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Caitrinshifted her position so that she was sitting quite comfortably next to the fire. She was relaxing slightly in front of this woman, but she was still keeping her guard up. She had been defensive about her use of magic and of being discovered since she had come to Camelot. That kind of mental torture didn't just disappear because a stranger in the forest smiled and said that she too was a sorceress. No, it would take a lot more for Caitrin to even consider trusting this woman. Caitrin trusted few people anyway, so why would she suddenly start trusting this woman after a few exchanges?

The way this woman described her role almost felt slightly nostalgic to Caitrin. Her nurse, Helgund, had been a guide for Caitrin in her younger years as she had been the one who had taught her sorcery in the first place. She pressed her lips together, trying not to show how Nimueh's words were being received on a personal level. Caitrin wondered if this woman played a similar role to Helgund. Even Caitrin had to admit she had been slightly lost in the world of sorcery without a guide, and without anyone to help her. Her magic had been left a lot weaker than she would have liked it to be because of Helgund's premature death. Caitrin's sorcery was of course still effective, but it wasn't as powerful as she wanted it to be. "Do you help many sorcerers then? In truth I have not met many sorcerers in my life." Even when Caitrin had lived in Mercia Helgund had been the only other person with magic she could remember being introduced to. There may have been others, but they had been quite forgotten in the depths of Caitrin's memories.

Caitrin wondered if Nimueh knew of any other sorcerer's in Camelot. She wasn't going to ask for that information of course, because she wouldn't want Nimueh to tell anyone else that Caitrin was a sorceress. No, that information had to remain a secret. Her curiosity was burning inside her to just ask the woman, but no, she bit back her tongue and said nothing on the topic. All the sorcerers had probably been driven out by Uther; she was probably one of the last ones left in Camelot.

A smile broke onto the young woman's lips as Nimueh described her name as 'beautiful'. Caitrin had never given it much thought. Many had thought her name was odd, unusual or rare but never beautiful. And then of course the topic turned to the isle of the Blessed. Caitrin had never heard of such a place. Helgund had mentioned an Isle once, but that was a long time ago and Caitrin probably hadn't been paying attention anyway. The place sounded incredibly intriguing; it was almost like the magical world was opening in front of Caitrin's eyes. She had been cut off from it for so long it was hard to know what to feel. "No I have never heard of it." Caitrin replied softly and began to poke the fire with a stick by her side, "Do many other sorcerer's know of the Isle as well?"

Caitrin could not help but give Richard a small smirk at his words, he did know her quite well then, even after a day. She would much rather, even now, return on her own terms rather than Richard's. Why should she want to stay with him after all? His contract with her Uncle had nothing to do with her, and him not getting paid would not affect her in the slightest. However, as much as she was trying to run off and attempt to get back by herself, it wasn't going exactly to plan. The stupid chain would still not come off her wrist.

Her nails were starting to chip where she had been digging at the silver and she sighed exasperatedly. Even her magic wouldn't work on the chain. Even though her sorcery wasn't incredibly powerful when compared with the magic of other sorcerers, it should have at least left a mark shouldn't it? Caitrin ran a hand through her hair; this was getting her nowhere really was it? Cursing Richard, and the chain, she began to pick up the firewood again. She could always think of another way to get the chain off in front of a warm fire anyway.

Once she figured she had enough dry wood she began to make her way back to Richard. She wasn't going to start the fire too close to him because she too wanted distance from her forced companion. She set the firewood down a few paces away from him and picked up two stones, well, she didn't want to make this too obvious did she? Turning her back to Richard, she whispered into the wood and a gentle flame lit up which caught on rather quickly. Satisfied that it wouldn't look too suspicious Caitrin just set herself down beside the fire and began to warm her hands on the quickening fire. The blanket of night had now set in fully and she looked around her, unable to see past what the fire now lit up. Even the horse was now lying down. Caitrin however couldn't have felt less tired if she tried. Really she had done a small amount over the whole of the day excepting her incident with Richard.

