chapter fourteen!
014. the knight's code

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"DO YOU REALLY think this is a good idea, Merlin?" Odette kept her voice hushed in a low whisper within the corner of Guinevere's house, tucked up on the chair beside Merlin. She hugged her knees to her chest, somehow managing to squeeze herself onto the same seat. The warlock huffed, shuffling over so she had room and trying very hard not to fall off himself. She gazed at the seal of nobility he had somehow forged for Lancelot. It was impeccable, if she hadn't known that Lancelot wasn't someone of nobility, she was sure to believe it. Though that didn't change the troubling thought of someone figuring their little ruse out. It was the first line of the code: only sons of noble families could serve as knights. No matter Lancelot's dream, and how much Odette wished he'll achieve it, she was scared of the consequences.

"He deserves it," whispered Merlin back in the same tone. "The rules are wrong, Odette."

"It doesn't matter if they're wrong," she said quickly, rather worried, "what matters is what will happen if they figure this out."

Merlin shook his head, "Yes, but▬Odette, once they see how good of a knight Lancelot is, that won't matter. He will have already proven himself. Arthur wouldn't care."

"I'm not talking about Arthur, I'm talking about Uther▬"

She cut herself off when Lancelot glanced at them briefly, and the two servants gave their best innocent smiles (which made them not at all look innocent in any way).

Though as she watched him shuffle around the room, rather awkward as Guinevere fetched all that she would need to measure him up for a tunic, Odette had to bite back a smile▬he sure looked like a knight. Polite, gentle, tall and handsome; humble. She could imagine him in the scarlet and chainmail.

Lancelot glanced back, as if knowing she was watching him. Odette went red when he gave her a small smile. She looked away, fiddling at her fingers and subtly elbowing Merlin who had suppressed a chuckle. He stumbled as he desperately tried to stay on the chair they shared.

Once she reconfigured herself, not wanting to seem too childish in front of Lancelot, Odette straightened and set her feet down onto the stone. She continued to watch him, and could feel her heart start to grow warm. He stopped pacing, hands wringing in front of his tunic to gaze back at her▬and she felt just as she had in Gaius's chambers a few days prior, stunned by more than just his beauty.

She cleared her throat, nudging Merlin once more, "Merlin," she whispered shyly.

He frowned at her, annoyed and rubbing where she had elbowed his side. "What?"

Odette tried to tell him what she wanted without making it too obvious. Merlin just frowned back at her blankly, "What?" he asked again. She sighed, exasperated. She tried to jut her chin the Lancelot, and it was only then that the warlock understood. His eyes widened. He let out a loud, "Oh!" to which she wanted to smack her head against a lump of wood. "Right▬I should▬I'll just▬I'll check how Gwen's fairing..."

He scrambled to his feet and rushed past Lancelot towards the curtains separating the one room home. As he did, he glanced subtly at Lancelot▬something Odette couldn't quite catch, but she was glad that she had a moment alone with him.

She awkwardly smiled; he returned with one of his own. Lancelot went back to wringing his hands. Odette pursed her lips and pulled her knees up to her chest again, "Gwen's the best seamstress in Camelot," she decided to say. "She'll make you look like a knight in no time ..." Odette back-tracked, "n▬not that you don't already look like a knight, I mean▬you▬you look exactly like a knight, really. You know, tall, handsome▬I mean▬"

    (This was going perfectly).

    Odette sighed to herself, closing her eyes and letting her head fall into her hands. "Oh, I am so sorry..." she soon started to chuckle at her own ridiculousness, and it was refreshing to hear Lancelot join. The strange, tense air between them fell away and the young handmaiden peered back up at him▬she saw he had stopped wringing his hands, and now stood gently in the centre of the room, watching her with that shy smile.

     He was so bright and happy▬nervous, and yet so hopeful that this would work out. It made Odette smile back, finding an air about him so familiar to herself ... it was peaceful, delicate ... soothing, even.

    Lancelot ... she will never grow tired of that name, and so she spoke it. And when she did, Lancelot had never heard a sound so pretty: "Lancelot," she began and his attention purely fixed upon her; those brown eyes wide and attentive, like all he wanted to do was listen to her. That all he could see was her, and for a girl so invisible, it was suddenly quite overwhelming.

    "Yes?" he asked her, waiting for her to continue.

    Odette continued to fiddle with her fingers, unable to meet his gaze for too long▬otherwise she'd grow even redder at the cheeks (and she was already red enough). "May I ask ... Merlin told me you came to Camelot to become a knight ... but I can't help but wonder ... why? Why do you want to do this?"

    Lancelot sighed▬and it sounded sad. He fiddled with his leather bands around his wrists. "I've wanted to become a knight for as long as I can remember," he said, and the bright look in his eyes seemed to dim. Odette sat up straighter in her chair, intrigued. "When ..." he sighed yet again, and her brows lifted, tender. "When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the Northern Plains." Slowly, without thinking, he approached her▬searching for the comfort her gaze seemed to hold, like a warm summer's morning. "They were slaughtered where they stood▬My father, my mother ... everyone. I alone escaped."

