I was totally going to wait till afternoon, but seeing as it is Tuesday, and I doubt I'll be sleeping tonight, I'll post now.
If you don't give a rat's ass about my personal problems, skip ahead to the word in capital letters: You see, either the smoke detector or the carbon monoxide detector in our apartment keeps going off. Three times tonight so far. And since they were both hanging in our small hallway, it was impossible to determine which one was making the awful noise. Our RA made them both beep, so we could try to match the sounds with what we heard, but they're very similar. We think it was the carbon monoxide detector.
So our RA's brilliant plan to determine which one it is: have each room babysit one detector. Of course, my room mates quickly snatched up the smoke alarm. Leaving me with the one we are fairly keeps beeping. I have it shoved in the corner behind my door, and I am sitting at the head of my bed in the opposite corner, as far away as possible, just waiting for this thing to go off. I am going to crap my pants if it does.
So yeah, hence the probably no sleep part. But hey, you guys get this early then. ANYWAYS, on to more important things. By an unanimous vote (huzzah!), I shall be posting a slightly longer chapter, once a week (On Tuesdays. Mark you calendars, ladies and gents! ;)) Which is actually perfect for me, because my schedule this semester is hectic enough already. Speaking of which, if i forget an update, I apologize in advance.
One last thing, then onto the story, I promise! vivafabrique asked "is this strictly friendship fic?" Very good question, I have been contemplating how to answer. You see, if this were a Facebook status, I'd have to check "it's complicated". By the end of the story, yes, it will be the same very close, rather suggestive bromance that the two have in the show. But at the moment, "Col" is a bit more damaged than Arthur (and you) realizes. ;) That's all I'm gonna say at the moment. There is a chapter coming up that explains it all.
If you read all that, I send you virtual monster cookies and hugs! XD
The bandits had been found.
Just outside of a village.
Fortunately they had been preparing to raid it, not leaving from it.
The Knights charged into their midst, a fight commencing. The clangs of metal on metal pierced the air, alerting the unsuspecting villagers.
Arthur had leapt from his horse, leaving Col astride it. He didn't want to bring the boy into the battle. He unsheathed his sword, engaging the nearest bandit. The man's fighting skills were basically nonexistent, and it did not take long for Arthur to dispatch him.
He moved on to the next bandit, one who seemed to have had at least some training in sword fighting. Arthur ducked a blow to his head, rolling and slashing his opponent across the back. Springing to his feet, he swung around to find the man dead on the ground.
A piercing scream rang through the forest. Arthur spun to find a bandit charging up behind him, a large battle ax raised above his head.
Suddenly, the man dropped to his knees, the ax falling from his hands as they shot to his neck. Arthur could see he was gasping for air, tearing at his throat.
His frantic fingers found nothing.
The man was being choked by absolutely nothing.
His face turned blue and his eyes grew wide. Arthur could only watch in shock as the man collapsed to the ground.
Dead.
Arthur glanced up to discover Col staring at him. For the briefest second, Col's eyes seemed to glow gold, like they had last night in the fire.
Except it was broad daylight now.
Col stared at him for a few more seconds, his eyes their usual shade of blue again, before scurrying back to stand by the horse.
Arthur returned to the fray, helping the others to finish taking down the bandits.
When the noise of battle had dwindled away, the villagers slowly came out to investigate. They were shocked to find a group of knights, bearing the crest of Camelot, standing amidst bloody bodies on the ground.
Arthur strode forward, finding the villager who seemed to be in charge, and explaining the situation to him. The Knights helped the villagers to dispose of the dead bandits, so as not to attract wild beasts.
The entire time, Col never left the side of the horse. He simply kept his head bowed, waiting.
By the time they had finished disposing of the bodies, the sun was preparing to set. The villagers insisted that the Knights stay in their homes that night. The Knights, grateful, split up accordingly, not wanting to burden any one family with too many guests.
Arthur went to retrieve his horse and Col. As he approached, Col hunched his shoulders up as if expecting to be hit or something. Arthur felt sad as he gazed at him. They had tried to cloth the boy, but he was much smaller than any of the Knights. None of their trousers would stay on his hips. Arthur had provided him with one of his spare tunics, but even that hung off of the boy.
