A/N: I'm seriously the most incompetent writer and I apologize. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and if I don't have the perfect idea I won't write. Plus I'm really busy. Anyway, you don't want to listen to me making excuses all day, so here it is: Chapter 2! P.S. I don't own Gwaine or the Merlin universe, now enjoy!
The next morning came far too quickly in Elsa's mind. Completely exhausted, she rolled out of bed. She darted into the kitchen immediately after getting dressed, where her aunt was now drinking her tea, her uncle most likely already at work.
"Good morning auntie," She said, grabbing some bread and sitting on the counter.
"Get off there! It's for food not your arse!" Her aunt sighed, smacking the girl with her wash cloth, "When are you leaving?" She asked.
"As soon as Gwaine gets here, I'm not particularly sure when that will be. I should go get Dristan prepared," She said, shoving the rest of her bread in her mouth and hopping off the counter top.
"See you auntie," She said giving her a kiss on the cheek and running out the door.
"Be careful," Her aunt called back. Elsa ran over to her neighbor's stalls, where they were kind enough to allow her to keep Dristan. She saddled him and prepared to leave. As she began walking swiftly towards her home again, thinking she was running late, she saw Gwaine.
"I thought I was late," She shouted, catching his attention.
"Sorry, I slept in,"
"Of course you did. I highly doubt you went home after last night," She smiled, as she mounted Dristan and began to walk towards the edge of the village.
"What exactly are you implying," Gwaine smirked as they rode.
"I'm implying that after you dropped me off and somehow wound up at the tavern!" She laughed at him, "Now, if I were you I would focus on keeping up with me," And with that, Dristan was galloping off. Gwaine took off just as quickly, barely keeping up with her. It wasn't long before they arrived, the sun still bright in the sky. They both dismounted their horses and Elsa walked over to the spot she remembered all too well. She slowly removed the branches that had covered it through the year that had passed since her last visit; she dusted away the leaves to reveal two small stacks of rocks. The king forbid the marking of a sorcerers grave, but that was of no matter. She needed a place to remember them. She squatted down, and just stared at the stones. She wasn't one to speak at graves; she didn't really believe anyone was listening. She just sat there and remembered them. She thought back to when she was a child and how they would teach her small spells. How they helped people, and continued to do so even after it was outlawed. And then back to when Uthers men came, and how they dragged her parents out. Then they were killed, along with some of their friends who also peacefully practiced magic. They spared her, being a young girl at the time. She hadn't noticed, but there were now tears streaming down her face. She wasn't sure how long she had been sat there, but Gwaine was still by the horses waiting patiently. Elsa quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand, knowing the tears would unfortunately still be obvious. She got up, and began walking towards the horses and Gwaine once again.
"I'm ready to go back," She said, trying to state it strongly, but it only came out in a broken whisper.
"Oh Elsa," Gwaine whispered, unsure of what to say. He wasn't used to seeing this woman broken; she always carried around such a strong façade. He just embraced her, hoping that was the right thing to do. She responded by simply crying into his chest. They stayed there like that for a few minutes, until she pulled herself together, wiped her eyes and mounted Dristan once again, hardly waiting for Gwaine. They made their ride back silently. They barely made it back before nightfall, she had been at the grave much longer than she thought. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. However rare, Gwaine did at times remain silent; and it was certainly appreciated that day.
As soon as Elsa arrived home she wondered into her room, despite the protests of her aunt. She laid down in bed immediately, simply not in the mood for consciousness, and soon she was fast asleep.
Elsa awoke the next morning to light streaming through her curtains, an abnormal amount of silence resonating in the atmosphere. She stood and got dressed before walking in the kitchen only to find it empty. She heard faint yelling from outside, and as she looked out the window she saw the worst sight she could have imagined. There were people in the distance running and yelling, there were fires, and they seemed to be coming closer. Fear and confusion filled her. She ran to the door and grabbed the sword leaning against it. She opened her front door and began calling for her aunt and uncle. After a few minutes of scanning the crowds in an attempt to spot her family she finally did. She called out to her aunt, who turned, but as soon as she did had a sword thrust through her. Elsa froze. Her uncle was already on the ground next to her aunt and she charged at the bandits. Unfortunately she didn't get far before she was pulled back. Gwaine was there, he was talking to her, telling her something. She couldn't hear over the screams and everything was fuzzy. He grabbed her and finally she heard him tell her to get onto one of the horses she hadn't noticed until now. She finally snapped out of her daze and jumped onto Dristan, Gwaine close behind her along with many of the other villagers attempting to get away from the chaos taking over their small village.
Once Elsa managed to gain her composure it was close to nightfall, and she was sitting across from Gwaine in the woods, a fire in between them.
"Why did we leave?" She whispered, "We could have helped, why the hell did we leave?!" She nearly shouted, glaring up at Gwaine.
"There was nothing we could do; the people who were going to escape were already on their way. You're quite the heavy sleeper by the way," He said with a bitter laugh, "Always said you could sleep through a siege,"
"This isn't a joke, Gwaine!" She shouted, "People died, after we left! Why didn't we stay?"
"Because your aunt and uncle told me to find you and get you out of there, I was headed for your house," He said, tossing bits of wood and grass into the fire. Elsa stayed silent at that. There wasn't anything left to discuss, and even if there was they both knew better then to speak to each other in the states they were in.
"If you're not going to, I think I'll get some shut eye," Gwaine mumbled, lying down on the hard ground. Elsa simply hummed in response, looking out into the woods surrounding them. Her eyes wondered to the horses, noticing the lack of supplies they had with them. She sighed, and looked at Gwaine, already fast asleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day she thought as she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes.