Unexpected Journey: Before the Beginning [Prequel/Sequel merger to UJ: The Beginning]
In memory of John Hurt
Chapter 1
His hands gripped his golden hair roughly. A heavy sigh, then Arthur, King of Camelot, pinched the bridge of his nose in confusion.
Oh, he was so confused!
Gwen had just informed him that he, Arthur, had possibly made a huge mistake. A mistake Arthur was beginning to realise that had cost him his manserv-No!-his best friend.
Upon her entry into the throne room an hour ago, the Queen had asked her husband in a no-nonsense tone of his conversation with Merlin the night before. When Arthur had admitted that he had not given Merlin a moment to fully explain himself about the fiasco that had taken place earlier, Gwen's shoulders had slumped in defeat and she had then proceeded to tell Arthur all she had discovered from their son.
Amr. The heir to Camelot's throne…and Merlin's little knight.
Arthur felt his eyes burn when the thought entered his mind. He would probably never admit it out loud, but he knew Merlin loved them like family, because Arthur loved him just the same. And just like any family they had arguments, only this time the blonde-haired King knew that he had crossed a line…he had somehow broken their friendship. There were no other reason why Merlin would have resigned as Arthur's manservant if it was not so.
Despite the guilt he felt, Arthur's confusion grew.
Why had Lady Deidre lied about her meal being delivered two hours late? Had Merlin done something to offend her?
Hardly, Arthur decided. He knew that Merlin took his job seriously. Well, most of the times anyway. He would have done his best to serve the noblewoman despite his lack of enthusiasm at her arrival. And then, there was the little matter of Merlin's babysitting duty for Gaius. He was the physician's apprentice after all. Not to mention, the reason why he was late in serving the woman her lunch was because he was returning Amr to his rooms.
The King sighed again.
Somewhere during the last few days, there had been miscommunications. Lady Deidre deserved the benefit of his doubt. Her father had been a great asset during the Purge. The least Arthur could do was get to the bottom of the matter. And he did not want her to think of Merlin badly either. The boy deserved her respect too.
With his mind made up, Arthur turned to face his wife who was sitting on her throne, eying him as he had paced for the last few minutes. With a nod from her, he called for the guards.
Chapter 2
Lady Deidre could hardly contain her grin as she re-entered Camelot's citadel. She recalled first seeing the city as she had trotted in yesterday morn. The excitement she had felt then was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. She had what she had come for. Never had she expected to obtain it so quickly, and so easily. Now, all left to do was to leave Camelot.
She risked losing the precious bundle in her arms by returning to the citadel. She could have ridden away into the forest, back to her own estate without anyone discovering her missing from the castle. But knowing the risk involved if Camelot's King should send his men searching the country for her was too much. She would rather make her excuse to the King directly, and leave without the famed Knights of Camelot on her tail.
As far as she could tell, her thrall was holding. Everyone in the city had been captured by her…by her beauty…by the face she wore.
She smirked.
Chapter 3
As she brought the bay mare to a halt at the castle's steps, Lady Deidre could not help but notice the trio of guards that immediately stepped toward her. A stableboy rushed to take the horse as she dismounted.
Conscious of the bundle in her arms, she raised an eyebrow at one of the men when he approached her.
"My Lady, the King has requested your presence."
She nodded silently and followed the man as he turned to lead the way. She sneered at his back when she realised the other two guards had come up on either sides behind her. Luckily, no one noticed her sudden change.
When she entered the throne room and saw the stoic-faced King, Lady Deidre felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. The sudden thought that she should have left when she had the chance flashed through her mind.
"Lady Deidre," King Arthur began. He levelled her with a hard stare. "Where were you?"
"I went out for a ride, Your Majesty," Deidre bowed her head as if shy. "I hope that I have not inconvenienced you in any way. I felt a bit overwhelmed in the castle and had a need to see the trees. My father rarely allowed me the pleasure of riding at Carlisle and I wanted to take advantage of being here. It is hardly safe for a woman to go riding alone on the eastern borders, My Liege."
Sneaking a peek at the King, Deidre inwardly smirked when she saw the sudden flash of remorse on his face. No doubt bringing up her father had reminded Arthur of her status.
"Forgive me for the enquiries, My Lady," said Arthur. "It's just that we were unaware that you had left the citadel when I sent for you earlier."
"I'm sorry. I should have informed you of my whereabouts. Was that why you sent for me, My Lord?"
Arthur felt a bit embarrassed to ask Lady Deidre, but he had to. "Not entirely. I wanted to ask you: Why did you say that your midday's meal was served two hours late yesterday?"
Deidre was annoyed. Really? This was why she was wasting time standing here? Quickly thinking she said, "Oh, did I say that?" She giggled. "Back home, we are used to the midday meal being served earlier than it is here at the castle. I only meant to say that our meals were delivered later than we were accustomed to."
Arthur felt his jaw stiffen with anger. Guilt at what he had done to Merlin returned to steal his breath away, and annoyance that he could not very well punish the woman in front of him rose within him. It was he who had, after all, not taken the time to get a full explanation from either Deidre or Merlin.
However, that did not mean he was stupid or totally unobservant. He eyed the bundle in her arms and said, "Care to explain to me how you ended up with a baby?"
Chapter 4
The fake simpering smile on Deidre's face vanished. So, the King of Camelot was not as dumb as he looked, she decided. At once, she knew her hold on him had been broken. How? She did not know. Her spell had been anchored to him. If he was now free of her thrall then so too was everyone else in the city.
She cursed herself when she saw Arthur motion to the guards.
The heavy doors were closed, the two guards who had remained behind her moved in on her forcing her towards the King.
Dropping the pretence, Deidre warily watched as Arthur descended the few steps from his throne. His eyes hardened to an intense stare when he moved the cloth away from the baby's face. Deidre was surprised to see recognition on his face.
Arthur, meanwhile, felt a bit winded. He was careful not to let the woman in front of him catch on to this. The moment she had entered the throne room, he had spotted the bundle in her arms. However, he had not really paid attention to it until now.
Seeing the sleeping babe triggered something inside him. Wasn't this the child Merlin had been babysitting the night before? Hadn't he left Camelot with this child? At least, so he had been told by Gwen. According to her, Amr had mentioned that Merlin had gone to return the child home. If the babe was still here, did that mean Merlin had come back? And how did Lady Deidre end up with the babe?
Feeling that something was off, Arthur narrowed his eyes at the woman. He began to draw his sword as her eyes glowed red.
This was not good.