Gwaine could see Cumberland castle in the distance. Arthur wanted to wait for nightfall, but Gwaine thought a daytime break out would be best. They crept closer and closer and noticed no guards, on the side of the castle. Gwaine noticed it seemed a little too good to be true. It looked to be a trap. "Gwaine and I will go in and I will distract the guards while Gwaine checks for Lancelot."
"Merlin, how are you going to distract them?" Arthur laughed.
"I will think of something!" said Merlin.
"So, Leon and I just stay here and wait?" Arthur questioned.
"Just keep lookout. You may need to surprise attack soldiers, if we need to make a run for it." Merlin said.
Gwaine and Merlin walked toward the castle hiding behind trees as they did. They looked up at the castle wall and waited until that guard had walked past them and was now rounding the corner. Merlin and Gwaine ran to the door on the side of the castle that made entrance into the lower castle.
Merlin whispered "Ic ia tóspringe" and the door opened. Gwaine looked at Merlin.
"You sure come in handy, Merlin," Gwaine laughed.
"Tell that to Arthur!" Merlin smiled.
Merlin and Gwaine entered the castle and went down some stairs. Merlin looked around a corner and down a hall. "Ahh… there are all the guards!" Merlin took a breath.
"How many guards?" Gwaine whispered.
"At least fifteen," Merlin said.
"Hardly seems fair!" Gwaine laughed. Merlin shook his head. "Fifteen is nothing." Gwaine said as he got his sword out. Merlin put his hand out to stop Gwaine from starting an attack.
"I want to limit your exposure to danger. If we don't find Lancelot and something happens to you too…" Merlin trailed off.
"I know," Gwaine said.
Merlin closed his eyes and waited until all the guards were facing away from him and then muttered "Ic þé wiþdrífe!" as he stepped out from behind the wall. A wave of energy hit all of them and knocked them all off their feet. Merlin then walked to the locked gate. One of the knocked out soldiers was against the door. Gwaine drug him away from the door to allow it to open. "Ic ia tóspringe," Merlin said to unlock the main door to the cells. There were two hallways of cells.
"Split up," Gwaine said quietly. Merlin nodded. Gwaine went slowly down the hall to the right. He looked in each cell. Gwaine didn't see any sign of Lancelot. He came to the last cell and looked in. He saw a dark figure in the corner. Gwaine strained his eyes to see the person. Their hair was fairly long he could tell from the side. Gwaine leaned down to get a better look. "Lancelot?" Gwaine whispered. The figure looked up quickly.
"Gwaine?" a male voice said.
When the man finally came into view of the light Gwaine saw it was indeed Lancelot. Gwaine yelled "Merlin," down here. Merlin ran to the other end of the hall was surprised by Lancelot standing behind the bars in front of him. "Ic ia tóspringe," Merlin unlocked Lancelot's cell door. Merlin grabbed his friend and hugged him. Gwaine went over to Lancelot and did the same. Lancelot was glad to be outside of that cell.
"Let's go," Merlin said. They ran back down the row of cells and turned out into the corridor with all the soldiers who were knocked out. Lancelot looked at Merlin. "I didn't think they would move if I asked them nicely," Merlin laughed.
"Some things never change," Lancelot smiled.
They all ran back to the main hallway that led to the outside of the castle. Gwaine was in the front. A soldier came out of a side hall and attacked Gwaine. Gwaine took three swings and then looped his sword around taking the sword from the guard's hand. He then elbowed the guard in the face knocking him out. Gwaine handed Lancelot the sword. "Remember, how to use this? Gwaine jested.
"I think I have a vague recollection," Lancelot nodded. Lancelot wanted out of that castle and to get into the sunlight. Merlin peered out of the main door and there were no soldiers out his door, so they ran back to the area where Arthur and Leon were. Arthur saw Lancelot and grabbed him. "Lancelot, I am sorry it took us so long to get you," Arthur said.
"Sire, it doesn't matter how long it took I am free now. Is Rosilyn okay?" Lancelot said.
