A/N: So while writing this chapter I was feeling really..how would you say? Well I just wanted them to be all cute and I am so not sorry. I also apologize for spelling errors my keyboard is pretty much broken and does some weird stuff.
Enjoy xox
~Khailin.
Chapter ten.
It takes her a few seconds, a few seconds longer than it should have to take in what has happened. It's like the entire world has slowed down for her, the moon slowly edges its way out from behind the group of clouds casting its silver glow over the forest. The leaves have slowed down and so has the wind but her heart skips a beat then almost stops when her eyes land on him. Mordred is slumped over on his side his cloak soaked with blood and an arrow sticking out of his back not moving, some sort of noise escapes her but she isn't sure what it is; it's something between a gasp and a sob.
"Mordred?" she asks before there is a pain in her right thigh and an arrow lodged in her skin she doesn't scream out in pain, she doesn't cry all she does is get mad. "That is enough" she hisses pulling out the arrow discarding it on the ground "ofslean hie!" she shouts throwing her hand up in the direction of Morgana's guards and watching them as they fly backwards and hit the ground. Aislinn throws herself to her knees next to Mordred and checks his breathing "alright, come on" she says lifting him onto her back buckling under his weight "we've got to go."
She isn't exactly sure how long she's been running for and quite frankly she doesn't care but she knows it's been a long time because the sun is beginning to send its first ray of lights through the trees. Aislinn stumbles a bit but forces herself a little further until she finds the opening of a cave and she carefully places him down before she pulls the arrow out tossing it aside. She grips his shoulder tightly her head spinning, she was exhausted and knew she couldn't walk any further carrying him without collapsing from fatigue. She wanted to but she just couldn't do it.
Mordred's pale – well he is usually pale but paler than usual she runs her hand over his cheek for a moment before turning him onto his side resting her knee against his back to keep him up right. His brown cloak is heavy with blood and what she is sure is sweat "agieme hine" she whispers holding her hand over his wound and her eyes change colour but nothing happens. "Agieme hine" she repeats and just like before nothing happens "come on you asshole this is not time to be stubborn" she tells him hoping that he can hear her.
"Agieme hine" she says again but yet nothing happens and frustration begins to mount. Aislinn repeats this process over and over again, each time reproducing the same result as the last; nothing. "Agieme hime" she whispers drowsily but nothing happens and she snaps "god damn it Mordred!" she shouts punching him in the arm resting her head on the spot where she hit him. "You've got to wake up I need you" she whimpers then lifts her head up and when she does she regrets it. The world around her is spinning and she falls back trying to steady herself but can't "Mordred" she calls acting like he could actually help her but knowing he can't she reaches out grabbing what she is pretty sure is his arm.
Her mind is racing now and she isn't sure what to do. Something like this has never happened before; she has never been able to not see. Against her better judgement she stands up feeling her way along the cave wall until she finds Mordred and carefully crouches down her breathing slowing to the point she is practically gasping before she collapses on top of him.
***
When Aislinn opens her eyes again she is blinded by the light of the sun and not where she expected. She's lying in a bed, one that is foreign to her and a room that she has never seen before in her life. The sheets tucked just over her breasts and her torso covered in cloth she sits up her head spinning again and she collapses against the pillows. "You shouldn't sit up so fast" a woman's voice says and Aislinn freezes her eyes landing on an old woman who is sitting beside her. "Who are you?" she asks shuffling backwards on the bed and the woman smiles "calm yourself child, my name is Iyanna."
"Where is Mordred?" she asks glancing around for any sign of him but there is none, Iyanna drags a stool closer to the bed and settles herself again "ah yes, your friend he woke up some days past." Aislinn's lips part "where is he?" she asks going to move but Iyanna stops her "he is out collecting firewood, you must rest" Aislinn is too tired to fight her so she slumps back down. She doesn't respond to Iyanna instead she casts her gaze around the hut taking in the dinning cluttered with an assortment of herbs.
