TWC - The Chapel Perilous
Title: The Witch Cycle
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Lancelot, Luned/Laudine
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: up to 3x08
A/N: This is a sequel to The Sword in the Stone and The Once and Future King, and you should definitely read those before reading this.
Summary: King Arthur and his knights have faced many challenges on the road to uniting Albion, but adventures still abound in Camelot. Magic is no longer illegal, but it still poses a threat to the unprepared. Arthurian legend is full of witches with schemes. Three such women find their way into the lives of our favorite heroes. Click Here for Masterpost.
Chapter Summary: Lancelot is stolen away by a witch named Hellawes, leaving Luned behind to give the unfortunate news to Camelot. Merlin can use Gwen to find him and a band of knights ride out to retrieve their missing comrade. But if the witch gains power by controlling men, will Merlin be able to fight against her? And why did she let Luned go?
Banner image by De Ville Trades (devilletrades@gmail.com)
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Part I - The Chapel Perilous
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The sky was bright and clear, and despite it being the middle of summer the weather wasn't too hot. All in all, Lancelot had to say that today was a perfect day.
"I'm glad the 'bandit problem' was actually just three kids playing a prank," Luned said from the horse next to him.
Ah yes, that. Lancelot nodded. "Me as well. Though why someone would think hiding livestock and crops in the woods is funny is beyond me, if I'm honest."
Luned shrugged, a fond and nostalgic expression on his youthful face. "I imagine I caused just as many problems when I was young. Duke Landunet really had no idea how to handle me back then."
Now Lancelot laughed, the good weather and fortune on their mission making him feel light. "I should think so. A servant boy chasing his daughter around pretending to be a knight," he teased, but it made Luned look uncomfortable so he stopped and instead gave a pleasant smile. "I was just like you, though without the Lady to impress."
"But you have one now," Luned corrected with a smirk.
Before Lancelot could respond, his horse jolted to the side, unseating him. He hit the ground hard and groaned, pushing himself slowly to his feet as Luned pulled his horse around.
"Are you alright?" Luned asked. "What happened?"
"Oh gentle knight," a kind voice said, drawing their attention back the way they'd come. A woman with skin as thin as old wet lace and as white as starlight stood there, her hair dry and brittle. Her clothing barely clung to her thin frame. Only her voice was strong. "Won't you help me?"
Lancelot glanced from the woman, to Luned, to his horse, and back.
"How can we help you?" he asked kindly.
The woman frowned. "No. Only you," she insisted. "Not the false one."
Now Lancelot was thoroughly confused. What was false about Luned? He was just as much a knight as Lancelot, and he hadn't just been unseated by his horse like a beginning rider. They were both wearing armor and Camelot's colors. Maybe the woman was sick and her mind was clouded.
He took a step closer to her, hiding a wince when his shoulder gave him some pain. "Alright then, miss. How can I help you?"
The young but malnourished woman walked slowly up to Lancelot as she spoke. "My name is Hellawes. I'm hungry, and only a man can give me what I need. Only his life, full of courage and energy, can satisfy me. Can you satisfy me, sir knight?"
Before his eyes, her hair grew thick and lush. Her sallow skin filled out and became pink with a healthy flush. It was like watching a skeleton brought back to life. Her hair was like fire while her skin was the fresh wood to be burned. She was gorgeous and Lancelot could not look away.
The ring of a blade leaving its sheath tickled at Lancelot's mind and the woman's visage dimmed - not so radiant, not so unbearably lovely, but still entrancing.
"Back away from him, witch," Luned's voice called out with all the authority a knight could muster. "Or I will cut you down where you stand."
Witch?
Obviously, Lancelot realized with a jolt, taking a step back from where the witch's hands were almost touching him now. When had she gotten so close?
"Kind knight, will you come with me?" the woman, the witch, asked. Her voice was gentle like a breeze now.
Lancelot shook his head, his eyes never leaving her face. "You cannot ensnare me. I am a knight of Camelot and my will is strong." He took another step back, ignoring his shoulder's twinge, and it felt like wading through sludge.
The woman smiled like she knew a secret. "All men give in with time," she said, as if promising him something fantastic. "Your honor only gives me more strength."
It was true, he realized. Though she had stopped advancing and he had backed away, Lancelot could not tear his gaze away from hers and, even as he realized this, he felt his body stop responding to him entirely. He couldn't move anymore, couldn't step any further away. She was binding him without words.
"Lancelot," Luned's voice came from his left. "Fight her. Draw your sword!"
His mind was growing foggy. The bright day was no more than a mist to him now. The witch had him.
"Luned," he whispered, and hoped his fellow knight heard. "Tell Gwen I love her."
Luned's copper hair came into view along with his wide eyes. "What are you saying?" he asked, his sword pointed at the woman several feet away from them. "What's wrong?"
Lancelot couldn't see Luned anymore, though the other knight hadn't moved. All he could see were those eyes. All he could hear was the woman's soft humming.
He took a deep breath. "Tell the king-"
…
…
"My father thanks you for the generous birthday gift you sent."
Lady Laudine, the Countess of the Fountain of Landuc, and daughter of Duke Landunet, was truly a sight to behold. Her wavy hair glittered like spun gold and contrasted her pale skin beautifully. Arthur knew many in Camelot, both men and women, who would be saddened if the Duke ever called her home for good.
Arthur inclined his head at her as they walked toward the courtyard. "It was gladly given. He was invaluable in securing a treaty with Caerleon and he has been a good friend to Camelot ever since." He smiled at her. "Luned will be happy you've returned."
