Viviane du Lac

Eadwig smiled into the kiss, closing his eyes and letting himself pretend, for a moment, that they were an ordinary couple preparing to enjoy a nice of dancing and celebration and nothing more. No worries, no secrets. It lasted all too fleetingly, and there was a touch wistfulness in his gaze as they pulled back slightly. He reached up to run his thumb along her cheekbone and wished they could run off into the night and he could have her all to himself. But he had made her a promise, and he wanted to keep it; she reminded him of all that he had once been and all that he wanted to be again. So he smiled and straightened and led her through into the ballroom, anxious but proud beyond words to have this wonderful, incredible woman on his arm.

She felt him smile against her lips and she let herself get lost in the sensation of being near him. When they finally pulled away there was something in his eyes that made her hesitate, but then his hand was against her cheek and she was leaning into his touch. He didn’t say anything and he didn’t have to. Viviane had grown fond of his quiet ways, knowing that his actions spoke much louder than his words. There wasn’t a single thing she would change about him, even his mortality. She would rather enjoy the time she had with him than to condemn him to eternity. One day she would have to let him go, but for now she would not think of such things. He was here now, with her, and for a little while they could pretend that all was well with the world. She let him lead her into the room, keeping her eyes trained on him. Tonight she would not care about the whispers or the glances. She was proud of the man she loved. She squeezed his hand gently. “Don’t look so nervous,” she smiled softly. “I’ll protect you.” 

“Thank you. You look lovely.” He tilted his head slightly, watching her curiously but feeling a quiet pulse of anxiety. The only other time she had said anything of that sort to him had been the day she had finally told him the truth about his parents - and at the same time that all his questions were answered his entire understanding of the world around him had changed. So he could not help feeling a little apprehensive to hear her talk so seriously, and to feel that there was once again something of magnitude that she had to tell him. “Things like who the masked man accompanying you is?”

“Indeed. Things like that.” She smiled slightly at his words. “I would have liked to have introduced the two of you before.” Honestly it would have been better for them too meet in a less... public setting. It all felt so unreasonably dramatic. All she wanted was to have Eadwig by her side. She shook her head, forcing a small smile. "His name is Eadwig. He was with me, during the storm. I was worried about you. If something had happened to you because of me-” she stopped, her smile vanishing. 

Saraide almost felt as though she had totally stopped breathing as Viviane spoke, her eyes widening more an more with each realisation. “My father was here?” she asked her quietly before she realised what she said at the end, “Too long? What does too long mean?” 

“He was,” she said slowly, her heart aching at the sight of the shock in the girl’s eyes. This was her fault. “Your father was no ordinary man. He was a king. King of Gorre, to be precise. His name was Maleagant. And he died... a good man.”

As she stepped forward into the light, Galahad realised it was his mother that had come out of the ballroom. She looked beautifully regal tonight, truly the Lady of Lake, and he was truly proud to call himself her son; but he was also curious. He had seen the talk, dark-masked man that she had entered the ballroom with. Not Merlin, and not someone that Galahad recognised, and yet she had made a very public statement by bringing him to the ball.

He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him that Viviane had her secrets. She always had, and although she was his mother she also had her own life. Still, the fact that she had come with him tonight seemed to mean she wanted to bring it out into the open and Galahad knew his mother well enough to see the uncertainity in her expression as she approached, like she was waiting for him to say something. “I’m well,” he said after a moment. “But I think maybe that’s not what you mean.”

She watched him with curiosity, trying to read his expression. Out of all the people she risked offending or surprising with her choice to arrive at the ball with Eadwig, her son was the only one that really mattered to her. “I’m glad to hear it. You look very dashing tonight, though frankly I shouldn’t be surprised.” She smiled, pausing for a moment. “I wanted to apologize to you. Since the storm, and Merlin’s return things have been so hectic, I have not had a chance to speak with you properly. There are things we should discuss, things you should know that I could not bear to keep from you.” Eadwig wasn’t the only secret she’d been harbouring. Her guilt over causing the storm still bore down on her heavily, and she realised in that moment how desperately she needed her son’s forgiveness. 

