Another chapter! I am beginning my move either late tomorrow/tonight, or I am leaving on Tuesday. I am spending a little less than a week driving down to Atlanta and then beginning a new chapter of my life there. My dog is staying with my mother for the time being and I am beside myself with the thought of being without her. I could never take her to Atlanta, however, because frankly she'll most likely die. She's an arctic breed of dog and I'm pretty sure she'll heat stroke in all of her fur. Even sixty or seventy degrees Fahrenheit pushes her, especially when in the winter where we've been living since she was born (so three years) it routinely gets down in negative twenty or below during the winter times.
Anyway, cheers and enjoy! Please review, I only received three from my last chapter and I am not feeling so motivated to continue if I do not get more support. Keep that in mind.
Hands wrapped around Hermione's waist and she shrieked whilst beating her attacker with her hands. She was unsuccessful and she soon found herself submerged in cold water. She and Gwaine had been relaxing by a lakeside as their horses drank and rested when he had decided it would be a grand idea to pick her up and toss her into the lake.
"I will kill you!" Hermione exclaimed at him as she stood waist deep in the water. Gwaine didn't seem too concerned as he laughed himself to near sickness. With a howl of outrage Hermione thrust herself through the water and then up onto the bank before tackling the older man. They wrestled in the warm sunlight feeling truly relaxed. Lips pressed to hers and Hermione welcomed the attention, and reciprocated it.
It had been a year since their faithful meeting and the two lovers were enjoying their lives together. His hands traced the curves of her body and Hermione smiled into the kiss. Was this relationship going to last forever? Honestly, she didn't know. They seemed to run hot and cold like she and Ron had. Today, however, was an exceptionally good day.
It was some time later when Hermione was redressing after a rousing tumble in the grass when a hand pressed to her mouth and she was tugged down to hide behind a tree. "Gwaine." She laughed quietly when he moved his hand away. "I've only just redressed from our last antics, isn't it about time that we rode on?"
Gwaine shushed her and Hermione gazed at him, only now realizing his tense form.
"I want you to take the horses and go." He whispered to her while gripping her waist in his large hands. Every line of his body screamed tension, and his usual boyish smile was replaced by a deep frown.
"What?" Hermione asked feeling insulted. "You know I can take care of myself."
Gwaine turned her face so that it was inches from his. "I saw thirty bandits, at least, camped a few hundred meters away. I'm surprised they haven't already found us. You need to get away from here."
"We need to." Hermione affirmed grasping his hand and giving it a squeeze.
"No, not today." Gwaine was firm. He returned the squeeze before lifting their clasped hands and turning them so that he could place a kiss on her palm. "There are too many men. We haven't tried to face these odds before."
"You'll die." Hermione accused and Gwaine shrugged.
"If I die so that you escape, it will be my life well spent."
"That is not your choice to make. I'll not let you forfeit your life for mine."
"Consider it forfeit, because if only one of us can make it out of here alive, it will be you." Something in Gwaine's look made Hermione's stomach churn with unease. It was times like this that their fighting took place. Gwaine, though he knew that she was perfectly capable of defending herself, treated her as if she was no better than a kitten. All paws, and with not a single intelligent thought in her head.
There was the sound of fainting yelling and Gwaine cursed. "They've spotted the horses." Standing, Gwaine shoved Hermione away from him more harshly than intended and instructed her, "Run!"
Hermione ran to her larger horse, Festus, and removed her pole arm. "Never."
Gwaine's facial expression became strained and his eyes angry, however they could no longer fight as an arrow struck the tree behind him. He threw up his hands to shield his head and ran to his horse for his own weapons.
With a shout to Hermione, she and Gwaine mounted their horses whilst keeping their blades out and began to ride. Hermione chose to ride Festus instead of Luna. When it came to fighting, her beloved bigger horse was mean and meant as much as five men.
The bandits were on them quickly and Hermione sent Luna off into the woods for protection. Leaning forward she stabbed her blade into the shoulder of one man and felt her steed lean forward and kick out with his back hooves. Absently she murmured praise and stroked his strong neck, searching for anyone daring enough to get close to her and her warhorse.
