A Slip Up (Arthur)

[Eili­s of the Forest]

Balor in the moonlight was indeed a wondrous thing to behold. Whilst the forest held its share of danger and mysteries, on nights like this it was nothing short of serene. Not a breeze stirred the thick canopies above, not a creature shifted in the warmth of the summer evening. A young Druidess lay on a bed of heather under a large clump of wild lilacs, the soft foliage of her makeshift cot soothing her skin as she slumbered. A terribly messed mass of almost black hair surrounded her pale face, her simple tunic stained with marks of living her life out in the open.

She turned over, something in her dreams causing her to frown slightly before the expression melted like a moonbeam fades before palest dawn. Shadows slipped here and there, cast by leaves and clouds that skipped playfully past the moon on their way to a far less fanciful place; Camelot. Here, in this glade, it was entirely too easy to believe that fairies could exist. Vines roped around huge oaks, strung here and there with a sprig of ivy or a cluster of white star flowers. But, alas, such a spell of peacefulness was bound to be broken.

'HELP!'

The shriek woke Eilís instantly and she sat bolt upright in her bower, blinking desperately so that she could better make out her surroundings. The forest was silent, or so she thought. She rolled lithely from her bed and stood, the lilacs surrounding her like a kind of nightgown. Eilís absently stretched out her hand, caressing the soft pale purple blossoms as she searched the vicinity with her eyes in order to pick out what had made the noise. A rustling began, something small moved towards her through the bushes not far away. She had already began to move towards it when a small fawn came stumbling through the last blockage of bracken.

'Help me,' it entreated her, its large eyes wide with fear and confusion. In a matter of seconds she was kneeling by it, her arms cradling the poor frightened baby deer to her body as her hands instinctively explored its limbs for any kind of injury. 'I'm not hurt,' it informed her. 'But I think my mother is in danger!' Eilís' blue eyes narrowed. A natural predator wouldn't have left the fawn and gone for a doe. There was only one thing that could cause such a reaction at this time of night.

'Where is your mother, Little One?' she asked the tiny fawn.

She stalked the young man with the stealth she had long since become accustomed to. His intentions were clear to her, though her irritation was yet to peak. The fawn was safely snuggled in her heather-bed, it's mother long since gone if her mind sweep of the area was anything to go by; she would ensure they were reunited by morning. The doe would be fretting for it's babe. As she wandered above the ground on silent feet like a cat atop a brick wall she watched the man below hunting something of his own. Oh, if only he knew that as easy as a new shoot buds in spring he could be sprouting an arrow from between his shoulder blades!

He was quite young, actually. Possibly closer to her age than most of the other men who thought themselves safe enough to wander the Balor at night. She blinked languidly, crouching on her Elm bough with one hand aloft to steady her. But something happened, then, that Eilís had not intended. A piece of bark, old and eaten out by wood ants crumbled beneath her foot and she slipped. Her overestimation of her own cleverness saw to it that she was unable to catch herself in time and she fell, resisting the urge to cry out as the air let her slip through its insubstantial mass. She tumbled onto a large thicker of ferns in a bit of good luck, rolling to her feet as soon as she was able.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

"Curses!" Arthur swore, a string of obscenities following his initial outburst as he lowered his bow and stood up from his position kneeling on the forest floor.

He had almost had that doe! It was right there in his sights, an easy target until the unseen fawn had bolted, making one of his men jump. From there it had been inevitable that the quarry would get away, his men were literally tripping over themselves in a hurry to run away from what they thought had been a wolf but was actually one of their own dogs- excited by the fleeing baby.
Still there was more prey in the forest, and even though it was late into the night and the men had yet to chase down the excited pup, Arthur was confident that he would return to the castle with some sort of bounty.

While Arthur was happy to wait for his men to return, the Balor Forest was sort of eerie at night. Swathed in darkness, trees looked like looming giants and their leafy branches reached out as if trying to grab him in their tangled grip. Despite his heart racing ten to the dozen, Arthur remained calm on the surface- only casting the occasional glance around him to ensure those trees remained where they had been last time he checked.
But eventually, he grew bored of waiting. He could no longer see the bobbing lights that were the torches his crew had taken, and he could hear nothing of either man or hound.
And so he began to search.

