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I do hope you enjoy the chapter and I will update again as soon as I can :)
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"I had no idea my mother was helping your people."
"And I had no idea she had a daughter."
Layla smiles, sneaking a peek at the sleeping King Lot; it took both Layla and Queen Greer to support him and carry him to his throne.
"Do you wish to cast revenge on your mother's behalf? I heard she died at Camelot's hand."
The brunette looks at the Queen of Essetir curiously who was in fact quite stunning and fierce but reasonable which made her dangerous; a fiery spirit that is able to keep a level head is a hazard to watch out for.
She had heard that Greer was the niece of the current queen of Carleon, Annis and they did certainly seemed to look had the same complexion of an impeccable, ochreous hue and the beryl-green eyes that seemed to sparkle with curiosity just like the elderly queen.
"Well?"
"I have no ill will against Camelot. My mother plotted against them knowing the consequences and she had to pay the price."
"Is that truly your real feelings?" the queen asks, running her perfectly filed nails through her nougat-brown hair.
Layla nods, "I like to think that my mother is happier now in heaven."
Greer smiles a little, the idea of her former physician finally living in peace was a nice thought.
"Layla, how old are you?"
"How old do you think I am?" Layla answers, smirking.
"20"
"Older"
"Certainly younger than 30?"
"Mhm"
"Surely younger than I am?"
"You are turning 29 this year aren't you?"
Greer nods and Layla smiles, "Yes I'm younger than 29."
"25"
"Nope."
"23?"
"Well in terms of my appearance, yes you are right."
The queen frowns, not understanding so the brunette witch elaborates.
"On my 21st birthday, I was attacked by a fellow witch during my birthday celebrations. My mother came just in time to stop me from dying but in turn, the curse I had received from Morgause, that is the witch who attacked me; the curse turned me into a flower and I had to wait for someone with a pure of heart to come along to save me."
"I'm guessing the one with the 'pure of heart' was your husband."
Layla smiles fondly at the memory of her husband and nods.
"How long were you cursed as a flower for?"
"5 years."
Greer visibly flinched, 5 years was a long time to be away from the world.
"Then will you have your revenge against this Morgause?"
"She's already dead" her subject answers flatly, obviously displeased.
"Ah"
"But in a way, I am thankful to Morgause."
"Why?"
"If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have ever met my husband."
The queen watches as Layla's face changes, her features somehow softer and a gentle look forming in her eyes as her husband appears in her mind. The brunette queen was envious, to say the least, and wondered whether she would ever have that kind of love.
Greer tilts her head, her expression thoughtful, "Layla?"
"Yes?"
"Come with me"
Without another word, the green-eyed brunette queen takes Layla by the hand and drags her along as they make their way downstairs.
"My queen, is there something the matter?"
"As a magic user, you are familiar with magical items yes? There is something I wish for you to look in our vault."
Layla blinked, dumbstruck, "You are allowing me, a mere commoner to enter Essetir's vaults?"
"My dear, I will be going with you. You need not fret over small things."
"B-but-"
"There is something I need you to see."
Layla closed her mouth, bearing the stern tone, "Alright my queen. Whatever you wish."
Greer relaxes her hold and smiles at Layla as she lets the witch move beside her before continuing to walk down the staircase together hand in hand and side to side.
In Camelot
"Arthur, we must meet with Mithian, her kingdom had been attacked! And by Morgana no less! Surely we need to go and visit her? How much longer must we delay this visit? It's been a week now!"
"Gwen, I am afraid I can't afford to, Camelot has some pressing trade matters that I must attend to and it will take days."
Gwen frowned, looking at her dishevelled husband who was shuffling through papers on his desk. It's not like she didn't understand his situation but Mithian was his friend wasn't she?
"Fine, then I'll go. With Percival and Leon."
Arthur sighs deeply, "Gwen, a letter of our dearest sympathies will be fine."
"I can't accept that."
Arthur frowns, looking up at her, "Are you sure you want to go there on your own without me?"
"As you have pointed out Arthur, Camelot has pressing matters to attend to so I will go alone."
"Last time I let you of my sight, you were taken and bewitched by Morgana. You are staying here."
"Arthur-"
"This is not a discussion." he husband tells her, his voice firm
Unhappy, Gwen let it show on her face as she proceeded to curtsy respectfully before turning on her heel sharply and leaving the room.
"Shall I follow her milord?" asked Annabeth from her spot next to Merlin; where both servants had been quietly observing their masters.
"No, not when she is this upset."
Merlin watched as Arthur rubbed at his temples irritably.
"The both of you leave, I need to think."
Merlin and Anna did as they were told, careful not to make any noise as they exited the room.
"Will they be okay?"
"They will be fine. However there is something I need to tell you."
"Is it something I can actually tell people?"
Merlin rolled his eyes, "No Anna."
The maid pouted until Merlin pulls her into a dark corridor where no one could see them.
"Gwen is pregnant."
Merlin smartly covers her mouth to muffle her as his childhood friend squeals in delight. He slowly removes his hand and gestures to her to be silent.
"How do you she know?!" she whispers excitedly.
"My magic allows me to see life in its purest forms."
Anna frowned, "Then how come you couldn't tell when Layla was pregnant with Myriddin?"
"Maybe it's different if the mother is a magical being." Merlin answers, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Alright...so wait, I need to keep this to myself?!"
"Hush!"
Anna covered her mouth in shock before blushing in embarrassment, "Sorry…but Merlin, there is no way I can keep something like this to myself."
"Well, you have to. You're her maidservant and I need you to be vigilant and watch over her properly and make sure she keeps taking the medicine my mother gave her. She'll come to have her morning sickness eventually."
