#excaliburwielded

[courageguided]

@excaliburwielded location: north pole

at  first  glance,  this  place  —  this  north  pole  didn’t  look  too  different  from  their  home  in  winter,  but  he  knew  that  there  was  more  to  it.  a  day  or  so  here  &  he’d  heard  plenty  of  stories  about  this  place  &  the  lands  around  it.  unmatched  wilderness  lost  to  relentless  snowfall  &  low  temperatures.  lance  was  not  one  to  brag  —  much,  but  he  was  quite  smug  about  packing  additional  furs  before  leaving.  preparation  was  key,  especially  when  plans  had  to  be  set  in  motion  &  lance…  had  plans.  they  would  need  some  more  time  for  last  minute  finishing  touches  once  he  was  actually  at  the  location,  but  he’d  manage.  being  a  king’s  loyal  knight  was  an  easy  job  &  yet  …  it  wasn’t.  not  when  you  were  also  a  friend.  it  did  help  him  see  what  others  couldn’t,  though.

with  those  pre-planned  days  of  preparations  coming  to  an  end,  he  was  ready  to  execute  said  plan.  everything  was  accounted  for.  well,  except  for  the  king.  finding  him  would  be  easy;  convincing  him  to  leave.  not  so  much,  but  lance  had  a  pretty  good  success  rate.  besides,  if  need  be  -  he'd  use  force.  arthur  may  be  the  king  &  he  was  his  loyal  servant,  but  he  was  the  better  fighter  &  stronger,  too.  arthur's  extra  inches  in  height  or  not.  clad  in  festive  garb,  rather  than  his  usual  armor,  lance  had  made  his  way  through  the  crowd,  looking  for  that  all  too  familiar  blond  mop  of  hair  &  when  he  finally  found  it  -  lost  in  chatter,  he  leapt.

walking  up  behind  him  &  up  to  his  side,  hand  balled  into  a  fist  on  his  chest.  "my  lord."  little  bow,  head  dropped  on  his  chest.  "urgent  matters  await.  we  need  to  take  our  leave  right  now."  he  didn't  wait  for  an  answer,  instead  -  an  arm  wound  around  the  man's  broad  frame,  gently  urging  him  in  the  direction  he  wanted  him  in,  away  from  curious  glances  &  nosy  ears.  outside  where  he'd  hopefully  find  the  result  of  peculiar  planning  ahead.  after  a  short  march  through  the  snow,  he  did.  a  sleigh  awaited  them,  bags  hanging  off  its  sides,  some  were  placed  on  top  -  including  a  rather  big  one  (a  tent).  reindeers  were  strapped  in  front,  huffing  impatiently.

a  man  stood  nearby  &  lance  gave  him  a  small  bag  -  as  promised.  little  smile,  little  nods  exchanged  &  a  hand  on  each  other's  chests.  what  a  little  scheming  could  do  to  two  strangers.  "please,  sit."  a  little  smile  now  tugging  on  the  knight's  lips  when  his  eyes  met  his  king's.  or  his  friend's.  maybe  something  in-between.  this  wasn't  the  first  time  he  kidnapped  him,  it  surely  wouldn't  be  the  last.  "fear  not,  my  king,  i've  brought  everything  we  need."

[shoedropped]

@excaliburwielded location: avalon - close to the portal

he  didn't  know  what  he  was  doing  -  he  really  didn't.  he  just  ...knew  one  thing,  he  had  to  get  away.  he  did  that,  but  what  now?  he  was  ...somewhere  he  didn't  recognize  &  truth  be  told,  he  was  already  filled  with  dread  &  regret.  yes,  he  was  ....upset,  he  was  worked  up  &  a  little  lost,  but  running  away  might've  not  been  the  smartest  move.  he  couldn't  just  ...go  back  now.  not  yet.  didn't  help  that  he  didn't  know  what  to  do,  or  how  to  look  his  fiancé  in  the  eyes  again.

so  yes,  maybe  his  rash  decision  to  pack  necessities  for  a  trip  through  one  of  the  portals  hadn't  been  too  bad.  soft  sigh,  eyes  roamed  the  area.  the  landscape  was  beautiful,  so  vast  &  green  -  one  with  nature  it  seemed,  that  he  found  himself  speechless.  the  urge  to  hum  a  tune  nearly  unbearable,  but  he  didn't  really  feel  like  singing  today.  like  most  days.

he'd  wandered  the  area  for  maybe  half  an  hour,  unsure  which  direction  to  go,  but  enjoying  the  sight  regardless,  when  a  man  approached  him.  no,  not  a  man.  a  knight.  littlest  of  smiles,  one  hand  on  the  strap  of  his  heavy  travel  pack  when  the  knight  approached.  he  looked  a  little  on  the  older  side,  dark  hair,  the  darkest  of  eyes,  but  he  felt  friendly.

apparently,  he'd  just  met  a  knight  working  directly  with  the  king  of  this  land.  king  arthur.  a  just  king,  he  was  told  by  sir  lancelot,  escorted  to  the  castle  where  he  was  told  to  wait  for  his  excellence.  bellamy  didn't  mind,  the  wait  gave  him  time  to  explore  the  castle.  but  the  man  who  found  him  a  little  while  after  was  the  same  as  before.