Caitrin pulled her cloak around her shoulders, even with the burning fire it was still quite cold. She looked over at Richard who was just lay asleep. Great, so she was bored, completely awake and with nothing to do. Caitrin began to poke the fire gently with a stick to make sure it stayed alight. Her mind began to wander as she just stared at the flames. Her earlier thoughts, of having enough of men, were still in the forefront of her mind. Although she enjoyed her teases and flirts it never seemed to lead to anything but trouble, or disappointment. And to be frank, Caitrin was just tired of it. She wasn't a romantic, no she was anything but, but she needed a challenge in a way. Men were becoming too alike in her eyes; they were all after one thing. She just needed something, or someone different to come along. As the flames crackled in front of her eyes she sighed softly; what was the likelyhood of her ever getting what she wanted?

To say that Caitrin wasn’t convinced by Richard’s words was the biggest understatement of the year. She raised her eye brows at him and let out a small chuckle. She shouldn’t see why she should stop teasing and jesting with him, after all she had to spend the next few days with him. He had kidnapped her and that came with consequences, and it just happened that Caitrin de Archer’s idea of fun came in the form of teasing and jesting with men. Of course she wasn’t flirting with Richard anymore, she wasn’t an idiot after all and she could do without being knocked unconscious again. No, now she was just teasing him because she could. She needed some amusement after all.

“So that was why you were edging up the bed away from me?” She asked him with a wink, “Because you were concerned?” The sarcasm ran through her words but that was intended so she hoped Richard received it in such a way. Caitrin then turned her attentions back to the small clearing which Richard had chosen. It was quite a good spot, Caitrin could already see some of the first stars peeking through the setting sky. It was quite picturesque in a way. The clearing was also quite quiet and private, you couldn’t really see the road even though they were only a few minutes or so from it. Although she wouldn’t admit it to Richard, he had done a good job in picking the spot with what little time he had had.

Caitrin didn’t really need to put much thought into Richard’s proposal. It made sense that he should sleep first because she had only really just woken up and she was anything but tired. Plus she was still eager to get the stupid chain off her wrist as soon as possible. If he was asleep she might be able to try again; there had to be some way of getting it off! Caitrin knew that she could start the fire as well, of course Richard didn’t have to know exactly how she would be starting the fire, but it would be keeping both of them warm so it didn’t matter really did it? “You can sleep first, I’ve only just woken up after all.” She shrugged softly, she did still feel a bit groggy but she had no intention of sleeping just yet; she had lost enough of her day to contemplate sleep just yet. “I can start the fire too if you wanted to rest?” He had said the chain would stretch, so surely it would stretch far enough for her to grab some firewood and start a small fire. If not well then he would just have to help her gather firewood before he went to sleep.

Caitrin was certain that this little fling between her and Oliver would forever remain a secret. She would not be in a hurry to tell her brother and father what they had been up to, and she suspected that Oliver wasn’t either. Caitrin really didn’t want either her father or brother to come home anytime soon and catch her in this compromising position, but neither did she want it to end. This vibe and these feelings she was getting from Oliver were worth the risk of being caught; they would always be worth the risk.

In truth, Oliver was the first man who Caitrin had kissed, which made this encounter all the more iconic. She’d flirted, teased, but she’d never kissed before. Her father would never have let anyone at court make such a bold advance on her. When they were here, on their own at her manor, the rules were what they made them to be. Caitrin suspected, because of her confidence in this advancement, that Oliver certainly would not be the last man she kissed either. It was quite an exciting prospect but the feelings which Oliver was causing to pulse though her were almost addictive.

She let out a small laugh at his jest but did not reply to it as he had been the one who had stopped their bout of archery so he mustn’t have been that much into it. Perhaps Caitrin had just been a better distraction than she had supposed she would. This certainly was proving to be a more entertaining morning than she could have ever hoped for it to be. Oliver was certainly matching her advances and surpassing them in cases. "It's not one of my habits." Caitrin admitted softly at his question, but there was almost a hint of flirtation and suggestion in her words, "But it might start becoming one."

Caitrin pressed her lips together, not wanting to let up the opportunity for yet another tease in Oliver’s direction. “Perhaps.” The words rolled about in her tongue thoughtfully as she drew up to Oliver until their lips were once again practically brushing, “But I’m sure you can raise the standard once more.” There, she was challenging him. Hadn’t he said before that he never backed down from a challenge? It would therefore be interesting to see what shape this challenge would take; if he did indeed accept it.