She had ridden further ahead than Gwaine, and when she turned she saw three bandits bearing down on the man. Her heart clenched for a moment as she watched him take out two of them easily and then engage in one-on-one combat with the third. Something was pulling at her side and she stared at the man who had tried to unhorse her via her saddle. She cut him down and resolved herself to maintaining her mentality in the fight. Gwaine could handle himself, she knew that, and it was her job to stay safe.
Hermione swung her blade out again and again, however it seemed as though Gwaine's original figuring for thirty fighters had been wrong- or she was not counting correctly.
Lurching forward in the saddle, Hermione ran another man threw and hissed hotly as pain flared on her upper arm. She glanced to the side in time to see Gwaine killing the man that had landed a blow on her. They breathed heavily in a moment of reprieve while the enemy regrouped.
"You're injured." He noted, almost formally- now was not the time for excessive shows of emotions.
Hermione shrugged. "I've had worse. What I want to know is where all of these men are coming from."
Gwaine gave her a sidelong glance and tossed her some of the cloth he had shredded from his outfit. Hermione nodded in thanks before wrapping her arm. "I know, when I first saw their camp there hadn't been this many. They must have had friends in the area."
The bandits as one turned and began to corral the couple and their horses backward. Festus pawed the earth and Hermione ran a soothing hand up his sweat soaked withers. "Hush, Festus." She commanded lowly. They were in a bad place here. There were easily still another twenty-five men in front of them and Hermione's arm ached ferociously. There was a gasping noise and Hermione turned to see an arrow sticking out from just beside Gwaine's clavicle. Her world swam. He would not die, not today. Where had that arrow come from?
Her eyes combed the area, she could see no archers. She glanced back at Gwaine and saw the angle of the arrow. Of course! She swung her head up to the trees and saw an archer there readying a second arrow. Raising her hand, Hermione gave a blast of raw power and the branch that the man had situated himself on, cracked and then broke. He fell cruelly down the tree, hitting both large and small branches before landing in a heap on the ground, broken.
It was now or never, she needed to get Gwaine out of here, she could already see him reeling in his saddle, clutching the arrow that protruded from his chest in confusion. She had to bury these men.
In a daring move that most surely confused her attackers Hermione sprung from her saddle and ran towards the group. She stopped thirty yards away from them and fixed the leader with a look.
"Leave now and you can keep your lives." She warned. She was already working on the spell, raising power from both herself and the earth. A tendril of power extended from her core slowly before more and more followed. Soon the tendrils traveled down her arms and into her hands. "This will be your only warning."
The leader of the bandits smiled cruelly at her and Hermione could see, even from this distance, that he had no teeth. "I think we'll win this one, sweetheart."
Hermione frowned, she had warned them. With a shout the witch shoved her power from his hands deep into the ground.
"Botmas gypunga!"
The ground shook and then groaned before opening under the feet of the bandits. They all disappeared with horrified screeches of pain and fear. It chilled Hermione to the bone.
"Brytengrúndas bate botmas ic i beclýse." Hermione finished her spell weakly, feeling sick to her stomach. The ground snapped shut, taking the lives of all the men with it. Her head swam with exhaustion and her knees trembled. Taking her lower lip between her teeth, Hermione bit down until she bled in order to keep herself awake and functional.
They were only two hours or so to the nearest large town, surely there they could find a room and settle down for the evening so that Hermione could heal Gwaine. She had no power now. Fear gripped her heart. This was similar to Will's death. A fletched weapon and her with but a drop of her magic remaining. A hand grabbed her shoulder and Hermione spun ready to kill whoever it was.
Gwaine was standing there next to her, though clearly in pain. "That was quite the feat of magic." He murmured. Hermione nodded. There was something odd about the look in his eye and Hermione shook off the feeling that it gave her.
"I had to save you." Gwaine gave her a strained smile and Hermione realized how much pain he must be in. "Come on, I need to get you somewhere warm, dry, and safe before I take care of that."
