The Darkest Night (Idris)

[Brynn Reade]

The screams had been the worst… at least that’s what Brynn had thought until she had witnessed the silence that came after it. Dead silence. Camelot was on its knees… again. Again it had fallen into enemy hands, and again it had been Morgana taking it. To regain her throne. HER throne, what a laugh! Arthur was the only king Camelot should have, and there was no one able to change it. At least not for long. But politics weren’t Brynn’s main problem right now, she had far more serious things to worry about. Staying alive for one… and getting out of the city.
Yes, she must be crazy to even try it, but she knew she had to go. Stubborn as she had been, she had lingered behind, while her mother had taken Gyrth and Elinor and ran with so many servants and citizens into the woods, where the knights had directed them. She had wanted to find out if her father was still alive.

Brynn knew it might have not been her best choice, as the citadel was soon sealed off and the lower town free for plundering, and anyone who showed hide or hair was in danger of losing his life or being mistreated, but she could not stop herself from wanting to know. The connection with her father was somehow stronger than that with her mother, even though she loved them both the same. And so she stayed behind, hiding away in far too narrow places for comfort, and had taken it upon herself to examine some of the dead. It was gruesome work, and she knew she probably would never forget what she head to see there, but with every face that stared up at her with soulless eyes, her relief grew. Her father was not one of them.

And then, she had found him. Injured, but not mortally wounded, hidden by two of his best friends, who had thought it best to hide and see the storm through, save their strength instead of dying a needless death. They had also told her that somehow the king must have slipped away and that everyone was looking for him. That had been almost enough to make Brynn smile. Arthur had done it again. He would return and take Camelot back like he had done a year ago. Many of his trusted knights were captured or killed, but no matter what would be thrown in his way, Brynn was sure that Arthur Pendragon would come back to save the day.
She, however, had had to promise her father that she would try to get away, to reunite with the rest of her family. The other guards had tried to convince him that trying to get away was as dangerous as staying, but Brynn herself had wanted to go. Now she knew one part of her family to be alright, she wanted to know about the other as well.

So now, she was sneaking through the lower parts of the castle, desperately thinking of the best way to get out, while her every senses were alert to any movement or sound. Who knew what would happen to her should she get caught wandering around alone and without protection…

[Idris]

In her naive hopes, Idris had thought that after the events which had passed a year ago, Camelot would never fall into such desperate times. But now it felt as if a veil of darkness had once again fallen upon the city. Last time Morgana had taken over Camelot Idris had been forced to play along with her song, like the majority of the other servants. It had been the only way to survive; nod when you were required too, and to just stay in the shadows. There had always been whispers that Arthur would return, but this time there were no such whispers. There were hopes, but this felt more desperate. No one had any idea what had happened to their King, nor what would happen next.

The night had once again fallen, and Idris could only be glad. Tonight was so much different from its former, as last night had been the longest night in Idris’s life. There had just been so many screams, everyone had been running in utter confusion. No one had been quite sure what was going on until it was too late. She’d been in the servants quarters when the attack had begun, and she’d just stayed there, almost in hiding, but what else could she do? She wasn’t a knight, she couldn’t protect the city, but her survival instincts had kicked in, she knew she just needed to stay safe. Then there had just been a silence, no one had been quite sure what to do. Were they just to resume usual service? Idris had complied with that line of thought, as had some of the other servants, and they had just tried to pretend like everything was fine, even though it was increasingly obvious that nothing was right at all.

Idris wasn’t quite sure what to do, was staying here the right thing to do? Even if she wanted to leave she knew she wouldn’t be able to. Where on earth would she go? Gathering her cleaning things, she began to make her way back to the servants quarters, it was some ungodly hour but Idris had been keeping herself busy with tasks around the castle. Although many servants were unwilling to partake in keeping the castle tidy for Morgana, Idris knew it was just one way in which she could survive with ease, so she had just tried to keep her head down and get on with life.

As she moved through the castle, she could see a figure in the distance. At first she froze and panicked, thinking that it was one of Morgana’s men. That was all she needed. But it wasn’t, and her gaze softened as she spotted one of the other servants, “Brynn, what on earth are you doing?” She asked, more out of concern than anything else. It wasn’t safe for someone to be wandering around at this time of night in the castle, especially given what had happened last night.

