Chapter Twenty-One

"Well, Sir Gwaine, you just bested a king," Arthur said, and I could hear the amusement in his voice. "You defeated him in single combat, which means, by the right of conquest, all of King Lot's kingdom is now yours."

I felt Gwaine freeze against me as the realization of what he'd just done came crashing down on him. "I didn't do it for me, but for my-"

Just before he would have said "wife", as I knew what he was going to say, I squeezed him around the middle sharply and shook my head frantically when he looked down at me. I didn't want a kingdom any more than he did. He looked panicked for a moment, then grinned at me. "I did it for you, my king, and for the love of Camelot," he told Arthur, rather pleased with himself.

That took the smile right off Arthur's face. "I can't- You didn't- You sneaky git," he grumbled. But it didn't matter. All of Lot's former knights were already kneeling, showing obeisance to their new king. "Alright, get up, you lot. I'm not that kind of king."

"We know, and we show our appreciation, my king," one of the knights said. "You're not like Lot, and we swear our allegiance to a good and noble king."

The very tips of Arthur's ears turned a bit pink, but he carried on as if he weren't just the slightest bit self-conscious. "Right, well, if you knew he was a terrible king, why didn't you leave?"

"Most of us, we swore our loyalty to King Jory, and that included to his heirs. We would not become oathbreakers, else our families would suffer for it," a different, older knight said. He looked a bit familiar as he nodded to me. "Lady Annaliese's father was a warning to us all of the consequences of our possible actions, should we choose to rebel against our king."

"And Lot had his pet witch curse us all. We had no other option but to follow him," a third knight said.

"But that curse is broken with Lot's death," Merlin said, showing up in the room with Blanchefleur alongside him. "You are free from any curse in regards to him. You are free to make your own choices again."

The knights looked grateful, but most still stayed on their knees. "And we would like to swear allegiance to King Arthur," the older knight said.

Arthur shook his head, looking a bit resigned. "Alright, repeat after me." His words again rang with authority as he recited the knights' pledge, and the new knights said it with him. Merlin looked far too pleased with himself as a familiar flash of gold lit every eye.

Merlin and Blanchefleur made quick work of the wounds in the room, including the gash Gwaine was trying (and failing) to conceal. "I'm glad you're safe, Anna," Merlin told me as he healed the cut on my cheek. He kissed me on the forehead, just like he'd always done. "I was on my way, I swear, but I had to break Laudine's curse on the soldiers so that those who were only fighting by compulsion could stop. And that was most of them."

"I never doubted that you would come for me," I told him, then looked to Gwaine, who was still refusing to let go of me. Not that I wanted him to. "Any of you."

"I told you I would kill anyone who tried to take you away from me," Gwaine said lowly. "No one is going to get between us." He kissed me fiercely, and I melted against him.

"That's nice and all, but could you two move over, just a bit?" Merlin asked us, sounding far too amused as I pulled back from Gwaine, just a little. "I need to secure Laudine before she wakes up."

"I don't think she'll wake any time soon. Anna was rather thorough this time," Arthur butted in. He grinned at me, also amused.

"I didn't want her to wake up," I explained a little ruefully.

"I don't ever want her to wake up," Blanchefleur said. Her cold tone drew my gaze instantly to her, where she was glaring down at her sister on the ground. "She's hurt enough people. She doesn't deserve to wake."

"Even so, she still needs a trial first," Arthur said softly, pulling her away to allow Merlin to treat Laudine.

"Let's get some fresh air," I suggested, taking Blanchefleur's arm in my free one. I still wasn't letting go of Gwaine, so I guided (dragged) both of them toward the door. Once out of Lot's study, Laudine led the way, taking us up to the top of the tower. She pulled free from me and went to the very edge.

Lot's castle wasn't nearly as impressive as Camelot, in size or grandeur, but it did have a sturdy sort of grace. And the surrounding fields were just starting to sprout their first spring greens, which made for a pleasant addition. The still smoldering gate didn't do much to improve the scenery, but it was nice to breathe fresh air; Lot's study had stunk of him.

