AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story may seem familiar to some of you as it was on here some time ago. I took it down to try to rewrite it so it flowed better, and try to get it an ending that actually makes sense. Not doing all that great with that, but have at least started.

This is written with the intent that it read more old fashioned, thus there will be NO contractions. You won't see 'won't' or 'can't' etc. You WILL see 'will not' and 'can not' etc. This means that at times it will probably not make a lot of sense when you read it, for example instead of 'WON'T YOU COME OVER?' it will read 'WOULD NOT YOU COME OVER? which just seems wrong, but it is what it is, sorry. Feel free to read with the correct contractions if it bothers you.

Also, I have changed a lot of names to the older versions so at the end of the chapter I'll try to remember to catch the new ones introduced and let you know who they are, please let me know if a miss one.

The sun was just visible on the horizon when one of the more experienced servants straightened his immaculate attire and knocked on the King's bedroom door. When the King did not bid him enter; he knocked once more before entering.

"Time to wake up your Majesty," he said as he placed the hot breakfast he had brought on the table before opening the red bed curtains.

All it took was one look at the King to know he had expired during the night. Closing the curtains, he went to find Maxwell, the royal advisor, to inform him about the King's demise. Maxwell sent for Albertus, the court physician, to accompany him to the royal bedchamber and verify that the King was dead. The elderly physician checked for Uthyr's pulse even though the King was cold to the touch. Sighing, he nodded his confirmation to Maxwell as he closed the King's eyes, and pulled the red silken covers up over Uthyr's head. Straightening his aching back, Albertus left the room in Maxwell's capable hands, and headed back to his workroom. Meanwhile, after running a stressful hand through his short, thick chocolate brown hair Maxwell had the royal guard transfer the body to the royal crypt, and the royal funeral effigy brought up to the King's quarters. Once that was taken care of he went to talk to the King's ward, Lady Minerva. Knocking on her chamber door he announced his presence, and entered when the Minerva's petite, brown-haired maid Gwenhwyfar opened the door.

"Good morning Max," Minerva said as she tucked a strand of her long, raven black hair behind her ear. "I know the King is dead if that is what you are here to tell me. If you are here about the throne forget it, I am not taking it. Uthyer's son is destined to rule, not me. We just need to find him."

Maxwell bowed to hide his shock that she already knew the King was dead. "My Lady as much as I believe in your weird women's intuition, I request that as King Uthyr's daughter, you promise that if your crazy plan does not work, you will consent to take the throne."

Minerva grimaced before she said, "Camelot and I do not get along Max, she would wither and die in my care. However, I have a way to bring her destined ruler to us. With him crowned, and his soulmate at his side Camelot shall achieve greatness."

Gwenhwyfar smiled at her mistress, no that was not quite right, Minerva was more her best friend than her mistress if she was honest with herself. "So what do we need to do Minerva?"

"Well, many years ago, before the birth of the five kingdoms," Minerva began as she stood, and motioned for Gwenhwyfar to hand her the emerald green dress, "this land was in an endless cycle of war and bloodshed, but one man was determined to end all that." With the dress in hand she strode over to stand behind the screen in the corner of her room before continuing, "He gathered together the elders of each tribe, and drew up plans for their lands to be divided. Each of them was to respect the boundaries of the other, and rule over their land as they saw fit." As she talked, she took off her nightclothes, causing Maxwell's face to redden in embarrassment as he quickly turned away. "That man was Camelot's first King, ancestor to all that followed."

"I am well aware of that little bedtime story my Lady. What has it to do with the situation we find ourselves in now?" Maxwell asked her a little impatiently.

"I have had a lot of time on my hands Maxwell, and some of it I have spent in the archives." Minerva began as she put on her dress and turned so that Gwenhwyfar could lace her up. "Not that long ago I stumbled across another part of the story I had not heard before. Apparently, when the King was on his deathbed, he asked to be taken to the far edge of a desolute field outside of Bathum. There, with the last of his strength, he thrust his sword into a rock so that if his lineage were to ever be questioned this would form a test, as only the true King of Camelot can free the weapon." She smoothed out the wrinkles that had formed while she had dressed as Gwenhwyfar finished tying up the back before continuing, "Over the years the sword has been forgotten, yet now when Camelot needs it most a man will free it, unite the land of Albion and rule over the greatest Kingdom the land has ever known. So, Gwen, what we need is for the knights to prepare Bathum and the surronding area for an influx of people. While Gwen informs the Captain of the Guard to organize the knights, Max, I need you to announce that all men born twenty-two years ago on Samhain are required to present themselves in the field outside Bathum three moons from now."

She walked out from behind the wooden screen, and walked over to her vanity as Maxwell said, "Yes my Lady," and hurriedly walked out of the room.

Gwenhwyfar, however, had a few questions for her mistress. "Even if this future King of Camelot shows up how do you plan on establishing his right to sit on the throne with some stupid sword in a stone that everyone has forgotten about? Like it or not, you are the heir, Minerva."

