the dragon's daughter

[bravegoewin]

(Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be any more of King Arthur’s children unaccounted for…)

Goewin is looking for Lleu.

She is Arthur and Guinevere’s daughter, Lleu’s twin sister and his senior by a few scant minutes. She’s not sure whether she’ll find him alive or dead-or worse, some terrible state in between-and she may be so fixed on

Comments

[lesser_son]

"My lady?" Melou has a sword, for his part, although it's starting to rust over in places (don't tell Gawain). His hand goes immediately to the hilt thereof, a reflex, and he looks at her uncertainly. "Wherefore--Mother of God, do you be careful."

Melou is a coward, but not stupid, and fully willing to believe that she could kill him if she tried. Ergo caution.

[bravegoewin]

maybe she could. Perhaps not with the spear. She gives him an assessing look, frowning coldly.

"I am careful. You may take your hand from your sword."

[lesser_son]

An uncertain pause, and then he does. "Where have you come from?"

[bravegoewin]

"Camlan. My father's estate, ten miles to the west."

[lesser_son]

"O, Mother of God," he says again. "From Camlann? Are they all dead there?"

[bravegoewin]

"Mercy on me, I hope not! No one was dead when I left, but my brothers have been threatening to kill each other."

[lesser_son]

He touches the sword again. "There were a good many dead when I was there last. All of them nearly but--"

[bravegoewin]

Her hand clenches on the spear. She says, very slowly and carefully, "What. Are. You. Talking about?"

agghh, shut UP boy, do you have to do this to EVERYONE YOU MEET???

[lesser_son]

"The war, the war at Camlann."

Apparently yes! Melou is a total alarmist.

[bravegoewin]

"There is no war at Camlan."

Go for it, Melou... Medraut's already told her brother about it, she may as well know too. Although coming from melou it probably won't make as much sense.

[lesser_son]

"Mother of God, my lord was killed there, and my brother. There is a war!"

>_> We apologise!

[bravegoewin]

"God in heaven, boy. What in blazes are you?"

[lesser_son]

"Melou ap Modred, I do not deny it. It is my lord's war we were fighting!"

[bravegoewin]

She does the math. It's *just* possible Medraut could have a child this age, maybe sequestered in the Orcades until now, and Lleu's kidnapping is all part of a larger plot of Morgause's and Medraut's. Or something.

She levels her spear at him. "Tell me."

how come you've got all mordred's scary kids??!

[lesser_son]

"When Arthur left for France and put my lord as regent of Camelot, when he let all mine uncles be slain without repercussions, my lord took the country that was his rightfully by blood. Then Arthur returned and took arms against my lord and there was war. And when they slew one another my brother bade us take my lord's place and not rest until Lanslod the traitor was dead; but my brother was slain by his cousin Bors, and Lanslod slew me." (He pronounces Lancelot's name in a manner very Welsh.)

When he's done speaking his hands are shaking at his side; he looks less like a soldier recounting his battle than a boy who is still terrified of the reality of having died. (It is the truth that Melou never truly believed in his father's cause, that this speech is one that Melehan and Mordred learned him--it is the truth that he would rather be anywhere but here now, and he's trying not to weep.)

[bravegoewin]

only parts of this make sense.

It is like being in a dream, or listening to the singing of a tale that really happened, only in the song lots of things are changed to make it more exciting, or because the singer doesn't know what really happened and has to fill things in. This bothers her deeply, because it has a sense of listening to prophecy. There is something else that bothers her deeply, too, and that is how much Melou actually looks like her own twin brother.

the parts that make sense ring so true to what she knows of her father and her older brother that it frightens her.

"Boy," she says gently; "Melou, is that your name? You cannot be slain, you are standing here."