Hello! Sorry for the wait, I had a lot of things going on at once. So, I made this chapter extra long, and I also switched chapters 2 and 3 around. If you feel like it, let me know how you think it flows now in a review. Thanks again for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. You guys are awesome!
Sir Bedivere had become restless. He was convinced that someone was either trying to send him a message, or a warning. Only whatever it was that was trying to be sent, was not in the form of a missive, it was in the form of his dreams. He had started having it early in the week, and to this day, he had it every single night. The dream with the woman in the blue robe. She was tall and slim with a pale face, and brown almost black hair hidden by her blue hood, and every night she said the same thing. Until now. In the dreams, she was always insistent and utterly convinced that she had need of his help in some form, but whenever she was pressed for more information, the dream seemed to fade away. But last night, she had seemed so harrowed by something, that when he questioned her on what exactly she needed his help with, she finally told him. To say that it had not captured his attention would have been a lie.
Mist curled around the edges of his vision obscuring everything but the woman standing in front of him. As their eyes met, she her lips began to move, but the words meant to escape her mouth, echoed inside his mind instead. "We do not have much time. They have found him, and soon, they will kill him. I will not let that happen," she declared firmly. "I have need of your help." For a moment, the woman seemed almost distracted, tilting her head to the side, appearing to listen to something that only she could hear. She closed her eyes in concentration, but quickly opened them in again in frustration.
Meeting his eyes again, the woman took a step forward. "He is vulnerable, and surrounded by enemies. I need your help to save him," she implored. Sir Bedivere cleared his throat, readying himself to ask the question he felt he already knew the answer to. "Who exactly is this man that you are trying to save Mage?"
Silence was his answer for a brief time. The young mage seemed to draw herself up, as if to prepare herself. Once she had composed herself, she gazed into his eyes, with an inner strength that declare to the world her determination. As the name whispered across his mind, the mist encroaching on the dream, thickened until it obscured his view of her completely, signifying the end of the dream. Unfortunately, the power of that one name, had changed his entire view. If what this mage had said was in fact true, everything was about to change. The rebels under his command, would no longer be fighting for the sake of rebelling against the false king. They would have a purpose, a drive. They would be fighting for the born king, for Camelot, and for all of England. "Arthur. The man that I am going to save, his name is Arthur."
After he had awoken, the dream had still been in the forefront of his mind, and as he went about his day, continued to be the only thing that he could think about. The safe-haven that the rebels were currently utilizing, was surrounded by forestry that they used to conceal the entrance, and was well stocked with weapons that when bored or agitated, Sir Bedivere oversaw their sharpening and care. Knowing this, whenever the rebels saw him approaching the armory, they gave him a wide berth, and allowed him his space. So, it was unusual when Rubio, one of the newer recruits, had appeared at the door of the armory with an air of excitement surrounding him knocking on the door twice nervously. "There's someone here to see you," he stated not moving to step into the room. Sir Bedivere, glanced at him briefly, pausing his work on the knife between his hands. Turning back to the knife, Sir Bedivere murmured an affirmative for Rubio to continue. "I think you need to see her," Rubio stated with a surprising amount of seriousness in his voice. Curiosity peaked, Sir Bedivere halted his motions again, giving Rubio his undivided attention.
Seeing that he was being taken seriously, Rubio turned to look over his shoulder, and opened the door to the armory wider, giving the visitor ample room to enter the room. Shocked, Sir Bedivere took a step back, as the Mage from his dreams appeared in the doorway, and glided into the room. His eyes seemed to follow her, as she passed him, and settled in the corner of the armory by the window. Silence reigned as the Mage gazed out the window, attempting to organize her thoughts. Rubio and Sir Bedivere, were of one accord, as their eyes were glued to the mysterious Mage.
. Concentration broken by the fire crackling, the young Mage took a steadying breath as she turned to face Sir Bedivere. "Do you know who I am?" she questioned flatly. Sir Bedivere stared back at the young mage observing her. There seemed to be something bothering her. She physically appeared to be tired, as if something heavy was weighing on her. Her eyes were hard, and there were bags under them, as if she was not getting enough sleep. Her entire demeanor screamed frustration. "I know who you are Mage," he replied. "I've seen you in my dreams." The young mage seemed to throw her head in agitation, turning her gaze back out the window. "You've been sent by Merlin?' he inquired, attempting to catch her attention. "There has not been a Mage spotted in years. I had thought all the Mages were dead," he exclaimed slowly. At this, the young Mage cut her eyes back to him. "Then you know why I am here?" she asked ignoring his last statement. Her words were harsh and to the point, cutting past his attempts to make small talk. "The Born King. You say that he is still alive. So you will be his guide?" Sir Bedivere stated. "And you will help me."
"Tell me Mage," Sir Bedivere started, making his way around the worktable. "What exactly this rescue plan is, and then we will see, how much help we can be to each other." The young Mage glanced out the window one last time, before she squared her shoulders, and stalked her way to the middle of the room. "Arthur has been taken to the castle, where Vortigern will somehow force him to pull the sword out. As you know, afterwards, Vortigern will kill him," she explained glancing at Rubio still at the doorway before focusing on Sir Bedivere. "You of all people know of Vortigerns' vanity."
As she paused in her foretelling of the story, finally caught on. "You are saying that King Vortigern will attempt to kill him in public," at her nod, Sir Bedivere continued to lay out his thoughts. "But why would he do that? No one knows of his existence."
"You have seen King Uther use Excalibur, no? Tell me. Is it something that can be used without drawing attention?" she asked. She nodded as she saw understanding drew upon his face. "Excalibur's power can be destructive when not used properly. Arthur has already pulled Excalibur from the stone. And as we both know, Vortigern's next step will be to kill him. I need your help in stopping that."
"What do you have in mind Mage?" Sir Bedivere asked finally understanding the weight of this rescue mission. "Vortigern will make a spectacle of cutting down Arthur, inviting everyone in the land to see it. Therefore it will be in an open area. When the time is right, someone needs to free Arthur from his bindings, and get him to the sword." From his post by the door, Rubio spoke up hesitantly. "I believe that you are forgetting about the legion of Black Legs at King Vortigern's 'command Mage," his voice faltered as the young Mage turned her dark gaze to him. "I will handle the soldiers. Once I do, Lord Vortigern will be ushered to safety. That will be your chance," she paused briefly to pull her blue hood down.
Her gaze burned into them as if she was scrutinizing their very soul. "We will only have this one chance. I know that I am asking a lot. You do not know Arthur. You do not know what kind of man he is, nor do you know what sort of King he will be. But you do know the sort of King that you have now. Remember what you have all lost at the hands of this man, and ponder what you can one again have."
Sir Bedivere crossed his hands over his chest as her impromptu speech drew to a close. As with the dreams she had sent his way, she had once again left him with a lot to think on. He drug his hands across his face, as all eyes turned to him, awaiting his response. "I believe that we should move to a proper table, and inform the others that we are apparently, embarking on a rescue mission." He walked to the center of the room, and gestured toward the door. "Rubio? If you would please go get Bill and the others as I escort our guest to the study? We seem to have much to discuss."
I'm slowly going through this story and changing things. Reviews and advice are always welcome!