Blanchefleur stared unseeing over the courtyard. "I want to burn it all to the ground," she said lowly. "I want to burn everything Lot ever touched, blot his name from every record, make it so that he never existed."

"Unfortunately, that's not possible," Gwaine told her sympathetically. "But Arthur will publish his crimes across the kingdom, making it clear to every person under his reign that this sort of behavior will never be tolerated in all of Camelot."

I gripped her hand, squeezing gently. "Every subject of Arthur is entitled to peace and freedom from fear. And his knights enforce that throughout the kingdom. There will never be another Lot, not in Camelot."

A bit of tension bled out of her. "I didn't quite believe the stories, you know, not at first," she said, still not looking at us. "The stories of Camelot, and her safety, her good king and knights who fight for the common people as much as the nobles. But in my short time of knowing you all, I'm starting to think the stories don't even begin to paint the full scope."

"And you can help us to paint it brighter," I told her. "You can help us to make Camelot a better place. Come back with us and use your gifts to help others."

That finally succeeded in dragging her attention away from the soldiers milling in the courtyard. "I can't- I've never- I don't know enough magic to be useful," she said, looking to me wildly, before dropping her eyes to her hands, which were twisting in her skirt.

"But I can teach you, if you'd like to learn."

Merlin's words had us all turning to see him heading our way from the stairs. "You told me that Lot had given Laudine all of Morgause's books, so I'll have to go through them all. I could use some help with that, and I've been talking with Arthur about teaching others magic. There's so many applications that we just haven't had time to explore. Who knows? We could even start a school, for anyone who wants to learn magic. Obviously, we'd have to find some way of policing magic users, but there's so much we can do with magic. And you've got such an incredible talent, Blanchefleur. I want to help you learn and grow and not fear your magic. I know what that's like," he finished softly, with a sardonic twist of his lips.

"You know what it's like to be afraid of what you could do?" she asked, focusing on him with sheer determination.

"Absolutely. I was making things levitate before I left my cradle," he replied, with all the seriousness that the situation required. "Before I knew even what magic was, I knew I had to hide it from everyone. My mother tried very hard to let me know that magic isn't bad, but it's hard to understand that when you're always told not to use it in the very next breath."

Gwaine tugged my hand, pulling me away from Blanchefleur. "I think they need to have this discussion alone," he whispered to me. "And I desperately need you to myself."

"I couldn't agree more, husband of mine," I murmured, and his beautiful smile bloomed.

…

"We clearly need a steward over Lot's lands," Arthur said that night, after we'd finally eaten. He called a council meeting, and even if he hadn't invited me and Blanchefleur, Gwaine still would have dragged me with him. He wasn't quite ready to let me out of his sight yet. "And it's going to take longer to get in order than Caerleon took."

"Essitir needs a strong leader," Merlin agreed. "Someone who knows what it's like to be under dishonorable and abusive nobles, and who will never lead in that way."

"Someone who would never stand for corruption in his lands," Arthur continued, the tiniest bit of a smile playing on his lips.

Merlin had no such compunction, grinning as he spoke. "Someone with a kind and understanding wife, who sees the worth of a person, be they noble or peasant."

"This couple sounds like paragons," Leon mused, sounding far too entertained.

"I wonder who they could possibly be speaking of," Elyan laughed.

Gwaine and I looked to each other, and I was relieved to see he was as confused as I was. "It's a good thing no one said anything about having intelligence," Percival said quietly, "since they clearly both lack it."

"Who are you going on about?" Gwaine asked exasperatedly.

Everyone else burst into laughter. "Yes, intelligence will not be a hallmark of the Essitir courts with you two at its head," Arthur finally managed to say.

"With us- What?" I said, while Gwaine simply looked dumbstruck. The others only laughed in response.