Hello everyone, quite a long chapter today, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Please read and review!


Chapter 52

Arthur

It was still not the best time of his life, Arthur pondered, but it wasn't the worst anymore either. At least he no longer had the feeling that everything was spinning wildly out of control and he knew who was responsible for that. He had brought Alina back and she had done precisely what he had hoped she'd do. She had immediately taken it upon herself to fix this situation as soon as possible, not even caring if everyone knew about her magic. She now used it openly to help them. Arthur could not be more grateful.

Her return had an awful lot of rumours buzzing around the palace and the lower town, or so Gwen had told him. But, much to his satisfaction, his little chat with Alina in front of two very talkative guards had paid off. People now spoke about the princess as a heroine who was the only sorceress in history to use her magic for good. Arthur knew that they must be wrong on that point, since he himself knew of another good sorcerer, but he allowed the rumours to spread.

So, of course his father was still not fully recovered and Cenred was still amassing an army. That had not changed at all. What had changed was his attitude towards the problems that he was facing. He no longer felt helpless. Now he felt like he could handle them. He could even smile as he saw Merlin clean up all the mess he had made.

The servant pretended to be very angry with him for that, but he didn't fool Arthur. The younger man smiled happily whenever he thought the prince wasn't watching. He was as happy about having Alina back with them as Arthur himself had been, making him practically incapable of being mad at someone, even if that someone had given him loads and loads of work by making his room look like a hurricane went through it.

After breakfast Arthur decided he would check on his father first, then visit Alina and after that head for the council chamber for a meeting with the council members. He still had to explain the princess' presence officially and declare that she was not to be harmed. He knew that at least two or three nobles would protest very loudly against her being in Camelot and Arthur was not looking forward to explaining everything to them. So, instead of facing the worst first, he deliberately saved it for last, creating as much delay as he possibly could.

He greeted the guards at his father's door. 'Good morning,' he said. 'Is my father still asleep?'

'My lord,' they bowed before answering his question. 'He is, my lord. The Lady Alina is still in there as well.' The speaking guard sounded a little suspicious. It was obvious that he did not trust the sorceress at all, which irritated Arthur.

'The Lady Alina is in Camelot at my personal request,' he said sternly. 'I sincerely hope you don't think that it is your place to question my judgment?'

He looked at his shoes in shame. 'Of course not, my lord.'

'Good,' Arthur said, entering the room.

He sighed in frustration. It was bound to be very difficult to get people to accept Alina. Somehow he had believed that the people would welcome her back with open arms when they realised everything she had done for the kingdom. It was starting to dawn on him now that things weren't as simple as that.

His father was still asleep, his breath calm and even. For the first time in these last few days his face was relaxed and peaceful. He smiled a little. It was Alina that had done that. Arthur still thought it was a miracle she would rather heal Uther than make him pay for what he had done to her. Arthur was just glad for it.

He discovered the sorceress in the chair next to the bed, still dressed in those strange clothes from her own time. She had assured them they were women's clothes, but he had a hard time believing that. Were women actually allowed to go around, dressed like that? If that was the case, he was glad he lived in Camelot and not in her time.

Alina was asleep, just like his father. She held Uther's hand in her own, for support, he supposed. He guessed she had wanted to keep watch, but sleep must have overcome her at some point.

As much as Arthur wanted to let her get some well-deserved rest, they still had a council meeting to attend and he had just decided that he would not be going without her. She was back now, never to leave again, and he wanted her to be a part of his life again, every aspect of his life. Besides, the people needed to get used to their future queen. He smiled at the thought of that. She might not believe that that was where her life was headed, but he certainly did.

He walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. 'Alina?'

She was startled by his touch, her eyes fluttering open and looking around her. When she saw it was only him, she sighed in relief. 'Arthur,' she acknowledged. 'You scared the crap out of me!'

He smiled apologetically. 'I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. Did you sleep well?' He understood why she would be a little jumpy in here. He should have thought of that.

