A/N: Soooo... Noone wants to play my little game? Your bad. But don't come whining when your favourite character dies off. :p
7. Lamia
Let's go forward a little, towards another adventure that changed Lily's life forever.
After a few hiccups in the next weeks of Arthur's reign, something happened in Gwen's village.
One morning, Lily was summoned by Arthur to come into his office as a woman from Gwen's past has asked her for assistance.
The woman was called Mary, and looked very troubled when she went to sit facing her.
Arthur was pacing around the table himself, clearly concerned by anything that had to do with Guinevere in general.
"Guinevere informs me that you live in Longstead in the Fealor Mountains, is that right?"
"That's right, Sire. Our village is blighted by a sickness. Three good men it has taken now. We have no physician, Sire. It is beyond our understanding!"
"I see..." He shared a look with Gwen.
"Forgive me. I have no right to bring such a small matter before the King."
"You have every right. It is my responsibility to protect the people of this kingdom, whoever they may be."
"You'll help us?"
Arthur nodded. "I'll do whatever I can." Then he looked over at Lily. "Do you think Gaius might help?"
Lily nodded. "I have yet to see an illness Gaius could not identify, Sire."
"Then call upon him. I have to learn about this sickness before taking any decision."
She nodded again then stood, smiling to the woman still gripping Gwen's hand before exiting the room.
Unfortunately, Camelot was taken by fever at that time, so Gaius could not accompany Gwen back to her village. So, instead, he sent Merlin.
Arthur, who would remain in the capital, chose to send Lily along with the knights.
Their first alone mission in a long time.
As she was putting her saddle on her horse's back, Lily felt a presence behind her in the stables, soon to discover it was Mary.
"Can I help you?"
The woman shook her head, and looked at her in a strange way. "So, you are the Lady Knight."
"That I am."
"In my village, many people doubt you exist."
Lily chuckled. "And why's that?"
"Uther Pendragon would never have agreed that a woman should be knighted, let alone appointed Captain of the Knights."
To that Lily sighed sadly, memories flooding her mind for a split second. "The King, Arthur...knighted me on a very dark day for Camelot. He knighted most of the best knights of Camelot that day too. As for appointing me Captain...well...I was very close to the former Captain. He thought it a good idea that I should replace him."
"Sir Leon was loved throughout the kingdom, and is still missed."
"Yes. I miss him too." She smiled softly. "More than anyone else."
"So it was true too. That before you loved Sir Gwaine, you loved Sir Leon?"
Lily looked over at her companion, frowning a little. "Not that this is any of your business, but yes, I loved Sir Leon. And his death left a scar on my heart that won't probably ever heal."
Mary looked down. "I'm sorry, I did not wish to pry. It's just that...you are the subject of rumours in the far off villages. Some even think you've killed him yourself."
Lily sighed again. "No one is ever free of rumours. I'll live with them. Now come, Mary, or the others will wait for us."
It took the knights and their companions less than half a day to reach Longstead.
Mary, who had stopped her horse next to Lily's, looked over the hills. "My village stands at the foot of these mountains."
The Captain nodded. "With luck, we shall be there by nightfall." And she pushed her horse forward.
When they did reach the village, Mary was reunited with her husband, John, who soon showed the three ill men to Merlin.
And when he tried to heal them with magic with no one else but Lily as a witness, and that it failed, both exchanged a hard look.
"What can that be?"
The warlock shook his head. "I don't know. But if magic doesn't help, I fear it was magic itself that provoked that sickness."
"Great. So now we have a magical creature running about." She rolled her eyes and exited the room, back into the night where Percival and Elyan stood watch.
When, in the dead of night, it was her turn to stand watch, Lily was soon interrupted by a pair of lips closing on her neck.
She sighed. "And where are you going?"
"Call of nature, my Lady. Thought I'd pass by and take advantage of you."
She chuckled. "Go away, Gwaine, before I loose patience."
He smiled widely, kissed her softly, then hurried away, leaving her alone, a chill running up her spine almost instantly.
Reaching for Merlin, Lily drew out her sword.
"Merlie?"
"Something's out there. For a moment, I thought it was Gwaine."
"I know, he's gone do his business outside. Idiot." She paused. "Look out for anything unusual. I'm here."
"Understood. Keep contact."
The following morning, though, none of Merlin's poultices had changed the men's health. Rather the contrary. They were closer to death than ever.
