A Mercenary in Camelot

*This story is original plot and mostly original character. It does retain the beautiful Katie McGrath in her roll of Morgana Pendragon as she was in BBC's "Merlin." It's an intro chapter, so it's light on the erotic aspect, but there will be more to come.*

---

Harsh light tried to break through my eyelids, and intense heat warmed my face. Then I heard the sound of waves lapping nearby. I also swore I heard the sound of birds. Could they be gulls, I wondered.

I raised a sore and stiff arm to cover my eyes as I slowly opened them. I was on a beach, and more so, I was alive.

I tried to sit up, but I could not. My midsection burned white hot with the exertion, and my breathing became immediately labored.

With some effort, I rolled onto my side. I wish I hadn't, but I needed to know if anyone else survived.

I took in my surroundings as I adjusted to the light. The longboat he sailed to England on was destroyed and strewn about on the beach. As were bodies.

I slowly rose to my feet, my body protesting every movement. My head ached and my joints felt as if weighted with hot sand.

Scattered along the white shores of the beach were my comrades, but I had no idea whom among them were alive or dead.

Before I could check on my friends, I heard approaching horses. I had no way of knowing if they meant us harm, or if they even knew we were here. Perhaps they were scavengers coming to prey on whatever last night's storm blew in.

With no sign of weapons to be had, and no armor, I had no chance of defending the beach. There was nowhere I could hide, so accepting my shame, I laid back down and played dead.

In short time, the horses were upon us, and slowed down.

"What a poor fate for these souls," came a woman's voice. "All of them claimed by the storm, and who knows how many are within the sea?"

"Truly a tragic fate, my lady," a strong male voice answered. "Should we check for survivors, your grace?" he asked.

So these were not scavengers, but some folk of substance? I could not decide in that moment which of fate would be worse for us.

"Indeed," she answered. "Should there be any survivors, we shall bring them home, and let my brother decide their fate," she decreed.

"Yes, my lady."

I could hear the sounds of mailed men dismounting, and I soon heard the voice of my good friend and half-brother, Vadi.

"Why do you touch me? Stand back!" the bear of a man shouted. Vadi still had much fight in him, and I wondered if that would cause his end on this beach.

"Be at ease, man!" One of the men I assumed was a soldier said to Vadi in a calming voice. "We only wish to see who among you yet live.

"I do, obviously," Vadi responded, calming down. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked.

"We are soldiers of his majesty King Arthur. You are upon the shores of England, more specifically Camelot."

I heard Vadi laugh. "Camelot? King Arthur? Do not jest with me, man. My brothers and I have sailed afar, even here to England. We have heard only high rumors of Camelot and your supposed king, Arthur."

"I assure you, noble friend, my brother is very much real," the woman said again.

I decided now was a good time to end my ruse. With much pain, and a grunt I could not hope to hold within, I sat up.

"Vadi?" I asked, and my friend immediately followed my voice.

"Cadoc!" he shouted, and a smile was upon his boyish face.

"Another one awakes," said the lady, whom my eyes now found. I tried not to stare, but I failed. Atop a black horse was a woman of clearly noble birth with long dark hair, sharp features, and very green eyes.

"Tell me," she said, "from where do you come?"

"Afar," Vadi answered plainly, giving away nothing.

"With what purpose have you come?" asked the soldier seemingly in charge.

"None," I said. "We are only here by the hand of the storm. I assure you, were it not for the storm, we would be far up the coast from you."

The woman laughed a little and then sobered. "Well met, Cadoc and Vadi. Will you tell me nothing of your plight?" She was polite, and I heard only curiosity in her voice.

"We wish not to answer for Sir Hjorleif," Vadi said.

"Sir Hjorleif? I sail with the mercenary captain?" the soldier asked.

"You know of their leader?" the woman asked.

"I do, Lady Morgana," he said. "He is a great mercenary captain. He is a great warrior and a leader of cunning renown and ruthlessness. He fought alongside your father a few times."

"Sir Hjorleif never mentioned fighting for Camelot," Vadi said.

"You never asked," we heard our captain and mentor respond. He remained on his back, his arms pillowing his head. "But yes, I knew Uther Pendragon well."

"You must be the brave Sir Hjorleif," the woman revealed to be Lady Morgana said.

