This is by myshoesarecrocs on AO3the link: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myshoesarecrocs/pseuds/myshoesarecrocs

Chapter 1

If there was one person Druig hated in his whole existence thus far, it was King Arthur.

He didn't do anything per say, other than be a kingly pain in Druig's ass. He had his moments of arrogance and humility, stubbornness and cooperativeness, when he was stern and then humorous; times where he was so very human. But that wasn't why Druig hated him.

No, he hated him because Makkari loved him.

Had she come out and actually said that she loved him? No, but Druig saw the way she looked at him, at the way she lit up when Arthur came into the room. How could he miss it? Those were the times she was magnificent, and isn't that what love is supposed to do to a person? She certainly didn't look that way at him, at least not that he'd noticed, and not that she was supposed to. Of course Druig wanted nothing more, but you can't force love.

So he hated Arthur. He hated that the king could make Makkari feel what Druig had wanted to make her feel for centuries. What he'd tried to make her feel.

They'd fallen in with Arthur's court a couple months prior, interested in seeing how he handled ruling a kingdom with the threat of another. The Saxons were wreaking havoc along the coast, and with them, the Deviants. They were the reason the Eternals found themselves there, but living court life had excited the others.

Thena was living her best life training with the knights, and Phastos had disappeared early on with Merlin doing Arishem knows what. The others sort of floated about, enjoying the gardens and the people.

Druig found himself charmed with the library, holing up in the high tower with a stack of books he'd finish by nightfall. From up in his tower, he could observe the goings-on below him, and when he wasn't reading he was people-watching. Sprite had told him it was "weird", but he found it relaxing. It was also how he'd noticed the extra time Makkari was spending with Arthur. All their strolls through the city, the gentle touches, the secretiveness. The others may not have seen it, but he did.

Not that he was particularly watching over her.

The Deviants would try to attack the walls of Camelot, but Gilgamesh, Kingo, and Makkari were always ready and willing to hold them off. Ikaris, when he wasn't wooing Sersi, would often help. Druig and Sersi would calm the masses, Sprite entertaining the children with bright displays of horses and drums, beating to the noise of the fighting.

He wasn't overall impressed by court life like the others. He wasn't one for flashy balls and dazzling outfits, of grand speeches and playing the game of kings. Watching Arthur entertain foreign diplomats or royals often exhausted Druig. They were all so arrogant, as if their shit didn't stink like the commoners'.

That was one thing he'd give Arthur. He never acted any better than his people. He knew when he was supposed to be their king, and when he was able to be their friend. He was a true born leader, and his people would follow not because they had to, but because they loved him.

It was Sprite who'd told him about the upcoming ball Arthur was hosting. She'd said what it was for, but he only ever half listened to what Sprite said. She had come to the top of his tower, as she often did, and sat with him for longer than he'd wanted. He didn't say anything though. She was lonely, something he knew all too well, and he wouldn't be the one to turn away someone who needed the barest bit of company.

"A ball?" He'd repeated, watching as the people bustled about below, going about their business.

"Yeah, you know, like dancing and food?" She sat across from him, cross-legged on the open ledge, "Things normal people do."

He glanced over the top of his book at her, "No, really?"

She matched his look, "Are you even going to go?"

"Why? Want me to ask you to be my date?" He asked smugly.

"No." She wrinkled her nose, picking at the orange she'd brought with her.

"Ikaris then?"

"No!" Her face turned bright red, "I was just asking because you never go to anything other than the dinners Arthur hosts."

"Can you blame me?" He stared at his book, "I'm not really the party type."

"I never would have guessed." Sprite muttered, "Would it kill you to be sociable for once?"

"Absolutely."

She rolled her eyes, "It'll be fun. At the very least you can drink in the corner and make sure no Deviants show up."

His lips quirked as he glanced at her, "Drinking in the corner sounds like my specialty."

Sprite had been right, Druig really didn't like going to anything other than Arthur's dinners. There was only one reason for that, after all.

