A Righteous Return - AU - Locked to seaweed_writes

[ihadabadday]

Once Upon a Time in a kingdom far away and filled with magic and dragons, there was a King and his Wizard. Together they did great things, bringing peace to the world and to its people. They were the best of friends, as close as any two men could be. Until one day the King was gravely injured defending his Wizard...

He gasped as the arrow struck his shoulder. Just between the gap in his armor. Too low to be anything but fatal. He knew that. But he was the King of England. He wielded Excalibur. He would not go down with out a fight. Of course /he/ would call him foolish for this. For defending him in this way. He was a sorcerer, a wizard, after all.

His knees gave out as the blood loss started to affect him. He barely noticed as strong arms came around him.

"It's okay." He assured the man, "You'll be okay. If... I'll return." He coughed a bit, feeling the pain. But it was all okay. His friend. His Wizard was alive. He pressed Excalibur into the man's hands.

"Return this to the Lady of the Lake. Please. It needs to be safe." He knew what would happen if it was in the wrong hands.

He didn't have much time. He knew that. He reached up and touched his Wizard's face. "Find me again." He managed before he closed his eyes, arm falling limply to his side.

The King of the Brits, of England, was gone.

---

John shot up in bed, gasping for breath. He pressed a hand to his face and took a deep breath. Another nightmare. So many had piled up over the years. Loosing Arthur, the two Great Wars. Even recent events were enough to make him frightened. He got out of bed and walked over to the window. After opening the blinds, he stared out at the blinking lights. Albion had changed so much in recent time. Just the past hundred years alone. He let out a sigh.

There had been one time in all these years the had started to feel Arthur return. During the second Great War... The need for him was great then than it had been years earlier during the first. He pressed a fist to the window and sighed. "Arthur, we need you..." There was the unspoken, I need you. It was always unspoken. He had never dared tell the King. He couldn't, not when he had a Queen that adored him so and who he adored in return.

He let out a long held breath and looked back out to the night sky. He didn't need this flatshare, but it was convenient to be around people again.

---

He had been living with Sherlock Holmes for three months now. Just long enough to know he could stand the man, but not long enough to really know how he felt about the man. Other than... Okay.

John had left Sherlock lying on the couch when he went off to work. The A&E. He loved working in emergency medicine. He could help people and keep an eye out for Arthur and the Knights.

Of course, this was the day when a psych patient broke out and started to wave a scalpel at everyone. John stepped in front of a nurse only to get stabbed in the neck. He put his hand up to press against the wound, trembling. Oh, shock. He slowly sunk to the ground as he heard his coworkers starting to swarm.

And it was about fifteen minutes later that Sherlock's mobile started going off.

Comments

[ihadabadday]

"You are both correct. It is luck that so far that the Knights have been people we know."

John smiled at Sherlock.

He then looked back at Mycroft. "Want to pull those memories out for you? Bring them to the surface?"

[seaweed_writes]

Mycroft leaned back, his body stiff. He was on guard. John had gone around the bend, and he had taken his brother with him. He had a Panic Button on his desk, and with leaning back, it put his hand within easy reach of it. He didn't hit the button yet, but he did subtly look at Anthea. He knew that she was armed and also knew had to hand combat. He also knew that John didn't have his gun, he couldn't have gotten through the metal detectors otherwise. so he didn't fear for his personal safety. He feared for his brother, not that he would admit it.

"No, Doctor Watson. I do not want you to get anywhere close close to me. I want you to leave, right now, without Sherlock. We will get you help."

[ihadabadday]

John grumbled and looked at Sherlock. "Why did I have a feeling this would be the hardest?"

He turned back to Mycroft and without a word turned his desk into a large bed of flowers, the chair becoming a grassy hill.

"Explain that." He challenged Mycroft.

[seaweed_writes]

Mycroft gives an undignified "oof" when he falls down a short distance from where his chair should have been to a small, grassy hill.

Instead of being amazed, he was actually angry. "Put my desk back." He said, in a no nonsense voice. He had a lot of classified information on that desk, and he couldn't have that information floating around in the ether.

"Sir..." Anthea started towards him, then was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sherlock shook his head. "It's alright." He said, softly. "I promise."

"I don't care who you think you are or what you think you can do, but I demand that you put everything back to the way that it was, right now!

