"The rooms are soundproofed," Merlin said.
"Thank the Deep," Lancelot said."Get off the couch, I want to stretch out."
Percival rolled his eyes but obeyed, and it surprised no one that eventually he and his fellow troublemakers vanished into their bedroom.Hopefully, Bran would be back with them soon.The absence of him, Bertilak, and Galehaut was felt by all, but he, Percival, and Gawain felt it most acutely of all.At least Percival had his closest friends to distract him.
"Sucks they didn't get to do their jousting," Lancelot said, when only Arthur remained, sitting down at the end of the sofa, between the armrest and Lancelot's head.
"They'll have their day, and nothing boosts their morale like seeing their beloved captain do what he does best.Not even winning a jousting tournament."
Lancelot rolled his eyes."Swimming is what I do best."
"Stop it," Arthur chided."You are called the greatest of my knights for good reason, and they love to see it.Kay was not your fault.If it wasn't him, it would have been someone else.If the jousting had come before your fight, she would have picked someone they trounced or someone they befriended.She might have picked whoever took third place, right there on the podium."
"Fine," Lancelot said."I'll try to let it go.Now go away.I know you want to spend more time with your beloveds."
Arthur looked abashed and pained.
"Don't," Lancelot said before he could speak."Once I feel a bit more rested, I'm going to go soak in a bath for as long as I can possibly get away with, then I'm going to sleep until someone wakes me up.I slept on the way here, but I feel like it didn't even make a dent.Tell Merlin that if he ever makes me use one of those stupid TGARS again, I'll make him eat one, casing and all."
"Fine, fine.Buttell meif you need company, distraction, whatever.You and Merlin are my dearest friends, and that before you are anything else."
Lancelot nodded, closing his eyes, smiling faintly at the blanket that was immediately draped and smoothed over him."I will.Thank you."
Then mercifully, finally, he was left alone to once more hide away in his memories of Galehaut, all he had left until, one way or another, he saved him from Maleagant's clutches.
Shadow and Flame
Merlin came out of the room where he'd been working on all the data collected from Ethelfleda and Kay, causing all of them to look up from where they were scattered about doing various activities."I've got the information.Everyone gather around."
They assembled in the living room again.Arthur on the couch with Gwen and Morgan on either side of him.Lancelot and Dred standing on either side of Merlin by the fireplace, the others scattered across the remaining chairs or standing by the windows in the case of Percival.
Calling up several viewing screens, Merlin started speaking."We got far more from Ethelfleda than I dared fucking dream.The most important part is the pocket universe we keep transitioning to whenever we're in the game."
"What about it?"Arthur asked.
"We assumed that it was created here and now, but it wasn't.He made a bargain with the darkest magic to create it back then.Camelot was the fuel, the raw material, to create it.But before he could claim it entirely, Lancelot and I ruined everything for him.Now the pocket universe is what we are truly fighting over, as it is essentially made from the soul and power of Camelot.
"I can't say for certain, but I think the victory was a different bargain, likely made by his sisters.It would explain why they vanished midway through the battle, why the tide turned so sharply and suddenly.They sacrificed themselves for the victory, and Maleagant made a devil's bargain to create the pocket universe."
"And then we tore it all away," Lancelot said."He got to it first in this life, but he can't truly claim it because we bargained for a rematch.So it was always going to come down to the Knights of the Round Table once more going up against him."
"Precisely.He used the game to create a portal, give himself an edge, but a deal is a deal, and we sacrificed ourselves for a second chance.He cannot override that."
Arthur frowned, eyes dark, lines of worry etched deep into his face, and for a moment he looked as old as his soul."Merlin, what price did you and Lancelot pay?"
"We don't know yet," Merlin said."We won't know until this is over, win or lose.There's no sense in worrying about it yet."
"We'll figure it out together, regardless," Morgan said."What else do you have for us?"
"I think we're still right about him wanting to claim the real-world territory as well, so he has a foothold here to further protect and bolster the pocket universe.Or, who knows, perhaps he'll want to sacrifice it as he once did Camelot to lend it further strength.I got no clear answers on that point.Which brings me to Amphelise."
Lancelot tensed, Kay's dead body, all his stupid taunting and mocking being the last thing Kay ever knew, filling his mind.
"She was only able to possess Kay and then puppet the others because they all live here.The game is the portal, but the territory is the anchor point, and so anyone who lives here is vulnerable to her control."
"Peasants used and abused by their lord," Arthur said angrily."He's supposed to protect them, notusethem."
"Yes, well, Maleagant has always been a by-the-book villain," Percival said."No points for creativity."
