The king is dead; long live the king. That was the pass phrase of the day all through the kingdom, even here in the fully modern city of New London. Not everyone was happy with which king was dead though they were careful to show due respect and offer homage in light of the terrible wrath that Fleet Admiral Kalahad visited upon his home planet and his brother for daring to rise up against Prince Merlyn and purge the kingdom of all those who could practice magic. Many had died when the warriors of Kalahad arrived to rescue Prince Merlyn and deal with the traitorous king and archbishop. Gwydion was an utter fool, Kalahad snorted. To think that his twin brother had brought such dishonor to their line. How had it come to this; brother against brother? Those damned religious! Always so sure that they were right, that their ways and beliefs were the only acceptable and true ways and oh so quick to condemn to death any who were different. Merlyn lay now in the hospital, tended to by Master Anthony and Doctor Ellis.

For now, Kalahad was in charge without question. Merlyn was grievously injured. Young Kelson too was injured, though it was a well-earned warrior's wound, gotten in the push to free Merlyn from his jailors. He was to be the next king, but until the parliament met and the coronation was performed, Kelson had gladly yielded authority to his uncle, Kalahad, who had promptly confined him to Kalahad's quarters on his flagship. Kelson's younger brother, Korvath, only 12 years old, had been taken from his mother and placed with Lord James Kirk-Kehar in Glastonbury for safe-keeping, at least until Kalahad could determine how much taint the brothers carried from their father's, and the church's, intolerance and hatred. As for their mother… she too disliked the magic that ran in the family line. Did she believe, as the church taught, that it was dark and evil, leading straight to hell? Did she conspire with her husband to commit genocide on his own people? Kalahad was determined to find out for certain. A knock on the door broke off his brooding thoughts.

"Come."

"You sent for me, Fleet Admiral?"

"Yes. Kalel epetai-Kehar, I have a task for you to do for the good of this kingdom. I must know whether Queen Bet'lahr was conspiring with her husband and the church. By any means at your disposal, is that clear? I will not leave my young nephews with a disloyal mother who will turn on her own young one day."

"I understand," Kalel answered. "I will find this out, Fleet Admiral."

"Then go. She is locked in her quarters under my personal guards."

As soon as Kalel had left, Kalahad strode from the office he had claimed and went directly to the medical center. Master Ellis was at the desk, coordinating the staff and the healer apprentices like the master tactician that he was. Kalahad greatly admired Ellis and his counterpart, the brash Admiral Kincaid, both of whom harbored a dark streak in their personalities, though Kincaid's was considerably darker. Fitting for a warrior.

"I have come to check on Merlyn," Kalahad said as he reached the central station.

"He's still in critical condition," Ellis answered, fury at what had been done to the prince raging in his eyes. "Master Anthony says that he will survive and recover though it may be a long healing period."

"Take me to him."

Ellis got up and led the way through a couple of restricted access corridors to a room that had a retinal lock and let him in.

Anthony looked up, fully alert and clearly as furious as Ellis at Merlyn's condition. Good, Kalahad thought. He is as clear-headed as Ellis is about magical abilities.

"He's conscious but not clear-headed. I've given him some heavy painkillers. You should let him rest," Anthony said sharply, not quite ready to order Kalahad away but clearly desiring to protect his patient.

"I only wish to speak to him for a moment, Healer. Brother to brother."

Anthony nodded and moved away to stand with Ellis by the door as Kalahad took his place at the bedside.

"Merlyn, my brother, I am so sorry for what Gwydion and the Archbishop have done to you. I am sorry I did not arrive sooner. Perhaps if I had…"

"You arrived," Merlyn said weakly, tightening his grip on his elder brother's hand. "The Maker has his own timing. The boys? Did they survive?" he asked urgently. "The Archbishop swore to strike them down and put another in their place."

"They live, brother. Kelson has become a warrior, taking a wound in the fight to free you. It is not serious but will leave him a fine scar. Korvath was unharmed. Rest easy."

"Avalon?"

"It has been through the refiner's fire. Many were lost but as a whole, it has survived. They gave their lives to hold while those who could not fight fled to the Giant's Dance. I will remain here until the kingdom is secure, however long that takes. Now, I must leave you to rest. I can feel the healer's evil eye from here."

Merlyn gave a weak chuckle and tightly gripped his brother's hand once more before closing his eyes and letting the drugs take him to sleep.

"You have what you need to defend him?" Kalahad demanded of the two healers.