    He leant against the wall beside her and she stared up at him, feeling something inside her sink low to the pits of her stomach. Lancelot crossed his arms, hugging his stomach as his eyes grew distant▬staring off far away. She watched them start to glimmer with a determined light. "I vowed that day," he told her, "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."

    Odette's brows knitted together, not tearing her eyes away from Lancelot as she felt a breath of admiration rise up within her▬no, something more that that ... something else ... these days, Odette stared into the eyes of people here in Camelot▬knights, guards, kings, princes, ladies and lords; but none of them held the same glimmer Lancelot did. None of them held the same hope, and the same determination. None of them told her smiled in such a way and told her stories of the sad reason behind his ambition, or his honour▬to take it upon himself to fight for something good.

    "And now you're here..." she murmured and he nodded, caught within her gaze yet again. Odette slowly smiled, "I can't wait for them to see how great of a knight you'll become, Lancelot. We need more men like you."

    His brows inched upwards. He stared at her, taken-aback. "Y▬you do?"

    Realising what she said, and the way he watched her, Odette returned to a flustered mess. "I▬uh▬well▬w▬w▬well not me, personally ... but▬um▬you know ... Camelot. Camelot needs knights▬Not just Arthur and his kind but▬you know▬ordinary people like you and me."

    Lancelot nodded. He sent her a smile that made her knees want to melt. "Well, I'm not a knight yet, My Lady."

    She chuckled, bright red. She looked down at her feet, "And you and I both know I am not a lady."

    His smile inched into a soft grin, "Sorry, I▬"

    Their conversation broke apart as soon as Merlin and Gwen reentered the room. Odette hadn't noticed how close she had gotten to Lancelot until she rushed away▬scrambling back and hiding the blush on her cheeks as both her friends stopped by the curtains, staring at the two of them with wide, understanding eyes.

    There was a long pause before Merlin let out, "Gwen!" very loudly▬so loudly, the seamstress jumped, annoyed. "I think▬there's a needle! On the ground, behind here. We should▬uh▬we should go and get it..."

    Odette just sent him a blank look, not impressed. She cleared her throat and nodded at Lancelot, "Yes, well▬erm▬I should be heading back to tend to Morgana, but I'll▬I'll be down for when you go see Arthur. But, if I'm not ..." awkwardly, she extended her hand out to him, "I wish you good luck, Lancelot."

    He stared at her, then▬before she knew what he was doing▬he bent down and took her hand, gently pressing it against his lips. Odette flushed, surprised. When he let go, standing back up to meet her gaze, she found herself unable to move. Her heart pounded, her cheeks were red, and when Odette tried to move backwards, she almost tripped over the chair.

    He rushed forward to help her, but she steadied herself, squeaking out in a very small voice, "Nope▬no, I'm all right, I'm perfectly fine▬t▬thank you, Lancelot. I should▬I'm going to▬erm▬bye▬" Odette gathered her washing she had brought with her and rushed out of the door. But as soon as she closed it behind her and leant her back against the wood, a bright, happy and giddy smile plastered itself on her pretty face.

    Odette chuckled, bringing the hand he kissed to her own lips, unable to hide her smile so beautifully wide. When she set off back towards the citadel, there was a skip in the young handmaiden's step.

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WHEN IT became time for Lancelot to approach the Prince and offer himself up as a recruit, Odette found the best excuse she could to leave Morgana to her day▬though it became quite easy when her schedule today consisted of quite much the same as yesterday; reading and enjoying herself in her chambers. Returning down the stairs and out towards the citadel, Odette crossed the drawbridge towards the training grounds and saw Lancelot waiting by the edge with Merlin and Gwen at his side. Guinevere had done a remarkable job in making him look the part of a knight. His tunic with the crest of Lord Eldred of Northumbria was a striking comparison to the original▬he shuffled on his feet, donned in bright orange with his chainmail, looking very nervous. He fiddled with the rolled up seal in his gloved fingers. He looked far different from the man Odette had seen earlier today, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. He sure looked like a knight, but he didn't particularly look like he felt like himself.

    She made her way over, and ignored all of these worrying feelings to smile and hope for only the best. She picked up her skirts and rushed to her friends, probably not looking at all presentable in front of so many knights and the Prince, but she did not care, reaching Lancelot and her friends with a giddy nature.

    She remembered how Lancelot kissed her hand, and her heart started to race. Odette stopped by them, grinning as she linked arms with Guinevere. "Look at you!" she said softly, reaching out to fix the chainmail across his shoulders so that it sat evenly down his chest. "You did a fantastic job, Gwen."

    Her friend chuckled, though she did not sound her best▬something else was bothering her, Odette noticed it on her face. "Well, it wasn't too hard. I had some leftover fabric so ..."

    "Well," Merlin dusted off the back of Lancelot's tunic, "he certainly looks the part!"

    Odette smiled happily, "Doesn't he just?"

    But Lancelot just took a deep breath and muttered, "I don't feel it."

