- Chapter 26 -
"The betrayal of trust carries a heavy taboo."
~ Aldrich Ames
Mordred stared out of the window as he stood inside the dinning room at the Keep of his aunt, Morgana le Fay. With his hands clasped behind him casually, there was an evil smile on his face.
"It has been going on for years," he suddenly said, as the sorceress looked up towards him from where she was seated at the head of the table.
"At first I thought it could be just rumors," continued Mordred. "But as it all turned out, it was true. Lancelot and Guinevere are having an affair."
Morgana lifted a cup of wine to her lips with a delicate hand and drank from it, before she replied to the young man.
"Who would have thought that the strong brotherhood between the Knights of the Round Table would be destroyed by a woman?"
She finished this with a smirk.
Now having a good look at Mordred, who was still having his back turned to her, Morgana thought back to the years where Mordred was still just a boy who loathed his father. That boy had grown up into an ambitious full-grown man who still loathed his father and had become smart with evil.
But Mordred wasn't the only boy whom Morgana watched while growing up becoming a man. And she still intended to have "him" to her side. As she had said years before, Merlin would never see it coming. But timing was something she still didn't have even at the moment.
"Betrayal, treachery, distrust, and hatred, I promise you," said Mordred as he finally turned around to face his aunt. "These things will not only break the Round Table in half, but into pieces."
Quirking up a brow, Morgana was impressed. "Hard words. Still, if you do not have evidence, Arthur will not believe you."
At this, the young man simply smiled as he approached the table.
"I'll be having a witness with me," he said as he poured himself some wine into a cup. "My half-brother, Agravain and I have talked already. Like me he had heard of the rumors and intends to see for himself." He sat at the table as he pulled the nearest chair and drank the wine before he continued. "Tomorrow afternoon Lancelot will be in the Queen's chambers. The adulterers would not be expecting us and Agravain and I will expose their affair to my dearest father."
Even as a man, Mordred spits out "father" as though it disgust him.
"You seem so confident," said the sorceress. "How are you even certain that the two of you will catch them in the act?"
Once again, Mordred smiled. "Of course we'll catch those star-crossed lovers. I have you."
Morgana's lips slowly curved into a sweet, evil smile.
Queen Guinevere stood in the middle of her husband, King Arthur's throne room, with tears flowing down from her eyes to her cheeks.
Suddenly, she slowly looked up to the now aged king sitting on his throne.
"Arthur, please," she said slowly. "I-"
"Enough!" shouted Agravain, cutting off Guinevere from what she was about to say. "Enough from you and you're lies, you treacherous whore!"
"Agravain!"
King Arthur's voice echoed in the throne room like thunder.
"You are forgetting that you are in my presence!" the King said to the knight, as Agravain glared down on the floor, clenching his fists. "You hold your tongue in my throne room."
Once again, there was silence in the room, as Arthur looked back to Guinevere who was trying to avoid his eyes, while Agravian bowed his head in silence as he clenched his fist. Mordred on the other hand was trying hard to hide how please he was to see his father's current state, but as he took notice of his brother, he thought perhaps it was about time to leave the king and queen to themselves.
"My king," said Mordred all of a sudden, successful in catching Arthur's attention. "Perhaps it would be best if we leave you and the queen alone."
He silently waited for Arthur's response, by which, the only response the king made was a dismissive wave of a hand.
Mordred then turned to leave as so was the guards, but Agravain gave one last dirty look towards Guinevere before doing so.
"Come, come now, brother," said Mordred. "You know better; murderous looks can do nothing. Believe me, I know."
Agravain turned around followed closely behind by his half-brother. "It would be able to do something if only looks could kill," he grumbled loud enough for Mordred to hear him.
"Hmm... You do have a good point at that, I admit," agreed Mordred, as he along with the others disappeared behind the huge double doors.
A few heartbeats later, Arthur stood from his throne and walked over to Guinevere who was still trying not to meet his gaze. When he finally got close enough, standing right in front of her, she slowly looked up to him.
Once again, she tried to speak to him. "Arthur, I...I'm sorry."
"My best friend," said Arthur, causing Guinevere to look away again. "Of all people, you have to choose my best friend."
The queen still kept silent. Arthur continued.
"You will have a fair trial, but since all evidence prove that you're guilty... I don't know. But we'll see what happens after."
And then, Arthur called out for the guards to take Guinevere away.
When once again he was left alone, he knew that one way or another, Guinevere would be sentenced to death. Although he wasn't quite certain that when the time comes, can he send her to her death?
King Arthur reluctantly sentenced Queen Guinevere to be burnt at the stake, but Lancelot came to save the queen with the help of his family. During this encounter, Arthur ordered for Guinevere to be brought in to the castle, while Lancelot parried with three of the Orkney princes: Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth. All three princes, were killed after the encounter and Lancelot was able to escape, unsuccessful to bring Guinevere along. But after this, the death of the three Orkney princes caused Gawain to be enraged and sought out revenge against Lancelot.
Gawain tried to persuade Arthur to wage war against Lancelot, which meant leaving Camelot. To seek advice, Arthur sent for Merlin. But the two also talked about other matters...
"Why weren't you there? Or even any of your apprentices?" questioned the King. "Why didn't you try to stop Lancelot, or my nephews? Why didn't you do anything at all, Merlin?"
