"I'm so sorry," I laughed, "Nothing personal, just, you know, I'm not really interested in crops, and taxes, and what noblemen have to say. No offence."
"None taken."
The man had reached us by this point, and was crouched on the floor next to us. Gwaine and Percival glowered at him, shifting slightly as if to shield me.
"I'm Damien," he told us, sticking out his hand for them to shake.
They made no effort to reciprocate the movement. I leaned forward, annoyed at their rudeness, and took his hand.
"Cassie, and this is Gwaine and Percival," I said to him, "Why aren't you at the feast?"
"Same reason as you, I guess," he said with a grin, "Can't stand all those stuck up noblemen who think they're God's gift to Earth."
We smiled at each other until Gwaine made an irritated coughing sound. My head jerked up, and I felt blood rush to my cheeks. They did not look pleased with me.
"May I?" He asked, holding out his hands to Gwaine.
Gwaine snorted noncommittally and thrust the hook and thread into Damien's hand. He slid down on his stomach over the grate. He lowered the hook down until it was bumping off of the table. Gwaine and Percival watched him with identical looks of dislike, sitting with their arms folded, deliberately turning their backs on him.
"Aha!"
Damien hoisted a piece of meat out of the gaps in the metal, and proffered it to me. I took it with a smile and jammed the whole slice in my mouth, groaning at the sweet honey taste. He dragged more pig up offering it to Gwaine and Percival in turn both declined frostily, but I kept on chewing. As we talked I got to like him more and more. He was second in line to the throne of somewhere, I didn't really care where, it was more the way he talked, and laughed, and listened to me. He seemed too good to be true, but we seemed to be the same person, same like, dislikes, even the same favorite foods and colours. It reminded me so strongly of the fantasies Aline and I had always talked about, finding true love, soul mates, our other half and things like that, that I was almost afraid that it was a dream.
The only drawback was Gwaine and Percival. They seemed, for no particular reason, to have developed an intense hatred for Damien the second he started talking to us. They sat in a stony silence all night, breaking it only to grunt or shrug when Damien asked them a question, or addressed them directly. Halfway through the night, when I stopped laughing to settle into a amicable silence, I realized how cold it was and began to shiver almost uncontrollably. Without a moments hesitation he slid off his wool overcoat, and draped it around my shoulders. I smiled my thanks and I was sure I heard Percival mutter something that sounded like 'clotpole'.
When the sun began to come up in the east I decided it was time for me to retire. The three men walked me to my room, Gwaine and Percival marching on either side of me, Damien striding along behind us. When we reached my door Gwaine yanked it open, and Percival placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me through. I took advantage of my shortness and used it to duck under Gwaine's arm.
"Are you still going to be here tomorrow?" I asked, putting a hand on my shoulder and slipping off Damien's woolen coat and handing it back, "Or today? Or just when I wake up?"
Dear God I was rambling now.
"Of course! I couldn't miss an opportunity to see your pretty face," He put a finger under my chin, tilting my head up, "And my father wants to talk peace treaties with Arthur."
Gwaine and Percival had moved forward when he had touched my face, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.
"I think," Gwaine said, calmly and coldly, "That it's time for you to go to bed Cassie."
Damien made eye contact with Gwaine and Percival and I could have sworn that, for a second, his eyes hardened and his mouth pursed slightly, but it was gone before I could be sure. He bent down to kiss my hand, and glanced up at me with a smirk.
"Good night, m'lady."
He turned and walked away, the first rays of sunlight glancing off his skin. I smiled like an idiot, and Percival huffed in irritation and pushed me into my room.
"Go to bed," he snapped, and then his face softened, "And happy birthday Cass. This is from me and Gwaine."
He passed me a small wrapped parcel, rectangular and heavy. I hugged him tightly, and then threw my arms around Gwaine.
"Thanks guys."
I walked to my bed and Percival shut the door behind me. I crawled under the covers, exhaustion taking over me. I unwrapped the present, gently turning it over in my hands. It was a small, leather bound book. I opened it, flicking through the pages, there were illustrations of dragons, warlocks, towers, princesses, and a story. It almost brought tears to my eyes. They must have saved for moths to buy this, and that drove all of the annoyance from my body. Maybe they really did have a reason for disliking Damien, well, I could talk to them in the morning I settled down, intent on reading the first chapter, but I was asleep in seconds.
That was the first night in nearly three and a half years that I did not dream of Mordred.
