Thanks to all who read the first chapter. I know Sir Leon's not everyone's cup of tea! Anyway, here's a double chapter to make up for it, featuring the court of Camelot. Enjoy!
The two sentries at the front gate loved their night shift. With the curfew in place, no one ever came through the gates at night and, by taking it in turn to lean against the wall, one could actually get a decent night's sleep on the job.
The night had started quietly as usual, until, in the depth of the night, the rumbling of a wooden cart clattering against the cobblestones alerted both sentries to the arrival of a not so discreet intruder.
"Who's there?" shouted one of the guards. They both drew their sword to pre-empt any attack.
"Please help me."
The torches hanging from the sides of the gate cast their flames onto the surrounding darkness, slowly revealing the form that had previously been eaten by the shadows. The sentries' eyes opened in disbelief as a woman pulling a cart appeared in front of them.
"Please, help me." She repeated her plea.
"You shouldn't be out at this hour my dear. Go back to your home. There's no business for you here."
"No, you don't understand..." Swords forward, both sentries advanced towards her. "No, don't! It's Sir Leon; he's been attacked in the lower town. He's bleeding too much. I couldn't... He needs help...Fast..."
The young woman fell on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. The sentries approached cautiously, swords pointing forward in case the woman only acted as a decoy.
"Melvin, it IS Sir Leon. Go get Gaius at once."
Gaius stood straight as the door creaked on its hinges, making way for the bright flickering light of the torch gleaming against all the bottles and glass jars in his chambers.
"What is it? Who's there?"
"It's just me, Melvin. Gaius, you're needed immediately at the main gate. It's Sir Leon. He's bleeding out."
A dazed Gaius straightens at the last word. He stood at once and proceeded to gather a few supplies in his leather satchel while calling for his ward.
"Merlin!"
"Uhh?" A sleepy dishevelled hair appeared behind the door.
"Go wake Arthur and tell him that Sir Leon has been seriously injured. Then join me at the front gate. I may well need your assistance."
Merlin let out an anxious sigh, which had more to do with the thought of waking Arthur in the night than Sir Leon's welfare. He went back to his bedroom, threw on one of the shirt he had dismissed on the floor the previous night and rushed out of the chambers without so much as a glance towards the guard who stood there.
Even in the flickering light of the torches, it didn't take long for Gaius to realise how serious Sir Leon's injury was. Blood was generously seeping underneath a crude bandage which had been torn out from the knight's cloak but had been applied too loosely to restrain the blood flow significantly. Gaius needed to act quickly.
He took fresh, clean dressings at of his bag and set to strap the wound up tightly. Just as he was done, Merlin and Arthur came rushing out of the castle's front door.
"How is he?" immediately enquired Arthur.
"He's lost an awful lot of blood, sire. He needs to be taken to his chambers immediately."
"Fine, Merlin, fetch a stretcher in the guard tower." Merlin nodded and disappeared in the night. Turning towards the sentries, Arthur asked: "Has anybody witnessed the attack?"
Melvin, who had hurried back with Gaius to resume his duties, pointed to a small pile of dirty rags, which on closer inspection turned out to be a young woman huddled up against the wheel of the cart she had brought with her.
He face was as pale as Sir Leon and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She wiped them dismissively before standing and curtsying as the Prince approached. As he addressed her, she bowed her head respectfully.
"The guard said you saw what happened?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Her eyes remained screwed to the floor, but Arthur noticed small drops falling to the ground, dispersing minute amounts of dirt as they landed. Her hands kept scrubbing her dirty skirt. Hell, the skirt wasn't dirty, Arthur suddenly realised, it was caked in blood. Gaius's statement sounded more and more like an understatement.
Merlin had come back with the stretcher and Sir Leon was quickly transported to his chambers with Gaius in tow.
"The king needs to be informed of the situation" the Prince stated loudly. "You", he pointed at the woman "Come with me. You will tell the king exactly what happened." She cowered away as he came closer. "Do not worry; the king will be grateful for you saved the life of one of his best knights. Your actions will not go unrewarded."
Arthur grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the castle entrance. They made their way through corridors before stopping in front of huge double doors.
"You stay here", ordered Arthur. "I will fetch the king and ask for an audience on your behalf. I will be back soon".