She nodded. 'I slept well, thank you, albeit a little short perhaps,' she replied. 'What time is it?'

'Almost ten in the morning, I think. How's my father?'

'Much better,' Alina said, looking a little pleased with herself. 'I gave him an enchantment to help him sleep. Under the given circumstances I did not think you would mind.' She looked at him for approval.

He grinned at her. 'You're the healer here,' he teased her. 'You're supposed to know what's best for your patients.'

She shrugged. 'Well, after all I did use magic. I wasn't sure you'd approve. But I am glad that you do, because he needs his rest,' she replied solemnly. 'He's been through hell these last few days. It will take time for him to recover, perhaps more time than we can afford.'

He thought about that for a moment, then remembering that she had knowledge of what was still going to happen. 'You mean to say that we're still in trouble? Is this another big event?'

'Yes, to the first and no to the second. It's not another big event. It's still the same. Your father's illness and Cenred's army, that is no mere coincidence. This was all too carefully planned out by Morgause,' she clarified. 'Cenred will march on Camelot within the next couple of days and we simply do not have the time to wait until your father is ready to take charge of things again.' She looked him straight in the eyes. 'You will have to be the one to get Camelot through this crisis.'

He had shouted at Merlin because the fate of the kingdom rested on his shoulders, but it wasn't until now that really understood the meaning of those words. And he also knew he couldn't do it. He wasn't ready yet. She expected too much of him.

'I can't,' he whispered.

'You can,' she disagreed. 'It is your destiny, Arthur. And it's part of legend where I come from. We will get through this, I know that.'

Arthur liked the use of the plural form. It gave him the feeling that maybe, just maybe he could handle all of this, as long as she was by his side. 'You will help me?'

She grinned at him. 'What did you think?'

Her smile was contagious. Before he knew what happened he was smiling himself. He offered her his hand and helped her up. 'If that is the case, we have a council meeting to attend.'

Alina

Alina tried her hardest to remain calm for Arthur's sake, but beneath the surface the nerves were practically killing her. It would be her first time to enter these chambers, the first time to face these people since she had been dragged off to the dungeons for using magic. She knew that several members of the council hated magic even more than Uther himself. She also knew that these particular council members would not be pleased to see her, at all.

If it had been up to her, she would have hidden herself in some dark corner to wait until the storm had passed and everything had gone back to normal. But that was not what Arthur and the kingdom needed her to do right now. She was here for a purpose and that purpose was to save legend. Well, rather she would have to save it first in order to change it. She somehow doubted that she would succeed in making Morgana see sense before all hell broke loose. That was something that would have to wait until after the battle, she decided.

After the battle she would seriously work at changing legend, she promised. She had meant what she had told Arthur. Legend could go to hell. Legend had been in her way for far too long. Finally she had decided to live her life the way she wanted it. Since that meant that she had to change legend, that was what she was going to do. It also meant that the time for hiding was over. No more cowering away in her own time, she vowed.

But, for now, legend needed saving first. But if she wanted to do that, there were some very annoying and probably very angry nobles that needed to be talked into trusting her. That realisation made all the nerves return in tenfold.

So now she found herself walking next to Arthur, trying her hardest not to show her fear, but instead showing an expression of calm determination. Luckily she had always been rather good at hiding her true feelings. No one would notice how nervous she truly was, except for those who really knew her well, like Arthur and Merlin.

When they entered the council chambers, Alina could hear the barely hushed whispers. She could almost feel the hostility radiating off some of the men. It made her want to run and hide. What had she been thinking? Had she honestly believed she would achieve anything in here? This was a mistake and she needed to get out of this place as soon as possible.

Arthur sensed she was trying to get away, so he shook his head, almost invisibly, and held her hand a bit tighter. There was no escaping this without using magic and that was something she was not going to do with all these people watching. There was no choice but to let Arthur have his way. And so she walked with him to the head of the table, keeping her head down and avoiding to meet anyone's eyes.

