A Restless Night (Elyan)

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin Aubert couldn’t sleep, and that was the simple truth of the matter. Her husband was snoring softly next to her, and she pulled a face in his general direction. Half of her wanted to wake him up, so that he had to suffer this insomnia with her as well. She managed to resist the urge to poke him in the side to wake him up, and instead shifted again and tried to force herself into sleep. As she had nearly come to full term now, it was becoming more and more difficult to lull herself into sleep, mainly because nothing felt comfortable anymore. It was hard to get comfortable with such a swollen belly after all.

After another few moments, Caitrin groaned and her eyes flew open; this was starting to get ridiculous. It didn’t help that the child in her belly didn’t seem to want to sleep either. The little one was irritatingly active that evening, something Caitrin hoped wasn’t going to be replicated when he, or she, was born. She let out a soft groan as the child kicked her. Really, she was surprised that she hadn’t woken Griff up yet, but no, he was still snoring softly next to her. She pulled a face to herself and sighed. Then an idea popped into her head, perhaps a short walk would exhaust her into sleep. It didn’t take a lot to tire her out nowadays, so it would probably work.

Slipping out of bed, this time trying not to wake her husband up, Caitrin grabbed her cloak so she could wrap it round her shoulders. The evening chill was well and truly set in for the night, and Caitrin just wanted to keep warm. Slipping on her shoes, she left her guest chambers and began to walk quietly down the corridor. Already she began to feel better just because she had got out of the room. She wasn’t really allowed to stray far, even during the day, as she was essentially full term now. She stopped as she came to a window which overlooked the city of Camelot, and leant on the stone, and was content to just look outside to observe the view. She sometimes forgot how lucky she was, after all, not every Mercian ended up in such good favour with the King of Camelot. Arthur was a dear friend to her, and it was him who had offered the guest chambers for her and her husband so she could have her child close to the court physician.

The child kicked her again and she yelped slightly, not because it had hurt her that much, but because she hadn’t been expecting it. She groaned and ran a hand across her belly smoothly. “Settle.” She whispered to her bump, almost willing the child within her to just calm down for the night so she could get some sleep. She had been getting odd pains all day she hadn’t been too happy about, but now all she wanted to do was lull herself into sleep. Her hands were still resting on her belly as she looked outside again at the City of Camelot. It truly was a spectacle by moonlight; she remembered when Arthur had first introduced her to this view, and she had been right back then in saying she would never tire of it. The sound of footsteps drew Caitrin away from past memories, and she looked round, almost concerned, “Hello?” It was probably nothing more than a servant on their way to bed or something similar, but Caitrin was still naturally cautious.

Tags: Elyan
Timeline: In the Series 4-5 gap
Location: Camelot Castle
Notes: Hope this is ok! I'll edit if you need anything else adding!

[cherryblossom131]

It wasn't fair. It just simply wasn't fair. He needed sleep too didn't he? Arthur had told him and Gwaine, one of them would be on guard duty tonight around the castle. All night. He had left it up to them to decide, which was a big mistake, at least in Elyan's opinion. You'd think being brother in law to the King might have some perks in this, but no. When he was with the knights, Arthur treated them all the same. Elyan knew it was wrong to want special treatment, but couldn't Arthur have just spared him...one night? It seemed the answer was no. Naturally Gwaine made up some stupid excuse so Elyan had been stuck with the job. Elyan couldn't remember the particular lie Gwaine told and he doubted Gwaine did either. Gwaine was probably passed out drunk in the tavern right now, the lying sod.

Elyan knew he was especially irritable but he was tired, didn't that give him excuse to be? The entire castle was probably nice and comfortable in their warm beds under their cosy covers. He couldn't help but envy them at that moment. He sighed, all the knights had to go on guard duty at night at some point, he had been on guard duty before, but he would never get used to the horrible feeling of forcing yourself awake. Tonight just happened to be Elyan's night. He knew several other guards and a few servants were awake around the castle, probably as miserable as him. None of them were going to be good company, so he didn't even have anyone to talk to and make the time go by a bit faster. He wished he could, but he couldn't say they didn't need guards around the castle at night, especially after everything that's happened. He'd just have to strain through it, it would be over eventually. Just stick it out a few more hours. Elyan's head fell...this was going to be a long night.

When Elyan rounded a corner he heard heavy footsteps. It was probably one of the guards, or maybe a servant running around to finish the heaps of work they probably had to do. He wiped his hand across his face to keep himself awake. His eyelids were feeling heavy, he opened them to see a very heavily pregnant woman looking out of the window. Great! He was hallucinating. "Hello?" He was finally going crazy! As to why he'd hallucinate a pregnant red haired woman was beyond him.

He walked towards her and stared at her, just full on stared at her like he'd never dare to stare at anyone back when he was sane. Those were the days. He shook his head, he'd be no use in his current state if anyone chose to attack the castle now. He sincerely hoped nobody did. He'd probably look very strange to her...if she were real. Although she looked rather familiar like he'd seen her around the castle. His eyes went slightly wide as realisation dawned on him, she was real. He really needed some sleep. "Sorry, I was just...you know just...you are real, right? He wanted to make sure, before he passed assumptions.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Although Caitrin knew that nothing sinister could harm her in the castle, she still felt herself tense up as the footsteps began to approach her. She didn’t run because honestly she couldn’t, at least not in her current condition she couldn’t. Both her hands were protectively placed over her belly, an action which was done without hesitation, and she hadn’t even realised she’d done it until the child kicked her again, and she looked down at her bump. She breathed out softly, knowing there was nothing to be worried about in the castle, if there was anywhere in Camelot that she was supposed to feel safe in, it was here. She turned away so that she wasn’t facing the window anymore, and so she could look on at whoever was approaching her face on.

