Legacy 109: Witches of Camelot
Part 2
Xxx
As King Arthur arrived at his castle, the guards announced his return and opened the gate. The young king entered the courtyard and was greeted by his trusted advisors. They informed him that there had been a few attacks on the castle in his absence, and that their frequency was increasing. Arthur told them to double the guard before heading inside. When he reached the throne room, he saw his most trusted friend standing by the throne, Lancelot. He was relieved to see him.
"My king." Lancelot said as he hugged his friend. "It is good to see your safe return."
"Likewise." Arthur replied. "What news do you have?"
"Dark forces have been attacking villages in the west and north." Lancelot replied. "They are small, but organized attacks."
"She is coming at us from all sides." Arthur commented.
"What have you learned, my king?" Lancelot asked.
"The enemy is gathering a large army at her fortress in the south." Arthur said. "I doubt it will be long before she attacks."
"That vile sorceress." Lancelot remarked. "Why is she so determined to see our destruction?"
"She is evil. She will not rest before this entire kingdom is in ruins." Arthur replied. "We don't need to know her reasons, just how to stop her."
"I am sure you will be able to slay her given the chance." Lancelot said. "You wield Excalibur, the most powerful blade in existence."
"The sword is useless if I can't face her in combat." Arthur replied. "She is skilled at lies and deceit, and she prefers to let others do her dirty work."
"I understand." Lancelot replied. "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about…"
The doors to the throne room swung open and two women entered. The first was Guinevere, his beautiful queen to be. She was dressed in a red dress that displayed her figure with little modesty. Although she was attractive, their marriage was more a political move than true love. However, she was smart and beautiful, so he was sure she would make a fine queen.
The second woman was his half-sister Morgana, dressed in a dark blue dress that was considerably more conservative. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was his half-sister through his father, whom he had only learned about later in life, and the only family he had left.
"I was worried about you, my lord." Guinevere said as she rushed to embrace him. "I told the advisors it was foolish to let you ride off on your own. You have knights for that."
"Just because I am king now, doesn't mean I will sit on the throne and let others do my job." Arthur said. "I swore to protect his kingdom with my life."
"I am glad you are safe, brother." Morgana said with a smile.
King Arthur smiled and hugged his sister. His advisors entered the room to brief him on current events in the kingdom. Arthur sat down on the throne and listened. His eyes wandered and spotted Guinevere and Lancelot standing by a table in the corner. It seemed they were caught in a heated argument. His future bride seemed angry and walked away. When Lancelot noticed Arthur watching him, he quickly walked away as well. Arthur wondered if there was something going on he should know about. The dark threat outside occupied his time, though perhaps he also needed to be concerned about what happened between his own walls.
Xxx
A half hour after sending the text that they needed to talk, Wyatt arrived at the café where Prue was having breakfast. Prue looked up and saw her older cousin was nervous for some reason. She thought it was a little strange, as he had always been confident and optimistic. Whatever he needed to talk about, it had to be really important for him to act like this. She instantly forgot about her own issues with Noah. Wyatt ordered a coffee and sat down after taking off his coat.
"Thanks for meeting me." Wyatt said.
"Of course." Prue replied. "What is going on?"
"Prue, we're friends, right?" Wyatt asked nervously. "I mean, of course we're cousins, but we've always been close, even though we haven't spent that much time together lately. We can trust each other, right?"
"Okay, Wyatt, now you're starting to worry me." Prue said concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no, no." Wyatt quickly said. "There is nothing wrong. I'm not going evil again or anything like that. I just need to tell someone."
"Okay, then stop rambling and just talk to me." Prue replied as she grabbed his hand. "Whatever it is, you know you can trust me."
"I know." Wyatt said. "Out of everyone, you've always been the most understanding. I didn't feel like I could talk to the others about this."
"What is it?" Prue asked.
"I'm not sure how to say it, so…" Wyatt stammered. "I am sort-of seeing someone."
"You're seeing someone?" Prue asked with a frown. "That is the big issue? You've dated plenty of girls in the past. What is so different about this one?"
"Well..." Wyatt replied. "I'm not dating a… I'm dating a guy."
"Oh." Prue replied somewhat caught off guard.
