"I'm fine, Elyan," Leon said irritably as Percival escorted him into the surgery. Gaius looked up from his reading in surprise at the unexpected eruption of four people entering his rooms at once, without even knocking. Percival supported Leon's arm until he could deposit him in a chair, Elyan still hovering around him in concern. Prince Arthur's captain was looking a little paler than usual, and distinctly annoyed. Elyan and Percival looked relieved to have finally reached their destination. The fourth figure, an unknown young woman, stood unobtrusively at the edge of the scene.

"Well! And what has happened to you?" Gaius asked, getting up and approaching the group calmly. Leon unconsciously crossed his right hand over the sling that supported his left arm.

"We were attacked by bandits not far from Carmarthen," Elyan answered. "Poor Leon here took a crossbow bolt in the shoulder. He was losing so much blood—I thought we'd never get him to last until we reached the town. Even then he would have been done for if it hadn't been for Anna here." He gestured to the quiet young woman. "We were lucky to run into her at the inn—she took everything in hand immediately. Patched him right up."

"You've been away from Camelot for less than a fortnight," Gaius observed, helping to remove Leon's sling and arming jacket—which had obviously recently had a hole torn in the left shoulder and had been mended. "She must be a miracle worker if she can heal a crossbow wound in so little time."

Percival and Elyan exchanged a glance and Leon looked a little guilty, especially when the removal of his linen shirt revealed a bandage over his shoulder that displayed recent blood-staining.

"She didn't want us—me—riding so soon," he admitted gruffly, "but I insisted. We needed to report back to Arthur. Speaking of which?" he said, casting an impatient glance up at Percival. Gaius guessed he was trying to change the subject.

"Alright. C'mon, Elyan," Percival said, and gave Leon a clap on his good shoulder that nonetheless made the other knight wince. He and Elyan exchanging nods with the young woman, and then Gaius was alone in the surgery with her and his patient.

"Anna, was it?" Gaius said to her as he unwound the bandages.

"Yes, sir. Anwen of Aberffraw." She dropped him a respectful little curtsey.

"Well, he has burst your stitches with riding," Gaius said, fixing Leon with a disapproving eye, "but they seem to have been neat work. Would you bring me a bowl of water from that cistern?" he added, then turned back to Leon. "You repay this young woman's kindness and care of you by ruining her handiwork?" he said, pulling a spool of silk thread a needle out of the jumble on a nearby table.

Leon gave a small smile at Gaius's chiding tone. "It was important, Gaius," he insisted.

"So is your health. Thank you," he added as Anna put the bowl beside him. Leon winced again as Gaius sponged away the fresh and dried blood from around the reopened wound. "Serves you right if it hurts," he said, and turned his attention back to Anna. "Whom did you study under?"

"Glynis of Aberffraw."

"Ah, yes. She has a good reputation. You have finished your apprenticeship, I take it."

"No. I'm sorry to say Glynis… recently passed away."

Gaius straightened up momentarily in surprise. "When?" He remembered the outspoken middle-aged woman he had met some years ago. She had been in the prime of life.

"About a month ago."

"Oh. I am sorry," he said, and she nodded grimly. "A sudden illness?"

"She had been having heart problems for some time." He had finished cleaning the wound; she handed him the needle, already threaded, and set the bowl of dirty water out of the way.

"What were you doing in Carmarthen, then?" Gaius reflected, not for the first time, that his age allowed him to ask prying questions that might have seemed rude in a younger person. He was allowed to take a grandfatherly interest in young people's affairs. "Aren't you to take over her practice?"

Anna shook her head. "Her son has done so. He—" She stopped and set her teeth for a moment. "He has no intention of fulfilling his mother's contract with me."

"And not having finished your apprenticeship, you cannot set up on your own," he finished for her, setting his last stitches.

"Exactly so. I had hoped…" For the first time she showed a little nervousness. "I'm looking for a healer who is willing to take me on and finish my apprenticeship." She gave a fleeting and hopeful glance at his face while he cut off the excess thread.

"You know many of the best healers in the surrounding kingdoms, Gaius," Leon said, rejoining the conversation now that he had finished clenching his teeth. "Maybe you could suggest someone!" He turned to Anna and added, "Gaius's own apprentice is Prince Arthur's manservant, Merlin. He's a good lad—you'll like him."

Gaius saw disappointment cross the girl's face, but she smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure we can figure something out," he said, smiling kindly at her. "Now," he added, fixing Leon with a serious stare. "You will stay here and rest for half an hour, and then I will have a guard help you to your room." Leon opened his mouth to object, but Gaius pointed at him. "No arguments." Leon subsided with a chagrinned expression that made him look more like a schoolboy than a knight of Camelot. The small chuckle from Anna as he turned away convinced Gaius that Leon had made a conspiratorial face at her behind his back. And that, he admitted with a wry smile, was the price for being allowed to take a grandfatherly interest.