"unfortunately,  the  king  is  busy  for  the  unforeseeable  future,  but  he's  asked  me  to  escort  you  to  your  room.  you  may  stay  as  long  as  you  wish,  your  wishes  shall  be  granted  and  the  king  will  come  see  you  when  he's  able."

it  wasn't  like  ella  had  much  choice  in  the  matter,  did  he  know?  he  was  feeling  a  little  tired  from  the  long  journey  &  the  early  morning  fight,  so  maybe  this  was  for  the  best.  the  room  truly  was  too  much,  but  this  king  he  never  met  ...insisted.  so  here  he  was  -  on  the  bed,  book  in  his  lap,  propped  up  with  a  pillow  against  the  wall  &  headboard,  not  quite  awake  but  also  not  sleeping  either.

the  king?

"come  in,  please."

[marchentold]

for arthur [ @excaliburwielded ] where the gardens of avalon

it was moments like these that reminded gwyn that he was not born to the grandeur of nobility and courthood. the weight of this fact hanging heavy on his brows as he descended the palace steps, muttering under his breath. he was beginning to believe the king was avoiding him. that is, he would have been, if gwyn could be certain his requests for an audience with the man were actually reaching him. in attempt to distract his mind, gwyn followed the winding path that lead into the palace gardens that seemed to frame the outer exterior of the rear part of avalon castle. the garden always seemed to bring him a sense of calm, respite away from the facade he felt he was trying to uphold - until he mind returned to the king and his frustrations began to boil anew all over again.

gwyn had been trying for what felt like ages to achieve an audience with the king, even going as far as to go through the proper channels as opposed to approaching arthur outright when court was being held.

exhaling slowly, he rubbed a hand over his face, though taking care to ensure his hair remained perfectly coiffed and in place. reaching into the satchel that hung near his hip, gwyn withdrew a journal and began to catalogue the new flowers that been planted since the changing of the seasons, going as far as to sketch crude drawings of the petals he would perfect later that evening.

his mind drifted, briefly, back to arthur before the heat of frustration brought him back to the present moment. rounding a bend in the garden path, gwyn's steps faltered briefly when his gaze landed on a much broader individual mere feet from where he now stood, journal in hand and closed between slender fingers.

"your majesty?" he spoke delicately, the realization of arthur only clicking when his frustrations of the morning began to dissipate in favor of a light confusion as to why the king was out here alone and without guards.

[taledhq]

please follow:

@ozexplored

@excaliburwielded

[courageguided]

one  may  wonder  how  lancelot  had  managed  to  be  his  kingdom's  loyal  shadow  &  still  planned  a  trip  like  this,  but  ...  lance  didn't  share  his  secrets  for  this  one  would  forever  remain  an  unspoken  promise  between  him  &  thomas  -  the  man  arthur  probably  saw  with  him.  not  that  lance  minded.  thomas  had  done  a  great  job  &  lance  did,  too.  not  to  toot  his  own  horn  &  all  that.  with  the  right  motivation,  everything  was  possible  if  you  asked  him.  oh,  lance  was  plenty  motivated  to  get  arthur  away  from  everybody.  he  loved  what  he  did,  being  by  his  king's  side  &  ensuring  nobody  with  ill  intent  got  close.  he  did.  but  to  have  arthur  all  to  himself,  even  if  only  for  a  day  or  two  —  well,  that  was  true  happiness  in  a  nutshell.  stolen  moments,  the  old  knight  held  dear  above  anything  else.  not  that  he  shared  the  importance  of  those  trips  with  his  liege.  "calm,  you'll  see."  my  love.  "my  king."

his  main  motivation  was  the  king's  health  &  sanity  —  his  own  ulterior  moves  came  second.  were  they  ulterior  when  all  he  wished  for  was  for  arthur  to  be  healthy  &  happy?  surely...  not.  he  refused  to  believe  that,  but  even  if  so,  he  would  take  the  blame  &  carry  it  with  him  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  he'd  piled  up  enough  sins  to  last  him  a  lifetime  anyway,  so  what  was  one  more  in  exchange  of  knowing  arthur  had  had  a  good  time?  shaking  his  head  a  little  when  he  noticed  he'd  just...  stared,  lost  in  thought  while  arthur  got  into  the  sleigh.  "you'll  find  out  soon  enough,  my  king."  little  smile,  little  bow  before  he  walked  around  the  sleigh  to  make  sure  everything  was  in  order.  gentle  palm  run  over  the  reindeer's  snout  &  head,  petting  it  gently.  felt  almost  like  his  horse.

