Leon sat still and silent as he woke to the darkness of the council chamber of Carneath. He could hear footsteps, and he rolled slowly, ready for someone to attack, but he relaxed a little when he saw it was Krysia. She was creeping into the room, perhaps having woken in the night to explore her ancestral home.
The moonlight was soft on her hair as she paused, waiting for a long moment. Leon wondered what she was looking or listening or waiting for, and then he saw Gwaine slip into the room behind her. Leon was almost able to convince himself there was no ache in his chest, but then he watched Gwaine lean down to kiss her, and he realized Gwaine had put his tunic on backwards, and Leon realized that they hadn't simply been exploring the castle.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight and pretended to be asleep, partly to avoid intruding on their private moment and partly because it hurt too much to see right now. He was sure if he gave it time for the wounds to heal, he would begin to hurt less and he could move on, but right now the wound was open and gaping.
Even with his eyes squeezed shut, Leon felt a tear squeeze its way out from between his lids and he didn't dare move his hand to wipe it away. He prayed they were too wrapped up in each other to notice, and he prayed that it would get easier. It had to, because he couldn't imagine it going on like this.
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Gwaine tried to listen to Arthur getting information together, but he kept looking away to see where Krysia had gone. She said she would be right back, but given how tense everything was, Gwaine couldn't focus on anything if she wasn't in his line of sight. Now that he had her, he wasn't keen to lose her again.
He couldn't help his laugh when she entered in the middle of Arthur's discussion of how they would move through the forest to best advantage. Krysia had returned, and not only had she selected her clothes, but she'd found chain mail that fit her perfectly.
Leon made a strange sound in his throat and said, "What are you wearing?"
"I found it in one of the bedrooms," she said, grinning. "I think it probably belonged to my mother or my aunt. What do you think?"
Gwaine thought she looked perfect, and he was a little annoyed that he couldn't take her right back up to the mattress from the night before and explore her in the daylight, but he knew he couldn't very well say that.
"You're not going to fight, surely?" Leon said, turning to Arthur. "Sire, Lady Krysia shouldn't—"
"I can fight as well as you," she said coolly.
Gwaine laughed again, and he said, "I think it's brilliant. We need every sword, don't we, Arthur?"
Arthur hesitated a moment, then said, "She has technically trained in combat, Leon, and Gwaine's right. We do need every sword. Just this once, Krysia."
She snorted and said, "You say that now. We'll talk about the future in the future. Now, I believe you were talking about the ramparts."
She came to the circle, and Arthur nodded.
"There is a tunnel under the northern ramparts that brings us only a few paces from the entrance to the dungeons," Arthur said. "It will be well-guarded. So, if we're going to break everyone out, we must remain unobserved. We cannot let them raise the alarm."
"We need to take out the warning bell," Lancelot said. "That way the warriors have no means of communication."
"Good idea," Arthur said.
"That's a two-man job," Krysia said. "I'd say three, but I'm not sure you could get there without being seen if you had too many people."
Lancelot nodded and said, "I'll need someone with me who knows the castle."
"I'll go," Merlin said quickly.
"Alright," Arthur said. He turned to Krysia and said, "Can you still pick a lock?"
Gwaine turned to Krysia, thrilled and surprised to hear of this being in her skill set. She turned a bit red and said, "I don't know. I haven't tried since I was a child. But the cells aren't a complicated locking mechanism. Why?"
"Because we won't have time to waste," Arthur said. "We need to be unlocking multiple cells at a time if we're to free all the knights quickly, even without the warning bell."
She nodded and swore she'd do her best.
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They departed Carneath, and Gwaine saw Krysia turn back to look at it as they walked away. He silently swore to himself that he would bring her back here someday.
The further they got from the walls, the less relaxed Gwaine felt, and he clearly looked tense, because Percival began to walk alongside him and asked what was wrong.
"The closer we get to Camelot, the more likely we are to come on the enemy," Gwaine said.
Percival hummed, and he sniffed the air a few times.
"No horses, at any rate," he said. "If they are near, they came on foot."
Gwaine laughed and said, "That's a valuable skill."
"When you live in an outlying village, you learn all kinds of tricks, hunting for food," Percival said. He nodded toward Krysia, who was walking up with Arthur, talking about something to do with the cell doors and their design. "She seems important, given that the prince values her opinion."
"She is important," Gwaine said, unable to stop his lips from forming a stupid grin. "She's…she's… Well, she's the heir to that castle we stayed the night in. She's practically a princess. And she's…everything."