[Brynn Reade]

Brynn’s senses were strained to the utmost attention, while she felt her heart hammer against her ribs and heard the blood rush in her ears, so loud she thought the whole castle must hear it and would direct the new guards straight to her. They were not immortal this time, that was a little relief at least, but they were brutish and completely without scruples. Brynn had been lucky to escape them for now, but she had seen from afar what they were capable of. Enough to pray to every force there may be she would stay undetected.

Would luck be with her much longer however? She could always say that she had just been doing her work – any work at all since herding geese was out of question at the moment of course – if someone tried to hold her up, but the minute she tried to sneak past the gate or find any other way out of the castle – sometimes it came in handy to have a guard as father. If the old guard was still in charge, she could have simply walked down towards the dungeons and on from there, they would have never grown suspicious of John Reade’s eldest. But now… it would be hard, if not even completely impossible.

Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her, and froze immediately, the hairs of her neck rising in alarm. Who could it be? The steps were almost too light to belong to a soldier, but she could be mistaken. Tensing every muscle, Brynn waited to be called out on her business, but the voice she heard instead, made her spin on her heels with a relieved gasp.
Facing her was none of Morgana’s guatds, but Idris, a fellow servant. She was carrying cleaning things and for an odd moment Brynn felt as if nothing was wrong at all. That picture was so normal it didn’t belong in these circumstances at all, and yet it was almost enough to make you forget said circumstances. Still, Brynn couldn’t shake off the feeling like she had just been caught red handed, even though that was ridiculous of course.

”Idris! Goodness gracious, you scared me!” she exclaimed with a nervous little laugh and shifted on her feet. “I was just…” One bad thing about Brynn was that she never had been a particularly good liar, and now she didn’t know what to say. When Idris was working, did that mean she was siding with the foe? But no, that was ridiculous! Lowering her voice, she pulled Idris a little more to the side so they were now hidden by a large pillar in the corridor.
”It may be better you forget you saw me at all… I’m trying to find my way out of here… and if I get caught … I don’t want to have any accomplices, you know?”
That was grave talk, unusual talk, but then times were grave and unusual as well.

[Idris]

Idris wasn’t quite sure what she was doing. It just felt like she was surviving but nothing more as long as she stayed in the castle. The worst bit was the uncertainty which was following Morgana’s take over. No one was sure whose life was safe, and what her soldiers had been ordered to do. Were they all going to be put to death? Was an example going to be made? She gulped at the mere thought and was quickly on her way. She had done so much growing up before coming to Camelot, but now more than ever she wished that she was just a servant in some noble house. Lucan had always promised that she could go and work for him, but he wasn’t even married yet, and he didn’t have an estate for her to work in, so her dreams were just left to another day. Idris still wanted her hopes to come true, it would be safer working out in a noble estate than in the castle. During just over a year the castle had fallen into enemy hands twice, and that was two times too many for Idris.

Idris was relieved to find of course that it wasn’t a guard, or one of Morgana’s men coming her way but Brynn. She hadn’t seen much of her friend over the past few weeks. Then again, Idris had been rather busy, she had been working all the hours she could to gain more money from the Royal purse. It all added up, and Idris wasn’t going to sit idly by while there was money to be made. She couldn’t help but be concerned at how Brynn looked, and Idris just looked on at her rather concerned. Idris knew her own reasons for being out and about at this time of night, but it was unusual for Brynn to be alert at such an hour. Shouldn’t she be tending her geese? Or more importantly, shouldn’t she be in bed? What on earth was she playing at? The castle wasn’t safe anymore.

As Brynn told her to just forget their encounter Idris’s eyes widened and she spun round on her heels and grabbed her friends arm. It wasn’t in an aggressive way, it was just to get her to stay where she was and to prevent her from running off. She wanted answers before she let Brynn go anywhere. "Accomplices? What do you mean?" She wasn’t about to let her friend go running off into danger if she could prevent it. “Where are you going?” She changed her question, but she was still deadly serious. She wanted Brynn to tell her what was going on, and she wasn’t going to let her go until she did. Idris had often been deemed as stubborn, and now she was about to prove how true that was.