"i've  had  some  time."  that  smile  turned  into  a  little  grin  at  that,  followed  by  a  long  shrug  of  his  shoulders.  sacrifice  a  little  sleep,  a  little  free  time.  nothing  too  bad.  again,  he  profited  from  this,  too.  he  was  more  than  willing  to  make  sacrifices  in  the  process.  arthur  should  know  by  now  that  there  was  nothing  in  this  world  (or  the  next)  he  wouldn't  do  for  him.  nothing.  wasn't  that  the  point  of  knights?  why  else  did  they  exist  if  not  to  protect  &  serve  their  king?

"just  ...trust  me.  relax,  enjoy  the  view.  we're  taking  the  scientific  route."  he  heard  it  was  ...stunning  &  truth  be  told,  he  believed  it  already.  with  a  little  nod  when  he  checked  everything,  he  climbed  into  the  sleigh  to  sit  next  to  arthur,  not  leaving  any  space  whatsoever  between  their  legs.  it  was  just  them,  so.  grabbing  the  reins,  he  pulled,  rumbling  a  little  let's  go  to  make  the  mighty  creature  move.  it  worked.

"merlin  knows.  he's  holding  up  the  fort,  so  don't  worry,  okay?"  head  tilted  to  the  side  so  that  his  eyes  could  bore  into  his  king's  very  soul  so  that  he  could  see  how  very  honest  lance  was.  always.

as  they  rode  the  sleigh  across  frozen  lands,  they  truly  did  come  upon  a-many  sights  neither  of  them  experienced  before.  he  assumed  so  anyway.  the  land  was  vast  &  covered  in  snow  in  every  direction,  but  there  was  wildlife  out  here.  little  birds  with  short  arms  &  black,  white  pattern  on  their  entire  bodies  waddled  around  among  other  things.  the  journey  wasn't  actually  that  long.  admittedly,  they  held  a  few  times  for  sightseeing  purposes,  but  …they'd  still  been  quite  quick.  glancing  at  the  slip  of  paper  with  the  map  on  it...  this  seemed  to  be  the  place.  a  frozen  lake,  some  sort  of  a  grove  -  no  doubt  beautiful  in  summer  &  flat  land  to  built  the  tent.  exactly  what  he  wanted.

"this  is  it.  you  can  remain  seated,  my  king.  i've  got  a  few  things  to  do."  make  a  fire,  for  example  or  building  the  tent.  hand  against  the  man's  cheek,  trying  to  caught  his  temp.  seemed  okay.  then  he  pulled  the  big  bag  from  the  sleigh  to  start.

a frown, a raised eyebrow. all before he was unceremoniously escorted away from the crowd. arthur had been mingling with a couple of strangers, participating in conversation with them. light, harmless conversation... that didn't seem to go anywhere, as was usually the case at events like these. that didn't mean they weren't important, on the contrary, they were sometimes even more important than the serious ones. say the wrong thing to the wrong person — well, there could be dire consequences depending on who it was: a mark on your person figuratively, exile, or even execution. the king was technically one such person but usually he was of a nature that would let such things pass unless it was an attack on his character, kingdom or its citizens.

clad in a fur coat, thicker than his usuals, arthur followed, or rather, let himself be led towards whatever pressing matter lancelot had decided to grace him with; giving his conversation partners a hurried nod, "apologies all, i must take my leave."

once the blonde had been directed outside, trudging through snow had revealed the matter at hand. definitely not actually urgent. but glad for the distraction and ruse nonetheless. "lance. what is all this then?" though, he'd have an idea: a little impromptu trip organised by his knight. one of many, but this far out, in this weather? bold. still, arthur eyed the little exchange his knight and a stranger had before sitting on the sleigh as requested. that was new, the reindeer too — though not unlike a carriage and horses.

"where're you taking me, sir lancelot?" he's surprised the other had time to even scout for a location or even plan a little escapade. but clearly lance was prepared. bags filled to the brim with unknown contents, food, drinks, a tent, blankets, pillows and furs if arthur had to hazard a guest. "and when did you carve out the necessary time to concoct and follow through with this little plan then?"

sometimes that unwavering loyalty scared him. of what arthur could ask of his knight and how'd he do anything that was requested of him. of the power he held over his elder, and the worse of it all, willingly given. sometimes the care and attention lancelot gave him pleased him. of how thoughtful the other could be, little details that would go unnoticed were he lesser. arthur may not always look the part but he kept his eye open. he had to, as a king, and as a man that grew up unaware of his true heritage, having to train and fight for what he wanted. so the once and future king definitely appreciated all that his friend, advisor, knight and occasional frequent lover did. if not always said, then revealed and affirmed by his actions.

