Chapter Two: More Complications

Merlin was ordered over to help treat the Lady moments after she had been made comfortable, pulling him out of his shock from hearing her speak in his mind and giving him something to focus on. Thankfully, for both the Lady and himself, she had passed out from the blood loss and he didn't have to hide hearing pain-filled pleas in his head. After assessing the wounds that he could see, Lady Rosemonde borrowed Sir Elyan and Sir Percival so that she could clean her sister before they wrapped her up to avoid anything getting infected.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Your Highness?" Sir Leon asked, his hand having never left the sword at his side since the first woman had shown up, his eyes fixed on the direction the sisters had disappeared in, "We have no clue as to who these women really are, only their word as to who they claim to be... How are we sure that this isn't some trap for an enemy to enter Camelot? Or that one of these women won't put you under the same enchantment that me and my men were held under?"

Ever since that day, many of the Knights had observed every woman that came within five feet of them with suspicion and distrust, causing several more rumors about 'Arthur's Knights' to fly around the castle and city than there were originally. Merlin would have thought it was amusing if he hadn't had to deal with the angry and possessive madmen that had taken place of the people he had thought were his friends; now he was just as suspicious of these women as they were, maybe more of one than the other, and was more than inclined to agree with them if Arthur ever decided to listen to what he said...

Arthur, on the other hand, had come to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to trust these two, despite that he had just as much reason not to as Sir Leon and the other Knights. "What if they aren't, Leon? What if they are just travelers that were ambushed by forces too strong for their men to overcome? Lady Rosemonde had plenty of time to slit my throat when she had me at her mercy, but she didn't, she trusted me enough to remove her blade and take me at my word that we would not harm her or her sister. She trusted me and I am more than willing to return the favor... Her sister is in desperate need for our help, Sir Leon, are you suggesting that we should just turn them away?"

"I should hope not, My Lord," Lady Rosemonde had returned, her sister wrapped in one of the Knight's cloak and still in her arms as Lady Rosemonde made her way across the field to where the rest of them were standing, eyes darting between Sir Leon and Arthur. "Or, if you are, would you at least let us have the use of your physician to treat my sister and then let us be on our way? I realize that you have no reason to trust us and that I did not help anything by attacking you, but please... if you have any honor in your heart, save my sister, if nothing else."

Her voice was so broken, desperate and lost that Merlin had moved before he had time to think of the consequences, think of what had happened the last time he had helped a Druid, and tuned everyone else out as he placed a hand on the Lady's forehead. Her eyelids flickered at his touch, her forehead was slightly warm while not being feverish, and this gave Merlin hope that he might at least keep her alive until they made it back to Camelot to be treated by Gaius...

Trying to ignore the hiss of metal as Sir Leon drew his sword at Merlin's movement and the way Lady Rosemonde had unconsciously moved toward him in response, Merlin looked up at the Lady in question, who was looking back at him like he was the lifeline being thrown her way after she had fallen off a ledge, and stated, "She responded to my touch, and her temperature isn't very high, so I believe that I can help her... What is her name, My Lady?"

He barely managed to suppress his jump of surprise when he was answered-mentally, yet again-and not by Lady Rosemonde, but by the wounded woman in her arms. It seemed that the Lady wasn't as unconscious as Merlin had originally thought... That thought was further reinforced by the woman's trembling hand reaching out for Merlin in a way that had him almost immediately grasping her hand with his own. "I am... Elaine. Help me, Emrys... Please..."

"Her name is Elaine, Sir Merlin," The relief in Lady Rosemonde's voice was palatable as her response coincided with her sister's mental reply, causing Merlin to blush at both her tone and the honorific she gave his name, while Gwaine snorted with barely suppressed laughter. Merlin shot him a narrowed eye glare before turning back to Lady Rosemonde and changing his glare to a smile as he gestured for her to continue, "I saw all the wounds on her body; most of them are shallow, but the one on her neck... I'm not sure that one is..."

Nodding hastily as he took in the rather nasty looking wound, Merlin gave Arthur a quick look that conveyed his wish to help the Lady Elaine, but also that he would wait until Arthur gave him the command to do so. He hated to put Arthur in that sort of position, but he couldn't help but want to help these desperate women and hope that nothing horrible would come out of his decision to help a complete stranger-not to mention, a Druid-this time...

