Disclaimer: Thank you for everyone who read or reviewed this fic. It makes my day when I get emails that say someone liked it. This and my Suicide Squad fic are the two most viewed/ reviewed on my account. Sorry it took me so long, I've been busy. As usual, I do not own anything owned by BBC or Merlin except the OC and the basic plot. Hope you enjoy.
The ball continued well into the morning. Laya, after dancing with every man in the room...twice, was more than exhausted but she didn't let it show. She wanted to try and fit in and Morgana hadn't retired to her rooms yet, so she followed her lead. When she wasn't dancing she was chatting idly with the knights. Gwaine had remained by her side in case her anxiety spiked. She might have teased him but she genuinely liked the alcohol loving knight. When everyone began to retire she looked at Merlin and Arthur. "Merl, you should stay with the Prince tonight."
"But...Lay.." he tried.
"Merlin, the Prince may need you." she said, putting on an act for the visiting King, who was still standing nearby. "Cousin, honestly, I am fine. Sir Gwaine has offered to stay outside my room tonight."
"Must be a sought after woman..." Alek, the visiting King said. "To have one of Camelot's finest outside her door."
"Your majesty," she bowed, smiling. "The prince and my cousin are merely worried for my safety as a visitor to this land, not as a sought after woman." She forced herself to blush, she had felt nervous under his gaze. Not the same as Uther, but this one felt more...wanting.
"Besides, King Alek" Gwaine said, his hand lingering on the hilt of his sword. "It is not such a hardship to look after a beautiful woman."
"Be careful, sir knight," the king replied. "One might think that you fancied this woman for your own. Especially when she openly belongs to no man."
"Well, sire," Merlin said, meekly. "Sir Gwaine, here, has made it known to Prince Arthur that he wishes to court my cousin. Our guardian, our uncle, has already agreed to it."
"He has?" Laya, Gwaine and Arthur all asked, looking at Merlin.
"Yes, sire." Merlin bowed. "I discussed this with you earlier as you were getting ready and Sir Gwaine meant to discuss it with the lady after the ball."
"Yes, of course, I had forgotten." Arthur said, with a nod.
"Shame," the king replied. "Such a lovely woman would have made an excellent addition to my harem."
Laya shivered at the man's words. "Sir Gwaine, I find myself to be very tired."
"Yes, we should go." They both bowed to the Prince and King before excusing themselves.
They had gotten to their rooms before Laya let herself give in to her anxiety, pulling Gwaine into her room. She began to hyperventilate into his chest, clinging to him.
"Calm down, love, breathe." Gwaine cooed gently, petting her hair. "He will not lay a hand on you."
"The way he looked at me..." she gasped. "I don't...I can't..."
He kept holding her. "Come, lass, let's get you ready for bed. I'll wait by the door and have someone fetch you some tea. Then we'll have a nice long conversation about why you're panicking." He smoothed her hair and went to stand watch by the door.
"Gwaine..."
"Yes?" he replied, not turning around.
"Thank you." came a small voice from behind him. "It's safe now."
"That was fast." he said, turning around.
"I'm not your typical lady, personally, I hate waiting." she smiled. "I take it no one came by?"
"'Fraid not." he said. "I'd offer you something stronger but I know that you won't drink it."
"Depends on what it is." she smirked. "What?" she asked by his look at surprise. "I used to sneak out when my brother would work late nights."
"My kind of girl." he handed her a pouch that he kept in his cloak, watching as she took a swig from it and didn't even flinch. "Marry me." he said.
She giggled. "I've had stronger stuff in my time. But that tea did sound good. Why don't we just head down to the kitchens?"
"Because the woman who runs it doesn't like me." Gwaine shifted from foot to foot a bit.
"You tried to flirt with her didn't you?" she giggled.
"I'm a flirt by nature, madam, but no." he said as she led him out of the door. "She caught me sneaking extra buns."
"Oh my. Such a crime." She linked his arm with his. The hallways, albeit, well lit; terrified her. She could hear every small noise. "Luckily, she likes me. I helped out there one day and she liked my cooking skills."
"Must be nice." he said, smirking. "You're cooking, I mean."
"One day, I'll let you try it." she said as they got to the kitchen.
The elder cook was sitting in a chair in the corner, a cup of tea nestled in her hands and a shawl draped about her shoulders.
