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"Not Valiant." Uther looked at her sternly.

Jaya shook her head. "Valentin."

"Valentin." Uther drew out the syllables of the name like he was trying it on for size. "Why did he change his name?" He looked at her harshly.

Jaya shrugged. "I suspect because he knew that Father would be looking for him, and that he was a dead man walking."

"And why is that?" Uther all but demanded.

Jaya sighed. "It's a long story."

Uther spread his hands and gestured for her to continue.

"King Eirk was a good king. At first."

"What does he have to do with Valentin?" Arthur wondered, interrupting her.

Jaya shot him a look. "Do you want to know how I know him or not?" she demanded, her eyes narrowed.

Arthur sobered and pulled his head back slightly. Jaya was definitely back to herself.

"Continue." Uther urged looking back at Jaya.

"King Eirk was quite popular for many years. Father was one of the first knights that he knighted. He was a fair king, but had a bad spending habit and was not very good about paying off his debts. He began to anger the nobles that were picking up the bills. It didn't take long before the people started to turn on him when his men started raiding outlying villages for tax money and other valuables. They avoided Dublin...at first. So that he could deny what the people were saying. Usually focused on villages on the other side of the Island or at least a day's ride away, hoping to keep the news away from as many people as possible. It was a few years later that he started to get paranoid about money. He would scream at his treasurer about how little he had, and was always demanding to know where the money was, and who was stealing from him. He had a new treasurer almost on the month because they would always tell him the same thing. That he was King in name only and owned nothing. It was really the nobles and a handful of the knights that owned the Island. He soon began to worry that he would be overthrown, and surrounded himself with a select set of knights. They were known for their viciousness, and most of them had been the men part of the raids that hit the villages for money. Every one of them evil men, and skilled fighters with more blood on their hands than anyone dared to ask. They were the garda mionlach. A premier guard that both protected the king and carried out raids and executions in his name."

"And Valiant was part of this," Uther waved his right hand around in the air his face pulled back slightly, "garda mionlach?"

Jaya nodded. "He was their First Knight. There were always rumors that he had the ear of the King, and would tell Eirk who needed to be slain and for what reason. And it wasn't long after that before it became apparent that Valentin was using his influence for his own gain. Soon it wasn't just the people who were being 'brought to justice' for complaining against the king or protesting his high taxes, the knights were beginning to feel the pain of Valentin's wrath as well. For a long time, the knights believed that those that were...executed were in the wrong. Then knights who had been fighting for Eirk since the beginning, before they were knights, started to disappear. Men like my Father."

"Your Father would have never done such a thing!" Uther snarled.

Jaya nodded. "Aye. He did, however, have the Crown in his debt, both by the blood that he spilled on its account, but also in the money that he had gave to debtors. He and Valentin were friends, saved each other's lives a few times in battle. My father respected him, though he disagreed with how Valentin fought, and the means he used. He never begrudged the fact that Valentin made it into the garda mionlach and Father didn't. He would have turned down the chance either way, because Mother couldn't run the estate by herself."

"Why not?" Arthur wondered. "Didn't she run it when he was away fighting in the wars?"

Jaya pursed her lips. "She did, though no one knew it. The other nobles would have protested."

"Why is that?" Uther wondered, looking at her curiously.

Jaya shrugged. "She's...different. Not like the other women. Father would have told Eirk that was his reason, but it was really because he knew the the garda mionlach were vicious, and tended to take out personal vendettas rather than what the thought behind the garda mionlach should be."

"Was he ever under suspicion?" Arthur wondered.

"Who? Father? There's a reason why he's king now, Arthur." Jaya looked sad. "One day about twenty years ago, you sent him a request to come fight for you in Camelot, to take the citadel and completely establish your rule as King, Sire." She looked at Uther.

Uther nodded slowly in agreement. "I remember he came and brought with him a small band of knights that he told me had been dispatched by King Eirk."

Jaya bobbed her head back and forth. "That was more or less true. He asked permission to come fight for you, and I don't know what really happened, he must have caught the King in a good mood, or alone...or both. All I know is that when he told a few of the men that he was leaving, some of them volunteered to go along. And some to stay behind and keep watch over the estate. And then they were gone for almost four years. Sometime in the that time either the King or Valentin or both started to suspect that Father had took those knights as an act of treason. He came back and was arrested soon after."

"He was arrested for treason?" Uther roared.

Jaya looked at him, her face void of emotion. "It was at his execution that the uprising happened."

"Your father was going to be executed?" Arthur asked, agast. From the little time that he had spent with Jaya's father, it seemed like Brian had always been loyal to the Island. And it would have never crossed his mind to commit treason.

