Chapter 29

The sun arose the next morning and it shined brightly on the destruction wrought by Melehan. The kingdom mourned their dead and all eyes turned toward their King for the next set of instructions. However, they had yet to learn of the Queen's passing and it was oppressive silence that reigned from the castle.

Inside, the castle mood was just as somber. Silence rang out through the halls and hardly a word was spoken. Slowly people just left the castle to help clean up the damage done. Merlin was out helping by using his magic to move large objects and other things that would have taken twenty men to lift. He was concerned about Amelia as she hadn't left Eugene's side since he'd passed out. He was sure that their love was just as strong as it had always been but he worried that the two of them had shared some sort of moment together when on their long journey to Camelot. He shook those thoughts from his head but he could not silence them totally and it bothered him.

"You ok Merlin?" Bernard asked, shaking him from his reverie.

"I'll be fine once we get life back to normal," Merlin gave a slight smile.

"Not sure that will be anytime soon. Prince Eugene is in no condition to travel, nor is he out of the woods. The King is getting an envoy to send to Corona to explain what has happened and beg for assistance," Perseus approached them and explained.

"Not sure how they will take that considering the Queen was not there to witness the birth of her grandchild and then to hear her son-in-law is so badly injured, he cannot escort her daughter and grandchild back home. Of course that probably pisses off the King as well," Bernard shook his head.

"Oh you have no idea," Merlin said. Bernard gulped and looked to Perseus who simply said,

"Then may God have mercy on our souls."

"I am many things but God is not one of them," Liam smirked as he approached the group. Merlin chuckled and pulled the man into a firm handshake which turned into a hug.

"How is the General?" He asked as he pulled away from the man.

"Begging to be let out of the doctor's office," Liam smirked.

"I bet," Perseus smiled.

"Colonel Smyth visited him today and I suspect the two have come to an understanding about what side they are on. The Colonel cares deeply for his men and the General is glad to speak on his behalf to the King when this mess is all over," Liam smiled this time.

"Without the Colonel and his men, we would be in deep right now. It is a good thing they decided to switch sides," Bernard said.

"As the Colonel explained to the General, Melehan was only a means to an end. His men were getting paid. That was more than he could have hoped for. General Gazeem was in it to take over Camelot along with Melehan. The Colonel was in it to get back to work. Most of the men are farmers now or men who rely on farmers. Although the Colonel promised to point out the bad seeds and allow the King to do whatever he felt necessary to take care of them," Liam told them.

"Well good. Then hopefully this will all be over when the King dispatches Melehan," Perseus was glad to hear things were looking up; for most of his career there had been one war and then another and very little peace in between. They continued working until they heard a loud shout from inside the castle.

"With me!" Perseus ordered.

To Be Continued…