Wow, can't believe this story only has a chapter or two to go before it's done! Which means I might just finish it while I'm on vacation next week... we'll see. Anywhoo, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and Big Thanks to the Glastig, who betaed this chapter!
Discalimer: Don't own anything but the plot. Though I sometimes wish I did.
Key in the Kingdom
Eighth Encounter
Returning to Camelot was like the best thought-out surprise attack by his worst enemy. Well, maybe not his worst enemy, but Morgana for certain. Arthur was certainly he'd never live it down.
Ever since Dawn's solitary visit to Morgana's chambers, she hadn't strayed far from Arthur or Merlin. Which was at once interesting and irritating. Arthur had certainly spent more time inside a library during the past week than he had in the last ten years of his life – ever since he had been permitted to finally join the knights in their regular training.
Of course, comparing the sanctuary of Geoffrey of Monmouth to the library Rupert Giles carefully maintained was rather difficult – they were as different from each other as night and day. Camelot's library always seemed dark and dusty, its organizational system difficult to understand and crossing its threshold always made one feel like an intruder. The Watcher's Council's library, in contrast, was clean and bright (Arthur had come to greatly appreciate the invention called overhead lighting) and most shelves were clearly labeled, even the ones in the back, where the books looked old enough to have come from the Camelot library.
Also, there was this fascinating creation called a 'computer', which was sort of like the moving picture painting, except that one could use it to search for information. Xander had shown Arthur how it worked and how to 'type' messages into a small space and send them to a person, who was somewhere else. It hadn't taken Arthur long to figure out the person he was writing to was the same Willow, who'd created the wards in the room where the others had exorcised the demon when Arthur had first arrived. Later on, Dawn had shown Arthur a world map and pointed to where Willow was, which had left Arthur gaping even more. She was on the other side of the ocean – he hadn't even known there was anything on the other side of the ocean!
However, if there was one thing Arthur wished he could take with him back to Camelot, it was Faith's motorcycle. He loved his horse dearly, but after one ride with Faith, he was in love.
It wasn't that Arthur didn't miss Camelot. He hated being uncertain and not knowing what was going on around him left him irritated. And this 'brave new world', as Giles had called it, was one Arthur didn't understand. For instance, when he had gone demon hunting with Faith one night, he had to make sure to keep his borrowed sword hidden, because it was illegal to carry a weapon. To go out at night in Camelot without a weapon would be unthinkable – Arthur never left his sword at home during the day, let alone at night. So much around him seemed like magic that it was sometimes difficult for him to remember it wasn't.
Then he found himself wondering whether it would truly be so bad if it were magic. After all, this indoor plumbing and central heating thing seemed like a rather good thing. And if one needed food, all they had to do was go to a shop, where Dawn said they had food all year round and it was always fresh and unspoiled. If magic were able to keep a house warm throughout the winter and keep food stores from spoiling or perhaps simply protect crops so they were always healthy and plentiful, which would, in turn, ensure more people survived the winters, would that really be such a bad thing?
Arthur had just finished a sparring session with Faith – he enjoyed sparring with her, because despite her somewhat wild swordsmanship, she was unpredictable and quick on her feet – and was taking full advantage of another wonderful creation called a 'shower'. Dawn and Merlin were waiting for him just outside the bathroom door, chatting away about something they'd read in one of the magic books Merlin had found in the library. Merlin's delight at being able to talk to someone about magic made Arthur smile. The more Arthur learnt about Merlin and his magic, the more difficult it was for him to stay angry with him. There was still a part of him that wanted to scream 'traitor' at his manservant and lock him up in the nearest dungeon, but over time he was finding it much easier to silence that part.
And, really, when it came down to it, Arthur knew he would never allow his father to execute Merlin. Because if Merlin were dead, then when he became king, who'd be his Chief Wizard? Chief Wizard, who weilded a magic staff, naturally.
Well, whatever it was they were talking about outside, Dawn and Merlin were certainly loud enough for Arthur to hear their voices over the rush of water from the shower. They quieted momentarily and Arthur then heard a third voice join them. It sounded male, but was muffled enough by the door and water that he couldn't quite recognize who it belonged to.
The moment he turned the handle to stop the water spray, the voices outside the bathroom went silent. Arthur blinked in confusion. Did they go somewhere? He listened carefully and thought he could hear them breathing, but that could've also been his imagination. Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"Oh holy knight, batman," Xander squeaked.
"Crap," said Dawn, quietly. "We left Arthur behind, didn't we?"
"Quite possibly," Merlin replied.
"Wonderful, just wonderful."
Arthur frowned. He was about to call out to them, when the hallway outside the door erupted into a chorus of screams, bangs, screeches of wood on stone and the sound of many swords being drawn. Arthur lept out of the shower, nearly slipping on the wet tiles and almost running out of the bathroom naked before realizing there was at least one woman out there. He turned, tripped over the fuzzy rug on the floor, and threw open the towel cupboard. The entire pile of towels went flying to the floor as he grabbed the one in Pendragon red and gold. He tied it around his waist and then picked up one of the implements next to the toilet bowl (it looked like an upside down bowl at the end of a long, fairly thick stick and, while not ideal, it looked sturdy enough to be useful in whacking someone over the head).
Thus armed and clothed, Arthur rushed out into the hallway.
"Merlin, Dawn, Xander, are you al-?"
Arthur froze. He stared and the entire throne room stared back at him. Oh, thought Arthur, we're back in Camelot. Dawn whirled around to face him, relief clearly written across her face.
"Arthur!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank God! I was so scared we, like, left you in London...or, um, something...and...um... Arthur, why are you wearing my sister's beach towel?"
Arthur resisted the urge to squirm under the strange look she was giving him. He tried not to think about just how many people were inside the throne room and would really preferred to not have Dawn remind him just how little he was wearing. He straightened his back proudly, not willing to let anyone think that his lack of clothes made him vulnerable. He had nothing to be ashamed of, after all – his body possessed no horrible deformities, just a few scars earned in battle.
"Your sister has good taste, then," he announced. "The towel is decorated in Pendragon red and gold."
The pointed look of disbelief on Dawn's face made Arthur pause. The way Xander winced before covering his eyes (well, one eye and an eyepatch) with his right hand made him twitch. Merlin's poorly-veiled attempt to hide that he was seconds from bursting into laughter, filled him with dread. And the rest of the court seemed to be slowly coming out of their initial shock and the quirking lips and badly-concealed smiles did absolutely nothing to help his growing unease. An unease that had nothing to do with his lack of clothes - or at least very little so long as he ignored how intently Lady Penelope and her husband were staring at him.
"Arthur," said Dawn after a pause and Arthur steeled himself. "You're right, there is definitely red and gold on the towel. However, there's also this third colour mixed in called pink. And those colours are definitely not arranged in random swirls."
Dawn's eyes twinkled in amusement and the corners of her lips twitched. Slowly, Arthur looked down at the towel that was, thankfully, still wrapped securely around his middle. Almost immediately, he could feel his face heating up as his eyes widened in horror.
"Hey, don't sweat it, Arthur," said Xander with a mischievous twinkle in his single eye. "I'm sure your knights will stop calling you the Princess of Hearts eventually!"
Arthur's head shot up. He scowled at the one-eyed man. Xander grinned back, unrepentant and infuriatingly unintimidated. He had more luck with the knights, whose snickers quieted almost instantly when struck by a glare that promised much pain at the next day's training. It was a glare he'd spent long hours tuning to absolute perfection.
(Although, as it so happened, it would take him a full week to beat the instantly-adopted nickname out of them and even then it would persist to live on – only more discretely and carefully out of earshot of the prince – and would, in fact, continue to exist and then morph into the Queen of Hearts, Arthur non-the-wiser. Merlin would, of course, share the knight's secret and use his very own modification of the name, referring affectionately to his liege as the Prat of Hearts.)
"Arthur!" a loud voice echoed across the throne room. The King's voice seemed to break the near silence of the room and instantly transformed it into a myriad of movement and sound.
The look of relief and joy on his father's face warmed Arthur's heart, even though the king did not join Morgana as she hiked up her skirts and ran towards him. Suddenly there was a shadow standing next to his right side. Arthur tensed and then relaxed with a slight smile when he saw Sir Leon holding out his bright red cloak to him.
"Sire, if you'd like to cover up," the tall knight said with a polite smile and warm eyes that said more than he would ever say out loud. In the background, he could hear his father dismissing the courtiers along with his councillors.
"Thank you, sir Leon," said Arthur with a grateful smile. He slipped the cloak over his shoulders and fastened it at the front – it wasn't perfect, but it was certainly better than parading around in nothing but that towel.
Which Dawn had said belonged to her sister. But everyone had described Buffy Summers as a ferocious warrior – what kind of warrior owned a heart-covered towel?
And then he had his arms full of long, dark hair and dark green fabric as Morgana embraced him with no regard for his precariously-balanced towel. Feeling very awkward, Arthur carefully put one arm around her as his other reached for his towel in order to keep it exactly where it was. Then the woman giggled and then pulled away from him with a mischievous smirk.
"It's good to see you back again," she said. "Although, I'll admit I wasn't quite expecting to see quite so much of you." Then she looked at the strange implement that he was still holding in his hand. "Now, do tell, what sort of exotic, futuristic weapon is this?"
Arthur froze.
"Uh... I'm not entirely sure," he said looking over the item again. He glanced quickly to Dawn and Xander, who were practically biting their hands at this point in their attempts to not laugh out loud. Clearly, whatever it was he was holding was far from being a weapon of any sorts. "It happened to be the first thing I grabbed in my haste to get to Dawn and Merlin's aid. Just like the towel."
There, he thought, now he had a good explanation for the humiliating towel. He was rushing to heroically protect the beauteous maiden and his helpless (except not really, but they didn't know that) manservant.
Dawn snorted. "Are you kidding me?" she said. "That towel was at the bottom of the pile."
Arthur glared at her. She looked amused.
"Hello Dawn, I'm glad you managed to bring him back in one piece," said Morgana with a slight giggle.
"Yeah, it nearly didn't happen when he insisted on going with Faith on patrol," Dawn answered with a grin. "It took him a few tries to realize that when Faith said 'go with decapitation', it was because that's really the only way to kill a tekrestil demon. Well, unless you've got a silver arrow that's been dipped in sacred water – which is not to be mistaken for holy water. That'll kill it too. Way more of a hassle to get, though."
"Yeah, the nymphs that lounge around those sacred ponds get real nasty when their naps are interrupted," said Xander, shudder evident in his voice.
"And don't forget the kelpie."
"Of course, how could I possibly forget the kelpie. It tried to seduce me, then eat me, only to take one bite and declare me too contaminated and therefore inedible. Wasn't quite sure whether to be relieved or insulted by that one."
"I think relief would likely be the appropriate response," said Leon, who still hadn't moved from Arthur's side for which the prince felt infinitely grateful. The tall knight was a solid wall between him and the all-too-curious, gawking nobles, who were already gossipping in loud whispers as they made their way slowly out of the throne room.
Xander shrugged. "Yeah and I mean, I did try to warn him that he wouldn't like the taste, but he just wouldn't listen."
Eventually the throne room cleared out except for those, who had just arrived, a few servants, Morgana and the king. Leon left last with a squeeze of Arthur's shoulder and an encouraging look. Arthur nodded to him as he exited the throne room, knowing he wouldn't be going far. It was odd, the prince suddenly realized, this kinship he felt with Sir Leon. He'd barely known the man before... before Merlin arrived and Arthur had gradually found himself spending less and less time with his one-time band of friends. Arthur shook his head with an amused half-smile. Morgana, among others, had told him he'd changed since Merlin had become his manservant, but until now, he wasn't sure he'd quite believed her.
A year ago, he would've never thought of stoic, courteous Leon as a friend. A year ago, he'd now be telling his father to prepare an execution block for the sorcerer in their midst and then finding himself a servant to prepare him a bath before heading down to the tavern with his favoured group of peers.
Only when the large, double doors shut with a rattle of metal, did King Uther move from his throne. His father crossed the room in large, not-quite-hurried strides. A large smile on his lips made him look years younger and his face lost the harshness he usually bore – suddenly Arthur saw Rupert Giles in his father.
Arthur really hoped his mind would stop comparing the two men soon.
"Arthur, I am relieved to see you've managed to return to Camelot unharmed," his father declared. He then paused to motion to a few of the servants. "Bring the prince and his guests some mead!"
He was answered by an immediate shuffle of movement. That done, the king turned piercing eyes to Dawn.
"Morgana told me about her encounter with you," he said. "She said you think you've been cursed and have companions attempting to figure out how to remove it..."
Dawn blinked.
"Um, yeah, they are... I mean, we are, all of us," she said, wincing as she stumbled over her words.
"Giles has some theories, but we're kinda waiting for Wills, our big gun, to test them," Xander added. Which, brought the king's attention to him.
"And you are?" Uther Pendragon asked, his voice low and dangerous as he observed the young man. Arthur sprang to the man's aid.
"Father," he quickly said, before Xander had a chance to respond. "This is Xander Harris. He is one of those, who fight evil with Dawn in their world. He lost his eye while valiantly defending defenceless maidens from a mage, who had willingly given his soul to a demon in return for power."
Okay, so maybe that wasn't an entirely accurate description of events as Xander and Faith had described them, but it wasn't an outright lie either. And, most importantly, it was likely to get a favourable response from his father.
Judging by the light that now glinted in the king's eyes, it had worked.
"Really? Is this true?" he asked Xander, looking closely at his response.
"Er, well, yeah... that's one way to put it I suppose..." Xander looked a bit bewildered at the turn of the conversation. "I mean, it was more like the guy was channelling the evil demon's powers. Also, I'm pretty sure the girls would object to being called helpless maidens- ow!"
"Stop worrying about the technicalities, Xander," said Dawn after not quite discreetly stepping on his foot. "You were being heroic and fighting against the big bad evil guy, who was stronger than you and you had no chance of defeating."
"I take it the evil was defeated?"
"Uh, yeah, more or less." Dawn shrugged. "The demon doesn't actually have a corporeal presence, so it's kinda difficult to run it through with a sword, but we destroyed its army and crippled it so it shouldn't be a threat anytime soon."
Uther nodded, apparently satisfied with their answer.
Arthur turned away for a moment as Gwen handed him a goblet of mead. He thanked her and then turned back to find his father looking thoughtful. After a slight pause, he grasped Arthur's shoulder and steered him away from the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two servant girls also handing Dawn and Xander some mead. Xander grinned broadly at the pretty brunette as he thanked her. She blushed at the attention and Arthur bit back a grin of his own.
"Son, are you sure these people can be trusted?" his father finally asked in an urgent voice when he deemed them far enough away.
"Yes, father, I do," Arthur answered truthfully, relieved that he didn't have to lie to answer that question.
Although, he knew he'd have to lie to his father about Merlin and had known all along that he could never let his father know what he'd learnt about magic during his brief stay in the twenty-first century, having the man himself standing before him and questioning him was nerve-wracking to say the least. Especially with Arthur wearing nothing more than a cloak and a towel. Suddenly, Arthur was hit with a jolt of inspiration.
"I spent a week in their world, father and have seen Dawn and her friends and allies fight evil creatures the likes of which we, here in Camelot, have seen only in our nightmares. It was truly inspiring and I have come back with a few ideas of how we can approach some of our own problems."
His father looked impressed and proud.
"Excellent job, Arthur! You are truly worthy of being called Camelot's best knight. It takes a skilled warrior and leader to learn from what he sees around him and then be able to utilize it in battle."
Arthur felt his father's approval wash over him like a balm. He just hoped he wouldn't get asked what these ideas of his were, because, unfortunately, the vast majority of them involved Merlin using magic – using his magic staff to be precise.
"What was their world like?" Uther asked in a low whisper, his words just a little bit rushed – as though he wanted to make certain no one else could hear them. Arthur blinked, a bit unsure until he noticed the curiosity shining in his father's eyes.
Arthur hid a smile.
"It was fascinating, very different," he paused, suddenly realizing he had been handed the perfect opportunity to take away all of his father's suspicion of Dawn. Or at least most of it. He grinned, allowing the giddy excitement he'd been keeping at bay since first arriving in Dawn's world emerge at last.
"Actually, it's not so much that it was different from our world entirely. In fact, one could say it is very similar to our world, or at least what our world will be like in the distant future."
Uther's eyes widened. "The future?"
"Yes, father, the future. According to Dawn's estimation, well over a millennium into the future." The king was hanging on his every word and Arthur suppressed a second grin. "I've seen incredible things! I'm not even sure I know where to begin, but the things humans had achieved..." He paused, for effect. "Dawn and Xander's world is governed by the laws of science. They have managed to learn about the world around them through the eyes of science and even harnessed the elements with science. For instance, they use the power of the wind and the power of water in order to recreate the power of lightening, which they then use as a power source for heating and light and... Did you know that the world is much, much bigger than we now know? That there is an entire continent on the other side of the ocean? Father, I spoke to one of Dawn's friends while she was on said continent through a device they call a computer. I wrote down a message and then seconds later I could see her reply. It was amazing! And not an once of magic anywhere!"
Arthur stopped and took a deep breath. He needed to calm himself - he was beginning to sound like Merlin. He glanced back to the group to see what Merlin was doing and paused. Dawn was chatting happily with Morgana and Xander was still talking to the serving girl that had brought him mead. However, Merlin was standing a few steps away from both groups and observing them with a frown.
"And you're sure it was science and not magic you were witnessing, Arthur?" his father asked, drawing Arthur's attention away again.
