Arthur remained completely unconscious for days after he was brought to Claudin's home. The wounds on his feet festered and the fever robbed him from any strength he gained from rest. Iseult, with the help from both Lunette and the boys, took care of him to the best of her abilities. But the fever remained high and Arthur did not regain consciousness.

Iseult wiped sweat from her patient's brow, small frown on her young face. Little Caelin sat next to her and watched with rapid attention as her older sister worked. Iseult glanced at Caelin and then offered the wet rag to her.

"Here, Caelin. Are you already a big girl who can take care of our patient for me?" Caelin's face broke into a smile as she reached eagerly for the rag with both hands. She was still only a toddler, barely three winters, but wanted to help with everything. She took the wet rag with great care and then looked at Iseult for guidance. Iseult nudged her and said "Go on, wet the rag and set it over his eyes and forehead."

Caelin nodded and dipped the rag into the bucket close by. She wrung the rag as well as she could with her small hands and the arranged it very carefully over Arthur's forehead. She then frowned and pulled the rag little lower, covering the closed eyes as well. She then looked at Iseult again for approval. Iseult nodded in acceptance and rose. "Caelin, could you sit there and wet the cloth again when it is warm? It would surely make him feel better." She asked while brushing her skirts.

Caelin nodded, face drawn into a very serious expression, which looked rather comical on the face of such a small child. "I will, big sister." She said, puffing out her little chest.

Iseult hid her smile and left Caelin to it. They had moved their quest into their father's room after they had buried Cador. It was the most comfortable bed, mostly because it was the biggest. It was also out of the way, which allowed some privacy for their guest.

Their home was very small, and their father had been the only one to have his own room where to sleep. Eliwlod and Caelin used to sleep with him but now both of them slept with the others in the main area.

In the following morning after bringing the young golden haired man into their home, they had set again into the forest to bring their father home. He had been left untouched and they had dug a small grave for him next to their mother. After that, the life continued.

Their father had been to the village only few days previously so they had plenty of supplies, but Iseult worried. They had been dependent on their father's woodcarving and none of them could carve well enough to earn money. Some of the food they could grow, but it would not last them the whole winter. They could set traps for animals and fish, but none of them knew how to hunt. If nothing changed, they would all die during the winter, or they would be forced to beg for food.

Iseult sighed as she began to gather together the material for their dinner. From the sickroom, as they now called their father's old room, she could hear quiet shuffling as Caelin changed the wet cloth. From the outside she could hear clatter and then Rion came in. Rion was only a litter younger then she and they guessed they were both more or less twelve. They did not know their birthdays, or even years, but their mother had been good at guessing.

Rion walked to her side and peeked around her shoulder to see what she was preparing.

"What are we having for dinner?" He asked and sniffed the air. Iseult poked him with her elbow to get some breathing room. "Stew, " she answered, "from the nettles that Gwyn and Lucan gathered and the fish you caught in the morning. Rion flashed her a very proud smile. He then glanced to the sickroom when he heard the quiet sounds.

"He's still not awake, is he?" He asked while he walked towards the center of their small house where Eliwlod played on the floor.

"No" Iseult answered without taking her eyes from the food. "I've done all I can. I put Willow bark and honey to the wounds as well as St John's wort. I'm hoping it will clean the festering. Which reminds me, we need more of each. I've also used Yarrow and Vervain but the fever is still high. If it doesn't go down he might die from it."

Rion nodded while he played with Eli, who was delighted to have the attention of his big brother. "Don't fret so, sister, you said it yourself: You've done all you can." He tickled Eli and was rewarded with loud giggles. "Beside, he seems to be a soldier or knight. They are strong. He won't die."

Iseult nodded while she glanced at her brothers plying on the floor. "I'll need your help after we have eaten. Could you try and give him some water?"

Rion set his little brother down, much to the small boys disappointment, and rose. "Sure, it's no trouble." He said and headed to the sickroom. When he entered he saw Caelin sitting on the bed and removing a wet rag from the man's forehead. She dipped it into the bowl with only minimal spilling and then set it back. The rag was still rather wet and rivulets of water ran down the man's cheeks towards his ears. Some of his hair was wet from the water and stuck to his forehead in slightly darker golden curls.

Rion smiled a little. Caelin took any tasks given to her very seriously and thought herself to be almost A Big Girl. But the fact was, she wasn't and sometimes the end results spoke for her. He would have to put that pillow out to dry.

