Hope Guides Me (Uther/Knights;Morgana's Reign)

[Celta Meiru]

The night was eerily quiet outside, as pyres burned slowly into ashes, the fading memory of what happened earlier that day. Groups of families and friends gathered around graves and the dying pyres, wailing and moaning out their grief. Everyone had someone else to hold just for the night, so they weren't alone. Everyone in the city lost at least one person they knew, somehow, whether it was a spouse, child, father or mother, sibling, or even someone you just passed daily on the street and greeted with kindness.

Celta numbly walked among these commoners in the city, watching and memorizing each face as she moved past, her eyes red and bloodshot from tears that have been shed all day. She was weary, her feet like lead as she finally stopped at one particular family and put her hand on the shoulder of the woman standing there. She turned to Celta and immediately started to cry, and Celta pulled her into a tight embrace, trying to soothe her but not knowing how. What could she possibly say?

The day had started off with the city being summoned to the courtyard of Camelot to listen to their new tyrant, Lady Morgana...no, it was Queen Morgana, now...speak to the knights. Celta knew Sir Leon and the others would never yield to her evil rule, yet Celta also knew Morgana would never give up either. Her overthrow of King Uther...the king Celta swore her allegiance to...Celta was there that day. It was horrible the way Morgause and Morgana forced Uther to see the betrayal of his own ward turned daughter.

Celta hated seeing her king fall like that, and so suddenly and cruelly. He might be a tough ruler, but that never merits being betrayed by your daughter, a child you've cared for for years. And then the knights, who would never change allegiances, were taken to the dungeons after they told Morgana where their allegiances lied. And so today, she thought she would change that. She brought them out and lined them up side by side in the middle of the courtyard in front of everyone to see. Celta was standing there in the courtyard as well, and she watched her friends anxiously as they faced the Queen.

She asked them again of their loyalties, to which they began to chant "Long live the King!" Celta smiled proudly and then looked up to see the angry determination on the Queen's face before she spoke once more and released her hand in the air to give the archers an order to shoot. Celta's eyes widened in fear as she waited for the knights to be shot one by one. However, what happened next would have caused Celta to scream in horror had her breath not been stolen from her in the gruesome reality of the situation.

The immortal archers began to shoot the innocent crowd of people surrounding the knights. Everyone who was standing in that courtyard, nobles who supported Arthur and Uther and commoners who never cared either way, started to scream in terror and dash for the exit of the castle to the city. Celta was separated from her adoptive parents as those around them began to push and run in every which way possible, and she cried out as she fell to the ground. Her arm and shoulder hit the hard ground painfully, and she immediately crawled a few feet before getting to her feet once more.

Her heart skipped a few beats in her chest as she froze. An archer aimed his crossbow at a little girl who was looking for her parents. It was the daughter of one of her friends from the city. Celta screamed for him to stop as she ran towards the girl; however, it was too late, and she watched the child fall. Celta was with her a few seconds later, as Morgana gave the order to stop the attack to allow the dead to be picked up and buried. Celta death glared the Queen as she left the balcony and the knights were taken away. She would never forget the shared look of pure horror and guilt on their faces. The young noblewoman wanted to rush after them but found herself unable to see anything but the girl's face.

Celta held the beautiful little girl, sobbing as she felt the child take her last breath and then go limp in her arms. It took the cruelest person to order the death of children, and Celta hated the new ruler as much as she hated the men who murdered her family...if not more. Celta was the one who had brought the little girl back to her devastated family, who was already panicked trying to look for her. So now here she was, giving condolences and then letting go to make her way to her destination.

She arrived back at the castle, knowing exactly where she was going and taking a sneaky way to get there. Stealth was necessary as she thankfully slipped unnoticed past immortal guards on her way to the dungeon. Her heart beat a mile a minute with every step she took further, until she finally reached the dungeon without being caught. She guessed there was no one down there because Morgana thought that the men were locked up and shame made them unable to think or move to resist for the night.

"Uther? Sirs? It's Lady Celta..." she whispered loudly yet weakly, trying to hold back more tears as she glanced around hurriedly for signs of the guards. If she was caught, who knows what would happen?

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther knew that Morgana was doing things solely to torment and agitate him. He'd been helpless as she'd had more and more of those loyal to him executed, able to hear their shouts of loyalty and the sounds of flying arrows and dying cries. Some of his knights were imprisoned with him, but Uther knew that it was only a matter of time before they died as well. She would only kill him in the end, after everyone else had died. He knew she wanted Arthur dead as well, but he held out hope that the Prince would come and rescue him, that he was not dead. He would not believe Nimueh's repeated taunts unless he saw a body.

