Your reviews keep me going. Thank you so much for the kind words!
I'm happy y'all enjoyed the little 'reveal' on Galahad. I hope you like what is to come as well.
-Monty
P.S.
Ookami Sakura asked: Could they talk in each others minds because their so close now?
Answer: As of now? No. Unfortunately Elaine's magic is too weak to even do that. =[
CENDRED'S OLD LANDS -
"Tell me what I want to know and I will let you and your men live. Is that not something that you want? To save the lives of your people?"
"At what cost? The cost of future generations? At the cost of our families? No, thanks."
"Who says that I'm going to kill them?"
"Your actions speak louder than your words, m'lady." Galahad peered up at Morgana. "Every camp that has ever defied you has been burnt to the ground, it's people slaughtered. What could possibly keep you from doing the same with ours?"
Morgana smirked. "You are not going to tell me what I want to know, are you?"
Galahad shook his head. "Not a word." He replied firmly.
"Well, you're not going to speak right now anyway. You're not in enough pain." Morgana's eyes gleamed wickedly and she looked to the guards. "Hold him still." She commanded. They did as told, each grabbing hold of Galahad's arms as he knelt there on the floor of the tent. He struggled to pull away from them, but their grip was like stone. He wasn't going anywhere.
Morgana made her way over to a box and slowly opened the lid.
"Do you know what I have found to be the most affective on people when I want to get information out of them?" Morgana asked, reaching inside the box to pull something out.
Galahad clenched his teeth. "There's nothing that you have that could ever make me talk."
A light laugh was heard spilling from Morgana's lips. She shut the lid to the box and lingered where she was at for a moment longer. "Really? We shall see if you hold true to those words after I am done with you." She turned to face him, holding a jagged dagger with a shinning black blade. She ran it through her fingers as she approached him. "Do you know what this is?"
Galahad said nothing, refusing to answer.
Morgana continued anyway. "This is a very special blade, forged with dark magic." She stopped in front of him and brought it to his face, running the blade along his cheek.
He winced some as suddenly a burning sensation raced across his flesh.
"Even without piercing the skin it brings it's victims great pain, but once a cut is made..." She stopped the blade right under his chin, nearing his adam's apple. "...It makes you feel like your skin is peeling off. That with every cut, your body is melting...and ripping apart."
Galahad raised his brow, looking unimpressed. His eyes went the length of the blade, then followed up Morgana's arm and finally, his gaze rested on her cold hues that were peering down at him with such evil.
She was smirking, looking triumphant.
Galahad wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.
She had not won.
"Do your worst." He dared her.
Morgana's smirk vanished quickly from her face. "You will regret that decision." She hissed.
NEAR THE BORDER -
"It's another two days ride from here to where my camp was located." Elaine stood at the peek of a cliff, peering down at Cendred's land. Arthur, Gwaine, and Merlin stood with her, scooping out the territory where they would be heading into battle with Morgana.
Everything seemed peaceful and tranquil from where they were standing, but, from the horror stories that Elaine had been telling them on the ride here, they were certain that nothing but evil awaited them at their destination.
"What sort of troubles can we expect when we cross the border?" Arthur asked.
"You will need to leave the horses behind. You attract less attention when traveling on foot. Also, if you or Gwaine have packed any red cloaks or anything that might say that you are the King of Camelot, you should hide it here and retrieve it when you return." Elaine advised. "There are bandits, like in every kingdom - and Morgana has a few of her people scattered about. They can easily be taken care of though with one of my arrows."
Arthur watched as Elaine pulled one of her arrows from it's pack and let them take a look at it. The arrow was crafted to have four arches coming from it. Each tip from each arch was just as sharp as the front. Along the grooves and curves of the arrow head there was a gold line and in that were markings.
"Magic?" Gwaine asked.
Elaine gave a nod. "Special arrows forged from special magic." She replied.
"Just how special?" Gwaine pushed.
Unlike Arthur and Merlin who hadn't seemed to ask enough question, he wanted to get all the information he could from her. All they knew was that her name was Elaine, she had saved the King and Merlin from evil bandits, was a druid, and needed their help to get her people to safety. What was her story though? Where did she come from? Who were her family? How did she learn magic? How did she get these 'special' arrows? He wanted answers.
His mind had been spinning with questions since first laying eyes on her.
"Special enough to get the job done." Elaine answered.
