Author's Note: So this is a reupload. The whole thing. I decided that I should go through it and clean it up. Most of the changes have been formatting and mechanics stuff as well as phrasing and spelling/punctuation to make it easier to read. There have been a few content edits that were done for the sake of continuity as it has been pointed out to me in the past that I made a few mistakes. Anyway, hope you enjoy the updated version.

-ThePandalien

Prologue

The sky had darkened to a deep iron gray that grew ever darker with each passing moment. The enormous storm clouds loosed a steady downpour of rain, lightning, and thunder upon the city outside as Lord Aurelianus concluded his work for the day. He had been drawing up defense plans with his most trusted friend and advisor Sir Gorlois Pantros. His scouts had alerted him that the fleets of Northmen were once again on the move, looking to sack and plunder the richest city of the Isle of Argentia. He remembered the first time the vikingr had attacked the port city, he had been barely eighteen at the time and he had been asked to lead the knights of the realm to fend off the invaders. They had done it but at great cost. At the time they'd had no naval forces with which to repel the attackers at sea and so had been forced to confront them in the streets of the city. When all was said and done, homes lay in smoldering ruins, merchant's ships at the bottom of the harbor, and the bodies of raiders and knights, and men, women and children littered the streets. Despite all this he had received a commendation from the then Lord of Camelot, Ethelred Whitecastle and was promised the hand of the lord's daughter, Lady Anne Whitecastle in marriage.

Over the years, the raids continued each time, with a little less blood as the knights of Camelot adapted to the fighting styles of their new enemies. Eventually, when Ethelred died, and Aurelianus ascended to the throne, he commissioned the construction and training of a naval force to stop the raiders before they reached land. Since then, the Northmen had become less of a terrifying threat and more of a nuisance. Still, it was always good to be prepared.

"I suppose that concludes it then," Gorlois said as he rolled up the parchment on which Aurelianus's orders and battle plans had been drawn up. "It just needs your seal and then I'll deliver it to the naval captains."

Aurelianus glanced over to his friend. Though he was old enough to be the other man's father, Aurelianus found that their relationship was more akin to brotherhood. Indeed, though by law Aurelianus was Gorlois's superior and by custom should always be addressed as my lord, or sire, or any of the other myriad honorifics that Aurelianus had always found perfunctory and rather tiresome, they treated each other as equals. Aurelianus hadn't been entirely sure why he'd taken a liking to Gorlois all those years ago, but now he realized it was because even then, when he was no more than sixteen, Gorlois had radiated a kind of intense power. This power had nothing to do with his skill with magic nor was it the kind of power that tyrants wielded to intimidate. This power was something noble and beautiful. Gorlois exuded a wisdom and intelligence that far surpassed his years and it came with a confidence and enthusiasm that even Aurelianus's most experienced and capable advisors found off-putting. Gorlois's greatest power was not his strength or ability to manipulate and coerce others, but rather his competence.

"Of course," Aurelianus replied as he took the roll of parchment. He began to reach for the wax to seal the document when the doors to the war room burst open. Both he and Gorlois started at the sudden noise with Gorlois instinctively reaching for his wand which hung sheathed at his side.

In the doorway stood Belerothon, the court page, flushed and breathing hard as if he'd just run quite quickly to deliver an extremely important message. For the young page this was saying something since he took his job very seriously and quite literally ran his errands which undoubtedly made him the healthiest and most in shape person in the entire castle. Aurelianus gave the boy a chance to catch his breath before asking, "What message do you bring?"

"My apologies for disturbing you m'lord, but there's a woman here to see you. She asked for you specifically. She says her name is Seraphina Ambrosius and she claims to be your niece. She also claims to bring news of..." Belerothon trailed off and even in the dim light from the braziers that lined the walls Aurelianus could see the color drain from his face.

"Who?" Gorlois asked. "Who does she bring news of Belerothon?"

Belerothon hesitated again before appearing to muster the courage to speak again, "The Shadow sir."

