You Have Been Found Wanting [NotAllThatCreative]

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The_Inqueersitor

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Sorry if this isn't the best. Starts are not my strongest point of writing.

Bryce had been spending too much time away from the place he'd been inclined to call home. A small skirmish had broken out a month ago, and he had been second in command of one of the groups of forces dispersed to settle the situation and calm the confrontations down. It had threatened to turn into civil war. He never did like being away from home for too long. He missed being able to see Cecilia every day, not that he told anyone that. Most people knew that he had a sweet spot for her but he couldn't admit it even if he wanted to. It wasn't allowed. Even though he was a knight in title, he was still just a lowly ackerman in his stars.

There had been a lot of riding to get back home before the rest. His horse was tired and didn't want to go on much longer. It wasn't until the castle was in sight that he hopped off his horse and held onto the reigns, walking next to him. It was sunny out and he felt just as exhausted as the animal. The mails he wore clung to his clothes and his hair was plastered to his face. He would need to bathe before the day was out. But there was still a smile on his face as the castle grew larger.

The horsemaster was his first stop. Bryce wouldn't have the death of his steed on his conscience, not when he and the horse had been through so much together. Deaghlan said the horse would be alright but not able to be ridden for a couple of weeks to recover. That was just as well with Bryce. There were absolutely no plans to leave again any time soon. Besides, there were more important things to think about. He asked one of the handmaidens where Cecilia was to be found before thinking better of it. "Just tell her I've returned," he said as he waved over one of the male servants to help him with his armour. "I'll find her on my own when I'm done."​
 
(It's not mine either lol)

Over the month, Cecilia had been bored. Nothing interesting had happened at home and so she often found herself wandering around. It got to the point where her mother finally suggested that she got help care for the horses which made the teenager happy. So everyday, after her studies, she would go out to the stables and help out where she could. There wasn't much the blind girl could do but she often tried to do more than she could. One thing they let her do most was brush the horses and feed them simple treats like carrots, apples, and other such things.

Currently, she was within the library and listening to to her tutor. She wasn't even really paying attention, her mind was elsewhere. It was when she heard the man sigh that she was snapped out of her thoughts. A sheepish smile came across her lips as she lifted her head off of the table. "I'm sorry... I'll try to pay attention."

"You best do so or else your mother will be less than pleased." The man frowned lightly and shook his head, leaning back into his seat. "I know this isn't what you want to do but if you're going to be the heir to a prominent kingdom, you must know these things." He explained and set his quill down, rubbing his temples with his hands. "Princess, now is not the time to be in a dream world with your mind."
 
The handmaiden went to the library after Ser Bryce had asked her to. She had been working in the castle for the last few years and knew her way around and everyone's schedules to a T. She walked over to the table with Cecilia and her tutor and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, ser... Lady Cecila, Ser Bryce said to tell you that he has returned and he'll go to you after he's changed out of his armour. Shall I take word back to him?"

Bryce was having a harder job of getting the metal off of him. Even with the help of the servant, it had been worn for so long and taken so many dents and attacks that it was crushed against him. He hadn't even noticed how mal-fitting it was now. "Please take these down to the blacksmith when you get a moment. He should repair them as soon as possible in case anything is to happen." While the kingdom was calm and there didn't seem to be any more talk, Bryce knew that nothing was etched in stone anymore. He learned that when he was a child and had his stability ripped out from under him by consumption (the old name for tuberculosis).

Once he was out of the armour, he sent the servant out and found a mirror to look himself over in. He peeled off the shirt and examined the wounds he'd received throughout the last month. There had been some close calls, not ones he was proud of or that he would be bragging about because it would - in his mind - make him seem like a bad swordsman. Most people would deem it a sign of valor, and to Bryce he should have been better to avoid it to begin with. He sighed and poked at a few tender areas with a hiss. He would need to spar more often, get used to it. But for now, he would need to heal.
 
(Photo for my dude that's gonna be the tutor)

Cecilia turned her head towards the door when she heard it open and smiled brightly at the news. She nodded to the question. "Tell him I said welcome back, please." She informed and turned back towards her tutor. "Shall we continue?" She raised an eyebrow. With this sort of news, she wanted to get out of her studies quickly.

Her tutor could see that look in the teenager's eyes and rolled his eyes with a long sigh. "Alright, miss, let's get this done and over with." He reached forward and picked his quill back up. Spreading the papers out in front of him, he started to say the laws to the princess. He would have her repeat them back to him and if she didn't get it right, he would repeat the process. Throughout the whole session, her mind was still elsewhere and he could tell. This wasn't good for her studies. He just hoped that when tomorrow rolls around, she would be more focused rather than distracted. The last thing this country needed was a princess that didn't know a thing about it or its laws and customs.
 
((Oooh him. I liked him in Push and Quantum Solace.))

