“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
“Can your beast bear so much weight?” Summer had thought she would serve better as the second passenger on either horse, being lighter than the men. “It does no good to have your horse founder halfway back.”
“Perhaps, but what concerns me is that he wakes up while with you and spooks the horse. I can handle it well if something should happen.”
“I trained my mare myself,” Summer said. “She won’t spook at anything.” Neglecting to mention that someone with command of fire magic needs a calm horse, and that even without that she could keep the horse from causing trouble with her other magic. “I really think we should put him on my mare and I’ll ride with you.”
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
Arthur gave a faint nod of his head, “This reminds me about a black knight that came to the kingdom, any stabbing with a sword didn’t kill him since he was magically brought back and it’s a long story. But it could make a lot of sense,” he mused before glancing over at Summer. “Gaius? Maybe he can help us.”
“Well,” she said, looking over her handiwork, “he’s unconscious now, so I guess if we tie him to the back of my horse and hurry?” She was really uneasy about the idea of moving someone so badly wounded, but if he was cursed — and they couldn’t do anything more for him here.
Arthur nodded with his lips pursing. “It might be for the best to put him on mine, I can hold him easier and we’ll get back to Camelot quickly.” He spoke, thinking it was for the best if he had the knight since he was concerned.
“Can your beast bear so much weight?” Summer had thought she would serve better as the second passenger on either horse, being lighter than the men. “It does no good to have your horse founder halfway back.”
He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
“I don’t really remember much of what happened when I was blinded by the magic. I only know of what I was told from Merlin and Gaius. I know I hated my loss of control. But if you are going to go and wait till the magic passes or get someone to get rid of it for you, where are you going to go?”
“Arthur!” God, he wasn’t listening. Why wasn’t he listening? “I. Cannot. Stay. Here. I don’t know where I’ll go. Away. Far away.” She started to reach out for him, and made herself stop. “The spell didn’t take, but if I’m here they will just try again.”
Why won’t you just let me go?
Arthur slumped back into his seat; he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. In response to Summer’s words he could only nod. “I can’t stop you if you want to leave, Summer. You know very well that I can’t. So if you are going to leave, there’s nothing that I’ll say or do to stop you. You have to do what’s best.”
She leaned her head against the wall and began to laugh, a strange strangled sort of sound. “You are the /only/ person who could stop me, my lord, you are the king. You could have me locked up, or killed, and nothing I could do or say would save me. If you ordered me to stay, instead of pleading, I would have no recourse other than to obey you.” The expression on her face was a tangled mass of conflicting emotions as she approached him: part desire to stay, part terrible determination, part broken heart.
I have four drafts and no brain. I’ve never really had this thing where the muse just goes, “No, I only want to do this thing,” but apparently I had it today. As you can see I’m a little distracted now.
At Chattacon for the weekend, so replies will be really random anyway. Throw me a note if I missed your reply.
He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
“Someone told me that you had been made to fall in love with someone, once. By magic,” she said softly. “Do you not remember what that felt like? I don’t like it, I don’t want it to happen again. You can’t protect me from it.” She forced herself to look at Arthur, face hot. “I have to leave because only my sense of honour is keeping me from wanting what they want, and I don’t know how long that will last.”
Only my sense of honour keeps me from changing you so I can have you.
“I don’t really remember much of what happened when I was blinded by the magic. I only know of what I was told from Merlin and Gaius. I know I hated my loss of control. But if you are going to go and wait till the magic passes or get someone to get rid of it for you, where are you going to go?”
“Arthur!” God, he wasn’t listening. Why wasn’t he listening? “I. Cannot. Stay. Here. I don’t know where I’ll go. Away. Far away.” She started to reach out for him, and made herself stop. “The spell didn’t take, but if I’m here they will just try again.”
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
“We can’t give up on him, he’s strong. I know that he will make it and we’ll get him to Camelot and Gaius.” Arthur spoke with conviction. “I fear that what he means is that what is happening will continue on and on. Never ending and never stopping. Like a curse. I wonder if Gaius would know any way to break such a thing.”
She couldn’t help glancing up at Arthur, startled. He had picked it apart so easily, from just the one phrase. “Do you think that’s why he wanted you to kill him?” She held that thought for a moment, concentrating on winding the strips around the sounded torso — “Lift, a little, please, yes, just there.” — before finishing it. “Is that the way to break it? Someone has to — has to — “
Arthur gave a faint nod of his head, “This reminds me about a black knight that came to the kingdom, any stabbing with a sword didn’t kill him since he was magically brought back and it’s a long story. But it could make a lot of sense,” he mused before glancing over at Summer. “Gaius? Maybe he can help us.”