She put a hand to her chest as her heart began to slow to its normal pace as she saw that it was indeed nothing sinister, and the man was just a knight of Camelot. She would have voiced this opinion to the man, but he was acting rather...oddly. She furrowed her eye brows at him as he walked closer towards her and just stared on at her. To say it was a rather awkward introduction was probably an understatement, and Caitrin was at a slight loss to why he was staring at her. She brushed some hair behind her ear with one of her hands, but kept eye contact with the knight, not exactly sure what he was doing. He was just staring; was this normal? Well, it wasn’t normal human behaviour, but she didn’t know what knights got up to in their spare time did she?

Although Caitrin had seen this particular knight about Camelot from time to time, she only knew him by face rather than by name. At his question, Caitrin opened her mouth to answer before she really registered what he had said. Wait, was she real? Why on earth wouldn’t she be real? If she had been confused before, it had only been made worse by his question, but now she felt more amused by him than worried. Pressing her lips together, both her hands found her swollen belly once more. “Well, I should hope that I am real, or else I might be cursed to remain in this state forever.” She gestured to her pregnant belly. She didn’t mind being pregnant really, Jesu after all she had tried for so long to become pregnant, however, she was looking forwards to it being at an end so she could have her child in her arms. “As I have never heard of an unreal person giving birth before, have you?” She couldn’t take the man seriously, and she was probably confusing him even more than he already was.

[cherryblossom131]

“As I have never heard of an unreal person giving birth before, have you?” She looked and sounded amused he could tell. She was mocking him too, he was being mocked by a pregnant woman in the middle of the night. What had the world come to? He had never felt more embarassed in his life as he remembered everything he'd done, the way he stared at her. No wonder she had looked so confused before, he should have noticed that. He wasn't particularly observant when he was practically losing his mind from lack of sleep. What must she think of him? Why hadn't he just slept in the day? Ah yes because Arthur conveniantly told him of his duties just a few hours ago. Thank you, sire.

"I am so sorry, I thought I was hallucinating." Why would he even tell her that? It was like he had no control over what was coming out of his mouth, like it didn't even pass through his brain first to think about. If she didn't think he was crazy before she was sure to now. "I mean not hallucinating, well yes but... I just, well..." He couldn't even form a coherent sentence. "I'm on guard duty for the night, but I'm quite tired, so I thought I might have been hallucinating, because it's rather odd to see a pregnant women wandering around the castle at this time of night." He smiled warmly down at her, he felt a sense of accomplishment at making the sentence slightly more coherent. Even though it had been a little rushed.

"I'm Sir Elyan by the way." He decided now would be as good time as any to finally introduce himself and maybe try to move past the horrible humiliation and embarassment he had just endured. He took the time to finally look at her, not staring like he was before. Oh no, what must he have looked like? She was a bit shorter than him with flaming red hair. A colour he hadn't seen in Camelot before. He'd only seen hair like that when he'd travelled up to the North, a few years ago. She had a large swollen pregnant belly. It was always odd for Elyan to see pregnant women, how their tummies were severly out of proportion with the rest of their bodies. It was always a strange sight. He stood next to her and looked at the view she had been previously looking at before he had so rudely interrupted. It was a stunning sight, Camelot was beautiful under the moonlight. He looked on with awe.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was still waiting for the man to say something else to her. She didn’t feel threatened by him, as he was a Knight of Camelot after all, she was just amused and that was it. Her hand ran fondly across her belly as she looked from her belly to the man once more. Caitrin just stayed very silent and still as the man began to work through his thoughts, or at least that was what she assumed that he was doing. In all honesty, his words at first didn’t help her confusion at all. “Hallucinating?” She repeated, slightly concerned, after all, hallucinating wasn’t ever seen as a good thing.

He was rambling, and most of Caitrin’s concentration was focussed on trying to understand what he was saying. She supposed that coming across a heavily pregnant woman in the middle of the night was anything but ordinary. Really, Caitrin never really came across many other pregnant nobles, perhaps they just preferred to stay in their estates when they were with child. Caitrin had thought that she would be having her child at her estate, but when Arthur had offered her the guest chambers instead, she had been thrilled. After all, it gave her the peace of mind to know she was going to go into labour near the court physician, in case anything did go wrong. “Yeah, I can see why that would be an odd thing to see, at this time of night.” She finished off quickly and gave him a soft smile, “But are you convinced that I’m real now?” She asked him, slightly teasing him as she shifted, and ran her fingers over her belly.