Jaya shrugged. "My father just so happened to be quite a favorite among the knights, and it was to the point that when it actually came down to the execution they revolted. And once they had started, the civilians joined in. The first thing that happened was my mother disappeared. I'm too young to remember, but they smuggled us out of the city, because the villin brought her to the city to watch him die…" Jaya's eyes were hard and she glared off into the distance. "They took us somewhere, and I'm told that we bounced around from village to village and we would be left with them while the villagers that were able left to join the fight. It was years before Father was able to take Dublin. It was another five before he was able to say that he was King. That was almost twelve years ago now. Father spent the first few years of his reign making sure that the garda mionlach were disbanded. All of them were loyal to Eirk. And blamed my father for his death. For a long time they were hunted. It was only a couple of years ago that the last one was found. They never caught up to Valentin, but there had been so many battles that the garda mionlach were part of that it was hard to know if he went missing because he managed to slip through the net, or if he died some time before. Father always felt bad because he and Valentin were good friends. But if you ask him, he'll tell you that Father is a traitor, and that as a family we're worth nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been organizing many of the uprisings on the Island before he came here."

"And he would want you dead because of this?" Uther looked at her shrewdly.

"Wouldn't you if you were in his position and had the chance?" Jaya wondered, looking back at him with the same look.

Uther blinked. The tone in her voice was almost challenging. "It seems rather pointless. Your father is solidly in control. And your death will not change that."

Jaya's eyebrows shot up. "But it would strike quite a blow to him!" suddenly her eyes widened and she looked at him sharply. "Did you announce that I was going to be attending this tournament?" she asked.

Uther pulled back slightly. "You will not use that tone with me. I am King here."

Jaya's eyes widened. She looked at him and finally blinked and gaped at him. "Well no wonder he's here. He came for me!" her eyes hardened and her brogue became so thick it was hard to understand. She roughly pushed her chair back and stood up when she barely passed the table edge.

Ridire exploded up from where he had been sleeping a few feet away and looked over at her waiting for her next move.

Uther looked up at her, irritation crossing his face. "Where are you going?"

Jaya looked down at him. She sighed and half shook her head. "I was left here to get away from the threats that are on the Island. And you brought the biggest one here to Camelot." her tone was calm and quiet, like she had resigned herself to the fact that Uther had done something that she had absolutely no control over. "Those snakes…" she shuddered involuntarily, "Sir Ewan could have died for no other reason than I was here and Valentin saw his chance." Jaya sank down into her chair again and rested her elbows on the edge of the table and her head in her hands. "What are you going to do with him, My Lord?" she wondered, looking up at Uther, fire in her eyes, but not in her tone.

Uther regarded her for a moment. "He was found to be using magic in Camelot, and against a fellow knight in a tournament. And to attack a guest in my castle. He will be dealt with according to the laws of Camelot."

Jaya nodded slowly. "And the shield?"

"Destroyed." Uther responded so quickly that he almost cut her off.

"I'll write my Father. He should at least know what happened." Jaya stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I'm feeling a bit light headed. Gaius has told me not to overextend myself, and if I'm to get out of his chambers to watch the tournament, I should rest."

Uther nodded his consent and watched her and her dog start toward the door. "Jaya."

Jaya paused and looked over her shoulder at him, half turning toward him. "Sire?"

"There's no need to tell your father that he was brought here by the mention you would be attending the tournament." Uther put on his best kingly face and tone.

Jaya pursed her lips slightly. "Of course, Sire." she walked out of the room and around the corner. "That's never going to happen." she muttered to herself, making her way toward her chambers.

It was a few hours later that Jaya finally handed off the letter to Freya with instructions to make sure that it was sent out as soon as it could be. She then made her way back down toward the cells, and leaned against the bars of the cell opposite of Valentin.

"Hello again. Did you miss me?" she wondered, her voice cheery enough.

He looked up at her and his eyes narrowed. "Why are you here again? Come to gloat? Or to see that I'm miserable as possible?"

Jaya frowned slightly. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Valentin glared at her. "I don't need to answer your questions, Wolf Filth."

"That's the third time in my life you've called me that. And I have yet to decide how it is that you think that I should be called such a thing. I have done nothing to you, and you will recall, I have been quite nice to you considering all that's happened." Jaya's eyes were hard and her tone was dark. "Now answer the question."

"Your father took over from the rightful king. He's a traitor. And you! You don't deserve to be called princess! The daughter of a traitor and a peasant." he spat at her through the bars.

Jaya stood up and walked to the bars. "Don't you ever talk about my mother like that. Do you understand? I'll kill you where you stand." Jaya's eyes flashed and she folded her arms.

Valentin chuckled. "A hothead. Just like your father. I suppose I'm to be sent back to the Island for the 'crimes' I committed."

