Camelot High

Three

"Right! Has everyone got their seat belts on?" Mr Pendragon yelled over the riotous noise on the coach, the morning of the trip to Camlann forest.
Thankfully, Arthur and Mordred managed not to fight as much this week, but the injuries were a lot worse. Arthur cracked Mordred's nose, which ordinarily I would be annoyed at, but because this was the first time he had injured Mordred in the five months they'd been fighting, I was secretly pleased. Mordred split Arthur's lip yesterday, and I think cracked a rib, but that may have been a Rugby injury from the game against the rival school team because Elyan said he got tackled by the same guy and had bruised a rib himself from it.
"Yes, Mr Pendragon," the coachful of kids chorused back.
"Excellent. Then off you go! Have a good time," he stated, turning on his heel and getting off the bus.
Mr Monmouth, the library officer and part time History teacher then stood up at the front of the bus. "I do hope this will be a trip filled with both educational fun, and high spirited adventure. I'm sure you will all enjoy yourselves," he then sat back down and the coach pulled off down the road.
I settled myself into my window seat near the back of the bus, pulling out my book to read on the journey. I'd finished To Kill A Mockingbird, and had moved back to The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, another classic, that I was reading for about the fifth time since I got it for Christmas last year. Merlin poked my side from beside me.
"Whatcha reading that for again?" He asked, "you have about ten books at your house you haven't read yet."
"Sherlock is a classic though," I pointed out, not looking up from The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
"So is, apparently Animal Farm that you were adamant on buying last week, but you haven't read that yet."
"I like Conan Doyle's work," I protested, elbowing Merlin sharply.
"Oi!" He complained, "Arthur! Your girlfriend is bullying me again."
"Your best friend though, mate," Arthur replied with a laugh from behind me, poking me himself from between the gap in the two seats Merlin and I were occupying. "But I agree, Merlin."
"Huh! Thanks guys. Love you too," I stated indignantly, lifting my nose from the book to glare at the pair.
"We know you love us," Merlin grinned cockily. "But if you decide to go onto Les Misérables again after Sherlock, I shall personally burn it."
"You will do no such thing!" I shot back instantly. "Father gave me that copy, cost him a fortune too, a fortune we didn't have."
"Okay! Sorry!" Merlin said, leaning away from me, hands raised in mock surrender. "But seriously, Gwen, read the new books you brought!"
"I will!" I stated.
"When?" Arthur challenged.
"When I read it," I replied vaguely, but with a smug grin on my face.
Arthur snorted, suppressing a laugh, while Merlin glared at me for my smartass answer. "Huh," he muttered, digging in his own bag for something to do for the long journey to Camlann. "Smart Alec."
I had a cheesy grin in place ready for when he looked up. "My pleasure."
Merlin just rolled his eyes, flicking through his own book to find his place and continue reading. From there on in the back of the bus was uncharacteristically quiet, Leon and Morgana seemed to be asleep on each other, Elyan was engrossed in his copy of The Perks of being a Wallflower, my brother was very much in touch with his feminine side when it came to books. Lancelot was sat next to him, studying a sketchbook intensely, while Arthur and Gwaine were both listening to music. Percival was somewhere at the front, hoping that staring out the front window would help him with his travel sickness. We might be a raucous bunch of 9, but when it came to travelling on a school trip, we could be as silent as mice.

