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Chapter Ten: The Fall of King Lot.
The beating of the drums and the revelry around her did little to sooth Evienne and her concerns for what Arthur might have just done by naming their father as his Champion; he was not a young man anymore and fighting Lot could cost him his life. They had already lost their mother and Evienne did not desire to find herself an orphan, she was eighteen and still felt that there was much for her to learn.
Her brothers and father were distracted with their own celebrating and Evienne doubted that they had thought much about what was to come; she slowly turned from the celebrations wanting a moment to herself. The music was aloud and the cheerful atmosphere all felt a bit much for her, Evienne could no longer bare it and used the distraction to slip from the gathering unnoticed.
Slowly the music seemed to grow quieter and soon Evienne found herself standing on the battlements, the music only a whisper and she closed her eyes relishing in the silence. The cool evening breeze was welcoming and Evienne almost wished that she had come sooner, the silence allowed her to gather her thoughts and the ache with in chest seemed to ease.
Her mother should have been here tonight, it would have made her proud to see Arthur crowned King and her children united for the good of the Kingdom; instead, she lay upon a hill in the cold ground where she had been buried. Squeezing her eyes tight, Evienne struggled to stop the tears as she thought of the fight she had with her mother; their final moments together and how she had been dragged from their home.
Evienne had been angry that her brothers had left her behind, no mention of their wish for her to follow them and the fact that her parents had lied to them for all those years. Now she would never get to say how sorry she was or have her mother be there when she married, her mother was meant to be her guide and she was a woman now who had no such thing. The sound of someone approaching made Evienne quickly reach up and using her sleeve wipe away those tears that had escaped; she stared ahead trying to act like all was well.
"It's impolite to sneak up on someone," Evienne noted, she did not turn to speak with the person and she had a good idea on who it was; she could not help but wonder why they had come after her instead of enjoying the celebrations. There was much to celebrate afterall and if Merlin was correct then it would be her brother that ruled all of Britain and brought about a new age of peace.
"I am only doing as my King commanded of me, my Lady," Leontes replied moving to stand beside her, he looked out of the battlement that faced the ocean and found that there was little to see in the dark. They could hear the crashing of the waves below from here and Leontes had to admit that it was rather peaceful out here especially against the revel that was happening inside the castle.
"And what has my brother commanded this time?" Evienne replied with a roll of her eyes, a spark of anger ignited at the mention of Arthur; how could he be so stupid to allow their father to be champion when he would get himself killed. He was no young warrior anymore, he would be a far better advisor to him than she would and Evienne feared that his desire for revenge would led to his death.
Leontes smiled at the annoyance in her voice, he had been an only child himself and he had always wished for a sibling; the closeness between Arthur and his adopted siblings was something that he had long desired. It pleased him that his new King had not cast aside his family, they had raised him and where all that he had known for most of his life before discovering that he was Uther's son and the heir to the throne.
"He worries for you, he asked me to protect you," Leontes told her softly, he turned to face her and eyed the expression that she wore on her face. He did not blame her for being upset that Arthur had named her father as his Champion, he could not fault the man for wishing to avenge his wife's death when she had been so cruelly taken from him.
If it were him then he would desire the same, he would stop at nothing to avenge his love and he would not rest until that person had been brought to justice for their actions and the life that they had taken. Glancing at Leontes, Evienne could not help the smile that formed upon her face when their eyes met and a blush formed on her face; she quickly looked away from him and stared out at the sea trying to hide the colour that now filled her face.
Her heart pounded in her chest and Evienne was at a loss, she had never felt like this before and she could not quite describe why she such a connection to him. A sudden crash from below caused the two of them to jump and Evienne looked to Leontes before she turned and ran towards where the celebrations were held; she clutched at her skirts so that she did not trip as she ran.
"Circle the King! Protect the King!" Evienne could hear Merlin cry as she hurried down the steps, she came to a stop at the sight of the fleeing peasants that had only moments ago been celebrating. Her eyes swept the fleeing crowd while she tried to spot her father and brothers, people were being slaughtered as they tried to escape by the men that had snuck in. Finally, her eyes landed on Arthur and she moved to make her way towards him only for Leontes to latch on to her; he pulled her back stopping her from rushing into the madness.
"Let me go," Evienne demanded slapping her hands against Leontes's arm as he pulled her away into a cove that was out of sight of the fighting that was going on. The sound of clashing sword rang out and Evienne struggled against him, she had to protect her brothers and she would not leave them to die out there; she pushed her away from her and glared at him.
"I can not keep both of you safe," Leontes told her with a shake of his head, he could not have her charging unprotected into such a fight and keep both her and his King safe as he should do. Only if she stayed here could he protect Arthur, she had the dagger that he had given her and if she stayed out of sight then perhaps, she would escape the slaughter that was just around the corner.
"I shall keep your brother safe, you have my word," Leontes promised her, the clashing of sword against shield reaching them and he pushed her back further into the corner with a meaningful look. His eyes searched her face for a moment longer before he grabbed his sword and took off to protect his King; he would not allow Arthur to fall this day nor would he allow any harm to come to him.