“That would be preferable,” Eadwig said with a small, amused smile. Being left to stand alone in the middle of the ballroom tonight, whenever everyone would have seen them enter together, would indeed make things rather more awkward. But he trusted that would not be what happened tonight. Last time there had seen been so much unspoken and hidden between them, but tonight they both knew the truth and had resolved to face everything together. And right now, stood beside her, he really did believe that somehow they would manage to find a way to make it work. “But if it will help matters, I will try to resist kissing you in the middle of the dance floor this time,” he added, then bowed and offered her his arm as he had seen the knights and lords do previously. “Are you ready, my lady?”

“You have my word, good sir. I shall not abandon you tonight.” Nor ever. She had a long life ahead of her, but she intended to make the most of her time with him. She knew they were taking a risk by attending together. It was a public statement, and she was usually not fond of those. Still, she could not imagine facing the evening without him, and she refused to be ashamed of loving him. He was the kindest man she had ever known, and it seemed a dishonour to treat him like a secret. At his words she blushed, lowering her gaze. “And I will try not to object to your restraint. But since you will be holding back on the dance floor,” she paused, stepping closer to them. They were alone in the hall as she reached up and pressed her lips against his. “Ready when you are,” she whispered against his lips with a small smile. 

At the sight of the woman Arthur had stood up with a smile, but her words had the greeting dying on his lips and his eyes widened in disbelief. “Turn yourself in? Whatever for?” He asked frowning. “I don’t understand.”

She watched with a pang as the smile vanished from his face, knowing that her next words would only serve to bring him more pain. “I caused the storm. I brought Merlin back from the brink of death, but at a price. The magic I used was ancient and dark, it angered the gods and in retaliation they sent the storm that wrecked your kingdom.” 

When he saw her waiting for him, his nerves seemed to fade away. In her blue dress and mask she was radiant, looking like the powerful and remarkable woman she truly was, and for a moment as he looked at her it was like the breath had stopped in his throat. There was no way he could be anything but proud to walk into the ball with her by his side. What would come of it he didn’t know, but surely as long as they were together they would find a way through it. He smiled. “Of course I did. You’re here.”

The way he looked at her was enough to make her freeze where she stood. She looked down at herself, trying to imagine what she must look like in his eyes. Her self inspection only lasted a moment, for her eyes quickly returned to his. He cut quite the dashing figure in the improvised outfit they’d procured for him, and even the simple mask could not hide his handsome features. Still, her focus  went almost entirely to his eyes, as lovely and kind as always. “Thank you,” she said simply, knowing it meant a great deal for him to be there with her. She simply wasn’t ready to face the people of the kingdom alone, and more than that, she found comfort in the fact that she didn’t have to. “I promise I won’t run out this time,” she said with a smile, her mind going back to the last time they’d been to a ball together. 

Saraide’s expression turned from one of fear to one of confusion. What did her mistress have to possibly keep from her. It made her imagine the worst things possible. And this feeling only heightened when Viviane began apologising before she had even told her what had been kept from her. “Please just tell me My Lady,” she began, “I cannot even think of what you could keep from me”. She believed that she would never keep something important from her. Not really.

“Saraide... it’s about your father. You know very well I have never wanted to speak of him to you, and for a very long time I believed that your ignorance protected you. He was not always a good man, and I believed that keeping you from him was the best way of ensuring your safety and your wellbeing. I stood by that choice for many years, and for most of those years I still believe I made the right decision. But then something happened... he changed somehow. The ice melted away from around his heart, and I was going to tell you. I thought, ‘now, now I can give her what she’s always wanted. Now he is a man worthy of being her father.’ But I waited too long...” 

The girl simply nodded, taking Viviane’s hand as they walked into the castle. “You are beginning to scare me My Lady,” she said after a few moments. 

Once they were inside and away from prying ears she let go of Saraide’s hand, not sure how her handmaiden would feel about her once she revealed the news of her father. “There is nothing to fear, my dear. If anything I am the one that should be afraid of losing you. Gods, I am sorry. I am so sorry. There’s been something I’ve been waiting to tell you... something I’ve kept from you, but I waited too long.”