"No, definitely not magic. Although, I'm afraid I am not a scholar therefore I did not understand much of their explanations, but it certainly sounded scientific and did make a sort of sense when they explained it to me."
"Yes, yes, that is perfectly understandable. Fascinating. I wonder what Gaius would've made of such a world..." Then his father's eyes lit up. "You realize this means they managed to win?"
Suddenly, Arthur found himself being gripped tightly by hands on both shoulders, his father's imploring, excited face less than a handspan away from his own. He took a staggering half-step backwards, his left hand reaching downward to grip at the tie in his towel to make sure it stayed in place.
"Do you realize what this means, Arthur? It means the war on magic isn't futile. It can be won!"
"Er..."
Arthur wondered whether the king's eyes had always gleamed like that. He frantically looked behind the king to see if there wasn't something he could use to divert his attention elsewhere. Dawn and Xander were completely ignoring his dilemma (Xander was really getting on well with that servant girl, not that it helped Arthur any). He had hoped Merlin could be counted on to conveniently drop something or trip over thin air, or perhaps make the castle shake mysteriously – actually, Arthur realized, that last one was a really bad idea and, once having thought about it he really hoped Merlin didn't make the castle shake. It would be rather difficult to explain to the king.
Unfortunately, Merlin was still staring at the others with a frown on his face, except now Gwen was standing by his side with a confused frown of her own. They seemed to both be looking in Xander's direction.
Arthur decided that was better than nothing. He cleared his throat.
"Excuse me, father," he said. "If you will allow me, Dawn might know more about how this war on magic was won."
His father hummed in agreement, his mind already far away from the throne room and Arthur took full advantage of his distraction to extracte himself from the king's clutches. He then walked quickly towards Merlin and Gwen.
"Merlin, you're frowning," he said out loud. "Not thinking again, are you? You know you need to be careful to not overtax that fragile mind of yours."
Merlin interrupted his frowning long enough to roll his eyes.
"Very funny, sire," he said. "I was wondering who that servant girl talking to Xander was. I don't think I've seen her before."
"Oh?" Arthur nudged Merlin gently with his elbow (which, threw Merlin completely off-balance and resulted in him stumbling a few steps). "Jealous, Merlin? You know, he's only here temporarily and then you can have her all to yourself."
Merlin sputtered as Arthur waggled an eyebrow at him suggestively. Gwen giggled.
"Th-that's not what I meant!" his manservant finally managed to say. He paused to glare at Arthur and then continued in a low hiss. "Not even Gwen's entirely sure, who she is."
Okay, Arthur thought, that was maybe a bit odd. But certainly no real cause for concern; Gwen was very busy and there were so many servants in Camelot – quite frankly, they all looked so similar to one another that it would be rather surprising if Gwen or Merlin knew every single one of them.
"Maybe she's new," Arthur said with a shrug. He grabbed Merlin's upper arm and shoved him in the direction of Xander and the girl. "Why don't you go ask her yourself if you're so interested. In my experience that seems to work the best."
Merlin stumbled a few steps and Arthur was sure there was a glare being sent in his direction, but he ignored it as he stopped in front of Dawn and Morgana.
"Dawn!" he said with smile, suddenly wondering how in the world he was supposed to breach the subject.
"Oh, hey Arthur," Dawn answered absently. "Um, do you know what's up with Merlin?"
Arthur blinked, surprised by the sudden question.
"Only, he just seemed to be doing an awful lot of frowning there..."
"He's not sure, who the servant Xander's talking to is." Arthur shrugged. "I told him not to worry. Once Xander disappears with you, he'll have her all to himself."
The amusement Arthur was expecting from Dawn didn't come. Arthur frowned at the worried frown on her face. Morgana met his eyes, equally confused by the girl's reaction. She then turned to her maidservant.
"Gwen, do you not know this girl?" she asked.
"I met her in the kitchens this morning, my lady," Gwen answered. "Her name is Melinda. I didn't think much of it then, but when Merlin mentioned it earlier... I don't remember seeing her before today. Of course, I'm always so busy and although the steward said he wasn't hiring any servants at the moment, I suppose he might've made an exception if she were the daughter of an acquaintance or perhaps had a particularly sorrowful tale, which may have enticed him to take pity on her-"
"Thank you, Gwen," Morgana interrupted with a fond smile. Gwen smiled back.
"Hmm..." was Dawn's only reaction as she observed the girl warily.
