Camelot, Tuesday Morning
It had taken them a day to ride from where the portal had dropped them off to the castle, and that was only fair: if nothing else, it limited the chances that they'd be caught. Having shot a deer along the way, Arthur was in good spirits, glad to be home, and perhaps a little happy to have seen his friends, after all.
That mood had shattered when he'd gotten off his horse in the courtyard - a guard had come to get him immediately, and he had been ushered into the throne room without much in the way of information as to why. Fear struck him: what if father had caught them in the lie? A thousand horrible possibilities flashed past his mind in an instant.
"Arthur."
Uther's expression was grim.
"Sire," Arthur returned, bowing deep. "You requested my presence?"
"Yes. I would ask you about the results of your journey, but a worse crisis has struck us." Arthur managed to feel relieved for all of a few seconds-- it quickly evaporated. "Lady Morgana has been taken from us. By all reports, it must be the druids. You will ride out immediately. Leave no stone unturned and no druid alive."
Arthur studiously forced down any reaction he might have had, though his eyes widened. "There are women and children in the druid camps in the area, from what our intelligence has managed to gather," he said.
"Their children will grow up to oppose Camelot, and the women are as ruthless as the men." Uther glared down at him, as if challenging him to oppose - for a moment, he thought of Sunday's conversation with Katchoo, and felt something sink like a stone in his belly. "We are not yet sure of the location of the druid camp that holds her. You will have to search the lower town, and take any druid sympathisers into custody."
Christ. He would have to make father see reason about the innocents involved-- in private. For now, though, he had a job to do. He bowed. "Sire," he said, formally, and spun on his heel, out of the throne room.
"You, you, and you," he ordered, pointing at some guards on his way out. "And Merlin. Come with me."
[[ for merlin, but ooc-okay! spoilers for Merlin 2x03 'The Nightmare Begins' in the comments. yes, we know we're doing these in crazy-order ]]
That mood had shattered when he'd gotten off his horse in the courtyard - a guard had come to get him immediately, and he had been ushered into the throne room without much in the way of information as to why. Fear struck him: what if father had caught them in the lie? A thousand horrible possibilities flashed past his mind in an instant.
"Arthur."
Uther's expression was grim.
"Sire," Arthur returned, bowing deep. "You requested my presence?"
"Yes. I would ask you about the results of your journey, but a worse crisis has struck us." Arthur managed to feel relieved for all of a few seconds-- it quickly evaporated. "Lady Morgana has been taken from us. By all reports, it must be the druids. You will ride out immediately. Leave no stone unturned and no druid alive."
Arthur studiously forced down any reaction he might have had, though his eyes widened. "There are women and children in the druid camps in the area, from what our intelligence has managed to gather," he said.
"Their children will grow up to oppose Camelot, and the women are as ruthless as the men." Uther glared down at him, as if challenging him to oppose - for a moment, he thought of Sunday's conversation with Katchoo, and felt something sink like a stone in his belly. "We are not yet sure of the location of the druid camp that holds her. You will have to search the lower town, and take any druid sympathisers into custody."
Christ. He would have to make father see reason about the innocents involved-- in private. For now, though, he had a job to do. He bowed. "Sire," he said, formally, and spun on his heel, out of the throne room.
"You, you, and you," he ordered, pointing at some guards on his way out. "And Merlin. Come with me."
[[ for merlin, but ooc-okay! spoilers for Merlin 2x03 'The Nightmare Begins' in the comments. yes, we know we're doing these in crazy-order ]]