Hanging from the roof are dried out bundles of lavender, rue, and yarrow the light wearing them as they are swayed by the wind. "Is he alright?" Aislinn asks her eyes locked on the bunch of lavender "yes, he is strong and healed quite fast" Iyanna brushes a strand of her silver hair back behind her ear. "Yes he is" she says pulling the sheet up around her, just as she settles again the front door open and in strolls Mordred shaking snow from his hair as he does so. He places the pile of wood on the stool without looking up then kicks the door shut with his foot "good morning" Aislinn says observing him before he notices her.
Mordred smiles at her "good morning" he replies as Iyanna silently gets up from her place "I'll leave you two be" she says before ducking out the door leaving only Aislinn and Mordred. He stands by the door for a moment before making his way over to the bed and sitting beside her "enjoy your sleep?" he asks taking her hand, Aislinn chuckles "yeah I did." He caresses her hand with his thumb "I'd hope so you were asleep for three days" he tells her "you're kidding?" she scoffs and he shakes his head "no I'm not" he says smirking.
"How are you feeling?" she asks looking over the bruises on his face and the few cuts that have scabbed over "sore" he replies frowning but then the frown disappears. "Oh yeah by the way I have a bone to pick with you" he says, Aislinn purses her lips as he rolls up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a purple and black bruise on his upper arm. "Mordred I-" she goes to say but he cuts her off "you got frustrated and hit me" he laughs a little and the look on Aislinn's face causes him to laugh a little harder. "You heard me?" she asks sceptically "every word" he says grinning at her "I was unconscious not dead, Aislinn" he tells her and she swallows.
She is praying that he didn't hear 'every word' because despite his confession she has no idea where she stands and no idea where she wants to stand. "How far away are we from Camelot?" she asks changing the subject letting go of his hand "about two day's hard ride" he informs her "we will leave when you are ready" Aislinn nods. "How do you know we can trust her?" Aislinn asks glaring at the front door "who Iyanna? Aislinn she saved our lives" he says frowning. Aislinn's eye twitches in annoyance and he knows that the whole saving their life thing isn't good enough "Morgana killed her son" he says bluntly.
"What if she is lying?" she asks still not happy with his answers "what if she has told Morgana?" Mordred sighs and runs his hand through his hair "are you ever satisfied?" he asks but all he is answered with is a glare. "I trust her" he tells her licking his bottom lip slightly "look where that ended us last time" she says flinging her hand in the air and he winces at Aislinn's intended insult. "I don't think Morgana is just going to leave us alone" she murmurs and Mordred rolls his eyes "and neither do I...look can you just be happy for one second?" he asks.
Aislinn sighs and relaxes her shoulders, slightly annoyed with him "oh here!" he exclaims fishing deep into his pocket pulling out her necklace "my – Morgana took it! How did you?" she asks taking it from him. "Morgana sent it to me" he explains smiling at her "I never thanked you" she says curling her hand into a fist around her necklace "for what?" he asks but fully aware of what she is talking about. "For coming to rescue me.." she says trailing off "I was convinced that after the my actions you wouldn't come" Mordred chuckles "it was my fault and besides someone has to get you out of trouble" Aislinn giggles but stops when there is a sharp pain running through her chest.
"Yeah..I've always been great at getting myself into trouble but shocking at getting out of it" Mordred laughs but in his laugh there is something missing and to Aislinn it doesn't even feel like he is in the same room anymore. "I'm sorry about what I said" he says out of the blue, Aislinn contemplates taking his hand again but stops and searches his face "you need not be sorry" she whispers noticing his eyes are glassy. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have been there and-" Aislinn throws her hand up silencing him "don't blame yourself" she says moving closer to him.
Mordred sighs rubbing his temple "but the problem is I do" he says looking at her "and I always will" Aislinn places her hand on his arm "Mordred, I want you to listen to me and listen good" she trails off. "This wasn't your fault; it was Devon's and Morgana's they are sick and twisted" a tear rolls down his cheek and she wipes it off with her thumb "I don't blame you" she whispers moving her hand under his chin forcing him to look at her. He still looks like the young child who had cried when he had found that dead bird by the stream.
