This chapter will jump through one month! Not a lot of Emmy and Lancelot, but the scenes with them are cute. This deals with Fulucina's adoption and the last weddings!

The Sun and Moon of House Lyon 4

Lancelot let out a loud groan as he rolled away from Tristran's expert swing. His scouting friend had not been pleased when he had found out that he had, had a part in his wife's joke on him. In fact, Lancelot thought ruefully, I'm definitely paying for it now. Lancelot rolled to his feet, and eyed his friend warily as he twisted his double blades and started to circle the tattooed man. Lancelot decided then and there I'M NEVER JOINING IN ON ANOTHER PRANK FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE! As they battled, he smirked and amended quickly, at least where Tristran's concerned…I don't think I could take the retribution! Woah! Lancelot quickly ducked under a sneaky swipe from Tristran's curved bladed and glared at the scout as his friend's eyes twinkled. Lancelot smirked and thought Well, well, the old bugger's enjoying this…so am I if I'm truthful since Arthur IS the only person capable of fighting me long enough to help me improve my skills. Plus, Tristran is Arthur's sparring buddy when I'm not around, so he's just as good as me but…THERE!

Careful to keep his face blank, Lancelot met Tristran's swing with his left sword and quickly spun into his defense and placed his right sword at Tristran's neck. Tristran's gray eyed met his for a few seconds and the scout nodded. Lancelot watched as Tristran lowered his sword, and with a sigh lowered his as well. He blinked. Is that cheering?

The two spun around and both felt blushes rise in their cheeks. Lancelot was never so very grateful for his Sarmatian heritage as he was at that point in time. Because he was born of the Sarmatian heritage, his skin tone was darker than the pale tones of those native to Briton. His blush could not be easily seen. He glanced at Tristran in envy. Tristran's skin tone was even darker than his own, but he smirked. Tristran was blushing as well!

Lancelot came back to himself when shrill voices of angels cried out, "LANCELOT! TRISTRAN!"

Both winced and Lancelot asked as he rubbed the back of his head, "Isn't Ula a little, ah, over sensitive? I mean, she has just reached her first month, surely she isn't changed so much?"

Lancelot couldn't help but chuckle when Tristran's dark skin tone, which he had been envying short seconds ago, paled very quickly.

Tristran's gray eyed met his and he said, "Enys, once told me, before we married, that Ula has always been extra sensitive to the things, to the emotions, of others and because of that, she's has what Merlin calls an 'Over-Flow of Emotions' from the inside and outside. With her being pregnant, well……"

Lancelot grinned pityingly and said, "It's going to be a LONG nine months."

The two men turned to look at the castle; it was quite beautiful. It was made from a white stone they found on an island near Briton. The natives call it 'Immortal Purity' and its name was actually a true representation of the rock itself. The rock looked like the white marble of Rome, but the court tended to ignore that aspect of it, and tended to only see the pure beauty of the rock and the pure Briton architecture. Rocks from the same area slated the ceiling and the clashing of the two colors was amazing-not bad amazing mind you-! Queen Cordelia wanted to decorate the outside of the castle with reds of dark blues, but Arthur was not too sure. The Knights stayed far out of THAT argument since they have their own wives to argue with now. The castle of Camelot belonged to Arthur and Cordelia; how they decorated it was up to them!

Lancelot turned to his friend and said, "We'd better get up there and see what our wives want. Otherwise, we'll find ourselves sleeping in the Sitting Chambers yet again."

Tristran winced slightly at that and the two hurried to get to their wives as quickly as possible.

As Lancelot entered the chambers he shared with his wife, he had to duck as a clay bowl flew at his head and crashed against the rock walls.

Lancelot glanced at his wife of three months and asked softly, "Is everything all right Emmy?"

His three-month pregnant wife, Lady Emogen Serenity of the House of Lyon, Lady Ambassador or Peace, was definitely not happy. When he woke up earlier today, she had been in their washroom, throwing up last night's dinner and was feverish. Enys had assured him, before she left, that this was likely to happen, but it hadn't quite connected with this thoughts until he found her there.

"Where have you been Lancelot?" she demanded.

He saw her eyes were red and immediately felt guilty. When he had pulled her back to bed, he had left to train with Bors and Dagonet, and told her this, but instead got rounded up by Tristran and ended up in a completely different part of the castle's training grounds.

He walked up to her and held her close. As he smelt her gorgeous raven black curly hair, he answered, "I'm sorry my love, I was with Tristran and not Bors and Dag. He wanted to pay me back for my part in his humiliation a few weeks ago. Please don't be upset."

Lancelot felt Emogen looked at him and raised his head so she could see into his eyes. In the past, he would have kept such emotions kept locked tight under lock and key, but for her, he'd show her anything in his heart-if she wanted it. He saw her smiled softly and placed her head on his chest with a sigh of relief.