Hating this, aren't you? Merlin's mental voice asked.

She peeked up to see her friend standing next to sir Leon, who smiled encouragingly at her. The young warlock looked both relieved and extremely happy with her return. Although he tried to keep his expression solemn, a huge, sweet smile nearly split his face as she met his eyes.

A lot, she told him.

You still have friends here, he reminded her.

She grimaced. Just a shame there happen to be so few of them.

He shook his head. There are more of them than you realise, Alina. They just don't happen to be in this room, is all.

Right, she thought back sarcastically.

Arthur took his place at the head of the table, not letting go of her hand, which made her feel more than just a little uncomfortable. All eyes were on their holding hands and most of those eyes did not look approving.

'Good morning, my lords,' Arthur said politely.

His greeting was echoed by all those present, but Alina could tell there were too many worries on their mind to make it sound really enthusiastic. Worries about her presence it were, she could tell. Well, no surprise there.

'What's she doing here?' Lord Harold demanded. He had always been one of the biggest magic-haters around here and he had never even liked her before she was exposed. It did not come as a surprise that it was him who questioned her presence first. That did not make it any easier, though.

Arthur's eyes lit up in anger. 'The Lady Alina is here at my personal request,' he replied in a cool voice. 'Only yesterday she rid us of the source of my father's illness. You will all be pleased to hear that he will make a full recovery, although it will take some time before he will be able to resume his duties.'

Lord Richard stepped forward. 'What was it that ailed our king?' he asked, sounding just a little less suspicious than Lord Harold, only just.

Arthur beckoned at Alina. 'I am not as knowledgeable on the subject as the Lady Alina,' he apologized. 'But I think she will be more than capable to enlighten you in the matter.'

I hate you! Alina thought at him. What do you think you're doing!? You're throwing me to the wolves!

Believe me, I'm doing you a favour, he replied. Just tell them what you told me and everything will be fine.

You are starting to sound like Merlin, she thought unhappily, but she did as he had asked, explaining to the court about the mandrake root, its effects and how it had been used to force the king into living his worst nightmares. At Arthur's prompt she also clarified how it was possible for her to know all this without being the one that had cast the spell in the first place. Several jaws dropped when she explained that she had been born in the future and that her counterpart had used a spell to make them swap bodies.

Leon was one of the persons whose eyes had widened during her speech and she had to come to the conclusion that Arthur had failed to mention that little detail about her to the friendly knight. 'Then Alina is not your real name, my lady?' he asked. She could tell he was just interested to know and did not ask this out of suspicion. He was also the only one to address her as a noble lady in this council, apart from Arthur, that was. Thank God for Leon. But then, he had always been one of the kindest, most open-minded people in Camelot.

She smiled. 'It is now,' she said. 'But until three years ago I went by the name of Lynn. Since my counterpart is currently claiming that name, I figured I might as well take her old name.' She did not feel like explaining things like destiny right now. She had a feeling that some people here might actually faint if she did. Besides, this sounded like a plausible explanation.

Lord Harold still eyed her warily. 'So, until three years ago you had never practised magic?'

She nodded. 'That is correct, Lord Harold.' The man's lack of manners was starting to annoy her by now. The noble had already interrupted her several times, addressing her as if she was a lowly servant instead of a princess. Normally she would not have been bothered, but when it came from Lord Harold it was different. And through her connection with Arthur she could feel she was not the only one to lose patience with the nobleman's lack of respect. The prince had to work his hardest not to interfere and let her sort this out herself.

'Then why did you start using it here?' Lord Harold demanded.

'I did not have much of a choice,' she replied as politely as she could, even with her patience running out rapidly. 'My counterpart had magic naturally and since I now inhabit her body, I have it now.' Seeing that this explanation wasn't enough to get the man off her back, she continued: 'Besides, Arthur would probably be dead several times over had it not been for my magic. I have frequently used my powers to heal his injuries as well as to protect him from dangers such as bandits and evil sorcerers.'