    Her smile fell a little and she quickly reached out to squeeze his arm. He met her gaze, "It'll be okay," she promised him. "I have faith it will all go well."

    He nodded and took a deep breath. The group of them watched the training session come slowly to a close▬Arthur grew tired of walking through the ranks of his men seeing the same mistakes and the same efforts. When Odette caught sight of Sir Owain, she immediately adverted her gaze, clenching her jaw and wishing somehow he'd trip over and fall face-first into the muddy grass.

    Finally, Arthur announced, "Okay, that'll do for today. Well done," he did not sound enthusiastic. As his knights dispersed, the Prince tugged at his gloves, sighing to himself in a way that none of his men caught.

    Odette tapped Lancelot's arm, breath hitched with anticipation as Arthur approached the sword rack, giving them an odd look, but passing it by. She wondered whether the lot of them looked rather odd on a daily basis. "Oh▬here's your chance! Go for it."

    Merlin patted Lancelot on the back, grinning. Guinevere nodded, clasping her hands in front of her tunic skirts. Odette smiled, gesturing for him to head over with her chin.

    Lancelot was very nervous, but he took a final courageous breath and stepped forth onto the grounds. The other knights glanced at him in interest, immediately recognising the fine tunic he wore that wasn't truly his own. He stopped by the weapon rack, waiting for Arthur to acknowledge him.

    It took him a painfully long time to glance up, waiting only until he had sheathed his sword to arch a brow and ask, "Yes?"

    Their new friend stammered out the words he had been practicing for the previous hour, "L▬Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria."

    Arthur scoffed a little under his breath, looking Lancelot up and down with amusement. Odette rolled her eyes to herself, expecting it. She held her breath, hoping he would give Lancelot a chance▬if he had even half a brain, he would see just how amazing he was; just how much Lancelot represented the Knight's Code in everything he did.

    Merlin and Gwen shared quick looks at Odette's eager gaze, watching every movement and ever glance between the two men on the field. Gwen raised her brows knowingly. Merlin nodded, agreeing with her statement.

    "Lance-a-lot?" Arthur tested his name on the tip of his tongue. He nodded, apprehensive. "My servant mentioned you. Got your seal?"

    Lancelot held it out with a stiff bow; respectful and polite. "Sire."

    Arthur took the paper curiously. Then he backhanded Lancelot across the face.

    Odette gasped, jumping with shock. Her hands flew to her mouth, boiling with sudden fury as Lancelot fell onto the grass, dazed and confused.

    The Prince stared down at him, unblinking. "Sluggish reactions," he stated as Lancelot nursed a growing bruise under his eye. "On the battlefield you'd be dead by now." He started to walk away. "Come back when you're ready."

    "Oh, that prat," Merlin grumbled under his breath. Gwen scoffed in her agreement while Odette winced from behind her fingers, peering through them at Lancelot as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

    He steadied himself. He set his shoulders and held his chin up high. "I'm ready now, Sire!" he called and Arthur froze. He glanced back; for a moment, he seemed pleasantly surprised. Then a chuckle escaped his lips, rather mocking.

    "You are, are you?" mused the Prince. Lancelot nodded, jaw set with determination. Odette smiled behind her fingers. Merlin nodded with their friend, impressed. "Fine." Arthur snorted and continued his way back to his knights. "You can start by cleaning out the stables."

    Odette closed her eyes, exasperated with him▬though never surprised at this point.

    When Lancelot glanced back at the three of them, unsure, all of their grimaces disappeared and were replaced with eager grins. Odette and Merlin held their thumbs up with every approval.

    She was surprised, as the excitement of the introduction left and Lancelot realised he was going to be mucking out the Prince's stables, that he offered to escort her to wherever she would be going next. Odette flushed a sweet pink▬not once as a boy ever offered to escort her anywhere. It made her feel like some pretty lady in pretty silks.

    Odette tried very hard not to grin like a giddy child, but it was difficult. Though it became less so when Merlin scoffed a short snort into the palm of his hand, laughing at her weak attempts. And soon, she was scowling at him and swiftly reaching out to kick his shin.

    "Ow!" Merlin cried out, clutching his leg. "Odette!"

    But she was always great at playing innocence. She clasped her hands in front of her skirt beside Lancelot, unable to notice the way the Prince glanced back▬incredulous, and yet without the ability to look away. He frowned at the way she glanced at Lancelot, smiling brightly with such youthful virtue. He considered himself to unfortunately know Odette quite well, even in the years passed between their childhood adventures and these past few weeks they've seemed to rekindle some of it. It was hard not to, she was obnoxious; infuriating. Always making faces behind his father's back and hiding her chuckles with Guinevere▬always agreeing with Morgana's taunts and quietly egging her on in a way that would never get her caught. He caught her, though. He caught her laughter, her smiles, the way she brushed her fallen waves off her face whenever she was nervous back into that God damning twist on her head. Everything about Odette infuriated Arthur Pendragon greatly, ever since they were children, and yet everything made him yearn to know her more, regrettably engage in whatever adventure she wanted; protective of her and her ability to see good in this world after everything she's been through. And the way she smiled at Lancelot, that infuriated him, too. Because he was a nobleman, a possible knight▬and Arthur had a feeling that he might be the first capable one he's seen in a while▬and he could never engage in anything with Odette. She'd just become disappointed.

