ã€ŠThe Chosen Queenã€‹


 Prologue

    525 AD

    Merlin sucked in a deep breath, closing his blue eyes. He tasted the hint of ozone and rain. The storm approached. His horse shifted under him. He opened his eyes, turning his gaze to the King and the Mysterious Queen as they sat upon their horses, talking softly to each other.

    ¡°Are you sure, Storm,¡± King Arthur muttered, giving the mysterious Queen a side eyed look. Merlin frowned. Was that a hopeful look?

    ¡°Yes, Arthur,¡± Storm sighed. Merlin couldn¡¯t see her expression, but Arthur looked upset before he turned away. Lightening flashed, illuminating Storm¡¯s rich auburn hair tied in a high ponytail.

    King Arthur and Queen Storm weren¡¯t married to each other, but Merlin noticed the glances his King sent Storm when she wasn¡¯t looking. He didn¡¯t know how he felt about a possible relationship between the two rulers. He wanted to question Queen Storm about what motives she had toward Camelot, its King, and its people, but he hadn¡¯t been able to get her alone long enough to do that.

    For some odd reason, she found company within the White Hall Family. She favored them. Lord Samuel and his sons; Godric, Matthew, and Alexander; didn¡¯t mind her presence. There were a few times where he had overheard the four men address her as ¡®Sister¡¯ and ¡®Daughter¡¯. He didn¡¯t know about the rest of Lord Samuel¡¯s sons, living at the White Hall Estate.

    Lord Samuel didn¡¯t have a daughter. Merlin knew that. Lady White Hall had been blessed with sons until her death, three years ago.

    However, King Arthur of House Pendragon, son of Uther, the 2nd King of Camelot, First King of the United Kingdoms of Britain; shifted in his seat, staring across the battlefield. His honey colored eyes hardened as he watched the movement of their enemy.

    The enemy had been setting up their camp for hours and hadn¡¯t sent an ambassador to discuss their terms for combat or tried to negotiated. It was strange. In the past, Arthur had always discuss and established a set of rules for his men to fight by.

    Of course, this particular enemy had to be different. It was a woman, a former Lady of the Camelot Court - Rowena of House Caligula. It was a surprise to many at the Court when she challenged her former Master, Merlin, over the choosing spell. She had made attempt at pulling Excalibur out of the rock. She tried three times before Merlin had intoned the Sword in the Stone had found Rowena, unworthy. She had sworn to get justice, claiming she was worthy and she will be the High Queen of Camelot.

    News had reached Camelot after Arthur pulled Excalibur from the Stone and crowned King of Camelot, Rowena had joined forced with Prince Robert Pendragon, Arthur¡¯s eldest half brother. It came as a shock. It was well known that Robert didn¡¯t like sharing power or women having that kind of power. Merlin had seen Robert refuse talk to a Queen about possible trade agreement and that almost resulted in a war between Camelot and the other Kingdom if Arthur hadn¡¯t interfered. The Late King Uther had been furious with Robert.

    Now, Merlin questioned Robert¡¯s motives about sharing power with Rowena and wondered who would betray the other first. Movement across the battlefield caught his eye. A moment later, the voice of Sir Lancelot rang, ¡°A Rider approaches.¡±

    Merlin turned his gaze to his King and the visiting Queen. Both sat straighter in their seats, waiting with hard expressions. Silence spread over the forces of Camelot. The Rider, holding a white flag, rode up and stopped several feet away from King Arthur, announcing, ¡°The True King of Camelot, King Robert, would like to set terms of engagement at dusk, this evening. Do you agree to meet him at this time?¡±

    ¡°I agree. I will be bring three advisers and my personal servant with me,¡± Arthur stated, ¡°Will Robert limit his advisers to three and a personal servant?¡±

    ¡°I will ask him,¡± The rider turned and rode back to the far side. It was few moments before the rider returned to Arthur¡¯s side of the field and replied, ¡°He agrees to the limits on advisers and a personal servant.¡±

    ¡°We have an accord,¡± Arthur said, ¡°I will see him at dusk.¡± They all watched as the rider returned to Robert¡¯s side of the field.

    ~~~ Dusk~~~

    Queen Storm eyed the setting sun, watching the horizon darken from the bright blue to shades of pink before it slowly faded to a black, star filled sky. She sighed and turned her gaze to the scene in front of her. Servants from both sides of the war camps had been busy for the last couple hours, preparing the evening meal. She didn¡¯t commented as a table was carried to the middle of the field and dressed in formal wear nor when King Arthur had approached her to be one of the three advisers he would bring with him, stating her knowledge would highly valued. She had agreed.

    Now, she stared at the three tables as she rode closer to the middle of the field, on King Arthur¡¯s right, puzzled why food and drinks were set out on the middle table as for a formal political dinner. She didn¡¯t understand why they were going to be dinning with the enemy. King Arthur pulled back on the reins of his war horse. Queen Storm did the same, feeling out of her element. A stable hand rushed forward, taking the reins from King Arthur when he dismounted before he turned to Storm and offered to take her reins. She handed them over quietly before she swung her leg over the horse. King Arthur faced her, reached up, and placed his hands on her waist. She slide off the horse with his help, standing too close for comfort.

    ¡°I take it we are dinning with Prince Robert, tonight,¡± Storm stated, glancing up at Arthur as the horses were led away. Arthur offered his arm to her and she took it, following his led. While Storm was born as a Lady of an Ancient and Noble House, she didn¡¯t grow up within it to learn how to be a lady until she was much older.

    ¡°Yes, it will help with the negotiations,¡± Arthur explained, ¡°Your Kingdom doesn¡¯t do that anymore?¡± They walked toward the chairs set out for them. Her Kingdom. They had agreed to keep her Kingdom a secret, just between the two of them, in case word had gotten out about her origins. Plus, there were two half fae living within Arthur¡¯s Court and Storm¡¯s Court who had long memories.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Storm popped the ¡®p¡¯, ¡°If I did, I might have been able to avoid a few battle, but of course, Belladonna might have forced it as a tradition if she had known about it.¡± She hummed. ¡°There are a lot of things my Kingdom has forgotten about over the years.¡± She glanced up at Arthur. ¡°Am I rambling? I probably should be quiet. My brother always complained I ramble when I am nervous.¡±

    Arthur chuckled. He paused, dropping her arm, and grabbed a chair. He pulled it out and looked at Storm. She gave him a small smile, stepped forward, and slowly sat down in the chair as he pushed it under her. He claimed the high back seat on her right. She glanced at the wooden plate in front of her. She knew what seat he had placed her in. If they had been sitting in the Seasonal Throne Room in Camelot, the seat she was sitting in would be the Queen¡¯s Chair. She turned her gaze to him and raised an eyebrow at him as he settled into the King¡¯s Chair. He gave her an innocent look as Merlin took the right hand seat and Sir Lancelot claimed the chair on Storm¡¯s left.

    Ector, Arthur¡¯s personal servant, lend between Storm and Arthur, filling their goblets with wine. He muttered loud enough for them to hear, ¡°Dinner will be ready shortly, sire, my lady, my lords.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ector,¡± Storm replied. She turned her gaze to the other table where the Enemy was taking their seats.

    ¡°Prince Robert is in the middle,¡± Sir Lancelot lend toward Storm, whispering. He had promised Arthur to keep Storm updated on who was who during the meeting. ¡°He is Arthur¡¯s eldest half brother and has been away at war, protecting the Southern Sea border from the Dans and the Sand Pirates.¡± There was a short pause as Storm thought about what Lancelot said. Dans, she knew, were the Vikings, but she didn¡¯t know about the Sand Pirates. It would be something she would focus on learning later.

    Prince Robert was a handsome man with the golden blonde hair, the same shade as Arthur¡¯s. His dark brown eyes flashed angrily as they swept over Storm before moving on. He took the seat across from Arthur.

    A hazel eyed woman with long black hair stepped toward the seat across from Storm and one of Robert¡¯s Knights pulled it out. She sat down as the Knight pushed it under her. She gave Storm an unreadable stare. Her bright red lips was pulled into a frown. The two women sized each other up, silently.

    The woman¡¯s dress was unique. Red gems stood out against the black background of the dress and reflected the fire light. Storm frowned, staring at the red gems. She sensed something sinister from them.

    ¡°That is Lady Rowena of House Caligula, Recently given the Name Lady of Death, and one of Merlin¡¯s former students,¡± Lancelot tried to keep his tone neutral, but Storm could tell there was a note of disdain in it. ¡°She specializes in Death Magic.¡±

    She looked over at Lancelot and met his eyes as she said, ¡°I know who the Death Mage is and what she is capable of.¡±

    He nodded in understanding before he continued, ¡°The Knight who held out her chair is Sir Aldric. He is all brawn and no brains as some would say. He earned his knighthood by a jousting match where he nearly killed a neighboring Kingdom¡¯s champion.¡±

    ¡°Who knighted him?¡± Storm questioned.

    ¡°Robert did and Aldric has been his right hand man ever since,¡± Lancelot replied.

    Aldric was built like a linebacker - big and all muscles. His shaggy brown hair brushed his shoulders. His black eyes promised pain as he stared at Storm. She ignored him. He wouldn¡¯t last a minute in a fight against her and what power she tightly controlled. He sat across from Lancelot.

    A darken figure appeared from the dark and took the seat beside Robert, directly across from Merlin. He reached up and flipped back his hood, revealing black hair, black eyes, and a pale face. He was tensed.

    ¡°And that is Sir Gawen,¡± Lancelot muttered, ¡°He is Robert¡¯s best assassin. He gained his title by assassinating one of Robert¡¯s rivals to win Princess Annabeth¡¯s hand in marriage. However, a mystery yet be to solved, Princess Annabeth was discovered to be missing a short time later. That was 5 years ago. Nobody has been able to find her. No body, nothing. It was like she disappeared into thin air.¡±

    ¡°And which Kingdom did Princess Annabeth belong to?¡± Storm asked.

    ¡°A small kingdom, North of Camelot¡¯s borders,¡± Lancelot answered, ¡°I believe it was called Frost Kingdom. I think it was named that after the frost that would show up every morning.¡±

    Frost Kingdom? Maybe when Storm got back home, she would look it up and see what had happened to it. Ector turned and grabbed Arthur¡¯s plate before he started to serve the King.

    ¡°Robert,¡± Arthur started, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to him, ¡°It warms my heart to see you are well. It has been years since we were able to share a meal together.¡± He paused, watching as Ector returned the plate and grabbed Storm¡¯s, repeating the process. ¡°I just hoped it was under different circumstances, as brothers once again, instead of rivals.¡±

    On the other side of the middle table, another servant with rat face did the same for Robert, then Rowena and the Knights.

    Robert snorted, ¡°Is that what we are, Artie? Brothers?¡± An amused smirk flickered across his lips and he grabbed a knife before he sliced into the large piece of roast he was given. ¡°I thought that was just another story you like to tell yourself, just like the one where you are the King of Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Our Father, may his soul rest in peace, groom me to be his heir,¡± Arthur narrowed his eyes, ¡°and at my request, Merlin casted the Choosing Spell on Excalibur.¡±

    ¡°A spell to chose the next Ruler of Camelot?¡± Robert let out a bark of laughter before he shoved piece of meat into his mouth. The juices spilled over his lips and ran down his chin as he chewed. ¡°What a marvelous idea? Why didn¡¯t Father think of that! Oh wait, he didn¡¯t like magic enough to leave that important decision in Merlin¡¯s hands.¡±

    Merlin cut in, ¡°The Choosing spell was designed to pick the best living person within the borders of Camelot to rule the Kingdom. You were given a chance to prove yourself. So did Sir Alric and Sir Gawen. All three of you were found unworthy to rule this Kingdom. The rest of your brothers were tested as well as many of the Knights. All of them failed.¡± There was a pause as the men tried to ignored that barb. ¡°Even Lady Rowena made an attempt. She was even unworthy to rule. Only Arthur was found worthy to rule Camelot.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Storm kept her mouth shut.

    ¡°This Kingdom has suffered enough, Robert,¡± Arthur said, bringing the topic back to the discussion at hand, ¡°Our people deserve peace. They have been dealing with bloodshed for many, many years. You have grievances. They are with me, but let us settle them here, with reason, tonight.¡±

    ¡°Reason,¡± Robert¡¯s voice laced with sarcasm, ¡°Coming from a boy, handed a crown and a Kingdom by a sword? Spare me the sanctimony, Arthur. Father dotted on you, gave you everything you ever wanted and made sure you were highly respected within the Court, while I had fight for every scrap I have, including the respect I¡¯ve earned.¡±

    Arthur¡¯s jaw tightened before he spoke, ¡°The sword did chose me, yet. However, Father¡¯s teachings did not cover the chance I would have to face my own brother in arm combat and be faced with the choice to kill or not. I have spent years earning the trust of our people and rebuilding what you have broken in your raids and the other kingdom¡¯s raiding parties.¡±

    ¡°Earning the trust of our people? Don¡¯t mistake loyalty born of fear for trust. They kneel because they have no choice. Just like I had no choice when Father cast me aside for his Chosen Heir.¡± Robert sneered. He stabbed his knife down into another piece of meat.

    ¡°The choices you make now will determine how History will remember you, Robert,¡± Merlin said in a calm commanding tone. He lend forward in his chair and took a sip of the wine, watching Robert. His face was emotionless.

    Rowena let out a small giggle, jumping into the conversation, smiling ¡°Ah, Merlin, always the wise old sage. Tell me, how will History remember the scarifies of the starving men under Arthur¡¯s reign while he chases dreams of unity or is it just some part of the grand design?¡±

    Merlin narrowed his eyes. Storm¡¯s eyes flickered to the gems covering Rowena¡¯s dress with recognition. Merlin spoke, ¡°Unity requires sacrifice, my former student, you should know this. Chaos only demands ruins. So, tell me, which path does your counsel lead your lord down?¡±

    ¡°The path,¡± Rowena¡¯s smile sharpened, ¡°where strength wins the day.¡±

    ¡°However, you should know all about sacrifices, isn¡¯t that right, Lady Rowena,¡± Storm cut in, ¡°I mean, those beautiful red gems didn¡¯t fill themselves with blood from what I guess thousands of innocents souls in some sort of Blood magic ritual.¡± She lend back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°From the amount of gems on your dress, Death Mage, I would take a wild guess you are planning to cast a death curse on someone - either on King Arthur or Prince Robert.¡±

    Silence fell over the table. Rowena¡¯s lips part in shock as she turned her gaze onto Queen Storm. Robert¡¯s back stiffen and he stared at her, hard. Merlin let out a gasp as he finally recognized the gems. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°That is dangerous magic,¡± Merlin stated, standing up. His hands slapped the table, causing his goblet to tip over and wine spread over the wooden surface. ¡°I thought I taught you better then turn to the vampiric magic.¡±

    Rowena snarled, baring her teeth, eyes flashing as she stared at Storm, ¡°You -¡°

    ¡°Enough!¡± Arthur barked. ¡°Let us speak plainly. A battle between armies will destroy more then just soldiers - it will tear apart families, villages, the very foundation of Camelot. I propose a simple solution - single combat. You and I, Robert. No armies, no bloodshed beyond our own.¡±

    ¡°And no magical interference,¡± Storm added, staring pointedly at Rowena. She uncrossed her arms and laid them upon the table.

    Robert shook his head, ¡°Why would I wager everything on a single duel, when my forces can crush yours at dawn?¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, Your Majesty,¡± Gawen spoke up in a steady and firm voice, ¡°asking for single combat is a convenient gamble when your forces are outnumbered. Tell me, is this bravery¡ªor desperation?¡±

    ¡°The offer of single combat is not born of desperation, Sir Gawen, but of compassion,¡± Storm countered, ¡°War tears apart families and weakens the land we all call home. Surely even you can see the wisdom in seeking another way to avoid needless bloodshed?¡±

    Robert grabbed his goblet and swirled the wine before he replied, ¡°Compassion? Or cowardice? Wars are won with swords, not sentiments.¡±

    Lightening flashed above them as Storm met Robert¡¯s gaze, unflinchingly and stated, ¡°Wars are won with strategy, foresight, and unity, my lord. Qualities that Camelot will not abandon, even if you do.¡±

    Robert lend forward, staring at Storm, and addressed her, ¡°I must admit, Your Majesty, I¡¯m curious. What brings a queen from beyond Camelot¡¯s borders to these negotiations? Surely, your kingdom has its own troubles to manage.¡±

    Storm gave him a grim smile, ¡°My kingdom¡¯s prosperity is tied to the peace of Camelot, Prince Robert. Conflict between yourself and Arthur here spills beyond Camelot¡¯s borders, and it is my duty to safeguard my people from the chaos of war. Advising Arthur in these negotiations serves that purpose.¡±

    She knew her presence could have cause a few questions. Thank God she had thought ahead and came up with a possible answers. She may have to come with a few more.

    Rowena¡¯s tone was sharp as she lend forward, eyes flashing as she spoke, ¡°My, what a noble sentiment, but one wonders if your loyalty lies more with your own kingdom¡¯s interests than with Camelot itself. Or is this simply an opportunity to secure favor with Arthur?¡±

    Storm raised her eyes to meet Rowena¡¯s gaze. She didn¡¯t expect that kind of statement. ¡°My loyalty is to peace, Lady Rowena. If ensuring that means supporting Arthur, then so be it. I seek no favors, only a future where our kingdoms can thrive without the shadow of war.¡±

    Arthur shifted in his seat and placed a hand over Storm¡¯s hand. She glanced over at Arthur, meeting his gaze briefly before she turned away, pulling her hand away from his.

    Rowena cooed, lending forward with interest, ¡°It seems Camelot¡¯s king has taken quite a liking to his guest. Tell me, Queen Storm, do you plan to return the favor?¡±

    ¡°Enough, Lady Rowena. We are here to discuss terms of combat, not romantic favors,¡± Arthur commented, ¡°Queen Storm¡¯s presences here is for the good of all kingdoms.¡±

    ¡°Enough of this romantic crap,¡± Robert rolled his eyes. ¡°We are at War.¡± He slammed his fist on the table. ¡°We will fight until one of us is dead or admits defeat.¡±

    ¡°Prisoners of Wars will be set free alive after the war,¡± Storm argued.

    ¡°As long as you take them with you when you return to your kingdom, your majesty, or I will kill them,¡± Robert announced. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to plant your head on a pike, Arthur, and take what is rightfully mine.¡± He stood, looking at Arthur. Robert¡¯s advisers followed his led.

    King Arthur sighed as he stood. Merlin, Sir Lancelot, and Queen Storm got to their feet. ¡°And I won¡¯t let your pride to destroy what little hope Camelot has left.¡± He extended his arm to Queen Storm and escorted her back to the horses.

    ~~The Following Day: Evening ~~

    Lightening flashed as rain pelted the ground, soaking it. The howling wind prevent anyone from hearing properly. It didn¡¯t matter to King Arthur as he stared down at Prince Robert. Robert knelt in the bloody mud, looking up at him with hate filled eyes. Arthur couldn¡¯t believed he had bested his older brother. They had been fighting for most of the day. They ignored how the battle progressed around them. Memories flashed in their minds. Robert cracked a smile, ¡°Go ahead and kill me. I dare you unless you are a coward.¡±

    ¡°Unlike you, I do have a problem with killing one of my brothers,¡± Arthur stated, ¡°However¡­.¡± A sinister voice rang out over the battlefield, cutting him off. He jerked his head up, looking where the voice came from. The voice was in a different language. It caused the hairs on the back of Arthur¡¯s neck to stand on end. Robert¡¯s back arch back as his eyes widened with pain, his mouth opened in a silent scream. Arthur watched horrified as blood trailed out of Robert¡¯s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose before it floated in the air. He took several steps back. The wind died down, leaving an eerie silence.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Storm yelled, ¡°She casted the Curse!¡±

    The world went dark as the sun disappeared behind a dark wall of black clouds before the sky took on a sickly green glow, above Rowena. She stood on the far side of the battlefield with her dress glowing red. It was an eerily sight before the blood red color floated up to join the sickly green glow. They mixed in a swirl before it shot like an arrow.

    ¡°Noooo!¡± Storm screamed, holding out a hand and twisting her hand. A wall of clouds, twisting around tightly, darted down between Rowena and her target. It didn¡¯t help as the glow cut through the twister and slammed into Arthur, knocking him off his fight. Storm bolted over to him as the glowing seeped into Arthur. She knelt next to him and grabbed his shoulders, lifting his head into her lap, watching with horror as the sickly green spread through his limbs and sinking into the Crown of Camelot, the King¡¯s Ring, and Excalibur¡¯s gem before fading. A tear trailed down her cheek. She knew he was Cursed.

    Storm snapped her head toward the enemy. Lightening spread over the clouds, giving light to the battlefield. Portions of the enemy was fleeing into the distance while others dropped their weapons, knelt in the mud, holding up their hands in surrenderer. She struggled to control her rage as a larger bolt of lightening danced in the clouds. Rain started to fall, hard and fast. The wind howled, sharing her pain. She sucked in a deep breath. The wind seemed to still. Storm opened her mouth and screamed. The wind shot forward, knocking everyone over in its path.

    ~~ Later ~~

    Merlin, Lady Morgana of House Pendragon, and Storm worked together in the deepest part of the Camelot Castle on a runic circle. Storm cracked her neck as she slowly stood up, feeling her back ache from bending over for so long. She sighed before she glanced over at the doorway. King Arthur stood there with an unreadable expression, but his eyes begged her not to go. She turned away. She didn¡¯t belong here in this Kingdom. She had her own to run. Hopefully, it was still standing in one piece by the time she got back.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready,¡± Merlin announced. Storm rose to her feet.

    ¡°Thank you, Merlin,¡± she said, nodding her head, grateful for his and Morgana¡¯s help. ¡°Alright, bring in the Prisoners of War, Sir Lancelot, Sir Godric.¡±

    Arthur stepped into the chamber and to one side, allowing Sir Lancelot to led the ones who surrender from the battle into the chamber. He watched silently.

    They gathered, standing a few feet away from the runic circle and Queen Storm. She waited until she saw Sir Godric before she started to speak, ¡°Gentlemen, when you walk through this runic circle, you will transported to my Kingdom. Look at this a fresh start on life. No one will know who you are and what happened to cause you to seek a new life somewhere else. Take this chance to get that fresh start. Some of you might claim Knighthood again or join my Military, depending on My Head of the Knights and My Generals say. Some of you may join a village in the nearby forest and live with them, settling down, as contributing member of their society.¡± She paused for a long moment, looking over each face. Most of the men looked like they had accept their fate. ¡°Or if you have no desire to settle down in my Kingdom or the village nearby, I can see if another Kingdom or village will take you in as a refugee.¡±

    None of them said anything. Storm nodded. She turned to Merlin and Morgana, ordering, ¡°Open the Gate.¡±

    Merlin and Morgana raised their hands and fuel their magical power into the gate. The runes on the floor glowed and a swirling mass appeared. Storm knew despite how gifted both magi were, holding open a portal for any amount of time was draining. She turned to the men, waiting, ¡°Please, hurry through.¡±

    One of them, Sir Aldric if she remembered correctly, stepped forward. He glared at her with mistrust and muttered, ¡°If there is a sneak attack on the other side, I will be coming for you.¡±

    She frowned, thinking. He may be right. Depending on which alarm bells the portal set off, her generals, magi, and knights would be rushing to the chamber to fend off any intruder. She held up a hand and placed it on Aldric¡¯s chest as he tried to pass her. ¡°Hang on. You may be right. Take these items.¡± She took her royal ring before she handed it over to Aldric. He blinked at her shocked. He held up his hand. She set her ring in his hand. She reached up and undid her necklace. Her house crest caught the torchlight. She set it in his hand.

    Aldric¡¯s eyes widened as he recognized it. He half turned to one of the Camelot Knights, opening his mouth. She cut him off, ¡°He knows. So does King Arthur.¡± He turned back to her, eyebrows raised. ¡°You may go through. If you do see a group of human warriors on the other side, tell them that their High Queen would like General Gen-Gen to wait before he explodes his pants and causes more headaches for his sister.¡± She patted his arm. ¡°I will explain everything on the other side.¡±

    Aldric curled his fist, holding the two items tightly before he nodded and walked through the portal. One by one, the group of Prisoners of War went through the portal. Storm watched as the last one entered, disappearing. She glanced at Merlin and Morgana. They were paling with strain. She walked to the portal, glanced over her shoulder at Arthur, before she walked through.

    ¡°Close the Portal,¡± Arthur bit out. He watched as the portal closed behind Queen Storm. His heart ached. Both Magi closed the portal and went to their knees. He walked away from the room. ¡°Once they are recovered, seal this room.¡±

    ~~ 10 years later ~~

    The Flags were flown half staffed. The Court of Camelot wore black as they walked through the streets of Camelot, heading to God¡¯s Holy Light Church. On either side of the street, villagers and other members of the Kingdom stood, wearing black. They all mourned the death of King Arthur.

    Merlin wrapped an arm around Morgana as she tried to not bawl. He glanced around. The woman Arthur had eventually married hid her face behind a black veil, walking ahead of the parade. At her sides, her children walked with her, upset. Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain flanked her. He knew Lancelot was her lover and fathered both children.

    On Arthur¡¯s death bed, he had confess to Merlin many things. One of them was the fact he knew his Queen was not loyal to him and only gave him one child. Unfortunately, that child died in an accident 4 years ago. The rest of them were Sir Lancelot¡¯s children. Normally, a slight like that would cause a normal King to cast out his Queen and her lover, but Arthur apparently didn¡¯t mind the betrayal. Merlin didn¡¯t understand why.

    Another thing Arthur had told him was to re-cast the Choosing Spell on Excalibur; A choosing spell that would last a very long time. He didn¡¯t want his Queen or any future Queens to be taken advantage of during her mourning period and be protected. Merlin did cast the Choosing Spell again and informed the Court of Arthur¡¯s will. They would be holding a Choosing Ceremony, tomorrow to see who the next King would be.

    Merlin didn¡¯t understand why Arthur had requested a long term Choosing spell. However, he would worry about that later. He had to focus on who would be Camelot¡¯s next King and how break the news to the New King about the curse. Arthur also had informed him and Morgana of it, citing Queen Storm¡¯s warnings of it.

    Merlin pushed the thoughts of Queen Storm out of his head. There was no way of contacting her or her mysterious Kingdom. The White Hall Family had been closed lip about her as well. She was a just a mystery left to the past.

    The Funeral went off without a problem. The Knights returned from Camelot¡¯s Tomb and Merlin watched as they shut the doors with a loud bang. He glanced down at Morgana. She stood there, refusing to move as the rest of the Court slowly moved away, heading back to the Castle. He turn his thoughts back to Arthur¡¯s reign. He was glad he was privileged to witness Arthur¡¯s journey from a simple favored Prince to King.

    Arthur united kingdoms, forging alliances with those who once called his enemies. He was a king who wielded Excalibur not only to defend Camelot but to uphold justice. In court, he was steadfast, valuing truth above all, even when it tested his loyalties. In the end, his light burned too brightly to last, extinguished by treachery and the curse that claimed him.

    Merlin didn¡¯t know how long he stood there with Morgana, but she eventually moved, turning away from the Tomb and walked away. He moved to follow her when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to get a better look, but it was gone. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn it was a shadowy figure wearing the crown of Camelot.

 Chapter 1: It Starts

    ~Camelot~

    Merlin frowned as he double-checked the potion recipe. According to the recipe, he needed to add the Witch Hazel and stir counterclockwise three time before adding the chamomile. He had made the potion several times before, but the last time he did was when again? He blinked, wondering when the last time he did. He dropped the chamomile leaf into the pot as close to the surface as he dared. He didn¡¯t want to cause the potion to splash. The potion was a time-consuming process and called for rare ingredients that he didn¡¯t want to waste any of it.

    The potion was designed to help fight off the curse that haunted each king who took the crown of Camelot. Merlin had discovered the potion while he was researching for a way to break the curse a couple centuries ago and found it in an Ancient Atlantian potion book, stating it helped with the ill effect of the deadly curse. The only reason why Merlin was making the potion was simple. This year was the 10th Anniversary of Uther pulling the Holy Sword, the time limit that the Curse set for every King. So far, it had been the only clue to finding a cure for the curse.

    Merlin let out a sigh as he stirred the ingredients into the mixture. The potion would only keep the majority of the curse ill effects at bay until last week. During the last week of the King¡¯s life that was when the curse overcame the potion and would cause the King to be bedridden until his death.

    The Potion Master hoped King Uther would not fall ill to the deadly curse. Not least for a year or two. However, recently, he had been recognizing the symptoms of the King shown as part of the curse. He had miscalculated. It wasn¡¯t until the Queen Mother, Queen Clarine, announced a possible party to celebrate the King¡¯s 10th anniversary on the throne. That was when Merlin and his former apprentice, Lady Morgana, realized King Uther has been on the throne for nearly 10 years.

    The year before Uther pulled the Holy Sword from its scabbard was chaotic. Uther¡¯s father, King Peter was killed by a highly skilled assassin. Prince Nathan managed to pull the Holy Sword out and became King. However, during the battle Cross Hill, King Nathan was killed by a stray arrow. When Prince Henry pulled the Holy Sword out, Camelot erupted into a civil war, Prince- now - King, Henry has been rumored to be a traitor and proved it when he announced that Camelot was going to be dissolved as a kingdom and be absorbed by the Frank Kingdom. Needless to say, nobody in the court liked it and he quickly disappeared before his body turned up several places in town. The Franks declared Camelot for going back on a treaty agreement. Uther tried to pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath, but he couldn¡¯t. None of the knights were able to either.

    Merlin went to the guards of the castle. They couldn¡¯t either. Morgana approached the Lords of the Castle, and the Mage had no luck. Merlin went public about the Chosen Ceremony, leaving out the Secret Curse.

    Men traveled far and wide within the Kingdom borders. They failed. Morgana proposed for the women to try. Merlin, while he saw how the various lords, knights, and princes would react, allowed it. None of the women were able to pull the Holy Sword out.

    The Frank Army marched into Camelot¡¯s borders. Prince Uther, acting as King for the time being, rallied Camelot¡¯s force to meet King Louis on the battlefield. Merlin and Morgana traveled with the war band, swearing to protect Camelot. However, when the Mercy Army led by King William joined with the Frank Army, Prince Uther called for a retreat until they were safely behind the Castle walls.

    Merlin remembered the screams of horror and pain as the two armies marched within the distance of the Outer Walls of Camelot. He remembered how small Camelot became as the court hid inside the castle, the villagers ran from the approaching army, and how his spy network failed to find the Camelot Assassin. Life went on like this for nearly three months as the enemy armies laid siege on Camelot until one day, the Holy Sword allowed Uther to pull it from the rock, in front of Camelot and her enemies. It was the longest six months Merlin ever experienced in his long-lived life.

    Merlin shook his head, clearing it. He hoped they never experience another six months without a ruler. A lot of people died during those six months and they had lost territory they never managed to recover, yet. It took the Kingdom another three years after Uther pulled the Holy Sword out to recover the farms and the villages that was destroyed.

    Nearly a year ago, Uther had talked about trying to re-gain the territories that Camelot lost, but Merlin and Morgana, at the time, felt uncomfortable with the idea. The older mage argued that they could lose more land to the Franks who felt sore over being pushed out of Camelot.

    Merlin turned his attention to the potion. Now, it didn¡¯t matter. King Uther will not survive to see the sesquimillennial celebration. That much was clear from the symptoms. His son and ¡®heir¡¯ Prince Arthur IX will. The question remained about the Holy Sword choosing him as the next king. Merlin feared another time of ¡®The Kingless Time¡¯ as the local historians called the era, during the six months the Holy Sword denied Uther. Still, the mage hadn¡¯t figured out why.

    Merlin still remembered the events, barely, what led to casting the ¡®Choosing¡¯ spell on the Holy Sword. The first King of the United Kingdoms of Camelot, Arthur I Pendragon, had ordered it before his death. Arthur¡¯s Queen gave birth to a dark-haired boy a few years prior to Arthur¡¯s death and the boy looked nothing like Arthur. The weeks leading up to Arthur¡¯s death, his Queen confessed that the boy was not Arthur¡¯s, but one of his knights who died on a battlefield and had not clue he had sired a son. Most of the court already knew the Queen¡¯s unfaithfulness, even witnessing the interaction between the Queen and her favorite knight and her reaction when she heard news of his passing.

    However, Arthur still took care of his Queen and her son, just like a dutiful husband. He had ordered Merlin to cast a spell on the Holy Sword to prevent his Queen and her son being victims of the Infamous Game of Thrones. Arthur knew, after his death, there would be a long line of men, trying to take his throne. The King could have announced a legitimate heir, but he had numerous nephews, thanks to his father¡¯s harem and plotting to marry off Arthur¡¯s many half-sisters, and half-brothers and their sons.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Merlin knew Arthur¡¯s oldest half-brother had tried to take the Throne from Arthur, shortly after Uther I¡¯s death, but failed when Arthur proved to be the better swordsman and sentenced his older half-brother to spend the rest of his days in the dungeons.

    Arthur never chose a legitimate heir. He didn¡¯t think he could chose anyone himself to be his heir. As the result, Merlin had cast the ¡®Choosing¡¯ spell, over 1000 years ago. It amused him to no end that the Ruling Family thought they had a claim to the throne, instead of King after King after King had been chosen by the Holy Sword. They had the qualities that Arthur had thought a King should have.

    He paused in his potion making, thinking. He might have to check the spell¡¯s status. He knew there was a chance that the spell could be wearing off, given the last four to five Kings. Merlin thought, after seeing what they were doing with the non-humans, there couldn¡¯t be what Arthur I had wanted for his kingdom. The last time he had checked on the spell was when the United Kingdom of Camelot was split up, thanks to a King who wanted to please his sons, but it was still strong and hummed with power.

    A knock echoed through his workshop. Merlin jerked his head up as he twitched his hands. He had wanted to work in peace, but he knew he could be needed. He hoped he wasn¡¯t. He needed to get through this portion of the brewing process before he could leave. It was the most important part of making the potion.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he called out, returning to the recipe and reading the next step in a low tone, ¡°Simmer for the next three hours,¡± he heard the door open, the rustling of fabric along the ground, the door shutting, and silence. He went on, reading, ¡°then add two leaves of campion flower and simmer again for 1 hour.¡±

    Merlin muttered a soft curse. He had forgotten how time consuming making this potion was. He turned down the flame, manually, using a dial on the side of the table. He didn¡¯t want to use magic around this potion.

    ¡°I heard that, Master,¡± a female voice ran out in a slight, scolding tone, ¡°You know better than to use such language in front of a lady.¡±

    Merlin¡¯s lips twitched into a smirk as he replied, not looking up from the table, ¡°What lady are you talking about?¡± He looked up to see his former student, ¡°All I see is the most beautiful goddess that ever walked this Earth,¡± He walked around the table, heading to the ¡®goddess¡¯, ¡°Now, what can this most unworthy soul do to please your goddess-ship?¡±

    The woman had her dark as night hair flowing over her shoulders and only pinned the front and sides up to keep it from falling into her pale face. Her blue eyes twinkled in amusement as Merlin reached out and grabbed her hand before placing a kiss on her knuckles. The simple olive-green dress she wore framed her curves and flared out at her hips. She usually wore her black robe, signaling her station within the Court of Camelot, but also her mastery of Magic. He remembered fondly of the time she wore the white robe of a beginner mage, back when her brother was alive, along with their father, centuries ago.

    ¡°Oh, Merlin,¡± she purred, ¡°There are many things you can do to please your goddess.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really,¡± Merlin dropped the woman¡¯s hand and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, ¡°Please, name one, my sweet Morgana.¡±

    ¡°Stop acting like a womanizer,¡± Morgana slapped his shoulder. The slap didn¡¯t hurt, but it made Merlin snort in amusement, ¡°You already have people thinking we are involved,¡± Morgana protested, pouting.

    ¡°Oh! Then it¡¯s all going to according to plan,¡± Merlin grinned, brightly, causing Morgana to roll her eyes at him, ¡°But I don¡¯t think that is why you have come to me, my dear, to complain about the court¡¯s fascination about our long relationship.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Uther,¡± Morgana started, ¡°He had summoned us,¡± Her face lost all its playfulness, ¡°I think it is nearly time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking the same thing,¡± Merlin said, glancing at the table, ¡°I already started working on the potion to help with the side-effects.¡± He turned his attention back to Morgana, ¡°I started it, recently. It won¡¯t be ready for another week or two.¡±

    Morgana nodded, replying, ¡°I figure it as much, Merl.¡± She saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was one of the candles lighting the room. The flame flickered in a dancing motion, twisting. The color parted. Morgana slowly turned her head, and a wave of heat washed over her.

    The flame twisted around forming a female figure. To Morgana¡¯s amazement, the orange and red parts of the flame formed a mane waving behind the figure as the yellow part formed the body. The female figure turned her head to reveal a pair of sad green eyes. In the center of her forehead was a design that Morgana could not make out. However, the figure turned fully to her, revealing a heart shaped hole in her chest with fire cracks. A woman with a broken heart? Morgana couldn¡¯t help wondering what that meant. She tried to peer closer, but she blinked. The figure disappeared as the candle flame flickered.

    Morgana snapped back to the present. She glanced around. She was in Merlin¡¯s study. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them wide. Why was she in Merlin¡¯s study? The answer excluded her, just like it always did when she had questions after True Vision. She knew the answer. She knew it. There was a fog on her mind. It was a side effect of her True Visions. She took a deep breath. She smelt the potion brewing on the desk. The fog slowly cleared. It was not long before she remembered the reason why she stood in her former master¡¯s study. The king summoned them to the Seasonal Throne Room.

    Merlin waited until Morgana turned to him before he asked, ¡°What did you see?¡±

    He knew his former student was a true seer, just like her mother before her. Morgana could see parts of the future. Before she had started her training as a mage, her visions had nearly driven her insane. He had helped her build mental walls to keep her sane and keep most of the visions back. They learned that her most accurate visions were helped by an opened fire.

    ¡°A woman with a broken heart,¡± Morgana replied. Her eyes met his. ¡°Maybe it was Queen Kalliope?¡±

    ¡°Possible,¡± Merlin mused, ¡°Was there anything else you noticed about this woman in the fire?¡±

    ¡°Green eyes,¡± Morgana thought back to the image, ¡°Sad green eyes.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Merlin frowned. None of the Queens of the Ruling Family had green eyes. ¡°That rules out any of the Queens.¡±

    Morgana nodded, absentmindedly and continued, ¡°I saw there was a symbol on her forehead, but I couldn¡¯t tell what is was.¡±

    ¡°We have time to figure it out,¡± Merlin said, shrugged, ¡°This woman could be related to nothing.¡±

    ¡°Or she could be someone important,¡± Morgana argued, giving the other mage a level stare.

    ¡°Either way, we will figure it out if she does show up,¡± The mage said, ¡°We have already caused the King to wait on us, long enough.¡±

    ¡°Oh, boy,¡± Morgana looked amused, ¡°He¡¯s going to be cross with us.¡±

    Merlin allowed a smirk to cross his lower face and asked, sarcastically, ¡°What he is going to do? Force us to get married? Bind our magic?¡±

    ¡°Throw you in the dungeon,¡± Morgana teased, ¡°And put you in the stocks?¡± She opened the door and walked out into the midday sunshine.

    ¡°HEY!¡± Merlin squawked. He couldn¡¯t believe she had remember that event from her childhood. He didn¡¯t remember what happened to land him in the dungeons then the stocks. ¡°That was one time!¡± He walked after the she-mage.

    ¡°I thought it was twice,¡± Morgana tossed over her shoulder with a smirk.

    Merlin stared after her before he shook his head. That woman was something else, still after 1500 years.

 Chapter 2: The sickness of Heartbreak

    ~Vermont, USA~

    Valentina Armstrong sat in front of her bookcase, cross legged. A book held open in her hands. It was another retelling of Beauty and Beast. Her green eyes scanned the text on the last page until she snapped the book shut and threw it to a corner where a large pile of books already tossed aside. Right now, she didn¡¯t need a happy ending in a book. She needed a book that had lot of hurt followed by comforting before love happened. Her chest pulsed with a pain she had slowly became accustomed to.

    ¡°I know I have some fucking books that match my mood,¡± She muttered to herself. Her voice bounced off the floor, echoing loudly in her ears. Tears sprang up to her eyes. She was tired of crying over every little thing. She tried to ignore them as she willed the tears away. She glanced at the pile of books. She should care about them. Once upon a time ago, she would have been horrified to find her collection of books tossed into a corner like a pile of discarded clothes. She couldn¡¯t gather the energy to care. She had worked hard to gather that collection, but she found it hard to give a damn about anything for the last - her watery green eyes flickered to the calendar where a large number 26 was written on the May 28 block, not that she was counting.

    Her misery started 26 days ago when her boyfriend -well, her future husband - had decided to end their 6-year relationship, unexpectedly. He broke his promises to her - about their future together, not wanting to leave her. However, that didn¡¯t stopped him asking if she wanted to have good-bye sex.

    Her lower lip trembled. She hoped for her happy ending, the kind that was promised to every little girl - growing up, finding her prince, marrying him, and live happily ever after, but she got crushed dreams. She didn¡¯t understand why her first real relationship ended the way it did. When he was in the process of ending things with her, she had asked for an explanation why. Begged for one. He didn¡¯t still give one.

    Before he did the cruel act, her ex-boyfriend took her shopping for the few odds and ends she needed until her next paycheck. He informed her of his decision on the way back to her place. She sat in shock, staring at the dashboard. Her thoughts scattered with confusion. She did not understand why he would do that. After he helped her carry the items he had brought to the apartment, he suggested they could have good-bye sex. She shook her head ¡®no¡¯, slowly shut the door in his face. She clung to hope that her now-ex would show up and claim it was a prank that he had regretted it, and she would say that she would forgive him. Later that night, she started to lose hope after hours of staring at the wall, lost in thought, trying to reason the ¡®why¡¯ behind the action. The word echoed in her head, loudly.

    The following day, she didn¡¯t go to work, nor the day after that. She didn¡¯t eat, either. She just slept, waking up long enough to take care of her bodily needs before slipping back into dreamland. It was not long after that she was fired, less then a week later. She didn¡¯t care about that. She had stopped caring. She eventually called her mother and explained what happened before asking if she could come home. Something inside her changed.

    Now, it had been almost 4 weeks since he had left her. She didn¡¯t have any more delusions about him coming back. Her feet pushed her knees into her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She buried her face on her knees. Her shoulders shook. She tried to keep from crying. Her chest ached. Tears won¡¯t cause him to show up at the door. She questioned if he loved her as deeply as she loved him. Perhaps not. They had their own problems, just like every other couple. Maybe it was because of her inexperience. Her first real relationship and it went up in smoke. She sniffed as hot tears slipped own her redden cheeks.

    A dark chuckled echoed silently before a hissing voice whispered, ¡°Maybe you should have been more willingly to be what he wanted you to be.¡± Tina curled, tighter, upon herself. Claws crept forward, along the sides of her mind. ¡°Or maybe you shouldn¡¯t have argued with him so much.¡±

    ¡°Go away,¡± Tina whispered, reaching up to grab the sides of her head, ¡°You are not real.¡±

    The hissing voice just laughed before it commented, ¡°I¡¯m as real as you, Valentina.¡± The voice paused. ¡°You are not worthy of that name. You are not strong. You are weak.¡±

    ¡°You are wrong,¡± Tina kept her voice low. She didn¡¯t need her family to know she was losing it¡­losing what was left her sanity. She probably developed this¡­this¡­this issue sometime while she was in Japan for that archery competition. ¡°You are wrong. I am strong.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say, Valentina, whatever you say.¡± The voice drawled, ¡°Perhaps you should just end it. After all, your so-called true love is not coming back. You didn¡¯t deserve a man like him.¡±

    Tina shook as the voice went on and on. The voice seemed to talk forever and a day. Always telling her to that she should have done things differently, that she would die alone if she didn¡¯t beg for forgiveness from her ex. She turned her head, resting the side of her head onto her arms. Her eyes roamed over to the room, landing on the shelfs. She blinked. She lend her head back. The edge of the bed dug into her back. Her eyes roam over the shelves above her dresser, held the various trophies she gained over the years.

    At the right end, closest to her, a 12-inch trophy stood proudly. It was her 3rd place Archery trophy. She earned it when she participated in her last archery tournament. A tear slipped down her cheek. Her ex had been there, cheering her on.

    Sitting right beside it, on the left, another 12-inch trophy stood at attention. The figure on top of the trophy was frozen in a run, a knee bent. The toes of the other foot was only touching the ground. She had won 3rd place in the 5k race at her high school.

    The third trophy was teller then the first two trophies by a couple of inches. It was another 3rd place trophy for Archery. She earned it in the Priestess Competition. She had to traveled to Japan to participate in it and visited her great aunt Nami.

    In the middle of the shelf, completing dwarfing all the other 3rd place trophy was the 1st place Tina, and her great aunt Nami¡¯s team were forced to participated in a tournament called Black Moon Tournament. During that tournament, Tina faced creatures called demons and made the choice to kill or be killed. Tina and her team walked away from that tournament with 1st place trophy and enough money in each of their pockets that the humans of the team didn¡¯t have to work until they were at least 30. However, Tina chose to spend her money on her family, paying off their house and got her mom a new car before she paid for college out of her pocket and put the rest of it in an off-limit bank account that she couldn¡¯t touch until she was retired.

    Tina shook her head. She allowed her eyes to move to the next trophy. It was a 2nd place trophy of another Archery Tournament. She couldn¡¯t recall the name of that tournament.

    The last trophy on the left end of the shelf was her very first trophy. It was a 3rd place in Archery she had managed to earn when she was 13 years old.

    She had other trophies downstairs, in a case sitting in the living room. Those trophies were the 1st places trophies she earned. Tina¡¯s eyes darted back to the Black Moon Tournament Trophy. She couldn¡¯t place that trophy with the other 1st place trophies because the secrecy surrounding the Black Moon Tournament. Her grandmother Sakura freaked out when Tina had pulled that trophy out of her bag before Sakura was heard on the phone a few minutes later, arguing with her sister. Tina had to tell the entire story, ending with the Priestess Competition.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to have friends like them,¡± the voice hissed.

    Tina knew what the voice meant by ¡®them¡¯. The friends she made while she was Japan, both human and demon.

    ¡°Do you really think those demons would want a weak comrade like you,¡± the voice went on, ¡°They would eat you.¡±

    Tina shook slightly. The mysterious voice told the truth. She had a witnessed a canine looking humanoid demon rip about a human female while she attended the Black Moon Tournament. Nightmares hunted her for weeks.

    The voice went on, ¡°Blaze probable got sick of protecting your worthless hid.¡±

    Tina remembered the fire and psychic hybrid demon, very well. He was there whenever she woke up from a nightmare. His mere presence helped to remind her that she was safe at Aunt Nami¡¯s hidden temple. He even offered a couple times to use his psychic powers to keep away the nightmares. She only allowed him once to help her, the night before her Archery Competition.

    ¡°He enjoyed your suffering,¡±  the voice hissed with glee. Tina shook her head. Blaze was the type of male who wouldn¡¯t have offer his help if he didn¡¯t want to do it.

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± she whispered, ¡°He wasn¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the voice drawled, a gleeful note ringing through, ¡°That look he got in his eye ¡ª¡±

    There was a knock on her bedroom door, breaking through Tina¡¯s haze. She blinked, coming out of the dark hole that seemed to drag her down, down, down as she heard the door open and her mother¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Tina, dear, I¡¯m heading to the store. Do you want me to get you some more ice cream?¡±

    Ice cream seemed to be the only thing that helped settle her rolling stomach. There was a plus side to that. The voice always faded away when she ate. Maybe it was something to do with the coldness of the ice cream when she ate it, too fast. Tina nodded and her voice rang out with the familiar lost and heart-broken tone it held for the last 25 days, ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°Cookie¡¯n¡¯cream?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mama,¡± Tina replied in a low tone, ¡°Thank you.¡± She had tried to eat regular food, but her stomach rejected it. She had given up on eating any real food, at least for right now. She planned to try again later that night when her family sat down to have dinner, she will try to join them.

    ¡°Your welcome,¡± Tina¡¯s mom said in the comforting tone that nearly all mothers had, ¡°How you go take a shower, sweetheart? It will make you feel better.¡±

    Tina nodded, absentmindedly. A hot shower would help revive her spirit. She blinked at a sudden thought. She couldn¡¯t remember when she had last bathed or changed her clothes. Was it two days ago or three? Maybe it was four? It didn¡¯t matter. It was after she had moved back in with her family. She needed to get clean up. Apparently, time was slipping her by as she tried to piece herself back together. Maybe her mom was right. It could help her feel better. She slowly stood up and gathered a fresh set of clothes from an open box at the foot of her bed before she headed to the bathroom. Tina saw her mom, younger sister, and grandmother standing at the bottom of the stairs. Tina noticed they turned to look up to her and she shut the bathroom door.

    Tina lend against the door, looking down at the tiled floor. She knew they were talking about her because they were worried. She questioned what was happening to her before her mother had knocked on the door, breaking her out of whatever that dark pit was. She wanted to heal from her heartbreak and get her life back together. It was a struggle to do so - getting up every day, finding things she used to take joy in and be able to do so again, and leaving her room. She will heal. She will get strong. If she had to live her life out, alone because she couldn¡¯t find a man strong enough to handle her, so be it. She will figure out a way to have one of her dreams come true, at least. She smiled, sadly.

    Downstairs, Tina¡¯s mother, Annja, glanced worryingly up at the closed bathroom door. Annja felt her youngest daughter, Natasha, wrapped her arms around Annja¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Is there any change with her today, Annja,¡± Annja¡¯s mother, Sakura, asked, looking at Annja.

    ¡°Tina managed to get out of bed and went through her books,¡± Annja said, unsure. She didn¡¯t know what Tina had wanted with her books, but she obviously didn¡¯t find what book she wanted. Annja, however, didn¡¯t know how to help Tina other then be there for her. Her own relationship was extremely complicated. ¡°Mom, could you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will, dear,¡± Sakura replied, ¡°Go ahead and get the shopping done.¡±

    Annja let a soft smile to cross her face and nodded, ¡°Thank you, mom.¡±

    ¡°Your welcome, dear,¡± Sakura replied, ¡°I still think she should go to her father for a while or go back across the sea to visit my sister.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I just got her back,¡± Annja said, with a sad expression. Tina had claimed that her ex didn¡¯t allow her to come visit on the weekends or during the breaks at school. Annja had seen Tina¡¯s expression when she explained that - depressed, trapped, hurt, and most of all, confused. Annja knew then when she got Tina and helped her precious daughter move back home, that she shouldn¡¯t have pushed the issue about Tina dating that man when he first asked Tina out. Tina had wanted to end the relationship, but Annja had argued against, claiming that Tina should give him a chance. As far as Annja knew, Tina didn¡¯t date during her middle and early high school years. Annja was overjoyed that Tina had found someone to date and experienced the whole teenage dating scene.

    However, it appears that Tina¡¯s heart had took a beating that some hearts did not come back from. Annja couldn¡¯t help feel guilty over that, over feeling that she had pushed her daughter into a relationship she did not want after a few weeks. She should have listened to her daughter when she had voiced her desire to leave the relationship.

    That man had seemed to be nice when Annja had meet him. He treated Tina like a gentleman, but Tina, later when she tried to break up with him after a couple months, claimed that he only acted that way because he wanted to make a good impression and wanted a different kind of relationship then she felt comfortable with, but the way she had acted later on, they had managed to work things out between them.

    However, if Tina went to Japan to visit her great aunt, Annja may never see her daughter again. Tina went through something while she was in Japan when she was 15 years old and changed, dramatically. She returned home, shortly after her birthday, stronger. Annja¡¯s great aunt was a physic and was able to see things that normal people was not. Tina inherited that ability from Annja¡¯s side of the family. The Armstrong women for centuries had been known to be strong physics. Her great aunt even took part in a tournament 70 years ago that caused the death of her lover. Tina had visited Auntie and helped Auntie¡¯s team when they were forced to go to take part in the same tournament, a few years ago. However, the ability skipped Annja and her mother, but she did remember her grandmother had the ability. She hoped the ability would skip Natasha.

    Tina had went on and on about her experience at the tournament, never hinting that she had took part in it, but informed them that she did attend to ¡®watch¡¯ it. Auntie¡¯s team and Tina eventually became best friends as a result. They kept in touch until Tina started dating and Tina drifted away from them, just like she did with her family.

    ¡°Father? Who is Tina¡¯s dad?¡± Natasha asked with a curious look, ¡°What has not he come home? Is Tina going back to Auntie¡¯s? I want to go with her, this time. Please, mom, pretty please.¡±

    Breaking out of her train of thought, Annja sent a glare at her mother. She didn¡¯t tell her daughters about their father for a reason. They weren¡¯t ready yet. Their father lived far away and due to circumstances out of Annja¡¯s and their father¡¯s hands, the two girls hadn¡¯t been to see their father since they were little. Natasha was still a toddler while Tina was a few years older then that, but Tina acted like she didn¡¯t remember her father. The older woman didn¡¯t look apologetic, only smug, as Natasha started to question about her own father. Annja sighed as she turned to her youngest daughter, saying, ¡°One day, you will meet your father when you are ready, too.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Natasha whinnied, giving her mother the puppy eyes as Annja led Natasha out of the house, ¡°Why can¡¯t he be here, now?¡±

    Annja stepped through the front door, allowed the youngest daughter to step through before she shut the door and glanced at the cloudless blue sky, silently asking for strength. She ignored Natasha¡¯s questions as she walked across the sidewalk and started to descend the long staircase to the road. She may need to send another letter to her Knight. He had asked to be keep updated on how Tina was doing in her last latter. She knew he wanted to run straight over to them, but the migration spell prevent that. His blood was too pure - too old - to travel through the barrier.

    If she sent Tina to him, Tina would be able to get through the migration spell. However, there would be a good chance Annja would not see Tina ever again unless there were something major to happen that called her back to that world. Tina would enjoy, being in that world. Her eldest daughter always had a thing for magical beings, legendary kingdoms, Knights with honor, and the idea of True Love conquers all. Yes, her eldest daughter would fit in just fine in the world of her father¡¯s. Annja just didn¡¯t want lose Tina again.

 Chapter 3: The Kingéˆ¥æªš Bane

    ~Camelot~

    Merlin strolled into the Seasonal Throne with the Lady Morgana a foot behind him. Just like how the Royal family like it or at least how the King and his grandmother, Belladonna, preferred it.

    Morgana fumed, silently. The Battle Mage felt her magic rolling off her in waves. After years of dealing with the anti-female laws and rulings, the dark haired beauty grew to hate those laws and how she was treated as a second-rate citizen over the last century. It also didn¡¯t help that the former High Queen Belladonna despised all non-humans, including half-human. Morgana took a calming breath. She pulled in her magic, confining it to the boundary of her skin. Merlin moved his gaze over the room, taking the Throne room and its occupants.

    Standing on his right as he recognized many of the Black Family - Belladonna¡¯s own family - glared at him and the she-mage. In front of the Black Family stood Lady Margherita Black, in a golden dress that fitted her form nicely. Her dark eyes narrowed at him and Morgana. Lady Margherita was visiting her Great Aunt, Queen Belladonna, and was activity trying to increase her position at court by marrying a high standing lord. She led the Black Fraction within the Drake Court with her brother, Lord Jason Black.

    Beside the Black Family, Prince Arthur¡¯s birth mother family stared emotionless at the magi as they walked in front of them.

    However, behind the two fractions, the wall had a faded image on it, only interrupted by two large tall windows. They swung outward, letting the cool spring air drift in which contrasted with the faded image. Merlin knew at one time, the faded image seemed to glow with an inner light and beauty painted on the wall.

    The image used to be a perfect fall day, showing a large oak tree in the process of loosing its leaves. The fall colored leaves were depicted falling to the ground, joining the gathering pile of leaves already along the floorboard.

    Merlin¡¯s eyes shifted forward where a dozen Knight of the Round Table stood in a semi circle. Standing by the Gray alliance, Sir Mordred stood with his arms crossed over his chest. A frown pulled at his lips. His eyes darted between the magi and the King. He shifted slightly as Sir Bors of the Miller House put a hand on Sir Mordred¡¯s shoulder and muttered, ¡°Mordred, calm yourself. The King is ill, not cursed as you claim.¡±

    Merlin shot a glanced over his shoulder to Morgana. She nodded. She heard the comment. The Magi knew Sir Mordred would be aware of the Curse. His family was one of the scared 100. The Sacred 100 had been the first members of the Round Table when King Arthur the First took the Throne and they continued to send their sons to join the Knighthood and their daughters to Court.

    Merlin noticed the Eldest Queen, Vivian, sat with her back straight, shoulders back against the back of the chair and meet his gaze in an even stare. Her brown eyes were red rimmed and hard as stone. A pale gold grown hugged her frame and glittered in the sunlight that pour in through an open window. Her honey blond hair was pulled into a fancy bun, leaving a few strands hanging on either side of her pale face and swayed in the spring breeze.

    Filling the space between Queen Vivian and the next throne stood Sirs Tristan and Leon. Sir Tristan stood with his body in loose stance to indicate he was ready for a surprise attack. His fingers twitched occasionally. He rolled his shoulders back. He appeared like he just got back from a hunt since he still had his bow and quiver on his back. He didn¡¯t wear armor like the rest of the Knights did, but a simple brown tunic and deer hide pants. A hatchet hung at his waist.

    If Merlin remembered correctly, Tristan was the descendant of the Tristan who sat at the table during King Arthur I¡¯s time. However, if he was wrong, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time. He was close to 2000 years old, after all. He can¡¯t be expected to remember everything during his lifetime, can he? Of course not, he answered himself silently. There had been too much he had to do and went through over the years.

    He blinked, coming out of his thoughts. Tristan, the battle mage noticed, shifted foot to foot. The gleam in his brown eyes informed Merlin that Tristan was itching for a fight, to show off why he earned the title of Violent Knight.

    Merlin slid his gaze to Sir Leon. He stared at the approaching magi with a steel look in his dark blue eyes. His usually open expression face was closed tighter then the heavily guarded dungeons, hundred of feet below them.

    Queen Belladonna, openly, glared at Merlin and Morgana. She held one of her hands in her lap where a long dagger lay. It¡¯s blade glinted in the sunlight. Her braids fell over her hunched shoulders as she lend forward. She didn¡¯t wear any of her dark colored dresses today, but the warrior grab her family was famous for, a form fitting long sleeve shirt with a simple gray tunic over it, falling to her knees, revealing a pair of dark leggings. Her red painted lips curled back in a sneer.

    Merlin felt something heavy land in his stomach as he ran his eyes over the warrior queen. It had to be bad news. The Queen wouldn¡¯t dress in her warrior grab without a good reason. The Black Family were raised in the most ancient ways. The Battle mage knew, for whatever reason, if the Warrior Queen showed up in her warrior grab, it would be a bad day for someone. He had no doubt, it will his and Morgana¡¯s bad day.

    Sir Draco lend away from the Black Queen. His eyes darted back and forth between the magi and the Queen with uncertainty. Merlin frowned, studying one of the newest Knights to the table. Draco was from a small family that rose to power, recently. He didn¡¯t have a blood claim to sit at the Round Table, but the King gave him permission sit there. Merlin watched as Draco ran a hand through his hair.

    Sir Galahad, lent toward Draco and muttered in his ear, ¡°Calm down, Draco.¡±

    Draco shot Galahad an annoyed look and commented in the same volume, ¡°I don¡¯t like being around near her.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Galahad replied, ¡°But right now, you have no choice. Shove those feelings aide before Lord Jack sees your reaction and suggest you to put on guard duty for her.¡±

    Draco sent the older Knight a wide-eyed horrified look that made Merlin chuckled a bit under his breath. Galahad straightened up, his eyes twinkled with amusement. His shoulders relaxed as he gaze across the room, eyes never resting too long on anyone, keeping an eye for danger.

    The Queen Galahad stood next to, Queen Clarine, glared daggers at Merlin and Morgana. Her chocolate brown hair was twisted up on her head. It was a popular hair style within the court for the season, at least according to Morgana. Her dark purple grown simmered in the sunlight, steaming through the open window. Her face appeared to be stoic, but Merlin notice dhow her pale pink lips pressed together in a thin line and how her blue eyes flashed with anger.

    Movement next to the former High Queen caught Merlin¡¯s attention and his eyes landed on Sir Bardock. He was a tall knight with the most shocking red hair the battle mage had ever seen - Scarlett with gray streak through it. His usually king green eyes gleamed with uncertainty, worry, and an alertness that only came from raising three sons and a lone daughter. His eyes, Merlin noticed, kept darting between the magi and to Merlin¡¯s left. The Mage risked a glance toward his left to see Bardock¡¯s three sons.

    Standing in a triangle formation, the eldest son was almost exact copy of his father, but Genesis had his mother¡¯s blue eyes. Merlin had been surprised with the rest of the Court when Genesis decided to go to the Military instead of following his father in Knighthood. He quickly rose through the ranks and achieved the rank of General at age 20, one of the youngest Generals to do so. That was six years ago.

    Behind Genesis, flanking him on either side, stood the mischievous twins of Camelot, the red-haired devils themselves, Vincent and Victor. They took after their mother with hair several shades lighter then the vivid scarlet of their older brother and father but they had their father¡¯s eyes. Merlin didn¡¯t know how many times he had to reserve their pranks over the years since they had came to Camelot to follow their father¡¯s steps into Knighthood. He was glad that Bardock managed to find enough squire-related work for the twins to keep out of trouble, most of the time.

    Studying their expression, a red flag went up in Merlin¡¯s head. The twins usually looked like they were plotting something mischievous that resulted in them getting into trouble with the Ruling Family and gave either him or Morgana a headache. However, they looked grave, serious. An expression that didn¡¯t look right on them.

    A quick glance behind the trio informed Merlin that they were the only family members present, representing the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall, one of the scared 100. Merlin let out a sigh of relief. The Family Matriarch, Lady Freya, was not there. That woman could be as bad as Queen Belladonna when it came to trying to get her way.

    Merlin turned his attention back to front, his eyes landing on the knight beside Sir Bardock. Dark brown hair slicked back, brown eyes that Merlin heard many ladies of the court thought were wonderful and a scowl informing the battle mage he wanted to be somewhere else, Sir Steven looked irritated. He had a deep purple cloak hanging over his left shoulder it draped over his back, coming to a stop around his knees. Steven had a reputation of being a dick. There was several spots of dirt on his pants indicating that he recently arrived back to the castle from a quest the King assigned to him.

    Sir Steven stood a foot behind the throne of the High Queen. High Queen Kalliope of the Drake House stared out with red rimmed, watery brown eyes. Her pale red hair was braided back, tightly. Her baby blue dress shunt softly in the sunlight. A crown of rubies, diamonds, and sapphires encircled her head with a gold band.

    There was an empty space between the High Queen throne and the King¡¯s Throne. The King¡¯s Throne was not empty. A man, appearing in his mid-40¡¯s, sat up on the High back throne. A simple gold band sat on his dark silvery blond hair. A pair of tired, hazel eyes looked weary at Merlin and Morgana. The battle mage saw the glimmer of hatred for the magi in the King¡¯s eyes.

    King Uther IX of the Drake House was known to be unkind to magical creatures and non-humans. Merlin knew the reason why the King hadn¡¯t tried to execute him and the Lady Morgana, yet. The sacred 100 Families would raise up in a revolt and overthrow the Drake Family and their supporters. Plus the magi had sworn an oath the First King of Camelot and they renew it every time a new King took the throne.

    Merlin ran his eyes over the King who wore a dark red tunic under his state men¡¯s robes which was hung over his hunch shoulders. A pair of dark colored pants disappeared into a pair of black calf high boots. The king¡¯s hands clutched the chair in a loose grip.

    Someone shifted on the King¡¯s right, Merlin¡¯s left. The battle Magi¡¯s gaze left the King and settle don Lord Jack, Captain of the King¡¯s Guard.

    Lord Jack¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion before his eye darted back to the King. His right hand settled on the pummel of his sword,c overing the large red gem that housed there. His left hand ran through his dirty blond hair, making it look like he had done that multiple times.

    Merlin remembered Lord Jack while the Captain was growing up as the King¡¯s childhood friend. It came to no surprise when King Uther took the crown, he appointed his best friend to the position.

    Standing beside Lord Jack, Sir Lancelot stood straight, staring calmly at the Magi. His hair was disheveled like he hadn¡¯t been bothered to brush it before rushing to the Seasonal Throne Room. If Merlin remembered right, Lancelot was assigned to the Night shift for the month. He would be usually be in bed by now, the mage mused as the magical being spotted the dark circle under the knight¡¯s eyes.

    Lancelot¡¯s clothes looked slight rumbled under the light armor he wore. However, the armor was polished to a shine, his family crest standing out in the middle of the breastplate, revealing his family was one of the scared 100.

    Merlin¡¯s eyes moved to the High Prince¡¯s throne was Prince Arthur X Drake sat. The prince looked perfect. His blond hair slicked back out of his face. His rich colored tunic smoothed over his body, a dark colored pants covered a pair of muscle legs and a knee high riding boots. A quick glanced at the edges of the riding boots told the battle mage that the High prince just came from riding.

    Next to Prince Arthur, Sir Buchanan stood a step below the raise platform where the Ruling Family sat. His light colored eyes flickered around the room. His shoulders held back as he slightly widened his stance. His thumbs were hooked in his sword belt. He didn¡¯t wear armor, but the brown jacket he wore over an orange tunic revealed his family¡¯s crest on the left breast, stating his was a part of the scared 100.

    Standing on the step below Sir Buchanan, Sir James. Sir James was one of the Newer Knights King Uther had knighted within the last year and was allowed to take one of the vacant seats at the Round table. His platinum blond hair fell about his head, his bangs frame his face as his steel blue eyes glared at the magi. His arms were crossed over his chest.

    On the step below Sir James, Sir Steven frowned in disapproval of Merlin and Morgana. His brown hair peeked out behind a bandanna that encircled his head as his chocolate brown eyes held an icy look to them. His fingers tapped against his bicep.

    Behind the Ruling Family, upon the wall, a portrait of a perfect summer day spread over the bricks. The tree was a willow tree. Its green fill branches swayed in an unseen wind. Merlin knew, nearby the floorboard, there was small woodland animals roaming under the sweeping branches. He knew at one time, there was the vivid images of a wood elf peering through the branches as a forest sprite hid in the high branches, and a water nymph poked her head from a stream at the far watery stream int he background, but even to the Battle mage¡¯s enhance eyesight, he couldn¡¯t see them under the years of neglect, dirt and smoke.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    The rustling of a skirt caused Merlin to blink before he glanced to the crowd gathering to his left. He spotted several of the minor lords and ladies of the Court, waiting for something. He saw Representatives of the previous Ruling Families near the wall of Spring.

    However, seeing King Uther¡¯s pale complexion, sent up red flags for the battle mage. There were times where Merlin didn¡¯t agree with the policies the King had put in place, but he didn¡¯t wish the man any ill will. Merlin focused his gaze took noticed that Uther was not pale, but there was a faint greyness round his eyes, cheeks, and mouth. The Mage frowned, thinking. The King of Camelot looked like he was about to die.

    Merlin¡¯s eyes found Morgana¡¯s and he read all he need to know. She felt the same way. The mage turned his attention back to the king and stopped at the bottom of the steps. Morgana step behind him. He bowed, asking, ¡°You called for us, your majesty?¡±

    He stayed in the bow until the kind spoke in a rough tone, ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    Merlin straightened. His eyes roamed over the King before his gaze settled on Uther¡¯s feet. Just like the King preferred all the non-human look at. It served as a reminder of how the King thought of the non-humans.

    A sharp harsh coughing echoed in the silent throne room. Merlin snapped his gaze up to see the King bring a hand up, covering his mouth as he doubled over, nearly falling out of his throne.

    High Queen Kalliope slammed her hands against the arms of her throne, pushing herself up and out of the throne, rushing over the few feet separating the thrones. She fells to her knees at the king¡¯s side.

    Merlin launched forward with speed he saved for battle and cupped King Uther¡¯s left should as the ruler coughed harder, curling up and nearly falling out of his throne.

    Morgana darted up the stairs, grabbing her skirt. She side-stepped the kneeling queen and grabbed the arm of the throne to steady herself. Her right hand slid over the King¡¯s back to the area between the shoulders blades. Her fingers spread wide apart. She muttered a spell. Her eyes glowed, brightly.

    ¡°What is she doing,¡± Belladonna yelled. She had rushed over to stand close to the High Queen. Merlin glanced at the warrior queen and his eyes darted back to Morgana. Murmurs rose from the court as they watched on with interest.

    ¡°She¡¯s casting a diagnosis spell,¡± Merlin explained, silencing the room, ¡°Lady Morgana is still the most talented healer and potion mistress in this Kingdom.¡± He paused, watching Morgana for any signs of fatigue or magical drain, ¡°She will figure out what ills our king, soon.¡±

    The High Queen nodded. Belladonna glared at the she-mage with distrust. Clarine¡¯s face smoothed out, but her face glowed with worry. Vivian looked pale as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

    ¡°High Queen Kalliope, my lady,¡± Merlin knelt by the youngest queen, ¡°How long has the king been like this?¡±

    Kalliope looked up from Uther¡¯s form, her eyes wide and said, ¡°Nearly three months. The non-magical healers are claiming that he is dying -¡± Series of gasps rose form the court at that news, ¡°And there is nothing that they can do.¡±

    In Morgana¡¯s vision, an image rose from Uther¡¯s back. Red line pulse, slightly throughout the image and met in the center of the image, clustering together. On either side of the pulsing center of the red lines, two long oval colored in blue flexed, in time with the King¡¯s breathing. There was red lines leading away from the two ovals. White thick lines surrounded the clusters of red lines and the blue ovals, forming a cage.

    Morgana knew what the colors meant: Red stood for the blood, the veins, and the heart; Blue was the lungs, and white was the bones. She scanned the image, looking for the odd color out. It would be a shade of green. She hoped to find a light green color, almost yellow. Those would be the colors of a simple cold or a upper respiratory inflection. Her eyes drifted back to the color of the lungs. That shade of blue was darker then it normally should be.

    A healthy set of lung, Morgana had discovered over the years since she had created the spell, was the color of the sky on a nice cloudless sunny day. However, this shade of blue reminded the black mage of the darkening sky at dusk. She watched as the oval flexed when Uther took a deep breath and coughed. Sickly, dark neon green flared throughout the left lung entirely and half way through the right lung. The green color stayed while he coughed and when he tried to catch his breath.

    Morgana felt the blood drained from her face, watching the green of sickness spread upward as it faded away until the darkened blue only remained. She knew what it was. It was that blasted curse. How did progressed this fast. He just started showing the signs¡­unless¡­A thought crossed her mind as her eyes flickered over the image. Unless he passed it off the signs off as a simple cold or a cough that wouldn¡¯t go away.

    She searched her memories, trying to remember when King Uther started to fall ill. A memory drifted up from the darkness of her mind. It was a regular day about three months ago, maybe a day or two after that Tiefling couple was turned in.

    Morgana stared hungrily at the potion book from Atlas. She glanced at the title and read it, ¡®Potion Discoveries of the 20th Century¡¯. She wanted to do a jig excitingly. She glanced at the clockwork sundial and saw she had plenty enough time to read a few pages.

    She stepped toward her favorite, plushy chair and curled up in it. Her feet tucked under her long skirt. She propped open the book between the chair arm and her legs and started to read.

    Each new potion, Morgana read, was interesting. Some of the potions had a new use for a rare ingredient or use it in a way the she-mage didn¡¯t think possible. There were others that called for an ingredient that Morgana never heard of. It took a search through the book to figure out that the new ingredient was found in the deepest and darkest parts of Atlas and unfortunately, the picking season was shortly after the Yuletide celebrations had ended and the various New Year festival were due to start. Morgana wondered if she could get her hands on the unheard ingredient and see what king of test she could perform on it.

    The doors to her chambers flew open. She jerked her head in surprise. Her eyes landed on the form of her personal maid, Syrinx.

    Syrinx was a pretty young woman around her 20¡¯s with bright blond hair and the clearest blue eyes Morgana ever seen. However, right now, Syrinx had a panicked expression on her face. The younger woman rushed over to Morgana¡¯s closest, crying out, ¡°Lady Morgana! You are going to be late for the feast!¡±

    Morgana blinked, confused. What feast was Syrinx talking about it? She was only aware of a single feast and that was later. She glanced toward the clockwork sundial. The screen had lit up with bright red numbers, 6:19. She let out an unlady like curse, standing up. Syrinx let out a bark of laughter as the blond appeared from Morgana¡¯s walk in closest with a rich blue dress. The book Morgana had been reading, landed on the floor with a loud thud.

    Morgana darted over to the dressing screen and quickly stripped out of the dress she had been wearing. Syrinx threw the rich blue dress over the dressing screen and took the other dress. It didn¡¯t take Morgana long to redress and grabbed the black shoes from Syrinx.

    The she-mage took another look at the clockwork sundial, 6:23. She let out a curse. She had to be at the Great Hall by 6:30 and it was almost a 10 minute walk from the Queen¡¯s Tower.

    The Black Mage flicked her hand toward the balcony doors. They drifted open. She moved to the foot of her bed before she took a deep breath and broke into a run. She pumped her arms and legs. She passed through the door frame of the balcony before she leapt over the stone railing. She tucked her legs up, passing over the railing before she allow her legs to straighten beneath her. She watched as the space between the ground and herself decreased and she muttered a word of power, sticking her hand, palm facing down.

    The power swelled up and darted down her arm, out of her palm. Morgana¡¯s decent slowed until she stepped lightly onto the ground. She allowed her body to curl up. Her knee touched the dirt followed by the palm of her hand. The spell ended. The power slowly faded up her arm and to her core.

    A small burst of magic cleaned her dress of any dirt. She hurried away from the Queen¡¯s Towers. She knew there were several shortcuts she could take to get there. Some of the passage she personally designed and created herself over the years and when she was in those passages, she ran as fast as she could.

    Morgana rushed through the halls. She couldn¡¯t believe she had lost track of time, reading the latest potion book from Athena City that Sir Alastair brought back with him.

    Sir Alastair returned earlier that week from Atlas Island, as a part of the trade agreement between Camelot and Atlas. Uther was hosting a celebration in Alastair¡¯s honor of the successful agreement and he passed out the several trunks of gifts that the people of Atlas had given to them.

    King Uther had passed all of the magical books to the Court approved magi before he divided up the rest of the treasure to the men who went with Sir Alastair, shortly after the Knight had returned.

    Now, Morgana reached the hallway leading to the Great Hall where all the important dinners took place. She paused, trying to catch her breath. She knew it was not a wise thing to show up breathless as she was. It would spread rumors and put her on the bad side of the Warrior Queen who put a huge emphasis on appearance.

    ¡°My love,¡± Morgana¡¯s back straighten in surprise as she heard the youngest Queen, ¡°Are you ill?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, my queen,¡± King Uther¡¯s voice sounded rough before he started to cough. It sounded harsh, coming from his chest. It was also coming closer from the sound of it.

    Morgana frowned. Her blue eyes darted around the hallway. She needed to hid before the King and the Queen spotted her. She knew the King would not like seeing the black mage there in the hallway when she needed to be in the Great Hall with the rest of the Court.

    She, mentally, cursed as she realized that there were none of the secret passages in this hallway. Her eyes fell on a nearby statue. She released a sigh as she spotted who the statue represented. It was Sir Lancelot, the Gallant, and one of her half-brother¡¯s closest and most trusted knights.

    Sir Lancelot the Gallant stood with a protective expression on his stone face. His cloak flared out to either side of him as he was frozen in the position to withdraw his sword.

    Morgana heard the footstep coming closer and she double-checked the hallway. It was still clear. She sighed and slipped behind the statue of Lancelot. She hoped the shadows would hid her long enough for the King and the Queen to pass. She pressed her back against the cool stone wall. She suppressed a shiver as she felt the coolness of the stone steeped through her heavy dress, reaching her shoulders and back. She waited.

    ¡°My king, please,¡± Queen Kalliope¡¯s voice took on a pleading tone, ¡°Please, see one of the magi -¡±

    ¡°No!¡± The king snapped. Morgana saw a ruby red cloak swirl out from her hiding place as the King turned to his Queen, ¡°You know I don¡¯t trust two magi. The magic they wield is nothing more fancy tricks.¡±

    Morgana winced. She knew the Ruling Family didn¡¯t like her and Merlin for having magic and being a pair of ¡®uncivilized¡¯ creatures. In the past a hundred or so years, there hadn¡¯t been any major conflicts that required the magi of Camelot to step and resolved it, according to their vows. Morgana and Merlin had once sworn to King Arthur of the United Kingdoms of Camelot to protect Camelot at all costs. The way the vow was worded, the magi were allowed to keep their magic and life if they were ordered not to help out by the sitting Crowned High King and the sitting Crowned High Queen of Camelot. If there was not a sitting crowned High King or Crowned High Queen who the magi did not swore the vow to, the magi were allowed to do what they will, escaping with their lives and magic intact.

    Belladonna had thrown a fit when Merlin and Morgana had recited their ancient vow they made to the previous Kings that sat on the throne and were crowned; claiming what they said was false, that they never made that vow to her when she was High Queen.

    Merlin had given the Warrior Queen a grim smile and explained why. Her husband, King Michael, didn¡¯t required them to make the vow to his Queen and it didn¡¯t take long for the vow to be made to the High Queens to fall out of favor.

    ¡°According to you, my king,¡± Queen Kalliope snapped, showing her hidden backbone. A soft gasp echoed, ¡°My deepest apologies, your majesty, for my tone.¡± There was the sound of shifting skirts. Morgana knew the Queen bowed to King Uther. ¡°I wanted to say that, in my experience, Lady Morgana ¡ª¡±

    ¡°She-mage,¡± King Uther growled. The hidden mage winced.

    Queen Kalliope agreed, causing Morgana to shake her head in dismay. However, the Queen went on, ¡°The She-mage has proved her methods are as effective as the medicine makers you have in the dungeons.¡± Her tone took on bit of a hiss at the end of the statement.

    ¡°They are ¡ª¡± King Uther started, but whatever he wanted to say was cut short when he started to cough, harshly. It was a deep, cough coming from his chest like he had an infection in his lungs. She hoped she would be able to help the King.

    Morgana¡¯s mind race with possible illnesses that related to the chest. However, the King recovered and repeated, ¡°They are no better then the barbarian creatures in the woods and we enslave.¡±

    All of Morgana¡¯s hope died. She had hoped that his majesty would change his mind about magic. It was obviously he wouldn¡¯t, anytime soon. Morgana let out a silent sigh as she waited for them to pass.

    That was when the King fell ill. Morgana should have recognized the signs of the curse, but she didn¡¯t. Not this time. A hand settled on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Merlin looking down at her with a questioning expression. She knew he was asking if the illness was apart of the curse. She nodded.

    Merlin silently cursed. He should have known. It was Uther¡¯s 10th year of ruling, after all, but he just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling this time¡­.this time it was different somehow. He knew Morgana and he couldn¡¯t just inform the entire court of the curse. It would be chaos. No one would want to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the stone because of the curse. Eventually, Camelot would fall to her enemies before they realize there was a curse on the Holy Sword and try to break it the unbreakable weapon.

    An idea formed in his head. Just maybe, they could pass it off as a simple illness that required bed rest for the next couple days before they announced it was something more serious and explain the curse in private to just the Ruling family and stress the secret of the Curse. That just might work.

    ¡°I think,¡± Merlin started, ¡°It would be best if his highness retire to his rooms.¡± He thought about the potion brewing in his private study. It should buy the King a week or more. It just depends on what Morgana said. She had managed to find a spell to detect the curse progress shortly after their Arthur had first fell ill from at the unknown spell, late they found it was from the curse. ¡°This could be nothing but a simple cold and should clear up in a couple days time with rest.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Mage Merlin,¡± Queen Kalliope spoke up, looking up from her husband¡¯s pale face. Her eyes pieced Merlin¡¯s eyes. She knew this was not a simple cold.

    ¡°We won¡¯t know for sure until the Lady Morgana and I do some tests to figure out what is ailing our king, my queen,¡± Merlin dodged the question. ¡°Until then, how about the Prince and a couple of the Knights help the King to his rooms for some rest.¡± A pause as the ¡®crowned¡¯ prince stepped forward with Sir Tristan, Sir Bardock, and Sir Mordred. Sir Bardock and Sir Mordred helped the King to his feet as Prince Arthur took point and led the way to the Royal wing of the palace. Sir Tristan brought up the rear with Bardock¡¯s twin sons. The entire court watched as the King was helped out of the room and Morgana moved back to Merlin¡¯s side.

    Merlin turned to the youngest queen and commented, ¡°Lady Morgana and I will be by in a short while to run some basic test to figure out what is wrong with the King.¡± He bowed to the remaining royals and both magi said in respectful tone, ¡°By your leave, my queens.¡±

    They turned and walked out of the throne room. They kept their pace even, walking a little faster then they would have normally, but Merlin knew if this had happened at night, they would have been running back to Merlin¡¯s study to discuss the curse in private.

    However, it was mid-day and they had to act like nothing was wrong. Like the curse didn¡¯t exist. Like the King was not dying and the future of Camelot and her people was not in jeopardy. It had looked like it was going to be a beautiful, boring day to Merlin when he got up that morning, now, he was sure it was not going to be a boring day, just a highly stressful one and it was only noon!

 Chapter 4: The Letters from Bardock

    Tina stepped out of the steam filled bathroom with a sigh. She felt a lot better, like she was human again. She held her dirty clothes piled in an arm as she strolled to her room. Her mom was right. The hot shower did help her feel better, despite the negative feelings didn¡¯t fully go away. It still felt she was drowning in ocean of emotional pain.

    She glanced around her room as she entered it and tossed her dirty clothes into the half-full laundry basket behind the door. She saw the mountain of books under her window. She was slightly surprised none of the books managed to hit the window just right and busted it. Some of her books were textbooks from her college which she decided that she wasn¡¯t going back to, just yet, if ever. That was his dream after all. To have a successful woman as his wife. At the time, it sounded alright. She didn¡¯t have a plan after high school anyway. She just knew she wanted to be with him and if going to college would make him happy, she was what she was going to do.

    However, he managed to graduate college before she did because she ended up a year behind him and failed a couple classes that were needed for the degree. He had waited another two semesters as she found a job and an apartment near the college campus during the summer while she attend Summer semester. She had offered him a room at her new place, but he refused, claiming he didn¡¯t want to distract her from studying or working. She had managed to get caught up over the summer and got back on track for the fall semester. Things started to go right again until the spring semester when he decided to the end the relationship.

    Tina knew she would have to explain a few things when she decided to re-enter society, but right now, she just didn¡¯t give a damn about it. Her stomach rumbled slightly. She frowned. What was the last time she actually had real food, not the ice cream she had been trying to drown herself in? She didn¡¯t remember to the truth. She sighed. She knew what she was going to do next. She was hunt down some real food and maybe, just maybe she would put her books away, back on the bookcase. She didn¡¯t know after that.

    She turned and slowly entered the hallway. She stared down the stairs. She didn¡¯t want to interact her grandmother. She just did not feel like getting into a debate with the older woman about what happen. Tina steeled her nerve. She needed real food. She grabbed the railing and stepped from the second floor landing, ready for face her grandmother rather she wanted to or not. She took a deep breath and headed down the stairs.

    Tina peered into the kitchen once she reached the bottom landing and saw her grandmother sitting at the table with a pile of papers, muttering to herself, just loud enough where Tina could make it, ¡°Maybe it is time. It will be her choice. He has already waited for 4  extra years. She needs to be trained in the old ways, since we have been an influence family since his time.¡±

    Her grandmother had rich black hair, now streaked with gray. She had her hair up in a high ponytail, flowing down her back. Tina¡¯s grandma looked up at Tina when a floorboard creaked and she stopped muttering to herself. She grinned at Tina and said, ¡°Feel better?¡±

    Tina half wondered what her grandma was going on about and half worried that the old lady finally gone around the bin, but she commented, ¡°Yes, grandma, I do feel better.¡± Her eyes drifted from the form of her grandma to the hardwood floor. ¡°Is there any leftovers?¡± she stood in the doorway.

    ¡°Yes, there is, sweetheart,¡± her grandma said, stood up and walked over to the fridge, ¡°I think we still have some of that ¡®getti from the other night.¡± She opened the fridge and peered inside, ¡°We also have meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn.¡± She hummed as she bent over, looking deeper into the fridge.

    Tina blinked and slowly moved toward the table. She grabbed the back of a chair and pulled it out before she sat down in it. She glanced at the nearest pile of papers and her eyes ran over what appeared to be a letter. She glanced up at her grandma who still had her back to Tina. ¡°Mashed potatoes sounds fine, grandma,¡± she replied. She hoped she could stomach the food, ¡°My stomach is still upset.¡±

    ¡°Your emotions are effecting you physically, dear,¡± her grandma explained, ¡°I was the same way when I left your grandfather, and your mother was that way too when she left your father.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes widened. Her head snapped up. Her lips parted. She knew something had happen between her parents. She barely remembered, but she knew there was an argument - a major one - and as a result, her mother had left, taking Tina with her. She frowned. Her eyes lowed to the table top. She had thought she had brothers, but she couldn¡¯t see their faces.

    Tina focused back to the topic. She could ask what had happened between her parents. There was a possible her grandma, would explained what happen. However, she asked herself, did she really want to know what happen?

    ¡°Bardock! She¡¯s your daughter!¡± her mother screamed, ¡°she can¡¯t do that! She is not even 5!¡±

    Her mother¡¯s voice drifted up from a long ago memory. Tina couldn¡¯t shake the feeling the argument had to deal with her and something she had done. Tears welled up in her ears. She sniffed, trying to hold them back. She tilted her head, staring at the ceiling. The tears spread over her eyes, retreating. She dimly noticed the fan, twisting lazily need to be dusted.

    She shifted in her chair, uneasily. She knew her grandma wanted her to ask what happen, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to know. Her emotions were too raw for her handle. She was ready to cry one second then the next she was numb before a spark of the anger flared then died out as the cycle repeated. She couldn¡¯t find a middle ground for her uncontrollable emotions. It had been nearly 30 days since the relationship had ended. She needed to pull herself together. She needed to piece her broken heart back into one piece and reshaped her shattered dreams. It will be a take. At the end of this, she will become stronger. She just needed to think of this like Aunt Nami¡¯s training. She wanted to snort as a smile twitched at the corners of her lips. If her Aunt Nami saw her saw, the old hag would kick her ass and throw her to the nearest patrol to the Demon World, telling her not to come back until she felt better.

    ¡°It will take time to heal,¡± her grandma went on as she pulled a container of the mashed potatoes the small family had the other night, ¡°Right now, it hurts like a bitch. It means you are alive, that you have survived the pain of a heart breaking, and a love ending.¡± Tina flickered her eyes toward her grandma, watching as she put the container in the microwave to heat up and the older woman turned to Tina. ¡°In time, you will find someone else to love, but right now, it has to be about you - healing, coming to terms with what happen, and how you will move on.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Tina, sadly, blinked t her grandma. She looked at the table. Her grandma was right. She couldn¡¯t spend any more time questioning what happen. It had happened. She had to accept it and move on. However, it did bring up the question. Was there something wrong with her? That was her first relationship. She had thought it would be her last one as well because it was supposed to a last a lifetime, not 6 years.

    She didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore. Her gaze flickered back to the pile of letters sitting on the table. She slowly reached up and grabbed the letter on top with a couple of her fingers before she pulled it to her. She peered down at it, a hint of curiosity coming through the rolling ocean of emotions.

    My dearest Annja,

    I wish I could be there for our precious Valentina. She should have not gone through that. I have informed our boys of what is ailing their sister. They are chomping at the bit to come over and show that boy how to treat their sister. It is amazing how how Genesis remembers her while Vincent and Victor barely remember her. I have no doubt once they meet Valentina and Natasha, they will be protective of them as they are of Natalie.

    Things here in Camelot are different. The King has fallen ill and refuses to visit Merlin or Morgana about it. He keeps saying that their magic is nothing more then just fancy parlor tricks. However, Queen Kalliope believes otherwise and keep praises Morgana¡¯s skills with the various potions she had been given from the she-mage.

    I fear there is a change coming to Camelot, soon, my dear. There have been rumors of the Old Alliances of the Death Mage gathering again. I have been approach several times by agents of the Whirlpool Village, requesting your presences. I have  been claiming that I have no idea where you are at, but I don¡¯t know how much long I will be able to throw them off of your tail. The agents are getting highly creative about gaining a clue on your whereabouts. The boys have inform me that they even have been approached by the agents. I don¡¯t know if there will be any agents from the other villages will approach us or not. I will try to keep them off of your trail, my love, but I don¡¯t know how it will work.

    I do fear that my mother may try something. She has been trying to create matches for all of her grandchildren. A few of them already got trapped in marriage contracts against their wills. I fear she will try one for Valentina, Victor, and Vincent, soon. Some of the women my mother has contacted for a marriage contract for Genesis has denied him. I never thought I would be thankful for his reputation as a short tempered General.

    I miss you, my love, my heart, and I can¡¯t wait until the day comes where I can hold you in my arms, again. Give the girls my love.

    Love you always,

    Your faithful Knight

    Bardock

    Seriously? Tina frowned. Whoever this Bardock fella was - he knew of her and Natasha, but he was also claiming to be from Camelot. She ranked her memory. Maybe there was a town or city named Camelot somewhere because the only place she knew of belong in myth and legend. She let out a sigh, remembering the tales of Courtly love, the stories of the Knights of the Round Table, and the fable of Merlin and Morgana¡¯s magic.

    When she was younger, she loved hearing the various stories about the Knights of the Round Table and how they would triumph over evil, save the princess, and return to Camelot, to serve the Legendary King himself, Arthur Pendragon. Now, she knew better, thanks for doing research for literature class and Europe History. Those were just stories written by a French author during the Middle Ages while he was stuck in prison. There was no historical evidence of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, or even the Castle itself of Camelot. If it did exist, it was lost to time and the evidence was hidden through the various events that happen during the beginning of the Dark Arts. Either way, she had mixed feelings about the legendary Kingdom.

    Tina set the letter aside, back upon the pile of the others. The microwave beeped. She blinked, redirecting her gaze up at her grandma who turned away from her as she removed the container of mashed potatoes.  Tina looked at the table as her grandma set the container with a spoon and the tub of better in front of her. Tina raised her voice loud enough to said, ¡°Thank you, grandma.¡±

    ¡°Your welcome,¡± Grandma replied, ¡°So,¡± the old lady took a seat across the table from Tina and stared at her, ¡°What do you think about the letter?¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes flickered up at her grandma, trying to figure out why she was asking. She shrugged as she reached for the salt and pepper before she said, ¡°It seems to be an update sort of letter mixed with a slight love letter.¡± She grabbed the tub of better and picked up the spoon. ¡°It seems weird this Bardock fella knows about Tasha and me.¡± She scooped out a spoonful of better and added it to the mashed potatoes. She went on, ¡°The fact he is claiming that the town ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kingdom,¡± her grandma interrupted with a strange tone. ¡°Camelot is a kingdom.¡±

    Tina wanted to shake her head. She knew her grandma believed that Camelot existed. Tina didn¡¯t think the same. According to the various history classes on the subject, Camelot and King Arthur didn¡¯t exists. If they did, there were some water down version of the Great Kingdom, led by a Great Warrior that managed to unit the English countryside under one banner against the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from the mainland of Europe, and the Northmen, better known as Vikings.

    ¡°The only Camelot I know of has faded into myth and legend,¡± Tina replied in a strange tone, her eyes meeting her grandma¡¯s. She felt anger that her grandma interrupted her when she was the one who asked her thoughts about the letters, but importantly, she felt like she was being attacked. Her gaze turned blurry and she blinked. A hot tear slipped down her left cheek and she moved away from her grandma¡¯s. She fell silent as she started to eat the first solid meal in a couple weeks.

    They didn¡¯t talk as Tina ate. Her grandmother let out a sigh and grabbed the piles of letters. Tina stood up and gathered her dirty dishes before she sat them in the dishwasher. She grabbed the tub of better and snapped the lid back on. She returned it the fridge.

    She didn¡¯t looked over her shoulder as she left the kitchen and slowly climbed the stairs. She thought about what to do next. She knew she needed to put away her books. Also her clean clothes from the boxes and hang them up and put them away in the dresser. She questioned herself on how she felt about putting her items away. She reached the stop of the stairs and shuffled to her bedroom door. She stood there in the door way. Her gaze drifted to the widow as she slowly walked over it, peering out of it.

    The sky behind the widow was a cloudless blue. The full trees blew in the wind. The patio below extended from the house to the edge of the tree line where Natasha¡¯s bike, laying on its side. There was the patio furniture that her mom obviously dragged out of storage sometime during the last few days Tina knew they were not there when she returned home.

    She didn¡¯t know what caused her to look toward the back of the house where a target stood as a silent reminder of her hobby, but she did. The sunlight glittered off something in the trees, catching her eyes. She crept to the side of the widow, trying to peer at the object. She knew it was not an animal. The height of the metal object was too high for any animal. It sat up nearly two feet off the tree branch. She frowned. The object moved forward then faded into the shadow of the tree and disappeared.

    What the hell was that? Tina wondered as she looked for the object. She gazed over the tree line and even thought about opening up the widow, trying to peer up onto the roof. She shook her head. She was being silly. There was no object in the trees. She stepped away from the window and turned to her bedroom door. She walked over to the door and shut it.

    Tina sighed as she turned back to her bed. She yawned, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, there was something sitting on her bed. A scroll laid on top of her pillow, held close by a thin, small ribbon. She  frowned as she walked over to the bed and grabbed the scroll. She held it in her right hand as she turned it over. It reminded her of a Japanese scroll, plain faded yellowish paper wrapped around a stick with two knobs at either end of the stick.

    She blinked. She set the scroll on the night stand beside her bed. She allowed her knees to fold out from under her and she flopped onto her messy bed. She reached over for her plush blankets, throwing them over her form, and snuggled down into them before she grabbed one of her pillows and covered the upper half of her face, closing her eyes.

 Chapter 5: The News

    ¡°So,¡± Merlin said as he shut the door to his study and turned to his former apprentice, ¡°What did you see when you cast the diagnosis spell?¡±

    Merlin stared at Morgana¡¯s expression. She was pale. Her usually smooth face had wrinkled at the corner of her eyes and at her forehead. Her eyes held a storm of emotions - worry, anger, uncertainty. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°It¡¯s the curse,¡± Morgana replied, ¡°It has been ravaging his lungs for a while from what it looks like. His left lung has been completely taken over by the Curse while his right is being taken over.¡± She started to pace as Merlin walked over to the desk and sat down in his chair, allowing Morgana to vent, ¡°I knew I should have push the issue when I had noticed that annoying cough he has.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too late, now,¡± Merlin stated. He eyed Morgana. He knew that she felt it was apart of her fault that the King¡¯s health had degrade as far as it did. They usually were more alert about the curse¡¯s progression, but they didn¡¯t have to deal with the curse for the last 35 years. The last four Kings were slain in battle.

    Merlin¡¯s mind drifted to the battles in question. King Luke and King Thomas had ordered Merlin and Morgana to stay at Camelot. Neither believed the magi had magical abilities, but the General of King Thomas¡¯ army did. She was unique to the time, compared to the other women of the era of King Thomas and Queen Belladonna¡¯s regin. She had led the army into battle and led the army back to Camelot, after temporary taking over as the result of King Thomas¡¯ death until she brought the army home with the King¡¯s body. He remembered how she stood there as Queen Belladonna roared and threaten the General until the Queen lost the energy to do so and the General ¡®retired¡¯, disappearing. He wondered what happened to her.

    King Micheal, Uther¡¯s father, was able to pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath after his father¡¯s death so announcing a choosing was not a option. King Micheal has lived until his 8th year of ruling when he fell ill with an illness that Merlin or Morgana had not seen and didn¡¯t know how to treat, but the Assassin recognized the illness as small pox and the only problem they ran into was curing it. She claimed the Outside World had the cure, but the spell Merlin and Morgana cast so many years ago, had a quota. The last time Merlin knew the quota was 1000 new people per year.

    Merlin had design the spell in a way it prevented majority of the bloodlines of the first Court of Camelot to leave the world the magi had copied until the spell was broke by the same person Morgana saw in her first fire vision after Arthur I¡¯s death. However, the spell also acted as an immigration buffer, limiting how many people that came to this hidden world or the non-natives leaving either by accident or on purpose like the General and the Assassin.

    ¡°Merlin?¡± Morgana¡¯s voice cut through his thoughts. He blinked, coming back to the problem at hand. Uther had been affected by Rowena¡¯s Curse for the last - how long, again?

    ¡°How long do you think Uther has been suffering from the curse?¡± Merlin asked, looking up from the desk where his gaze had fell to. Morgana let out a sigh. Her bows furrowed together as she thought. He spotted wrinkles appeared around her stressed, thoughtful eyes.

    ¡°Maybe four to five months,¡± she finally spoke, ¡°Given the evidence how far the curse had progress.¡± She paused, ¡°Give or take a couple weeks.¡±

    Merlin let out a harsh breath. From the previous times that a King had survived to the 10 year limit, the curse ran its course in a total of 6 months minimum to 10 months max. He let out a soft curse. He turned to to the potion brewing silently. There was nothing they could do.

    Morgana spoke, ¡°Given what I saw, he might have live another week or two.¡± She let a small chuckle, ¡°He might surprise us and live another month.¡±

    Merlin felt a small amused smile pull at his lips, ¡°Let¡¯s hope he will surprise us.¡± He stood up and went over to the bookcase. He ran a finger over the spines of the spell books. ¡°We still need to do a few tests.¡±

    There was still much they didn¡¯t know about the curse, how it started, and what causes the death of the cursed person. Rowena was an intelligent woman when she was alive, but she complained that she was born in the wrong time, claiming she knew she was meant for more then the constricting life-style of a woman of the Court, and she thought she should have be the ruler instead of King Arthur. She went down a dark road, eventually coming up with the curse. Still, after roughly 1500 years, Merlin and Morgana couldn¡¯t figure out how to break the curse. Every time, they got the hint of the curse, they immediately started the document of the how the curse progress and all the signs of the curse.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Morgana agreed. The next part was always the hardest - informing the Ruling family of the curse, swearing them to secrecy, and talking about the chance of the heir becoming King or preparing for the worst, the Holy Sword choosing someone else becoming King. That would be the icing on the cake for Queen Belladonna. She hated anything to do with magic and going against traditions. ¡°Do we still run the tests?¡± she asked, giving Merlin a questioning look.

    ¡°Yes, might as well,¡± Merlin replied, ¡°We might have found something new.¡± He pulled a book off the solid oak bookcase and noted it was the correct book he was looking for. He turned to Morgana. ¡°Shall we?¡± he offered his arm to her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to swing by my study to grab some of my testing equipment,¡± she said. Merlin nodded.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Queen Belladonna growled. Her eyes flashed with anger. She took a step forward to Merlin. ¡°What do you mean ¡®There is nothing you can do¡¯, Mage?¡± Her fingers twitched. ¡°Explain yourselves.¡±

    Merlin stood his ground, glad that she was not holding her sword. Merlin and Morgana knew this conversation was not easy for the family. He repeated, ¡°There is nothing we can do. Why? This curse, as far as we know, there is no counter course. We have looked and researched.¡± He let out a sigh. He glanced around the room. ¡°Every time, the curse became activate, we tried our damnest to cure the King.¡±

    Morgana remembered what the Ruling Family was feeling. She had to go through it herself once upon a time ago when her half-brother, Arthur, the King of the United Kingdoms of Camelot, fell ill from the curse. Queen Vivian sat at the small round table. Pale, she glared at the magi. She held a tea cup in one hand, shaking. Her other hand clenched at the skirt of her dress.

    Queen Clarine, sitting by the huge bed, held a handkerchief up to her face, quietly sobbing. She looked up when Merlin stopped speaking. In an uneven voice that hinted at the emotional turmoil she was going through, she spoke, ¡°Perhaps, you need to start from the beginning, Mage Merlin.¡±

    ¡°I think that is would be best,¡± Morgana started, ¡°As you know, I am the daughter of the first King of Camelot, King Uther, the First of his name, Lord of House Pendragon and now, one of the living descendant of that bloodline.¡± Morgana paused, ¡°What Merlin says is true. A woman - another mage - named Rowena wanted to rule over Camelot, but Merlin casted a temporary spell on the Holy Sword that only allowed Arthur, one of my half-brothers, Uther¡¯s true heir, the Crowned Prince of Camelot, to pull the sword of the granite rock that Merlin had placed it in.¡± Morgana glanced at Merlin.

    ¡°Rowena did try to pull the sword from the rock, but the sword denied her the Right to Rule. So, she swore she will get her revenge. She went into hiding and gathered allies before she attacked the Kingdom at its heart. During the final battle, she gathered enough power to cast a powerful curse on the Holy Sword - Who ever pulled the sword from its resting place in the granite rock will be cursed to live a shorten life before dying.¡± She paused. She glanced at the King resting in the bed who looked at her with narrowed eyes, but she didn¡¯t see him. She saw her Arthur, laying there, sick from the curse and the knowledgeable glint in his eyes. He knew he was going to die.

    Morgana¡¯s breath caught in her throat before she forced it out. Tears welled up, blurring her vision. She turned away, hiding her reaction. She took a shaky breath. She shallowed the lump in her throat protested. Her chest ached. After all this time, thinking of her half-brother¡¯s death still effected her. She shook her head, closing her eyes. She turned back to the current king.

    She continued the story, ¡°We didn¡¯t know until a few months before the 10th Anniversary of the Battle that there was a curse and we were forced to watch as my brother steadily became sicker and sicker until he died.¡± A tear slipped down her cheek at the realization of her brother was dying and the echo of the helpless knowing there was nothing she could do about it. ¡°Before he died, he requested Merlin to put the same spell he used to allow Arthur to be the only one who drew the sword back on the Holy Sword.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Prince Arthur asked.

    ¡°The boy his Queen gave birth to,¡± Merlin started, taking over, ¡°were not his. The Queen had another lover. We didn¡¯t know until Arthur- King Arthur told us in secret.¡± He remembered that conversation and who else was the room with the same name, ¡°There were many reasons why he requested this of us,¡± He summarized, ¡°But he wanted more was to protect his people, including his Queen, her lover, and her child.¡±

    A gasp echoed through the room. They knew what that meant that not only the Queen was unfaithful to her king and husband, but there was a good chance the Pendragon bloodline died out with King Arthur. King Arthur saw to that no one in his blood-related family got to the throne of Camelot and left the throne uninsured by an heir.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Morgana backed up her former master, ¡°So, there was no heir of Arthur - my apologies, King Arthur - and that left the throne wide open for anyone to take, but on the final orders of the King Arthur, Merlin and I, together, casted the spell to choose the next king.¡± Her eyes roamed over the Ruling Family, allowing what she had said to seek in. ¡°There is a good chance that Prince Arthur could be the next king of Camelot or won¡¯t be. It all depends on the Holy Sword. We have no say in this matter.¡±

    Arthur, the tenth of his name, sat down on the nearby chair, heavily. He may not be the next King? A cocktail of uncertainty, fear, frustration, hopelessness, and anger swirled in him as he wondered about his future.  His father, his grandfather, and his great grandfather, as well as his two great Uncles ruled Camelot. He had been raised to think, believe, and act like he was going to be the next king without question. Now, there was a chance he won¡¯t be. He didn¡¯t know what to think.

    What if he was not chosen as the next king? He won¡¯t know what to do. Taking the throne was all he was ever taught and thought about. He glanced up. His grandmother, Grandma Clarine looked upset while Nana Bella had a dark furious expression on her face as she glared at Merlin and Morgana. Grandmother Vivi looked like she had heard of the legend before. Maybe the magi were right.

    His eyes darted over to his father. He laid in the King¡¯s bed and glared at the magi before Arthur saw his gaze fall onto him. Arthur recognized the familiar words in his father¡¯s eyes that the man didn¡¯t voice.

    You better not disappoint me, boy.

    You are a Prince, act like it.

    You will pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath.

    You will take the Throne after my death.

    Arthur looked away. He knew his father¡¯s feelings about this matter. He eyed the floor between his feet.

    Most of the time, he didn¡¯t feel like a future king. He longed for adventure, to get away from the tedious courts, and experience half of the quests that the other knights went on. Just this morning, Lancelot had returned from a short quest of helping a local lord with some of the non-humans groups that had been causing trouble and had been telling Arthur his adventure when the call of Court went out. He often wondered how it would feel like to be recognized as a hero and a knight instead of the Prince. Before he could go deeper into his imagery adventure, Nana Bella¡¯s voice rang out. Arthur looked up, sharply at his Nana.

    Queen Vivian felt a spark of familiarity with what the Lady Mage said. She remembered when her own husband had spoke to her about the Legend of the Holy Sword. He had talked about being chosen by the Holy Sword. He had walked up to the Sword when it was his turn and he simply pulled the sword out of the granite rock. He had been a simple fourth son who had no future of being a Lord, or a Knight. It was the last chance he had before he was shipped off to the Church to become a clergyman.

    At first, Vivian thought that Micheal was just pulling a prank and thought nothing of it until she met his family. After meeting his family at his father¡¯s simple holdings, she realized Micheal was telling the truth. It took a while to used to the idea that her in-laws were a simple Lord from a far portion of the Kingdom, but she eventually accepted it. Once in a while, she would see one of her nieces or nephews from Micheal¡¯s side of the family, who visited Court.

    However, her only child, Luke, did not know the truth of his father¡¯s heritage. It never came up. Not even when he took Belladonna as his wife. Not even he was chosen as King to follow his father¡¯s footsteps. Not once in her Luke¡¯s life. Her daughter-in-law spoke up in a tone Vivian was familiar with and silently groaned. She knew what Belladonna would say will only upset the magi and the other queens.

    Queen Belladonna snorted, shaking her head. She couldn¡¯t believe the nerve of the two magi. They thought they could away with not helping her grandson. Not when they didn¡¯t lift a finger to help her three sons when they had became King and died on the battlefield. They thought wrong. They had got away from not helping the people without magic for too long. It was pathetic how they refuse to help Uther.

    When Belladonna married Luke, she put up with the Magi, knowing they would be gone soon. After she noticed that they didn¡¯t age, looking young as the day she first saw them as she aged, she went looking through the old achieve of her family and figured out the rumors of the two Magi being the original two magi from King Arthur¡¯s time, she knew she would have to play the game carefully. It was not until she had managed to put in place laws about majority of the magic to limited to court approved wielders and denied each and every request before placing a bounty of their head. Majority of the magic users either disappeared, enslaved, or killed, to much of Belladonna¡¯s delight. The magic Merlin and Morgana wielded was old and false. She refused to believe they had any true power.

    Their denial of helping Uther was enough proof for Belladonna to throw them into the dungeons to rot for the rest of their unnatural lives. She narrowed her eyes. Now, that was a thought. She growled out her response to the situation at hand.

    Queen Clarine looked sadly at her son, laying in the King¡¯s bed. A tear slipped down her cheek and she automatically brought up her handkerchief, patting at the rebellious tears. She knew there was something off when she was younger around 15, she remembered how King Luke suddenly became king. William the fifth, the king before King Micheal, did not have any children from his marriage with Queen Lilian. May their soul rest in peace.

    When she, first, came to the Castle from her Lord Father¡¯s house, Queen Lilian had made sure that she was comfortable settled in. They used to talk into the night about King William and King Thomas, how science had come long since Queen Lilian¡¯s early days, and what the future could bring. However, there were times when the two Queens had talked about the Magi and Lilian had explained that the unknown fact about the Holy Sword, claiming that Clarine needed to know since she was the High Queen.

    Clarine wished her old friend, Lilian, was still alive to ask her opinion about what was happening. She knew Lilian would have a good laugh of watching Belladonna¡¯s expression. Lilian never did like Belladonna. The woman thought Belladonna was a hypocrite, willing to go into battle, but refused to let other woman into the military, and how Belladonna preached about keeping to tradition like they were the word from the Lord most high. However, Lilian would never criticized Belladonna in public, often saying any internal family problems need to remain within the family, not aired out like dirty laundry. Belladonna, on the other hand, had no problem, criticized others in public.

    However, her thoughts about the situation was interrupted as Belladonna made her opinion known.

    Queen Kalliope sat beside her King and husband, holding his hand. She looked down at the comforter. She knew she should be in mourning because she was losing her husband, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t fight the sense of freedom that loomed. She was Uther¡¯s second wife. Queen Melissa held his heart, but she died in a mysterious attack when Arthur was only 5. Uther only married her to help raise Arthur and for her to act like his mother.

    Kalliope didn¡¯t love Uther like a wife should love her husband. The kind of love she held was more a love shared between two friends that knew one another for a long time. Her heart belonged to another. She barely said his name, even in public, in fear of someone finding and reporting it to Uther.

    She knew Uther would have her heart¡¯s desire on a long, suicidal quest if he managed to find out. He did something similar to her Uncle when he found out that her Uncle tried to sneak into Princess Rosemary¡¯s chambers. As a result, Kalliope¡¯s uncle was thrown in the dungeons and left there. As far as she knew, he was still down there.

    When Kalliope¡¯s mother approached her about the marriage to the King, Kalliope fought tooth and nail until her mother made the comment, trying to get her Uncle out of the dungeons, that was when Kalliope had grown to Uther, as a close friend. However, when it comes to the issue of her Uncle, Uther wouldn¡¯t even allow her to see him.

    She glanced up at the two magi. She couldn¡¯t believe that Arthur had a chance that he wouldn¡¯t be King. Arthur used to asked her if she thought he would have been a good king, she personally thought he would be. Now, that chance was going to be ripped away from him. She hoped he would be able to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath. Kalliope was jerked out of her thoughts when Belladonna spoke up.

    ¡°That is the most utter bullshit I ever heard,¡± Belladonna snapped, anger lacing her voice, ¡°A spell that dictates the next king is the most bullshit I heard that spurred from your lying lips.¡± She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the two magi.

    Merlin knew Belladonna didn¡¯t like Morgana nor him. She never made it a secret. The countless times she had threaten to throw them in the dungeons when she was the High Queen because Morgana or him would try to help the non-humans out of the execution or try to talk the King into not passing a law that allowed enslavement of the non-humans. It never worked. It was a consist struggle between the magi and the Warrior Queen. He could never figure out why Belladonna didn¡¯t like them, though. In a way, he figured, she didn¡¯t like the fact that both Morgana and Merlin were people that she couldn¡¯t really control. She could limit their powers, but she could never bring them under her thumb. Just like she could not do it to the General or the Assassin.

    Belladonna went on until she was interrupted, ¡°A curse on the Holy Sword? That is fool-hearty! There is no such thing as a curse on the Holy Sword. If there was, the entire kingdom would know about it. It is a great honor to die as King, but ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Belladonna Black-Drake!¡± Vivian snapped, loudly. Sucking in a breath, Belladonna fell silent and turned to look at the older Queen with an outrage expression. ¡°I believe them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, you do, you crazy, old hag,¡± Belladonna growled. Her eyes narrowed at the other Queen. Merlin¡¯s eyes widen as he realized he might be witnessing one of the legendary fights between the oldest Queens. He had heard rumors of these types of fights from the guards that patrol the halls in the Queen¡¯s tower and once he heard it straight from the mouth of the General. He believed the rumors, but he never thought he would be witnessing one. He glanced at Morgana.

    Morgana shook her head, slowly. A small grin crossed her face as she watched the brewing storm between the two of the most powerful woman that lived today. Merlin glanced at Morgana. He turned back to the brewing storm. He was going to play it smart and stay out of the way, allowing the storm break out and run its course.

    ¡°What did you just call me, Black?¡± Vivian pushed out of her chair and stood up, straight. Her fingertips braced herself upon the tablecloth.

    ¡°A crazy old hag!¡± Belladonna narrowed her eyes, ¡°You might want to get your hearing check out.¡± The tone she used hinted at disrespect and hatred.

    ¡°I think, Belladonna, you should start showing the Lady Morgana, Lord Mage Merlin, and I better respect,¡± Vivian said, coolly, ¡°Because they speak the truth.¡± She waved a hand toward Merlin and Morgana. Merlin suddenly had the urge to step behind Morgana as Belladonna glared at them. ¡°My husband, the King Micheal, may God rest his soul, was Chosen by the Holy Sword. He was not born as a royal like I was or you were.¡± She stepped toward Belladonna.

    Shaking her head, Belladonna snorted, ¡°Only because the Queen Lilian didn¡¯t do her job right and produce a heir,¡± as she crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn¡¯t believe the oldest living Queen would fall for the Magi¡¯s tricks. Traditions were in placed to help keep the order of a family and Honor the Lord Most High. There was no way that Vivien¡¯s husband was low born. King Micheal had been a close cousin to King William and that blood tie allowed Micheal to take the throne, not because some phony spell. Another reason why Micheal had to take the throne was the fact that Lilian was barren.

    The room went eerily silent. Morgana¡¯s eyes widen in horror and pain as she lost her smile. Merlin flinched at the announcement. Kalliope jerked back in surprise. Vivien froze, her back snapping straight. Clarine raised her head and glared at her mother-in-law, ¡°The Queen Lilian did her right, correctly. If I remembered right, her job was to rule beside her husband, the King William, and advise him when he needed to be given advice. Which she did. So, in other words, she did her job correctly. She helped Vivi, you, and I settled in the position of High Queen, answering any questions we had.¡±

    Merlin¡¯s eyes darted over to Clarine in surprise. This was an interesting development. From what he had heard, Clarine never got into the arguments between the two older Queens. However, the topic of Queen Lilian was a sensitive topic. Lilian couldn¡¯t have kids and treated the other Queens as her daughters when they came to the Castle, including Belladonna. Lilian even treated Morgana, the General, and the Assassin as her daughters. It was something that Morgana found great joy in it, dispute being a lot older then Lilian. Morgana had lost her own mother at a young age. Merlin, however, didn¡¯t know if Clarine was close to Lilian or not. He usually didn¡¯t get involved with the inner relationships of the Queens. He left that to Morgana.

    ¡°If Lilian really cared for traditions,¡± Belladonna glared at Clarine, ¡°She would have stepped aside and insisted that William take another wife or have a mistress.¡± She turned to Vivian and started, ¡°I do think if you continue talking like that¡­this nonsense about a spell on the Holy Sword, a curse that is supposedly killing our grandson, and this annoying talk of Arthur not becoming King after Uther¡¯s death¡­One would think you are in on this plot to take over the crown.¡±

    Merlin frowned. Of course, Belladonna thought it was conspiracy against the crown. ¡®Just what else¡­don¡¯t jinx yourself, Merl, you know Belladonna would just think of something else to pin on Morgana and you,¡¯ he thought. He glanced over at the Black Mage and saw the hunted memory glazed over Morgana¡¯s eyes. He knew she was reliving the memory of what happen to Queen Lilian. He hoped Belladonna wouldn¡¯t speak ill of Lilian anymore then she already had. Morgana, he knew, had bonded with the Queen over the shared fact neither had children, despite their desire to.

 Chapter 6: Ninja Involvement

    Tina stretched. She let out a soft groan as she arched her back, her arms went over her head, and her legs straighten. She relaxed into the bed. She felt refresh. It was similar to the feeling after stepping out the hot shower, but it was a lot better like she was able to hit restart button on her mind. She glanced over the room, noticing the sunlight had gotten brighter. She lifted her head and looked at the clock. Her alarm clock read 3:24.

    Feeling overheated, Tina tossed the covers off her form and felt cooler air swept over her. She swung her legs over the edge and hissed in pain as a sharp light from the shadow of a tree entered her right eye. She lend back and glared at the window, strong anger flashed through her. She blinked, pushing back the emotion and peered out of the window. That object from before her nap¡­it was back.

    In the afternoon sunlight, Tina could see the outline form of a person standing on the tree limb, shaking his head, slowly, causing the object attached to his head to caught the light and bounced it off straight into her room. She placed a hand on the nightstand and slapped her other hand against the edge of the bed before she pushed upward, getting to her feet. A clatter echoed through the silent bedroom. Tina paused, frowning. She turned her head and looked at the nightstand. Was there something on her nightstand a moment ago? She blinked, thinking. She remembered she had placed a scroll on the nightstand before going to sleep. She bent down and spotted the scroll laying on the floor in the crack between the nightstand and her bed. She reached under her bed, grabbing the scroll. She turned it over in her hands and glanced up. She gasped. The shadowed form was gone. She blinked again as she settled back on the edge of the bed. She thought about she should do with the scroll.

    Maybe she should open the scroll and read it. What kind of trouble that could come from reading a scroll?

    A snide voice echoed up through her mind, ¡®Raising the dead?¡¯ Tina snorted at that thought. That only happened because the woman in question read out loud a spell for reviving the dead from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

    ¡®What about your soul sucking out of your body and your life energy used to allow a memory to become real again?¡¯ the voice asked, trying to be the voice of reason. She knew better. That voice was her inner fears, some of them rational while others were questionable.

    Tina fought a laugh at that thought. Tina was nothing like that red haired girl with a crush on the ¡®Chosen One¡¯. The girl in question should have thrown that diary away when it started to write back. Tina may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but she was not stupid. Tina would have burnt the diary, right away.

    She grabbed the string that was tied around the scroll and watched it as it untied before it fell to the sides. She hummed, noticing that the string was actually attached to the scroll. She grabbed the knobs at the either end of the scroll and slowly opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw what was written there, in the neatest handwriting she had ever seen.

    Valentina,

    daughter of Annja,

    daughter of Sakura,

    Daughter of House White Hall,

    First of her Name

    You have been requested to visit to the White Hall Estate, the home of Lord Bardock, and his sons, Genesis, Vincent, and Victor, and daughter, Natalie, by the Lady Mother Freya. Please follow  the messenger to the White Hall Estate where I will be able to explain more to you, Valentina. It maybe wise to not inform your mother and Lady Sakura of where you are going. They may try to stop you from searching for your father and other family members.

    Wishing to speak to you soon,

    Your other Grandmother

    Freya

    Daughter of Floki,

    Son of  Reynard,

    Fifth of her Name,

    Matriarch of House White Hall

    Tina gapped in shock. According to this letter, she had more family¡­. at a White Hall Estate? Where was that? She glanced up at her desk. She blinked. Where the hell she did put her laptop, again? She gazed around the room. There were boxes still left to unpack. She sucked on her lower lip and glanced at the closet door. It might be still in her school bag which was buried somewhere in the closet. She didn¡¯t remembered how she put the boxes in the closet when she had moved back in. She hoped her laptop didn¡¯t get pushed to the bottom because there was a good chance that it was probably broke.

    She glanced at the scroll. Who was this Lord Bardock? From an educated guess, Tina would think he was her father if this Freya was her grandmother. However, it brought up the question that why would her own mother and grandma would try to stop her from searching out her father and her other grandmother. She frowned. She might knew the reason why. She slowly raised her head to peer at the forest.

    This had been the first time since she had started college that she had spent any real time with her family. Whenever she didn¡¯t have school or work, she was over her ex¡¯s place. His argument was his place with his parents was closer and they didn¡¯t have to get up at the crack ass of dawn to get back to school or leave his parents late. Of course, whenever her family had an event that she wanted to go to, her ex used the excuse that she should be studying instead of wasting time, that they would be there when school was over with, and her grades needed to get better if she wanted to get a high paying job like he was aiming to do. She just couldn¡¯t argue with that logic, but it did lead to arguments between them every time.

    Now, Tina wanted to get away. She knew her mom¡¯s heart was in the right place, but Tina felt lost. She didn¡¯t know what to do, anymore. She saw out of the corner of her eye the walls started to move in, trapping her in her room. She did know one thing: She wanted to explore. She wanted to have freedom. She wanted to have adventure. She was tired of always studying, trying to please someone else, and not taking care of what her heart desires or trying to achieve it. She wanted to break the cycle of the mundane lifestyle she had.

    The familiar spark of excitement darted through her blood. It had been a long while since she had felt that. If she remember correctly, it was at her high school graduation when she got her diploma. She closed her eyes, allowing soothing to bubble to the surface. It filled her completely. A small smile stretched across her lips.

    The scroll seemed to call out to her, whispering the promising of adventure, the lure of seeing new people and new places. She remembered the last adventure she had. It was her trip to Japan for that archery competition. Despite what had happen during the trip, Tina did enjoy herself.

    It would break her mundane routine she had fallen into. Plus, she knew it would be something her ex would never approve of. That thought sold her into checking out the scroll¡¯s information.

    She glanced at the darkening forest. It had been awhile since she had explore the forest. Maybe she would run into her forest friend, again. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she had seen him. She nodded herself, reaching her decision.

    Or she hoped so.

    Tina turned to her closet and opened the door. She let out a low whistle at the well-stacked boxes. She didn¡¯t remembered doing that, but of course, the last 26 days, she had been on auto-pilot and barely remembered anything except for some vivid memories about making the call, moving back home, and seeing her house again first time in a few years. The boxes filled the area between the floor and the bar where Tina used to hang her clothes, but what she was after still sat on her top shelf. She grinned, seeing her trusty hiking bag. She pulled it down and let out a gasp of surprise as something else fell from the shelf with her bag. She fail her arms about before she was able to catch it. She looked at it and her heart pounded with excitement. It was her sleeping bag. She thought she had got rid of it when she went through her room before she went to college.

    She tossed them onto her bed. It thumped gently on the bed as she peered into her closet, frowning. She needed to find her hiking boots. She really didn¡¯t want to take a trip through the forest without those boots. There were too many holes in the grounds and there was no ¡®official¡¯ trail she used to follow. She needed her boots to support her ankles.

    ¡°Maybe they are in my shoe box,¡± she muttered. Tina had took her hiking boots to college and spent every night at least a hour, walking through the local metro park. There were times where she went for a longer hike after a stressful day, dealing with her ex or a difficult topic in one of her classes, ¡°Maybe that is what I need,¡± she went on, ¡°A relaxing trip in the woods.¡±

    Her gaze moved over the various box. She still hadn¡¯t put them away. She spotted a box half empty, sitting next to the closet with a folded box. She had tried to put away the box¡¯s contents, but it had been difficult with her flexurating moods. One minute, Tina was ready to start to put away the items she had packed, the next one, she curled up on the floor, crying or staring at the box. She hoped she wouldn¡¯t stumbled while she was trying to find what she needed.

    Tina went to the closest box and went through it. Her boots weren¡¯t in that one. She sighed and moved it aside before she moved to the next. It wasn¡¯t until she reached the fifth box, she managed to find what she was looking for.

    Tina pulled the boots up one by one, causing the rest of the shoes to scatter in the box. She tossed them up by the hiking bag. She closed the box and re-stocked the rest of the boxes she moved and went to the box that she used for her blue jeans. She immediately pulled out four pairs and tossed them onto the bed before she went to the dresser. She pulled the top drawer and grabbed a handful of her underwear and turned to her hiking bag, shoving them into a deep pocket before she grabbed another handful and placed them in the deep pocket. She went to a section in the top drawer and grabbed a few pairs of socks. She tossed them into the deep pocket that held her underwear before she shut the drawer. She glanced around her room.

    Tina knew she needed to find the box housing her shirts. She frowned, trying to remember where she had put it. Maybe it was down in the living room where, she questioned. She was not for sure. She sighed and went to her bed. She rolled her blue jeans up in a tube before she placed them into her hiking bag and stacked them neatly. She looked around the room.

    Tina doubled check her dresser drawers and let out a sigh of relief. The third drawer housed her shirts.  She glanced out the window and thought. She would need a couple t-shirts for the cool nights. Also, a couple long shelved shirts. She wanted to take a few of her tanks tops. She turned her attention back to the open drawer and grabbed four t-shirts, six tank tops, a long shelved shirt and grabbed her college sweater. She tossed them onto the bed. She shut the drawer and turned to the bed. She rolled her shirts into tube shaped rolls and packed them into the hiking bag. She added the scroll from the Freya woman, last.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    She clasped the main compartment of the hiking bag shut before she doubled checked the side pockets. She knew once upon a time ago, she had a thing of baby wipes as a way she clean herself up after using the ¡®restroom¡¯ and before she crawled into her sleeping bag for sleep. She might have to grabbed a couple packages of baby wipes from the bathroom.

    Tina glanced at the door. She didn¡¯t want to run into her family. She knew it would be wiser if she did face them about her plan, but she feared her mother would try to stop her from leaving for a bit. She didn¡¯t want to see how that would effected her mom, especially after the last time she ¡®disappeared¡¯ on them, she didn¡¯t return to them until 26 days ago. She sighed. This was something she needed to do. She have to figure out what went wrong with her relationship. More importantly, she had to find herself again.

    Tina quickly visited the bathroom and returned to her bedroom without an issue. She closed her eyes in relief. She walked over to the hiking bag and stashed the two packages of baby wipes into the hiking bag. She glanced up at the window as she sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed her hiking boots. She saw the shadowy figure, waiting. She wondered briefly if he would be her guide to this White Hall Estate. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted to go to this White Hall Estate in the first place, but she did want to get away for a bit. A week in the forest sounds about right. Maybe two week vacation, just having a short adventure by herself. She placed the hiking boot up by her foot and slid her foot into it before she tied her hiking boot. She repeated the process with the other foot.

    Tina stood up and shook her legs as her yoga pants straighten out. She knew she should have changed out of the yoga pants, but she didn¡¯t feel like changing. She would wear blue jeans in the morning. She went to her desk and grabbed a couple pieces of paper. She reached out to her jar of pens and picked one before she placed the pen tip on the paper, quickly writing a note to her family.

    Mom, Grandma, and Sis,

    I will be alright. I need to spend some time in the forest behind the house for a week or two. I need to think things through and figure out what happened to me. The only way I think I can do that is to escape into the woods for a bit. I¡¯m sorry for leaving like this, Mom, but I know you will try to stop me from doing this.

    I won¡¯t be entering the woods unarmed. I will be taking my bow and quiver with me. It will feel weird using them again after not using them in so long, but I know I will be alright. When I come back, Mom, I want to know about my father. I got a letter from a woman named Freya who is claiming she is my other grandma. Perhaps I will meet her. Maybe I won¡¯t. Right now, I don¡¯t know. This is the other reason why I am taking a trip into the woods. I need to think for a long while and try to find myself again. I feel lost, guys, and I can¡¯t make a decision. I need to change that. I love you. I will be back soon. I am taking my weapons with me, just in case.

    Lots of love,

    Tina

    Tina knew her mom would find the letter when she came up later to check on Tina or let her know that dinner was ready. She hoped she was far enough in the woods for that. If not, her mom would try to drag her back by her hair. She did it before when Tina didn¡¯t come home on time.

    ¡°Valentina Armstrong!¡± Tina¡¯s eyes widened. That was her mother¡¯s voice. It echoed through the woods. Tina glanced up, trying to see through the darken summer canopy of the trees. She knew if her mom was out, yelling for her, it was past her curfew.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s past time for you to go home, Tina,¡± the short figurer standing not far from her. A deep male voice rang out behind her forest friend, ¡°And apparently, it¡¯s the same for me. See ya tomorrow, Tina.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± she grinned and started to stumble through the dark. It wasn¡¯t long before she spotted the beam of the flashlight and her mom¡¯s form stood on the other of the light, ¡°Sorry, mom.¡±

    ¡°Valentina Armstrong,¡± Annja thundered, ¡°You were supposed to be home two hours ago,¡± Tina opened her mouth to say she lost track of time, but the older woman held p her hand, continued, ¡°I don¡¯t care for your excuse, young lady.¡±

    Annja reached out and grabbed Tina¡¯s upper arm. Tina let out a pained gasped, titled her head to the side. She whined, ¡°Mom! You are pulling my hair!¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Annja said, ¡°Consider it punishment for not making home on time.¡±

    Tina pouted as she was forced to walk beside her mother.

    Shaking her head of the memory, she set the letter on her pillow before she opened the window. She grabbed her hiking bag and moved it through the opened window. A black gloved hand appeared and took the bag from her. Tina jerked in surprise, looking up the arm that was wrapped in black to see a pale faced man with spiky blond hair. He wore a headband, covering his forehead with a mental plate in the center. There was a symbol on the mental plate that she couldn¡¯t make out. It looked like a bunch of random lines going up and down in the middle of the plate.

    ¡°Hiya, toots,¡± his voice rumbled out, ¡°I¡¯m Ralph, one of your helpful guide to the White Hall Estate on the other side of the barrier.¡± His blue eyes sparkled with mirth as he grinned at her. He looped an arm through a strap and leaped from the edge of the roof, landing in a crunch before he stood up and turned to her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming, toots?¡±

    Tina¡¯s lips slowly parted in shock. What the hell¡­? She lived on the second floor. And this guy just jumped from the window like it was nothing. The word ¡®barrier¡¯ echoed through her mind. What did he mean by that? She just stood there, looking down at the newcomer. He reminded her of a ninja - somewhat loose black pants, black vest like shirt, arms wrapped in black cloth, and the outfit showed very little skin, leaving the fingertips and majority of his face bare.

    ¡°Hurry up, hun,¡± Ralph - if that is even his name, a voice spoke up from the depths of Tina¡¯s mind - spoke, ¡°If you want, I can catch you.¡±

    Tina blinked, coming back to herself and snorted. She swung her legs out of the window and held onto the window frame. She spoke up, ¡°You might want to move.¡± She slowly moved out of the window frame and slid the window closed, hanging onto the lip of the window by her fingertips. She leaped from the window. She twisted in midair and let out her breath. She landed in a crunch. She sucked in a breath as she felt her legs bark in protest of the sudden stop. She slowly stood up, ignoring the pain that rippled up her lower legs. She turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Ralph commented, ¡°If you wanted to break your legs, sweetheart.¡± He swung the hiking bag off his shoulder and set it on the ground. ¡°Next time, roll forward. It will help move the energy you created away from your body.¡± He paused, looking at her. ¡°Unless you wanted to be carried into the sunset by a handsome fella like me, then that¡¯s another story.¡± He waved his hands around as he spoke.

    Tina cocked her head to the side, looking at Ralph. She wondered if he was trying to flirt with her. She found that she didn¡¯t care if he was or not. However, she did question his presence. She asked, knowing there was a chance he would lie, ¡°Are you the guide sent by Freya?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am, hun,¡± Ralph replied. He cocked his head to the side, ¡°Is there anything else you need to get before we leave?¡±

    At first, she had thought to say no, but she paused. Her eyes flickered over Ralph. She had the appearance of a ninja. She knew, from her time in Japan that Ninja excelled in the art of disappearing and hiding their true intentions. She would have to treat Ralph as a dangerous assassin. She didn¡¯t see any visible weapon on his person, but it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have any.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina said, reaching down and grabbing her hiking bag before she hoisted onto her left shoulder and started walking over to the shed,  ¡°I still need to grab a few items from the shed.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± the ninja asked. His voice held a curious note as Tina felt his eyes followed her to the shed located near the forest line.

    ¡°My weapons,¡± she stated without looking back. She wanted to see what Ralph would say.

    ¡°You know how to handle a weapon?¡± Ralph questioned.

    ¡°Yup,¡± She replied, reading the shed. She allowed her hiking bag to slid down her arm. It landed on the ground with a thump. She frowned. She knew the key was hiding, but the last time she was at a weapon shed, it after she got together with her ex, and it was at his request that she put her weapons away. She shook her head, resisting the urge to sigh. She shouldn¡¯t have put any of her weapons up.

    The key, getting back to the matter at hand, should be hiding up high. Her mom did that because of Natasha. Tina smiled at the memory of Natasha managing to get into the weapon shed, a few years ago and was caught playing with one of the small knives that she found. After that, Tina, Annja, and her grandma, Sakura, had to get into the habit of locking up the weapon shed and hiding the key.

    ¡°What kind of weapon do you use,¡± Ralph¡¯s voice cut through Tina¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°I have been trained in Archery,¡± Tina started as she reached up and ran her fingers around the edge of the door frame, ¡°And some swordsmanship.¡±

    Her eyes lit up as her fingers found the shape of the key and she used her fingernails to pull at the key. She frowned. Apparently, her mom or grandma hadn¡¯t been the weapon shed for a long time. That was abnormal. Her grandma and mom was usually sticklers for keeping the weapon shed clean.

    ¡°Really,¡± Ralph¡¯s voice held a note that Tina couldn¡¯t identify, ¡°How much training?¡±

    The key stood on its side and Tina rolled it into her palm before she relaxed, settling back down onto her heels. She glanced at the key, frowning at the build up on the once copper key. She wiped the key on her pants. She finally replied to Ralph¡¯s question, ¡°Enough.¡±

    Tina placed the key in the lock and turned it. The lock opened with a click. She kept the key in the lock. She pushed the door open.

    A wave of dust exploded from the enclosed shed. Tina waved a hand in front of her face, before she let out a loud sneeze. She rubbed her nose, wondering when was the last time someone had been in the weapon shed.

    Once the dust settled, Tina ran her eyes over the shed and a familiar grin twitched at her lips as the old feeling rose up. She squashed that feeling. Now, it wasn¡¯t the time for that feeling. She pushed it aside until it was time.

    Tina stepped into shadowed shed, looking at the various weapons on the wall. She heard Ralph muttered, ¡°Oh, shit.¡±

    She smirked. She strolled to the back wall where she kept her bow, a quiver full of arrows as sheathed rapier, and a bundle of her short knives. She ignored the other walls full over various weapons, even though she take note of her grandma¡¯s scythe sitting on the left wall and her mother¡¯s weird black outfit and the various small blades on the right.

    Tina slipped the bow into the quiver and counted the arrows. She needed to make sure she wouldn¡¯t run out for a while. She had a full quiver of arrows. She wanted to grab a couple more bundles of arrows. She swung her quiver onto her back, positioning it over her right shoulder.

    A sense of control of power, of power, of rightness, washed over Tina didn¡¯t know how much she missed having a weapon at her back. She took a shaky breath as she placed her hands onto the table where she had placed the bundles of small blades and arrows. She closed her eyes, trying to recenter herself. She felt the familiar hum of power rushing along her veins. It was almost a head rush. she let out a shaky breath. She took another and let it out. She opened her eyes. She immediately reached up to the sword belt hanging on the wall. She wrapped it around her waist, allowing the rapier to settle at her left hip. She grabbed the bundle of small blades and two bundles of arrows. She secretly hoped she wouldn¡¯t need that many, but she was going to be in the forest for a long while. Longer than ever, she had been. Tina knew some of the creatures that lived in the forest. She turned to Ralph.

    Ralph let out a whistle as his eyes roamed over the shed. He stared wide-eyed at the weapons. Tina walked by Ralph when he, suddenly, grabbed her right upper arm. She gasped, turning her eyes to him.

    ¡°I am glad that you are bringing the rapier,¡± he said in an even tone, ¡°I was told that it was a family heirloom. Lady Freya insisted on you having it with you, in fact.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed. This Freya was either well-versed in the Armstrong history or knew her family very well. Tina knew the rapier was a heirloom, but Natasha didn¡¯t. Her younger sister had been in the dark about a lot of things that Tina knew of and some of the knowledge that their mother and grandmother had. A Stranger, like Ralph, knowing that kind of knowledge of Tina¡¯s family caused Tina to become on edge. There was more going on. Tina knew that for certain.

    ¡°Oh,¡± She said, ¡°What if I said, now, I won¡¯t be going with you?¡±

    Ralph let out a feral grin. His blue eyes iced over with a hungry, blood thirsty look, before he replied, ¡°I was hired to bring you to the White Hall Estate. Her ladyship was very insistent you came to the Estate, no matter how I do it, as you are alive and unharmed.¡±

    Tina was screwed She could easily fight her way from Ralph, but it would give away her trump card and possible put her aging grandma in danger. Sakura may have taught Tina nearly everything she knew, but it didn¡¯t mean Tina¡¯s grandma still had the stamina to hold out against a much younger enemy. However, if it was Aunt Nami, it would be a different story.

    ¡°So,¡± Ralph relaxed, his voice returning to its flirty tone. His eyes were hard as glaciers. He went on, ¡°Ready, toots,¡± He waited for her reaction.

    Tina jerked her arm out of his gasp and knelt beside her bag. She undid the top flap and put the bundle of small blades on top before she re-clasped the flap. The two bundles of arrows were placed inside her sleeping bag. It was the only one place that she could think of, and the bundles of arrows would stay together.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina finally replied. She glanced back into the shed. Ralph obviously saw what she was looking at.

    ¡°My people have weapon stations on the way to the White Hall Estate,¡± Ralph said, noticing she was looking at the bundles of quivers. ¡°If you need to restock, you will be able to do so at one of the weapon stations.¡±

    Tina heard him walked away, the floorboards creaking under his weight.  She knew there was nothing she could do right now. She walked after Ralph. She didn¡¯t bother, locking up the shed after shutting the door. She had to let her mom and grandma know there was trouble. Perhaps, Natasha would find her way into the weapons shed. She was 15, after all, the same age when Tina first started her training.

    She went to grab her hiking bag, but Ralph beat her to the punch. She drawled out, crossing her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him, ¡°I can carry my own bag.¡±

    Ralph¡¯s lips twisted into that feral grin, saying, ¡°I know, but how else will I be able to make sure you stay close by, toots?¡±

    He spun on his heel, heading into the forest, calling over his shoulder, ¡°Come on, sweetie. We got a long walk ahead of us.¡± It was not long before the read head started to sense three others following them at a distance, traveling through the trees.

    After an hour of walking, Ralph stopped, glancing over his shoulder at Tina before he smirked. ¡°Oh, yeah, I need to introduce you to the rest of the team.¡± Tina blinked as she sensed the three others land behind her. She half turned and saw two more men and a woman.

    ¡°The woman is the Lovely Lady Kikyo of the Orion Clan,¡± Ralph started. Tina ran her eyes over the other woman. Her black hair swayed as she straightened up. She wore an outfit similar to Ralph¡¯s but more feminine style. She had a batch of kunai in a knife pouch on her left thigh. Her tan color vest seemed to fill of supplies she carried for herself. There wasn¡¯t anything really noticeable about Kikyo. Not even her hair - black - and eye - brown - color.

    ¡°Hello Miss Valentina,¡± Kikyo gave her a slight bow, ¡°I will be your personal escort when you need to get some female time.¡± Tina nodded, slowly.

    ¡°The gentleman on your left,¡± Tina slowly turned her head and saw a man with a man bun, standing with his hands in his pants. He slouched and watched her, half interested. Something crawled up Tina¡¯s spine. How relaxed he looked, standing that way. He wore the same outfit as Ralph, but his head band were laying around his neck. ¡°Is Abasi Nara.¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± Abasi greeted her. Tina gave him a short wave.

    ¡°The other gentleman,¡± Ralph started as Tina resisted the urge to give him a wide eyed look, ¡°on your right,¡± she heard the soft thump and turned her attention over to see another man with blond hair, wearing the same ninja outfit as the others wore, staring at her with an amusement look, ¡°Is Waya.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t run away, sweets,¡± Waya said, ¡°I would hate to chase you down and tie you up.¡± He winked at her.

    ¡°Really, Waya,¡± Kikyo drawled, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to scare her.¡± There was a pause. ¡°Already.¡±

    Tina sighed. She was trapped. She was outnumbered. She should have fought against Ralph or at least didn¡¯t allow him to blackmail her.

 Chapter 7: The Truth

    Morgana fumed silently as she tried not to curse the second eldest queen into dust. Of course, Belladonna went down the path. She could talk anything about how the Traditions needed to be upheld and how Arthur needed to take the Throne since he was the Crowned Prince, but she crossed the line when it came to Lilian¡¯s ability to produce an heir. That was not Lilian¡¯s fault, even though that queen thought otherwise. She often commented to Morgana in private, if she didn¡¯t get catch on the way back to her parents¡¯ estate for a visit, things would have been different. Morgana in turn argued that was in the past, that there was nothing they could do about it now.

    Belladonna would never know that affected Lilian and her relationship with her husband. The Warrior Queen didn¡¯t know Lilian had offer to step aside, to disappear from the Kingdom and never return so William could take another wife. William used to give his wife a glare and threw her over his shoulder, disappearing down the Royal Wing. Everyone who knew what that meant, knew not to bother the Ruling King and his wife until morning unless the Kingdom was burning.

    However, the poisonous queen will never know the truth about what happened to Lilian. It was not a natural condition because Morgana had promised not to tell anyone outside of the Ruling Family and the Inner Court of the condition. Morgana remembered the event very well. It was the Black Mage who was the one who found the Queen in that condition.

    42 Years ago

    The Dungeon of the Serpent Estate

    Morgana cursed as she peered around the corner. She remembered the Intel the Spy Master had managed to gather. The Queen Lilian was being held in a dungeon of the Serpent Estate. However, the Spy Master couldn¡¯t find out what the state of the newly married Queen and informed there wasn¡¯t many that could sneak into the Serpent Estate without raising an alarm. After much discussion, Morgana was the one who was elected to go. She decided against wearing one of her dresses or even of the warrior women of the House Black wore when they went into battle. She had barrow an outfit from Merlin and braided her hair back, out of her face.

    The Black Mage stared at the dozen guards standing in the dungeon hallway. She would have to use magic to distract them. She glanced over her shoulder. The hallway was populated by at least a dozen guards. She smirked. She could do this. She prepared to cast the spell and threw out her hand, but nothing happen. She paused,  narrowing her eyes. She pushed her magical sense out and felt an anti-magic force field. They knew Camelot would send a mage to retrieve the Queen.

    ¡®Well, that changes everything,¡¯ Morgana smirked. There was times where she did enjoy the more - physical aspects of battle. She grabbed the rapier from its sheath where she had tied it to her back. The sword - Widow¡¯s Kiss - was one of the last things she had from her father¡¯s era and it had been the last Yuletide gift he had given her before his death.

    Widow¡¯s Kiss slid out of its sheath without a sound as Morgana turned away from the corner and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath followed by another as she tried to center herself for the task ahead. She sucked in another deep breath and stepped around the corner, letting the breath out. She strolled down the stone corridor, silently, as the guards stood at the end, talking about something. She angled Widow¡¯s Kiss out to her side, allowing the tip to scrap against the stone. It echoed, loudly. The guards turned as one before Morgana leaped at them. Her teeth bared in a blood thirsty grin. Widow¡¯s Kiss hissed through the air, demanding blood.

    Morgana slipped into the age old dance of killing enemies. Widow¡¯s Kiss sliced through flesh like it was butter at the first guard. Red liquid sprayed into the air from the cut and the blade. The guard didn¡¯t let out a scream as he fell to the ground. However, the next guard let out the cry of alarm causing the rest of the guards turned to Morgana. She smirked before she allowed her magic surge through her veins, powering her limbs. She leaped forward. Her right arm flew up, Widow¡¯s kiss extended over her left shoulder before it sang through the air, slashing through the next guard rushing at her. She muttered a spell and threw out her left hand, guiding the spell at the guards. Nothing happened. She cursed sharply. That was out of habit. She was used to fighting with magic and sword. She would have to overwhelm the forcefield somehow before she would be able to use magic again.

    A sharp pointed nose guard let out a chuckle as he realized what she was trying to do and stated, ¡°Your magic won¡¯t work here, witch.¡±

    Morgana scowled at him and charged at him. It didn¡¯t take her long to become lost in the old dance of life and death. Old skills were brushed off and used. There were times she had lost her rhythm. She wasn¡¯t used to fighting without magic. However, she adopted and overcame the unfortunate handicap.

    Morgana panted, slightly as she came a stop on the far end of the corridor. Widow¡¯s Kiss dripped blood. The coppery tang of blood filled the air. She had forgotten the thrill of battle, the siren¡¯s call that came with the dance of Life or Death, and how it felt when Widow¡¯s Kiss cut through flesh. She took a deep, shaky, breath as she pushed away those emotions. She had to find Queen Lillian.

    Morgana went to the dungeon door and peered through the bars. She spotted the High Queen at the base of the far wall.

    ¡°Queen Lillian?¡± Morgana called out. The imprisoned woman shifted. Morgana gasped. The Queen rolled on to her back to see who had called out to her, revealing the fact she had a large knife sticking out of her lower belly. ¡°Shit!¡± the Black Mage cursed. She flexed her magic and felt it backlashed against her. The ward was still up. Without magic, there was no way she could move the Queen without causing more damage. Morgana took a deep breath before she unleashed her magic, hoping she could overpower the ward. She cursed as she felt the ward pushing back against her magic. She briefly wondered how they managed to set up a ward powerful enough to block herself. She grunted as her magic refused to leave her body. Her hair lifted up, floating around her head. She pushed until there was the sound of glass scattering and her magic rushed out of her form, causing a magical wind to fly down the hallways in a harmless wave. She placed her hand flat against the lock and a clicking sound echoed in the silence before the door swung inward. She hurried over to the Queen and knelt beside her.

    Queen Lilian¡¯s glossy eyes drifted up to Morgana as the Black Mage ran her eyes over the Queen¡¯s form. Strand of Lilian¡¯s hair stuck to ether side of her face. The Queen¡¯s complex was ashen. What caught Morgana¡¯s attention when here eyes landed on it was the knife sticking out of Lilian¡¯s lower abdomen. The black mage knew the knife probably did more damage then a curiosity glance informed her.

    Morgana stretched her hand over the area, not touching the knife or the area, and performed the diagnostic spell. It revealed the familiar red lines of blood, pink shape of the womb, and the yellowish-green mixed with black with the knife poked into the pink womb. The damaged was done. Lilian would not have children.

    ¡°Mor-mor-Morgana,¡± Lilian panted, a gleam of clarity in her eyes, ¡°You are here.¡± She tried to smile, but her eye drifted close. Morgana cursed, dismissing the spell and wrapped an arm around Lilian¡¯s shoulder while she cast a series of spells before she lifted Lilian easily up. It would be a miracle if Lilian managed to survive the next few hours. The Black Mage rushed out of the dungeon cell.

    Morgana forced herself out of the memory, coming back to the present as Queen Vivien spoke, ¡°You should speak carefully, Belladonna Black-Drake. As long as I live, the Magi will not be charged with treason. They have fought longer then you or I have when it comes to the safety of Camelot and her people.¡± She stepped toward Belladonna. ¡°I believe them. According to the laws that still exist since the time of King Arthur the First, The Court Approved Magi swore to protect the Kingdom of Camelot with their lives¡­¡±

    ¡°Obviously, they are doing an excellent job,¡± Belladonna cut in, her voice icy. Morgana let out a sigh. ¡°Because our Uther is dying, and they are claiming that Arthur may not become the next King.¡±

    The Black Mage was not surprised that the Warrior Queen had interrupted the Elder Queen. Belladonna was not afraid to let people know her thoughts. Morgana glanced at Clarine and Kalliope. Both watched on with somber expressions.

    Arthur, on the other hand, looked uncomfortable. Morgana knew he had heard the rumors of the Queens arguing, but seeing it in person was another. He shifted in his chair beside his father¡¯s bed. His eyes darted between his great-great grandmother and great grandmother.

    ¡°And if you have read the Historical Accounts, you will know that these two magi have done everything they could have done each and every time the King had reached the 10th year of his Reign,¡± Vivien went on, ¡°But of course, you dislike reading anything that is not about battle strategy or the reports of the Military.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Belladonna snorted before she spoke up, ¡°And you like reading those annoying, worthless poetry books.¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Camelot can not afford to look weak. Having a nameless, untried man on the throne will just bring about the Kingdom¡¯s downfall.¡±

    ¡°Arthur is untried, Belladonna,¡± Kalliope spoke up. She shook slightly as Belladonna spun on her.

    ¡°It¡¯s Queen Belladonna to you,¡± Belladonna growled, eyes flashing, ¡°There are quests Arthur will take and spread his name as the next Ruler of Camelot.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Clarine finally spoke up, ¡°I refuse to allow Arthur out of the Castle.¡± She returned the glare that Belladonna sent her, ¡°If Uther should die while Arthur is away, there would a good chance that our enemies would try to kidnap him, to use him as ransom ¡ª¡±

    ¡°No grandchild of mine would allow themselves to be use in a way,¡± Belladonna stated in an even tone, ¡°If they did,¡± She turned her gaze onto Arthur, ¡°They should die for being weak.¡±

    Morgana¡¯s jaw dropped. She, personally, knew Belladonna didn¡¯t mean that. Perhaps. The Queen came from a different culture then the other queens. Belladonna came from a family that pride themselves as strong warriors and there was no room for any weak people. However, that was no excuse for that comment.

    Merlin never wanted more than now that he had learned that telaportation spell from the Atlantian Spell book he found the other day. It would have come in ready, right now, he mused. A glance at Arthur informed the mage that he wanted to escape as well. He couldn¡¯t believe how nasty the argument was getting between the Queens. He was ready to make some excuse to get himself and Arthur out of the room. However, when Belladonna made that last comment, Merlin¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise. He knew Belladonna was harsh and came across heartless, but this was a new level for the Queen.

    Kalliope couldn¡¯t believe Belladonna had spoken those words. She, usually, tried her best to understand why the older queen would even say harsh and heartless words to begin with, but this time, she didn¡¯t even try to understand the reason. It was the one of the most heartless comments Kalliope heard Belladonna say. She saw something out the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Arthur still sitting in the chair beside his father¡¯s bed. She looked at Arthur. He paled at the words and Kalliope watched as something broke in the prince¡¯s eyes.

    Clarine had heard many things over the years since she had married into the Ruling Family, and the majority of the negative comments came from Belladonna. Clarine tried to keep her peace and not to cause trouble for her husband, and later son while they were on the Throne. But the comment that slipped from Belladonna¡¯s lips. She never expected to hear it from Belladonna. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and she slowly turned her head. Her eyes widen in horror.

    Arthur, her precious grand baby, sat in the chair beside hers with a broken look in his eyes.

    Uther narrowed his eyes in rage. He did not raised Arthur to be seen as weak. His grandmother should not have said that. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He panted. His chest felt tight. It was getting hard to breath. He had been fighting this so-called curse for the last three to four months. Once he caught his breath, he raised his head, intending to tell his grandmother what he thought about her comment. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

    You have forgotten your place, Grandmother. Arthur is not a weak Prince, untried, yes, but not weak. He will be the next King.

    He heard the word echo in his head, but nothing came out of his mouth. He froze. The Black She-Mage had mention voice loss was a symptom of the curse. He had never been sick enough that he lost his voice. He looked down at the bed in a mixture of horror and the realization of what was happening. He pushed the issue away. He had more important things to worry about. He saw his son clenched the arm rest, his knuckles turned white, and Arthur¡¯s eyes - so much like his mother¡¯s - darted around the room with a pair of broken, watery blue eyes.

    Uther wished that he could speak, just long enough to assure Arthur that he did not see his son like his grandmother did.

    Belladonna froze, a second after the comment left her mouth. Her eyes widened in a mixture of horror and surprise. She couldn¡¯t believe she just said that. It sounded like her father had spoken through her, from the beyond the grave. She had not thought of that man in years, not since he basically sold her to the King for their alliance with the Kingdom of Camelot. She didn¡¯t shed a tear when he died nor went back to the Noir Estate. A memory drifted upward from her past.

    Belladonna glared at her Uncle turned foster father with a fierce hatred she hadn¡¯t experience before.

    ¡°You will do as I command, Belladonna,¡± The Lord of House Black drawled.

    ¡°Father,¡± Belladonna protested, ¡°With all the battles on the border of our lands with Merician, if I go now to Camelot, I could be easily kidnapped and be used for a ransom if they knew I was supposed to be marrying the Prince.¡±

    Her foster father stood up. The chair he had been using flew back, slamming against the ground with a loud bang. His eyes narrowed into a glare. Belladonna had only seen him deliver to those who dare to speak out against him. His hands held up on the desk.

    ¡°No child of mine - natural or foster - would allowed themselves to be used in a way,¡± He growled, ¡°If they did, they should be killed for being weak.¡±

    Snapping out of the old memory, she silently cursed as something shifted on the edge of her vision and she turned her head just far enough to feel her heart drop through her belly to the floor where it bounded once then broke in half. Arthur was still in the room. She looked at his face, reading the pained expression on his face, the broke look in his eyes.

    Arthur slowly looked up at her. Their eyes meet. There were tears in his eyes. There was enough pain in his eyes that Belladonna wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he weren¡¯t speak to her again.

    Vivien in all her years of knowing the other Queen never heard Belladonna speak so spitefully. She knew the Warrior Queen had problems accepting that she was no longer in a position of power since Luke died on the battlefield and couldn¡¯t try to push her agenda anymore. The Elder Queen often thought that Belladonna never forgave Luke for dying and leaving her alone, especially in the couple years after the Lord of the Noir Estate¡¯s death. Belladonna had been unbearable during that time, losing both her husband and her father in a span of three months.

    However, Vivien knew it was no excuse that existed in the world for Belladonna to say those words. Her aging eyesight didn¡¯t miss the fact that their grandson, Arthur, was still in the room and from the expression on his face, Vivien didn¡¯t have a stronger urge to slap Belladonna then she did now.

    Arthur knew he was weak as a prince. He didn¡¯t need his grandmother to say it out loud. His hands curled into the plush arms of the chair he sat in. He was used to getting disappointed looks from his father. His chest tightened and his chest heaved. He breathed faster. His eyes darted around. He saw the regretful expression of his Nana Bella, the shock and surprise look of the Magi, the pale horrified face of his stepmom, the wide horror filled eyes of his grandma Clarine, and Grandma Vivi had enraged expressions.

    He risked a glance at his bedridden father. Uther didn¡¯t look regretful or horrified, but he looked like he agreed with Nana Bella. That was the last straw. He pushed up, out of the chair, stormed around the royal bed, and reached the bedroom doors. He threw open one of the doors and hurried out. He didn¡¯t look back as the door slammed shut behind him. It echoed loudly in the silence.

    ¡°Well,¡± Merlin finally spoke up once the sound of the door slamming shut died away, ¡°That went well, ladies.¡± He turned to the Queens and glanced at the king. Uther looked enraged by the conversation, but the king didn¡¯t say anything. The mage frowned. Usually, Uther had a few words to say about any subjects like the current one, but he hadn¡¯t said anything. That was unlike him. ¡°Your majesty, are you alright?¡±

    Uther glared at him, waving his arms around widely. His mouth opened and moved, but Uther¡¯s voice didn¡¯t ring out. Merlin knew if Uther was able to express what he wanted to say through words, Belladonna would have been thoroughly chastised.

    Morgana¡¯s gasp echoed around the chamber of the King. Merlin turned to the she-mage with a raised eyebrow, opening his mouth to comment, but he paused, seeing her pale face and the horrified and scared gleam in his eyes.

    ¡°He lost his voice,¡± Morgana¡¯s eyes found Merlin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Merlin voiced the only thought he had. The curse had progressed faster than they had thought it would. A sharp pain rocket through Merlin¡¯s chest. A weight settled on his shoulders as he slowly walked to a nearby chair. He collapsed into it. His eyes flickered over to Morgana and held up an arm.

    Morgana rushed over and sat gently down in his lap. One of her arms stretched across his chest. Her hand cupping the side of his neck. Her face was half-buried on the other side of his neck. She stumbled as he wrapped an arm around her, his hand settling along the curve of his hip.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± Kalliope asked, breaking the silence. Merlin looked around the room.

    Kalliope stood at the front of the bed, holding onto the bed post. Her eyes pleaded with Merlin for information.

    Clarine sat in a plush chair, watching the scene unfold before her. Her hands curled into the arms of the chair. Her lips pressed together. Her eyes held a note of worry.

    Merlin turned his attention to Queen Belladonna. She sat in a chair at the long table. Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes glinted with worry, and fear. One of her hands lay on the chair while the other hand curled beneath her chin with her elbow propped on the table¡¯s surface.

    Vivian, the eldest living queen, stared at Merlin, meeting his eyes when he gave his attention. She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes. She announced without a question, ¡°He¡¯s dying.¡±

    Both magi knew the oldest queen had lived through this a couple times. She, after all, had been there when her husband had died from the curse.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin said, ¡°He has less than a week to live.¡±

    In the main hallway of the royal wing of the Castle, Arthur spotted Lancelot lending against the wall, talking with Tristan and Gawain. He didn¡¯t stop to talk to them as he hurried past them, down the hall. He didn¡¯t know where he was going. He just needed to get away. Perhaps he would get out of the castle for a while.

    He heard the trio fall into line behind him. He wished they wouldn¡¯t, but it is not like he would be a prince for much longer.

    ¡°How is the King?¡± Tristan asked, breaking the silence

    ¡°Dying,¡± Arthur replied in an even tone, silently adding, ¡®Leave me alone.¡¯

    They didn¡¯t say anything else. They followed him as he stormed through the castle. His eyes darted back and forth. He struggled to catch his breath. His chest tightened.

    No grandchild of mine would allow themselves to be use in a way, his Nana¡¯s voice rang through his head. ¡®Weak¡¯

    Arthur burst through the side doors of the castle that lead down to the training grounds. He sensed the three knights start to hang back as he hurried down to the training grounds.

    ¡®Weak,¡¯ Nana Bella¡¯s voice bounced off of the barriers of his mind, ¡®Weak.¡¯

    Arthur burst into a spirit, heading to the training grounds.

    ¡®They should die for being weak.¡¯

    He barely knew the knights and other men on the grounds gave him space as he stormed over to the training sword rack.

    ¡®Weak.¡¯

    He snatched one and twisted on his heel, eyes narrowing on one of the training dummies. He grabbed the hilt with both hands and bought the sword over his shoulder before he stomped with his left foot hand, bringing the sword around. If he had been facing a man, not a straw dummy, he would have sliced a man¡¯s head clean off. With the dummy, however, the training sword thudded into the wooden post. The dummy shook violently.

    Arthur pulled out the training sword and attacked, again, with his great-grandmother¡¯s words echoing in his head. He didn¡¯t know how long he attacked the dummy. He knew his arms felt weak and he struggled to lift the sword up. His chest heaved as he panted. He strained to lift the heavy sword up, however, he barely managed to get the sword up to his wait when his fingers loosen. The sword dropped to the ground with a dull thud. He allowed his arms to hang at his sides. He just stood there, feeling numb. He stared past the dummy, at nothing.

    Lancelot stepped into Arthur¡¯s line of vision and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your room, Arthur.¡±

    Arthur didn¡¯t fight him nor Tristan as they took each arm, placed it over their shoulders, and forced Arthur walk toward Arthur¡¯s royal chambers. Gawain stayed behind long enough to put up the training sword before he rushed after them and ended up leading the way to their location.

 Chapter 8: Evening in the Woods

    Tina was barely aware of the time; only noticing the sun moved above when she glanced at the forest floor and saw her shadow had moved as she silently berated herself. She should have fought again Ralph, but at the same time, she wanted to find about her father¡¯s family. Her mind drifted to the few scenes from that Disney movie, the one about Rapunzel. One moment she wanted to go back home then she couldn¡¯t wait to see if the scroll had any truth to it. Tina¡¯s lips pulled into a sympathetic smile. She finally understood how that princess felt about leaving home. Her eyes roam through the forest. She personally didn¡¯t believe she had managed to get back into the forest.

    She had forgotten how peaceful this part of the forest was. She felt herself slowly moving back to center. Her spirit energy soaked up the natural energy from the forest. It was a soothing balm for her unseen injuries. She knew what to expect, being in the forest.

    She glanced up at Ralph¡¯s back as he chatted with one of his teammates, Abasi, if she remembered correctly. He still carried her hiking bag as he walked a few paces ahead of her¡­but with Ralph, she didn¡¯t know what to expect from him. He claimed he was hired by the White Hall Matriarch to bring Tina to her, alive and mostly unharmed. It brought up the question - Why?

    Tina¡¯s eyes flickered to her hiking bag. Ralph still carried it. He moved through the forest easily, keeping a few feet ahead of her. She did play withe idea of jumping him from behind. She knew there was one problem with that. He kept out of her striking range. She did try to take her bow out as silently as she could with an arrow, but once she had started aiming for a clean head shot, he had turned around to face her, a pair of icy blue eyes daring her to release the arrow. The rest of the team shifted, waiting for her to take the killing shot.

    However, movement caught her attention, on the side of her vision, and she turned her head and changed her aim at the last second, releasing the arrow into the canopy overhead. She said in an effect to cover up the soft bing she knew would come, ¡°Damn! I missed,¡± She paused, ¡°I thought I saw a cat hiding in the canopy.¡± She slipped her bow away and walked toward the ninja, ¡°There are bobcats in these woods,¡± she informed her escort.

    They didn¡¯t say anything until she reached Ralph¡¯s side. His hand curled around her upper arm, in a tight grasp. She gasped from the pain. He lend in, whispering, ¡°Do that again, Lady Valentina, I will knock your ass out and carry you to the White Hall Estate.¡± He paused, meeting her eyes, ¡°Got it toots?¡± she didn¡¯t reply. He tightened his grip and repeated, ¡°Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she wanted to growl, but she kept her voice as even as she cold as she replied, ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Ralph said before she blinked and he was a few feet away from her, again. ¡°We are wasting daylight.¡±

    ¡°I think I will be taking that,¡± Kikyo announced, and she jerked away Tina¡¯s quiver and bow while Waya reached for Tina¡¯s waistline and took of the sword belt Tina wore, leaving Tina defenseless. Tina watched with some resentment as Kikyo swung the quiver and bow on her shoulder. Waya hook the belt together before he tossed it over his head, allowing it to rest over his shoulder.

    Tina shook her head, coming back to the present. She did want to know why they was the one hired to deliver her to the White Hall Estate, alive and unharmed. Tina really wanted to take another look at the scroll. Her eyes darted up to her hiking bag. She had stuck the scroll in her bag. She didn¡¯t want to stop and dig it out. She doubted Ralph would allow it, in case she had plotted a way to harm him to get away.