"

[ihadabadday]

"Sit down!" John shouted at Mycroft. There was a bit of a flare of power.

"You need to sit down and be quiet! I am not in the mood for your inane bullshit today! There is a threat coming to all of England. Bad enough that the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur are waking!"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "The last time that happened? World War II." John hissed, "You Lancelot died defending innocent people from German soldiers. And if you cannot live up to that or protect those you swore to protect... Whatever is coming will be the least of your worries."

John was done. He was tired. He wanted to live in peace, not deal with this insane bullshit.

[seaweed_writes]

Everyone in the room felt it, and Mycroft, despite his tendency to not let people boss him around, sat down on the grassy hill where his chair and desk had been. He was glaring daggers at John, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Anthea was actually the first to speak up. "Doctor Watson, you speak of knights.. 'waking up' and of war and death, but I know nothing of any of that. I was born well after the Second World War was over, much less the time of knights and dragons and such. How am I.." she looked over to a still glaring Mycroft. "Or are we supposed to remember something that you say happened to us an eon ago?" She wasn't cruel or defiant or angry, she was more curious, still not quite believing, but open minded to what the man had to say.

[ihadabadday]

John let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

He turned and looked at Anthea. "The memories are locked in your head. Some have started remembering on their own. Greg Lestrade for instance. Some need them drawn out. It merely depends on the person. My magic told us two knights reside here. And as the Knights have been associated of Sherlock's thus far..."

[seaweed_writes]

Her eyes went a little wide.

"I hate to say it, Doctor Watson, but I don't remember anything about knights or dragons or kings, beyond what my mum used to tell me as bedtime stories." She looked nervous, but she didn't back down, even taking a step closer to John.

"How.. does one go about unlocking those memories, having them.. drawn out, as you said?"


Mycroft groaned. "Please, Anthea. You can't seriously be thinking about letting Doctor Watson put you under whatever spell this is as well. I will not hear of it."

[ihadabadday]

John walked over to Anthea. "Will you trust me?" He asked her.

This was insane. He knew what it sounded like. But... Arthur needed his Knights. All of them.

Especially Lancelot.

He put his hands on her face and whispered the name of the knight, letting the memories unlock.

[seaweed_writes]

She nodded as John walked over to her.

Anthea winced slightly at the touch to her face, but she didn't pull away.

Everyone else in the room watched her eyes go wide, she was stiff and still for a few moments.

Finally, she blinked a couple of times, looked to John, and said "Lamorak." It was almost a whisper. "I... remember now. I remember it all."

She looked to her boss. "Sir, John is right. I understand now. I saw.. who I used to be, a long time ago."

Mycroft shook his head, his finger moving towards the emergency button, He hovered right over it but didn't press it, not quite yet.

"Doctor, I don't know what you are doing to everyone in the room, but you will not be using this... sorcery on me. Leave. Now."

[ihadabadday]

John pulled his hands away from Anthea and smiled at her. He turned to face Mycroft. He let out a breath and stared at the man.

"Lancelot..." he whispered to the man. There was power behind those words.

He wasn't going to play this game. John had a mission and he was going to drag Mycroft kicking and screaming.

[seaweed_writes]

Mycroft, for the first time in a very long time, looked confused for a moment. "Lancelot?" He asked. "What do you..."

His voice drifted off as a thousand memories and more filled his head. He blinked, dumbfounded, but still they came, entering every corner of his Mind Palace and surrounding him in with memories of who he had been so very long ago.

Lancelot, the greatest companion to his King, Arthur. He was the loyal right hand man of the king, guardian and assistant and most of all, friend.

"Lancelot." He said again, this time his voice had more of a dreamy sort of quality to it. "I... I was Lancelot." He shook his head and came out of the stupor, looking at John quizzically, as if he was till not sure he believed it, even after everything. But he didn't protest or complain, he was silent, still trying to come to terms with what he had seen.

[ihadabadday]

John turned the desk and chair back into what they should be, trying not to let the strain start to get to him.

He swallowed and swayed a bit on his feet before righting himself and looking to Mycroft.

"Yes. Lancelot. Fhr King's greatest ally. He and Gallahad were always there for the King."

[seaweed_writes]

As soon as John started to sway, Sherlock was there, wrapping an arm around him and helping to keep him upright. Even when he stood straight and looked at Mycroft - Lancelot - he was still close in case John was too weak.