The word slipped off his tongue before he realized it was coming out, and Percival's eyebrows raised, and he looked back at Krysia again for a moment before saying, "Well, she's certainly beautiful."
"The most beautiful," Gwaine said.
"And she seems smart."
"She's brilliant."
"And apparently she has all manner of skills."
Gwaine grinned, thinking of how she'd unconsciously reacted to her pleasure the night before, even taking some initiative, probably without realizing she was doing it, toward the end of their liaison.
"She certainly does," Gwaine said.
"Is there anything she cannot do?"
Gwaine considered the question, trying to think of a time when she came up short in any way, and then he said, "She's not very good at being told no."
Leon, who was walking nearby, snorted a laugh, and Percival also laughed. Gwaine perked up slightly, feeling for the first time since leaving home that he was building something like a family. At least he'd have it for a little while, no matter how many of them died today. That was something.
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They paused close enough to see the tower, and they could see the soldiers on the ramparts. Krysia narrowed her eyes.
"Best approach?" she said.
"The tunnel exit is an option," Arthur said, "Although I'm not sure Percival will fit."
Krysia turned, sizing everyone up quickly.
"Merlin and I might be the only ones small enough," she said. "We'll squeeze through and find an opening."
"Are you calling me fat?" Arthur said.
"Sire, I would never say so out loud," she said, grinning at him, and Arthur rolled his eyes.
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Leon held his breath as he watched Krysia slip through the bars on the tunnel entry.
"Anything?" Arthur said as she looked at the frame.
"Give me a second," she said, examining the area. "No, there's no good way to open it without removing the bars, and we don't have that kind of time. There's the entry about five hundred feet up the tunnel."
"That's partially underwater," Leon said.
"Have you a better idea?" Krysia said.
Leon hated when she got stubborn like this, but he understood perfectly her point. If they couldn't get into the tunnels, they couldn't get into the dungeons, and they certainly didn't have time to waste.
Leon shook his head at Arthur to say that he did not, in fact have a better idea. Arthur nodded, also not having a better idea.
"Right men," Arthur said. "Prepare to get wet."
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When they finally got into the dungeons, Krysia held her breath, pressing her back against the wall and waiting for orders from Arthur.
"Good luck," Arthur said to Lancelot and Merlin, who hurried up the stairs.
Krysia startled, seeing a familiar sword at Merlin's side, the sword she thought they'd put in the Lake of Avalon. When had he had the time to retrieve that, and how?
But she didn't have time to think on it, because they were already moving to deal with the guards.
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On Arthur's mark, Gwaine took his place and prepared to run. Krysia was annoyed that he'd agreed to be bait, but he insisted he was the fastest sprinter, and certainly the most willing to do something daft.
He whistled to catch the attention of the guard, and once he was sure they'd heard him, he began to run. When he reached the right point, he called out to Percival.
"Now!" he said.
Percival locked the gate on their side of the corridor, and on the other end, Leon and Elian closed the other gate, stranding the dungeon guards between the two gates. Gwaine laughed, brushing his hair out of his face, and said, "Stay there and don't move."
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The fight was hot. Krysia wanted to pause to deal with Elyan's wound, but he was fighting through it, and she needed to try to open as many cells as she could. Arthur threw a set of keys into one group of knights, and Sir Brennis worked on opening the door. Krysia took a look at the lock on another door, and Sir Geraint grinned at her from the other side of the cell door.
"Well, my lady," he said, "I've never been more pleased to see you."
"I'm insulted," she said, asking for his belt.
He removed the belt, and she used the buckle pin to feel around in the locking mechanism. She listened carefully to the metal as she moved it around.
"Chainmail suits you," he said, leaning on the door.
"And what does that mean?" she said, trying not to smile.
"I've always imagined you could be quite…forceful."
She looked up and raised her eyebrows.
"You've imagined me being…forceful?"
"Not with me, darling don't worry," he said with a laugh. "You're not my type."
"Again, sir, I'm insulted," she said. She found the mechanism's weak point and pulled open the cell door. She stood back and watched the men going forward. She handed her sword to Geraint and pulled out her dagger, taking a moment to get her bearings again before she moved on to the next door, this time freeing some of the servants.
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Gwaine pushed forward in the fight, back-to-back with Percival, watching several men fall, and wishing they'd had more weapons to give to the knights they freed. Not that it would have done too much good, as the enemy still wouldn't fall, but if they could just get out of the dungeons, they might be able to get the king out of here.
