"Merlin!" Gwen shushed, looking at him agast.
Jaya laughed heartily and then quickly toned it down to giggle when Gwen shot her hot look.
Lancelot poked his head out of the hole and shook his long hair slightly as he shrugged it down over his shoulders. "I'm afraid they're right, Guinevere."
Gwen turned and looked at him and looked completely shocked before quickly schooling her expression down to a more thoughtful one. "Yes. I do see what you mean." she mused, her lips moving slightly to the right as she thought.
Jaya looked up from linking together one of the bigger tears that was in the chainmail that she was slowly starting to piece back together. She watched, between fiddling with the metal, as Gwen explained to Merlin, and by extension Lancelot, how she was going to fix the problem that they had been presented with.
The longer that Gwen talked and moved around him, the more Lancelot watched her with a look that bordered on adoration. Gwen would steal quick glances when he wasn't looking and Lancelot blushed more than anyone Jaya had ever seen because more often than not Gwen or Merlin would catch him staring at Gwen.
Jaya wondered if they even realized what was happening, or she only did because she was on the outside and being ignored for the most part.
"Ok. We're done." Gwen announced a few moments later. "Ermm...I should have these ready in no time. It's nice to meet you Lancelot." Gwen offered her hand to him shyly.
Lancelot grasped her fingers and turned her hand over to lightly brush his lips across her knuckles.
Gwen blushed deeply and quickly pulled her hand back when Lancelot held it for a moment too long and cleared her throat slightly. "I'll let you know when I'm finished, Merlin?"
Merlin nodded and grinned. "Thanks, Gwen."
Gwen nodded, still looking flushed.
Lancelot turned to follow Merlin out. "Goodbye My Lady." He smiled a Gwen and then looked at Jaya and dipped his head slightly including her.
Jaya returned the motion and waved slightly at Merlin. "I'll be here for a while. This one's more broken than I thought." She informed, her eyes sliding over to Gwen, making her blush again.
Gwen nearly died of embarrassment until she thankfully realized that Lancelot nor Merlin understood what Jaya was hinting at, and that they hadn't seen the blush. "Jaya!" she hissed once she was sure that the door would block enough of the sound of her voice.
Jaya looked at her and grinned. "You fancy him." she teased, her accent sing-song.
"I do not." Gwen protested, much too quickly.
"Which one do you like better? Lancelot or Merlin?" Jaya prodded.
"Jaya!" Gwen exclaimed again, hands flying up to cover her cheeks when they flushed again.
Jaya giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Gwen. It's just too easy."
Gwen glared at her and began to work on the gambeson, doing her best to keep from blushing again so that Jaya wouldn't bring it up again.
"Guinevere. Pretty name for such a sweet and beautiful girl" Lancelot mused as they walked down one of the many hallways in the castle. He was grateful that Merlin was there to guide him, he would be hopelessly lost.
"Oh yeah." Merlin nodded, lightly grabbing Lancelot's sleeve to indicate to him which hallway they they were going to start down next. "Absolutely amazing. And the best seamstress in Camelot"
Lancelot nodded agreeably and then looked at Merlin pointedly. "Are you two..you know…" he attempted awkwardly.
Merlin looked at him a moment in confusion before laughing heartily. "No." Merlin laughed. "She's not interested in me. Friends."
Lancelot smiled privately and nodded.
Merlin looked at him shrewdly and smirked to himself before pointing to the next hallway that they were going to take.
"I think Lancelot has a crush on Gwen." Merlin announced suddenly, leaning against the pitchfork he was using to clean the stables.
Jaya long brush strokes across Courage's neck didn't slow when she looked up at him. "What gave you that idea?" she wondered, glancing over to make sure Ridire wasn't going to scare the horses that he was nosing between, on the hunt for something again. Her strokes paused slightly for a moment and then continued when she looked over Courage's back at Merlin.
Merlin stood up from leaning against the handle and turned back to his task. "He asked me after we left Gwen's if we were…" Merlin paused as he searched for the right word. "Together?" he looked over at Jaya and his eyebrows danced waiting for her reaction.
