AN.: Sorry for keeping you waiting. I hope you all are alright. Stay safe.
Left and then right? Gwaine's hand went through the sweaty and messy mop of hair beneath the hood of the cloak, hoping that the motion would help him to remember the right way to lady Goodhunt's guest chamber. He had been on the right way, following Merlin's instructions, when an approaching patrol of guards on night shift had appeared out of nowhere and were headed straight into the direction Gwaine had intended to walk. He had had no other choice than to evade them by taking a different turn. The patrol's light had illuminated the way on their search for something out of the ordinary, for an intruder, for a threat and since Gwaine had fitted into at least one of those categories, he had thought it would be the best for him, Merlin and the guards on duty to avoid them at all cost.
He had walked for a while, had taken turns to lose their searching light, but they had still been – unknowingly – hot on his tail, until he had found a nice, dark alcove to hide in. He had pressed his back against the cold wall and had let himself slide down, until his butt had hit the floor. His knees were pulled up to his chest. He had straightened his cloak and had fixed his hood to become one with the shadow and then he had waited for the guards to either find him or pass him by. His heart had been beating with a rapid pace, making the blood rush through his ears. The sound of footsteps suddenly had ringed through his head and the pitch-black darkness had turned brighter. First, bright enough for Gwaine to be able to make out shapes and shadows of his own hands moving in front of him, then bright enough to be able to guess the stone wall of the hallway which had been bordering his little alcove and then the guard holding the lamp or torch had suddenly turned the corner and had illuminated the hallway enough to blind Gwaine for a second. He had held his breath as the steps accompanying the light from the torch had turned louder and louder until they had been right in front of him. Gwaine didn't dare to take a breath. The guard's steps had stopped. The light had still been present, but Gwaine had been shielding his frame of view by pulling the hood further down. He had swallowed. And then the guard had yawned heartily and had kept walking, passing Gwaine's alcove by.
The knight had sat still until the light had faded again, leaving him once again in the pitch-black darkness. He had urged his heart to calm down by taking a few deep, much needed breaths before he had dared to leave his hiding spot. He had stepped back into the hallway and had felt for the wall. As soon as his hand had touched the cold stone, Gwaine had pressed his back against the wall and had tried to remember which way he had taken to avoid the guards.
Left and then right? Now, he was lost. He knew Camelot like the inside of his armour but at night, the darkness and silence was driving even the sanest knight mad. He had no idea were he currently was. There was only one way how he could find his way: He had to backtrack the last few turns and hopefully then he'd end up where he had decided to get off course.
No, left and then straight until the window comes back into view. Then right. Gwaine's only comfort was that the moon had come out from hiding behind a lonely cloud in the sky, sending rays of ghostly, pale light downwards through the window and tinging the whole hallway in shades of grey. Gwaine suddenly recognized the window and therefore knew where he was. He stopped and took a moment to assess his position and compared it to the route he had planned on taking earlier. He had taken quite the detour but there was no reason why he wouldn't reach his destination. With new determination and new strength powering his strides, Gwaine walked towards the remote and quiet area of Camelot.
No more forced detours allowed him to reach Lady Goodhunt's chambers and with a pointed look left and right, to make sure he was alone and wouldn't be surprised by another tired night shift guard, Gwaine opened the door with the gracefulness of a professional burglar and stepped inside into the guest chamber. The room was illuminated by only the moon shining through the window as well and the needy source of light allowed Gwaine to recognize a table, a chest of drawers a nightstand and a bed. Besides the bed was a chair which had a few garments placed over the backrest. Gwaine's eyes swept the room once more; On the chest of drawers was a bowl, presumable filled with water to allow the Lady to freshen up in the morning. On the table were a few accessories like a comb and earrings. Gwaine's eyes landed on the nightstand next to the bed. There, in a vase, sat a beautiful, beautiful bouquet of flowers. The sight left a warm feeling in Gwaine's pit of the stomach and a sudden wave of euphoria spiked, leaving Gwaine in a constant happy smile. He took one step towards the flowers before he hesitated and his gaze wandered a few paces next to the nightstand. There was something big and moving beneath all the pillows and covers; Lady Goodhunt was fast asleep, her breathing making the layers of feathers and velvet slowly rise and sink. For a few breaths, Gwaine just stood there and stared at the sleeping woman, fearing that his sheer presence would wake her up any second now. The weight of the task suddenly crushed down on his shoulders; Gwaine had to succeed for Merlin, no matter what happened. Swallowing his heartbeat back down again, Gwaine took a calculated step towards the nightstand, his vision focused and his gaze jumped back and forth between the bed and the flower bouquet. Every sound he made while advancing through the room seemed amplified; The floorboards squeaked, the fabric of his cloak rustled, his beating heart made his body waver and his breathing sounded like the wind howling through the night. Gwaine felt beads of sweat forming on his face and running down his fair skin.