Looking between Merlin's pleading gaze, Lady Rosemonde's desperate one, and Sir Leon's cautionary stare, Arthur's brows drew together as he bowed his head for a few minute's thought. There was complete silence in the clearing, save for Lady Elaine's shallow breathing and the uneasy shifting of a few of the Knights, for the time of a few heartbeats before Arthur raised his head and gave Merlin a short nod.

Moving quickly, Merlin followed Lady Rosemonde into the tent that the Knights had pitched while they were arguing over whether the Ladies should stay or not, averting his gaze when she rearranged the cloak around her sister so that she was properly covered, but also so that Merlin could see the wound on her neck; while the wound did not seem to be very deep, it was still bleeding steadily, but only a slow trickle through the rather large scab that had formed over it and it made Merlin hesitate for the briefest of seconds as he wished that Gaius was there instead of him.

Merlin's unease made his steps unsteady and his voice quiver as he tried to remember the lessons he learned from listening with half an ear to what Gaius had said during his time treating the people of Camelot during the many years Merlin had lived there, "I-I-I'm going to n-n-need warm water, yarrow, hog's wart, and clean linens... I-I-I'm sure I'll think of something else later, probably right as I need it, so whatever that m-m-may be as w-w-well..."

Raising up, the Lady Rosemonde went to exit the tent and placed a comforting hand on Merlin's shoulder, making him look at her in surprise at the fact that a Lady would ever touch a lowly servant like him. Seeing his look, she gave him a small smile before her gaze went back to her sister, her eyes dimming in pain. "I understand that you are nervous and perhaps only an apprentice, so I will not blame you if she... if she does not make it through this."

Looking like she was physically pulling herself together, the Lady Rosemonde returned her gaze to Merlin and forced a smile on her face that looked like it hurt to do so and did absolutely nothing to help sooth Merlin's rattled nerves, "I am only asking that you try to help her, Sir Merlin, nothing more. I'm not expecting a miracle and I realize that her wounds are grave, it is just... S-she is special, not only to me, but to our people as well and if you could save her..."

Overcome by tears yet again, the Lady Rosemonde swallowed hard and closed her eyes in a vain attempt to keep them from falling before she gave Merlin's shoulder a squeeze of hope, leaving the tent with a shaky breath. Merlin sighed heavily and looked at the pale form on the tent floor, wondering if this was as good an idea as it had been only a few minutes ago, before he leaned down and went to work on his second calling with a heavy sigh of his own.

He had only just started cleaning the dirt and dried blood from around the Lady Elaine's neck, hoping to have everything ready for when Lady Rosemonde returned with the supplies, when Arthur entered the tent and came over to sit on the other side of the Lady Elaine, making Merlin even more nervous than before, if that were even possible... Hoping his unease wasn't showing as much as he felt it, Merlin gave Arthur a short nod.

"How is she doing, Merlin? Is she doing any better?" Arthur's voice was low and concerned, something you rarely heard these past few weeks and it made Merlin look at someone in surprise for the second time that day, which in turn made Arthur immediately get defensive for his statement; Merlin had to hide a smile when Arthur immediately puffed up in his most pratish, royal air and gave Merlin the kind of look that said he was a simple manservant while Arthur was King of Camelot and that he should never forget it!

"I'm only asking because as soon as Lady Rosemonde left this tent, she immediately burst into a rather loud batch of tears and wouldn't tell us anything when we questioned her, so I figured you must have opened your big mouth and said something stupid yet again. Having absolutely zero social skills to speak of, I also figured it must have had something to do with her sister, despite the rather delicate situation that she is in at the moment... So, out with it, Merlin, what did you say and how many weeks should I make you muck out the stables for it? Or should I just stick you in the stocks as soon as we get back home?"

"I didn't say anything!" Merlin growled, annoyed at how nearly everything was usually blamed on him and forgetting that there was a sick person that needed his care as he hissed at Arthur Pratdragon, "Listen here, you royal clot pole! The only reason that Lady Rosemonde is upset is because her sister is on death's doorstop and you're distracting me when I should be taking care of her! I'm trying do this as best I can and I've only done this once before, so if your Royal Pratness doesn't mind, I would like to get back to Lady's Elaine's care!"

"Merlin!" Arthur seemed almost speechless with rage, something that Merlin took a private joy in for the few moments it lasted, but also knew that he would be answering for it later; for now, Arthur just sat there, pointing at Merlin's face and struggling to figure out what it was that he wanted to say. It was a rare moment when Merlin could actually make Arthur speechless, so he was going to enjoy it while it lasted and he was far away from a certain castle and people who were really too fond of throwing vegetables at a completely innocent manservant...

