Work Text:
Falling into legend
by Lilithangel
He opened his eyes carefully, not wanting to disturb the large drum band obviously playing on his head.
He was lying on his back in the grass and there didn't appear to be a band, which was a shame because that meant the pain was in his head and he didn't appear to be anywhere that could fix it.
A pair of concerned eyes looked at him from a rather attractive face. "Are you alright Lancelot? That was a nasty fall; I told you the quintain was set too fast."
"I really hope I know you," he said with a shaky smile, "since I don't appear to know myself."
"It's Gawain," the attractive features replied with a worried frown, "I think I should take you to Merlin. We have to join Arthur soon to welcome his new bride."
"Merlin, Arthur?" now he was completely confused. Obviously the names should mean something to him but they didn't. The only thing he knew was that he hated not knowing.
"Arthur, our sovereign," Gawain replied his voice concerned, "and Merlin his advisor. You know these things Lancelot."
Gawain helped him to stand and led him to a horse. He had absolutely no idea if he could
ride a horse but Gawain seemed to think he could. It sure didn't feel comfortable but his
body seemed to know what it was doing.
"Oh no," Gawain said as the sound of trumpets echoed through the forest, "no time for Merlin, we have to join Arthur."
In a clearing they found a large group of mounted people waiting behind a dragon flag. In the front was a man he knew he should recognise. He guessed it was Arthur but it didn't feel quite right. Arthur was older than most in the group and definitely had a air of nobility despite the rather large ears that he found quite attractive really.
Gawain reined up just behind Arthur and he figured the space on Arthur's left must be for him. Arthur glanced at him and smiled then frowned at Gawain's words.
"Sorry sire, Lancelot took a nasty fall in training; Merlin should really take a look at him later."
"You alright Lancelot?" Arthur asked.
"Yes sire," he replied. Everyone seemed to recognise him so he must be this Lancelot, but it just didn't feel right.
Another fanfare of trumpets, this time out of the clearing, had everyone sitting up straight and looking in the same direction.
A troop of horses entered and lined up opposite Arthur. In the centre were four knights surrounding a girl with blonde hair and a dazed expression. She brightened when she saw Arthur and seemed to recognise him as well but dropped her gaze at a word from one of the knights.
Arthur stiffened and he could feel the king's disapproval. The same knight rode forward.
"Greetings King Arthur. I, Malcolm of the court of his most gracious majesty King Alfred am pleased to present Guinevere, his beloved daughter and your bride." He gestured for the blonde to come forward. She shot him a resentful glare but obeyed, looking at Arthur from under her fringe.
Arthur moved his horse forward and nodded to Malcolm. "Thank you Sir Malcolm, we are honoured by King Alfred's trust in us and this wonderful gift."
Guinevere turned her glare onto Arthur at the words and Lancelot had to smile. She was a feisty one despite her outward docility. Arthur extended his hand to Guinevere who took it awkwardly and blushed when he kissed it. Something passed between them that only Lancelot noticed even though he didn't know why he noticed or what the look meant.
"Let us return to my castle and celebrate this joyous event properly," Arthur continued, "ride with my milady?"
Guinevere blushed and nodded. Lancelot and Gawain fell in behind Arthur and his betrothed with Malcolm behind them.
Lancelot strained to hear what Arthur was saying to Guinevere, not sure why he felt so odd about them as a couple. The snippets he overheard didn't make any sense either. Guinevere called Arthur doctor and mentioned a Jack and a Tardis, whoever they were and she sounded like she knew Arthur already which couldn't be right. She glanced back at him at times as well which confused him more. She was his king's bride and shouldn't be paying him any attention and neither should he.
"Lancelot," Arthur called him. "We seemed to have fallen into someone's story," Arthur said when he spurred his horse forward.
"Sire?" he frowned in confusion.
"Come on Jack," Guinevere said with a grin, "you don't have to play the game with us."
He looked at her in shock, not expecting such flippancy from a princess and not really
understanding what she meant. "My name is Lancelot, milady, but if you wish me to be called Jack?"
"Gawain said you hit your head?" Arthur interrupted.
"Just a little fall sire, I'm fine," he said.
"Even without your memory you can't help yourself," Arthur huffed.
"Can you fix him, Arthur doctor?" Guinevere said with a frown of her own.
Arthur smiled at them both, "Can fix anything me. Need to hurry though; I think the story is trying to pull us in."
He didn't understand what Arthur was talking about and had to wonder if his sire had suffered a head injury as well. Or perhaps it was his own injury that was confusing him.
"I will visit Merlin when we arrive," he said, "Gawain assures me he will take care of me."
"I bet he would too," Arthur replied, "but don't you worry, I can take care of you."
"Thank you sire," he smiled at his king brightly and resolved to speak with Gawain as soon as he could.
