Magical World (Mordred)

[Brynn Reade]

I called your name out loud in the courtyard
The Crystal I held was like an old friend

~ ~ ~

A large wooden basket full of dirty sheets under her arm, Brynn was hurrying across the courtyard of Camelot castle, towards the laundry room where a few maids already were waiting with the steaming cauldrons. Yesterday had been the feast for Arthur Pendragon’s birthday, not such a great celebration as maybe expected by some, but then everyone knew that this day didn’t hold the most happy memories for their young king. He had lost both parents to this day, and Brynn was sure no one would ever begrudge him a smaller, more solemn feast. But then, even a small feast meant a heap load of work for all the servants of Camelot, with nobles gathering to pay their respect, and many of them staying overnight, since they couldn’t be bothered with travelling back to their estates after a long banquet and in the dead of the night.

The next day however, the castle was expected to function as if nothing had happened at all, and to clear up the remains of the feast every spare hand was needed. Therefore, Brynn had offered to help, taking the geese out only for two hours and hurrying back as fast as she possibly could. She didn’t mind the extra work, she only wished they wouldn’t all be in such a HURRY. The goosemaiden wasn’t used to such a hectic environment, but she also knew it was nothing short of her own fault, living such a life of leisure in comparison. This was the third basket she was carrying to and fro, and soon her arms felt like she was carrying heavy armour, or like they had been made out of solid lead. Always around halfway across the courtyard, she had to readjust her hold on the large woven basket, and stopped for a few moments, trying not to stand in anyone’s way. The courtyard itself was almost as busy, with servants going here and there, soldiers changing their positions, nobles taking their leave after they had prepared everything for their departure, and of course the odd knight of Camelot, doing whatever they had been assigned or asked to do. Also, rumors had it King Arthur himself wished to depart today, on some unexpected journey he wished not to be accompanied on except by Merlin. Whatever they were up to again… it was surely not Brynn’s concern.

Giving a soft grunt of mild annoyance, Brynn readjusted the basket a second, time and set out into a brisk pace, when suddenly she felt something… getting caught close to her neck, making it difficult for her to move her head, and forcing it in an unnatural sideways position. Oh, great, just what she needed! Without thinking too much about it, she yanked her head to the side while walking and then heard the small sound of something snapping. Sped up by her own momentum, she watched her stone pendant flying to the ground a few feet forward, directly in front of a passing knight. Oh no…

Tag: Mordred
Timeline: season 5 episode 3
Time of Day: Early Afternoon
Muse Song: Magical World - Blackmore's Night

~ ~ ~

The vines crawled the walls, the wind held its breath
But the answer I longed for never came...

[mordred]

Mordred of Camelot was in a hurry. His cape fluttering about him in the slight breeze, the Knight bit back a curse of annoyance as he realised he was late - again - to training with the King. It was the second time he had overslept, and he had no idea how Arthur had not expelled him from his ranks yet. The fluttering cape wasn't helping, either, and part of the young druid wished deeply he could dump it somewhere and leave it be. But to do so would probaby be to insult Camelot, if not Arthur Pendragon himself - something Mordred would never do.

He was halfway to the training grounds when he almost tripped over something that had rolled into his path. Stopping suddenly so as not to break the thing - which seemed to be tied to a string, the young knight knelt, picking up what appeared to be a pendant, his eyes remaining observant as he felt power course through him. Oh... He wanted to drop whatever it was, forget it had come into his path, but clearly, the thing had an owner... looking about for who might have dropped the pendant, the Knight spotted the young maiden with a basket of sheets, looking rather harried. Keepign his expression neutral, Mordred moved over, with a soft smile, holding the pendant by the strings, trying to ignore the power flowing through him. "Excuse me, miss, but have you dropped this?" he asked, indicating the pendant.

[Brynn Reade]

I called your name out loud in the courtyard
The Crystal I held was like an old friend

~ ~ ~

It was really the worst scenario you could think of, being in a hurry yourself and THEN get in the way and detain someone who mimicked your brisk pace, seemingly in a hurry as well. But Brynn knew she had to stop, since this pendant was very precious to her. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember ever having been without it, and for some reason she felt incredibly hollow as soon as the leather cord was ripped away from her neck. As if she suddenly was alone… all alone where before she had been in company. It was a ridiculous and peculiar notion, but Brynn couldn’t help but feel it with all her might, her heart aching and her fingers almost reaching out to close themselves around the blue pendant and keep it safe. Safe from the kind hands that had picked it up so readily. Oh, she should be thankful, not wary! And she was thankful, yes, but a part of Brynn also felt possessive and even annoyed. What was wrong with her?! It might be shock, surely… nothing of the shock and the time pressure she was under.

