Forget This Love

Chapter 4

"Is he dead? Hey mister!"

Gwaine opened his eyes slowly, blinded by the morning sunlight. The frost had melted away under the sun's menacing glare, and he could barely believe it was mid-winter. A little boy was stood before him, waving something long and pointed in his hands.

"Oi! Give me my sword!" Gwaine laughed, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes.

"Come on lads, he's alive!" the child called as several small boys clambered from the hay cart and emerged from the straw. They all gathered eagerly around the bewildered Gwaine, who sat awkwardly encircled by the little troop. After a short wait, a tiny girl crawled from beneath the cart to sit beside Gwaine.

"Well...um...hello." the traveller said, clearing his throat and smiling a wry grin, lop-sided but handsome.

"I have your sword here, Sir." the little boy replied, grandly.

Gwaine laughed. "Well, haha, that's the first time I've been called Sir in my life!"

"Really?" asked an inquisitive boy from the side.

"Yep."

"But you're a knight aren't you?"

Gwaine laughed more.

"No no lads, I'm no knight, i'm but a lonely traveller who's wound up here in Camelot."

There were gasps and sighs from the little gathering around him as he retrieved his sword from the little boy, hefting his sack on his shoulder, crouched on the floor.

"Oh but you look like a knight, mister."

"Do I, how's that?"

"You're hair, your face...and your sword. You look like a big bold knight to me. Have you ever slain a dragon?"

"Look I'm telin' you now, I'm not a knight, to save you the disappointment when later you discover, I'm little more than a gypsy."

The children however chose not to heed his words and one clutched at Gwaine's head.

"How do you grow your hair like that?"

"Can you show us how to fight."

"Will you take us to a battle with you?"

"Can we ride a dragon?"

Gwaine chuckled, detaching himself from the little interrogators. As he headed along the path, he heard small cries from behind him and turning he saw the mob of children racing towards him, bearing a flask.

"You left this, Sir!" the boy who had taken his sword, held up Gwaine's flask of wine from Morgana. "And Kara has a question for you."

The tiny girl from under the cart was ushered to the front where Gwaine towered over her. Dropping on one knee so that he was at her level, he nodded.

"Are you in love with the Lady Morgana?" Kara asked in the smallest voice Gwaine had ever heard. As soon as the question registered in his mind, he looked up, startled. How did she know? Had someone seen the two of them together. Maybe there on the south wall. What if utter had seen, someone with more malicious intent than the little girl who stood sparsely clad before him.

“I...don’t know."

"She's very beautiful."

"She is, you're right my little friend. Now I think it's about time you all got home." Gwaine took from his bag the remains of the bread and cheese and passed it to the children. "Take this with you."

As the children thanked him, they ran skipping and prancing back down the road, bearing the food like treasured artifacts. Smiling to himself, the traveller continued up the cobbled path.