Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character names, save my own original creations. I do not wish to be compensated for this work, nor do I wish to infringe on any copyrights held by any stakeholders of the movie King Arthur. This work is an original creation, based on the legend of King Arthur and his knights.
Scribe Notes:
All: In the past few days, I have gotten reviews and emails about Cerys that have overwhelmed me. To know that she has touched so many of you in such a positive way has humbled me completely. At one point I just sat and stared numbly at my computer and blinked. I have affected people in such an amazing way and its wonderful.
Thisstarted asan exercise for me to shake the rust off my writing muscles. It has turned into so much more.
Thank you each and every one of you for your encouragement, enthusiasm and above all else, your continued reading of my story.
On to comments:
drew'sgirl: I can't forget you. Thank you for your email. You touched me very deeply with your words.
LoVeLeE826: Hey! Thanks for reading, and your email. I hope you find the stories that you are looking for.
lilstrummrgrl527: I wanted to give a wee tribute to Bernard Cornwell with those names, I hope you liked that bit, despite the fact I used the twins and Derfel's first commander Owain. Don't worry, all were good men in my mind's eye.Derfel will always be my favorite knight and I saluted him, in my own wierd way.
Ailis-70: Don't worry, I will, just not yet. I am so glad you enjoyed my chapters, especially the one that magically appeared. You know, I wrote Decisions and Announcements in an hour! I was motivated. I don't want Tristan to every be sappy. That's not his way. He calmly feels, he senses things. Hence the language where he feels, then hears, then sees things. He can seperate his senses.
Calliann: The humour in that was good. I enjoyed writing that in. I was downstairs folding laundry and i was mulling over the ending to it, and I said "OH!" and ran upstairs with a fistful of underwear to write it in. Voila, a chapter in under an hour, plus laundry. I am woman! Watch me multi-task! I will eventually let you in on how it went, but not yet.
Babaksmiles: You know it... I saw Ioans pics from the MTV movie awards... His curls! They are gone! He has a new hairstyle that is quite straight, and he reminds me of Rob Lowe. That's ok, really... (grin). Oh dear I may have just dated myself. He is a rocker at heart that boyo... Iam glad you thought the love scenes were tasteful. I have always wanted to try my hand at that type of writing. it was fun. Here is two more chapters for you!
LovelyHeidi: So glad it worked for you! I may not do that too much, since I have some other people I want to bring in. I want to bring some Brinn thoughts in, and I have a special chapter planned where I gave some new people a chance to be heard. I had not brought the black tally out since chapter 2: Silence, and that was deliberate. Those tally sticks are part of her world and she carries importance with them. In essence she is breaking a part of her when she destroyed that tally.
Sokorra Lewis: Gawain, I am still wrestling with him a bit. I have a few ideas of how to sew that end up but I want it to be believable. Tristan is indeed changing and thinking. I have plans for that man. Perceval will make more mischief, don't worry about him! I am glad I inspire your writing. You help me too!
bloodredcherry: I like that you found the love scenes in chapter 37 believable. Thank you for your review!
LilChOkLaTePiG: You are most welcome to it! Use it, post it, scream it! Whatever you want to do with it to inspire you, it is yours to use. I am so glad you found those words helpful. I really do enjoy being able to give people words to help them create.
gwenn0: Really? June 12th? Well then Happy St. Valentines! I am glad the combined point of view for that pivotal chapter worked for you. I want to bring in more thoughts from other characters now that we have the couple together. I wanted to get their impressions. Throughout I have scattered others in, like the chapter where Brinn finds Cerys asleep over her tallies in the hall, and when Arthur finds out about Cerys almost dieing. I elude to Tristan a bit when he watches Lancelot walk out of the Caer's stables after he tells him he's afraid of loving Cerys.