With the title of king, comes the target on your back, and Arthur was no exception. He'd already been attacked by assassins, luckily coming out unscathed. One thing no one could control, though, was the threat of poison, and apparently Druig was the only one suspicious of this. Arthur was always brought his drinks, poured for him in the kitchens or served from pitchers designated only for him.

Druig knew that if Arthur drank poison, he'd die. His mortal body wouldn't protect him from anything, and he'd be gone before anyone could blink. However, if Druig were the one to ingest the poison meant for Arthur, his enhanced body would dampen the effects. He also knew that Ajak would heal him because it was him. She wouldn't heal Arthur, because that would be interfering in the human's lives, and that was forbidden.

And if Arthur died, Makkari would be sad, and Druig would fight a thousand armies alone if it meant Makkari would be happy. So, instead of fighting a thousand armies, Druig intercepted the chalices meant for the king, making sure he got one meant for another guest. He was always discrete about his mind control of the servants, lest Ajak catch on to his doings. Thankfully, he'd never run into any sort of poison. Yet.

On the night of the ball, Druig dressed in a nice white shirt with a neck scarf, and black and silver embroidered jacket. It was all too much, but he had to at least try to make an effort to fit into this court. Arishem only knew how long they'd be there.

The party was in full swing when he arrived, heading straight for the hors d'oeuvres table. To his relief, Makkari was already there, looking like a vision in red. Her dark hair was pulled up on top of her head, and she wore a strapless crimson ballgown. The top was adorned with lace, and the bottom fell in waves to the ground, swishing as she walked. She never failed to take his breath away, but today he felt he would never breathe again.

She beamed when she saw him approaching, holding a heaping plate of food. He couldn't help but smile back at her, pointing to her food.

"Save some for the rest of us, will you?"

Makkari rolled her eyes, There won't be any left now that you're here.

He chuckled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he picked something off her plate, "How long have you been here?"

She squinted as she thought about it, An hour or so?

"What about the others?"

I've seen Gilgamesh and Thena. Ikaris and Sersi are out dancing, but I haven't seen Sprite. Phastos is still with Merlin I think.

He only hummed in amusement as they shuffled off to the side for others to grab refreshments. As someone handed him a cup of wine, he was suddenly reminded why he came in the first place.

"How about King Arthur?" He asked.

I was with him for a while, but he's sitting up on the throne with Ajak. She motioned with her head, and Druig followed her gaze. Sure enough, Arthur was seated on his throne, having what looked like a pleasant conversation with the leader of the Eternals. Thankfully, he didn't have a drink in his hand.

They stood together in a comfortable silence, watching as couples floated around the ballroom. Sersi and Ikaris were among them, Sersi in an angelic white gown, and Ikaris in his signature blue. They were smiling and laughing, looking every bit as in love as they were.

Druig glanced down at Makkari again, who was staring longingly at the dance floor.

Before he could think better of it, he held out his hand to her. She looked up at him with her eyebrows pulled together, but took his hand without second thought.

"Dance with me?" He asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and a shocked smile etched its way across her face, You want to dance?

"Is that so hard to believe?

Who are you and what have you done with Druig? She joked, but let him lead her to the edge of the dance floor. A song was just coming to an end, and when the next started, he pulled her into the fray.

Much like Ikaris and Sersi, they spun around the floor to match the song, steps light and precise. Neither of them were exactly good at dancing, but they'd observed enough not to flounder. Makkari gripped him tightly as they went, his own hands fumbling as he wrapped his mind around the fact that he was dancing with her.

It was exhilarating moving between so many people, losing his breath little by little as the musicians kept up their relentless playing. But he couldn't find himself able to stop, not while Makkari was smiling the way she was. This was what she loved, being in the middle of so much joy and not having to stop. Druig was just happy for the momentary pause in their serious lives, to be able to let go and have fun. To just share a dance with the woman he so desperately loved.