So the warlock, knowing something evil was at work, took the grave decision to go back to Camelot and fetch the old physician, who knew about everything.
When they reached the woods a few miles from the village, though, Lily made the company stop.
A fire was going a few feet from the road.
She turned to the knights. "Dismount and muzzle your horses. Not a sound, any of you."
Carefully, and as silently as a bunch of men in chainmails could, the knights and Merlin went to stand on a good view point.
Under them was a group of men sickly chuckling.
"Bandits?"
Lily looked up at Merlin. "Looks like it. We'll go around their camp then sneak in unnoticed. Go!"
The knights went their way, Lily remaining with Merlin.
"There's someone with them."
"I know, I see. It's a girl, apparently."
The battle didn't last. The bandits were not all idiots and quickly realised that Camelot's knights were probably better warriors than them, and ran away.
Lily, who had been fighting alongside Percival, nudged him in the arm. "Percy! For once in your life, will you just use your bloody sword?"
The giant widened his eyes. "But, I'm as efficient with my bare hands, Lily!"
She rolled her eyes. "Say that again when you get your ass kicked by a dozen men at once."
A few minutes later, Percy found the girl who had been attacked by the bandits.
She called herself Lamia, and screamed at the top of her lungs when both Merlin and Lily tried to touch her.
Crawling back into Percy's arms as if he was her lifeline.
Even as they were making they way back to the horses, both exchanged a quiet discussion.
"I sense something off with that girl."
"Yes. Why on Earth would she yell like that when we'd try to help?"
"No idea. But look-" he gestured to the knights, all gathered around Lamia, Gwen pushed aside irreverently by her own brother, "how they look affected by her."
Lily nodded. "We should keep a close eye on her."
"Maybe even both eyes."
"Agreed."
When they stopped for the night, Lily walked to Percy's horse, outstretching a hand to the girl.
She hissed in response.
Percival then hurried back to her, harshly pushing Lily aside. "Get away from her, Lily. And stay away." He scooped Lamia in his arms and walked away.
Gwen then walked up to her friend. "He didn't mean it. He's tired, as are we all."
But Lily shook her head. "No, Gwen. Percival would never harm me in any way. Something's wrong."
The following morning, things took a turn for the worst.
All Knights decided to ride east, towards where Lamia said she came from, instead of west, where Camelot, and Gaius, laid.
Going so far as insulting Merlin and shutting Gwen down when both tried to talk them out of it.
Lily then walked up, plastering her best glare in her eyes. "I am your Captain! If I say we ride for Camelot, you do as I say!"
Gwaine then chuckled darkly, a sound so foreign in his mouth, and glared at her, something that had Lily take a pace backwards in surprise. "Or what? What will you do, Lily? You're a girl, you can't outfight us in any way. The only reason you're our Captain is because you hooked up with Leon, certainly not because of your real worth!"
She huffed in surprise, not even able to answer when all three walked away.
Merlin came to rest by her. "Something is definitely wrong."
"I'm telling you, Merlin. Whatever this is, I will soon loose patience here."
"Quiet. It's not their fault."
"Merlin, we're the only three unaffected. Apart from you, whose immunity is quite obvious, we have Gwen and I, and we're both in love. You'd think Gwaine would be immune too."
"Don't ever think like that!" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "He loves you! You are immune because you are a woman, not because you're in love!" He pulled her in for a quick hug. "We'll bring him back to you, I swear. Now come. Before they kill someone."
And it took the men less than two hours to try to kill each other.
When Percival moved to give Lamia water after they'd take a break in their journey, Gwaine moved to the same purpose, and after long, they had both drawn out their swords and were slashing at each other.
So Lily walked up to them. "Enough! I said enough!" But when neither stopped, she cursed under her breath, drawing her hand out. "Kielthai!"
Both knights shot backwards towards a tree, and invisible bounds kept them there, as much as they tried to get free.
It didn't go amiss to Lily the look of dread and surprise in the girl's eyes when she cast her spell.
So she walked up to her, glared openly, then looked back to her men. "Next time, I won't be so indulgent. So behave like grown-ups, for once!" She looked at Elyan intently. "You stay away from her, or heavens be my witness, I'll make you wish you were not born!"
Merlin smirked and walked to her, while Gwen walked to Lamia, oblivious to her power in all this. "Remind me never to cross you."
"Remember, Merlie. You crossed me once."
"And it nearly cost me your friendship."