Had Aurelianus not been focused on the page he would have noticed the color drain from Gorlois's face as well. Gorlois was very in control of his emotions and it was very rare that he displayed emotional extremes, but if Belerothon spoke of the person he thought he spoke of, then Aurelianus was not at all surprised by Gorlois's reaction. Indeed, considering Gorlois's history with this Shadow, he was surprised that there wasn't more of a reaction. "By Shadow," Aurelianus began, "you mean..."

"Yes sire, The Demon. The one no man can kill who lurks in the dark and is dark itself," Belerothon replied.

"Those battle plans may have to wait my friend," Aurelianus said briskly as he began to move with the speed and purpose of someone who feared the world might end should he not act quickly, and in this case, he probably wasn't far off.

Gorlois, of course, gave no argument and merely asked Belerothon, "Is she in the throne room?"

"Yes sir," the page replied as he too turned to leave for the throne room. The three of them rapidly made their way through the dim halls of the castle with its smooth stone walls and floors, stained glass windows, and elegant tapestries. Finally they came into the throne room where they found a woman standing in the middle of the room being tended to by Aurelianus's wife Anne. Though she had only been a young girl when he had last seen her and she was now bedraggled from her journey and soaking wet from the rain, Aurelianus recognized her instantly as his niece Seraphina.

"Seraphina?" he asked as he went to her with Gorlois on his heels. Normally Aurelianus would have dismissed Belerothon at this point, as his task had been completed but Aurelianus was too preoccupied both by the sudden appearance of his niece who, last he'd heard, lived in York and by the news that she claimed to have of The Demon. Belerothon didn't seem to mind not being dismissed. No doubt he was also curious as to what Seraphina knew of the most feared warlock in Europe. As he neared her he also noticed that she was pregnant. It was barely noticeable from where he now stood but the look Anne gave him confirmed it. "Seraphina, what are you doing so far from York? And pregnant no less! Where is Ignatius?" At this Seraphina burst into sobs.

Anne looked helplessly to Aurelianus, her eyes conveying the message that she had been unable to get her sister's daughter to speak of her trials and tribulations. "Right," Aurelianus said, his voice reverberating around the large chamber. "Belerothon."

"Yes sire."

"Have some servants prepare a room for my niece and get her some clean dry clothes and a warm meal. Once that's done and she's ready to speak of what's happened to her show her back here."

"Yes m'lord." With that the page rushed off.

"I'll go with her," Anne whispered to Aurelianus as she began to lead Seraphina in the direction Belerothon had run.

"Thank you," he replied.

Aurelianus and Gorlois stood where they were as they watched Anne and Seraphina disappear through one of the doors leading from the throne room. "What news do you suppose she brings of The Shadow?" Gorlois asked.

"I don't know. But as much as I hope it's that someone's finally killed him I very much doubt that's the case," Aurelianus replied.

"Finally killed who father?" a voice echoed from behind them.

Aurelianus turned to face his son who'd just entered from one of the other doors of the chamber, "Uther," he began, "your cousin Seraphina is here from York. She claims to have news about The Demon."

"Does she indeed?" he asked though Aurelianus thought it sounded less like a question and more like a challenge. "You don't mind if I ask her myself do you father?"

"I will ask her," he replied, "but you are welcome to attend when I do."

"Very well, when do you suppose that will be?"

"As soon as she's ready," he replied. "She's had a long and apparently harrowing journey and she needs to recuperate."

The corner of Uther's mouth twitched slightly as if he was suppressing a sneer. "Okay then, just let me know when she's ready, I'll be in my chambers."

Aurelianus had never understood Uther. It seemed his only son had always been somewhat off. Though he'd always displayed a veneer of politeness and civility it was just that, a facade. Underneath there seemed to be a sinister avarice accompanied by a harsh arrogance and deep seated envy and resentment. This frequently prompted Aurelianus to wonder if he'd been a good father. Jupiter knew he tried to be but perhaps he'd been so distracted by running the immense ship of state that he'd neglected his duties as a father.

