Team Brains and Brawn (Arthur/Rouland)

[Rouland de Archer]

Rouland was striding faster than usual from the stables. He’d half thrown the reigns of his horse into the hands of the waiting stable boy as he had asked how long Rouland was going to be staying in Camelot for. To say the man was in a bad mood was probably the largest understatement of the century. He had been tied up in his affairs so much over the past few days he had only realised that events were taking a turn for the worse when Mercian troops were threatening to invade Camelot. He was furious, what on earth had Uther been thinking, imprisoning the King of Mercia?

Obviously Rouland had no place in telling the King what he should and should not do, but as Rouland was a Mercian nobleman he had expected to at least have been informed of why events were unfolding at they were. If the troops had invaded Camelot then that would have been a disaster. His brother Payton, and Caitrin’s father, had been part of the troops threatening to march unless their King was released. Now that had been a worrying thought, de Archer against de Archer.

Caitrin had naturally been in Camelot during the King’s visit, and had come home the second that the King had been imprisoned. She’d said something about a cup, and some servant being poisoned and of course it had all been blamed on King Baynard. Replaying his niece’s words in his head just made him even angrier, anyone could have sabotaged the cup, it had been a rash move on Uther’s part, and one Rouland did not agree with.

“Wait!” Rouland turned round to find his niece clipping the back of his heels, half running after him,

“I told you not to come.” He snapped back angrily, making his way up the stairs and into the castle. Caitrin wasn’t about to give up that easily and she hitched up her skirts as she ran up the stairs after her Uncle,

“Hey, I deserve answers as much as you do.” She pointed out but Rouland did not turn around to answer her, he was already making his way towards the throne room, he wanted an explanation for this outrage against the kingdom he had grown up in; personally. They reached the throne room and Caitrin was rearranging her dress as the run had pulled at her belt and Rouland rounded on her,

“Go back to the horses, I will speak with you once I have finished here.” Caitrin didn’t flinch but stood up to him and shook her head,

“I’m not going anywhere.” Rouland groaned, he wasn’t in the mood for this.

“I need to speak with the King.” He then said very quickly to the guard outside the throne room who looked slightly nervous,

“My Lord, King Uther is busy in his chambers, but the Prince Arthur is attending business in the throne room.” Rouland’s face was already red with anger, now he was being degraded to not receive answers from the King, but his son? Caitrin however was pleased at the turn of events, she was good friends with Arthur. Rouland held his hands up to stop the guards announcing them and turned round to his niece again,

“You are not coming in, go back to the horses.” He was trying to be calm with her. Good Lord, she tested his patience a bit too much sometimes, she was only seventeen but the stress she caused him always made a goblet of wine seem all the more needed at the end of the day. Caitrin went to protest and he grabbed her wrist, hard, “I said go back to the horses, you are my ward and you will do as I will.” Caitrin pulled her hand from his grip angrily and stormed off in the direction of the horses and Rouland took a few moments to compose himself before nodding to the guards to announce him to the Prince.

He stepped into the throne room and gave a short bow, “My Lord Prince.” Was all he could say, he was still furious, furious with his nieces behaviour, furious he could not see the king, but most of all, furious about the situation with Mercia.

Timeline: Just after the Poisoned Chalice
Setting: The Throne Room of Camelot Castle
Music: Behold the Great King of England- The Tudors OST
Tags: Arthur Pendragon[/size]

[Arthur Pendragon]

Everything had happened so fast . . . and in those fast moments, things had heated to an unimaginable tension. They had worked for many years to try and establish peace with Mercia, only to have everyone on the verge of crumbling because someone had poisoned a goblet. No; because someone had framed Bayard. The evidence had been right there and even Bayard himself seemed at such a loss of words as to how to explain how the gift he had given Arthur was laced with poison. Thankfully, things had settled before war broke out; before Mercian troops invaded Camelot to save their king. It was an understandable action, as any knights loyal to their sovereign would invade a kingdom that imprisoned their ruler . . . but everything had been stopped. With the evidence showing it had been someone else who was the culprit, they had no choice but to release Bayard. And thank god they had released on decent terms. The treaty was still in effect, though Arthur was not naive enough to believe there was no tension between both kingdoms.

