A King to Charm

William shook his head. "I wasn't there. But I'm told by those who were, that he fought hard until the very end and met his death bravely."

He wondered briefly if lying was the right thing to do. Usually, he was a great believer in brutal honesty. But he thought to himself that this girl didn't need to know all the details of her father's lonely, humiliating death. After all the loss she'd suffered, perhaps it was better for her to think he died a hero.

Besides, he told himself cynically. King Edward has been very clear in his instructions - the valuable little pawn was to remain alive and well.

He pulled out a small velvet pouch from his jacket pocket and held it out. "Here. I have something that may cheer you up."

Camilla eyed the pouch suspiciously but made no move to reach for it.

William gave a short laugh. "It's not another sleeping tonic, if that's what you're thinking. Here. Take it."

After much hesitation, she slowly took the pouch from his hand and opened it. Inside was a necklace of unusual star shaped diamonds strung together on dainty gold loops. The princess gasped in disbelief. "How…where did you find this? And how did you fix it?"

William shrugged nonchalantly. "It seemed important to you. I had one of the court jewellers repair it."

A faint smile appeared on Camilla's face as she clutched the precious necklace to her chest. "It is. Thank you."

He nodded in response, then gave her a slow, calculating stare. "Well then. Now that I have done something kind for you, you must return the favour and do something kind for me, agreed?"

The ghost of a smile that had graced her lips vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She glared back at the prince. "What are you talking about? What favour do you want from me?"

Ignoring her hostile tone, William grinned. "King Edward wishes to meet with you tomorrow. You have been summoned to his presence chamber in the morning, as soon as he has broken his fast. Your favour to me will be to have a bath and get changed out of those rags. You should probably eat something too. He will be unimpressed if you faint from hunger in front of him."

Camilla felt a pang of fear run through her. She had no desire to stand before the Islian king, or anyone at this strange court. Clutching her mother's necklace harder, she asked, "Why does the king want to see me?"

William laughed again. "Because he's curious about you, Princess! It's not often he has such an illustrious and mysterious guest staying in his court. Aren't you the least bit interested in meeting him too?"

"No! Can I refuse to see him?"

"Of course you can't refuse." William snapped back. What the devil was this girl thinking? "He's the king. When has anyone ever said no to him? Besides, you'd best not anger him, given he currently holds the power of life or death over you. With a snap of his fingers he could have you executed as the daughter and sister of traitors."

"Well if he plans to kill me anyway, what difference does it make if I make him angry by refusing to meet with him?" Camilla was finding the conversation both exhausting and pointless.

William groaned and tilted his head back, knocking the back of it slightly against the wall of the window seat behind him. Why was she continuing an argument she couldn't win? After taking a deep breath and gathering his patience, he replied, "He almost certainly won't kill you. King Edward is not a cruel man and he doesn't persecute women. He will likely treat you quite generously, in his own gruff way. You just need to win him over."

"Win him over? And how exactly would I go about doing that, as the daughter and sister of traitors?"

William's eyes were full of sly laughter when he said, "Well, that part shouldn't be too difficult. The king is a man like any other and he likes a pretty face. If you meet him looking like a princess and not a street urchin, you might have a chance." He slowly pinched a long lock of her knotted hair between his fingers and gave it a playful pull. "Under all this grime and mud, you may not even be half bad looking. Who knows?"

Camilla pulled her hair out of his teasing grasp, feeling her face heating up with temper. "What a dreadful thing to say. Are you always this arrogant, or is it only because we've just met?"

To her surprise, the prince merely kept laughing, showing perfect rows of white teeth. "So it's settled then. You'll make yourself look at least presentable. I'll come for you tomorrow morning and escort you to King Edward."

He stood up and sauntered towards the door. As he exited the room, he glanced back at her over his shoulder and smirked, "Do your best to charm the king, try as if your life depends on it. Because it probably does."

The door clicked shut behind him.