His bow was now strung across his back, his blade in his hand (just in case) and he padded as silently as he could across the forest floor, trying to make out a footprint or a clump of crushed foliage that would signify the troop had passed by. But alas, the darkness overwhelmed everything.

But there a sound?
Arthur was quickly alert, staring into the patch of night that the scuffle had come from, searching the blackness for any sign of movement. It was times like these that he wished he had some spark of magical talent, and like Merlin, could conjure a light from nothingness.

[Eili­s of the Forest]

Inwardly chastising herself for having been so careless, Eilís quickly slipped her bow from her back and set an arrow to the string in record time. Now, at least, if the man attempted to come closer than was desired by the young druid she would be able to defend herself! Her blue eyes were bleached almost silver by the night-shades, giving her an ethereal glow that was mirrored in her pale skin. She quickly looked to see whether he had discovered her and it appeared that he hadn't. His eyes were wild and his stance was ready, but for all his supposed preparation she still had the advantage and she took it.

A few quick steps brought her up onto the steep embankment that would still give her better sight of him were he to make her bow necessary. A blade of moonlight sliced the shadows and she stepped into it, always having had a love for the dramatic. Indeed, her tricks and mind-torture of travellers and knights of Camelot were all due to her need to release some of her playful spirit. Eilís was pretty certain that this young man had been with the troupe attempting to kill the doe. But perhaps he was not strictly at fault.

She raised a dark brown questioningly as she watched him turning his head, casting his eyes here and there in search of what had made the crash. Thankfully he hadn't seen her fall! Otherwise she might have looked a right fool. Drawing her bow with a creaking of the gut it was strung with, Eilís aimed expertly at his chest and her lips pressed into something between a smirk and a pout, she spoke.

“And what game is afoot, Sir Hunter? What quarry is unfortunate enough to have taken your eye?”

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was both worried by the noise he thought he had heard and also rather excited. Perhaps the doe had not escaped completely, or perhaps he had unwillingly stumbled across another animals home. Of course, that didn't necessarily bode well for him- the animal might have been a wolf or a bear, and both of those could see far better in the night than he.
His worry however, did not deter him from searching the undergrowth. Using his sword to part bushes and comb back the long grass which grew in some places, he searched for any sign of what might be lurking. Probably fortunately for the young prince, he found no sign of animal nor human- mostly because he had looked in completely the wrong place.

He had almost given up on the search and decided to return to where he had been sitting and waiting, when he realised he could not remember the way. It truly wasn't his night and as he stood, casting his eyes this way and that desperately searching his memory for anything that would remind him of the direction he had come- She spoke.

The woods witch
At least that was what he had heard people call her. He had heard many stories of her, the most popular being that she was a siren of the forest, calling hunters to their deaths and leading travellers astray. He had often heard that one look at her would render you blind, and to hear her voice was to sign away the deeds to your soul.
Now, Arthur was not overly superstitious and he certainly had not been turned to stone as some tales had suggested, but he still feared that she might be a rogue witch who had taken fancy to using her spells in some malicious way. Being 'sensible', he averted his eyes, and held his hands up- without sropping his sword- to show that he meant no harm.

"M'lady, I bear you no ill will. I simply pass this way searching for my companions. Have you seen them?"

[Eili­s of the Forest]

At first, Eilís was amused. Whenever she had cause to deal with those who wandered aimlessly in the forest she either tricked them into losing their way or would use her magic to frighten them off to protect her animals. Now, however, when the young knight spoke to her in such a mannered way with his armour glinting in the filtered moonlight of the woods she couldn't help but be intrigued. As he lifted his hands and looked away from her she felt the kind of deference that must have been reserved for ladies of some fine court. Blinking her eyes against the shock that threatened to overcome her, Eilís was no longer simply amused, she was intrigued. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was at that moment that the young hunter's attire came to her full attention.