A smile blossomed on Laudine's lips as if she could not help it, the happiness radiating out from her. It was obvious she was in love. "Not as happy as I will be to see Luned," she said, then gave a teasing smile. "And I hear your Merlin has been away as well. Surely you are anticipating his return anxiously."
Arthur gave a single laugh. "Hardly. The castle is quieter without him."
There was a minor explosion from the direction of the knight's training field and a few startled shouts. No fire leapt up the castle walls and the shouting died down immediately, though, so instead of running to help, Arthur merely blushed in embarrassment at Laudine's laughing eyes.
He cleared his throat. "Well that's what you get from knights practicing magic without proper guidance, I suppose." He glanced around for something, anything, to talk about. "Merlin, yes, Merlin. He's only been gone a few days, dealing with Court Sorcerer business. He'll return shortly. I expect by tomorrow at the latest."
Just as they finished walking through the courtyard and were about to enter the hall on the other side, an entirely different kind of shout caught Arthur's attention: people shouting in alarm from the direction of town, and the sound of racing hooves. Then Luned burst into view on his horse, Lancelot's running behind his, going full speed.
Luned pulled the horses to a sliding stop and glanced around frantically. Seeing Arthur, he hurried the horses closer, even as Arthur himself descended back into the courtyard to greet him. The knight was pale and sweating, with wide eyes. Something was definitely wrong.
"Your majesty," Luned greeted, sliding from the saddle and dropping into a bow. His eyes landed on Laudine and he appeared to calm minutely, but not enough to look less harried. He dropped a kiss on Laudine's cheek before turning his attention to Arthur again. "Something's happened. I need Merlin. Is he returned yet?"
Arthur shook his head. "Not yet, no. Luned, what happened?" He glanced at Lancelot's horse. "Where is Lancelot?"
Just as Luned opened his mouth to explain, a bird let out a cry overhead and then a brown Merlin falcon dove into view. It flapped its wings, hovering momentarily in the space next to Arthur, and then it morphed into the form of Merlin - clothes and all - standing at the right hand of the king.
Merlin smiled at Arthur. "I'm home!" he sang. "The water problem turned out to be more of a damming issue than a magic one, but I managed to-"
"Merlin!" Luned shouted, grabbing the sorcerer by the sleeve of his tunic and stopping his report. "You have to hurry. A witch kidnapped Lancelot!"
Merlin's joyful smile vanished and his eyes hardened. He waved at a passing servant and, when they drew closer, motioned to the horses. She nodded and hurried away to get the stable hands without them ever speaking to each other. Merlin then put his hand on Luned's shoulder.
"Explain it as we walk. Arthur," he said, flicking his eyes to the king.
It wasn't really a question. Of course Arthur was going to follow. He bowed his goodbyes to Laudine, who seemed a bit shell shocked, and then left with Merlin and Luned as Luned recounted what happened with the witch, Hellawes.
Luned finished his tale just as they reached the tower rooms where Gaius, Luke, and Merlin lived. "And then Lancelot vanished, right before my eyes," he said. "I swear the witch never touched him. One second, he was barely a foot from me, the next, Lancelot and the witch were both gone. No trace of them. I ran back as fast as I could."
"What happened to Lancelot?"
All three men stopped and looked guiltily at where Gwen was sitting with a small boy and Gaius. Gaius was applying a cream to the boy's chest and both doctor and patient pretended they didn't exist in the same room as the others as soon as Gwen's clipped tone died in the air.
"Erm," Merlin stumbled. "He's missing, kidnapped by a witch…." Gwen's eyes went hard like Merlin's had moments ago and suddenly Merlin snapped his fingers. "Actually, Gwen, you could help me find him."
"She can?" Arthur asked curiously. "How?"
Merlin walked over to Gwen and motioned to her neck, then gave her a beseeching look. Gwen furrowed her brows before pulling on the string that hung around her neck. It was a smooth, leaf green stone with a hole through it, where the thick dark string held it up.
"Lancelot's?" Merlin asked.
Gwen nodded. "It was his mothers before him." She held it tight. "Do you need it?"
"I can use it, well, the connection it makes between you and Lancelot, to figure out where he is," Merlin explained. Gwen made to remove it and Merlin gently stopped her. "No, keep it on. It'll work better if you're wearing it."
…
…
Arthur still didn't understand how Merlin and magic worked.
All of the knights under Merlin's tutelage had to say a spell to cast one. They had to study and make hand motions and their eyes didn't flash when they did magic. Merlin sometimes needed spells and sometimes didn't. His eyes were always melted gold with power. Sometimes he made a hand motion and other times things just happened around him. And if he needed a spell that wasn't in a book, he just turned around and made one up! Arthur honestly didn't know if Merlin had known a spell to find Lancelot using that necklace or if he came up with in the moment. With Merlin and magic, anything was possible.
To find Lancelot, Merlin had placed his hands on Gwen's shoulders while she held the stone she was wearing. He never said a spell, but Arthur saw the gold of his eyes reflect in Gwen's when the magic was cast. Both of them seemed to freeze in time for several seconds and then Gwen took a deep breath, as if she'd been underwater for a long time. Merlin hugged her until she stopped shaking and apologized in her ear in quiet tones.
When he pulled away, Merlin turned and said "I can find him."
"Take some knights with you," Arthur replied. He couldn't go with them because he was waiting on time sensitive news from Mercia, as well as dealing with a visiting noble from Nemeth. Merlin knew that, but Arthur still felt a bit guilty sending him off alone.