I want to show that they are seeing the two together, and that they are all converging as a family. I have a fun chapter coming up that will explain all this, and is a bit of an experiment. But, you do make sense. I think my own ideas have evolved with this story, and that has let me into more of the characters essences, and provided me with the muse to write from their minds. This chapter comes from Brinn, and the next is both a Cerys/Lancelot.
Chapter 41: Overflowing Empty Nest
Gawain shoved the last of Lancelot's things into a chest and stood, blowing hair out of his face.
"Last one?"
Lancelot nodded. He slammed the lid of the chest closed, and they each grabbed a handle. Grunting, Gawain lifted his side and they carried it out the door into the winter sunlight.
Cerys stood, her arms folded, her foot tapping. "You have more clothes than I do!" She exclaimed, her eyes flashing happily.
Lancelot grinned and winked to Gawain. Gawain hid his smile and he looked at Cerys.
"He's always been a clotheshorse, you know that. Look at all his pretty tunics, for the Gods' sake."
Cerys laughed at that and turned to follow them as they carried the chest down the apartment row towards her rooms. Lancelot gave Gawain a dirty look that made the blonde man laugh even more. They shuffled down the row under the portico.
Once inside, Gawain brushed his hands off and straightened. Lancelot had put an arm around Cerys and they stood, surveying the four trunks, second armour stand and weapons that now filled the room almost to capacity. Gawain joined them, his eyebrows raised as he looked to the amassed possessions of the knight.
"Well, we can always stack the chests." Lancelot offered, the realization hitting him that spending this much time in one place made one gather things. "Or... I could throw some of it away."
Cerys made a small strangling noise as she tried not to laugh. She pushed at one of the chests and then looked to the far wall, narrowing her gaze and thinking.
"We can fit it." She said, her face setting into the all too familiar "Lady of the Fort" look.
"Oh?" Lancelot asked, his grin evident that he was waiting for her logic to astound he and Gawain.
"If I can stack a storeroom half this size with winter provisions I can fit four chests and some armour and weapons." She stated, moving away from the two men, making small noises and looking.
Brinn arrived at the door, his own eyes wide at the amount of clutter now in the room. He stepped inside and over to his bed, picking up a set of cloths and some lye soap. He seemed a bit apprehensive, and Lancelot turned to him.
"Brinn! Where do you think we should hang the swords?"
Brinn looked to Lancelot. This man, his employer, his mentor and the man he most admired, was now moving in with Cerys, his closest friend. He saw that Lancelot and Cerys seemed very happy. He was trying to be, but he was also worried.
Brinn was worried that it meant they would make him move back to the stables, and he really liked living with Cerys, and having a bed.
Truthfully, Lancelot had been here every night now for a month, and Brinn had taken to spending nights in the stable loft again on occasion. He wanted to give Cerys her privacy with him, he could see the way they would look to each other, he over sharpening a weapon or fixing chain mail, she from a book. He would take his leave quietly. Cerys would ask him each morning why he left, but then giving him a hug and telling him that she wanted him to stay. Some nights he would stay, and he would listen to them talk softly as he lay in his bed, and he would smile.
They were his family now.
He had stayed with Cerys when the knights had gone on a three day run just a week ago. She had seemed to need his company. He read her a book with a story about an Egyptian boy named Joseph and his magical coat. He was quite a good reader now and it made him happy to read to her. She would sit on a cushion in front of the fire and work on her tally sticks, smiling and nodding when he would struggle with a word.
She had not gone to stand on the battlements once while they were gone, the way she normally would, pacing until it was dark. He liked this new Cerys. She was much calmer and he felt that he had somehow helped her. It made him happy to see her relax and laugh.
This turn of events had made him begin to think that he might like to have a place of his own. He was going to go into training in the spring, and he would want to start behaving more like a knight, and less like a boy. He was thirteen summers soon! Lancelot, from Cerys' stories, had barely been that old when he came here, and he had been given his own rooms. At least he thought he had.
"Uhh... above the hearth." He said, not looking up. He fiddled with the cloths, folding and re-folding them.