Jaya smirked and shook her head slightly. "You know, Merlin. You could do a lot worse than Gwen."
Merlin stopped and looked over his shoulder sharply. "What?"
Jaya shrugged and started brushing down Courage's back. "Am I wrong?"
"Well no, but…" Merlin turned to face her almost fully his right arm at an awkward angle as he held the pitchfork at arms length, swaying slightly. "You know something."
Jaya looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Do not. Just pointing it out."
Merlin looked at her like he didn't believe her and then turned back to his task again. "What do you think?"
"Me?" Jaya asked. "About what?"
"Gwen and Lancelot!" Merlin shot her an exasperated look.
Jaya smirked and spent a little extra time working out a dirty patch that had clumped together the grey hair on Courage's hip. "I don't know."
"Jaya. I know that you were watching them. Come on, tell me what you think." Merlin leaned against one of Arthur's many horses to get it to step out of the way so that he could continue with what he was doing without poking its legs.
Jaya looked at him and bent down to pet Ridire's head. "You're such a girl, Merlin."
Merlin rolled his eyes. "See you are a bully."
"What?" Jaya asked, standing upright and looking at him sharply over Courage's back.
"Either that or you've been spending too much time with Arthur." Merlin didn't flinch away from what he had said.
Jaya grinned and leaned her forearms lightly on Courage's back, the fingers that weren't holding the brush folding together. "I think that no one could do better than Gwen. She's kind and loving and smart, charming, and has a wonderful smile." Jaya held up one finger that was fished through the leather strap that was attached to the brush. "However. I'm not sure that Lancelot is a good fit."
"Why is that?" Merlin demanded, looking up quickly, his shoulder bumping against a different horse's hindquarters.
"Gwen is a peasant girl, Merlin. Lancelot's family will never accept her. As wonderful as you and I think she is, nobility are notorious for being class specific when it comes to marriage. They'll treat her terribly." Jaya's voice was apologetic as she started to brush Courage again.
"He's not." Merlin shook his head.
"He's not what?" Jaya looked up at him. "Normal nobility?"
Merlin paused for a moment wondering where the venom in her voice came from. "What? No. He's not nobility."
Jaya paused and looked at him with her eyes narrowed slightly. "He's not?"
Merlin grinned and shook his head. "No."
"I was wondering what she meant by that." Jaya threw up her hands and shook her head slightly. "Well then in that case, they'll be fine."
"Did you see the way that she was looking at him?" Merlin asked, looking at her over the three horses that were between them.
"You are such a girl, Merlin." Jaya rolled her eyes.
The fog lay thick and grey over the lower town of Camelot early the next morning. It swirled around the two figures that were walking through it, silently enfolding them into the greyness so they were soon not seen.
Jaya was carrying a fully mended and cleaned set of chainmail, humming quietly to herself as she wove around the not-yet-open shops and eased around one or two of the more early rising townspeople. Ridire trotted next to her lankily. He looked around through the mist, hoping for something to chase after.
A few of the townsfolk started when they saw Jaya or, more than likely, Ridire suddenly appear out of the mist, only to be sucked back into it with no more sound than the small jingle that the chainmail made and Ridire's calm panting.
Jaya had just stepped up to Gwen's doorway and knocked when Merlin and Lancelot, pushed out of the mist and walked up to the doorstep as well. "Beautiful morning, isn't, Lads?" she asked in a loud whisper.
Merlin stifled a yawn, and scrubbed Ridire's ears back and forth fondly. "You can hardly see anything in this!"
"Good morning." Lancelot still hadn't decided how he was going to address Jaya, so he still did his best to not address her directly.
Jaya nodded to him and smiled. "Good morning, Lancelot." she smirked to herself when he looked uncomfortable. "It's just like home." She said in a tone that sounded like she was agreeing with Merlin. "It's going to be a beautiful day."
"How can you tell? You can't even see the tops of the houses!" Merlin demanded.