No, not alone. He had the knights and Merlin was more than capable of solo missions. He'd just returned from one, after all. And maybe that was why Arthur hated sending him back out again so soon.
"I'm coming," Luned said definitively. "I was there when he was taken. I have to help bring him home."
Merlin nodded. "Alright, let's go. The faster we get moving, the less chance that the witch'll move him before we catch her."
Almost as soon as Merlin, Gwen, and Luned fled the room, Gaius cleared his throat. He pat the boy on the shoulder. "Rest. I'll return shortly."
The young boy nodded, looking miserable in his sickness. Then Gaius stood and motioned for Arthur to join him just outside the door. He glanced to either side before focusing on his king. The secrecy already had Arthur's interest peaked.
"I think it's time we discuss what I meant to tell you before the war with Cenred," he said.
A few minutes later, the boy inside the physician's chambers would jump at the angry shout of "WHAT?!" that came from outside, but even when Arthur's boots thudded down the stairs a minute or so after that, it was already too late to stop the rescue team from leaving.
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Merlin had rounded up the first knights he could see, which happened to be Gareth and Lamorak chatting as they came into the courtyard, still in their armor from training earlier. Upon hearing what happened, the two men had been more than glad to head out to save Lancelot.
They stopped for dinner hours later, to let both the horses and the people rest. Of the lot of them, only Gwen wasn't tired. Gareth and Lamorak had been training before the trip, Luned had just returned from a mission, and Merlin had spent the better part of the day as a bird flying home.
"I think I was a bit too hasty in picking my team," Merlin sighed, plopping down on a log by the fire. "What good will we be if we're too tired to fight tomorrow?"
Gareth shrugged as he pulled his bedroll off his horse. "We can distract the witch long enough to let Lancelot escape," he teased, then let out an 'omph' as he turned and ran into Luned, causing the bedroll to punch him in the gut. "Oh, uh, sor-I mean," he blushed and backed away from the younger knight. "So sorry."
Luned raised an eyebrow at him and Gareth hurried around the fire to roll out his bed away from the others, his face bright red and a scowl on his lips. With a shake of his head, Luned walked the three extra steps to take him to his own horse and bedroll.
"That was weird," Lamorak remarked almost absently. He poked a stick at the fire. "Never seen Gareth as the skittish type."
Gwen shrugged. "Maybe he…er…likes Luned?" she said speculatively, looking cautiously between both parties involved, since they were hardly out of earshot. She'd seen Gareth acting strangely around Luned ever since they all returned from the Albion Battle. Maybe he'd fallen in love then?
She saw Gareth tense and stop messing with his bedroll, but he didn't answer.
"I thought Gareth and Kay-?" Merlin ventured, also glancing between the two men.
Luned sighed and knocked Merlin on the head as he sat down beside the wizard, to which Merlin let out a soft 'hey' of protest.
"Stop gabbing like school children," Luned admonished, causing the three sitting around the fire to flush in embarrassment. "If it means that much to you," and he made sure his soft toned voice was loud enough that Gareth was sure to hear as well, "We're both in committed relationships we aren't about to break, and besides…Gareth really isn't my type."
Surprisingly, this made Gareth un-tense, as if knowing his affections weren't returned was a good thing. Then again, Luned and Merlin both said his affections were toward Kay, so Gwen didn't know what he was tense about in the first place.
Gareth joined them around the fire a few moments later. "So how far away is Lancelot and what should we expect from the witch when we get there?"
All eyes turned to Luned now and the knight shifted into a more comfortable position, staring at the fire. "Hellawes said that…Well I think she gets her life by draining it out of courageous men. She said Lancelot's honor gave her strength, and then she vanished with him. So...Any man who nears her is in danger. I don't know how close you have to be or if she has to focus on you, but she was still at least ten feet away when Lancelot stopped responding to me and she started looking younger, so I'd say she doesn't have to be too close."
It was hard to accept that Lancelot might be losing his life right at that very moment. Unless it was in a great battle, it was almost unheard of for a Camelot knight to die. It was a difficult concept. He'd come back from the Albion Battle, injured but alive. Gwen wasn't sure how she would handle him dying like this, alone, against some unknown witch. Him dying at all would tear her heart, but at least in battle they knew the risks. This was…this was so abrupt and unbearable.
Gwen wasn't too surprised that Hellawes took Lancelot, actually. How many times had the other knights commented on his honor, his bravery, his courage? Gwen knew that Lancelot's heart was as noble as any king's, despite his low birth. If this witch got her power from the honor of men, then Lancelot was a sure bet.
However, Luned was just as brave and courageous, Gwen was sure, so why Hellawes didn't just take them both was puzzling. Maybe she could only control one man at a time, or only feed off one man at a time. It felt like Gwen was missing something, like she didn't know something about Hellawes that she needed to know.
"We'll arrive before noon," Merlin was saying when Gwen came out of her thoughts. "If we're quiet, it's possible we'll be able to get in and grab Lancelot without Hellawes knowing we've even been there."
Lamorak snorted. "What are the chances a witch doesn't know we're in her home?"
Merlin shrugged. "Not likely, but it's nice to hope."
Yes, it was always nice to hope.
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It wasn't so much that Hellawes had a house as she had a chapel.
It was a simple building. From outside they could see the larger sanctuary, a bell tower with no bell, and a small storage room built into the side. It wouldn't take long to search, but there would be nowhere to hide from Hellawes if she was inside with Lancelot.
