She woke to find herself wrapped in a duvet and blankets, the heat enveloping her body and refusing to let her go, and she was reluctant to move. She was nicely cocooned in her bed and she knew that it would be cold outside the covers. She didn't want to move, but she knew she had to. Bracing herself for the cold, she swung her legs out of bed and waited for her bare feet to touch the cold stone floor, only to discover that they touched carpet. Looking at the floor, she half recognised the room as her own and wondered whether this was a dream or reality. Clothes strewn across the room with books piled everywhere, she threw on jeans and a tee shirt before heading downstairs to find her parents talking. Her mum was preparing packed lunches for them all whilst her dad was getting ready for work and Alethea smiled at the normality of it all as she got her things ready for college. She didn't think of Camelot as to her it didn't exist and so she ate breakfast before walking to college, her route the same boring one that she followed every day come rain or shine. Feet going one after the other and traffic racing past her, she walked on before arriving at the college building. Stepping through the doors, she found herself immediately in Camelot castle, with bodies littered across the floor. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw a blonde warrior lying half dead next to a young brown haired servant who had already passed on to the next life. It was then that she heard the evil cackle before she fell to the floor, agonising pain pulsing through her veins. Unable to stop it or do anything, she felt her life draining from her until the soft silky darkness of death took her in its embrace…
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Her eyes shot open as she woke with a start, sweat pouring from her skin and her eyes wet with tears. She was shaking but she told herself that it had only been a nightmare. A bad dream. Nimueh had gone now and couldn't hurt her. Not this time. That didn't stop Alethea from hugging the covers close and rocking back and forth on the bed, trying to calm herself down. Her mum would usually calm her after a bad dream with a cuddle and a sweet cup of tea, but she had neither of these things now. She didn't know which had been worse about the dream. The fact that it was home or that it was Nimueh. Both had frightened her, especially when she'd not remembered Camelot. If she was to go home would that happen? Would she resume life as it had been before Camelot and have no knowledge of Arthur or Merlin or the Kingdom? That was a scary thought. Slowly relaxing her grasp on the fabric, she took a few deep breaths before concentrating on the room to take her mind off it.
She didn't quite recognise it at first for it was completely new to her except last night's events soon became clear to her. She'd been watching the world go by before she began to feel very tired. She could barely keep her eyes open and it was then that the Prince had returned with a candle in one hand and keys in the other. If she'd have been more wide awake she'd have called him the lad with the lamp but she'd been too tired. He'd taken her hand and led her to one of the rooms which was where she was now. He'd put her to bed and wished her sweet dreams as he tucked her in, kissing her lightly on the forehead. She'd fallen asleep almost immediately and now here she was, with no Arthur to comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright. Rubbing her eyes and putting on her glasses, she found that her bed was one fit for a princess. It was made of solid oak and was a four poster, with the finest fabrics draping from the roof of it. Not far away from the bed was the hearth which had a fire blazing in it to warm up the room and protect her against the bitter chill, whilst a chest was at the base of her bed. Smiling slightly, she found a screen not far away and behind it was a tub filled with water. A grin tweaked at her lips as she freed the covers and went to test the water to find it very warm. It had only recently been filled and so she knew she had to take advantage of it. Undressing with some difficulty, she noted that in the corner of the room was her college bag which seemed to have survived almost everything, along with her coat which had been cleaned and a shield with scorch marks on it. She knew that that was the one she'd used to defeat Nimueh and it acted as a soothing reminder that Nimueh could no longer hurt her.
Stepping into the bath, she smiled widely as the hot water enveloped her body. Letting all the dirt and grime be washed from her skin, she wondered when she'd lat had a bath. She knew that whilst she'd been held captive that she would have killed for a bath but also that she'd had one at some point before leaving. It felt like a lifetime ago now but in truth it had only been a few months. It had been two or three days before the tournament, but even that was too long ago for Alethea. Closing her eyes, she let the water remove the dirt from her skin and thought back on just what had happened since she'd come to Camelot. So much and yet she felt happy here. She may miss her family but Camelot felt like home to her. She had good friends, a very nice Prince who she loved and who loved her back, and she felt at home, even if she did miss her own town. She knew that at some point in the near future she would have the most difficult decision to face as to whether to stay or go, but it was one she kept pushing to the back of her mind. She didn't want to leave. She had too much here to stay for.
Relaxing in the water, she absent mindedly allowed her fingers to deftly trace the crude scar on her stomach from where she had nearly died a few months ago. She knew that she had been lucky to survive and that it had only been Merlin's magic which had allowed her to live, but it had been worth the pain. She couldn't have killed Arthur and this served as a reminder to her of her treachery. She'd believed Nimueh's every word when she had been taken under the sorceress' wing and so many people had died because of Alethea's naivety. She'd recovered and seen Camelot rebuilt, only for the people to suffer under Nimueh's rule. So many dead and it was Alethea's fault. If only she hadn't been so hasty in wanting to leave then perhaps… But there was nothing that could be done now. What had happened, had happened and there was nothing that anyone could do but pick up the pieces. Sighing, she submerged herself under the water and washed her hair, letting the curls wrap around her fingers. It was steadily returning to its original length when she'd first arrived, but she preferred having shorter hair now. She'd gotten used to it after it had been cut off as a punishment. It had needed cutting anyway before she'd even come to Camelot so you could say that the soldiers had done her a favour. Coming back to the surface, she found that the water had turned a very murky colour and, with a laugh, she climbed out and wrapped a towel around her body. She was just removing the now soaked bandages from her hands when there was a knock on the door and it opened slightly.
