A/N: Here tis, and 'taint mine! (unfortunately).
dedicated to my 'aunt' Jen, who's showed me around St Louis this past week!

Chapter 5: Lancelot and Guinevere – part 1

Gwen was avoiding me. I knew she was. Even Arthur was acting funny around me; he was more polite than usual. When Morgana told me she was planning to visit her father's grave, I volunteered to go with her – anything to get away from Arthur for a while. But then, on the morning of our departure, Gwen claimed she wasn't feeling well, so Morgana and I set off alone.

We talked comfortably for a few hours – we hadn't had enough time to just talk lately, with all that had been going on – before lapsing into a semi-comfortable silence.

"What is it, Merlynn?" Morgana asked kindly.

"I'm fine," I lied. My thoughts were still on Gwen and Arthur.

"You're being quiet. Usually you're the life of the conversation… I'm beginning to think there's a man involved," she said with a grin.

I smiled back. "When do I get to meet any decent men? No, it's about Gwen."

"What about her?"

I paused, not sure how much to tell her friend. "She's been avoiding me, but I don't know why…"

Morgana thought for a few seconds, deliberating on her answer. "I wasn't aware. Maybe you should ask her? I could ask her to stay late one evening…?" she suggested.

I smiled widely at the lady. "Thank you, Morgana, but I think I can corner her myself without keeping her from her bed."

"You're welcome. How's Arthur?"

The question was innocent enough, but I guessed she suspected something. "Still a prat," I deflected. "You should hear the list of chores he has me do every day, and Gaius isn't helping. He's always wanting me to go collect herbs, or clean out and organize his potions cabinet. That's why I wanted to come; I needed to get away from all the work and enjoy some good company," I replied with a smile.

Morgana smiled indulgently, but the mischievous glint in her eyes told me it wasn't the answer she wanted. This was going to be a long ride.

/*/

As it turned out, the ride was rather short. Only a few minutes after Morgana asked about Arthur, bandits attacked. They killed the guards and captured me and Morgana easily. I would've used my magic to help, but Morgana attached herself to me when we were both unhorsed.

The bandits wanted to exchange Morgana for ransom… I didn't want to think about what would happen to me. Morgana devised a plan to escape; I went along with it, but didn't hold too much hope. It was a good plan – counting on the boorishness of the bandits – but it also involved me stealing one of the guards' swords.

It would've worked perfectly, if I hadn't sprained my ankle and couldn't run anymore. I urged the lady to run, telling her I'd delay them as much as I could. Reluctantly, she agreed and ran, and that was the most important part. But as I turned to face the oncoming bandits, one of them hit me over the head, and the world went dark.

/*/

Arthur POV

Merlynn was gone. Merlynn was gone, and Arthur didn't know what to do.

That morning, when Morgana didn't return from her pilgrimage, he had set out to look for her. Gwen had insisted on coming along, worried about her two best friends. Then they'd found the slaughtered patrol… and a ransom note for Morgana.

Arthur led the way off the road, following the tracks. It wasn't long before he heard something. He motioned for everyone to freeze and take out their weapons.

But it was Morgana, wearing nothing but a thin shift, who came wandering out of the wilderness. She was clearly shaken, but, upon seeing Arthur, rushed over. "Where's Merlynn?" Arthur asked immediately. Morgana just shook her head.

And that's when Arthur realized his life as he knew it was on the edge of a knife.

/*/

Merlynn POV

I had a headache. A bad one, it was probably a concussion. And my current situation was not helping either.

The bandit leader, Kendrick, had made me wear Morgana's clothes, obviously hoping I could pass for the lady. Had the situation been less serious, I would've snorted. In Ealdor I had been considered 'pretty', not necessarily 'beautiful', but I paled in comparison to Morgana, who was widely considered to be exquisitely stunning.

"I guess you'll just kill me if I refuse?"

The bandit gave me a nasty smile. "You guessed right."

I hadn't worn a dress in months, and Morgana's finely made gown did make me feel a little more feminine. I had to admit I liked the feeling, which only added to the irony of the situation. Here I was, captured by bandits who would gladly kill me, and I was happy about wearing a dress.

