A/N: An so we begin another chapter. I�m sure ya�ll enjoyed the coronation ceremony, what with the �ZOMG!NEW ENHANCED ESPERIENCE!� music to join the ceremony. w

achem and yeah, Godric and Salazar� yeah�.

Chapter Three

The guests to Camelot castle were given little activities to participate in while they stayed at the castle for a couple of days. Since the snow fell even in summer, the animals had learned to grow long, thick coats on their bodies to keep them warm during the freezing nights. Therefore, hunting the beasts would give Camelot�s guests a good few pelts to either sell or use for furs on their cloaks. There was an abundance of wolves since the great war, people having to keep their sheep and cattle in the warmer barns as tightly as they could so that the wolves wouldn�t make a meal of them.

It was on one of these hunts that Arturia was introduced to a rather interesting beast that the Irish king Conochbar had brought with him. They were very tall dogs, very thin and somewhat shaggy looking, however, when she watched one run off at a speed she could barely fathom toward a pack of wolves trying to get away, she saw the might of the hounds there. Their speed was great, but not for running an animal down. However, they could reach their destination quickly and attack with power. That was what impressed her. She wondered about the champion of Ireland that was named after the beasts and asked Conochbar about him.

�Him? I helped foster the boy when he was but a babe in his mam�s arms. I and Fergus Mac Roich there, Amergin the poet and his wife and another helped educate the boy as he grew. He�s a very good lad and a very promising warrior. After Cathbad the druid announced the boy would be henceforth known as Cuchulainn, well, we knew he would be a good warrior,� said the king.

Fergus came up on Arturia�s other side and smiled down at her. �So this is Briton�s new little Queen, aye? Never seen a woman so small, but I�m sure you�ll grow.� He chuckled and Arturia just fixed him with her rather common cold gaze. He coughed when he saw she wasn�t laughing. �Damn chill, always goes for m�lungs.�

�I was just telling her about young Cuchulainn, Fergus,� said Conochbar, attempting to save face for Fergus.

�The lad? Ah! Little hound, eh?� He chuckled and Arturia could see that he was indeed a rather handsome older man, though still far older than she. �Aye, he�s a good lad, does fine with the spear and the sword. He even upholds the creed of his breed.�

Fergus chuckled a bit more while Conochbar rolled his eyes. �That again.�

Fergus snorted at Conochbar. �You know the creed rings true for him. Just look at the way he reacts toward the women and the men.�

Arturia�s head was beginning to throb as she swung her head between the two men on either side of her horse, watching their interaction with increasing curiosity. �Creed of his breed?�

Conochbar smiled faintly and faced forward on his horse. �He�s referring to the creed of the wolf hound breed.�

�Gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked,� said Fergus.

Arturia had a very strange image in her head of a man that was half dog and frowned. �Why would you say that is the creed of his breed? You didn�t have his mother breed with a dog, did you?�

Conochbar saw the confusion in the little queen�s face and sighed. �It�s more or less a joke pertaining to the fact that Cuchulainn means, in our tongue, Chulainn�s Hound. The boy killed the guard hound of the smithy Chulainn when it attacked him and he took the place of the dog while the pup of another hound could be reared. From then on, he was known as Cuchulainn.�

Arturia was intrigued by what she heard. �How old is this champion? I have heard he is quite young and accomplished for his age.�

�Aye, indeed he is,� said Fergus, smiling faintly at Arturia for her interest, �He is� eh�� He started counting on his fingers as he mumbled to himself. �About fifteen I believe. We�ve been trying to get him to marry a woman, but he was being a bit stubborn about it. He finally pointed out the woman he wanted, and then suddenly announced that he was going off to see that warrior witch Sgatha to become better acquainted with the arts of war.�

Arturia frowned. So this champion had found himself a woman he wished to marry already? The frown was enough to crack the chilly mask she usually wore, which gave both men a start. However, it was brief and she went back to her rather doll like gaze toward the head of the party.

Conochbar looked to his step father and snorted toward him. �Pardon me, m�lady, but I must go over to my wife�s side and see how she fairs with her hawking.� Then, he rode off.

