Chapter 12: Not Real

"Come on!" Larry yelled over the screams of the terrified crowd, and they started to push their way through. On the stage, an actor shielded the actress playing Guinevere, challenging Lancelot as he roared furiously.

"Oh bloody hell!" Merlin yelped as Lancelot hacked through the fake tree with his sword. "He's figured it out! This isn't good, the man's a lunatic!" he then shrieked as Lancelot hurled a rock at the fleeing audience.

"No kidding!" Beth snapped, throwing her hand up. The rock was knocked off course by a gust of wind, landing harmlessly on some seats. Beth then slumped into Nick, who caught her.

"Lancelot!" Larry yelled, and the knight spotted them amidst the crowd. Scowling at the two actors, the enraged knight sheathed his sword, grabbed a torch, and took off backstage.

"He's still got the Tablet!" Merlin yelled, seeing the Tablet in Lancelot's free hand before he disappeared.

"Oh yeah, come on up," the actor rolled his eyes as they all ran on stage. "Come on up, oh, monkeys, terrific, love the costumes!" he called sarcastically as they ran past. As they went to go backstage, Larry suddenly stopped and ran back to the pair. Beth's eyes widened as she recognised the man playing King Arthur.

"Sorry, just gotta say, you're the whole package man," Larry told him breathlessly, taking Hugh Jackman by surprise.

"Thanks buddy," the Australian actor smiled.

"Excellent choice for King Arthur. Much more majestic looking than Arthur himself," Merlin gave a thumbs up, before winking to the actress beside him. "And you, my lady, are-"

"Come on!" Larry growled, grabbing his arm and pulling him away before he could speak with her.

"You lot are rubbish!" Merlin whined, but followed them backstage. They ignored the yells from the crew who tried to stop them, and headed up the stairs to the roof.

"Hey, give me the Tablet!" Larry yelled as they reached the top, and spotted Lancelot standing at the edge of the roof.

"Stay back!" Lancelot reacted like a cornered animal and lashed out with the torch in his hand. "Stay back," he warned with a growl, hugging the Tablet closer. "Back!" he snapped. Larry backed up to avoid the fire, and Lancelot stared at them with wild eyes, before they noticed his nose. "What?" Lancelot frowned, seeing Larry's confused expression.

"Ew..." there was a collective grimace from everyone.

"Your nose, dude," Beth pointed to Lancelot's melted nose.

"What? What about my nose?" he asked, not understanding.

"Your nose it's...dripping...it's melting," Larry told him awkwardly. "From the fire," Lancelot looked down and his eyes widened in horror. He shrieked, and Beth took the chance to batter the torch in his hand with a gust of wind, putting the fire out. Lancelot dropped the useless torch, and backed away. When Larry followed, the frantic knight drew his sword and pointed it at him.

"How bad is it?" Lancelot asked as Larry raised his hands.

"It is...not great," Larry admitted, his eyes darting from the sword, to Lancelot's nose.

"But I'm Lancelot!" the Knight roared.

"There never was a Lancelot! Lancelot is a legend! You're not real," Larry told him harshly, knowing there wasn't enough time to be kind.

"I don't understand!" Lancelot yelled at him, his voice quivering.

"I know, I know it's a lot to take in, but please, just give me the Tablet," Larry pleaded with him.

"Oh, and then what? Back to the museum? Stand there as little children ogle and point!" Lancelot snapped at him, angry.

"And learn! And get inspired to do great things," he looked at Teddy sharply when he walked down the steps towards them.

"Children come to the museum to see what amazing things have happened in the past," Beth leaned on the railings as her vision swam. Her stomach was tense with nerves. She knew there was very little time left. She could feel it. "To see what's possible, so they know what they're capable of," she smiled gently. "That they can become heroes too," Lancelot stared at her.

"She is right. There are far less noble fates, my friend," Teddy smiled at him.

"Not for me there aren't!" Lancelot snapped stubbornly. "If there is no Camelot...if there is no Guinevere, no Lancelot, then I'm nothing," his voice went quiet as tears ran down his face. "I'm just a sad lump of misshapen wax-stop looking at my nose!" Lancelot roared as he realised they were staring.

