The blow never came. Alethea opened her eyes to see Uther with his son, tears falling down the former King's face. It tore up the pieces of her already broken heart to see him like this. For a parent to lose their only child… Alethea could only but guess what Uther was feeling at that moment in time. She felt heartbroken, but Uther must be having his heart torn up and it was all her fault. She hadn't made Arthur drink the poison, but she had been too late to stop him. She was the one who had taken it from Nimueh after all when she could simply have chosen not to.
"How could you? How could you kill my son?" Alethea tried to answer but choked on her own voice. "He loved you and yet this is how you repay him? He would have done anything for you."
"I…It was not my choice sire." she told him, looking at her feet.
"You killed him. You could have chosen not to."
"You don't understand…" she began to explain as she moved closer to the cart, a hand reaching out to Arthur's body.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on my son, murderess!" he shouted. Alethea moved her hand to grab a flask in the cart. She was half tempted to drink it herself now that she had nothing left to live for.
"Nimueh gave me this. I had to make Arthur drink it if I wanted to go home, as far away from Camelot as you can get me. I didn't make him. He picked it up and drank it of his own accord, my warning too late. I may as well drink it now that you have your son's body. At least you can give him a proper burial." she said, staring at Arthur's blonde hair and his face which was smiling. He looked peaceful, just like he had when he'd come back to her. She had thought him dead then, but now she knew it was truth. Now she knew that she had lost him forever.
"I don't want to bury him! I want my son back!" Uther shouted at her, making the former student take a step back.
"I'm so sorry sire. If there had been anything I could have done…" she said, making her way towards the King and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was immediately shrugged off as he turned to face her.
"You could have saved him but instead you let him die! You murdered my son!"
"I…" she couldn't say anything more as she fell to the floor, her cheek bright red from where Uther's hand had got her. Raising her hand to it, she smiled slightly as her fingers were covered in her own blood. She stayed where she was, knowing that she had probably deserved that. However, they were both interrupted by the sound of applause and looked up to the balcony to find Nimueh clapping.
"Oh very good. Very good indeed." she praised. "Although I don't think you'll be burying your son Uther."
"And why is that Nimueh?" the former King spat.
"Because you are going to join your subjects whilst Alethea…" she paused for a moment. "Alethea will pay for her crime. Merlin, Gwen, take Uther to the dungeons and dispose of the girl."
Alethea was confused for a moment before noticing that her two friends were under the sorceress' control. However, she knew that she and Uther had the advantage and although she really didn't want to have to hurt either of them, Alethea knew that they had to. As the two servants approached, Alethea looked at Merlin and remembered their last meeting. She'd have to apologise for arguing with him and making him send her home, and sooner rather than later. As the young warlock came towards her, she cut short the distance and went over to him. Seeing his eyes blank and without emotion, she felt shocked but not surprised. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes, hoping that somehow he would hear her.
"Merlin, it's me, Alethea." she said softly. "Listen Merlin, I'm sorry for arguing, very sorry and especially sorry for whatever Nimueh has done to you in my name." He didn't react, but Alethea just stepped closer to him, noticing the dagger in his hand. Any other person would have been scared but Alethea was filled with courage. She didn't tremble and she didn't care anymore. She deserved to die after killing Arthur. Death would be welcome to take her. A single tear fell from her eyes as she embraced Merlin for one last time, giving him the perfect chance to stab her in the back.
"I'm sorry." she said softly in his ear before gently kissing his lips as he got ready to plunge the dagger into her heart. Closing her eyes, Alethea waited for the steel blade to pierce her flesh, knowing that there would be no escape now…
For the second time that day, the blow never came. Alethea opened her eyes as she heard the clatter of metal on stone to find Merlin wrapping his arms around her. The spell had been broken on Merlin, but Gwen was still coming for Uther. Alethea had the sneaking suspicion that Uther would win that fight.
"Alethea… I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven Merlin." she said, letting go of him. "But please forgive me."
"Why?" She simply pointed at the cart and Merlin ran to it, leaving Alethea free to pick up the dagger and shove it in her belt.
"No!" he cried, tearing Alethea's heart. Looking to the balcony, she saw no sign of Nimueh and she knew what that meant.
"Come on, we have to go!" she told them, seeing Gwen sprawled on the ground.
"Where?"
"Away from here." Turning the cart around, Alethea waited for the two men to get on board before heading out of Camelot.
