Author's note: Set after the fourth series. Based loosely on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, although when I say loosely, I mean as loosely as Merlin is based on the legend of King Arthur: names and basic facts only. I've decided Gwaine was under-used in series four, so here he is getting a storyline all to himself (okay, he'll be sharing it a bit, but mostly its his). Ragnelle has been a hard character to figure out, but hopefully she'll turn out to be a decent enough hero (or heroine - however you like to see it). If she was in The Hunger Games, she'd probably be Fox Face. If she was in Twilight, she'd stick the vampire with a stake. I've beaten as much of the Mary-Sue out of her as is humanly possible, so I hope it shows. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The horses' hooves kicked up gravel and dirt as they cantered into the courtyard. Gwaine watched over the King's shoulder as the riders pulled their mounts to an abrupt halt at the foot of the castle steps. It was only a small party; three guards and their two charges: a young woman and a boy caught in that awkward place between childhood and manhood. Gwaine wondered if the guards were there to protect them or to keep them from escaping.

The woman dismounted easily, but was left holding her horse's reins as the stableboy rushed instead to her brother's aid. She waited patiently, but once her brother was off his horse the stableboy led his mount away and left the woman with her hands still full. There was a moment of confusion, as the boy hesitated and his sister jerked her head towards the royal party waiting on the castle steps.

'For crying out loud,' Arthur muttered beneath his breath as the boy began to make his way up the steps without his sister. 'Merlin, go and take the horse.'

Merlin dodged between Gwaine and Gaius' shoulders and quick-stepped down to the courtyard, passing the young man halfway. They glanced at each other, but the boy was quick to look away again. As he drew nearer, Gwaine could see the resemblance between him and his father, although there was something lither about the son and his eyes seemed several shades lighter.

When he was two steps below the King he bowed. 'Your Majesty.'

Gwaine looked at Arthur, who had his eyes narrowed. Perhaps he had also noticed the family resemblance.

'Galahad,' Arthur's tone was cool and clipped.

At the sound of his name, Galahad straightened. Gwaine was surprised to see that he almost matched the King in height, even though he was standing two steps below him and must have been several years younger.

Arthur seemed to straighten his back a little more. 'You've grown since I last saw you.'

Gwaine bit his tongue and hid a smile.

'Yes,' Galahad couldn't seem to think of anything else to say after that and the quiet quickly became awkward.

Gwaine turned his gaze to Galahad's sister, who was making her way up the steps now that Merlin had taken her horse from her. She lacked a certain grace that Gwaine had expected from her, and she looked even more like her father than her brother did, with her round face and dark eyes. She was not particularly pretty, Gwaine thought.

When she reached her brother's side she curtsied low before the King. 'Your Majesty,' she said, her eyes planted firmly on the paving stones.

'Lady Ragnelle.' Arthur's voice was clear enough for everyone gathered on the steps to hear, but a chill clung to it. 'You are welcome in Camelot.'

'Thank you, Your Majesty. We are glad to be here.' Ragnelle's words were flat and, Gwaine thought, well-rehearsed. He did not blame her; with her father gone, her words were all she had left to protect herself.

Arthur hesitated and then offered her his hand. She took it and rose to her feet, and at last they looked at each other.

'Come inside. It's growing cold,' Arthur said, before turning away and offering Guinevere his arm. She took it, but she looked uncertain. Gwaine wondered if she ever regretted becoming Arthur's queen; life as a serving girl was surely far less complicated.

The pair swept away with all the grace that Ragnelle had lacked, and the crowd parted to let them pass. The King's cousins followed, Galahad trailing at Ragnelle's heels. The rest of the welcome party went after them.

Merlin, having passed Ragnelle's horse over to a stableboy, appeared again at Gwaine's side. 'Well, that didn't go too badly,' he said.

Gwaine shrugged, 'Who knows. Arthur didn't look convinced.'

Gaius, walking on Merlin's other side, looked doubtful. 'Lady Ragnelle will have to do a great deal more than curtsey if she is to convince Arthur that she is trustworthy. And as for Galahad...' The physician trailed off, his mouth set in a thin, serious line.

Merlin frowned, 'Arthur cannot blame them for Agravaine's betrayal. He knows better than anyone how it feels to be held responsible for a father's faults.'

Gwaine looked after Ragnelle and Galahad. 'He's the King. In my experience that means he can do what he likes.' Arthur was angry and afraid; He'd been betrayed too many times by the people he loved. Gaius was right: it would take a lot to persuade Arthur that he could trust his cousins.

