Disclaimer: As Chapter One; so please, for the love of God, do not make me keep writing it out people!
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE AND SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES (though not too graphic) SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please; and I will try to update regularly.
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
ELEMENTS
Chapter Ten – Thawing
Guinevere entered Ember's room a little later to see her smiling and laughing with Summer "she likes you."
Cool eyes swung to her "aye, she does it seems."
The other woman's eyes narrowed slightly "She does not know you though, does she?"
Cool eyes regarded the young woman "Guinevere, if you do not like me, stay away. I have no ill will for you, but neither have I patience to play your games."
"I play no games, I….."
"But you do, that is all you do." Em cut in quietly, but deliberately "and games with people's lives at stake are not good ones, they only ever end badly."
"Because you say it is so?"
"Nay, because destiny does."
"I care naught for she!" The younger woman defiantly tossed her head.
"Aye, and well she knows it." Something in the soft way Ember said it made Guinevere chill slightly.
"Well, I will do what I wish."
"I did not think you would do otherwise."
"Why do you speak so quietly? It makes no sense." Guinevere questioned suddenly as she went to leave.
"Those that wish to heed me do and those that do not will not, no matter how loudly or quietly I speak. I see no reason to shout if it is not necessary."
"Which do I fall into?"
"The latter."
"Good." The queen left with a belligerent smile.
Ember shook her head as the door closed "Nay it is not, for it has sealed your fate my lady."
But, as the elemental already knew, she would neither be heard nor heeded.
0-0-0-0-0
Lancelot came in a few minutes later; Ember stifled the smile as she saw the confused look on his face – she had not known if her summoning would work with him as it did Tristan (she had yet to try with Galahad), for there was no tie between them.
At least until this moment she had thought not – but this seemed to prove otherwise. "I thought mayhap you had called me as I passed a short way off; but then realised that could not be so, as you rarely raise your voice."
"You would be surprised Lancelot; I can speak louder than a whisper, I only choose not to." Ember smiled "how goes the rain?"
He rolled his eyes as he replied ruefully "I am learning to be wet."
"You get used to it." she nodded.
"I think the downpour would have been harder to tolerate – so I thank you for you aid."
Ember hid the smirk as the thanks seemed drawn from him with pain "It was naught – she is not your sister, and so you have not grown with it as I have. Though I do think she was a little cruel to make it so torrential, and that is not like Rain."
"They were very angry, she most especially – except for one named Storry. She tried to scare me….." he smiled slightly "is she the youngest?"
"Nay, Eartha is – but she is also the wisest next to Rain. Storm is as her element…stormy. It makes for entertaining living…." She stopped her sudden eloquence "well, it did."
He sat on the bed "You miss them?"
Ember nodded "More than I can ever say – I had hoped that after I had avenged them and my village I would be allowed to move forward beyond the veil and join them; sadly that was not to be." She shrugged "I exist now."
"Not live?"
Bleak eyes suddenly regarded him, their grey turning silver "Nay, why would I?"
Lancelot, much against his will and better judgement, felt the tight knot of anger towards her loosen and his own heart thaw slightly. No matter what he thought of her, she was one who would most empathise with his predicament.
Dagonet did not; he was delighted to be reunited with Lucan and Bors. Van and the brats were the honey in the wine. He cared not how he came to be returned, only that he was – he would praise Ember all night if you but allowed him to.
Tristan did not; he accepted his return with dismissive grace – felt there had to be good reason to be back, and if that led to killing all to the better. To be reunited with his hawk too and to find a sister in Ember was the honey for the scout.
Whilst he was glad to be reunited with Arthur and the others, he hated the rest; there was no sweet to the vinegar for him. That left him feeling alone and isolated; but he realised now that it may not have to be so. Here was one who railed against living, who wished for death full as much as he – the only difference was she had learned to accept her fate.
He wondered now if he should not view her differently; after all she had taken his insults, accusations and bitter hatred with a quiet acceptance. Had told him, more than once, that she thought he was a better man than he believed he was.
"Ember why do you suffer me so?"
She smiled "I was like you once."
"Like me?"
"Aye full of life and passion – I lived my life with abandon." She shook her head "I know, it does not seem it to see me now – but I was not always this way Lancelot."
"Your sisters' death changed that?"
"It finished it aye, but the start was when Merril died. I loved him muchly and I tried to save him, denied my love for him almost unto my last breath." She stared bitterly out of the window "but as I told you before I am a terrible liar, and my grandfather knew the truth and so put him to death." She sighed "it was then I shut down to all but my sisters."
