As requested, Krysia sat at Uther's side in red and gold at the front of the feast. Uther was a in a bright mood, Morgana was pleased, and Arthur seemed in fairly good spirits, so everything was fine. Wasn't it? She still had a feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Uther stood, and the hall gave him their attention as he began to speak. Krysia stared outward, searching for she didn't know what, and her eyes landed on Leon, who was staring directly at her, and he did not look away when she began to stare back.

"It is my profound honor and pleasure to announce," Uther said, "that in a fortnight, the House of Pendragon will be joined to the houses of Elmere and Adaire when the Lady Krysia becomes my wife. Today is a day of celebrations!"

There was a murmur of surprise and pleasure through the crowd, but Leon stared at Krysia still, and he did not seem pleased. Krysia felt a mild relief at Leon's stare, knowing that someone could see, or seemed to see, that something wasn't right. If she could just figure out how to tell him….

"To the prosperity of Camelot!" Uther said, raising his glass.

"To Camelot!" the court echoed.

Krysia sipped her wine, barely noticing now the sour taste settling on the edge of her tongue.

/-/

Uther took off his boots that night and was mildly surprised when his son came to see him.

"You could have given me warning," Arthur said, arms crossed.

"About what?" Uther said.

"That you're going to marry Krysia in a fortnight," Arthur said. "That you're going to marry her at all."

"That is the direction courtship tends," Uther said.

He would have married her on the spot, but as a future queen, she deserved the fanfare of such an occasion. There would be a tourney, of course, and a week of feasting. He would have to have Geoffrey guide her in making the arrangements. Women liked to arrange their own weddings as much as possible, Uther had noticed. At least, all the women he'd known had.

"Don't you think this is all a bit sudden?" Arthur said. "She spends half her life as your servant, a matter of months as a lady, and now you're going to make her a queen?"

"She was born to be a queen."

Arthur shook his head, frustrated, and he stormed out of the room. Arthur couldn't understand, he wasn't seeing clearly the greater picture. This was the right move for Camelot, Uther was sure of it. And if it was a pleasant move for him as well, well, that was a happy accident.

/-/

Leon knew it wasn't his place, but he couldn't help himself. He found Arthur early the next morning, shortly after Merlin had left to prepare his armor for training. Arthur was still eating his breakfast, and he looked exhausted.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Leon said.

"Have a seat," Arthur said. "I expected you to look how I feel. That can't have been easy, watching the woman you love be announced as engaged to someone else."

"She didn't smile," Leon said, before he could organize his words into something more diplomatic.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, thinking.

"She didn't, did she?" Arthur said. "Not even a polite smile for the crowd. She just…sat there at his side."

Leon cleared his throat slightly and said, "Sire, if she marries the king, then she marries the king, and that is not my decision, whatever I think of it. But she has not been sleeping well, and I suspect she has taken to sleepwalking again, as she did as a child. It is very possible that she is not herself right now, and for her to make such a decision under such strain—"

"I understand perfectly, Leon," Arthur whispered. He forced a tight smile and said, "Don't worry. I'll see what I can do."

/-/

Uther went over his correspondence in the council chamber, and he almost laughed at how quickly news spread. Someone had ridden all night, someone who overheard him discussing matters with Geoffrey prior to the announcement, or it would be impossible for Bayard to have extended his likely bitter congratulations so soon.

"Just like him," Uther said, setting the page aside.

"Sire?" Gaius said, looking up with surprise as he reviewed records of birth and death from the countryside.

"Bayard," Uther said. "He's probably had someone paid to watch over her since he realized who she was. He's asking to offer his congratulations in person. Angling for an invitation to the wedding."

Gaius hesitated, then said, "It would certainly be a good gesture for the alliance, sire."

"It would be a gesture of friendship," Uther said, "which is something I am not willing to extend."

"Zosia would have wanted him there," Gaius whispered.

Uther hated when Gaius was right. He would have to invite Bayard, but the man felt like a threat, even if there was nothing he could do.

/-/

Krysia was frowning at layouts Geoffrey had drawn up that would draw respect to both of her houses, which was something Uther had wanted. Apparently it was important to him to honor House Adaire, perhaps a gesture to her mother.

"That's a lot of colors," Arthur said, sitting beside her in the library. "Forgive me if I lose my vision on your wedding day."