They tied their horses to nearby trees, just out of view of the chapel, and then approached silently on foot. The front door opened without a creek, to their relief, but was only large enough for one person to enter at a time. Lamorak went first, followed by Luned, then Merlin, then Gwen, with Gareth bringing up the rear.
"Well apart from being completely empty, it's rather nice," Lamorak commented, lowering his sword.
He was right. There were seven rows of pews on either side of the nave and a minimalistic chancel at the end with an altar baring only a single wooden cross. There was an inconspicuous door to the right of the lectern that likely led up to the bell tower located at the side of the chapel. There wasn't a person in sight.
"I don't understand," Merlin murmured, walking forward and casting his eyes about.
"Maybe you could try the spell again," Gwen suggested, following him.
Luned ran his gloved hand over the seat of a pew and frowned at the thick layer of dust. Gareth took a seat in a pew on the other side, heedless of the dirt, and Lamorak examined the window glass.
Merlin shook his head. "No. No this is definitely the place," Merlin said. "There's magic woven around every stone." He gripped his hair. "I don't understand," he repeated quietly, frustrated. The spell had worked. He knew it had. So why couldn't they find Lancelot?!
Luned joined them near the chancel. "Perhaps they're hiding in the bell tower, or the storage room, or maybe there's an undercroft," he said gently, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Just because they aren't hiding in the sanctuary doesn't mean they aren't here."
Instead of comforting Merlin, like he knew Luned had meant, the words only made Merlin more tense. Obviously Luned was right. The sanctuary wasn't the only room in the chapel. Why hadn't Merlin thought of that? He'd taken notice of the storage room and the bell tower himself upon seeing the chapel in the first place. He'd even considered splitting them up to search each room at the same time. Why hadn't he remembered that?
"Perhaps we should take a moment to pray," Lamorak said lightly, wandering toward them with his sword back in its sheath and smiling.
Luned frowned. "I hardly think that's necessary. We could search the whole chapel in the time it takes to say a prayer."
He was right again. The chapel was small enough that twenty steps in almost any direction would take them either outside or to another room. Still, taking the time to pray sounded like just as good a plan to Merlin as continuing the search. Merlin shook his head. He didn't follow the new religion. Why would he want to pray at an altar to it?
From the pews, Gareth let out a long sigh. "What good would we be even if we did find them?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head. "I'm still tired from training yesterday and I don't think anyone else is much better off. Let's rest a bit now that we're here, and search later."
Right. Merlin had used a lot of magic yesterday, after all. He'd helped that village repair buildings damaged by the flooding it had been experiencing, then transformed into a bird and flown for hours to get home, then did that locator spell on Gwen to find Lancelot, then rode until sunset with the knights to get most of the way to this chapel. He ought to be exhausted still and want a rest, just like Gareth said.
But ever since the phoenix brought him back, Merlin had had magic to spare. The repairs and the flying and the locator spell hadn't weakened him magically, and he was used to riding for much longer when hunting with Arthur. And Lancelot needed them, they couldn't just stop.
Gwen frowned. "The witch could arrive at any moment, or be hiding behind that door," she motioned to the tower door, "or Lancelot could already be-" She paused to take a deep breath and Luned cast her an understanding look laced with guilt. Gwen shook her head. Her voice was sharp when she spoke again "And you want to take a nap?"
Lamorak was already lying down on the front pew. "We can wait an hour or two," he said, shifting to try and fit his bulky frame on the thin seat. "Hellawes can't eat someone that fast."
Now Gwen looked murderous. "You don't know that!" she shouted, though the coating of dust and the close walls of the chapel didn't let it echo much. "I don't understand. Why are you acting this way?"
Gareth turned and flopped down onto his pew as well, letting out a content breath and shutting his eyes. Neither knight would answer her. Merlin couldn't get his mouth to work either. He had no explanation for them, nor for how he too felt no rush to search for Lancelot. His mind felt foggy, like it did when he had a fever but without the pain.
"Are you Camelot knights or aren't you?!" Gwen demanded.
A hand landed on her shoulder and Gwen looked over to see Luned casting his sharp gaze around the room. "Shhh," he said.
"But-"
"Shh," Luned repeated. His voice came out quiet and wary when he spoke. "It's the spell. The witch's spell is on this whole chapel."
Oh right, Merlin thought as he took a seat on the chancel step. Hellawes had said all men give in with time.
She really was a talented witch. Though maybe her spell on the chapel was what drained her so much and made taking the lives of men to sustain herself so necessary. Merlin would never know, he supposed. He didn't even need spells half the time, and he never worried he was using too much magic and would tire himself out.
Pain in Merlin's left cheek made him snap his eyes open, and only then did he realize he'd ever shut them. Gwen was standing over him, holding her hand and frowning with worried eyes.
"Ow," Merlin complained, rubbing his aching cheek gently. "Gwen, did you just slap me?"
The worry began to fade and she gave a small smile. "Yes. I did. You were falling asleep, just like the knights." She blinked once and amended, "Well, like Lamorak and Gareth."
Luned stood uncomfortably to Gwen's right, sword still in hand and still glancing around for possible attacks, as if he could see the spell at work and defeat it himself.
"The spell!" Merlin gasped, standing up so fast he almost made Gwen fall over trying to move out of his space. "I need to break the spell so we can find Lancelot, otherwise we'll all just keep getting sidetracked by it."
Gwen nodded. "Sounds like a plan." She motioned to the room at large.