An awkward silence fell just as the waiter arrived to bring the coffee. Prue did not really know what to say. Obviously there was nothing wrong with Wyatt dating a guy, but she was just too surprised to actually form the words to say so. She had never even considered the possibility he was anything but straight.
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything." Wyatt said. "I don't expect you to understand, I'm still trying to figure it out myself."
"No, I'm sorry. It just needed to sink in." Prue quickly said. "I didn't see it coming."
"Yeah, me neither." Wyatt replied. "It just happened."
"When? How?" Prue asked.
"Well, it happened when Dylan and I were on the run from the Manti…" Wyatt started to explain.
"Wait!" Prue called out. "Dylan? The half-Manticore, he is the guy?"
"Could you keep it down a little?" Wyatt asked as he nervously looked around. "Yes, Dylan is the guy. Why does that matter?"
"It doesn't." Prue said. "I actually just saw him a few months ago. His garage is close to the Bay Mirror and he fixed my tire. He is cute."
"Okay." Wyatt replied awkwardly.
"So this started a few weeks ago, right?" Prue asked. "So you've been seeing him all this time?"
"Yeah." Wyatt said. "I didn't want anyone to know just because I'm still trying to figure it out for myself. I'm not even sure how to call it."
"So why tell me now?" Prue asked.
"We had an argument." Wyatt replied. "It's complicated. We're both at different stages."
"I see." Prue noted, as she could guess what it meant. "Do you care about him?"
"Of course." Wyatt replied. "I've never felt anything like this before. It's not like I'm suddenly just into guys, but Dylan is… different."
"So then just go for it." Prue said with a smile. "You don't need to put a label on yourself or your relationship. What is happening is between the two of you."
"Thanks." Wyatt replied. "It feels good to be able to talk about it."
"I'm glad you told me." Prue said. "You should be able to talk to someone."
"I know, I figured you were the best choice." Wyatt said. "Chris would have probably gone all neurotic and ask a bunch of questions I can't even answer, while Prue would instantly want to drag me to a gay club and celebrate."
"That sounds about right." Prue replied with a smile. "What about Melinda? You're close."
"Too close, I think." Wyatt explained. "She reminds me too much of my mother. Telling her would feel like coming out to my parents. Besides, she and Ryan are in a weird place right now, I don't want to bother her with my issues."
Prue smiled as she grabbed his hand. She was glad he trusted her enough to talk about this. His situation was undoubtedly confusing to him, so she would be there to support him no matter what. After all, he was her cousin and she loved him.
Xxx
At the Halliwell Manor, Chris entered the attic after only a few hours of sleep and opened the Book of Shadows. His dream about Lancelot and Guinevere was still bothering him. He remembered his mother and aunts all had to deal with their past lives at some point in time. The fact that his dream involved King Arthur was even more suspicious, considering that his own brother had been the heir to Excalibur before it was destroyed.
"Come on, tell me something." Chris whispered as he flipped through the pages of the book.
"I thought you wanted a magic-free weekend." Henry remarked as he entered the attic. "That didn't last very long."
"Well, something happened." Chris replied.
"Something what?" Henry asked.
"I had a dream." Chris said as he looked up. "And before you say something, I know it sounds weird."
"Only a little." Henry replied. "But then again, anything can happen in this family. So what did you dream about?"
"Lancelot and Guinevere." Chris said.
"The Lancelot and Guinevere?" Henry asked surprised. "As in the Arthurian legends?"
"Those are the ones." Chris replied. "Unless you know another pair with those names."
"So you had a dream about knights." Henry said. "It doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe you watched a movie or something."
"No, it was more than just a dream." Chris replied. "I felt like it actually happened. I was there, and so was…"
"So was who?" Henry asked suspiciously.
"Never mind." Chris said. "Maybe you're right, maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me."
Chris sighed as he closed the book. Henry was right, there wasn't enough information to go on. Perhaps his obsessive mind was just looking for trouble. They left the attic and headed downstairs.
As soon as Chris closed the door, a column of orbs appeared in the attic and Noah appeared. He walked to the Book of Shadows and held his hands over it. A golden light emitted from his hands as the book flew open and flipped to the past life spell.