That night, Percival and Gwaine slept bound to a tree, while Elyan showed better resistance to Lamia's charms.
Or so Lily thought, for the following morning, Elyan was found...in the same state as all other men they had found in Longstead.
Merlin tried to tend to him, but nothing, no magic, could make any change.
Lily decided to remain there until Arthur found them. She knew that her King should have thought they were gone too long, and had to have come after them. All they had to do was wait.
But that night, something bad happened. Again.
Gwaine managed god-knows-how to cut his bounds and sneak out of camp after Lamia, who had, once again, disappeared into the night.
Lily, who had been watching camp, soon realised her knight had been missing, and, with a curse, went after him.
When she found the couple, Lamia was tucked into Gwaine's arms, close, too close, to kiss him.
She drew out Fang and hissed. "Step away from him, witch."
Gwaine was the one to draw out, putting Lamia safely behind him, a snarl appearing on his lips. "You step away from her. And from me. Any form of attachment I had for you is entirely gone, did I make myself clear?"
Lily breathed heavily, trying not to hear too much through it. "If I have to knock you out, Gwaine, I will."
"You'll try." And he unsheathed his sword, charging her.
As much as they had already sparred against each other in the past, Lily had never had to defend herself so completely to the man she loved's blows.
He was truly trying to kill her.
All his strength and skill was put in every move, every lounge.
And even if, sometimes, she managed to beat him, Lily had a feeling in that moment that it was only because he had let her.
So, when his sword came far too close to her throat for her comfort and that a gloved hand knocked Fang out of her grasp, Lily had only one option left.
She swallowed a sob and put her free hand onto Gwaine's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. Fiantolk eotai."
Gwaine's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell limp in her arms, fast asleep.
Her eyes went to Lamia once more. "You may try to ensnare them one by one, but until the day I die, I'll be there protecting them."
She could have sworn she heard a true, snake-like hiss as the girl hurried away back to camp.
But when she reached camp, hell had been set loose. Percival had been kissed, and Gwen and Merlin had disappeared into the forest, clamours coming from the woods.
Fortunately for Lily, sometimes, she could count on the King to do his bit.
Not a moment later, she drew out her sword to be met with Arthur's.
A sigh of relief escaped her. "Oh, heavens. I could almost be glad to see you, Arthur."
"I can tell. What happened?"
"That girl kissed Elyan and Percy. Knocked them out. Gwaine here is out due to a little spell I had to save my bacon with."
"Where's Guinevere?"
Lily fought the urge to roll her eyes. Lovestruck puppy. "She was gone when I arrived. Merlin also. I guess they are fighting somewhere nearby. Be careful."
"I'm always careful."
As it appeared, Lamia had taken on the form of a hideous creature to try and end Merlin. Gwen had arrived to try and save him, but had had her sword knocked out of her hand before she could do any harm.
And then Arthur arrived and planted his sword deep in Lamia's skull.
Elyan, Percy and Gwaine were brought to Gaius in Longstead, whose villagers had all retrieved better health.
And Lily was thanked by Arthur for taking care of Gwen.
Agravaine even tried to make her believe he was glad to see her.
To what she had answered "I'm sure."
A few days later, back in Camelot, almost everything had gone back to its previous place.
Well...almost everything.
Lily had been tidying her room when he entered – without knocking, of course – and cleared his throat.
She whirled around and her eyes widened. "Gwaine? What are you doing here?" She was desperately trying to keep out the ice in her words but found it hard even days after what had happened.
"I wanted to have a word, Captain."
"Oh, so now I'm your Captain? I thought I was worthless of the title."
"Lily..." He walked up to her and took her hands. "What was said back then wasn't true. I never thought such things. And never will."
She got out of his grasp, taking a few paces backwards. "But I can't help but think that you do, deep down. That you think I won the honour of being the Knights' Captain only because I once was Leon's woman. That you think me worthless and useless in battle-"
"That I want to marry you."
Lily stopped dead, her eyes locking to his.
To her surprise, he looked deadly serious.
"I thought about it many times since we came back from Storybrooke. Mainly I didn't ask because I thought that I, Sir Gwaine, should never marry, even for love, and then...I almost lost you. So-," he walked up to her, taking advantage of her flabbergasted state, and got down on one knee, "Lady Lily, Lady of Avalon, Last of the Dragonlords, will you do me the honour of becoming my worthless wife?"
She chuckled at the choice of words, then, without really thinking, nodded.
"God yes."