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.


Chapter 62: Apologies Not Needed

Dory sat in Galahad and Gawain's rooms and fussed with her skirts. She had brought back their laundry, folded it twice, put it away in each of their trunks, then pulled it out and put it away again.

Then she had swept the floors...

And lit the lanterns...

Finally, she had sat and simply fussed, and waited.

She looked around the rooms. Tidy. Without the armour and weapons in it, there had been much more floor space. She sighed. She enjoyed living in the women's quarters, but it was much nicer to wake up beside Galahad every morning. It was nice to pretend that she had her own rooms with him. He had even let her decorate them a bit, and she had enjoyed the way he had smiled and touched everything she brought in, appreciating it.

But she was having a hard time not feeling guilty about adding to Gawain's distress. True, he was mourning Gareth long before she had ever known them, but she had been distracting Gala­had from helping his brother, and she knew that hadn't helped, no matter what the other women had told her. She had seen his irritation lately, with the things she brought into their rooms.

She bit her lip. She was waiting for Galahad to come back from wherever he was with his broth­er, and she would apologize to him. After Lancelot had come into the hall and ate with them, she had quietly slipped out herself, begging a headache, and come straight there, to their rooms.

At least she wanted to apologize to him. She wasn't sure what she was going to say yet.

She heard the door open and stood, smoothing her skirts nervously. Gawain stepped wearily into the room.

"Gawain?" She said hesitantly. He looked horrible. Both eyes were blacked, his nose was swol­len, his lip also cut. He was limping.

"Dory?" He asked, as he dragged himself over to his bed and flopped onto it with a groan.

He fished out beside him and found the wineskin that Cerys had given him for Winter Solstice and shook it. Sensing that it was empty, he dropped it to the floor and let his arm flop.

"Have you seen Dafydd?" She asked quietly, and she stepped over to him and bent down to look at his face. He was a mess. She took a step back from him, to give herself more space. He didn't smell drunk for once, which surprised her a little.

"No. See'm in the morning." Gawain muffled from the bedding, his cheek resting on his hand, one eye open as much as it could to regard her. "What're you doing in here?"

She averted her eyes and looked at the ground. "I was... was... putting away yours and Galahad's laundry. I'll go and leave you in peace."

Dory rose, and his hand came out. She looked down and saw Gawain rising up off the bed, his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

"Don't." He mumbled. "Stay with me until Galahad comes back."

Dory didn't know what to do. She should go and find Dafydd and bring him here... She should go and find Galahad.

"Alright."

Gawain sat up and she sat on the bed next to him. His lip had opened and it was bleeding again, and he put his finger on it, hissing when he contacted fresh wound.

"Damn..." He swore, making her jump.

Dory darted for the wash basin. She put her fingers around it and turned, hefting it up. "I'll go get water."

She bolted from the room.

At the well, she stopped to catch her breath. She hated being so shy around people! She could only ever really be herself around Galahad, and now Lorina, and she was beginning to feel more at ease with the rest of the women. Cerys had always been so nice to her...

But she was still painfully shy, and now, with Gawain acting so strangely and being to unpre­dictable, she felt very self-conscious around him. She wanted Galahad right then. She needed his strength.

And Gawain needed water. She dipped the well bucket in, realizing that she brought the basin and not their smaller room bucket.

"Dory, you don't think." She chastised herself, leaning her hands on the edge of the well.

"I'm sorry if I scared you."

Dory jumped again and Gawain was standing behind her, the bucket in his hands. She tucked some hair behind her ear and swallowed.

"It's... It's alright." She wavered.

Gawain walked up to her and handed her the bucket. She took it from him. He looked so tired and sore and... sad. She felt the tears welling. Why was she crying?

Gawain stood and looked at her. He blinked slowly and made a noise in his throat.

"Gods Dory, why are you always so sensitive?"

The tears fell. She dashed at them with her hands. She lowered her head and stared at her feet, wishing that the world would open and swallow her.

He sighed and reached a hand to her. "I apologize, that was rude..."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, cutting him off.

