Whew, managed to squeeze in one last update before the end of the year after all! I have to warn you all that this one has the gang interacting with lots of OCs as they explore Trick's kingdom, and encountering some anti-human prejudice.

When Morgana woke up, the first thing her senses registered was that the ground beneath her felt unusually soft. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was back in my bed at Camelot. Clearly I've become much too conditioned to sleeping on hard earth. Bracing herself for the reality of waking up to yet another cave, or grassy plain, or forest, or desert wasteland, she forced her eyes open…and instantly recoiled in surprise at finding herself face to face with Bo. Not that she hadn't awakened in a similar position several times in the past weeks, of course, but this time her girlfriend's beautiful brown eyes were open, the color had returned to her waxen features, and her luscious lips curved into a smile as their gazes met.

"Morning, babe."

"Bo! You really are awake – I feared it was only a wonderful dream…"

"Nope, not one of your visions. This is happening now; I'm really here, with you." Her smile faded as a troubled look came into her eyes. "I can't imagine what you went through all those weeks, trying to keep me alive; Merlin's been filling me in on what I missed, and it sounds awful-"

"But we have you back now," the sorcerer cut her off, pressing himself tighter against her back and bending over her to kiss her neck. "That's all that matters." He then reached across Bo to Morgana, whose eyes had filled with tears at the reminder of the agonizing fear and uncertainty that had tormented them throughout their long, arduous journey, and gently stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. "Isn't that right, Morgana?"

"Yes, of course. You're absolutely right, Merlin." She turned her head to nuzzle his palm while pressing her lips to the sensitive skin on the underside of his wrist, then kissed Bo as well. When they broke apart, Merlin pressed down on Bo's shoulder, maneuvering her onto her back while he and Morgana sat up and leaned over her, their lips meeting in a long kiss. "The question is, now that we have her back, what shall we do with her?"

They kissed again, then turned to eye the succubus lying prone between them in a way that made her want to squirm with anticipation. Determined not to lose her cool in the face of their teasing, she said, "I think you did plenty last night, don't you? What's the matter, can't get enough of this?"

"We'll never get enough of you, Bo," Merlin answered seriously, his grin falling away as he lowered himself onto an elbow and dipped his head to claim her lips.

Morgana's own lower lip slipped between her teeth as she watched them eagerly, but just as one of Bo's hands came up to tangle in Merlin's hair while the other pushed at him in an effort to nudge him on top of her, someone knocked on the bedroom door, and a maid's voice called out, "Your highness, may I come in?"

Merlin immediately flung himself away from Bo, who sat bolt upright, clutching the covers to her chest. "Who is it?"

"My name is Olga, your highness; I've been assigned to wait on you. I've brought breakfast." With that, the door swung open to admit a woman who appeared to be in her mid-fifties, though given what Bo knew about fae lifespans, she was well aware that appearances could be deceiving. She wore a plain gray dress, had her light brown hair pulled back in a practical knot at the nape of her neck, and showed no reaction whatsoever to the sight of Bo in bed with two other people, all of them obviously naked under the sheets.

"The wolf says your humans are to be given the same food as you," Olga continued as she opened a large set of double doors leading to an adjoining chamber that looked like a combination of a sitting room and informal dining room and set her tray on a table. "Where shall I put their dishes?"

Seeing that she seemed to be looking for a suitable place on the floor, Bo said firmly, "On the table with mine."

That finally got a response out of the stoic servant in the form of one eyebrow rising ever so slightly, but all she said was, "Very good, your highness," then commenced opening windows to let in the sunlight and the rushing sound of the waterfalls below. Once she had completed her business, she curtsied and went to make her exit, pausing briefly at the door. "Welcome home, princess. We're all delighted that you've returned to us at last."

Some of the briskness left her voice as she said those words, and Bo thought her stern features softened just a little, but she slipped out before the succubus could be completely sure.

The instant the door clicked shut behind her, Merlin and Morgana began pelting Bo with questions. "'Princess'? Why did she call you that?"

"And what did she mean by 'you've returned at last'? Does she know you've been living in a different era, or… But you've never been to this land before, so how could you return to it?"

"For that matter, why did the king give you all this?" Merlin wondered, casting his gaze around their absurdly luxurious surroundings. "Morgana and I saw the room Dyson got, and it's nice enough, but nothing like this, so I doubt this is a standard guest chamber."

