Chapter 15: - The Sword In The Stone Speaks
Belle headed straight to the stables without notifing anyone that she was going back to the north path from the lake to find the mysterious sword in the stone. The saddled up her horse, Star who had been one of the horses to pull the royal carriage on their way to Camelot.
The moon was full and the stars shone brightly in the pitch black sky. Belle rode all the way to the north path that lead from the lake. She could just about see the sword reflecting in the moon's light and she dismounted hesitantly, tying Star's reigns to a tree securely and she patted her beloved companion gently and pressed a kiss to her nose lovingly,
"I'll be right back Star" she whispered gently before making her way down the path towards the sword.
The clearing was quiet and peaceful. To Belle it was if the sword was… sleeping. Resting in the soft glow that was being casted from fireflies and the moon. She hesitantly walked towards the Stone that held the sword prisoner,
"Can you…. Can you speak?" she whispered hesitantly but no response came and all Belle could hear was the quiet noises of the forest around her and the rushing water from the lake down the path behind her and she suddenly felt very silly,
"I'm talking to a sword. It's official I've lost my mind" she said to herself and began to turn but Star neighed at her encouragingly and Belle giggled,
"I've already attempted a conversation with a sword Star. I'm not taking advice….. Well I'm already taking to a horse so I might as well take the advice from one…. One more act of madness for the night" she said to herself and turned back towards the stone and for a moment she thought before hesitantly reaching out and placed her hand on the sword of the handle and she suddenly gasped, her grasp on the handle grew tight as her eyes also closed tightly as a voice spoke in her mind,
"The Queen has returned. The one who was summoned so lessons would be learned.
The one who has the same face but not heart.
The one who shall play an important part" the voice whispered within Belle's mind but her eyes remained tightly closed as she listened,
"I…. I don't understand. What do you mean? What 'important part' am I supposed to play?" she asked confused, not understanding the sword's riddle,
"The Queen, she seeks answers about the prophecy foretold,
The prophecy about the prince she was summoned to mould.
The present king's reign shall soon end.
On Arthur, the Kingdom shall then depend." The sword continued to whisper and Belle shook her head as her eyes remained closed,
"No. He's not ready. He's still young, He's too scared. There must be another way" she said desperately,
The voice began to speak once more,
"The King shall fall from an illness of the mind and Arthur shall look to the one that is kind.
With the king's last breath a secret shall be told. A secret that shall be for you to behold.
Summoned for one reason will turn to another but you shall be assured that he always loved her.
The young prince will feel lost and won't know what to do but he will turn to one he trusts, he shall turn to you" The sword showed Belle everything that was to come and it finished and the voice faded away and Belle slowly opened her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek as she released the handle and she fell to her knees, putting her face in her hands and she cried.
Star who had managed to pull her reigns free when she saw the distress her mistress was in and instantly came to her side and lowered her face and nuzzled Belle's cheek who simply turned and hugged her beloved horse as she comforted her.
Belle had told Rumple what she had seen and had begun to cry in front of him and he quickly pulled her into his arms and held her tightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek,
"Everything will be fine Belle. I assure you." He said soothingly but Belle knew that he had not seen what she had seen. The end of Uther's reign had been foretold and there was no stopping it and sometime soon what the sword had both shown and told her would soon come to past but she silently vowed that she would be there for Arthur when it would.
After two months of living within Camelot. Arthur asked Belle if she could start teaching him and she instantly agreed. The sword's prophecy still haunted Belle's dreams and thoughts as she watched Arthur study hard.
Her worst fears came true when she and Rumple had been having afternoon tea in their chambers when a messenger entered and informed them that Uther had collapsed during a meeting with his knights. The court physician feared for both Uther's physical health and his mental health. Belle comforted Arthur for the duration of Uther's illness. She had been making sure Arthur and Bae were both settled down for bed. Bae's bed had been moved into Arthur's chambers because the two young prince's had begun to see each other as brothers as well as friends. The physician knocked on the door quietly so he would not disturb their sleep, before entering,
"Your highness. King Uther is weak and he has requested your presence… I fear that he won't last the night" he said sadly and Belle sighed before looking at Arthur's sleeping form before standing quietly and following the physician.