“Well,” she said, looking over her handiwork, “he’s unconscious now, so I guess if we tie him to the back of my horse and hurry?” She was really uneasy about the idea of moving someone so badly wounded, but if he was cursed — and they couldn’t do anything more for him here.
He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
She slumped against the wall. “You don’t understand, do you? Someone tried to put a spell on me, to make me desperately in love with you. Only it didn’t work because I’m already in love with you. Someone is trying to use me to change your future. I /have/ to leave.”
“No, I understand all of that and I understand about you and what you feel. No one can force a change, Summer, you are stronger than this. You can fight this and not let it beat you. Don’t let them try and control you to leave Camelot.”
“Someone told me that you had been made to fall in love with someone, once. By magic,” she said softly. “Do you not remember what that felt like? I don’t like it, I don’t want it to happen again. You can’t protect me from it.” She forced herself to look at Arthur, face hot. “I have to leave because only my sense of honour is keeping me from wanting what they want, and I don’t know how long that will last.”
Only my sense of honour keeps me from changing you so I can have you.
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
“Oh good,” Summer said half-absently. She held out her hands, not even looking up, and quickly cut the tunic along the seams with a little pocket knife. Soaking half in the water, she wiped away as much of the blood as she could, then looked back up at Arthur with compressed lips. “I don’t think he’ll make it back to town, and …. well, look.” The wound was clearly very bad. Without expert help, the knight would probably die in a few days. She cut the rest of the tunic into strips, but she couldn’t help feeling it was a hopeless task. “What did he mean by ‘it will begin again’?”
“We can’t give up on him, he’s strong. I know that he will make it and we’ll get him to Camelot and Gaius.” Arthur spoke with conviction. “I fear that what he means is that what is happening will continue on and on. Never ending and never stopping. Like a curse. I wonder if Gaius would know any way to break such a thing.”
She couldn’t help glancing up at Arthur, startled. He had picked it apart so easily, from just the one phrase. “Do you think that’s why he wanted you to kill him?” She held that thought for a moment, concentrating on winding the strips around the sounded torso — “Lift, a little, please, yes, just there.” — before finishing it. “Is that the way to break it? Someone has to — has to — “
“Don’t be, this’ll be lots of fun for us, not everyday one goes exploring.”
The fallen knight let his arm fall, eyes already starting to roll back in his head. “It will … only begin … again,” he mumbled, and passed out.
Summer looked down at him, and then back up at Arthur. “I’m not sure if that was agreement or not,” she admitted. “But he certainly didn’t say no. I think we had better put him up on my horse and get off the path; we can’t go far, but at least off the path and have his armour off.”
Arthur let out a sigh and placed his sword back into the holder and looked over at Summer. “You’re right, let’s take him back to the castle, perhaps Gaius might be able to help us with him. He might be able to heal his wounds,” he suggested, helping Summer get the fallen knight off the road.
Summer peeled up the chain and paused. “I … don’t think we can wait that long.” There was blood oozing out of a terrible mass of crushed, cut and bruised flesh. The links had left deep marks in the skin.
“I need water. And something to wrap him with, I have to stop the bleeding.”
Arthur nodded, jogging to the horses and grabbed the small jugs which had the water inside. He also grabbed one of his extra shirts from his pack and ran back over to where Summer and the knight was sitting by.
“Here, I got some water and one of my extra tunics. You can rip it apart to wrap his wounds.”
“Oh good,” Summer said half-absently. She held out her hands, not even looking up, and quickly cut the tunic along the seams with a little pocket knife. Soaking half in the water, she wiped away as much of the blood as she could, then looked back up at Arthur with compressed lips. “I don’t think he’ll make it back to town, and …. well, look.” The wound was clearly very bad. Without expert help, the knight would probably die in a few days. She cut the rest of the tunic into strips, but she couldn’t help feeling it was a hopeless task. “What did he mean by ‘it will begin again’?”
He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
“The spell — ” Summer closed her eyes, hands stilling. “It didn’t take this time. But another time … and if they get to you?” She wanted to say to him why it didn’t matter if they ever got to him or not — all they had to do was bend her enough, control her enough, and she would do the rest herself, with her own magic.
“I don’t know. Away. From you. I don’t know.”
Arthur looked at Summer confused, “No one will get to me, I can understand if you want to leave. I don’t want you to, your friends will be very upset with you gone. We could take you to Gaius, get you someone to talk to, get help.” He spoke softly, wondering if she was being controlled by some magic with the way she kept talking about the spell.
She slumped against the wall. “You don’t understand, do you? Someone tried to put a spell on me, to make me desperately in love with you. Only it didn’t work because I’m already in love with you. Someone is trying to use me to change your future. I /have/ to leave.”
