BLACK FRIDAY
Lancelot cried out in his sleep and started thrashing around again. Instantly Arthur and Tristan had grabbed his wrists and were holding him to the bed.
"For Gods sake stop moving," Tristan growled. Lancelot seemed to get his message in his delirious state and fell limp against the bed.
"Arthur we can't go on like this,"
Arthur nodded and the healer standing by the door beckoned the roman commander outside.
"Arthur if your love for your men is deep and if you truly value their lives you will listen,"
Arthur froze, but remained silent.
"He is fading fast, there is nothing we can do about the poison, if he is to live we will see an improvement soon, if not he will get worse and…. well you can see him now. He cannot escape the pain that comes with this, he will die slowly and painfully and he will most likely injure himself more. The poison will spread and it will effect him more deeply."
Arthur nodded numbly, not believing that now there was a chance he would never hear his friend's voice again.
" If he starts shakings again worse, it is a sign that the poison is spreading," the healer continued gently then stopped "We can not let him suffer like that, Arthur, he would not want to, by laws I can not kill him" he continued "I have not that power, but if I did, with you leave I would, for this is too great a suffering for him, for perchance a week or two more existence, but by the end he would welcome death." Arthur stood for a moment as if stricken "No." he whispered
"Arthur there is nothing more we can do, the choice is yours"
"Tell Tristan of this, I must talk with the others"
Arthur stood at the head, if you could call it that, of the table
"My brave knights I have called you here for a dire reason." Arthur's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "As you know our comrade Lancelot is gravely ill."
Gawain nodded. "The healers have advised that if he gets worse…" Arthur paused and Gawain looked up worriedly.
" That if he gets worse we should set him to rest and we are the only ones here with the authority to do so."
Gawain looked slightly sick "Arthur there is still a chance he will live"
" There is, but in the worse comes we must be ready"
"Tristan" Gawain said, "If one of us has too, it must be Tristan". "No." Arthur said
"Why not? He would be the least effected of all of us"
" I don't think Tristan has deserved to be put through that"
"What to you mean Arthur?"
" He has been her longer then all of us and was made into what he is today, behind his anger on the battle field he is sickened by what he is doing, if we appointed him to do this, if he had to do that, it might push him over the edge."
Galahad nodded, then shook his head when Gawain glanced at him "Nay, young Galahad I would sooner kill myself then put you
through that"
" Dagonet?" Arthur asked
"You shouldn't have to Arthur, though perhaps as you are the best friend he has here I think he would rather it was you" Dagonet said slowly. Arthur nodded feeling sick.
"I have left Tristan with him, come." the knights despondently left.
Lancelot's brown curls where plastered to his face with sweat and they stood out against his pale face. Arthur sat next to him praying that he would not stir, if he lapsed into another struggle they would have to do it. Gawain glanced up from his side of the bed and he heard a soft voice outside the door that belonged to Galahad. Lancelot suddenly jolted and cried out.
"Oh no." The colour left Arthur's face as he once again pinned Lancelot down.
"Lancelot please, please stop moving."
Lancelot yelled and struggled wildly.
"Lancelot calm down."
But it was clear that it wasn't going to happen. Arthur nodded to Gawain, tears running down his face. Gawain unsheathed his knife and threw it to Arthur looking away with fear. Arthur gently laid it to his throat.
"Oh God forgive me this!" he pressed it into Lancelot's skin. No blood flowed from its blade, but Lancelot's eyes shot open.
" Arthur!" he gasped upon finding a knife at his neck. Arthur pulled it back letting it clatter to the floor. Lancelot gasped and and closed his eyes lying back.
" Lancelot listen to me, you are not going to make it." Arthur's voice was choked with tears
"Lancelot, you are in pain and this is your choice."
"Arthur." he gasped his voice fading "I would endure all the pain in the world to save you this torment." His eyes rolled back into his head and Arthur gave a cry of anguish, but Lancelot's chest still rose and fell lightly. Arthur lent back.
"I can't do it Gawain."