Fergus watched the man ride off and sighed. �Please pardon the feud, your highness, for it is an old battle well fought between the both of us.�

Arturia looked up to Fergus; gold eyes trained on him much like a lion. �An old feud? Family?�

�He is my step son, born to my ex-wife. She wanted him to be king instead of me, so she tricked me into letting him take the throne for a year so that his sons would be in line for the throne someday and I felt that it was a fine idea at the time. Then, she taught him how to be a good king for that year and the people ousted me.� He shifted uncomfortably on his saddle and tugged at the ties of his cloak. �I tell you this since you ask, though I would not tell it to many, as most already know about it in Ulster.�

Arturia watched the older man readjust himself once more. �You have a good heart,� she said, �I see it in you. You wish the best for Ulster, for Ireland, but can not forget what was done.�

Fergus looked at Arturia with mild surprise and then smiled. �You�re very observant for a Christian.�

Arturia�s cheeks heated faintly at the praise and turned her head. �I was taught to observe all I see and take it into account; to see what others refuse to acknowledge. Even in a man, there can be seen many things that others will not.�

Fergus watched her carefully, calculating the best response toward her. She was indeed a very intelligent woman and a very scary tactician. He could see the workings of her mind as she calculated each response she gave toward him. To go against her would be to go against a war machine like in the legends.

Fergus nodded toward Arturia, smiling faintly. �I�m sure if Cuchulainn met you, he would like you on the spot. He loves smart, spirited women. That is what I see in you, a small spark underneath that chilly exterior that he would love.� With that, he bowed his head and rode off ahead of her.

Arturia watched Fergus ride and thought about his words. If she were to see Cuchulainn, the great hound of Ulster, would he be so keen on her? She would not be able to take him as her King, however, she realized, but she had a sudden very strong interest in meeting this boy. A boy who was as young as her and who was already so accomplished.

The caravan was made up of mostly dark skinned men and women, all of whom had their cloaks wrapped tightly around them and their heads covered save for their eyes to see. One rode on a gold plated carriage, drawn by the most beautiful white Arabian horses. The head of the group rode on a horse to keep a look out for anyone or anything suspicious, behind him were a couple of wagons with jugglers and musicians and acrobats, another carriage carried food and other things to keep the people of the caravan warm. A carriage not too far ahead of the gold plated carriage carried dancing ladies. Behind the gold carriage was a carriage with harem women for the troops and the man inside the golden carriage. Last was a cook, riding on his own with his kitchen inside the carriage behind him. Beasts strode alongside the horses, kept on chains; leopards and lions prowling and gnawing on their gold chains, wanting to get out of the cold weather as they strode beside the wagons and horses.

A pale hand reached through the curtains and touched the shoulder of the soldier guiding the white horses. �When will we be there?�

The man nodded toward the hand. �We will be there soon, my king.�

�Very well,� drawled a bored voice. �Such aweful weather. I hope to make this queen come with me soon. Not this day, but sometime soon when I have wooed her to my interest.�

The man nodded and watched as the hand retreated back into the protection of the carriage. It was undoubtedly cold and the king inside the carriage was a temperamental sort, wanting the warmer temperatures of his home rather than this cold, freezing weather.

Arturia took off the gloves on her hands and looked to Merlin who was not far from her, looking out a window. �It looks like a group of the men from the middle east.�

�Middle East?� she asked.

�Yes. As I recall, there was once a king that ruled over the land named Gilgamesh, though he was long before even the ancients� ancestors. It is said he is the father of red heads, because his hair was pale,� he said as he watched the gold carriage come into view. �Gold like the armor he wore.�

�Why bring up someone so old?� asked Arturia, now coming to her master�s side.

�Because I�m feeling a strong energy coming from that gold plated carriage there.� He nodded toward the carriage and frowned. �They say he was descended from the gods themselves.�

Arturia looked to her master and frowned. �I believe I remember your teachings of this man.�

�He disappeared one day, just poofed without a trace. I fear he may have come back.� Merlin closed the curtain and walked toward the door. �They�ll be coming in soon. Would you like to go out to greet them, or have them come in here?�

Arturia shook her head. �I will go set the maids to work making down beds for the people. As many as we can spare, at any rate. It is awfully rude of this man to come without sending word first.� She mumbled to herself as she walked to find the head of her staff.

Meanwhile, Merlin set the head of her guards to go greet the king. Galain, the chief of Arturia�s guard, rode out with his men and showed the way to the stables where they would attempt to house the many beasts that the golden king had brought with him. When that was set right, Arturia had come back to the main hall, looking a little harried as her hair was beginning to become a mess from the wind and the rush to find someone to help her get rooms ready for more guests.