The journey was pretty much unhindered and they remained silent as they travelled. It seemed that Nimueh had not come after them but Alethea knew that they wouldn't be allowed to escape this easily. As they reached the forest, Alethea also knew that she was going to pay for what she had done. Bringing the cart to a stop at a very familiar clearing, she let the horses graze before staying where she was, ready for the berating that she would almost certainly receive.
"How could you do this to him? How could you kill him?" Uther said, and Alethea avoided looking at Merlin. Her eyes were filled with guilt whilst Merlin's were filled with shock.
"I…"
"After everything he's done for you. How is Camelot supposed to become a place of legend with Arthur dead?" Merlin asked, accusingly.
"The story does not end this way."
"Looks like it does. Now we don't stand a chance."
"A kingdom doesn't fall because one man dies." she pointed out.
"It does when all the men die!" Alethea looked at them both then.
"Oh…" she hadn't known that. Now Camelot was definitely in deep trouble.
"You've been nothing but trouble since you first came to Camelot. Perhaps I should have killed you when you first arrived. Then my son would still be alive!"
"He is still alive." said a new voice. The three of them turned around to see Arthur standing tall and proud walking over to them. He wasn't dead after all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arthur hadn't actually drank the poison. In truth, he'd heard Nimueh and Alethea talking whilst pretending to be asleep. He'd actually been eavesdropping so when Alethea went to leave, Arthur pretended to drink from the flask without a single drop passing his lips. All this time he'd been asleep, lying in the back of the cart but had woken to hear raised voices, mainly directed at Alethea. In the heat of the argument, no one had noticed him get up and stand and he'd just been waiting for the right moment to step in. he couldn't help but smile when he saw the looks on their faces. Alethea looked like she was about to laugh or cry, Merlin was amazed and his father was just astonished. They'd shut up though which was a good thing. Alethea was half smiling then but she refused to meet his eyes, obviously feeling guilty for what she could have done to him.
"And don't you dare lay a finger on her. She didn't make me drink the poison." He explained as he joined them, standing directly next to the girl. "I heard every single word between you and Nimueh, Alethea. She made you take the flask from her."
"I would never have made you drink it. I would rather have died a thousand times." she said, looking at her feet once more.
"Then look at me." He said softly, turning towards her, a hand bringing her face up. Blue eyes looked into green but Alethea couldn't hold his gaze.
"I'm sorry Arthur, ever so sorry. I tried to stop you but…"
"I never even let one drop pass my lips…" He smiled, turning to see Uther and Merlin give him an angry stare.
"But…"
"I've been asleep all this time."
"But I carried you! And you're no light weight either." she said.
"What?!" Uther and Merlin chorused at the same time as Alethea spoke. Alethea playfully hit the Prince.
"Ow!"
"We thought… We thought you were dead! You had us panicking. Arthur Pendragon, don't you dare do anything like that again!" said Uther. Arthur just smirked.
"So, what's the plan?" Alethea asked them after a few moments silence.
"Don't you have one?"
"Not at this moment in time." she said. "Where's Camelot's nearest ally?"
"A good weeks journey away." said Uther.
"Riding?"
"Even longer on foot." Merlin put in.
"And quicker by car…" Alethea murmured. "Right, so that's out of the question. What can four of us do to defeat Nimueh?"
"Three."
"What?" Alethea asked, wondering if he was miscounting.
"You are not fighting." Uther said to Alethea, making her feel very annoyed.
"And why is that, sire?"
"You could turn traitor. You have done before."
"And once a traitor always a traitor?" she laughed. "It doesn't work that way!" she said, feeling a little unsteady on his feet. It seemed she was doing far too much today. "And besides, I can fight as well as anyone."
"I doubt that."
"Sire, with all due respect, women can be just as good as men. In some cases even better. We're only a few people here and we're going to need as many hands as we can get. Four of us, rather than three, will try and regain Camelot and rescue the prisoners."
"I'm with her." said Merlin.
"So am I." Arthur agreed. Uther just looked at them and decided that it was pointless arguing with them.
"Oh very well then. Four of us it is." he said, admitting defeat.
"Good." Alethea smiled before holding onto Arthur for balance. "But we don't fight magic with magic and…" Her vision was beginning to go now. This was not good at all. "And one of us can distract Nimueh whilst the rest of us free… free the…" she couldn't finish her sentence. Before she knew it, she was falling and was already unconscious when she hit the floor.