"Arthur go and take a break and send Tristan in."
Arthur let the cool air hit his face. Against the better judgment to stay by Lancelot's side he wandered under his window in the stone courtyard. Why had this happened to him? He clenched his fists and sunk to his knees, his eyes raised to the heavens
" Please give me strength, oh Lord, I ask only this". There was a yell from upstairs and Arthur leapt to his feet.
Gawain and Galahad met him at the door a grim light in their eyes. "No Arthur you are not going inside"
He could hear Lancelot's husky voice and Tristan's softer one
"Please, my friends let me go!" Arthur said, tears of frustration coming to his eyes.
" Arthur" said Gawain. "You have no need to be there."
"Gawain…." Arthur pleaded.
Galahad and Gawain locked him into his room. There was a soft cry of pain from above. " Lancelot!" Arthur yelled and beat on the door. "Gawain please let me go."
Gawain could hear the tears in his commander's voice "It is for you own good Arthur."
Gawain crept back upstairs.
"Tristan!" He called through the door
"You can come in" Tristan called back. Gawain gently opened the door. Lancelot was sitting up having a cup of something pressed on him by Tristan. "Drink it Lancelot."
Lancelot suspiciously took the cup of him with shaking hands. He coughed violently again and closed his eyes, focused on drawing breath. "Tristan.." he began weakly
"Just drink it" Tristan said back sharply, knowing that time was not on their side. "Please for Arthur's sake." Lancelot nodded and drained the small cup, he sighed and laid back
"I'm presuming I can go back to sleep," he said
"I think he's feeling better." Gawain said softy. He would rather Lancelot went like this then the way he had been dying before. He looked down at the new bandages covering his wound
" What did you do Tristan?" Tristan almost smiled, clearing away some of his supplies
"We'll we see if it works." he said, " You want to go free Arthur?"
"Nah, it'll do him some good."
At about midnight Arthur managed to pick the lock on his door. He quietly found Lancelot's room and opened the door, fearing the worst.
However, he found the room empty and Lancelot sleeping peacefully on is bed, his face almost a normal colour again.
" Oh merciful God thank you!" he whispered taking his friend's hand.
" You welcome Arthur" Tristan said sarcastically, stepping out of the shadows
" Tristan, you did this?"
" I tried, it may not work." He warned.
"What did you do to him?" Arthur had noted the shallow knife mark on his arm.
" Only what had to be done, it may take a bit longer to heal now." Tristan said.
" Thank you Tristan." Arthur said simply
"Yes, and I think I will rest now. Arthur you right to stay with him?"
Arthur nodded and Tristan left the room.
Lancelot's head rose slightly, Arthur froze: terrified he would start shaking again. Lancelot looked up weakly. "Where am I?" he asked blearily.
"Same place you where last time you awoke." Arthur said softly. Lancelot looked over at Arthur. "Hello Arthur, where were you before?"
" I was locked in my room." He said lightly.
"Oh, well that was probably good, you might have killed Tristan." "Why?" Arthur asked suspiciously. Lancelot nodded to the knife still on the bench.
" Apparently it was the only way to get me to snap out of it. It worked. I also remember something about a knife that had been heated in the fire meeting with my cut, but I think I blacked out around then" he added. Arthur winched on his friend's behalf. Lancelot groaned and lay back down "Rest Lancelot, you have been speaking to much." The door opened and Gawain walked in. "Tristan gave me instructions on what to do for him, Arthur you deserve some rest." Arthur considered this for a moment but only when Lancelot told him, quite firmly, to get some rest, did he leave.
He wandered around aimlessly before meeting Tristan
You've been dismissed, I see."
"Hmm." Arthur mused.
"Well, perchance you should continue with what you were sent to do." he said
"What is that?" Arthur asked.
"Rest. Oh and Arthur…." Tristan turned. "Thank you for being so patient when I worked on Lancelot, I think they have finished reattaching your lock."
Tristan ducked the book that came flying at him head and disappeared into the grey light.