"Watch It!"
An angry and distraught voice rang out as more crashing ensued.
"Those are sensitive instruments!"
But the men did not listen as they continued to knock over vials and beakers, one of which shattered leaving the murky liquid to run off the table and drip to the floor.
"Sir Reginald! Is this really necessary?"
The surprisingly imposing figure of the ageing physician all but screamed; as he spun angrily around to face the head knight.
"These men are acting more like wild boar then the proud knights of Camelot" He ended a tad sarcastically.
Sir Reginald sighed tiredly as he guiltily avoided the eyes of one of his oldest friends. He turned and watched his men behaving exactly the way the frustrated physician accused them of, as they overturned chairs, shoved and pushed things aside, searching in every space that would allow a full-grown man to hide; even now one over eager knight was going so far as to tearing the blankets right off the physician's bed as well as the extra cot tucked away in the corner for any patients unwell enough to need the physicians particular care.
Sir Reginald ran his fingers through his graying hair causing it to stick up in disarray. He caught himself as a memory of his late wife flashed before his eyes laughing that that habit would surely leave him bald.
"I'm sorry Gaius"
As he finally met his friend's eyes only to be presented with a single raised eyebrow.
"King Uther's orders, every chamber in every building must be searched for the escaped prisoner."
"Ah, I see"
Gaius nodded mock seriously
"And when he gave you these orders he also said to destroy everything while you were at it?"
Sir Reginald closed his tired and blood shot eyes
"You know I must do this" He replied heavily.
Gaius' eyes softened.
"Yes… I know." As the physician lowered his head and rubbed slow circles on his now throbbing temples. They both understood what needed to be done, what was going to be done whether they liked it or not. Uther would have almost nothing less then tearing down the castle stone by stone until the last dragon lord was found and met the same fate as his kin.
When will this bloody purge end! Gaius lamented silently. It was not meant as a curse, but as a fact. Life after life he had seen ended: blood spilt on the executioner's block, a life ended at the hangman's noose, or the most horrifying death imaginable. The Pyre.
People that were his friends, and neighbors. People that he had once seen everyday in the market and the bustling lower town as they went about their day. Gaius had treated their illnesses, set broken bones, and delivered their children.
The Physician remembered fondly, a Camelot that used to be filled with merchants hocking their wares, shouting out prices and trying to compel the women with bits and bobs, pretty cloth and dresses, trying to appeal to their vanity. Enticing young children with sweeties and pies, aggravating their parents to no end. The hard-working men eyeing the weapons, leathers and tools longingly as a means to easing their hard labor. Children played and laughed in the streets, traders came and went carrying items to and from across the five kingdoms… now? Now the only things going through the gates are the carts carrying the bodies of the dead.
He is lost without the queen.
Gaius thought of Uther. Indeed, he suspected the only thing keeping the king from going completely mad was his new born son Arthur who was but a few months old, and blissfully unaware of the pain and betrayal surrounding the circumstances of his birth.
"Has there been any sign of Balinor?" Gaius asked, forcefully stopping those dark thoughts.
"If there was, I would be home with a mug of ale and enjoying a hot meal with my son." Sir Reginald said regretfully "We still do not know how the dragon lord even escaped from the dungeons. It must have been magic."
"Indeed."
The head knight studied the physician. There was something off about him, the tone of his voice or maybe his behavior; whatever it was stirred up an uneasy feeling. Reginald had been through too much in his life to ignore it and he was wise enough to listen to his instincts. He pushed the feeling down anyway. He would rather turn a blind eye and plead ignorance than possibly uncover an old friend being involved somehow; it would mean certain death for the physician. Gaius is a loyal servant to the king and has been for many years the head knight rationalized to himself; he shook his head a wry smile twisting his lips.
I am getting too old for this
"Sir Reginald!"
One of the young knights stood at attention in the middle of the room that was now in shambles.
"Yes, Sir Kay?"
"We have completed our search and have found no sign of the dragon lord."
The senior knight slowly scanned the room with a frown; making a show of inspecting every part of it before meeting the eyes of the eager youth.
"Are you sure you were thorough?"
Sir Kays eyes widened comically before they frantically darted around the room searching for something that they may have missed.
Sir Reginald's lips twitched as he shared an amused look with Gaius.
"Um… well sir… I think? That is maybe…"
Sir Reginald finally took pity on the young man "Oh don't worry boy. It was only meant in jest."
He chuckled softly when Sir Kay sighed in relief. "You and the rest of the men move on to the next chambers, lord Dewhurst's I believe"
Sir Kay hesitated.
"Were my orders not enough, or do you need an invitation? Move!" the head knight barked in a voice that he usually reserved for training new recruits.
Sir Kay and the rest of the men scrambled to obey as they filed out the door and to their next unsuspecting victim. The silence they left behind seemed almost unnatural after so much chaos; and in the midst of it stood two men that barely recognized each other anymore. The circumstances that led up to this point had prematurely aged them; graying hair turning white, laugh lines turning into frown lines, good humors turning melancholy. "Gaius…" The knight started to reach for the physician; to comfort? to apologize? he himself did not know, but was stopped before he could figure it out by Gaius's raised hand.
"Its fine Sir Reginald, you were just following orders. No hard feelings. You better get back to your search before your knights do any lasting damage" Gaius smiled in good humor.