    ¡°I must say I¡¯m surprise,¡± Ralph broke the silence of the forest. Tina¡¯s eyes flickered toward his back. ¡°I thought you were going to put up a fight, toots. You don¡¯t know how refreshing it is for a target not to fight back,¡± Ralph commented, off-handily, waving his hand around, ¡°Usually, I have target that fight back. It can be very annoying. It can be extremely messy, too. The last time I had to go to a Retrieval mission, the target fought back, and I ended up hurting the target by mistake.¡±

    Wondering why Ralph had started a conversation, Tina kept silent. Maybe he would give her a clue or some information that she could use. However, this was real life, and things didn¡¯t happen like that. Even though, she did found out some interesting things about certain people when she just sit back and listen. It was simply amazing how much you could learn about a person, sitting back and watching them. She hadn¡¯t been able to learn much about Ralph then the fact he had been trained in sheath and other ninja like ways.

    ¡°Have you gone mute or something, sweetie,¡± he stopped and turned around, facing Tina. ¡°I know you have a voice, sweetie.¡±

    She stopped, giving Ralph annoyed look, ¡°Look, asshole,¡± she finally snapped, ¡°You have me a choice of either going with you willingly or kidnap me.¡±

    Ralph snorted, ¡°You were planning to take a long hike in the woods, sweetie.¡± His eyes sparkled with mirth. ¡°There are other monsters in the woods then me.¡±

    ¡°Right now, this is not what I had in mind when I was planning to take this hike,¡± Tina growled, ¡°One, it would be me, myself, and I - not a wannabe ninja who spent one too many all nighters watching Naruto. Two, I will have the choice of wandering this forest and have the ability to leave anytime I want. Three, I would not go to this White Hall Estate because my father and his side of the family are dead. Four, I have no clue if you are really taking me to this White Hall Estate.¡± She stepped around Ralph and walked ahead.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Who the fuck is Naruto?¡± Waya muttered out loud enough for Tina to hear.

    ¡°Some anime character,¡± Kikyo replied back in the same tone, ¡°It was pretty good. I watched a few episodes when I was assigned a mission for this world.¡±

    Ralph blinked before he grinned widely, ¡°There is the fire I have seen in your brothers.¡±

    Tina paused, slowly turning her head to look at Ralph. Brothers? She snorted, ¡°Brothers? I don¡¯t have any.¡± As if! Her mother wouldn¡¯t keep something that important away from her. She would drop that subject by accident a few times.

    ¡°You do, toots,¡± Ralph replied. She studied him with a detached expression. He believed it. He thought she had brothers. She opened her mouth to argue that he was trained to make her see his side of the argument and would try to get her to agree to go with his side of the conversation. However, went on, ¡°One of your brothers - man, he has given me trouble,¡± he laughed, ¡°He is one of the General of Camelot.¡±

    Tina cocked an eyebrow at that name drop. Camelot was something she had heard of, mainly, because there was so much stuff in the house about the legendary kingdom and what she learned while she was at college. If that kingdom ever existed, it had been lost to time.

    ¡°General Genesis of the Fire Brigade,¡± Ralph went on, ¡°He has a fiery attitude to match.¡± He glanced at Tina as they continued walking the forest path. ¡°He recently became the general of that part of the Camelot military in the last five to six years.¡± He hopped onto a fallen log before he hopped off. ¡°He managed to get that promotion by impressing King Uther during a raid on a non-human camp in the Dead End Forest where I had been station at. Know what he did?¡± Ralph didn¡¯t wait for Tina to reply before he continued, ¡°he blew up the armory with enough black powder that he took out half of the village.¡±

    Tina, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say another word until they stopped for the evening. Ralph, obviously, didn¡¯t care about her not talking. He kept up the chatter, talking about how here her supposed her older brother managed to achieve frame through his works of military might instead of going down the road of knighthood like her twin brothers. The other three added in their input. Apparently, they all had some experience with this General Genesis. Some of the interactions were good like Kikyo¡¯s run in with the General during a mission where she had to go undercover and the mission almost blew apart when Genesis decided to blow up the place.

    Some of the stories Tina heard caused her to blink. Either way, the team got a good laugh from sharing stories. Tina got the impression this Genesis character was he loved playing with fire.

    The moon stared at them from her highest point in the sky when Ralph called for a stop. Tina could barely see in the dark as she lend against a tree. Her legs felt like hello. They trembled behind her. She heard a thump as Ralph said, ¡°I put your bag by your feet. I¡¯ll be back, soon, with dinner.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t say anything as his darken form vanished from sight. She didn¡¯t know if she could move much further, to tell. She hadn¡¯t been on a hike for nearly five weeks, and it was usually at most a hour walk, not a 8 or 10 hour hike without a stop. She let out a grim chuckle. All that ice cream she ate finally caught up with her. She knelt beside her bag and dug through it, searing for the small flashlight she had kept with her monthly supplies. Tina found the bag and the flashlight before she grabbed the package of baby wipes. She flickered on the flashlight. She noticed the two men disappeared as well.

    ¡°What are you doing,¡± Kikyo¡¯s voice drifted out as a loud snapping sound echoed. She immediately turned, casting the flashlight on the source. Ralph stood a couple feet away with four rabbits in one hand and a bloody kunai in the other.

    ¡°Getting ready to take a piss,¡± She replied, tiredly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Kikyo nodded, understandingly. Ralph knelt in the middle of the clearing as Tina slowly rose to her feet and stumbled to the tree she lends against before she slipped against it, checking to see if there any poison ivy or ask or animals at the base of the tree. Tina quickly did her business and returned to the clearing to see Ralph had a fire going with the rabbits already skinned and over the fire, already. She heard Natasha¡¯s voice in her head, screaming out, ¡°Thumper! Nooo!¡±

    Tina resisted the urge to snort in amusement. Her younger sister would have a field day to see Thumper on a stick. She returned and sat down beside her bag. She put away the flashlight and the other supplies she had took out. She lend against the base of the tree, looking at Ralph.

    ¡°So,¡± she started, ¡°How did you choose to become a ninja?¡±

    Ralph looked at her with a questioning look and sighed before replying, ¡°It was either choose to become a ninja, a member of the Police Force, or a merchant with no trade or skill. I chose the best path for me. I haven¡¯t regret making that choice.¡± He shifted the rabbits over the fire, turning them so they didn¡¯t burn one side. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you got married, yet?¡±

    ¡°I was engaged to be married,¡± Tina admitted, ¡°He never set a date, but maybe that was a good thing. We weren¡¯t right for each other for various reasons.¡± She stared at the flickering flames. She repeated the same question about the reason why Kikyo, Waya, and Abasi chose their path.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice of becoming a ninja because it was required for me to do,¡± Kikyo stated, ¡°When I¡¯m ready, I will do my duty as a woman of the Hidden Bark and provide the next generation.¡± Tina frowned at her, feeling confused. What did she mean by that?

    Waya snorted, ¡°I¡¯m like Ralph ¨C I had a choice and wanted to do the Ninja Path.¡±

    ¡°The Ninja Path was the smart thing for myself and my future family,¡± Abasi shrugged.

    They all acted like they really didn¡¯t have a choice in their career and didn¡¯t mind it. Tina blinked at them as she thought. Of course, there is a chance that they were lying to her about their personal decision. It was a personal question, after all.

    After eating, she settled down for the night in her sleeping bag. She sniffed the bag and wrinkled her nose. She needed to wash the bag the next time she got home. It smelt like a sweaty body slept one too many nights in it. Once upon a time ago, before she had met him, she did spend most of her summers and weekends in these woods. She probably forgot to wash the sleeping bag when she decided to stop having her adventures and settled for ¡®real¡¯ life adventures that involved her growing up to be an adult.

    She wished she didn¡¯t met that asshole. He ruined her hopes for True Love and achieving her Happy Ever After. However, she was old enough to admit to herself, it takes two for a relationship to work and she did do her part of ruining the relationship. She did try to repair it, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t want to help her on that.

    Curling up in her sleeping bag, Tina scouted down into the bag and stared up. She forgot how the sky looked with the bright sparkles staring down at her. She knew there was life out in the cosmos, but she often wondered if there was someone staring up at the stars like she was on another planet. She released a sigh and rolled onto her side. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about what happen.

    She felt the tears trail down her cheeks, feeling hot against her already too warm cheeks. Her stomach rolled as she fought to keep the emotions from overwhelming her. Eventually, she just closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in a peaceful place.

    When that didn¡¯t work, she imaged her soul mate - whoever that was - laid down beside her and wrapped a strong arm around her midsection, pulling her closer to him, and imaged him whispering, ¡°It will be alright, my love. We will meet soon and together; we will piece your heart back together. Just stay strong, I will meet you soon, my dear heart.¡± She wished that image would come true, one day. Closing her eyes, she muttered a prayer of protection and greeted the Moon as she spotted it rising through the trees.

    ¡°Dearest Nott, lure me to sleep so I can face my enemies and battles well rested

    Dearest Freya, please bring me your blessing of love and of comfort

    Dearest Thor, watch over me while I rest, may your hammer strike all who threatens to harm me

    Dearest Loki, trick all the creatures who tend to do me harm, please use your chaotic magic to protect me

    Hail all the Gods.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Knights

    Merlin¡¯s attention was caught by the Prince as he walked into the Great Hall. Arthur looked exhausted as he headed to the Head Table, lacking the usual confident swagger he held. The battle mag brought up his wine goblet to his lips, watching the room as he finished his wine.

    Sir Lancelot strolled into the Great Hall, talking with Sir Galahad and Sir Tristan. Sir Gawain trailed behind the trio. They sat down at the table closet to the door for the Great Hall. Servants walked through the room, carrying trays of steaming meats of all kinds. The scent of roasted and smoked meat filled the room, causing a mouthwatering scent. It didn¡¯t escape the Battle Magi¡¯s attention when his eyes scanned the doorways, the Head of Severs scolded one of her people, a small pixie like woman who looked like she was ready to cry.

    The Head of Severs, Heather if Merlin remembered correctly, was a woman of high expectations and often pushed those expectations to her crew. She was pleasant enough to be around when she was not working, but she was a slave driver when she was working.

    ¡°Looks like there will be another transfer out of the Severs, soon,¡± Merlin turned to Morgana who sat on his right. Morgana peered around the battle mage and saw what was happening.

    She let out a sigh, replying, ¡°Heather¡¯s attitude is going get her replaced.¡± Her eyes drifted back to someone. She smiled, greatly, ¡°Hello Arthur.¡±

    Merlin blinked and set down his empty goblet on the table, looking up at Arthur. He gave the lad a comforting smile, ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    Arthur¡¯s eyes flickered, tiredly, between the magi before he asked, ¡°How is my father doing?¡±

    ¡°He has lost his voice,¡± Merlin commented, waving for a nearby servant for more wine. A servant appeared a moment later and refilled the magi goblet before the servant moved down to Queen Belladonna. The mage went on, ¡°It mean we don¡¯t have to listen to him hollering.¡± He picked up the refilled wine goblet and took a drink before he said, ¡°Now, if someone would lose her voice for the foreseeable future, Camelot could peace she has not seen for a long time.¡±

    Arthur¡¯s eyebrow rose before his eyes darted up to his great, grandmother who waved the servant away before she took a long drink from her goblet. He turned back to Merlin, snapping in a dead tone, ¡°That¡¯s doesn¡¯t answer my question, mage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s does, boy, if you had bothered to learn anything from your history lessons,¡± Merlin snapped back. His eyes narrowed into a glare.

    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Morgana¡¯s voice cut in, ¡°Please, calm down. This topic is already bad enough.¡±

    Merlin huffed, taking another drink. Arthur didn¡¯t reacted. Morgana was the one replied to Arthur¡¯s question, ¡°The fact he has lost this voice is important and very serious, my prince, it means time is counting down for him.¡±

    Merlin noticed the remaining color drained from Arthur¡¯s face. The mage watched as Arthur closed his eyes and composed himself before he nodded. He turned on his heel and walked over to the table where Lancelot, Tristan, Gawain, and Galahad sat, getting ready to eat.

    ¡°And you,¡± Morgana turned her head and glared at her former master, ¡°Need to restrain yourself when it comes to the wine before I do.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my lady,¡± Merlin grumbled. He sat the goblet down and ate a forkful of food. He glanced to his left where three of the four queens sat.

    Queen Vivien sat at the far end, still looking pale. Her eyes were red rimmed. She stared at the Great Hall with emotionless eyes. She poked at her food and took a bit everyone in a while, but she didn¡¯t eat much.

    Sitting next to the eldest queen, Belladonna called for more wine. There was a tightness to her expression, making it unreadable. However, her eyes held a glossy storm of emotions. She ate normally like she did, but she did consumed more wine then she usually did. Merlin knew Morgana and himself would need to stay out of her way or else they may find themselves locked in the dungeons for the night.

    The seat next to Belladonna was empty tonight. Clarine usually occupied that seat, but she didn¡¯t leave the Queen¡¯s tower. Clarine¡¯s personal servant had informed the rest of the Ruling Family, minus Arthur, that Clarine wasn¡¯t feeling well and decided to retire, early for the night.

    Merlin couldn¡¯t blame her. Uther was Clarine¡¯s only son. She did have a daughter, but their relationship has been rocky since Clarine had arranged the marriage, thanks to Belladonna¡¯s help and married her daughter off to a Lord in the northern part of the Kingdom. Clarine hadn¡¯t heard a word from her daughter for nearly 15 years. The Princess didn¡¯t even bother coming to Camelot for Uther¡¯s crowning ceremony.

    The High Queen¡¯s high back chair was empty, but Kalliope was present. She wanted to sit as far away from Belladonna as she could, choosing to sit next to Morgana.

    The Battle Mage knew there was not going to be any love lost between the High Queen and her King, but they had been a couple for nearly 14, going on 15 years. Merlin overheard Kalliope asking the Black Mage how she should make Uther comfortable, and she also asked the question that obviously been plaguing her mind since she had received the news earlier.

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± Kalliope asked, ¡°What will happen to the current Ruling Family if Arthur doesn¡¯t pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the new King,¡± Morgana said, ¡°But this is not the place to discuss this subject.¡±

    Merlin caught from the corner of his eye as Belladonna flagged down another servant and heard her asking for more wine. He frowned, thinking. That would be her 7th glass of wine in less than an hour.

    ¡°Merlin and I will explain more tomorrow,¡± Morgana said to the youngest Queen, ¡°Everyone will have time to cool down and will be able to come to terms with what is happening.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we will,¡± Merlin agreed, half-hearing the conversation before he turned to the she-mage, commenting, ¡°¡¯Gana, could you be a dear and keep an eye on Belladonna? She is working on her 7th glass of wine. I think she will be heading to bed soon.¡±

    Morgana let out a low whistle, her eyes widening in shock, and muttered to Merlin, ¡°She¡¯s not going to be in the Great Hall much longer then. She is going need to sleep that off soon.¡± Merlin nodded. ¡°Arthur is keeping an eye on her, it appears.¡±

    Merlin¡¯s eyes darted toward where the Prince sat. He knew the Prince was just more than angry at Morgana and him. It was not like the magi had not been doing anything in the last 1500 years. They just didn¡¯t have any luck in looking for a counter spell for the curse. Merlin brought his goblet to his lips and drained his wine in one go.

    ¡°Maybe you should take your own advice, Merlin,¡± Morgana commented, eye flashing, dryly, ¡°Go to bed before you end up doing something you will regret in the morning.¡±

    Merlin paused as he reached for the jug of wine sitting on the table. He blinked, trying to remember how much he had to drink. He had lost count. Morgana was right. When he informed her of this, she gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her chest. Merlin slowly stood up, ¡°Yeah, yeah, lap it up, you annoying brat.¡±

    ¡°Love you too, Merlin,¡± Morgana shot back. They shared an amused smile before Merlin walked away from the table. He bit back a slight curse as he watched the world tilted to the right as he walked toward his rooms. He managed to get halfway there when a though struck him. He needed to let the Generals and the other knights know what was going on. He nodded at himself. He changed directions and started to head to the Generals¡¯ office.

    Arthur almost collapsed into his place on the bench and started reaching out to fill his plate with the steaming chicken legs, roast beef patties and mashed potatoes. A servant appeared a second later with a goblet full of wine. He glanced up at the High Table. His eyes landed on Grandma Vi. He noted the red rimmed eyes, the unreadable expression, and the fact she barely ate her food. He noticed the too pale skin. She was trying to hide behind the mask of the Queen, but it appeared the news of his father¡¯s future passing was hitting hard for her.

    His eyes trailed over to Nana Bella. What she had said earlier echoed in his head, faintly, before he shoved it away. She was too busy drinking her wine and appeared to be getting more and more - What did Sir Draco called it? Wasted? Plastered? Arthur knew the word from Sir Draco, but he didn¡¯t remember where the word came from and what word the dark-haired knight used.

    Grandma Clarine was not at the High Table. He figured she wouldn¡¯t be. His father was her only son. Aunt Elizabeth hadn¡¯t been back to Camelot for year, now, and while he had letters from her on his birthday, he hadn¡¯t heart from her in a long while and he wondered if she was alive or not.

    Arthur¡¯s eyes landed on his stepmother. She was deep in conversation with the she-mage. There was a worried expression on her face. Her eyes did some kind of sadness, but overall, she didn¡¯t acted like the rest of the women in his family did now. He questioned if she loved his father or not.

    Before Arthur could explore that idea more, Tristan¡¯s voice rang out from Arthur¡¯s left, making the comment, ¡°So, Prince Arthur, how come you are not eating up with your family?¡±

    Arthur glanced at him. The Violent Knight¡¯s eyes held a note of concern and worry, knowing something was wrong. Arthur turned his gaze onto the other knights at the table. Most of the knights there, he had personally trained with or spent festival nights drinking with them. He had gotten to know some of them personally while there were others, he didn¡¯t know that well or knew through his father because some of the men were known as family knights. He knew Tristan only brought the topic up due to the fact he wasn¡¯t known to join the knights until after dinner was finished and the Ruling Family had departed from the Great Hall, but after the events in the King¡¯s chambers, he didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near the Magi and Nana Bella.

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t stand being any near the magi, right now,¡± Arthur spatted, his expression darkened, before he shoved a fork full of food into his mouth. He glared at his food and grabbed his goblet of wine, drinking heavily from it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± the knight spoke, ¡°Why is that?¡±

    Arthur shallowed, remembering his father was lying upstairs, dying. That battle mage had claimed telling anyone about the curse on the Holy Sword would cause panic. Right now, that news getting out was something he didn¡¯t need nor want to deal with. He opened his mouth, but he glanced around the crowded Great Hall, before he finally said, ¡°Tell you guys later, when there is not so many ears.¡±

    Tristan raised his eyebrows. Gawain muttered loud enough for the table to hear, ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Galahad paused in eating his food. There were several others within ear shot and they turned to each other with worried looks.

    ¡°Should I gather the other Knights of the Round Table?¡± Lancelot asked, taking a bit of his food as he waited for an answer.

    Arthur thought about that as he ate another fork full of food. It might sound better if it came from him instead of the Battle Mage or the Black Mage. Granted he didn¡¯t know all the details of the Holy Sword, but he would try to explain the best of what he knew. If the Knights of the Round Table were aware, they would be able to help keep the peace when - if - Arthur and his family were asked to leave by the new King or worst, killed by the orders of the new King. However, if the Holy Sword chooses one of the Knights to be King, Arthur and his family might be safe from harm. He could work a deal with the Knight -turned - King where his family was safe, and he would help the new King out.

    ¡°Yes, I think that would be wise,¡± He finally said, ¡°We will meet in the Knight¡¯s Meeting Room in an hour.¡± He glanced up toward the High Table.  Nana Bella tried to stand but she fell back into her chair hard, and the chair tipped backwards before slamming back down on all fours. ¡°Well, she is taking the news well.¡± He muttered to Lancelot. He set his silverware back on the table and stood up before he hurried over to Nana Bella.  He didn¡¯t need to know Lancelot was a second behind him.

    Lancelot stared at the closed door, leading to Queen Belladonna¡¯s chambers in the Queen¡¯s tower. It had been a long walk from the Great Hall to the tower, taking nearly twice as long as it normally did. The Warrior Queen had broken her own rule and got really drunk by the time Arthur and Lancelot managed to escort her from the Great Hall.

    He frowned, thinking about what she had said during their walk to the Queen¡¯s Tower.

    ¡°My poor Artie,¡± she muttered, ¡°He won¡¯t be King!¡± She slurred her word together as she went on, ¡°All of my plans are ruined.¡±

    There was a series of slurred words that Lancelot couldn¡¯t make out. It was something to deal with that annoying long rumor about the Holy Sword being Cursed, following the broken end of the line.

    Lancelot lend against the wall of Belladonna¡¯s Hall of the Queen¡¯s Tower, frowning. His eyes swept the hall, noticing the colors of Dark Green trimmed in black. He spotted the House emblem of House Noir on a tapestry hanging a floor to ceiling window then the symbol of the Drake House on another.

    Lancelot waited, running a hand through his hair. The entire Ruling Family had been acting strange since they appeared for dinner. He knew something had happen while they were with the King. He just didn¡¯t know what, but he did hear about the fight between all four Queens from a castle guard and that the magi were involved somehow. The door opened to the tower and Arthur stepped out. His prince shut the door to the Queens¡¯ tower and turned to the Knight. Lancelot finally asked the burning question, ¡°So, what was all that about?¡±

    Arthur sighed, looking a bit older than his twenty-four years. He commented, ¡°She had too much to drink.¡± He walked past Lancelot.

    The knight made the comparison the Prince was preparing to walk into the most important battle of his life. It was strange to see it. Usually, the Prince had a confident swagger, but now, his shoulders were held back and tensed. His eyes stormed with emotions. His walking pace was barely under control. A fist swung by his side, opened, and closed as the prince tried to use some of the energy. ¡°We are taking Dad¡¯s illness hard.¡±

    They both knew that statement was just an excuse.

    ¡°If the King was just ill,¡± Lancelot stated, ¡°You guys won¡¯t be acting this way.¡± He followed the Crowned Prince, ¡°And Queen Belladonna would not have said anything about Camelot¡¯s demise.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t reply.  Lancelot reached and grabbed Arthur¡¯s arm, continuing, ¡°Is there something more to this that the Knights need to know about?¡±

    Arthur twisted on his heel. Lancelot immediately took a couple steps back. The two men didn¡¯t say anything as they stared each other in the eye. Lancelot watched the storm of emotions in the Prince¡¯s blue eyes. The knight had half expected the prince to attack him in a manner like Arthur did with the straw dummies, mere hours earlier. Whatever was going on it, it was not limited to the fact the king could be dying. There was something bigger going on and it was eating away at Arthur.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yes, there is more to the story then anyone realizes,¡± Arthur started. His voice sounded strained. ¡°This is not the place to discuss it.¡± He turned away, heading to the Knight Tower.

    The prince stormed away, and Lancelot couldn¡¯t fight the gut feeling that things were going to change. If that change would be a good or a bad thing remain to be seen. He followed Arthur to the Knight¡¯s Tower. Either way, he vowed to stand by Arthur¡¯s side in the coming weeks, no matter what happens.

    Morgana stared at the fire as it flickered back and forth. She had returned to her chambers after making sure the rest of the Queens made it back to their chambers, safely. She did checked on Queen Clarine and saw Queen Clarine had been staring out of the window with a lost expression on her face, but other than that, she appeared to be fine. Morgana blinked, becoming hypnotized by the roaring flames. She didn¡¯t know how long she sat there as she watched the fire, dancing back and forth, flickering one way then¡­.

    Red hair flew out as the figure with the green eyes spun before the eyes narrowed, emotions flashing through the orbs - sadness, confusion, anger, pain - and the orbs disappeared behind the eyelids as tears rolled down her cheeks.

    ¡®Why?¡¯ her voice sounded emotional as her eyes. Morgana couldn¡¯t hear the reply, but she could tell it was not a good one as the figure fell to her knees, sobbing and the She-Mage watched as something fell to the ground inches away from her knees. She peered closer and gasped, softly. It was a heart - shattered.

    Morgana suddenly lifted her head and saw darkness creep closer, closing to the figure threatening to engulf her. Horror filled her veins as the darkness took various forms through the darkness she could not identify, before it settled on a dark robed figure, stepping forward to the kneeling figure with sad green eyes.  However, the darkness paused, a few steps away from the figure.

    The Mage walked to face the figure and saw a spark of light in a small piece of the shattered heart. The light slowly spread over the shattered heart and up the crying figure covering her in a thin layer of light, glowing faintly.

    The Dark Robed figure let out a low chuckle and retreated, waiting. A faint whispering drifted over the silence. The figure curled up into a ball within the layer of light. The light would flicker in and out of existence as the barely audible voice sounded.

    Morgana blinked, coming to herself. She lend forward, curling up into a tight ball, in one of her plush chairs. She didn¡¯t know what the dark figure was saying, but she just knew it was degrading, depressing, and she felt hopelessness slowly spread through her veins. She muttered a warming charm as a chill went up her spine. She never experienced a chill like that before and never wanted to again. She pushed herself out of the plush chair and hurried over to the roaring fireplace. She laid as close as she dared without catching on fire, trying to get warmed up. She shivered on the hearth. She didn¡¯t dare to look into the fire.

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Tristan roared, hands slapping against the top of the table, his legs pushing back his chair, hard. The chair tipped over and landed with a thud that echoed in the meeting chambers for the Knights. He stared at the Prince with a pair of wide hazel nut eyes and opened mouth, panting hard. ¡°You must be joking, Arthur.¡± The bowman stood at the far end of the long meeting table.  His expression twisted into one of outrage. ¡°What about this possibility of you not becoming King?

    Arthur released another sigh. He just finished explaining the curse and the spell on the Holy Sword to the Knights of Camelot. They had reacted just as he thought they would. Various forms of outrage colored the knights¡¯ faces.

    ¡°The Holy Sword chooses the King,¡± The prince repeated, ¡°Merlin, a long time ago, placed a spell on it -¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Galahad, sitting on Arthur¡¯s left, fifth chair down the line, asked. His storm colored eyes pieced Arthur as the knights waited for the answer.

    ¡°King Arthur, the First, requested I do so,¡± a voice spoke up from behind Tristan. Tristan spun on his heel, withdrawing his bow and an arrow, and had the bow up with the arrow notched before the words disappeared into the silence. Merlin¡¯s eyes flickered toward Tristan. The rest of the knight like Tristan, rushing to their feet and withdrawing their preferred weapon. ¡°For personal reasons, I will not disclose.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Gawain growled, lips pulled back, bearing his teeth. Anger colored his expression.

    ¡°Simply?¡± Merlin smirked at the Knights. He brought his arms up, crossing them over his chest, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± He paused, allowing the words to echo, ¡°And it is really none of your business.¡±

    Arthur growled under his breath the usefulness of the mage and brought the attention of the Knights back onto him, ¡°Anyway, sit down, gentlemen, and I will continued to explain what I know.¡± The prince watched as the most loyal knight to his father put away his bow and arrow back into the quiver and slowly sat back down. ¡°The Holy Sword¡¯s spell chooses the Next King, but that is not the only thing the Holy Sword does. There is another spell on the Sword - a curse.¡± He paused. His chest tightened, remembering the state his father was in. All because of Magic. His father was right about magic being evil. He would be enforcing the laws on all forms of magic if he was made King. ¡°This spell curses the wielder, our King, to a shorten life of 10 years after pulling the Holy Sword out of its sheath.¡±

    None of the Knights said a word as Arthur allowed that piece of information to sink in. He knew they would figure it out. He went on, ¡°We cannot let the fact the Holy Sword has a curse on it get out to the people.¡± He chewed on his lower lip before he went on, ¡°If we did, and the Holy Sword did not chooses me to be the next king, it would be chaos. Nobody would want the Holy Sword. While Camelot was without a King, our enemies would amass and try to destroy Camelot. Like what happen nearly 16 years ago, during the time of the Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    The knights winced. They all remembered that time. Camelot had been nearly overrun by her enemies, some of those enemies had been knocking on the draw bridges for days. Majority of the current Knights were just kids or teens who didn¡¯t know if today their last day was or not and their families were either torn apart by death or managed to get behind the castle walls. For many, it was one of their reasons why they became Knights. Arthur, himself, remembered that time. He had been only 8 when The Holy Sword didn¡¯t choose the next King for 6 months.

    ¡°So far,¡± Merlin broke into the conversation, turning the conversation problem at hand, ¡°The Lady Morgana and I have not been able to find a counter spell to break the curse. It means it is literally a lifetime commitment and whoever pulls the Holy Sword has about 10 years to get their affairs in order, that include any family commits. For example, finding a wife and having children.¡± The Mage paused, running his eyes over the knights, ¡°We have been trying for the last 1500 years to break the curse and we have no luck. However, it does not mean we have stopped trying to break the curse.¡±

    There was silence in the room as the Knights silently processed what the Prince and the Mage were saying. It was not long before one of the Knights, Draco, spoke up, ¡°So, you are saying if Prince Arthur can¡¯t pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath, we will be given a chance to do so.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin stated.

    ¡°And if we survive the various battles that we know are coming, we will be killed by this curse in 10 years,¡± Draco asked, flickering a piece of his black hair of his face. His stormy gray eyes darted between his prince and the Battle Mage.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Mage repeated, ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡±

    Arthur sat back down in the chair with a glare at the man in the doorway. He didn¡¯t know why Merl- the Battle Mage even made an appearance in the Knights tower in the first place. Even though, he felt somewhat glad the Battle Mage did. Let the Battle Mage answer the knights¡¯ questions and deal with the consequences. He wouldn¡¯t argue that he felt a spark of curiosity of what Merlin - the Battle Mage - could suggest to them.

    ¡°While anyone of you have a chance of pulling the Holy Sword out of the sheath, if you are the one do so,¡± Merlin started, ¡°I would get my affairs in order as fast as possible that way if you are chosen¡­¡±

    Tristan watched as the Battle Mage peered at the knights sitting at the table. He, personally, couldn¡¯t believe the man he looked up to for so long was on his death bed. What made it worst was a curse that was killing him. Tristan needed a strong drink.

    ¡°Because you will be highly busy for the next few months, dealing the back log of Court Requests, learning how to rule the Kingdom¡­¡± Merlin went on.

    Absent minded, Tristan made the connections over what had been happening for the past few months. He knew the high pile of Court Requests that back logged to three, nearly four months ago. Now, he thought about it, the King stopped holding Court about that time because the King was ill. He glanced up to the Prince. He could only imagine what Arthur was feeling, knowing there was a chance he may not be chosen to rule the Kingdom like his father before him.

    ¡°Some of you will need to learn the current and lesser-known laws and traditions that Queen Belladonna insists on following,¡± Merlin continued, ¡°There will be a lot of more I will add to the learning list later depending on if you are chosen or not.¡±

    Something inside Tristan snapped. He had witness the King rule the Kingdom with an iron fist when it came to Magic Wielders but was kind to those who didn¡¯t and asked for help when they needed it. Tristan had enough. He stood up and stormed out of the meeting room. None of the Knights called out to him as he left. He needed to get away from the Battle Mage before he decided to put an arrow in the Mage¡¯ skull. He didn¡¯t believe the Mage when he claimed there was no counter curse to what was happening to the King. They had 1500 years to discover the counter curse, but they hadn¡¯t. That was utter bullshit in his mind. He crossed the common room of the Knights¡¯ Tower before he disappeared down the hallway, leading to the knights¡¯ chambers, climbed the spiral staircase to the third floor and slammed the door to his chamber open and shut.

    Retrieving his travel bag, he had no destination in mind. He held it in one hand as he looked at it. He never unpacked the before day when he returned to Camelot from a short quest. He grabbed an extra bundle of arrows before he left the Tower.  He hurried across the courtyard to the stables. He grabbed his horse. He barely stopped moving as he noticed the stars sparkling in the sky above as he left Camelot. He spotted another Knight - Sir Draco from the house colors and the symbol, riding ahead of him. He knew that Draco was probably heading back to his family¡¯s estate to discuss what was happening to the King with his family. There were just some things you can¡¯t put down on paper. It was obvious to Tristan that this was one of those things for Sir Draco. From what he knew of the dark-haired knight, Tristan knew Draco didn¡¯t have a long ride ahead of him. His father¡¯s lands were close by, nearly a half day¡¯s ride on horseback.

    The Violent Knight nudged his horse, and it was not long before he was riding next to Draco. They didn¡¯t say a word as they traveled through the sleeping village and acknowledged the village¡¯s guards for the night before they left the outer wall of the Castle. Draco continued his way up the road, pushing his horse into a gallop while Tristan guided his horse to the forest, knowing he would ride for a while before making camp. There had to be some news of a counter curse. He just had to check with his old contacts about it. There would be a chance they would know, considering what kind of circles they ran. He didn¡¯t bother looking back at the Castle as he left. Sir Tristan would return when the King died, or he had the counter curse in hand.

    Thinking back to her vision, Morgana couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the Darkness would show itself, but she didn¡¯t know when. She knew that part would bug her until she figured it out. She shoved it to the back of her mind. She glanced out of her balcony doors. It was a calm night, despite what was going on within the walls of the Castle. She walked over to the doors and opened them. She felt the chilly breeze wash over her and some movement caught her attention.

    Walking onto her balcony, she turned her attention to the courtyard and saw Sir Tristan and Sir Draco. They were leaving Camelot. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder who else would leave, even though, she hoped no else would leave. She knew it was going to happen. It always did when the Throne changed hands to a new family.

    She turned away and headed to her fireplace. She knelt beside it and grabbed a couple more logs before she tossed it into the flames. She felt warm wash over her and stood up, tightening her thick robe around her. May still had chilly nights.  Too chilly in Morgana¡¯s opinion. She hoped it would warm up at night, soon. She stood up and hoped more knights didn¡¯t leave through the night. She knew Merlin had gone and tried to explain what was going on to them the best he could. There was a chance it wasn¡¯t enough. Hopefully, the departing Knights just needed time to think and come to terms with what was going to happen. God knew Morgana had to every time it happened.

    Sir Bardock, Lord of the White Hall Estate, left the meeting room of the Knights tower and headed to his room on the third floor of the tower. He couldn¡¯t believe that the King he served for the last 10 years was dying of a curse that the Magi could not break. However, it did sound familiar. Maybe it was something he once read in his family historical books. He knew he had several ancestors that became King of Camelot over the many centuries that the kingdom had existed. He frowned, trying to remember some of his historical lessons. He shook his head. He apparently needed to make a trip back to the Estate to get that information. His lovely wife always had the viewpoint that you could trust what someone said at face value, but double check on the facts.

    Sighing, he reached his room and stepped into it. He blinked, spotting his twin sons, sitting his private room. Their heads bent close together, deep in a whispered conversation about something. Bardock thought it could be another prank they were going to try to pull on another unsuspecting noble or knight. He didn¡¯t know how many times the twins had gotten into trouble. He really needed to do something about them before they lost the chance to become Knights. He silently closed the door and crept up behind them. He had fully intended to scare them, but the topic of the conversation caught his attention.

    ¡°What if grandma said was true?¡± Vincent or was it Victor asked. Usually, Bardock could tell which one was Vincent or Victor, something not many knew. However, after getting the news about the King and the unknown future ahead of the entire kingdom, his mind felt scrambled.

    ¡°If we did have another sister, and if she was coming to home,¡± Victor or maybe it was Vincent started, ¡°Dad would have told us about her a long time.¡±

    ¡°Vin,¡± the first one spoke, Victor, started, ¡°Think about it. There must be a reason why Father never told us if we had another sister.¡±

    Bardock froze. Questions darted across his mind. He frowned. How did they found out about their sister?

    ¡°If so, why did grandma sent us a letter about her visiting us?¡± Vincent asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t dad tell us himself?¡±

    He sighed. Only his mother could figure out a way behind his back and spill family secrets to other family members, causing from the other side of the kingdom. He did have three daughters. One of them, Natalie, was living at the Estate with his mother, instead of being with him in Camelot. This living arrangement was done since he was in the process of training his two sons to be knights, but his eldest son was working as one of the Generals and his lovely wife had the other two girls. What his wife was teaching his other two daughters, he didn¡¯t have a clue. It had been nearly 15 years since he had seen his beautiful wife. His sons continued to discuss the reasoning behind not being included in the family secret. This secret had a very small circle of those who knew the reasons. He shook his head. This was not the first time his mother decided to muddle with his affairs. She never did like the fact he ended up marrying the most secretive woman in the Kingdom.

    ¡°May I see this letter that your grandmother sent you?¡± Bardock spoke up. He felt a spark of amusement as he fought back a smirk when the Twins jumped in surprise. One of them let out a squeak of surprise before Vincent spun to face him. Vincent¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Victor gulped loudly as he looked over his shoulder, but he stood up and reached the space between himself and Bardock before he held out the letter.

    My dearest grandsons,

    I¡¯m hope this reaches you in good health and I have some excellent news to you tell you. In a few days, your sister, Valentina, will be joining for a short visit. I am already preparing the Estate with Natalie¡¯s help. I do hope you, boys, and your father will be home soon to greet your sister.

    Lots of Love,

    Grandmother

    His heart stopped. The Lady Matriarch had informed his sons about one of their sisters. He wanted to let out another sigh. What was that saying his wife used to say? If it¡¯s not one thing, it¡¯s another. He did informed his mother, a few years ago when his eldest was supposed to travel and stay with them, the reason why she didn¡¯t. His mother had ranted about that it was his daughter¡¯s place to find a match for herself, that it was his responsibility, and so on. He had tuned her out after that point. Now, why would his mother be sending a letter to his sons about his daughter visiting? He frowned, thinking.

    ¡°Father,¡± One of the boys spoke up, ¡°Do we have another sister?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bardock huffed, ¡°She is not only your sister, but she is the third of your set.¡± He waited to see if one of his two present sons understood that part.

    ¡°Third of a set?¡± Vincent echoed.

    ¡°We are triplets?!¡± Victor made the connection, looking at his father in amazement.

    ¡°Holy crap!¡± they chorused, looking at each other in awe before they rested their eyes on him.

    ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°When is she coming home?¡±

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t we heard of her before?¡±

    ¡°Is she a spy just like mom?¡±

    Bardock did let out another laugh and walked over to the chair, close to the fire. He sat down in it and blinked at his sons. He held up a hand to stop the flow of questions from the two and explained, ¡°Yes, you two are part of triplets. Your sister has been living with your mother for the past 20 years. She was supposed to come home with your mom and Natalie¡¯s twin when you three turned 18, but she fell in love, started to have a relationship with the man who capture her heart, and wasn¡¯t informed of the situation. As for the the spy business, I don¡¯t know. According the letters your mom and I have exchanged over the years, Valentina - that¡¯s your sister¡¯s name - is trained in archery and has dealt with the more dangerous non-humans.¡± The two boys¡­Bardock couldn¡¯t call them boys anymore. They were in the middle of their second decade of life. The two young men hung onto his every word. ¡°As result, Tina doesn¡¯t know about us nor remember us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Vincent whined.

    ¡°Family Secret,¡± Bardock stated in a final tone. He went on, ¡°And recently, that relationship failed. Your mother sent me a letter about Tina a couple weeks ago, explaining what happen. Tina is hurting and has done nothing but stayed in bed since she returned back home.¡± He glanced at the letter in his hands. ¡°I have no idea why she would be traveling to the Estate, right now, when she is no condition to do so.¡± There had to be something more to this letter then meets the eye. Bardock knew that. However, there was no other way to figure out then to travel home and confront his mother about her letter. ¡°Pack your bags. We need to head home. I will inform Genesis.¡±

    Vincent slowly stood up and grabbed Victor by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Bardock started to pack. He knew there was a chance that, his eldest son, Genesis was may not able to leave Camelot. His oldest son was one of the Three Generals for the army of Camelot and depending on if the other two Generals were in Camelot will depend on Genesis be able to leave or not.

    Genesis wanted nothing more than to fall into his bed after the day he had. He had been training his men since dawn. He still had to deal with the various reports. There was one that was brought to his attention. It was about a missing shipment of black powder. He had personally ordered the shipment from the Smith Family. The Smith Family was one of the smallest vessel families that lived under the protection of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall and often gave the General a discount whenever he ordered his supplies from the family.

    If Genesis remembered, correctly, this was the third large shipment he had ordered, and it went missing on the road.

    He reached out to the stack of reports on the table in front of him. He shuffled through the stack. He spotted several requests for personal leave for whatever reason: the stock report. He paused on that report.

    If what Merlin said was true, Genesis needed to double or triple the stock for Camelot. He knew they were experiencing a shortage on supplies. It was one of the things that the Kingdom faced over 20 years when Camelot didn¡¯t have a king for six months. He sighed. He moved onto the other reports and saw requests and recommended various promotions. He knew those wouldn¡¯t be looked at by the Ruling Family any time soon.

    There were a few reports about an increasement of travel for the non-humans through the Dead-End Forest, but no capture or new enslavements. He rubbed his tired face with a hand and at his burning eyes. He yawned, widely, as he stepped into his room. The moment the door shut behind him, he allowed his shoulders to slump, and his footsteps became shuffled as he walked to the couch. He fell onto it, ungracefully, and kicked off his tall combat boots. He sighed loudly as his feet felt cooler. He wiggled his toes, enjoying the freedom not wearing shoes brought.

    ¡®Might need to get a new pair of boots,¡¯ He thought as he relaxed on the comfortable couch. He slowly closed his eyes and jerked awake when a knock echoed through the room. He groaned in a low tone, ¡°Go away!¡±

    The door opened and someone stepped in before the sound of the door shutting caused Genesis to screw up his face in irritation. He pushed up himself into a sitting position and glared over the back of the couch. His father stood there with a bemused expression. He let out a huff and blinked away tears as he yawned widely. He flopped back down onto the couch.

    ¡°Really, Genesis,¡± Sir Bardock commented.

    ¡°My room, my rules,¡± Genesis shot back, loudly, though his voice was muffled by the pillow. His irritation grew as he sensed that Bardock didn¡¯t move. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, old man?¡±

    ¡°Old? I can still run circles around your young ass, boy,¡± Bardock said, ¡°Your grandmother made contact with your sister.¡±

    Genesis froze, thinking there was no way that his father meant his younger sister. He voiced, ¡°Tina?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± the older man replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details, but she sent a letter to the boys about her coming to visit.¡±

    ¡°When?¡± Genesis¡¯ throat tightened. It had been so long since he had seen Tina. Tina, Vincent, and Victor were five years old when Genesis last saw her, hug her, and picked on her. After his mother left, she took Tina with her, claiming some bullshit reason about needing to vanish with Tina to protect her. He sat up, throwing an arm over the back of the couch, staring up at his father. He felt like that little boy asking when his mom would be home with Tina.

    ¡°Soon,¡± Bardock answered, ¡°Sometime this week.¡± For all the things that were Holy, Genesis knew he couldn¡¯t leave. When he voiced that, his father simply said, ¡°I understand that Gen.¡± A paused silence fell between father and son before his father went on, ¡°The boys and I will be leaving in a short while.¡±

    ¡°I will try to come as soon as I can,¡± Genesis promised. His mind raced. He knew the other two Generals would try to help him out, but between the three of them, they were strapped for help. King Uther had promised to find another two or three Generals to help them out, but that was before he fell sick.

    ¡°I know you will,¡± Bardock said. He turned to the door and headed to it. ¡°I will tell Prince Arthur before I leave with the boys.¡±

    Genesis nodded, before he asked, ¡°Is it true? What the Battle Mage said about the King? And the Prince?¡± he looked toward his father. The older man paused, hand extending to the doorknob. The General heard the Knight sighed the reply and his shoulders slumped.

    Genesis heard the door open and shut behind his father. He couldn¡¯t believe the King was dying from this incurable illness. He knew things would be going to be difficult for the foreseeable future. It was just another thing he would have to handle as a General. He frowned, glancing around his room. Where did that bottle of whiskey he got as a gift last week for his anniversary becoming a General? He thought it was about time he cracked that open and had a tall one.

 Chapter 10 The Escape

    Tina laid there, comfortable, trying her best to ignore what was poking her in the center of her back. She frowned, shifting. She cracked open an eye to see the wood¡¯s lightening up with the morning rays. She shifted on to her right side and yelped as a spot in her back gave a sharp pain. She rolled halfway onto her left and pulled out her arm before she reached under her, pulling out a sharp pointed rock out. She glared at it. She brought her arm back over her head and tossed it past her feet.

    Her thoughts turned back to the night before - a team of ninja basically kidnapped her - it was a strange vivid dream. She had wanted to go, but it would have been on her terms, not someone¡¯s else. Her internal musing were cut short when a loud yelp echoed through the clearing. She blinked. What the hell?

    Tina sat up and looked past her feet to see that weird ass ninja leader. He glared at her, rubbing the side of his leg. She glanced at the clearing. The only other woman let out a snort as she had watched what happened and smirked at Tina, saying, ¡°Nice shot, sweetheart.¡± If Tina remembered, her name was Kikyo.

    ¡°If she does that again,¡± a deep voice rang out across the clearing from Kikyo, ¡°I will be more than happy to knock her out.¡± Tina turned her attention to the speaker and blinked as his name drifted to the surface of her mind - Abasi.

    ¡°It¡¯s not her fault that Ralph wasn¡¯t aware,¡± another male voice rain down from above. Tina¡¯s eyes drifted upward to see the third male ninja sitting in the tree, a leg kicking the air below the branch, in a lazy motion, ¡°Ralph is our captain for this mission. He should have been expecting something like this.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, Waya,¡± Ralph snapped back.

    Tina rolled her eyes. So, it wasn¡¯t a dream, she concluded. She laid back down, wanting nothing more than go back to sleep, but her bladder protested. She sighed. Apparently, it was time to get up. She groaned as she shifted around and unzipped her bag before she brought her legs up out of the bag. She shivered in the early morning light, feeling the chilly morning air against her bare legs. She slipped her bare feet into her hiking boots. She slowly stood up, shaking her legs to readjust her sleeping shorts. She glanced at Ralph before her eyes darted around to the other ninjas. Ralph yawned widely as he started to get up.  Kikyo slowly stood up and went to the edge of the clearing before she stopped, obviously waiting for Tina. Waya cracked his neck. The sound echoed loudly. Abasi glared up at his teammate with annoyed look. Tina shook her head. This team was something else. She turned to her bag and pulled out the jeans pants she wore the day before and the package of baby wipes.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get ready,¡± She announced, ¡°May I take my weapons? This forest is dangerous and I promise not to attack any of you.¡± She looked at Ralph.

    He studied her for a long moment before he said, ¡°If you try to attack us again, you lose permissions on keeping your weapons until we get to the Estate and your wrists will be tied together.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Tina nodded, meeting his eyes.

    Ralph nodded and gestured to her weapons. She went over to them and grabbed her bow and quiver and the Rapier before she returned to her bag and grabbed the pair of blue jeans and the baby wipes. She stood up and walked over to the edge of the campsite, stopping when Ralph¡¯s voice rang through the clearing.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, anyway. Kikyo, you going with her?¡± He yawned.

    ¡°No course not, baka,¡± Kikyo grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m going to stand here and look pretty.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Waya smirked down at Kikyo, ¡°You obviously need some more beauty sleep, Kiki.¡±

    Kikyo raised a fist up at Waya and flipped him off as Ralph went on, ¡°Alright, lovebirds, we got a job to do. We need to keep moving. It will take us another 7 days to get the Estate by foot. However, once we pass the barrier, I will be able to get us a pair of horses to help make the journey faster.¡± Tina froze at that news. Horses? Why horses? Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. Her blood ran cold in her veins. That memory tried to rise to surface, but she shoved it back down, deep. ¡°According to Lady Freya, we need to be there by the end of the month.¡±

    Blinking, Tina spoke in an even tone, ¡°Do you realize that is in two days?¡± She turned her head, watching his reaction. She pushed her fear of the fact she would have to travel by horse away.

    ¡°What¡¯s in two days?¡± He asked before he twisted his upper body to increase some flexibility or whatever the shit that Ninjas do as a morning stretch. Abasi stood up, pulling an arm across his body. Waya pushed off of the branch, landing in a crunch before he straightened up.

    ¡°The end of the month,¡± Tina explained. Ralph¡¯s mouth parted and his eyes widened with surprise. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She walked a few feet into the woods, away from Ralph¡¯s eyes. God, she really had to pee. A series of cursed leaving Ralph¡¯s mouth as she walked away, Kikyo trailing after her. Tina snorted softly and grinned in amusement. At least, she got something amusing out of this screwed up situation.

    Tina and Kikyo returned to the campsite a few minutes later, both feeling refreshed. Tina wore her blue jeans, holding her sleeping shorts in a free hand. She held her bow and quiver in one hand while her rapier hang on her back. She, silently question how long it would take to reach the Estate and she knew she needed to conserve her clean clothes. She would probably change her pants the following day or the day after that, depending on what she had to walk through. She might be able to stretch for a fourth day.

    Tina looked up once she entered the campsite and spotted Ralph had packed up his stuff. The trio of men had moved, quickly, onto making sure there was no evidence of their campfire.  She knelt beside her bag and shoved her sleeping shorts into it before she shut the main pocket and clasped it shut. She folded in her sleeping bag closed and rolled it into a tight roll. She attached it to the hiking bag and twisted it around before she arched her back toward the bag. She slipped the straps over her bare arms and shifted them up onto her shoulders. She rolled her shoulders, adjusting the straps before she jerked them, tightening the shoulder straps up against her back. She pushed upwards with her legs into a standing position.

    She felt the quiver bit into her back, but she ignored it. She shifted her rapier along her waist. She practiced drawing the bow out of the quiver a couple times from over her shoulder. She nodded to herself. She glanced at Ralph.

    ¡°Ready to go, sweetie,¡± he asked, standing beside what used to be the fire pit.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina replied. She glanced around their campsite. There was no sign of them being there. This was not the first mission these four had worked together on or they were trained to have this routine.

    Ralph led the way, heading deeper into the woods. Tina, uneasy, followed him. Kikyo fell into line beside the red head, on her right while Waya went to Tina¡¯ left. She didn¡¯t need to look over her shoulder to know that Abasi brought up the rear. She usually never went this deep into the woods behind her house. Her grandma warned her not to go too deep into the woods, hinting at there were different creatures living in the forest. She remembered the one time she ran into one of those creatures.

    She didn¡¯t remember how long ago it was, now, but she did remembered it was a year or two before she had ¡®retire¡¯ her adventure gear, maybe it was month or so before she started to date her ex¡­she had met someone who lived in the woods, to her utter surprise. She wondered if she would run into her Forest friend this time. That would be nice, to have someone to actually to talk to and trusted more than she did with these annoying ninja she was traveling with. Assuming he was alive and lived in the forest, still.

    8 Years ago

    Tina crept closer and closer to the tree her grandmother had marked as the line, telling her that she must not go pass the line whenever she was out in the woods. The older woman had claimed it was not safe for her to go further than that. Tina eyed each tree, looking for the mark. It was not long before she found it.

    Tina¡¯s gut tightened with anticipation or worry. She didn¡¯t know which. She wanted to know why her grandmother had insisted for her not go further than that line of trees. She stood by a tree that was marked with an X. She looked to her right and spotted several more trees with an X marking their bark. She turned her head to the left and saw the same thing. She nodded to herself. One more step and she would be crossing the line. One more step and she would be furthest into the woods she had ever gone.

    Beyond the line, the forest seemed wondrous¡­unexplored¡­almost magical, despite the darken shadows that the trees and rocks cast upon the ground. Tina didn¡¯t fight the smile that crossed her face as she picked up her foot and placed it beyond the line. Holding her breath, she moved her weight to the foot before she picked her other foot and set it down, next its partner. She let her breath out. She did it. She knew what her family¡¯s reaction would be. Her grandmother would be so disappointed in her while her mother would just shake her head in half amusement and half outrage. Her younger sister, Natasha, would cheer for her doing something so brave.

    Tina sucked in a breath and walked forward. Her eyes roamed the new section of the forest. She didn¡¯t know how far she drifted from her grandma¡¯s ¡®safe¡¯ zone of the forest, but she felt the hair on her arms and the nape of her neck raise a few minutes later. She stopped on a large rock and slowly reached over her shoulder for her bow and an arrow from her quiver. She pulled both objects in front of her. Her left hand grabbed the middle of the wooden portion of the bow and notched an arrow to the string. She slowly raised the bow, but she didn¡¯t pulled the string back.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Tina turned in a circle. Her eyes darted from tree base to tree base, tree limb to tree limb, and tried to peer through the dark shadows that the trees casted in the late evening light. She mentally cursed as she didn¡¯t see anything at first. However, it just took one glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the figure sitting a few feet away from her. The figure almost blended into the tree behind him, like he was wearing cameo of some kind.

    The figure was maybe 2 and half feet, sitting down The figure was covered head to toe with colored greenery, but the majority of the figure¡¯s face was not covered, a trail of blood could be seen the side of the figure¡¯s face, a leg stretched out in a weird angle, an arm laid on the figure¡¯s lap as fingers covered in dark red liquid, and the green eyes blazed with a dark emotion. Whoever it was glared at her with enough hatred that Tina almost thought better of trying to help the figure. However, her mom and grandma raised her better than that.

    ¡°Need help, sweetheart,¡± she asked, still looking at the figure through the corner of her eye. At first, the figure didn¡¯t response until she turned her head, looking at the figure straight on, ¡°Yes, I can see you.¡± She stepped toward the figure, sliding off the rock. She kept her distance. She didn¡¯t want to be attack by the figure because she simply approached too fast and the figure thought her to be a threat.

    ¡°How?¡± The figure let out a low voice that singled the figure as a male. She cocked her head to the side. The male went on, ¡°How can you see me?¡±

    ¡°Focus,¡± Tina replied, ¡°May I help you and take care of your injuries?¡±

    ¡°What can a human do something good?¡± The figure growled. His eyes narrowed, staring at her with a hated look. His body tensed, waiting.

    Tina raised an eyebrow at that question, ¡°This human can do something good like take care of your injuries before you attract something more dangerous then little ol¡¯me.¡± She held the arrow next to the bow and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked down at the figure in annoyance, ¡°Like a hungry wolf.¡±

    ¡°Or the Akunma No Usagi behind you,¡± the male suggested. A smirk flickered across his lips. Tina immediately spun on her heel and brought up her bow, an arrow held in one hand. She paused, staring at the creature standing less than a dozen yards away from her.

    The creature stood nearly the same height as Tina at the shoulder if they stood on the same ground level. Its head gave the Akunma No Usagi, as the mysterious male called it, another foot of height. Tina frowned, watching as one of the long ears twitched. She blinked, stating, ¡°A Rabbit?¡±

    ¡°A non-talking demon Rabbit,¡± the injured figure corrected, ¡°They are known to be highly territorial. My people have been trying to get rid of them for years, now. We still haven¡¯t been able to find the Warren or it¡¯s mother.¡± He paused. ¡°Oh, yeah, did I mention that Rabbit did this to me?¡±

    The Rabbit let out a roar and thundered at Tina. She stung the arrow and pulled on the string, hard. She aimed, held her breath, summoned her spiritual energy before she released the arrow and her breath.

    The arrow soared through the air and stuck the creature in its left eye. The Akunma No Usagi ran another yard before its body fell to the ground. Tina watched as the Usagi skidded three more yards before coming to a stop at Tina¡¯s feet. She eyed the Usagi with a critical eye. She didn¡¯t think she would run into a creature like this one.

    So, this is what her grandmother said about the woods being unsafe past that line of trees, Tina mused silently. She turned to face the male.

    ¡°Not bad shot,¡± the male commented.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tina replied with a small grin, ¡°Now, do you want my help or just are you gonna sit looking pathetic?¡±

    Tina blinked, pulling herself out of the memory. She wondered what happened to Endir, briefly. She tried not to sigh or feel guilty. She had lost contact with her forest friend after she started dating that asshole. She had no one blame but herself when it came to losing contact with her friends and family. She peered ahead. She allowed it to happen, instead of fighting it. She wondered if Endir would remember her or not.

    The forest was quiet. It was comforting. She didn¡¯t want to deal with the business of life, right now. Closing her eyes as she stopped walking, she tilted her head back, enjoying the silence when she felt something hard drop onto her forehead before it bounced. She frowned.  Another drop hit her, bouncing off her head. She slowly opened her eyes. There was nothing above her. However, this time, she saw an acorn drop from a branch and bounced off her head. She let out a low growl in annoyance. A soft chuckle echoed softly. She almost missed it when Ralph spoke, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, toots?¡±

    Tina looked forward to Ralph and replied, ¡°I think a squirrel is upset. She keeps throwing acorns at me.¡± She knew that would tick off the person hiding in the trees. She bent her knees as she lend forward slightly and this time, Ralph yelped in pain as three acorns hit him on the head. She smirked in amusement. However, her amusement disappeared when Ralph spun, something silver caught the sunlight before it whistled through the air. A loud thump echoed through the silence. She looked at Ralph, remembering the dangerous fact. He was a ninja. The rest of the team slipped into their attack mood, keeping their formation around her.

    Ralph¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger as he glared at the tree above Tina before his eyes roam over the nearby trees. His lips twisted into a dark scowl. He emitted a dark aura. His shoulders tensed. His fingers already curled around the hilt of a throwing knife. He waited.

    Tina¡¯s gaze went over to Kikyo. The female ninja had her back toward Tina, facing the trees. Her shoulders were tensed, ready to spring into attack. One of her arms held up, out of Tina¡¯s sight, but the red head knew the woman had a kunai.

    The captive turned her head to the left to see Waya. He tilted his head back, looking through the tree branches. Tina¡¯s eyes darted down to his hands. He held a kunai in one hand and the other hand out of her sight.

    She half turned to see Abasi. He didn¡¯t have his back to her. He watched her with a pair of emotionless eyes. She knew he was not going to let her out of his sight. He didn¡¯t have anything in his hands. He probably didn¡¯t need to. He probably has skills to pin her in place or powerful enough to overcome her.

    Tina refused to move. Her shoulders tensed. Her hands curled. Her breath picked up. Her lips parted as her mouth suddenly too dry. She had forgot that her guides were really her kidnappers and they were trained assassins. Ralph¡¯s eyes resembled glaciers as he scanned the branches.

    She didn¡¯t dare look up toward the trees. She knew her forest friend had dodged it. He was talented, as far as she remembered, to be brought down by a ninja, but she knew he would attack back. However, she knew she should do something to prevent this situation from accelerating, but she didn¡¯t know what. She didn¡¯t trust the ninja not to attack her if he thought she was a threat to them and their mission. Abasi would no doubt knock her out for an unknown amount of time. She couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. She needed to figure out a way to get away from them and it was kind of hard to do that if she knocked out cold. A gut feeling hinted at the chance, one of the ninjas would also strip her of any weapon, preventing the chance of escaping harder if she dared to make an attempt at escaping.

    It was not a moment later when her forest friend appeared, leaping out from the tree behind Ralph. Abasi¡¯s voice rang out when Endir appeared. Tina¡¯s eyes jerked up. His short sword gleamed silver in the mid-morning sunlight before he sliced the air. A glimmer of hope shot through her before Ralph spun and blocked the short sword with his throwing knife. That glimmer of hope faded as Ralph did a series of one-hand signs she barely saw before a stream of fire exploded from Ralph¡¯s mouth.

    Endir¡¯s eyes widened, and he ducked under the stream of flames. The flames touched the ends of his golden-brown hair. The scent of burnt hair filled the air. His left foot touched the ground beneath him before he twisted around, raised his right leg in an arc before he landed a kick into Ralph¡¯s unprotected side. Ralph brought down his arm, trying to trap Endir¡¯s leg. However, Endir pulled back before Ralph could trap the leg, bouncing back, creating space between himself and Ralph.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ralph¡¯s cold voice rang out.

    ¡°Endir of the Barrier Forest Village, Son of Bendir, Lord of the Barrier Forest Village,¡± Endir stated. Tina blinked. She thought this forest was called Glastenbury Forest, after the nearby mountains. She knew Endir lived in a village somewhere in the forest, but she didn¡¯t know what he meant by Barrier Forest. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ralph started, slowly relaxing. Tina narrowed her eyes. A gut feeling screamed he was still on guard, that Ralph only appeared to be relaxing. ¡°I¡¯m not used to someone not knowing who I am. However, I will indulge you. I am Ralph, son of The Hidden Bark Village, The Fireball Ninja of Hidden Bark Village. This is Lady Kikyo, heiress of the Orion Clan, daughter of Hunter. The gentleman in the back is Abasi of the Nara Clan and this is Waya of the Sherwyn Clan. Now, why did you attack us?¡±

    Endir smirked, ¡°Because I know Tina wouldn¡¯t go with a group of Ninja from Avalon.¡± Avalon? Tina blinked again, wondering what the hell was going on then met Endir¡¯s eyes. ¡°I will explain later, Tina, however, why are you with them?¡±

    Tina sighed, glancing between the ninja before she opened her mouth, ¡°Apparently, my grandmother from my father¡¯s side wants to visit and she isn¡¯t giving me a choice on the matter, so she hired these guys to make sure I visit.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Endir nodded, ¡°Is this visit on your terms?¡± Tina gave him a ¡®what-do-you-think¡¯ look. ¡°Guess not.¡± Endir rolled his shoulders back. ¡°I think that means one thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Ralph stated. Endir and Ralph stared at each other for a long moment before the ninja leader stated, ¡°Abasi, don¡¯t lose our lovely target.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are talking to?¡± Abasi barked out from behind Tina.

    The red head woman gulped at the same time Endir leaped forward, swinging his sword toward Ralph. Tina sensed the other sprites of a scouting party jumped at the ninja. Abasi let out a cry of surprise and rage before the clanging sound of metal on metal. Kikyo grunted as two of the female sprites drew her away from Tina. The red head turned her attention to Waya who was forced to engage a trio of sprites. Her attention snapped forward to watch Endir draw Ralph away from her, creating a large opening between Ralph and Kikyo. She watched all of this with wide eyes.

    It had been a while since Tina had witnessed a fight in person before and knew if she did get into the middle of this fight, it would not be a good thing for her. Ralph needed her alive and preferable unharmed. She knew he would not have a problem doing her harm if it meant Endir would stop attacking him.

    She had a thought. Her heart picked up. Her chest heaved. She could escape. Her eyes darted around, half watching the fight between the fighters and the forest around them. She took a step away from the path as the two groups continued to fight and another one before she crept forward. She glanced toward the forest. It seemed to be calling for her, for freedom. She glanced back at the fighters. She took a deep breath and tightened her bag against her back. She saw the fighters have eyes for each other. She pushed off, breaking out in a spirit, pumping her arms back and forth, darting forward as fast she could. She knew she had to put as much space as she possible could before the fight ended. Depending on the winner, she could be facing a friend or an enemy.

    Ralph¡¯s voice echoed off the trees, ¡°She¡¯s getting away!¡±

    Tina cursed, silently, as she tried to keep up her spiriting pace. She was extremely out of shape. She had stopped working out when she dated the asshole. She had stopped doing a lot of things. All for what? A broken heart? An uncertain future? To feel alone? She used to be so much better at a lot of things.

    She shook her head, trying to shake those thoughts as she jumped from a rock to a large, downed tree before she darted across it. She saw a stream rush under the tree. She reached the end and leaped. She brought her feet forward and landed. She felt a twinge of pain race up her lower legs. She sucked in a breath. She ignored it. She darted forward.

    She didn¡¯t dare look behind her as she kept going. She didn¡¯t want to see if either of the males were following her. She didn¡¯t want to take the chance. Tina tried to keep running as long as she could until she felt like she was going to pass out before she would slow down to a walk and catch her breath. She would wait until she caught her breath before she darted forward. She repeated the cycle until the sun was passed the mid-point of the sky.

    Tina clutched the side of her ribs as she tried to catch her breath, continuing forward. She slowed to a stop. Her legs burnt. Her lungs ached. Her mouth felt like she had shallow sand. Her chest heaved. She lend against a tree and glanced behind her. Her eyes darted between the trees and saw nothing. She closed her eyes and sunk to the base of the tree. She couldn¡¯t believe it. She had lost Ralph and his team of ninjas. Tina opened her eyes and looked around.  She shrugged off her bag and reached for a bottle of water. She took a deep drag from it. She panted as she looked around.

    Nothing looked familiar. She snorted. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t. She never been this deep in the forest before. What was she expecting? A sign showing her the way back home or this way to the White Hall Estate. That would be highly amusing.

    Tina glanced back the way she came. She had to get to move on. She didn¡¯t know how far she managed to get away from Ralph, but she needed to keep the distance or at least increase. The stitch in her side dulled enough where she was not bothered by it as she pushed herself to her feet. She went to her right and walked fast. She didn¡¯t dare stop in case Ralph or a member of his teammates managed to catch up to her. However, she did fear for her forest friend. She hated the fact she had to leave him behind, but she needed to get away.

 Chapter 11: The End draws Near

    Arthur stared out over the castle grounds, remembering what happen the day before. His lower leg swung over the wall as he sat on the edge of the wall. He couldn¡¯t believe his father was dying and his own future was uncertain. He watched with a disinterested eye as the villagers slowly filled the roads. Merchants opened their stores and wagons. Kids helped their parents with the morning chores before they would rush off to play. Street rats darted in and out of the crowd before disappearing down alleyways. The noise rose up to meet his ears.

    This was something he wouldn¡¯t be able to do soon. In the past, he came up to the second highest tower and sit on the edge, watching the village, eventually becoming lost in his thoughts. He was losing his father. Not to mention, how the Holy Sword worked, he was not for sure how long he would remain royalty. Perhaps in the coming days, he would be forced to leave all what he knew behind and forced to work as a castle guard or something equal to that. Maybe he would be lucky and become a Knight. He let out a sigh. He wished he had more time, but the way his father was looking like and the news that Merlin gave him last night¡­he would know in less than a week if he will remain a Prince or be forced to figure out how to support his family.

    Arthur lend forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He knew his cousin, James Black, would help him out once James was informed of what was going on. It won¡¯t be long before word goes out about the King¡¯s health. James would be heading here to support his Great Aunt Bella and Arthur.

    Grandma Clarine could possible head to Aunt Elizabeth¡¯s and stay with her. However, he would have to find out that if his aunt was still alive or not. If something had happened to her, Arthur would personally see that his aunt was avenged.

    Kalliope, if she wasn¡¯t forced into marrying the new King, could possible return to her family¡¯s estate and live out her days, peacefully. If his step-mom had to marry the new King, the prince would fight on her behalf. He believed that she should have the freedom to choose her new husband, as the final act of High Queen.

    He already received word that few of the Knights already left Camelot when he woke that morning. Only one, Sir Bardock, had claimed it was a family issue that came up and he and his twin sons needed to handle it.  The Prince had thought General Genesis did until he spotted the General doing drills his men. Some part of Arthur was glad the General didn¡¯t leave, but he knew if it was a family issue, Genesis would have wanted to go, but that would have left the military shorthanded. The trio of Generals have been petitioning his father for the past few months about getting new generals appointed, but with the developing situation, Arthur knew the trio would have to wait and petition himself or the new King to appoint new Generals.

    Arthur swung his leg over the edge of the wall and slowly stood up. He needed to get back down into the castle before someone came looking for him. He thought about what he needed to do: Visit his father, Discuss with the Magi the possibility of him becoming King, and if he didn¡¯t become King, if there was a way to protect the women in the family from being tossed into poverty or in the worst case scenario -- killed. However, he knew Nana Bella would prefer to be killed then tossed into poverty, but Nana Bella, Grandma Vivi, Grandma Clarine, and Kalliope did not deserve either option. However, that all need to wait until after his morning lesson. The royal lessons were the only thing Arthur was certain of, right now. Maybe there was something with in the history books about what was going on.

    ¡°Again!¡± Genesis barked at the squad of castle guards. His eyes were cold as he studied the squad. He remembered the conversation from the night before and knew he had to tough up the castle guards in case the worst did happen - invasion from one of Camelot¡¯s enemies. ¡°Good! Keep it up, guards!¡±

    He watched as a couple of the guards stumbled and turned to those guards before he yelled, ¡°You two!¡± He pointed a gloved hand at the guards. Their heads snapped up, looking at Genesis as they froze. ¡°Take a break. You are no good to Camelot if you are dead.¡± The two guards gapped at him. Their eyes widened. Genesis felt his patience snap and he raised an eyebrow as he growled, ¡°What the hell are you waiting for?¡± The guards jerked back like they were struck and jumped to their feet.

    ¡°Thank you for the break, General, sir,¡± they chorused before they hurried away to a series of nearby benches. Two more guards left the benches, already warmed up for their morning training. Genesis nodded at them as they approached and stated, ¡°Get to work.¡±

    He turned, viewing the rest of the guards. He knew these guards were scheduled for morning training then worked in the afternoon and didn¡¯t have to train again for another week. However, there was no afternoon training for any of the Castle guards or the members of the Military. He needed to talk to the other two Generals about that. They needed to be prepared for the worst. They had to change the training schedules and keep the guards trained.

    Merlin stared down at the notes he received early that morning from the Gate Guards. He sighed. He knew Tristan would have left, but he was not expecting Draco, Bardock and his twins would leave as well. They were down three Knights. More thought about leaving. He eyed the potion brewing nearby. He waved his hand and the potion disappeared from his table. It was too late for the potion to work anyway. It pained him to cast away the potion, but there was no way for it to last another 10 years and be effective for the next King. That with the assumption that nothing happen to the next king for him to live the entire 10 years.

    Morgana walked through the door of the King¡¯s Chambers and spotted Queen Kalliope fluffing King Uther¡¯s pillow. She smiled, small and softly at the interaction. She remembered how the High Queen and the King meet. Kalliope had come to court in order to find a husband and tried to gain support for her mother¡¯s position as a sole ruler of an estate. However, it was sometime during the late summer, early fall when Prince Uther had returned from the Battlefield and found Kalliope playing with young Arthur. It was not long after that Uther had approached Kalliope, intending to gain her hand in marriage.

    Their union had brought a ray of sunshine to the darken atmosphere. Uther managed to stay the castle for a week before he went back to the battlefield.

    The Black Mage cleared her throat. She waited until the young Queen turned to her before she walked forward, asking, ¡°How is he doing?¡±

    Kalliope let a sigh out as she looked down at the carpet floor. Sadness colored her face as she looked up, speaking, ¡°Not good, Morgana. He fell asleep late last night and has not woke yet.¡±

    Morgana frowned as she turned her attention to the King. Uther looked peaceful as he rested, but there was a greyness in his complexion. She watched as his chest barely moved the blankets up and down, breathing and before a rattle echoed up from the bed. Morgana¡¯s eyes widened in horror. Another rattle sounded. No. It echoed in the large room. Morgana shook her head as she recognized that breath-like rattle.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Kalliope asked. She had gone pale and her eyes widened in shock, horror as she turned to Morgana.

    The Mage spun on her heel, running back to the door. She threw opened the door and saw a group of four guards walking up the hallway. She stopped right in front of them and ordered, ¡°You -¡± She pointed to the guard on the far right. He jumped in surprise. His eyes went widen. ¡°Go get Merlin. He should be in his study. Tell him it is nearly time and he is needed in the King¡¯s Chambers, now!¡± He nodded before he spirited down the hall, his armor clambered together, loudly in the hall. Morgana turned to the next guard in line, ¡°You - Find Prince Arthur! Tell him, it is his father!¡± She waved him to leave. The guard quickly disappeared after the first one. She turned to the third guard, ¡°You - Find the rest of the Queens! Kalliope is already here. Tell them, it is getting close to the end! Get going! We don¡¯t have the time for you to stand around, Guard!¡± The guard didn¡¯t bother saluting before he ran to the Queen¡¯s Tower where he hoped to find the Queens.

    ¡°And You!¡± She pointed at the last guard; her voice held a threatening note. Eyes widening, he snapped to attention and waited for Morgana¡¯s orders. ¡°Find one of the General and get a total of four groups of guards to seal off this hallway. No one outside the Ruling Family, Merlin, or myself is allowed in this hallway until the order is revoked or gained permission from the people allowed in this hallway. If this order is broke, I will be using the person who broke it as a trust subject. Do I make myself clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the guard managed to say before he broke out into a run like the devil himself was on his heels. The door slammed shut behind him.

    ¡°General! Sir!¡± Genesis heard the castle guard yell across the training field and turned to the guard as he approached. His eyes were wild and wide like he had some bad news to tell Genesis. The General secretly hoped it was not bad news, even though his gut tighten at the sight of the running guard. ¡°Sir!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Guard,¡± Genesis replied as the guard came a stop in front of him, panting hard. Genesis ran an eye over the guard. Was he one of the guards supposed to patrolling the Royal Wing? ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at your post, Guard?¡±

    ¡°Lady Morgana sent me¡­.to inform you¡­.she needs the Royal Corridor¡­.blocked off¡­immediately, sir,¡± the guard explained between pants. ¡°Something is wrong with the King.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ mind went through the possibilities and settled on the conversation he and the other general took part in the night before with Merlin. That was the only reason why the Royal Corridor would be off-limits¡­well, to anyone not a part of the Ruling Family and possible the Magi.

    Genesis finally nodded and placed a hand on the guard¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Thank you. Go man the Wall.¡± He turned to the training guards paused, looking at him, ¡°Training is over. Go to your stations.¡± He turned to the guards who were waiting their turn at training. ¡°You two -¡± He pointed at the two closest to him, ¡°Go inform General Bartholomew and General Honor to meet me at the Royal Corridor, immediately. If they ask, tell them it¡¯s about the King.¡±

    They snapped to attention and saluted with a ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± before they hurried off.

    ¡°The rest of you, go man the wall,¡± Genesis ordered. He walked off at a brisk pace. He didn¡¯t speak to anyone until he reached the Royal Wing. He approached the door to the King Chambers. He paused when he heard running footsteps behind him. He slowly turned half way around and stared up the hallway, waiting to see who would come running down the hall.

    Arthur roamed through the halls of the castle. He sighed. He needed to start on his daily rounds as Prince, but he was not feeling up to it. His mind kept drifting back to the fact the Holy Sword chooses the next King. He knew there were somethings that Arthur need to improve on, but hopefully, he will improve on those things when  - if, his mind corrected him - he was King.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    However, his musings about the future ended suddenly when a castle guard ran around the corner and straight into him. He stumbled back in shock and the guard fell to the ground with a clatter.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord,¡± the guard immediately rose to his feet, ¡°I did not see you there. Have you seen Prince Arthur around, sir? I need to find him!¡± The guard asked, a panicked tone in his voice.

    Arthur immediately knew this guard was one of the incoming guardsmen that managed to pass General Honor¡¯s training program. He raised an eyebrow at the guard and asked, ¡°Why are you looking for the Prince?¡±

    ¡°The Lady Morgana sent me to find him, sir,¡± the guard explained, ¡°Something about his father.¡±

    Arthur¡¯s heart stopped in his chest. His father? He grabbed the guard by the shoulder, asking, ¡°What about my - the King?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir,¡± the guard explained, ¡°The Lady didn¡¯t tell me. I just know she came out of the King¡¯s Chambers like a bat out of hell with a panicked expression.¡±

    Something heavy landed in his stomach, drop to the floor. Morgana never acted like that in recent memory. ¡°Thank you, guard, for informing your prince,¡± he stated before he broke out into a spirit.

    Nana Bella¡¯s voice rang through his head, scolding him for running like a buffoon on the castle grounds, ¡®Royalty never runs to their destination. They walk.¡¯ He ignored the voice. He didn¡¯t care about how he looked. He needed to get to his father. He noticed two of the Generals joined him in his mad dash across the grounds. He glanced over to them and asked, ¡°So, you two have heard what is going on?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my prince,¡± General Bartholomew replied, ¡°The Mage Merlin informed us of what was going on last night.¡±

    Arthur nodded as he reached the hallway where the King¡¯s Chamber was located. He spotted the red head general close to the doors leading to his father¡¯s rooms. He brought up an arm and pushed by General Genesis out of his way before he threw open the door to his father¡¯s room. He heard the familiar sound of approaching death. His blood ran cold.

    Queen Belladonna stared at the letter in her hands. Her great nephew, James Black, was coming to Camelot. She had written to him a few days ago about a possible visit, but right now, he will be a welcome sight¡­especially if Arthur couldn¡¯t pull the Holy Sword of the sheath. If James managed to pull the sword out of the sheath and become King, Belladonna will be able to make sure traditions will be upheld and she would have no worry about the future of the throne.

    However, a frantic pounding echoed from the door to her rooms. Belladonna jerked up in surprise and saw the door open to reveal Queen Vivien. Belladonna took one glance at the older queen - her face was pale, tears welled up in her wide, wild eyes, and she trembled with suppressed emotion.

    ¡°Is it Uther?¡± Belladonna asked. Vivien nodded as her lower lip wobbled. Belladonna¡¯s heart stopped as she realized what was going on. Uther, her precious grandbaby, was creeping closer to death. She hardened her heart, and she hurried over the space between her table and the door. ¡°Come on, Uther needs us,¡± She whispered to Vivien.

    Arthur stepped into the King Chambers. His eyes ran over the form on the bed as a loud rattling sound echoed. That sound was familiar. Arthur frowned as he stepped, unknowing leading the three Generals into the room. He remembered the first time he had heard that sound. It was an ambush by one of Camelot¡¯s enemies and he only killed his first man, but held one of the dying guards with that same sound that came from his father. He stumbled forward a step before he darted the rest of the way to the bed and fell to the side of it.

    Arthur didn¡¯t understand why he couldn¡¯t see straight. Everything appeared to be blurry. He blinked as he reached out for his father¡¯s hand. He slowly became aware of hot trails on his cheeks as he held his father¡¯s hand. It seemed too cool in Arthur¡¯s warm hands. The truth hit him. He was going to lose his father before he was ready to be King. Arthur wanted his old man there as he took the crown, looking at him for once with pride, to be there when Arthur took a wife, and greet Arthur¡¯s children.

    ¡°Father, please,¡± Arthur muttered to the covers, ¡°don¡¯t leave me.¡± He heard his voice break. ¡°Who else I am supposed to go to for advice when -if- I become King? Please, daddy, don¡¯t leave.¡± His shoulders shook as he buried his face into the covers.

    He felt a hand land on his shoulder. He slowly looked up to see his step-mother, Kalliope, looking down at him with a watery expression. She knelt down beside him.

    ¡°I know, Artie,¡± Kalliope whispered, ¡°I know it hurts, but your father is in more pain.¡± She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him to her. She held his head close to her chest. ¡°Allowing him to go¡­¡± Her voice cracked with emotion as she tried to get the words out they both knew were hard to say, ¡°Would be¡­the best¡­thing for¡­him.¡±

    Arthur let go of his father¡¯s hand and wrapped his arms around Kalliope, hugging her tight to him as he sobbed. He felt Kalliope running a hand through his hair.

    Merlin cursed under his breath as he scanned another page. He had hope to find a clue to figure out a way to cure the King from the curse, but so far, no matter how many books he looked through, he couldn¡¯t find a possible counter curse. He still didn¡¯t know how Rowena did it. He frowned as his eyes drifted up from the book about ancient curses from the Sands of the Pharaohs. He growled under his breath in frustration. He needed Rowena¡¯s notes. He knew she had taken notes over the curse, but when he and Morgana had tried to retrace her steps over the years from the time she had parted from the Kingdom, shortly after Arthur the First withdrew the Sword to Arthur¡¯s Final Stand against her, they didn¡¯t get any where.

    He remembered Rowena did have a strong interest in ancient dark and death curses. He lend back in his chair. He never encouraged that interest or discouraged for the plain fact he believed that magic was neutral and it depended on the will of the caster how the spell went.

    Maybe Rowena used a spell that original only meant to kill the person it was cast upon, but through her will, it darkened to a curse that lasted through the numerous generations of Kings, killing them every 10 years. It, in a way, counter acted Merlin¡¯s spell of choosing¡­or his spell counter acted the curse¡­or something like that, Merlin mused. One would think, after the years he had lived, he should really have a much better understanding of how magic worked overall.

    Merlin chewed on his bottom lip, thinking, ¡°Maybe it was her will that change the original spell from a simple killing spell to a generational killing curse¡­.¡± He trailed off. If he went down that line of thought - Rowena¡¯s will changed the curse, maybe he could find a spell that counter acted the curse.

    A loud pounding on his door knocked Merlin out of his train of thought and he jerked in surprise. The book he held in his lap fell to the ground. He looked up at the door and called out, ¡°Come in!¡± A guard appeared around the edge of the opened door, panting. ¡°Catch your breath, guard.¡± Merlin commented and scouted the chair out before he bent over to retrieve the book. He glanced at the page. It was about a spell about a counter curse.

    ¡°Lord Mage¡­¡± the guard panted, ¡°It is the King¡­¡±

    Merlin tried to sit back up, but a hard pain rippled through the back of his head as he hit his head on the bottom side of the desk. He muttered a ¡®ow¡¯ and a curse before he managed to sit up straight. The guard went on, ¡°The Lady Morgana sent me to find you¡­Something is wrong with the King, my lord.¡±

    Merlin blinked at the guard. He knew that Morgana went to visit the King. However, the rest of what the guard said register in his mind. His thoughts immediately flew to the fact the King was dying from the curse, but to summon him - it meant the curse had progress further then they thought.

    ¡°Thank you, guard, you may report to your post,¡± Merlin waved him off. The Battle mage stood up, the book opened on its spine and didn¡¯t brother grabbing anything as he moved into a run as he left his study. He dashed through the tree grove behind the castle, went through the back door of the kitchens, and made his way to the King¡¯s chambers. He spotted two of the Generals standing guard at the entrance of the Royal Corridor. He slowed to a walk, eying them.

    General Honor stepped aside, allowing the mage to pass, and started, ¡°I wish I could say it is good to see you this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Merlin said, grimly. ¡°Has the others arrived, yet?¡±

    ¡°You are the last one,¡± the General replied, ¡°Genesis, Bartholomew, and I perform our last duty to King Uther and will stand guard over the family and the King until he passes.¡±

    Merlin nodded. He reached the door for the King¡¯s Chambers and stepped through. He ran his eyes over the Ruling Family. Arthur laid on the floor beside the King¡¯s bed with Kalliope holding him. Belladonna  sat at the writing table where so many Kings before wrote their letters and speeches. The Warrior Queen looked up as he entered and gave him a death glare. Vivien sat at the foot of the bed, tears running down her face while Clarine sobbed into Vivien¡¯s skirts. Uther exhaled the too familiar rattle of death fast approaching. Morgana, on the other hand, sat as far as she could away from the Ruling Family, settling down on the window seat. She stared into the fireplace with somber expression.

    It didn¡¯t take a genius like Merlin to know Morgana was reliving her own Arthur¡¯s passing and how it felt during that time. She got this every time. He walked over to Morgana. He knew he would not be welcome with the Ruling Family right now. Belladonna¡¯s death glare informed him of that. He settled down behind the Black Mage, allowing her to lend against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her in comfort.

    Morgana knew it was Merlin when he approached and lend forward. He settled down behind her, wrapping an arm around her middle in comfort. She glanced up toward the fire and saw the flames dancing, forming the familiar broke hearted figure with the sad green and flaming red hair. The image of the female was clearer then the other times Morgana had seen her as the vision swept the She-Mage up and carried her away to a near future from the clarity of it.

    The female ran through the trees with a wild lost, fearful look in her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder and twisted out of the way as a kunai flew over her shoulder. She sucked in a breath before she spirited onward. Morgana felt her own heart skip a beat as another kunai flew and landed in the female¡¯s bag and wonder why a ninja would attack the female. The Female immediately weaved through the trees. The mage recognized the area the female was in. She was in the far edge of the Dead End Forest.

    The Female twisted her head around, obviously seeing a way to get to safety. She leaped over fallen trees or rolled over the fallen trees using her bag as a back brace before she soared to increase the distance between herself and the ninja. Morgana looked ahead as she floated near the female and saw in the first time in 1000 years the Tree Barrier separating the outside world from the World of the United Kingdoms of Camelot. She turned her blue eyes back to the Female as she headed to the barrier, legs pumping in a circle as her arms swung, cutting through the air, her bag bouncing against her lower back, the sound of clattering arrows rattling in their quiver.  The Female reached the barrier and disappeared from the outside world as Morgana¡¯s vision faded to black.

    However, Morgana¡¯s vision gained color as the Female ran into the World of the United Kingdoms of Camelot and tripped over a rock covered in mud. Lightening flashed, brightening up the Dead End Forest followed by a loud clap of thunder. The Female recovered quickly and darted forward, trying to increase the distance, but a roaring sound echoed through the forest. The female twisted around and her eyes widened as Morgana peered in the same direction to see a wave of muddy water moving its way through the trees. The Female cursed before she changed directions and leaped on a large fallen tree branch before she hurried her way up it, putting one foot in front of the other. She reached the end of the tree branch and jumped as high as she could, grabbing a hold of a low hanging branch and pulled herself up. She swung a leg over it before she moved into a crunch position and twisted around to face the tree and tried to climb higher. The muddy water moved faster then the female thought and slammed into the tree. The tree shook violently as the female held on to the branch she managed to reach. Another wave hit the tree and the female figure fell backwards into the wave, disappearing beneath the muddy current as a bell trolled out the hunting melody of ¡®Long Live the King¡¯.

    Morgana blinked, rapidly, as the vision faded away. She laid her head against Merlin¡¯s shoulder, starting out the window as questions darted through her mind. In the distance, she saw a storm moving in from the south, pouring rain over the Dead End Forest. She saw the lightening flashing toward the forest.  She frowned, thinking. Why did she keep having vision of this female? What did she represent for the future? How did she get involved with a ninja? Why did she crossed the barrier between the Worlds?

    Merlin shifted slightly before he asked in a low tone, ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±

    Morgana shook her head, slowly. She knew Merlin would try to help her to figure out the puzzle of her visions about the red head woman, but right now, it was not a good time. The Ruling Family needed them to be there for them - to give advice, to give support, and to give their opinions on what direction to take in the coming days. There would be time to figure out the visions meant after the new King was chosen.

    Merlin watched silently as the Ruling Family grieved. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his former student, staring out through the window, at the Dead End Forest. Morgana was trapped in a vision of the future. He recognized the signs of the visions.

    He remembered it was the reason why her father, Uther the First, had allowed him to stay in Camelot while the laws about limiting magic were being put in place. Morgana was almost driven insane by the visions. He had witness a few of them himself while helping her build the walls to protect her mind from the everyday visions, but allowed the true visions to get through.

    Morgana had visions of the Fall of Atlantis; the Crown of Camelot being pass on and on and on with no end in sight; when rain fell and when it didn¡¯t; which kingdom went to war and who will be victorious¡­.it didn¡¯t matter what was going on or the near future¡­ Morgana had a vision about anything and everything.

    However, with Merlin¡¯s help, Morgana had built a wall to control her visions and now a true vision would only come to her whenever she gazed deep into a open flame. There were times a true vision broke through the barrier and suck the she-magi into the events of the future without warning.

    Morgana finally blinked after nearly ten minutes. He waited a couple more as he ran his gaze over the Ruling Family. Uther was fading faster then they had expected. Merlin didn¡¯t know when Uther started to feel the effects of the curse so he could not say how much longer the family had with the man, but that was until the death rattle started, then Uther¡¯s time was limited to hours instead of days.

    Kalliope had Arthur wrapped in an embrace, the image of a calm queen. Arthur¡¯s shoulders shook as he sobbed into her shoulder. On the far side of the bed, Clarine knelt on the stone floor. Her hands covered her face as she let out the heart breaking sobs of a mother. Vivien sat in one of the high back plush chair. She watched Uther¡¯s face, tears slipping down her face. Belladonna sat in a nearby chair, her head bent down, bending over her lap. Merlin didn¡¯t know if the warrior queen was crying or not.

    ¡°Do you want to talk about it,¡± Merlin turned back to Morgana and asked softly. He didn¡¯t pressed her when she shook her head no. He turned back to the room and settled down for a long night, watching over the Ruling Family.

 Chapter 12: Tree Barrier

    Tina stopped long enough to relive herself as the daylight faded into darkness and the Moon became her source of light while she stumbled through the trees, trying to keep the distance between herself and those ninja. It didn¡¯t take a genus to realized she was lost but she really didn¡¯t care. She knew how to fend for herself in the woods. She did it every weekend before she started dating her ex. However, she was rusty, but that was not her main concern as she tried to keep her gaze on the ground. She narrowed her eyes, trying to following the hunting trail.

    A branch snapped echoing loudly in the silent wood. Tina froze. Her head jerked in the direction it came from. She spotted a torch light flickering in the darkness of the forest. Shit! What if that was Ralph? Or one of the other Ninja? Were they coming to take her captive again? What if it was not Ralph, what about another creature that walked these woods? What if it was a dangerous creature? Like a Vampire or another creature of the night? She had too encounters with the supernatural in her teen years not to believe.

    Tina¡¯s breath lodged in her throat. Her heart thundered in her ears. Her chest heaved. Her eyes darted in the dark. She shifted on her feet. Her hands trembled. She curled them into fists. She questioned why there was only one torch light. There should have been more. Endir would have ran and got some more of his people. It was their job to protect this part of the forest. She narrowed her eyes. It did not explain why there was only one torch heading her way.

    ¡°I find her!¡± a voice called out, right behind her. She could not fight the scream that erupted from her lungs as she spun. Her hair flew out in a wide arc as she faced the person standing behind her. She didn¡¯t need light to attack. Endir should have known better, especially after she shared the tales from her trip to Japan. Her right fist flew into the his midsection or what should have been the midsection of a man nearly a foot taller than her. A loud crack echoed through the silence and pain throbbed Tina¡¯s fist. ¡°Son of a ¡ª! She hit my nose!¡± the person yelped, loudly.

    She darted to the left, breaking out into an unsure spirit. She had to put more distance between herself and those¡­those¡­those sprites. She did not want to stick around to see if they were friendly or not. She leaped over a wide stream and landed on the other side. She felt her ankle bend the wrong way and she fell onto her hip, catching herself with her hands.

    ¡°Valentina!¡± She froze, recognizing the voice. That was her forest friend, Endir. She slowly turned over and stared across the stream now separating her from the rest of the Sprites. ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°Endir?¡± She called out.

    ¡°Yes, Tina,¡± he replied. Relief spread through her as she slowly moved into a sitting position when a thought accord to her. What if it was not Endir, but Ralph or one of the ninjas in disguise? She did remember watching an anime with her ex about ninjas and how it was the main character¡¯s dream to become the leader of the village. The show did show that the ninjas could transform into another person, but somehow the main character failed at it, at least the beginner version, but mastered the advanced multi-form easily.

    ¡°Stay there!¡± Tina barked, moving to stand. The group of sprites stopped on the far edge of the bank, waiting for her, ¡°How did we meet, Endir?¡±

    There was silence before Endir shifted on the other bank and Ralph¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Well, you are a smart one, little lady. Not many could see through the illusion of a ninja.¡±

    Tina cursed silently. She had hoped it was Endir that answered instead of Ralph. She didn¡¯t want to think about what Ralph being here could mean. She hoped Endir and his people were all right.

    ¡°There you are, bastard!¡± Endir yelled as he appeared as a dark blur before a flash of silver flew. ¡°Go, Tina! Run!¡± Endir roared toward her.

    Tina spun. She grunted as her ankle throbbed with pain. She cursed. She twisted her ankle. She pushed away the pain and moved forward in a fast walk. She increased her pace into a slow jog as her ankle barked in pain. She didn¡¯t dare look back.

    Tina didn¡¯t how much longer it was when a rustling in the trees caught her attention. She stopped and slowly reached for her bow and an arrow.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Endir¡¯s voice echoed nearby. ¡°It¡¯s me, Endir.¡±

    ¡°Then answer this question,¡± Tina started as she knocked the arrow and held it at low ready, ¡°How did we meet?¡±

    Endir chuckled, ¡°You stumbled upon me while I was injured, fighting those damn bunnies.¡± There was a soft thumb as Endir landed at the base of a nearby tree and she heard the soft footsteps as he approached her in the dark. ¡°You managed to kill the last one and helped me to a nearby scouting party before you had to hurry home.¡± There was a short pause, ¡°something about Lady Sakura and Lady Annja would kill you if they knew how far you wonder beyond the safety line they had set up for you.¡±

    Tina let out a small laugh as she remembered and replied, ¡°It is good to see you, again, Endir.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Tina,¡± Endir¡¯s voice held the grin she knew he had on his face. ¡°So, care to tell me the story how you ended up with those Hidden Bark Ninja?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Tina said, ¡°However, is your village nearby? I think I might have injured my ankle while running in the forest.¡± She slowly put away her bow and arrow as she watched the darken form of Endir raised a hand toward her.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t know how long she followed Endir through the woods. In the distance, she could hear Ralph cursing as he fought against someone.

    ¡°So,¡± Tina started, ¡°How have you been, Endir?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been alright,¡± He replied as he jumped up onto a large log and hopped off to the other side, ¡°My mom has been pushing me to do more for the village and has been urging me to find a wife.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Tina said, ¡°Bet that¡¯s fun.¡± She sat down on the log and swung her legs over it before she slid down the side.

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± He agreed, as he led the way through the darken forest, ¡°She even presented me with a long list of possible women I could take as a wife.¡± He paused. ¡°Some of them are really good choices for the village since I will be taking over once I¡¯m married, but there are none for me.¡± He fell silent.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Tina said, ¡°My former betrothal ended the relationship about six weeks ago. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t good enough for him.¡± She sighed, ¡°Now, I¡¯m roaming through these woods with a group of Ninja who has been sent to escort to me a place called The White Hall Estate to meet a woman claiming to be my grandmother on my father¡¯s side of the family. I have never met them or at least I don¡¯t remember meeting them.¡±

    ¡°Wait! They are claiming you are a Daughter of the White Hall House,¡± Endir sounded shocked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied, ¡°Why? Do you know this White Hall Family?¡±

    ¡°Not personally,¡± he stated, ¡°They are a really rich and powerful family in Avalon. I think they were one of the founding members of Camelot when the Castle was transported there and in fact, Godric, son of Samuel, became the second King of Camelot and ruled for 10 years before he died. Over the years, they have created a number of treaties and they continued to honor them to this day. I think my village has a treaty with them, but it isn¡¯t due to be renewed for another 15 years.¡±

    ¡°Your village has a treaty with this family,¡± Tina asked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°For a number of reasons,¡± Endir shrugged, ¡°Mainly for trade and worst come to worst, protection or aid in times of war.¡± He pushed a branch out of his way and waited until Tina walked past him before he let it go. ¡°The last time it was renewed, it was Grandma Lilac who married Lord Travis, about 85 years ago, now. Grandma Lilac passed away, I think, 30 years ago from some health problems and Grandpa Travis is gone, too. I think he passed away a few years ago. He lived a long time for a human. He was 95 years old when he died. Both are buried in our Memorial hall. They moved back to the village about 40 years ago. I guess Grandma Lilac wanted to spend the rest of her days at the village instead of the Estate when Grandpa Travis stepped down at the Head of the White Hall Family, allowing one of his sons to take over the leadership of the Family.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t say anything as she tried to process what Endir was saying. She felt surprised that he was sharing some of his family history with her. She looked ahead and spotted torch lights in the distance. She asked, ¡°Why are you sharing your family¡¯s history with me?¡±

    ¡°It would make sense if you are a daughter of the White Hall Estate,¡± Endir explained, ¡°You are a powerful woman, Valentina, and you didn¡¯t just cultivate it on your own. Part of that power you inherited it from somewhere and the fact those Ninja are from the Hidden Bark Village in the Dead End Forest other side of the barrier, in Avalon, gives some hint that you are at least a part of the White Hall Family, either a direct descendent or a relative to their bloodline.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything else for a long moment as they approached the village. She kept silent as they entered the Village and they were stopped by a pair of guards. Endir quickly spoke in what she recognized as the Sprite language and the guards nodded. She glanced at Endir who grinned at her and waved at her to follow before he hurried forward. She followed him.

    Tina wasn¡¯t surprised when she found the village to be mostly empty. It had to be closer to midnight. She glanced up at the sky. She couldn¡¯t see the moon. It was probably still raising over the large hillside in the distance. Hopefully, she could rest for the night within the village. She brought her gaze down and looked over Endir¡¯s shoulder to see a beautiful woman standing near to a large in the middle of the village.

    She was tall, compared to the rest of the Sprite Villager that Tina had seen. Her long chestnut brown hair had several streaks of grey in it. She wore a warrior¡¯s outfit and a deep glare. Tina didn¡¯t know if that glare was directed at Endir or herself. Either way, she was about to find out when the older woman opened her mouth, speaking in the local language. Endir seemed to curl upon himself as the woman, maybe his mother or a high ranked official in the village, gave him a serious lecture.

    Tina didn¡¯t how much longer it was when a rustling in the trees caught her attention. She stopped and slowly reached for her bow and an arrow.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Endir¡¯s voice echoed nearby. ¡°It¡¯s me, Endir.¡±

    ¡°Then answer this question,¡± Tina started as she knocked the arrow and held it at low ready, ¡°How did we meet?¡±

    Endir chuckled, ¡°You stumbled upon me while I was injured, fighting those damn bunnies.¡± There was a soft thumb as Endir landed at the base of a nearby tree and she heard the soft footsteps as he approached her in the dark. ¡°You managed to kill the last one and helped me to a nearby scouting party before you had to hurry home.¡± There was a short pause, ¡°something about Lady Sakura and Lady Annja would kill you if they knew how far you wonder beyond the safety line they had set up for you.¡±

    Tina let out a small laugh as she remembered and replied, ¡°It is good to see you, again, Endir.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Tina,¡± Endir¡¯s voice held the grin she knew he had on his face. ¡°So, care to tell me the story how you ended up with those Hidden Bark Ninja?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Tina said, ¡°However, is your village nearby? I think I might have injured my ankle while running in the forest.¡± She slowly put away her bow and arrow as she watched the darken form of Endir raised a hand toward her.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t know how long she followed Endir through the woods. In the distance, she could hear Ralph cursing as he fought against someone.

    ¡°So,¡± Tina started, ¡°How have you been, Endir?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been alright,¡± He replied as he jumped up onto a large log and hopped off to the other side, ¡°My mom has been pushing me to do more for the village and has been urging me to find a wife.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Tina said, ¡°Bet that¡¯s fun.¡± She sat down on the log and swung her legs over it before she slid down the side.

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± He agreed, as he led the way through the darken forest, ¡°She even presented me with a long list of possible women I could take as a wife.¡± He paused. ¡°Some of them are really good choices for the village since I will be taking over once I¡¯m married, but there are none for me.¡± He fell silent.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Tina said, ¡°My former betrothal ended the relationship about six weeks ago. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t good enough for him.¡± She sighed, ¡°Now, I¡¯m roaming through these woods with a group of Ninja who has been sent to escort to me a place called The White Hall Estate to meet a woman claiming to be my grandmother on my father¡¯s side of the family. I have never met them or at least I don¡¯t remember meeting them.¡±

    ¡°Wait! They are claiming you are a Daughter of the White Hall House,¡± Endir sounded shocked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied, ¡°Why? Do you know this White Hall Family?¡±

    ¡°Not personally,¡± he stated, ¡°They are a really rich and powerful family in Avalon. I think they were one of the founding members of Camelot when the Castle was transported there and in fact, Godric, son of Samuel, became the second King of Camelot and ruled for 10 years before he died. Over the years, they have created a number of treaties and they continued to honor them to this day. I think my village has a treaty with them, but it isn¡¯t due to be renewed for another 15 years.¡±

    ¡°Your village has a treaty with this family,¡± Tina asked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°For a number of reasons,¡± Endir shrugged, ¡°Mainly for trade and worst come to worst, protection or aid in times of war.¡± He pushed a branch out of his way and waited until Tina walked past him before he let it go. ¡°The last time it was renewed, it was Grandma Lilac who married Lord Travis, about 85 years ago, now. Grandma Lilac passed away, I think, 30 years ago from some health problems and Grandpa Travis is gone, too. I think he passed away a few years ago. He lived a long time for a human. He was 95 years old when he died. Both are buried in our Memorial hall. They moved back to the village about 40 years ago. I guess Grandma Lilac wanted to spend the rest of her days at the village instead of the Estate when Grandpa Travis stepped down at the Head of the White Hall Family, allowing one of his sons to take over the leadership of the Family.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t say anything as she tried to process what Endir was saying. She felt surprised that he was sharing some of his family history with her. She looked ahead and spotted torch lights in the distance. She asked, ¡°Why are you sharing your family¡¯s history with me?¡±

    ¡°It would make sense if you are a daughter of the White Hall Estate,¡± Endir explained, ¡°You are a powerful woman, Valentina, and you didn¡¯t just cultivate it on your own. Part of that power you inherited it from somewhere and the fact those Ninja are from the Hidden Bark Village in the Dead End Forest other side of the barrier, in Avalon, gives some hint that you are at least a part of the White Hall Family, either a direct descendant or a relative to their bloodline.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything else for a long moment as they approached the village. She kept silent as they entered the Village and they were stopped by a pair of guards. Endir quickly spoke in what she recognized as the Sprite language and the guards nodded. She glanced at Endir who grinned at her and waved at her to follow before he hurried forward. She followed him.

    Tina wasn¡¯t surprised when she found the village to be mostly empty. It had to be closer to midnight. She glanced up at the sky. She couldn¡¯t see the moon. It was probably still raising over the large hillside in the distance. Hopefully, she could rest for the night within the village. She brought her gaze down and looked over Endir¡¯s shoulder to see a beautiful woman standing near to a large in the middle of the village.

    She was tall, compared to the rest of the Sprite Villager that Tina had seen. Her long chestnut brown hair had several streaks of gray in it. She wore a warrior¡¯s outfit and a deep glare. Tina didn¡¯t know if that glare was directed at Endir or herself. Either way, she was about to find out when the older woman opened her mouth, speaking in the local language. Endir seemed to curl upon himself as the woman, maybe his mother or a high ranked official in the village, gave him a serious lecture from the looks of it. Endir spoke when he could and the woman paused long enough to listen.

    Tina tensed as the warrior woman turned on her, but the warrior woman smiled and said in English, ¡°Relax, child. I mean you no harm. You are safe within this village.¡± Tina raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°My son, Endir, tells me you have a Bark Ninja Team after you. Rest here, little one, you will be safe.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t know how long she slept when she snapped awake, but she knew it wasn¡¯t long enough. She rolled onto her back, slowly looking around. It was still dark outside. She sighed, rolling onto her left side, facing the wall. She was still tired, but there was something off. She frowned as she placed her left arm under her head and reached over for a blanket, snuggling it close to her chest, thinking.

    Ralph, Kikyo, Waya, and Abasi were sent after her to bring her back to the White Hall Estate. Apparently, it was meet her father and his side of the family. It was strange to know her father was alive. She also had brothers. Why didn¡¯t her mother talk about her other children? Or Nana Sakura? Or even Aunt Nami when Tina was staying with her? Why did her mother leave her father?

    Questions bounced around her head. She sighed and she rolled over to her right, taking the blanket with her. Her eyes flickered over the room, still lost in her thoughts.

    Maybe she should meet these White Halls for herself and figured out what happened between her parents and the reason why she wasn¡¯t introduced to her brothers. On the other hand, what if Ralph and his team got their information wrong and kidnapped the wrong woman? It did bring up the fact, Tina and Natasha grew up without a father figure. She could finally get an answer to why they did.

    Her mind turned to the short conversation she had with Endir¡¯s mother, Lady Amelia, about the White Halls. Apparently, the White Hall House was an Ancient and Noble Family in the Kingdom of Camelot, located in the world of Avalon and the Sprites had a treaty with them. That treaty would have to be renewed in the next 5 years, resulting in a marriage between a child of the White Hall bloodline and a member of the Sprite Village. It didn¡¯t take a genesis to realize if Tina was a daughter of the White Hall Bloodline, the Sprite Village Leader could easily argue for Tina to marry the heir - Endir.

    That statement alone caused so many questions for Tina and when she tried to ask them, Lady Amelia gave her a small smile before Endir escorted her to a house, allowing her to rest. Tina blinked. The shadows on the far side of the room moved like it was walking toward her. Stretched out her spiritual sense and found it. Her jaw dropped as she sensed several more strange presences with ill intent surrounding the village.

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t,¡± Ralph¡¯s voice split the air. Tina gasped as the flap burst opened and brightly, bright light exploded into the room. She managed to see a figured dressed in a black robe, a long curved knife above the figure¡¯s head, before she was blinded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, toots, I got you.¡±

    An arm slid under her knees and around her back before Tina felt herself being lifted into the air. Her left hand grabbed a fist full of Ralph¡¯s shirt as the air shifted. She blinked, trying to clear her vision.

    Once she was able to see again, she tensed and brought up her knee to hit Ralph in the jaw. She lend, flipping over it.

    ¡°Oi!¡± Ralph yelped. Tina landed on her left foot and stepped back on her right foot. She straightened. She opened her mouth as he glared at her, rubbing his jaw and a movement caught her attention. A black robed figure ran at them, holding a large knife.

    Tina darted and jumped. She grabbed Ralph¡¯s shoulders. She felt his hands grabbed her waist as she swung him around and lifted her legs up. She meet Ralph¡¯s eyes and stated, ¡°We are even.¡± Her legs hit the robed figure causing him to stumble back. A moment later, her feet touched the ground.

    Ralph glanced at the robed figure and realization dawned on him. He nodded, ¡°Yeah, we are even. However, toots, you still have to come with me.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°We will worry - ¡° Tina started.

    ¡°Duck, toots,¡± Ralph cut her off, placing a hand on her head and pushed her down. Her knees bent. A flash of annoyance went through her as one of Ralph¡¯s legs flew over her head, ¡°You are good to stand.¡±

    Tina stood and finished her sentence, ¡°About that, later.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ralph gave her an amused smile.

    ¡°Tina!¡± Endir shouted, running up to her and Ralph, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina glanced at Ralph, ¡°For now.¡± She turned around, facing the Black robed figures. ¡°Anyone know who these guys are?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Endir replied, facing the robe figures, withdrawing his short sword. ¡°They attacked our scouting party nearly 15 minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have a sneaky suspicion this group could be another ninja team from an enemy village,¡± Ralph commented.

    Tina looked to her left, giving the Ninja a shocked look. ¡°You telling me they are after me, too.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Ralph said, giving her irritated look. The robed figures surrounded Tina, Ralph, and Endir, their curved blades glinting in the moonlight. Tina''s heart raced as she tried to count how many there were - at least a dozen, maybe more lurking in the shadows. The leader stepped forward, lowering his hood to reveal a face etched with scars.

    "We have no quarrel with you, sprite," the scarred man said, his voice gravelly. "Nor with you, Bark ninja. Our business is with the girl."

    "Well that''s too bad," Endir replied, raising his short sword. "Because she''s under my protection."

    The scarred man chuckled darkly. "Protection? Is that what you call kidnapping now?"

    "We''re not kidnapping her," Ralph snapped. "We''re escorting her home."

    "Home?" The man''s eyes glinted with an unnatural amber in the darkness.

    "We are the Shadow Clan," he announced in a deep, resonant voice. "And we have come for the girl."

    Endir moved protectively in front of Tina. "You''ll have to go through me first," he growled.

    The tattooed man chuckled. "Such bravery. But unnecessary. We have no wish to harm any of you. We simply require the girl''s presence."

    Tina felt a chill run down her spine as the man''s amber eyes seemed to bore into her very soul. The air around them grew heavy, charged with an unseen energy that made the hairs on her arms stand on end. She instinctively reached for her bow, her fingers brushing against air. She mentally cursed as she realized she had left her weapons and bag in the house she was sleeping. She would have to go back and get the items before she left the village.

    Endir''s stance widened, his lithe form coiled like a spring ready to unleash. The golden-brown leaves of the forest floor rustled beneath his feet, stirred by an otherworldly breeze that seemed to emanate from the sprite himself. His green eyes flashed with an inner light, a reminder of the ancient magic that flowed through his veins.

    Ralph stepped forward, his hand curled around the hilt of a kunai. "You''re not going anywhere with her," he said, his tone firm and determined. He positioned himself beside Endir, creating a living wall between Tina and the Shadow Clan. ¡°I do have a question. Why does the Frost Ninja want with Valentina?¡±

    The air crackled with tension.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering that as well,¡± Tina spoke up. She glanced behind her and saw a couple of the robed figures crept near. She turned around, placing her back to Ralph and Endir. Her heart pounded in her chest.

    The Frost Ninja Leader''s eyes flickered with an otherworldly amber glow, his gaze boring into Ralph and Endir. A cold mist began to seep from beneath his dark robes, curling around his feet and spreading across the forest floor like tendrils of ice. When he spoke, his voice carried the chill of a winter storm.

    "The Shadow Clan does not answer to you, lapdog of the White Hall," he said, his words laced with disdain. "Our interest in Valentina Armstrong goes beyond your comprehension. Hand her over, and we may yet spare your lives."

    Ralph''s grip tightened on his kunai, the metal catching the dim light filtering through the canopy. Beside him, Endir''s eyes blazed with an emerald fire, his lithe form tensed and ready for action. The sprite''s voice rang out, clear and defiant, ¡°Not happening. She is an ally, from the House of White Hall.¡±

    The villagers, who had been watching the tense standoff from the shadows of their homes, felt a surge of courage at Endir''s defiant words. They had known the young sprite since he was a child, had watched him grow into a skilled warrior and future leader. Now, seeing him stand firm against this otherworldly threat, they knew they could not abandon him.

    One by one, torches flickered to life throughout the village. Sprites emerged from their dwellings, armed with bows, spears, and shimmering blades that seemed to glow with an inner light. The air hummed with magic as the forest folk tapped into the ancient power that flowed through their veins and the very earth beneath their feet.

    Lady Amelia stepped forward, her chestnut hair streaked with silver glinting in the torchlight. She raised her staff, carved from the heartwood of an ancient tree, a beacon of strength and leadership.

    In a swift motion, Endir lunged forward, his short sword flashing as he engaged with one of the robed figures. The clash of steel echoed through the forest clearing as he danced gracefully around his opponent, each movement precise and calculated.

    Ralph leaped into action beside him, his kunai slashing through the air with deadly accuracy. He engaged another foe, their blades meeting with a resounding clash that reverberated through the night.

    Tina''s senses heightened as she dodged an incoming strike from an assailant, her body moving on instinct as she countered with a swift kick that sent her attacker reeling back.

    The fight surged on around them, a symphony of clashing metal and grunts of exertion filling the night air. The smell of earth and sweat mingled together as combatants weaved in and out of battle, their movements fluid and decisive.

    As a robed figure lunged towards Tina from behind, she spun around just in time to meet their attack head-on, summoning her spiritual powers, creating a shield along her forearm. The force of their collision sent shock waves through her body, but she stood her ground with unwavering resolve. She mentally cursed. She was not expecting an attack that powerful.

    Endir''s battle cries mixed with Ralph''s grunts of effort as they fought back-to-back against overwhelming odds, staying close to Tina. Their coordinated strikes and seamless teamwork kept them one step ahead of their adversaries, each movement fueled by a fierce determination to protect Tina.

    Tina felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins as she joined the fray, her glowing fists finding their mark with precision strikes that left her opponents staggering. The taste of victory was within reach as they pushed back against the Shadow Clan forces. She missed this kind of fighting. She grinned, finding her rhyme in the fight.

    The fight raged on under the watchful gaze of Lady Amelia and the united front of villagers standing strong against the encroaching darkness. Each combatant played their part in this intricate dance of battle, their fates intertwined in a struggle for survival and loyalty.

    And so, amidst the chaos and danger that surrounded them, Tina finished off one opponent and glanced around the battlefield. She spotted the rest of the Team Ralph in their own fights. Ralph had drifted away from her so did Endir. She took a deep breath and charged toward the house she had stayed in.

    Tina tossed back the flap and grabbed her bag beside the bed. She slipped her arms through the straps. She grabbed her quiver and tied around her waist before she peered through the flap. The entire village looked busy. She crept out, keeping an eye on the battle. She walked around the edge of the house and glanced over her shoulder, once more. Yup, Team Ralph was still busy fighting with the Frost ninja. She picked up her pace and reached the tree line. She doubled checked once to see if all of the Ninja were busy. They were. She grinned and disappeared into the darken forest.

    A few minutes, the fighting came to an end. Ralph panted as he looked around and couldn¡¯t find his target, ¡°Where¡¯s Valentina?¡±

    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me, Ralph? You lost her!¡± Kikyo shouted as she finished off her opponent.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Ralph muttered.

    Endir burst out laughing. ¡°Good luck, trying to find her!¡± Ralph glared at him before Team Ralph darted into the woods, trying to track down Tina.

    Hours later, Tina blinked in surprise as she recognized she was able to see the woods, clearly. A grin spread across her face as she realized the sun was rising. She heard birds chirping, squirrels chattered as they jumped from tree branch to branch, and in the distance, a woodpecker apparently had an issue with a side of a tree. Her shoulders slumped. She listened to the noise, walking with a limp forward.

    She didn¡¯t want to look at her ankle. It had probably grew to the size of a tennis ball. She didn¡¯t dare to stop and try to take off her hiking boot. She mused it was the only thing allowing her to walk with a twisted or sprained ankle. She was happy about one thing though. The pain had dulled to an annoying ache.

    Tina considered herself lucky. She didn¡¯t run into the team of ninja again during the rest of the night. They would be looking for her now. This time without any difficulty. She moved forward, taking a fast walk. She knew she need to converse her energy for the next mad dash through the woods that was coming when Ralph and his team found her again. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She frowned, placing a hand over her stomach. She couldn¡¯t stop to find any food during the night. She could wait another few hours before she stopped to eat. She had to. She would force herself to wait until she got to some form of safety.

    Tina¡¯s determination grew as she pressed on. She stepped on a rock before she crunched to sit down and slid down the side on her rear. She landed on her feet and hurried forward.

    Hours flew by as the sun moved over the sky, reaching the mid-morning apex when Tina had finally reached a dead end in the forest. The dead end was a wall of trees. She stared at the tree line in shock. It had to be three trees deep and just how the hell these trees were still alive? The trees were close together where nothing could slip through. She ran her eyes up the side of a tree in front of her and saw the branches waved together, creating a labyrinth of tangled limbs¡­

    ¡°Like a barrier. What the hell?¡± She questioned. She had never heard of something like this happening. If someone had discovered something like this, it would be all over the local news. Of course, she didn¡¯t keep up the news within the last few years. She blinked as she looked to the left and saw the tree barrier extending several yards. She turned her head to the right and saw the same thing. She placed her hands on her hips. She kinda wished she didn¡¯t ditch those ninjas. She glanced behind her when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like a figure walking out of a tree, facing her with a mischievous grin on their face.

    Tina paused. The logical portion of her mind, easily, explained it away. The figure only appeared to walk out of the tree because the figure had been standing behind the tree. They had been waiting for her for an unknown reason. On the other hand, the remaining her questionable sanity just laughed at the notion - someone walked out of the tree? It would make life really interesting, and it bought up the question of why not.

    She briefly wondered if she should be worried her inner voice sounded wrong. She blinked. She shrugged. If she was going insane, so be it. It would make life interesting at least.

    The mysterious figure lifted a hand and curled a twig like finger, walking backwards. The figure stopped after a few feet. It waited for something. Tina pointed at herself before she made the motion of walking over with her fingers then finished the short conversation by pointing at the mysterious figure. The figure nodded. Tina gulped. She turned her gaze toward the forest. She almost didn¡¯t know what to do.

    It could be a trap; the same questionable voice spoke up.

    Why would anyone waste your time setting a trap for you? That was the dark voice.

    Tina took a breath and shaved that part of her away, aside, down, back to her mind or whatever she did to it. She didn¡¯t want and need that dark side to bother her right now. She needed to keep her focus on the issue at hand. Should she follow the mysterious figure?

    The longer she stood there, the less time it would take Ralph and his team to find her. With that thought, this could be another one of their tricks. They were ninja, she reminded herself. She didn¡¯t know what kind of abilities they had at their dispel.

    One of them could easily disguise themselves as this figure to lure her in and make her drop her guard. It would be a lot easier to knock her out and tie her up, forcing her to travel to the White Hall Estate. If that happened to her, Tina feared that she would be forced into a glided cage. She, in a way, just found her freedom again and there was no way in Hell she was going to give it up without a fight. It didn¡¯t help the frightened feeling whenever she thought about going anywhere near this White Hall Estate.

    Tina¡¯s gaze drifted back to the tree tangled wall. There had to be a way through it. This figure apparently wanted to help her. She frowned. Someone went through a lot of trouble to create that tree wall, weaving together the branches. She sighed. What did she have to lose?

    Tina, mentally, checked her spiritual energy. She flexed it and felt the energy seem wiggle with excitement. She studied the mysterious figure, slowly reaching her decision.

    The figure appeared to be cover in tree bark from head to toe. However, the figure¡¯s face carved - if that is the right description - straight from the tree bark. Tina spotted a small understanding smile on the carved face before the figure spoke in a clear womanly tone, ¡°It is alright, sweetheart.¡± Tina took a step back as she was strongly reminded on a Native American Chief¡¯s daughter who also talked to a Willow tree to get advice. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m here to help you.¡± The She-Tree paused, ¡°The dangerous male is still following you. He is nearby.¡± She pointed in the direction to Tina¡¯s left, ¡°They are only 200 yards away.¡±

    Tina¡¯s heart leaped to her throat. She immediately looked in that direction. She needed to make a choice. If the Tree figure was going to betray her and lead her back to Ralph, Tina knew what she could do with the tree figure - burn her to ashes.

    Tina nodded to herself and took a step forward to the She-tree. The female tree smiled and floated - Tina¡¯s eyes darted to the ground and saw hundreds of roots moving over the ground. So, not floating like ghost. That was a plus in Tina¡¯s book - moved over the ground, leading Tina away from that location.

    Tina walked after the tree like figure, keeping a few feet between herself and the creature. She watched with hidden amazement as the female figure managed to move over the rocky ground with any trouble. However, Tina glanced through the woods where the figure had pointed, she didn¡¯t want to have the team of ninja sneaking up on her. She knew it would be a possible. Those four being a ninja, a trained killer. Tina was just a college student - well, former for the foreseeable future - and former archer. She knew if it came down to it, she could possible shoot one of them with her bow before she would be forced to rely on her rapier. That would be a last resort. Why? She didn¡¯t have much skill with any type of swords, even though she did start her swordsmanship training in Japan under one of her own teammates. She didn¡¯t keep it up after she returned home.

    The female figure led Tina through the woods before something glowed brightly from Tina¡¯s left. Tina blinked, turning her head. Her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. She couldn¡¯t believe she was witnessing a fireball, the tall as she was and wide as a car, flying toward her. She stared in horror as the fireball engulfed trees, brushes, rocks, - everything in its path. Many of the animals scrambled to get out of its path, but she heard the unlucky ones scream in pain before they fell silent. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her breath picked up. Her mind race. The heat felt like a mini sun wash over her. She turned to run the way she just came, but she paused when a thought accrued to her. What about the female tree like figure?

    Tina snapped her gaze to the tree female. The tree spirit froze. The etched face was colored with horror. Tina muttered a curse. She couldn¡¯t leave the tree spirit. The red head broke into a run. Her ankle let out a rippling pain of protest. She ignored it. She covered the few feet separating herself from the tree spirit. The air became hotter, uncomfortable. The tree spirit¡¯s hair started to shrivel up and smoke. Tina¡¯s skin heated up to a faint burning sensation. She leaped at the tree spirit.

    Tina felt her right arm slam into the middle of the tree figure and they fell to the ground, rolling down an slope that Tina didn¡¯t see. She closed her eyes as she bent her head forward. Her tongue pushed to the roof of her mouth as her teeth clenched together. She didn¡¯t want to repeat of almost biting through her tongue like what happened in the Black Tournament.

    The two females rolled down the slope. A sharp pain in Tina¡¯s arm caused her to let go of the tree figure. Tina slammed into a tree. She hissed in pain and she cracked her eyes open. The fireball sailed into the tree barrier. Tina blinked and blinked again as the tree barrier didn¡¯t catch on fire. The fireball vanished into thin air, leaving behind ripples like there was a force field protecting the trees from any sort of damage. That was unexpected. However, Tina pushed that interesting fact to the back of her mind. She needed to get away from this area, away from Ralph before he found her and the other female.

    Tina climbed to her feet and reached over to the Female Tree figure. She blinked in surprise as the Figure melted into a fallen log and disappeared¡­like she was never there.

    ¡®Well, that works,¡¯ Tina thought and glanced up the slope. None of the ninja was no where in sight. It didn¡¯t mean they were not working their way to her location.

    Tina hurried away from the button of the slope before she broke into a spirit. She only crossed a few feet when she glanced over her shoulder in time to see a throwing knife. Her eyes widen in horror. Her foot slammed against the ground, hard. She managed to twist out of the way, sucking in a breath as the throwing knife missed her shoulder by inches and it landed in the side of a tree with a dull thud. She felt the next kunai impact through her bag. She lurched forward, stumbling to keep on her feet.

    ¡°Shit,¡± she gasped. Her mouth felt dry from both panting like a dog and the fact she refused to stop to rehydrate. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her chest heaved as she managed to stay on her feet. She heard Ralph yell her name in anger. She didn¡¯t look back as she started waving through the trees. She silently questioned where the rest of his team was hiding, or they were not far away from their team leader.

    Tina needed to lose Ralph and his team, fast. Her eyes darted over the area. The first pass with her eyes, she didn¡¯t spot anything. However, with the second past, she could have sworn she spotted something. She leaped over a fallen log. She hissed in pain. She crunched down, trying to hide behind the log as she wait for the pain to pass. She lend against the log as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn¡¯t stay there long. It didn¡¯t matter how much she wanted to. The only thing that matter was staying out of the ninjas¡¯ gasp. She didn¡¯t know how far behind they were. She pushed herself up and hurried forward.

    Approaching a larger fallen log, she slipped her bag off and tossed it over the log. She heard it land with a thump. She jumped and her hands slapped the bark, pushing herself over the log. Tina landed in a hemp with a groan. She blinked, sucking in a deep breath. She stared up as she couched herself to get up and get moving. She needed to create more space between herself and them. She climbed to her feet. She tossed her hiking bag on to her back and jogged along the tree wall, looking for that break in the wall

    ¡°Valentina!¡± She couldn¡¯t see him, but she could hear the asshole. ¡°Where are you hiding, toots!?¡± It sounded like he was a dozen yards away. It wasn¡¯t long before she heard a female - Kikyo - voice ring out, saying her name. She kept silent as she slowed to a fast walk. She glanced at the ground. A well worn trail led toward the break in the tree barrier. She couldn¡¯t believe her luck as she jumped on to the trail. She slowly turned in a circle, keeping an eye out for Ralph. ¡°I will find you, sweetheart!¡± He called out. She didn¡¯t see him, though. Maybe he was hiding himself, trying to chase her to a point before he leaped down from the trees¡­

    Tina jerked her eyes upward into the canopy of tree branches, looking for the ninja. She remembered how well he blended in with the shadows the other day when she first spotted him. Of course, the sun had glittered off his head band when she first saw him. Now, there was no sun shining in the correct direction to location him. In fact, the way the sun was shining, it would be easier for him to spot her. She mentally cursed the fact. She faced the direction of the break in the tree wall. She walked fast toward it. Her eyes scanned the area she could see over her shoulders.

    Tina breathed easier. However, that stitch in her side ached horrible, but she switched her thoughts away from the pain. She cursed the fact she had choose to stop her training nearly 6 years ago. She had gotten soft. It may end up costing her freedom.

    ¡°THERE YOU ARE!¡± Ralph roared.

    Tina had several reactions at once: She sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes widened in horror and surprise. She twisted, using her bad ankle to pivot, to face the ninja team leader. She hissed as the ankle barked in pain. Her eyes landed on Ralph, standing three dozen feet away from her. Her heart skipped a beat. Her spiritual sense snapped out and she realized that three strong presences darted over to her and Ralph.

    A manic grin pulled at his lips as he spoke, ¡°You have been a naughty, naughty girl, Missy.¡± His tone held a dark note. ¡°It is too bad that I am not suppose to harm you on this mission.¡± Tina¡¯s stomach dropped to her feet as she stumbled backwards. He stalked forward. Tina sensed the other three overheard drop down.

    Tina took a step as she spun. She pumped her legs. Her arms swung back and forth, cutting through the air. Her lower bag ached from the amount her bag weigh as it bounced. She heard the arrows in the quiver clattering together in the quiver. She crossed the distance.

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t,¡± Ralph yelled. She didn¡¯t bother turning around or glancing over her shoulder. He was after her now, chasing her down like a wolf after a rabbit.

    ¡®Such a yummy rabbit,¡¯ she heard the darkness whispered from the back of her mind, ¡®For the big, bad wolf!¡¯ the voice seem to laugh at her. She tried to push it away, trying to refocus on the events going on around her.

    One of the ninja - Waya, if she remember correctly - landed in front of her. Tina¡¯s left arm rose up, reaching toward her right shoulder like she was going to pulled out something, but her fingers curled inward like she was holding something in hand.

    ¡®Spirit Whip!¡¯ a bright yellow rope stretched nearly 12 feet out from Tina¡¯s fingers. She flicked her wrist toward Waya, watching as the rope dart out, wrapping itself around Waya¡¯s neck. His eyes widened as he reached up for the rope with both hands. Tina twisted, pushing off with her foot for the extra momentum, and pulled the whip around, over her shoulder. Her right hand grabbed the whip and pushed down on the whip. Waya flew over her shoulder, heading toward his team mates. Tina allowed a smirk to cross her face at their shocked faces. She flexed her left hand, willing the spirit whip away. Ralph jumped up, high, as Waya knocked into the team. He reached across his body and whipped his arm toward her.

    A whistling sounded. Tina threw herself into the break in the trees. Behind her, Ralph¡¯s roar of outrage was the last thing she heard as she entered something akin to a portal.

    Ralph landed in a crunch. His narrowed eyes watched the worn path. He slowly straightened up as he sensed his team land in a semi circle around him. The moment he opened his mouth, a stream of swear words bounced off the nearby trees before he snapped his mouth shut with a glare.

    Laughter rang out above the ninja team. Ralph twisted on his heel. His hands rose to chest level, flashing through a series of hand signs before he crunched down, slamming his hands against the ground. That annoying tree hugger as Ralph decided to name the mysterious sprite let out a cry of surprise as the tree he stood upon wobbled before falling to the side. The team leader watched the tree hugger rolled out of the way once the tree landed on its side, causing the area to shake and a loud thud sounded.

    ¡°Hey!¡± the sprite shouted, ¡°That tree did nothing to you!¡± He pointed at the new fallen tree. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Because you were standing on it,¡± Ralph drawled, ¡°And you cause our target to escape.¡±

    ¡°And that brings me to the next question,¡± the Sprite said, ¡°What did you want with her?¡±

    ¡°Why does it matter to you,¡± The ninja sneered.

    ¡°She¡¯s a friend,¡± the tree hugger replied. Ralph sensed Kikyo gathered her chakra before she vanished from his side and reappeared behind the sprite. She rose her hand and swung it toward the tree hugger¡¯s neck in a chopping motion.

    The sprite sent Ralph a smirk before he ducked beneath her attack. He spun, a leg swinging out at Kikyo¡¯s legs. She jumped over the extended leg before she drove her knee into the face of the tree hugger. He let out a cry of pain before he brought his legs together and leaped up, bouncing against the nearby by trees. Ralph made eye connect with Abasi and nodded.

    Abasi¡¯s lips twisted into a grin before he rushed after the sprite. Ralph fought back a shiver. He knew Abasi¡¯s reputation. Abasi was the best hunter for a reason. The leader knew he would be back with a hostage to use against Miss Valentina. He turned to his team and let out a sigh. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a talisman. He stared at it. The talisman was the crest of the White Hall House. He smirked. At least they would have a use for it when Abasi brought their new friend.

    ¡°What do we do now,¡± Kikyo walked over to him, gazing the barrier break.

    ¡°Wait until Abasi returns with our new friend then we go through,¡± Ralph said, ¡°However, I don¡¯t know where Miss Valentina will end up at on the other side.¡±

    ¡°Troublesome,¡± Waya stated.

    Kikyo glanced toward Ralph, before she commented, ¡°It would be have easier if you had given the target that talisman when she entered the forest.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Ralph growled at Kikyo, turning his head to glare at her.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Waya snapped at them before he settled down on the fallen tree, ¡°I need to think.¡±

    Kikyo huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at the worn path, asking, ¡°Have any clue where this exits out at?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Ralph replied, ¡°It changes every month with the cycle of the moon.¡±

    ¡°A Pattern?¡± Kikyo questioned.

    ¡°In theory, yes,¡± Waya replied, ¡°There is a pattern. Everything has a pattern. It takes time to figure it out.¡± He crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Hopefully, Miss Valentina wouldn¡¯t be able to travel far when she doesn¡¯t know Avalon like we do,¡± Ralph commented, ¡°Just keep an eye out. We will move out once Waya has an idea where she is at and Abasi returns with our buddy.¡±

 Chapter 13: Planning for the Funer

    Arthur shifted his breakfast around on his plate. His stomach rolled with the smell of it. He pushed it away from him. Breakfast had arrived a couple hours ago for the Ruling Family. He glanced at the bed where his father laid, growing paler by the hour. His death rattling breathing kept the Ruling Family up the entire night. He knew the Magi had retired during the early morning hours after staying nearly all night, watching over them, waiting

    Kalliope poked at her food, sitting at the head of the table. She took a small bit before her face colored slightly with a faint greenish color. She paled under the color as a hand rested on her midsection. She reached for her glass of water, taking a small sip. The water shook slightly.

    Arthur frowned, worried. While he didn¡¯t have the best relationship with his stepmother, viewing her more of an older sister then a mother figure, he knew Kalliope rarely shared a bed with his father, due to personal reasons, so he could rule out a possible pregnancy. That would have been rich, he mused slightly, the High Queen finally expecting when the King just died. However, he knew Kalliope had a secret lover from the way the maids loved to gossip in the corridors. He briefly wondered who it could be.

    Footsteps echoed in the room, loudly, knocking Arthur out of his thoughts. His eyes darted over to Nana Bella. She walked form the desk to stand by a chair close to the long table in the center of the room, looking as ill as Kalliope. Studying his great-grandmother, Arthur thought it was weird, almost surreal to see her like how she was. Majority of the time, the former High Queen always had an image of being strong, self assured, and ready to face any situation she faced. Now, appeared lost. Her eyes roamed over to Uther and the horrid rattling sound, coming from the bed. Her eyes were red, puffy, and held a storm of emotions as she looked around the room before she stared out the windows, searching for answer.

    Arthur gazed toward the bed. Grandma Vivi stretched out on the lounge at the foot of the bed. Her eyes were closed, appearing to be asleep. She probably was, Arthur thought, but her body jerked every time the death rattle sounded. If grandma Vi slept, Arthur knew it wasn¡¯t a good kind of sleep.

    His eyes drafted to Grandma Clarine. She sat by the King¡¯s bed, refusing to move. Her hands laid in her lap, twisting one of her handkerchiefs. The prince briefly wondered if the clothe could hold up against the abuse it had went through the darken hours. He knew Grandma Clarine had settled in the chair beside the large bed sometime the night before, once the death rattle had started. He ran his eyes over his grandma.

    Grandma Clarine¡¯s dress was disheveled. Her face was an ashen color. Deep shadow like bruises hung under her eyes. Her red-rimmed eyes darted around the room, searching for something. Her lips moved. Arthur knew if he strained his eyes, he would hear her muttering a pray for the King to recover, to live, and begging God not to take her only son.

    The blond let out a sigh at the same time his father let out one of his death rattles. He turned back to his cold food and accepted that his appetite was gone. He pushed his half-empty plate away

    There was a knock at the door, alerting the family. The door opened and the Magi stepped in. Merlin appeared pristine while Lady Morgana looked a bit upset. She kept glancing at the bed and Arthur noticed tears well up in her eyes, but they didn¡¯t fall. He knew Morgana was a daughter of the First King Uther of Camelot and the sister of his namesake. She was taking the King¡¯s impending death hard just as the rest of his family. He mused it was because the fact her father and the King shared the same name just he shared his name with King Arthur the First. Maybe seeing the King as he was in the bed brought up old, buried memories.

    Merlin and Morgana moved across the room together. Arthur¡¯s eyes wondered down to see Merlin had an arm around Morgana and she lend, slightly, against him as they walked toward the table.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Merlin asked as he pulled out a chair. Morgana slowly lowered herself into it as Merlin pushed the chair under her. She looked up at Merlin, sending him a small smile. The Battle Mage went to the chair next to her, but paused when Morgana shivered in the early morning air.

    Noticing the cooler air, Arthur glanced to the fireplace. He let out a sigh before he slowly stood up and went around the long table to the fireplace where the prince spot glowing red coals among the gray ashes. He knelt beside the fireplace and started piling logs into the fireplace. He stayed there, waiting for the logs to catch fire and warmed the room again. He glanced at the women of his family. None of them looked aware that the Magi had spoken. He turned his attention to the magi and spoke on the behalf of his family, ¡°We are doing the best we can, given our current situation.¡±

    Merlin nodded in understanding, ¡°We need to discuss about a few things.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± the prince replied.

    ¡°Funeral arrangements, what is going to happen after Uther¡¯s passes on,¡± Merlin listed, ¡°It is best to do it now that way we have a plan for when he does pass on.¡±

    ¡°Like a battle strategy,¡± Nana Bella spoke up softly from her place beside the fire. Arthur glanced over at her. He didn¡¯t think she would respond to any of the questions.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Morgana replied. She gazed at a spot on the table with distant eyes.

    Nana Bella nodded to herself and slowly stood up before she approached Grandma Vivi and slowly shook her. Grandma Vivi jerked up in surprise and gazed around, hearing the sound of the familiar death rattle before she relaxed. She gave Nana Bella a questioning look.

    ¡°Grandma Vi,¡± Arthur spoke up, causing his oldest grandmother to look at him, ¡°Could you please join us at the table? Merlin and Lady Morgana wants to form a battle strategy on what we will do after Fath¡ªDad passes to the other side?¡±

    Grandma Vivi blinked, slowly, and nodded. She moved from the lounge and crept over to the table in a hunch over form. Arthur knew not sleeping in a proper bed was affecting his grandma Vivi and her aged body was bothering her, again. He didn¡¯t know if she took one of Morgana¡¯s drafts to help with her joints, but everything going on, he wouldn¡¯t be surprise if she forgot to take it.

    However, Arthur glanced over the room, noticing if they were going to talk about funeral arrangements, they will need security for the event. He knew an event like this needed heavy security because it meant the Ruling Family will be out in front of the people of Camelot. There would be a good chance that both the rival and the allied kingdoms of Camelot would send Representatives to the funeral. He knew the representatives would stay for the next few months, wanting to see who the Holy Sword would chose as King, and they wouldn¡¯t leave until a week after the new King was crowned by the Magi. It was going to be a political headache for the next few months. He just hoped the military would be able to handle the security outside the castle and the Knights would be handling it inside the castle. He blinked. Since they were speaking about a possible plan on what to do, Arthur rose the question, speaking to no one particular, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of the Generals and Head Knight of King¡¯s Guard join us?¡± He turned his attention back to the fireplace, waiting for one of the magi to answer.

    Merlin made a mental note to make sure that Queen Vivien got her draft from Morgana before they left the King¡¯s Chambers. He waited until the Eldest Queen settled down in the far chair before he brought funeral arrangements. He replied, nodding ¡°Yes, they should be here for security reasons.¡± He got up and went to the door. He walked through it and spotted General Genesis talking with General Honor at the far end of the Hallway. Walking over to the two Generals, the Battle Mage spoke up, ¡°Excuse me, Generals,¡± They both turned to him, ¡°The Ruling Family would like you two, General Bartholomew, and Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard to join us. We are about to discuss funeral arrangements and The Prince has suggested you to be present.¡±

    General Genesis glanced at General Honor and nodded before he replied, ¡°Give us time to find our Lieutenant Generals and The Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard then we will join you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Merlin bowed his head and went back to the King¡¯s Chamber, noticing General Genesis motion for General Honor to stay and keep guard before he left, tracking down the Lieutenant Generals, General Bartholomew, and The Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard. He entered the King¡¯s Chamber and announced, ¡°They will be joining us after General Genesis finds the others. The Lieutenant Generals will be taking over to guard the Hallway.¡±

    Arthur nodded, leaving the place by the fireplace he had took to make sure the fire restarted, and reclaimed his seat. Merlin tilted his head to the side. There was a change in Arthur as he turned away from the Battle Mage. Merlin didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was significant enough that it caught Merlin¡¯s attention. Perhaps, the prince was finally accepting what was going on. The mage hummed under his breath, a short note. Maybe Arthur will be able to pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath after his father¡¯s passes on, the mage mused as he returned to his seat. He noticed as he reclaimed his seat that the sky had darkened, hinting at possible storm. It matched the mood in the room, perfectly, he mused with a tighten feeling in his gut.

    He glanced over at Queen Vivien who set an empty potion bottle back upon the surface of the table. Apparently, Morgana had thought ahead and brought a potion for Queen Vivien. There were a few more orange color potion bottles sitting on the table. He picked one up and studied the potion. The liquid had small molts of dark amber floated through the potion. He glanced at Morgana who were watching him through the corner of her eyes. He finally spoke, ¡°If I am not wrong, this is an sherbet flavor vitality potion.¡±

    ¡°I am surprised you can remember that fact,¡± Morgana¡¯s tone held a teasing note. Merlin felt a rush of triumph go through him until she went on, ¡°Considering how old you are.¡±

    ¡°I aged like fine wine, darling,¡± Merlin smiled, sweetly, at her. Arthur snorted. Belladonna rolled her eyes. Vivien smiled, softly. Clarine¡¯s lips twitched. Merlin internally smirked, sometimes, getting one¡¯s mind off a depressing topic helps to cope with what was going on.

    ¡°What is a vitality potion?¡± Kalliope asked. Her eyes gleamed with a sad joy. A flash of lightening illuminated the room followed by a rolling sound of thunder. Morgana pushed back her chair, standing up. The Battle Mage¡¯s eyes followed his former student as she grabbed the lighting stick from the sand vase and stuck the end into the roaring fire. She waited until the stick caught fire before she drifted around the room, lighting candles one by one. It would have been so much easier to use magic, but the magi tried to limit how much magic they used in front of the Ruling Family. There were a few members of the Family who didn¡¯t approve of their magical arts.

    ¡°Basically, it is a potion that restore your energy,¡± Merlin explained, ¡°It is a wonderful thing to take after a long night of studying, a double shift patrol, a long battle or a night like last night.¡± He went gave the Ruling Family a pointed stare. ¡°Of course, taking this vitality potion too often will cause negative side effects.¡±

    ¡°Like what,¡± the youngest Queen prompted Merlin to continue while they waited for the three General and the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard. It was obvious that Kalliope didn¡¯t want the conversation to end. Uther inhaled then exhaled as the death rattle sounded.

    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Morgana said in a loud enough tone for the entire Ruling Family and Merlin to hear, ¡°Now, you have done it.¡± She sent a wink to Kalliope with a teasing smile. ¡°We will be all day, listening to him going on and on about the pros and cons about taking a vitality potion.¡±

    Merlin slowly turned his head to send his former student an annoyed glare before he turned his attention back to the High Queen. The Battle Mage said, feeling a sense of giddiness,  ¡°It can be addicting. I have witnessed a person before unable to function without taking a strong vitality potion, but when the person took a regular strength, they would fall asleep.¡± He didn¡¯t remember when the last time he had the chance to explain the pros and cons of a vitality potion to someone. ¡°Of course,¡± He frowned, remembering what happen to one person who had become addicted to the potion, ¡°Another person who had become addicted died after taking four of the Supreme Strength Vitality potion daily.¡±

    ¡°How did he die?¡± Kalliope cocked her head to the side. Her eyes held a curiosity spark in them.

    ¡°His heart exploded,¡± Merlin stated. ¡°That was an interesting negative effect nobody was expecting.¡± The Ruling Family stared at Merlin with various stunned expressions. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that would have happened until I had to preform the autopsy and found out his heart exploded inside his chest.¡± Merlin frowned, thinking about that man. He was a good warrior, willing to push himself to get the job and didn¡¯t like pushing it on to others of his troop. The Battle Mage shook his head and continued, ¡°However, when I found that out, we -¡± He waved his hand between Morgana and himself, ¡°started to limit the usage of the potion once a week. The only time we will allow daily use for a short amount of time is in the time of War for the troops.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Kalliope said with an tone of awe. Merlin nodded.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Morgana started, ¡°You didn¡¯t last as long this time.¡± She returned the lighting stick to the sand vase, snuffing out the fire. The fire gave a dying hiss. She turned, showing off a smirk. She strolled calmly over to her seat, across from the Battle Mage.

    Merlin moved his mouth to agree when his mind registered the double-meaning of the sentence. He turned his gaze to Morgana. There was a playful gleam in her eyes. His lips twitched as he fought a smirk. If it helped Morgana to take her mind of the comparison between her own father dying and the Current Uther, he could play that game.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t suppose I didn¡¯t,¡± Merlin mused, catching Morgana off-guard, ¡°However, it did please the lady.¡± He caught Kalliope eye before he winked.

    Belladonna huffed in disgust. Vivien giggled softly under her breath. Clarine¡¯s face twitched in amusement. Kalliope blinked before she got the meaning and blushed. Arthur sighed, used to the double meanings of the conversations between the two magi. They knew what was coming.

    ¡°This is not the time nor place for such talk,¡± Belladonna scolded. She didn¡¯t disappoint the Magi.

    ¡°And what kind of talk is that?¡± Merlin asked, innocently. He knew what the second eldest queen was talking about, but he was not going to admit it. ¡°I thought I was explaining the usage of the Vitality Potions to Queen Kalliope who asked a question about it. Morgana simple commented that my explanation did not last as long as it usually did and I simple said the length of the explanation seemed to please her ladyship.¡± He blinked at Belladonna. ¡°So, what kind of talk do you mean, Your majesty?¡±

    Belladonna, Merlin knew, did not like people acting innocently when they knew exactly what the other party was talking. She opened her mouth to speak as the storm broke outside with a thundering boom that drowned out the former High Queen¡¯s words. Merlin never thought he would be happy for a storm at that moment as rain pounded against the glass doors.

    Genesis cursed under his breath as he stormed through the castle. Just where the hell was his Lieutenant General? The little shit should have been in his office by now, but he wasn¡¯t. Shaking the rain from his red hair, he entered the military barracks with loud enough bang to cause a few of the men worked the night shift to jerk awake. Genesis heard a mutter or two about wanting to kill whoever entered their barracks that loud until it registered that person who did was their General and they fell silent.

    ¡°Go back to what you were doing,¡± Genesis called out, walking down the aisle and headed to where his Lieutenant General usually slept when he was off duty. Personally, he didn¡¯t know why his second in commander had turned down the upgraded rooms when he was promoted. The General didn¡¯t bother knocking before he burst into the room where the Lieutenant General slept. He smirked as the man in question groaned something in his pillow and snuggled another pillow closer to him. His eyes ran over the room.

    It was simple, enough for a single soldier. A twin size bed in one corner with a nightstand filled one end of the room while the other end held a desk. At the foot of the bed, a trunk stood open, vomiting its contexts over the floor.  Genesis shook his head. If though the man was messy and obviously enjoyed small rooms, Genesis could not deny his second was a damn good one. He bent over the sleeping man, taking a deep breath, and yelled, ¡°ATTENTION!¡±

    Genesis immediately took a step back. The man on the bed shot up and went to stand up, but the blankets were wrapped around his legs and the Lieutenant General stumbled to the ground. However, Genesis heard from the main barracks the men jumping out of bed and some of them hit the floor from the thuds and groans.

    Genesis didn¡¯t fight the smirk rose to his lips. He knew he shouldn¡¯t be taking such joy in his men¡¯s discomfort, being woken up like that. After the morning he had and started to get the feeling like his day was going to continue it was, his gave a damn measurement was slowly vanishing. However, the amusement he got from hearing his men in the other room and the man lying on the floor by his feet, he considered it to be well worth it. He turned his attention to the man on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Are you comfortable down there, Lieutenant General Reno?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Reno turned his dark hazel eyes up at his commander. It was obviously to Genesis, Reno was fighting the urge to glare at the red head general. However, he looked away from Genesis and untangled himself from the blankets, revealing the fact he slept in his undershorts. He slowly stood up and saluted Genesis.

    ¡°At ease, Reno,¡± the General said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in your office this morning?¡±

    ¡°Permission to speak freely,¡± Reno asked. His tone was monotoned.

    ¡°Granted,¡± Genesis commented.

    ¡°I spent all fucking night, yo, doing paperwork that you should have done already,¡± Reno growled. His eyes narrowed into a glare, ¡°Broke up three fights in the Mythic Tavern between soldiers and members of the King¡¯s Guard, created a rotation from your wonderful notes for the castle guards, and went to bed at the same time the sun said good fucking morning.¡±

    My, my, someone woke up in a bad mood. Trying not to wince, Genesis felt bad for waking his second up in that way, but he felt worst after listening to the list of duties he unknowingly shoved onto Reno. He said, sincerely, ¡°Sorry about that, Reno.¡±

    Sighing, Reno reached and stretch the back of his head, replying back, ¡°It¡¯s alright, boss man. Just give me heads up when you have to play guard duty for the King, yo.¡±

    ¡°The only reason why I had to play ¡®guard duty¡¯ for the king, Reno, is because the King is dying,¡± Genesis explained, ¡°And The Generals, the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard, and I are required to meet with the Ruling Family and the Magi to discuss funeral arrangements.¡±

    Whatever Reno was expecting to hear, it was obviously that was not it. Reno¡¯s jaw dropped, slightly. His eyes flashed through a series of emotions - fear, uncertainty, horror and pain - before his eyes hardened. He straightened up. He asked in a nonsense tone, ¡°And you need to me to guard the King¡¯s Corridor with the other seconds while you are in the meeting over various security measures?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°You won¡¯t be alone. Lieutenant Generals Zachary, Honor¡¯s Second,  and Auron, Bartholomew¡¯s second, will be joining you.¡± Reno nodded. ¡°Now, I am off in search of the Head Knight of the King¡¯s guard. After you are dressed, report to Honor. He should be still guarding the Hallway.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Reno saluted. Genesis turned and walked out. He went on the search of the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard. He knew Reno would report to the King¡¯s Corridor before he make it back.

    After hurrying through the storm and asking some of the Knights he came across the location for the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard, Genesis managed to track the knight down in the meal hall in the Knights¡¯ Tower where the Knights and the Knights of the King¡¯s guard, sometimes ate. Genesis didn¡¯t bother, knocking on any of the doors he came across, walking through the common area of the Knight¡¯s tower. He spotted the Head of the King¡¯s Guard. He wasn¡¯t a hard man to spot when someone went looking for him. Lord Jack was tall man who happened to be built like a damn tank. The man appeared to be deep in conversation with Sir Galahad about the training sessions with the Knights in case the worst did happen.

    ¡°¡­We need to increase security on the walls,¡± the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard commented. His dark eyes darted back and forth, thinking about what was needed to be done. A hand reached up and ran through the bright blond hair, brushing some of the hair behind an ear.

    Galahad nodded and wrote down the list of tasks the Head Knight was giving him as the leader of the King¡¯s Guard went on, ¡°Also, check with Queen Belladonna about these changes and see if there is anything else we could do.¡± Genesis waited until the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard noticed him, hating the fact, the order of Military session that Genesis and the other two Generals placed below the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard, ¡°Possible we could do something about the old wards around Camelot.¡± Galahad nodded, again.

    Genesis thought the Knights and the promoted Knights of the King¡¯s Guard were arrogant. Yeah, granted the Knights were able to leave to go ¡®quests¡¯ to promote themselves, but they were nothing more then annoying decorated bodyguards. He had witness several of the currents Knights protect the members of the Court over helping the main military out and had no problem ordering the Generals and their subordinates. However, he knew there were a few ¡®good¡¯ knights like his father who had no problem helping the military out.

    ¡°And how can I help the great explosive General?¡± the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard drawled out in a tone that informed Genesis that the said Knight thought he was obviously superior then the General.

    ¡°Your presence has been request in the King¡¯s Chambers, immediately, Lord Jack, by the Battle Mage Lord Merlin,¡± Genesis stated and turned on his heel, having no desire to remain in the Knight¡¯s presences.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall telling you that you may leave,¡± the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard commented, snark. Genesis stopped in his steps and took a deep calming breath, closing his eyes. The General knew the Head Knight was smirking from that tone. He just had to remain calm. Perhaps he could do what his mother suggest so many years ago before she had to leave to protect his eldest and baby sisters - count down from ten to one.

    10 - Genesis couldn¡¯t make things worst between the Generals and the King¡¯s Guard. Though, there wouldn¡¯t be much to do so, consider the King¡¯s guard treated the Military like common grunts.

    9 - Remember, Genesis, right now, there are more important things that needed to be handled like the fact the King was dying and they needed to discuss funeral arrangements. However, if Lord Jack got hit by a stray lightening bolt on the way to the King¡¯s Chambers, Genesis could reason that all the metal the Knights and Knights of the King¡¯s guards wore attracted the lightening bolt.

    8 - Some of the King¡¯s Guards were good men. They were forced to serve under a shitty commander.

    7 - Genesis needed to set a good example for the Military. They couldn¡¯t afford to be seen fighting the King¡¯s Guard right now. Camelot needed an united front against their enemies.

    6 - The Ruling Family needed to see that they still have the support of the Military, no matter what the King¡¯s Guard said about them.

    5 - There will be time later to deal with the arrogant King¡¯s Guard. Possible a training exercise how to prank them and get away with it. That will bring much amusement to his men.

    4 - However, a possible pranking - training exercise will only result in a lecture from Honor about having soldier honor and a public lecture from his father. He knew his father would get a kick out of it, though.

    3 - Queen Belladonna will personally see any punishment handed out. That woman, despite her old age - the same age as his grandmother, was a worst slave driver then his own grandmother when it came to punishments.

    2 - Think, Genesis, you are already calmer then you were a minute ago. Mom¡¯s trick really does work.

    1 - Now you are calmer, Gen, just walk away from this problem. The Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard is not worth it. You find the Jerk and now you can report back to the King¡¯s Chambers.

    Genesis looked over his shoulder and finally replied back, ¡°The Ruling Family has requested our presences. It¡¯s your choice if you decide to show up or not, Lord Jack.¡± He walked of the room, resisting the urge to place ¡®ass¡¯ at the end of Lord Jack¡¯s name.

    A loud knock echoed through the King¡¯s Chambers cutting of Belladonna¡¯s lecture of what was appoint or not in the presence of the Ruling Family. A rush of relief flew through Merlin. He hated sitting through one of Belladonna¡¯s lectures. She loved treating Merlin and Morgana as naughty children who needed to be punished.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Morgana called out before anyone could say anything else. The door opened and Generals Genesis, Honor, and Bartholomew filed in, by the Head Knight of the King¡¯s guard, Lord Jack of House Miller. Genesis shut the door behind him as the leader of the guard stopped in shock, paling as he stared at his king. Merlin watched as the trio of Generals approached the table.

    ¡°Please, take a seat, gentlemen,¡± Queen Kalliope waved a hand toward the empty chairs. Genesis bowed his head toward the youngest queen and took a seat beside Morgana, giving the Black Mage a wink. Honor sat beside Genesis while Bartholomew sat between Honor and Queen Vivien. However, Lord Jack didn¡¯t move or acted like he even heard the Queen. She tried again, ¡°Lord Jack?¡± Jack jerked in surprise and turned his head to blink at the Queen. ¡°Please, join us.¡± She waved at one of the remaining seats.

    The only sound in the silent room was the King¡¯s death rattling breathing and the rain pounding at the window. Jack slowly turned to the table and walked over. If anyone saw that Jack had tears in his eyes, nobody commented on it when the lightening flashed.

    Merlin recalled Jack and Uther were close friends while they were younger, all the way up until the era of the Kingless Kingdom where they had to fight in separate branches of the military. After Jack had returned to Camelot and Uther became the Chosen King, Jack worked hard to protect his friend. It was only five years ago when Uther had finally asked Jack to become the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard once the Old Head of the King¡¯s Guard, passed on due to old age. It was hard to watching a friend passing. He glanced over to the Generals.

    Genesis looked at Jack with understanding. The fiery tempered General didn¡¯t say a word while they waited for Jack to join them. Honor and Bartholomew kept silence. There were bad blood between the Military and the Knights, but thankfully, the Generals were keeping this professional.

    Jack took a seat, between the Prince and Kalliope. He stared at the table and Merlin took a breath, starting, ¡°The Ruling Family, Lady Morgana and I have summoned you here to help prepare for the King¡¯s funeral.¡± He took a piece of parchment and reached for the quill. He dipped the tip of the quill into an ink well and tapped the quill tip on the edge, knocking off the extra ink. ¡°Alright. Queen Kalliope, Prince Arthur, what kind of coffin should King Uther be placed in?¡±

    ¡°Glass covered,¡± Belladonna answered, even though Merlin didn¡¯t ask her the question, ¡°It is tradition that the King will be presented to the community with a glass covered coffin.¡±

    Merlin stared at Belladonna. He wasn¡¯t surprised she would try something like this. He would try usually call her on this bullshit, but this time he let it go because Uther was a few feet away, dying. He shared a look with Morgana before he looked at Kalliope and Arthur, waiting for their reply. Arthur got the hint and replied, ¡°It is not up to me to decision. Lady Kalliope?¡±

    Kalliope¡¯s eyes widened slightly. The entire Ruling family knew she didn¡¯t like be put on the spot, due to various reasons, but she was the current Queen and the wife of the dying King. She deserved a say in her own husband¡¯s funeral, despite the fact that Belladonna wanted to control things. Queen Clarine and Queen Vivien didn¡¯t say anything. They waited for Kalliope¡¯s response before they would agree with Belladonna or agree with Kalliope, leaving Arthur to break any ties between the four queens. Merlin felt sorry for the Prince when he was faced with that. A familiar phase he once heard drift through his mind, ¡®damn if you do, damn if you don¡¯t.¡¯ Kalliope, finally, said, ¡°If it is tradition, I can¡¯t argue against it.¡±

    ¡°You can argue against it, dear,¡± Vivi commented with a small smile.

    ¡°No, she can¡¯t,¡± Belladonna cut in, ¡°It is a tradition. It was started centuries ago. There is a reason why it last until this day.¡±

    Vivi turned to Belladonna with a glare, coolly retorting, ¡°I do believe, while Uther is our grandson, he is Kalliope¡¯s husband. She should have the final say on his arrangements.¡±

    Belladonna returned Vivi¡¯s glare and she opened her mouth, but Morgana cut in, ¡°Enough! We are not here to bicker about the rights of traditions. We are here to make sure King Uther is properly remembered by his people.¡±

    Merlin nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself, writing down the preference. He asked the next question, ¡°How should we allow the public to say good-bye to their King?¡±

    ¡°In the God¡¯s Holy Light Church,¡± Belladonna replied. Obviously, she gave this a lot of thought, Merlin thought grimly. He looked at the High Queen, waiting for her comment.

    ¡°I think we should have a parade,¡± Kalliope commented, softly, ¡°Follow by a private ceremony for close friends and family. Of course, at God¡¯s Holy Light Church.¡±

    Merlin paused, thinking, that was not done for a long time. He personally didn¡¯t remember when a parade for the people followed by a private ceremony for the loved ones. It was something that the First King Uther went through at the pushing of Arthur the First, and his sister, Lady Morgana. He glanced at Lady Morgana. She looked surprise as the words register in her mind. She caught Merlin¡¯s eye and nodded. So, she was the one who gave Kalliope the idea. The two waited for the other two Queens responses.

    ¡°I like the idea, Kalliope,¡± Clarine sent the youngest queen an approving, watery smile, ¡°I approve.¡±

    They turned to Vivien. She answered the unasked question, ¡°I think it would be wise. We could have a parade, followed by a private ceremony in the God¡¯s Holy Light Church.¡±

    That was easy, Merlin thought. Bartholomew lend forward and stated, ¡°We need a map.¡± Genesis stood and walked over to the door to the hallway, stepping out for a moment before he reappeared and announced, ¡°Auron is retrieving a map for us.¡± Bartholomew nodded.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Merlin said, ¡°In how many days after the King¡¯s death should we have the ceremony?¡±

    ¡°3,¡± Belladonna and Kalliope announced together.

    Merlin blinked in surprise before he wrote the number down, asking, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Give the public in the outer villages to travel and gather the Lords and Ladies of the Court who are away from Camelot,¡± Kalliope explained in an even tone. ¡°Uther would want to them to attend if they can get away from their own duties.¡± Merlin nodded.

    ¡°They should attend, no matter what,¡± Belladonna snark, ¡°Their King is protector and they will give him proper respect.¡±

    Kalliope took a deep breath, closing her eyes, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Vivi on the other hand had no problem replying, ¡°We can not expect them to drop everything and attend a funeral. Some of them are guards. They have a duty to protect the Kingdom on the borders. There are villages live more then 3 days travel.¡±

    ¡°Not if they ride hard,¡± Belladonna commented in the same tone.

    ¡°Not everyone has the ability to ride hard,¡± Vivi retorted, ¡°They have little children or elderly who can¡¯t handle the hard travel.¡± She paused, ¡°We have to be considerate.¡±

    Before anyone could reply to that, a knock sounded on the door before the door opened and Lieutenant General Reno stepped into the room, holding a rolled up map.

    ¡°I¡¯ve bought the map, sir,¡± He said, crossing the room with a lazy stagger. His eyes roamed over the room, already getting the feeling of the room and he handed the map over to Genesis. He turned to the Queens and bowed his head, ¡°My ladies.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else as he walked out of the room.

    Merlin half-expected him to start flirting with Morgana or Queen Kalliope, but the man had enough sense not to do it. He was pretty sure that Genesis would have excused himself and decided to run his men through a firing drill in this storm for Reno¡¯s loose tongue. Reno deserved the promotion he got a few months ago before King Uther fell ill. Genesis¡¯ Second in Commander was a brilliant shot and enjoy playing with explosives¡­a bit too much in Merlin¡¯s opinion.

    He turned his attention back to the table where Genesis had unrolled the map of Camelot grounds and the nearby village. Lord Jack and Bartholomew studied it with Belladonna rose to her feet and walked over to them.

    ¡°We will start the parade here,¡± Lord Jack pointed at the God¡¯s Holy Light Church.

    ¡°It would be wise if we did a circle or an oval,¡± Bartholomew commented. Lord Jack made a noise of agreement. Merlin stood up and grabbed his parchment with quill, shifting them closer to the map. He lend over his side of the table as he placed his non-writing hand on the surface of the table to brace himself. He studied the map.

    Bartholomew knew the only one way to enter the grounds was through the castle gates, spoke up, ¡°We will need at least three dozen guards on the wall, watching over the village then another couple dozen on the Castle walls. I¡¯ll have few dozen of my men patrolling the grounds and the roads leading to God¡¯s Holy Light Church.¡±

    ¡°I have two dozen archers with another two dozen cannon-men who are available,¡± Genesis stated, glancing at Bartholomew, ¡°I do believe I do have another dozen men who specialize in explosives,¡± Bartholomew turned his gaze to the red head general. He obviously felt Bartholomew¡¯s gaze on him. He slowly turned his head and meet Bartholomew¡¯s gaze over Honor¡¯s back, saying, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your Lieutenant General being one of them,¡± Batholomew raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

    ¡°So?¡± Genesis drew out the word, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know Reno has delivered some of the best explosives I have ever seen. Thank you very much.¡± Genesis¡¯ tone held a note of smugness.

    ¡°Just like that one mission that earned him the promotion to your second in commander,¡± Honor commented, dryly.

    ¡°Yes, just like that one,¡± Genesis affirmed, glancing at Honor, ¡°Now, are we reminiscing on old times about exploding pirate ships or are we planning a funeral parade?¡± He turned back to the map.

    ¡°I will get the story from you,¡± Batholomew hinted. Genesis¡¯s lips twitched in amusement before his eyes ran over the map, trying to spot any security holes.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Honor stated, turning the General standing beside him on his right, ¡°I have been trying to get it from him for months now.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Merlin chuckled softly, ¡°Do we need add more security to the wall?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bartholomew said, ¡°Adding any more will be overkill since I know Genesis¡¯ legion of explosive happy soldiers will take care of any problem that gets too close to the castle.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better then swing that sword of yours around,¡± Genesis muttered loud enough for the people at the table to hear, ¡°It¡¯s almost like you are overcompensating for something.¡±

    Batholomew glared over Honor¡¯s back at Genesis for the comment and opened his mouth, but Morgana cut in before Bartholomew give his reply to Genesis and the Warrior Queen could add in her two coppers about the conversation, ¡°Gentlemen, please, let¡¯s get back to planning for the parade route.¡± She winked at them, letting Bartholomew and Genesis knew they wouldn¡¯t in trouble with her.

    ¡°I think it is best if we took,¡± Honor had took the time while Genesis and Bartholomew argued, good-naturally, to figure out a possible parade route, ¡°Smith Avenue down to Dead End Lane to Hikari Street, over to Mayflower Street, finishing the parade on King Drive.¡± He looked up at the other two generals.

    ¡°What about the other three sectors?¡± Genesis asked, ¡°They will want to attend the parade as well.¡± He took his eyes off the map and stared at the other two generals, ¡°That is too many people cramming into the Southern part of the town. However, if we have a route that covers at least three parts of the surrounding town, it will help.¡±

    ¡°That depends on what road we take,¡± Merlin threw in, ¡°As the town was built over the centuries, the town builders often came to Lady Morgana and myself for advice. If you took this road,¡± the Battle Mage pointed at the map, ¡°King¡¯s Street runs into Mayflower to Hikari St, over to Dead End Land, up to Allen Road, take Cove Ave to..¡± Merlin continued, using his index figure to trace a possible route, allowing the entire town to see the parade without cramming a lot of them into one section of the town. He stopped the parade route at the God¡¯s Holy Light Church.

    ¡°What if there was an attack,¡± Lord Jack asked. Bartholomew looked toward the other two generals.

