FIC: The Blacksmith's Son (Arthur/Gwen, PG, 12/12, Part I)
The Blacksmith’s Son- Chapter Twelve Part I
Chapter: 12/12 Part I
Rating: PG
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer/references: Merlin does not belong to me.
Summary: He has the hands of a blacksmith but a heart of a prince- if only she could see that. AU fic, in which Arthur is the blacksmith’s son and Gwen a princess- because being epic means being two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fits, even when the colours have changed.
A/N: First of all, I would like to apologise at how late this update is. When I said it would take me a while to write the final chapter, I didn’t quite expect that more than four months to pass before I did the next one, but that time has been occupied doing the Camelot Haiti Fic exchange, as well as a few other fic challenges and I also encountered a little bit of writer's block with this. Many thanks to mag2425 for her alpha and advice, catchtheskies for her alpha-beta-mega-awesometron, both of whom were instrumental in this chapter being written. Many thanks to lovedbyahero for her beta. This chapter will be two or three parts long and will be posted over the week with an epilogue at the end.
To everyone who has stuck with this, I thank you, and to everyone who has taken the time to comment, I love you. ♥
One, Two, Three, Four Five Part I, Part II , Six , Seven Part I, Part II , Eight, Nine Part I, Part II, Ten , Eleven Part I, Part II ,
***
Arthur is up at the crack of dawn, going over final plans with the rest of the knights and tending to the horses. This is the first time the king has allowed him out on a mission with the majority of the knights, and there’s a tingling feeling of nervousness in his stomach that he can’t contain. There’s a lot at stake here: the safety of the people of Camelot, the welfare of his fellow knights, King Thomas, Gwen...
Never has Arthur had so much riding on him before. He knows that their invasion of Camelot will be dangerous, especially seeing as Lancelot is expecting such an attack, and that gives the man the advantage. But Arthur has a few things that Lancelot doesn’t: Merlin, the integrity of his men and his own strength and determination to triumph.
When the men around him fall silent, indicating the presence of someone approaching, he realises that one more important thing he also has: Gwen.
He turns around to face her and sees her tentatively coming towards him. She’s wearing riding gear that he recognises as his cousin’s and the cape that he gave her last night is still wrapped around her shoulders, and a smile graces his lips when he sees this.
Behind him, the knights start clearing their throats and simultaneously make excuses to leave, and this makes him smile further. When Arthur first arrived in Lyonesse, the knights were more than happy to accept him into their fold, having known of the king’s nephew long before Arthur knew it was him. The majority of them weren’t fazed that he was a blacksmith and if anything, they admired the hard work ethic and the humbleness that such a role had bestowed upon Arthur. For a while they’d been looking for someone to lead them and unexpectedly for Arthur, this turned out to be him. He bonded well with the knights and had a great sense of camaraderie with them. He learnt about their lives and place in the kingdom, but they seldom learnt much about him. There was a sense of bemusement as to why Arthur seemed so impervious to the attention of the ladies of Court, or indeed any kind of female attention, and it wasn’t until they’d all been drinking heavily after a successful battle that Arthur’s affections for the Lady Guinevere came out in a torrent of slurs and broken words. From then on the men knew that no one could capture the knight’s heart because someone already had it. And that someone was as unattainable as she was beautiful.
That is, until now.
Gwen comes to stand in front of Arthur and they look at one another with affection.
“Good morning, Gwen,” Arthur greets; warmth in his voice.
“Good morning, Arthur,” she greets back.
“Did you sleep well last night?” he inquires.
“Very,” she replies, beaming; the memory of last night’s kiss dancing in both their minds.
“We will be leaving shortly,” he informs her. “Are you ready?”
She shakes her head but answers, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She extracts something that she has been concealing in her cape and Arthur sees that it is her sword. “Here,” she says, presenting it to him.
He gives her a puzzled look, but takes it. “What’s this for?”
“It’s for you to have. This sword really helped me on my way here, and I thought that maybe it will bring you the same luck as it did me for the pending battle.” She lowers her gaze. “It was made by this really good blacksmith that I know, so you can trust that it is a worthy sword.” She lifts her face back up his and he sees that she is smiling.
