Summary: Years after the battle on Badon Hill, Lancelot has resigned himself to a loveless life, ever watching from the sidelines. But his hope is slowly restored when he meets a young woman, who fills his life with light, like the rising of the moon.
A/N: I was going to wait tomorrow to post this, but all those lovely reviews just melted my heart. Review responses….
Sweet A.K (Amanda) – Thank you so much for your review, and I know exactly what you're talking about. When I wrote that I felt the same and wasn't to sure if I would keep it in there, but then I sorta looked at it like Lance was just trying to cheer her up, lighten the mood kinda thing. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Shorty51 – Lol, I'm very, very happy with that image as well, and I'm glad you are because there is plenty more to come. Thanks for the review.
Evenstar – Thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm really excited to see where this goes as well. Hope you like this chapter!
Hollow – ((blushes furiously)) Thank you so much! I hope this chapter is soon enough!
Andromahke – Thankyou so much for your review! I definitely will be keeping this going, I'm having so much fun writing it. Enjoy this chapter!
LP – Thankyou… I think… Lol, I'm trying to make it so that Corin ain't a Mary Sue, but in my eyes every OC introduced as a romantic interest in every fandom I read is a Mary Sue, so I use that term very loosely. Hope you like this chapter.
Solain Rhyo – Oh God, I am such a sad person. Lol, when I recognised your name and figured out that you write Excelsius Dei, I got so happy. I love your story and the fact that you like mine makes me a very, very smug person. Lol, thanks so much for the review, hope you like this chapter.
Jemiul - Thank you, thank you, thank you! Uh, I can't stop smiling. I hope you like this chapter!
AllyDOGreat – LOL! I'm sorry! That would've been so embarrassing. I've done that a few times. Thank you so much for your review! Gave me a good laugh, heehee. I hope you like this chapter!
Irishfire – Lol, he can be mine too, I think he could be any woman who had two eyes knight in shining armour. Yum yum. Thanks for your review, hope you enjoy this chapter.
Quinn-FanFicAddict – Thank you so much for your review! I love that you like Lancelot this way and that you want to read more about Corin. I hope you like this chapter!
Crescent Moon
By katemary77
Chapter Two: Broken Moon
Tis
midnight now. The bend and broken moon,
Batter'd and black,
as from a thousand battles,
Hangs silent on the purple walls of
Heaven.
-Joaquin Miller, Ina
In no time at all, they had entered Lancelot's room, he quickly crossing it to lay Corin upon the bed, before relighting the fire in the hearth.
"Thank you, Sir Knight, for everything."
"Lancelot," he amended, bringing a wet cloth to Corin's face to gently wiping away the dirt and grime. "Just Lancelot. I am but a commoners son made into a warrior."
She nodded mutely, wincing as he cleaned the gash on her temple.
"So tell me, Lady Corin, how it is that you find yourself on this damned isle? I didn't think the Greeks were sold into slavery."
She smiled grimly. "They're not. I'm a very rare exception."
Lancelot raised his eyebrows, indicating she should continue.
"I was a priestess at a temple of Artemis, the only one left," Corin explained, the firelight dancing over her skin. "By that stage, only a handful of temples dedicated to the old Gods of Olympus existed; the Roman Catholics had wiped all the others out. The Romans heard of our presence in Delos. The temple was sacked, priests murdered and priestesses sold into slavery. I was taken to Rome, and from there, bought by Antonius at the slave markets. That was five months ago now, I think."
There was a soft knock at the door.
"Enter."
Grieta, the young maid, curtsied as she came into the room, looking expectantly to Lancelot.
"This lady is wounded. Could you fetch your village healer?"
Grieta shook her head. "I'm sorry, milord, but he passed away only a few weeks ago. He was very old."
"There is no one else?"
She shook her head.
"Damn," Lancelot cursed softly.
"It's alright," Corin said and turned to Grieta. "Do you think you could bring the healers things here?"
"Yes, my lady," the maid replied.
Corin turned back to Lancelot. "I have been taught how to heal, I'll show you what to do."
He nodded. "Would you please bring the healers things here, then?" he asked Grieta, who nodded swiftly and curtsied before hurrying out of the room.
