Author Note: Two chapters in one day? Go me! lol. Anyways enjoy as always, and welcome to the party serial blogger! Glad you're liking it, and you'll have to wait and see what the deal is between Dante and Gwaine, lol.
...
The first Dante knew of morning was when the door to her chambers opened, then closed again with a loud bang. This being a guest room of the Citadel, it was only made up of one room, compared to the luxury quarters of the Citadel's inhabitants, who had two rooms - the outer chamber and the bed chamber. This meant that whoever had just entered her room, also woke her with a start.
She grumbled something incoherent as she disentangled her head from the sheets. It was meant to be 'go away', but evidently it hadn't come out like that as whoever had come into the room still hadn't left again.
She grabbed the sheets and pulled them up again, retreating, but the sheets apparently had other ideas as they separated and spread in all directions. She peeped over the sheet still covering most of her torso and saw that there was a young woman about her own age – or perhaps younger – standing in the doorway. She had a bob of dark hair and a round face with a dot of a nose and wide brown eyes. She was also dressed in a maid's uniform.
"Excuse me, Milady," she said awkwardly, trying to look anywhere but in Dante's general direction, whilst at the same time doing her best not to make it look like that was what she was doing. It appeared she was just as embarrassed as Dante was. "Sir Gwaine told me that the room was empty and that you'd left earlier for a morning stroll, so I could make the bed. I didn't realise you were still asleep."
"I wasn't," Dante lied. Then as she sat up, still clutching the sheet tightly to her neck, she groaned in pain and squinted her eyes shut as her head suddenly exploded with a tremendous headache.
"Something wrong, Milady?" the maid looked alarmed, but Dante forced a smile as she eased her eyes back open once more.
"Just a little too much to drink last night."
"Ah." The maid nodded in understanding but said no more.
Dante squinted her eyes closed again as pain tore across her temple. It felt like her head was being battered by a sledgehammer. When the pain dulled enough for her to open her eyes once more, the maid had gone, leaving her to dress alone, though she had laid out a very resplendent scarlet dress and cloak equally as decorative as the emerald gown from the evening before, yet also just as practical for the everyday wear of a noble.
Wondering if this was another of Morgana's old gowns, Dante rose and dressed quickly in the beautiful gown. If it was the Lady Morgana's, then she and Dante had near enough the same figures, because whilst the dress was slightly loose about the waist, it fitted perfectly otherwise.
Deciding to wear her hair loose again today, she ran the brush through it a few times, cracked the window open and breathed in a few deep breaths of the fresh morning air, then sighed.
There was a clatter of hooves down below and she saw two horses being walked into the courtyard by their respective grooms. They stood petting and fussing over their charges as King Arthur strode out, dressed in a deep blue shirt and dark leather jacket, prepared for a morning ride, it would seem. But if he was alone, then who was the other horse for? Dante assumed that Guinevere would join him momentarily, or perhaps even his manservant Merlin, and as such, she was not prepared for the knock on her door.
Strangling the cry of fright before it could escape her lips, she composed herself quickly and turned as the door opened and Merlin's head peered in.
"I'm sorry Milady," he smiled apologetically. "But Arthur thought perhaps you could join him for a ride this morning as it is a nice day?"
"Me? Ride with the King?" she asked, stunned. Merlin nodded.
"Of course, if you don't feel up to it, I can - "
"No! It's fine!" she cut in quickly, sensing the perfect opportunity to get Arthur alone. "It's not exactly like I have anything else to do this morning, anyway. Could you perhaps tell his Majesty that I will not keep him long?"
"Of course," Merlin smiled, obviously relieved that he was delivering good news to the king, rather than bad, and hurried from her chambers again.
Taking a sip of the water that the maid had also kindly left for her on a tray upon the table, she then grabbed the scarlet cloak and wrapped it about her shoulders, fastening it quickly with the decorative clip as she hurried from her room and hoped that she could remember the way down to the courtyard. Her head was still pounding, but she hoped that a nice brisk ride through the kingdom may help to clear it up.
Five minutes later, however, she had to admit that she was already terribly lost in the huge Citadel. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Percival round the corner, looking deep in thought. When he saw her, however, he smiled politely.
"Milady," he bowed his head as he walked past. She smiled back at him for a moment, wondering briefly where he might be off to. And then she remembered that she was supposed to be getting to the courtyard.
"Sir Percival!" She called, backtracking a few steps and hurrying to catch up to him. He stopped and turned, amazed that she was even talking to him. She blushed sheepishly. "I...ah...I'm afraid I'm a little lost. Which way do I go to find the courtyard?"