Was it a poor joke, or had she just lost the ability to laugh? The idea that she was planning a wedding she felt she'd wandered into didn't seem funny to her. Maybe that was the problem.

Arthur sat forward a little, and she could see the concern on his face. She hoped he didn't ask her something like whether she wanted the wedding, because she didn't trust her voice to supply accurate information.

"When did he propose?" Arthur said.

Krysia stared at the design that was the least busy, uncertain if she should dare speak for a moment, then relieved when the words she thought were the words she spoke.

"He didn't," she said.

Arthur looked startled, then said, "You…. He just announced the wedding to the court without consulting with you?"

"Yes," she said. "It was the first I heard of it."

Arthur looked alarmed, like he was going to ask her something critical, but Morgana swept in, startling them both.

"There you are," she said. "The king wanted me to round you up. Bayard will be here any moment."

/-/

Leon stood at the entry to the castle, watching King Bayard greet Krysia, kissing her hand, commenting on her gown. Leon had noticed the gown as well, again wearing red and gold, possibly at Uther's request. He knew she preferred blues and greens.

"We're pleased you've come," Krysia said to Bayard.

"We'll have a feast tonight in your honor," Uther told Bayard. "But you must be tired. Come, I'll take you to your quarters myself. Lady Krysia selected them for you."

Krysia still wasn't smiling, Leon realized, and he had a horrible feeling in his chest like freezing, a fear he hadn't felt since the hours before his brother died.

/-/

Uther sat with Bayard in the guest chambers, and the two men shared a moment to have a glass of wine. Bayard was giving Uther a hard, long look, sizing him up.

"I suppose you think you've finally won," Bayard finally said.

"I know I have," Uther said, smiling at his old rival. "Marzena's prophecy will come true, I will have a lovely young wife, and Powys and Andor will securely be tied to the throne."

Bayard's lips twisted into a disconcerting smile. He took a long drink of his wine, then set it down, wiped his beard with his sleeve, and said, "If the lady will have you, naturally, you should marry, but I want you never to forget this, Uther: if you hurt her in any way, you will have war with Mercia no matter what scraps of paper we have signed."

"You would risk your kingdom for one girl?" Uther said, amused.

Bayard looked tired, every one of his years settling around his eyes as he answered, "I didn't risk me kingdom when Zosia begged me for help. That decision has haunted me every day since. I swore to her that I would protect her child, and I didn't. If I have to go to war to do it now, believe me, Uther, I will. She has only to suggest fear and you will have my army on your doorstep. Are we quite clear?"

Uther smiled back and set down his own goblet.

"So Marcial was trying to get her to Mercia and couldn't make it all the way to the border in time," Uther said. "That makes sense. He couldn't make it to you, so he left her where Gaius might find her. Make all the promises you wish, Bayard. I have no intention of hurting her."

Bayard laughed and said, "I remember a boy who had no intentions of hurting Zo, Uther. He grew up and did it anyway. I'm not interested in your intentions, so spare me. You have a way of hurting the people you value most, don't you? Zosia. Marzena. Gorlois. Vivienne. Marcial. Tristan. Ygraine. You killed all of them. I won't let you add her name to your list."

The room felt cold, and Uther stared at his wine. He wanted to have an answer, something that would sting Bayard just as deeply as that accusation had stung. Except there was nothing, because Bayard was right. Each of their deaths was his fault.

"Then I welcome your oversight on this matter," Uther said tightly.

Bayard's expression softened, and he tilted his goblet to Uther, who tilted his back.

/-/

Leon struggled to enjoy the feast, or even the idea of a feast. He watched Krysia enter in her one deep blue gown, flowing in silk and gauze, with a glittering metal belt in rich gold: a rare homage to her father's house. She looked lovely in everything, but this was Leon's favorite dress, because she always wore it with his mother's pendant and with sapphires laced in her hair, causing her to glitter in a way that made her perhaps more distracting than she usually was.

An excuse to stare, he thought bitterly. Not that he would ever know how to stop.

She took her place beside Uther, and Bayard greeted her with a kiss to the hand. She smiled at Bayard. She always seemed to smile at Bayard. But when Uther stood to speak, her face had gone neutral again.