"Can't you just rip it out?" Gwaine asked as she led him over to his horse and helped her lover into the saddle.
Hermione shot him an exasperated look. "I don't know if that hit anything major. Ripping out an object like that is begging for disaster. If that is pressing into one of your main arteries, then by pulling it out, I could kill you."
Gwaine put up his free hand in surrender. "I understand. Let's go, shall we?" Hermione nodded and gave a sharp whistle. A few moments later Luna crashed through the trees, no worse for wear, and Hermione quickly unsaddled Festus, and stored his tack. She then saddled Luna and lead tied both Gwaine's Merryfoot and her Festus to Luna before leading them back to the main road.
The two kept up conversation with each other until they reached the village. It was times like these that Hermione felt most alone. Magic, though Gwaine whole-heartedly accepted it, could not be truly understood by him. He knew that she got tired when she used it, however he could not know that when empty of it, Hermione felt like butter scraped over too much bread- thin, brittle, and dry.
She would hear the sound of bone being crushed by dirt in her sleep for years. She took no pleasure in using magic for combat. There were times that she wished magic had never come to her. More and more her life back at home seemed like a dream that she made up, though she knew that her past was real. She wanted to desperately to return; however she did not know how. Maybe, she never would. Gwaine didn't know of her past, something kept her from telling him. She didn't know why, but every time she went to confess, a something stopped her.
Hermione shook her head and realized that Gwaine had asked a question. She apologized for her unusual state of distraction before asking to hear the question again. They continued until Hermione found a small inn and called help from the workers. The workers came out swiftly and almost with scary precision levered Gwaine out of the saddle and into the inn. Her things were removed from her horses and his before she was whisked inside with promises that their mounts would be looked after.
Hermione was swiftly stripped of her clothes and helped into a bath. She would have protested the treatment, however a closer inspection found that she had been more thoroughly injured than she first expected.
It wasn't until later on in the evening when Hermione was able to check on Gwaine. They had been given separate rooms and for once Hermione was not too opposed to it. Something about his look and his comment earlier had settled underneath her skin. The town healer had come and seen to Gwaine's wounds and he was sleeping peacefully. Hermione's brow softened as she gazed down upon him. He was truly a sight to behold, even when injured.
That was one thing that they could always count on- lust. Since the first time that the two met, it was as though a magnet attracted them. They had begun to share a bedroll shortly after meeting, and this fact would have mortified Hermione, had she not understood how marvelous Gwaine was, and how much he cared for her. She had a feeling that he wanted to marry her. Hermione didn't doubt that she would marry again, she had promised Will on his deathbed that she would move on. But as she brushed her hand along Gwaine's forehead and traced her fingers along the contours of his face, Hermione did doubt that she would marry him.
Hermione shook her head and bent over to press a needy kiss to Gwaine's lips. She was being silly, the near loss of him had made her question their love and commitment to one another. Another kiss on his forehead sealed the deal, she did love him and if he wanted her hand in marriage, it was his to have.
Feeling refreshed and further resolved, Hermione left his room and went down to the common room. This inn had a vastly different atmosphere than the one where she had met Gwaine. It was happy, yet she sensed an overwhelming fear. It piqued her interested, and Hermione made the decision to investigate.
Sidling into the area near the innkeeper's station Hermione smiled as the man himself came over to greet his customer. He was an older man, and she was forever grateful for the kindness that he and his people had bestowed upon the two travelers.
"It is good to see you well, mistress." The old man greeted her agreeably and Hermione gestured for him to join her.
"I am Hermione Greenstone of Ealdor in Essetir. I thank you for your kindness and hospitality."
The innkeeper's head bobbed. "It is our pleasure. Your friend was quite injured."
Hermione tipped her head in agreement. "We were attacked by bandits near the great road heading north. Do you know why there was such a large encampment there?"
The old man looked away fearfully and Hermione leaned forward in her seat. "You can trust me." She touched her voice with the tone that a daughter might use to an aging elder, "I might be able to help."
