So sorry about the wait inbetween chapters, my plot gremlins have been having a bit of a block. Anyway here's a filler to tide you over while they figure out what happens next.
The knights rode along the path that passed by the frozen lake, some of the knights had wanted to cross the ice but Lancelot had opted to go around. A couple of the other knights argued with him, pointing out that cutting across the lake would cut half a day from their journey back to Camelot.
However Elyan and Percival sided with Lancelot on the matter along with a couple of the knights who were a little more experienced. The winter had been mild so far and even though the water nearest the shore was frozen pretty solid the further from shore they went the thinner the ice would get.
"you know" one of the knights that wanted to cross the ice spoke.
"crossing the lake would get us to the last town on our patrol faster to"
"your right it would," Lancelot said not turning around.
"well," The knights said
"we're still not crossing the ice," Lancelot said over his shoulder.
The knights that wanted to cross the ice glared at Lancelot behind his back. They all wanted to make it back to Camelot in time for the Yule feast and they had been on patrol for the past fortnight. Had it been summer and the weather warmer they would not have been in as much of a hurry.
Sir Balan one of the older knights and second in charge of the patrol noticed the looks the knights were giving Sir Lancelot. He gently pulled his horse's reins and brought him self back to ride beside them.
"is there a problem?" He asked just loud enough for the small group of knights to hear.
The knights looked at each other then at Sir Balan before focusing on the path again.
"no sir, " one of them said.
"are you sure?" Balan asked.
"yes, sir, " the knight said then he got a look like he was thinking.
"it's just"
"yes"
"I understand that Arthur put Sir Lancelot in charge and I have no problem with that, but I don't understand why we have to take the long way around the lake when it's frozen"
"yeah," one of the other knights chimed in.
"it's not like cutting across the lake will cause us to miss any of the towns on our patrol, it's like he's purposely making the patrol longer than it needs to be"
"He's not making the patrol longer than it needs to be," Sir Balan told them.
"in fac, if I was leading the patrol I would take us around the lake as well"
"but the lake is frozen over, why go around?" one of the knights asked.
Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound and shouting coming from the lake. The patrol came to quick stop and turned to see a small group of people with a cart traveling on the ice. They were only fifty feet from the shore line but it was far enough. The cart was heavy and the ice under the back wheels had started to crack and break.
"that's why" Sir Balan said as Lancelot ordered everyone off their horses.
Lancelot, Percival, and Elyan moved quickly dismounting and removing their capes and slipping out of their heavier chain mail. They new they need to discard anything that would make them heavier than necessary.
More of the ice broke of under the pressure of the card being wedge in the cracking ice causing it to fall farther into the lake pulling the horse that was pulling it back with it. To men and a young woman held onto the reins trying to pull the horse from following the cart into the water.
Lancelot grabbed the rope from his saddle bag and ran out onto the ice followed by Elyan, Percival and one of the other knights. Without missing a beat Sir Balan was shouting orders getting the remaining knight to start a fire and get blankets ready.
Out on the lake, the small group of people were desperately trying to save the horse and their supplies.
The two strongest men and one of the women were holding the reins. Their were more people on each side of the front of the cart all trying to pull it up from the broken ice. The horse was panicing moving back slowly as the cart continued to be pulled into the water.
Suddenly two large men appeared and grabbed onto each side of the cart stopping it from going any further into the water but only just. Another man grabbed onto the horse's reins to help keep the horse from getting pulled into the water.
The fourth man made his way over to look in the back of the cart.
"how important is this stuff," Lancelot asked as he pulled out his sword.
"it's the winter supplies for our village" one one the men trying to pull the cart from the water said.
"we had plenty but there was a fire and we had to get more" one of the other men explained.
Lancelot looked at the people and the supplies, determined he quickly assessed the ice and the size of the cart. It wasn't too much of a stretch to see that the cart they wouldn't be able to save the cart but maybe.
"you're going to need to get as much out of the cart as possible as quickly as possible" Lancelot said.
The men holding the cart gave panicked look, they didn't want to let go of the cart for fear they would lose everything.
"come on," Lancelot said pulling the nearest crate from the cart.
"you can't save the cart but we maybe able to save your supplies"
One of the men took a chance and moved from his place holding the cart it jerked a little but Percival and the other knight along with the other men still holding and helped Lancelot pulled the crate down and away from the cracking ice. As soon as they set it down on more solid ice Lancelot looked over to the knights still on the shore, Balan was watching them. Lancelot signaled to Balan that they needed more help. Balan signaled his understanding and quickly turned to other knights barking orders. Soon four of then knights were removing anything that would weight them down and spread out made there was as quickly and carefully as possible to the people on the ice.