He looked relieved, as if he was certain she'd been going to ask him something else - though she had no idea what.
"Go to the end of this corridor and take a left, Milady. Then you'll come to a set of stairs. At the bottom, take another left, then a right and - "
Seeing her blank expression as she failed the take any of that in, he smiled and extended an arm towards her instead. "If I may?"
"Oh no, it's alright," she started quickly. "I'm sure you have better things to do than escort me in the opposite direction to the one you were going."
"It's alright, Milady," he smiled again, and she could not help but smile along with him. This was the most she had ever heard him talk! Granted she'd only met him yesterday evening, but even then, he'd not exactly stood out from the crowd, and had barely strung more than two words together all evening. She'd assumed rather foolishly (in the merry state she'd been in after several cups of wine) that he was perhaps nothing more than a dumb brute, hired for his strength and muscle alone. Now, however, she saw quite clearly how wrong she was.
If anything, Percival appeared to be quite a shy, reserved man. And she could respect that. Just like she respected Gwaine's chivalry (though of course, she'd never admit that to him).
"If you are certain, then I would be most grateful, Sir Knight," she nodded, looping her arm through his, though she had to reach up more than usual, simply because of his imposing and very impressive height. Most men only stood a few inches taller than her. Percival was at least a foot taller, and then some.
Feeling the powerful muscles of his forearm rippling as he relaxed his fingers, she knew that he definitely was not a man to be messed with. Arthur had done well to recruit him as a knight of Camelot.
And so Percival, the strong silent Knight of the realm and one of Arthur's inner circle, escorted her very carefully down to the courtyard, engaging her in polite conversation the whole way. She knew he was merely forcing himself to make conversation, but she was also glad of it. The whole situation would have been more than slightly awkward otherwise.
Finally they stepped through a large oak door, out into the massive courtyard of the Citadel, and Dante could not hide her expression of amazement. It seemed that Camelot was full of surprises, because the courtyard, although fairly plain and mundane, filled with the busy hustle and bustle of life in Camelot, was also, in its own unique way, extremely beautiful.
Arthur had been waiting patiently by his bay horse, muttering to the very highly strung animal to calm its nerves when Percival walked her over. He beamed in delight when he saw her, then cast a curious glance to Percival, who bowed to his king, kissed the back of Dante's hand, then turned and strode off again without another word.
"My apologies, Sire. I got lost," Dante said quickly as she dropped into a curtsey. But Arthur shook his head.
"Not at all. It is a pretty confusing maze, I'll admit."
"Thankfully Percival was kind enough to show me the way."
"He's a good man," Arthur nodded as the black horse was brought forward by one of the grooms. Arthur petted the horse's neck fondly.
"I hope you do not mind such an early morning invitation?" He asked. And then a thought crossed his mind and he frowned. "I hope Merlin did not wake you?"
"No, I was already awake when he arrived," she said again, and this time it was no lie, as she HAD been awake when Merlin had knocked. She'd just been woken by a maid a few minutes earlier. But she decided to keep that to herself, not wanting to get the poor girl into trouble because of that idiot Gwaine. "And a ride sounds...great, sire. Though I am a little surprised that you would invite me alone without...ah...anyone else...?"
"I thought it would give us time to talk," Arthur said, lowering his voice as the groom stepped closer to sort out one of the stirrup leathers, making it ready for the respective riders to mount their horses.
"Ah," Dante nodded, pleased. "Very wise, Sire. And by the way, may I say how grateful I am for everything you did last night. You did not have to..."
"I didn't like the way he was talking about you, so I had to do something. I could not stand back and let him get away with it," Arthur explained. Then he passed the reins of his horse back to the groom before cupping his hands and bending a little beside the second of the two horses - an invitation to help her into the saddle.
Not wanting to offend him even though she was perfectly capable of getting on a horse (getting on the horse was easy...STAYING on it was another matter!) Dante allowed him to help her into the saddle.
"Then I am eternally grateful, Sire."
"As I said last night, explain what is going on, and I'll call us even." He smiled, petting the black horse's silky coat "Perhaps I should introduce you to Gringolet by the way. He's Gwaine's horse. He very kindly offered him to your possession for the morning."
Gwaine again, she thought, not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed by this latest in the long line of small gestures that he seemed to be making for her. Was he just trying to make her stay here as comfortable as possible? Or did he have an ulterior motive? She suspected the latter, given their past, but she couldn't be absolutely sure. Not yet, anyway.