    Or perhaps what truly infuriated him was that he couldn't willingly go up and talk to her himself. Even if it was to roll his eyes and chide her for whatever she might say, or to quarrel about something ridiculous. Even if it was to bloody lose against her in cards! He wished he could be the friends they once were without anybody else looking. (And that was what really infuriated him the most, watching others be and do what he couldn't. He was the Prince, he should be able to do anything, and yet he could do the least).

    And then, she glanced back as she laughed at something else Gwen said and found his stare. Her smile faltered and Arthur tensed. Her brows knitted together, taken-aback. She had let her hair out of that infuriating twist, and the waves fell around her face like woven gold. She looked nothing like she once did as a child. He sometimes cursed the way things happened. If Ronyn's father had taken her in, perhaps they could chat, and they could laugh▬and he wouldn't feel as if he was standing across a gaping chasm, unable to find a way across.

    Or if he wasn't a Prince ...

    He looked away, dismissing his thoughts. He couldn't change anything, and there was no point in wishing for something else. If he kept cursing for a different turn of events, Odette wouldn't just infuriate him, she'd become the bane of everything he did his best to conceal.

    Odette looked away, confused. She frowned to herself, silently shuffling to walk alongside Lancelot back to the castle. Every giddy feeling she had▬every childish want to smile and skip in her step faded away; what replaced it took her off guard, it made her glance back to see if she could catch the same gaze. She thought she had captured something she shouldn't have from the Prince▬something that she wasn't supposed to see. A gaze that was only privy to him and no one else, not even her; even if it had made her feel like she had been at loss of breath. Odette had suddenly become winded, her blood beginning to run to her head. He had looked angry at her, frustrated and sad all at the same time▬like he was about to chastise her and then, and yet ... well, she did not know. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to know. Because he's never looked at her in such a way. And if Odette was to try and understand it, she had a feeling she'd be scared of the answer. And so, she did not. She put it in the back of her mind. It did not happen.

    And the way it made her feel did not happen.

    It did not happen.

    (But it did).

    (And despite her determination, for the rest of that day, she thought of it constantly).

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THE BEAST struck again the next morning. The bells sounded across the citadel and town as it grew closer to the afternoon, welcoming the wounded and desperate rushing to the gates in search of solitude. Yet again, Odette found herself rushing around the citadel courtyard, helping Gaius out and tending to any she could. She calmed down hysteric children and mothers, promised the safety of others and managed to gain a terrified little girl's trust enough for her to show her wound.

    The village of Willowdale was closer than that of Greensward. Situated in a dead-straight path towards Camelot. Odette glanced up at the sky, withholding her terrible feeling that the winged creature was making a journey to the heart of the land, and all of these fleeing villagers will only face their nightmare yet again.

    She felt a little numb, soothing and promising this young girl safety, that she'll never see the creature again. She felt like a liar.

    But still, she couldn't give anything but hope to this poor, terrified little girl with sweet brown hair and sweet plump cheeks▬young and innocent. Odette smiled at her gently as she wrapped the bandage around her arm, careful to hurt her as little as possible. "You're okay," she told her as she did. "You're safe now. No monster will hurt you here in Camelot."

    The young girl sniffled, brows furrowed at her arm. She winced when Odette pulled a little tighter, "It's okay," she said again, squeezing her hand to take her attention away from it. "Just focus on me, and it won't hurt, I promise."

    She nodded, cheeks blotched with tears. When she went to glance down again, Odette quickly asked her questions. She asked her name, she asked her parents' names, she asked what she liked to do and what she dreamed about. As more wounded entered the citadel, supporting each other and being supported by guards and knights, Odette kept talking to this little girl. She made her smile and she somehow made her laugh, and Odette's own heart swelled to think she could distract this child long enough to make her happy enough to beam when she finished wrapping up her arm.

    Odette smiled back at her, sweet and soft, tapping her cheek to tell her she had finished. She helped her back up and after blessing her gratitude, the young girl ran back off to her mother. Odette watched them embrace, and for a moment, felt a breath of sadness, remembering how she'd run into her own mother's arms just the same.

    She took a deep breath and had to look away, forcing the grief from her heart. As she did, she caught sight of Lancelot rushing inside the citadel with the rest of the wounded. He met her gaze and slipped around them to reach her. Odette couldn't help how her eyes focused a little too long on how loose his tunic was▬she blushed and cleared her throat.

    He reached her and gently took her arm, "What happened to these people?" he asked her.

    Odette swallowed back every inappropriate feeling she held and said, "Their village was attacked by a winged monster."

    She saw Lancelot sigh▬his gaze sank, and a breath of recognition washed over his eyes. He glanced over the courtyard to where Merlin was at Gaius's side, and he looked up▬the two of them shared an exchange, as if without even saying a word, they knew what the other was thinking.