Two of the knights went to either side of the horse and grabbed one hand on the bridle and the other hand grabbed onto the carts breeching straps on either side of the horse. Lancelot and the two other knights and some of the men traveling with the cart unloaded the cart as quickly as possible without climbing into the cart.
The woman who was helping the men with the reins moved to help unload the cart. Each of them pushed and pulled the crates and rolled the barrels toward the shore line. The knights that were still at the shore line helped them get their thing s onto the shore before they headed back to get more. It took less than five minutes to get everything they could off the cart.
The woman took an large bundle of blankets just as the ice cracked under the front wheels of the wagon. Her eyes went to the supplies then to the crack in the ice, there was no way they would save everything.
"we need to get off the ice," She said turning to the men still holding the cart.
"She's right," Lancelot said
"but what about the rest of it" one of the men asked.
"we saved as much as we can" the woman said
The man looked like he was about to argue with her but Lancelot cut him off, he understood the desperation but she was right. The crack in the ice was growing and if the ice broke from underneath the carts front wheels they wouldn't beable to save the horse.
"come one," Lancelot said to the woman.
"help me get the cart detatched from the horse"
Lancelot ran around to the other side of the horse and he and the woman quickly undid the breeching straps and the hame tugs. The woman undid the loin strap and Lancelot undid the back strap as soon as the horse was freed from the weight of the cart it jolted away from the breaking ice. The two knight and the men holding the cart let go and moved away from the craing ice as quickly as possible. The back wheels fell back into the broken ice causing the front part of the cart to crash down onto the already cracking ice. The force caused the the crack to spread faster and to split toward the shore.
Everyone ran toward the shore as fast as they could trying to stay ahead of the growing crack which was being followed by breaking ice. Lancelot placed him self in the back of the group making sure no one was left behind. He helped one of the men up when he slipped on the ice encouraging him to run.
Suddenly the ice fell out from under the Knights feet, He heard a shout but was unsure where it had come from then he was under the water. He struggled to swim toward the surface but the current pulled him under te ice.
The Woman was the first to turn at the sound of the knights shout just as he dissapeared into the water. She gasped and shouted for help as she ran back to where he had fallen in, she was half way there when a pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. It was one of the larger knights.
"what are you doing?" she demanded.
"your friend needs help"
"we will," The knight said he turned to another knight that joined him.
"I'll get her to shore Percival," The knight said taking a hold of her hand.
The woman looked over her shoulder as the knights moved toward where there friend fell in. The ice was still cracking the knights would need to get him out fast. The knight pulled her up onto the shore and another knight came over and put a blanket around her shoulders.
"your alright now," He said as she turned to watch the knights still out on the ice.
"it's not me I'm concerned about," She told him.
"Right," The knight said.
Sir Balan turned away from the woman after giving her a once over to be sure she was alright. He was glad to see that the other knights still on the shore had already started another fire and were getting every available blanket they could ready.
The woman neeled down by the edge of the ice, this was not the first time she had seen someone fall into icey water. She new this lake very well, the currents were strong and she knew the knight was probably pulled under the ice his friends would have already been to late when they got to were he fell in. But perhaps she could do something.
She looked around to make sure no one was looking at her before she reached out and touched the ice. Her eyes turned gold as she uttered a spell under her breath, a light went out of her hand and under the ice. The light that only she could see moved in small circles under the ice searching, She smiled a little when the light stopped and pulsed. Concentrating she pressed the heel of her hand onto the ice and pushed her eyes turning gold once again.
Lancelot felt him self being pulled further from the opening, he really wished Merlin was there. Fighting his bodies instincts to inhale he pulled his dagger from his belt and stabbed it into the ice in an effort to keep from being pulled any furthur. The Current was strong and he could feel it pulling on his grip, his lungs were burning for air. He couldn't hold it anymore, Lancelot's reflexive need to breath took control and against his will his mouth opened as his lungs tried and failed to take air in.
Just as he was lossing contiousness and his grip on the dagger Lancelot felt something surround him and he felt the current around him change direction. Everything went black for the knight before he could comprehend what was happening.
Percival helped Elyan remove every piece of clothing except the very last layer as one of the other knighs tide a rope around his waist. It had only taken a few second for the knights realize Lancelot had been pulled under by the current. Elyan was the lightest and the more experienced swimmer, he would have the best chance.
"okey, when I pull on the rope twice you pull me out" Elyan instructed as he was about to jump in the water.
"Elyan wait," Percival said grabbing Elyan and stopping him.
"Percival what?" Elyan started to ask but cut him self off as he saw what Percival had and was now move grab onto.
"holy shit" the other knight echoed Elyans thought as the both moved the help.
The pulled Lancelot out of the water and away from the edge of the ice as quickly as possible.
