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Chapter 2
Arthur stood there in utter shock, staring down the ghost of his father appearing in the mirror. "You're supposed to be in the Veil," he blurted.
"I am," Uther replied. "This is just a conduit to make contact. I have important information to tell you."
Arthur slowly shook his head to himself. He couldn't believe this was happening. What could his dead father have to tell them anyway? That they were in danger? Their entire world was dangerous thanks to him!
Uther's gaze flicked to Gwen, and there was a subtle scrutiny in his eyes. "Who is this?"
Arthur instinctively stepped closer to her protectively. "My wife," he said firmly.
Uther's expression was intense yet unreadable. "The girl you came to get in the Veil."
"When you tried to stop us from leaving," Arthur said tersely. He hadn't forgotten.
Uther waved a dismissive hand blithely. "Arthur, listen to me. I came to warn you."
Arthur's jaw hardened. "Get the others," he said quietly to Gwen.
She nodded and hurried out the door, which left Arthur alone with his father. It had been a shock meeting him in the Veil that first time several years ago. Now it was…unnerving to say the least, and awkward as hell. He may have just been the reflection of a ghost in a mirror, but having him here, in Camelot, in Arthur's place of safety, was disconcerting.
"It is good to see you again, son."
Arthur bristled. "The feeling is not mutual."
"I know you blame me for things—you are right to. But I am here to make it right."
Arthur wanted to tell him there was no way to make it right. He had murdered his own baby girl to tear open the Veil, had destroyed the world in the process. No amount of penance could make that right. Arthur fidgeted in agitation. He didn't want to keep looking at Uther, but even though he was in the mirror, Arthur also didn't feel comfortable turning his back on him. He didn't know what magic this was, but he didn't trust Uther for a second.
The silence was tense as they waited the long minutes before Gwen finally returned with the members of Arthur's inner circle, including Gaius. His surrogate father came to a stop in the room, expression carefully blank as he regarded Uther's specter. Of course, Gaius was the only one left among them who'd known Uther personally when the former king was alive. Before the world had been devoured by darkness.
"It is good to see you, old friend," Uther said.
Gaius didn't say anything.
"You said you came to warn us about something," Arthur said sternly. "What is it?"
Uther shifted his attention back to Arthur. "A great evil has awoken deep within the Veil. And it is coming for your realm."
The lot of them shared concerned yet also doubting looks at that.
"Nothing can come out of the Veil except Wraiths," Arthur rejoined.
"This demon is older than the Veil. It devoured many spirits on its way to a Rift, including Wraiths. I barely escaped it myself."
Arthur continued to eye him skeptically.
"It's been at the Rift trying to break free since," Uther went on. "And it will succeed soon."
Arthur frowned at that. Was his father telling the truth? Why come here otherwise?
Lancelot leaned toward him. "Could that explain the quakes we've been experiencing?" he asked quietly.
Arthur pursed his mouth. There was that… "Why do you care enough to warn us?" he asked next.
Uther's expression pinched. "Because you are my son."
"How did you make contact through the mirror?" Gaius finally spoke up, eyeing Uther suspiciously. "You are not a sorcerer of old."
"I found one in the Veil willing to help me," he answered. "This evil is a threat to all realms, both the living and dead."
"Can you tell us anything more about it?" Gwaine asked. "Anything we can actually go on?"
Uther didn't even look Gwaine's way but kept his attention trained on Arthur. "I'm sorry, I do not."
Arthur worked his jaw for a prolonged moment, then nodded curtly. "Thank you for the warning." He then turned to walk out with everyone so they could discuss this new revelation.
"Wait," Uther called, pleaded.
Arthur hesitated. Uther didn't say more, just gave Arthur a beseeching look. He clenched his jaw and nodded to the others to head out while he stayed. Gwen grasped his hand on her way out and closed the door partway, giving them privacy but also leaving it open enough to signal they were just a call away. Arthur's heart softened at the gesture. Alone again, Arthur turned back to his father.
Uther gazed at him sadly. "I regret so much," he began.
