Author's Note: These stories I am writing are set post-series-two of the BBC'c Merlin, and once the third series begins as alternative universe. This is the fifth story. Each story was supposed to be a self-contained unit in and of itself, with no reading-order absolutely necesssary, but I realized that the cycle in Cameliard uses too many OC's, so it might help to have at least read my story "Enemy Lines".
XIXIXIXIX
The Magician's Mentor
Sir Lamorack had nothing to report.
"Send messengers to every nearby kingdom—someone must know something!" Uther let his head fall back against his throne. His hands gripped the arms of the chair, and his eyes carried bleary, blood-shot desperation to the ceiling, the sky. The gathered court passed anxious glances around the room.
It had been three weeks since they'd last heard from Arthur.
Arthur and Merlin stood off to one side in the court of Cameliard. Modest pomp and ceremony surrounded them. The king, Leodogran, was attired in dark grey, a deep forest-green cloak draped over his form, and his crown shining across his forehead. Blaise, the court physician and Leodogran's foremost advisor, wore crimson robes. Leodogran's daughter, Anna had on a violet dress in a foreign style—from the farthest east—and her hair was loose about her shoulders. The rest of the assembled court was also formally attired, down to the humblest servant. Even Arthur and Merlin wore the polished clothes that had been provided by their hosts.
The court of Cameliard was gathered for this official occasion at the behest of the Lady Julia, by far the most adorned. Her shining jewels and shinier dress accosted the eye with wealth and power, and overshadowed King Leodogran, who seemed content to play the spectator to whatever show was about to be performed. The event had been gossiped about for the past few days. All eyes turned to the large double-doors at the end of the hall as they opened for the retinue of the Lord Erik.
A suitor had arrived to court Princess Anna.
His heavy steps pounded against the stones as he approached the Lady Julia, dissonant with the short, lithe form that made them. Erik was only slightly taller than Julia and Anna, and more as a result of thick-soled boots and a posture that strained upward than of actual height. The Lady Julia kissed him on each cheek and welcomed him to Cameliard. He bowed low to Leodogran who tilted his head somewhat, and leaned back his throne, relaxed. Julia clenched her jaw and pushed Erik over to Anna.
"Princess Anna." Erik bowed as he kissed her hand.
She smiled. "Welcome, Lord Erik, to our kingdom. We hope our hospitality can meet your needs, and that you will find your stay here enjoyable." She spoke to both Erik and to the retinue behind him, making eye contact with as many as possible.
"I hope my time here serves both our pleasures, Princess Anna."
One of Erik's servants stepped forward, a halter in his outstretched arms.
"And to that end," Erik continued, "I'd like to present you with this gift. It is the finest halter ever made, beautifully ornamented and more durable than stone, let me tell you."
Anna took the halter from the servant, her face blank and unmoved as she examined the designs stamped into the leather.
"I was told that you were quite the able horsewoman, and that riding was a favored pastime," Erik glanced at Julia, the poise of his voice faltering.
Anna smiled again. "It's beautiful." She handed it to a nearby servant. Merlin had to look twice as he realized that the servant was Caradoc. He stared hard at her, at the wrap around her head, the modest clothes. She took the halter from Anna, glanced at it, then let it descend, folded between her hands.
"Perhaps we should show the Lord Erik around?" Julia had scrutinized every nuance of Anna's reactions, and now stepped forward to retake command as hostess.
"That sounds lovely." Erik held out his arm to Anna.
"Of course," Anna smiled and looked down at Erik's proffered arm. "Let's start by showing you to your quarters where you can wash and rest from your long journey." She took Erik's arm in hers, shooting Julia a look as they walked towards the door. Julia smirked at Anna's back, lifted her head high and smoothed the front of her dress before following. Leodogran continued to watch from his throne, his sole movement a twitch at the corners of his mouth once Julia and the retinue of Lord Erik were out of the room.
A buzz rose as the court began to murmur and mumble, conversing to the side, and exchanging looks that varied from amused to bemused to apprehensive to bored. Caradoc wandered over to Blaise, who was standing beside Merlin and Arthur.
"Do you recognize this?" She handed Blaise the halter.
Blaise squinted at the designs, running his fingers along the length of every part. Merlin and Arthur looked over his shoulder as he studied it. The designs seemed to be interspersed with writing.
"I can't place it off the top of my head," Blaise looked at Caradoc, "but I'll look further into it. Make sure it's nothing . . . untoward."