    "This is the same monster you fought," understood Odette and Lancelot looked away from Merlin to give her a curt nod. She rubbed at her face, very worried. She glanced back up at the sky, "Greensward, and now Willowdale▬it's heading straight to Camelot," she said this in a soft whisper, careful that none of the frantic villagers would hear. "And ... and Merlin told me you could not harm it?"

    He didn't want to upset her, but Lancelot could not lie to Odette, either. And so, he shook his head, solemn and grave▬he watched her face fall. Her eyes wandered up to the parapets that wrapped around the citadel, and he frowned, wondering what she was searching for. She did not say and instead looked back at him. Odette took a deep breath and whispered, "I pray for us all, then."

   Lancelot frowned. He watched her, quite curious of this girl who seemed so bright one moment and so sad another. He noticed the way she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, as if the only way she believed in a way through this was if she kept on telling herself against her own doubts. It made him purse his lips and gently reach out. He wasn't sure what he had planned on doing when he began, but somehow his hand found it's way to wrap around her fingers. Gentle, caring, sweet and understanding. Immediately, her eyes darted to gaze into his: glorious amber meeting warm, enriching brown.

    "It'll be all right," promised Lancelot. "Have hope."

    No one has really told Odette to have hope before. Usually it was her who preached the promise of every sunrise. But it was nice to hear it; nice to hear it from Lancelot, because he was so hopeful and so bright-eyed, it was like she was listening to herself, except better, more calming, more believable.

    It made Odette breath a small smile. She did not let go of his hand, enamoured by the way his eyes creased as he smiled just as tenderly back. "I love Camelot," she found herself saying. "I love its people. The thought that a creature could come and hurt them, it's terrifying." At the tilt of his head, slightly confused (but taken with admiration for her devotion), Odette explained. "I've lived here my entire life; in the castle. My mother, she was the maid of Lady Vecentia, but we rarely spent our time at the Vecentia Manor. I spent it here..." she smiled off-handedly, nostalgia making her chest grow warm, "... in the castle citadel. I grew up in its walls, ventured its corridors and climbed its staircases. It hurts to see pain in a place that can also be so happy."

    "Your mother was...?" Lancelot's gaze was hesitant.

    "She passed," said Odette, "a few years now. I was thirteen."

    "I'm sorry."

    She shook her head. "It's not your fault." Odette sighed, remembering Ivette Mason with every gratitude and admiration. "She loved me, and she cared for me. She was my mother in every way aside from blood."

    Lancelot nodded. He bowed his head politely to her. "Well, she raised a very kind and courageous young lady, such I've never met before."

    Odette blushed. She stared at their hands. Her heart fluttered. She didn't know what to say to that, but she didn't feel like she had to. She pursed her lips, suddenly shy. She decided to bow her head as well, dipping into a soft curtesy. Lancelot watched her, absolutely taken. "And I've never met someone so humble and the very depiction of everything a Knight stands for. I hope to see you become one yet, even the best, Sir Lancelot."

    She thought he, too, blushed at the title she gave him, but before she could determine whether she was right, and it wasn't just wishful thinking, Odette noticed someone standing under the shadow of the above parapet▬in a rich doublet embroidered with emerald green threads, Lord Ronyn Vecentia beckoned Odette over towards him with quick, rushed and subtle charades.

    Odette shook her head at him, incredulous. He just motioned for her to get over, growing frustrated and she realised she had no choice but to indulge Ronyn's stupidity. For someone who could be so smart, he really could be a ridiculous idiot.

    "If you'll excuse me," Odette told Lancelot, giving him a final, polite smile and marching up to her old friend.

    As soon as she was close enough, Ronyn pressed his finger to his lips and tugged her behind the column further into the shadows. "What?" Odette ignored his order to be quiet, miffed to be dragged by her elbow.

    "Shh!" he told her, annoyed. "Be quiet."

    She narrowed her eyes back at him, "You be quiet."

    "Intelligent response, truly, Odette."

    Odette arched a dubious brow, hoping he understood what she meant: he surely looked very intelligent motioning her to come over with ridiculous wild gestures that were far from subtle. "What is it?" she decided to then ask him.

    Ronyn stared at her for a second, frowning at her judgement of his charades before realising he had to answer her question and quickly clasped his hands together. He gestured them at her, "Guinevere," he stated▬almost in an exclaim as if he only just remembered why he had dragged her over here in the first place.

    Odette was confused. Her brows knitted together. Slowly, she repeated, "... Guinevere ...?"

    "Guinevere," stressed the Lord, exasperated. "You know her well, I assume, considering the two of you spend most of your time together being and doing whatever girls do, I suppose▬" Odette made a face, not sure how she felt about his tone, "▬so, tell me▬" he pressed his fingers to his lips, thoughtful, "▬how do I ... I don't know ... lessen her dislike of an individual, perhaps▬if, hypothetically, I have upset her, and she does not hold me in high regard, and▬hypothetically▬of course▬I would somehow feel ... remorse over something I may▬perhaps▬possibly said to the lady in question, and I would like to repent these hypothetical actions ... how would one▬such as I▬go about ... doing so ...?" he stopped for a moment, then added again: "Hypothetically."