"Good morning, Jaya." Gwen opened the rough sawn door and then looked at the others. "Oh my goodness! I didn't realize you all were going to be here this early! Good morning, Merlin." More shyly, "Lancelot." Her eyes lingered for a moment and then she quickly bent her knees and held her hands out. "Ridire! How are you?" she asked, her voice pitching slightly higher.
Ridire turned from looking at Merlin like he was the best human that had ever been encountered and lunged forward into Gwen's open arms rubbing his nose over her face and licking her excitedly.
Gwen giggled and stood up straight again, her face slightly flushed. "Well don't just stand there out in the fog! Come in, come in!"
Ridire trotted in quickly, not needing to be told again, eagerly trotting to the table where some food was sitting on the single plate.
"Oi! You leave that alone! That's Gwen's breakfast. You had your own already this morning." Jaya reprimanded as she stepped down into the house and caught sight of her dog with his nose well over the edge of the table, but not touching the food yet.
Ridire looked at her like she was going to be the death of him and quietly padded over the the fire and threw himself down in front of it with a loud groan of protest.
It didn't take long before Lancelot was standing in front of the fire, his arms held out as Gwen made the finishing touches to the gambeson to make sure that it fit him well without being too tight.
Lancelot's eyes widened in surprise when Jaya presented him with the chainmail that glittered in the light of the fire because of the polish that she had worked into it the night before. "I can't accept this." he protested as he held up the top half to look at it, his eyes wide.
Jaya dropped her hands so it fell to it's full length and grinned at him. "You can and you will. I didn't go to all that trouble of fixing and polishing it only to have to you tell me you don't want it." She clapped his shoulder. "Let's see you in it, Laddy."
Lancelot looked uncomfortable for a moment and then started to put it on.
Merlin leapt forward from where he was sitting on the bench with his elbows resting on the table top to help.
Jaya and Gwen looked at each other and giggled slightly as the two boys struggled to get the chainmail arranged while making sure that it didn't pull on Lancelot's long wavy hair. It was quite an affair. They had to start over more than once.
It wasn't very long before Merlin and Gwen were explaining to Lancelot the finer points of being a noble while Jaya sat with the newly cleaned sword across her knees. She listened with half an ear as she spent her time bringing back the polish to the disused metal.
By the time she had the edges of the sword bright back to a satisfactory sharpness, Lancelot looked like he had had too much information pumped into his brain. Jaya smirked to herself. She knew that feeling better than she liked to admit to anyone.
"All you're fussing and he'll never be able to remember anything else." Jaya snickered and then stood upright on the bench from where she was sitting on the table and lightly jumped down to clear Ridire, who was laying down just next to it.
Ridire started and shifted, looking at her like she had just insulted him on the deepest level.
Jaya held out Lancelot's sword, ignoring her dog's hurt look. "There ya are. Good as new. Can't even tell there were cobwebs."
Lancelot took it with a grateful look and pushed it through the wide leather belt so it sat on his left hip. "Thank you."
Jaya grinned. "You'll call me Jaya some day."
Lancelot just looked uncomfortable.
"Well, we better hurry if we're going to make it to the training field with enough time for Lancelot to see how Arthur works before the actual test." Merlin announced a few minutes later.
Jaya snapped her fingers at Ridire and started toward the door with them. "I should already be there. Arthur will be disappointed that the squires won't have the chance to try to hit me with sticks. He does so love that."
Merlin through his head back and laughed. "You mean, squire."
Gwen smiled while swirling the cloak that she had chosen to wear around her shoulders. By now, even she had heard about the person that Merlin was talking about.
Lancelot looked at her in confusion.
"There's a certain squire that isn't all that terrible fond of Jaya. Every time Jaya's part of the training he gets all worked up. Usually breaks down and attacks her at one point or another. Arthur just lets them go at it. You'll pick him out right away. He's the one with the two black eyes." Merlin explained, his tone indicating how funny he thought the whole thing was. At first he had been worried. But when it became an almost weekly occurrence, and when he had learned from one of the servants that Barret had been telling his father that he was sparing with a knight to save his dignity, Merlin found the whole thing very amusing.