The young woman waited for what seemed for a long time, watching as the early morning bustle of the caste unwound in front of her eyes. What a strange night it had been. She had been assaulted at work, had rescued a knight, talked to the Prince and would now be presented to the king. As the sun came over the horizon, its rays hit the windows of the corridor in which she was stood, and flooded the place with bright, white light. That was when she realised how bad she looked. She shook her head in despair. This was no way to meet the king. What impression would she give in this attire?
A couple of male servants walked past, barely noticing her before a maid carrying a jug of light ale and a plate of meats and cheese stopped in front of her.
"Are you alright?" She enquired.
The young woman nodded back.
"Have you been made to wait here?"
She nodded again before being thoroughly inspected by the maid's dark brown eyes.
"What's happened?"
She was saved from answering by Prince Arthur, striding back towards them.
"That will be all, Guinevere. Please take this jug to the king's table now." Turning towards the stranger, he added, "The king will receive you now".
The heavy wooden doors to the main hall opened behind her. As she turned round, she couldn't help but admire the lavish architecture of the hall. She had never seen a room as big, nor as beautiful. Banners hanged from the arched ceiling and the floor was paved with the finest, most ornate tiles she had ever seen. At the end of the Great Hall, the king sat at a long beautifully carved table. The Lady Morgana was sat to his right, and another chair lied vacant to his left, where Prince Arthur should have sat.
Said Prince place his hand on her shoulder to push her gently forward, and noticed her recoiling slightly with a wince as he did so. "Don't worry", he murmured kindly, "you will be fine".
As she walked forward in the hall, she realised that the whole court had been summoned, as she recognised some of the knights that had attended the tavern the previous evening.
"Come hither, child" ordered the king.
She stepped forward, head bowed in respect and stood silently in front of her sovereign, aware that all eyes were set on her.
"I understand we have you to thank for Sir Leon's life."
"I only did what I thought was my duty, Your Highness." Her head and shoulders bowed further down in front of Uther, so far forward a gust of wind would have toppled her forward effortlessly.
"What is your name, child", Uther continued.
"Ardena."
Sir Edwin let out a gasp. Under the dishevelled hair, bloody hands and dirty face, lied the deep blue eyes that he had admired the night before whilst the young woman calmly and placidly cleaned the dirty tables at the tavern. He thought of stepping forward to assist, but refrained, remembering that he had left Sir Leon behind, alone, at the mercy of his attacker and that king Uther may not be so benevolent as to forget this fact.
"So, Ardena, would you care to explain how you came to bring Sir Leon to us last night?"
Ardena sighed, her eyes heavy through lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. She closed her eyelids, remembering the events as they unfolded, etched inside her mind.
"I was on duty at the Rising Sun tavern last night, Your Highness. Sir Leon had stayed behind to pay for the drinks and left as we closed for the night. I left shortly afterwards and noticed Albedion, who works at the stone quarry. He had caused trouble at the tavern and Sir Leon had thrown him out to avoid anybody getting into a fight." She didn't want to enter into too much detail. After all, the king would have little interest in bar brawls and other matters of the commoners.
"I'm sure your knights will confirm this, Your Highness". She continued, as Uther spotted Sir Edwin nodding in agreement. "Albedion was hiding behind the barrels that had been left in front of the tavern and, before I had time to warn him, he stabbed Sir Leon in the leg." She lifted her eyes up. The king was watching her intently, listening to her every word. "I ran towards them. Sir Leon had collapsed on his sword and was unable to draw his sword. Albedion was about to inflict a mortal stab wound to his back or his neck, so I pushed Sir Leon aside and grabbed Albedion's arms."
Gwen, who was pouring some ale into the Lady Morgana's cup, raised her eyebrows in astonishment. This was a brave girl, for sure.
"And what happened to this Albedion, child?"
"He attacked me, Your Highness. I tried to stab me. I managed to get hold of his dagger and I..." Her shoulders shuddered suddenly, as her throat constricted and she willed her tears away. "I'm afraid I killed him, Your Highness. Unless someone has found him and taken him somewhere else, he still lies dead about fifty yards upstream of the tavern, with a dagger planted in his heart."
She knelt on the cold floor of the Great Hall, her whole body shaking as she noticed the cold air for the first time since she left the tavern. "I place myself at your mercy, Your Highness. You may dispose of me as you wish." After all, she had killed a man, and in her mind, this was a crime that the king as unlikely to forget.
She was therefore surprised when Uther asked her: "And what happened afterwards? I am led to believe that Sir Leon was brought to the castle gate. This is a long way from the tavern."