"Hey, Caelin. How's the patient? Have you taken good care of him?"

Caelin nodded her head up and down "Look! I've kept to cloth all wet and cold just like Iseult told me to! I'm a big girl now!" Rion laughed and tickled her, but Caelin was having none of it.

"No! I'm looking after the patient! I can't play!" She scrambled away from Rion and struck a pose Rion was sure she had copied from Iseult, who had copied it from their mother. Hands on her hip and chin jutted determinedly out. He stuck out his bottom lip and feigned hurt. "Aww, not even a little bit?"

An uncertain expression rose to Caelin's face before she resolutely shook her head. "No!"

Rion let out a huge exaggerated sigh that caused Caelin to giggle and said "Oh, okay then. I suppose, since you can't play I should help you?" He poured some water from a pitcher that stood on a nearby table into a wooden cup made by his father. He nudged Caelin gently to the side and sat on the bed by the man's head.

He slid a hand under the head until he had a stable grip on the man's nape and lifted him enough that he could slither his legs under the shoulders. When he had the man elevated and propped against him enough that he wouldn't choke he lifted the cup to the man's lips. He eased a small trickle of water between the parted lips while tilting the head backwards. When the water hit the back of the mans throat swallowing reflex kicked in.

As Rion eased more water into the man's mouth he felt the muscles on the man's shoulders tense slightly and the man shifted a little. He seemed to become aware enough to start drinking and Rion dipped more water. The man drank the whole cup and Rion watched him like a hawk in hopes that he would show any other signs of awareness but the man only sighed lightly and remained asleep.

Caelin had followed the movements quietly with round eyes, but when Rion set the cup aside and eased the man down she spoke. "Is he going to wake up soon?"

Rion glanced at her and pulled the blanket around the man's shoulders where it had slipped a bit. He touched the mans brown before he answered. "I don't know. At least I think his fever is not as high anymore. Maybe he'll pull through."

"He will!" Caelin declared, "He will, because everybody is taking so good care of him that he has to become better!" She snatched the wet rag again from the bowl where Rion had removed it during drinking and arranged it back on the man's face. "See? He'll be better." She said this with utter certainty and Rion chuckled, yanking gently to one of her little plaits. "You are absolutely right, little one." He then rose from the bed and left, ignoring Caelin's indignant yell of "I'm not little!"

In the evening, when the dinner had been eaten Iseult gathered her herbs and clean bandages Lunette had washed and set to inspect the wounds on their guest. She took Claudin and Lunette with her while Rion entertained the little ones.

Claudin pulled back the blankets aside and started to undo the bandages. The man wore no shirt, only the bandages around his middle. He started to peel back the bandage with some help from Lunette. Iseult leaned closer to see the wound. "I can't believe this wound isn't festering. Mother told that if deep stomach wounds fester they usually kill. He's real lucky." She took started to clean the wound with water not caring that she wetted the blankets. They would have to change them as well. When she decided the wound wouldn't need any more cleaning, she took a jar from Lunette and started to smear generous amounts of ointment on the wound. After that was done she and Claudin applied the clean bandages around the wound, which was more difficult than removing them. When she was satisfied the bandage would stay in place she started to inspect the rest.

The man had sword wounds everywhere; on his arms, shoulders, legs but none were as bad as the wound on his middle. Unfortunately some the less sever ones had an infection and were angry red with yellow pus leaking out. Iseult cleaned out all of the pus and by the time she was done most of the ointment in the jar was gone. She scooted lower on the bed and wrapped he hand around the man's ankle, lifting the foot on her lap.

There was not much skin left and the whole foot was red and swollen. Iseult suspected the feet were the source of the fever and had taken extra care with them. There were few deeper scratches that had bled rather heavily. For a while Iseult thought the man would lose his foot to the infection but generous amounts of willow bark, honey and St John's wort seemed to keep it in bay. Today both feet looked little less inflamed and Iseult had hopes that the infection would ease and allow the wounds to heal.

While she was tending to the other foot with Lunette she felt the foot move in her grip and she heard a quiet groan. She looked up startled and saw Claudin lean over the man. The man's head moved, tilting to the side and his eyelids fluttered. Iseult held her breath in anticipation as Claudin spoke to the man.

