Just as he couldn't forget about his time with his father, a big, flying messenger was carrying a package to him, his aunt and his mother, who were all congratulating him on passing his tests and being a Sorcerer just like them now. He didn't know just then it was Garuda, the Phoenix King who delivered his Father's message to him.

"Why, open the letter and see who sent it, Mordred!" His aunt Morgana told him. And he opened the letter to reveal his own father's seal on it. "Oh gods, this can't be good news, because he needs us to win his war for him." Distorted by his two tutors' views of his father, he also now thought lowly of him.

"Well, read it to us now, what does your father in his letter?" As he read the letter, his face got darker and darker :

"Mordred, my son, Morgana and Morgause, my half-sisters, you are cordially invited to my betrothal and then to stay at my wedding."

"He's going to be married?"

"Apparently, Mother."

"To whom? Read on." His aunt urged him.

"I am engaged to Gwenyfar Leodegrance, who's father I helped win against Rience, a rebel. But his wife was killed by Rience's army when she was captured by her husband's long-time enemy. So Gwen doesn't have a mother now anymore. I hope you can all to comfort her about her loss. I know you're very close to her, so hence why I invited you all to console her over her mother's tragic death."

"Why, that's wonderful, Mordred, just our chance at revenge."

"What do you mean by that, aunt Morgana?

"Do the same thing his Father's done to our Mother your grandmother, making her cheat on her husband our Father and your grandfather."

"How so?"

"The beauteous Gwenyfar has been educated on our Island, and should have some loyalty to us, since we half-raised her as our own, when her family cast her out believing she was a demoness, having been tricked by some Christian priest they consulted at that time. Young Gwenyfar was only 2 then. I saved her as a baby and brought her to my late husband Urien's house."

"Such a tragic story! I didn't know that about her." He was curious about how his uncle Urien's died, but before he could ask about his Gwen again, his aunt said sympathetically:

"I know how you must feel about her now since you're best friends and all."

"Yes I am sad about her, how could anyone do this to an innocent child?"

"Because the horribly old Christian priest was attracted to baby Gwen. I never thought these priests to be holy or saints or anything like that." He noted the disdain his Mother felt for these "holy" priests.

"Funny how the people of Avalon think Christians are evil, and vice-versa. When I lived in Camelot, the Christian priests were always saying how evil Merlin and etc are. Now I think it's only a matter of perception."

"You're probably right Mordred, it's all a matter of perception."

"While you two are discussing about Christianity vs Avalon's religion, maybe we could go back to talking what to do with the invitation from your Father, what do you say, Mordred?"

"Good idea, aunt Morgana. But I want to know why she cares so much about her parents, when they didn't love her at all? Why did she go back to them when the rebel Rience attacked her kingdom?"

"Although they treated her poorly, she still feels attached to her parents' home, I guess, like we all are to Avalon."

"That must be it, Mother, but I don't want to go the betrothal party or my father's wedding."

"Why so, my son?"

"Because I don't want to see my best friend on the whole Island being used and married off as a gift, Mother, she is a person, and her father King Leodegrance isn't treating hermuch like a person."

"Oh Mordred, though you're not saying it, I can tell you're jealous of your father marrying the woman you love, aren't you?"

"Aunt Morgana, did you use your telepathic powers on me to know this?"

"No, I didn't even need to, your face told me everything about your jealousy of your father and your heart is with Gwenyfar, I can tell from your frowns and everything else."

"I didn't think I was this transparent about my feelings and everything?"

"Well you are, now mind you, at your Father's betrothal and wedding ceremonies, don't let them show."

"Why?"

"Because she's going to be married to your Father, whether you like this or not, she's King Leodegrance's gift to your Father, I suppose her father, by doing that wants an alliance with yours, and after your Father becomes his son-in-law, he's going to be family too, which is going to be good for us, because Gwenyfar has home feelings for Avalon too. I'm sure she doesn't wish Camelot or Avalon destroyed by war and by marrying your father, that's what's going to prevent this. So you should happy about it."

"That's the logical thing, but you're not making me feel any better, Mother."

"Not another word about it anymore, we're going to your father's betrothal and wedding ceremonies, and that's final, Mordred."

"Why must we?" He persisted and he shouldn't have.

"Because as her adoptive mother, I am going to give her to your father at the Christian wedding, no doubt. And I'm going to give her an elixir to make her childless, saying it's a love potion."

"And you my son, are going to slip in a real love potion in one of the Knights' foods or drinks at your Father's betrothal or wedding to her, to make the Knight smitten or infatuated with her, and you are going to do the same to her, to make her desire said Knight, so she'd shame her future husband your Father by cheating on him with the chosen Knight. Use her trust for you to do this for me."

"No, I won't, Mother!"

"Don't you want to avenge your jealousy against your Father too? And take back what's yours? Don't you find it unfair to you, that your Father has everything you should have?"