Caitrin bowed her head as the knight introduced himself. “Nice to meet you Sir Elyan.” She said softly, “I’m Lady Caitrin Aubert.” She bowed her head again, realising there was no chance that she was going to be able to curtsey in her condition. “I hope you’ll forgive me, I can’t really curtsey, in my condition.” Of course he already knew she was heavily pregnant. The knight was quite dark skinned, and it wasn’t something which Caitrin had really come across before as she was from the North originally. She quite liked the clash of cultures that Camelot seemed to play host to. Elyan wasn’t bad looking, perhaps a few years ago she would have tried a few flirts, but the fact that she was happily married, and heavily pregnant, weighed against her heavily. Caitrin smiled at Elyan as he joined her so that he was looking out at the view as well, “It’s beautiful isn’t it? I never get tired of this view.” It was true, she’d lived in Camelot for six years now, and the view still took her breath away.

[cherryblossom131]

He smiled down at her again when she introduced herself to him. Yes, he had heard her name thrown about round the castle, in conversations he'd overheard from the nobles and knights and even some of the servents. He'd never paid any mind before now, but it had been floating around in the back of his mind. So this was the pregnant noble woman they had been talking about. He should have known when he saw her. The piece of information just hadn't been at the forefront of his mind, since he had thought he was losing it at the time.

He chuckled slightly when she explained why she couldn't curtsey. "That's quite alright, my lady. There's no need for you to curtsey to me." She was actually quite nice, even though she had teased him slightly before. It was all in jest though and he had really deserved it after the whole hallucination debacle. He sighed inwardly. He was never going to live that down. It was a wonder she was still talking to him and hadn't decided to run the opposite way, away from a crazy man. She was also kind, especially for a noble. Many of the noblewomen Elyan had ever met had been stuck up and spoilt, she seemed a lot more down to Earth than them.

He listened as she spoke of the view of Camelot that they were both gazing at out of the window. "Yes, she is." Camelot was probably one of the most beautiful kingdoms out of all the places he had ever travelled. She was his home now and he felt honoured to call her that. "Especially under the moonlight. The lights from the lower towns almost look like stars." The spectacular view of Camelot in the night was probably the only good thing about being on guard duty all night. It would almost make staying up all night, worth it...almost. He then realised how rather unmanly his words had sounded. The lack of sleep was really getting to him. But it was true, he'd always thought the view of Camelot was like a picture from a fancy painting. "The view is probably one of the best parts of the castle, it is truly extraordinary."

[Caitrin de Archer]

In Caitrin’s somewhat limited experience of the Knight’s of Camelot, she found that they were all a little eccentric, and different in their own way. Of course there had been the whole uproar not too long ago, about Arthur knighting common folk. Caitrin wondered if Elyan was one of these cases. In truth, Caitrin had had her reservations about the new Knights at first, but she had quickly dismissed her own doubts, as she trusted Arthur’s judgement, and they had all helped to defend the castle and win it back when Morgana had taken over again. Yes, Caitrin was quite certain that everyone who bore the coat of arms truly deserved it. Of course Caitrin’s brother in law, Sir Lucan, was one such Knight. Though he and Caitrin had often had their clashes, they were now well disposed to each other, her pregnancy had probably helped to sweeten the waters between them.

She smiled at Elyan waved away her concerns about curtseying to him. In normal circumstances of course she would have done, but that was just one more thing that her current state prevented her doing. Caitrin inclined her head towards the Knight, and gave him a soft smile, “Thank you sir, I just did not want you to think me rude.” It was true enough; she didn’t want to leave the wrong impression after all. She had become quite friendly with a lot of the people who were often around the castle, as she had been living here for just over two weeks now, waiting for her child to make their entrance into the world. The evening chill was still in the air, so she wrapped her cloak around her belly, just to keep the child within her warm.

Caitrin didn’t have to look up at Elyan as he spoke about the view, because his words were almost making the view even more enchanting than it already was. She never would have thought that a knight could be so poetic about something as simple as a view. However, Elyan was right, as the view really was just beautiful. “Arthur introduced me to this view when I first came to Camelot.” She explained softly, and turned back to the Knight. Irritatingly, she wasn’t feeling any more tired, in fact, she almost felt more awake, which was more than she could say for her new companion. It wasn’t hard to spot the dark lines under his eyes, and she gave him a soft, concerned smile, “Are you alright?” It was probably a silly question, as he was very obviously not alright. He had already thought he was hallucinating after all.

[cherryblossom131]

When she spoke of how Arthur introduced her to this view, he smiled knowingly. Of course he did, the poetic sop. He may put up a hard front as king but he was a real softy inside, if what he had heard from his sister was anything to go by. She told him lots of things about Arthur. She spoke of him quite a lot these days, but then again he was her husband after all...he'd never get used to that. He decided to quickly think of something random and oranges came to mind, oddly enough. Maybe it was a craving...no Elyan you're not the one who's pregnant; he rubbed his hand over his face. Gwen wouldn't say something overly huge and personal and certainly nothing gross, but sometimes she would accidently let slip a potentially embarrassing little fact about him.

Elyan would never in his right mind dream of using any of them against his sovereign, but right now he wasn't in his right mind. Since Arthur sort of put him in this mess in the first place, Elyan promised to himself to blackmail Arthur next time he ever thought about giving Elyan guard duty at night. Gwen would wring his neck of course, but it would be worth it. Elyan smirked, he'd probably forget this all in the morning anyway. It even made him feel slightly better, knowing that King Arthur, fighter of monsters and mighty warrior was just as manly as him. He brought himself back to Earth. In all honesty, who couldn't notice this view? It was positively spectacular.