"Yes." She answered subserviently. "Sir Leon was bleeding a lot, and barely conscious. I ripped some bandages from his cloak and tried to staunch the bleed, but I couldn't get them tight enough. I tried to call neighbours to help, but, because of the curfew, no one wanted to be seen out at this time of the night. I ran to the blacksmith's which is but a street away, and borrowed a small wooden cart. With his help, I managed to lift Sir Leon onto it but he lost consciousness soon afterwards. I thought his best chance would be to reach the castle as soon as possible, so I dragged the cart all the way up to the main gate, and asked for help."
Ardena had not noticed how bemused most of her audience was. This young woman had gone far beyond her duty and risked her life to save a knight. Although his demeanour remained composed, Arthur was impressed at the young woman's selfless bravery. He glanced at Guinevere and exchanged a quick smile with her. She too, had gone beyond the call of duty for no less than the first knight in Camelot and, whilst both women looked very different from each other, they seemed to share more than one trait of character, which would one day, make them precious allies for Camelot.
Silence had dragged on for a bit too long, as Uther pondered over the situation. He suddenly addressed the court physician, who had just appeared through a side door behind the main table.
"Gaius, how is Sir Leon faring?"
"He has survived the night, Sire, which is a good sign." The old man looked at the king uneasily for a moment before adding. "He has lost a lot of blood as the stab wound to his leg cut through a main artery. I managed to stop the bleed and sew him up cleanly. The next day or two will be critical. If he survives the blood loss and no infection develops, then I have hopes that he may recover."
Uther remains silent a while longer, rubbing his mouth from side to side with his forefinger, deep in thought. Finally, he rose to his feet.
"Rise up, Ardena." The young woman stood to her feet, swaying slightly through sheer exhaustion.
"You have served your king exceedingly well. You will not be charged for Albedion's murder, as your quick actions may have saved his victim's life. I will see that his body is retrieved and the cart returned to his owner. In the meantime, my son's servant will take you to the kitchen so you may be given some breakfast, and Morgana's maid will fetch you some clothes to change into."
Arthur was bewildered at his father's lack of magnanimity: "Father, shouldn't she be rewarded for her actions?"
Uther looked back at his son, his brow creasing in anger, before spitting out: "She has killed a man, Arthur, and for this she has been granted a royal pardon. This is reward enough for her actions. Now please come and sit for breakfast. Council is dismissed."
As the knights broke out noisily and went about their business, Ardena found herself standing alone in the middle of the Great Hall, ignored by all around, not knowing what to do or where to go.
A friendly hand got hold of hers, and as, she turned round, she saw Arthur's manservant smiling kindly at her.
"Shall we get to the kitchens and get you something to eat?"
She had been sat by the fire in the physician's chambers for about an hour when Gwen came in, carrying a bowl of water, some white cloths and a simple but nice servant's dress. The manservant, Merlin was his name, had taken good care of her, recounting stories from his home town of Ealdor, which wasn't so far from Elthiren, where she came from. She made him laugh by insisting on calling him sire, although he kept insisting that he was just a servant. Surely the Crown Prince's personal aide was as important as any knight of the kingdom? Her mother had taught her well and, even though she may not be able to see her right now, she still wanted to do her proud.
The servant girl put the bowl of water on the table, and smiled at her. She was the same girl who had talked to her while she was waiting in front of the Great Hall. She smiled back. Merlin discreetly left the room on the pretence he had to go assist Gaius with Sir Leon's care.
"So, shall we get you wash up and cleaned" said Gwen in a friendly way. "Let me help you with your clothes".
Ardena recoiled as the maid approached. "No, I will do so myself if you don't mind."
Gwen smiled and shrugged, turning over to the table to soak some of the white cloths she had brought with her in the warm water. "As you wish. You know, I can't believe the king didn't offer you any reward for the service you rendered him. Sir Leon is greatly appreciated in Camelot and as close and loyal an aid to the king as you will ever find."
"I seek no reward" a sad voice answered her.
Gwen turned back and started washing the blood off the young woman. "I can't even believe you managed to bring him back to the castle on your own."
Ardena shrugged and winced as Gwen brushed over her arm. She realised blood on her arm wasn't washing off and lifted the cloth slowly. The cut underneath was deep and wide, and must almost have gone down to the bone. "How did you get this?"
Ardena bent her head down and closed her eyes. Her mouth remained shut, so Gwen decided not to push the matter further. "Nobody's bothered to check you were alright when you brought Sir Leon in? Well, at least let me fetch Gaius so that he may..."