The old man shrugged harshly. "That I doubt, my dear. Those bandits belong to the slave trader Peniul the Horrific. He occupies a stronghold a bit away from here, and his bandits ransack the mountain side."
"You've no one to help you?" Hermione asked feeling astonished that their overlord would let such a thing happen.
The old man met her eyes with his and she shuddered. "Our overlord is a good man. He tried to help." His eyes were haunted, "his wife and children hang on the castle walls. He had his dog, Yennus, skin them alive for daring to speak out against him. He's taken all of our older children as his servants and for other purposes."
"All of them?" Hermione asked with horror. She had noticed as they road into town the lack of children's voices, and overall young people, but she had thought that she had just been mistaken.
"All of them. He also took the young children so that we adults would do as we're told."
"And you've taken me and my friend in at great risk to yourself."
The man shrugged. "The prophet's words are simple and finite. You must care for others as you would yourself, and be kind to all."
"You are truly a pious man." Hermione murmured, her mind shooting through thousands of possibilities.
"He had my daughter, you know." The innkeeper regaled, seeming to forget that Hermione was even there. "She tried to poison him, slipping metal shavings into his food. He caught her. He skinned her, but not before he disgraced her as no man should disgrace a woman."
Hermione reached out on instinct and clutched the man's hands. "You're daughter was a brave and admirable person. You should be proud."
Their eyes met. "I am proud. But, I would rather have my daughter and not my pride."
Hermione's heart broke. They talked for a time more, Hermione drawing more and more information out of the man before finally going off to bed. Her insides were seeped in rage and anger. This man had to be stopped. She would stop him.
In her beaded bag were things from home, things that she had always kept and never used. She slipped in her hand and willed herself to grab a few potions. One of them was vastly dangerous, however Hermione was willing to risk the danger. She should have used it to save Will, but her strength had left her and she remembered only having enough to hold him. There was no presence of mind for rather obscure potions that she had made years before. Since then, however, she had promised herself to never lay dormant when she could help others. No matter the cost.
This potion was only a temporary solution and Hermione would have to be careful. It was time sensitive and would run out after a certain period of time. She tucked it back into the bag and looked through her others before taking a pepper-up potion. Steam rushed from her ears and Hermione grinned at the feeling that it gave her. Finally she reached in for one more thing.
She pulled out an amulet and clutched it in her hands. She attached to it a sleeping spell and a slow healing spell before standing and making her way back to Gwaine's room. He mustn't awaken to find her gone; he was still injured and would only get himself killed. She sat next to him on his bed and cupped his face in her hands. Swiftly she pressed a kissed to his lips before slipping the pendant and necklace around his neck and standing. She strode to the door and looked back at him one last time. She might die, and she loved him.
E Pluribus Unum
Hermione heaved a heavy grate from above her head before reached up and levering herself out of the whole in the floor. An old footman who once served in the castle had showed her a secret way in. She now found herself in an obviously unused storeroom. She wrapped the invisibility cloak around her shoulders and then raised it above her head to cover her body completely. Slowly and with purpose, Hermione followed the precise directions of those who she had talked to earlier in the night before arriving at a door.
On faith of the villagers alone Hermione whispered, "alohomora." The lock clicked open and Hermione opened the door and stepped swiftly inside. Turning around she was met with the gaunt and haunted faces of the castle's serving people. "I am from the village." She murmured to them and then said the secret phrase that had been entrusted to her by the villagers. Instantly the strangers before her stood down and Hermione smiled at them in relief.
"I'm here to end all of this nonsense. This man is nothing but pure evil, and I plan to stop him."
"How?" The question was from a fearful young woman and Hermione saw in her the same light that she used to see in Ginny. "He had over a hundred men-at-arms here. You are but one person."
Hermione looked them all over and then raised a finger to her lips and blew. Instantly a fire popped up from the digit and those around her gasped.
"You have magic." One of them said accusingly, taking a step back in fear.
"And I only use it to help those who need it. Magic isn't a tool that should be used for ones own gain."
Why should we believe you?" Asked the same man.