Arthur held his tongue, though part of him wanted to ask exactly what Uther regretted. Killing his daughter when she was but a child? Destroying the world? Leaving his son an orphan and his kingdom in ruins?
But Uther did not elaborate on his many sins that he may have regretted. "I am proud to see the king you've become," he said instead.
Still, Arthur didn't respond. He simply stared back with a hard expression, waiting for Uther to say more. When he didn't, Arthur turned on his heel toward the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go be a king."
All of his friends were still gathered a few doors down, and Arthur walked past them and down to the council chambers where they could discuss things in closed quarters.
"Are you all right?" Merlin asked gently.
"Not if our way of life is about to be destroyed. Again," Arthur retorted, signaling he did not want to talk about his father right now.
"Some great evil?" Leon repeated Uther's words. "What does that even mean?"
"If it's from the Veil, then it's definitely evil," Elyan put in.
"It's been decades though," Percival spoke up. "And it's just coming now?"
"What do you think, Gaius?" Gwen asked.
The old man's mouth was pursed in deep thought. "There was an echelon of magical beings in the old world," he began carefully. "Ones that could pass between realms. The Sidhe, for example, retreated and closed their realm after the Veil was torn. It is possible something was sleeping within its depths."
"Should we send out scouts?" Percival asked.
"There are many Rifts," Merlin responded. "It'd be time-consuming—and therefore dangerous—trying to search them all."
"Better to know what's coming before it gets here," Gwaine said.
Arthur rubbed his fingers together in an agitated fist. He didn't disagree with Gwaine, but neither was he keen to send people out into the darkness.
His friends—his subjects—looked to him for leadership. "Who agrees we should send out scouts?" he asked instead.
He wasn't surprised when all of them nodded their agreement. Gaius refrained from casting a vote, but he wasn't the one who'd be sent out anyway. And while Arthur held the final say as king, he had always vowed to rule with the counsel of his friends. Something his father hadn't done.
Arthur nodded in acceptance. "All right, then."
He pulled out the maps from one of the cabinets so they could plan their routes. The maps weren't complete, but they at least had numerous Rifts marked on them, which gave them a place to start. They could follow the tears like rivers from there.
"We'll have to split up at the forks," Percival pointed out.
"No less than two," Arthur said, taking a firm stand on that.
They nodded their agreement. With that settled, they parted ways to get ready to go. Gwen headed back upstairs to their chambers, and Arthur followed. He frowned, however, when she dug out an old blouse and pair of trousers and went behind the dressing screen to change.
"Gwen, what are you doing?"
She peeked around the edge with an arched brow. "I can't go trekking through the dark in a queen's dress."
"You can't go trekking through the dark at all," he said with a zing of fear through his heart.
Gwen paused and stepped back out, expression firm. "Arthur, I used to go on the Seeding Pilgrimages."
"That was before."
"Before what?" She crossed her arms. "Do you or do you not want a real partner, like you said? Or now that we're married, do you only see me as a helpless, stand-in queen?"
"Of course not! I just…"
She stepped forward to clasp his hands, cutting him off. "This is our life: protecting our people. Becoming queen did not change that I'm a Lightspinner. Did it change you?"
Arthur closed his eyes in resignation, then let his forehead drop forward to touch hers. "No. You're right, as usual." He let his voice drop to a husky cadence. "My compass."
She ducked in to kiss him. "My pillar."
He let her go so she could finish changing. Then he walked her back down to the courtyard where she met up with Elyan, Merlin, Lancelot, Percival, Gwaine, Leon, and two other Lightspinners who had reached their majority and had volunteered to come along.
"Be careful," Arthur told Gwen.
She nodded. "We will."
Then he watched them leave, a long forgotten pit forming in his stomach just like when they'd done Seeding Pilgrimages. Arthur used to let his friends venture out under extreme risk in a desperate bid to protect the rest of them. It had been many years since he'd had to stay behind and watch like this, and it twisted his heart to be doing so again. But he had to trust them. This was Gwen's role, and his was here.
He slogged back up to his chambers. The half-eaten breakfast still sat on the table, but he didn't think he could work up an appetite.