"Kincaid made sure of it," Ellis answered, his eyes promising death to any that dared make a try on Prince Merlyn's life here in his hospital.

"Kai Kincaid," Kalahad answered with approval. "Keep me informed on his condition. I must speak with my nephew."

Kalahad went directly to the Admiralty and beamed up to his ship, IKV Devastator. After a brief check with his executive officer, he went to his quarters, finding Kelson staring out the port at the planet below.

"Why have you brought me here, Uncle?" Kelson asked as he turned around respectfully. "As the heir, I should be in Camelot."

"I am here to be sure that the remaining members of our line are honorable, nephew," Kalahad said, crossing the room to pour them both a finger of saurian brandy. "I cannot allow you to claim the throne until I know if you are truly your father's son," he added, holding out the glass of brandy to his nephew.

Kelson bristled indignantly, little flares of magical aura lighting up around him. "Do you mean to seek the throne yourself?"

"Perhaps I will set Korvath on the the throne in your place," Kalahad taunted deliberately. "He is young enough to be taught the proper ways of honor. I am not so certain about you. You should have been a man years ago and yet you have just now achieved that status. How should your people make vows to an untried man-child and trust him to do honorably by them? How shall I, the head of our line, entrust you with its future? With my brother? With the children of my sisters? Tell me, Kelson, son of the traitor Gwydion, why should I trust you?"

Kelson's indignation drained away as he realized what Kalahad meant. "You think that I believe my father's rhetoric? I do not. I thought that you realized that when I fought at your side to free Merlyn."

"You are young but you are intelligent. That could have been a strategy to stand with the side that is winning rather than any deep convictions of your own," Kalahad said, continuing to bait him into fully speaking his mind. "I know that as crown prince you are raised with full religious education and the presence of the Archbishop in Camelot to fill your ears with ideas and temptations. The promise of the power of kingship has been granted to you simply because of birth order instead of by trial or rite of passage; such things corrupt a young and impressionable mind, nephew."

"You speak truth, Uncle," Kelson acknowledged. "Power and riches corrupt the mind and soul. Along with fear. That is what my father and the archbishop used to poison the minds of the people. I do not believe as they did. I do not believe that magic is evil, any more than I believe that this dagger is evil. It is the intent of the mind that uses the ability or tool that turns it for good or for ill. For all the fear mongering rhetoric the church has preached, it has been the church that has committed the most evil acts in the name of Light and the Maker. May the Maker judge their souls."

Kalahad was using his own abilities, limited though they were, and could read the truth of Kelson's words, could see the anguish for his people and the fury at the traitors in his clenched fists and stiff stance.

"What of your abilities, nephew? Magic runs deep in the Pendragon line and I have already seen that you have it. Have you learned anything of it? How to wield it? When not to?"

"Not as much as I would have liked," Kelson admitted. "Stolen lessons with brothers from the Circle of Avalon posing as castle servants is all that I've had. Korvath has had nothing at all; he's been kept so tightly clasped to Mother's side. Prince Merlyn was banned from the castle when Korvath was four years old and my powers were just beginning to show. They thought that not teaching me would be enough to stop it. Magical potential is there as raw power; to remain untaught would have far worse consequences than being taught to control it properly. Besides, what a waste of a rare gift from the Maker. It's like casting his gift on the floor at his feet."

Kalahad sighed. "I cannot leave you to rule alone, Kelson. You haven't had the training you should have had and I do not yet know which of your lords will fully support you. Especially not while Merlyn is injured."

"What do the healers say about him?"

"He will recover they say but it will take time. I expect his spirit will need time to recover as well; many died in Avalon.

"You need to learn how to rule as a man. I will find a placement for you to do so. Do well and I will gladly stand at your side when you are coronated king."

"What of Korvath?"

"I will see to his teaching as well. He is safe with Lord James and Lady E'Katerina in Glastonbury. You will remain here tonight. Tomorrow you may go to your brother."

Kelson did not look pleased with this plan but Kalahad knew he had made the right decision when the new king did not challenge his decision.

"Do you require a servant?"

"No, Uncle. I can fend for myself."

"That is good. Rest your shoulder and try to sleep. Keep the door locked. I will return in the morning."

Kalahad waited in the corridor until the door lock keyed then returned to the planet after giving his personal guards orders to see to the boy's safety.

It was hours later, just after two in the morning, when Kalel came to report on the Queen.