Bryce was just finished changing when Cleo came in and informed him, "She says welcome back, ser. And she'll be in the library when you're ready... You should also really get a doctor to look at that." He shrugged and winced a little. That wasn't going to happen... He didn't need it. It just meant that he would need to be careful moving around to make sure people didn't notice anything.

"Thank you...?" he replied, allowing her to leave after she gave him her name. Being rude to the people who were "less than" him was something he liked to avoid doing. Nobody was less than anyone in his eyes. He looked at himself in the mirror again and tried to fix his hair to the best of his abilities. That didn't say much, however, because his hair refused to be tamed. Cecilia's being in the library meant that she would be studying, something he knew for the better of the kingdom that he shouldn't interrupt. So he waited. He paced and he waited, and then paced a little more, before finally deciding she'd had enough time to study. He quickly made his way through the castle. Occasionally people would stop him and chat, but it was very clear he had a destination in mind.

He arrived in the library and smoothed himself out a little bit. Even though Cecilia was blind, Bryce did like to try and look presentable when he was around here. "Am I interrupting anything terribly important?" he asked with the signature smile across his face.
 
(He plays the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow :3)

Cecilia lifted her head up as she heard the library door and shook her head with a small smile. "Nope. My tutor just left me for the night." She informed and stood up fro her chair. Gently moving her fingers across the surface of the table in front of her, she moved around the table and made her way over to Bryce. She wrapped her arms around him and stayed close to him. "Welcome back!" She said happily and kept close to him for a moment before releasing him.
 
(Oh okie. :3 I don't watch it personally.)

Bryce smiled at her and quickly moved closer so she didn't have to walk too far. He knew she was a capable person, but why make her go more out of her way than she had to? "Good. I don't want your mother to have my head because I had you interrupted twice." When she hugged him, the smile only grew and he wrapped his arms around her despite the pain he felt from the tender spots. They didn't hurt too badly and it was worth it anyway. He hadn't seen her in a month, and it felt exactly as it would have when he was a kid and left for six months to go through his training. "So what it is that the princess has learned today?" he asked. The only formal learning he'd ever had was in the castle, and even then that was only enough to read and occasionally write. He could write his name. That was about it.
 
(I love the show xD It's brilliant)

"Mother can be prissy sometimes with these sort of things." Cecilia giggled quietly and shook her head. She hummed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her and buried her face in his chest. "Just some of the laws and nothing more." She knew that her tutor would continue her writing lessons tomorrow and she wasn't looking forward to it. Since she couldn't see, she couldn't write very well. A lot of her words were mushed together with one letter over the other or the letters would be too far apart. There really was no in between for her. "I have to continue my writing lessons tomorrow." She shook her head once again and frowned lightly.
 
(I thought about watching it, but I have a huge watch list as it is. xD)

Bryce sighed softly through his nose and looked down at her. She shouldn't have to learn to write... She would have scribes who could do that for her. Some of the things she needed to learn Bryce would never understand. His upbringing was humble and he still retained a lot of those simple values instead of adapting to the life of luxury he was adopted into. "You'll do fine," he told her, giving her a gentle squeeze. "You've got better writing than I do at any rate. You'll always be better than me there." Writing was not a skill he believed in practicing. Why would he need to write when all he needed to do was command soldiers, follow others, and know how to fight and ride? "Do you want to leave this place or do you like being surrounded by books?"
 
(I love it xD The second season just ended)

"My tutor says my writing is nothing but scribbles." Cecilia rolled her pale eyes and laughed quietly. She found writing pointless but she knew her mother wanted her to try. "Surrounded by books I cannot read?" She grinned lightly in amusement and nodded at his question. "Yes, I would like to leave this room. I've been stuck in here all day." What she wanted was to go outside for a little while and enjoy the spring air. She'd been cooped up in the castle far too long and wanted some time outside rather than in.
 
(Nice :3 I've got enough fandoms I think... I don't know if my heart can take many more.)

"I can barely read too, so we've got that going for us," he smiled. Books could be read aloud after all. People would need to be accommodated when not everyone could read or write. Nobody would need to know that the princess wasn't very skilled in those fields. When she said she wanted to go outside, he grinned and gave a soft laugh. "As you wish, my lady." Without waiting for much of a protest, he picked her up despite the exhaustion in his muscles and carried her out of the room. If she really wanted to be put down then he would oblige her, but he hadn't seen her in so long that he was going to let himself be as carefree as he wanted to. "Where would you like to go then? I've got all the time in the world." He always had all the time in the world for her anyway.
 
(Then you really wouldn't like the feels that Once Upon a Time gives xD)

Cecilia let out a surprised yelp when she felt him pick her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck out of instinct and gripped onto him tightly, afraid at that he might drop her. At this moment, she was also glad she was a lightweight. She didn't want to drag him down or anything of the sorts. "I-I don't mind." She managed to speak up after she found her voice and cleared her throat lightly. "You'll just have to tell me where we go in case you have to leave and I have to walk back." The last thing she wanted was to get lost without knowing where she was. Her mother would have a fit as well.
 