"I am. Now tell me, Lady, are my men and I free to go, or are we to be held prisoners?" Hjorleif asked.

"As a warrior renowned, a friend to my father, I would hope you would join us as guests, and rest before being about your way," the lady answered.

"That's a generous offer," Hjorleif said. "Cadoc, Vadi, can you be on your feet and check to see who made it? We'll be in poor shape if we do not find Otarr."

The thought of losing Otarr, the wise and skilled man I thought of as an uncle stopped my heart for a moment.

"We will help you rouse any survivors as well," the older soldier said, and his men went back to their duties of prodding bodies.

After a short time, we had counted the dead, and we had gathered the so few of us that remained. Our warband had been fifty heads. Now all that remained were myself, Vadi, Hjorleif, Otarr, the brothers Brennwulf and Baelthor.

"Are you and your men able to walk, Hjorleif?" Lady Morgana asked.

"I believe we can, my lady," Hjorleif said.

"Excellent. We shall leave forthwith. We will send men back to retrieve your dead," she said as her body guard mounted their horses again. "If you would oblige us by walking with our troop, we will bring you to the city where you can rest."

Hjorleif nodded and bade us fall in beside them, and the Lady Morgana was kind enough to let our tired and beaten feet set the pace of our travel.

---

We set up camp as darkness fell, which was not too long after we began. None of us knew how long we had been on the beach before we met Lady Morgana.

Lady Morgana's contingent made fires and set camp for themselves, and we six made a fire for ourselves, and planned to stay close to it, as we did not have our tents.

We had just settled around our fire when we were joined by Lady Morgana and her guard captain.

"Good warriors," Morgana began, "we do not have spare tents, but we have some men who are willing to share tents with you. Some of them can comfortably fit four men."

"That is a gracious offer, thank you," Hjorleif said. "We will look into your kind offer soon. We have had an arduous day."

"I can only imagine, she said. "May I join you?" she asked, and we made room. Out of all the available seats she could have claimed, she chose to sit next to me on the wooden bench with a sheep pelt.

"Sir Hjorleif, since we are traveling together, what can you tell me about yourself and your band?" Sir Gawain asked. Hjorleif watched the knight for a moment, trying to understand why he was asking questions.

I assumed it was because he was tasked with overseeing Lady Morgana, and they had just picked up some strange men stuck on the coast.

"I suppose I can answer a few questions, given we share the road together, Sir Gawain," Hjorleif said. I was not sure if these men knew each other personally, or if Gawain's reputation preceded him as Hjorleif's did. "We just finished a job in Frankia. We are not currently employed, but are looking for employment."

Sir Gawain nodded, and leaned back, seemingly happy with Hjorleif's answer. "How long will you be in England?" he asked.

Hjorleif shrugged. "Until something takes us elsewhere."

"Well Hjorleif and friends, welcome to England," Morgana bade us with a polite smile.

Gawain rose to his feet and said, "Lady Morgana, I am turning in for the night. I suggest you do the same soon."

Morgana nodded and smiled politely at him. "I will, Sir Gawain. Thank you, and rest well." The large man nodded and went off to end his night. "As a rather renowned mercenary company, I assume you must have some tale, no?" she asked, a light in her green eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.

Hjorleif laughed and added some more wood to the fire.

---

Lord only knows what time we finished storytelling. It was well into the night, and I had lost count of how many times our warband had made the Lady Morgana cry with laughter, shocked her, disgusted her, and made her gasp with suspense. The life of a mercenary is one filled with tale, whether they be funny, terrifying, heroic, or heart breaking. We had made sure to tell the good lady at least one of each.

"We were recently at a tournament in Frankia, this one just passed," Hjorleif began another tale. "The first night was the Tournament of Torchlight, which is named such for obvious reasons. Young Vadi here placed second, and the quick Brennwulf won the tournament, and was given that tablet woven belt he wears now as his prize."

"That was all the first night?" Morgana asked in wonder, the fire light illuminating her expressive features.

"Indeed. The second day was a great melee. Unfortunately, the side opposed us was short two fighters, so our man Cadoc, sitting next to you, did the noble thing of jumping over to help even the sides."

Sir Hjorleif, you are not going to tell the Lady about the hay bails, are you?" I asked, prepared to hide my face.