"Thank you," Caradoc smiled before leaving.
"Untoward?" Arthur stared at Blaise. "Is there something I should know?"
"Nothing that concerns you."
"In case you've forgotten, Leodogran asked me to act as Captain of the Guard, so any possible threat to the princess does concern me." Arthur stepped closer to Blaise.
Blaise narrowed his eyes at Arthur, then sidestepped him, heading for the door.
"Blaise." Leodogran seemed half-asleep on his throne. A muscle in Blaise's neck tightened as he clenched his jaw and grimaced. Blaise motioned with his head for Arthur to follow as he walked away.
"Leodogran asked you to be Captain of the Guard, not to act as such for some indeterminate amount of time," he hissed once Arthur and Merlin caught up to him in the corridor. "I don't know what lark you think you're having here, Prince Arthur, but when you're done the damage had better be minimal."
Arthur and Merlin stopped in their tracks. They stole anxious looks at Blaise and furtive glances at the deserted space around them.
Blaise rolled his eyes and continued walking. "Yes, Arthur, Crown Prince of Camelot, I know who you are," he whispered. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. The only reason Anna and Leodogran don't know is because they don't want to know—they think you're here for some benevolent purpose and see fit to respect your secrecy."
"Why do you think I'm here for some malevolent purpose?" Arthur matched Blaise's pace as they sped across the courtyard.
"Why haven't you accepted the larger chambers they offered you, and no more than a few changes of outfit to compensate for the sole set of clothes you arrived here with? Because you know you don't belong, that your presence is an affront to Leodogran and the things he stands for." Blaise opened the door to his chambers, nearly shutting it on Arthur who caught it with one hand and followed Blaise in. Blaise went straight to his bookshelves and began perusing the spines, ignoring his guests.
"Is the halter magic?" Merlin asked, watching him.
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
"But you assume it's dangerous?" Arthur picked the halter up from the table where Blaise had tossed it, letting the previous conversation drop.
"I assume it's different." Blaise climbed a ladder leaning against the shelf.
"Is there any other reason to worry about Anna?" Arthur still held the halter.
"Leodogran didn't seem too concerned," Merlin said.
"In case you haven't noticed, Cameliard is only just large enough to give any would-be conquerors pause." Blaise selected a book and flipped through it, balancing on the ladder.
"A war is going to cost, yes I think we've already proven that." Arthur put the halter down and crossed his arms.
"And yet, we're still small," Blaise sneered.
"What does this have to do with the halter?" Merlin asked as he picked it up, holding it while looking up at Blaise.
"Because our kingdom is nontheless large enough to want. And the easiest way to gain control and or possession of Cameliard and its modest wealth is via marriage to the princess and sole surviving child of King Leodogran." Blaise focused on the volume in his hands, his words a recital. He put the book back on the shelf.
"What about the Lady Julia—this seems to be her affair?" Arthur watched Blaise descend the ladder.
"Very perceptive." Blaise's foot hit the floor and he glanced at Arthur out of the corner of his eye before moving the ladder a few feet down the bookcase. "Cousin Julia only had daughters, two of which are married off to second or third sons—Julia so very much hates to be idle." Blaise climbed up the ladder.
"Where's her husband?" Merlin approached the shelf and began looking at the books piled at eye-level.
"Dead. And he was only a minor lord in Brittany, anyway—and his lands went to his brother. Don't bother down there," he turned his head to Merlin below him, "any information about charmed halters will be too obscure to keep ready at hand."
"How far would Lord Erik go to win the kingdom?" Arthur asked.
"I have no idea." Blaise's attention was still on the books. "I'd be more worried about Julia—this is the fifth suitor she's thrown at Anna. Add the two or three that have come on their own, and Anna has developed quite a reputation for being difficult to impress."
Arthur contemplated this information for a moment. Merlin had picked up a book and was perusing its contents, reverently turning each page.
"I want Merlin to help you." Arthur headed for the door.
"I don't need it." Blaise didn't look up from the scroll in his hands.
"He's used to it," Arthur called as he left the room. Blaise looked up then, clenching his jaw.
"Does he always throw his weight around, or should I be insulted?"
Merlin smiled. "He's only mostly arrogant. And I have helped figure out magic problems—I help Gaius in Camelot—he's the court physician. And he advises the king. And knows about magic—he's basically you—"
A large tome dropped, hitting Merlin as he simultaneously tried to block and catch it. Blaise came down from the ladder and walked straight up to Merlin, backing him into the shelf.
