A Shifty Look About Him [ Arthur / Nicolae ]

[nicolae]

It had been a few days after the dragon had attacked Camelot during the night. He had only arrived that day, under permission of the Lady Sasha Tiberius. Nic could not put his finger on why, but despite being total strangers to each other they had quickly become friends. Since he had no real rank in the castle he had offered to help out with servant duties. The night the dragon attacked was something very similar to a horrible nightmare, if not the same thing. . . only a reality. It was very fortunate he had arrived in Camelot when he did, for no one would have been able to save the Lady Sasha’s life when it was needed. It had been him to have pushed her into safety when the dragon breathed its’ fire. Luckily he had not been burned, but even if he had been it wouldn’t have been major.

After the dragon had left the castle in ruins, he had been acknowledged for his works by saving the Lady Sasha. She owed her life to him, and he knew that alone took their friendship to another level. Surprisingly, he had been made Sasha’s servant and had been so past few days. He had yet to properly greet the Prince, but hopefully sometime soon. Right now he was bringing the newly clean and dry clothes to his mistress, walking through one of the hallways. He entered her chambers and gave them to her, and while he was there willingly made her bed. She dismissed him, and so he left her chambers. It was already near evening, and he would have the rest of the night to himself.

Setting: Castle of Camelot

Time of Day: Near Evening

Timeline: A couple of days after "The Last Dragonlord"

Tag: Arthur Pendragon

[Arthur Pendragon]

Things had been chaotic -- to say the least -- during the past few days. So much had happened. The kingdom had been attacked by a ruthless beast. So many innocent people had been killed. The city was practically in ruins. And Morgana was missing. Morgana. Arthur's heart ached for her every second she was not here. She had been kidnapped by Morgause, a sorceress who Arthur considered to be one of his Camelot's -- and personally -- greatest enemy. He was terrified for his sister, maybe not by blood but in heart. He wanted to bring her home, so that she could be within the safety of the castle walls. But he had failed in protecting her. He refused to accept she was gone for good though. Which was why he had set out early in the morning on his own to search for her.

The others could continue reparations in the city and castle, but he had to at least try to look for her. Besides, it was one endeavor that his father would never discourage for he knew that her abduction was taking a great toll on him. Everyone was massively impacted by her sudden disappearance. Including Guinevère. He hated seeing her so distraught for her best friend and mistress was missing. He had failed her, he had failed his father, and ultimately, failed Morgana. The guilt was too great, though he could not allow it to effect his duties. So he tucked it away in his heart, so that he could keep a level head while being what the kingdom needed right now; a prince to help restore it to what it was before the violent attacks.

Speaking of violent attacks, he had heard that his dear friend Lady Sasha had been injured while Arthur had been off with Merlin searching for Balinor -- which had proved to be a wasted attempt. He had not seen her for the past several days and chose now, when he just returned from a fruitless search for Morgana, to quickly check and see how she was doing. Walking in the hall way towards her chambers, he saw a somewhat familiar face. He did not know the servant well, but did recall seeing him serve Lady Sasha. Ah yes. He was her newest servant. And that annoyed the Prince. He did not think it was appropriate for this man to be her personal servant and did not often attempt to hide his disagreement with this, though he would remain professional about it.

Even though they were walking in opposite directions, he walked so that he stood in front of him so that he would know Arthur meant to start a conversation with him. If he was leaving Sasha's chambers, she must have dismissed for the night, which meant that perhaps she was resting. He would find out from her servant though. "How is Lady Sasha?" He inquired, considering that the more important question other than blurting out something along the lines of 'why are you her servant' . . . or something a bit more threatening such as 'do not ever get the wrong idea.' But for now, he would remain civil for her well being was far more important than Arthur's disapproval of their arrangement.

[nicolae]

Nicolae began walking from Sasha's chambers, intending to go straight back to his house in the lower town. He then saw the Prince walking his way, and giving an attempt to be respectful he turned his amber gaze away. But then the Prince of Camelot came to stand in front of him, forcing Nic to stop. He looked back to the Prince, and hearing his question he was quite quick to answer. He knew that Arthur was very close to Lady Sasha, or at least from she'd told him. "She is well, Sire. Her injury is healing very quickly," he responded to the question. "She's resting now."

It was actually nice to engage in conversation with the Prince, to get to know him better possibly. As if he hadn't heard enough about him from Sasha. What he didn't understand was how she could be so fond of the King's son. Nicolae couldn't expect her to see the royal family like he did, but it was the Prince's father who had killed so many of his kind. Upon coming to Camelot, he had stopped practicing magic and hadn't done so for long time. But the point was, he was willing to 'give the Prince a chance'. But just for Sasha.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was not sure what to make of this servant that Sasha had selected. He seemed polite and respectful enough and at the same time, Arthur was not quick to forget how closely he worked for Lady Sasha, and how they were in close quarters and . . . well, Arthur was going to get to the bottom of his intentions, even if on the surface they seemed innocent enough. Sasha was obviously a very beautiful woman, so the reason as to why a man would want to work for her as a personal servant was not difficult to figure out. Either way, Arthur would get to know this man better, just to clear any sort of suspicions.

