Gorlois could hardly believe his luck. The fairest lady in all the land would be his in one month's time: Lady Igraine. As the first son of the Duke of Cornwall, he would have the best wife and would inherit the estate and title. He was indeed a very happy man.

Uther Pendragon was not. Uther Pendragon was one of the more remarkable men of his time, a strong king and leader, defender of his people and rider of dragons, particularly Black Hebrideans. But he did have an eye for women and was not as honest as he should've been when it came to the opposite gender. Of course any lady would fight to the death to spend one night in his bed, but Lady Igraine was an exception to this rule. So of course she was the one that Uther sought.

Lady Igraine was indeed a mystery herself. Rumors of her being descended from the great Salazar Slytherin were sometimes exchanged in village pubs and much more as well. It had been said that she could speak with birds, most commonly crows, and cure men infected with plague with nothing but enchanted water and a blade of grass. So strong, so independent, it was no wonder that she was not happy to be the bride of Duke Gorlois.

These three people would begin the complicated web of love and hate, lies and deception, magic and life, and most importantly, a pivotal point in the entire British wizarding history. Our story begins on a most (seemingly) joyous day…


"My dearest brother, how do you fare?" Gorlois' younger brother, Goroloth, asked.

"Very well, brother," Gorlois smiled widely. "Today is the happiest day of my life. Finally, the woman of my dreams, mine." He adjusted his cravat and slicked his hair back with water. "I am most satisfied with my luck. Lady Igraine, mine."

"Are you ready?" Goroloth questioned.

"Of course," Gorlois said smugly. "The beautiful Lady Igraine, all-"

"Mine," Goroloth muttered under his breath.

"What?" Gorlois narrowed his eyes dangerously. He was a man of little patience for the quick-tongued and witty, even if they were his siblings.

"Nothing, brother dearest."

"Good," Gorlois went back to inspecting his appearance.

One day, I'll have everything, Goroloth thought maliciously to himself. Everything would be his one day; Lady Igraine, the estate, the title, and his brother's head.

~O~

"Aren't you just the luckiest girl alive?" Lady Emilia, Igraine's younger sister, cooed. "You've got Gorlois, a duke, all to yourself now! Me, I've only got a marquis. Daddy promised me a duke, but you've gone and ruined it!"

"Emilia, out," Igraine snapped. She took out a wand, waved it twice and watched as her sister was pushed back by invisible forces to the door.

"What is the meaning of this?" Emilia protested. "What are you doing?"

"Goodbye," Igraine smiled sweetly as the door shut. She sighed as she heard her sister huff angrily and stomp down the hall. Emilia could be such a nuisance at times. Igraine pinned back her fair hair with a green and silver clip in the shape of a snake. Salazar Slytherin himself had bestowed the gift upon her. He was her professor at Hogwarts, her favorite professor and her his favorite student.

"Oh professor," she said to herself, "if only you could see me now. You promised that Merlin and I would be together someday, but then he left to go gallivanting off in London. Tis most sad isn't it? After all, I am now to be wed to the Duke of Cornwall, a most despicable man with little cunning, little ambition. Not like you professor," she purred softly before laughing and adjusting her blue gown.

"Well that's that," she announced and tucked her wand away in the folds of her skirt. No one need know of her powers.

"Sister!" Emilia came pounding on the door. "It is time!"

"Thank you Emilia dearest," Igraine smiled kindly. "Now, prepare the music!"

Emilia ran off to alert the organist that the bride was ready. At Igraine's request, the ceremony was to be a small one in the backyard of her father's estate. The organist was Igraine's uncle. The guest list only consisted of the closest relatives for both the bride and the groom. Although Gorlois wasn't exactly the happiest about this arrangement, he would do anything indeed to make his bride to be pleased.

And so it was a quiet affair, the ceremony that is. The two exchanged their vows and were thus legally wed. But nothing could stop Gorlois from throwing a huge celebratory party at a local pub. Many people were invited on the spot and anybody could waltz right in and order food and drink and make merry. After all, how else was he supposed to spend his money? Gorlois had spent a large amount of the evening with his arm draped around Igraine's body and a drink in the other. He and the other men were having a splendid time. That is, all the men except for Lord Pendragon and Gorlois' very own brother Goroloth.

Lord Pendragon, being the gentleman that he was, had rescued Igraine from a particularly raucous villager. As the band played the music at top volume, Pendragon asked Igraine if he could please her with a dance.

"After all, the bride must enjoy her day," he said, eyes twinkling.

"Of course, m'lord," Igraine smiled politely and allowed Pendragon to brush his lips against her knuckles. As the music turned into a slower paced waltz, the two began to dance. At first Igraine was worried about Gorlois' reaction to seeing his precious bride dancing with another man, but when she saw how red-faced and drunk the duke was, she merely laughed and let Pendragon spin her around.

"I heard that you went to a Scottish boarding school," Pendragon remarked as they began their third dance.

"Indeed," Igraine agreed cautiously, not wanting to let anyone know about her true self.