[Brynn Reade]

Was it possible the concerned voice and the glance accompanying it could make you feel guilty? Apparently so, as Brynn could feel the worm of guilt coiling in and nagging at her guts. Was it right to try and leave? Leaving was like a flight, leaving everyone behind to safe herself. People she cared for, her father for one, but also Idris. Idris had become a dear friend, even though they didn’t see each other that much. But then there were her own family to look after, and Brynn knew she would not have piece of mind for just a minute if she didn’t know what had become of them. The woods were dangerous at night, there could still be members of Morgana’s army lingering behind. But they had all been too frightened to think of that in this very moment. Anything had felt more safe than Camelot… and this was so not how it should be.

Brynn had almost expected Idris not to do what she told her to, she was not that kind of girl. However, she didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved by it. Any more knowledge about this could get Idris in trouble, if Brynn was caught, or even if her flight was successful. There was a chance Morgana had turned completely paranoid and suspected a conspiracy amongst the servants. And she would ask questions amongst Brynn’s friends first.
But then, maybe she was giving her own role far too much importance. This was all very confusing, and Brynn hated indecisiveness. Her firm resolution was already waning, and that was not a good sign.

“I’m trying to get out of the castle”, she repeated, partly to convince herself she still was doing the right thing. “I need to check on my family, to see if they are alright. You know the citadel is not safe anymore… and seeing it occupied by Morgana makes me sick!” Subconsciously her hand touched her left shoulder, where a year ago a crossbow had hit her, commanded by Morgana. It didn’t hurt anymore at all, thanks to Gaius, but it was a symbol for Morgana’s cruelty and mercilessness. A memorial, a reminder that something like this should never happen again. And now it had.

“I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is…” she tugged at her white cap nervously, sighing. “But, I just can’t stay here and do nothing. So I better leave and look after my family before I do something even more stupid.” Idris would probably try and stop her… she was stubborn and caring like that.

[Idris]

Idris was usually quite quick and sharp about these kinds of things, and she could usually read people like a book, but this was quite different. She could only stare on at her friend, what on earth was she up to? No one should be wandering around at this time of night. Although Idris felt hypocritical thinking this, as she was wandering around in t dead of night by herself, she could at least look out for her friend. Idris could deal with things happening to herself, but she wouldn’t be able to stand it if something happened to Brynn because of a moments weakness or stupidity. Realising she was still holding her cleaning things, Idris set them to one side so that she could look on at her friend properly. She wanted to understand what she was doing, and why on earth she was doing it.

Of course Idris wasn’t just going to run off and abandon Brynn. She wasn’t going to leave her friend alone in the dark with all of Morgana’s men out there. She was a much better friend than that, so she was staying put. She was sure that Brynn was already aware of that fact. She had been friends with Brynn for so long that she had to know how stubborn Idris could get at times. Once she had dug her heels in it was hard to shift them.

She was trying to get out of the castle? Was she insane? Of course those were Idris’s first thoughts. She just stared on at her friend, not really sure if she was serious or not. There were guards at every entrance, as the citadel was in complete lock down. Morgana was still looking for Arthur, or at least Idris presumed that was what was happening, which meant until he was found they were all in danger. It was clear that Brynn was completely intent on leaving straight away and Idris bit her lip. To her it just seemed completely stupid. “Brynn, nowhere is safe.” She was trying to reason with her, but she wasn’t going to leave Brynn no matter what her final decision came to be. She didn’t grab onto her friend again, but she just looked on at her, “Are you sure you want to do this? The lower town is teaming with soldiers.” She wanted Brynn to think about this before she just jumped into it feet first, it was the only way to see if she was serious or not.

[Brynn Reade]

As Idris continued staring, it didn’t make Brynn feel any better. A tiny voice piped up inside her, telling her that she must be completely out of her mind to try such a dangerous thing. So much could happen! No one knew what these foreign soldiers would do to her should she be captured. Killing her might be the nicest option from those that assaulted her mind in vivid pictures. Everyone knew the face of war after all, this ugly, ugly face. It could drive men – and women apparently, vide Morgana – to do the most horrible things, inhuman and cruel. It reduced them all to mere animals… or even worse than animals, because while animals might be wild and dangerous, they were never cruel. Cruelty was a profound human trait, because they had a brain to use for good and bad.
In any way, she knew very well what she was getting herself into, and yet she found she would do it still. For her family. For her father.