"I wasn't looking at it-"

"You were, I saw you, you were like this," Lancelot gaped at Larry, his nose still swinging as he moved his head. "Staring!" he growled.

"It wasn't like that, it was-"

"You were! Don't look at it," Lancelot snapped.

"It really is hard not to look at," Jedidiah whispered to the two Romans in Attila's hat with him.

"Yes...he is," Octavius sighed. Jed and Claudia shot him weird looks. The arguing about Lancelot's nose continued, with Larry struggling not to look.

"How hard can it be not to look at my nose?!" Lancelot yelled at him.

"I'm not gonna look at your – look, I can't help it!" Larry caved and admitted.

"Look to the heavens!" Lancelot ordered. Everyone looked up at the sky.

"It's disgusting..."

"And yet, he's still handsome..." Octavius commented with a smile.

"Oh shut up," Claudia muttered, her eyes on the sky.

"No-one shall look at, or mention my nose, from this moment forward!" Lancelot yelled. He then paused. "I'm sorry, I forgot what we were talking about," he then spoke in a much calmer voice.

"Lancelot, please, just listen to reason," Merlin pleaded with him, approaching slowly with his hands raised. "This isn't right. You need to give back the Tablet. This isn't what Arthur – what Gwen would want!" Merlin cried. Lancelot turned his eyes on him, and his face twisted into an angry glare.

"How would you know that? Arthur sent me on this quest, not you! He wanted the Grail so badly that it almost drove him to madness!" Lancelot roared at him. Merlin stared him down, not intimidated by him.

"And satisfying that desire won't get you Gwen, Lancelot!" the Knight stopped in his tracks and stared at Merlin as his voice rose. "You think she'll appreciate what you're doing?" Merlin shook his head. "She's my best friend. Both she and Arthur. You know I'm right. Gwen is kind and gentle. She'd never forgive you if you were the cause of the deaths of many like this. You know I'm right," he pressed. Lancelot didn't speak, but closed his eyes as tears continued to roll down his cheeks.

"No...no! It's not real!" Lancelot put his hand to his head. "It's not! None of it! What's the point of anything any more?" he whispered, before the Tablet began to glow green again. Everyone slumped around them, with Attila falling down the stairs, sending the miniatures rolling along the ground.

"Lawrence!" Teddy started, before the rest of his body turned to wax.

"Teddy!" Sacagawea cried out, only to freeze as she went to help him.

"Larry...we've run out of time," Ahkmenrah spoke shakily as his appearance began to change radically.

"No...after everything...we were so close..." weakness overcame Beth as the wind picked up around her, swirling wildly as she dropped to her knees.

"Bet...I..." Ahkmenrah tried to speak, reaching for her hand. Their fingers linked in as tight a grasp as the pair could manage, and Beth sank into his side as he struggled to breathe. He leaned against her, and Beth choked on a sob as a selfish part of her couldn't help but appreciate having him here this time.

"Where am I?" Safiya blinked when she awakened and found herself in an unfamiliar place. She looked around, trying to remember, but the last thing she remembered was Ahkmenrah's vow to marry her.

"Safiya..." she jumped and whirled around. A tall man stood behind her with black hair and even blacker eyes. But what surprised her, were the pointed canine ears on his head.

"A-Lord Anubis," Safiya fell to the ground in a low bow. "I...I'm dead, then," she came to the conclusion quickly, and her brown eyes stung at the realisation.

"Yes, you are," Anubis studied her with curiosity. He watched as Safiya's shoulders shook and tears stung at her eyes, before a sob escaped her lips.