They arrive at a large castle (Camelot his mind provides for him) and in the bustle of activity he is separated him from the king and Guinevere. A squire led his horse away and he found himself wandering through the castle wondering if he should know where he was going.
He stumbled on Guinevere in a small walled garden and would have exited just as quickly if she hadn't smiled with relief and gestured for him to join her.
"It's good to see a friendly face," she said with a sigh, "the Doctor... Arthur has promised to find me soon, but he got caught up in something."
"Why do you call him a doctor, milady?" Lancelot said curiously.
"That's his name. He said that we're being pulled into a story and your bump to the head has sucked you in fastest."
Lancelot wasn't sure what to say to such wild stories and resolved to speak privately with
Arthur as soon as he could. It could not be in the land's best interests for its king to marry a mad woman no matter how comely she was.
"Don't worry though, the Doctor will get us through this, he always does. Although I have to say that this outfit is the best thing I've worn ever," she continued happily, "and Camelot? How cool is that?"
"It is pleasantly warm, milady but if you are feeling the cold let me fetch you a cloak," he
said as one of Guinevere's ladies in waiting rushed into the garden and stared at him
suspiciously. He bowed to Guinevere and nodded to the maid before making his excuses and leaving. He overheard the maid scolding Guinevere for being alone with a man not her betrothed and then giggling with her about how handsome he was.
Lancelot found Arthur by following the loud bellows of frustration and moved out of the way of the stream of courtiers being chased out of the throne room. He entered to find Arthur sprawled moodily over the throne.
"Idiots, the lot of them," he said to Lancelot who had to grin.
"You have said as much before sire."
"Sire eh?" Arthur grinned, "better than doc anyway."
Lancelot frowned, "about that sire. May I speak freely?"
"When have I ever been able to stop you?" Arthur said.
"I fear the lady Guinevere is a little overwhelmed by her arrival in Camelot and may be suffering from brain fever," he said diplomatically.
"Nah, she's always like that. Brilliant isn't it?" Arthur grinned at his frown. "Don't worry, I'll fix it. Always do, don't I? I want you to keep an eye on her though, while I deal with these idiots here. I think I've got them to understand I want the TARDIS brought here which should get us out of things."
Lancelot nodded, a little uneasy at Arthur's words but trusting his king. He would watch over Guinevere and Arthur, and if he got too worried he would speak to Merlin.
The next morning as they broke their fast Arthur looked more harried than normal discussing matters with Malcolm so Lancelot suggested that he and Gawain show Guinevere Camelot's domain. Soon they were riding sedately in the countryside with a battalion of servants behind them including the disapproving maid from the day before.
"Arthur asked me to take care of her," he replied to Gawain's look as they rode. "She is very young, maybe too young for such an important role but I'm sure Arthur knows best."
"It is a powerful allegiance that we need if we are to keep Mordred and his army at bay," Gawain said and Lancelot had to agree. Mordred's advances were getting bolder every day and Camelot needed all the allies it could get.
Guinevere seemed to enjoy the ride and didn't say anything to worry Lancelot and he had to assume that the previous day had just been nerves and nothing to worry about. She was bright and bubbly and entranced them all by the end of the ride.
* * * * *
Plans for the wedding began to fall into place and the castle was full of bustle and
excitement. Arthur spent long hours negotiating with Malcolm and planning strategies to defeat Mordred with his knights. The only times Lancelot saw him outside of the war room was when they managed to snatch time to train together. The rest of his time was spent at the lists when he wasn't escorting Guinevere around.
Arthur asked once about his strange box, the TARDIS and Lancelot was able to assure him it had been brought to the castle and now resided in one of the stables. He had felt something strange when he saw it, as if he should recognise it, as if it was offended that he didn't, but he put it down to whimsy. He always meant to show it to Guinevere but somehow it never happened.
Guinevere stopped calling him and Arthur by the strange names and became every inch the young queen-to-be Lancelot had hoped for. Arthur ruled the kingdom with strength and humour and spent a lot of time sorting out the problems of the court.
Everyone was charmed by Guinevere except Agravain, a dour knight of Arthur's court who always seemed to look upon her with disapproval. Lancelot didn't understand and didn't care to, not liking the man anymore than he was liked.
He was aware of mutterings in the court about the time he spent with Guinevere, mainly started by Agravain he was sure, but it was at the command of his liege and he would never betray his king no matter how attractive and lively she was. It felt as if he had known Guinevere for a lot longer than the few days since her arrival and it was no hardship to spend time with her. Despite what the gossips might suggest however Lancelot had no desire to seduce Guinevere, he knew he was falling for her but somehow he knew it could be no more than a pure platonic love. His vows to his king no small part to that.