"Alethea?"
"Don't come in!" she shouted, droplets of water falling onto the floor with her wet locks hanging on her shoulders.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes… Yes, everything's fine." she said, kicking her dirty clothes behind the screen, glancing around and finding something to put on.
"Can I come in?"
"If you must…" she said, rolling her eyes and holding the towel tight around her. Hearing the door open, she turned around to see the very charming Prince leaning in the doorway wearing a bemused expression with one eyebrow raised. Alethea felt her cheeks glow red and she immediately dived behind the screen and out of sight. She very quickly grabbed the first things she could lay her hands on and put them on, these being a tunic and leggings. Peeking back out, she found the Prince now standing by the fire, his back to the screen.
"How are you?" he asked, not turning around.
"Much better now I've had a bath. You?"
"I'm good." Arthur smiled as he turned around and walked over to her. "Alethea, will you accompany me to the feast tonight?" He asked, taking her hand in his.
"Of course I will, if no one will object…"
"Why would they?" he asked.
"Well, you know, because I did try to destroy Camelot."
"That was Nimueh, and besides, they wouldn't dare." He assured her.
"Alright then. What should I wear?"
"Clothes?" he suggested, but Alethea didn't seem amused.
"Obviously. It's just my dresses are all torn or dirty."
"I'll send you one round later, but you have to promise me that you'll definitely wear it."
"I promise." she told him before sighing as she realised she had no necklace to wear with it. Upon telling him this, Arthur just smiled and nodded before telling her to close her eyes. Bemused, she did so and bit her lip as she felt Arthur's hands sweep back her hair and do something up around her neck. His hands then rested on her shoulders as he then kissed her neck, causing Alethea's heart to skip a beat.
"Can I open my eyes now?" she asked, unable to take anymore of his kisses with her eyes closed.
"What's the magic word?" she could just imagine his smile at this.
"Don't know. I'm not a sorceress." Arthur chuckled at this.
"Please."
"Please can I open my eyes?" she asked.
"Of course you can." And when she did, her hand went to her neck to find a pendant sat there. Going over to the mirror, she could barely believe her eyes when she found her dragon was back on her neck. Turning back to Arthur, she could barely contain her joy.
"Where did you find it?"
"Funny you should ask that."
"I'd love to know."
"What's it worth telling you?" Alethea just smirked before draping her arms around him and kissing him for what felt like the first time in ages. Lips merged, Alethea knew for certain that she could easily make her own home here with the Prince and the legends could go hang. This was meant to be.
"Alright then, I'll tell you." Arthur smirked, running his hand through his already tousled hair. "I came riding after you once I'd read your letter. I wanted to stop you leaving but I was too late. I found this necklace as the only trace of you and gave it back when you returned. I didn't realise that it had been Nimueh at the time but I found it again with my sword this time. My father had them."
"Oh… I thought I'd lost it. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Oh, and my father also invites you to lunch with him tomorrow." Her face fell. She was still wary of the King and knew there was no love lost between them. In fact, she knew that it would probably spell disaster.
"Will you be there?"
"I'm afraid not but I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Hmm…." She reluctantly agreed. "Tell me something Arthur…"
"Yes?"
"Is there something happening tonight at the feast which I'm not allowed to know about?"
"You're just going to have to wait and see. Now, I'm afraid I must go. I'll come and get you before the feast. See you later."
"See you later." she said, watching as he left before she herself left the room and headed to Gaius' chambers. For one she needed her hands sorting, something to stop the bad dreams and also some different company. Knocking on the door, she smiled at the elderly physician.
"I'm afraid Merlin isn't here Alethea."
"It was you I came to see." She told him and held out her hands. Gaius found a salve for them as they talked of the feast that everyone was getting ready for.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He told her with a smile tweaking on his lips. ""Now, have you been sleeping alright?"
"In truth, no. I had a bad dream last night and I don't suppose you've got something to help?"
"To get rid of them? I'm afraid not, but I do have something that could lessen them."
"That'll do." she shrugged and watched with curiosity as he mixed up a potion for her. "When should I drink it?"
"Before you go to sleep. I'm afraid it's the best I can do."
"Don't worry about it Gaius. Now I'd best go."
"See you tonight Alethea." The physician smiled, watching as the young student left the room and walked back to her own.
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It was mid afternoon when the dress arrived and Alethea, who had been lightly dozing, woke to find the most beautiful gown lying at her feet on the end of the bed. Made of the finest materials, it was of a pale blue colour with a slit in the skirt to reveal a darker blue lining underneath. It was the perfect dress and Alethea had a sneaking suspicion that Arthur had had this one made especially for her. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she smiled when she found Gwen waiting to help her and so allowed the girl to get her into the dress and make any alterations. It seemed that it was the perfect fit though and so all that needed doing was Alethea's hair but she decided to go simple. Having a clip at the back to hold back a few curls, a few strands fell down and framed her face. Once Gwen had gone, Alethea looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She could barely recognise herself but she looked gorgeous. A tear ran down her cheek as she gazed at her reflection before realising that none of her injuries were showing. She would definitely have to thank Arthur when she next saw him and so, waiting for the knock on the door to come, she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling very much like a princess and wondering just exactly what the surprise was going to be.