After watching his King for a few seconds gasping like a caught fish, Merlin dropped his gaze to Lady Elaine to see that the noblewoman had regained enough strength to open her eyes and was also trying to smile, which caused Merlin to smile back at her and finally lifted the restraint that was on Arthur's voice as he looked between the two with a look of annoyed bafflement. "Well, since you weren't an idiot, for once, I will leave you to your duties and hope you don't muck it all up like you usually do. I would hate to tell Lady Rosemonde that the reason she lost her sister is because she trusted a manservant who is utterly useless."

Lifting himself up with all the royal pompousness he could muster, Arthur stomped out of the tent to the sound of suppressed laughter, trying to keep a smirk of his own off his face; it had been tense ever since the women had shown up and all of his Knights' warnings were starting to get on his nerves despite the fact that he knew that there was some truth in them, so seeing Lady Rosemonde leave the tent had given him the opportunity to see Merlin and pick on the poor sod for a little bit, surprising himself with the thought that he was actually seeking Merlin out...

Merlin didn't disappoint, with his total disregard for authority and the way he always had a retort for whatever Arthur said, the tension that had been eating away at him eased a bit and he was delighted to see that the Lady Elaine had enough strength to smile at a manservant gripping at his master; that meant, despite Merlin's inexperience and ineptitude, that there might be a chance for the pale woman to live. After all, the last time Merlin had been sent out as a physician, Arthur had been told he had been correct in his diagnosis, so maybe Lady Elaine had more than just a chance...

Having never heard of Dorian before and deciding that he would rather learn something new than listen to old doubts, Arthur made his way to where Lady Rosemonde was gathering supplies to learn more about the women in his care... Maybe he would be able to send a messenger to their kingdom and alert them as to what had happened...

Meanwhile, back in the tent, Merlin was trying to figure out the same thing while he had the chance; there was precious little time before Lady Elaine became unconscious again or they returned with the supplies he needed, so he figured he would act quick and hope his luck held out. Turning so his back was to the tent door and he was facing Lady Elaine, Merlin tried to see if he could find anything out when he could still hide his magic, "Can you still speak, Lady Elaine?"

"Yes, Emrys..." The response was slow and slurred, much like someone just awakening from a deep sleep, and Merlin debated for a few seconds if he should just let her rest and talk to her later... That decision was taken out of his hands when the Lady made to rise and he instinctively threw up his magic and caused the cloak she was wrapped up in to tighten around her body so he didn't see anything he shouldn't. "Please, help me... you have to help me... I need you to help me..."

"Yes, I know. I am going to help you," Merlin responded, gently pushing the Lady back down to the tent floor, causing her let out a soft cry of pain and making Merlin feel like a barbarian for moving her in the first place. She only fought him for a few seconds before laying back down again, her hands still grasping Merlin's own in a desperate grip as she fell into back into sleep, muttering incoherently as she did so and making Merlin's unease rise again.

"No, you don't... I'm in danger... You all are in danger... She'll hurt him... She'll..."

"Who is 'she'? Is it Lady Rosemonde? Who will she hurt?"

It was right as Lady Elaine's voice faded that Lady Rosemonde reentered the tent with the supplies that Merlin asked for, Elyan and Percival a few steps behind her, making Merlin suddenly feel very unsettled and not to mention a bit claustrophobic as he discreetly removed himself from Lady Elaine's hold without anyone noticing. She once more only fought him for a few seconds before letting go, letting Merlin slip his hands back right as Lady Rosemonde finished setting out the supplies and Gwaine decided that he would join the group huddled around the Lady Elaine, situating himself with a thump between Sir Elyan and Sir Percival, the later giving him a rather nonplussed look and the former simply rolling his eyes.

Looking around at everyone that had gathered in the suddenly too small tent and fighting off an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end in a way that usually only happened when he was dealing with magic, Merlin just had to ask, "I know it's really not my place to say, but aren't there a lot more people in here than there should be? I barely have enough room to breathe in here and I'm pretty sure that Knights, especially male ones, are not suppose to see a noble Lady in such a state of... well, in such a state of undress."

At Merlin's words, the Knights immediately found things in the tent lining extremely interesting and Lady Rosemonde let loose a small chuckle as she observed their discomfort, "I believe a Sir Leon has insisted that a few Knights observe me and my sister so that no charms or spells are put upon His Majesty or the Knights that protect him. Considering the state my sister is in, I would rather use any magic I might have healing her than bewitching them, but I decided that I would agree so that Sir Leon's mind would be put at ease."