When I woke up the first the thing I noticed was pain jabbing the back of my skull. I felt around the back of my head and pulled out the metal clips still in my hair. It was a tangled mess of curls from the plait I had forgotten to undo last night. I pulled on leather leggings, a cotton tunic and a fancy fur throw that clinched at the waist with a metal buckle. I pulled my hair back into a sloppy bun, and padded to the door. When I opened it, Gwaine and Percival were slumped back to back, asleep on the floor. Had they been there all night? I ruffled their hair slightly, grinning at their childishness.
I made my way down to the stables. The sun was almost overhead, so I guessed that I had only been asleep a few hours. Even though it was midday the castle was almost deserted. Most of the chambers were taken up by visiting nobles, sleeping soundly, and there were more people asleep in corridors, propped against walls and doors. I seemed to be the only person awake in the castle until I got to the stables. Damien was in there, his back facing me. He was stroking a black stallion while gently tying his throat lash.
"You weren't lying," He jumped slightly at the sound of my voice, and I smiled and leaned against the frame of the stable door, "You really are a true horseman."
Damien looked sheepish, but walked towards me, seemingly glad of my presence.
"Yours?" He asked, patting down the palomino mare in the next stall.
"Rosalie, she's the love of my life," I told him, taking my saddle and bridle off of the wall, "I was going to go for a ride in the forest, coming?"
"Of course," Damien said, moving to help me with the saddle.
"I can do it," I snapped, "I don't need help."
He looked taken aback, and I sighed, feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry, I just want to show people that being a woman does not make me weak."
"I don't think of you as weak in the slightest," He whispered. He was suddenly very close to me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
My breath caught in my throat, and instinctively, I jammed the saddle into his chest.
"Here," I told him, "You saddle her up, I'll get my boots on."
I sat in the corner, slipping off my shoes and pulling on my fur trimmed riding boots, tying them with thick strips of wool. I looked up at Damien. He was standing by Rosalie, combing her mane. She was tacked up and ready to go. I walked past him, placing my foot in the stirrup iron and swinging myself onto her back.
"Race you to the lake."
We stayed out so long that is was dark when we got back. The torches were flickering in the wind and we were shivering from the cold, damp weather, but it had been a great day. The only problem had been the way Damien had talked about Gwaine and Percival. He had asked what their problem was, and hadn't seemed pleased when I had defended them so openly. And he had this little sneer on his face when he talked about them, like they were beneath him in some way. To be fair though, they hadn't exactly been kind or welcoming to him.
As we rode through the gates, the guards leaped forward, spooking the horses.
"Lady Cassandra," One of them exclaimed.
"Cassandra," Damien said with a snort.
"Shut up Damien," I rolled my eyes and turned to the guards, "What's wrong?"
"M'lady, the King has been searching for you all day. The Queen also, the Court Sorcerer, the knights, and almost everyone who was visiting for your birthday."
Oh no. I hadn't told anyone where I was going. What had Gwaine and Percival thought when they had found my chambers empty, and Damien and I missing. I urged Rosalie on, towards the castle, cantering into the courtyard just before Damien. I vaulted off my horse and ran to the throne room, taking the steps and stairs two at a time.
I burst in. Arthur and Gwen were seated on their thrones, his eyes were red and puffy and Gwen had her head in her hands. Aline was crying at the window, Merlin patting her shoulder. Gwaine and Percival stood in a corner silently while Leon paced the room. It's walls were lined with the people who had attended my party last night. Aline glanced up at the sound of the door opening, gasped, ran to me and threw her arms around me.
"Where have you been?!" Arthur shouted, his voice equal parts furious and relieved.
"In the woods," I told him over Aline's head, "I'm a big girl Arthur I can take care of myself."
"What's the matter?"
Damien sauntered in, eyes wide and innocent. Was he trying to mess with Arthur on purpose?
"The matter is that Cassie has been gone all day, bed empty, no note, horse gone, she could have died!" Arthur was yelling now, "There have been reports of a sorcerer in the woods near Camelot recently!"
"Arthur I'm sorry," I told him, detaching myself from Aline and running to his side, " I didn't realize."
"My son, though, should have known better," said a squat old man, stepping forward.
Damien looked embarrassed, and mumbled something that sounded like 'I'm sorry father'.
The man shook his head and turned to face Arthur.
"And after the proposal for peace talks my son goes and puts the Lady Cassie in danger," he shook his head.
"Peace is still desired by both sides," Arthur said softly, "We can talk tomorrow, and Cass is fine, there is no harm done."
"Good," Damien's father cleared his throat, "Because, as a peace offering..."
He looked around the room, as is pausing for dramatic effect, and then raised his eyes to meet Arthur's.
"I would like to offer my son, Damien, as a marriage partner for the Lady Cassie."