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Elyan stayed true to his word, and there were one or other of the lads stuck close by Arthur for the first few days of the trip, in case Mordred tried to do something crazy, but also if Arthur tried something too. They each had the smart idea of steering well clear of each other, but still glared at each other across tables or through the flames of the campfire in the middle of our pitch.
Right now, I was throwing a rugby ball about with Merlin, Lancelot and Elyan. The boys started off by practising throws and a few tackles, as all those on the rugby team were missing a team practise while away at Camlann forest, I then joined in, bored of chatting with Morgana and Gwaine about our group presentation for History next week. Like Lancelot, I was much stronger than I looked, that's what years of being one of the lads does to you, and eventually we went into playing a mini match; Merlin and I against Elyan and Lancelot.
"Foul!" Came a familiar voice just as I tackled Lancelot, "Gwen, you tackled Lance too early. He hadn't got the ball when you drove into him."
"I did not!" I protested, getting up from the floor, remarkably with the ball in my hand, to contradict Arthur. "Elyan had passed him the ball, so I went in for the tackle."
"Lance was a centimetre away from catching the ball when you tackled him. He had the ball by the time you were on the ground," Arthur countered, gesturing for me to pass the ball. "If you want to play the game, play by the rules," he smirked at me.
I chucked the ball at Arthur, helping Lancelot off the ground. "I do play by the rules."
"No you don't," Lancelot stated, brushing off the dirt on his trousers once he was on two feet. "But you are a very good player. Little rusty on your tackling technique, but nothing a few training sessions wouldn't clear up. Just remember the rules next time, Gwen, wouldn't want you getting sent off."
"Like any of you haven't broken the rules," I complained.
"Yeah," Arthur shrugged, "But the coach yells at us, we only get to yell if you do it."
"Well, aren't you just lovely!" I told him sarcastically. He just smirked at me, walking close enough to press a kiss to my cheek, still with the smirk on his face.
"I know," he commented simply, handing the ball back to me. "Play on."
"Why don't you join in, if you're so high and mighty about the rules?" I suggested, spinning the ball in my hands.
"Can't. Damaged rib," Arthur replied airily. "And besides, you need a ref."
I narrowed by eyes at him, while he only grinned cheesily, sitting on the grass and getting comfy. "Wuss."
Merlin chuckled, "he knows not to get involved when you're on the field. You can be vicious, you know."
"Well, when you've spent your entire life with Elyan for a brother and you as a best friend, you learn to be tough," I replied with a grin.
Eventually, Arthur decided not to referee the match. He wandered away, hands in pockets, shoulders hunched, towards one side of the forest. I noticed him leave just after I dived to score a try against the other team, and watched him once I'd got back on my feet. Both Merlin and Elyan tried to call me back to the game, but when I ignored their calls, joined me in watching Arthur disappear.
"He'll be okay, Gwen, you know that," Elyan reassured me.
I shook my head, "I want to believe that, but something in my gut is telling me otherwise."
"Gwen," Merlin said seriously, standing in front of me and forcing me to look him in the eye, "Arthur will be fine. He can look after himself. Stop being so worried."
"I just-," I started, but Merlin cut me off.
"I know, Gwen," he smiled faintly before pulling me into a hug, "but we can't smother him. He needs his space, like anyone else does."
After that, we decided to end the game where it was, and joined the rest of our gang at the campfire pit, all of whom were waiting on dinner to be cooked. It was only when they mentioned it that Merlin, Elyan, Lancelot and I realised how late it was and how hungry we were. I went to my tent to retrieve my book and read until dinner, keeping my mind off of Arthur.
"Quiet everyone!" Mr Monmouth called to the group about 45 minutes later. "Evening roll call, then dinner time." We all quietened down as he took the register, calling that we were present when he announced our name. "Arthur Pendragon!" No answer. "Mr Pendragon?" Mr Monmouth called again, still with no answer. "Right, just Arthur and Mordred unaccounted for." At his statement, my heart near stopped. This can't be good. "Has anyone seen Mordred or Arthur at all?"
"Arthur went off towards the forest a little while ago, sir," Lancelot answered. "I've not seen him since."
"Mordred was headed in that direction as well, Mr Monmouth, sir," called another pupil. "He looked quite determined, and I saw him hide something up his sleeve."
My gut feeling was right. I knew something was wrong. In seconds, I was up on my feet and running in the direction Arthur had taken to the forest edge earlier in the day. Both Merlin and Elyan called after me to stop, Mr Monmouth chiming in a similar command, but I ignored them. Two sets of footfalls followed me, calling me back to the group. It took both Lancelot and Leon to pull me to a halt.
"Get off!" I stated harshly, yanking myself out of their grip, "don't you see what might happen here? Mordred is going to attack Arthur! I know it!"
"You don't know that, Gwen!" Leon replied insistently. "Now get back to camp."
"No!" I responded. "I bet this is no coincidence that Mordred and Arthur have gone AWOL at the same time. And with the way they've been fighting recently..." I trailed off, hoping Leon at least would understand.
He looked troubled, blatantly seeing that I was right. He bit his lip before nodding, "right, but you stay here. Don't go getting involved. Keep Mr Monmouth off my tracks. Oh, and Lance, keep her away from it all." He gestured towards me then sprinted off towards the forest.
Lancelot started to pull me back to the campfire, stopping behind a line of trees that hid the toilet block from view. "What is all this with Arthur and Mordred?" He asked me.
"It's a long story, Lance. Basically, they've been fighting ever since Arthur's mother died a few months back. But there's more to it, that Arthur won't admit to. We try not push it too hard for his and Morgana's sake, neither of them have gotten over it properly yet," I explained, looking wistfully at the forest, wanting to help.
"I won't let you go. If Mordred does have something, it'll be dangerous," Lancelot stated, watching me carefully.
"I play rugby for fun, my father is a blacksmith, I am quite adept at making horse shoes, I live in a crappy part of town in a pretty run down block of flats and walk through a road with multiple drug dens down it on a daily basis. I can handle myself just fine," I replied, crossing my arms, just as a shot rang out, from the direction of the forest. Whether it was connected with Arthur and Mordred or not, I ran. I ran away from Lancelot, who couldn't react quick enough to stop me, and away from the safety of the open plain, into the woods.
"Arthur?!" I called out, jumping over fallen logs, ducking under other fallen logs that were being held up be another tree, trampling through the prickly vegetation. "Arthur!"