Return to Camelot
Nate tugged at the costume Ray had designed for him, even though he knew there was nothing wrong with the fit. He still felt irrationally annoyed by the historically inaccurate wardrobe in this (apparently) historically factual kingdom. But what could he do? Ray had lived here for months. He knew what was right for this place. If this too-ornate tunic and coat made sense for a wealthy noble, he would just have to deal with it.
He made his way through the banquet hall, where knights and courtiers milled around. People seemed animated, but there was a somberness to the gathering, and everyone present (Nate included) wore black arm bands to honor the fallen king. Nate scanned the room looking for his own face.
A couple of people approached him, then stopped and seemed confused. "I am in search of my... cousin," he said the third time it happened.
"Oh, indeed, sir," the courtier said. She looked almost relieved. "You may find Sir James at the Round Table." The woman pointed, and Nate thanked her and made his way to the table.
He found James sitting to Constantine's left at the Round Table - in Sir Galahad, and later, Sir Carson's former seat. He and Constantine were in deep conversation, and a few of the other key knights were also at the table chatting. Some of them noticed his approach and seemed startled by him. Constantine glanced at him and did a double take, which naturally alerted James.
The young knight sprang to his feet, and Constantine stood, too. Nate was half-afraid Constantine would go on the attack again. But a wild man in strange clothes running at him from the woods was a different experience entirely, and Constantine merely eyed him with suspicion.
"Who may you be? James, do you know this man?"
Nate bowed deeply to Constantine. "Greetings, and my deepest condolences, Your Grace." Constantine nodded, still guarded. "My name is Nathaniel of River Crossing," he said, using a name from his mother's ancestors. "Sir James and I are distant kin."
Constantine looked to James for confirmation, and James nodded. Then, the king relaxed and smiled at Nate. "Well met and welcome, Nathaniel," he said. "Sit down and have a drink with us if you will."
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, but I am on an urgent errand. My... our... great-uncle is ill, and he has asked for a message from you, James. Could you come with me for a short while?"
James looked at Constantine. "If I may, Your Grace?"
"Of course, of course."
"Thank you, Sire. I will return as soon as I may."
James joined him, and they walked quickly and silently out of the banquet hall. When they got out into the main courtyard, James started to speak, but Nate shook his head. "Not yet."
Nate waited until they had gotten all the way through the main gates, even though he could tell James was brimming with anticipation. When they were well away from the castle, Nate paused. "Please, sir," James said. "Tell me, does the king live?"
"Yes, he's alive."
James breathed a deep sigh of relief. "God be praised!" He took Nate's hand and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, Nate, thank you! And thank you for fulfilling your promise."
"I couldn't have left you in the dark after what you've done for him."
James smiled, then look confused. "How can you know what I have done? And how did you know me on the battlefield? I have wondered that these three days."
Nate considered for a moment. "I know you love Ray, so you wouldn't do anything to hurt him, right?"
"Of course not!"
"Good. Because no one can know this, so I'm trusting you to keep our secret."
"I understand. No one will know of it from me."
"Okay. Ray and I, and Mick, the man who was with me on the battlefield - we're from a different time. More than a thousand years from now." James' eyes widened, and Nate nodded. "I told Constantine the truth - you really are a distant relation of mine. One of my ancestors. And the reason I knew about you is because I read the book of letters. He told me all about you, and how grateful he was to have a real ally while he was stranded in the wrong time."
James shook his head. "It is extraordinary! And yet, I have seen such wonders. That... invisible carriage, and... and you! In the future, men come to wield magic strong enough to turn themselves to steel?"
"Er... not really. This isn't common, what I can do. It was... an accident, actually. Pretty, difficult to explain, but it's something that happened when Ray made a... a medicine for me. He saved my life, and that power is a side effect."
James was clearly shocked. "I had no idea His Grace was a healer." He shook his head. "Such a great man. You said he was grateful for me? Yet he gave me my honor, and in a way, he did for me what he has done for you - gave me a suit of armor strong enough to allow me to defend my home. Could... could you tell him how grateful I am?"
Nate smiled. "Why not tell him yourself?' James was stunned again, and before he could say anything more, Nate pressed a button on the time courier and a doorway opened directly into the med bay. Ray was exactly where Nate had left him, lying on the chair looking pale and nervous. Mick stood next to him with a hand firmly on his shoulder.
Nate stepped in immediately and James stepped in right behind him, without any of the nervousness he'd shown approaching the jump ship's "magical" doors a few days ago. Nate closed the portal, and gave Ray a hug. Ray gripped him tight. "Told you I'd be back in no time," Nate said gently. "What was that? Ninety seconds?"
"A minute forty-five," Ray said, squeezing him tight. "Still too long." Nate couldn't help but chuckle, but he squeezed Ray tighter all the same.
After a few moments, Nate pulled back. "Someone wanted to speak to you." He stepped aside, and Ray grinned to see James behind him.
"James! I didn't think you would bring him, Nate, this is great!"
"I told him what we do. Where we're from," Nate said. Ray looked shocked. "He knows it's a secret."
Ray smiled at him, then beckoned to James. "Come here, lad. I'm so glad to see you! I thought I would never see you again."
James came forward immediately. "Sire!" He fell to his knees at Ray's side and reached for his hand. Ray took his hand and James kissed it. "Thank God, thank God you're alive, Your Grace!"
