A Whisper In The Dark(LANCELOT)

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven hated those Templars. They were destroying Camelot's peace and tranquility. She fastened her cloak up to hide her weapons and put the blood red hood up. She quietly entered the castle without being seen. The Templars were trying to twist and corrupt King Uther's mind and if they won every Assassin would be searched for and given the death penalty. Luckily, Raven knew a few of the knights and was fond of one of them. Lancelot. She hurried down the corridors, cautious not to run into any Templars along the way.

When Raven was about to round a corner, she heard voices. She peeked around. 'Shit... Templars.' she thought. There were only two and the had their backs to her. As silent as a ghost, Raven crept up behind them, released her hidden blades, one on each wrist and pierced them through the jugular. Blood sprayed everywhere and Raven knew it was only a matter of time before a gaurd came and found the bodies. She hid in an empty room and waited for Lancelot.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Once more Lancelot made his rounds through the castle grounds and a portion of the castle itself. He disliked making his rounds at a particular time or on a prescribed path. If the point was to catch sleeping guards on duty or to protect the inhabitants from intruders it only made sense to be unpredictable, he thought. His was an unusual situation, he knew. He was near equal to Arthur in ability, but it was not something he advertised. He was was a knight, but still looked on as an outsider. It allowed him to do his duty alone, though, which he did not really mind, and in fact, generally preferred.

There were really so many threats, both to Camelot, and its rulers, he considered. He was something of an outrider, a sentinel, who could watch over the castle and its inhabitants. As such, there were few, other than the Prince and the King, Morgana, Gwen, and Merlin who he really trusted. In fact, one of the things that he felt was not that there were too few knights and guards, but too many groups of them. Where did there true allegiance lie, with the Pendragons? For example, he felt that these many Templars, two of which that he was presently following at a discreet distance, served the leader of their order and not Uther the King. That, he found to be dangerous.

The Templars he had been following he saw go around the corner. Lancelot knew that it was not his charge to follow any of the Templars around. At least for the moment they were apparently in King Uther's good graces, for however long that would last, but he simply did not trust them. Initially, as he approached the corner that they had turned at at he could hear the 2 men's voices. Then, however, he heard a sudden exclamation and a gurgling sound.

He had heard that sound close-up in hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield, and he quickly unsheathed both of his swords, as he carefully came around the corner. He saw the 2 Templars bodies on the floor, and he knew he didn't even have to check them for life, knowing from the sounds that he had herd that their throats had been slit. He saw, as he looked up a door closing at the end of the corridor, confident that the assailant had just gone through that doorway. He approached quickly and stealthily, and of course did not knock at the door, entering with both blades drawn. "Who hides within," he said with a low voice as his eyes tried to pierce the dim light of the room.

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven was cleaning the two automatic hidden blades when she heard the door open. Then a voice followed. Like a swift shadow, she followed Lancelot. "Perhaps someone you already know." she whispered in an icy voice. She looked at the empty fireplace and muttered a spell and the fire roared to life like a lion warding off intruders. "I know you've seen those two men. Templars. They have been trying to bring down my Creed for centuries. Yes, I am an Assassin. Like my mother and father before me. True enough my father was a knight to King Uther. Protecting him from any Templar attack. Now these vernin are spreading like wild fire. They have almost finished brainwashing Uther. Arthur will be next. I cannot let this happen." Raven said. She walked over to the window and saw a head Templar. Raven cast a spell on the window so she could hear the conversation. "An Assassin is here. She is the daughter of Ville Silvester and ancestor to a great Assassin leader." said a Templar knight. "Do not underestimate her then. She could be highly dangerous." said the head Templar. With that she broke the charm on the window. Raven turned back to Lancelot. "Are you with me or against me?" she asked. Her stare was icy and emotionless.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

As he stepped into the dimly-lit room Lancelot could clearly hear the metallic sound of blades scraping. It was either the sound of the blades being re-sheathed .... blades that had just slit some throats. Or they were blades being unsheathed, to do some more violent and bloody work. Lancelot vowed not to take a chance that it was the latter, so his long-swords remained at the ready, each held out parallel to the floor in front of him. He heard a voice, a familiar voice, respond as if they were jousting with him.