"You don't know me. You know nothing. Don't compare me to Uther's physician."
Blaise bent down and retrieved the immense volume, taking it to the table, smoothing out the pages folded and bent from the fall. Merlin watched, still backed against the shelf.
In honor of Lord Erik's arrival, Julia threw a party. Or rather, Julia made Leodogran throw a party—as enormous a fete as she could finagle. The great hall was decorated in flowers and pennants, and the finest place settings adorned the long table at which the guests dined. Julia had managed to conjure minstrels to entertain, and the room was filled with the sounds of pipes and the aroma of roses mixing with burning wicks and candle wax—and food.
The main course was boar—a huge one—one that Arthur had caught. As Leodogran praised his skill in killing such a large creature, Arthur nodded deferentially. Anna, sitting across from him smiled as Erik fidgeted in his seat next to her. Julia sat between Arthur and Leodogran, across from Erik, and noted every sleight, every word choice, every facial tick of those around her—she had taken but one bite of food, letting her fork dangle in her hand like another piece of jewelry.
"Is she trying to arrange a marriage or a peace treaty?" Merlin leaned his head toward Caradoc. They stood at the edges of the room with other servants waiting to fill a goblet or otherwise assist someone.
"To Julia, one is the same as the other." Caradoc's eyes didn't leave the table in front of her.
Merlin's attention, on the other hand, moved to Caradoc. She was dressed as a servant still, her hair wrapped on top her head beneath a kerchief. Her brown eyes focused on Anna, and her face was expressionless. Merlin smiled, "so are you a servant now, or still a spy? Or a knight?"
"I'm what Anna needs me to be."
The current conversation at the table consisted of Erik's account of a great hunt, in which he had succeeded in killing a lion. Anna ate, lifting her food to her mouth and chewing to a practiced rhythm that could count the minutes. She nodded intermittently. The Lady Julia watched Anna, her eyes narrowing further and further with each of Anna's mouthfuls. In the middle of Erik's description of the lion's claws across his side—for which he leaned over to show the position of a scar along his obliques—Anna met Julia's eyes. She stared back, swallowing her food.
"My Lord," Anna touched Erik's arm and smiled ruefully, "it seems Lady Julia doesn't appreciate the danger a lion can pose or the sharpness of its claws—perhaps if you moved on to the final blow."
Erik looked at Julia, at her uneaten food, at the fact she was still looking at Anna. "Of course," he said. "Well, I was bleeding profusely, as you can imagine . . ."
"He's kind of full of it, isn't he?" Merlin again leaned over to Caradoc.
"The Lord Erik prides himself on his hunting prowess." Caradoc still minded the table.
"Then he's got competition because Ar— the Captain also likes to hunt." Merlin turned back to the table, noting that Arthur's face was scrunched and sneering. Erik continued his story, unaware.
"That is the gist of the conversation." Caradoc inhaled deeply.
Erik's story had ended.
"I don't think I've ever heard of such an impressive feat." Julia clasped her hands before her, smiling at Erik. "Have you?" She looked at Leodogran and Anna.
"I believe all your guests have had hunting stories—though I can't remember if any were as impressive." Leodogran turned to his daughter.
"Let's see," Anna's eyes moved toward a corner of the ceiling as she pondered. "Two huge boars—the animals killed, that is—this will be the third lion," she pointed at Erik, "always impressive—oh and one man claimed to have slaughtered an ancient elephant that had wandered away from an Indian king and traveled the world." She cocked her head at Julia.
"By far the most entertaining story," Leodogran said.
"And, of course, the giant bird."
"A Roc," Blaise said.
"A Roc?" Arthur asked as Merlin rushed forward to refill his goblet.
"A creature of magic," Blaise said. "A giant bird, said to carry off elephants for food, interestingly enough."
"Do you get a lot of magic creatures around here?" Arthur asked.
"No, actually," Anna said.
"In fact," said Blaise, "I'd say we're one of the least harassed kingdoms."
A look of disappointment soured Erik's features, and he turned to his plate, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork.
"Although," Blaise methodically arranged the remainders of his food, "there is supposedly a beautiful white hart wandering our forests. Its fur almost shimmers and it has one foot of crimson."