"Sir! Sir knight," he called hoping they had been right in guessing their patient's status "Please, wake up! Sir knight!" He reached a hand hesitantly towards the man's shoulder and then shook him very lightly. He was rewarded with other quiet moan and more sluggish movement. At the end of the bed Iseult gripped the man's ankle tightly in both hands as she leaned forward. Lunette scrambled to sit next to Claudin as he tried to draw the man back to consciousness.

"Claudin, be ready to give him some water!" Iseult commanded while she started to finish the foot she had been working on. Lunette sprang up from where she had been sitting to fetch the cup and pitcher. She poured water into the cup and passed it to Claudin who was still trying to wake the man.

His efforts were rewarded when the man's eyes opened a fraction and they caught a glimpse of deep blue. The man opened his mouth to speak but only a broken croak emerged. Claudin reached out to lift the man's head and Lunette was quick to arrange the pillow so it would offer some support. The man drank greedily, still only half conscious. When the cup was empty and Claudin had lowered his head again he attempted to speak again.

"Where…" He didn't finish the sentence but Claudin was quick to answer.

"You are in our home. We found you in the woods and brought you here. You were wounded in battle." The man didn't seem to be completely aware of what was happening so Claudin did not explain more. Instead he asked; "What is you name?"

The man's tired and glazed eyes found Claudin's before the man whispered.

"Arthur."

Then his eyes slipped closed and he fell asleep. Iseult, who had finished the feet, came to stand at the head of the bed and looked down at the man, sweeping some of the hair away from the man's, no, Arthur's brow. "I think he is sleeping now instead of being unconscious. The sleep will let him heal. Mother always said sleep heals better than any herb."

Claudin nodded, pulling back his hand that had rested on Arthur's shoulder. "Yes, I think he'll survive now." Iseult placed her hand against the sleeping man's neck, feeling the temperature. "His fever isn't dangerously high anymore."

Lunette reached out between them to feel herself before fisting her hand on Claudin's shirt and nodding in agreement. "He is younger than mum. He won't die." She mumbled. Claudin wrapped his arm around his little sister.

The loss of their father had been hard on them all, but their mother's death had thought them how to cope. It was okay to cry and mourn. But not forever. Claudin was so proud of his little family. They had handled their grief very well even if they did sleep together in one messy pile, seeking comfort from each other.

And the arrival of Arthur had served as an excellent distraction, taking their minds off their father's death. Looking after a wounded and unconscious person was not easy, espeacilly for children, but they had had practice during their mother's long illness. She had been bedridden for weeks and it had fallen upon them to care for her as their father looked for a physician from nearby villages.

They stayed near the man, taking some comfort from the presence of an adult, even when that adult was very ill and completely unknown to them.

xxXXXXXXXXXxx

Arthur's first sensation was the steady burning throb that seemed to originate from his feet. He felt confused without any idea as to where he was. He shifted slightly, feeling the pull of several wounds. He had evidently been in a battle. He frowned lightly, trying to remember what had happened to him. Dark forms in forest, glint of firelight and the flashes of swords where the first impressions he got. And they did not help at all.

The bed under him felt foreign, the blankets coarse and the mattress thin. He knew he was not in Comelot. He worried briefly of the state of his Kingdom before returning to the issue on hand. He was injured and horribly weak. Taking stock on his condition he also felt gnawing hunger. He was very thirsty and guessed he was running rather high fever. Infection, most likely. His head hurt, as did just about everything else. All in all, he felt absolutely wretched.

He turned his head and cracked his eyes open. A small room swam into view. There was not much furniture, only a small table and one lonely cupboard. Sunlight poured through a narrow window, allowing him to inspect the room with ease. The floor was wooden and the blanks were rough. He was most likely in the house of some farmer who had discovered him in the aftermath of a battle before any of his men had had chance to find him.

Suddenly there was a shift on his other side and Arthur became aware of someone breathing lightly next to him. Small shiver ran through him and he slowly turned his head to look at his quiet observer.

Right next to him sat a little girl, staring at him with wide eyes. She couldn't be more than three winters and had a head full of very curly brown hair that had been pulled into two tiny plaits that jutted out rather comically. Many locks still managed escape and her wild fringe hung messily over her eyes. This made her head look like a birds nest, very messy and rather adorable. She had bright green eyes, small button nose and very soft, round features. She stared at Arthur and Arthur stared at her, with barely a foot of space between them.