The girl was smiling sweetly, looking a bit nervous. Which was only natural, really. Merlin seemed to forget that as manservant to the crown prince he was one of the highest ranking servants in the castle and here he was ambushing the poor girl. Arthur shook his head. Merlin really had no idea how to woo a woman.
So, naturally, Arthur decided he should help his hapless manservant out.
"I do apologize, Merlin here's a bit hopeless at things that require thought, such as basic communication," said Arthur with a grin as he put an arm around his manservant's shoulder and then ruffled his hair. "He was a bit concerned that he hadn't seen you around the castle before. Can't figure out how he missed such a pretty face."
Merlin glared at him.
"Sire, your towel's falling down again," said Merlin.
Arthur immediately let go of Merlin and reached for the towel. He shot the boy a suspicious look when he realized the knot at its side had loosened. Would Merlin have really risked discovery in order to play a prank?
"Sorry about that, Melinda," he heard Merlin say as he was busily re-securing the towel around his waste. "It's just, I didn't realize the steward was taking on new servants. And Gwen didn't think so either..."
Xander chuckled warmly.
"Apparently, you're a complete mystery," he said to Melinda. Arthur looked back, wincing when he realized the girl was once again hanging on Xander's every word. Poor Merlin. The girl was, by the looks of it, completely smitten with the one-eyed man. "You know, if we were in Sunnydale, you'd probably end up being an evil witch or demon or something that snuck in so that you could destroy the castle or kingdom or possibly just the library..."
The girl's back was to him, so Arthur couldn't see the expression on her face, however whatever it was, it made Xander cover his face with his left hand and groan.
"You have got to be kidding me," he said. Then he threw both hands up in exasperation. "I was joking!"
Arthur froze, wishing he had some sort of weapon, even if it was that silly-looking rubber stick thing (which he was certain was a cleaning implement of some sort, but was nonetheless still better than nothing). And then his father was shouting for the guards and Melinda threw her arms out to either side of her, the words of her spell sounding crystal clear over the buzzing in the air Arthur now knew to associate with magic.
And then a great wind swept him off his feet and sent him crashing awkwardly into a chair, which then crashed into the table behind it. Arthur grit his teeth at the pain that exploded along his back. When the shooting pain calmed a bit, he forced his eyes open.
Melinda, the false servant girl (and oh, maybe that was what had Merlin so interested in her – had he sensed her magic?) stood in the middle of a whirlwind, which was currently whipping violently through the throne room. Her eyes were glowing the same gold colour that Merlin's did when he used magic and there was something wild in her expression, despite the calm in her posture, the windstorm battering the throne room not effecting her in the slightest. As the gale threw goblets, plates and various foodstuffs around the room, her skirts remained still and not a single hair on her head swayed.
She was glaring down at the king and Arthur realized her words were no longer part of a magical spell, but a vow of vengeance. He had to strain his ears to hear her words, but the message was clear.
"...my beloved, the father of my child!" he caught her say over the whistling of the unnatural wind. "My son will never know his father because of your hatred! Uther Pendragon, I curse you and ahck-"
The wind stopped abruptly as a dark shape lunged at her and grabbed her, apparently disrupting her concentration. The girl struggled like a wild animal, screaming and scratching and kicking at Xander, who was weathering her attacks and whispering something to her.
"Good job, young man!" the king called. "Guards, arrest the sorceress!"
Arthur was half-way to her when he suddenly found himself shoved to the ground and watched as a pair of twenty-first century shoes called sneakers ran past him. He scowled and was about to protest the treatment (He wasn't useless around magic, dammit! And here he was the prince!), but the words froze in his throat when he actually got a good look at Dawn.
She was glowing. An outline of bright green light surrounded her entire frame.
She grabbed Xander, yelling at him to let go of the girl. It got both Xander and Melinda's attention. Their eyes widened and Melinda stilled as Xander released her and stepped away from her. He placed a hand on her back, presumably to push her away from them...
The glow from Dawn encompassed all three of them and then they were gone.
"Well, that was a bit anti-climactic," said Morgana as she straightened her hair. She looked over to meet Arthur's eyes... and then her eyes slid downwards.
Her lips twitched in amusement and that was when Arthur knew he was in trouble.
"Well," she drawled with a daintily raised eyebrow, "now I know why all the scullery maids make such a fuss."
Arthur looked down. The towel was gone. He grabbed the ends of his borrowed cloak and pulled them tight around him to cover himself as his face turned a bright Pendragon red.
Hope everyone enjoyed that! Now please review!