Krysia was on high alert when Uther and Catrina dined alone together in the main dining room. She knew that Gaius was right, that the early warnings, while not well-met, were percolating in the king's mind. But a troll wouldn't take chances.

"Isn't this perfect?" Catrina said. "You and me together. A toast. A toast to us."

"I'm not sure everyone sees it that way," Uther said.

"Well, there will always be those who resist change. That's to be expected."

"We must be mindful of public opinion."

Krysia poured fresh wine for the king, and she checked Catrina's cup, finding it full again. She withdrew from the table, and mercifully, Catrina hadn't noticed her.

"What are you trying to say, my lord?" Catrina said.

Uther considered his words carefully before he said, "Perhaps if you were to visit your cousins for a while to show people that we're not rushing into anything."

"You would let yourself be bullied by some petty-minded fools?" Catrina snapped. Uther expressed some surprise, and she cooled slightly. "But of course, of course, my lord. If that is what you wish, then that is what I shall do."

"It is as you said," he told her, "we have all the time in the world."

Catrina's jaw worked, and Krysia watched very carefully as Catrina pulled out a necklace. She examined it, knowing that if a troll was giving up something shiny, it couldn't be good.

"Before I go, my lord," Catrina said, "there's something I want to give you. It belonged to my father, and his father before him."

"Catrina, I couldn't possibly…"

"No, no, no, my lord. I want you to have it. Perhaps when you look at it, it will remind you of me." She put the necklace around his neck. "And of the times that we have spent together."

Krysia noticed an immediate change in Uther's demeanor, and she leaned slightly to get a better look at the necklace, which had a gem in the middle that was deep red and seemed to glow.

"I shall wear it always," Uther said, and entranced was a weak word for how he was looking at Catrina now.

"That is as well, my lord," Caroline said. "For while others doubt me, you must not. You cannot doubt me. For am I not beautiful, my lord?"

"You are beautiful," he repeated.

"Am I not your heart's desire?"

A shiver ran down Krysia's spine at the way his face seemed to open and relax.

"You are my heart's desire."

"Then seal it, my lord. Seal it with a kiss."

"Yes," Uther said. "A kiss."

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Krysia switched some servants around so that she was seeing to the king before bed that night. She'd not had much time to examine the necklace, but she knew if a man looked at any woman like that, no matter what else they could expose, there was no opening his eyes to it.

Uther seemed half-oblivious to Krysia's presence in his chambers, and she turned down the bed, adjusting the pillows, as he took off his gloves, his jacket and began to remove his tunic.

"It's a very fine gift you were given, sire," she said. "Shall I shine it for you before bed so that it gives off its true splendor tomorrow? I'm sure the lady would be best pleased to see it in full glory."

Uther hesitated, perhaps his subconscious recalling his promise to wear it always. However, her invoking of Catrina's pleasure seemed to be the key.

"If it can be done quickly," he said.

"Of course, sire," she said. "I shall sit right here and do it while you watch."

She could feel the power of the thing in her hands. She turned it over, looking for other signs of enchantment.

"What are you doing?" he said.

"I'm taking stock of all the materials, sire," Krysia said. "When one shines valuable materials, there are different methods and different aids to be used. This gem is most unusual."

"Yes, it is," Uther said.

"Let me just grab a cloth from your wardrobe," Krysia said.

She crossed the room, and could only justify turning away from Uther for a short time, but that was enough to do a quick spell to get a sense of the strength of the enchantment. It was extremely powerful, and from what she could tell, the very lifeforce of the troll was tied to the necklace.

There would be no destroying it, and only something equally powerful could usurp the enchantment. Krysia had a few ideas, but they would have to be done very close to him. She knew once he put the necklace back on, there would be no getting it off him until the whole ordeal was over.

She shined the necklace, and she took a deep breath before forcing a smile and helping him put the necklace back on.

"There," she said. "Is there anything else I can do for you tonight, my lord?"

"No, this is perfect. You should get some sleep," he said. He closed his eyes and laid back on his pillows. "I believe tomorrow will be momentous."

"Indeed, sire. Sleep well."

/-/

Krysia sat up while Gaius and Merlin slept that night, reading the book from her aunt. The best result she could find, the strongest counter enchantment, would be to hijack the enchantment itself to herself. It would require doing magic near Uther while he slept and infusing the jewel with her own blood.

She couldn't think of anything more dangerous, but she had few alternatives. She began to study the enchantment and pray she was strong enough to make it work.

/-/

The following day, Merlin told Krysia that he and Gaius were going to find something to force Catrina to be revealed, and she knew she didn't have time to keep studying. That evening, she took another shift helping Uther to bed. She gave him a strong wine mixed with a sleeping draught so he would not wake while she worked, and she swore to work hard to make him recover from the headache come morning.