Jaya snorted. "Wouldn't you love that? I'm sure you'd find some way to escape. No, you made the mistake to do magic in Camelot. Even with all the stories I've heard about you from my father, I didn't think you were that arrogant." She shifted all her weight to her right leg. "No, Uther's going to see the shield destroyed and your death. You shouldn't have come here." Jaya started down the hallway towards the top of the castle. "You should have stayed in Ireland."

A loud knock rapped against the door.

Freya looked up from her needlepoint and laid the piece of material down in her lap. Who could that be? At the second knock she sighed and put down what she was doing and walked over to the door. She opened it a crack and peeked through it. "Yes?"

The guard standing just shy of the door shifted uncomfortably. "I'm here to escort the Princess Jaya."

"Escort?" Freya asked, confusion in her voice. "Escort where?"

"To the execution of the prisoner, Knight Valiant." the guard answered stiffly.

Freya looked at him for a moment and shook her head. "You'll do no such thing."

The guard looked startled and shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"She's resting. You can't honestly expect her to get up and go to such an event. She was bitten by a poisonous snake. Twice. She's lucky to be alive. Please send Uther her regrets and tell him that she will be present at the tournament." Freya leaned against the door and did her best to block the guard's line of sight toward the bed.

The guard paled slightly at her tone and nodded once. "Of course. I shall tell him. Please apologize to the Princess for my disturbance."

Freya smiled and nodded. "I will."

"Good day," the guard nodded to her and started off.

"Good day." Freya nodded and waved to him slightly. She pushed the door closed and leaned against it.

If she only knew where Jaya was…

Courage snorted and continued to eat grass where he stood, calmly ringing Jaya's hair.

Jaya pulled a face and opened one eye to look at him. "Did ya have to do that so close to my face?" she wondered, closing her eye again. She was exhausted. Maybe she was pushing it too far going to the stables and taking Courage out through the small south gate. In hindsight she probably should have taking the time to saddle him too. Maybe she was pushing herself too hard.

She had decided on a whim that she was going to leave the city. She had a feeling that Uther would want her on hand when he passed judgement on Valentin, but she didn't want to see. She didn't want to be there to hear what he had to say if Uther gave him the chance to speak. The realization that Ewan had nearly died because Valentin was using magical snakes; and was there intending to use them on her. And all because he had known that she would be there. It was troubling. Jaya wouldn't allow herself to admit that she was actually frightened by the fact that Valentin had followed her almost a week's journey one way for the express reason to kill her via magical snakes. What was the point of leaving the Island if the problems her father was trying to protect her from where just going to follow her to Camelot? And now she had a destiny to worry about. At least Valentin was after her, and she didn't have to worry about protecting Merlin from him.

Jaya closed her eyes tighter and scrunched up her nose as Courage's muzzle rubbed over her nose and brushed her cheek. She reached up blindly with one hand to scratch under his chin before pushing his head away. Ridire's head flopped down on her legs with a heavy sigh. She had been throwing a stick for him to chase off into the woods, with magic-she didn't have the energy to throw it by hand-and had ignored his last couple of attempts to get her to throw it again. Much to his consternation.

"Jaya?"

Jaya started. Her eyes ripped open. The shadows that had barely touched the glade where she was sleeping, apparently, were now well past her. She looked to her left and frowned slightly.

Arthur.

"Were you that asleep?"

"I wasn't in any danger if that's what you're wondering." Jaya muttered, sitting up and pulling a face at the dizzy spell that hit her.

"You're alone. In the woods. Asleep." Arthur squatted down next to her.

Jaya looked at him and tilted an eyebrow. "I am not alone. You should give those two more credit." She nodded toward Ridire and Courage, who both were a few feet away.

"Your dog and...horse…"Arthur looked at her skeptically.

"I suppose sometime I should tell you about the war dogs of the Ó Caiside Family. You're in more danger than I am." Jaya smirked at him.

"And the horse?" Arthur wondered.

"He's a war horse. Specially trained for battle. I'll tell you about that sometime as well." Jaya shrugged, her tone sounding like she highly amused by the turn of the conversation.

Arthur raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the right slightly. "We were worried about you."

"How long have I been away?" Jaya wondered, trying to remember where the shadows had been when she closed her eyes the first time.

"About three hours."

Jaya pursed her lips slightly. "Sorry. I didn't want to be around for…"

"He's gone now, Jaya. It's over. Father understands. I'm sure of it. He plans to write his own letter to King Brian." Arthur informed.

Jaya whistled through her teeth, not bothering to watch Courage pick up his head and start trotting toward her. "Perhaps the Island will settle down now. Now that he's…" Jaya pursed her lips and let the sentence fall.

Arthur offered her his hand as he stood up.

Jaya reached up and was slightly surprised when he grasped her forearm, his palm solidly on her wolf tattoo. She allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Arthur held her arm for a moment. "Perhaps it will."