The way she spoke of Arthur made him think they were close. They were friends maybe? That was probably the case. He creased his eyebrows and looked down at her question. Was he alright? He was feeling a little more awake after having someone (who was most definitely not a hallucination) to talk to. "To be honest, having someone to talk to has made me much better and more alert." His eyelids were no longer heavy. It was almost safe to say he would be useful if anyone chose to attack the castle at this moment, which many were prone to do. In all the places Elyan had ever visited, it seemed no one had more enemies than Camelot. They were certainly the most dangerous than Elyan had ever seen, with them mostly being magical and all. "At least I'm a little more sane now," he joked. He felt weirdly more comfortable around this lady than he'd normally be around a stranger. He wasn't sure if it was just his tired mind or her genuinely being a friendly person. He decided it was probably a mix of both. "So you obviously know Arthur, and quite well it seems, how did that come about?" He looked back out at the view.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin just smiled fondly at Elyan, he was quite fun company to have about, and she was glad of a bit of different company every now and again. After all, she was only usually in the company of her husband, Uncle and from time to time, Arthur. For a noblewoman, she didn’t spend a lot of time with other women. She had quite a few close female friends, but her best friend, Yassia, was now ruling over Ailantha so Caitrin hadn’t seen her in over a year. She still kept in touch though and she would be telling Yassia the moment that her child was born. She began to feel her belly tense up again, she had been getting these odd pains for the past hour or so. She didn’t really think much of it, she was used to her body doing odd things during her pregnancy, this was just one more thing to add to the list.

However much it amused Caitrin that a knight could be so poetic, Elyan was right really. The city was beautiful in the moonlight, and nothing in the world compared to the view, Caitrin was sure of that. She still remembered setting eyes on it all those year ago in her youth, because it had left a lasting impression on her. Now she was looking over the same setting, but on the eve of her first child being born. It felt a little strange to say the least. She felt another soft pain come from her belly, but it was ignored easily enough as she looked back to Elyan.

Caitrin smiled on at him, “Well at least I’m of some use.” She shrugged and put her hand on her belly. Her intention of coming out for a walk had been to try and make herself a bit sleepier. It seemed she had had the opposite effect on her and Elyan, as she felt even more awake now. Caitrin brushed her hair back off her shoulders and looked back at Elyan. “Arthur’s just been quite a close friend to me since I moved to Camelot; I’m Mercian you see, if the accent didn’t give it away.” She smiled at him, as her accent was quite strong. “He’s just a dear friend to me. “He was the one who offered me and my husband a place in the Castle for the birth.” Now, even though Elyan had been slightly less sane than was conventional for a knight of Camelot, he certainly can’t have missed the fact that she was pregnant.

[cherryblossom131]

He had recognised her stong accent of course. It was quite strange for a mercian to be in Camelot, but a friend of Arthur's was certainly a friend of his. She was a pleasure to talk to anyway. It seemed Arthur was very kind-hearted after all. That was nice to know. Despite how angry Elyan had been at Arthur he had to admit Arthur was a gracious and courteous man underneath. He didn't even feel angry anymore. It was almost as if he was experiencing mood swings. Again Elyan?...really? He wiped his hand over his face. There was something seriously wrong with him. He was still slightly insane but he was feeling a bit better and certainly more awake, and hey, at least he wasn't actually hallucinating. They say that's the first sign of insanity and thankfully the Lady Caitrin was in fact real.

“He was the one who offered me and my husband a place in the Castle for the birth.” Elyan glanced down at her swollen belly again. "That was very considerate of him, but the castle is of course the best place to have a child." He hadn't been quite insane enough to not have noticed her very pregnant state; she was very far along in her pregnancy it seemed. Elyan didn't really know a lot about pregnancy, but she looked huge and just about ready to burst. That must mean she's far along...right? He realised he had yet to congratulate her. "Ah yes and, congratulations! I'm sure she or he will be a very wonderful and healthy baby with flaming red hair." he chuckled. A child was a miracle, he knew that. A slightly annoying miracle, but a miracle none the less.

He had never really thought about settling down himself and actually having children of his own. He was always travelling and getting into trouble, although that had calmed down considerably since he was reunited with his sister and became a knight of Camelot. Looking at the evident happiness on the face of the heavily pregnant noblewoman beside him, it made him think about maybe considering settling down properly and having a family. He'd want to be in love first of course. But he just really wasn't sure he was ready to give up his freedom, which is what he'd surely have to do if he ever considered becoming a father. His freedom had always been very important to him. Gwen was probably sure to be with child soon anyway. Maybe he'd just have a go at being an uncle first then. He looked down at her stomach again. "What's it like having something growing inside you?" The words had slipped out of his mouth before he'd had the chance to stop them. He hadn't meant to say the question out loud, but he'd always been curious.

[Caitrin de Archer]

There weren’t that many in Camelot who didn’t recognise her Mercian accent of course, it was still quite strong, and she sometimes played it up, just for fun. It occurred to her that her children would have quite odd accents, after all neither she or Griff were Camelotian. Therefore her children would be the only ones in the household who were truly Camelotian, though Caitrin would make every effort to try to encourage them to develop a Mercian accent. No doubt Griff would try and thwart her efforts of course, but Caitrin had her ways. Her accent was stronger than his anyway. That wasn’t anything to concern Elyan with though, and she quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts. After all, the accent her child spoke with was really the last thing she should be concerning herself with so close to the birth. She ran both hands over her belly and stretched slightly. At least the knight seemed to be convinced now that she was real, that was something at least.