She locked the door with magic to be safe and she stood over him, trying not to tremble. The enchantment was not short, and she did not want to say it too loud in case the sleeping draught wasn't enough. But once she had recited it, she could see the gem begin to glow bright, and she pricked her finger.

"Forgive me," she whispered as she let her blood drip onto the gem, and watched it go dark red once more.

Uther twisted slightly in his sleep at the change, and she knew it wouldn't be enough on its own. She would have to lay some groundwork to cause more confusion in the troll's charm, but she hoped she would have the time and opportunity.

/-/

Krysia had a rare moment alone with Uther the following afternoon, and she hoped Merlin had some progress with the spell to show what Catrina truly was, because Uther told Krysia he was going to make a grand announcement later in the day.

"I will marry the Lady Catrina," he said. "What do you think I should wear?"

"For the announcement or the wedding, sire?" she said, feigning thoughtfulness.

"Both."

Krysia went to the wardrobe again, and as she was pretending to look through his clothes, she enchanted a large trunk in the wardrobe to come out at her, and he hurried to pull her out of the way of it.

It could have been chivalry alone, of course, but Krysia hoped that little things would tie his brain away from the original enchantments.

"Thank you, sire," she said. She pulled herself out of his hold and brushed off her skirts before turning back to the wardrobe. "I will send someone to place the trunk again."

"Do not trouble yourself," he said. "It is of little consequence."

"Now," she said, "the wedding. This has always looked most becoming on you, sire."

She pulled out a fine blue tunic and held it out for his consideration.

"Has it?" he said. He blinked, as if puzzled. "Do…do you feel the wedding will be well-received?"

It wasn't precisely doubt, but it was a seed of it, and she knew she was making some progress.

"I think it must be," Krysia said. "The suddenness is not totally unheard of, and you had known her many years. She is a very lucky woman, sire."

Uther met her eyes, and she could see an echo of how he'd looked at Catrina on the first wearing of the necklace. The gem glowed slightly, and he seemed to take pause, considering her.

"Is she?" he whispered.

"Of course, sire," Krysia said. She felt guilty, but if she stuck to facts, perhaps she could forgive herself when all was said and done. "After all, you're a powerful, handsome man, and you have only ever been good to her. What more could a woman ask for?"

His expression softened, and she turned back to the wardrobe.

"For the announcement," she said, considering the closet. "This red is rich and stately."

He rested his head on her shoulder, and Krysia turned slowly, not wanting to startle him and break the spell.

"Then that is what I shall wear," he said. "I would not ask, but I am on a tight schedule—"

"It is nothing, sire," she said, pulling the red tunic from the closet. She helped him off with what he was already wearing, and she tried not to think about the change in his breathing as she helped him on with the new clothes.

"You would look very pretty with your hair down," he said. Krysia looked up at him, startled. "Not that you are not…. Apologies, Krysia, you are very beautiful however you wear your hair, but I meant that it would be a welcome change."

She could feel her pulse, strong and rapid in her throat, and she forced a smile.

"Thank you, sire," she said. "Is there anything else you require?"

"I…no, thank you."

She bowed her head and made a point of smiling at him before she left the room. He smiled back.

A shiver ran down her spine again. It would be easy to keep this going, even once they'd found a way to remove the troll, to reshape and bend him entirely to her will. She could see now how easily Nimueh had become what she was. Power of this magnitude was seductive.

/-/

Krysia hadn't had a chance to check in with Merlin and Gaius before the announcement was being made. The chamber was full of the important persons of the court, waiting to hear why they had been called. Uther entered the council chamber with Catrina on his arm, and Krysia stood nearby, ready to exert influence if need be.

She had taken down her hair, as Uther had suggested, and he noticed right away, staring at her as he walked in. The gem glowed slightly, and Krysia smiled at him. He smiled lightly back.

When he stood before the court, he began to give a speech announcing his marriage to the Lady Catrina, and at the lady's insistence, it would be on the following day.

Krysia saw Merlin slip behind a column, and she watched the lady's face shift strangely. Krysia realized quickly, however, that the troll was stronger than Merlin on his own. As Uther continued to speak, she slipped behind another column, took a deep breath, and did a quick spell to amplify Merlin's spell.

It took a great deal of energy, but there were sudden gasps throughout the chamber, and Krysia came from behind the column to see that they had succeeded: the Lady Catrina was no more, and instead there was a hideous, stinking troll in a dress beside the king.

At the expressions of the people, Uther faltered, but he hadn't seemed to notice the alteration of his bride to be. Krysia knew she would have to push the bounds of her work, and she stepped out into the main aisle of the chamber. Leon took a step forward, startled, but she spoke directly to Uther.