He did not recognize the figure that came in, and at first, he expected it to be Morgana or Nimueh, or one of the guards, coming to continue their torments. But once she spoke, he did not know who she was. Lady Celta, she identified herself as. One of the nobles, though he was not extremely well acquainted with her. Still, she had risked her life sneaking down here, and he did not know what she hoped to accomplish, but he hoped something. He just hoped it wasn't magic; as desperate as he was to escape, he loathed the way he would appear a huge hypocrite if he should escape by magical means, and he could not trust a magic user as it was.

"What is it? Have you a way to help us?"

[Deleted]

He could still hear their screams, he could still see the look in their eyes as the arrows meant for the knight went pass and when into the crowd of innocent people. All of those people... the scene in the courtyard had been on Leon's mind the whole day he had spent back in his cell after what had happened. He never saw it was coming; he knew that when the immortal guards pulled him and his fellow knight into the courtyard and lined them up, that it might have been their last. Leon was no afraid to die; if that had been his time then he would have died knowing that he did not fall to Morgana’s rule and that the hope was still alive. Now he wasn’t to sure what was going on. Days before he had been dragged in front of Morgana and she had asked him how he liked her rule. It had been a week at that point and every day seemed like long. He didn’t know how fast the days were going by, when it was day or night, or anything else that went on outside the cells, expect for the small window he had in the cell. But of course the knight of Camelot couldn't do any of this from the four brick walls that were around him.

Ever since Morgana had taken over the kingdom, Camelot had taken a change for the worst, all the knight that were still left standing were taken into the cells and Leon was put in his own. If they were trying to break him down, but there was no way, no matter what they did to him, he would never give into what Morgana wanted. If Leon was to give in, then the other knights would follow, he feared that things would get even worse before they got better. Morgana had tried pushing him farther and farther, hoping that the knight would finally break and give. But Leon was stronger then that, he would never give in, even if it killed him. All he wanted to know was that the King, Arthur and Gwen were all safe. He didn’t know what happened to any of them as there had been no word and no one had come to visit him down in the cell, he couldn’t even see his fellow knights as Morgana had put him in his own cell. He feared what she might do to the King and Arthur, because he knew the prince well enough to know that he would try and take Camelot back it was a matter of time.

He was lying on the cold floor of the cell. His hands were chained to the wall, and he was sure that Morgana would grow tried of the knights giving in that she would start to break Leon anyway she could. Well he was ready for what ever might come. He hadn't eaten anything in the last two days, as it was there start of trying to break the knight, but he wouldn't let it get to him, he would never serve Morgana he would rather die, just like he had told her. He lifted his head when he heard the sound of footsteps, expecting it do be Morgana or one of the Immortal guards. But he was wrong when a young women’s voice sounded out through the empty hallway of the dungeon. It had sounded like the Lady Celta but he couldn’t be sure from where he was chained. Part of this training, he had to learn the many other nobles families of Camelot and the Kingdoms around it. He had not spoken to the lady before, but he had seen her a few times here and there. Leon let out a sigh of relief when he heard Uther speak first after Lady Celta had spoken. It was the true first time he had gotten proof that the King was still alive, Leon didn’t know what kind of state he was in, but all that matter was that he was alive.

“Sire”

He spoke formally, even though his voice was harsh from the lack of food and water he was getting, but he would still addressed his king. He slowly picked himself up and moved as far as the chains would take him. Lady Celta had taken a huge risk by coming down here, if one of the guards found her.

“My Lady, you shouldn’t be down here it’s not safe”

Morgana had the guards moving around this place all the time, he didn’t want to see her get hurt that’s if the guards came and found her, which he hoped would not happened. She might be there only ticket of getting out of here, or she would be very useful on finding out information about what was going on around Camelot. Because if Leon made it out of his cell, he knew where to find Arthur and second in command would have lots to tell him.

[Sir Alexander]

Alexander sat with his back against the wall. His hands were chained. He had been trying to think of a way to escape, to get himself, the King, and the other knights out of here. If they could regroup, maybe they could find a way to defeat these things. One thing he was sure of was that Morgana and he knights, if one could call them that, needed to be stopped as soon as possible. It had made Alexander sick to his stomach as he had stood in the line with Sir Leon and the other knights and watched them fire onto the people of Camelot. Alexander was prepared to die for Camelot; he would consider it an honor. However, those people had not deserved to be harmed.

He heard a woman’s voice and dismissed for a second until he heard the King speak. He had recognized her. Were they getting out of here? He got to his feet and stepped foreword until his chains stopped him. Then he heard Sir Leon speak. Alexander respected him; he had been a knight longer and had served with Alexander’s father.

“Sire, Sir Leon,” He addressed them. His voice cracked a bit as he spoke. He had not gotten any food or drink in a while. He needed to let them know he was here since they could not see him. Alexander would do anything he could to help them. He trusted their judgment, since he could not recall who the woman was. He hoped she was an ally. They needed to get out and find others who were free and could fight, so they could end this once and for all. Or die trying.