Thaumaturgy

Chapter 24

The next day the rose before dawn, and after gathering their belongings, Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Elyan, Will, Gen, Lancelot, and their new additions, Percival, and Leon, all met with their horses in the ourtyard as the sun began to rise in the horizon and rain drizzled slowly around them.

Alfred watched them leave under a canpoy, not wanting to suffer Merlin's wrath by being impolite, and Racel watched from a window, ducking out of sight every time Gwaine looked aound for her. Arthur shook his head fondly at his friend: they were headed first to the tree house, where Merlin has potions in supply that could cure Gwaine of his love potion.

Arthur looked worriedly at his lover for the fiftieth time but saw Merlin was looking at his first, ctching him out, his face pallid but with strength in his eyes. Athur blushed and Merlin called "Ride out!" tot the gathred group of friends. They life Northumbria in the rain, heading into the forest.

The gang padded, their horses hooves full of mud, through the unwieldly yellow forest. The leaves had turned into Autumn and lay scattered on the earthy floor; a golden carpet that blanketed the sinister woodlands and dells of the forest. Leon and Percival had already intrigated well into the team, Leon through his surprisingly dark sense of humour and Percival through his gracious alto singing voice that boomed through the woods like a bell.

As they canntered, through the dapled sunlight, they fell unto a natural chat about their steads, which they were riding on. Merlin had been unable to contain his giggles of glee on the relevation that the giant Gypsy shire draft horse Percival road was called Patricia, and his humours chuckles had caught through everyone until Percival's ears blushed red and he'd stammered an explanation about naming her after his childhood sweetheart.

"Okay, then MER-lin" brayed Arthur with a wide smile "tell us the story of how Brambles got his name. I bet it's not a patch on what inspired Shadowdancer here." He bent down to fondle the beatufil fillys mane as he spoke, and she whinnied in appreciation. Ahead of them, Gwen twisted around in the saddle of Cheval, the Frankish horse, and grinned like a lynx.

"He's called Bramble!" her raised eyebrow sequealed in delighted mischief. Next to her even noble and handsome Lanelot was unable to resist a poorly surpressed smirk. He and Will and Gwaine were well acquainted with Merlin's ridiciously named piebald stud, his smokey brown fur and loud neigh were well known amongst the band of outlaws, as was his sweet engery which fitted Merlin like a shoe.

"It's cute! and he's a cutie patootie horse. He just loves blackberries. I had to call him Bramble" Merlin defended loudly scrubing his hand on his proud horses neck, then rolled his eyes and stuck his cheeky tongue out at his boyfriend and friends

"It's a good name for a horse" he protested without malace as the group skirmished onwards.

"This is Cheval- sort for Chevalier. It means horse lord. What about you Lancelot?" Gwen asked lancelot softly, as he rode next to her; tilting her head slightly in query.

"Eligius" he responded with a soft smile at the bay hourse "The patron saint of horses. I like to think he protects them from harm - they don't get into our fights and they don't deserve to come to harm from them"

"That's beautiful," she swooned. Gwaine snorted - horse like - behind her. "It is!" she insisted indignant. "I like it anyways." she finished throwing her soulmate a looking smile which he returned with radiant interest, his wavy locks twirling black and wavy in the sun.

"It's not a patch on my beauty" Gwaine bosted as he storked his palamino stallion.

"Oh we all know about Sixty!" chirped in Will. "Our Lancelot is very honourable. Not like Gwaine - Sixty is how many hearts he's said he's broken!" Will said to Leon, who they had learned has named his horse Dutch.