"Well,just because it is familiar does not mean that it is safe and not a threat, does it?" Despite his question he had no ill feelings against the girl, even give her tone. In fact, he had a certain fondness for her, but one he did not show, since he did not feel it was knightly,and besides he has sure that she held no fondness for him on her own side. Despite the fact that he was fond of her, he was still wary of her, and he watched her carefully. His eyes widened slightly as he watched her start a fire in the fireplace magically.

She was remarkably direct, he thought, without even an attempt to deny what she had done, and there was no regret either ..... amazing. To top it off she readily admitted that she was an Assassin, even though her father had been a knight. Her father had served Uther as a Knight and had been an Assassin, something that Uther had despised. Lancelot shook his head at the information, hardly able to believe his ears. If he questioned her words her next foray into magic, listening into the Templar order leaders words from the window dispelled any doubt.

"So, you are descended from a whole line of Assassins then. He protected Uther .... from ..... the Templars. Well, in truth, there is little that I find redeeming in the Templars. For a group that is supposedly of religious origins it does seem to be preoccupied with money and power. Now...... as far as Uther goes, it is an easy thing. His weakness is his paranoid fear of losing absolute power, so any group that convinces him that they only seek to protect him has more than half of their battle won," he emphasized.

Arthur, for all of his faults, will not so easily be brought under their spell. However, the Assassins priority is their own self-interest, just as it is the Templars. My first duty is to Camelot and the Pendragons. Perhaps he is right ...... perhaps you are too dangerous. Why should I be with you, if my duty is to Camelot and Uther has sworn out his enmity to the Assassins. Why should I not cut you down now, or at the very least, bring you in under arrest?," he said as he took a step closer.

However, even with his words of near-aggression his heart was not in it, and he was undecided about what his course should be. He found that his emotions were influencing his decision more than honor, duty, or the knightly code usually did, and he could not understand why. He saw nothing that was softening in her gaze that should offer him any encouragement either.

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven laughed. "We Assassins have done nothing but protect the monarchy. I see I have wasted my time here. Youre not as brave as I thought you were. Youre acting like a coward. If the Templars win there will be no freedom. No fair laws. Magic will be outlawed again and they will rape the women ans harm the children. Do nor be fooled. They may act like men of God but they are nothing but animals." she said. Raven brought forward a small peasant boy whi was covered in cuts and bruises made by the Templars. "Living proof of what those devils do." Raven whispered and finished off healing the boy.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot did not like being laughed at. If she had been a Knight or even an ordinary man, he would have challenged her right then. "That is your story. Unfortunately, your word is the only thing that I have to support it. I am sure that you think that is more than enough. Only you can judge how much a waste of time a Knight is." Hearing her next words his dark-complected face grew visibly red, and he had to use his self-control. "Few men have said such words of me and lived," he said through gritted teeth.

"My fearlessness and courage have never been questioned. I do not doubt that what you say of the Templars is correct. However, what you are asking name to do is to subvert my duty. I have no duty to the Templars, but I do to Camelot and the Pendragons. You are asking me on a moment's whim to violate that trust ..... at the very least to disobey the King. I am not one who is opposed to the practice of magic, either. I have friends who practiced it when it was not a legal practice. I can see and understand why you might ..... might ..... feel that aggressive resistance is necessary."

He gathered his thoughts for a few moments. "However, violent change rarely results in a peaceful system. Once the blood flows it will be a difficult thing to stop. It is a dangerous thing to equate people to animals and lower forms of life. It cheapens life and makes it too easy to take." He watched as she brought the injured boy forward. "There is no reason to try and tug at my heart-strings. I am a Knight and a soldier, and the taking of life is as ordinary as eating a meal." He watched as she performed an almost miraculous healing of the boy, and he nodded his head, and looked into her eyes. "What would you have me do?," he asked as he crossed his arms across his chest, trying to maintain as cold a persona as he could, although it didn't represent how he truly felt.