"Gallahad is... the Detective Inspector, correct?" Mycroft asked, getting situated back in his chair. He looked a bit pale, but he was almost totally back to looking like he always did, pulled together and calm. His voice wavered only very slightly, only people who knew him well would be able to tell.

"And... what are we supposed to do now, that you have shown us.... this?" He asked.

[ihadabadday]

John smiled gratefully at Sherlock. He was glad the man was here. He steadied himself and looked at Mycroft.

"You wait." He answered, "because you will be called upon. I suggest either getting a weapon yourself or have someone get you one. And learn some hand to hand combat."

He put a hand on Sherlock's shoulder for support, taking a breath.

[seaweed_writes]

Mycroft scoffed slightly. "Do you think that I got to the position that I have without some physical training?" He asked. He might have been Awakened, but he was still Mycroft, after all.

"I can assure you that you both my assistant and I have been trained with weapons and in physical combat. You don't need to worry, Doctor Watson. We can take care of ourselves."

[ihadabadday]

"Just making sure." John answered with a smile. He was pale, but he wasn't going to collapse in the presence of Mycroft. He really needed to work on his stamina when it came to magic.

"Be on the lookout for strange occurrences and forward them to me. And do make sure you know your history."

John looked to Sherlock. "Lets go, we have eight more knights to find." He told the man as he summoned the map back to him.

[seaweed_writes]

Mycroft looked like he was going to say something, then, in a very unusual bid for himself, closed his mouth again, and simply said. "Yes. We will be in touch."

Anthea silently walked them back out until they were back onto the pavement outside the front of MI5.

"Well." Sherlock said, with a little smirk. "That was... entertaining, to say the least." He chuckled, a low rumble.

"Where to next, O wise leader?"

[ihadabadday]

"Glad you enjoyed the show." John smiled at Sherlock and leaned up to kiss him. He pulled back and touched his cheek briefly.

He then pulled away and retirved the map. "Scotland Yard."

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock eagerly returned the kiss, aware that they were in public, but not really caring one whit about it anyways. The kiss was mostly chaste anyways, not anything you wouldn't see other couples do.

He studied the map for a moment. "It looks like we have a group of Knights there." He said, sighing. "I have an awful feeling that I know that what means." He really hoped he was wrong, but he knew that he wasn't.

They were going to have to learn to get along if they wanted to fight together in the coming conflict.

[ihadabadday]

John laughed. "Yes, we will have to get along. Somehow." He grinned at Sherlock.

"Do you want to get some lunch before we go to the Yard, or do we want to go and then skip off home after the Yard?"

He wanted to make sure that Sherlock was comfortable and happy.

[seaweed_writes]

As usual, Sherlock was not really hungry, and going home after visiting the Yard sounded appealing. He could only take people for so long, and he was already getting low on his resources. Talking to the others in the Yard he was sure would take the rest out of him.

He was just not a social person like John.

"Let's just get the Yard over with." He said. "If Graham is available, he might cushion the blow for whomever else we are going to meet there."

[ihadabadday]

"I know you can only take people for so long and thank you for sticking it out this far." He said as he took Sherlock's hand. John didn't care at the moment. He just wanted to be normal with his lover.

Hold hands, go to dinner, walk through the park, shag... All the things normal couples did.

"I hope Greg is there. I don't know how much patience I have for people arguing with me right now." And judging by how pale he was, he wasn't sure how much more magic he could expend. He really did need to work on that stamina.

[seaweed_writes]

"You look rather pale, John." He said, his face radiating concern. "Perhaps we should get some food, or we can go back to the flat and you can rest a bit. We can go back later this afternoon or tomorrow. We have rounded up 3 of the knights so far, that is a good start."

He looked down the street, trying to find a cab to take them back home.
"We can go home and I can order you something, and you can rest until it comes, then eat a bit. You need to stay strong. I need you for this. I am lost without you."

[ihadabadday]

John swallowed and then nodded. "Alright, lets go home." He let himself lean a bit into Sherlock.

"It's been such a long time since I needed to expend so much magic..." He admitted, "I get tired more easily now." He was positive that Sherlock had seen that. How using too much magic tired him out.

But he tried to be strong for Sherlock. For his King.