    ¡°There are a number of other streets we could take to get back to the safety of the castle,¡± Honor pointed, ¡°For an example, if we were attacked on Smith Ave, we could take Shawnee Trails to Magic Street then it is a straight up to the Castle. If we can¡¯t take Shawnee Trails to Magic, we could go up Allen Road over to the West Entrance to the Castle grounds and have one of the Communication men to telegraph ahead to the guard tower to alert them on what is going on so they get the draw bridge down in time for us to arrive and get back into the safety of the Castle ground.¡±

    Genesis picked it from where Honor left off, giving a list of possible roads in the Western, Northern, and Eastern areas of the town they could use to get back to the safety of the Castle.  They continued, talking about the various security measures they would need to use over the parade route.

    King Uther¡¯s Funeral Notes and To do List

    Written by Merlin

    Coffin - Glass

    Parade followed by a private ceremony in God¡¯s Holy Light Church for loved ones

    3 days after King¡¯s death, giving time for travelers from the closest villagers to come to Camelot and gather Lords and Ladies of the Court

    Parade Route:

    Starts at the Southern Gate

    Take King¡¯s Street to Mayflower St

    Mayflower st down to Hikari

    Follow Hikari along the Southern Edge of town

    Take Dead End Land to Allen Road

    Follow Allen Road through the Western Gate

    Down Cove Ave to

    Ends at God¡¯s Holy Light Church,

    Need to check the spells on the Castle

    Maybe double check the wards on the outer castle walls to be safe too

 Chapter 14: Long Live the King

    Tina blinked in surprise. She turned her head to the right then to the left before she looked down then up. Nothing. She was in sort of void. She twisted around and gasped. Her eyes widened as she spotted an image of Ralph, Kikyo, and Waya. She narrowed her eyes. The image seemed to ripple then a scream echoed from deeper parts of the void. Tina leaped backwards. She saw wisps of her hair float into her view. She slowly turned, trying to find the owner of the scream. She frowned as she sensed something, but it was too far to get an accurate reading. It felt like a demon. She turned her head to see the image and saw it was further away, now.

    Tina twisted around to see where she was floating through the void. She didn¡¯t know how long she was in that void. A faint memory rose from the depths of her mind.

    ¡°What do you mean, Pyro,¡± Tina asked. Her Japanese becoming more fluid by the day as she tried to make conversation whenever she could, ¡°there is a void surrounding Human World?¡±

    ¡°It is Spirit World¡¯s way to protect you weak humans,¡± a cold voice rang out above Tina and Pyro. Tina looked up into the Sakura Tree on Great Aunt Nami¡¯s temple grounds, ¡°There are countless demons in demon world who would love to take you for pleasure or for food. It all depends on the demon.¡± A pair of cold green eyes met Tina¡¯s forest green eyes.

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Pyro agreed, ¡°This void surrounds the Human World, however, it does connect to the other worlds.¡±

    This void connects to the other worlds, Tina mused. She really wished she had one of the members of the team with her, but she didn¡¯t. She had to count on herself to stay out of trouble and get out of trouble if the worst happened. In the distance, she saw another image coming closer.

    Camelot

    The King¡¯s Chambers

    Merlin couldn¡¯t wait to get the meeting about the funeral preparation over with. He had been through too many of these to care about them. He knew the funeral route they were going to take, already. It had been taken what felt like a thousand times before and it will be taken a few thousand times or until the curse was broken. He let out a soft sigh. He glanced at Morgana. He could tell she didn¡¯t sleep last night. She tried to hid that fact with extra make up under her eyes. Her beautiful orbs were dull and tired. She lacked the usual life she held about her.

    He knew what kept her up. Memories. Memories of her brother¡¯s death and their father¡¯s death. He wondered if she would visit him soon. If she kept to the routine she somehow created over the years, she would be tonight or tomorrow night.

    The Battle Mage didn¡¯t know what it was, but he knew something had shifted in the room. He frowned, glancing around the large chamber. He heard the Generals and Lord Jack discussing what kind security measures they needed to have in place for the funeral parade. Morgana straightened in her chair. Her hands clawed the cushion arms of the chair. Her eyes darted over the room, looking for something.

    A chill crawled up Merlin¡¯s spine. His vision shifted slightly and he saw a dark figure entered the room. The new figure was dressed in darkest cloak of black. Merlin let out a sigh. He knew who it was.

    The image grew in size as Tina approached it and she saw a darken forest on the other side of the barrier. Lightening flashed, revealing a muddy ground and rain gathered in various puddles. The light faded away. The scream echoed, closer this time.

    Tina twisted. Her hair drifted out in a halo. She mentally cursed and hurried to pat down her hair, tying it back with the hair tie she had on a wrist. Her eyes scanned the area. The owner of the scream didn¡¯t come into sight, yet. She thought about expanding her spiritual sense, but worried if she tried to reach out around her, the creature would speed to her location. She grabbed the edge of the portal. She turned back to the portal and pulled herself closer until she was touching the surface of the portal. She glanced back as the scream sounded in the distance and her jaw dropped as a winged creature glowing a icy blue flew through the void.

    The winged span of the creature had to be at least 10 feet from where Tina was standing. It was probably a lot larger then that, she mused then Pyro¡¯s voice drifted from a memory the longer Tina continued to stare at the creature.

    ¡°According to legends, there were a powerful and ancient dragon named Talon The Cruel got captured by the Great Battle Mage Merlin during the last days of King Arthur¡¯s reign. During this time, the Demon World and the Human World were in the process being separated by an order from the King of Spirit World. The Battle Mage threw Talon into the space forming between the worlds. To this day, Talon is looking for a way out of the Void and a way to get back at Merlin.¡±

    ¡°How do you know this, Pyro?¡±

    ¡°The Dragon demons tell their hatchlings about Talon and his mission to get out of the Void. They worship him as their God. They have rituals where they capture a group of travelers and push them into the void, closest to where Talon makes his nest to feed upon. Among the others demons, there are ancient ones who still remember the fight between Merlin and Talon, telling how the ground shook for days, how the fires from Talon turned sands to glass, how Merlin managed to outsmart Talon, and how the Battle Mage tore a hole in the air to the Void before sending Talon into it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a very tall tale.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s the truth!¡±

    A scream rang through the void. Tina paled as she heard the name of the Battle Mage in the scream. A stream of white flame expanded into the void as the dragon raged. Tina¡¯s heart thundered. Her chest heaved. Closing her eyes, she threw herself through the portal before Talon could spot her.

    Merlin watched as Lady Death strolled over to the huge bed and waited, shifting her weight back and forth. His blue eyes darted between the dying King and the impatient Lady. He turned his head away from the invisible figure when General Genesis asked a question.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± The Battle Mage spoke, ¡°What did you ask, General?¡±

    ¡°Pay attention,¡± Belladonna snapped, ¡°This is not the time nor the place for you to daydream, Mage.¡±

    Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He summoned up all the patience his years had given him before he answered, ¡°My apologizes, my queen, I was lost in thought.¡±

    ¡°Pay better attention or I will cast you from these meetings,¡± Belladonna growled.

    Genesis spoke up, ¡°I asked if there is any wards around God¡¯s Holy Light Church.¡±

    Belladonna¡¯s glower was felt by the ones in the room as Merlin answered, ¡°There are some wards in place. And before you ask, I do know which wards and how to renew if I should need to.¡±

    ¡°There are wards around God¡¯s Holy Light Church?¡± Kalliope asked, surprised.

    Merlin nodded, explaining, ¡°They were put there by the first Pastor of the Church. He was a Holy Mage, meaning the Pope gave him permission to practice the Holiest of the Light Magic.¡± He paused, thinking about some of the wards in place, ¡°I do believe one of the wards is a sanctuary based ward, allowing anyone who cried for sanctuary on the steps, the Church would automatically give them entrance and protection from their enemies. Another ward is Intent. If anyone enters the Church with the intent to harm or ill to ones in the Church, they would be expel from it, immediately. Some of the effects of that wards were interesting.¡±

    He remembered one of the times that the Citizens had fled to the Church for one reason or another, resulting the enemy chasing them into the church to be bodily thrown from the Holy building. The First Pastor, Merlin knew, had an unique way of viewing the world. While majority of the Kingdom saw the non-humans during the time of the King Uther I as monsters and sought knights out to slay the said monsters, the Pastor didn¡¯t view them that way, often citing that they were put on this plane of existence for a reason and they could be saved by the Will of God and allowed entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom.

    Merlin heard the death rattle sound loudly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Lady Death bending over the King. A hand slowly appeared from beneath her clock, revealing a smooth, young looking hand, reaching toward Uther.

    The Battle Mage narrowed his eyes as a clear figure reached up toward the outstretch hand and grabbed it. There was a faint whoosh as Uther stood up from the bed, leaving his body behind on the bed. Merlin looked away, sensing Belladonna¡¯s irritation. He continued, ¡°There were many who viewed the non-humans as majority does today - creatures that needed to be slain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that tradition has lasted,¡± Belladonna boasted. Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Morgana turned her head enough where she knew the Warrior Queen couldn¡¯t see the she-mage roll her eyes in annoyance.

    ¡°However, the First Pastor of the Church didn¡¯t have that view and created the sanctuary ward as a result,¡± Merlin explained, ¡°First, it was just a rumor until a group of non-humans was brave enough to try to call for Sanctuary up on the steps of the God¡¯s Holy Light Church when they were being chased by King Uther the First and several of his knights.¡± He fell silent, recalling that memory. ¡°The Sanctuary Ward responded, allow the group of the non-humans to enter. The King and his knights chased after them into the depths of the church with steel drawn. The Pastor warned them to put their swords away and entered the Church with good will. The King and the knights didn¡¯t listen. The Wards activated, throwing the King and his knights out of the Church and across the street.¡±

    ¡°The Pastor had no right to do that,¡± Belladonna¡¯s eyes narrowed as she growled.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Merlin cut in before the former High Queen could continued, ¡°It was his Church. He was put there by the Pope. He had every right to performed to magic to create those wards. After all, he had the permission of the Pope.¡± He waited a heartbeat, allowing the information to sink in before he continued, ¡°Plus, it didn¡¯t help that once the Pope heard of the King¡¯s actions, he did threaten to ex-communicate Camelot from the Church and sentence every soul who lived in the Kingdom of Camelot to Hell.¡± Merlin fought the smirk he wanted to show the Warrior Queen when he saw her pale face.

    Opening her eyes, Tina gasped as something hit her foot. She arced forward and landed on her knees. Rain pelted upon her. Lightening flashed over head. Thunder boomed. What the hell? She ran her gaze over the new area. She climbed to her feet, annoying how her pants felt against her lower legs. She twisted around and peered through the dark forest, trying to see if Ralph and his team managed to follow her through the void. She narrowed her eyes. She didn¡¯t see anything. She did remembered that Ralph was a few yards away from her. Maybe it did have a few minutes before he made it through the thing¡­if he did. She half hoped Talon the Cruel would gabble him up.

    Shaking her head, she darted forward as she tried to increase the distance, leaving the portal to the void. She heard a roar. She frowned. That sounded like a lion¡¯s roar. She never seen a lion in person, but she did watch enough lion themed shows she knew what a lion¡¯s roar sounded like. She turned her head in time to see through the lightening flash a wall moving through the trees.

    Why was a wall moving through the trees likes that? She wondered as she slowly to a walk. Her gut tightened with worry and anticipation. Another flash of lightening gave her more detail to work with as she saw it not a wall, it was a wave of muddy water. She nodded. Yup. A wall of muddy water. ¡®RUN¡¯ the word echoed in the confinement of her skull.

    ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Tina said. She changed direction and ran over to a fallen tree. She leaped upon the fallen log and hurried up as fast as she dared, keeping one foot in front of the other, trying to ignored the sharp pains darting up her leg. She wanted to glance behind at the wall of the muddy water. She would lose preciously seconds if she did that. Her heart picked up as she reached the end of the fallen tree. She snapped her legs together before she crunched then jumped as high as she could. Her hands curled around a low hanging branch. She pulled herself up with a grunt. She reached up to the branch above her head. She shifted her arm over the branch and swung her legs back and forth before she managed to place her right leg over the branch. She shifted her body to straddle the branch and swung her legs up, placing her left foot in front of her right on the branch. She shifted her weight around and slowly stood up on the branch. She reached to the truck of the tree to study herself as she inched closer to it and tilted her head back. She jumped, grabbing the next higher branch and repeated the process for the third time when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone else was out of in this storm. She couldn¡¯t tell who it was, but they hurried up the side of a mountain.

    The flash flood slammed into the tree. The tree shook from the force. Tina squeaked in surprise, coming back to her problem at hand. She summoned her spirit energy to her arms as she pulled herself up onto the branch. The force of the water swept the branch she was standing on away. She grunted in pain as rocks and other debris slammed into her legs as they disappeared into the muddy water. She didn¡¯t know how long she hang onto the branch, using her physical and spiritual strength to stay put. She watched the water level slowly drop several feet when her strength gave out. She sucked in a breath. Her eyes widened in horror then snapped shut. Valentina Armstrong disappeared beneath the muddy water, cursing herself for becoming weak. She felt the water swept her along until she slammed hard into something.

    The Battle Mage felt every bit of his old age as he stood up, pushing his chair back before slowly turned in a circle, facing the bed where King Uther laid. The Generals continued to discuss what else they needed to increase security at with Lord Jack for the parade and the possible escape routes in case the worst happen. The Queens sat there, silently, listening to the Generals. Only Belladonna added her input in when she saw something that the Generals and Lord Jack missed. Morgana frowned, looking up at him. The Generals and Lord Jack¡¯s voice rose, echoing off the stone walls.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Merlin growled, loudly. Thunder boomed as lightening flashed behind him. As the last note of thunder faded away, the room went silent. The Generals, Lord Jack, the Ruling Family, and Morgana looked up at him, waiting.

    Magic filling his hand, Merlin¡¯s right index finger draw two runes in the air, at chest level. The first rune he traced in the air was side-ways S, the Sowiloh. The second one was a backwards Z, the Eihwaz. The runes glowed a bright green before there was a soft breeze rush over the people in the room. One by one, the Queens, The Generals, The magi, Lord Jack, and Prince Arthur glowed green. Merlin knew before the ripple of magic reached the King¡¯s bed, Uther was gone. The Magic had to confirm it.

    ¡°What is that,¡± Genesis asked, ¡°And what does this green glow mean?¡±

    ¡°It is used to detect the living,¡± Honor answered Genesis, ¡°I have seen those runes before, done on the battlefield to figure out who was still among the living and not.¡±

    ¡°Long live the King,¡± Merlin whispered. It echoed around the room followed by a thunder clap.

    Morgana turned to face the bed and double-checked herself. She paled as she whispered, ¡°Long Live the King.¡±

    Kalliope pushed her chair hard causing it to fell the stone floor and ran over to her husband. Clarine was a step behind her, going to one side of the bed. Kalliope traced a hand along the King¡¯s face before she placed two fingers to a point on the King¡¯s neck. She waited with baited breath. She couldn¡¯t find what she was looking for and tears trailed down her cheeks as she choked out, ¡°Long Live the King.¡±

    Clarine repeated the phrase. Belladonna shook as she said. Vivien stood up and echoed the phrase. The Generals stood at the side of the table and saluted their King, a hand slapping over their chest. Lord Jack¡¯s voice filled the air before the Queens one by one started to sob.

    ¡°I think we should finish this tomorrow as well as make arrangements to do a private Choosing with you, my prince, and if necessary with the Knights and the Generals if they wish,¡± Merlin suggested. His heart felt heavy as he gazed each of the each queens. He glanced at the Generals. He knew Genesis would want to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath. He didn¡¯t know about the other two Generals. He glanced at Jack. He also didn¡¯t know if the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard would have any desire to pull the sword. However, Merlin would worry about that tomorrow. There was something more pressing he needed to take care of and he addressed Arthur, ¡°My Prince,¡± Arthur slowly turned to Merlin, tears filling his eyes, ¡°For the time being until another is chosen by the Holy Sword, you are the Acting King, you need to make an announcement.¡±

    Arthur blinked at him, sending the tears trailing down his cheeks before he nodded, silently. Morgana moved around the table and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She patted his hair. Merlin stepped away from the table while Bartholomew dropped the salute and turned to the table, gathering their supplies. Genesis and Honor followed Bartholomew¡¯s example and helped gather their supplies.

    The door shut behind the Generals before Morgana spoke, ¡°My Prince, you should try to pull the Holy Sword.¡±

    Arthur slowly turned his head to the she-mage. He blinked at her.

    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Merlin said, ¡°It is better we know now if you are found worthy of the Holy Sword or not. If you are, we will be able to start the preparations for your coronation. If not, we are able to start looking among the Knights before search among the Court.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being insensitive?¡± Belladonna snarled, ¡°Our King just died, a few minutes ago -¡±

    ¡°Do you want to experience another Time of the Kingless Kingdom?¡± Merlin cut in. Belladonna fell silent. ¡°Prince Arthur, please, pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath.¡±

    For a long moment, Arthur stared at the Holy Sword. His eyes flickered to the Magi then to his family. His heart thumped harshly in his chest as he brought his gaze back to the Holy Sword. How many times before had he image pulling the Holy Sword out of its scabbard when he was younger? He knew the answer. Too many times. Now, he could try - no, no, he mustn¡¯t think like that - he would pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath and become the next King of Camelot, King Arthur X. He was named after several Arthurs that ruled over the years, but his grandmother told him once, he was named after the first Arthur to rule over the Kingdom.

    He stepped forward to the bed where the Holy Sword lay beside his father. He reached out. His right hand slipped onto the hilt, fingers curling. He lifted the sword and sheath off the bed and took a step back, away from the bed. He took a breath and let out, trying to calm his heart beat. He tightened his grip on the hilt and sheath before he pulled on the hilt. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t move. He tried again, pulling harder. Same result. This time when he tried, the hilt slipped from his hand. He allowed his hands to fall to his side. The Holy Sword slipped from his left hand and fell to the carpet. He stared at the carpet. Dimly aware, he spotted the Sword by his feet.

    ¡°So it be,¡± Merlin announced, gravely, ¡°Prince Arthur, my deepest apologizes, but The Holy Sword has found you not worthy to rule Camelot.¡±

    A choked sob rang out from Arthur¡¯s right. He turned his gaze to see his grandmother Clarine, tears running down her cheeks. Grandma Vivi looked shocked. Nana Bella, on the other hand, stared at him in disappointment. The former prince watched as Nana Bella turned away from him.

    ¡°What will happen to us, now,¡± his step-mother, Kalliope, asked.

    Merlin sighed before he replied, ¡°A number of possibilities.¡± Arthur forced his legs to move. He slowly walked over to a nearby chair and collapsed down into it. Merlin went on, ¡°It all depends on who the Holy Sword chooses as the Next King.¡± Arthur brought up his hands as he bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. ¡°I have seen, in the past, the previous Ruling Family killed by the New Ruling Family; cast out to sea with barely enough supplies to last a trip to another land; there had been a few times where the New Ruling Family had allow the Previous to live in the Castle or in the town, usually under watch of trusted supporters; of course, the arrangement the Drake Family had with the previous Ruling Family, staying on to help you, Queen Vivien, to adjust to the Ruling life.¡± Merlin paused, ¡°There had been a couple wars between the Ruling Families that results in massive bloodshed on both sides, resulting in neither Family ruling.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Nana Bella started, ¡°We have to wait to see who becomes King to know our fate.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± Merlin answered.

    Arthur looked up at the Battle Mage before he asked, ¡°Is there any way you can help us?¡±

    ¡°Help you how?¡± the Battle Mage questioned.

    ¡°Depending on what the Next King orders, will you help us escape the Kingdom if it becomes necessary?¡± The former heir of Camelot asked.

    ¡°I will see what I can do to help if it comes to that,¡± Merlin replied, ¡°Though I do hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡± Silence fell in the room.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arthur spoke up, ¡°I think I am going to start packing after I check in with the Head Knight at the Knights¡¯ Tower to see if there is a room available for me.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Merlin stated, ¡°I will accompany you over to there. The knights will be able to have a try at the Holy Sword, if they wished.¡±

    Grandma Vivi spoke up, ¡°I think it will be best if we did the same. In case the worst does happen and we need to flee.¡± Nana Bella growled, loudly, at the suggestion, but she didn¡¯t protest it. Grandma Clarine nodded in agreement. Kalliope closed her eyes and agreed. One by one, the four queens left the room. Arthur stood beside Merlin, watching the women in the Drake Family leave.

    ¡°Merlin,¡± Arthur said, breaking the silence, ¡°If the new King demands it, I will stay behind as long as they make out of the Castle alive, either if I have to serve him alive or dead.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it comes to that, I will do what I can,¡± Merlin said, ¡°That is all I can promise.¡±

    Arthur nodded. He shallowed and announced, ¡°Summon the Knights of the Round Table.¡± He looked at the Battle Mage, ¡°It¡¯s their turn to try.¡±

    Merlin nodded in understanding before he walked over to the Holy Sword and took it from the bed.

    Sun shone brightly upon the forest. Tristan brought up a hand cover his forehead, trying to peer through the blinding rays. The forest several feet below had been landscaped by the wall of muddy water. Several trees lay on their sides, pulling up from the soften ground. He spotted a couple more trees snapped in half with the sharpen end sticking out of the mud. He shook his head. He wondered who pissed off Jupiter enough to send a storm like that. His hand fell to the side and he risked a glance to the sky. It was a clear blue with no storm clouds in sight. He let out a sigh. He hoped it stayed that way.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Tristan turned attention to the fact he now had to climb back down the side of the mountain. He sighed. He grabbed his pack, hoisting it onto his back. His eyes scanned the ground. He hoped his horse managed to get safety before the flash food swept through the area. He knew there was a chance the stallion didn¡¯t make it. He barely made it to the cave before the wave went through the forest. He shook his head. He could easily found another horse for his personal quest. He turned, facing the cave mouth and lowered his left foot past the edge of the cave, trying to reach the hole he had used to hoist himself up to the cave.

    It was slow work for Tristan to reach the muddy ground. There were several close calls where one of his limbs slipped out of the hand holes due the mud finding its way. He looked up the side of the mountain. He shook his head. He could tell how large the waves of the flash flood. The cave was 16 feet up from the ground. There was a muddy line a foot below the cave mouth. He rolled his shoulders. He faced the forest. His eyes scanned the area. He hoped the nearby villages wasn¡¯t affected by the flood.

    Tristan started to walk away from the foot of the mountain, heading to the road or at least where the road was before the flood. He didn¡¯t know how wide the flood was and probably won¡¯t know until he reached the road. He pulled his foot up from the mud, trying to keep his boot on as the mud sucked the shoe down. He wobbled a bit as he looked at his boot then at the ground and shook his head. At least the nearby villages would have plenty enough mud to rebuild their homes if they needed to. He stepped forward and heard the squash of his boot sinking into the mud.

    By the time, Tristan made it to the tree line, he was panting and sweating. He still cursing whoever pissed the God of Thunder. He lend against a large rock, trying to catch his breath. He placed his hands behind him, stretching out his back. His right hand land on something soft. It gave way under his hand. He turned his head and gapped. A muddy form of a woman laying on her back, arching over the rock. His jaw dropped as he spotted where his hand landed. It cupped one of her fun bags. He froze before he glanced to the woman¡¯s face. Her eyes were closed.

    Tristan let out a breath of relief. The woman appeared to be unconscious. However, he did notice something while his hand lay on her breast. She wasn¡¯t breathing. He spun around, removing his hand from her fun bags. He reached up to her neck, trying to find her pulse as he tried to recall the lessons he had in the Military about reviving a person who wasn¡¯t breathing. He dimly remembered something about checking the air way for any blockages then pumping on the chest area before breathing through the mouth until the person started breathing on their own. His index and middle fingers found her pulse. He let out a sigh of relief. He scrapped at her lower face, pushing away the mud gathered there. Her mouth popped open as she exhaled then sucked in a deep breath. She panted, laying there.

    Tristan backed away or at least tried to until he remembered how thick the mud was when he tried to pulled his feet up from the mud and fell backwards. He landed with a grunt onto his backside. He looked up at the woman as she started to shift. He sat there, waiting.

    Tina laid there, panting as she mentally went over what happened. There had been a storm and a flash flood. She tried to out ran the flood and sought shelter in the trees, but she couldn¡¯t get high enough in time before the flood slammed into the tree, eventually taking her under. She somehow managed to survive that flash food. She nodded to herself. She got lucky. She remembered hearing stories there were people who didn¡¯t survive getting swept away in a flash flood. She tried to open her eyes, but there was something holding them shut and she couldn¡¯t force them open. She brought up a hand, trying to move her fingers into a curl, but couldn¡¯t.

    Tina¡¯s heart picked up as her chest heaved as she tried to move her hands. She felt there was something coating her body. It was hard to move. She jerked her left arm up and heard a muffle grunt. She swung her head toward the noise, trying to figure out where or what made it.

    Something grabbed her jaw and forced her head back. She bared her teeth in a growl and tried to fight back, but the force holding her jaw tightened and something ran down her face. It was cool. Something rough scrubbed at her eyes and nose until she felt the stiffness lose. She stilled, waiting, until the person helping her was done. It had to be a person. No animal would help her like this. She felt the rough object moved away and a cooling liquid ran over her closed eyes and nose. It was refreshing. She let out a sigh.

    Tina opened her eyes, slowly. She didn¡¯t need to blind herself with seeing light again. She blinked as the world came into focus and mentally started to cussing herself out. There was a man - not Ralph, she noticed, he is too attractive to be Ralph or any other member of the ninja team - knelt beside her. She should have sensed him. The sun shined through the trees. She was still in the forest, though she didn¡¯t know what part of the forest. She turned her attention to the man, looking him over, sending her spiritual powers out to see if he was a human, a mixed, or a demon.

    Sensing he was a human, the man kneeling beside her had to be one of the best looking men she ever set eyes on. His shaggy chocolate brown hair brushed his shoulders as he lend back, giving her some space. His hazel nut eyes studied her as she ran her eyes over him. She jerked her eyes away from him and peered around to see a large bare rock wall on her left. She tilted her head back, trying to see the top, but it disappeared into the clouds. She blinked in surprise. She knew there was a mountain anywhere near her home, but it was covered by forest and other greenery. She pushed that fact to the back of her mind as she turned her head in the other direction. The forest stretched out. Tina faced the man and spoke, ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She stopped as she started to cough. Her face screwed up in pain as her throat flamed with irritation. Her throat felt like sandpaper, indicating she had been unconscious for sometime. One of her mud cover hands touched her throat gently.

    ¡°Here,¡± the man lifted a container strap over his head and handed a round container to her, ¡°It¡¯s water. It will help sooth your throat.¡±

    Tina took it and nodded her head in thanks before she put it up to her lips. She tipped the container back along with her head, drinking. Cool water hit her tongue and she breathed out of her nose in relief. She shallowed the water, feeling her throat cool down. She flapped back down into the mud. She had forgot how water tasted. She didn¡¯t usual drink water. Most of the time, it tasted off like there was extra stuff added to it. She avoided drinking plain water and stuck to cola or flavored water. This water was refreshing, pure tasting. It was not long before she drained the container empty. She brought it away from her lips, panting. She shook the container and winced. Sitting back up, she handed it back and said, ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t mean to drink it all.¡± She tucked a leg under her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the man replied, ¡°Here.¡± Tina looked up. He held out his hand. She reached up and grabbed the offered hand. He pulled her up, hard. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt her body jerked upward and she stumbled forward. He let her hand go. Her hands flew up, bracing her hands against his chest covered tunic. Her thumb brushed over the V edge of the tunic and touched the soft cloth of his undershirt. He obviously worked out from what she felt under her hands. His hands cupping her elbows to steady her.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tina said, softly. She stepped back and increased the distance between them. She felt heat raise in her cheeks. She dropped her hands to her sides. She glanced around and noticed that none of the surrounding forest looked familiar, asking, ¡°Where am I?¡± She looked at the man, cocking her head to the side.

    ¡°Dead End Forest,¡± the man replied, ¡°I am Tristan of House Fletcher.¡±

    Tina blinked as she introduced herself, ¡°Valentina of House Armstrong, call me Tina.¡± She felt his eyes roam over her. It was not in a perverted manor. It was like he was concern for her wellbeing. A warming feeling spread through her chest. It had been a long time since she had felt that way. As for the little fact of the forest, she never heard of Dead End Forest. That tree barrier she had come through¡­it must have transported her somewhere else. She hoped the portal didn¡¯t spit her out in the middle of the demon world. That would be a bad thing since majority of the high level demons had a taste for human flesh.

    ¡°Do you want to get cleaned up, Lady Tina?¡± Tristan asked in a respectful tone.

    Tina blinked. Her? A Lady? She resisted the urge to snort in amusement. She never been address as a Lady before. She held up her arms, running her gaze over her muddy form. ¡°First of all, don¡¯t call me ¡®Lady¡¯. I¡¯m not a ¡®Lady,¡± she started, ¡°Yes, please, if there is a place nearby I could get cleaned up at, that would be awesome.¡±

    ¡°Are you not a Lady of the House Armstrong?¡± Tristan asked with a note of confusion in his voice. Tina paused. He was said lady like it was with a capital L, like she had a title. There was something going on she didn¡¯t understand, fully. He went on, ¡°There is a lake in a short distance from here. Please, allow me to escort you there.¡±

    ¡°Suurree?¡± Tina replied in a questioning tone. What is this ¡®House¡¯ business? She only introduced herself like he did, using her last name as a House name. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going.¡±

    Tristan held out an arm to her. Tina glanced at it for a long moment then she met his gaze. Her tone gave away the fact she thought he was crazy as she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m not taking that.¡± She paused, letting what she said sink in. ¡°I am covered in mud and Gods knows what else. I am not touching you. You lead, I follow.¡±

    Tristan¡¯s expression informed her he wanted to laugh, but at the same time, he was also confused. However, he nodded and took a step toward the forest with some trouble. Tina noticed the mud didn¡¯t want to let his feet leave the area. She experienced the same thing as she followed him. Her pants stuck her legs, uncomfortable as she walked. Her eyes glanced at her shirt. It was covered with mud, but the mud was in the process of drying. She guesstimated that she was only knocked out for a couple hours.

    Tina shook her head as she fought against the mud trying to remove her boots as she pulled them up from the mud. She glanced toward the brown haired man and saw he already reached the tree line. The mud wasn¡¯t as thick around the trees as it was in the main path of the flood. She finally made it to the tree line, panting. She gave Tristan a grin, saying, ¡°Well, that was fun.¡± She glanced behind her then she turned her attention back to Tristan, ¡°Now, you said you knew a place for me to get cleaned up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did, my lady,¡± Tristan nodded and twisted on his heel before he lead the way. Tina followed behind him, thinking if Tristan was the result of another trickery on Ralph¡¯s and his team¡¯s part or not.

    A couple hours later, Arthur sighed as he signed the massive, allowing the village criers and message deliverers to get paid. He heard the door shut behind the Battle Mage as he left with the Holy Sword in hand. Arthur was found unworthy by the Holy Sword to rule Camelot. He saw his hand shook as he finished signing his name. He didn¡¯t know what else he could do. He lend back in the high back chair. He ran his hand over the arm of the plush chair, thinking. The chair had been in the family for generations, passed down from father to son, king to king or at least he thought it was a family heirloom until recently. He knew the chair was a royal heirloom. The chair was over 500 years old and had been passed down from Chosen King to Chosen King.

    Starting tomorrow, his future would uncertain, Arthur looked around the room known as the King¡¯s Office. He remembered when he was younger, running into the room as his father tackled paperwork on the management of the Kingdom while one of his uncles, the King, was away at war with majority of the Ruling Family men and Queen Belladonna.

    ¡°My prince!¡± he heard his nanny called out as the young prince ran down the hallway.

    ¡°Daad! Daaad!¡± a 10 year old Arthur darted around the guards at the door. A wide grin on his face as he crossed into the office of the King. His father glanced up from his paperwork at him with a small smile on his face before he returned to it as one of the knights stood on the opposite side of the desk with another stack of papers and beside the Knight was the Head of the Housekeeping, sitting in one of the plush chair provided for long private meetings. ¡°You will never guess who is here, Dad!¡± Arthur ran around the edge of the desk and came to a stop beside his father.

    ¡°So,¡± Uther spoke to the Head of the Housekeeping, ¡°You will be able to complete her rooms in time for her arrival?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your highness,¡± The head of housekeeping replied, confidently. She held her head up in pride.

    ¡°Daaaad!¡± Arthur¡¯s voice turned into a whine tone as he reached and grabbed his father¡¯s arm as the acting King started to write down something. A loud scratching sound echoed through the room as the quill Uther held tore the parchment he was writing and left a deep scratch in the wooden top of the desk. Arthur froze. His eyes widened in horror as he heard the noise of the parchment ripping and the scratching sound.

    Uther stilled. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. Arthur glanced at the Knight and the Head of the Housekeeping who both looked disapproving at him. He felt his father¡¯s arm shift under his hand and his gaze went to his father, watching as Uther sat down in the plush chair.

    ¡°You two are dismissed,¡± Uther waved his hand toward the Knight and the Housekeeping Head. They both bowed with a ¡®my lord¡¯ before they walked out of the office.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dad,¡± Arthur whispered. He knew he was in trouble. His lower lip trembled as he fought to hold back his tears. His Uncle didn¡¯t like it when Arthur would burst into the office and disturbed him while he was working. His eyes stared at the side of the plush chair.

    ¡°Arthur,¡± his father started with a smoothing tone, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Uther scooped Arthur up and placed him on his leg before Arthur felt his father¡¯s arm wrapped around him, protectively. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t mean to pull on my arm like that, son. However, you do need to stop running into the office. Right now, I am the acting King until your Uncle comes home, and it means when I am in this office, I am working.¡± Arthur slowly looked up at his father. ¡°I¡¯m going to spend a lot of time in this office for now on so I won¡¯t be able to spend a lot of time with you like I did before your grandfather died.¡± Arthur blinked at his father before he nodded. ¡°I do know who is here, though, it is your cousin, James, right?¡±

    Arthur¡¯s face transformed from a frown into a grin. He nodded, excitedly, ¡°Yup, James is here.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why he is here?¡± Uther asked.

    ¡°To play Knights and Dragons with me?¡± Arthur questioned. Excitement rush through. It had been ages since he had seen James. His cousin used to live at the Castle and they played together all the time. Arthur couldn¡¯t wait to play with his cousin, again. It would be just like old times. Maybe Lady Annja of the White Hall Family would return too with her daughter and tell him and James about the boy who didn¡¯t want to grow up, again. He would like to learn how to fly just like the Pan.

    Uther laughed, softly, ¡°He will be able to do that, but that is not the reason why, son.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I am getting re-married and you are getting a new mother.¡±

    That was the last time Uther had sat down and explained anything beside Arthur¡¯s duties before Kalliope had walked into their lives by marrying Uther.

    Arthur shook himself from the memory. After the wedding between his father and Kalliope, his father had been distant, becoming grossed in his work when Uther became the Chosen King and running the Kingdom. Kalliope had taken over raising him like a mother would have and made sure he had his education and knew his duties after his father had explained them to him.

    A loud knock broke through his thoughts and Arthur raised his head, calling, ¡°Enter!¡±

    The door opened, revealing one of the Castle guards. The guard saluted Arthur before he announced, ¡°The Town Criers are here as well as five dozen messengers you requested are waiting in the Entrance Hall, My lord.¡±

    Arthur nodded, ¡°Thank you, Guard.¡± He stood up and grabbed the bag of scrolls he had prepared. He walked out of the King¡¯s Office. He slowly looked around, gazing from the sturdy bookcases made of oak, to the large fireplace that had the large portrait of King Arthur the First over the mental place, and to the large bay window that look over the Castle Gardens and the Maze. The Gardens and Maze sparkled in the sunshine in the after of the storm that morning. The storm lasted a hour or two, but it was an unusual one for spring. He hoped the next chosen King didn¡¯t have to face the possibility of repairing one of the villages, thanks to that storm. He sighed. He didn¡¯t know if he would ever walk back into this office again as apart of the Ruling Family. He grabbed the door knob and stepped through the doorway, shutting the door behind him.

    Gawain stared at Merlin in surprise as the Knights filled in the large conference room in the Knight¡¯s tower. The Battle Mage held the Holy Sword at his side. Gawain¡¯s gut tightened in worry. Did Arthur managed to pull the sword or not? Was Arthur their new King?

    ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Merlin¡¯s voice rang out, clearly, ¡°Prince Arthur was found not worthy to rule by the Holy Sword.¡±

    Gawain¡¯s jaw dropped. The words bounced in his head. He dropped his gaze down to the table he sat down. He heard gasps and soft curses from the other knights. He couldn¡¯t believe that Arthur was not going to be King. What will happen to him and his family? What will happen to Camelot, now? Will there be another Time of the Kingless Kingdom?

    ¡°Who will be King,¡± Galahad spoke up from his seat, three from Gawain¡¯s right.

    ¡°That remains to be determined,¡± Merlin replied, ¡°Because Arthur couldn¡¯t pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath, it is your turn to try.¡± Gawain saw Merlin¡¯s gaze run over the Knights sitting at the table. ¡°If one of you manages to be found worthy to rule by the Holy Sword, we will go from there. If none of you are found worthy by the Holy Sword, we will have a choosing the day after tomorrow for the Holy Sword to decide the New King.¡±

    Silence filled the chamber. Gawain turned his gaze away from the Mage, thinking. If he managed to found worthy to rule by the Holy Sword, it will help his family. He would be able to bring them to the castle to live with him. Of course, he would have to take a wife and have a child, but that would be a small sacrifice to help his family in the long run. His family would raise in status and be known as part of the Ruling Family. He would have to try for them. He glanced around the table.

    Gawain knew a few of the other Knights were facing similar problems. Galahad had some familial problems like he was, but Draco had left the Castle to inform his father about what was happening and tried to help his father with border fights. Steven, sitting across the table from Gawain, faced a difficult decision himself since he was betrothed to a woman he didn¡¯t know, thanks to his mother, claiming the match was perfect and the woman came from one of the families in the court.

    ¡°Now, who wants to try, first?¡± Merlin asked.

    ¡°Do all of us have to try?¡± Lancelot spoke up from his spot near the head of the table.

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Merlin said, ¡°We don¡¯t want to have another period of Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    Majority of the knights shifted in their seats. Gawain had been a young child of 5 summers when Uther¡¯s great grandfather passed and the 6 months afterwords was the worst of Gawain¡¯s life. He remembered the numerous armies marching through the countryside, intending to try their hand at pulling the Holy Sword. He had lost his grandfather and Uncle during that time.

    He knew a lot of older knights lived through the time and knew one of them would immediately volunteer. He was not disappointed as Sir Andrew stood up, announcing, ¡°I volunteer to be the first.¡±

    Merlin nodded and held out the sheath as Sir Andrew strolled over and grabbed the hilt. The deep breath he took echoed through the room before he tried to pull the Holy Sword out. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t budge. The old knight tried again and he got the same result.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Andrew, the Holy Sword had found you unworthy to wield her,¡± Merlin stated. Sir Andrew nodded and left the room. One by one, Merlin went to each Knight in the room and got the same result. When Merlin stopped in front of Gawain, the blue haired knight stood, took a steady breath before he grabbed the hilt of the Holy Sword, and pulled as hard as he could. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t budge. He tried again and got the same result. Merlin gave him an apologizing look and announced, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Gawain, the Holy Sword had found you unworthy to wield her.¡±

    Gawain nodded and walked from the room. He had mixed feelings about the results from what just happen. He had hoped he would be found worthy to rule, but the Holy Sword thought otherwise. He frowned as he walked toward the gardens. Some part of him was happy that he didn¡¯t have to deal with the stress of ruling, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t know what to do with his family. He let out a sigh before he looked up at the sky. He noticed in the distance, dark gray storm clouds drew near. A flash of lightening and Gawain heard in the distance the rumble of thunder.

    Merlin groaned as he went over his notes from the short meeting. He needed to check on the various spell along the parade route. What were those spells, again? Where did he put those spell books with the protection spells? Better yet, those blasted notes about the protection spells, where did he placed those? They would be extremely helpful if he managed to find those.

    He turned to his bookcases and ran a hand down his face. He had a lot of books to go through, trying to find - what was the number again? - two or three or was it four? He didn¡¯t remember how many books he had used to re-new the protection spells the last time they had a funeral parade. That was nearly 35 to 50 years ago now. Usually, thanks to the curse, there would be have been a parade every 10 years, but it fell out of fashion with the Ruling Family for a time and when it did came back, Camelot had a series of Kings who ruled briefly before they died through various means. Majority of the Kings ended up dying on the battlefield, trying to defend the Kingdom.

    ¡°You think I would know some of these spells by heart by now,¡± Merlin voiced his thought as he approached the bookcase. He lifted a finger toward the spines of the books and ran it along. He had all kinds of different books about magic - books about potions, magical creatures¡­speaking of which.

    Merlin turned back to the desk and grabbed a spare piece of parchment and quickly wrote down that he needed to visit several of the magical communities living nearby and informed them of the current events. He would try to send a letter, but some things like the death of a King needed to be told in person. He knew most of the leaders in the surrounding magical communities would celebrate after he left the community.

    The Drake Ruling Family had not been kind to the non-humans for the last few Kings. King Luke¡¯s reign had started a series of laws that had prevented a lot of the non-humans to seek work inside the walls of Camelot¡­at first. When he married Belladonna and created an alliance with the House of Black, Belladonna had insisted that the current laws were not enough. King Luke, after a while, agreed with his wife and together, they passed another series of laws that further limited the non-humans. Any non-human caught could be traded in for currency or kept as a slave as long as the new owner had the right paperwork in place.

    Merlin remembered Morgana and him, along with the few human contacts, race the town criers and messengers to get the word out before there were riots in the villages outside the walls of Camelot. A few of the non-humans, they were too late to help, but a lot of them managed to escape into the forests and forgotten places of the world where they stayed out of sight of the Drake and Black families. He hoped the New King - whoever it shall be - will be willingly to work with the non-humans and try to undo some of the laws that had been killing the non-humans. If not, he would try to reason with the New King when it came to the topic of the non-humans and their freedom.

    Tina glanced at Tristan¡¯s back as he led to the place where she could get cleaned up. He seemed nice enough, she reasoned. He had, yet, to try make any passes at her. She couldn¡¯t drop her guard. Maybe he was only acting this way to get her to drop her guard before he did something to her. What? She didn¡¯t know. She knew she shouldn¡¯t be trusting him. Yet, he did little things¡­

    She watched as he jumped down from a large rock and immediately turned, reaching up as she approached the edge. He grabbed her hips as she placed her hands on his shoulders and he guided her off the rock. The moment her feet touched the forest floor, he let go and continued on his way, leading her to a water source to clean up.

    Things like that. Those little actions made her want to trust him. Maybe that was the plan, she thought, grimly. Tina needed to stop thinking down that train of thought. It would only end up in a bad place. She was trying to get out of a bad place. She didn¡¯t need to go back.

    Tina followed Tristan through the forest until she spotted a large clearing with a body of sparkling blue water. Maybe she should take a chance and trust this man. She had hope he wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm her, but she needed to prepare for the worst. She picked up her pace and couldn¡¯t fight the grin crossing her face. She passed Tristan and reached the clearing before he did.

    Her eyes widened in delight and awe. Slowly turning her head to the left then to the right, she took in the sparkling surface of a large lake. The lake¡¯s edge splashed against the tan sands of a beach. She remembered the last time she had visited the beach. It was in the aftermath of the Black Tournament when she and the team was waiting on the boat to take them back to the mainland Japan.

    Tina turned her head to look up the beach on her left hand side. The beach stretched on for at least another hundred yards before it curved into the forest. She looked the other way and saw what looked to be a large round rock sitting several yards away. It was perfect place to change out of these dirty clothes and into a set of clean clothes¡­that was assuming the rest of her clothes were not in the state as the one she wore. She sincerely hoped not. She relaxed her shoulders and allowed her hiking bag to drop to the sandy ground. She grabbed her sword and pulled it over her head. Shocked race through her as she glanced at her sheathed blade. She thought she would have lost it during that mad dash through the forest, trying to get away from Ralph or during the flash flood. It brought the question: What about her bow and arrows?

    She propped the sword up against her bag and reached up to pull her quiver off her back and over her head. Thrill shot through her as she saw she didn¡¯t lose her bow. It was a gift from her grandmother when she turned 13 and started her training with a weapon of her choice. The quiver of arrows were surprisingly still there. She had packed the arrows tight, but she didn¡¯t know if it would have help or not. At least, she was not weaponless if she was forced to defend herself. However, both weapons needed to clean as bad as she needed to be. She turned to Tristan, chewing her lower lip. She thought about something as she knelt to open up her hiking bag and peered inside before she muttered a colorful curse word. A choking sound caught her attention and she glanced up at Tristan, asking, ¡°You are okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°My lady.¡±

    Tina felt a twinge of annoyance at being address as ¡®My Lady¡¯. It almost felt like she was in the middle ages. She returned her gaze to her bag. Her clothes were muddy as she was. She sighed as she dumped the contexts of her bags onto the sand. Muddy water spread over the sand, seeping from her clothes. She heard the heavy thuds of her bathing supplies hit the top of the pile. She set the bag aside and saw the scroll sitting nearby the pile of muddy clothes.

    Tina reached out over to it and settled down on both knees. She untied the scroll and her eyes widened as she opened it. The ink was untouched by the watery experience. She thought the message would have been washed away. The parchment was also dry. She frowned. Maybe it was some sort of water proof paper. She briefly wondered how would Lady Freya have access to that. She thought only the people in the profession of writing under water like marine-biologist would access to it.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Tristan asked. A curiosity note was in his voice. Tina glanced up at him, silently debating on what tell him. She chewed on her lower lip. She couldn¡¯t straight out tell a stranger that her long lost father¡¯s mother had contacted her and basically hired a group of assassins to bring her straight to the old hag. Her gaze went back to the scroll she held.

    ¡°A letter from a woman named Freya of House White Hall,¡± Tina started, ¡°contacted me about something personal.¡± She looked up at him, ¡°But she didn¡¯t care if I came to her willingly or not so she hired an ninja to escort me.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Tristan faced her, ¡°You are telling me that Lady Freya hired a ninja team to kidnap you for a personal reason.¡±

    ¡°The said ninja team leader also back mailed me by claiming he would hurt my grandmother if I didn¡¯t go with him, but yeah, that is the jest of it,¡± Tina explained, watching him. She could tell that news shocked him. Maybe he knew this Freya.

    ¡°Do you want to meet Lady Freya and the White Hall family?¡± Tristan asked. He walked over to her and crunched down to her, meeting her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tina admitted. A weight lifted off her shoulders. ¡°Meeting Lady Freya,¡± Using the title of Lady felt weird as it rolled her tongue, ¡°will cause many,¡± she searched for a word to describe the situation she was in without giving too much away. Problems? No, while that could be the right word to describe the situation since she didn¡¯t know what Freya really wanted with her, ¡°changes in my life that I am not ready to face, just yet.¡± She sighed. ¡°I received this,¡± She held up the scroll, ¡°And was forced immediately to leave. I was not allowed to give it any thought or the chance to talk to my family about it.¡±

    ¡°What about this Ninja team?¡± Tristan asked. His hazel eyes harden, a fire lighting up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tina confessed, ¡°I managed to lose them, but I don¡¯t know how long that will stay that way.¡±

    ¡°Did they hurt you?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Not directly,¡± She said, ¡°One of them did shoot a fireball in my direction.¡± She remembered the heat washing over her, the burning sensation on her skin, and how close it came to roasting her alive. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t dodge it.¡±

 Chapter 15: Preparations

    <h2> </h2>

    Tristan couldn¡¯t believe it. Lady Freya, the mother of Sir Bardock of Ancient and Noble of House White Hall, had ordered the kidnap of this young lady. He hadn¡¯t met the matriarch of the White Hall House when she came to court, yet, but he had heard rumors that she was just and fair; welcoming strangers into her home without a fuss; and was able to go to toe with Queen Belladonna in the sneaky conversations that the Warrior Queen was famous for having. Of course, there had been rumors of The General chasing off Lady Freya more then once because Lady Freya wouldn¡¯t stop bugging the General about the infamous Camelot Assassin. There was something about the General was the parent of the Assassin rumor flew around for a few weeks there.

    There had to be something else that Lady Tina was not telling him. He knew that. Her stance was tensed. Her eyes shifted around the area when she spoke to him. Tristan narrowed his eyes, studying the woman in front of him. He couldn¡¯t tell what hair color she had, but her locks were knotted up and covered by drying mud. Her green eyes held the emotion he was searching for. Her eyes held a glint of suspicion, sadness, and tiredness. He half expected there would have been fear in those orbs, but Lady Tina obviously didn¡¯t go through an experience where she ended up fearing men. However, the sadness he couldn¡¯t explain away. She didn¡¯t flinch when he offered his arm to her, but she didn¡¯t take it. The tiredness, the knight reasoned, could came from a number of reasons. He glanced to the pack she carried on her back. A bedroll hung from the bottom of the bag with straps. His eyes flickered to the ground where a pile of muddy clothes lay on the sand. The pack had been full of clothes. He wondered how long she had been carrying it and if there was other nicknack''s that women loved to bring with them on a trip of any kind hiding in the pockets of the bag. He decided to let it go for now.

    ¡°How about you go ahead and get cleaned up, my lady,¡± Tristan suggested, gesturing to the lake. Tina glanced around the lake then up at him. She chewed on her lower lip. ¡°What is wrong, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Tina stated in an even tone. Tristan knew better then to believe that. He grew up with a couple of sisters and a handful of female cousins. She turned away and knelt beside the pile before she dug through her muddy clothes. She pulled out a pair of black pants with a strange dark blue top that had thin straps attached to it and silver threaded, blue plaid short sleeve.

    Tristan never seen those type of clothes before. He knew the fashion on the far side of the sea was highly different from Camelot and the surrounding Kingdoms, but these clothes were on a whole different level of unique. He cocked his head, asking ¡°Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°Vermont,¡± She replied. Tristan blinked. Where is Vermont? He frowned. Maybe it was a country in one of the distance kingdoms. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Camelot,¡± Tristan answered, ¡°Where is Vermont?¡±

    Tina frowned, stopped digging through the muddy clothes and looked at him, saying, ¡°In the North Eastern of the United States.¡± Her eyes flickered to the forest, ¡°Where is Camelot?¡± Her tone held a note of confusion.

    ¡°Just a day¡¯s walk or a half a day on horse back from here,¡± Tristan said. He lifted his arm and pointed in the direction of Camelot. Tina followed his arm as he pointed East. She glanced back at him before she walked behind him. He felt her hands on his shoulders before she stated, ¡°Hold still,¡± and felt her weight heavy on his shoulders. He immediately brought his hands down and grabbed the back of her knees. She tensed, a soft noise escaping her, but she relaxed her legs a moment later.

    ¡°Well,¡± Tina¡¯s voice sounded strained as she stared at the top of the Bell Tower and the roof of the God¡¯s Holy Light Church, ¡°I am definitely not in Vermont, anymore.¡± She shifted her weight, slightly, trying to pulled a leg out of his hands before she dropped down behind him. He allowed her other leg to drop. She moved from behind him. ¡°So, you say I¡¯m close to Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± Tristan frowned, slightly. She appeared to be shaken by the news. However, she knelt beside her bag and grabbed the clothes she had pulled out of her bag before she walked over to the lake. He turned and walked back into the woods, briefly and gathered an armful of sticks before he returned the shore of the lake, watching Tina in the water, washing her clothes, her shoulders tensed, her expression guarded. He sat down and pulled out one of his small knives before he started shaving one of the sticks. He glanced up to see Tina watching him. Her shoulders began to relaxed and her face slowly became unguarded.

    Tina glanced over her shoulder as she noticed the strange man named Tristan return to the shoreline with a pile of sticks. Her thoughts turned to the knowledge he gave her. Camelot. She wasn¡¯t far from Camelot. He couldn¡¯t mean the Legendary Kingdom of Camelot. She let out a huff at that thought. Of course not. That Camelot was long gone, disappeared into the mists of history. However, her grandma¡¯s voice drifted up from the various conversations she had with the older lady, growing up.

    ¡°I missed running through those halls,¡± her grandma¡¯s voice held a note of longing, ¡°The Ruling family before the Drakes knew how to party. They had dances at least once a month. They said it was to keep up morale among the people and help them out. I think Nami and I were in our teens. I know we didn¡¯t have our coming out announcement, yet, but the knights and the military were interested in us. Something about us Armstrong women drew the men in.¡±

    ¡°Where did you live, grandma? It sounds like you lived in some medieval time period,¡± Tina had questioned.

    ¡°Something like that, dear. I lived in Camelot.¡± Her grandma gave her a grin, like she knew something Tina didn¡¯t know. It used to drive Tina nuts when her grandma and great aunt Nami talked about growing up in the legendary Kingdom. She remembered wanting to visit the Castle the Famous King Arthur used to live in, but once she started to look into the British history and tried to track down the possible location for the Castle, she found out there was a good chance it never existed. She still held a shard of hope, though.

    Tina blinked as she stared down at her hands, realizing she had stopped washing her yoga pants, a random pair of underwear, and shirts. She let out a huff before she went back to work, trying to clean the mud out of her clothes. She knew the yoga pants would dry a lot faster in the sun then one of her blue jeans. Plus the yoga pants would feel a lot more comfortable then a pair of jeans once cleaned without fabric softer. This was not the first time she had hand wash some of her clothes. The last time she had to do it, she just didn¡¯t have the money to put them in the machines on campus. It was a time consuming process and something she didn¡¯t really enjoy. It had be done in order to get a set of clean clothes.

    Tina¡¯s thoughts drifted back to what Tristan had said. Camelot was a day¡¯s walk away. That shard of hope she held over the years, started to grow. She wanted to see the legendary castle, but on the other hand, the voice that hunted her spoke up, ¡°He could be lying.¡±

    Tina admitted that was a possibility, but she closed her eyes and felt her spirit energy. It was less rusty then a couple days ago. A confident, half smirk pulled at her lips. She trusted herself and the abilities she had cultivated years ago when she was in Japan, visiting her Great Aunt Nami.

    ¡°He is more skilled then you,¡± the dark side chuckled without mirth, ¡°He could easily kill you like a bug under his boot.¡±

    Tina cocked her head to the side. If that is what will happen, so be it. She will not back down from standing up for herself again.

    ¡°Fine. I will be the one who will tell you I told you so, worthless waste of space,¡± the voice held a note of smugness before it faded back into Tina¡¯s subconsciouses. Tina rolled her eyes.

    General Genesis growled. His men ran across the top of the inner wall. This was the last line of defense the forces of Camelot had. If the enemy managed to get this far into the Castle defensives, they would have trouble recovering the ground they lost. It was his job to prevent that.

    ¡°Time?¡± He called out as he noticed the men fell into their positions. Standing on his right, Reno held a clockwork stop timer. He looked toward the General and said, ¡°A minute and 35 seconds.¡±

    Genesis frowned. That would do for now. His men would be able to act faster once they knew the maneuvers and the knowledge they were under attack. He walked forward, leaving the staircase tunnel and strolled along the top of the wall. He studied how his men stood. All of them stood tall. Their heads faced the town outside the castle inner walls. Their shoulders back. Their chest stuck out in pride. In one hand, they held a hand size cannon. Nearby, a lit torch sat in the brackets, sitting at 3 feet intervals along the inner wall. The men of the Explosive Branch would have to lit, aim, and fire. Genesis smirked. The enemy wouldn¡¯t know what would hit them. He had corrected a couple of the men¡¯s stances, but overall, Genesis¡¯s chest filled with a certain degree of pride as he stared down the line of his men.

    He had worked hard when he was promoted to General to get his branch up to date and taught his men the proper ways to fire a bow, throw a fire bomb far as they could, and ended rebuilding his branch from the ground up after an event that left his branch barely staffed, running on a dozen men. Worst thing was they were not even properly trained when he took over. From his understanding, it had been a long while since someone with the skills necessary to run this branch, successfully, put in charge. Now, his arm of the military were known as the Explosive Unit for a reason.

    Genesis nodded in approval and called out, ¡°Remember this is your position during the Funeral Parade in 3 days time!¡± He walked in front a second line that held a two dozen men. All of them were highly skilled archers he had personally trained. He planned if the worst did happen during the parade, the archers would be the offensive line while the Knights would protect the Ruling Family and get them back into the safety of the castle walls. However, the archers on the Inner Wall were one line of defensive. The Generals and Lord Jack had discuss more options before the King¡¯s moment of death. He stared out, over the village. ¡°Lieutenant General!¡± He called out to Reno who stood several yards down the inner wall.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Reno replied, turning to his General with a hand flying over his chest in a salute.

    ¡°Run through the drill three more times or until you think the men in this position has got it down,¡± Genesis said before he turned, heading back to the staircase tunnel. He needed to meet Bartholomew and Honor in the courtyard to go over how they were going to position men in the village and on the outer wall. ¡°There will be another drill at sun raise tomorrow morning!¡± He called out. He disappeared down the tunneled staircase. His eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel, but that didn¡¯t stop him from hurrying down the stairs with ease. He took a left at the bottom of the stairs and spotted the torches lightening the hallway. He strolled out of the hallway. He narrowed his eyes against the bright light and spotted Bartholomew and Honor standing near the Castle Gate. He approached them, asking ¡°Are you ready to go into the town?¡±

    Genesis eyed the legion of men from Bartholomew and Honor¡¯s troops. He could easily spot who were Honor¡¯s men and which belong to Bartholomew¡¯s branch. Honor followed the way of the blade - lived, breathed, and died on the blade. Bartholomew¡¯s men were a mixed of Genesis¡¯ branch and Honor¡¯s. The men under Bartholomew knew how to handle explosive and swing the sword skillfully as the men under Honor¡¯s control. The red head general knew there were other skills in the military being unused, but it was majority the fault of the Ruling Family and the laws they had put in place for the last few centuries, trying to limit the control of the magi.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bartholomew stated as Honor nodded. The trio turned to the legion of men waiting for their orders. ¡°MOVE OUT!¡± Bartholomew lifted an arm, spun on his left heel, and faced the castle gate.

    Genesis resisted the urge to wince. Bartholomew shouted that in his ear. He turned and followed Bartholomew into the town. The sound of marching feet echoed behind him. A chill went up his spine. Genesis thought, as the three General walked over the wooden draw bridge, it almost felt like he was marching off to war. It probably didn¡¯t help the feeling as the sound of booted feet thundered over the draw bridge. He watched as the villagers drew back. Some of them disappeared into the buildings while other pressed themselves close together, giving the military as much room as they needed, crossing over the cobblestones. He saw the fear they tried to hide on their faces. He felt the same way. He hoped the Holy Sword would chose the next King soon or that fear would spread like a wildfire.

    Merlin growled as he turned in a circle. His eyes roamed over the bookcases on the far side of the desk. He already checked there, three times in fact. The books spread out over the desk and on the floor. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips.

    ¡°Where the hell did I put those blasted notes?¡± His voice bounced off the walls of his study. He turned to the widow where more books lay along the wall under the windowpane. He knew the notes weren¡¯t there. Those books weren¡¯t about wards or any type of protection magic. They were about thread magic. It was an interesting topic to read up on, but it wasn¡¯t what he was looking for. Normally, he would try to summon the notes¡­ ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t put the wards notes on the anti-summon paper.¡±

    Merlin turned to his chair and fell back into it. He tossed his legs up onto the desk and crossed his ankles. He interlaced his fingers on his chest. He lend back and stared up at the ceiling. He continued, ¡°Of course, I had to be cautious. Of course, I had to create the anti-summon paper and ink. Any of my enemies and the enemies of the Kingdom would love to get their hands on those notes.¡± He pouted. ¡°And I misplaced the blasted notes.¡± He let out a huff, annoyed at himself. ¡°You think I would put importance on those notes then I have and placed them in the Treasury or in one of the Royal Chambers, but nope! I decided to keep them with me and I lose them.¡±

    His eyes ran over the room. It was a mess. Books were all over the room. Stacks of papers scattered over the wooden floor. He spotted an ink well, dripping black ink onto a cloth that looked like one of his robes. He rolled his eyes. He glanced upstairs. The thought drifted through his mind. The notes could be up in his personal chambers. It was, after all, one of the most safest rooms in the kingdom, besides some of the royal chambers. He pulled his legs off the desk and planted his feet on the wooden floor. He unlaced his fingers and cupped the desk chair arms with his hands before he rose to his feet. He felt a piece of paper scouted under one of his feet causing him to stumble a bit toward the staircase, leading to his chambers.

    Merlin frowned as he bounced up the stairs, watching where he placed his feet. The stairs weren¡¯t spared in the storm of Merlin trying to find the ward notes. He poked his head up through the hole in the chamber floor and peered around the small room. Another annoyed huff escaped. He silently cursed at himself. Even his personal chambers were effected by his mission of locating the Ward Notes.

    The stand beside his bed was knocked over. Water spread across the floor, coming from a tipped over medium sized barrel. The barrel sat over by a small window, just large enough for his phoenix to fly in and out when the bird got the urge to visit him. He finished climbing the stairs and walked over to the untouched bed. He sat down. He crossed one of his legs over other and placed his elbow on his knee. His right hand cupped his chin as he lend forward, studying the chamber.

    ¡°I know it has been nearly half a century since I had to renew the ward spells,¡± Merlin spoke out loud, ¡°So, it is understandable I won¡¯t be able to memorize the spells, but this is ridiculous!¡± He heard one of the trunks rattle near the foot of his bed. He sent a glare to it.

    That was something he needed to take care of. Soon. Okay, he admitted, he would eventually take care of the creature trapped inside the trunks. He couldn¡¯t remember what kind of creature was in it anymore. He frowned, thinking. It was a creature that could survive without food. He knew the creature roaming around castle was a bad thing. Oh well, he would remember what kind of creature it was and why it was a bad thing for the castle. He shook his head. He had to find those blasted notes. He shifted, standing up. He crossed the room when he paused as a thought struck him. The bed was not touched.

    Merlin slowly turned to his bed. It was still made and somehow managed to survive the storm Merlin had created while he was looking for the ward notes. He frowned. Why was the bed untouched by magic? He tried to think if there was any spells on the bed. He was pretty sure there was a few, mainly the kind of magic that would help the person laying in it to get a better rest, a couple protection spells from any attacks, and warning based spell for the castle. He strolled over to the bed and cupped the edge of the mattress. He pulled the mattress up and peered under it. His eyes widened as he spotted the book he created for the ward spells.

    ¡°Are you stinking kidding me!?¡± Merlin exclaimed, ¡°Those notes were here the entire time!¡± He reached for the book with a sigh. He pulled the book from its hiding space and allowed the mattress to settle back down with a thump. He started to open the book when a loose piece of parchment slipped from the bed and floated to the bed. He ignored the parchment as he flipped through the pages, looking through the information.

    Relief cursing through him. A grin spread across his lips. His shoulders relaxed. Merlin couldn¡¯t believe he forget he had placed the notes under his mattress. He should have remembered, but it had been a long time since he had to renew the spells for the wards. At least, he didn¡¯t have to take the time to re-create the notes. It would been a pain. The last time he had to re-create the notes, it took him and Morgana nearly two weeks to do it, given the fact they had to walk back and forth between the ward stones and his study. There were a lot of wards protecting Camelot.

    In the past, when he had access to more magi then just himself and Lady Morgana, he had delegated the tasks to the Magi branch of the Military. Together, they had managed to gather the information that Merlin needed before Lady Morgana and himself were able to re-charge the wards. He paused, allowing the book to settle open on the page about the ward stone on the southern side of the castle. The last time Camelot had a branch of the military for the magi was long ago, centuries in fact. It had been a century after Morgana and Merlin had managed to move the castle to its current location from Britain with the help of 250 best magi they had and lost in the powerful magical drain of the spell.

    The century after the Great Move had been fruitful for the magi branch, gaining some of the most skilled magi. Morgana managed to achieve the rank of Second Commander of the Magi Branch, right under him. She was the first woman in Camelot¡¯s History to achieve such a rank. He remembered how happy she was and how nothing could have brought her down, tackling each tasks the Ruling Family gave them. When it came time to recharge the wards, Merlin and Morgana were the only ones able to perform the spell. They were the only ones with large enough magical reserves to handle the process. After recharging the wards, their magi made sure they were taken care of and protected Camelot until they were back on their feet. However, that all changed when the rumors of a great magical purge, now a thousand years ago, started to appear and spread. Many of the magi started to make arrange to leave Camelot, but only a handful managed to escape. The rest of the hidden magical families fled the Kingdom when laws started to be drafted to limit the powers of the Magi and the Non-humans.

    The battle mage shook his head. He couldn¡¯t dwell on the past. He had to focus on the here and now. He had to recharge the wards with Morgana¡¯s help. He couldn¡¯t focus on the what-if¡¯s. He knew there were a lot of things that could happen if the Battle Mage had more magi and their help in Camelot, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. The fact majority of the Kingdom grew up with the same view of Non-humans as their parents and grandparents did, thanks to the Houses of Drake and Black, meant the next Chosen King would have the same view and they would have the chance to tighten the laws over the Non-humans. He sighed. His gaze shifted to the parchment lying on the bed.

    Hatred bloomed in his chest. His eyes darted over the oath he once took for King Arthur I of House Pendragon. A growl rumbled in his chest. A faint magical breeze drift in the room. His dark blue robes¡¯ hem rose to his knees and rippled. There were times where he hated the fact he took the oath to Arthur of House Pendragon. Arthur had made an lifetime oath an requirement after some of the magi rebelled and joined the Death Mage, but whenever the Holy Sword changed hands, the magi had to renew the oath. Over the years, Merlin watched many of his fellow non-humans and magi find their mates and had offspring. The joy Merlin had witness on their faces when they experienced some of the milestones they set for themselves - marriage or mating ceremony, the discovery of the female partner with child, childbirth, and other joys. The Battle Mage sighed. Some part of him still wanted that. He lifted his head and stared out of his chamber window, toward the Queen¡¯s Tower where Morgana lived.

    Morgana, he knew, had a chance to have that, but in the end, she had to give it up due to the various laws for the non-humans and the fact her love died on the battlefield. He remembered she had talked about leaving Camelot once the King had passed and she had been relieved of the oath. She talked about traveling to the far West with her Knight and wanted to start over. Plans changed. She had mourned for months after she had received the news of the death of the one she had loved.

    Merlin exhaled, heavily. He let out of his anger. The faint breeze faded away, allowing his robes to settle back around his ankles. He shook his head. He had to meet Morgana, soon. He waved his left hand and summoned magic, sending it out into the room. He watched the magic went to work. The water barrel righted itself and water lifted from the floor and the soaked papers, drifted back into the barrel. The scattered papers lifted into the air and shuffled into a pile before the pile drifted over to the nightstand. The Nightstand bounced up from its side and rocked on its feet then stopped. The pile of papers landed on it. The books strewn around the room flew back to the bookcase, in particular order. Merlin¡¯s right eye twitched as he noticed that small detail. His shoulders slumped. He would worry about putting the books back in the correct order when he had time.

    He strolled over the stairs, descending the steps. He waved his hand. The books in the study snapped shut and bounced through the air until the books landed in the various bookcases. The discarded robe floated up as the ink well jumped from the floor to the desk. The black ink spot on the robe vanished. Merlin knew the ink reappeared in the ink well. He watched the room repaired itself. He turned his head. His eyes widened. He ducked under a whistling kettle. He blinked as he straightened up. He wasn¡¯t aware he had a kettle in his study, still. He thought he had returned it to the kitchen, months ago. He frowned, watching the kettle settle on the hook by the fireplace. He had been wondering where that kettle disappear when the Head Cook Sanji gave him a death glare when he inquired for another one. He shrugged. Now, he knew where the kettle was. Maybe he should return it to the kitchens and get a new one. A thought occurred to him as he strolled across the study. He hoped the Head Cook wouldn¡¯t kill him if that kettle had any damage to it or had some funny stuff growing on it.

    He smirked at that thought. It would be amusing if the Head Cook Sanji did try to kill him. It would be a change of pace around Camelot. Maybe he should do that after the funeral. His imagination went down that path of Sanji chasing him around the castle with a butcher knife in one hand, cursing the battle mage as Merlin just laughed, leading the cook through the various hallways of the castle. He let out a chuckle as an amused smirk pulled at his lips. He strolled over to the study door and opened it. He glanced over his shoulder as the study finished righting itself. He nodded, feeling somewhat proud of his good work. He walked through the door and silently hoped that little magic spell won¡¯t come back and bit him in the ass. He needed all of his magical reserves for the re-charging of the wards. He allowed the door shut behind him as he went to meet Morgana in the Southern Courtyard.

    Tina held her now clean yoga pants, a blue tank top, and a silvery blue button up shirt, thinking. She glanced over to Tristan, weighing the pros and cons of what she wanted to ask. She waded out of the lake. Her bare feet pushed into the warm sand. She carried her now clean clothes over to a large rock she had spotted and draped them on it. She heard a low hissing sound as the wet clothes landed on the obviously hot rock. She cracked a small smile. The yoga pants won¡¯t take long to dry in the direct sunlight. She didn¡¯t know about her blue tank top or button up shirt, but she would take what she could.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    She turned, leaving the rock. It felt weird, feeling the warm sand under her feet, squeezing between her toes. She usually didn¡¯t visit the beach until she went to college. The college she went to was located in a coast town. Her ex visited the beach when the weather was hot during the summer break, but he argued against her going, claiming that she couldn¡¯t keep her grades up, she didn¡¯t need to go any where. She had argued against that, plenty of times.

    Tina pushed those thoughts away. He belonged in the past, even though, the past started - what was it? How many days, now? It didn¡¯t matter, anymore. He was not coming after her. She couldn¡¯t rely on him again - never again. She needed to start moving on.

    She reached her bag and knelt down beside it. She winced as she grabbed her muddy clothes and shoved them into the bag. She needed to find a washer and a dryer soon. She got the feeling she would be hand washing her clothes, soon. She glanced up at the handsome man nearby and asked, ¡°Tristan, I have a weird question for you.¡±

    ¡°What is it, my lady,¡± Tristan gave his full attention to her, pausing in shaving a bumpy stick down to a smooth finish.

    ¡°What is the date?¡± She asked, causally. Her stomach bunched up in nerves. It had been something bothering her. Camelot¡­Unless there was a town or city called Camelot and she never heard of it, there was not a ¡®Camelot¡¯ in the present day. There was only way to find out.

    ¡°Which date do you want?¡± Tristan asked.

    Tina slowly turned with a frown. ¡°What do you mean which date? I was under the impression there was only one date.¡±

    ¡°Not here in Avalon,¡± The man replied, ¡°We have the Year of Our Lord and Avalon Dates.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± The red head woman questioned.

    ¡°Well,¡± he set down the stick and the knife onto his lap and rubbed his chin, ¡°The Year of Our Lord is referring how many years since Jesus Christ was born while Avalon Year tells us how many years since The United Kingdoms of Camelot separated from the outside world.¡±

    Tina blinked. That explanation brought up more questions then answers. She spoke, ¡°Well, let¡¯s go with the Year of Our Lord date.¡± She knew that one, but the United Kingdom of Camelot, she thought she could take a wild guess at it. From the legend, King Arthur managed to united the various Kingdoms under one King during his lifetime. Beyond that, she didn¡¯t have a clue what else it could mean. The phrase ¡®The Outside World¡¯ could be a reference to the Human World, where she came from, since she was aware of the Spirit World and the Demon World. How this world fit into the diagram she picture, she didn¡¯t know. She took a breath, waiting for Tristan¡¯s answer.

    ¡°May 17, 2049,¡± He replied with a frown, ¡°Why?¡±

    Tina stopped, looking at the wet sand in front of her. She managed to get all of her muddy clothes into the bag. She needed to get the clothes she was wearing into the bag then all of her dirty clothes would be in the bag. However, his answer to her question about the date, relief wash through her. The month and year were correct as far as she last knew, but she somehow lost¡­ she did the quick math¡­13 days. Her eyes widened in surprise. How the hell? Did she somehow travel back nearly two weeks into the past? If it was true, how would that be even possible? She knew there had to be a logical and scientific explanation for that. There had to be! It could be something simple. However, a part of her whisper, the side she had buried when she made that decision 6 years ago, ¡®why does everything need to have a scientific explanation? A society¡¯s magic is another¡¯s science like Thor said.¡¯

    ¡°No reason,¡± Tina finally spoke, ¡°I was forced to leave my home nearly three days ago.¡± She shifted and grabbed her bathing supplies. She grabbed the mesh bag she kept in the bag for times like this. She slowly stood up. She winced as her knees posted the action before she glanced at Tristan. She wanted to get cleaned up, but there was no place in the lake she could take a bath, privately. She would be in Tristan¡¯s and anyone who visited the lake sight as she bathed. She didn¡¯t know if the mud managed to get under her clothes, but that didn¡¯t really matter. She need to get cleaned up. God only knew what was in the mud. She was going to strip out of the muddy clothes and get into the water, naked. The only man she ever stripped to her birthday suit in front of was her ex.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Tristan asked from where he sat. His eyes seemed to penetrate her defenses, seeing straight through her. She was unnerved by it.

    Tina¡¯s internal conflict was written on her face. Her stomach rolled at the thought she was willingly put herself in the situation where she will be extremely vulnerable. She steeled herself before she asked, in an even tone. ¡°Will you stand guard while I bathe?¡±

    Tristan¡¯s eyebrows shot up. That was the last question he was expecting her to ask. Faintly amused, she could tell it from his shocked expression.

    ¡°I mean if you don¡¯t want to, I understand ¡ª¡± Tina started to say as she rubbed her left arm with her right hand, feeling unsure, but Tristan cut her off, ¡°Do you trust me that much to guard you while you bathe?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± she replied. She straightened up, facing the mysterious man. Her eyes glued to him. A hand cupped her hip as she went on, ¡°I trust you to watch my back while I can¡¯t properly defend myself if we are attacked and besides, I will have my rapier with me while I am in the water.¡± She shifted her gaze as she reached for her sword where it was sticking out of the sand. The sheath and the hilt was covered by mud. ¡°I need to clean it.¡± She frowned. She hoped the sword wouldn¡¯t rust because she decided to take with her when she bathed in the lake. ¡°So,¡± she turned her attention back to Tristan, ¡°what¡¯s your answer?¡±

    Tristan smirked at her, saying, ¡°Of course, I will stand guard while you bathe, my lady.¡± He crossed his arms over his chest.

    Tina reached up and grabbed the collar of her shirt. She paused and glanced at Tristan before she commented, ¡°I am not a ¡®Lady¡¯. I really doubt any of the Ladies you have dealt with are willingly to do this.¡± She arched her back as she lifted her muddy shirt over her head and dropped it onto her bag. She reached for the button of her jeans and undid it before she unzipped the zipper and pushed her jeans down. She grunted as she felt the jeans sticking to her legs. She wiggled her hips as the jeans refused to let go and ended up falling to the sand, struggling to get out of her jeans. A series of curse words escape her mouth. She managed to pull her left leg out and kicked the jeans off her other leg. She grinned brightly at the accomplishment. She dropped the pants onto her bag. She climbed back to her feet.

    Tina glanced over at Tristan. She fought back the urge to laugh. He stared at her with a pair of wide eyes and opened mouth expression. She stood up on her feet and slipped the muddy sword over her shoulder, adjusting the strap to settle between her breasts and on her shoulder. She turned to Tristan and crossed the few feet, separating them. She bent over in front of him and brought a finger to his jaw, smiling. She commented, sweetly, ¡°You will want to close your mouth. You might catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that, Tristan.¡± She spun on her right heel and walked away.

    She reached the rock and slipped off her undergarments. She tossed the dirty garments to her bag and grabbed the mesh bath bag. She risked a glance toward Tristan. His mouth was shut, but he stared at her with an expression she had never before. It was his eyes that caught her attention. There was a hunger in his eyes with something else. She couldn¡¯t identify what she felt upon seeing that. A balloon appeared in her chest. Her heart pounded in its cage. She tried to fight the feeling continue to balloon. Her ex never looked at her with that expression. Tying the mesh bag to her waist, she hurried over to the lake and waded in. She couldn¡¯t let those feelings to go her head. She reasoned that any hot blooded male would have that expression if he saw a woman stripping right in front of him and walked off. Tina turned her attention to the water. It was cold. She should have expected it. It was still early spring. Goosebumps rose over her body. She shivered as the chilly water rose up her legs and to her hips. She felt a weight lift off her left hip. The mesh bag floated on the water. She took a deep breath and fold her legs, disappearing into the water.

    Merlin walked across the castle grounds, listening to the sounds that came from daily life at the castle. In the distance, marching feet echoed as the Generals went through the process of placing troops and running drills. He rose his gaze to the inner wall and spotted Reno, the Second in Command of the Explosive Branch, directed the men. The mage heard Reno¡¯s voice, ¡°Let¡¯s try that again, boys! You are getting better! Let¡¯s shave off a few more seconds to the time!¡±

    Seeing that brought a pang to his chest. Memories rose from the sands of time, reminding him when Arthur the First died and how uncertain things were until the next Chosen King was selected. It was this way every time the Holy Sword changed hands. There were times where this uncertain time ended in bloodshed and destruction of old treaties. The most recent was 20 years ago now. King Peter had been slain on the battlefield against a rebellion and the Holy Sword didn¡¯t chose any member of the Ruling Family of House Drake. Merlin and Morgana had race back to the castle, ahead of the military, and tried to find the next Chosen King among the Court. They didn¡¯t found the next King. Merlin frowned as a faded memory rose. The color of red and a crying of a kid stood out in the memory most before it drifted away and he forgot about the memory. Blinking, he reached the castle gate. He couldn¡¯t remember what he was thinking about. He stood there with a hand on his hip and the other hand under his chin. It was something to do with the military. Yeah, he thought that was it.

    He remembered the time when Camelot had its own branch of magi, willingly to defend the Kingdom from magical enemies. He was the General of that branch. Morgana was his second. One of the most skilled War Magi Merlin had seen in a few generations, Richard Lion Heart, was the third in command. Merlin did offer the position to Richard when the battle mage was forming the branch, but the war mage turned it down, saying, it was too much paperwork and his skills laid on the battlefield. Richard did suggest that Morgana take the position. However, Merlin¡¯s thoughts were cut as Morgana¡¯s voice rang out behind him, ¡°Merlin!¡±

    The Battle Mage stopped and turned to her, watching her hurried over. He blinked in surprise. He had walked past her without seeing her. He hadn¡¯t done that in a long time. He didn¡¯t realize he was that caught up in his thoughts about everything going on and how much things had changed over the years.

    ¡°What took you so long,¡± She asked, catching up at him. Smiling at her, Merlin offered his arm to Morgana. He didn¡¯t response right away as she slipped her arm through his. They walked, crossing over the wooden drawbridge before they passed the guard towers on either side of the drawbridge and stepped onto the cobblestones of the town.

    ¡°I had to find my notes,¡± he said, finally. He heard one of the Generals before he spotted General Bartholomew giving out orders to the Blade Branch of the military, pointing at a squad of troops then jerked his hand up at the corner of a building. The squad disappeared into an alley and reappeared a minute later, moving into position, on top of the building. ¡°I misplaced them from the last time we had to renew the protection spells,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Did you check under your mattress,¡± Morgana asked, innocently.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin replied with a nod. He guided the Black Mage to the right, starting to travel along Smith Avenue.

    ¡°Was that before or after you destroyed your room?¡± Morgana questioned. Merlin paused and turned his head to look down at her. Just how did she know that. Did she stand outside one of the windows and watched him like she did one time when she was his student or did she peered on him through one of the opened flames she had in her rooms. It wouldn¡¯t have surprised him in a way. She was mischievous like that. It won¡¯t surprise him that she possible already knew the location of his notes. Nor if she placed the notes there herself. Some of her antics were amusing as well as frustrating. He enjoyed her antics as long as they weren¡¯t directed toward him.

    ¡°Neither,¡± He stated with a sniff and started, walking again, half dragging the woman. However, it send his former student into a fit of giggles. He waited for her stop her girlish giggling. ¡°I knew right where I had placed them.¡± He glanced toward one of the buildings that line the side of the road. He smelled the scent of freshly baked bread drifted through the air. His eyes darted around until he spotted a bakery nearby. His stomach rumbled slightly. He hadn¡¯t eaten since that morning before he left his rooms to attend the meeting in the King¡¯s chambers. ¡°Are you hungry, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, changing the subject, Merlin,¡± Morgana smirked at him. Her blue eyes twinkled with mischievous glee, ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She looked in the same direction as Merlin and spotted the same bakery that Merlin saw. ¡°I think I would like a couple blueberry muffins.¡±

    ¡°What an excellent choice,¡± Merlin said, guiding her over to the bakery. ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she replied, ¡°I forgot my change purse back in my rooms.¡± Merlin rolled his eyes. Like he would make her pay for any food while they were out. She continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t think we were going to be stopping anywhere for a snack.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, stopping in front of bakery front. He glanced toward a large glass window. He saw tilted shelves filled with different types of breads. Most of them he recognized, but couldn¡¯t name. Beyond the glass, the lobby area of the bakery will filled with people waiting to be waited on, in a long line. ¡°It could be a while,¡± he warned. Morgana nodded. He shrugged before he walked into the bakery with a bell ringing as he opened the door and went inside, leaving the she-mage outside.

    A bell rang out as Merlin entered the bakery. He immediately paused, just inside the doorway. The door bounced against his backside briefly before it rested against him. His eyes roamed over the long line of people. A faint ripple of amusement darted through him as he spotted several ladies of the Court standing in line in front or behind several lower class women. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see the different classes mingle together in this bakery. After all, it was one of the more popular bakeries in Camelot, ran by Joseph Baker and his family, because they had managed to create an unique muffin called strawberry cheesecake muffins.

    Merlin knew the rest of the Bakers¡¯ Guild were itching to get their hands on the recipe for this Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins, but Joseph refused to give it out to the rest of the Guild, citing he created it and he was going to keep the recipe as a Family secret. That knowledge sent the rest of Baker Guild into plotting. It was common knowledge that Joseph had three daughters and four sons, all in training to be Bakers, but none of them had marriage contracts.

    ¡®Yet,¡¯ Merlin thought as he watched the eldest daughter ran back and forth between the counter and the kitchen, carrying trays of various baked goods. She was a pretty young lady with flowing golden brown hair. It didn¡¯t take a blind man to figure out that any man would be lucky to marry her. However, the Battle Mage didn¡¯t know if Joseph would allow her to marry another Baker or not. The second eldest daughter, appearing to be in her mid-teen years, grinned brightly at each customer as they placed their order and paid for it. She was another beauty, about to blossom. Joseph was a lucky father to have two daughters who were beautiful.

    The door opened up behind Merlin. He glanced over his shoulder out of habit to see a tan skinned man with a sharp nose and blue-black hair, curling around his ears, standing in the doorway. The newcomer¡¯s bright blue eyes narrowed in annoyance and frustration as he saw the line. Merlin heard him mutter a sharp curse before he went on, complaining about not having time to waste and wanting to ask for Joseph¡¯s permission to marry his daughter. Merlin raised an eyebrow at that. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the man walking away as the door shut.

    That was strange, Merlin mused, it wasn¡¯t every day that someone got discourage by a line of folks wanting to buy treats. Maybe the young man would try again later. Merlin would hate to admit, but he needed some drama in his life beside the Royal drama brewing up at the Castle, the kind that doesn¡¯t get him killed or imprisoned. He blinked, coming out of his thoughts. The line moved forward and Merlin stepped forward, keeping up with the line.

    ¡°I heard The Spice Oven has created a new recipe for a muffin and a loaf of bread,¡± one of the ladies waiting in line commented, ¡°I think it is called Spiced Bananas.¡±

    ¡°It sounds interesting,¡± another woman commented, looking at the first lady with an interested look. Merlin noticed they had the same nose and mused if they were related distinctly like cousins. ¡°Perhaps we should head over there after we get done here.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the first woman agreed as they walked forward to the counter and placed their order. ¡°I would like a Blueberry Muffin, Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin and a Strawberry cupcake, please and thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the Baker Daughter replied, ¡°It will be four silver.¡± She turned away and gathered the ordered baked goods as the ladies dug through their purses for their coins.

    Merlin frowned, thinking about the Spice Oven, as he waited for his turn. It was an unique bakery, run by the Meadowspice Family. He didn¡¯t remember when they appeared within Camelot, but he was pretty sure they came to the Village, thanks to the White Hall House. Something about a connection between the two families. The Battle Mage was sure a good portion of the businesses within the Camelot Village was thanks to the White Hall House and their sponsorships.

    There were a few families who held that kind of power within the Kingdom. The Drake Family, The Black Family, The Stark Family, The Ravenshield Family, The Hound Family, and The Fletcher Family were just a handful that came to mind. Most of them had an ancestor who were Chosen as King of Camelot. Many of them still held positions at the Round Table as Knights of the Kingdom. However, there were a few families who died off because they either abused their power like the Whitelock Family and The Gibson Family or wasn¡¯t able to pass on their bloodline, just like the Pendragon Family.

    Granted Morgana was a Pendragon, but Merlin didn¡¯t know if she could create life anymore. If she did get married, any of her children would be forced to take on their father¡¯s name instead of the Pendragon Name. Of course, it would depend on the Husband and if he was willingly to become a Pendragon instead. There were too many possible.

    ¡°Hello, Lord Merlin, how are you, today,¡± the Baker Daughter grinned at him as the ladies left the counter.

    Merlin blinked, coming out of his thoughts about families and how much power they held over the years. He smiled at the Daughter, replying, ¡°I¡¯m alright. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± the Baker Daughter answered in a cheery tone. ¡°Marianna has been busy, trying to drive off a name of suitors. Most of them are after our recipes and act like they really don¡¯t care for her. If she managed to find someone who cared for her more then trying to get the recipes, I don¡¯t know if Father would allow her to marry him.¡± She sighed. ¡°Hopefully, he will. Maybe there will be some hope for me when I start looking for a potential husband.¡±

    Merlin chuckled before he replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure she will find someone like that and your father won¡¯t be able to deny her the ability to marry him.¡±

    ¡°Rosalind!¡± Joseph Baker snapped as he walked through the door frame. ¡°Stop the simple chitchatting and take his order. Lord Merlin is a busy man. You are busy as well. We have a line out the door.¡± He walked by her, carrying a large tray of freshly baked bread.

    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Rosalind straightened up as her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. ¡°What would you like to have, today, Lord Merlin?¡±

    ¡°I will take two of the Blueberry muffins and two of the Strawberry Muffins,¡± Merlin replied.

    ¡°It will be two silvers,¡± Rosalind replied and rushed off to grab the ordered muffins. Merlin reached into his coin bag at his hip and pulled out two silver coins before he placed them on the counter. She returned and wrapped the muffins in a large parchment paper. She manipulated the parchment paper into a bag and handed it over to Merlin. ¡°Have an excellent day, Lord Merlin!¡±

    ¡°You too, Miss Rosalind,¡± Merlin smiled at her and left the Bakery.

    A couple hours later, Tina sighed with a smile, rolling her shoulders. She felt a lot better after getting all that mud off her body and hair. She almost didn¡¯t want to get out of the water. She knew, however, she had been in the lake too long. She slowly swam toward the coastline. She thought about what has happen to her.

    She was in Camelot, or at least according to Tristan. Could she really take him at his word when he claimed that? She couldn¡¯t afford to take things at face value like she once did. She glanced toward Tristan. She smirked as she realized that he had turned around, facing the forest instead of the lake. She didn¡¯t know she had that affect on him. She probably shouldn¡¯t have stripped like she did in front of him. Her ex would have join her and talked, even begged a couple times, her into having sex. She half expected Tristan to walked after and talk her into having some fun in the water, but at the same time, she experienced a sense of relief that he didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t remember the last time she did something so daring in front of a man and was not expected to ¡®put out¡¯.

    She felt her feet immediately covered by sand as she walked over to the rock and climbed onto it. She laid on her front and checked her clothes. Her yoga pants and underwear was dry. She grinned. She would be putting those on when she was finally dried.

    ¡°So, Tristan,¡± She called out, ¡°You said Camelot was nearby, right.¡± She knew he claimed it was, but she wanted to double check. ¡°I¡¯m on the rock so you can turn around if you want to. Tell about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan replied. He turned his head and saw her. He turned the rest of his body and gathered his stick he shaved. ¡°What do you want to know about the Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Who is the King?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Uther, Tenth of his name, of House Drake,¡± Tristan stated, ¡°Son of Luke, son of Micheal.¡± He looked up at Tina. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything about Camelot.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Tina said, bending her knees and kicking the air above her as she thought about the mythical Kingdom, ¡°I thought Camelot was apart of a legend.¡± She watched as Tristan¡¯s lips twitched and she continued, ¡°I had heard of stories about the Knights of the Round Table, the Mighty King Arthur, the Gentle Queen Guinevere, the magical prowess of Merlin, and so many other stories. I kinda want to know which ones are true.¡±

    ¡°Queen Guinevere?¡± Tristan scoffed, ¡°There was no Queen ever named that.¡± He went on, ¡°There have been many generations of Knights who have served at the Round Table since King Arthur the First lived. I happened to be one of them.¡± His chest extended out a bit at that.

    ¡°Really! That is so cool,¡± Tina¡¯s eyes widened. Tristan was a member of the Round Table and his family had been serving the Kingdom for generations. ¡°Who else is a member of the Round Table?¡±

    Tristan smiled at that, stating, ¡°There are at least 75 different knights have either served or are serving as a member of the Round Table, still living in Camelot.¡± Tina watched as something flickered over Tristan¡¯s face. ¡°Tina, love -¡± he started. He rose to his feet. Love? Tina frowned. Why the hell he did address her as that? She closed her eyes and took a breath. He didn¡¯t have a right to call her that. He didn¡¯t know her from Eve. She pushed those thoughts away as he finished, ¡°Get dressed.¡± He met her eyes as he walked over and Tina slowly pushed into a sitting sideways position before he glanced toward the forest, meaningfully.

    Tina grabbed her undergarments and slipped her underwear on then checked her bra. It was still wet. ¡°Tristan, could you be a dear and placed this in my bag,¡± she handed him the wet garment. He grabbed it and hurried over to the bag, causally, ¡°I can¡¯t wait until we get to Camelot, dear. You should really give me a private tour of the Castle.¡± She slipped her pants over her feet as she tried not to look like she was activity looking along the edge of the tree line. Her mind raced. What could be out there that spooked Tristan?

    ¡°I would love to, love,¡± Tristan said. Tina managed to slip her pants over her hips and grabbed her blue tank top, putting it on. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it means to me that you are willingly to travel to Camelot to live with me.¡±

    ¡°You have informed me that multiply times, dear,¡± Tina smirked as she grabbed her button t-shirt and slipped it on her shoulders. She twisted around to face Tristan who stood on the other side of the rock. He held up his hands for her. She scouted until she felt gravity start to hold and Tristan grabbed her hips as she reached down to his shoulders. She noticed he had placed her bag onto his bag and her bow and quiver of arrows on one arm as he helped her down. She spotted her hiking boots by his feet. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to explore Camelot for myself, to see what you have talked about.¡±

    ¡°You will love the flower garden,¡± Tristan said with a flirty grin, but his eyes held a warning. She knelt down and whipped the bottom on her feet against the other pant leg before she slipped her boot on and tied the laces tight against her ankle. ¡°Perhaps the library as well.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t bother acting when she heard that, exclaiming in delight, ¡°Camelot has a library! How big is it? What kind of books does it have?¡± She bounced in excitement, giving her full attention to Tristan.

    The Knight opened his mouth then tackled her to the ground. She felt her eyes widen to the side of dinner plates, her breath caught in her throat, and she watched an arrow flew in the space where they stood.

    General Genesis yawned as he walked back to the castle, heading along Main Street. He couldn¡¯t wait to go to bed. However, he knew he still needed to do a few things before he did. He heard the bell tower ring out the hour as he walked.

    One Bell echoed through the town.

    Two Bell sounded as Genesis crossed the street.

    Three Bell blared.

    Four Bell rang out then slowly faded away.

    He sighed. It was only 4 o¡¯clock. He took a deep breath and smelt something delicious in the air and he rounded a corner as the sound of the one of the town¡¯s criers yelled out, ¡°News about the King! News about the King! The King Is Dead! Long Live the King!¡±

    Genesis felt his heart skipped a beat at the announcement. Like he could forget that kind of news. Even though he did try. He walked pass a group of people standing around the town crier. He wished there was some other way to deliver urgent news then hiring people to stand at important street corner and yell about the news. He rubbed his temple. He approached a tavern where the delicious scent was coming from and ducked into the doorway.

    It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust as one of the serving girls waved him over to a table and asked, ¡°Would ya like today¡¯s special?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Genesis stated as he settled down into his seat. He didn¡¯t bothering ordering a drink, knowing that a barrel of mead would be given to him as well as the food.

    ¡°I will be right back,¡± the serving girl said. He nodded and glanced around, hearing the patrons discussed the news of the King¡¯s death.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the King is dead,¡± someone said.

    ¡°¡ªIt explains why the armies of Mercy are gathering near the southeast border,¡± another spoke. Genesis frozen. That was not good news.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± a third spoke, ¡°Just the other day I saw some of the non-humans moving through the Dead End Forest - Goblins, Orcs, and Bugbears¡­thought about putting a hunting party and bag some of the non-human¡­you know, for extra coin.¡±

    ¡°That is a good idea,¡± the second spoke, ¡°Those annoying Fawns are getting restless from the countless portals along Mercy border.¡±

    ¡°Why would those forest rats care about the Mercy border?¡±

    ¡°Well, I overheard when I came across a camp of them, Mercy is gathering up the non-humans for some reason and a lot of them are never seen again.¡±

    ¡°Probably they ended up in those massive graves that the Mercy guards have been talking about.¡±

    The serving girl placed a plate filled with the delicious smelling meal and set a mug of mead. Genesis glanced up and gave the serving girl a nod of thanks. He ate his meal and continued to listen to the conversations going on around him. There were a few merchants complained the taxes they are being charged for crossing into Mercy and how Mercy seemed to be preparing for war. That brought a frown to Genesis¡¯ face. He needed to check with the Spy master if Mercy was going to be a threat or not. He knew as long Mercy didn¡¯t cause any conflict within the border of the Camelot¡¯s Kingdom borders, the military wouldn¡¯t acted. However, it would be nice to know if they needed to prepare just in case.

    On the other hand, the news of Mercy having mass graves and disappearing non-humans sounded concerning. Genesis lend against the back of the chair, sipping on the mug of mead, thinking. He knew the Mercy Kingdom didn¡¯t have any mages at their beck and call like Camelot had Merlin and Morgana, but Mercy Kingdom did have scientists and had more advance science program then Camelot. He sighed. That possible problem could wait until after the next King was chosen and was able to get settled in. He had enough on his plate. He stood up. A serving girl appeared and held out a hand for him. He deposited a gold coin into her palm. ¡°Keep the change,¡± He stated as her eyes widened.

    ¡°Thank you, General,¡± she called out as he walked away from the table and stepped out into the evening sunlight. He made his way back up to the castle, planning to go to his room and crash.

 Chapter 16: Attacked on the Beach

    Tristan couldn¡¯t believe their attacks managed to get that close. He glanced down at Tina who stared up at him with wide green eyes. He jumped to his feet and snatched his bow from his quiver. He planted Tina¡¯s own quiver into the sand. He grabbed an arrow and notched it against the string, pulling it up to eye level. He aimed at the nearest deer like creature. A squad fawns dashed through the edge of the forest. The group of fawns held weapons, drawn in various attack positions.

    Why were they attacking him and Tina? Last time he checked, the lake was a neutral meeting point from all the creatures of the forest because Merlin and Morgana had placed a ward around the lake to prevent any harm done. He had visited the lake many times before and he didn¡¯t run into a problems. Something had changed for this allowed to happen. He fired the arrow. He turned to Tina who stared wide eyed at him. He snapped, ¡°Get up and fight!¡±

    He went back to the fight, watching as his arrow knocked a male fawn down, hitting the fawn in the chest. The male fawn was not getting back up again. Tristan felt the sand shift beside his foot, alerting him that Tina was getting to her feet.

    Tina¡¯s eyes lost the wide eyed stare and hardened. She nodded and slid a leg under as she sat up before she spotted a deer like creature darting around the large rock she had used to dry her clothes on. She ran her eyes over the creature as she rose to her feet. An eerily calm washed over her, however, this time, the calmness held a note of something darker. She had felt the eerily calm a few times before and welcomed it as she studied the attacker.

    The creature was a two legged version of the deer animal, basically, but this male didn¡¯t wear a shirt, and wore a pair of pants that were similar make to Tristan¡¯s. His brown eyes burned with hatred as he charged at Tina, teeth bared. He held a bo staff in two hands, angled across his body. The way he held the bo staff informed Tina how he planned to attack her, one ended held up higher over his shoulder.

    Tina¡¯s mind darted as her eyes looked for an opening. She mentally cursed when she didn¡¯t find one. She couldn¡¯t dodged out of the way. Tristan would be right the path of the attack. She was barely aware of how fast her hands flew over to the rapier attached to her waist still. Her left hand wrapped around the sheath, her left thumb pushed hard against the cross guard causing the blade to inched out, her right hand grabbed the soft leather of the hilt, and pulled it out. She heard the blade hissed through the air as she tried slipping into a defensive position that she learned at college; left foot behind the right, the big toe of her left touching the heel of her right. One of her classes she was able to take was kendo, a Japanese swordsmanship class. She knew some of the principles couldn¡¯t transfer over to holding a rapier, but she would try to make it work.

    However, Tina didn¡¯t bother positioning her feet in the correct way as she lunged forward. Her blade cut the space between herself and the two-legged deer creature and it reverberated as it bit into the bo staff. A dull thud echoed between them. The deer creature looked at her before he jerked the staff back at the same time, Tina drew her rapier back, holding it at her side. She stepped forward and raised her right leg before she shoved it forward. She couldn¡¯t let the male attack Tristan¡¯s back. She watched with a grim satisfaction as the male stumbled back into the lapping water. She wanted to see him bleed.

    Tristan knew Tina was fighting behind him. He could sense that much. He notched another arrow form the quiver. He aimed at the far archer still standing beside a tree. Tristan smirked as he fired the arrow. His eyes flickered over to a swordsman fawn darting over the sand. The Knight stabbed the sandy ground with the point of his bow and withdrew his broadsword, stepping to the side. He brought the broadsword up in time to block the attack, still stepping backwards. He needed to create space between him and Tina to fight properly.

    He couldn¡¯t risk putting Tina in any more danger then she was already in. He didn¡¯t know how well she could fight. He needed to draw majority of this group toward him. He knew they could still after her, but he would everything in his power to prevent that.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Knight,¡± the swordsman Fawn drawled, ¡°Can¡¯t face me like a swordsman.¡± He held his broadsword at his side.

    ¡°Oh, I can,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°I just prefer to fight unhindered by others.¡± He bent his arm, resting his own blade flat edge on his shoulder. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he brought his blade up from its resting on top of his shoulder, swinging it down against the Fawn swordsman¡¯s blade. It rang loudly on the beach. Tristan felt the vibration rattle up his sword arm. If he had been slightly weaker then his opponent, his sword would flown out his hand. He couldn¡¯t overpower this opponent. His eyes hardened. He would have to slice the fawn up. He withdrew his sword from the Fawn¡¯s before he tried to break through the other swordsman¡¯s guard.Tina glanced toward where she heard clangs on metal against metal and saw Tristan engaged with a swordsman deer. She blinked. That was something she didn¡¯t see in real life. She did in the various anime shows she had watched. A thought accord to her as she stepped to the side, closer to the rock. Her back was exposed. She resisted the urge to yell at Tristan. It wouldn¡¯t matter if he did or not. She couldn¡¯t rely on anyone to help her. That what happen to her in the last 6 years. She had to find her footing again, by herself. She snapped her attention back to her own fight and noticed that the deer with the bo staff smirked at her. Alarm rushed through her. Her sixth sense flared like a beacon. An enemy rushed at her from behind.

    Tina spun on her left heel, bringing her rapier around in an wide arc. Her eyes flew to the rushing Fawn. Tina noticed one important difference about this Fawn then her bo staff opponent. This Fawn wore a low v shirt, covering her breasts. That was until Tina¡¯s rapier sliced the female from hip to shoulder, slicing through cloth and skin like hot knife through butter.

    Hot blood sprayed over Tina¡¯s face and torso. Tina froze as she watched the other female arched back, her hoofed feet sliding out of under her, and she landed with a soft thudded at Tina¡¯s feet. Tina blinked, raising her eyes to meet the doe¡¯s blue eyes.  They burned through Tina with a fierce hatred that Tina didn¡¯t know what she did to deserve that kind of hatred. The eyes still held the same hatred until the light disappeared from them.

    Tina, at first, didn¡¯t understand what happen. She realized a moment later when one of the deer like creature roared out, ¡°Sister!¡± She snapped her head and leaped to the right as an arrow scarped against her rib cage.

    Tristan heard the roar of ¡°Sister¡± and immediately glanced toward Tina. She managed to dodged the arrow, but she laid on the sand beside a Doe body, blood soaked up by the sand below the dead body. The tip of Tina¡¯s rapier glinted in the dying sun¡¯s light with red. Tristan blinked. He turned back to the swordsman to see him dashing across the sand.

    ¡°Tina! Get up!¡± Tristan roared as he spirited, right behind the swordsman. However, a robed Fawn stepped out of the shadow of the forest. Tristan saw the robed figure hold up a staff with a yellow crystal at the end.

    Tina heard Tristan warning yell. She pushed herself back to her feet and saw the swordsman that engaged Tristan running at her. Her eyes widened in horror. She barely managed to bring her rapier up in time to block the sharp edge of the broadsword from slicing her in two. Her arm shook violently from the shock. The broadsword lifted from her rapier before it slammed back down. Her right knee buckled from under, slammed into the sand. Tina watched as the broadsword rose and she shifted her wrist up, slightly, turning her rapier to use the flat of the blade. The broadsword pounded down. Tina brought up her left hand and braced the flat of the blade with her left palm. Her arms were shoved downward. Tina watched the edge of broadsword inched toward her head. A few inches separated the tip of the broadsword from her head. If she gave up, now, she would be dead. She would never get to go back to her family.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Tristan, she noticed, burled sideways into the swordsman, hard. The swordsman flew to the side. Tina glanced up at Tristan. He offered his hand to help her up. She took it.

    ¡°They have a mage,¡± Tristan commented, dryly. He jerked his head to the forest line where Tina spotted a robed Fawn holding up a staff and chanted in a foreign language.

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Tina said, nodding. She knew having a mage at hand was never good. It was never good in RPG she played unless the mage was on the same team, then it was an awesome thing. She figured the concept was the same here in Realm of Camelot. ¡°The mage is going to be major trouble.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he is,¡± the Knight replied, ¡°But we do have other problems to worry about.¡±

    Tina glanced to the deer group and saw most of them were creeping toward the duo, stating, ¡°That we do, good Knight.¡± She paused before she went on, ¡°Too bad Merlin couldn¡¯t be here. Maybe he would be willingly to help us.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Tristan admitted, ¡°Only if you would ask to him.¡±

    ¡°Why not you?¡± Tina asked as they slowly stepped toward the forest line and turned back to back.

    ¡°Merlin had a reputation with the ladies of Court,¡± Tristan commented with amusement, ¡°I don¡¯t know how many stories I have heard from the Lady Morgana about his troubles with the various ladies that come to visit Camelot.¡±

    ¡°So, the Greatest Wizard ever lived is a stinkin¡¯ womanizer,¡± Tina snorted, ¡°That is hilarious.¡± Her eyes roamed back to the Fawn Mage, wondering what type of spell he was casting. She blinked and saw it was growing darker. She tilted her head back and stared at the darkest storm clouds she had ever seen. ¡°I have good news and bad news.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Tristan said, ¡°What is the good news?¡±

    ¡°I know what type of spell the mage is casting,¡± Tina commented, dryly. She looked forward and brought her rapier up as she spotted one of the deer warrior tried to take a jab at her. She blocked it. She didn¡¯t bother returning the favor.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Bad news?¡±

    ¡°Well, the shocking thing is the spell if it acts like its natural counterpart, could damn well kill us,¡± Tina said, ¡°It also doesn¡¯t help the fact we are holding metal objects.¡±

    ¡°Lightening?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice held a note that Tina couldn¡¯t identify. She watched as the deer warriors hurried back, creating a large circle.

    ¡°Yup,¡± she replied. She felt the hair on her arms stand up on end and knew the spell was nearly ready to set loose on them. ¡°Nice knowing you, Sir Tristan.¡± Her left hand went back and patted Tristan¡¯s hip. She felt his hand slipped into hers. At least, she won¡¯t die alone.

    ¡°You too, Lady Tina,¡± Tristan said, tightening his grip on her hand.

    Ten bolts of lightening pieced the sandy ground and twisted around, craving a glass path. The lightening bolts spun in a circle. Each lap the bolts made caused them to close in on Tina and Tristan, standing in the middle of circle until the bolts brightened. She tried to watch, amazed at the spell, until she had no other choice, but she closed her eyes, hunched her shoulders, and held onto Tristan¡¯s hand tightly. She felt energy zap through her. She didn¡¯t know if she screamed or not. She could have sworn something unlocked in her, but she was carried off by darkness as the static energy left her body and a cry echoed silently.

    Merlin cracked his neck as he walked along the last stretch of the funeral parade path. Each step was a challenge. His magic drained causing his body to feel achy. To make things worst, he felt every bit of his old age. He couldn¡¯t wait until he managed to get back to his rooms and curl up in his bed and sleep through the next week.

    Merlin¡¯s knee popped as he covered the distance to the castle guard. He had nearly drained himself of magic, renewing the protection spells. He knew they needed to be done nearly a year ago, but he had been putting it off. He raised his head, peering toward the drawbridge.

    Morgana stood by one of the towers, looking as tired as he felt. However, dark storm clouds gathering over Dead End Forest caught his attention. Merlin stopped walking and stared out at the clouds. He sensed Morgana walked over to him. He frowned as he casted his gaze over the rest of the horizon. He knew from countless hours of watching the sky, dark storm clouds would spread across the horizon, not gather in one place like they were. He watched as several bolts of lightening shot down. There was a bright white light followed by a loud booming sound then the lightening faded away.

    ¡°My goddess,¡± Morgana whispered, ¡°That was an impressive Lightening spell.¡±

    ¡°I believe it was called, Thor¡¯s Hammer,¡± Merlin commented in the same volume. He hadn¡¯t seen a spell casted that powerful since the days of Arthur the First ruled. ¡°I am going to check it out.¡± He activated the last magical storage rune he had and felt the familiar rush of magic coursing through his veins. He just hoped he didn¡¯t make a mistake, by not saving that in case the worst did happen. ¡°It might be Rowena.¡±

    ¡°I hope not,¡± Morgana said. Her skin glowed and her blue eyes took on a brighter glow. She had done the same. ¡°That is the last thing we need, right now.¡± She jumped, transforming into an owl and flew off.

    Merlin agreed with his former student and shifted into a raven. His black wings flapped as he followed Morgana.

    Morgana reached the beach first and settled down on a tree branch, waiting and watching as a group of Fawns carried one body while dragging two bodies behind them. She noticed the Fawns were warriors and frowned. Why were they in the neutral meeting place for all the creatures and was able to fight in it?

    She felt Merlin settle on the branch beside her and study the area before he shifted and landed on his feet. She followed his example. They walked along the beach and saw the damage.

    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have be able to fight here,¡± Merlin growled. He stalked over to the large rock.

    Morgana knelt beside the sand, amazed at the fact she was looking at her reflection. She didn¡¯t know there was a spell that could do this large amount of damage. She knew it took a lot of heat to create glass from sand. That lightening spell had been extremely powerful. She stood up and looked in the direction of where the Fawns disappeared to. Who had been here? Who had managed to survive that lightening spell?

    She heard Merlin cursed under his breath and turned to him, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh, the spell that prevents like this had expire four years ago,¡± Merlin snapped, waving his hand about. ¡°If it is not one thing, it is another.¡± Morgana let him rant. He obviously needed this. ¡°It will have to wait until after the funeral for me to renew the spell on this place.¡± He walked over to Morgana and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s head back. There is nothing else we could do here.¡± He transformed back into his animal form and flew off.Merlin flapped his wings and tried to relax. He knew there was so much going on. He couldn¡¯t wait to reach his rooms. However, there was one more stop he needed to make. He watched as the bell tower grew larger in his vision until he reached it. His claw feet reached out in front of him and touched the stones of the tower. He transformed back to his humanoid form and stretched. A small smile crossed his lips. He really needed that, even though it was a short flight. He flexed his remaining magic and watched the walls glow a gold light. His eyes roamed over the various runes he had worked hard over the years to place there. He knew there was one rune that allow the sound range to increase from the basic rang of 10 miles to 50 miles. He knew the news of the King¡¯s death has yet to reach some of the outer village and it would be still a full day before the news will reach the borders of the Kingdom. This will help.

    He strolled over to the trap door and grabbed the steel handle before he jerked it up. He held it up as he stepped down onto the stairs and closed it as he walked down, going deeper into the bell tower.

    At the bottom of the stairs, Merlin saw a brown robed figure with a bold head. The robed figure was hunched over and had a misshaped face. He peered up at the Battle Mage. Merlin paused, giving the bell ringer a gentle look and spoke, ¡°The King is dead, Bell Ringer. I have extended the range of the Bell. I would like you to ring it three extra times at night and morning until the funeral parade.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Battle Mage,¡± the bell ringer bowed to him. Merlin walked away. He headed to his rooms, intending to sleep until he woke up tomorrow.

 Chapter 17: Waiting Wills

    <h2> </h2>

    ~Vermont, USA~

    ¡°Mom,¡± Natasha looked at her mom, standing in the kitchen, shifting her school bag higher up on her back, ¡°Where is Tina?¡± she waited for Annja to reply, but her mom sipped on her coffee, holding the mug with two hands. ¡°I checked her room before going to bed last night and I haven¡¯t seen her for the couple days.¡±

    ¡°Tina,¡± Annja started after she took her mug away from her mouth. It was obviously to Natasha that her mom was searching for the right words to explain what happen to her older sister. ¡°She ¡ª¡±

    ¡°She went into the woods, the other day,¡± Natasha¡¯s grandma, Sakura, cut off Annja and started to explain, ¡°We don¡¯t know if she managed to reach the land of her father¡¯s or not. We won¡¯t know for another week.¡±

    ¡°The Land of her father¡¯s?¡± Natasha questioned, giving her grandma a look, ¡°What do you mean by, grandma?¡±

    ¡°What your grandma means, Tina went for a walk through the woods and she might be traveling to visit her father and stay with him and his side of the family,¡± Annja explained further, sending her mom a glare.

    ¡°Can¡¯t Tina just call her father and talk to him that way?¡± Natasha asked, uncertainly. There was something not adding up, here. She knew that. Tina would have called already and would have informed them if she had arrived at her father¡¯s, but until a few days ago, Natasha didn¡¯t know Tina¡¯s father was still alive.

    ¡°He lives off the grid, Tasha,¡± Annja said, setting the mug down on the table with a thud, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be on your way to school?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to know where Tina was at,¡± Natasha grumbled, sadly. She turned and walked away from the kitchen and left the house. She glanced toward the forest behind the house, thinking about the letter that Tina had left behind the other day. At first, her mom and grandma wouldn¡¯t allow her to read the letter, however, after they went to sleep, Natasha managed to find it in her mom¡¯s office and read it.

    The story that Annja just fed her and the letter¡¯s contents were not coming together to form a linear story. There was something more going on then what she was being told. She turned away and headed down the stairs. This could be more then what she could handle on her own. She knew the forest was a large one, covering a good several dozen miles before ending into a lake, at least according to the maps of the area. She never personally traveled through the forest to the other side. She knew Tina, until 6 years ago, traveled through the forest on the weekends and she only spent a day or two in the forest, not almost four days.

    Natasha reached the button of the stairs and waited for the bus. She came to the conclusion - If Tina was not home by end of the week, Natasha would call the police. Tina could be in danger or hurt where she couldn¡¯t make her way home. Or something else happened, preventing her to come back home. It didn¡¯t matter what happen, Natasha thought, her older sister may need her help and she was going to give it.

    ~Dead End Forest, on the outskirts of Camelot~

    Tristan kept his eyes shut as he regained consciousness. He didn¡¯t know where he was at or if he was safe with friends. He had been in this type of situation too many times. His arms were above his heads and felt numb. His shoulders felt like they were ready to pop out of their sockets. However, his legs stretched out below him and rope wrapped around his waist, tying him to a pole. He went through the events that landed him: finding Tina in the mud after the flash flood, taking her to get cleaned up in the lake, and being attacked before that mage unleashed a weather based spell.

    Tristan slowly raised his head, opening his eyes. The sun glimmered through the trees as it peeked over the horizon. He was still in the forest, somewhere deeper then the lake. He spotted a male Fawn standing guard with a trident spear a few feet away. He watched, silently as the trident Fawn jerked his head and a doe Fawn with a sword at her side bounced away toward a large hut at the far end of a series of huts. He shifted his legs under him and immediately felt a mix of relief and pain spread through his shoulder.

    He turned his head to the right around to peer behind him, the rope tightened around his midsection, and he couldn¡¯t see if Tina was right behind him or not. He repeated the action to the left and got the same result. He tilted his head back and saw the rope tying his hands together went through a handle. He growled, softly. He turned his attention to the guard.

    ¡°Hey, where is the woman who was with me?¡± Tristan asked. The Fawn narrowed his eyes, but didn¡¯t answer. Tristan barred his teeth in frustration. He didn¡¯t know if Tina had survived the lightening strike like he did or not. If she didn¡¯t, he would have to take her body to the White Hall Estate. It was technically his only lead on who she was related to. If she did managed to survive, he needed to know where she was and how she was doing.  He tugged the rope at his wrists. He knew he had a small knife in one of his arm bracers, still. ¡°Where is she?¡± He tried again.

    The male Fawn didn¡¯t respond to the question. However, the  Buck turned to an approaching Fawn. Tristan narrowed his eyes at the new Fawn, escorted by two guards. The new Fawn was covered in neck to foot in robes of a mage. He took note of the robe¡¯s colors. He briefly remembered in a history lesson that his uncle sent him to when he first came to Camelot that the rank of a mage depending on what color the robe the mage wore. He knew the white robe was the rank of apprentice while the black robes that Merlin and Morgana wore during important meetings with other kingdoms¡¯ representatives meant they had achieved the master rank of the mage, singling they were highly dangerous when it came to magic.

    However, this mage wore a dark gray robe. Tristan had to deep up that knowledge. Dark Gray robe meant the mage was three levels away from achieving mastery over their magic. He also knew that the only master magi in the Kingdom of Camelot were Merlin and Morgana. They hadn¡¯t took on an apprentice in the last century or two because the laws Camelot enforced.

    The Knight of Camelot eyed the mage and asked, ¡°Where is my companion?¡±

    ¡°She is unharmed,¡± the mage smirked, ¡°For now.¡± He walked to Tristan¡¯s right as his guards stood still. ¡°Why were you at the Sacred Lake of Avalon?¡±

    Sacred Lake of Avalon? Tristan never heard of it. His eyes followed the mage until the mage disappeared from the corner of his eyesight, before he replied, ¡°Never heard of this Lake.¡±

    ¡°Lies,¡± the mage hissed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of the teachings of the Great Battle Mage Merlin no longer include stories about the sacred Lake.¡± The mage walked back into the corner of the Knight¡¯s vision. ¡°Tell the truth, filthy human! Why did you allow your campanion to defile the Sacred Lake with her disgustedly filthy body?¡±

    ¡°She simply wished to wash off the mud she was covered in,¡± Tristan explained. He needed to escape and find Tina. ¡°If either one of us knew the Lake was Sacred, I will never show her to the Lake.¡± He hated dealing with the racist non-humans like this tribe of Fawns. However, if one of them lay a harmful hand on Tina, he would have no problem making sure she would have her revenge against these racists.

    The Mage turned to one of the guards and stated, ¡°Once she awakens, punish the female.¡±

    Tristan¡¯s eyes widened before he narrowed them into a glare, shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lay a hand on her!¡±

    The Mage ignored him and went on, ¡°20 whippings should do it.¡±

    ¡°Punish me! She was not even aware of the lake until I showed it to her,¡± Tristan jerked against his restraints. He couldn¡¯t believe this shit. He had not meet a village that was willingly to punish a woman - no matter what race she belong to.

    The Mage turned to him, growled, ¡°The Female is a warrior. She brought her sword against the warriors of this village. She will be treated as such.¡± The Mage twisted on his heel and walked away, leaving Tristan glowering behind him.

    ~Camelot~

    Arthur sighed as he left his royal rooms. He didn¡¯t want to think about moving out of the room. He really didn¡¯t want to move out of the room - period. He had so many memories that involved that room - his first kiss, his first time with a woman on his 18th birthday.

    He walked along the hallway and paused by what used to be his father¡¯s room. He glanced toward the opened door and saw servants already in the process of cleaning the room. He stepped aside as one of the servants stepped into the hallway and paused long enough to bow and muttered, ¡°my prince,¡± before she moved down the hallway, carrying the dirty sheets.

    He moved on. He knew there would be another meeting about the parade¡¯s security since the meeting was cut short, yesterdays, because his father¡¯s passing. He still needed to grab breakfast from the Great Hall before he tried to find his stepmother or one of his grandmother¡¯s.

    Arthur hurried toward the Great Hall and ran into Lord Jack, the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard. He spoke up, ¡°Morning, Lord Jack, do you know when we were suppose to meet to discuss more about the parade¡¯s security?¡±

    ¡°Morning, my prince,¡± Jack bowed slightly, ¡°I do not. I think Merlin or one of the Queens will summon us when it is time.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arthur nodded, ¡°Thank you.¡± He walked past the Leader of the King¡¯s Guard and strolled into the Great Hall. His eyes roam over the table still lain with breakfast. His stomach rolled at the smell of the foods, but he still needed to eat. He approached the first table on the far right and joined the line wrapped along the wall. He glanced at the person in front of him, frowning as he thought about who could have dark blue hair which appeared to be unkempt as the man shifted his weight foot to foot.

    However, the line for breakfast moved along the table and Arthur turned, strolling to the head table. He paused as he saw the Head table was empty. Apparently, his stepmother and grandmothers have not made it down to break their fast. He turned and went to the Knights¡¯ table. He spotted the dark blue hair man sitting down and the prince spotted an empty chair. He joined the Knights who sat there, talking softly about the parade.

    ¡°Morning, my prince,¡± Lancelot greeted Arthur as the prince settled down into the chair.

    ¡°Morning, Lancelot,¡± Arthur replied. He folded his hands in front of his chest and prayed before he dug into his meal, glancing at the dark blue hair man beside. He blinked as he recognized the man as Sir Gawain. He returned to his meal.

    ¡°..there is talk, down in town, from the merchants about the Kingdom of Mercy,¡± a blond man sitting directly across from Arthur. The Prince racked his brain, searching for the name. He glanced at the man¡¯s crest that was embroidered on the sash going over his chest. It was black dragon, its head back in mid-roar. It was Sir Draco, son of Severus, son of Thomas. ¡°They are claiming that Mercian soldiers are patrolling the border between Camelot and Mercy.¡±

    ¡°Right now,¡± Lancelot started, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare to start anything, especially since the Death of the King.¡±

    ¡°It is actually the perfect time to attack,¡± Arthur commented, ¡°there is no one sitting on the Throne, protecting Camelot.¡± He shoved some of the food he got into his mouth.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gawain asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking the Throne?¡±

    ¡°I wish I could without a doubt,¡± Arthur said before he reached for a mug and grabbed the pitcher full of the orange juice, ¡°But according to Merlin, the Holy Sword chooses the Next King.¡± He poured the orange colored juice into the mug before he sipped on it. ¡°I may not be chosen as the Next King. It could be one of you, for all we know.¡± He knew he shouldn¡¯t sound upset by that. He rather have someone he knew that will take care of the Kingdom then someone who had no clue on what they were doing. Even though, he personally wanted to be King.

    Merlin didn¡¯t want to get out of bed. He stared up at the ceiling of his personal rooms. He reached out to his well of magic. It barely recovered. He estimated it was only a sixteenth of his magical reverses, maybe less then that. He sighed. It was going to take at least a month for his magical reverses to reach the half point, maybe longer. He shouldn¡¯t have put off renewing those protection spells. Merlin knew Morgana would be the same way. He just hoped Camelot wouldn¡¯t need Morgana or his magic anytime soon. If the Kingdom did, the cost will be almost too high for them to pay.

    He pushed his covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rolled his shoulders before he stood up, walking over to his clothing cabinet and got dressed. He strolled out of his private room, rubbing his right shoulder. His body still ached from over usage of magic. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had drain his magical well and magical reverses.

    He did remembered when he first did. It was back when that dreadful plague rampage through the mainland and the Ruling Family feared the plague would spread through the United Kingdoms of Camelot. The King of that time had ordered Merlin, Morgana and their combined army of magi to protect the Kingdoms. Merlin came up with the solution of separating the United Kingdoms from the rest of the world until a time came where the Kingdoms could rejoined the World.

    It was Morgana who had the idea of creating a copy of the Kingdoms and Key points around the world and created a pocket dimension. She managed to find a spell from one of the Altantian spell books that Merlin¡¯s former master handed down for seven generations of Battle Magi. However, the cost of casting the spell was more then Merlin or Morgana thought it would be. Over 250 magi died, creating the pocket dimension for the United Kingdoms of Camelot. Morgana ended up in a year long coma, recovering from the magical drain. While Merlin did end up in a coma, it only last half a year. The Ruling Family thought they had died during the casting of the spell when they had ended up in a cave system, sleeping.

    Merlin shook his head as he strolled over to the stairs leading down to his private study. He half thought Morgana would have been there waiting for him, but she wasn¡¯t. He mused she was still asleep and knew what would have happened if someone would have woke her up. It would be best for everyone to let that woman sleep until she woke up. He dimly remembered the time he tried to wake her up from magical drain induced sleep once before and realized too late that she had managed to recovered enough magic to transform his ears into a pair of donkey like ears and cause him to bay at the end of his sentences. It took nearly three weeks for the spell to wear off since neither of them had enough magic to counter act the spell. However, the court at the time, thought it was hilarious and didn¡¯t let Merlin live that one down, but it faded into the memory of time once that court died and a new one took its place.

    Merlin felt his stomach rumbled with hunger and decided it would be best to grab some food from the Great Hall. He still needed to meet with the Ruling Family and the Generals to discuss the parade¡¯s security. Plus, there were other things he still needed to do.

    Tina sucked in a deep breath as she jerked awake. Her eyes snapped open and she peered at her surrounding. She spotted three huts nearby that remind her of the viking huts she had seen on TV shows. The huts had brown hide like walls with hay roofs. She tilted her head to the side and saw a large cooking pot over a cracking fire. However, there was no one around it.

    Tina shifted her weight and groaned. Her shoulders ached like she had thrown her younger sister on top of her shoulders and dashed several yards through the forest. She tilted her head back and finally realized her arms were stretch out above her. She frowned. How long had she been like this? She pulled her legs up under her. She winced as her arms exploded in the pins and needles feeling. She knew she had been hanging in place for a few hours, at least. She gaze around the clearing and remembered what happened.

    Tristan, a man from Camelot, saved her from a mud slide and showed her to a lake where she managed to get cleaned up. Then they were attacked by a group of reindeer people with a mage that casted a thunder spell powerful enough to connect sky to ground in that amazing light display before the lightening bolts hit Tristan and her.

    Tina¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the ground. How the hell she did survive that? That should have killed her. She blinked and raised her head, looking around. She didn¡¯t know if Tristan had survived that lightening bolt attack like she did or not.

    ¡°I see you are finally awake.¡±

    Tina jerked her head to the left and spotted one of the reindeer like creatures, wearing soft looking leather pants similar to what Tristan wore with a deep cut vest over a muscular chest. Upon his head, antlers curled and spread out like sharp fingers between two pointed ears.

    ¡°Nice rack,¡± Tina commented the buck. She didn¡¯t know if these reindeer like creatures were anything like the more common forest deers like she had hunted before, but she was going to treat them as such, even though, these creatures were intelligent enough to develop the ability to speak and understand English.

    The buck¡¯s eyes narrowed. He stalked forward. Tina tensed, watching. The buck raised a hand and backhanded her across the face. Her head snapped toward the right. Her cheek stung.

    Well, that was a first, Tina grumbled silently and glared up at the buck before she said in an even tone, ¡°If that was disrespectful, my apologies.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what respect is, filthy human,¡± the Buck growled in a low tone, ¡°If you did, you wouldn¡¯t have wash your disgusting body in the Sacred Lake of the Avalon.¡±

    Lake of Avalon?

    That was another thing from the Arthurian Legend she was familiar with. She still didn¡¯t believe she was anywhere near Camelot like Tristan had claimed. However, she needed to focus on the here and now.

    ¡°As the result,¡± The buck continued, ¡°You will be punished.¡±

    That sounded ominous as Tina waited for the punishment. She really doubted it was something simple as community service or jail time. A cracking sound went through the clearing. She felt lead fill her stomach as she slowly turned her head. She paled as she saw what made that cracking sound.

    ¡°I think 20 whips should teach you a lesson,¡± The buck¡¯s voice held a satisfied smirking note as the whip cracked through the air and Tina felt the whip tear through the back of her shirt. She bit her lower lip. ¡°Count!¡± The buck barked.

    ¡°1,¡± Tina counted. Another crack followed by Tina¡¯ voice, ¡°2.¡±

    Alright, Tina, you can survive this. She felt another slice and strained to keep her voice even, ¡°3¡±.

    Remember, this is just something you can survive. Her body jerked against the restrains holding her up, ¡°4.¡±

    You will overcome this. Crack! Pain lanced through her back sharply. She strained to keep her voice even, ¡°5.¡±

    You will heal from this. This time when the whip landed, it landed in an open wound. Tina arched her back, her eyes widened in pain. She forgot how to breath for a moment as she rode the painful wave then she relaxed and she croaked, ¡°6.¡±

    You will survive. Tina felt the whip land then a sharp pain rippled through her back. She forced her voice to raise as she said, ¡°7.¡±

    This is just a simple test of willpower. Another wave of pain shot through her. Tina felt hot tears slipped down her cheeks as she said, ¡°8.¡±

    You can pass this, Tina, you just have to hang in there. Tina¡¯s mouth hanged opened as she tried to think through the pain. It was worst then her monthly cramps that usually left her in a crabby mood and desiring to stay in bed. Crack!  She panted out, ¡°9.¡±

    Okay. You are half way there. You can stay strong and hang in there. She felt the whip land against her back more then she heard the cracking sound. Her body jerked harshly against the ropes holding up. ¡°10.¡±

    It could be worst. They could try quartering your ass! Crack! ¡°11.¡± Tina felt her knees shake as she fought to stay on her feet.

    What¡¯s that Disney song? From the Frog and the Princess? Dig a little deeper? Just dig a little deeper and you will come through. Crack! Her left knee gave out under her. She grunted her teeth as her shoulders barked in protest and the strain she unknowingly put on her back rushed to the back of her head. She watched as the corners of her vision narrowed into single point. She didn¡¯t know if she managed to utter the next number or not. She panted as she struggled to stay consciousness. She didn¡¯t know what will happen if she passed out. Another ripple of pain erupted from her back and she threw her head back, finally letting out a high pitch scream. She drifted away a moment later as her vision blacked out and she welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness.

    General Genesis strolled to the War Room. He finally received the summons from the higher ups about finishing the discussion about more security measures while he was eating lunch with his men. He had spent majority of the morning, performing drills of the parade security. He was satisfied with his men¡¯s progress, so far. However, he knew there was more then they could do to make the day of the funeral went smoothly.

    ¡°Afternoon, Genesis.¡± The fiery general stopped and turned to face General Honor.

    ¡°Honor,¡± he nodded at his friend and brother in arms, ¡°I can¡¯t wait until this whole business is settled.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Honor agreed and went on, ¡°I have received word from my village.¡± The dark haired General sighed, deeply.

    ¡°Bad news?¡± Genesis questioned as they rounded a corner. Bartholomew stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. He stared at the other generals as they approached. He straightened once Genesis and Honor reached him. The General of Blade Brigade fell into line with them.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Honor replied, ¡°Mercy is not the only Kingdom preparing something. You know my village lays on the border of Frank Kingdom.¡± Genesis and Bartholomew nodded. The Frank Kingdom had been an ally of Camelot until a couple decades when the King refused to marry the Princess of the Franks and the result was the Franks declaring they were no longer an ally of Camelot¡¯s. ¡°My mother has written that there has been increasingly Frank raids on the village. Four in the last month since she had last written to me. She and several other villagers are preparing to make the journey to Camelot to request help.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Genesis breathed. That would be the icing on the cake for anyone to arrive in Camelot and find out the King - their only hope - had passed on.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a phrase that your father claims that your mother love to say in situations like this?¡± Bartholomew turned his gaze to the red haired general.

    ¡°What?¡± Genesis turned his head to raise an eyebrow at the silver haired leader of the Blade Brigade. ¡°When it rains, it pours?¡± Bartholomew nodded. ¡°Well, you are right. That would be something she would say in this situation.¡±

    ¡°You will need to let the Ruling Family know of this and the magi,¡± Bartholomew suggested as they approached the war room.

    ¡°I plan to,¡± Honor stated, ¡°Maybe we will be able to send help back to my village to fight off the Franks before they try to claim the village as a part of their kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Genesis said as he pushed open the door to the War Room. He entered first and spotted the Ruling Family already sitting upon a raised platform at the far end of the room. He ran his eyes over the family. On the far right, Queen Vivien¡¯s eyes were red and puffy as she stared ahead with unseeing gaze. Next to her, the Warrior Queen, Queen Belladonna had her hair up in the Black Warrior Braids and dressed in a black tunic with black leggings. A sword lend against her leg, waiting.

    Queen Clarine was next, dressed in a simple black dress of mourning. Her expression informed everyone in the room that the Queen did not sleep.

    Queen Kalliope mirrored Queen Clarine, however, Kalliope¡¯s dress was more elaborate for the High Queen. The stark reminded of the reason why they were there was next. The empty Throne of the King of Camelot. Lord Jack stood nearby the empty King throne. Finishing the line for the Ruling Family was the Prince. Arthur wore a black tunic to announce he was also in mourning.

    Genesis questioned, silently, the fact Arthur was not sitting in the King¡¯s Throne. He ran his eyes over the rest of the people in the room. Several knights stood ready to discuss the security measures already in place and the former King¡¯s Council also was present. The only ones were not there was the magi. However, Merlin swept into the War Room and shut the door behind him, heading to the large long table in the middle of the room.

    ¡°The Lady Morgana will not be joining us,¡± Merlin started, ¡°We spent most of yesterday, re-newing the protection spells along the parade route. She has not recovered, yet from the magical drain.¡± He walked forward as he spoke. ¡°Could someone get me a chair for me?¡±

    Genesis frowned as he spotted the Battle Mage walked with a slight strain to his posture and his expression, even though he tried to hid it, screamed he was tired. He also appeared a lot older then what his youthful appeared hinted at. Apparently, Lady Morgana was not the only one who hadn¡¯t recovered from this magical drain.

    Prince Arthur stood up from his throne and nodded toward the nearest Knight, saying, ¡°Please, get the Battle Mage a chair.¡±

    The knight bowed his head briefly, left the room for a moment and returned with a chair for the Battle Mage. Merlin gave the Prince an appreciative look and shot the Knight a thankful glance. The Knight sat the chair down near the mage and went back to his post. Merlin sat down in the chair with a sigh and looked around, announcing, ¡°Like I said, the protection spells along the outer wall are renewed and will last for another 50 years or so.¡±

    Genesis shared a glance with the other generals. Honor stepped forward and explained the situation his mother had found herself in at the border of the Frank Kingdom.

    ¡°General Honor,¡± Queen Kalliope started, ¡°You have our deepest sympathies. I wish we could send aid to your home village, but right now, we can¡¯t afford to send any troops out. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Until the Holy Sword choses the next King,¡± Merlin said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t advise sending any of our troops out for the time being, in case, the Holy Sword can¡¯t find a worthy man to take the throne.¡±

    Genesis had forgot that tidbit of info. He was 6 years old the last time the Kingdom had this problem. He knew Honor would be upset that the Kingdom couldn¡¯t help his village, just yet. However, he turned his attention back to the discussion at hand.

 Chapter 18: The Party

    Tristan strained to hear Tina. She had let out a scream that chilled him to his core a few minutes ago. Then she fell silent. He didn¡¯t know if she was still alive or not. He knew some whippings tore through bone and he had witness a few whipping that managed to kill the person being punished. He hoped that was the case with Tina. It was his fault that was happening to her. He jerked against his restraints as a loud crack of a whip echoed through the air. It sounded like it came from his right. He twisted to stare in that direction.

    At first he didn¡¯t see anything, but he saw the tip of the whip fly over the tops of the nearby huts followed by the cracking sound. That made number 13. She didn¡¯t cry out this time. Maybe she was knocked unconscious by the whippings. That would be a blessing because she didn¡¯t deserve this.

    Tristan¡¯s eyes darted around of what he could see of the village. At least a dozen or two huts scattered the landscape with the largest in the middle of the village. The largest hut¡¯s walls were dyed in a dark red that it almost look like it was burgundy while the the roof covering was a rich gold. He didn¡¯t see if there was a small tunnel leading to a door like the Ruling Family had with their travel huts.

    He resisted the urge to growl as another crack erupted from his right. 14. Tina had 6 more whippings to go through. His eyes darted around, trying to figure out how many Fawns were in the village. He couldn¡¯t risk escaping, right now. If he tried, there was a chance he would be whipped, too, then Tina and he would truely be trapped. He had to waited until there was a distraction. He just didn¡¯t know when that would be.

    ¡®15,¡¯ he thought as he heard the crack. Tina would be in tremulously pain from the cuts the whip left behind and the open cuts would be at risk becoming infected without proper care. He racked his mind, thinking about the nearby villages. He knew there was one settlement less then a few hours travel from the forest.

    <ol start="16">

    <li>He knew the village representative would be tripping over his feet to help out a Knight of Camelot like Tristan. Tina may not like the plan, but Tristan may have to say he did something dishonorable and Tina had to pay the price. It was widely known that if a man of a household did something dishonorable or broke the law, there were times that a loved one had to pay the price.</li>

    <li>Tristan let out a slow breath, fighting against the memories that rose at the situation. He couldn¡¯t think about that, not right now. He needed to figure out how to get out of this Fawn village. He couldn¡¯t do anything from his position, being tied to a pole.</li>

    </ol>

    Tristan frowned as the 18th lashing should have cracked the air, but it didn¡¯t come. His heart jumped as his chest tightened. His breath picked up. Ice shot through his veins. Something heavy as lead dropped into his stomach. He waited. The crack still didn¡¯t come. If Tina was killed by the whippings, he would show this Fawn village why he was known as the Violent Knight.

    ¡°THE KING IS DEAD! THE KING IS DEAD!¡± the cry came from Tristan¡¯s right. He jerked his head toward the village crier. ¡°KING UTHER IS DEAD!¡± A male Fawn rode a horse through the village, yelling. The villagers streamed through the nearby huts, hearing the cry, and gathered near the bonfire. The Knight watched as the Fawn dismounted and hurried to the decorated hut as a female Fawn, wearing an elaborate headdress emerged. The messenger knelt on one knee, bowing his head in greeting, and spoke to the Female.

    The Female Fawn nodded before she turned to the villagers and rose her voice, ¡°THE SO-CALLED KING, UTHER; THE TENTH OF HIS NAME, OF HOUSE DRAKE; HAD DIED!¡±

    Tristan¡¯s heart stopped. King Uther had died. He took a shuddering breath to calm his nerves and steady himself as a thunderous cry echoed in the village. The Knight felt sick to his stomach. He knew there were races that were upset by their treatment and it didn¡¯t help matters when King Uther didn¡¯t do anything to better the relations between the races, but to hear this village celebrate his King¡¯s death was something Tristan was not prepared to witness. His gut tightened as his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°AT SUNSET, WE PARTY!!¡± the Female leader yelled. The roar from the village shook the trees. It matched the roar of anger that flow through Tristan¡¯s veins. He watched as the villagers immediately separated. Does bounced toward the nearby fires as the Hunters left the village with carpenters.

    ¡°Grab my huge cooking pot!¡± one called.

    ¡°Get the herbs,¡± another shouted.

    ¡°Marc left to hunt, Mama,¡± a child yelled, ¡°He didn¡¯t take me with him!¡± before the child burst into tears.

    Tristan took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t loose his temper very often. He tried not to lose it, at all. It was a family curse and it effected the men, only. Which a good thing. If it had effect one of his sisters, he shuddered to think about the destruction that one of his sisters could do. His father died because he lose control of his temper. His grandfather was executed because he couldn¡¯t control of his anger. His Uncle Nickolas traveled around the country as a hired mercenary because he was caught by the Kingdom of Camelot and nearly killed the entire battle squadron that the King had sent to capture him, but in the end, Uncle Nickolas was the lucky one, dying from the numerous wounds he had gained from the battle.

    Tristan slowly closed his eyes as he tried to clear his mind, taking deep, calming breaths like his father taught him.

    Meanwhile, six huts down from Tristan, Tina¡¯s eyes snapped open. How long was she out? She heard a thunderous cry of ¡°THE KING IS DEAD! THE KING IS DEAD!¡± and she slowly raised her head, watching the deer like creatures to began dancing around the village. She held in the snort she wanted to exhale. That would be an experience, watching these creatures preform a dance that would be similar to the munchkins of the Land of Oz dance when they saw the Wicked Witch was dead. ¡°AT SUNSET, WE PARTY!¡±

    Tina¡¯s ears rang with the cry that followed. She shifted her weight and gasped, sharply. Her back ached something fierce. It would be a challenge to move, but she needed to get out of this village before they killed her. That lake must mean something really important to them to punish her like they did. She looked around, hoping to see Tristan, nearby, but he must have ran off after she was captured. She secretly hoped he didn¡¯t. She might need his help to get out of this hell-hole of a village. Plus, he knew the area. He could get her to a safe area and get her to a doctor for her back, hopefully before infection could set in, give her more of a headache, and increased her chances of dieing.

    She turned her head and felt something move in her open cuts. She hissed as tears well up and fell down her cheeks. It felt something was slicing the tender meat of her back. Her vision blacked at the edges, again. Her heart pounded in her ears. She felt blood trailing down her lower back. She slumped in her restraints, panting. Her hair slowly fell over her shoulder. She fought to clear her vision, blinking rapidly. She shifted her legs under her and stood up. Her shoulders throbbed in relief. She watched the blackness that crept into her vision edged back.

    She felt the ground vibrate. She hunched her shoulders and looked up. Tina watched the deer jump around, cheering. She heard feminine voices calling for their cooking pots, masculine baritones announcing they were going hunting, and children voices whining about being forced to help. The village quickly become a bee hive as each deer had a task they knew they had to complete. The atmosphere took on a cheery note as Tina viewed the deers with a calculating eye. She knew their guard had dropped. She had to wait for the perfect, opportune moment to attack. She took a deep breath as she tightened the muscles in her back. She wanted to whimper as she fought against the pain.

    ¡®I have to do this. This is training. I have to work through the pain. Pain means I am still alive. I am fighter. I have to work through the pain. I have to out of this. This is training. I have to work through the pain.¡¯ She told herself as she slowly relaxed her back before she tried again. She repeated the cycle, trying to hold the muscles tight longer then before.

    Unable to mediate, Tristan managed to cool his temper by thinking what would happen to Camelot as he watched the preparations for the feast. He lend back against the pole and hunched over a bit. He couldn¡¯t believe King Uther was dead. Tristan had left the castle to search for a cure, but find a woman. He cursed himself. If he was not honorable knight, if he didn¡¯t follow the Knights¡¯ code, he might have been able to find a cure in time. Merlin did say that Uther only had a week left since the curse had left him bedridden.

    Now, the Kingdom didn¡¯t have a King. He remembered the last time, 10 years ago when he was a teenager, there was a funeral within the week of the King¡¯s passing. He, now, know that Uther was chosen by the Holy Sword and there was no problem like there was during the six months of the Kingless Kingdom. There was a few battles that allowed Uther to proved himself on the international stage as a powerful ruler. Now, he hoped Arthur would be able to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath. He feared the worst if the prince was not able to. He sighed.

    He turned his mind back to the matter at hand. Tristan needed to find Tina and get her to safety, even possible either back to Camelot to heal or escort her to the White Hall Estate to see if she was telling the truth or not about Lady Freya ordering her kidnapping.

    He was knocked out of his thoughts by the change of noise in the Fawn village. Tristan peered around and noticed the Fawns were making last minute preparations for the feast. A large tree sawed in half was drugged across the ground to an area nearby, on his right. He turned in that direction and spotted Tina. His eyes widened.

    Tina slumped in the rope restraints, her arms held up and out to the sides. Tristan couldn¡¯t see her back, but he knew it was cut up. They both had been in the sunlight for the entire day. He could image what her back must have felt like with her pale skin. Her arms already appeared to have a darker shade of red to them. He watched with amazement as Tina slowly stood up and appeared to be something. He couldn¡¯t see exactly what she was doing but she seemed to tightened her body, held it for a few minutes, then relaxed before she repeated the cycle, again, again, and again. Tina still had the will power to fight back against their captives. Tristan smirked. He immediately reached into his arm bracers for the small knife he still had left. He slowly pulled it out and curled his fist around it as he slowly sawed the ropes holding his wrists above his head.

    Tristan kept a pace as he watched the Fawns finished setting up their feast. A few Bucks hugged up a cloth separating him from the rest of the village, but it also blocked his view of Tina. It was nearly time for their escape.

    Tina sucked in a breath, her eyes snapped open as a female voice rang out, loudly, ¡°TONIGHT, WE CELEBRATE THE DEATH OF KING UTHER OF HOUSE DRAKE!¡± A cheer rang out and Tina looked up, eyes widening. Six yards away from her, a large cloth hanged. She narrowed her eyes as she stared through it. She saw the various huts that had been sitting the area before her nap had been replaced long tree like tables. She eyed the nearby tree table. It appeared the deer like creatures had sawed a tree in half, trimmed down the branches to short knobs, and laid the trees on their rounded sides. ¡°WE WILL NO LONGER LIVE UNDER A RULER LIKE THE HOUSE OF DRAKE!¡± Another cheer echoed. It ranged in Tina¡¯s ears as she wondered what kind of land she had ended up. ¡°WE HAVE LIVED CENTURIES LIKE SUB-SERVANT CLASS! NO MORE!¡±

    ¡°NO MORE!¡± Echoed back from the other side of the cloth.

    Tina turned her head to the left and ran her eyes up the tables to see what appeared to be a small red wood tree sliced in half, just like the tables, and a Doe with the most elaborate headdress Tina had ever seen outside of the movies. It had a rainbow of feathers and jewels that sparkled in the light of dozens of fires as she turned her head, looking at her people. The Doe wore a dress that hugged her upper half from what Tina could see.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    It was that Doe who spoke, ¡°WE HAVE LIVED CENTURIES IN HIDING, IN FEAR OF THE HUMANS! NO MORE!¡±

    ¡°NO MORE!¡±

    Tina glanced up at her restraints. She straightened up, standing tall and saw the handle where the rope looped through was inches away from her hand. She shifted over to the right, trying to ignore the muscles pulling her left arm. She pressed her lips together as she felt her fingers slide the curve of the handle. She shifted her foot and stood on the balls of her feet. Her fingers curled over the handle. She smiled. She twisted her arm to the left. The handle wouldn¡¯t budge. She tried again with a underhand before it budge. Her grinned spread and she twisted the handle in a hurry.

    ¡°IT IS OUR TURN TO MAKE THE HUMANS A SUB-SERVANT CLASS! IT IS OUR TURN FOR REVENGE!¡±

    Tina shot a glance toward the Doe speaking as she worked the handle out of the post. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the way this appeared to be going, she knew her escaping will be hard when the deer like creatures finally realized what she was doing.

    ¡°TONIGHT!¡± The doe paused.

    Tina grinned as she pulled the handle out of the post. She placed her right foot flat against the ground and half turned to the left pole. She stepped closer to it and placed her weight against it. She reached up with both hands. She ignored the strain the position of her back and twisted the handle. This time, the handle turned with ease. She jerked it out of the pole and allowed her arms to drop to her sides. Her shoulders ached. She panted. Her chest filled with pride. She managed to do that by herself. Her cheeks rippled with pain as she couldn¡¯t stop smiling.

    ¡°TONIGHT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST!¡± The doe went on, ¡°ALL THE WAY FROM CAMELOT, WE HAVE ONE OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE!¡± The roar from the villagers echoed loudly, knocking Tina out of her musing. She glanced around and didn¡¯t find any of the deer guards. She shrugged. They shouldn¡¯t have left her unguarded. It was on them.

    Tina crunched down. Her back ached as her back muscles stretched and she grabbed the handles. She bounced them in her hands. They were the perfect weight to smash someone¡¯s face if she needed to protect herself. Keeping the metal handles in her hands, she glanced toward the doe. The dressed-up leader waited for her people calm down a bit before she went on. That would work for Tina.

    Tina went to her left and started to jog. She reached the first hut and peered into it. She looked in it long enough to see that her bag was not in that hut. She needed to find Tristan, her weapons, and her bag before flying the coup. Not in that order of items to find, but mostly definitely before leaving.

    ¡°PLEASE WELCOME, SIR TRISTAN, THE VIOLENT!¡± a gasp echoed before it went silent as the grave.

    Tina turned to peer back down the path and saw the cloth that separate her poles from the rest of the village dropped to the ground. She smirked and turned away. She crept along the huts, peering into the next three huts without problem before the roar of the doe broke the silence, ¡°FIND THE HUMANS! BRING THEM TO ME!¡±

    Tina spotted a large pile of weapons near the edge of the village. She hurried over to the pile. She hoped she got a lucky and find her weapons. She looked right and left, ahead and behind before she moved to the next hut.

    Tina¡¯s heart pounded in her chest. Her breath rushed in and out, shallowly. Blood thundered in her ears as she crept forward. She heard a noise and ducked into a hut. She didn¡¯t looked before she entered. However, she turned her attention to the interior of the hut and saw it was large hut with fancy decorations. She frowned as she ran her eyes over the dark gray robe. It triggered something in her memory - a mage holding a staff up, on the shoreline of that lake.

    Tina stared at the robe before she turned in a circle and her eyes widened in glee. Her hiking bag sat at the foot of what appeared to be a bed. She hurried over to it and threw back the cover of her bag, peering inside. She let out a sigh as she saw the contexts of her bag was still in there. These deer like creatures didn¡¯t go through her bag¡­unless they did and only took what they found interesting like the scroll. She shoved her hand into the bag and searched for the scroll. Her fingers brushed against a long cylinder and she curled her fingers around it before she pulled it. She stared at the scroll.

    Tina still couldn¡¯t believe that simple letter like this has caused so much trouble. She giggled softly. She returned the scroll to the interior of her bag and closed the flap. She grabbed the straps. She paused. She couldn¡¯t tossed her hiking bag onto her back like she did the other day. It would irritate her back, rubbing against the open cuts. Not to mention, the hiking bag was not been washed in years and she didn¡¯t know what kind of germs were on the bag. She shuddered at that thought. Her spirit energy rose to the surface of her skin, causing it to glow, faintly.

    ¡°FIND THEM! SEARCH THE HUTS!¡±

    Tristan heard the demand as he crept out of another hut. He glanced over his shoulder and hurried to the next one. He had to find his weapons before he started to search for Tina. He knew he would have to fight his way out of the village.

    The hut was simple one. A quick glance around it inform him that the hut belonged to a blanket weaver. He turned back to the entrance and peered through the flap.

    He cursed under his breath as he saw a couple of the Fawn Warriors approach the hut. He turned around, looking for a weapon. He stepped away from the flap, rolled his shoulders back, and turned to face the flap when his eyes landed on the weaver stand at the same time the flap was pushed inward. Tristan directed his gaze to the entrance to see a Fawn Warrior open his mouth in a yell before he leaped toward the Knight.

    Tristan waited until the last moment before he swung his right fist up. His fist buried itself into the midsection of his opponent. The Fawn Warrior¡¯s eyes widened in a mixture of pain and surprise before he coughed then Tristan followed his punch through, sending the Fawn Warrior back through the flap. He saw the Warrior land on his backside a couple feet outside of the hut. He stepped out of the hut, with a grin. A war cry echoed through the huts as a second Warrior rushed at him.

    Tristan automatically reached up to his shoulder and cursed under his breath. He forgot he didn¡¯t still found his bow and quiver, yet. Guess he would have to this Gawain¡¯s way. He narrowed his eyes at the second warrior and waited for the buck to get closer with his right fist raised over his shoulder when Tristan lashed out with a sharp left hook, landing it in the buck¡¯s jaw. The Fawn Warrior blinked stupidly at him before he joined the first warrior on the ground at Tristan¡¯s feet.

    He looked up toward where he had tied to the post to see a dozen swordsmen closing the distance between himself and them. Tristan pivoted and darted along the path between the huts. He heard the warriors following him.

    Tina heard the loud demand echo between the huts. She jerked before she hissed in pain. She grabbed her bag by the shoulders straps in one hand. She struggled to lift it up with her right hand, but she managed to do it. She glanced around the hut, hoping to find her weapons. She let out a sigh as she didn¡¯t spot them. She knew she couldn¡¯t get that lucky.

    She tightened her grip on her bag before she walked over to the entrance way and peered through the crack, checking if there was any of the deer people was coming her way or not. The area she could see was clear. She shifted her weight on to her foot while she pushed her other foot forward, pushing the flap outward, double checking. She stepped out as a war cry echoed. Tina jerked her head to the noise, spinning in a circle. It sounded like someone else had started something. While she personally hoped that Tristan was nearby, safe and hidden; she hoped there was a third party getting involved somehow. She rolled her eyes at herself.

    She heard running footsteps heading away past her location. She didn¡¯t know if any of the local warriors had that extra sense like her friends had. She withheld a snort and closed her eyes in dismay. She didn¡¯t know if her teenage buddies would even consider her a friend still. She allowed herself to become distance with them after she started to date that jerk of an ex and she had lost track of them. A tear slipped out of her left eye. It would be nice to have one of them with her, watching her back. She would love to have the plant manipulator and master thief be there. He would have known which plants to help to speed up her healing enough where she didn¡¯t have to worry about infection.

    Tina shook her head. She couldn¡¯t allow the past creep now. She would allow it to happen when she was not in danger. She let out a breath and tried to remember her lessons with her grandma¡¯s friend when it came the spirit energy. She knew there were some humans were naturally aware of spiritual energy like she was, but it depended on how strong their spiritual awareness was if they could sense more.

    Tina took a deep breath and reached for her pool of spiritual energy, deep within her. She summoned enough of it to surface of her back. Her back felt warmer then it did when the sun baked it. It was comforting then hurtful. She opened her eyes and turned her head to peek over her shoulder. A smile crossed her face as she spotted the faint glow of her golden yellow energy that always reminded her of lightening during a thunderstorm. The ache from the cuts on her back slowly faded away. She relaxed under the familiar warmth of her own spiritual energy, but the energy faded away before she could fully heal the cuts. She fell to her knees, panting and feeling drained. She cursed as she flexed her back. It felt like she was only able to knit the surface back together, but she was not for sure if she was able even to do that. She didn¡¯t expected to feel drained, but at the same time, she knew it could happen. She didn¡¯t do any of her training during the 6 year period she was with her ex or participated in spars, even though she had been offered several times when her non-humans showed up on her doorstep, checking on her. She turned them down, mainly because she didn¡¯t want her ex to worry over her if she showed up with bruises that were shaped in fists or a black eye by a lucky stray shot. Eventually, they stopped coming by.

    Now, she regretted not staying in shape or agreeing to those spars. Plus that diet of ice cream she had been eating for nearly three weeks. She was really out of shape. Some of her old friends would have been able to kill three times over if they had found out about her diet.

    Tina shoved those feelings and memories aside. She had to find her bow and quiver as well as her rapier. She pushed herself up to her feet again. Her back had a dull ache to it, but Tina could move without it becoming much of a problem. She mentally reached again for her spirit energy and allowed it to course through her veins, giving her strength and the extra boost she needed to keep going, trying to knock off the rust on her powers.

    She sensed the deer like creatures chasing after a human, about a dozen feet behind her. Her gut tightened with worry. She didn¡¯t try to feel Tristan¡¯s energy earlier when they were at the Lake. She opened her eyes and straightened up, summoning a barrier to protect her back from further injury. She reached down and swung her hiking bag onto her back. She felt the bag bounced against the barrier she created to protect her back. She pulled the ropes through the straps. She needed to keep those out. She planned to use them as weapons against any of the deer like creatures and anything else that stood in her way.

    Tina hurried out of the hut and pushed her spirit energy into her muscles, breaking out into a run toward the edge of the village. She had to reach that weapon pile. Her rapier and bow could be in there. If not, she would have to find another weapon pile to search through. She felt someone watching her and snapped her head to the right. Running along a path separated by the huts, Tristan chased after her. Relief washed over her. He was still alive and didn¡¯t leave this village without her.

    Tristan¡¯s eyes widened as he spotted Tina dashing past the row of huts he was zig zagging through. He didn¡¯t dared to call out. He planted his foot and spun to the right, heading to down the path parallel to hers. He saw her bag bouncing against something yellow, protecting her back. Besides that, she appeared to be alright. He was amazed by the fact she was able to walk, let alone run after the lashings she took. There was something different about Tina then he first thought.

    Another war cry echoed up from behind him. He heard more Fawns join the chase. He glance toward Tina who appeared to be focus on something. He turned his gaze ahead and his eyes widened as he spotted the weapon pile. He increased his speed and reached the pile at the same time Tina did.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here,¡± Tristan greeted the red head as she appeared on the far side of the hut. She jerked her head toward him before she relaxed.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina¡¯s lips twitched into a small smile, ¡°Though this type of party is not my kind of party. Next time, you decide to take me out for a good time, please avoid the whipping kind of parties. I think I may have discovered I do not like them.¡± Tristan snorted. ¡°Behind you!¡±

    Tristan waited a heartbeat before he stepped back and twisted around, bringing up his right leg in swiping arc. His leg swung into a Fawn Warrior, knocking the warrior away from him several steps. However, he saw out of the corner of his eye, Tina swinging one of the ropes she held over her head and down. His eyes narrowed as he could have sworn the ropes glowed faintly in the fading sunlight before they hit the ground, hard.

    Tristan felt the ground shake slightly under his feet. He brought his foot back down fast as he could before Tina leap the few feet separating them and crunched in front of him. She looked over her shoulder at him, ¡°Look our weapons, would ya, dear?¡± She turned back to the Fawn Warriors staring at her with shock expressions. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Tristan blinked. He watched, dumbly, as she charged at the Warriors with both of the ropes she still had tied to her wrists glowing a faint yellow.

 Chapter 19: Demonic Escape

    Tina didn¡¯t wait for Tristan to answer her question before she charged forward, channeling her spirit energy through her limbs and out into the ropes. She swung the right rope through the air and it thudded against the ground, hard. She felt her spirit energy spread through the ground. She watched as the deer like creatures jumped aside, feeling the sting of her energy. She smirked before she pushed away the small surge of victory she felt and focused the deer like creatures, waiting.

    One of the deer like creatures ran at her. She turned to face the deer like creatures; noticing the shirt, the lack of a rack, the large Battle Axe; as the doe swung her weapon over her right shoulder. Tina tensed, pushing her spirit energy to strengthened her legs, planning to jump up to avoid the Battle Axe, but a wave of pain race up her spine. She gasped as she felt the rough backing of her hiking bag rub against her back. A tear slipped out of her eye as her knees buckled. Her eyes widened as the Battle Axe sliced through the air and she bent over. Tina felt the Axe cut the space where her head would have been, but her head felt lighter for some reason. Her hands slapped against the ground as she caught herself. She watched as strains of her red hair fell to the ground.

    Tina growled. She couldn¡¯t take the time to check if the doe actually cut her hair or cut some loose strains of it, even though the evidence suggested that the doe did. She jerked on the rope tied to her right arm as she directed her spirit energy back to protect her back from further injury. The rope slid across the ground until one of the deer like creatures stepped on it, a buck, sending her a smirk. She jerked hard on the trapped rope. It didn¡¯t budge under the weight of the deer like creature.

    She allowed the rope she held in her other hand drop to the ground  as she shoved herself back onto her feet. She twisted around on her right foot and brought up her left leg, kicking the doe in her side. The doe stumbled back, staying upon her hoof like feet.

    Tina cursed softly. She couldn¡¯t put her spirit energy into the attack without putting the risk of injuring her back more. Once upon a time ago, an attack like that would have sent her enemy back several feet. She felt the rope tied her right wrist jerked hard as it attempted to pull her toward the Buck. She shifted her weight, planted her feet hard against the ground as she brought up her right arm, and tensed her arm, bringing it up across her chest as her left foot shifted back to act as a counteract weight. She turned her attention to another deer like creature rushing at her. She swung her left arm back, causing the rope and the handle attached to it swing back behind her before she snapped her left arm forward, sending enough spiritual energy down the rope. The rope took on a yellow glow as it whip through the air. The handle flew in a wide path, hitting a couple of the deer like creature who were not fast enough to leap out of its path. The deer like creatures that were hit fell backwards. One of them fell onto their rear ends as another one stumbled back and a third that got hit in the side of the head fell like a dead weight.

    ¡®One down, only three dozen more to go,¡¯ Tina thought grimly. She panted as she swung her left arm back before she raised her right arm and twirled beneath it, jerking her left arm around as she pulled her right arm down. She heard a startled oof as she managed to free her right arm. She saw Tristan digging through the weapon pile as fast as he could before she finished her twirl and brought both of her arms down, sharply as she kept streaming her spirit energy down the ropes. The handles followed the path her arms created, slamming against the ground with a dull bang. The deer creatures that stood nearby where the ropes landed were forced to either jump aside or be hit as Tina¡¯s spirit energy leaped out of the ropes like lightening bolts leaping from storm clouds.

    Tristan cursed as he dug through the weapons pile. What the hell were the Fawns planning with these many weapons? He found at least four dozen swords, six dozen bows, one dozen small hand-sized cannons, and he had lost count of the quivers of arrows and arrow bundles. He smelt something fishy going on here and it wasn¡¯t coming from the dinner table, a dozen or so yard behind him. He wished he could take the time to search the village and figure out what they were planning, but he didn¡¯t have that luxury. Tina was counting on him to find their weapons before they get out of the Fawn Village.

    A familiar looking sheath caught his eye and he paused, briefly, before he reached down and grabbed it, pulling it out of the weapon pile. The red sheath and the curve of the guard over the hilt informed him that it was Tina¡¯s. He spotted her bow not far from where he pulled out her rapier. He glanced over his shoulder, checking on Tina.

    Tristan¡¯s breath caught in his throat as he watched Tina fight the Fawns. Firelight danced upon her features, illuminating the pleased smile on her lips. Her eyes glowed with determination, a hunger he was familiar with, and a spark of the thrill of the fight. She brought her arms down, causing the ropes slammed against the ground, yellow sparks leapt out the nearby Fawns. He blinked as he witness the Fawn¡¯s fur stand on end. He felt a shiver race up his spine.

    He shook his head. This was not the time to gawk at the woman¡­no matter how she looked while she was fighting. He turned away and dug through the pile, ignoring the cries of pain, war cries. His eyes lit up when he spotted his own sword when a howl broke through the choas. He immediately looked toward the woods, feeling a sense of dread he hadn¡¯t felt in a long while. The sounds of battle behind him fell silent.

    Tristan remembered the various stories he had heard about the Dead End Forest. The forest earned that name because it dead ended in a tree barrier, but there were spots where there were breaks in the barrier and creatures not of this world were able to slip into this one. According to the peoples who have seen the creatures, they were a humanoid with animal features, looking far more beautiful then the Queens of Camelot, and just one of them was far more dangerous then any of the Armies of the Kingdoms. To the rumors, the creatures were known as demons.

    Another howl broke the eerie silence before a third howl joined the second one, a fourth joined in until the howling echoed through the woods. Tristan turned in a circle, slowly, and stared at the darken woods, his eyes trying to see if the rumors were true. He spotted the yellow eyes of canines, but he didn¡¯t know if they were the ones who inspired the rumors or not.

    Tina froze when the first howl echoed. Her spiritual sense immediately verified the blood red auras of the demons. Her eyes flickered toward the center of the village where the aura of the strongest demon approached. She gulped as she realized the demon was stronger then her, at least High B class. Whoever the demon was, he or she didn¡¯t hold back on their demonic energy.

    When Tina was in Japan, she fought along side a few demons in a tournament and she grew used to sensing demon energy. Her great Aunt had explained there was a ranking class for demons. She couldn¡¯t help compare it to the American grade system when she first heard it: the higher letter grade, the stronger the demon. Her demon friends were middle B class when she last saw them.

    Tina shivered as she took a step back, pushing down her spiritual presence as she shrugged off her hiking bag. She knew she couldn¡¯t take on the strong demon, not while she was in the condition she was in. She jolted as a thought darted through her mind.

    Blood.

    She didn¡¯t know if her back was still bleeding or not, the scent of fresh blood hung in the air. Either way, her back was the dinner bell to the demons. She had to get away from the demons. She already posed a threat to them because she was stronger then the humans with spiritual powers and a lot stronger then the average human without any spiritual powers.

    Tina took another step back. Her hiking bag slipped down her arms and she shifted the bag to one hand as she slowly turned away from the Fawn Warriors. She watched some of the warriors look between her and the center of the village, looking torn.

