Outside, snow rages through the cold winter evening. The wind howls and rattles doors in their hinges, the tiny bits of ice piling up on the streets of Camelot, burying the city in a thick cold blanket. There are no people to be seen, as all of the citizens have taken shelter in their homes from the bitter cold of the blizzard outside.
Inside the castle, the cold cannot penetrate the thick stone walls. Candles flicker in every room, casting a warm glow upon the walls. In one room, three young children sit on a rug by a cozy fire crackling merrily in the hearth. They are wrapped in thick blankets, dressed in warm clothes as they prepare for bed. Before them sits an old woman in worn robes, sitting in a rocking chair and holding bottle of milk to the lips of a finely dressed infant.
"Are you children ready for bed?" She asks. Three blonde heads nod enthusiastically. The old woman peers at them suspiciously. "Have you said your prayers?"
"Yes, Nan!" They insist together.
"Even you, Kara?" She says, addressing the smallest girl, no older than four. Kara looks up at her with bright brown eyes and nods her head.
"I did, honest!" She says. Nan smiles warmly.
"Even princesses must say their prayers," She reminds them. Kara looks to her two elder siblings for help.
"Tell her I did, Addy! You saw me do it!" She pleads. The oldest child, a girl of nine, nods earnestly.
"I did see her, we said them together!" She promises. "Didn't we Rowan?"
"Yeah!" Says her brother, a boy of six. The young prince and princesses look up at the woman, who carries their baby brother in her arms.
"Very well then, if you say you did, then I believe you," She says with a smile. "Now I will tell you a story."
"Yay!" The children cheer.
"Which one would you like to hear?" The Nan asks, taking the bottle from the baby's mouth and setting it on the table beside her.
"Something romantic," Says Adelaide, blue eyes sparkling.
"Something exciting!" Says Rowan.
"Why don't I tell you a story about your family?" Nan suggests, and the children nod, settling in to hear the tale.
"Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a prince who lived in this very castle," Nan begins.
"How long ago?" Kara interrupts.
"Many decades," Nan answers, before continuing on, her soft voice carrying over the howl of the blizzard outside.
"There lived a prince who fell in love. He loved this person with all of his heart and soul, and wanted nothing more than to be with him. But it could never be, for the man he had fallen in love with was his own manservant."
"Why could their love never be?" Asks Rowan, tilting his blonde head confusedly. "Aunt Helena fell in love with her servant, didn't she?"
"She did," Nan says. "But in this time, it was forbidden for a man of royalty to love a lowly servant. This prince's father, the king, had passed a law forbidding it. But the prince loved this servant anyway, so they kept their relationship a secret. For many years they kept their love hidden, only daring to meet behind closed doors, away from prying eyes. Only those who were closest to the two knew. The prince's knights and the court physician all knew and even helped the lovers hide from the king. They kept their word and the prince and the servant trusted them. The relationship went on under the king's very nose, and he never suspected a thing."
"But why didn't he suspect?" Asks Adelaide. "If it was right under the king's nose?"
"Because though he was a cold and mean king, he was a very oblivious one," Nan answers.
"What does 'oblivious' mean?" asks little Kara curiously.
"It means you don't notice what's in front of your face," Rowan says, waving a hand in front of her. Kara scowls and bats him away.
"What happened to the couple, Nan?" Adelaide asks eagerly.
"Just when it seemed like things were going smoothly, an evil sorceress went to the king and told him of his son's secret," Nan says.
"Why?" Rowan asks.
"Because she wanted chaos in Camelot, and she knew that the truth of his son's relationship with his servant would send the king into a rage," Nan answers. Rowan frowns, a crease forming between his blue eyes.
"When the king found out about his son, he was so angry that he ordered for the servant to be executed," Nan continues, "But the prince's love for him was so great that he couldn't bear to watch his beloved die. So he begged his father not to kill the servant. Despite his cold nature, the king did love his son very much, and so he took pity on him. He decreed that the servant would not be killed, and instead he would be banished from Camelot, so that the prince would never be able to see him again."