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven was amazed at how quickly he came round. "Go to the king tell him the daughter of a former knight of his wishes to see him. I will not come in my Assassins robes. To cover the Assassin tattoo on my neck I will have to wear a high collared dress. Oh and if you see any Templars do yourself a favour... Kill the bastards." she said. Raven flicked the hood up on her blood red cloak. Then very silently she opened a window and climbed down.

A Templar recruit saw the Assassins 'A' on her neck. Raven had noticed him too. "ASSASSI- URGH!" a blade collided with the mans heart. Raven slipped into the shadows and was gone as quickly as she had came.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

My, she was used to giving orders, and expecting them to be followed, he thought. Probably comes with being a noble. She assumed much. Well, she was a pretty young thing, he reasoned, despite considering that she was an Assassin. Added to that that she was a woman meant he would be even more wary, if also as agreeable as it was wise to be. He uncrossed his arms, "As you wish milady, I will inform the King and make sure that he has no .... escorts .... in the Great Hall. I will take your advice under consideration, about our friends, the Templars," he said with a smile, as he watched her cover her head with the hood on herb red cloak and descend through the now-open window.

He quickly turned to move through the doorway and head down the corridor. he was not heading to see the King, however. He had not told her when to be at the Great Hall, but he knew it would take him far less time to get to the Great Hall from inside the castle than it would for her to get there from outside. Also, he knew that she would be moving by stealth, and that would slow her down, as would the killing of any Templars that she might run into on her way, which would be no great loss, in his opinion, despite the fact that he knew that he did not trust her. Thankfully, he thought, the King would be in bed, retired for the evening, which would allow Lance to carry forth his developing plan without risking Uther's well-being or his knowledge of the Assassin's presence.

He knew that he had to get to the Great Hall before she did, and it was of paramount importance that it would just be himself and the pretty young noble-woman. Fortunately, the quarters of the the Court Physician were on the way to the Great Hall, and he stopped by, knowing exactly the potion that he was looking for, told Gaius that it was for official business and that he needed a rag as well. The physician did have a questioning look on his face, but being told that it was official business, had no further questions, and supplied the requested items quickly, and Lancelot was on his way.

Arriving at the main doors to the Great Hall, he entered and hid in the alcove to one side, and waited for his prey. He did not have long to wait .... the doors slowly opened, and even in the dim light he could see the red-hooded figure. He applied the potion to the rag, and moving up behind the shorter female, put her in a head-lock and applied the sleeping draught that was embedded now in the rag over her nose and mouth, and he waited for the struggle that he knew would come. "Calm yourself milady. Relax .... it will all be over in a few moments."

(forgive slight godmodding of Gaius .... thought it was border-line)

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven was far too quick and before Lancelot had time to do anything she had the rag in her own hand. "A lavender sleeping draught? Really? You have much to learn." she said. Just then a group of her fellows disarmed him and shackled him. She held his face in her left hand and a short blade to his throat. "Never cross an Assassin. Especailly one who practices magic." she said. She cast a body binding spell on him. "Take him to the tunnels beneath the castle and to the hall my father built. Also inform the Grand Master of my arrival." she said. She slapped Lancelot in the face, forgetting the knife was still in her hand and she cut him deeply.

The hall itself was grand and beautiful. Banners hung with the Assassin's emblem from the roof. Scholars were hiding amongst the bookshelves and in the distance the sound of training could be heard. The Grand Master walked up to Raven. "Safety and peace, Raven. I Trust this man you bring me is a traitor to the peace of Camelot?" he said. Raven smiled. "I asked him for help. Then he tried to put me to sleep with a lavender sleeping concuction. A witch can sense when trouble is a foot and this knight knows no honor or courage. He is but a coward hiding in a knight's uniform. For that I think the Chamber of Torture should loosen his heathen tongue." she said. The Grand Master smiled. "You have leant well from your father. Take this knight then and see if you can get him to see the truth." he said. Raven bowed her head and dragged Lancelot to the Chamber.