    ¡°Who proses a bigger threat to your people?¡± Tina asked, softly. One of the Fawn Warriors looked at her, ¡°These demons or two humans? We are trying to escape away, however, the demons are preparing to attack. Choose who is a bigger threat.¡±

    Tina took another step back before taking another one. One of the Fawn Warriors raised a sword toward her. From the looks of the vest he wore, he held a high rank within the Fawn Warriors. He spoke in an even voice, ¡°Leave and do not come back. If you do come back in our territory, I will not be as merciful as I am now.¡±

    Tina nodded, understanding. She watched the Fawn Warrior turned to the rest and barked out, ¡°Get back to the center! Protect the Princess!¡±

    The Fawns darted back away from Tina and Tristan. Tina relaxed, slightly before she turned to Tristan and approached him, seeing that he managed to find their weapons.

    ¡°Well,¡± Tristan met her eyes, ¡°That was unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tina agreed, ¡°But we are not of the woods just yet. We are surrounded, by the way.¡±

    ¡°I can see that from the eyes,¡± Tristan raised an eyebrow at her.

    Tina blinked as she repeated, ¡°Eyes?¡± He gestured to the woods and she turned her attention to see firelight reflecting back in dozens pairs of eyes. ¡°Shit,¡± she breathed. She knew from the auras she had sensed there were demons nearby, but these were not demons. The eyes watching them had to be the animals that demons formed a pack with. She couldn¡¯t help thinking the ally her great aunt had introduced her to when she last visited, a dog demon who lived with his pack in the forest nearby her temple. He had explained that some demons like himself took in strays or already had their animal counterparts in the pack, safety in numbers and tried to create a stronger pack.

    They needed a major distraction to avoid for the animal counterparts from following them¡­but what? Tina slowly turned to back to the center of the village, her eyes roaming over the huts and the nearby touches. An idea slowly formed in her head before she spotted a stack of barrels, sitting beside a hut with big red letters ¡®BLACK POWDER¡¯. She frowned, noticing it was only a dozen or so yards away.

    ¡°Hey, Tristan, what is black powder?¡± She asked, over her shoulder.

    ¡°Black Powder?¡± He questioned before he went on, ¡° We use it for the cannons to fire the cannon balls.¡±

    Tina turned to him and stated, ¡°It goes boom-boom.¡±

    Tristan turned to her and stared at her as she felt a manic grin cross her face before he nodded. She knew what to do.

    ¡°Hand me my bow, please,¡± Tina held out her hand, ¡°And you might want to cover your ears or start running.¡±

    ¡°I am not running away,¡± Tristan glared at her, ¡°No matter what you are planning to do.¡± He handed her the bow and an arrow. ¡°In fact, I will be helping you.¡± Tina shrugged and explained her plan. ¡°That is insane,¡± he stated in disbelief.

    ¡°Insane enough, it will work,¡± Tina shot back with a grin, ¡°Now, if you are going to help, grab an arrow and lit it up.¡± She notched her arrow against the string of her bow. She rolled her shoulders. This was going to hurt her back. She sucked in a breath, preparing herself for the pain, and she glanced over at Tristan. ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready as I will ever be,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Tina commented with a gleeful note, ¡°If we fail at this death, there is a good chance we will die.¡±

    ¡°That is reassuring,¡± He grumbled, loudly, ¡°If we succeed at this, there is a good chance we will die from the blast.¡±

    ¡°Na, I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said, ¡°If anything, we will be blown back.¡± She paused as she voiced the thought she just had, ¡°I hope I don¡¯t injury my back further.¡±

    ¡°I think it is a bit too late for that kind of thinking,¡± the Knight of Camelot drawled out as he notched the arrow to his bow. ¡°The fighting you did earlier should have you on the ground, screaming out in pain.¡±

    ¡°I have high pain tolerance, thanks to my Great Aunt,¡± Tina half-lied through her teeth, ¡°That fucking Mechanist.¡± While she did have a high pain tolerance from the training her great aunt put her through when she was a teenager, her back threatened to cause her to black out. She couldn¡¯t do something like that when she couldn¡¯t trust Tristan to get her to safety. Not yet, at least.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be talking about your great aunt like that,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°It is disrespectful.¡±

    ¡°It is not disrespectful if she agrees with me,¡± she said, ¡°Get ready to fire, would ya?! I want to get to a safe place before it becomes more dark.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the Knight agreed, ¡°The forest is known to be filled with monsters after nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Tina said. She brought up her bow and pulled back on the string, holding the arrow between her thumb and index finger. Her back screamed in pain. Darkness filled her vision. She sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth. She reached for her spiritual power. Her fingers holding the arrow felt warm as she pushed the spiritual power in to the arrow. The arrow took on a soft yellow glow and the glow became brighter and brighter. She blinked. The only thing she could see was the arrow and the glow. She exhaled and inhaled, sensing the demonic energy shifting. She released the arrow.

    Tina sensed more then she saw the arrow slicing through the air, leaving a trail of her spiritual energy before the empowered arrow slammed into the stack of black powder barrels.

    BOOM!

    Tina¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the barrels disappeared into the blooming flower of red, orange, yellow. Her gaze followed the flower as it reached into the sky before she felt the heat wash over her. At first, it was a sensation of a warm sunny day then it turned into the feeling of stepping under a too hot shower, before it transformation to the ¡®Holy shit! That¡¯s Hot!¡¯ feeling and finally, Tina felt the burning feeling of standing too close to a open flame.

    The shock wave came next. Tina already braced herself, bending her knees, lending forward, as the heated wind blew into her. She gritted her teeth together, trying to stay on her feet, knowing if she fell back, she could land on her back and get further injured. However, she heard a secondary boom. The shock wave that came from the secondary boom sent her stumbling back. She spun on the balls of her feet and hurried away from the secondary blooming flower. She glanced at Tristan and smirked as he sat up. She felt the hum of her spiritual power under her skin and knew the reason why she was able to stand against the first shock wave and only stumbled back during the second wave.

    Tina sensed Tristan approaching and she turned to him. He looked a big singe and he had spot of scoot on his cheek. He ran his eyes over her and opened his mouth, ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Give me your bag.¡±

    Tina nodded as she handed her hiking bag over to him, panting slightly. She had not used this much spiritual power in a long time, not since the end of that tournament. ¡°Where are we ¡ªdon¡¯t answer that. Too many ears,¡± She said, wondering what was Tristan¡¯s plan.

    ¡°This way,¡± Tristan spun to the forest and set the pace, running through the forest. Tina sucked in a breath and reached a bit more spiritual power as she grabbed a couple quivers of arrows, sending her power to her legs before she followed.

    Tina released a sigh as she rushed away from the deer like creatures¡¯ village and the demons. The crisp evening air felt cool against her heated skin. Tristan led the way through the forest, following trails that he was obviously familiar with and they were able to create more distance between them and the village.

    Tina kept her spiritual senses expand, feeling the demonic auras behind her scatter through the forest. She turned her attention to in front of them and her eyes widened in horror as she sensed a fast approaching demon aura. She grabbed her bow and notched an arrow. Some of her spiritual power flowed in to the arrow before she aimed and fired in the darkness of the trees. The glow of her arrow pieced the darkness. Tina spotted the demon before the demon managed to dodged the arrow, disappearing back into the dark.

    ¡°Tristan, we got company,¡± she called out, turning her attention to the Knight. He slowed to a stop and Tina followed his example. Her chest heaved as she panted. Her lungs burnt with the effect to keep breathing. Her back screamed in pain. Her legs trembled with the effect of standing. She doubted she would be able to take the demon on.

    ¡°I know,¡± Tristan said. His hand fell onto her shoulder, ¡°Stand back. It¡¯s my turn.¡±

    Tina stared at him. She didn¡¯t know if he was strong enough to be able to survive any of the demon¡¯s attacks, but what choice did she have? She didn¡¯t have one at the moment. She would have to rely - again - on someone else. She knew if she tried to go toe to toe with this demon, she wouldn¡¯t survive the fight.

    A dark chuckle rang through her mind, before the words drifted up, ¡°Deal with it. You are weak, and you will always be.¡±

    Tina closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to stay calm. She nodded. Tristan stepped forward and withdrew his broadsword.

    Tristan meet Tina¡¯s eyes as he withdrew his broadsword, seeing the conflict in her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to rely on him to protect her. She was most definitely a different type of woman from the women he was used to. He felt a sense of an emotion he couldn¡¯t identify. She would be one hell of a woman for any Knight to pledge to love.

    A loud thud echoed nearby and Tristan snapped his attention to the source. A humanoid creature with a black tail shushing behind the creature, a pair of black pointed ears, and icy blue eyes narrowed in anger at him and Tina. Tristan watched as the creature growled, loudly, barring his pointed canines.

    ¡°Which one of you cause that explosion?¡± Tristan heard the creature asked through the growling.

    Tina shifted and Tristan spoke before the mysterious red head could answer, ¡°I did.¡± He felt Tina¡¯s eyes on his back, glaring.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, human,¡± the creature appeared in front of Tristan. The knight jerked back, his eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath as the creature continued, ¡°I can smell your lie.¡±

    A step behind Tristan, Tina did something that cause the creature to turn his attention to her and she stated, calmly, ¡°It was my idea to cause that boom-boom.¡± She paused as the creature studied her, before she added, in an afterthought tone, ¡°I thought it was pretty impressive.¡±

    ¡°That explosion killed several of my brothers!¡± The creature yelled at her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go lick your wounds, Ookami,¡± Tina suggested. The wolf demon swung his fist back before he tried to deliver it into Tina. Tristan snapped up his right hand and cupped the fist, reminding the demon that the Knight was there.

    The Wolf demon brought up a knee, slamming it into Tristan¡¯s middle. Tristan grunted as his feet left the ground and flew back a few feet. Pain rippled from his middle and he gritted his teeth together. He shook off the pain and glared at the Wolf Demon who approached Tina. He noticed Tina tried to hide the fact her knees shook slightly under her weight. Tristan didn¡¯t know if it was from fear or exhaustion started to catch up to her as she stared down the wolf demon with a heat expression. The wolf demon snapped his arm out and wrapped his clawed hand around Tina¡¯s neck before he lifted her up from the ground.

    Tina¡¯s hands flew up, grabbing the wolf demon¡¯s arm. Her legs swung back then forth. The wolf demon laughed as he caught Tina¡¯s leg before he announced, ¡°Now, you will died, you pathetic woman!¡± Tina¡¯s face went red and her other leg tried to kicked the wolf demon in his midsection, but he slapped the kicking leg out of the way.

    Tristan ran at the wolf demon. The demon turned and gave him a fanged grin before he threw Tina at him. The Knight cursed under his breath as he dropped his sword and shifted his weight before he caught Tina in his arms. Tina¡¯s face was red, a hand raised to her neck, and her eyes held a wild, panicked, pained look. He bent his knees, the arm holding Tina¡¯s legs dropped her legs as he put her back on to her feet. His left arm felt cool as Tina stood on shaky legs. He glanced down at his arm to see Tina¡¯s blood covering it.

    ¡°Stay behind me, Tina,¡± Tristan ordered and cupped one of her shoulders, pushing her to stand behind him. She met his gaze and nodded before she moved to a nearby tree. He watched her go, as she walked on unsteady legs. He turned to the wolf demon and stated, ¡°You will face me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who I kill first,¡± the Wolf Demon growled. The whites of his eyes slowly disappeared behind red. ¡°Both of you will die for killing my pack mates.¡±

    ¡°We will see,¡± Tristan commented before he bent over to grab his sword and heard the wolf demon crossed the space between them. He stood up and held the broadsword in a defensive position. The demon stepped to the right. His left arm swung. His fingers curled into claws. Tristan shifted his sword and blocked the attack. A loud clanging sound echoed.

    Tristan and the Wolf Demon glared at each other, pushing with their weapons before they backed off. Tristan darted forward, swinging his broadsword in a wide arc. The wolf demon jumped back before he crunched then swung his claws at Tristan, in a blur.

    Tristan blinked as he felt something ripped at his chest. His back arched away from the pain. A groan slipped past his lips. His knees bent.

    ¡°Tristan,¡± a boy with an orange hat spoke up from the depts of his memory, appearing in his mind¡¯s eye, ¡°No matter what happens, no matter what we face, we have to promise if we ever fall in battle, not to fall onto our knees.¡± The boy turned to him with a grin, ¡°What do you say?¡±

    Tina felt her knees gave out from under her and she placed her hands in front of her as she landed on her lower legs. She squeezed her eyes closed and a couple tears escaped, rolling down her cheeks. She fought against the pain radiating from her back. She hated feeling vulnerable, useless¡­

    ¡°Like you always are?¡± the familiar voice sneaked it ways up from the back of her mind, ¡°It is one of the reasons why he left you, pathetic creature.¡±

    ¡®No, I am not a pathetic creature,¡¯ Tina shot back, ¡®I am allowed to be weak sometimes.¡¯

    ¡°No, you are not, girlie,¡± the voice growled back, ¡°Look how that handsome knight is fighting that wolf demon. He is struggling.¡± The dark voice chuckled, ¡°You should be the one fighting, not him. This proves how weak you are, little girl.¡±

    Tina opened her eyes, turning her head. She watched Tristan pushed forward against the Wolf Demon, but the way the canine humanoid danced backwards in a way that informed her that the Wolf demon was just playing with the Knight. The Wolf Demon grinned brightly before he darted forward. Tina¡¯s eyes widened as blood flew from Tristan¡¯s front and Tina shoved herself to her feet, trying to ignore the pain rippling from her back.

    Tristan¡¯s knees buckled from under him as his back arched and he started to fall to his knees. He shoved a foot forward, catching himself before he landed on his knees. The Wolf demon attacked, again. This time, Tristan managed to block the attack before the wolf demon swung his other arm around and knocked the blade out of Tristan¡¯s hand. The sword flipped through the air before impaling into a nearby tree. Tina¡¯s eyes followed it and saw how the sword shook when it landed in the tree.

    A loud thump caught her attention and she snapped her head over to it. Tristan laid on his side, his back facing her, just a yard away. Her eyes darted between Tristan and the Wolf demon as the wolf demon strolled over and a black and white butterfly flew over to her. She frowned in confusion at the yin-yang butterfly before she dismissed the small creature. Her attention flew back to the Wolf demon as he stopped back the tree where Tristan¡¯s broadsword stuck out and he grabbed the hilt before he flexed his arm and pulled the blade out.

    ¡°Tina,¡± Tristan said. She didn¡¯t look at him as she mentally prepared herself.

    ¡°You are going to lose, girlie,¡± the voice snark.

    ¡®Shut the fuck up and find someone else to fucking bug,¡¯ Tina shouted at the voice before she replied to Tristan, ¡°I am not leaving you behind.¡±

    ¡°You should,¡± Tristan shot back. She ignored what else he said as the black and white butterfly drifted through her vision. A wing brushed against her cheek before it landed on the top of her ear. A voice drifted from the butterfly. It was a familiar voice and Tina felt her right eye twitched in annoyance.

    ¡°You might want to get out of the way, toots, or figure out a way to block the sun.¡±

    Ralph. The bastard who in a way put her in this situation. If she didn¡¯t leave home with him, she would not be facing down a demon stronger then herself. Now, the ninja wants her to move out of his way. Tina fought her raising temper as her spiritual power reacted to what she was feeling.

    The Wolf demon stopped when he was a three yards away from Tristan and Tina. Tina watched as his blue eyes darted back and forth between Tristan and herself. A cautious gleam entered his eyes. A red, yellow, and orange ball of fire appeared from the left of the wolf demon. Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger, remembering the attack from Ralph. She growled and a yellow dome appeared, protecting her and Tristan.

    The Wolf demon twisted on his feet and stared at the ball of fire as Tina shoved Tristan, hissing, ¡°Tristan, get up, now.¡± She glanced up between the wolf demon and the ball of fire. ¡°This is our chance to leave.¡±

    Tristan rolled over and used his arms to pushed himself up into a kneeling position before he climbed to his feet. Tina ran her eyes over his chest. It was sliced up. She didn¡¯t know how bad the cuts were, but she saw how it affect Tristan. He held out a hand to her. She grabbed it and allowed him to help her to her feet. Tina turned her attention to the wolf demon before Tristan pulled on her arm, slightly. She stepped toward the forest and Tristan led the way through the forest, following trails he was familiar with.

    The howl of the wolf demon echoed through the forest, sending a shiver down Tina¡¯s spine as a loud boom sounded. The ground shook slightly as the forest lit up, bright as if it was middle of the day instead of early evening. Tina¡¯s foot caught on an upright right and she started to fall. Tristan twisted and slipped an arm under her torso, catching her. She regained her footing and nodded at him before they spirited through the forest, Tina¡¯s hiking bag bouncing on Tristan¡¯s bag.

    Meanwhile in Camelot, Genesis ate his supper meal, listening to the conversation floating through the air of the barracks. After the day he had of planning with the Knights, the Ruling Family, and just dealing with the Head Knight of the King¡¯s Guard, Lord Jack; he wanted to relax with his men and learn what they had been up to when the first boom sounded.

    The Barracks fell silent. Genesis slowly stood up and stepped away from the table he sat at when the alarm bells started to ring. He slipped into his General Mode as Reno called it and turned to the men, ¡°Get to the Wall, now!¡±

    His men leaped to their feet and chorused, ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± before they ran out of the dinning hall. He stormed after them, heading to the wall himself to see what the hell was going on before he started issuing orders.

    On the Wall, he gapped as he spotted the blooming flower raising above the Dead End Forest.

    ¡°GENESIS SON OF BARDOCK!¡± a roar echoed from the castle grounds. He half-turned to raise an eyebrow at Merlin as he stormed across the grounds, his robes billowing out in a soft wind. ¡°WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?¡±

    ¡®Leave it to the Ruling Family to send the Battle Mage when they could have came out  themselves,¡¯ Genesis thought as he rolled his eyes and turned away from the Battle Mage in time to watch a second flower bloom into exist.

    ¡°Well,¡± Reno commented, ¡°I think we found where that shipment of Black Power Barrels disappeared to.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Genesis agreed, ¡°And it is my ass taking that heat.¡±

    Reno smirked, ¡°But we no longer have to figure out that shipment disappeared to,¡± Genesis¡¯ second clapped a hand onto his shoulder, continuing, ¡°Look on the bright side of things, Gen.¡±

    Genesis looked at his fellow red head out of the corner of his eyes. Sure, Genesis would look on the bright side. He turned his gaze back to the forest, trying to hid his smirk. Reno can be the deliver the update on the missing barrels to the Council. That should teach him a lesson about being a smartass toward his commanding officer.

    ¡°What?¡± Reno asked, knowing Genesis¡¯ vindictive streak.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°There is a bright side to this,¡± he agreed. When Reno shot him a look, he explained, ¡°We won¡¯t be getting sleep tonight.¡±

    Reno opened his mouth then his eyes drifted to the fire in the Dead End Forest and groaned in defeat, commenting, ¡°We will have go out there to put out the fires, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Genesis threw his arm upon Reno¡¯s shoulders and drag him around with him as they turned to the tunnel staircase, walking to meet Merlin, ¡°Let¡¯s go see what Merlin wants. Axel,¡± He called out to the third in commander, ¡°Start gathering the men to go out to combat that fire.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Axel saluted before he turned away from the General and the Second in Commander. The General led the way down the tunnel and met Merlin in the courtyard.

 Chapter 20: Wounds and Whispers

    Tristan peered through the edge of the forest as Tina saw a village in the distance. They had dashed between trees until they managed to reach this point. Now, Tristan wanted to make sure that the deer like creatures didn¡¯t follow them by making it to the village before they did. Tina didn¡¯t want to think about the possibility if the deer like creatures or the wolf demons made here before they did. She shook her head of those thoughts.

    She inhaled, deeply, as she glanced at the darken sky. She smelt the fresh scent that she associated with rain. She heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. She smiled, slightly, as she mused she was going to sleep good tonight. There was something about thunderstorms that lured her to dreamland. She shook her head. She couldn¡¯t be thinking about that right now. Tristan and she was still not safe.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Tristan broke through Tina¡¯s train of thought before he stepped out of the woods. She followed him a couple steps behind. He led the way to the village gate at a hurried pace. Tina forced her legs to move. Soon, she would be in a bed, soon, she kept telling herself.

    Sometime during their mad dash through the woods, Tina had lost feeling in her back. She partly grateful for that, but she also worried it meant that there could be something more seriously wrong with her back then the lashings she got. She would worry about that later.

    Tristan stopped at a closed gate and banged on the door, loudly. Tina glanced over her shoulder. She tried to use her spiritual sense, but it didn¡¯t want to work. She growled lowly under her breath. She needed to get back into the practice of using her spiritual powers, especially if there was a chance she could run into that wolf demon. Assuming he managed to escape that hell fire of the deer like creature village turned into.

    The gate door opened and the gatekeeper, Tina summarized, stuck out his head, asking in a loud nasal tone, ¡°Who goes there?¡±

    ¡°Sir Tristan of the Round Table, Knight of Camelot,¡± Tristan introduced himself, ¡°My companion and I wish to seek an inn for the night.¡± The gatekeeper¡¯s eyes shifted between the knight and Tina before he nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you were able to make it before the storm hits,¡± the gatekeeper said as he stepped back, opening the door for them to slip through before he shut it again, ¡°The messengers have sent word that the storm approaching is a bad one.¡± Tina ran her gaze over the parts of the enclosed village that she could see through the darkness and the lamp light.

    It seemed to be a stereotypical Medieval village. The roads were compacted dirt from the many feet that pounded it together. A stable housing at three to four horses stood on one side of the gate with a wooden house nearby. Smoke rolled from one of the chimneys. However, it was eerily quiet. Tina thought it would have been full of noise, music drifting from a tavern or a bar, but there was nothing.

    ¡°The messengers also spread the word about the King¡¯s death,¡± the gate keeper went on. Tina felt Tristan stiffen. She remembered what the deer like creatures had cheered about earlier, but to hear it from another human being, she could only image what was running through Tristan¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°It is a sad day for Camelot.¡± There was a note of sadness and something else in his voice that Tina wished she could identify, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to know.

    ¡°Long live the King,¡± the Gatekeeper said. Tristan repeated the phrase. Tina echoed it. ¡°I know there are some rooms available at the Misty House, but that was a couple hours ago. There are not a lot of rooms open right now, due to the increased travelers, heading to the Castle.¡± The Gatekeeper went on, ¡°But I am sure if there is no room at the Misty House then someone could point you to an inn that has a room open.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Gatekeeper,¡± Tristan said before he walked down the dirt street. Tina followed him. It was not long before Tristan spoke up, ¡°Tina, how are you holding up?¡±

    Tina mused if she should tell him the truth or not. She threw caution to the wind. They had fought together to escape that deer creature village and against the wolf demon. She could trust him, for now, and she told the truth, ¡°I really need to see a doctor.¡±

    ¡°Doctor?¡± Tristan asked, confusion lacing his voice.

    ¡°Healer,¡± Tina corrected herself, ¡°I don¡¯t know how bad my back is and I fear I might have infection.¡± She paused as they approached an inn with a sign heading from the door on a flower hanging bars that said ¡®Misty House¡¯, ¡°I¡¯m also really tired.¡± She peered over her shoulder, looking back the way they came. ¡°And hungry.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Tristan admitted, ¡°Are you comfortable enough to share a room with me?¡± Tina felt his gaze on her.

    ¡°I trust you,¡± she replied, ¡°And besides, I rather have you at my back then have to fight alone.¡± She met his gaze. He sent her a smirk which she returned. He entered the inn and held the door open for Tina. She walked through the door, her eyes roaming over the large room.

    It reminded Tina of a modern day restaurant dinning room with an open bar. All of the table in Tina¡¯s sight were full. Chatter about the days events bounced off the walls and ceiling. Tristan stepped around Tina, wading through the eating patrons. She followed. She noticed how chatter stopped as she passed the various tables. The Knight stopped at the bar and Tina stepped up by him. She lean her head against his arm as a wave of exhaustion hit her.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tristan asked.

    Tina nodded, releasing a sigh, ¡°It has been a long few days.¡± She couldn¡¯t fight the yawn as she opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m just tired.¡±

    ¡°How can I help you?¡± A barmaid approached them, asking as her eyes ran over their dirty forms, but she froze when she spotted Tristan¡¯s chest.

    ¡°A room,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°And send for a healer for the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the barmaid turned and shouted over her shoulder, ¡°HEY, MICHEAL! RUN GET SUMIKO. WE GOT A COUPLE THAT NEEDS HER!¡±

    Tina winced at the volume of the barmaid¡¯s yell. Her legs shook, violently, as the adrenaline finally worn off. She blinked as her vision darkened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Michelle,¡± Micheal walked up and his eyes widened as he spotted Tristan¡¯s chest, listening to the soft chatter from the ones who saw Tina¡¯s back.

    Tina whispered, ¡°Tristan,¡± before her legs gave out. She didn¡¯t remembered if she hit the floor or not.

    Tristan heard Tina whisper his name before her legs gave out. He spun on his foot, his arm snaking around Tina¡¯s waist, holding her to him. Her weight against his chest causing it to ache. His breath caught in his throat. His eyes closed as he fought against the pain. He forced himself to exhale and he opened his eyes as Tina¡¯s weight was lifted off of him. He saw a couple men dressed in guards uniforms holding Tina up by her arms and watched one of them ducked, moving her arm over his shoulder before the other guard did the same.

    ¡°Michelle, which room?¡± one of the men asked. Tristan turned his gaze upon the barmaid as she grabbed a key with a piece of wood dangling from it, the number 26 craved on the wood.

    ¡°26,¡± Michelle replied, holding out the key to one of the guards. He took it with his free hand as he held onto Tina¡¯s arm. Together, the guards carried Tina across the room to the stairs at the back of the dinning room. ¡°Go. I will send Sumiko when she arrives to your room, hun.¡±

    Tristan nodded his head in thanks before he rushed after the guards. He heard the barmaid giving out orders for Micheal to send up hot water and clean bandages to room 26. He pound up the stairs, and saw the guards reaching a door at the far end of a hallway. He hurried to catch up.

    The guards placed Tina on the double person bed, belly down. One of the guards looked up at Tristan and asked, ¡°What happen?¡±

    ¡°We were caught by a Fawn village,¡± Tristan explained, walking over to the fireplace where a comfortable looking chair stood, ¡°And they punished her for defiling their sacred lake.¡±

    ¡°Filthy creatures,¡± the other guards spat, ¡°They all should be destroyed, I say.¡±

    Tristan didn¡¯t say a word as he fell into a chair in front of the fireplace. He knew some people didn¡¯t like the non-humans, but personally, he had mixed feelings about them. He relaxed into the chair as he heard the door close. He blinked his eyes once before they slid shut.

    Genesis frowned as he gazed over the remains of what looked like a village. The few standing huts were nothing more then burnt out shells. He spotted a few bodies on the ground, but they were burnt beyond recognition. They would never know who they were.

    He shoved his wet hair back out of his face as it rained and lightening flashed. The storm had been a mixed blessing. It managed to put out the roaring blaze that threaten to consume the entire forest, but it also washed away any evidence of the explosive barrels and what had happened in the village.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He cursed silently as he turned to the company of men he had brought with him. Reno, he managed to spot through the downpour, stood several dozen feet away, holding up his arm, and pointed to something. Three men disappeared to where Reno was pointing at. Another four men ran after the first three holding up large lanterns, a fire blazed within the glass.

    A feminine shriek pieced the rain fill night. Genesis took off running in the direction where it came from. He darted between a couple burnt out huts and spotted what caused the scream. It was Doe Fawn.

    Her eyes were wide and wild. She struggled against a tree where she was tied. She wore a dress that once was beautiful, but now, it was held burns, revealing her limbs below. He noticed one of her legs held a large bit mark, covering her entire lower leg.

    Genesis stared at her, thinking. She had been the one only living Fawn they had been able to find so far. She knew what had happen. He watched as she kicked out with her good leg at one of his men. Her eyes narrowed with anger.

    He knew she would need to be questioned. He sighed. There were some days he hated to be a General. He called out, ¡°Take her back to Camelot. Allow a healer to see to her wounds then toss her into the dungeon until morning. I will question her then.¡±

    The doe¡¯s eyes widened and she yelled out, ¡°You monster!¡± before she increased her struggle. However, Genesis turned away and strolled back toward Reno and repeated his orders to his second.

    ¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Reno said simply.

    ¡°Gather what evidence you can find before heading back to Camelot,¡± Genesis said, ¡°I going to go ahead and report back to the Ruling Family and the Battle Mage. They will need to know what has happen.¡±

    ¡°Better you then me,¡± Reno commented.

    ¡°Yes, I hate to see my best second in commander lose his head because he pissed off the Warrior Queen,¡± Genesis agreed. He smirked when Reno gulped. He knew how Reno felt about the Warrior Queen. He felt the same way. He knew after meeting with the Ruling Family, he would need a drink.

    Tina¡¯s eye snapped open, widely, as she tried to remember what happen. Covers blocked most of her vision, but what she could see beyond them, she saw she was in a bedroom. She didn¡¯t hear anything, but crackling of a fire nearby, out of her sight. She turned her head and saw a closed door. She spread her senses out and found Tristan a few feet away from her feet. There was a stronger presences hurrying down a hallway and a loud, sharp knock brought the peaceful silence in the room.

    Tina tried to speak, but her throat felt like it was clogged with something. She cleared it and spoke, ¡°Come in,¡± as loudly as she could. At first, she didn¡¯t think the person on the other side heard her. She was about to try again when the door opened.

    A old woman with silver hair up in a no-sense bun stepped in. She wore Japanese style clothing of a priestess. She pinned Tina with her blue eyes as she assessed the damage from afar.

    ¡°Hello, Are you a healer?¡± Tina raised her hand up and waved in a greeting. The woman nodded in reply. Tina went on, ¡°Could you please heal my back?¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t say a word, but she nodded before she walked over, followed by a boy in his mid teens. She sat on the edge of the bed while the teenager stood nearby. The woman spoke in a language Tina hadn¡¯t heard in several years, not since she spent in Japan, ¡°Introduce us, Hojo and ask how she got injured.¡±

    The teen spoke up the moment after the older woman finished, ¡°Hello, My name is Hojo and this is Sumiko. She is a master healer and I am her apprentice. How did you get these injuries?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Tina,¡± the red head introduced herself, deciding to keep the fact she understood Sumiko hidden for now, before she answered, ¡°I got punished for not knowing something.¡± She paused, ¡°My friend and I were capture by a group of deer like creatures -¡±

    ¡°Fawns,¡± Tristan¡¯s voice rang out. There was a sound of a chair moving.

    ¡°Yes - Fawns and they didn¡¯t like the fact I took a bath in their sacred lake so they decided to punish me by whipping me,¡± Tina explained, ¡°However, I didn¡¯t know the lake was sacred to them. I tried to explain that to them, but they ignored me.¡±

    The Healer nodded in understanding and grabbed a rag. Tina knew what the woman was going to do before she explained what she was going to do and the teenager translated. The healer was going to wash Tina¡¯s back. Tina¡¯s breath picked up as she watched the rag disappeared from the corner of her vision and touched her back. It felt like lava poured into her opened cuts. She turned her head, burying it into the comforter and a scream worked its way out of her throat.

    Genesis dismounted his horse and handed off the reins to a stable boy before he rushed through the courtyard. He wanted to change out of his wet clothes before he saw the Ruling Family. He silently cursed the Battle Mage as he hurried through the halls. When the Battle Mage first approached him and Reno about the explosion, Merlin had said he needed to report this to the Ruling Family in case this was an attempt from an enemy, even though, they had no evidence to prove that.

    He stormed into his room and shut the door behind him. He quickly changed and tried to rub dry his hair before he tossed the towel aside and hurried back through the halls. In hindsight, he should have check to see if the Ruling Family was still awake, but it didn¡¯t matter when he spotted Merlin strolling toward him as the bells rung out, announcing it was ten o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Uh, Genesis,¡± Merlin greeted the red head General, pausing in his stroll, ¡°Are you planning to report about that explosion?¡± He turned and walked with the Warrior.

    ¡°Yes, Lord Mage,¡± Genesis replied in an even tone. He was not looking for to this conversation. He originally planned for Reno to give the report over the Missing Black Powder Barrels, but the remains of a Fawn village suggested that Reno was not the best person to give this report. ¡°I managed some new evidence in our missing barrels.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Merlin questioned, raising his eyebrow at him. Genesis didn¡¯t explained further as they walked.

    ¡°Where is the Ruling Family,¡± He, however, asked. He hoped they weren¡¯t already asleep, yet. He knew the four Drake Queens were preparing the King¡¯s body for burial as it was tradition for the Ruling Family.

    ¡°In the King¡¯s chambers,¡± Merlin answered, ¡°Finishing preparations on the King¡¯s body for the funeral.¡±

    Genesis nodded and changed his path for the King¡¯s Chambers. He wondered if the older Queens would show up for the funeral as well. If they did, it meant more security detail for them. On the other hand, it was already rumored for them to have passed on. He rubbed his face.

    The last time a King died, 10 years ago when he was 16 and just entered the King¡¯s army, he knew the oldest of the Queens had attended the funeral, but afterwords, she left the castle, traveling to a relatives estate to live out her days. He knew there had been a private funeral for the Queen six years ago for her, and the Ruling Family had been invited to attend, but they didn¡¯t go personally, sending the Prince as a representative of the Family.

    Genesis briefly wondered if the four Drake Queens would do the same. The Warrior Queen most definite would not. She was too invested in the military might of the Kingdom. However, Queens Vivien, Clarine, and Kalliope would be free to do so if they wished too.

    Genesis and Merlin reached the King¡¯s chambers and Merlin paused, briefly as he knocked on the door. They waited for the ¡®Come in¡¯ before Merlin opened the door and they walked inside.

    Queen Kalliope approached them. Her eyes were red and puffy, but her face held a tired expression. She spoke up, ¡°Are you here to report on that explosion in the Dead End Forest, General?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± Genesis bowed as he replied, ¡°I have just returned with some news about what happen.¡±

    The youngest queen nodded and turned around, waving her hand to Merlin and Genesis. The red head followed her back into the bedchamber of the King. His eyes darted toward the Queen Mother, Clarine.

    Clarine didn¡¯t wear one of her fancy dressed, but a simple gray dress with short shelves. Genesis noticed there were a few spots where the fabric was darker then the rest of the dress. Her arms, however, made Genesis blushed slightly. They were bare from the upper arm down. He never seen any of the women from the Ruling Family with their arms bare. When he did see that, it was usually from one of the Pleasure Women down in the Red Light District.

    He glanced at Vivien. She wore a dress similar to Clarine, including the fact the dress had short shelves. He felt heat raise in his cheeks. He fought back the blush and tried to school his face into a stoic expression. His eyes darted to Belladonna who dressed like the other two Queens. Her upper arms were toned.

    ¡®Think about that,¡¯ Genesis thought, ¡®That woman can punch you hard enough to knock you out.¡¯ He had seen the Warrior Queen punch one of the soldiers who tried to downgrade her one time and she knocked him out cold. Most of the soldiers gave her space when she was around.

    A loud giggle broke through the silence as Merlin and Genesis came to a stop, several feet in front of the Queens. The General¡¯s eyes darted over to see the Black Mage, Morgana, sitting in a chair, looking like she could pass out at any moment. Her eyes twinkled at him with a knowing glint as an amused smirk appeared on her face. Genesis let out a soft sigh, knowing he had been caught, staring at the Queens¡¯ bare arms. He felt like he was a little boy again and his mother caught him, stealing a cookie before dinner was ready.

    ¡°What is so funny, Black Mage,¡± Belladonna hissed, standing by the foot of the bed.

    ¡°The General is not used to see your bare arms, Queen Belladonna,¡± Morgana replied. Genesis blinked as he watched the three Queens turned a faint red in embarrassment.

    Queen Kalliope let out a soft giggle at her older counterparts before she turned to Genesis and questioned, ¡°What did you find in the Dead End Forest?¡±

    ¡°A burnt Fawn Village,¡± Genesis replied.

    ¡°What!?¡± Queen Belladonna shouted. Her eyes flashed angrily as her face turned a bright red. ¡°How dare those filthy creatures make a village so close to our Castle?¡± She glared at Genesis, ¡°Were there any survivors?¡±

    ¡°Just one, my lady,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°I have already ordered the Fawn to treated and be put in the dungeons until after the Funeral.¡± He watched as Queen Belladonna nodded in approval. ¡°Reno is bringing the Fawn back to Camelot after he finishes gathering any evidence that has not been washed away.¡±

    ¡°What caused the explosion?¡± Queen Clarine asked.

    ¡°Black Powder Barrels,¡± Genesis stated in an even tone. He knew Belladonna would yelled again. He was not disappointed as she stormed over to him, demanding that he explain how the ¡®filthy deer creatures¡¯ managed to get black powder. ¡°A couple days ago, we noticed a shipment of Black Powder Barrels had gone missing. Reno, Axel, and I had tried to re-trace the route the shipment took, but we didn¡¯t find anything out of the normal. We had planned to go back out to search more until we heard the news of the King¡¯s illness then death.¡± He took a breath. ¡°I made the decision to keep the knowledge to myself and planned to inform the Ruling Family after the funeral. I didn¡¯t want to cause the Ruling Family more stress during this time of grieving. My deepest apologizes, my queen.¡± He bowed his head to the Warrior Queen as he waited for his punishment.

    ¡°Thank you for telling us, General Genesis,¡± Queen Kalliope spoke before Queen Belladonna did, ¡°While we appreciate your consideration of our time of grieving, next time, please inform us before it is too late.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my lady,¡± Genesis said.

    ¡°Once the funeral is over,¡± Queen Kalliope continued, ¡°I think it would be best if you took a week off, but stay in Camelot.¡±

    Genesis tried to hid his wince. A week without pay. It will cause a dent in his savings. He had been trying to save up to buy a small house for himself and eventually settled down before his grandmother could find him a match against his will. At least, it was not worst, like lashings. He said, ¡°I will do as you wish, your highness.¡±

    ¡°You are dismissed, General,¡± the youngest Queen said before she turned away from him. He bowed to the Ruling Family before he twisted on his heel and headed out of the King¡¯s Chamber.

    Genesis headed back to the Courtyard and waited for Reno to return with the Fawn. He knew they would have to discuss what would happen during the week Genesis was forced to take off.

 Chapter 21 Crossroads of Fate

    Tina sat in the chair down in the dinning room, the following morning. Her chest was pressed up against the back of a chair. She had turned around a chair to sit comfortable. She lifted another fork full of the hot breakfast. She shoved it into her mouth, loving the hotness of the meal and how it filled her up. She glanced up at the Barmaid, Michelle, if she remember her name correctly, stood nearby, looking at Tina amused.

    ¡°When was the last time you ate, sweetie,¡± The barmaid asked.

    Tina held up a finger as she finished chewing on the sausage link and shallowed before she answered, ¡°Sometime during the day before yesterday.¡± She grabbed a mug of milk. When she had requested that, Michelle had given her a puzzled look. She brought it up to her lips and drunk deeply. The milk tasted different from what she was used to, but she was not going to turn down something as familiar as milk, even though she really preferred soda, but she knew this medieval village won¡¯t have something like that. Hell, she doubt they had chocolate or coffee beans.

    ¡°You have been traveling with Sir Tristan for that long? And he didn¡¯t feed you!¡± Michelle sounded outraged.

    ¡°No,¡± Tina cut her off before the barmaid could storm up the room Tina shared with Tristan, ¡°I was kidnapped by a ninja, managed to escape, swept away in a flash flood, and nearly died before Tristan found me.¡± She took another long drink of milk before she continued, ¡°He took me to a nearby lake where I cleaned then we were attacked by those deer creatures -¡±

    ¡°Fawns,¡± Michelle corrected Tina.

    ¡°Yeah, them,¡± Tina agreed, ¡°who gave me my wonderful wounds on my back. We managed to escape though before they could kill us or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Michelle shook her head, ¡°No wonder why you looked like the walking dead when you arrived last night.¡±

    Tina agreed with her on that. She felt like the walking dead. The entire situation was screwed up. She still felt tired, but it was the healing kind of tired. She expanded her spiritual sense, just feeling the presences around her. She was glad she didn¡¯t lose her spiritual abilities. She set the mug down and went back to the plate of food, sitting in front of her. She tried to ignore the fact the plate was her third one. She would have to wait until lunch or supper before she could eat, again. She didn¡¯t want everyone in the Inn to accuse her to be a demon or a non-human.

    The door to the inn opened and someone walked in. Tina paused briefly, noticing the person had a stronger spiritual presence then the average person did in the village. She knew this new person was a fighter. She glanced over her shoulder toward the door.

    A tall man strolled in. At first, Tina couldn¡¯t the newcomer very well. The sun shun directly behind him, giving him a halo appearance, but with Tina¡¯s spiritual sense, she knew he was the fighter. He stepped deeper into the room and went to the bar, sitting three tables away from Tina. Michelle turned and called, ¡°Morning Hector, how are you doing this fine morning?¡± He grunted as Michelle drifted over to him, carrying a mug. She set it down in front of him.

    Tina turned her attention away from the Hector fella and glanced around the room. It was slowly emptying out. According to Michelle, this was the last village before the walls of Camelot and majority of the people were traveling to attend the King¡¯s funeral. She knew Tristan was needed back in Camelot, but she didn¡¯t know when he wanted to leave.

    She climbed at the stairs, heading back to the room Tristan had rented and saw Tristan standing by the fireplace with a brooding look, his arm held up by the mental as his finger cradle his chin. She called out to him as she entered the room, ¡°Hey.¡± He looked up at her. ¡°When do you want to leave for Camelot?¡±

    His eyes widened slightly before he asked, ¡°Do you want to go to Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Tina shrugged then winced. Whatever the Healer -Sumiko - gave her the night before was strong pain killer. As long as Tina didn¡¯t make any sudden movements, she was fine. ¡°I suddenly have a desire to see Camelot. Plus, one of the reasons why I went with that Ninja willingly was to do some soul searching. I was not even considering going to this Lady Freya about her letter.¡±

    Tristan frowned at her, ¡°You really should.¡± He stood straight. ¡°If I had family I didn¡¯t know about, I would want to meet them.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, I will,¡± Tina agreed, ¡°Eventually.¡± She glanced toward her hiking bag, ¡°I need to take time for myself, first.¡±

    ¡°What happen, if you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± he asked.

    Tina pressed her lips together, thinking. She really didn¡¯t know if she could talk about it right now. She did voiced, ¡°I experienced something what I thought was good then it turned bad. Sometime during it, I lost myself and what I stood for, pushing my loved ones away. I¡¯m just trying to find myself again before I can go apologize to the people I love.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Tristan started, ¡°It is a personal quest.¡±

    Tina nodded her head, agreeing with the Knight. She turned the subject back to Camelot, ¡°So, when do we leave for Camelot?¡±

    ¡°As soon as I can find us a couple of horses,¡± Tristan announced.

    Tina gulped, before she asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we walk?¡±

    ¡°I would like us to be back in the walls of Camelot before nightfall,¡± he explained, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to ride.¡±

    ¡°I do, but I had a bad experience with horses,¡± she confirmed, ¡°Plus, there was no need for me to keep up practice. We have different moods of transportation.¡±

    Tristan gave her a confused look, but nodded. He strolled across the room, ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Meet me in the dinning room in 10.¡± Tina nodded as the Knight left.

    Tina carried her hiking bag in one hand as she strolled along the hallway, wearing one of the shirts that the barmaid cleaned for her. The tank top and button shirt Tina had worn the day before were trashed by the lashing those Fawns had given Tina. A piece of her red hair fell into her vision and she flickered it over her ear. She reached the stairs at the same time the strong spiritual fighter did. She peered down at him while he looked at her. She made the first move by stepping down the stairs and walked by him. Tina didn¡¯t know what to make of the man named Hector. Maybe he was just a strong spiritual presence. Maybe he was used to fighting with spiritual powers like she was. She knew it really didn¡¯t matter. She was leaving the village within a couple hours time. She didn¡¯t planned to find out.

    Tristan stepped into the dinning room as Tina started to walk over to the door. She noticed that his hair was wet, so was his shirt. ¡°Raining, out there?¡± She asked.

    He nodded, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it is going to stop anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Tina commented and decided to look on the brighter side, ¡°At least we don¡¯t have to worry about getting cleaned up later.¡± Tristan sent her a smirk. ¡°When do we leave?¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Tristan stated, ¡°Since you are not afraid of getting wet.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes flashed with amusement and she held her tongue from making a pervert comment. She didn¡¯t know the customs of this land where Camelot lived, but she was smart enough to know that it was not socially acceptable to be borderline pervert when two parties didn¡¯t really know each other.

    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for,¡± Tina smiled as she strolled past him, ¡°Invitation?¡±

    ¡°No, waiting on a woman, as usually,¡± Tristan said, following her out.

    ¡°Ooh?¡± she said, ¡°Who was up at the crack ass of dawn and ready? Me, that¡¯s who.¡± She spun and poked him in the chest, ¡°You were snoring a log in the chair, drooling.¡±

    He gave an outrage look, protested, ¡°I don¡¯t snore nor drool.¡±

    She snorted, ¡°Sure you don¡¯t.¡± She gazed over the yard, ¡°Where is our horses?¡± There were a dozen of horses in the yard.

    ¡°You will be riding with me,¡± Tristan stated. He guided her over to black horse. ¡°Give me your bag.¡± She handed the Knight her bag and stood next to the horse. Her eyes widened as she realized she was eye level with the lower curve of the saddle. Her eyes traveled up as her lips parted. The sitting part of the saddle was another half of foot over her head. That meant the horse¡¯s back was 6 feet from the ground.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Tina spun on her heel, fast enough to cause her hair to whip out, and announced, ¡°I think I will be walking to Camelot. See ya there, Tristan.¡± As she started to walk to the entrance of the village.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Tristan grabbed her arm and pulled her back to stand beside the horse. ¡°This will be the fastest way to get to Camelot. We will be there in a couple hours instead of nightfall.¡±

    ¡°But - but,¡± She protested. Her eyes darted between the horse and the gate. She really didn¡¯t want to ride a horse. She knew they could sense fear like hers.

    ¡°No buts,¡± he settled a glare on her. ¡°Come on. I will be riding behind you. You will be safe with me.¡±  He paused before he said, ¡°I will help you up.¡±

    Tristan did have a point. Tina did want to get Camelot as fast as possible. She sighed. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. She shifted, standing beside the horse. She gulped as she brought her right leg up, slipping her foot in the stirrup. She reached up and grabbed the horn of the saddle with her right hand as she grabbed the back of the saddle with her other hand and bounced on her left leg before she jumped, pulling herself up. Her eyes widened as she managed to throw her torso over the saddle.

    Tina felt Tristan placed his hands on her extend leg and pushed it back beside  the side of the horse. It forced her hips up and she shifted, raising her torso up. She managed to swing her left leg over the back of the horse, letting go of the back of the saddle.

    She nodded as she settled into the saddle. The horse shifted under her. She let out a squeak. She grabbed the horn and tightened her thighs against the sides of the horse. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat.

    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Tristan placed a hand on her thigh, above her knee. Warmth from his hand went through her yoga pants as rain fell around them. ¡°The horse can sense your fear.¡±

    Tina nodded. She opened her mouth and took a shaky breath. She turned her gaze, down, at Tristan. He slipped her bag on to his back and took her foot from the stirrup. He placed his foot in it and jumped, swinging his leg over the horse¡¯s back before he settled down behind her. She pressed her lips together. He made it look damn easy. She turned her head, pouting, slightly.

    Tristan wrapped an arm around her waist. She tensed before she looked down and slowly relaxed. Her heart raced.This experience was really different for her, having a man, not her lover, against her like this - his thighs against the back of hers while their hips were almost touching, her back almost up against his chest. He radiated heat. It felt nice against her injured back. She let out a slow breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she felt rain trailed down the side of her neck.

    ¡°You alright,¡± Tristan¡¯s voice rang out, softly, into her ear.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina turned her head and spoke to him over her shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± She sent him a smile. ¡°I would love to see Camelot.¡±

    Tristan¡¯s chest vibrated as he chuckled, ¡°The Kingdom is not going anyway.¡± The horse moved, suddenly, and Tina jerked, her eyes widened, and she tensed, her hands grabbing the arm around her waist. ¡°Relax, Tina. I won¡¯t let you fall.¡±

    Arthur sighed as he looked around his room. He didn¡¯t know if any of the Knights were able to withdraw the Holy Sword. It had been a couple days since he tried to pull the Holy Sword He secretly hoped one of them would. He got the feeling if one of them had, he would already heard about it by now. Most of the knights around his age grew up during the time of the Kingless Kingdom and saw the aftermath. That cause many of them to come to Camelot to become a Knight. None of them expected there was a curse on the Holy Sword that would kill their King after 10 years of ruling.

    Arthur paused in his packing. Tomorrow afternoon, the King would be laid to rest. He didn¡¯t know his fate nor his family¡¯s after tomorrow. The women might be able to stay in their current rooms for a while, but once the Holy Sword chose a new King, they might have to move to another room or move completely out of the castle. He would have to talk to the New King about their fates, if it came down to it, try to work things out between the Old Ruling Family and the New.

    A knock on his door alerted Arthur to someone trying to caught his attention. He turned around and saw Lancelot.

    ¡°I must say I¡¯m surprised,¡± the knight said, ¡°you sent your servants away.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to do this,¡± Arthur shrugged, ¡°Considering I might have to do everything without servants, soon.¡±

    Lancelot nodded, and commented, ¡°None of the present knights were able to pull the Holy Sword out.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arthur breathed. He ran a hand through his blond hair. ¡°I had hoped one of them would be able to do so.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lancelot said, ¡°I will fight for you and your family if the New King wishes you harm.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arthur sent a thankful smile toward his best friend. ¡°What will Merlin do now?¡±

    ¡°He will try again, tomorrow, when more of the knights have returned,¡± Lancelot explained, ¡°Then he will allow the Generals and their top three to try before he goes to the public, the day after tomorrow.¡± Arthur nodded, listening as he went back to packing. ¡°I know there is a room open in the Knights¡¯ tower.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± The former prince said, ¡°I already talked to Sir Andrew about it.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°He has agree to allow me to stay in the Knights¡¯ tower until either I become a knight or the New King has decided what to do with my family.¡±

    ¡°We can only hope for the best,¡± Lancelot voiced a familiar piece of wisedom they heard while growing up, ¡°But prepare for the worst.¡±

    Neither know where the phrase came from, but there had been times in the past where the phrase was the perfect way to describe a situation.

    ¡°What are the plans for the worst to happen?¡± Arthur asked, needing to change of subject.

    ¡°Merlin has yet to call a War meeting to discuss the worst case situation,¡± Lancelot explained, ¡°I think he needs to do it soon, before our enemies start moving against us.¡±Merlin closed the door to his study. He set the Holy Sword beside the door. He slowly walked over to the chair behind the desk. His slumped as his brow furrowed in worry. He had thought one of the present Knights would be found worthy of becoming King of Camelot, but apparently to the spell he had casted upon the sword over a thousand years ago, none of the Knights had the right characteristics that made a good King for Camelot.

    He pulled back his chair and fell into it with a heavy sigh. He lend forward, thinking. He rested his elbows on his knees. He hoped there was not another time of the Kingless Kingdom. There was too much bloodshed last time. Morgana nor Merlin could do anything to help the Knights to protect Camelot. They had to make sure the person the Holy Sword found worthy to rule withdraw the sword. The Magi had to watched as fields turned into massive graves, the waterways ran red, and heard the cries of mourning mothers, daughters, and sisters. He didn¡¯t understand why the Holy Sword didn¡¯t chose a ruling family member, why after six months the Holy Sword chose the prince. It was a mystery that he still hadn¡¯t managed to figure out. He needed to prevent that kind of situation again.

    He let out a shuddering breath. He shook his head, trying to clear the memories from his head. He rubbed his eyes as he thought about the possible reason why the Holy Sword didn¡¯t chose the Prince or any of the Knights. The next King had to be someone not already in the Kingdom. That was the only explanation Merlin could think of. The next King could easily be Sir Tristan, Sir Draco or one of the White Hall men.

    Merlin lend back. He remembered how the White Hall House rose to power. One of the Ancestors of the present White Hall House managed to pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone. Perhaps it was time for Camelot have another member of the White Hall House to become King and rule. If he remembered correctly, that time was peaceful and that King had allowed Merlin and Morgana to continued to build their branch of magic users in the Camelot Army and approved plans for a Magic School to be built. The building had been only half built when the Holy Sword changed hands and the process stopped. Merlin smiled. He could only hope.

    Morgana still hadn¡¯t woke up, yet. He needed to check on her after he left the study. However, he still needed to check on his own magical reserve. He moved a lot easier then he did yetserday, but his joints still ached, randomly. He stood up from the chair and moved to his personal room a floor above before he sat on the edge of his bed, crossing his legs and closed his eyes, slipping into a deep meditative trance.

    It had been only two to three hours since they had left the village and Tina glared at nothing as the horse moved under her. Her ass hurt. Her inner thighs ached. Her back hurt. She frowned as she silently cursed Tristan. She should have walked. She really didn¡¯t care how it took her to get to Camelot. She should really have walked.

    The horse jerked to the right. Tina winced as her thighs trembled from the sudden pain. She bit her tongue as she tried not to cry. She took a shuddering breath.

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Tristan asked from her shoulder, breaking the silence between them.

    ¡°Get me off this fucking horse,¡± She snapped in a growling tone, ¡°My lower half hurts like hell. I will be walking the rest of the way.¡± A tear escape from her eye. She sucked in another break. She pulled her left leg up and managed to swing it over the horse¡¯s head. She placed her hand on the saddle horn and her other hand on Tristan¡¯s thigh before she leapted off the horse. She landed on her feet before she crumbled like wet paper. Her knees hit the muddy ground before her hip did. She whimpered as pain rippled from her legs. Her ass felt a lot better then it did, but it still ached some.

    Tina heard the slap of feet landing in the mud and Tristan¡¯s shoes appeared on the edge of her vision. He knelt down beside her with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you,¡± She said.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Tristan replied. Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed, keeping her gaze to the ground. He was wrong. It was not alright. She should have not snap at him like she did. She relaxed her gaze as she blinked, releasing a sigh. ¡°Come on. You can ride sideways. We are not that far from seeing the roof top of the castle,¡± He stood up and held out a hand down to her. She looked at it.

    He was right. They had managed to cover more distance on horseback then walking would do. She raised a hand out of the mud and rubbed it against the side of her yoga pants before she grabbed the hand. Tristan pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. She lend against him as they walked back over to the horse before Tristan made Tina turn, her back toward the horse. He grabbed her waist and bent his knees before he lifted her off her feet. Her eyes widened. She sucked in a breath. She automatically grabbed his hands at her waist as he placed her on the horse¡¯s rump. Her legs hung over the side of the horse¡¯s legs. He re-mounted the horse and shifted Tina¡¯s hiking bag around to his front as the horse walked forward.

    Tina shifted closer to Tristan, wrapping an arm around his middle. She lend against his back. She spoke up, ¡°Thank you, Tristan, for you help.¡± She paused.

    Tristan didn¡¯t reply directly to what she said, but he did said, ¡°Look ahead, Lady Tina.¡±

    She peered around Tristan and her eyes widened as she saw in the distance, the rooftop of a tower. Tristan brought the horse into a jog as Tina watched, the castle appeared over the hill. Her lips parted as she took in her first view of Camelot.

 Chapter 22: Beneath the Veil of Strategy

    30 Miles away from Camelot¡¯s Eastern Border

    The War Camp had been sitting there for a day, already. Once the word traveled about the King of Camelot¡¯s death, the Kings of the neighboring Kingdoms, Frank and Mercy, decided to meet on the border of Camelot to discuss a possible alliance and attack plans for Camelot. Joan, Daughter of Jason, Son of Isabelle bowed her head, causing a few strands of her yellow-blond hair to fall down, covering her face as she stepped toward the long table where the King of the Franks sat on one side with several of his divisors. She kept her eyes down as she neared the King of the Franks, King Louis XX. She saw why most of the severing ladies were jealous of her.

    King Louis XX sat in his high back chair. His piercing dark blue eyes stared across the table at the King of Mercy, revealing irritation and annoyance. His bluish-black hair fell about his head with the ends curling slightly. A golden circlet held his hair back from falling in his face. His strong cut jaw twitched as he apparently chewed on his tongue or inner cheek. He wore his armor, with his family¡¯s crest decorating the center of his chest.

    The Crest was a phoenix raising from a pile of ashes, crying to the skies of its rebirth. If the crest had color to it instead the silver of mental, it would have showed the background having a few different colors. The bottom half showed a raising yellow sun, peeking over the top of the green hillside. The top half was black, slowly transitioning to a navy blue.

    Rumor had it King Louis¡¯ family was from the other side of the barrier, from a land called France. One of the King¡¯s forefathers had managed to escape from a large-scale upraising with one of his wet nurses and a knight still loyal to the crown, but his parents died in the upraising. Nobody knew what had happened after the upraising took place, but once the Heir to the French Throne got to this side of the barrier, the Knight took it upon himself to create a Kingdom for the Heir to inherit, claiming they needed to raise an army to take back the young heir¡¯s kingdom from the rebels. However, by the time the Heir was ready to claim the Throne, the Knight had died as did the wet nurse and the Heir thought it would be best if he stayed on this side of the barrier until he had his own heir. By the time that happened, The Heir to the French Throne died in a hunting trip, leaving his Queen to run things until the young heir was ready to take the Throne. Joan didn¡¯t know if King Louis had any ambition to reclaimed the mysterious Throne of French. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and studied the King a bit more.

    He didn¡¯t wear the navy-blue cape of his House colors, today. She had heard that the King refused to wear the cape because he was meeting with the King of Mercy or at least that was the rumor Joan heard before she was selected to be the cupbearer for this meeting.

    Joan slipped between the King and his Master of Strategy and reached out to grab the King¡¯s cup. It was a beautiful creation. Small gems were in planted along the circumference of the goblet. She knew the blue gems were Sapphires while the red were rubies, and the dark beautiful green ones were emeralds. She barely remembered her mother¡¯s teachings about the gems and their various meanings, but she did remembered that Sapphires represented Divine law and order while giving the owner protection from the evil eye. She heard her heart thumped widely in her chest as she brought the King¡¯s goblet toward her and poured him more wine from the large pitcher. She replaced the goblet and turned to the Master of Strategy.

    Now, that was a dangerous man to cross. The Master of Strategy was a double role, often playing as the Spy Master for King Louis. Joan didn¡¯t remember his name but knew of the man by his reputation to be cruel and cunning. He wore a cloak with its hood pulled over his face. He didn¡¯t wear his coat of arms on his chest like the King did. He couldn¡¯t afford to be identified like that. Joan saw the glint of silver along his belt and got the unspoken message. Do anything funny and it would be the last thing she would do.

    She reached for his undecorated goblet. She immediately felt his eyes land on her as she brought the goblet closer to her before she poured from the pitcher. She waited for a seconds, watching the dark purple liquid waterfall into the goblet. Once at a level she knew it was appropriate, she pulled back on the pitcher and the wine slid from the lip of the pitcher as she replaced the goblet on the table. She turned away at the same time as the Master of Strategy and Spy reached up suddenly and grabbed her wrist. She jerked her head around to stare at him with wide eyes. Her lips parted as she let out a short squeak. That sent the men on both sides of the table chuckling at her. She ignored them as she felt the Master of Strategy and Spy¡¯ s eyes upon her. Once the chuckling stopped, the man spoke up in a smooth voice that reminded Joan of the finest chocolate, ¡°Thank you, miss.¡±

    Those three words broke the silence of the War Room. A Lord three chairs from the Master of Strategy and Spy spoke up in a haughty, ¡°Why on earth did you thank her, Master Nori? She¡¯s just a servant.¡±

    So, his name was Nori, Joan mused as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. She tried to get over the fact he had spoken to her like she was an equal. That was something new. She never was spoken to like that before, at least outside of her small family.

    ¡°A servant she may be,¡± Master Nori started as he let her go and waved her on. She bowed her head, slightly in thanks. She listened as he went on, ¡°I have learned that Servants can have a King¡¯s fortune worth of information. If they are unhappy with their ruler, they are willingly to spill their secrets quite easily.¡±

    Eyes immediately shifted to Joan as she slipped between the next two chairs. She tried her best to ignore those accusing eyes. However, she didn¡¯t contradict Master Nori. She had heard a lot of things in the various meetings she had severed in, ranging from the innocent words of love to the harsh words of possible assassinations of revenge.

    ¡°There are times that the servants are the first person people like us accuse and are willing to use as a scapegoat,¡± Master Nori went on, ¡°However, there are times they are the last person since they are aware of dirt on their masters.¡± Joan repeated the process of filling the cups of wine, aware of the War Council watching her every move. ¡°Spy Masters like myself have sought out the servants who claim to witness nothing while they were hiding in the shadows of a dark hallway, listening to the secretive words shared between lovers or the heated argument between siblings.¡±

    ¡°So, girl,¡± King Louis spoke up. Joan¡¯s back straighten as she knew her King had spoken to her, personally, ¡°Are you happy within my kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am, your majesty,¡± Joan replied, turning to the King, with her eyes on the high back chair. That was only a half truth. There were a lot of things she wished he would changed, but she didn¡¯t dare to speak to her King like an equal. While King Louis was known to try to raise up to the mental of King - rumor was he was one of the descendants of the First King of Camelot, King Arthur I through his mother¡¯s bloodline - and tried to live up to the notion that his long, long ancestor was the great and powerful ruler he was; there was things King Louis had no clue that was going on within the borders of his Kingdom. Of course, Joan was aware of the possible that the King was aware, but just didn¡¯t care and thought he had more important things to do then help the average person on the road. ¡°I think I speak for my family as well when I say, we are happy with you as our King.¡± Joan went on.

    ¡°Good,¡± The King nodded. Joan saw he gave his spy master a look before he turned back to the man across the table, ¡°Shall we get started?¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°No,¡± The King of Mercy drawled, ¡°Not until that servant is out of this tent.¡± Joan felt the Mercy ruler¡¯s eyes on her, now. She kept her head bowed, shoulder hunched forward, trying to make herself small as possible.

    ¡°Are you feeling threaten by a mere girl?¡± King Louis questioned; a smirk colored his tone. She flickered her eyes up, peering through her curtain of yellow-blond hair, watching the interaction between Kings.

    ¡°No,¡± the Merican King snapped, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see our possible alliance to fall apart because a severing girl who can¡¯t keep her mouth shut.¡±

    Louis snorted in amusement, commenting, ¡°the majority of MY servants know the value of silence. I haven¡¯t sentence one of my servants to death due to a pair of loose lips.¡±

    Joan pressed her lips together. She had heard from the other servants that came with the Merican Army that many of the lesser servants and non-humans have gone missing over the last couple years. The Merican servants often been seen giving one of the Lords panicked looks and gave him a wide birth. According to the rumors, he was a man of science, the kind of science that often resulted in dead bodies and mysterious creatures that were better off not being created. Unfortunately, Joan glanced over to the said Lord sitting on the far side of the table, he was at this War Council.

    He was an older man. White had replaced the color of his hair, years ago, from the look of it. He didn¡¯t look like the other Lords Joan had took noticed of while she severed the older lords and knights. He had a glint in his eye that informed her that she needed to stay away from him, a dark curiosity that promised a even darker end to the ones who crossed his path, negatively.

    ¡°And you are saying that I have?¡± the Merican King retorted. His stormy gray eyes narrowed.

    ¡°No,¡± Louis replied, ¡°I do not have evidence of that. Just rumors upon rumors that Master Nori have gathered since your army had arrived here.¡± Silence filled the tent before the Frank King went on, ¡°But we are not here for trading barbs about how we run our kingdoms, now, are we?¡± Joan¡¯s eyes flickered back and forth between the kings. She moved on, going back to her duty as the cup bearer, filling the cups of wine. ¡°We are here to discuss the possible of alliance between our two kingdoms for a war against Camelot.¡±

    ¡°And you are saying that I have?¡± the Merican King retorted. His stormy gray eyes narrowed.

    ¡°No,¡± Louis replied, ¡°I do not have evidence of that. Just rumors upon rumors that Master Nori have gathered since your army had arrived here.¡± Silence filled the tent before the Frank King went on, ¡°But we are not here for trading barbs about how we run our kingdoms, now, are we?¡± Joan¡¯s eyes flickered back and forth between the kings. She moved on, going back to her duty as the cup bearer, filling the cups of wine. ¡°We are here to discuss the possible of alliance between our two kingdoms for a war against Camelot.¡±

    ¡°That we are,¡± The Merican King agreed, ¡°According to the intelligence my spies have gathered, Uther X is fallen gravely ill and is not expected to recover from it.¡±

    ¡°My spies have reported the same,¡± Louis stated, ¡°We both have an issue with the Drake family.¡±

    Joan knew that the Drake family of Camelot was the current Ruling Family. If she remembered correctly, her grandmother had a relative that was part of the Drake family, but something had happen and they had lost touch, years ago, or something like that.

    ¡°Yes, we do,¡± the Merican King nodded, ¡°I think it is time to reach a possible alliance between our two kingdoms and destroy Camelot, once and for all.¡± Louis sat in his chair. He rested his elbow on the arm rest and cupped his chin with his right hand, listening. ¡°We can split the so called once great Kingdom in two. You will be able to take Kalliope as your queen.¡±

    Joan didn¡¯t need to look at her king to know he liked that idea. He still hadn¡¯t married after 15 years on the throne. He was forced to take the throne at 15 when a mysterious illness swept through the war camp where his father, the former King, was located and eventually succumbed to the illness. He had many ladies at the Frank Court to choose from, but he never did. It led to many rumors that Louis prefer a different kind of company then the feminine kind.

    The Merican King went on, ¡°As for the rest of the Queens, Clarine is still young enough to bare children. I will claim her as mine.¡±

    ¡°What about the Queens Belladonna and Viviene?¡± Louis questioned, ¡°Also, Prince Arthur?¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t bend to our wills, they can be dealt with,¡± the Merican king shrugged, ¡°I know someone would love to get their hands on that bitch Belladonna.¡± He glanced toward the so-called man of science. ¡°As for Prince Arthur, we kill him to set an example for the rest of the kingdom. To show what happens if they don¡¯t fall in line with our wishes.¡±

    Louis hummed. A Lord near Joan shifted before he spoke up in a slight squeaky voice, ¡°Your majesty, if I may?¡±

    ¡°Please, Sir Peter, speak freely,¡± Louis nodded at the Lord.

    ¡°What about the magi?¡± Sir Peter asked, still in the same squeaky tone. Joan knew that Sir Peter usually sounded better then this. It could be the fact the changing weather had finally got to him, just like it had with a few dozen people in the camp already. She had a friend in the Healer¡¯s tent and she had been complaining about all the ill Lords and Knights that wonder in. She retreated back to the table behind the King¡¯s chair where she sat down the pitcher. ¡°Camelot still had the legendary Battle Mage Merlin and his former apprentice, the Black she-mage, the Lady Morgana.¡±

    ¡°What about them?¡± The Merican King questioned. ¡°Uther doesn¡¯t believe that they have magic, that the magic those two uses are nothing more than polar tricks. I doubt they have real magic to be begin with,¡± he waved his hand dismissively. ¡°If they did have real magic, they would have used it 10 years ago during the time of the Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± a nasal voice filled with ill intent rang out. Joan felt a shiver slither its up her spine. Her eyes flickered toward the man of Science, ¡°Science has proved to be a much better fighting weapon then those polar tricks.¡± He paused, smirking, ¡°In fact, do you want an example of what I am talking about?¡±

    The King of the Franks shifted in his chair when someone burst through the tent flap. Immediately, Knights on both sides of the table shifted into protective stances in front of their King. The Master of Strategy and Spy for the Franks stood, pushing his chair back hard enough to cause it to fall backwards and landed with a thud against the rug covered ground, a deadly looking knife appearing in his hand. The Merican Spy counterpart suddenly appeared at the Merican King¡¯s side like he phased out of thin air while the Merican Strategy Master stood directly in front of his King. Joan grabbed a tent pole, intending to slip around it and disappear under the nearest table. Panting echoed loudly in the tent.

    ¡°Your highness,¡± the man panted as he bent over, trying to catch his breath, ¡°I have news!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± the Merican king demanded.

    ¡°Catch your breath, first,¡± Louis said, calmly.

    Joan, meanwhile, scanned the newcomer over. Her eyes widened as she recognized the bag now dangling from the man¡¯s right side. There was a symbol on the cover of a hand holding a scroll. It was a tell-tale sign of a messenger or at least a town crier. They were known to travel long distances to deliver messengers to the far off towns on along the border of a kingdom. Most of them were known to be loyal to a kingdom, but once in a while, a messenger would be find dead along the edge of an enemy kingdom, usually for betraying the Kingdom they worked for. She knew there was a guild for the messengers. If she remembered correctly, there would be at least one in each kingdom and they would work together, giving each other the ground-breaking news like an upcoming wedding of a royal family; a birth of a child to a Lord or a Lady or even to the Royal family; and even the death of a member of the Ruling class. This messenger was dressed in the Frank colors.

    When the messenger stood up, straight, and he pulled out a scroll from his bag. He unrolled it and announced in a loud voice, ¡°The King of Camelot, King Uther X of the House Drake, is dead.¡± He paused, allowing those words to sink in before he continued on, ¡°King Uther succumbed to his illness on the morning of May 17, 2047, in the year of our Lord.¡± He paused again, still trying to catch his breath, ¡°The Crown Prince of Camelot, Prince Arthur IX of House Drake has decided not to take up the Crown of Camelot.¡±

    Joan froze. The Crown Prince of Camelot decided not to take the throne of what used to be the Greatest Kingdom in the world? She glanced at the others in the room. King Louis looked shocked while the Merican King¡¯s face held a pleased look. Master Nori frowned at the Messenger while his Merican counterparts narrowed their eyes. The Merican Man of Science looked gleefully. That sent a rock to settle in Joan¡¯s stomach. This news would change everything, now.

    The Merican King turned to Louis and placed his hands on the table, ¡°This is the perfect time to march on Camelot.¡± He looked at the men gathered at the table, ¡°When she is the weakest, when she doesn¡¯t have a King sitting on the throne.¡±

    Louis turned to look at his Merican counterpart and voiced the question that most of the men were asking silently, ¡°But why did Prince Arthur turned down the crown?¡±

    ¡°Who cares?¡± the Merican King shot back, ¡°We can figure that out later after we take Camelot,¡± he turned to his side of the table, ¡°Tell the men to get ready to march out.¡± He turned back to the Frank King, ¡°What do you say? We create an alliance and destroy Camelot.¡± He stared at Louis with a hard stare, waiting for the other King¡¯s reply.

    ¡°How do we solidify this alliance?¡± Louis questioned in an even tone.

    ¡°I have a son and you have a sister,¡± The Merican King replied, ¡°Together, they can help create a peaceful alliance between our two kingdoms. It will be a step toward bringing this entire island back under one banner again like it was during the Great King Arthur¡¯s time.¡±

    Louis cocked his head to the side, thinking. Joan knew Princess Anna-Marie would throw a fit if she knew what her older brother was considering. Princess Anna-Marie had been only 5 years old when Louis took the throne. However, Joan knew there would be benefits of an arrangement. Joan blinked and turned her gaze upon the King when he spoke, ¡°Yes, it would be a step forward to what this island used to be. I agree. Our alliance will be solidified with the marriage of my younger sister to your son.¡± He paused, ¡°Perhaps the sooner the better, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The Mercy King smirked, ¡°Yes, I quite agree. In three months¡¯ time, our two bloodlines will united in marriage then its onto war.¡± He held out his hand to Louis. Louis grabbed it. The two shook on the agreement.

 Chapter 23: The Will of God and the Holy Sword

    Roma

    60 miles North of Camelot Border

    Center of the Neutral Lands

    Hymns drifted through the air as an elderly man walked through the hallways of a large church. He held his arms behind his back in effort to stop his back from hurting. It didn¡¯t help. Getting old, even it was the will of God, sucked, he mused. He wondered if this was how the saints of old felt when they reached his age, dealing with achy old body that was slowly failing them. He hummed, absentminded, as he strolled through the numerous hallways of the Ancient Cathedral. It had been years since he took on the position of the leader of the Catholic Church. He frowned as he thought. It was getting close to 50 years, now. He nodded. He had seen many interesting things over his years. His personally favorite was when a rare Angel would stop by and give him a mysterious message about the near future. He reflected on the most recent visit from a couple days ago.

    Father Innocent closed the door to his private rooms and reached up, grabbing his headdress. He had just finished with the sermon over the power of forgiveness, how Lucifer had the possibility to be allow back into Heaven if he had apologized to God, and how God¡¯s forgiveness was one of the most powerful forces one could have. He set the headdress on the table next to the door and turned around. He saw the white glow before he set his eyes on the Angel.

    He could never tell which Angel he talked to. Usually, there was no identify traits he could tell with the Heavenly Creatures. However, this Angel seemed different. The Angel was male and wore unstained armor Father Innocent had seen in historical records, debiting the time before the Church was in Avalon and in the lands of Roman.

    Innocent gave a bow, tilting forward as far as he dared without losing his balance, and greeted the Angel, ¡°Greetings to you, Heavenly one.¡±

    ¡°Greetings to you, Earthly Father,¡± the Angel replied, giving him a slight smile. ¡°I have a message from the Heavenly Father.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that the Heavenly Father would chose to speak with me,¡± Innocent smiled.

    ¡°Dark times are coming,¡± The Angel started, ¡°The Forces of Darkness are gathering. The Evil Lady of Death is reviving and her servants are reaching out to old allies and new ones.¡± The Angel paused, giving Father Innocent time to process the message before he went on, ¡°The Believers will need guidance. The Lady of Light fights against the Lure of the Darkness. The Lady of Fire will be starting her path, learning what she needs to as she faces her own battle with the Darkness. The Lady of Earth has been snared by the sweet words and false promises of the Evil Darkness. The Ladies of Air, Water, and Life are still asleep, but they will awake soon. The blessed Lady of Dark has witnessed through the flames of prophecy what could come to pass, but lacks understanding. The Good Lady of Death can¡¯t come into her power until the Evil one has been defeated, but she will be strong enough to stand with the Ladies of the Elements. Their counterparts, the Lords, will their support during coming trying times, however, these Lords will be hard to find. They are asleep, for now.¡±

    He blinked, watching as several priests in brown apprentice robes walked by, talking animatedly about the lecture they just left. Apparently, it was about the 40-day and 40-night fasting of the Holy Son and what happen during that time. If he remembered correctly, Brother Raphael had been teaching that lecture and wasn¡¯t afraid to explore some of the what if theories some of the younger brothers questioned. They nodded at him before they passed, saying in a soft tone, ¡°Father Innocent.¡±

    Father Innocent nodded back. The apprentices rushed off, no doubt to go to another lecture or to attend prayer. He glanced up at the cloudless blue sky to see a white drove fly to the messenger tower. The drove was no doubt delivering news from one of the sister Churches in the surrounding Kingdoms. Father Innocent continued his mid-morning stroll through the Large Church, reflecting on the current politics of the surrounding Kingdoms.

    The King of Camelot, King Uther had fallen ill some time ago. According to the bishops, he had refused any of the Priest Healers and the two magi. The king had chosen to rely on the Scientific Healers. Those Healers were on the raise, Father Innocent mused, thanks to a desire to understand the earthly world around them. He couldn¡¯t blame them. He knew there were stuff that couldn¡¯t be explained away by the teaching of God, however, majority of it was. Father Innocent hadn¡¯t personally been to Camelot in almost three, going on four decades now. Speaking of that, the Father paused, thinking, it was getting close to 10 years since Uther had took the Throne after pulling the Holy Sword out of its sheath. It meant the King didn¡¯t just fall ill of a random sickness, it was the effects of the Curse. He frowned. He hoped there was not another time of the Kingless Kingdom. He had lost many good brothers of the cloth during that time. The church ranks just now recovered from that.

    The Church, during those six months of the Kingless Kingdom, tried to provide hope to those souls asking for it. Father Innocent had sent several dozen of his best Brothers to Camelot to help provide guidance, but as the enemies of Camelot had marched closer to the castle, they didn¡¯t care who they killed, what they had burnt to the ground, or how they destroy countless lives and artifacts the Church had gathered over the years. None of the Brothers that went to the Kingdom of Camelot returned home alive. He had spent a year in mourning once the Holy Sword had allowed the Prince at the time, Uther, to pull it out of its sheath and was crowned King of Camelot. He had made the choice of helping those who cried out for hope, but the price of that action was paid in blood. He often questioned the reason why the Holy Sword didn¡¯t out-right choose Uther from the beginning.

    However, the rumors from the couple Brothers who fled before the Enemies of Camelot visited the Heart of the Kingdom and the slaughter happened, informed him that someone too young managed to pull the Holy Sword from it¡¯s place. When the Brothers were questioned, they didn¡¯t know which family had the young person pull the Holy Sword, but it had cause a stir within one of the more ancient families. They did try to nose around, but the family¡¯s allies kept silence and the other families of the Court weren¡¯t aware of someone being found worthy. They did noticed the Magi had disappeared.

    He wondered what would happen if the Holy Sword did chose Uther, what things would be different now. He resumed his walk. That was a dark and dangerous path to walk on. Perhaps it was the will of God, reminding the citizens of Camelot to be faithful to the one and true God.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Father Innocent,¡± someone called out behind him in a relieved tone. The old man stopped and turned to the Brother, noticing he wore the blue robe of an office. Father Innocent didn¡¯t remember which office it represented at the moment. ¡°There you are.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am here, Brother¡­?¡± Father Innocent started, his tone held a question in it.

    ¡°Micheal,¡± the blue robed brother bowed his head slightly, ¡°Brother Micheal of the Messenger Hall,¡± he looked at Father Innocent with a pair of wild green eyes. ¡°I have recent word from Camelot.¡±

    The Father ran his eyes over Brother Micheal¡¯s expression, looking for a hint. Brother Micheal¡¯s jaw twitched. There was a tightness around his wild eyes that was not usually there. His green eyes glowed with several different emotions that the Father couldn¡¯t read before it switched to a different emotion. His hands flexed uncontrollable. That was a sign that he was worried about something. It was possible bad from the emotional reaction Brother Micheal was showing.

    ¡°What is it, my son?¡± Father Innocent asked, calmly.

    ¡°Uther of House Drake, King of the Ruling Family, has been announced dead,¡± Brother Micheal said, ¡°We just received news of it a few minutes ago.¡± The Brother waited.

    Father Innocent stilled. He knew Uther¡¯s time on the Camelot throne was coming to an end, but this was unexpected. He had been under the impression that Uther had still three to four months before Uther¡¯s anniversary of withdrawing the Holy Sword. There was something shift in the world, something uneasy.

    The last time he felt this way was during the time of the Kingless Kingdom. The only difference between then and now - An Angel didn¡¯t visit him back then. Maybe it was time again to visit Camelot. He would personally to see over King Uther¡¯s funeral ceremony. He knew the Queen Belladonna, one of the most strong willed women he ever meet, would not deny him. She would even insist on it, claiming it would be honor for her son and for Camelot to have the Pope to visit. He finally spoke to Brother Micheal, ¡°Thank you, my son. Please, send for the bishops and the council of Paladins to meet me in the Papal Room for a meeting. I think it is time for me to visit the Camelot Kingdom again.¡±

    Brother Micheal¡¯s eyes widen before he nodded, ¡°As you wish, Father.¡± He bowed slightly and turned away to do Father Innocent¡¯s will.

    Father Innocent, however, slowly made his way to the Papal Room. He knew he would have to write a letter to the Ruling Family of Camelot, announcing that he was coming to oversee the ceremony of the King, and start planning the very short noticed visit. His paladins wouldn¡¯t like it. Not one bit. A small smirk slowly spread across his lips. He did enjoy causing some chaos. His mind drifted to the message he received from the Angel and he lost his smirk.

    He didn¡¯t know when the last time the Council of Lords and Ladies of the Elements had been chosen or gathered. It was before his lifetime. He frowned, thinking back through the numerous history lessons he had attended and given. The only time that stood out in his memory was before the Creation of Avalon, if one would be bold enough to call it, was the Battle of the Curse where the Curse was casted on the Holy Sword. The Council of Lords and Ladies of the Elements were split in half with half the council fighting with the Evil Lady of Death while the other stayed with the Lady of Light. History knows how the fight ended. Father Innocent wondered how things will turn out this time.

    Father Innocent entered the Papal Room and saw Brother Micheal had worked fast, spreading the word of the surprise meeting of the Bishops and the Paladin Council. He strolled up to his high back chair. It was located on a higher platform then the rest of the chairs in the room. His eyes roamed over the room, seeing the various shades of velvet red, noting the High Lord Bishop John already sat in his chair, several steps below the Papery Chair. He also noticed the High Lord Paladin Peter already sitting his chair, across High Lord Bishop John. His eyes darted back and forth between the two powerful men of the Church. He knew already this meeting would be an interesting meeting for him.

    He made his way to the Papery Chair as the rest of the members of the Bishops and Paladin Council filed in. Father Innocent reached the Chair and turned. His hands reached out for the arms of the chair and grabbed them, tightly, as he slowly settled into the chair. He let out a soft sigh, relaxing into the chair, closing his eyes. His back immediately stopped protesting as he lend back against the soft high back. He opened his eyes and stared out over the high ranking members of the Church.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you away from your duties, my sons,¡± Father Innocent started, ¡°and thank you for coming on short notice.¡± His eyes roamed over the room. ¡°I have received word that the King of Camelot, Uther IX of House Drake, Patriarch of the Ruling Family has joined our lord, yesterday morning.¡±

    ¡°May God welcome him into his halls,¡± High Lord Bishop John announced, solemnly. The phrase was repeated throughout the room.

    Father Innocent nodded in agreement, ¡°May God welcome him into his halls.¡± He paused, ¡°As this result, I would like to travel to Camelot to personally oversee his funeral ceremony.¡±

    Silence followed his announced then the High Lord Paladin Peter broke it, ¡°Father, if I be so bold to ask, why now travel to Camelot when you haven¡¯t in the past three or four decades?¡±

    ¡°I sense there will be a change, coming soon,¡± Father Innocent confessed, ¡°I do believe Camelot will be at the heart of the change. That is why I wish to travel to Camelot.¡± He witnessed the members of the room exchange looks. ¡°I am going.¡± He emphasized, sensing an argument coming and he decided to nip it in the bud, ¡°I know the Paladin Order will want to provided security while the Order of Bishops may have a few members who wish to go as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± High Lord Paladin Peter agreed, ¡°We will provide security. I will summon my best Paladins to provide both escort and security while we are there.¡±

    ¡°What does the Ruling Family say to this, Father,¡± High Lord Bishop John questioned, looking unsure.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t sent a letter to the Ruling Family, just yet, however, I know they will not refuse us,¡± Father Innocent stated, ¡°After all, the former High Queen Belladonna has been sending letters over the years, requesting me to visit.¡±

    High Lord Bishop John nodded. He knew what letters Father Innocent referred. He was often the one who delivered the letters. There have been times where he personally had to read the letters to Father Innocent on the days where the Father¡¯s health was not strong as it used to be and would be laid in bed for a few days recovering from the simplest illnesses.

    ¡°I think it is time to visit, during the Ruling Family¡¯s time of need,¡± Father Innocent went on, ¡°And witness the choosing of the Next King, personally. I want to be ready to offer my council to the New King.¡± The high ranked members of the Church already knew the conditions of the Holy Sword and its secretive curse. Father Innocent had questioned the Battle Mage Merlin, when he was much younger man about the history of the Holy Sword, if it was really sent by God to lead the country into peace. It was a requirement of the High Ranked members of the church to travel to Camelot and spread the word of God while living there for a term of 10 years. ¡°Please, start the process of preparing to travel to Camelot with all of God¡¯s speed.¡±

    ¡°Shall we choose apprentices who wish to become High Ranked Members of the Church?¡± High Lord Paladin Peter asked, knowing the previous term limit was coming to an end.

    ¡°Yes, Lord Paladin,¡± Father Innocent answered.

    ¡°How are we traveling there,¡± High Lord Bishop John asked.

    ¡°Did St. Mary dock recently?¡± The Pope questioned. The Lord Bishop nodded in reply. The Father went on, ¡°Then tell the Captain to prepare to sail out. We will be using St. Mary to travel to Camelot. I know Queen Belladonna would want to bury her remaining son as soon as possible.¡±

    High Lord Paladin Peter nodded and stood up so smoothly that Father Innocent felt a twinge of jealousy of the younger man before Peter turned to his half of the room. He called out, ¡°Attention!¡± The sound of four dozen Paladins stood up with the clatter of armor and slipped into a salute. ¡°You heard his Holiness. We prepare to travel to Camelot.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Paladin,¡± the Paladins replied. The High Lord Paladin strolled to the far end of the room and threw opened the Papal Chamber doors. Father Innocent watched as the Paladins marched behind their High Lord out of the room and split up, no doubt going to prepare for his travel to the Kingdom of Camelot. He never lost the awe came with watching the Paladins. He had thought about walking that path, but God had different plans for him when he was younger.

    ¡°I beg your leave, your holiness,¡± The High Lord Bishop bowed to the Pope before he left as the bishops filed out a lot silently then their Paladin counterparts did. Father Innocent watched them go. He waited for a couple minutes, thinking about the letter he now had to write. He slowly pushed his way up to his feet and walked to the steps, taking them one at a time down before he strolled out of the chamber, heading to his study where he would write the letter.

 Chapter 24: In Service to the Crown

    Camelot Kingdom

    Southern Courtyard

    General Genesis White Hall let out a sign as he eyed the long line of people drifting into Camelot. He had received word not too long that there was a long line of people already waiting when the gates opened up when the sun peeked over the horizon. He thought the horde of travelers would have peaked later in the day. It was not even 10 am, yet. It appear many families decided to have an early start. He got the feeling more would making their way as the day progressed.

    He rubbed his eyes, tiredly. He didn¡¯t sleep well last night. He spent most of the night, tossing and turning until the sun poked into his room. He knew why. Memories plagued him from when he was younger. He climbed the stairs to the outer wall and strolled to the closet captain. The captain and the group of men saluted the red haired general while he approached. Genesis said, ¡°Report,¡± as he stopped in front of the group.

    ¡°General,¡± The captain started in an professional tone, ¡°My man have started to point families to the nearest inns and have requested them to stay there until nightfall. I¡¯m trying to keep the streets as clear as possible to avoid any trouble between feuding families.¡± He looked uncertain as he turned to the stream of travelers, reaching the outer gates of Camelot. ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡±

    Genesis glanced toward the long line and nodded, ¡°Granted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Camelot will be able to house all the people from the villagers for the ceremony,¡± The Captain voiced his concern. Genesis paused. His mind drifted back to a time where another voiced the same concern, when Camelot¡¯s enemies were like dogs on the heels of the people fleeing them. He remembered the screams of children, the begging of women, and the cries of war from the men who turned to face the enemy with no hope of winning, no hope of returning to their loved ones, and all they could do was try to protect them, give them enough time to try to slip into the defensive castle.

    ¡°My, my, it¡¯s not even noon and you are already acting pissed off, Genesis,¡± a familiar male voice drawled from his right, causing the red haired General to stop.

    ¡°Jacob, dearest cousin, leave Genesis alone,¡± a slight high pitch voice of a woman scolded this Jacob fella, ¡°You know how he works as a General of the Royal Military. It¡¯s a stressful job, especially to deal with idiots like you.¡±

    ¡°HEY!¡± Jacob cried out in mock rage, ¡°That hurt, Rosie.¡±

    Genesis turned to face the speakers, ready to unleashed his temper on those two. It wasn¡¯t two people standing outside Hikari Bakery, but three. He raised an eyebrow at the trio. He wasn¡¯t expected to see them, but given the circumstances, it should not have been a surprise.

    The man who spoke - Jacob - lend back the brick side of Hikari Bakery with a pastry in one hand. His brown eyes sparkled with mischief as he turned to Genesis. His strawberry blond hair fell about his head and appeared to be wind swept. He wore traveling clothes which indicated he recently arrived to the town below the Castle. Genesis knew him. Genesis¡¯ younger brother, Vincent and Victor, grew up with him. The trio had spent hours, running through the fields between their families estates. Genesis was often forced to track the trio down for dinner or another social gathering their grandmother was hosting. Lord Jacob White Hall was the Heir of the Morning Gale Estate and one of Genesis¡¯ second cousins.

    Standing next to Jacob was a pretty young lady. Her fiery orange hair was twirled up in a bun at the back of her head. Her crystal blue eyes twinkled with worry as she looked over him. Her painted pink lips pulled into a frown as she saw the circles under his eyes and how he held his shoulders back. She wore a simple dress for a lady of her station. It was a sky blue that had the corset over the bodice of the dress. She didn¡¯t bother wearing the matching hat. Genesis spotted it, sitting on the luggage of a nearby wagon, tired to a bag that must weigh a ton. She was the Lady Rosemary of the House White Hall, heiress of the Clover Manor, and another second cousin.

    The third man standing on Rosemary¡¯s other side looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. His green eyes stared tiredly at him before he brought up a hand and rubbed at his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair which appeared to be brown in the shade of the building. Genesis knew his hair would have shimmers of gold and red when he stepped out into the sunlight. His clothes were travel worn, but in a way much different then the other two like he did most of the driving of the wagon. He was Lord Remus of House of White Hall, heir of the Lunar Estate, and if Genesis remembered correctly, he was another second cousin. While Remus and Genesis was a year apart in age, they didn¡¯t spend a lot of time together unless it was family related functions and they usually teamed up to watch their younger siblings and cousins while their parents socialized.

    ¡°It is good to see you, again, Rosemary,¡± Genesis greeted his female cousin first, stepping closer to her and opening his arms.

    The Lady Morgana rubbed the sides of her temples as she entered the Royal Wing of the Castle. The last few days had been extremely stressful as the entire kingdom prepared for the funeral of Uther X, the former patriarch of the House Drake. Belladonna¡¯s attitude had only grown worst, demanding the reason why the Holy Sword didn¡¯t allow Arthur IX to pull it out of its sheath, and nearly accuse Morgana and her former Master, Merlin, of treason. Kalliope had been understanding of what was going on with the Magi as was Vivien. Clarine spent most of yesterday in her room, crying over the lost of her remaining son. Arthur, however, took to acting as the Crown Prince, still, and been handling most of the Ruling duties with the help of his step-mom, Kalliope.

    Morgana¡¯s chocolate brown dress swirled around her legs as she strolled up to the Common Room that the Ruling Family used as a meeting room and private dinning room. Back in her days as a princess, it was used as a family room where the offspring of Uther I would gather and spend time with each other and their mothers. She spotted Sir Lancelot standing guard to the Royal Common Room. He looked up at her as she approached.

    ¡°Good Morning, Sir Lancelot,¡± she greeted him, ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± he replied in a tired tone, ¡°I¡¯ve been better.¡± Her blues eyes scanned his expression. He had dark bags under his seldom brown eyes and they were blood shot. ¡°What about you, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Holding it together,¡± she confessed with a slight nod. Old memories had rose to the surface over the last few days with the announcement of Uther¡¯s passing. Sometimes, they appeared so strong that Morgana thought she had stepped back in time when her half brother Arthur I had took the throne and was going through the process of taking over as King, handling the funeral process, and splitting up Uther¡¯s inheritance between the numerous siblings they had. Of course, that lead to countless conflicts between the half siblings and eventually war between Arthur I and their oldest brother, Robert. She shook herself free of those thoughts about the old times. There was no use bringing up ancient memories when the Present needed to be handled first. ¡°May I go in?¡± she asked, out of common courtesy.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Sir Lancelot smiled at her and nodded. He turned to the door and rose a fist before he banged on it. She knew there was no other way to alert the people inside of the room to the fact they had a visitor. He waited a second before he opened the door. He stepped inside and announced, ¡°The Lady Morgana is here and wishes to enter.¡±

    Arthur¡¯s voice rang out in a deep tired tone, ¡°She is allowed to enter.¡±

    Lancelot pushed the door opened more and stepped aside, allowing Morgana to enter. She passed him and said, ¡°Thank you, Sir Lancelot, for your service to the Crown and the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Your welcome, my lady, and you don¡¯t know how much it means to hear someone say that,¡± Lancelot¡¯s eyes brightened a bit as he replied.

    ¡°I know it means a lot,¡± she confessed with a small smile. She strolled past him and went deeper into the Common Room. Her eyes roamed over the large room. One of the royal servants had in the room, recently, to change the red and gold colored decor of House Drake to the seldom and mournful black. It was down right depressing, in Morgana¡¯s opinion. There was enough black around the castle and in the various stores in the town between the inner and outer walls. Morgana¡¯s eyes landed on the former Crown Prince.

    Arthur IX of House Drake looked disheveled. He still wore the same clothes as he did yesterday, Morgana noticed. His blond hair was unkempt. He also had bags under his eyes as he looked up at her as she approached the table. It didn¡¯t take a genius for Morgana to figure out that both Sir Lancelot and Arthur had not gone to bed like majority of the castle did. Arthur waved his hand toward one of the chairs at the long meeting table. She took a seat on Arthur¡¯s left side of the table.

    ¡°We are just waiting for Mage Merlin to show up,¡± Arthur started as he pulled a roll of parchment toward him and unrolled it, ¡°I want to go over some last minute stuff ahead tomorrow,¡± he explained before he started to the scroll.

    Morgana nodded. Her eyes drifted over the table¡¯ surface, seeing the numerous rolls of parchment. She grabbed one and unrolled it, reading it. It was a list of invited guests to attend the funeral ceremony held at God¡¯s Holy Light Church after the funeral parade. She spotted representatives from the White Hall Family, General Genesis included, along with several other important families that regular attend court.

    ¡°Your highness,¡± the Brother started, ¡°I am Brother Ivan. Pope Innocent has heard about King Uther¡¯s passing - may the Holy Father grant him entrance into heaven - and sent word that he wishes to oversee the Funeral Ceremony.¡±

    Morgana¡¯s jaw dropped as she comprehend what Brother Ivan was saying. The Pope hadn¡¯t visited Camelot in decades. She couldn¡¯t help wondering what was the reasoning behind the Pope¡¯s visit.

    ¡°Does his Holiness knows that we may not provide security,¡± Genesis asked in disbelief.

    Brother Ivan nodded, ¡°According the letter I recieved a short while ago, His holiness is aware of this issue and is bringing his own security detail.¡±

    Merlin sucked in a breath as Morgana shifted in her chair uncomfortable before they shared a look. They had issues with the Holy Roman Catolic Church before, mainly religious differences. The last time Pope Innocent had visited, it was during the rule of William of House Roll and Lilian of House Smith. If Morgana remembered correctly, it was shortly after Lilian was crowned in 1986. There was some sort of disagreement between the Ruling Family and the Pope and Pope Innocent never returned, but of course, there was religious turmoil over the last four decades that Pope had to focus on instead of traveling to the different Kingdoms and gave his blessing to the newborn royal children, the various marriages, funeral ceremonies, and other royal functions that the Pope liked to participated in.

    ¡°Who is he bringing?¡± Bartholomew questioned.

    ¡°Several high ranking members of the Paladin order,¡± Brother Ivan started. Morgana buried her face in her hands while Merlin let out a soft groan. She knew their reactions caused the both of members of the Ruling Family and the three generals to look at them in surprise.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Merlin stated, looking at the blue robed brother, ¡°Led by High Lord Paladin Peter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mage Merlin,¡± Brother Ivan replied, startled, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say we have a history with High Lord Paladin Peter,¡± Morgana explained, bringing her hands down into her lap, and she rose her head, her black hair fell down her front, ¡°He is a good man, excellent warrior, man of God, but he frowns upon people like us.¡± She suggested between Merlin and herself, using her right hand.

    Brother Ivan frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Non-humans and their half-breed offspring,¡± the Black Mage went on, ¡°As well as people that has the ability to use the magical arts.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Honor finally spoke up, ¡°He¡¯s one of those people.¡± The magi nodded.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Arthur started, ¡°Who else is coming with Father Innocent?¡±

    ¡°Several high ranking members of the Order of Bishops, led by High Lord Bishop John,¡± Brother Ivan announced, ¡°As well as new apprentices who wished to become high ranking members of the Church.¡±

    High Queen Kalliope nodded and she asked, ¡°Does the Church have enough room to house the Pope¡¯s company?¡±

    ¡°As of right now,¡± Brother Ivan said, ¡°Yes.¡± He paused, ¡°However, if we were to continue housing any of the travelers from the various villages nearby and far, that would be in question. The church only has so many rooms available.¡±

    ¡°That is understandable,¡± Kalliope nodded, ¡°When will the Pope arrive?¡±

    ¡°Sometime tomorrow,¡± the Brother answered, ¡°His holiness sent the letter to the Church just before they left.¡±

    Morgana knew there was no direct route from the middle of the Roma Country to Camelot. The Pope would have to travel up one of the nearby rivers to reach the Caspian Sea and follow the coastline down to the Camelot docks. Depending if the wind was at their backs, the earliest the Pope and his company would be at Camelot would be mid-morning or early afternoon. That meant they would have to push back the Funeral ceremony, if the Queen wished it, to the 23, instead of having it tomorrow morning.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Kalliope started, ¡°Unless there are any objections, we will push the funeral ceremony back to the¡­22?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make the morning of the 23,¡± Arthur suggested, ¡°This way we have more time to prepare and add in the order of Paladins to the Funeral Security if they wished to help out and allow Father Innocent to recover his strength for the ceremony.¡± He took a breath, ¡°When I traveled to Roma, a few years ago, Father Innocent was already getting up there in age. I¡¯m sure he will appreciate the opportunity to rest before he is to oversee the ceremony.¡±

    Morgana nodded. She remembered the last time when the Pope Innocent visited, she had been surprise that he looked old and it took him some time to recover to recover his strength.

    ¡°Lady Morgana, Mage Merlin,¡± Kalliope addressed the two magi. Morgana turned her attention to the High Queen, ¡°I know this is could be asking a lot since you are both magical drained, but is there any way one of you could re-new the stasis spell on my King-Husband?¡±

    Morgana took a moment. She took a deep breath and her eyes rolled up, back into her head. She drifted to her magical core. Merlin had once described his magical pool as a deep well and he had only reached the bottom of it once, back when they had separated Camelot and several kingdoms from the outside world to this parallel dimension of their own creation. The price of that kind of magic was steep. They had lost many, many magi they had personal trained over five decades. While it took Merlin six months to recover from that magical drain in a coma, it took Morgana twice as long because far deep she went into her magical reserves and she was trapped in a coma as well. Merlin was forced to take care of her while she was trapped, recovering.

    She reached her magical core and crossed the barrier, floating down. Her bare feet touched the shoreline of a dry-up lake. Her magical core was similar to a lake then a well. She walked down the slope of the lake until she reached the curve of the bottom. Until the other day, this lake was filled to the brim with simmering blue of magic. She had, over the years, to create streams, branching off the lake disappearing into large storage runes that were design to hold magic. The large storage runes blended into the background of her magical core, empty. She walked along the bottom of the lake until she spotted a small pool of simmering blue, at the far edge of the lake bed. She frowned. It was enough for one major attack spell or three tiny spells. Even that would be iffy and could cost her life. She watched as a very small stream ebbed into view before it disappeared from sight. What remain of her magic was enough to keep her alive and awake.

    ¡°When was this?¡± Honor asked, a curious note in his voice.

    ¡°Back when the Death Mage Rowena was still a threat to the United Kingdoms of Camelot,¡± Morgana said, gravely. Bartholomew¡¯s eyes jerked upward. Honor sucked in a breath. Genesis froze. Kalliope gasped, softly. Brother Ivan crossed himself. Arthur swore, softly. They all knew who the Death Mage Rowena was.

    ¡°That was when the United Kingdoms of Camelot was separated from the outside world,¡± Arthur replied. Morgana nodded. It was a story told to misbehaved children - that the Death Mage Rowena would come and kidnap them if they don¡¯t start behaving and listening to their parents. Silence fell inside the room.

    ¡°If I may,¡± Brother Ivan spoke up, breaking the silence, ¡°May I make an suggestion?¡± Arthur and Kalliope nodded. ¡°I do believe there has been a recent discovery in the scientific community about preserving the bodies of the recently deceased?¡±

    Kalliope¡¯s eyes lit up, saying, ¡°I know what method you are talking about, Brother Ivan. Perhaps, it would be wise to go that route.¡± She glanced at the magi. ¡°In case, the worst does happen.¡±

 Short Authors Note

    I made a boo-boo. I can''t update this story again for a few more days. I forgot when I originally published The Chosen Queen Book 2, it was enrolled in the KU program. When I unpublished it to work on it more and clean it up, I forgot to take the story out of KU. I made the changes today and allowed the story to go live - to discover it was still in KU. Below, I have included the link to the series page on Amazon. So, go ahead and read it before it leaves KU on the 12. I will be updating again on the 13th and will go back to the every 2 days update schedule. I will try to get Book 2 on this site, soon.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    I have already started on Book 3. The first 2 chapters are done. I will be uploading those once I get Book 2 done.

 Chapter 25: Paths Unseen; Fates Unwritten

    15 Miles outside of Camelot

    Valentina Armstrong let out a pained sigh as she struggled to help pick up the camp, thinking about the past few days. She couldn¡¯t believe that a ninja had borderline blackmail her into traveling with him through the forest behind her house. She knew she only half protested about going with him. She had needed the change in scenery. Nearly the month before, her 6-year relationship had ended, suddenly and she mentally broke, going back home to recover and piece herself back together.

    After the ninja, Ralph, had conceived her to with him, by claiming he was sent by her father¡¯s mother, Lady Freya of House White Hall, to bring her to the White Hall Estate, she managed to escape him, thanks to an old friend from her explore days before she started to dating her ex. If what Ralph was true, she would wanted to meet this Lady Freya on her own terms, not someone else¡¯s terms. She had fled through the forest until she came across the weirdest thing she had ever seen - dozens of trees grown so close together that they appeared to form a barrier of some kind. Tina had ran along the tree barrier with the ninja hot on her heels until she found a break in the barrier where she fled through, coming out in the other side. It was not long before she was caught up in a flash flood and swept away. It was thanks to Sir Tristan that she had managed to survive that one. He took her to a nearby lake where she cleaned up and discussed her location. Apparently, she had traveled to the Ancient and mythological Kingdom of Camelot. Sir Tristan was one of the Knights from the Camelot Kingdom. Once Tina had thought she had the time to relax and try to understand what was going, they were attacked and took captive by a group of creatures that Tina thought didn¡¯t exist. The creatures in question were humanoid deer, basically. A barmaid had called them ¡®Fawns¡¯ once Tina and Tristan managed to escape and find their way to the nearby village.

    Tristan wanted to go back to Camelot when he heard news that his King was dead and Tina agreed to go with him, mainly out of curiosity to see this Camelot and the funeral ceremony for a King and the fact she didn¡¯t want to travel alone when she was badly injured. While she held captive by those Fawns, they had whipped her for defiling their sacred lake by taking a bath in it.

    Last night, Tristan had questioned if it was alright with her, they did travel with a group of travelers they had ran into on the road to Camelot. She informed him that she didn¡¯t have a problem with it, knowing it was safer to travel in a large number of people instead of traveling in a group of two. Once they had made camp for the night, Tristan had helped Tina take care of her shredded back. She knew it was through sheer will alone that she didn¡¯t pass out during the day¡¯s ride. However, once she settled her head down on her pack, laying on her side, she was out like a light. Once morning came, Tristan had woken her, looked at her back, and helped her back onto his house. They set out with the group.

    The group had stopped for lunch, pulling out leftover dried meat from the night before. Tina had nothing better to do, decided to help out where she could, trying to ignore the throbbing in her back. She should have pack some painkillers, she mused as she lifted on a pot that large enough to pass off as a witch¡¯s cauldron. Thank god, it was empty or else, Tina would have a lot more trouble with it as she carried it over to a wagon. She spotted a little girl with blond hair tied up pigtails running towards her, carrying a cloth doll in one hand, shrieking with joy as who could her older brother - they shared the same share of blond hair - chased after her with an exasperated look on his teenage face. Tina muffled a laugh as a small smile spread across her lips, remembering how frustrating younger siblings was. She had a younger sister, Natasha, that she had left behind. She lost her smile at that thought. She also left behind her mom and grandmother, because Ralph had partly blackmailed her and partly stroking her curiosity about her father. She shook her head, clearing her head.

    ¡°Hello, beautiful,¡± a man¡¯s voice rang out from her right. She turned her head to see a man with black hair that the ends curled slightly. His blue eyes meet hers, in a flirty way. Her eyes roamed over him, noticing that his skin color was a shade of bronze. It was similar to the same shades Tina had seen on Native Americans. It was interesting since the most common skin color Tina had seen since she traveled to this¡­this..this country was the shades of white. ¡°Let me help with that.¡± He reached out for the cauldron pot.

    Tina narrowed her eyes and twisted her upper body away from the man. She sucked in a sharp breath as her back exploded in pain. She slowly turned back and nodded, commenting in a strained voice, ¡°Okay.¡± She allowed the Native American looking man take the cauldron from her and he carried it the rest of the way to a wagon. Tina turned around, intending to find Tristan.

    She knew the knight had joined the men who were able to fight to scout on the sides of the group since those Fawns could be still out there, hunting her and Tristan. They should be returning soon. She walked away, heading to where Tristan and she had stuck their stuff until the knight returned.

    ¡°Hey, are you alright,¡± the man asked. She glanced over her shoulder to see the man following her.

    ¡°Yes, I am, thank you for asking,¡± Tina replied in a polite tone.

    ¡°Then how come you are in pain?¡± he went on.

    ¡°I did something to my back the other day and its still bothering me,¡± she explained, ¡°That is all.¡± She reached the spot where her bag was at and she slowly sat down, sitting more on her hip then on her rear end, lending against the back of the bag. She rested her left arm on top of her bag.

    ¡°My name is Westley of House Panther,¡± the man introduced, ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Valentina of House Armstrong,¡± Tina replied, wondering what this Westley wanted. She blinked at him before she stated, ¡°Just come out and say what you want.¡±

    It was Westley¡¯s turn to blink before he gave her a smile, ¡°I was wondering if you wanted something to help with the pain.¡±

    Tina cocked her head to the side, before she gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. She weighed the pros and cons of his offer. She didn¡¯t know how much longer she could deal with the pain. She had been lucky so far that the wounds hadn¡¯t become infected, according to Tristan. If she accepted this Westley¡¯s offer, it could be something illegal - well, illegal to the United States, not to Camelot - and it would help. However, if she didn¡¯t, she would be in pain for majority of the day until she passed out. That could be dangerous. What if they were attacked and Tristan needed her to dismount in a hurry? What if they spent another night in the wildness? She took a sigh as she summoned her spiritual energy. She mentally winced as she noticed it was running low. She had been using a lot of her spiritual energy over the past couple days to help her function like a normal, uninjured person, and dull the pain. She wouldn¡¯t be able to for much longer, not when she needed to ease herself back into using the spiritual energy again. She knew it was similar to using a muscle - if not is use constantly, you lose it.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What do you have?¡± Tina asked, deciding to take a risk.

    Westley smiled and listed off a series of what sounded to be herbs. Tina blinked. He went on, ¡°You have no clue what they do.¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± She confessed. He chuckled, slightly, and started what the herbs did. Tina nodded as she listened Westley, adding her own input as she tried to keep the knowledge straight in her head, but the pain made it hard for her to focus on the small herbology lesson.

    The little girl with blond hair in pigtails ran by with her older brother still chasing after her. Tina looked on with amusement and sadness. She had wanted a little girl with her ex and a little boy. A tear rolled down her cheek as she watched as the older brother finally caught to the pigtail girl and swung her up over his shoulder before he strolled over to the family wagon. The little girl laughed the entire time.

    A warm hand cupped the side of Tina¡¯s side. She blinked, tearing her gaze away from the small family to Westley. His thumb brushed her cheek, wiping away the stray tear. He gave her a smile, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry that much, love. One day, you will have everything you wanted - children running around, a loving husband who is your soul mate, a purpose in life, and true happiness. It is coming, sweetheart, just be patience and heal your broken heart.¡±

    Tina gapped before she said in a low voice, ¡°How ¡ª?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s written in your aura, love,¡± Westley explained, ¡°You recently experience a great lost that sent you on this path. There will several paths open to you, each will lead you to what you desire. However, there will be bumps in the road that you will have to over come.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Tina licked her lips, trying to remember that phrase to described the people like him. Her Great Aunt warned Tina about these people, claiming that they offer false hope and empty promises. ¡°Aura Reader?¡± she question.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Westley confessed with a hint of fear in his blue eyes, ¡°And I guess you have heard of my kind?¡±

    ¡°My Great Aunt warned me about you - aura readers,¡± Tina explained, ¡°I am aware of the spiritual world, in case you were wondering.¡±

    ¡°You have been using your powers,¡± he stated. She nodded. ¡°That explains why your spiritual powers have been weakening over the last day,¡± he commented,

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have used them like this,¡± she said, shifting into a crossed-legged sitting position, ¡°and I don¡¯t know how much longer I will be able to.¡± Her elbows rested on her legs as she lend forward. Pain rippled through her back as she tried to stretch it. Her breath caught in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes. She slowly arched back, straightening her back. She panted as she waited for the pain to pass.

    ¡°How come?¡± Westley questioned.

    ¡°My,¡± she searched for the word and tried to ignore the ache that came with it, ¡°former lover didn¡¯t like me using my spiritual powers.¡± She, in a way, did tell the truth. Her ex didn¡¯t know that she was spiritual aware, let alone she was able to her spiritual powers. She fought her energy when it rose to the surface. ¡°So, I didn¡¯t use my spirit energy.¡±

    ¡°You do realize spirit energy is like a muscle, you use or you lose it,¡± he said in a disbelief tone.

    She nodded, saying, ¡°I know.¡± She went on, ¡°I just need to get back in the practice of using my spirit energy again. That is all.¡± He nodded in agreement. Tina saw out of the corner of her eye that the group of warriors returned from scouting around the camp site. Tristan was among them.

    Tristan jerked his head side to side. His neck gave a loud cracking sound and he relaxed. His neck felt better. His eyes roam around the traveling group. They were in the process of cleaning and getting ready for the last stretch of their trip to Camelot Castle and the town below the castle. He spotted Tina deep in conversation with one of the members of a performing troupe that traveled to Camelot before her expression changed into one of awe and hope. If he remembered correctly, that man¡¯s name began with a W.

    Tristan, once he made sure Tina was asleep the night before, talked with several members of the traveling party including the performing troupe. The performing troupe had a gig on the North side of Camelot within the next few days, but the manager of the troupe said the organization who hired them may hold off on their performance until after the funeral ceremony as a way to cheer up the patrons who visited the establishment. Tristan couldn¡¯t help agreeing with that logic.

    Now, Tristan eyed the man with distrust. He knew many of the performers had a lover in each town they visited. Sometime, they never really settled down. Sometimes, they did with a lover the last town they visited or decided to stay in town for the rest of their lives. Apparently, this performer was trying to sweet talk Tina. He read her body language. She was interested in the conversation, but she didn¡¯t give any signs that usually came with having more of an interested in a man.

    He walked over to them and cut in, ¡°I¡¯m back, Lady Tina, how are you feeling?¡±

    She looked directly up at him. Her eyes were pained fill, but a glint of curiosity was there. She spoke, ¡°My back is killing me. I¡¯m trying to not to move as much.¡±

    ¡°She helped put away a cauldron for a family,¡± the performer explained. He stood up, speaking to Tina, ¡°Please, let me know if you want one of the herbs.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Tina said. The performer walked away. She watched him with a guard expression.

    ¡°Do you need help standing,¡± Tristan asked, watching the exchange. He hoped she didn¡¯t think that performer would do anything for her benefit, it would be his alone and he would leave her, not caring if he got her pregnant or not.

    Tina looked at him and shifted. She winced as she did. She nodded. She held up her arms. Tristan stepped in front of her and grabbed her hands. She sucked in a breath before Tristan pulled her to her feet. She hissed as she stood up. Her hands tightened on his. He steadied her, waiting for her to move. She laid her head on his chest with a whimper. He noticed a faint light emitting from her back. He blinked. The light disappeared. He frowned. She moved away from him.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m riding with you, again,¡± Tina started in half-confirming, half-questioning tone. Tristan nodded. He turned and walked to his horse. She followed him over to the horse. He twisted to face her and grabbed her waist. Tina bent her knees and jumped. Tristan lifted her onto the back of the horse, allowing her to seat sideways. He waited until she was comfortable and went to gather the rest of their bags and weapons. It didn¡¯t take him long to return.

    Tristan tossed the bags on either side of the horse¡¯s ramp and tossed Tina¡¯s sword belt around the horn of the saddle, her rapier, bow, and quiver hang by Tina¡¯s right leg. He knew they would be within ease reach for Tina, in case she needed them. He went back and grabbed the blanket rolls he bought in the last village. He slid the rolls under the straps holding their bags to the horse. He shifted and rose his left leg. He placed his foot in the stirrup, grabbing up to grab the horn by Tina¡¯s right hip and the back of the saddle. He jumped, lifting himself straight up into the saddle, throwing his other leg over the saddle. His right foot found the stirrup for the saddle and slid into it. He settled down in the saddle. Tina grabbed his thigh, tightly, breathing deeply, her eyes squeezed shut as a wave of pain went through her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing you pain, Lady Tina,¡± He said. She grunted and she lend against him. He felt a twinge of guilt fly through his blood. He should have done more to get her out of that Fawn village as soon as he had heard what those no-good deer abominations had said what they were going to do her. ¡°We will be at Camelot soon. I will cover the price of your stay until you are healed.¡± She gave no indication she had heard him as her shoulders relaxed.

    A wagon rolled up, coming to a stop beside him. He glanced over and saw the driver of the wagon was a farmer and his wife. The driver asked, ¡°Sir Knight, do you want your lady to ride in the back of my wagon?¡±

    Tristan opened his mouth to protest that Tina was not ¡®his¡¯ lady, but he gave it another thought. He knew his status as a Knight of Camelot and his personal reputation as being the most violent knight that Camelot had to offer would offer Tina protection for the time being. He glanced down at Tina. She didn¡¯t say anything. He frowned as he studied her face. She had passed out.

    He let out a sigh. He turned to the wagon driver and asked, ¡°I think it would be for my lady.¡±

    The wagon driver nodded and turned to a young man behind the wagon, holding onto the reins of a pack mule. He called, ¡°Drew, tie up Mary and help me get this knight¡¯s lady down from the horse,¡± before he jumped down from the wagon bench and walked over to Tristan¡¯s horse.

    ¡°Yes, da,¡± Drew replied as he did what he was ordered to do before he joined his father beside Tristan¡¯s horse. Together, they managed to lower Tina down from the horse as gently as they could and carried her over to the wagon bed. Tristan dismounted and climbed into the wagon bed before he helped move Tina into the bed of the wagon.

    Tina didn¡¯t make a sound or move as they positioned her onto her side. Tristan grabbed one of the blanket rolls from the ramp of the horse. He placed it under Tina¡¯s head. He hopped out of the bed wagon bed. The woman still didn¡¯t move.

    The pain must have been bad enough for her to pass out. He sighed. He wished that Tina had told him that she was in pain. He was worried the previous night when he noticed she had passed out when she laid down. She must have been moving through the pain, staying awake, through sheer force of will.

    Tristan nodded at the couple and their son before the wagon started to move. He stayed beside the wagon throughout the day. Tina didn¡¯t move while they covered the last remaining stretch of road before Camelot.

 Chapter 26: A Throne Lost, A Path Unknown

    Back in Camelot, Arthur stared out of one of the large floor to ceiling windows as he stood in the Seasonal Throne Room, ignoring the various servants running around, trying to get the room ready to hold court. His mind was full of thoughts about the upcoming visit of the Pope. He couldn¡¯t believe the Pope wanted to oversee the funeral ceremony for his father. He knew something had happen between the Pope and the Ruling Family of House Roll. It drove Pope Innocent back to Roma for a few years before there was major religious turmoil. That sent the Pope to travel to the other Kingdoms until there was an attempt on the Pope¡¯s life. Was there a reason why Father Innocent wanted to visit Camelot, now, that his father was dead?

    Arthur frowned, trying to find a reason why the Pope would travel now of all times to Camelot. He couldn¡¯t find one. Perhaps, the Pope didn¡¯t need a reason to travel to the former legendary Kingdom. A feeling settled in Arthur¡¯s gut. Maybe the Pope¡¯s visit was a sign of things to come like a religious resurgence of the Christian faith? Maybe one of things that could change as a result of the Pope¡¯s visit was the end of House Drake, ruling Camelot? Or something else could be in the works, a storm brewing, and once it passes, Camelot would not be same again. He knew there was a lot of different possibilities with the Pope¡¯s visit, but one thing was certain - Nothing will be the same again, once the Pope returns to Camelot.

    The acting King of Camelot heard the Seasonal Throne Room doors open, thanks to the guards on either side of the door, and High Queen Kalliope¡¯s voice rang out as she entered, ¡°There you are, Arthur.¡±

    Arthur turned to his step-mother and saw she had changed from the simple mourning grown to an elegant pale gold grown with small diamonds set through the bodice of the dress. She wore her hair in a long braid that hung over one shoulder. She went on, ¡°I will be holding court in a few minutes to greet those who have come to the castle for your father¡¯s funeral. Would you like to attend with me?¡±

    Arthur blinked. He had forgotten that was one of his duties as the Acting King until the Holy Sword choose another. He strolled toward her and said, ¡°It would be my honor to attend court with you, Mother-Queen.¡± She smiled at him. He reached her side and held out his arm for her. She took it and they walked to the pair of thrones at the far end of the room. Arthur led Kalliope to her Throne and allowed her to seat before he went to the Crown Prince Throne and sat down.

    Arthur let out a sigh as he waited for their court to arrive. He knew it was going to be a long day. The guest list to the actually funeral ceremony had grown over the progression of the day as various lord and ladies, representing Houses of both Minor and Major status arrived.

    The doors to the Seasonal Throne Room opened and the Court Announcer stepped inside, calling out, ¡°Announcing Lord Remus of House Lunar, representing both House Lunar and White Hall.¡±

    Arthur fought the urge to yawn as Remus of House Lunar stepped into the room and walked down the carpet to the bottom of the raised platform. He paused before he bowed and said, ¡°Thank you, your highness, for allowing me to come to Camelot and I¡¯m sorry for your lose. King Uther was a good man and a great ruler. He will be surely missed.¡±

    Kalliope spoke, ¡°Thank you coming, Lord Remus, and representing the Houses Lunar and White Hall.¡±

    ¡°It is my honor, your majesty,¡± Remus bowed again before he stepped off to the side, heading to where the House of White Hall usually gathered. The Court Announcer called out another name and what house they were represented. Arthur recognized it a minor house who lived on the far side of the Dead End Forest. The representative strolled forward and went through the rigmarole of court greeting, commenting for their lose before the representative to a random spot in the Throne Room. The process repeated again, and again, and again until, ¡°Announcing Lord James Black, representing House Black.¡±

    Arthur blinked as he heard the name and straightened as his cousin, Nana Bella¡¯s great-nephew, strolled into the room. His black hair was crop short about his head. His gold flecked storm color eyes landed on Arthur. His lips pulled back into a grin. A black cloak rippled out behind him as he crossed the distance between himself and the former crown prince. His dark blue tunic had no signs if he recently arrived or not, nor did the black trousers he wore. However, the black riding boots still had dust on the bottoms.

    ¡°Cousin,¡± Lord James Black called out, approaching.

    Arthur pushed himself up from the chair, returning his cousin¡¯s grin. He hurried down the steps of the raised platform, ¡°James,¡± he nodded at the other lord, ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± He embraced his cousin in a brotherly embrace before parting, stepping back.

    ¡°Your Welcome, Artie,¡± James smirked as Arthur, hearing that dreaded nickname, groaned softly. The House Black Lord stepped around the former crowd prince and gave Kalliope a sweeping bow, ¡°My lady, your beauty grows more eye-catching everyday.¡±

    Kalliope arched an amused eyebrow and drawled, ¡°Thank you, Lord James, for both the compliment and for coming during our family¡¯s dark hour.¡±

    ¡°It is what I do best,¡± James countered, ¡°Bring a shred of light everywhere I go.¡±

    Arthur patted his cousin on the shoulder, bringing the other lord¡¯s attention to him, ¡°Have you seen Nana Bella, yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± James replied, ¡°I will be tracking Aunt Bella down after court.¡± He lend closer to Arthur, ¡°After all, you will need all the allies you can get when you claim the crown.¡±

    Arthur sighed deeply. He forgot no one knew about the Holy Sword¡¯s ability to choose the next king. It would be coming out soon. He saw James frown at him and replied in the same volume, ¡°I¡¯ll explain later.¡± His eyes darted around the throne room. James did the same before he met Arthur¡¯s eyes and nodded in understanding.

    Arthur returned to his throne as James roamed to the far side, Arthur¡¯s left, of the throne room where Belladonna¡¯s throne sat empty. He saw James frown at the empty throne and lend against the wall. Arthur knew James was watching the entire room as the court Announcer called out the next representative and which house they were representative of, starting the dull process once again. It ended when there was nobody else to be announced or they were running late. It had been known to happen.

    Arthur¡¯s eyes roamed over the room. Nearly all the 150 Ancient and Noble houses had sent representatives to stand witness of the burial of the King. If he remembered correctly, there were three or five more Scared Houses that still need to have representatives. However, the 100 minor houses also sent relatives to representatives. He sighed. He always had trouble remembering the scared houses and the minor houses leaders and their crests. He knew the court scribes managed to do that somehow, which is highly impressive in his eyes. He also knew there was a chance to see a few of the minor houses representatives were running late.

    The God¡¯s Holy Light Church would be packed to the brim a few days¡¯ time. He gasped as he remembered the news they received earlier in the day. He heard the Court Announcer called, ¡°Announcing Lord Genesis of House White Hall, General of the Explosive Brigade.¡±

    General Genesis strolled in, his head held high and shoulders back. Arthur immediately took note that the General didn¡¯t wear his usual red trench coat, labeling him as the Explosive Brigade General, but a nice cape that flowed out behind him. He exchanged the black tunic for a tunic that showcase his house colors and crest, but he kept the black pants and boots. He still wore his sword belt which held his rapier and several bags of explosive powder and one of the newest invention within the last four decades, hand held cannon.

    The General approached the throne before he bowed deeply and stated in a loud voice that echoed around the throne room, ¡°My Queen, My Prince, I express my deepest sympathies for your lose. I, General Genesis, heir apparent to the House White Hall Lordship, have came to represent the House of White Hall, one of the 150 Ancient and Noble houses that once sat at the Round Table during the time of our founding King, King Arthur, the First of his name, of House Pendragon.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for coming, General Genesis,¡± Kalliope spoke up with a small smile, ¡°How are the preparing coming?¡±

    ¡°We will be ready for the Funeral Ceremony and the Pope¡¯s arrival, my lady,¡± Genesis replied, formally. The court fell silent at that announcement.

    Arthur internally winced. He had forgot the Pope was coming to oversee the ceremony until he saw the fiery General. He glanced at Kalliope who look a bit bashful. She apparently had forgotten too. He noticed Genesis¡¯ eyes dart between them before he let out a sigh.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Kalliope stood up, taking the issue in hand. She looked at the General as she spoke, ¡°Thank you for reminding of Pope Innocent¡¯s visit, General.¡±

    ¡°You are most welcome, my queen,¡± Genesis bowed before he strolled to join the other representatives of House White Hall and its Minor Houses.

    ¡°As General Genesis reminded me, the Pope is currently traveling to Camelot,¡± Kalliope started. That spark the court to whisper, talking about the Pope and his last visit. She waited until the murmurs to drift away into nothingness, ¡°The Ruling Family has made adjustments as a result. The Funeral Ceremony and Parade will be the day after tomorrow, still at the same time.¡± She paused, her eyes landed on someone at the far end of the Throne Room.

    Arthur turned his attention to the far end and his shoulders slumped. The former High Queen Belladonna strolled into the room with a furious expression.

    ¡°And why was I not informed of this arrangement, earlier?¡± Belladonna thundered. Arthur sighed.

    ¡°Because, Queen Belladonna,¡± Kalliope¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°You left the meeting we had earlier when we received news of the Pope¡¯s visit to deal with a trivial matter.¡±

    Arthur had to give it to his step-mother. Kalliope could be a diplomat when she wanted to be. This was a situation where she had to be. He knew she wouldn¡¯t be if their court was not here. She was in the role of High Queen, meaning she was holding herself at a higher degree. Plus after that little speech she gave earlier in front of the Magi, the Generals, and himself, she was finally acting out as an authentic High Queen, instead of a symbol of the position.

    ¡°I had planned to inform you, Queen Clarine, Queen Vivien and the rest of our previous Queens later tonight when we gathered for our evening meal, as it is part of tradition for the grieving family to do during their time of mourning,¡± The High Queen went on, her eyes becoming steely as she stared down the Warrior Queen.

    Man, Kalliope was on a roll, Arthur mused as he watched the exchange. Kalliope was starting to show her true colors and her backbone, tossing the fact Nana Bella was a traditionalist back in her face while avoiding the entire court that there was problems within the Ruling Family. He wanted to clap in appreciation. However, a glance at Nana Bella.

    Belladonna¡¯s face was hard to read, but her eyes flashed angrily as she stared down the High Queen. Arthur felt something harden in his stomach at the familiar look in her eyes. His great-grandmother was going to start a verbal fight in front of the entire court when his cousin, James, stepped forward, out of the crowd, crying with excitement, ¡°Aunt Bella!¡±

    Belladonna turned her attention to James and blinked in surprise. Her anger faded away replaced by a small joy. She spoke, ¡°My nephew.¡± She opened her arms and James stepped into them, getting a hug. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, we can talk somewhere more private, dear Auntie,¡± James asked, ¡°I don¡¯t want any of these beautiful ladies swooning over my daring adventures.¡±

    Arthur held his breath as he waited for Nana Bella¡¯s reply. Nana Bella just laughed softly and agreed. James offered his arm to the warrior queen. She took it and together they walked out of the room. Once the doors shut behind them, Arthur let out a sigh of relief. Crisis avoided. For now.

    Remus frowned as he watched Lord James Black escort one of the former High Queens out of the Seasonal throne room. If he remembered correctly, the Queen was Belladonna of House Drake, formerly of House Black, though she still considered herself a member of the Black Family and often give input to the Black Family matters, acting the Matriarch; and Belladonna was Lord James¡¯ great aunt. Silence fill the room after the doors shut. He glanced at Genesis. The General shook his head and mouthed, ¡°Later.¡± Lord of the House Lunar nodded in understanding.

    A thrill shot through Remus¡¯ veins. At first, he thought the duration of his time in Camelot, to honor the passing of King Uther would be boring. Vincent, one of Genesis¡¯ younger brothers, often complained about his boredom in Camelot when Remus managed to visit the White Hall Estate. That was not very often for personal reasons. One of these personal reasons was avoiding his Grandma Freya finding him a bride. So far, he had been lucky unlike Jacob.

    He knew Jacob would be leaving by the end of the month to retrieve his bride to be from the Isle of Florence. He had managed to take a peek at the ship¡¯s route to the Isles. The ship would be taking Jacob too close to the Kingdom of Mercy. His connections within the Mercian Kingdom giving him information about the current events, he was aware of the meeting happened just that morning between the Kingdoms of Mercy and Frank. The fact they had met up for a possible meeting disturbed him and his associates deeply. He hadn¡¯t heard anything from his connection yet, about the result of that meeting. However, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before he did.

    Remus yawned, regretting the fact he stayed up all night, driving the wagon to Camelot. Grandma Freya, once she heard about the King¡¯s passing, had gathered Rosemary, Jacob, and himself and ordered them to represent the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall as well as their own minor Houses. The three of them had been just stopping by the Estate to restock on provisions when the family matriarch managed to catch them. Rosemary had planned to travel to Camelot, anyway, to start searching for her own husband while Jacob was trying to enjoy his time as a free man before he set out to travel South. As for himself, well, Remus was on a secretive trip that he couldn¡¯t give the detail to his family, in case things went south for him, and didn¡¯t inform any of his family members of it.

    He glanced around the room as the court broke out into whispers, wondering what exactly happened between the High Queen and the Warrior Queen. However, High Queen Kalliope interrupted the court, saying, ¡°Please enjoy your stay within the Walls of Camelot.¡± Arthur moved closer to the young queen, holding out his arm to her. She took it. Together, they walked out of the room. Eyes watched them move out of the seasonal throne room. They disappeared out of sight.

    Rosemary immediately questioned, turning to Genesis, ¡°So, what was that about, dear cousin?¡±

    ¡°Just a verbal disagreement between Kalliope and Bella,¡± Genesis commented in a off hand way. Remus cocked his eyebrow at the General.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t sound like a normal disagreement between the two queens,¡± Rosemary said in a disbelieving tone, ¡°It almost sounded like Kalliope was trying to diplomat over the said disagreement.¡±

    ¡°She was,¡± Genesis agreed, ¡°Kalliope, I guess, finally had enough of what Belladonna was trying to pull and grew a backbone.¡±

    Vincent and Victor was wrong about Camelot being boring, Remus concluded, as Rosemary gasped, ¡°What about?¡±

    ¡°Ah, the gossip of the court,¡± Jacob muttered, loud enough for the White Hall representatives to hear, ¡°I didn¡¯t miss it.¡±

    Rosemary glared, playfully, at Jacob as her lips twitched into a smirk and turned back to Genesis, ¡°Why did Kalliope finally grow a backbone?¡±

    ¡°Belladonna, as you may already know, dislike the fact she had to step down from the position of High Queen when her husband died and her son, King Charles of House Drake took over with his wife Susan, the Beautiful as the High Queen,¡± Genesis explained, ¡°Belladonna tried to rule through the other Queens. She has tried to peruse King Charles to push the various laws she wanted in place. After King Charles died and his brother took over as King Edward, Belladonna tried to the same or at least to the various rumors I have heard over the years that I have lived here,¡± Genesis explained. Rosemary nodded in understanding. Remus eyed the General as he listened. Jacob sighed.

    The General went on, ¡°She did the same thing when King Donald of House of Drake was crowd with his wife Queen Brenna The Knowledgeable, and again with King Cedric and Queen Holly. When Uther became King, she managed to talk him into passing a series of laws about the non-humans, limiting the freedoms of the lower class, etc. This was about the same time I entered the military. It wasn¡¯t until Kalliope became High Queen, Belladonna began to have trouble. They use to fight over the smallest thing Kalliope did that Belladonna didn¡¯t like.¡± Genesis took a breath before he sighed. ¡°There have been many things that Belladonna has done over the years, I have noticed, that not many people like.¡±

    ¡°You mean the non-humans?¡± Remus questioned.

    ¡°The Lower class?¡± Rosemary suggested.

    ¡°Everybody outside the court?¡± Jacob quipped.

    Genesis raised an amused eyebrow and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Remus smirked as his red haired cousin went on, ¡°Earlier today, Kalliope basically told Belladonna that she was no longer High Queen and she needs to stop acting like it, that Kalliope will be pushing her own agenda forward and if Belladonna doesn¡¯t like it, she could go back to the Noir Estate and live out the rest of her days with the Blacks.¡±

    Rosemary gasped while Jacob let out a low whistle and Remus nodded, ¡°I heard the servants talking about that.¡± Genesis gave him a curious look. ¡°Apparently, there was a couple servants nearby when Kalliope gave Belladonna a verbal slap down. They didn¡¯t keep quite about it for long either. The entire serving staff knows about it, Gen. They are hoping for a change, a good change.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they will get that change with Arthur as King,¡± Rosemary said, looking between Genesis and Remus.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just depends on what is going to happen,¡± Remus replied. He caught Genesis¡¯ eye. When he had the General¡¯s full attention, he nodded, trying to give his cousin a hint that he knew about the Holy Sword. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would want to deal with another era of a Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    Genesis shrugged, ¡°All we can do is hope and prepare for the worst.¡±

    Rosemary shuddered, ¡°I still remember that time.¡±

    ¡°We all do,¡± Jacob grumbled, ¡°What are the chances of it happening again?¡±

    ¡°Right now, High,¡± Genesis glanced around a moment later, before he lend toward his cousins, ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t taking over. He was found unworthy.¡± Rosemary¡¯s eyes widened with horror and surprise. Jacob¡¯s spine straightened. Remus muttered a curse that would had their family matron slap him on the back of the head. ¡°Merlin and Morgana are planning to test the Knights then the Lords before it goes to Public Choosing.¡±

    ¡°Public Choosing?¡± Remus gapped, ¡°That hasn¡¯t been done in a century or two.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when it last happened,¡± Genesis admitted, ¡°But it has been long enough where the average person doesn¡¯t remember it. They think the position is passed down from father to son, or father to son in law.¡±

    ¡°Did would they explain the Era of the Kingless Kingdom?¡± Rosemary asked.

    ¡°They can¡¯t,¡± the General went on, ¡°They are under the impression that our Enemies wanted the Throne bad enough where they had march during our weakness point and tried to claim the Throne. Plus, it doesn¡¯t help The Drake Royal Family has been known to back stab each other in the back for a long while now.¡±

    Remus glanced around the Seasonal Throne, noticing most of the Court had filed out, in small groups of 6 or 7, talking among each other. He knew this court session was over, for now. There was a possibility of more representative of the other houses could be showing up over the course of the next few days. A feeling settled in his gut. Court of Camelot won¡¯t be boring for long. He resisted the urge to smirk.

 Chapter 27: The Rhythm of Camelot

    Tina let out a deep breath as she struggled to wake up. Her head felt fogy like she didn¡¯t sleep off some sleeping medicine. She knew she had passed out. She had done that several times before. Maybe she should have asked that Westley guy for one of the herbs he had listed. Maybe not. She didn¡¯t know if she could trust him or not. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. She winced and her lips pressed together as her back throbbed. She summoned her spirit energy and allowed the familiar warmth spread through her body before she directed it to her back. The pain faded away as her back warmed. She let out a relieved sigh.

    She opened her eyes and blinked until her eyes focused. The sky was on her right while a pile of brown cloth laid directly in front of her. She was laying on her side. She turned her head and glanced around to see she was in a bed of a wagon. She turned her attention to see Tristan standing beside her with his arm reaching into the wagon¡¯s bed to her, keeping his hand on her shoulder. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

    ¡°Hey, we are reaching Camelot,¡± Tristan explained, ¡°I knew you wanted to see this.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tina said, groggy. She grabbed the side of the wagon and pulled herself up into a sitting position. She rolled her shoulders and brought a leg under her before she pushed herself up into a kneeling position. She stood up, slowly, stretching. She felt a lot better after that nap, lot more energized. She took stock of her spirit energy and knew it had recovered enough where she could use it until she went back to bed later that night. She grabbed the side of the wagon, placing her foot on the side of the wagon. Tristan started to reach out to grab her hips and help her down, but she waved him off. She hopped down, landing in a slight crunch then straightened to her full height.

    She caught sight of a large castle roughly a mile away, but there was a long line, waiting to get in. She blinked at that. She thought it would have been shorter then that. Tina frowned and turned to Tristan, hoping he would explain.

    ¡°They had increase security, due to the Funeral,¡± Tristan explained, ¡°It will be still a bit before you can enter.¡±

    Tina nodded and thought about what he just said before she cocked her head to the side, hearing the single way he phrased his statement, and spoke up, ¡°I take it we are separating here.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan nodded, ¡°I have a few things left to do before I entered Camelot.¡± Tina nodded. While she was curious on what he had to do, she knew it wasn¡¯t her place to ask. ¡°Here.¡± He handed her a scroll with a small pouch. Tina took the scroll and tucked it into the side of her bag before she took the pouch. It was heavy. She looked at the knight with both eyebrows raised. ¡°The pouch should have enough coin to get you a room for a night or two with meals as well to see a healer about your back before you head back home or head to the Estate.¡±

    Tina gapped before she nodded. She wasn¡¯t expecting this kindness from Tristan. Hell, she wasn¡¯t expecting him to take her to Camelot, either, but he did take her to the wall of the Castle. Tear welled up in her eyes. A lump formed in her throat. She pushed them back and cleared her throat before she spoke, ¡°Thank you, Tristan.¡±

    He nodded, his arms started to raise up, but he stopped them and allowed them to fall back to his sides. He shifted back and forth on his feet, his eyes darting around before they landed back on her again as she got emotional, but he went on, ¡°Be careful and watch your back. You can keep the horse until you figure out what you are going to do.¡± She nodded. She did feel a little more comfortable riding it now. It just took her a bit to over her nerves of riding a horse. ¡°Just find an inn with a stable. The horse will be well taken care of.¡± He handed her the reins for the horse. He took his bag off the back of the horse with his blanket roll. He swung his bag onto his back. He tried to hid his wince when the bag bounced off his back as Tina remembered he was also wounded. That Fawn village had also wiped him. He started to turn away when she said, ¡°You should see a healer about your wounds, too, Tristan.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± he glanced over his shoulder at her. A gleam in his eyes told her that he felt something that she didn¡¯t identify.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± she said as he walked away, heading off the road to the forest that line the western side of the road. In the distance, she spotted a large, tall wall of rock extending all the way up into the clouds. She frowned, thinking that looked somewhat familiar, but she didn¡¯t remember why or where she had seen it before.

    Tina turned her attention back to the road leading to the outer wall. She took a deep breath and grabbed the horn of the saddle and the back of the saddle. She slipped her foot into the stirrup and bounced before she jumped. She swung her leg over the saddle, settling down into it. She placed her other foot into the stirrup. She let out the deep breath she took, slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. She kicked the sides of the horse, gently and the horse moved forward, walking slowly as the line moved forward.

    She didn¡¯t know long much time had passed, but she knew it was enough for her ass to ache, her thighs to started screaming with pain and her back started to bother her again. Tina shifted in the saddle with a groan as she waited to enter the outer wall. Her eyes roamed over the outer wall. It appeared to be made of limestone or white marble. There were cracks in the wall, showing the age of the wall. She wondered if the wall had been through several repairs since the Founding of Camelot or maybe this kingdom was just a few years old. She didn¡¯t remember if Tristan had told her the name of the King whom recently passed or not. She still had to figure out a lot of things when it came to Camelot and its residents. She knew she would figure it out, eventually.

    She directed her attention back to the wall. Her eyes roamed upward, noting the various holes in the wall, closer to the top. Maybe that¡¯s where the archers would fire from. It provided safety for archers and the ability to deliver sure-kill shots. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

    A red haired man strolled long the top of the wall. His hair color. She paused, thinking. It looked so similar to her shade of red. He wore a red trench coat as he stood tall and she knew he shouted orders, but she couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying above the dull roar of the crowd trying to get past the outer wall. Another man with long red hair that was braided down his back strolled up to the Man in the trench coat and saluted him.

    The red trench coat man was a high-ranking member of the guard or the military, Tina mused, as he returned the salute. The Red Braid spoke to the Red Trench with a serious expression before Red Trench replied back. Red Braid nodded and turned away, heading back in the direction he came from, leaving Red Trench. He looked over the line of people entering the outer wall before he met Tina¡¯s eyes.

    Tina noticed his eyes were green. They looked familiar, just like his hair did. She wondered why. Maybe she had meet him in the past. However, that didn¡¯t make sense. She never been to Camelot or its surrounding lands.

    She ran to him before she stopped in front of him, and cried out, ¡°¡­..!¡± She pointed behind her, ¡°They are being mean to me again!¡± He glanced over her shoulder and rolled his eyes at her.

    She blinked, rapidly, as a sharp pain rippled across her forehead. She reached up and rubbed at it. That vision was strange. She didn¡¯t get much details other then the boy in her vision appeared to be the younger vision of the Red Trench man. He had to be just a couple years older than her. That didn¡¯t make any sense. She never met him in her life. She sighed before she turned her attention back to the entrance.

    Two pairs of guards standing on this side of the outer wall. They waved people through, and Tina entered the tunnel of the outer wall. She glanced at the walls of the tunnel to see murder holes and spotted men with bows at the ready. Curious sparked in Tina as she rocked back and forth on the back of the horse. Tristan wasn¡¯t joking when he said security had been increased. The tunnel went on for at least 15 feet before it ended. She glanced back and forth as she tried to control her anxiety. The tunnel was nothing more then a large kill zone if an enemy managed to get into the tunnel. She could easily image how it would go.

    The enemy would be bottlenecked as archers filled the narrow tunnel with arrows and other deadly sharp items. Bodies would pill up, giving the people of Camelot a makeshift barrier and time to figure out what to do next as the enemy tried to clear a way path in the tunnel. It would a crude way to block an enemy from entering the Castle, but effective. Tina pushed those thoughts away as she entered Camelot.

    She looked ahead to see a large castle sitting the far end of a town. Her jaw dropped as she tried to look in every direction at once. The town as she first thought was not a small town. It was more like a small city. Many of the buildings were brick from Tina could see. She took a deep breath. There was the strong scent of fresh baked goods on the air coming from a bakery up the street. She smiled as she recognized the scent of cinnamon and baking bread. It reminded her of home as pang of homesickness went through her. She lost the smile as she blinked back tears. She would return home, soon. She had to find out why this Lady Freya sent a ninja to kidnap her and request her to be brought to this White Hall Estate. She would eventually go there once she explored Camelot. The tears disappeared as she tried to look on the brighter side of things.

    Straight ahead, a large inn sat inviting to the weary travelers. The sign hanging down the front porch read ¡®The Dragon¡¯s Keep Inn¡¯. Tina snorted at that as she studied the inn. It was four-story brick building with a wrap around porch going to the left. To the right of the building, there was a large stable. There was nothing special about the Dragon¡¯s Keep from the outside, Tina mused as she noticed two smaller signs hanging down from the large sign with the Inn¡¯s name - No Vacancy.

    That didn¡¯t surprise her a bit. She knew from the long line of people, hotels will be filled to the brim with people. She really thought her best bet was using Tristan¡¯s offer, whatever it was to get a room for the night.

    Tina looked to the right as she pulled on the reins slightly causing the horse to stop. She didn¡¯t see another inn to the right, but when she narrowed her eyes, she thought she spotted another entry point. She pulled on the reins toward the left and the horse turned to the left. The horse slowly walked down the street. Tina kept the wall to her left as she peered at the various stores.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Next to the Dragon¡¯s Keep Inn, a three story brick store stood. A sign with the image of a dress poked out over the street. The words written on the sign said, ¡®Dresses for all occasions¡¯ and in a store window, a wooden female figure stood with a simple, yet, fancy black dress for sale. A red sale sign sat the foot of the wooden female figure, ¡®Up to 50% off on all black dresses¡¯. That would be one way to make sure every woman got a black dress for the funeral ceremony.

    Tina¡¯s eyes moved on the third building. It was a simple one story structure. There was no door or windows to enter the building, but it was butted right up against another building. Maybe it was an added on for the building sitting at the corner of the street. She kept her eyes moving. She spotted a pair cross road signs. It reminded her of those ones that told the street names back home. She felt surprise to see something like that in Camelot. The top road sign said ¡®Main Street¡¯ and it went perpendicular to the bottom one which she couldn¡¯t read. She figured that Main street went straight up to the castle. Her thoughts drifted to the scroll Tristan handed her and she turned in the saddle, wincing as a sharp pain cut through the healing effect of her spirit energy, to pulled out the scroll from the side pouch of her bag. She untied it and unrolled it.

    Her eyes darted up as the horse continued to move under her before she started to read it silently. For the first read through, she saw it was directions to an inn that Tristan sometimes stayed at, if he was conducting secretive business, which happen to be a brothel. She sighed as she read through the letter again, comprehending a lot more through the second read then she did the first time around.

    Lady Tina,

    I have a room standing available for me at the Lady Love¡¯s Brothel and Inn. It¡¯s on the corner of Allen road and Smith ave. You can take Main street up to Cheyenne Ave to Shawnee Trails. I have enclosed a letter for the Madam there. She is a close friend of mine. I use the room for less then savory business. It may not be available since the Funeral Ceremony is in the morning, due to the nature of the business. However, if that is the case, I have enclosed a letter, allowing you to get onto the Castle Grounds and entry to the Castle. Just go to the castle and show it to one of the guards or knights and they will direct you to the Knights¡¯ Tower. They will escort you to my personal chambers. I will allow you to stay there until you make your decision on what you will do next, whatever it may be.

    Sir Tristan

    Tina¡¯s lips parted as she read the letter again. Tristan had a room at a local whore house for his less then savory business. That was something she was okay with, but the fact he had even suggested it to her. She blinked. She didn¡¯t know if she should be insulted or amused. Granted she had stayed in worst places then a whore house when she was forced to participate in the Black Tournament. That hotel had been owned and operated by a Demon Clan and they won¡¯t shy about the various activities that went on indoors. She didn¡¯t know how many times she had walked in on adult activities in the lobby or one of the lounge areas. She shuddered as she tried to push those memories away.

    Directing her attention elsewhere, Tina glanced up at the street sign before she pulled on the reins, directing the horse to go right. She caught sight of where the delicious smells of baking goods drifting from. It was a corner bakery called Hikari Bakery. She blinked at the store name. Hikari was the Japanese word for ¡®Light¡¯. She hummed as she thought about it. Light Bakery. She smirked in amusement. Most baked goods were not light on the stomach. It was a nice play on wordage.

    Tina half turned in her seat and tucked the scroll back into her bag. She couldn¡¯t be losing that. Tristan did her a huge favor. He basically have her a letter of recommendation for a place to stay for the night, maybe two nights. Plus he was willingly to pay for it. Once she figured out what was going on with the whole situation with the White Hall Family, she would figure out a way to repay him for his kindness.

    She allowed the horse to wonder up the road as she looked at the various shops along the Main Street, seeing majority of them were packed with the dinner rush. The scents drifting through the air were mouthwatering. Her stomach rumbled. She wanted to stop by one of the packed restaurants to grab something to eat, but she didn¡¯t know how much Tristan gave her. It could possible a room with everything going on would be expensive as some of the business owners hoped to make one hell of a profit. She hoped it wouldn¡¯t be extreme, but the profits they could see might help them out in the long, like saving up a daughter¡¯s bride price or buy new clothes. She sighed as she noticed the shadows between buildings. There were some people without families to help them. However, a nearby conversation caught her attention.

    ¡°The Pope will be overseeing the Funeral Ceremony of King Uther, Tenth of His Name, Of House Drake,¡± a loud voice rang out, ¡°The Funeral Ceremony and Parade has been postponed until the morning of the 23rd.¡± Tina spotted where the voice was coming from. A lanky man stood on a small stage at the corner of two streets, reading from a scroll. It was a Town Crier. She remembered from her classes that covered the middle ages, they helped deliver the news throughout the various towns and villages of a kingdom. He looked up from the scroll and went on, ¡°King Uther of House Drake has ruled over Camelot almost 10 years, now. He passed away three days ago. May his soul rest in peace. Prince Arthur, Ninth of His Name, of House Drake, is the acting King and has refuse to take the Crown of Camelot.¡± Tina blinked at that news. She knew majority of the time, the son would inherit the father¡¯s throne if they were royalty. ¡°It is unclear, now, who will be taking the Throne of Camelot. Until then, High Queen Kalliope will be ruling with Prince Arthur as an adviser.¡±

    Tina cocked her head to the side. She didn¡¯t know if this Queen Kalliope was the same Queen in the stories of Arthur¡¯s father or not. Something was not adding up here. She heard murmurs from the crowd gathered around and listened in a conversation.

    ¡°¡­Queen Belladonna doesn¡¯t like that,¡± a man dressed as a merchant said, ¡°She stormed out of the Royal Wing after the High Queen stood up to her.¡±

    ¡°It is about time someone did,¡± another man dressed as a blacksmith replied, ¡°I never did like that Warrior Queen¡¯s attitude toward the previous High Queens. She always thought she was better then them caused she refused to sit at the castle and helped out on the battlefield.¡± The merchant nodded before he parted ways from the Blacksmith.

    ¡°I hope Queen Susan will return for the Funeral Ceremony,¡± a woman, holding the hand of her child, commented to another woman who carried a bundle of cloth in her arms.

    ¡°Me too,¡± The Cloth carrying woman said, ¡°I wish Queen Brenna would come to the castle. She was my favorite Queen. I still can¡¯t believe Uther would cast out his Aunts from the Castle like that.¡± The two woman drifted away. Tina raised both eyebrows. That was never covered in any of her classes about Camelot and the Arthurian Legends. She knew it did happen a lot during the Middle Ages when a new family took over the throne of a kingdom.

    The horse moved past the Town Crier stage and continued its causal stroll up the road. Tina turned her attention to in front of her to see something she never thought she would see in a Medieval Kingdom¡­a large trolley rolled down the street and went through an open front building, disappearing down a slope, heading under ground. She blinked. She expected to see that in San Fransisco, not Camelot of all places. She, then, began to noticed some odd things about some of the horses close by. At first glance, they appeared to gray-color horses. At second glance, the gray color coat of the horses turned out to be a dull silver plating. Tina narrowed her eyes, trying to see past the plating before her eyes widened. She could have sworn she spotted gears like the horse was not a living breathing horse similar to the one she rode upon, but a mechanical horse.

    If this kingdom had that kind of technology available to it, it meant this Camelot was not the one of legend, but a steampunk version of it. She couldn¡¯t help wondering what the hell was going on with this kingdom. No medieval age kingdom should have access to that type of technology. For a moment, she wondered if she could try to charge up her music player for the return trip. That would be nice. Her thoughts turned back to the steampunk issue. She wondered what other kind of technology would have. It would be something she could keep an eye out for during her stay.

    As Tina roam up Main Street, she kept seeing the mechanical horses pulling wagons that full of supplies and other items needed. She wondered if there were other mechanical things. She heard a loud bell. She sucked in a breath. Her eyes darted up to the Castle. A tall tower loomed over the city like town. The bell rang out several times. She silently counted them. 6. It was 6 o¡¯clock. No where why most of the restaurants she had came across were packed. It was dinner time. Her stomach rumbled a bit at that thought. She sighed. She glanced around the street. She knew it had been a while she had anything to eat, before she had entered the walls of Camelot.

    The streets slowly cleared as many of the townspeople wondered home, to an inn, or to a local restaurants. Tina watched as some of the street merchants began to close up shop for the day. She shook her head in amusement. This was so different from what she was used to. The only time she had witness street merchants close up was when she went to the local farmers¡¯ market on Saturday mornings. She spotted a street opening on the left hand side. The second one she had seen on Main street. She was still too far away from the street sign to read the street name.

    Tina turned her attention back in front of her to watch a group of kids run through the slowly emptying street with an old lady, silver hair streaming down her back, screamed after them, ¡°Get out of here, you bloody street rats!¡± she threw what appeared to be a rolling pin at the back of the tallest street rat. It sailed through the air and the tall street rat glanced over his or her shoulder in time to duck the flying rolling pin. It hit the ground with a dull thump.

    That was something else Tina never witness before and it only causes her to pulled the coin pouch closer to her. She knew the kids were probably homeless or at least their family was poor. Her heart went out to those kids. She didn¡¯t stop as the tall street kid bent down and grabbed the rolling pin. He or she turned around and waved the rolling pin in the air above their head, grinning brightly, and called out, ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am, for the nice rolling pin!¡± They disappeared down an alley way.

    ¡°YOU BRAT!!!¡± the old woman shouted at the top of her lungs. Tina acted like she didn¡¯t see a thing as she guided the horse to the street entrance. ¡°GET BACK HERE WITH THAT ROLLING PIN!!¡± The old lady hurried after the street rats, disappearing after them. Tina just shook her head then she saw her. She stood on the other side of the street.

    A woman with long, flowing black hair wearing a light purple dress that remind Tina of orchids. Even from that distance, Tina could see the beautiful shade of blue of her eyes. She looked familiar - very familiar like Tina had seen her, recently, on TV or in a movie. What TV show or movie, Tina didn¡¯t remember, but the woman had a beauty about her that Tina had only seen a few times in a TV series. If memory served her correctly, it was about Camelot, but she didn¡¯t remember anything else. It will eventually come back to her when she was not thinking about it. Either way, this woman had unearthly beauty to her. As if she had some elvish blood or fae, assuming those type creatures existed in this version of Camelot. It wouldn¡¯t surprise if such creatures did live in hiding.

    Tina shook her head and tried to figure out where she would go first. That Brothel first or skip it and go straight to the castle. Granted she would have protection either way she went. However, there was a chance if she did go to the brothel, she could be mistaken for one of the Ladies of the Night and fend off any horny man. On the other hand, that still could happen at the castle if a knight didn¡¯t have the honor it was rumor the Knights of Camelot had. Hopefully, there would be less of a chance of that happening within the heart of the Kingdom. She didn¡¯t really need it much more thought then she already did.

    She glanced up at the large castle, sitting in the middle of the town. Something settled in her gut as she nudged the horse to walk up the road. It could be nerves. It could have been something else. Either way, she knew once she entered through the gate separating the castle from the town, her life would change. She still didn¡¯t know how she felt about that. She glanced over her shoulder. She could easily turn around and try to find her way back home, but it would linger at the back of her mind¡­what if she stayed and found out about her father¡¯s side of the family? She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves as the horse walked past the unearthly beauty and continued up to the castle.

 Chapter 28: Whispers in the Halls

    Morgana chuckled as she walked away from the market square, hearing the old baker yell at the street kids about her rolling pin. Feeling eyes on her, the Black Mage cast her gaze around until she spotted the owner of the eyes. A red hair woman sat upon a gray mare. The woman wore strange, almost outlandish clothes, but that was not what caught Morgana¡¯s attention. It was her eyes. They were a dull shade of green. For some reason, Morgana thought they should have been a bright shade of green, just like General Genesis¡¯ eyes. The mysterious woman and the General did share the shade of red hair.

    The image from her vision appeared in her mind, suddenly. The female figure turned her head to reveal a pair of sad green eyes and red hair falling over her shoulder. Morgana sucked in a sharp breath. She blinked away the vision, noticing the new detail. She frowned as the woman turned away, the horse heading to a side street and disappearing down it. Her heart thundered in her chest. She stared after the mysterious woman.

    She shook her head, trying to clear it. Her black hair waved back and forth, slipping over her shoulders. She looked one more time toward the street where the woman disappeared to and pushed the strange looking woman out of her mind. Morgana had to get back to the Castle.

    She only came down to the town to get a few herbs from her favorite living herbologist, a young woman by the name of Helga of House Greenfields, a lower house that didn¡¯t hold a representative position at the Drake Court. She thought at one time it did, but it had been a long time ago. Morgana recalled a Greenfield woman that matched Morgana in magical prowess, but she died while creating the barrier, separating the United Kingdoms of Camelot from the Outside World.

    Morgana sighed, wishing she could teach her knowledge about the benefits of herbs to Helga, but thanks to the various laws in place, she couldn¡¯t. Belladonna hadn¡¯t been the first Ruling High Queen to push her own agenda through her husband¡¯s Kingship. There had been other High Queens who did the same. All of it ended with more and more laws placed on the non-humans and humans that the ability to use magic.

    During times of peace, it was hard on her and Merlin to get away with using magic, however, during the war times, the Ruling Family wanted them to preform magic that cause the enemy to think twice before attacking Camelot. Many of the non-magi didn¡¯t get was the longer the magic build up, unused, the more dangerous it got.

    Just last year, Merlin and Morgana got word of a young woman named Evelyn. She had to be rumored to be a witch, but when Merlin left to double check if the rumor was based on a truth or a huge misunderstanding of what the witness saw, it was too late. She had disappeared for a week before her body was discovered by a farmer and directed Merlin to the place where he had discovered the missing woman. Merlin later told Morgana that Evelyn had to be hybrid between an Earth based demon and a human, from the way vines grew around her hands to form swords, a nearby rose brush had launched sharp thorns at Merlin when he approached, and the plants had try to hid her body. Once Merlin had taken care of the attacking plants, he saw Evelyn¡¯s stomach had been shredded into pieces and her throat had been slit.

    Two years ago, Morgana had been the travel out to seek out a young man named Liam. He had been seen performing attacked based magic by one of his servants. Liam was indeed a mage. He had the ability to grow into a powerful mage. Morgana had secreted him away and sent him to an island off the coast of Camelot. She had no clue if he had ever made it until recently when he returned with the surprising news of a school of magi, led by 5 former apprentices of The Battle Mage and the Black Lady, and how it was created and thrive over the years. The Duty Headmistress would visit Camelot to search for the possible students for the school, but she always arrived in disguised and kept a low profile. That was something Morgana was grateful to discover.

    Once upon a time ago, Morgana and Merlin had trained 5 disciples. The 5 grew to be some of the most powerful magi the duo had ever trained and had left Camelot during the year that Merlin and Morgana slept. The 5 had plans to create a school for magical learning and had talked about it with Merlin and Morgana for years, leading up to the Separation. Merlin and Morgana had lost track of them after the Separation and thought they had been left behind on an Earth unfriendly to magic users.

    Morgana smiled at the memories, drifting through her head. She would get word from one of the 5 about the current events going on at the school. It was always something going on there - either a student discovering they could pull a prank and get away with it or a lesson that went wrong and caused a cauldron to explore, a student walked away from a lesson missing a limb or ended up dead from a wrongly drawn rune. She lost her smile, knowing the reason behind the wrongly drawn runes. The students were training to be blood magi. Both Morgana and Merlin were skilled in blood magic, but they only used that branch of magic as a way to store their extra magic their bodies created. She didn¡¯t personal use it to increase her natural speed or muscle powers. She knew if a rune was drawn wrong on the body or didn¡¯t get completed in time, Lady Death would come for you. She sighed.

    She would love to visit the school and help teach the young magi, again. She missed that. She missed watching the student¡¯s eyes light up as they finally understood how a spell worked, how a potion was created, how powerful they could become if they followed a certain path, and how open the world became for them. She missed seeing the students transform from curious kittens, eager to learn and explore their magic to powerful, experienced lion and lioness, ready to defend their loved ones.

    Maybe one day she would experience that once again. She knew it would take the right ruler to allow the magic to step back into the light, from the shadows. Just like it would take the correct ruler to understand the non-humans and break the chains of confinement, allowing many of the non-humans to take flight again.

    Morgana continued her way back to the castle. Her thought drifted back to Helga. So far, the herbologist hadn¡¯t shown any signs of magical power, if the woman was a magi. Helga could just have a better understanding of herbs then someone else, the black mage mused. She shifted the bundle of herbs she bought from Helga as she looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly disappearing over the border where the sea met the sky. Families were disappearing into their homes for the evening meal then head to bed. She knew the Ruling Family would be meeting soon for their Mourning Meal with the previous Queens that Uther had kicked out of the castle at his grandmother¡¯s - Belladonna- request. She smirked. She wanted to be the fly on the wall for that meal. She knew the previous queens that ruled for a short time between Belladonna and Clarine looked upon Belladonna with disfavor. Belladonna, through her grandson, had kicked them while they were down, mourning their own husbands¡¯ lost. At least, the Mourning Meal would not be boring.

    ¡°Welcome back, Lady Morgana,¡± One of the guards called out to her as she crossed the drawbridge. She nodded at him with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you, Homer,¡± Morgana replied back, coming to a stop beside him, ¡°How are the wife and the babe?¡± Homer¡¯s wife was one of the more well known maids within the castle and was a delight to be around. Recently when Homer¡¯s wife went labor, she had been working a light duty shift within the Queen¡¯s tower and went into labor. Morgana had been heading back to her rooms when she had came across Homer¡¯s wife and helped her through the labor as several other maids gathered the supplies they needed to help the expecting mother through the labor. One of the Knight who had been escorting Queen Vivien back to the tower had summoned Homer and took Homer¡¯s guard position so the new father could be with his wife.

    ¡°Lisa is doing good,¡± Homer¡¯s brown eyes glinted with happiness, ¡°She is recovering well from the birth so is the babe.¡± A proud smile crossed his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Have you decided on a name for the babe?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± he shook his head, ¡°But we are debating between Sarah Maire or Irene Lily.¡±

    ¡°Both are pretty names for your little girl,¡± she gave her opinion, ¡°But, I kinda like Irene more. Irene was the name of my mother.¡± Her smile turned fondly as she remembered her mother, very faintly. She knew she favored her mother¡¯s image then her own father, Uther I, only getting his blue eyes. Time would do that to any aged being, making memories faded away, leaving only knowledge behind.

    ¡°I will tell Lisa that,¡± Homer said, ¡°She is grateful for your help in delivering the babe, by the way, my lady.¡±

    ¡°Anytime,¡± Morgana said with a happy note in her tone. She started to step away when Homer spoke up, again, ¡°Have you seen Sir Tristan? I have been wanting to thank him for taking my shift so I could be with Lisa.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t seen him for a week,¡± she confessed. She frowned as she turned away. She may not have any kids of her own, but it didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t want any. She knew there was a chance she already lost her ability to have kids, being half human. She heard many of the fae, back when she was a lot younger, had complain about not being able to give birth a child of their own. She must have inherited that problem. She sighed. It could be a bright spot in her overlong life that she didn¡¯t have to bury her own children when they died. She turned her thoughts from that issue.

    However, Homer did bring up a good problem. Sir Tristan. She usually saw him once or twice a day, but he had been mysteriously absent of late. She knew he had left the castle soon after he was informed of Uther¡¯s impeding death, but that was the last she had heard of him. She didn¡¯t worry. He had been gone longer then a few days before, when he was on a quest.

    She pushed those thoughts away. She stepped past Homer and continued her way into the courtyard. Her eyes drifted around the large courtyard before they settled on the statue in the middle of the yard. Something tung on her heart as she looked at the statue. It was her Arthur, her half-brother. He stared out of the southern part of the town, toward the Dead End Forest and the ocean. The fading sun illuminated his face. He held the Holy Sword in front of him, hoisted up in one hand. The cape he wore flowed out behind him.