Finally, the musicians transitioned into a slow song, giving the dancers a break from the upbeat ones from before. Chest heaving, Makkari slipped her left hand into Druig's, her other sliding over his shoulder as his own hand found her hip.

She was still grinning a few moments later, letting him go to say, You look worn out already.

"Already?" He exhaled, "We just ran miles around this dance floor."

Amateur. She scoffed.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not really the athletic type." He said, shuffling on his feet to turn her, "Not all of us run one earth lap astheir morning routine."

Two earth laps, give me some credit. She joked.

He laughed, both of them falling into silence as the music took them further and further around the floor. No matter how much he wanted to look where he was going, he just couldn't be bothered to take his eyes off of Makkari.

"You look beautiful."

She met his eyes, and he had to try not to wince when he realized he said it out loud. With a small smile, she said, You don't look half bad, yourself.

They held each other's gazes, and Makkari's grip on his shoulder tightened just slightly. In the lighting of the room, her dark eyes glowed, and Druig found himself bewitched by them, as if she were the one controlling his mind. He would gladly fall under her spell, give into her every whim. Right there and now, he would give her his soul and nothing less.

The music came to an end, and Makkari drug him off the floor. They both leaned against the windowsill, taking in the cool night air. He knew she did this mostly for his benefit, she could have gone all night without any breaks.

Eventually the others caught up with them, even Sprite, who seemed to find the thought of Druig dancing incomprehensible.

"It's true, I saw it with my own eyes." Gilgamesh said, pointing to his own eyes.

Druig was about to say something sarcastic, when he caught sight of a servant making her way through the crowd with a tray of chalices. People would pick one off here and there, but there was one she guarded. She was headed towards Arthur, but not without passing by the Eternals first.

Doing his best to be discrete, he looked out the window as he entered the servant's mind, commanding her to bring him the chalice meant for the king. She did as he told her to, handing him the cup she had been careful no one else took. He thanked her in formality, watching as Kingo grabbed another cup.

Gilgamesh was about to grab the last, but she shook her head, "Sorry sir, this is for the king. More will be along soon."

Druig smiled smugly as he took a sip of the wine and received a dirty look from Gil. It didn't taste any different than usual, so he took a deeper drink.

"How many Deviants are left in this area?" Sersi was asking, "Surely there can't be that many."

Ikaris shook his head, "Ajak said they're dwindling. My guess is one more month and we'll be moving on."

"Shame." Thena said, "I quite like it here."

"You like it because you get to spar with the knights." Sprite muttered.

A simple smile crossed over Thena's features, "Yes."

I could get used to living in a castle. Makkari said from her perch on the window, The beds are nicer than the Domo.

"I hear you there." Kingo rubbed his lower back, "I sleep like a baby here."

Despite feeling like the odd one out in their group sometimes, Druig liked to hear their lighthearted conversations. He liked to hear them talk about trivial things, not about the Deviants or their mission or Arishem.

He liked to hear them talk about the castle being more comfortable than the Domo, about how Sprite couldn't believe Druig was actually dancing, about how Giglamesh was going to drink them out of wine that night, how their feet would hurt in the morning. Trivial things that didn't matter. That's what Druig liked. To hear his friends having fun, rather than worry about the weight on their shoulders. Despite liking to keep to himself, at that moment Druig could have stood there and bantered with them all night.

He didn't even realize the chalice had slipped out of his hand until it was loudly clattering against the hard floor, the red wine spreading across the smooth surface. He looked down at it in surprise, frowning as a different shade of red dripped into the wine. It was more crimson, more thick.

Blood.

Touching his fingers to his nose, he pulled them away to find that they were coated in it. Copper and iron assaulted his tongue.

"Druig?" Kingo sounded concerned, but he seemed so far away.

His legs suddenly gave out on him, and he fell to his knees before he could stop himself. Thena caught him before he could slump to the side, and he felt himself gasping for air, but none would come. His throat was closing up, chest tightening. The feeling made him cough, no, he was choking. Blood was in his throat, clogging his ability to breathe.