'Come on, Gwaine, you're going to miss the show.' Elyan slapped Gwaine on the shoulder as he passed. Gwaine had been trailing at the back of the crowd alongside Merlin and Gaius; as a knight of Camelot he should have been at the front of the procession, ready to defend the King and Queen at a moment's notice. Gwaine didn't think they were in much danger; Ragnelle didn't look like the type who would stab an unsuspecting king in the back without warning. It was one small difference between her and her father. Perceval and Leon were close behind the King and his cousins, however, should Gwaine be mistaken.

Elyan was quick to catch up with them, although Tristan trailed up beside Gwaine at the back, apparently unconcerned about staying within sight of the royal crowd. Unlike the others, Tristan was not swathed in the crimson of Camelot. He may have agreed to fight for Arthur, but he had yet to take any oath that bound him to the King's service. He offered Gwaine a silent nod of greeting.

A clump of courtiers had gathered outside the council chambers, craning their necks to catch a final glimpse of the king's troubled cousins before they disappeared behind closed doors. This meeting was to be private – or as private as it could be with four armed knights in the room. Gwaine slipped through the crowd after Merlin and Gaius, and entered the room just as the doors began to swing shut. He left Tristan's side and took his place beside the other knights.

The door creaked closed.

'Here we go,' he heard Merlin mutter beneath his breath. Gaius gave his assistant a look that could silence a songbird.

The room remained quiet for a time, as Arthur carefully regarded his cousins. They stood side-by-side, straight-backed and straight-faced. Galahad was more than a head taller than his sister, but his shoulders were stiffer and he was obviously more uncomfortable being scrutinised than she was. It was Ragnelle who commanded the attention, although Gwaine couldn't say why. She watched Arthur's every move with a keen gaze that made her look even more like her father than she already did. That would not help her to win Arthur's affection.

'I trust you had a good journey,' Arthur said at last, obviously stalling the serious business for the moment.

'Yes, your Majesty. Thank you.' Ragnelle's reply was somehow disappointing, even though the mundane question commanded no interesting answer.

'I'm glad to hear it. The roads are full of enemies these days.' Arthur had chosen his words carefully and everyone watched for a reaction from Agravaine's children. Galahad glanced at his sister, who did nothing.

'I am sorry to see that Gaheris is not with you,' Arthur continued.

Ragnelle was ready for him. 'My brother sends you his apologies and begs Your Majesty's pardon. He was taken ill a week past and is unable to travel.'

'I see.' Arthur didn't seem to believe the excuse, but there was little he could do to challenge it. After a long pause, he seemed to decide that that was enough of the niceties. 'You are here to swear allegiance to me and to Guinevere, as your rightful sovereigns.' He paused, waiting, but nothing happened. 'Will you do this willing before the court?'

'Of course, Your Majesty.' Ragnelle took a letter from the pocket of her travelling coat and offered it to the king with both hands. 'Gaheris has also sent you this written declaration of his loyalty to Your Majesty.'

This seemed to throw Arthur slightly; he had not expected it to be so easy. After a slight hesitation on his part, he reached out and took the letter from Ragnelle's hands. 'Thank you.'

There was a short moment of silence in which no one seemed sure what to do, and then Arthur recovered and turned to the knights. 'Sir Elyan, Sir Gwaine, please escort Lady Ragnelle and her brother to the chambers that have been prepared for them.' Arthur turned back to his cousins, 'You will want to wash and rest before the feast tonight.'

Ragnelle took a breath, as if she might say something, but then she let it go and curtsied. 'Thank you, Your Majesty.'

Elyan stepped forward and bowed, and Gwaine followed suit. The gesture had never come easily to him, however, and his bow was certainly shallower and shorted than Elyan's had been. He thought that Ragnelle noticed, because her eyes lingered on him a little longer than they had on Elyan. Gwaine expected her to say or do something about it, but she suddenly seemed to lose interest and looked away. He turned and began to make his way towards the doors, Elyan at his side and the King's cousins following after.

XXX

It had been seven years since Ragnelle had been to Camelot. She'd been born here, but after Ygraine and Tristan had died, Agravaine had moved his wife and children to the family's lands in the north. Galahad had been born there and their visits to court had been infrequent. It was impossible to travel with three young children, her father had always said. Ragnelle and Arthur had been distantly aquainted; forced to write to each other by their parents from time to time. But when they were together – when Ragnelle was allowed one of her infrequent summers in the south, or when Arthur was allowed one of his even less frequent journeys to the north – they had never enjoyed one another's company. Ragnelle had been plain and shy, and Arthur had been reckless and unkind in his youth.

Ragnelle had been allowed more time at court when Morgana had become Uther's ward. She was thought to be a good companion for the lonely little girl, and Morgana had been a kinder child than Arthur had. But Ragnelle's visits to court had stopped altogether when her mother had died, and she could make little sense of what had happened here since. A lot had changed in seven years.

She wondered if the armed escort to their rooms was going to be a permanent measure.