Arthur, who had never had to deal with children, had no idea how to proceed. He barely dared to move, fearing he would scare the girl. The girl continued to stare before a large smile spread over her face. An exited slush rose on her cheeks and her eyes lit up in pleased delight.

"You're awake! I knew you would wake! I did, I did!" She exclaimed in what could be descried as utter glee. Arthur continued to stare.

"I knew you would! Do you know why? It's because I took care of you. I'm a big girl, I know how to do it. Iseult taught me. She's really clever. She's the one who took care of the other hurts but I put the wet cloth on your head. Did it help? I was really careful; did it make you feel better? You have been asleep really, really long time. Are you still tired? Iseult told me to look after you. I'm a big girl so I can do it."

The exited chatter was enough to make Arthur's head spin. He was still feverish and sleepy and he didn't know how to deal with an overly exited toddler who was apparently big girl and had been appointed as his nursemaid.

"Um-" he managed and the little girl stopped her chatter in mid sentence. Arthur opened his mouth again to say something, closed it and then went with the most pressing need. "Could I have some water, please?" The little girl gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

"Oh! I forgot. Iseult told me to give you herbal tea if you woke up." With that she scrambled down from the bed and scurried over to the little table where a wooden cup stood. She pushed a chair in front of the table climbed up in order to reach the cup. Then, with great care and a frown of concentration, she climbed down. She brought the cup to Arthur without managing to spill a drop. Arthur squirmed up the bed to lean against the wall. Gritting his teeth as the action caused his wounds to protest. The room spun around him and forced him to close his eyes in order to regain his wits. When he the pain and dizziness had abated into a more manageable level he opened his eyes to see the little girl standing next to the bed, cup in hand and worried look on her face. When she saw Arthur's eyes open she offered the cup to him.

Arthur took the cup in his hands and took a cautious sip. It was indeed some sort of herbal mixture and he sipped it again. The little girl climbed to sit on the bed, not caring in the least about the unknown adult resting on it. Arthur tilted his head as he regarded the girl. "What is your name, little one?" He asked her kindly. The girl pouted at him, stating she was not little before offering her name.

"I'm Caelin. And that's Eliwlod, but we call him Eli. He's little."

Wait, what? Arthur's thoughts halted as he followed Caelin's pointed finger to the end of his bed. Next to his feet there was little lump under the blankets that seemed to be snuffling quietly. Arthur pulled at the blanket and slid it over from the little figure, bringing in his view a small boy curled up like a small cat. He had a head of very light blond hair that curled around his ears. He had his face tucked into the mattress, small hands in fists under his chin.

He was clearly younger than Caelin and still only a baby. Arthur stared at the quietly sleeping child and the shifted his eyes to Caelin.

"Why is he sleeping here?" He said gesturing helplessly at the foot of the bed. Caelin puffed out her chest, look of self-importance on her face. "Because I'm looking after him too. He was sleepy and you were sleeping so I put him there to sleep. Now I can take care of you both." She used so matter-in-fact tone that Arthur couldn't help but smile despite feeling very wrong footed and uncertain with two little kids in the same bed as him. Especially since the bed was rather small.

Arthur's stomach chose that moment to announce itself by growling rather loudly. Arthur wondered when he had last eaten anything. Judging by the hallow pain he felt he suspected it had been quite a while.

Caelin perked up at the sound. "You're hungry!" She declared, slid off the bed and ran out of the room. Arthur stared after her guessing she went to fetch an adult and looked again at the other occupant on the bed. He wondered why any parent would leave their small children alone with complete stranger. Especially since Arthur didn't doubt his hosts knew he could use a sword. And Caelin had seemed very trusting with him, thought that might just be in her personality. She seemed to be rather energetic child.

Arthur heard the door of the house open and he listened the voices of two persons who entered the house. Other he recognized as Caelin's, but the other was unknown. He was surprised to realize the voice did not belong to an adult, but to a young girl. Sounds of someone bustling around carried from the main area into his little room before a girl appeared at the doorway.

She was young, still just a child and in her hands she held a wooden bowl and a spoon. She walked closer to the bed hesitantly, eyes fixed to the floor. She seemed rather shy and more vary of him than Caelin. She offered the bowl peeking at him hesitantly behind her bangs. "Caelin told me you were awake and hungry. I thought you would like some soup even if it is cold." She blushed slightly and averter her eyes causing Arthur to realized she was shy, not afraid.