Oliver was so close to her now, she had not expected him to be so willing; not that she was complaining of course. She was finding it harder and harder to keep her emotions in check. Never could she have imagined she would ever be in this situation with him. She was no longer that small girl he had once known, but she was growing into a woman, and she expected to be handled as such. If this was Oliver’s way of handling her then Caitrin was more than keen to let it continue. She had tried soft teases and flirts on a few men before, but it had always felt awkward or the man had not responded to her. Oliver however was different.

Now more than ever she wanted him to continue, for him to just continue to mirror her actions and act as she did. He was being too encouraging for Caitrin to back down her advances now. Instead she began to focus her eyes on Oliver, and began to feel her lips burn for him as his breath ran over the soft skin. It felt like there was a fire burning in her, which was yearning out for his every touch. These feelings were so new to her; she didn’t want this sensation to end.

Caitrin had not been expecting him to be as bold as to pull her towards him. She let him press her softly towards the warmth of his body. She had no reason to prevent it after all. This was what she wanted. To steady herself she placed one of her hands on his waist. With their bodies pressed against one another’s Caitrin could feel her heart racing in her chest. Her breathing quickened and she raised her eyes so that her gaze was locked with Oliver’s and nothing, and no one else.

The temptation was there; it was burning through her. His lips were so close it would have been so easy to just inch her lips forwards and merge them together with Oliver’s. Jesu, she wanted to. The sensation of his warm breath on her lips was making her dizzy and lightheaded. She breathed out softly, her lips practically brushing against Olivers. The urge to just lean forwards was screaming out to her but somehow she managed to stay back, just for those few moments. “Perhaps you should show me what you like.” Her voice was little more than a whisper; her breath smoothed against his lips. They were so close it was almost painful for their lips to stay parted for much longer.

Mercia was not a place which ranked very highly in Caitrin’s opinion, but perhaps that was in hindsight than because of the place itself. She had no friends really back in Mercia, there were a few people who she wished to see again, funnily enough none of them really came from her family. She was sure she never wanted to see her sisters again, they had never been close. Caitrin had always got on well with other members of the nobility though, such as Oliver; yes they had been quite close when she had lived in Mercia. “A day trip it is then.” Caitrin declared boldly and took a swig of her wine, “And of course you will be welcome to stay here the night before.” That of course would make most sense. They could break fast together and then journey to Mercia in their own time. Caitrin’s calendar was relatively empty so she nodded towards Yassia and smiled, “Well let me know when you can take the time out for the trip, and I shall take you to the Kingdom I grew up in.” It felt odd to say that really, it felt like she had lived in Camelot all her life even though it had only been a few years. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

Caitrin laughed as Yassia suggested that Griff could be here tonight, spying on them. She and Griff held no secrets, excepting the fact that Caitrin was a sorceress, and so each knew exactly what each other thought of the other. As much as Caitrin did feel that she was falling for Griff completely, they could still argue like cat and dog. They were both incredibly headstrong and sometimes their arguments flared up. They always made up in the end one way or another so it was fine. “I am sure you could tell him nothing that he doesn’t know already.” Caitrin replied softly, with a slightly mischievous smile. She looked back at her friend and sighed out softly, “Tell me Yassia, there must be such a man that holds your favour?” Caitrin didn’t want to make Yassia feel uncomfortable by sitting here like a love-struck woman speaking about nothing but Griff all evening. It would just make her miss him even more than she already did.

The topic unfortunately swung from the one man she loved to the one who she would rather forget completely about. She looked up at Yassia and bit her lip nervously. Caitrin didn’t feel sorry for herself, she just felt uncomfortable about the topic of Vortigern on the whole. She had never felt so vulnerable as she had during their experience; he had made her feel like she was worthless. Caitrin couldn’t even get angry at the mention of his name, she just felt like she was almost worn out with it. She had been emotionally traumatised after the night at the inn. The torment she had been forced to endure with thinking she was pregnant with his child had driven her crazy in the weeks following the encounter. Even though she hadn’t been pregnant the possibility had loomed over her for months. He could have ruined her life forever if she had indeed got pregnant, rather than ruining it for those few days.