Even if he had been a less than stellar father he was perplexed by the greed that always seemed to lurk beneath Uther's glowing exterior. It wasn't like he wanted for anything. Being the only son of the Lord of Camelot he had essentially grown up in the lap of luxury. He hadn't needed to toil as Aurelianus had in his youth and to top it all off, it was nearly unanimous that he was the most attractive young man on the whole Isle of Argentia. When he wasn't in the castle Uther nearly always had a rather large following of girls to swoon over him and a cadre of male friends who enjoyed the status and privileges of being in the good graces of the ruling family of Camelot, or at least the next in line.

Perhaps, that was the problem. Perhaps Uther's problems were the result of a sense of entitlement. Perhaps he was unsatisfied with what he had because he'd never had to work for it and thus never learned to appreciate it the way Aurelianus had. The thought distressed Aurelianus but there was really no way he could shake it.

The most interesting thing that Aurelianus found about his son was that, for all his unsated desire for more, he never really took more than a passing interest in any of the women who'd thus far tried to win his favor. It seemed to Aurelianus that Uther wanted, above all others, two things. First, the throne, which Aurelianus could only hope would be passed to him when he was truly ready and not a moment sooner. And second, Gorlois's wife, Igraine. This was why, Aurelianus had learned long ago, Gorlois and Uther had never gotten along. Gorlois had won Igraine's heart and Aurelianus's ear leaving Uther without the apple of his eye and the power he so desired.

Aurelianus spent the next few hours waiting restlessly for his impending meeting with Seraphina. He was at once anxious to know what had become of her since their last meeting and what she knew of The Shadow, and anxious to not hear of it. The longer he waited and the longer he thought on his niece's situation and how she could have come to be here in Camelot in such a state, the more convinced he was that the news she brought would only be bad. Finally the moment of truth came and he composed himself and sent for Uther as he had said he would. He also requested Gorlois's presence. Belerothon, he kept close at hand in case he had need of the messenger to send word speedily to the relevant persons if a crisis should arise. Belerothon, of course, did not complain as he was equally anxious to be in the know. They all now stood in the throne room facing Seraphina who stood next to Anne, using her as a support.

Aurelianus's niece spoke softly at first but soon her voice rose so that she could be heard easily throughout the chamber. "Uncle," she began. "I bring terrible news. The Shadow, has come to Britannia." She waited a moment to for this to sink in.

"I thought that he was still in Rome," Uther remarked in reply.

"As did I," Gorlois answered. "But I have made contact with the wizards hiding among the ranks of the church in Rome and they informed me that, though it was difficult and cost many lives, they successfully expelled him."

"Indeed?" Uther returned, a sneer barely visible through his facade of politeness. "I'm curious as to how you were able to contact them so quickly. It's quite a long trip from here to Rome even with one of your owls and in under three hours no less."

Gorlois merely looked sternly at Uther and replied calmly, "There are more ways for the magicked to communicate than one."

"Enough," Aurelianus cut them off before Uther could come up with a retort of his own. "Seraphina, continue. How is it you know this?"

"I know this because I have seen him."

At this Uther could not conceal his incredulity, "You what! How are you still alive?" He then turned quickly to Aurelianus, "Father surely you cannot believe her."

"Silence," Aurelianus commanded.

"How is this so Seraphina?" Gorlois asked calmly.

"He invaded my home some time ago. It was shortly after I had conceived. He seemed to be in search of something at the time, if only I had known what it was he sought. He killed my husband Ignatius and placed me under the imperius curse. Then he..." Seraphina choked up and seemed unable to speak further. She didn't need to say anything more for Aurelianus to understand what had happened. Eventually she recollected her thoughts and spoke again, "I eventually broke free of the curse and fled. I thought I might be safe with my parents who, though of the gens non magica, are well acquainted with the ways of sorcery. Alas I was wrong. He murdered them as well. This was the only remaining place I could think of to seek shelter from that demon."

