Hey guys

I know it's been a while since I last updated but uni work kind of took over... Hope you'll forgive me.

Anyway, hope you like this next chapter.

Please read and review

Love

Fey of the Forest


Cold, tired, aching and soaked to the bone, Sir Oliver led his patrol back to Camelot knowing that there was no point staying in the forest for much longer. They had spent the day looking for the sorcerer that Aleyn had helped to escape but so far they had found no sign of him. They had searched the town and then each of the knights had been given a group of men to search the surrounding area. Oliver knew he was lucky in that he hadn't been sent to one of the border towns for he had no wish to be away from the castle any longer than necessary. Because all day only one person had been on his mind and all he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Upon reaching the legendary castle Sir Oliver dismissed his men and then, giving a quick report to the young Prince, he himself was allowed off duty. Usually after a day such as today the knight would have had a hot bath and dried off before taking an early night, but today was an exception. Instead of heading to his quarters he began to look for Branwen, because he knew that she would need a friendly face, and so he started at her lady's room but with no sign of her there he began to check the haunts of most of the servants.

Leaving a trail of water behind him and looking very much like a drowned rat, he sighed with frustration as, after looking around the castle for the third time, he had still found no sign of her. Worried now he walked to her cottage and was surprised to find that there no candles lit in the window. In fact there appeared to be no light coming from the house which he knew was unusual. Walking inside he half expected to find it empty but instead he was greeted by Casimir curled up on the floor by the hearth and a strong smell of ale. It was obvious that the blonde guard had taken to drowning his sorrows and Oliver could only imagine what the man was going through. After all, to be ordered to execute anybody would take its toll, but when that someone was your youngest brother... He couldn't blame Casimir for getting drunk really.

He had to admit he was half tempted to just leave his friend where he was, but something made him stay. Perhaps it was because he was his friend and that's what friends did. Or perhaps it was because he knew that Branwen would have enough playing on her mind that a drunk brother would just be too much for her to cope with. Whatever the reason, he was staying, and so Oliver knelt beside Drystan's eldest son to find the man unconscious. Sighing he picked him up and carried Casimir to his bed so that he could sleep off the effects of the alcohol, and the knight had no doubts that his friend would be suffering from a nasty hangover in the morning. Leaving the man to sleep Oliver then poked his head around the door that led to Branwen's room. He had never been inside that room as she had never allowed her to, but this time was different.

He did intend to just give it a quick look, but curiosity ended up getting the better of him and instead of just turning to look elsewhere when he found she wasn't there he found himself wandering inside. Lighting a candle in order to see better with he took in the sight of a very tidy room. He had half expected that, but what he hadn't expected was for it to be so empty. The only two pieces of furniture were the bed and the wooden chest that held her clothes, but that was it. There was hardly anything else there, and he had the sneaking suspicion that this had not always been the case. He had heard Aleyn and Casimir discussing ways of making some more money and he knew that Branwen would have wanted to do her bit. Even though he had offered to help she had always turned him down, and now Oliver was beginning to see that things weren't as good as Branwen had made them out to be. Things would only get worse for her too.

Going to leave he then paused as he spotted something familiar by the fireplace. It was one of his tunics that he had asked her to mend, and it seemed that she had done as he'd asked. Feeling more than a little cold as the water had seeped through his chainmail he knew he really ought to be changing out of his wet things. Pulling off his sodden cloak and mail he switched his tunic for the dry one and smiled at the warmth of the fabric against his cold skin before gathering his things and heading back outside. Thankfully the rain had eased off into no more than a light shower and so he quickly wandered to the Drystan's and Elayne's graves, thinking that she may be there. With it getting quite dark though he knew that it would not be safe for her to stay there if she was there, so he picked up his pace, but as he reached the burial ground he found no sign of her.

He cursed.

He had wanted nothing more than to go to her the moment the axe had fallen, but as he had turned to abandon his duties Sir Leon and Sir Lancelot had caught him and reminded him of his duties. He had very quickly then been sent on patrol and in the time he had been looking for sorcerers Branwen could have gone anywhere. With horror Oliver realised that she may not even still be in Camelot anymore, though the girl didn't strike him as one to run away from her problems. If he knew her at all then she would have tried to carry on as normal, and so she would be somewhere in the citadel. The question was where.