"Now, let me see this ankle of yours," the knight murmured, and then carefully sat by Corin's form on the bed, lifting her dress up around her knees.
"Definitely a sprain," she declared, after a moment of examining the darkly bruised flesh.
Lancelot ran a finger lightly over the bone and she hissed softly in pain. "But not a break," he concluded, pushing her skirt back into place.
They were interrupted again when Grieta re-entered the room, a heavy wooden box in her thin arms.
"Thank you so much, Grieta," Lancelot said, jumping up to take the box out of her hands. "It's very much appreciated."
"Milord," she said softly, bowing her head before leaving the room.
"Now," Lancelot exclaimed, setting the box down on the room's small table, "what exactly am I looking for?"
"A healing balm," Corin proffered. "It should be orange in colour and smell like yarrow."
"This?" he asked, tossing a small tub to Corin, who opened it, took a whiff and tossed it back. "That's for gangrene."
"Oh. What about this?"
He threw another jar at the Greek, who nodded once she had smelt the salve. "This is the one."
Armed with a small bag of bandages and the orange Yarrow balm, Lancelot proceeded to dress Corin's various cuts and bruises, finishing off by tightly wrapping her ankle.
"There. Done," Lancelot said lightly. "Now, you get some rest while I go and speak with Arthur – "
"That's not all," Corin interjected quietly. "Could you, um… turn around?"
Brow furrowed, Lancelot simply stared at the girl.
"Please?"
Sighing, he acquiesced, and his movement was followed by a slight groan from his bed and the sound of rustling sheets.
"Okay, you can turn around."
Lancelot brought his gaze back to Corin to find that she had slid under the sheets only to lift up her dress, legs covered by the blanket, to display her midsection to the knight.
"It's infected," she said, of the deep gash that ran across her hipbone. "It needs to be cauterised."
With a grim nod, Lancelot left the room in search of a fellow knight.
"Galahad!" he called, banging loudly on the door of his comrade.
After a few moments, the young knight appeared, wiping groggily at his eyes with clenched fists. "What's the matter?" he asked Lancelot irritably.
"Are you still drunk?" the darker knight demanded.
"No," Galahad replied. "I retired for the evening a while ago."
"Good," Lancelot said, before explaining the situation to his friend. "I need you to help me cauterise one of her wounds, it's badly infected and still open."
Galahad nodded, all traces of sleep gone from his person.
Striding swiftly into his room, Lancelot retrieved his dagger, pressing the hilt into Galahad's palm. "I'll hold her down." The older knight then turned to Corin. "This is Galahad," he introduced, "Galahad, this is Corin." Galahad smiled nervously and nodded in greeting, before turning to the fire.
Giving what he hoped was an encouraging smile, Lancelot crawled onto the mattress behind Corin, spreading his legs into a V shape and pulling the woman against his chest. He wound his left arm over her collarbone, his other holding Corin firmly by her upper stomach, and she lifted her hands to grasp his tightly.
Suddenly, Galahad loomed over them, grasping the hilt of the red-hot blade. Corin gave a firm nod, her hold on Lancelot tightening. "I'm so sorry," Galahad whispered, and then, with a clenched jaw, bent down and pressed the flat of the blade to Corin's hip.
She let out a loud cry, tears of pain immediately welling in her cornflower eyes. Her hips bucked off the bed, her back arching, in retaliation to the white-hot pain being applied to her wound.
But then, the pain was gone as Galahad drew back the blade. Corin heaved an anguished sob, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Shhh," Lancelot soothed, rubbing comforting circles on her arms, hoping to lull her into a slumber. It seemed to work, because soon Corin's breathing slowed and became a steady, gentle rhythm, and her tight grip on Lancelot went slack.
Carefully, the knight manoeuvred out from under the girl and motioned to Galahad. "We need to dress it. Could you pass me that balm?" Quietly, the two knights applied the salve to Corin's hip and wrapped a bandage around her slim waist.
"Where's she from, this girl?" Galahad asked.
"Greece," Lancelot replied. "She was a priestess in a temple that got sacked. The Romans made her a slave and she ended up here."
Galahad nodded in understanding. "Roman bastards. She's certainly a beauty though."
