Chapter IV – Desperate Plans

A/N: Thank you all for your amazing comments. Your comments are what keep me editing everyday. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

When Guinevere woke in the morning she was hopeful. She would make her escape soon. Malina came to prepare her for the day. After bathing she put on the other garment that was ready; the emerald green dress that matched the banners of this kingdom. She knew exactly what it represented, her being connected or even bound to this kingdom. Guinevere was surprised that Melwas didn't order his family crest or the kingdom's hawk symbol to be embroidered on it. For all she knew, that could be the next step.

Guinevere carefully pulled flowers out of the vase to be used in her hair. After all she had to make sure the Valerian remained hidden. She wasn't sure if Malina even knew what they were for, but she could not take that chance.

Malina spent a fair bit of time on her hair this morning so she could incorporate the flowers as the Queen wanted. When Guinevere looked in the mirror she had to admit the color looked great on her, but she preferred Camelot red any day.

When she entered the dining room for breakfast Melwas' face lit up. Apparently he approved of the way she looked. He complimented her on the flowers in her hair. She in turn requested another trip to the field so she could wear more tomorrow. This time her request was met with no reservations.

She took advantage of his good mood and asked if her guards could take her horseback riding. Melwas agreed. Guinevere genuinely smiled; everything was working according to plan.

After breakfast, Guinevere returned to her chambers and the seamstress Carling arrived soon after.

"Your pants, your highness" said Carling and she turned the garment over to Guinevere. She tried the pants on and the fit was perfect. This woman was good. She then donned the top she made for herself and showed the women her 'riding outfit'.

She looked down at her bare feet and then it dawned on her that she never inquired about boots. It could take a shoe-maker weeks to prepare something. The elegant shoes that Melwas had provided were not adequate, especially if she needed to be on foot for any part of her escape. It didn't matter; her feet would have to endure. She would go barefoot if she had to.

Carling smiled at her as she pulled out another bag.

"My husband makes boots, shoes and such. He made this pair for one of the noble women, but she turned them back because she didn't like the stitching. I think they may fit you."

Guinevere slid her feet in and they almost fit, they were just a bit too loose.

"Thank you. They are a little big, I just wish I had a pair of…"

"Socks" said Carling as she pulled out fabric that could be used to make socks. All the women laughed together and they sat down to work. By lunch time Guinevere's yellow gown was complete. It was a shame, because she genuinely liked this garment. If everything went according to plan, she would never wear it. She also had several pair of socks as they determined she needed to wear three pair to make the boots fit properly.

When Malina brought in her meal, she automatically brought wine. She poured just a bit for Guinevere who sipped it.

"How's the wine today?"

"I think we have found one to suit my palette, but I don't require much. Please pour a full cup for me and you and the guards can share the rest."

"Thank you, your highness."

Malina left her alone to finish her meal. Guinevere went to her bouquet of wildflowers and carefully pulled out the Valerian. She didn't have a mortar and pestle so she ripped them into small pieces and mashed them against her plate with a spoon. She then scraped the contents into the cup of wine. She put the cup by her bedside table and put a napkin over the top. She took some of the cheese, bread and an apple and hid them in the box on the far table.

Malina returned to collect her dishes.

"My, my, you were really hungry today. There are no leftovers."

"Oh yes, I was quite hungry." Guinevere wanted to quickly change the subject. "I enjoyed this afternoon's wine. I am still sipping it, so please do not disturb the cup by the table."

"As you wish."

"Please tell that guards that I would like to go horseback riding now."

"Yes, my lady."

Guinevere followed the guards downstairs. "Please wait here your highness, we will bring your horse around" said the lead guard.

"No, I would like to see the stables for myself, choose my own horse."

The guard bowed and indicated for her to follow. She mentally marked the path and the location of the stables, they were near the eastern gate. She also made a mental note of the path they took out of the castle to get there.

Once inside she looked over the animals and chose one that appeared tame. The stable boy then saddled the horses for her and the guards. It was then that Guinevere realized, no horse in here would already have a saddle on it, she would have to do it herself. This was a task she had never performed before. She watched the stable hand carefully, committing his actions to memory.

The ride was pleasant. The guards told her they knew of a beautiful riding path she would enjoy. And it was indeed beautiful, near a pristine lake and surrounded by wild flowers. There were two issues, the first was this path kept her away from the Eastern gate which is what she wanted to see again, and second there would be no way to convince them to take her back to the field from yesterday to gather flowers since they were growing in abundance by the lake.

They took a break by the lake so she could collect flowers. One good thing is she found a second flowering herb that would increase the potency of the Valerian. And these flowers were pleasing to the eye, there was nothing to hide. She had never been so grateful for all the time she spent assisting Gaius.