“I’m so sorry.” She finally said as she listened to Yassia’s story. Caitrin just felt uncomfortable; Vortigern truly was the most vile man in the whole of Albion and beyond. “What did he do?” She forced herself to ask because she needed to know. Had Caitrin not been the only one who had been used to satisfy Vortigern’s tastes? Or had he indeed taken Yassia as he had taken Caitrin?

It was only fair that Caitrin answered Yassia’s question, as the woman had answered her questions without hesitation. She didn’t want to, Jesu, Caitrin just wanted to dodge the question and pretend that it had never happened. “I was riding out alone, he stopped me and we were both attacked by bandits.” She paused slowly and pressed her eyes together before forcing them open again, “The bandits took the horses but left us alone; together.”

As the celebrations had been winding down somewhat, Caitrin didn’t feel as bad about leaving the proceedings for a while. Griff would probably complain if she was gone too long, but she would stay out here for as long as she wished. Anyway, as she had already pointed out she had not been very well these past days so a bit of fresh air would probably do her a large amount of good. She would probably need to see a physician if her ailments continued, but that was not to be thought of tonight.

For now Caitrin had realised she had left Griff in the company of her Uncle, which would mean she would get no end of earache from her husband when she re-joined the group. Rouland, her Uncle, seemed determined to try and wind Griff up at every opportunity as he knew he could get a reaction and Caitrin was usually the one mediating the storm between them. Oh well, they needed some more time on their own, it gave Caitrin some peace at least. They would not be staying much longer anyway, the celebrations were winding down and she was sure her Uncle would want to return to the estate soon enough.

As Caitrin was wound up in her own thoughts, she did not notice as her old friend, the newly crowned King, began to approach her. She didn’t jump or flinch, she just turned casually on her heels to meet his gaze with a soft smile. In that moment, as she saw the crown on his head, she realised how much had changed for them both over the last few months. But they were still friends, and that was how it should be. Caitrin never wanted that to change.

“My Lord King.” Caitrin responded, bobbing her head with a wide smile at her lips. It was not an overtly formal greeting as it was not needed for such an old friend, but she had just wanted to address him as King, just the once. Her smile gave her greeting away as being one which was not meant with the formality it demanded. She respected Arthur as King, and his title, but they were friends so many of the conventions of formal conversation were somewhat lost with them. As she raised herself she just felt her smile increase as she looked over him, wearing the crown which had so recently belonged to his father. Although he was new to the throne, Caitrin was sure that he looked every part the King that Camelot needed. She could not begin to describe how proud she was of her friend, but of course she would not say these things right away. Arthur’s ego had always been something Caitrin had been weary of feeding over the years.

She took a step closer to Arthur and looked up at him, wondering why he was out here instead of joining the celebrations which had been laid out in his honour. Of course Caitrin would never ask him directly; if he wished to tell her then that was his choice. It meant of course that Caitrin could enjoy his company in relative privacy for a while, something she would never complain about. “How are you?” She asked softly, her hand running through her hair as a gentle wind tugged at the strands. “Have you enjoyed your day?” Caitrin was sure he would have, even though ascending to the throne was obviously done after the death of one’s father, surely that could have not ruined Arthur’s entire day?

Ah well now she had gained Oliver’s personal consent he would have no choice but to not back down from her little challenge. She was sure now more than ever she would continue her flirts, she had his permission after all didn’t she? He wanted to see how much of a handful she could be, and she was determined to show him. Of course she would not go too far, and would not continue if Oliver found it uncomfortable, but he seemed to be giving her signs of encouragement so who was she to put words in his mouth?

Caitrin gave a wide grin of satisfaction at his words and nodded in a bold sort of way, acknowledging that yes, now the challenge was well and truly on. She would not let him away with backing down from this little challenge either, though she knew that he would probably never back down. That could only be a good thing, and perhaps Jeffrey would stay away long enough for Oliver to see just how much of a handful Caitrin could be without her father around.