She pauses to look at the three children sitting on the rug in front of her. Minutes ago they had been wide awake, watching her with rapt attention, eyes wide, two pairs of blue and one of brown. Now the youngest is slumping where she sits, eyelids drooping. She sinks further into the blankets that surround her, her dark blonde hair dissapearing underneath the fur. She tries to keep her eyes open like her brother and sister, wanting to hear the rest of the story. In Nan's arms, the infant is already fast asleep, tiny belly rising and falling with each breath.
"Then what happened?" Adelaide asks, still awake.
"When the servant went into exile, the prince's heart was broken," Nan goes on. "He fell very ill, and the court physician helped him in every way he could. The king's ward tried to persuade the king to allow the servant return for the prince's sake, but he was not to be swayed. Eventually the prince's health returned to him and he carried on his duties as before. He was given a new servant. But the prince never fully healed. There was always a hole in his chest from where his heart used to be, for his servant had taken it with him into exile."
"But wouldn't that kill him?" Rowan asks in confusion. Kara leans against her brother's shoulder, having given into the warmth of the dying fire and the gentle voice of Nan.
"No silly," Adelaide says, "He didn't really have a hole in his chest. It just means that he missed his beloved, right Nan?"
"That's right," Nan confirms with a nod.
"Ohhh," The young prince says in understanding. "Go on, then." Nan smiles and continues.
"Many long years passed, and finally one day the king died, and the prince took his place on the throne. When he was crowned king, the first thing he did was order the land to be searched so that his long lost love could be found and returned to him. It took many months to track him down, but finally the servant was found living in a village far, far away from Camelot. He was brought back and reunited with his love once more. As soon as he returned to Camelot the new king married him, moving his love's title from Servant to Royal Consort."
"What's a consort?" Rowan asks.
"It's like a husband, now stop interrupting," Adelaide answers exasperatedly.
"The new king and his consort lived in happiness from that day forward, ruling the land at each other's side. Together they decreed that titles did not matter when it comes to love, and that in the kingdom of Camelot anybody can love whoever they choose. They are the reason that your aunt, Lady Helena, is allowed to marry her servant." Nan explains. "The people were very happy. They raised four children, fathered by the king. Many peaceful years passed, years in which the king and his love lived in happiness, raising their family in a peaceful kingdom. One day, when the king and the consort had grown very old, they passed on, and their eldest son took over the throne, and his son after him, and his son after him. And his son is your grandfather, King Peter."
Adelaide and Rowan's eyes grow wide.
"Really?" they breathe in disbelief.
"That means that we're descended from the prince!" Adelaide concludes, a brilliant smile on her face.
"Indeed you are," Nan says. "The prince was your great-great-great-great grandfather, King Arthur. His beloved's name was Merlin."
"Ohh," the children breathe in awe.
"And you have them to thank for the lives you have today," Nan tells them. "If it weren't for them you would not be allowed to love freely. Lady Helen would have been forced into a marriage with some Lord, and your cousin Ronald would not be allowed to love his that stable hand. Thanks to Arthur and Merlin, you are free to love whomever you want to."
"Wow," Adelaide whispers. Nan smiles at her warmly.
"Now, off to bed," She announces, standing up. The young royals pout.
"But we're not tired!" Rowan protests, stifling a yawn.
"Young royalty needs to sleep," Nan says. "Wake your sister and get into bed."
Rowan gently shakes little Kara awake, and she stirs, looking around her drearily. The three little royals follow Nan to their beds standing against the wall. The old woman places the infant gently in a crib so that she can tuck the children snugly into their blankets. Kara and Rowan fall asleep almost instantly, but Adelaide still has one more question.
"Nan," She asks sleepily as the old woman places the blankets snugly around her. "Why did the prince fall in love with the servant in the first place, if he knew it was forbidden?"
Nan smiles softly as she blows out the candle, so that the room is shrouded in darkness, the only light streaming from the snow-covered window and the dying embers from the fireplace.
"Some say it was their destiny to find one another," She whispers, "Because they were two sides of the same coin, born to serve one another."
The young princess smiles as sleep claims her. Nan looks at the four young royals, sleeping peacefully in their beds and crib, warmly protected against the snowstorm outside. After a moment she turns and leaves the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.