He held her close and said as he placed his hand on her swelling stomach, "You don't have to worry so much, it's not good for our son."

Emogen grimaced. He knew she loved being pregnant, but hated all the weight their son was making her carry. He also knew, thanks to Cordelia, that she was worried he'd start to think of her as unattractive and start to wander. That would never happen! He loved her. He didn't love her for her body; he loved her for her spirit. He would love her when she was old, wrinkly, and gray. Plus, he'd love her when she was dead and into the next life. So, he'd definitely love her when she was carrying his first-born son!

Emogen sighed again and said, "I received word from Cordy today at breakfast that Gawain and Alma and Galahad and Enys will be returning within the week, and Alec told me that we are to expect another happy tidings during the 'Welcome Home!' party."

Lancelot raised an eyebrow at that.

Emogen shrugged and said, "I don't know either, but even since Fulucina had been adopted into the House of Beran, he's been up to something. Plus, as the heir to the House of Hors, he's been up and about doing all sorts of errands for Dagonet and Bors too. Lucus follows along too, it's so cute!"

Lancelot rolled his eyes at that. Typical, she gushes over Lucus' growing adoration of Alec.

Lancelot looked at his sundial and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, my love, but I'm needed with Arthur. We have a meeting scheduled most of the day with the other Knights. Why don't you, Cordy, and Ula get started on readying the Great Hall for Gawain and the other's arrival?"

Emogen's emerald eyes widened in happiness as she thought of all the decorating that needed done. She kissed him fully on the lips and rushed out of their rooms as fast as her body would allow her too. Lancelot sighed and wiped beads of sweat away from his forehead. Another mess dodged!

As he walked to the Round Table Hall, he thought about Fulucina's adoption into Bors' house. Fulucina wasn't bonded to the house through blood but by name. She was adopted as Bors', second cousin on his dead mother's side. How that was figured in, he wasn't sure. He also didn't want to picture the family tree since just picturing it gave him a headache. Actually, thinking about it, might cause his head to burst! So, technically, since she wasn't blood bonded into Bors' family, Fulucina wasn't going to be marrying her own new cousin, Dagonet. Lancelot shook his head as he remembered that spectacle that occurred, just days after Gawain and Galahad and their new wives left Camelot.

Lancelot, Arthur, Tristran, Merlin, Merkin, and his father-n-law, Duncan, were all waiting patiently at the Stone Circle for Bors, his children, Fulucina, Alec, Lucus, and Dagonet. They were supposed to be officiating the ceremony to adopt the once Roman woman into Bors house, but they were late! Lancelot glanced up at the sky. Almost thirty minutes had past, and they had yet to arrive. Lancelot bit his lip and looked at Arthur. His friend looked a bit peeved.

He sighed softly and said, "I'll go and see what is keeping them all, okay Arthur?"

His King nodded and Lancelot quickly mounted his horse and galloped OUT of the Circle of Stones.

Lancelot smirked as he entered the Hall. He started to laugh as he remembered just WHY they were late…

As Lancelot arrived back in their camp, he dismounted and looked around. No one was there. He grew worried and pulled out one of his swords. Just as he was about to yell for them, he heard laughing and Bors' loud shouts of dismay. He ran to the sound, and stopped before a dense brush. He squatted down and peered through the leaves. He nearly burst out laughing then and there!

Fulucina, Vanora, Cordelia, and Emogen, had Bors and all the children-Alec and Gilly included all dressed up in fancy bright colorful Roman Senate togas! Bors was griping loudly as he pulled at the cloth.

Fulucina scolded him as if he were but a child and proceeded to straighten the cloth out again and said, "This is the only way for Arthur and I to legally dismiss my Roman heritage, Bors. If you didn't want me to be your cousin, you should not have offered to become my cousin!"

Bors pouted, crossed his arms, and said, "I did't know THEN that I'd be wearing this…this…this dress! How do ya gals' wear this stuff? It's awful drafty."

Lancelot saw Vanora rolled her eyes, whacked him on the head, and said, "We be used ta it and this actually, makes ya look-like someone! Be proud of ya cousin!"

Vanora smiled slyly and added softly to Fulucina, but he was close enough to the group to hear, "Plus, it be easier to get him outta his clothes later ta'night!"

The two older women giggled like young women in love and Lancelot shook his head in wonder. It was amazing.

He took a step back, cleared his throat, and called back to them, "Ah, are you all here! We ARE still waiting for you!"

Lancelot heard Cordelia shout back, "We're finished here Lancelot! Here comes Bors!"

Lancelot grinned as he heard Bors protesting all the way to him. When his older friend was in front of him, Lancelot whistled and said, "Wow, now that's a sight I never thought I'd see…Bors in a toga…very opinionated there Bors."