"Oh really?" Julia looked askance at Blaise, then glared at Leodogran and Anna in turn.
"Well, it's said to be an extraordinarily elusive creature—otherworldly, in fact. So awe-inspiring that any lucky enough to lay eyes on it are filled with such reverence that it has plenty of opportunity to escape. No one can catch it."
"I'm sure a hart is easy enough prey," Erik said.
"Ignore them, Erik," Julia reached across the table to pat his hand. "They're just trying to get rid of you."
"Julia!" Leodogran said. He turned to Erik beside him. "You are welcome here—your pleasure is our pleasure."
"Then you will permit me to hunt this hart—at least for a day. I would test my skill against such an elusive creature," he looked at Blaise and glanced at Anna, "not to impress anyone."
"Well said." Julia smiled.
Leodogran bowed his head. "As you wish," he said, the matter settled.
"You're going, too, aren't you?" Merlin sat down on the edge of his bed, taking off his shoes and addressing Arthur's back. The room was dark except for a single candle burning on the table that stood between their two beds—Arthur was turned away from it, facing the opposite wall as he lay in bed.
"I have to ensure the safety of Leodogran's guest," Arthur said to the wall.
"Right." Merlin waited for Arthur to respond or turn or move, but he was motionless. "What happens if he catches this hart before you do?" Merlin could almost feel Arthur rolling his eyes.
Arthur's back twitched, and he rotated his neck so that he was speaking upward. "What did Blaise discover about the halter—he gave it back to Anna."
"It is magic," Merlin pulled his shirt over his head. "A special halter that belonged to some old dead guy." Merlin stuck his arms through another shirt as Arthur leaned over more to look at him.
"What does it do?"
"If you tie it to your bed, you get the horse that's best for you." Merlin lay back on his bed, folding his hands on his chest and staring up at the ceiling.
"You mean tie it in the stables?"
"No, the book said to your bed. I guess you don't want to confuse the horse about who's supposed to be riding it."
"It makes a horse appear next to your bed?"
"Yep. Arthur, what if this hart you're hunting tomorrow is an otherworldly creature?"
"There's no such thing—just because magic is allowed here, it doesn't mean the whole world is a bedtime story." Arthur turned back to face the wall.
Merlin turned his head to look at Arthur.
"Are you going to blow out the candle?" Arthur pulled his blanket further up his shoulders.
Merlin leaned over and puffed a loud burst of air, snuffing the flame. The room changed. The piercing golden light was replaced by the cold white of the moon shining through the window. As the light bounced around the surfaces of tables, walls, floor and chairs, it created a subtle blue shroud that permeated the room. Merlin stared up into this crisp darkness long into the night before finally falling asleep.
Caradoc awoke to a rancid stench.
Her half-asleep brain barely registered the roan horse tied to her bedpost. Her eyes adjusted, cleared, and brought her full attention to the pile of crap just beneath the horse's rear.
"Are you kidding me?" She sat up in bed. She looked at the horse, the crap, the horse. "Are you kidding me?"
"Well, it is a beautiful horse," Anna said when she entered the room. Caradoc slept in chambers that few wanted to use, as they were rather high up in one of the towers. Anna had wakened early and run up to see if the halter really did make a horse appear. Caradoc had insisted on trying it first, to make sure there were no hidden tricks—Anna had suggested she sleep closer to the stables, but Caradoc thought it better to make it as inconvenient and impractical as possible for someone to simply slip the halter on a horse while she was sleeping. To further rule out a human agent, they had kept the trial a secret.
"How long do you think he's been standing here?" Anna patted the horse's bare back.
"Long enough." Caradoc stared at the shit.
"I'll have Rhona take care of that. In the meantime, will he be able to get down the stairs—we should get him stabled." Anna began to untie the halter from the bedpost.
"Yeah, the stairs should be wide enough." Caradoc tied up her hair, and she and Anna managed to maneuver the horse downstairs without incident before joining the morning ado.
Or rather, avoiding the morning ado. The pageantry that had accompanied Erik's arrival bled into his hunting preparations—an atmosphere of ceremony that Arthur found time-consuming and irksome. Merlin watched his terse stride along the street, his annoyed stare that he kept from everyone but Merlin, and his overall impatience at Julia's insistence that everything be just so.
"You'd think she was his mother," he said to Merlin, who nodded vaguely and smiled even more imperceptibly, continuing to adjust Arthur's saddle on a beautiful black Arabian.
