Forbidden Love (Rewritten) | Arthur Pendragon

32 • THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN

The trip back to Alvenes Hjem took two days. It was rather silent. The memory of the events in Camelot was still very fresh and the prospect of fighting in a war was very close. The minds were occupied with great worry. Camelot might declare Usad a traitor anytime soon and they might not return alive from the battles that awaited them. The air around them was quite somber and gloomy which did not aid in setting an ambiance proper to conversation. All tried not to think too much about what lay ahead of them yet still tried to prepare themselves as well. It was no easy task.

The only moment where silence had been broken was when Odhran told the success of his heist. The guards, though suspicious at first as they had heard of an important meeting taking place in the throne room, were quite surprised when Prince Arthur, who was in fact Odhran in disguise, came to the vaults. He smoothly told them that the king needed to move the artifacts elsewhere in case the princess would try to steal them during the meeting. They believed it and allowed him passage. It had gone a lot easier than he had expected. The only little difficulty was how hard the Hofund was. It was so heavy he struggled to carry it. In the end, his arms were quite giddy.

Odhran had also inquired about King Arno. He had had no time to really react in seeing the king who was supposed to be dead inside the same carriage he was in. Bewildered and stupor were even stronger when Eowyn explained who it really was. Loki had already long vanished but the simple idea of riding a carriage with a god, and the infamous god of mischief at that, was both incredible and frightening for everyone.

Eowyn, though, was too troubled to explain further how she came to become acquainted with the God of Mischief. The more they got closer to the border, the more she grew anxious. The air was particularly agitated, a sign of the serious danger prevailing throughout the kingdom. War had begun and war was close. And looming above this air of death was also the possibility of Camelot invading from the north. Usad would completely be surrounded and it would be the end. At the moment, all Eowyn could do was hope that Camelot would not retaliate too soon. At the very least, a week was to be expected for the Knights of Camelot to gather and organize before marching to Usad. Though, after having met again the man he once was close with who also was the man he had killed, Uther might take time to mentally recover which must be taken into account. Besides, whilst she had been staying in the citadel, she had found out that Arthur was to partake in a quest that would prove whether or not he was worthy of the throne of Camelot. This has been planned for a long time and could not be postponed. Therefore, at the very least, Eowyn had a one-month window to defeat Cenred. Of course, this was nothing but a hypothesis. She could be very wrong. For the better, or for the worse.

But what was done, was done. Now, as Loki said, she had a war to win. It must be her only priority now.

Dawn had just begun to peek when the carriage entered the Alvenes Hjem by the North Gate. Immediately, the difference between the day she had left the city and now is very apparent. Eowyn, upon her departure, had been seen off by her people with great smiles and waves. Now, most wore nervous and anxious faces. But the most striking thing was the long queue of wounded people carrying heavy luggage and wearing worn clothes. It was clear where they came from. Their dwellings must have been near or must have been the battlefield itself. This very sight enraged Eowyn.

As soon as the carriage stopped before the castle's gates, Eowyn left the vehicle and rushed inside the palace. The hall was full of wounded people, some missing limbs, with children crying and wailing. Servants and Dokkalfar were rushing everywhere to help as many people as they could, but they were obviously overwhelmed by the situation. From where she was, she could see the Hospital Chamber already full, with more people than its regular capacity. A week of battles and already so many victims.

Among the unwounded that were tending to the victims, Eowyn noticed Lady Liv overseeing the servants.

"Lady Liv!" Eowyn called as she made her way towards her, followed by her delegation. Lady Liv looked incredibly relieved when she saw Eowyn. "How is the situation?"