Gwaine tilted his head. "Where did you get the arrows?" He asked then.
"Gwaine..." Merlin spoke, not sure that they should go down this road. Already it was enough that Arthur was pushing aside laws and what he had been taught to come and help her and her people. If they started up a conversation about magic, it might make Arthur uncomfortable and he might start rethinking things.
Already Merlin could see Arthur's brows knitting into a unsure expression.
"I just want to know Merlin." Gwaine replied. "I mean, we are risking everything to come out here and save her people. I just want to know where she got the arrows. I want to know more about her before I go into a battle that's gonna probably end on the doom and gloom side of things."
Elaine stood there, silent for a moment.
Merlin thought for sure she was going to tell him that it was none of his business and if he was going to act that way then perhaps she didn't need their help after all, but, then he saw her eyes soften and she handed over the arrow to Gwaine.
"My father made it." Elaine replied. "They were his arrows."
Gwaine looked the arrow over. "He had magic?"
"Oh yes." Elaine said, strong emotion filling her voice. Merlin could tell right away that it was pride. Her father was someone she admired. Adored. "He was very strong and powerful. One of the most powerful men in the land."
"What happened to him?" Merlin asked, crossing his arms over his chest as Elaine's story intrigued him. Off to his side, Arthur shifted some, but, he remained respectful, listening in. Merlin was proud of him for not being a royal prat...yet.
"He died." Elaine's eyes met his.
The look she gave him shook Merlin to his soul.
He wasn't sure why.
It was as if in that moment Elaine had reached inside and squeezed his soul till it hurt. His brow creased. "When?" He asked, voice cracking a bit. He instantly looked away, feeling his face grow hot.
"Recently." Elaine answered, then reached over and took her arrow from Gwaine. "He fell ill...and died."
"A man with powerful magic died?" It didn't make sense to Arthur. "Why didn't he just heal himself?" He asked. "Can't your people do that?"
Elaine smiled bitterly. "He was much too ill to do that and much too sturborn to ask for the help of others..." She trailed off, her eyes flickering back over to Merlin. "Except for perhaps one person...but none of it matters now. He is gone, but he still helps me." She said, proud of the arrows she had. "And with his help, we will defeat anyone who comes near us on our journey. I promise you that."
She spoke with such confidence that Arthur and Gwaine nodded, feeling sure that she knew what she was talking about and since the conversation had took such a heavy turn, Gwaine decided not to ask her anymore questions for the time being.
He and Arthur made their way over to the small camp that they had made for the evening, leaving her and Merlin standing there to look at the view.
However, the view was the last thing that interested Merlin.
"I'm sorry...about your father." He spoke quietly, looking back at her. "From the sound of things, he was a good man."
Elaine gave a short nod. "He was."
"Were you there? You know...when h-he, um, when he died?" Merlin's stomach twisted in knots as his mind flashed back to the memory of his father dying in his arms. Sometimes he wished he had never met the man, that way there wouldn't be this hole in his heart, but, then again, he was glad he got to know him and he was glad he was there to be with him in his final moments.
Elaine's gaze fell to the ground and she kicked at a nearby stone, sending it over the cliff's edge. "No, I wasn't." She said, sounding regretful. "My brother and I were seperated from our father a long time ago. Not by our wanting, mind you." She scoffed. "He sent us away. He said we would be safer with the druids."
"Your father wasn't a druid?" Merlin asked then, confused. "You said the druids were your people..."
"They are my people." Elaine replied. "But in a different sense of the word."
Who was this woman then?
If she wasn't a druid, then where did she come from?
In what 'sense' was she talking about when she spoke about the Druids?
Right about now, Gaius would be giving him that 'Tread carefully Merlin' look. It was obvious there was more to Elaine than he or the others knew. She wasn't giving up much information either. Just bits and pieces making her more and more of a mystery to them.
"We should go help fix the supper." Elaine changed the subject. "I'll go get us a rabbit, you can boil a pot of water and gather shrooms."
"Why don't I hunt and you fix the water and shrooms?" Merlin asked, allowing her to take him into the new conversation, for now. Later on though, he would want to learn more about her.
Elaine chuckled. "This woman does not cook." She said, giving Merlin a wink before taking a arrow from her pack and stringing it into her bow. "I will be back soon." Before another word could be said, she rushed off into the forest.
Merlin huffed, but found he could do nothing but agree to do as she said.
