If Truth Be Told

The Beginning Of The End

The lower town of Camelot was full of life, it's citizens all hurrying around carrying out their day to day lives. Stalls were scattered around by the sides of the cobbled walkways and people were begging and bartering over the merchants wares. In the midst of the crowd there were two hooded figures, an older man with a rugged beard and curled hair and a young boy barely half his size with dark curled locks of hair and bright cerulean eyes.

Arthur felt a jolt of recognition surge through him at the sight of the boy, "Mordred?" He turned his questioning gaze onto Merlin who slowly, almost hesitantly, nodded.

"You know the lad?" Gwaine frowned and tilted his head slightly.

Arthur and Merlin shared a look and Merlin gestured for Arthur to be the one to explain, "The boy was taken in by Morgana and she, with the aid of Gwen and Merlin and the reluctant assistance of Gaius managed to save the boy from being executed." He paused, "I smuggled him out into the woods and the boy told me his name."

Leon didn't even try to hide his surprise, "You aided a druid sire?" His tone held no judgement, only curiosity.

They made their way through the crowds towards a middle aged man standing behind a stall, numerous herbs and items were spread on the table and a pouch of gold hung at his hip. He eyed up the two nervously and his eyes flicked towards the guards stood at their posts, the weight of what he was about to do weighing on his mind.

"Do you have my supplies ready? We must leave the city without delay." The man questioned, putting a protective arm around his young ward's shoulders, pulling the boy closer to him.

The stallholder nodded and retrieved a pouch full of herbs and handed it towards the man, "Everything you asked for, it's all here." His gaze focused on the guards behind the duo that were approaching and he shot them both an apologetic look, "I'm sorry..." The man turned around to see the guards approaching, swords and pikes at the ready, he made a split second decision and pulled Mordred under the stallholder's table with him as they ran for their lives.

Percival stared at the stallholder with what looked like contempt, an almost alien expression on the normally gentle man's face. His brow creased and he frowned, "Did he really sell them out?"

Merlin shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot, "Yes but he probably felt like he had no other choice..not that I agree with his choice but had it been discovered that he knew they were druids, or it was even suspected that he knew as such then he would be executed and his family would be placed under suspicion."

"He was a good man." Arthur interjected, "Name's Lucan or at least it was Lucan, he ran an Apothecary on the outskirts of town and had a wife and three children."

Leon shot Arthur a sad look, being one of the few in the room to know the fate of the man whilst Gwaine and Percival both looked confused.

"Had?" Elyan questioned, "That's past tense Arthur."

"He died." Arthur explained, "During the attack on Camelot, it was when Morgana took control and fired into the crowds...he was one of the bystanders and was shot whilst his wife and two of his children died when the veil was torn." Leon winced at Arthur's statement, he had been the Knight to lead that rebellion it was meant to have been a show of their loyalty to the King and the oaths that they had taken.

Instead innocents had died because of their stubbornness. And it wasn't the first time people had died because of him, either directly or indirectly and looking back Leon was certain that barring Merlin and Arthur he had more blood on his hands than anyone in the Round Table.

To Mordred the guards seemed like monsters and as he ran he couldn't help but think the sound of the guards shouting sounded all too similar to the sound of the wolves in the forests howling as they hunted down and tore apart their prey. He whimpered and tried to keep up.