Hermione shrugged. "Either you trust me and we can stop this man, or you can be fearful and possibly never be rid of him." The man opened his mouth to argue and was shoved from an unseen person in the masses.
"We'll fight." Said the first woman and Hermione felt relief. She had been weary- crazy was the better term, going up against all of these muggles. She, however, was banking on the element of surprise. And, now, she knew that she could count on the fifty-odd serving staff of the castle.
Swiftly the force left the room and found the armory. Peniul, she found out, always retreated to his study at the top of the castle come nightfall, and his men were barracked out in the space between the high guard wall, and the large central hall. The castle was small; it contained only a central large tower and a few outbuildings. The true power that could not be tackled was the gate to the outside. That would have to deal with that eventually, however Hermione first had to arm her people, both magically and physically.
She helped the servers pick out weapons suited for their age, weight, strength, size, and skill level before taking a few aside. Within this small group she divvied out some of Fred and George's products that could be thrown and used by muggles. Two got Decoy Detonators, small objects that went set off would scurry around and let off loud explosions in order to create a distraction. She then liberally handed out wild-fire whiz-bangs, Fred and George's wizarding fireworks.
She kept back the final few items for three people who she had noted as intelligent and fast-witted. The first was the Ginny like girl, the second was the man who had questioned her, and the third was a rather robust woman with arms like steel cables. "You all have something very important to do." She informed them before giving them all some very prized possessions. The three received Headless Hats, which when worn would give the appearance that the wearer's head had be cut off. She followed those up with instant darkness balls and fainting fancies.
"I want you all to sneak into the barracks and use the instant darkness balls. I can spell you to be able to see through the darkness but you have a very important job to do." She held up a fainting fancy. "These are fainting fancies. When eaten the person who ate them will faint and cannot be woken up until given the antidote. You need to feed these to as many soldiers as possible. We need to reduce the fighting force. The hats are meant to distract and disturb our enemies. We need to win this, or I cannot guarantee future safety." She met the eyes of her chosen and they nodded in understanding for their mission.
Her next move to was to find and remove the children from their place of capture. With the help of the servants, Hermione removed the children away from the castle and back down the tunnel that she had come in from. The villagers that she had instructed to wait were there and took charge of the children. They had been lucky; so far no guards had been seen. When she remarked as such one of her force snorted.
"It's not luck. They go and hide in their barracks and pretend that they aren't working for a monster. Should they exit, they would have to face the truth."
With that being said Hermione's resolve hardened. These men were cowards who were willing to serve a man who tortured and killed for fun. No doubt that they were working for the one true cause: gold. Motioning for her people to follow her, Hermione led her force back into the castle. They grabbed tables and chairs on the way to the barracks and then placed them against the windows and excess doors. The plan was to force the men-at-arms to exit through only one controlled doorway per building. This would keep them from being able to attack in full force- bottlenecking, as the term was known.
Hermione sent in her three special people and then stepped off to a corner. With reservation and not a small dose of fear, Hermione grabbed for the potion in her bag and uncorked it in one motion. Before she could hesitate and stop herself, Hermione downed it and felt power flow throughout her.
She had a half-hour, or forty-five minutes at most until she was all but powerless. She had to make it count. When her small force exited the barracks they dropped their thumbs down a number of times. Good, from the hand sign Hermione gathered that they had fed the fainting fancies to thirty men. This left seventy men-at-arms, for the group of fifty serving people. The odds weren't great, however they were better than before.
She dared not send her people back in to slit throats, however, because she feared that the still healthy ones would awaken. It was a suicide mission. They had prepared the best that they could and now was the time for action, and not stealth. Raising her arm silently Hermione caught the attention of her people before slashing it down harshly.
Breathing halted at that moment, and Hermione stopped and counted until ten before she heard the telltale noises of explosions from her distraction force. There was a great sound in the barracks before men started to stumble out of them still half asleep only to be cut down by the people placed on either side of the doors. That trick didn't last for too long and Hermione heard people beating on the chairs and tables that blocked the other exits.