Bors glared at him and his glare promised a slow torturous death. He just smirked back. After him came the children and the women. He smiled at his wife and said as she came to him to claim a kiss, "You look beautiful my maiden."

Cordelia rolled her eyes and said as she wrapped her arm through both of theirs, "Come on already, I thought we were late!"

As the children and the women piled into the wagon that was to carry them to the Stone Circle, Lancelot once again mounted his horse. He watched with barely concealed laughter as Bors attempted to do the same.

He watched as Bors, foot went into the stirrup, his weight shifted to hop on, and then instead of him gracefully swinging his amazing weight over the horses back, his other foot got caught in the toga's curtain of cloth! The over balance caused Bors to lose his footing in the stirrup and cause him to fall over.

Lancelot burst out laughing then and there. He wasn't even trying to be polite now. Bors looked ridiculous! He was covered in Roman pure white togas-which weren't so white right now-in fact it was covered in green grass, mud, and HORSE DUNG!

Lancelot shook the memory away when Arthur's voice broke through his musings, "Lancelot, what has your attention so? You are laughing like a jackal."

Lancelot grinned at his friends and eyed Bors as he answered, "I'm just thinking about Bors foray in Roman togas."

Bors glared at him and roared as the others laughed hysterically, "You promised to NE'ER speak of that again!"

When the men gathered themselves back together, Arthur said, "Now, now let's have peace gentleman! We are here, to discuss the castle, city, and surrounding land's progress. Lancelot, you are to report first."

Lancelot stood straight and announced, "My King, I will first start with the out laying lands where our new friends the Saxons, have taken residence. As per our agreement, they are living peacefully with the scattered tribes established there. We have an elaborate listing of their holdings, weapons, and the names of them, their parents, and even their parents' parents! The people have complained a couple of times, but as you know, they have been reassured and it has been nearly a week and a half since the last complaint. I am hopeful that, that last one will be the last we hear from the people in a long time in relation to the Saxons. Next, the city has entered into the last phase of the building process. All the shops, homes, offices, and taverns have been built and resources have been processed and accounted for through Lord Dagonet's office and the Department of Agriculture established by the Pict named Aland. He has an extensive listing of all our farmers and ranchers, My King. The Army is growing at an astonishing rate, and we've had to stop recruiting because we simply cannot deal with so many new trainees at once. We have the city gates guarded by two guards outside the city gates and two on the immediately once you enter the gates. Also, the wall has two four men on duty for every one hundred yards (that's four men for every three hundred feet). They are the lightest shift."

At Arthur's concerned face, he elaborated, "The best way I can explain this device, My King, is to say that they are the scouts. When they spot trouble, they light signal fires mounted on the turrets on the wall, that alert the ground soldiers. Also, the battle barracks, you commissioned are finished, and we have housed over four hundred soldiers so far. That number is still rising and we've since had to start building more barracks OUTSIDE the wall for added protection. Our once Pict soldiers, have claimed this right for themselves since they know the forests like the back of their hands, sire."

Lancelot, inside his head, was rolling his eyes. These meeting were boring and tiresome, but they were needed. He had finished his accounting of his sphere of influence and Gawain and Galahad's since they were still gone. He couldn't wait to relinquish control back to them when they arrived!

THREE WEEKS LATER---June 10th!

Lancelot held his head high as he stared at his friends, Bors and Dagonet. They were the oldest and LAST ones to marry. He glanced at Arthur and the two of them smirked. Lancelot knew that his oldest friend was thinking of the exact same thing he was…Bors' attempt at proposing and Gawain and Galahad's reactions to their wives good news!

He had just handed control of the Army back to Gawain and the responsibility of teacher back to Galahad when Emogen, Cordelia, Ula, Vanora, and Fulucina pushed through them and latched on to the new sister-n-laws.

"Come! You must tell us this good news!" exclaimed Cordelia with bright sapphire eyes. Even he had to admit, his wife's cousin, Cordelia, was a beautiful woman, especially with the light of child around her. Maybe he was biased, but Emogen looked even more beautiful.

Enys and Alma shared a mischievous look at their husbands, and chirped happily, "We're pregnant!"

Galahad's face paled drastically and Gawain swayed on his feet. Lancelot thought that they'd both faint like he did, but unfortunately, they didn't. Instead, their feet no longer held them firm on the ground, and the two brother found themselves face first in the mud-dazed. And yet, both wore silly faces when Tristran and himself pulled them out of the mud and onto their backs on the green grass.