She returned to her chambers in the castle and immediately added her new flowers to the cup of wine on the table. She laid down on the bed to take a rest and inventory her plan in her mind. She was worried about Arthur. She knew he was going out of his mind wondering where she was. And she missed him, missed him terribly. Her decision was made, she would leave tonight.

Malina arrived after a short while.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. Do you need anything?"

"No Malina, I'm fine. I'm just resting up."

"Dinner will be served in about an hour. My master will be expecting you to join him."

"I will."

"Yes, but you are not planning on staying dressed that way are you?"

"No. I'll get up now and I can put the green gown back on." She silently vowed that this would be the last time she dressed to be in the company of Melwas.

Malina just bowed and helped her to get ready.

ooOOoOOoo

After discussing the matter all day as a group, Arthur and his men decided to utilize spies. If they sent out big search parties or deployed the army whoever was holding her would be aware of their actions. If they were desperate enough to keep her, they would move her location.

The knights and guards to be utilized in this mission would deploy in teams of four to areas they had never been to before; to areas they would not be recognized. If she were found, two would return to bring word and the other two would remain to keep watch until reinforcements arrived. If their location was a dead end, all four would return to Camelot. They would re-deploy as necessary.

By that evening there were eight teams ready to go to the four corners and the four areas in-between. Arthur commissioned them without any further fanfare; they would leave at first light by horseback.

ooOOoOOoo

Dinner in Glastonia was uneventful. Guinevere had to really focus on Melwas to stay engaged in the conversation. Her mind was on her escape. She feigned tiredness so she could leave and supposedly go to bed early. When she stood up, Melwas also stood up which wasn't unusual. So she wasn't focusing on him; otherwise she would have noticed when he came near her. The motion of his hand near her face caught her eye and she looked up suddenly, just as he was about to run the back of his fingers across her cheek.

She stepped back with such force the folds of her dress made a whoosh sound as the folds of fabric moved with force. She stood tall, squared her shoulders and stared at him with harsh eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I meant no harm. I could never harm you. I only wanted to wish you well for the night. Share my hope that you regain your strength during sleep tonight."

"Thank you for your well wishes, but you may share them with your words, not with your hands."

Seeing this small little woman stand up to him with such fire, completely amused Melwas. She was just so adorable. He merely smiled lovingly "sleep well my Guinevere."

Guinevere was fuming with anger as she walked towards her chambers, she felt her resolve strengthen. Tonight was the night! She needed to get out of here before Melwas became bolder in his overtures towards her. Once in her room she saw the most beautiful sight ever waiting for her, a fresh pitcher of wine left by Malina. She had completely forgotten to ask for it earlier.

Guinevere poured out a cup full, then she poured in the contents from the cup she had sitting on her night stand. She stirred it with her finger, and prayed that it was potent enough. When Malina showed up to disrobe her, she claimed she would try the wine later, perhaps it might sit til tomorrow. With that Malina bid her goodnight.

Guinevere lay in her bed for good measure for a few minutes. Then she got up and gave the pitcher of wine to the guards outside of her room. Since this was now a regular occurrence, none of them thought twice. Her only hope is that they would all drink of it, and heavily. Then she quietly got up and put on her pants and shirt and three pairs of socks. She moved her boots by the table. She lay down and waited.

She only hoped she had done this right. She didn't know how long it would take for the guards to be overcome by the herbs. She hoped it wouldn't take more than an hour or two. Less than an hour later she heard a soft thud outside, shortly followed by two others and knew this was it. She threw on her boots, grabbed her satchel that now contained two apples, cheese and a chunk of bread. She didn't have a cloak, but had a shawl. It wouldn't provide her all the warmth she wanted, but it was better than nothing.

She opened the door and saw all three guards slumped over and fast asleep. It would have been better if they had been inside the room, but it would take too much time and all of her strength to move them. She took off down the hall, retracing the path the guards used to get her to the stables, and then she ran for her life.

ooOOoOOoo

Arthur had just entered his room for the night when he heard a knock.

"Enter."

He was surprised to see Merlin and Gaius. Merlin had a smirk on his face that Arthur just found highly annoying at the moment.

"What is it?"

"I think I may have found a way for my magic to help."

Arthur's face perked up. "You can locate her?"

"Not exactly. There's a spell I found where you will be able to see through her eyes, hear what she hears."

"I can talk to her?"

"No. Only observe and listen. She won't even know you're there."

"What good is it then? She won't be able to tell me where she is."

"No, but you may be able to see or hear something that will tell you where she is."

"Ok. Let's try it."

"There's only one issue. I can't guarantee it will work. You see in order for this spell to work the two people need to be very close, so connected to each other… well the book says that their souls are intertwined."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I just wanted to be certain…"

"Merlin, there is no doubt in my mind that are souls are intertwined, now let's get started."

