Her jaw had slacked and she was surprised and taken aback by how he had sounded so much like Lancelot. Her heart had raced a little bit, but it was out of being quite frightened rather than anything else. She was blinking, hopeful to find and explanation to his tone and words, but she could not find it.
"Is everything alright?" The high-pitched voice of Lucy called out as Diarmuid refrained from shooting his head towards Arturia. The female immediately shook her head as if to rid herself of the astonishment.
"Uh...yes, everything is fine." She nodded quickly whilst she walked towards them. She sat down next to Gilgamesh on the fallen tree and watched as Diarmuid worked hard to start the fire. His strong built reminded her of her trusted knight and she had to close her eyes tightly to stop her mind from wandering.
"So you're looking for your family, huh?" Gray figured it was best to ask, in order to start a conversation.
Arturia glanced at the man and then proceeded to nod slowly, "Yes, something like that," she mumbled under her breath as she rubbed her face in exhaustion.
"Oh," he nodded, "then you must be excited to see them again."
She was not in the mood of making conversation or even speaking at that, and thus she only made a small sound of half-hearted approval, "Hm."
"Guinevere is only tired," Gilgamesh decided to make an excuse on the lady's unsociable behaviour, "We have been traveling for a long time and she feels a bit hopeless, that is all, right milady?" He looked over at her and awaited for her short response, hoping she would not let him down.
Arturia slowly nodded again and watched as the fire emerged from Diarmuid's hard work, "Thank you," she murmured towards him, not really paying attention to Gilgamesh or Gray. The flame began to grow and the light danced around them.
They had continued to talk about life and adventures around the fire until Arturia had fallen asleep on the log and they figured it would be best to go to sleep. Diarmuid slowly woke up the young woman, hoping not to anger her, and walked her over to the makeshift bed where they had laid out all the blankets that they owned. It was not much but it was comfortable enough.
Lucy offered to sleep next to Arturia and since it was already decided that Diarmuid and Gray would stay awake to keep watch, just in case anything happened while the others slept, they all went to sleep. It was late in the night and the warmth that Lucy cast upon Arturia had made her sleep easily, much more easier than she had slept in the Cabin, and a little more than she did when she was next to Diarmuid; it was the sense of security now that there was more people to guard her and keep her far from anything that wanted to harm her.
Diarmuid watched as Arturia fell asleep and he then took a deep breath, it was good that she seemed to be sleeping without a worry but the face she had when she returned from the forest made him a little bit anxious. Something had happened in the woods and he wanted to know if she was doing okay, if she was alright.
"She's okay." Gray poked at the fire to keep it burning.
Diarmuid looked over at the other man and nodded, "Yes, I know," he spoke lowly, as if to assure himself as well. He furrowed his brows, "I know that she is my master and she is not obliged to tell me everything; but she cannot be coming back with such an expression on her face and expect me not to worry over her, especially when she does not tell me a single thing. As her knight, I am called to care for her, so I guess this is normal, right?"
Rolling his eyes a little bit and letting out a small scoff, Gray began, "You don't make caring for her a secret. I may not understand this master-servant relationship, but she is still as human as you are. That makes you her equal. When Lucy first joined the guild she was a pain; bossy, she whined and cried, plus, she was completely inexperienced. She always wanted her way and most of the time, she got it; but when push came to shove she would take an order. The time that I have spent with her, has allowed me to understand her and now I can't remember how I survived without her hope and perseverance."
The Irishman nodded, "Alright, I see what you are getting at, but," he blushed, "Art-Guinevere and I are far from a small lovers' quarrel." A small yelp escaped Gray's lips, causing Diarmuid to snap back from his short daze, "Are you alright?"
Gray turned to Diarmuid, his face flushed as he sucked on his thumb due to the small burn he had received after dropping the makeshift poker into the fire, "Yeah. It is just that Lucy and I aren't lovers."
"Well then, I kind of thought that was something she knew, you both looked very comfortable with one another," Diarmuid rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hold back a small laugh as he recalled that their first encounter was seeing him shirt-less as Lucy followed behind carrying said shirt.