Caitrin truly never wanted this encounter to end. Oliver was certainly proving to be more encouraging than she could have ever hoped. It wasn’t made any better by his features on the whole. It was just everything about him which made Caitrin sure that she just wanted to continue to keep him this close in her intimate attentions. She began to notice the little things, like the fact his hair sat perfectly when he looked round at her, and that his grin just lit up his entire face and just increased this flutter of her heart.

The sensation of his lips so close to hers was making her head spin. It was impossible to think of anything but him when he was so close, and intimate, towards her. Breathing out slowly she began to try and calm her senses down, she did not want to give just yet. Caitrin gave a gentle laugh as he jested that her shot was mere luck. She knew it was not luck, but it would ruin the mood to stubbornly point this out. Instead, Caitrin was preoccupied with being was irritated as he moved to take his shot, as she would have much preferred to keep him by her side but he supposed he had to take his turn. So she watched silently, and smiled at him as his arrow landed quite neatly beside hers. As he walked back towards her, Caitin’s eyes could focus on nothing but him. He had so changed in her view from that older brother sort of figure she had once known. No, this was something completely different. It was just everything about her which set her feelings racing, it was his grin, the way he looked at her, and even the flirts which he gave her with ease. She snapped into focus however as she felt him place an arrow in her hand, leaving his hand there too. For a moment she just glanced down at their embrace, checking that it was actually happening and it was just not wistful thinking.

Her eyes rose to Oliver slowly, just taking him in with her glance. She inclined her head towards him, trying some of this new found confidence out with ease. Her lips did not stop until they were practically just raised above his as she whispered. “Would you like to keep it that way?” Caitrin’s soft breath caressed his soft lips; leaving her mark. Her hand stayed pressed against his, and even she could not ignore the tingle at her fingertips his touch left her with. His touch was just so warm and inviting, everything about him was just making her heart flutter in her chest. He knew the rules of this game better than she did, but she did not mind him exploiting that a little, especially if it meant gestures such as the one they were sharing now.

Furrowing her brows Caitrin looked up at the woman in front of her. In truth she was still quite shocked that she seemed so at ease with referring to herself as a sorceress, and speaking of such things. From what Caitrin had seen of Camelot so far, people were scared half to death of even a slight mention of magic, so it made Caitrin quite uneasy in a way to hear her speak of magic so fluently. It of course should not be like that, Caitrin was annoyed with herself for even feeling slight unease as she knew that sorcery was not something to be feared, no, it was something to be cherished instead. As she spoke of guiding other sorcerer’s, Caitrin felt a small tug on her heartstrings. She had once possessed a guide such as the one this woman was professing to be. Helgund had once taught Caitrin sorcery, and how to use it wisely. She had always been there for her young ward, and without her Caitrin had been slightly lost. “What kind of guide?” Caitrin asked, but it was not said in an accusing tone, more one of curiosity.

Caitrin too wished that the King would see sense one day, and she nodded her head at the woman’s words. She had seen enough of Uther though to know that he would not readily change his mind. Caitrin had heard enough about the Great Purge to turn her stomach, she couldn’t understand how one person could knowingly cause so much destruction to so many families just because they possessed sorcery.

Sticking together with the others in the magical community had never been something which Caitrin had considered. Then again she had never had the option to. She was always weary of those who possessed magic in a way because she knew the penalty for showing even the slightest bit of magic. Oh, how Caitrin prayed that one day things would be different in Camelot. Perhaps Arthur, after his father, would see sense when he was King. In a way that was what Caitrin was holding out for, she wanted Arthur to maybe see one day that not all magic was evil. It was a distant daydream, and not something which Caitrin considered very often but she was stubbornly loyal to Arthur in many ways, and the possibility of change was just one of the reasons she would stay by his side. She therefore did not answer the woman, as she was not sure if she wanted to stick with other sorcerers or not for the time being. Although Caitrin knew that magic was a virtue, she knew there were those who used it for quite devious purposes, and she did not want to get linked to anything like that.

As the woman introduced herself Caitrin nodded in acknowledgement, wondering if she should return the favour. For a moment she even considered lying, but what good would it do? Caitrin’s features made her quite distinctive if this woman was trying to hand her over to Uther, so what harm would a name do? “Nice to meet you, my name is Caitrin.” She said softly, not giving her family name away; no she would not go that far with this woman just yet. "Are you from around here?"