Over the course of the next few days, Emogen found herself to be even more tired than compared to the exhaustion she felt when the battle was done and she had lines of never ending people to heal. As the two Woad leaders left her, she sighed and relaxed against the log she was sitting on. She smiled as Lancelot slowly walked up to her. He had awoken the night of the second day after the battle, and she and Arthur had nearly smothered him in love and affection. Lancelot had nearly thrown a temper tantrum, but he had calmly reminded them that they had other business to attend to and had 'oh so very kindly' told them to get their arses out of his room! Yes, his room. The day after the battle of Badon Hill, Arthur and Merlin had decided to bring everyone back behind Hadrian's Wall incase there were more Saxon troops left roaming the lands.

Bors had taken great delight in introducing her to Vanora and his eleven bastards before his lover and she had laughed and reminded him that they had met before. His face had drooped, but he beamed and retorted that she had yet to meet all of his bastards. She had to concede that one. After all, she thought with a grin, at that point in time, I had only been introduced to Seven, Eight, Nine, and Eleven. Arthur, Guinevere, Cordelia, Merlin, the Woad leaders, and herself had been holed up for the last three days trying to come to an agreement over the Kingship role of Briton. Merlin, Guinevere, and herself supported Arthur for the role as King, but Merkin, Cordelia's father, wanted a Woad in position of power. When Merlin reminded his brother-n-law that Guinevere would be Queen, Merkin threw a fit and roared that it was always Guinevere first in their family. Emogen had understood, and stepped in and reminded them all that this was a meeting of firsts, not a single meeting where everything had to be decided at once. After she said that, the meeting dispersed and she had wound up here sitting with Merkin and her father, Duncan.

Lancelot placed his hands upon her shoulders and asked as he kneaded them, "How goes the talks?"

She groaned and replied leisurely, "It is slow going. Uncle Merkin wants a Woad as King, but Uncle Merlin wants Arthur to be King. It's only been three days, and I'm already ready to toss it all up and ride far, far away from here and never look back. Do you think we could slip away and ride to Sarmatia? Do you think we'll be missed?"

Lancelot laughed at her hopeful face and replied, "Yes, dearest we would be missed. And is it truly that bad? I thought you dealt with this kind of battle all the time?"

She tilted her head down and said, "I do, but this is different. Before, I was dealing with ten different leaders who all wanted the same thing, but were too stubborn to see the truth before them. Now, I'm dealing with those same ten men who all want the power and influence related to the King of Briton."

Lancelot nodded and said, "Yes, to be King is a great temptation. I can see where the problem lies."

Emogen shook her head and denied, "No, they do not want to be King, they just want to have influence over the King. They all have a different man from their own tribe that is loyal to them, and they want that man to be King."

Lancelot frowned and asked, "What of shared power? I mean, Arthur may have been our Commander, but we were all equal in his eyes. Could there be something like the Round Table established here for Briton? I mean there will be the King and Queen on course, but what of shared power? There could be a second to the King and the King's advisors for many of the Kingdoms daily business. Plus, I know Bors wants to be Governor of his own city…"

Emogen cut him off with a passionate kiss. As she pulled away she shouted and rushed off, "You're a genius Lancelot! I know just how to deal with this mess now!"

Lancelot was left with a dazed look in his eyes and puckered lips, "Ah, you're welcome?"

As she rushed by, Ula cried out, "Emogen! Take him! PLEASE!"

Emogen stopped, turned around and grinned at her, and said, "Sorry Ula, but why don't you just sleep with him already and be done with it? It's so obvious that you like him and he likes you."

At Ula's indignant squawk, she spun around and rushed to the main hall where the other leaders were gathering after two hours of recess.

As she sat down by her place at Arthur's right, in Lancelot's normal seat, she thought about the other couples that seemed to sprout up very quickly over the past few days.

Ula and Tristran are actually kind of sweet if I really think about it. Ula is hot tempered and impatient half the time and she hates having to look to deeply into things. She's rather one sided like that. She has no control of her emotions and she wears them out for all to see. Tristran's the exact opposite what with him being recluse and patient and seemingly emotionless. She could and HAS brought his emotions out and he has had an effect on her too. I've noticed how calm she becomes in his presence. Another thing that is cute not to mention extremely funny is the fact that he follows her around everywhere! He says it's because he doesn't trust her, but I can see in his eyes that he's playing with her. Her eyes grew soft as she added to herself And when she thinks no one is looking, Ula's eyes follow HIM around wherever he goes too.