"What of your grandfather?"
"I never spoke to him again."
"But you were in the same village were you not?"
"Aye, we were – but I did not speak or acknowledge him. As Merril died I told him he died to me also, and so he did."
Lancelot understood, he realised how he would feel if someone had killed a woman he'd loved "why did the old man do it?"
"He did it to ensure I did not marry – he worried that we would lose our powers if we wed and bore children. Merlin told him we would not, but he did not heed him."
"Was it spite then?"
"Mayhap for me it was, I loved him dearly but did not always do as I was bid. He considered me a bad influence on my sisters."
Lancelot shook his head "do you see him, when you see your sisters?"
"Nay, why would I? We parted badly in life, I doubt he would wish to see me in death" she cast a rueful glance to her companion "I think he probably enjoys death more because I am not there to torment him."
"You sound as though you are sorry for it."
She shook her head "he made his decision, I merely followed my heart."
"You found disloyalty to family easier than to a loved one?" He did not mean it to sound as harsh as it did.
For the first time she looked reproachfully at him "nay Lancelot, I chose love over duty – surely that is no crime. Even if it was, surely I should have been put to the sword and not Merril?"
"Aye, you are right and I am sorry. It is just that…."
"You fear what you will do?"
He nodded, casting his eyes downward and studying the floor; a gentle hand raised his chin "Lancelot you would never do aught to harm Arthur, in any way – I trust you utterly, with my life even; and I know he does the same. Would either of us, canny as we are, entrust ourselves to one we thought might betray us?"
"You trust me with your life?" he asked incredulously.
"Aye, why would I not?" she sounded equally surprised.
"But I hated you, hurled abuse at you, ridiculed you."
"Aye that you did, and notice you speak of it in the past tense. Do you not feel that way now?"
"Nay, I think I begin to see the life you lead as one I could learn to tolerate."
She positively beamed at him; so much so that he could not help but grin back at her "then mayhap we can do so together" she held out her arm "we can watch each others back if you are agreeable?"
He grasped it "aye, I can do that."
"Mayhap we can be friends one day?"
He saw the hope at the back of her gaze, realised she was looking for someone to understand her as much as he was "aye, one day I do not doubt it."
She let go his arm and nodded, as the cool ice reasserted itself over her "then I am content."
"You are easily appeased then" Arthur said from the doorway with a smile "to be content with this brigand for a friend at some future point"; but he was secretly pleased that Lancelot finally seemed not only to be calming but also accepting their newest member to their little band, as well as finally coming to terms with his return.
Lancelot rolled his eyes, stood and patted Ember awkwardly on the shoulder and left – sighing audibly as the rain began to mist on him again once he reached the door.
Arthur chuckled at the sight after he'd gone "you made peace then?"
"He seems to be thawing to me – like to like I suspect."
"In what way?" He now took Lancelot's place on the bed.
"We hate life, long for death and wish to be reunited with our loved ones." She nodded at him "not an idea you would understand methinks."
He shook his head "Nay I do not, but neither do I condemn it – I only hope I do not end feeling such desolation."
She reached out and patted his hand "Arthur, I will always be here for you as I am for Lancelot. You will never need to feel alone as long as I breathe."
A strange warmth gripped him and he leant forward and hugged her "Ember, for all your icy shell there still beats a warm heart beneath it."
She awkwardly hugged him back and he sat back apologising for his forwardness, Ember patted his arm "nay, Arthur it is only I am not used to such displays of affection since my sisters died. Most despise me and the rest fear me" she smiled wryly "neither emotion is conducive to affectionate displays."
He swallowed the lump that suddenly gripped his throat "well, you are with us now and we will rectify that; you can expect plenty of affection from us."
She sighed and smiled sadly "I will remind you of that one day."
He frowned but Dagonet entered and so he took his leave.
0-0-0-0-0
Dag watched her closely "Is all well Em?"
"Aye…" she sighed "if I had to do something to save you all, but it was not clear why, would you hate me? Would you turn me away and spit on me as so many do?"
"Nay lass, never would I turn from you. None of us would."
She studied his face closely and then smiled "Nay I do not think you would Dag, but of the others I am not so sure."
"You think your brother that fickle?" Tristan asked as he too came in.
"Nay brother, I would not think that of thee – but the others…." She sighed "but I must do as destiny bids me to save you all; I will not shrink from the destruction of one who is so dark at their core, to lose so many I know are good of heart."
Tristan looked sharply at her after her last statement; he began to get an idea of what was to come and he knew it would not be good….