A Visit Home

"Alyon!" Evaine called happily, standing at the top of the steps to see the commander of her father's men ride into the courtyard. He smiled, dismounting as she hurried down the steps. "It is so good to see you. How was your journey?" she asked, smiling as he took her hand and bestowed a kiss upon it.

"My lady, I'm over-joyed to see you so well," he said, before he turned and spoke to the few men with him. "Rest, and be ready to leave in a few hours," he instructed, before Evaine led him inside. "My journey was uneventful, and I am glad for it. Your father is anxious for you to return quickly," he told her, stopping her before they reached the council chamber. "Your mother is very ill," he said quietly. Evaine nodded, smiling sadly.

"I already asked Merlin and Anna to fetch my horse the moment we saw you arrive. I will be ready," she promised, and Alyon nodded.

Evaine smiled fully, opening the doors, Uther and Arthur both stood beside a long table full of food. Alyon bowed to his knee, his head low in respect.

"Sire," he greeted, and Uther gestured for him to rise.

"Please, eat with us. You must be hungry," Uther instructed, gesturing to a seat opposite Arthur for him to sit. Alyon stood proudly before sitting. Few men had such the honour to dine with the king and his son. "How is my friend Balin?" Uther asked, Merlin stepping forward to pour them all some wine.

Alyon glanced at Evaine before answering. "He is well, sire. He sends his thanks for hosting Lady Evaine in your court, and giving her some time to return home to tend to her mother." Evaine smiled tightly, her eyes meeting Arthur's across the table.

"Are you sure you don't need me or my men to escort you?" Arthur asked Alyon, while his eyes remained on Evaine.

"I thank you sire, but I have brought my most trusted men with me. We hope to reach Tiltwood in three day's time, and my lord Balin expects the visit will last no more than a week," Alyon told him, and Evaine looked to him.

"A week?" she asked in surprise, before looking back to the food in front of her. Just how ill was her mother for her father to only give her a week? Arthur looked at her, wishing there was something he could do.

Later that afternoon, Evaine was helped onto the back of her horse by Arthur himself. Morgana and Gwen stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling at their friend.

"I hope your mother is…" Arthur trailed off, not knowing what to say. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Evaine smiling gently.

"Thank you, Arthur," she said quietly, and he nodded, his lips pulling into a small smile. Evaine looked past him to her friends. "We shall be back before you know it," she promised, her eyes resting on Arthur's before she pulled her horse around, urging it to ride faster as she raced from the courtyard with the group and Anna.

Arthur watched her leave, jumping as Merlin patted his shoulder from next to him. "It's going to be odd without her around," he said, and Arthur nodded. "I'm sure you can write to her if you miss her too much," he added, and Arthur frowned, looking at his servant.

"What are you on about?" he asked, and Merlin looked back and forth between the prince and where Evaine had just left.

"Well, I just thought…Ow!" he began, before Arthur hit him over the head. "What was that for?"

"You really are stupid, Merlin," he muttered, turning and walking back into the castle.

XXXXXX

Evaine did not think her heart would be as happy as it was when she saw her home slowly emerge as she reached the top of the hill. She saw the banners of her family crest wave in the sun, with the added glint of the sea shining behind the estate. They paused on the hill, Anna sighing when she stopped beside Evaine.

"I must say, I'm already missing Camelot," she said, and Evaine laughed.

"The city or a certain person?" Evaine teased, laughing more when her friend's cheeks reddened. Her head turned when she heard some riders approaching. Alyon tensed, but relaxed when he saw who it was. Evaine grinned, smiling at her three brothers as they approached, each smirking at her.

"We thought we'd come meet you," Cerdic called, pulling his horse to a stop before his sister. She laughed happily, jumping from her horse as her brothers did. Cerdic pulled her into a hug first followed by Meliodas and Lucan.

"What a wonderful surprise, thank you!" Evaine said, looking between her brothers. "I have missed you all so much," she added, and they grinned.

"Not as much as us, sister," Meliodas said, helping her back to her horse.

"I've have had no-one to practice with. Meliodas is terrible at swordplay," Lucan said, ducking as said brother tried to hit him. Evaine smiled at their antics.

She really had missed them all, which surprised her. Evaine had always been closest to Dival, for he was her twin, and when he had died, her other brothers were just a painful reminder to what she had lost. But they had written to her every week without fail since she had arrived at Camelot, and Evaine was grateful for the gesture.