"Yes," Arthur said.
They all started to run to the horses. "We stole a horse while you were gone!" Arthur smiled. Merlin looked and noticed it seemed to have a royal saddle.
"You stole King Benedict's horse?" Merlin laughed.
"Yes, Merlin! He did happen to steal one of Camelot's knight's," Arthur said wisely.
"Their security is pretty bad. We could have drug the whole stable away, I believe," Leon said. Lancelot and his rescuers rode quickly. They rode for five hours. Gwaine at that point had been thinking for a long time. He looked at Lancelot's wedding band still on his finger and knew Rosilyn's was still upon hers. Arthur led them to a cave off the trail that they could stay at for the night.
"We will leave at first light for Camelot," Arthur said.
Lancelot felt his face and his hair and realized how dirty and unkempt he looked. Gwaine walked over to him and handed Lancelot his bag with clothes and scissors. "I think everything you will need is in here," Gwaine said. Merlin walked with Lancelot toward the water.
"How is Rosilyn?" Lancelot asked.
"She has been through a lot. She still thinks you are dead. We couldn't tell her that you may be alive and then find out it is not true. She thought she lost you and then Gavin died too. She's dealt with a lot. I really worried about her for awhile," Merlin said."For two months, she barely left your chambers. She slept wrapped in your cloak. She cried herself to sleep. She thought you would never return."
Lancelot removed all of his clothes, except his breeches. He went into the water to his waist even though it was very cool. Lancelot was chilled to the bone, but wanted to be presentable when he saw his wife in the morning. Lancelot washed his hair and then Merlin trimmed it back to its usual length. Lancelot took the knife and used it to shave his face. He didn't recognize the man who was staring back at him in his reflection in the water. He had grown such a beard. He reached into the bag Gwaine had filled and put on new breeches, trousers, and his tunic.
Merlin looked at Lancelot as he shaved and said "there you are again!"
"I feel much better now! I just want to get home to Rosilyn." Lancelot said as they walked back to camp.
"It is you, Lancelot, I really wasn't convinced before the shave and haircut!" Arthur laughed. "How did it feel to bathe in that water?"
"Cold, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. I just wanted to be ready to see Rosilyn."
"How did you make it through last few months?" Leon asked.
"I focused on my wife. I would close my eyes and imagine her smile. I wanted to see her once again. I would look out the window at night and look at the stars and hope she was doing the same." He spoke softly. "My love for her helped me through."
"How did you end up imprisoned in the cell? You fell in the water and never came up?" Arthur asked.
"Morgana told me she found me in a cave and I was barely breathing. It seems she saved me, but I don't know for what purpose. She said I would have drowned at high tide."
"Well, that's good she didn't leave you to die," Merlin said. He wondered why Morgana decided to take him. Was it an act of kindness or to try to gain some kind of advantage?
"Gwaine, I want to thank you for putting together that bag for me. I wouldn't have wanted to go back to Rosilyn in that condition." Lancelot said.
"You really don't have to thank me," Gwaine said. "You saved my life." Gwaine looked down. Gwaine realized at that moment if it weren't for Lancelot saving his life, he would have fallen into that water. He could have died. Arthur could have died. He felt even though he loved Rosilyn with all his heart, he had no right to her. Gwaine had so many mixed emotions. Seeing Lancelot, made it much more difficult for Gwaine, because listening to him talk about Rosilyn broke his heart. Rosilyn was going to have a lot of difficulty with all of this. How do you make someone choose between two people they love?
Merlin handed Lancelot some food and said "Eat up! We need to put some weight back on you!"
"I'm sure I had put on some weight after I got married." Lancelot said.
"Well, you will be back in Camelot before midday tomorrow and you want to have all the strength you can." Merlin smiled.
"I feel like just locking myself away in my room for a few days and spending time with Rosilyn." Lancelot said.
"It may be hard for Rosilyn at first since she has no idea you are alive. We didn't tell her. She will be shocked, but I am sure she will be happy."Merlin said.
