Author's Note: Wow has it been a long time! I'm really sorry, but I've been so busy with school! I have no life any more. Anyway, I'm not super happy with this chapter, but it finally gets started into the growing relationship between the two, so maybe that will make up for it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own King Arthur, only my characters and storyline.

Tristan nearly felt his heart stop as the woman who had stood so proudly in front of him collapsed into a crumpled pile in the middle of the floor. He barely heard the frantic screaming of the woman's companion, nor saw the glares many of his fellow knights sent his way as they rushed to try to bring control to the frantic nobles. He had been wrong? For the first time in all these years his intuition had failed him? And at what cost, the life of the girl who had so puzzled and intrigued him in the past weeks?

Dagonet stood hurriedly from beside him, not sparing him a glance, either of anger or pity, as he vaulted over the tables to get to the prone woman who was clutched in the arms of the sobbing Roman girl. He approached as fast as he dared, keeping mind of the blonde's hysterics.

"Lady Juliana, Juliana!" The girl looked up in shock, her body continuing to rock Isolde's back and forth, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I need you to let go of her." When she failed to comply he gently put a massive hand on her frail arm and tried to reason with her, all the while keeping his voice calm so as not to alarm her. "Listen to me, the more she is moved the faster the poison will spread through her body. I need to have a look at her to see what's wrong."

She nodded silently, hiccupping as she reluctantly handed her friend over to the large man.

Dagonet grimly inspected the woman in his arms. She was growing paler and her breathing was so shallow he nearly thought she was already gone. He pressed a finger to her slender neck, adjusting its position several times before finally finding her pulse.

"How bad is she?" Arthur had joined them after ordering the other knights to escort the guests out of the hall. Juliana and Ambrosa were already nearly out the door, the younger girl constantly looking back for her friend.

"It's not good, Arthur." Dagonet sighed, gently lifting one of her eyelids to assess her pupils. "Her breathing is already slowed considerably, as is her pulse, and it continues to decrease. Her pupil's are extremely dilated as well."

"Do you have any idea of what caused it?"

The large knight looked grim as he regarded his commander. "Due to the quickness of the effect and her symptoms, my best guess would be Death Cap, and a strong dosage of it, however it very well could be some infusion that the Woads have discovered."

Arthur frowned at the news, already knowing the ultimate answer to the question he asked next: "How long?"

Dagonet rocked back on his heels, carefully cradling her in his arms. "If she still lives by morning, and if it is indeed Death Cap, she will sleep for about three days. During that time the chill that takes her now will become a fever and she will slowly waste away and die.

The rest of the knights returned to the room, trying to stay out of Dagonet's way as he stood, moving her as little as possible as he kept her pressed to him.

"Is there no cure?" Arthur asked quietly.

"Not that I know of, but I will try. Surely the farmers or woodsmen know of something."

The large knight walked swiftly from the room in the direction of the healing quarters, his comrades watching his progress until he was lost from sight.

"Happy now, Tristan?" Galahad snarled into the silence.

The knight had not moved from his seat, still staring at the spot where Isolde had fallen to the ground.

"Leave him alone, all of you. It was a mistake, and we all have made plenty of those."

One by one the knights left the hall, many still glaring at their silent comrade.

Bors stopped by his chair long enough to growl out the words, "She better live, for your sake." Before sweeping from the room. In reality, the burly knight probably wouldn't have been able to actually kill the highly skilled scout, but the intent behind the words was all too clear.

Tristan remained in his seat for many hours. Finally he decided to rise, accidentally tipping his forgotten goblet over in the process. The fine wine spilt over the table, dripping onto the grey-stone floor and smattering like blood. He regarded it passively before exiting the hall with silent footsteps.

By the following morning there was a small crowd huddled in the spacious healing area. Dagonet had been up all night, working tirelessly to stabilize the girl's condition. In the meantime nearly all of the knights had eventually found their way to the building and had been left to amuse themselves. Ambrosa and Juliana had also joined them as the sun's rays announced the arrival of the new day.

