Bodyguard

*Please bear in mind that this is a draft copy, and will be revised as I change the plot. Any feedback will be appreciated, as well as advice as to how the plot should go on from where it is. The places named in the story are obviously fiction, but it has yet to be decided just how fantastical the story will go. Names of the characters were inspired by the characters in the "All Dogs Go to Heaven" movies, but personalities and other characteristics have not made their way into the story, it is names only! But just in case: I do not own "All dogs Go To Heaven" or any of its characters. *

This story takes place in mid-evil times, back before the almighty Ipod was released unto the world :p*



*Note: This is chapter 2, as chapter 1 is still on paper and has yet to be typed*



Scene: Charlie has just been dragged into a throne room by a mass of guards.  He was recently kidnapped from his old life, and has no clue why he's back in the town that he grew up in. He had been banished from the kingdom nearly ten years ago due to an affair with the Princess Donnabella.





Charlie looked up in shock. “Annabelle?”

Good evening “Mr. Barkin” said the woman invading Annabelle’s form. “Guards, you may release his binds now”. The leader of the band, the one she’d called Rasule, started to protest at this. “Your majesty, this is a highly dangerous man. I would much rather it if we-“

“Do as I say, Rasule” she said in a voice full of command. Reluctantly, Rasule did as he was told, and unlashed the ropes around his wrists. Charlie hadn’t moved throughout the process, but stood there dumbly. Annabelle was in charge. Annabelle was queen. Annabelle had brought him here. What did all of this mean? Where was Donnabella? She would never willingly give up her right to the throne.....unless she was dead. Unbidden, a great surge of pity wracked through Charlie’s body as he thought of the bright young woman who had worked so hard to replace her father. However, the feeling didn’t last long as the relief that Annabelle was alright consumed all other thoughts.

Moving for the first time, he pulled into a deep bow and murmured, “Your majesty” before raising his eyes to meet those of his former charge. This was not the teenager he had left behind, the imposing figure before him was most definitely a full grown woman. She lacked all of the natural warmth that used to flow through Annabelle like running water. Her gaze was cold and unfeeling, and although she has released him from the constricting binds, Charlie had a feeling that she still didn’t quite trust him. Nor did she trust anyone in the room, he realized. It was as if she was a stranger in her own court, her eyes stayed on his, and didn’t waver to look at anyone else for their opinion.

He waited patiently for her to speak, as was the custom while addressing royalty. Annabelle waited a few more moments, and then nodded to herself before speaking. “Mr. Barkin” she said in a voice he didn’t recognize, “I have brought you here today for one reason. You are the best. Due to recent events, it has become blatantly apparent that I will need a more unconventional brand of security while I remain queen, rather than a team of guards I have been using till now.”

Again, Charlie remained silent, although he was curious as to what the recent events were. The guards had shifted around uncomfortably at the last part of Annabelle’s speech, and Charlie longed to shoot them a superior glance for whatever screw up they had managed to do. However, he didn’t break his eye contact with Annabelle.

“I require,” she continued “a guardian. One to stay with me at all hours in order to leave no chance of an imposter sneaking into the guard. My previous security has proven themselves to be....... incompetent.”

So that was why he was here. Charlie could safely say without bragging that he knew he was more than a match for every member of the royal guard in the palace. Annabelle knew it too, apparently. He had been trained to protect the future queen, although at the time it was supposed to be Donnabella. This was what he was born for. But now...

“I am hiring you against the better judgement of some of my most trusted advisers” she said, she eyes narrowing, and Charlie knew that her “trusted” advisers didn’t carry a bit of weight on what went on in this palace. “So I am expecting nothing but perfection from you.”

“Why are you so certain that I’m willing to take the position in the first place?” Charlie asked. “I had a pretty good life until now; I had an honourable reputation, and enough cash to retire 30 years early. An assassin like me is in high demand, pri”- dammit. “Your majesty.” Annabelle couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly when he nearly reverted to his old pet name for her, which also used to be her title. But the look was gone before the guards noticed, although Charlie saw. He smirked when she reverted back to the regal scowl he had become accustomed to.

“There is no immediate heir to the thrown at present.”She informed him with venom, “which puts the whole kingdom in jeopardy should something happen to me.”

Charlie blanched inwardly. Annabelle wasn’t married yet? As long as he could remember, there had always been an heir to the throne. In the neighboring kingdom, Halidornia, There was always a political uproar because the monarchy never married, and had no say in who chose the heir to the throne. Some found this a very democratic way of thinking and considered it a step towards the future. However, Charlie for one, did not believe that whoever wanted to be king had to fight to the death with his opponents until he was the last man standing. It lowered the population of hard workers far too much every generation. What made it worse was that the old king could be challenged at any time, and more often than not a monarch was killed in a pointless battle the second he grew too weak to fight. With no heir to the thrown at Pearly, The same competition for the throne would follow should Annabelle die. 

Although his face retained the smirk, he knew that he would have to stay. At least until an heir was chosen, or Annabelle was married. He may not belong in Pearly anymore, but he didn’t want to see it fall into pieces either. He could tell when Annabelle noticed his decision being made, and he nearly rolled his eyes when she gave him a smirk of her own.

