Arthur snorted."She takes 'conniving witch' as a compliment."
Mordred sighed."So we have to enter this stupid jousting tournament."
"You're already entered," Merlin said."I did it this morning while you were helping Elaine in the kitchen."
Lancelot and Mordred groaned in unison then.
"I can't wait," Percival said."Why are you two so grouchy?Tournaments are so much fun."
"Making a spectacle of myself is the opposite of fun," Lancelot said bitterly.He hated tournaments, being put on display, making games of war so people could laugh and cheer and place bets with extravagant amounts of money they should be using to help the poor and struggling.
"It'll be fun," Tristan said excitedly."Stop being such a cynical old man.Do you think there will be centaurs?I always wanted to joust against a centaur."
"I don't know why, given what happened when you pissed one off," Mordred replied, "Or are you forgetting how you went tumbling into a well after one knocked you right off your horse.Hope you're looking forward to more of that."
Morgan glared all of them into silence."The tournament is a genuine game thing.People must enter in groups of six.I have entered Arthur, Lancelot, Mordred, Percival, Tristan—" the two cheered as Lancelot and Mordred continued to sulk "—and Galahad."
"Should I be concerned or relieved I've been left out of the fun?"Gawain asked.
"You're with me and Merlin.We're going to lay down caging wards so that once Ethelfleda enters the tournament grounds, she will not be able to leave them.We'll lay down two rows—a broader set around the entirety of the grounds, because she's guaranteed to go at least that far, and then a second row inside that to restrict her to the battlegrounds, if we can get her that far.I anticipate we will, but the more barriers, the better anyway."
She looked at Lancelot and the others assigned to his team."Your job will be to keep everything going until the wards are finished and to draw her in.Then we'll all reunite to take her down once and for all.As stated, alive if you can, but dead will do."
"Understood," Lancelot replied."So we keep the games going for as long as you need to set the wards and draw in Ethelfleda.How do we do that?I'd think you'd be the best bait we could offer."
"After we regained this castle when that clearly wasn't meant to happen?"Morgan scoffed."No, Maleagant will be enraged at her repeated failures, and she'll be desperate to make amends.She will go for whichever heads she can remove the quickest and easiest.Arthur, preferably, but she'll likely go for you and Dred first, as your duty to protect Arthur at all costs makes you especially vulnerable."
"Never thought I'd be grateful I'm not the popular one," Tristan said with a grin.
Lancelot narrowed his eyes."All these centuries and you still can't watch your mouth."
"All these centuries and you still can't relax."
"I will assign you to everythingexceptjousting."
Tristan pouted."I might run my mouth, but I've never failed to do my duty to the best of my ability.Don't be mean just because you don't think I'm funny, Captain.Come on."
"We'll see," Lancelot said primly, even though they all knew that Tristan would get his way.He and Lancelot might clash a lot in methodology and silence vs noise, but Tristan was right: he had never failed to do what was needed, no matter the cost to himself.He had nearly burned the world down for Iseult, and he'd do it again without hesitation for any of them.
"Once she's captured or dead, we return here," Arthur said."Preferably together, but we all know how these fights go.So don't waste time reconnecting if you find yourself separated from the group, just make haste back to Camelot."
"Your Majesty," they chorused.
"Go and prepare.We leave in an hour.The journey to the tournament grounds will take two days, as we are well north of their location."
Lancelot groaned."Can't we just warp there?"
"No warp points," Merlin replied."The nearest one still requires a full day of travel, as that is part of the entire event."
Percival tapped his fingers restlessly on the table."Well, at least we can shave a day off then."
"No, we're making the two day journey."
Tristan and Percival groaned in unison.
"Wow, I haven't missed you assholes atall," Gawain said.
"Shut up, nerd," Percival said cheerfully.
