Krysia pushed open the door to Morgause's room, standing still for a moment.

"Morgause?" she said into the silence.

The room was dark, and it appeared empty, but Krysia had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. She held her breath waiting for something or someone to make themselves known, but when the silence stretched on, she decided she couldn't wait forever. Gwen was waiting for her at the forge.

She opened the drawer, finding the keys and selecting the key to the cells, pressing it into the clay that Gwen had given her. She made sure the pressing was thorough and accurate, then slipped the keys back into the drawer, carefully closed it, and hurried out of the room. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been seen, but they couldn't waste this opportunity on a creeping feeling.

/-/

Uther sat in the cell, listening to the sounds of weeping in the dungeon. Knights, servants, courtiers. Those who weren't dead or loyal to Morgana, they were in the cell. He closed his eyes, but he could not close his ears.

His responsibility. These people were his responsibility. The older he grew, the more he understood Zosia's reluctance to become a queen. Never had he felt it so strongly than he did now, tormented by the sound of weeping. He tugged pointlessly at the chains and slid along the floor to see if he could get close enough to the cell door to see the person making the sound, but his chains were too short.

At least it wasn't Krysia, for the little that was worth. But cages came in all shapes and sizes, and he could only hope that she was enough herself to find a way free. He certainly couldn't help her now. He half-wished Bayard would swoop in and rescue her, but what good would that do? Even Bayard couldn't kill men who couldn't die.

/-/

Krysia sat on a table and watched Gwen pour molten metal into the mold that Krysia made out of the clay.

"Did you find something in his size?" Krysia said.

"Yes, and I found something different for you as well," Gwen said. "Better that you're not wearing house colors. You're less likely to be noticed."

"Good thinking," Krysia said.

She went to the stack of dresses Gwen had nodded to, one that was for Gwen in a pale yellow, another for Krysia in a rich purple, and a lavender gown for Leon, which Krysia laughed at.

"It was the only thing big enough," Gwen said, smiling as she took the metal to cool. She stepped back, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I've never seen a man happier than when he realized you were real."

Krysia hummed, undoing her belt to change. She could only imagine the hell, the promises Morgana had made attempting to get Leon on her side. Whatever she'd promised, Morgana had clearly forgotten Leon's chivalry. Leon would never want Krysia to be in a position of doing something for his safety, but if Krysia were under threat, he might promise anything to remove the threat.

"You know he's in love with you," Gwen whispered.

Krysia stepped out of her dress and carefully pulled on the purple velvet gown. It fit her well, although it would have looked finer on Morgana's coloring.

"Arthur told me," Krysia said, "when we thought Leon was dead. I'm afraid I hadn't much time to process everything when…" She waved her hand to indicate everything that had happened and was still happening.

Gwen checked on the key, then sat to rest and said, "I don't understand how you didn't realize. Everyone knew, and what with Sir Geraint's teasing hints—"

"I really didn't see," Krysia said with a nervous laugh.

It hurt a bit to think of Leon in love with her, because she knew that her destiny didn't allow her to even think about whether she could love him back. It wasn't his fault, it was unfair to him, because he really was the kind of man it would be so easy to love.

"Do you not feel…anything for him?" Gwen said.

Krysia hesitated, then pulled her hair out from under the neckline of the dress, tossing it over her shoulders.

"Do you have something a little easier to travel in?" Krysia asked.

"In the bag," Gwen said, frowning. "Krysia—"

"It's not a question of how I do or don't feel about Leon," Krysia whispered, sitting on the table again. "I…I'm in love with someone else. You're in love with Arthur, are you not?"

Gwen hesitated.

"And you had, maybe even still have, feelings for Lancelot," Krysia said, looking at her hands. "Sometimes love isn't a straight line, and…we can't control how someone else feels. We can't even control how we feel ourselves."

For a long time, Gwen was silent, and they waited for the key to cool in that heavy silence. Finally, Gwen whispered, "Everything he does, he does because he loves you."

"I know," Krysia said, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "But I really don't know what's crueler, letting him continue in peace, or telling him…telling him there's someone else and crushing his heart. I don't want to lie and tell him I feel nothing, but I don't want to confuse him by saying things that I don't even know, or can't explore or think on because…"

She sighed, frustrated, and Gwen was frowning at her with pity, clearly having none of the answers. Finally, she said, "How are we getting the key to him."

Krysia hummed and said, "I've got a few ideas."