He was wearing the colours of Camelot.

For almost a full minute Eilís stood as if made from marble and if he cared to look up she might well have seemed so. Not a hair moved, nor did her breath sway the tide of her chest. Her blue eyes were piercing as she looked him slowly up and down as though hoping she was somehow in error, but only after she examined him fully did she admit to herself that her first assessment had been correct all along. It concerned her that he said he was searching for companions; there were more of them roaming and maiming â€" even killing â€" then, obviously! Narrowing her gaze, Eilís stepped forward. Her footfalls were soft and marked with the barely audible rustle of fallen leaves beneath her careful steps, and she was soon standing in front of him with her bow still drawn.

“I have not,” she said, deciding to take his civility and return it with her own. Her grandmother had once said that you would catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and it just so happened that this young man might have been able to provide her with some information. “But perhaps I may be able to help you find your way.” Tilting her head to one side, Eilís watched the young man's face carefully. She had no idea as to his identity, nor did it matter for the time being. She wanted news more than anything; news that would enable her to take her revenge on the Pendragons. “Do not fear me,” she told him then, amusement in her tone. “I mean you no harm, Sir Hunter.”

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur watched warily as the woman stood, still as could be, on the embankment. He wondered if he had imagined the voice, for in the darkness she looked like she might have just been an extension of some gnarled tree. He blinked a few times, finally reopening his eyes to find the owner of the previously disembodied voice standing only a few steps in front of him, bow pointing directly into his face.

After a few moments she spoke again, her manners matching his own, if only through politeness. Despite the help she offered him, he found it hard to trust her and the subtle hint of whatever it was that fringed her words was definitely not helping. He did however, lower his sword when she told him she meant no harm and although remaining alert, he decided to accept her help.

"Thank you m'lady." He smiled. "My companions were off chasing the dogs i believe...or something along those lines. I'm afraid i tired of waiting and then i found myself lost..."

[Eili­s of the Forest]

Eilís lowered her bow even as the young man let his sword fall to his side. She was amused that he did not trust her enough to sheath it and she slung her bow over her shoulder with a kind of competent carelessness that she hoped would serve to set him at ease, even if her rough appearance would give away the wilder side of her nature. Her cheek was smudged with dirt and her feet were bare despite the chill that clung to the leaves that scattered themselves over the forest floor, still wet from a rain shower earlier that same evening. The musty scent of rain would make it harder for the man and his men to find any of the creatures that would be afoot that night â€" her friends were safe. Eilís was pleased.

His smile was unexpected. The young woman had lived alone for quite some time now, enjoying the simple pleasures that her woodland friends could afford in the way of company. The friendly gesture was well received by her, but she was at a complete loss as to how to reciprocate it. Instead she merely peered at him, her arctic gaze openly travelling over him before they rose to connect with his own blue eyes. Wordlessly she held an arm out to him, bridging some of the gap between them. It would be a good way to earn his trust and loosen his tongue, she supposed. She was not above doing such things to further her attempt.

Her fingers were extended, pale silvers of skin that seemed to gleam against the darkness of the forest surrounding them. The short tunic she wore was belted at the waist with braided ivy and she wore no cloak though it were cold, simply because she had been in such a hurry to prevent misadventure for the poor doe. A spark of mischief lit her eyes as she looked at him, an unspoken challenge lingering in her gesture. “Chasing the dogs,” she remarked idly with a air of curiosity about her. “What an interesting notion. It is my belief that men are more accustomed to chasing women.” She smirked and began to walk off, her hand still held out as if daring him to follow and prove her statement to be true.

“Either way, it is better to keep your eye on the target, isn't it?”

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur raised an amused eyebrow at the lady of the woods as she made the bold remark. Although not always, Arthur was generally more accustomed to women who spoke only when expected and remained polite and courteous. Suggesting that all men were womanizers was something even his adoptive sister Morgana wouldn't dare mention and Arthur was unsure how to respond.