    ¡°Why, ¡®Gana, do I have to do this?¡± Arthur whined, sending the same blue eyes she had at her in a sad gaze. ¡°I have work to do since I don¡¯t know when Robert would be here to challenge me for the Throne.¡±

    ¡°I know, Artie,¡± Morgana said, an amused smile on her lips. He glared at her for using that annoying nickname. She stuck out her tongue at him. ¡°But think about it. You just over come a big challenge, already, defeating Robert, his eldest half brother, and need something to solidify that victory. It will help the people to know you are watching over them.¡±

    ¡°I know it will,¡± Arthur said, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to stand there for hours on end for some artist to draw me on parchment.¡±

    Morgana rolled her eyes in amusement and stated, ¡°Stop acting like a 3 year old, Artie, before I turn you into one.¡±

    Arthur gapped at her before he stated, ¡°Well, you would regret that. I would bug the shit out of you if you do.¡±

    She paused, thinking about that. Yes, he would. He would annoy her to the point where she would banish him somewhere like the bell tower and leave him there as a 3 year old, just get rid of him for a bit.

    She laughed softly, under her breath. She moved past the statue. Arthur had fought her on every level when it came to creating that statue. Eventually, she put a freeze type spell on him and positioned his limbs, allowing the artist to capture the King¡¯s likeness. He had avoided her for days after that.

    Morgana went through the halls and reached the Queen¡¯s Tower. She spotted a guard standing beside the door. The guard nodded at her, silently welcoming her back as he opened the door for her. She sent him a thankful smile and strolled past him. She spotted the familiar hallway with a red velvet, gold trimmed rug covering the stone floor. The various torches were already lit, casting the shadows in the areas between the torchlight.

    A door half way down the hall opened, swinging inward and the eldest, living in the castle, queen stepped out. Vivien wore a dark silver dress that sparkled in the torch light. Maybe it was the flickering fire light, but it appeared that Vivien had lost a few pounds in the past few days that Morgana didn¡¯t see her. The oldest Queen had been hiding in her room since Uther¡¯s death. The Black Mage didn¡¯t blame her. She was the same way after her own father and brother past away.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± Morgana bowed her head as she approached the Queen.

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± Vivien acknowledged, giving the she-mage a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes, ¡°Will you be at the Mourning Meal?¡±

    ¡°No, my lady, I wasn¡¯t invited,¡± Morgana replied. In the past, as the only living representative of the Pendragon House, she was invited to the Mourning Meal. That tradition started with the second Ruling Family, claiming that Morgana was still a Princess of Camelot and ruled that Morgana will always have a room in the Queen¡¯s Tower, as long as she wanted to stay in Camelot, and could only be revoke when 70 out of the 75 Ancient and Noble Houses voted the Lady Morgana out. Once in a while, Morgana would have to remind the Ruling Family of that law when they tried to cast Morgana out of the Queen¡¯s Tower and the Ruling Family would try to gather enough votes to push Morgana, but they always failed. When Belladonna¡¯s husband died on the battlefield, Belladonna didn¡¯t invite the Black Mage to the Mourning Meal. Now, Morgana was thinking about it, she didn¡¯t attend any Mourning Meal since Vivien¡¯s Mourning Meal.

    ¡°My deepest apologies, Morgana,¡± Vivien said, looking sad, ¡°You should really be there as the House Pendragon Representative.¡±

    ¡°I know, my queen,¡± Morgana agreed, ¡°But my time has passed and besides,¡± she looked around the empty hall, ¡°There will be enough entertainment there. The other former Queens will be there.¡±

    Vivien¡¯s lips twitched into an amused smile, knowing what Morgana meant and stated, ¡°Please, excuse me, Lady Morgana, but I fear I must get going to get the best seat.¡±

    Morgana grinned at the eldest queen and bowed her head as Vivien moved past her, leaving the Queen¡¯s Tower. She headed toward the stairs, at the end of the first floor, before she started to climb to the second floor, silently cursing herself for designing the Queen¡¯s Tower the way she did.

    Morgana grinned at the eldest queen and bowed her head as Vivien moved past her, leaving the Queen¡¯s Tower. She headed toward the stairs, at the end of the first floor, before she started to climb to the second floor, silently cursing herself for designing the Queen¡¯s Tower the way she did.

    There was not a spiral staircase like there was in the Knights¡¯ Tower, but each spiral stair case ended on the next floor. She would have to cross the floor to reach the next spiral stair case, passing the door for the Queen who lived on that floor.

    While Vivien lived on the first floor as the right of the Eldest Living Queen, Belladonna lived on the second floor. The second floor had a dark theme to it. Instead of the red and gold theme, Belladonna had decorate her floor with shades of dark green, trimmed in black. Morgana hurried down the hallway. She didn¡¯t want to get caught by the second eldest queen, especially after Kalliope had ripped the Warrior Queen a new one. She reached the next spiral stair case and quickly climbed it.

    The third floor had more life to it. Queen Susan had chosen her family¡¯s colors when she decorated. The rug covering the stone floor was a deep royal blue while the long floor to ceiling curtains were a bright shade of yellow. In the middle of the curtains, her family¡¯s crest stood in out the same shade of blue that covered the floor.

    Morgana¡¯s impression of Susan was different. Susan was from one of the minor house that Belladonna had thought she could control until Belladonna find out otherwise. It was an arranged marriage that allowed Susan¡¯s family to raise in power and the Black Family to gain some more land on the far edge of their land boundaries. Before Charles¡¯ death, Susan and the King were content with their marriage to each other and ended up having three children - a boy and two girls.

    The only door on the floor opened and a woman with graying brown hair stepped out. She wore a dark blue dress. It was one of the simplest, formfitting dress that Susan owned, but it made the woman look like she was going to a party, not a Mourning Dinner. However, Susan went on after her husband¡¯s death and banishment from the Castle to find another husband who adored her if the rumors were true and she gave birth more children as a result. Following Susan, a woman with dark brown hair, wearing a bright golden yellow formfitting dress. It was Princess Isabelle.

    If Morgana remembered correctly, that golden yellow dress had been in Susan¡¯s family for ages. She knew there was a story behind it, something about a werewolf male who ruled over a small piece of territory in the Frank country side, but that was all the black mage remembered. Susan¡¯s family kept it in good condition, repairing it as often as they need to, but most of the women who wore the dress tried their best to keep it in the same condition and somehow managed to get married to a man who was rumored to be a beast of some kind. It was the kind of story that young women fell in love with and tried to reenact with their own love stories. Princess Isabelle appeared to be the only one of the three children that Susan gave birth to while she was married to Charles to be attending the Mourning Dinner.

    ¡°Good Evening, Queen Susan, Princess Isabelle¡± Morgana greeted the third eldest queen and the eldest princess, ¡°And welcome back to Camelot.¡±

    The queen glanced up at Morgana before she grinned brightly at the mage, saying, ¡°Morgana!¡± she hurried over to the she-mage, ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± Susan embraced Morgana in a hug. Morgana moved the bag of herbs she carried out of the way before she returned the hug. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been good,¡± Morgana commented, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Hanging in there,¡± Susan said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember my eldest daughter, Isabelle.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Morgana turned to the princess, smiling fondly. She had watched many of the Ruling Families children grow from mere babes to thriving adults. There had been times she had been lucky to watch those thriving adults to become Rulers and parents, eventually growing old and joining the Spiritual World. ¡°How are you, Princess Izzy?¡±

    ¡°You remember my nickname, Auntie Gana,¡± Isabelle smiled, widely, revealing a pair of too long canines. Her crimson eyes glowed with happiness. Morgana opened up her arms to the princess and hugged her tightly. It felt like Morgana just hugged a ice cube, on the cold windy day, while she stood in the snow. The Black Mage gasped before she jumped back, out of the hug. Her fae instincts screamed at her - Run, run, run - and she studied the Princess, closely, before she glanced at Susan. Isabella looked sadden by Morgana¡¯s reaction, but she didn¡¯t move closer. Susan¡¯s expression was guarded. It was a look that Morgana was familiar with and Merlin called it the Queen¡¯s face.

    ¡°What happen to you, Izzy?¡± Morgana asked in an even tone, ¡°How did you -?¡±

    Isabelle smiled sadly as she finished, ¡°Become a vampire?¡± Morgana nodded. The princess opened her mouth, but she paused, looking over her shoulder at the staircase before she turned to look at them. ¡°Auntie Marie is coming with Prince Dorian.¡± She stated, simply. Her crimson eyes meet Morgana¡¯s blue eyes and promised, ¡°I will tell you and Merlin, everything, later tonight.¡±

    Morgana¡¯s eyes narrowed in warning, whispering, ¡°You better.¡± She paused, thinking, ¡°If you need to feed, there are a few criminals who are waiting their execution date in the lowest part of the dungeons.¡± She saw Isabella¡¯s guarded expression fell into a grateful smile and she nodded. Morgana made a mental note to inform Merlin about the need to arrange some accidentally deaths involving the death row criminals.

    If she remembered correctly, vampires could chose to turn their victims by allowing them to drink some of the vampires¡¯ blood when they were full grown adults. However, Lord Salazar was different. He had been turned early in his childhood by slowly being feed his sire¡¯s blood over a long period of time, allowing him to slowly grow into an adult.

    ¡°Morgana!¡± Marie¡¯s voice rang out in a cheerful note, breaking the tense in the hallway. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again!¡± Marie, the fourth eldest queen, hurried over to embrace Morgana, her olive green dress trailed out behind her. Her orange colored hair flew wildly about her head as her green eyes sparkled with joy. She didn¡¯t look like she had aged a day since she had left the castle. Morgana knew it was the fact red haired people aged like fine wine. She thought it was because a certain playful god favored their red hair and equal fiery attitude and had no problem stroking the fires of chaos wherever the red heads went.

    Marie wrapped her arms around Morgana, giving her a tight hug before she took a step back, grinning brightly. Morgana widened her stance as she tried to keep her balance. She had forgot how much energy Marie had. Marie was like a whirlwind, knocking people off balance and sweeping them away. Morgana was pretty sure that was how Edward, Marie¡¯s husband, fell in love with her as fast as he did. While she was High Queen, she had used the same energy to keep Belladonna on her toes and often pushed back against some of the non-human laws Belladonna had been working on passing through Edward.

    ¡°You have no idea how much I¡¯ve missed Camelot, you, and Merlin,¡± Marie started, ¡°Did you and Merlin ever get together? You two really make a cute couple, living as long as you both have.¡± Marie reached out and grabbed Morgana¡¯s left hand. ¡°But I don¡¯t see a ring on this hand. Too bad for Merlin. Guess he doesn¡¯t have the balls to ask you to be his wife after all.¡± Marie dropped Morgana¡¯s hand. ¡°Well, there are more fish in the sea as they say. You should really find someone to warm your bed, Gana, live a little, and have fun. However, I know dealing that Witch Queen Belladonna is hard. I¡¯m so glad I don¡¯t live in Camelot anymore. Going home after my love¡¯s death was the best thing for me. Plus, I don¡¯t have to deal with her bitchy attitude anymore and all of her rules.¡± She made a face. Morgana chuckled. Susan let out a sigh of amusement. Isabelle¡¯s eyes began to glow with happiness. ¡°I do miss everyone else here, though. I can¡¯t wait to see little Arthur. I¡¯m sure he has grown into a fine young man, ready to be king.¡±

    Morgana opened her mouth to cut in, but Marie went on, ¡°However, the rumor about the Holy Sword can¡¯t be true, is it? I mean, the Holy Sword can¡¯t really choose the next king. I thought it was more like father to son kind of thing.¡± Her face took on a thoughtful look. ¡°I mean, now, I think about it. It would explain why Uther didn¡¯t pull out the Holy Sword after Peter¡¯s death. The Holy Sword found him unworthy for some reason and allowed him to pull it out after he proved himself by defending Camelot when our enemies were literally pounding down our front door before they ran away with their tails between their legs.¡± She put a finger on the side of her face, cocking it to the right side, ¡°But then again, none of the others had to prove themselves like that, unless they did and I was not aware of it.¡± Morgana shook her head and Marie went on, ¡°It is a mystery, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Morgana finally cut in, ¡°Merlin and I have gone over every spell we had placed on the Holy Sword, but they are still strong as the day they were put on the Sword.¡± She paused, taking a breath, ¡°Perhaps there was another more worthy then Uther alive during that time and only after their death, Uther was the next option.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Marie gapped at her as did Susan and Isabelle. However, Dorian snorted. The four women turned to him. He sent them a grin. ¡°You managed to shut my mother up, Lady Morgana. That was a major accomplishment.¡±

    ¡°Dorian, you brat,¡± Marie gasped, raising a hand and slapping her son gently on his upper arm, ¡°You are supposed to behave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your son,¡± he shot back. His grin widen, if that was possible, as he went on, ¡°And a red head, I don¡¯t know how to behave.¡± He sent his mother a mischievous look. She returned it.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going, Dorian, before your grandmother have a heart attack,¡± Marie stated, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. She glanced at Morgana, asking, ¡°Will you be there, Gana?¡±

    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t invited, this time,¡± Morgana commented, ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She moved on before Marie could try to convinced her to attend the Mourning Dinner.

    The black mage hurried down the hallway and bounced up the spiral stair case. She didn¡¯t want to reminded of the fact she wasn¡¯t invited to a Mourning Dinner. This was the third time she wasn¡¯t invited to go. She would try to go, but she knew the guards had a list of approved family members who were allowed to attend. She knew this would be High Queen Kalliope¡¯s first time creating the list. Last time, it was Queen Clarine who created the list and Queen Belladonna went behind her back, marking off of Morgana¡¯s name, claiming that Morgana¡¯s time as a representative of House Pendragon had past and there shouldn¡¯t be a representative of that Ancient and Noble House anymore.

    Morgana entered the fourth floor. Marie¡¯s floor. It was similar to the previous floors, but it was decorated in Marie¡¯s former house colors. The long rug was a blue that remind Morgana of deep ocean waters she once traveled upon to visit a far off Kingdom on the behalf of her Arthur¡¯s United Kingdoms. The edges of the rug had silver trimming it. The curtain were matched the rugs with the center of the curtains had the Crest of House Hound, a three headed black hunting dog.

    The black mage remembered how the House came to be. It was thanks to Sir Percival. Before he became one of the 150 knights of the original round table, he raised various hunting hounds. He was the few who had no clue what kind of crest he should create since he was one of the knights not of noble birth. In fact, if she remember correctly, it was Lancelot - the Original one, not the present day one - who suggested it, claiming it fit Percival who seemed to be a pack animal, fitting in the rest of the knights and all to willingly to help, to prove his worth.

    She smiled at the memory. It was too bad that Morgana or Merlin never figured out what exactly happen to Percival after he went on his personal quest of the conquering the Holy Land for King Arthur. The reports just stopped coming after a few weeks and they waited a long while to hear anything back from the Hound Knight. They never did. Percival¡¯s wife had been ready to give birth to their third child when he disappeared. His only son did eventually went on to take his father¡¯s place at the Round Table before Arthur¡¯s death and grow to have a family of his own.

    It was common to see some old friends¡¯ family names, sitting on the Round Table. In some cases, they were heirs of the Original Members of the Round Table. In other cases, the Family Line of the Original Members of the Round Table had died out or married into another family, losing the Family name through the many centuries. Morgana didn¡¯t know how many names were lost that way, just like Pendragon.

    There were days where Morgana still cursed her eldest half brother, Robert, for the actions he took, many years ago, that led to the downfall of the Pendragon House. She didn¡¯t know if there was any more of the Pendragon bloodline still lived. She doubt it. She had tried to keep track of her many half sisters who were married off for various political treaties, but nearly all of them died through mysterious situations and the hand full who managed to survive, their bloodline ended.

    On the other hand, her many half brothers who managed to survive the Pendragon Civil War lived a dozen or so years after Arthur¡¯s death before they were killed off one by one. At first, Morgana didn¡¯t know what to make of it, but when she tried to look more into the various reasons behind their deaths¡¯, she knew their deaths were no accident. However, when she tried to look into it more, the United Kingdoms of Camelot forced the same enemy they did during Arthur¡¯s time, causing the Separation and the trail went cold once she recovered her magical energy a later year. In the end, she gave up when she didn¡¯t anything else over the mysterious deaths¡¯ of her family, leaving her the single Pendragon left. Morgana shook her head, trying to clear it of the old memories, crossing the rug.

    Morgana shook her head, trying to clear it of the old memories, crossing the rug. She went to the fifth floor. Her blue eyes scanned the floor, seeing the different colors of gold and green that belong to the House of Evergreen. Queen Brenna¡¯s former house. The door opened, in the middle of the hallway, and the Evergreen Queen stepped out. Her black hair curled about her shoulders. Her tan skin hinted at her heritage of the people from the south. She wore a powered blue dress that hugged her curves. Her gold fleck, blue eyes seemed to glow in the torchlight as she stared at Morgana with a glimmer of happiness and sadness.

    ¡°Morgana,¡± her voice still held a southern accent to it, informing anyone who was familiar with it that Breena was from the Isle of Florence, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been good,¡± Morgana said with a smile, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°The same,¡± Brenna nodded. Her eyes darted around the hallway like she was searching for something or someone. Morgana recognized the tell as it was. She didn¡¯t know how many times she had witness it while she attended Court. Brenna was lying. The Black Mage wondered why would the Former High Queen would lie. ¡°I need to get going. I can¡¯t be late for the Mourning Dinner. I¡¯m sure Belladonna would skin alive me if I was late.¡± The former queen walked by Morgana.

    Morgana frowned as she turned, watching Brenna leave the floor. The she-mage cocked her head to the side as she got sight of something poking out of the curly mess of Brenna¡¯s black hair. Pointed ears. Similar to the elven kind. Her eyes narrowed, thinking. There was no way for one of the former Queens to be a non-human. Belladonna would have thrown a fit about it. There were too many balls where the Queens would have to wear their hair up, out of their face, and off their necks. Plus there was too many laws in place for a non-human to be apart of the Ruling Family. Those laws were not put in place by Belladonna while she was the High Queen, but few other Ruling Families before her time and the few times she had tried after she was forced to step aside as The High Queen.

    Something had happened to Isabelle to change her into a vampire so that was different. It was after she had spent years in Camelot. Of course, if Belladonna had found out about the change, the warrior queen would try to have Isabella executed, but Brenna being born as a non-human and was able to rule as the High Queen of Camelot - that was an entire different story. If Brenna¡¯s husband had lived, Morgana couldn¡¯t help wondering what would have changed over the 10 years that he could have lived. A twitch of her lips as she entertained the idea. There would have been a good chance that many of the non-human laws would have been repelled. It might a step closer to the Golden Age of Camelot, again.

    She sighed. That was another thing Morgana could live without. The ¡®what if¡¯s. There was too ¡®What-if¡¯s with each King and High Queen. She felt each Ruling family could do more if they had more time. She cursed the Death Mage Rowena, once more. A burning rage rushed through her at the mere thought of that woman. It was Rowena who casted the deadly curse on the Holy Sword, tying it to the worthy who pulls the Holy Sword out of the sheath. If it wasn¡¯t her brother, Arthur, requesting Merlin to put the Spell of the Worthy on the Holy Sword, they wouldn¡¯t have to find a new King every 10 years.

    Morgana took a deep breath as she slowly climbed the stairs to the sixth floor. She let it out, pushing that anger aside and thoughts of that wretched woman. Her eyes drifted over the hallway. She cursed, softly, under her breath, wondering for another time why she had created the Queen¡¯s Tower like this. She had personally built the Queen¡¯s tower, years ago, when she was still the High Princess of Camelot, thinking there would be only one or two queens at a time, but after the magi realized that the curse was killing the worthy Kings, they need to make sure each Queen stay comfortable in their years after sitting on the High Queen¡¯s Throne. Morgana had added each floor, exactly the same, because she was in a hurry to do so when Camelot went through a series of wars that claimed the King¡¯s life, one after right the other, close to a thousand years ago. It went on for nearly 75 years. Eventually, the Queen¡¯s Tower went from having three floors to ten floors to a grand total of 26 floors for the 25 queens who lived a thousand years ago. Morgana took the highest floor in the Queen¡¯s Tower and has lived there ever since.

    Morgana silently thanked whoever she needed to that Camelot didn¡¯t have that many living Queens again. She knew the High Queen Kalliope was getting to move to the Queen¡¯s Tower in a few days¡¯ time. The Youngest Queen was the only queen that did not live in the tower, taking a room in the Royal Wing when she married Uther.

    The she-mage entered the sixth floor and saw the festival colors of Yuletide, the Holly Berry Red and Evergreen. It was Holly¡¯s floor, one of the daughters of Belladonna. Holly had married Sir Nickolas of House Yule. Lucky for everyone involved, Nickolas had been found worthy by the Holy Sword. Holly, once she moved to the Queen¡¯s Tower after her husband¡¯s death, made the decision to decorate in Nickolas¡¯ house colors.

    Morgana didn¡¯t run into Holly as she crossed the Holly Berry Red rug, trimmed the evergreen. She eyed the floor to ceiling curtain were dyed Evergreen while the Yule House Mistletoe crest stood out in the Holly Berry Red. She smelled the scent of peppermint drifting through the air from the nearby brushes that stood on either side of Holly¡¯s door. She heard raised voices coming behind the closed door. It sounded like Holly was arguing with her daughter about attending the Mourning Dinner.

    The black mage picked up the pace, not wanting to stay to listen to that disagreement. She managed to start climbing the spiral stair case when she heard the door opened. She bounced up the stairs a bit faster as Holly¡¯s voice filled the hallway with her daughter¡¯s. They were still discussing the fact Holly was forcing her daughter to go to the Mourning Dinner while the daughter wanted to track down a knight and talk to him, again.

    Morgana reached the seventh floor as Holly¡¯s voice faded below. She let out a sigh. She glanced into the seventh hallway. There was torchlight on the walls, lighting up the corridor, but she knew the Queen who stayed on this floor hadn¡¯t arrived, yet, back to Camelot. The Queen Room of this floor belonged to Elsa of House Winter, formerly of House Black, the other daughter of Belladonna. Morgana knew Belladonna would be chewing her second daughter¡¯s rear end when she arrived, claiming that Elsa needed to be there for the Mourning Dinner. When Elsa moved to the Tower, she decorated her hallway in the shades of Ice Blue in honor of her late husband¡¯s house. Morgana spotted the House of Winter¡¯s crest on the dark blue curtain in the shape of an flexed, muscular arm. She didn¡¯t stay on the seventh floor long.

    Morgana exited the stair case for the eighth floor and spotted Queen Clarine walking toward her. Her eyes still red rimmed from all the crying Morgana knew she had done and distant. The Queen wore a simple black dress that hugged her form. Her face was pale. She didn¡¯t say a word to the Black Mage as she past Morgana and disappeared down the stair case. Morgana sighed. She knew the Queen was taking the lost of Uther hard, a lot harder then the rest of the family. Uther was her baby and her only son. Her daughter managed to come, but Clarine wanted nothing to do with her, hadn¡¯t even greeted her. Morgana found that saddening.

    Clarine¡¯s hallway was decorated in the Ruling Family¡¯s colors instead of the House of Tully¡¯s Red and Blue hues. It was the same as the first floor where Queen Vivien lived.

    Morgana went on, to the stair case at the end of the floor. She reached to the ninth floor where Kalliope was moving to in a few days time. It was in the process of being decorated in House of Rose¡¯ colors of reds, and whites. The curtains already had been replaced from the crestless one to the curtain holding the House of Rose¡¯s crest with white flower petals, trimmed in red. The torches had been lit. Morgana knew this floor would be the last one lit.

    She reached the end of the hallway and reached up to grab the last torch, standing on her toes to reach it. She pulled it down and held it in her hand as she started her way up the stair case, crossing each unlit, undecorated floor until she reached the last floor.

    The last stair case didn¡¯t open up to a hallway, but ended in a solid oak door. Morgana pushed it open and smiled. She had finally reached her rooms. She stepped into the entrance room and shut the door behind her. She didn¡¯t go around the room, lighting the torches like she normally would do, but she went to her study and set her bag of herbs down on the large work table she had before she turned, leaving the room.

    The day had been long for her. She let out a sigh as she strolled to the fireplace and placed the torch on an unlit, unburnt log, waiting for it to catch fire. She watched the flames licked at the log, eagerly before she took the torch and went to the front door of her room and dumped it into a pot of water. The fire hissed loudly as steam rose from it. She went back to her room and prepared to go to bed. She glanced out at the castle, below and saw the Royal Wing. The Common Meeting room windows were lit brightly and shadows were dancing cross the window.

    Morgana knew the Mourning Dinner would be starting soon and for once, she was happy that she wasn¡¯t invited to go. There would be enough drama at the dinner to last her a lifetime. However, she knew she would eventually hear about the drama taking part soon. From experience, having the family gathered for a Mourning Dinner always caused some family secrets to come out.

    She frowned, thinking about her first Mourning Dinner, involving her own family. Her half-brother, Robert, had announced he was taking the Throne from Arthur through war if Arthur didn¡¯t give him the Throne, willingly. Of course, it led to the Pendragon Civil War.

    A few Kings later, the High Queen Athena of House Summer, the wife of King William, had one too drinks and ranted to anyone who would listen about she found out her husband cheated on her with one of her maids. The maid got pregnant and left the castle, shortly before the King¡¯s death. When Merlin and Morgana tracked down the maid, the maid already gave birth and stayed with her wedded husband. It was a confusing tale.

    Unfortunately, that story wasn¡¯t the only case. Morgana remembered a few other cases where the Former High Queen confessed something dramatically shocking or one of the children expressed their true feelings over being royalty. She cocked her head as the memory of a time when one of the children admitted to killing their father in order to inherit the throne, but found out too late that the Holy Sword didn¡¯t chose them. Of course, they threw a hissy fit about the outcome and threaten to take the Throne by force. However, the New Chosen King would end up banishing the previous Ruling Family from Camelot or sentencing the previous Ruling Family to execution to prevent a royal coup. It didn¡¯t stop someone of the previous members of the old Ruling Family from trying to usurp the Chosen King.

    In a way, Morgana already felt sorry for the Next Chosen King. He will have to deal with Belladonna and her scheming plans. God only knows what else someone displeased with the New Ruling Family could do or will do. It will be a rough ride for the next few months once the Holy Sword chose the next King.

    Arthur didn¡¯t want to go to the Royal Wing where the rest of the family gathered for dinner. He sighed as he pushed himself up from the chair. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with the headache of the Mourning Dinner.

    He had been hiding in his new room in the Knights¡¯ Tower for the past few hours. He knew no one would have disturbed him. He glanced around the room. He still had to unpack from the move he recently made. He didn¡¯t have the will to do much with his future in jeopardy. He didn¡¯t know if he would be allowed to stay in the Castle as a knight. It was the same with the women in his family. He didn¡¯t remember when it happened, but from the history lessons he had to take and the various conversations he had with his father and court historians, Nana Belladonna had managed to talk his father into sending his aunts away from the castle, once Uther was crowned King. The only reason why she couldn¡¯t talk Uther into sending Grandma Clarine away was the fact Clarine was Uther¡¯s mother.

    Grandmother Vivi simply refused to leave and informed Belladonna that she tried to remove Vivi from the castle, Belladonna would be going as well - by coffin. When Arthur first that story, he couldn¡¯t believe that his sweet, old grandmother would say something like that, but when Belladonna tried to remove Vivi from the Castle, shortly after Kalliope married his father and became High Queen, Vivi reminded Belladonna of her warning. Arthur avoided his grandmothers for the longest time and just found it easier to deal with them by agreeing with what they wanted or at least for the time being. Now, everything was in question.

    Arthur let out another sigh as he moved to the door, leading to the hallway of the 7th floor. He opened it at the same his best friend, Lancelot, lifted his fist to knock on the door. The former prince couldn¡¯t fight the amused smirk that spread across his face as Lancelot blinked then the knight asked, ¡°So, are you going to eat with the Ruling Family or with the Knights?¡±

    ¡°As much as I would prefer eating with the Knights,¡± Arthur started, ¡°We both know I¡¯m expected at the family dinner.¡± He lost that amused smirk. ¡°It is going to be such a fun affair.¡±

    Lancelot snorted, ¡°Sure it is.¡± He paused, ¡°At least for the ones sitting on the sidelines of that royal dinner.¡±

    ¡°I rather be there instead of in the middle of it,¡± Arthur said as Lancelot stepped to the side. Arthur stepped out of his room and shut the door behind him. Together, the best friends walked to the spiral staircase, going down it.

    ¡°I heard Queens Susan and Brenna arrived an hour ago,¡± Lancelot commented, ¡°And Queen Marie in the last few minutes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± Arthur started to turn around, taking a step back up the spiral staircase, causing the best knight of Camelot to laugh under his breath, ¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with that drama tonight.¡±

    ¡°You know, Bella will be sending a guard to you, soon,¡± Lancelot countered, ¡°Claiming it is tradition that you come to the dinner.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Arthur grumbled. He really didn¡¯t want to go the dinner, now. He didn¡¯t remember the last time his aunts and Nana Bella was in the same room together because he was young enough where he was excused from attending, but he had heard the stories from his nursemaid later while she talked with her -now - husband. Nana Bella basically had a shouting match with Brenna before Uther stepped in and sent both women to their rooms. Brenna went willingly while Nana Bella had to be threaten to be tossed into the dungeons overnight. Hopefully, Arthur wouldn¡¯t have to be do that. The only difference between his father and himself, Arthur didn¡¯t make idle threats. He knew Nana Bella would send a guard after him before she would come herself and ran fury down upon him. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprise that Nana Bella appears in the dungeons for the night.¡±

    Lancelot laughed before he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll warn the guards and the Generals.¡± Arthur felt Lancelot¡¯s eyes drift to him for a moment then stare straight ahead as they stepped off the spiral staircase, ¡°Should I inform the Generals that they may want to replace the guards with several of our people? That way none of the guards feel uncomfortable about being ordered by Bella to be released, but can¡¯t due to it was your orders she can¡¯t be let out.¡±

    Arthur thought about that as he strolled over to the door of the Knights¡¯ tower. He nodded saying, ¡°I think it would be best, but only if Nana Bella ends up down there.¡±

    Lancelot nodded and Arthur stepped out of the tower, into the dimming light of the sun. He was thankful the day was nearly over. It had been a long one. He strolled over to the castle and headed to the Royal Wing where the Ruling Family stayed. A part of him was glad that he no longer stayed in the Wing. Having his aunts back in the castle was going to be weird enough, but he wanted to avoid the drama that he knew was going to happen between Nana Bella and Aunts Brenna, Susan, and Marie. He nodded to the guards as he entered the Royal Wing. He paused on the other side of the door, straining his ears to listen. Silence.

    Arthur didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing or not. He crept forward. His eyes drifted around the hallway until they landed on the closed door of the Common Meeting Room. It was doubling as the Dinner Room tonight for the Mourning Dinner. He approached the door, still not hearing if there was arguing or not.

    Sir Bors, blessed him, apparently got stuck with the Duty of the Night to guard the Common Meeting Room for the dinner, gave him an understanding look and once Arthur got close, whispered, ¡°So far, there has been no arguing from what I can tell.¡±

    ¡°Who is all in there?¡± Arthur questioned.

    ¡°Previous Queens Brenna, Marie, Susan, Vivien, and Clarine with High Queen Kalliope,¡± Bors listed the family members who were in the room behind the closed door. Arthur nodded. Bors¡¯ eyes shifted behind him and he straightened.

    The former crowned prince turned and saw Nana Bella stormed up with his cousin, James, trailing behind her with Aunt Holly. Arthur resisted the urge to sigh. Of course, Aunt Holly had to show up as well. Today just got longer. He put on a welcoming smile, directing it to Aunt Holly and said, ¡°Hello, Aunt Holly.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Arthur,¡± Holly¡¯s deep famine voice filled in the hallway, ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± Holly approached him and held up her arms. Arthur stepped into them and hugged his aunt, tightly. Holly was the older daughter of Nana Bella. ¡°Though I wished it was under better circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Me too, Auntie,¡± Arthur replied, wondering where the younger of the Belladonna daughters was at, ¡°Where is Aunt Elsa?¡±

    ¡°She will be showing up in the morning,¡± Holly explained, ¡°She left the Winter Estate, late.¡±

    ¡°She will be hearing about it from me when she gets here,¡± Belladonna¡¯s tone informed Arthur how much she disapprove of Elsa¡¯s tardiness.

    Arthur thought privately that Elsa wanted to avoid getting a lecture from her mother as much as possible, but he didn¡¯t know if anyone had informed the newcomers of the news about the Pope.

    ¡°You know, mom, that Elsa was never the one to arrive on time,¡± Holly said, giving her mother a look behind her back ¡°She would be late for her own funeral.¡±

    Arthur and James shared a look of amused. Elsa had that reputation and it wouldn¡¯t surprise them if Elsa managed to be late for her own funeral when she decided to kick the bucket. Arthur turned to Sir Bors and nodded at him.

    Sir Bors turned to the door and banged on it before he stepped into the room, announcing, ¡°Prince Arthur, Queen Belladonna, Queen Holly, and Lord James are here, your highness.¡±

    ¡°Allow them to enter,¡± Kalliope¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°As you wish, my lady,¡± Sir Bors said before he pushed open the door more and stepped aside. Arthur entered first, strolling to his chair as he was still the Acting King. Belladonna swept into the room. The Acting King heard her scoff at the sight of her former daughter-in-laws, sitting at the table. He simply closed his eyes, fighting against the irritation that rush through him. He sent his aunts a welcoming smile like he did with Aunt Holly. It was because Nana Belladonna had talked Uther into sending them away from the Castle that Arthur didn¡¯t spend much time with them while he was through his teenage years. He was pretty sure the last time he had seen them was about 10 years ago shortly after his father took the crown of Camelot, becoming King.

    ¡°Welcome back to Camelot, Aunt Marie, Aunt Brenna, Aunt, Susan,¡± Arthur started before Holly rushed past him and went to her sister-in-laws with a joyful cry.

    ¡°Brenna, Suzie, Marie,¡± Holly said, ¡°I have missed you, so much.¡± She went to the closet one, Marie.

    Marie¡¯s red hair flared around her head like unruly halo. She wore an olive green dress with a red rose trim. Her grin was bright as she stood up and held onto Holly as tightly as Holly held onto her before they parted. Marie asked, ¡°How are your kids?¡±

    ¡°Micheal is doing alright,¡± Holly launched into an explanation, ¡°He should be here in Camelot, as a part of the Honorable Brigade.¡± She smiled. That was news to Arthur. He didn¡¯t think any of his cousins would already be in Camelot. ¡°The last time he wrote to me, he said he was in line for a promotion to Fourth in Commander.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Marie exclaimed, sounding impressed. Arthur nodded in agreement as he sat down beside Kalliope. He knew General Honor pushed his men to do better and be better then the average soldier, often giving a speech about honor and how important it was for them to keep it. He had been at the receiving end of one of those speeches before and it left an impression on him. If his cousin Micheal was promoted to Fourth in Commander, Micheal not only deserved it, but the General did as well.

    ¡°Little Anna,¡± Holly grinned, brightly, ¡°Managed to get herself engaged to a Lord in the Highlands and she won¡¯t be joining us. She is expecting her first babe.¡± Gasps echoed. Holly drifted to Susan with a bounce in her step.

    Susan¡¯s dark blue dress glimmered in the firelight. There were streaks of gray in her brown curled hair. Susan gave Holly a bright grin, revealing crow¡¯s feet at the corner of her eyes and replied, ¡°I bet you are excited to become a grandma finally.¡±

    Arthur saw James move toward him and the former prince waved him to take the seat beside him as Holly continued to bring her former sister-in-laws up to speed on what was happening in her life since they had parted ways.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Holly said, ¡°Micheal isn¡¯t looking for a wife, just yet, but I do have one in mind.¡±

    ¡°You should have,¡± Belladonna cut in, ¡°Our family needs to benefit from the union unlike Anna¡¯s union with that pick,¡± she spat the word.

    The Black haired beauty stood up from her seat. Her gold-blue eyes flashed with a dark emotion as she shook out her powered blue dress. Brenna shot her former mother-in-law a dirty look and said, ¡°Not necessary. As long as the kids are happy with their union, who cares.¡± She walked over and hugged Arthur.

    ¡°What about you, ladies,¡± Holly asked as she hugged Clarine, ¡°It is good to see you, Clarine, and I¡¯m sorry that you lost your son.¡±

    Clarine nodded as Arthur spotted tear welling up in his grandmother¡¯s eyes. The two women parted and Holly went to Vivien, ¡°Hello, grandma.¡±

    ¡°Hello, dear,¡± Vivien replied, ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you in good health.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, grandma,¡± Holly commented with a grin before she approached Kalliope, curtsy, ¡°Niece-High Queen, it is good to see well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you arrive at Camelot, Aunt-Queen,¡± Kalliope sent her a smile, waving her to stand up from her curtsy as the High Queen moved from her seat to embrace her aunt by marriage. Arthur knew none of Kalliope¡¯s family would be traveling to Camelot for the funeral ceremony. Kalliope¡¯s mother passed away three to four years ago and one of Kalliope¡¯s male cousins took over the small kingdom. That was the last thing the Drake House heard from Kalliope¡¯s former kingdom. There were times where he had heard Kalliope crying late at night in one of the smaller royal libraries when he went for a midnight stroll. His father had comforted her a few times once they got word of Kalliope¡¯s mother passing, but after the first few times, his father stopped seeking her out, slowly becoming cold to her. Arthur had noticed she started to seek out another for attention, but he didn¡¯t know who could be.

    Eventually, the women settled down, sitting down at the table as they discussed what was going on with their kids. Arthur glanced at Kalliope. Her eyes held a sadness and longing in them. He didn¡¯t know why his father and Kalliope never tried to have more heirs. Now, it didn¡¯t seem the appropriate time to ask. Maybe he never will, out of respect for Kalliope¡¯s privacy.

    The Royal Servants appeared with trays full of food and passed them out to the members of House Drake and their close family members. Arthur wondered how long it would take for someone to get drunk and dark family secrets flowed. He glanced at the other former possible heirs. They looked miserable as he felt. He grabbed a goblet and started to sip the wine, glancing around as the Ruling Family started to eat. He set the goblet done on the table, glancing at Kalliope and paused. Her cheeks were rosy as her eyes held a haze.

    Arthur sighed. He wondered how long she had been drinking before the rest of the family arrived. He took a bit before he took another sip as the conversation went from the adult children and their prosperity of marriage to babies when Kalliope blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant!¡±

    The conversations came to erupted end as the family processed what the High Queen had announced before Belladonna shirked, ¡°WHAT!¡±

    Arthur turned his attention to Kalliope, asking the one question everyone wanted to know, ¡°Is the child my father¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kalliope¡¯s lips spread into a drunk grin, ¡°It¡¯s my love, my heart¡¯s.¡± There was silence, ¡°Besides, Uther hasn¡¯t touched me in years, not since the night we got married. He was also seeking another¡¯s touch.¡± She shrugged. She turned to Arthur and pointed at him, ¡°Your father,¡± she hiccupped, ¡°got one of the Ladies of the Court pregnant. In a way, I got back at him for his unfaithfulness.¡± She giggled.

 Chapter 29: A Place to sleep

    Valentine Armstrong was lost. She sighed, deeply before she glanced toward the bell tower as it rang out the time. It was 10 o¡¯clock. She let out a sigh as she looked around the part of the city she was in. She silently cursed at herself. She had lost her nerve and ended up going down a random street before she started looking for that whore house Tristan had written in his note.

    It didn¡¯t look like the place where Lady Love¡¯s Brothel and Inn would be located. It was too close to the castle. She turned her attention to the wall several feet away. A gate blocked the archway. Above the archway, a sign could be seen in the torchlight with the words, ¡®West of the Castle¡¯. Maybe she went too far north. She did follow the road to the Cheyenne Ave then she didn¡¯t see any more street signs. She allowed the horse to roam up to close the castle before she went to the left, following a moat around until she spotted the Western Gate.

    She pulled on the reins toward the left. The horse followed her directions and walked down the street. Tina¡¯s eyes drifted around, keeping alert. She had been alert since the sun disappeared, over the horizon, and the sky darkened into night. She remembered watching the guards wondered through the streets, breaking up fights at several taverns and bars. So far, she had been lucky. She didn¡¯t attracted any trouble, but she knew that didn¡¯t mean trouble won¡¯t find her.

    She pulled out the scroll again and read through it. She couldn¡¯t find this Shawnee Trails road. Maybe she was on the wrong side of town. Maybe she did pass it and just didn¡¯t realized it. She sighed. She was drained. She didn¡¯t need to take stock of her spirit energy to know it was running low again. She needed to find that place and rest. She took another look at the scroll. There was another letter, enclosed. Maybe she could just forget about going to this Lady Love¡¯s Brothel and Inn and go straight to the castle.

    She thought about that. Tina knew the chances of her being mistaken as a pleasure lady were dramatically downgraded if she went to the castle and showed a castle guard the letter. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She nodded to herself and made her decision. She pulled on the reins again, turning the horse around and headed in the direction of the castle gate she had spotted earlier.

    Tina yawned as she approached the draw bridge and allowed the horse to cross until one of the guards stepped forward, bringing up his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss,¡± the guard started, ¡°The castle is closed to everyone except the members of the Court, the Knights, and their families.¡±

    ¡°I understand that,¡± Tina started, ¡°But I have this letter from one of the Knights, Sir Tristan.¡± She handed it over to the castle guard, ¡°Stating I have his permission to enter.¡± The castle guard frowned and took the letter before he opened it. She waited as he read through. She, personally, had no idea what was written in the letter. The guard looked up at her with surprise coloring his face.

    ¡°My deepest apologist, my lady,¡± the castle guard started, ¡°You may enter the grounds of the castle. I will summon Second in Command of the Explosive Brigade, Commander Reno to escort you to Sir Tristan¡¯s chambers.¡± The guard held out a hand, ¡°The Reins, my lady?¡± he asked. Tina blinked before she handed over the reins to the guard. He guided the horse to a nearby stable and rang a bell before he hurried away.

    Tina blinked as she watched him go and heard the bell echoed through the stable. She took a deep breath and pulled her feet out of the stirrups. She swung her leg over the side of the horse and slid off the back of the horse. She landed on her feet before her knees buckled beneath her. Her knees slammed against the dirt and she winced, hissing from the pain, as she caught herself on her hands.

    Guess she shouldn¡¯t have been riding so long on the back of a horse, Tina mused silently as she shifted her weight to one bent leg and drag the other one up, planting her foot into the ground before she pushed herself into a standing position. She summoned her remaining spirit energy to help her stand, straight, and forced back the pain wrecking her body. She let out a soft whistle as she tried to stretch out the muscles in her lower half. She knew she should have walked to Camelot, instead of riding a horse. She glanced at the horse beside her.

    There was a shuffling sound coming directly behind her and she spun on her heel to face the person so fast that the person took a step back, surprise coloring their face. She blinked and said, smiling softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I¡¯m somewhat jumpy. Its been a long day.¡±

    The person nodded and stepped forward, allowing the nearby torchlight to illuminate their face. It was a young man, appearing to be barely out of his mid-teens, obviously a stable hand. He spoke, his voice hitched before it deepened, ¡°It¡¯s alright, miss. I will take care of your horse.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, hun,¡± Tina replied, not mention about the change in his voice, before she slowly turned away and reached up, grabbing her weapon belt from the horn. She wrapped it around her belt line and tightened it, glad those fawns bastard didn¡¯t whip her lower then what they did. She grabbed her hiking bag from the horse¡¯s ramp and took the sleeping bag off the horse before she tied the sleeping bag back to the hiking bag. She wrapped the straps around her right forearm and lifted it off the ground. She stepped out of the stable as the stable hand led the horse deeper into the stables, disappearing from sight. Tina lend against a pole of the stable, with her eyes closed, waiting for¡­who was it again? She yawned as she thought about it. She knew the name sounded familiar like it was a name of a city out West, near Las Vegas. Did it even matter? Her eyes started to feel better. She began to drift away.

    ¡°So,¡± a rough voice rang out not far from her. She jerked away. Her eyes snapped open. Her left hand flew toward her rapier. She widened her stance as she turned her head to face the owner as he continued like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, ¡°You are Tristan¡¯s Lady?¡±

    The way he used ¡®Lady¡¯ was emphasized like he was telling her that Tristan and she was in a relationship. If it got her a bed to sleep in and a safe place to relax, she would be playing along. She ran her eyes over his form, but she had to look up at him. The front of part of his vivid red hair took up in spikes before it smoothed out into a long braid, she knew, trailed down his back like a tail. She blinked in surprise when she realized she had seen him earlier in the day when she first arrived. He had been talking with the strange, familiar, man in the trench coat. Up close now, she took note of his brilliant green eyes, the shade she had seen only in a few video games she had been allowed to play while growing up, but his eyes held a calculating and suspicious glint in them as he also looked her over.

    The mysterious red haired man stood in a relax stance. His clothes seemed to hang off of his frame and he had a few belts on his person, holding a gun like weapons. One of the belts went from his left shoulder to his right hip and it held three pistols. She didn¡¯t know much about guns, but she took an educated guess on the type of guns, Flint lock, assuming that was the right word to describe them. However, at his left hip, bouncing against his leg when he walked, there was a large barrel rifle or a small cannon. She spotted a bag with the label on it saying, Black Powder.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Tina replied, meeting his gaze, ¡°Are you the commander from the¡­¡± she frowned, thinking. What was the term that guard used to describe that brigade?

    ¡°Explosive Brigade?¡± he supplied for her.

    She nodded, saying, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Lucky for you, sweetie, I am,¡± the man stated, ¡°I am Reno, the second in commander.¡±

    Tina noticed that he didn¡¯t introduced himself like Tristan did when she first met him and she said, ¡°I am Tina, a traveler.¡±

    Reno gave her a lopsided grin and held a hand out, ¡°Your bag, please. I really don¡¯t feel like dealing with an irritated Knight who thought I was treating his lady not right.¡± Tina snorted in amusement, but she handed her hiking bag over. ¡°This way. I will show you to his personal chambers in the Knights¡¯ Tower.¡± She nodded and allowed him to lead the way.

    Tina could only gap as she followed Reno through what had to be the courtyard of the castle. The courtyard was huge. She could fit two football fields in the space. In the center of the courtyard, a large foundation stood with a carved statue of a King, his cape blowing out behind him as he stared out over the city. She saw there was a plate at the curve of the foundation, but she was too far away to see what it said. She glanced at Reno and found he was several feet ahead, ready to disappear around a corner. She hurried to catch up, trying to stay close to him. She already got lost once and she really didn¡¯t want to get lost again, in this huge castle. That would be the icing on the cake for her, today.

    Reno led her through corridor after corridor until they entered another courtyard. This courtyard was a lot smaller, maybe a half of football field, Tina guessed. There was no decorations in this courtyard. They didn¡¯t stay in it for long as Reno strolled to a tower on the far side of the courtyard, extending up. Tina silently counted the windows as her eyes drifted upward. There were a total of 25 windows. She gapped as she followed the logic - if there were 25 windows, one per floor, the tower had to be at least 25 stories high - and she heard Reno called out to her, ¡°Yes, I know the Knights¡¯ tower is impressive, but there is no need to gawk at it like a moron.¡± Tina¡¯s mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed as she gave Reno an annoyed glare. ¡°Look, Lady, I don¡¯t have all day - well, all night. I still need to do stuff before I can go to bed and be prepared for the Funeral Ceremony in a couple days, so I would appreciate if you hurried up.¡± He turned away from her and banged on the door.

    Tina didn¡¯t say anything as she approached Reno when the Knights¡¯ tower door opened to reveal a handsome dark brown haired man with frosted green eyes. This man wore a loose pair of dark blue pants, similar to the ones Tina had seen in the men¡¯s sleepwear section at any clothing store, and gray long shelved shirt. At his side, he had a long knife like he had been expecting trouble. When Tina brought her gaze back to his face, she noticed the dark purple shadows under his eyes, his hair was disheveled like he had been woken up from a nap.

    He raised an eyebrow at Reno and the second in command of the Explosive Brigade explained, ¡°This Lady -¡± he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Tina, ¡°Is going to stay with Tristan. She has a letter from him, explaining she is allowed to enter his room, Lancelot.¡±

    Tina fought to keep her expression neutral. First, a knight called Tristan. Second, the kingdom called Camelot. Now, another knight named Lancelot. She really needed to figure out what was going on here, other then the fact, she may have traveled to another time. She pushed it to the back of her mind to think about it later and pulled out the scroll Tristan wrote before she handed it over to Lancelot.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Lancelot ran his eyes over her. Tina noticed his tired and bloodshot eyes lingered on her sword belt with suspicious glint in his eyes before he swept his admiring gaze over the rest of her form as he took the scroll and opened it, reading what was written there from Tristan. He looked at her with surprise coloring his expression, before he started, ¡°Well, that changes things.¡± He turned his attention to Reno and nodded his head, ¡°Thank you, Commander Reno, for bringing Lady Valentina here. You may return to your post. I will take it from here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re welcome, Sir Lancelot,¡± Reno grumbled, dropping Tina¡¯s hiking bag in the doorway, and he turned away, leaving Tina with the rumored Greatest Knight of Camelot. She watched him go before she turned her attention to Lancelot.

    ¡°Please, come in, Lady Valentina,¡± Lancelot said, in a warm tone. He bent down and grabbed the hiking bag and lifted over his shoulder before he turned away, expecting Tina to follow. She did, stepping into the tower and shutting the door behind her.

    Lancelot didn¡¯t pause in what looked like a large common room as he head to a spiral staircase, nearby and started to climb. Tina eyed the staircase with a soft whimper, knowing her back will ache by the time she reached whichever floor Tristan¡¯s room was located on. She hoped she didn¡¯t have to climb that far. She took a deep breath as she started to climb after Lancelot.

    Tina climbed past the first floor, the second, the third, until they had reached the 17th floor. She panted with an open mouth. Her eyes felt heavy. Her head swam. Her back throbbed. Her spirit energy depleted so much she had stopped using it. Her legs weighed like pillars of lead as she struggled to take another step on the stairs.

    Lancelot stopped on the landing and she noticed he looked over his shoulder at her. A glint of worry in his eyes. He simply said, ¡°This way, my lady.¡± He went down the 17th floor. She followed him, her arms hanging down at her sides, her shoulders hunched over. He stopped at the fourth door on the left. He didn¡¯t bothering knocking and just grabbed the door handle before he pushed it open. He went inside. Tina followed, slowly, and watched as the knight set her hiking bag down beside a couch long enough she could stretch out on. ¡°There you go, my lady.¡±

    Tina tried to send him a thankful smile, but it felt more like a grimace. He didn¡¯t say anything and walked past her before he shut the door. She looked over the room, but her eyes drifted to the couch. She shuffled over to it, her hands going to the belt and undoing it before she dropped her sword belt and flopped onto the long couch. She bounced a bit and fell to the side, her eyes sliding shut.

    Tristan strolled through the halls of the castle. He heard the Mourning Dinner just wrapped up and the Ruling Family was still in the Common Meeting Rooms of the Royal Wing. He needed to deliver the report about the Fawn Village and what had happened to him while he was gone. He didn¡¯t know if Merlin and Morgana would be there or not. According to the rumors he had been hearing since he arrived, they won¡¯t. Morgana wasn¡¯t invited again to attend another Mourning Dinner, thanks to Belladonna, and Merlin was never invited to go as he was not of royal blood. He glanced at the clock tower. It was nearing midnight. He paused. He probably should deliver his report in the morning. It had been a long day. The wounds on his chest ached. It seemed to get worst as he approached his limit.

    He turned around, heading to the Knights¡¯ tower when a voice called out to him, ¡°Tristan? Is that you?¡±

    Tristan sucked in a soft breath. He hadn¡¯t heard that voice in a long time. Before she had left the castle in fact, in a fit of rage at her grandmother¡¯s treatment of the other queens, her aunts. It brought up both good and bad memories. He turned back and saw Iris, the daughter of the Former High Queen Holly, and the granddaughter of the Former High Queen Belladonna, of House of Yule, staring at him with a pair of sapphire eyes that stole his heart many years ago. Those eyes reflected the surprise, the memories, and the longing she felt.

    His heart skipped a beat. She was still as beautiful as he remembered her. Her long, loose white blond hair flowed down, over her shoulders and down her back. She wore a mourning dress with white crystal along the waist line. She stepped toward him, a hand raising up, reaching out to him. It was the left hand she held up. It was bare of the wedding ring that should have been there. He dimly remembered her husband ended up dying a year or two ago, lost at sea. His eyes darted to her lips. They were parted.

    He shook his head. He knew she had moved on. He had done the same, but he hadn¡¯t married. He didn¡¯t have time to find a wife. It has been nearly 10 years since he had last seen her, the night before she left, before Uther could command her to marry a Prince of another Kingdom. Something rose within him. An old longing. He still care deeply for the woman. That was dangerous. He was fully aware of her grandmother¡¯s feelings about Princess Iris marrying below her class. The Former High Queen Belladonna had raged about it for weeks when she had found out about the secret marriage between Iris and the Naval Ship Captain.

    He spun on his heel without saying a word. He headed to his room in the Knights¡¯ tower without looking back. He knew he would eventually talk to her. Not right now. Not when he really wanted to curl up on his bed and sleep.

    When he entered the Knights¡¯ Tower, Tristan spotted Lancelot sitting in one of the comfortable chairs, looking into the fire, with an unreadable expression on his face. The door clicked shut behind him causing Lancelot to jerk and looked at him. Camelot¡¯s Greatest Knight stood up and strolled over to Tristan, saying, ¡°Welcome back, Brother.¡±

    ¡°It is good to be back, brother,¡± Tristan replied. It was the standard saying for the returning knights. He studied Lancelot¡¯s expression, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°You know the usual,¡± Lancelot shrugged, ¡°However, the Pope will be arriving within the next two days for the funeral so it has been pushed back.¡±

    Tristan blinked at that news. He was not expecting that as Lancelot continued to catch Tristan up on the current events and how things were going around the castle while he was gone, looking for a possible cure for the King¡¯s Curse. It was some good news that the Pope was attending Uther¡¯s funeral. He knew the last time the Pope had visited Camelot was before he was born. He turned his attention back to Lancelot and noticed there was something else bothering Lancelot. He cocked his head to the side and questioned, ¡°What else is bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Why did you give a letter to a woman named Tina?¡± Lancelot got immediately to the heart of the issue. That was something Lancelot was known for - getting straight to the point.

    ¡°I take it she is here,¡± Tristan commented. At Lancelot¡¯s nod, the other knight let out a breath, he launched into the story how he met her and what happened afterwards. Lancelot¡¯s expression transformed into an outraged as Tristan reached the point of the story where Tina was whipped.

    ¡°I noticed she was moving slowly,¡± he confessed. A series of emotions went through his eyes as he frowned. ¡°She didn¡¯t complain about any pain.¡±

    ¡°It would seem like she is the type not to complain about pain. Is she in my quarters,¡± Tristan asked. Lancelot nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± He cupped a hand onto the other knight¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°How are you?¡± Lancelot asked. Tristan shrugged and felt the wounds on his chest throbbed. Obviously, it showed on his face. ¡°I take it you are hurt as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tristan confessed with a deep sigh, ¡°I will be alright. I got my wounds from fighting a -¡± He frowned as he thought about what Tina had said about the canine like humanoid, ¡°Wolf demon.¡± Lancelot sucked in a breath as his eyes widened. He processed what Tristan said. ¡°Yes, I know those creatures are from legends and myths, but they are quite real. Tina had faced those creatures before and she was able to distract them long enough for us to escape.¡±

    Nearly everyone knew about the myths of demons. Most of the followers of the Christian Faith believed them to tale tells parents told to their children to get them to behave. However, there were groups who lived to tell the tale of meeting these creatures who appeared beautiful humans with animal like features and the ability to transform into huge animals that tower over the trees.

    ¡°Where?¡± Lancelot gasped. Shock colored his expression.

    ¡°Dead End forest,¡± Tristan replied in an even tone. ¡°I will tell you more in the morning, Lance. I doubt this group of wolf demons survived the explosion Lady Tina caused. She found some black powder and used a flaming arrow on it.¡± He paused as he fought against a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m extremely tired.¡±

    ¡°It explained the huge explosion we saw the other night,¡± he admitted before he nodded in understanding, ¡°Get some sleep.¡±

    Tristan walked away, heading to his quarters, intending to do that. He made it to his quarters and walked in with a wide yawn. Soft snoring reached his ears as he came to a stop. His eyes flickered over to the couch. Tina stretched out on the couch, laying face down with her head turned to face the large cold fireplace. Her bag laid beside the couch. He sighed with some relief.

    Knowing she had made it safe to his quarters was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another. He frowned and his eyes darted to the bed, sitting on the far side of the room before he glanced back at Tina. He wondered why she didn¡¯t take the bed, but Lancelot¡¯s voice whispered through his head, ¡°I noticed she was moving slowly.¡±

    He sighed. He slowly shut the door behind him and set his bag by the door. He walked over to the couch and crunch down, grabbing her arm. He was mindful of her injured back as he maneuvered her up, against his chest, allowing her chin to rest on his left shoulder. He froze as she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She sighed.

    ¡°Ryan,¡± Tina muttered. Her voice held a note of heart ache, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She fell silent.

    Tristan shifted, sitting on the edge of the table in front of the couch, waiting to see if Tina woke up or not. When she didn¡¯t, he grabbed the back of her thighs in a tight grip and shifted to stand between her legs. He took a deep breath and stood up. Tina didn¡¯t wake. Tristan quickly shove an arm under her rear end and allowed her legs to hang on either side of his hips. He placed his other arm under her and slowly walked over to the bed.

    Tristan reached the bed and slowly reached down to the bed with a hand, shifting Tina on his hip. He threw back the covers before he sat her down on the edge of the bed. He reached up and grabbed Tina¡¯s arms, pulling them from around his neck before he lowered her to the bed, on her side. He grabbed her legs, behind her knees and lifted them onto the bed.

    He reached down and frowned as he stared at her boots. They were tied instead of being slipped on. He hummed as he worked at the knots and untied them. He grabbed them, slipping them off her feet. He placed them on the floor by the bed post. He returned his attention back to Tina and rolled her onto her front, making sure her face rested on its side. He gently laid the covers back over her.

    Tristan sighed. He would be sleeping on the couch tonight. He knew from experience the couch was not the best place to rest, but Tina was obviously tired, probably didn¡¯t give it a second thought when she laid upon it.

    A hand gasped his wrist when he turned to leave. He jerked his head around to see Tina¡¯s eyes creaked open, hazing with sleep. She spoke in a whisper that seem to echo around the silent room, ¡°Stay.¡±

    Tristan shook his head and slowly peeled her fingers away from his wrist, but her grip tightened and she jerked him toward her, almost pulling him off his feet. She pulled his arm underneath her and snuggled up to it. A soft snore came from Tina again. He tried to pull his arm away, but she held on tight. He sighed before he threw back the covers, kicked off his boots, and scouted her closer to the center of the bed before he crawled in. He laid on his side, trying not to roll onto his bed and aggregative his own wounds. It didn¡¯t take him long to fell to sleep.

    Sunlight streamed into the room, right into Tina¡¯s face. She groaned as she tried to ignore the sunlight, telling her to wake up. She snuggled into her teddy bear, using it to block the light. She was dimly aware her head moved up and down in a steady rhythm as she listened to a steady beat in her ear. As she slowly woke up, she came to the realization her teddy bear shouldn¡¯t have a heartbeat or the ability to move her head up and down.

    Her eyes snapped open and she stared at someone¡¯s chest. She slowly raised her head to look up into Tristan¡¯s face. He was still dead to the world or at least she hoped he was. She took a hand and ran it down her side, releasing a breath of relief. She was still dressed. She forced herself to sit up. She gasped.

    Pain rippled from her back. Tears slipped down her cheeks. The bed dipped sharply to one side. She snapped her eyes opened to see Tristan standing beside the bed. His body tensed as he peered around the room, his hands curled lightly into fists. It took a moment for the pain to pass and Tina noticed Tristan had relaxed. He turned to her. They stared at each other for a long moment before Tristan said, ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Tina blinked and said, ¡°Yeah, morning.¡±

 Chapter 30: Swords and Sacraments

    Merlin stretched as he left his study, heading to the High Queen¡¯s study. He knew the High Queen would be there soon to hold court with the Heads of Staff to discuss how things were going. He was sure that the High Queen would be a few minutes late to the meeting anyway. He heard the Mourning Dinner the night before was eventfully with the same family drama that occurs when various family members showed up for a dinner and wanted to discuss the ¡®correct¡¯ thing to do when a loved one died. Belladonna was the most vocal on what to do and what not to do while Kalliope argued with her. It was strange to see and hear Kalliope growing a backbone. However, the rumor floating around from the various servants who attend the dinner said Kalliope was pregnant and there was a good chance Uther wasn¡¯t the father. Courtly drama. He didn¡¯t miss it one bit.

    His eyes roamed over the horizon, seeing the sun started to peek over the castle walls and crept over the ground. The Queens¡¯ Tower stood in the distance and he spotted the Lady Morgana opened the doors to her balcony, stepping out, wearing a dark color, skimpy dress he knew she wore to sleep in. He smirked. He was tempted to do something, but he didn¡¯t have enough magic to something really mischievous. Maybe another day when his magic pool refilled completely. He knew she would get him back, but he really didn¡¯t care. She should know better then prance on her balcony in the morning hours when the entire castle was stirring and started to move about.

    Speaking of moving about, High Queen Kalliope had request his presence during the meeting the Heads of Staff. Merlin didn¡¯t know why, but he didn¡¯t question it. It was nice to feel important again and needed to help in the day to day running of Camelot. Uther, may he rest in peace, didn¡¯t like Merlin or Morgana very much and had much prefer not to see them at court. Kalliope was the opposite. She valued their opinions and their knowledge they had gained over the various years, citing there was a reason behind their long life.

    Merlin strolled through the castle to the High Queen¡¯s Study where High Queen Kalliope was already sitting in the high back chair in front of a long table. She had papers scattered in front of her. She didn¡¯t bother looking up as he stepped into the room and walked to a chair. He spotted the heads of staff already sitting down in the various chairs pulled up to the table. Morgana already informed him that she wasn¡¯t going to attend, needing to go down to the crypts and expand on the outcropping where Arthur¡¯s mother, Melissa, lay, so Uther could rest beside her. Eventually, when Kalliope passed, she would join them.

    Melissa didn¡¯t live to see Uther become King of Camelot. She died in childbirth, giving birth to Arthur. Uther had been upset over her death. Everyone who saw them interact with the other, knew their love was true. Uther only took Kalliope as his queen-wife for Arthur. The young prince needed a mother and Kalliope was young enough if Uther wanted another child, he could try with Kalliope. Another thing came out from the Mourning Dinner, Uther had fathered another child with a Lady of the Court. Merlin wondered who the woman was for a long moment. He hadn¡¯t been visited by any woman of the Court for a moon potion for over a century. He frowned, thinking about, not since the Drake Family managed to take over the Kingship. They had been extremely lucky when it came to the various Kings within their bloodline. It was either a son of the Drake Family or a daughter married the man who became King. He hummed at that thought.

    Merlin pushed those thoughts aside as he took his seat at the table. His eyes roamed over the paper scattered over the table top and spotted lists of guests who have already checked in and who hasn¡¯t and a sitting chart of who will be sitting where during the funeral ceremony. He didn¡¯t know if Morgana was going to show up for this meeting or not.

    ¡°Beth,¡± Kalliope broke the silence as her eyes moved over a page, looking over the information, ¡°Do we have enough clean sheets for the rest of the available rooms?¡±

    ¡°I have my teams working on them, right now, my lady,¡± Beth, the head of housekeeping, spoke up. Merlin¡¯s eyes drifted over to Beth before he blinked. Beth, to his utter amazement, was old. Her dark brown hair was now white with age. Her smooth face showed laugh lines, crows feet, and her cheeks shagged. However, her eyes still blazed with the same intensity he knew her to have.

    Where did the time go? He remembered her as a little girl who ran after her mother as she worked as the Head of Housekeeping, teaching Beth everything she needed to know; the young woman who talked with Morgana about the love of her life and how the wedding went; the new mother trying to figure out why her baby won¡¯t go to sleep; and how she was taking the passing of both her mother and husband during the Kingless Kingdom Era.

    ¡°We have completed the North and West Wing of the Castle. They are at full capacity with the arrival of yesterday¡¯s lords and ladies of the Court and the Representatives. I have three teams in the South Wing and the rooms in the South should be ready in the next two to three hours. If something changes, I will let you know,¡± Beth went on.

    The High Queen nodded, listening to Beth, as she shifted in her seat, causing the glistening red dress she wore with white roses along the neckline to sparkle in the morning sun. ¡°Cook Sanji,¡± she turned her attention to the Head Cook of the Kitchen.

    Sanji sat straight up in his chair where he had been slouching, only half listening to the High Queen. His blue eyes focusing on the High Queen. That was another Merlin watched grow up.

    He was from a distant land in the far east and traveled to Camelot while he was in his mid-teens with his mentor on a ship. The ship sunk off the coast of Camelot during a Hurricane and it was a miracle that Sanji and his mentor managed to make it to shore. They were nursed back to health by the castle¡¯s medical team and through some magic, the Court managed to find out that Sanji and his mentor were from a land called Japan and their ship got lost on their voyage to another land called the United States.

    Merlin and Morgana realized then the two were from the Outside World and they urged them to keep the fact they were from the Outside World quite when the magi confronted them about it, explaining where they were at now, claiming that Camelot and the surrounding Kingdoms were not ready to rejoin the outside world. Even now, Sanji never told a soul exactly his origins.

    Merlin thought Sanji¡¯s mentor might have on his death bed a few years ago, but he was never for sure. After his mentor¡¯s death, Sanji took over the Camelot Kitchens and the food tasted never better since then. Camelot got lucky when Sanji and his mentor washed up on shore.

    ¡°How is the Kitchen¡¯s stocks?¡± Kalliope asked. She held a quill over a piece of parchment, obviously taking notes on the meeting.

    ¡°Increasing and decreasing,¡± Sanji stated, ¡°The various farmers who live within a day¡¯s travel are trying their best to meet our needs as well as the fishermen Guild and the Hunting Guild. However, they are finding it somewhat difficult on such short notice. Most of the goods are still not ready for harvesting, yet.¡± He paused, ¡°I have reached out to some further farmers to see if they will be able to help out. Some of them are able to and we are expecting the first shipment of goods, today.¡± He tapped on the table top as he went on, ¡°What should I prepared for the evening meal?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a couple of boars available,¡± Kalliope questioned.

    ¡°I will check with my butchers,¡± Sanji replied, ¡°Should there be a back up, in case, none are available?¡±

    Merlin knew Sanji kept a regular contact with several butchers in the city, usually two or three in each cardinal direction. The head cook, sometimes, would have only hours to prepare a large meal instead of the two or three weeks for a major meal for an important visitor or a ceremony. He was some sort of miracle worker when it came to food.

    ¡°Duck or pig,¡± she answered, glancing up at the head cook. He nodded. He shifted in his chair, obviously wanting to leave to get start. Merlin knew some of the meats needed hours to cook and become tender, however, Sanji was a master at cooking. The battle mage had witness the head cook to create some of his own ¡®magic¡¯ to get the meal on the table. ¡°You may leave, Cook Sanji.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my queen,¡± Sanji said, smoothly as he stood up. He bowed at the waist before he twisted and hurried out of the meeting room, no doubt heading to the kitchens.

    ¡°Sebastian,¡± Kalliope addressed the Head of Butlers and Maids. The man in question looked at the High Queen with an emotionless expression.

    Sebastian was a hard man for Merlin to read. He had worked his way through the ranks of the service to become the Head of Butlers and Maids. While some could argue that Housekeeping and Butlers and Maids were the same thing, Sebastian thought differently, claiming that Butlers and Maids were design to make sure their charge was comfortable as their first priority, cleaning second.

    Butlers and Maids brought their charge the meals throughout the day, running the simple errands like delivering a letter, or acting as guides for a charge who never been to the Camelot. Morgana had claimed that one of the Maids that been assigned to her could fight, decently, hand to hand, as well as used improvised weapons. Merlin tried to see if that was true, but every he tried, Sebastian was there, blocking him. It had become a game between the two of them over the decades they had served Camelot and the Ruling Family.

    Merlin frowned as he thought about when Sebastian had came to Camelot. He didn¡¯t remember, exactly. He knew it was decades ago. Merlin¡¯s fae senses didn¡¯t detected anything off about the man, but the mysterious man still looked like he was the same as he did when he first came to Camelot. Sebastian¡¯s black hair was slicked back out of his face, the ends curled at the back of his rounded ears. However, his light gray eyes focused on the High Queen as he replied to her, ¡°Yes, my queen.¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°How is your staff?¡± She asked, shifting through the various papers in front of her. She didn¡¯t look up as she found the page she needed and quickly read through it.

    ¡°We are fully staffed,¡± Sebastian replied, ¡°I have assigned at least three of the Butlers and Maids to each representative, but General Genesis refused his Butlers.¡± Sebastian¡¯s lips twitched into a smirk. ¡°He threatened to use me as a target for target practice if I tried to assign anymore Butlers to him.¡± That sent a round of chuckles at the table. ¡°I did try again to if he would follow through on his threat. He hasn¡¯t yet.¡± Merlin shook his head in amusement. Sebastian was brave. Not many of the Heads of Staff would do that to the Explosive General, let alone for their own amusement. ¡°I did follow my usual rules: Female Representatives got a maid while male Representative got a Butler.¡± He explained. He was like that, often setting a few rules in place to make sure none of his staff was taken advantage of. If they were, well, it won¡¯t be the first time Merlin and Morgana had to craft a mysterious death scene at the Castle. They had to do several times in the past since Sebastian took over as the head of Butlers and Maids. Merlin knew he would have to do it again if he needed to. ¡°And Families got a mixture of both.¡±

    Kalliope nodded in understanding before she spoke up, ¡°Are we short anywhere?¡±

    Merlin was dreading this question. He knew someone would complain about being short staff somewhere. He resisted the urge to sigh and wait out the storm of complainants when a voice rose up, coming from the last person still waiting to speak. The woman¡¯s name was Heather. Merlin couldn¡¯t remember her last name, but it didn¡¯t seem important enough to remember, due to, how much the woman complained about this and that around the castle.

    Kalliope nodded in understanding before she spoke up, ¡°Are we short anywhere?¡±

    Merlin was dreading this question. He knew someone would complain about being short staff somewhere. He resisted the urge to sigh and wait out the storm of complainants when a voice rose up, coming from the last person still waiting to speak. The woman¡¯s name was Heather. Merlin couldn¡¯t remember her last name, but it didn¡¯t seem important enough to remember, due to, how much the woman complained about this and that around the castle.

    ¡°The Serving Staff is always short,¡± an arrogant voice spoke up at the far end of the table. Merlin resisted the urge to sigh as he recognized the voice. It belong to Heather McDonald, the head of Servers. She worked closely with the kitchen staff and often criticized her people to the point they transfer to a different position somewhere in the Castle or found work else where. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had heard people complain about her attitude towards her servers. ¡°I can never find enough people to cover the evening meal, let alone a major ceremonial meal like the Funeral Meal.¡±

    ¡°I am fully aware of your complaints,¡± Kalliope stated. Her voice held an even tone. Merlin was also aware of the various complaints Ms McDonald about her staff, but the worst of the complaints were about her.

    Heather went on like the High Queen hadn¡¯t spoken, ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to work this short handed. I just had one woman just had a baby the other day so I have to find a replacement for her.¡± She waved her hands in a stressed manner. ¡°Then two more that decided not to show up this morning.¡± She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest, ¡°They won¡¯t be receiving a good recommendations from me for that, if they try to get one, and if they try to put in a transfer to a different area of the Castle, I won¡¯t approve it.¡±

    ¡®Bet they won¡¯t,¡¯ Merlin thought as he rolled his eyes, hiding that fact as he lowered his head to the table. A glanced toward Sebastian informed the Battle Mage what the Head of Butlers and Maids thought of the complaining and knew Heather was getting what she deserved for treating her people so badly. Merlin knew many of the Butlers and Maids had transfer from the Serving Staff to get away from Heather¡¯s treatment and stated loudly when they could that Sebastian was a much better Head to work under then Heather. It often led to disagreements between the two Heads. Sebastian would end up going behind Heather¡¯s back to get the transfers approved anyway, by going straight to the High Queen and explain the situation.

    ¡°I need more people to help out with serving the food to the court and representatives,¡± Heather went back to complaining, ¡°Just how am I supposed to work with what people I have -¡°

    ¡°Heather,¡± Kalliope cut in, causing Heather to paused and looked at the young woman, ¡°Who is your second in commander?¡±

    ¡°Patrick Johnson, my lady,¡± Heather replied, a confused note in her voice.

    ¡°Guard,¡± Kalliope looked past the Head of the Server Staff. One of the Castle Guards, a member of General Bartholomew¡¯s brigade, stepped forward, ¡°Please, retrieve Patrick Johnson for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my queen,¡± The Guard banged a fist to his chest and bowed before he turned to leave. They waited in silence as Kalliope returned back to the papers. Merlin noticed there was a glint in her eyes. She was going to change something and he had the feeling he knew what was going to happen. He should have brought a snack for the fireworks.

    ¡°We will handle the Server Staff being short handed in a moment when Patrick Johnson arrives,¡± Kalliope stated, ¡°How is the decorating coming along, Madam Flora?¡±

    Madam Flora smirked in amusement, ¡°It is coming along quite nicely, my lady.¡± She paused, taking a breath, before she went on, ¡°Despite being short handed ourselves and not having skilled decorators, my decorating team will have the Great Hall ready in time for the Evening Meal as well as the Southern rooms ready to be filled by the time of Court to begin and the arrival of more representatives.¡± Madam Flora sent Heather a smirk. ¡°My team and I are used to working with what people we have since the ability to properly decorate a room is a skill that not many have the ability to learn.¡±

    Merlin bit his lower lip as he heard that backhanded insult. He knew Heather had tried to join the Decorating Staff when she first join the Camelot Staff, but she showed no skill at it, she was pushed to another department and another until she ended up in the Server Staff.

    ¡°At the last report I received my second, the Great Hall was nearly prepared and several of my staff had started to drift to the Southern Wing to see which rooms they could get started on,¡± Madam Flora went on, ¡°As you have requested, my queen, the Great Hall has been decorate in the Drake House Colors of Red and Gold through out the room while each of the rooms have a different theme to them.¡± Kalliope nodded.

    There was a knock at the door and the guard stepped into the room with Patrick Johnson behind him. Patrick, Merlin immediately noticed his hair color, had a rich blond that glimmer with shades of icy blue. That was unusual. Not many people had that color of hair. The Battle Mage blinked in surprise as it clicked in his head. Patrick was from the Johnson House. They were known to shade of Ice Blue throughout their hair. At one time, the on-going rumor was the members of the Johnson were related the mysterious Snow Witch that lived in the far North part of the county and thought to have similar powers to the Snow Witch. So far, none of the rumors to be true.

    ¡°You request my presence, your highness,¡± Patrick walked forward to the table and stopped a few feet behind Heather¡¯s seat, waiting for an explanation to the reason why he was summoned.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kalliope set the papers aside and looked at Patrick and Heather at the opposite end of the table. ¡°Heather, you hereby removed from your position as Head of the Server Staff. You no longer have a job in the Castle.¡± Merlin glanced at Heather whose face slackened in a mixture of horror and shock. She looked like she wanted to protest. Kalliope went on, ¡°You have two hours to remove yourself from the Castle. You may not returned to the castle during the rest of my life.¡± Merlin frowned at that wording. ¡°You may not visit for any reason. You will have to have a royal summons to enter the castle. You may leave.¡± Heather didn¡¯t move, staring at Kalliope. ¡°Now before I have you escorted out without your items.¡±

    Heather slowly stood up and walked by Patrick who looked as shock as she did over the turn of events. She paused, long enough to glare at him. It didn¡¯t take a genius to realize that Patrick was going to be her replacement as Head of the Server Staff. He didn¡¯t meet her gaze. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

    ¡°Now, that is taken care,¡± Kalliope said, ignoring the outright disrespect from the former head of Server Staff, ¡°Patrick, you have been promoted to Head of the Server Staff.¡±

    Patrick jerked toward the High Queen, his mouth parted. It took a moment for the news to sink in. When it did, Patrick immediately bowed, ¡°As you wish, my lady.¡±

    ¡°Head Sebastian,¡± Kalliope addressed the head of the Butler and Maids, ¡°Would you please be so kind to lend aid to the Server Staff, until they are fully re-staffed?¡±

    ¡°It would be my honor, your majesty,¡± Sebastian replied with a small smile. His eyes danced with glee. He was also tired of Heather¡¯s complaining about being short-staffed. It was sometimes the management the problem, the staffers. ¡°I think I have few dozen Butlers and Maids will be free to help out the Server Staff.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sebastian,¡± Patrick nodded and gave him a grateful look, ¡°I need to spread the word of the change of Management before Heather could start spreading rumors of what had happened.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the High Queen said, ¡°Now, that is taken care of¡­¡± she looked up at the people at the table. ¡°Is there anything else we need to take care of before it becomes an issue?¡± Merlin glanced around the table, seeing no one had any protests. ¡°Alright then,¡± the queen went on, ¡°Thank you for giving me an update about your progress.¡± She stood up, causing everyone to stand up as well. ¡°Mage Merlin, would you please escort me to the Seasonal Throne Room for welcoming the rest of our guests?¡±

    ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Merlin bowed toward Kalliope.

    ¡°My Queen,¡± Sebastian spoke up, ¡°I will send a team of 30 of the Butlers and Maids to the Seasonal Throne Room to escort their charges to their rooms. I will personal see to the help of the Server Staff.¡± Kalliope nodded, waving him away. He bowed before he left the room with Patrick on his heels. Both already deep in conversation about their game plan how to handle the evening meal.

    ¡°I will be checking on my decor team in the South Wing to see their progress for myself,¡± Madam Flora announced, ¡°If you will excuse me, my lady.¡± When Kalliope waved her away, the Madam Decorator hurried from the room, heading straight to the South Wing of the Castle, knowing it will be filled up by the end of the day.

    Beth was the next to speak, ¡°Pardon me, my queen, but I need to head over to the South Wing as well, to check on my team. They should be almost done, cleaning out the unused rooms for the rest of the Staff to tackle.¡± She hurried away, following Madam Flora.

    Merlin was left with the High Queen. He turned to her and held out his arm, ¡°Shall we, your highness?¡±

    Kalliope gave him a smile and nodded, taking his offer arm before they strolled out of the room, heading to the Seasonal Throne Room. There was a few moment of silence before Merlin asked, ¡°What made your decision on firing Heather, if I could so bold to ask, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Truthfully,¡± Kalliope sighed, ¡°I got tired of her complaining about being short handed when it is her own fault.¡± She paused before she went on, ¡°I have a headache from the amount of alcohol I drunk last night.¡± Merlin nodded. ¡°Plus, I think I told the family one of my secrets during the dinner.¡±

    He hummed as he led her through the various hallways. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, debating if he should asked about it or not. However, Kalliope beat him to the punch, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant and it¡¯s not Uther¡¯s.¡±

    Merlin blinked and slowly nodded. So the rumors were true. He asked, ¡°Who is the father?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ready to inform anyone of that just yet,¡± she replied.

    He frowned. That was interesting. He wondered why she isn¡¯t willingly to inform anyone of the identity of the father. It would be something he would have to think about.

 Chapter 31: A Game of Shadows

    Trying to keep from thinking about how she woke up this morning, Tina hissed as the bandages pull at the wounds on her back. Tristan was once again helping her with her back. She would try to do it herself, but the last time she did, she passed out from the pain. Needless to say, she had learned her lesson. She winced again, trying to keep quite as each layer was unwrapped, revealing the damaged skin to the fresh air. The fresh air felt nice over the heated skin as her mind drifted back to the fact she had woken up next to Tristan.

    He was the one who broke the silence, ¡°How come you didn¡¯t go to the Lady Love¡¯s Brothel and Inn, last night?¡±

    She snorted, ¡°First, the title said enough. I am not a pleasure Lady so I avoid going to any Brothels.¡± She would have sent him a glare over her bare shoulder, but she didn¡¯t want to move her back many then necessary. ¡°Second,¡± she started, ¡°I got lost.¡± She tried to keep the pout out of her voice as she stared at the far wall, holding a blanket up against her chest.

    This time, Tristan snorted before he commented, ¡°Yes, it is an easy thing to do in this city.¡± His arms reached around her torso as he continued to unwrapped the dirty bandages. ¡°It took me a long while to figure out a way around the city and I had to explore the entire thing.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± Tina asked, surprise coloring her voice.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, ¡°There is more to the city to the West, East, and North.¡± She felt his finger nail scraping gently at a stuck wrap before he managed to pull it off her skin without causing her more pain. ¡°The city just grew around the castle, according to the history books I have read and the historian have told us, expanding over the years.¡±

    Tina nodded. She knew how history worked. She had wanted to be a historian a few years ago. She did find history interesting, but when she went to career counseling, she didn¡¯t know if she wanted to be a historian when she saw all the work she would have to do in college. While she was a hard worker, she wanted to see results as they happened, not three or four years down the line. She didn¡¯t have the patience for that unlike her ex. She took a breath and pushed those thoughts away, shoving them deep, deep in the back of her mind. She couldn¡¯t afford to think about him or the what-ifs.

    ¡°Tell me more about Camelot,¡± She suggested, changing the subject a bit. ¡°I have only heard stories about it. I won¡¯t mind learning from someone who has lived here for majority of his life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s home,¡± Tristan said, simply. She waited for him to continued, but when he didn¡¯t, she frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite drinking spot?¡± She questioned.

    He paused, before he answered, ¡°The White Rose.¡±

    ¡°How come?¡± She prodded, ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a reason why you like drinking at the White Rose.¡±

    ¡°There was another tavern similar to the White Rose back in my home land,¡± Tristan commented, ¡°And, no, I wasn¡¯t born in Camelot. I was raised in a small town in the far south of the Kingdom, near the border. The owner of the tavern had a daughter who I developed a crush on, but she didn¡¯t see me. However, about 20 years ago, we didn¡¯t have a king for 6 to 7 months and our enemies marched toward the castle. She was one of the people I cared for killed when my small town was attacked. I was only 15 at the time. I had been away from the town, hunting for my family¡¯s dinner when the attack happened.¡±

    Tina allowed that to sink in before she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing up bad memories.¡± She turned her head to glance over her shoulder at the knight.

    ¡°It happened a long time ago,¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes met hers. Pain lingered there and loneliness. She wondered what else happened to the knight helping her that he still carried on his shoulders.

    ¡°Still, I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that,¡± she said, softly. He didn¡¯t say anything as he went back to work, unwrapping the long strips of linen that he had helped around her torso.

    Once he was done, he commanded, ¡°Lie down. I need to clean these wounds.¡± He stepped away from the bed and went to a separate chamber where she heard running water. She did as she was told to do, cocking an eyebrow. The kingdom had running water? That was new. She was half expected it to be hand drawn from a well. She had popped in the separate chamber earlier, shortly after she woke up and saw it held a wooden bench with a hole. She had peered down it, but she couldn¡¯t see the bottom and didn¡¯t smell anything from the hole. She had even double checked with Tristan about it and was informed it was the toilet.

    It was strange, seeing the outhouse style toilet. However, she didn¡¯t check anything else out after she had relieved herself in the chamber. She sighed as she directed her gaze to the rug covered stone floor, waiting.

    It wasn¡¯t long before he returned with a hot of steaming water. She glanced up at him though. She opened her mouth to say something, but she hesitated. Her eyes dropped down to the rug covered floor. Her back protested as she stretched out on his bed. She had woken up there a couple hours ago, laying next to Tristan. She didn¡¯t know how to got there. She was pretty sure she had passed out on the long couch the night before, but she was so tired she didn¡¯t know she made to the couch in the first.

    In the morning light, the room belonging to Tristan like it was barely lived in. As far as Tina could tell, there was very little things in the room that screamed Tristan. It could be the fact he didn¡¯t collect much or didn¡¯t want to have a mess room. It was almost bare¡­no, bare wasn¡¯t the right word - lifeless.

    There was no life in the room.

    She wondered why as the bed shifted and the bowl of steaming water appeared on a stand not to far from Tina¡¯s head. She turned her head to look at Tristan. One of her hands came up and pulled her hair out of the way. She winced, slightly as a couple strands of her red hair sliced across the wounds. She decided to look on the bright side of things. At least, her hair didn¡¯t feel like it was a knife slicing into the tender meat of her back when it brushed against her unprotected back.

    Tina watched a dry rag push into the water before it changed to a darker color and Tristan rung it out before he placed it on her back. She hissed as heat seeped into her back from the hot rag. Hot droplets ran down her back, sliding down the side of her ribcage. It felt good until Tristan moved the rag along one of the sliced wounds. Her hands curled into the fists, clutching on to the bed spread. Her teeth bared in a pain expression. Her legs tightened, straightening out over the bed. She tried to keep her back relax, but she didn¡¯t know if she was able to or not.

    Tristan didn¡¯t say a word as he brushed the rag over a sensitive spot. Tina¡¯s eyes shut when he did that. She didn¡¯t say another word.

    Tristan paused when he felt Tina go leap underneath his hand. He glanced at her face. He sighed. He felt sorry for her. He turned his eyes onto her back. He couldn¡¯t believe she had managed to survive a lashing those Fawns had given her. A couple of the long lashes were deep, but he didn¡¯t see bone. That was a good thing.

    He let out a sigh. He knew the lashes he received weren¡¯t as deep as Tina¡¯s. He dipped the cloth back into the hot water and twisted the cloth when a knock rang out in his chambers. He set the cloth next to the bowl and slowly stood up. He walked over to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was Lancelot and Gawain. Both looked at him with a worry expression.

    ¡°May we come in?¡± Lancelot asked.

    Tristan glanced over his shoulder to Tina on the bed with her back exposed. He turned his attention back onto Lancelot and saw the look in his eye. The other knight wouldn¡¯t be taking no for an answer. The Violent Knight sighed as he nodded his head, ¡°Yeah, I need to cover up the Lady.¡±

    That cause both knights raise their eyebrows in response, but they waited until Tristan walked over to the bed and gently position the blankets around Tina, trying to converse her modesty while allowing air to reach her wounds. He waved the two knights in.

    Lancelot walked in first, glancing toward the bed and paled. Gawain blinked in surprise and turned to look at the bed. Tristan watched as the color drained from the other knight¡¯s face.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Gawain asked.

    Tristan sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s take this to the common room.¡± He glanced at Tina. He heard a soft snore as Tina slept. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wake her. She needs all the rest she can get.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Gawain nodded.

    ¡°Yes, please, forgive me,¡± Lancelot said, quickly. The trio left Tristan¡¯s quarters, silently. They didn¡¯t speak until they reached the common room. Tristan filled in Lancelot and Gawain on what had happened, how he met Tina, and the events since they had managed to escape from the Fawn Village as they settled into the comfortable chairs by the fire.

    Gawain let out a low whistle, lending forward with his elbows on his knees as he listened to the story and lend back into the chair. ¡°Man,¡± he started, his arms relaxes upon the arms of the chair, ¡°That is one hell of a woman.¡±

    Lancelot sipped on a mug of mead and nodded, ¡°Yes, it sounds like she is very unique.¡± He sat crossed legged in his chair and set the mug on his knee.

    Tristan snorted into his mug of mead at the statement. Tina was, like Lancelot said, very unique.

    ¡°What are you planning on doing, now,¡± Lancelot asked after a moment. His eyes were quizzical.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tristan admitted. He didn¡¯t inform them that there was a chance of Tina being the missing mysterious daughter of Lord Bardock, and sister of the Explosive General Genesis. ¡°She received a letter, saying she has family in Camelot, but I don¡¯t know if she is willingly to seek them out, just yet.¡±

    Gawain blinked in surprise and glanced at Lancelot before he asked, ¡°She has family here? Why don¡¯t she seek them out?¡±

    ¡°She was kidnapped from her home by a team of Ninja,¡± Tristan explained, ¡°I think she was half blackmailed, half kidnapped, but was willingly if it was on her own terms, as she put it.¡± He paused for a second, thinking about the second question. ¡°Personally, I think she will seek out her family. She seems to be the type it has to be on her own terms and not someone else¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Was she aware she has family in Camelot?¡± Lancelot questioned.

    Tristan shook his head no, causing his shaggy brown hair to shake about his head, slightly, ¡°No. She might be using the fact we are having a major Royal Event as cover to seek out her brother to test the waters before she reaches out to the rest of the Family.¡±

    ¡°Do you know who she is related to,¡± Gawain¡¯s eyes pinned Tristan to his seat. Tristan took a long sip of his mead as he thought about how to answer that. He could come and out tell them, but one of them would immediately run to inform Genesis about Tina¡¯s presence before she was ready to seek him out. However, an idea sparked in his mind.

    ¡°So do you,¡± Tristan admitted, ¡°Her older brother is a part of the Military while her Father is a Lord and a Knight and her Mother, of course, is a Lady of the Court and A Royal Shadow.¡±

    Lancelot¡¯s jaw dropped as his eyes widened. Tristan doubted the other knight truly knew Tina¡¯s connection, but the fact Tristan had pointed Tina had a Knight for a father and a Brother apart of the military was a common theme for many heiress of the Court. However, having a mother as a royal shadow was a different story. The Royal Shadows were spies and assassins, acting on the behalf of the needs of the Ruling Family, and most of the times were a member of the Court, often listening to other members of the Court for any rumors of rebellions and other rebellious acts.

    ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a combination,¡± Gawain breathed, ¡°I can see why she would be testing the waters of a possible family connection if she plans to take her mother¡¯s position of being a Royal Shadow with the New Chosen King, whoever that shall be.¡±

    Morgana strolled down the spiral stair case of the Queen¡¯s Tower, thinking about what she had to do today. She still had to go down to the crypt and expand the cave where Melissa, Arthur¡¯s birth mother and Uther¡¯s former wife, laid. Uther had wanted to be place beside her when he passed away. She needed to do that before the Funeral Ceremony.

    A soft breeze drifted up the stairs as she entered the stair case leading down to the second floor, causing a few strands of her unbound black hair to fly into her face, brushing over her skin as goosebumps rose over the exposed areas of her upper chest and down her exposed forearms, her dark wine colored dress to drift around her legs, and Belladonna¡¯s voice reached her ears. She paused before she reached the curve of the stairwell, revealing her presence to the ones standing in the hallway.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that brat. She is already court this early in the morning! Without me? That is outrageous! I can¡¯t wait until Arthur can pull out the Holy Sword. A spell to choose the next King! I still think that is a plot against the rightful rulers of Camelot, started by those annoying Magi. They should have been put to death, years ago.¡±

    The Black Mage sighed, softly. It was not even mid-morning and Belladonna was already started to complain about the High Queen Kalliope¡¯s actions. The black haired beauty didn¡¯t know what the former high queen had against Kalliope.

    ¡°Perhaps, they should have,¡± Lord James Black replied. His voice was steady and held a note of diplomacy, ¡°However, Aunt Bella, there is nothing for you to do, now.¡± James paused, ¡°I thought Arthur already tried to pull out the Holy Sword.¡±

    ¡°He has tried,¡± Belladonna replied, ¡°I believe he will be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°Mom,¡± Holly¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°If he already did it and he wasn¡¯t able to pull the Holy Sword out, he won¡¯t be King.¡±

    ¡°Uther did it,¡± Belladonna stated.

    Morgana remembered that problem. Uther, during the time of the Kingless Kingdom, had tried to pull out the Holy Sword multiply times. He had claimed if a Drake could prove that he would pull the Holy Sword out of the ceremonial stone, the conflict would end. However, it wasn¡¯t Uther who ended the Kingless Kingdom. It was Edward, Uther¡¯s cousin. He tried to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps and tried to join the Kingdom of Camelot with the Kingdom of Frank. He didn¡¯t live long afterwards. It was another time of chaos as the Sword switched hand to hand until Uther pulled out of the Holy Sword and went to work, sending things straight with the Kingdom. When the Frank Kingdom argued that the previous King was murdered, Uther claimed the death of his family member was unfortunate and all of the agreements during that time were nulled. It led to the Frank swearing revenge on the Camelot Kingdom.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°He did,¡± Holly agreed, ¡°But how many others did before he did? How many died during the Kingless Kingdom, Mom? I don¡¯t want to experience that again. If Arthur couldn¡¯t pull the Holy Sword out of the Ceremonial Stone, there is a good chance he won¡¯t be able to. It means there is a man better suited to rule over Camelot.¡±

    ¡°We, House of Drake, are the rightful Rulers of Camelot,¡± Belladonna argued. Morgana didn¡¯t need to look around the bend to know Belladonna was standing tall, proud as a peacock. She shook her head, sending the black locks to wave down her back. ¡°James, you should pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone.¡±

    ¡°No, we are not the rightful ruling House,¡± Holly shot back, ¡°The rightful Ruler of Camelot, by blood, is the Lady Morgana of House Pendragon. She is, after all, the last blood relative to King Arthur of House Pendragon, still alive.¡±

    ¡°She only thinks she is,¡± Belladonna sneered, ¡°There is no way she has lived that long.¡± A paused, ¡°Unless of course, she is the Death Mage Rowena.¡±

    Morgana sighed, deeply as Holly snorted loudly and James said, ¡°Really, Aunt Bella? That again?¡±

    This was not the first time Morgana had been accused to be the Death Mage Rowena. That..that..that fowl creature. The Black she-mage shivered. She still hated to be compared to that cursed witch.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Holly changed the subject, ¡°Elsa has arrived.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Belladonna announced, ¡°That rebellious daughter of mine will be hearing it from me. She should have been here last night for the Mourning Dinner. If I did that with my father, I would be skinned alive and disowned.¡± Belladonna¡¯s voice drifted away into silence. The sound of footsteps rang out on the stone steps, slowly fading away.

    Morgana waited until she was sure that the members of the Drake House was gone before she stepped down when Holly spoke up, ¡°I hate it when she does that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± James agreed, ¡°I have tried to make sure the women weren¡¯t treated that way at the Estate. I have been making changes, but most of the Black Lords have been fighting me on every turn.¡± He let out a deep sigh. It was the type of sigh where Morgana could image James¡¯ shoulder slumped as he directed his gaze to the floor and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°I know you are trying, James,¡± Holly stated, ¡°But those Lords are old farts. They won¡¯t be changing anytime soon. The changes you are making are helping us Black Women, but until those old farts die and their heirs take over, I think that is the only way the changes will stick.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± James commented in a knowing tone that Morgana was familiar with. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°I know, Holly. That¡¯s why I am plotting something.¡±

    Morgana was tempted to peer around the bend and look at the Black Lord with raised eyebrows. That tone. It promised a lot of dangerous things. The kind of dangerous things that could ended up with James¡¯ death if he takes the wrong step.

    ¡°I am fully aware,¡± Holly¡¯s tone held a smirking note, ¡°You need to be more careful, Lord James. I have been directing suspicious else where, but there are few people I haven¡¯t been able to fool.¡± The silence that followed her statement said words that neither were able to say.

    Morgana smirked. It appeared the latest game had already started with Lord James Black. Things were starting to get interesting, again. It was about time, really. It had been too quite over the last five to six years since Kalliope became High Queen.

    ¡°Come on, cousin,¡± Holly started, ¡°I need to save my sister from mom before Mom does try to disown Elsa from the family.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Bella could try,¡± James argued, ¡°As the Patriarch Head of the Black House, Aunt Bella can¡¯t do that without my say.¡±

    Morgana peeked around the bend, watching Holly and James walk down the hall, heading to the stair case for the first floor. She waited until they disappeared down the spiral staircase and she counted until she reached 10 before she finished walking down the stairs, crossed the floor and went to the spiral staircase. It wasn¡¯t long afterwards, she stepped out in the morning sun.

    Arthur frowned as he stared at his room leading out of his new quarters in the Knights¡¯ Tower. He didn¡¯t want to leave. He didn¡¯t want to face the rest of the world. Last night was rough. He remembered why he didn¡¯t like his family getting together anymore. Or it could have been the fact that Nana Bella wouldn¡¯t stop criticizing Kalliope over the Mourning Dinner. Hell, it could have been the various secrets that came out over the meal - Kalliope¡¯s pregnancy had been weighing on his mind. He couldn¡¯t figure out who the father could be.

    The child would be considered to be a bastard unless the entire family went with the story of Uther being the Father. However, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to fool people. The King had fallen ill several months ago and Kalliope couldn¡¯t be that far along. It would eventually get out that she was unfaithful to the King. He shook his head.

    It was supposed to be a time where the family could talked about how his father lived, how he changed lives, the funny moments of his life that they could remember, not like last night. It wasn¡¯t, not by a long shot. Nana Bella complained about everything during the meal. His Aunt Holly tried to direct the conversation away from whatever Nana Bella was talking about, but it didn¡¯t work long. Nana found another thing to complain about. She even went as far as to claim that when she was High Queen, that the Mourning Meal wasn¡¯t anything like Kalliope could put together and her Mourning Meals were a lot better.

    Arthur was still amazed that his step-mom didn¡¯t say anything in response to Belladonna during the meal. He had seen her eyes blaze with drunken fury throughout the night. He didn¡¯t know what she did after the meal, but she quickly vanished through a back door from the Royal Common Room. He hadn¡¯t seen her since then, but he did get the summons that he was needed in the Seasonal Throne Room.

    He sighed before he threw his legs over the side of the couch, sitting up. He bent over, reaching for his boots under the table sitting between couch and the roaring fireplace. He slipped his feet in the boots and tugged them on. He lend back. He glanced at the door, again. A hand came up and rubbed his face. He felt the day old beard growing along his jaw. He needed to shave before the funeral ceremony tomorrow.

    Arthur¡¯s hand fell to his side, landing on the throw pillow. He directed his gaze back toward the door. Did he really want to leave the room and go out? Yeah, he did. Did he wanted to go to the Seasonal Throne Room and take his position of Acting King? No, he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t want to deal with the court and its visiting Lords and Ladies and the various representatives of houses that couldn¡¯t attend in person.

    Maybe afterwards, he could go train with the Knights and relax with them, he mused. With a deep sigh, he pushed himself up to his feet and grabbed his sword belt. He wrapped it around his waist and tied it. He strolled over to the coat hanger and reached for the brown coat he had planned to wear. He swung it over his back and slipped his arms through the sleeves and adjusted it to his upper body.

    He reached for the door and pulled it open. He stepped out into the hallway. He heard a door open up further down the hall and he glanced toward it. Tristan stepped out of his personal quarters, shutting the door behind him.

    ¡°Arthur,¡± Tristan gapped at him like he wasn¡¯t expecting the former Prince to start living there.

    ¡°Morning, Tristan,¡± Arthur greeted the violent knight. He remembered how Tristan managed to get that nickname. It was during a tournament and something had happened on the battlefield to cause Tristan to slip into a berserker rage. He won the tournament with ease as well as earning the nickname of being violent. Tristan was someone Arthur would love to fight along side with and have at his back when things at hairy.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Tristan asked. His eyes darted between the former crowned prince and the door he just exited from. A questioning glimmer in his eyes.

    ¡°Live here now,¡± Arthur shrugged, ¡°I couldn¡¯t pull out the Holy Sword so there will be a new King and possible new Ruling Family soon.¡± His eyes ran over the Violent Knight¡¯s form. Tristan¡¯s hair was wet and there was a tiredness in his expression saying he hadn¡¯t been sleeping well. ¡°Did you just get back from somewhere?¡±

    Tristan nodded and explained, ¡°I went looking for a cure for your father¡¯s illness, but there were some complications along the way.¡±

    Arthur cocked his head to the side, listening, and they turned to the spiral stair case. He asked, ¡°What kind of complications?¡±

    Tristan sighed, ¡°I think it would be best if I explained with High Queen Kalliope, Lord Jack, Battle Mage Merlin and the Black Lady Morgana present, my prince.¡±

    A rush of irritation flashed through the former prince as he snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Arthur paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself, ¡°I am no longer a Prince.¡± He ignored Tristan¡¯s eyes on him as they hurried down the spiral staircase and reached the Knight Common Room. Eyes roaming around the large room, Arthur spotted Sir Gawain sitting in one of the large back comfortable plush chairs by the fire, looking down at a piece of parchment; Sir Bors stood on the far side of the bar with tanker in a hand, his head bent over a thick book; Sir Mordred stared out one of the large windows with an far off look on his face; Sir Percival sat the long table in the center of the room with a plate of food in front of him, and Sir Joseph rubbed his face as he staggered over to Arthur and Tristan, looking like he just pulled an all nighter. Arthur figured he probably did since he was one of the two dozen knights that usually stay up all night, helping the night guards watching the outer wall and inner wall.

    Sir Joseph didn¡¯t say a word as he past Arthur and Tristan before he tripped over the first step, but he recovered and placed the other foot on the second step before he continued the climb up to his floor.

    Arthur watched him go before he turned to Tristan, pushing the irritation away and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Tristan, for speaking to you in such a way. It has been a long week for me.¡±

    Tristan nodded in agreement, ¡°As it has for everyone.¡±

    They didn¡¯t say another word as they left the Knights¡¯ tower and strolled across the courtyard to the main part of the Castle. It didn¡¯t take Arthur long to feel the heat of the sun, beating down on him, warming him up. The recent days had been on the chilly side like Old Man Winter didn¡¯t want to leave just yet. There was a soft chilly breeze drifted around the courtyard. Arthur held his coat tighter to him before he entered the castle, entering it through a side door. Tristan was a step behind him.

    ¡°I thought spring was supposed to be here, already,¡± Arthur muttered loud enough for Tristan to hear.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°Remember, the recent years, Arthur, Winter has been rough on the Kingdom. Spring won¡¯t be kind either.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arthur commented, remembering the recent winter, remembering the blizzard that seemed to pop out of nowhere.

    There had been several feet of snow appearing overnight, shortly after Christmas. High Queen Kalliope had argued with King Uther about helping out the villagers out of the outer wall and the townspeople within the walls of Camelot with food and finding warmth. In fact, she had, personally, given out several dozens quests for Knights who were brave enough to brave the cold temperatures to deliver food to a few villages outside of the walls. Arthur had helped out by delivering food to the local abbeys in the lower town. Kalliope had ordered several dozens quilts and afghans to made by the various weavers and quilters of the lower town. Nana Bella didn¡¯t like that and had voiced her opinion on it, but Kalliope ignored her and somehow managed to talk Uther into doing the same, allowing Kalliope to do this to help the people out.

    Arthur had been presented during one of the discussions where his step-mom had persuaded his father into it by claiming that it would be good thing to show the people that they did care about them. Uther had took only a few minutes to think about it and allowed Kalliope to dig into the Royal Coffers for coin to help to purchase the goods she wanted to buy and give to the people who needed them the most.

    The gratitude that flowed from the people once the harshest part of winter faded away was felt by the Ruling Family. There was a surge of recruitment for the Castle Guards and the military. Many of the men claimed they wanted to repay the Ruling Family by protecting them. The dozens of women who flocked to the castle wanted to help and they managed to double the staffing size, in several different parts of the castle, replacing the ones who died during the cold months from illnesses. High Queen Kalliope received gifts from the villages far outside the walls of Camelot. Nana Bella was upset that Kalliope was being showered with gifts by the people of the Kingdom and claimed that the High Queen should turn her nose up at the various ¡®poorly crafted gifts¡¯, but it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that his great-grandmother was jealous of Kalliope.

    Spring, so far, had been wet one. There had been reports of floods at the nearby rivers and various creeks had been enlarged for weeks. A couple of the floods had destroyed farmlands in the North while mudslides had been reported in the South. One of the visiting Lords informed Arthur shortly after his arrival the day before that there had been rock slides in the East and one of the rock slides had managed to take out a good portion of his lands by his Estate. Arthur knew whoever took over as King would have their hands full for the rest of spring and possible through their first year as Ruler of Camelot. A part of him was glad he didn¡¯t have to deal with that headache while another part of him was sad since it would be the first big challenge as King.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Summer will be much better,¡± Arthur voiced his concern. Summer storms were some of the worst Camelot and its surrounding lands would get hit with during the year. They barely recovered from the worst storm toward the end of August last summer before the harvest came and fall cool the days as winter loomed. Arthur was still surprised that the Kingdom had managed to survive it.

    ¡°Well,¡± Tristan started, ¡°It could mean us Knights would be going out on quests through the summer, on High Queen Kalliope¡¯s orders, again.¡±

    ¡°Assuming she will be remain High Queen,¡± Arthur said in a worry tone. He knew there was a chance whoever drew the Holy Sword out of the Stone would already have a wife and possible children. Kalliope would have no choice, but step down as her position as High Queen in favor of the new King¡¯s Wife taking over the position.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tristan agreed.

    Arthur groaned, coming to a stop as he saw the long line of Lords and Ladies and representatives of the Ancient and Noble Houses and the minor houses, waiting to be greeted by the High Queen and the Acting King. Tristan snorted before he commented, ¡°Have fun, Arthur. I need to go down to the Town before I meet with the High Queen and the Magi, privately.¡±

    Arthur nodded, saying, ¡°I will tell them that you wish to meet with them.¡± He glanced at Tristan, ¡°As soon as we are done here.¡± He saw Tristan smirk at him before the Violent Knight hurried away. Arthur¡¯s gaze transformed into a glare as his eyes followed the Knight out of the hallway until he disappeared from Arthur¡¯s sight.

    Arthur sighed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. He went to a nearby door and entered it. It was a servant door, allowing the serving staff to run in and out without disturbing majority of the court.

    Once inside the Seasonal Throne Room, he spotted Kalliope standing nearby an opened window, staring out over the ocean that took over the Western horizon. He strolled over to her and said, ¡°Good morning, Mother-Queen.¡±

    Kalliope jerked slightly as she turned to him. She smiled at him and said, ¡°Morning, Son-Prince.¡± She turned back to the open window. She didn¡¯t say a word for a longest moment then she explained, ¡°I am waiting to see if the Pope¡¯s ship will be arriving this morning or afternoon.¡±

    Arthur nodded in understanding. This would be her first time seeing the Pope in person. He spoke up, ¡°He won¡¯t be arriving until after dinner, if he does arrive today.¡± He frowned, thinking. The letter had stated the Pope won¡¯t be arriving until ¡®the day after tomorrow¡¯ which meant there was still another day before the Pop did arrived. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t arrive today, he will be sometime tomorrow.¡±

    She glanced up at him before she nodded in understanding. She sighed which turned into a yawn. A hand rose up to cover her mouth. Arthur spotted the light purplish marks under her closed eyes, indicting that she hadn¡¯t been sleeping very well or not as much as she needed to.

    Footsteps rang out behind them. Arthur turned to see Merlin strolling up to them. The Mage nodded his head at Arthur before he said, ¡°Heather McDonald has been escorted from the Castle.¡±

    Arthur blinked. Heather McDonald had been what? He knew Heather was the head of the Serving Staff. According to the numerous complaints, she was not a good boss to be working under and thus she was always short staffed from the accounts he had heard.

    ¡°Thank you, Merlin,¡± Kalliope turned to Merlin and gave him a smile of gratitude. ¡°I had no idea she would be that difficult to expell from the Castle.¡±

    ¡°She can be a handful to deal with,¡± Merlin agreed.

    ¡°And could someone clue me in why Heather McDonald had be escorted from the Castle?¡± Arthur asked, ¡°Who is the head of the Serving Staff, now?¡±

    ¡°I thought Heather no longer benefit the Ruling Family as the Head of the Serving Staff,¡± Kalliope commented, ¡°Patrick Johnson has taken her place as the Head of the Serving Staff.¡±

    Arthur nodded. It shouldn¡¯t have come as a surprise to him. Heather had been a problem for the Ruling Family for a while. They had hundreds of complaints about her over the last few years, mostly how to she treated her staff and how the members of the staff preferred to work with another staff. Patrick had lasted the longest, staying with the Serving Staff for a total of 7 months. Now, he was charge of the Serving Staff. Arthur hoped the man was up for the job.

    ¡°Heather didn¡¯t want to leave the Castle,¡± Merlin went on, ¡°So, the Queen had to have her escorted out of the castle.¡±

    Kalliope snorted, ¡°I also had to threaten her with time in the dungeon if she would ever tried to enter the Castle again.¡±

    Arthur¡¯s lips parted as he stared at his step-mother. That was the first time to his knowledge that she had threaten anyone with time in the dungeons. It was somewhat amusing, or at least to Arthur, it was. He let out a soft chunckle, shaking his head.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Kalliope started, changing the subject, ¡°We should really take our seats, Arthur. The Lords and Ladies of the Court as well as the representatives of the Houses that could not make the travel are waiting for us.¡±

    Arthur let out a groan, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, Mom.¡±

    He spotted Kalliope roll her eyes at him, but he held out his arm to her. She took it. He guided her over to the Throne of the High Queen before he claimed his seat, leaving the Throne of the King empty, again. He saw the Announcer of the Court stroll over and stopped in front of them, by the bottom step. He bowed, deeply, before he asked, ¡°Are you ready, your majesties, to welcome the members of the Court and the Representatives?¡±

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Arthur grumbled. He felt amusement shot through him as he saw the Announcer jerk and looked up at him in shock.

    ¡°Please ignore him, Announcer,¡± Kalliope stated, ¡°He is just in a grumpy mood because he doesn¡¯t want to be here.¡± Arthur shot her a half hearted glare that informed her she was right. ¡°Please, start the process, Announcer.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my lady,¡± The announcer bowed again before he turned away and went to the door. He opened the pair of doors wide and stepped to the side. The first person in line handed him a piece of parchment paper. He read it before he stood straight and called out, ¡°Lady Amelia of Ancient and Noble House of Whitlock.¡±

 Chapter 32: Clash of Queens and Generals

    Tristan¡¯s Quarters in the Knight¡¯s Tower

    Tina had been sleeping so good when she rolled onto her back. Her eyes snapped opened. She sucked in a breath as she arched her back. She fought back tears as she rolled on her side and curled up in a ball. Her back didn¡¯t ached as bad as did before she went to sleep, but apparently having any pressure like her weight still bothered her back. She trusted her spirit energy to start healing her back while she slept. She took a deep breath and scooted to the edge the bed. She glanced around the room.

    Tristan was gone.

    Tina frowned before she shrugged and felt cool air on her chest. Maybe it was a good thing he was gone. She was topless. She frowned as she remembered he was been tending to her back.

    Tristan¡¯s absence meant she could leave without him arguing with her about getting to the root of her family problem. She needed to get back home, but a little voice whispered the fact she was in Camelot. The legendary Kingdom where King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table lived. She was highly tempted to search for the Legendary Round Table. Who could say they had seen the table? An old familiar feeling drifted up from her core. The last time she had felt it was years ago when she went to Japan and took part in that Black Tournament. Excitement. A thrill of adventure. She missed the feeling.

    A smirk pulled at her lips. She bounced off the edge and summoned her spirit energy, contracting it to her back. Her back warmed. She stretched, slightly, reaching up, arching her back one way then the other. She let out a sigh as her back didn¡¯t ache. She knew her spirit energy was at work, though she wished she could see how much of it still needed to be healed.

    Tina shook her head. She needed to hurry. She didn¡¯t know how much longer Tristan would be. Tina shrugged down her loose shirt. She had pulled it up over her shoulders when Tristan was washing her back. She spotted her hiking bag at one end of the couch and strolled over it. She bent over and grabbed it in her right hand. She mentally prepared herself and double checked on her spirit energy, contracting it on her back. She hoped she didn¡¯t injury herself more. She swung her bag onto her back. She winced when it made contact with her back. She waited to see if there was any pain. There wasn¡¯t.

    It meant her spirit energy was holding up. She grabbed her sword belt and tied it around her waist. She eyed the quiver. It was nearly empty of arrows. She would have to restock soon on arrows and slipped her quiver into the belt. Her bow lend against the side of the couch and she reached out, grabbing it before she slid it into the quiver.

    Her eyes darted over to the close door. She couldn¡¯t take the hallway down to that large common room she saw the night before. There could knights everywhere and assuming they would have a tight knit bond with each other, they would tell Tristan the moment she left. She glanced at the a pair of French style glass doors where a balcony stood behind it. It meant she would have take the glass doors.

    No risk, no gain, no fun. She told herself as she strolled over to the pair of glass doors. She unlatched one of the doors and pushed it open. She stepped through it and shut it behind her. She crossed the balcony and peered across the courtyard.

    The courtyard was wide and open, reminding her the football field the High School she had attend had in the backyard, minus the turf, of course. Tina was pretty sure the parts of the courtyard that had green was real grass. Except for the backyard of the temple like house Tina lived in with her mom, sister, and grandmother, she didn¡¯t see very much real grass when she went off to college or when she stayed with her ex. The grass had stopped growing in the cities. It had been that way for years. She had noticed it when she went to High school in the nearby large city.

    Her heart squeezed at the thought of him as pain shot through her. She took a shaky breath. She squeezed her eyes shut as she willed back the tears that sprung forward at the thought of the asshole. She opened her eyes and peered at the horizon. She saw the trees of the forest, just outside the town walls. She scanned the walls. She wondered if she could see the men patrolling if she narrowed her gaze. She hummed at that thought and dismissed it. She knew she couldn¡¯t. She blinked, watching people roam about like ants in the walkways of the castle where she could see, trying to directed her thoughts away from Ryan. Even thinking his name hurt her. She needed to address him as something else. Asshole seemed to be a good name for him, considering how he treated her and her family when she was allowed to see them.

    She sighed for what seemed the hundredth time and refocused on her current problem of Familial issues. She still didn¡¯t know if she should seek out her possible older brother. She mused that she could and depending how that interaction went, she could either go through visiting the White Hall Estate or head on home, citing she already met one of them and wasn¡¯t too pleased on how it turned out.

    She directed her gaze over the railing. She frowned. She let out a sigh. She remembered the fact Tristan¡¯s room was on the 17th floor which meant she had to be at least 170 feet off the ground. This was going to be fun. Hopefully, she didn¡¯t break her legs.

    Tina turned and sat on the railing before she swung her legs over it. She placed her heels on the edge of the balcony. She could do this. She won¡¯t get hurt. She gathered more of her spirit energy and stepped forward from the balcony. Air rush around her. Her hair flew up above her head. Her shirt slid up over her stomach. Her heart thundered in her chest.

    Then it was over. Her feet slammed into the ground. Her knees bent in response. Her eyes narrowed as she watched as a small cloud of dust raise up and spread out around her. She bent over her knees. She waited as the energy from the sudden landed spread up then fly back down. She rose up and jumped her height. She landed on her feet again, the energy expanded. She smirked.

    Tina looked around the back area of the Knights¡¯ tower. No body was in sight. However, when she glanced over her shoulder and saw a knight staring at her with an open mouth expression. His eyes widened. She waved at him. He closed his eyes.

    Tina immediately spirited to the left, heading around the tower. She paused, once she reached the bend and peeked into the court yard. Knights roamed. Women in long dresses traveled in groups, their laughter drifted through the air. The style of the dresses reminded Tina of medieval dresses - long, brushing the ground kind of skirts with long sleeves and some of the dresses even dipped in the front, showing off some cleavage, but not a lot. It was more like a tease. It was not like in the Cities where women were encourage to wear little clothing as possible.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Men in fancy looking clothes talked to each other in groups, standing straight and almost prideful. They talked to each other with respect and gave respect to the ladies whenever they walked past. Their pants didn¡¯t hang below their butts which was a plus in Tina¡¯s book. She got sick and tired of city men wearing pants so loose on them that a belt wouldn¡¯t help them to keep the pants around their hips that she couldn¡¯t wait to get out of the cities on the weekends.

    Pairs of armor wearing men - Castle Guards, her mind supplied - patrolled in various corridors. The way they acted reminded her of how the police used to act in the old movies whenever they had to control a large crowd of people. The last time she had seen the cops in action, a large crowd of protesters had surrounded the White House and tried to protest the Election of a Anti-United States President a few years ago, but they were all arrested and disappeared into the system. No media reported on what happened, but the rumors that floated out afterwards, told Tina it was nothing good.

    Anyway, it was surreal, seeing women dressed like respectable women and men acting and talking like men. Maybe Tristan was right, in a way. Maybe she was in Camelot. However, it would appear she had ended up in a Renaissance Fair then the Mythical Kingdom.

    She glance over her shoulder. There was no one approaching her that way. Her eyes roamed over the nearby building and saw an open door. She looked at the courtyard before she turned that way. She hurried toward the door and disappeared inside.

    The Inner Wall

    General Genesis marched along the top of the wall. He eyed his troops. While he was thankful the Funeral Ceremony had been pushed back a couple days in the wake of receiving the news of the Pope¡¯s arrival, he was not thankful for the expose stress the waiting period brought. He knew as the next couple days continued his men would experience more and more stress over the situation.

    He frowned as he spotted one of the men standing beside a cannon, more like lending onto the cannon. The red head strolled over to him and saw the rank insignia on his upper left arm, near the curve of his shoulder. He eyed the name on the front of the tunic. Private J. Rogers. That name sparked something in his memory.

    Something about recent event happened in the Rogers household. A memory rush forward. Rogers had, personally, came to him, requesting a week off, stating his wife had been expecting a child, recently gave birth to a healthy son, but the childbirth had left the wife weak and unwell, he had wanted to be there for his wife and son for a week. Genesis had given the private a week off. The private had just returned to active duty three days ago when the news broke of the King¡¯s death. He spoke up, ¡°Private Rogers.¡±

    Private Rogers jerked away from the cannon. His blue eyes looked widely around before they landed on the General. He snapped to attention, his heels clicked together, his right arm flew up to form a fist over his heart and he called out, ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°How is your wife doing?¡± Genesis asked. He knew many of his men had families at home and while some of them hadn¡¯t experience the wonders of having a child running around like he hadn¡¯t yet, others were first time fathers like Private Rogers. He watched as Rogers¡¯ face fell.

    ¡°Not good, sir,¡± Private Rogers confessed, ¡°The healers are trying to help her, but they can¡¯t figure out why she isn¡¯t getting any better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°What about your son?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s healthy as an ox, and just as strong as one. He will make a fine warrior, one day,¡± Rogers¡¯ face lit up at the mention of his son, ¡°However, my sister is acting as his wet nurse until my wife is better. Sis has a new born of her own as well so she said it won¡¯t be much trouble to nurse another one for a while.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear about your son, Rogers,¡± the General agreed. He eyed Rogers¡¯ face and saw the purplish lines under the other man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Go home to your wife, take the rest of the day off. Return to duty the day of the Funeral Ceremony.¡± Rogers opened his mouth to argue, but Genesis went on, ¡°You came to active duty three days early because you heard the news of King Uther¡¯s passing. Right now, your wife needs you more then we do. You also are no good to me when you are less then at the top of your game, Private.¡±

    Rogers paused, thinking about what Genesis had said. The private nodded and said, ¡°As you order, General.¡± He slapped his fist back over his heart then turned, heading to the stairs off the Inner Wall. He disappeared from sight.

    Genesis turned and continued his stroll on the Inner Wall, eying his men as he went past them. A flicker of movement caught his attention. He paused, looking down at Sir Tristan as the Violent Knight started head into the town. He frowned when Reno stepped out of the shadows of a nearby building and approached Tristan, speaking to the knight. Reno¡¯s expression was hard to read until Tristan replied to what Reno had said and his second in command¡¯s expression changed into a furious one. That caused Genesis to raise his eyebrows. Reno was not known to have short lease on his temper.

    Reno¡¯s voice reached him, ¡°What is stopping me from telling him that his sister is here in Camelot, instead of on her way to the White Hall Estate, and in your rooms?¡±

    What the hell was Reno going on about? White Hall Estate? The only one he knew of that should be traveling back home was his sister. He blinked as the information sunk in. His sister was in Camelot? Genesis frowned, looking up at the horizon, in the direction where he knew the White Hall Estate stood. He knew Reno wasn¡¯t talking about Natalie. Natalie would have already tracked him down and demanded for him to show her around the castle. However, Natasha and Valentina, on the other hand. His eyes widened as it clicked in his mind. The letter from his grandmother. Victor and Vincent read it. His father had made mention of the letter before they left.

    It said something about his sister, Valentina, coming home from where his mother took her and Natasha. It had been years since he had seen the three of them. They had left a few days before the end of the Era of the Kingless Kingdom for some reason. He didn¡¯t remember what was the reason, assuming he was told it. However, his father wrote to his mother on a weekly basis, if not daily, and she wrote back to him. He knew his sister was skilled in archery, but was learning how to wield a blade. There were other major accomplishments his mother wrote about and his father read out loud to him whenever he received a letter. If Reno said was true, Valentina was here in Camelot. His heart skipped a beat.

    Thinking, Genesis watched as Tristan pushed past Reno and stormed into the courtyard. The general turned and walked over to the other side of the wall, watching Tristan go over to the Knights¡¯ Tower. He reached a decision and hurried away from the wall, heading down the stairs. He pounded down the stairs.

    It had been years since he had last set eyes on his sister. The last he had heard, Valentina was suffering a heartbreak from a relationship ending. The way it was described to his father and to him, Valentina refused to get out of bed for weeks, now. She shouldn¡¯t be here. He remembered an important line from his grandmother¡¯s letter, saying she had hired ninja from the Hidden Bark Village to bring her to the Estate. If it was true, something had happened and Valentina ended up in Camelot instead of the Estate. Perhaps she escaped from the Ninja.

    Genesis¡¯ thoughts jumped around as he tried to figure out the truth of the situation. If Valentina did escape from the Ninja, why would she come to Camelot and not try to return home to their mother? He knew it would be something he would have to figure out. He sighed.

    Genesis reached the courtyard, stepping off the stairs. Reno was at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at him with a surprise expression. The General didn¡¯t say a word to his second as he brushed by him and walked as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself. That was the last thing he needed. Especially, Valentina was here in Camelot. He had to see her for himself.

 Chapter 33: The Price of Failure

    Morgana entered the Seasonal Throne Room from a side door as the Announcer continued his work, announcing the second round of Lords and Ladies of the Court and any representatives sent to the castle. Her eyes roamed over the room.

    High Queen Kalliope sat with a calm, but welcome expression as each lord and lady approached the raised platform and bowed, stating their condolences for her lost. She nodded her thanks each time.

    The Former Prince Arthur sat in the high back chair of the crowned prince, watching the procession of the court. He didn¡¯t say a word. His expression was hard to read as he listened to the court expression their condolences.

    Lord Jack, the Head of the former King¡¯s Guards, stood a few feet behind Kalliope. He watched the Court with a critical eye. Despite the fact he had asked to relieved of his position as the Head of the King¡¯s guard, he was still a guard and Morgana knew he would do his duty until otherwise told he was relieved and his position had been filled by another.

    Morgana spotted Merlin standing on the left side of the room, watching with a questioning eye at the members of the court. He wore a dark blue tunic that was open to mid chest and black pants today. She blinked. He looked dashing for once in a long time. She didn¡¯t remember the last time he had looked as dashing as he did then. She tore her eyes away from him before her heart could give her away.

    Arthur shifted into a standing position. The room fell silent. He waved his hand for the Announcer to continue with his job. The prince walked to the side of the room and stopped next to Merlin. Morgana noticed he was staring at her and gestured for her to come over. She nodded and she walked along the wall, heading to the two men.

    ¡°Afternoon, my prince,¡± Morgana greeted Arthur with a small bow before she turned to her former master, ¡°Merlin.¡± Her breath caught in her throat as she heard her voice. The tone was a borderline purr. She fought from the blood raising in her cheeks. The look Merlin gave her informed her that he had heard the purr.

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± Arthur said with a bow of his head, ¡°Have you been to see how the progression of the preservation of my father¡¯s body is coming along?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Morgana said, ¡°But I will be soon.¡±

    Arthur nodded, saying, ¡°Are you familiar with the progress?¡±

    ¡°Yes and No,¡± the Black Mage responded. Arthur let out a soft groan and closed his eyes in annoyance which Merlin to laugh under his breath. Morgana smirked as she went on, ¡°I know of the process, but I haven¡¯t been able to witness it for myself.¡±

    ¡°When are you going down to the Undertaker Room?¡± the former crowned prince asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

    ¡°Soon,¡± she replied, ¡°Would you like to accompany me?¡±

    Arthur frowned, a thoughtful expression coloring his face. Merlin straightened, from his relaxed position against the stone wall. Morgana felt the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck raise as a response as Merlin¡¯s magic flared. She turned to the Battle Mage. His shoulders were back. His eyes hardened, staring over Morgana¡¯s shoulder. His usually carefree expression transformed into stone, unreadable to Morgana.

    She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when she felt the spark of static electricity drifting through the air. Her back snapped straight. Her heart sped up. What little magic she had rose in her veins as a response. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She let it out and opened her eyes. She slowly turned to face the doorway as the Announcer called out, ¡°Lord Salazar of House Dracula of the Crescent Island.¡±

    Lord Salazar of House Dracula strolled into the room as Morgana watched him closely. His midnight black hair was slick back over his head, not hair out of place. His golden flecked crimson eyes roamed around the Seasonal Throne Room, pausing on the Magi long enough to realize they were there. He sent them a smile, revealing long canines. His eyes drifted over the room, again.

    Several of the court ladies gasped in shock and something else. It had been years since Morgana had last lay on eyes on the current Lord of the Dracula House. He had grown up over the years. His face was pale as freshly fallen snow, revealing no kiss of the sun. His high cheek bones revealed that he was a member of a long gone and forgotten royal family. His family crest stood out in the shade of blood against the black of Salazar¡¯s clothing.

    The members of the court standing on the edge of the long, wide red carpet tried to scout back, away from the Crescent Lord. They all knew what he was. They didn¡¯t understand how he was able to walking in the sunlight nor how he could be so bold to walk into the Castle of Camelot when there were laws in place for the non-humans to be captured and executed. Lord Salazar was being bold for a day-walker Vampire.

    He approached the raised platform. He went down on one knee, his head bowed as he spoke loudly, ¡°High Queen Kalliope of Camelot, I am truly sorry for your lost. I didn¡¯t interact with King Uther, your late husband, very often, but when I did, he was a man of great strength and excellent of character.¡± His words were heavily laced with the strange accent of the Crescent Islanders. It was hard to make out what he said, but Kalliope managed to understand what he said.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Salazar for your condolences,¡± Kalliope replied, ¡°And Welcome to Camelot. It has been a long time since we have host one of your¡­¡± she paused, searching for the word, ¡°People.¡± She finally said.

    Morgana frowned. The High Queen was being kinder then Morgana would have. Fae and Vampires had been known not to get along. Whenever a Vampire managed to feast on a Fae, it created an Unsealie. There had been a few Unsealie, roaming the world. Merlin had been dispatched once to destroy a group of them, nearly a hundred or so years ago when they started to take babies from their cribs during the night. That was a bad day for Merlin. From some of the conversations that drifted to what happened that day, Merlin still mentally recovering from that experience because he couldn¡¯t save some of the babies and were forced to take care of them.

    ¡°Yes, it has,¡± Salazar agreed, ¡°Camelot has only grown in beauty since I last saw her and her High Queen shares that beauty.¡±

    Morgana watched with amusement as Kalliope blinked while her cheek reddened from the compliment. The Black Mage hoped Kalliope was smart enough to know when she was being seduced or not.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Salazar,¡± Kalliope said. Her tone held an appreciative note.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Salazar bowed his head and turned on his heel, heading toward the Magi and the former prince. The announcer went on, performing his job. The Dracula Lord stepped beside Morgana, placing his back against the wall. ¡°It has been a long time, Lady Morgana.¡± He greeted her, ¡°You are still beautiful as I remember.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Morgana replied, unimpressed. She had seen his ability to seduce women - no matter what race they belong to. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Like I said to the young Queen,¡± the vampire didn¡¯t blink as he went on, meeting Morgana¡¯s eyes, ¡°I am here for the Funeral Ceremony. Her King Uther was a great man. I meet him once during a chance encounter on the Sea, near the shoreline of the Crescent Island. He gave my people a chance when no one else would in this world or the outside world.¡±

    At that Morgana and Merlin both blinked. He had been to the Outside World? Thousand of questions popped into Morgana¡¯s mind as she wondered what had changed in the Outside World. What did Salazar mean when Uther gave them a chance? The former King was against the vampires from the start as well as any other of the non-human population.

    ¡°Outside World,¡± Arthur questioned with uncertainty. The three long-lived beings glanced at the former prince. Morgana had forgotten he was there, watching their exchange.

    ¡°Long story,¡± Merlin answered, ¡°It is a top secret thing that very, very few people know or aware of.¡±

    ¡°So, not even the Ruling Family knows of this secret?¡± Arthur narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°The Royal Families in the other Kingdoms are not aware of this secret,¡± Merlin explained, ¡°including the Current Ruling Family of Camelot.¡± He glanced around the room, searching for any members of the court trying to listen in before he lend closer to Arthur, ¡°Think of it this way - This secret is a need-to-know secret because how dangerous it will be if it got out. And right now, you don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Arthur outright glared at Merlin. Morgana rolled her eyes before she turned her attention back to the vampire lord. Merlin spoke, ¡°If you unleashed your power here in Camelot, we will destroy you.¡±

    The Black Mage stared at Salazar as Merlin went on, ¡°If you try anything with the High Queen, we will destroy you.¡±

    Salazar bowed his head in acknowledgment of what Merlin was saying then he smirked as he commented in a saucy tone, ¡°Step one toe out of line, I will be destroyed.¡±

    Merlin narrowed his eyes as Morgana fought a chuckle that rose in her chest. The Battle Mage simply said, ¡°Yes, you will.¡±

    ¡°I have a few members of my guard here, hidden,¡± Salazar stated, ¡°If you lay a hand unprovoked on me or the others I have claimed as mine and found through trial to be guilty, you will be held responsible for Camelot becoming a blood bath, her streets run red with the blood of her people.¡±

    The Announcer standing at the door, announced another Lord and Lady or a House Representative before they strolled down the red carpet toward the High Queen.

    Morgana felt something leaden landed in her stomach as she saw the steely look in his golden flecked red eyes. Merlin stiffened beside her. Arthur took a step back, fully understanding the threat, paling.

    Morgana knew the Vampire meant what he said. She had heard he had done it before to another Kingdom who had hurt a member of Salazar¡¯s personal guard. They held a trail and through enough evidence, Salazar was found to be justified to get revenge.

    That particular Kingdom, if she remember correctly, had a member of the Royal family visiting Camelot and the Princess of Rosefield become the only living member of that family left, the rest of them were utterly destroyed by the vampires under the Lord Salazar as well as the majority of the Kingdom. The lucky few who managed to survive the destruction only managed to do so because they were out of the Kingdom for various reasons. When they returned, they had to rebuild brick by brick. Eventually, that Princess became one of the voices outspoken against the Non-humans.

    The last time Morgana had heard anything from the Princess, she had became a fierce ruler, often killing the non-humans for the sightliest reason, and hired vampire hunters to hunt down the ones who killed her family. She never returned back to Camelot since she was a child. Morgana knew there were plans in place for a marriage contract between her and Arthur, if he was found worthy to be King. Those plans fell through when the Kingdom was destroyed.

    ¡°We have an accord,¡± Merlin said, gravely. His eyes were cold as ice as he stared down the Vampire Lord.

    ¡°That we do,¡± Salazar agreed. He allowed a small pleased grin to pull at his lips.

    ¡°Lord Salazar,¡± Morgana spoke up, catching his attention, ¡°We have several criminals down in the lowest part of the dungeons who are awaiting their execution.¡± She left out the part, suggesting if and when he needed to feed. Arthur, on the other hand, snapped his head to glare at the Black Mage in outrage. Lord Salazar nodded in understanding before he turned on his heel and started to mingle with the members of the Camelot Court.

    Merlin and Morgana¡¯s gazes met. Things could turn bad since The Lord of Crescent Island was now staying in the Castle Walls - really bad if Belladonna managed to upset the Vampire Lord in anyway. She would evoke the laws of Camelot to kill Lord Salazar and his guard, but it wouldn¡¯t matter. Camelot didn¡¯t have any people strong enough to kill the vampires.

    Morgana knew Belladonna would be forced to ask herself and Merlin to do the job, but thanks to the small truce Merlin just created with Lord Salazar, they would have a right to deny the request from the former High Queen, despite the hissy fit she would throw afterwards. However, if Belladonna would to challenge Salazar to a fight, she would lose. A human could never face a vampire and live to tell the tale.

    Genesis entered the Knights¡¯ tower. His eyes roamed over the room. Sir Bors stood with his back to him as his attention was focus to something outside the window. Genesis raised an eyebrow, waiting to be acknowledge somehow, but Bors never turned to him. The General shrugged and hurried over to the staircase, hurrying up them, heading to the floor where he knew Tristan¡¯s quarters were at.

    Once he reached Tristan¡¯s floor, he marched along it until he reached the door painted in Tristan¡¯s house colors and brought up his fist before he pounded on the door. He waited. Tristan appeared a few moments later, cracking up the door with a questioning look.

    Genesis pushed his way into the room, simply saying, ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Where is who, General?¡± Tristan replied with a question. He turned to face the General and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes narrowed in a glare.

    ¡°Valentina,¡± Genesis growled, ¡°My sister.¡± He took a step toward the Knight.

    ¡°I never meet her,¡± Tristan said in an even tone. Genesis¡¯ gut screamed that the Violent Knight was lying.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Genesis spatted. ¡°Where is she, Tristan?¡±

    ¡°I said I have never meet her,¡± Tristan argued, ¡°Now, get out of my quarters, General.¡±

    The door burst opened. General Bartholomew and Honor stormed in. Reno was a step behind them as well as Lancelot, Gawain, and Bors. Genesis saw Reno¡¯s eyes roamed over the room, taking the smallest details as Bartholomew and Honor approached the red head general. He knew he could count on Reno. Maybe he will be able to spot something Genesis missed.

    ¡°Gentlemen, please, get General Genesis out of my quarters,¡± Tristan said coolly. Gawain and Lancelot fell into a triangle formation, standing behind the Violent Knight. Lancelot had a hand on the top of his sword as Gawain placed a hand on his hip, inches away from his hatchet.

    Honor grabbed Genesis¡¯ upper right arm with a surprising strong grip. Genesis winced from the strength that Honor used. The other man rarely used his strength on his friends. He prefer to save it for the enemy. Honor moved closer to the Explosive General and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before this gets out of hand.¡±

    Genesis slowly turned his head and rested his glared on one of his best friends, explained, ¡°He knows my sister¡¯s whereabouts.¡±

    ¡°Natalie?¡± Honor questioned with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°No,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°Valentina.¡±

    Honor blinked before he stated, ¡°I thought she died, years ago, during the end of the Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    Genesis shook his head, ¡°Valentina and Natalie¡¯s twin went with my mother somewhere and never came back. We heard from mom sometimes, but not often enough.¡±

    ¡°Come on,¡± Bartholomew said, grabbing Genesis¡¯ other arm. Bartholomew and Honor drug Genesis out of the room. Reno followed them. Genesis let out a deep throated growl. He knew Tristan knew where Valentina was at or at least had an idea, but he wasn¡¯t sharing for some damn reason. The other two Generals forced Genesis out of the Knights¡¯ tower. Reno was on their heels.

    Genesis jerked his arms out of his friends¡¯ gasps and stormed away from them. He couldn¡¯t believe that the Knight would go as far as lie to another member of the fighting force about a loved one being in Camelot. He didn¡¯t think the rivalry between the Knights and the Members of the Military would go that deep.

    He heard footsteps behind him, but he ignored them. He wanted to be alone. He needed to think. His sister could be in Camelot. That chance blew his mind. He wasn¡¯t lying when he told the others that his mother had traveled to far away place and didn¡¯t come back, taking both Valentina and Natasha with her. A memory drifted up from his memory.

    The door slammed shut. Genesis looked up as his mother stormed by, dragging Valentina behind her. Valentina had tears running down her cheeks as she cried out, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know I couldn¡¯t do that. Mom! Please, let go! You are hurting me!¡±

    Mom didn¡¯t heed Valentina¡¯s words as she continued to head to the master bedroom. Once she crossed the doorway, the door slammed shut. Genesis glanced at his brothers and his twin sisters. They looked just as puzzled as he felt. He climbed to his feet, saying to his siblings, ¡°Stay here.¡±

    He crept forward until he reached the door. He pressed his ear up against the door and tried to listen to the conversation. He heard Valentina still crying, but he didn¡¯t hear his parents voice. Valentina suddenly said, ¡°He told me to try.¡± A paused, ¡°He says he was Arthur.¡± Another pause and the soft voice of their mother asked something he couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°No. He didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±

    After that, Genesis didn¡¯t hear anything else. Once he heard the shuffling sounds of people walking over the rug, he hurried back over to his siblings and laid back down, acting like he was still playing with them. The door opened and Valentina walked out with her head bent down. Their parents walked out behind her.

    Genesis paused, thinking about the memory. He had forgotten about it. He remembered that his mother, Valentina, and Natasha left not long afterwards. One of the comments stood out - ¡°He says he was Arthur.¡± He frowned. There had been a handful of Arthur over the years. There was only one that he knew and it was the Former Crowned Prince.

    He shook his head. There was no way the Crowned Prince - former or otherwise - would have interacted with Valentina. His younger siblings were stuck with their nursemaid most of the time while he was stuck in a tutoring session with Master of Knowledge, Professor Andrew, despite the fact Valentina always found a way to get away from their nursemaid and get into trouble. He sighed, walking on as he tried to figure out where Valentina would be.

    ¡°Genesis,¡± Reno¡¯s voice rang. The red head general paused and looked behind him as his second caught up. ¡°She was there.¡±

    Genesis half turned to him, asking, ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°She had a jacket tied around her waist when I saw her and escort her to the Knight¡¯s tower,¡± the second in command started, ¡°It was laying on the couch.¡±

    The explosive general chewed on his lower lip as Reno went on, ¡°She might have escaped through the balcony.¡± Genesis rose his eyes at the suggestion. ¡°It was opened. I doubt she jumped, considering Tristan lives on the 17th floor, so, there could have been a possibility of your sister standing just several feet away.¡±

    Genesis turned on his heel, walked around the tower to the backside, and peered up at the 17th floor balcony belonging to Tristan. He blinked as he saw the balcony doors open, but he didn¡¯t see anyone standing on the balcony. He hummed, thinking. He noticed a large window on the bottom floor. His mind flashed back to when he entered the Knights¡¯ tower.

    Sir Bors stood with his back to him as his attention was focus to something outside the window. Genesis raised an eyebrow, waiting to be acknowledge somehow, but Bors never turned to him.

    He turned back to Reno and the other two generals before he commented, ¡°She left the tower through the balcony doors and possible jumped from there.¡± He glanced at the other three. They looked shocked he even suggested something like that. ¡°Sir Bors spotted something that stunned him, possible, so much he didn¡¯t react when I entered the Tower. I think my sister had jumped from the 17th floor to the ground.¡±

    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Honor asked, looking amazed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Genesis admitted, ¡°But I need to look through the letters parents shared with each other. There might be a clue I could use to start searching for her.¡±

 Chapter 34: Veils and Vows

    Tristan watched the door to his quarters shut behind the knights. He collapsed in a nearby chair. A loud breath exhaled from him. His eyes landed in the dying fire. Where the hell did Tina disappeared to? He thought she would still be here, laying on top of his bed with her back expose to the air, in the process of healing. He brought up a hand and rubbed his face. He needed to find her before Genesis did.

    He was not expecting Genesis to confront him about Tina being in Camelot. It should have not came a surprise like it did. Reno had been the one who escorted Tina to the Tower and straight to his quarters. Of course, Reno would inform Genesis about Tina being here. He did not know Genesis had been open with his missing sisters with a few of his men. The violent knight knew the red head general was with the other two generals so they probably knew of the missing sisters.

    He shook his head, trying to clear it. He need to figure out where Tina had disappeared to and need to do it soon before she got into major trouble or was discovered, her belongings searched and someone informed Genesis about her whereabouts.

    Tristan knew she didn¡¯t want to meet anyone from the White Hall Family, just yet. He had noticed in the past few days she had skirted around the issue, how her eyes darkened with an emotion he couldn¡¯t read, and she pushed the issue away, often trying to change the subject.

    He sighed. He had to leave his quarters to find her, soon. He glanced around the room. Maybe she had left some clue to her where abouts. He started to go through his room, looking for a clue.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to find something. He held up the jacket Tina had wrapped around her waist the other night when she got too warm and used the argument that she may have to put it on when she got cold when he had suggested to put it in her bag. He sighed. He really hoped Reno or the others didn¡¯t see it. ¡°So, what was that about?¡± Gawain asked. Tristan jumped slightly. He forgotten his brothers in arms were still in the room.

    ¡°I think the General has found out that Valentina is in Camelot,¡± Lancelot commented.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tristan said, ¡°Reno had been the one to escort her to the Tower.¡± Lancelot nodded, remembering that details as well. ¡°He might have told Genesis about her.¡±

    ¡°If that is true,¡± Gawain said, ¡°Where did she leave? We would have seen her leave if she went through the common room¡­¡± he trailed off as his eyes darted over to the balcony.

    Tristan paled as he thought about her leaving through the balcony. He lived on the 17th floor of the tower. There was no way possible she had jumped from his balcony to the ground. He hurried over to the balcony and peered over the railing. He spotted Genesis walking away with the two generals and his second in command in toe. He peered below, hoping he didn¡¯t have to see Tina in the brushes with a broken leg, but he didn¡¯t see her. He frowned. He sensed Gawain and Lancelot come up beside him.

    ¡°Apparently, she is alright if she did jump,¡± Lancelot mused, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain her current location.¡±

    Gawain made a noise of agreement, ¡°Plus, it won¡¯t help with the amount of people in the castle right now, she could blend in with the various newcomers.¡±

    ¡°A regular needle in the haystack,¡± Tristan commented with an eye roll.

    Tina slowly made her way down through the various hallways. She did not know how long she had been roaming through the halls, looking for an empty room or a room that had a woman who appeared to be the same size as her. She had the brilliant idea that she would barrow a dress from high member of the local court. Speaking of that, Tina did managed to find a small out craping where she was able to peer down into a throne room. She could not see very well, but she did watch the procession of the Lord and Ladies of the Court walk down a red carpet to a woman who sat in a high back chair with a beautiful crown encircling her head.

    Tina did not stay long to watch more of the procession, but it did satisfy a curious she had been having about the castle. The location of the Throne Room and how the ruler looked like. Maybe in way Tina could avoid getting stuck in a conversation with the Queen if she ran into her. She shook her head.

    She continued her way down a long hall. It appeared belong to high ranked member of the court. There were a number long tapestries covering the wall at different parts of the hallway. From where Tina stood in the archway, she noticed the tapestries hung on either side of oaken doors. Tina glanced down at the rug that ran the length of the hallway. It was White as fresh fallen snow.

    Who would be a white rug on the floor? More importantly, why? Why use a white rug when the feet were the direst part of a person¡¯s body?

    Tina stepped onto the rug, hoping she would not leave footsteps anywhere on the brilliant white rug. She walked forward, coming to a stop by the first door. She glanced at the tapestries on either side of the door.

    The main background color was a dark pink color. It reminded her of the dark colored sakuras that fell during the spring time in Japan. She smiled, thinking back to the first time she saw the sakura falling from the trees on her Aunt Nami¡¯s temple lands. In the center of the tapestry, a large circle sat there with a brown arm flexed, a hand closed into a fist. She redirected her gaze to the door. The door had the circle with the colors on in the center, but it also had a name. Her eyes widened as she read it.

    Armstrong.

    Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head. That had to be a coincidence. There were tons of families with the last name of Armstrong. There was no way it could be referring to her grandmother. She pushed it to the back of her mind and moved on.

    The next door she came across was directly across from the Armstrong Room. The door was framed by a pair of matching tapestries, but the background color was bright green as grass on a bright summer day. In the middle of the tapestries, a flower stood out with heart shaped petals in different colors. One petal was a dark royal blue. Sitting next to the Dark Royal Blue on the right, the heart shaped petal started as a dark blue lightened to a light blue along the edges. Continuing in a circle, the next heart shaped petal was white as fresh fallen snow. Tina¡¯s eyes drifted to the next petal and they landed on the petal that had a line of dark purple cutting through a white background. The fifth petal was a dark purple. The last heart shaped petal had shades of pink, starting from the middle as white and darkened to dark shade of pink, a few shades lighter then red, completing the circle. Another difference that Tina noticed in the tapestry, there was other colored flowers along the edge trimming of it. She looked at the door, seeing the name craved into the wood.

    Morning Glory.

    Tina frowned. She glanced at the flowers. Maybe the name on the door was referring to the flowers. A loud noise rang out from the other end of the hallway. Tina¡¯s heart jumped in her chest. She twisted to the side, glancing up where the noise came from. She heard voices drifting up the hallway, but she couldn¡¯t make out what was being said. She turned, trying to find a good hiding area before she reached out for the Armstrong door. She placed her hand on the door knob and twisted it. It swung inward.

    Tina stepped inside as fast as she could before she slowly shut the door behind her. She didn¡¯t dare to stop to admire the room as her eyes roamed over the room, seeing three doors. She chose a door at random and hurried over it. She pulled it opened and saw it was empty. She entered it and shut the door behind her, this time locking the door. She hoped she entered a room already occupied and the owner was returning. She closed her eyes and stretched her spiritual sense out toward the outer room and the hallway, waiting for the speakers to pass. One of them was a male fighter, judging how strong his spirit energy was.

    It was not long until they passed. Tina relaxed, her shoulders slumped, as she opened her eyes. She glanced around the room. It was a large bedroom with the same sakura design as the tapestries outside of these quarters. Maybe these rooms belonged to a member of the Armstrong family, she mused as she roamed through the room until she reached a separate door. She pulled it opened and saw it was a closet. A single window illuminated the space and Tina saw it was stocked with dresses of all kinds. Her jaw dropped as her eyes roamed over the various dresses of different colors and styles. It was simply amazing. She glanced behind her as a smile crossed her lips. She might have a good disguise. She just have to find a safe place to store her bag until she was ready to leave this Castle.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Morgana strolled through the halls, heading to the coolest part of the dungeon. She spotted various kitchen workers walking up and down the hall. She knew they also used the coolest part of the dungeon as a place to store meats and foods they could make ahead of time. She didn¡¯t doubt that the Head Cook Sanji was taking full advantage of its use.

    She remembered in the early days of his Master and him arriving in Camelot, they had complain on a daily basis about not having a chilly place to store foods they could make ahead of time and length the time on how long the food was good for. It was young Arthur who solved that problem and found the forgotten cellars at the back of the kitchen.

    Back then, the teenage prince could roam through the ancient pathways of the castle and told his family during the family dinners what he was able to find. Morgana and Merlin had been surprised when Arthur had dragged out a tapestry of a battle that later known to be the Battle of the Cursed.

    They had forgotten about that tapestry existing. Morgana had personally thought it had burnt during one of the castle¡¯s fires throughout the years. It took a while for the tapestry to be deeply cleaned but when it was cleaned, it looked brand now, like it was waved just the day before. Clarine later had apologize for not believing the magi when they had claimed to be the same magi who lived during those times.

    Shaking her head to clear those thoughts from it, Morgana shivered, slightly as she entered the deepest part of the dungeon. she immediately felt the temperature drop. It reminded her of late autumn air, mixing with the early signs of winter. She held her shawl tightly around her shoulders. She hoped that the Undertaker¡¯s rooms were a bit warmer then the chilly temperature. There was a good chance it wouldn¡¯t be. If the rooms were too warm, Morgana had learned from past experienced, that the bodies would start to rot and smell, attracting rodents of all kinds to it.

    Morgana heard the accent of Sanji¡¯s voice bouncing off the stone walls as she walked past the door where the cold food was kept, ¡°This is why we place these types of food down here. It is my duty to the castle to make sure no body get ills from rotten food.¡±

    She glanced into the dungeon room known as the Cold Box to see Sanji¡¯s back toward her and another kitchen worker stood in front of the Head Cook, looking ashamed.

    ¡°However, this,¡± Sanji held something in his hand, ¡°does not explained why we have an entire crate of strawberries missing or the box of corn vanish.¡±

    Morgana frowned, but she didn¡¯t stop. She knew Sanji would figure it out. He was trained by one of the best Cooks that Camelot had in a very long time and he would get to the bottom of it. She moved on. She knew just around the bend, the Undertaker had his work room. She turned the corner and saw light dancing on the far wall. She let out a relieved sigh. The Undertaker had the fire going. She smiled. She will be warm soon. Morgana hurried to to the opened door and spotted the Undertaker standing a table with the body of the King in front of him.

    The Undertaker was an older gentleman, named Seth. He had been working as the castle Undertaker for nearly his entire life. He had taken over the position when his father had died, almost three quarters of a century ago.

    Morgana entered the room and immediately gagged at the scent filling the room. This was not the first time she had witness this Undertaker throughout the years working on the preservation process since magic began to be frowned upon. She admitted the smell of the room never got any better. Seth looked up from his work and grinned, ¡°Ah, Lady Morgana, how are you been doing, sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°Been better,¡± Morgana replied. She covered her nose with the shawl, hopping it would help with the awful smell. It wouldn¡¯t. ¡°How have you been doing, Seth?¡±

    ¡°Hanging in there,¡± Seth admitted, ¡°My son should have been in here, helping, but he got a message saying the north section of town needed an extra pair of hands. So, I gave him permission to go.¡± Morgana nodded. She was aware of a series of deaths going on in the North Section of town. According to the rumor mill on the streets, it was something to deal with gangs or similar to that. The local city guard were looking into it, but they hinted they might need some extra hands from the castle depending on what they found through their investigation. ¡°Since,¡± Seth went on, ¡°I knew I would have a couple extra pairs of hands with this important project.¡±

    He pointed to Queens Clarine and Vivien. Clarine approached the table and set down armful of rolled cloth that was cut up into long strips before she picked up the king¡¯s ankle and started to wrap the cloth around the foot, going up the ankle. She continued until she ran out of a ball before she picked up another. Vivien sat over in a chair by the fire, rolling up the strips of clothe into large balls. Morgana walked over to Vivien and grabbed a ball she just finished. She set down her shawl then strolled over to the table.

    Morgana let out a sigh, thinking. She knew it was a tradition for the women to take care of the body of a deceased loved one. Many cultures did it. Morgana did it for her father and brother when they both passed away. She kept doing it as the representative of the First King of Camelot. There were times where the King didn¡¯t have any female members of the family close by to do the ancient rites. She did it in their place, especially in times of war. The process had changed over the many years. There have been others from different cultures that helped change the process. Nearly a hundred years ago, Camelot had a queen who came from the sun baked sands of a Southern Kingdom. She had brought with her apart of her bridal package, a number of skilled people in many different trades. One of the skilled people was her people¡¯s Undertaker. Morgana always did wonder why the first Undertaker wore the mask of a jackel. When she had asked, it was honor their god of the dead. She shook her head, getting riding of the memories.

    ¡°Where do you want me to start,¡± Morgana asked. Her eyes darted between Clarine and Seth. Clarine¡¯s eyes were puffed and red-rimmed, however, they didn¡¯t stray from their task as she didn¡¯t answer. Morgana frowned. There was a glint of something, an emotion that the she-mage couldn¡¯t read in the other woman¡¯s eyes. Seth was busy, stitching up the Y cut on Uther¡¯s chest, but he paused. He glanced up over at Clarine for a moment.

    ¡°Start here, at his fingers, then work your way up his arm,¡± Seth instructed, pointing at Uther¡¯s splayed fingers.

    Morgana nodded. She grabbed the edge of the rolled stripped cloth and grabbed one of the splayed fingers. She took a breath to steady herself. This was the first time she was attempting to help at the preservation of a body. Usually, when she could do cast the magic, a magic spell would do the trick for a few days, before fading away and the body would start to do the natural process.

    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± Clarine screamed at the top of her lungs. Morgana jumped. Her heart skipped a beat and jumped into her throat. Her head jerked up in surprise. Her eyes widened. She stared at the other woman. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch him, mage!¡± Clarine glared daggers at Morgana. ¡°You are not a relative of his!¡± the enraged woman stepped around the table and planted a hand into Morgana¡¯s mid-section before she pushed the she-mage aside.

    Morgana stumbled backwards. Her heel stepped on the hem of her dress. She gasped. A ripping sound echoed in the Undertaker rooms. Her feet slipped out of under her. The she-mage fell. She stretched out her right hand. She landed on her rear with a grunt of pain, bouncing slightly, as her hand slapped against the stone floor. A pain went through her wrist. She looked up at Clarine as one of the former High Queen approached.

    ¡°You have no right to be here,¡± Clarine stood over Morgana. Her eyes blazed with such heat that Morgana could have sworn that Clarine was a mage, herself, specializing in fire magic.

    ¡°Clarine!¡± Vivien snapped, standing up from her chair by the roaring fire.

    ¡°You and your lover,¡± Clarine spat the words, ¡°Allowed my precious son to die. No one in this kingdom would refuse to treat their king. Why should you and your lover be any different?¡± The queen panted. Her shoulders heaved. She went on, ¡°Arthur should banish you and that good for nothing battle mage away from this castle. I hope he does when he becomes King.¡±

    Morgana climbed to her feet and shook out her skirt. She opened her mouth to reply, to say something in her and Merlin¡¯s defense, but Clarine continued, ¡°Banishment is too good for you! He should order your deaths.¡±

    Morgana blinked. This was not the first time she had heard such talk, but to hear it coming from Clarine¡­there was a stab of pain that went through Morgana¡¯s chest. The she-mage hardened her expression as she listened to Clarine¡¯s words, ¡°I will talk Arthur into agreeing to it.¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± Vivien roared.

    Morgana¡¯s eyes darted between the two queens, waiting. Vivien walked over, her back straight, her shoulders back, and gave Clarine a level stare before she spoke, ¡°You know the history of this Kingdom as well as I do.¡± Vivien slipped between Morgana and Clarine. ¡°You damn well know Merlin and Morgana, if they had the power to do it, they would have cured our Uther. The person you should be blaming is the Death Mage, Rowena. She was the one who cast the curse up on the First King Arthur and the curse didn¡¯t break upon his death. You are aware of the legend, as well, with the prophecy written by Morgana, the Princess of the United Kingdoms of Camelot, first of her name, Of House Pendragon, and the last living Pendragon in this land.¡± Vivien took a breath, before she recited the same prophecy Morgana gave on the Eve of the Battle of the Cursed.

    Clarine¡¯s face twisted into a dark emotion and argued, ¡°I have no doubt she is in league with the Dark Mage herself.¡± She pointed at Morgana.

    The She-mage resisted the urge to roll her eyes before she spoke up, ¡°If I may be excused, I have other things I need to go attend to.¡±

    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Clarine yelled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you, ever again.¡±

    Vivien turned to Morgana, and calmly said, ¡°Go on, Morgana. I will handle Clarine.¡±

    Morgana nodded and gather her shawl before she left the Undertaker room. She wrapped the crochet item around her shoulders, ignoring the twinge of pain from her right wrist. She saw the kitchen staff peering around the corner from the Cold Box. Head Cook Sanji was standing in the back, staring at her before he barked out, ¡°Get back to work! We still have to get a mourning meal ready for tonight as well as tackle the meals for the next couple days. Get back to work, now.¡±

    The kitchen staff scattered like rats. Soon, it was just Sanji standing at the end of the hallway. He held a hand to the she-mage before she past him. She glanced up at the black haired man, silently questioning what he wanted. Sanji spoke, ¡°Later tonight, I will send something to cheer you up, my lady.¡±

    A flash of gratitude went through her. The Cook was one of a kind. She nodded in understanding before she moved on.

 Chapter 35: Sneaking in the Shadows

    Tina crept further in the doorway and blinked, rapidly as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of what looked like a hallway. She inched forward until she was able to peer past another door to see people running back and forth in a large kitchen. A tall man with blond hair stood in front of an old fashion wood burning stove. His back faced her.

    Her attention was held more on the old fashion wood burning stove then the blond cook. It looked like a modern invention then something that should belong in the middle ages. It was shaped, just like the stoves at the local hardware store with - when she was able to spot them when the blond cook moved - four opened burners, but she didn¡¯t spot an oven. The blond cook moved away from the stove like contraption. Her lips parted as she spotted where the oven usually went, there was a door that swung out wards. She narrowed her eyes and saw flames roaring in the oven space, behind a pane of glass. She frowned, impressed.

    ¡°Alright, everyone!¡± Tina turned her attention to the blond cook standing in the middle of the kitchen. He spoke, addressing the kitchen staff, ¡°We still have a couple days left before the Funeral Ceremony. If you remember correctly, folks, the ceremony has been pushed back by the news of the Pope coming to oversee the Ceremony, personally, who is due to arrive either later today or tomorrow sometime.¡± The mummers rose from the kitchen staff.

    Tina blinked in surprise. The Pope was going to be attending this Funeral Ceremony and he was going to oversee it? She had thought the local priest representing the Church would do the honors. Apparently not. She thought the Pope lived in Rome, a sub-country in Italy. That meant he would had to leave shortly after the King¡¯s death and was traveling by sea. She frowned. That didn¡¯t make sense. If she remembered correctly, the king had died a couple days ago. She thought it would take longer for anyone to travel by sea to get this place¡­assuming she was in England, not Alavon or something other far off place. It would make it a lot harder to get home if she was in Alavon or another far off place. She could get back to Vermont easy if she was in England. She remembered one of her opponents from the Black Moon Tournament that she left alive was an Englishmen. She would just have to roam over to London and track him down. It won¡¯t be long afterwards that she would be on her way home.

    ¡°As of right now,¡± the head cook went on, knocking Tina from her thoughts, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there will be any dietary needs for the Pope and his detachment. Once I find out, you will find out. We will change to meet their needs.¡±

    Tina glanced around and saw the majority of the people in the room were cooks and supportive kitchen staff. Their eyes were glued to the head cook. Tina lend back, out of the kitchen and put her hiking bag against the wall. She glanced down the hallway, seeing the doorway lit, leading back to the court yard and debated on what she was going to do. She had found the kitchen. There should be another way around the kitchen and go deeper into the castle. Maybe she could do some exploring. She glanced at the kitchen staff outfits. She frowned. She needed to store her bag somewhere and wear a disguise before she would have free rain of the castle. The question was where and how? Her eyes drifted over the wall before they landed on a door way. She smiled. She casted her gaze toward the kitchen where the head cook was discussing what was going to happen with the Funeral Meal, post the burial ceremony. She crept toward the door way, disappearing down the new hallway.

    Arthur sighed as he tried to forget the threat from Lord Salazar. He couldn¡¯t believe the Lord of the Crescent Island would do that in the castle, while he was at Court and surrounded by some of the most skilled warriors Camelot had seen in a long time. Arthur walked through the halls, trying to get rid of the pent up energy. He glanced down at his hands. They shook. He took a deep breath and clutched his hands into fists. He needed to calm down before he lost control of his temper. Perhaps he should go to the training yard. He paused, thinking. That would be best, he thought. He nodded to himself before he headed to the training yard. He glanced toward the sky.

    The sun was in the process of setting. Its rays casted the sky in shades of pink, yellows, orange, and reds. It felt like a chapter closing in a book. The Former Prince didn¡¯t want to think about it and what it possible could mean for himself and the Kingdom.

    He didn¡¯t have much time left to train for the evening. According to the men at the port, the ship carrying the Pope and his party hadn¡¯t been spotted and they predicated it will be sometime tomorrow that they will arrive. His mind drifted to what it meant. The day after tomorrow, they would bury his father. He shook his head, trying to clear his head as he approached the training grounds and slipped through the close door.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Arthur ran his gaze around the empty training grounds. He knew most of the knights would be at dinner or heading there. Tonight, there was a border line feast in the Great Hall where majority of the Court would attend as well as many of the knights. A lot of the noblemen would try to find a fitting match for their daughters among the single knights who had become well known in the last year or so. Some of the younger Knights would try to find a few quests on the behalf of a Lord or Lady of the Court, aiming to become well known and receive rewards, spreading his name across the Kingdom. A couple of the newer Knights may become lucky enough to get the attention of a Lady of the Court and go questing in her name as well as the Kingdom¡¯s. He should probably go to it. He probably will need allies in the court for whoever became King so he could get his family out of Camelot if the need arises.

    He sighed. He just didn¡¯t want to deal with the everyday runnings of the Court. It was always the same, no matter what was going on. The Ruling Family would host a feast or a party, the Court and the Knights would attend, the Court Lords would try to find a match for their daughters while the Knights try to find quests and a lady to quest for, and soon after wards the Knights would disappear from Camelot for a long while, going out to quest. It would be a while before the Court would hear anything about the questing Knight and the Knight¡¯s name would spread across the land. Majority of time, the knight¡¯s lady¡¯s name would be spread as well, but there were plenty of knights who would go questing in honor of the High Queen Kalliope. It was so tedious as a prince. He couldn¡¯t image how it would be if he had became the Chosen King.

    Arthur approached a rack of training swords and chose one at random before he turned and faced the row of straw dummies. He went over to them. He took a deep breath. He rose the sword up in a defensive stance. He launched himself forward, attacking the straw dummy with all of his might.

    When he finally stopped, the sun was peeking over the horizon in the western sky. His arms burnt and his sword tip touched the ground. He would have got his ass chewed for that by his teachers. A chuckled slipped past his lips.

    ¡°Are you alright,¡± Lancelot¡¯s voice rang out causing him to jump and twisted around in surprise. Lancelot stood on the edge of the training field with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Arthur admitted. He let out a sharp breath and shook his head, ¡°I really don¡¯t know any more.¡± He slowly walked over to the training rack and placed the training sword back on it. He turned to Lancelot and continued to vent, ¡°I mean, I was raised to be King. My life has been planned out for me. I know my family had been in negotiations with several families who has daughters and get the best deal for a marriage agreement.¡± He turned on his heel and stormed several feet then he twisted around and walked the same path before he did it again. ¡°Now, everything is thrown up in the air. I should go to that feast and hope to gain allies in case the New Chosen King decided to kill my family to make sure one of us doesn¡¯t stab him in the back or plot against him.¡±

    Lancelot didn¡¯t say anything as Arthur made another lap.