"He's magnificent," she smiled, running a hand along his muscular neck and down his shoulder, feeling the raw power beneath. "The horse, I mean," She amended quickly when she saw Arthur's raised eyebrow.
"And fast too," Arthur grinned as he swung expertly into the saddle of his own horse. "I hope you can ride, Lady Dante, because I won't go easy on you."
"Is that a challenge, Sire?" She asked, raising her own eyebrows as she adjusted her grip on the reins and her seat in the saddle. The grooms finished adjusting the various straps and leathers, then stepped back, satisfied that the two riders were all set. Arthur glanced at Dante, grinned mischievously and dug his heels into the sides of his mount. The horse whinnied in excitement and bolted forwards with a clatter of hooves.
Not wanting to fall off straight away and make a fool of herself, Dante clicked her tongue and nudged her heels lightly into Gringolet, thinking to take it easy to begin with. But Gringolet had other ideas and bolted forward with even more enthusiasm than Arthur's horse, if possible. Dante was by the King's side again in seconds, despite his head start, and as she gripped a hand full of Gringolet's silky black mane to try and keep her balance, the King and his guest cantered out of the courtyard, through the lower town and out into the open lands beyond. As soon as the traffic of people and carts thinned and the dirt roads and buildings were replaced by rolling fields and trees, they broke into a full on gallop (to Dante's abject horror), racing side by side away from the Citadel and all the protocols expected of Arthur as a King.
...
"So how is it that a Lady such as yourself fell victim of slavers?" Arthur asked casually as the pair of them rode through the forests some time later - Arthur only breaking the silence between them once he was sure that they were safely away from any eavesdroppers.
Dante glanced at him curiously as she let Gringolet have the reins so he could pick his own way over a particularly uneven patch of forest floor. Then she sighed, extending an arm, sleeve rolled up to her elbow, to allow Arthur to see the red raw skin and grazing. "I...I was sold into slavery by my very own father. Eight years ago, as Lot said."
"I'm sorry," Arthur said, and spoke with genuine sincerity, looking upon her marred skin with utter disgust, as if the very idea of slavery repulsed him. "Why would he do such a thing?"
And then a thought struck him and he shook his head. "No, don't answer that. It's too personal. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Sire," she smiled, taking her arm back and rolling the sleeve back down. "I have never spoken of this to anyone before, true. But...perhaps it would be good to talk about it for a change. I have kept it bottled up for so long now...Besides, I made you a promise that I would tell you everything..."
"Please, do not upset yourself," Arthur insisted, already afraid he may have upset her. But she shook her head again.
"It's alright," she repeated. Then she appeared to consider for a while about the best place to begin with her explanation. "As I said, my own father sold me into slavery eight years ago. He and Lot had been mortal enemies for as long as any of us could remember, and after my brothers were killed by Lot, I became the last remaining child of my father. My mother had died when I was five, so if anything were to happen to me, my father's whole dynasty would collapse and fall apart. He cared nothing for me, however. He only cared that I live long enough to carry on his family name. So, in an act of surrender, he offered me to become Lot's wife and end the feud - effectively securing our families and the expansion of his dynasty - seeing as Lot was next in line to the throne after Cenred."
"An arranged marriage to Lot sounds better than slavery," Arthur commented, ducking to avoid a low branch.
"Now that I look back on it, that would have been the better option, I'll admit," she smiled ruefully. "But back then, I was a fiery, stubborn eighteen year old. The idea of marrying a man I didn't love was as barbaric to me as the idea of kissing a wilddeoren. Besides, you've met Lot. Even you've got to admit, Sire, that the man's a total jouster."
Arthur chuckled at this particular comment, and even Dante allowed herself to laugh a little. But then she sobered again as they splashed across a shallow stream and Gringolet slipped slightly on a rock. She dropped the reigns and grabbed huge clumps of his mane, desperate just to stay on his back and Arthur couldn't help but notice that she wasn't exactly as comfortable in the saddle as she'd first made out.
"Everything alright, Milady?"
"I'm fine," she nodded back quickly, as Gringolet found sure footing once more and she gathered the reins back up.
"Are you sure? If you're not comfortable, we can turn around now?"
"No, no, it's fine," she insisted, trying to look like she knew what she was doing. Then she sighed and shook her head. "It's just...well...I fall off horses. It's this thing I do."
Arthur didn't know what to say then. For someone as perfect as Dante, having such a flaw was unexpected, to say the least. But then she began to laugh, and he found himself laughing with her.
"I know, I know," she nodded, apparently reading his thoughts. "I should be good at this riding business. But hey, nobody's perfect...right?"