He was right with his words, after all that was why Arthur had suggested the castle to have her children in in the first place. As she was so close to Gauis, medical aid could be gained quickly if anything did go wrong. Touch wood, nothing would go wrong, but the fact that help was so close by settled her mind somewhat. Her midwife had told her that it would be a relatively easy birth, as Caitrin was well built. However, the noblewoman wasn’t quite sure if she meant that, or if she was just saying it to make sure she got paid. Well, there would be only one way to find out, and the day was approaching them quickly. “It is certainly the safest.” She agreed softly, she could guess that the man didn’t have that much experience of pregnant women just from the way he was interacting with her. He seemed nice enough though, and he must have had some spark about him or else Arthur would not have had him knighted in the first place. Caitrin knew after all that the King was an excellent judge of character. Caitrin chuckled at his words as well, and grinned at him. “I’m not sure my husband would be too pleased at the red hair.” She pulled a face, she knew Griff would moan if the child didn’t look anything like him, but underneath that she knew it wouldn’t matter what the child looked like to either of them. Neither of them were really in the habit of being so open and romantic with each other, so it was an agreed sort of thing between them. “But thank you, he or she is due any day now, so I shall be sure to update you on the hair situation.” She winked at him and gave a soft groan as the baby kicked her once again. Before she even thought about sleep she needed the child within her to settle.

Elyan’s question was one that she hadn’t been expecting, and one no one had asked her before. She supposed her husband had wondered at the question, but he had never asked. Then again, he often got a blow by blow account from her anyway, so there was no need for him to ask. Caitrin frowned slightly, unsure of how to answer his question. She couldn’t really remember what it felt like not to be pregnant now, but that wouldn’t be a satisfactory answer. “Well at the moment, it feels like I’m being beaten black and blue from the inside.” She chuckled at the knight as her fingers ran over her bump. She pressed her lips together, wondering how to phrase this right, “It just feels like all your insides have been squashed into your back, if that makes sense?” She wasn’t that good at explaining it, but to her it was the norm now, she had been pregnant for nine months now after all.

[cherryblossom131]

“I’m not sure my husband would be too pleased at the red hair.” He chuckled. "In my opinion, red hair reminds me of the sun, it's a rather spectacular hair colour," he said sincerely. He put his hand on his head. "I was never blessed with the colour I'm afraid," he said with mock sadness. "Although I do think it would rather suit me," he jested, laughing with her. This is nice, he thought. They were having a wonderful little conversation, and Elyan would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it. All the knights always had to be so serious while they were on guard duty. Elyan would much rather be more carefree and just laugh with the occupants of the castle like he was doing now; he knew the other knights would agree with him.

“But thank you, he or she is due any day now, so I shall be sure to update you on the hair situation.” He laughed at the remark. "Please be sure to, I will be very anxious in anticipation." He smiled at the thought of her baby. As unmanly as it sounded, and he'd never admit it to others, especially the other knights; he thought babies were extremely cute. He was already excited for the new arrival to make his or her appearance in the castle. The fire-haired baby would be a wonderful addition to the tired old fortress. After meeting the baby's mother, he knew it would be a wonderful little one. He was pleased to admit that the Lady Caitrin was a delight, so hopefully so would her baby be. Elyan liked children, although from afar! He almost envied them for their abundant sense of freedom that only a child could truly have. As they say, ignorance is bliss. After everything Elyan had seen, he knew and had come to accept that the world was cruel and unfair sometimes. Children never thought about that kind of thing, they were free of it. Elyan simply wished, once in a while, he could be to; for just a moment. He snapped out of his thoughts; now was not the time for them. Not on the eve of a child's birth.

He hadn't meant to ask the question it had just slipped out. He hadn't even known he'd said it out loud until he saw her react to it. Her answer left him a little shocked. If she was in pain, she hadn't really shown it over the course of their conversation. She had stretched a few times, but he had just thought it would be because of the strain of the massive weight around her waist, caused by the baby. "Well I can't say it makes sense," he didn't think he really wanted to understand how that felt. "But I can say that I am very grateful I will never be in your position. I guess men should appreciate women more for what they have to go through," He said with joking sincerity. "Are you in pain?" He creased his eyebrows in worry for her.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Throughout her life, Caitrin’s hair colour had often been the thing which had defined her. There weren’t many with red hair, there had been some in Mercia, but there were even few in Camelot, so she felt rare in a way. It was always a way of attracting male attention as well. Of course she was happily married, but there was no harm in looking. Her husband was just as carefree and flirtatious as she was, and it did their ego wonders to know that others still found them attractive. However, unsurprisingly Caitrin hadn’t been on top form with her condition, after all, not many men found a pregnant woman attractive. “It would suit you!” Caitrin chuckled, and ran a hand over her belly, “Though I am sure you do not have any problems attracting attention at court?” She teased softly. After all, Elyan was quite good looking, and she would be quite surprised if he was considered quite the catch.