"For what?" He asked tiredly, taking the bucket back from her and proceeding to fill it. He picked up their basin in one hand, the bucket in the other and then turned to her. "You have noth­ing to be sorry for."

"I..." She started. She looked up at him. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, and that I have taken your brother away from you..."

He put the bucket down, and then the basin. He stood, and from what she could see in the moon­light, he shook his head.

"Oh Dory..." He reached out his hand then, and pulled her by the arm closer to him. "You ha­ven't taken him from me."

"But... He should be with you and..."

Gawain put an arm around her shoulders. She sniffed and looked at him. He smiled as best he could through his swollen lip and she smiled despite herself. He felt different. He felt more re­laxed than he had in awhile. Maybe this fight he had with Lancelot had helped him somehow. She hoped so. She had been very worried, and had become scared of him when he had gone into this tortured state.

He picked up the basin, handing it to her and then he picked up their bucket.

"But nothing. You are not the cause of this Dory." he said as they walked back towards the room.

"What is, Gawain? I... You are scary when you are like this." She looked away as she said it. She didn't want to make him mad. Especially right now when he was obviously hurting so much. She felt like she was being very forward with him.

He sighed, and her statement was met with silence.

They made it into the room and he closed the door. He sat back on the bed and began cleaning his lip, but Dory stopped him and took over. She always felt a bit more at ease when she had something to do with her hands, and this was an opportunity to help him, and keep herself busy. After a few moments of quiet between them, she felt a little more at ease and gathered her cour­age.

"I just feel badly that I have been in here, and... and it's your room." She said as she wrung out the cloth and wiped at his face. She stopped as he put a hand on hers.

"These are our rooms Dory, not just mine."

"But… the pottery, and the wall hangings. I thought this all bothered you."

"I wouldn't want it any other way. I know I've been an ass. I have a lot of making up to do."

She bowed her head and looked at the water in the basin. What was she supposed to say to that?

"I'm glad you like them."

"It doesn't matter if I do or not. He loves you, Dory, so we come to a compromise."

Dory gasped, her nervousness forgotten for a moment. Gawain had just said... She dropped the cloth back into the water and brought her hand to her mouth.

"What?" Gawain asked. "What did I say?"

"He..." She stopped.

Galahad had never told her that he loved her. True, she loved him, more than anything. But he had never told her that he loved her. She had never said it either, thinking it much too forward.

But somehow, hearing someone else say that he did, made her feel very happy.

"He loves me?" She finished quietly, her lips forming a smile behind her hand.

"Who loves who?" Came a voice from behind them.

Dory turned at the sound of Galahad's voice, and all but flew into his arms, burying her head into his shoulder. He lifted her back from him to look at her and she kissed his nose. He wrinkled it and brought his finger to hers, poking it softly.

She smiled. Her strength was here, and her shyness melted away. She cuddled up to him. Gala­had looked over at his brother, raising an eyebrow. Gawain grimaced through his puffy face and lifted his hands. Galahad waved him off, their sign language mutually apologizing and forgiving for the slip of tongue.

"Take her for a walk brother. I can manage here I think." Gawain said as he fished the cloth out of the basin once more.

Galahad pulled her out by the hand and closed the door. He stopped, smiled, and brought his hand up to her face.

"And do you?" He asked as he brought her close to him, his large blue eyes searching hers.

"Do I what?" She asked, her hands on his chest, softly grabbing at the cloth, fingers winding around the laces left untied and dangling.

He bent his head down slowly and kissed her lightly on the lips. She softened against him, and his arms tightened around her. She let out a soft moan. She had needed that more than anything. Any nervousness she had vanished completely then.

She didn't have to apologize to him anymore. It was a great relief... and... Gawain had said that Galahad loved her. Her heart leapt.

:Dory, I love you. I should have told you that a long time ago." He murmured, his lips hovering over hers.

"Galahad..." she whispered. "I... I love you as well."

He smiled against her lips then and kissed her once more, his hands running up and down her back. Then, he whirled her out from him, and laughed. Dory giggled along with him and she spun in his grasp, coming back to rest against his chest once more, her hair floating out around her, her arms flying around his neck.

He pushed it back from her face and his face got serious again. Dory furrowed her brow.