So instead he ignored it.

He was glad that she offered her arm to him though, for his eyes were unaccustomed to such darkness and he was finding it increasingly sifficult to manouever his way through the dense foliage that decorated the forests floor. Eilis seemed to have very little difficulty, and Arthur suspected that she was performing some sort of trickery to enable her to see as well as one would in the day.

"Well, it is better to keep ones eye on the target," Arthur commented clambering over a particuarly prickly bush with a grunt. "When one can see..."
He was beginning to tire now, it was late and he actually had no idea how long he had been lost and for all he knew morning could be just around the corner. Agitated he stopped the brisk walk that the witch had forced them into and took his arm back.

"Just where are we? I have heard nothing of my men or the dogs since i found you and i'm beginning to wonder if you are not just leading me further into this damned forest!"

[Eili­s of the Forest]

Eilís felt some of the apprehension she felt around the young solider dissipate when he directed a look at her that was one part amusement and what she thought was one part embarrassment. It amused her to think that she could embarrass anyone at all and she continued walking, a small smile upon her lips. She helped him to make his way through the forest undergrowth, her own eyes more than accustomed to the maze-like trees surrounding them. She knew this part of the forest like the back of her hand. When he stopped and asked his question she turned to him with alarm on her face. He had raised his tone suddenly and used such an authoritative note in his voice that for a moment she forgot herself and was frightened of him. Her lips parted in shock and she looked at him, her eyes wide.

She had sensed her friends no far ahead, and had sought to make haste lest they move off without her first having the chance to implore them for their aid. As the young man now accused her of trickery that would have normally been more than acceptable to her, Eilís began to feel annoyed that the time she had chosen to do a good turn it had come around to nip at her heels. She raised an eyebrow at his implication, her hands coming to rest on her hips and instantly revealing the injury of his insult. “I would not do such a thing,” she told him then. “I do not offer misery under the mantle of aid, my Lord.”

She paused, watching him for a moment before she closed her eyes and threw her mind out towards her friends. Soon enough she touched upon their minds, the favour granted as soon as she had expressed it. She opened her eyes and smiled gratefully, glad that there would be respite for her feet as she was tired also. She had rushed to get here and see after the doe, and they had travelled some way already. In his desperation to find his company the young man had wandered far from the road. The sound of soft hoof beats thudded on the mossy floor of the woods then, a flash of irridiscent white barely visible through the bushes. Almost immediately after their footfalls heralded their arrival two snowy unicorns emerged from the trees to stand before the pair.

“There,” she said to the young man with a small shrug of her shoulders and a friendly smile. “You see? My friends have come to carry us hence. Where is it that you desire to go?”

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Only moments after Arthur had expressed his thoughts of how he believed Eilis to be tricking him, did he begin to regret it. She seemed genuinely shocked and hurt at his suggestion and her face resembled that of a frightened animal. It was a little creepy and Arthur quickly looked away. His cheeks coloured slightly, although whether she could see it in the darkness he did not know.

"I am sorry m'lady." He said, bowing his head slightly. He was grateful that she finally seemed to have stopped walking but now that they had arrived to their supposed location, she seemed to be looking for something.
"I never meant to cause you insult."

Seemingly ignoring him, Eilis signalled to the dense expanse of forest that still stretched in front of them with a smile. Apparently he was supposed to see something there?
"My friends have come to carry us hence. Where is it that you desire to go?" She asked, still smiling at him as she waited for his answer.

Friends? Arthur wondered, quickly deciding that the witch was mad. There was nothing there! Unless...

A tiny glimpse of white flashed through the trees and finally Arthur was able to see what Eilis had moments before. Unicorns.
A feeling of dread whirled in the pit of his stomach and Arthur paled. A very long time ago Arthur had killed a unicorn while hunting and he suspected that the beautiful creatures might not take too kindly to seeing him again. He decided not to mention that experience to Eilis, but tried his hardest to return her smile.

"Well i suppose i should be getting back to Camelot..."