"Take back what's mine?" He asked a bit puzzled by what his Mother meant.

"Yes. Take back your throne, your woman Gwenyfar, what should belong to you, as the Pendragons' blooded descendant. If your Father's Queen can't have a child, he'll be forced to make you king of Camelot and maybe to burn her as a witch." As his Mother said this, he envisioned himself as Camelot's and Avalon's King. But he didn't want to be King for power, no he wanted to be King so he could achieve what he promised to his Grandaunt Viviane the Lady of the Lake : peace between Camelot and Avalon, his Father's and Mother's homes.

Since his Aunt and his Mother all were firm about going to his Father's betrothal and wedding ceremonies, he had to go back to Camelot and to face his Father's court again. Just before going though, his Mother gave him the 2 love potions and his Aunt brought the one that could make a woman barren.

"Ahh, all these bad memories I had in this Castle, where as Camelot's 2nd prince, I was mocked by all, even servants and maids." He still felt strongly about the Castle, even though he's been away from it for quite some years now.

"What are they going to say about me now that I'm a Sorcerer, maybe that I'm evil or something else?" He was pondering about this while they were rowing back to his Father's court. As their boat approached his father's Castle, some front guard shouted :

"It's them, your Majesty, it's them! They've accepted your invitation." And his Father the King of Camelot was out to meet them 3. It was a bit awkward for him because he didn't see his father since the day he left for Avalon with his Mother, but his Father said to him, breaking the ice :

"Welcome back home, son." He never expected such a warm welcome from his Father.

"Hello, Father."

"Hello Morgana, Morgause. Why don't all go and have some refreshments and some rest in your guest rooms. Mordred, I've left your room as it was when you left my house. I trust you remember where it is."

"Thank you Father." "Well, everything's going pretty well so far…"

His apprehensions about his Father were largely unnecessary however, since the King of Camelot, if he were ever so prideful and boastful, he also forgave and forgot easily, in contrast to his vengeful and bitter mother. He had no time to dwell on his somewhat weird father-to-son relationship, because it was his Gwen and his Father's betrothal celebrations soon.

"Ah, not celebrations again!" He said at his Father's betrothal ceremony. Gwen was watching him, her friend from Avalon. And he didn't know just how much she wanted to escape all this and to be in his arms again, nor how conflicted she was internally between her duties to her father and kingdom. Also he wished he could go to her and give her the courage to marry his Father, a man she didn't truly love, he could see it on her face, even though his Father seemed to like her a lot.

The betrothal ceremony was outside his Father's huge Castle, he met several of his relatives, either half or full, for example, his Grand Uncles Lord Agravaine and Tristan de Bois, and his half-brothers, sons of his Mother's husband the King Lot whom he instantly disliked for their sheer arrogance, and his gorgeously stunning aunt Elaine de Shallot, who he's never seen before in his life. He greeted them all formally and bowed to them of course, to not embarrass his Aunt or his Mother. After a while of getting introduced to all his family, it was time for the official betrothal-alliance ceremony and King Leodegrance stood up and said to his Father :

"I King Leodegrance, am here today to give you my daughter Gwenyfar, Christened Guinevere, to you, King Arthur of Camelot, my long-time friend and king."

"I gladly accept your gift, Sir Leodegrance, my long-time vassal. We're going to be family after my marriage to your fair daughter Guinevere."

While they were closing the ceremony, a Knight came from the woods, walked towards his Father's betrothed and gave her a gift. He said, seemingly angry for his Father, though he did this to get everyone's trust :

"You, how dare you court my Father's betrothed! I am challenging you to a duel!"

"Mordred, no!"

"Let me, Father!" And the Knight and he duelled for a short while, the Knight came out triumphant and said pompously :

"You'd better hone your combat skills, although no doubt a powerful Sorcerer now, Mordred!" This one reminded him of the one who dared to call him a street urchin, in his grandfather Uther's presence. He couldn't tolerate the Knight's pomposity any longer, so he said to him :

"If you're truly a Knight, don't hide behind your helmet, show us who you really are!" And when he did, his Father exclaimed :

"Sir Lancelot! My friend! This is a betrothal gift for my future wife and I, isn't it?" "How could my Father still be so naive? Naive like a child!"

"Yes my King, but Mordred here mistook it as me courting your betrothed." Everyone laughed nervously as the Knight said that, afraid he might do something to the famous Sir Lancelot du Lac.

When all the guests had gone home, he retired in his own room and thought : "I'm going to make this extremely vain Sir Lancelot pay for it, not only for my Father, but also for myself." If he were reluctant at first to slip the love potion in his Gwen's foods and drinks at her wedding, he changed his mind about this after today's eventful betrothal ceremony. "This Sir Lancelot is just going to be the knight for the job." Exhausted, he thought he was going to do all this at his Father's nuptial night.

Please leave some comments after reading it, thanks to all my readers!