I was led through the castle by the prince and the knights who had joined him on the patrol.

 We went to the great hall where the king appeared to be dealing with council matters.

Arthur bowed his head a I curtsied.

"Arthur. Good, you're back. Who is this?" He asked, gesturing to me.

"This is the Lady Iraina of Caerleon." He introduced.

I curtsied once more.

"My lord." I greeted.

"Caerleon? You're Godfrey's child?" He asked.

I nodded. "I am my lord."

"I haven't seen Godfrey in many years. Is he well?" The king pressed.

I shuddered at his question.

"Caerleon was attacked last night my lord. By a vicious creature." I sniffed, suppressing tears. "No one but me and my friend Maldue survived. However, he was killed earlier today due to an attack on my carriage by bandits."

The king raised from his throne, obviously hurt by the news.

"Council will resume at the same time tomorrow. Leave us." The king said to the council members.

All members nodded and left swiftly.

"Everyone." He continued. "Except you Arthur."

The prince nodded and turned the king's way once again as he was about to leave as well.

"Come here, child." The king smiled, sadly and spread his arms wide.

Despite my not knowing the king, I knew his security was needed at that moment. He was the closest connection to my father now.

I ran into his arms and he held me tightly.

He stroked my hair and I felt a warm drip fall onto my shoulder.

The king was crying.

The moment I realised it was so, I broke down too, still trying to avoid getting any tear stains on his shirt.

We separated and he held me at arm's length by my shoulders.

"My sincerest condolences Iraina. You may stay here in Camelot as long as you wish. Forever if you choose so. Any family of Lord Godfrey is family of mine."

"Thank you my lord. But are you sure? I would never want to be a bother." I replied.

"You will be no bother, child. You will always be welcome here in Camelot." He smiled.

"Thank you sire." I smiled lightly.

A loose tear escaped the king's eye so I used my thumb to softly wipe it away.

"Not at all, Iraina. Now, I shall have one of the maid's show you to your room." He said before looking to Arthur. "Send for Morgana's old maid, Arthur."

The young prince nodded and briefly exited the hall to tell a guard before returning and standing back in his place.

A few minutes later, the guards outside opened the doors to reveal a fairly dark skinned woman wearing a simple purple dress.

"You sent for me sire?" The maid asked after a deep curtsy.

"You will show our guest, the lady Iraina, to her room. She will have Morgana's old room." He said.

The maid looked slightly hesitant but nodded and curtsied again.

"Right this way my lady." She smiled.

I nodded and followed the maid through the halls.

I felt a presence behind me so I turned my head.

It was the prince...

"May I help you prince Arthur?" I asked as we walked.

He caught up and smiled.

"Call me Arthur."

"An honour, I'm sure. So, Arthur, may I help you?" I repeated.

He chuckled. "Not at all. I just wanted to be sure that you're able to get comfortable. Guinevere, your maid, is the best in the kingdom. She'll make sure you have everything you need."

I smiled. "Do you always have such high opinions of your maids?"

"Only when they give me a reason to."