'I can bear witness to that,' Arthur said calmly. 'As can Gaius and my own manservant Merlin. My decision is therefore final. The Lady Alina is to remain in Camelot and she will not be harmed by anyone, or they will be punished in accordance with the laws of the land. So, now we must really move on to more pressing matters. Sir Leon, can you tell us what news there is of Cenred's army?'

Alina sighed in relief. She was infinitely grateful that Arthur had taken the conversation to a different subject. He had done it in a very clever way as well. She saw more and more signs of the king he was to become one day. She was more proud of him than words could express.

She was glad with the break. The last half of an hour had left her with a dry throat and trembling hands. She had grown so used to hiding the truth about her magic and her background that it felt terrifying now that she could finally be open about them. Of course the reaction of the attending nobles wasn't particular helpful. She could see disbelief, shock and a huge amount of fear written across their faces. Only very few people seemed to believe her at her word, Leon being one of them.

She focused on her breathing, using all her willpower to slow it down. From experience she knew this was a reliable method to calm herself down. After this she forced her face back into the expression of calm determination.

It was only when she had achieved this that she concentrated on the conversation that was going on around her. There was discussion about the best way to stop Cenred and somehow some of the lords had ended up pleading with Arthur to give Cenred some territories to buy enough time for the king to recover, so that Uther himself could deal with the situation adequately.

She could feel Arthur's emotions almost as well as her own and she felt that he started to doubt himself even more than he already did. He did not think himself worthy before the meeting and this bunch of idiots was busy undermining what little confidence he still had in himself.

At realising this Alina felt all the nerves and fear disappear in an instant. She simply could not allow them to do this to Arthur, so she acted without further thinking. 'Can you hear yourselves talking?' she questioned, rudely interrupting one of Lord Harold's monologues for a change.

She was met by complete and utter silence. Many looked at her in shock. She could almost read their thoughts from their faces. How dare that witch open her mouth like that?

She tried not to let it get to her. After all, it was not her this was all about. It was Arthur. She had to be strong for his sake. 'Can you hear yourselves talking?' she repeated, pleased to find that her voice didn't tremble. 'Because I can. Do you honestly believe that Cenred will be content with just a few territories? Do you believe that that will stop him from marching on Camelot?' She waited a moment, but no one replied. They were all struck speechless, so Alina was forced to answer her own question. 'Of course not. We all know that Cenred has wanted Camelot's throne for ages. He smells an opportunity to get it now, so a compromise is not going to stop him.'

'We can't stop him!' Lord Harold said. 'We're outnumbered two to one.' He pointed at her in anger, which made her back away automatically. 'But I see your plan, witch! You want us to lose, don't you? That has been your scheme all along!'

Before she could even think of how she should respond to that insult, she was side-tracked by something else: a flash of pure rage radiating from Arthur, pulsing through their connection with so much force that it almost sent her stumbling backwards.

'One more insult, Lord Harold, and I'll have you thrown in the dungeons!' he bellowed. 'The Lady Alina is a trusted ally of Camelot and you will treat her as such! Any harm done to her will be done to Camelot as well and will be punished. So I advise you to watch your tongue carefully, Lord Harold. My patience with you is wearing very thin.'

Then why not throw him in the dungeons now? Merlin thought angrily. Her friend did not seem to take too kindly to the obnoxious lord either.

Because like it or not, we need him, Alina thought back. He is a close friend of Uther's, so in the king's absence his opinion matters greatly. Arthur may have a hard time if he decides to go through without Harold's support.

Alina was surprised Merlin did not know this himself. After all, he had been here all along while she spent the last two years in exile. But then, politics had always interested her and Merlin could not care less, unless it affected destiny.

Lord Harold muttered some hardly audible excuse.