Shaking his head and body, as if to shake off the last dredges of the spell clinging to him, Merlin took a deep breath. He held his hands out in front of him. "Áblinnan galdor," he spoke in a clear voice.
The spell actually made him shake as it shattered around him. The quaint church seemed to lose a bit of its charming appeal. Merlin became acutely aware of how dusty it was, as if no one had actually used this chapel in years. He wondered if Gwen had been able to see it this way all along.
Luned grabbed Lamorak by the shoulder and shoved him off his pew, making it shift several inches as his large mass hit the ground. Before he could even make an appropriately offended noise at having his nap interrupted, Luned was already at the back of the chapel and repeating the action with Gareth. Gareth let out an unseemly squawk as he fell. If Luned's smirk was anything to go by, he thought the treatment adequate punishment for sleeping on the job.
He waved at the young knight at his feet. "Let's go. You three got your precious rest. Now let's do what we came here to do: save Lancelot."
Face red with shame, Gareth pushed himself to his feet and moved to join the others at the chancel without meeting Luned's eyes.
"I'm actually impressed," Lamorak commented, sounding embarrassed but trying to hide it. "Luned's such a scrawny guy, but it seems his will is stronger than even Merlin's."
Luned rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up and go check the bell tower for witches." He motioned to Gwen. "And take Gwen with you in case you need a good slap."
…
…
There was no witch in the bell tower, though Lamorak and Gwen returned with news that there were skeletons dressed in knightly garb all along the stairs and lying on the floor at the top. Gareth and Luned checked the storage room outside and found herbs and strange stones, but no people. Merlin examined the sanctuary before beginning to make his way around the chapel exterior, looking for a possible undercroft door.
He'd just located the door, in peak condition compared to the rest of the chapel but hidden by the tall grass that surrounded the building, when the others appeared together to report what they'd found.
"Then I suppose Luned was right about checking the undercroft," Merlin noted.
Gwen shook her head slightly. "After seeing all those skeletons, those men she must've done this too before, I fear what we'll find down there."
Gareth placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "He's only been gone a day. There's still plenty of hope."
Only once Gwen had squared her shoulders and given him a nod did Merlin bend over and pull on the door hidden in the grass. It didn't budge. After watching Merlin struggle for a few moments, Luned moved to help him. Even with both of them tugging, the door would barely lift at all.
Lamorak rolled his eyes. "Out of the way, children," he ordered calmly, pushing them without malice to the sides.
The large knight grabbed hold of the metal handle and pulled. Though they could all see his muscles straining under the weight, it still looked too easy for him to lift the door out of the way so they could enter.
With a pant, he wiped his dry brow. "See? Easy. But let's not close it behind us, just the same."
Looking a bit baffled, Merlin said, "Hellawes must've enchanted it to be heavy enough that no one could open it. It can't possibly be that heavy normally. It's made of wood."
"Forget enchanted doors, Merlin," Gareth chastised. "Let's get down there and get out of here. I don't want a repeat of the chapel and the longer we're here the more chance of that there is."
Down the few steps into the undercroft, they found that the skeletons of the bell tower were not as populous but still existed. They paid little heed to the bones and armor, however, when they realized they could hear a quiet voice murmuring.
"You'll be so good to me," a woman was saying, her tone suggesting she was talking to her lover.
The undercroft wasn't a large space, as the chapel above it was not a large space, so it only took a minute or so to find the speaker. Dressed in white, her flame red hair barely touching her dark shoulders, Hellawes was just as beautiful as Luned had described.
They immediately spotted Lancelot with her. He was lying on a plain bed, pushed into an alcove in the undercroft, with a few precious candles giving light to the area. He was still in his armor from the day before, even his sheathed sword, but his eyes were half-lidded and unseeing.
"Hellawes," Luned said aloud. "Let him go."
The witch either did not hear them or pretended not to. Gareth, Lamorak, and Luned unsheathed their swords and advanced on her, Merlin and Gwen behind them.
"Your spell on the chapel is broken," Merlin informed her. "Release your enchantment on Lancelot and we will spare your life."
Hellawes smiled down at Lancelot and gently touched his hair. "Oh precious, do men not say the sweetest things? But words do not sate me. Only action can be trusted."
A ring of something like fire moved out from the bed. Lamorak and Gareth were flung backwards, Merlin a moment later, and landed with awful thuds on the stone ground behind them. Amazing, there was no burning, no flames. However, the spell left an ache in Merlin's bones that was proving hard to shake off and his pushed himself up from the floor to his knees. Gareth and Lamorak just groaned and didn't make to stand again.
Unimpeded by the spell, Luned rushed at the bed. His sword fell from his hand with a shout, the hilt glowing red with heat, before his blow ever got near the witch.
"Give yourself to me," Hellawes was saying to Lancelot, as if the others in the room posed no threat at all. "Let your life be mine, oh honorable knight."
Gwen moved past Luned, who was clutching his hand, and made a grab for Lancelot on the bed. Her fingers closed on his chainmail and she pulled with all her might. Like the door to the undercroft, he would not budge. Luned grabbed Lancelot's arm as well and put his weight into the effort, but they could not make the captured knight move.
Hellawes did not lift her gaze from Lancelot's. She touched him gently on the nose, then trailed her fingers down over his armor to where his heart was. "Just one kiss, my sweet. Will you give me that? That is all I require."
Lancelot began to lift himself up, as if there were no spell of weight on him. Gwen clutched more firmly to his sleeve.
"Lancelot, no!" Luned shouted.