"No!" The girl's head jolted up. "No, please don't call the physician. I cannot afford his treatments and..."
"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't charge you for the service" Gwen tried to temper her.
"No, he does not owe me anything, and I wish not to be in his debt. If you would be so kind as to help me bound the wound, I will tend to it myself."
Gwen sighed heavily, but obeyed. She could not force Ardena to seek treatment. Taking her time, she bound the wound then proceeded to wash her hair, removing all trace of the night's attack. The girl was unusually pretty, and, had she wealthier or noble, would have attracted a lot of attention from the knights and neighbouring princes. She turned round to fetch the dress she had brought to replace the blood stained clothes.
Ardena looked at the dress as if in horror. Gwen frowned. "What's the matter? You do not like it?"
"No, it's fine. It's just... I cannot repay it.". Gwen smiled. The young woman was sweet, but very naive. She reminded her very much of Merlin when he first arrived, and conjectured that the girl was probably from the countryside. So many young people were pouring into the city nowadays, in an attempt to make a life for themselves. She counted herself lucky for having found a place as a servant in the castle.
"Don't worry, you can have it and keep it, it is just a servant's dress."
"But who will pay for it?"
"It does not matter, I will make another one to replace it, and no one will know."
Ardena shook her head. This would just not do. Gwen sighed. "Well, why don't you put it on for now? I will come and see you to get it back in a couple of week, so you'll have time to get this one washed and dried." She pointed at the dirty dress on the floor.
Ardena smiled sadly. "Thank you". She changed into the clean dress, wrapping the cord belt around her thin waste, flattening the creases of the skirt with her hands.
Gwen was pleased with the results. She smiled kindly at the woman. "Is there anything else I can do for you before you leave."
Ardena stood up, looking uneasily through the window behind her, as if not daring to ask.
"If you do not tell me, I cannot help you" Gwen offered, taking Ardena's cold hand. The young woman looked up, hopeful.
"Do you think you could take me to see how Sir Leon is faring?"
Surprised by the request, Gwen placed her free hand onto her mouth. Uther would not approve, but he needn't be told and, after all, this would only take a moment. The servant dress would prove very useful in disguising Ardena's identity, Gwen thought as she closed the door to Gaius's chambers.
Through the corridors they both walked, then thin gowns swishing in the same rhythm. Nobody seemed to notice Ardena in her maid's outfit. Indeed, new servants came and went so fast one never knew them all. At last they entered the knights' quarters, and found themselves at Sir Leon's door. Gwen knocked and proceeded in, waving for Ardena to follow her.
It was obvious at first sight that Sir Leon wasn't an ordinary knight. To start with his had his own chambers, and did not share them with any other knight. The room was quite large, and finely decorated, although not luxuriously. A four-poster bed of simple constitution took about a quarter of the space available and was framed by two small windows that had been covered with fine cloths to screen the light out.
Gaius and Merlin were tending to their charge, hiding him from view. Gwen stepped forward and, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder, murmured a few words in his hear. His head turned in Ardena's direction and he nodded to her with a smile. Rearranging Sir Leon's bed sheets, he gently elbowed to Gaius, who had already noticed the young woman's presence.
She was so improved from her audience with the king he would not have recognised her had he seem her walk through the castle or in the town. He could see now she was truly a beauty. She held in her air something an elegance rarely seen in commoners, a fair skin barely hardened by the cold weather, and delicate hands slightly battered by their daily toil.
She looked at him with piercing eyes of a striking colour, which reminded him of the seas of Meredor, as he finished administering a drink to the knight.
"How is he?" She asked in a quiet voice as he moved away from the bed and she could see the knight she had so bravely saved.
"I believe he will recover, in due course, although I don't know whether he will ever regain the strength he had in his leg."
She smiled gently, looking at the prone figure in front of her. His body was almost drowned in the width of the bed, his features calm and peaceful. The covers that had been removed to tend his wounds earlier were now chastely covering him up to his chest, while his naked shoulders relaxed into the thick pillows some maids had carefully plumped up from him.
She stays at the foot of the bed for a long moment, her eyes never leaving the serene face of the knight, with this immovable smile etched on her mouth and eyes full of sadness and tears which fell one by one, until she, at last, made her way towards the door.
Holding the door, she turned one last time and whispered: "Your good heart will be your undoing Sir Leon, next time let me pay for the spill." She then closed the door, walked calmly towards the main entrance and disappeared beyond the boundaries of the castle.