'My lady, your rooms are just down here.' Elyan indicated a passage to the left.

Ragnelle frowned, 'There aren't any guest rooms down there, only...' she stopped herself before she said it.

Elyan gave her a pointed look. 'There are guest rooms now, My Lady. Sir Gwaine will escort you the rest of the way. If your brother would like to follow me...' He was cold and courteous, which was fair enough considering her father had tried to have his sister killed on more than one occasion.

The way Galahad drew his next breath told her that he was annoyed. Although people didn't ignore him, he was often neglected in conversation – people had a habit of talking about him, rather than too him. Being here would surely make it worse, as he was even more unfamiliar with court life than she was. Even now he was slouching, and he kept glancing about as though he was looking for a way of escaping. It wasn't helping him to dispel the untrustworthy image they'd been saddled with now that their father was dead.

'Very well. I'll see you at dinner,' she said to Galahad. He glanced at her sideways and then followed Elyan down the corridor to the right without a word. He was probably annoyed with her as well; that was usually the case these days.

'Young people,' she turned to look at Sir Gwaine, who was smirking after Galahad, 'Always feeling sorry for themselves,' he said.

This irked her. 'He's not feeling sorry for himself. He's just...' she stopped, because she didn't know what was wrong with him, other than that he was young and self-pitying. Irritated, she started walking down the corridor Elyan had indicated. She knew where she was going; there was only one set of chambers down here. Clearly Arthur was trying to tell her something.

'I suppose you aren't feeling sorry for yourself either?' Gwaine followed after her. She didn't like his easy tone, but she didn't say anything because there would be no point to it.

'I assume I'm being put in here.' She stopped outside a familiar door and looked at Gwaine pointedly. He seemed unfazed by her icy tone.

Ragnelle pulled open the door to Morgana's old room. 'Thank you, I can manage alone from here.' Her intent had been to step across the threshold and close the door in his face, but as she turned to do so she caught sight of his expression – his lips were curled with the slightest of smiles – and she wanted to defend herself.

'Even if I did feel sorry for myself, would you not agree I have the right to? My parents are dead, my eldest brother is dying, and my cousin thinks I'm a traitor. How would you feel?'

His smile didn't disappear altogether, but it became less smug and the look in his eyes grew more curious.

'Well, you don't look like a traitor, but neither did your father.'

Ragnelle's hand tightened around the door knob. She would have given anything then to say something witty; a cutting remark that would silence him and send him away cowed, but she could think of nothing. Even if she could, it wouldn't mean anything, because what he'd said was true. She went to close the door.

'If you need anything, let me know.'

She glanced at Gwaine again. He was being genuine, or at least seemed to be, but she couldn't dare to trust him. He was loyal to Arthur, and right now Arthur wasn't her closest ally.

She closed the door.

XXX

Gwaine had a feeling he should have been more serious. It was a feeling he was familiar with, but one he frequently ignored. Lady Ragnelle wasn't what he'd been expecting. He'd been expecting someone more sultry and deceptive; he'd been expecting her to jump to her father's defence. Instead she was just like any other women he might have met at market or in the kitchens.

He met Elyan coming back from the direction of Galahad's chambers.

'Arthur will want us back in the council chambers.' Elyan knew how to be serious.

Gwaine turned with him, back the way they'd come. 'I hope Galahad made better conversation than his sister.'

'Didn't say a word,' Elyan said. His hand rested absently on the hilt of his sword and Gwaine wondered if that gesture had been what had put Galahad off the idea of talking.

'Did you say anything to him?' Gwaine asked.

Elyan glanced sideways, scowling slightly. 'Why would I?'

Gwaine shrugged, feigning carelessness. 'Make him feel welcome, lure him in, win his trust and then get him to spill all of his secrets.' He was half-joking, but they both knew that this idea wasn't far from the truth.

'They say they don't have any secrets.'

Gwaine rolled his eyes. 'Well, they're not going to say anything else, are they?'

Elyan paused in front of the council chamber doors. The corridors had emptied of courtiers now that the chance of catching a glimpse of the king's ill-favoured cousins had passed.

'There's no point in talking to them then, is there?' he said, before opening the door.

Gwaine smirked. Sometimes Elyan was too serious for his own good; it made him impossibly easy to wind up.

He walked through the door after his fellow knight and let it swing closed behind him. Arthur looked up as they entered. He was hunched over the council table, the letter from Gaheris open in front of him. Gwaine wondered if what Ragnelle had said was true: if Gaheris really was dying. He doubted it made a difference either way; dying men could still be dangerous.

'What did they say?' There was something boyish in the way Arthur asked.