"Ahk...Ahk...I'm so sorry," she cried, putting her hands over her eyes as the tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks. Her chest hurt at the idea. "And Lord Merenkahre...forgive me for failing you and your request..." Safiya wept. After a few moments, she then choked, managing to contain herself. She then rubbed at her eyes, smearing her black makeup. "My deepest apologies, my Lord, I did not mean-"

"It's fine. Rise, Safiya," Anubis instructed, the look of curiosity still in his dark eyes. Confused, Safiya took a moment to obey. "Lord Osiris wishes to speak with you. Follow me," Anubis then turned and walked away, and Safiya stared, baffled. The Lord of the Underworld, wanting to speak with her? "You are aware of how to walk, yes? One foot in front of the other," Safiya gaped as Anubis glanced around, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Y-yes," she quickly followed, stumbling along at first as he strode away. He led her through a dark temple, and through to the throne room, where a man was sprawled across a throne. His skin was tinged green, and his hair even more so, with eyes even darker than Anubis'.

"Ah, Safiya," Osiris straightened up to sit properly on his throne. The woman bowed before him. "I've heard a lot about you," he commented.

"You...have?" she blinked, not daring to look up. She jumped when she heard yelling in the distance. Osiris sighed heavily.

"My poor love...having to deal with Hathor's rage," he shook his head. "You see, we weren't quite expecting you here. You're connected to that Tablet Khonsu gave that Pharaoh, which meant...well," Osiris stopped himself and sighed. "Someone is messing with fate and I don't care for it. So, I say we mess with fate a little ourselves," he then grinned, his eyes sparkling.

"Wh-what?" Anubis was startled, and his appearance shimmered, taking on a more jackal-like appearance, with his head completely like that of the canine he was depicted as. "My Lord-"

"Don't worry, Anubis. Fusspot," Osiris got to his feet and approached Safiya, who was very confused by what was going on. "So, Safiya," he knelt in front of her. "How would you like to be reborn?" he asked her, and her head lifted sharply.

"I...what?" she stared at him.

"Would you like to return to the World of the Living, to resume your fate?" Osiris asked her, slower this time. Safiya stared at him, shocked at his question.

"I...I could see Ahk again?" she whispered to herself. Her eyes then blazed. "Yes. I would," she confirmed.

"Excellent!" Osiris let out a bark of laughter.

"I really must protest. If Ra finds out-"

"The old man doesn't notice anything as long as it doesn't block out the sun," Osiris dismissed Anubis' worries. "So, before we go about messing with fate, there's a catch. As the Guardian of the Tablet, you need to be worthy. We shall put you through tests to prove that. Are you sure you wish to be tested by the Gods themselves?" he asked her, watching her. Safiya's gut tensed at the idea, but her eyes were filled with determination.

"Yes," she nodded. Osiris beamed as Anubis slapped a hand to his face.

"Excellent answer, my girl! We're going to get along great!" he told her brightly.

Beth gasped for breath as the memories returned to her of her time in the Underworld. Her grip on Ahkmenrah's hand tightened as his skin turned rotten and his eyes milky white. A hand rested on Beth's shoulder.

"Sorry my girl, I truly thought things would work out differently for you this time," Osiris apologised sadly in her ear.

"Listen to me, you gotta straighten the pieces," Larry pleaded with Lancelot. "Straighten the pieces now or they're all gonna die!" he yelled, unable to hold it together. "You too!" he pointed out as Lancelot stared at him.

"A world without Camelot is not a world worth living," Lancelot whispered as the Tablet continued to turn green. The lights of Pegasus dulled so they could barely even be seen, and fluttered to the ground beside Dexter as the monkey cried out weakly and collapsed.

"Dad!" Nick raced from Attila's side over to Dexter as Larry moved to the monkey's side.

"Dexter...what is it?" Larry asked gently. "You alright? Hey man, you okay? Hey, look at me" he looked at his hands, trying to figure out what to do as Dexter whimpered. The monkey raised his hand as if to slap him. "You want to slap me? Go ahead. Go ahead, slap me in the face," Larry nodded, but Dexter instead lowered his arm again and chirped, curling up as his eyes closed, and didn't open again. "Dexter...Dexter?"

Nick turned to Beth, and saw her own eyes drooping closed. "Beth!" he ran to her side. "Please, please don't," he dropped down beside her, touching her shoulder.

"Sorry Nicky...looks like...you don't have to worry about me picking on you any more," she gave a small chuckle. "Look after your dad. Make sure...he doesn't blame himself," Beth told Nick as she and Ahkmenrah sank lower to the ground.