When they got there, Raven shackled his hands and feet to the wall. The gaurds took off his armour and ripped his shirt off so his chest was bare. Raven was handed a nine tailed whip. The most brutal of them all. She lashed it across his chest. "Why defy me knight?" she hissed. She was pretty pissed off and it could be seen in her icy blue eyes.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot thought that he had a good enough hold on the girl's head, but had not counted on the hood being made of a naturally slick material and she easily pulled out of the headlock before he could apply the soaked rag for any period of time. Besides the advantage of her material, she was obviously an experienced fighter, someone not to be taken lightly. Upon monetary reflection, it was obvious that he should have just run her through or lopped her head off. "No milady, I think what you have to teach is not something that a respectable Knight would want to learn." It only took a moment for a platoon of her comrades to surround him and take away his long-swords and knives.

"Hmmm ..... and what were these .... gentlemen .... here for? Were they going to be moral support for you when you spoke with the King. I doubt it." Within moments they had him in manacles and chains. "Whether you practice magic or not matters not to me ....... it was whether you were a danger to the King. Being an Assassin I should have killed you outright. I'm afraid I was too soft-hearted. ARGHHHHHHH," he cried as she put the spell on him. "What is this? What manner of magic is this. You have me already chained," he exclaimed, and she had slapped him with her knife-hand. "ARGHHHH," he cried out once more, as the blade dug unto the muscle in his neck. Someone grabbed and carried him like a hog-tied and paralyzed bundle toward someone called the Grand Master. This could not be good. He listened as the Lady and the Grand Master greeted one another and gloated over his capture.

The hall which was deep underground was impressive, but Lancelot had learned long ago not to be influenced by such superficial things. "That is laughable. What would a creature of the shadows, an Assassin, know of honor or courage. You have no knowledge of what I have seen or done, and therefore are unqualified to judge me. However, I would guess that you know much of treason, so I suppose that I should take your judgment of being a traitor seriously, since you see so many of them in these tunnels every day." The Chamber of Torture? Surely they would not subject an honorable Knight to such a thing ... would they? he saw that the Grand Master saw some humor in what she wanted to do, and they dragged him to a darkened space down one of the corridors.

"Truth ...truth?," whose truth was he speaking of ... what truth .....surely not God's truth. They had carried him parallel to the ground, but upon going in the room they stood him up and attached him to brackets on the wall with the chains and manacles he already wore. For the most part the guards who had carried him there, where they had attached him to the wall, could take his breastplate and various other pieces of armour off, section by section. They then removed his chain mail, some by ripping sections apart, painfully. Then, finally ripping his shirt away, down below his navel. He saw the guards hand a whip of medium length, but brutal looking knots along the ends of its several strands.

He saw what she planned to do and she was enjoying the prospect of giving him pain. He had endured much in his young life, he steeled himself, and put an expressionless mask on his face. She splayed it across his upper chest and the only sounds he uttered was from taking in another breath. He said through gritted teeth, "I do not defy you or anyone, per se. I am sworn to defend my brother knights, Camelot, and the Pendragons. Many have tried to break me in the past and all have failed. You will just join a long list," he said as he began to perspire from the pressure he was under. However, he looked straight through her with a blank stare of his own pale blue eyes, caring little for what was in hers.

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven sighed. "Of course we Assassins may bend the rules here and there, but, we strive for nothing but peace. You, dear Lancelot I fear are helping the enemy. A fair few knight I have known since my teen years have agreed to help us for the justice and peace of Camelot. These Templars are a threat to that justice and peace. So instead of stretching my bad side to its limits why don't we start again?" she said. The novice Assassins that were standing guard, looked at her. She gave them the signal to set him free. The door burst open. "Templar attack in the market!" screamed the second graded Assassin. "I will go." Raven said with a grim and stern expression.