Leon didn't listen to the kings as they gave their speeches. With each toast, Krysia looked more and more like she was faraway, like her body was with them, but her mind was somewhere else. Then Uther asked for her to give a speech and she startled, standing, staring out at the court who were waiting to hang on her every word. Leon certainly was, staring and unable to breathe.

Krysia took her goblet and looked at it instead of the court as she spoke.

"Today we welcome a great ally, a neighbor, and a friend. May we spend our time together strengthening the bonds between our kingdoms. To Camelot and Mercia."

The court echoed the toast, and followed her lead in drinking, but Leon had not yet brought the cup to his lips as it fell from his hands when he saw her sway and then collapse. He jumped to his feet, grateful he was near the front. Arthur had caught her and Gaius was already on his feet as Arthur started to carry her out of the hall. Leon saw Merlin grab her goblet, the only thing she'd touched since she arrived, and Leon led the way to Gaius's chambers, opening every door, his hands shaking as he realized he heard no sound, saw nothing, only followed the paths he knew by heart and kept replaying over and over in his head her sudden shift and collapse.

The freezing in his chest was tighter now, and he did not care what it took. Gaius had to save her. He had to.

/-/

Uther paced the corridor outside Gaius's chambers. It had been long, too long, and that could only be bad news. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was meant to be marrying Krysia in six days. Part of him wanted to accuse Bayard, but if there was one thing Uther was certain of, it was that Bayard truly would sacrifice his life to save her. But then who?

The door opened and Uther froze, staring at it. Arthur's servant exited, bowing his head lightly before hurrying away up the corridor. Uther trembled as he approached the still open door to see Gaius reading in a book, frowning.

"Gaius," Uther said.

Gaius looked up, and the pained expression told Uther it was as serious as he feared. He gestured for Uther to enter, and he did so, closing the door behind him.

Krysia was still on the bench, cleared of Gaius's things to hold her for observation. She was pale, clammy, and unconscious. It was disconcerting to see her this way. He couldn't remember Krysia ever being ill, not since she was a child, and even then only while she was recovering from her days alone in the forest.

"Poison?" Uther said.

"After a fashion," Gaius said, setting down his book. "I fear it's something much worse. Have you heard of a fomorroh?"

Uther said he hadn't, touching her hand. It was disturbingly cold.

"They are a creature much like a serpent," Gaius said. "They have venom, like a serpent, but they are creatures of the Old Religion. They were used by High Priestesses to bend victims to their will. They can remove the lifeforce of a victim entirely when they inhabit them."

"And she has one of these inside of her?" Uther said, startled.

"No, I found no sign of that," Gaius said, frowning at the book. "I believe what has happened is more subtle. There is an ancient rumor of the venom of the fomorroh being used in small doses over a great period of time to direct the will of the drinker. Someone could dose her over time, regularly, and direct her to behave in a particular way. But it is dangerous. Most would die within days."

Gaius looked up and said, "Given behavior and reports of her health I've heard from others, I believe this has been going on for weeks."

"How is she still alive?" Uther whispered, trying to ignore the trembling in his hands.

That was the length of his courtship with her. Weeks.

"The High Priestesses devised it as a method to control those of the nine who required punishment," Gaius said, examining his book once more. "By reports, the…their blood saved them from death, but the effects were still controlling their behavior."

"She is alive," Uther whispered, "because she is…she has…"

Magic. She was alive because there was magic in her bloodline, strong magic. In a different time, she would have likely been taken to the Isle of the Blessed like her aunt, raised to be a High Priestess.

"You've never—?"

"No, sire," Gaius said. "The potential is there, but she need not ever act on it. It seems to have saved her."

"But she's dying," Uther said. "If she's so strong, why is she dying?"

"I cannot find evidence until she wakes," Gaius said, "if she wakes, but I suspect she attempted to fight her instructions. There is another venom mixed here, that of a nathair. It is painful, excruciatingly painful. She would have struggled a great deal against her instruction, and the combination of the struggle and the ongoing dosing of the venom—"

"You're saying she didn't want to marry me," Uther said, turning away from her unconscious form.

Gaius was quiet for a long time before he said, "I am saying that whatever it was she was ordered to do, she was aware of her plight as she tried not to do it."

"Who would have done this?"

"I'm uncertain," Gaius said slowly.