Gray lifted and eyebrow and tugged on the collar of his shirt, "You're not talking about the whole stripping thing, are you?"
Diarmuid could not help but laugh, stirring the sleeping females, he bit his lip and through chuckles he managed, "Well, I must say, that was quite the entrance."
Gray nudged Diarmuid playfully and shook his head, "That's a whole different story, for another day. Lucy, like many other of my friends, has learned to just ignore that part of me." Gray smiled at the Irishman.
"But seriously just try to ask her, it's like planning out a battle strategy, sometimes you have to approach the situation from a different angle."
"Yeah I guess," For argument's sake, Diarmuid agreed with his newfound friend.
Arturia would not tell him something that she knew would worry him or something she thought was not important; but everything was important to him. She was his master and it was so very important for him to understand her struggles and her pains because he needed to protect her from all that sorrow. He wanted to help her in any way possible but that would mean that she fully needed to trust him and he knew that right now she did not want to blindly trust a foreign man.
"If all else fails, just wait for her. She's bound to tell you something sooner or later."
Her hands reached for the sword that was discarded on the floor, crawling on the snow was much harder than she had initially thought. Scrambling from the snow, she took a loose hold of the sword and turned towards the dark figure. The weight of it caused her shoulders excruciating pain, as she was on the verge of death; her body surviving on what itself had to offer. The cold caused her fingers to burn and turn a bright red. Her mind was taking forever to work and she finally gripped the sword tighter, afraid that it would fall out of her hands. She launched forward, using the weight of the weapon to guide her, but her blow was deflected easily.
The figure clashed swords with her and pushed her back with their own weapon, "Just stop it. It is useless; you have to die," she detected defeat in the person's voice. There was some sort of depression that it held, deep within a menacing tone.
She looked at them, but she did not know why she could not see their face. It was there, she knew that it was someone, even if she was weak she saw them...but there was no face. No features in the empty spot that would allow her to identify them. She launched forward with whatever strength she had left, but as she did, she felt a stinging pain in her side as a gasp entered her chapped lips. Her eyes drifted from the faceless figure to the sword that had stabbed through her. She saw the blood making small rivers and creaks down the sharp weapon and she followed it to the hands of the person before her, "Why?" She whispered as she slowly looked up at them.
The person was silent as they drew the sword from her body and sniffed due to the cold air.
She fell to the floor, her loud breaths leaving puffs of warm air in the freezing wintry forest, "Why?" Her vision began to blur as she joined the cold snow, "I trusted you...why?"
But before her vision went black, she heard the words,"Because, you had to die."
She shot up as the air filled her lungs in a fast gasp, beads of sweat glistening down her forehead. Her gasp caused a coughing fit and this made her side ache again leading her to cringe in pain. "Because, you had to die." The words echoed in her mind, filling all the empty space it had due to her amnesia. She nearly screamed because it was all she could hear, the desperation taking over her body. Her hands were shaking as Lucy awoke.
There was a sudden gentle grip on her hand and she shot her head to look at Lucy, ready to fight off anyone, "It's alright, you're safe." Lucy looked at her with a compassionate face, her eyes half-lidded as she was still a bit sleep-driven.
Arturia's shaking slowed down and she took a deep breath, a panic attack, it was a simple panic attack. Merlin would always give her tea after something so vivid, but he was not there to comfort her, "I'm shaking..." she noticed the twitching of her muscles.
"Nightmare?" Lucy silently questioned, "Gray," she then turned her head and called out to the male that was still on watch.
"No, I'm fine, as you said; it was only a-"
"Can you all be quiet," there was a loud groan from the man next to them, "Some people are trying to sleep."
Lucy turned around and slapped the man's shoulder, "Could you be any more inconsiderate?" She questioned, starting the bickering between the two of them.
"Milady! Is everything alright?" Diarmuid had gotten there faster than Gray and he looked down at his master with worry.
Arturia looked up at him and slowly nodded, "I am fine, do not make a big commotion out of it," she gathered all her strength to stand, as the dream had caused her slight dizziness, "Is it not time to switch watches anyway?" She carefully hid her trembling hands from the male before her and blinked.