Then there is cute and cuddly Enys and Galahad. Now there's a puppy love like no other! They are so sweet around one another it's almost too much to watch. He opens every door for her and is the perfect gentleman to her. He even helps her in her Healing chambers! NO ONE stays there long after spending a few hours with Enys in her chambers. She's one hell of a boss to deal with in her world. Not even Ula stays with her long because she fears Enys' temper if she messes up the room even the slightest! Then there are her reactions around Galahad! She actually becomes confident enough to speak to others without whispering first and she joins in on conversations easier when he's with her. They draw their strength from each other and it's amazing to see. They could become one of the strongest matches this world has ever seen!

Next we have Gawain and Alma. Alma's a headstrong, opinionated woman! Gawain's easy going and willing to let the world travel and pull him along for the ride. He lets her do her job without complaint. In fact, he just likes being around her. They also hardly ever talk. It's like they have a special bond already. Gawain could open his mouth to ask her something, and Alma would be answering that question before he even gets it out of his mouth! But, they can also talk about just about anything and have a good time talking to each other too.

Lastly, Arthur and Guinevere AND Cordelia. I hadn't meant to make a love triangle when I introduced Arthur to Cordy, but she and Arthur seem to work better together than Guinevere and Arthur. Arthur's very commanding but he wears his power regally like Merlin does. Guinevere is very proud of herself and likes everyone to know it. Cordelia is like Arthur in the fact that she can wear power easily and not lose her temper while under stress. Now that I think about it, that is why she became Merlin's second and not Guinevere. But, Merlin wants Guinevere and Arthur to marry and rule Briton together; which brings me to my problem and Lancelot's brilliant idea!

As the men, Guinevere, and Cordelia sat down, Emogen noticed Lancelot and Tristran standing in the shadows; one on either side of Arthur like guardian angels or avenging Knights of Honor. She didn't know which they were-perhaps they were both.

Merlin stood up and started, "As we've been discussing, we have ten candidates for Kingship. Each man is a good leader and strong in their beliefs, but only one can be King. I believe that Arthur is the best choice because he is a leader and more importantly, he led us to victory against the Saxons. Without him and his Knights' help, we would be under Saxon slavery now. You cannot deny this point!"

As the men started to grumble their agreement, Emogen stood up and announced, "I believe gentleman, that I have a solution to our problems. If you'd allow me to explain?"

Every man in the room stopped talking and turned to face the Lady of Peace. Lancelot, from his place behind and to the right of Arthur, felt awe fill his whole body by just watching her. Her long emerald green dress made her emerald eyes stand out against her pale face and dark black curly hair. Also, the crown she wore in her hair, the gold, silver, and bronze threads braided together made the emerald gems twinkle in the candlelight like her eyes twinkled. He was spellbound.

"Now, we all know that we cannot have ten Kings. But, what if nine of the ten were made to be a council of sorts to the King. They would have the power to reject laws made by the King if they are not good, just laws and if the King is found unjust, then the council can dismiss the current King and place a new King on the thrown. But, this decision cannot be made without objective and unbiased men. These men can be Dukes. They will govern over their land provinces that will be awarded to them by the King and once a month they will come to the castle for a meeting with the King. The Knights of course will have power since they were instrumental in our victory, but how they will receive this power is unknown as of yet. We will also need many Heads of State."

"What is this Head of State?" asked Merkin as Druidius and Briac and Conner agreed.

"The Head of State would be those who control the Soldiers, the Archers, the Scouts, the Healers, the Ambassadors, the Security, the Kitchens, the Housekeepers, and the Courts plus all the under sub-categories that will no doubt be established by the Heads themselves. Will this help in your decisions?"

Each man looked thoughtful as Cordelia smirked at her and winked. Emogen smiled. Cordelia wasn't impressed easily, but when she was she definitely told you.

Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere and the others started to talk as she sat back and observed. Guinevere was the most outspoken and most challenging. She wasn't meeting the other leaders half way. She sighed. This was the reason why she was the Lady of Peace and not her cousin. Guinevere just didn't know how to share.