Though Caitrin had only just met Elyan, she felt she could trust him. He was a knight of Camelot after all, and he just seemed quite nice in general. He sounded genuinely excited at the prospect of her informing him when her child was born, so she just grinned and nodded. “I shall make sure that you meet the little one when they arrive.” Of course she wouldn’t be going home straight away because it would take her a while to recover, and gain her strength from the birth. She doubted Arthur would let her rush off anyway. “The christening will be taking place in the castle anyway.” She grinned at Elyan, she wasn’t sure who would be at the christening just yet. A few arrangements had been put in place but she didn’t want to jinx anything so the finalisations would only take place after the birth.

Caitrin shook her head at Elyan’s question. “No it doesn’t hurt, it just feels strange.” And that was the truth, as far as Caitrin could muster it. It was uncomfortable some of the time, like when Caitrin was trying to sleep, but she was used to it for the most part now. She drummed her fingers against her belly, trying to think how she could describe how she felt better, “It only hurts when they kick, but I don’t mind in a way, because it shows that the baby is strong.” That was important of course, she wanted any reassurance that her child was growing strong and healthy in her womb.

[cherryblossom131]

“It would suit you!” Elyan laughed with her, while brushing his hand through his hair. Where his laughter subsided, the grin that had appeared on his face did not. Her next words however wiped the grin off his face, replacing it with an awkward smile and an obvious blush. Elyan wasn't the coy type, more the quiet type. But this particular subject had the power to make him blush like a teenage girl. It was something his sister also teased him mercilessly about. In all honesty, there were a few ladies in court that had shamelessly flirted with him on many occasions especially with his role as 'the most eligible bachelor' due to his status as brother to the queen and brother in law to the King. It was a very strange role to be in. Women who would never have looked at him twice or maybe three times are now asking for his name and starting random conversation, where a lot of flirting ensues. He had to admit having the attention of extremely attractive ladies was very nice indeed, but he wasn't the type to toy with the affection of women. He wanted to find someone who loved him for him, with all his flaws. But until then, he wasn't complaining. "I am quite dashing aren't I," he jested.

“I shall make sure that you meet the little one when they arrive.” He smiled at that. "I look forward to it," he said, the smile still evident on his face. When she spoke of the christening he grinned back at her. "I should hope to attend it, if that's alright." It would be wonderful. "I expect the King and Queen will be in attendance?" With Arthur being her friend, he'd expect him to attend, and if he would be there then Elyan's sister surely would. He would make Gwen come either way. Gwen liked things like this; she'd enjoy it. "Guinevère usually enjoys things like that," he said with familiarity. Did Caitrin know of his relation to the queen? Since he had they had just met, he expected not.

He was very relieved that she wasn't in pain. But, being a man, he was no closer to comprehending how it felt to be pregnant. He guessed 'strange' was a very good word to describe it, seeing as an actual person was growing inside of her. It was truly extraordinary when you thought about it. She was harbouring life in her abdomen; protecting a baby. It made him smile. He listened to her next words. "I'm sure your baby will be very strong and very healthy," he said sincerely. "And maybe a wild little one too," he said laughing. "A fiery personality would match his or hers, red hair."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin smiled as she managed to bring a bit of colour to Elyan’s cheeks as she complimented him. But it was true, he was quite good looking. Of course she wasn’t interested, but she knew many women who would be. Caitrin found it quite a rarity to find a man who could blush at the compliments of a pregnant woman. She couldn’t recall many men who she had caused to blush in the past, but maybe she had just been chasing after the wrong types of men. Caitrin smiled, men never made her blush, but Elyan was certainly amusing her. She was quite glad, once the colour had dispersed from his cheeks, that he thought to return her jests. “Indeed, it is a crime that you are not yet attached, sir.” She teased gently. She couldn’t believe that Elyan didn’t have a lady of the court on his arm, then again, not many of the knights seemed to have women by their sides. Maybe they were just too busy for that kind of thing. Who knew.

Of course Caitrin just nodded enthusiastically, she wouldn’t mind if Elyan attended the christening. She hadn’t sorted all the details with Arthur yet, but she was sure that they would get there eventually. “I think so, I know the King at least will be in attendance.” Caitrin didn’t really know the Queen that well, so she didn’t like to assume anything. She was quite surprised to hear Elyan speak so freely about the new Queen. “Do you know her well?” Caitrin asked brightly, she didn’t know much of Arthur’s bride, so it would be interesting to hear from someone who did.

Caitrin gave a soft laugh. She wanted her children to inherit the trademark de Archer red hair, mainly as it would annoy her husband. Plus, there weren’t many red haired children knocking around, and it would make hers unique in a way. Griff would probably disagree with that quite a lot. “I hope so.” Caitrin said, drumming her fingers over her swollen belly fondly. “I’d love for them to have red hair.” Then she wouldn’t be quite so outnumbered in the family home. Looking from side to side she stepped away from the wall, “Do you want to take a walk with me? I’m trying to tire myself out you see, I’m having trouble sleeping.”

[cherryblossom131]

“Indeed, it is a crime that you are not yet attached, sir.” He smiled at her tease. "Attached being the word I would use to describe it," he raised an eyebrow in jest, while looking ahead of him. "Maybe someday I will find someone, but right now I'd much rather enjoy my freedom." He didn't like to much think of the future; of a wife and bouncing babies. Although it was a little difficult not to think of children when he was talking to a heavily pregnant woman. His sister was always gently hinting at him to find someone, but she was becoming less subtle by the minute. He loved her for it, he really did; but he knew only true love, as in head over heels love could ever be enough to make him consider settling down.