Suddenly, Lady Goodhunt began to snore. Every breath she took made the snore become gradually louder until it reached its peak and was cut-off by her sucking in a sudden breath as if she had choked on the breath she had taken. In horror, Gwaine realized that her snoring must've woken her up, because her breathing was barely audible and he could hear her scratching herself. Gwaine managed to duck out of her line of sight as soon as she shifted positions, turning over under her thick covers until she was facing in the direction of the nightstand with the bouquet on top. Gwaine suppressed a curse and tried to calm his breathing while he cowered near the end of the bed. From his position, he wasn't able to observe her to determine if she'd fallen asleep again. So, Gwaine had to rely on the sounds she made, waiting for her breathing to become even and rhythmic again.
It felt like time had slowed down; Gwaine's legs ached and his injuries made themselves known again. Due to the adrenalin, Gwaine had managed to blend out the pain before, but now, his broken rip was putting a strain on his breathing, the tense skin across his back was burning and felt hot and his hand bothered him with painful jabs every time he moved it. He just hoped that everything would turn out fine in the end. Only then, Gwaine could give himself the time he and his body needed to rest and heal.
While concentrating on his uncomfortable position and pain that position inflicted, Gwaine almost didn't notice the subtle change in the woman's breathing, indicating that she must've fallen asleep again. Slowly, he rose to his feet to throw a glance at her sleeping form. Her face was the only visible thing Gwaine was able to see. Unfortunately, that face was only centimetres away from the nightstand. Her eyes were shut tightly and her mouth was slightly opened to breathe. Gwaine couldn't wait any longer. He almost floated over the last floorboards, closing the distance between himself and the object of his desire. He outstretched one arm from under the cloak and reached for the bouquet. His eyes were hefted on the flowers as he felt the Lady's breath brush past his outstretched hand. He was so close to her. He grabbed the flowers and lifted them slightly from the vase only to hear a sound of water dripping and splashing; The bouquet had been put into water which was now dipping, the droplets making a tiny sound as they collided with the remaining water in the vase. Gwaine held the flowers still for a few seconds waiting for the water to stop dripping, when the sudden realization that the breath brushing past his hand was gone stabbed him in the back with a blade made of ice. He turned his head in shook only to look at Lady Goodhunt staring at him, her open eyes hefted on his hooded face, a gleam of fear visible.
They stared at each other. And then, chaos broke loose. Lady Goodhunt screamed so loud, the high pitch left a ringing in his ears. Gwaine also screamed in return, not out of fear but out of surprise. The biggest surprise though was that the Lady wasn't backing away from him in fear, no. Instead, she moved forward and grabbed Gwaine's wrist with which he was holding the bouquet. With the other hand, she threw her covers back and got to her feet still holding onto Gwaine's wrist with a deathly grip.
"Sorcerer! The sorcerer!" She suddenly screamed while using the other hand to get a better grip on the intruder in her room. Gwaine only saw it because she was out from under the covers now; She was built like a knight. Square, muscled shoulders, big hand and feet and as tall as Gwaine. Gwaine tried to rip himself free from the strong grip but he only could make use of one hand as the other was clutching the flowers so strongly, his knuckles had turned white.
"You filthy sorcerer! You thought you had an easy target with me, huh? Think again! I have five older brothers. I know how to defend myself." The woman said as she snaked one hand beneath Gwaine's cloak trying to get it off from him to expose him. Gwaine managed to take a sudden step towards the door which resulted in both of them falling to the floor in a heap. Gwaine felt her hand running over his back, grabbing a fistful of the shirt he wore underneath his cloak and tearing it with almost inhuman strength. Gwaine couldn't help but cry out as she came in contact with the claw marks across his back. The struggle must've opened the wound up again because he felt warm blood running down his muscled back. The cry of pain and the sudden blood on her hand had startled Lady Goodhunt enough to stop fighting for a breath which gave Gwaine the opportunity to kick her off and scramble for the door. The kick had stun her enough to leave her behind as he stumbled out of the room, panting heavily. He started running, ignoring the pain on his back or in his lungs. He only heard his heavy breathing and the blood rushing through his ears. He pulled the cloak closer around him, hoping that he wasn't leaving a trail of blood behind him. The guards must've been informed now by Lady Goodhunt and were probably after him, right on his trail. Gwaine was fairly certain though that he had managed to keep his face shielded from her sight. The hand with which he had been holding the flowers was hurting badly and Gwaine realized that the cut in the palm of his hand was bleeding again as well.