"Yeah, about that…" Bo hesitated for a second before deciding to just spit it out. Taking a deep breath, she let the words tumble out in a rush. "So it turns out the Blood King is actually Trick, my bartending mentor from the future, who's actually my grandfather." Chuckling nervously at their dumbfounded expressions, she rambled on, "I know, it's a lot, right? I don't know why Future Trick never told me-"

"Never mind that," Morgana interrupted. "If the Blood King is your grandfather… Bo, this means you have royal blood! You really are a princess!"

"I'm not sure if I want to be, though. I mean, last night he was all ready to plunk a crown on my head and name me his heir, but if there's one thing I've learned from watching Arthur, it's that this whole royalty deal isn't as fun as it's cracked up to be. And I don't know the first thing about ruling a kingdom – I never even finished high school! I just don't think I can do it."

Morgana made sympathetic noises and rubbed her back comfortingly, but Merlin's mind had already jumped ahead to the next issue. "Still, if the king is your grandfather, I don't suppose he'll let you go easily."

"Go?" Bo repeated, her bowed head snapping up. "Where would I go?"

Merlin shifted awkwardly on the bed and said nothing, leaving Morgana to answer for him. "You're thinking of going back to Camelot, aren't you, Merlin?"

"Well, I sort of assumed we would eventually, once we got Bo cured. It's still our home, right? I know there were problems when we left, but-"

"But what?" Morgana demanded. "You think Uther will have reconsidered his plans for arranging mine and Bo's marriages in our absence? Or that his stance on magic will have softened so that the three of us, as well as Dyson, won't be in constant danger every minute we're in his domain?"

"Well, no…" Whatever argument Merlin had intended to follow this admission died in his throat, because there was really no more to say. Yes, he missed everyone they had left behind in Camelot, to say nothing of his worries over what might befall Arthur without him around, but the prince wasn't completely defenseless; he still had Lancelot, Gwen, Gaius, and Kenzi, as well as the advantage he had gained simply from being aware of the magical threats that seemed to crop up with alarming frequency, rather than Merlin taking care of them on his own, often without informing Arthur.

How, then, could he ask Morgana and Bo to return to the precarious situation they had just escaped? Uther was a constant danger to all of them, but he had not and probably never would try to force either Merlin or Dyson into unwanted marriages, which obviously made things much worse for the two women, and if Merlin truly loved them, he had to do what was best for them.

Sensing that his resistance was faltering, Morgana continued quietly, "Besides, I want to find out how the Blood King knew my mother. I was so young when she died that I barely remember her, and whenever I tried to ask Father, it made him so sad that soon I stopped trying to talk about her at all. There's so much I don't know; if anyone here can help me fill that hole, I don't want to leave until I've learned whatever they know."

"All right." The words came out rather strangled, forcing Merlin to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat at her earnest plea before attempting to speak again. "We can stay for a while, see how things work out here."

"And I'll talk to Trick," Bo added as Morgana gave Merlin a grateful hug. "If he really knew your mom, I'll get him to spill the beans. Now let's go see what a day in the life in fae land is like."

She bounded out of bed, ready to take on the world, though Merlin slowed her roll by saying dryly, "We should probably put some clothes on first."

###

After eating their breakfast (Merlin and Morgana did indeed receive the same food as Bo, though their portions were crammed into what looked disturbingly like doggy dishes, which was another thing Bo made a mental note to talk to someone about), the three of them emerged (fully clothed) from her chambers and set out to explore the castle.

They drew a number of curious looks from the people they passed, nobles and servants alike, and judging by the snatches of whispered conversation they overheard, it seemed the rumor that the lost princess had finally come home had already spread through the palace like wildfire. Still, no one actually spoke to them until they found Dyson, who was hanging out with the three guards that had accompanied Trick on his excursion to retrieve Bo the day before. Having been unconscious at the time, she of course hadn't met them, necessitating a quick round of introductions. Thankfully, Dyson didn't introduce her as a princess, just as Bo, but they nevertheless bowed deeply and said they were honored to make her acquaintance.

"Thanks, I think," Bo said awkwardly, wondering if this was how people were going to react to her from now on. In an effort to break the ice, she asked, "So what are you guys up to?"

"We were just about to head down to the training field," Gabriel told her, his natural enthusiasm showing itself once more. "You could come with us if you want."

This offer earned him a smack on the head from his cousin's wife. "She's a princess, Gabriel," Zhadia hissed. "Princesses have better things to do than loiter about with the likes of us."

"Who said anything about loitering?" Bo retorted. "From what I've been told since I woke up here, I'm way overdue for a good workout."

The other woman's dark brows arched in surprise. "You wish to spar with us, your highness?"