"Interesting," Uther remarked. "Why did he pursue you and allow you to live a second time?"

At this question Seraphina seemed to hesitate before speaking again, "He wants me for his consort."


Aurelianus and Gorlois spoke to one another in hushed tones, as if they might be overheard by the terror which they now sought to prepare against. The throne room was now empty save for the two of them and Belerothon. The hour was late and everyone else had retired for the night.

"Aurelianus, I know this may sound insensitive, but what choice do we have? She must leave, preferably before he arrives. You know that if we try to protect her he will raze the city to the ground."

"I will not abandon my own flesh and blood to that monster," Aurelianus replied forcefully.

"You know as well as I that neither she nor her child are truly your blood. Furthermore you know that the child she now carries is not her husband's."

For a moment Aurelianus remained silent. "The fact that they are not my blood changes nothing. They are innocent and I will not throw them to the wolves. Furthermore, you yourself said that The Demon may be compromised by his lust for her and his hurt at having been beaten by sorcerers he believed to be his inferiors in Rome. This may be our best chance to rid the world of him once and for all."

"I was merely speculating on his condition."

"We both know that your 'speculations' are more than just that. They're well informed and carefully reasoned."

Gorlois sighed in a combination of frustration and apprehension at what he knew the Lord of Camelot was thinking. "Even if I am correct in that he won't be at peak performance when he arrives, he would still outmatch me and every other witch and wizard in the city. He had no trouble beating me all those years ago and then we were just students. He's had years of practice dueling and killing wizards who are far more skilled than I. It took a carefully planned surprise attack by twenty wizards to expel him from Rome and half of them died in the process."

"I have no intention of asking you or any other of the magicked to fight him," Aurelianus replied. "Surely there must be some way to trick him. To entrap him so that we may eliminate the threat he poses."

"I can think of none. None at least, that would work. When it comes to wit he is my equal."

"That I do not doubt and that's what terrifies me. What terrifies all of us. It seems we are at an impasse. We cannot trick him and we cannot confront him directly. Not with magic at least." At that moment an idea occurred to Aurelianus. "Maybe we can confront him directly. As I recall my friend, you said that The Demon was rather lacking when it came to his skill with a broadsword."

"Yes, any sword really. But you can't seriously think of dueling him in that manner. He's devious, he'd break the rules at the first chance. Unless..." Now it was Gorlois's turn to have a spark of genius.

"What is it Gorlois?" Aurelianus asked.

"I think I know of a trick that he won't see coming. I trust you still remember the rules for a formal challenge on Argentia, a duel to the death?"

"Of course, the gauntlet. Why do you ask?"

Gorlois's eyes looked distant and thoughtful, as if considering a very delicate and important matter with great care. "Yes," he said more to himself than to Aurelianus. "Okay, this is what we're going to do..."


It was the following night before The Shadow arrived in Camelot. The legends about him said that he could become darkness itself and travel through it the way one might travel through the sea, hence his name, The Shadow. The reality did not disappoint. He seemed to materialize right out of the shadows of the throne room as Aurelianus and Gorlois awaited his arrival. Aurelianus had come dressed in his armor, partly as a warning that he would not bargain with the mass murderer and partly because of the plan he had hatched with Gorlois the night before. He had cut his hair and beard which normally grew like a brown lion's mane around his head and neck to reveal the hard angular planes of his face. He had always been told he had a face that at once made him look young and handsome, but also stern and intimidating. This was why he normally concealed it. People normally found it much easier to interact with him if his stern visage was concealed beneath his beard.