At the same time, he knew they would honor the treaty and that was what granted Arthur peace of mind . . . since it had been his life which had been threatened. But many other things filled the young prince's thoughts. How Merlin had nearly died for him. This action was making Merlin seem less like just a servant, and more of a trusted friend. Which was indeed an odd thing for Arthur never became friends with servants. Unlike Morgana who was practically sisters with her handmaiden, Guinevère. But in this case, Arthur was understanding what it was to be friends with someone of a lower class. For just as quickly as Merlin had been willing to drink from the goblet -- knowing full well it was poisoned --, Arthur had been quick to defy his father and ride out to dangerous lands to save his friend. Only to have returned and been thrown in the dungeon, the flower nearly destroyed and thus . . . Merlin coming so close to death. But everything had worked out for the best, and Arthur could not be more relieved to have seen that Merlin was healed and well.

Arthur eventually released from the dungeon, several days later and just in time to see Bayard set off with his men . . . under peaceful terms. So there was just one more question on the Prince's mind; well, one more prominent question. And that was, where the hell had that light come from. Arthur was truly believing that someone out there was looking out for him . . . and he wanted to know who. For that had saved his life; helped him find his way out of the caves before the Balorian spiders had him for dinner fodder. But he could not question aloud such things. He had mentioned it to Morgana, even mentioned the mysterious woman he met to his father . . . but that was all he could speak of it. The king already despised magic and to constantly bring it up as one of the many attacks on the kingdom, would only make his father angry. Or well, angrier than he already was. So Arthur now sat in the throne room, tending to various council matters -- ones that fell under his jurisdiction. He was reading over some papers as the councilmen spoke when he heard someone enter and speak.

Arthur looked up and immediately rose to his feet when he saw who it was: Lord Rouland. A very furious looking Rouland. It only took a second for Arthur to realize the source of his anger. But of course! He had not even thought about it until just now. Caitrin had been in the city during the entire thing, but her uncle had not. And here he was, in demand for answers no doubt. Arthur kept his gaze focused on Rouland as he passed one of the papers to someone nearby. "Leave us," he said, informing everyone else in the room to give them privacy. He obviously did not feel his life was in danger or anything, even though he had never seen Rouland so infuriated. And he could not blame him. Had he been in his position, Arthur would have been fuming as well. When everyone exited the room, the doors closed behind them -- with knowledge that the guards were just outside should things get too intense -- Arthur took a few steps towards him.

"Lord Rouland," he finally greeted, trying to remain formal, but knowing he needed to explain things. Where the hell was his father?! He should be the one dealing with this as he and Rouland were better friends. But alas, it had come to Arthur to deal with, and he would have to choose his words carefully when explaining the situation to him. "What can I help you with?" He asked. He knew what, but he meant . . . precisely what. Did he want to know the entire story? Did he already know fragments of it? Judging from his angered state, he had learned the entirety of the situation and just did not react well to it . . . or he only knew bits and pieces of it. "The king is busy at the moment, if you prefer to wait for him?" Did he prefer to speak to him rather than Arthur? Or was he too impatient for answers? Either one was completely understandable. And Arthur would handle this with as much professionalism as possible. He was a prince after all, and eventually the day would come where all matters fell to him . . . for one day, he would be king.

[Rouland de Archer]

Rouland could not remember a time when he had been quite outraged at the political goings on within Camelot. Uther had always been quite reasonable with his foreign policies and dealings with other nations in Albion and beyond. In this matter, for whatever reason, everything had seemed to just go wrong. And of course it would be with the Kingdom of Mercia which the negativities would be associated with. Rouland was sure a letter from his dear brother asking for an explanation would not be far from arriving at his door, and he would prefer to send him the whole story, rather than the distorted fragments he had received from Caitrin. He was certain that girls head was in the clouds half the time.

As the Prince dismissed the other men in the throne room he could only say he was glad at a private audience. He wanted a private setting for their meeting as in his eyes it was a delicate matter. Of course he had lived in Camelot for most of his life, but he was still classed as a nobleman from Mercia, even though he had come to Camelot at the age of fifteen to marry. He was somewhat insulted that he had not been summoned earlier to receive some sort of explanation from the King or the Prince. However, that was not something to kick and scream about now, and that certainly was not Rouland’s way. “I am here for answers my Lord Prince.” It was a rather blunt statement, but it was also a sort of open request and now they were alone he felt he could be a little more forwards. After all, he had known the Prince most of his life, he was not some visiting nobleman, he had shown loyalty for the Pendragon’s for years so he felt like it was not an unreasonable request to expect answers in this matter.

“My niece, Caitrin, has come to me with alarming news- that your father, the King, saw fit to imprison the Mercian King Baynard, and I am here to wonder on what grounds this insult came from?” After all, his brother Payton had been one of the ones advancing on Camelot after the news about Baynard had broken out. It had been one of the only times he had actually seen Caitrin worried; of course she had thought that if her father had crossed the border he would have made her return to Mercia with him. Luckily her fears were not realised, but it had just added more trauma to the whole event for their family. “After all, I am sure there is some reasonable explanation.”

