It did not take long for me to go through Elaine's gift. A decent man would have headed back West, given up the sword and tried to rebuild himself with the plow, but I could not bring myself to leave the Summer Lands, leaving would be the same as giving up, and although I could give up my dream of distinguishing myself in the city, and even let go of the idea that I could one day become an honored knight of Camelot, I could not give up on Gwen, and I knew if I went West I would never see her again.
It was easier than I thought to find work as a gladiator. Turns out I had made quite a reputation for myself in certain circles, so when I showed up at Hengist's castle he had not only heard of me, but he was eager for me to enter his employ. Unlike the kings and noblemen who I usually worked for, Hengist was a warlord who had gained his wealth by stealing and terrorizing others. His stronghold was not so much a castle as it was a haven for the worst kind of faithless scum that the ten kingdoms had to offer.
I was now one of them.
But in my darkest hours, when I knew nothing but death, I found my life again - Gwen was here.
"You are in for a treat my Lady," Hengist said as soon as he spotted me.
I could not believe my eyes when I saw her sitting at the dining table next to Hengist and his number two, Kendrick. I closed my eyes and stopped breathing when she was still sitting there upon their opening.
"This boy here is my best gladiator. He was born to kill!"
A round of here, here broke out.
She looked at me curiously, no doubt disgusted by the sight.
My face burned with shame.
"Lancelot, meet Lady Morgana of Camelot."
She looked at me, begging me with her eyes to go along with the ruse. That hurt a little; surely she should know that I would die before ever betraying her.
"Lancelot," said Hengist, holding up a mug. "Let us give the Lady a show that she will never forget." He touched Gwen's hand and she violently pulled it away, rolling her eyes haughtily.
Hengist laughed. "By the Gods you have spirit! I like it. Maybe instead of a ransom I should arrange for a marriage contract."
Gwen's mouth twisted into a sneer. "Over my dead body."
Kendrick looked at her and licked his lips. "How I'd love to break you." He was now running his hand down her arm.
It took everything I had not to jump on the table and run my sword through him.
"You break me?" she laughed, her head held high. "That is like a rat felling a lion, but you would not be the first little man to believe that he was bigger and better than he was."
Kendrick's face grew red with anger. Gwen's innuendo was not lost on him or the crowd who began laughing.
"Why Princess, what would you know about such things?" Hengist laughed.
"Gwen cocked her head and glanced at down at Kendrick's pants. "I only know what I see."
The laughing got louder and Kendrick stormed off.
"I think I'll increase the ransom," Hengist said, kissing Gwen's hand. "There is no way that Uther will let a fireball like you go, he'd be insane.
Yes, I thought wistfully, any man who let go of Gwen was a fool indeed.
My heart was racing as I made my way to Gwen's cell. When I arrived she was sitting on her small bed, wrapped in a sheet. There was no sign of the confident noble lady who had both charmed and enraged her captors; in her place was a scared young woman who needed me, almost as much as I needed her.
"Gwen," I whispered, barely trusting my own voice not to betray my emotions.
She looked up and smiled. "Lancelot," she said, running to the cell door. "I can't believe it. It's really you."
I nodded.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her face full of concern.
"I could ask you the same question, My Lady."
She sighed. "Hengist and his band of illiterate bandits hijacked me and My Lady during a pilgrimage to her father's grave. We fought them off and Morgana was able to escape, but they caught me and our idiot kidnappers were too scared to tell Hengist the truth, so they made me pretend to be Morgana."
"And Hengist is none the wiser."
"He will be when he realizes that King Uther isn't going to pay the ransom. He'd never pay to save the life of a servant." She did not sound sad, only resigned, and the realization that she felt her life had no value broke his heart. "Everyone knows that The King adores Morgana," she continued. "There is no way he'd leave her here to rot. Hengist knows that and when he figures the truth out, I'm dead."
She was right. Hengist had no use for servants beyond how much they fetched on the open market or how well they met his needs. Gwen was living on borrowed time, but he was here now and he was not going to let her down. He was going to rescue her and they were going to leave this place and be together - at last.
I smiled. "Don't worry Gwen," I said, lacing my fingers with hers. "I am going to get you out of here."
"What are you doing here with these men?"
I looked away. "I am afraid I lost my way. Nothing was like I thought it would be when I left Camelot. I stopped being the man you knew and turned into this - a heartless killer who is not worthy of breathing the same air as you."
She studied me for a moment and it allowed me the opportunity to look at her. She was different. Harder. She had gone through much since last I saw her and for the first time since we parted I was aware of just how much could happen in a year. I just hoped that I could sooth whatever pain she had endured in my absence.
"I've thought about you often," I said without thinking.
She blushed.
There was my Gwen.
"Have you thought of me?" I asked shyly.
She squeezed my hand. "I…I never thought I'd see you again."
I kissed the tips of her fingers. "Better late than never, My Lady."
"The Lady Morgana is very beautiful, don't you think Lancelot?" asked Hengist, biting an apple.
I stood in the corner of his war room, shrugging in an attempt to seem uninterested in the lady and her beauty.
"Yes," sneered Kendrick, not waiting for my answer. "As a snake, no wonder Uther is taking so long to pay, he's probably debating whether or not he wants the wrench back!"
"The Lady Morgana is the daughter of Uther's best friend. Had you known them back in the day, you'd know how much that bond means to that old fool. He'll pay."
"He'd better or I'll personally skin that little chit from head to toe, after I'm done showing her just why size does matter, of course."
Hengist laughed. "Those are terrible things to want to do to a lady, my friend."
"Oh please, believe me that wrench has already been plucked. I wouldn't be surprised if Prince Arthur didn't do the honor, they say he fancies her and intends to make her his bride."
"All the more reason they'll pay. If Uther isn't willing to save his ward, surely Prince Arthur will do whatever it takes to save his Beloved. He might even mount a rescue mission himself!" He patted Kendrick on the back.
"I wish he would. I met him once on the Northern borders. He stopped a very lucrative venture that my men and I were in the middle of. I'd love to have the privilege of cutting him down."
I stood there quietly. If only they knew just how ridiculous the idea of Arthur storming in here to save Gwen really was. If only they knew they had a servant, and not Arthur's Beloved in their cell. If only they knew she may not mean anything to Arthur, but she was my whole world and I'd slit their throats right then and there to save her.
"Well it can't come soon enough for me. She makes me uneasy. She reminds me of…" Kendrick's eyes grew dark. "Are you sure that Darden and Finnegan told us everything about when they captured her?"
"You interrogated them yourself."
"I just can't shake the feeling that something isn't right with her."
Justin chose that moment to burst through the door, letting in the sounds of screams and shouts.
"What is going on?" Hengist demanded.
"Darden and Finnegan are fighting My Lord."
"That's nothing new," said Kendrick, "they are probably drunk."
"That they are," said Justin. "But it would appear that in his drunken state Finnegan said some things that Darden would rather he keep to himself, about the day they got the Lady Morgana."
Kendrick stood up immediately. "What things?"
"Well..." Justin stammered.
"SPIT IT OUT!" Kendrick demanded.
"It appears that all is not what it seems with the Lady Morgana."
Kendrick and Hengist exchanged glances.
"Will you excuse us Lancelot," Hengist said, tensely.
I nodded, quickly making my way out the room. Darden and Finnegan had cracked. It was only a matter of time before they knew who Gwen was. I had to move fast.
Hello Gwen fans, she's finally back! I know I promised that we'd see both Gwen and Arthur in this chapter, but the muse took over and pushed our dear prince to the next chapter. Next Time - Lancelot realizes that a lot has changed in a year, if you know what I mean.