Chapter Three

It was surprisingly easy to settle into life at the castle. Well, at least for the most part. Having my own maid again was an adjustment, and having people bow or curtsey to me once more took some getting used to. But I slipped into Gwen's life so perfectly that it almost felt like this was what I had been meant to do. We each became the sister the other had never had, and I was surprised by how quickly I was accepted by Arthur and his knights. Two weeks hadn't passed before I suddenly realized that I had dropped all titles, except in formal circumstances, of course.

Hunith took her role as Mother very seriously. It seemed as though she was determined to mother all of Camelot, but especially those of us in Gwen and Arthur's circle. Seeing as, outside of her son, none of us had a mother alive, or a father, for that matter, she took over the role for each and every one of us. She fussed over our eating and sleeping schedules, worried when the boys trained or went on missions, and knew when one or the other of us were sick, often before we even made our way to see Gaius.

…

Spring had fully arrived, and with it, a long skirmish against the Saxons. The boys were gone for nearly a month, fighting the Saxons and their rogue sorcerers. But once they returned, we could see that this had taken something out of them. All six of the men were injured somehow, even Merlin, and each one had withdrawn in his own way. Merlin shut himself in his chambers, pouring over old texts, looking for answers to questions that didn't really have answers. Arthur had taken to the training grounds for entire days, coming inside only when the light failed him. Leon went with him, and was nearly as ferocious as the king in his practice. Percival disappeared from the castle for three days, and arrived back with several new injuries. Elyan spent hours in his father's old forge, pounding out his frustrations on the anvil and bending the metal to his will. And Gwaine spent his nights in the tavern; his days were spent sleeping it off.

Two weeks after they had returned, Gwen and I were sewing in her sitting room in the afternoon light. Well, that's what we were supposedly doing. Really, we were worrying about all of the boys, while occasionally remembering to put needle to thread. But we quickly looked up when Hunith came storming in. "It has been long enough. Clearly, the boys are not getting over whatever happened on this mission, so it is up to us to do something for them."

It took some time, but we managed to come up with a plan to help them on their way to recovery. And then came the scheming to get them all to cooperate, but we split them all up, so that helped. Gwen went to her husband and Leon, and Hunith took Merlin and Percival, leaving me with Elyan and Gwaine.

I made my way to the forge first, with my requisite guards, Sirs Thomas and Stephan, trailing behind me. Gwen had insisted on them to keep me safe not only from Lot, though we hadn't heard anything from him the entire time I'd been in Camelot, but from anyone else who might have looked to take me to hurt the Crown. They tried to follow me into the forge, but I stopped them. "I'm sure Sir Elyan would have taken care of any threat inside the forge. I'll be fine," I promised with a smile.

Thomas grumbled, but they agreed. I went in, instantly feeling the heat from the fires. Elyan's hammer ringing on the anvil was my guide to find him. I watched him work for a moment, entranced by his obvious talent. It seemed that he was skilled in everything to do with a sword, not just in wielding it.

Finally, I remembered why I was there, and I called out to him. "Elyan, could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Just a moment, Anna," he said, never pausing in his work. I was a bit impressed, since he had clearly been aware of my presence the whole time. His training as a knight had paid off.

Elyan hammered for a moment longer, inspected the sword for a moment, then doused it in water. He placed his hammer carefully, straightening a few other tools, brushing off his clothes, taking his time before finally turning to me. "What can I do for you, Anna?"

"Your sister, Hunith, and I would like your company tomorrow, if that suits you," I explained.

He huffed a short laugh. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Not really," I grinned at him.

"What time and where shall I attend you, my lady?" he asked, inclining his head in jest.

"Please meet us in the front courtyard midmorning. You'll need your horse," I instructed.

"As my lady commands, so I shall do," he said, giving a deep, mocking bow.

"And you'd better not be late," I warned. "Or you will find that having three ladies upset with you makes your life rather difficult."

He laughed again. "I'll be there, Anna."

"Good. And make sure you eat something tonight," I ordered on my way out. I could hear his laughter following me as I rejoined my guards. I felt a bit triumphant at that, as we hadn't heard it since the boys' return.

The tavern was next. I knew I would find Gwaine there, since he had taken to going there by early evening since they'd been back. And sure enough, there he was, sitting at a table surrounded by people, and a tankard in his hand. Two empty ones lay next to him on the table already.

He was clearly in the middle of an amusing story, as there was a small crowd around him, and they all were laughing uproariously. Then he caught sight of me. "Why, my lady, I never thought I would see you in such an establishment!"