She could see that Diarmuid bit back a remark as Gray had reached them-he had been in no hurry at all—and simply nodded at her, "We had already agreed that Gray and I would stay up the entire night."
She shook her head, "So you could faint in the midday? That is not needed. I will stay up."
"Count me in," Lucy smiled, leaving Gilgamesh to himself, "I think it's time for the boys to rest, and the girls to have some fun."
"But milady—"
The face that she gave him was a little menacing because he shut his mouth and nodded. Her eyes were turned to small slits and her lips were pursed together in a small frown, "Go to sleep, you need the rest."
After taking a deep breath of defeat, he nodded slowly, "Yes, milady."
"Aye Captain," Gray chipped in and Arturia blushed upon hearing the play on her choice of tone. She felt embarrassed that she sounded more like a mother and not a master.
Both Gray and Diarmuid took the females' places and tried to go to bed, whilst Lucy and Arturia took over the fire; Arturia's shaking already gone. There was still the sensation of the pain that overtook her, but she tried not to think about it. Yet, the closer she would get to Logres, the scarier it got for her because she knew that there was a person who tried to kill her. A person wanted to rob her of her life and she wondered what she had done for such betrayal.
"Is everything alright? Maybe you want to talk about it?" Lucy blinked her light brown orbs in Arturia's direction.
Arturia shook her head in denial, "No, I'm fine."
Lucy yawned in response as she stretched, "Okay then! Let's get to work," she stirred the fire in order to keep it moving. There was a grunt and Lucy laughed, "He's something else, huh?" She referred to Gilgamesh.
"Yes," Arturia nodded, "He is."
"He looks like he's something bathed in gold; only caring about the money or just simply being snobby and picky. I wonder how you deal with him?"
"From what I know, he is a little cheap, and he is also a brat. But I guess he has his good qualities sometimes."
Lucy groaned, "He kind of reminds me of my father; I bet they'd get along fine. If I had stayed, I would have probably ended up like that; good thing that Princess life isn't for me."
"Princess? You're a princess?" She furrowed her brows and tilted her head.
Lucy took a deep sigh and nodded, "It's a long story and it's not who I am anymore."
"Oh, I see, I understand." Arturia gave a short nod and a weak smile.
Stirring the fire once more, the Fairy Tail member shrugged and rubbed her legs to keep them warm, "What about your pet over there?"
There was short silence as Arturia tried to understand the question, "Excuse me?" She was still unsure of what the girl was meaning, so she thought it best to not mistaken her.
"The whole servant-master ordeal with Diarmuid. To me, it seems you're a bit harsh on him, and he always seems like a lost puppy without you; hence the 'pet'."
"What? Diarmuid is also a pain on his own," Arturia shook her head, "he is quite persistent. It's a bit annoying sometimes; he won't take no for an answer."
"Persistent? I think it is just him caring for you," Lucy tried to point out his concern.
"Caring for me?" She looked at Lucy intently, "It is not caring if he questions me about simple things."
"It is so," Lucy giggled, "wow, you guys are cute."
"Cute?"
"The obliviousness and innocence I guess; well, I hope it works out for you guys," she grinned.
"Um...I guess?" Arturia furrowed her brows, not fully understanding the statement.
During the early hours, before the sun would rise, Lucy and Gilgamesh had switched watches because Gilgamesh had said something about ladies having to sleep, or something very stupid. But Lucy would not decline an offer to sleep, so she agreed and went well on her way.
Gilgamesh sat cross-legged by the fire, taking a deep breath of the fresh air around him. He rubbed his face in order to wake himself a bit more and coughed. He took a handful of snow and played with it for a long while.
The sky had begun to brighten up, the colours beginning to show the signs of the sun arriving. Gilgamesh stood from the floor and unpacked a pot, filling it with snow, and placing it near the fire. He then also unpacked some of the food, that they had brought along, and began to cook it.
Arturia watched him intently, almost surprised by his actions. He was not following her around, and trying to hold her hand, instead he was doing chores and helping out with regular day-to-day activities. And what astonished her the most was that he was not complaining about anything at all. She cracked a small smile and watched as he began to cook the food.
