Mim and Arthur stood in shock at the arrival of Kay. He too seemed too shocked to be aware of the people in his fathers presence. Arthur, who was used to dealing with the unexpected, recovered first an drew his sword just in time as Kay seemed to gather his senses.
"You!" Kay spat with so much venom, it could have killed in an instant. He began to search frantically at his belt for the sword he had only moments before slammed onto the table.
"Don't even think about it, Kay." Arthur advised forcefully, advancing slowly on Kay. Kay narrowed his eyes viciously.
"I won't be intimidated in my own home," he backed away from Arthur toward his abandoned sword. "And you will address me a Sir Kay." Kay smugly stated, a triumphant grin spread across his face.
"And you will address me as Sire or Prince Arthur." Arthur parried. The smile instantly dropped from Kay's face; much to Arthur's satisfaction. Kay visibly gulped. Arthur was feeling decidedly proud of the reaction he had caused. Mim had slowly approached Arthur and plucked hesitantly at his sleeve.
"Arthur? The house? Thomas?" came a terrified murmur from Mim. Arthur recalled the announcement and apprehension began to billow up inside him. Merlin and Thomas were in the house. Arthur quickly glanced toward Mim, his eyes showing his concern. The distraction was enough for Kay to seize his sword and bear down on Mim. Arthur's focus was too slow, but the movement had startled another visitor in the hall. A fluster of feathers and angry shrieks from an owl startled Kay, giving Arthur back the advantage. Which he took, knocking Kay's sword to the ground and placing a boot on the blade. Kay looked pathetically at Arthur.
"Sire, that little witch is the reason my father is like this!" He screeched desperately, gesturing toward the frail figure who sat silently on the throne. "She is the one who brought that cursed woman to us!" Mim looked on, her face a mixture of disbelief and sympathy. "She is the devil!" was the last scream of defeat. Kay slumped on the ground heaving with heavy sobs. Mim's sympathy took over.
"Kay..." Mim cautiously approached the distraught figure. When close enough she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Kay acted with lightning reflexes, batting her hand away and pushing himself away. A tear fell down Mim's cheek. "We were friends once. What changed?" Kay looked up at Mim, his hate filled expression softened slightly.
"You lied to me!" came a rasp. "You lied to me for years by not telling me you were a witch! You didn't trust me!"
"Is it any wonder?" Mim retorted angrily. "You sold out every sorcerer you could find! What would have made me any different?"
"I wouldn't have sold you out!" Kay lied, his eyes darting to the ground. At least he had the honesty to look ashamed. Mim laughed mirthlessly.
"Yes, you would have." She finished quietly. The former friends continued to gaze at each other. Arthur had to agree with Mim; from everything he had heard, Kay would have sold Mim. Arthur tried to put himself in their situation. Would he have sold out Mim? While pondering the difficulties of the question, the atmosphere around Kay and Mim resorted back to loathing.
"Well, we are on separate paths now," an evil grin slowly formed, "you have just confessed that you are a witch in front of the Crowned Prince. Your death is certain. Just like the people that were barred in your hovel."
Mim lashed out at Kay. No magic; but a mighty slap across his face that echoed through the hall. The air went cold as ice and tingled with the emotions of the witch in front of them. Without a second glance, Mim ran from the hall. Arthur followed at equal speed. Merlin and Thomas had been barred in. A part of him had had faith that they had escaped before the mob arrived, but Kay's statement filled him with certainty that his friend and the boy had perished. Two more innocents in the war against sorcery. How had it taken this long for Arthur to realise that this war claimed more innocents than guilty?
Mim ran until she entered the wood out of sight of the castle, then collapsed onto the ground, panting and sobbing. Arthur stood catching his breath.
" Cold blooded, savage..." Mim gasped. Then her eyes darted up with a look of fury. "And I didn't need your help!" she spat angrily. Arthur followed her gaze, which was focused on an owl calmly perched on a branch.
"An owl?" Arthur was confused. "Mim?" Had she lost her mind in grief. Mim continued to glare at the owl.
"Arthur, think." she stated calmly. Arthur continued to look puzzled, so Mim continued. "Owls don't come out during the day." Clarity dawned on Arthur like a bucket of icy water. His gaze fixed on the owl. With a hoot, the owl spread its wings and began to flutter to the ground. But the owl never reached the ground. As it descended, the owl's form changed to that or a person; who sat on a log in front of them. A woman of about thirty or thirty-five sat serenely before them. Her hair the same silver-brown colour that the owls feathers had been, was raggedly cut shoulder length and loooked as if it hadn't been washed in weeks. she was dressed in grey trousers tucked into brown boots and a hay coloured tunic under a dark grey coat which fell to her knees.
"Such ungratefulness," she began calmly, "Little sister, I can still turn your hair purple if I wish." She added with a hint of a grin and a twinkle in her yellow eyes. Mim narrowed her eyes and looked ready to leap at the woman, but the threat of purple hair must have been strong enough to keep her at bay.