    ¡°At the same time, I don¡¯t want to face any of them. Some of the daughters were aware of the negotiations and had started to form their own groups of support. There were some who are unaware of the negotiations. I guess that is a blessing since I don¡¯t have to deal with them.¡± He took a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can even face any of them since I made the announcement of not taking the throne. I¡¯m sure some of them will want to know the reason why I chose to gave it up.¡±

    Lancelot¡¯s eyes followed Arthur back and forth before he spoke up, ¡°You won¡¯t know until you try, my prince. Attend the feast for a bit and see how it goes before you make your decision.¡± Arthur stopped and raised an eyebrow at him.

    ¡°I do agree you will allies in the near future,¡± the Knight started, ¡°The only way to find them is attend the feast and upcoming social events. Take advantage of them. We know how the court works. Use it.¡±

    Arthur pressed his lips together and thought about the suggestion. It had merit. He did know how the court worked. He grew up within it. He nodded. He responded to Lancelot as he started to walk toward him, ¡°You are right.¡± He walked passed him, ¡°I¡¯m going to the feast.¡± He sensed Lancelot fell into step beside him. ¡°Are you planning to attend as well?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± the Knight sighed. ¡°Most of the questing age Knights are, too. Majority of them are looking for a lady to woo and give them quests for the summer months and return in the Fall to possible wed them.¡±

    Arthur let out a low chuckle, ¡°They will be sorely disappointed when I show up then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, they will be,¡± Lancelot chuckled, ¡°But I think they will be too busy in wooing the ladies of the court to notice you or what you are trying to do.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Arthur commented.

 Chapter 36: The Crypt of the Ruling Family

    Morgana paused as she stood at the entrance to the Crypt of the Ruling Family. Her father was down there as well as her brother. She thought about her family. She knew there was few more members of her family, laying in the stone holes she had created over the many years she had been in charge of maintaining the Crypts. Her eyes stared into the seldom darkness. Her heart thundered in her chest. She didn¡¯t want to visit the ghosts of her past. She never did like coming to the crypts for many reasons.

    A figure appeared several feet within the crypt. It stood out against the darkness as the figure raised its head to look at her with a pair of familiar blue eyes. She knew who it was.

    ¡°Hello, Arthur,¡± she called out. She took a shaky breath. She saw the figure of her long dead brother give her a sad smile. She knew the reason why he hunted the crypts. She tried to take a calm breath, but she inhaled it, shakily. He opened his mouth to reply, but she didn¡¯t hear his voice nor a sound. Thank the gods, she could never hear him. She was pretty sure if she did, he would haunt her and speak to her non-stop. She took a step forward onto the crypt stone steps. Her knees shook as she took another and another. She continued her way down the steps until she reached her brother.

    ¡°The curse took another, four days ago.¡± She watched Arthur nodded in understanding. He was the first one the curse claimed. He knew the pain of the parting. Both of them also knew there will be another roaming through the crypts soon as his body joined the other previous Kings.

    Arthur waved her forward. Morgana tipped her head to him and started walking to the stone hole where Melissa, King Uther XI¡¯s first wife lay, peacefully. She had noticed long ago, none of the previous Queens haunted the halls of the Crypt, only the Kings. Morgana saw the Kings of Old stare at her, with a questioning look in their eyes.

    Has the Curse been broken yet?

    She couldn¡¯t give them any hope. Arthur¡¯s mouth opened and she watched as the Kings¡¯ face fell. One by one, they drifted through the hall and disappeared into their stone prisons. Her eyes fell to the floor as she continued her walk to where Uther was going to be buried in a couple days¡¯ time. It didn¡¯t help as she felt the accusing eyes of the Kings of the past.

    It was one part of the curse neither magi expected. They managed to find out about it when her brother started to walk among the castle like he was still alive. Morgana felt a smile tugged at her lips, remembering how they found out.

    Morgana¡¯s head swam a bit as she lend against Merlin¡¯s side. His arm was wrapped around her waist, helping her stay on her feet. She knew she shouldn¡¯t have had that last goblet of wine, but after all that happened within the four months since her brother¡¯s death, she needed to relax. She glanced up at Merlin and saw the glossy look in his eyes. He needed to relax, too.

    She glanced up at the starry sky. It was a clear night. The moon was bright and full. She heard music playing from the Great Hall which had transformed into a ball room for King Godric Whitehall''s coronation ball. She directed her gaze back to Merlin. He gazed at her with an emotion Morgana couldn¡¯t identify.

    She didn¡¯t know how they reached her rooms in the small tower nor how fast their clothes disappeared. She was lost in the emotion Merlin was pulling out of her. She cried out in pleasure when he worked his magic on her core.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± a male voice rang out, through her rooms, ¡°I really don¡¯t need to see that!¡±

    Morgana blinked, coming out of her pleasure haze, and looked around her room before Merlin landed on top of her and let out a deep growl. That vibrated in her chest. He looked around the room. When she caught the look on Merlin¡¯s face, she felt a strange emotion. However, it quickly left her mind when she spotted the ghostly figure of her brother.

    ¡°I will admit I am not surprise you two got together,¡± Arthur commented, dryly, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect to find out this way.¡±

    ¡°Arthur¡­¡± Morgana breathed, ¡°How?¡± Arthur shrugged.

    She shook her head, trying to get rid of that particular memory. She had gone to her former master for comfort. While she agreed with him they didn¡¯t have to go that far, she didn¡¯t regret spending that time with him. In fact, there had been several times over the years, they had sought each other out for comfort.

    Morgana let out a sigh as she reached where Melissa of House Drake, formerly of House Wood, rested in peace. The Black Mage took a deep breath, wishing she could put this off for another week while she recovered, but knew she couldn¡¯t. Once the Pope arrived that night or in the morning, the Castle would resume preparations for King Uther¡¯s Funeral Ceremony.

    She mentally prepared herself and opened her mouth, starting to cast an expansion spell, enlarging the small room to a medium size one to allow Uther¡¯s coffin to rest peaceful beside his first wife. The ancient words flowed off her tongue as she felt the power struggle to gather from her magical core and raise up to fill her, traveling down her hands to her fingers. It came to a stop at her fingertips as she tried to pull more and more of her magical powers. Sweat slid down the sides of her face. Her body started to throb with the strain.

    Her fingertips glowed softly then slowly brightened as her blue eyes watched the walls start to slid back, slowly. Her head pounded in tune with her heart. Her chest heaved. She didn¡¯t know how much longer she could be able to keep this magical strain up. She knew there was a chance she could pass out. She already could see darkness creeping in on the edge of her vision, but she saw the wall reached a point where there was enough room in the now medium size room where two coffins could sit comfortably. She started to pulled back on her magic, allowing it to drain back to her core.

    Morgana¡¯s knees buckled underneath her. She barely felt the sharp pain that rippled through her legs when her knees connected with the stone floor. She placed her hands in front of her, panting harshly. She stared at the stone floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her ghostly brother kneel beside her. A cold feeling exploded from her right shoulder as he placed a hand on it, silently asking if she was alright.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright, Artie,¡± Morgana said, ¡°Merlin and I finished restrengthening the wards a couple days ago. Some of the wards hadn¡¯t been strengthened in a long time. It just took a lot of out myself and Merlin. I just haven¡¯t fully recovered from that, just yet.¡± She turned her head, looking at her brother. He nodded once he saw her attention was on him. She knew he remembered how drained the magi of old were after they had placed the protection wards on Camelot. He didn¡¯t know there were laws in place that prevent training more magi. If he did, Morgana was pretty sure he would try to haunt the King and the Ruling Family into changing the laws to be more magi friendly while Morgana and Merlin would secretly get a kick out of him haunting the Ruling Family. ¡°I will be alright. I think I will just lay here for a bit,¡± she said, shifting to lay down on her left side. Her eyes slipped closed and she drifted off into darkness, using her arm as a pillow, before her head touched her arm.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Tina silently cursed as she glanced up and down the hallway with the white rug. She didn¡¯t mean to spend hours, searching for a disguise, but the various dresses she had saw, she couldn¡¯t help playing dress up, trying to figure out which dress was simple enough for a low ranked lady or a royal servant. She knew there was a chance the dress she had chosen was not a simple enough one that she could be overlooked in the halls. Once she saw how it looked on her, she couldn¡¯t say no to wearing it for a few hours. She had grabbed a cloak to wrap over the dress. It had been a long time since she indulged herself by trying on various clothes.

    The dress was an bright blue color that simmer whenever the sun hit it. Tina thought it could be the same shade as a turquoise. The bodice of the dress flowed over Tina¡¯s torso like liquid and flared out once it reached Tina¡¯s hips, expanding out. The arms of the dress reminded the red head of the arms of the Elven dresses she had seen at cos-play conversation. It hugged the upper arms until it reached the elbows then expanded downward, following the length of the skirt, only stopping around the knees. The dress even came with matching shoes. However, Tina decided against wearing those. The shoes were more like slippers then an actually pair of shoes. She stored those in her hiking bag with her clothes. She hoped the shoes didn¡¯t become ruin from being stored with really dirty clothes.

    Tina reached out for the cloak she had snatched. It was a solid, non descriptive black. She threw it around her shoulders, wincing as the movement caused the still healing skin on her back to stretch uncomfortably. She hooked the heavy clasped of the cloak together at the bottom of her neck, by her collarbone. She let it go. The clasped was heavy enough to hold the front of the cloak down in place, without chocking her.

    She grabbed the hood and tossed it over her head, covering her red hair and a good portion of her face before she left the room she had been hiding in for hours. She hurried over the white rug, trying to remember the way she had came, earlier. She tightened her grip on her hiking bag. She still hadn¡¯t found a safe place to store her bag. As for her weapon belt¡­her rapier bounced against the skirt and her legs, hidden under the black cloak. She knew if someone saw her, it would raise eyebrows to see the weapons belt, but by the time, they would raise an alarm, she planned to be long gone.

    Tina roamed through the halls until she reached to the large courtyard. She saw there was a few guards roaming through it. Music drifted through the air from an open door at the far end of the court yard where people were roaming around in the room and gathered in groups, talking. She directed her gaze toward the stone wall. She spotted a drawbridge just behind an archway with two guards on this side of the archway, while there were at least six more on top of the wall.

    Security was tight, she mused. She knew it was the result of the King¡¯s death recently and they probably need to show they can still protect everyone in the castle. She watched the two guards for a while as the sun disappeared over the horizon and servants appeared, drifting to torch to torch, lightening them. She spread her spirit energy out, trying to figure out if there was any hidden figures she was not aware of. A strong presence caught her attention. She blinked as she mentally ranked the presence as a strong B Class Level.

    She had learned about the various classes during the Black Moon Tournament. Most of the time, it was a reference to how strong a Demon was, but there had been a few times were a human held strong spiritual energy to rank on the scale. The humans she had worked with for the tournament were the perfect example of this. She had ranked on the scale as well, but a low B class. She probably dropped in class ranking since she didn¡¯t keep up her strength over the last few years or train at all. She wouldn¡¯t surprise her if she did drop into the C class.

    She redirected her focus and noticed the strong presence paused, several feet away from her before it started to move toward her location.

    Tina¡¯s eyes widened with horror. Her heart leaped into her throat. She drew in her spirit energy and winced as pain rippled from her back. She silently cursed as she stepped toward the archway with the drawbridge. She needed to get away from the courtyard before the strong presence tried to track her down. She knew she couldn¡¯t fight that strong presence in her condition. She still needed to gather information about this kingdom and double check what Tristan said was true or not.

    She approached the drawbridge. Her eyes darted between the two guards as she walked past them and onto the drawbridge. They didn¡¯t stop her from crossing. She heard her boots thumped against the wooden drawbridge. She didn¡¯t dare to look behind her until she reached the other side of the drawbridge. She sensed the strong presence stopped where she had been standing. Their eyes scanned the courtyard.

    Tina took a deep breath, trying to keep her spirit energy under control. One flare and that strong presence would know her location. She stepped off the drawbridge and joined a crowd traveling to the right. She glanced behind her, across the drawbridge to see a tall man with black hair, staring the crowd she just joined. Even at the distance she was at, she could tell he held some unearthly appeal, being fair skinned and almost beautiful. Her heart jumped into her throat when her eyes meet his blue eyes.

    She watched as he took a step toward the drawbridge. She turned her attention to the crowd and moved through it as she allowed her spirit energy to raise to the surface, covering her back again. The pain drifted away. She moved a lot easier as she quickly moved through the crowd. She spotted a side street, on the left hand side of the street. She headed toward it and hurried down it, trying to disappear from the strong presence¡¯s sight. She glanced over her shoulder. The drawbridge was no longer in sight, but a good portion of the castle¡¯s walls were. She weaved through the town¡¯s street until she lost sight of the castle walls.

    Tina turned to face the castle and sensed the strong presence, but another had joined him. They didn¡¯t appeared to be moving toward her. She let out a breath. She looked around in the section of the city she found herself in. She pushed back her hood, allowing her hair to fall about her shoulders and she started to walk through the emptying streets.

    Mothers were calling their children in for the day. The various vendors gathered up their wears and piled them in a weapon or a cart before they started to drift away from the edge of the streets, heading for home or where they were staying for the night. The noisy town slowly faded away.

    Tina spotted a group of kids as they darted through the streets. She thought the group was the same one she had watched stealing a rolling pin yesterday. They were laughing, bright grins spread across their faces, despite the fact they were covered in dirt and looked unfed. She watched them play fight as they roamed. One of them, the youngest in age and a boy from the looks of it, tripped over the edge of higher then the rest of the street cobblestone and fell, face first.

    Without thinking, Tina rushed over and managed to grab the youngest arm before he landed on his face. She steadied him and knelt down to meet his eyes, asking, ¡°Are you alright, sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± if it was possible he grinned wider and more brightly, ¡°Thanks to you, miss.¡±

    She glanced toward the rest of his group, saying, ¡°You should be getting home to your parents, little one, it¡¯s getting dark and I¡¯m sure your mama is worried about you and your friends.¡±

    ¡°Brothers,¡± the boy said, ¡°They are my brothers and we don¡¯t have parents. Don¡¯t need them.¡± She blinked at that. ¡°But yeah, I need to keep getting back to them.¡±

    ¡°Luke!¡± the name rang out and the boy, Tina assumed who was Luke, looked toward his brothers. ¡°Come on!¡±

    ¡°Coming, Ichigo-anki,¡± Luke replied, and started to run past Tina, but paused. He turned to her and bent at the waist, bowing at her, ¡°Thank you for making sure I didn¡¯t fall on my face.¡± He straightened up, spun on his heel, and ran off.

    Tina slowly stood up, watching him rejoin his brothers and most of the group ran off, leaving the one called Ichigo-anki behind. He nodded at her, before he followed. She hummed, watching as he disappeared after his brothers. Ichigo-anki. The -anki meant Big Brother in the Japanese language. She wondered if Ichigo was from Japan or at least knew enough of the language to speak it fluidity as he spoke English or what she assumed as English.

 Chapter 37 Whispers before the Funeral

    Morgana staggered from the crypts. Her entire body ached. She half snorted in amusement. That¡¯s what she got for passing out on the stone floor. When she had woke, the ghostly form of her brother-King was still there, watching over her. Many of the other Kings had drifted close by when she woke up and once she got up, they moved away. It was like they were standing guard over her, making sure nothing on the realm of the spiritual supernatural pry on her while her guard was dropped.She moved slowly toward the Queen¡¯s Tower. She yawned, closing her eyes. She managed to recover enough magic to wake up and move about on. She needed to stop pushing herself this hard. She knew it will eventually cost her the ability to breath. In a way, it would be.

    Morgana spotted Merlin standing at the drawbridge, looking at the town, outside of the Castle Inner walls. He looked puzzled over something. He turned to her. He always had that annoying ability to sense things that no one else couldn¡¯t. He used to whisper to her and her brother-King Arthur about the energy strength of some creatures. She had totally forgotten about it until nearly 50 to 60 years ago when a pair of sisters wondered into Camelot with that ability. They had defeated an enemy the magi would have difficulties defeating. The sisters had tried to teach Morgana that ability, something called spirit energy, but she never got a hold of it. She understood the theory, but she couldn¡¯t use her spirit energy.

    Merlin, according to the sisters, could use his spirit energy, but it would eventually cost him to do. The one with the name meaning ocean or waves, Morgana couldn¡¯t remember which, had claimed that Merlin¡¯s spirit energy was tied too close to his life force that he couldn¡¯t use it without it taking any from his lifespan. The battle mage didn¡¯t like hearing that. He was too excited to learn a new martial art to fight with, just like a kid on Christmas Morning, but he had deflated like a balloon once he heard the news. However, he could sense others spiritual energy which had came in handy during the Era of the Kingless Kingdom which Camelot¡¯s enemies had managed to sneak up on the people of Camelot.

    Merlin¡¯s eyes widened before he hurried over to her as she paused, lending against a pillar. Her breathing came out in pants. Her knees shook as she tried to stay on her feet, but she slid down the pillar. Merlin reached her and knelt beside her, grabbing one of her hands. He held it tight in his hands as his eyes ran over her. He spoke, ¡°What happened?¡±Morgana gave him a weak smile, before she explained, ¡°I went down to the crypts after I went down to see how things were progressing with the Undertaker and his methods of preserving King Uther¡¯s body. I still had to expand Uther¡¯s resting place.¡± Her ears picked up that Merlin had cursed under his breath. He let go of her hand and slid an arm around Morgana¡¯s shoulders while he repeated the motion with her legs. He shifted his stance before he stood in a smooth motion, picking Morgana up in his arms. Her eyes widened as she automatically reached out to his shoulders, trying to steady herself.

    Merlin gave her a wide smirk. His eyes glittered with a mixture of pride and mischief. Morgana narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. He shifted her slightly in his arms and started to walk to the Queen¡¯s tower. She let out an annoyed sigh. She already knew no matter what she said, he would refuse to put her back onto her feet. She felt the eyes of the people Merlin walked past land on her and Merlin as he walked by them.

    ¡°Relax, Gana,¡± Merlin muttered loud enough for her to hear, ¡°The rumors are going to spread no matter what we do. Might as well have some fun with it.¡±

    Despite herself, Morgana did let out a chuckle. They did that in the past so many times, it eventually became a running gag for them. She relaxed in Merlin¡¯s arms and placed her head against his shoulder. A small smile crossed her lips as she closed her eyes.

    Morgana didn¡¯t fell asleep, resting her eyes, while Merlin carried her to the Queen¡¯s tower and up to her room, but she listened to the various conversations they passed. Some of it was interesting and some weren¡¯t. She heard the rumors of Kalliope being pregnant and who could be the father. She knew it wouldn¡¯t take long for the average member of the Court to start discussing that development. There was some talk of strange noises in the night, coming from the kitchens, late at night and one of them already reported it to the Head Cook Sanji. That must have been a few of the Kitchen maids.

    Once they had reached Morgana¡¯s rooms, Morgana opened her eyes and reached down to grab the door handle and pushed the door open. Merlin walked across the room. He placed a knee upon the edge of the bed and set her in the middle. She yawned. She knew doing expansion would take a lot out of her since her magical reserves were drained from renewing the wards on the castle.

    ¡°I heard something interesting through the grape vine today,¡± Merlin started. She opened her eyes, looking up at him. ¡°Apparently, Genesis stormed into the Knight¡¯s Tower.¡±

    Morgana raised an eyebrow at that and gave her former mentor a questioning look.

    Merlin grinned, ¡°Tristan was hiding Genesis¡¯ sister. Not Natalie, I think that¡¯s her name. A mysterious sister of the White Hall Twins.¡± Morgana¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Valentina White Hall.¡± That sound familiar. She frowned as Merlin paused. ¡°Yes, I know it sounds familiar¡­.like it feels¡­¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Morgana whispered, ¡°She could be important.¡±

    ¡°Somehow,¡± he agreed, ¡°Anyway, General was searching for her in Tristan¡¯s rooms.¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± she smirked, ¡°How scandalous.¡±

    Merlin laughed, lightly, ¡°Maybe we should start another scandal.¡±

    ¡°You know Belladonna already thinks we have been recent relations,¡± she rolled her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m surprised she had tried to order us to have a shotgun wedding.¡±

    He snorted, ¡°She don¡¯t have that kind of authority.¡± He flopped down beside her. ¡°Your bed is a lot comfortable then mine.¡±

    She giggled, ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t place all of your study books on it, you might be able to find your bed.¡±

    Merlin pouted and gave her puppy eyes before he commented, ¡°Thanks for calling me out, dear lady.¡±

    She giggled, sat up and reached down by the foot of the bed and grabbed a blanket, pulling over her. She snuggled on her left side and said over her shoulder to Merlin, ¡°Could you be a dear and start a fire? It feels kinda chilly in here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear,¡± Merlin¡¯s voice held a sarcasm note, but the bed shifted and she heard him walking across the room and went through the motions of starting the fire.

    Genesis sent a scrawl toward Merlin and Morgana as he spotted them. Merlin carried Morgana in his arms as Morgana appeared to be either ready to pass out or already did. He turned away from watching the magi and went back to staring over the small city outside the inner wall. Everything appeared to be in order. Nothing wrong had happened. It was another boring night. He knew he should be heading to his quarters in order to be fighting shape for tomorrow.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The word already went out that the Docks men had spotted the Pope¡¯s ship and it would appear that they would be arriving in the morning, shortly after first light. It meant Genesis would be have to be down there with a group of his men, ready to greet the Pope and his bodyguards. The red head general already knew how it would go down. It was the same every time Camelot was visited by an highly important person. The difference this time, the Pope decided to visit the Kingdom for the King¡¯s Funeral and could possible stay until the end of the Chosen Ceremony.

    Genesis¡¯ eyes ran over the empty streets. He mentally noted the red head figure moving through the streets. They wore a long black cloak with the hood up, but strands of figure¡¯s hair poked out of the hood. In the dimming light, he thought he saw a circle on the back of the cloak. He couldn¡¯t see anything else about the figure. A thought drifted through his head.

    That could be his sister sneaking around the castle and possible the town. He sighed. He didn¡¯t have time to search for her after he found out she had left the Knight¡¯s Tower, not when his position forced him to take care of the security for the city. The Pope was due to arrive within the next couple days and there were still more people pouring into the city when the city gates closed for the night. He knew the line would be large, once again, come morning when the gates opened.

    There were times he hated being one of the three Generals of the Camelot Military forces. Whenever a family crisis came up, he couldn¡¯t attend it for various reasons. The most recent family crisis was Natalie being kidnapped and held for ransom a couple months ago, but a Knight of Camelot, Sir Anakin¡­he frowned, thinking. It was a name that started with A. He shook his head. His father had also reached out to the Hidden Bark Village for a team of Ninja to be dispatch to bring her back. The Knight managed to save her while the team of Ninja worked behind the scenes, making sure the man in question

    He turned away from the town and left the wall, heading toward his quarters. He strolled over to the staircase and climbed down the stairs. He noticed movement from the corner of his eye as he entered the tunnel that went around the inside of the inner castle wall. He turned his head and spotted Reno approaching.

    ¡°Sir,¡± Reno greeted Genesis as the second in commander of the Fire Brigade brought his fist to his chest in a salute and his heels snapped together.

    The General nodded in reply before he asked, walking past Reno, ¡°How are the men doing in their drills, Reno?¡±

    ¡°They have improved a lot,¡± Reno answered, fell into step beside his general, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard about the Pope¡¯s ship being spotted?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have,¡± Genesis said. He eyed his second. The torchlight in the tunnel flickered behind him. ¡°It means you and I will have be down at the docks at day break.¡± Reno¡¯s face fell. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, soldier. Have three units ready to come with us. Assign the units tonight.¡± He paused, thinking. He also need to let his men know the rotation of guard until the next king was chosen. He didn¡¯t want to take the chance of having security light during this time. He didn¡¯t want to experience another Kingless Kingdom Era. The last time, that was bad enough and he had been only 6 at the time. ¡°We need to assign a guard rotation until the next king has been chosen.¡±

    Reno frowned, ¡°Chosen?¡±

    Genesis mentally cursed. It was not common knowledge since the last few decades, the Holy Sword has chosen the heir to the throne by blood, not at random. Exiting the tunnel, stepping into the court yard, he went on, ¡°You will know soon enough. I want you to make the guard rotation heavy. I don¡¯t want to experience what happened 20 years ago, again.¡±

    Reno nodded, ¡°I figured you might have say something like that. I already took the liberty to start creating a guard rotation for our sector of the military. I know Zack and Auron are also doing the same.¡±

    Genesis nodded. He glanced up at the darkened sky. The stars were coming out. The crescent moon shone brightly. In the distance, clouds were rolling over the horizon. He spoke, ¡°Send majority of the men to dinner. After wards, we will assign the men to the units that we will be taking with us at day break.¡± He glanced at his second, ¡°Dismissed.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, General,¡± Reno tilted his head toward the red head general before he went off toward their training yard to give the news to the men, leaving Genesis behind.

    Genesis blinked as he stared at the darkening sky. He frowned as his mind drifted back to the figure he had saw in that black cloak. That circle on the back of the cloak had a familiar color to it. It was a shade of pink that none of the current resident house crests in Camelot had. There had been several houses in the past that had pink apart of their family crest, but they hadn¡¯t been seen in Camelot for a long time. He frowned, thinking about that. He was sure a few of them were non-human houses and thanks to the current laws of Camelot, they weren¡¯t allowed to be caught within the borders of the Kingdom.

    He closed his eyes, shaking his head. He released a sigh. He still had work to be done. He needed to eat, visit the training grounds, figure out where Reno had assigned men, and get cleaned up before he went to bed. He opened his eyes and strolled to the Great Hall, where he began to tackle his to-do-list.

    However, the moment he entered the Great Hall, he knew he made a huge mistake. Genesis had forgot a feast for the Court had been scheduled and he had just walked in on it.

    He spotted his cousin, Rosemary, talking with Sir Steven. A pleasant smile crossed her face as she sipped on what she had in the goblet. She glanced toward him and her expression lit up, crying, ¡°Cousin!¡± she turned to Sir Steven, said something before walking to him. She slipped an arm around his and almost dragged him to the refreshment table. She lend over and whispered, ¡°Thank you for showing up when you did. I don¡¯t know how much longer I would have been able to stand Sir Steven¡¯s flowery words.¡±

    Genesis snorted, ¡°I will admit, Rosie, I didn¡¯t mean to walk in here.¡± They reached the refreshment table. He grabbed a goblet and handed it to Rosemary before he grabbed one for himself. ¡°To tell the truth, I forgot this event was happening.¡±

    ¡°It explains why you showed up in your General attire,¡± she commented dryly as she scanned the room, ¡°But it would appear it won¡¯t be hurting your chances of finding a wife, if you wished to find one before Granny finds you one.¡±

    Genesis groaned into his goblet, took a drink, and shallowed before he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t remind me that she is doing that.¡± He paused and turned to face the crowd. He spotted several women eying him with interest. ¡°I will admit your idea has merit.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Rosemary took a sip of the goblet of wine, ¡°Should I start spreading the rumor that you are finally decided to search for a wife?¡±

    He looked down at the goblet he was holding. The idea had some merit, for various reasons. The most important was love. He would be able to chose his own wife to love, just like his father did before him. He had grown up on the love stories his mother and father shared with him until his mother left, taking two of his sisters with her, but his father told him, his younger brothers, and remaining sister stories afterwards. It was worthy a Court Bard¡¯s song.

    The second important thing to him was the freedom of the choice. He knew his grandmother had his best interest at heart, but he had been gone from the Estate for too many years. He couldn¡¯t remember when was the last time he had visit the Estate for a long stay. It was probably before he entered the Military, back when he was still deciding if he should try for Knighthood or not. While he trusted his grandmother, but he still worried she would chose to strengthen their alliances through a political based marriage with a less then attractive woman who could make his married life worst then hell on Earth. He had seen several of his age group trapped in a cold loveless marriage and knew they weren¡¯t being faithful to their wives. He sighed. He just hoped his grandmother would understand his decision. He turned to Rosemary and finally replied, ¡°Go right ahead, little cousin. Have fun spreading the rumor I¡¯m finally ready for married life.¡±

    Rosemary gave him a toothy grin. He fought the feeling of dread spreading through his veins at the sight of that grin. He was going to be in so much trouble. He just knew it.

 Chapter 38 The Midnight Stroll

    Tina turned, looking up at the clock tower as the bell rang out. She counted the bell rings until the bell¡¯s ringing faded away. 12. It was midnight. She had been roaming the empty streets since the sun disappeared over the horizon, hours ago. Shortly as the sun had started to set, she had noticed a group of men walked through the streets with a torch and a ladder. They stopped at street posts, placed the ladder against the street posts, climbed the ladder, and lit the lanterns sitting on top of the street posts, illuminating the streets with a soft glow.

    It was something she didn¡¯t expected from a medieval themed city. She half expected it from a city during the Renaissances Period or early Victorian Era. She frowned. She forgot when the Renaissance Period started and ended. She was sure the Victorian Era was around the turn of the 20th century. She sighed and shook her head.

    Now, Tina stayed within the glow of the lanterns as she walked through the streets. She couldn¡¯t believe half of what she saw. Who would have thought that Camelot would have trolleys like San Francesco did or have stations for those metal, gear like horses to shut down for the night? She knew Camelot of the legends didn¡¯t have those devices. The town started to remind her of a steam punk themed city.

    She past store fronts, selling the simple everyday things to items should not exist for this time period. In front of one store, selling what appeared to be stone tablets with signs saying ¡®Sell on Historical Tablets- 25%¡¯ and ¡®The Unofficial Biography of the 200th King of Camelot: Uther of House Drake, Available now!¡¯. When she saw that, she frowned. They couldn¡¯t be suggesting that those stone tablets were similar to books, were they? What did they mean by ¡®The 200th King of Camelot¡¯? She looked up at the store front. A large sign sat a couple feet above the door, announcing ¡®Stone Books¡¯.

    ¡°The mystery deepens,¡± Tina murmured, blinking, before she moved on. She made a mental note on returning back to the ¡®stone¡¯ book store and grab one. She strolled past some of the area she past earlier when she first arrived in Camelot. It was weird to see the once crowded bustling street so empty. Even back at home, there were some places that always had people out late, well into the wee hours of the morning. It was mind boggling to see the streets bare of life.

    Tina paused, looking at the outer wall of the castle, frowning. This was where she had entered the town, right? She tried to remember. There was a stable across the archway of the wall. She glanced toward her left and saw the stable. She smiled. This was where she entered the town. She continued on her way until she sensed something with her spirit energy. It was coming from her left, on a nearby street. The energy seemed to flex up and down like the owner was trying to do something with it or at least working on something, requiring the use of spirit energy. She turned her head, intending to check it out when a voice rang out behind her, ¡°Excuse me, My lady.¡±

    Tina twisted to face the speaker, taken off guard. The man stood point of a triangle formation was tall and bulky like a bodybuilder or a quarter backer, staring at her with a pair of hard eyes. She couldn¡¯t see what color his eyes were, but his hair was a light shade of red, nothing like the shade she had or that mysterious General had, but in the fire light of the nearby lantern, she spotted strikes of blond hair. He wore a loose tunic in the style of a tank top with two dark colored ribbons crossing over his chest, slipping over his shoulders. A thick belt held up his pants around his middle as he held a sword at his hip. A cloak was clipped at his collar bone.

    She was pretty sure this man was a knight from the golden drake on the cloak he wore. He was not alone. Her eyes darted over the man standing behind the blondish red hair man¡¯s left shoulder.

    This man had chocolate brown hair that curled at the ends. It was kinda cute in Tina¡¯s opinion. She couldn¡¯t tell exactly where he wore other then it was dark clothing. It could be the fact he also stood slightly behind the blondish red head. He was a little bit taller then the man standing point for the trio.

    Tina looked over to the last man, standing behind the blondish red head¡¯s right shoulder. He reminded her of an average fighter from the cage, lean, but muscular from how tight his skin was on his arms. He was slightly shorter of the three. His dirty blond hair was slicked back over his head, but that was all Tina could see in the limited light she had to work with. However, she did noticed one thing about them. They had to some of most handsome human males she ever seen. The men back home had nothing on these gentlemen.

    ¡°You are aware there is a crew few in place, my lady,¡± the blondish red head, the middle knight, spoke in a questioning tone.

    ¡°I was not aware of it,¡± Tina said, ¡°But thank you for informing me.¡± She started to walk down the street and away from the trio.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lady,¡± he continued, ¡°I must ask to you return to your lodgings.¡± He stepped forward. ¡°May I escort you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading that, good Sir Knight,¡± Tina replied, ¡°What are your names?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Sir Gawain, a Knight of the Round Table,¡± the blondish red head introduced himself with a bow.

    ¡°Sir Leon, at your service, my lady,¡± the man standing behind Gawain¡¯s left shoulder, stepping away from Gawain before he bowed to her.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Sir Bors,¡± the last man introduced himself as he bowed.

    ¡°It¡¯s honer to meet such great knights as yourself,¡± she hoped she was not lying it on thick, ¡°As for my lodgings,¡± she went on before they could get a word in. She wanted to see the town more before she did though. ¡°It¡¯s not far from here. I will be fine.¡± She didn¡¯t want to have an escort. Apparently, the Knight was not used to being told no from his reaction. He blinked at her.

    The Knight on right snorted in amusement and said, ¡°I think that is the first time I heard a Lady tell the Great, Bastard Knight Gawain no.¡±

    Tina shook her head, walking on, leaving the trio of knights behind. She reached a corner, disappearing around it, listening to the voices of the three knights. She frowned. They sound like they were coming closer instead of traveling further away. She let out a soft growl. She glanced around the road before she spotted an alleyway and darted over to the mouth of the alley way. She darted her gaze back up the road before she turned her attention to the alley way. She narrowed her eyes and stepped into the alley. She didn¡¯t bothering waiting for her eyes to adjust to the very dimmed light before she hurried down the alley and spotted a large trash bin. She crunch down on the far side of it and diverted her attention to the street.

    Tina didn¡¯t have to wait long before she spotted that trio of Knights. They walked by the mouth of the alley way. She heard one of them make the comment in his deep voice, ¡°I guess she was telling the truth.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the knight with chocolate brown hair, Leon right? - said in a tone that gave away his doubt, ¡°The way she was dressed¡­she had be to a part of the court, not part of the working class.¡±

    ¡°I noticed that as well,¡± the third voice rang out. It had the gentle tone to it. It had to be the third Knight. He did have a gentle demeanor about him. ¡°Perhaps, we will find out soon. After all, the Funeral ceremony will be happening tomorrow then the public choosing. Maybe she will show herself during the ceremonies.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± the deep voice stated. They continued to talk, their voices drifting away on the wind.

    Tina counted to ten before she stood straight. Her back gave a twinge of pain as she did. She ignored it. She glanced behind her before she moved out of the alley way. She reached the entrance and peered out of the alley way. She stretched out her spiritual sense.

    Tina sensed the three knights walking away. There was people in the nearby buildings, but the way their presence was slowed and steady like they were in a deep sleep. She frowned as she glanced at her feet. There was something moving far, far underground. She knelt down and placed her right hand on the dirt covered stones, trying to sense more. It was hard. That meant that distance had to be at least a half of mile under the stones. All she could tell was there was someone with enough spiritual energy to be classified as a humanoid moving through something. She ¡®watched¡¯ as the person moved one way, paused, before they turned around and moved to the north, unknowingly following the knights. Eventually, the unknown person repeated their movements, again, and again. She frowned. The person turned his way to the south, then the east, and drifted out Tina¡¯s range of sense.

    She stood up with a frown. That was weird. There were obviously tunnels under neath the town, but she didn¡¯t know where the tunnels lead to. It would be something she kept in mind.

    Tina glanced up and down the street. She knew there was a chance that trio of knights wouldn¡¯t be the only ones out on the streets. It would make sense. Security was tight after all. She was half surprise the military wasn¡¯t the ones walking through the town. Either way, she had to get back to the castle before she got stopped by another group of knights out on patrol. She moved onto the street, hurrying without breaking out into a run, prepared to dart into a darken alley if she needed to avoid the patrols

    Tina let out a sigh. The night was so peaceful before that trio of Knights had stopped her. She had been enjoying herself, just roaming through the sleeping town, and take her time, seeing what this Camelot had to offer. She frowned, thinking back to that stone tablet store. Camelot had stone books. She personally thought they would use scrolls, not stone, to write on. Unless there was something she didn¡¯t know about these stone books.

    She kept her senses spread wide. She didn¡¯t want to taken by surprise again by another patrol and this time, they could force her accept their escort back to the castle. She rather liked the freedom she had at the moment.

    Tina paused as she sensed another trio approaching from behind her, just down a side street. She mentally cursed. She probably walked by the street and didn¡¯t pick up with her spiritual sense the fact they were there. She glanced around and spotted an alley way. She hurried over to it. A nearby gas lamp shun into the alley allowing Tina to spot a series of stacked boxes and crates along the alley side of a building, leading all the way up to the roof top. She grinned. She glanced at the nearby street. She heard different voices drifting through the air. She didn¡¯t have much time to reach the top.

    Tina approached the crates and lifted the skirt over her left knee before she placed her foot on the edge of the box. She shoved off with her right foot and crunched over the box before she repeated the process, trying to gain speed until she reached the top of the boxes. She panted as she stopped and peered at the roof top. It was a flat roof with stones like gravel covering it. She sat on the edge of the building before she swung her legs over the roof¡¯s edge. She planted her feet on the stone covered roof top and stood up. She moved away from the alley, hearing the voices drawing near, stopping far enough away from the edge of the front side of the building to get a look at the second patrol she had spotted.

    This patrol, she noticed, was different. It had a pair of guards following a knight. Tina frowned. The pair of guards were dressed what she could only assume as the standard issue uniform. The guards wore dulled silver breastplates with a pair of dulled silver gauntlets, covering their forearms. They also wore shoulder guards. They, however, didn¡¯t wear any armor on their lower half.

    The Knight the two guards were following had minimal armor on, covering the vital points on his upper body, but it appeared he was threatening to burst out of his armor, anyway. He was also bulky.

    ¡°Where did that person go?¡± one of the guards questioned, looking up and down the street. His voice held an Irish accent.

    ¡°Are you sure you saw someone on the street?¡± the other guard responded. The knight paused, giving the guard a look. The first guard shrunk under the knight¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to play these kind of game, Guard¡­?¡± the Knight trailed off.

    ¡°Murphy,¡± the guard replied, ¡°Sir Steven.¡±

    ¡°Guard Murphy,¡± the knight, Steven, started, ¡°We have had over a hundred of Lords and Ladies who has traveled into Camelot. Right now, they need protection. We don¡¯t have the time nor energy to be chasing another ghosts. As the result of wasting my time, I will be discussing this with your superior.¡± He paused long enough to cause Tina to think that Murphy should have answered with his superior name. ¡°And since you are not smart enough to realize that I don¡¯t know your superior name and now you are wasting more of my time by asking for it -¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s General Bartholomew,¡± Murphy interrupted the Knight. Tina winced. He should have waited.

    ¡°Now, you have the guts interrupt me?¡± Steven¡¯s tone held a dangerous note. He took a step toward Murphy. Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed and reached down to grab a piece of the broken up stones. She bounced it in her hand. She watched as Steven raised a fist then she chunked the rock as hard as she could across the street. It banged off of something mental in the alley way, loudly.

    Steven lowered his fist, looking past the guards. The other guard spun around. Murphy half turned to where the noise came from. Steven pushed passed Murphy and headed over to the alley. Neither guard moved to follow.

    Tina turned away and walked over the far edge before she peeked down. She didn¡¯t see anyone in the alley. She turned and walked back to the edge she had climbed over before she twisted on her heel, breaking out into a run. She grabbed her skirt, tightly in one hand as she spirited over the gravel and leaped over the roof. She brought her legs up under her. Her skirt rippled as she flew over the gap between the two buildings. She soared over the edge of the new roof and extended her legs out. She slid along the gravel and crunched down. She didn¡¯t want to roll over her right shoulder and aggravate her back any further she already did for the night. She breathed out of her nose as she rolled her shoulders, feeling the pull of injured muscular. She glanced toward the castle. She still had several more blocks to go before she reached the main fork leading up into the castle.

    Tina repeated her actions a couple more times until she spotted a couple darken figures in an alley way when she leaped over it. She landed, sliding on the gravel. She frowned and turned before she walked over to the edge of the roof top. She peered down, trying to see.

    There was a coppery smell in the air, drifting up. Tina scrunched her nose. Blood. That was blood. She would recognized that smell anywhere. She narrowed her eyes. Through the dimmed gas lamp cutting the darkness of the alley, she thought she spotted a figure kneeling in the center of the alley way. Nearby, another figure looked on. However, Tina felt something crawl up her spine. That figure was not only watching the one kneeling, but his or her eyes watched Tina. Something on the ground glowed with a faint red color. Her eyes widened as she recognized the symbol. She remembered having a conversation with an enemy turned ally during the Black Moon Tournament about blood magic and how they used their own blood as well as runes to increase their power, explaining the reasons why they were faster then their opponent and was more willingly to fight back to back fights then take a break.

    As much as Tina would like to stick around and finish watching what was going on, something told her to get her ass moving. She straightened and spun, her skirt flared out. She grabbed the skirt¡¯s hem and darted across the roof top before jumped over the alley way.

 Chapter 39: Blood Magic

    Lord Salazar of House Dracula couldn¡¯t believe he was out in the lower town of Camelot in the middle of the night, watching over his kind equality of a child performing a blood magic ritual to increase her time in the Sunlight. He had been shocked to be approached by her at sunset with the Battle Mage Merlin at her side. Apparently, the vampiric child was Princess Isabelle of House Drake. That information alone was, he dare to say, tasty. He didn¡¯t expect to have in his hands a Princess of the Realm, let alone a Princess of the Ruling Family of Camelot. It was an interesting turn of events. One he could use against the Princess.

    However, he needed to make the young princess doesn¡¯t blow herself up or anyone in the nearby buildings while she was tits deep in the magical ritual. His crimson eyes flickered over the exposed pale skin with bloody red patterns of runes. He saw the runes glowed slightly with magic. He smirked. His ears picked up a sound.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    The sound of gravel pushed together, rough and swiftly. The swooshing of a long skirt. An sharp intake of breath. The soft breeze of air moved above.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    The sound of gravel echoed loudly in his ears as something skidded along it. The harsh exhale of someone breathing out. The sound of footsteps against the gravel then a sharp inhale of breath

    Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

    The scent of a young female, he inhaled sharply, filled his nose. She was still in her prime, but there was smell of tinted blood. He exhaled as a hunger filled him. He frowned. He knew he feed a couple days ago. He would need to feed again, soon. His eyes flickered to the vampiric child, kneeling at his feet, completing the stages of the ritual. She would need to, as well before she would be allowed to return any near the castle and her family. Even though, it would be amusing to see how that Warrior Queen would react to see one of her grandchild as an immortal child of the night, he did make a promise to the Magi.

    His eyes flickered upward to see the young human female, peering over the edge of the building. Surprise reflected in her eyes. There was a hint of fear. He resisted the urge to smirk. There were times he enjoyed being a vampire. The scent of fear was mouthwatering and helped increase the sweetness of the blood.

    Lord Salazar needed to keep that promise at all costs. The rumors he had been lately, had his nerves set on edge. These rumors should be rumors and nothing more if he didn¡¯t know the truth already. The call already went out to gather up the old alliances and start to create new ones. It was apart of the reason why he had made the trip to Camelot. He didn¡¯t think he would arrive during the transition of power between the old King and the unknown new King.

    At first, the reason why he left the Crescent Island was simple. He needed to find himself a couple of heirs. He of course have married any of the willingly females of his kind, but he didn¡¯t want to deal with the possible of courtship and the whole romance issue. After he had witness many females play that game with his males, he decided he might be better off, just looking for a couple boys and changed them before he would raise them to be his heirs. Just like his foster father did with him and his younger brother, Vlad.

    That thought sent another frown across his face. Vlad. He hadn¡¯t heard from his younger foster brother in a long time. He had heard rumors from the Outsiders that Vlad had rose to power, using a legend as a way to explain away his thirst for blood, and became a tyrant. He eventually was killed, but his legend lived on.

    Salazar didn¡¯t know if it had any truth to it or not. He would love figure out if those rumors are true or not. However, if the rumor had any truth about his legend living on, Salazar¡¯s lips twitched into a smirk, that would have made Vlad tickle pink with amusement and pride. The Lord of the Crescent Island remembered Vlad saying while they may be vampires and will live for a very long time, it didn¡¯t mean they were immortal and the only way they could do something like that was to make their mark on history.

    He shook his head, trying to clear his head of the thoughts of his foster brother. Movement caught his eye and he saw the young female in her prime move away, apparently her interest in what was happening satisfied. He waited for a moment then turned his attention to the child at his feet, waiting for her to finish.

    In the darkness of the alley way, Isabelle panted, harshly. Her fangs lengthened in hunger. Her crimson eyes glowed with power in dimmed light coming from the gas lamp on the nearby street. She knelt in the circle of blood, waiting for the ritual to finish. The runes engraved into her marble like skin lit up red as the magic took hold, stayed that way for what could be counted with human heart beats then faded away, leaving the alley way in darkness.

    ¡°Congratulations, child,¡± Salazar finally spoke in a low tone, ¡°You didn¡¯t blow yourself up or anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Th¡­tha¡­thank you,¡± The Princess replied before she let out a groan of hunger.

    ¡°Get dressed,¡± Salazar snapped. The longer they waited, the longer someone could walk at either end of the alley way and become a snack for the princess. He knew she would feed right now until she had a belly full of blood. She struggled to stand up and slowly grabbed the discarded dress nearby. ¡°Hurry up, child.¡±

    He heard the familiar thump, thump, thump of a heart beat coming closer. It didn¡¯t take him long to figure out it was another patrol. The Knights and the military guardsmen were out thick in the wake of the King¡¯s death and the impeding arrival of the Pope. There had been at least five patrols walked by already. It was almost a challenge to reach this alley shortly after midnight. Now, it would be the same to reach the forest where Isabelle could feed until her heart was content.

    Isabelle paused in her movements, her eyes glued to the mouth of the alley. Salazar muttered a curse. He uncrossed his arms and threw his dark cloak around the half dressed female, pinning her arms to her sides, tightly. He scooped her up before he leaped to the roof top. His feet found the edge of the roof and he crunched before he jumped backwards. He soared in the air. His eyes flickered over the streets as a trio approaching the alley.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    It was a knight with two guards from the Fire Brigade. The Knight stopped at the mouth while the guards took up positions on each side of the alley. The Knight disappeared down the alley.

    Salazar cursed himself. He didn¡¯t clean up the blood they had used in the ritual and left as a circle on the floor of the alley. He remembered the way he didn¡¯t like babysitting after vampiric children. He couldn¡¯t control them like he could with the adults. The Vampiric adults were smart enough not to cross him while the children just didn¡¯t know any better. They were always testing the boundaries they could cross before they get into trouble.

    There was a cry of alarm. The guards looked at each other before they rushed after the Knight. The trio returned after a long minute and one of the guards ran toward the castle while the other one ran toward the outer wall, no doubt looking for another patrol. The Knight appeared, paled and looked on the verge of throwing up.

    Salazar turned in the air with snort. He commented, softly, ¡°Weakling¡± as he arched his legs in front of him and landed in another crunch before he repeated his actions of jumping, heading to the outer wall and to the Dead End Forest.

    Tina panted as she landed on the stone pathway that severed as one of the town¡¯s roads. She didn¡¯t realized she was that out of shape. Before she dated her ex, that kind of exercise would have just raised her blood pressure and excited her. Now, she lend against the wall of the building she just jumped from its roof. She pressed her back against the cool bricks and expanded her rib cage as far as she could, sucking in all the oxygen she could get. She held it for a moment before she let it out slowly. She repeated the process a couple more times until she recovered. She didn¡¯t need to be walking past the castle guards, out of breath and get questioned why she was out of breath when there was no reason for her to be out of breath. Her stomach rumbled. She placed a hand over it, thinking. She didn¡¯t remember the last time she ate. She frowned. She needed to eat.

    She took a deep breath and pushed away from the brick wall. She was about to walk out of the alley she had landed in when a cry rang out and she threw herself backwards, deeper into the alley. She waited as what she could only describe as an unit of guards with a couple knights ran by, heading into the lower part of the town. She frowned. She hoped everything was alright.

    Her mind flashed back to the two figures in that darken alley with the scent of copper. She wondered if whatever cause the unit of guards and the knights to stir this late at night had to do with the two figures. Tina shook her head, clearing it of those thoughts. She was nearly back at the castle. She had to find food then her room.

    She walked out of the alley and found herself near the fork where all of the major roads she had been able to spot merged into one, leading across a wooden bridge and into the castle grounds. She walked over the road and across the bridge. The guards standing at either side of the archway leading into the castle grounds didn¡¯t stop her, but she did sensed their eyes on her as she entered the castle grounds and continued on her way.

    Tina frowned as she tried to remember where she had seen the kitchens. She knew it was close to the back half of the castle. She glanced up at the statue in the middle of the court yard, wondering how long it took the stone-smith to crave that and how long did the king had to stand there, looking like that. She briefly wondered if there was any stories associated with this event. She smiled, softly. It was no doubt an amusing tale to hear. The stone man looked familiar, somehow.

    A flicker of white caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head and saw an outline of someone standing a doorway. The longer she stared at it, the more it became solid until it was like the figure was a pale person dressed in white. She resisted the urge to groan. Why couldn¡¯t the dead just move on after their body expired?

    The White Figure waved at her, urging her to come over to it. She didn¡¯t want to, but she did used to be apart of the team representing the Spiritual World. A little voice at the back of her head argued that it was her duty to help the ghosts to move on before their souls disappeared forever into nothingness, that it didn¡¯t matter if she was no long apart of that team or not. However, another voice added in, arguing that she had left that life behind and she had no reason to help the ghost out. She sighed, annoyed.

    Knowing it was her duty since she really never did ¡®retire¡¯ from the team, Tina walked over to the white figure, but the white figure walked away from her. She paused, cocking her head to the side, watching the figure. The figure paused, and waved at her to continue to follow, waiting next to a doorway. She shrugged and followed the ghostly figure. The ghostly figure turned, revealing it was a male. That was the only feature that Tina was able identify. She frowned. Could the ghost be the King that recently died? She figured it could be, but a gut feeling inform her that wasn¡¯t the case and the sense she had met this mysterious ghostly figure before nagged at her.

    She paused briefly half way to the door as she sensed eyes upon her. She glanced around the courtyard, but she didn¡¯t see anyone. She resisted the urge to glance upward at the higher levels. She shook her head. There would be very few people up at this hour. It was close to 4 in the morning.

    Lord James Black rubbed his face as he walked over to the balcony. He opened the doors and stepped outside, allowing the cool air to wash over him. He shivered, slightly as goosebumps rose over his exposed torso. He yawned, adjusting his sleeping pants. He heard the door to the Black Suit shut in the distance. Apparently the servant for the Black House just left. He didn¡¯t know if his cousin also requested a morning wake up call or not. She probably did, knowing her. She would spend the next few hours getting ready for the day, just like any other Black woman did.

    He didn¡¯t know why she would bother going to bed after the feast last night. He hadn¡¯t come back until a hour ago from the feast. It was an unique night. One of the rumors spreading like wildfire was the infamous explosive General Genesis had starting his search for a wife, instead allowing his grandmother find him a wife. He chuckled at the thought Lady Freya finding Genesis a wife and blackmailing him into marriage. That would be sweet.

    James sighed. His eyes roamed over the courtyard until he spotted a figure wearing a black cloak with a bright blue dress that swished back and forth from sight within the black cloak. He frowned. Why would a lady be arriving in the wee hours of the morning, he wondered.

    From his vantage point, the only thing he could tell was the lady had red hair flowing down to her shoulders, but nothing else beyond that. The nearby fires reflected off her hair, giving the strands a fire like appearance. He frowned, trying to remember. He knew the White Hall House had one living daughter, Natasha, but there were rumors of another. However, in the events during the Kingless Kingdom, the eldest of Sir Bardock went missing along with her mother, Lady Annja.

    This woman strolling across the Courtyard could pass as the daughter of Sir Bardock by her hair color alone. It strongly reminded him of the Fiery General. He watched her as she paused for a long moment then walked to her left, heading to the area he remembered where the kitchens lay. It was not long before she disappeared from his sight. He turned away, feeling a bit more awake then he did when he opened the doors, wondering if he would see her later that day around the castle.

 Chapter 40 Meetings in the Dark

    The red head woman ended up following the ghost figure through a numerous hallways until some of the halls started to look familiar. She watched as the ghost figure turned and bowed to her, an arm extending to a darken room. She slowly nodded then she entered the darken room. Her back slowly tightened. A wave of pain washed through her. She grunted before she took a deep breath.

    Peering through the dark room, Tina held out her hands in front of her as she slowly walked forward, feeling her way through the dark. Her foot hit something and she reached down, grabbing whatever she kicked. It felt like a stool or a chair of some kind. The stool or chair settled under her hands. Wasn¡¯t there an island nearby? She frowned, trying to remember. She sighed. She couldn¡¯t remember if there was or not. However, she did spot a glow coming from the nearby fireplace.

    Tina walked over to it, kneeling down to examine the fire. There was still hot coals in the fireplace. She grabbed a poker she was able to spot through the darkness and poked the hot coals. Sparks flew up. The coals glowed an angry red. She looked on either side of the fireplace. There had to be some wood nearby. She let out a soft hoot of triumph as she spotted on the left hand side of the fireplace a pile of wooden logs. She grabbed one log and placed in the angry coals, waiting for it to catch fire.

    ¡°What are you doing,¡± an accent, deep voice rang out from behind her, ¡°In my kitchen?¡±

    Tina froze. Her eyes widened, staring at the angry coals as the wooden log finally caught fire. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. She watched the flames hungrily licked at the dry wood. It caused the room to brighten up a bit, just enough where Tina could see the room. She extended her spiritual awareness. The speaker moved closer to her.

    ¡°I asked you a question,¡± the voice sounded a few feet behind her. If she didn¡¯t any better, she could say he was Asian or at least grew up in a country within the Asia borders from his accent.

    ¡°I was hungry,¡± Tina said. She slowly stood up, turning around facing the owner of the kitchen, holding the poker at her side. She saw it was the man who stood in front of the oven.

    He was tall man with dark hair. The growing fire lit up his face. His hair covered half of his face, showing one sky blue eye reflecting the firelight, and it was tied back in a low ponytail. The eyebrow she could see curved upward at the end. He did have a mustache which curled at the ends like some medieval pirate or lord. A very small beard shaped in an upside triangle hugged the outline of his lower lip and trailed downward in his chin. He wore a tan apron as the color becoming apparent as the fire light grew in strength.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat dinner with the rest of the Court,¡± the Chef questioned. Tina shook her head. The Chef nodded before he turned away, stating, ¡°You can put that poker down and sit at the island. I¡¯ll fix you something up in no time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Chef,¡± Tina let the words out in a sigh of relief. She didn¡¯t know what she would have down if he had called the guards on her for trespassing in his kitchen.

    ¡°There is no need to thank me,¡± the Chef said, ¡°Are you allergic to anything?¡±

    ¡°Not to my knowledge,¡± she replied. She put the poker back on the stand and glanced at the fire. ¡°Should I put some more wood in the fire?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± He stated with his back to her. She rolled her eyes. He was obviously not used to dealing with people who was not apart of his kitchen. ¡°I have to start getting ready to cook breakfast for the staff and other servants, soon.

    Tina knelt back down and started placing a couple more logs on the fire, calling out over her shoulder, ¡°It will be one less thing for you to worry about, Chef.¡± She watched the fire spread over the new logs before she place two more on it. Heat washed over her, warming her. She shivered, slightly. She didn¡¯t realized how cold she was . It was comfortable enough outside where she didn¡¯t noticed the drop in temperature until now. She stood up and turned around, her eyes roaming over the kitchen. She had been right. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen with stools on the far side, away from the various counter tops with preparation areas. She went over to the island and choose a seat, gathering her skirts tight around her legs before she sat down and allowed the skirt to bellow out, falling over the sides of the stool. She looked over the kitchen.

    Across from the island, Tina immediately spotted the modern looking oven in the middle. On the left side of the kitchen, the Chef stood with his back to her as he did something with a bowl. It sounded like he was whisking food together. Beside him, there was a well stocked preparation area. Tina had only seen some of the equipment there in the high end restaurants. She gapped in surprise. Next to the preparation area was a bare counter top, but the wall, on the other hand, was full of jars. She resisted the urge to get up and peer at the jar labels.

    ¡°So,¡± Tina glanced at the Chef, wondering a lot of things but she didn¡¯t have a clue where to start, ¡°How long have you lived in Camelot, Master Chef?¡±

    The chief paused and looked over his shoulder at her. In the firelight, Tina noticed something she didn¡¯t in the low lightening. He had tan skin. Not the kind from being out in the sun for long periods of time, but the kind that reminded Tina of her friends from Japan. He also had almond shaped eyes. She didn¡¯t want to the assumption that he had to be of Asian descendant, but seeing the evidence, it was hard to say other wise. The Head Cook finally replied, ¡°I have been living in Camelot for the last 21 years, my lady.¡± He went back to work.

    ¡°That¡¯s a long time,¡± Tina said, ¡°Where did you live before coming to Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know, Lady¡­¡± he asked.

    ¡°Armstrong,¡± She supplied with a friendly grin, ¡°I¡¯m Valentina Armstrong.¡± She watched as the chef set down his bowl and turned to her with a guarded expression. She paused, thinking about what she just said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I meant to say was I am Valentina of House Armstrong.¡±

    ¡°Well, Lady Armstrong,¡± he started, ¡°I am Kurosaki Sanji, as the people from my homeland would have called me or in this land, I am Sanji of House Kurosaki.¡± He studied her with guard eyes.

    Tina cocked her head to the side. She knew that was enough of a hint to say he had to been of Japanese descent or raised in the Japanese culture, but again she didn¡¯t want to assume anything. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    ¡°As you say, my lady,¡± Sanji said. He grabbed the bowl and walked over to the stove. He pulled down a skillet before he walked over to the pile of logs and grabbed an armful. He went to the counter beside the stove and knelt down beside a metal door. He pulled open the door and started to pile logs inside. He returned over by the fireplace and grabbed a bundle of sticks before he stuck them into the roaring fire. He waited long enough for the tips of the sticks to catch on fire before he returned to the metal door. He placed the sticks inside and shut the door.

    Tina noticed he didn¡¯t answer her question. She allowed that matter to drop. For now. She continued on to a different topic, ¡°Is it true? What I have been hearing that the King is dead. I just got into town, a day ago and I want to make sure if that rumor has any truth to it or not.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that rumor is true,¡± Sanji replied, ¡°he died three days ago.¡± Tina frowned. That was when she arrived in this land. He paused before he went on, ¡°The castle has been in an uproar since then. The Prince has announced that he is not taking the Throne after his father.¡± He released a heavy sigh. He went over to the skillet and placed it on top of the stove.

    ¡°Why not,¡± Tina asked, confused, ¡°I thought he was his right to take the Throne after his father¡¯s death.¡± Was Camelot¡¯s Seat of Power not passed down from father to son or at least the Current Ruler to the Chosen Heir?

    ¡°No,¡± Sanji said, ¡°Have you been living under a rock, Lady Armstrong?¡± He turned to her.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tina replied without hesitation, with a wide grin, then she went on, ¡°I lost touch of my family a few days ago and haven¡¯t been able to get any news about the current events.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Sword choses the next Ruler,¡± Sanji explained like that was the answer to the universe. She blinked. ¡°It is safe to assume that Prince Arthur didn¡¯t pull out the Holy Sword.¡±

    Tina frowned. What the hall was going on in Camelot? This was not told in any of the legends of the Kingdom. The only time a sword in a way chose the ruler was when Arthur pulled the Sword from the Stone and claimed his right to Rule. What happened to the Kingdom for that particular event to be repeated?

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming the Knights of the Round Table will make attempt to pull the Sword out, next,¡± Sanji went on, ¡°Then the High Lords of the Sacred 150.¡±

    ¡°Sacred 150?¡± Tina repeated. That was a high number. She paused, thinking. Didn¡¯t one of her course over the Legend of Camelot stated the Round Table was large enough for 150 knights to sit at it? She remembered, while reading that long retelling of the legend from the women¡¯s points of view, that The King Arthur of legend had to build a special Great Hall to fit the round table in it.

    ¡°Yeah, the descendant of the Original Knights of the Round Table,¡± Sanji explained. ¡°Most of this is common knowledge, even to the people of the lower class,¡± he said.

    Tina frowned, ignoring his last comment, thinking. This was not the Camelot she knew from the various legends. She had to change the subject. She knew he was getting suspicious, but she had so many questions. She didn¡¯t want to even think about it, but she may have to track Tristan down and question him about this version of Camelot. She asked, ¡°What will happen if the Holy Sword -¡± that was something she had to get used to saying when she was pretty sure the sword in question was either the Ceremonial Sword or Excalibur, ¡°- didn¡¯t chose somebody to pull the blade out?¡±

    ¡°I fear it would be the end of Camelot,¡± Sanji confessed. Fear laced his voice. She met the eye she could see. She watched as a storm of emotions danced through his eye.

    ¡°Why do you say that,¡± Tina asked, more then just curious, ¡°I¡¯m sure the Knights will everything in their power to protect Camelot and her people.¡±

    ¡°And they will die doing so,¡± Sanji finished, ¡°I remember what happen the last time the Holy Sword didn¡¯t chose a successor.¡± He paused. Tina lend forward. ¡°I was just a boy then, 9 years old. My grandfather and I just wash up on these shores a few months before the King died from an illness. Rumors has it - it was more of a curse. Whoever has the ability to pull out the Holy Sword, has a shorten lifespan of 9 or so years.¡± He looked at her, lending against the counter top. He crossed his arms over his chest. He watched her as he continued, ¡°However, after the king¡¯s death, no body could pull the Holy Sword out of the stone. Many people tried. Each of the living princes at the time, the knights of the Round of Table, and the High Lords of the Sacred 150 tried. Not one of them had the ability to pull it out.¡± He let out a deep sigh that seem to come up from deeper in his body. ¡°Not for 6 months.¡± He glanced away from Tina for a moment before he continued, ¡°Those six months were hard on everyone, especially for the current generation who grew up during that time.¡±

    He turned away from her and started to work on breakfast. It was obvious to Tina that he wasn¡¯t going to continued as he reached for a couple of the jars. She frowned. That little story brought more questions then answers. However, it was becoming clear to Tina that this version of Camelot was nothing like the legend she knew of. She turned her thoughts to Sanji¡¯s reaction. It was obviously he went through that time and feared going through it again.

    Another voice rang out, directly behind Tina, ¡°It was eventually known as the Era of the Kingless Kingdom.¡± She jumped and spun in her chair, looking up at the newcomer.

    The newcomer was a tall man with an impressive amount of spiritual pressure and control. She didn¡¯t sense him approaching until he had spoke. It worried her, but she pushed that emotion aside as she turned her attention back onto the newcomer.

    In the firelight, the man¡¯s black hair seemed to move like shadows and his gray eyes flickered with an emotion she didn¡¯t know as they seemed to glow with some sort of power, but when Tina blinked, the glow in his eyes faded away. His spiritual energy was low, like it was being suppressed somehow, but average for a normal human without any training. Tina figured he was keeping it low for a reason. He wore a Traditional suit with the jacket¡¯s tail extending to his mid-thigh. He wouldn¡¯t be out of place at the Palace of King William in England as apart of the staff. She wondered if how he dress reflected his job and status or not. However, she jerked herself out of her musing as one of the two men spoke.

    ¡°We all thought it was the end of days. The Enemies of Camelot had declared war on the Kingdom when we didn¡¯t a king within a month. They all wanted the Throne of the Once Great Kingdom.¡± The man paused, frowning and looked at Tina. ¡°The people don¡¯t know what to do and the Ruling Family could only send out a call to arms, preparing for war.¡± He glanced around the kitchen before he moved to sit on the stool, ¡°I was not much older then Sanji, here, but living on the border of Camelot and Mercy.¡±

    Mercy? Tina had heard of that Kingdom, but it existed during the last 5th century. She didn¡¯t know when the Kingdom disappeared into the forgotten pages of history. It might be have merged with Kingdom of England when William the Conqueror took over the country.

    ¡°My village was one of the first villages to disappear on the first wave from the Merican army,¡± the man went on, ¡°My family had just enough warning to hid my siblings and I in the cellar before they were upon the farm. I still remembered how my mother screamed, how my father fought against the Army and how in vain it was to do so.¡± Tina watched as the man¡¯s eyes glassed over far off memories as he continued to tell his story, ¡°After the army moved on, I guided my siblings out of the burnt farm to a back road. I knew the army would take the main roads to the heart of the Kingdom. My siblings and I agreed we had to let the Ruling Family know.¡±

    ¡°Back here in Camelot,¡± Sanji picked up the story, ¡°We had waves of men pouring in from all over the country side, saying the Armies of Merican, the Franks, and our other neighbors were on the move. My grandfather and I was quickly overwhelmed with how many meals we had to make for the growing army. We managed to get permission from the Ruling Family at the time to hire as many people as we need to keep the kitchen full staffed around the clock. Lucky for us, many of the men had wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters who jumped at the chance to help the men. The kitchen became fully staff as did the Healing Ward. We all prepared for the worst.

    ¡°The Worst did come. Villagers from the outskirts of the Kingdom poured into the castle with the same story, just the enemy army was different - our home was burnt to the ground by the enemy and they were marching this way to the castle,¡± Sanji went on, his voice took on a thicker accent. It sounded familiar to Tina. It was at the tip of her tongue. ¡°The Camelot Army split into six branches marched out to meet the enemy on six different fronts led by the Ruling Princes at the time, however, Queen Belladonna had to leave the safety of the castle to led the sixth branch of the military. We didn¡¯t have enough generals at the time. Hell, we still don¡¯t. We have three generals out of the six we need.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Each battle ended a retreat,¡± the man sitting next to Tina picked up the tale again. ¡°My remaining family and I made it to the Castle and sought shelter, but we turned away from the castle itself. We did find some shelter in the town below the inner wall. We waited until the army retreated to outer wall. However, one of the Princes soon returned to the castle after six months and with the armies of the Enemy sitting outside of the Castle, managed to pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone.¡± He took a breath, looking at the island top. Tina glanced up at the cook. He had his back to her, still fixing breakfast. ¡°Whatever the reason for what happen is still a mystery, even to the magi. They couldn¡¯t even really explain what caused none of the princes to be chose, yet, one of them chose after six months.¡±

    The man beside Tina fell silent. Tina¡¯s eyes flicked up to Sanji. He didn¡¯t say anything. Tina puzzled the last part of the information out before she spoke, ¡°It sounds like to me that the Choose One was living during those six months or at least a part of those six months before something happen to the said person and they died as a result.¡±

    ¡°That was what the Battle Mage Merlin came up with,¡± the man beside Tina said.

    Sanji reached up for a plate and served Tina what he had fixed before he repeated the process with the unnamed man. The cook didn¡¯t say anything as he set the plates down in front of them and fixed a third plate, setting himself a place on the other side of the island.

    Tina grabbed the silverware - well, she corrected, mentally, wooden fork - and paused, glancing up at the cook through her eyelashes as he took a bit of his food before she muttered loud enough for the three of them hear the traditional Japanese phase for thanking the cook before eating.

    Sanji sucked in a breath. His lone eye widened. He coughed as he choked on the fork fill of food then he recovered. He looked up at her with a shock expression. He stammered, ¡°You - You - You are like me.¡± Tina raised an questioning eyebrow as she ate her food. He went on, ¡°You are from the outside world.¡±

    ¡°Outside World?¡± She questioned, before she ate another fork full.

    ¡°Shit,¡± the other man breathed, ¡°My apologizes, my lady.¡±

    Tina sent him an amused look, saying, ¡°Well, I was fucking thinking I time traveled to the god damn dark ages.¡± Sanji snorted as the other man just gapped at her. She winked at him. ¡°So, what do you mean by outside world?¡±

    ¡°Long time ago, during middle of the 6th century, over 250 of the best trained Magi had to moved Camelot and few of the other kingdoms to a parallel world,¡± Sanji explained, ¡°However, nearly everyone of those 250 magi ended up dying from the magical drain.¡±

    ¡°Except for the Battle Mage Merlin and the Black Mage Lady Morgana,¡± the man next to Tina finished. She glanced at him. ¡°I¡¯m a fifth generation immigrant from the Outside World as well. My great- great grandfather managed to pass through the barrier sometime during -¡± He frowned, thinking, ¡°I think he said it was during a war, that he was targeted by his government due to his religion.¡± Tina frowned. Unfortunately, that description was too familiar, too widespread. She knew some of the World Governments did that because the main religion was the national religion and any other religion was inferior. ¡°He was forced to wear a yellow star.¡±

    ¡°He was from Germany,¡± Tina stated, immediately, knowing what he meant by the yellow star. ¡°He hunted by the Nazi Government because he was a Jew.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the man¡¯s eyes lit up with recognition. ¡°He did say that.¡±

    ¡°He would be happy to know the allies won,¡± Tina commented, ¡°And Hitler committed suicide to avoid the prosecution of his war crimes, but according to the various documents that surfaced over the last few years, he really died in a country in South America.¡±

    Before the 5th generation Germen immigrate could say anything, there were soft footsteps padding up the hallway. Sanji turned, looked at something, and muttered something that Tina couldn¡¯t hear before he gave Tina his attention. Tina watched as the cook¡¯s demeanor changed into a professional one. He started, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lady, I couldn¡¯t spend more time with you, but I need to get back to work. I have a large breakfast to make and it appears my staff is starting to arrive.¡± He stood up and bowed, meeting Tina¡¯s eyes with a wink. ¡°I will be able available later in the day.¡±

    She nodded in understanding. She quickly finished her breakfast and said, ¡°Thank you, Chief, for the delicious meal, but I will have to take a rain check on that. I have been up all night and I really want to see my bed.¡±

    Sanji nodded and grabbed the plates before he went to the sink and started his day¡¯s work. The man next to Tina stood up with her and offered his arm to her, ¡°May I escort you back to your room, my lady?¡±

    ¡°You may, Sir..?¡± Tina grinned up at him.

    ¡°I am Sebastian, the Head of the Staffing, here at Camelot,¡± Sebastian finally introduced himself, ¡°I am not Sir. I am just a simply servant.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Tina said, with a nod of her head ¡°I¡¯m Valentina of House Armstrong.¡± Sebastian led her back down the hallway, passing a pretty woman with honey brown hair, who was making her way to the kitchen.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Sebastian lit up, ¡°You are a Vessel of The White Hall House.¡±

    ¡°Vessel?¡± Tina questioned. Her eyes darted forward and saw they were approaching an archway, leading outside before her eyes flew back to her guide.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sebastian nodded, before he explained, ¡°The White Hall Family is responsible for your protection if they need to protect you and your family. The Current High Lord of the White Hall Family is one of the Knights of Camelot, Bardock, and his heir is the General Genesis. According to stories I have heard, Lord Bardock became the Head of the House when his older born brother Angeal refused the title. The Current High Lady of the White Hall Family is Freya and, luckily, she doesn¡¯t come to Court often.¡±

    Tina¡¯s lips pressed together, listening. It was interesting to hear about her maybe father and brothers. She asked, ¡°Where is this Lord Bardock and why doesn¡¯t Lady Freya come to Court?¡±

    ¡°Lord Bardock headed back to the Family Estate, the other day, with two of his three sons,¡± Sebastian explained, ¡°I figure it will be at least another week before he returns back to Camelot. As for Lady Freya, she doesn¡¯t get along with Queen Belladonna very well and it often results in headaches for everyone involved.¡±

    Tina frowned. So, her possible father was not in Camelot, anymore, and he won¡¯t be for another week. However, one of her maybe brothers was still in the Castle.

    ¡°However, you should take the time introduce yourself to the General,¡± the Head of staffing suggested, ¡°He is the Acting head of House White Hall while his father is not here.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± She stated before she admitted, ¡°I just want to sleep right now.¡±

    Sebastian led Tina through a series of hallways. It didn¡¯t take her long to become confuse and lost, again, in the large castle. She heard her guide chuckle as she tried to remember her way through the maze. She shot him a glare of annoyance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± He started, ¡°It took me a long while to memorize the various hallways, which corridors led to where and how to reach the major rooms on short notice.¡± He glanced down at her, leading Tina around a corner. Her gaze roamed in the new hallway and she frowned. It started to look somewhat familiar or at least the tapestry did.

    The tapestry had an image of a large battle. It was crafted in a way that Tina had thought it would come alive and depicted the entire battle for her. However, it didn¡¯t, but it did mean that they were nearing the hall with the white rug where the room she had claimed for herself was located.

    Sebastian went on, re-capturing Tina¡¯s attention, ¡°I will be assigning a maid to help you with anything you need during your stay here, Lady Valentina.¡±

    ¡°Call me Tina,¡± she corrected, automatically, ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Tina,¡± Sebastian nodded, ¡°Like I was saying, the maid will be acting as your guide through the castle. She will be helping you dress in these outrageous outfits that are extremely popular of the day. The Older Queens expected the women of the court to be dressed accordingly to what is appropriate for your station.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me,¡± she gasped as her mind caught up what the head of staffing was suggesting, ¡°I have to wear that¡­those medieval torture devices?¡±

    Sebastian tried to hide his grin, and said, ¡°Yes, you will have to wear a corset.¡±

    A word flew from Tina¡¯s mouth echoed loudly in the hallway. Sebastian gapped at her in a mixture of surprise and horror before he threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. He covered his mouth with his free hand. Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed, waiting for him to recover.

    ¡°You are taking too much delight out of my situation,¡± she stated.

    ¡°And you, my dearest lady, are going to be a delight to have at court,¡± Sebastian grinned, ¡°I will have to be there when you are introduced to the Queens.¡±

    ¡°Why is that,¡± Tina drawled out. Her eyes darted around as they entered a new hallway. She grinned as she spotted the long white rug sitting in the middle of the room.

    ¡°Simply,¡± Sebastian said, ¡°You will be butting heads with Queen Belladonna and possible with the representatives of House Black.¡± She turned her head to stare the head of staffing when he finally announced, ¡°And we are here, Lady Tina, your room.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± she replied, stepping away from Sebastian.

    ¡°As a reminder,¡± he started, ¡°There will be a maid assigned to you shortly. I will send her to you around mid-morning. The Pope is arriving shortly after the sun raises at the docks and the Ruling Family will be busy for a few hours with that.¡± His eyes darted over Tina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with, my lady.¡± He bowed to her, taking her left hand and placed a gentle, quick kiss to her knuckles before he turned away, leaving the hall.

    Standing there, she extended her senses and felt someone standing halfway down the hall. It was a strong presence. Not like the presence that sent her scurry into the lower town the night before. If she had put a letter to the spiritual power she was currently sensing, it was a high C or low B class.

    The system Tina was using was the same one her Great Aunt Nami had explained to her when she was learning the difference in strength when it came to the Youkai classes. The system was ranked from E to A. Basically, the higher the letter, the stronger the Youkai was, both in power and intelligence, but after the A class creatures, there was an even stronger class known as S-class and SS-class. Lucky for Tina, she never had to face or came into the same breathing space as a S or SS-class Youkai. She did hear a couple of her former teammates managed to enter the power grade of S-class Youkai and faced off with a SS-class Youkai and lived, to much of her amazement.

    Getting back to the problem at hand, Tina debated if she should acknowledge the person. She glanced over her shoulder to see if they were standing in plain sight. They weren¡¯t. She could easily slip into her room and go straight to bed, she told herself. She reached out to the door knob when the person - a male from how deep his voice was - spoke, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been anyone representing that house in almost a decade, now.¡±

    Tina stopped and turned around to face the speaker. She watched as the person stepped into the dim light of the nearby gas lamp. She ran her eyes over him, trying to take in the small details. It was hard to make certain details, but she did managed to see a pair of tried, but alert green eyes and what look to be brown hair with strands of blond or gold glimmer in the fire light. He was nearly a foot taller then her and he crossed his arms over his chest. He wore dark clothes, allowing him to blend with the shadows of the hallway. At his hip, a sword of some kind rested in its sheath.

    She debated on answering him or not. The decision was taken out of her hands when he asked, ¡°I¡¯m Remus, son of Apollo, the vessel House and Heir of Lunar, A member of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall.¡± He bowed to her.

    ¡°I am Valentina,¡± She started, ¡°The Vessel House of Armstrong, a member of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall.¡± She curtsied.

    ¡°So, Lady Valentina,¡± Remus said, walking toward her, ¡°May I ask why you didn¡¯t introduced yourself to the Court and the Acting of House, last night?¡±

    Tina smirked, ¡°You may ask and you already did.¡± She blinked, innocently. Remus let out a soft chuckle. ¡°However, I arrived late last night and didn¡¯t see the need to do it, just yet.¡± She cocked a shoulder up, ¡°Plus, I find it easier to move in the shadows if my face is not well known.¡±

    Remus smiled at her. An understanding glint in his eyes and he said, ¡°I do know the feeling. However, it is required by the Court and our family Matriarch for us to introduce ourselves to the Court of Camelot and our acting head of house, General Genesis.¡±

    That name sent a pang of an emotion through Tina that she didn¡¯t want to identify. According to Ralph and Tristan, that was her older brother. Now, she would have to let him know that she was in Camelot. She pushed away those thoughts before that train could leave the station.

    ¡°Thank you for informing of that,¡± Tina stated, ¡°And I will be doing that at a decent hour.¡± She paused, thinking exactly how she related to him. ¡°I do have a question.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡± He cocked his head to the side like a curious puppy.

    ¡°How exactly are we related?¡± She asked, ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°Who are your parents?¡± he questioned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know them,¡± she lied, ¡°I was raised my grandmother, Nami.¡±

    Remus nodded before he spoke, ¡°I think Nami of House Armstrong is the Great Aunt of Genesis and I am his second cousin, on his father¡¯s side of the family.¡±

    Tina nodded in understanding. Remus would be her second cousin, but she voiced, ¡°So, we are third cousins.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do believe we are¡­oh fuck,¡± Remus started then he paled from what Tina could tell in the gas lamp, ¡°My apologize, my lady, but are you unwed?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she trailed off, cocking an eyebrow, ¡°You may speak freely in front of me. I don¡¯t judge on your language. My language is just as bad.¡±

    ¡°I hope Lady Freya never finds that you are unwed,¡± Remus commented, ¡°She has been on a kick, lately. Majority of us - her grandkids - are coming of marrying age. She has been working some miracles and set up a few marriage agreements. Our cousin, Jacob, got snagged in one. He has to travel to the southern tip of the country to retrieve his bride to be. According to our cousin, Rosemary, Lady Freya has been trying to get Genesis¡¯ younger sister, Valentina, to come home to marry her off, as well, but haven¡¯t been able to find a match just yet for her, but I do fear she maybe married off to the Hidden Bark Village as part of a treaty the White Hall House has with them. The renewal of that treaty is coming up soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Tina breathed, blood draining from her face. She knew some families try to keep the power within a family, often marrying third or fourth cousins to each other. However, she didn¡¯t think her cover story she was in the process of creating would put in the path of a possible marriage agreement with Remus if this Lady Freya ever found out. It did shine some light on a possible reason why the matriarch of House White Hall would hire a ninja to bring Tina to the Estate. If Lady Freya was trying to set up various marriage agreements, she had her sets on Tina and her future as a married woman.

    ¡°So far, Freya hasn¡¯t got her claws in me for a marriage contract,¡± Remus explained, ¡°Genesis has his reputation working for him.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Tina said, ¡°What has he done?¡±

    ¡°Being an explosive asshole,¡± Remus stated as a full blown grin bloom across his face. ¡°If you had heard some of the stories I have heard, you would understand.¡±

    Tina placed a hand on her hip. An amused smile danced upon her lips. She glanced at the closed door beside her. She knew there were a room similar to a living room. Maybe she could get a few stories from him about Genesis. She did have a spark of curious of wanting to know her possible older brother. However, a yawn broke through her defenses and she covered her mouth. She heard the lure of her bed calling for her. A soft pair of footsteps echoed from behind Tina. She glanced over her shoulder to see a man moving past her and Remus, heading to the door at the far end of the hall. She tossed her gaze at Remus who looked highly amused.

    ¡°I feel sorry for that poor bloke,¡± he started, ¡°He apparently, is the butler to Genesis while he staying in the main House Suit instead in his usually chambers.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± she questioned, peering around Remus as the butler knocked the door before he let himself in.

    ¡°However, it appears I have kept you from retiring for the night,¡± he stated with a knowing look. ¡°If you ever want a follow night wander, please, let me know. I may be up for an adventure.¡±

    Tina let out a giggle before she yawned again. She didn¡¯t realized she was that tired. She blinked back tears. She addressed Remus, ¡°Perhaps I will, Remus. This is my first time at Camelot, so my chances of being lost are high.¡±

    ¡°I will escort you around to the best of my knowledge,¡± Remus agreed. ¡°Have a good nap.¡±

    Tina reached for the door knob and pushed the door open. She strolled in and shut the door after her. Or that was her intention when a gun shot rang out, followed by the sound of crashing glass. She spun on her heel. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her eyes widened as she peered down the hall. She glanced at Remus who also looked alarmed. She dropped her bag, just inside the door. It landed with a soft thudded.

    Tina pushed past her possible cousin aside and rushed down the hall. She didn¡¯t bother knocking as she burst through the door. Her eyes scanned the main room and saw nobody was in there. She reached out with her spiritual awareness, finding the two presences in a room off the main one and a third right behind her. She knew Remus was the one behind her. She quickly spotted the one room that was housing the presences. Of course, it had to be the only closed door. She stormed over to it and threw the door open.

    Tina gapped for a second or two as she took in the man standing beside the bed, wearing only his pants. His hair color was the same shade as hers. Tina watched as his eyes darted over to meet hers. His eyes were familiar. She pulled her eyes away from his. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure it that was Genesis, her without a doubt, now, older brother.

    She schooled her expression as she spotted the gun in his fist, pointing at the butler, and a shattered glass window. Her expression darkened before she stormed over. Tina reached up and took the gun away from Genesis, stating in angry tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents teach you anything about firearm safety?¡± Genesis opened his mouth. Tina held up a hand, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses! Pointing a gun at a man who was given the job to wake your grumpy ass is unacceptable and highly irresponsible!¡± she narrowed her eyes at the General, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be some sort of General?¡± He blinked at her. ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady, he is the General of Fire Brigade,¡± The Butler replied for Genesis. ¡°And are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Lady Valentina of the House of Armstrong, granddaughter of Lady Nami of House Armstrong, Vessel to the White Hall Household,¡± Tina rattled off, trying to remember exactly the words were appropriate to introduce herself as.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware my Great Aunt had a granddaughter,¡± Genesis spoke in a rough tone.

    ¡°Now, you do,¡± Tina snapped. She tossed the gun onto the bed. She turned away, ¡°Now, try to keep it down. Some of us are just now going to bed.¡± She rushed away, slipping past Remus who stood in the doorway. She reached the door leading to the hallway before she broke out into a spirit. She arrived at the door with the Armstrong House symbol. She opened it, twirled inside, and shut it with a loud bang.

 Chapter 41 The Morning Training

    Genesis watched as the mysterious woman who introduced herself as Valentina of House Armstrong rushed from the room. He cocked an eyebrow at his cousin in question before he turned to the butler and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I had forgot that I was assigned a butler.¡±

    ¡°It is alright, sir,¡± the Butler replied in an even tone. However, Genesis did spot the Butler pull at his necktie and his eyes darted around the room. ¡°I will let Head Sebastian know you will need a replacement widow for your room, General.¡±

    ¡°You know how to start the morning off with a bang, Gen,¡± Remus commented, dryly. The three men heard the banging of a door slamming shut. ¡°And you are still popular with the ladies.¡±

    Genesis resisted the urge to make a rude gesture toward Remus but made the comment, ¡°It is safe to assume she is staying the Armstrong Suit then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± Remus replied, ¡°She arrived sometime late last night and was heading back to the suit when I caught her being escorted by Sebastian, Head of Staffing, I believe.¡±

    Genesis nodded. He glanced at the butler who hadn¡¯t moved from his position. He let out a sigh. He was in no mood to deal with anything. ¡°Could you go fetch me some breakfast?¡±

    ¡°As you wish, General,¡± The butler immediately replied and rushed out of the room without a look back.

    ¡°Well, now, you are doing alright by scaring the shit out of your butler at this ungodly hour of the morning,¡± Remus said, ¡°I¡¯m turning for the night.¡±

    ¡°Why were you up all night anyway,¡± Genesis asked before he yawned. He rubbed his face and walked over to the wash basin. He took a handful of water and washed away the last raiments of sleep from his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Genesis,¡± Remus replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you. You are the ACTING Head of House, not Lord Bardock himself, after all.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± the General spoke, ¡°It was worth a try.¡± He shrugged, reaching for a towel nearby. He glance over at his cousin. ¡°See ya after your nap then, Remmy.¡±

    Remus did make a rude hand gesture over his shoulder as he left the White Hall Suite. Genesis laughed softly and patted his face dry. He walked over to the wardrobe and picked out his clothes for the day. He casted his gaze around the bedroom. It was his old one when the family was living in Camelot, back when his mother and sister were with the family, not away. His father kept it this way in case Genesis ever had to use for Family related business or when Lord Bardock couldn¡¯t be in the castle for a long bit of time. He knew his father was in the process of returning to the White Hall Estate to get to the bottom of his grandmother¡¯s letter concerning his sister and the reason why she would be traveling to the Estate.

    That thought led him to Valentina Armstrong. He frowned. She appeared to be around the same age as his sister. She even had the same name. He hadn¡¯t been lying when he said he wasn¡¯t aware his great aunt had a granddaughter, but of course, it had been nearly a decade since he had personally seen Aunt Nami. She made no mention about having a granddaughter. Of course, he didn¡¯t think it would have been brought up. Lady Freya, his grandmother and the Matron of the White Hall Family, would have demanded for her to brought to the Estate for all courtly training, attend the Coming of Age ball, and eventually married off for the betterment of the White Hall Family.

    He shook his head. He would think about that at a later time, after all the ceremonial shit was done and over. He needed to check on his men and do a quick morning workout before he had to be down at the docks to welcome the Pope to Camelot with his Second and the other two Generals and their seconds.

    Genesis quickly got dressed. The Butler arrived with his breakfast. The Head of Staffing followed him with a disappointing frown on his lips.

    ¡°Really, General,¡± Sebastian started, looking at the widow with a faint amusement, ¡°If you keep scaring the butlers I assign to you, you will have to start waking yourself up.¡±

    Genesis didn¡¯t say anything as he ate his breakfast. He would be burning it off and then some once he got started for the day. Sebastian kept his eyes on the Lord Heir of House White Hall before he continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have been made aware, yet, but a Lady Valentina of House Armstrong arrived late last night. I have made sure that she is settled in and a maid will be assigned to her within the next hour.¡±

    Genesis picked up the goblet that accompanied his meal and took a long drink before he replied, ¡°I have been aware of her.¡± He paused, thinking. She was a close relative of his, close enough where he thought at first he was staring at his sister, all grown up. ¡°She already scolded me for scaring my butler.¡±

    ¡°Then the next time I see the wonderful lady, I will give her my thanks,¡± Sebastian¡¯s lips twitched into a smirk as his tone held a note of something the Fiery General didn¡¯t want to even to think to identify. He had a long list of things he needed to get done.

    ¡°You do that,¡± Genesis commented as he stood up from the table and hurried over to the fireplace where he had took off his boots the night before, slamming his feet back into them. He hurried out of the Family Wing without a second thought.

    ¡°Attention!¡± Reno¡¯s voice rang out as Genesis entered the Training field for his branch of the military. ¡°General Genesis has arrived!¡±

    Slipping into his General Role, Genesis eyed his men. He knew most of the men on duty now were in the same position as him, cursing the fact the sun was barely peeking over the horizon and the fact they had to be up this early in the morning. He smirked. He knew one way to wake them up.

    ¡°Morning, men,¡± Genesis called out, ¡°I know a lot of you are cursing the fact you are up this early in the morning.¡± He felt the silent agreement radiating from his men. He went on, ¡°So, as a way to wake up, and as a warm up for our wonderfully long ass day a head of us, do a lap on the wall around the town.¡± He also felt the silent groans and almost non-exists glares coming from them. He waited for someone to take the lead. ¡°Do we have any volunteers to start? Hmmm, No?¡±

    Someone obviously had their coffee this morning in the front line and called out with their hand up, ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead.¡±

    Genesis nodded. Wasn¡¯t that Captain Green? He pushed the thought away and commanded, ¡°Start running!¡± The man peeled out of the group and headed to the stairs leading up to the wall. One by one, the rest of them followed, falling into a two-person line. Genesis watched them disappear over the edge of the stairs before he turned to Reno, ¡°Night Report?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much happened during the night, General,¡± Reno shrugged, ¡°Other then the fact, a lady in blue showed up in town sometime during the night and evidence of some sort of blood ritual took place in an alley way.¡± Genesis raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Yeah, Commander Henry is looking into the blood ritual with a few of his men. He had one of the men with a note explaining why he couldn¡¯t deliver the report in person by the time I got here. As far as I know, he is still out there with a couple of the men cleaning up.¡±

    Genesis nodded. He knew magic was illegal per say, but there were very few court-approved magic users in the Kingdom. It was also a long process to get approved by the Court of Camelot to use magic and most of the time, asking for permission was a death sentence. Two of the Court Approved Magi lived on the castle grounds. When he saw either the Battle Mage or the She-Mage, he would question them about it. However, he looked at his second with an evil grin, suggesting, ¡°Let¡¯s follow them. I think they will have to pick up the pace. We don¡¯t have the time to horse around today.¡±

    Reno nodded. Genesis darted up the stairs and spotted his men approaching the cross wall, leading over to the outer wall from the inner castle wall. Reno and Genesis hurried over to join them. It was not long before Genesis started to grin and he let out a whoop as he approached the rear duo causing them to jump. He passed them, continuing to make his way up beside the line. Reno didn¡¯t follow him.

    A sense of nostalgic fell over General Genesis as he slowly reached the beginning of the line. He used to run after his younger sister back when she was around because he was the older brother. He had to keep his younger siblings in line. He knew the reason why he felt this way. Just hearing the name Valentina brought back the memories of the sister he barely knew anymore.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    She used to escape from their nursemaid through a number of means and usually, by the time someone had noticed her gone. A small smile flickered at his lips as he remembered one time, she might have been four and he was six, he thought it was around Christmas time or New Years. He didn¡¯t remember which The White Hall Family would always throw a wonderful ball, celebrating the holiday. The memory swept over him.

    He sat up from where he was laying on his stomach, coloring pictures, waiting for the nursemaid to finish helping his young brothers getting dress for the ball. He heard a giggle and turned his head to see his younger sister, Valentina, dressed in a pale blue dress with a mischievous look on her face. She spotted him looking at her and held up a finger to her lips before she sneaked out of the nursery. His jaw dropped. He was the one going to get into trouble! He called out to her nursemaid and informed her Valentina had left the room again. He didn¡¯t want to be sent to bed early!

    He shook his head. He remembered that she was caught by a young ninja who had been hired to help the guards patrol the boundary and the estate before she got too far in the ballroom without supervision. He let out a small chuckle as he reached the front of the line and barked out, ¡°Pick up the pace, men!¡± He past the Captain and took the lead. He knew Reno would be pushing the men from the back. They reached the outer wall, over looking the docks. A glance toward the left showed him that the Honor Branch were heading their way. Genesis took the right, leading the men over the wall that separated the docks from the rest of the castle and town. They headed North.

    The General of the Fire Brigade heard the familiar sounds of the town waking up as the Morning Shift of the Fire Brigade ran on the wall. The calls of birds came above as the residents of each distinct started their morning routines. He heard a cry of a baby coming from a nearby large building, longing for their breakfast and some of the locals for each distinct roam through the streets, getting ready for the day. He spotted a massager boy darting through the cobble streets with a stack of rolled up papers under one arm with a bag full of them bouncing off his lower back.

    Genesis gaze drifted from the town below over to the Northern and Eastern Farm lands. He spotted a village half a day¡¯s ride to the East. There was a trail of people heading to the Castle and the town below from that village. Apparently, there were still people coming to Camelot, wanting to pay their respects to the dead King. In the nearby eastern forest, he spotted a few trails of smoke drifting up from the forest canopy. He continued leading hie men around the town, heading South. One of the southern roads was the same way as the Eastern road, but he spotted a knight with his cape floating out behind him, riding hard. Genesis frowned. He couldn¡¯t see the family symbol, but the colors were silver and red. He strained his memory. He knew they belong to House Nevermore. However, the fact the Knight was riding hard that was never a good thing, especially this early in the morning. However, if it became an issue, he knew he would get a summons from the Court and get the information they had at hand. He pushed it out of his mind for now.

    Genesis didn¡¯t regret pushing himself and his men hard as they approached the western wall. He panted, hard. His heart thundered in his ears. His mouth felt dry as he led the men around the last corner, heading over the wall separating the Southern part of the town from the docks and started to slow the pace he had set when he took over.

    He saw the Fiery Blade Brigade approached and he held up his left hand. General Bartholomew grinned at Genesis and they slapped hands. The Explosive General kept up his hand, allowing the Blade Brigade slap his hand. It was a way to encourage the men and a signal that his men had reached the last stretch. For the men desiring to their ability to breath normally, it meant the hellish run was nearly over.

    Ignoring the sting in his hand, Genesis bounced down the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs, he slowed to a walk. He knew several of his men would heading over to the water station the servants had set up by the time the Honor Brigade had made it back to the training grounds.

    Genesis turned to his men and tried to wet his mouth before he called out, ¡°Good job, men!¡± He watched as a couple stragglers clutched the stair wall, trying to make it down without falling down the stone stairs. Reno walked behind them, panting hard. The General met his Second¡¯s eye and they nodded at each other. None of the men passed out during the run.

    That was a good sign. Usually, he had two or four men pass out during the strenuous run, but those were new to the company. He had a program in place where those men had to extra laps every other day to increase their endurance and they always had an experience partner who made it through the morning run without passing out for a few months.

    Reno approached, slowly catching his breath as Genesis took a cup of water and sucked in a deep breath before he drunk from the cup, draining it. The General let out the breath as he took the cup away from his lips and he watched the men rehydrate from the run.

    ¡°Well, men, are you awake?¡± Genesis asked. There were various ¡®yeah¡¯s, ¡®yes¡¯, and some curses thrown in, at a low volume. He frowned. He barked the question. That caught their attention.

    ¡°Yes, Sir, General,¡± they called out as they snapped to attention. Genesis spotted one of the men splash himself in the face with a cup full of water when he tried to snap to attention. The red head had to shallow a bark of laughter.

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s better,¡± Genesis called out, ¡°Now, we have the Pope arriving today. I want you to be on your best behavior. You are representing Camelot¡¯s Military Force, no matter what branch you are apart of.¡± He looked at the line of men. He was proud of his men.

    They had shown discipline in the past whenever there was a major political event like this. He knew they would still show that same discipline now. ¡°While the few days has been stressful for everyone in the castle and town with the King¡¯s passing,¡± he acknowledged, ¡°We are still a major force to be reckon with. There are not many who are willing to stand against us when we take to the field. However, during this time of mourning, we can not drop our guard. We have guests all around the Kingdom that has shown up over the past couple days and we will have more arriving today. Like I said, the Pope will be arriving at the dock¡¯s shortly. He has brought his own security detail with him, but it does not mean we don¡¯t have to help protect him. With every guest that crossed into our town and into our castle, we will guard them with our life. Why?¡±

    The General ran his eyes over the men, allowing his single word question to echo before he answered it, ¡°We signed up for this. We all signed up to be someone¡¯s hero.¡± He saw his men crack smiles as they thought of their families at home. ¡°Now, remember that as we all perform our duties. Some of them are boring as fuck.¡± That brought chuckles from some of the men who knew what Genesis talked about and other smiled, thanking Lady Luck that they hadn¡¯t been assigned to the boring tasks their General talked about. ¡°Other duties required more of us.¡± Silence filled the yard. The men knew which task required more and then some. ¡°And there are duties we all like.¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not,¡± Reno pipped up, ¡°This guy does like paperwork.¡± He pointed at Genesis.

    Genesis turned his head and glared at his second. Reno appeared to be busy by not looking at him. Another round of chuckles rose from the men. Genesis allowed the comment to slip by. It would do the men good to see some friendly interaction between their General and his Second. After all, he wasn¡¯t any better then the rest of them. Just like them, he fought to get to his position. Granted he did have the option to be given the position without proving he had earned or not, he chose to earn it.

    Right now, Genesis was all for keeping the morale of his men up. He had learned through experience that anything that cause a smile or a chuckle to escape from one of his men was a good thing. It helped morale. It was going to help during this uncertain period of time.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± The Heir of the White Hall Family started, ¡°Captains Wood, Ford, and Gillian.¡± Three men stepped forward from the front line and saluted the General. ¡°You three may proceed with the assignments for today¡¯s patrols and training regiments.¡±

    ¡°Yes, General, Sir,¡± the trio called out.

    Genesis watched as Captain Wood twisted on his heel and called for the new recruits to follow him over to the firing range. Nearly two dozen men parted from the rest of the troop for the morning shift. Captain Ford walked over to a nearby table and picked up a scroll. He turned to the men and read off a dozen names, informing them they were to follow the General and the Lieutenant General to the docks as part of the welcoming party representing the Fire Brigade.

    The Fire Brigade Welcoming Party peeled away from the rest of the men and strolled over to the equipment rack, grabbing their assign equipment. One by one, they fell into line, in front of Genesis and Reno. They waited.

    Genesis didn¡¯t want to leave until he made sure that the rest of the men had been assigned patrols or a station. Captain Ford went on, assigning patrols to the South and West parts of the town. After Captain Ford was done, Captain Gillian did the same with the North and East parts of the town. There were still nearly two dozen men left. He frowned, thinking. He knew Honor had some of his men patrolling the outer walls. Bartholomew was the same way.

    However, Genesis knew the weakness of his own branch. They were long range fighters. While some of them had the abilities to work in close range, majority of his men was faster at firing then swinging a sword. However, that was why Honor trained his men to be better at swordsmanship. Bartholomew¡¯s men were trained in both, but they weren¡¯t as skilled as Honor¡¯s men with a sword or Genesis¡¯ men in range weaponry.

    ¡°The rest of you,¡± Genesis started, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, you will be working on making sure our stocks of ammo for each corner Tower is fully supplies as well as for each main entrance into the town and into the castle grounds.¡± He paused, allowing his eyes to roam over the remaining men. A couple of them looked relived to get an easy job while there were others who looked annoyed. They would get over it. ¡°I rather be safe then sorry when it comes to our security. Please, work hard and make sure we are fully stock in case the worst does happen. Move out!¡±

    Genesis stayed in the Fire Brigade training yard long enough to see the rest of the men head to their stock rooms before he followed his own order and lead Reno and the troop of men down to the docks to welcome the Pope and his party to Camelot. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to this. He already spotted the Royal party in the process of gathering and heading down to the dock to greet the Pope. It was going to be a long day.

 Chapter 42: Gathering of the Ruling Welcoming Party

    Morgana stepped into the main common room. Her eyes roamed over the room. It was a modest sized room, taking up half of the bottom floor of the Queen¡¯s Tower. When she first designed this part of the tower, she had in mind that the Eldest Living Queen didn¡¯t need to take up an entire floor because by the time, she had moved to the bottom floor, her children were old enough to find their own residents somewhere else. During the worst times in Camelot¡¯s history where the Kings seemed to be dropping like flies, the Queen¡¯s Tower housed not only the former High Queens but her young children who were not old enough to live their mother¡¯s residence.

    On Morgana¡¯s right, a large fireplace sat with hot coals from the dying fire. The She-mage knew on the other side of that fireplace was Queen Vivien¡¯s fireplace. She did that to save time and resources during the construction of the Queen¡¯s Tower. The walls were covered by tapestries representing each house living in the Queen¡¯s Tower. Most of them belong to the House of Drake, but there were a couple tapestries that were different due to the Ruling King at the time.

    The Black Mage of Camelot strolled over to one of the many couches in the common room. The skirt of her light purple dress kicked out as she walked to her favorite couch by the window and sat down, waiting. It was not long before someone say her name. She looked up to see the High Queen standing in the doorway of the Queen¡¯s Tower.

    Kalliope wore a spring green dress with budding roses along the hem. It was cut low, revealing a good amount of cleavage and the necklace she wore. The necklace had a blue dolphin. The torso of the dress hugged Kalliope¡¯s frame before it flared out at her hips, flowing down like rolling green hills. She crossed the room and took a seat across from Morgana, asking, ¡°How are you holding up, Morgana?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Morgana replied before she made the comment, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that?¡±

    Kalliope¡¯s eyes fell to her skirt. She gulped. She looked at Morgana with a shaky smile. She spoke in a voice that held a nervous note to it, ¡°I never thought I would be greeting an important foreign like the Pope by myself.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be by yourself,¡± Morgana comforted the young Queen. However, the mage got the feeling that Kalliope had meant that she would be greeting the Pope without Uther at her side. She watched as Kalliope nodded in agreement. ¡°You will have all of us with you.¡± She paused. ¡°Belladonna demanded it, remember?¡±

    Kalliope¡¯s lips twitched into a smile, briefly, before she replied, ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡± She paused, ¡°There are times where I think Belladonna does what she does for the right reasons.¡±

    Morgana let out a soft chuckle before she agreed. The Warrior Queen did try to have the best intentions, but as the saying goes, the road to Hell was covered by Best Intentions.

    ¡°Oh, Kalliope!¡± Marie¡¯s voice drifted from the staircase, ¡°You look simply wonderful, dear.¡±

    The High Queen and the Black Mage looked up to see Marie, Darien, Isabelle, Susan, and Elsa standing in the stair well. They stepped into the common room and spread out. It was not long before conversations filled the room as the other queens drifted into the common room one by one or in groups. They spread out, talking to the others in soft tones.

    Standing in a sea of bright colors, Morgana watched over the chattering Queens and their visiting family members. She noticed Belladonna had crept into the room and stood close to the front door. The Warrior Queen didn¡¯t say or do anything to announced herself. However, Morgana ran her eyes over the familiar faces before she frowned. There was one missing. The Eldest Living Queen Vivien hadn¡¯t left her rooms, yet.

    The Black Mage smoothly stood and walked around the far edge of the room, making her way over to the Door leading into Vivien¡¯s personal chambers. She knocked on the door. She didn¡¯t hear a reply before she opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her.

    Her eyes fell onto Vivien. The Eldest Queen looked too pale for Morgana¡¯s likening as she struggled to raise from her chair by the fire with the help of a cane. The black mage rushed over and helped Vivien to raise.

    It was a simple white dress by the standards of the Ruling Royal Family. It was loose on Vivien, but it was still stunning.

    ¡°Thank you, Morgana,¡± Vivien said in a low tone, ¡°And I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Morgana asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Vivi.¡±

    ¡°I feel old, older then my years, today,¡± Vivien confessed. Her eyes met Morgana, sorrowfully, ¡°This whole situation has taken a lot out of me.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Morgana agreed. She knew she would be going through her own time of feeling old, soon, but this was not the first time nor it would be the last since Morgana was half Fae and would be living another few centuries at least from her understanding. Merlin was the same way and he had lived three centuries before he walked into Camelot, becoming a permanent fixture in Morgana¡¯s life. ¡°I feel the same way, every time someone close to me passes on.¡±

    Vivien gave her an understanding smile. With Morgana¡¯s help, she walked over to the door, leading to the common room. Once in the common room, Morgana noticed there were a group of Knights standing in the room, waiting. They were there to escort the Queens who need an escort down to the docks. She spotted the Prince among them.

    ¡°Prince Arthur,¡± Morgana rose her voice over the chatter of the room. He turned to face her. ¡°Could you, please, be a dear and escort your great grandma down to the docks?¡±

    Vivien squeezed Morgana¡¯s arm in thanks as Arthur stepped away from the group and bowed to the two women, stating, ¡°It would be my honor, Grandmother-Queen, if you would allow me to escort you down to the docks.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, grandson-prince,¡± Vivien smiled at Arthur. He offered an arm for the Eldest Queen and she took it. He led her over to the door.

    It was the signal for the rest of them to pair up. Morgana knew Darien would be escorting his mother down to the docks. She took note of Sir Jack approaching Kalliope and offered his arm to her. She took it. They walked over to the door, taking the head of the line. That was a surprise. She had thought one of the younger knights would try to escort Kalliope.

    Morgana waited, watching the Knights pair up with the Queens who needed escort, but she saw Lord James pair up with his Great Aunt Belladonna. As one of the Magi of Camelot, Morgana didn¡¯t get an escort because Merlin who should have been there, was the one going to be escorting her. She let out a sigh. He was running late. That alone would earn him Belladonna¡¯s ire. She shook her head. Being long lived creatures, they had to keep themselves entertain somehow. She giggled under her breath.

    Belladonna noticed her lack of escort and opened her mouth to say something about it when Lord James almost dragged her out the door before she could. Thank God for small miracles and Lord James was starting to prove himself as one.

    Morgana waited until the last of the Queens and their escort had left the Tower before she followed behind. However, soon, the formalities drifted away and Queen Elsa, one of Belladonna¡¯s Daughters, somehow ended up by Morgana with her escort, Sir Frollo.

    Former High Queen Elsa¡¯s dress was an icy blue. It was almost a sharp contrast compared to the other dresses the former High Queens and the Princesses wore. It didn¡¯t dip on the chest area as far as Kalliope¡¯s did, but it was still a modest cut. The dress fitted her form, neither too tight or too loose and flowed over her wide hips. The hem of the dress brushed against the carpet.

    Sir Frollo stood at her side. He was a serious looking, tall man with dark brown hair. His piercing hazel eyes didn¡¯t miss a detail as he stared around the room as the party left the Queen¡¯s Tower Common Room. He wore his court attire which was a richly blue dyed shirt with a black jacket and black pants. Over his shoulders, his cloak in his house colors draped over him and clasped at the bottom of his throat with the symbol of his house.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for any trouble I caused the other night by not showing up on time, Lady Morgana,¡± Elsa apologized. ¡°I was dealing with a matter involving House of Hamilton and couldn¡¯t leave on time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Morgana waved her apology off, ¡°I know Life can get in the way.¡±

    Elsa sent her a smile. Morgana knew Elsa was probably forced to apologize for being late by her mother, despite the fact Elsa was an adult. She went on, ¡°There has been so much stuff going on near the Dead End Forest of late. It has gotten a lot of the local villagers all twisted up.¡± Morgana gave her a look. She, personally, hadn¡¯t heard anything about the Dead End Forest of late.

    ¡°What happened?¡± The black mage asked. Curiosity laced her voice as she finally got some information on what happened.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see or hear about that Fireball the other day?¡± Elsa questioned. When Morgana shook her head, she went on, ¡°There was a major explosion the other day. It burnt a good portion of the forest, on my husband¡¯s lands. When we sent men out there to see what had happened, one of the men reported that General Genesis with Lieutenant General Reno was there, doing something, but they were able to capture a Fawn, severely injured, but still alive.¡±

    Morgana frowned, thinking. There was a report about a similar event the other day, coming from the General, but what information she had was second hand. She replied, ¡°I did hear something about that, but not much. There is an ongoing investigation over it.¡±

    ¡°The General didn¡¯t provide my men with any information at the time,¡± Elsa commented with a tone of annoyance. ¡°I was hoping you would have heard something about it.¡± She sighed, ¡°Oh well. I will eventually learn of it. However, there has been other reports coming from that area.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Morgana cocked her head to the side.

    ¡°The non-humans are moving about in the Forest,¡± Elsa stated, ¡°My husband and I have dealt with numerous reports about stolen goods from the local farmers who live near the forest. It has been mainly supplies, just random supplies. We haven¡¯t been able to figure out a connection between them, yet.¡±

    Morgana nodded, listening. If the non-humans were doing that, now, of all times, it was obviously that they were trying to prepare to do something. She glanced up toward Belladonna who was deep in conversation with Lord James. Her eyes darted over to Kalliope who was listening to her escort. Belladonna would be pushing for quick action, trying to get rid of any of the non-humans as fast as possible.

    ¡°So¡± Elsa drew Morgana¡¯s attention again, ¡°Has there been any of the Knights who managed to withdrew the Holy Sword, yet?¡±

    Morgana shook her head, ¡°No, not yet.¡± The black mage paused, ¡°There could be a public choosing soon. Possible the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I think Lucian would want to give it a try,¡± Elsa commented, dryly, ¡°He would have been here, but he is out on a quest given to him by his father. He already been gone for a month. He sends me letters when he can. You probably can guess what I did when that darling husband of mine informed me that our son was going on a quest.¡±

    Morgana had to sniffled a laugh. Elsa probably thumped her husband, hard, for doing that. However, Morgana said, ¡°I am sure all of the Queens have family who wants to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone. Arthur already tried, but the Holy Sword has found him unworthy.¡±

    ¡°I wonder why,¡± Elsa said in a mysterious tone.

    ¡°The way the spell was designed is simply,¡± Morgana explained, ¡°Whoever is best suited to make sure Camelot will continue as a Kingdom, for the good or the bad of the people, will be allowed to sit on the Throne of Camelot and rule her people.¡±

    Elsa nodded, hearing the spells description several times before and asked the one question most of the Ruling Family wondered, ¡°What will happen to the Members of House of Drake here in Camelot if none of the Knights pull the Holy Sword out of its sheath?¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°It all depends on the new King,¡± Morgana stated, ¡°He will be able to say if they will live or not, if they will be allowed to live in the Castle or not, etc. Their lives will be in his hands.¡±

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s a scary thought,¡± Elsa confessed. Morgana nodded her head in agreement.

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Sir Frollo stated, ¡°However, I am sure whoever pulls the Holy Sword out will be reasoned with. If not, the House of Drake still has allies around the Kingdom and will house the members if it becomes necessary.¡±

    Elsa sent him a thankful look. Morgana, meanwhile, knew the next few months would be rough, no matter who ends up as King of Camelot. Her eyes roamed ahead and landed on Merlin who waited for the welcoming party near the archway leading to the Western Courtyard.

    Merlin mentally cursed. He was running late. He was supposed to meet up with the Knights and the Members of the Ruling Family at the Queen¡¯s Tower to escort the living Queens down to the docks. He rose a hand, covering his mouth, trying to hid a yawn.

    He should have expected that he would be still exhausted after the high demand of magic when he and the Lady Morgana powered the protective spells. He couldn¡¯t believe majority of the spells had drained to the point of nearly breaking. He shook his head. Those protective spells were the only defense they had against the Death Mage, assuming the woman was still alive. They - meaning himself and Morgana - couldn¡¯t take the chance of letting the spells expire and break. If the Death Mage was dead and long gone, there were other enemies who had the magical means to make Camelot suffer.

    Merlin paused, watching over the villagers running around, setting up for the day, and it was not long before the streets become crowded. There were a lot of people who counted on those spells, unknowingly, for protection, not just the Ruling Family.

    He rubbed his burning eyes. He should really go back to bed after the Pope arrived, he mused. It was the best way to recover as much magic as possible before tonight¡¯s and tomorrow¡¯s events. He struggled against another yawn. He turned away from watching the villagers and started to head toward the Queen¡¯s Tower when he spotted the High Queen Kalliope being escorted by Sir Jack followed by Prince Arthur and Queen Vivien. He decided to wait there until Lady Morgana walked by before he joined the welcoming party.

    To his surprise, Belladonna didn¡¯t say a word to him about him being late as she passed him with her grand nephew at her side, acting as her escort. He rose an eyebrow at her back after she passed. However, Merlin turned to face Morgana and she immediately said, ¡°You are late.¡±

    ¡°You should know after many years of knowing me, my Lady Morgana,¡± Merlin started, ¡°I arrive exactly when I want to, not a moment sooner or later then that.¡± He gave her a teasing smirk. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. He fell into step beside her.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should be late,¡± Morgana argued, ¡°You never know when you will be needed.¡±

    Merlin opened his mouth to reply back to that when Queen Brenna stepped beside him and spoke up, ¡°Mage Merlin, do you have a moment?¡±

    Merlin turned his attention to the former Queen and replied, ¡°I do have a few moment available for you, my lady.¡± Morgana slapped his arm, playfully.

    ¡°Someone woke up in a playful mood,¡± the she-mage commented.

    ¡°No,¡± Merlin confessed, ¡°I am trying to stay awake.¡± He gave Morgana a look. She probably knew why he was having trouble to keep to their usually schedule. She was no doubt having the same problem at some extent. She didn¡¯t have the same deep magic well as his. She nodded in understanding.

    ¡°How come?¡± Brenna asked in a curiosities tone.

    ¡°Lady Morgana and I had to re-powered the protection spells surrounding the castle and the town, the other day,¡± Merlin explained, ¡°It was a huge magical drain on us and we still haven¡¯t recovered, yet.¡±

    Brenna nodded, slowly, commenting, ¡°Yes, I remembered you saying something like that during my time as High Queen.¡± She paused. A thoughtful expression colored her face.

    ¡°How has life been treating you since you left the castle,¡± The Battle Mage asked, changing the subject.

    ¡°Life has been interesting,¡± Brenna admitted, ¡°I have been able to move on from my husband.¡± She paused as mournful expression colored her face for a moment or two, ¡°However, I have meet someone during my travels. He is from the Georgian Kingdom. He is one of the high lords there.¡± That cause the mournful expression to fade as another one took its place, ¡°He wants to get married by the end of the year and I don¡¯t know how I feel about it just yet.¡± Merlin waited for her to continue as he started to read in between what she said and what she didn¡¯t say. It was almost sounded like she has meet another one of her kind, an elf from the Georgian Kingdom.

    The Georgian Kingdom, Merlin knew, back in the Golden Age of Camelot was an ally due to a marriage arrangement between Sir Thomas and Princess Flora. It had led to a fruitful trade agreement. The King at the time only allowed the arranged marriage to happen if the Knight had agreed to tie his life to the Princess¡¯ which the Knight did, in a way to prevent the Princess from experiencing the Fade. However, the last thing Merlin had heard about the Knight, he had enjoyed a life span lasting nearly three times a regular humans before he ended dying with his lady love. He was pretty sure that their eldest son, Legolas, was still ruling over the Georgian Kingdom to this day with the line of secession secured for at least four generations. However, through the generations of different Ruling Families of Camelot, that alliance fell apart, especially when laws were created to prevent the non-humans to have the basic rights.

    ¡°I know it may have felt like what happen to your husband feels like it happen yesterday,¡± Merlin started to say, ¡°Trust me, I know that feeling.¡± He did. He too once loved someone enough where he thought about tying his life to hers, no matter how short it was. ¡°That pain will fade once you find another to love and you will heal. It will be hard, no matter what you do, but remember you will heal.¡± The Battle Mage knew when Brenna was High Queen, she had debated on tying her life to her husband¡¯s, near the end. Fate had taken that choice away from her before she could make it.

    Brenna¡¯s face still had the same confused, uncertain expression as she appeared to be thinking over what he had said. Merlin decided to change the subject, asking, ¡°Do you need the glamor potion?¡±

    Brenna blinked in surprise. Her eyes darted around. Merlin hid a sigh. He really wished that the non-humans had the same rights as the humans, instead of hiding certain features like pointed ears. The glamor potion helped when magic couldn¡¯t be done or the user couldn¡¯t use magic, like Brenna. She replied, ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She paused, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Your welcome, My lady,¡± Merlin said, thinking that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any sleep until after the mass that night. The Potion, once made, had a grand total of 5 doses, lasting at least 5 hours. That was better then the hourly glamor spell. He guesstimated he would have to make the potion at least four to six times before he would feel comfortable enough to stop making it. ¡°How long are you planning to stay?¡±

    ¡°I think no more then a week,¡± Brenna commented, ¡°I fear if I stayed any longer then that, Lord Harold would be making his way here, personally, to make sure I was still alive and able to leave on my own free will.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Merlin nodded, already planning out to see how many potions he would have make. Lucky for him, the potion was easy enough to make. ¡°Please come by my study after the noon meal.¡±

    He watched her walk away to rejoin her escort. He turned to Morgana who raised an eyebrow. He lend and whispered, ¡°Apparently, she needs a glamor potion.¡±

    Tristan narrowed his eyes, stepping the shadows of the Knight¡¯s Tower. He knew a large unit of Knights already left, heading to the Queen¡¯s Tower to escort the Queens who needed an escort down to the docks to greet the Pope. Once his eyes had adjusted, he saw the courtyard was a flurry of activity.

    Servants rushed around, carrying items they needed to use or restock the various rooms they were in charge of, entering some kind of dance they were familiar with as at least half a dozen carriages were arriving through the Castle gate. A few stable hands hurried over to the new carriages, taking the bridals for the horses while a series of butlers descended, taking the trunks of clothes, the boxes of hats, and other items the newly arrived visitors had brought with them. The Castle Footmen, originally waiting for the Ruling Family to arrive for the open top carriages to take them down to the docks, strolled over to help the visitors out of their carriages.

    Tristan spotted a couple of House symbols he personally knew because he had grown up in the same area as the heir of those houses did. However, when he saw the symbol for the Floral House, a White Rose, he could have sworn his heart stopped. She was here. He gulped. The woman, the Heiress of the Floral House, he had loved once before he had been chased out of his hometown due to his family¡¯s unique ability. He turned away before he could spot her and stepped behind a column. He was not hiding, he told himself, he didn¡¯t want to draw attention to himself.

    It would make it harder for him to search for Tina, if she was nearby, and heard the commotion over the Heiress of the Floral House seeing him, again, after 6 to 7 years. He needed to make sure she was okay and that her back was healing alright. He peered around the column to see the Generals and their seconds marching through the courtyard, heading to the Western Castle Gate, with an unit from each branch of the military. They blocked any chance of the Heiress seeing Tristan.

    The Violent Knight let out a sigh of relief before a deep voice rang out behind him. He recognized it. It was Gawain, coming back from his night patrol. He turned around to see Leon and Bors with him.

    ¡°Hiding, are we?¡± Gawain asked, with an amused note in his voice.

    ¡°No,¡± Tristan said in an even tone, ¡°I am not.¡± He blinked, hearing the lie in his own voice and saw the knowing look on Gawain¡¯s face. Tristan decided to change the subject before the other knight could pick on him more. ¡°Getting back from the night patrol?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Leon replied with a tired sigh, ¡°Last night wasn¡¯t interesting.¡±

    ¡°Except for that Lady in Blue,¡± Bors commented in a tone that caught Tristan¡¯s attention. Bors almost sounded like his interest had been caught. ¡°One moment, we were talking to her then the next she had vanished around the corner like she didn¡¯t exists.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Gawain waved a hand through the air. ¡°He has been like this nearly all night since we had seen his mysterious Lady in Blue.¡±

    ¡°Lady in Blue?¡± Tristan quoted with a frown.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bors said in a sigh, a far off look in his eyes, ¡°her green eyes reminded me over a forest in the middle of the day, her voice the smoothest song, her dress the sparkling blue gems from the Sapphire mines. I long to run into her in the castle.¡±

    Tristan blinked. He glanced at Gawain and Leon. They looked amused as Bors went on, forming some sort of poetry about his Mysterious Lady in Blue. Tristan shook his head. Apparently, Bors had finally been bite by the Love Bug.

    The Activity in the Court yard paused as Tristan heard the chorus ringing off the castle walls, ¡°Your highness!¡±

    The Violent Knight turned to see the Ruling Welcoming Party arrived in the Court yard. He watched as Sir Jack escorted the High Queen over to the first carriage and helped her up into the carriage. Sir Jack stood by watching the rest of the Queens climb into the carriages before he spotted Tristan, and the other three knights. He walked over to them. The Four knights saluted him when he stopped in front of them.

    ¡°I thought you three would be in bed, already,¡± Jack addressed the Night Shift Knights.

    ¡°We were on our way back to the Knight¡¯s Tower, sir,¡± Gawain explained, ¡°When we stopped to speak with Sir Tristan, discussing a mysterious Lady in Blue we ran into, last night.¡±

    ¡°Mysterious Lady in Blue?¡± Jack raised an eyebrow. Bors immediately lunched into another poetry like speech about his mysterious lady in blue. Jack watched him until he had enough and informed Bors, ¡°Get a hold of yourself, Sir Bors!¡± Bors snapped his mouth shut. ¡°Go to bed. Take the night off. I think you may need it.¡±

    Tristan resisted the urge to snicker. Bors looked like his puppy got kicked. He turned around and walked toward to the Knight¡¯s Tower. ¡°Sir Gawain, Sir Leon, head to bed. I will find a replacement for you for the Night Shift patrol.¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± The two knights saluted before they followed Bors over the Knight¡¯s Tower. Tristan and Jack was silent until the other two knights disappeared around the corner before Jack turned to the Violent Knight, ¡°Sir Tristan, I am assigning you to patrol the halls of the Castle.¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°I got a report about a meeting between the Kings of Frank and Mercy, this morning from one of the Castle Messengers.¡±

    Tristan¡¯s expression changed from a serious one to a shocked one. He knew in the past that the Kings of the nearby kingdoms were on wonderful terms with each other, just like they were on wonderful terms with Camelot. That was saying much if they were meeting each other.

    ¡°Where did they meet,¡± Tristan asked.

    ¡°30 miles East of our border,¡± Jack explained, ¡°They had meet to discuss the possibility of going to War with Camelot.¡±

    Tristan knew there was a chance of the other kingdoms wanting to destroy Camelot. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised. In fact, every time the Holy Sword changed hands from a Ruling Family to a new one, there was bloodshed. It just depended on how much. He let out a breath. It didn¡¯t matter the reason behind the possibility of war, it sill could happen.

    ¡°As a result of that and the Pope¡¯s arrival, I managed to get permission of the Queens to tighten security within the castle walls,¡± Jack explained, ¡°The Military will be doing the same for the lower town.¡± He paused as he looked around the court yard. His eyes landed on the new arrivals in the court yard. ¡°We need to show that Camelot isn¡¯t weak.¡±

    Tristan knew what he was talking about. No body wanted to experience another era of the Kingless Kingdom. He changed the subject, asking, ¡°Does it matter where I patrol?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jack said, ¡°I need you to patrol the Western Upper Halls, Sir Tristan.¡±

    Tristan nodded. The Western Upper Halls housed few of the Ancient and Noble Houses, including the White Hall House including their vessels houses. He didn¡¯t know if Tina managed to find her way up there, giving the fact that the Armstrong House was considered a vessel house of the White Hall Family. The Violent Knight saluted and Sir Jack turned, heading back to the led Carriage where the High Queen sat. Tristan watched as the head Ruling Carriage rolled out of the Court Yard followed by the Eldest Living Queens, Vivien and Belladonna, with their escort and so on. It took a couple minutes until the carriages left the court yard before it exploded with activity.

    Tristan watched the activity, for a long moment. He wasn¡¯t expecting Sir Jack to help him out like that. He was half expected he would have to patrol the Northern Wing of the Castle. He wasn¡¯t going to question his luck. He moved from his place at the column, heading toward the Western Wing.

    His thoughts went back to Tina. He wondered how long she had planned to stay in Camelot. He personally thought she should stay in the Castle for a long while. However, if he did managed to find her, he would like to know her plans for the next few days and help her anyway he could.

    Maybe he could talk to her into staying and get to know her family before she made her decision. Plus, it didn¡¯t help that he was somewhat worried that the ninja who kidnapped her from her mother¡¯s home, would show up and forced her to travel to the White Hall Estate. It would look poorly on him if she decided to drop his name in a conversation with someone higher rank then him and rumors spread.

    That was something he didn¡¯t need. Summer was just around the corner and many knights like himself will want to have a quest to complete from a Lady of the Court.

 Chapter 43: Miscommunication

    Genesis resisted the urge to sigh when he noticed the road leading down to the dock already cleared and blocked off by at least two dozen knights. He knew Belladonna would have a say in this. His eyes roamed over the far end of the street where a golden knight stood, barking orders around to his follow knights.

    ¡°Great,¡± Reno said loud enough for the Generals and their seconds to hear, ¡°Goldie is here.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ lips twitched into an amused smirk before he managed to wipe it off his face. Goldie was Reno¡¯s nickname for the Lieutenant Captain of the Knights, but he was better as Sir Ronald Walburn. He was one of the few knights that managed to win his knighthood through some sort of great deed he completed during a quest and it was not long before he rose through the ranks.

    ¡°Behave, Reno,¡± the Fiery General warned. His eyes meet Reno¡¯s. They both knew what kind of punishment Genesis would hand out - a day in the stock, being pelted by rotten fruits and vegetables. That was the least painful punishment for any member of the Fire Brigade, but on an emotional level, it was downright humiliating to tied up like that, against your will, and couldn¡¯t fight back against the thrown rotten food. It was more of a pride thing then anything else. Reno was the first one to look away.

    Genesis knew Reno hadn¡¯t been personally in the stocks since he had joined the Fire Brigade and was taught the value of Pride, Honor, and Valor. However, it didn¡¯t mean he had to help Genesis put a soldier in the stock for a couple hours. Most of the men fought against it since it was not the villagers who threw the rotten food - it was their fellow brothers in arms. Needless to say, when one of the men did get put in the stocks for a bit, the men had a heyday, throwing the food as hard as they could, and their words were sometimes harsh as the food thrown.

    Genesis, personally, dread the day when he was ¡®voted¡¯ into the stocks by his men. He wanted to be held accountable and that meant if he did something that out of line with the codes and morals of the Fire Brigade, his men could vote him into the stocks. He wouldn¡¯t go quietly or easily, of course. He chuckled under his breath before he changed the subject, ¡°So, I thought we were supposed to clear the streets and be the security instead of Goldie and his annoying flock.¡±

    ¡°The last thing I knew, ¡° Honor spoke up, ¡°I was under the same impression.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Bartholomew agreed, ¡°The Pope¡¯s ship is supposed to dock closer to 8 and we had to be here by 7, giving us an hour to set up and secure the area with the Queens and their escort arriving around 7:30. The Knights were supposed to be acting a security detail for the Ruling Family.¡±

    The clock tower, back at the castle, rang out its bells seven times as it announced the time. The three generals shared a look. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what Sir Ronald had planned to do. He purposely arrived a lot earlier then scheduled to secure the area.

    The Generals, as one, let out a long sigh. Genesis knew there was a fraction of the Knights who looked down upon the Military. It was down right annoying when the Ruling Family allowed these Knights to get away with it. It also didn¡¯t help matters when King Uther, while he was alive and well, wouldn¡¯t assign the Military a few more generals and rose the few men the three currents Generals had recommended to higher positions. The Red Head General just hoped that whoever takes over as the Ruling King, he would be favorable to the Military.

    ¡°If we had known this, I¡¯m sure I could have pursued someone into looking for his sister,¡± Reno voiced out loud. Genesis felt his second¡¯s eyes on him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure your sister, Genesis, hadn¡¯t left the castle since the sun rose. According to Henry, he did see a very pretty red haired woman that could pass as your sister with the same hair color as you, walk back into the castle, heading to the kitchen during the later half of his shift, this morning.¡±

    Genesis shot Reno a questioning glance, frowning. He replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t had the time to search for her this morning even if we didn¡¯t had to be down here.¡± He paused, looking forward, ¡°I would have other things to do - both military and family related items.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Natalie is in Camelot,¡± Honor questioned. Surprise colored his voice. He went on, ¡°And you didn¡¯t warn me.¡±

    ¡°Or me!¡± Honor¡¯s Second in Commander, Zack, squeaked out in horror, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to get roped into marrying her.¡±

    Genesis did let out a chuckle this time. Natalie hadn¡¯t been shy to the fact she was approaching marrying age and wanted to find her own husband instead having their dear, darling Grandmother do it for them. As a result, Natalie had her eyes on either Honor or Zack to be her husband. Whenever he had received a letter from his youngest sister, she demanded any news about Honor or Zack and how would be the best approach to get a marriage deal from them. He shook his head, clearing his head of thoughts about Natalie and turned his attention to the situation with Tina.

    ¡°Relax, you two, Natalie isn¡¯t here in Camelot,¡± Genesis confessed, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she is at the Estate, pouting over something or other, but I guess that she would be pouting over the fact she couldn¡¯t come to Court to find her own husband like Rosemary is doing.¡± He took a breath, watching as Sir Ronald spotted something and he marched toward the Military group. ¡°Reno was referring to my other sister, Valentina. Apparently, she was spotted with Sir Tristan, coming into the castle, and Reno, here, helped her out with finding Sir Tristan¡¯s quarters in the Knights¡¯ Tower.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Honor started, but he fell silent when Sir Ronald approached them then marched right past them without a word.

    ¡°Generals,¡± one of the men bringing up the rear hurried up to them, ¡°The Ruling Family is approaching.¡±

    ¡°They are early,¡± Bartholomew commented with a slight growl in his voice.

    ¡°It appears that they had moved up the schedule on us and didn¡¯t bother to inform us of it,¡± Honor drawled in annoyance.

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Genesis commented, ¡°Just fucking lovely.¡± He stopped walking and spun. The duster he was being forced to wear for the next few days, flared out. He snapped out, ¡°Micheal, Andrew, Benjamen, Cedric, Connor, Triton, Anakin, Samuel, James, Justin - take the Northern roof tops. Christopher, Kyle, Alex, Kris, Rick, Darryl, Floki, Rex, Natsu, Basil - take the Southern roof tops.¡± The unit that Genesis had brought with him split in half and found a way to get the nearby roof tops.

    Genesis heard Honor splitting his unit into group of four and take up position along the street while Bartholomew separated his men into groups of 5 and sent two groups to guard the docks while assigned the other two groups to stand watch this end of the street. The three Generals and their seconds turned to watch the Ruling Family rolled by with their carriages. Genesis noticed the led carriage, holding the High Queen and her escort, Lord Jack, also had Sir Ronald who was reporting on what was going on.

    ¡°¡­The Military just arrived a few minutes before you did, your highness,¡± Sir Ronald¡¯s voice rang out as the carriage rolled past.

    Hearing that, Genesis¡¯ temper rose. Honor clasped a hand on Genesis¡¯ shoulder. Bartholomew crossed his arms over his chest. Auron, Bartholomew¡¯s second, shifted on his feet, his eyes narrowing into a glare. Reno growled out a curse. Zack shook his head, muttering loud enough for the group to hear, ¡°Not cool.¡±

    ¡°I hate that they always trying to prove they are better then us,¡± Reno growled, ¡°When they are not. Some of us actually worked hard for our positions and don¡¯t use our family connections. No offense, General Genesis.¡±

    ¡°None taken,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°I do have to argue the point some of the Knights have to work hard to achieve their rank while others take advantage of their family connections. The Newer Families that managed to achieve a place the Round Table through different means then working your way up to the place doesn¡¯t know the value of Hard Work through blood, tears, and death unlike some of the Ancient and Noble Houses. Majority of the Ancient and Nobles Houses still follow the old ways of training to be a Knight instead of asking for the position and argue for it or achieving it through a political maneuver.¡± He watched the carriages roll to a stop and the escorts climbed out of the carriages before helping the Queens out.

    ¡°Either way,¡± Honor cut in, seeing Sir Ronald and Lord Jack approach the Warrior Queen, ¡°I¡¯m sure we will hear of it, soon.¡±

    ¡°I have no doubt of that,¡± Bartholomew commented as the trio turned, walking toward the Generals and their seconds.

    ¡°Get ready for an ass chewing,¡± Auron commented in a low tone.

    The Queen Belladonna immediately launched into a lecture, seething, ¡°I was just informed that you were late, arriving nearly at the same time as the Queens did.¡± Her eyes scanned over the generals. ¡°It¡¯s obviously that you don¡¯t take your job seriously. Once this situation is dealt with, I will be discussing with the new King about a change in the Military Leadership.¡± She paused, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to stress about the importance of being on time, especially when it comes to the fact that the Pope is arriving, in a few minutes, to stay in Camelot for the first in a several decades.¡± The Generals didn¡¯t bother defending themselves. Their seconds kept silence. They knew if they tried to speak, the punishment they would receive would be a lot worst.

    ¡°The Pope and his entourage will be the first group that will see how Camelot will deal with change leadership. I have no doubt there will be a few loose tongues among the priests and bishops that have no problem with informing our enemies about how we are dealing with the change. We already have the Kingdom Mercy and Franks meeting to plot against us. Remember,¡± The warrior Queen pointed at each General, her painted pointed nail poking their noses, ¡°You are replaceable.¡±

    Genesis blinked at that. He wasn¡¯t aware of that. He frowned. When he got back to the barracks, he will need to increase the security hours. He resisted the urge to sigh. He really wished that the recruitment levels weren¡¯t down. Over the last few months, there has been a pattern of recruitment levels for the military on the decline. Movement caught his attention of the corner of his eye. He waited until the Warrior Queen turned around and marched away with Sir Ronald in toe.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Generals,¡± Lord Jack said, ¡°I had given the order to inform you of the changes, but somehow through the chain, those orders became lost.¡±

    Genesis nudged Honor¡¯s arm. Bartholomew did the same. The Fiery General heard Honor let out a sigh before he spoke on their behalf, ¡°This is not the first time, this has happened. I have no doubt it will happen again.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Lord Jack said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t. Especially during this time of uncertainty.¡± He looked around with an uncertain look. ¡°I will be looking into this when we get back to the Castle and assigning a punishment.¡± Lord Jack nodded at them in goodbye before he turned on his heel and walked away, heading back to join the Queens and the escorts.

    Genesis waited until Lord Jack was out earshot before he turned and vented in a low tone, ¡°I can¡¯t fucking believe them! I can¡¯t wait until we get a new King. This shit needs to stop!¡±

    Honor shook his head before he spoke, ¡°Gen, we all know this. You need to calm down.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reno reached up and pulled at his collar, ¡°it¡¯s getting a bit too toasty near you.¡±

    Genesis closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath, trying to control his temper. Bartholomew, however, started to speak, ¡°I have to agree with both of you. This lack of co-operation between the Knights and us needs to stop, but losing your temper - more then one way - isn¡¯t going to help us.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Genesis nodded in agreement. He struggled against his roaring temper.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Reno changed the subject, ¡°What would you do if you do managed to find Tina before she disappears with the wind, again?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Tying her ass to the nearest chair until our father got back,¡± Genesis stated without a second thought, ¡°She should have at least visited us when she turned 18, but she didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Tina? That sounds familiar,¡± Honor said in a far off voice, thinking, ¡°Tina. Tina. Valentina.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is her name,¡± Genesis turned to Honor, ¡°Now, please, answer the question: Why do you keep saying her name like that?¡±

    Honor looked sheepish, his eyes peered down the dock, trying not to look at Genesis, ¡°I overheard a couple of the servants talking about a mysterious woman showing late last night, this morning, and her hair color reminded the servants of yours, but from the encounters they had witness, they are saying she is a lot kinder then you are.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ jaw dropped as he tried to be offend at that, but he failed. He knew his reputation and he wasn¡¯t afraid to use it. It usually resulted in amusing reactions. Reno snorted with Zack and Auron. Bartholomew smirked at that before he asked, ¡°Do you know why she didn¡¯t visit when she became 18?¡±

    ¡°Fell in love,¡± Genesis answered, shortly as he shrugged, ¡°Until recently, she was in a relationship. That relationship ended for unknown reasons and she came back with a broken heart. According to the letters that Dad has been getting from mom, Tina isn¡¯t been doing well.¡±

    ¡°Is that the reason why Lord Bardock left with Vincent and Victor,¡± Auron asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°My lovely grandma sent news that Tina was coming to the Estate. Nothing else. That¡¯s why Dad left.¡± He glanced at the others before he went on, ¡°He¡¯s trying to figure out what is going on before Tina does come to the Estate and how to handle the situation there. I had thought about going home for a bit, but the current situation at hand, both Dad and I thought it was best there was a representative of the Household. Grandma did send a few representatives of the minor houses and vessel houses, but no one from the Estate.¡±

    ¡°Except for you,¡± Zack commented, throwing an arm over Genesis¡¯ shoulders. ¡°So, we are looking for a female version of this guy here -¡± He pointed at Genesis, ¡°Who is nice.¡±

    ¡°Female version of Genesis AND nice,¡± Reno said, throwing his hands up in the air, like he was praising God, ¡°Says like a fairy tale!¡± he stepped back when Genesis shrugged Zack¡¯s arm off and turned a glare onto his second. ¡°However, I have seen her and spoke with her for a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Huh!?¡± Zack cried out, ¡°What was she like?¡± Honor, Bartholomew, and Auron turned to Reno.

    ¡°Lot easier on the eyes then this fella,¡± Reno admitted, jerking his thumb at his General. ¡°When she wondered into the castle grounds, she was looking lost.¡± He paused, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she is still in the Castle, somewhere if Sir Tristan doesn¡¯t know, if the servants are talking about her.¡±

    ¡°I will figure out what I will be doing about her when this is all over with,¡± Genesis grumbled, ¡°The Pope is arriving.¡±

    ¡°Ahead of schedule, I see,¡± Bartholomew mused with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then,¡± Honor commented. The group hurried down to the docks, taking their place near the welcoming Ruling Party.

    As he walked down, Genesis played with the idea of pulling the Holy Sword out. He was sure that would be the only way to re-build the military to its former glory and re-gain the co-operation between the Knights and the Military. He let out a sigh. If he did managed to pull the Holy Sword, he would be the 3rd White Hall would do so. He shook his head.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to play with such ideas. Those would have to wait until later when he could really think about them. He had a job to do. Despite the fact, there were some days he hated his job.

    Father Innocent II stepped out of his cabin, taking a deep breath, tasting the salty ocean air. He grabbed the door frame of the cabin as the ship rocked. He had forgot how much he dislike traveling anywhere by ship. However, in this situation, he knew it couldn¡¯t be help since time was utmost importance. It didn¡¯t stop his gratefulness that the trip was almost over. He was getting really to old to travel anymore. This could be his last journey out of the Papal Church for the rest of his life. He allowed a grim smile to cross his face. A gut feeling told him that the time would be soon. It was best to get his affairs in order and hoped the best suited Cardinal or Paladin would be chosen to take over the Papacy.

    He lowered his eyes to the deck below. The sailor worked the sails, pulling them in. There were men up in the rigging, tying the sails to the cross beams. Men rushed around the deck, going through the process of docking. He noticed High Lord Paladin Peter walking toward him with High Lord Bishop John following behind.

    ¡°Father,¡± Both men greeted him. Father Innocent nodded at them. They took up position on either side of him.

    High Lord Bishop John shifted uneasily on his feet as the ship swayed and commented dryly, ¡°I wonder why is there no representatives of the Local Church with the Welcoming Party.¡±

    Innocent¡¯s eyes darted over the party waiting for them at the dock. He saw the same thing. He frowned in concern. In the past, when he did visit Camelot and when the Kingdom welcomed other important visitors, there was always several different religious people with the Ruling Party - Each branch of the people who worship God, a Hindu Priest standing next to a Buddha Priest, both Priests and Priestess of the various Pagan religions - and there had been harmony between the various religions fractions, even though there had been some tension between them when it came to a religious holiday, but that was expected.

    Usually, the Priests would visit the King and discussed their problem before the King would advise them on what to do. However, sometime within the last 60 years, that had changed. According to the various reports from the other Head Priests and Priestesses Father Innocent kept in touch with, Laws were created to prevent religious freedoms, slowly changing Camelot from a Kingdom of various religious and racial freedom to a Kingdom of Christians and humanity. Some of the religious leaders complained that they had lost an alley in the King of Camelot as a result and vowed not to trust the Ruling Family of Drake as long as they lived.

    ¡°And why is Queen Belladonna, the Warrior Queen, talking with - what looks like - the Generals of Camelot,¡± High Lord Paladin Peter questioned with concern coloring his voice. ¡°I thought this Kingdom had superior military might.¡±

    Innocent¡¯s eyes darted over to watch the interaction between Belladonna and a group of 6 men. Half of the group stood straight, facing the Warrior Queen with stone like faces, but the one in the middle - a red head - his face started to turn red. When the Queen stormed away, one of the men with the Queen stayed long enough to make a comment or two before he also walked away. It was then the red head spun on his heel and made angry motions toward the others in the group. The Pope continued to watch the interaction. His worry grew. There was much more going on in this Kingdom then he was aware of.

    ¡°I knew there was a reason why I don¡¯t trust the Knights or the Military to protect you, Father,¡± the High Lord Paladin voiced with contempt in his voice.

    ¡°Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act ,¡± The Pope voiced.

    ¡°Psalm 37:5,¡± The High Lord Bishop finished, recognizing the verse. Peter sighed from his place at the right of Innocent.

    ¡°While there are many faces we may not recognized,¡± the Pope started, ¡°We need to extend trust to the Kingdom and be faith in God. I know they will protect us, my sons. Now, we have to get ready to disembark.¡±

    Father Innocent¡¯s eyes roam over the various faces waiting for them. There was a Queen standing several feet apart from the rest of the Welcoming Party. The crown of the High Queen sitting upon her head informed anyone who had been wondering her identify.

    The High Queen Kalliope of House Drake, formerly of House Rose, Daughter of Anastasia, the Rose of Camelot and Rock Estate, looked beautiful, dressed in a spring green dress with her pale red hair shinning the morning light. Father Innocent frowned as he noticed the Prince, Arthur?, stood with the rest of the Ruling Royal Party. That was interesting.

    From what Father Innocent had heard from the Newest High Queen of Camelot. She tried to be a voice for the people, but King Uther tried to keep her silent through the entire marriage. From the various rumors that managed to reach his ears, she had spoken out against some of the laws in place, but she was often criticized by both King Uther and Queen Belladonna for doing so.

    The Father briefly wondered, now, she was without a King to Rule by her side until the Holy Sword chooses another, what she would do. It would be interesting to see what would be happening while he stayed in Camelot for the week. However, he knew it would be short. Camelot had to have a King, chosen by the Holy Sword.

    Father Innocent thought the Prince would be the Chosen King, but looking at the High Queen standing by herself, that wasn¡¯t the case. He hummed. He had heard rumors of the enemies of Camelot already marching on the borders of the Kingdom. He wondered how long it would be before the villagers from the borders would be arriving in the heart of the Kingdom to seek protection from the invading armies. This time, he would be in Camelot to offer his advice to the War Council and tend to the flock of God who will need his words over the next few weeks. Or the worst case situation happened, witness the Fall of Camelot.

    Kalliope took a deep breath. She held it for a long as she could before she let it out slowly. Her stomach rolled with nerves. She couldn¡¯t believe she was meeting an important person without King Uther at her side. It was scary and a relief. Now, she could tell what her thoughts on issue without King Uther cutting in and saying it was best to left it to the men who actually understood the issue or proceed to talk above her. For nearly 15 years, she was forced to hold her tongue, but now, she could speak freely. She had noticed in the past, whenever she spoke ¡®out of line¡¯, only Belladonna would criticized her for doing so. When she had approached the other Queens about it, rather they lived in the Castle or not, they often praise her for stepping forward and stating what she thought. It was a Queen¡¯s right to do so, especially if it was a topic she had heard from the people.

    She took another deep breath. She heard some commotion behind her and turned in time to see Belladonna storming away from the Generals. She watched as the Fiery General turned to the other two, not doubt venting about whatever the Warrior Queen had brought to their attention. She frowned, thinking. She was under the impression that they were the ones who supposed to make the area was secured. However, they appeared to be arriving shortly before the Ruling Welcoming Party did and the Knights from the King¡¯s Guard already did the work.

    ¡°My Lady,¡± Sir Jack bowed his head at her as he approached. Her eyes flickered toward him.

    ¡°What happened,¡± she asked, softly, in an accusing tone.

    ¡°There was a miscommunication between the Knights and the Generals during the night,¡± Sir Jack explained, ¡°As the result, the Knights were forced to secure the area instead of the Military.¡±

    ¡°Why did Belladonna speak with the Generals?¡± Kalliope cocked her head to the side.

    ¡°Like you, your highness, she wanted to know what happened,¡± he went on, ¡°She even hinted as a possible leadership change in the future due to this miscommunication.¡±

    Kalliope hummed. Belladonna was back at her old trick, trying to weasel her way into things that she had no say in. Only The High Queen and the Chosen King had a say in who held any leadership role in the Military. She knew it was only matter of time before the Warrior Queen tried. Kalliope would have to work quickly to make sure the Warrior Queen couldn¡¯t do anything without the prior approval of the Current High Queen and the Chosen King. It could buy her some time to deal with the things that required her approval, not just any Queen¡¯s approval. The only sad thing was she would have to apply it to every living Queen instead of just to Belladonna. Most of the other queens didn¡¯t act out like they were still Ruling as High Queen and wanted to handle the smallest tasks that Kalliope would assign for them.

    Most of the time, Kalliope thought Belladonna wanted her out of the picture that way the Warrior Queen could volunteer to take over the position again as High Queen. Maybe Kalliope could talk to Morgana or Merlin about her options when it came to law-making.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s at again,¡± Elsa commented.

    ¡°You know how mom doesn¡¯t like the those three generals,¡± Holly reminded Elsa, ¡°All because General Genesis is a White Hall and the other two are commoners.¡±

    Kalliope frowned, slightly turning her head to listen in more as Marie spoke up, ¡°Belladonna can¡¯t accept the times Camelot was most prosperous was during the time a White Hall has sat on the Throne of Camelot, not anyone from the Houses of Black or Drake, since King Arthur¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going laugh if Genesis manages to be Chosen by the Holy Sword,¡± Elsa said with a gleeful note, ¡°I think I will just stick around and watch that drama.¡± Marie and Holly made noises of agreement.

    Now, that was someone Kalliope was not expecting anyone to be discussing. General Genesis pulling out the Holy Sword? Belladonna would try the biggest fit to date over that. Kalliope¡¯s lips twitched into an amused smile. No doubt the Warrior Queen would be claiming some evil magic was at work and Genesis couldn¡¯t rule over Camelot. However, once the Holy Sword made its choice, there was no way to get out of it unless the Chosen One ends up dying somehow. Knowing Belladonna as well as she did, Belladonna would be the type to hire an assassin to do the job and try to put Arthur on the Throne or a member of the Black House, or at least someone Belladonna could easily control.

    Kalliope let out a sigh. Things would have been a lot easier if she stayed back at Castle Rock and ruled over her people and not married Uther Drake. She often spent more then a few minutes per day since she had married Uther wondering how her life would have been different. She knew she would be free to marry of someone she actually chose to spend the rest of her life with. When Uther approached her about marriage, she couldn¡¯t say no. Her family was going to through a rough time and she knew a marriage with a King would not only raise her family out of the rough time they were experiencing, but raise her to a position of power. It didn¡¯t help she felt like she couldn¡¯t say no, even though he did give her permission to say it.

    A hand curled around her left arm. Kalliope turned to see the Eldest Living Queen standing there. The High Queen lowered her head to the older queen in greeting and asked gently, ¡°What is it, Queen Vivien?¡±

    ¡°It is tradition for the King to greet the Pope,¡± Vivien stated, ¡°Since we don¡¯t have a Chosen King at the moment and Arthur is the Acting King, he should be the one greeting the Pope.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for informing me of the tradition,¡± Kalliope started, turning her attention forward, looking at the docking ship, ¡°However, Arthur has decline any right to the Throne since he is not the Chosen One. I am still the High Queen of the Camelot Kingdom and I will serve both the Roles of High Queen and the Acting King until the Holy Sword choses the next King.¡± She paused. Her shoulders slid back as her back straightened. ¡°I will not step aside for any reason.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Vivien muttered her approval, ¡°And you are right. You don¡¯t have to step aside for anyone unless the Chosen King already has a wife. Don¡¯t forget that, Kalliope. You don¡¯t have to make concessions for any of the Former High Queens, not even for Belladonna or me.¡±

    Kalliope nodded. Vivien was right. She needed to stop worrying about Belladonna trying to take the crown from her and focus on keeping Camelot going until the Holy Sword made its choice.

    ¡°The Pope has arrived, my dear,¡± Vivien commented. High Queen Kalliope took a step forward with a deep, calming breath.

 Chapter 44: The Popes Arrival

    Once in the Western Wing of the Castle, Tristan started his patrol, wondering through the halls, lost in thought. He couldn¡¯t believe his luck when the Captain of the Knights informed Sir Tristan of his orders. He wasn¡¯t lying he had thought he would be order to patrol the Northern Wing.

    That wing of the castle was the closest to the worst part of the village. There was not a night where the military and the knights had to work together to stop a fight or put a fire. Usually, the Houses who get put in the Northern Wing of the castle were the newer houses to the Round Table or the type of Houses that hadn¡¯t gain favor of the Ruling Family, but the captain had placed him in the one area of the Castle Tina could be in, considering her family name she was using was Armstrong, a vessel house of the Ancient and Noble House of White Hall.

    That woman occupied his thoughts since he had met her. There was a glint in her eyes informed him she was different from the other women he knew, even though there was something holding her back like an new pain she was learning to live with and adjust to.

    His thoughts drifted back to the Fawn Village, where he was able to watch her fight. She had skills, but they appeared to be rusty. He had seen it with many of the married knights who returned to Court after a long winter and they spent majority of the few weeks brushing up on their skills on the training field before they went out questing.

    Tristan approached the stairs, leading up to the second floor of the Western Wing. He glanced out of the widow. He caught sight of the Ruling Family arriving down at the docks with the Military spreading out on either side of the street mixing with the knights, and the Generals with their seconds standing several dozen feet behind the Ruling Family as they pulled to a stop and slowly got out of the carriages. Tristan frowned.

    There had to been a miscommunication in the ranks. He thought the Military had to secure the docks, not the Knights from the way it looked like. If there was a miscommunication within the ranks, it had to be coming from within the Knights. He knew there was several knights who didn¡¯t want the military to have any more power then already did and preferred to be the only warriors within the castle and the village. Immediately, one knight came to mind. Tristan glared at the window in response.

    Sir Ronald Walburn. He was the second in command of the King¡¯s Guard and often known to not pass on orders or forget to inform the correct parties about a change in orders. Tristan had seen him do this personally. In fact, Tristan had been a victim of Ronald¡¯s scheming, once and it nearly resulted in getting thrown in the stocks for a day. However, thanks to Lancelot who was a witness to encounters stepped forward and explained the situation, Tristan managed to avoid getting thrown in the stocks while Ronald got put on leave, by the order of King Uther.

    The Violent Knight wondered how Ronald would try to gain favor with the new King. Rumor had it that Arthur couldn¡¯t pull the Holy Sword out and wouldn¡¯t be able to carry on as the next King. It meant a break in the line of Drake family. Whoever managed to withdraw the Holy Sword would have to deal with the Warrior Queen¡¯s planning and Ronald¡¯s ass kissing. Tristan half pitied the new King as a result. Maybe the new King would do something about them.

    Tristan took a breath, shaking his head, clearing his thoughts of Sir Ronald and the Warrior Queen. He moved on, wondering through the hallways of the second floor, slowly making his way to the third floor. He spotted a maid, coming from the stair well of the third floor.

    ¡°Excuse me, miss,¡± Tristan addressed the maid, hurrying over to her. She was a pretty thing with dark brown hair that was done up into a bun high on her head. Her black eyes darted over to him, glittering with surprise and something else that he barely recognized, fear, before it was gone.

    ¡°Yes, Sir Knight,¡± She said softly, glancing up at him before she dropped her eyes.

    ¡°Has there been any new arrivals to this section of the Castle,¡± Tristan asked as kindly as he could. This maid appeared to be a new one. He could have sworn that he had seen her before, in another town, closer to the borders of the kingdom with Mercy. He internally frowned. There were a huge influx of new hires for the Butler and Maid staffing as a result of the funereal.

    ¡°There has been several new arrival, sir knight,¡± she replied, shyly. She kept her eyes down. He narrowed his eyes, staring at her.

    ¡°Alright,¡± He said, simply, ¡°Thank you for your help, Miss.¡± He walked away and started to climb the stairs at the end of the hallway. He turned away, watching the maid with a suspicious eye.

    Most of the maids, Butlers, and other types of servants knew who he was and addressed him as Sir Tristan, not Sir Knight. He stood there, with his arms crossed over his chest, watching as she hurried away in a rush movement like she was trying not to be caught by someone. He heard the soft brush of footsteps over the carpet coming from behind him.

    ¡°Is there a problem, Sir Tristan,¡± Sebastian¡¯s voice rang out from behind him.

    Tristan debated on asking if there had been any new maids he had recently that lived on the border with the Mercy Kingdom, but he changed his mind. The head of the Butlers and Maids probably hired a lot of people to help man the castle as a result of the King¡¯s death. He turned around and addressed the Head of the Butlers and Maids, ¡°No, there is not a problem, Sebastian.¡±

    Tristan climbed the stairs to the third floor before he turned to Sebastian, asking, ¡°Is there anyone new in the White Hall Wing? I¡¯m looking for a woman with red hair. She could be mistaken as General Genesis¡¯ sister.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean Valentina of House Armstrong,¡± Sebastian asked with a note in his voice.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan allowed a smile to crossed his face, ¡°I traveled with her a couple days and she was injured under my watch. I have been trying to track her down to make sure she was doing alright and check up on her.¡±

    ¡°What kind of injury did she sustain?¡± Sebastian cocked his head to the side. His eyes glittered with worry, for some reason.

    ¡°She was the victim of a flogging, thanks to some non-humans who caught her and myself the other day,¡± Tristan explained, ¡°The flogging shredded her back.¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes widened with horror. He nodded, understanding. He answered Tristan¡¯s question, ¡°She is in the Armstrong Family Suit, on the White Hall House Wing. I will be assigning a maid to her this morning and will be sending a healer up, immediately.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sebastian,¡± Tristan allowed his shoulders to relaxed. Tina was safe in her family hall. He knew if the ninja had tried to capture her now, Genesis would be able to handle that situation as the acting head of the White Hall House since it was his grandmother who ordered the kidnapping of Tina. The fiery general was probably the only one who could stop the ninja with in the halls of the Castle. He turned on his heel when a thought accord to him. The General was down at the dock, leaving her unprotected.

    Tristan turned back around and went to the White Hall Wing. It didn¡¯t take him long to find the correct door with the symbol of a curled arm. He paused as he debated on entering or not. He knew most of the familial suite had a common room where they greeted visitors. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.

    He stepped into the common room of the Armstrong Suite. He peered around. There was closed doors. He rolled his eyes. He forgotten about some of the families desires to closed unused rooms as well as the used rooms. He sighed. He shut the door behind him and went to the closet door. He creaked it open and peered inside to see an empty unused room. He shut the door and repeated the process again with the next door. He got the same result.

    He approached the third door and opened it to see a familiar hiking bag sitting by the wall, just inside the room. His eyes flickered over the carpet to see a black cloak pooled on the floor nearby the foot of the bed. He spotted a blue dress spread out on the carpet beside the bed. He stepped into the room and saw Tina¡¯s red hair spread out like a halo behind her head. He heard a soft snore. He allowed a small smile to cross his lips as he saw she laid on her belly, leaving her back exposed to the air.

    She was safe and despite the inflamed lashes on her back, she was slowly healing. He hoped the healer would be able to help her with those lashes. He backed out of the room. He would have to swing by a few more times before his shifted ended to check on her.

    Watching the ship slowly pulling the port, Salazar reflected. He was not an vengeful man, despite his long years. There have been times where he could easily got his revenge on a number of creatures, ranging those pointed eared Elven to the underground hidden cities of dwarves, to the holy then thou Fae, and the simple, but numerous humans, just to name a few. He knew there was going to be much more he wished he could lash out against the ones who wronged him. However, there were few organizations still around in this world that had the ability to cause him to rage, silently and one of these organizations was the Church of Christ.

    At first, the Church Of Christ was not a major issue to him. He was there, when their Christ was hoisted up onto the Cross and watched as the man died with his followers and family around him. That was one of the most powerful moments he had ever watched, to this day.

    His foster father had took him and his younger brother to watch the entire event, commenting in snide tones about the justice of it all. His foster father had been the son of the first Man and Woman to walked out of the Garden of Eden, Cain, and performed the first murder before becoming cursed to an eternal life, watching his loved ones pass on without him. He had thought he had been alone until Lilith appeared and explained some of the hidden history to him.

    Salazar¡¯s lips twitched, fondly, as he thought of his foster aunt. She was a force to be reckon with, even though she had went into the vampiric sleep, nearly five centuries, claiming she was bored with this life and maybe after sleeping for few centuries, life could be entertaining again.

    The Church of Christ had painted her in a foul way. According to his aunt, Lilith was supposed have been the first woman, Adam¡¯s counterpart, and his first wife. When she had tried to bypass Adam to approach God and have a personal relationship with him, Adam had disapproved and complained to God about it before she was reached her end, called out God¡¯s name, and was tossed out of the Garden of Eden, eventually becoming Cursed and the first of their race. When Cain had murdered Abel in cold blood, Adam had casted him aside and forced him to wonder through the wildness. Thanks to Lilith, Cain had became the Second member of their blood thirsty race.

    His crimson eyes flashed as the Pope¡¯s ship let the anchor loose. His sensitive ears heard the splash as the anchor hit the water and disappeared into the depths below. He sucked in a deep breath. He didn¡¯t need to, but the old action helped control his rage. He had repetitively over the years, sent in a petition to the Head of the Church to change the story of his foster aunt, giving the same account each time he did so, of what she told him what had happened. Even their Holy Bible had a few passages to support the evidence of what happened to her, but eventually, those passages were edited out of the current version and he had to watched as Lilith faded into the hidden history of the World.

    Perhaps, he could petition in person to the Pope about Lilith¡¯s story and see what he could do to change the historical records. He wanted to make his aunt wasn¡¯t lost to history. Hopefully, his mind added silently. He was aware that even the Church had their sort of politics they dealt with and he didn¡¯t know how much the current Pope, whatever his name was now, may not live through the next few years then the process would start all over again.

    It would be entertaining for him to stick around Camelot to see the Catholic Church reacted to his presences. The Paladins would try to kill him. It might be an interesting fight. He knew it would hard fight for the Paladin since they had been sending their Holy Warriors after him and his kind for centuries as his kind got stronger with magical powers, thanks to their ability to attend the magical school called Blackthorn Academy.

    He hummed. Maybe he should swing by the school and see how the vampire population was doing. He knew there would be a new bunch of magical vampires, this year. He might be have to remind who was still in charge. He frowned. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. He might even drag the Princess with him and drop her off with the Blood Mage Master to help her get her thirst under control and increase her power.

    He walked away from the window and went to the door. He opened the door to the hallway. He needed to feed. He was going to take the Magi up on their offer of taking care of some of the prisoners. He smirked as he hopped lightly and transformed into a bat. General Genesis watched as the gang plank extended from the side of the ship and heard the bottom of the plank slammed against the dock. He noticed Bartholomew stepped forward, causing the three general to stand in an arrow formation. It was already agreed upon that Bartholomew would act as the Head General between the three of them. Heavy foot falls echoed through the empty streets. His eyes flickered to the ship, watching as the Paladins, he assumed, disembark, first.

    The Paladins, Genesis knew, was the Fist of the Church led by the High Lord Paladin Peter because if they were sent out, it was the last resort of the Church and the Paladins were known not to take any prisoners.

    Their uniform consisted of a white long tunic, extending to their knees, over a full suit of chain mail. The only color that appear on their tunic was a large red cross. A belt strapped around their waist to keep the tunic from blowing out. From the stories that Genesis was aware of, the Paladins were known to travel the country side, protecting various travelers who could pay for their protection, and always kept an eye out on who they could recruit to their cause. A faint memory rose from the depths of his mind as he watched the Paladins form up on the wooden board leading up to the docks and spread out, filling in the various spots left open by the Camelot forces.

    It was an old story he was once told by his mom before she had left, informing him that Paladins were known by another name, once upon a time, and they did the same thing the Paladins were known for. It was something to do with temples. Besides that, he didn¡¯t know much of the Fist of the Church. However, it didn¡¯t stop the random story being told in the tavern when a traveler or a bard had too much to drink about the Paladins¡¯ fighting capabilities. If the stories were to be believed, they prayed to God before each fight and gained some increased strength and endurance, destroying their enemies quickly.

    A man dressed similar to the Paladins already left the ship stormed down the gang plank. Genesis knew who it was. High Lord Paladin Peter. He resisted the urge to gulp. High Lord Paladin Peter didn¡¯t wear a helm like the rest of his men did, leaving his features unmasked. His dark gaze ran over the Welcoming Group. His black hair gleamed in the morning sun. He stopped at the end of the dock and turned, facing the wooden board. His presences was powerful. Genesis could feel the Lord Paladin was someone he didn¡¯t want to tick off.

    More foot steps rang out. Genesis¡¯ gaze darted up to see more men slowly disembarking from the ship. This group of men wore robes of different colors. Genesis frowned, thinking. He had been under the impression the brown robes he had seen the Brothers of the Holy Light of God wore were the only colors being used by the brotherhood. Apparently not. He would have to brush up on his knowledge on what color meant.

    He knew majority of the men held the title of Brother and they were considered Monks, but other then that, he knew these men were the peaceful portion of the Church. Two men disembarked after the Monks had gathered at the end of the docks. One of the two men was ancient, dressed in white.

    Genesis knew immediately the man in white was Pope Innocent, Father of the Church. It meant the other man dressed in red and black was High Lord Bishop John. High Lord Bishop John didn¡¯t hold the same notoriety of his warrior counterpart, but there were stories of his purification of demons of both kinds, vampires, and other types of unfavorable by the Church through a contest of wills. It didn¡¯t mean High Lord Bishop John was unskilled at fighting. From the General¡¯s understanding, the Bishop just prefer not to physically fight, but there had been plenty of stories where a contest of wills was not enough and ended up, using physical force.

    Before he became the Lord Bishop, Lord John did travel the lands, spreading the Word of God and converted hundreds to the Church. The High Lord Bishop didn¡¯t move far from the Pope¡¯s side as they walked along the wooden board until they reached the solid docks. Lord Peter fell into step on Pope Innocent¡¯s left. The trio walked toward the welcome party.