Of course he would rather wait for the King, however time was against him. He was here now and wanted answers directly from Arthur. Also, he had left Caitrin waiting by the horses and lord knows if that girl was anything, it was impatient. If he was forced to wait another hour or so she would defiantly find a way to sneak herself into the next meeting. No, it would be better for everyone involved if there was only one de Archer present to demand answers. “I am here now, so I would prefer to get answers directly from you.” He said rather simply. He did not cross his arms as he hardly wanted to appear rude in front of the future King of Camelot.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Rouland's first words were as Arthur suspected. Though he remained entirely composed, he still felt this was a conversation Rouland should be having with his father. But it was only here and something about his current state told Arthur that Rouland wanted answers, here and now. After all, he had not rode out to the castle from his estate only to wait longer to receive answers regarding what had taken place. His next words made it slightly more difficult for Arthur to remain composed. Though he managed it, as it was a skill he had perfected over the years. No matter what tension existed between him and his father, he would never approve nor condone insults made against his king . . . and what Rouland said, was borderline insult. Making it sound as if his father had just randomly imprisoned Bayard, making it sound like an insult when at the time . . . it had looked so clear that Bayard was the one insulting them.

Which was an understatement considering at the time, it had appeared as if he was trying to murder the prince of Camelot. But Arthur stayed calm and collected. He just hoped Rouland would guard his words for Arthur knew that sometimes when one was so angry, harsh words came out in the heat of the moment. And he would hate to have to tell off Rouland for insulting his father and king. "There is more to it than that," Arthur began to explain, now going more along with the assumption that Rouland had not in fact heard the whole story. Only the very specific part about Bayard being imprisoned without the reasons as to why. Made sense too since Arthur had not even spoken to Caitrin about it. "There is a very valid explanation for it. But first I must ask that you calm down." Before he said something he would regret. Arthur motioned towards the table set on the side, for when the council members had been in here.

"Please, have a seat so that we can talk about this rationally." And not let either of their anger allow them to control what slipped out of their mouths. Arthur's concern mostly was due to the fact that he had never seen Rouland this upset before, and he had known him for many, many years. He was a good friend of Camelot's, despite his foreign roots, and Arthur did not wish to lose his loyalty by making him feel betrayed. Nor did he wish to push him to saying something against Uther which Arthur certainly would not tolerate. Only few could get away with saying such things. Hell, even Arthur would defy his father . . . but seldom in public. "I will give you answers," Arthur confirmed, still wondering if Rouland would take a seat to help calm himself or if he preferred to stand to blow off some steam.

[Rouland de Archer]

The fact that the Prince remained composed in front of Rouland was helping his temper slightly. If there was nothing to feed his anger than it would certainly start to subside. He obviously did not want to appear rude, nor disrespectful in his manner, but he had felt the whole thing had been badly done and he felt like he deserved an explanation. He breathed out slowly, trying to disperse at least a bit of his temper. Of course he had not been there at the time of the feast, and for that he could only express regret. It had been one of the few feasts he had meant to attend but business had kept him at home; that was why he had sent Caitrin alone to participate in the feast on his behalf. Even she had found it hard to stomach what had happened, she had defended Bayard to her Uncle, insisting there had to be some sort of mistake. Rouland knew it had not been because she had any loyalties to the King, no, she was just fearful that her father would rip her out of Camelot and send her back to Mercia if he believed Camelot to be a true enemy of Mercia.

Arthur’s words only confirmed what Rouland had figured all along. He knew the King would not randomly imprison Bayard, in his anger it might have appeared that was his viewpoint but no, he knew Uther’s foreign policy was more carefully conducted than that. He nodded at Arthur’s request to calm down. He knew exactly what he needed to calm down; a nice glass of red would work wonders. However, this wasn’t exactly the time for it, though he would certainly have a glass waiting for him when he returned home. He looked at the table that Arthur was pointing to and dutifully took a seat at it; a more formal setting was of course appropriate for the answers which he sought. “I thank you for giving me your attention in this matter.” He now said in a much calmer tone than the one that his earlier words had been delivered in. Even if Rouland thought it was his right to get answers from the King or Prince in answer to their treatment of Bayard, he was still grateful in a sense that the Prince had taken the time to consider the matter seriously.