The Shadow, however, did not seem intimidated in the slightest. Instead he strode forward from the shadows where he had materialized, his shoulder length blond hair swaying slightly as it caught the small gusts created by his swift motion. His eyes were chips of ice embedded in a face that had a constant mischievous grin that conveyed both his malice and his arrogance. "Well, well, well. It seems that I'm expected," he said, spreading his arms in a gesture that encompassed Aurelianus, Gorlois, and the guards that were now stationed on either side of them. "Gorlois," he said. "I see now you're the lord's lapdog. Up to your old tricks as usual too I see. You've managed to conceal the woman from me just enough that I can't pinpoint her location but not so much that I'd think she left. Clever, clever. You know I won't risk killing her by simply tearing down the city but really, how long do you think it will be before I break through your enchantments. So just get it over with and tell me. Where is she?"

The Shadow expected Aurelianus and Gorlois to tell him off, to deny him his prize. That's what most people did. Those people ended up dead for their foolishness. What he did not expect was for Aurelianus to rise from his throne, pull off his left gauntlet and throw it down to The Shadow. "I challenge you to single combat to the death. Tomorrow morning at sunrise, broadswords only, you may bring whatever armor you wish."

The Shadow merely looked confusedly at the gauntlet for a moment before the grin broke out across his face once more. "You're even more foolish than I thought," he remarked derisively. He bent down to pick up the gauntlet. "Gorlois if this is what you've advised your lord then you're slipping. You both know that I care not for formal challenges or your silly rules. I am above all the laws and responsibilities of men. They are nothing more than silly hindrances you insist on placing upon yourselves." He turned toward Aurelianus before speaking again, "I will give you one last chance non maj."

"Your ultimatums are irrelevant, you have accepted my challenge by picking up the gauntlet and so are now bound to duel me for my niece."

There was a brief flash of anger in the ice cold blue eyes of the dark robed man who held the gauntlet in his one hand and a straight, dark wand in the other. "Duel? No, I refu-" The Shadow cut himself off and froze mid motion as he raised his wand to kill Aurelianus.

"Oh," he began. "Oh, it seems I've underestimated you Gorlois. But that you've also underestimated me, at least a little." He lowered his wand and looked at the gauntlet in his hand. "You've enchanted it so that whoever picks it up is magically bound to fulfill the terms of the duel. I assume your plan was that I'd refuse the challenge outright and thus, in violation of a deeply magical contract, would die on the spot. It seems, though, that my sensitivity to such enchantments has foiled your plan." He now turned back to Aurelianus, "Very well, I accept your challenge. Tomorrow at sunrise." With that The Shadow dissolved back into the darkness leaving Gorlois and Aurelianus alone.

"That didn't go quite as planned did it?" Aurelianus remarked.

"No," Gorlois replied. "No it didn't."


The sun had not yet peeked over the horizon but the sky was already greying with the coming dawn as Aurelianus and Gorlois made their way from the castle to the tournament arena. They were both in full armor, their mail clinking like sacks of coins as they walked along briskly. "I wish you'd let me take your place," Gorlois said.

"You know that I wouldn't let you even if I could. Your charms were specific only to the challenged and the challenger. If I don't keep my end of the bargain then I die. Besides, how good of a swordsman can he be? It seems that the only practice he's ever had has been with a wand."

"Not the only practice. Just most of it."

"Still, it gives me a considerable advantage."

"Aurelianus, Camelot needs her lord. Uther is not ready and you know it. If you should fail-"

"I won't fail," Aurelianus interrupted, now fixing his gaze on Gorlois.

Gorlois didn't flinch from it but merely asked evenly, "Then why have you asked me to prepare the men? Not just the knights but any and all of the magicked in the city who are able to fight. If you truly didn't think there was a chance of failure then why the precaution?"

"Gorlois, as you've told me many times, it is always good to be prepared. To have a contingency plan, or two." At this last phrase a warm but wan smile broke Aurelianus's otherwise harsh and intimidating visage.

"Very well," Gorlois replied begrudgingly. "Just don't die."