He takes it. “Thank you. Are you sure you don’t need it?”
She lets out a snort. “No, most definitely not. I don’t intend to do any fighting- I’ve done enough to last me a lifetime.”
He looks a little uncertain, and then takes out a jewelled dagger from his belt and hands it to her.
“Quid pro quo,” he says and then adds, “Just in case.”
She grins and takes it from his hands. With bright-lit eyes, she reaches up and places a firm kiss at the corner of his lips.
“A good luck kiss,” she says to him as his eyes widen. “Just in case.”
He lets out a content sigh and brings a gloved hand to her face, brushing a loose strand of hair out of the way. If he could just stay here with her forever, he would be happy.
His hand moves down to her shoulder and he touches the fabric of her cape.
“Am I ever going to get this back?” he wonders out loud.
She looks mischievously at him and shakes her head. “I kind of like wearing it,” she tells him.
“You know, it took me months to earn that cape,” he muses, although he knows it doesn’t really matter. She looks better in it, anyway.
“Then we’ll just have to negotiate. Survive this battle and I’ll think about returning this cape.” Her voice is teasing, but he can tell she’s serious. There’s fear in her eyes; fear for his wellbeing. He knows that feeling well, for he feels it too. Fear for her. Fear for Camelot. Fear for everybody.
“Deal,” he says, extending his hand so they can shake on it.
Her gaze locks onto his. Live for me, her eyes plead.
And the silent plea that he returns is just as strong.
***
Soon after, they begin to head to Camelot. Arthur leads their troupe, Gwen and Merlin ride in the middle and there is about fifty of Lyonesse’s best knights who ride with them.
Turning her head in the direction of the castle, Gwen can see the King and Queen waving them off, with their children surrounding them. She can just about see Elaine and Anna bouncing up and down beside them and can most definitely hear them shouting, “Bye Gwen-ver! Come back soooooon!”
She smiles and waves at them; a little sad to be leaving this kingdom. Everything seems so perfect here, but she has her own kingdom to return to. Camelot may have a long way to go before it’s anywhere like Lyonesse, but it remains her home.
They begin to head off and Gwen clutches nervously at her reins.
Seeing this, Merlin turns to her. “I’m sure everything will be alright when we get there,” he reassures her.
Gwen bites her lip. “I don’t know,” she says. “We’ve left it long enough. What if-,” she stops and inhales sharply, not wanting to go on.
“Lancelot would have to get through Gaius to get to your father, and Gaius... well, no one messes with Gaius. Ever.”
Gwen manages a smile. “Even so, all I can picture is Lancelot smugly sitting on my father’s throne, revelling in his newfound power and being all...evil.”
“Really? Because all I can picture is Lanceypants sitting on your father’s throne, crying like a little boy. At least, he will be when we get to Camelot, that’s for sure.”
“I can settle for seeing Lancelot crying,” Gwen decides.
***
A few feet ahead of them Arthur listens to their gentle banter.
From here he can hear Merlin’s impersonations of Lancelot: high-pitched renditions of “Why doesn’t anybody like me?” “I just can’t take it anymore!” and “They messed up my hair!”
His friend is doing his best to make Gwen laugh and soothe her nerves, and Arthur has to admit that his frayed nerves are being calmed as well.
When the opportunity arises, he looks over his shoulder in their direction and seeing this, Gwen catches his eye. She offers him a smile, reminding him what it is he’s fighting for and he desperately wishes that this could all be over so he can be by her side. Instead, he returns her smile before turning back to look straight ahead. They still have a long way to go before they reach Camelot.
***
A few hours later as dusk is beginning to fall, they finally reach the kingdom and conceal themselves in the forest that surrounds the city, mooring their horses and preparing themselves.
Arthur is given his first glimpse of the kingdom in over a year and what he sees astounds him. When he left Camelot, the kingdom was flourishing and a realm envied by many. But the kingdom that stands before him is not the kingdom he remembers. Where once the grass was green and the crops prosperous, he sees that the grass is yellow in colour and weak-looking and the crop yield is abysmal. The kingdom also appears bare; bereft of bustling crowds, people going about their daily business and of life.