They were shouting, his friends were shouting but he couldn't hear what they were saying over the pounding in his ears. He balled a hand in his shirt, as if clawing at it would help him breathe. But he had to tell them, he had to tell them something.

Clutching Thena's shoulder, he coughed and was aware of something wet bubbling out of his mouth, but it gave him enough time to rasp, "The king has been poisoned."

Thena stared down at him for a beat, and then pointed toward the throne and shouted something. Gentle hands touched his face, and the last thing Druig saw before the darkness overcame him, was Makkari's eyes pleading with him to stay awake.

"Protect the King!" Thena shouted, the knights lining the walls jumping into action. Arthur was already crossing the room toward them, his own chalice still in hand. Gilgamesh slapped it out of his hand, and it hit the floor in the same commotion as Druig's

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked as his knights surrounded him, Ajak at his side with wide eyes as soon as she saw Druig.

"He's been poisoned." Sersi said, one hand on Druig's forehead as his body convulsed, "He said you have been, too. Did you drink out of the cup, your highness?"

Arthur stared down at the chalice he'd been holding, "I did, yes."

"How are you feeling?" Ajak asked, putting a hand on his upper arm.

"I-I'm fine." Arthur was staring down at Druig, "We have to...where's Merlin?" He whipped around, looking around the room with wild eyes, "Someone get Merlin, now!"

A knight ran out of the room, the rest of the ballroom having fallen to silence sometime after the commotion.

Makkari's hands were shaking and tears were blurring her eyes as she knelt next to Sersi, watching as Druig shook violently, blood and foam spilling from his mouth. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and he gasped for breath. She didn't think he was conscious anymore, but that made it all the more terrifying.

Thena was holding him firmly but gently, making sure his hands were secured so he couldn't claw at himself like he'd already started to. Glancing up, she said sternly, "Ajak."

"We have to get him to the infirmary." Sersi was climbing to her feet, motioning for the rest of them to help.

Gilgamesh and Ikaris picked Druig up under his arms, slinging them over their shoulders, and hurriedly followed Arthur and his knights out of the room. He'd refused to leave under their protection, causing them to watch out for every threat they could think of as he strode down the halls.

Once at the infirmary, they laid Druig out on a bed, and Ajak cut between all of them to press a hand to Druig's forehead and chest. Arthur watched in shock when the gold hue shone under her hands, her eyes pressed closed in concentration as she began to heal Druig.

Makkari's mouth was dry, her stomach roiling with nausea. She could feel herself hiccuping from crying, her face wet with tears. Kingo put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head against him as he hugged her.

How had this happened? Who would have wanted to poison Druig? And why had he said the king had been poisoned? None of it made sense.

A commotion behind them caused them all to turn, and Phastos and Merlin were rushing through the doors, the knight that had gone to retrieve them huffing behind them.

"What happened?" Phastos asked, staring at the table Druig was laying on.

"Druig was poisoned." Ikaris answered.

"By who? Why?"

"We're not sure yet."

Merlin looked shocked as he eyed Ajak, folding his arms as he watched her motionless form, "You didn't tell me she was a witch, Phastos."

"Only sometimes." Phastos said, and then held up his hands defensively when the room collectively shot him a look, "Sorry, sorry, I don't cope well with stress, okay?"

"Will he be alright?" Arthur asked, a hard look on his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. He looked every bit the king he was in that moment.

"I think so." Ajak said, drawing everyone's attention, "The poison spread, but not far enough to do permanent damage."

Permanent damage? Makkari asked, her hands shaking so badly she was afraid no one would be able to know what she said.

Thankfully, Kingo repeated it for her as they stood behind Ajak. She nodded, "All of his organs seem to be fine. I can't do anything about removing the poison, but its effects should be null by now."

"We should give them space." Ikaris said after a moment, "Let Ajak continue in peace."

They filed out of the room slowly, Makkari reluctantly stepping out into the hallway with Kingo's arm still around her. He watched as the others continued down the hallway, shooting glances back at