"Is that a problem?" Bo asked, recalling how she and Morgana had never been invited to join in the knights' training sessions in Camelot. Trick's kingdom obviously didn't adhere so strictly to traditional gender roles since the royal guard included women, but she wasn't sure if there were different rules for female nobles.

Zhadia eyed her for a long moment, her almost black eyes seeming to measure her, and then her lips curled into an approving smile. "Not at all. It's our duty to ensure you never have to defend yourself, but there's no harm in knowing how."

"Can your pets come too?" Gabriel butted in excitedly. "I'd like to see more of their human magic. You don't mind if I play with them a little, do you, princess? I promise I'll give them back in the same condition they're in now."

Bo didn't quite know how to react to his enthusiasm – thanks to Kenzi, she was used to dealing with energetic, exuberant people, but this guy seemed to be edging into ADHD territory, or perhaps the manic phase of bipolar disorder – yet no one else appeared concerned by his borderline hyper attitude, and Dyson merely shrugged in silent affirmation that this evidently wasn't out of the ordinary for him, so she just said, "If you want to see more of Merlin and Morgana's magic or spar with them, you'll have to ask them."

That slowed him down for a second, as he looked thoroughly bewildered at the idea of asking a human for anything, but he complied willingly enough, the goofy grin that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face reappearing and looking no less genuine as he turned to them and asked, "So how about it?"

Merlin and Morgana glanced at each other; then Merlin shrugged and said, "Sure, why not? I have some experience with elemental magic – had to use it to get rid of an afanc that was poisoning Camelot's water supply – so maybe we can practice working with all the elements, not just fire."

Really, Merlin? Morgana asked silently, her incredulity evident. This man's already tried to kill us once, and speculated about more inventive ways he could have done it if he had a better command of all aspects of his power…and you think it's a good idea to help him develop those skills?

Well, if we're going to stay here, it'll probably go better for us if we can get these fae to see us as more than Bo's pets, he replied with the mental equivalent of another shrug, though he refrained from making any physical movement this time so as not to tip off the guards that he and Morgana were able to communicate without words. We have to start somewhere.

###

Owing to the unusual lay of the land surrounding Trick's castle, as well as the fact that there was much less land than lake, reaching the training field required descending a long, spiraling staircase that wound through one of the many towers before finally exiting through a door at its base, underneath a stone arch connecting it to yet another tower, that led out onto one of the grassy plateaus.

"At least we have a great view out here," Bo remarked as she admired the waterfalls cascading down the mountainside across from their vantage point, before her gaze fell to the steep drop-off where the grass abruptly gave way to sheer rock. "Just don't get too close to the edge."

"No, you shouldn't do that," Gabriel agreed, adopting a serious expression for once. "We don't want you to take a tumble."

Several other members of the guard were already outside, enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze that wafted off the lake while preparing to begin their training session, and it didn't take long for some of them to drift over to inspect the newcomers. Bo and company soon learned that Mireya the lioness wasn't the only shifter in the guard; besides her, there was a tall black man who turned into an equally muscular black panther and a woman with an olive complexion similar to Lancelot's whose animal form was a red fox, and they were all eager to enlist Dyson in a two-against-two match – canines versus felines, naturally.

"Those cats have had me outnumbered for years," the fox-shifter told him, "but now that we're even, you little kitties are going to be crying into your saucers of milk!"

"Don't bet on it, mutt," Mireya retorted.

"Hey, let's keep it clean here," Bo interjected. "No species-ist trash talk, please."

Much to her chagrin, all the shifters apart from Dyson instantly became contrite and apologized for offending her, throwing in a few 'your highnesses' and 'princesses' for good measure. Then they melted away into the trees that grew up against the palace wall, presumably to undress so they could transform, and Dyson, after glancing at Bo as if seeking her permission, which she gave with a nod, followed them.

"Well, it looks like things here are about to get a little too hairy – or should I say furry – for us," she joked as she and her remaining companions moved farther out into the grassy expanse and Gabriel ushered Merlin off to find a suitable spot for their elemental duel, leaving Bo alone with Morgana. With no one watching her except her girlfriend, Bo let her attempt at levity fall away and released a long sigh. "I just can't get used to the way people treat me here. I mean, everyone in Camelot was respectful since they thought Kenzi and I were noblewomen, but-"

"It's different when you're the heir to the throne," Morgana finished for her. "It was the same for me; although I was technically a member of the royal family, I was still only Uther's ward, a guest in his house, and once the courtiers realized I wasn't going to marry Arthur, they knew I would never be their ruler. They remained courteous and deferential, of course, because I was still the closest thing Uther had to a daughter, but I never quite commanded the same respect they would have afforded someone they expected to lead them one day, the sort of respect Arthur receives…the sort these fae are showing you."

