Chapter 8—Celeste
Celeste rode hard back to Camelot, Gwaine behind to her right, Percival behind to the left, and Lean completing the square directly behind her.
The four flew into Camelot, causing the townspeople to scatter before them but for the first time Celeste didn't care. She led her horse to the stables at a full gallop and dismounted as she slowed down, allowing one of the stable hands to lead the exhausted animal to be cared for. Her knights did the same and she began to walk towards the castle, knowing they would follow.
"Small council chambers now," she said. "Find someone to send for Sir Allen, Sir Clarence, Sir Patrick, and Sir Mycroft and tell them to select 4 men each for a search party. I'll be leading you four. Find Agravaine, tell him what's happened."
Agravaine, however, was already there. "I saw you ride in like a hurricane. What's going on?"
"Arthur and Merlin are missing," Celeste said, never missing a stride. "I'm sending out search parties, they leave in 15 minutes."
"I advise against this. It doesn't seem prudent, and we have a mere two hours of daylight left."
"Two hours that will be spent searching for Merlin and Arthur," Celeste snapped. "Don't try to stop me, Agravaine."
"We lost them here," Celeste said, pointing on the map at the point just before the Valley of the Fallen Kings. "So my search party will be searching in this general area." She made a circle around the location. "Sir Allen, take your men north of there into the Valley. They may have gone in there. Sir Clarence, go south. Search here." Another circle. "Sir Mycroft, east, Sir Patrick, west. Search until sundown and then return to Camelot and report. If you find them, return here immediately and wait for the rest of us. Merlin was injured, he'll need care. Allen, Clarence, Mycroft, Patrick, leave immediately. My men and I will eat and leave as soon as we can. Go." The four men left the room, leaving Celeste, Tria, Agravaine, and the other four knights.
"My lady," Leon began. "You realize what this means. Our plans were secret and…"
"I know what this means, Leon," Celeste said, staring at the map. "We will deal with that when Arthur and Merlin are found. They are my only concern right now. Get something to eat before we go, you must be starving. Agravaine, Tria, leave me."
As the others departed, Celeste felt her composure slipping. Not having Arthur next to her made Celeste feel unbalanced, incomplete. She felt like she was missing a limb. She half expected to have Arthur give suggestions as to the search party next to her. She wanted to turn around and see Merlin grinning that doofus grin of his. Her vision was blurring as Gwaine took her into his arms and she began to sob. Flashbacks of that fateful day all those years ago began, and for the second time in her life she felt the full effects of being separated from her brother.
"There will be no more discussion," Uther roared at the 8-year-old twins, who cowered together in fear of their father.
"I don't want to go," Celeste whimpered. "I like it here, with Arthur. I want to stay in Camelot, Father, why must I go?"
"The Lady Myrcella is very generous to offer you a home, Celeste, and you would be wise to take it. I will not have my daughter running around with knights with a delusional belief that she will someday fight among them. Being around Lady Myrcella and her court will be greatly helpful in teaching you to be a lady."
"I know how to be a lady," Celeste insisted. "Josephine taught me all about curtsying and saying my graces and how to dress and act."
"Please, Father, don't make Elsie leave," Arthur begged. "I don't want her to leave!"
"Some time apart will do you good," Uther said. "Celeste, you leave the morning after tomorrow. Pack enough for three years."
And he left the twins to sit in the throne room together and cry.
When the morning of her departure came, Celeste and Arthur refused to let go of each other. They hugged and cried as their father and various maids attempted to convince them to let go, let Celeste leave, they were going to be late, please. Eventually, the young and newly knighted Sir Leon had to pry them apart, resulting in louder sobs from the pair. Celeste's maid was handed the screaming child, and as the carriage drove away Arthur cried for many more hours.
Celeste did nothing but mope at the castle of Lady Myrcella. The kind noble tried to pry the vivacious young girl she had heard of from Uther out from under the mourning child, but her efforts were futile. Celeste spent most of her time crying and watching the knights in the training yard practice, sometimes practicing along with no sword. When Myrcella brought Celeste to court with her, the little girl sat prettily and said kind words to the peasants, but the light in her eyes was absent.
One hundred miles away, Uther was finding similar problems with his son. Arthur was having trouble focusing on his training exercises, he was crabby and rude to the servants, and his maids reported that the young prince was having fitful nights.
One week after Celeste left Camelot, one of the servants found Arthur in his chambers with a terrified look on his face. His breathing was shallow and strained and he was sweating profusely, yet claimed to be cold. The servant cried for help; she could feel the young prince's heart beat flying underneath her fingers and he was shaking in her arms.
"Elsie," he whimpered. "Where is Elsie?"
At the exact same time in a far away court, a young princess was having the same symptoms.
Gaius diagnosed Arthur with an anxiety attack and he was prescribed bed rest for two days. The next morning, Uther received word of Celeste's panic attack. He sent the messenger back with orders for his daughter to be returned home. She was met two days later with joy all throughout the castle, but no one was happier than Arthur and Celeste.