"I'm grateful to be alive. And I'm told I have you to thank for that, in part." James looked surprised, and Ray smiled. "My friend tells me you saw him change, yet you were still brave enough to let them take me away."
James smiled. "I would have taken any risk to save you, Sire."
"I know, lad. I know." He touched the top of James' head. "Rise now, Sir James."
James stood up, looking nervously down at Ray's abdomen. "How can... Are you well, Your Grace? You seem better than I thought possible, but still yet pale. Are you in much pain?"
"Not much, not anymore. But I have been quite tired of late."
Nate and Mick looked at each other, alarmed for a moment. But Nate shook his head slightly, not wanting to worry Ray. Maybe the slip into formal language was just because James was here.
"I pray you will be well soon, Your Grace," James said.
"Thank you, James. I'm sure with your prayers, I will." He smiled. "And I'm no longer the king. You don't have to address me as 'Your Grace' anymore."
James looked shocked for a moment. He shook his head. "You will always be my king, Your Grace. Always. I will serve King Constantine, as is my sworn duty. But I shall know you as my king for the rest of my life."
Ray's face flushed a deep red. "I... that... means a lot to me, James. Thank you."
"It is I who must thank you, Sire," James said. He glanced at Nate. "That is why he bought me here to you. I wanted to... to try to express how grateful I am to you. You... you took me as your squire when I was sent to you as an insult, and you gave back my honor. I have served Camelot since I was five years old. But since my injury that first day with a sword, I have been seen as an enthusiastic child at best, and a useless fool at worst. For ten years that was my lot, but you changed that."
Nate took a deep breath, his tears starting to well up. James had just told him that Ray made it possible to fight for his home like he had for Nate, but hearing this was different. It brought back all the years of being "the sick kid" at school, and his father's anger and disappointment at being saddled with a kid who couldn't play football or join the service, and who spent his days doing "so-called historical investigation".
"You made me a knight," James continued. "An honor I never thought I would receive. Yet you also taught me that there is value in writing our stories - that there is no shame in the life of a scribe."
Nate must have made some kind of noise, because James, Ray and Mick all looked at him. "Sorry," he whispered. "Just... I'm fine."
Ray smiled. "Nate is a historian. His father..."
"Wanted a knight, " Nate said, when Ray hesitated.
James smiled in a knowing way before turning back to Ray again. "I was privileged to serve you but for three short seasons. Yet in that brief time, you changed my life forever. As long as I live - nay, as long as you live, which Nate says is over a thousand years hence - you shall be my king."
Ray's eyes were shining with tears, and he smiled. "You honor me, James. Thank you"
"I-"
"What is going on here?"
Nate jumped and Ray winced. "Sara!"
"Wh- is that - are you interacting with your own ancestor, Nate?!"
"What? No, I-"
"Sir Lance?" Everyone stared at James. He smiled brightly at Sara. "It is, indeed! Sir Lance is another traveler from the future?"
Sara's eyes got huge, then narrowed to slits as she looked at Nate and the others. "What did you tell him?"
Ray grinned nervously. "Ummmm, a lot. Probably too much. But don't worry, Sara. He's very discreet, right Sir James?"
"Indeed, Your Grace, quite discreet."
Sara looked like she might start yelling, then suddenly shook her head and threw her hands up. "You know what? Forget it, just - if we have to come back here and fix this, you-" and here, she pointed at Nate - "are gonna explain it to Ava!"
"What? Why me?"
"Because Ray's recovering, so you're supposed to be the responsible one! And don't argue with me!" Nate sighed, but didn't say anything else. Sara pointed at James. "Do you still see Lady Guinevere?"
"She no longer lives at Camelot, my lady. But she is less than a day's ride away. May I take her a message from you?"
"Yes. No, you can't do that."
"Why not?" Ray asked. "Guinevere's... retired. I don't think hearing from you would wreck the timeline."
Sara looked thoughtful. "Is she happy?"
"She is," Ray said. "She... found someone."
Sara smiled. "Good. You can let her know I'm happy, too."
"I will, my lady," James said.
Sara nodded, then pointed two fingers from her eyes to Nate in the, "I'm watching you" gesture and left the room. Ray gave Nate the "yikes" face, while Mick smirked. James smiled and came back to Ray. "Perhaps I shouldn't say so, but... I understand why Queen Guinevere became close to her. They are both of a fiery nature."
Mick laughed. "I can think of a few other reasons."
"Mick!"
"What?"
Ray shook his head, not bothering to explain. He smiled at James, but there was sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but we can't stay."
"I know. I... I shall miss you terribly, Your Grace."
"And I you, James." He tried to stand up, and Mick helped him. "Come here."
James came forward, and Ray gave him a hug. James seemed startled for a moment, them he returned the embrace, and Ray smiled. "Goodbye, James."
"Goodbye, Your Grace." Ray sighed and let him go.
James shook hands with Mick and Nate. "Thank you for... for taking care of him while I can't."
Nate smiled at him. "Good luck, James."
He opened the portal, and James bowed to Ray and backed out. "God speed, your Grace. Goodbye."
He walked away, and Nate closed the portal. He heard a heavy sigh from Ray, and came to his side immediately. "Hey. You okay?" Ray sighed again, and tears started to fall. Nate gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Ray."
Ray squeezed him back, and nodded. "I'm okay."
Nate helped him lay down again, and Mick patted him on the shoulder, looking toward the ceiling. "Get some rest, okay?" Ray nodded, and Nate and Mick took their seats beside the bed and resumed their vigil.