"You and Merlin need to practice on how you address Royalty."
"I promise you, your highness, I try, but it's never done me any good in the past."
"Its Prince Arthur..." He paused, likely realizing he didn't know my name. "And you are?"
"I'm but a co...
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SCORN FOR THE BRAVE Known Also As... {LANCELOT :: Part Three}
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From the alarm bells first ring, till the moon had risen high in the night sky, the pain of life didn't let up.
It started on an oh-so-pleasant note when the biting spring wind forced us to seek refuge inside the castle.
Discussions on where to relocate the wounded should have been short and efficient, but I wasn't surprised when it was nothing of the sort.
As the sun set beyond the horizon and the wind picked up, Gaius was faced with resistance from a number of Boot Lickers who insisted that the great hall couldn't be taken up by the helpless. It would sully Camelot's image, making them look well and defenseless- They didn't exactly put it that way, but it's close enough.
After a debate that lasted long into dusk, a decision was made to move the injured into the Great Hall- not for the benefit of the sick, but only because Gaius argued that it would be more likely for the noble's hypothetical spy to see the ruined villages and wandering commoners than they were to see the survivors sheltered within the castle.
Bedrolls and temporary tents were set up in the courtyard for those who didn't require healing. In the morning they would be moved to the training grounds where there was more space for proper shelter.
Once inside the castle walls, many of the villagers came out of the haze they had been stuck in. Moans and weeping echoed down the corridors as families wept for their losses. My heart went out to them, especially the children who huddled together without a parent in sight.
I didn't have time to dwell on the heartbreak when so many required assistance. Water constantly needed fetching and boiling. Men, women, and children called out from every corner of the room for help. More than a hundred wounds were sown back together by my hands.
It was around midnight when the hall finally fell into a restless sleep. The healers had been sent to bed with the hope that the injured would relax through the night without need of assistance.
Upon my insistence to stay in the Great Hall with a few of the maids, Gaius bid me rest- upon making me promise that I would try to sleep for a fraction of the night.
Staying true to my oath, I came in and out of sleep, rising when a sharp voice cried out above the quiet hum of discomfort from the sleeping crowd.
I passed twice by a group of sleeping children before I noticed the lump of white shaggy fur that lay between them. Matthias' ear twitched in his sleep as a young boy shifted, his head resting on the mutt's stomach.