"Sire," she said, "I can't see how it would have escaped your notice, but in case it has, I thought I might point out to you that your…bride-to-be happens to be a troll."

Uther looked confused momentarily, but once he looked beside him, his eyes appeared opened. This shocked the troll, who realized that her enchantments had both been broken.

"You little brat!" the troll squeaked. She started toward Krysia. "You've ruined everything, you little slut!"

Krysia heard Leon call her name, but the troll was much closer to her than he was. She took a deep breath, held her ground, and hoped she wouldn't be forced to do magic in front of the whole court.

To her relief, however, the king stuck his own sword into the troll. As the creature died, the stench was horrible, and Krysia stood, breathing heavily, not daring to move.

"You are dismissed," Uther snapped. "All of you. Krysia, with me."

She did not look around but followed him all the way back to his chambers. She didn't realize her hands were shaking until he took them in his gloved hands and tried to still them.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

"Yes, sire," she said. "I…I thank you."

"That was incredibly brave," he said.

"Or incredibly foolish," she said with a laugh.

He began to trace his thumbs over her fingers, and she realized she really could just leave the enchantment on him, could gently shape him. The real mistake the troll made was the lack of time, the lack of subtlety. If she could work slowly….

But she knew it wasn't right. She knew it wasn't him, and she would be no better than the troll.

"Allow me," she said, touching the necklace. "I'm sure you want no reminder of this incident."

"Of course," he said. "That's very thoughtful of you."

She pulled the necklace over his head, and while some of the cloudiness had cleared from his face, he was still watching her carefully. She knew she had to leave before he grew too thoughtful of her hair in this way.

"I should see to your lunch, sire," she said.

He paused, seeming to want to say something else to her, but Krysia bowed her head slightly. She had almost left the room when he said her name.

"Thank you," he said when she paused.

She bowed her head again and hurried out of the room.

/-/

That night, after Merlin had gone to bed, Krysia showed Gaius the necklace and told him all that she'd done.

"I can't tell if that was very brave for very stupid," Gaius said. "Possibly some of both."

"Almost certainly," Krysia said, frowning. "I don't like this, Gaius. I don't like knowing how strong I am. I'm not sure I trust myself."

Gaius pressed his hand on hers and said, "What you've shown today is that you have the strength to make the right choice, even if it would be easier not to. That is more than could be said for many people."

"I did that today, yes, but I don't know that I can trust myself to always do the right thing. Would I make such a choice if I were given it again? I really don't know."

He smiled and said, "I know. If you can't find it in yourself to have faith in yourself, then let me say this: I have faith in you. I know it is not nearly enough, but let it be a start."

/-/

Uther struggled to sleep that night. He could not get comfortable. He felt like a stranger in his own body. The behavior he had displayed over the past days had been unbecoming and out of character, but he had, of course, been enchanted. Had it not been for Krysia….

He had a clear image of her in his mind, standing before him with her hair around her shoulders, and in his head it merged with an old memory of another beautiful woman with long blonde hair, standing before him with even more confidence, calling for the court to congratulate him on his engagement to Ygraine.

He rubbed his temples, trying to pull apart the present and the past. It had become increasingly difficult, he found, to ignore the similarities. It was not only in her face and her posture and her hair. Krysia resembled the Lady Zosia in her tone of voice, in how she walked, in the unusual confidence in herself for someone with no one and nothing.

But how could a child found in the Forest of Ascetir have been one of Lady Zosia's children? How could a child so young have been found so far from her destroyed home?

He had dismissed the suggestion for some time, the idea that it could be possible that his servant was actually the only surviving grandchild of Lord Inthorn. He had resisted the seemingly obvious similarities, even to the point of madness, because…because…

Uther had to be honest with himself, he was fond of Krysia. Even when she had been a child, she was unusual. A blend of modesty and strength. She'd become quite beautiful, of course, but he had also never had a better servant. She seemed to be a natural at arranging a staff, at managing people, at anticipating needs.

What if it were true, however? What if this young woman was truly the child of Marcial and Zosia? If he went looking, he would find answers, he was almost certain of it. But then he would have to make a choice on what to do when he found the truth. To deliver her sentence that she had escaped as a child, or to find a way to show clemency.

It was not a decision he was eager to make, so he told himself it was probably his imagination, the addling of the magic from the troll, and he put it off for another night.

A/N:

To Like-a-Slasher-Film:

I wasn't, you're right, but I did truncate it, so…you're welcome? I don't particularly care for this storyline, so I was never going to do the whole thing. However. It was an opportunity I couldn't miss to plant some seeds for later. That, and I was avoiding dealing with the witchfinder just a teeny tiny bit. And yes, there will be more nuggets.

-C