“What happened here?” The words escape his lips before he has time to think, but of course he knows what has happened here, and yet seeing the reality is a lot harsher than hearing about it.
Gwen comes to stand beside him. “Life happened here,” she says simply.
Arthur’s brow furrows. How is it that the last year had been the best year of his life where as the people he had left behind had been dealt a poor hand by fate?
His jaw clenches. Whatever it takes- however long it takes, he is determined to reverse Camelot’s poor fortune.
“It’s not your responsibility, you know,” Gwen says, as if reading his thoughts.
“Whose is it?” he wonders, and he means it rhetorically.
Gwen closes her eyes and tilts her face up the sky. “Mine.”
When she opens her eyes he sees a determination there that matches his own.
“Let’s take back this kingdom,” she tells him.
And he smiles at her obligingly.
***
“So what’s the plan?” Merlin inquires.
They are at the edge of the forest, observing the castle. From their vantage point, they can just about make out the knights stringently guarding the castle.
“I’m all for storming into the castle and finding that rat,” Gawain pipes up.
“Noted and appreciated, Gawain, but we want to keep some sort of element of surprise.” Arthur thinks for a few moments. “I imagine Lancelot thinks Gwen is bringing help with her, but I don’t think he’s counting on the fact that there are so many of us and I think we should use that to our advantage. In fact, we need to undermine him in any way we can. What do you think, Gwen?”
Gwen nods. “Knowing Lancelot, he probably expecting whoever is attacking to barge right in."
“So you’re suggesting we sneak in through the back door, so to speak?” Gawain clarifies.
Gwen smiles. “Yes. There are a few secret passageways into the castle, but unfortunately they are known to Lancelot and I expect he would have a guard stationed at each just in case. However, there is one passageway that my father was careful not to tell anyone but me about. There’s a tunnel that runs from the lower town to the armoury inside the castle. It’s located near the servants’ quarters so even if Lancelot has heard of it; I doubt it will concern him enough to visit.”
“Well that sounds perfect!” Arthur says. “We’ll go in through that way.”
“What, all of us?” Bedivere sceptically asks, gesturing to rest of the party. “It may be a secret passageway, but somehow sneaking fifty fully-dressed knights through the passage is bound to get noticed by somebody.”
Arthur looks slightly deflated by this revelation. “How about if some of the men stay here as backup while the other lot go and attack? We can call for backup if needed.”
Bedivere wrinkles his nose in uncertainty.
“How about you set up a diversion?” Gwen pipes up. Everyone looks at her and she clears her throat. “I guess your objective is to get to Lancelot? And knowing him, he’ll be sitting on my father’s throne and making everyone do the dirty work for him. So maybe if the majority of the knights attack through the main way, Lancelot will think they’re my rescue party and that I’m among them, but of course I won’t be.”
“Where will you be?” Arthur cautiously asks. Earlier, when Gwen had told him that she didn’t intend to fight, he was relieved. He doesn’t doubt her ability to defend herself- her fighting those knights in the forest is more than evidence that she can- but the memory of her lying on the forest ground, moments from death still resonates heavily on his mind. He doesn’t want anything to happen to her, and there is even an irrational part of him that wishes she’d stay here in the forest until the pending battle was over, but it is hardly his place to say so. Gwen is a princess and free to do what she chooses and he would never undermine her authority. But more than that, he is well aware that his absence over the last year renders him voiceless. After all, she has been to hell and back without him, so for him to tell her that she should stay here where it’s safe would count for nothing.
“I am going to see my father,” she answers resolutely. “With Merlin, of course.”
Of course. Arthur nods, although he can’t stop the feelings of worry that begin to surface when he thinks about what could happen to Gwen if she steps inside the castle.
“So you’re suggesting we set up a diversion?” Merlin elucidates. “If most of the knights attack the castle, Lancelot’s men will undoubtedly go out to fight them-,”
“Leaving Lancelot behind,” Arthur finishes for him.
“He’ll be easier to flush out without his cronies,” Merlin decides.
“So it’s agreed then?” Gawain pipes up. “The majority of the knights will “attack” Camelot, leaving the rest of you to sneak in.”
Arthur nods. “Gwen?”
