Luminescence ✺ Arthur Pendragon

Lancelot [2]

"Why do you want to be a knight so much?" Merlin asked, breaking the silence which had fallen upon the physician's chambers where Lancelot, Arwen and he remained after Gaius' departure to tend to some business.

"When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains. They were slaughtered where they stood, my father, my mother. Everyone. I alone escaped." Lancelot began to explain, and as Merlin and Arwen listened to him, they dropped what they had been doing to walk closer and give him their full attention.

"I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny. I made sword craft my life. Every waking hour since that day, I devoted to the art of combat, and when I was ready, I set forth for Camelot. And now, it seems, my journey ends. Everything I fought for, wasted." Lancelot spoke, sitting down as he finished. The realization of there being nothing ahead now that his dream was impossible to fulfil was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind with each passing moment.

"I give you my word, whatever it takes, I will make this right." Merlin spoke with conviction, ready to do whatever he must to help his friend achieve the goal he had set for himself. Arwen was about to ask him what he planned on doing, but as Merlin's face took on a thoughtful expression, she had no time. Before she could utter a word, her brother was on his feet and rushing out of the physician's chambers, leaving Arwen and Lancelot staring at the door in surprise.

"Don't mind him, he does that sometimes." Arwen spoke after a moment, shaking her head as she looked back to Lancelot. She moved to sit next to him as she continued to speak. "And he's saying the truth, Merlin would do anything to help his friends. Even if he doesn't manage to find a way for you to be a knight, you mustn't give up hope. I am sure there are other ways in which you can use your skills for good. You can still help people, I know you can."

"I hope you are right." Lancelot mumbled choosing to believe in Arwen's words rather than wallow in his disappointment. However they also made him wonder. "What about you?" He asked making the red head give him a curious expression.

"What about me?" She asked, not really understanding what it was that he wanted her to say.

"What made you want to learn how to fight? It is unusual for women to aspire to such things." He wondered out loud and Arwen understood what he was saying.

"When I was young, I was travelling with a woman. My mother had left me in her care only weeks after I had been born, and for four years we moved from village to village. However, one day, we were attacked by bandits. She died in the attack, and I was taken in by Merlin and his mother." Arwen told him some of the back story of how she came to live with Merlin, and Lancelot patiently listened to every word.

"As Ealdor became my home, and Hunith and Merlin my family, I wanted to be able to protect them, to help if a situation like that ever happened again. So I trained. I never had dreams of becoming a fighter or a knight, I just wanted to keep my family safe." She finished, turning her head so she could look at him. Arwen was surprised by the look of admiration she caught in his eyes once she found him already looking at her.

"That is an honourable reason. Merlin is lucky to have a sister like you." He said softly. Lancelot found himself enthralled by the woman next to him. Not only was Arwen beautiful, but she was kind and intelligent. The more time he spent with her, the more he learned of what a great woman she was.

"Thank you Lancelot." She said in a quiet voice, never breaking the hold of his gaze. Silence fell upon them as they looked at each other, an unreadable atmosphere in the air, however, that was soon broken as the door of the physician's chambers opened and Merlin rushed back in, just as quickly as he had left. He walked up to the two of them with a proud smile on his pace as he held up a piece of rolled up paper.