Heading back to the castle he dropped off his wet things in his chamber and quickly changed into something a lot more warmer and comfier whilst racking his brains trying to work out where she could be. She wasn't with her brother, and she wasn't working for her mistress, nor was she visiting her parents. He had checked the castle a few times but that hadn't been fruitful, and he couldn't think where else she would go. But he knew she had been in Lilith's chambers at the time of her brother's execution. Someone must have seen her since then, and probably by someone who had to go from one side of the castle to the other quite frequently too. One person sprang to mind and he hurried to go see them.

Knocking rather quickly on the door, Oliver waited impatiently for it to be answered. He didn't have any time to waste, because he knew that the more time he wasted looking for her, the more likely she was to have moved on by the time he got there.

"Alright! Alright!" the door was opened to reveal the court physician, who upon taking one look at the knight ushered him in. "I'm sorry about this morning. I know he was a good friend of yours."

"Very."

"But what can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Branwen today? I know she must have been shaken and I thought that maybe..."

"She would have come by for something to calm her down?" Gaius finished. Oliver simply nodded. "I'm afraid I haven't seen her at all today. Poor girl. She really has suffered these past few months."

"I know, which is why I need to find her."

"I'm afraid I can't help you. Do none of the servants know where she's gone?"

"She doesn't really get on well with any of them as far as I'm aware."

"Then I suppose she'll have avoided them today."

"Probably." Oliver sighed. "Well, if you see her can you tell her I'm looking for her?"

"Of course."

"Thank you Gaius." The young knight gave a slight smile before leaving.

Going back down the stairs, Oliver was trying to work out where he would find either of the two people he was looking for and didn't notice the other person until it was too late and the two of them landed in a disgruntled heap at the bottom of the staircase.

"Sorry." Oliver apologised as he helped the other up. "Merlin?" Just the person he had wanted to see.

"Sir Oliver, sorry about that."

"No worries. You haven't seen Branwen today have you?"

"This morning. She was really quite upset."

"Have you seen her since?"

"Afraid not, though I did hear that some of the servants were less than kind to her in the laundry room this afternoon."

"And you haven't heard of her since?"

"Sorry." Arthur's servant shook his head. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think so... Thanks anyway."

His next stop was the laundry room. Normally he didn't venture into that particular part of the castle but he was desperate to find her. Hearing the bells strike the hour he realised that most of the servants would be with their respective masters and mistresses preparing them for bed, but he could only hope that someone would be inside the laundry room who would be able to help him. Walking inside he found the tubs were empty and a number of baskets were stacked on one side of the room, but there was no one there. Sighing he was about to give up hope when he spotted a door, and curiosity got the better of him. Walking through it he found a number of lines hung up across the room with various items of clothing hanging up from them. In one corner though stood a serving girl folding up a number of garments.

"Excuse me, I don't suppose you could help me?"

"What can I do for you sir?" she asked, not in the least but startled by his sudden appearance in the room.

"I'm looking for a girl."

"Aren't most young men?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm looking for one in particular. She's quite pretty, has brown hair, and goes by the name of Branwen." She dropped the dress she had been folding and stared at him in disbelief.

"Aleyn's sister?"

"That's the one."

"She was here earlier, but the others weren't exactly sympathetic. Called her a traitor."

"What?" no wonder he couldn't find her. If that was the case then she would be hiding, and from the number of games of hide and seek he had played with Branwen, Casimir and Aleyn when they were younger he knew that if she didn't want to be found then you wouldn't find her.

"She fled the room after that. I tried to catch up with her but she was too quick."

"Do you have any idea just where she could have gone?"

"I think I heard one of my colleagues say something about seeing one of the knights with a girl matching Branwen's description." Oliver's eyes widened. He knew just exactly what some of the knights were capable of, and Branwen was in a very vulnerable position right now.

"Which knight?"

"I... I'm not sure."

