Fate/Fallen Prince

8 - Topic of Morning

Terran rested inside his tent. His body was sore from the amount of magical energy he used. He ached all over and his mood was rather sour. His spear had been broken. A weapon he took months to create and months more to create his fighting style. It annoyed him to no end that he lost such an important weapon.

He sat on his bed, a blanket of furs resting on his shoulders. They would be resting here for a while. At least until Arthur was able to see what remained of the rebels.

Haven had taken the opportunity to send her familiars out ahead. She seemed worried that there were no more armies between their current encampment and the castle of Ravenhill. It was a worrying prospect. No one had ever taken the hill by siege. It was an impossible task. It's walls are impenetrable so seige weapons would have no effect.

Terran contemplated his next moves carefully. He should stay put and allow King Arthur to do most of the heavy lifting. Yet, so desperately he wanted to ride ahead and challenge Callum Shay himself. That bastard had caused enough death already. How much longer did the young prince have?

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Ashton read through the pages of his book. The gentle flame of a candle lit up the pages. He hated all the long marching, but found ways to enjoy the time they spent sitting still. It was harder this time though. They lost a lot of men to Dantis Shays pincer move. Thanks to that, Terran would be spending the rest of the early morning recovering.

He scanned the pages before a bright light came into his vision. The sun peaked over the horizen. He smiled at the natural beauty of the world. He wanted to make time to watch this and forget about all the bloodshed he had seen recently.

The sky began to change colors. A beautiful array of oranges, pinks, and yellows.

"A great sight, is it not?" The mage of flowers had made his appearance.

"Yes, it's almost enough to forget our situation." Ashton said sadly.

"Indeed." Merlin spoke softly.

They were quiet for a moment. A moment that felt like ages to Ashton. He knew this mage wanted something from him, yet he didn't make a move to speak with him. It made him nervous.

"Is there something you need?" Ashton gree the courage to ask.

Merlin smiled at him.

"I was wondering when you'd ask. I do have something I need you for." He said, "Don't worry it's really just for conversation."

Ashton looked at him uneasily. He closed his book and watched his fellow mage sit down beside him.

"It's about Terran Dean." He said.

"My lord? What is it you wish to know about him?" Ashton asked.

"Did he know about how Dantis Shay would attack."

Ashton thought for a moment. It was intirley possible that Terran knew. He could understand the lion's process. By not telling King Arthur, he spared the knights of Camelot from the same fate as many of the rebels. His actions seemed deliberate, but Ashton couldn't be too sure.

"He could have known." He said, "I wasn't there, I can't really tell you much of anyhting."

"I don't think the answer is as simple as that." Merlin continued to watch the rising sun, "As far as I've observed, that lion is terribly clever. He hasn't used brute force since arriving in Gaul. Every battle was carefully planned out. It can almost seem as if he knew of the enemies movements before they even made them."

Ashton stayed silent, fearing what he says now could have repercussions.

"Now tell me, did he know?" Merlin asked, his smile fading from his face.