"We're still a long way from Logres," Gilgamesh murmured over the fire, roasting the food on a simple stick and occasionally stirring the melting snow; he kept his eyes on the fire at all times.
She nodded slowly, "Yes, I know." The flames of the small fire were very soothing to watch, as they looked like they would disappear into thin air.
"I do not know the details, as I see you trust Diarmuid more than me, but there is no reason to be afraid to return. Sometimes it is hard to face reality, I admit," he rubbed the back of his neck, "but running away won't solve a single thing. It never does."
Arturia blinked and glanced over at him, "Is this advice for me, or for yourself?" She asked as she turned back to the fire.
Gilgamesh did not say anything as he stirred the snow again, he licked his lips and nodded, "For us both."
She blinked a couple of times and closed her eyes, "Right, I guess that goes for almost everyone here," she gave a halfhearted chuckle.
He did not reply as he was looking up at the sky, its colours turning more red with every passing second, "I like the sunrise," he spoke in the softest tone she had ever heard from him, "It reminds me of Uruk."
"Uruk must be beautiful."
"It is."
Arturia closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun as it illuminated the sleeping forest; Warmth and Light, two things she loved. She took a breath of soft cold air and she smiled softly, "And why are you in Hibernia?" She mumbled past her warm smile.
She heard him take a deep breath and more stirring before he put all the food down, "Diplomatic Relations. My Father the King, wanted me to represent the country as I came to ask for an Alliance; I know that Uruk and Hibernia are far from one another but my father the King wants to have an alliance with someone from Europe because he plans to have territory here."
"Oh," she nodded, "but you've been here for a while."
"After discussing an Alliance, there was no answer from the High King's part, so I was told to wait. Of course it made me very impatient, but Diarmuid got my mind off that and we went hunting or to the bar—more like I dragged him along—but my Father the King told me I could not return without a yes. And now the Fianna is looking for that stupid missing Prince and the High King does not want to deal with countries too far from him when the one next to him is in turmoil."
"Does the High King like Camelot?" Arturia finally opened her eyes, looking at the beautiful rising sun.
"You would have to ask Diarmuid. I would say he is either in love with Camelot, or he wants a chance to take it for himself." His eyes flickered over to her and then he checked on the water that was previously snow, "Well, it is time to eat and get moving. Would you like to go wake them up, or should I do it?"
Arturia licked her lips and stood, "I'll go wake them," she nodded as she made her way to where they slept.
"Do not be afraid of Logres," he mumbled lightly but she was able to hear him.
"I won't be, Thank you."
Upon reaching them, she bent down and shook Diarmuid gently. Her hand was steady on his shoulder and she griped it a little tighter, then she shook him again, "We have to get moving," she mumbled.
The male groaned and hid his face from the light of the sun with an arm. He shifted a bit and sighed as he prepared to go back to sleep.
"Come on, Diarmuid, there is food prepared." She pressed on his chest and smiled down at him, "We have to go soon too."
Diarmuid grumbled again and turned about, pulling away from her touch. He hummed as he tried to go to sleep again.
Arturia sat down next to him and sighed, "Alright then," she nodded. She then began to clap rather loudly, hoping to wake them all up because she was too lazy to wake them up one by one. She succeeded in waking up the sleeping Fairy Tail members, but not the man next to her.
She let out a squeak once the male next to her pulled her down, "Shh, people are sleeping," his voice was husky and sleep-driven. His eyes half open and a finger against his lips.
She admitted that he was warm, so she laid still next to him for just a tad bit. Her eyes had threatened to shut more than once but her sleepy notion disappeared once she felt the sharp pain of her wound. She had not noticed, but his elbow had been pressing on it for a long while now and so she moved it and sat up. She shook him rougher and grumbled, "Wake up, you have to take off the horse hair now."
His eyes fluttered open and he yawned, "The sun's already up?" he mumbled as he saw her next to him.
"It has been up for almost half an hour now, but you wouldn't wake up."