Sir Leon had torn up one of his tunics, providing Col with a rough neckerchief to cover the collar. The boy's feet were still bare, but the ground didn't seem to bother his callused soles.
"Come on," said Arthur gently. "We're staying here for the night."
Col glanced up at him, fear clouding his eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Arthur. Col looked back down at the ground, picking at the sleeve of the tunic. "Don't worry," added Arthur. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
This time when Col looked up, his gaze was curious. Arthur shook his head, not sure why the boy kept looking at him like that.
"Come on," repeated Arthur, grabbing the reins of the horse and heading towards the village. Col followed behind him, right on Arthur's heels.
After securing his horse with the others, Arthur led Col to the home of the villager he had talked with earlier. The man was a widower, his wife and child having died a few winters before. He was happy to put up the man who had helped to save his village.
Arthur stepped into the home, welcoming the warmth of the fire burning in a pit.
"Hello," greeted the man, Rupert. "My home is humble, but I hope you shall be pleased with your stay," he said with a slight bow.
"Your kindness it appreciated. You are very generous to welcome us into your home, and I thank you," replied Arthur. He noticed Rupert curiously eyeing the boy. Arthur cleared his throat. "This is Col, my… servant."
Rupert nodded, his eyes trailing down to Col's bare legs.
"Col had an unfortunate run-in with a patch of thistles, which resulted in his trousers being shredded," lied Arthur. "I am wondering if there might be someone we could buy a spare pair from."
Rupert nodded again. "Of course," he said, eyeing Col for size. "I'll ask around."
"Thank you," said Arthur.
Rupert walked to the far side of the room, where his cot was, as Arthur walked to the fire pit. He spread his bed roll out on the dirt floor. He handed his cloak to Col, frowning when the boy took it and spread it out a few feet from Arthur's bed roll, on the side farthest from the fire. Arthur picked it up and spread it out between himself and the fire.
"Lay down," he said gently.
Col hurriedly dropped to the cloak. He pulled his knees up inside the tunic as Arthur laid down on his bed roll.
"Good night, Col," said Arthur quietly.
The boy's eyes had already drifted closed.
….
Confusion was the first thing Arthur felt when he woke the next morning. There was a presence pressed up against him. He blinked his eyes open, glancing down.
Col was tucked up against his side, shivering. The fire had died down in the night, and it seemed Col had sought out the nearest heat source in his sleep.
Arthur found himself captivated by the boy's face. He took the time to study him unnoticed. Col had long, dark eyelashes that rested delicately on his cheeks. His lips were full and pink, but the strong chin beneath kept them from looking too feminine. His nose was long and elegant, and his high cheekbones were dotted with the faintest of freckles.
In sleep, the fear and sadness that usually clouded his features were absent. He looked peaceful and untroubled. A slight smile even danced across his lips briefly, and Arthur hoped he was having a nice dream. He decided Col loked nice when he smiled.
Slowly, so as not to wake him, Arthur slipped away from him and tucked his blanket around the boy.
Stepping out into the early morning air, Arthur drew in a deep breath. He turned to find Rupert heading towards him.
"I found someone who is willing to sell you a pair of trousers," he informed Arthur.
Arthur went back in a dug some money out of his pack, before following Rupert to another house. There he was introduced to a woman whose son had gone to find work in a different village and had left behind a pair of worn, almost threadbare, old trousers. Rupert left them to their business as Arthur paid her generously for them anyways, knowing these would be better than nothing for Col.
As Arthur was thanking the woman, heading out of the home, a commotion caught his attention. A shriek of pain rose through the air and a small group of people were gathering around Rupert's home.
"Col," breathed Arthur, rushing towards the small house. He had just reached the collection of onlookers as another person burst through the group from the other side. Col limped out, his eyes wide in panic, tears running down his face.
"Col," shouted Arthur, almost running into the raven haired boy. He spun to face Arthur, hands clutching the front of the Prince's tunic as his entire body trembled. Arthur looked down to see Col's left foot and the entire side of his calf were burned.
