A month passed since that little incident with Artoria's 'essence'.
Morgan hasn't done anything since, and Artoria hasn't liked that one bit. She says that her sister is 'too quiet' now. I guess she would know more than I would in this situation.
Artoria, however, put that aside because she was finally going through with the siege against Vortigern. She added two more knights to the Round Table. Brunor and Cador, and has been training the troops extra hard for this day.
But, she still told Merlin to stay extra vigilant of Morgan.
At the moment, Artoria was having a war meeting before they finally headed out to attack Vortigern. Everyone was present... except for Merlin.
"He's late," Agravain groaned, his arms crossed and his finger tapping on his bicep.
Artoria sighed. "We'll start the meeting. I'll just fill in Merlin later-," The doors were burst open by a panting Merlin. Artoria sent him an annoyed glare. "And what excuse do you have for being late THIS time, Merlin?"
Merlin chuckled. "I apologise. I certainly didn't expect to wake up with my entire tower having been flipped upside down," he finished while sending me a quick glare.
"I have no time for your usual tomfoolery, Merlin," Artoria groaned, her gaze hardening. "If you have a reason to be late, say it. Otherwise, take your seat and be quiet."
"I actually did stop to check in on something, and I do have some news on your sister," Merlin confessed.
Artoria's eyes widened for a second. She was obviously interested, but managed to get her emotions in check. "That will have to wait, for now, let us discuss the plan against Vortigern."
With that, they began that I, like usual, didn't really take a part of. They basically went over how much territory is under Vortigern's control, and how many troops he has, and where should they start.
Artoria's plan wasn't complex. She's going to have a full assault at Vortigern's Castle and just charge to the center to finish things with her uncle.
Agravain, Tristan, Percival, and Lionel would stay here in Camelot to protect it in case someone tries to attack it like what Morgan tried to do once. Lancelot, Bedivere, Cador, Kay, and Brunor would lead the troops while Artoria and Gawain go for Vortigern himself.
When the planning was finished, Artoria turned to Merlin. "Now, what is it you have to share on Morgan?"
"She's planning something big," Merlin instantly replied, his gaze intensifying. "And I mean something really big. The Leylines in King Lot's territory are going haywire. I don't know what Morgan is trying to do, but it's definitely bad if she's abusing the Leylines like this."
That bit got my attention. Focusing on my connection with the world, I noticed that Merlin was right. Morgan is treating the Leylines like an Ancestor treats a human, which is basically biting into them violently and viciously sucking them dry.
This goes beyond simply creating Mordred.
"Can it wait until the attack on Vortigern is over?" Artoria asked, though judging by the look on her face, she already knew the answer.
"No, whatever she's planning, she's doing it right now," Merlin answered.
"What if we split our forces?" Lionel suggested. "Can we take on both Vortigern and Morgan?"
"That is a gamble I'm not willing to take," Artoria immediately shot the idea down. Which is understandable since Vortigern was pretty dangerous on his own, let alone with his army and in his own territory.
"Don't worry about Morgan," I suddenly spoke up. "I heard that the Green Knight has been heading to King Lot's territory. I'm sure he's after whatever she's doing."
"Are you sure?" Percival asked, sounding more surprised than suspicious. "How do you know?"
"I work as a messenger. I make sure that word gets around. The last time I was telling the Green Knight of news from King Arthur, he mentioned that was going to King Lot's territory," I lied as naturally as I don't breathe in my real body.
"You should contact him just to make sure. Inform me of the Green Knight's answer so that we can plan accordingly with him," Artoria played along fabulously with my lie and no one -from the ones that didn't know- questioned her.
After more details with the plan were done, Artoria ordered her knights to be ready to leave at noon, including Merlin. Apparently, he needed to personally be there to cloak their forces from Vortigern, or they'll be seen coming a mile away.
When the knights all left and only me, Merlin, and Artoria were alone, she turned to me. "Zack, are you sure you wish to take Morgan?"