She got to the market and saw a man being accused of pickpocketing a Templar. The Templar was beating him to nothing but a bloody mess. Raven walked up and drew her sword. "YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED PHILLIP AND LAZARUS!!" the Templar screamed as he drew his own weapon. She did nothing but smiled. The Templar took a swing at her, but Raven was too quick on her feet. She countered the enemy's attack and peirced her blade into his gut. There was a sickening squelch as the blade entered the Templar's body. She then kicked the body off her sword. A roar af applause and cheer erupted from the crowd of market goers that had gathered to watch the fight. Raven rushed up to the injured peasant. "Here let me help you." she said with a kind smile She put bot her hands on either side of his head a muttered a spell under her breath. Every wound and every bruise healed instantly and the man was at full strength again. "Thank you brave stranger." he said. What seemed to be his wife and son ran up to him. The wife looked at Raven with tears in her eyes. She walked up to Raven and clasped her hands around Raven's. "Thank you. If you hadn't had come when you did my husband would've been killed by that Templar." the woman wept in gratitude. Raven climbed onto the roof of a blacksmith's. "Listen well, good citizens of Camelot. The Templars are not what they seem. They are violent men who care for none but themselves. They have even brainwashed the king to believing my people, the Assassins are the cause of the disruption of the peace. This, however is a lie. We Assassins strive for peace and justice. If you wish to support us, you will be garanteed protection and a place of refuge. Come with me now if you wish to do so." she said. There were mutters of agreement. Raven climbed down and walked back to the hideout with nearly all of Camelot following her. Nine or ten stayed behind.

The citizens were taken care of by a group of scholars. Rven was told Lancelot had been moved to a cell. She went to him with an instant healing ointment. "I'm sorry Lancelot." she said as she applied to medicine to a clean rag. She dabbed it along the cut on his cheek and it healed so nothing was left but a faint scar. She did the same to the whip marks. "You have to understand, the Templars are pure evil. They aren't what they seem. You have to trust me." she said and cupped his face in her left hand. Her ice like eyes full of nothing sheer truth.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Finally, Lancelot thought, it sounded like she was coming down off her high horse of self-righteousness. Perhaps she could be a bit more reasonable now. He could see what she had done, so far, was in a fit of anger. He wasn't sure, though, just how far he could push her. "Here and there? It does seem that there is a general view that the ends justify the means, no matter what the means might be. That is something that no true Knight could do. You charge me with helping the enemy. Consciously helping those who who would do Camelot harm. Your actions do not speak of people who just want peace, but have, indeed a greater agenda. I do not doubt that you are right about the Templars, but I wonder if there is a better way than the one you have been using."

He was shocked, even with her sudden reasonableness were her next words, which was for them to start from the beginning, and she had ordered him released from his restraints, which he appreciated, "Thank you, that is much better." There words of conciliation though were interrupted by news of a Templar attack, obviously somewhere at the surface, and she rushed off. He did not hear anything of the battle, since it was so far away. He knew that, with her skill, there was not much to worry about. However, even the best warrior, if heavily outnumbered, can be dealt a mortal low. So he was concerned about her safety, and it was only the knightly thing to be wanting to be in on the action, when swords were being used in combat. He had always been drawn to the battle when others were endangered. The guards freed him, and in the interim began moving him out of his present spot and down several one of many corridors until they came to a cell, and they ushered him inside. They had said very little to him as they had walked, and no matter what he tried to do to encourage conversation nothing seemed to work. He had wondered as they had walked how difficult it had been to construct such a facility without the knowledge of anyone at the surface. the removal of dirt and rock must have been an enormous undertaking, he thought. Now, for the first time, he wondered how long he would be a guest here, and what his final ..... situation .... would be.

Lancelot heard the tramp of a large number of feet entering the tunnels, and wondered how it was connected to the conflict that they had heard had broken out on the surface. Before long she had found him at his cell, and before he could ask what had happened she was employing an enchanted healing ointment and apologizing for his injuries. "I can see how strongly you feel ..... I respect that ..... I know that they are no good .... but I still must protect my King. Why is it so important to you that I trust you?," he asked as she cupped his face. Given the short space between them, as returned her look with one of his own with his pale blue eyes, he planted a deep kiss on her lips. Realizing that he had done something that was probably over the line, he immediately said, "my apologies milady, I went too far."