"I wouldn't be here if not for you. The queen has need of you," I retorted, glaring at his admirers. They scattered, muttering things about not mucking about with royalty. All but one. The blonde was rather clingy, sitting on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck, and incredibly buxom, having her best assets terribly close to Gwaine's face. It was more than a bit disgusting.

"Ah, it seems that duty calls, my dear," he told Buxom.

She pouted, looking rather like an overgrown child. "Surely you could stay just a little while longer," she whined. Even her voice was grating, high pitched and nasally.

Gwaine looked to me quickly, but I simply stared back at him, thoroughly unimpressed by his companion. "I'm afraid not, lamb, not if Lady Anna was sent. But I'll be back tomorrow, and I'll finish telling you all about my adventures."

"You're so brave," she simpered.

He smirked. "That's not all I am. A magical dwarf once named me Strength incarnate."

The blonde cooed, but the rather blank look on her face told both Gwaine and me she didn't understand what he'd said. "Well, I must be off," he said, standing abruptly and setting her on the bench. "And don't forget. I'll be back tomorrow."

"How could I? You're the finest thing to ever walk in here," she assured.

I barely withheld the laugh that tried to escape at the cocky smirk crossing his face. At least until we got outside. "You realize she only said that because you're a knight, right?"

"Probably," he agreed, grin still firmly affixed to his lips. "But at least it means she likes me for something. Now, how can I help you, milady?"

"Gwen, Hunith, and I require your company tomorrow morning," I said, not giving him the option to say no like I had with Elyan. "Meet us in the courtyard midmorning with your horse."

"Midmorning?" he asked incredulously. "Then I can go back to the tavern now."

But I disagreed. "No, you can't, because if you do, you'll sleep through our appointment tomorrow," I argued, grabbing hold of his sleeve. "And besides, you wouldn't leave me to walk back unescorted, would you?"

Gwaine snorted. "You've got your guards."

"That's their job, but it's your duty to escort a lady when she asks it," I smiled sweetly.

He laughed, holding his arm out in mock gallantry. "As you wish, milady."

Sadly, his good humor slipped away the further we walked. In fact, the latter half of our walk was taken in silence, which was rather disconcerting, given his normal predilection for speaking at length on whatever subject struck his fancy.

"Well, milday, I have escorted you safely to your chambers," he said, once again bowing ridiculously low. "Now, I leave you until tomorrow."

"Thank you, Gwaine," I said, but he was already walking down the hallway.

Sighing, I promised my guards that I was settling in for the night. Tomorrow can't come soon enough, I thought, as I readied myself for bed, curling up with a fascinating history Geoffrey, the librarian, had found for me.

…

Surprising no one, Gwaine was the last one to meet us the next morning, looking rather the worse for the wear. I suspected he had simply tucked into some of his private stores of spirits after I had made him leave the tavern. But he wasn't the only one looking less than his usual self. Merlin was even paler than ever, blinking rather owlishly against the bright sunshine. Percival continually flexed his hands, as though he wanted still to hit something. Arthur and Elyan tried to convince Gwen that they were alright, but she wasn't buying it. And Leon simply stood stoically by his horse's head, mechanically brushing the mane with his hand.

"Alright, you lot, it's time we left," Gwen said, moving to her horse. Arthur helped her mount before mounting his own horse. Merlin assisted his mother, and Leon finally broke out of his revery to lift me onto my horse.

We women refused to tell the men where we were going, but it became rather obvious once we left the town behind and headed into the forest. The road was wide enough in most places that at least one of the men rode along side us women, keeping us safe at all times. It seemed unconscious to them, even with their own problems. And soon enough, we arrived at the meadow where the servants had prepared a picnic with several linen sheets laid out on the ground and copious cushions for us to sit on.

"So we're to have a picnic, my queen?" Arthur said, lifting his wife from her horse.

She grinned up at him. "Well, we decided that you all needed something happy, something carefree. And what better than a picnic with three beautiful ladies?"

The men all laughed, just as she intended, and it seemed to lighten their spirits, just a little. And as we ate, we only spoke of light things, nothing dark or depressing, per the queen's orders, of course.

"Pass me that bag, will you, Percival?" I asked, gesturing to my small satchel sitting next to him. We'd all eaten and everyone was relaxed, far more than they had been for some time. Arthur lay in Gwen's lap as she carded her fingers through his hair. Merlin stretched out next to his mother, looking far more content than I'd seen him in months. And the knights were all in various states of comfort, for once shedding that vigilant awareness that they carried with them more often than their knightly capes.

Percival did as I asked, and I dug around for a moment before finding what I wanted. "Ah hah!" I cried triumphantly, causing everyone to look at me.

