His first thought when he woke was that the sky wasn't right.It was alive, full of endless color, more stars and galaxies than could be counted.Nothing at all like the dull gray sky or the artificial blue inside the domes out in the real world.
A fire was crackling, warmth washing over him, and the blankets covering him smelled faintly of grass and horse.
They were still in the game.
Lancelot pushed the blankets out of the way and slowly sat up, ignoring his throbbing head, a natural result of the hard and fast healing Gwen had done to save his life.He hadn't realized just how bad it was until he'd heard the fear in her voice.
"You've been asleep several hours," a soft voice said, and he turned his head to see Gawain sitting nearby reading a book.
"Of course you've already found a book to read."
Gawain laughed and dismissed the book."It's the in-game bestiary, I just wanted to read it more old-school than sitting here scrolling.Easier to keep watch that way.How are you feeling?"
"Like someone is playing drums very badly with my head, but otherwise fine.What happened?"
Standing, Gawain moved to fuss with the fire and swing a kettle over it."Not much, really.We got the hell out of Castle Creepy, had to fight some adds on the way back up, but with all of us there, it didn't amount to much.I think between beefing up his sister into that hellscape monster and doing all that shit underground, Maleagant has depleted himself for a time.According to Arthur, you also nearly broke the spell on Galehaut, so he'll probably expend further resources repairing that."
"I wish we could have held on to him," Lancelot said quietly.Nearly broke the spell.Damn it all.If he'd noticed the water was poisoned sooner, he might have been able to counter it, remained strong enough to keep pushing and break the spell.Instead his own fucking stupidity had cost him Galehaut.
Gawain sat next to him, wrapping an arm around him in a half-hug."You fought valiantly, Captain.Don't beat yourself up so much.You did better than any of us would have.We'll get him back, I vow it.The fact you came so close is proof of that."
"Why him?"Lancelot asked."Of all of us, why was it Galehaut he enslaved?"
"Because he started out an enemy of Camelot, if not by his own choice, which created a unique vulnerability.He also has blood ties to someone who has always sided with Maleagant, and in fact, probably works for him even now, and gladly handed his own son over upon recalling the original betrayal.Also, he is the sole weak point of the greatest of Arthur's knights.If Maleagant can break you, he can break the rest of us."
Lancelot mustered a smile."Better the greatest knight than the purest knight."
Gawain laughed."Poor Galahad.The pure, monastic son of Sir Lancelot du Lac."
It was one of the stupidest rumors to ever wend through the court, that Galahad was both his son and pure as the driven snow.Lancelot had been his stepfather, and only on paper, as much like Arthur and Guinevere, he and Elaine had married to help Camelot and the Round Table.Elaine was as in love with Guinevere as he was with Galehaut.
And Galahad was a bratty little slut who had left so-called purity, itself a terrible concept, well behind the moment he'd been old enough to start seducing every person who caught his fancy.Until he'd met Mordred, anyway.After that, no one but Mordred would do, despite even the noble efforts of Mordred themself not to get involved with someone so much younger than them.
Gawain returned to the fire, swung the kettle away from the flames, and quickly making a large cup of tea that he then handed to Lance."Here.Gwen said it should help with your head.After she was confident you were stable, she and Morgan spent a few hours gathering herbs and brewing potions.Having them awake already gives us a greater advantage than almost anything but the three swords."
"Agreed."Soldiers were only as good as the support they had, and Gwen with her hearth magic, Morgan with her shadow magic, were the best possible support."Where is everyone?"
"Arthur and Dred went into town to buy more supplies, do some grinding along the way for the funds.Merlin, Gwen, and Morgan went foraging.They should be back soon, but Arthur and Dred probably won't be back until tomorrow.Sun set a couple of hours ago.I'm glad you're awake.We half feared you wouldn't wake up until morning.You took a hell of a beating, between the poisoned water and Gale."
Lancelot grunted and sipped his tea, lacking the energy for a better reply."Everyone is hale?Nobody was hurt by your time in those damned coffins?"
"No, we're all fine.The coffins were sealed shut, but not airtight, and not meant to do more than keep us confined, spelled for silence and such.I'm sure he wanted to kill as many of the three of you as he could before dealing with the rest of us personally.Merlin and Morgan are beyond pissed off they got got."
"In their defense, there was a hell of a lot going on, precisely as Maleagant wanted.Sounds like he threw out a whole bunch of plans and simply waited to see what would stick."
"That's no fucking excuse," Merlin said bitterly from behind them, looping around to drop two full baskets of only he knew what."The oldest fucking shadow trick in the book, and I fell for it, fell through the shadows like Alice into Wonderland.Woke up in a fucking coffin absolutely helpless."
Guinevere stroked his hair as she passed him, bound for the fire."War is always win and lose.The best of the best will still occasionally lose.There's no point in wasting energy on it.We're a team for a reason, and that teamwork is what won us the day.Let it go, wild one."
"Wild one?He lives in a lux estate in the heart of the city," Lancelot said."He's forgotten his living in the woods days."
"I don't see you wandering the woods in a haze of madness either, smartass."
"Give it time," Lancelot replied dryly."If we can't save Gale, that's probably what will happen."
"We'll save him," Merlin said with abrupt solemnity."There is no way we'd save everyone else—which, granted, we still have eight to go—and not save him too.I will not allow it, even if I have to use the same dark magic I used before."
"You're still in debt to that magic," Lancelot said."We both are.So don't go down that path just yet."