Going back to the more prominent issue of Lady Sasha's well being, Arthur re-focused his attention on that. "If she is resting, then I shall not disturb her." He would wait for a better time to check on her. Besides, she needed as much rest as she could get. He doubted anyone in the castle and city was able to get much rest after all the chaos with the attacks and the constant fear of being directly impacted by it. "Perhaps you could tell me what happened then," he said, wanting to know the extent of her injuries as he was unable to see for himself tonight, and he was a bit impatient to hear as much as he could about her.

[nicolae]

Nicolae looked a little more intently at the Prince with his amber eyes. "She has a small cut on her upper arm. Gaius said that it would take about a week or two to heal fully," he answered the Prince. He was not going to mention that he was the one that had rescued Sasha, as it would come out like he were boasting about it. And he just wasn't that type of person. Besides, maybe he had heard from others?

"It's causing her some pain," Nic went on to the Prince, and added with an impressed voice. "But she seems to be handling it very well." And this truly did impress him. When Sasha should have been in great pain from her wounds she instead just dealt with it slowly, trying to show that she was still strong and able. He had never met a woman like her. . . one that seemed as brave as a knight. And that was what impressed him.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur listened intently as her servant began to explain the severity of her wounds. Cuts should not be taken lightly as there was a risk for complications such as infection that could lead to severe conditions. But she was in good hands, as Gaius was the greatest physician. Surely, he would ensure that nothing happened to her. Nothing else happened to her that is. Arthur was not however surprised to hear him say that she was handling the pain well. She always did. It was one of the things he had specifically told Delilah when encountering her that day: to not underestimate Sasha. Arthur would never do such a thing, for he had seen first hand just how brave the woman was.

"That does not surprise me," he said, his voice showing that he was a bit distracted by his thoughts. He paused for a few moments before refocusing his attention onto Nic. "She is a strong and brave woman," he added, suddenly wondering why he was offering such compliments about Sasha to a man he did not even trust. A man that -- in his eyes -- was a bit shifty. "What exactly happened that caused this?" He asked. It would at least be easier to ask him than Sasha, so that she would not be forced to recall the traumatic accident. He did not want to put her in such a position.

[nicolae]

The Prince asked how the Lady Sasha had received the wound. Hmmmm. . . what exactly could he say that would not anger him? To. . . explain that it was basically his fault that she had been wounded on the shoulder. Then again, if he hadn't pushed her out of the way something far worse would have happened. "I pushed her out of the way when the dragon breathed it's fire at her, and. . . unfortunately, she was still wounded," the servant explained to Arthur. "We. . . both were."

He could not help but wonder how the Prince would respond to this. Would he blame him for Sasha's wounds, forgetting that it was better than being burnt by a dragon? Or would he be appreciative of his actions? Again, Nicolae did not want to boast. And he was not. It was just. . . most people of royalty were known to be a bit touchy and non-appreciative at times. Which meant Nicolae might be in a bit of trouble in a moment, for 'hurting' a woman of nobility.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur had not quite expected to hear that. He did not realized, nor had it been indicated to him, that Nicolae had saved Sasha's life. Of course, there were the questions of how she had been in the direct line of the dragon's fire to begin with, that entered his mind. But he also knew that will all the chaos, it was easy for people to get unaccounted for. He was only grateful, as he was before, that her words had not been more serious . . . apparently, thanks to her servant. Arthur looked at him, slightly skeptical. Not because he thought that Nicolae was lying, as the servant knew that Arthur could just as easily find out the truth by asking Sasha. But skeptical because he still did not know what his motives were, and that made the prince rather uncomfortable. "You, saved her life?" He said, both as a question and a statement; more so vocal acknowledgment.

He had pushed Guinevère out of harm's way because he loved her. So why did Nicolae push Sasha out of the way? If it was for the same reason, then he was going to suggest that Nicolae be relieved from his duties. It was even worse for a man to be in love with his mistress . . . who knew all the ways he could take advantage of that, or her! "You must really care for your mistress," he told him, the skepticism only slightly evident in his tone. Arthur had to make sure that some of it could be read, for his comment had been made to subtly demand a further explanation for his reasons for doing what he did. He would get back to the rest of what Nicolae had said, later.

[nicolae]

"I did, Sire," Nicolae responded politely, the voice of boasting thankfully no where to be found. The servant had no idea that the Prince was a bit skeptical, for he hadn't recognized the emotion when he looked at him. Nor did it really matter, because Nic did know that he could just as easily find out from his mistress.

