The first thing Ginny noticed on reaching Mount Badon again, through the sheets of cool rain falling constantly since they left Camelot the day before-- Garreth's fog saved them two days of journey this time as he only had Ginny and Arthur to transport, but it could not prevent them from getting soaked through-- was how the army camp had grown since she had seen it last.
Hundreds of tents and pavilions of all possible colours, reflecting the hues of the banners of their respective owners-- which now hung lifeless, without glory, resembling damp rags as they lay vanquished by the incessant rain-- stretched as far as the very foot of the low, grass-covered hill. And beyond the hill, as Lord Myrddin who popped in presence in front of Ginny and Arthur, startling them, even before they dismounted their horses, the enormous enemy army could be seen marching towards them, always closer, as large as the one they had faced at Celidon Wood.
Ginny, seeing the worried look full of self-reproach for bringing her here in Arthur's eyes, stepped on the old wizard's foot as she jumped off her horse, mouthing, "Don't say any more!"
When his eyes found hers, the wizard's surprised gasp of pain morphed into a whispered, "As you wish, my lady," even as Arthur questioned Cai, who just reached them too, the hood of his cloak pulled low above his eyes to shield his face from the rain, about the wellbeing of the soldiers, and his dragons.
Getting an answer he liked, Arthur let both the men go and pulled Ginny into their tent. It was new, Ginny noticed-- thicker and waterproof walls sheltered them from the cold water falling from the sky instead of the thin linen ones they had used during their previous visit in the summer.
Someone had already brought their bags in, and the place felt surprisingly warm, the sudden change in temperature making Ginny shiver as she stepped inside, escaping the cold rain that turned the afternoon into night too early.
She dropped her damp cloak and shoes at the entrance, then walked to the far corner where a nest of furs and blankets was prepared for her and Arthur to sleep. Lying down, closing her eyes and stretching her limbs, sore after the journey, she muttered, "If it wasn't for the Saxons, it would be just like that time, when you came for me to the shore of the Lake..."
She could feel the smile full of memories in his cool lips finding her neck as he came to lay down next to her, then continued on their way to her lips for a long, slow kiss, making her melt into him, her body morphing around his, leaving no space between them.
"But the Saxons are here," he murmured when he pulled away, his unusually grave voice filled with sadness. "To fight. And I should not have brought you here. If I wasn't so... selfish, greedy for your closeness, you could have been safe in Camelot now..."
"Hush..." she said, meaning to remind him that it was impossible, that she was meant to be here because such was the will of Avalon and thus a destiny which they could not escape, but her words were swallowed by Garreth and Lancelot's voices coming from outside, followed by her father's.
They invited them in and soon Myrddin joined them, bringing dinner for all of them, and they spent the evening studying maps showing the progress of the approaching enemy troops, and the tactics they decided to adopt. The battle would most likely happen tomorrow, or the day after, the men concluded before they finally left.
"I don't want you to leave my side tomorrow," Arthur whispered to her, holding her in his arms later as she was drifting off to sleep, her ear against his heart. "Please, Guinevere, you must promise..."
She nodded, hoping he would accept her silence as a promise of something... she could not promise him. She had never been in a battle and had no idea what would happen tomorrow. "If you promise me that you'll be careful," she whispered back, the words morphing into her first dreams.
They were up and ready to fight at the first lights of dawn, Ginny feeling awkward and clumsy clad in the full armour Arthur had forced her into, the Excalibur hanging at her side adding more weight to her shiny, stiff outfit as she followed him through the camp, holding his hand.
The enemy army was stalling, taking its time, the soldiers told them, maybe they should attack first? But Arthur, faithful to his resolve about not making the first move, refused their suggestions patiently.
It was nearly lunchtime when a messenger on foot, carrying a white banner, appeared on the top of the hill.
His appearance caused a wave of nervous excitement to swell and spread through Arthur's soldiers, as they all waited for the man to approach, then stepped out of his way when he asked to speak with their king.
Garreth and Lancelot stood next to Ginny and Arthur as he received the messenger, the rest of the Company forming a semi-circle behind them.
"King Alaric wants to talk to you, my lord," the man spoke, his language barely understandable. "He will meet you on neutral ground if you agree, only you and a couple of your men..."
Ginny squeezed Arthur's hand harder in hers while her eyes, full of worries and questions, found Myrddin's. The wizard shrugged imperceptibly in response, as if to say it was normal, everything was well, but Ginny didn't like it. Her free hand reached for the Excalibur's hilt, the touch of the freezing metal making her shiver. This was wrong, the enemy's intentions weren't pure, she could sense treachery in the messenger's words.
She pulled at Arthur's arm to attract his attention even as he agreed to meet the other king immediately.
"Don't go," she told him, voice shaking.
"I have to try to negotiate with them, Ginny. Let me hear him out; we might save many lives if we manage to agree on... something, anything. I know that King Alaric and his men are running away from another war, looking for a place to settle... Why, if a piece of land is all they want... if they pledge allegiance to us, like the Saxon troops in the south... Let me try, Guinevere."
"I will go with him, daughter," her father spoke from behind her.
"And we," Lancelot said, his hand closed around Garreth's.
"We will be back in a couple of hours. And then we will know what to do, if nothing else," Arthur promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead, looking meaningfully at Myrddin who promptly wrapped his arm over the young queen's shoulders, pulling her to his side and keeping her still as she watched the most important men in her life follow the messenger up the slope of the low hill, growing smaller even as they grew more distant, then vanishing from her sight entirely.
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