Forcing her lips into a smile, she quickly put the basket down and tentatively reached out for the pendant, but remembered her manners an instant before, doing a curtsy.and inclining her head. Now she saw him up close, she recognized Camelot’s newest addition of knights, the young Sir Mordred. Of course the servants were abuzz with the deeds he had done, what an excellent fighter he was, even able to give King Arthur himself a hard time for a few moments. Not to mention that he was also very good looking in a dark, slightly mysterious way, which of course would make the majority of servant girls blush and giggle in ways usually only Gwaine could. Sometimes Brynn felt incredibly glad that she wasn’t this kind of girl, even after Alex and her had broken up. It might make her be a little secluded from the other servant girls, but Brynn rather had it that way than making a fool of herself. And anyway… a man saving Arthur’s life had her respect, not only because she felt in some way connected to that. She, too, in a moment of one of Camelot’s worst nightmare had once done such a thing, even though she hardly thought of that anymore. The Knights of Medhir hopefully would never return again.


”Yes, indeed, the cord was ripped off my neck, Sir Mordred”, she agreed. “Thank you very much for getting it for me. You must be in a hurry.” Her fingers oddly trembled as they grasped the pendant, still warm from when it had rested on the skin of her chest, a little hidden by her bodice. And as soon as the blue stone made contact with her skin again, the feeling of loss vanished and she felt incredibly happy. As if some…thing, or someone was welcoming her back, while a gentle breeze tugged at her hair and swished past her ear. Quickly, Brynn’s eyes flickered to Sir Mordred’s. Had he felt anything as well? This was all just… odd.

~ ~ ~

The vines crawled the walls, the wind held its breath
But the answer I longed for never came...

[mordred]

The girl's odd manner did not escape the young Knight, and he searched her face; attempting to seem subtle - as he handed her the pendant back gently; feeling a strange rush of power burst through him as his fingers brushed the necklace's cord. What in the name of the Gods....? He pushed the thought back and retained his smile, for whatever this was... he was almost certain the young girl was clueless. But somehow, something in him called to the necklace. But that was ridiculous! It was just a pendant! ... wasn't it?

"You are very welcome, dear lady." Though the girl was obviously not of royal blood, Mordred had always been the type to try to act politely to all; whether of royal blood or not, and this girl was no exception. His breath shuddered a little as the pendant left his grasp, feeling as though something had uncoiled from around his heart, freeing him in the strangest sense that almost left him... bereft. He gave the girl a soft smile. "And you are right, I was in a hurry and was not looking where i was going. I do apologise."

[Brynn Reade]

I called your name out loud in the courtyard
The Crystal I held was like an old friend

~ ~ ~

Brynn could not quite comprehend why she felt the way she did, so relieved, so happy, but she pushed the thought in the back of her mind for now, to deal with later. Too much thinking was not good when you were in a hurry, and also not when you were conversing with seomeone, let alone if this someone was a knight! Brynn might be consider Gwaine as close as a friend could be, and with him she never had felt intimidated, but of course this was a singular thing. Brynn would never dream to think of any other knight in that same fashion, even though Sir Mordred, like Sir Gwaine had earned his knighthood by serving Arthur and not by birth right. Things might be changing in Camelot, but not so the servants could walk all over the nobles, that was Brynn’s firm belief. Things were as they were, and she was happy in the place she had been born into.

A soft smile tugged at her lips as he called her lady. Just like Gwaine would, but surely done by completely different motives. Sir Mordred didn’t come across as the flirty charmer at all, he probably just wanted to be polite. Brynn appreciated it, of course, but it still rubbed wrong with her and she felt in need to correct him with all due respect. There was an easy way of course, but it was also a slightly bold way. Then again… servants didn’t hold so much pride in their name as nobles did. Their names were easily forgettable… and easily forgotten. “Please, my name is Brynn”, she therefore answered. “And the only title I hold is goosemaiden.” Though of course she bore that one with pride. Most people might only see them as welcome food, they had no idea how much skill it took to take them to this very stage, and how important it was for the herd to only take those animals that wouldn’t cause a hefty shift of balance amongst them.

Was he now apologizing to her?! But why? He hadn’t done anythign wrong, after all. That was most unneeded in Brynn’s eyes, but since she wasn’t the overhasty type, she didn’t haste to correct him. She always thought twice before any words left her mouth and even then it would only be a few certain ones, those that were necessary. She had clearly inherited this trait from her father, John Reade. Taking the cord, she quickly fabricated another knot and put the pendant around her neck once again. “This was not your fault, at all, Sir Mordred.”
Looking down at her bodice and the blue pendant that rested there again now, she suddenly frowned. Call it a pet peeve of hers, but somehow letting the carver’s signature show on the front didn’t look right for her. So, shaking her head a little, she took it off again.

~ ~ ~

The vines crawled the walls, the wind held its breath
But the answer I longed for never came...

[mordred]

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Brynn." he said softly "Even with no title, that does not deem one unworthy of the name Lady," The brunette gave her a quick smile, hoping she wouldn't think he was flirting with her. Those sort of intentions towards a woman had never - as of yet - even entered his mind, and Mordred was quite content to let it stay that way, naive as it probably sounded it.