"Oh," he stretched as he brought himself up to a slouching position, "right." He rubbed his eyes and looked over at the other sleeping figures, but they had been up since the noise of the clapping, "Where's Gilgamesh?" he mumbled.
"The food is ready," Arturia spoke to everyone as she stood with a grunt, "I think that it's also time for treating my wound."
"How long has it been since I stitched it?" He yawned again, standing up as well.
"About a month," she replied as she watched him stretch again.
His half-lidded eyes widened and he looked at her, "What? Oh my goodness! I have to take it out now. Is there water?" He asked.
"Yes, Gilgamesh boiled some."
"Come on then," he took a hold of her hand and dragged her over to where they had set up the fireplace.
Gilgamesh laughed as he saw Arturia, "Took you long enough," he grinned. Then his red eyes dropped to her hand intertwined with Diarmuid's and he looked at him, "Hands off my wife."
Diarmuid waved him off and sat Arturia down before she could retort to Gilgamesh, "Lift your tunic," he spoke as he grabbed a cloth from his satchel and dipped it into the water. He saw the taken aback expression on her face and he gave her a small glare, "Do you want me to remove the stitching, yes or no?"
She nodded slowly and lifted the end of her tunic up to her ribs as she looked away.
"Lay down." And she obeyed him so.
"Don't you dare make a move on her," Gilgamesh growled from behind them as he started to serve the food but still keeping his eyes on Diarmuid's actions.
Diarmuid scoffed and rolled his eyes before quickly pressing the hot cloth on her wound, stopping her from saying something again. He felt her tense up and he applied less pressure, "Can you pass me my lance?" He looked over at Gilgamesh and the male grumbled in response. "Can anyone pass me the yellow lance?"
Gray was quick to react and rapidly scanned the area; then, after finding it, he gave it to him. "Here."
"Thank you." He took it from Gray's hands. He looked down at Arturia and smirked, "It's going to hurt, so maybe you'd like to hold onto something?"
"Don't tell her that!" He heard Lucy call from next to them.
"I'm good," she assured and he shrugged in return, "Just do not stab me again," she eyed the lance carefully, even if her tone was jokingly. She noticed that Lucy was also very worried.
"You have to trust me." He, on the other hand, was serious.
She nodded slowly and he cleaned the wound over, to rid it of any dirt, "It has healed nicely," he commented, "but you still cannot over work it."
"Okay,"
"You surely do not want it bleeding again," he added as he began to cut the horse hair with his lance—as they had not brought a knife, "Do not move," he warned.
Her eyes widened again as she felt the cold of the lance against her stomach, and she bit her lower lip anxiously, "Okay."
The cutting of the stitches was going rather well, until she felt the tip against her wound and she sucked in her belly on instinct, making him cut the surface of the wound and pull on the hair too much that it pained her. She groaned in pain and tried to inch away from him, "Sorry."
He sighed and took the cloth to clean the trickle of blood, "I should be the one apologizing, forgive me, milady."
"Is it bad?"
"No, just a small scratch," he murmured as he paid more attention to the stitches. He cut the last remaining crossings and put his lance down. Dipping the cloth in the water again, he brought it to her wound, just to keep her warm, "Are you ready?"
She slowly nodded at him, "Yes."
He took one end of the hair from the first stitch, then slowly pulled it, gaining a cry of pain from her part as she tried to find something to hold on. Since he had not taken it off earlier, the stitches had begun to join with her skin and that was what he was afraid of. He offered her his left arm and she took a tight grip of it. He proceeded to taking off each hair from each stitch, and with every one, she tightened her grip and tried to inch away.
"I'm done," he mumbled as he pressed the warm wet cloth against her side and searched his satchel for the bandages.
She slowly released her grip on his arm and nodded, "Finally," she breathed as she went to sit up.
"Stop, not yet." He gently pushed her back down as he unrolled the bandage and proceeded to wrap it around her stomach.
She landed a hand on his and shook her head, "I can do it." After he gave a nod, she stood and did it herself, then lowered her tunic over her stomach and fixed herself, "Good job," she gave him a forced smile.
Diarmuid bowed his head and nodded, "Right."