No one knew what had happened to those the fleeing soldiers and knights had guided into the woods. They were not completely without protection at least, but Brynn knew she would not have peace of mind until she had seen her mother with her own eyes and held her little siblings in her arms. Her father had risked his life many times for Camelot, he could look after himself, even wounded and in hiding. Her mother might be strong, but Brynn knew she was needed there now. Not here where all she could do was hide away anyway. Out there, they might already plot Morgana’s downfall, and they had the freedom to do so. Here was only fear.

Snorting, she brushed aside Idris’ comment. She might have a point, but Brynn would not let this sway her. “Well then we at least agree on one thing. Out there can’t be safer than here, so I can as well go there.” She sighed and tried to control her anger. Lashing out at Idris wouldn’t do any good. In times of need, you better relied on your friends, not pushed them away!
”You know that I can’t stand the thought of being cooped up somewhere. I am free like the wind. If there is any loophole to escape from, I must use it!”
But Idris was right to ask her about her plans, about the shape of this particular loophole she was seeking. It wouldn’t be good to act impulsively. Impulsive plans failed more often than not. It went against Brynn’s every good feeling to tell Idris more about her plans, as she was already getting the impression Idris would not stay behind. Such a stubborn girl!

”I know there are many of them… and it won’t be easy, I don’t have any false illusions. I tried the way through the dungeons, but they have put up double guards ever since they have a few of the knights down there in custody. They won’t take any chances.”
Biting her lips, she racked her brain for any solution at all, but there was none, save one. “We will have to go through the courtyard and the main gate” She sighed “There really is no other way. We will have to trick the guards to let us through.” The last time, when they had dealt with undead soldiers, she would not even have dreamt of such a solution, but now things were different. These were men, soldierfolk, and she had grown up amongst them, even these would be all kinds of worse. Still, there was something all men had in common.

[Idris]

Idris was starting to feel panicked by Brynn’s actions, mainly because she was starting to fear for her friends safety. Last time Morgana had taken over Camelot, Idris had kept her head down and she had survived, and that was all she intended to this time. In truth, it was probably safer in the citadel this time than it had been last time, after all, they weren’t up against men who couldn’t fall this time. Although it was still incredibly dangerous, Idris hadn’t even thought of leaving yet, it hadn’t even crossed her mind. After all, where would she go? She wouldn’t go back to her parents, because that would almost be like admitting that she had failed. Idris didn’t have any other family, so the only person who she was putting in danger by staying here was herself, and she knew that.

Idris was sure that Brynn was just acting rashly and that she really wasn’t thinking straight. How could she be thinking straight if she just thought that she was going to be able to run out of here by herself? She gave her a half enthusiastic smile at her words, she was right, at least they agreed that no where was safe. However, didn’t it make more sense to stay somewhere that they were familiar with? It meant that they could hide themselves. After all, Idris doubted that the knights were going to just give up; they hadn’t last time after all. Whether Brynn liked being cooped up or not, it seemed like a silly reason to just run out into danger, because she didn’t like being cooped up. “What loophole were you intending to use?” Idris asked, slightly folding her arms at her friend, she wasn’t going to let her run off into the night on an impulse. She wouldn’t let her go at all without someone by her side, she was sure of that. Idris would go with her, because there was safety in numbers, if Brynn went by herself, then she probably had less of a chance. These were dangerous times, not just because they were loyal to the King, but because they were women. Idris had heard horror stories of women being chased down by men in wartime, to satisfy their desires. A chill ran down Idris’s spine, she would rather die than surrender her honour in such a disgusting way.

