No one on Earth had been able to tame the notoriously fierce, fiery Mordred, until a quiet, humble, and deceptively delicate looking knight had come along and, in Mordred's own words, bewitched them utterly without even trying.
Not even Arthur himself could bring Mordred to heel with the full weight of his power and authority the way Galahad could with just a single soft look.
Standing, Merlin wandered away with a call that he'd be right back, and given there was a food cart selling cakes and other sweets at the end of the block, it wasn't hard to guess where he was going.
"Have you encountered anyone else?"Lancelot asked.
Dred shook their head."No, but you know me, I keep to myself.What about you?"
Quietly, Lancelot told him what they knew of Morgan and his fight with the enslaved Galehaut.When Merlin returned, he added his own small bit of the tale.
"Ol' Mal always was a fan of kidnapping," Mordred said dryly when they'd finished."You weren't a fan of stepsisters before though, well done on that."
Merlin rolled his eyes.
Lancelot snorted in quiet amusement.That was how they'd met, back when Arthur had first rescued a young Guinevere.She had been in a convent even then, banished to that life by an uncaring father, while he trained up her eldest 'brother' Mordred and her older brother Gawain.
He had returned Guinevere to her family, rather than the convent, and met them there.It would not be until years later that they would again cross paths with the family, Guinevere first when she'd traveled to Camelot, and later Mordred in the midst of a particularly violent battle.
Dred had, with deep reluctance, been heeding the orders of their father, but when they'd seen that their opponent was Arthur, they'd abandoned that once and for all.Gawain had followed a few years later, seeking out his vanished siblings.Gawain preferred the scholar's life, but he had been no slouch with a sword.
Would they manage to get everyone back?Who was everyone, for that matter?He doubted Merlin's magic had been able to control the reincarnation of everyone, but…
"You look way too pensive for falafel and strawberry cheesecake waffles," Merlin replied.
"Fucking hell," Dred muttered."This food could pay my rent for the rest of the year and a few months next year."
Merlin flushed with shame."I don't like it any more than you, but it would be foolish not to use the tools at my disposal.Also, you need to eat properly.This fight is going to drain all of us."
"It's fine, you stupid succubus.Just never thought I'd be here.What in the hell is cheesecake?"
"Find out."Merlin said, and shoved one of the overladen plates across the table to him."What had you frowning, Lance?"
"How many of us will we find?How many are likely to be lost to us like— like—" He broke off, closing his eyes against the sting of tears, and finally forced out, "Like Galehaut."
"We'll get him back, never doubt it," Merlin said, "but to answer your question, there should be fifteen of us in total.The three of us, Arthur, Morgan, Guinevere, Gawain, Elaine, Percival, Bran, Bertilak, Tristan, Iseult, Galahad, and Galehaut."
"The Gales," Dred said with a snicker."Can't wait to mock them relentlessly over having practically the same stupid name."
"Why did we have to wake you up so soon," Lancelot retorted, rolling his eyes.
Dred grinned toothily."'Cause I have one of the magic sticks, of course, fish boy."
Lancelot sighed."I hate you so much."
"Power of threes," Merlin replied."Three swords, three powers of water, earth, and fire.Next we'll need three magics, of the earth, the shadows, and the light."
"Morgan and Guinevere are next then," Dred replied.
Lancelot laughed."Wonder what Morgan will think of the whole stepsiblings thing.Think that's a hidden kink for her?"
Dred snickered."Since when did Morgan ever bother to hide a single kink?"
Merlin gave them both a look."Oh, shut up Ser My Lover was Half My Age."
Dred made a face, but didn't argue, because they had been in their mid-thirties when they'd met a barely twenty Galahad.They'd resisted another two years, but that didn't exactly make the disparity in age go away.
In Dred's defense, it was Galahad who had been lying naked in their bed waiting for Dred to show up one night.Lancelot wasn't certain God himself could have resisted an offer like that, though according to Galahad, Dred had tried.