(I've survived Doctor Who, Newsroom, Harry Potter, and Dragon Age... and constant Heath Ledger feelz. :D I have enough on my plate.)


Bryce grinned and held her a little tighter to reassure her that she didn't need to worry. He didn't want to drop her. "How about the garden then?" he asked. He wouldn't take her anywhere too far, not that he had any plans to let her go back alone anyway. The time spent with her is something he always looked forward to and cherished. Anyone who saw him could see that. He made sure not to hit her on anything as they walked. Sure, it got some strange looks from the other servants and even a few of the nobles that were visiting, but Bryce didn't really care. "I feel the need to inform you that we're attracting quite a few looks."
 
(I love Doctor Who but OUAT is worse in terms of feels, at least in my eyes it is xD A lot worse)

A blush came across Cecilia's cheeks as he said that and she cleared her throat lightly, trying to rid herself of her embarrassment. "The garden sounds lovely." She could get some flowers to put in her room for a little while. "Well you're carrying me and I can see why we would get some looks..." This was embarrassing to her but also quite comforting. It was nice to be close to him but the looks were what made it highly embarrassing. "Let's hope they don't get the wrong idea." The last thing she wanted was for the wrong people to see this and tell her mother or father. That would get them both into serious trouble.
 
(I haven't seen it xD It's on my very long watch list though.)

Bryce shrugged at some of them. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He knew his place in the hierarchy and knew what lines he shouldn't cross, no matter how much he might have wanted to. If she could be punished for his own feelings and weaknesses he wouldn't dare expose them. Things could get complicated that way. He couldn't do that to her. "Any of them who know me wouldn't think twice... It's known that I'm aware of my place." Most people would be off put by the status or the fact she couldn't see or the fact her parents could easily have them killed at a moment's notice, but to Bryce they were just regular people who had just the same amount of difficulties as anyone else. They were just different challenges. When they got outside, he set her down and told her, "You're just outside the main entryway," so she could know where her bearings were.
 
(Fair warning, you're going to cry at some parts xD)

Cecilia nodded in understanding and went quiet. Her mind was racing with different thoughts at the moment. She didn't like his place in the world but she said nothing of it. He kept close to her and that's all that really mattered to her. She sighed softly and relaxed her hold on him, laying her head down on his shoulder for the remainder of the time he walked. It took her a moment to gather herself once she was set on the ground. "Thank you." She nodded and held her hands out in front of her, trying to figure out where everything was in front of her. Her hands brushed across a bench and a small table. That's all she would have to keep a look out for while walking. Finding nothing else around her, she started to walk forward, her hands still slightly out to the side in case there was something beside her that she knew nothing about.
 
(I appreciate the head's up !:3)

Bryce stayed smiling with her up against him. That was really the only place he wanted her. He knew he would never get that, but that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy what he would get. "My pleasure," he replied. He stayed back and watched her to make sure she didn't get hurt. While Bryce didn't consider her a burden or a responsibility, he knew that if anything were to happen to her he would not only feel terrible but pay a heavy price as well. That wouldn't turn out fortunate for anyone. "So what went on during my absence?" he asked as he closed the gap he let get created between them. He didn't care if it was petty gossip or intense news... Bryce had been out of touch for quite some time and really wanted to settle back in. "I missed my bed, that's for sure."
 
Cecilia hummed lightly at his question and continued to attempt to get used to her surroundings. "Nothing too exciting. Mother nearly had a heart attack when I tumbled down a small flight of stairs." She laughed quietly and shook her head. That was, sadly, a normal thing for her. Stairs were her worst enemy and she tried to stay away from them but that failed most of the time. "And I'm sure your bed missed you." She teased lightly and gave an amused grin, dropping her hands when she believed nothing was around her. "Mother has also informed me that I will be having more sessions with my tutor in the upcoming month."
 
Bryce chuckled as he watched her because of what she'd said. Hearing that she fell down another set of stairs was disheartening bit she was okay and that's what mattered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to catch you. I hate when stairs attack people like that." He hated hearing about it whenever it happened even though he knew it couldn't be avoided. She was blind after all. That meant by default that she would fall down things. It wasn't anyone's fault, not really. "It sounds like you're being more prepared... more than usual. Do you think she's found a suitor then? There were rumours of it in the countryside." It hurt him to think of it, it really did. He loved her and wished he didn't have to wait on the sidelines and watch things happen to her.

((Sorry if this is short. On my phone.))
 
(It's not short at all)

An amused grin came across her face and she laughed quietly. "Either way, I don't think it would've mattered. Mother still freaked out badly." She shook her head and hummed lightly in thought. "She has... I met him just a few days ago." No, she didn't really like him. He was too serious and too... Odd. "I don't really like him." She frowned lightly and let out a soft sigh. It was a depressing situation to her but she knew she would have to go through with it one way or another. Avoiding marriage would be an impossible thing when she would have to help rule a country one day.
 
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