A/N: Hi guys. It's been a while. I've been busy with my final year essay, and y'know the whole pandemic situation going on. I thought I'd give you all a little treat to brighten your day. Hope you enjoy.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, although I do love them very much. These characters belong to the BBC and the relevant production companies. Any characters that are of my own creation will be listed below.
OCs: Alara, Gaheris, Meilyr
CHAPTER EIGHT
There was something different about Alara, and Merlin couldn't quite put his finger on what. She seemed more ... floaty than usual; there seemed to be this radiance about her that bled into everyone she encountered. She was able to help Gaius out more: Gaheris' fifth birthday had passed, and was therefore no longer sleeping in the nursery, and Meilyr was beginning to form bigger sentences as the days went by.
Merlin's nightmares had subsided, so maybe Alara was right, he thought to himself. Maybe he was just letting his prejudice get the better of him. Despite having one less thing to be worried about, it did seem that the problems that the kingdom was facing were growing out of control. Saxons had been reported on the northern borders, pillaging and destroying the outlying villages in their wake.
"We need to start increasing patrols of the border, and we may have to send more soldiers out to the northern towns. We need to get these men under control."
All the men in the council chamber agreed.
"Who is going to be sent out there?" Leon asked. "We're sending more men out to the remote villages week after week, and have very few left who can be fully trained."
"Why not see how our forces are coping?" Merlin suggested. "I have seen reports from a township twenty or so miles north-east of the capital, and they seem to be doing well in holding off the invaders. Maybe we're overthinking how much help is truly needed." He turned to Arthur. "Leon is right. We can't supply our vulnerable towns with men that haven't even been decently trained."
Arthur sat with great pause, listening to the knights and the advisors. "I will adjourn this meeting. It is a great decision, and I think we need all the information before a clear judgment can be made. You're all dismissed."
All bowed and exited the chamber. Arthur and Merlin both remained in their seats.
"I don't want to send them away from their families. I hear that Gregory's wife has just given birth, and Julius is thinking of proposing to his long time partner - can you believe that? These mean may be under liege to me, but I can't do this to them."
Merlin nodded, "It's a great task, I understand. I know that you will make the right decision."
A knock at the door swayed Arthur's attention.
"Enter."
Gaheris walked in, followed by Alara carrying Meilyr.
Arthur beamed, "Ah, just who I wanted to see." He took Gaheris onto his lap. "Have you both been well behaved for Alara?"
Gaheris nodded.
"That's good to hear. Now, what have you both gotten up to?"
Gaheris put his hand over his mouth, imitating someone in deep thought. "Geoff tolded me my matmatics was good."
"Well you're doing better than I did! I was rubbish at mathematics." Arthur turned to Alara. "And what about Meilyr, how is he progressing with his words?"
"He's getting stronger with his 't' sounds, but there's a little trouble with 'q' and 'p'."
Arthur nodded, "He'll get there. He's a bright child, and I know that one day he will have our ears off with chatter." He ruffled Gaheris' hair and kissed his son.
"Come along now, Gaheris, your father has some very important things to do." Alara curtsied before leaving the chamber.
Merlin pat his friend on the shoulder. "Your father would be proud to see your boys."
"I think he would have barked orders at them just as he did me." Arthur said.
"Well count yourself lucky that you have done far more for this kingdom than he ever did."
Merlin had his dinner bought to Alara's chambers that night. Since she arrived in Camelot, he made the effort to spend more time with her; she was still trying to make friends with the other maids, but it was proving more difficult than both had imagined.
When he entered her chamber, Alara was sprucing a bouquet of flowers on her table. "Those are nice."
She smiled, "Mordred gave them to me this morning as he was returning from a patrol."
"Those remind me of the flowers that Mother used to put out." He sat the food down as he readied himself to eat.
"These are cowslips. You must be thinking of primroses."
As the two tucked into their food, their conversation turned to Arthur.
"The children were so pleased to see their father today. Gaheris was telling me all about how he wants to be just like Arthur when he is king."
Merlin grinned, "I think Arthur would be pleased to hear that."
"The other day Gwen was telling me of the night Gaheris was born,"
"Oh?"
"She spoke of how terrified Arthur was, how he couldn't stop crying. Of course she was already quite emotional, but to see her husband so tenderly hold their newborn son. And that carried with how attentive he was when Meilyr was born."
He nodded, "I remember the fights that they used to have. Gods I didn't know who was going to be hurt more - their marriage or the baby."
A maid popped her head into the room. "I apologise for the intrusion. But Sir Mordred has requested your presence, Miss."
Alara nodded and downed the water in her cup. "Of course. Give me a moment and I shall join him."
"Wait, doesn't Mordred have a patrol tonight?"
"No. He switched shifts with Percival. He's now doing dawn patrol for the next few mornings in place of switching the next two nights."
They laughed as they settled into the bed. Alara softly stroked Mordred's cheek.
"I don't think this would ever get old." He said.
"What, spending hours in my lust-filled company?"
He kissed her. "Well, yes. But I'm also talking about ... I don't really know how to put this ... I guess this swelling feeling in my chest."
Alara gave him a puzzled look.
"I know how ridiculous that sounds, but I mean it. That's the best way I can put it."
"You're sweet." Snuggling down into Mordred's arms, Alara wrapped the bed-covers around her. "Come, you have an early start for the next few days."
Mordred rolled his eyes and followed suit. "Nothing will stop me from loving you. I will always love you."
She closed her eyes. "And I will always love you too. Forever and always."
As dawn was breaking, Mordred's dreams became filled with dread. Not only was there blood on his hands, but he could also see Alara lying on a bed, her skin white as snow and her hands hanging limp off of the side. Screams filled the room - not only his, but there were women and children as well as he clamped his hands over his ears to try to drown out the cacophony. A sharp pain in his stomach cause him to sit bolt right up in bed, drenched in sweat. He turned to see if Alara was still there.
"Thank you." He said.
Alara stirred, "Mordred? What's wrong?"
He shook his head, getting up. "Just a bad dream is all." He was lucky that the chambermaid had left a jug of fresh water; Mordred splashed his face to clean up.
Alara sat up, watching intently as Mordred's tense shoulders relaxed. "What was your dream about?"
Mordred opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say anything. He settled back into bed, but still seemed shaken by his nightmare.
"My mother always told me that if we talk about our bad dreams, they don't come back."
He smiled, "Your mother is a very smart woman." Mordred kissed her sweetly. "Just like her daughter."
"So what happened?"
"I ... I can't really explain it. I had blood on my hands, there was screaming, and you were dead."
"Dead?!" Alara exclaimed.
"Well I assume you were."
"Is that it?"
Mordred nodded.
"If you were amongst the druids, what would they say?"
"They would see it as an ill omen. The screaming would symbolise a great tragedy, and the dead person would usually mean that the dreamer is very close to them and is worried about them."
"You're worried about me?"
"I worry about you because I care for you."
They both settled themselves again in the bed, wrapping the covers tightly around each other. Mordred enveloped Alara in his arms, holding her tight against him before he readied himself for the dawn patrol.
Morgana sat on her throne, a smirk creeping across her face. "I think we may have an upper hand in all this."
An icy chill raked across her shoulders as the phantom of Morgause creeped around the chair. "Our plan is in motion. We will have him."