Xxx
The front door of the manor opened and Wyatt and Prue stepped in. Wyatt felt incredibly relieved that he had finally told someone about Dylan. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could breathe more easily. He was not ready to go public with everyone, but he had at least taken a step forward.
"Thanks again… for listening." Wyatt said.
"You don't have to thank me." Prue replied with a smile. "I'm glad you trust me. I will keep your secret until you're ready to share it."
"Share what?" Henry asked as he and Chris came down the stairs.
"Oh, nothing." Wyatt quickly said. "What are you two up to?"
"Nothing." Chris replied as he yawned.
"Late night?" Prue asked.
"Late shift at the hospital." Chris explained. "I only had a few hours of sleep."
"Not to mention some weird dreams." Henry added.
"Wait, what?" Wyatt asked as he suddenly remembered his own dream. "What was it about?"
"I'm sure it was nothing." Chris replied. "Why are you so interested?"
"Because…" Wyatt said. "I had a weird dream as well, it felt so real."
"Please don't tell me it involved Arthurian legends." Chris said.
"How did you know that?" Wyatt asked confused.
"Because I think I dreamt about the exact same thing." Chris replied reluctantly. "Which means it definitely has to mean something."
"Wait a minute, you both had dreams about King Arthur?" Prue asked confused. "As in knights of Camelot, round tables, etcetera?"
"Afraid so." Wyatt said.
"So we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Chris asked with a frown. "Past lives? We already know Wyatt was once the heir to Excalibur."
"So Arthur was actually my past life?" Wyatt asked surprised.
"It makes sense, I guess." Prue noted. "So who were you in the dream, Chris?"
"Lancelot." Chris admitted. "And I think my past life was sort-of having an affair with your past fiancée."
"What?" Wyatt asked angrily, although he could not figure out why it actually upset him. After all, it was a past life which he knew nothing about.
"Hey, I can't help what my past life does." Chris replied defensively.
"Are you seriously arguing about a woman who's been dead for a few centuries?" Henry remarked. "Maybe we should focus on the more important stuff here, like why you're having these dreams in the first place."
"Henry is right." Prue said. "If we want answers, we know the first place to look."
Wyatt and Chris nodded and the four of them headed up the attic to check the Book of Shadows. When they entered the attic, they saw the book was wide open.
"I swear I closed this a few minutes ago." Chris said as he looked at the book.
"Maybe we had a little spiritual help." Prue noted as she looked up. "What page is it on?"
"The Past Life spell." Chris replied. "Guess I was right. This spell will allow us to go back in time and see the world through the eyes of our previous selves."
"But we won't be in control, right?" Wyatt asked. "We'll only get to observe what happens, not do anything about it."
"True, but the point of the spell is to figure out what happened back then and why we're dreaming about it now." Chris explained.
"So should we cast it?" Prue asked.
"Only Wyatt and I can cast it." Chris said. "It's our past lives that are trying to tell us something."
"But there is no return spell." Wyatt said as he flipped through the book.
"We'll get back once we have figured out what the dreams mean." Chris replied. "That is how it happened with Aunt Phoebe."
"Yeah, but didn't she nearly die because her past self was cursed?" Henry asked with a frown.
"We don't have a choice." Chris said determined.
Wyatt agreed, because they needed to find out what was going on, but also because he wanted this thing solved so he could focus on his problems in the present. He and Chris quickly set up five candles in a circle and memorized the spell.
"Ready?" Wyatt asked.
"As I'll ever be." Chris replied doubtfully. "Promise you won't kill me for sleeping with your fiancée."
"I won't be in control." Wyatt replied half-jokingly.
"That reassuring." Chris replied nervously. "Let's just get it over with."
While Prue and Henry stepped back, Wyatt and Chris stepped into the circle and counted down before casting the spell;
"Remove the chains of time and space,
And make our spirits soar.
Let these mortal arms embrace,
The life that haunts before."
The candles in the circle flickered and went out, Wyatt and Chris were both surrounded in a pale glow and fell unconscious. Prue turned to Henry and wanted to say something, though suddenly both of them were also surrounded by a pale glow and fell to the floor. Their souls floated up from their bodies and faded away to times past.
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