Sir Reginald nodded slowly, puzzled by the man's calm manner when the knight had been sure he was in for a thorough tongue lashing.
"Are you sure?" the knight asked looking hesitantly around at all the mess.
"Yes, yes, go." The physician made little shooing motions "Give my best to Leon!"
The physician quickly ushered the knight out leaving Sir Reginald to scratch his head thoughtfully when Gaius practically slammed the door in his face.
The physician turned around, leaning heavily against the door. Looking around at the shambles that was once his chambers, he dropped his head back onto the wood with a dull thud. He breathed deeply for a few moments before determinedly throwing back his shoulders and getting to work.
He started by picking up the broom that had clattered to the floor, and sweeping up all the broken glass, along with dried mud that had come from the knight's dirty boots. He sopped up the spilt liquids, and then spent the next hours sifting through scattered pages and books, placing them back in their proper place.
The shadows lengthened as the sun started to set; and just like that, as if by some signal known only to him, the physician halted what he was doing. He placed the book he was just inspecting down. Tilting his head, listening for a moment and apparently getting the answer he was looking for he turned on his heel and walked to one of three large barrels that were pressed against the wall that he normally kept water and food stuffs in. He chose the middle barrel that he softly rapped his knuckles against in a distinct pattern. He only had to wait for just a moment before the barrel started to rock slightly. Gaius lifted the cover of the barrel off to reveal a curious sight. It was just a regular barrel filled with what looked like grain, only the grain seemed to be sprouting fingers. The fingers turned into hands as they pushed up to reveal that the grain was actually very shallow, only covering just enough to conceal the man inside. The man gulped desperately at the fresh air as he shoved the cloth that had simultaneously held the grain and covered his head, through the opening of the barrel leaving the grain that had lain on top to scatter to the floor. The tinkling of the grain falling, and the breathless gasps of the man is all that could be heard as Gaius sympathetically brushed off the other man's head and shoulders.
"Wh… what took you so long? I-I was suffocating in here."
The man gasped, shakily brushing the sweaty hair clinging to his face from his eyes.
"Oh, it's hot" he moaned wretchedly as he tugged the collar of his shirt away from his drenched body.
"I'm sorry Balinor, I couldn't risk letting you out of here with Uther's men stomping up and down the corridors and stairs searching for you. Hopefully by this time they've reached the lower town and we need not worry about them barging in."
Gaius helped Balinor leverage himself up and out of the confines of the barrel. The young man stumbled slightly and stood on bloodless legs bent at the waist trying to rub feeling back into them.
"What now?" Asked the dragon lord, finally catching his breath.
"Now you stay put and out of sight until nightfall."
"And then? How will you get me out of Camelot?"
"I will not." Gaius emphasized.
"What!" Balinor asked askance "Am I to stay in hiding? I will not stand a chance of getting out of Camelot on my own. I cannot foresee where Uther's men will be at any given time without someone like you who can walk freely to guide my way!"
"Hush, Balinor. Do you want someone to overhear?" Gaius whispered urgently looking over at the door half expecting Uther to come crashing through and send them both to the pyre.
"I cannot risk my position in Uther's court. Not to sound cold but no one can say when this purge will end and how many more will die. You are not the only one I have helped escape Uther's grasp, if I get caught…" Gaius trailed off, helplessly searching for words "I and only a handful of others are in a place where we can do some good…"
"Gaius… Gaius!" Balinor interrupted. He placed his hand gently on the physician's shoulder squeezing slightly "I understand. If you get caught because of me, I would be condemning anyone else that you could have helped in the future. I am forever in your debt for the risks that you have taken for me" Balinor ended softly.
Gaius smiled gratefully returning the gesture by gripping the dragon lords forearm. "No. You are family and I would do it again. Besides…" Gaius lips twitched "If I had not, Hunith would never forgive me."
Balinor chuckled softly and then clapped his hands together in nervous anticipation. "Well! I guess It would be best to wait till after the curfew bell rings before I make my escape attempt."
"No. Later than that; after midnight" Gaius replied.
The younger man raised his eyebrows questioningly at Gaius waiting for an explanation.
"That is when the man that is to lead you out of Camelot will come."
The physician chuckled softly at the younger mans surprised face. "I said that I couldn't sneak you out of the city, not that there would be no one to do it."
"Gaius, you are a wonder. Who is it? And can he be trusted?" Balinor paused at the older mans expression "What is it? Who is coming?"
"Its nothing, do not worry." Gaius reassured
"Too late, I'm worried. What is it?"
The older man huffed, frustrated with himself. "It's nothing but my own misgivings. A mutual acquaintance connected us, and I have worked with him a few times in getting people out of the city. The man has done much to help and has saved many lives."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Nothing substantial, only that the man is a complete mystery; not even my acquaintance knows where he is from or why he risks so much for people that he owes no allegiance to. I understand the need for secrecy in these troubled times especially for someone working against the king's law but… there is just something unsettling about him. He is too at ease with deception and treats everything as if it were a game that only he knows how to play… I don't know."
Gaius flung his hands up helplessly.
"Do you trust him?"
The physician hesitated.
"Gaius, do you trust him?
The physician nodded resolutely. "I trust him to get you out of Camelot."
"And I trust you." Balinor nodded in return. "So, I suppose all we can do now is wait."