So it was with much grumbling, wiggling and redness about the face that the company situated themselves around the tent, Percival seeming to take up twice as much space with his rather large build, and either watched Merlin attend to Lady Elaine, watched Lady Rosemonde watch Merlin, or watched the way the light hit the tent. After several tense moments of silence, Merlin had finished cleaning the wounds that had peppered the Lady's body-If she was being so closely protected, how did she managed to gain these wounds..? Was she outside the carriage at first...? Why would she be outside, if she was indeed the Lady Rosemonde's sister...?-and set about putting wrapping around them so that she could survive the trip to Gaius, perhaps even answering a few of the questions that were bounding around Merlin's head with every new wound that was presented to him.

"What's that?" So deep in his thoughts, Merlin started at the sound of Gwaine's voice and was startled to realize that, while he had also attracted the attention of the others in the tent, he was pointing at Lady Elaine's leg... the very place that Lady Rosemonde was now trying to moving the cloak over, which was not helping her seem like an innocent noble to the rest of the Knights... "I saw something on her leg before you covered it up, something that wasn't a battle wound..."

"Ignoring the fact that you were staring at my sister's legs and are not her husband," Lady Rosemonde answered flatly, making Gwaine's stern expression slip a bit before he hitched it right back up to where it was before as Elyan snickered and Percival rolled his eyes at the pair of them, "I will ease your fears by saying that it is a birthmark, a rather embarrassing blotch that she usually keeps covered because it causing just this reaction and I would thank you not ask to see it closer, for it is in a rather... compromising position."

Gwaine's face didn't lose it's harshness, but now there was a redness about his cheeks that Merlin was sure had nothing to do with the heat of the tent and everything to do with the fact that he had been caught looking where he shouldn't have, but the Lady's sister to boot! Elyan's snickers now turned into full out laughter and Lady Elaine's 'birthmark' was forgotten as the two got into a short scuffle that had Lady Rosemonde threatening to throw them out of the tent much like a mother threatening her children with an early bedtime...

Merlin, on the other hand, had been closer than Gwaine to the Lady and had therefore been able to see what the mark on the Lady's leg had really been; it was not a birthmark, but rather a symbol that he had come to associate with a particular group of people, making him wonder yet again at what these women wanted and what had happened between the two forces that had left Lady Elaine in such a state... For the mark on her leg was the deep brown trisect of a Druid, meaning that Merlin had been right and that she had magic, leaving her in danger of losing her life... Yet here she was, warning Merlin and anyone else that she could, of an unknown danger and not done anything at present to harm them...

Biting his lip as he once more glanced between the two woman as he wondered if his decision to help them had been a wise one, Merlin went back to wrapping up the Lady Elaine, managing every wound that he found as her sister shifting the cloak to keep her modesty and honor intact, until he reexamined the one on her neck: That one needed more that the pair of hands that they had; as soon as Lady Elaine's head was raised the way it was needed to bandage it, the cloak would shift and Lady Rosemonde was needed to keep any... important bits from showing... so that option was out as soon as the thought entered his head.

Taking a deep breath as he raised his head to study the tense profiles of everyone in the tent, the way that the Lady Rosemonde was looking at the group of men as if she wanted nothing less than to take her sister far away from the lot of them and the way that Gwaine's gaze was darting between the two women like they were a pair of dogs that were about to tear everyone apart, Merlin sighed again and submitted to the inevitable as his voice cut through the silence that had once more taken over the company, "I need someone to lift the Lady Elaine's head."

There was an exchange of uneasy glances before Percival finally scooted past Gwaine and lifted Lady Elaine's head to rest upon his legs, the look on his face indicating that he might be more willing to deal with the Doracha again, not to mention the way that he lifted her head looked like he was being forced to go digging in a rubbish heap... Once more, Merlin was struck with the thought that it would be funny to see all this fear from the 'bravest of Camelot's Knights' for a injured woman had he not lived through the past few weeks that he had...

He also did not have time to comment on the way that Percival was acting; for as soon as the Lady Elaine's head was lifted and settled upon the Knight's lap, her eyes shot open and pinned Percival with her gaze. Her gaze stilled him in the act of shifting his weight when one of her hands shot up in a rather vain attempt to wrap around his wrist, her mouth moving in a request that was completely inaudible and made Percival's brows draw together as he looked from the Lady Elaine's hand around half his wrist to her face, lips pursed as he noticed her soundless muttering grew more frantic every time he glanced into her eyes.