"Of course I am!" Hjorleif bellowed with laughter. We were in the middle of the melee, and I was wielding a spear, two shields protecting me. One of my shields was struck down, leaving one of my sides exposed," Hjorleif explained. "And I hear Cadoc shouting 'Hjorleif!' and charging me like a mad man!"

"What?" Morgana asked, her jaw dropped and amusement in her eyes.

"I had just enough time to turn, plant my feet, and forcefully knock Cadoc backwards before he could cleave through my helmet with his sword. He staggered backwards and fell right over a hay bail."

"In my defense," I said pointing, "I did get right back up. I survived that altercation. We got our a... we got routed, surely," I corrected my language, given the presence of the lady.

"You did get trounced in every melee that day, Cadoc, but you did well by volunteering to join them. You are respected in Frankia for that."

Morgana stifled a yawn, but we had all caught it, and it was infectious in way that we all started to move and stretch, signaling that it would be best for us to call it a night.

"We should go off and find open tent space that was offered," Hjorleif suggested. "I have no doubt tomorrow will be a long day. Tend to any wounds you may have, and sleep well," he said and rose, and ambled off towards the center of camp.

Hjorleif was one of the most respected fighters in all of Frankia, but given the disheveled, unarmed and plainly clothed state of him, he looked like any man, though he still commanded respect even now.

Morgana looked at us with wide eyes. "My friends, I must apologise. It did not enter my mind to ask if you had any injuries or wounds that needed tending. Are you fairing well, given what has happened?"

"I believe we are, Lady," Vadi answered for us. "We are very tired, sore, and still ingesting what has befallen us, but I believe we are in good health, all things considered.

"That is good news indeed," Morgana said with a relieved smile. "I wish all of you a good night and a peaceful rest. May tomorrow bestow good fruit," she said as Otarr, Vadi, and the brothers rose.

"The same to you, my lady," Otarr responded and turned to me. "Cadoc, are you off to find a spare sleeping spot as well?"

I shook my head and said, "I believe I will sleep here tonight. The stars are asking me to stay with them longer, I think."

"Very well. Rest well, Cadoc," Otarr bade me, and my companions departed.

Morgana, however, lingered next to me still.

We sat in silence for some time, enjoying the heat from the fire before she said, "Young Cadoc, are you sure that I cannot offer you some shelter this night?"

"No my lady, though I do thank you for the offer. I would rather the stars be above me tonight. Nothing against your men, but I prefer my own space."

I felt her eyes still watching me, so I turned to her.

"No, Cadoc. Share my tent with me. My bed is plenty wide for both of us and I have furs to keep us both warm. The night is cold, do you not think so?"

I held her eyes with mine and said, "The night is cold, and your offer is beyond generous, but I could not threaten your reputation so."

Morgana shrugged. "No one would question my reputation for offering shelter to a young warrior. Especially if we gave them no cause to believe we were up to anything that would endanger my reputation. I offer you a bed and nothing more."

I pondered a moment and said, "Very well, Lady. I will graciously accept your offer, and I will share your space.

Morgana smiled brightly at me and stood to her feet. She outstretched her hand, and I stood up. I held out my arm and she linked hers through mine so that it seemed I was simply escorting her to her tent.

Upon reaching it, she quickly looked around to make sure we were not watched, and she tugged me inside.

She closed the flaps, tied them behind her, and then lit a small brazier so that we had just a little light. Anyone walking past us outside would have been able to see our shadows.

"Please turn your back, dear Cadoc," Morgana asked of me, and I did so, until she said, "I am under covers now, and am decent."

I turned back around, and she was in her stately bed with the covers pulled to her chin. I could not tell her level of dress, but her overdress was hung over a chest, and that was it. I could safely assume she still wore her undergarments.

I loosed my leather belt and let it fall from my hips to the large woven rug below me. I then removed my boots, and I looked at the bed cautiously before Morgana lightly laughed.

"It is okay for you to get into the bed, Cadoc. Do you usually sleep in a tunic, though?"

"I do not, Lady, but I did not think removing it would be proper," I said.

"It is not, but I will allow it," she said, and watched me intently as I pulled it up from it's bottom hem and tugged it up over my head. "There. Now you may be more comfortable, and hopefully sleep better now."