/-/

Leon couldn't sleep. He was afraid of another dream of Krysia, and he was afraid he'd find in the morning that Krysia and Gwen's visit was a dream. Perhaps it was the week in the cells, or perhaps it was the knowledge that she was willing to risk everything to get him free, but part of him had begun to wish, like he hadn't dared allow himself to wish in many months, that she might feel the tiniest bit for him of what he felt for her.

A dangerous thing, he knew, but he could only stop his feelings for so long before he had to feel them again.

/-/

Gwaine woke with a gasping start in the cave, not sure if he had a dream or if he was just feeling the anxiety of Krysia's predicament. He was about to puzzle whether he should go back to sleep again, and then he realized that he just needed to pee.

He sighed and got up, startling Merlin awake. Merlin looked up, horrified, and Gwaine gave him a nervous smile.

"Oh, sorry," Gwaine said. "Nature calls."

He slipped out of the cave and found a suitable bush, contemplating whether he ought to just pee, or have a moment on his own, but he knew Merlin might worry if he didn't come back quickly. He crept back to the cave, and Merlin was sitting up, pale and terrified.

"That's better," Gwaine said, smiling to show that he was alright. But Merlin didn't calm. "You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine," Merlin said. "Really…"

Gwaine shrugged and returned to his spot in the cave, but he had the feeling that Merlin might have been lying.

/-/

When Gwen left to deliver the key, Krysia spent her day in her chambers as much as possible, making sure she had everything she might need. She shoved her magic book into her bag, her sheathed dagger, and a change of clothes from the ones Gwen had already packed, just in case. One couldn't be sure how long they'd be away.

She hesitated, looking at her dressing table. She was tempted to bring along the headdress with her parents' crests, but instead she picked up Lady Evaine's pendant. It didn't go with the red gown she was wearing until she went to Gwen's house, but she knew she couldn't leave it here. She sat by her window and waited for nightfall.

/-/

Leon sat in silence all day, still wondering whether perhaps it wasn't all a dream when he heard a clinking near him, and he turned startled. He smiled to see a key on the floor of his cell, and he hurried to grab it and slide it in his sleeve, waiting for the nightfall. Those two women were the most brilliant he'd ever met, he was certain. Whether it would all be enough, that would be a separate question, but the first phase was complete.

/-/

Krysia arrived at Gwen's house shortly before the alarm bell sounded, and she had just enough time to change into the purple gown when Leon entered, breathless. He froze when he saw her, and he smiled a little, absently.

"We haven't got time to waste," Gwen said.

She handed him the dress she'd found, and he looked at it, horrified.

"You…you can't be serious," he said.

"Just hurry," Gwen said while Krysia tried not to laugh. "Every guard in Camelot will be looking for you. They won't be looking for three women courtiers."

Leon sighed, and Krysia watched him walk away. When he returned a moment later, the dress was hanging off him awkwardly and he said, "Are all women double-jointed in the shoulders?"

"Let me," Krysia whispered with a smile, going behind him to fasten the dress, which was only just large enough for his torso. He turned when she finished, and his face softened when he saw that she was wearing his mother's pendant.

"You brought it," he whispered.

"I couldn't very well leave it behind," she said, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "Grab that sack. We need to move."

/-/

They paused in the forest to remove the gowns, and Krysia tried not to laugh at Gwen's frustration while they waited for Leon to remove his dress.

"What's taking you so long?" Gwen finally said.

"I'm a woman!" he said frustrated as he struggled to remove the clasps.

Gwen softened, and Krysia could no longer contain her laugh.

"Here, let me help you," Gwen said.

Gwen undid the fastenings, and when Leon had shaken off the gown, Krysia finished packing them away in the bag.

"What next?" Krysia said.

"From here, we need to take the path heading north," Leon said. "There's a cave in the Darkling Woods, five minutes due east of the fallen oak. It has a concealed entrance and fresh water. My guess is that's where Arthur's hiding out."

Krysia nodded. It seemed a reasonable guess. She started north, and they followed her.

/-/

Gwaine heard shouting, and he and Merlin and Arthur hurried out, and before Gwaine could process anything else, he saw Krysia approaching. He laughed, nervous, and he called out her name as Arthur said something else. She ran at Gwaine, and he called her name again, Lifting her, spinning around so that her legs swung. When her feet touched the ground again, he almost kissed her, but she hesitated, so he didn't.

He turned as Arthur greeted the others, and he saw that the man with them, Sir Leon, was staring at her with an expression Gwaine could recognize anywhere as heartache.

Arthur shook Leon's hand and said his name, and then Elyan came out, shouting.

"We've been found! They're almost upon us!"

"Get Gaius," Arthur said to Merlin. Then he turned to the rest of them and said, "We need to get out of here! Run!"