"Right," he laughed, nodding. Then he smiled kindly. "You're doing very well, considering."
"So anyway, Sire. You were saying?" She asked, eager to steer the topic away to something less embarrassing, before he cheeks could turn an even brighter shade of red.
Arthur thought for a moment, trying to remember what they were talking about before.
"We were talking about Lot being a total jouster..." She supplied helpfully, seeing him falter for a moment.
"Ah yes. So I assume you did not marry him then."
Dante shook her head.
"I refused. So Lot gave me an ultimatum. If I did not marry him, he would take me as his own personal slave, instead. After all, the daughter of his enemy as his personal slave was a fine trophy. I would much rather have made his bed each day, than lie in it with him, and I told him such. So, from then on, I became his personal slave. Though had I known how terrible it would be, I would have agreed to marry him without question."
"He treated you badly?" Arthur asked, the stirrings of a terrible anger in his voice, all humour gone now. Dante nodded, but said no more, and Arthur knew then, that some things were better off left unspoken.
"How did you escape?" he asked at last, needing some way to divert his anger at her unjust treatment before it became too much for him to control. After all, if there was one thing he could not stand above all else, it was cruelty. And Dante was just another in the long line of victims that Arthur had met over the years.
"Every evening he would chain me to the wall in the corner of his bedroom, so that he could keep an eye on me, apparently. And he always kept the keys on his belt, which hung at the end of his bed, just out of my reach. One evening, the belt slipped from the hook when he kicked it in his sleep, and I was able to reach it, though I almost broke my wrist doing so. But I managed it, snatched the keys and didn't look back - stole his horse from the stables, though it would have been faster on foot, given the amount of times I fell off."
Arthur wasn't sure if she was joking then, or being deadly serious, so he forced himself not to smile, just in case.
"Three hours later, the alarms were sounded by one of the other slaves, and Lot sent his men after me. Hearing the dogs they'd sent out, the horse spooked and threw me, just outside Ealdor. I took refuge with a woman named Hunith, who was very lovely and kind. She spoke of her son, who had come to Camelot, and apparently loved it here. She said I'd be safe here, too, under your protection. So the next morning she pointed me in the right direction. That was where I was heading when your knights found me."
"Hunith?" Arthur asked curiously. "Merlin's mother's called Hunith. And she lives in Ealdor."
"She said her son's name was Merlin...any relation to your Merlin?"
"The same man, actually." Arthur grinned. "Small world."
"Indeed it is, Sire," Dante grinned along with him.
For the rest of the morning, they discussed many things together as they rode through the kingdom - though the main topic of conversation was based around Dante's recovering health, and how she'd obtained the cut across her stomach.
"One of the bastards got too close. A lucky swing with a dagger," she'd explained when Arthur had questioned her. This then led on to the topic of weapons, and which they preferred.
Dante, as it turned out, was, whilst not exactly a skilled fighter, able to at least defend herself in combat and was also an avid fan of the re-curve bow. Arthur claimed it to be an out of date weapon, and tried to convince her of the benefits of using a crossbow instead, but she insisted that she'd been taught to use the bow by her brothers when she was very young, and it was now what she was most comfortable with in combat - not that she strove to find herself in combat often.
And she was also able to wield a sword with enough skill to survive, at least, though again, she never went 'looking' for trouble. It always seemed to find her.
Arthur agreed that he knew that particular feeling very well, and had stated an interest in seeing Dante fight someday, maybe even give her a few tips and lessons, if she'd allow him. She promised him that when she felt up to it, she'd challenge him to a duel in the training grounds, and he laughed, stating that he'd hold her to that promise.
Then they'd discussed fashion - particularly the trunk of Morgana's clothes and jewellery, which Arthur insisted that Dante take off his hands, as a favour to him. Knowing that the chest was probably full of many more exquisite gowns like the emerald and scarlet ones, she simply could not refuse, and Arthur promised to find her a much more suitable set of rooms for her to stay in, from now on, seeing as it was likely that she would become a permanent resident of Camelot, now that she knew she would be safe from Lot.
By the time they returned to the courtyard, just after lunch, the King and his guest were conversing like good friends, and Merlin was glad to see that the Lady Dante was already fitting in well. However, he was also more than a little worried about how friendly the pair of them seemed to be already.
What would Guinevere say if she saw the way they were acting around one another - not like a King and his guest, but as two very good friends, who had no difference in status or title - much like Arthur and Gwen had often been around each other in private, when they thought no-one was watching.
And not only that, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that there was more to Lady Dante than she was letting on.
If only he knew how right he was...