He took a sharp turn and ended up at Gaius' door. Without thinking any further ahead, he charged through the door, Scaring the occupants of the room almost to death.
"Quick! We need to be asleep right now!" Gwaine yelled at Merlin and Gaius who had been sitting around a table, a candle lighting the room. They were on their feet immediately as Gwaine tore of the cloak exposing his bleeding back to them.
"Gwaine-" Merlin said in shook when he saw the blood.
"No time!" Gwaine said as he grabbed Merlin's wrist and dragged him over to the two cots they had occupied earlier. Gaius had gotten the message as well and was already making himself comfortable on his bed before extinguishing the candle. Gwaine put the flowers on the floor beneath the cot and lied down putting the covers up to his chin. A few seconds later and the door was suddenly slammed open, a group of guards holding a torch entered the room.
"We are looking for an intruder who is on the run. Traces indicated that he went into this general direction. We have to check to see if he is hiding here." One guard said, his eyes scanning the room and the occupants. Gaius was back in his role of innocent, ignorant physician as he got up and hurried over to the guards.
"An intruder? Was it the sorcerer?" He asked.
"We can't confirm anything yet. There was an attack on one of the guests and the attacker left a trail of blood. It stopped a few meters back but it's possible that he came across this room. Have you seen or heard anything suspicious?" The guard asked Gaius again.
"No, not that I know. How about you Sir Gwaine? Have you heard anything?" Gaius asked the knight emphasizing the 'Sir' to let the guards know that they are under the watch of a knight and that Gwaine had a certain amount of credibility. Gwaine was still under the covers looking at the guards as the scene unfolded. He threw in a hearty yawn for good measure before speaking up.
"No, I haven't heard anything. I was asleep to be fair, but as a knight of the round table, I have sensitive ears and a light sleep. If anyone had entered the room I would've heard them."
The guard nodded in understanding while looking and Gwaine. "Well, excuse our intrusion Sir Gwaine. We have to keep going before the attacker gets away." Without further ado, the guards turned on the spot and left the room, taking the light the torch had contributed with them and leaving the three in utter darkness. Gaius went over to where he had left the candle and managed to lighten it. Merlin had gone to Gwaine's side as soon as the guards had left the room, startling Gwaine slightly as his friend's light touch was suddenly on his arm in the darkness.
"Gwaine what happened?" Merlin asked, concern evident in his low voice.
"I got the flowers! Gwaine said excitedly, bending down to grab it from under the cot when a sharp pain across his back made him stop and hiss. Gaius was at his side as well now, already looking at the torn clothes and the wound underneath.
"It opened up again. Have you been in a fight?" Gaius looked at him expectantly and Merlin's wide eyes were resting on Gwaine's features as well.
"Let's just say that Lady Goodhunt caught me off guard." Gwaine muttered, quite embarrassed. Merlin's tone grew serious.
"Did she or anyone else see your face?"
"No, I managed to keep the hood up and shield my face from their view. She clawed at my back though…" Gwaine said, deep in thought. Gaius nodded as he stumbled across new claw marks across Gwaine's back. He cleaned the new and old wounds and bandaged them. Merlin returned with another spare shirt for Gwaine to wear.
"That is the last oversized shirt I have, Gwaine." Gwaine put it on. Merlin finally bend down and produced the flowers from under the cot, holding it up and smiling at the foxglove sitting innocently right in the middle of the bouquet.
"If we start brewing the potion now, it will be done in five hours. It takes a while, but we'll manage." Gaius said while he was busy fixing Gwaine's hand again.
"Then let's start." Gwaine encouraged, a warm smile on his face.
The sun had risen a few hours ago and the potion was almost done when a knock on the door disturbed the peaceful silence. Gwaine, Merlin and Gaius looked up to see Gwen entering the room. Her face was swollen, her eyes puffy and her lip was trembling slightly. The sight immediately put all three occupants on alert.
"Gwen. What is wrong?" Merlin asked, fear letting his heartrate spike.
Gwen sobbed a few times before she was able to form words with her trembling voice. "It's Elyan. They think he is the sorcerer responsible for the attacks." The faces in the room paled. "They took him prisoner and if his innocence isn't proved, he might get executed."
AN.: DUN DUN DUUN. I hope you liked it.