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven was shocked when she felt his lips upon her own. She returned it but then pulled away. "Yes you did go a little too far. My heart is already taken by Dreamer Masters." she said. Her heart did belong to Dreamer it was true and she couldn't stop the sickening guilt from kissing the knight from rising in the pit of her stomach. "Let's find you a more substantial room, shall we Sir Knight?" she said. Raven stood up and offered him her hand which had leather, fingerless gloves covering them.

Raven took him down a grand corridor and got to the end of it. The wooden doors had golden door knobs and the Assassin's 'A' on either door in gold as well. "I've never found anyone worthy of this room. That is until now." she said and turned around and smiled at the knight. She unlocked the huge wooden doors and opened them. The doors swung open with pride as they had not been opened for some time. Raven stepped inside.

The walls were plastered with maps of other countries. The Middle East, Italy, Romania, Spain etc. A grand Gothic style desk looked out over the training arena. She walked to the window. Some of the knights and assassins were training some of the youth that had come with their families to seek refuge with the Assassins. Raven sighed. The bed was queen-sized and the sheets were of red and gold. "My father was the Grand Master of the Assassins when my grandfather stepped down. Then of course my father died so my grandfather has taken over once more until I am ready to become the first female Grand Master." she said. She handed Lancelot the keys. "The room is yours. If you should ever have need of me my room is four doors down." she smiled. With that she left, closing the doors behind her.

Raven went back to her own room. Her heart was completely split now. She had to choose between Lancelot and Dreamer. There was such competition between them, that she couldn't possibly choose. Lancelot was brave and true. Dreamer was protective and a good mage. Raven sat in front of her mirror at her dressing table and looked at herself. A tear rolled down her left cheek. Her heart torn between to magnificent men.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

He could immediately sense the surprise and shock from Raven as soon as head kissed her. That was why he had offered his apology as quickly as he had. However, it had been an instinctual thing, almost a reflex action with how close she had been. The thing was he did not sense that she disliked it very much. In fact, it almost seemed that she had welcomed it. Oh, then there is another. "Well then, milady, my apology is even deeper. I have strayed somewhere that I don't belong. Yes .... yes .... some other quarters than these would be desirable," and he gave her a broad smile in response as well. He wondered if she would return it.

He gladly took her gloved hand, and even through it he could feel the warmth and the strength. They walked hand in hand down a long ornate corridor until they came to an equally ornate doorway. She turned to him and gave him a compliment he did not expect. "I don't know milady, if I am not worthy of you, how can I ever expect to be worthy of a room as fine as this. I am surely no better than any other man that has passed this way." She then had unlocked the door, smiled a beatific smile at him and opened the door. She stepped in and he followed her.

He saw all of the maps that lined the walls. It was if it was a King's war room and not something befitting of a simple knight, even a Knight of Camelot. There was a grand desk at one end, and a fine array of windows to watch men who were in training outside. "I am surely not worthy of such a place as this. i take it, though, that this is my new cell, and not someplace that I can leave. For example, I would expect that you will lock the door behind you when you leave. I must tell you that I would prefer, if it is to be locked, with you on this side of the door than on the outside." He listened to her describe the lineage of the Grand Master of the Assassins and how she was destined to ascend to that role. "Well, then, I expect that you will make a fine one, and perhaps, the most effective that they have known."

To his surprise she handed him the keys. In that instant, before she could leave, he took her hand and lightly kissed the base of the glove. "You have been most kind mademoiselle .... adieu." He watched with some sadness as she took her leave. He noticed, also with some sadness and disappointment that she did not let her eyes meet his pale blue ones.

[Lady Raven Silvester]

Raven wept silently. She felt strongly for him but then there was Dreamer. She got up and headed for her door. Raven frantically wiped the tears from her eyes and then managed to compose herself. Perhaps this was the Romeo and Juliette love she dreamt of having since she was a little girl. She opened her doors and rushed into Lancelot's room.

She wrapped her arms around him. Raven looked into his eyes. They were beautiful. Raven slowly but surely brought her lips to his. She kissed him deeply and felt her back hit the wall. "A forbbiden love." she whispered.