He turned and saw Krysia free a group of servants, who took their boots off and began pelting the guards, and Gwaine laughed, nearly missing the swing of an enemy sword, but Percival saw it coming, chopping clean through the blade arm of the enemy before the blow could land.
"Thanks for that," Gwaine said, running his sword through the stunned guard's chest and pulling it out again.
"Any time, little man," Percival said.
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Krysia hurried to Arthur as he opened the final cell, the one with Uther inside. Krysia stood guard at the door while Arthur undid his father's chains.
"Father, we have to hurry," Arthur said.
Krysia turned her head and saw that Uther was staring at them, dazed and totally lost. She was reminded of when Morgana had tortured him with the mandrake roots, and she felt a pain of pity in her chest to see this once-great man brought so low.
"I'm sorry," Uther said.
Krysia wondered whether he was saying this to Arthur or to her, or perhaps just because it was all he could feel and therefore felt he had to say it.
"Please, father," Arthur said, "now isn't the time."
He helped Uther up, and Krysia helped him guide the dazed king out of his cell.
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As the fight dragged on, the warning bell sounded, and they froze for a moment. Gwaine wondered what might have befallen Merlin and Lancelot, and based on Krysia's face, she was clearly wondering the same thing.
"What the hell are those two doing?" Arthur cried.
They continued to fight, but reinforcements to the enemy arrived, and there were no more reinforcements for them to free from the cells.
Arthur paused, exhausted, and then he said, "If we're to go down, we'll go down fighting! For the love of Camelot!"
The roar of the knights echoed through the dungeon, and Gwaine joined in, redoubling his efforts despite his exhaustion.
He could rest when he was dead.
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Krysia was just about to drive her dagger into what would be the heart of a guard (if they had hearts) when the guard she was fighting, and all the other of Morgana's men, exploded before her.
She took a startled step back and laughed. They might not have managed the warning bell, but Merlin had emptied the cup. Now they just had to deal with Morgana and Morgause, and everything would be fine.
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Krysia was running for the stairs up to the corridor when there was a low rumbling sound. She paused, feeling the stairs beneath her feet shake, and she heard someone cry out her name from down in the depths of the dungeon.
"My lady!" Percival cried, and he grabbed her, pulling her out of the stairwell, clutching her against his chest and shielding her from the falling rocks.
Krysia shook slightly, staring up at him as he squeezed his eyes shut to brace himself against the pain of each stone that hit. She was sure if he'd not reached her, she'd gravely injured. She was glad Gaius wouldn't have to explain why a rock fall directly on her didn't kill her.
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When the castle stabilized and the ground no longer shook, Leon helped a few servants, and he noticed Geraint looking for someone specific before helping Enid to her feet. He smiled a little, then saw Percival shaking off Krysia's attempts to check him for injury.
"You're safe now, father," Arthur said to the king, and he helped Uther stand.
Then Elyan said, "Where's Gwaine?"
Leon held his breath, glancing at Krysia, who was frowning, seeming not to have fully processed the question. Elyan and Percival looked as concerned as Leon felt, although they couldn't possibly be. If Gwaine were to die just after Krysia had reunited with him…
"Gwaine?" Elyan said, looking back toward the deepest cellar, where Gwaine had been fighting at the rear. "You still alive?"
The cheeky voice of Gwaine answered from the darkness, "What do you think?"
Leon exhaled, and the faces of everyone relaxed.
"Oh, gods," Krysia said, laughing nervously.
Gwaine emerged into the light and said, grinning through a slightly-bruised face, "And that's Sir Gwaine to you."
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Uther stared out his window, half seeing, half not. His room did not feel like his room. His bed no longer felt like his bed. Morgana had vanished, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Down in the square, Krysia was having a conversation with a few knights, including some of the commoners Arthur had elevated. She was wearing a rich green dress with gold lacing, and her hair fluttered in a strong breeze.
Uther wasn't sure what stung the most on this strange morning: that his daughter had grown to hate him and be perhaps his fiercest enemy, or that Zosia's daughter had grown headstrong and was clearly cavorting with a commoner, or that said commoner had been elevated by Uther's son to a knighthood he didn't deserve.
The world was changing too rapidly for Uther to know even his own mind, much less anything else. Or perhaps the world had changed long ago, and he only now felt it, now that it was impossible to ignore.
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Krysia went to Gaius's chambers as soon as she knew the state of the search in the council chamber once the knights had cleared it. She and Merlin gave the report to Gaius, who listened to it with an expression that could have been disappointment or relief.
"And they searched through the remains of the rubble, and still no Morgana?" Gaius said.
"Or Morgause," Merlin said.