The doors to the main hall opened and dancing girls twirled and ran toward the fire to get warm while they pulled off clothing. Their clothing caused Arturia to blush, being of sheer, but very ornate cloth that was covered in jewels that clinked together like little bells to enhance their dancing. They each seemed to flash and shimmer with the gems decorating their bodies. If Arturia had felt a bit scandalized by them, she would have found them to be pleasant to watch.

Next came in a group of musicians with a few acrobats who seemed to dance as much as the girls did. Soldiers clad in fur and strange clothes came in just before the door opened one last time to allow a man clad in a long red cloak to enter. He pulled the cloak off and the Arturia saw a rather tall man with a young face standing imperiously with his hands on his hips. His hair was slicked up in imposing spikes as his armor was bright gold and flashed much the same as his hair. This was indeed the golden king of Uruk.

He clapped his hands together and looked around. Indeed, if this man was descended from gods, she could see it in his eyes. They were an unnatural red color with pupils like that of a snake�s or a cat�s. Despite this, they were rather pretty, shining much like rubies in the firelight. She, however, found him contemptible with the way he spied her and grinned as though he knew he was going to win whatever battle was going to occur between them. �Greetings, my lady,� he said, his voice deep and smooth, �I am Gilgamesh, king of Babylon. I have come because my messengers have told me Briton�s new king was indeed a woman. I wished to greet and congratulate you myself, dear queen of Briton.� He inclined his head and swept his arm out in what Arturia assumed to be a bow, but figured he didn�t feel as though he should bow to anyone by the way he carried himself.

�Greetings, King Gilgamesh, you are unexpected. I would have preferred to have been sent word so I may give you better lodgings. As it stands, all I can offer are some humble rooms for you and your� guests.� Her voice remained even, though betrayed a little of her genuine annoyance toward this arrogant man. Her face, however, stayed a mask of ice or stone.

Gilgamesh found her charming, if a bit chilly, like the weather. �Queen Arturia, is it? My, you are quite lovely for such a young queen, though a bit small.�

Arturia�s frown was instantaneous, though short lived as the mask broke only slightly in her extreme annoyance. A vein throbbed in her forehead as she walked closer to greet this foreign king. �My height has little to do with matters as they are. You are welcome to stay and have dinner with us, if you wish. My guests will be down soon to eat.�

Gilgamesh brought Arturia�s hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles as he bowed slightly to her. �The pleasure is mine, my lady Arturia.�

Arturia�s mask cracked a bit more and she very gently pulled her hand away from him, however, it was as though waves of anger could waft from her like a terrible breeze. �Please refrain from touching me, I do not like people touching me so familiarly when I have only just recently met them,� she said in a calm, even tone that was as freezing cold as the weather outside. With that, she picked up her skirts and walked off toward the kitchen to inform the chef that more would need to be made for the extra guests.

Gilgamesh smirked faintly as he watched Arturia. She had a spark in her that intrigued him. She wished to be treated as a king, not a queen, for a queen would have been far more accommodating and charming. She had authority and was going to use it. He wanted to tame this queen who thought she could rule like a king. He wanted this queen to be his queen, for no other had challenged him so with so little to back herself with. True, she had guards, but she hadn�t started building her soldier ranks. She had some from the previous king, but not nearly enough to even match against him or his men.

�So, little lioness, you think you can outmatch me, Gilgamesh, the king of all?� He chuckled and looked to his dancing girls. �I will charm her with my dancers, for they are lovely and would charm anyone into loving them.� Indeed, the girls were beautiful, girls each with tanned skin, one with long black curls, another with auburn curls, another with deep, rich brown hair and another with bright red hair, much like the fire in the fireplace. The black haired one had eyes of the blackest onyx, the brunette with eyes of topaz, the auburn haired girl with eyes like emeralds and the fire haired girl with eyes like sapphires. He had hand picked them to be his dancers so that he might charm the harem and his soldiers.

With that last plot forming in his mind, he walked to a bench and sat down, frowning when he saw that the head was to be taken by Arturia. He found a seat next to her and smirked to himself at his genius. A frigid woman like Arturia would need to be warmed, thus he would give her as a gift his prized casks of drink. The wine he had procured when he sent his troops through France, now he was going to woo with that very wine, charm with the girls and entrance with his musicians. After all, who could not enjoy a king when the king was as fine as he?