"Ah, Miss. Laya." she cooed. "You've returned...and you brought the thief with you." Laya bit back a giggle. If looks could kill, Gwaine would be dust.
"Yes, ma'am." she said, "Sir Gwaine, here, is keeping an eye on me tonight. I insisted that Merlin watch after the prince for the night and it let me without any form of protection."
The cook looked knowingly at the two of them. "You bested the Prince, on his best day, I am more than sure that you could handle yourself."
"I know, ma'am, but Merlin hid my sword." she crossed her arms innocently. "Besides, Sir Gwaine is more than capable. We just came down for a cup of tea."
"Well, you are more than welcome to it." she said to Laya. "I'm off to bed." She stood herself up shakily then turned to Gwaine. "If anything happens to her, I'll wring your neck."
"Madam, if anything happens to her on my watch, I will have them cut of my hair so that you have access to my neck."
Satisfied with his answer, the old woman hobbled her way back up to her rooms.
"Gods, she terrifies me." he said, exhaling and doubling over.
"Oh, calm down you big baby." Laya said, smiling as she made the tea for them.
They sat at the table, a tray of cookies in between them. "So, how was your first ball?"
"Well, other than King Pervert scaring the ever living out of me, it was nice." she said. "We have similar things in my time but they are never this grand."
"Speaking of King Alek..."Gwaine said, sipping his tea.
"You want to know why I was freaking out so bad." she said, looking at the dark liquid. "He...He reminds me of someone I know back in my time. Someone that I'd rather forget about but it would never work."
"Why?" Gwaine asked. "Granted, we all have chapters in our stories that we would never want to revisit, but forgetting those bad memories should be easy, no?"
"Not in this case, I'm afraid." she sighed, looking up at him. "He reminds me of a man that my father tried to sell me off to." She hadn't told anyone this part of her relationship with her father. Not her brother. Not Merlin...no one knew.
"Sell you?" Gwaine said. "That isn't so uncommon here but by the look on your face, I guess it is there."
She nodded. "It's not like he needed the money or anything. He was just angry with me at the fact that he couldn't have his own way with me. So he figured that if he sold me off to a client that he would get to watch."
"That's horrible. I now know why you had that reaction. Does your brother know?" Gwaine asked, watching her.
She shook her head. "Artie...my brother...he's done so much for me and worried so much already, I don't want to make it worse for him. It's hard enough. He's not much older than me and he's had to be my brother and my guardian. He's the one who meets my teachers, makes sure I'm doing well in school and that I've eaten. He doesn't have time to just go out with some friends for a drink or take a someone out on a date. His whole life revolves around work and me."
"That was his choice though." Gwaine said, getting up and rinsing his cup out before setting it to dry. "He wanted to take care of you, to make sure you were safe."
"It shouldn't have been him though." she sighed. "I should have-"
"Should have what?" the knight snapped, slamming his hand down on the table, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you trying to say that you should have kept your mouth shut and let your father take advantage of you? Let him sell you off for sex when there would only be a slight chance of the fact that he would get to watch? Don't you dare say to me that you and your brother would have been better off that way! No one would be the same."
Laya sat frozen at Gwaine's words. How could he know something like that. He must have taken her silence as ignorance because he kept shouting. "How would you be better off with your father taking advantage of you like that? Maybe you thought as long as he kept doing it you would be safe and loved? That it would stop him from going and doing it to someone else."
She was still silent, her head hanging and tears slowly cascading down her cheeks.
"And then there is this man that he tried to sell you off to. Who is to say that he would be worse? That he would kill you and not have one bit of remorse for it!"
She jumped up, slamming her hands down on the table. "I've thought of all that Gwaine, thank you!" She snapped, heading for the hallway. "Forget it, I don't need you tonight after all."
"Laya!" he called out after her. He should have kept his mouth shut.
He went off after her, keeping his distance. She might think that she would not need him tonight but he had a feeling in his chest that he would be needed.
Laya was partially blinded by the tears in her eyes. This is what she got for opening up to Gwaine about something he didn't understand. Or actually...it seemed to be something that he understood too well. She slowed herself down to a walk and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She shouldn't have snapped at him like that; she knew it. She looked around at where she was and cursed under her breath. She had run the wrong way and now had no idea where she was. She looked out the window and tried to get her bearings but it was no use.
"Mistress Laya." a voice said from behind her, causing her to jump. "What are you doing out of bed at this hour?"