"Thank you, Lady Morgana," I said as I joined her in bed. I had just tucked myself in when she rolled into my damaged side, whether on purpose or not, I could not tell.

I winced and sucked in a breath when her elbow nudged my side, and the sweet lady apologized profusely.

"Are you okay, Cadoc?" she asked with sincere worry in her voice.

"I am, my lady. The storm seems to have done some small amount of damage to me, however," I admitted.

Morgana frowned and her dark brows pursed together before he rolled back over and got up, removing the covers from her. She was still in her slip, so she was not indecent, but she was in a state of undress I should not have seen.

She went the short distance to the brazier and returned to the bed. "Cadoc, lift the covers and show me your side," she ordered, and I did not disobey. "Oh my dear," she whispered, and tentatively reached out with her long fingers.

She briefly brushed my side, and I tried not to wince again. "You certainly were damaged," she lamented. She set the brazier aside and rejoined me in bed. Again, she closed the distance between us, but this time she remained on her side, watching me.

Morgana's beautiful green eyes scanned down my body, taking in the bruises and cuts I had received from the sea, until her eyes were on the waist of my trousers. There her fingertips went, lightly ghosting my skin.

"I cannot remove the pain you are feeling, Cadoc, but I can ease you a little, if you wish," she whispered into my ear.

I shuttered at the sensation of her warm breath on my skin, and I found myself unable to answer her.

Her slender fingers teased my skin just under my waistband, and it sent gooseflesh over my entire body. I could feel her eyes watching me, waiting for any sign of discontent.

"Have you been with a woman, Cadoc?" she whispered again, kissing my chin.

"I have, my lady, but I have never been with a... a woman of nobility," I told her.

"You will not be tonight, either," she said. "You will simply know one's touch," she elaborated, and her fingers went lower, brushing the curls just above my member.

I inhaled deeply at the sensation, and she wickedly smiled. "Do I hurt you further, Cadoc?"

"No, Lady, your touch is most pleasurable. I only have worries of the consequences of this," I admit.

"I assure you there will be none as long as you can keep quiet," she told me, and used both hands to pull down the front of my trousers, letting my hardened member out of its confines.

Morgana's eyes flitted down to my length and she took in some air. "My my," she whispered as her fingers grazed my taut skin. "Impressive," she said as her fingers gently wrapped around me. "I promise I shall be gentle," she said before kissing my neck.

"My lady, I will not fight you, but I wish you to know my resignations."

"Your resignations are noted, and I will not force you to know my touch, but I release you from any responsibility," she told me as her fingers traced my swollen veins. "I wish only to make you feel good. Does this not ease you, even but a little?"

"It does, Lady. It is immensely pleasurable," I swallowed deeply as our eyes locked and her hand continued to slowly pleasure me.

Morgana dropped her eyes again and watched as her skilled hand went up and then down over me. She watched my eyes again as she began to increase her speed, and she smiled when she knew my breath hitched.

"I love a responsive man," she said, and leaned down, drizzling royal spit over the head of my cock. She relaxed her fingers just a little so that it could run between her fingers and lubricate her ministrations.

"Your bedside manner is second to none, my lady," I quietly chuckled as she began to work me in earnest now.

After my ordeal, her hand felt like the greatest sensation I had felt, and my hips began bucking into her hand of their own volition, and Morgana did nothing to chastise me for it.

"Yes," she whispered as I closed my eyes. "Release yourself to my touch. Let me make you feel better. Release yourself over my hand, Cadoc. It is okay," she coaxed into my ear.

My back arched and I struggled not to moan as I could feel my growing climax.

"Yes," she purred. "Coat my hand. Release your seed over these royal fingers. Let me see you give yourself," she whispered between kisses to my jaw. "I want to you to."

Finally, I obeyed my orders and I could hold back no longer. My back went straight and I grit my teeth as my seed was released from my balls. It covered the lady Morgana's hand as she requested, and it shot over my chest.

Once the beautiful lady was sure I had been drained, she removed her hand from my still hard member and she smiled pleasantly at my hooded eyes.

"There. No sleep easily, sweet Cadoc. Dream well," she said as she wiped her hand on a blanket and wiped my chest clean for me while I watched her. "Perhaps when we have better secrecy, you can help me fall asleep as well," she said. "But sleep now, for tomorrow our journey continues."