"I didn't need your help." Mim stated, standing and glaring. "You should have stayed in your cave, with your books." Arthur thought it best to interrupt before it turned into a full blown argument, which would hinder their journey to the cottage and knowing the fate of those who were in it.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked the older woman. She glanced at Arthur and stood. She wasn't much taller than Mim, but the way she held herself made her seem much taller. He had assumed the yellow in her eyes was caused by the same phenomenon as Mim's, but on closer inspection; as she seemed to inspect him, he realised the were naturally yellow with speckles of hazel. She smiled.
"I haven't seen you, Prince Arthur, since you were a baby." She commented, " I am known as Archimedes as an owl. My name is Elaine of Garlot, a name which hasn't brought me luck in recent years." She extended her hand. Arthur, though unsettled, reached out a shook it.
"You know me?" he squeaked lamely. Cursing himself inwardly at his nervousness. Mim seemed harmless compared to this Archimedes, or Elaine. Archimedes nodded and smiled. No wait, Elaine! Arthur felt his mind was collapsing in on itself.
"I was there at your birth." She turned her steady gaze toward Mim who continued to look furious."Should we not be heading to the cottage, Mim?" Mim glared but worry over took her need to argue with her sibling. Mim ran her fingers distractedly through her hair and nodded. "I can get us there in an instant, if you will permit me to use magic, Sire?" Arthur didn't know where to look; Arch... Elaine's gaze had once again settled on him. Arthur merely nodded, keeping his gaze down. He was too anxious about Merlin and Thomas to care how much sorcery was used. Archim...Elaine bowed her head gracefully in acknowledgement, then extended her hands to each of them. Mim took the left hand, Arthur; with a nod of encouragement, hesitantly took the right.
It felt as though everything around them had turned to smoke and was moving around them. Arthur's eyes seemed to be seeing in several directions at once. I dawned on him that it wasn't the landscape that had become smoke; they had. He had seen sorcerers disappear in flashes of smoke and here he was experiencing it. He didn't like it. The sensation of seeing several ways was disorientating and was making him feel nauseous. In what seemed like seemed like seconds; and it probably was, the landscape once again solidified around them. As soon as the world around them stopped moving, Mim proceeded to vomit, Arthur didn't feel too good himself and glancing at Archimedes, noticed she seemed a little paler.
"I thought you would turn us into birds?" Mim managed to say in between heaves. Archimedes gave her sister a sly look.
"I said 'instantly'," she explained, "Not 'quickly'." Arthur didn't think he'd be very good as a bird and she had said instantly. He wondered if it was common practice to turn people into birds.
Those thoughts ceased as soon as he became aware of two things; they were at the cottage and it was blazing. Arthur took a step back from the heat and started to panic. There was no way Merlin could have escaped that.
Archimedes stepped forward with her right hand outstretched, palm facing the blaze and began making circular motions. The fire in front of them began to die down and in a matter of moments the fire was out. The only clue that there had been a fire was the burnt out wreck that was Mim's home. No heat emanated from the house. Archimedes stepped forward to the charred front door and placed a finger on the length of wood barring the door from opening, which crumpled into a pile of ash and charcoal. Mim bit back a sob.
"Thomas!" she yelled hopefully. Arthur didn't bother yelling for his friend. If they were in there, they were already dead. Archimedes slowly opened the door with a concerned look on her face, as if dreading what she would find. Arthur prepared himself for seeing the charred bodies of his friend and the recently orphaned child. They made their way into what was the main room. No bodies greeted them there. Mim rushed to the nearest door, still clinging to the hope that the child was alive. Arthur followed. Archimedes slowly approached the other door and opened it.
"Thomas?" Mim cried desperately as she searched the room that Arthur and Merlin had shared the night before. It was barely recognisable under the smoke damage and charred edges. Arthur put a comforting hand on Mim's shoulder. He glance over to Archimedes. She was leaning on the precarious door frame and smiling.
"How can you be smiling?" Mim yelled furiously, as she finally lost it with her elder sibling. Archimedes opened her mouth to answer, but Mim had leapt in a flash a struck her sister full force across the face. Archimedes barely flinched as her lip burst, spilling blood down her chin. "You really are the cruel hearted bitch that everyone says you are!" Mim continued to rant, tears pouring from her eyes, which had changed to their natural brown colour. Archimedes glanced at her sister with a look of hurt. Then smiled again.
"They're not here." Arthur blanched. Mim stared. Archimedes smiled. "They're not here!" she laughed lightly and turned her gaze back to the room that Thomas had slept in. Arthur rushed over, thinking of hitting Archimedes himself. Mim looked into the room. A look of surprise filled her face. When Arthur reached the sisters, he too glanced into the room.
"Ha!" Arthur managed. A swell of hope flooded him. The window in the room had been smashed outward and was not charred. But the thing that Arthur noticed, was Merlin's scarf snagged on a a piece of glass, hanging out the window.
Yeay ended on a happy! Review please. I like reviews, they give me warm fuzzies. :) And spur me on to write more!