With that they continued to their destination in silence and arrived at the precise moment The Shadow materialized from a darkened corner of the arena. He wore mail, just as Aurelianus did. A broadsword hung sheathed at his side. His face still bore the same infuriating grin. "Punctual I see," he remarked offhandedly as he and Aurelianus circled each other. Gorlois stood guard at the edge of the arena watching and waiting, hoping that this would end soon and that it would end for the better. Spectators filled the stands, anxious to discover whether their lord would be bested by the man who until now had merely been a terrifying legend to them, someone to be feared and avoided. In the stands sat Anne, Uther, Seraphina, and, of course, Belerothon. Gorlois's wife, Igraine, and their children were nowhere to be seen. Gorlois had instructed her to flee the city with the children as a precautionary measure. While she was not yet gone, she had already sent their twin daughters, Morgause and Morgana, away with relatives to take refuge on the Isle of Hibernia to the north.

As the sun finally became visible over the horizon, Aurelianus and The Shadow drew their swords and stood still for a moment, watching and inspecting each other. Searching for weaknesses. Then The Shadow lunged forward with such ferocity and a cry that would curdle the blood of a dementor. Fortunately, the tactic hadn't seemed to work on Aurelianus who calmly and expertly parried the blow and launched his own counterattack. The duel had now begun. For nearly another hour the two went at it, The Shadow unleashing all the violence and malice that was his very soul each time and Aurelianus carefully defending and avoiding, occasionally going on the offensive but never with the intention of striking down his opponent, not yet. Gorlois knew this technique well. He had learned it from Aurelianus himself and he found it very useful in certain situations such as the one the Lord of Camelot was now in. The idea was to let your opponent's zealousness and lack of self-control be his undoing. To slowly wear him down while defending yourself very carefully and conserving your energy.

It seemed to be working. With each attack, The Shadow grew weaker and more spent, his battle cries less powerful and terrifying and his lunges slower and more sluggish. Finally, Aurelianus saw his opportunity. As The Shadow came in for another attack, Aurelianus blocked and deftly disarmed him. With a quick strike from hilt of his sword to the head, The Shadow collapsed to the ground. Dazed and seemingly on the verge of defeat, The Shadow struggled to get to his feet and make his way to his sword. Instead, Aurelianus kicked him over onto his back and raised his broadsword. As he brought it down on the other man, however, something unexpected happened. Something seemed to cause Aurelianus to miss and it wasn't until it was too late that Gorlois realized what it had been. A rather small rock, too small in fact for most people to notice had struck Aurelianus's sword just hard enough and in just the right way to nudge it so that the sword, rather than piercing The Shadow's chest, pierced the shoulder of his sword arm. The stone had been thrown by Uther. Though the goblin made blade broke through The Shadow's simple mail armor and caused him to cry out in immense pain, the blow had not killed him. The Shadow, sensing an opportunity that was likely to be his last if he didn't succeed, grasped Aurelianus's blade with his gauntleted hand and yelled with all his force and might, "Avada kedavra!"

Amazingly, a flash of green light rushed up the sword and blasted Aurelianus backward off his feet. The Shadow removed the sword from his shoulder with another cry of pain and staggered to his feet. He stumbled back into the shadows, not having lost the duel but, injured as he was, not having won either. In another moment he vanished. Gorlois rushed to Aurelianus the moment he hit the ground. It seemed that the curse had not instantly killed Aurelianus, probably owing partly to the fact it was cast through the lord's sword rather than a wand and also partly due to the fact that Aurelianus's goblin made armor had protected him somewhat. But only somewhat. Even as Gorlois knelt next to his friend, he could see the life draining out of him.

"Go- Gorlois," Aurelianus spoke softly. Gorlois could tell he was in great pain and was struggling to hold onto life just long enough to convey a very important message.

"What, what is it my friend?" Gorlois asked.

"Do- Don't let- Don't let Uther."

"What? Don't let Uther what?"

"Don't let him hurt Seraphina. Or- or her child." At that the lord of Camelot let out a final breath and Gorlois could tell the life had gone from him completely. He had crossed the veil. Gorlois raised his hand to Aurelianus's face and closed his eyes.