Isolde lay on a pallet, looking almost as though she merely slept, save for the paleness of her face. Vanora sat in a chair beside her, constantly mopping her fevered brow with a damp cloth.

Arthur had issued a proclamation requesting that any who knew a cure to the Death Cap mushroom come forward, but thus far no one had, and their prospects looked grim. Throughout the day the knights stopped by to see if there had been in progress.

Juliana had taken over for Vanora when the older woman had to return to the tavern, and had not left her friend's side for the rest of the day.

"Do you think she'll make it?" Kay asked somberly from the doorway, his usually gay face grim, his red hair unkept.

Dagonet answered quietly. "If we don't find a cure, then no." He avoided looking at Juliana, who had gone extremely pale at his words.

Suddenly footsteps came pounding down the corridor, a dark headed boy, Gilly, the only child of Bors' who had been named, burst into the room.

"There's a man!" He cried. "A man who says he can cure the lady!"

All movement in the ward ceased at the boy's exclamation.

Dagonet leapt from his seat, surprisingly agilely for a man of his size. "Bring him here immediately. We have no time to waste!"

Gilly left and returned some minutes later, an old farmer in tow.

"What is this cure you speak of?" Arthur asked as the old man shifted nervously.

"It's just an old woodsmen's antidote, my lord." He rasped, twisting his cap between his hands. "An infusion of Bella Donna can cure the Death Cap."

Many in the room stared at the man but Dagonet appeared to consider the option. "A poison to counter a poison, it's risky, but possible."

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, looking as though he wasn't too keen on the prospect.

"We have no other options, and we're out of time. Do you have any of the Bella Donna extract on you?" He asked the man.

The farmer nodded and produced a small vile. The healer knight took the bottle and poured it's contents into a bowl, following the man's instructions as he added a few crushed herbs and flower extracts until he had a pale green liquid. He moved to where Isolde was lying motionless and carefully opened her mouth, using one of his fingers to take some of the infusion from the bowl and dab a few drops on her tongue. The occupants of the room waited several terse minutes until suddenly her breathing grew deeper and her eyes opened blearily. She gave a small groan and tried to lift her arm, but dropped it almost immediately, her strength depleted.

There were many smiles and breaths of relief while she looked around in confusion.

"I thank you must assuredly." Arthur said, smiling at the farmer and leading him from the room.

Juliana was in tears again, her emotional state completely over-come by the events.

"Tristan." Dagonet said suddenly. Everyone looked in his direction in shock, not knowing when he had entered the room. "While I do not blame you." There were a few coughs in the room and glares. "It was the Woads who put the poison in the goblet, not Tristan." The large knight continued, presenting his fellows with a fearsome glare of his own. "I think it would be appropriate if you aided me in restoring the lady to health. Perhaps then you will see that she is not in the position you thought, without having to resort to other methods." He didn't outright say the actual reason for which Isolde had been made cupbearer in front of the other women, though he needn't have feared for Ambrosa was too concerned with comforting her charge to listen, and Juliana was beyond coherency.

The scout gave a sharp nod of his head and left the room, and several of the knights seemed at least somewhat satisfied with Tristan's 'punishment'.

Dagonet returned to Isolde's side knelt beside her.

"How are you feeling, my lady?" He asked, placing one of his large hands on her forhead.

She winced and groaned softly as she tried to talk, her words melting into a fit of coughing. Vanora hastily brought over a cup of water and she drank it slowly.

"I feel sort of strange." She mumbled when she had recovered enough to talk. "Really weak…" Her eyes rolled back suddenly and she collapsed partway onto the bed before Dagonet caught her.

"Easy." He said softly and looked to the others. "We should leave Lady Isolde to rest, Tristan, stay with her."

The room slowly emptied until none but Tristan and Isolde remained. The young woman lay still upon her bed, her skin still pale and her body still weak. The scout moved quietly to her side and sat in the abandoned chair, watching her silently.

A/N: I hope the next chapter will be out soon, but I'm trying to update a chapter for all of my other stories first, so no promises. One thing I can say however, is that they will be growing a bit closer to each other in the next update, and within the next few Isolde's time as a spy will be coming to an end, as will one of the knights.