Gwen nods as well.
“Okay. Gawain, Bedivere and Constantine, you’re with us. The rest of you, follow my instructions...”
***
They stand and wait.
It begins to darken and colours of red and orange are thrown across the sky, and this cover of darkness is a welcome relief.
It’s surreal for Gwen to watch as Arthur’s knights ride up to the castle gates and “attack.” She’s never seen Camelot under attack before and certainly never like this. But then everything from the last three days has seemed like something from a dream.
They listen as the knights guarding the castle yell and sound the warning bell upon seeing the approaching men. Within seconds, other knights fill the battlements and begin raining arrows down on the men, which they deflect as if it is merely flies being hurled at them and not weapons.
Gwen watches in mild shock as the scene of violence plays out before her, but she doesn’t have long to dwell on it as Arthur ushers her along. Reminded of her purpose, she heads toward the entrance to the secret passageway with the others trailing behind her.
She’s only seen it once, many years ago. Her father wanted her to know everything about the castle and she remembers this secret trip; the one of many to all the various hidden conceals of their home. But they’d travelled from the castle and even though he made her aware of where the passage exited, time has changed the look of the entrance and she has trouble finding it.
After a few false starts they finally find it: a nondescript cave that lies between the edge of the forest and the lower town.
To the unseeing eye it looks like a wide ditch, but Gwen knows better. She begins to pulls away at the overgrown branches and foliage that covers it, before the others step in to help and Merlin clears it all with his magic, revealing a metal grate.
Gwen gives it a hesitating look, but it’s Arthur who jumps down into the wide- enough gap.
“I’ll go first,” he says and pushes at the grate with enough force until it opens.
He steps in and the others climb down and follow.
It’s dark in the passageway and the floor is slippery from the stagnant water that has managed to enter and Gwen’s reminded of how much she hated this place the first time round. Aside from the darkness and the infinite length of the tunnel, there’s a pungent smell that overwhelms them all.
Merlin quickly eliminates the darkness problem by making a ball of bright light materialise in his hand, immediately lighting up the tunnel. He trudges on ahead and Gwen and Arthur follow side by side. Once or twice she slips and Arthur manages to catch her before she falls down completely. Annoyingly for her, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with his balance.
Behind them, Gawain, Bedivere and Constantine follow, ambling along as though creeping through secret castle passageways was something they did often.
.
For all she knew, it could be.
***
It seems to take an eternity for them to reach the other end.
When they get there, Merlin unlocks the door with his magic and cautiously pokes his head out. Seeing that no one is there, he climbs out the enclosed space and the others follow one by one.
“A door hidden behind a coat of arms,” Gawain says drily, turning back round to look at the display of shields. “Cunning.”
“That shield means cunningness,” Gwen replies drolly.
“You can exchange tactics later,” Arthur speaks up. “Right now we have a castle to invade.”
Peering around the door, Merlin says, “The coast is clear.”
Arthur nods.
“We should go first,” Gwen says.
Arthur exhales deeply.
“My father’s chambers are the shortest distance from here. Plus, Merlin and I know the design of the castle better than anyone. If we get a head start, we can swiftly incapacitate anyone we encounter, making it easier for you to get to Lancelot,” Gwen justifies.
Arthur remains dubious. While there is logic in her plan, he still doesn’t feel safe in letting her go. He’d rather go with her to ensure that she’s safe, but their diversion has bought them only a limited window of time to get to Lancelot. Once the knights realise that Gwen isn’t among the party, they’ll alert Lancelot and matters will deteriorate from there.
Besides, Gwen has Merlin with her if anything does go wrong, and he’s fairly certain that Lancelot will be far too occupied with the ongoing battle to hang around in her father’s room waiting for her to pay a visit.
“Okay,” he says. And then to Merlin, “Don’t hold back on your magic, okay? Whatever you encounter, use your magic to get past it.”
Merlin grins. “Like you need to tell me.”
“We better go,” Gwen says. “We’ll stay in my father’s chambers until you give us the all-clear. Good luck, Arthur. You three as well,” she says, turning to the other men.
They bid her and Merlin good luck and the two of them head off. Gwen gives ones final, reassuring look to Arthur and then she is gone.