Gwen's voice called out at the same moment. "Please, if you can hear me, stop!"
And stop he did.
His lips were a bare inch from Hellawes' but she did not close the distance herself. "My love?" she asked sweetly, pressing more firmly over his heart.
"No," Lancelot's voice was a murmur. "I do not love you."
Merlin pulled Gareth to his feet while Lamorak used the wall for support, his grip shaky on his sword. They all look over abruptly at Lancelot's voice. They couldn't see him through Luned and Gwen's bodies, but his voice gave them hope.
"Do not leave me," Hellawes said like a beg, like the weak woman who had first approached the knights on the road. "I need you."
Light edged into Lancelot's eyes once more. "I cannot stay. I have to return to the one I love." Gwen's hands jerked on his sleeve and Lancelot tore his gaze from the witch's. His eyes widened. "Gwen," he gasped, voice clear, as if waking from a dream.
Luned hurried to pull Lancelot from the bed and was grateful when his body moved, free of the spell. With Gwen and Luned pulling, and Lancelot scrambling to find his own unsteady feet, the trio was halfway across the room with Merlin and Gareth by the time Hellawes had risen from the bed herself.
"How dare you," she spit out.
Gareth joined the mix in helping Lancelot stand. "Time to go," he said as they all scrambled for the door.
"You sheep in wolf's clothing," Hellawes was saying as she followed after them. The skeletons along the floor began to jerk and twitch, getting to their feet as if they still had muscles to move them. "You who would side with men, who wears a sword and armor like it can protect you. They will eat you alive just as they have eaten me!"
A row of armored skeletons stood between them and the door to the outside world. The candles by the bed burned brighter, the flames reaching toward the ceiling.
"I will have your life for interfering," Hellawes claimed haughtily, standing only a few feet from them now. "You and the knights who stand with you. You and the lovers you claim to protect."
Luned released Lancelot and turned on Hellawes. "Oh stop talking!" he shouted. "If you want to fight me, then fight me, but stop talking about it!"
"Merlin, kill the skeletons," Lamorak said behind Luned.
Merlin blew a space in the skeleton ranks big enough for them to get through the door, but just as they reached the steps, more skeletons blocked their view of the sky.
Luned ran the few steps to Hellawes and landed a punch to her face. The witch stumbled and then looked at Luned with wide eyes, as if shocked to have been struck. Luned used the momentary distraction to dart around her and grab his sword from where he'd dropped it before, the hilt now cool in his grip.
Just as he stood upright, the bed was cleaved in two behind him. Hellawes was glaring at him, her hand outstretched from where she'd cast the spell.
The skeletons were being blown apart one after the other by Merlin, but it was like fighting a floor. For every one he destroyed, two more appeared. Gareth and Lamorak did their best against the ones in the undercroft with them, but their swords had little effect on empty bones and merely kept the skeletons at bay while Merlin tried to blast their way out and Luned kept Hellawes busy.
"You will bend to my will," Hellawes stated. "I will have you on your knees and begging before your end."
Luned stared her directly in the eyes and tightened his grip on his sword. "No you will not," he said. "As you said, all men give in eventually, but you know as well as I that I will never give in to you. I have something far more precious to return to than this dark grave."
Hellawes, if possible, glared harder. She looked like an angry lioness, her features more feral by the moment. With a shout, she began throwing magic at Luned like a tornado throws wind. Luned rolled to the side to avoid the first attacks, wincing as the whole building shook with every spell that hit the walls. Before Hellawes could calm enough to direct her attacks at Luned once more, there was a dagger in her side.
She gasped and all the spells stopped. The skeletons even stopped moving, though they did not fall. Turning around, Hellawes was met with Gwen's hard gaze.
"Sister of mine," Hellawes huffed out. "You would wound me?"
Gwen shook her head. "You're too cruel. Look at all the people you've hurt."
She motioned to the skeletons but Hellawes did not remove her gaze from Gwen's face. Hellawes lifted her hands to Gwen's cheeks with a gentle smile, then lowered them and grabbed her around the neck in one swift movement. Gwen had barely wheezed, her own hands gripping Hellawes around the wrists, when Hellawes' eyes went wide and her grip slackened.
With no final words, the witch slumped to the floor, Luned's sword pulling free from where it had been embedded in her back. The skeletons dropped as well, breaking into pieces as they hit the hard ground.
Looking away from the bloody sword in his hand, Luned met the eyes of the other knights. "Let's get out of here."
…
…
Dinner was tense that night. Gwen and Gareth prepared it while Merlin tended to Lancelot's shoulder and clearing away any magical residue from Hellawes' spell. Lamorak sat on one side of the fire, Luned on the other. No one spoke unless they needed to. There was no conversation while they ate the rabbits Lamorak had caught, nor as Gwen and Merlin cleaned the dishes and packed them away.
The fire had begun to dim when someone addressed the elephant in the room.
"So, that witch," Lamorak broke the silence. "Was she saying what I thought she was saying?"
His question was aimed at Luned across the fire, but Luned did not answer him. After a moment too long pause, Lamorak frowned. His tone was harder when he next spoke.
"A sheep in wolf's clothing," he repeated. "You who sides with men. I thought she was talking to the lady Gwen here, but then you answered her." His eyebrows drew down on his forehead. "She took Lancelot but ignored you. Her spells affected all us men but you."
Once more, Luned kept his eyes down and did not respond. His face was pale in the firelight.
Lamorak growled and punched the log he sat on so hard that it splintered, making them all jump. "Admit it! You've been lying since the day you showed up in Camelot!"