'Nothing, Sire,' Elyan replied, as he had done when Gwaine had asked. He exchanged a glance with his sister. Guinevere was sitting down at the council table, and Gaius and Merlin still hovered nearby. The other knights had left, and Tristan was nowhere in sight.

Gwaine thought of Ragnelle; of the way she'd jumped to her brother's defence but stayed silent on the subject of her father.

'Lady Ragnelle didn't defend Agravaine when I mentioned him.' He thought it might be worth mentioning.

Arthur obviously didn't. 'She'd be a fool to do anything else. Ragnelle's not stupid.'

That much was obviously true. Ragnelle may not have been beautiful, but she exuded an air of cautious intelligence that you couldn't help but notice. It was probably part of the reason why she was the one that commanded attention while Galahad did not.

'Did she say anything about the rooms she was given?'

Gwaine couldn't help but think this had been an uncharacteristically underhand move on Arthur's part. He'd likely been talked into putting Ragnelle into Lady Morgana's old rooms by his council.

'She didn't mention it, but I think she got the message.'

Arthur pulled the face he often would when a plan wasn't quite coming together – an expression caught between irritation and exasperation. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. 'This isn't going to work, Ragnelle's too much like Ag... like her father.'

Gaius spoke up, neatly distracting from Arthur's avoidance of his uncle's name. 'They've been here less than a day, Sire. Give them some time to adjust. When they start to feel more comfortable it will be easier to get them to talk.'

'Do you think they have something to hide, Gaius?' There was a hint of uncertainty in Arthur's voice and Gwaine felt a little sorry for him. He'd been betrayed too many times now to dare to trust anyone; even his own family.

As ever, Gaius was giving nothing away. 'It is hard to tell, Sire. It has been many years since Lady Ragnelle was at court, and Galahad has never set foot in Camelot before today.'

Arthur was restless. 'That's suspicious in itself, isn't it? Why didn't they come when my father was sick; when he died? They should have been at my coronation.'

'They weren't invited.' Everyone looked at Merlin, who had been so quiet that Gwaine had almost forgotten he was there. He looked a little cowed to suddenly be the centre of attention, but he stood his ground. 'Don't you remember, Sire? Agravaine said there was no time to bring them to court.'

Gwaine frowned. Although it wasn't obvious, the fact that Merlin had dared to speak out suggested he leaned a little in the cousins' favour. Merlin had always hated to see injustice done, and Gwaine couldn't blame him for that, but he thought he might warn him not to speak too vehemently in Ragnelle and Galahad's defence until they had a better idea of whose side the pair were actually on.

The look on Gaius' face suggested that he was thinking the same thing. 'Merlin is right, Sire. Agravaine was clever; he might not have told his children of his intention at all; to keep them safe.'

'If he'd wanted to keep them safe he wouldn't have betrayed me.' There was a danger in Arthur's words that caused everyone to fall silent. It was the first indication of the danger Ragnelle and Galahad were in. Gwaine could suddenly understand why Merlin had spoken up; he too felt a sudden urge to try and protect Agravaine's unfortunate children.

Guinevere reached out and squeezed Arthur's arm, which seemed to calm him. They looked at each other in that loving way that made Gwaine feel uncomfortable – he couldn't imagine ever looking at someone that way. He thought it odd to rely so much on one person.

'I'll see if I can talk to Lady Ragnelle at the feast tonight. She might feel more comfortable with me.' Guinevere said, ever the voice of reason.

Gwaine suddenly started to feel very redundant in this conversation. He looked sideways and caught Merlin's eye; it seemed he wasn't the only one.

Arthur glanced in their direction. 'You can go, there's no point in wasting a day speculating.'

Gwaine and Merlin shared another look, this time of mild amazement. Arthur very rarely spoke with such reason. Guinevere was working wonders.

They all bowed and turned to leave the king and queen to their loving stares. Elyan swept on ahead, eager to get back to the training ground. There was to be a tournament in a week's time and all of the knights were eager to get as much practice in as possible. Well, all except Gwaine, who had never really seen the point of tourneys. He thought lances should be broken on the battlefield, against your enemy. Not in an arena, where you ran the risk of killing a friend. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to compete.

He fell into step beside Merlin, who was trailing after Gaius. 'Got any plans for the rest of the day?'

Merlin sighed, 'Oh, you know, not much, just washing Arthur's clothes, cleaning his room, polishing his boots, grooming his horse, preparing his dinner. The usual.'

Gwaine clapped Merlin on the shoulder and veered off to the left, towards the front courtyard. 'Have fun with that.'

'You know, you could help!' Merlin called after him.

Gwaine turned and walked backwards a few paces, holding out his arms and shrugging. 'I've things to do. People to see.'

'You're going to the tavern aren't you?'

Gwaine grinned, 'See you later, Merlin,' and then he turned and ran before anyone thought to stop him.