"She was not conspiring with her husband and the archbishop, although she did know of their campaign against the magically gifted, and especially Prince Merlyn," Kalel said.

"She knew."

"She did. She has nothing against magic in and of itself and she did admit to fearing that attention would turn to her sons. But she did nothing to stop them. When I pushed her, she said only that he was the king; if parliament could not stop him, how could she?"

"Foolish woman!" Kalahad growled. "There are enough lords who are loyal who would rally behind the queen to stop this from happening. Instead she left her people and her children in danger, her line in dishonor, and those loyal lords to fight without royal support."

"She is firmly against her sons being magically trained. It seems word carried to her ears that Merlyn was hoping to take on Kelson as a full student apprentice. And she also told me what I believe was the trigger that gave the traitors the push to attack. Merlyn is now acknowledged as High Priest in Avalon. He's gathered up some of his people and made a religious order of his own."

"Yes, the church would have seen that as direct defiance," Kalahad agreed.

"She does not want to 'lose her sons' to a religious life so she sat by and did nothing when Avalon was attacked."

Kalahad shook his head. How Kelson had turned out as well as he did was a mystery with these parents. "Meet me at her cell. I will be there soon."

He sat down at the desk he'd commandeered in the Admiralty and sent an encrypted message out to Commander Talon, who had charge of one of his sister, Morgaine's ships, IKV Black Hand, whom he had chosen to oversee Kelson's training.

Commander Talon,

I am sure the rumor has spread through the fleet. Let me confirm some truth for you. My brother King Gwydion committed genocide on the people of Avalon, a city on the south sea on Mantarra. He also committed dishonorable personal attacks on our younger brother, Merlyn. I have killed all those responsible for these crimes and have been named regent for now.

I have discovered that my nephews have not been properly raised and trained. I would consider it a great favor to House Pendragon if you would take my eldest nephew Kelson, into your tutelage. He is twenty years old and still not a man, though he at least fought well to free Merlyn, and obtained warrior status. This is not enough; Kelson is the new king yet I find him ill-trained to lead men much older than him.

Give him a good education in all that you can. Politics, strategy, negotiation, persuasion. He will need further training for magical abilities. I will send that teacher along as soon as Merlyn has recovered enough to consult with.

Do not coddle him but make it clear to the crew that he is not in rank succession. His path is not the navy. I would be most displeased to hear that the king has been assassinated for a rank that was never his to begin with, as will Morgaine.

Come to Mantarra with all speed to pick him up.

Fleet Admiral Kalahad epetai-Pendragon, Regent of Mantarra

That finished he went down to the jail and pronounced judgement on Bet'lahr, for failing to stop the massacre at Avalon. He gave her a choice; to face Mantarran justice for accessory to genocide or to leave Mantarra completely, disavowed and exiled by the Pendragon line.

"You may return to your birth line, if they will have you," Kalahad growled.

Bet'lahr knew that the lords who had survived Kalahad's vengeance for the attack on Avalon would surely vote for her execution. If she were to die for this so be it, but it would be by her own dagger, not the hangman's noose nor the stake. Her family would not be happy to have lost all of their connections and the influence they had achieved by her marriage into the Pendragon line. It was likely her brother would disavow her as well.

"I will reclaim my honor and die by my own blade," she insisted.

"Very well."

"I wish to see my sons first."

"No. You are no longer a member of House Pendragon no matter what action you take. If you seek to reclaim your honor, you die under your birth house line, not mine."

Bet'lahr started to argue more but was stopped when Kalahad seized her upper arms spun her around so her back was to his chest.

"Do not think you can ask any favors of me. You deny your sons' heritage; Kelson is not a full man, not by Klingon standards and not by Mantarran standards. You've allowed no training for their magical abilities. Korvath hasn't even begun weapons training. You made your choice. Do it. Or I will see you are tried and executed by Mantarran law, hung as a traitor."

He shoved her away and tossed a dagger on the floor next to her. She stared at him spitefully. "Gwydion was right, you are a self-righteous ass. Your place is in the Empire. You have no rights here."

"That is where you are wrong, woman. I have been made regent by your son, the king of Mantarra, and given full authority to rule in his name. You have ten seconds to pick up the blade."

With no other option left, Bet'lahr picked up the blade and drove it into her belly, twisting it and pulling it back out, dropping it onto the floor as she began to bleed out. Both Kalahad and Kalel watched and waited until she was dead. "Send her body to her family line. I will not have her on this planet even in death."

"It will be done, my lord."