***
Chapter Twelve Part II here
Chapter: 12/12 Part I
Rating: PG
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer/references: Merlin does not belong to me.
Summary: He has the hands of a blacksmith but a heart of a prince- if only she could see that. AU fic, in which Arthur is the blacksmith’s son and Gwen a princess- because being epic means being two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that fits, even when the colours have changed.
A/N: First of all, I would like to apologise at how late this update is. When I said it would take me a while to write the final chapter, I didn’t quite expect that more than four months to pass before I did the next one, but that time has been occupied doing the Camelot Haiti Fic exchange, as well as a few other fic challenges and I also encountered a little bit of writer's block with this. Many thanks to mag2425 for her alpha and advice, catchtheskies for her alpha-beta-mega-awesometron, both of whom were instrumental in this chapter being written. Many thanks to lovedbyahero for her beta. This chapter will be two or three parts long and will be posted over the week with an epilogue at the end.
To everyone who has stuck with this, I thank you, and to everyone who has taken the time to comment, I love you. ♥
One, Two, Three, Four Five Part I, Part II , Six , Seven Part I, Part II , Eight, Nine Part I, Part II, Ten , Eleven Part I, Part II ,
***
Arthur is up at the crack of dawn, going over final plans with the rest of the knights and tending to the horses. This is the first time the king has allowed him out on a mission with the majority of the knights, and there’s a tingling feeling of nervousness in his stomach that he can’t contain. There’s a lot at stake here: the safety of the people of Camelot, the welfare of his fellow knights, King Thomas, Gwen...
Never has Arthur had so much riding on him before. He knows that their invasion of Camelot will be dangerous, especially seeing as Lancelot is expecting such an attack, and that gives the man the advantage. But Arthur has a few things that Lancelot doesn’t: Merlin, the integrity of his men and his own strength and determination to triumph.
When the men around him fall silent, indicating the presence of someone approaching, he realises that one more important thing he also has: Gwen.
He turns around to face her and sees her tentatively coming towards him. She’s wearing riding gear that he recognises as his cousin’s and the cape that he gave her last night is still wrapped around her shoulders, and a smile graces his lips when he sees this.
Behind him, the knights start clearing their throats and simultaneously make excuses to leave, and this makes him smile further. When Arthur first arrived in Lyonesse, the knights were more than happy to accept him into their fold, having known of the king’s nephew long before Arthur knew it was him. The majority of them weren’t fazed that he was a blacksmith and if anything, they admired the hard work ethic and the humbleness that such a role had bestowed upon Arthur. For a while they’d been looking for someone to lead them and unexpectedly for Arthur, this turned out to be him. He bonded well with the knights and had a great sense of camaraderie with them. He learnt about their lives and place in the kingdom, but they seldom learnt much about him. There was a sense of bemusement as to why Arthur seemed so impervious to the attention of the ladies of Court, or indeed any kind of female attention, and it wasn’t until they’d all been drinking heavily after a successful battle that Arthur’s affections for the Lady Guinevere came out in a torrent of slurs and broken words. From then on the men knew that no one could capture the knight’s heart because someone already had it. And that someone was as unattainable as she was beautiful.
That is, until now.
Gwen comes to stand in front of Arthur and they look at one another with affection.
“Good morning, Gwen,” Arthur greets; warmth in his voice.
“Good morning, Arthur,” she greets back.
“Did you sleep well last night?” he inquires.
“Very,” she replies, beaming; the memory of last night’s kiss dancing in both their minds.
“We will be leaving shortly,” he informs her. “Are you ready?”
She shakes her head but answers, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She extracts something that she has been concealing in her cape and Arthur sees that it is her sword. “Here,” she says, presenting it to him.
He gives her a puzzled look, but takes it. “What’s this for?”
“It’s for you to have. This sword really helped me on my way here, and I thought that maybe it will bring you the same luck as it did me for the pending battle.” She lowers her gaze. “It was made by this really good blacksmith that I know, so you can trust that it is a worthy sword.” She lifts her face back up his and he sees that she is smiling.
He takes it. “Thank you. Are you sure you don’t need it?”