    Odette stared, disappointed back at him. She did not believe his hypothetical for a moment. "Ronyn, what did you do?"

    Quickly, he hunched up and exclaimed, "Nothing!" like a child. Odette continued to stare him down until he relented and mumbled, "I ... perhaps did say and do something that upset Gwen."

    She gasped rather sarcastically, "My goodness, did you?"

    Ronyn's gaze went blank, unimpressed. "You're quite hilarious."

    "Ronyn," Odette's voice dropped into a whisper, "you've dragged me away from people who need help▬to which I was helping▬"

    His brows bounced, gaze not so subtly looking over her head to peer at Lancelot who glanced back at them awkwardly, "Is talking to that green-boy Lancelot a form of medical aid, now, is it▬?"

    "▬I'd rather not place my attention on something ridiculous and no I was not talking to him▬"

    "▬Looked like talking to me▬"

   "▬I was discussing▬"

    "▬that's merely another word for talking▬"

    "▬do you have to argue against everything?"

    Ronyn sealed his lips shut with a purse, rather sheepish. There was a pause, but he couldn't stop himself. He quickly rushed out. "But I'm right, aren't I?▬Hey!" he jumped out of the way of Odette's foot. "That's a violation."

    If anyone perhaps would glance over, they'd be rather stricken with the perplexing sight of a servant try to lightly kick the Lord of the most trusted noble family in Camelot. And he let her.

    Once he was sure she wouldn't try to kick him again, Ronyn stepped back closer to her, hidden by the column from wandering eyes to say softly, "Odette, I am serious▬perhaps it isn't so hypothetical." She made sarcastic a face at that to say, oh, really? "She dislikes me, very much▬and I don't ..." he frowned to himself. "Do not ask me why I care so much, but I feel obligated to make peace with her▬she's made me feel guilt. I want to be angry at her for it, and yet I am not. Odette, please, just tell me a way to put an end to this?"

   She was confused▬or maybe she was more curious. She remembered Gwen telling her that Ronyn visited her in the dungeons, though she did not tell her what he came for. Maybe it was out of the rare kindness that Ronyn kept hidden underneath his facade, or perhaps it was something else from how Gwen had scowled and grumbled under her breath. Or maybe, it was both. Any possibility, what mattered was the basic fact that Ronyn did not search for something that would place him in a situation he couldn't handle. He sought to escape, to forget and to ignore. His father continued to rule over him from the grave, dictating his wants and his rationality to create somebody that was so close, and yet so distant at the same time. And would never be the boy that would do something his father would strike him hard for. Like a broken gelding, Ronyn had been beaten into the submission of his father's ghost, and his mother's dimming candle flame▬barely flickering, but alive enough to redeem him.

   It had shone through this moment, Odette could tell. She saw it▬amongst all of his pain and his traumatic past that overruled him▬the side of him that went out of his way to visit her, somehow went out of his way to learn of her dislike, and to care enough to feel the need to fix it, to repent his actions to a serving girl heights beneath him. Odette had a feeling Ronyn didn't truly recognise it, or even at all, but no matter how much he hid it, how much he pushed it away, how much he ignored it and forgot it all▬he had a heart of gold, locked away and protected.

    She tried not to feel hurt that somehow, Guinevere seemed to reach a side to him that had him chasing after her reconciliation when he could only talk to Odette hidden in the dark and the shadows▬where no one could see.

    Odette swallowed her bitterness and kept her eyes gentle▬everything about her sweet and hopeful. "Have you apologised for your mistake?"

    Ronyn set his jaw. "She did not accept it."

    She did not say what Gwen had told her▬how her dislike was rooted from a past that Odette, no matter how many times she'd might explain it to her, she would not let it be. She held a festering grudge for something Ronyn hadn't made amends for when Odette's mother died. Gwen protected and she loved fiercer than anyone Odette has ever had the chance to meet. Especially to those she considered family ... in some ways, she and Ronyn were similar with their love and devotion towards their family above all others, blood or not.

   So, Odette did not say why she dismissed him so easily and harshly, and instead chose her words very carefully. "When ... when I thought I'd lost everything, Gwen found me and gave me another chance. Since then, she's ... she's always been there to look after me, even if I do not ask for it. She became a sister, a mother, a dearest friend all at once when I had nobody."

    Ronyn crossed his arms tight against his chest, "I'm afraid I don't understand. How is this supposed to help me win her forgiveness."

    Odette bit back her want to tell him he couldn't win forgiveness. But she figured he would have to somehow figure that out himself. "What I am trying to say is that Gwen loves fiercely but she protects even more. She puts those she cares about first before anything else. Morgana, myself, her father, her younger brother▬"

    She watched Ronyn freeze up. He turned pale at the cheeks. He sighed, something dawning on him Odette didn't know, but she held a feeling that it was exactly the realisation she searched for. "Oh, blooming God's breeches." He leaned back against the pillar, and Ronyn looked positively mortified with himself. "Her brother ... she▬she has a younger brother?"