Moving quickly, Hermione magically fortified first one table and then another before she heard the crash and breaking noise of first one window being forced open and then another. From there it was a wave of battle that Hermione could barely keep up with. The lines weren't equally formed here and so Hermione dared not use any large spells. She kept herself to one on one battles and providing the necessary background support for her fighters.
They were losing, it seemed, when Hermione spotted a huge man bellowing orders. The man's skin was black as the night, though his eyes glowed blue in the darkness. She made her way towards him, guessing that this was Yennus. She was blocked, however, and engaged into battle by three men and by the time that she had finished with them her target had vanished.
She helped where she could, however Hermione could feel her strength waning quickly. Not only was she getting tired magically, but also her injures from the bandit battle had opened and Hermione grimaced as one such cut bled sluggishly.
Tying off the injury with a bit of cloth Hermione shouldered her pole arm and made for the main part of the castle. The stairs were bothering Hermione in her weakened state and that almost cost her, her life. She had stumbled onto a platform when a flash of steel made her stumble back. She was not fast enough a received a shallow cut that sliced through her clothes and down from her collarbone to naval.
"Damn." She cursed shortly as she hid on the steps of the stairs. "Damn, damn, damn."
"Come on now, girly. I'm waiting." A deep voice taunted her and Hermione felt her blood boil. He was taunting her. This was the man who skinned people alive for money, and he was taunting her.
Praying for a moment, Hermione took a chance and thrust herself back around the corner with a battle cry. The blade of her pole arm came into contact with his shield and Hermione's resolve wavered. He was huge; easily towering over any person she had ever met, disregarding Hagrid and others of giant blood. Though, she contemplated as she skipped away from his attack and began to circle him, he could have some troll heritage.
They continued to relay strikes and blocks and Hermione found herself growing increasingly tired. She had to keep her magic for whatever traps the man upstairs was keeping for her. This man was just a large muggle- a very large and physically powerful muggle. She had to preserve her magic.
Sweat stung Hermione's eyes and she blinked rapidly, not wanting to risk brushing it away with her hand.
"Getting tired?" The man taunted. "Why don't you just go back to whatever hell you came from. I might even let you leave."
"In your dreams." Hermione responded back and was appalled to find herself gasping as though she was out of shape. It shocked her when she realized that she might loose this bought. She realized when her magic finally zapped away from her body. She stumbled and braced herself as the man gave a whoop of joy and brought down the sword.
Her eyes closed in resignation Hermione was quite shocked when she heard the sound of clanging swords. A flash of dark hair was all that Hermione saw before she submitted to her injures and tiredness.
E Pluribus Unum
When Hermione awoke she found herself covered in bandages in a bed back in her room at the inn. The door creaked open and Hermione found herself face to face with Gwaine. Her heart leapt into her mouth. Gwaine had saved her.
"Gwaine." She exclaimed happy to see him up and about, even more so that he had saved her.
He raised his hand to her, his face dark with anger. "Hermione." He stated and moved towards her. His hand reached out to touch her face, however he retracted it. "I need to go."
"Go?" Hermione asked feeling unsure.
Gwaine nodded and pulled up a chair to the bed. "I've received a letter from Merlin stating that he needs my help. I must answer him."
Hermione nodded vehemently, though her heart ached at being separated from him. "Of course."
Gwaine nodded and they sat in silence for a time before Gwaine stood with a sigh. He got to the door and stopped.
"You never should have magicked me."
With that he was gone and Hermione's heart stopped. He had known. He was furious.
It was later on in the evening when the door opened again and Hermione smiled at the dark haired man who was backing into the room carrying a tray.
"I'm sorry to have hurt you, Gwaine." She apologized, looking down at her hands as the door closed. "I never meant to. I just needed to go and help those people, and you were injured. I'm sorry."
"I don't know who this Gwaine fellow was, but I highly doubt that he would truly blame you for such a brave and selfless act." Hermione's head shot up with gasp and she was met with dark eyes and a medium skin toned handsome man.
"Who are you?" She asked fearfully and tried to pull the blankets up. Her grip was too weak, however, and the blankets barely budged. The man brought the tray over and set it down on the bedside table and sat in Gwaine's vacated seat.