"Excuse us," called Arthur, half dragging, half carrying Col through the group of people and back into Rupert's house.
The man was standing in the middle of the room, staring wide eyed at the Prince and the boy.
Arthur gently sat Col down on his bed roll and began to examine the burn. "What happened?" he asked Rupert.
"I-I'm not sure," said the man, shakily. "I was just starting to prepare food, and he woke up. He looked around like he was panicking and when he saw me he tried to run for the door. B-But he stepped in the fire pit and fell.
"The embers," muttered Arthur, eyeing the overturned logs and the hot ash now visible beneath. "He's burned. Please, in my pack, there's a jar. Grab it for me please."
Rupert nodded, hurriedly digging through the pack. He found it, handing it to Arthur.
Arthur smiled gently at Col. "Just like last time, remember?" he asked, holding up the jar. "For your burns."
Col nodded, turning his leg so Arthur could see said burns better.
Arthur began to gently apply the salve with a grimace. He apologized quietly as Col whimpered in pain. These were much worse than the sunburns. The embers had left the skin an angry red and severely blistered. He was not sure this would be enough. The boy would need to see Gaius once they returned.
Once he finished, Arthur fished out the remains of the tunic that had been torn to make Col's neckerchief. He ripped into strips, making a bandage which he wrapped around Col's leg and foot.
Arthur tied it off, settling down beside Col. He gently brushed a few stray raven locks back off the boys forehead. "Why did you run?" he asked quietly. Col simply looked at him with sad eyes. "Did Rupert startle you, or was it because I wasn't here?"
The deep blue eyes glanced away at the latter.
"Hey, I was coming back," he told the boy. "I went to find you some trousers," he explained, reaching over and grabbing the article of clothing from where he had dropped it. Arthur tucked some dark strands behind Col's ear. "I wouldn't leave you," he assured.
Arthur was surprised as Col nuzzled his head into Arthur's hand, his eyes sliding closed. Almost like a dog requesting to be petted. He complied, running his fingers through Col's hair a few times. It seemed to help calm the boy's nerves.
"Ready for these?" he asked gently, holding the trousers back up. Col didn't open his eyes, simply straightened his legs out in front of him.
Arthur glanced up, grateful to notice that Rupert had left at some point. Arthur slid the trousers onto the pale, thin legs. He helped Col to stand, the boy leaning against him as Arthur did the laces up. He grasped the boy's shoulders, stepping back to look at him.
He nodded, glancing up to meet Col's gaze. His eyes were wide with anticipation. Arthur nodded again, a reassuring smile gracing his lips. Relief flooded Col's eyes.
"Prince Arthur." Sir Leon stepped into the home. His eyes raked over Col, nodding slightly at the added trousers. He hurriedly averted his gaze back to the Prince. "We are ready to depart, Sire," he addressed Arthur.
The Prince nodded. "We'll be out in a few minutes," he replied.
Leon bowed, exiting.
Arthur crouched, rolling his bed rool. He turned to strap it to his pack, finding Col sticking the jar into it. He ducked his head as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
"Thank you," said Arthur, strapping his bed roll to it. He picked it up, standing straight. Col continued to crouch by his feet. "Let's go."
Col stood, gingerly putting weight on his left foot. Arthur made to help support him, but Col shied away from him. Arthur stared at him for a few seconds, before deciding not to push it.
He lead the way out of Rupert's home, turning to where the Knights had all the horses saddled and ready to go. Col limped along behind him, keeping his head down. The Knights mounted as Arthur appeared. Arthur walked up to his horse, strapping his pack on before turning to Col. He crouched, lacing his hands. "Put your knee here."
Col glanced at his hands, nervously putting his knee into them. Arthur lifted him up, helping him to settle onto the horse's broad back. Arthur pulled himself up behind him, grabbing the reins. Feeling a little less awkward now that the boy was clothed, he wrapped one arm around Col's waist. He felt a little disappointed as the boy stiffened slightly. "Let's go home," Arthur told his Knights.
So there you have it, folks! A wee bit longer than the first two. The next one gets even longer, if I am remembering how I broke that chunk down correctly. And the rest of the gang arrives in the story too! So stay tuned. Same time, same station!