Wait, she had already tried to get out by the dungeons? Idris almost felt panicked, did she not know the guard had been doubled there? Idris had heard that some of the knights had been taken there almost immediately as Morgana had taken over. The only saving grace was that Arthur had not been among them. “The training ground?” Idris repeated, but nodded, “I know it.” Her brain was ticking over faster than it probably should have done, and she was now only grateful that she was already wearing her cloak, as it was quite a cold night. She grabbed Brynn’s hand, “Come on, it’s now or never.” She was going with Brynn, because she wasn’t going to let her friend run off by herself. It still seemed like a silly plan in essence to Idris, but she could see the determination in Brynn’s eyes. If Idris couldn’t persuade her to not go, then she could try and protect her at the very least.

[Brynn Reade]

The more seconds trickled by, the surer Brynn became that leaving was her only option, or at least the only option she would be happy with. It was dangerous, yes, but Brynn was not called very considerate for nothing. She had thought this through for many hours, and now her decision was firmly set. She also was called stubborn once she had made up her mind. It would not be easy, but she still thought to have a chance, as little people knew about the old passageway in the parapet. Even if Morgana knew them, the chances of her telling the guards to keep an extra eye on them were slim. Brynn’s only problem were the regular guards on the walls. It was no coincidence the meadows below the walls were so free of cover, after all, they should make it difficult for approaching armies and easy for those on the wall. Principally, Brynn had nothing against that, but right now she would wish for a little cover. If someone on the walls saw them running towards the woods, they probably would open fire without hesitating. Or they would send men with horses after them… In usual times, Brynn knew the walking ways of the guards very well,as her father was one of them. But now? All patterns were off.

That wouldn’t stop her though. Nothing could. Brynn Reade had made up her mind. One thing she had been afraid of was what these rogues might do to their geese, but maybe that was another reason for best getting out of here. If she witnessed something happening to them, she would no doubt try and interfere… and that was not exactly following the idea of keeping your head low. She could already hear their boisterous laughter as they made fun of the ‘feisty goosemaiden’… no, better not give that any closer thought.
Idris slowly seemed to change her mind at least. Before, she head tried to convince Brynn that she was completely crazy, but now she was asking constructive questions. If there was any loophole in the far from watertight plan she had thought up, Idris would find it and rub her stubborn nose in it, no doubt of it.

But she did no such thing. “Wha—“ was all Brynn got out before she was dragged along and stumbled beside Idris through the corridor. What was going on here?! Did Idris really intend to go with her? It might be only logical after what had just passed between them, but still, it was madness! Idris had no reason to go out there, she would be alright staying put, as she had no one to think of, but herself.
”Idris, are you crazy??!!” she hissed, afraid to let her voice raise any higher. “One person sneaking out can be overlooked, but two?? I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me!”
The bad conscience now weighed heavily down on Brynn’s shoulders, but she knew Idris enough to know that there would be no arguing with her. Idris must be the most stubborn girl on the planet!
Brynn’s eyes and ears were alert to the utmost attention as both girls made their way down towards the courtyard. Hopefully no one would get suspicious just yet.

[Idris]

The more Idris spoke to her friend, the more panicked she was becoming about the situation. Of course living in Camelot, Idris had learned not to panic, and run in the face of danger. She hadn’t ever considered working in the castle as a particularly safe job. Even though Camelot wasn’t under attack every other week, they were under attack enough to make even living in the city a dangerous affair. However, the city in a way had a strong resilience to such attacks, and they were usually quick to hold together in the face of adversary, something Idris had learned to fall in line with over the years. However, in the face of Morgana’s attack, most had fled or were now in hiding. It struck Idris how afraid everyone was of the woman, despite all they had faced together before then. Then again, Morgana’s last rule had left a lasting effect on the population, and while the woman’s name had once been spoken with the highest regard in Camelot, now it was spoken only with despise and fear.

Idris was sure now that she was going with Brynn, no matter what. She wasn’t going to let her friend run off into the night by herself. Two hands were always better than one, and perhaps Idris could be of some help to her friend. She would rather be by Brynn’s side, helping her to find her family and gain safety than staying in the castle, serving the witch that now sat upon the throne. She had only been using her job as a way of surviving, and slipping through the net until now, but she almost felt empowered in a way. They were going to get away from the witch and steal away into the night. Despite all its dangers, Idris was rather caught up in the fantasy element of what they were about to do. Perhaps that was why she had always been named as a day dreamer.

