Unexpected Acquaintances [Arthur]

[Griff Aubert]

It's true that Griff Aubert was a runner, but usually he was high-tailing it away from danger, not towards its aftermath. As soon as news had reached him of Cenred's attack he'd been trying to get to the city but Lucan's uncle would not allow it. It was far too dangerous, Allard had said, especially for someone who didn't know the first thing about self-defence. Well, Griff hadn't cared for self-defence, he did care for Caitrin's safety though. He knew her well enough to know that it would take more than an army to get her to leave. She was was stubborn as they came. Stubborn and a bloody idiot, that was Caitrin. If anything had happened to her he-no. He wasn't going to think about that. Caitrin might be an idiot but she could look after herself. And Rouland was definitely not an idiot and would look after her too. Caitrin would be fine, anything else just wasn't an option.

He'd arrived in the city as soon as he could, which wasn't actually that soon. Camelot was no longer in any immediate danger, it was waiting for its people to pick up the pieces and try and return to their ordinary lives. At the moment it was in a sorry state, not that Griff really noticed. He was far too occupied. He'd been told that the injured had been taken to the Hall in the castle as there were so many. He'd also been told a young girl fitting with red hair had been taken there, but the man who told him didn't know Caitrin so couldn't give him any more useful information.

The Hall was packed with people - those that were injured, those that were trying to help them and those like Griff, desperately trying to find loved ones and holding out hope, unwilling to fear the worst. He hadn't seen her yet, but he didn't know whether that was good or not. He ran a hand over his face. He really needed to find Caitrin, right now, that would be nice. He needed to find her completely unharm and laughing at how ridiculous he was being. She'd make some comment about how she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and he'd nod and just be grateful that nothing had happened. There. That was what was going to happen, he would convince himself. But every second that passed, every step he took, every face he saw that wasn't her just told him how wrong he was. Caitrin could be injured or dead, and all the while he'd been hiding at Allard's, waiting for the danger to pass until it was safe. He was a runner, after all.

He was leaning against part of the wall, scratching his neck and trying to convince himself that everything would be alright when he saw a man walk past who looked like he might know what he was going. "Excuse me, sorry, hello, I-I'm trying to find someone. Caitrin de Archer, Lady Caitrin de Archer. Please, do you know her? Have you seen her anywhere? She's got red hair and-"

"I'm sorry, but I'm needed. There are people who need immediate assistance and I can't stop to help you look for Lady Caitrin." The man replied, rather sympathetically but left Griff all the same.

"Wait- you can't just-leave...I need to find her!" Griff tried to get the man's attention but he'd managed to disappear. Griff let out a frustrated sigh, banging his fist against the wall before falling back onto it and scratching his neck again. Where the hell was she?

Tagged: Arthur Pendragon
Timeline: Series 3, during The Tears of Uther Pendragon
Notes: If memory serves, those that were injured were taken to the Hall. If I'm wrong I'll pm admin and ask if they can move it.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Everything was in chaos, but the most important thing was that the danger was over. Cenred's men were gone and whatever the hell those skeleton things were . . . seemed to collapse as well. Arthur would never forget the sight of them. For the question of how did one kill something that was already dead quickly arose in his mind. It also revealed that Cenred was allied with someone who was using magic . . . since Arthur had known the king for quite some time and knew that Cenred was many things, but he was no sorcerer. To say that it didn't worry Arthur would be an utter lie. But now was not the time to fear the future; now was the time to deal with the recent events. With the destruction in the castle, the people, the fallen knights . . . everything. As was the case during most battles, the wounded were taken to the grand hall that was set up as a makeshift hospital. It gave Gaius more room to work on the patients, as other servants pitched in . . . helping him in what way they could. Arthur had searched around the castle almost a dozen times, checking every corner, every door, every possible place to make sure it was clear from enemies.

Unable to do it on his own he assigned Leon and a few other knights to check the castle. And in the meantime, he needed to go to the hall to see who all was injured. But first, he had to quickly check on his father. Thankfully, the arrow that had hit him was not severe enough to claim his life. Arthur's fear in that moment had been indescribable. For his father had already been in a fragile state, his sanity seemingly compromised and then he had charged out. Yet . . . he seemed to be recovering. A massive relief for Arthur had been acting king for this time and he knew he wasn't ready to lead an entire nation on his own. Plus, he doubted he could survive the loss of his father right now. Especially right after his spirit had returned for Morgana had just recently returned to them. Once he did a quick check on the king, who was resting, Arthur rushed down to the hall to see what the situation was there. The chaos was just as great inside. His eyes scanned through the people, noting that most of those who were wounded were knights.

Arthur had committed the people in the city to a siege, and he was grateful that Cenred's men -- as well as the skeletons -- had not made it beyond the lower levels of the castle. They had not had the chance to make it to the guest chambers above, or the areas were the people were being housed temporarily. As he walked toward Gaius who was tending to someone on the other side of the room, Arthur noticed a young man aggressively punch the wall. A man who looked slightly familiar, yet not enough for Arthur to think of his name right away. He did however, know that state. For following battle or any attacks on the kingdom, Arthur had that horrid task of having to tell families that their loved ones had fallen; having to tell mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, children, and so on. Whether it was the pain of loss or the fear of it that the man was feeling, Arthur sympathized. Enough for him to approach him. If he could even help a single person in all this . . . then it was a start. "Are you looking for someone?" He asked, deciding that was an easier way to introduce the conversation than saying something like Have you lost someone?.

[Griff Aubert]

So sorry about the delay!

It was not an unfamiliar feeling, not having any idea what to do. But it was frustrating and with each passing minute he was getting worse. He just needed to find her, to see her, to know that she was alright. That's all he wanted, it wasn't too much to ask, was it? He'd finally found someone he cared about more than himself, someone who he couldn't imagine being without, but as quickly as he'd found her, she'd been taken away, never, perhaps to be seen again. This was why, this was exactly why, he never let him care about anyone. That need to be with someone, to know that wherever they were, they were safe and happy, it was too much, because one way or another it would all go wrong. It was enivtable.

Griff had tried to protect himself from such an event, and look where it had got him. And, what's worse, instead of trying to find Caitrin, he was stood here, leaning against a wall and telling himself he'd been stupid to allow himself to care about her, because he'd only given himself more to lose. He really was a selfish thing, but then it was far easier to think about himself than the reality. As always, if he just focused on his own thoughts and feelings he could ignore everything else, he could ignore the fact that he still hadn't found her, and then he could ignore everything that came with that burden.

"Are you looking for someone?"

The young man jumped. He'd been to emerged in his thoughts to notice anyone approach him. He just looked at the man in front of him, quite certain that he should know his identity... "Oh, sire." He said quickly, dropping into a bow and embarrassed that it had taken him so long to recognise the prince. When he was stood straight again, the panic had returned to his features. "Yes, I- I'm looking for Lady Caitrin. I know she was in Camelot, she wouldn't have left and her un-" he stopped, he was rambling and that wasn't going to make the situation any better. "I don't know what's happened to her."