Phoenix Fire

8 - Burning Up

KAENA

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry." The girl cried before I could even react. 

It had been a few days since I'd arrived in Camelot and I was getting restless. I had got up to stretch my legs by walking down to the courtyard and halfway along a corridor I'd walked straight into her. As we collided all the sheets she was carrying tumbled to the floor. I stooped down to pick them up,

"There's really no need," She protested.

"I should have been looking where I was going," I mumbled, gathering up the sheets.

I stood up and handed them to her. She have me a sweet smile, and for the first time since I'd got here I really felt... safe. She was dark skinned with beautiful curly hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head, with wisps falling down to frame her face. 

"I haven't seen you around before?" Her brows creased as though she was trying to place me.

"I got attacked in the woods so Merlin and Arthur brought me back to get fixed up. I'm only here for a few days." I told her.

"Ah, yes, I think Merlin mentioned something about that. I'm Guinevere, Gwen, everyone knows me as Gwen." She laughed a little bit. 

"I'm Lona." I smiled back. I'd nearly said Kaena but I'd had to stop myself. 

"Well I have to get on, Lady Morgana's bed won't make itself, but if you need some different company while you're here just find me. Merlin normally knows where I might be." She rearranged her grip on the sheets.

"Thank you, I think I might take you up on that," And strangely I really meant it. Something about this girl reminded me of Helena. 

She gave me one last quick smile before walking past me, towards the sleeping chambers of Lady Morgana. Morgana was Uther's ward, and she'd come under his protection when she was a child after he father had died. By all accounts she was a genuinely lovely person but clashed with the king sometimes. 

I made my way to the courtyard and sat down in one of the archways, out of the sun. It was nice to have some fresh air, I wasn't used to staying inside so much. I'd be healed enough to leave in a couple of days and once I was out of the castle I could stop feeling so anxious. Every time I left the physician's chambers I felt totally exposed, like the king of Camelot would turn the corner at any moment. If he saw me he would probably be quite confused. He knew me as an occasional bounty hunter, but he hadn't requested my services, nor was I taking a trouble-maker from within his kingdom to him. Hale also did most of the talking; he was more confident about that kind of thing. The trouble was I was very recognisable with my scar, it drew attention to itself. What I was afraid of was Arthur spilling the beans. If Uther saw me and I explained what the hell I was doing in his castle, he would probably ask Arthur why he rescued a random bounty hunter. Then Arthur would say 'what do you mean random bounty hunter, that's Aldway Raelin's daughter' and then all hell would break loose. 

As I watched a knight on horseback came galloping in at top speed. He was carrying something, draped just in front of him, across the horse's back. Everyone in the square stopped for a moment as we all came to the same realisation. It was a man he was carrying. Not just any man. A knight of Camelot. And he looked dead.

Then chaos erupted. People started screaming, someone was calling for the King. Guards were running around like chickens with their arses on fire. The riding knight begun dismounting, grime and muck swiped across his face, dirty blond curls drenched in sweat. Without even knowing why my legs picked me up and I jogged calmly towards him.

"What happened?" I asked, mentally blocking out the screaming.

The knight looked at me, "It's nothing a lady like yourself should concern themselves with." He replied, beginning to haul the knight off the horse.