"King Alek." she said, softly, putting on a fake smile. "I could not sleep, so I went down to get myself some tea from the kitchen, then I got turned around and as it is, I got separated from Sir Gwaine" she said. /Why the fuck am I telling him all this?/ she thought as she started backing up the way she came.
"Well, why not wait by my chambers and I will send my man to find him." he said, offering his hand to her.
"Thank you, sire, but I should just go back the way I came and try and find him on my own." She didn't take her eyes of his hand.
"Come, now, I insist. No harm will come to you." he said in a pseudo soothing manner. "You will be safer with me."
"Your concern is a-appreciated but no." she said.
Before she could blink, his hand shot out to her, trying to grab her. She let out a scream and started running back towards the kitchens as quickly as she could. She heard the king behind her, trying to catch her. "GWAINE!" she screamed, still running. She was almost back to the kitchens when she felt the world tilt and she crashed onto the hard floor. She had tripped and couldn't get up. She had twisted her ankle and hit her head to the point where she saw stars. That was it, she was in trouble now. The king caught up to her quickly.
"Such fire." he said, barely out of breath. "You would make a fine addition to my collection."
"N-No." she stuttered out, trying to move away from him. She was able to move herself slowly but it would not be enough. She felt the king hovering over her, his hands on her hips as she tried to pull away. "H-Help." she called out weakly.
"Your knight has abandoned you and even if you try and tell them, no one will believe you." the king said as he pinned her arms over her head. "Who would believe the word of a lowly songstress over that of a king."
"Oh, I dunno. I have three people who will." a voice from behind them said. "And one of them has got a pretty good way of getting what he wants."
"Gwaine!" she called out, sobbing.
The king flew off of her, scrambling away. Through her haze she saw that not only had Gwaine shown up but Merlin was there as well. "Merlin..." Her cousin looked like he would blast the man right then and there.
"Laya." Merlin moved to her side. "Are you alright?"
"My ankle...and I banged my head when I fell." she wrapped her arms around her cousin, sobbing.
"Uther will never believe you over me." the king spat at the knight.
"No, you're right." Gwaine said. "But, unfortunately for you, he will believe his son."
"He does not have take my word for it either." Arthur said, stepping out from around the other side of the corridor. "When Sir Gwaine alerted myself and Merlin of the situation, I went and got my father, myself and brought him with me."
King Uther stepped out from behind his son and stood, glaring at the visitor. "I heard Miss Laya scream for the knight and I worried. I had thought that the knight had done something to her, but I see that the one thing that he did wrong was leave her alone."
"No, sire, it is my fault. I ran away from Gwaine, in anger and I am sorry." she sniffled. "Gwaine, I'm sorry. I had no right to scream at you and run."
"But you called for me when you needed me and that made it alright." the knight smiled, petting her hair, not removing his sword from his other hand.
"Your highness, may I have the honor of running him through?" Gwaine asked, not taking his eyes off of Laya.
"No. Let him live with the fact that he accosted someone twice below his age and that his entire kingdom will know of what he's done." Arthur said, his eyes deadly. "I've already sent Sir Percival ahead.
"Well, he's in trouble then, is he not?" Merlin said, eyes equally as deadly. "You see, Prince Arthur's knights view my cousin as a little sister."
Laya stood up shakily. "Gwaine, give me your sword." She said softly. Gwaine handed it to her, smirking.
"You might not know it, King Alek but I bested Arthur and several of his knights at sword play." She said, not taking her eyes off the man. "King Uther?"
"Yes?" he said, watching them.
"May I at least mark him as a sexual predator...so that every woman he sleeps with next knows of what he has done?" she asked, "I will not kill him...just a letter...actually...make that two words."
"I see no harm in that. As this crime was committed in my castle, I see the punishment. Hold him down." He said to Arthur, Gwaine and Merlin.
"With pleasure." the boys said in unison.
They held the king down as Laya carved "Sexual deviant into his chest with the tip of Gwaine's sword. When she was done, Gwaine and Laya headed back to her rooms as did Merlin and Arthur.
"Laya. Do me a favor?" Arthur asked. "King Alek might still be after you. Do not leave Gwaine's eye line. And Gwaine?" He turned his eyes to the knight, but Merlin cut him off.
"Lose my cousin again and I will personally make your life a living hell."