"They won't have gone far," Gaius said. "Merlin, no one else is going to say this to you, but I will. Well done."
"Well done to both of you," Krysia said, sitting on the bench. "It's good to know you haven't totally lost your touch, Gaius."
He looked like he was going to make a sour comment, but Merlin said with a smile, "I told you Camelot needed both of us."
Gaius's face softened, and he looked around at his very-shaken chambers.
"We're going to have to tidy this place up," Gaius said.
"Hmm," Merlin said. "But not now."
Merlin stood suddenly, and Krysia frowned at how serious he looked.
"Why, what are you doing?" she said.
He hesitated and said, "Erm…"
"What are you up to?" Gaius pressed.
Merlin shook his head and said, "There's something I have to do."
Krysia nodded, realizing he must be keeping the promise they once made to Kilgharrah: he was putting the sword back somewhere it couldn't be wielded.
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Gwaine looked around his room the second morning after waking up in it. It still felt strange to have his own rooms in the castle, and such large ones as well. He knew he had a lot of work to get to in a couple of hours, but he lingered, staring at the space and feeling that it was strange that it wasn't the room he recalled from the dreams. There were similarities, but this was not the same room.
He started at a gentle knock at the door, and when he told the knocker to enter, he smiled at Krysia coming in with a green-and-silver gown that seemed to take up too much space.
"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered.
"It's amazing how a knighthood seems to have turned you into a poet," she said, taking his hands and letting him lean in to kiss her.
Gods, he could kiss her forever.
He was just thinking about how to convince her to skive off whatever duties she'd taken on for the morning to spend the next couple of hours in bed when he heard an excited voice that startled them out of the kiss.
"Gwaine, they've moved my room, so we're going to be—"
Gwaine looked up and saw Percival, who was startled at the sight of Krysia and Gwaine kissing.
"Ah, good morning, my lady," he said, bowing his head, his ears turning pink.
"Good morning, Percival," Krysia said. "Yes, I had them move Percival across from you, Gwaine, but promise me you two won't get into too much trouble."
"Trouble? Me?" Gwaine said, grinning.
One of the things he loved most about Krysia was that she could give him that level, stern look back without wavering, not remotely swayed by his smile like so many women had been.
"I'll, erm, leave you two…alone," Percival said smiling. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Gwaine. Sir Leon says we should be prepared for some heavy lifting. We're clearing the council chamber of rubble today."
Gwaine groaned, and he silently thanked Percival for closing the door behind him.
Gwaine leaned into kiss Krysia again, but she pulled back, and he groaned again.
"I have to arrange food for the workers," she said.
"Let someone else do it," he said, pressing his hands to her waist and trying to pull her back in for another kiss. "Please, lovely, stay a little while."
"I can't," she said with a sad smile. "Arthur's quite busy arranging nearly everything else, and Uther isn't in much shape to arrange anything at the moment. Gaius says he's still in shock."
"But I need you," he whined.
She flicked his nose, and he laughed, taking a step back.
"You need to preserve your strength, darling," she said smoothly stepping away from him. "I happen to know you've got a very heavy schedule."
"What's the point of having my own room if you're never in it?" he said.
"It won't always be like this," she said, smiling sadly. "Don't worry, Gwaine. We'll get there."
He wanted to believe her, but he was still bitter for having his fantasy of enjoying her this morning dashed. The trouble with loving someone important was that she had lots of important things to do. That would not change, he was sure, so he had to think of a way to speed up their happy ending, despite the extensive repairs required on the castle.
A/N:
To Like-A-Slasher-Film: Yeah, I hear you and I get it. I knew the Uther storyline was going to come across as creepy, and honestly, I'm not upset about that. By modern sensibilities, it's extra creepy, and even at the time it would have been a bit uncomfortable (although what was and wasn't acceptable was definitely different then). I hope that the binge of the following chapters helped!
To Tatysantanag: Yes, the dream happened! I'm so glad you liked it. I feel bad for Leon too. But seriously, who among us hasn't had to watch the person they like be with someone else? That's probably why it's so uncomfortable to watch him go through it…we've all been there.
To the Guest: Bro bonding coming up!
I'm hoping to get another chapter out today. I'm really on a roll, and we're actually nearing the end of this part of the story. Remember, this is actually part 6 of 8. Part 7 will pick up and finish off the serious, and then part 8 will be after-series. We'll get a POV swap in Part 7, and I'm excited to add that fresh element in. I'm curious to see if y'all will guess whose POV we're getting in the trade-off.
-C