Though she didn't quite sound bitter, there was a certain note of wistfulness in her voice that prompted Bo to say, "It's not fair; you're the one who should be queen one day, Morgana. You'd be way better at it than me."

"Well, it's not going to happen unless I marry a king, which is hardly likely now that I've come to a place where it seems I'm considered lower than an animal," Morgana sighed, realizing as she spoke that she wasn't exactly refuting Bo's last statement. She couldn't help thinking that in another life, she could have made a good queen, and yet, "Still, I'd much rather be here with you and Merlin than sitting on a throne beside Urien, or even Arthur, and when you're ready to accept your position, I'll do everything I can to help prepare you."

"Thanks," Bo said while giving her hand a grateful squeeze, "but honestly, I don't see it happening. I mean, can you imagine me in a crown? I'd look ridiculous."

A slight frown crossed Morgana's face, but before she had time to try to articulate or even fully process how she felt about Bo so casually dismissing what she had once longed for, Zhadia returned with another fae in tow and announced that she had found a sparring partner for Morgana. "He has the ability to cast powerful illusions," she explained, "which should present a good magical challenge. He's also fairly capable with a sword."

The illusionist in question did not look thrilled at the prospect of matching his powers against a human's, but he didn't dare object in front of Bo, merely beckoning Morgana away with a silent jerk of his head. Noticing that everyone except her had found somebody to train with, Bo asked, "So what about me?"

Zhadia's ebony-toned forehead creased in a frown as she studied her. "You're a succubus, aren't you? Forgive me, your highness, but it's difficult to imagine how your particular abilities could be used in combat unless your opponent is foolish enough to let you get your hands on them."

Only because you haven't seen me group-suck a whole room at once. Bo kept that tidbit of information to herself, though. The loss of control she'd experienced every time she had done it meant she wasn't exactly eager to try it again, not to mention the fact that that darker side of her only seemed to come out when someone she cared for was in grave danger. Instead, she said, "For your information, I don't need succubus powers to fight. I'm pretty handy with the regular methods too."

"Choose your weapon, then." The other woman gestured to a rack of swords, spears, maces, and daggers of varying sizes that had been brought out for those who wanted to hone their skills in traditional styles of combat as well as magical ones. "I'm considered to be a competent duelist myself – and to keep things fair, I won't split myself."

"So you're the one Merlin and Morgana told me about who can do that." Sauntering over to the weapons rack, Bo selected a sword, spinning it in her hand to test its weight and balance before brandishing it the way she had seen Arthur and the knights do when preparing to begin a duel. "Don't hold back on my account; I bet I can take both of you at once."

"Funny," Zhadia deadpanned as she also assumed the proper dueling stance, "my wife said the very same thing to me last night."

Biting back a grin, Bo said, "If you think you can distract me with kinky banter just because I'm a succubus, prepare to be disappointed."

With that, they made their opening moves, and the deadly dance began. Bo was pleased to discover that her opponent was more than competent; her technique was excellent, and with neither of them using their particular powers, they were well-matched in terms of the strength and speed granted by their fae nature. In between strikes, Bo glanced around to see how the others were faring, and was slightly alarmed to find that the shifters' match appeared to be an all-out brawl, with fur literally flying, but she reasoned that she had seen Dyson heal quickly from what had looked like some pretty serious wounds, so as long as they didn't actually tear each other's limbs off, they should be okay.

Meanwhile, Merlin's showdown with Gabriel had gotten off to a rather predictable start as the elemental fae immediately launched a fireball at him, only for Merlin to snuff it out by drawing the air away and starving the flame of oxygen. "Remember what I said about thinking creatively?" he lectured as the other man blinked his hazel-gold eyes at him. "What else can you do with air – besides taking it away and suffocating me?" he hastened to add, not wanting to put dangerous ideas in his opponent's head.

Gabriel considered for a moment, then sent a gust of wind at Merlin that nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Good. Now, let's see what you can do with the other elements-" The words were barely out of his mouth when a wave of water was dumped on his head, leaving him drenched and sputtering. "That's one way to use water," he conceded after wiping the droplets from his face, "but it can be used more subtly too." He then demonstrated his point by willing extra moisture into the ground at Gabriel's feet, turning it into an oozing sludge that sucked at his boots and severely hampered his movement.