"Thank you for heeding my warning."
Arthur spun around so fast he almost knocked the chair over. "What are you still doing here?" he exclaimed.
Uther gazed out at him through the mirror, and Arthur's blood ran cold as he suddenly wondered if his father had spied on him and Gwen only minutes ago. How else would he have known they'd sent out scouts?
"I was hoping we could talk," Uther answered.
"About what?" Arthur ground out.
"Anything. Everything." Uther gave him a wan smile. "I missed out on so much."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Would you not do anything to save your wife? You braved entry to the Veil to find her, after all."
Arthur clenched his fists. "Yes, and you tried to stop us from leaving. You would have murdered all of us. And now you want to pretend you care about me?" He scoffed.
"You don't know what it's like here," Uther rejoined sharply. "The endless torment. It changes you. I wasn't in my right mind then, Arthur, you have to believe me."
Arthur shook his head. Why was he listening to this? After what Uther did while he was still alive, he deserved that kind of torment.
"It's quieter here," Uther went on, tone softening. He smiled at Arthur again.
Arthur shifted in discomfort.
"So, how long have you and…? been married?"
"Her name is Guinevere. And…" He grimaced. "Not even a day."
Uther's brows rose. "Congratulations. I wish I had been able to get through sooner; I would have liked to see you at your wedding."
Arthur snorted softly, imagining how that would have gone—having the ghost of the most hated king in history hovering in a mirror for the most joyous celebration in Camelot since the end of days. Yeah, Arthur wouldn't have stood for that. He didn't even want to entertain Uther here like this any longer.
"I had a gift for you," Uther went on. "Set aside from before you were born, an heirloom I knew I would present to my son on his wedding day." His brows knitted together. "I wonder if it's still there." His expression lit up with hope. "It would be in the vault, a bracelet with an orange gemstone."
Arthur just stood there.
"Perhaps you could check?" Uther asked hopefully.
Arthur's jaw ticked. He wanted to say no. Wanted to tell his dead father to leave and go back to the hell of his own making. But the words didn't come out. Instead, he found himself grudgingly nodding and walking out and down to the vault. When he found it locked, he could have kicked himself, but the key ring he carried for other rooms in the castle had a number of keys he had yet to find corresponding locks to. So he took it and tried the keys. The third one unlocked the wrought-iron gate.
The treasure trove inside was covered in a faint film of dust, having lain untouched for over two decades. Only Roamers cared about gold and jewels in a world where it was flight or die. In all their years since returning to inhabit Camelot, Arthur had never had need to come down here. He roved his gaze over the treasure now, searching for the item Uther had described. He spotted it on a shelf and went to pick it up. It was a simple gold circlet, with a single orange gemstone. Arthur wiped it clean with the hem of his shirt and then went back upstairs.
He held it up as he entered his room, and Uther's eyes lit up like fire.
"Yes, that's it."
"Treasured heirloom, hm?" Arthur said, turning the bracelet over.
"Sentimentally," Uther replied. "The orange stone represents the burning fires of love. I would be honored if you would wear it."
Arthur's mouth tightened. He didn't know why it mattered what Uther wanted, but Arthur nevertheless slipped the bracelet on. It was just a trinket, nothing more.
Uther beamed and pressed a hand to the inside of the mirror, looking as though he longed to reach out and make contact.
Arthur shifted uncomfortably. The look in his father's eyes tugged at something inside him, something he wished he were immune to. He grudgingly lifted a hand to touch the glass in return. There was no real contact, only a reflection of it, but Uther looked extremely happy.
"Thank you, son."
Arthur let his arm drop and stepped away. They were not on friendly terms, no matter how much his father may wish to be. Not after everything.
Arthur turned on his heel and stormed out of his own room. It looked like he would have to get rid of the mirror to get rid of Uther. Bury it in the vault maybe. But not until his friends returned. He didn't want anyone else discovering the shock of Uther's ghost among them. He had work to do, in any case. And plenty of stuff to keep him busy as he anxiously waited for his love to return home safely.