   Odette nodded. She smiled a little, shrugging, "I suppose in some ways you're more similar than you think. Maybe that'll help?"

    Though while she smiled and said those words, she found herself faltering. She eyed Ronyn's pale cheeks▬the distant look in his eyes, as if he felt like he had committed something he could never take back. It made her sigh and take his arm. His gaze snapped back to her. "If you want to redeem yourself, don't just apologise▬you have to show you are regretful. You have to prove it to her. As long as you're truthful, Ronyn, everything will work out."

   He considered her words with every thought. Brows furrowed and lips pressed into a stressed line, he looked older than he was. "I always seem to make these mistakes," he started but Odette quickly shook her head.

    "You always find a way to remedy these mistakes," she corrected, stern. "You have a good heart, Ronyn▬you know what is right and what is wrong, deep down amongst everything else that you do to try and hide that fact."

    Ronyn was silent. He took a deep breath, and Odette wondered whether he even truly believed the words she said. Then, he took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I am lost without you, dear friend," he told her politely. Then, with a nod, he brushed past her▬as if they had never spoken. Until he glanced back, and Odette began to see that perhaps there was hope yet again.

    There always had to be hope.

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THROUGHOUT the next day, Odette and Guinevere continued to follow the Lady Morgana around as she helped those seeking shelter within Camelot's walls. They distributed food, bandages and water▬helping elderly to the inns and the families that had offered to take others in. Some searched for work, and Odette put a good word forward for some of the younger girls and boys to earn places in the kitchens as they lived their lives here before their towns would be given resources to help rebuild.

    But the threat of the strange creature none of them could name▬only hear horrific tales of its vast wings of an eagle and the body of a lion▬hung heavy each time Odette would glance out the windows into the square where Arthur spoke to his knights that stood in rigid lines. The only good thing that came out of the panic and determination to end this creature before it completed its journey to Camelot was that Lancelot's final test was pushed forward three mornings.

    While this might pressure the usual young recruit who had little time to get himself used to the training Arthur pressed upon his men▬similar to the one he was pushed into as a boy▬Lancelot seemed to only just match him. Odette had heard the whispers that had filtered through the castle hallways the day before his final test was to commence: the girls in the kitchens spoke as Odette subtly added a bit more food to Morgana's plate for herself, chuckling to each other as they recounted the way Lancelot had fought against Arthur outside the royal blacksmith with a skill that threatened to even be better. Odette had hid her smile to herself.

     She was excited when the day came. Standing once again outside the drawbridge on the training grounds in between Merlin and Gwen, on the tips of her toes. She gripped the wooden barrier in front of them, her shoulders covered by a scarlet cloak that was too short for her now, but she still wore (it was the only cloak she had). Odette watched Lancelot stand in the centre of the field, nervous and tense, eyeing how Arthur circled him. He clutched his helmet tight under his arm. She was nervous for him▬she really wanted this to succeed. She always had a high regard for the Knight's of Camelot, but held little regard for many within their ranks. None of them seemed to truly stand for the code they swore by, but Lancelot? Good God, Lancelot. Handsome, brave, selfless and honourable Lancelot, like a poem hero, was everything a knight should be.

    "Well," announced Arthur, sounding much the same as he had just a few days previously. He looked Lancelot up and down, as if trying to see whether he'll be worth it even before the fight started, "here we are, your final challenge. Succeed, and you join the elite." Odette briefly glanced at the other knights who had come to watch the fight. She adverted her gaze as soon as she noticed Sir Owain, suddenly quite uncomfortable. She fiddled with her cloak so it hid the wine stain she still couldn't quite get out. "Fail, and your journey ends here. Lancelot, the fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria ..."

    Arthur glanced back and the servant holding the hourglass tipped it over.

    "Your time starts now."

    Both donned their helmets. Odette felt Merlin shift as he leant forward onto the wooden post beside her; shoulder touching her own as if he could sense just how nervous she was. Guinevere had her fingers to her lips, breath hitched and bated.

    Lancelot drew his sword and held it up, steady on his feet as Arthur raised his own and brought it straight down. Odette flinched, hearing the sound of their blades clash in the fresh morning air. Unlike the previous fight a few days ago, Lancelot met Arthur's strong advance with something just as fierce. He blocked and he swiped, twisting his hilt with a skilled splendour that rivalled his opponent in a way that surprised everyone watching.

    Odette whispered under her breath encouragements each time Arthur did his best to jolt Lancelot's footing, or disarm him with tricks that usually always worked. But the humble boy from a lost village could analyse the Prince's movements just as he was analysing his. He predicted his feint and dodged backwards before spinning his grip of his sword and swiping it right against Arthur's helm.

    Lancelot's biggest supporter jumped a little in her celebration, grinning brightly as she shook Gwen's arm. All three of them watching were ecstatic with how well their friend was going.