"And what did you learn at the boarding school?" Pendragon pressed further. Of course he knew all about the boarding school that she had gone to. After all, he himself was chosen by Godric Gryffindor to be in his house!

"Is that your business?" Igraine asked slyly, pulling away slightly from the smirking man.

"Yes it is," Pendragon smiled. "I am indeed a king. It is my duty to know everything about my subjects."

"Who said I was one of your subjects, Pendragon?" Igraine teased.

Pendragon suddenly stopped dancing and leaned in close to the lady. "I am your king, Lady Igraine," he whispered. Igraine took a deep breath in as she felt his warm breath tickle her collarbone.

"I have no king," Igraine replied pushing Pendragon away slightly. He only moved closer.

"Are you sure about that?" Pendragon asked again, this time directly onto her ear.

Igraine deftly moved under his arm and in the direction of Emilia. "Yes, I am a free woman," she stated proudly.

"No woman is free," Pendragon smiled slightly wickedly as he caught up to her. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to look at him. He began to lead her to the door. Igraine soon realized where he was going with this and tried to break free from his iron grip, but it was futile. His hands were like steel chains, binding them around hers.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded. "I am a married woman, you can not force anything upon me!"

It was a beautiful spring night. The stars were twinkling and there were only stars for it was a new moon. The pub was at the end of the road in the small village of Yubberton. Past the road was a plain, and then hills and forests.

"I will not force anything upon you, Lady Igraine," Pendragon chuckled. "I merely want to get to know you better. Tell me, which House were you in?"

"Pardon me?" Igraine asked, frozen.

"I asked, which House were you in during your time at Hogwarts?" Pendragon repeated.

"What is Hogwarts?" Igraine asked, pretending to be puzzled. How did he know? How much did he know? Would he turn her over for being a witch. If he dared touch her in any way, she would hex him to the stars and back.

"You don't know, m'lady?" Pendragon raised his eyebrows as he led her further and further away from the village. "I thought that you would remember? After all," he began to take out a long stick from his coat pocket. "You are a witch, aren't you Lady Igraine?"

Igraine immediately recognized the stick as a wand. She could see it pulsing with magic, which meant that Pendragon was indeed a wizard. So what harm could it be to reveal her true identity as well.

"What House were you in, Lord Pendragon?" Igraine asked, surprising Pendragon.

"Gryffindor," he answered right away.

"Slytherin," Igraine purred.

Pendragon looked at her warily. "Well, if you're a Slytherin..."

"Are you saying that you're prejudiced?" Igraine gasped in fake surprise. "My, my, my m'lord. You have suddenly become so much less attractive in my-"

"What was that?" Pendragon's head snapped up in surprise. "Are you saying that you don't like me as much?"

"Well, if I am to be honest," Igraine began, "you were quite annoying at Hogwarts and you were still a prejudiced-"

"How do you recognize me from Hogwarts?" Pendragon demanded. Lady Igraine was proving to be very difficult to woo. She had walls of steel blocking her from the rest of the world. How was he supposed to break them?

"You courted Mediha Luan, don't you remember?" Igraine laughed.

"Oh," Pendragon blushed. "I remember now. And then you called me a flirt and that my mother should be ashamed of myself, right?"

"Absolutely correct," Igraine nodded her head enthusiastically. There was something about Pendragon that made her laugh. Perhaps it was because he was so slow with everything or he wasn't as bright as her, but she knew that he would be fun to play around with.

"Uther, may I call you that?" she asked politely. Pendragon nodded and stared as she took off her cloak, revealing bare shoulders and a rather low neckline for her time. "I think that we are going to be great friends."

"I think so too," Pendragon agreed slightly breathlessly.

Igraine laughed with a hint of malice, then asked, "Would you mind escorting me back to the pub?"

"Of course," Pendragon gushed and held out his arm for Igraine to take.

"Thank you Uther," Igraine said shyly, turning her head slightly away from Pendragon. She chuckled softly as she heard him take a deep breath. The two began to walk back across the field and into the town. Out of the corner of her eyes, Igraine could see Pendragon blushing and fiddling with his collar with his free hand.

"Don't be afraid," she murmured and looked up at the lord with wide, doe eyes. Pendragon swallowed hard and looked away from the woman. The two walked back in silence for the rest of the walk, Pendragon occasionally sneaking a glance at the serene lady holding his arm.

What was she playing at here? Why was she suddenly so interested in him? Should he be wary of her motivations? Now, Uther was a Gryffindor and a trait that is sometimes affiliated with Gryffindor is rashness and impulsiveness. Uther was the very definition of both descriptions, therefore his decision making wasn't always the greatest. So when Igraine leaned close to his ear as they arrived at the pub and whispered, "Goodnight Uther. I shall see you soon," he didn't stop to think about the fact that she had a husband, or the fact that she was a Slytherin. The only thing that he was thinking of was how nice her warm breath felt against his neck and how close she was to him.

And that, would be his downfall.