Uther had his guesses. Someone who knew, or suspected, that Krysia had the potential to be a High Priestess, someone who was willing to manipulate that fact to get her on the throne of Camelot, and then to destroy him with it.

Morgause, certainly, but how did she reach Krysia? Who was her accomplice?

"This cannot happen again, Gaius," Uther whispered. "This…it…"

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the memory of the decision he had to make all those years gone, Gaius and Marcial laying out the options, the choices. Someone had to die that day, and while he didn't regret his choice, he did regret having to make it, having to call off the promised reinforcements. Magic was a bitter, vicious, cruel thing.

"I have sent Merlin for some herbs," Gaius said gently. "It is all I can do, to attempt to draw out the venom, but it may not be enough."

"Then do more," Uther said, leaving the chambers before he allowed himself tears.

He hoped Gaius would understand. Whatever had to be done, Krysia could not die from this.

/-/

Leon went to check on Krysia in the middle of the night and found Merlin sitting up beside her, speaking softly to her. Merlin startled when Leon entered, and his face softened.

"I just thought it might help," Merlin said with a weak smile, "talking to her. Gaius says it can be helpful when people are unconscious. We've done all we can. Now it's just waiting."

"You should get some sleep," Leon said, sitting beside her. "I'll keep watch until Gaius wakes."

"Don't you have a castle corridor to watch?" Merlin said as half a joke.

Leon touched her hand and said, "She is more important."

Merlin said nothing for a long moment, then squeezed Leon's shoulder and went to his chamber.

Leon took her hand in both of his and watched her face. Perhaps it was the low light of the candle, but he thought she had a bit more color than she'd had when they left her here. Whatever they'd managed to do, he liked to believe it had done her some good. He lifted her hand to his lips and touched his lips to each of her fingers.

"You're not allowed to die on me, Krysia," he whispered. "I promised myself I'd see you happy, and you're not allowed to die until I figure out how to do that."

She didn't stir, and he closed his eyes, smiling. She was stubborn, she would need more than simple admonishment to wake. She required everything from him. He should have known better.

"I'm going to tell you this now," he breathed into her hand, "because I don't think I'll ever have a chance to tell you again, but you are my whole heart, Krysia. If you were to…. If I were to lose you, I would lose myself. Please don't do this. Please don't leave me."

He struggled with himself when he felt tears prickling at his eyes, trying to decide if he dared tell her that he loved her, even while she was unconscious, and then he felt her fingers twitch.

Did he? Was that real, or his wishful thinking?

"Leon?"

Her voice was groggy, pained, and he sat up, staring at her with astonishment as she grasped at her head. He helped her sit up on the bench, and she grabbed at his arms.

"How are you?" he said. "How do you feel?"

"I couldn't…" she whispered, shuddering. "I couldn't say…" She shuddered again.

"It's alright, my lady," he said, touching her hair, brushing it out of her face. "You're alright. Do you remember what happened?"

Her eyes began to shine with tears and she said, strained, "I remember everything. I couldn't make it stop."

Leon wasn't precisely sure what she meant, but he held her, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"Do you know who did this to you?" he whispered.

She shook her head against his neck.

Whoever they were, he silently vowed to find them and make them suffer tenfold what they had made her suffer, however long it took.

/-/

Krysia was installed in her own bed when Uther came to visit her. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, and perhaps like he'd been crying. She hadn't been looking forward to this conversation, because she knew based on what Gaius said that Uther already suspected the truth: that the courtship that had made him so happy was almost entirely conducted without her will.

"How are you feeling?" Uther said.

His voice was tight, like he was holding back tears even as he stood across the room from her, staring at her, afraid to come too close.

"Tired," she said. "Gaius says that is natural while my body recovers from the strain of holding the venom for so long."

Uther hummed. He was wringing his hands together, something she'd never seen him do, and he said, "And where…where do we stand?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. Better to cut straight to the point.

"Every step of the way you were a gentleman," she said. "You asked for permission, you waited for me to say what I wanted. It is not your fault that my answer wasn't my answer. That is admirable."

She opened her eyes, disappointed to see how hopeful he was.

"But you didn't even ask me to marry you, sire," she said. "You just…assumed I would. However I would otherwise be inclined to answer you, that is something I cannot excuse, venom or no venom."

Uther nodded, saying nothing. She expected him to apologize, to say anything at all, but instead he bowed his head and left her alone without a word.

