Arthur knew he should be concentrating on the conversation in the room, but his thoughts kept drifting back to last night. Something in his memory was trying to attract his attention, but he wasn't sure what it was?

As Mathias and Relveer argued, he once more went through the evening in his head…

He'd been waiting for several hours…then game the footsteps…which he followed to Morgana's room. Only the room was empty when he went in wasn't it? Was it possible someone was hiding behind the door and he'd been too focused on Morgana to notice? He considered this. It seemed unlikely. And when he considered how long it took him to completely collapse, it must have at least been a couple of minutes before the smoke knocked out Morgana. There was something odd about the timing there.

Then what? Merlin had come and said-…wait a minute. There was something odd there wasn't there?

He sat up straighter. Yes. Definitely something out of place.

The next hour, he waited through the talks impatiently, unable to contribute much his mind too taken up with it's most pressing concern. But thank goodness Guinevere was there. She seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it. The talks were much less argumentative today, despite the rocky start of the day. She was more than capable of defusing a tricky situation and steer the conversation back to safer waters, without even appearing to do so. More than once Uther looked her way with an expression of slowly growing respect.

At last, around one in the afternoon, a break was declared and Arthur pulled both Merlin and Lancelot away into a small alcove. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was nearby.

"I've been thinking about last night," he said, speaking quickly, "Something doesn't add up. Merlin, you said you heard footsteps and that's how you came to Morgana's room when you did?"

"That's right."

"What part of the castle were you in when you heard them?"

"Near the armory."

"I came to Morgana's room when I did because I also heard footsteps. The armory is quite a distance from either Morgana's room or where I was. Given how much later you arrived at her room than I did, the footsteps couldn't have belonged to the same person. Something else doesn't make sense. I followed those footsteps directly to Morgana's room. There was no other way they could gave gone, and they definitely went down her hallway and into her. But there was nobody inside but Morgan. So who made the noise? I was right behind whoever it was, they didn't have time to cast that spell before I got there. It doesn't add up."

Merlin mulled over this for a minute. "Could the footsteps we heard have been fake? Made with magic?"

"You can do that?"

"Sure, I've done it loads of times," shrugged Merlin. "Easiest way to get past sentries."

"I'm going to need to rehaul our guard protocol aren't I?"

"The question is," said Merlin, ignoring the comment, "Why would someone attack Morgana…and then make sure we got there in time to save her?"

"How do we know it was the same person?"

"Well if it was someone else they could have just saved her themselves."

"Unless it someone afraid they'd get in trouble for doing so?" suggested Lancelot.

"Or the purpose of the attack was never to killer her. Only to make it look like someone had tried. They didn't want her dead, they wanted Uther angry. Going after Morgana isn't a bad way to do that."

"But who would want to sabotage these talks?" demanded Arthur. "We're back to same old question."

"Uther has made a lot of enemies. There are undoubtedly people willing to sacrifice peace rather than forgive him," said Lancelot gravely.

There was movement and Merlin looked over Arthur's shoulder across at the rest of the room. "People are heading back for the meeting room."

Arthur nodded. "All right. Let's go."

Taking his seat once more at the meeting table, he tried to force his mind on the present issue. There was time to worry about who was behind the attack last night afterwards. If these talks didn't go well, it wouldn't need a saboteur to smash things apart.

But just Uther began to talk, an idea shot into his head like a thunderbolt. What if the purpose of the attack last night had been more than just to anger Uther. Merlin and himself and been distracted, drawing them both away from their posts. Several guards had been distracted as well.

What if it had actually been a diversion?

Lancelot waited until the others had gone into the meeting and then stepped out into the hall, heading towards his room. He would take a little time to think through everything Arthur had said. Perhaps he could plan a strategy of his own for the afternoon-

"Lancelot!"

He turned. Elaine had followed him.

"Shouldn't you be at the meeting?"

She smiled at him. It was a mischievous one. "It can wait." She took his hand and the smile faded a little. "I wanted to speak with you first."

"What about?"

"I don't know. You tell me. You seem worried. And have done since shortly after we arrived in Camelot. Is there something wrong Lancelot?"

"No." Perhaps he said it a little too quickly. She looked disbelieving.

"You know you can trust me."

He took her other hand. "Of course I know that. Elaine I-, well" he cleared his throat, embarrassed. Now wasn't the time."

"I love you too."

He blinked, startled and then with a laugh, pulled her to him and kissed her. When they were a part again, she reached up and hand a hand through his hair.

"When this is all over," she said, "Perhaps you'd come home to Shalott with me? See it. It's the most beautiful place in the world. And I know you would love it and the people as I do. I'd love to share it with you."

"I'd be honored."

"Good." She kissed him again, lightly this time and then pulled away. "I'd better get to the meeting…before Relveer tears everything apart."

He laughed. It was a shaky laugh. His world had tilted into something bright and beautiful and right now it was hard to think anything else truly mattered. But he let her go and returned to his chambers. But for the rest of the afternoon found it difficult to think of much else other than Elaine.