving.

"Good. Lisa says she will come to see you after she handles Harrington," she shook her head wryly, "I had best be going now. Take care." She turned to leave.

I found my voice at last. "Thank you, but good gracious, woman," I whispered in astonishment, "who are you and what have you done with my cousin?"

She paused in her tracks to shoot me a sad smile. "You are very welcome," she answered softly, and hesitated before, "and I am sorry."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain.

"His Royal Highness never asked you to come skating," she swallowed, "I lied, so that you would come." She raised her chin up defiantly, almost daring me to yell at her.

My eyes widened. It should not come as a surprise, but it still did. I was so accustomed to Nick forgetting huge portions of his past, that it had been very easy to believe that he had forgotten my fears as well.

I closed my eyes, weary to my very bones. All of this could have been avoided. But I was too tired to be as angry with her as I wanted to be.

"Why did you do that?" I sighed.

She shrugged. "Because I hate you."

My eyes narrowed. "Was that accident intentional, then? Do you despise me so much you would rather have me dead?"

She seemed horrified by the very idea. "Of course not," she shook her head, "Jules, my only intent today was to scare you – and I had already achieved that by convincing you to get on the ice."

I was confused. "Then – "

Her hands were trembling. "I had thoroughly checked the ice before I invited all of you to skate," her voice was ice cold, "there is no way it should have cracked the way it did. Do you truly think I would ever jeopardise Ned's life like that?" Her ocean blue eyes, for once, were absolutely clear of all deception.

I decided not to linger on the fact that she had mentioned Ned instead of Nick. It was clear she was telling the truth.

If it was not her, who –

Lady Rosanna. Of course.

"I see you take my meaning," a bitter smile crossed her lips, "try and forgive Mama for this if you can, because I most certainly will not." Her expression hardened, as she turned once more to walk away.

The door flung open in her face at that moment.

***