"No, Beth please, don't!" Nick pleaded with her loudly. "Don't go! Please," his voice shook as he couldn't contain his sobs. "You and Ahk, you're family, just like the others! I can't lose you!" he cried. She didn't answer, giving a small smile in response.

"Love you too kid," she whispered after a moment, and he choked.

"Dex..." Larry whispered as Dexter's hand released his finger and dropped to the ground. "No...no..."

"Dad, he's gone," Nick's voice shook as his own tears ran down his face. On the ground by Attila, Octavius reached out and took Jedidiah's hand, and the cowboy reached out Claudia's. She didn't pull away, gripping his hand.

"Dammit..." Merlin sank to the ground. "I failed...I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

"I understand now..." Lancelot breathed. "The monkey was the quest...it was never about the Tablet," he realised. "It was about them," he went to his knees, leaning on his sword as he looked around at the group. Larry looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "Forgive me," Lancelot's voice shook again as he held out the Tablet. "It is I who have been the fool," Larry pushed up and grabbed the Tablet from him. He fixed the pieces, and immediately the Tablet began to glow. Larry looked up at the moon as it shone brightly, filling the Tablet with power.

Beth inhaled sharply as her energy returned to her suddenly, filling her with power to the point where the wind pushed her into the air as Ahkmenrah gasped, his appearance returning to normal.

"We're back baby!" Jed laughed as the three pushed themselves up, laughing in disbelief.

"Lawrence!" Teddy yelled happily as he stood, and the bright lights of Pegasus took to the air, flying around Beth as she laughed. Dexter shot up and jumped onto Larry, who let out a cry of surprise before laughing as the monkey hugged him.

"Whoa, now that was something," Merlin got up and cracked his neck.

"Wind...water..." Beth cast water around her. "Earth," the ground below shook. "Fire!" Beth laughed as she was engulfed in fire. It faded to reveal her unharmed, and she landed lightly. "Who cares about the others!" she turned to Ahkmenrah who pulled her in for a searing kiss.

"I love you," he whispered as they pulled apart. She smiled at him gently.

"I love you too," she kissed him again softly, before pulling away. "Larry!" Beth leapt down and hugged the man, who laughed as he was almost knocked off his feet.

"Good to see you back to normal," Larry grinned as she let him go.

"I'll remind you of that, next time you complain," Beth grinned, before turning to hug Nick. "You ever tell anyone I told you I loved you and I'll deny it vehemently," she whispered to him, making him laugh.

"Don't worry, like I'd want anyone to know," he replied, and she smiled, punching him lightly.

"For you, my lady," Merlin winked as he handed Beth a rose.

"This really doesn't mean as much, after seeing you give one to a girl on the bus," she teased, taking the yellow rose from him.

"Yeah, but this one I meant to conjure," he grinned at her.

"I guess I'm glad you're okay too," Beth rolled her eyes with a smile, before hugging the others. She lifted the three miniatures and let them climb back into Attila's hat, and Jed and Claudia looked at each other, before glancing away quickly.

"Don't take me holding your hand as meaning anything, I wasn't myself," Jed cleared his throat.

"Yeah, and it took me almost dying to accept it. Keep that in mind," Claudia bit back. Octavius rolled his eyes.

After they calmed down in celebrating, they turned to Lancelot, who was looking out over the city.

"Hey, thank you," Larry approached him with a smile. Lancelot glanced back at him, and Larry immediately looked at his melted nose. Lancelot sighed, and with a giggle, Beth walked over.

"Here," she reached up, and Lancelot pulled a face as she messed with his nose. "There we go," Beth stepped back and he turned to them, his nose restored.

"How do I look?" he asked uncertainly.

"You look like Lancelot," Larry smiled at him. Lancelot smiled at him, touched by his words. "Let's get back," he said to the others.

"Um...how?" Nick asked. Beth fell onto his back, her arms around his shoulders.

"I have a way," she smirked.

"No!" both he and Larry shouted immediately.

Just one chapter left!

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