Hands shaking, Evienne reached for the dagger that he had given her that she had hidden on her person; she pressed her back against the wall and prayed that she would have no need to use it as she did not know if she could. The crashing of thunder and the flash of lightening were enough to frighten her, she heard Merlin's call to get Arthur out of the hall and she knew that if they were retreating then she would be able to catch them.
Slipping from her hiding spot, Evienne moved quietly through the darkened halls of the castle; her heart pounding with each step she took and she was careful to make no further noise than needed. Men would not be kind to her, she would have a target on her back just for being Arthur's sister and she could not imagine what she would do if they found her. Suddenly a shadow crossed her path before her and Evienne held her breath fearing that she would be seen, her eyes straining against the darkness and she quickly scurried into the alcove that was nearby when she realised who was before her.
King Lot stalked through the darkness, his sword in his hand and as he searched for Arthur; he would deal with the boy tonight just as he said he would. He came to a stop when he saw a man standing in his way, he eyed him with disinterest before he commanded that he get out of his way and if he did so then he might let him live.
"You don't know who I am do you?" the man asked him, a sword in his hand and he glared at Lot who had dared come here; surely, he must have known that there would be those who sort to kill him. Lot's actions had ruined lives and he had come here with little protection, he would not allow him to hurt anyone else that he cared for and he would avenge his wife.
"I am the man whose wife you killed, the man whose children you left without a mother," Ector spat, he would not allow Lot to get away with what he had done; he had waited long enough for this moment. He cared not if he died and he would not allow Gwendolen's death to go unavenged, he would make Lot suffer for what he had done to her and he would protect their children. If Lot found Arthur then he would kill him for the throne and Ector did not want to even think what would happen to Evienne.
"Tell me the name of the woman you slaughtered," Ector demanded wanting to know if he had even cared enough to learn his wife's name or if he had just killed her to punish Arthur for taking his rightful place. He clutched at his blade and slowly edged towards Lot, he would end this and then Arthur would be secure in his position on the throne; there would be no army if Lot was not commanding them.
"The only thing that matters is that she died, she spent her last hours on her knees," Lot taunted him, he held his two swords in his hands and held them high as Ector charged at him with his blade. A smile on his face knowing that he could best the old man and he would die this day, he did not care who he killed as long as it got him what he desired most; the throne on which that boy now sat.
Their swords clashed and Ector fought with all his might but he was no match for Lot who quickly disarmed him with just one of his blades; Ector's sword disappearing behind the King as he pointed the other at his neck. With a sword to his neck, Ector was moved out of the way and Lot dropped his second blade to the floor and kicked it away before he picked up a spear that was nearby.
He smirked at Ector before throwing his other sword to the ground only for Ector to choose that moment to charge at him; he drove the spear into Ector's gut and stared down at the other man. Ector dropped to his knees and stared up at Lot who demanded that Ector return to his feet, clutching at the spear that was in his gut as he did so and continued to stare at Lot.
"And now you're gonna join her," Lot taunted him, forcing the spear deeper into Ector and through the other side; blood pouring from the man's mouth before a scream from behind him. Turning to see who had screamed, Lot was not expecting the attack that came from behind him and he only caught the frightened look that appeared on Ector's face before something sharp was plunged into his neck.
Ector could only stare at the sight of his daughter, the blade that she had been given by Leontes now sat in Lot's jugular and terror filled him as Lot slowly turned to face Evienne. His hold on the spear released allowing Ector to drop to the floor, his eyes wide and he stared at the woman that had just stabbed him; his hand shaking as he reached up to grasp the blade and pull it from his neck.
Staring at the blade, Lot staggered towards Evienne who stared at him with wide eyes and she staggered back away from him; her eyes flicking from Lot to her father that had now collapsed onto the floor. Raising the blade in the air, Lot reached out and grabbed Evienne knowing that he would make her father suffer before he passed from this world; he had failed to protect his wife and now he could watch his daughter die.
Gathering all her strength, Evienne shoved her hands into Lot's chest and pushed with all her might until he staggered back against the force; he released her and tripped over his own feet. The sickening crunch that his skull made upon hitting the floor made Evienne's stomach twist and she stared at Lot for a moment almost expecting her to attack her. However, there was no movement from the King and Evienne could hear Arthur and Kay's shouts; she snapped out of her stupor and hurried forward to her father's fallen form.
"Father," Evienne whispered reaching out for him, her eyes filled with tears at his bloody form and she knew that this was just what she had feared; that he would die trying to avenge her mother. He smiled weakly at her and slowly reached up to touch her cheek, his lips moving though no words seemed to leave them and slowly his eyes drifted closed; his hand dropping from Evienne's cheek.
"Father," Kay whispered rounding the corner and coming upon the sight of his sister weeping over their father's body, he dropped his sword to the ground and rushed forward just as Arthur appeared. Neither son could believe the sight before them and they did not hesitate to rush to Evienne's side, they should have known that Ector would have gone after Lot by himself to avenge their mother. Kay dropped to his knees beside his sister, his arms quickly reaching for her and he pulled her into his arms as she wept; he squeezed his eyes shut knowing that it would now all fall to him as the eldest son.
Merlin's orders for Lot's body seemed to wash over the siblings while they mourned for their father and it was only Leontes that recognised the blade that was covered in Lot's blood. He turned to look at Evienne as he collected the blade and hid it knowing that he would allow her to grieve for now.
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