"When you sentenced your queen to death," replied Merlin, "though you were reluctant, you didn't asked for my advice on the matter. I didn't do anything because what happened back then were consequences of what you have done."
Although silenced but for a moment, Arthur kept a straight face when he asked, "I seek your advice now. Should I go to wage war against Lancelot, or not?"
"Whether what I say is important or not," said Merlin, keeping a steady gaze on Arthur, "the decision would still be yours to make."
In the end, Gawain was able to persuade Arthur to go to France to wage war against Lancelot, while Merlin stayed to look after the kingdom.
He wasn't wrong in doing so.
Mordred seized the throne and Merlin opposed to it, but Morgana was there. While the two powerful sorcerers were battling one another, Horvath was already sent to give the news of Mordred's betrayal to King Arthur. Meanwhile, Balthazar and Veronica helped Guinevere to hide in a convent.
Arthur decided to go back, and Mordred and he battled at Camlann. Horvath and Merlin went with Arthur, and left Balthazar and Veronica to look after things. The two were barely able to fend back Morgana when the sorceress tried to make her move once again. They were still in luck, for when news of how Mordred was badly wounded, Morgana quickly retreated. Maybe to go to Mordred's aid.
The good thing was that, Balthazar and Veronica were still alive after it, with a few bruises. But still, Veronica had to tend to Balthazar's wound.
"I've never realized it could actually happen," said Balthazar, as he was on bed, resting.
"Do you mean all these betrayal happening?" replied Veronica.
"No, I mean, the affair between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere." Balthazar slowly sat up, although Veronica had told him not to. "Lancelot and Arthur, they were best friends. And yet..." he trailed off.
"Well they are indeed best friends, are they not?" Veronica said with a sad smile. "They say best friends have things in common, like you and Horvath. In the case of Sir Lancelot and King Arthur, they both came to love the same woman."
Balthazar was silent for a moment, and then spoke once again in a more serious tone.
"Veronica.."
"Hmm? Yes?"
His heart beat quickened a pace.
"When all this had started, I have been thinking about...about you."
Veronica looked at her colleague more intently, with a slight frown on her eyebrows. She was wondering what serious thing was Balthazar about to tell her.
"And h-how I-I...how I feel about you." Balthazar swallowed, finally able to sense his heart pounding inside his chest.
He took a moment's longer before he spoke again.
"Veronica, it has been years. I've been keeping such feelings for years, and now, I suppose it is time for me to tell you."
Shaking her head lightly, Veronica asked with a small smile, "To tell me what, Balthazar? What do you want to tell me?"
Once again, Balthazar found himself swallowing.
"To tell you that...that I... Veronica I..." He silently cursed at himself in his mind. "Veronica, I love you."
The expressions on Veronica's face suddenly changed, as she pulled back a little away from Balthazar's bed.
"What I mean is that I love you more than just a sister," Balthazar explained. "I love you more than just a friend. I've been looking forward to the day where we could be more than friends. I..."
He stopped.
Veronica had a smile on her face but there were tears in her eyes.
"W-Why are you crying?" asked the alarmed Balthazar. "Look, it's alright. If there's another man you like..."
"No."
Balthazar stared.
"What do you mean 'no'?" he asked.
Veronica took Balthazar's hand in both of her's. "What I mean is that there is no other man that I like."
She bit her lip. Then, she slowly drew closer to him.
Closer.
Closer.
Until...
Their lips met... For the very first time.
It was soft, and a little brief. When she pulled back, she gazed up to him and said, "I love you too, Balthazar. The same way you love me."
He could have sworn that he felt his heart stopped.
"Truly?" asked Balthazar, not able to hold back a big smile.
Veronica only nodded, almost mirroring the same big smile.
The two of them shared a hug.
Three years had passed since then. Mordred was said to have died. Arthur died as well, and one named Constantine became Arthur's successor. Also, Merlinian sorcerers were having much trouble with fending off Morgana. Some of Arthur's old enemies were threatening to destroy Camelot, or even conquer it, so Constantine have to do his best and defend the kingdom.
While the new king was away, the Merlinians were the one's left to look after Camelot.
And yet, even though three years had already passed, Balthazar and Veronica were still in the process of trying to tell Maxim about their relationship. Merlin already knows, and he didn't seemed quite troubled about the relationship between two of his apprentices.
Until that day came...
"I'm asking you, if I could court you."
Maxim had confessed for his feelings to Veronica, and Veronica, not wanting to hurt her brother-by-bond, said that he could court her if he was willing to wait for her answer. As it turned out, Maxim, already forty-three years of age, was very much willing.
When the eldest apprentice left, Balthazar stepped out of his hiding place and walked over towards Veronica.
"We should have told him about us before," the female apprentice said, looking up to her most beloved. "Now look. Balthazar I don't want to hurt Horvath. What he went through with girls before was hurt enough."
"We didn't know he had feelings for you too," said Balthazar. "But you're right, we should have told him before. But Veronica, promise me you won't tell him anything; I will tell him."
"Are you certain with that?"
"I don't want to hurt him too, but I should be the one to tell him. I'm his best friend."
Five years passed, and Maxim was still left waiting for Veronica's answer.
Balthazar never would have thought that it would be this hard...
A/N: "Am I going fast with this chapter? I mean, I know I'm going fast, but it's just that I'm already losing ideas to make this longer. But since I'm planning to write an epilogue in the end, I guess I'm still gonna work for a little longer with this. R&R."