He could never tell anyone, but his heart belonged to Arthur. He had sworn allegiance to
his king and liege lord because Arthur made him want to be a better man, the noble knight he had always dreamed of being. Guinevere brought out far more protective feelings. He would die for her, but he would live for his king.
So when he found Guinevere weeping in the walled garden it felt completely natural to take her in his arms and comfort her, kiss the top of her head and tell her it would be okay. When she sobbed a nightmare into his shoulder about armoured monsters and being chased by evil creatures he soothed her fears and when she lifted her face up he couldn't help but kiss away her tears and place one last gentle kiss on her lips.
Sadly it was then that Agravain entered the garden. His bellow of rage brought guards and courtiers running and the shocked faces shamed them both. Lancelot stood in front of Guinevere protectively but they were both grabbed and dragged from the garden.
They were thrown separately into Camelot's seldom used dungeons to await Arthur's return from the outlying territories. Lancelot could only hold onto the hope that Arthur would know what was in his heart and not believe the vicious words of Agravain.
After what felt like days they were finally dragged in front of Arthur who sat upright and angry on his throne.
"Arthur we..." Guinevere tried to speak but was silenced by a single raised hand.
"Did you kiss her?" Arthur said to Lancelot, ignoring Guinevere.
"Yes," Lancelot replied, "but you have to know it was completely innocent, I love her like a sister."
Arthur's gaze nearly knocked Lancelot over with the rage boiling there, but he spoke to Guinevere rather than reply to Lancelot. "Did he kiss you only or did you kiss him back?"
"I had a nightmare," Guinevere said, "He was only comforting me."
"Did you kiss him back; did you want him to kiss you?" Each word was snapped out like a sword strike.
"Only a little," she said, her head dropping with guilt.
"That is treason milady," Arthur snapped, "punishable by death."
Lancelot could feel the bonds of inevitability closing around them all. He could see himself fighting out of the castle, see Arthur condemn Guinevere to death at the urging of his knights, see himself returning to save her from a fiery fate and then Arthur dying on Modred's blade, Camelot broken because of his weakness.
"You know I love her like a sister," he called out, desperate to halt their doom, "you know it is you I love sire. You whose kisses I long for."
The room froze and all he could see was Arthur. Arthur staring at him in disbelief and then... something else... knowledge sank deep into Arthur's eyes and he laughed.
"Fifty-first century man, it didn't count on a fifty-first century man," Arthur... the Doctor said.
Lancelot... Jack felt a wrenching in his body, a separation of who he was from Lancelot. Next to the Doctor was the pale form of the king soon joined by two others as the Doctor stepped down off the dais to join him and Rose. Chains clattered to the floor and disappeared as the Doctor hugged Rose and then turned to Jack and hugged him too.
"Thank you," the shades said to them, "we never thought the circle could be broken. You have our eternal gratitude." The three pale forms of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot wavered and disappeared taking the castle with them and leaving the Doctor, Jack and Rose standing in a meadow next to the TARDIS.
"What just happened?" Rose said in confusion.
"Told you," the Doctor said, "we fell into a story. One that didn't take into account Jack the Lad here."
"That was Camelot, we fell into Camelot?" Rose asked in amazement.
"Kind of," the Doctor replied, "not the Camelot I remember, far cleaner for a start. The story of Camelot somehow trapped in a loop on this planet sucking in the unwary."
"Including us," Jack said, "I have to confess it was kind of fun, right up to the whole trial
thing. Not the first time I've faced the executioner but possibly the first time I hadn't done what I was accused of."
"Yeah, what about that?" Rose turned to him. "Love me like a sister do you?" she teased.
"I had a very close family," Jack replied with a smirk.
"Wouldn't have been so bad if someone hadn't got hit on the head," the Doctor interrupted, "would have had us out of there easy, if it weren't for that."
"Well excuse me for being sucked into a story on horseback," Jack said, "didn't know if I could ride did I?"
"How do you think they got here?" Rose said, looking at the spot where Camelot had been, "how many times they lived through the story and died?"
"It's a very old story," the Doctor said as he opened the door of the TARDIS, "told through the millennia in different guises, they could have been here a long time."
"What would have happened to us, if the circle hadn't been broken?" Rose asked.
"Nothing bad," the Doctor reassured her, "wouldn't have let that happen. They didn't know about our secret weapon anyway."
"Jack's crush on you," Rose said, elbowing Jack as they entered the TARDIS.
"You know I adore you both and would love to share more kisses with both of you," Jack replied lightly.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow as Jack passed and he blushed, but nothing more was said until it was too late.
The life of a story is in how it changes from teller to teller, embellished by gifted tongues
and the passage of time. True love, sacrifice and the fate of the world decided by love, these are stories that will never be truly forgotten.
END