“You will start work tomorrow” She said triumphantly, waving a hand, allowing him to be dismissed from her presence. Immediately, The 6 guards who had surrounded him closed in, two grasping his arms as they led him towards the eastern hallway, the very same where he and Roland had a heated discussion years ago. It all seemed so trivial now, getting reprimanded at his job. He really did deserve it...As he started to lose himself in thought, he almost didn’t catch Annabelle’s parting words. “I believe you remember the way to your old quarters, Mr. Barkin? There is no need to be escorted.” Charlie was dropped like a hotcake, and if Charlie was anyone else other than Charlie, then he would have fallen on the floor in shock. However, his master reflexes kicked in, and he barely wavered as his previous support vanished. The guards were all protesting now, demanding that this stranger not be left loose to roam about the castle. Annabelle silenced them with a glare, before once more directing her gaze at Charlie. An unspoken thread of communication past through them, and suddenly Charlie knew that she was dead serious. She wanted him to go to their old bedroom, where he had been assigned to guard her until she was 18 years old. “Not our bedroom, her bedroom” he mentally corrected himself.

“Well?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Without so much as a swallow, Charlie turned on his heel and left the throne room, marching straight for the four walls that changed his life forever.

                                                      ***

  It had changed.

The walls was no longer a sickly pink, but a rich dark blue. Her old vanity had been replaced by a much larger one, taking up over half of one wall. It supported three mirrors as various bottles and tubes that Charlie assumed was makeup. The biggest change he noticed was a new piece of furniture. A large desk had taken the place of Charlie’s old bed, scattered with papers and maps, envelopes and quills. Approaching the desk, one letter in particular was at the forefront of the jumble. Charlie felt no guilt as he leaned over and read its contents. This is what made him so good at his job; scruples tended to get in the way of duty. As far as Charlie was concerned, the more he new about Annabelle, the better. She knew damn well that if he was going to work for her, that there would have to be no secrets between them. In their past, he had known everything about her, as was custom for a well trained guardian.

Miss Annabelle of Pearly,

I was shocked to hear of your accident last week, and have written as soon as possible to offer my sincerest joy that you are alive and well. To think that if it hadn’t been for the lucky circumstances that followed the attack, you would not be here! My dear, my heart aches at the notion! I must once again beg that you consider the rest of your kingdom, as well as my own affections, from now on. You have twice denied my offer to merge our lands, but darling, after what happened, surely you have changed your opinion? I cannot bear the thought of losing you, and will not be at ease until you have accepted my proposal of marriage, and are safe within my castle walls where I can protect you with my own two hands, and superior guards. Please, indulge me this once, and I promise to never ask anything more of you, with the exception of your love.

Yours as always,

Harvey Grisham   

Grisham. A few years older than Charlie, Grisham had once been a messenger between the two lands of Pearly and Halidornia. Charlie would see him quite often in the palace, and remembered that Annabelle’s father had been rather fond of him. But no messenger had the right to talk to a queen the way he had in that letter. Charlie quickly surmised that he must have risen in his station, at least to knighthood, in order to be so bold as to call the queen “Darling”. Charlie inwardly shuddered at the endearment. When he thought of the Grisham boy, he remembered how unfortunately homely he had been, plagued with spindly legs and a too-thin frame. He had a sort of feminine air about him, as if he were too delicate to be allowed. He had no grace, no strength, no courage...Charlie was willing to stake his life on a bet that Annabelle could beat him at an arm wrestle.

And yet here he was, composing love letters to her, claiming that he could protect her. The thought nearly made Charlie snort. Just what had occurred while he was away?

He spent the next two hours going through the room, familiarizing himself with its contents. He went through every drawer in the desk, scanning as many documents as he could, though none were quite as interesting as the letter. He was not perturbed when he found a secret drawer that would not open inside the first; after all, Annabelle would give him the key later. What did bother him however, was the bed. It was no longer the single fore-poster bed with frilly sheets that it was. It too, had been enlarged to a king sixed, the sheets matching the wall paint. For some reason, this disturbed Charlie, although he couldn’t put his finger on it. If he were to guess, it might have been because the little, girlish bed that had been hers was the last link to her childhood that he had. With the upgrade of an adult bed...It was almost as if his young charge had never existed. He was pleased, however, when he found three daggers within the sheets, one under her pillow.

“That’s my girl” he muttered softly with a chuckle.

It was not long after that when he heard the sound of footsteps marching in unison. As they got closer, Charlie found he could hear one pair of heels that was not in step with the rest. Less than a minute later, hushed voices were heard outside the door.

“Please, your majesty, I’m begging you, don’t put your life in that rogue’s hands! He’s not the same person you knew when you were a child, for all you know he could be working with the rebels, he might have planned last week’s incident! If you’ll just give us one more chance-“

“Rasule,” Annabelle’s voice cut him off. “Rest assured that I did not make this decision lightly, and I did not pick Charlie because of our childhood connection. He has far greater skill than all of you combined, and I’d rather have him on our side now than to have him working with the enemy later.”

“Then let us have him as a regular guard!” Rasule pleaded enthusiastically. “We keep an eye on him, and he could keep an eye on you! This way, you’re just as heavily protected, and we don’t have to worry about him being a spy-“

“HE IS NOT A SPY!”Annabelle shouted, abandoning all pretenses at whispering. “I have known this man for as long as I’ve been alive. If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead several times over! So far, he has done infinitely more than my supposed guard, who cannot even stop an assassin from walking in their own midst!”

Charlie watched with an amused grin as Annabelle throw open the door and slammed it into the surprised guards’ faces. Heaving deep breaths, she slowly turned around to face Charlie. Her expression was one of a righteous anger, but as she calmed her face grew cold and indifferent again. She took in her new bodyguard, leaning against her vanity wearing a stupid superior smirk, and a bit of her resolve failed. Charlie could see that she wanted very much to break down, but he could also tell that she was trying her utmost not to give in. Her eyes held a sort of uncertainty, as if she wasn’t quite sure where they stood now that they were alone.

Taking pity on her, and swallowing no small amount of pride in doing so, Charlie made the first move. Not breaking eye contact with Annabelle, he pushed off the vanity and raised his arms to her.