[shoedropped]

truthfully,  ella  wasn't  bothered  by  the  wait  -  he  knew  what  a  king's  schedule  was  like.  kit  wasn't  king  yet  &  ella  often  waited  hours  for  him  despite  scheduled  dates.  he  truly  didn't  mind.  maybe  sometimes  he  felt  second  best  because  of  it,  but  that  could  also  just  be  his  step  family's  conditioning.  the  peace  &  quiet  was  welcome,  though.  he'd  just  wanted  to  read  &  relax,  maybe  nap.  a  short  one.  though  his  heart  ached  too  much  to  sleep,  least  of  all  with  paintings  of  inexplicable  horrors  engrained  into  the  back  of  his  eyelids.

"just  read.  read  and  it'll  go  away."  sometimes  he  spoke  to  himself,  or  the  forest  animals,  but  those  here  ..  hadn't  actually  called  to  him  yet,  so  it'd  just  been  himself  in  here.  maybe  he  should  take  the  first  step.  but  at  the  same  time  ...  he  didn't  really  feel  like  it.  he'd  just  read  for  a  bit  longer,  eat  &  read  some  more  until  the  sun  set.  he  was  comfortable  like  this  -  he'd  never  wanted  for  much  &  got  even  less.

every  now  &  then  he  wondered  if  maybe  he  should  go  outside  to  explore,  but  he  didn't  really  feel  up  to  the  task  &  least  of  all  alone.  so  after  he  left  his  room  to  fetch  lunch,  which  the  servants  where  quite  eager  to  serve,  he  returned  -  feeling  much  better  already.  getting  comfortable  on  the  bed  again,  he  resumed  his  reading  until  he  was  disturbed,  partially  glad  &  a  little  unenthusiastic  about  meeting  the  king  now  that  he  felt  rather  sleepy.

he  stood  when  the  man  entered,  book  clasped  in-between  the  fingers  of  one  of  his  hands,  he  debated  offering  the  other,  but  ...  refrained.  he  was  a  king.  so  instead,  the  man  got  a  little  bow.  "they  have.  they've  all  been  wonderful,  thank  you."  little  smile  shot  the  man's  way.  he  didn't  look  like  a  king,  but  then  again  -  what  did  ella  know  of  kings?  he  only  knew  one.  this  was  a  different  world  entirely,  so  ...  this  made  sense.  "i  don't,  you  knight  is  correct.  i've  come  through  the  portals,  it's  so  very  different  here."  he  said  that  with  a  little  sigh,  because  it  was  good  &  bad  at  the  same  time.  it  piqued  his  interest,  but  it  also  complicated  things.

"i  live  at  court  at  the  northern  kingdom.  i  know  that  probably  means  very  little  to  you,  but  maybe  one  day  i'll  be  allowed  to  show  you."  it  was  still  so  strange  to  think  of  home  as  not  just  the  center  place  of  the  world,  but  instead...  just  one  of  many.  "oh,  my  name  is  bellamy.  ella  if  you  wish,  ..tremaine."  that  last  name  always  hurt,  but  his  father  had  chosen  to  share  it  with  others,  so...  here  he  was.  "i  had  to  get  away  for  a  while.  i  hope  to  find  refuge  here...  i'd  be  forever  grateful.  i  promise,  you'll  hardly  notice  i'm  even  here."

kingly duties all morning and half of the noon kept arthur busy. the unfortunate truth of an uninvited guest was that it was a disruption of schedules; which the king loathed, preferring the carefree easier-going nature of his youth. but he was king now and had duties and rules to follow. for what it was worth, while he had to make the stranger wait, arthur tried to make his guest comfortable as soon as he was informed of the other's presence by his loyal knight lancelot, ensuring the guest had a room and plenty of food... through extravagance might not have been something that would be welcome.

it was early afternoon when he finally had the time to visit his guest, glad that he didn't have to make the other wait till evening. arthur knocked on the door of the guest chambers and entered only when he was given the go ahead. the king strode in, bowing his head a little. "apologies for the delay, you have caught me on a bad day." he was dressed ruggedly, clothes certainly not befitting of a king, but it was what arthur was most comfortable in. his crown and sword stored safely away in his bedchambers. if one were to spot him in town without knowing his face, one could almost mistake him for just a random commoner. a small warm smile on his features. "i trust my knight and servants have treated you well?"

arthur gave the man on half lying on the bed, half resting against the headboard a once over, studying him. the other was conventionally attractive, if seemingly tired. merlin always warned him of strangers, something he'd also learnt from his days prior to understanding his true heritage. still, he was the picture of poise and courtesy. "i am king arthur. forgive my presumptions, but my knight told me that you do not seem like you belong in this realm and that you were lost. where are you from and who might you be? if you do not mind answering."