"Sir Gwaine."
Gwaine turned as he was leaving the Hall of the Table and bowed. "Your Majesty," he said.
"I wonder if you might like to come and meet some of my men," Queen Annis said with a slight smile.
"I would be honored, my lady," Gwaine said. Exchanging a surreptitious shrug with Percival, he followed her out of the castle and toward the eastern side of the city, where the army of Caerleon was camped.
"I am aware, Sir Gwaine," she began calmly as they left the close quarters of the town, "of the injustice that was done to your family." He stared at her, but she was as unruffled as ever. "May I ask, were you Sir Loth's eldest son?"
"Er, yes. I have only an older sister."
Annis nodded. "It may interest you to know that Sir Accolon, who was allowed to rob your family of the lordship of Gwalchmei, is dead." Gwaine stared at her again. "He died two years ago, and without issue. So there is no heir for Gwalchmei…" She looked over at him, a little slyly. "Except for the true heir, of course—whom I am willing to formally acknowledge."
Gwaine stopped in his tracks, and Annis stopped also, facing him squarely. "My lady," he began with difficulty, "I thank you for your interest in myself and for your justice toward me, but… I have no interest in taking up lordship of Gwalchmei."
Annis nodded her understanding. "I see." She began walking again, and Gwaine hurried to catch up with her. "It is Caerleon's loss. But I will give you time to consider further."
"My answer will not change, my lady."
"We shall see. Ah, Cadwaladr. May I introduce Sir Gwaine, of Camelot. His family is from Caerleon, so I have brought him to see your troops. Sir Gwaine, my Captain, Sir Cadwaladr."
They bowed to one another. "I am honored to meet you, Sir Gwaine. The Knights of the Round Table have acquired a great reputation for honor and bravery across Albion. Please, come this way."
Gwaine, a little stunned by such unaccustomed honor from someone he had never met before, followed Cadwaladr around Caerleon's encampment, beginning to ask some questions about the army's organization.
"Sir." A man a few years older than Gwaine walked over. "The last stragglers from the tenth company have arrived."
"Excellent. Sir Gwaine, this is my adjutant, Sir Ifor of Lleuddiniawn. I must confer with the tenth company, but I will leave you in Sir Ifor's capable hands." Cadwaladr strode away, not noticing the expressions on the two men's faces.
"Ifor?" Gwaine stared at him. "Florence's husband?"
"Gwaine!" Ifor startled him by throwing his arms around him and giving him a bear hug. "If it's not my brother-in-law, as I live and breathe! We had heard a tale of the gallant Sir Gwaine of Camelot—Florie was certain it was you."
Gwaine couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "Oh, really? I never would have thought she would believe the epithet gallant would apply to me."
"Now, what were her words?" Ifor's eyes twinkled. "'A good heart and bravery to the point of idiocy—that is most certainly my brother.'"
Gwaine laughed, though the line about a good heart both surprised and touched him. But old habits died hard. "Speaking of bravery to the point of idiocy—you married Florie!"
Luckily, Ifor didn't seem at all offended; he simply laughed along. "So I did. How could I help it? She has the Gwalchmei temper, it's true, but the Gwalchmei tenderheartedness to go with it. But why am I keeping you standing here? Come to my tent: I'll have one of the men dig us up something good from the provision wagons."
000
Gwaine was a bit tipsy when Arthur cornered him a few hours later.
"And where have you been, Gwaine? Or should I say Lord of Gwalchmei?"
"Nope." Gwaine waggled his finger at him. "I told her no."
"Told who no?"
"Shouldn't that be 'whom'?" Gwaine slurred.
"Told whom no, then?" Arthur asked in exasperation.
"Queen Annis. Told her I wouldn't be Lord of Gwalchmei. She asked me. But I said, 'No. I'm a Knight of Camelot!'"
Arthur snorted. "Very loyal you are, too. Couldn't even tell me you were a noble!"
Gwaine frowned at him. "You didn't ask."
"Oh, for God's sake, Gwaine! Why didn't you just tell me?" He paused for a moment. "Couldn't you trust me with the truth?"
Gwaine clapped his hand on Arthur's shoulder—though perhaps more for balance than as a show of camaraderie. "Yeah, I could trust you. But… I wanted to earn my titles on my own. I wanted to be a knight because I proved to you that I was worthy of it—not because of my family."
After a moment, Arthur nodded. "Well, if you won't take Gwalchmei," he said in a milder tone, "I'll bestow a different property on you."
"No, no. I've got Caer Ligualid already, remember? And the rents are doing quite well, thank you—the Dowager Lady Manon says there will be enough for good dowries for her daughters, and then some. So I'm set."
"No, really, Gwaine!"
"No, really." Gwaine suddenly looked much more sober. "I don't care about titles. The only one I want is 'loyal friend.'"
Arthur smiled wryly and slapped his back. "That one you have already. Now go stick your head under the pump before Anwen sees you like this."
Gwaine laughed and strolled away.
TBC
AN: Alright, I lied—I've posted another one. :P
If anybody wants to know more about Gwaine's relationship to Sir Accolon or Caer Ligualid, see my fic "Sovereignty".