/-/

Uther stood on the edge of the corridor, near the griffin statue, overlooking the courtyard below. Lady Krysia was outside for the first time since she woke, and he was pained to see that she was clinging to Sir Leon's arm as they walked slowly together. Gaius had prescribed that she get exercise, Uther knew, but this was…

"Father," Arthur said from behind Uther. Uther turned, acknowledged his son, and turned back to watch them continue to make their way across the courtyard.

Arthur joined Uther at the window, looking down to see what Uther was watching.

"Gaius said she's recovering well," Arthur said.

"She is strong," Uther whispered. "Like her…mother."

Arthur was silent for a long moment before he finally asked Uther how he felt about the dissolution of the engagement. A complicated question, and Arthur possibly couldn't know how complicated.

"Disappointed," Uther said. "And when I see…I see the way he looks at her…."

"Leon?" Arthur said, smiling a little. "What of it?"

"He watches her with reverence," Uther said.

"Yes, of course he does, father," Arthur said. "He's in love."

Uther felt a stab in his chest, recalling how Gorlois said almost exactly the same words to him once about Marcial, with a laugh. He never understood why Uther couldn't laugh about it.

"I courted Lady Zosia for years," he said, and Arthur startled, going silent. "It had been my plan to marry her from the moment I realized she cared about me. Even when things changed, when I became king, I was confident that we would marry."

"Why didn't you?" Arthur said.

"She fell in love with someone else," Uther whispered. "One of my most trusted knights, Sir Marcial. She came to me, she told me she was encouraging me to court Ygraine, she had already made up her mind that she was marrying Marcial, and that if I chose to kill him for treason, she'd murder me herself." He laughed a bitter laugh at the memory. "She would have, too. The way he looks at her, it…it's like it's happening all over again."

Arthur was silent, perhaps digesting this unknown part of his father's history. Leon and Krysia paused on the stones below, Leon taking both of her arms in his hands to steady her while she rested.

"I'm afraid I have very little sympathy for you, father," Arthur said softly. "If Sir Marcial was anything like Sir Leon, then he likely noticed things you did not, a dissatisfaction you ignored. Sir Leon came to me, concerned, the day after you announced the wedding because Krysia had not smiled during the announcement. Something you should have seen. If you'd noticed the signs, and others he could never have seen, perhaps she never would have reached that point."

Arthur walked away, and Uther wanted to remind his son that he shouldn't speak to his king in that way.

But Arthur was right. His vanity, his desire overtook his good sense and he ignored that which didn't fit in his narrative, his plan. And he'd nearly lost her entirely.

/-/

Krysia had barely finished dressing and hadn't done her hair when there was a knock at her door. She frowned. It was too early for Leon to come to take her for a walk, and Enid had already brought the restorative from Gaius.

"Enter," she said.

She smiled to see Bayard opening her door.

"I did not think you would be well enough to see me off," he said, gesturing for her to sit back down when she started to rise. "I thought I'd better say my goodbyes here."

"Very good of you," she said, setting down her hairbrush. "One of these days you'll have an uneventful visit to Camelot."

"Where would the fun be in that?" he said, grinning. "I know I said I wouldn't offer again, my lady, but know that the offer still stands. Uther says there are still no leads on who was poisoning you, and I truly believe it is unsafe for you to remain here in such circumstances. I could take you to Mercia today. I have a gentle mare you can take, and I could marry you to my son whenever you wished. He's a good man, and he'll be a good king, and I believe you would make a brilliant queen for him."

Krysia smiled, shaking her head. She should have known.

"Thank you," she said, "but you already know my answer. Camelot is my home, sire, and I think it is not my destiny to be a queen."

He smiled sadly, kissed her hand, and said, "Then that is the loss of any realm you might have graced, my lady. And if ever you need me—"

"I know," she said. "Thank you, sire. For everything."

A/N:

So, that's over. Mostly.

The different reactions of different readers were delightful, especially the calls for various different people to save her.

One thing I want to be abundantly clear about is that none of Krysia's relationships are going to be damsel-in-distress. The men in her life respect that she's a strong, powerful woman, capable of largely fighting her own battles (although they want to help her where and how they can), and they play the part more of an avenger than of a savior. Gwaine was never going to swoop in and save her, nor will he at any point.

-C