"Right."

Merlin had Arthur sit in a chair. With the book laid out on the table next to him, he stood behind him and placed his fingers against Arthur's temples.

"I don't think I'll be able to hear or see anything, so when you're ready to come out of it just raise your hand."

"Yeah Ok, let's get going."

It was at this time that Gaius stepped forward "Sire, I must caution you. This is very powerful magic. It…"

"Gaius, you have concerns, I get it. But my wife has been gone for nearly a week now. Whatever the risk I am willing to take it. Now, let's get started."

Gaius nodded as he stepped back from the pair. He looked at Merlin with worried eyes. Merlin said the spell and waited.

ooOOoOOoo

When Guinevere came near the stable she could hear that there were a couple of drunken men laughing and talking inside. She would have to make her trip on foot. It didn't matter, she was determined. She turned and headed towards the eastern gateway. There were two guards there, they were relaxed in conversation, not even watching the entrance. They were so involved with talking that Guinevere slipped right by them. She knew she was meant to escape.

She darted behind some barrels. Another quick sprint behind some piles of hay and she was just a few feet from the entryway. She took a deep breath and ran through the entry. She hid for a moment by the wall just in case she was seen. She heard nothing, just the continual chatter of the two guards.

She took off at full speed to get through the field. Once in the forest she slowed her steps so she could tread more carefully. Last thing she wanted was to twist her ankle on a root or loose rock in the darkness. Her goal was to put as much distance between her and Melwas as possible. She wasn't sure how far it was to Olaf's kingdom; hopefully it wouldn't be more than a day. They would know she was gone in the morning, but by that time she could be anywhere.

ooOOoOOoo

Melwas was in his chambers feeling very satisfied with himself. His plan was coming along perfectly. Guinevere's little resistance earlier was nothing to be concerned about. She was happy and settling in well. She just needed more time to get used to him. He would need to spend more time with her during the day. In maybe another week or so he would begin to make romantic overtures to her. They could marry by the end of the month, and then she would be completely his.

He thought about her and her beautiful face. He thought about last night as he watched her sleep, the glow of the moonlight on her. It was torturous to leave her, and he didn't want to go through that again. But at the same time, it was worth the pain if he could see her sleep again.

It was the middle of the night, but Melwas got up anyway and went to 'his Queen's' room. As he walked down the hall he saw a sight that shocked him. Her guards were asleep at their post. At first he was angered, then he was gripped with fear. He ran the rest of the distance, and opened the door. He relaxed when he saw a form in the bed.

He quietly went closer to gaze upon her face, it was then that he saw that she was completely covered. He gently pulled back a piece of the cover and saw nothing but the white of the pillow. He pulled the cover, completely away and saw the pillows lined up like a body.

Melwas was enraged. He went into the hallway to yell at the guards so they could begin to look for her, but they did not stir. He even kicked one of them, but there was no response. He went down the hall calling for any other guards on duty. Within minutes the alarm bell sounded and he had Bennett, his captain of the guard dispatch men to search the castle, and the town.

Either Pendragon had discovered she was here and had kidnapped her or she escaped on her own. From what he knew of Arthur, this was not his style. The young king was too confrontational to steal her in the cover of night. He concluded she must have escaped on her own. He went back to his chambers to change out of his bedclothes.

He could not understand why she would leave him; he had provided her everything she wanted. They would hunt her down and get her back, and she would have to be made to understand her place in this kingdom. She could not go back to Camelot, not now, not ever. He prayed that she had not escaped into the forest; otherwise she might be lost to him forever.

ooOOoOOoo

Arthur felt his vision shift suddenly and shut his eyes against the sudden change. When he opened them again he felt completely disoriented. He was no longer in his room. It was dark… he was in a forest. He was running… or rather Guinevere was running.

He could hear Guinevere's breathing. Her breaths came hard as the foliage passed before his eyes. He could hear the sounds of her feet as they hit the ground. She was starting to pant a bit; he wondered how long she had been running.

Arthur was relieved that she was alive, but distressed that she was running through a forest, and at night no less. Was she alone? What was she running from? Was someone chasing her? Or was it a beast after her? What was going on?

Then he heard the bells in the distance, warning bells that are issued when there is an emergency, threat or… an escaped prisoner. Her head turned to look back, he assumed to wherever she came from. But in the distance there was nothing visible.

He heard her whisper 'oh no', and then the pace of her running increased. She was escaping, that had to be it. 'Run Guinevere' he thought, 'RUN!'

A/N: Thank you for reading thus far, we're finally getting into the meat of the story. The next chapter will be up in a few days. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Until the next chapter.

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