THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
The night stretched on.
The trees stretched up towards the sky as Marius sat on a rock, rubbing at his arms at the itchy feeling all over his body.
His eyes hurt and his organs ached in his frame.
Morgana sneered and glared at him, her eyes glinting and cold as they always were.
"You are doing well." She stated, although her words contained no such praise, "Imagine it, a fallen king, and no one to blame whatsoever expect a mysterious green knight who now one has ever heard of… you shall be rewarded of course."
"Is the change supposed to hurt this much?" Marius hissed, rubbing at his eyes, tugging at his hair as though he wanted to tear it from his scalp to ease the ache that resided there.
"You are changing your entire make up into a towering green giant." Morgana snapped, "Using my magic… you would not be able to do it alone and your body knows it."
He flashed a look and stared at her.
"So… if…"
"When." She corrected with a warning glare.
"When I kill Arthur Pendragon… you will return what is rightfully mine?"
"Why of course." She arched her eyebrows and stalked closer to him, "That is what we agreed is it not?"
"I just wanted to be sure." He stated, "Sure that you will return to me the land that Uther Pendragon won from my father before the both of them died..."
"Yes." She laughed at him, "You don't trust me?"
"Er…" Marius glared at her, "No."
"Isn't a shame that we live in such sceptical times…" She rolled her eyes.
"Marius you have my word as a priestess and rightful heir to the throne of Camelot… that if you kill Arthur Pendragon, you can have all of the land that Uther stole from your father before the two of them perished… in return for you disposing of Arthur, and the men you have got waiting for me on the edge of the forest…."
Marius nodded once.
Morgana lifted one eyebrow, "For while Arthur is here meeting his doom the kingdom will be vulnerable… Queen Gwen won't be able to stop the force of my magic and the men you have leant me…."
She stared to laugh.
Marius inclined his head in agreement.
It made the changing back and forth into the Green knight bearable.
CAMELOT – THE ROYAL CHAMBERS
Arthur entered his chamber again to see his wife sat up on the bed, the curtains pulled back so she could see him approach her.
Her eyes were stormy, although not in colour, as his irises were.
Arthur sighed before he spoke, his jaw flexing mildly.
"Gwaine has decided to take the challenge on my behalf… as one of my knights; he says that it is his job to serve me…"
"Just as you thought that it was your job to go in the first place…" She almost snapped, her arms tightening around her elbows where her arms made a barrier across her chest, as she pushed herself to stand off of the bed, "I could see it in your eyes when we argued that you were still thinking of going… Your duty…"
"You have your job my love…" His eyes stared meaningfully into hers and his hand moved to rest lightly on her swollen belly, "The most important of them all…"
"Don't." She snapped, pushing his hand away and resting her hand on her hip firmly, the other covering her eyes as she took in breaths to calm down.
Arthur watched her with a sigh.
"Guinevere." He said, "It is my duty to Camelot to honour the promises I make and the challenges I agree to… I thought you understood."
"And I thought that you understood just how much of a reckless decision that going was." She dropped her hand from her face so both her hands were at her waist.
"I am sorry." He stated, "I am, truly… I shouldn't have gone… But I thought that it was the right thing to do…"
"It was reckless."
"I was raised to keep my word."
"And I wasn't?"
"I didn't say that."
They stared at one another for a moment and she locked her jaw, shaking her head and looking down at the floor.
Arthur drew in a firm breath, "I should have known that you would know that I still wanted to go, you know me better than I know myself… As a king I cannot appear to be week. I cannot ask my men to lay down challenges and uphold the code of honour when I do not follow it myself…"
"God forbid anything should happen to the precious code." Gwen muttered.
He stared at her, "What does that mean?"
She flexed her jaw, "It means…"
He watched her carefully.
She lifted her eyes to stare at him, and they were wide and searching.
"It means, the code of chivalry ad duty of a king coming first, and your wife and her council coming second…"
"You know that is not true." He stated.
"I advised you not to go and yet you thought that you knew better." She stated.
"Is it such a completely ridiculous notion that I ever could?" He demanded.
His words hung in the air for a moment and she drew in an angry breath.
"I did not mean that." He murmured, reaching to gently cup her cheek.
She flinched away but he did not move his hand.
His thumb gently stroked the space beside her eye and she swallowed, letting her eyelids side closed.
"I am sorry." He breathed.
She sighed shortly and opened her eyes, nodding at him once.
"I know."
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple, cradling her against his body, his hand gently stroking her back, the other resting on the back of her head.
She folded her hands over her small belly and sighed softly.
She was content in the strong shelter of his arms.
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
The sun dawned.
"Do you think that Gwen will have killed Arthur yet?" Gwaine chuckled.
Merlin glanced at him before forwards again.
The knight continued to laugh, "Mind you, my bet is that they are already at the 'kiss and make up stage…'"
Something in the trees ahead snapped and twinkled.
Merlin knew instantly that they had been meant to see it.
"Did you see that?" He breathed.
Gwaine had, for he had stopped chuckling and halted his horse as Merlin did.
The two dismounted and Gwaine drew his sword.
"What do you think it is?" He hissed at Merlin.
Merlin narrowed his eyes through the trees ahead and straightened.
"Whatever it is it is Green."
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
The green knight towered before them.
Its deep breathing was rough and shuddering, and it stood at least two feet higher than Gwaine.
Merlin was stood a little way behind, in the shadows of the trees with the horses.
Unbeknownst to all of them, Morgana stood deep in the black shadows on the other side, half her face and form hidden behind the tree she was sneering out from behind.
Merlin's eyes were locked on Gwaine.
The knight stared up at it, arching his eyebrow.
"You look much bigger up close."
"And you are not Arthur Pendragon." The Green knight stated furiously.
Gwaine only grinned.
"Well noticed…"
"It was the king who picked up the gauntlet and it is he who must take up my challenge, as he promised to do!" The Green knight bellowed, "Does he think himself too important now…"
"He was coming." Gwaine leant on his sword, "But he was reminded that he has a wife at home and a child on the way…"
The sneer from Morgana's face vanished.
Her eyes blazed.
"What?"