At her declining that the incident was his fault, the Knight gave a soft smile. "Let us say then that I was not exactly innocent. I should have been looking where I was going, and not rushing about like a mad-man. And please, call me Mordred." he suddenly wondered what the King would think of him offering his name to a servant, but shrugged the thought away. If Arthur truly had problems with it, then he was not the man that Mordred deemed him to be. "I hope I did not startle you too much, my Lady," he began, but then his eyes fell upon the sign on her pendant. All words left Mordred for a brief few seconds as he stared at his, his head whirling. Where would she have gotten such a pendant? Was she a sorcerer? DId she mean harm? Was she here to - but no. She seemed genuine enough... He shook himself out of the thought, giving her a smile. "My apologies, my Lady, I must have blanked out there for a moment."

[Brynn Reade]

I called your name out loud in the courtyard
The Crystal I held was like an old friend

Brynn inclined her head once again in a manner of acknowedging his comment, wondering where this could probably lead. Not that she didn’t want to talk to this young man, he seemed amiable and sociable enough, if maybe a little politely reserved. Not at all comparable to Gwaine of course, or Alex, the only two men she really had had enough conversations with to speak of. In a way, he reminded her a little of her father, though that was an odd comparison of course. It was just the way he spoke, a little similar to her own. Polite, yet reserved and not a world surplus. It was an interesting change for once, but then they both had things to do, so she doubted this conversatuon would really last much longer. A knight might not get into too much trouble for dawdling, but a servant girl surely would. But he was the superior one in this encounter, so he would be the one calling an end to it; anything else would have been highly inapropriate.

”This is the new spirit of Camelot apparently”, she remarked and nodded. “I have a friend amongst your fellow knights who would surely agree with you there… Gwaine is his name.” Too late she realized how the term ‘friend’ might have come across unintentionally. It was very well known after all that Gwaine didn’t really do ‘friends’ when it came to women. She must be an exception there, but how was Mordred to know about this? It somehow rubbed wrong with her being thought such a kind of girl even in someone’s thoughts and even as a possibility. But she knew well enough that any further explanations to maybe steer away from that train of thought would only bring him closer to thinking it – and she wasn’t the one for prattling away useless words. Whether he thought it now or not, she couldn’t change it.

Shaking her head firmly, she once again assured him he had by no means startled her and motioned to the basket of dirty laundry at her feet. “This is the culprit, Sir… Mordred. You really did nothing to make this happen, it was an unfortunate—“ she trailed off suddenly, realizing he was staring blankly. A different girl than Brynn might have suspected he was staring on her bodice in a completely lewd manner, but that would have been too crazy to even consider it. He didn’t seem that type. No… what must have caught his attention was the pendant. But… he had seen it before, he had even picked it up, what might make him act so oddly just now?!
Slowly, her hand reached up and closed around the blue stone almost protectively. What was he getting at?! Did he maybe think such a thing did not belong in the hands of a lowly servant girl? It was a blue stone yes, but it wasn’t a jewel… this was all just inexplainable! Unless…

”Is something wrong with my pendant?” she asked warily. “Do you maybe recognize the carver’s signature? Sadly I can’t tell you much about it. I got it from my godmoher before I was born.”
Why was she telling him that now?! Just to redeem herself? Suddenly, Brynn didn’t feel all that comfortable anymore… it was as if someone was whispering a warning in her ear… and then fell silent. The wind went completely still, as if he held its breath.

The vines crawled the walls, the wind held its breath
But the answer I longed for never came...

[mordred]

Mordred raised an eyebrow at the tone of her voice... The new spirit of Camelot, indeed... he thought. Did that mean she disapproved? Or did she approve and was trying to seem reserved? The Knight mentally shrugged off the thought, knowing he would eventually mull it over later. At the mention of one of his fellow knights, a smile graced the druid's lips. "I know Sir Gwaine," he acknowledged softly - feeling like an idiot as soon as he said the words. Of course the Knights knew each other! What sort of fellowship would it be if they did not? Cursing himself silently for his own stupidity, the druid smiled at her. "I have not yet gotten to know him as well as I would like, but he seems like a kind and honest man."

The pendant seemed to be pulling at him, for reasons that Mordred did not understand and was desperately trying to fight against. He tried to focus on the girl's voice, realising it had cut off and she was staring at him in... confusion? Fear? What? He stared at her, then down at the pendant, then up at her, not even thinking that his actions could be described by anyone as being innappropriate, since his main focus was on the pendant. A shiver of.. something passed through him, and the druid felt vaguely ill, as though he might throw up. His hands shaking, the druid forced back a grimace, giving the girl an apologetic smile. "Please forgive me, dear Lady," he said softly. "I was caught by the signature, though alas I do not know what it represents." A slight lie... but then, was she telling lies too? A carver's signature, she called it... but no, Mordred was certain he had seen it somewhere before. A whisper in his ear of times gone by - no. No. The knight pushed such thoughts aside, and gave the girl a distant smile.

"My apologies. I am not myself.... and I should be late for training if I stay here for too long," he stumbled about his words, desperate to get away from the pull of the pendant, praying against prayer that it was somethign that would loosen its hold on him if he were away from it. How long had it been here, in Camelot? Was this woman a witch? Did she mean to work against the King? Or was she as innocent as she claimed? He gave her a strange look, and a weak smile. "It was a pleasure making your aqquantence," he said, the words sounding false to his own ears as the Knight turned, desperate to get away from the magnetic pull of the pendant.