Luned lifted his green eyes and scanned the faces of all those gathered around them. No answer was still an answer. If what Hellawes had implied and what Lamorak was accusing were not true, all Luned had to do was deny it. It they weren't true, he already would've said.
Without a word, Luned reached his hands down and began to peel off his tunic and mail. Gwen covered her eyes briefly, then reconsidered and put her hands up in front of Merlin and Lancelot, the two men closest to her. It didn't do anything to block their view.
Luned's skin was tan even under the clothing. They could all see the healed burns on his right side, crawling up his curved abdomen and ribs, a reminder of the fight with Mordred's army. Then, covering Luned's chest, was the proof that he had been hiding all along.
"What is that?" Gwen asked curiously, lowering her hands.
Luned reached up and lightly touched the fabric that held tight to her chest. "It's…well I've been calling it a chest presser. Laudine had one fashioned for me years ago, when I decided I wanted to be a knight. I was never very large in the chest to begin with, but this…shirt of sorts, keeps me looking as flat as any man."
"You're a girl," Merlin gasped out suddenly, as if the truth of the situation had just hit him.
Green eyes met blue. Then Luned nodded. "I am as female as Lady Guinevere."
Lamorak scoffed, drawing the attention back to himself. "A woman among the ranks of Camelot's knights!" he said. "It's disgraceful!"
Just as Luned's face began to redden in shame, Gareth placed a hand on her shoulder. His hard gaze, when she looked at him, was on Lamorak.
"What's disgraceful about it?" he asked. "The fact that she can wield a sword better than half of us? Or has as much endurance and drive as Percival? Or can drink many of us under the table?" He tilted his head slightly. "Or perhaps what you find disgraceful is the fact that we all would have died back there had it not been for Luned, being immune to Hellawes' spells and helping Gwen do what we weak men could not."
Shocked silence met Gareth's speech. He was right, of course. Luned was just as good a knight as any in Camelot and had not shied away from any bonding event they had shared as brothers-in-arms. Luned had kept a level head throughout this mission, as the men around her and Gwen had fallen to pieces in Hellawes' spells. She had even killed the witch herself, saving Gwen's life and theirs.
"If there is any fault in her being a lady, then it is in the knights of Camelot for not accepting women into its ranks," Gareth continued. "If you can't accept her, even after she had proven herself so fully, then perhaps you are the one the knights should feel disgraced by."
Luned shook her head once, looking at Gareth with disbelief. "You're taking this rather well," she breathed out.
Gareth met her gaze. "I've known since the Albion Battle," he admitted with a slight blush. "You saved Gareth and me from that witch's spell, when we would have ended each others' lives. I apologize that I haven't known how to react around you since then. I have been no better than Lamorak, treating you differently because of something you cannot change. I swear, on my honor as a knight, that it will not happen again."
Gwen smiled at his sincere words and leaned in to Lancelot's side. He curled an arm around her waist.
"How come so many witches can control men?" Lamorak asked, sounding petulant.
Luned gave a half smile. "Because men are so easy to fool," she joked, though it was obvious she wasn't sure how well it would be taken.
Unexpectedly, a robust chuckle burst forth from Lamorak. "I suppose that is true," he admitted. He still looked uncomfortable, though his tone was obviously trying to hide it, when he said, "After all, you've managed to fool the lot of us with no magic at all."
Merlin snapped his fingers. "So the woman I saw with Laudine at the festival was you," he said. He shrugged with a smile before Luned could form a response. "I was confused at the time, since you two had seemed so close, but now it makes sense."
"It also explains why Percival didn't recognize you at Duke Landunet's party," Lancelot chipped in, shifting so that Gwen could lean more fully on him.
Luned shrugged. "Perhaps. Though I wasn't lying when I said I liked to use the time to train. I don't remember him either, so it's very possible that we really had never met." It was obvious she was loosening up as everyone failed to attack her the way she had expected.
Gareth pat her once on her bare shoulder, then paused. "Uh, perhaps you should put your clothes back on now," he suggested. "If it's all the same to you."
With a blush, Luned nodded and hurriedly pulled her tunics and mail back on. She smiled around at all of them, even as she adjusted her clothes and ran a hand through her now messy hair.
"Thank you," she said. "Truly. Being a knight has always been my dream, and though the Duke and Laudine supported me, Camelot was the first and best chance I could have at making it reality. I've been trying to find some way to tell you all the truth, but…"
Her smile faded as her gaze fell. Merlin completely understood.
"I kept a secret for a long time," Merlin began, drawing Luned's gaze. "From everyone. You're afraid of what those closest to you will think. You're worried what will change once they know. And you fall into a habit of keeping it, where every day you say nothing makes it harder to speak up." He smiled gently at her. "I understand."
"And so will the others," Lancelot added after a moment. "You're just as much a knight of Camelot as any of us. Like Gareth said, if they can't see that, then it's them who are wrong. Not you."
As the others gathered gave their agreement, a sudden thought occurred to Merlin. What would Arthur say when he found out?
…
…
With Lancelot's horse back in Camelot, he had to share a horse on the ride back home. Obviously, he rode with Gwen. All the knights agreed they were perfectly disgusting in how cute they were, whispering to each other and hugging and cuddling, all while riding a horse.
When they had all dismounted in the courtyard, they saw Arthur standing at the top of the castle stairs. His expression was stony and ended all jovial teasing in an instant. The king turned and walked into the castle without a word. The knights, plus Merlin and Gwen, glanced worriedly at each other before following.