He took the offered bowl with a smile and a thank you. He tasted the soup and complimented it, causing more pronounced flush to spread on the girl's cheeks. She pulled one of her long, thick plaits over her shoulder and fiddled with it. The soup tasted rather good even if it was cold although Arthur doubted he could stomach much of it. He looked up at the girl as she stood by the bed and saw Caelin peek behind the older girl's skirts. Arthur offered her a small smile and received one in return before he shifted his focus back on the older girl.

"My name is Arthur, would you tell me yours?"

Brown eyes snapped up to meet his. They were quite large and gave the girl a slightly owlish look. Together with her small chin and full mouth they gave her rather strange look but Arthur found he liked the combination. He smiled warmly at the girl, trying to put her at ease. The girl gave a timid smile back as she answered.

"My name is Iseult. I took care of your wound."

Arthur's eyebrows lifted in confusion. "You? You look rather young to be the responsible for a stranger although you seem to have done great job." The praise brought back the blush that had been slowly reseeding with full force. Caelin chose that moment to intervene.

"Iseult is really good with stuff like that! Mummy thought her and she takes good care of us when we have ouchies." She praised her sister as she came closer to the bed and tugged lightly on the blankets, eyes round and eager as she praised earnestly her sister's skills. Arthur smiled again and sipped his soup.

"Oh? She sounds really clever. And who belongs to your family?" The last part he directed to Iseult who answered.

"There is our oldest brother Claudin and then Rion. And Lunette who is younger than me and then there are Gwyn and Lucan, they are still small. Then is Caelin and Eli over there." She finished, pointing at the end of the bed where Eli continued to sleep despite the conversation going on.

Arthur frowned slightly. "Have you no adults in the house? How did you bring me here?"

Iseult shifted restlessly and Arthur indicated her to sit on the bed. She hesitated slightly before sitting next to his hip. Caelin tugged at her skirts again and Iseult lifted her to sit on her lap. Her eyes filled with sadness and sorrow before her gaze slid to the floor and she tugged Caelin tightly around her. "We used to live with our father, but he died on the same day we found you. He was dead and you were lying unconscious on the ground. We managed to lift you on our little card that father used for gathering wood and brought you here. You had really high fever and your wounds were festering and we thought you would die as well."

Arthur's eyes widened as the memory came to him. "You are Cador's children!" He exclaimed in sudden realization. Iseult's eyes widened and Caelin squeaked.

"That's our daddy's name."

Iseult glanced down at her sibling. "Caelin, could you gather some Comfrey. I'm running low. Can you do that?" Caelin nodded, slid down to the floor and scurried away. Iseult watched her go. "I don't think she has quite grasped that our father is gone. She was too young to remember our mother's death and she's still just little." She drew a breath and let it out slowly and then turned on Arthur.

"Are your wounds bothering you? Are you thirsty or still hungry?" She questioned as she took away Arthur's now empty bowl. Arthur shook his head.

"No, I'm full. I'm surprised I could eat this much, the soup was delicious. Did you make it?"

Iseult nodded. "I added a herb that encourages appetite to the tincture Caelin gave you. And Yes, I made it. From fish and nettles."

"It was good, "Arthur assured her before answering the rest of her questions. "My wounds are healing, I don't think anything is hurting more than it should considering the state I'm in. But I am still little thirsty. Could you give me a bit of water please?"

Iseult nodded and got up to pour him water from a nearby pitcher.

Arthur stifled a yawn. He felt exhaustion creeping up on him now that he had eaten. After drinking the water Iseult had given him he twisted on the bed, mindful of the little boy near his feet, and lay down. "Should you move Eli to sleep somewhere else? I'm afraid I'll push him off the bed accidently." He asked Iseult.

Iseult shook her head. "Caelin will look after him when she comes back. I only sent her away so you could fall sleep. She can be quite the blabbermouth sometimes. Besides, I think he'll wake up soon anyway."

Arthur closed his eyes and sighed deeply, the pain doing nothing to keep him awake. Before he fell asleep he cracked his eyes open and looked at Iseult who was still watching him.

"Thank you, Iseult. You have done great job. When I am awake again I can tell what happened to your father. I made a promise to him and I am a man of my word." His speech was slurred from tiredness and his eyes slipped closed without his consent. Before he fell completely asleep he herd Iseult whisper quietly.

"Thank you."