Cerdic was the eldest and heir to Tiltwood, and shared their father's dark hair and defined face, and was the wisest of the brothers. Meliodas was the second eldest, and had inherited light blonde hair from their mother. Lucan was only two years older than Evaine, and was the most humorous of the siblings, which resulted in him being hit a lot by his brothers. Each had been trained from infancy how to fight, and the three were proud to be knights of Tiltwood, just as Dival would have been.

The group raced each other until they passed across the drawbridge to the city, and Evaine smiled as everyone greeted the lady. Anna squealed beside Evaine, noticing her mother and stopping her horse in front of her.

"I shall see you tonight, my friend!" Evaine called, nodding as Anna smiled happily before dismounting and hugging her own family tightly. They continued until they reached the large manor, and Evaine hurried off her horse once she saw who was stood waiting for her.

"Auntie Evaine!" the two children shouted, running across the way to hug her tightly. Evaine gripped them, before taking their hands and walking to the steps. Lynette, Cerdic's wife, smiled before hugging her sister-in-law.

"Welcome home," she greeted softly. Cerdic himself came to stand next to them, snaking his arm around Lynette's waist. Lynette scowled before smiling as he leant down to kiss her.

"God, will you two give it a rest?" Lucan asked, failing to dodge Cerdic's fist on his shoulder. Evaine shook her head, before looking to them all.

"How is mother?" she asked, and the group quietened.

"She is in her room, waiting for you," a deep voice answered, and Evaine tensed before looking up the stairs to see her father. She smiled tensely at the others before ascending the steps, kissing her father on the cheek.

"Father," she greeted quietly, keeping her eyes lowered. His hand came to lift her chin up, and she stood still as he studied her.

"You look well, Evaine," he said after a few moments, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Come," he said, taking her hand and leading her inside. She noticed how they others remained outside, and she knew that her father had planned for this. "Uther has sent me many letters since you left, each praising you. You are doing well in Camelot," he stated, and though it wasn't a question, Evaine answered it.

"Yes, father. It is a wonderful city and an honour to represent our family at the king's court," she said, almost as if she had been rehearsing it. Balin made a noise of approval, glancing once more to his daughter as they stopped outside a door. Without another word he left, and Evaine sighed deeply before knocking quietly and entering the room.

It was dark inside, the only light coming from one window that shone on the figure in the bed. Evaine moved softly across the room, perching on the side of the bed. "Evaine?" a voice croaked out, and a hand searched the area beside her. Evaine took the hand, squeezing it once.

"I'm here, mother. I'm home." Evaine smiled softly at the sight of her mother's lips turning into a smile.

Isobel was still a beautiful woman as she lay in bed, her back lifted slightly by a few pillows. Her skin had paled considerably since Evaine last saw her, and her eyes were dark from lack of sleep. But her hair was still brushed out into beautiful curls, and her grip tightened on her daughter's as some of the light in her eyes returned.

"My dear daughter," Isobel muttered, feeling more at ease from her presence. "You did not have to come so quickly." Evaine smiled, feeling her eyes fill with tears.

"I did. I have to help you become well once more."

XXXXXX

Evaine and Anna hardly left Isobel's room for the next few days. Evaine's brothers visited, but their duties called them away after a short time. But she could see how they all worried about their mother, which made Evaine only more determined to help her.

It was on the third day of being at home that Anna answered the door to a servant holding out a letter. "It's from Morgana," Evaine said, looking to her sleeping mother before quietly reading the letter out loud.

My dear friend,

It has been nearly a week since you left, and we all miss you terribly. So much has happened since your departure I can scarcely believe what I am about to write.

Uther has accused Gwen's father of aiding a sorcerer, and has had him executed after I tried to help him escape. I feel it is all my fault and can hardly look poor Gwen in the eyes, she is so consumed by her grief.

I have never felt such hate towards a man as I now feel towards Uther Pendragon. He shows no remorse for his actions, and is bent on finding the sorcerer as soon as he is able. Arthur just sits by Uther's side, staying silent as his father's so called 'justice' prevails.

Why does he have such hate towards magic that he condemns innocent people?

I am sorry for sending you such news, my friend, and I hope your mother is recovering. Return to us soon,

Morgana

Evaine looked up after reading the letter, her eyes wide as she glanced at Anna, who had silent tears falling down her cheeks. "How is such a man alive?" Anna asked, whispering through her tears. Evaine pulled her into a hug, knowing how close Anna had become with Gwen.

"You must never say such things, Anna, no matter how we want to. Uther is the king," Evaine reminded. "Promise me you will never speak about him in such a way to anyone but me?" she begged, and Anna nodded.

"Magic can be beautiful, and deadly," Isobel said, the two women jumping at her voice. "But in the end, is often a curse for the poor people gifted with it."