Cerys walked over to him and she put an arm about him. She gave him a squeeze and smiled as he looked at her.
"Never think you are not welcome here Brinn. This is a change, but this does not mean that you must leave. Only leave when you are ready."
Brinn blinked, and saw that Lancelot was nodding. Gawain winked to the boy, and he quietly turned to step out of the room. Lancelot turned an eye to him as he left and nodded his thanks.
Brinn nodded, swallowing. "I understand."
"Must be going, see you tonight." Gawain said, then ducked through the door.
"However, we have an offer for you, should you like." Lancelot said, sitting down on a chest and leaning on his thighs.
Cerys patted Brinn's shoulder, and she too found a spot on another chest to sit. He stood and looked to one, then the other. Lancelot cleared his throat.
"It seems that there is now an empty room where I used to..." he halted, giving a small snort and smiling, "To keep my things. Since you are going to be in training soon, we thought you might like to have your own."
"But only if you want to!" Cerys added, her face showing a bit of concern. "We aren't kicking you out Brinn. We just want you to have the privacy that a young man should. But it is your choice."
Brinn processed the decision for a moment.
"I can still come visit you and read?" he asked slowly, turning the cloths in his hand.
"Of course." She said.
He twisted the cloths a few more moments, biting his lip. Lancelot shifted in his seat, rubbing his jaw, his face showing concern that the boy was upset. Cerys gave him a look and then touched Brinn' arm.
"Brinn... sweetheart, please don't be sad. I want...We both want you to be happy."
He nodded again and then sighed loudly. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, leaving her. But his own rooms...
His own rooms...
He could fill it with books and rugs and have a big bed... Hang his own swords above his own hearth! Have his own armour on his own stand!
He threw his arms around Cerys. She had given him so much. She blinked.
"Alright." He said as he released her. Lancelot stood up and crossed over to where Brinn was standing and clapped the boy on the back.
"Excellent! Let's help you carry your things! Klyndd's tack can wait until later; we can move you in right now since my things are all now here."
Brinn gathered up his meagre possessions and put them into a sack. He closed the drawstring and looked to the bed. "Will this need to go too?" He asked, looking at it.
Cerys gathered up the furs and the bedding and folded them as Lancelot tore down the curtain. Brinn watched them work together, folding the large expanse of material. Every time Cerys would walk up to him with an edge, he would reach over it and kiss her, and she would giggle.
He hoped someday he would fall in love with a girl, and be able to fold cloths with her, so he could give her kisses like that.
He waited as they finished, and Cerys picked up the pile.
"No, Hywel can come get the bed. Lancelot's old bed should do you. It may need dusting, however.
Brinn giggled, and earned a look from Lancelot. He smiled broadly. "My own rooms!"
Cerys picked up the linens and furs and they exited. Brinn hesitated and looked back once, then squared his shoulders, running to catch up to Lancelot and Cerys.
"My own rooms!" he said again as he caught up to them.
Lancelot pulled the young boy into a lock with his arm as they walked, and rubbed his knuckles over his head. They both laughed, and play-tousled for a moment. Cerys rolled her eyes and stepped into the room ahead of them to begin the cleanup and help Brinn get settled.
"I'm glad you approve son." Lancelot said as they got to the doors. He smiled down to the boy and winked.
Brinn felt, at that moment, like he was king of the world.
He had called him Son.
Dear Reader:
Brinn is growing up, and Lancelot just loves those Freudian slips! He doesn't really realize that the affectionate term an older man uses for a young man just made Brinn so very happy. but, in a sense, he is a son to Lancelot. Lancelot has given him the means to grow, and a moral compass! This also means that Cerys is his surrogate mom. As he says,
"They were his family now".
I wanted to give an easy out for Brinn to be on his own, and thus make the change needed to be a knight. This will be clearer with a future chapter. I bet you all expected me to give Lancelot's rooms to Gawain didn't you... (grin wink)
On to the next chapter!
Cardeia