Belle entered the King's chambers both quietly and hesitantly. She heard him cough as he tried to sit up and she instantly went to his side and calmed him, placing her hands on his shoulders gently, making him lie back down,
"Try to relax your majesty. You're in no fit state to move yet" she explained gently and he nodded slightly as she helped place another pillow under his head so that he was slightly propped up and more comfortable and she retrieved him a small goblet of water and placed it to his lips and helped him to drink before placing the goblet on the table at his bedside,
"Please… Sit" he requested and Belle ablidged and took the seat next to his bedside and he coughed slightly,
"I….. I wanted to thank you….. Lady Belle for all the help you have given me and my son over the past few months" he said and coughed again as he brought a cloth to his mouth before continuing,
"My mind has been plagued with demons and shadows these past months and I am now unfit….. I fear that my time is running out but… before I do I must make one more request of you" he explained weakly and Belle looked at him sadly but nodded,
"Of course your majesty" she said understanding,
"My physician has informed me that I may not last the night and I fear that he in right… My son is still too young to take the throne. I hoped that I might live to an age where I would be able to see him crowned but….. Unfortunately that appears to be impossible" he said in a weak and sad tone,
"My request is that you might find it in your heart to stay in Camelot until he is ready….. And take the role of his royal adviser" he explained and Belle's eyes widened in surprised but before she could protest, Uther placed his weak hand over hers,
"I… I need to tell you the reason I summoned you here to Camelot…. The real reason I summoned you here" he said weakly and Belle looked confused,
"Your majesty, I don't understand. What do you mean 'the real reason'? You summoned me here to teach Arthur… didn't you?" she asked calmly and Uther was silent for a moment before turning his head towards the fireplace across the room,
"The curtain above the fireplace….. Please open it" he requested and Belle stood slowly before walking across the room and she opened the curtain above the fireplace and gasped. The curtain had been hiding a portrait of Uther with his wife Igrain standing by his side. Belle was stunned to see that Igrain was nearly her exact double except she had blond hair. Belle was silent for a moment before looking back at Uther,
"I… Your majesty I don't understand" she said nervously and Uther coughed,
"Please….. Do not misunderstand my intentions" he said weakly and looked Igrain's painted face,
"Igrain was the love of my life and I miss her every single day…. My reason for summoning you was partly because of your shared resemblance but I also wished that Arthur might see his mother's face properly because he had been unable for he was only a baby when my beloved Igrain died" he said sadly before looking at Belle,
"When I saw the annoncement of yours and your husband's wedding I was stunned by your appearance and the remarkable similarity to my wife but I did nothing…. But then Arthur grew distant to everybody….. Including me but… Then I saw the announcement of Prince Bae's royal adoption and later, Princess Rose's royal birth announcement and… Something told me that your kindness would be able to move my son's heart and he would begin to open up once more and you have proved to be a miracle indeed for you gained my son's trust in such a short time. I beg of you to stay and help him be the great king I know he will be" he begged in a weak tone and Belle was silent and looked at Igrain's image and thought of how it must have looked to Uther when Arthur had hugged her side when they had returned from the lake and she sighed before returning to the king's bedside and sat down once more,
"You have my word your majesty" she said gently and he smiled relieved and placed his hand over hers once more,
"Thank you my dear….. You truly are heaven sent. I had a feeling that my Igrain allowed our paths to cross so that my son's path would become an easier one to walk even with the burden he has upon his shoulders" he whispered weakly but Belle smiled softly and placed her hand over his,
"I promise that I will assist Arthur with the weight of his responsibilities your majesty" she promised him and he smiled softly,
"Rumple is a very lucky man" he pointed out and Belle smiled,
"It is I who is the lucky one your majesty. My husband and my children mean the world to me. I love them more than anything" she said gently and Uther smiled weakly,
"Then…. Please….. Could you try and find it in your heart to expand that love so that you may offer it to my son?" he pleaded and Belle smiled sadly as a tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek,
"Oh Uther…. He already has it" she assured him with a whisper as the king finally closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Poor Uther :'( literally I cried writing this chapter. How sweet is Uther that he invited Belle just so that Arthur could see the face of his mother? seriously I'm in tears here.
Anyway Please Review and tell me what you think in order to unlock the next chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996