Jaya shrugged when Lancelot looked at her closely. "He'll learn some manners eventually. Or get better at ducking. One of the two."
Merlin chuckled to himself and shook his head. He'd kept what he learned from her, simply because he knew that she would use it to taunt Barret, and she really didn't need to embarrass him more than she already was doing. Maybe he would tell Arthur if it ever came up.
"One! Two! Three! Four!" Arthur's voice rang out across the training field while the squires quickly changed positions with each number that he called out. "Barret! You can't use just brute strength! Your opponent will not always be smaller than you! Do not make me tell you again!" Arthur sighed slightly. "One! Two! Three! Four!"
Merlin was right. It wasn't hard for Lancelot to figure out which boy that Merlin and Jaya had been talking about. He was standing opposite them, first one in line just to make sure that Arthur could keep an eye on him. Both of his eyes were black-green and he had a petulant look on his face. He looked up, over the head of his smaller sparring partner and sneered at the group. At first Lancelot thought that it was directed at him, until he caught sight of Jaya's wiggling fingers and pleased smile.
"He hates me. And he hates that I find it amusing." Jaya informed with a smirk. She folded her arms and cocked her hip. She bobbed her head in a quiet greeting to Arthur, curls bouncing, who raised his chin slightly in return.
Lancelot looked at her and pursed his lips slightly. "You're very strange."
Jaya looked up at him and flashed a dazzling smile. She quickly brushed a wild strand out of her eyes.
Merlin and Gwen hurriedly fussed over Lancelot, making sure that the final touches were in place. As a nearly last minute thought, Merlin handed Lancelot his seal of nobility.
"There. You look the part of a lord's son." Merlin announced a few moments later.
"Of course he does." Gwen assured, poking Jaya's arm.
Jaya turned and looked him up and down. "Relax, Laddy. You'll do fine."
Lancelot nodded and took a steadying breath.
"All right. That'll do for the day." Arthur announced, smirking slightly as the boys relaxed visibly. "Well done."
Barret shoved his rod at the small boy that was his sparring partner.
Jaya's eyebrows rose and her head cocked the the left slightly.
Arthur had just turned to look at her when he caught the look and looked back at the squires. "Barret! I'll thank you very much to do your own work."
Barret jumped, not expecting to be noticed and ripped his staff away from the other boy with a scowl.
Arthur put his hands on his hips and shook his head. It was going to take a long time before he would be willing to let that squire try out for being a knight. He briefly wondered if bumping him back to being a page would knock the chip off of his shoulder. Not that Barret's father would ever stand for it. Once Arthur was satisfied that everything was back to where it was supposed to be, he turned and started back to where the sword stand was hanging.
"That's your chance! Go on." Merlin urged, giving Lancelot's shoulder a slight push.
Lancelot shot them a nervous look and started toward the sword rack.
Arthur looked up when a man that he didn't recognize walked up to him. "Yes?"
"Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria." Lancelot introduced himself. Proud that the title came out of his mouth smoothly.
"Lance….a..lot." Arthur looked at him skeptically for a moment. "The man that saved my servant's life. I take since you're here you have a seal?"
Lancelot half bowed and handed the rolled up parchment to Arthur.
Arthur took it and with his other hand shoved against Lancelot's shoulder suddenly.
Lancelot fell to the ground, a look of surprise on his face.
Gwen gasped and Merlin's eyes flew wide. Jaya pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep steadying breath.
"Slow on the uptake. Terrible ability to see a hit coming. If this was a real fight you'd be dead and I wouldn't have even broken a sweat. Come back when you're ready." Arthur looked down at Lancelot like he was completely unimpressed.
"I can't believe he did that!" Merlin hissed.
"He actually did something unexpected. I don't know whether to be worried or proud." Jaya muttered. She pulled back slightly when the other two looked at her. "Don't look at me like that. Lancelot's up again."