She lets out a snort. “No, most definitely not. I don’t intend to do any fighting- I’ve done enough to last me a lifetime.”
He looks a little uncertain, and then takes out a jewelled dagger from his belt and hands it to her.
“Quid pro quo,” he says and then adds, “Just in case.”
She grins and takes it from his hands. With bright-lit eyes, she reaches up and places a firm kiss at the corner of his lips.
“A good luck kiss,” she says to him as his eyes widen. “Just in case.”
He lets out a content sigh and brings a gloved hand to her face, brushing a loose strand of hair out of the way. If he could just stay here with her forever, he would be happy.
His hand moves down to her shoulder and he touches the fabric of her cape.
“Am I ever going to get this back?” he wonders out loud.
She looks mischievously at him and shakes her head. “I kind of like wearing it,” she tells him.
“You know, it took me months to earn that cape,” he muses, although he knows it doesn’t really matter. She looks better in it, anyway.
“Then we’ll just have to negotiate. Survive this battle and I’ll think about returning this cape.” Her voice is teasing, but he can tell she’s serious. There’s fear in her eyes; fear for his wellbeing. He knows that feeling well, for he feels it too. Fear for her. Fear for Camelot. Fear for everybody.
“Deal,” he says, extending his hand so they can shake on it.
Her gaze locks onto his. Live for me, her eyes plead.
And the silent plea that he returns is just as strong.
***
Soon after, they begin to head to Camelot. Arthur leads their troupe, Gwen and Merlin ride in the middle and there is about fifty of Lyonesse’s best knights who ride with them.
Turning her head in the direction of the castle, Gwen can see the King and Queen waving them off, with their children surrounding them. She can just about see Elaine and Anna bouncing up and down beside them and can most definitely hear them shouting, “Bye Gwen-ver! Come back soooooon!”
She smiles and waves at them; a little sad to be leaving this kingdom. Everything seems so perfect here, but she has her own kingdom to return to. Camelot may have a long way to go before it’s anywhere like Lyonesse, but it remains her home.
They begin to head off and Gwen clutches nervously at her reins.
Seeing this, Merlin turns to her. “I’m sure everything will be alright when we get there,” he reassures her.
Gwen bites her lip. “I don’t know,” she says. “We’ve left it long enough. What if-,” she stops and inhales sharply, not wanting to go on.
“Lancelot would have to get through Gaius to get to your father, and Gaius... well, no one messes with Gaius. Ever.”
Gwen manages a smile. “Even so, all I can picture is Lancelot smugly sitting on my father’s throne, revelling in his newfound power and being all...evil.”
“Really? Because all I can picture is Lanceypants sitting on your father’s throne, crying like a little boy. At least, he will be when we get to Camelot, that’s for sure.”
“I can settle for seeing Lancelot crying,” Gwen decides.
***
A few feet ahead of them Arthur listens to their gentle banter.
From here he can hear Merlin’s impersonations of Lancelot: high-pitched renditions of “Why doesn’t anybody like me?” “I just can’t take it anymore!” and “They messed up my hair!”
His friend is doing his best to make Gwen laugh and soothe her nerves, and Arthur has to admit that his frayed nerves are being calmed as well.
When the opportunity arises, he looks over his shoulder in their direction and seeing this, Gwen catches his eye. She offers him a smile, reminding him what it is he’s fighting for and he desperately wishes that this could all be over so he can be by her side. Instead, he returns her smile before turning back to look straight ahead. They still have a long way to go before they reach Camelot.
***
A few hours later as dusk is beginning to fall, they finally reach the kingdom and conceal themselves in the forest that surrounds the city, mooring their horses and preparing themselves.
Arthur is given his first glimpse of the kingdom in over a year and what he sees astounds him. When he left Camelot, the kingdom was flourishing and a realm envied by many. But the kingdom that stands before him is not the kingdom he remembers. Where once the grass was green and the crops prosperous, he sees that the grass is yellow in colour and weak-looking and the crop yield is abysmal. The kingdom also appears bare; bereft of bustling crowds, people going about their daily business and of life.
“What happened here?” The words escape his lips before he has time to think, but of course he knows what has happened here, and yet seeing the reality is a lot harsher than hearing about it.