He wasn't breathing, luckily Merlin and Morgana had picked up a non magical technique for sitchuations like this and had trained their small group of friends.
Elyan and Percival rolled Lancelot over to get the water out of his mouth. With the knight on his stomache Elyan took his elbows bending them up he pulled and and pushed them creating a bellows effect with his chest in an effort to get the water from his lungs. Elyan released is elbows and Percival placed his hands on either side of his spine to avoid damaging it and did palpitations.
Lancelot gasped and coughed out the water from his lungs, his Lungs greedily pulled in the ogygen from the air.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and heard it echoed in a couple of the men behind her when the knight was pulled from the water. She watched with baited breath as the men layed the unmoving knight on the ice and did something she wasn't sure what, then the Knight moved.
The Knights helped their friend toward the shore, the taller one holding him up as they moved quickly off the ice. The woman stood up as the knights reached the shore, She took the blanket from around her shoulders and put it on the knight that had been going to go in the water.
He looked at her in surprise and open his mouth to argue that Lancelot needed it more no doubt but she cut him off.
"you're friends wet clothing needs to be removed before wrapping him in blankets or he's going to get hypothermia."
"She's right," Sir Balan said
"come on Lancelot lets get you by the fire"
"I'm alright Percival," Lancelot said trying to step away from Percival supporting arm to walk by himself. He took two steps before the world started to spin the wrong way and he found his legs giving out from underneath him. Percival and Elyan's quick action stopped him from hitting the ground.
"uh huh," Elyan commented.
once Lancelot was stripped and settled by the fire and the horse settled one of the men that had been trying to cross the ice approached sir Balan.
"our town isn't far from here," he said
"we could go and be back with help with in an hour. That is with out trying to cut across the ice again"
"yeah I don't think we want to repeat that" one of the other men said glancing at the woman that was with them. He ducked his head and turned back to the knights.
"alright, I'll send a couple of my men with you"
The men agreed and were soon on their way, two of the men that had been crossing the ice and two knights. The man who seemed to be the leader for the group the knights had rescued rode the horse that had been attached to the wagon. The other man rode behind one of the knights holding onto his shoulder to keep from falling.
"what was that I told you so look you gave that man before," Sir Elyan asked as the small group going for help disapeared down the path. Elyan new that look from the many times his sister had given it to him growing up.
"I told them we shouldn't cross the ice," She said
"of course they didn't listen to me"
"yes," one of the men said.
"you were right, we should have listened to you"
The woman gave him a little smile and patted his shoulder.
"at least everyone alright," she said, she glanced over at Lancelot sitting naked wrapped up in blankets still shivering a little.
"more or less".
True to their word the Knights were back with help from the town in less then an hour. They brough another cart for what was left of the supplies and the towns appothicary came to check on Lancelot. The supplies and Lancelot were quickly loaded onto the cart. They made it to the town in record time.
The towns appothicary recommened a night in the village to allow Lancelot to get some strength back.
Sir Balan sent two of the knight, ones that had been complaining about crossing the ice, ahead to Camelot to report to Sir Leon and King Arthur what had happen and why they would be late getting back.
The woman who had been traveling with the group of men for supplies turned out to be the appothicaries daughter and apprentice. She set up a thin rope in front of the fire place and hung Lancelots clothes to dry before fetching a set of clothes for Elyan as his had been left out on the ice.
Lancelot who had fallen asleep on the way to the village woke up just as she brought a tray with a bowl of soup and some hot water into the room. The other knights were out side letting their friend rest, Percival and Elyan stayed close by but still left him to rest.
"you need to eat something" The woman instructed as she placed the tray down on the small table by the bed.
"Thank you, I feel like I haven't eaten since this morning," Lancelot said sitting up, the woman moved to help him.
"probably because I haven't eaten since this morning"
Lancelot frowned at looked down at him self, his eyes widened and he pulled the blankets closer as he realized he was still naked.
"oh please," the woman said rolling her eyes.
"you've been naked the majority of the time I've been in your presence"
Lancelot regarded her before relaxing, it was still cold so kept the blanket wrapped around him holding it with one hand and eating with the other. Satisfied that he was eating and wasn't about to pass out the woman turned to leave. She needed to help her father go over the inventory, some of the cargo had been medicinal herbs and they need to figure out what they had lost in the lake.
"wait"
She stopped and turned toward the knight that had led the rescue of her people.
"Thank you," He said.
She smiled.
"you are welcome," she said
"it's the least I can do Sir Lancelot, you and your fellow knights helped save over half the supplies that were in that cart. Had we lost them it would have been due to my towns men's own stupidity"
"if I may ask, what is your name?" Lancelot asked.
"my name is Alina," she told him before turning and walking out to help her father.
That it's my plot gremlins have no more for this chapter. The filler has been filled.