It looked very much as if Percival was trying to figure out what she was saying despite the fact that he could not hear her, despite the fact that she was wisely keeping her magical powers secret, and was coming to the conclusion that Merlin had only a few moments earlier; one of these sisters was trying to warn them of something, in spite of being unable to speak coherently or getting anyone's attention/trust, and was doing all she could to get as many people as she could possible to understand her before whatever it was she warning them of came to pass...

The sudden moment had also caused nearly everyone in the tent to jump in surprise and draw out some sort of weapon, but they held back from acting when they saw that Percival wasn't going mad this time and that the two were just staring at each other, neither one breaking eye contact the entire time that Merlin tended and wrapped the Lady Elaine's neck wound, no noise or movement save for the rapid raising and falling of Lady's Elaine's chest as small noises of distress whispered past her lips and Percival's thumb caressing the side of her face almost of it's own accord to distract her from her pain, her hair shielding the gesture from everyone-save Merlin.

After Merlin had finished wrapping Lady Elaine's neck, she slumped against Percival with a quiet "Thank you, Emrys... for everything..." and her hand still wrapped around the knight's wrist in a grip that was slowly losing it's strength, eyelids flickering as the herbs Merlin spread across her neck to numb the pain took affect, the tension that held her body taunt as a bowstring easing out of her body as she slid even closer against Sir Percival's form and made the Knight gain a rather red shade around his cheeks...

It was a little disconcerting to see her losing consciousness this time for a few reasons; the first being that Merlin really didn't have a good record when it came to something that was really Gaius' specialty, the second being that he had been so distracted by the revelation that the Lady Elaine was a Druid like he had thought that he wasn't sure what he had used on her neck and could have-in all intents and purposes-sped up her suffering instead of stopping it...

As Percival laid the Lady as softly as he could against the tent floor and removed her hand to the quips of Gwaine and Sir Elyan, the Lady Elaine's eyes snapped open one last time as she took in everyone around her-lingering for a moment on both Sir Percival and the Lady Rosemonde-before whispering into Merlin's mind. "You must be very careful, Emrys, more careful than you ever have... you are in more danger than I am... far more danger... All of you are in terrible danger... You have to protect them...She won't stop at just hurting you... she won't stop until..."

"Until what?" Merlin's throat was closing at the ominous tone that coat every syllable that slipped through his mind, his entire body tensing as he watched the Lady Elaine fight against a mixture of herbs to warn them, to make sure that they understood...

Lady Elaine's dulled eyes rolled into her head, her body growing still and silent once more as the herbs finally took enough of a hold to relax her, causing a cry of distress to come from the Lady Rosemonde as she misinterpreted her sister's stillness and rushed to her side. As Lady Rosemonde frantically pushed at Percival's form and made the confused Knight scrabble backward, the last words Lady Elaine had to say before she slipped into unconsciousness passed through Merlin's mind, "Until everyone and everything that you care about is dead."

Chilled by the statement, Merlin missed the way that Lady Rosemonde looked at him and she had to call his name a few times before she had his attention, even going as far as to place her hand on his shoulder again. Turning, he saw that she had a calculating look spread across her face, almost as if she knew that there was more to Merlin than met the eye, much like her and what Merlin was quickly coming to believe wasn't her sister. "Are you alright, Sir Merlin? You look so pale... Is she getting worse? I thought you said you could help her...!"

"She's alright, my Lady, it is just the herbs on her wound taking effect... and just Merlin will be fine," Merlin extracted himself from the grip on his shoulder as quickly as he could without offending and made his way out of the tent, joining Arthur and Sir Leon by the campfire and ignoring the way that the Captain of the Knights was looking at him; it was almost as if Leon wanted Merlin to give him a reason-any reason, really-to kick the woman out of their camp, or just a good enough reason to slay them right then and there, making Merlin feel even more uncomfortable than he had sitting in the tent just a few moments ago.

Thankfully, the Lady Rosemonde exited the tent shortly after Merlin did, the Knights that had gathered inside following behind her heels like pack of faithful hounds and for a brief, heart wrenching moment, Merlin was worried that Sir Leon's warnings were well founded, but then the Knights dispersed among the surrounding forest as the Lady made her over to the fire the three of them were sitting by. Watching the Knights for a few minutes, the tension that had grabbed a hold of Merlin's shoulder's loosened it's grip and he was able to breath easier and pay attention to the conversation going on a few feet away from him...