He listened intently when she mentioned the King at least attending. "Well if the King attends, then I'm sure the Queen will too." As a newly married couple, they were rarely apart; practically joined at the hip. It was a wonderful sight to see, especially with the blinding smile that constantly adorned his sister's face. “Do you know her well?” He looked at her when she asked the question. "Yes, very well," he smiled. "She's actually my sister," he said with evident pride. He had always been proud of his sister; of the strong and kind-hearted woman she was. Now, everyone in the kingdom could share that pride with him. For she was more than just his little sister now; she was Queen.

Her laugh warmed his heart and made him chuckle too. “I’d love for them to have red hair.” Elyan grinned. "They would certainly be unique." He could already imagine a red haired child running around the castle. His grin didn't subside. At her next words, he nodded softly. "Of course, a walk would be nice seeing as I'm supposed to be on guard." He was doing a spectacular job of that! Frankly he didn't much care. "Is the little one keeping you awake?" He felt a little concerned, but he assumed it was normal. He imagined it must be a challenge to sleep, when a baby was growing inside of her.

[Caitrin de Archer]

It had been years now since Caitrin had considered not being in a relationship as freedom. It had become the norm for her since meeting Griff, though she was not complaining about that fact. She loved her husband, and she was sure that she always would. After all, they had already gone through so much together, and yet they were still here. It was a miracle really, but Caitrin was glad of the fact. She couldn’t imagine her life without Griff anymore. “I’m sure she will be a lucky woman when you do find her.” Caitrin said softly with an air of fondness. “I was never one for settling down either, now look at me.” She gestured to her condition with a soft smile. In her youth, Caitrin had almost resided herself to not marry, and then Griff had come into her life and changed everything.

It was true of course that the King and Queen were inseparable at the moment. It was only right though, they were newly wed, and Caitrin had been exactly the same when she had gotten wed. She was still optimistic about the Queen going to the christening, not because she disliked the woman in any way, but because she didn’t know her that well. She was quite shocked though when Elyan said quite casually that he was brother to the Queen. The shock must have been evident on her face, as he eyes widened slightly, “Jesu, really?” She asked with wonder, “You must be incredibly proud of her.” She smiled at Elyan, wondering what he thought of his sister’s sudden rise to power. There had been talk of course that a servant shouldn’t be allowed to rise to the position of Queen, however Caitrin didn’t pay attention to such things. She made her own mind up about these things.

Caitrin beamed as Elyan went on to say the red hair would be unique. “It would be nice not to be the only red head at court as well.” She said with a gentle air of longing. After all, she hadn’t come across any other nobles with such red hair, and it made her stand out like a sore thumb sometimes. Though she enjoyed that most of the time, sometimes she just liked to sit back and watch the world passing. “Well we can keep a look out, and walk at the same time?” She suggested lightly, and began to lead the way, “So, have you always lived in Camelot?”

[cherryblossom131]

He smiled warmly at her kind words. “I was never one for settling down either, now look at me.” His eyes flickered down to her swollen belly. "Now look at you indeed," he said quietly, more to himself than her. He could hardly think of settling down and having a wife let alone a pregnant wife. He was sure his reaction would be priceless. It might even be the one thing that could manage to make the very manly Elyan faint. He tried to snap out of his reverie but the image of a screaming and crying little Elyan looking baby, which ate and pooped, and pooped and ate wouldn't leave his mind. It sent shivers down his spine. He didn't hate children, no of course not. On the contrary he liked them but he'd just rather see them from afar, when they're not being little annoying demon babies.

He was amused by the surprise on her face, at the realisation of him being the queen's brother. He loved to tell strangers that little fact, usually the people from out of Camelot that would visit his forge while they were passing through. They would mention the queen sometimes and he'd just casually tell them of their relation. He would never get tired of their variety of reactions and the priceless look of surprise on their faces. One man who was fairly old and came to him for a horse shoe thought Elyan was lying and that he was crazy. Now whenever that man visits the forge Elyan has to try so very hard not to burst out laughing at the deliberately patronising and condescending tone he uses whenever he speaks to him. “You must be incredibly proud of her.” He grinned widely at her. "I'm probably the proudest brother in the world. There are no words to describe it." His baby sister was queen, how could he not be so very proud of her.

Elyan chuckled at the evident tone of longing in her voice when she spoke of wanting more red heads at court. He couldn't help but nod in agreement. "It would certainly add some colour to the court." He could already picture the army of ginger nobles raiding the court of Camelot. He inwardly laughed. Smiling at her suggestion Elyan nodded. "I'm sure walking would probably help me keep watch." He began to follow as she led the way, taking a few quick steps to walk beside her, not that he had to walk to fast.

He paused for a second at her question before thinking of how to answer. "No, not always," he began walking at fairly slow place next to her so that she wouldn't have to try and keep up with him. "I spent most of my childhood here, but quite a few years ago, I left." It had been a hard time for his family. "I travelled across the land just enjoying my freedom, learning new things," he remembered fondly. "It was wonderful, but a few recent years ago I was reunited with my sister in the oddest of circumstances, but that is a long story." He remembered the wonderful feeling of euphoria when he saw his sister after so many years, despite the circumstances. "I have stayed ever since." He looked over to her. "What about you, what brought you to Camelot."