Brynn’s concern was expected, Idris didn’t expect it to be that easy, nothing ever was with friends was it? Idris just shrugged off her friends concern. She was probably being too casual about this situation. Brynn had had time to think it through, and Idris hadn’t. However, she wasn’t considering that right now, she just wanted to help her friend and go with her. “Two heads are better than one.” She hissed at her friend, trying to keep her voice to a whisper as they continued through the castle. “Can’t have you wandering off without me can I? Whose ear would I chew off with the daily toils?” she was trying to make light of the situation, but she wasn’t budging, she was going with Brynn and that was that. “Right, where do we need to go now?”

[Brynn Reade]

Brynn had always been more a thinker than a doer, and as such she felt a little bit lost in this situation. She had felt relatively safe before, her resolution had been made, she would try to sneak out of Camelot and that was that. She knew there would be no second try, should she get caught once, but that was part of her decision. Now however the situation had changed, and she needed to reconsider some parts of her plan. But time was wasting, she could not ponder much. She would have to improvise, and she always hated improvising. Of course, she was somehow glad she would now not have to go through this alone, and she wondered how on earth she could deserve such a friend as Idris, but still… the situation was far from being ideal. There was no one to blame however, least of all Idris herself. It would be a good training for her spontaneity in any way. She simply had to stop worrying now. Worry made you slow.

“Alright, thank you!” she whispered, quickly reaching for Idris’ hand and squeezing it. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. No complaints! This is going to be our very own adventure, comparable to anything our king and his knights would have to go through!” It sounded so grand when you put it that way, almost exciting. It surely would be an exciting story only to hear, but it was a completely different thing when you lived it. When it was your life and wellbeing at stake.
Now the next steps had to be considered carefully. The way to the gate of course went across the courtyard, a very convenient fact for the guards who would watch over this open space, but not so very convenient for Brynn and Idris now. The courtyard might be deserted at this time of night, but they could still be discovered.

“Maybe it’s even good we’re a pair now”, she whispered, while she beckoned Idris to follow her and then pressed herself against a wall, peeking around the corner to see if someone was waiting there in front of the door that lead to the outside. “One of us can always look if the coast is clear. I doubt the door is locked, but it’s very thick. We wouldn’t hear if someone’s waiting outside until we actually tried to open it.”
They would have to think of a good explanation should they be halted. Maybe not everyone would think of two servants trying to flee right away, because when it came down to it it was a stupid thing to do. Maybe that would be their trump card in the end? Brynn’s heart already started to beat heavily against her ribcage, even though the trickiest part was yet to come. She really wasn’t one for adventure, but now she had to be.

[Idris]

Idris found herself smiling as Brynn described this as a sort of adventure. It was the sort of thing which Idris would have said to her brothers and sisters as a bedtime story. After all, this was an adventure, yes, but they weren’t prepared for it at all. Brynn might have had time to think this through, but Idris certainly hadn’t. She had just been keeping her head down, and seeing what happened. She had just been surviving, and that was all. “You won’t hear a peep out of me.” Idris promised faithfully and shot her friend a smile.

Well at least Brynn had seen sense now, that she couldn’t go at this alone. It was silly for a woman to try and steal away into the night, not matter what the situation. Idris had heard many tales of vulnerable women out alone in the middle of the night, and she would not want any harm to come to her friend. They were two unarmed women, but that was better than one unarmed woman wasn’t it? They were less of a target, or at least Idris hoped so. This was dangerous, and if either of them denied that fact then they would be lying of course. Neither of them had any means of protecting themselves. Idris tried to brush these thoughts from her mind, but it was hard. She was taking this decision quite quickly but it shouldn’t be something to be taken lightly. After all, she was abandoning her home, and running off into the night. Where on earth would they go from here? Idris had a few coins in the purse she kept with her at all times, but that was it. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Idris said rather gruffly, and began to walk towards the armoury door, constantly checking around her.