"Well. . . yes, I guess you can say that," he replied, with a slightly nervous tone. Nicolae did not want Prince Arthur to think he cared for her in that way, especially because he knew from what Sasha had told him that there was something affectionate, if you will, going on between them. Nic considered it a bit dangerous to even attempt something like that, even if Sasha seemed to like him in some way. And the skeptism he sensed in the Prince's voice deepened his belief of this. "But I couldn't just let an innocent woman die when I very well could have helped her."

[Arthur Pendragon]

Hmmm. His intentions seemed honorable enough, but Arthur still had his doubts. His distrust for this man was still great, and he wondered if they would ever be alleviated. Perhaps Arthur was not used to this idea of a male serving a woman . . . maybe the only way to move past it would be through seeing him at work. Time would tell what his intentions truly were, and Arthur would be there to keep a very close eye on him. Well, as best as he could. But he would never be dismissive of Sasha's well being. Especially when she came here in the castle as a way to claim sanctuary; to seek protection from the danger that befell her, aka, her crazy mother. The castle was meant to be a protective, well guarded place. To think that someone on the inside would have cruel or indecent thoughts towards someone else . . . yes, Arthur was going to be keeping a very close watch on him indeed. "That seems like a reasonable thought," he said in a low voice, deciding to acknowledge his supposedly honorable actions.

After all, had he not said that he too was wounded in the process? Speaking of which . . . "What injuries did you sustain in your actions to save her?" They did not seem too serious, or life threatening, for he was standing here conversing with the Prince. He did not seem like he was in a great deal of pain, but that could be easily accredited to Gaius who often gave excellently effective medicine to help with the pain of any wounds. So Arthur still had yet to hear the severity of Nicolae's injuries.

[nicolae]

"Just a few a simple burns," Nicolae explained, not wanting to go into detail about himself. He had sustained wounds such as srapes from skidding slightly on the ground and a few minor burns on his right side that he was thankfully able to cover up under his shirt. "Nothing really." He felt bad that Sasha had had to suffr greater wounds than him, in the sense of potential difficulties. His burns would not become infected, as they were far too minor and with Gaius' treatments infection would be slim to nothing. However, who knew with Sasha's wound? Even with Gaius' treatments, infection was more likely than his own wounds.

Nic was not going to say anything more about his wounds, or Sasha's. "I'm just glad Sasha's still alive," he said with a tone of relief in his voice. He looked at the Prince intently, his amber eyes glowing bright as he thought of something he could definately blurt out. With a smile, he whispered a bit loudly, "After all, she speaks very fondly of you." With this, he was lightly indicating that perhaps the Lady Sasha had intimate feelings for the prince. That perhaps they had an affetionate relationship.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Seeing as how he was still moving about, Arthur knew that either they really were as minimal as he was saying, or that perhaps Gaius had already tended to them. It was better to be sure of this. "Did you have them looked at by our court physician?" He asked, still holding that formality in his tone, but there was a stronger underlying concern in his question. Whether he liked to admit it or not, this man had saved someone who Arthur held very dear to his heart. For that, he was indebted to him. This was easier felt than said though. But he knew he could not let his actions go entirely unnoticed. It was important to commemorate someone who saved another life, whether they be servants or not. He even tried to convince Guinevère to allow him to publicly acknowledge her heroism, but she often asked him not to. And he never wished to go against her preference.

"That is something we both can feel relieved about," Arthur added in a thoughtful voice when he spoke about his content that she was alive. Perhaps he was misjudging this man's loyalty . . . but only time would prove this. Arthur was not one to openly discuss his relationship with others . . . which is why the man's comment somewhat surprised him. But not enough to offend him. "She is very dear to me," he told him, feeling rather uncomfortable revealing such a thing to a complete stranger. To alleviate that kind of discomfort, he made sure his words also held a sort of warning to them. As if to warn him that if he dared try to do anything to her; to cause her any harm . . . that Arthur would not take too kindly to that at all. "Which is why I am all too relieved to hear that she is alright. And am grateful to you as it is clear that you are responsible for this. " That was his way of thanking him, or at least, beginning to express his gratitude.

[nicolae]

"Yes, Sire," Nicolae nodded abruptly. "He gave me something to numb the pain." And had told him not to irritate that part of his body. Thankfully, it was just a small patch, taking up his side; specifically the skin around his rib cage. To hear the Prince say that Sasha was very dear to him, which did not come to a surprise at all to him, was good. Though Arthur hadn't said anything specific, it was more than enough to tell Nic that there was something -- if only just a strong bond -- between them. And being a servant, he wouldn't make any "moves". Not that it had even entered his mind! Because it hadn't. That would be too. . . weird.

But enough of that. Nicolae heard Arthur go on to basically thank him for his actions. "It was no trouble," he said, very unfortunately regaining the nervousness in his voice. "I was only looking out for her."