Lancelot raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the dirty, bruised girl lying still in his bed.
Galahad chuckled, following Lancelot's gaze. "Certainly she doesn't look it now, but you just wait 'till she's cleaned up and you'll see what I mean."
He shrugged and was just about to open his mouth to speak when there was a firm knock on the door. Crossing to the other side of the room, Lancelot opened the door, bowing slightly at his commander and king who stood on the other side.
"How is she?" Arthur asked as he entered the room.
"Asleep," Lancelot answered, and then quickly and emotionlessly relayed what little Corin had told him about herself to the King.
"Was she wounded greatly?"
"A few bruises and cuts, including a nasty one to her head, a sprained ankle and a deep cut on her hip that Galahad and I cauterised. I know not if she was wounded in… other places…"
Arthur nodded gravely, conveying that he understood what his knight was saying. "I have dealt with Antonius and his men."
"Oh?"
"They have been exiled and ordered to leave Briton under pain of death. I will not tolerate slavery in this country."
"And what of the lordship of Birdoswald?" Galahad asked.
"Antonius's son, Faustus. I have spoken with him," Arthur answered. "He wishes to stay here, away from his father, and seems sincere. "
Lancelot and Galahad nodded silently.
"And now," the King continued, "the only remaining question is what to do with this young lady."
Lancelot shrugged. "I doubt she will want to return to her home country now, and it's not probable that she desires to stay here, not after…" he said, letting the sentence linger. "She spoke of having skills in healing. Mayhap we can take her to Camelot? We could always use another healer."
Arthur nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "And I fear my wife grows weary with only men for company. Perhaps the girl can be a companion to the Queen. She certainly seems to have spirit."
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Slowly, Corin awoke to soft voices in the room where she slept. Only vaguely aware of the dull ache from the wound on her hip, she wearily opened her eyes. Through bleary, sleep-ridden orbs, Corin was able to discern two blurry figures, but soon her vision sharpened and the dark silhouettes became the knight Lancelot and his lord, King Arthur. Clearing her throat softly, Corin managed to gain the attention of the two great warriors.
"My lady, how do you fare?" The King asked gently, his brilliant green eyes warm with compassion.
"A lot better, my lord, thanks to you and your men."
Arthur smiled and knelt down by the bed, taking Corin's hand in his own, large and callused one. "Please, my lady, Lancelot only did what any honourable man would do."
"Then," Corin replied thoughtfully, "there are too little men of his kind in the world and I am lucky to have met so many in one night."
The King nodded solemnly. "Antonius and his men have been exiled. Such men are not tolerated in this land."
Corin sat up quickly and winced as her body protested the movement. Waving the pain aside, Corin focused on the man before her. "You must know, sire, that Antonius's son, Faustus, is a good man with an honest heart. He saw me many times around the fortress and was always very kind to me, my lord, and never once did he venture down to the dungeons where I was kept."
Arthur smiled. "Faustus is now lord over this fortress. You have no need to worry."
Content for the moment, Corin slid back down into the mattress. "Thank you. That is good to know."
"And what of you, my lady? If you wish it, I would have you accompany us back to Camelot. I am in want of a personal healer for the castle and I'm sure my wife would love a companion. That is, of course, if you do not wish to return to your home country and family."
Corin shook her head slowly, sadly. "My country holds nothing for me now. My Gods have been forsaken from that land, and I have no family that would welcome my return." She gave Arthur a warm smile. "I will go with you and your knights. To Camelot, sire."
"I am glad to hear it," Arthur said with a glint in his eye. "We will depart in the morning, when you are better rested. It is a one days ride to Camelot. I will have Grieta find you some clothes. Is there anything else, my lady?"
"There is," Corin replied. "I am not of noble birth, so you should stop calling me Lady, sire. Corin is my name and you should use it."
The King chuckled. "And you should call me Arthur and only Arthur. In four years I have not yet become used to all this royalty business. I am only a man."
Corin smiled brightly. "Well, thank you, Arthur, and goodnight."
A/N: And goodnight to you, as well. Or good morning, or evening, or afternoon, depending on wherever you are, or perhaps I should just be really Aussie and say G'day. Don't forget to leave a review!