    Arthur shook the blow off but had no time to advance. He quickly brought his blade up to block Lancelot's offence▬right and left, shuffling backwards on the damp grass. He rushed a little, closed up and having no choice but to side-step and stumble away as Lancelot's wide swing missed his head by mere inches.

    Odette had gasped, her hand flying out to grip something▬she found Merlin's jacket and clutched it tight, not even noticing the way he frowned at her. She wasn't sure what had startled her, how close Arthur had left the dodge, or how close Lancelot could have been to winning the fight.

    Neither seemed to be overbearing the other as the fight continued. Odette leaned backwards a little to Merlin, still keeping her tight grip of his jacket sleeve. While he grinned and applauded each hit Lancelot gave (probably quite liking jesting his master), Odette grew more wary of how close either one of them were letting themselves go before moving out of the way.

    She wanted Lancelot to win, though she wanted neither of them to be hurt. But there was an excitement within her chest. A real thrill▬Lancelot was showing just how great he was, just how he deserved a place with a royal knighthood bestowed upon his name. It didn't matter the lies they perused to get him here for this moment truly seemed meant to be.

    "Yes!" exclaimed Gwen quietly when Lancelot sent the Prince staggering back once more with a hair-line miss of his abdomen.

    "Go Lancelot!" agreed Odette, louder than her friend. She clapped her hands and Merlin joined her, not caring about the frowns the knights sent the three servants in their elaborate encouragements.

    Arthur was getting frustrated, Odette could tell. He might be wanting a new knight, but to have the possibility of one beating him before the time ran out▬that was bound to hurt his pride. He grew more aggressive, advancing on Lancelot with harsh blows and rough swipes. Lancelot grunted as he met one half way and pushed, swiping Arthur's blade away to the side. He surged forward, a downwards arch, a thrust▬the Prince caught his blade and drew it down to the grass▬

    He brought his fist up and Odette gasped▬

    Lancelot flung backwards from a blow to his chin. He hit the ground; hard.

    Odette's excitement fell. Her fingers dragged at her cheeks, her brows lifting in disappointment. Not for herself, but for Lancelot as he groaned, still on the ground. His helmet went askew, and Arthur stood victorious, tugging off his own and heaving heavy breaths. He was flushed at the cheeks▬the fight had been an exhausting one.

    Merlin slumped, hanging his head as he muttered a few sounds of dismay for their friend. Gwen locked her fingers together, holding them to her heart with a sad gleam in her eye. They were all hoping for the best. They all wanted Lancelot to succeed. They had seen something great in him, and they wanted everyone else to see that one didn't need to be of noble birth to be a noble man.

    The sand was filtering away. Lancelot's dream as a knight of Camelot had albeit ended even before it could come to be.

    Arthur sighed, hanging his sword limp at his side. Even he held a flicker of disappointment. "Shame," he muttered and reached down to pull the cloth from Lancelot's belt▬

    There was a flash of movement. Odette's eyes brightened▬her breath hitched in the back of her throat. Lancelot jolted back to consciousness and swiped his leg across▬Arthur barely had time to comprehend before Lancelot had him felled on the ground.

    Everyone was shocked as Lancelot grabbed his blade and pressed it to Arthur's chest, hefting a breath as his hair fell around his face. He grinned, victorious▬and Odette's heart fluttered within her chest. The brightest smile donned her face.

    "Do you submit, Sire?" asked Lancelot. Arthur was speechless.

    Odette felt her cheeks begin to hurt by how wildly she was smiling. She was light on her feet, glancing between Gwen and Merlin with such happiness and pride it was blinding.

    Guards grabbed Lancelot by his arms. They forced him away as Arthur pushed himself back onto his feet with a breath of anger. Odette's smile faltered slightly, confused as their friend was tugged backwards. The Prince snagged his blade from the ground. He stormed over to Lancelot, "On your knees!" he ordered.

    They pushed Lancelot to the grass, and everyone held their breaths as Arthur dug the tip of his sword just under his hauberk; right at his heart. He breathed heavily, but then, when Odette began to think he would harm him, the Prince's lips upturned into a small smile.

    And from that day forth, Lancelot became more than a nobody; an orphan running far away from his village and his past▬desperate to avenge the injustice of his parents. Bright-eyed and hopeful ... he became the bravest, and most noble knight of them all.

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a/n: that scene >>>>>>>>>

lancelot just makes me --

the way he just yeets arthur off his feet and mah boi is just shocked pikachu face -

     also I found this incorrect quote on tumblr and I needed to use it for these guys, like-

    merlin: so ... i've seen you've been spending a lot of time with arthur recently.
    odette: no, merlin, it's not what it looks like, I swear
    merlin: oh, really? so no reason for me to be jealous?
     odette: no! you're the only one for me.
     merlin: is that so?
     odette: i promise! arthur and i are just courting, okay? he's my lover
     merlin: so there are no best-friends-feelings involved?
     odette: you are still my one and only best friend! he's just the love of my life, nothing more!
     merlin: but I'm still the platonic love of your life, right?
     odette: of course, bro!
     merlin: bro...
     arthur: what the-?

     posting this from my phone cos this edit is taking so long to render-