She felt like a rabbit stopped by a hunt every time she heard a noise. Jesu, this was ridiculous. She was jumping at shadows; she was better than this! She looked up at the door of the armoury, she was sure at this hour no one would be inside, maybe a servant cleaning but that was it. No servant would give them away, so they could only hope that if there was someone inside, it was a friendly face rather than one of the new guards. Placing her hand on the door, she tried to shift it. As Brynn had said, it was rather thick, and therefore one woman would find it hard to open. “Come on, two hands will make light work of this.” Their combined effort would shift the door enough for them to slip inside quickly.

[Brynn Reade]

Seeing the fun and adventuresome side of this was definitely helping with anxiety issues, Brynn found. Was this why parents often told their children dangerous situations were nothing but a game, and it was not real? This was anything but a game of course, and they both would have to be careful not to lag in their watchfulness, but at least now she wouldn’t have the fear of fainting any second. Brynn had only fainted once in her life and that had been out of pain, when she had been hit by that blasted crossbow bolt when Morgana first took over. Morgana… the evil sorceress more than the ‘lady’ or – heaven forbid – the ‘queen’. She was the reason for all this, wasn’t she? Idris and Brynn were not only getting themselves to safety, they were also defying Morgana. Showing that it could be done. That they could escape from the spider’s net. That alone was worth it.

Never being much of a leader person, Brynn didn’t have anything against Idris taking some things in her competent hands. Not in the least. She was not only following her, she would be her companion in crime, and she could take the lead whenever Brynn was too hesitant and too engrossed in her own thoughts to act with due swiftness. Just like now. She was thinking too much of the if and when, while they had come to a standstill, and it was Idris who dared the enterprise towards the double winged door first. Brynn had just resigned to the watchman role, when Idris asked for her help. Now that was something she could deal with and which didn’t require much consideration.

As swiftly and silently as she could, Brynn rushed to her friend’s side, and started to pull it at the large handles. The door softly creaked in its hinges and the low sound seemed like a flourish that rang through the whole castle, causing Brynn’s heart to falter and nearly stop. It was now or never! As she was leaning closest to the gap they had created, she hesitantly peeked through it, but could not find anyone in her visual field. Now, being any more hesitant would only be suspicious, and so Brynn pushed harder, and then slipped through the door, taking a quick look around with pent up breath.

The courtyard was empty, but she could see soldiers up on the parapet, their backs still turned towards them as they watched over the upper and lower town. Brynn released the breath in a long, relieved sigh, and then whispered back to Idris: “Quick, get through, the coast is clear!” And while she did, she already made her way down the stairs, trying to look as inconspicious and normal as possible, she even adopted some kind of lazy swagger.

[Idris]

Thinking of the whole thing as an adventure just seemed to trivialise everything, but maybe that was what they both needed. They’d made up their minds to go now, so they were committed to this, and there was no going back. Therefore anything which could make this seem more pleasant was more than welcome in Idris’s eyes. She’d often dreamt of adventure of a child, as who didn’t really, but now it was staring her in the face she was afraid. Nothing in Camelot was safe anymore, and it was time she recognised that and got to grips with the situation at hand. Brynn needed her help, and it would be no good if Idris just stood here panicking about everything in the process. If they were caught that was the end of it, literally. They had to try though, they were damned if they did, damned if they didn’t. However, at least this way they both had a chance.

Idris only vaguely knew the ways around the castle, she was never that good with directions, but especially not at night. Brynn seemed to know where she was going though, which was fortunate for both of them really. Two heads were certainly better than one, and it meant they had more chance of seeing this through. Bad situations were always made lighter when you had a friend to experience it all with you. They had finally reached the door, and Idris took a slight inhale of breath and ran her hand through her hair. She wasn’t quite sure what to do now, and she froze slightly and looked to her friend for guidance. Eventually, Idris had the initiative to open the door, and she smiled as Brynn went to help her as well. Encouragingly, she grinned at her, and the pair pushed until the door was opened enough for them to slip through. Jesu, the knights were either incredibly strong or there was another way of getting into that room. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to go through that everytime they came down here.

At Brynn’s words, she nodded and followed her friend into the room. There was only dim light to show their path, but it was enough for Idris. She continued to follow Brynn and bit her lip, they’d left the door open, but they didn’t have time to shut it did they? Opening it had been hard enough after all. “Where are we going now?” She whispered towards her friend as she avoided tripping up over the various weaponry which was scattered in the room.