Rouland knew shouting and screaming would get him nowhere with the Prince, and the last thing he wanted to do was to harm his political standing within Camelot by losing the Prince’s favour. “I am sure you will give me the answers I seek.” Now he felt as if he were turning into his niece, she always did know what to say in these situations. Rouland was rarely in a situation such as this, so it was new territory to him. He would remain calm as long as Arthur could convince him everything which was done was well justified. He did feel slightly betrayed that his previous King had been treated in such a way by Uther, but perhaps there was a justifiable reason.

Leaning slightly forwards, only slightly as after all, Rouland did not want to appear as if he were threatening Arthur in anyway, he spoke in a calm a tone as possible. “You must understand the difficult position that this threw my family into.” He was of course referring to the fact that the Mercian branch of his family was of course part of the army which had been sent to release Bayard from his Camelotian prison cell. Well, his brother Payton never could resist the glory which succeeding in such a task would have brought. “My brother, and Caitrin’s father, Lord Payton and his sons were some of those on the border of Camelot; ready to march on us.” He was looking at the prince in a very serious manner now. He knew that Arthur was quite friendly with his niece, so if he had no sympathies with the position his father had put Rouland in with this event, he certainly would have sympathies with Caitrin.

[Arthur Pendragon]

"I thank you for giving me your attention in this matter." Arthur gave a bit of a nod as he too sat down once Rouland seated himself. He was indeed planning on giving answers before any more tensions with a Camelotian and Mercian escalated. They had just barley avoided war. As quick as his father was to engage in such battles with another kingdom, Arthur was the opposite. He did not like war to befall the kingdom. It costs too many lives, and people their loves ones. If they could avoid a war, then Arthur would do whatever it took to prevent that. Of course, he did not have the final say on the matter. It was his father who decided such things but Arthur could still be somewhat influential. Or, try to be. The king wasn't exactly known for his . . . lenient ways. Rouland went on to speak about the difficult place that this put his family into, and once again, Arthur understood completely. Their loyalties would have split. Such was a risk when coming to another kingdom that was not fully at peace with their homeland. But of course Arthur was not going to say such things.

He was not going to try and place blame on anything or anyone else. This entire situation was just one massive misunderstanding. That involved the framing of Bayard. "My brother, and Caitrin’s father, Lord Payton and his sons were some of those on the border of Camelot; ready to march on us." Arthur looked at him, knowing he would have to choose his words carefully. "I do apologize for the inconvenience and hardship this has placed on your family." Lady Caitrin included. For Arthur knew the noblewoman personally and he did not wish her to have to deal with her father or any other family member going to war. "But, please try and understand that such drastic actions were not done without cause." They had been . . . somewhat justified at the time. "Lord Bayard was framed," Arthur revealed. He was unsure how much Rouland knew and would of course willingly give details. But for now, he left it at that to see Rouland's reaction. And to see if he knew the specifics of what had happened.

[Rouland de Archer]

Really, he could sit here and detail the many ways that his family had been inconvenienced by this matter until he was blue in the face, but it wouldn’t change anything at the end of the day. Sighing, Rouland put his hand through his hair, a nervous trait he’d picked up from his niece, and bit his lip again. He didn’t want to repeat himself to Arthur, because it was a waste of breath. His family hadn’t been the intended victims in this, they’d just been caught up in the mess caused by the imprisonment of the Mercian king. “Thank you.” The fact the Prince apologised for the position the de Archer’s had been put in through this situation was appreciated, even if it didn’t change anything. It tamed Rouland’s temper somewhat, and that was a start really.

Framed? Rouland raised an eye brow sharply at the Prince’s words. Caitrin had come home as soon as Bayard had been imprisoned, so they had relied on hear-say for the rest of the details. She’d been worried it wouldn’t be safe at court for her if Mercia came under such scrutiny, Rouland had agreed of course, so neither of them had been near the city since the whole thing began. It was only after the King was cleared and sent back home that he had decided to come and get an explanation for himself. Rouland didn’t have any time for tavern gossip, if he was going to get his facts, he wanted to get them right first time and not waste time with silly words from the servants in the house.

He leant forwards slightly, not sure how to take that news. Who on earth would want to frame the King of Mercia? “By who?” He asked directly, and rather bluntly. He supposed there was much to gain from a war between Mercia and Camelot as both were quite powerful kingdoms. Whoever allied themselves with the victor would have high concessions coming their way for sure. He bit his lip gently, mulling this new information over, he wondered if his brother knew of the circumstances under which Bayard had been imprisoned under. If not, he would probably pen him a letter to detail the events to him once this meeting with Arthur was over.