"...your manservant was quite efficient," Lady Rosemonde was saying, missing Arthur's raised brows as she leaned forward and warmed her hands over the open flame, "My sister is resting peacefully and will no doubt be able to move in a few hours... I don't suppose you or your men have any extra clothing? As Merlin-" Here, Lady Rosemonde gave the hidden warlock a small smile, making Arthur's brows come in danger of disappearing into his hairline-"pointed out earlier, she is rather... indecent, now."

"I'm sure I can find some kind of clothing for her," Sir Leon sighed, reluctantly coming to the conclusion that these women were going to be part of their party whether he liked it or not and he would have to deal with his King's stubbornness, like usual. That didn't mean he had to like it, nor did it mean that he wasn't going to keep an eye on the pair, two eyes if he could manage it... Catching Sir Elyan's gaze over the King's head, Sir Leon gave him the signal that meant he wanted someone to watch the man, Elyan's simple nod saying that he had received the message...

Completely oblivious to the byplay going on over his head-or knowing about it and completely ignoring it as he was known to do before, to the people that cared and protected him's collective frustration-Arthur had engaged Lady Rosemonde in a conversation about her kingdom, something that had drawn Merlin's attention away from the Knights as well. "You had said that you were from Dorian, Lady Rosemonde. I'm not sure if I have ever heard of this land, and I have a rather detailed knowledge of the other five kingdoms that share Camelot's borders and beliefs... Would you mind telling us a bit about your country and how you came to be so close to my own?"

Lady Rosemonde had caught the exchange of glances between the Knights and had the grace to look embarrassed, but the look did not linger long and an expression of determination took it's place shortly afterward; you could almost see the wheels in her head turning as she decided to do all that she could to make these men trust her and her sister, and that started with answering Arthur's question, answering every question that followed as well... "I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of Dorian, My Lord, for there are few that remember it by that name... It has been in such disrepute that many have given it a rather bland, but fitting, title and many have called it such for so long that there are only a select few that remember it as Dorian... You have been there before, though My Lord, and I'm proud to say that you would not know it as the land it is now; when you were there, it was a vast wasteland and the land itself fought your every step, but now you would be shocked at the variety of growth and the people themselves would welcome you with open arms..."

Both Merlin and Arthur shared a glance of their own over the Lady's head, both wearing matches expressions of surprise and confusion; they knew the land that the Lady had spoke of, they had gone there years ago-one on a sacred quest, the other to protect the who quested-and they were shocked at the fact that it had changed so much in the years and confused as to what the Lady was doing near Camelot: Was she there to thank Arthur as she seemed to claim, or was there something else at work here? Both men knew that Dorian was a magical land, and one knew that one of the Ladies had a power shining in her, so the tension that gripped them was defeating the Lady's purpose of gaining their trust...

This time, it was Lady Rosemonde who was oblivious to the stares and unsaid messages going on around her as she settled back onto the log that served as a chair, a look of adoration being sent Arthur's way in time for the King to school his face into a neutral expression, before continuing on with her story. "You thought that you were simply on a quest to prove your worth, My Lord, but you did much more than that; you saved my kingdom, my people, and gave our Great King the rest he so desperately craved... There is nothing I have, nothing I can do, to show you how truly and deeply my people and I appreciate what you have done... The land of Dorian, formally known as the Perilous Lands, is forever in your debt and are willing to submit to the rule of Camelot and it's benevolent King."

The Lady Rosemonde reached into her cloak, stopping for a few seconds when the hissing of drawn swords made it sound like they had suddenly come across a pit of angry snakes, before continuing her movement and pulled out a simple silver band decorated with the same kind of flowers that Grettir had turned Gwaine's sword into. Still moving slowly, Lady Rosemonde placed the band upon Arthur's head, closing his slack jaw with a small smile, before sinking to the forest floor on one knee.

"Long live the King!"


A/N: Dun, dun, daaaaaaahhhhhh! We now know who these two are! Well, sorta... What do you guys think? I'm trying to make this interesting, but kinda true to canon as well, so I need feedback from you guys if this is any good or not... I'm not sure if this is going to be an Arwen or Merthur fic just yet, so that is also up in the air right now... I'm gonna focus on the story for now and sneak in the relationships after I hear from you guys...

So! Good, bad, iffy, or purple... Let me know so I can fix, add, or just keep going as I am!

Fair farren!