'Good,' Arthur said icily. 'Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Alina, had you finished speaking?'

'Not quite,' she replied. 'I agree with Lord Harold that we wouldn't stand a chance against Cenred if we were to meet him in open battle.' She had to work her hardest not to chuckle at Lord Harold's jaw drop at agreeing with him. Sure he had not seen that one coming. 'We do, however, stand a chance if we stay in the citadel and fight him on our terms rather than his. No army has ever taken Camelot itself, isn't that correct?'

'It is,' Arthur admitted. 'But aren't you forgetting something?'

She shook her head. 'I can't think of something.'

'Cenred has the sorceress Morgause on his side. They'll be able to use magic against us,' the prince reminded her.

She snorted. 'Weren't you the one who said that we finally could fight fire with fire? Fight magic with magic? Did you honestly believe that I was going to sit idly by, twiddling my thumbs, while the rest of you go and have all the fun?'

Lord Richard studied her face to see if she meant it. 'And you would really use your powers to protect a kingdom that would have you executed for using those powers?' he questioned.

She looked him straight in the eyes. 'I have done it before,' she stated calmly. 'Cenred and Morgause are as much my enemies as yours. We should fight them together.'

She could see that Lord Harold was simply dying to say something, but he did not dare to since Arthur had threatened to throw his ass in jail if he did. But Alina could see why it was important that he did speak. After all, he was very close to the king and his opinion mattered a great deal.

'Why don't you tell us what's on your mind, Lord Harold?' she asked softly.

'We have only ever seen sorcerers in Camelot who were trying their hardest to bring down the kingdom,' he said. 'And now you are telling us that you are not one of them. It makes no sense at the very best. The most logical place for you to be is with the likes of Cenred and Morgause.'

She shook her head. 'It isn't,' she disagreed. She decided that there apparently was no way she could really explain this properly without involving destiny, so she might as well do it. 'It is my destiny to be at Arthur's side, to protect him from the likes of Morgause. If I were joining her, I would be getting in my own way. Besides, I have not tried to keep him alive all those times to betray him now.'

Lord Harold was still very sceptical. 'What is it that you have done, then?' he demanded.

'She killed the witch Nimueh!' Merlin spoke up before she could even begin to think of an answer. And when the young warlock saw how shocked she looked, he added a mental: Please shut up, Alina. Let me handle this.

But I didn't kill Nimueh! she protested. And I am not going to take the credit for something you have done, Merlin!

Yes, you are, he insisted. You need something that will convince them of your loyalty to Camelot and killing one of their worst enemies will probably do the job. Besides, I rather had you get the credit than anyone else or no one at all.

This is ridiculous! Alina snapped.

Deal with it, he thought back, using one of her favourite phrases.

All eyes had now turned towards Merlin.

'Is this true?' Lord Richard asked.

Merlin nodded fiercely. 'It is. I was there. I saw her do it. Nimueh wanted to kill prince Arthur, so she sent the questing beast to do the work for her. Alina went to her and she killed Nimueh so that the balance of the world was restored or something. Some weird rule about a life for a life. Anyway, by killing Nimueh she saved Arthur.' He looked at her, appearing to be very pleased with himself. How did that sound?

She gave a mental snort. Like the load of nonsense that it is.

But Merlin's little scheme worked as he had planned. Lord Richard gave a respectful nod in her direction. 'Then I have been very much mistaken about you, my lady,' he said. 'Please accept my sincerest apologies.'

She smiled. 'Of course, Lord Richard.'

Lord Harold kept his silence, but she hadn't really expected an apology from him anyway. His prejudice against magic went to the bone and the world would probably come to an end before that would change. She would just have to be patient and hope that one day he would understand what she had done for Camelot.

Sir Leon turned to Arthur now that this matter had been sorted. 'But what would you have us do, my lord?' he asked, getting back to the true problem here

Arthur took a deep breath and then made his decision. 'Prepare the city for siege,' he ordered.