Hello to all.. This is my first Gwaine/OC.. Hope you all enjoy..
The young woman sprinted and dived behind the tree, heaving with an ache in her chest and dirt covering her hands. She pushed herself more into the trees and bushes as much as she could to hide from her captors. The ice of the frost stung her skin making her cheeks go crimson red. Her dress was once a beautiful blended ashen, pearl coloured dress, but now smeared in blood of those of her fallen loved ones. She sobbed like a ghost wiping her face, curling up her feet to her body and hugging herself, praying she would make it out alive. That something would save her from this place in hell. But then she heard a crack of branches, tightly she closed her eyes and held her breath.
"There you are darling... Now off we go" the large balding man cackled dragging her along sharply as she fought with her life, then the man hit her across the face and so she landed dazed with on the ground.
"Really Boris, I mean how hard is it to handle just a simple girl... A princess at that as well..." the barbarian laughed as he walked up to her.
"Gwaine, really. Did you have the let that god awful smell from your mouth. Really. You are a truly disgusting man. How on earth do you get the women that you..." Lancelot began to say but was cut off by the scream.
'Where did that come from?" Gwaine asked looking ahead.
"I don't know what that is but I don't like it..," Merlin muttered.
Arthur halted the group and signalled the knights to the directions surrounding to where the sound come from. There was scream of agony, a cry of pain, it was like an animal being tortured. Gwaine approached the nearby hill silently to where the attack came from. A simple gold band adorned the girls head, but her gown was white with so much blood on it, her face as well.
"Who does that do an innocent girl?" Merlin asked shaking his head whispering shaking his head. It was an image that stuck all of the knights to the core.
"Leon, take the right, Percival go right in you will distract them, Gwaine, go the girl and get her out as soon as you can and do not act rash! Lancelot follow me. Merlin, just don't get yourself killed alright" Arthur commanded.
Gabriella looked up at her captors sending them hate but then she heard the bushes sway. Looking up and seeing a young boy with bright blue eyes and black hair putting his finger to his lips to silence her. She closed her eyes, taking in the smell of the damp forest, took a deep breath and laughed as the men ripped off her cloak revealing her dark brown braided hair and light green eyes. "You all are going to die now..." she whispered.
Filled with anger he hit her across the head causing blood to flow freely from her temple. It was then when Percival came charging through the middle of the camp site. Arthur and Lancelot coming from the sides.
She took this as a distraction and staggered off out of the battle and ran into the woods hiding. Her head was throbbing with pain and blood seeping into her eyes, stinging her eyes and causing blindess. She was now alone in the world, her home land over powered, herself an orphan. The world closed in on her as her chest began to tighten.
"Hey there Princess..."she gasped not being able to see properly backed into the tree trunk whimpering and scowering away.
"Hey, hey now. I am not here to hurt you. My name is Gwaine and I am a knight of Camelot, this here is my friend Merlin" she turned her head away to reveal the large gash on the side of her head.
"I swear to you, no harm will ever come to you again. That I promise you" Gwaine whispered as he took off his red crimson cape and wrapped it around her to keep her nice and warm picking her up kindly and swiftly with Merlin close behind. "There you go, all nice and warm now" Gwaine whispered.
"What is your name my lady?" Arthur kindly asked passing her a cup of water.
" I am Princess Gabriella of Alarien..." she muttered just looking everywhere dazed and all. "My brother... We have to go back for my brother..." she puffed trying to stand but wavering and Gwaine caught her.
"Easy there Princess..." Gwaine said.
"No... Please" she demanded.
Gwaine noticed that her eyes were a light olive green and had long black eye lashes that wuld melt a man heart.
"Princess Gabriella... I am sure your brother would want you to be safe and out of harms way. Please come with us back to Camelot where we will plan to rescue your brother..." Arthur asked.
"We have to go back for my brother..." she pleaded crying into Gwaine and he wrapped his arms around her.
"Lets travel further and make camp for tonight" Arthur commanded.
"The knights really are a lovely bunch when they aren't belching or doing something else disgusting..." Merlin joked wrapping her hand. "Gwaine, well I am quite surprised. He is being very protective over you..."
Gwaine looked over at Merlin attending to the princess, Gabriella stained with her brothers blood. He looked down to his food, feeling disgusted he put it down, not being able to stomach it. He had only been a young child when his father had died, he had not witnessed it like she had seen her whole family slaughtered.
"Gabriella can stay in Camelot as long as she wants to. Her homeland is over run by those barbarians. The men today were their mercenaries and were sent to murder the royal family. That blood on her was not only her own but I fear of her family"
"Seeing your family murdered right in front of you isn't something you forget" Gwaine uttered as he picked up his warmest cloak, walking over to Merlin and Gabriella.