    Genesis stood a bit taller. He took note the rest of the military men did the same. They all knew the stories involving both the Paladin Lord and the Bishop Lord. Both were dangerous in their own right. Genesis just hoped none of his men caused trouble for the Church because he didn¡¯t know what kind of punishment he would be ordered to deliver out. From the past orders, he was able to read when he was promoted to his current rank and the stories that came from Rome, these punishments could be consider cruel for a normal man to go through, but common for a warrior monk, or a brother of the Church to undertake as a way to have a sin forgiven by the Father.

    Father Innocent, everyone knew, was the Chosen man who would be the voice of God. He had the power to forgive sins and to excommunicate someone from the Church. It was rare for someone to be excommunicated from the Church. It did happened. The last time Genesis was aware of it happened was a few centuries ago when the former King of Mercy tried to have a marriage annulled, citing the lack of a male heir and the Pope at the time denied the annulment.

    The King argued against the decision and decided to make his own church where he could get his marriage annulled. The Pope excommunicated him for that and sent a group of Paladins and Bishops to work against the King¡¯s new Church, citing if anyone would follow the King, they would sentenced to damnation in the lowest pits of Hell.

    Genesis thought about some of the events that happened during that time. According to his tutor, a few non-humans were worked up into a frenzy before going rampage on the Mercian villages. Other sources Genesis was able to read and get his hands on suggested that the order of Paladins and Bishops might have been behind the frenzy of the non-humans. However, any such reports were sealed away in Rome. He doubted those reports would see the light of day again.

    The red headed General turned his attention externally as The three men, representing the three branches of the Church reached the High Queen. Genesis held his breath as he felt sorry for his queen. These three men were powerful in their own right.

    Kalliope fought to keep her face natural, but welcoming as the Pope and his top two men approached her. Her stomach rolled with nerves. She couldn¡¯t believe she was going to meet some of the most powerful men on the island. She hoped her crown was on straight. She briefly wondered about how she looked overall. Was her dress apparent for this occasion? It was too late, now, she reasoned with herself. Her eyes flickered to the old man in white. She focused on what was happening in front of her as the Pope stopped and she pushed away her feelings, taking a deep breath before she bowed her head in greeting. Her heart thundered in her chest.

    ¡°Father Innocent,¡± Kalliope said calmly, letting the deep breath out with her words, ¡°Thank you for coming. I hope your trip was uneventful.¡±

    ¡°It was, my daughter-Queen,¡± Innocent replied with a small smile, ¡°Thank you for welcoming us, during your dark hour. This is High Lord Bishop John,¡± he gestured to the man on his right. ¡°And this is High Lord Paladin Peter.¡±

    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet to both of you,¡± Kalliope nodded at them. ¡°I am Kalliope, of House Drake, former of House Rose, First of my name, the Current High Crowned Queen of the Camelot Kingdom. Welcome. Please,¡± she turned her attention back to the Pope and waved at her open carriage, ¡°I am sure you would like to break your fast and rest for the day.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would like that,¡± Innocent replied. He stepped toward the carriage with Kalliope leading the way. They reached the carriage and the Pope stated, ¡°You first, my lady.¡±

    The royal footman held a hand toward Kalliope. She grabbed the offer hand as she fists her skirts and lifted it up high enough where she could step onto the carriage step without her skirts getting in the way. She climbed into the carriages and settled into the seat closest to the driver. Her back faced the driver. She adjusted her skirts as the Pope was also helped into the carriages.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Kalliope heard Morgana¡¯s voice rang out, addressing High Lord Bishop John, ¡°Lord Bishop, would you please give myself and Lord Battle Mage Merlin the honor of traveling with us?¡±

    High Lord Bishop John turned and nodded his response at Lady Morgana. The High Queen saw the General of Fiery Blades stepped forward, addressing High Lord Paladin Peter before Lord Jack climbed into the carriage and stood. Kalliope watched as the rest of the welcoming party climbed into their carriages, noticing Belladonna¡¯s glare settle on her before the warrior queen was pulled into a conversation with the Current Lord of House Black. She might have to sent a fruit basket to him, later. He, so far, had been keeping his Aunt busy as he possible could and out of her hair where she could act like the High Queen she was.

    Jack waited another moment as the party settled into the carriages before he called out in a strong tone, ¡°Move out!¡± He sat down beside Kalliope as the Carriage jerked forward and rolled toward the castle.

    It was a few moments before Kalliope decided to break the silence, asking, ¡°How was your trip, Father?¡±

    ¡°It was pleasant enough,¡± Father Innocent replied, giving her a grandfatherly smile. ¡°It was nice to get out of Rome. I do believe it could be my last trip before God calls me home.¡±

    Kalliope blinked and studied the Pope. He had to be close to his 80¡¯s, possible older. His head was covered by his hat. She couldn¡¯t tell if he still had hair or not. However, his face had lots of wrinkles, telling the story of his long life. She used diplomacy when she next spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Father, but I am glad you decided to make Camelot your last trip.¡±

    Father Innocent smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not sorry if God decides to call me home soon. I have lived a long good life, doing his will.¡± He reached over and patted her knee, gently, ¡°It has been many years since I last visited Camelot. Tell me, how are things, spiritually?¡±

    Kalliope glanced over her shoulder toward the Black carriage. It was far enough away where Belladonna weren¡¯t hear anything she had to say. She glanced at Sir Jack. He caught her eye and nodded, silently, telling her he wouldn¡¯t breath a word of what was said in the carriage.

    ¡°I must insist this stay between us, Father,¡± The High Queen spoke, ¡°And that topic is best to be said behind closed doors. We are out in the open where a spy could run off and inform their master of the words being spoken here.¡±

    The Pope raised his snow white eyebrows in surprise before he asked, ¡°You think there is a spy, listening in on our conversation?¡±

    ¡°There are certain members of the Court who will pay good coin for any word spoken in this carriage, today,¡± Kalliope admitted, ¡°I have seen such coin exchanges between Courtiers and Servants during my time as High Queen.¡± She paused. She glanced around, seeing the crowd gathered on either side of the road, watching them as they passed. ¡°I have learned the hard way to keep certain conversations private as well as interactions.¡±

    Father Innocent hummed, thinking.

    ¡°However,¡± Kalliope went on, ¡°I can tell you, spiritually, Camelot is ill and is in need guidance of ALL faiths.¡±

    He nodded his head, understanding what she meant. The conversation they needed to have won¡¯t be an easy one. The High Queen already knew that Belladonna would try to worm her way into the private conversation and argued against the unity of all religions in the Kingdom.

    ¡°Perhaps, I can come to the Royal Wing, my dear,¡± Father Innocent suggested, ¡°Tonight after dinner and we can talk, privately.¡±

    ¡°I think it would be best,¡± she nodded, ¡°I do need some spiritually guidance on what to do on several issues. Particularly, what to do if the New Chosen King already has a wife and kids.¡± She rested a hand on her belly, thinking. She wished her love would try to pull the Holy Sword out. If he was Chosen, it would settle any issue of the child in her womb since she would be allow to marry him. It would also help make his rule legitimate for the lower classes and hopefully, quite down any thoughts of rebellion. She let out a sigh. Father Innocent watched her for a long moment and nodded his head.

    ¡°Thank you for riding with us, Lord Bishop,¡± Morgana immediately started as the carriage started to roll the way they had come, ¡°How was your journey?¡±

    ¡°You are welcome, Lady Morgana,¡± the highest ranking Bishop replied, ¡°as for the journey, it was pleasant enough.¡± He sighed, ¡°I¡¯m just glad I¡¯m back on solid ground.¡±

    Morgana resisted the urge to giggle. She knew some people couldn¡¯t get their sea legs no matter how long they traveled by the water ways. The High Lord Bishop noticed her reaction and sent her a small glare. She gave him an innocent look. ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the heart of the matter, Morgana, Merlin,¡± John started, ¡°How are things here in Camelot?¡±

    ¡°In which way?¡± Merlin answered with a question of his own. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

    ¡°You know what way I speak of,¡± John shot back, turning a death glare onto the half fae. ¡°Bloody fairy!¡±

    The two magi snickered. Morgana commented, ¡°I think that was a record, dearest Merlin.¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Merlin sent her a wink, ¡°It took us less then a minute to get him to say that.¡±

    John let out a long sigh before he commented, ¡°I forgot how irritating you two were when you put your mind to it.¡± Merlin and Morgana laughed at that and John went on, ¡°How are you two, personally?¡±

    ¡°We have been good,¡± Morgana spoke, ¡°Given the increasing limitations to our powers over the years.¡± The Bishop gave her a startled look. ¡°Queen Belladonna has been trying to push her agenda against magical people through the younger Queens and her family members.¡±

    ¡°I was under the impression she couldn¡¯t do something like that,¡± John stated.

    ¡°Normally, you are right,¡± Merlin agreed, ¡°But Belladonna has worked the system into her favor. She has organized a couple marriages for the younger queens. Of Course, she has straight out sent them away from the Castle, once their Kings¡¯ died. We have seen her discussing various plans with King Uther while he was still alive when it came to the non-humans and other magical people.¡±

    ¡°There have been laws passed,¡± Morgana picked up, ¡°Allowing us to take on students, but the catch is they have to get approved by the Camelot Court. The few that did come forward,¡± she paused, taking a deep breath. ¡°Something had happened to them and we never saw them again, alive.¡±

    ¡°We did found their bodies,¡± Merlin said, taking over. Morgana was thankful for that. She had been looking forward to taking on a student again and teaching them everything she knew. ¡°We still don¡¯t know who killed them - if it was a hit or an accident. The bodies were too far gone for us to figure that out.¡±

    The Lord Bishop nodded in understanding. He bowed his head and crossed himself. Morgana¡¯s sensitive hearing picked up him saying a soft prayer. It was a long moment before the Bishop spoke, ¡°Besides the obviously wrongs, how is the spiritual nature of the Kingdom?¡±

    Morgana answered, ¡°Not good. I have noticed less and less people have been going to the other spiritual locations around the villages. From some of the conversations I have over heard on Sunday mornings with a few religious leaders, there have been a decrease of attendance and a few of the religious centers have been requesting aid from the Ruling Family. Belladonna has made sure the non-Christian locations surfer the most, thanks to pushing her agenda through the Chosen King. When Uther fell ill, three months, none of the requests for aid has been answered.¡±

    John let out a hum of understanding. ¡°Whoever you place as the representative of the Church will have their work cut for them, many of the other spiritual leaders are refusing to work the Church, thanks to Belladonna¡¯s actions,¡± Morgana went on, ¡°As right now, there is no Chosen King.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± John¡¯s eyebrows went up, ¡°Has the Prince tried to pull the Holy Sword out, yet?¡± the Magi nodded. ¡°And he was found unworthy?¡± The Magi nodded, again. ¡°Hmm. This is bad.¡± The carriage rolled over the bumpy road. ¡°Which of the knights has tried?¡±

    ¡°None so far,¡± Merlin replied, ¡°I am planning to start testing the Knights over the course of today. Hopefully, we will be able to find the Chosen King among them. If not, I will be opening it up to the public the day after tomorrow.¡± The Battle Mage let out a sigh. ¡°Either way, we need to find the Chosen King soon before our enemies start amassing against us.¡±

    ¡°How are the Queens¡¯ taking this?¡± John asked, looking between them.

    Morgana shifted on the bench across from the visiting Bishop and started, ¡°Vivien isn¡¯t getting any younger. This morning, she had trouble moving around.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why Arthur is with her and not with Kalliope,¡± Merlin commented.

    The black mage nodded. ¡°She may surprise us, but I doubt she will last through the end of the year. Meanwhile, Belladonna is still a pain in the ass - pardon my language. She acts like she is still the Crowd High Queen and tries to over rides Kalliope. Hopefully, the next King will put her in her place or at least get her to stop in some how. I know from my various walks in the village, the poor class is hurting more and more everyday while the people of the middle class are barely making it. It is the worst in the Northern Distances.¡±

    She took a breath before she continued on, looking to her left where she knew the Northern Distances lay, ¡°If there is any non-humans still in Camelot over the last few decades, they were already captured and turned in for the coin the Ruling Family had promised them or turned to more drastic measures like using illusionary potions. There have been a few cases that managed to flee. However, just before Uther fell ill, one of the Lord turned in a Tiefling Couple and kept their children as slaves.¡±

    She fell silent at that. She took measures to make sure those children were as safe as she could make them without raising suspicion. She found her voice again, ¡°We have to wait until the Holy Sword makes its choice and allow the new King to settle in before we can approach him about the backlog of the Court Requests.¡±

    ¡°God will find a way to help those children and their parents,¡± John said, ¡°No matter who they worship or how they were created.¡± The magi nodded in agreement. ¡°What about the other Queens?¡±

    ¡°Queen Belladonna has still been pain in the ass since she was forced to step aside for her son¡¯s queen, Susan,¡± Merlin started, ¡°She has been trying to work back room deals with several members of the Court to pass certain laws for the Non-humans and it has been working. However, King Charles passed away, a year later, his brother, Edward was found worthy and Marie stepped up to be High Queen.¡±

    ¡°Susan, on the other hand, hung around the castle for a few months with her daughter, but they eventually moved back to Susan¡¯s family estate where she met someone and got remarried,¡± Morgana took over. She didn¡¯t know if she should mention Isabelle¡¯s condition to the Bishop, considering his reputation with the non-humans. She heard John grunt as they went over a bump.

    Merlin took over the conversation, ¡°Marie was a beloved Queen, despite the being a high strung Baileys Lady.¡± The two magi let out soft laughs at the antics they remembered seeing.

    ¡°I remember some of the acts she did while she was the High Queen,¡± Bishop John allowed a smile, ¡°It would have been nice to see what she could have done in the remaining three years of the rule if her husband didn¡¯t die from the hunting accident.¡±

    Morgana frowned, thinking. Merlin¡¯s voice drifted to the background as she thought about the hunting accident. She always thought it was strange that the Hunting group faced down the large wolf and not the boar they originally went after. She remembered talking with a few Knights upon their return. The conversation was on the tip of her tongue. She might have to review her journals from that time period. There had been something strange. She hummed.

    ¡°Lady Morgana.¡± Morgana blinked, coming back to the present. She glanced between Bishop John and Merlin. She raised her eyebrows. Bishop John asked, ¡°Are you alright, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she gave them a small smile, ¡°I was thinking about something.¡± She paused as her gaze trailed over the bishop¡¯s shoulder to the other Queen¡¯s carriages. ¡°It¡¯s about King Edward¡¯s death. It seemed strange for him to go after the wolf instead of a boar.¡±

    Merlin hummed. His eyes glazed over as he thought back before he spoke, ¡°It could be something we could look into when we have time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we might have to,¡± Morgana agreed, ¡°Anyway, which Queen were you two talking while I was off in la-la land?¡±

    ¡°What about Clarine,¡± the bishop asked, his gaze darting between them. She noticed there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

    ¡°She is taking Uther¡¯s death the hardest,¡± Morgana commented, ¡°I have heard her crying in her rooms when I head to mine, in the Queen¡¯s Tower.¡±

    ¡°I have to question a few things I have heard and seen personally,¡± Merlin said. Morgana turned her head to stare at him with a questioning expression. ¡°I will speak more about it once I get to the bottom of it, but it does involve Clarine.¡±

    The She Mage frowned, but nodded. She knew her former master had his own reasons why he would keep a secret about a queen from her until he could gather all of the facts about what was going on. John glanced between them, allowing them to figure things out between them before he voiced, ¡°Hopefully, once you will include me if I am still here, Merlin.¡±

    ¡°I will, John,¡± Merlin promised as the Carriage rolled through the archway of the Western Entrance to the Courtyard.

    ¡°It seems you two will be busy over the next few days,¡± John commented as he lend back on the bench. ¡°I think I will be busy as well. I might want to talk to the local church leaders as well as the other religious leaders after the funeral.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the three of us could meet us later on this upcoming week,¡± Morgana suggested, ¡°Wednesday before the evening mass?¡± the Carriage came to a stop. She scouted to the edge of the bench. She looked between them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s aim for that,¡± Merlin agreed, ¡°It will give me enough time to look through my notes and reach out to a few of my contacts.¡±

    ¡°I know I won¡¯t be able to get in touch with the other religious leaders,¡± John said, ¡°until Monday or Tuesday morning. I know the Jewish Faithful are celebrating their sabbath, today, and I have Mass to prepare for tomorrow morning.¡±

    Morgana nodded her head. She stood up and grabbed a handful of her skirt as she grabbed the railing of the carriage. She stepped down the steps and walked away from the carriage. She needed to check her journals from the time when King Edward ruled. She hoped she could find why she had a nagging feeling of the strangeness of that Hunt.

    Back at the docks, Genesis watched as the carriages carrying the Ruling Family members, The Pope, and the High Lord Bishop out of sight. He glanced toward Bartholomew. The acting head General had an unconformable look in his eyes when his gaze met Genesis¡¯ and sent a questioning look before his eyes darted over to the High Lord Paladin. Genesis wanted to laugh.

    He couldn¡¯t believe the high and mighty Bartholomew didn¡¯t want to have a conversation with the High Lord Paladin. Though, he did admit to himself, he didn¡¯t want to either if half of the stories he had heard about the Paladin were to be believed, but out of the three Generals and their seconds, Genesis was the most skilled, one could say, when it came to discussing issues with another person in power. He sent Bartholomew a nod before he stepped forward.

    ¡°High Lord Paladin Peter,¡± he started. He waited until the High Lord Paladin turned his attention onto the red head general before he continued, ¡°I am Genesis, of House White Hall, General of the Fire Brigade. It is my honor to meet you.¡±

    ¡°General,¡± the Paladin nodded in greeting.

    Genesis waited a heart beat for anything else before he went on, waving his hand at Honor and Zack, watching the Paladin¡¯s gaze, ¡°These gentlemen are General Honor of the Blade Brigade of House Butcher with his Second, Zackary of House Longdale.¡± He pointed at Bartholomew and Auron, ¡°General Bartholomew of the Fiery Blade Brigade, of House Lockhaven with his Second, Auron of house Longstreet.¡± He jerked a thumb at Reno, ¡°And last, this is my second, Reno of the Fire Brigade, of House Hume.¡± He paused, waiting long enough to see if the Paladin would response or not.

    When it became he wouldn¡¯t, Genesis said, ¡°We have came up with a series of security measures for the next few days. Please, let one of us know if you spot any weakness in our defenses or see something we can improve on. We will welcome any suggestion to help to better protect the Kingdom as well as the Pope and your group.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± the Paladin replied. He turned and called out, ¡°Move out, men.¡± He started up the road to the Castle with the rest of the Paladins, marching.

    The Generals and their seconds were silent until the Paladins were nearly out of sight, reaching the halfway point between the docks and the Castle when Reno decided to break the silence, ¡°Well, that went well.¡±

    ¡°It went the way I thought it would,¡± Genesis confessed and turned to the others, ¡°My knowledge of the Paladin order is somewhat limited, I do admit. That High Lord Paladin seemed to be the quite type.¡± His eyes darted up the pathway as they narrowed, staring after the Paladin group.

    ¡°You are thinking something,¡± Honor commented, recognizing the signs.

    ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± Genesis stated. He licked his lips and voiced his thoughts, ¡°I think he is going to allow us to take charge unless something drastic happens, that is out of our control or the fact we have lost control of a situation.¡±

    ¡°Best be our best behavior then,¡± Zack let out a nervous chuckle.

    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Reno commented, ¡°I had thought about going to party tonight.¡± Genesis didn¡¯t need to turn his head to know Honor and Bartholomew turned glares onto his second. ¡°Whoa! I was just joking!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Genesis said, ¡°We have to get our asses up there and take care before Belladonna decide to put the knights in charge and make us look worst then she already has.¡± The group returned to the castle in a brisk walk.

    A couple hours later, the Generals sat together in a room off of the Barracks. Genesis eyed the long table of food the servants had wheeled in. His stomach rumbled. It had been hours since he last ate. The scent slowly filled the room, making his stomach rumble again. He blinked and turned his attention back to Honor.

    ¡°Here¡¯s another report about the Dead End Forest,¡± Honor commented, dryly. His voice rang out in the small room set aside for the three Generals and their seconds to use for the next few days. ¡°Private Sean sent this report in, saying¡­there has been an increase movement in the forest, majority of it is non-human related. At his count, a dozen dwarves traveled from the mountains -¡±

    ¡°How did he tell they were dwarves?¡± Genesis cut in. He sat back in his chair, his legs extend in front of him up on the desk, his ankles crossed, and he slowly rocked the chair on its rear legs back and forth. ¡°I rather not send men out there to discover these men are not dwarves and really short beaded men dressed in armor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we know about your view about the Non-humans,¡± Bartholomew spoke up from the table on the far rear of the room. He walked along the table, grabbing what he wanted to eat. ¡°And we share them, but if it was just short beaded men dressed in armor as you say, it would bring about another set of worries.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Genesis said. He eyed the food at the back of the room, debating if he really wanted to get up from his comfortable spot and grab lunch or just stay put.

    It was one of the things his mother taught him, despite the arguments with his grandmother. The non-humans should be treated the way the humans treated - equal, in all ways. Genesis knew there was different types of Non-humans roaming around. Being half fae, Merlin and Morgana were the only ones in the Castle outside of the Dungeons because the dungeons didn¡¯t have the necessary equipment in place to hold the two powerful beings of magic.

    According to the stories he had heard from his father and his mother, both were living in the castle at the time when Belladonna was crowed as High Queen, Belladonna did try to sentence them to spend a lifetime in dungeons, but it was not long before Merlin and Morgana were walking around the Castle. They had citied none of the current Ruling family could do such a thing without two more powerful magi take their place due to the powerful protections surrounding the Castle and the village. After that long argument, something had happened that scared Belladonna to her core, as his father put it, but he refused to go into detail, and she seemed to content to limit their powers in the Kingdom.

    ¡°According to Private Sean¡¯s report, he could tell they were dwarves by the way,¡± Honor explained, ¡°they appeared from the Mountain side and marched along the mountain¡¯s bottom before they disappeared into the forest.¡± He paused, waiting for any response. When there wasn¡¯t one, ¡°Sean goes on, saying he informed his partner, Private Tucker, that he was going to get closer and see what was going on. He managed to sneak up on the dwarves, hearing the language they speak, and how they appeared to be hired by a community of non-humans to do something.¡±

    ¡°How long ago was that report submitted,¡± Bartholomew asked, strolling across the room and took his seat at the desk across from Genesis¡¯. He shuffled the various reports that sat on his desk, clearing a place to eat at without worry getting food on the reports.

    ¡°Two weeks ago,¡± Honor stated with a sigh. He placed the report back on his desk and placed his face in his hands.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Genesis breathed, setting his chair back down with a loud thud. He pulled his legs down, uncrossing his ankles, and his booted feet landed on the wooden floor as the same time his chair did.

    Bartholomew frowned and looked down at his food. Dissatisfaction colored his face and he was half tempted to push his food away. His appetite lost.

    Genesis stood up with a growl, ¡°I hate this¡­being short handed on every shift, getting reports like these nearly two weeks late when we could have done something at the time we got them.¡± He twisted on his heel. His duster spun out, flaring around his thighs. He paced back and forth.

    He knew things would be a lot different if they had an extra General or two. Hell, he knew if they could spare their seconds and pulled them into helping the trio, it would help to tackle the back log dramatically. Doing that, it meant their thirds have to take control of three shifts. Genesis couldn¡¯t do that to his own third in command.

    ¡°We know,¡± Honor¡¯s voice held a note of displeasure in it. ¡°We feel the same.¡±

    ¡°However, our hands are tied right now,¡± Bartholomew added his voice, ¡°We are without a King and the way things are, we can¡¯t petition the High Queen for help. Not to mention, we can¡¯t bother the Ruling Family about our problems when they are trying to hold together Camelot. We have worked this way for the last year or so. We can get through this.¡±

    ¡°I know, Bart,¡± Genesis agreed, his voice was full of resentment. The taller general was right. The red head didn¡¯t remember when was the last time they had a General team of 6. It had to be two or three years ago.

    It didn¡¯t help things when the Prince announced he was not chosen¡­well, not in so many words. Most of the public didn¡¯t know the Holy Sword had to chose the next King. However, it still didn¡¯t help things when the Prince did announced that. He was aware of how the various parties moved within the Court. Lucky for him, he hadn¡¯t been approached by another representative of a house to form some type of alliance in case he wanted to try to pull the Holy Sword. He knew it was matter of time. He let out a sigh.

    There were so many things in the works, shifting by the hour. He wished his mother was around. She would know what to do. She had dealt with these types of things while she was growing up with her own grandmother, the first Female General. In the stories, he still remembered, she often said when her hands appeared to be tied, she got creative, looking for solutions out of the norm. He stopped. His eyes widened in surprise. ¡°She got creative, looking for solutions out of the norm,¡± he repeated his thought out loud.

    ¡°What?¡± Honor asked.

    Genesis held up a finger, thinking out loud, ¡°Creative. We have to get creative. Look for solutions out of the norm. I¡¯m the acting Lord of the White Hall House. That means I have the same power that my father has while he is at Court.¡± His eyes settled on the far wall, staring at nothing as his thoughts darted. ¡°I have vessel houses and relatives to call up on. Of course, other connections I could use.¡± He took a breath before he continued, ¡°Everything will have to be off the records.¡± His eyes darted over to meet Honor¡¯s then Bartholomew¡¯s. A glint of understanding shine in their eyes. ¡°Most of the meetings I will be having will be either down in the village or in my family¡¯s wing.¡±

    ¡°What you are suggesting,¡± Honor spoke up, ¡°We can not help you with.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the same connections nor the power to help you if you catch the wrong kind of attention,¡± Bartholomew said, ¡°Let alone if Belladonna or anyone within the Ruling Family.¡±

    Genesis knew what he was doing. He knew there were some risks he would have to take and hoped (and pray to God) that he wouldn¡¯t get caught. His grandmother could be as vicious as Belladonna when she put her mind to it. It was one of the reasons why his father took his younger brothers with him when he headed back to the White Hall Estate to deal whatever kind of trouble his grandmother stirred up when she had informed that Valentina was coming to the Estate. He sighed before he said, ¡°I know you won¡¯t be able to with the items I will be personally handling, but I do have a favor to ask¡­if something does happens to me, make sure Reno becomes the General of the Fire Brigade. He will be handle the men.¡±

    ¡°It will be done,¡± Honor promised.

    ¡°As long as Belladonna won¡¯t interfere with the decision,¡± Bartholomew cut in.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Genesis nodded in agreement, sucking in a breath, before he looked at the papers scattered about the room and he came up with a plan, ¡°Let¡¯s sort through these reports into two different piles. The ones we can officially and the ones we can¡¯t do a damn thing about.¡± The last word, unofficially, drifted through the air unsaid. The trio set to work.

 Chapter 45: Dressing for Court

    ¡°Miss,¡± a voice cut through the fog in Tina¡¯s head, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡±

    ¡®Huh?¡¯ Tina thought as she peeled her eyelids back. Bright light of day shined directly into her eyes. She let out a groan and she rolled over, hiding her head under the big fluffy pillows. She tried to go back to sleep, but a nagging feeling rose up. It was another voice. There were times where this voice became the voice of reason, the voice of logic and whatever the situation called it to be. It was her inner voice. ¡®Why was there someone calling me miss?¡¯

    ¡°Miss, really,¡± the voice that woke Tina up rang out again, ¡°You slept through the Pope¡¯s arrival. It¡¯s lunch time. It¡¯s way past for you to be up, miss.¡±

    Tina¡¯s head popped up from the pillows. Her eyes opened, focusing on the owner of the voice. The owner of the voice was a woman a bit older then Tina and the way she was dressed, it didn¡¯t take a genius to see the woman was maid of a high station. The woman wore a maid uniform. The white apron extended down to her knees while the black skirt danced around the woman¡¯s ankles. The top of the maid outfit had the same color scheme, but the top apron had the traditional kitchen aprons straps looping over the woman¡¯s shoulders while the shirt had long sleeves, cupping the woman¡¯s wrists. Tina blinked at her, taking in the maid¡¯s dark hair sitting on top of her head in a bun and the light make up on her face. The uniform reminded her of the classical Victorian style she had seen in historical shows.

    ¡°About time you woken, miss,¡± the maid stated, ¡°Now, get up. The Ruling Family will be holding Court soon to welcome the last minute stragglers for the Funeral.¡± She pulled down the covers, revealing Tina¡¯s nearly nude form. ¡°I know Queen Belladonna is upset about the stragglers.¡±

    At first, Tina wanted to curl up, trying to hid the fact she had slept in her underwear. That passed as Tina let out a sigh, slipping back into the mindset she held while she was away at college for the first couple semesters and while she was at the Black Tournament. She slid to the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, listening to the woman prattled on about Queen Belladonna.

    ¡°Several of the maids who work in the Queen¡¯s Tower, already sent warning to the maids with the new families that Belladonna is furiously,¡± the woman went on, ¡°Belladonna doesn¡¯t like stragglers. I think it would be best to expected a lecture about punctuality when you are announced to the court.¡±

    ¡°Do I have announced myself to the Court?¡± Tina asked. Her voice held a bit of a whine. She didn¡¯t want to go through that, even though she didn¡¯t know what it meant to be announced.

    ¡°Oh, yes, miss,¡± the woman looked shocked that Tina would even consider otherwise, ¡°It is strongly recommended by the Ruling Family and it is to my understanding, your family¡¯s Matriarch, Lady Freya, basically ordered it.¡±

    Freya? Tina frowned then her memories of what happened and the situation she found herself came rushing back. She let out a long breath before she stood up. Her eyes roamed over the room before she turned to the maid, asking, ¡°I didn¡¯t explore the suit much last night, well, upon my arrival, so where is the restroom?¡±

    ¡°Restroom?¡± It was the maid¡¯s turn to look confused.

    ¡°Loo? Bathroom? Latrine?¡± Tina rattled off a few words she knew meant the same thing she was looking for. She didn¡¯t think she would have to deal with language barriers. However, when the word ¡®Latrine¡¯ fell from Tina¡¯s lips, the maid¡¯s face lit up in understanding.

    ¡°The Latrine is over here, miss,¡± the maid walked over to a door that Tina didn¡¯t see the few hours ago when she decided to make this suit her home base until she left. The maid opened the door. Tina walked over to it and shut the door behind her. She heard the maid gasped softly, but she didn¡¯t put much thought into the reason why.

    A few minutes later, Tina walked out to see the maid already made the bed and set out a dress for her. It was similar to the one she had wore the day before, but it was a deep purple. She gazed around the room. The maid had disappeared. She shrugged and walked over to the closet. She stepped inside and spotted her bag in the corner where she had stashed it and knelt before it. She frowned as she tried to remember if she had managed to cleaned any of her other pair of underwear she had brought with her. She dug through her bag and grabbed the extra pairs, pulling them out. She tossed over the closet floor and went through them. Most of them was dry and covered in mud. She let out a sigh. It meant she would have to wear the same pair of underwear again.

    She eyed the mud covered items as a thought accord to her. Maybe she could wash them the best she could and let them air dry. She shrugged. Now, she would just have to find some water and a large enough bowl where she could hand wash her things. She didn¡¯t want to hand wash her other clothes. She would be there all day doing that. She gathered her underwear and stepped out of the closet as the same time the bedroom door opened, allowing the maid to walk in.

    Tina noticed the other woman carried a tray of food and the smell drifted through the air. Tina¡¯s nose twitched, sniffing the scent. Her mouth watered. She immediately shallowed.

    ¡°What¡¯s that, miss,¡± the maid asked with a curious note in her voice.

    ¡°Some under things,¡± Tina explained. She didn¡¯t think it would be a bad thing if she had explained a few things. ¡°I had a bad experience with a mudslide recently and I haven¡¯t got my clothes clean from that experience, just yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± the maid ran her eyes over Tina. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are alright.¡± She paused for a moment, ¡°Even though, your back tells a different story.¡±

    Tina blinked at her, thinking for a long moment then she remembered before she replied, ¡°My back is still healing from a major misunderstanding with a tribe of- oh, what did Tristan called them? Fawns?¡±

    ¡°You ran into the non-humans,¡± the maid¡¯s eyes widened. Her eyes filled with horror and pity. There was a glint of something else that Tina couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°I¡¯m glad Sir Tristan was there to save you. The Fawns of the Dead End Forest have been known to kill any human that wonders into their territory without reason. Such horrible creatures.¡± Tina hummed in thought. It sounded like the maid was reading from a script of kind. The maid went on, ¡°I will send for a Healer later to take a look at your back, if you wish, miss. I do think we can skip the corset. That would irradiate the wounds.¡± She paused, looking at the dress on the bed.

    ¡°I do think that would be best,¡± Tina commented, ¡°I never wore a corsets before and I had no desire to see if one will fit or not.¡±

    ¡°Never?!¡± the maid gasped, looking at Tina in surprise before she took a look at the pile of dirty clothes in Tina¡¯s arms as she muttered something that Tina could have sworn it sounded like ¡®Lucky you¡¯ before she spoke up, ¡°You said you were in a mudslide. I¡¯m glad you managed to survive that.¡± When Tina nodded, she went on, ¡°Where are your clothes? I will take them down to the laundry to get them wash up.¡±

    Tina paused, debating on the choice. She asked, ¡°How long would it be before I get them back?¡±

    ¡°I figure it will be the morning before your clothes are brought back to you,¡± the maid stated, ¡°Sebastian has hired a lot of new hands and reached out to the local laundry ladies for the extra help to combat the large increase of people now staying at the castle.¡±

    Tina nodded, remembering that Sebastian was the man who escorted her to this room, in the wee hours of the morning, ¡°Alright.¡± She turned and went back to the closet. She grabbed the bag by the handle and carried it back to the main bedroom. She placed it at the foot of the bed and undid the flap before she reached into it.

    She needed to hid that scroll. Her fingers wrapped around the scroll and pulled it out. She set it aside and shoved her underwear into the main pocket before she pulled out a few other things she would be using for the day. ¡°Here. The clothes will be easier to carry in this bag.¡± She closed the flap and left the bag at the foot of the bed.

    ¡°Thank you, miss,¡± the maid nodded in agreement, ¡°I will take care of them while you are at Court.¡± Tina nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready to go to Court.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take Tina long to get dressed before the maid guided Tina to a chair by a vanity. The maid filled the silence of the room by her chatter, ¡°You have beautiful hair, Miss Valentina.¡± Tina winced at the use of her full name, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. ¡°It kinda reminds me of General Genesis¡¯ hair. Are you two related?¡± Tina didn¡¯t answered that question, but the maid ended up answering the question, ¡°Of course you are related! Silly me. The Armstrong House united their families with the marriage of Annja of House Armstrong and Bardock of House White Hall, nearly 30 years ago.¡± Tina kept her face emotionless as she did the math in her head. It made sense. She knew Genesis had to be a couple years older then herself. ¡°I meant that you could be his younger sister.¡±

    ¡°No, we are cousins,¡± Tina cut in, sitting down in the chair, ¡°Annja is my Aunt.¡± The lie came out easy, but it felt weird, off, to say her mother was her aunt.

    ¡°Oh, really!¡± the maid said, reaching over to the vanity and grabbed a brush before she started to brush Tina¡¯s hair. ¡°That makes sense. It would mean Lady Nami is your grandmother.¡± The maid didn¡¯t seem to take a breath as she went on, ¡°That is amazing. I wish I had a grandmother like that. Lady Nami was rumored to be an unique fighter, using something called Spirit Energy as a weapon. I know she tried to teach it to Merlin and Morgana while she was living here and still does when she comes for a surprise visit. That¡¯s why this room is always prepared for her, but it has been a few years since anyone has seen her. Is she still alive?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she still is,¡± Tina said, thinking about her great aunt, ¡°she has been dealing with a few issues -¡± That was the best way to describe the fact her aunt decided to take on a student and became involved the events surrounding training him and what kind of trouble he managed to stir up, ¡°-that has popped up and she hasn¡¯t been able to travel for a few years thanks to those issues.¡±

    ¡°Well, I hope she is okay,¡± the maid said, ¡°I was assigned to her while she was staying here. She is a sweet heart, but a harsh woman to her enemies. Many of the Butlers and Maids used to find excuses to be around when she and Queen Belladonna went head to head about various issues over the non-humans. Rumor has it that Belladonna has tried multiple times to banish Lady Nami from the kingdom, but Lady Nami always had the support of the Military. I think Belladonna knew if she did managed to banish Lady Nami from the Kingdom, there would be an huge uproar over the news. I remember my father - he served with the Lady while she was the Head General - saying Lady Nami had the respect of the men and they were willingly to follow her if she got banished.¡± The maid ran the brush through Tina¡¯s hair before she began to style it in one of the current fashion trends of Camelot. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I got assigned to serve the Lady Nami I understood why my father was willingly to do that.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t say a word as the Maid pulled at her hair, styling it before she pinned it into place. It was strange to hear about her Great Aunt like this. She was aware of Aunt Nami¡¯s reputation while she was visiting her in Japan and later when she was introduced to the world of demons. The impression Tina was given, Aunt Nami was a powerhouse when it came to using Spiritual Energy and she was skilled in several different forms of martial arts. She remembered how Aunt Nami woke her a few times. She resisted the urge to shudder with horror. She couldn¡¯t how opposite Aunt Nami was from her sister, Tina¡¯s grandma.

    Deciding to turn her thoughts elsewhere, Tina decided to ask about something that had been bugging her since she arrived in Camelot, ¡°What is going here in Camelot? I mean I know that the King recently has died, but besides that I don¡¯t know anything about this Kingdom. My grandmother didn¡¯t give me any knowledge to go on when she sent me here.¡±

    The maid¡¯s eyes meet Tina¡¯s eyes through the mirror before she started, ¡°Besides the King¡¯s Death, there have been a lot of changes going on.¡± The maid took a breath, going on, ¡°Our neighbors, The kingdoms of Franks and Mercy, have been gathering strength and if the rumors I have been hearing about them from the travelers and the newbies among the staff, people have gone missing. It doesn¡¯t matter if there were non-humans or not.¡±

    ¡°Is these Kingdoms friendly to the non-humans,¡± Tina asked. She had been under the impression demons and Sprites were the only non-humans existed, but after her run in with those Fawns and that tree spirit, Tina was changing her mind, fast.

    ¡°Majority, yes,¡± the maid answered, ¡°I know Franks are, but Mercy..¡± She trailed off as she walked around Tina and grabbed some closed containers sitting on the top of the vanity before she opened one to reveal a light color powder. She pulled at one of the drawers and grabbed a puff ball. ¡°Mercy has a reputation to be cruel, even to their citizens. I don¡¯t know how many horror stories I have heard about their cruelty.¡± She rubbed the puff ball into the powder before she patted it over Tina¡¯s face.

    Tina couldn¡¯t speak without a fear of breathing in some of the powder. ¡°However, the ones who managed to get away, from they say, they are the lucky ones.¡± The maid stood up and set the powder aside before she grabbed a small brush with another container with a brown reddish powder. She twisted the top off and brushed the makeup brush on the top of the powder, ¡°Close your eyes,¡± she ordered, gently. Tina did so, waiting for the maid to do her thing.

    ¡°Anyway, the Pope arrived this morning. It is the first time in a couple decades since he had visited. Most of the time, he usually visited the other kingdoms, not Camelot. Something do to with Belladonna or at least her family the last time he did visit and he never came back. I¡¯m glad he decided to visit. There hasn¡¯t been a lot of people going to the other places of worship.¡± Tina frowned at that. She had thought Camelot had been the perfect, well as perfect as a kingdom or government could get, kingdom. People had equality and lived fairly well.

    ¡°The churches and other worship places are hurting as a result. King Uther, he tried to paint the picture that he was a God-fearing man, but he was rarely seen in Church. High Queen Kalliope, however, did attend Church as well as the other Queens and Prince Arthur. Queen Belladonna wasn¡¯t afraid to hunt a person down if there were apart of the Court and question why they weren¡¯t at mass. I have seen it with my previous mistress.¡± The Maid let out a sigh as she obviously remembered the event.

    ¡°That Queen didn¡¯t care that my previous mistress became too ill to attend Church or the fact my previous mistress recently had a babe and she was still too weak to go to mass.¡± The maid¡¯s tone struck Tina one of disapproval and the red head couldn¡¯t help but wonder what cause this Queen Belladonna to be, well to put in other words, a ¡®bible-thumper¡¯.

    ¡°How many queens are there?¡± Tina asked, directing the conversation. She needed to know what she was going to be facing while she was in ¡®Court¡¯.

    ¡°Oh,¡± the maid paused, ¡°I forget the current count. I know the other living queens have came to Camelot for the Funeral, but usually there is Queen Vivien, the eldest, Queen Belladonna, she¡¯s known as the Warrior Queen, Queen Clarine, the mother of King Uther and the grandmother of Prince Arthur, and there is the High Queen Kalliope. She¡¯s the youngest of the queens and married to King Uther.¡±

    Didn¡¯t the Queens take over power after their husbands died? She had been under the impression that was how it was. Of course, her only example she could think of was the British Royalty. Nearly 10 years ago, King Charles passed away from old age and his son, Prince William, took over, even though his step-mother, Queen Consort Camilla was still alive. Tina frowned, glancing up at the Maid, asking, ¡°Why are there so many Queens?¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°The Holy Sword is part of the reason,¡± The Maid explained, ¡°Usually, when the King dies, the Holy Sword choses the Next King and most of the time, the Chosen King is already married and have kids of his own. Whoever the High Queen is at the time this transition happens, is forced to step aside for the Chosen King¡¯s Wife who becomes the High Queen. For the past 20 or so years, it has been the House of Drake that has ruled over Camelot, either through the Kingship or the King had the chance to marry one of the Princesses. As a result, not many will know that the Holy Sword has been the force to chose the next King.¡±

    Tina nodded, stating so she understood what the maid was saying, ¡°So, this Holy Sword choses the next King, no matter what kind background he comes from. If there is a princess or in this case, queen is free to marry, there is a marriage to hid the fact the,¡± the next word was hard to get out due to the fact it was a new concept for Tina, ¡°Chosen King isn¡¯t of royal blood.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the maid beamed at Tina.

    ¡°And if the Chosen King is already married with kids, there is a good chance that the House of Drake could easily say that there were distinctly related to allow a peaceful transition,¡± Tina went on. The maid nodded before Tina brought up the question, ¡°There is a Prince of the Royal Family, correct?¡± The maid hummed. ¡°Has he already tried to pull the Holy Sword out?¡±

    The maid let out a deep sigh before she launched into an explanation, ¡°Yes, Prince Arthur already announced he wasn¡¯t Chosen by the Holy Sword and will be stepping aside for the Chosen King to take over. Until the Holy Sword choses, he will be the Acting King.¡±

    ¡°What if the Holy Sword doesn¡¯t choose a king,¡± Tina asked. She watched as a dark cloud entered the maid¡¯s eyes and stayed there. The maid¡¯s face became guarded. She straightened up. The atmosphere in the room changed. Apparently, Tina had finally came across a hard topic.

    ¡°You are ready to attend Court, Miss,¡± the maid announced, peering down her nose, ¡°Since this is your first time at Camelot, I will summon a Butler to escort you to the Seasonal Throne Room to be introduced to the Court.¡±

    Tina blinked as the maid set the brushes on the vanity top and spun on her heel. She walked, stiffly over to the bedroom door and disappeared out of it, leaving Tina alone in the room, wondering what did she do to get that kind of reaction of the maid. She waited a heartbeat, frowning after the maid before she stood up and slipped on her boots, thankful the dress was long enough to hide the fact she was wearing her hiking boots instead another pair of shoes. She walked over to the bed where the scroll lay. She grabbed it and slipped into her bodice. She would hid it later when there wasn¡¯t a chance that the maid would return with her escort.

    Tristan let out a sigh as he hurried through the halls. He should have known there would be a summons to Court. There were late stragglers arriving when the Ruling Welcoming party was in the process of leaving the castle grounds, heading down to the dock to welcome the Pope and his party to the Kingdom. He couldn¡¯t believe the person who decide to put the summons waited as long as they did. Belladonna probably did it as a way to show that she was in power while they weren¡¯t. He shook his head.

    Whatever the reason was, it didn¡¯t matter to him. He knew he still need to deliver his report to the Ruling Family about what had happened in the Dead End Forest. Hopefully, he would be able to do it soon, instead of waiting until after the funeral. Those humanoid creatures Youkai as Tina called the wolfish non-human seemed a lot more dangerous then the average non-human. If they decided to set their eyes on the Kingdom, Tristan doubt there would be much the forces of Camelot would be able to do against them. He still remembered how that wolf humanoid moved through the air like it was nothing.

    He spotted the Court Announcer getting into place outside of the Seasonal Throne Room as a line of House Representatives formed down the Knighted Hall. He nodded at the Court Announcer and walked into the throne room. His eyes roamed over the room.

    The Queens were settling down into their respectful places in the line of the Queen Chairs while a couple chairs were placed on the other side of the empty King throne. A man, Tristan assumed he was the Pope from the way he was dressed in white, shuffled into place, sitting two chairs down from the empty King¡¯s Throne. Two more men Tristan never seen before sat in the empty chairs on either side of the Pope.

    One of them he recognized from the long white tunic and the red cross on his front informing everyone that he was a Paladin. The fact he sat next to the Pope also informed Tristan it was High Lord Paladin Peter. That meant the other man in the simple brown robe of a Christan brother was High Lord Bishop John.

    Tristan didn¡¯t think he would see the trio until the funeral in the morning or that night at the evening mass. He frowned, thinking about what that would mean. He spotted the Prince as he strolled behind the Queen¡¯s Chairs to the empty chair to the left of the King¡¯s Throne, settling down beside High Lord Bishop John. Tristan caught Arthur¡¯s eye and nodded in his direction.

    Arthur nodded back and brought up a hand, jerking a thumb behind him. Tristan made his away toward Arthur and slipped between the King¡¯s Throne and the Prince¡¯s Throne before he turned and stood a foot behind Arthur¡¯s left shoulder. Lancelot appeared a few moments later, standing three feet to Tristan¡¯s right, hovering behind Arthur¡¯s right shoulder.

    High Queen Kalliope entered the Seasonal Throne Room, calmly, walking to her throne. Tristan watched as Sir Jack stepped forward, walking down the stairs of the raised platform, holding out a hand for the High Queen. Kalliope sent Sir Jack a smile before she reached out and took the offered hand, stepping up the stairs.

    Sir Jack escorted the High Queen to her Throne. She turned, facing the gathered Court and announced, ¡°Thank you, all, for coming to Court. Before we address any issues that doesn¡¯t require the presence of a King, we will welcome the late stragglers to Court.¡± She paused. ¡°Court Announcer, would you please do the honors of announcing the late comers?¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my queen,¡± the Court Announcer bowed from his position by the Throne doors. He disappeared out of the room as Kalliope settled into her chair and waited. The Court Announcer appeared a moment later and announced in a strong voice that bounced off the walls, ¡°Announcing Lord Denise of House Wincaster, Heir of the Wincaster House, First of his name.¡±

    Lord Denis of House Wincaster stepped into the Seasonal Throne Room and strolled toward the raised platform where the Ruling Family and their guests sat. Tristan let out a sigh. Court had began. It was going to be a long day. He returned his attention to Lord Denis.

    The approaching Lord was a tall man with blond hair that curled around his ears. His shimmering blue eyes stared straight ahead, at the High Queen. He wore what was appropriate for meeting the Royal Ruling Family.

    At least, Tristan thought it was. He knew some of the Families did go all out for attending Court. He could have sworn a few times, he was heading to a wedding or Church with some of the ladies dressed. Speaking of them, he could hear a few of them cooing how beautiful Lord Denis¡¯ eyes were, a couple of them wondered in soft tones if he was in a marriage contract yet or not, and a group of the court ladies commented about some sort of scandal Lord Denis was rumored to be apart of. It was rather tedious.

    He hoped he would get some entertainment soon. He felt his attention roam through the room. He frowned when he saw two of the Generals, standing with their houses. He was sure General Genesis was required to be attending Court as well since they would have to report on several issues involving the upcoming ceremony. If Genesis was running late or forgot about the Court session, Tristan would be getting some entertainment. Only problem was it was the kind no body would enjoy watching.

    Genesis entered the White Hall Wing and spotted the mysterious Lady of House Armstrong coming out of her suit, being escort by one of the Camelot Butlers. He stopped. He frowned, staring at the Lady Armstrong, thinking about something. He knew that Reno was saying that the Lady was his missing sister, Valentina, but Genesis couldn¡¯t put his entire attention on the issue, despite the fact he should. It was a family matter, after all.

    However, he couldn¡¯t right now. There was too much riding on his shoulders - the family matters here in at the heart of the kingdom, keeping his men in line for the funeral, and now, the fact he was trying to reaching into the dark for extra help where the Kingdom couldn¡¯t provide such help.

    Genesis already planned to ask his cousin, Remus, to help out, but why not hit two birds with one stone, he mused. He knew he had to make his decision soon. Lady Armstrong was quickly approaching him and the stairs behind him. Their eyes met. Her eyes held a curious and worried glint in them. He made his decision.

    He stepped forward, into Lady Armstrong and her escort¡¯s path. The Butler paused. The General spoke, ¡°Lady Armstrong, how are you finding Camelot so far?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to explore the castle much, sir,¡± She spoke in an even polite tone, ¡°But the people have been pleasant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± Genesis replied, ¡°May I ask where you are going?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, to Court,¡± Lady Armstrong said in a cheery tone that didn¡¯t match her eyes. Her eyes screamed something at him. ¡°According to my maid, I am supposed to announced myself to the Court, by the order of our Family Matriarch and the Court.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Genesis frowned. He remembered how she announced herself to him that morning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask, but I don¡¯t know when you arrived.¡± He paused as he realized he would have to make appearance at Court, as well. He had forgotten that he was required to give a report in front of the entire Court. How did his father managed to keep all of his duties straight while he was living in Camelot? He resisted the urge to sigh, shut his eyes, and rub the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°Late last night,¡± She replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be appointed for me to wake you to up to announced that I had arrived.¡± Her lips twitched. ¡°Until you decided to wake everyone in our wing with a Bang.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ eyes narrowed at her. She responded by widening her eyes, giving him an innocent look. He turned to the butler, saying, ¡°Thank you for your attempt to escort the Lady Armstrong to the Seasonal Throne Room, but I think this requires someone of more higher standing escort this¡­¡± he paused, taking his time to look over Lady Armstrong.

    She wore a deep purple dress that hugged her form, modestly compared to what the other ladies of the court wore. It was somewhat refreshing to see a woman deciding to hid certain parts of her instead trying to broadcast her desires. She raised an eyebrow at him when he glanced at her face. His heart skipped a beat once he realized he didn¡¯t finished his statement. He quickly finished his thought, ¡°Hellion.¡±

    ¡°Hellion?¡± Lady Armstrong echoed, raising her eyebrows, ¡°I prefer the term ¡®Sassy¡¯.¡±

    Genesis snorted, but kept his mouth shut. If he replied to that, they would be there all day, discussing the difference between the term of ¡®Sassy¡¯ and ¡®Hellion¡¯. He offered her his arm. She slipped from the Butler¡¯s arm and took his. He led her away from the White Hall Wing, leading her to the Seasonal Throne Room.

    ¡°So, I heard you are a General,¡± Lady Armstrong started. He felt her gaze on him.

    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Genesis didn¡¯t fight the surge of pride rush through him as he puffed his chest, ¡°One of the youngest to achieve the rank.¡±

    ¡°I bet your family is proud,¡± she commented, a prideful smile played at her lips.

    ¡°Yes, they are,¡± He replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know how my mother or my sister would react to the news.¡±

    ¡°How come?¡± She quipped as he walked her through the various hallways, and down the stair cases, following a route he knew, entering the hallway leading to the Seasonal Throne Room. It was lined with statues of the Original Knights of the Round Table. It was something to behold, no matter how many times he had to walk down this hallway.

    ¡°My mother and sister had to leave when I was young,¡± Genesis stated, ¡°Before you ask, I barely remember the reason why. It was protect my sister from something. I don¡¯t know what.¡± Lady Armstrong nodded in understanding. ¡°I did see my mother just before I left to become a squire for a knighted family member. She didn¡¯t stay long, citing that my sister still needed her where they were staying at and didn¡¯t know when the next time she would be able to return home.¡±

    He glanced down at the Lady on his arm. She didn¡¯t cling to it like the other women he had escorted around the castle or to a political event where he needed to bring a date. ¡°She claimed my sister was doing well and was excelling at what she wanted to do. That upset my grandmother to no end.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lady Armstrong asked.

    Genesis laughed, slightly, remembering what happened, ¡°Yes. My grandmother is a fright to deal with on a normal day, but once she heard that my sister was excelling at Archery and other boyish activities, grandmother had demanded mother to bring my sister back where she could learn to be a proper lady and the proper mannerism to attract a suitable husband.¡±

    Lady Armstrong gave him a wide eyed wild look. ¡°Mother said no and refused to let grandmother know my sister¡¯s location until mother announced she would have to stay much longer then she thought she would. She was pageant with my youngest sisters, Natasha and Natalie.¡±

    The woman on his arm sucked in a breath. Her gaze shifted away from him as she turned her face away from his questioning gaze. He was about to ask what was wrong when she asked, ¡°What is your missing sister¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Valentina Marie White Hall,¡± Genesis stated, ¡°She prefers to called Tina by her loved ones.¡± He paused, before he asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Curiosity,¡± she replied in an even tone. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. ¡°I shared her name.¡± She said. Genesis¡¯ heart skipped a beat as silence fell between them. He resisted the urge to study the woman on his arm. However, she did shared the same shade of red head as him and several of his cousins, marking her a member of the White Hall family at least. ¡°Anyway,¡± she turned her face to him. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know the castle like the back of your hand. Perhaps you could show me around, sometime, dear cousin.¡±

    Genesis smiled at her, ¡°It would be my honor, Lady Armstrong, but this is where we part ways.¡± He watched as fear crossed her eyes before it disappeared. He went on, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lady, I will in the Seasonal Throne Room as well. I have to give a report over the security measures to the Ruling Family and listen to the other reports. I heard there is a list of them.¡± Lady Armstrong nodded. ¡°I will be on the left side of the room with the rest of my cousins. We are grouped together by Ancient and Nobles Houses. I won¡¯t be hard to find.¡±

    The Lady of the Armstrong Vessel House took a deep breath and let it out, saying, ¡°Alright.¡±

    Genesis dropped his arm and walked past the Count Announcer, ignoring him. The room was already packed. He didn¡¯t need to go through the announcing process. He strolled over to where he had spotted Remus, Rosemary, and Jacob. He nodded at Reno who stood a few feet away from his cousins.

    His eyes roamed over the room. Honor stood with his Ancient and Noble House Representative on the opposite side of the room. He still couldn¡¯t believe that Honor¡¯s House was a vessel house to the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Zack, Honor¡¯s second, stood several feet away from Genesis¡¯ cousins with his Ancient and Noble House representative. Bartholomew and his second were apart of the same House, being cousins, so it didn¡¯t come to a surprise to Genesis to see them standing together in another part of the long throne room.

    ¡°Good morning, Lady Rosemary,¡± Genesis commented, ¡°You look lovely today.¡± He turned his attention to Remus and Jacob. He nodded at them. They returned the greeting.

    ¡°Morning, General, and thank you,¡± Rosemary said, ¡°I must say I didn¡¯t think you would be a gentleman and escort a Lady to Court. Who is she?¡±

    Genesis wanted to groan. He hoped Rosemary wouldn¡¯t try to set him up with Lady Armstrong. According to her, she was his cousin through his mother¡¯s side of the family, first cousin, if he recalled the familial lessons.

    He answered Rosemary, ¡°You will see when she is announced.¡± He turned his attention to Remus, ¡°Hey, Remus, could you swing by the Family Office after we are done here? I need to talk to you about something, privately.¡±

    Remus frowned, but nodded. They turned their attention back to the room as Lady Valentina stepped up to the Court Announcer. Genesis glanced behind her and winced. She was the last one to show up. He glanced over at Queen Belladonna. She looked furious. This was going to be a long and painful Court session.

    Lord James Black nodded at a random lady of the court as she started talking to him. He gave her a polite smile, but ignore her words. It was one of the few things he hated about attending Court. The mindless small talk, the false smiles, and the two-face people. It was all the same, every time he attended.

    He resisted the urge to sigh. He knew he should have stayed at home, at the Noir Estate. He wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the annoying Court things. However, his cousin, King Uther, died and it was out of family obligations he had to attend the Mourning Dinner and the Funeral. He knew his Great Aunt also wanted him to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath or at this point, would it be in the rock that the battle mage created over a thousand years ago?

    He nodded at another lady of the court. He wondered if this Lady was also looking for a husband. It was a common thing. A Lady only attended court to find a husband or increase her status somehow. He couldn¡¯t blame them. The ladies didn¡¯t have much freedom to marry who they love when their husband was chosen for them by their fathers or brothers. The only thing they could hope was to influence the possible outcome.

    He directed his thoughts back to the lady who looked at him. He hoped her gaze didn¡¯t land on him for very long. James didn¡¯t have the time to properly court a Lady nor the time to create a family. He had too many things to change at the Noir Estate since he had become Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

    He tried not to think of the list he had created in his rooms. It was at least two feet long and growing. Hopefully, he would be able to start changing things in the family for the better, soon. Only then, he could start looking for a lady worthy to be his wife and create that family he dreamed of having one day.

    Lord Black glanced up at the doorway. His lips parted. His eyes widened. There walking through the doorway to the Seasonal Throne Room was the same woman who caught his attention early that morning, walking toward the kitchen, wearing a black cloak. Now, she wore a dress deep purple. She looked surprise by something, but she schooled her expression to hid her shock. Her eyes held the shock she tried to from her face as they darted over the walls, taking in the art work of the seasons.

    He hummed, softly. The mysterious lady was beautiful. Her red hair was done in the latest court style, staying out of her face. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity once she got over her shock. This had to be her first time at the Court of Camelot. He gapped, softly, as her name rang out through the Season Throne Room. She was an Armstrong.

    He knew it had been a long time since there was an Armstrong walking these castle walls. His Great Aunt used to complain about a Nami Armstrong and a Sakura Armstrong, breaking the social norms and trying to join the Military when she was the High Queen. Eventually, there was an Armstrong who became General. James didn¡¯t remember which one it was, though. The General Armstrong stayed around for a long while before she disappeared one night, roughly 20 years ago.

    He turned his gaze up at Aunt Bella. She looked calm, but her eyes betrayed her. They were flashing with anger. James immediately felt sorry for this Lady Armstrong. She was in for it now. He really hoped she could stand up against his Aunt¡¯s rage.

 Chapter 46: Seasonal Throne Room

    Taking a deep breath, Tina glanced into the Seasonal Throne Room as Genesis walked away, disappearing into the crowd. So, that was her - possible - older brother. She cocked her head to the side. He seemed stressed about something. She blinked, pushing away anymore thoughts involving her father¡¯s family. She turned to the Court Announcer.

    ¡°May I ask you for you name and house, my lady,¡± the Court Announcer addressed her. Tina gave him a gentle smile and informed him of her name and house. He nodded, asking ¡°Are you first of your name?¡± She frowned and nodded.  She watched he stepped into the Throne Room, calling out in a strong, loud voice, ¡°Lady Valentina of House Armstrong, First of her name.¡±

    Tina took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she stepped forward into the throne room. Her eyes roamed over the large room. It had to be at least two football fields long and probably a football field wide. She briefly wondered if that was normal for a throne room. She remembered her conversation from earlier that morning with Sanji and Sebastian.

    This Throne Room was probably a renovation from a medieval version. She didn¡¯t know if the one in the Buckingham Palace was this large or not. She made a mentally note about trying to get over London after her returned home for a visit and possible tour of the Palace. It would be amazing to compare the two Throne Rooms. She saw the walls of the room and it took all of her willpower not to stop and gawk at the masterful art on the walls.

    Focusing on the far end of the room, Tina tried to ignore the curious eyes of the various lords and ladies of the court as she strolled toward the woman at the far end of the room, sitting in the really high backed chairs. She focused on her breathing, trying to keep it even. She remembered when she was in Japan for that blasted Tournament, her great aunt had made the comment about controlling her external reactions, ¡®Your enemies can tell if you are nervous or angry. Don¡¯t let see them your external reactions. They will use them against you.¡¯

    Tina schooled her expression into a pleasant smile and tried to relax her shoulders. Her back ached as she fought against the tension she felt. It still ached when she was able to relax her shoulders. As she walked toward the women in the High back chairs, she studied the woman on the far right.

    She was old, reminding Tina of a grandma figure. She had snow white hair with tired sky blue eyes. She wore a white dress. The dress similar to what the Queen of England wore when a USA president visited, back in the 2020¡¯s, a few months before she died. The eldest women studied Tina with a critical eye.

    Tina looked at the next woman. This woman had black hair, styled in a way that reminded her of a Viking warrior. Her angry gray eyes pinned Tina in place, giving the red head young woman the impression that this woman didn¡¯t approve of her for some reason. She wore an outfit almost outlandish, compare to the other women¡¯s dresses. It was a warrior style grab for a Viking woman, preparing to off to war. It was interesting choice.

    There were a group of women standing behind the chairs. They looked extremely well dressed. A quick glance at their hair. They were all wore simple crowns.

    Tina wondered if they were princesses, but when she looked at their faces as she approached, she doubted. They looked older then the woman sitting on the  far end of the left side. They stared at her with emotionless faces.

    The next sitting woman was an older woman. She looked a few shades lighter then her skin color, like she was sick or had been under a lot of stress, recently. Her golden hair was styled out of her face with a few strands framing it. Her dark hazel eyes didn¡¯t hold any emotion as she stared ahead.

    The middle chair, set a few feet ahead of the rest of the chairs, sat a young looking woman. She could a few years older then Tina, but she could be wrong. Tina was aware of how some women investing in beauty products to make themselves look younger then they were.

    However, the crown sitting on her head was tall and large, indicating she was more important then the rest of the women wearing crowns. From what Tina knew of what was going on, this woman might be the current Queen. This Queen wore a dress that Tina would have normally raised her eyebrows at. It was cut low, revealing the center of her boobs, squeezed together, before the V of the dress came together. She resisted the urge to hum. The Queen was already looking for a new husband.

    Tina¡¯s eyes slid to the left to what should have been an empty throne, but a young man sat in it, staring at her with a pair of piecing blue eyes. He had to be around her age. His dirty blond hair was held down by a simple crown. He wore an outfit suitable for a prince with golden buttons and rich colored clothing. He slouched in the chair like he didn¡¯t want to be there.

    A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced up and almost paused as she walked to the bottom of the raised platform. Tristan stood behind the row of chairs. He looked relieved to see her. She blinked as she watched as his shoulders relaxed.

    Tina¡¯s eyes settled back onto the middle pair of chairs where the youngest looking queen sat. Tina stopped a few feet away from the bottom step and curtsied to the Queen, saying in a loud voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my lateness, Your highness, and I¡¯m sorry for your lose. I didn¡¯t hear of the passing of your husband, the late King, until I arrived in the lower town, late last night. I have been busy, traveling the countryside for a while now.¡± She stood straight and looked the Queen straight in the eye. Mutters broke out around the court as Tina went on, ¡°If I can any service to you or your family, please, let me know, during your time of mourning. If it is within my power, I will see it done.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lady Valentina,¡± the youngest queen sent her a grateful smile, however, a surprise gleamed in her eyes. ¡°Is this your first time to our Court?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is, my lady,¡± Tina replied. Her hands folded in front of her skirt. She tried to stand straight and not fidget under their gazes.

    ¡°Then Welcome to the Court of Camelot,¡± the youngest looking Queen went on. ¡°Please, join the rest of the representatives of the House White Hall.¡± The queen waved toward Tina¡¯s left. Tina¡¯s eyes darted to the left and saw Remus standing on the edge of the crowd. Genesis stood several feet behind him.

    ¡°Wait!¡± someone called out from the right side of the room. Heads turned to see one of the older Queens standing up. She asked, ¡°Why did you wait so long to announced yourself when you should have announced last night when you arrived, Lady Armstrong?¡±

    Tina blinked. It was the warrior looking queen who spoke and the tone she had used when she addressed the red head woman informed her that this queen didn¡¯t approved of something. Tina glanced at the youngest looking queen. The Queen let out a sigh and nodded. Tina smiled, softly, at the warrior queen, explaining, ¡°So, you would preferred to woken up at the crack ass of dawn when it is obvious that you need your beauty rest?¡±

    Tina¡¯s smile transformed into a smirk as gasps echoed around the room. There was a loud snort of laughter coming from her left, but it quickly covered by a loud cough. Mutters followed. ¡°If you really wanted to be woken up at the crack ass of dawn, I will make sure to do the next time I visit Camelot.¡± The Warrior Queen¡¯s expression froze, staring Tina. ¡°If you really desire it, I would be more then happy to also announced when I will be leaving, the day after tomorrow. Though, I should warn you, your highness, it probably will be at the crack ass of dawn as well. I have plenty of exploring to do before I head home.¡± She curtsied, again, saying, ¡°By your leave.¡± She twisted, causing her skirts to fly out behind her as she faced Remus and strolled over to him.

    Remus stepped forward and held out his left arm. Tina slipped her right arm around his arm. He led her through the crowd to where another red head woman stood with an wide eyed expression and a strawberry blond man with amused brown eyes stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Tina grinned, brightly at them. However, she heard the various voices around her muttered about her short conversation with the Warrior Queen.

    ¡°Lady Valentina, this is Lady Rosemary of House White Hall, heiress of the Clover Manor, a vessel House of the White Hall,¡± Remus gestured to the other red head woman before he turned the other man with them, ¡°And this is Lord Jacob of House White Hall, a vessel House of the White Hall, Heir of the Morning Gale Estate.¡±

    ¡°Please to meet you, Lady Rosemary, Lord Jacob,¡± Tina greeted them. She glanced at Genesis. He sent her a smirk of amusement.

    ¡°Call me Rose,¡± Rosemary stated, ¡°We are cousins, after all.¡±

    ¡°Drop the Lord title,¡± Jacob said, ¡°You know how to rock the boat, Lady Valentina.¡±

    ¡°Only if you drop the lady title with me, Jacob,¡± Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed in a playful manner, ¡°And please call me, Tina.¡± Her eyes, relaxing, darted between her newly discovered cousins, ¡°And rocking the boat, someone has to. Even during these hard times.¡±

    ¡°I think the name you should be using is Hellion,¡± Genesis cut in.

    ¡°I prefer ¡®Sassy¡¯, Genny,¡± Tina shot back with a pair of narrowed eyes and a playful smirk.

    ¡°It¡¯s called using tactic, dear cousin,¡± Remus said, turning the conversation back Tina¡¯s actions, ¡°Apparently, you have none.¡±

    Tina glanced up at Remus. The gleam in his eyes informed he was playing. She gasped, ¡°I have no clue what you are talking about, cousin. I have plenty of tactic. I mean I didn¡¯t come out and say that she was being unreasonable after all with her request that I should have announcement myself upon my arrival. At least, I waited until a decent time to do  it instead of crack ass of dawn.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Jacob agreed, smirking ¡°However, your uncouthly comments have earned you Queen Belladonna¡¯s wrath.¡±

    ¡°Now, you have to point out who this Queen Belladonna is,¡± Tina said, ¡°I have no clue what she looks like.¡±

    Rosemary grabbed Tina¡¯s shoulders and forced her around to face the Queens, whispering, ¡°The Warrior looking queen.¡±

    Tina spotted the Warrior Queen. The Queen in question stared at her with a dark expression. Resisting the urge to wave at the Warrior Queen, Tina whispered toward Rosemary, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same one I talked about visiting her at the crack ass of dawn?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rosemary said then she giggled, ¡°Oh, be glad that Lady Freya isn¡¯t here. She would be very crossed that you used such un-lady like language in Court.¡±

    ¡°General Genesis, General Honor, General Bartholomew, please give your reports about the security measures for the funeral,¡± the youngest queen called out.

    ¡°Excuse me, ladies, but that is my cue,¡± Genesis muttered to Tina and Rosemary before he pushed past them. Tina¡¯s heart thundered in her chest as she glanced up toward the empty high back throne and the blond prince sat, seeing Tristan standing between the thrones. The knight gave her a point stare. She blinked, innocently at him before she turned to Rosemary.

    ¡°So, since this is my first time at Court, could you give me a run down on who is who, Rose?¡± Tina whispered as Genesis meet two other men at the position Tina had left a few moments ago.

    Rose frowned at Tina, saying ¡°I think I know what you mean by run down, dear cousin. Where do you want to start?¡±

    ¡°Who are them, the women sitting in the thrones?¡± Tina waved her finger at the women.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± Genesis launched into what kind of security measures the Military has in placed.

    ¡°The youngest queen, in the middle, is the High Queen Kalliope,¡± Rosemary whispered in her ear, ¡°She will remain in the High Queen until the next Chosen King takes the throne where she will either be forced out of the position by a new Queen or marry the Chosen King.¡±

    Tina frowned, thinking. She had thought the position of Queen was for life. She knew Queen Elizabeth had been crowned Queen of England long before Tina was born, in fact it was probably during the 60¡¯s, but the Queen hasn¡¯t given up her title of Queen because her husband died. She turned to Rosemary and stated in similar words about that. Rosemary nodded in understanding where Tina was coming from, ¡°Usually, it happens like that. However, Camelot is different. The Kingdom has always been ruled by a King, not a queen, no matter what, all thanks to Merlin. According to the rumor, at least.¡±

    ¡°So, there is a spell on what?¡± Tina glanced toward Rosemary.

    ¡°The Holy Sword,¡± the other woman stated. Tina blinked at her cousin. She filed that away. She started to want to see this Holy Sword.

    ¡°Why is Merlin¡¯s fault?¡± Tina cocked her head to the side. Her eyes darted toward her older brother, she couldn¡¯t believe she was acknowledging Genesis as her older brother, as he continued to give his report over the various security measures. She briefly wondered if he knew that giving his report in front of this many people was a security risk, itself. There could be an agent of Camelot¡¯s forces hiding among the members of the Court.

    Rosemary whispered into Tina¡¯s ear, pulling the red head woman¡¯s attention back to her, ¡°Merlin was the one who casted the spell on the Holy Sword upon the First King Arthur¡¯s request. There have many rumors about the reason why Arthur had ordered that spell to be casted again. One of the rumors was that Arthur¡¯s Queen was not faithful to him and bare one of the Knights a heir, instead of the King.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Tina nodded with that logic. She knew a ¡®bastard¡¯ child would cause all kinds of problem, ranging from a simple misunderstanding about who would inherit the throne to extortion in all forms. She knew that from the various history classes, lectures session, and personal talks with a few members of youkai royalty. She shuddered, remembering how the Youkai Royalty took care of the bastard children.

    ¡°Another one, Arthur told Merlin to do to prevent his Queen from being taken advantage of,¡± Rosemary went on, ¡°Like I said, there are many rumors about the reason Merlin had been ordered to do it. Either way, the commoners basically have been told over the years that the previous King was relative of the new King or the Queen decided to the New King in an effect to keep Camelot from falling in to Chaos.¡±

    Tina nodded. She understood the reason why the Ruling Family did that. They had to not only protect their image, but they were charged to protect the people of Camelot. She blinked, feeling someone¡¯s eyes on her. She slowly turned her head to the right, trying to figure out who was staring at her. She expanded her spiritual awareness as she physical looked for the person.

    Her eyes ran over the various faces. All of the faces she was able to see had their eyes on Genesis and the two Generals informing the Ruling Family about the security measures. She turned her head, slowly to the left. From what she was able to sense, the person in question was on Tina¡¯s left. She frowned as she managed to narrow it down to a couple people, sitting in the line of chairs.

    She broke out in a cold sweat. They were powerful. She guesstimated, on the Youkai Energy scale, they were an easy high A class or Low S class. Her eyes scanned over the various Queens. A few of them looked bored out of their minds while a couple looked interested in the topic of security.

    The High Queen nodded at what Genesis was talking about. Her eyes went over Tristan, the prince, the knights standing guards, before traveling over the Church Brother, the Pope, the Templer, then her eyes landed on the couple she sensed. A man and a woman sat at the end of the line of chairs.

    They lend toward each other, whispering softly about a subject that caught their attention, however, the fact they haven¡¯t stopped watching Tina for the past few minutes inform the foreigner that they were talking about her. From the kind of energies they radiated, they were at least half human, and half something else. Tina never felt that kind of energy before.

    Tina pushed that away to think about it later and turned her thoughts back this so called Holy Sword and its choosing element. She turned back to Rosemary and stated, ¡°Except for 20 years ago when the Kingdom didn¡¯t have a king for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rosemary nodded. ¡°All of us still remember that time. I was just a little girl. Most of the younger Knights became Knights to avoid facing that time again.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. Nearly everyone she had ran across had the same reaction - they didn¡¯t want to face a time without a leader again, due to the uncertainly of the Kingdom continuing and their enemies marching up to the door. She was sure not a single family who called Camelot home was unaffected by what happen during that time. Rosemary, however, commented, ¡°Merlin and Morgana are watching us.¡±

    Tina saw Remus and Jacob turned their heads enough to see what Rosemary had said was true or not. Tina said, with a frown, ¡°They have been for the last few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Wonder why,¡± Jacob muttered for the cousins to hear.

    ¡°They are probably just as curious as the rest of the Court,¡± Tina stated, closing her eyes, ¡°About the Mysterious Lady Armstrong.¡± A playful smile crossed her lips.

    Remus chuckled. His eyes darted to Tina, commented, ¡°Well, it is not everyday we see someone willingly to verbally spar with the Warrior Queen.¡±

    Tina smirked, ¡°Then they want to see me on a bad day.¡± She turned her gaze toward the trio of men standing in the center of the room. ¡°They would blush like virgins on their wedding night.¡± Her eyes darted up to Remus and winked. Remus¡¯ eyes widen in amusement and his shoulders shook. Rosemary let out a soft gasp and slapped Tina¡¯s arm, gently. Jacob¡¯s lips twitched into an amusement smirk.

    ¡°Behave, Tina,¡± Rosemary chided the red head woman.

    Tina sent her a scandalous look and commented in horrified tone, ¡°Behave? Me? No!¡± She waved her hand through the air, going on, ¡°I like causing mischief and chaos everywhere I go.¡±

    Rosemary giggled, behind her hand, ¡°Tell me, how long are you planning to stay in Camelot?¡±

    Tina frowned, thinking, ¡°I will be leaving probably the day after tomorrow or the following day. I want to see the Funeral and this whole ordeal over the Holy Sword.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Thank you, Generals,¡± The High Queen spoke with a note of finality. ¡°Sir Tristan, what were you able to find on your quest for a Cure?¡±

    Tina watched from the corner of her eye as Tristan left his position behind the blond prince and strolled to the place where the Generals vacated. Surprise darted through her as she watched the Knight move. She hummed. Her eyes switched from the man she had traveled with to her brother and saw the worry flashing through his eyes as he approached the White Hall family. However, the worried look disappeared as soon as he joined them.

    Remus lend toward Genesis, commenting, ¡°Well, the Noir Queen didn¡¯t chew you up for the security measures.¡±

    ¡°Yet,¡± Genesis replied. His tone was weary, like he was used to reporting and dealing with this Noir Queen. Tina glanced up at the line of the women and spotted the Viking looking woman. She would have to agree with them when addressing this Queen. She did look like a Black Queen with the way she was dressed.

    ¡°Your majesties,¡± Tristan started with a bow toward the Ruling Family, ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t find anything related to a possible cure for the curse.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyebrows raised at that. A Curse? Things were starting to look more interesting by the moment, beside the fact she possible found her father¡¯s side of the family. She started to turn to Rosemary, intending to ask about this curse when Genesis placed a hand on her left shoulder.

    She paused, looking up at him. He stepped closer and lend toward her ear, whispering in a low voice, ¡°The curse Sir Tristan is talking about is the one placed on the Holy Sword by the Death Mage Rowena over 1500 years ago and it kills the King after 10 years of sitting on the Throne.¡±

    Tina frowned, thinking. It meant the King - King Uther, if she remembered correctly - was chosen about 10 years ago and the Kingless Kingdom Era was about 20 years ago. She spoke, ¡°Assuming nothing happen to the King in question to cause another causing in during that 10 year period.¡±

    Genesis nodded and went on, ¡°The Magi - Merlin and Morgana - have tried to break the curse throughout the years, but they haven¡¯t had any luck on the subject.¡±

    ¡°And Camelot needs a Chosen King or face another time without a king and the risk of being destroyed by outside forces,¡± Tina added.

    ¡°And inside forces,¡± Genesis finished. Tina stared at him from the corner of her eye for a long moment, thinking about what he just said. There have been inside forces working against the Throne or desiring to take it for themselves?

    ¡°Talk about the Game of Thrones,¡± She muttered, thinking about the show. It showed an unique fantasy concept of how people who wanted power tried to keep it when they had it. She knew the concept of the title wasn¡¯t limited to the story. History had prove that. It was a game that nearly of the royal family played during the middle ages. One war came to mind - the War of the Roses. It was a huge family feud from what she remembered learning.

    The concept of the game had changed since the middle ages. It changed when the colonies before they had became the United States went to war with the King of England then it was every 4 year cycle.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Genesis agreed, ¡°I am planning to get in on that Game.¡± Tina¡¯s heart jumped as she registered those words.

    Her chest tightened in response. Her thoughts darted through the various possibilities of that action, all the infamous ¡®What-ifs¡¯. Her breath caught in her throat. Her body tensed. A flash of pain danced through her body, harshly. She hissed through clenched teeth. Her vision darked around the edges.

    Genesis¡¯ hand slipped from her shoulder to her upper arm. She lend against him, trying to catch her breath, her head on his upper arm. Her eyes darted. She spotted her cousins watching her with worried expressions. One of the magi, Merlin Tina guessed, straightened in his chair as Morgana¡¯s eyes narrowed.  Genesis¡¯ voice held concern in it as he spoke, ¡°Are you alright, cousin?¡±

    ¡°As well as I can be with an injured back,¡± She acknowledged.

    ¡°An injured back?¡± Genesis asked. She nodded before she pointed at her ear then at Tristan.

    ¡°I was captured by a village of Fawns on my way back to the Castle,¡± Tristan started to explain, ¡°However, I managed to escape with the help of a strange woman. It was thanks to her that the village was destroyed. She fired an flaming arrow at a shipment of black powder causing it to explode.¡±

    ¡°They had a shipment of black powder?¡± Belladonna asked, ¡°How did they get it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, my lady, but I did run across another group of non-humans,¡± Tristan said, ¡°This strange Lady called them Youkai. She didn¡¯t give an explanation on the Youkai, but the one we did encounter had animal like features - a tail of a canine, pointed ears like an elf, and speed of a centaur. I¡¯m sure if this lady would have gave me more information on these Youkai if I ever ran into her again.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s talking about me,¡± Tina whispered, ¡°I will explain later, Genesis.¡±

    ¡°General Genesis, General Honor, General Bartholomew,¡± Belladonna snapped out harshly.Tina took a deep breath and straightened as Genesis squeezed her arm in silent acknowledgment on what she said before he stepped through the crowd and joined Tristan in the middle of the area before the steps leading to the Ruling Family.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report us about the missing shipment of Black Powder?¡± The Warrior Queen asked in cold tone.

    ¡°Forgive us, your highness,¡± Genesis bowed toward the Ruling Family as he acted the spoke person for the three generals, ¡°I did not think it would appropriate to bring up any type of issues with the Ruling Family during your -¡±

    ¡°Did not think? I think it is quiet obviously you did not think,¡± Belladonna stood up from her chair near the far right side of the throne. She marched down the steps, heading to the Generals.

    Tina frowned as the members of the Court shifted. She noticed many of the lords shielded the ladies before Remus stepped in front of Tina, blocking Genesis, the other two Generals, and Tristan from Tina¡¯s sight. She turned her head to see that Jacob did the same for Rosemary. She turned to Rosemary to ask what was going on when a slapping sound echoed through the silent throne room followed by a thud.

    She peered around Remus to see Genesis, laying on his side. His eyes glared at the stone floor before he blinked and a calm expression spread over his face. She spotted a red mark on Genesis¡¯ cheek. Her eyes darted up to the Warrior Queen.

    The Warrior Queen¡¯s expression was dark, promising something akin to pain. Tina felt something land in her stomach hard as a bad feeling spread through her veins as she watched on. She glanced up at the rest of the Ruling Family. The High Queen looked pale, her eyes wide with an emotion that Tina didn¡¯t want to identify. Her eyes went down the line.

    Some of the Queen looked exasperated. One of them was deathly pale. The oldest Queen looked furious at the Warrior Queen. Her eyes switched over the King¡¯s side of the line. The Prince clenched his throne¡¯s arms with a pair of white knuckled fists. The Brother of the Church looked on with worry, the Pope frowned at the Warrior Queen, and the Templer Knight watched on with an dark worried expression.

    The magi sitting on the end of the line had stoic expressions, but their eyes glinted with worry, anger, and another emotion. Tina¡¯s eyes drifted over the rest of the Court. The ladies that Tina could see had fearful expressions on their faces while their male counterparts tried to hide their negative emotions behind expressionless facades, but it was their eyes that inform Tina how they felt. They all feared this Queen for some reason.

    ¡°You maybe one of the three Generals of the Camelot Military,¡± Belladonna hissed, ¡°But you answer the Ruling Family. It means any issues you can not handle needs to be brought up to us, rather it is appropriate or not.¡±

    A dark presence entered the room as Belladonna stood over Genesis. Tina blinked as she recognized it was one of the weak youkai classes that specialized in procession. She questioned how one of those Youkai got into Camelot when Belladonna announced, ¡°I think 15 lashes will do.¡±

    ¡®Lashes,¡¯ Tina thought. Remus stiffen. Jacob straightened. Rosemary gasped beside her, softly. Mummers drifted around the room.

    ¡°Each,¡± Belladonna added after a moment. Tina stepped out beside Remus and saw the other two Generals¡¯ stiffened. ¡°That would be including you, Sir Tristan.¡± Tristan looked at the Warrior Queen with an amazed expression before it transformed into a seldom one. ¡°You did not bring this woman back to Camelot when her knowledge would be¡­valued dramatically.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother!¡± The prince shot to his feet. His voice rang through the room like he had shouted. Tina peered in his direction, seeing his expression livid. ¡°You can not do that one of our Knights!¡±

    ¡°You have gone too far, Belladonna,¡± The High Queen finally spoke up.

    ¡°Not far enough, in my opinion,¡± Belladonna shot back, ¡°You are a spineless Queen, Kalliope. You shy away from the hard decisions. I am once again doing your job.¡± The High Queen paused. Tina¡¯s eyes darted back and forth as she watched with mixed feelings. ¡°Sir Tristan is lucky I am not stripping him of his knighthood.¡± Tina knew there should be gasps, but there wasn¡¯t any. She glanced up at Remus. His expression was cold, not betraying anything. Neither his eyes. ¡°He is to be included in the lashes. Guards! Take them to the whipping posts.¡±

    Transferring her attention to back to the four men standing in front of the Warrior Queen, they looked resolute as they stared a head of them. Guards marched down the center of room. Tina saw Genesis turned to them and stared pointy at Remus and Jacob before he turned to the guards. She noted the emblem on the guards¡¯ breastplates before Genesis stepped in the middle of four guards and was escorted out of the throne, followed by the other two general and Tristan. The Ruling Family filed out of the Seasonal Throne Room with the Magi and the Christan Religious leaders.

    ¡°How often does this kind of shit happen,¡± Tina asked. Her question drifted through the air. The Religious leaders stopped a few feet away from the White Hall cousins. Their escort paused, waiting for them. The Magi drifted past them, pausing by the doors, looking back at the trio of Religious leaders as the rest of the court moved toward the doors.

    ¡°Belladonna has it out of our family,¡± Remus answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but she does. As for this happening - it happened a few months ago¡­nearly 8 months ago, in fact.¡± Tina allowed that knowledge to sink in. She frowned. ¡°Come on, Lady Rosemary, Lady Valentina, Jacob and I will escort you back to the family wing.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Tina snapped. ¡°I will stand witness to this.¡± A gut feeling made her turn to Remus and glare up at him as he started to protest. ¡°Rose,¡± Tina blinked, losing her glare as she fix her cousin with a hopeful look. ¡°I need you to go back the family wing and prepare the main family suit, request any healers to come up there as soon as they can. Make sure they have hot water and other items they will need to treat the Generals and Sir Tristan¡¯s lashes. If they can¡¯t spare any healers, see if Sebastien will send the needed supplies up.¡±

    At first, Rosemary looked at her with surprise before she nodded with a hopeful smile, ¡°You got it, cousin.¡± She hurried away.

    ¡°Jacob,¡± Tina turned to the other cousin, ¡°Is it safe to assume you know who the seconds of the Generals are?¡± At Jacob¡¯s nod, she continued, ¡°Track them down and inform them to take the Generals to our main family suit after they set free.¡± Jacob smirked and hurried away. ¡°Remus,¡± she turned to the remaining cousin, ¡°See if you can get any volunteers to help us to get Tristan and one other General up to the Family suit.¡±

    Remus slowly nodded before he asked, ¡°Why Sir Tristan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the reason why he is in this mess,¡± Tina confessed with a sigh. ¡°That woman he spoke of..was me.¡± Remus sucked in a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t point me out to Belladonna. I¡¯m sure he has his reasons.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Remus nodded.

    ¡°I believe I can help, Lady¡­.Armstrong, was it?¡± Tina turned to see the Templer Knight standing nearby. When Tina nodded, the Templer Knight went on, ¡°I will allow you to barrow four of my knights to get the General and Sir Tristan to your Family Wing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Templer,¡± Tina bowed her head in thanks.

    ¡°Templer?¡± the three leaders echoed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Templer Knight, Sir?¡± Tina asked, ¡°I kinda assumed since you are wearing the red cross of a Templer Knight.¡±

    ¡°My order hasn¡¯t been called that in a long time, Lady Armstrong,¡± The Templer Knight said, ¡°We are known as Paladins, now.¡±

    ¡°My deepest apologizes, Lord Paladin,¡± she said. She noted the curious glint in the Paladin¡¯s eyes. However, he called out, ¡°Jackson, Anderson, Valentine, Luke, go help Lady Armstrong with her task.¡±

    ¡°Come, my children,¡± The Pope said, ¡°I think it would be best if we were not late for this unfortunate event.¡± They walked away without another word. The four named Templer Knights - ¡®Paladins¡¯ Tina corrected herself - waited for Tina. She took a deep breath and centered herself. She didn¡¯t know what she would have to do in the after math, but she knew she would do what would be necessary.

    ¡®For my family,¡¯ Tina thought as she opened her eyes and hurried from the Seasonal Throne Room with Remus at her side and The four Paladins followed.

 Chapter 47: The Punishment

    Tristan couldn¡¯t believe it. He didn¡¯t think Belladonna would go as far as suggest that he - a Knight of Camelot - would be whip for not bringing an individual with knowledge of these Youkai back to Camelot. His heart thundered in his chest. He had looked at Tina before he had left with the guards.

    She was pale in the mid-afternoon sunlight, streaming in through the large windows of the Seasonal Throne Room, peering around one of her male cousins. Her green eyes glinted, hinting at thoughts and a look he was familiar with - strategy. It didn¡¯t take a genius to realized she was plotting something.

    The Master Strategy of Camelot often had the same look in his eyes when it came to the various battle plans he had discussed with the King and whenever someone was bold enough to challenge him in a game of chess. He hoped she wouldn¡¯t bring attention to herself.

    However, if she was anything like the other members of the White Hall House and their Vassals Houses, she would draw all kinds of attention. He let out a breath of amusement and worry. He really hoped she will make the decision to stay at Camelot. It would be a lot more amusing if she did.

    Tristan glanced upward, sending up a pray. He hoped he would survive this punishment. He had seen what had happened to others. There had been a handful who died at the whipping posts. It was rare when they did die, but it does happen.

    At the training field, Genesis growled softly under his breath as he stood, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes darted over the training yard, spotting the whipping posts. It was a sickening familiar sight. This would not be the first time he was whipped by a member of the Ruling Family.

    However, it would be the first time in recent history that a Knight of the Round Table was. He wondered what kind of repressions it would send over the kingdom, once word was spread. He spotted several dozen servants peering into the training yard from the castle, using windows, balconies, and other ways to peer into the training grounds. He knew they would spread what happen here so would the gossips of the Court.

    It would be one thing when the Lords who attend Court to witness such acts from the Royal Ruling Family, but it was another when the servants became witnesses of the acts. He knew the news of happened would reach far and wide

    The Lords of the Court gathered at one end of the training grounds as the Ruling Family stood in a line in front of the Court. Genesis tried to keep himself busy as he ran his eyes over the Family. Princess Isabella was missing from the line up. He wondered why she would risk Belladonna¡¯s wrath.

    Belladonna strolled across the training yard. In one hand, she held the whip. Lucky, it had one head instead of several heads to it like the dreaded cat tailed whips. She snapped in the air. A loud crack echoed on the grounds.

    Genesis cursed softly under his breath. Of course she had to the one delivering the lashes. He knew this would not be a cake walk for any of them. Belladonna had been known to heavy handed.

    ¡°Whose first,¡± Belladonna purred. Her eyes landed on Genesis before they darted over to Tristan then Honor, and Bartholomew. She waited.

    ¡°I will,¡± Honor stepped forward. Genesis didn¡¯t give any words of encouragement as Honor was escorted over to the whipping posts. The guards knew what to do as they took Honor¡¯s arms and tied his wrists to the posts. Genesis watched as Honor grabbed the ropes, tightly. One of the guards took a knife from his waist band and took it down the back of Honor¡¯s shirt before he stepped aside, exposing Honor¡¯s bare back to the Warrior Queen.

    Genesis watched the Warrior Queen lifted her arm above her head, drawing the whip up before she brought her arm down in a flash of movement. There was a loud crack of the whip. Honor¡¯s body jerked as the whip made connect. A line of blood appeared. Honor kept quiet.

    ¡°1,¡± The Warrior Queen stated. She repeated the motion again, ¡°2.¡± Honor didn¡¯t made a sound.

    Remus darted around Tina once they were outside, in the brilliant sunlight that was slowly dimming. Tina glanced up to see the sky was darkening with storm clouds on the horizon, but they were moving fast. She frowned as she entered the courtyard, eying them before she had to turn her attention back to the path ahead.

    The Courtyard was filled with the Ladies of the various houses belong to the Court, standing around in small groups. Remus didn¡¯t let that stop him. He hurried between the groups and went toward a part of the castle grounds Tina had not a chance to explore, yet.

    She heard the crack of the whip. Her breath caught her throat. Her eyes widened. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her chest tightened. She bit her lower lip. She stopped in her tracks. She let out a breath. She knew it was anxiety. Her body thought it was about to be whipped again.

    ¡®Focus on what is around you,¡¯ Tina told herself, ¡®what do you hear.¡¯

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Belladonna would issue that kind of order,¡± one of the ladies commented.

    ¡°I know,¡± another said, ¡°I know Genesis has been whipped before, but Tristan? I don¡¯t think any of the Knights of the Round Table have been whipped before.¡±

    ¡°Not as a Knight of the Round Table,¡± the first lady said.

    ¡°I feel sorry for them,¡± a third lady voiced, ¡°Belladonna, I have heard, is heavy handed.¡±

    Silence fell up on the court yard as another crack echoed. Tina forced herself to breath.

    ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t kill them,¡± a fourth said, ¡°Bartholomew¡¯s family would be in great trouble if she managed to do that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, General Bartholomew¡¯s family lives in the lower town,¡± the third lady said in a remembrance tone, ¡°They are commoners.¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are. They are only doing well off thanks to Bartholomew¡¯s status as a General of the Camelot Military.¡±

    A third crack sounded. Tina¡¯s heart jumped. She had to remain calm. She had to help Genesis and Tristan out.

    ¡°I fear if General Genesis doesn¡¯t come out of this alive,¡± a fifth woman spoke up, ¡°The Ancient and Noble House of White Hall would leave the Kingdom of Camelot for good.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± a sixth asked.

    ¡°Do you think it is strange that Lord Bardock¡¯s wife has been missing for several years then returned without their eldest daughter? Not to mention, Lady Annja¡¯s own mother vanished into thin air. Those two women were the most powerful women in the Kingdom besides the Queens. Rumor has it, Ladies Sakura, Nami, and Annja died a few years ago while they were searching for Little Valentina, all by the Death Mage Rowena¡¯s hand.¡±

    The sixth lady gasped then asked, ¡°Why would you say that when Lady Armstrong has arrived to represent Lady Nami?¡±

    ¡°Because I have it on strong authority that Lady Armstrong isn¡¯t who she says she is.¡±

    Tina paused and started to turn to the speaker, opening her eyes. How would this lady of the court know that? However, Rose¡¯s voice rang out before Tina could confront the unknown lady.

    ¡°Tina,¡± Rose ran up, breathing hard. ¡°The Head Healer is sending up four healers, one for each of them.¡± Tina nodded, focusing on the mission at hand.

    ¡°Go back to the Suit and wait for the Generals and Tristan to show up,¡± Tina ordered, ¡°Help the Healers as they need it.¡± Rose nodded before she spun on her heel and quickly vanished out of sight.

    Tina spotted Remus standing near an archway, waiting. She reached down to her long skirt and picked it up, revealing her legs. She heard several women gasped nearly. She rolled her eyes and spirited over to her cousin. She didn¡¯t know how the women in the middle ages ran anywhere with long skirts and tight tops. He waited long enough for her catch up then he went through the archway and she followed him.

    Remus led Tina down a darken hallway and she heard the cracks of the whip grow louder. Her eyes spotted the light at the far end of the dark hallway. Remus slowed to a stop at the end of the hallway, panting. Tina slowed to a stop, cursing the tightness of the dress. She panted through an open mouth. She reached out for her spirit energy and urged it to spread through her system, increasing the function of her organs. She glanced up at Remus then over her shoulder to see if the Paladins were behind her before she stepped out of the hallway.

    Men stood in a half circle with their backs to her, Remus, and the Paladins. They watched as one of the General slump in his restraints. Belladonna¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°15.¡± There was a pause before she went on, ¡°Get him out of there.¡± Tina saw a couple of the guards move forward and freed the General from the whipping posts. They helped the General over to a bench where the General sat down. ¡°Next.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted over to see who was going to be next. The tallest general walked over to the whipping post, escorted by a pair of guards and restrained to the whipping post. Tina saw an slim arm reached up, a fist curled around the hilt of a whip before it flew down. The thunder like clap of the whip cut through Tina. She jerked in response. She took a shaky breath and steeled herself as she fought against the flashback of the Fawn Village.

    ¡°1,¡± Belladonna announced then she repeated the motion. ¡°2.¡±

    Tina sucked in a deep breath through her nose and focused on her personal mission. She hurried over to the general. She studied him as she approached.

    The General named Honor had black hair, hanging over his shoulders. He sat hunched over, staring at the training field. His face was smooth, but hard. His muscles were tensed as he watched the other General receive his punishment.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another black haired man peeled from the group of men and tried to cut her off from approached the injured general. She opened her mouth to addressed the black haired man when he spoke first, ¡°I know why you are here, Lady Armstrong. Lord Jacob already informed me.¡± She turned her head, giving him her full attention. ¡°As General Honor¡¯s Second, I think it would be best that we wait until the others are done as well. If I know anything about Honor, he is correctly named by his parents.¡± Tina raised an eyebrow at the second, silently asking a question. ¡°He will want to wait until the others are done with the lashes before he will leave.¡±

    Tina blinked, her eyes sliding over to the General. He stared at the punishment unfolding in front of him with a pair of emotional eyes. His expression was set in a grim determination. She nodded as she took a step back. Her gaze settled back on to General Honor¡¯s second, if she assumed correctly, and stated, ¡°You have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±

    The Second sent her a grim smile, saying, ¡°My deepest apologizes, my lady, I am Zack of House Longdale.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could say it is good to meet you,¡± Tina glanced over Zack¡¯s shoulder as the taller General jerked against his restraints, ¡°But I do wish we had meet under different circumstances.¡±

    ¡°I happen to agree with you,¡± Zack winced as another crack rang through the air. He spun on his heel when the General let out a cry of pain. Movement caught Tina¡¯s attention. A man in military armor stepped forward, strolling by Zack. She watched Zack grabbed the man¡¯s arm in a tight grip. ¡°Auron, don¡¯t. We will take care of them after the punishment.¡± Zack¡¯s voice was loud enough to Tina to hear. Auron gave Zack a pained look and they had a silent conversation before he nodded. He walked over to General Honor and stood behind his right shoulder.

    ¡°Let me guess, that is the Second of the Generals currently being punished,¡± Tina stated and Zack nodded. Tina let out an aggravated sigh. She cracked her neck and felt the motion pull at her back. She closed her eyes and focused on her back, sending her spirit energy there.

    Her back warmed and the wounds were still in the process of healing. She knew it would take a few more days before her back would be healed enough where she could head home without worry. Her spirit energy had been able to heal the deepest wounds to the point, they no longer pose the threat of revealing her spine and rib cage to the world, but it did allow them to fester. She needed to see an actual healer soon. She eyed Honor and shrugged. When the Generals and Tristan made it up to the White Hall family Suit, she would ask the healers to look at her back once they were done with the men.

    ¡°Next!¡± Queen Belladonna snapped. Tina¡¯s eyes snapped open as the two guards released the second General from his restraints and he stood tall, walking over to Honor and his second. He turned to the whipping post. Tina¡¯s gaze went over to the next man to be whipped. It was either Genesis or Tristan.

    Genesis walked over to the whipping post like he was taking a simple walk across the training grounds. Tina didn¡¯t know what to cause her to move forward, walking toward the red head general. Zack tried to stop her, but she slipped out of his reach.

    She felt the eyes of the Court Lords on her as she paused, close to her older brother and she opened her mouth, commenting, ¡°Do you want me to take your..¡± Her eyes roamed over the duster Genesis wore, ¡°petticoat?¡± An amused smirk pulled at her lips as she stared innocently at Genesis. A loud snort echoed through the training yard.

    ¡°It¡¯s called a Duster, Brat,¡± Genesis corrected her, narrowly his eyes. He pulled off the red duster. ¡°Not a Petticoat.¡±

    ¡°Same thing, old timer,¡± She waved her hand through the air while she took his coat, ¡°Do you want me to take your shirt, too?¡±

    ¡°Be careful, little cousin, someone might get the wrong idea.¡± He smirked at her narrowed eyed expression, ¡°You might as well take the shirt,¡± Genesis stated, ¡°I don¡¯t have many shirts that I wear for work and I rather like this one.¡± He pulled it over his head and tossed it over Tina¡¯s head.

    Tina snuffed at the shirt before she cried, ¡°When the hell was this last wash?!¡± She pulled it off her head and settled a glare on Genesis. ¡°It smells horrible!¡± she held it out to the side. She glanced up at Genesis and said, ¡°Instead of calling you the Explosive General, they should be calling you the Smelly General!¡± That sent rounds of chuckles through the training yards. Genesis glared at her and she blinked, innocently at him.

    ¡°Get out of here, you silly girl,¡± he stated, ¡°This way I can get my punishment out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Tina tossed Genesis¡¯ shirt and duster over her right shoulder, trying to ignore of old BO. ¡°I will leave you alone.¡± She started to turn away and spotted the Warrior Queen with a puzzled, furious expression. ¡°This way you can take your punishment like a man.¡± She walked back toward Zack, the injured Generals, and Auron as she threw over her shoulder, pausing as Genesis was tied to the whipping post. ¡°I know I took mine like one.¡±

    Eyes widening with comprehension, Genesis gasped then a growl told Tina that he knew what she had meant and the red head woman moved back to her group before Belladonna cut in, ¡°About time you stop chatting like annoying love birds.¡± Then there was a crack, the sound of slapping flesh, and Belladonna drawled out, ¡°1.¡±

    Anxiety danced in her midsection, Tina schooled her expression into a neutral one and she joined Zack and the other men. Reno, she noticed, joined them and whispered to her, ¡°So, why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Motivation,¡± Tina stated, ¡°I have found, personally, in the past, my anger can be turn to be a driving force when things got to difficult for me or helped push me forward.¡± She moved Genesis¡¯ shirt and duster onto her arm before she crossed them over her chest, trying to ignore the crack of the whip. She heard a rumble of thunder. She tilted her head back, blinking as she took in the darkening gray sky.

    ¡°He still doesn¡¯t know,¡± Reno¡¯s voice played along the side of her neck as he moved behind her.

    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t,¡± Tina replied. She turned her head and glared at Reno, ¡°I would prefer to keep that way for right now.¡±

    ¡°He will find out, sweetheart,¡± He said, ¡°He did earn his position for a reason.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± she stated. She watched silently as the whip fell onto Genesis¡¯ bare back the sentenced 15, tearing it to shreds. She started to move toward the whipping post when the whip fell again as Belladonna called out, ¡°16.¡±

    Lightening darted across the sky as horror filled eyes settled onto the Warrior Queen, Tina saw the older woman sent her a smirk as the whip cracked the 17th lash. The red head woman uncrossed her arms, allowing Genesis¡¯ shirt and duster fall to the dirt, as she stepped forward. Immediately, hands settled on her upper arms. She tried to jerk her arms out of their gasp.

    Eyes flashing with anger, she bared her teeth at the Warrior Queen as the 18th lash rang out. Tina rested her sight on the ones who were managing to hold her back. It was Zack and Reno. Surprise flashed through her. She didn¡¯t think there would be anyone, in this kingdom, strong enough to hold her back from her acting. She mentally scolded herself. She had grown weak during the past 6 to 7 years. Never again, she swore to herself, never she would allow herself to become weak; never again. The 19th lash sounded and the skies let loose a down pour. It didn¡¯t take long for clothes to become soak.

    Reno jerked on her right arm hard enough to Tina was forced to rebalanced herself, her back against his chest. She silently curse the heavy dress as the rain soak it. His arms caged her to him. His voice sounded inches away from her right ear, ¡°Calm yourself, Valentina. Your brother will be alright.¡± She let out a low growl. Her eyes focused on the Warrior Queen. She felt the other presence within the Warrior Queen. It was trying to stay hidden. ¡°Valentina. You hear me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I hear you just fine,¡± Tina¡¯s voice held a growl as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s the listening part I am having trouble with.¡± She expanded her spiritual powers and probed the other presence within Belladonna. It was a low level demon, apart of the precession class. It will be a simple thing to destroy that low level demon. The 20th lash echoed through the training yard. Thunder boomed loudly directly above the training yard. Tina felt the ground shook with the force of the sonic boom.

    ¡°Then you might want to start listening, Valentina,¡± Reno growled, ¡°If you continued to challenge Belladonna, right now, she is going to take it out on Genesis.¡± He panted. ¡°He has been whipped before. He knows how to handle this.¡± Tina jerked at that. The urge to do something grew stronger. ¡°Right now, you need to be calm.¡± Reno breathed against her neck, ¡°You White Halls are a pain in the ass, you know, and I rather not have to face your father and tell him that both you and Genesis was bull headed enough to stand up against the Warrior Queen and get killed over it.¡±

    Tina blinked. Her father was still alive? She pulled back her awareness. She counted the next lash, silently, lightening danced along the black clouds. ¡°Take a deep breath, Tina.¡± She did what she was told to do. ¡°That¡¯s good. Let it out, slowly.¡± Reno walked her though the process of controlling her anger. She turned her gaze to her brother, watching.

    The 22nd lash landed. Genesis threw his head back and a scream erupted from him. Tina sucked in a deep breath.  Her hands flew down to her skirt, fingers becoming claws. Reno sucked in a pained breath, tightening his hold on her. Zack stepped into her sight. She blinked, seeing the dark material. She lend her forehead against his back.

    Thunder crashed. White lightening brightened the training yard. She bit her lower lip as her imagination saw the 23rd lash illuminated by the lightening flying through the air, striking Genesis¡¯ back. Genesis¡¯ cry of pain was drowned out by the crack of thunder. Her fingers started to claw at her skirt. There was 24th crack and a scream then 25th followed by a pained scream. Tina, mentally, stood a step back and watched with a detached, dull eyed expression, and tried to formulate a game plan. The storm raged above.

    ¡°Last one,¡± Belladonna¡¯s smug voice sounded, despite the sound of rain.

    Reno slowly let Tina go. She didn¡¯t move. She just stood there with her forehead against Zack¡¯s back. He glanced toward Zack who half turned and wrapped an arm around the woman, making sure she didn¡¯t fall to the ground. He hurried across the muddy training field. He didn¡¯t even need to glance over to see who was following him as footsteps hurried behind him. He knew it was Remus, one of Genesis¡¯ cousins.

    By the time the two men reached the whipping post, the two guards already undid Genesis¡¯ restraints. Genesis slumped down to his knees. His knees caused the mud to splash. His head bent forward with his chin resting on his chest.

    Reno knelt down one side while Remus did the same on the other. Reno picked up Genesis¡¯ arm and ducked under it, placing his arm on Reno¡¯s shoulders. Reno reached down and grabbed Genesis¡¯ waistband. He glanced toward Tina. She had moved from Zack¡¯s side and stood behind the bench, silently ordering Reno and Remus to make Genesis sit in front of her.

    ¡°Ready, Reno?¡± Remus asked, ¡°I think Tina is going to administer first aid when we get over there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reno replied and they stood up, causing the red head general to do the same. They stumbled over to where Tina stood. Reno silently cursed as he tried to keep his footing, reaching the secret sister. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we lay him down. He¡¯s out.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Remus breathed.

    Reno and Remus turned Genesis around and made him lay down, his back facing upward. Rain pounded against his back, causing the blood streaming from the wounds to trail down his sides and onto the muddy ground. Tina muttered a curse as she crunched down to see how deep the lashes went.

    Reno watched as Tina¡¯s eyes flashed brighten as lightened darted through the darken sky. Something akin to awe and horror settled in Reno¡¯s stomach as he saw Tina¡¯s expression hardened into fury. He felt the air sizzle and smelt the scent of ozone spread through the air.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Lightening was about to strike something. He heard the wind pick up. He glanced skyward to see the darken sky swirl in the distance. Lightening shot through the air, above the castle, revealing the swirling clouds reaching down to the ground. He muttered a curse. That was something they didn¡¯t need. Granted it was the season for twisters, but it was something they really didn¡¯t need to deal with at the moment.

    A sudden thought hit to Reno and he turned his attention to Tina as she glanced toward the whipping post where Tristan was tied up. His back was bare to the world and wet with rain. She flinched when the first lash cracked the air before the thunder boomed.

    Lending against the stone wall of hallway with an opening leading to the courtyard, Salazar frowned at the dark sky as the Court ladies hurried through the sudden downpour, complaining that they would have to change or else they would catch a cold. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew he was the only Lord that didn¡¯t go to the Training Yard. He didn¡¯t dare.

    He had to drag Princess Isabella with him. He had a hand curled around her wrist as she stood next to him. He didn¡¯t trust her control over her blood lust during the punishment. He sensed the Battle Mage approaching. He ignored the other magical being as he studied the raging storm.

    It screamed pain, uncontrolled fury, and a desire to do something. He cursed under his breath. There was an untrained storm mage nearby and whatever they were experiencing, their emotions was fueling the storm, making it more powerful then a normal spring storm. This was not going to be good for this Kingdom.

    ¡°Lord Salazar,¡± Merlin barked, his aura flaring brightly. He marched toward Salazar, crossing the distance within seconds. He opened his mouth to say something to him when the Vampire Lord turned and simply stated, ¡°There is an untrained storm mage in the Castle.¡±

    Merlin stopped in mid stride. His blue eyes meet the Crimson orbs in a steady gaze before Merlin cursed softly under his breath.

    ¡°Princess!¡± a guard cried out as he rounded a corner and came to a sliding stop a few feet in front of the trio, ¡°We got a cyclone forming over the Sea and ones forming in the Southern, Eastern, and Northern fields.¡±

    Salazar¡¯s eyebrows shot up. He silently appraised the untrained storm mage while at the same time, he cursed them. He, personally, was able to summon that many as well as create a magical hurricane. He did that once and he swear not to lose himself that emotional outburst again.

    He had almost destroyed couple Kingdoms, craving a path from shoreline to shoreline. He shook his head, refocusing on the task at hand. Whoever this storm mage was, they were powerful. The nearby widows shook from the sonic boom of the next thunder crack. Salazar winced as his earing faded to nothing.

    ¡°What are your orders, Princess,¡± the guard asked, trying to hid the flinch he made, glancing toward the weather outside as Salazar read his lips.

    Isabella glanced at Salazar for a short heartbeat before she started issuing orders, ¡°Get everyone to safety. Open up the Castle if it becomes necessary. I will handle any repercussions from the Queens, personally.¡±

    The guard nodded as relief flashed through his expression before he schooled it into a different expression. The guard turned and vanished, yelling about getting everyone down to the catacombs.

    ¡°I will go to the Great Hall and start helping, getting everyone to the catacombs,¡± Isabella stated, ¡°You two go find this storm mage before Camelot experiences more destruction.¡±

    ¡°Here I thought I was the Master,¡± Salazar tried to joke as his hearing returned.

    ¡°This is my territory, Lord Salazar,¡± Isabella gave him a level stare, ¡°The Crescent Island is yours.¡± She winked at him before she vanished after the guard.

    Salazar turned to Merlin and explained, ¡°The storm mage is experiencing something bad. Whoever it is, the storm is showing their pain, fury, and the need to do something.¡± The Battle Mage nodded in understanding as lightening flashed causing Salazar¡¯s world to whitened before it faded back to normal. ¡°And they are within the Castle boundaries, if the cyclones are anything to go by.¡± The Battle Mage raised his eyebrow. ¡°The twisters are forming in the cardinal directions, meaning the storm mage is in the middle of them. We don¡¯t have much time before they started to move toward each other and merge into a giant twister.¡±

    Merlin¡¯s eyes widened with horror, and he simply said, ¡°I will go find Morgana. I think this may take the three of us to overpower this storm mage before they accidentally destroy Camelot.¡±

    Salazar nodded, ¡°I will start to track the mage down and see what I can do until you two can join me.¡± He didn¡¯t say another word as he spun on his heel and darted through the castle hallways, heading to the main courtyard. He cursed silently under his breath as he tried not to harm the screaming citizens trying to reach the catacombs.

    When his patience finally snapped, he jumped. He reached up and grabbed the side of a stone wall before he started climbing upward. He would have a better vantage point if he got high enough to location the untrained storm mage. Mentally, going through the recent events, he figured whoever was controlling the storm had to be in the Training Field.

    Of course, he was assumed it was a Lord of high standing. He didn¡¯t spot any of the Court Ladies rushing to join their male counterparts on the field to watch the punishment being handed out. Once he got high enough, he peered at the training field. Sir Tristan was tied up at the whipping post. The Generals were off to one side. The mysterious Lady Armstrong knelt beside General Genesis who lay face down on a wooden bench, her attention darted between the unconscious general and the Knight tied up at the whipping posts.

    The sky lit up as lightening darted through the sky. Salazar frowned as he sensed the magic within the storm. It was different from a typical magical flow from the user to a storm. The magic was familiar to his own storm-bringer powers. His eyes widened. He cursed.

    There wasn¡¯t an untrained storm mage¡­there was an untrained storm-bringer somewhere on the training field. That knowledge made the situation ten times worst. He sensed it and ducked down, against the rooftop of the castle before the lightening hurled across the sky.

    Back on the training field, Tina knew the lashes went deep, but once Genesis sat in front of her, she had spotted the white flash of bone. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, as fury she never experience rose to the surface.

    Thunder cracked harshly above that she felt it, deep in her chest, vibrating her bones. Lightening caused the world to brightened to white then faded away. Rain trailed down her face, dripping off her chin and onto Genesis¡¯ wounded back. She hoped the rain would help clean the wounds.

    She barely heard the crack of the whip over the rumbling thunder and she glanced toward the whipping post, peering through the harsh downpour to see Tristan standing between the posts, arms stretched out, tied to the posts. His shirt was gone, revealing a bare back with one line of blood.

    Her mind traveled back to the Seasonal Throne Room, hearing the faint voices commenting on Tristan being whipped as well. This was the first time a Knight of the Round Table was put in this position. She took a shaky breath and summoned her spiritual powers, trying to remember what her aunt taught her about healing wounds with her spiritual power.

    She knew it could be done, but since she hadn¡¯t used her powers in several years, she didn¡¯t know if she could do it. She spotted the flash of white bone when Genesis moved slightly and she saw a red haze at the edges of her vision.  Her right hand felt warm, glowing a soft green instead of the usual blue of her spiritual energy or the bright pink of her purifying powers. She moved her hand close to the deepest lash where Genesis¡¯ spine played pee-a-boo with her vision.

    She ignored how the rain felt borderline needles, hitting her expose skin, pounding down upon the training grounds. She knew she didn¡¯t need to heal the deepest wound all the way, just enough where his spine would be protected. Her other hand cupped Genesis¡¯ left shoulder, holding him up.

    Tina felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned her head, indicating she was listening, but she kept her gaze upon Genesis¡¯ back. The rain washed away the blood, allowing Tina to see the extensive damage.  She growled. Her throat vibrated with the noise. Her eyes darted up to the Warrior Queen.

    Thunder rumbled as if calling out a warning. The Warrior Queen brought up her arm up, swung the whip through the air then a flash of lightening darted down. The lightening bolt connected with the whip. Sparks danced along the whip, heading down to the Queen who didn¡¯t notice it. The sparks exploded as another bolt of lightening connected with the whip again.

    This time, the whip didn¡¯t spark. It exploded as the Warrior Queen was thrown backwards into the crowd of Lords and the rest of the Ruling Family. Tina¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as the crowd cried out in shock. The rain slowed to a sprinkle as some of the Lords, on the edges of the crowd rushed around helping the Queens to their feet and making sure they were alright.

    The High Queen stepped forward and called out, ¡°This punishment is over and I will consider it to be fulfilled.¡±

    Reno¡¯s voice rang in her right ear, ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±

    She frowned and looked up at the whipping post. The guards were in the process of untying Tristan from the whipping posts. Between the movements, Tina was able to count 5 lines of blood. She shot Reno a questioning look.

    ¡°Small miracles,¡± she muttered back before she tilted her head back, looking up at the blackish green clouds, hearing the howling wind, feeling the thunder in her bones, and losing her vision with the blinding lightening.

    Standing in the mother nature¡¯s fury did nothing for her own fury. She took a shaky breath as the rain started to its fury. She turned to Reno, ¡°Let¡¯s get the men up to the White Hall Wing and get them dried off.¡± He nodded. Tina waited until Reno and Remus was ready to help Genesis to the family wing before she let his shoulder go.

    Inside the castle, Tina hurried through the hallways, making sure the doors open and stayed that way until the group past through them. The Tallest General lend against Auron and one of the Paladins. Honor managed to walk on his own, but Zack and another paladin hover nearby. Tristan followed them, walking between Jacob and another Paladin.

    She glanced at Genesis. He didn¡¯t look well. He didn¡¯t have color in his face and his eyes were unfocused on the carpet. Reno and Remus held him up.  A sharp guilt rushed through her as she reflected back to what happened. She felt her spiritual powers rose and danced through her veins.

    Lightening flashed through the window as the thunder boomed. She picked up her pace, lengthen her stride as she spotted the familiar halls of the White Hall Wing. She hoisted her long, wet, skirt over her knees and broke out into a run. She burst through the House door and stared at the empty room.

    She growled. She thought the healers would be here, waiting with Rosemary. Apparently, something had happened. She took a deep breath as she tried to control her fury. She stepped aside, allowing the men to enter. She would just roll with the punches.

    Tristan followed by his paladin escorts paused by her, just inside the door way. He looked at her. She blinked at him. He reached to a sheath along his waistline and pulled a knife out. He raised a hand. Keeping his fingers curled, he used his index finger in a circle motion.

    She turned around and immediately felt the torso of the dress loosen. She shot him a smirk over her shoulder as she reached up to the collar. With both hands, she tore the dress away from her upper torso and pushed it down her body. The dress, once past her hips, fell to the floor with a wet thump. She stepped out of it, wearing a thin slip that suck to her form.

    Smirking in amusement at the shocked faces of the men, she hurried to Genesis¡¯ room. Reno let out a low whistle as she brushed past him. Remus just stopped in her path, gapping at her. She glared at him and asked, ¡°Are you going to stand there like an idiot or are you going the hell out of my way?¡±

    Remus didn¡¯t reply, but he did step out of her way. She ignored him as she approached the nightstand. The stand had a bowl of steaming water with several vials of various liquids and a jar of something moving. She dismissed the jaw, immediately.

    She had hoped the healers would be better in the medical field then using whatever was in that jar. Apparently not.  She took a deep breath and grabbed a nearby dry washcloth and dipped in it into the water. She ringed it out and put a knee on the bed, next to Genesis.

    She bent over him and started to clean his back better. She tried to be gentle as she could, but she knew there was a possibility that she couldn¡¯t be while she tendered to his back. She glanced toward the open doorway to see that the paladins were tendering to the two generals and Tristan.

    Genesis let out a pained moan after several minutes. She waited to see if that was unconscious reaction to what she was doing or not. Genesis turned his head, facing her. She started to speak in a low voice, ¡°Hey, there, -¡± the word brother wanted to slip out, but she forced herself to say the term she had been using, ¡°Cousin.¡± She saw he opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, ¡°Save your strength for later.¡± She turned away and rinsed out the washcloth, before she continued cleaning his back, ¡°We are in the Family Suit. You are in your room while your buddies are in the common area with Reno and Remus and some help I managed to get from the Lord Paladin. He was gracious enough to allow me to barrow four of his paladins.¡±

    A knock on the open door. Tina looked up to see Tristan standing in the doorway. He held up an outfit she knew she had pack in her travel bag. She allowed a grateful smile to cross her face. ¡°So, you went snooping through my room, Sir Tristan?¡±

    ¡°And here I thought you were appreciate dry clothes, Lady Tina. If you want to continue to appear so poorly dress, I¡¯m sure the other won¡¯t mind, but your cousins will prefer you to be properly dressed,¡± Tristan commented. His voice didn¡¯t hold any notion of teasing, but his expression did.

    ¡°Now, now, Tristan,¡± Tina scolded, lightly, ¡°You act like you haven¡¯t seen me in less.¡± She winked at him. Remus could be heard choking on something in the other room. Genesis stiffened under Tina¡¯s touch. ¡°When Tristan and I ran into each other, I covered head to toe with mud, Genesis,¡± she explained, ¡°He took me to a nearby lake where I took a bath while he watched for danger. Oh, I am wearing a slip.¡±

    Tristan snorted, but he didn¡¯t say anything to correct her, simply saying, ¡°That is one way to put it.¡±

    ¡°You can put those clothes on that chair,¡± Tina pointed at the chair sitting behind a desk close to the door, ¡°I will put those on when I¡¯m done here.¡± He moved toward the desk. ¡°So, what does these vials contain?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t read?¡± Tristan asked, in surprise.

    ¡°I can read just fine,¡± Tina snapped back with a glare, ¡°Whatever these letters are, I can¡¯t read them to understand what they do.¡±

    Tristan walked over to the nightstand and picked up the jar of moving things, ¡°Leeches.¡±

    Tina scoffed, ¡°You can get rid of those. I refuse to put those things anyone under my care.¡± She glanced to the open door, and raised her voice, ¡°If I find any leeches on the Generals, somebody will be in trouble. Leeches won¡¯t help them. In fact, they will actually put their lives in danger. You listening to me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the men sitting in the common area sounded. Tina raised an eyebrow. She probably should walk out there and see for herself if one of them had leeches on the Generals. She let out a breath. Tristan chuckled.

    ¡°This vial?¡± She redirected Tristan to the topic at hand.

    ¡°This vial,¡± Tristan picked one up and held it out, ¡°is¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Morgana!¡± Jacob¡¯s voice rang out. Surprise laced his voice.

    ¡°Where is General Genesis?¡± a soft feminine voice sounded. Tina glanced toward Tristan. He looked shock. He blinked. ¡°Alright.¡± The voice sounded and Tina turned to view the doorway. A woman moved into the doorway.

    Tina recognized her from the Seasonal Throne Room. She had been sitting on the far left side of the room, between the Lord Paladin and that powerful presence. Tina immediately sensed how powerful this woman was. She had overlook the woman in the Seasonal Throne Room due to the more powerful presence, but, now, Tina was glad she was able to sense her.

    The other woman was like a snake hiding in the grass, waiting for the opportunity to strike - powerful, but hiding it. Tina mused, silently, the other woman had to be close to upper A class to low S class. She was out of Tina¡¯s ability to fight without the option of dying.

    ¡°Sir Tristan,¡± the woman greeted the Knight before she turned her attention to Tina, ¡°And you are Lady Armstrong, correct?¡±

    Tina moved from Genesis¡¯ side, reaching over to the blood stained water and rinsed out the washcloth again before she turned to the woman. She answered, ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She glanced at the other woman, wondering why she was here, ¡°You are who, again?¡±

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± the woman introduced herself, ¡°The Black Mage of Camelot.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure, I¡¯m sure,¡± Tina said, coolly. ¡°May I ask why you are here, Lady Mage?¡±

    ¡°To help, Lady Armstrong,¡± Morgana answered. She reached into a pouch at her waist and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. She held it up, walking toward the bed.

    Tina raised an eyebrow, silently asking the question of what the hell is that. Morgana smiled at her, stating, ¡°This is Phoenix Tears.¡± Tina¡¯s jaw dropped as her eyes widened. She knew what the mythical proprieties of phoenix tears. Phoenix Tears was rumored to have the strongest healing proprieties, according to the legend, able to heal a simple wound to combat the strongest poison in the world, but Phoenix Tears couldn¡¯t be artificially produced.

    ¡°How did you come by these tears,¡± Tina questioned as she held out a hand for the vial.

    Morgana placed in her hand, explaining, ¡°Merlin has kept a phoenix as a familiar for the last couple hundred years. Right now, Artie is flying around the world.¡± Tina¡¯s eyes darted over to Morgana, amusement dancing in her expression as she heard the name Artie. She held it up to eye level. Her eyes watched the vial as the liquid moved in the closed vial, revealing an eyedropper. The top of the vial felt rubbery like the eye droppers back home. She put some pressure on the rubbery part of top and watched as the liquid moved down slightly.

    ¡°Is it safe to assume I am allow to use this?¡± Tina waved the vial of phoenix tears in the air between Morgana and herself.

    Morgana smiled at her, ¡°One drop in each wound will allow it heal enough for these gentlemen to perform their duty tomorrow, but it won¡¯t give Belladonna any suspicion to a miraculous healing through the Magical Healing Arts.¡± Tina nodded in understanding and she undid the cap and pulled out a eyedropper from with in the vial.

    The red head woman squeezed the topper, allowing the excess air to escape before she placed the tip of the dropper in the liquid, sucking up the tears. She tapped the dropper against the lip of the vial. She didn¡¯t want to waste any of the precious liquid. She bend over Genesis and brought the dropper close to the deepest of Genesis¡¯ wounds before she squeezed the dropper top and allowed a drop to fall into the wound.

    Genesis tensed up, taking a hissing breath. Tina drew back sharply. Steam rose from the deepest wound on Genesis¡¯ back. Tina watched with wonder as the muscle pulled itself together, melting back into one piece. However, Tina noticed the muscle didn¡¯t knit itself back together all the way. She glanced up, asking, ¡°How are you feeling, Genesis?¡±

    ¡°Better,¡± his voice was guttural and strained. Tina frowned, thinking about his screaming. No doubt that cause some straining on his vocal cords. She placed a drop of Phoenix Tears in each of his wounds, watching as they healed up enough where it won¡¯t cause him short term problems.

    He will have to heal the rest the slow, natural way. She moved away from him, closing the vial and setting it on the nightstand. She spotted the roll of lien and grabbed it. He struggled to sit up. He tossed his legs over the side of the bed. He glanced at her before he asked, ¡°Are you going to wrap the wounds?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina started to unroll the lien and wait until Genesis got comfortable before she lend into him and wrapped the lien around his lower abdomen, tying a small knot where the end of the lien to the strip before she started to wrapped it around his torso, slowly moving up.

    When she ran out of the lien, Tristan handed her the next roll. She tied the two ends together before she continued. She glanced up to see Morgana was gone and her voice could be heard drifting from the common room, talking in soft tones that Tina couldn¡¯t make out.

    ¡°You have done this before,¡± Genesis noted.

    ¡°Had to,¡± Tina stated, ¡°I was a apart of a tournament team that didn¡¯t have a traditional healer so I had to learn on the fly with the help of another teammate. He had his arms broken in a fight and I was the only one who had a delicate hand.¡± She smirked slightly. ¡°The rest of the team didn¡¯t have delicate touch so they immediately voted me to do the job.¡± She remembered that conversation with flicker of amusement.

    ¡°You miss them,¡± the general said, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I allowed my¡­¡± Tina paused, searching for the correct word. She knew there was a chance he or Tristan didn¡¯t understand the term ¡®boyfriend¡¯. She settled on what she hoped to be an universal term, ¡°Lover to pull me away from them. I know they would have argued if they didn¡¯t live in a different kingdom,¡± Country was the proper term for where they lived at, she mused, ¡°and didn¡¯t know what was going on until it was too late¡­when I stopped talking to them, entirely.¡± She paused, thinking of a way to explain it, ¡°My lover didn¡¯t like the fact I was a part of the fighting portion of the team and I didn¡¯t want him to worry about my safety so I eventually stopped fighting, even though I was a skilled long range fighter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you carry a bow,¡± Tristan mused, ¡°Why did you have a rapier?¡±

    Tina blinked, feeling a rush of surprise. So, this weird version of Camelot had the knowledge of a rapier? She briefly wondered what other differences she could discover before she left the Kingdom. She pushed those thoughts aside and commented, ¡°One of my escorts claimed that it will prove who I am, saying it was a heirloom of some kind.¡±

    ¡°Escort?¡± Genesis questioned.

    ¡°Well, more like my kidnappers,¡± She shrugged, ¡°What happened is in the past and I hope I never have to come across them again.¡± She tied the end of the lien strip to a strip that wrapped around Genesis¡¯ chest. She took a step back and looked at her work. It was not the best, but it would have to do. ¡°Stand up, please.¡± Genesis did. ¡°Turn around.¡± When Genesis turned his back to her, she was relieved to see the bandages did cover the highest lash marks. ¡°Alright. You are taken care of.¡± Tina glanced toward the night stand and saw the vial of Phoenix Tears wasn¡¯t there anymore. She frowned.

    ¡°Lady Morgana took the vial,¡± Tristan commented. Tina nodded.

    Tristan stepped out of the room, leaving Tina talking with her brother and approached Lady Morgana. He stopped in front of her and asked, ¡°May I barrow some of the Phoenix tears for Lady Armstrong?¡± The she-mage blinked in surprise. The knight explained, ¡°She was the woman who I had talked about in Court today. She was in the Fawn Village with me and was lashed for not being aware of a major geographic meaning for the Fawn Village.¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Morgana breathed. Her eyes widened. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform Belladonna of her presence in Camelot already? You could have avoid that punishment.¡±

    ¡°I know I could have,¡± Tristan admitted, ¡°But¡­Tina has been through enough already.¡± Morgana raised her eyebrow. He felt like he had to go on, like Morgana was his mother demanding an explanation for something he did wrong. ¡°She was kidnapped from her home on someone¡¯s orders and wants to get back home to her mother¡¯s family.¡±

    She hummed. A glint in her eyes made Tristan that she knew he didn¡¯t tell her the entire story that he knew, ¡°I will personally tend to her.¡± The woman brushed by Tristan and vanished into Genesis¡¯ room.

    Tristan glanced toward the nearby window and frowned. The storm hadn¡¯t let up, though the fury seemed to run its course. The wind had stopped its howling and there was no worry of large balls of ice balls hitting him while he walked in the open. He left the White Hall Wing, heading to his quarters in the Knights¡¯ Tower. He wanted to get out his wet clothes as much as the next person did. He also needed to see the Knights¡¯ healer for his own back. He knew he was lucky that he didn¡¯t receive more lashes before that lightening strike hit Belladonna.

    Signing, Tina followed Morgana into the Armstrong Suit after the mage had explained what she wanted to do and how she came across the information. The red head wanted to struggle Tristan. She carried her wet dress in one hand and held her dry clothes in the other.

    She entered her bedroom and tossed her wet dress aside. She walked toward the closet and disappeared inside to change. She couldn¡¯t believe how the day turned out - attending Court for the first time with royalty, witnessed the cruel punishment for not obeying chain of command or bringing back a person with important information - and there was still supper then the evening mass. She sighed.

    She quickly changed out of the wet slip and slipped on her dry clothes for her lower half. She held the shirt Tristan managed to grab from her bag. Apparently, the laundry people in Camelot were fast when it came to doing laundry. She stepped out of the closet and blinked in surprise, hearing Rosemary¡¯s voice.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe there is a Storm Mage in Camelot,¡± she was saying, ¡°An untrained one at that.¡±

    Tina frowned. Storm Mage?

    ¡°No, not a storm mage,¡± Morgana said, ¡°A Stormbringer.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a storm mage and a stormbringer?¡± Tina asked as she walked across the room, heading to the bed.

    ¡°Tina!¡± Rosemary twisted to face her, causing her long skirts to flare out. ¡°I am so sorry, cousin. The healers and I were waiting in the Main Family Suit when we heard the alarm for us to get to the catacombs.¡±

    ¡°Why did you have to go to the catacombs,¡± Tina questioned as she reached the bed.

    ¡°That storm spawned four twisters,¡± Rosemary explained, ¡°Princess Isabella wanted us to take precautions and get to the catacombs in case the worst should happen.¡±

    Tina snorted in amusement, ¡°And they left us out in the weather. They didn¡¯t end the punishment until a lightening bolt streak Belladonna.¡± She reached the bed and jumped before she belly flopped onto the bed. She winced as she hit the bed.

    The middle age version of the beds weren¡¯t the softest. It felt like the bed was made of hay. Maybe it was made from feathers. She didn¡¯t know which, but it was nothing like her bed at back home. Rosemary gasped. ¡°Yes, I was lashed. No, I don¡¯t what to talk about it.¡± Tina stated, ¡°Anyway, getting back to the topic of difference between a storm mage and a stormbringer.¡±

    Tina sensed Morgana moved toward her and settled down on the bed, next to the red head and explained, ¡°A storm mage is a mage that has learn the basic elements of a storm - water and air - through study. A stormbringer is a mage who has the natural ability to summon storms by simply using their emotions. Lord Salazar of the Crescent Island is a Stormbringer.¡± There was a pause and Morgana addressed Tine directly, ¡°When was the last time you were able to wash these wounds?¡±

    ¡°A couple days ago,¡± Tina answered, honestly, ¡°A friend was able to help me out, cleaning them. I haven¡¯t had the chance to get the lashes attend to, again, yet.¡±

    ¡°One of the wounds has become inflamed,¡± Morgana said, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to pull off the scab before I placed the Phoenix tears into the wounds.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tina said. Her fingers flexed into the blanket and prepared for the pain. ¡°Are there different types of magi?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Morgana started, but a knock rang out. Tina saw Rosemary move across the room and disappeared into the main Armstrong common room. Her voice drifted through the open door, but Tina couldn¡¯t make out what was being said.  It didn¡¯t long for Rosemary to return with a surprise look on her face.

    ¡°Lady Morgana,¡± Tina¡¯s cousin spoke formally, ¡°Your presence is requested in Queen Belladonna¡¯s chambers.¡±

    Tina felt the bed jerk as Morgana straightened before she said, ¡°Oh?¡± there was a pause then she addressed Tina, ¡°This is going to hurt, sweetheart.¡± Morgana waved her hand over Tina¡¯s back.

    Tina¡¯s mouth opened as a sharp scream echoed in the bedchamber followed by, ¡°Son of a fucking, whoring bitch!¡±

    Rosemary let out a gasp as her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Morgana snorted in amusement then she commented, ¡°You are going to be a delight to have at court, Lady Armstrong,¡± as she put a two drops of Phoenix Tears in Tina¡¯s wounds.

    Tina heard a hissing sound from her back as she let out a whistle, reflexing her back. The Phoenix Tears didn¡¯t hurt, but it was uncomfortable to feel the muscle meld themselves back together followed by an itching sensation. She tempted to jump from the bed and put her back against a corner and rubbed it until the itching was gone. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t last long and Morgana announced cheerily, ¡°There you go. I¡¯m all done here.¡± Morgana moved from the bed.

 Chapter 48: Information

    It had been only ten minutes since everyone had left the White Hall Family Suit and Genesis wanted to throw the stack of papers across the Family Office, but he placed the report back on top of the pile. He found several more reports about the gathering non-humans in the Dead End Forest. He hoped they were just gathering for a festival of some kind and not planning an attack on the Castle.

    He sighed. He couldn¡¯t believe Belladonna decided to punish Bartholomew, Honor, and himself. Hell, he was still trying to get over the fact she did the same thing with Tristan. He was a Knight of the Round Table for Christ¡¯s sake!

    Reno informed him before he left to report back to duty that the Warrior Queen kept lashing him until he passed out. Genesis barely remembered the 16th. He knew he had screamed when he came to, in his rooms in the White Hall Wing with Lady Armstrong tending to him. His throat was still sore. He had sent his assigned butler down for some tea. He just had to wait now. He turned his thoughts about to the Warrior Queen and the report.

    Belladonna would ruthless, demanding to lead the Military straight to the source and slaughter the non-humans. He know it would be a blood bath. It would result in more men dropping out of the Military and Genesis would be forced to look into walking the road to Knighthood, along with Honor and Bartholomew. He knew the other two wouldn¡¯t like becoming Knights for various reasons.

    Genesis, himself, didn¡¯t like the idea of becoming a Knight. It would give his grandmother another excuse to arrange a marry agreement on his behalf. Not to mention, the ladies of the court were vicious as his grandmother when they wished to be, not hesitating in questioning a Knight¡¯s honor if it would suit them or the ends they wish to meet. He didn¡¯t know how his father and brothers handled the Court vultures.

    He sighed. His thoughts turned to the reason why his father had left Camelot with his brothers in toe. Valentina. His missing sister. He lend back in the high back chair. Valentina was supposed to visited when she turned 18, but she didn¡¯t due to the fact she had fell in love and their mother decided to keep the fact Valentina had other family a secret.

    Now, his grandmother did something and somehow Valentina was making her way to the Estate. Genesis frowned. In fact, she probably was at the estate now, hopefully, giving their grandmother a few more gray hairs when it came to Valentina¡¯s lessons in Mannerism and other Ladyship etiquette. A smirk pulled across his lips.

    A knock rang out. Genesis¡¯ eyes darted over to the open door of the Family Office. Remus stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Genesis with a raised eyebrow. He commented, ¡°You look comfortable there, cousin. Have you thought about taking over being Head of the Family?¡±

    ¡°Hell no!¡± Genesis shot back. The smirk disappeared from his face at the thought of becoming Head of the Family. He knew he eventually would, but it would be after he got married. As long as he made his reputation as explosive as he could, his grandmother would have trouble finding him a match. ¡°I am enjoying my life as a single man.¡± He lend forward, ¡°Give that position to one of my brothers or cousins to take over as the Head of the Family.¡± He shot a smirk toward Remus, waving him in, ¡°Maybe, grandmother would choose you to be the Next Head of the Family.¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Remus gave Genesis a look as he strolled into the Office and sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk, ¡°I would just vanished into thin air and wait out my time until the old hag dies.¡± Genesis snorted. Remus sent the General an amused smile. A sharp screamed sounded from the main hallway followed by Tina crying out, ¡°Son of a fucking, whoring bitch!¡±

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Genesis¡¯ eyes flickered over Remus¡¯ shoulder as his cousin half turned to peer. They glanced at each other before Genesis rose to his feet and walked out of the Family Office, heading to the Armstrong Family Suit. Remus followed him.

    They reached the door as Lady Morgana opened the door and stepped out. The two men bent their heads as she swept toward the stairs, disappearing. Genesis stepped through the doorway, heading to the open bedroom door, calling, ¡°Are you alright, Tina?¡± He froze in the doorway, thinking the same thing that Remus verbalized behind him as he realized Tina sat her knees on the bed, topless.

    ¡°Oh shit!¡±

    Tina¡¯s head snapped in their direction. Her eyes narrowed in a death glare. Lightening flashed outside the windows. Thunder destroyed the silence with an ear piecing boom. Genesis saw Rosemary standing on the far side of the bed, with a furious expression. The General gulped as his eyes darted to one of Tina¡¯s hands reaching toward a flower vase on her nightstand, shifting on the top of the mattress.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything!¡± Remus cried out. His voice rose in pitch.

    Genesis¡¯ heart skipped a beat. He really wished Remus didn¡¯t say that. He tensed as Tina snapped. She leaped toward the flower vase the kind of speed that a warrior cultivate on the battlefield. Her feet landed on the stone floor, in an archer stance. She held the lip of the flower vase in one hand and she threw it in an over head throw.

    The flower vase flew across the room. Genesis, impressed by the speed of the flying vase, bent his knees, slipping into a crunch and the vase sailed over him. Remus let out a cry of surprise. There was a thud followed by the sound of shattering glass. The red head general stood up and commented, ¡°Nice throw, cousin. Please, excuse me.¡±

    He saw Tina reached out for a blanket, her eyes flashed in tune with the lightening. He spun, stepping over Remus who looked shock then hurried out of the Armstrong Family Suit. There was nothing wrong making a tactical retreat when one faced with an angry female. Especially, when that female was an red head.

    Remus let out, ¡°Wait for me!¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Genesis called over his shoulder, running down the hall toward the White Hall Family Suit, ¡°Every man for himself, dear cousin!¡± He entered the Main Family Suit and turned, watching as Remus bolted down the hallway as Tina came, skidding out of Armstrong Suit, sending a glare down the hall at them. Genesis waved at her with a cheery grin and, once Remus was passed the threshold, slammed the door shut. He turned to Remus and stated, ¡°That was one situation where you should have NOT said a word.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Remus panted, ¡°I realized that.¡± They shared a look and burst out laughing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she threw a vase at us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more impressed by the speed she used to do that,¡± Genesis laughed, ¡°She can handle herself if she needs to.¡±

    They walked back to the office and reclaimed their seats as they tried to calm down. ¡°I don¡¯t know which is more assuming,¡± the red head general went on, ¡°The fact she sassed Belladonna or what we just witnessed.¡±

    ¡°Both are quiet amusing,¡± Remus grinned at his cousin.

    ¡°Either way, she sounds like my kind of woman if she sassed the fearsome Warrior Queen and provide us this kind of amusement,¡± Genesis smirked, ¡°Too bad she is our first cousin.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, if Tina was a further on the Family tree, you wouldn¡¯t be the only one persuading her,¡± Remus stated, ¡°We might have to watch out for the rest of the Lords, looking for a wife for either themselves or their sons.¡±

    Genesis groaned, ¡°I can¡¯t wait until Father gets back from the Estate. He can handle those annoying requests and be those men in their place.¡±

    Remus let out a round of laughter then commented, ¡°Your father won¡¯t have to worry about that. According to Rosemary, she is planning to leave the day after the Choosing happens.¡± He stared at Genesis for a long moment with a thoughtful expression before he asked, ¡°So, what did you want to meet with me about?¡±

    Genesis lost all amusement and started to explain, ¡°It deals with my ¡®punishment¡¯.¡± Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Honor, Bartholomew, and I have been going through reports that we got nearly two to three months ago. The three of us have in the past requested the Ruling Family for more help - promoting new Generals to help us, requesting all kinds of assistance with these reports. One of these reports dealt with the fact I had two shipments of black powder go missing on the road from the Estate. I had no clue the shipments were in the Dead End Forest until they blew up, the other day.¡±

    Genesis let out a deep sigh as he focus his attention back to the reason why he requested his cousin presence. He continued, ¡°With the Ruling Family per-occupied for the foreseeable future, they can¡¯t help me out with reports that has came in from several soldiers. These reports are about the Non-humans movements in the Dead End Forest.¡± He grabbed a stack of reports and handed it to Remus.

    Remus frowned as he grabbed the stack and read them over. Genesis waited a couple heart beats before he went on, ¡°As right now, I don¡¯t know anyone in the Military or among the Knights who I can send on a reconnaissance style mission to figure out more on what those reports claim what is going on in the Dead End Forest.¡±

    ¡°You need someone with an unique set of skills,¡± Remus mused, ¡°Someone like me or the Ninja of the Dead End Forest.¡±

    ¡°There are Ninja in the Dead End Forest,¡± Genesis blinked at that information.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Remus stated, ¡°They are well hidden, but they do live in the Forest.¡± He paused, ¡°You are aware that Lady Freya has used them in the past, right? In fact, according to the rumors I have heard, Lady Freya has paid for a team to retrieve your sister from your mother¡¯s home.¡± He paused, giving Genesis a deadpan look, ¡°You probably have seen them around the Estate, especially the Holidays.¡±

    Genesis lend back. His eyes drafted away from Remus. He stared at his cousin in surprise. He finally made the comment, ¡°Well, that would explain a few things.¡± He filled the information about the Ninja living in the Dead End Forest away for later thought. ¡°Anyway, yes, I need someone with that skill set.¡± He glanced at his cousin. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, I see if these Ninja would be willingly to help me out.¡±

    ¡°For a price, they will,¡± Remus commented, looking through the reports. He paused, thinking, ¡°These reports are troubling.¡± Genesis hummed in agreement. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, it would seem like these non-humans are planning some sort of raid or a possible attack.¡± He thumbed through a few more reports before he pulled one out. His eyes stared at something on the report before his eyes darted over to Genesis, ¡°Just how long have you had these reports?¡±

    ¡°Since Uther fell sick or so,¡± Genesis admitted, ¡°Like I said, Honor, Bart, and I have been getting reports about the Dead End Forest for a while now.¡± He brought up a hand and rubbed his face. ¡°It¡¯s getting worst.¡±

    ¡°You three have seconds and thirds,¡± Remus said, ¡°Can¡¯t they help?¡±

    ¡°One of the laws that Belladonna passed while she was High Queen,¡± Genesis started to explained, ¡°prevents that or else they would. If she manages to find out that I¡¯m asking you for help, she would be furious enough to petition to High Queen Kalliope get me sack from my position.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Remus breathed. ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°We are getting frustration over this situation. We can do only so much before we hit a road block,¡± Genesis went on. ¡°I know you have been training in a questionable trade. My mother showed the same things you are - being tired all the time, quick reaction time, being sneaky, and jumpy at shadows. While you and mom are possible in different classes of the trade, you are the only one I can think that could help me with these reports. I can¡¯t go through the official channels due to the current situation with the Ruling Family. However, if you don¡¯t want the job, I will figure out other options.¡±

    Nodding in understanding, Remus frowned, going back through the reports. Silence fill between them as Remus continued going through the pile and Genesis closed his eyes, thinking. He still had dinner he had to attend, later that night, then the evening mass for the passing of Uther. An idea drafted through his head as he thought about what he was going to do after the mass. He would try to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath or whatever Merlin had stick the sword in.

    ¡°So,¡± Genesis waited until Remus looked up at him, ¡°Are you willingly to take the job?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Remus waved a hand through the air, ¡°It just means You owe me one.¡±

    Relief washed over Genesis as he slumped into the chair. He breathed, ¡°Thank you, Remus.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet,¡± Remus started, ¡°I will be reaching out to that Ninja Village for help as well. I have worked with them before on a couple previous jobs.¡± Genesis blinked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. What you are asking for is in my skill set, but I might have to request some back up in case these reports are correct and the non-humans could be difficult to deal with. I want to have someone to have my back and I have made a few friends among the ninja.¡±

    ¡°Just let me know how much I owe you,¡± Genesis said. When Remus gave him a wolfish grin, Genesis¡¯ stomach dropped through the chair and hit the catacombs below the castle. The price Remus stated¡­.Ouch! His personal funds took a major hit.

    Remus kept his chuckle as he could as he got to his feet. Amusement danced through him at the sight of Genesis¡¯ face, but his attention drifted back to the scroll hiding in his pocket. He had picked it up during the chaos of getting the Generals and Sir Tristan into the family suit for first aid.

    Tina had dropped it when she slipped out of her wet dress. Remus frowned as he walked to the common room, remembering the scroll had been stashed in the torso of her dress. It had to be important if she kept with her. Before Remus could muse on what it could be, a messenger knocked on the Suit Door and the Heir of Lunar House looked up, sticking Tina¡¯s scroll into one of his pockets. He would have to read it later when he had the time.

    ¡°I have a message for Lord Genesis,¡± the messenger stated, holding a letter in his hand.

    ¡°I will take it to him,¡± Remus held out a hand for the message and the messenger handed it over. Lord of Lunar House went back to the Family Office, ¡°Hey Genesis.¡± He waited until the red head General looked up from the various papers spread out over the desk. ¡°You got a message from¡­.¡± Remus flipped over the letter and saw the emblem of House Black. He raised his eyebrows, ¡°House Black?¡± he glanced toward his cousin. He looked just puzzled as Remus felt.

    Handing the letter over to Genesis, Remus watched as Genesis opened the letter and waited until the general was done. Genesis lend back into the chair and threw the letter on to the desk top. He let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°You can read it, Remus.¡±

    Remus reached out, picked up the letter, and straightened it out. He brought his attention to the letter.

    ¡®Dearest General Genesis,

    I find myself in need of an escort for the Kingdom Mourning Dinner, tonight. The Lord of House Black is escorting the heiress of House Blanc. I  was wondering if you would do me the honor of escorting me to the Dinner. I would appreciate if you were able to pick me up at 4 pm, sharp, from in the Eastern Wing for the House Black.

    Margiette

    Daughter of Felix, Son of Ethan

    First of her name, of House Black¡¯

    Remus stopped reading the letter with an amused grin as Genesis continued to look annoyed. The heir of Lunar House fought against a smirk as he noticed that Genesis was trying not to pout. He knew the General didn¡¯t like anyone from the Black House for various reasons. Most of those reasons dealt with the fact the Black family and the White Hall family didn¡¯t get along for a few centuries. Remus knew he was told the reason why, but that was when he was younger.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Genesis has been trying his best to avoid the daughter of the Black Family. Both men knew Margiette was on the warpath, looking for a husband. Of course, Remus found it funny that Margiette has finally set her sights on the Red Haired General. He had been wondering when she was going to try that. Remus just hoped that he wasn¡¯t next on her list of possible husbands. If he was, he could just disappear from Camelot for the next few months. Hopefully, she would move on from him.

    ¡°You could look at this like the heiress and the current lord trying to make amends for what has happened in the past,¡± Remus suggested as he claimed the seat in front of the Head of House desk.

    ¡°True,¡± Genesis voiced, nodding, ¡°But I really don¡¯t want to deal with anyone from the Black House.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone of our family does,¡± Remus stated in a drawl, ¡°However, we can¡¯t keep holding grudges when we may have to ally with them one day.¡±

    ¡°Why would the White Hall House do that?¡± Genesis¡¯ tone held a note of outrage as he narrowed his eyes at his cousin.

    ¡°If these reports about the non-humans are true, that¡¯s concerning, but it could be foreshadowing something bigger,¡± Remus explained, ¡°Remember there are lot of non-humans unhappy with the Current Ruling Family. With the King died, the question is who will be the next Chosen King. For all we know, it could be a non-human who gets chosen.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ eyes widened at that thought. He appeared to think it over and nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± he toned, ¡°It would be somewhat funny to see Belladonna¡¯s reaction to that¡­.¡± He trailed off before he chewed on his lower lip, ¡°However, it would cause chaos also among the humans who are against the non-humans as the Chosen non-human undid all the laws that prevent the non-humans becoming first class citizens.¡±

    Remus nodded then he shifted in his seat. He frowned when he felt something in his pocket, poking him in the thigh. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. He gasped. It was the scroll that Lady Valentina dropped.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Genesis asked.

    ¡°It was something Lady Valentina dropped,¡± Remus started, looking it over. When he looked at the end of the scroll, he saw the crest of the White Hall House. ¡°It¡¯s from the family.¡±

    ¡°Probably the summons about Uther¡¯s death,¡± Genesis waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Remus said, ¡°if it was a simply summons, then why did she have it on her person?¡±

    Genesis cocked his head to the side, asking, ¡°What are you getting at, Remus?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t arrive with Rose, Jacob and me,¡± Remus started, ¡°And she knows Sir Tristan. Plus I heard a story during our travel here. Something about a village getting blown up in the Dead End Forest and there were two survivors. Both came from that direction. Can you guess who it was?¡± He watched Genesis¡¯ eyes, the gears shifting in his mind and the dots slowly connecting. ¡°She did say something about it during Court Session earlier before you were punished for the missing black powder.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, I need to talk to Lady Valentina and Tristan when I have the chance,¡± Genesis stood up, remembering the conversation.

    ¡°I think you do,¡± Remus agreed, standing up as well.

    The red head general glanced at the clock then groaned. ¡°Sometime soon.¡±

    Remus nodded then turned to head out the door when his cousin gave him the puppy eyes.

    ¡°Could you take my place when it comes to Lady Margiette?¡± Remus heard Genesis asked.

    The heir of Lunar House paused by the door, looking back, gave his cousin a smirk, and informed him, ¡°Nope!¡± he walked out, waving over his shoulder, ¡°Have fun!¡± he let out a chuckle when he heard Genesis curse at his back. He stuck his hands in his pockets, heading to his rooms. He needed to plan. He couldn¡¯t go walking through the Dead End Forest without a plan, looking for these groups of non-humans. He frowned. He would have to see how much coin he had on hand. He would have to visit the Hidden Bark Village for extra pair of hands.

    However, when he started to prepare for the Mourning Dinner and Evening Mass, he dug through his pockets and grabbed the scroll. He hummed as he looked at it. He sighed as he opened it. His eyes widened as he read it.

    ¡°Valentina,

    daughter of Annja,

    daughter of Sakura,

    Daughter of House White Hall,

    First of her Name

    You have been requested to visit to the White Hall Estate, the home of Lord Bardock, and his sons, Genesis, Vincent, and Victor, and daughter, Natalie, by the Lady Mother Freya. Please follow the messenger to the White Hall Estate where I will be able to explain more to you, Valentina. It maybe wise to not inform your mother and Lady Sakura of where you are going. They may try to stop you from searching for your father and other family members.

    Wishing to speak to you soon,

    Your other Grandmother

    Freya

    Daughter of Floki,

    Son of Reynard,

    Fifth of her Name,

    Matriarch of House White Hall¡±

    He muttered a curse as he read the scroll again. His heart thundered in his chest. He glanced around the room, widely. Tina Armstrong was Valentina White Hall. The mysterious missing eldest daughter of the White Hall House. He needed to sit down.

    He took a deep breath. It would explain a few things about Tina, but it rose some problems. He exhaled slowly. Remus glanced at the door leading into the main hallway. He should go inform Genesis of what he discovered. On the other hand, he wanted to know why Tina didn¡¯t approach them about this sooner. The bell rang out, ringing out the hour. He groaned. He pushed himself out of the chair and hurried to the closet. He had to get ready, rather he liked it or not.

    Tristan let out a sigh as he finally reached his rooms in the Knights Tower. However, any thought of relaxing before he had to make an appearance for the Kingdom Mourning Meal flew out of his mind when he spotted Merlin lending causally against the wall by his door. At first, he didn¡¯t know why the Battle Mage would be there until he thought about it. The Holy Sword. He resisted the urge to groan. He knew what the Mage wanted. He didn¡¯t want to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the sheath.

    ¡°Afternoon, Tristan,¡± Merlin greeted him as the Violent Knight stopped at his door. ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    Tristan narrowed his eyes, glaring the Battle Mage, ¡°I¡¯m doing fine, Lord Merlin, and before you ask, No, I am not going to try to pull the Holy Sword.¡± He placed his hand on the door knob and twisted it, continuing, ¡°I already know I am not worthy to be King.¡±

    Merlin opened his mouth, but the doorknob was pulled from Tristan¡¯s hand and a woman stood on the other side. Her eyes widened when she saw him and Merlin. The knight turned his attention onto her. She immediately curtsied and stated, ¡°Your clothes for the evening mass are ready for you, Sir Tristan.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, good lady,¡± Tristan gave her a small smile. She blushed before she brushed him and hurried down the hallway, disappearing into the spiraling staircase. He turned to the Battle Mage, saying, ¡°Now, if you would excuse me, I have to finish getting for this evening Mourning Meal and Mass.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for Merlin to say anything before he walked through his door and slammed it shut behind him.

    Tristan let out a sigh as he lend against the door. He closed his eyes. He hissed through clenched teeth, arching his back. Pain rippled from his back. He kicked off the door and panted as he stumbled forward to the couch. He grabbed the back of the couch. He had forgotten the lashes on his back.

    There was a knock on his door. He turned his head to look at it and called out, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened and Lancelot walked in with a basket of liens and jars of healing cream. He shut the door behind him with his foot. He crossed the room and said, ¡°Sit down on the couch.¡±

    Tristan sighed and nodded before he walked around and sat down on the couch. He reached up and pulled his shirt off. He felt it pull at the lashes. He gasped. He paused, panting. He didn¡¯t know how Tina dealt with her wounds, running around with a bag on her back or wearing a dress.

    Lancelot set the basket down on the table top before he helped Tristan take off the shirt. He didn¡¯t say a word while he worked. When he was done, he spoke, ¡°Tell me, this strange woman who helped you faced off these Youkai, did she arrive in Camelot, recently?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan admitted.

    ¡°I take it she was worth protecting then, from Queen Belladonna¡¯s wrath,¡± Lancelot stated.

    ¡°Of course, she was,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°She is different from the other women we both know.¡±

    Lancelot hummed as he replaced the items on the basket and stood up, ¡°Remember we have to attend the Mourning Dinner and Evening Mass.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Tristan said. Lancelot didn¡¯t say another word while he left Tristan¡¯s quarters, leaving Tristan to prepare for the evening.

    ¡°My lady, my lady,¡± the maid shook Tina awake. The red head groaned before she tried to bury her head deeper into the pillows. ¡°My lady.¡± The maid¡¯s voice took on a disappointing note. ¡°It¡¯s time to get up.¡±

    Tina tried to ignore the maid. She knew she shouldn¡¯t have laid down for a nap. She knew herself well enough that she wouldn¡¯t want to get up after pulling a nighter, wondering the castle and the town. She brought up a hand and rubbed an eye before she pushed herself up. She yawned, widely, and announced, ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up.¡±

    She blinked at the maid as the other woman rushed from beside the bed and disappeared into the closet. Tina scouted to the edge of the bed where she sat with another yawn. She stretched her arms out to the sides and arched her back. She winced. She forget her wounds weren¡¯t fully healed, even though those phoenix tears did help.

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait for that to happen,¡± Tina muttered. She heard the maid rushed back into the bedroom. She glanced at the servant and eyed the dress the maid was carrying, raising her eyebrows at the gown. It was a dark colored dress that simmer between black and blue. Tina could have sworn she spotted gemstones along the collar line and a couple of other places. She started to question whoever had this room kept this well stock with clothes was a genius, but she remembered it was her Great Aunt Nami¡¯s former room. When she got back to Vermont, she really needed to call her Great Aunt and see if she could visit the old lady again. She allowed a small grin to cross her lips as her thoughts drifted toward the Team. It would be nice to see them again.

    ¡®Assuming they would want to see me, again,¡¯ she thought glumly then she shook her head. Of course, they would be glad to see her again. The only thing they would be upset about was how easy Tina had nearly wrote them out of her life instead of trying to keep in contact. She sighed.

    ¡°My lady,¡± the maid spoke up, returning from the closet, holding a dark colored slip, ¡°You have to get ready for the Mourning Meal.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted to the dress that the maid laid upon the bed, before she asked, ¡°Do I have to wear that? Why not something simpler or plainer?¡±

    ¡°My lady!¡± the maid gasped, her eyes widened as she settled her surprise gaze on the red head, putting the slip on the bed, ¡°You can¡¯t. This is an important dinner.¡± The maid gestured to the dress, ¡°This is a symbolizes not only your station, personally, but your family¡¯s station in the Court.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you could explain that one to me,¡± Tina suggested, ¡°Since I¡¯m not familiar with the ways of the Court.¡±

    The maid nodded, slowly, looking at Tina with a look that the red head woman couldn¡¯t identify before she started to explain, ¡°Alright. I will explain as we get you ready for the dinner.¡± The Maid glanced toward a clockwork clock sitting close to a window with the curtains pushed to the sides. Tina glanced at that way as well, but the maid stated, ¡°We have a 30 minutes to get you ready so let¡¯s hop to it. Go over to the vanity.¡±

    Tina rolled her eyes, stood up, shook her legs for the yoga pants to fall straight,  and walked over to the vanity where she took a seat. She watched the maid through the mirror as the maid hurried over. There was long pause before Tina asked, ¡°What does station have anything to do with the Court?¡±

    ¡°It means everything!¡± The maid exclaimed, ¡°The way you dress, the way you interact with other members of the court, and the way you act are very important.¡± The maid took a deep breath as she grabbed a brush before she started to run it through Tina¡¯s thick red hair, causing Tina¡¯s head to wobble toward the maid then away as the maid made sure all the knots were out of Tina¡¯s hair. ¡°Let me start at the beginning. During the reign of the First King Arthur of the United Kingdoms of Camelot, there were 150 families earned The Sacred. These families had a Knight who managed to become a Knight of the Round Table. Eventually, the Sacred 150 families, overtime, became known as The Ancient House of whatever the family name was.¡±

    Tina hummed in acknowledgment.

    ¡°There are some houses, now, like the White Hall House, have earned the title Noble,¡± the maid put down the hair brush and started pulling Tina¡¯s hair. Tina winced as pain rippled through her head as the maid twisted the red locks into an complex hairdo. ¡°They can only earn the Noble Title is a member of the house become a part of the Ruling Family of Camelot.¡±

    The maid reached past Tina¡¯s shoulder to something on the vanity before she went back to work on Tina¡¯s hair. ¡°For ladies of the Court, marrying a member of the Ruling Family is an achievement. It brings a lot of prestige to her family. Right now, a lot of ladies are waiting to see what happens at the Chosen Ceremony. I kinda feel sorry for the man chosen. He will be the most popular bachelor in the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°What if he is married, already,¡± Tina asked.

    The Maid paused and met Tina¡¯s eyes in the vanity mirror before stating, ¡°I¡¯m sure you are smart enough to know there are ways around the marriage problem. It has been before and that practice will continue.¡±

    Eyes widening, Tina froze with realization. Just how many Kings had to bury their wife because a jealousy lady of the Court wanted the position and took matters into her own hands?

    ¡°I have heard poison was the least messy way to do it,¡± the maid went on, ¡°The blame usually lands on the servant who gave the drink of choice to the wife.¡± Tina heard the maid take a shaky breath. ¡°I have lost a grandmother and an aunt that way.¡± The maid paused for a long moment.

    ¡°I am sure there has been assassins used, as well,¡± Tina spoke up, giving the maid a moment, ¡°and other incidents that looked like accidents.¡± The maid hummed, nodding. ¡°I knew Court was dangerous, but to know this, man,¡± Tina breathed, inhaled, and continued, ¡°This is something a bit more then I realized. It sounds like the Game of Thrones kind of shit.¡±

    ¡°It is the Game of Thrones, my lady,¡± the maid corrected the red head, ¡°The end goal for each family is claim the Throne of Camelot and try to return the Kingdom to its former glory as the United Kingdoms of Camelot.¡±

    ¡°What happened to cause it to be the kingdom to separate into several,¡± Tina asked. It was a bit personal curiosity and a historical curiosity. She loved learning about history and how it effected today¡¯s events.

    ¡°One of the previous Kings, I forget which one, wanted to make sure his brothers also got to rule, even though only one could rule Camelot,¡± the maid explained, ¡°So, he gave the area that was the Former Kingdom of Mercy to his youngest brother, the Kingdom of Terra to his second brother, the Kingdom of York to his third brother, and the fourth brother was able to claim Yuki Kingdom in the far north. The King himself was chosen by the Holy Sword to rule Camelot.¡± The maid muttered something under her breath as Tina felt a sharp pull at her hairline, bringing tears to her eyes. ¡°There was two sisters also. One of them was given the Kingdom of Nottingham to rule over while the other one got the islands of Vernazza.¡±

    ¡°So, there were 7 original kingdoms that made up Camelot at one time,¡± Tina stated.

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± The maid said, ¡°There! Your hair is done.¡± The maid stepped away and went to the bed where the dress lay. ¡°Let¡¯s get you dress.¡±

    Tina let out a sigh, but she stood up and walked over to the bed where she took off her shirt before she pulled the slip over her head, allowing it to fall down her body. She gathered the slip into her hands before she thumbed down her yoga pants and kicked them into the air, watching as they landed half off the foot of the bed, half on the bed. Tina sighed. She looked at the maid, commenting, ¡°I will be wearing those later when I go to bed.¡± The maid nodded then helped Tina into the dress.

    Afterward Tina changed, the maid guided her back to the vanity and helped the red head put on the Armstrong jewelry when a knock echoed through the room, coming the Family door suit. The Maid left Tina¡¯s side and went to the door. Tina heard soft voices. She didn¡¯t hear what was being said. She glanced to the bed through the vanity mirror. She wanted to go back to bed. Maybe after the dinner she would be able to.

    ¡°She is in here, Sebastien,¡± the maid said, walking back into the bedchamber.

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted over to the bedroom door and raised an eyebrow as the Head of the Maids and Butlers appeared. He gave her a small smile and bowed to her. She cocked her head to the side.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Sebastien,¡± Tina asked, turning on her chair and giving the man her attention.

