[2] WEEPING MONK║you're not what I was looking for

54| Survive This Winter - 𝐈𝐈

[TW// Blood, major injury, implied drug use.]

Lancelot's life is put into the hands of others, and Ari finally comes face to face with her adversary.

By morning, Lancelot's wound had healed, almost. There was still a persistent soreness and his skin was torn, but he could live with that for the time being. The wound was not closed but it would do in time. When he woke, Ari had tried to get him to take more of the numbing vial, but he'd used up most of their poppy milk supply in the night before and he did not want to deplete what was left just for an ache. He'd had much worse pain than this and once revelled in it - he'd be fine.

The dozen sat around a couple of campfires to eat their breakfast, caught on a hunt by Gawain, the Sky archer and a raider. It wasn't much; a couple of grey Squirrels, though the thought of eating them was off putting to Lancelot - given the boy who was waiting for him back at their forest.

Dawn had barely broken and the chill of the night before lingered in the air. The cold sun streaked between the pines and poplars from the otherwise cloudless sky.

Lancelot was only half listening as the others spoke again of what was going to happen today. He could not sit completely straight, hunched over the plate of squirrel meat in his lap. Wincing breaths were permanently stuck in his throat and sharpened at each little movement he made. If he could not find comfort simply resting on a log, then how was he supposed to ride the rest of the way to Uther's camp?

He could feel the eyes of concern on him and brushed off their looks. I am fine, he said in the grouchiness of his glowers. He would ride with them today even if it killed him.

After stomaching the scraps of meat and focussing on keeping them down against his body's protest, taking sips from his water flagon, he drew himself back into the council's conversation.

"We should have kept one alive," Gawain said from directly across the fire to him. "Found out how they knew that we would be on the road."

Ari ran her stiffened hands together, leaning over her knees towards the fire. Perhaps keeping her hand pushed within the chilled earth for so long last night had been, in hindsight, not the greatest idea. Though it had been necessary, and the proof was in how the man at her right was alive and breathing.

Gawain's comment hadn't been aimed at her but Ari took it to be. The last Paladin to have died had done so by her sword - but she would not apologise for it.

"I know." She sighed and sat herself back onto her log, circling her gaze from Kaze on her left around the fire to Lancelot on her right, saying, "We say nothing of the Paladins. Uther's reaction to seeing us will be a tell if they were his plan or not." And a lack of a reaction would say just as much.

Kaze twisted one of her blades in her hand, shaking her head. "I do not know how you have the nerve to be near him and not slit his throat," she said, almost muttering as if she didn't intend for anyone to hear her.