The elemental glanced down, eyes narrowing as he realized what had happened, then proceeded to make use of his power over earth by causing some of the mud to form itself into a projectile which he wasted no time in sending Merlin's way. The warlock couldn't let that go without responding in kind, so that by the time Bo looked their way, their sparring match had more or less degenerated into the two of them slinging mud balls at each other.

Morgana's training, on the other hand, began in a much more mundane manner; for the first several minutes, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened as she and her partner struck and parried with their swords just as she had done countless times with Arthur and any other knights she could bully or cajole into crossing blades with her. Then, just as she was starting to doubt whether she would have a reason to call on her magical senses at all, the flat diamond-shaped head of a snake suddenly reared out of the grass an inch from her left boot, fangs bared. She cried out in shock and leapt backward, even though she wasn't at all sure she could move fast enough to escape if the serpent sprang at her. For an instant, it looked as if it would, as it seemed to be coiling itself tighter…then it vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.

She stared at the place where it had been, then turned her astonished gaze on the illusion caster, her eyebrows raised in question.

"Did you not realize it wasn't real?" he asked with more than a hint of condescension. Morgana was fairly certain she heard him add under his breath, "Not that I would've expected any better from a human."

"I was startled," she bit out, "as almost anyone would be if they saw a venomous serpent poised to sink its fangs into them. Besides, I'm not very experienced in detecting magical illusions; I only came into my powers recently, a little less than a year ago, so there's a great deal I haven't yet had time to learn."

The illusionist shook his head incredulously. "I would say it's strange for someone's powers to manifest so late, but since you're human, the better question is how you came to have magic at all when it wasn't meant for your kind."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, humans can only use magic through artificial means – trinkets and potions and such. You don't have innate power."

"That may be true of most human sorcerers, but I assure you I did not set out to learn magic. All my life I was plagued with nightmares I later realized were visions of the future, and then I developed full-fledged magical abilities with no deliberate effort on my part. I also happen to know that Merlin was born with magic," she said with a nod toward her boyfriend.

The illusionist followed her gaze to Merlin's mud fight with Gabriel and muttered, "And he's clearly making great use of it." Turning back to Morgana, he said, "All right, let's try this again. I'll create another illusion, and this time I want you to really look at it, with your magic. You know how to do that, don't you?"

Recalling how Kilgharrah had made her and Merlin use their magic to find the hidden entrance to the Blood King's realm, she snapped, "Yes, I do," then braced herself for another disturbingly convincing snake. This time, however, the illusion was much less frightening – just a flower which the fae who conjured it held out to her. It too was very convincing – the intricate details in the pattern on its petals would have made it an exquisite work of art even in nature, and reproducing it so realistically was undeniably an impressive feat – yet when she looked closer, she was able to make out the same glimmer of magical residue that had exposed the rune guarding the mountain pass.

"All right, I see the hallmarks of your enchantment now." She picked up her sword and pointed the blade at him, signaling that she was ready to resume their match. "Again."

He retrieved his own weapon with an assenting shrug, and they recommenced sparring, only now he incorporated his illusions into his attacks more frequently, using them as elaborate feints in an attempt to deceive her regarding the moves he was about to make, forcing her to use her magic as well as her skill and reflexes to avoid being led into a misstep that would cost her the match.

Naturally, they moved around quite a bit as they dodged and swung at each other, eventually ending up some distance from where they had started. Morgana was so focused on her partner that she didn't pay much attention to the amount of ground they covered until she felt it start to give way underneath her heel as she stepped backward. Startled, she looked down…and saw the telltale sheen of magic on what appeared to be the grass beneath her foot. Without realizing it, she had backed right up to the plateau's edge and was about to step off into empty space.

She immediately threw herself forward, lunging right past her opponent, then tucked her body into a ball and rolled as she hit the ground, coming up behind him and disarming him with a quick twist of her blade even as he whirled to face her once more. She didn't lower her own weapon after depriving him of his, however, but kept its tip pointed directly at his throat as she breathlessly demanded, "What was that? You almost tricked me into walking straight off a cliff!"

"You paid too much attention to me, and not enough to your surroundings. Altering an enemy's perception of the area where you're fighting can be just as useful in defeating them as creating distractions or disguising your intentions."

"But this was only for practice. You could have killed me!"

The illusionist merely lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug, remaining remarkably blasé in the face of her accusation. "That would have been an unfortunate accident-"

"An unfortunate accident?" Morgana echoed incredulously. "I think my death would have been more than that!"