Gwen comes to stand beside him. “Life happened here,” she says simply.
Arthur’s brow furrows. How is it that the last year had been the best year of his life where as the people he had left behind had been dealt a poor hand by fate?
His jaw clenches. Whatever it takes- however long it takes, he is determined to reverse Camelot’s poor fortune.
“It’s not your responsibility, you know,” Gwen says, as if reading his thoughts.
“Whose is it?” he wonders, and he means it rhetorically.
Gwen closes her eyes and tilts her face up the sky. “Mine.”
When she opens her eyes he sees a determination there that matches his own.
“Let’s take back this kingdom,” she tells him.
And he smiles at her obligingly.
***
“So what’s the plan?” Merlin inquires.
They are at the edge of the forest, observing the castle. From their vantage point, they can just about make out the knights stringently guarding the castle.
“I’m all for storming into the castle and finding that rat,” Gawain pipes up.
“Noted and appreciated, Gawain, but we want to keep some sort of element of surprise.” Arthur thinks for a few moments. “I imagine Lancelot thinks Gwen is bringing help with her, but I don’t think he’s counting on the fact that there are so many of us and I think we should use that to our advantage. In fact, we need to undermine him in any way we can. What do you think, Gwen?”
Gwen nods. “Knowing Lancelot, he probably expecting whoever is attacking to barge right in."
“So you’re suggesting we sneak in through the back door, so to speak?” Gawain clarifies.
Gwen smiles. “Yes. There are a few secret passageways into the castle, but unfortunately they are known to Lancelot and I expect he would have a guard stationed at each just in case. However, there is one passageway that my father was careful not to tell anyone but me about. There’s a tunnel that runs from the lower town to the armoury inside the castle. It’s located near the servants’ quarters so even if Lancelot has heard of it; I doubt it will concern him enough to visit.”
“Well that sounds perfect!” Arthur says. “We’ll go in through that way.”
“What, all of us?” Bedivere sceptically asks, gesturing to rest of the party. “It may be a secret passageway, but somehow sneaking fifty fully-dressed knights through the passage is bound to get noticed by somebody.”
Arthur looks slightly deflated by this revelation. “How about if some of the men stay here as backup while the other lot go and attack? We can call for backup if needed.”
Bedivere wrinkles his nose in uncertainty.
“How about you set up a diversion?” Gwen pipes up. Everyone looks at her and she clears her throat. “I guess your objective is to get to Lancelot? And knowing him, he’ll be sitting on my father’s throne and making everyone do the dirty work for him. So maybe if the majority of the knights attack through the main way, Lancelot will think they’re my rescue party and that I’m among them, but of course I won’t be.”
“Where will you be?” Arthur cautiously asks. Earlier, when Gwen had told him that she didn’t intend to fight, he was relieved. He doesn’t doubt her ability to defend herself- her fighting those knights in the forest is more than evidence that she can- but the memory of her lying on the forest ground, moments from death still resonates heavily on his mind. He doesn’t want anything to happen to her, and there is even an irrational part of him that wishes she’d stay here in the forest until the pending battle was over, but it is hardly his place to say so. Gwen is a princess and free to do what she chooses and he would never undermine her authority. But more than that, he is well aware that his absence over the last year renders him voiceless. After all, she has been to hell and back without him, so for him to tell her that she should stay here where it’s safe would count for nothing.
“I am going to see my father,” she answers resolutely. “With Merlin, of course.”
Of course. Arthur nods, although he can’t stop the feelings of worry that begin to surface when he thinks about what could happen to Gwen if she steps inside the castle.
“So you’re suggesting we set up a diversion?” Merlin elucidates. “If most of the knights attack the castle, Lancelot’s men will undoubtedly go out to fight them-,”
“Leaving Lancelot behind,” Arthur finishes for him.
“He’ll be easier to flush out without his cronies,” Merlin decides.
“So it’s agreed then?” Gawain pipes up. “The majority of the knights will “attack” Camelot, leaving the rest of you to sneak in.”
Arthur nods. “Gwen?”
Gwen nods as well.
