The girl was thrown to her knees in front of Uther, who frowned at her with a snarl. She only looked mildly annoyed. In fact, she showed no fear in front of him.
"Arthur. What are the crimes she has committed?" Uther asserted, folding his hands over his stomach, elbows resting on the arms of his throne.
"Well…that's the thing. She defeated the beast that has been ravaging the outlying villages." Arthur replied, seeming conflicted over the ideal.
"Then why is she awaiting trial before me?"
"She is also the maiden that Merlin and I found in the woods a week ago." He continued, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword. Only a few of us knew the extent of her abilities, and Arthur clearly did not trust her. I was undecided. Once she had known who she was attacking last week, she had immediately stopped. She knew who we were, and she knew I had magic. But how? Now she shows up and saves everyone's lives?
The court was silent as they waited for Uther to respond. He only stared at the girl, who was becoming weary of the gawking. It was understandable. Women warriors were practically unheard of. She suddenly surprised the court, by getting to her feet. The shing of at least five swords showed how she was untrusted.
"Will you be letting me go, your majesty?" Her voice showed that she was educated, yet, it bore a unique accent.
"What is your name, girl?" Uther shifted on his throne.
"Annabeth Chase." She continued before anyone could interrupt her. "You will not find any trace of me or my name anywhere."
"So, you are not from here?" Uther asked.
"Not anywhere that you will have heard of." Annabeth smirked lightly, as if this was some sort of joke.
"Where?"
"Would you like me to make a list of places I have lived, or where I was truly born?"
Uther rolled his eyes as she further avoided the question. "Do tell."
"My birthplace is Olympus. Next is Virginia, then Long Island. San Francisco, briefly. And then I lived on a ship for a while. Shall I go on?" Annabeth looked bored, but in her eyes, you could see the mischief. She was planning something.
At least she spoke the truth…in a way. No one had heard of the places she had listed. Except the first. It seemed familiar to me. Olympus. The word itself was full of, well, magic. Was she somehow like me?
Arthur interrupted the conversation, pulling out her weapon and a small—well it looked like a bag— of what appeared to be food. "We found these on her person. The blade appears normal, and I believe this is food, though I have no idea what kind."
"You shouldn't eat that." Annabeth said. There was warning in her voice.
"And why not?" Uther began. "Is it poison?"
"To some." She answered.
"Explain its effects. Know that out court physician will look into it later."
Annabeth drew a breath in the hushed room. "To most, it will turn their blood to fire and their bones to sand."
Uther laughed. "Such an item is the result of too many tall tales. There is nothing in this world like that."
"Then it is a good thing it is not from this world. I am warning you now. Don't eat it."
"I do not like your tone. Do recall that I am king over this land, and you must respect me as such." Uther was growing angry.
"You're not the first king I've met, believe it or not." Annabeth took a step closer, not glancing at the swords being pointed at her.
"You should know how to talk to one, then."
"I'm doing it right now."
Uther stood suddenly and descended from his throne. "Perhaps you should be the one to eat this in front of us." He offered it to her, almost wanting her to inflict it upon herself.
She plucked it out of his hand, and rose her eyebrows. "If you're looking to hurt me, then that is not the method. The most that can do to me is give me a fever."
"An immunity?" He asked.
She shrugged. "Of a sort."
There was another awkward silence as everyone waited for either to elaborate. Finally, Uther shifted the conversation. "Where did you learn to fight?"
"A training camp, originally." Annabeth nodded her head in an easy way. "I gained more experience once I was out in the world."
"Oh?"
"I have been on many intensive quests—missions, you could say. And I have participated in two wars." The room became even more stiff as her eyes darkened to the color of a storm cloud. "I have seen many things. Enough for a lifetime. I can tell you the three ways I could escape from this very room, while only needing to disarm four men, all of which is simple to me, but difficult to another. I am not intimidated by you because I have faced worse, much, much worse than even the demon I killed not thirty minutes ago. So, do not pretend that you can scare me. Very little does anymore."
A nasty snarl was forming on Uther's face. The guards edged closer. Their swords did not sway Annabeth's steady stare. I shivered. Her voice had been stony. Cold, even. I did not hesitate to believe anything she had said.
"Before I go, I do need my dagger back." Annabeth added, already looking to Arthur to hand it over to her. That was never going to happen.
"You're not going anywhere." Uther replied.
"How about we strike a deal?" She offered. "You seem like the sort of people who would like that sort of thing, yes? How about I defeat one of your knights in a formal duel? If they win, I will surrender myself to your punishments. If I win, I get my weapon back, and we can talk like equals."
"Only knights can challenge other knights to duels. You do not qualify." Arthur said.
Annabeth glared. "Is that simply because I am a woman? I assure you, your Royal Highness, I am undoubtedly a worthy opponent."
Only Arthur and I had caught what her words had meant.
"Easy way or the hard way. Your choice, your Majesty."
If it was possible, Uther frowned harder.
"Fine. Hard way, it is."
Then all hell broke loose…again.