"Are you going to play for us, Anna?" Merlin asked, a knowing smile aimed at the flute in my hand.

"Why, yes, my lord, I do believe I will," I said, eyes wide in exaggerated innocence.

"You play?" Gwaine asked confusedly, looking between me and my flute several times.

"No, I just carry around a flute for fun," I deadpanned, then, before he could respond, I put the flute to my lips.

Closing my eyes and taking a breath, I centered myself, reaching for that thread of magic I'd been taught to seek. Opening my eyes, I began to play, noting the others' reaction to the gold tinge my eyes took on. "That's always a bit surprising," Gwaine remarked, before Leon cuffed his shoulder in reproach.

As my playing continued, the magic grew. Soon, each person in the meadow was reclined on the ground, smiling in contentment. And as my song came to an end, I was grateful to be able to give them some small measure of peace.

The peaceful quiet was only slightly cracked by Arthur whispering, "Thank you, Anna. We all needed this, very much."

"You're welcome," I replied, feeling more at peace myself than I had been in a very long time.

Percival soon began to snore, followed closely by Merlin. I watched with happy satisfaction as, one by one, my companions nodded off to sleep. But there was no sleep for me. A price I was willing, no, happy to pay, if it meant that my friends were able to sleep peacefully, without the dreams that no doubt plagued their sleeping hours.

I figured that their nap would take some time, so I stood and wandered toward the stream nearby. A small school of fish swam there, back and forth, up and down. But there was one, a small, thin little thing, that seemed to lag behind the others, no matter where they went.

"That one's Merlin."

Gwaine's voice behind me didn't surprise me, like his grin when I turned to look at him suggested he was hoping for. "Really? I was thinking it looked more like a Gwaine to me."

His eyes lit up, just like every time we verbally sparred. "No, that one's a Gwaine," he said, pointing to a sleek, fast moving one.

"Oh, yes, now I see it. The one who can't sit still and listen to instructions," I replied dryly.

His laugh rang out, before he suddenly stopped, looking back to our friends. "I doubt something as little as laughter will wake them," I said, taking pity on him.

Gwaine nodded, growing serious once more. "Thank you for that, Anna," he started. "We needed that, all of us."

I had to swallow the sarcastic reply that sprang to my lips, the immediate response to anything Gwaine said. "It's the least I could do, any of us could do. We can't go to battle to protect our kingdom, but we can help those who do."

A small, warm smile crossed his face, not a smirk, for once. "Oh, I think you'd be a fierce opponent in battle. I might just suggest that to Arthur as a new battle tactic, loosing you on the enemy. You'd have them turning towards home, tails tucked firmly between their legs in no time."

"Are you implying that I am a harridan, Sir Gwaine?" I asked, pretending at indignance.

"Never, my lady," he said, though the twinkle in his eye belied the innocent expression on his face.

Laughing, I turned back to the stream. There was a moment of quiet, before Gwaine predictably broke it. "How does it work? Your playing, I mean, with the magic."

I smiled a bit at his fumbling for words, a rarity with him. "My mother taught me, starting as soon as my little hands could stretch to all the holes. She tried to teach Will, but he didn't have the patience." I laughed a bit at the memory. "I started with songs she composed, then she taught me to compose my own. But I'm still not sure if the magic's in the song, or if it's in me."

"It's most definitely in you," he flirted shamelessly, dodging out of the way of my half-hearted attempt to shove him in the water. "So what sort of songs can you do? Could you make us all… want to kill each other, or the like?"

Glaring at him, I replied tartly, "Mother always taught me that this was a gift, one to use to benefit others. I have never tried anything of the like, nor will I ever."

Hands raised in surrender, Gwaine apologized. "Sorry, love, I was just wondering. I didn't think you were that type of person, promise."

I deflated a bit, but didn't forgive him completely. "I've got songs for happiness, for celebration. Ones for relaxation, lullabies. I can help bolster courage, give a little more confidence. And Mother even taught me a few blessings for weddings, to bless a couple against the coming trials in their marriage."

"You are-"

But what I was, I never found out, because just as Gwaine turned to face me fully, a sword appeared over my shoulder, aimed directly at him, though against my throat. "If I were you, I wouldn't move," came a dry, rasping voice I instantly recognized. One that drew a scream from me before I was even cognizant of it.

AN: Sorry it's taken me so long to update this! And yes, I'm leaving this as a cliffie, but I will try to not leave you all hanging for too long. Thanks for reading, following, and favoriting, and a big thanks to KayJane16, CrystalVixen93, parimalik, and guest for your reviews. And KayJane, you gave me the loveliest compliment saying you felt like you were watching the show. That's the highest compliment a fanfic writer could get!