A/N: This is actually chapter 14, but after trying, thinking, rearranging and lots of frustrated blows upon my keyboard (which really hadn't done anything but trying to be helpful) I decided against writing chapter 13 at all and moved on to the next one – and I think it was for the best.

I'm not sure about the 'Council Dining Chamber', because I don't think the room was ever called that in the series, but I really needed a name and this was what turned up on .com, so I stuck with it.

As always, reviews are very welcome!


Chapter 13 – The unthinkable happens

I laid the chain-mail on my bed, pulled off my shirt and slowly removed the bandages around my chest. Relief flooded in as I breathed in deeply. I ruffled through my hair – and froze in the midst of the movement when I heard the warning bell tolling. Almost simultaneously I heard several people moving quickly through the hallway. I pulled my shirt back on without taking the time to rearrange the bandages, and when the door to my chamber was thrown open with so much force that it banged against the wall with a loud thud, I was glad that I didn't.

"Leon! What happened?", I asked the knight who had rushed in, attended by two other, younger knights I had barely ever talked to until now. Leon's face was pale and carefully blank.

"Are you William, Knight of Camelot?"

I flinched because of the demanding tone, formal style and absurdity of the question. It seemed like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped by a few degrees.

"What do you mean? You know who I am, Leon!"

"Answer the question. Are you William, Knight of-"

"Of course I am!"

Before I had the chance to ask what was going on, Leon made a step back and the knights that had accompanied him, to of the new ones, looking all serious and almost bursting with pride they were allowed to accompany Leon, walked over to me and, to my immense surprise, one of them gave me a push in the direction of the door.

"Walk", he commanded.

I was so surprised I obeyed, but after a few steps managed to blurt out: "Who put you up to this? Look, it's not funny any more. Leon, stop this. You hear me?"

Leon, who was walking at the front, turned around: "You will keep quiet", he ordered, and I bit my tongue in surprise. There was no trace of mockery around his face, only deadly seriousness. I felt fear sinking in, but refused to surrender myself to it.

While they walked me down the hallway, taking a turn left, I noticed the unwelcome movement my breasts made with every step I made. If anyone looked too closely at me, they would surely notice.

After another two bends, I knew where we were going: In the direction of the Council Dining Chamber.

"Leon?", I repeated pleadingly, but he ignored me and kept walking briskly.


Finally we reached the door to the Chamber. Leon gave one sharp nod to the two guards standing there (whose presence were a sure sign something was badly wrong) and then pushed open the door. Like on a secret signal, the bell stopped ringing.

Every single member of the council had assembled. The inseparables, now joined by Leon, were standing beside the throne, which was empty, and on its other side stood Gwen, wearing a black dress. Gaius and Merlin were standing nearer to the door. While the warlock stared dead ahead, Gaius cast me a seriously worried look and shook his head at seeing my mute question about what was going on. I inhaled sharply, trying desperately to figure out why I had been escorted here.

The two knights walked me to the front and then, to my dismay, one of them pushed me down to my knees before the throne.

"What is - ?", I asked, trying not to sound scared, but before I could even finish, Gwen moved forward, anger radiating off of her.

"You will keep quiet until I ask you a question and command you to speak!"

The Queen gestured to Gaius, who moved to the front. He was walking slowly, unwillingly almost, looking older than ever before, and gave me another look which this time I couldn't decipher the meaning of.

He turned to face to court: "I was called to the King's chambers late this afternoon and found the King with a high fever and sure signs of a poisoning. On examining him, I found that the poison had been administered not by food, but through a small cut on the King's right cheek. It seems to be a slowly working potion of unknown origin for which I have not yet found an antidote."

While the physician spoke, my gaze wandered from his familiar face to that of Gwen. She was standing a little behind him, her expression unreadable, but she was unnaturally composed and appeared unusually quiet for someone who's beloved had been poisoned.

Gaius went back to his former place right next to Merlin, who still refused to look at me.

Gwen motioned to her brother next, who stepped forward and said: "I, amongst several of other knights, was witness to a training-duel this morning between the King and William, in which the aforesaid knight managed to inflict a small cut on the King's right cheek before being beaten."

I let out a gasp of surprise, because now I knew what was going on: "Elyan, what - "

"Quiet!", Gwen commanded, her voice as sharp as a razor. I looked into her eyes and realized the whole, terrible truth when I caught a hint of satisfaction on her face.


I felt my insides go numb. A little part of my mind protested against what was happening: This is the wrong order! It's too soon! Morgana should still be imprisoned or licking her wounds – she can't have gotten at Gwen.

But she had had a chance. When Guinevere had disappeared for three days, she had more than enough time to turn her. And she must have. Who – what – I was looking at now, wasn't Guinevere any more. She was Morgana's puppet. And now she was framing me for her attempt at taking Arthur's life.


"Did you or did you not, William, Knight of Camelot, cause said wound to my husband?"

"I did", I answered honestly, unable to stop my voice from trembling. I should have known! I should have known, I should've...

"So you confess to having poisoned Arthur?", she asked, her bottom lip trembling. She was definitely putting on a show, and by the obvious whispers between the court members, they believed their Queen wholeheartedly.

"I would never do that!", I answered, though I knew that I was fighting a lost cause, as I had no evidence that I had nothing to do with the poisoning of the King. "I'm a loyal knight, my lady, you know that. I have never done anything but keeping the King save and protecting Camelot!"

Guinevere stared at me for what seemed like eternity without blinking once, then she whispered, her voice breaking with feelings she no longer really had: "So you never lied to us?"

I shook my head, my mind racing to discover what she might do next.

The Queen knelt down before me, still staring at me, and then, with one fast, unexpected move, she ripped my shirt open, yanked me upwards by my hair and turned me around, unmasking me in front of the whole court.

I heard the inseparables gasp, saw the disbelief in Percival's normally so unmoved face, and then heard the shouts of surprise from the court. Merlin finally looked at me, his eyes huge, his mouth standing open. When our eyes met, he looked to the side again. Gaius laid a hand on his wards shoulder for a moment, supporting him, though his own face was getting paler every minute.

"You never lied to us? You are not even who you said you were!", Gwen murmured and then added, for good measure apparently, a thing between a sob and a scream, "How long have you planned to kill my husband?"

She let go of me and I fell to my knees, trembling uncontrollably, desperately trying to hold back my panicky tears.

Deciding she still hadn't had enough, the Hollow Queen stooped down to me and asked one last question, her voice, audible enough for everyone to hear, was feignedas a whisper:

"What did we ever do to you that you hate us so much?!"