"Is he going to be alright?" She asked then, quietly disentangling herself from him.

"Yes. He's going to be fine now. It may take time, but..." Galahad replied. "Let's not talk on that now; I have spent the past four days with him, and not with you, where I wanted to be."

"I'm sorry." She said softly and kissed his cheek. "Have you eaten?" She asked then, as they walked arm in arm towards the common.

Galahad shook his head. "No."

"Let's stop by the kitchens. We can filch some bread perhaps."

They wandered over, and noticed a soft light coming from inside. Dory ducked in, and then quickly ran out, a blush rapidly spreading on her face that even Galahad could see in the moon­light. Galahad gave her a quizzical look, and stuck his head in.

Sitting on the table with her back to the doorway was Cerys, her legs wrapped around Lancelot's waist. They were completely lost to the world in each other.

Galahad smiled as Lancelot carefully slid Cerys' dress off her shoulder and bent his head to kiss the exposed skin.

Galahad silently backed out the doorway.

"Let's try the common then, eh?" He offered, and Dory giggled, taking his hand.

Galahad mused to himself, as they made their way over to the common that perhaps the men would need to work out some sort of schedule for the kitchens soon, if this kept up. He looked over at Dory. He skin was so pretty in the moonlight, and he eyes danced happily as they laughed over their discovery. He wondered if she would ever consider...

He stopped himself. He had been away from her for too long. He sort of understood where Lancelot had been coming from earlier in the armoury.

He knew she was shy, and nervous around other people. She wasn't really very adventuresome, nor would she take well to the idea of being walked in on, as they had just done to someone else.

He also knew how caring she was, how sweet she could be to everyone around her, how much fun she had making their rooms nicer...

He was sorry that Gawain had troubled her mind so much, especially finding that scale on his bed. He hoped now that his brother had finally been able to share his memories that they could get back to normal.

Normal.

Normal would not be what he wanted unless Dory was with him.

He stopped, and she looked at him, tilting her head. He decided, right then and there. He should have asked this a long time ago.

"Dory?"

"Galahad?" She replied.

"Move in with us."

Dory threw her arms around him once more and laughed, kissing his face all over.

'I take it that's a yes then?" He asked once she had finished.

"Yes."


Dear Reader:

I had to bring some closure to Dory and Galahad, so this chapter was for them.

I wrote Dory as feeling very guilty for keeping Galahad from Gawain, and the only way that would reconcile is if Gawain told her otherwise. She felt that she was encroaching in a time ofneed for the brothers, andshe felt like she was creating more of a problem. She may have in some way, but because Gawain can see with a clearer head now, I wanted him to tell her he was sorry, and to tell her it was alright. All those things that happened, her finding the scale, Gawain tipping the table over... it's scary for her, she cares for him, he's her love's brother! And she is easily upset by confrontation.

I also realized that I never really explained why Dory loved Galahad, so hopefully this helps a bit. He is her strength. She isn't shy around him, never was. And he makes her laugh, makes her feel special with his actions. So for her, he is comfort and.. well... her rock!

And he finally tells her he loves her with words, not just actions. Sometimes a couple can go years without saying it, just understanding by the way they are with each other that it is love. But... the words are still needed every now and then. And when Gawain tells her that he loves her, its a surprise, since she knows, yet has never been 'told'. that plus she is shy and nervous around him, seeing as he was in a grand funk of late.

Ahh.. now on to the wedding right? Very exciting... Since I have yet to have one of my own, you can be this will be my very own fantasy, with exactly what Cerys and Lancelot would have wanted thrown in for good measure! (grin).

Thank you for your insight into my characters. Your ideas help me see them easier, and bring this story out in ways I had not thought. Your reviews keep me motivated. Truly, I feel that I have not written this alone. You have all helped me to shape my words, and for that, you deserve credit as well. None of the characters in this story would be who they are today without you.

So I thank you for helping me breathe life into Cerys and her friends. She is alive in my heart, and I hope she is in yours as well. As I have said sometimes as I tote my laptop about the house, settling to write... "It's time to get into my inner-Cerys again!"

Cardeia