Had something happened while they were gone?
They found Arthur, as expected, in the Round Table room. It seemed to be his favorite place to be these days whenever he needed to think.
"Arthur," Merlin said, the first from the group to speak. "What's happened?"
Arthur turned to face them, standing with his arms crossed. The sun from the high window made his hair seem almost golden but did nothing to ease the tension in his face.
"What's happened?" Arthur repeated. "As you were leaving, Gaius gave me some interesting and distressing news." His voice was as hard and angry as Merlin had ever heard it and it made everyone in the room tense. "It seems one of my knights has been lying to me. Luned," he finished, his eyes pulling from Merlin's to rest on the young knight. "Everyone else can go. I need to speak with Luned alone."
Gaius had known about Luned. He had to have. Gaius was the one to bandage the knights after battles. He must've seen something that tipped him off. And he'd told Arthur. Arthur knew Luned was a girl, and he obviously wasn't pleased about it.
When no one moved, Arthur growled, "I said, leave us."
"With all due respect, sire," Lancelot spoke up. "No."
The shock was enough to jerk the glare right off Arthur's face. He stared at Lancelot in open confusion.
"If you have something to say to our runt, then you can say it to all of us," Lamorak added, his big hand landing solidly on Luned's shoulder.
Arthur glanced at the knights, and then looked to Merlin for support. Merlin just gave a shrug, silently saying 'What do you want me to do? They're knights.'
Luned didn't remove her eyes from the king. "What appears to be the problem, my lord?"
Reminded of his intentions, Arthur shook himself. He kept his gaze on the smallest knight, as if trying to pretend the others weren't staring at him.
"Right," he said. "Luned of Landuc, you stand accused of lying to your fellows as well as to your king. Remember your honor and answer truthfully. Are you or are you not a female, previously a lady-in-waiting to the Countess of Landuc?"
Unlike around the fire, Luned did not hesitate. Knowing she had the support of a few friends gave her courage. "I admit I am female, sire," she said. Arthur jerked in surprise even though he'd already known. "I did not lie. I never said I was a boy. I simply dressed that way and everyone assumed."
Arthur shook his head. "Regardless, I must pass a judgement in this case. As a woman, you cannot continue as you have been." Already the knights' were standing as if ready for a fight. "I dismiss you from the ranks of Camelot knights."
"No!"
The chorus rang out at once from the three other knights gathered and Gwen. Gareth took a step forward, singling himself out.
"Sire, Luned is the only reason we were able to save Lancelot, and she has done more than her fair share of work as a knight. You cannot do this."
"She's as strong as Lucan and Percival, and a lot of others in our rank," Lamorak added. "She's completed every mission given her. To revoke her knighthood would be a disgrace."
Luned looked up at Lamorak in surprise. He winked down at her.
"She's earned her place, Arthur," Gwen added. "Is being female so much of a disadvantage?"
Arthur opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. He looked a bit like a fish and it made Merlin grin.
"The Knight's Code-" he tried, but Lancelot, of all men, interrupted him.
"We've come far from the Knight's Code of your father's time," Lancelot said. "How many good knights would you be without if you followed its law? You made an exception for Pelleas, and for many good and honorable men since. Surely one more alteration is not uncalled for."
He said it so good-naturedly that it was hard to find fault in his logic. Arthur's unwritten Knight's Code was much different from his father's. What was one more change?
The golden king looked to Merlin once more. "Merlin?" he asked. So far the sorcerer had stayed quiet, letting the knights handle a knight's issue.
Merlin glanced around at all the faces now looking at him. They all knew his word held a lot of weight with the king. Despite their words, he could still overrule them. Looking back at the king, Merlin clasped his hands behind his back.
"I see no point in dismissing her, since she's already proven herself a worthy knight," he said, to the silent relief of the knights gathered. "Besides, if memory serves, your proclamation said anyone who could pass the knight's test could wear the red and gold of a Camelot knight."
For a long moment, Arthur just stared at Merlin. Then his eyes flicked over Lancelot, Gwen, Gareth, and Lamorak, to finally rest on Luned. He sighed and leaned back against the table.
"Fine. Fine, she's a knight," he admitted roughly.
Gwen clapped her hands while the knights cheered.
"However," Arthur continued, stopping their merriment. "There must be a punishment for lying to your king. You'll receive no payment for services for a month and spend a day and a night in the cells, starting tomorrow morning."
While not ideal, the terms weren't bad. Luned had been a lady-in-waiting for years and was used to small earnings before becoming a knight, and Laudine would hardly bat an eye at needing to pay for her love for one month. As the daughter of a Duke, she was hardly hurting for funds herself. It would be a blow to pride and honor more than purse. The same was true of the day in one of Camelot's cells.
"Also, you cannot lie to your fellow knights. How can they trust you in the field otherwise? I will not force you to tell them immediately, but I also will not be responsible for telling them. That is your job, your new mission as it were. Are we clear?"
Luned nodded, a light smile on her face. If it meant she could continue her service as a knight, she would endure whatever punishment Arthur commanded. "Yes, sire. Thank you very much."
...
...
Sir and Lady Luned, for your viewing pleasure.
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Next Time: Merlin's Lady
One day, Merlin dreams that he will lose his powers and die. The next day, he meets a beautiful woman named Nyneve. Although he's certain she is the one who will kill him, Merlin can't help falling in love with her. The king is confused and reasonably upset, but what can he do?
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Translations:
Áblinnan galdor = cease spell