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"Where would be best?" "I'm sure the tavern would do." The Rising Sun was usually the place where most of the knights would grab something to eat. The food isn't spectacular, but it's alright. The ale isn't too bad either. It would be a great place for them to talk. There were few other good places to eat in Camelot, but the tavern was the place to just relax and have a nice cold tankard of mead. He knew he needed one after the work he'd done today; just to unwind a bit. Company would be nice too, so he was definitely up for it. She seemed like a friendly person who would be great to have a conversation with and he was definitely up for some food. God knows he's needed something to eat since the morning. He was rather looking forward to it. She was an unusual person, he was sure there was more to her than meets the eye...even if what meets the eye was strange in itself. "I'd love to tell you more about Camelot. The story of how I became a knight is a long and interesting one, I'd be glad to tell it to you." But first there was work to be done!

"Thank-you, but you can call me Kory." He'd known many noblewomen to prefer being referred to by their titles; they probably thought it gave them a higher authority and the right to look down on people. Few nobles allowed others to call them by their names, Arthur being one of them, who asked him to call him by his name a while ago, and now Kory. "If that is what you wish, Kory." He guessed that probably told him a lot about her then. She was different, kinder and less stuck up than the stereotypical noble. He knew titles were important to most nobles and she was still a princess even if her kingdom had fallen. She was very odd, but in a good, unique kind of way. As he was measuring her height he heard a small laugh, he looked up to find a smile on her face. He blushed slightly, realising she must be ticklish.

She stepped on the platform and gave a little comment that made a familiar red tinge stain his dark cheeks. He didn't fail to notice the mirth in her voice. He had completely disregarded the fact that she was a woman, while he had been taking her measurements. He had put all his concentration on the work and calculations and had completely forgotten how inappropriate pressing rope to her side must have been. How embarrassing! He'd never had to make swords for a woman before, it was usually men who came to him, so he had taken her measurements the way he would have for anyone else; he should've been more considerate. The blush refused to fade. "I'm so sorry, I get a bit carried away and distracted while I work," he quietly said, while scribbling down her average weight on the same piece of parchment as before. "You can step down now. Your measurements are done, I just have to work out their proportions to your swords; just a few calculations."

She was a princess! His eyebrows shot up, and he failed to hear the rest of her sentence. He had been on the right train of thought then. That only made him feel even more remorse for her. She must have lost more than just her home, but her people as well...her kingdom. He should have known she was a noble before, because no matter how strange she was, all nobles carried themselves the same way; with confidence that could be seen as borderline arrogance and with grace. It was just how they were all raised. This girl...princess definitely walked with confidence in her stride. How could he have failed to notice? He was usually very observant. He smiled at her offer to get him food, and to be honest he was rather hungry. "That would be nice."

"Beautiful aren't they? Crafted by the warlords of Valaria. Each blade tells a story in the Valarian culture." He watched her take the other blade out and slowly accepted them. Now that he held them he could truly inspect at the intricate designs on the blades. He didn't recognize some of the symbols but the designs were beautiful. The blades themselves were also different, but they fit with each other like puzzle pieces. He marvelled at the craftsmenship like only a blacksmith could in regards to tiny differences in weight and length that his father had trained his hands to notice. "I have only visited Valaria once many years ago, so I don't know much about it." It was an unforgettable place, even though he'd only spent such a short time it made an impression on him. "Maybe you could also tell me what the blades say when I take you up on your proposition to get me something to eat," he chuckled. He had been completely distracted by the daggers but he quickly remembered his manners. Just because Valaria fell, it didn't make her any less of a noble. He bowed down. "Thank you, my lady."

Right, on to work! He grabbed an old balance and lifted it from a clutter in the corner of the forge. It was made of a large rusted pole with weights on either side of it and a platform at the bottom for a person to stand on. It wasn't extremely accurate but it would do. He also had a thin lenth of rope that his father had manually graduated, it also wasn't extremely accurate, but it was better than nothing. He mind was solely on the work now, it was his only concentration at this point in time. He held the rope against her and scribbled some measurements on a piece of parchment on his work table, as he made some calculations in his head. He then motioned to the balance and looked at her. "If you could step on the platform? The balance will help me get a rough idea of what your weight is."

"I hope, that if you ever find I have offended your family's honor, that you will come to me." Elyan doubted Arthur would do anything like that, but then again he couldn't forget Arthur was still a noble, despite being a lot kinder than most. But they all had a certain arrogance about them, that none of them could fully shed. Not even the great Arthur Pendragon, if Elyan's hazy memory of a blonde haired pompous prince served him correctly. But it wasn't their fault really; it's just how all nobles are raised. But he'd be lying if he said Arthur hadn't changed since Elyan had last been in Camelot. Something told him Gwen probably had something to do with that. If it ever happened he'd know Arthur wouldn't mean it, he just might do it by accident. "Don't worry, Arthur. I won't hesitate to point it out." He chuckled.

Elyan listened intently as Arthur spoke about Gwen being his wife and queen. Images of his little sister on a throne with a crown atop her head flooded into his mind. She would be the perfect queen, he thought. Ever since they were children she was always very organised and calm. She was probably the only reason their family didn't completely fall apart after their mother's death. To be honest she looked after him more than he looked after her when they were children, despite him being the older sibling, and more so as they grew up since he'd always get himself into all sorts of problems. She was almost the complete opposite of Elyan, although she'd had her fair share of trouble. Despite not being born a noble or a princess, she'd always had a natural sense of grace and regality about her. However, unlike a lot of nobles she was always humble and could understand the people in a way that they never could; in a way that Arthur never could. She reminded him of their mother in that sense. He smiled. "She would make quite the queen, I think. The people will love her."

Elyan knew Gwen loved Camelot, despite all the bad things that had happened here; him leaving, their father dying and now to add to the list, she'd almost gotten burnt at the stake for sorcery. Elyan couldn't help but think that he could have done more to prevent them all. He could have been a better brother and stayed when she so obviously had needed him, instead of the selfish person he was. Maybe if he had stayed, he could have prevented their father's death. Elyan wasn't the type of person to dwell on the past or even spare a thought for the future, but after everything that had happened, he knew he had to change. He had to be more responsible, and caring and above all reliable. He knew that last point had always been an issue but he was going to change that now. "I think Gwen has put everyone's needs above her own for too long now. I'm ashamed to say I have not been the brother she deserves. But now I make it my duty, and yours too if what you speak is the truth," although Elyan didn't doubt it, "to take care of her for a change. She deserves love, care, safety and true happiness more than anyone I know."

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.

“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.

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.