Lancelot returned slightly to the present and glanced about. The girls weren't there yet, but by the look on Merlin's face, they were nearly ready. He really wanted to relive the brother's humiliation, so he skipped ahead to the day after they had returned…

Loud knocking on his oak doors had just awakened him and he wasn't happy-damn it! It was his one-day sleep in day! Couldn't the servants go bother someone else? Grumbling, he walked over to the door and yanked it open. Just as he was about to yell at the person, he saw who it was-Alma and Enys-red faced and crying.

He cringed but opened his arms and let the two new mothers-to-be cry on his shoulders.

When they had finished, he asked, "What's wrong? What did those two do now?"

"They left to celebrate last night, but they never came home! We've had the guards look for them most of the early morning, and they can't find them! What if…what if…"

Lancelot felt a cold dread fill his heart. If the All-Mighty Alma was worried, something must have happened to Gawain and Galahad-something that troubled the newly formed marriage vows.

He woke his wife, and told her to keep the two company with Ula, Cordelia, and the other girls' help, and high tailed in out into Kameland City-Proper with Arthur, Tristran, Bors, and Dagonet close behind.

They searched for nearly four hours, before they found the two brothers. Tristran found them. They were asleep, with goofy-grins on their faces, in a dark alleyway filled with the scents of ale and sex. Thankfully, they found no scent of the latter, only the former on them.

As Arthur went to wake them, Tristran's eyes twinkled and said, "Let's inform Enys and Alma first. Perhaps, they will want to punish them."

The Knights gathered grinned. Of course! Tristran's wife, Ula, punished him for doing this before, and of course, Alma and Enys, Ula's best friends and co-conspirators of Tristran's first punishment, would have an equally funny punishment for their wayward husbands.

Lancelot turned back to Merlin and saw that he was readying the alter. The Hand-Maidens were almost ready! He had to hurry!

When the two sister-n-laws were brought to their husbands resting place, identical looks of prankish-revenge appeared on their angelic faces. They quickly told the Knights their plans and the Knights howled with laughter. Fortunately, for them, they didn't waken the brothers of the House of Wolfe.

The group quickly did as the new mothers bid them, and Dagonet went back to the castle and brought the other Ladies with him. They actually had to leave the castle to their underlings for the first time since the kingdom was established!

The group only had to wait another ten minutes. When they showed signs of waking up, Arthur, Cordelia, Lancelot, Emogen, Tristran, Ula, Bors, Vanora, Dagonet, Fulucina, Alec, Gilly, Lucus, and the children all ducked behind whatever they could find and watched as Enys and Alma cooed to their hung over husbands.

They all had to literally bit their lips to stop from laughing as that cooing turned into Hell's Fury! Alma and Enys yelled at them for a good-long time as the brothers held their poor ringing ears.

Then the Ladies of House Wolfe, grabbed their husbands by the ears and pulled them bodily into the blaring sunlight-a rarity for Briton this time of Day-and dragged them over to a wooden pole. There waiting for them was a pile of ropes. They hog-tied the brothers and left them there for three hours!

Lancelot grinned fondly at the memory as the faces of Gawain and Galahad formed in front of him. They to were dressed for this wedding, but their faces still brunt the punishment of their wives. They were slightly pink in the face and their skin was peeling constantly. It was definitely a funny sight to behold.

As Bors' grunted, he turned to the two cousins standing before Merlin and said, "I still can't believe you proposed to Vanora the way you did Bors. Why in the Gods' name did you do it!"

Bors' pale face, flushed as the other Knights laughed at him and Dean gasped out, "Proposing to her whilst drunk and serenading to her whilst she was changing nappies (dippers) probably wasn't the most romantic thing you could have done Bors, you must admit that!"

Before Bors could be teased again, Merlin called the gathered people together and as one they all turned and watched as the Ladies of Camelot approached.

The ceremony was a blur to even him, and he watched proudly as Vanora of the House of Deore became Vanora Patient (because she'd had plenty-she waited long enough for Bors!) of the House of Beran-FINALLY!-and Fulucina of the House of Beran became Fulucina Lady of the House of Hors. Vanora had been given the title of Caretaker for the children with another woman, Sera of the House of Plethora-Enys' mother. Fulucina had been given the title of Head Chief and together with her queen, Cordelia, kept the castle running smoothly.

When the ceremony was finished, Merlin raised his hands into the air and exclaimed for all to hear, "The Bonds of our old peoples, the Sarmatians, the Britons, the Romans, and the Picts, have been completed! May the souls that guide us now, once them now all Britons, never be parted! This is my will, SO MOTE IT BE!"

As Lancelot pulled Emogen in for a kiss full of love he thought, he's right. Arthur was Roman/Briton and Cordelia was Pict. They shed their pasts and became Briton. I was Sarmatian and Emmy was Pict. We shed our pasts and became Briton. Dagonet was Sarmatian and Fulucina was Roman. They shed their pasts and are now Briton too. Our bonds have been completed. All that matter to me are happy and whole and together forever.