They hurried north, chased by soldiers, the path narrowing around them. Gwaine felt that they weren't going to be able to make it, as several of them were flagging, but suddenly they heard a voice from above on the cliff.

"Look out!" the voice called.

"Gaius," Krysia said, nervous that he wasn't going to be out of the way, but he did make it past as a huge boulder came from the sky, followed by a subsequent rock fall, allowing them to be separated from Morgana's soldiers.

"Who's that?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know," Gwaine said, "but I'm liking him already."

They looked up, and there on the ridge were two men Gwaine had never met, but at least one of them was familiar to some in the party.

"Lancelot!" Gwen said, startled.

"Great timing," Krysia said with a laugh as the two men smiled down at them.

"We need to hurry," Lancelot said.

They did keep moving, and Lancelot and his friend met them further up the past, and Arthur smiled saying, "I take it that rock fall wasn't an accident."

Lancelot gestured to his extremely tall friend, who seemed a bit shy.

"This is Percival," Lancelot said. "It was his strength that brought them down."

"Immense strength indeed," Krysia said, raising an eyebrow.

Percival smiled shyly, then bowed to Arthur and said, "Your Highness."

"Arthur," Arthur said, holding out his hand. Percival shook it, and Gwaine didn't miss the little flex of his hand Arthur did when they let go.

"Arthur it is," Percival said.

"The real question is what are you doing here?" Kryisa said.

"Er…it was me," Merlin said. "I sent for Lancelot."

Arthur looked mildly impressed, and Gwaine realized this must have been what Merlin had periodically left for, trying to find some sign of this friend coming.

"Well," Arthur said, "we owe you our lives. Thank you."

He shook hands with Lancelot, and then looked around.

"Where to now?" Gwaine said.

"Actually," Krysia said, "I have an idea."

/-/

The castle was not as Krysia expected it, but when they entered the vaulted council chamber of Carneath, Krysia was both saddened with how decrepit it had become and heartened that it still stood. The room was dark, and furniture was covered in cobwebs, but this was home. Arthur led the way, each of them holding torches, but still it was very dark.

"Are you sure we'll be safe in here?"

"Carneath has been unoccupied since before I was born," Arthur said, "but it belonged to the ancient kings. It's a sturdy castle, and not somewhere Morgana will look right away. It will do for a while."

"Can't be worse than that cave," Elyan said.

"We should split up," Krysia said softly. "If I remember my reading correctly, this place would have had men living here until my parents were burned. There may still be some weapons about."

Arthur nodded and said, "Search the place, see what you can find."

Krysia ignored Gwaine's wink and suggestion that she should follow him, and she went up the stairway, seeing if there was anything she could find of value. She opened the door to what appeared to have been a study, with a small library. Some of the books were in poor shape, but she could imagine that it was comfortable, once upon a time.

She didn't startle when she felt someone coming up behind her, thinking it was probably Gwaine, following her. She did startle slightly when she turned to find Leon there, smiling weakly.

"My lady," he said.

"Leon," she said, touching her chest near his mother's pendant. His eye was drawn down, but he quickly fixed his gaze on her face again. "I don't expect there will be much of weapons up here."

"No, I…I didn't want you to be alone," he said. His lip twitched and he said, "You…It was Morgana, wasn't it? The person who poisoned you, you were sure it was not the same sorcerer we nearly burned. It was Morgana."

Krysia sighed slightly, tightening her smile and shrugging.

"Why didn't you say something?" he said.

"Who would have listened?" she said. "Uther thought Morgana could do no wrong. No one would have believed me. What motive would she have had?

Leon nodded for a moment, then said, "I would have believed you."

"But you wouldn't have been able to fix it," she said.

He shook his head and said, "I'll make it right somehow. I promise." They stared at each other for a long moment, then he said gently, "Gwaine is a…a good man."

She couldn't help the smile that spread over her face at the mention of Gwaine's name, and she said, "Yes, he…he is. A great man, actually, although he hides it well."

Leon's face twitched, torn between the smile he was trying to hold and the very clear pain he was experiencing. Whatever line she'd tried to tow, she knew that Leon recognized how she felt about Gwaine, and she knew it must be hurting him.

"I wish you ever happiness," he said softly.

"Leon."

He bowed, kissed her hand, and left her standing alone for a long time. She shuddered and realized if she didn't return to the council chamber soon, they would begin to wonder where she'd gone.

She hurried back downstairs and saw Gwaine drop some weapons onto a table. She picked up one of the lighter swords.

"They must've been left by bandits," Gwaine said.