"Mother, I'm sorry if we woke you," Evaine apologised, and Isobel beckoned for the two to approach.

"Anna," Isobel said, and the girl turned sheepishly to the mistress of the house. "I know you are angry, and upset for your friend. I too disagree with Uther's stance on magic. But there are things that happened to him that led to the great purge twenty years ago, so don't judge him too harshly." Anna bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, my lady," she apologised, and Isobel smiled softly.

"Can you fetch me something to eat? I can feel my strength slowly returning," Isobel asked, and Anna nodded, hurrying to fetch it for her. "Evaine, help me stand up. I want to sit by the window," she asked, pushing the covers aside. Evaine did so, holding her mother's arms tightly as they shuffled to a chair near the large windows. Isobel smiled, noticing her grandchildren running around the gardens, playing with Lucan. "They remind me of you and Dival," she said, and Evaine looked at her in surprise. Her mother hardly spoke of Dival since his death, and she sat beside her mother, glancing out the window with a small smile.

"Yes. Though Tarian and Morwenna will stop if Cerdic tells them to. Dival and I would just hide from father and make him angrier," she said softly, smiling at the memory. Isobel placed her hand on Evaine's, the two sharing a look.

"Your father cares about you, Evaine. He only wants to see you happy," Isobel said, but Evaine scoffed, shaking her head. Isobel breathed deeply. "When Dival disobeyed your father and went to fight, it killed him, and it destroyed me and your father. He doesn't want to see the same thing happen to you, his only daughter," Isobel said, and wiped away the few tears that had fallen from Evaine.

XXXXXX

"Come on, Lucan, keep your elbow up!" Evaine instructed, clashing her sword against his shield once more. Lucan huffed, but raised his elbow up, allowing him to control his sword more and block her attacks.

Isobel had insisted that she felt well enough to sit in the gardens, and Lynette had volunteered to look after her for a while so Evaine could practice with her brothers. Lucan was thrilled when he saw his sister approach with her sword, and hurried to fetch his own.

"Enough!" Meliodas called, watching as the sands finished running through the timer. "Who would you say won that round, brother?" Cerdic pondered for a moment, before grinning and pointing to Evaine. She laughed, curtseying as Lucan cursed under his breath.

"What do you expect, Lucan? She is trained by Arthur himself nowadays," Cerdic said, grinning as his sister blushed.

"So we have heard," Balin said, Evaine looking to the floor as Cerdic stood straighter.

"Father, we were just…" he stopped as Balin raised his hand, and he looked to Evaine. They shared a look, and she nodded, knowing that it wasn't his fault.

"Leave us," Balin instructed, and the three brothers looked worriedly at Evaine before leaving. Evaine fidgeted under her father's gaze, looking at the sword in her hand. "I thought you would stop this nonsense," he muttered, walking closer to her and taking the sword from her grasp.

"I'm sorry, father," she said quietly, her hand shaking as he removed the sword. She noticed he carried a letter, but said nothing of it.

"I think it is time to start discussions of marriage," Balin said after a moment. Evaine raised her head, her eyes wide, but she bit her lip and said nothing. "You are old enough to understand the way of the world, Evaine, so you will know it is your duty," Balin said, and Evaine nodded.

"Duty, honour and courage," she recited her family words, and Balin nodded in approval.

"I will find you a suitable husband, Evaine. You will be happy," he said, and she nodded mutely. Balin sighed, looking to the sea. "I will give you two more years," he said, and she looked up. "In this time, I want you to stop this," he said, holding the sword up. "Take note of the other ladies of the court, abide to their teachings. And perhaps find love with a lord or knight there," he added, his tone softening. "Your brother was lucky, he married for love and he is happy."

"And you and mother?" she asked, daring to look up at him. Balin straightened.

"We knew our duty," he said, reminding her once more of the family words. She nodded, looking to the ground once more. "But we grew to love one another," he added, Evaine hesitantly meeting his gaze and seeing a small smile on her father's lips. Balin held out the letter, handing it to her before walking off, taking her sword with him. Evaine watched him leave before opening the letter, surprised to see Arthur's handwriting.

Dear Evaine,

I hope you are having a pleasant visit home, and that you and your family are well.

I'm sure Morgana has already written to you about how my father was nearly killed, but she managed to save him. He is quite proud of his ward, as I am sure you can guess. He is well and so is Camelot.

It's strange to think you have been within it's walls nearly a year, and yet the castle feels emptier without you here.

I have taken the liberty of sending some herbs and potions from Gaius with the messenger, in the hopes that your mother will recover quicker, but I am sure that if you are tending to her, she soon will be.