"I think I messed up Lady Julia's plans," Erik said to Arthur before mounting his horse.
"I'm sure she's used to it," Arthur said, as much to himself as to Erik.
"Well then, shall we have ourselves some real sport?" Erik set off at a gallop through the streets, leaving Arthur, Merlin and the rest of the hunting party to follow.
They sped through the forest surrounding Cameliard, to the area where the mysterious and elusive hart had once been seen—by the master of the hunt, Myles, who swore they would never find it, but sent his hounds loose anyway. All eyes were peeled to the woods around them. And though Merlin mistrusted this pursuit—he suspected Julia was right, that Blaise was baiting them—he too, pressed his intentions toward spotting an otherworldly hart. The chase ran long into the afternoon—pressing toward a dense region of the woods where Myles said few hunted. Arthur was bent so intently to tracking what Merlin began to conclude was a figment, that they soon lost sight of the rest of the group.
"Should we find them?" Merlin asked as Arthur studied the ground.
"I'm sure Erik can take care of himself," Arthur whispered.
Merlin glanced around, twisting at every sound until Arthur yanked him down.
"If you'd like to return to the castle, feel free."
"I don't remember the way."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "At least stay quiet." Arthur jerked, his lips parted as he spied something beyond Merlin's shoulder. Merlin turned around, but saw nothing. Arthur pushed past him, jogging into the brush. Merlin ran after, but lost track of him.
"Arthur!" he called to the enveloping foliage.
The chirping of birds and a breeze through the leaves called back. Merlin swung around in a wide circle. "Arthur!" he yelled again, running side to side until he spotted Arthur crouched, crossbow to his face. Merlin crept up beside him just in time to see the hart grazing, its fur ethereal golden-white, its antlers curved and polished, its chomping jaw serene. Enthralled, Merlin continued to stare, positive the creature was still standing, though he knew it was dead—he'd heard the twang as the arrow released and saw a drop of blood on the fur as it hit. The blood was the same color as the hart's left front foot.
"Aha!" Arthur stood up, a broad smile flooding his face.
"What is it with you and killing things?" Merlin shook his head, and looked back toward the way he came, scolding the trees. Arthur approached the creature, circled, admired. Others from the hunting party emerged from the flora, saw the dead hart, and slapped Arthur on the back, smiling as they called to everyone else.
"You killed it?" Myles looked at the white body on the ground, staring for a long while, his face drawn, disappointed.
Erik arrived, veins popping, jaw clenched. "Congratulations," he grimaced at Arthur. As the group carried the animal back to Cameliard, Erik in the rear hurled his bow to the ground and punched the air. Only Merlin saw him—but Merlin was more interested in the spot where the hart had formerly, once upon a time, been grazing—it seemed emptier than possible.
As they approached the city, they lost all sense of success and jubilation. Before their eyes, the sun refracted and broke into a line of three. Three suns over the three tallest towers of the castle. Within the walls of Cameliard, the people stared up, stared at each other, stared up—on the ground their shadows had also split, as if echoing.
The hunting party entered the gates and the two outer suns closed in on the center one. But not to recombine—they eclipsed, shuttering the middle sun into a bleak ring of fire that lit the world with shadow. In that shadow, crystalline vines shot up from the ground along every wall and façade—white stone branches that resembled cracks as much as plants.
When they walked into the throne room, servants were busy trying to light candles, torches, a fire, but no flame could be kindled. The hall was bathed in a white light emitted by the crystal vines that had also invaded the insides of the city's buildings.
"Who did it?" Leodogran paced the room, meeting the eye of everyone present. "WHO. DIDDIT?"
Anna, standing off to one side, looked to Caradoc, still dressed as a servant. Caradoc shook her head.
"Whoever did it—FIX IT!"
Blaise burst into the room and took one look at the dead hart. "You killed it?"
"You said to." Arthur's satisfaction had disappeared the moment the sun had tripled.
"You weren't supposed to kill it." Blaise stared at the creature, his features anxious, shocked.
"You specifically said this creature could be hunted!"
"You did give that impression, Blaise." Anna walked forward, looking first to the hart, then to Blaise as she took a spot beside Arthur.
"He wasn't supposed to succeed!"
Arthur threw up his hands, his gaze. "Great. So what, do I have to be tested now?"
Blaise narrowed his eyes at Arthur. "Have you done this before?" He stepped toward Arthur.