Arthur was removing a cloth covering a round table, and he smiled, gesturing to the rest of them.

"Here!" he said. "Come and join me."

They all took seats, Gwaine actually pausing to pull out the chair for Krysia. She could feel that people were watching them, and she knew one of those people must be Leon, but she felt a strange mixture of embarrassment and joy that she didn't know how to process.

"This table originally belonged to the ancient kings of Camelot," Arthur said. "A round table afforded no one man more importance than any other. They believed in equality in all things. So it seems fitting that we revive this tradition now. Without each of you, we would not be here."

Krysia felt Gwaine's hand rest on her thigh, and she sat a bit straighter and said, "The question is, what do we do next? The castle is in good condition on the exterior, but it's not fit for prolonged habitation."

Arthur nodded and said, "My father has languished in prison for too long. Tomorrow, I make my bid to rescue him. Are there any around this table who will join me?"

Lancelot stood almost as soon as the question left Arthur's lips.

"You taught me the values of being a knight," Lancelot said, "the code by which a man should live his life. To fight with honor for justice, freedom, and all that's good. I believe in the world that you will build."

Elyan nodded and said, "Even though I was a commoner, a nobody, you were willing to lay down your life for me, Arthur." He stood. "It is now my turn to repay you."

Arthur looked moved, and Krysia stood and said, "Camelot is my home as well. If you think you could keep me from fighting for it, you're sorely mistaken."

Leon then stood from across the table and said, "I have fought alongside you many times. There is no one that I would rather die for."

Krysia's chest tightened, but then Gwaine said, "I think we've got no chance…but I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Gwaine stood, and he was closely followed by Percival.

"Your enemies are my enemies," the newcomer said.

Gaius stood, and Krysia said, "Gaius!"

"If you need an old man," Gaius said, but Arthur looked like he might cry. Then Gwen stood.

"You know the answer."

They all turned to the only seated party, and Arthur said, "Merlin?"

"God's sake, get up," Krysia said.

"No, I don't really fancy it," Merlin said.

"You don't have a choice, Merlin," Arthur said.

"Okay," Merlin said, standing.

Krysia nodded around at them all and said, "So begins our effort to retake Camelot, whatever may come."

Arthur sighed and said, "I want to thank you all for staying loyal to me in Camelot's hour of need. I'll do something that my father wouldn't approve of."

He had the men, apart from Merlin, Gaius, and Leon, kneel in a line across the floor, and Krysia felt a strange pride watching Gwaine kneel there, waiting for Arthur's sword tip to touch his shoulders.

"Arise, Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot," Arthur said, beginning his movement down the row, knighting each man. "Arise, Sir Gwaine, Knight of Camelot. Arise, Sir Percival, Knight of Camelot. Arise, Sir Elyan, Knight of Camelot."

They each stood in their turn, and Arthur nodded at them. "Tomorrow, when you fight, you can stand proud knowing you are members of the most noble army the world has ever known."

They agreed to bed down that knight on the floor of the council chamber, although Krysia found she couldn't sleep. Into the knight she grew restless, and she got up when the others had gone still and silent, and she took one of the torches, creeping out of the chamber and going up the stairs again. She checked room after room, searching for something, she wasn't sure what.

She reached a bedroom that felt strangely familiar, and she stepped into it, doing a quick spell to remove the worst layer of the dust from the mattress. It was a finely furnished room, likely belonging to someone in her family, or perhaps reserved for special guests. She turned, about to leave, and she startled to see Gwaine there, smiling at her.

"What are you doing, lovely?" he said, stepping into the room. "We've got a big day tomorrow. You should be resting."

"I couldn't sleep," she said, feeling her breath stick in her chest. Why did it suddenly feel hotter in this room?

She had flashes of a dream she'd had several times lately, and she realized why the room felt familiar. The sensation of Gwaine's body pressing down on her, the feeling of his calloused hands tracing over her skin…

"You seem like you're looking for something," he said.

"This…this place was my mother's home," she said, forcing a smile. "I just wanted to see if I…if I could find anything that, I don't know, felt familiar."

He hummed, then looked at the window and said, "This is going to sound mad, but I've dreamed of this room."

"Me too," Krysia whispered.

His eyes met hers, and she knew they'd had the same dream. She had a feeling that the glow in his eyes would be enough to light the space even without the torches. If a look could burn…

"It's my favorite dream," he whispered. "But we…. Well, it doesn't seem the right time, does it?"

"What do you mean?" she said.