[Caitrin de Archer]

When Caitrin looked back at her life a few years ago, it meant she had a full appreciation of what she had now. She had always wanted a family, even if she hadn’t ever just wanted to admit it to herself. There had always been that part of her that had wanted that family, and it had just taken meeting Griff to realise just how badly she had wanted it. Perhaps the instincts, had been curbed in her youth when she had been so against her father marrying her off. She hadn’t wanted to be tied down to marriage, but with Griff it felt natural. That didn’t mean she had abandoned any of her individual characteristics, but still, she felt like her life was better now. “I think I prefer my life now, to what it was once.” She mused gently, she knew the lifestyle she was now engaged in wasn’t for everyone, but she was looking forwards to her little family anyway.

Caitrin felt rather silly she hadn’t known that he was Gwen’s brother. Then again, she didn’t know the woman very well, and she hadn’t been at court recently so she’d remained ignorant of the fact. It was one of those things she supposed that you would only know if it directly concerned you, after all, Caitrin didn’t pay much attention to gossip so she was rarely told it. However, all of this didn’t stop her feeling ridiculous and she gave a sort of bashful smile, “You must forgive my ignorance, I have been away from court for a while.” She excused herself softly and ran a hand through her hair, still feeling foolish. She did grin though as he explained how proud he was of his sister, “She and Arthur look so happy together after all.” Caitrin mused softly, “Who knows, you might be an Uncle before you know it, sir.” She gave him a wink. There was no mistaking Camelot needed an heir, and there was only one way that was going to happen.

Caitrin chuckled at Elyan’s words, “Well perhaps in a few years we red heads might have taken over. Watch this space.” She teased gently with a soft gin tugging at her soft lips. Caitrin had both hands on her belly as she began to walk with Elyan, “So...what are we keeping watch for? Like what are we actually looking for?” She asked curiously, she’d never been on guard before after all. She listened carefully as he spoke of his travels, Caitrin would have loved to see the various kingdoms around her. She’d only really seen Camelot and Mercia of course, well, she’d seen the edges of various kingdoms, but nothing to brag about. “Odd circumstances?” She repeated with furrow brows, “Why what happened?” Then of course the topic of conversation switched to her coming to be in Camelot. It had been years since she had been sent to the Kingdom, but it only felt like yesterday in some respects. “My father sent me to live with my Uncle, it was this or be married off to some Mercian nobleman.” She pulled a face, “So I chose to live here instead. He couldn’t afford to keep me at our estate in Mercia you see, so I had to be sent somewhere.” Hopefully that made sense, “Though I’m glad I chose to live here now, I didn’t like it at first, but now I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

[cherryblossom131]

“I think I prefer my life now, to what it was once.” Elyan smiled gently at her words. "Family does that to you, I guess," he said quietly. Family was a gift, he knew that. They were the only people who have the ability to forgive you no matter what. Elyan knew he had caused Gwen and his father pain when he left them but his sister had openly welcomed him back into her life. He would be forever grateful for that. Who knew, maybe since Elyan had settled down considerably in the recent years he would find someone to love. Maybe this red-headed noblewoman was changing his mind about marriage and love. The thought amused him.

“You must forgive my ignorance, I have been away from court for a while.” Elyan chuckled. "That's quite alright my lady. We've only just met today after all. I didn't expect you to know and I quite enjoy surprising people with that little nugget of information." He grinned widely like a child. When she spoke of Gwen and Arthur being happy together, Elyan simply smiled. He was incredibly happy for his little sister; she smiles so brightly whenever she's with her husband. Their father would be so proud of her, just like him. It was impossible not to be. When Caitrin mentioned him becoming an uncle with a wink, Elyan laughed. "That would be lovely. I'd spoil the child silly." Although he knew his or her parents would do a good job of that themselves. "Maybe my niece or nephew could be a playmate for the little one," he motioned towards her belly smiling. "They could become friends." It was a pleasant thought.

He grinned at her tease. "I'm sure you'll build a grand red-headed army that will seize the castle and take over Camelot," he jested. What a sight that would be to behold. He smiled at her question. "Well seeing as Camelot gets attacked more frequently than any kingdom I've ever seen." It was almost comical. "We're just keeping watch for any intruders, or anyone who'll want to harm the people in the castle." There was always a possibility of an attack on the king and queen or any of the occupants, more so in this castle since Arthur, or rather his father seemed to have an unlimited amount of enemies. He spoke on of his reunion with his sister and at her question he closed his eyes in memory. "Well, I was captured by Cenred's men in an attempt to blackmail my sister to lure Arthur to him so Cenred could kill him." Odd circumstances indeed. "We all escaped of course and then I stayed in Camelot with Gwen."

He listened intently as she answered his question, chuckling inwardly at her reaction at the prospect of being married to some nobleman. At her final words Elyan nodded slowly. "I guess Camelot just does that to you," he smiled. Elyan loved Camelot as home, with all of his heart. "She makes even the most stubborn of people love her." They walked on and turned a corner.