Lost in Albion 3 (Merlin) - Completed

Chapter 41: The Round Table

Chapter 41

Elena sits on a rock by herself, her head resting in her dirty hands. A few have tried to talk to her, but she isn't in the mood to converse with anybody. All she wants is to go back in time, be in Camelot before Morgana had switched sides.

Gwaine stretches his jaw around, tired of sitting still. Everybody is in such a sullen mood and he hates it. Not that he isn't in one himself – he hates that even more. Pushing off his seat on the dirt he strides over to the girl. Elena doesn't move but appreciates that Gwaine doesn't talk. She doesn't think she would be able to respond if she wanted to. Instead, she tilts her weight onto his side, nestling in under his arm.

Gwaine catches Arthurs' eye. He is expecting a dirty look from the royal prat who is watching him and Elena, but to his surprise, the Prince only nods in what seems like appreciation. Arthur had, of course, sat with Elena earlier and they shared a quick couple of words but left to scout with Merlin.

Elena closes her eyes, finding comfort in the familiar scent and falls asleep after only a few moments. When she opens them again, she is still leaning against somebody, but they are in chainmail. Feeling a little refreshed, she smiles and tilts her head back to look at the only person who would be wearing this.

Arthur, feeling her movement looks down at her. "Hey," he whispers. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugs slightly, still groggy from the sleep. "I'm fine," she answers quietly. "Where's Gwaine?"

"He and Elyan left to scout the perimeter." Elena nods. Her finger drifts up to her dry lip, running her pointer along the chapped skin. Arthur bites his cheek. "We're out of water."

"How's the food looking?" she questions instead, attempting to keep the conversation going. Arthur shrugs slightly, not wanting to tell her the truth but there is no point in hiding it.

"Not good," he answers. "Merlin is making something up now." Elena follows Arthur's gesture with his eyes, looking past him to see that indeed, Merlin is bent over an ember fire, attempting to cook something.

When the meal is finally ready, Merlin hands both Arthur and Elena a bowl. They stare down at it, small stringy pieces of meat floating in it. "It's rat," Merlin says. Elena closes her eyes, losing all appetite. Arthur glares at Merlin. "Oh, believe me, you've eaten far worse. I mean, I've definitely served you things I would never have touched, but you wolfed them down no problem."

Arthur places his bowl down in the dirt. Elena looks down at her own, trying to figure out if she can pretend it is deer instead. "Merlin, for once, leave me in peace, please." Elena places the bowl down on her other side. Arthur's legs are propped up, holding both her and himself in place. Elena leans further into him, looping her hands around his thigh, clasping them together underneath.

Merlin sighs, walking closer to the duo. He knows that Arthur needs to talk about it at some stage, and the quicker the prince can come to term with what has happened, the better. "I understand. Your father lied to you about Morgana. I don't know why. I'm sure he had his reasons, but now is not the time for that. He's still your father. He needs you. Camelot needs you."

"I've known her all my life. How could she do this to us?" Arthur questions, still in some state of denial.

"I can't answer that, but you have a duty to your father, to your people. You can't give up on them now," Merlin presses.

"You cannot defeat an immortal army," Arthur argues, still losing all faith.

"We don't know until we try."

Merlin lets Arthur sit by himself and Elena, joining Gaius for their own meal. Elena rests her chin on Arthur's shoulder. "He's right you know," she says tiredly. "To the people, to the knights, you are still Camelot's Prince and Uther is still their King."