"Well, we could all die tomorrow," he said with a nervous laugh. "It's probably not the time to be thinking about…about how…" He sighed. "It's not the time to be distracted by how much I want you."

Krysia thought he might be right, but she'd also never felt a longing like what she was feeling now, and she had faith that they were going to survive. All the dreams she had of him had come true. Surely this would another case, which meant…

"Perhaps that makes this the best time," she whispered. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I…I want to feel…"

His eyebrows twitched up his face as he realized what she was saying.

"You're sure?" he said.

"Yeah," she said.

He set the torch down in the unused fireplace, taking hers and setting it down as well. He placed his hands at her waist and slipped them under the hem of her tunic, tracing up to her skin, pulling her in for a kiss. His hands, too, were like fire.

"I don't really know what I'm doing, though," she said, nervously laughing against his lips.

"That's alright," he said, pressing kisses around her mouth. "I'll teach you. Just let go, lovely. Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"Then just feel. If something doesn't feel good, tell me. If something does, tell me that too, alright?"

She nodded, letting him pull her tunic off, tossing it aside to the floor.

She wasn't entirely sure how long undressing took or how much of an active role she played in it, but her clothes were off and discarded before he'd taken off a stitch, and she could see him inhale in the moonlight as she sat on the mattress, looking up at him.

"What is it?" she said.

"You're so perfect," he said, with the reverence of a prayer. "Just…just lay back."

She did, although her curiosity was strong as she watched him remove his own shirt. She licked her lips and laid back, trying not to react as she felt the mattress shift with him joining her. She expected him to come kiss her, but she was surprised to feel him gently part her legs. The next thing she felt was his mouth between her thighs.

She gasped, startled and a bit embarrassed, but he pressed a hand to her hip to steady her and looked up.

"Relax, darling," he said. "Trust me. You'll feel better if I do this, I promise."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to relax and just trust him.

It was a strange thing to get used to, but his mouth seemed to know what it was doing, because it wasn't terribly long before she realized how pleasant it was. She could feel something building inside her, a sensation she'd only felt in dreams and didn't have a name for.

She remembered that he'd asked her to say if something felt good, but she couldn't form the words. She just managed to sigh out his name as the wave of pleasure took her.

She was tired, and he kissed a line up her body, grinning. She could see something shining on his lips in the moonlight, and he licked them like a greedy cat.

"How was that?"

"Really nice," she said.

"Good," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "This might hurt a bit, okay? If that happens, its okay, just squeeze my hand. And if it hurts a lot, tell me."

"Alright."

She was about to ask what he was going to do when he surprised her with a deep kiss, and before she'd fully registered he was kissing her, he'd inserted himself in her. She gasped into his mouth, and he murmured apologies against her mouth, staying as still as he could while she adjusted to this new and not entirely pleasant sensation.

When her muscles began to relax, he slowly pulled out, then pushed deeper in. Again she tensed, and again he whispered his apologies to her lips.

"Alright?" he asked after they did this several times.

"Yeah," she said, silently wondering why anyone did this part.

This time he moved in and out at a rhythm, and she could feel him pulsing inside her. It didn't stop hurting, a dull kind of ache, but it didn't get worse. If anything, she did feel a lightly pleasant sensation with the motion, the friction. Gwaine's hands began to explore her body, touching her like she remembered in the dream, and then he moved his mouth to her breasts, taking one between his teeth.

She gasped at this sensation, which was not something she expected to feel so pleasant. She could feel him smiling against her breast, then felt him gently suckling it. She closed her eyes, relaxing into this sensation, and she realized that when she did this, the other sensations improved as well.

She sighed his name, and he groaned against her breast, taking the other into his mouth. She traced her hand through his hair, and he groaned again.

Krysia didn't have another peak of pleasure like the previous one, but Gwaine seemed to, and she could even feel liquid inside her as he softened. He groaned her name and rested his head on her chest.

"I love you," he sighed against her neck.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

He reached over the edge of the bed for something, and she opened her eyes to see him pull out the belt she'd given to Merlin when he went after Arthur in the Perilous Lands.

Krysia laughed and said, "I can't believe you still have it."

"I wasn't going to let go of the only piece of you I had," he said, looking up at her with adoration in the moonlight. "They'd have to have killed me first."

She pulled him in for a kiss, cherishing their closeness, which could not last forever. She just kept reminding herself there were many more dreams to live, so they weren't going to die tomorrow.

A/N:

So, they're all gathered at Carneath, Leon has fully accepted that she's not his (although he's still a bit heartbroken) and we've met Percival. And one of the dreams has manifested! Tomorrow, they go to retake Camelot!

-C