"Please, you have to remember." He begged.

"I think it might have been Gwayne... I'm not certain."

"Thanks." He called as he ran from the room.

Banging on the door of the knight's chambers, Oliver could only hope that Branwen was safe. He knew that Gwayne had a bit of a reputation concerning women but he really did not want Branwen being added to that list. Not caring that it was getting late and that he was probably waking everyone else up, he knocked loudly and insistently until he got an answer.

"You'll wake up the whole castle if you carry on like that!" Gwayne said as he opened the door. Oliver simply pushed past him and looked around the room, unsure as to what he would do next. But it was with a slight smile that he found the girl curled up fast asleep in a chair in front of the fire. "Ah, you've been looking for her?"

"Since I got back from patrol. How long has she...?"

"Not long. About an hour or so."

"But what is she doing here?"

"Found her in the corridor, tears streaming down her face. I couldn't leave her there, not like that. I was going to take her home once she had calmed down but..."

"She fell asleep?"

"Exactly." Gwayne smiled as he stood beside his colleague who hadn't taken his eyes off the sleeping Branwen since he had found her. "I didn't want to wake her either. She seemed so distressed."

"She hasn't exactly had the best of times recently." Oliver agreed. "But we ought to move her. The servants are already having a field day after what's happened with her brother. If it's found out she spent the night here..."

"You know where she lives?"

"I'm a very good friend of the family. Grew up with her and her brothers." Gwayne looked at him and noticed something there in Oliver's eyes. Something that seemed so obvious and yet so well hidden at the same time. "I care a lot for her."

"So I can see. Well, shall we wake her?"

"As much as I hate to say it, I suppose we should." Kneeling beside the sleeping girl, Oliver gently shook her shoulders. "Branwen, time to wake up." He said softly. She moaned and shifted a little, but he tried again until, bleary eyed, she looked at him.

"Oliver?"

"Hello." He cooed.

"I.. I must have fallen asleep... The fire, and the wine, and..." she sat bolt upright as she realised where she was. "I am so sorry my lord." She apologised as she spotted Gwayne, who had been watching the whole scene with a knowing look on his face.

"It is no problem Branwen. Now Oliver is going to take you home."

"Thank you, for letting me..." he cut her off.

"It is no trouble. Good night."

"Good night sir." She said, allowing Sir Oliver to lead her from the room.

She walked in a bit of a daze as Oliver had his arm wrapped around her shoulder as they headed out of the castle. He had already wrapped his jacket around her body and all he wanted to do now was make sure that she was safe. Shivering slightly as they stepped into the cold night air, the two of them hurried across the courtyard and then through the streets of the upper town until they reached her house. Finding that it wasn't much warmer here, Oliver let her get ready for bed whilst he checked in on Casimir. Finding him to be just as he had left him, he then found Branwen curled up in her bed. Hesitating by her door he knew he should go to his own chamber but the urge to wrap her in his arms and protect her from everything was overwhelming. He knew she would never let him though. She didn't see him in that way, and that was something he knew he would have to accept.

"I ought to be..." he began, but stopped as she looked up at him.

"Oliver..."

"Yes?"

"Thank you." She said softly.

"You're welcome." He smiled slightly. "Is there anything else you need?"

"The fire... I can't seem to get it sorted..."

"Let me?" she simply nodded, and he noticed then that she hadn't lit any candles either. Quickly having the fire lit he found it hard not to look at her, because he knew that if he did he wouldn't be able to stop looking. "Is that all?" She went to speak but then appeared to think better of it.

"That's everything." She hesitated as their eyes met. He knew there was something she wasn't saying but he didn't want to pry.

"Then I shall say good night. Sleep well." He bid as he walked out of the room. He was half way down the stairs when he heard his name, and he was back at her door within seconds. "Yes?"

"Will you... I know it's a lot to ask, but... Will you stay with me?"

"As you wish." He said, closing the door behind him. Going to lie down on the floor he found her patting the bed, and before he knew it she was wrapped in his arms, sleeping peacefully with a smile on her lips. It was not at all long before he was following suite.