I have just asked for Sir Leon, and will ask if he can journey to Tiltwood with two other men to come escort you back to Camelot when your mother is well again. Send word when you are ready.

Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot

XXXXXX

Evaine sent a letter back to Arthur, thanking him for his concerns and medicine, and that she would be ready to leave as soon as Sir Leon was able. The next few days she hardly saw her father, spending her mornings with her nephew and niece, her afternoons with her brother and evenings with her father. Until Pendragon banners were seen approaching the estate.

"Sir Leon, thank you for coming," Evaine greeted, watching as Sir Leon smiled in her direction. He dismounted his horse and bowed before her as she curtsied. He looked past her shoulder, making her turn to see her father studying the two. "Father, this is Sir Leon, a trusted knight of Prince Arthur's," she introduced, and Sir Leon once again bowed as Balin nodded.

"It is good to know that my daughter is in safe hands on her journey home, Sir Leon. You are welcome here," he said, gesturing for him to follow him inside. Sir Leon glanced at Evaine.

"Is he always this terrifying?" Leon asked quietly. Evaine laughed, nodding. "Then we shall leave here as soon as you give the word, lady Evaine," he promised, and she smiled at his understanding.

"Thank you. We will leave in an hour," she said, and he nodded, the two hurrying up the steps as Balin shouted for them.

An hour later, and Evaine stood before her family, smiling softly as they watched her hug Tarian and Morwenna. Cerdic kissed her cheek, before hugging her. Meliodas bowed and hugged her. Lucan grinned and threw his arms around her to embrace her, making her laugh.

"I gave Anna something for you to open when you return to Camelot," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded. She moved to stand in front of her mother, who was once again well thanks to her daughter.

"I will miss you," Isobel said softly, hugging Evaine tightly. "Remember what we spoke of. And visit us soon," she asked, and Evaine nodded. She curtsied before her father, who nodded.

"Safe journey," he simply said, and she leant up to kiss his cheek before descending the stairs and mounting her horse. Anna waved to her own mother before kicking her horse into a walk beside Evaine's, who glanced back at her home to wave.

"We'll see them again soon," Anna promised, holding out a handkerchief for her lady.

The journey back to Camelot seemed to pass quicker now Evaine knew her way, and it wasn't long before Evaine smiled when she saw the castle emerge from the trees. They walked slowly through the lower town, Evaine calling the group to a halt when she saw a familiar face.

"Gwen," she called, stopping the girl. Evaine and Anna dismounted their horses and walked towards the girl. "I'm so sorry," she said softly, before hugging the girl. Gwen smiled, leaning into the hug.

"Thank you, my lady," Gwen replied, pulling back and hugging Anna. Evaine shared a look with Anna and nodded to her before leaving the two and walking back to her horse. Sir Leon stood holding the reins, waiting to help Evaine back on.

"I think I'll walk him back. I'm sure you have other things to attend to," she said, and Sir Leon smiled, his cheeks pinkening.

"It is my pleasure to wait upon you, my lady," he said, and Evaine smiled, hiding her surprise. "I shall go on ahead with your things," he said, bowing quickly before riding on ahead. Evaine sighed, walking her and Anna's horses back slowly to the castle. She noticed something wrapped in Anna's saddlebags, and saw it was addressed for her. Evaine slid it out, smiling when she peeked through the wrappings to see the sword her father confiscated.

"Lucan, you little devil," she muttered with a smile, before continuing her walk. She smiled at the people she passed, looking in surprise to see Arthur walking towards her.

"Evaine," he greeted, nodding his head as she curtsied. He stood awkwardly for a moment before he offered to take Anna's horse reigns from her. The two walked back quietly, enjoying each other's company.

"You did not have to worry about escorting me back, Arthur," Evaine said, breaking the silence.

"I know, but I wanted to," he replied, a smirk on his lips as he looked over to her. In truth, he had missed the lady more than he had thought he would, or would care to admit. Evaine blushed at his words, smiling. "Your mother is well?"

"Yes, thank you again for the medicine you sent, it was very thoughtful," she said.

"And your father, he is well?" Evaine paused at this question, and Arthur nodded. "I'm sorry. I know how difficult my own father can be," he said, and she smiled across at him.

"It's not your doing. He wants me to stop sword practice, and think of marriage," she told him, looking in front of her, and she did not see Arthur's surprise.

"And what do you want to do?"

"I don't want to change who I am," she said softly, the two stopping when they reached the castle stables.

"Then you shouldn't," he said, taking one of her hands and squeezing it gently. She smiled up at him, nodding. "I shall see you for practice tomorrow, my lady," he added, bowing with a smirk before leaving her.