"Kill a normal-looking hart?—yes." Arthur stared at Blaise as Merlin raised his eyebrows and looked elsewhere.
"I said it wasn't normal."
"You said it was elusive."
"I don't care who said what," Leodogran glared at Blaise. "Make this right."
"How?" Arthur looked to Leodogran, to Blaise, to Anna.
A resounding crack of thunder shook the hall, and a hail of glass and sand blew throughout the kingdom, though the sky was clear and empty—the hollowed-out sun its only occupant. In the throne room, everyone froze, servants and nobles. Everyone but Arthur, Merlin and Blaise. Arthur turned to Anna and watched as she seemed to become encased in a film of glass. Her body shone and reflected, and she stood as a statue. Before the throne itself, a streak of lightening tore a gash in the air—a woman stepped into the room as if coming out from behind a curtain.
She ignored the surroundings, her icy blue eyes concerned only with Arthur and Blaise. Her dark hair fell loose, reaching all the way to her thighs. As she walked toward them, her footfalls slapped against the stone with the sound of bare feet, and her dark red dress brushed the floor. Her shoulders were bare, and the sleeves hugging her arms ran past her wrists and halfway over her hands.
"I suppose I should be impressed that you were unaffected by my pet's aura." She looked directly at Arthur.
"No," Arthur said. "I killed it," he glanced at Erik's glazed form, "because I could. There's nothing impressive about that. I'm truly sorry."
She eyed Arthur's height, from hair to boot, her face inscrutable.
"You're Ninniane's sister," Blaise said, a statement and a question. He stared at a tattoo on her shoulder—a circle of three birds—a crow, a rooster and a hawk.
She glanced at Blaise, then addressed Arthur. "Will you atone?"
Arthur looked quickly to Merlin and Blaise. "What do I have to do?" he said to her.
She turned, but continued staring at Arthur out of the corner of her eyes. She walked around the three of them, slowly—examining or pondering—and when she had completed her circle, rotated her body to once again face Arthur.
"You like to hunt," she said. "Go kill the Giant Serpent of Coludd. You have until the next full moon."
"What happens if he doesn't succeed?" Merlin asked.
"Then grow accustomed to this light—and don't count on it to nourish your crops."
"And that's all I have to do?"
"That's all you have to do." She touched Arthur's forehead, and a flash of gold lit up her eyes—Arthur, too, became petrified.
"Which just leaves you," she turned to Blaise, eyes mere slits on her face.
"I told them the hart was an otherworldly creature." Blaise's voice was low, and his head lowered.
"You told them he was a prize to be caught."
To this Blaise said nothing, casting his eyes down to the floor.
She looked at Merlin. "This idiot needs to learn. You will make him your apprentice."
"What?" Blaise looked at Merlin.
"You mean, like teach me magic?" Merlin started to smile.
"No, I mean actually teach you magic—you are nowhere near as skilled as you should be."
"So send him back to Camelot—dear Gaius seems to have had an attack of conscience."
"Merlin needs to be taught, not coddled. So long as he is at Arthur's side, you will instruct, advise, and otherwise mentor him in the arts of enchantment and sorcery. These are the terms." Her gaze dominated Blaise and he bowed his head. She turned to Merlin. "I granted you this consideration," she indicated Arthur, "so learn well."
"Or the curse won't be lifted," Merlin nodded.
She rolled her eyes. "Your performance has no bearing on my curse. Failure to learn, however, may have repercussions on future events." She turned and retraced her steps through the slit in the air.
Moonlight penetrated through the open windows, and flames lit up in servants' hands—the hall was flooded with torchlight as everyone awoke from their stupor. Leodogran looked around, Anna opened her mouth as if to speak but closed it again, Caradoc moved to a window, and the general atmosphere of the court was caution and confusion.
"Did something just happen?" Sir Sagramore, an elderly councilor, said.
"It seems our guest has a week to determine our fate," Blaise said to Leodogran.
"I won't fail you." Arthur straightened himself as he spoke.
"Whatever it is, just do it." The King looked over to Anna, who was moving toward Caradoc. Leodogran also headed to a window to look outside, but turned around. "It's not anything . . . unfortunate, is it?"
"Nothing I can't handle," Arthur said.
"Good." Leodogran joined the majority of the court who were gathered at the windows, staring at the clear sky full of stars and a waxing moon. No one could discern the time.