"Do you really?" He tilted his head to one side, regarding her curiously. "Why? It's not as if you aren't dying already."

"Excuse me? I am in perfect health, thank you very much!"

"For now, but in a mere handful of decades your body will wither, your teeth will fall out, and by the time you finally die you might not even know your own name anymore. I've seen it happen; I had a human once, when I was small. When he died, I buried him near an orchard on my family's estate. That wasn't even four hundred years ago, and now even his bones have crumbled to dust. In the years since then, I've watched many other humans come and go, always meeting the same end. If you ask me, it would be more merciful if your life ended now, before you came to that."

Morgana couldn't believe what she was hearing, yet as she stared into his impassive eyes, which were still watching her like she was a specimen under Gaius' magnifying glass, any angry retort she might have made lodged somewhere in her throat. This man – this creature, this fae – didn't sound like he was speaking from some misguided sense of compassion, but simply expressing an opinion formed over the course of long experience, if one believed his claims about his age. It sounded utterly impossible – he only appeared to be in his mid-twenties at the oldest, his face as smooth and unlined as hers, not a strand of gray in his dark hair – but there was something in his eyes, though they showed no trace of cataracts or other age-related damage, a jaded look that made it easy to believe those eyes really had witnessed the passing of four centuries.

Of course, Morgana had already heard of the fae's incredible longevity, which in some cases might even extend to outright immortality, but they looked so much like humans – Bo looked so human, even when her eyes glowed blue – that somehow the information had never truly sunk in on an emotional level. Now it did, and for the first time she understood that even if she and Merlin were able to find a way to stay with Bo, their relationship would still only be temporary, at least for her. If they were very, very lucky, Merlin and Morgana might spend the rest of their lives with her, but her life would go on long after theirs ended.

She also understood the fae's disdain for humans in a way she never had before; when it came down to it, their views weren't unlike her own attitude toward flies. She didn't hate flies with a passion, didn't go out of her way to hunt them down and kill them, but if they bothered her, she thought nothing of swatting them away, even squashing them if she could. Why not, when they were such insignificant little pests, their lifespans so infinitesimal compared to hers?

If that was how the fae saw humans, how were she and Merlin supposed to change their minds when their very mortality provided such strong validation for those beliefs? How were they even supposed to make a start at it in the relatively short time they had? Too overcome with emotion to speak, she simply dropped her sword and walked away without a word to her sparring partner, not that she thought he particularly wanted to hear anything more from her.

By that time the other matches were winding down as well, with Merlin and Bo wrapping things up just in time to see Morgana striding quickly across the field with her head bowed, purposefully avoiding everyone as she hurried back to the castle.

"Does she look upset to you?" Merlin asked with a frown.

"I can't really see her face from over here, but that is not the body language of someone who's fine," Bo observed. "Come on."

They jogged after her, Dyson falling in with them as they passed the group of shifters (all of whom, thankfully, seemed to be in one piece, albeit with a few patches of missing fur here and there). As they neared the door at the tower's base, Merlin hastily summoned a wave of water to rinse his mud-splattered clothing, followed by a blast of warm air to dry himself so that their search for Morgana wouldn't be impeded by irate housekeepers chasing after him; still, she was long gone by the time they made it inside.

"Where could she have gone?" Bo wondered when they emerged from the stairs leading up through the tower to find the vast expanse of the castle's interior spread out before them, offering a seemingly infinite number of places where Morgana could have disappeared. "Dyson, can you use your wolfy super sniffer to pick up her trail?"

The wolf obligingly lowered his nose to the ground and began tracking her, Bo and Merlin following behind his swishing tail. Her scent seemed to be leading back toward Bo's room, but before they got anywhere near the part of the palace where the royal family had their private quarters, they were intercepted by Bo's new maid, Olga.

Just as she hadn't batted an eye at finding Bo in bed with two other people that morning, she was also perfectly unruffled at coming face to face with a large wolf, giving the impression that she had seen it all – which, if she had previously served Aife as Bo suspected, she probably had – though she did cast a subtly critical look at the traces of dirt that had escaped Merlin's rushed attempt at cleaning up and pursed her lips.

"Olga, hi," Bo greeted her before she could scold Merlin for bringing mud into the immaculate palace. "Have you seen Morgana? Dyson's nose says she went this way…"

"No, your highness, I've just been sent to fetch you. The king wishes to see you immediately."

And that's a wrap for 2023. I hope you've all been enjoying the holiday season, and Happy New Year!