We arrived at a bandit fortress in the late afternoon. People were fighting in the streets, and it was just filthy. I was glad I lived in Camelot.

Kendrick had called the local leader 'Hengist' – always a good thing to know who your enemy is.

Hengist was a slightly overweight, balding man with a short-trimmed beard. He wore pelts around his shoulders and was obviously in charge. Kendrick introduced me as 'the lady Morgana', and Hengist gave me a mock bow.

"You are as beautiful as they say, lady Morgana," he said, and I turned my head to avoid his horrible breath. So, maybe bandits who haven't seen a woman in months could mistake me for Morgana, but anyone else?

"I demand that you release me immediately!" I said with as much authority as I could muster. To my surprise, I managed it fairly well.

"Just as soon as Uther Pendragon pays the ransom," he replied calmly.

But Uther would never pay the money, because Morgana was already safely home. I kept my expression stony, but on the inside I was already planning to escape. My head was still throbbing from when Kendrick had hit me over the head, though, and concentrating was harder than it should've been.

"In the meantime," Hengist went on, "you will be my guest."

Frustrated with everything that was happening, I snapped at him. "Do not flatter yourself. I am not your guest, I am your prisoner!"

"As you wish," the bandit leader said, undeterred. "Take her to the dungeon."

'Oh, fantastic!' I thought sarcastically. 'I just had to open my big mouth, didn't I?'

/*/

I wasn't in the dungeon long enough to even think about a plan to escape. Before I knew it, I was led to a dining hall – if you could call it that – to attend a feast. The men were swines, and the only women present besides myself were whores.

"Quiet!" Hengist yelled as he got up. I sat to his right, and was utterly disgusted when he put a hand on my shoulder. "Our royal guest, the Lady Morgana, is bored!" The crowd cheered and booed in equal measure.

There was a cage in the back of the room, and as soon as Hengist gave the nod, the crowd gathered around the bars and cheered. A door in the far wall of the cage opened, allowing an armed man to step through. He called out to the crowd, and they shouted their approval.

"Bring in the challenger!" Hengist shouted, causing more yells from the gathered men.

The man who walked into the cage was the last person I would have expected to see in a place like this. What had Lancelot gotten himself into?

When the fight started on Hengist's mark, I wished desperately that I could use magic, but with this many people around, and my headache still going strong, there was nothing I could do. The other man was bigger and beefier than Lancelot, and I could tell that his strokes were heavy ones. The only comfort that I had was that Lancelot rivalled Arthur when it came to one-on-one sword fighting.

I winced when the brute's strokes forced Lancelot back against the cage bars. The crowd cheered for blood while I feared for my friend's life.

But then, in the blink of an eye, Lancelot had knocked the other man's sword out of his hands and knocked him down, the tip of his sword against the brute's neck.

Lancelot hesitated, and I felt for him. He hated taking a life in cold blood; he was too noble for that. He glanced up and caught my eye. I knew I was biting my lip, so I hurried to seem uninterested, in case Hengist looked over.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that passed my lips as the former knight spared the other man.

"What is your name?" Hengist asked when Lancelot stood before us.

"My name is Lancelot."

"You have proven yourself to be a skilful warrior… I believe you may even have impressed our royal guest, Lady Morgana," Hengist said.

I kept my gaze blank as Lancelot's eyes flickered to mine. I could see the question in his eyes, though his face, too, was blank. "My Lady," he said with a bow.

Hengist then warned him that the next time he fought, he wouldn't be shown any mercy. "Release the wilderen."

A creature resembling a baby rat with huge tusks came out of yet another door in the cage. It was naked and seemed to be navigating by smell alone. It was horrifying. The man in the cage didn't live for much longer.

As I screwed my eyes shut and tried to block out the screams, I could actually feel the man die, feel his life's light go out. It felt… not wrong, per se, but unsettling to say the least.

'Why does all my power revolve around death?' I asked myself.

/*/

Lancelot came to visit me in my cell later that night. "Merlynn?" his voice came from a grate above what passed as my bed.

"Lancelot!" I sighed in relief.

"What are you doing here? Why does Hengist think you're Lady Morgana?" he asked curiously.