"Lady Guinevere, please remove yourself from this meeting if you cannot find it in yourself to come to a compromise with Lord Merkin. We are here to discuss possible arrangements, not have you telling us how this meeting will go. You're opinions have been heard, but if you cannot listen to others, than you WILL leave." Announced Emogen loudly as she stared her cousin down.

Guinevere and Merlin were staring at her in shock. Merkin and Cordelia were smirking at her and the others were silenced by their surprise.

Guinevere recovered quickly and challenged, "How will I be removed? Despite everything, I am still a Lady of War and we are equals in strength. You would not be able to move me."

Emogen nodded in agreement but added, "No, you are correct, I could not remove you from this place, but you have forgotten. I am the Lady of Peace. I have more power than you do in this environment. Plus, all I have to do is ask Tristran to remove you and I think he will most happily."

As she said this, the aforementioned scout stepped into the light with a sneer on his face and she ended, "As you can see, he quite agrees with me."

Guinevere glared at her, slammed her hands on the Round Table, and stormed out of the room. Merlin looked at the gathered people and bowed his head. Guinevere's lust for power has been her undoing. No one will want her to be Queen with her taste for power and the childish ways she handles rejection in any shape of form. Noted Emogen as she nodded to Tristran and he blended back into the shadows as easily as a Woad would.

Merlin cleared his throat and said, "Well, Lady Emogen's idea has merit. I suggest we adjourn for three days and come back on the forth day with our suggestions. This way we'll all have open minds about who to place in these places of power."

Everyone agreed and quickly left the room. Arthur and her locked eyes, and he nodded at her. It was a good idea and they both felt like progress was starting to happen.

She felt Lancelot stand behind her and commented casually, "You know, it was actually Lancelot's idea. He was the one to suggest something in the likes of the Round Table…you should be proud of him Arthur. Lancelot was the one to bring us this respite…not I."

Lancelot sat down in the chair beside her and blushed as his friend smiled at him and said, "I am proud. Lancelot does have good ideas every once in a while."

Lancelot glared good-naturedly at Arthur and stuck out his tongue. Arthur laughed and shook his head with a sigh.

He asked wearily, "How is it that a meeting only two hours long can exhaust me faster than a full day of battle can?"

Emogen laughed and said, "Because, in battle only two things matter: kill and win. In talks, you have to be aware of so many more things: who will side with you, who to please, who you need to anger, how many you can bring to your side, and how those people will one day turn their backs on you."

Lancelot pointed out, "You have to be aware of those things in battle too."

Emogen nodded but added, "Yes, but those are worries you have during battle. In peace talks, you have to be wary of them until true peace in achieved, and that could take many, many weeks. So your worries are dragged out with the talks themselves."

Lancelot smiled and took her hands in his.

She sighed and replied, "The one thing that Arthur has going for him is the fact that Merlin supports him, I support him, and over forty percent of the Woad population wants him to be King."

Arthur looked at her tiredly and said darkly, "That still leaves sixty percent against me, Lady."

She shook her head and said, "No, that sixty percent is again broken down into six groups of ten Arthur. They will support THEIR leader's choice like blind men. Just wait until they actually see you. You will quickly gain their support because you are a legend. There is not a Woad alive today who doesn't know your name and your deeds. They will support you, I promise."

Arthur shook his head and said, "Merkin does not support me, that much is certain. The others, Briac and Druidius, and the others are not as outspoken about their choices. I think they can be swayed to support me, but…"

Emogen shook her head and replied, "Don't you worry about Merkin. He just wants to overpower Merlin at least once in his life. It is common knowledge that Merkin and Merlin are adversaries. Merkin always challenges Merlin. If Merlin chose Merkin's son, Riley, as King, Merkin would support another just to spite Merlin. Just ignore him. Besides, Riley is sickly and not a good candidate and Cordelia has no desire to be Queen. Now if she is placed into the position she'll do so honorable, but she does not desire power like Guinevere does."

Arthur and Lancelot just looked at one another. Politics were something they both had to learn while growing up under the Roman command and knew all the tricks in the trade since Arthur was the Commander and he, Lancelot, was Second-n-Command, but creating a brand new system was overwhelming and neither one was afraid to admit it. Emogen had to nod in agreement. She felt the same.