“Okay. Gawain, Bedivere and Constantine, you’re with us. The rest of you, follow my instructions...”
***
They stand and wait.
It begins to darken and colours of red and orange are thrown across the sky, and this cover of darkness is a welcome relief.
It’s surreal for Gwen to watch as Arthur’s knights ride up to the castle gates and “attack.” She’s never seen Camelot under attack before and certainly never like this. But then everything from the last three days has seemed like something from a dream.
They listen as the knights guarding the castle yell and sound the warning bell upon seeing the approaching men. Within seconds, other knights fill the battlements and begin raining arrows down on the men, which they deflect as if it is merely flies being hurled at them and not weapons.
Gwen watches in mild shock as the scene of violence plays out before her, but she doesn’t have long to dwell on it as Arthur ushers her along. Reminded of her purpose, she heads toward the entrance to the secret passageway with the others trailing behind her.
She’s only seen it once, many years ago. Her father wanted her to know everything about the castle and she remembers this secret trip; the one of many to all the various hidden conceals of their home. But they’d travelled from the castle and even though he made her aware of where the passage exited, time has changed the look of the entrance and she has trouble finding it.
After a few false starts they finally find it: a nondescript cave that lies between the edge of the forest and the lower town.
To the unseeing eye it looks like a wide ditch, but Gwen knows better. She begins to pulls away at the overgrown branches and foliage that covers it, before the others step in to help and Merlin clears it all with his magic, revealing a metal grate.
Gwen gives it a hesitating look, but it’s Arthur who jumps down into the wide- enough gap.
“I’ll go first,” he says and pushes at the grate with enough force until it opens.
He steps in and the others climb down and follow.
It’s dark in the passageway and the floor is slippery from the stagnant water that has managed to enter and Gwen’s reminded of how much she hated this place the first time round. Aside from the darkness and the infinite length of the tunnel, there’s a pungent smell that overwhelms them all.
Merlin quickly eliminates the darkness problem by making a ball of bright light materialise in his hand, immediately lighting up the tunnel. He trudges on ahead and Gwen and Arthur follow side by side. Once or twice she slips and Arthur manages to catch her before she falls down completely. Annoyingly for her, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with his balance.
Behind them, Gawain, Bedivere and Constantine follow, ambling along as though creeping through secret castle passageways was something they did often.
.
For all she knew, it could be.
***
It seems to take an eternity for them to reach the other end.
When they get there, Merlin unlocks the door with his magic and cautiously pokes his head out. Seeing that no one is there, he climbs out the enclosed space and the others follow one by one.
“A door hidden behind a coat of arms,” Gawain says drily, turning back round to look at the display of shields. “Cunning.”
“That shield means cunningness,” Gwen replies drolly.
“You can exchange tactics later,” Arthur speaks up. “Right now we have a castle to invade.”
Peering around the door, Merlin says, “The coast is clear.”
Arthur nods.
“We should go first,” Gwen says.
Arthur exhales deeply.
“My father’s chambers are the shortest distance from here. Plus, Merlin and I know the design of the castle better than anyone. If we get a head start, we can swiftly incapacitate anyone we encounter, making it easier for you to get to Lancelot,” Gwen justifies.
Arthur remains dubious. While there is logic in her plan, he still doesn’t feel safe in letting her go. He’d rather go with her to ensure that she’s safe, but their diversion has bought them only a limited window of time to get to Lancelot. Once the knights realise that Gwen isn’t among the party, they’ll alert Lancelot and matters will deteriorate from there.
Besides, Gwen has Merlin with her if anything does go wrong, and he’s fairly certain that Lancelot will be far too occupied with the ongoing battle to hang around in her father’s room waiting for her to pay a visit.
“Okay,” he says. And then to Merlin, “Don’t hold back on your magic, okay? Whatever you encounter, use your magic to get past it.”
Merlin grins. “Like you need to tell me.”
“We better go,” Gwen says. “We’ll stay in my father’s chambers until you give us the all-clear. Good luck, Arthur. You three as well,” she says, turning to the other men.
They bid her and Merlin good luck and the two of them head off. Gwen gives ones final, reassuring look to Arthur and then she is gone.
***
Chapter Twelve Part II here