"Whatever she's doing is now affecting the world. This stopped being your problem and became mine the instant she decided to pull this little stunt of hers. Whatever she's planning, I'll stop it," I replied firmly.
Honestly, I wasn't even making excuses. If the Pendragon family wants to wail on each other? That's their problem, but when they start messing with the world, I have free reigns to join in.
Artoria sighed. "Very well. Will you need soldiers to help you?"
"If Vortigern's army was made up of humans, I would have considered that, but the fact is, it's entirely made up of Mystics," I replied, crossing my arms. "You're soldiers are human, Artoria. Your uncle's forces might be just lower grades of Mystics, but your soldiers WILL need numbers in order to have an advantage."
The Round Table can't be everywhere, and outside of its ranks, there aren't many that can take on Mystics on their own in Artoria's army.
Artoria sighed before nodding. "Alright, just be careful."
"You, too, and make sure to take Rhongomyniad, too. Excalibur alone won't be enough for Vortigern," I advised as I walked away.
I just headed for my room to rest a bit. After taking a moment to relax, I took out the Green Knight's armor and put it on. I made sure that no one was around before leaving my room.
I was gonna head right out of the castle, but stopped when I saw Bedivere standing in front of Artoria's throne room, his arm raised ready to knock it, but he didn't move one bit.
Even as I got closer, he didn't seem to notice until I called him out. "Is everything alright, Bedivere?"
Bedivere jumped slightly before turning to face me. "Ah, Zachary, I apologise. My mind was elsewhere."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered, taking my helmet off and looking him in the eye. "We're both going for a while. This might be the one chance you'll get to say what you want until this is over."
Bedivere stared at me for a few moments before sighing. "I... do not mean to question my king, but I cannot help but wonder why his majesty would ask me to of all people to join such a great battle. I'm sure there's far more fitting knights for the attack on Vortigern."
"Ah, now I get it," I rubbed my chin while humming. "True, compared to the other knights of the Round Table, you're not strong, you don't have any special weapon, and you don't have any special abilities. Not to mention you only have one arm," I listed, his expression going down with each word. "But," I smiled at him. "That doesn't change the fact you earned your place besides your King," Bedivere looked at me in confusion. "Do you know where my sword got its name from?" I asked, holding my helmet with one hand and reaching with the other to pull Baraka out.
Bedivere's confusion was plain as day. "Uhm... It was Baraka, correct? No, I am not aware of the origin of that name."
"This is a really powerful sword, Bedivere. Without exaggeration, it can match Excalibur and Arondite, and yet... I named it after a completely normal human," I said and Bedivere stared in shock. "A long time ago, I met a man who was... completely normal. He had nothing special to him beyond the fact he was willing to talk to me. Yet, I refuse to call this sword anything else, and all I can think about is how he was truly worthy to stand by my side," getting over my nostalgia, I looked at Bedivere in the eye. "Being worthy to stand at someone's side and being special are not related. You have no idea how much of an impact normal people can make, Bedivere. You're King chose you to stand at their side in this battle, and they are not ignorant to your shortcomings. Not only that, but none of the other Knights of the Round Table say a thing, because they knew your position is there, at the side of your King as Arthur leads you to battle."
I honestly meant every word I said. Baraka wasn't that special, but I greatly respect him as an equal all the same. Heck, Siduri was a completely normal human, and Gilgamesh would never do his work without her around.
Sometimes, people see themselves as 'normal' because they just don't realise how much they matter to the others around them.
Bedivere was truly loyal to Artoria. He trusted her a great deal, but it wasn't blind belief. He just had unshakeable confidence in her good nature, and was willing to put his life on the line for it.
Bedivere looked at me in shock for a few moments before he smiled. "I... Thank you, Zachary."
"Don't worry about it, and if you still have doubts, go ask the other knights if any of them will take your place. All of them would turn you down in a second without a good reason," I said before putting away Baraka and wearing my helmet. "Alright, see you later. Make sure to stay alive."
"You as well," Bedivere nodded as we both turned and began walking away.