She smiles at him not removing her hand from his chin "you know you look exactly like you did when we were younger" she says and Mordred frowns a little in return "what do you mean?" he asks. "You just reminded me of the time you cried over that dead bird" Mordred snickers "we're going to have to sit down one day and explain what happened over the last eight years" he says grabbing her hand and removing it from his face. "Well I think I have yours figured out" she says "you were a badass weren't you?" she asks laughing slightly and he shakes his head.
"One day I will tell you everything that happened but not right now" Mordred tells her smiling at her but his smile fades "I was worried when you didn't wake up" he tells her, his voice just above a whisper. Aislinn's heart drops a little upset that she made him worry, she doesn't know what to say to him to make him stop worrying and more importantly she doesn't know how to make him feel any better. After a few seconds of deliberating decision making she pulls him towards her in a tight embrace.
***
"Will you be able to walk?" Mordred asks fiddling with the latch on the satchel Iyanna had given him trying to get it closed. Aislinn limps over to him "yeah I'll be okay" she says slapping his hands away from the latch and closing it herself "besides I have a stick" she says gesturing towards the staff Iyanna had given them.
"Why doesn't that reassure me?" he questions as Aislinn chuckles to herself "but are you sure you'll be okay?" he asks again and she raises her eyebrow "if I need help I will let you know" Mordred's face is expressionless "you won't will you?" he asks and Aislinn laughs "not a chance." She passes the satchel to him and he swings it over his shoulder "I didn't think so."
Iyanna is standing in the doorway watching the two of them get ready with another satchel in her hand "here" she says passing it to Aislinn "it has enough food to hopefully last you until you get to Camelot" Aislinn smiles at her "thank you" she says as Mordred comes up behind her. "Yes, thank you without you I highly doubt it we would be alive" he says placing his hand lightly on Aislinn's shoulder and Iyanna smiles "it's alright, it has been a pleasure" she says smiling. Mordred and Aislinn smile at her before they head off in the general direction of Camelot.
Aislinn's leaning heavily on the staff wincing every time she sets her right foot on the ground, from what she can feel her thigh might be bleeding again "Mordred!" she exclaims when she can't walk any further. Mordred stops short turning around to see her clinging to the staff "I can't go any further" she says trying to stand up Mordred rushes to her side and drapes her arm over his shoulder "it's getting dark so we will make camp and you can sit down." He guides her over to a tree carefully seats her against it "I need to have a look at your leg" he tells her straightening it out Aislinn gasps digging her fingernails into the skin on her other leg.
"You're bleeding" he says patting his finger against the damp cotton of her pants "oh gee tell me something I don't know" Aislinn says derisively, Mordred tears a strip from his shirt and ties it tightly around her leg "that should stop the bleeding" he says. Aislinn's breathing goes back to being somewhat regular "I'm going to go get a fire set up, don't move" he tells her flashing her a smile "wouldn't dream of it" she mumbles leaning her head back against the tree, irritated.
Around twenty minutes later Mordred returns to her side with the fire being lit he offers her his hand, "come on you must be cold" the sun has vanished behind the horizon and the temperature has dropped. "Yeah now that you've mentioned it" Aislinn says taking his hand and he leads her over to the fire pit and sits her down "are you hungry?" he asks motioning to the bag with food in it. Aislinn crosses her arms rubbing her hands up and down trying to warm herself up but it isn't working. "Here" Mordred says pulling out a blanket from the bag and wrapping it around her "any better?" he asks as she bunches it up around her "not particularly" she tells him closing her eyes.
Mordred wraps his arm around her trying to use his body heat and the heat from the fire to keep her warm and it seems to be working. Aislinn rests her head against his chest closing her eyes "you're really warm" she mumbles snuggling up to him "it's because I'm hot" he says stroking her hair "you have a specialty for bad jokes" she says trying to repress a smirk. "Come on its true" he jokes Aislinn laughs "if that's what helps you sleep at night then sure" she mutters and Mordred smiles. "You need to sleep" he tells her brushing some hair back off her face, Aislinn closes her eyes allowing Mordred to move the blanket around her more and repositions another piece of hair.