"I am Lancelot. The villagers had informed me of your quest. I apologize for arriving so late, as that you had been injured."
Hermione's world froze before rolling and spinning out of control. "It was you?"
He nodded and grabbed a spoon to push around the soup on the tray in order to cool it. "I defeated the man who you were battling before giving the slave trader to the villagers. They executed him this morning."
Hermione gulped. She was certainly glad that she had slept through that. Executing someone was not a decision that she would have liked to make, to kill a man in cold blood. She wasn't sure she could do it to any one. A spoon entered into her line of vision and Hermione met the gentle eyes of the man who had saved her.
"Eat up before it gets cold. I know you're too weak to handle a spoon right now, so though it might be irksome I hope that you will relieve yourself of your pride and let me help you." Hermione waited for a moment, internally battling before opening her mouth.
The soup was good and the two fell into an uneasy series of conversations. "You have magic." He said finally, laying the spoon down and pressing a cup of water to her lips.
Hermione glared at him as he forced her to drink and swallowed before answering. "Why does everyone I meet now a days have the ability to pick that off right off the bat."
Lancelot, despite the prickly response, laughed. "I was there at the battle, well I showed up late. My apologies. I knew there was a mage at work because of the sheer madness that was occurring. Explosions out of no where, people walking around without heads, fireworks." Hermione blushed at her magic ridden plan. "It's all right." The man continued. "One of my best friends has magic. I trust him with my life."
Hermione's ears perked. "Really?"
Lancelot nodded. "Truly."
Hermione laughed. "Good."
They grinned at each other, some tension leaving before Lancelot asked. "What are you doing way out here, if you do not mind me asking?"
"I am on a mission from the court physician of Camelot."
Lancelot's eyes lit up. "Gaius."
"You know him?" Hermione questioned and Lancelot nodded.
"I know him and Merlin very well. Merlin has my absolute allegiance."
Hermione caught his eye and held it. Was it possible that Lancelot knew Merlin's secret.
"Oh, really." Hermione replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Do you know Merlin well?"
Lancelot seemed to pick up on her line of questioning, he was indeed quick witted. They held eye contact for a time before Lancelot leaned forward in his seat. "So, you know." It was a statement, not a question.
Hermione nodded. "This mission is for him." Hermione answered. She was prepared to tell Lancelot everything. Even Gwaine knew not for what they were seeking, and that was a constant source of fighting for the couple. She could not, however, confess what they had been searching for, without risking Merlin's secret.
"I am searching for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Merlin needs training, desperately. They are the only ones that can truly help him."
"And what about yourself?" Lancelot asked not unkindly.
Hermione looked away. "Merlin does not know of my magic, and I am unsure if I will ever tell him. At least, not until I find the school. He's a danger to himself and to others as he is right now."
A hand gripped hers and Hermione met the fiery light of Lancelot's eyes. "You truly believe that he is that dangerous?"
Hermione nodded. "He once conjured a tornado in an attempt to help a battle. He lost control and a lot of people became injured. If I had not been there..." Hermione trailed off as Lancelot raised a hand.
"Then, I pledge to help you in your quest. For Merlin's sake, we must find this school." Hermione stared at this man. Already Merlin was gaining the followers that he would have in his legendary life. There was something about the boy that drew people to him and made them want to be loyal to him forever.
Finally, Hermione outstretched her arm and allowed Lancelot to clasp her arm as she clasped his. "I accept your help."
They nodded and an alliance of Hermione and Lancelot was formed.
Bamf. More twists and turns. No, there will not be any romance between Lancelot and Hermione. I have a fear that I wrote Legolas instead of Lancelot at one point, however I could not find it. If its in there- sorry. Again, my work isn't edited.
So, I want reviews. I want more than three for this chapter, or I will even less motivated to write. I mean come on, I know that this is good stuff, but I deserve to hear that from all of you. I routinely have over four hundred people reading each chapter. I know that more than ten of you can spare a few minutes to make me happy.
Cheers.
iBless!