[ I miss roleplaying as Nic! <3 He's so shifty, but at the same time he nothing to hide! Excepting the fact that he's a sorceror! x3 ]

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur gave a short nod when Nicolae confirmed that he had been given something to numb the pain. It seemed bearable for him, as he was out and about. But still. It was good to hear that he had been tended to. That he was not someone who would be added onto the list of causalities; the list of the deceased all from the dragon attacks. The list was long enough as it was. When Nicolae went on to say it was no trouble, Arthur knew he couldn't entirely agree. It was trouble -- for it had almost cost him his life -- but it was one Arthur was glad he took, for it saved Sasha. And because both Sasha and Nicolae had come out alive from it. Had he not taken the risk, then Sasha may not have made it.

It just brought back the question of why was he so devoted to Sasha, if he had entirely innocent thoughts towards her. Usually -- at least the way it had worked for Arthur's own man servant -- the person would save someone of rank and then be rewarded by a position in the royal household for it. But Nicolae had already been Sasha's servant, and so there was something about him that . . . Sasha trusted? "How is it that you came to be Sasha's servant?" He asked, knowing that he must be missing something; there had to be something he just didn't see. He never trusted Nicolae because he had been a man serving a woman . . . but he was now talking to him, and may as well get as many answers as he could.

[[ HHAH Awwww Nic is awesome!!! Hahaha yeaah just that small little concealed fact! Thats ok though!! Arthur thinks he's shifty for entirely different reasons hahah poor Nic! He's practically getting interrogated in this thread! ]]

[nicolae]

Hmmm. Difficult question to answer. He didn't know if the prince would approve of his answer, but he couldn't lie either. Especially to the prince. What if he didn't believe him and decided to ask Sasha Tiberius and she told the truth? Then he'd be clarified as a liar, and who knew... For lying to the prince, he may be prosecuted. Eh, he'd just tell the truth. At least Sasha trusted him. "We quickly became friends the day I arrived at Camelot. Just before the dragon attacked, she decided to make me her servant, to see how well I'd do," he quickly explained. "My lord," he added kind of awkwardly. Nicolae was heading out tonight, possibly to do a little night hunting with a dusty crossbow he'd found in town. Or perhaps just go off and spend a secret night under the stars of Camelot? Both sounded quite intriguing. And completely his taste.

He knew what the prince was thinking, he could read his face. Not many would be capable of doing such a thing, read someone's face and figure out basically what they might be thinking. It looked like he was suspecting something, or perhaps it also looked like Arthur was wondering... Well, he didn't know really. But it held suspicion. He did not blame the prince; it was not long ago that he'd been a bandit slave to Hougen, he must still have that virtual criminal aura. Nic just didn't realize how strong it still was on him. If the Prince only knew what he'd done, for example kidnapping the princess of Mercia. Shame though, he'd never wanted to do it. He'd been forced by the threat of death at the hands of Hougen to do it.

[Arthur Pendragon]

They became friends? Just like that? Arthur found that difficult to believe. For servants and nobles did not just . . . automatically become friends. While he was slowly starting to believe in equality, and the line between ranks was becoming more blurred and have more shades of grey, Arthur did not believe that he just randomly befriended her. That just, seldom happened. He looked at Nicolae with slight skepticism, as if to show that he did not entirely believe his story. But nor would he call him an outright liar. "You became friends, just like that?" He asked, speaking aloud his earlier thoughts. He took a step towards him, his attempt to assert, not his authority but just his presence. More so as a warrior than a prince.

He was not a man of wordy threats, but nor was he just going to passively sit by. Especially since this man was now in his home, tending to a friend of his. And he did not trust him. "It is a high honor to be the servant of someone in this household." With Merlin, he had to save his life and that had been his granted reward. "It would be wise not to abuse such an honor." His way of telling Nicolae . . . not to do anything stupid. Not to do anything that would require Arthur's personal attention. It was his way, of warning him with a subtle underlying threat in his tone, not to do anything shifty in this castle, and especially to Sasha.

[nicolae]

Nicolae kind of figured that he'd say that. “Well, we didn't become friends that quickly. It took a couple of days,” he explained bluntly. He knew that he had better not give the prince the wrong idea about his intentions toward Sasha — not that he had any — or more than his sides would be hurt. He could tell they shared something deep. The prince gave a long explanation about how it was a high honor to be the servant of noble here in Camelot.

He completely understood that, and was very grateful that he had become Sasha's servant. “I know that,” Nic said quietly. Whatever he said when he was nervous made him sound shifty anyway, so it really wasn't worth trying to sound any different. He couldn't help it. Even when he was not planning anything close to inappropriate for the Lady Sasha. “I see it as a great honor to be a servant in this household, Sire. There is no reason that anyone should not trust me, just because my mistress is... well... a girl.”