Gwaine got up and walked away from the camp and toward the water. Gwaine looked down at the stream as the sun was starting to set. Merlin walked up placing his hand on Gwaine's shoulder. "Gwaine, remember, this is all up to Rosilyn, not you," he said.
"How do I not just walk away and give Lancelot, the wife he deserves?" Gwaine asked.
"What about what Rosilyn deserves?" Merlin asked.
"If I wasn't there, she would be happy with Lancelot."
"Maybe she would, or maybe she would be unhappy without you."
"I do not know what to do, Merlin."
"Give her time and let her decide what she wants."
Lancelot walked to Gwaine. Merlin walked back towards camp leaving them alone together. "I wanted to tell you, I am sorry about Gavin. I know you and Rosilyn were very close to him," Lancelot said.
"It was very hard. I had to bury him. You are not supposed to bury a child," Gwaine said.
"How has Rosilyn been?" Lancelot asked.
"There have been times, I would go to check on her and she would cover herself with your cloak and be crying on the bed. I would beg her to eat. I would bring her breakfast in the morning and fresh water and then her dinner. She hardly left the room for the first two months. What do you tell a woman who just lost her new husband? I had to hear her cry many times. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't fix what was wrong."
"I can't stand the thought of her feeling like that and all those tears. Rosilyn crying tears my heart out."
"I know that quite well now. It breaks my heart." Gwaine said as his voice trailed off.
Lancelot and Gwaine both walked over to the camp each lying down. Lancelot knew tomorrow he would be going to bed with his wife and he looked forward to that. Gwaine knew when they returned his relationship with Rosilyn would change a bit. Gwaine didn't know if he could handle that.
Rosilyn had taken her nap and then went to eat with Percival. He escorted her back to Gwaine's room. Rosilyn tidied up a bit and folded all her clothes. She looked in Gwaine's wardrobe and realized he really needed more clothing. He had one tunic hanging up. Rosilyn smiled and whispered "Oh… Gwaine." Rosilyn knew Gwaine should be back tomorrow and she was so excited to tell him about their child. Rosilyn glowed. She made everything perfect in his room. Rosilyn found a couple of Gwaine's tunics, under the bed. Rosilyn walked down to the laundry and asked a servant if they could have Sir Gwaine's tunics and trousers cleaned for him. She stopped by Gwen's room to ask her to make Gwaine several more tunics. Gwen was excited about her new project. Rosilyn felt she was accomplishing so much. Rosilyn grabbed a cloth from the kitchen to take to Gwaine's room to dust all the furniture. As she walked down the hallway she saw Percival again.
"I thought you were getting ready for bed?" Percival asked.
"I am cleaning before Gwaine gets back." Rosilyn smiled.
"He is a bit of a pig!"
"It wasn't that bad.
"You inspire him to be better, you know?"
"I do?"
"Yes, you really do. Shouldn't you lie down soon?"
"I will… Are you going to be overprotective?"
"Until Gwaine is here, yes, my lady," Percival said. Rosilyn laughed.
"Goodnight, Sir Percival!"
"Goodnight, my lady." Percival said as he walked into his room. Rosilyn walked back into Gwaine's room. She started to dust all the furniture and took great care to do the bed in detail. She felt the bed was her and Gwaine's sanctuary. Rosilyn was ready to see her knight. She was ready to lie in his arms once again. Rosilyn was excited to tell Gwaine about their happy news. She lay upon his bed and closed her eyes and dreamed of him kissing her and touching her. She looked around his room and realized she was so comfortable here now. She wanted to share this room with Gwaine. She would tell him when he returned. Rosilyn placed her nightdress on and went to the window and looked out at the moon and the stars. "I love you, my prince, wherever you are," Rosilyn whispered before walking to the candle and blowing it out and climbing into bed. Rosilyn took his pillow and laid her head upon it. She closed her eyes and breathed in and pretended he was there with her once again.