"Gabriella, you can have my cloak. It will keep you warm through the night and not be cold..."
"Thank you" she whispered just looking up at him and taking it from me. "So much blood... I can't" she whispered peering up to him.
"I will walk you to the lake and we get rid of this blood..." he spoke softly.
Gwaine led her to the lake holding her waist, feeling the weight of the day from her frail body. They reached the lake, helping her he gingerly took off the red cloak. Gwaine politely turned around as she took off her over dress and tossed it to the edge off the lake. Gwaine put the wash cloth into the warm large pot of water and patted down the part of the face that wasn't covered in bandages. He picked up her hands and gently scoured away the stained blood. He handed her the clothes Merlin had given her. She looked up at him with a frightened look in her eyes.
"I won't go anywhere I promise"
Gwaine put up the cloak to provide her with privacy as she got changed. Bella gingerly slipped off her under dress, put on Gwaine's shirt and pulled on Merlin's trousers and socks. She pulled her hair into a braid and curled in under to form a bun.
"Im done..." she said.
"Thank you Gwaine, now we all make sure Gabriella is well tended to until we reach Camelot. There we will have Giaus tend to her every needs..." Arthur commented.
"I really am quite surprised at Gwaine though. He has taken quite the liking to Princess Gabriella... He is looking over her like a hawk. Where she moves, he moves..." Percival noted. "Is Gwaine now controlled by a woman?" Percival noted as Gwaine returned.
Gwaine gave him a pointed look and he toyed with the fire.
"I made a promise to her that I would look out for her and I will honour that..." he muttered looking up at the knights and back at Merlin and Gabriella.
"Camelot is a beautiful city, you will love it there. Queen Guinivere will adore you and the bed chambers will be gorgeous. Do you like horses? We have a new stallion in the stables a really blue dapple horse with a white mane and tail..." he then paused seeing tears in her eyes. "Aww.. I am so so sorry. Sometimes I run my mouth off..." he replied putting his arm around her shoulders as she cried silently into him.
"I don't know what I am going to do..."
"Hey, hey Gabriella. It will all be okay. We will all be here for you, me despite my rambling on, They see you as a sister already" he laughed. "It will all be okay..." he hushed.
Merlin looked around sneakily and pulled a sweet toffee from his pocket.
"Now my mother said to me when I was a child that when times were tough that something sweet would make you feel better even if it were mere moments" he whispered handing her lavender toffee and putting his arm around her being careful not to hurt her.
Gabriella put the sweet flavoured candy in her mouth. She looked up from under the crimson red cape that Gwaine had given her. The fire was hypnotic as she peered into it not feeling anything looking around at all the knights who so willingly took her in. Merlin was a lovely young boy who looked out for her. She felt her eyes fall down from exhaustion as the day caught up with her. Merlin struggled trying to move her without trying to wake her. Lancelot made a soft bed near the fire for her, Gwaine easily picked her out of Merlin's arms and gently put her down on the bed. Percival walked over with his blanket.
'My blanket is the biggest, it will keep her warmer..." he offered pulling it over her.
"Alright Knights... Lets get some sleep. We arrive in Camelot tomorrow..."
"I will take the first watch..." Gwaine offered sitting beside her bed.
Gabriella was in the woods, it was all hazy and she was following her brother's voice.
"Damien!" she yelled running pushing away branches and tripping of tree roots.
Suddenly he appeared in front of her but she stepped back from him. It was though he had been bludgeoned.
"Do not follow me..." he whispered.
Gasping she woke up suddenly looking around and then realising where she was.
"Bad dream?" Gwaine asked. "You were muttering in your sleep..."
Gabriella looked tilting her head from her bed and saw Gwaine sitting beside her on the floor.
"Brother bludgeoned to near death... What do you think?" she asked sitting up from her bed wiping her hand across her face.
"Rough... What is your brother like?" he replied.
"His name is Damien. He has these amazing blue eyes and dark brown hair. Older than me by four years and heir to the throne. He loves his family recklessly, unconditionally and would do anything to protect us... Even sacrifice himself..."
"We will find him..." Gwaine said pulling the cloak on her a little tighter.
"I hope so because at this very moment I am acting Queen of Alarien. That I am not ready for...It was always going to be my brother as leader... not me..."
"I don't know about that... You got away didn't you?"
"But I got caught..." she pointed out.
"But I bet that in a fight you would be that smart skillfull different fighter wouldn't you. Your brother would have taught you how to fight to fend off the suitors..."
"Gwaine... Leave the poor girl alone" Percival joked waking up and pushing of Leon off him.
"Dont worry, I am awake now princess. Gwaine, you can have a rest now"
"Sleep well Gwaine... Thank you"
Gwaine stubbornly moved from his seat and walked back to his camp bed.