"Erm, isn't the medicine for fertility?"
"Nope, I had my mother switch them to medicine that can better assure a healthy pregnancy."
"Ah...how sneaky of you Merlin."
Merlin smirked, "Thank you now go find Gwen."
"Huh? But Arthur said-"
"It's been awhile since then, Gwen would have cooled off by now. Go to the garden that is where she usually is."
"Okay, but what are you going to do?"
"I need to go see Gaius. He says he has some chores for me."
"Oh alright then, see you!"
With a quick kiss on the cheek, Annabeth leaves the corridor and Merlin leaves in the opposite direction to attend to their duties.
Back in Essetir
"I honestly don't understand him! He courts all these other girls that are not even remotely as beautiful as I!"
Layla resisted the urge to yawn. It's only been a few minutes but to the witch, it felt like hours since the two women had ventured down the stairs.
"Well except for you, of course, you're undeniably gorgeous."
Now that brought Layla back to her senses.
"My queen, please don't-"
"Layla, do not be modest. You are your mother's daughter most definitely but you are definitely the beauty of the family."
The grey-eyed brunette blushes in embarrassment, "But everyone says I'm her image, how-?"
"Your nose is smaller, your lips are more full, your eyes are wider, you have longer eyelashes and your features are somehow more delicate yet still sharp at the same time."
Layla didn't know what to say to that, no one had ever pointed out so clearly the subtle differences in facial features between her mother and herself not even her own husband...not even herself.
"Now back to that idiot Lot! I just don't understand! The first few months of our marriage; when he looks like me, he has a look in his eyes that I swear seem to be affectionate and then he suddenly begins taking other girls into his room! Just what the hell is wrong with him?"
"Have you ever asked?"
Greer blinks in realization, stopping in her tracks, "No...no I didn't."
Layla smiles softly before putting a hand on the queen's back gently; she had to be careful, this woman is a royal after all.
"Let me give you some advice, something I had learned as a married woman of two years. Always communicate, never stray away from each other as long as you have faith in one another and your marriage."
Greer shakes her head furiously, "Layla...Lot is-"
"-driving you mad with jealousy?"
Greer stops and turns to Layla in surprise, "N-no!"
The witch tilts her head, folding her arms as she looks at the green-eyed queen knowingly who reddens under her gaze.
"It is n-not-"
Layla holds up her hand, interrupting her, "My queen, if that wasn't the case, I am sure asking for an annulment would be much simpler compared to watching King Lot take young ladies to his chambers no?"
Greer's face flushed, unsure of what to say.
"Talk to him, he is your husband."
"Layla, my marriage with Lot isn't a marriage of love like yours is with your husband."
"Regardless, it is still a marriage. You are a royal by birth and raised as such hence it would be no problem for you to make Lot listen to you to make him see his erred ways. Despite the fact that you both were arranged to be wed, you are his queen and partner so he has to give you the respect you deserve."
The queen of Essetir sighs, rubbing her temple in disdain, "Fine, I will try."
"Just be yourself, speak plainly and from the heart."
Greer turns and widens her eyes when she looks at her again; the familiar, calm and confident presence Layla gave off gave her goosebumps.
She really is her mother's daughter…
It took a while but the two women finally came to the door. Greer opens the vault door with her key that she had kept much to Layla's amusement, tucked between her mounds which was barely constrained by Greer's corset. When the door finally opens and Layla had finally taken her eyes off of her queen's rather large chest, Layla is met with a nostalgia she hasn't felt since she was cursed to become a rose. She enters the room in a daze, looking over all the items warily.
"Everything here...is from the time the Old Religion was at it's peak before the Purge. My queen, why is this vault full of magical artifacts?"
"Apparently, Cenred's family were avid collectors of magical items. Lot doesn't know about this vault."
"Then..how did you come to know of it?" Layla asks, confused,
"I explored the castle in my spare time and stole the key from Cenred's old room which is now the guest room."
Layla frowned, "Alright but..why bring me here?"
"Turn and take a look at the box over there."
The witch turns and her eyes widened, recognising the box immediately.
It was coal black in colour and engraved with a blood red vines pattern. Only 5 boxes of this kind were ever made; split between the 5 kingdoms for safekeeping.
"The BloodStone" Layla breathed. "Don't tell me.."
She snatches the box, opening it to find exactly what she feared.
There was nothing inside it.
"Layla, this box had been empty for a while now. Nemeth's box had recently just been emptied and I received word not too long ago that the BloodStone boxes in Caerleon and Amata are empty as well. I don't have contacts in Camelot so I don't know if the kingdom still has hers."
"Do you have any leads?" she asks, trying to keep calm.
Greer nods, a serious expression on her face, "All I can tell you is that Princess Mithian had reported her BloodStone missing after the assault her kingdom endured by Morgana. But what I don't understand is why quiet thievery from the other vaults but Nemeth was attacked as a distraction?"
"Because Morgana is confident that she will harness the BloodStones and by defeating Nemeth not only as payback for the last time they crossed her but also as a show of her current power that she has, Morgana looks fearless and ready to conquer."
"But you won't let that happen now will you?"
"No of course not." Layla puts back the box and start heading out the door, walking past Greer.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Well someone has to check if Camelot still has their BloodStone."
Greer's eyes widen in shock, "But if Camelot's men even catches a whiff of a magic user-!"
"I'll be fine. Thank you my queen for telling me all this. I appreciate it."
With a deep bow to her, Greer swallows thickly as she looks on.
"Please take care."
Layla nods, pulls up the hood of her jacket and runs up the stairs, not looking back.
Merlin, I am coming!
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