"Gwen, power can corrupt, if I ever sat on that throne, and accepted that power the thirst for complete domination would consume me." Minerva sighed, as she sat down and combed her fine, long hair out. "As for the sword, what I told Maxwell was a bit of a fib. It is just some sword Uthyr wielded one time many years ago to kill a wraith." She shrugged as she gathered her hair together and inserted a diamond-studded hair clasp. "There were rumors that whispered that someone forged it in dragon's breath long before he got a hold of it, and that it was not really meant for a full-blooded human. So, Albertus made sure it found its way out of the castle." She smiled as she waved her hand towards the silk wrap that lay on her bed. She continued her story as Gwenhwyfar gathered up the wrap and brought it to her. "Where it originally came from or how it got into the Dallan Stone, I do not know. What I do know is that I am not the only child of Uthyr's uncontrolled lust. Twenty-two years ago, during the rising of Arcturus, Uthyr was lost in tempestuous weather along the eastern sea coast, where he stumbled upon a castle. In this castle there was a young maiden named Ygraine, upon who Uthyr forced himself. As he sated himself within her virgin body Arcturus shone with such brightness that a globe of fire shot from it in the form of a dragon. Out of this dragon's mouth there issued a ray that stretched out to the castle." Minerva stopped a moment to stare into space before shaking her head as she said, "Not long after he returned to Camelot Uther began to hear rumors of the Once and Future King, and how the magic of that night had brought him into this world. Uthyr came to believe that if he acknowledged the boy he would lose everything, all because of magic. So, to prevent the coming of a new age he purged Camelot of all magic, or so he thought." She stood, and grabbing Gwenhwyfar's hands in hers said, "But he failed, and my visions have shown me that a glorious future awaits us all. Not only that, but that your life mate will arrive with the one we are waiting for, and I can not wait for that day to arrive."

Gwenhwyfar laughed at her mistress' enthusiasm before saying, "Right, before I go try to explain all this to Agravaine, just one question. Is this Dallan Stone also known as the Tara Stone?"

Minerva nodded as she confirmed the name, "Yes, I have heard it called the Tara Stone in the outer territories, so that may be how Agravaine would know it."

Gwenhwyfar curtsied before turning to leave. As she did, she muttered under her breath, "Goddess knows what I will do when I run out of excuses for this crazy quest."

Minerva shook her head as she watched Gwenhwyfar leave. Maxwell was clueless and viewed her visions as nothing more than a women's weird intuition but Albertus, Gwenhwyfar, and Gwenhwyfar's older brother Elyan knew the truth. Albertus had frequently helped her pass on her more dire visions as rumors or gossip when she had been younger, thus warning of any impending doom she saw and they had often prevented needless death and bloodshed. In fact, one of her visions had help save Gwenhwyfar's brother from certain death which was how Gwenhwyfar and Elyan had learned that Minerva was a seer. They had helped Minerva and Albertus find even more ways to protect her from Uthyr's quest to behead or burn all those with magic. Which was why she often feared for their safety, especially as over the years her visions began to involve not only the inner court, but the future of Camelot as well.

Thus Gwenhwyfar decided to first go to her father's blacksmith shop to explain to her brother Elyan that she needed help to explain one of Minerva's visions to Agravaine. Entering the hot, smoky barn she smiled at her father as she walked past him to where a heavily muscled and sweaty Elyan was pounding on a red, hot piece of metal. She patiently waited for him to safely store everything away before looking into his brown eyes and rushing through the whole crazy sword in the stone quest. She was not surprised when Elyan immediately agreed to help her convince Agravaine.

Once Elyan had removed his blacksmith's leather apron and washed up, they made their way to the knight's training field. Arriving they caught Agravaine's attention and beckoned him over. Gwenhwyfar had to bite her tongue when Elyan informed the Captain of the Guard that Lady Minerva had issued a royal decree that the knights look for the missing Tara Stone and the forgotten sword of the first King. Shaking her head as Agravaine nodded his acknowledgement of the order before turning back to the knights on the training field she softly hit her brother's arm.

"Minerva did no such thing," She fiercely whispered.

Elyan shrugged as he said, "It worked though and we did not have to spend hours trying to persuade him to do it so I do not see what your problem is."

It took the better part of a day for a half dozen knights to travel west by horseback and reach Bathum, where they settled into one of the old roman bathhouses. Over the next two moons they fortified the old abandoned town, and brought in food, the royal encampment, and put the section of the field which contained the sword under guard. As the day approached young men, some with their families, began to arrive and set up camp in and around Bathum. Royal Advisor Maxwell shook his head as he rode through the milling chaos, it would be a nightmare sorting through them to find the missing heir.

Lady Minerva looked up at him with a small smile as he arrived at the royal encampment. "Do not worry, Max, if he is not here yet he soon will be, I am sure of it."

Maxwell sighed before saying, "One in a crowd of what thirty, forty? I hope you are right as we can not afford to put off the transition of power for much longer."

"Our borders?"

"Secure for now, but the populace is already getting restless, and this spectacle is not helping matters."

"It will be with worth it, Maxwell. Camelot's time begins when Uthyr's son draws that sword from the Dallan Stone, and the light of hope he creates echoes long after Camelot falls."

Maxwell smiled for the Lady Minerva practically glowed with happiness. "My Lady, I may not be able to see what you do, but I see you, and while I may have some concerns about this plan anything that gives you such a glow is worth pursuing."

Minerva blushed as she watched the throng below.

Meanwhile, about a day's hike from Bathum, two young men were having a heated discussion concerning whether or not the younger one was in fact a Samhain baby.

"I was not born on Samhain you know, there is absolutely no reason for me to to trudge all the way to Bathum."

"Arthur, you may not like it but just because we celebrate your birthday the day after does not mean you are not a Samhain baby. You were born at the exact stroke of midnight, the end of the day before Samhain and the beginning of Samhain. Thus in one sense you are a Samhain baby and in another you are not. As this is a royal decree it is best to err on the side that declares you a child of Samhain and reach Bathum by tomorrow."

Arthur rolled his sky-blue eyes as he said, "As if someone will notice if there is one less candidate there or not."

MINERVA-MORGANA

GWENHWYFAR-GWEN

UTHYR-UTHER

ALBERTUS-GAUIS (no not an older version of the name, I just changed it on a whim)