000

"Not you," the cook said passionately. "I just caught him sneaking pastries!"

Gwaine grinned guiltily at Percival and Elyan. The cook had him by the back of the collar, about to throw him out of the kitchen.

"Whoa." Percival held his hands up. "Prince Arthur sent us down here to get something to eat. We've been traveling all day."

"I don't have anything to spare right now but some stew," the cook said, narrowing her eyes.

"We're not picky," Elyan said.

"I'd take some stew, too!" Gwaine said brightly.

"NO. You're leaving."

"Oh, come on, Cook!" he wheedled. "I haven't had anything since lunch, and I've been training all afternoon. I'm turning into skin and bone!" He plucked at his chainmail as if to demonstrate.

The cook gave him a look, but let go of his collar and went to fetch the stew. Gwaine gave Percival and Elyan an impish grin of triumph and headed toward the rough wooden tables at one end of the kitchen. A young woman with brown hair was already sitting there, with every sign of having enjoyed the show.

"Anna!" Elyan said. "Gwaine, this is Anwen. She basically saved Leon's life in Carmarthen. Anna, this is Sir Gwaine, one of the best swordsmen in Camelot."

Anna, who had been taking a bite of stew, tried to smile and dribbled some down her chin. Gwaine pretended not to notice. "Saved Leon's life?" he said as they joined her at the table. "That sounds like quite a story!"

"Sir Elyan exaggerates," Anna answered, her face a little pink from the stew mishap. "He and Sir Percival had already mostly stopped the bleeding by the time I saw Sir Leon."

"But who stitched him up, brought him 'round, nursed him through a fever, and point-blank refused to let him ride back to Camelot with us without going along herself in case he had a relapse?"

Anna went even pinker and dropped her gaze, but couldn't repress a smile. Gwaine reflected that although she wasn't exactly pretty, her face was pleasant.

"Here," the cook said brusquely, appearing again with a tray and three bowls of stew.

"Anna got bread," Gwaine pointed out. The cook put her hands on her hips. "I'm wasting away!" he whined. The cook turned and walked away without a word.

"You can have some of mine," Anna offered, concerned. Gwaine smiled and raised one finger as if to say, "Wait." In a moment the cook returned with some thick slices of bread on platter, which she plunked down ungraciously in the middle of the table.

"Thank you, Cook!" he sang out sweetly.

"How do you do it, Gwaine?" Elyan said in an undertone as the cook walked away again. "You constantly antagonize her and you still have her wrapped around your little finger!"

"Native tact and charm," Gwaine answered. The cook, not quite out of earshot yet, snorted.

The three knights dug into their meal, Gwaine as heartily as either of the other two, though he had eaten a sizable luncheon only three hours before.

"Have you two heard the news?" he added when he came up for air.

"Haven't had the chance. We've been with Arthur almost since we arrived," Percival answered between bites.

"We're having guests. Or Arthur is, anyway. Some lord's younger sons he hasn't seen for years. Their father owns land along Camelot's eastern border, and Arthur's hoping to strengthen bonds between them and Camelot so we have someone guarding us from the east. Agravaine's idea, I think."

"When are they coming?" Elyan wanted to know.

"In a couple weeks. Will you still be here?" he asked Anna.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Gaius is going to help me find someone to finish my apprenticeship with. I'm staying in the servants' quarters meanwhile."

"Well, I hope you'll get to stay till then—if for no other reason than the dancing!" Gwaine smiled cheerfully. "I'm sure there aren't many chances for dancing in an apprentice's line of work."

She smiled. "Not many."

They finished up their meals and all left the kitchens at once, the knights to their quarters and Anna to explore the upper town. "Delicious as always, Cook!" Gwaine said, putting his arm around her shoulders and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Oof! Get along with you!" He laughed and fled as she fired a wet dishcloth after him. "You better watch out for that one, Miss," the cook added to Anna, though she was unable to quite repress a smile. "He's a terrible flirt."

"I can see that," Anna answered, smiling.

TBC

AN: Anwen: AN-wen, "White; holy" + an, an intensifier.

I meant to work on "Working Backwards"—I really did. But even after figuring out some of the details of the story, I still couldn't get any traction. And this story has been looming larger and larger in my mind for the past month. So I finally said "Screw it" and started. Mea culpa. I do hope to get back to "Working Backwards"—and to write that sequel to "Sovereignty." Eventually.

Meanwhile, please review—and have pity on me if I don't update very quickly. I've developed a lovely case of carpal tunnel.