Absently, I noticed that he now had a scar on his cheek and thought it added to his charm. I wondered what Gwen would think. She'd be over the moon when she heard about this.

"Merlynn?" Lance asked, and I realized I hadn't answered his question. "Are you all right?" he asked, studying my face.

"What? Oh, I'm fine, I just have a terrible headache. Hengist thinks he's holding Morgana for ransom. When no ransom is paid, he'll realize I'm not her, and feed me to those beasts."

"Can't you escape, use your magic?" he asked, frowning. And that was the problem.

"No. I tried, but it didn't do anything except give me an even bigger headache. I was knocked over the head, and I think it messed up my magic somehow. I can tell it's improving, but I haven't been able to do anything yet."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Merlynn. I promise," he replied, his dark eyes intense. He really was a good friend.

I smiled briefly. "But are you doing here? are you one of Hengist's men?" I asked.

"No. After Camelot, the only way I could earn a living was the only way I knew how: with a sword in my hand." He seemed so dejected.

"I think you can find better company than this. They're a little unhygienic, aren't they?" I joked, trying to cheer him up.

He smiled sadly. "It seems it is my destiny to entertain men like Hengist."

"If that's your destiny, I'm a troll. There's hope for you yet, Lance."

He smiled genuinely now. "How's Guinevere?" he asked.

I grinned. "Still single, and not interested in any man whose name doesn't rhyme with Wancelot."

He rolled his eyes at my choice of words. "Has she thought of me at all?"

"She doesn't really talk about you, but I can tell she misses you. We all thought we'd never see you again."

Then we heard someone coming, and Lancelot had to leave. He did promise he'd help me find a way out of here, though. Like I said, he's a true friend.

/*/

Arthur POV

As he sat alone by the fire that evening, the prince thought about how much he wished Merlynn was by his side. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd gone out by himself, though he'd done it often before the clumsy girl became his servant. He missed her.

He loved her.

He'd come to that conclusion the moment Morgana had told him she'd been taken, and was still amazed by the fact. Arthur, Crown Prince of Camelot, was in love with his clumsy, strange, wise, wonderful servant, Merlynn. And he couldn't help but grin as he thought about her.

He missed her. Right now, she would be trying to make him laugh, so he wouldn't be this quiet anymore. Or she'd be talking up a storm about anything and everything.

Arthur got up and put out his fire. There was no way he'd get any sleep that night without the sound of her comfortable breathing close by, so he saddled his horse and got ready. He would ride through the night: he couldn't leave her there any longer.

Now that he finally realized how he felt, he wasn't going to lose her without telling her!

/*/

Merlynn POV

The next morning, Hengist came to visit me in my cell to inform me that Uther had not responded to his demand for ransom. He warned me that if the king hadn't responded by dawn the next day… He left cackling.

I felt hopeless. My magic had not returned with morning, though I was feeling a little better. I wasn't used to not using magic for so long, and it was almost a physical ache.

Luckily, Lancelot distracted me from my bitter thoughts later that morning, coming to see how I was doing.

"Hengist is growing suspicious because Uther hasn't sent word," I said. "If we're ever going to get out of here, it has to be soon."

"How's your magic?" he asked, frowning in concern.

"A little better, but not nearly enough to escape from a fortress like this one."

He nodded, almost to himself. "You must keep up the pretence. I will not allow you to die here," he said firmly.

"What are you going to do?" I asked suspiciously. There was something in his voice…

"I have little to live for," he admitted.

"Don't say that!" I said, taken aback by my friend's hopelessness.

"For all my words, for all that I believed, I have come to nothing…"

"What am I supposed to tell Gwen?" I demanded. "She'd be heartbroken if I came back to tell her you'd died. And you really have no faith in me, do you?"

"What?" Lancelot asked, clearly confused.

"You should know by now that when I'm around, things don't turn out the way you expect," I said, a little haughtily.

Lancelot grinned. "You're certainly unpredictable. Be ready: I'll come for you before nightfall."

I grinned. "There's not really much else for me to do here but wait, you know."

He shot me another grin, and vanished.

A/N: Review!

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