    He raised an eyebrow before he looked up, replying, ¡°The Ceiling.¡± He looked at her and smirked. Tina resisted the urge to flip the Head of the Maids and Butlers off, but she settled on rolling her eyes. ¡°If you meant why I am here, I am here to explain how tonight is going to go.¡± He turned to the maid, ¡°Sweetheart, you are dismissed until after the mass. Go on eat something then head to bed. I¡¯m sure you will needed later.¡± The maid nodded then she performed a curtsied to Tina before she walked out of the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Tina asked, ¡°Cause I probably won¡¯t need her help later when I get back from the dinner.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, about that,¡± Sebastien started, turning to her, ¡°You will have to attend Mass tonight.¡± Tina pulled a face. ¡°Yes, it is a Christan Mass. Yes, it is required for every member of the Court to attend by the order of the Former High Queen Belladonna.¡± He paused, ¡°She¡¯s big on tradition.¡± He sighed. ¡°She thinks if there was a reason for something to become a tradition, it should stay that way.¡± Tina nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s includes attending the wake and mass to make sure the dearly departed soul¡¯s makes its way to Heaven.¡±

    Tina groaned. She didn¡¯t even know King Uther or experience his reign and really didn¡¯t want to go. She sighed, ¡°So, I can¡¯t get out of it?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Sebastien popped the P in nope, ¡°Unless you want Belladonna to figure out a way to punish you or your family, somehow.¡±

    Tina rubbed at her eyes, annoyed. She didn¡¯t need to bring more punishment onto her family. Genesis, his Generals, and Tristan already been through enough. In her opinion, the viewing, the wake, or whatever you want to call it should be limited to friends and family, the people who actually knew the dead person, and  possible respected the dead enough to care where the departed loved one¡¯s soul went to after life. Not everyone, their mother, and their grandmother who may or may not care what happened to them while they plotted for a way to raise their status. She sighed. ¡°So, dinner then mass?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sebastien nodded, ¡°The dinner will only last for a couple hours while Mass will last until sometime after midnight. Once you have returned, your maid will be here to help you out of the dress then will return in the morning to help you redress in another dress that will be appropriate for the Funeral tomorrow morning.¡± Tina nodded. ¡°However, getting back to tonight, Lord Remus of House Lunar will be your escort to the Great Hall where the Mourning Dinner will take place. He will take you to the table you have been assigned to sit at. Since you are apart of the minor house of an Ancient and Noble Houses, you will be sitting at the same line as the Salt.¡±

    ¡°As the Salt?¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°Salt is rather expensive, here, coming from the far east,¡± Sebastien explained, ¡°That¡¯s how divide the families. If your family has managed to the Ancient Title, you sit about the same level as the salt. However, if your family is Ancient and Noble, you are above the salt. But if your family doesn¡¯t have either, you sit below the salt.¡± Tina looked at him in confusion. ¡°It basically means you will have salt at the table or not.¡±

 Chapter 49: The Lord of the Crescent Island

    ¡°Salt is rather expensive, here, coming from the far east,¡± Sebastien explained, ¡°That¡¯s how divide the families. If your family has managed to the Ancient Title, you sit about the same level as the salt. However, if your family is Ancient and Noble, you are above the salt. But if your family doesn¡¯t have either, you sit below the salt.¡± Tina looked at him in confusion. ¡°It basically means you will have salt at the table or not.¡±

    Tina frowned, nodding in understanding. She didn¡¯t realize that salt was that expensive in Camelot. She was used to having it in large amounts at back home. However, she remembered it was historical lecture over salt while she was in college or watching a documentary over the middle ages where the topic was brought up. ¡°Alright. Anything else I need to know?¡±

    ¡°After the Mourning Meal, but before you head to God¡¯s Holy Light Church, one of the gentlemen you will be sitting with will be escorting you to the Church. Once there, the gentleman will take you to General Genesis to regroup with your main family and the White Hall House and its minor branches will sit together,¡± Sebastien explained.

    Tina let out a sigh before she made the comment, ¡°Sheesh, there are a lot of rules for tonight, aren¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°Just be glad you are not working as a maid or part of the serving staff,¡± Sebastien drawled, ¡°There are a lot more rules and the Warrior Queen breathing your neck.¡± He ran a hand through his hair, ¡°I have stopped several members of the severing staff from making a mistake in front of her. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate from hollering at them when they did.¡± He glanced over his shoulder and turned his gaze back onto Tina, ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyebrows raised and nodded, ¡°Granted.¡±

    ¡°She has made life horrid enough where I have been running short handed for a long while,¡± Sebastien complained as his shoulder slumped, and appeared tired, ¡°But you can¡¯t tell it since I have been handling it better then some of my counterparts like the Head of the Severs, the Head of Cleaners, and the Head of Design. I have been trying to hire enough to cover all the positions, but it¡¯s been hard when the possible hires hear they might have to sever Belladonna or any of her close family members.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t wish too?¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°Partly,¡± Sebastien replied, ¡°They sometimes have family who need the money and are related to non-humans, but Belladonna has past a lot of laws limiting the non-humans¡¯ rights.¡± Tina nodded.

    She knew racism was alive and well. It was back home in the United States. For a while there, she thought the country would erupt into a political civil war, country wide, due to the one presidential election. It didn¡¯t stop the war from erupting out, years later, when she was in grade school. Some of the cities were burnt to the ground. Those cities were still in the process of building rebuilt.

    It sounded like Camelot was facing something similar to what the United States went through a few years ago or at least it was when it came to non-humans vs humans. ¡°A majority of the people who want to work inside the Castle I can¡¯t hire due to the laws or a gut feeling they want more then just a good paying job,¡± Sebastien went on.

    ¡°It sucks,¡± Tina said. Sebastien looked frustration by what he was going through. There was a knock on the door. Tina watched as the frustration Sebastien felt immediately disappeared and he stood straighter.

    ¡°Shall I get that, my lady,¡± Sebastien asked, politely, and business like. Tina nodded. He turned and walked out of the bedroom.

    ¡°It seems like Camelot had fallen greatly from its legend,¡± Tina whispered, turning to the vanity and stared at her reflection. Something moved out of the corner of her vision. She jerked around to see who it was, but the figure disappeared. She frowned, thinking back. It was a white lined figure. Her mind flashed back to the figure who led her to the kitchens that morning. Could they be connected somehow?

    ¡°Good evening, cousin,¡± Remus¡¯ voice rang out from the doorway. Tina spun back around to face the doorway to see Remus lending against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. Tina scanned her cousin, getting a strong reminder that she was in a stagnate society. Remus wore something that was straight out of the Dark Ages - black tights or leggings, a bright red shirt with a flower on his left breast, and the sleeves pillowed out until they reached his wrists where they tightened. Tina noticed he wore knee high boots to finish the look.

    ¡°Evening, Cousin,¡± Tina greeted back as she stood up from the chair and grabbed the skirt of her dress, fluffing it out about her legs. She walked over to Remus with a small smile, saying, ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready for this upcoming dinner and mass if you are.¡±

    Remus nodded before he spoke, ¡°Could you remind me how did you get those lashes on your back?¡±

    ¡°Sir Tristan and I were captured by a village of Fawns and they sought to punish me by whipping me,¡± Tina shrugged and she stopped by him.

    ¡°How did you meet Sir Tristan?¡± Remus asked, a hand disappearing into a pocket.

    Tina looked at him. She narrowed her eyes. While she didn¡¯t know him well or very long, her gut instinct told her he was hiding something and searching for an answer. She stated, ¡°Stop the 20 questions, Remus, and ask your burning question.¡±

    ¡°Are you Lady Valentina of the White Hall House, the same one that Lady Freya sent a team of Shinobi after, and General Genesis¡¯ Sister,¡± Remus lend toward Tina as he pulled out a familiar looking scroll. His eyes flashed with a few emotions.

    Tina glanced at the same scroll she had found on her nightstand. She let out a sigh. There was no use in lying or giving misinformation. She met his eyes, ¡°Yes, according that scroll and I am starting to think I am.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you think you are,¡± her cousin asked, lending back.

    ¡°Mom never talked about my father,¡± Tina confessed, ¡°Until recently, I didn¡¯t know who he was.¡± She sighed. ¡°Come on. We got a dinner and mass to attend. We can talk about this later, can¡¯t we?¡±

    Remus huffed. He held out an arm to Tina which she took and they walked out of the White Hall Wing of the Castle. The silence unnerved Tina and she ended up asking, ¡°Where is Genesis?¡±

    ¡°He is escorting Lady Margiette Black to the Great Hall,¡± he replied.

    Tina looked up at Remus sideways, waiting for more information before she asked, ¡°Did he volunteer do that?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± he replied, ¡°Lady Margiette is looking for a husband.¡±

    ¡°And she has her eyes settled on Genesis?¡± Tina tried to keep the mirth out of her voice.

    ¡°Yes, she does.¡± Came the short reply.

    ¡°Who do you feel sorry for, more, Genesis or this Lady Margiette?¡± Tina asked, trying to get Remus to be more talkative. She glanced up at him, waiting.

    He finally sighed, stopping at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the White Hall Wing,  ¡°Why do you care, Tina? Are you planning to stay here or return home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will stay,¡± Tina admitted, ¡°There is a part of me wanting to know why I grew up without my dad and brothers in my life, but at the time, I don¡¯t know if I can return home, knowing what I do know.¡±

    Remus pulled her around, facing him. He used a finger to push up her chin and stared her in the eye, saying, ¡°Can you live with yourself, not getting to know them when you have the chance to and something major happens, they die, thinking you were still heartbroken with your mom and not happy?¡±

    Tina knew her answer would be no, but she dodged the question, ¡°I am still heartbroken and not happy.¡± Tears burnt her eyes. She looked up, over Remus¡¯ head, trying to control her emotions. She blinked, rapidly. Remus didn¡¯t say anything. She cleared her throat before she changed the subject, ¡°Anyway, I heard our cousins won¡¯t be seating with us during the Mourning Dinner. Are we being assigned seats?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Remus¡¯ voice held a tone that Tina couldn¡¯t identify, ¡°I suppose since Genesis is escorting Lady Margiette, he could be sitting with her and several other eligible ladies of the court.¡±

    ¡°Moew! I sense a cat fight,¡± Tina changed her voice to hold a playful note. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should feel for him or the ladies, yet.¡±

    ¡°The ladies,¡± Remus immediately replied as he started walking again, leading Tina to the Great Hall. ¡°He has a reputation of being explosive.¡±

    ¡°Temper wise or just like things that go boom-boom,¡± Tina smirked in amusement.

    ¡°Both,¡± Remus smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the last time I had witness one of Genesis¡¯ explosive reactions.¡± He chuckled. ¡°The last time I heard he lost his temper, it was on the battlefield, he ended up creating a big pile of something explosive and sending it sky high before he chase the enemy back to their lines.¡±

    ¡°Oh good lord,¡± Tina envisioned the General creating a pile of random things that could explode before lighting it on fire then dashing after the enemy with them fleeing. She let out a giggle at the imaginary image. ¡°I bet he got pretty popular with the people who handles the black powder.¡±

    Remus nodded, going on, ¡°That was before he was promoted to General. After that battle, he earned the nickname the Explosive Red Head.¡± Tina snorted as they went through a series of hallways until they entered a Courtyard, but the courtyard didn¡¯t have the statue of an Ancient King holding his sword out like the courtyard she had walked through several times so far.

    ¡°So, we are not going to the Seasonal Throne Room,¡± Tina said in a questioning tone, looking around at the new courtyard.

    ¡°The Great Hall is where all the banquets take place in,¡± Remus explained, ¡°It¡¯s on the North side of the castle. The Seasonal Throne Room is on the South side.¡± Tina nodded. ¡°Our family wing is on the West side and the training grounds is on the East side.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. The places Remus had mention where some of the places she had visited so far, expect for the Great Hall, but apparently, she was going to change that soon enough. Excitement rose up in her chest.

    She knew she shouldn¡¯t be feeling that way, but she was seeing a new place in the legendary castle. She tried to push the excitement down, trying to put it under control. She started to see familiar faces streaming toward a pair of open doors at the far end of the courtyard.

    Her eyes immediately roamed over the courtyard. There wasn¡¯t a statue in the middle of this courtyard, but a large water fondant stood there instead. She stopped walking, studying the water fondant.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Remus¡¯s voice caught her attention. Tina blinked and felt her cheeks heat up before she shook her head and pointed at the water fondant. ¡°Oh.¡± Remus looked at the fondant and said, ¡°That is the Fondant of Hope.¡± She turned her gaze up at Remus, hoping he would explain more.

    He saw the look and sighed. ¡°According to legend, King Arthur the First had this created to give people during the difficult times the Kingdom has and will experience. The Fondant has been one of the few surviving pieces we have from his reign, besides the Holy Sword, The King¡¯s Ring, the Crown of Camelot,  the Statue of the King himself, everything in the Seasonal Throne Room, and there was something else, but I forget.¡± He looked sheepish. Tina gave him an understanding smile.

    ¡°Well, how long has it been? 2000 years?¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°Give it a few years or so,¡± Remus admitted, nodding.

    ¡°It is only natural that things have been lost or destroyed,¡± she commented. Her stomach let out a loud rumble. A nervous laugh left her. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go eat before we get caught out here by someone really important.¡±

    Remus nodded in agreement. They walked to the Great Hall as a soft breeze brushed over them. Tina shivered slightly. She wished she had remember to grab a shawl. A cold front must have moved in after the horrible thunderstorm had left the Kingdom.

    Eying the setting sun through the windows, General Genesis approached the Black House wing of the Castle. He briefly wondered why the castle was so huge, but remembered the reason why. After all, there was 150 families that had achieved the rank of Ancient, thanks to their Founding Father¡¯s membership to the Round Table. He sighed. At one time, the Families had gathered during the summer months to celebrate and reunite for various reasons.

    He really didn¡¯t want to escort Lady Margiette to the Great Hall for the Mourning Dinner. He hoped she didn¡¯t try to talk him into a marriage contract or any kind of arrangement. He really didn¡¯t need to be dealing with that kind of shit, right now. He let out a sigh, letting his shoulder slump. He paused by a window looking  over the Eastern Districts. He spotted the shopping area.

    A large market square was set up in the middle of the Eastern District. Usually, at this time of day, it would be packed. Genesis would have his men among the shoppers, keeping an eye on any pick pockets. He knew there would be at least three to four groups of streets rats dashing the crowd, hands slipping into pockets, grabbing coins before dashing away.

    Majority of the street rats his men caught and put them to work, but there were some who managed to escape from his men. One group immediately came to mind. Brothers 6.

    Genesis shook his head when he thought of them, smirking. The eldest of the six was known as Ichigo. He was the leader of the six brothers and often distracted the guards long enough for the rest of his brothers to escape. Some of the tactics the boy used was amusing to the General.

    Ichigo would make a good soldier if Genesis ever managed to his hands on him. The rest of the brothers would fall into line if Ichigo was ever caught. Those six would die and do anything to protect each other. Genesis had the sneaky suspicion that willingness would extend to anyone they care deeply for.

    The red head sighed. He figured if his reputation continued to make good where majority of the women his grandmother tried to set him up with didn¡¯t work out, he could adopt the six or see if their mother was unmarried, assuming she was still alive. He knew his family wouldn¡¯t care if he adopted heirs or not as long as the family name continued in some fashion. One of his uncles had done that. It was pissed his grandmother to no end, but having a grandchild to dote had dulled her anger.

    He turned his thoughts back to the issue at hand. He glanced up the hall where the entrance to the Black Wing loomed. He wondered if it was too late to send a message to Lady Black, informing her that he couldn¡¯t make it. His shoulders sunk. He knew better.

    One of the servant for the Black House passed him as he hurried to the Black Wing. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out which family room he was heading to - Lord James¡¯ rooms. He would report that Genesis was going to be escorting the Lady Margiette to the Great Hall for the Mourning Dinner.

    If Genesis didn¡¯t show up, it would be an insult to the Black House. White Hall House had enough problems with the Black Family. They didn¡¯t need another reason to call for a blood feud. Belladonna would do that this time or demoted Genesis from the General position. Of course, she had the option to give him the boot, kicking him out of the Camelot Military.

    Genesis sucked in a deep breath. He straighten his back. His shoulders squared. He strolled forward like he was on portal duty on one of the walls encircling the castle or the city. He turned into the Black Wing and felt the world become devoid of color.

    The Black Wing was decorated in their House colors - Black. The only spot of color was on the curtains. It showed the symbol of the Black House. He strolled over the dark carpet to a door with a name plate on it - Margiette.

    The General summoned his courage and took a deep breath as he raised his right fist before he knocked on the door. He placed his hands behind his back, waiting. He heard muffled voices coming from the room and the door unbolted then swung inward by several inches. One of the servant assigned to take care of the Black Lady peered up at him, before she spoke, ¡°Are you here to retrieve Mistress Margiette?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am, miss,¡± Genesis nodded, ¡°Could you please inform the Lady I am ready to head down to the Great Hall whenever she is?¡±

    The maid bent her head in acknowledgment then shut the door. The General went to lend against the wall next to the door when it swung open again. He glanced up and paused. He wasn¡¯t aware that Lady Margiette could look that pleasing to the eye.

    Her dark hair framed her face with curls, causing her turquoise colored eyes to pop out. Around her neck, a necklace lay with a red gem in cased in gold. A set of matching earrings hung from her ears. The dress she wore was a typical form fitting black mourning dress, but it was trimmed in gold, showing her status as part of the Upper Class. However, the dress was a sharp contrast to her pale skin. Genesis knew it wasn¡¯t in good form for a Lady of the Court to be out in the sun for long periods of time.

    ¡°My lady,¡± Genesis stepped away from the wall and bowed to Queen Belladonna¡¯s great niece. ¡°You look beautiful, tonight.¡± He slipped into the familiar role of Acting Head of the White Hall House. He offered his arm to Lady Margiette, waiting.

    ¡°And you look passable,¡± Margiette sniffed. Her eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°I thought you would know better then appear to me like a General instead of the Heir of your house, Lord Genesis or is it General? I can¡¯t tell which.¡±

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°General would be fine, my lady,¡± It took all of Genesis¡¯ will power not to growl the sentence out at her. He forced the irritation aside. He knew majority of the ladies at Court would be thrill to death if he was their escort. ¡°We will be late if we don¡¯t leave, now, my lady.¡± All he had to do was escort Lady Margiette down to the Great Hall to her seat then he could find his own. Hopefully, he would be sitting with his cousins and would be able to discuss family matters with them.

    Lady Margiette scoffed and took his arm. Genesis guided her to the Great Hall. He didn¡¯t say a word to her. He hoped she wouldn¡¯t speak with him, but he knew it was a lost cause when she opened her mouth, ¡°I see you are moving better then you did earlier, General. One would have thought that punishment would put you in bed at least for a week if not longer.¡±

    Genesis didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Apparently, my great aunt didn¡¯t do her job appropriately. If her father was still alive, that would have been corrected already and she would be punished for her lack of judgment. You simply can¡¯t image my surprise to see you walking about like the flogging never happened.¡± Genesis felt her gaze rested on his face. She hummed as they left the Black Wing of the Castle. ¡°I suspect the Magi are to blame for that. Unruly creatures. They shouldn¡¯t have help you or the other two General. I get the feeling they also helped Sir Tristan.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, my lady, for interrupting you,¡± Genesis finally spoke as they went down several staircases to the courtyard near the Great Hall, ¡°But it wasn¡¯t the magi who helped the Generals, Sir Tristan or myself.¡±

    ¡°Then who did?!¡± Margiette cried out. She looked up at him with an unreadable expression. Her eyes flashed with an emotion.

    ¡°It was one of my cousins,¡± Genesis smirked. ¡°She recently been through the same thing and knew the best way to treat the wounds.¡± He went on, ¡°She isn¡¯t from this Kingdom so she isn¡¯t aware of the laws your family has been trying to put in place for the last few hundred years.¡± He smiled at her.

    Margiette glared at him and snapped, ¡°Then you are the one failing in your duty as her head of house¡­¡±

    ¡°ACTING head of house,¡± Genesis cut in, ¡°It¡¯s not all my responsibly to teach her all of the laws the Houses of Drake and Black has been enacting over the past couple centuries.¡±

    ¡°I think as the Acting Head of House, as you put it, it is your responsibility to teach her the laws,¡± she shot back with venom in her tone, ¡°I would hate to see you get punish again for not doing your duty, General.¡±

    Genesis slowly turned his head and glared down his nose at Margiette. She met his glare. It was a long moment before the red head general spoke again. He kept his tone even and calm like he was speaking with a member of the Royal Ruling Family or someone above his station, ¡°My lady, let¡¯s agree to disagree. I¡¯m sure you are¡ª¡°

    ¡°Let¡¯s not agree to disagree,¡± Margiette snapped, ¡°Your duty as Acting Head of your family is teach Lady Armstrong proper court procedure.¡± She took a breath, ¡°I will be writing to Lady Freya about your lack of decorum toward your duty and myself.¡±

    Genesis turned his head away as he guided her through the various hallways, heading to the Great Hall. He fought to control his temper. He noticed the nearby torches flared up. He took a deep breath as they walked. He didn¡¯t speak until they reached the Great Hall.

    Inside the Great Hall, Lord Salazar stood nearby his assigned table, bored out of his undead mind. That was saying something as he had spent years avoiding situations like this.

    However, King Uther managed to get respect and he felt it was something he could at least do. Not to mention, he brought warning to the Magi of Camelot about the old alliance reforming. His thoughts drifted back to the massive he got nearly a month ago about the old alliance and frowned.

    My Old Friend,

    We were once allies against the United Kingdoms of Old, but upon the defeat of the Death Mage, Rowena, the alliance fallen apart. However, rumors has been spreading that the Death Mage is stirring once more. Word has reached me that her most trusted servant is on the move, again, and has started to gather up the old alliance again in preparation for what I do not know. You live too close to what used to be the United Kingdoms for my likening with your coven. Be careful, Salazar.

    Your Friend,

    Lucy The Fallen One

    While Salazar trusted Lucy to a certain point, he knew Lucy had a grudge with the members of the Light side, giving what Lucy was and his history with the Light. The Vampire Lord let out a sigh.

    He eyed the immortal Princess as she was escorted in by one of the Knights, Sir Galahad if Salazar could recall correctly. Her eyes glowed the bright side of crimson, indicating she already feed. She obviously felt his gaze upon her and turned her head, giving a nod of acknowledgment. Hopefully, he didn¡¯t have to worry about her tonight. He had enough to worry about.

    Between himself and the Magi, they didn¡¯t find the untrained storm-bringer. He hoped whoever it was didn¡¯t lose control of their negative emotions again and unknowingly set loose a storm of the century.  He remembered when he did and he still regret it after a century later.

    Lord of the Crescent Island let out a sigh. He pushed away those memories and brought himself back to the present. He raised his crimson eyes and scanned the Great Hall. The Decorating Staff outdone themselves with the decorations for the Mourning Dinner. He hoped whoever the Head of the Decorating Staff was these days was proud of themselves.

    He took a breath and the scent of ozone entered his nose. He closed his eyes on instinct as he tried to process the scent. It was a female scent. He exhaled and opened his eyes. He stood up from his seat. He glanced at the name cards on either side of his chair. A Lady Valentina of House Armstrong was supposed to sit on his right and a Lord Micheal of House Lancaster on his left.

    Salazar¡¯s lips twitched into a half smirk. Perhaps this Lady Valentina could provide some clues on who the untrained storm-bringer could be. He half entertained the thought that Lady Valentina could the mysterious storm-bringer herself, but that would be too easy. Life was never that easy. There had to be a catch somewhere along the line.

    He stepped away from the table, glancing at the other name cards. According to the names, there was supposed to be three more females at the table with several other lords. He briefly wondered if it was someone was trying play matchmaker with the eligible ladies of the Court. If someone was, they were barking up the wrong tree. He wasn¡¯t looking for a mate, right now. If he was, it would be a woman who will be willingly to be turn into a vampire.

    Salazar moved away from the table, letting the scents wash over him. He weaved through the crowd of Courters looking for their name at the various tables. He searched for the ozone, female scent. He spotted the mysterious Lady Valentina entering in the Great Hall on the arm of her cousin, Lord Remus.

    ¡°Look who just arrived,¡± one of the nearby woman commented, ¡°It¡¯s that Lady Valentina on the arm of Lord Remus.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the one who is representing House Armstrong,¡± another woman said. There was a hum of agreement. ¡°I think Lord Remus and Lady Valentina are cousins.¡±

    ¡°So, in other words, Lord Remus is still available?¡± one of the ladies purred, ¡°Perhaps I should approach him?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s not proper. Besides, I spotted Lady Valentina early this morning, walking around the castle, being escorted by the Head of the Butlers and Maids. They were laughing about something.¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t!¡± one of them gasped. Salazar had forgot how scandalous it was for a Lady of the Court to mingle with someone from the lower class.

    ¡°Remember we don¡¯t know anything about her.¡± There was a pause. Salazar gazed at Lady Valentina as Lord Remus and she strolled along the various tables, looking for the place where Lady Valentina was supposed to sit. ¡°She could be one of those easy ladies, trying to seduce our men away from us.¡±

    The Vampire wanted to smirk at the court gossip. Some of the Court Ladies were small minded fools. He watched as Lady Valentina lend in close to her cousin and whispered in worried tone that his enhanced hearing picked up without a problem, ¡°I can¡¯t read the names on those cards.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t taught how to reach?¡± Remus asked at the same volume. Salazar wanted to laugh as Lady Valentina gave Lord Remus a dark glare.

    ¡°I was taught how to read, you jackass!¡± Valentina snapped. She tried to keep her voice down low. Salazar¡¯s lips parted as Remus blinked at her, gasped. ¡°I wasn¡¯t taught how to read in this bloody language!¡± she turned away from her cousin and Salazar heard her mutter, ¡°I swear. Men. No matter where they are from, they are nearly all the same. Insulting a woman¡¯s intelligence over one little thing like knowing a bloody language.¡±

    Salazar¡¯s eyebrows raised. She apparently has some history with a male over her intelligence.

    ¡°Valentina, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Remus immediately apologized, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you didn¡¯t understand this written language. I simply thought you knew it since you spoke it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t assume anything, Remus,¡± Valentina turned her head back around and Salazar saw the flush on her cheeks. ¡°It could get someone hurt.¡± She paused with a thoughtful expression on her face before she added, ¡°Or worst, killed.¡±

    Salazar agreed with the Mysterious Lady Valentina. He had assumed something in the past and it caused some longterm problems. He was still trying to dig himself out of that grave whole. His eyes darted over to Lord Lunar. The lord looked puzzled for a long moment before he nodded. Salazar didn¡¯t know if it was in agreement or not.

    ¡°Well,¡± Lord Remus started, ¡°Let¡¯s see who we have over here.¡± He steered the red head over to the nearest table to the back wall.

    Salazar wanted to snort. The boy obviously thought the Lady belong below the salt. The Vampire Lord calmly strolled over to the pair of cousins. He knew the Armstrong Family might have married into the White Hall House, but they were a force to reckon with in their own right.

    He could recall stories of Lady Nami using her other worldly powers to defeat her enemies while her twin sister, Lady Sakura, commanded the armies of Camelot with a no-sense manner and sent the enemies of Camelot running for the hills, majority of the time. He did remembered one time where one of the twins got captured and the other one rushed in to save her.

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t remember which sister it was who needed the saving and the one who did the rescuing. Either way, the Armstrong women may look like the every day Lady of the Court, but on the battlefield, they were a ball of fire. He wondered of Lady Valentina Armstrong was the same way.

    ¡°Excuse me, Lord Lunar, Lady Armstrong,¡± an accent voice rang out behind Tina. She froze. That kind of accent was hard to mistake. It was a Middle Eastern accent, but it held the same feeling of the fake vampire accents she usually heard around Halloween had. She glanced up at Remus. He slowly turned around, taking her left arm with him until they were forced to part. She stood sideways, looking at the newcomer.

    There was one trait Tina immediately noticed as she started to take in the Lord. His eyes. They were the same shade of human blood, freshly split against white untouched snow. Tina could have sworn her heart stopped for a moment as she stared in a mixture of horror and fascination into the blood red eyes of the Lord.

    She was dimly aware he was speaking, but she didn¡¯t understand what was being said. A haze started to fall over her as she continued to stare. Her eyes slowly started to closed. She was shoved to the side. Her eyes widened as her left knee bent under her weight. She sucked in a deep breath. A warm hand grabbed her right arm while an - Holy Shit! That¡¯s Ice Cold - hand grabbed her left. They helped steady her.

    Tina let out the deep breath, realizing her chest ached. Her mind clicked to the fact, she apparently forgot to breath when she caught sight of those blood orbs. She gave the lords a shaky smile, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright, dear cousin,¡± Remus gave her a worried look. She nodded, look sheepish as she gave him an awkward smile. Remus didn¡¯t say anything for a moment.

    ¡°I am Lord Salazar, the Lord of the Crescent Island,¡± the lord introduced himself, drawing attention to himself. Tina didn¡¯t dare to meet his eyes, again. She feared if she did, she would be drawn into the lure. He went on, ¡°Lord of House Dracula.¡±

    Dracula?! Tina¡¯s eyes darted up as her heart skipped a beat. She questioned silently if he meant The Dracula or not. Her eyes darted back down to his cheeks once she caught sight of the fresh blood color. She schooled her expression into a polite, pleasant one. She didn¡¯t want to get on the bad side of this man, especially if he was what she thought he was. A Vampire. She opened her mouth, ¡°Lord Dracula, I am Lady Valentina of House Armstrong. It is a honor to meet you.¡±

    The Lord of the Crescent Island held out a hand to her. She placed her right hand in his and watched as he brought her hand to his lips, placing a small kiss on the back of her knuckles. She saw his lips twitched into a smirk as his eyes sparkled with amusement. A tightening feeling in her gut told her that he probably knew or at least could guess what happened.

    ¡°The honor is all mine,¡± Lord Salazar¡¯s tone took on a purring note. ¡°I noticed your name on the card beside mine at the table over there.¡± He waved a hand toward one of the tables Tina and Remus hadn¡¯t gotten to yet. ¡°It would be a great privilege to escort your ladyship to our table.¡± He held out his left arm for her to take.

    Tina glanced up at Remus. He met her gaze and nodded. She stepped away from her cousin and curled her right arm through the Lord Vampire¡¯s offered one. Something pinged on Tina¡¯s internal spiritual radar and she glanced toward the Great Hall doors where she spotted Genesis strolling into the Great Hall with - Tina blinked, trying to figure out if the woman was alive or not.

    The woman had dark curly hair and wore a black dress with golden trimming. A pair of ruby red earrings and necklace stood out against the pale white of the woman¡¯s skin. Tina finally figured out the answer to the question she ponder when she glanced at the woman¡¯s blue eyes. They weren¡¯t glazed over with Death¡¯s touch. She frowned and turned to Remus. He stood at her side. She kept her voice low as she asked, ¡°Who is that woman with Genesis?¡±

    Remus lifted his head and turned his gaze that way before he answered in a neutral tone, ¡°That is Lady Margiette of House Black. She is the great niece to Queen Belladonna and cousin to the current Lord of House Black, Lord Jason.¡± He turned his attention back to Tina, an eyebrow raising. ¡°Why?¡±

    Tina glanced over her shoulder to make sure Lady Margiette was not in earshot. She silently watched as Genesis guided the Lady through the crowd of people trying to find their seats and talking to each other in soft conversations. The General went to the table close to the steps of the Great Hall at the far end where Tina believed the Royal Family would be sitting and helped Lady Margiette into her seat. When Tina thought her -unofficial - brother, acting cousin would step away from the table, he didn¡¯t. In fact, she grew worried when she saw his shoulders fell in grim acceptance.

    ¡°Oh boy, I feel sorry for Genesis, already,¡± Remus muttered. Tina hummed in agreement.

    ¡°The reason why I was asking is because I have seen more color on a corpse then what she has,¡± the red head lady commented, finally replying to Remus¡¯ question. Lord Dracula snorted in amusement. Remus¡¯ lips twitched into a smirk.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to know how you know what color is a corpse, dear cousin,¡± Remus mused out loud.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to know,¡± Tina smiled at him. It would cause his skin to crawl if he knew or witness what cruelties she had seen at the Black Tournament. She pushed away those memories before they could reach out and drag her down. Dark laughter bounced inside her skull as she sent Remus a small smile. She tried to ignore the voice as she suggested, ¡°We should find our seats.¡±

    ¡°I agree, Lady Valentina,¡± The Lord of the Crescent Island commented and steered her away from Remus.

    ¡®Those memories will hunt you.¡¯ The dark voice held a laughing note as it spoke. To her credit, Tina didn¡¯t stumble when she heard it. She fell into step beside her icy-cold escort. ¡®Just we will always hunt you, dearest Tina.¡¯ Tina forced herself to breath - In. Out. In. Out. ¡®You will never get rid of us.¡¯ She focus her gaze on the table Lord Salazar was taking her to. It was half way through the room, on the right side.

    The dark voice laughed again. It seem to reach out and bounced off the walls. She briefly wonder if the members of the court heard it or not. She chewed on her lower lip. Her eyes darted up toward the table where the Royal Family would be sitting when they arrived to the table where Genesis sat with Lady Margiette at his side. Her gaze flew over the dozens of unknown faces, locating Rosemary at the table opposite from Genesis, sitting next to a Lord of the Court with an neutral expression, but Rosemary¡¯s eyes told the truth of her desire to be anywhere but there.

    Tina managed to find Remus next by a glance over her left shoulder. He was sitting next to a blond beauty who capture his attention for the time being. Even though she didn¡¯t interact with him much, she did find her other cousin, Jacob, sitting at a table neighboring hers. She let out a soft sigh as she realized the dark laughter was something only she could hear and nobody else. She silently thank Odin for that small blessing. She did hear the fading rumbling of thunder. She questioned how often stormed happened in Camelot.

    A icy cold hand landed on top of her warm hand. She jumped. Her eyes darted to her right, looking up at Lord Salazar. He stared at her with concern on his beautiful features. He asked, ¡°Are you alright, my lady?¡±

    Tina pushed away the dark voice, trying to bury the fucker deep where it couldn¡¯t bother her again before she sent him a small smile, saying, ¡°I am. Thank you for asking.¡± She paused, glancing around the room. She noticed many of the court already started to claim their seats. ¡°This is just a bit overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lord Salazar glanced at the room as they reached their table, walking down the wall side of it. ¡°Yes, it can be overwhelming.¡± He agreed. Tina resisted the urge to raise her eyebrow, questioning if he was just agreeing with her for the sake of it or if he truly meant that. ¡°I take it you are new to the Court of Camelot?¡± The red head woman nodded. ¡°Welcome to Court, my lady. I hope your stay will be pleasant.¡±

    Tina snorted at that, commenting softly, ¡°Sure.¡± She drew out the word. ¡°If you can call watching a relative being whipped like a dog pleasant, sure it is pleasant enough where I won¡¯t be coming back.¡±

    ¡°You saw that,¡± Lord Salazar stated. Tina nodded with a sharp hum. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you had to witness that. This court used to be more enjoyable to be apart of then it is now.¡±

    ¡°When was that?¡± Tina asked. She did wonder how old the Lord was, assuming her conclusion about his immortal.

    ¡°Many years ago,¡± Lord Salazar answered, dodging the question.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be too long ago,¡± Tine pressed, ¡°You can¡¯t be any older then 30.¡± She complimented him. Maybe stroking his ego would help getting the answer she wanted.

    He sent her a knowing smirk, saying, ¡°My Lady, you are too kind.¡± He stopped half way down the table and dropped his arm before he grabbed a mid-back chair, pulling it out from the wooden table. He gestured her to take the seat. She sent him amused look, deciding to drop the subject for now. She stepped into the space between the table and the chair and slowly sat down. The lord pushed the chair underneath her. He slipped into the seat on her left.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said before the chair on her right was claimed by another lord from the way he was dressed. He almost knocked into her, sitting down in his chair. She sent him a scowl as he spun in his chair to face her when the trumpets echoed, loudly in the Great Hall. Tina winced. Out of the corner of her eye, Lord Salazar rose to his feet as did one of the ladies sitting at the table. Tina quickly got to her feet, following their example.

    The doors to the Great Hall swung opened, revealing a man Tina didn¡¯t recognized, but she recognized the dark haired woman in the man¡¯s arms. Morgana¡¯s cheeks held a flush of red and her chest heaved against the man¡¯s chest. Tina blinked. She didn¡¯t know what to think, but wonder what happened to cause Morgana to react like that. Tina¡¯s eyes took in the fact the man had his hands on Morgana¡¯s upper arms and the Lady held her skirts in her hands, revealing her lower legs.

    A soft gasp came a few seats down from Tina. She resisted the urge to lend forward to see who gasp, but she did hear, ¡°That shameless hussy!¡±

    ¡°I knew the magi had a thing,¡± another lady whispered loud enough close by that Tina heard it. She glanced in that direction, but she couldn¡¯t see who said it.

    ¡°Oh good lord,¡± the unknown lord on Tina¡¯s right muttered, ¡°Really! I thought this court would act better then a bunch children that belong in the nursery.¡±

    ¡°One would that, Lord Lionheart,¡± Lord Salazar replied over Tina¡¯s head. She glanced back and forth between the two lords she somehow been assigned to sit between. Both of them were tall. She guesstimated Lord Salazar had to be 6 and half feet tall while the other - Lord Lionheart? - was a head taller then her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Lord Lionheart,¡± the Lord grumbled, ¡°That¡¯s my father. I¡¯m Godric. Of course, you can call me God, for short.¡±

    ¡°I think not,¡± Lord Salazar commented, dryly. Tina could only raise her eyebrow at the newcomer.

    ¡°Or people can call you Ric, short for dick.¡± Tina cut in. Both men looked down at her. Lord Salazar looked amused while Lord Godric looked shocked. He opened his mouth to reply when the Court Announcer called out, ¡°Lord Merlin, The Battle Mage of Camelot, escorting the Former High Princess, Lady Morgana of House Pendragon, The Black Mage of Camelot.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted to Morgana and her escort - Merlin! Seriously! The Court Announcer couldn¡¯t mean THE Merlin. Of course not. If the Court Announcer did mean THAT Merlin, the man would be close to 2000 years old if not a lot older. This man looked like he was in his mid-30¡¯s! - stepped into the Great Hall and walked between the tables to the far end of the room where a single long table sat, stretch across the width of the room.

    The Magi were half way through the room when the Court Announcer called out, ¡°Former High Queen Vivienne escorted by Sir Jack!¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes flew back to the doorway to see the older woman standing next to a gentleman dressed in golden armor. The old woman looked a few years older then her own grandma with snow white tucked up into a bun, leaving a few strands to frame her aging face. Her sky blue stared out, staring to the far side of the room. Her dress was black, but it was not formfitting like Tina¡¯s dress was. The dress was trimmed in a crimson red with a symbol of a golden dragon stretching over her bodice. The dragon¡¯s wings were spread out, like it was ready to take flight. Tina made the mental connection, recognizing the old woman. She was the oldest woman sitting on the far right throne when Tina introduced herself to the Court, earlier that day.

    The gentleman, Sir Jack if Tina remembered correctly, stood proud as he guided the Queen down the aisle between the various tables. The fire light danced on his breastplate, causing a reflected light to bounced around on the walls as he walked, calmly toward the far end of the room. His red cape floated out behind him on a unseen breeze and when the knight past, Tina spotted the Golden Dragon with its wings outstretch.

 Chapter 50: The Mourning Dinner

    ¡°Former High Queen Belladonna escorted by her great nephew  Lord James of House Black.¡±

    Tina turned to look at Queen Belladonna. She had changed out of the warrior grab Tina had spot her wearing during Tina¡¯s introduction. Now, she wore what appeared to be a heavy black dress with dark green trim on the edges of the dress, but covering her bodice was the Golden Dragon. Her black hair was still in the braids, but it was up in a bun with black and dark green ribbons weaved throughout the braids. Her gray eyes was hard, looking forward at the far end of the room.

    Lord James of House Black was dressed sharply in black courtly outfit with a simmering shine to it. Tina heard Salazar take in a sharp breath before he exhaled it, ¡°Dragon hide.¡±

    She glanced up at him with a questioning hum. He glanced down at her and lend closer. ¡°Lord Black is wearing a dragon hide jacket, pants, and boots.¡± He glanced toward the approaching Lord with the Queen, ¡°I think that¡¯s the hide of a Titan Dragon.¡±

    ¡°If that is true,¡± Lord Godric spoke up from Tina¡¯s other side, ¡°That is either an heirloom or extreme rare achievement. I¡¯m personally betting it¡¯s a heirloom. There hasn¡¯t been a Titan Dragon in this part of the world for at least a century or two.¡±

    ¡°You are correct,¡± Salazar commented, ¡°However, Titan Dragons are native to the far Eastern Desserts of the Raising Sun Plains and are hunted on a regular basis.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°They have a high repopulation rate,¡± The Vampire Lord explained, ¡°One Titan can produce 20 eggs at a time.¡± Tina whistled at that. 20 babies at a time. That was abnormal. She didn¡¯t know any creature beside ocean creatures who could produce that high number at one time. ¡°I will admit I have heard a Grand Titan Dragon roaming something called the Void.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Tina agreed, ¡°Long as a long island, wide as one, scales hard as diamonds, and you can hear it coming from miles away.¡± She glanced between the two men and noticed they were looking at her with surprise reflecting in their eyes. ¡°I traveled through the Void, recently, and spotted the Dragon, but I hid before it could lay eyes on me.¡±

    ¡°What is the Void?¡± Godric asked.

    Tina took a breath before she explained, ¡°The Void is space where it is dark as cloudy night, and nothing is there. It gives you the feeling of loneliness and isolation. In short, it is the last place you would really want to visit.¡±

    Salazar nodded in agreement, ¡°It is something else.¡± He glanced over and muttered, ¡°The next Queen is about to be announced.¡±

    Tina directed her gaze to the doorway in time to hear, ¡°Former High Queen Susan escorted by Sir Frollo.¡±

    She gapped at Queen Susan. She could have been the real life version of Belle from Disney¡¯s Beauty and the Beast. Her brown hair was pulled out of her face, but cascaded down the sides of her neck, coming to a stop by the top of her yellow trimmed bodice. Her blue eyes held sadness in them as she scanned the Great Hall, but her eyes darted straight forward as she walked beside Sir Frollo. Tina noticed her bodice held the Golden Dragon design. Maybe it was a family design. Or it could be a requirement for the family members of the Royal Family to wear.

    When Tina turned her attention to Sir Frollo, something nagged at her. It was something important. Tina knew that, but she couldn¡¯t remember what it was though. She pushed it to the back of her mind, knowing she would remember it when she stopped thinking about it. Her eyes scanned Sir Frollo. His hair was black slowly fading to dark gray. His stormy gray eyes flickered around the room, like he was half searching for someone. His face emotionless as he did his job. However, there was something in his face that caused Tina to question the fact she never remembered meeting him, but she was sure she did at one time. She chewed on her tongue as she thought about it.

    She glanced toward the far end of the room. The magi had reached it. Merlin held Morgana¡¯s hand as she sat down in a chair on the right side of the chair sitting in the middle of the line before he turned and went to the high back chair on the left side of the middle chair. Queen Vivienne and Sir Jack reached the bottom of the steps. Sir Jack helped the eldest Queen up the steps before he guided her to the chairs on Morgana¡¯s left, walking around the long table. He pulled out a chair, two chairs down from Morgana, and Queen Vivienne stepped in the space between the chair and the table. She began to seat down and Tina knew Sir Jack pushed the chair under the Queen. He waited until the Queen was fully settled into the chair before he claimed the chair between Morgana and Queen Vivienne.

    ¡°Princess Isabella escorted by Sir Tristan.¡±

    Tina blinked as she turned her head to watch as Tristan guided an Emma Watson look a like with a pair of crimson red eyes. Tina shot a glance up to Lord Salazar, silently wondering if the Princess was a Vampire as well, before she looked back at the Emma Watson double ganger. Isabelle¡¯s light brown hair was twisted up onto her head, leaving a few curls hanging by her face. Her black dress was trimmed with blue instead the yellow like Queen Susan¡¯s dress.

    Tristan¡¯s face was guarded. His brown eyes emotionless as he escorted the Princess to her seat, on Merlin¡¯s side of the table. Tina shot her gaze up to see Queen Belladonna sitting next to Merlin who looked somewhat annoyed by the seating arrangement, but he managed to put on a pleasant expression when the Queen turned to him.

    ¡°Former High Queen Marie escorted by her son, Prince Dorian.¡±

    A plumped woman stood in the doorway. Her carrot top orange hair curled about her head before it flow down to her shoulders and disappeared down her back. Her green eyes held a dull expression to them, like a forest in the verge of darkening from the setting sun. The trim of her dress was a blue that remind Tina of the sea with the Golden Dragon on the bodice.

    Standing next to her, Dorian stood with his shoulders back. He stepped forward, guiding his mother to the far end of the Great Hall. He, too, wore a patch over the breast of the jacket he wore. He didn¡¯t wear the ocean blue color that Queen Marie had trimming her dress, but the gold and red of the Drake Household. They walked down the aisle, heading to the table.

    Tina glanced around the room. She spotted Rosemary sitting a table down from the Royal Family sat. Tina¡¯s cousin sat with several men and a few ladies. All who looked like they had a stick shoved up their rears. Tina didn¡¯t know if she should feel sorry for Rosemary or not because Tina had found in the same situation. So far, the only one had been pleasant enough to talk to has been Lord Salazar because he could be a vampire. She didn¡¯t know about Lord Godric, other then he had obviously some complex with his name and shortening it to ¡®God¡¯.

    ¡°Former High Queen Brenna escorted by Sir Leon.¡±

    Tina¡¯s gaze slowly drifted over the other faces in the rooms before she rested her gaze onto the two who started walking toward the rest of the Royal Family. Brenna had her black hair, pinned back. Her blue, gold fleck eyes seemed to depth-less as she stared ahead. She had an emotionless expression. Tina frowned, watching as the former High Queen made her way to the Table.

    Tina glanced to the escort, Sir Leon, if she remembered what the Court Announcer said. She ran her eyes over the Knight¡¯s face and recognized him. He was one of the knights she ran during her midnight walk in town. He had changed into a fancier outfit, consisting of his house colors or that was Tina assumed. Leon¡¯s outfit had some simmering shine to it as Lord Black had. However, it seemed different.

    ¡°Well,¡± Godric muttered, ¡°That explains the large bounty on his head.¡±

    Tina blinked. Bounty? She shot a questioning look at Godric. He went on, ¡°That is Snake Skin he is wearing. Unfortunately, it is not just any normal snake skin. I can tell there are pieces of a Yuan-Ti and Lizard Folk.¡±

    Yuan-Ti? Lizard Folk? Tina wondered what they could be. It almost sounded they were some sort of creature.

    Salazar whistled lowly, ¡°I had heard of the bounty, but I wasn¡¯t aware there was a Knight of Camelot brave or stupid enough to hunt down a Yuan-Ti or a member of the Lizard Folk for their hide.¡±

    ¡°From the stories I have heard,¡± Godric muttered as the couple passed their table, ¡°He barely made it out, alive. Most of the troop he brought with him were original caught and planned to be ransom off in return of the one he had managed to Kidnapped, were killed off by the Yuan-Ti once they found out what he had skinned to the one he had kidnapped.¡±

    Tina¡¯s jaw dropped, understanding. These Yuan-Ti were a race similar to those Fawns in the Forest, but were reptile in nature. She couldn¡¯t image the horror from these reptile like creatures when they had found out what had happened to a member of their tribe. She watched them walk up to the high table until she heard the next announcement.

    ¡°Former High Queen Holly escorted by Sir Lancelot.¡±

    A dirty blond haired woman stepped through the door. Her stormy blue eyes were guarded as she walked beside Lancelot. Her dress was the darkest green, bordering black Tina ever seen, trimmed with a red that strongly reminder Tina of the Christmas Red. Spread over her bodice, an Evergreen Tree stood out.

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted over to Lancelot. So, that was the man who was named after the Famous or Infamous knight. According to the Legend of King Arthur, Lancelot was Arthur¡¯s most trusted knight, but Guinevere held his heart and it was through their actions that Camelot fell. Tina didn¡¯t know the version of Lancelot of King Arthur I¡¯s Camelot acted. She did wonder how Lancelot of this era would be. Apart of Tina knew better then to compare and make decisions based on a name, no matter how that person came to be known as that. However, the other part of her knew there was a reason behind someone have a nickname. It was often a warning call. She wondered if this Lancelot was anything like the Original Lancelot from Arthur I¡¯s time.

    ¡°Former High Queen Elsa escorted by Sir Steven.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes widen as she spotted the hostile looks the Queen and the Knight shared...at each other, wondering what happen between them to send those death glares. However, that didn¡¯t stop Tina from looking over the Queen.

    The Queen wore a black dress that held a hint of a blue tint, simmering between the two colors as she walked forward. The trim of the blueish black dress was a icy blue. A brilliant white Snowflake covered the bodice of the dress, going from the Queen¡¯s collarbone down to the V stitching of the dress and wrapping to the sides. Her stormy blue eyes pinned to the far end of the hallway, but every few steps, she would glare at her escort. Her blondish white hair swung behind her, floating out. Tina frowned, thinking that her sister Natasha would have loved this queen, knowing Natasha loved the story of the Snow Queen for some reason.

    Steven¡¯s dark hair was slicked back, showing off his face. A pair of brown eyes darted around the room before they settled on the Blond Queen on his arm, glaring at her with hatred then they moved away, going back to the room.

    ¡°I thought those rumors were false,¡± she heard Godric muttered beside her, ¡°I can¡¯t believe they made him her escort for the night.¡±

    Tina lend toward him, whispering, ¡°What happened?¡±

    He glanced down at her and replied in the same low tone, ¡°Mind you, this is what I have been able to gather, but according to the rumor mill, Queen Elsa¡¯s late husband, King Jackson was found dead by Sir Steven. There were several people who named Steven at the scene of the crime. Many have the thought he might have been the one who did it while others say he is innocent.¡±

    Tina blew out a soft breath and stated, ¡°That¡¯s explains the death glares they are sharing.¡±

    Godric hummed in agreement.

    ¡°Former High Queen Clarine escorted by Sir Mordred.¡±

    Tina¡¯s eyes darted toward the doorway to see one of the queens she had seen earlier that day, but she didn¡¯t give her much thought. It was the Knight at her side Tina was more interested in. Sir Mordred stood tall. His black hair curled about his head as his dark colored eyes stared forward. He guided the Queen down the walkway, wearing black outfit. For once, Tina couldn¡¯t tell where the shirt transition into the pants or vice versa. However, there was a splash of color. Mordred wore a red cloth stretching from his left shoulder down to his right hip. Tina didn¡¯t see any kind of symbol representing a house or a possible fraction.

    Tearing her gaze away from Mordred, Tina glanced over Queen Clarine. She didn¡¯t look any better then she did when Tina first laid eyes upon her. Clarine was still ashen face with red rimmed eyes. She wore a black dress trimmed with red and the Golden Dragon over her bodice.

    Tina turned her attention back to the end of the room where the Royal Family were in the process of sitting. The two seats in the middle of the row were left empty. She glanced toward the Count Announcer, wondering who was left to call, as Queen Clarine and Sir Mordred finished crossing the room.

    ¡°Prince Arthur IX of House Drake,¡± The Count Announcer called out.

    Tina frowned as she turned her attention to the Prince. He stepped into the hall, looking irritated. However, once everyone¡¯s eyes rested on him, that look settled into a calm, guarded expression. He crossed the room, alone. Whispers broke out.

    ¡°I thought Queen Kalliope was supposed to be with him.¡±

    ¡°Where is the High Queen?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is an interesting turn of events,¡± Lord Salazar commented loud enough for Tina to hear. She glanced up at him. He went on, obviously feeling her gaze, ¡°The High Queen of Camelot has always been escorted by a male relative for these Mourning Meals.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Tina had to remind herself to address the woman with her title, ¡°Queen Kalliope is breaking tradition.¡±

    ¡°It appears so.¡± Lord Salazar agreed.

    ¡°Here I thought Court was going to be a dull affair,¡± Lord Godric added his two cents into the conversation.

    ¡°Funny,¡± Tina turned to the Lord on her right, ¡°I keep hearing that.¡± She paused before she asked, ¡°Is that really true?¡±

    Godric nodded, saying, ¡°Majority of the time, yes.¡± He frowned with a thoughtful look on his face, ¡°Or at least, it has been that way whenever I visit Court.¡±

    Tina hummed in understanding. She directed her gaze back to the Prince as she listened to the various whispers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me The High Queen is planning to break tradition, now!¡±

    ¡°She probably is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡±

    ¡°The High Queen needs a reminder of her place.¡± That last comment came from one of the Lords sitting at Tina¡¯s table. She didn¡¯t know which Lord said it. She made a mental note to avoid him. ¡°She has stepped out of it by this insult to the Prince.¡± Tina lend forward, slightly. Her eyes searched for the Lord speaking. ¡°If I was Prince Arthur, I wouldn¡¯t have stand for this insult and dealt out punishment, already. In front of the Court if I must.¡±

    Tina¡¯s right eye twitched as she tried to spot the asshole speaking. Lord Godric cupped a hand onto her right shoulder. She glared up at him. He held up his hands in an attempt to defend himself.

    ¡°That would explains why you haven¡¯t been able to find yourself a wife,¡± Lord Salazar commented, coolly, ¡°With your reputation, I am sure you are the least desired bachelor in the Court.¡±

    ¡°Excuse yourself,¡± the unknown lord growled.

    ¡°Why would I need to excuse myself, Lord Stephen?¡± the vampire lord asked, turning his red eyes onto a haughty dressed Lord with brunette hair and gray eyes.  ¡°As far as I can tell, you are the one who needs to excuse themselves. Preferable from this Mourning Dinner.¡± Tina fought back a smirk of amusement. ¡°And from this honorable Court.¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting I have no honor, Lord Salazar?¡± Stephen asked. ¡°I have you know I am from one of the most Honorable Lines, stretching from the Original Court of Camelot¡­¡± Tina rolled her eyes as he listed off a bunch of names and titles. She turned her attention to see that Prince Arthur had reached the table and was in the process of circling it.

    ¡°I must say it is very impressive you managed to say all of those titles and names in a single breath,¡± Salazar drawled when Tina brought her attention back to the conversation at her table. ¡°It begs the question how you were able to learn how to do that.¡± He paused for a heartbeat before he went on, ¡°An educated guess would be you brown nosed a lot. Unfortunately, the kind of brown nosing I¡¯m referring to isn¡¯t the kind I will be saying with the lovely Ladies around.¡± He waved his hand at Tina and a couple of the other women sitting at the table.

    Tina frowned, thinking about what Salazar was suggesting. Her eyes widened with realization and went into a fit of giggles. Her right hand flew up to cover her mouth, trying to muffle the sound. She glanced toward the other women at the table. They hid behind colored fans with twinkling eyes.

    Tina glanced up at Lord Salazar. He sent her a wink. She turned away as her laughter threaten to overwhelm her.

    Before the other Lord could figure out what Salazar meant, the Court Announcer called out, ¡°Please welcome her royal highness,¡± His voice bounced off the walls, ¡°the High Queen of Camelot, High Queen Kalliope of House Drake!¡±

    Tina turned her attention to the doorway to see the same woman she had seen sitting in the middle throne in the Seasonal Throne Room. Kalliope had changed into a modest black and dark gray dress. The dress hangs loosely on Kalliope''s frame. Its black fabric was plain and unembellished. The dark gray accents added a subtle touch of elegance to the overall modest design. The strands of her blonde hair were woven into an intricate web, a honeycomb of golden threads that framed her face in a regal halo.

    She strolled toward the end of the Great Hall where the rest of the Royal Family gathered. No one said a word as she walked with her head held high. Tina waited, somewhat patiently, as the High Queen reached the table and walked around it. She walked behind her family until she reached the middle chair. She didn¡¯t sit down after she stepped in front of the high back chair.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Please, everyone, sit down,¡± Kalliope¡¯s voice rang out, strong.

    Tina slowly sat down onto the chair, pulling on the skirt a little bit to sit comfortable on the seat while the Lords she sat between sat down. She glanced at Godric. He looked up at the High Table with his full attention. Tina blinked as she directed her gaze up to the High Queen.

    Queen Kalliope turned her head as she gaze over the Court, ¡°Thank you for coming. It means a lot of the Ruling Family and I, you were able to attend.¡± She paused. In the silence of the Great Hall, Tina heard the High Queen take a deep breath before she went on, ¡°King Uther X was many things - A Father, A husband, A Son, A brother, An Uncle, but importantly The King of Camelot.¡± She went on giving a small speech over the late King.

    Tina lost interested in the topic. She tried to keep her attention on the High Queen while the Queen spoke of her late husband, informing the Court of his many accomplishments and how he overcame various challenges he faced. It was interesting to a certain point for Tina, but she really didn¡¯t care about the King. It was dull and seemed routine like the Queen was reciting from a script instead speaking from the heart. She allowed her gaze drifted over to Merlin.

    He kept his gaze on the High Queen as she spoke. He wore a pair of black robes over a black tunic and pants. His eyes were a rich gold. As far as Tina could tell, he did have the appearance of a man in his 30¡¯s, but that was somewhat questionable since Tina couldn¡¯t tell if he had any signs of a beard. She did noticed that his hair was a solid black, not a gray hair in sight or any type of discoloring in sight.

    Tina glanced to the High Queen and saw High Queen Kalliope slowly wrapping up her speech over the King. ¡°Once again, the Ruling Family and I thank you for attending this dinner with us.¡± The Queen sat down.

    The red head woman heard the doors opened and a wave of servants swarmed in. The scent of cooked meats filled the air, carried on some of the largest dishes Tina had ever seen. These dishes were large enough it took two servants to carry one of them.

    Tina watched with wide eyes as one pair of servants approached their table and placed the dish down onto the wooden surface at one end of the table. Slipping in and out between the various lords and ladies at the table, they scouted the dish to the third way down the tables. Seeing it this close up, Tina was able to identify it as some type of pig. She hid a chuckle as she spotted a big red apple sitting in it¡¯s mouth.

    Another servant seemed to dance into the empty places she could find, filling goblets with an amber colored liquid. Tina took a wild guess, thinking it could be mead. It would make sense. During the Middle Ages, it was safer to drink mead instead of water because they didn¡¯t have a system to purify the water from germs, bacteria, and other nasties.

    From what she had seen so far, this society was stagnant, frozen in time. Something had happen where an important event in her own world happen, but it didn¡¯t happen in this world. She wondered what that event was.

    Tina blinked and noticed the table was filled with various foods. She glanced up and down the table, seeing there was no plates or silverware, but a large piece of bread sitting in place where the plate would have usually been placed. She spotted one of the lords reaching out to the large dish of meat and pulled a huge roast leg from the body.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Godric did the same thing with the closet dish of meat. This dish reminded Tina of a large bird - Turkey? - of some kind. Godric placed the leg onto the large piece of bread before he reached for another dish what looked like mashed potatoes and used a large spoon to scope the mashed potatoes onto the large piece of bread followed by a spoonful of bright yellow kernels of corn.

    Tina watched the Lord from the corner of her eye as she turned her attention to start grabbing her own food. Godric would tear into the turkey leg then take a bit out of the large piece of bread. She frowned. She did remember reading about how the middle ages didn¡¯t have plates, but they did used large stale pieces of bread that soaked up the juices from the food they ate. She could have sworn while she was in the kitchen, talking with Sanji the Head Cook, there had been plates nearby. Perhaps she had been mistaken. She could have also sworn when she was served a private meal within the White Hall Wing, earlier that, it had been on a plate. It could be something she would have to talk to Sanji about or Sebastien.

    It was so weird to see some advances this version of Camelot managed to make, but lacked in other areas. It was like the people was more interested in the advances of stone like books, but could careless of the basic everyday things Tina took for granted like plates and silverware. It was weird in not having a plate for a dinner like this, since it was such an important meal.

    She wondered what happened to the people who wanted to try make everyday life better for everyone. Did they only appear in her world? That she didn¡¯t believe for one bit.

    There had to be some people who experienced the more modern things in life. They would have tried to make changes to their lives where having running water would have made a difference. Perhaps, there were more portals besides the one she had traveled through to get to the Forest.

    There was a good chance, they ended up in different places. Maybe this Kingdom of Mercy she kept hearing about or another country.  However, it did beg the question what changed between the two worlds for cause a big change.

    She pushed it to the back of her mind. It could be something she could look into if she decided to stay in this world. She could make a killing by improving lives or at least help those who could improve everyday life, just in Camelot, alone. She could expand it to other Kingdoms as well once she got done improving Camelot to what she consider her modern standards.

    Dinner was an interesting affair for Tina. She mainly listened while she ate the different tasting foods. Some of the topics she heard were the same worries she had been hearing for most of the day - who will be the Chosen King? Will there be another war? Which side will you take?

    Tina just shook her head. Politics. It was apparently the same wherever she went. It was a dirty game. The only difference she usually spotted was the people involved.

    She knew as soon as she saw who will be chosen as King of Camelot, she would be heading to the White Hall Estate to figure out what Lady Freya wanted, to see if the letter was true when it came to her father, and then she would be hauling ass to get back home. She had been gone already far too long for her liking. She didn¡¯t know what she would do when she got back State side, but she would figure that later when it came time and faced the music. It was something she dreaded since she really didn¡¯t inform her mother or grandma where she was going.

    However, the conversation that happened on her right with Lord Godric and someone else she couldn¡¯t see from her seat caught her attention for a long moment or two.

    ¡°I know,¡± Godric was telling the other person, ¡°However, if you had pay attention to some of our classes, you would have been able to figure out that the non-humans have no correlation to what is going on in Mercy.¡±

    ¡°There is a lot of things going on at the same time, Godric,¡± the voice was male and sounded about the same age as Godric. ¡°What is going in Mercy sounds off to me. People going missing and they are turning back up in the Mercian Army.¡± There was a pause then the man went on, ¡°There are reports of creatures with wings appearing in that kingdom. Let¡¯s not even talk about some of the four legged beasts with the ability to spit fireballs at their enemy.¡±

    Tina blinked. Animals spitting fireballs at their targets. That was something she never heard of before, not ¡®State-side¡¯ or in the Demon World. It sounded like creatures of a video game. Maybe it was some sort of dragon. Assuming dragons existed in this world. Of course, it could be some magical person with the ability to do that.

    ¡°There are beasts in Mercy that are able to do that,¡± Godric sounded impressed, ¡°I kinda want to hunt one down to see that for myself.¡±

    Tina wanted to snort into her cup as she took a drink of mead, but she couldn¡¯t help agreeing with the Lord. A four legged creature with the ability to breath fire would be one hell of a sight to see. It would also provide a lethal game of dodgeball with deadly consequences.

    She frowned as she pulled the cup away from her mouth, thinking about Komodo dragons and if they had the ability to breath fire. She doubt it. If the Kodomo dragons did breath fire, she would probably heard of it through various stories about the modern day dragons.

    ¡°I do admit,¡± Another lord agreed with Godric, ¡°It would be interesting to see.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I could visit Mercy after the ceremony of the Chosen King,¡± Godric mused out loud, ¡°To see if I can spot one of these fire breathing beasts.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, if you don¡¯t mind the company, Lord Godric,¡± Tina spoke up, drawing attention to her, ¡°I could join you.¡± Godric¡¯s head slowly turned to her. His eyebrows raised close to his hairline. His eyes pieced her as he stared at her. She blinked at him. ¡°I think it would be interesting to see what kind of creature that breaths fire if it is not a dragon of some kind.¡±

    ¡°I think it would not be wise to allow a woman on such a perilously journey like Lord Godric is suggesting,¡± the Lord on the far side of Lord Salazar spoke up, ¡°After all, a woman like yourself, Lady Valentina, has much better things to do then going traveling with a Lord unrelated to her to track down a rumor creature that spits out fireballs.¡±

    Tina slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she asked, ¡°What kind of things I have better things to do?¡±

    ¡°Taking care of the house, raising children, marrying well,¡± The lord listed off with a bit of laughter in his voice, ¡°Be a respectable Lady of the Court, warming her husband¡¯s bed¡­¡±

    Tina¡¯s left eye twitched as she listened to the unknown lord list off what qualities he thought best in a woman. When he finally finish listing off the qualities, she spoke up, ¡°While a woman can be all of those things, I believe, a woman¡¯s best qualities shouldn¡¯t be if she can raise children well or marry an arshole like yourself, Lord Pig. A woman¡¯s best qualities should be if she can handle anything thrown at her.¡±

    ¡°Lord Pig!¡± the unnamed lord exclaimed. His voice held a note of outrage as he stood up and glared over Lord Salazar¡¯s head at Tina. However, Tina did hear a few snorts of laughter up and down the table. He was a forgettable kind of man with a too large nose, slick back hair, and mud colored eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Lord Pig,¡± Tina shot him a glare, ¡°And do not interrupt me. It¡¯s rude and very unbecoming of a Lord of your station.¡± She turned away from him. ¡°As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, a woman should be able to handle things throw at her. For example, if her brothers or husband isn¡¯t around to protect her from¡­¡± she paused to think. She didn¡¯t know much about this version of Camelot, but she knew one thing that nearly every society had. ¡°A robber, she should have the skills to protect herself and if she has any, any children under her protection.¡±

    ¡°I agree with what Lady Valentina said,¡± one of the ladies nearby commented. ¡°While I don¡¯t mind being rescued once in a while by one of my male relatives or possible future husband, I should have those type of skills.¡±

    ¡°I was nearly robbed by a highwayman, once,¡± another lady spoke up, ¡°I managed to sliced his throat before he did something far worst then just steal some of my jewelry.¡± Tina saw her shudder, indicating the robber did try something far worst then stealing some jewelry.

    The Lord Tina dubbed as Lord Pig sat back down and kept quite for the rest of the meal as the women at the table discussed the various pros and cons of learning such skills. When the topic drifted back to adventuring, Tina asked, ¡°Why not go adventuring? It would be a good way for someone of either sex to improve their skills and get their name out there.¡±

    ¡°I do see the benefit of a woman learning such skills. I often worry about my sisters traveling on their own with the number of highwaymen,¡± Lord Godric addressed Tina, ¡°But why would it be a good way to get her name out there?¡±

    ¡°For a good marriage of course, silly,¡± Tina stated. Godric hummed in thought. ¡°Would you like to have a bride who can handle her own in both the house and on the field of battle if it came down to it? A woman who can match you in brains and wits, but can be gentle for the children you two will share? A woman you don¡¯t have to worry about accidentally hurting in the throws of passion if you handle her a bit roughly.¡±

    Godric slowly nodded in agree. He was not the only one. Tina spotted a few other lords nod in agreement. ¡°Yes, a woman can be full of beauty and grace, but she can be dangerous, too. So, it all comes down to which you prefer to have.¡± She glanced toward Godric then at Salazar. ¡°I know I would like to have a man who is easy on the eyes, strong, protective, and be willingly to get rough in the bedroom,¡± Several younger ladies giggled at that and a few of the Lords gave grin. Tina went on, ¡°But can be caring, drops his guard around me, and is gentle with me and any of the kids we could have together.¡±

    Godric opened his mouth to speak, but a hush fell over the Great Hall when the High Queen stood up from her place at the center of the table and started to speak, ¡°Thank you, all, for attending this Mourning Meal with my family. It means a lot to us. However, the Service will be starting soon. Please, make your way there, to God¡¯s Holy Light.¡±

    Tina watched as the Royal Family, one by one, stood up and each of the Queens and their escort left the Great Hall.

    ¡°As much as I would love to continue this conversation with you, Lady Valentina, I fear we must part for now,¡± Godric said, smoothly, before he turned to the lady on his right and addressed her.

    ¡°Lady Valentina,¡± Lord Salazar¡¯s smooth voice rang out beside her and she turned to him, giving him her attention. She remembered to keep her gaze from meeting his when she caught his brilliant red eyes. ¡°I unfortunately won¡¯t be able to escort you to God¡¯s Holy Light. However, I will help find you an escort to the service.¡±

    Tina nodded before she whispered, ¡°So, that little rumor of a Vampire can¡¯t enter holy grounds.¡± She didn¡¯t see Salazar stiffen as she scanned the hall for her cousins, but her spiritual sense saw it. She resisted the urge to smirk. ¡°Your secret is safe with me.¡±

    She watched as the Royal Family exited the Great Hall, but she noticed that Merlin and Morgana didn¡¯t leave the far end of the room where they ate at. They appeared to be deep in conversation until Morgana glanced toward her then nodded in her direction. The duo turned and started to walk behind the table.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lord Salazar directed his comment at Tina, ¡°And apparently, I have found you an escort to the Church.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Tina tore her gaze away from the Magi as they curved around the table and settled it onto the Vampire Lord.

    ¡°Lady Morgana is retiring early and is in need of an escort to her rooms,¡± Lord Salazar explained, ¡°Lord Merlin, I am sure, will be willing to escort a beautiful lady such as yourself to the Church.¡±

    Tina nodded as she brushed off the compliment. She glanced toward where she had last seen her brother/cousin. He was in the processing of escorting a woman from his table out of the room. Hopefully, she was better company then Lady Margiette.

    She spotted Remus offering his arm to a brown haired woman from his table before she stood up and walked beside Remus out of the Great Hall. Tina thought she spotted Rosemary being escorted by a Knight or at least a high ranked Lord from the way he was dressed out of the Great Hall a few steps behind Remus and his escort.

    ¡°Ah, Lord Merlin,¡± Lord Salazar¡¯s smooth voice rang out in greeting.

    ¡°Lord Salazar,¡± A man¡¯s voice sounded from behind Tina, ¡°How are you doing this evening?¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Salazar stood up before he held out a hand to Tina. She slipped her left hand into his right, trying to ignore how icy cold the hand was and she slid to her feet. ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to join the rest of the Court in the Church, for personal reasons.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, I understand that,¡± Lord Merlin said. Tina turned to face Merlin and Morgana. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at Merlin with an shocked expression.

    Now that Tina was up close to Merlin, the Lord was beautiful for a man. Almost too beautiful. He had high cheekbones and a sharp chin. His eyes were a piecing blue. His nose was narrowed. Curiously, Tina stretched out her spirit energy and felt his presences.

    He didn¡¯t feel like he was a full human, only half. However, she couldn¡¯t identity what kind of energy his other half was. It was a kind she never felt before hand. She reasoned it could be the reason why he appeared so beautiful. She was aware of some demon kind appearing to be extremely beautiful in a way to lure unsuspecting partners to their bed. She doubt Merlin could be a demon. He didn¡¯t feel like it.

    ¡°I am in the same boat, if you will,¡± Merlin went on, ¡°Lady Morgana, here, has to go to bed early tonight and is in need of an escort to her rooms.¡±

    Tina tore her eyes away from Merlin and glanced Lady Morgana over. The Lady in questioned looked familiar like Tina had seen her somewhere before, but Tina couldn¡¯t remember where off the top of her head.

    Lady Morgana¡¯s black hair held a shine in the dim firelight. Her eyes were the clearest blue Tina had ever seen. She had the face of a princess - high cheekbones, long narrowed nose, medium sized pink lips, oval eyes - and she gave off the same aura of someone of noble birth.

    However, when Tina¡¯s spirit energy touched Lady Morgana¡¯s energy, it held the same type of half human and half something else. It felt like it was similar to Merlin¡¯s aura. Maybe these two were a part of the race. A part of Tina wanted to asked about it, but she knew it could be considered rude with so many ears who could overheard their conversation.

    Morgana¡¯s eyes met Tina¡¯s. Tina made her eyes widened, trying to look innocent at the other woman, but she didn¡¯t understand why she would want to be appear innocent. She saw a glint of suspicion and curiosity in the other woman¡¯s blue eyes. She needed to be careful around this lady.

    ¡°It would be my honor to escort the Lady Morgana to the Queen¡¯s Tower,¡± Lord Salazar tilted his head toward Morgana, ¡°As long as Lady Valentina doesn¡¯t have a problem being escorted to the Church by you, Lord Merlin.¡±

    Tina felt the gazes of the two men dart over to her and she opened her mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with this solution.¡± She couldn¡¯t really protest since most of the Great Hall was emptied and she could tell everyone else had been partnered up. It would look out of place if she walked alone to this Church.

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Morgana sent Lord Salazar a small smile as she drifted from Merlin¡¯s side and claimed Salazar¡¯s right arm.

    Merlin held out his arm to Tina. The red head woman slipped from Salazar¡¯s left side and went over to Merlin, wrapping her arm around his offer arm.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Salazar,¡± Merlin bowed his head toward the crimson eyed Lord before he addressed the woman, ¡°I will see you in the morning, Lady Morgana. I hope you are able to recover from the magical drain more tonight.¡±

    ¡°Me too, Merlin,¡± Morgana sent Merlin a small and Lord Salazar began to walk toward the doors of the Great Hall.

    ¡°Well,¡± Merlin turned to Tina, ¡°Shall we, my lady?¡± She nodded. Merlin guided her through the nearly emptied Great Hall. ¡°Is this your first time in Camelot, Lady Valentina?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Tina admitted. Her eyes darted over the archway of the Great Hall. She frowned, her eyes running over the image of a battle.

    ¡°Ah, The Battle of the Curse,¡± Merlin named the image. She glanced at Merlin. ¡°It was called that for a private reason. It is a top secret.¡± Merlin¡¯s tone held a mystic note. ¡°Only certain members of the Ruling Family is allowed to know the reason behind the name of that battle.¡±

    Tina rolled her eyes and snarked, ¡°Let me guess - an object or a person got cursed as a result of this battle. If it is an object, that curse still lives on today. If it is a person, hopefully, that curse die with the individual.¡± She looked at Merlin. She smirked in amusement as his face froze in shock.

    ¡°You will be surprised how many cultures around the world has that story. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt had their tombs lined with curses in order to protect themselves from grave robbers. The Emperors of China were the same way. Supposedly, there was a box cursed from World War 2 to destroy the Nazi. In fact, the jar that Solomon used to trapped Demons - it was a story in the Bible, the man who used demons to build the Temple - survived in tact until nearly a decade ago.¡± Tina let out a chuckle as she remembered the last mission she took with Aunt Nami¡¯s student and his team, ¡°Man, they were pissed about being trapped in that jar.¡±

    They passed through the doorway for the Great Hall. Merlin steered her to the left, listening to her. ¡°They tried to take over the world and make humanity into their slaves as a form of revenge.¡± Her eyes settled on the stone floor. ¡°If I remember correctly, they also wanted to open a doorway to Hell to unleash their brothers, the Great Hell Demons.¡±

    She glanced at Merlin who appeared to be half paying attention to where they were going. She continued,  ¡°It was a pain in the¡­¡± She wanted to say ¡®ass¡¯ but she remembered where she was at, ¡°Neck to deal with. It took my team nearly a week to track them down and another couple days to fight them.¡±

    She allowed a proud smile to cross her lips. ¡°But in the end, we managed to trapped them in a box, this time, and sent them¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t tell Merlin where the team had sent those demons. She doubt he would believe her. ¡°To far away place where there is little chance of them escaping again.¡±

    ¡°So, your team didn¡¯t kill them,¡± Merlin questioned.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t,¡± Tina confessed, ¡°They were simply too strong. I guess one of the runes on the jar that was suppose to drain them of their demonic power failed over the years and they grew powerful since then.¡± Merlin guided her out of one of the stone hallways and into an open court yard.

    Tina tilted her head back, staring up at the star filled sky. ¡°We tried to kill them, but we nearly lost one of our own as a result. Apparently, thanks to one of the imprisoned demons, if we had died in the battle against them, we would have joined them for the rest of time. We decided that was a price we didn¡¯t want to pay, so, it was our leader¡¯s decision to imprison them again.¡±

    ¡°Well, hopefully, they won¡¯t escape again,¡± Merlin voiced, ¡°I have met a couple of the Great Hell Demons before. I am surprised you managed to survive the encounter, Lady Valentina. I even had some trouble against them and I have been trained in some of the ancient magics of the outside World.¡±

    ¡°Outside World?¡± Tina questioned. She knew that Sanji fellow had claimed to be from the Outside World as well as Sebastien, but she couldn¡¯t help wondering if they were lying or not.

    ¡°Yes, the Outside World,¡± Merlin winced. He took a deep breath before he went on, ¡°Once upon a time ago, Avalon - this world - was apart of another world. Morgana and I were born that world as well as majority of the creatures nearly 1500 years old.  A powerful mage tried to destroy Camelot through various means and Morgana and I thought it would be better if we had relocate the kingdom to a different world in order to make sure the kingdom would survive.¡±

    Tina nodded, understanding. Sometimes, relocating something made it easier to hid, but an entire kingdom, well, she mused it just showed how powerful Merlin and Morgana were.

    He went on, ¡°So, eventually, we decided to call this world Avalon while the other world, the Outside World.¡± He sent her a smile, ¡°What brought you to Camelot?¡±

    She shot him a side long look, knowing he was trying to change the subject, ¡°Family Issues.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Merlin nodded, ¡°Since it is your first time in Camelot, what are your thoughts of it?¡±

    Tina had thoughts of Kingdom alright, but she didn¡¯t think it would be appropriate to discuss those thoughts with the Mage. She opened her mouth and tried to use her diplomat skills, ¡°It has been interesting to see how this society has develop into what is it today.¡± She tried to change the subject on him, ¡°I know this is a private question, but how old are you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, me?¡± Merlin asked, teasing, ¡°I believe I am nearly 3000 years old, this fall, but it has been so long, I kinda lost count.¡± He sent her a smile. ¡°I know you dodge the question over your personal thoughts of Camelot. I will let it slide for now, My lady, but how long are you going to be in Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Just a few more days,¡± Tina decided to be vague, ¡°Then I will be heading home.¡±

    ¡°And Where is home?¡± Merlin asked as they exited the Castle grounds, heading to a large Church in the distance.

    ¡°Far away from here,¡± Tina shot back, ¡°How long is this service supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Merlin started, but he was cut off by the Church bells ringing out the time. ¡°Well, it is 8 so it will be closer to midnight before we will be able to head off to bed.¡± His eyes glinted with amusement, ¡°So eager to get away from me, my lady?¡±  Tina didn¡¯t reply to his question, but it apparently gave him ammo to use.

    Tina tried her best to ignore him and his teasing questions on the walk to the Church.

 Chapter 51

    Genesis ran his eyes over the interior of the Church. His men stood at attention on the left side of the building. Honor¡¯s men stood against the back wall. Bartholomew had his men on the right side of the building. He didn¡¯t see any hole in the security which was a good thing, he reasoned. If there was any holes, the Warrior Queen would have a fit and will argue that there were benefits of having the military disbanded. He sighed.

    Footsteps rang out from behind him. He turned and saw his cousin, Lady Rosemary, approached on the arm of Sir Gawain. Rosemary looked at the Knight, admiringly. Genesis resisted the urge to smirk at the knight, knowing Rosemary had set her gaze on him, but the General saw the affection wasn¡¯t returned. Instead, Gawain looked trouble by something. His shoulders were too tensed for it to be a simple problem. However, it wasn¡¯t any of Genesis¡¯ business and he pushed the matter from his mind.

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Gawain, for escorting my wonderful cousin here,¡± Genesis greeted Gawain, ¡°I will take her from you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, General Genesis,¡± Gawain nodded at the General, ¡°She has been the most pleasant company during the Mourning Dinner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± Genesis nodded at the Knight before the knight drifted away to find his own seat. He turned to Rosemary and asked, ¡°How was your dinner?¡±

    ¡°It was alright,¡± Rosemary admitted, ¡°I ended up getting assigned to a table where Sir Gawain sat with a couple of the other knights, Lord James Black, and a other ladies.¡± She paused, her eyebrows cinched together, ¡°I am beginning to thing it was some sort of set up - to find matches among the court.¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Genesis stated, ¡°I am pretty sure some of the elderly ladies of the court want their grandkids to find suitable matches with an Ancient and Noble House.¡± He glanced around the Church, staying alert. ¡°Though, I thought they would wait until after the Choosing Ceremony before they try anymore matchmaking games.¡± He saw Remus escorting one of the ladies he had forced to sit with to her family before he started to head Genesis¡¯ way.

    ¡°Since Arthur has been found unworthy of the Holy Sword, the Chosen King could be looking for a suitable wife if he isn¡¯t already married.¡± He turned his gaze to the doors where Jacob was passing through with a Lady from one of the Sacred 150 Houses. Genesis briefly watched his cousin strolled with the Lady on his arm to near the front of the Church. ¡°Then the fun truly begins for the matchmaking, the wheeling and dealing, and the backstabbing among the houses.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rosemary smirked, ¡°I do feel sorry for the man who gets Chosen.¡± Genesis¡¯ eyes flickered to Rosemary¡¯s. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him innocently, saying, ¡°It probably would be worst then Lady Freya¡¯s past time.¡± She paused, ¡°I did hear before leaving the White Hall Estate an interesting tab bit.¡± Genesis kept his gaze on his female cousin, waiting. ¡°Your sister, Valentina, could have a betrothal contract, soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she is going to love that when she finds out,¡± Genesis drawled, ¡°She already is going through a broken heart.¡± Rosemary gasped. Her eyes widened. ¡°Grandma sent a letter to Valentina, requesting her presence at the Estate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why Lord Bardock isn¡¯t here and you are acting as the Head of House?¡± Rosemary questioned. Genesis nodded. ¡°That¡¯s explains a lot then.¡± She went on, ¡°There was something else going on back at the White Hall Estate, but I couldn¡¯t find out much more then that. Though, Little Nattie seemed out of sorts over something. Hopefully, Lord Bardock will be able to get to the bottom of the issue.¡±

    ¡°I hope so, too,¡± Genesis agreed. He turned his eyes back upon the crowd moving around them. ¡°I hope Natalie doesn¡¯t get pushed into a betrothal contract like my dear old grandmother is trying to do with myself and Sis.¡± Rosemary made a noise of agreement.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Nattie a little young for a contract like that?¡± the Heiress of Clover questioned.

    Genesis snorted. ¡°You obviously don¡¯t remember the arguments between dad and grandma after Mom took Sis with her when she left.¡± He paused. ¡°Or after Mom came back for a year then took one of the Twins with her after she gave birth.¡± Rosemary shook her head. ¡°Grandma wanted to get the girls into a marriage contract immediately for some reason or another.¡±

    The General nodded his head at Jacob as the heir of Morning Glory returned to the family after dropping off his escort with her family. ¡°Something about wanting to make sure they wouldn¡¯t taken advantage of once word got out again.¡± The red head general just shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she was talking about. It was most riddles anyway. I couldn¡¯t never figure what she was trying to hint at, anyway.¡±

    Remus appeared in the doorway at the far end of the room, looking ready to bolt from the lady on his arm. She stared up at the Heir of Lunar with adoring eyes that Genesis wanted to laugh at his cousin¡¯s predicament. However, he resisted the urge. He knew Remus would do the same for him if he was in the precedented. He thought about for a long moment. Maybe. Genesis did smirk.

    ¡°What kind of riddles,¡± Rosemary asked with a curiosity note.

    ¡°Times are changing when the patriarchy falls,¡± Genesis quoted one of his grandma¡¯s lines, ¡°Matriarchy will rule for a decade.¡± He fell silent when he saw his most mysterious cousin walk into the God¡¯s Holy Light on the arm of the Battle Mage. His lips parted in shock.

    He watched as Valentina¡¯s lips moved rapidly as she spoke with Merlin. Her green eyes reminded him of a guarded place. Her body language screamed at the General that she felt uncomfortable with the Battle Mage for a reason. The Battle Mage either didn¡¯t notice it or didn¡¯t care as he lend toward her with an inviting smile, his eyes glinted with a familiar looking mischief gleam.

    The General frowned. He thought she was being escorted by Lord Salazar or Lord Godric, not the Battle Mage. They were the ones sitting at her table, in fact, on either side of her. He kept his eyes on them as Lord Merlin guided Valentina through the crowd to Genesis. If the Battle Mage tried anything, Genesis told himself, his men would have a new target to explode. That thought helped calm him down, just a little bit.

    ¡°Here we go, my lady,¡± Merlin commented as they entered God¡¯s Holy Light Church and Tina spotted Genesis standing at the opening of a pew, talking softly with the red head who escorted Tina to Tristan¡¯s room a few days before. She watched as Genesis looked in their direction, looked away then returned his gaze to them. ¡°This is God¡¯s Holy Light Church.¡±

    ¡°Why is the Church called that?¡± Tina asked, cautiously. There was something bugging her about Merlin, beside the fact he shared the same name of the Legendary Adviser to King Arthur of Legend. She tried to ignore his aura. It seemed very old. She was strongly reminded of some of the demons she had ran into at the Black Tournament.

    It served as some sort of warning that she need to keep her head down and not draw attention to her. Tina knew she was too rusty with her spirit energy to any use if she had to defend herself, seriously, however, if someone like this Merlin thought her to be a serious threat, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take her out of the picture.

    ¡°The Pastor who found this Church was a Pope approve mage,¡± Merlin explained, ¡°He was only allowed to use White Magic.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I have to ask,¡± Tina glanced upward at the dark haired mage, ¡°White Magic? Is it like healing spells and other magic aimed to cast out evil spirits?¡±

    The possibility of a Catholic style church being opened to magic seemed outlandish for Tina to believe. She was always taught that magic was spawned from Hell and it was taboo to even think about using any type of magic. So, the idea of a church encouraging some sort of magic, even though they would call it Holy, was outlandish.

    However, the concept of the Templar - oh what were they called now? It began with P, Tina knew that - wasn¡¯t. Organization changed over time, taking a new name with a new purpose. According to the history books, she had managed to get her hands on, there were several organizations like that during the beginning of the 21st century, changing their name and coming up a new purpose on paper, but really kept to the same agenda. She didn¡¯t know how these organizations were allowed to do that.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin gave her a smile, before he spun around to face him and lend down, close enough where their noses touched, ¡°You are really intelligent, Lady Valentina. It almost begs the question where you came across that intelligence.¡±

    ¡°I take after my parents and I paid attention in my lessons,¡± She said as calmly as she could. She resisted the urge to summon her spirit energy and pushed him into a wall. The feeling of unsettledness was eating at her gut. She took a step back, creating some space between herself and the mage. ¡°Could you just show where I am suppose to sit?¡±

    ¡°As the lady wishes,¡± Merlin winked at her. She resisted the urge to storm away. She was off her game tonight. First, dealing with Salazar, a Vampiric Lord. Now, a flirty version of Merlin. She was starting to miss the days where her biggest concern was passing the writing assignment over the Arthurian Literature worth one-third of her grade for the class. She let out a sigh as they approached the red head general.

    ¡°Ah, here you go, Lady Valentina,¡± Merlin announced, coming to a stop by the red head general, ¡°The White Hall Family.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Merlin,¡± Lady Valentina curtsied to the Lord of Magic before she stepped away from him and hurried to the far side of Genesis, brushing past him without a word, but the general grabbed her upper arm.

    She turned her gaze to him. Emotions danced through the green orbs. He wanted to say something soothingly to her, but he couldn¡¯t find the appropriate words to help her. He uncurled his fingers from her upper arm. She continued on her way. Rosemary sent him a small smile before she went after her, silently.

    ¡°My, my, she has a lovely spirit,¡± Merlin commented, gazing after her, ¡°It¡¯s too bad that she wouldn¡¯t staying after the Choosing Ceremony. She would be a delight to have around the castle.¡±

    ¡°I am sure she will be back when her presence is required,¡± Genesis drawled, trying to keep suspicion out of his voice, ¡°Please, excuse me, Battle Mage, as acting head of the White Hall Family, I need to make sure my family will be able to find their seats without any trouble.¡±

    He spun on his heel and walked after Valentina. He was sure trouble had found Valentina, at least, from the way she was acting. In the short time, he had known her, she was more open then what she had displayed in the last few minutes.

    There were times where he thought he knew her from a long time ago, when they were children. However, he tried to think about it, he would draw a blank and he would remember something he had to do. It was strange.

    He heard Merlin chuckle under his breath as he drifted away to the back of the Church. The General took some comfort in that. The battle mage wasn¡¯t allow any near the front of the church without a good purpose, thanks to Former High Queen Belladonna¡¯s agenda and her laws.

    ¡°Hey, Valentina,¡± Rosemary¡¯s voice rang out from behind Tina. She paused. Her heart raced in her chest. Glad to be away from the annoying mage, Tina lowered herself to the pew. Rosemary claimed a seat beside her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina sighed. She relaxed into the back of the pew. She winced as the wood scrapped against her back. She ignored it. She saw out of the corner of her eye Genesis strolled the space in the back of the pew in front of their row and the one she sat on. Tina pointed at the red head general to Rosemary. She turned to see what Tina was pointing at then she scouted deeper on the pew to allow their acting head to slip by them. Genesis claimed the empty space beside Tina. He rested an arm on the back of the front pew, facing her with a worried look on his face.

    ¡°Did he do anything,¡± Genesis questioned, ¡°I¡¯m not above requesting his presence at the training field for some¡­¡± he paused long enough to glance around them before he went on, ¡°Target Practice.¡±

    Tina blinked, surprise, as she recognized the overprotected mode he had slipped into. It was a strange feeling. It was similar to comfort and joy mixed together, knowing someone wanted to protect her. The only reason why she recognized it was she had once experience before she entered that failed relationship, there had been one Greater Hell Demon who had set eyes on her. Her team protected her when she wasn¡¯t stronger enough to take on the Greater Hell Demon.

    She returned back to the conversation and snorted in amusement, ¡°If he did go to the training field for some target practice, I would be the one patching you and some of your men back up, Genny, as you guys would be nursing more then just bruised bodies.¡±

    Genesis drew back, silently, shock spreading across his face, ¡°What did you just call me?¡±

    Tina frowned, thinking about what she said. Genny. She had called him Genny. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Genesis! I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. That nickname just slipped out!¡±

    Genesis nodded slowly, before he explained, straightening up in the seat beside the red head woman, ¡°My missing sister used to call me that.¡± He looked forward, keeping his voice low, ¡°It used to drive me crazy when she did it.¡± He paused. Tina watched as a series of emotions played across his face. ¡°I miss her calling me that.¡±

    Tina didn¡¯t know what to say at that. The nickname felt familiar and slipped off her tongue with ease like she had said it before. Her mind drifted to the letter from Lady Freya. She already started to piece together the puzzle this Lady Freya gave her just by coming to Camelot. She couldn¡¯t deny that she shared a lot of similar features with Genesis, besides being a red head.

    They had the same shaping of the eyes and chin. She had noticed it when she burst into his room the other morning when Genesis fired his gun. She briefly wondered if Lady Freya had other reasons to summoned her to the White Hall Estate. Perhaps she should travel to the Estate soon before she started to head home. She was starting to have more questions then answers at the moment.

    Movement out of the corner of Tina¡¯s eye caught her attention and she glanced over Genesis¡¯ shoulder to see Reno, if she remembered his name correctly, coming to a stop. She made eye contact with Genesis and jerked her chin in Reno¡¯s direction.

    The General spun, tensing before he saw who was standing behind him and relaxed. Genesis stood up. Reno motioned the General to follow him and Genesis turned back to Tina, saying ¡°I will be right back.¡±

    Genesis followed after Reno and Tina frowned, briefly. Maybe they had to discuss something to do with security or military matters. It didn¡¯t matter to Tina. That little conversation gave her a few things to think about.

    ¡°So,¡± Rosemary started to say from Tina¡¯s right, ¡°I saw you were sitting in between Lords Salazar and Godric.¡± Tina turned her cousin with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Are they as handsome up close as they are far away?¡±

    Tina blinked before a grin parted her face. She looked away from Rosemary and around the chapel, seeing majority of the Court settling down into the pews, the Royal Family settled down into the first two rows of pews, and the Pope, the Templer Knight, and the Head Priest drifted toward the front of the church where several rows of seats were set up. She turned her attention back to her cousin who was waiting for Tina¡¯s reply.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tina admitted, honestly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention to their looks.¡± Rosemary gapped at her. ¡°But I can tell you that Lord Salazar is someone you don¡¯t want to get on the bad side of and Lord Godric is full of himself and very flirty.¡±

    Rosemary asked as she lend forward, ¡°Tell me everything you discussed with them.¡±

    Tina let out amused laugh and glanced around before she asked, ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Cousin!¡± Rosemary whinnied, ¡°Lady Freya is trying to hook each of the grandkids up with possible matches.¡± Tina lost her smile. Her eyes widened. She felt the blood drain from her face. ¡°I want to find my own match before she gets to me.¡±

    ¡°Who has she been able to find matches for?¡± Tina whispered.

    ¡°Jacob has to leave the day after tomorrow to fetch his bride,¡± Rosemary explained, ¡°Freya tried to find Genesis a bride but his reputation proceed him and scared away many of the possible matches.¡±

    A loud sound rang out in the Church. Tina looked away from Rosemary as the other woman fell silent. They looked up at the front of the Church. Tina saw one of the Brothers walk toward the podium, at the center of the stage. The Pope, Tina noticed, sat in the front row with the Not-Templer and the Head Brother. She really needed to figure out their proper titles.

    Apparently, the mass was starting. Tina scooted to rest her back against the pew and Rosemary straightened around. Genesis appeared at the end of the pew and claimed his seat beside Tina.

    The Brother raised his arms over podium and started the mass. His voice rang out, filling the Church. It didn¡¯t take Tina long to figure out the service was going to be a long one. The Brother was speaking in Latin, a language Tina didn¡¯t understand.

    However, it didn¡¯t long for Tina¡¯s mind to go back to what Rosemary said about Lady Freya and possible matches, but she distracted herself by grabbing what looked like the bible front a pocket in the back of the pew in front of her. She started to flip through the book.

    Genesis kept his attention toward the front of the Church, but he kept glancing to his right where his cousin, Tina, sat, thumbing through the Holy Bible. He noticed she didn¡¯t stay on one page for long. It appeared she was skimming through the lines before she flipped the page. He wondered if she could read Latin.

    The Father of the God¡¯s Holy Light started to speak. The Latin language filled the silent hall. Genesis noticed that Tina tilted her head to the side, her eyes staring at the back of the front pew. Her lips moved, silently saying the words that the Father spoke before a spark of recognition flew through her widening green eyes. Her gaze went to the Father. She sat there, with a greedy, but intelligent look in her eyes.

    Genesis wanted to laugh. Apparently, Tina never exposed to Latin before and wanted to learn the tongue. He turned his gaze onto the Father, listening and understanding that the Father was praising Uther¡¯s life as a Christian, a caring King and a loving Father, how Uther kept to the old traditions, and how much the King would be missed. The Father prayed Uther reached Heaven and be accepted by God.

    The red head General knew the service was coming to end as the Father led the mass into the Lord¡¯s prayer. He glanced toward Tina. Her eyelids started to drop. The Bible laid on her lap, opened to the Book of Enoch. His eyes scanned the paragraph where Tina¡¯s right hand spread. It went over how Enoch went into the heavens and saw God on his throne.

    A loud chime echoed through the Church. Tina jerked. Genesis glanced toward her. Her eyes darted around, a fearful expression spread across her face, and her breath caught in her chest. She relaxed, obviously, realizing where she was.

    Movement out of Genesis¡¯ eye caught his attention. He turned his head and spotted his second in command started in his direction. They met eyes. Genesis nodded. Reno returned it.

    Reno moved along the pews, disappearing outside, quickly. The second knew what to do. The men of the Fire Brigade moved along the wall, heading to the back of the Church. Genesis stood up, directing his gaze toward Bartholomew and Honor. They already had their men moving. He looked at the Ruling Family Box. High Queen Kalliope moved from her seat and with a wave of a hand, rejected Prince Arthur¡¯s offered arm. She walked by him.

    The acting Lord of the White Hall House shook his head as he spotted Belladonna¡¯s expression. The Warrior Queen was furious. He hoped the next Chosen King have the will to ride out that storm.

    ¡°Remus, Jacob,¡± Genesis spoke. His cousins turned to him, ¡°Make sure Tina and Rosemary get back their rooms.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Jacob nodded, ¡°Rosie?¡±

    ¡°How many times have I told you not to call me that, Jakey,¡± Rosemary glared at him, but didn¡¯t offer any protest over Jacob escorting her back to the White Hall Wing. They stepped around Remus and waited until their pew was able to leave. Once it was their turn, they joined the line, heading out of the Church.

    ¡°Tina?¡± Remus turned to her. She nodded while she chewed on her lower lip.

    Genesis stepped out of the pew and joined his men as they filed out. He knew they would be creating a long line, leading back to the Castle. Henry, his third in Command, would be taking over the Command for the rest of the night. However, Genesis¡¯ gaze landed on Tina and his cousins.

    He knew starting the day after tomorrow, the Chosen Ceremony would take place for public. If a Chosen King wasn¡¯t found within the week, there was a good chance they would be facing a war with the Mercy and the Frank Kingdoms.

    The reports he had been able to read over informed him that the enemies forces were waiting on the border of the Kingdom. Determination filling him, the General made his decision. He was going to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the rock and put a White Hall on the throne, the first one in over 1,000 years.

    Tina sensed Genesis leave the pew behind her and head to the doorway of the Church as she followed Remus down the pew. Standing now, she felt awake. She bit back a snorting laugh. She nearly fell asleep during the service.

    At first, she was intrigued by the fact the Pastor or Father, if she remembered the correct term to describe the leader of the Church, spoke Latin. It was a language she never thought she would hear. As far as she knew, it was a dead language. Most of the languages she knew of or spoke changed over time due to the influenced of other languages and slang terms being introduced.

    She had skimmed the Holy Bible. It didn¡¯t take her long to realize that the book was written in Latin. She had seen the written version of the language. However, she didn¡¯t know which book of the Bible she had stopped at, but the Bible was a lot thicker and heavier then the ones she had seen in the Book aisle at the supermarket. It sparked interested in the desire to know what books were in there, if there was any she didn¡¯t read before, or any lost sands of time.

    Tina yawned, turning her attention back to what was happening. She glanced toward the doorway as people moved through the open doors. The line was slowly moving. She wondered what time it was as her gaze drifted around the Church, noticing various mothers of the Court holding their youngest child to their torso as their child slept. Her eyes landed on a stain glass window of the Virgin Mary praying over Jesus in the manager. The sky behind it was dark. Tina knew it was dark when they had arrived at the Church. According to Merlin, it had been 7.

    She let out a sigh, waiting for the line move forward. She yawned again. She wanted to go to bed, already. She didn¡¯t know how long she had to wait until Remus moved forward and she followed. Remus stepped out of the pew before he turned to her, holding out his arm to her. She took it.

    Together, they walked toward the Church doors. Tina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she stepped out of the stuffy church. She allowed Remus to guide her along.

    ¡°Ah,¡± a familiar voice rang out, ¡°Lady Armstrong.¡±

    Tina opened her eyes to spot Tristan, falling into step beside her. ¡°Well, howdy Sir Tristan.¡±

    ¡°How are you doing this fine evening?¡± Tristan asked. Tina turned her gaze onto him with slight narrowed eyes.

    "I''m ready for bed," She admitted. Tristan nodded in understanding. "How are you doing?"

    "I''m excellent," Tristan''s tone caused Tina misstep. She grabbed Remus'' arm out of relax before she glanced down at her feet, grabbing a handful of her long skirt then she settled a stare onto the Knight of the Round Table. "Though I do need some help from a beautiful, wonderful lady like yourself, Lady Armstrong."

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Tina watched as Tristan turned his brown eyes to her, with a puppy dog look on his face. His lower lip pouted out a bit. His arms bent at the elbow and his hands placed together like he was praying over his chest. He stared at her.

    Tina blinked at Tristan, slowly lending toward her cousin. She heard Remus laugh a bit. She shot him a glare. She turned her attention back to Tristan, asking, "What do you need help with?"

    "I want to you to be a witness," Tristan started, "Merlin has started to bug me this evening about trying to pull out the Holy Sword. However, I need at least one witness."

    "Why do you need a witness," Tina asked. She didn''t want to commit to do something when she didn''t have all the information she may or may not need.

    "For proof that I either did or did not pull the Holy Sword out," Tristan explained, "Apparently, Merlin don''t trust me not to lie when it comes to making an attempt to pull out the Holy Sword."

    Tina frowned. She glanced up at Remus before she replied, "Alright. As long as Remus comes."

    "That''s fine with me," Tristan looked toward Remus, "As long as Lord Lunar doesn''t mind being dragged along."

    "I think I don''t have much a choice in this matter," Remus said, "Given your reputation with the ladies of the Court."

    Tina''s eyes darted between Remus and Tristan over that comment as the Knight replied, "Most of the stories you have heard are not true."

    "I am sure," Remus drawled out.

    Tristan sighed, but Tina smirked. ¡°So, you have a habit of talking the ladies out of their clothes, Tristan?¡±

    The knight glared at her, ¡°I don¡¯t have a habit of talking the ladies out of their clothing.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me that majority of the ladies that get involved with you somehow lose their clothes when you are around?¡± Tina asked before she innocently added, ¡°Like I did.¡±

    She heard Remus choke on his breath while Tristan¡¯s cheeks turned red as he tried to find the right words to explain what really happened. She let out a bark of laughter as she sensed the heat of Remus¡¯ glare directed at Tristan. If Tristan was preventing her going straight to bed, she was going to get some amusement out of this situation.

    ¡°Troublemaker,¡± Tristan grumbled, loud enough for the three of them to hear.

    "So," Tina started as she walked between Remus and Tristan, heading down a hallway. There had been a lot of twists and turns that the Knight and the Lord had dragged Tina down that she had mentally stopped trying to map out the route. "Where is this room at?"

    "Just up the hallway, now," Tristan replied.

    Tina resisted the urge to sigh. She couldn''t believe she was doing this when she could be curling up in bed and be swept off to dreamland. She fought off a yawn.

    "What does this Holy Sword do?" Tina asked, trying to remember why the sword was important.

    "It choses the King of Camelot," Remus explained, "Long time ago, when King Arthur I was dying, he requested Merlin to recast the Choosing spell over one of Arthur''s swords. Ever since then, whenever we have a King die, we hold a Chosen Ceremony."

    "While it is common knowledge among the Court," Tristan picked up the conversation, "that knowledge isn''t common among the lower classes."

    "Why is that?" Tina wondered. It was wrong not to let the lower class not to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the Sheath. The person who could sit on the Throne as the Chosen King could be apart of the lower classes.

    "Some of the Court doesn''t want that knowledge to get out," Tristan answered, "If that knowledge would get out from the Court, they fear a person from the lowest class could raise to power and destroy Camelot through various means." He paused. "I know the Ruling Family will want High Queen Kalliope to remarry if the Chosen King doesn''t have a wife already. If the Chosen King already has a wife and children, she will be expected to step aside and the Chosen King''s wife will be crowned as High Queen. However, the court will tell the public that the Chosen King is a distinct relative the Current Ruling House."

    "I was wondering how they will tell the public about that little detail," Remus confessed.

    Tristan nodded before he went on, "If the Chosen King is not apart of the Court, he will be forced to take classes on how to rule the Kingdom. Usually, there will be a ball in celebration of the new Chosen King, but if the Chosen King is in the process of learning everything majority of the Court and the knights already knows, that ball would be pushed back until the Ruling Family - in this case, House of Drake - feels like the Chosen King is ready to be introduced to the other Kingdoms without a worry of sparking a War with them."

    Tina nodded, understanding, "So, it is like a debut to society." Tristan and Remus nodded.

    Tina knew a Debut to Society was an old fashion concept from the Victoria Era. Back during that era, young women would have a come out to society called Debuts and it was used as a way for Families to announced that a Daughter would be allowed to see suitors and seeking a husband. Tina thought that concept died out or was limited to higher society circles. She paused, briefly, about that. She was dealing with a higher society circle. She hoped she didn''t have to go through a debut. It would be awkward and incredibly boring.

    "Valentina, Remus," Genesis'' voice rang out. Tina looked up and spotted the General standing by an open door. Beyond the open door, she saw Merlin standing with his back to the door. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°For the same reason you are here, I think, Genny,¡± Tina commented, ¡°I¡¯ll be acting as a witness for Sir Tristan, here, to see if he can pull the Holy Sword out or not.¡±

    ¡°As for me,¡± Remus stated, ¡°I came along to protect our cousin¡¯s precious virtue.¡±

    Hearing that, Tina slowly turned her head and stared at Remus with a mixture of shock and amusement before she said, ¡°My precious virtue?¡± Her eyes darted between Remus, Genesis, Tristan, and Merlin. The three of the four men turned to look at her when she snorted, stating, ¡°You are a few years too late on that one.¡±

    Remus¡¯ jaw dropped as his eyes widened. Genesis put a hand over his face. Merlin half turned to raised an eyebrow at her. Tristan sent her an amused glare, saying ¡°I couldn¡¯t have never guess that.¡± He crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°I mean there are very few respectful women who would stripped down into bare skin in front of a man not her husband.¡±

    Genesis gapped at Tina as she turned to the Knight and said, ¡°You could have turned around instead of gawking like a fool or ignored me.¡±

    ¡°I am man,¡± Tristan protested.

    ¡°And I am woman,¡± Tina pointed out, ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean I am going to sexualized everything you do or don¡¯t do¡­unlike you are doing.¡± Tristan opened his mouth. His eyes darted to his left then the right. He snapped his mouth shut. ¡°I thought so.¡± Tina sent him a smirk. ¡°Now, go pull the Holy Sword out so I can go to bed, Sir Tristan.¡± She turned to Genesis. ¡°You are planning to try the Holy Sword out as well.¡± He nodded. ¡°I guess I¡¯m staying for that, too.¡± Tina turned to Remus.

    Remus sighed, ¡°I might as well it get out of the way, just in case, no body else can and it becomes open to the Court.¡±

    Well, three for three,¡± Tina stated, ¡°Come on, boys. I don¡¯t have all night. I need to get some sleep before the maid wakes me up to get ready for the Funeral.¡±

    ¡°My, my, you are bossy,¡± Merlin commented.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Tina admitted. She walked through the door. Her eyes immediately found the Holy Sword. She stopped in her steps, staring at the image she saw.

    The Holy Sword stood, hilt up while majority of the blade disappeared into a large gray rock. A sense of familiarity washed over her. She blinked and dismissed the feeling. She probably saw the image in a movie or a TV show, but forget she had watched it. Her eyes ran over the hilt, noting the large red gem sitting in the pummel. Her right hand itched to curl around the hilt. She flexed her hand to get rid of that feeling.

    ¡°Do you want to try your hand at pulling the Holy Sword,¡± Merlin¡¯s breath drifted over Tina¡¯s exposed neck. Her back snapped straight. Goosebumps rosed over her skin. She skipped forward a step and turned on her heel. She raised her head and met his gaze in a glare.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware a woman who could try,¡± Tina commented, smoothly.

    ¡°Usually,¡± Merlin waved a hand through the air, ¡°Most women don¡¯t even think about trying to pull out the Holy Sword.¡± He sent her a smirk. ¡°I do wonder what could happen under a woman¡¯s rule.¡± He met her gaze. ¡°It would be a rule that would go down in History, that is for sure.¡±

    ¡°You said most women,¡± Tina started, ¡°So, there have been women who have tried to pull the Holy Sword out, before.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin commented, ¡°Most of them I don¡¯t remember, however, there is one who I do remember. Rowena of House Caligula. She was one of the most talented magi I have taught, but she wasn¡¯t satisfied with her position and what she could. She tried to pull out the Holy Sword, but she discovered she couldn¡¯t because Arthur I was the Chosen King.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t like that,¡± Tina said. Merlin shook his head. ¡°What would be the title of a woman who managed to pull the Holy Sword out?¡±

    ¡°Chosen Queen, of course,¡± Merlin shrugged. ¡°The spell on the Holy Sword is designed to chose the best suited person to rule Camelot as the Ruler, no matter what their sex is.¡±

    Tina hummed. She turned to her cousins and Tristan, saying, ¡°Who is first?¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Tristan announced.

    Tristan felt his gut twist into knots as he made that announcement. He felt Lady Valentina¡¯s gaze flicked to him before she went back to studying the Holy Sword. He never thought he would be able given the chance to pull the Holy Sword out. He knew if he managed to do so, it would change his life forever. He would have to deal with the various headaches of ruling and would have to find a wife as soon as possible.

    If he went with the thought of being prove to be worthy to rule Camelot as King, he could request the High Queen Kalliope to be his wife. However, he heard the various rumors of Kalliope having a secret lover, he couldn¡¯t take that chance of a normal life away from the High Queen.

    The Violent Knight glanced to the red head woman. Lady Valentina could be fill that position, if he could talk her into it. Marrying her would give him some allies in the White Hall Family and their vassal houses. That would be something he would need, especially against the House of Black and their allies.

    He knew Queen Belladonna would be pushing him to marry one of the Black Ladies. He really didn¡¯t want to deal with that. If Lady Valentina didn¡¯t want to help him out, he was sure he could find another who want to rule at his side. He watched as the mysterious Lady Armstrong raise her eyebrow at him.

    ¡°Are you going to try pull the Holy Sword out sometime this year, Tristan,¡± she asked, ¡°Or are you waiting until we are old and gray before you try?¡±

    If Lady Valentina was another knight, he would have sent a rude gesture, but since she was a noble and apart of the Court, he had to behave. He sent her a half concealed glare and spoke, ¡°I am just gathering the courage to make the attempt.¡±

    ¡°It is just a sword,¡± Valentina said, shrugging, ¡°It may say you are worthy to be King, but your actions will say otherwise. Remember that.¡±

    Tristan hummed, thinking about what she had said. The Holy Sword may have a say on who will be sitting on the King¡¯s throne, but it will be his actions that will cause others to say if he was a good or a bad King.

    He thought about Uther. Tristan didn¡¯t agree with rulings Uther had announced, but did those actions make Uther a good King? His thoughts drifted back to that Fawn Village. Those non-humans had celebrated at the news of Uther¡¯s death. He wondered how many other non-humans did the same. He wondered if it was the same with several human families.

    Uther had tried to rule with an iron fist, steeped in tradition. The previous King was influenced by Belladonna who fought for traditions, against the equal rights for the non-humans, and often treated women who in his view didn¡¯t have the same equal rights as their male counterparts.

    He glanced at Valentina and had a thought. He sent her a smirk before he said, ¡°I just had a thought.¡±

    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± Valentina asked, innocently. Genesis snorted. Remus chuckled.

    ¡° I have a proposal for you, Lady Valentina, if you are willingly to hear me out,¡± he stated. She raised an eyebrow and nodded. He went on, ¡°If I managed to pull the Holy Sword out and become King,¡± Tristan started, watching her, ¡°You have to do two things for me.¡± He held up two fingers on his right hand. ¡°One, you will agree to be my wife.¡±

    Genesis¡¯ growled, ¡°Sir Tristan, you have overstepped your bounds.¡±

    Merlin let out a whistle. Remus brought up a hand and rubbed his face. However, Tristan kept his gaze on the red head. Valentina straightened up so fast Tristan was worried that she might have caused her back some damage. Her eyes widened in a mixture of emotions before they went to the floor, darting back and forth. Her face lost some color. Her fists curled at her sides. Her chest heaved with a sharp intake of breath. Her lips pursed together. She looked up and finally spoke, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I will need a wife who can hold her own in various conversations and situations I will be faced,¡± Tristan explained, walking over to her and grabbed her left fisted hand. He rubbed his thumb on the whiten knuckles. ¡°From our experience in the Fawn Village, you seemed to be a decent fighter, smart, and capable of holding your own in a dangerous situation. I will need that kind of woman at my side, especially over the next few months.¡±

    Valentina nodded, slowly, and asked, ¡°What is your second condition?¡±

    Still rubbing her fisted hand, he lend in slowly and whispered in her ear, ¡°You confess your family the reason why you are here in Camelot.¡± He pulled away, staring down at her. Her face still haven¡¯t recover the color she had lost at his declaration of his first condition. Her eyes were a dark forest green. It reminded him of the shades of the forest in a looming storm. It was strangely beautiful.

    She took a deep breath before she announced, ¡°Fine. I agree to your conditions.¡±

    ¡°Valentina!¡± Genesis snapped. She turned her gaze to him. ¡°Our family matriarch may have already chose a possible husband for you.¡± Tristan saw the glare the Explosive General sent the red head woman.

    ¡°Well, if Sir Tristan manages to pull out the Holy Sword,¡± Valentina¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°I am sure she will agree to the match. After all, I couldn¡¯t do much better then to marry a King.¡±

    Genesis argued, ¡°I have no doubt of that. However, there are reasons why I won¡¯t allow this match to go forward.¡±

    ¡°It is my choice,¡± she shot back, ¡°Not yours or Lady Freya¡¯s.¡± Her lips pressed together as Genesis and Valentina stared at each other, sparks meeting in the air.

    Tristan¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between the secret siblings before he spoke up, ¡°If I don¡¯t found to be worthy of being King, my proposal won¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Valentina stated. She turned her gaze onto him, ¡°Are you going to try to pull out the Holy Sword or are we going to stand here all bloody night? I would like to get some sleep, soon.¡±

    Tristan chuckled and dropped the red head¡¯s hand, stating, ¡°As my lady wishes.¡± He felt the heat of her glare on his back as he turned away and strolled over to the sword. He took a deep breath, stopping in front of the sword, and stared at it with some wonder. He never thought he would have a chance to pull it out.

    Personally, he didn¡¯t want the job of Kingship. On the other hand, he didn¡¯t want to experience another time where the Kingdom of Camelot didn¡¯t have a Chosen King sitting on the throne. The situation was a headache and half. He reached out and wrapped his hands around the hilt.

    The hilt felt cool under his warm hand. He reflexed his fingers before he tightened his grip. He took a deep breath and pulled hard up on the hilt. The sword didn¡¯t budge. He tried again. He got the same result.

    ¡°The Holy Sword has found you unworthy to rule the Kingdom of Camelot, Sir Tristan,¡± Merlin announced. The mage¡¯s voice bounced off the stone walls.

    A sweeping since of relief rush through him. He let out a sigh. He let go of the hilt and turned around, facing Valentina and the members of the White Hall family. He met her eyes and said, ¡°It seems the proposal is invalid.¡±

    ¡°Apparently so,¡± She agreed, relaxing ¡°I think you managed to dodged the bullet there, Tristan.¡±

    ¡°I think it was you, dear cousin, that dodged the bullet,¡± Genesis¡¯ voice held a note of relief, ¡°I was not looking forward to explaining the reason why I had to allow such a proposal to go through to my grandmother.¡± The red head general ignored the glare Tina sent him. Tristan, on the other hand, hoped that glare would never settle on him. ¡°However, it is my turn,¡± Genesis announced.

    Genesis took a deep breath as he strolled past Valentina, letting it out slowly. His heart thudded in his chest. His stomach rolled with emotions. He couldn¡¯t believe he was making an attempt to pull out the Holy Sword. If he did managed to do it, his grandmother was going to have a field day, trying to find him a wife. The worst of it, he wouldn¡¯t have the power to say no.

    He would have families lining up to offer their daughters to him in marry. It would allow whoever he took as his wife, her family would raise in status, becoming A Noble House. However, it would mean he wouldn¡¯t be able to marry for love like he was hoping to do.

    He came to a stop in front of the Sword. His hands shook, slightly, as he reached out and wrapped them around the hilt of the Holy Sword. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. He gathered his courage. He would really prefer to face down an entire army by himself then to make an attempt at pulling the Holy Sword.

    However, he wanted to change Camelot for the better. He was sick of Belladonna looking down on him because he chose to be a part of the Military instead of following his father¡¯s footsteps into knighthood. He was sick of seeing the non-humans killed because they were not human. He was sick of hiding a part of who he was. He was sick of so many things happening inside the Kingdom. He wanted to change it all.

    The Explosive General Genesis White Hall took a deep breath. He bent his knees. He tightened his grip. He gritted his teeth. He pulled upward. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t move. He tried again. He got the same result. He tried for a third time. For a third time, he got the same result.

    Genesis¡¯ shoulders slumped in defeat. The Holy Sword found him unworthy to rule Camelot. Merlin announced it before he turned to Remus, asking, ¡°Are you going to make an attempt to pull the Holy Sword out, Lord Lunar?¡±

    Genesis turned to his cousin and saw the uncomfortable look on his face. The General bit back a chuckle.

    ¡°I prefer not to,¡± Remus started, but everyone saw Merlin give a wolfish grin and said, ¡°I have to insisted you did try since you are here and you have witnesses, available. After all, we don¡¯t know who will be The Chosen King and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to experience another Kingless Era.¡±

    Genesis hummed in acknowledgment. There was the line the red head was waiting for. He knew Merlin would go for the low blow. From some of the conversations he had heard, the Battle Mage was dealing the low blow if a Lord or a Knight wasn¡¯t willingly to try to pull out the Holy Sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Remus sent a death glare at the Battle Mage before he took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, agreeing.

    Lord James Black strolled down to the room where the Holy Sword was kept until the Public Choosing took place. He couldn¡¯t believe his cousin, Arthur, didn¡¯t pull the sword out. James¡¯ dark eyes narrowed with worry. He didn¡¯t want to worry about another Kingless Kingdom Era. The last one was bad enough. He had lost his mother and one of his sisters due to the mindless killings. He glanced over his shoulder to see his cousins, Arthur and Margiette.

    Margiette was at the Court by partly on his orders and their great Aunt¡¯s request. She didn¡¯t want to come to Court but she knew her time was quickly approaching to find a husband. She preferred to find her own husband, with James¡¯ permission, instead of being used a pawn in their Aunt¡¯s game and her desire to increase their family power in the country side.

    Speaking of their Great Aunt, the Warrior Queen match James¡¯ step by step. She didn¡¯t like the oppressive nature of the Black Family, but she had no problem pushing those oppressive nature onto the rest of women of the family. It was a confusing notion that James figure he would never understand nor he had the desire to.

    James glanced ahead and saw the door to the room for the Holy Sword, standing open. He spotted the battle mage standing in the door way, but he couldn¡¯t who else was in the room with him. As he led his family toward the open door, he spotted the mysterious Lady Valentina of House Armstrong standing with her back facing him and General Genesis stood by the rock where the Holy Sword sat.

    Arthur entered the room first, but James paused by the opened door, allowing Aunt Bella and Margiette to pass through the doorway before he did. James¡¯ eyes roamed over the room. Sir Tristan stood at Lady Valentina¡¯s side, muttering something in her ear. She nodded, listening, as her eyes watched the General with wonder, awe, and hint of confusion.

    ¡°Ah, General,¡± Aunt Belladonna greeted the Heir of the White Hall House. Her voice bounced off the walls, echoing loudly. Everyone turned to the members of the Black House and one by one bowed at the waist toward the former High Queen. However, Lady Valentina simply tilted her head toward the Queen.

    James felt a rush of amusement go through him. Was Lady Valentina trying to piss off his Aunt? Nearly everyone knew at Court that the Ladies curtsied to the Ruling Family, not tilt their head. An amused smirk played at his lips. The sharp inhale of breath from Aunt Bella told James all he needed to know. He made sure his face was turned away from his aunt. He didn¡¯t need to have her wrath turn upon him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is past your bedtime, girl,¡± Aunt Bella sneered at Lady Valentina, ¡°Perhaps, Sir Tristan would be care enough to escort you back to your family wing so you can go to bed already.¡±

    ¡°Or I can stay and see if my cousin Remus can withdraw the Holy Sword then he can escort me back to my chambers and tuck me into bed,¡± Lady Valentina suggested with an innocent look. ¡°After all, it wouldn¡¯t be good for the good Sir Tristan to be caught all alone with this girl.¡± She paused, frowning, before she continued, ¡°We don¡¯t want anyone to think the great Sir Tristan get caught by anyone important escorting an unwed lady around the castle. It might cause a scandal.¡± She blinked innocently at Aunt Bella.

    James wanted to laugh. A quick glance at the Prince informed him that his cousin wanted to do the same thing. However, Tristan looked like he had shallowed a lemon.

    ¡°Could you hurry up a bit that, dear cousin?¡± the Lady turned to the Lunar Heir. ¡°We don¡¯t want to keep the lovely Queen Belladonna up any longer then we have to. I¡¯m sure she needs her beauty sleep to be her best for tomorrow.¡±

    Remus let out a sigh before he stepped up to the rock where the Holy Sword was impaled. He reached to the hilt, wrapping his hand around it, and gave a mighty pull. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t budge. He tried it again. It still didn¡¯t budge. He let out a growl. The sound bounced off the walls of the empty room.

    However, Lady Valentina commented, ¡°Well, cousin, dear, it seems like you dodge a cannon ball there.¡± Remus turned to her, an eyebrow raised. ¡°At least you don¡¯t have to deal with a royal headache of someone urging you marry their great niece, I think, or granddaughter.¡± She tilted her head to the side. ¡°Just like our family matriarch doing the same thing, but at a much longer distance.¡±

    James¡¯ eyes widened and he bit his lower lip, hard. He couldn¡¯t believe the Lady of the Armstrong House was sassing his Aunt. He was half-tempted to seek Genesis out and request to Court the Lady Valentina, eventually reaching a marriage contract with her. It would piss his Great Aunt off to no end, but it would be worth it to watch the Lady sass the Former High Queen whenever they had to visit Camelot. He briefly wondered how she would handle the rest of his family.

    Tina knew from the older queen¡¯s expression, the red head managed to get under her skin. Perhaps it was time to leave while she still could. She turned to her family and Tristan, commenting, ¡°Alright, you three proved that you are lacking in some department.¡± She paused long enough for her words to settle in their heads.

    ¡°You ¡ª¡± Genesis started to say as Merlin let out a chuckle.

    ¡°I need to get some beauty sleep before tomorrow,¡± She cut the General off, ¡°I don¡¯t want to show any disrespect to the dead by falling asleep during the funeral.¡± She looked between Remus, Genesis, and Tristan, ¡°So, let¡¯s get going, boys.¡± She spun on her heel and started out of the room. She sensed Tristan and Remus following her as she past the Queen and her family members. It was a moment before Genesis started after her.

    Tina yawned widely as she entered the hallway and stopped, waiting for the men to caught up. Once Genesis stepped out of the room, she walked down the hall.

    ¡°So,¡± She began, ¡°That was the Holy Sword.¡± One of the men hummed in agreement. ¡°Has it always been the same sword since King Arthur I¡¯s time as King?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has,¡± Tristan replied, ¡°As far as I know, the sword has been enchanted with some spells to allow it to be as sharp as when King Arthur I first used in battle, over 1500 years ago.¡±

    ¡°Has it ever been broken?¡± Tina wondered. It would probably caused a lot of problems if it did break. ¡°And it really has been 1500 years since Arthur first formed Camelot?¡±

    This time, it was Genesis who answered, ¡°Surprisingly, it hasn¡¯t. It never got a creak of any kind in the blade. If it did, Merlin and Morgana managed to fix it before anyone saw it.¡± He went on, stepping around Tristan, falling into step beside Tina, ¡°And Arthur wasn¡¯t the one who formed Camelot. It was his father, Uther, who founded the Kingdom during the aftermath of the Roman retreating back to the Empire.¡±

    At least, that information was true. Tina remembered reading about how Romans called back their armies to guard the borders closer to the Empire, but it didn¡¯t help when the Western part of the Empire fell into ruin. Most of the Historians of the King Arthur myth thought it was during this time that King Arthur lived or at least the King Arthur like Figure.

    ¡°Uther was apart of the Purple and was used to the Romans¡¯ lifestyle,¡± Genesis explained, ¡°As a result, he has many wives. He did have a favorite wife, as well as favored heirs.¡±

    ¡°Arthur was one of these favored heirs,¡± Tina said as they exited the hallway leading to the Holy Sword and started down another.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Genesis agreed, ¡°It wasn¡¯t always the case.¡± He took a breath. ¡°According to history, Uther didn¡¯t have a favor heir until Arthur was born from the Favored Wife, but Morgana was the favorite princess out of the couple dozen girls Uther fathered.¡±

    ¡°How many wives did Uther have?¡± Tina asked, shocked. That was something new. If Uther was apart of the Purple - meaning of Roman blood - he would have followed the Roman traditions and took only one woman as his wife.

    ¡°35,¡± Remus answered, ¡°He fathered over 100 children, but in the years after Uther¡¯s death, the Children wared upon each other for the Throne of Camelot. Eventually, by the time, Arthur was found worthy by the Holy Sword, there were still 75 children alive. Majority of them sided with Robert, Uther¡¯s first born, and fought against Arthur. Morgana, however, being the favorite princess, managed to get out of many of the marriage proposal offer, but it wasn¡¯t the same for many of her sisters. They were used as pawns to help grow Uther¡¯s power over the various lords and the other kings in the land at the time until Camelot became one large Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Many of Uther¡¯s sons either died on the battlefield, became lords in distant lands, or ended up vanishing through various means,¡± Genesis picked up the history lesson, ¡°Robert eventually was killed by Arthur on the battlefield when he refused to submit to Arthur¡¯s rule.¡±

    ¡°Good lord,¡± Tina whispered. Camelot¡¯s origins was bloody. She didn¡¯t think Uther would have had a harem and fathered so many kids that they ended up fighting among themselves to rule the land. However, wasn¡¯t it the way with Royal Families? One family member thought they deserved to be the Ruler and sought to kill off the other families members. The War of the Roses came to Tina¡¯s mind when she thought about that and they played the Game of Thrones.

    Tristan cleared his throat as the group entered the courtyard. Tina glanced his way and he spoke, ¡°Lady Valentina,¡± He reached out and grabbed her left hand, bringing it up to his lips before he kissed her knuckles. ¡°Thank you for coming with me tonight to bare witness if the Holy Sword had found me worthy or not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Tina replied.

    ¡°I hope you have pleasant dreams,¡± Tristan sent her a smile and allowed her hand to drop from his gasp before he headed to a tower in the distance.

    Tina heard Genesis grumbled something under his breath, but she ignored him. Remus took the lead, heading back to the White Hall Wing of the Castle. Tina followed, lost in thought over the new information she got from her family. Genesis brought up the rear. However, Tina turned her gaze toward the forest looming over the southern castle walls. Her gut tightened. She knew Ralph and his team was out there. She could only assume they managed to get to this side of the barrier and activity searching for her. She hoped tomorrow would go smoothly and she didn¡¯t have to worry about him finding her location, again, before she managed to get home.

    ¡°Are you sure she is here?¡± Ralph stared, unblinkingly, at the castle in the center of the town. He couldn¡¯t believe the brat made it to Camelot. He remembered General Genesis of White Hall House lived full time in the castle. He didn¡¯t doubt that Tina had ran into her older brother, already. If not him, the other members of the main branch family or the minor branches. He glanced toward Waya.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Waya said, ¡°the conversation I overheard in that tavern, informed me that she had ran into Sir Tristan and they traveled here together.¡± He placed his weight on his heels

    ¡°Great,¡± Kikyo stated, ¡°Just bloody great.¡± She stood next to the tree, her arms crossed over her chest. She placed her foot against the tree, lending her back to the bark. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. ¡°Now, we have to deal with a knight of Camelot.¡±

    Abasi looked down at the woman from a higher branch and corrected her, ¡°Not just any knight. Tristan, if I remember correctly, is known as the Violent Knight due to his bloodthirstiness on the battlefield and a Knight of the Round Table.¡±

    Kikyo shot him a deeper glare.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Ralph¡¯s voice took on a commanding tone. ¡°We know where she is.¡± He met each of their eyes. ¡°We spend the night planning.¡±

    ¡°When should the plan be put into action?¡± Waya questioned.

    ¡°The Day after the Funeral,¡± Ralph replied, ¡°We can¡¯t interrupt a Funeral for a Ruling Family Member. It will look bad if the Hidden Bark Village intervene with the Funeral.¡± He paused. ¡°If you want to think of it this way, what if it was our Leader we were in the process of burying when another force interrupts it, how would you feel?¡±

    ¡°Revenge for the disrespect,¡± Kikyo replied.

    ¡°Anger,¡± Waya announced.

    Abasi narrowed his eyes, ¡°Blood will be split.¡±

    Ralph nodded in agreement, ¡°So, we wait until after the Day of the Funeral to make our move.¡± He turned his gaze to the Castle. ¡°Let¡¯s find a comfortable place to rest and plan.¡± The other three nodded. The four of them vanished into the night, leaving nothing behind in their wake.

 Chapter 52: Dark Confessions

    The door to the Lunar Suite opened as the Bells from God¡¯s Holy Light Church rang out the hour. Remus Lunar released a sigh. His green eyes scanned the darken room. In the streaming moonlight, he didn¡¯t see anything out of place. He walked further into the room, shutting the door behind him. His mind drifted back to the events in the Chamber of the Holy Sword.

    There was a part of Remus felt glad that Genesis wasn¡¯t able to pull out the Holy Sword. If his cousin was able to, Remus would have immediately offered his services as a trusted agent, as a trusted spy master, and personal assassin. Another part of the Lunar Heir worried for the future of Camelot and the White Hall Family.

    Remus had been 8 years old when the Holy Sword refused to chose a King for six months. He remembered the screams of loved ones dying in the streets, leading to the Heart of the Kingdom, how his mother fought bravely until the bitter end, and the horrified face of his older sister as he was forced to watch -

    Remus¡¯ fists clenched and unclenched. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those memories. He knew it would do no good reliving those memories. He strolled over where a large bottle of amber liquid sat on a small table by a window. He pour himself a shot¡¯s worth in round glass.

    He brought it to his lips and jerked his head back, allowing the amber to burn down his throat. He felt the liquid hit his stomach, hard. He winced, slightly as he set the glass down on the table, looking out over the darken town.

    A group of guards walking down one of the main streets while another group of people darted in and out of alleys, playing a secret game of hide and go seek with the unknowing guards. A single person traveled over the rooftops, heading to an unknown location.

    Suddenly, everyone paused, heads snapping toward a building before they erupted into action. The guards ran toward the building. The hiding group ducked into a nearby alleyway. The person traveling via rooftops waited until the guards disappeared inside the building before he or she started to travel again.

    Remus frowned. There was a lot of activity in the dark of the night. He wondered what kind of headaches the guards were dealing with in the building. He smirked in amusement. It was the best time to take care of affairs better left in the dark, after all. He turned around from the window and went to the chair by the fireplace.

    He felt the heat from the fire wash over him as he passed in front of it. He shivered. He reached up and rubbed his face. He didn¡¯t realized he was chilled. He needed to do better. He glanced around the common area of the Lunar Suite. He knew the reason why he dropped his guard. He was in one of the safest places he knew. No one in their right mind would attack the Castle, especially with the Battle Mage and the Black Mage at home.

    The Magi were already on guard from the events over the last week. The Military and the Knights were the same way. Right now, the Castle was the safest place in the Kingdom. He pity the poor soul who tried to attack or kidnap someone who lived within the castle walls.

    Remus fell into the chair by the fireplace. He blinked in surprise as something dug into his ribs and his left hip. He relaxed as he reached into his jacket and grabbed whatever he held in his front, inner jacket pocket. He wrapped his fingers around the cylinder object and pulled it out. He gasped, softly, eying the scroll.

    His mind flashed back to what happened in the White Hall Family Suite the previous day.

    Valentina reached up to the front of her dress as Sir Tristan stepped behind her. Remus could hear a slight riping sound before Valentina pulled at the front of her dress. His eyes widened as he watched his cousin tore the wet dress she wore in half. There was a flash of something cylinder in the folds of the dress. It fell to the ground as Valentina pushed the dress down before she stepped out of it.

    Remus saw the cylinder bounced on the ground before the dress covered it up and Valentina rushed over Genesis¡¯ rooms.

    Valentina had took her wet dress with her when she had left the White Hall Suite, but she ended up leaving the scroll behind. Remus had claimed it when he had the chance to.

    Now, he stared at it. In the firelight, there appeared to be no water damaged from the storm Valentina was in, watching the punishment of the Generals. He tilted it up to look at the end of the scroll and blinked. At the end of the scroll, the crest of the White Hall Family was engraved into the wood.

    Curiosity sparked, Remus flipped the scroll in his hand and thumbed it opened. He angled it, allowing the firelight to illuminate the words on the page. He read the letter out loud:

    ¡°Valentina

    daughter of Annja,

    daughter of Sakura,

    Daughter of House White Hall,

    First of her Name

    You have been requested to visit to the White Hall Estate, the home of Lord Bardock, and his sons, Genesis, Vincent, and Victor, and daughter, Natalie, by the Lady Mother Freya. Please follow  the messenger to the White Hall Estate where I will be able to explain more to you, Valentina. It maybe wise to not inform your mother and Lady Sakura of where you are going. They may try to stop you from searching for your father and other family members.

    Wishing to speak to you soon,

    Your other Grandmother

    Freya¡±

    Remus allowed his hands to fall to his lap. He lend back into the chair. His lips parted. His eyes drifted to the roaring fire.

    Valentina of Armstrong was lying about her identity, claiming to be Lady Nami¡¯s granddaughter. Remus wondered what else she could be lying about and what was her reasons behind her actions. From personal experience, he knew there had to be more to the story then what she was telling.

    ¡°But what?¡± Remus mused softly. His mind going over what he knew of her, creating a list. He admitted it wasn¡¯t much.

    At the top of that list was the fact she was a relative. She went around, telling everyone who asked she was Nami¡¯s granddaughter, and she claimed she didn¡¯t know her parents.

    The second informative thing was she didn¡¯t act like a lady. Majority of the women he interacted with knew how to behave at Court and understand what their place was among the nobles of the Court. Plus, they didn¡¯t stripped out of their wet dresses in front of men or appeared anything less then fully dressed. From the little tad bit the Violent Knight said while Valentina was tending to Genesis, she had took a bath in front of him.

    The third item on the list, Valentina was experienced with the healing arts. His mind flickered back to the aftermath of the Generals and Sir Tristan¡¯s punishments. She took charge once they were in the White Hall Wing and started to help Genesis who took Belladonna¡¯s harsher punishment.

    The fourth was the fact Valentina was an Archer. She had carried a bow and quiver with her while she had traveled before she arrived at Camelot. She apparently also had a rapier as a heirloom.

    Remus¡¯ eyes flickered to the door. He had to get to the bottom of this, now! He pushed himself up, out of the chair and hurried across the room. In one hand, he fisted the scroll. The only piece of evidence he had that she wasn¡¯t telling the truth about her identity.

    Remus didn¡¯t bother knocking on the Armstrong Suite and burst in. He didn¡¯t want to give Valentina any time to create a story to brush his concerns off. He shut the door behind him and strolled over to one of the bedroom doors. He knew which one she was staying in for the plain fact, Genesis and himself was in the Suite early the previous day to see what happened to her to cause her to scream a string of curse words he never heard from a woman before.

    He reached the knob and twisted it. He pushed the door opened. While he didn¡¯t want to give her a chance to react, he didn¡¯t know how fast her reaction speed was. He heard a whistling sound before he saw Valentina standing beside the bed, holding her bow up. He ducked to the side, hiding behind the door frame as an arrow sped through the spot he was just in and landed with a thud on the far side of the Common Room.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Remus felt amused and pride darted through him as he spotted the arrow sticking out of the back one of the high back cushion chairs. He turned his attention back to the door frame and called out, ¡°Valentina, cousin, it is me, Remus.¡±

    ¡°Remus?¡± her voice held a note of confusion, ¡°What the hell are you doing busting into my room in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°Well, considering we just got back from the Wake of the King,¡± Remus started. He could almost feel her eyes roll as he stepped around the door frame and entered her room, ¡°I found something that belongs to you, Lady Armstrong.¡±

    In the moonlight streaming in from one of the open curtained windows, Valentina frowned as she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

    ¡°Or should I say, Lady White Hall?¡± Remus stated, watching as her expression changed into a horrified realization. Her eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. Her body tensed. He waited.

    ¡°How-?¡± her voice broke the silence. Remus held up the scrolled, not saying a word. Her eyes flickered to it, staring. ¡°Where did you find it?¡± she finally asked. Her eyes went back to him, trying to read him.

    ¡°You dropped in the White Hall Suite, earlier,¡± he explained, ¡°When you boldly stripped out of the wet dress.¡± He paused, allowing her to digest what he was saying. She slowly nodded. ¡°I picked it up after you left the Suite.¡±

    Her eyes gaze drifted to the floor. It was a moment before she spoke, ¡°Is that all you wanted to tell me?¡± There was a guarded note in her tone he recognized.

    ¡°No,¡± Remus replied, ¡°I want to know why you haven¡¯t came forward with this information to Genesis, yet.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have this conversation at this time of night,¡± Valentina dodged Remus¡¯ request, ¡°We have to be up early in the morning to prepare for the Funeral.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to go straight to Genesis with this scroll, right now?¡± he questioned.

    ¡°He will be probably asleep, Remus,¡± she replied. She would have went on, but he cut her off,  ¡°No, he¡¯s not. He takes his job seriously. Right now, I know, he is going over last minute details with the other two Generals and their seconds and thirds in order to make sure the Ruling Family is safe.¡±

    Her eyes darted around, trying to figure out a way to get out of the conversation. It was obviously she didn¡¯t want to have it.

    Remus frowned. Why didn¡¯t she want to have this conversation? She would be getting another side of the family back. He paused, thinking about the various topics Rosemary, Remus, and Genesis have talked about in front of her and what Genesis had informed him about Valentina¡¯s situation.

    ¡°You think Lady Freya has found you a match,¡± Remus stated. Her eyes flickered to his and she gave a sharp nod.

    ¡°That and I didn¡¯t know if that letter had any truth to it,¡± she explained, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be put in more difficult position then I just managed to get out of.¡±

    ¡°How about we take this to the common area,¡± Remus suggested, ¡°This way we can talk about it.¡± Valentina agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll step out so you can put something more appropriate. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± He turned around and shut the door behind him.

    The moment the door closed, Tina darted over to the window as silently as she could and peered down. It was too far to jump. She would break her legs or hip if she landed wrong, even with her spiritual power. She sighed. She glanced at the closed door. Her shoulders slumped.

    Tina didn¡¯t know want to expect when she walked into the common living area after Remus. She had been in the process of getting for bed when he had burst in and when he dropped the reason why he was there, she could have sworn her heart stopped.

    She pulled the robe she grabbed from the end of her bed tighter around her form. She cast her gaze at the room. Remus stood with his back to her as he watched the growing flames in the fireplace, waiting for her.

    Tina mused she could easily try to knock him out since his back was turned to her, but she wouldn¡¯t know what to do next. She could drag him to his living quarters, but from experience, she knew dead weight was a lot heavier then one would expect. She couldn¡¯t do that.

    She wasn¡¯t up to full strength yet when it came to using her spirit energy and she didn¡¯t have the physical strength to do it. It might be easier to bit the bullet, confess, and try to go on from there. After all, she was planning to leave in a couple days, the day after the next King was announced then she wouldn¡¯t have to look back.

    ¡°This might be easier if you sat down, Valentina,¡± Remus¡¯ voice rang out, breaking the silence, as he turned away from the growing fire and claimed the chair on the left of the fireplace. He scouted around in the chair until he got comfortable.

    ¡°Tina,¡± She corrected him, ¡°Since you will know the true reason why I¡¯m here, call me Tina.¡±

    ¡°Tina,¡± he nodded and she walked, slowly, to the chair on the right of the fireplace, across from him. She glanced to the door leading to the hallway. He had position himself in the way. She glanced over her shoulder.

    From his chair, he could leap over the couch, that was position several feet in front of the fireplace, and prevent her from reaching the safety of her room or he could allow her to escape into there then proved to be good on his threat - getting Genesis and explained what he had found out.

    Personally, she didn¡¯t want Genesis finding out that way, even though she didn¡¯t want him finding out at all. Her gut feeling told her he would be more upset with her if he managed to find out through Remus or a stranger.

    She, finally, reached the chair and settled down into it, sitting on the edge of the seat, ready to run if it became necessary. She didn¡¯t look at Remus and studied the flames as they licked over the wooden logs, growing larger. She felt heat began to warm her exposed skin.

    ¡°So,¡± Remus started, ¡°Why are you hiding this -¡° he waved the scroll in one hand through the air - ¡°from Genesis?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if it was true or not,¡± Tina admitted, ¡°I originally didn¡¯t planned on coming to Camelot, in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± He asked. There was a curiosity note in his tone.

    ¡°Why what?¡± She shot at him, ¡°Why did I come to Camelot or why I didn¡¯t know if the scroll was telling the truth or not?¡±

    ¡°Both, I suppose,¡± he stated, ¡°I would have thought you grew up, hearing about Genesis¡¯ military success.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± She took a deep breath, ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware Camelot still existed until Freya sent a team of Ninja after me. They kinda blackmailed me into coming with me.¡±

    ¡°Kinda?¡± he questioned, staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I was planning on leaving the house for a bit, to do some soul searching, to heal from what happen to me,¡± Tina explained, ¡°The Leader of the Ninja Team, Ralph, thought it was a good idea to make sure I was willingly to go with him by blackmailing me, threatening to harm my grandma if I didn¡¯t go with them.¡±

    ¡°Sakura Armstrong is your grandmother, right,¡± Remus asked. Tina nodded, frowning. He noticed it and explained, ¡°I¡¯m trying to connect the pieces, Tina. I can tell you, this scroll -¡° He waved the scroll again, ¡°Is telling the truth. Genesis is aware you are going through a heartbreak.¡± Tina sunk into her chair, her back curving to the back of the chair.

    ¡°Lord Bardock - your father - is also aware. The reason why he isn¡¯t here in Camelot with your other two brothers,¡± Tina gave him a wide eyed look, ¡°Yes, you are the missing part of a set of Triplets.¡± Her jaw dropped in surprise. ¡°Getting back to Lord Bardock, he received word that you were supposed to be arriving at the White Hall Estate a couple days ago and left with your other two brothers. I think he wanted to be there to meet you and not to overwhelm you with the affairs of Court.¡±

    ¡°But I managed to get here,¡± Tina countered.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Remus agreed, ¡°That¡¯s the part I¡¯m trying to figure out.¡±

    Tina sighed and launched into what happened, prior to her arriving in Camelot and meeting the members of the White Hall House. Remus only cut in when he needed more of an explanation. She had the pleasure of watching his face transforming from an guard expression to horror when she covered her escape from the Ninja Team and how she met Sir Tristan.

    His expression went to amusement as she informed him of what happen at the Lake, chuckling at Tristan¡¯s expense before his face became guarded again as she told him of the events that took place at the Fawn Village. A furious look broke through the guarded expression when she verbally remembered what happen in the village and how they managed to escape.

    Remus didn¡¯t lose the furious expression when she told him of Tristan¡¯s letter, at first sending her to a brothel then to his personal quarters in the Knight¡¯s tower and how she encounter Reno. She finished her tale with her night time walk through the village and meeting him for the first time.

    Remus let out a sigh and pushed up out of the chair. He stepped toward the door.

    ¡°Are you planning to tell Genesis, now,¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Remus answered, ¡°But I can see why you are hesitated on informing him. Reno already has though. Genesis went to the Knight¡¯s Tower and confronted Sir Tristan over your presence in Camelot. The only reason why your brother hasn¡¯t directly confronted you over the fact your name alone, he has to worry about the Funeral, first.¡± He explained, stepping around the furniture and started to pace back and forth. ¡°Has this team of Ninja tried to come after you again since you stepped foot in Camelot?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Tina admitted, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for them to come after me again.¡±

    ¡°Did they say which village they are representing,¡± he asked.

    Tina frowned, thinking back. She recalled the conversations she had with them. Personally, she didn¡¯t know why Remus would want to have the information. ¡°I don¡¯t remember if they said anything about their village,¡± She admitted. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I do know there is a ninja village in the Dead End Forest,¡± Remus admitted, ¡°I have been requested to find it and gather information or allies to help Genesis out with a pet project of his.¡±

    Tina cocked her head to the side, half wondering about the pet project of Genesis. She stared at her cousin for a long moment before she decided to ask about it later. She changed the subject, ¡°So, the letter is telling the truth.¡± She lend forward, putting her elbows on her knees and turned her head to look at the roaring fire. ¡°Rose did tell me that Lady Freya is looking for possible matches for the grandkids. Do you know if she managed to find a match for me, yet?¡±

    ¡°Not to my knowledge,¡± Remus admitted, ¡°But of course, I know she is actively trying to her grandkids into favorable matches.¡± Tina sighed. He went on, ¡°I do suggest one thing, Tina.¡± She turned her gaze onto him and he continued, ¡°Tell Genesis before you leave Camelot. He deserves to know you are here and how close you have been to him.¡± Tina didn¡¯t say anything as she returned her gaze to the fire. ¡°He has been worried about you, even though he has tried to hide it.¡± When she didn¡¯t say anything, Remus¡¯s voice turn stern, ¡°Promise me, Tina, that you will tell him before you leave.¡±

    The red head woman slowly stood up from the chair and met Remus¡¯ gaze, stating, ¡°I promise I will inform him of our relationship before I leave the Kingdom, Remus.¡±

    Remus nodded. Tina watched him as he turned away and head to the door to the hallway. He opened the door and paused, looking back at her. He sent her a smile, ¡°Tina, it is good to see you again, sweet cousin. Good night.¡± He disappeared through the door and shut it behind him.

    Tina felt a strong sense of deja vu when he said that pet name. Sweet Cousin. She was called that before, when she was a lot younger. She let out sigh.

 Chapter 53: To be Named a Poxy

    The crowd roared their excitement as Tina looked around, panting. Her shoulder throbbed with pain as a tickling sensation trailed down her arm. She stretched at it and felt warm liquid. She brought it up into her eyesight. Blood. She was bleeding. She spotted the strange looking demon standing on the far side of the ring, looking smug. She half turned, looking at her team, standing on the side of the ring.

    Blaze; the Captain of the team, a tall black haired young man with a sparkling blue eyes; stared at her. She could read the worry and anxiety of seeing her injured. His fist curled tightly as he looked like he was ready to spring into action.

    The childhood rival, turned best friend was the tallest of the group, standing nearly a foot taller then the captain, looked livid and pained. He was old fashion, believing females shouldn¡¯t have to fight, that they were to be protected and more importantly cherished. It had been an on-going fight between herself and him to participate on the team. His black hair, usually slicked back, fell around his face as his hazel eyes stared past Tina, to her opponent.

    The third member of the team was a hybrid of a demon and a human. His blue roots were showing. She knew he would be forced to dye his roots back to black when they returned to school. The Japanese school system was weird like that. They didn¡¯t like different hair colors. They forced non-black hair colored to dye their hair black. His green eyes glittered brightly with anger and worry. He held a white rose in a clenched fist. She could have sworn she saw blood dripping from between the closed fingers.

    The last member of the team of 5 was a full blooded demon. She didn¡¯t understand why he would be willing to part of their team when he had no reason to be on it. However, his red eyes met hers. She read concern and worry in the red rubies before they snapped to something beyond her. He snarled out, ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Tina¡¯s head snapped back to her opponent and jumped backwards, dodging an attack that would have knocked her out of the ring or worst. She didn¡¯t want to think about the worst aspect. She landed unstable feet and stumbled back, trying to find her balance again. However, she overbalanced and fell to the side, landing on her hip, hard.

    Laughter rang out. It echoed off the walls of the stadium. She frowned. She didn¡¯t remember falling or the laughter.

    Tina climbed to her feet as the crowd called out in mockery tones. She blinked as her mind register the mockery. Some of it was childish and she wanted to turn to them, ready to call them out on it when she saw the incoming attack. She flipped backwards, dodging the attack. She landed in a crunch. She reached behind her to her quiver and felt for an arrow. They were gone. She glanced around, thinking they might have landed on the ring. Her eyes scanned the ring then she heard laughter coming from where her team stood.

    Their faces had turned from worry, anger, and sympathetic to disappointed like they knew she couldn¡¯t win. However, the red eyed demon stared at her with mocking look in his eyes and laughed. The others on the team didn¡¯t stop him. In fact, it was the opposite, they joined in on his laughter.

    Tina frowned. Something was wrong. This was not how she remembered it.

    ¡°Oh but it happened this way,¡± a familiar dark voice rang out. It echoed around the stadium. Tina spun around, looking for the owner of the dark voice. She spotted a shadow from the corner of her eye. It vanished when she turned her head to view it. She sucked in a breath as she saw her opponent lunched another attack. She barely dodged it, rolling to the side. ¡°You don¡¯t remember it. You wanted to see them a good teammates and friends, not mocking bullies.¡±

    She shook her head, trying to ignore the dark voice. She couldn¡¯t believe it would haunt her, even in her dreams. She turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Her eyes widened as she gasped. She looked up at the red eyed demon. The sword he carried pointed at her throat. She couldn¡¯t shallow without taking the chance of cutting herself. He gave her a smirk before he pulled the sharp blade away from her throat. She shallowed with relief. He drove the blade forward.

    Eyes snapping open, Tina took a deep breath, laying there for a long moment, thinking, before she sat up. She thought she had stopped nightmares about the Dark Moon Tournament. She sighed. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped from underneath the covers. She pushed from the bed and fought off a shiver as she felt the cold stone beneath her bare feet. She spotted the curtain she had closed after Remus left the night before and hurried over to it. She grabbed the middle and threw it open, wide.

    She immediately half turned her head and closed her eyes as the bright morning sun gleamed into her room. She blinked away the black spots as she kept her gaze away from the window then she turned to peer out the window, looking up at the sky.

    It was a clear cloudless blue sky as far as the eye could see on the right half of the horizon. The sun - Sol - poked over the edge of the sky, brightening it up. Tina took another deep calming breath as a crocked grin pulled at her lips.

    ¡°Morning Sol,¡± Tina started, ¡°Thank you for lightening up the day.¡± She allowed her arms to drop back to her sides and started to turn away when the other half of the sky caught her eye. Dark storm clouds brew over the ocean. ¡°Of course, someone had to go and tick off Thor, first thing in the morning, too. He¡¯s being a real kill-joy, that Thor, isn¡¯t he, Lady Sol?¡± she sighed then she started her morning prayers, ¡°May Odin grant me wisdom today. May Thor grant me Strength and Protection to get me through the day. May Sol light my day. May Loki give me the creativity I need to survive the Chaos of this day.¡±

    She turned her gaze to the wall where she spotted a group of men led by a red head man running down the stone path. She narrowed her eyes. She could have sworn she had spotted Genesis leading the men while Reno brought up the rear. She guessed even on a national day of mourning, the Military didn¡¯t take a break.

    A knock echoed through the bedroom, coming from the common area. Tina turned away from the window as she saw a bolt of lightening streak across the stormy sky. She just shook her head. She heard a voice call out from the Common Area as she grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and threw it on before she stepped into the living quarters of the family Suite. She spotted Sebastian walking in, followed by a maid.

    The maid appeared to be in her mid-20¡¯s with long black hair, tied up in a high ponytail that swung back and forth as she walked behind the Head of the Butlers and Maids. She wore the uniform Tina had seen the other maids wear. Tina took one look at the new maid¡¯s face and felt a strong sense of familiarly. The new maid¡¯s face and eyes looked familiar. However, Tina couldn¡¯t identify why.

    ¡°Good morning, Lady Valentina,¡± Sebastian greeted Tina with a bow.

    ¡°Morning, Sebastian,¡± the red head lady replied, sending the Head of the Butlers and Maids a smile. ¡°I guess I¡¯m getting a new maid.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are, my lady,¡± Sebastian nodded, ¡°Your previous maid had a family emergency to deal with and put in a request for a few weeks off to deal with the problem.¡± He gestured to the familiar looking maid at his side, ¡°This is Kagome. She will be serving you from now on. She is one of the new hires, so, please don¡¯t scare her off already.¡±

    ¡°Goosh, Sebastian, you make me sound like I¡¯m some sort of Monster,¡± Tina teased Sebastian.

    ¡°Only because the rumor mill,¡± Sebastian gave her a wink, ¡°Your actions since you arrived has spurred up the mill to give such delicious rumors about you, my lady.¡±

    Tina let out a giggle at that before she commented, ¡°the Joys of being new to Court. They are always looking for a juicy story.¡±

    ¡°As much as I would like to stay and chi-chat, my lady, about the Court¡¯s rumors with you,¡± Sebastian started, ¡°I have much to do today. Have a good day.¡±

    ¡°You too, Sebastian,¡± Tina said. He walked out of the room. Tina turned to the new maid, ¡°Kagome, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± she replied in a cheery tone. There was something off with her tone, Tina mused, it almost sounded fake in a way. ¡°Have you already bathed?¡±

    ¡°I will take one tonight after dinner,¡± the red head replied, ¡°However, I do need to get ready for the ¡ª¡°

    There was a knock at the door. Kagome moved to open it, moving with grace of someone who was used to walking silently. Tina heard a soft conversation then Kagome turned to her, ¡°It is Lady Rosemary, requesting to come in.¡±

    Tina nodded with a smile. Rosemary was really her cousin. She remembered the conversation with Remus during his midnight visit. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest as Rosemary hurried in, followed by another maid with blond hair.

    ¡°Morning, my dearest cousin,¡± Rosemary greeted Tina, ¡°This is my maid, Lily.¡±

    A woman with reddish-blond hair stepped around Rosemary, wearing the same uniform as Kagome did, held a large bag in her arms. She set the bag down and gave Tina a curtsy, muttering a simple greeting before she grabbed the handle of the bag and went to the vanity.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Tina chirped in response and gave Lily a nod in greeting. ¡°So, what brings you over this early in the morning?¡±

    ¡°To get ready, of course,¡± Rosemary giggled in response, ¡°Almost everyone in the family get ready together for important events. I have no doubt Remus, Jacob, and Genesis are getting ready together with their butlers. If Natalie were here, she would be getting ready with us, girls.¡±

    Tina blinked. Most of time, growing up, she usually got ready by herself for important events. Natasha did the same, even though Tina tried to help. She knew if her mom or grandma could, they would have helped Tina getting ready for prom and homecoming, but they were both working at the time, trying to recover what savings they had allow to dry up, thanks to all new taxes that were put in place by the President¡¯s Administration.

    ¡®It had been a while since I had any girl time,¡¯ Tina admitted to herself, trying to remember the last time she had girl time. It was early in her previous relationship, perhaps during the first couple semesters of college. Either way, it had been a long time for any girl time.

    ¡°I brought some of my stuff,¡± Rosemary went on while Tina half-listened as she was lost in her thoughts. ¡°We have to look our best since we will be a part of the Funeral parade,¡± Rosemary explained, ¡°And since this is the first time you will be a part of an town event, you will have to look exceptionally good. Some of the folk will treat this as your debut, Valentina, into society.¡±

    ¡°Tina,¡± Tina corrected Rosemary, ¡°Please call me Tina.¡±

    Rosemary smiled as she went on, ¡°Tina. I have no doubt your officially debut will happen once Lady Freya says you are fit to have a debut ceremony at the White Hall Estate. I know you will have plenty marriage offers flying in once that happens.¡± She paused, ¡°You are beautiful, Tina.¡±

    Tina sent her a small smile, saying, ¡°Thank you, Rose. I haven¡¯t felt beautiful for a while now.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Rosemary waved her hand in the air as her servant set out items from Rosemary¡¯s large bag - Make up in different containers, make up brushes of all sizes, and several hair brushes - on the vanity. ¡°I think you just need some make up and even the Queens will be jealous of your beauty today.¡±

    Tina rolled her eyes in amusement, but she straightened her back a bit more and her chest rose in confidence. She said, ¡°Thank you.¡± She glanced around the room, noticing another maid - it wasn¡¯t Lily or Kagome - stepping out of the room, leaving behind a long bag. ¡°What is this?¡± Tina gestured to the bag.

    ¡°My dress for the funeral parade,¡± Rosemary stated, ¡°My mother bought it, recently, once we got the news about the King.¡± She wondered over and grabbed it. Rosemary looked about the room and spotted something before she hurried over to it and hang the bag off a hook. She removed the dress from the bag and allowed it to hang down.

    The dress was something Tina would immediately classify as a medieval style. A gold color cloth band wrapped around the shoulders of the shoulders, possible holding up the dress and leaving the shoulders bare. The shelves of the dress were black see through looking cloth. Another gold band wrapped the waist of the dress, but instead of stopping at the point where the ends met, it continued down, stopping between the knee area and mid-calf. The body of the dress, Tina could tell, was black velvet.

    Lily stepped into Tina¡¯s view of sight and placed a cloak beside the black dress. It was a night and day difference. The cloak was a bright green and lighter shade of green with a four leaf clover pin at the seam of the hood. The pin was in the shape of a crest. Tina recognized the crest as the symbol for the House of Clover - Rosemary¡¯s House.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Tina stated.

    ¡°Have you chose out your dress, yet, cousin?¡± Rosemary asked.

    Tina gave her a sheepish grin and confessed, ¡°I haven¡¯t really gone through the wardrobe, yet.¡±

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have to be ready until almost 11,¡± Rosemary frowned, ¡°We have some time to check your wardrobe out.¡± She grabbed Tina¡¯s hand and dragged her to the walk in closet, giggling. Tina let out a girlish giggle as she kept pace with her cousin. It was nice to hang out with another woman close to her in age, Tina mused. She didn¡¯t remember the last time she was able to hang out with Natasha and play dress up.

    The young women stepped into the walk in closet. Tina smiled as Rosemary gasped, ¡°You have so many dresses.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tina agreed, ¡°Apparently, Grandma had a fondness for dresses.¡± She paused, thinking about Aunt Nami, ¡°Which is funny. You won¡¯t know it from the way she dressed now. She usually wears fighting gis.¡±

    ¡°Fighting gis?¡± Rosemary half-turned and looked at Tina with an raised eyebrow.

    Tina nodded, ¡°Fighting gis are outfits that martial art fighter use as an uniform.¡± She frowned, ¡°Kinda like how the Knights dress for battle, minus the armor, but weaponry is optional.¡±

    ¡°How do they fight,¡± Rosemary asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

    ¡°With their bodies,¡± Tina explained with a smirk, ¡°But enough of fighting.¡± She glanced at the dresses hanging up on the crude hangers and poles, ¡°Which dress do you think I should wear today?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Rosemary immediately turned back to the dresses and reached out, pulling one dress out, looking at it then she placed it back. ¡°It has to be black,¡± she said, ¡°Since the entire kingdom has to be in mourning. However, there can be a secondary color like red, your house colors, etc.¡±

    Tina nodded, but she didn¡¯t understand why the entire kingdom has to be in mourning. When she voiced that question, Rosemary sighed, ¡°Belladonna, while she was High Queen, made it a degree. If one member of the Ruling Family passes onto Heaven, the entire Kingdom has to go into mourning in support of the Ruling Family.¡±

    Tina cocked her head to the side, commenting, ¡°I guess there was a very unpopular member of the Ruling Family for her to put that in place.¡±

    Rosemary nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t remember which family member it was though.¡± She frowned. ¡°It could have been one of her eldest children whom was mysteriously killed.¡±

    ¡°Mysteriously killed?¡± Tina rose both eyebrows at that.

    Rosemary hummed as she searched a good enough dress for Tina to wear, explaining, ¡°If I remember from my history lesson, Prince Othello was killed in year 2016 while he was visiting the Black Estate. When he was found, his body was drained of blood.¡±

    ¡°Vampire attack?¡± Tina asked, ¡°Assuming Avalon has Vampires, of course.¡±

    ¡°That was the first thought,¡± Rosemary nodded, ¡°However, when the Battle Mage Merlin took a closer look at the body, that was not the attacker.¡± She turned to the red head, ¡°It was a demon.¡±

    Shock went through Tina. A Demon who drains a body of blood. It sounded like a Koumori. They had been known to feast on human blood and flesh when they had a chance. She asked, ¡°Was the culpit ever caught?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rosemary confessed, ¡°I think so.¡± She frowned. Her eyes stared at the dress she had pulled from the pole, unseeing. ¡°That is something I¡¯m going have to ask around about because I really don¡¯t know.¡± She looked at Tina. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I have experience with demons,¡± Tina explained, ¡°Some of them are extremely powerful and level a kingdom like Camelot with a flick of their wrist, but what you are describing sounds like a Koumori.¡± She paused, glancing at the dress in Rosemary¡¯s hand. It was a layer dress. The outer layer was a black velvet, but the inner layer was a silver shimmering fabric. When Tina touched it, it felt almost like silk.

    ¡°A Cool-more-e?¡± Rosemary sounded out the word.

    ¡°Kourmori,¡± Tina corrected, ¡°Think of them as bat demons. They have the form of a human, but have bat characteristics like wings, being able to see in the dark, flight, and a few other things I don¡¯t remember right now.¡± She explained. She opened her mouth to say Aunt Nami, but she caught herself at the last moment and said, ¡°Grandma was teaching me the different types of demons before I met my ex and decided to leave that lifestyle behind until recently.¡±

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Rosemary gave Tina a look of approval, ¡°While I think a woman should be able to do what she pleases, there are some things a woman just can¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Tina felt amusement spread through her, ¡°What is that? Hunting demons?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Rosemary shot back. ¡°Demons are dangerous! According to the bible¡­¡±

    Tina cut her cousin off before the other woman could go on a rant, ¡°What do you think of this dress?¡± She gestured to the one they held.

    Rosemary snapped her mouth shut. She narrowed her eyes at Tina. She sighed and turned her gaze to the dress. She smiled, ¡°This will do.¡±

    ¡°Well, then,¡± Tina shot a grin at Rosemary, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready for the parade.¡± She turned on her heel and walked back into her bedroom. She heard Rosemary let out a soft growl then a series of words about how Tina changed the subject before she could have made her point. Tina shook her head, slightly. There were things better off not said. Anything to do with Christianity and Demons was one of them.

    To many Christians, there were no differences between a demon and a Greater Hell Demon. Tina knew there were two types of Demons. The run of the mill demons that she had encounter and then there were the Greater Hell Demons. The Greater Hell Demons were the Fallen Angels who transform from their time in the fiery pits of Hell and nothing better to do than Fight with each other to get stronger, Feed on innocent souls, and Fuck with the females of their race and others.

    Meanwhile in the White Hall Family suite, Genesis shook his head as a couple of the guards assigned to the patrol the town during the early morning hours walked into the common room. Between them, his cousin, Jacob, stumbled over his own feet and gave the red head general a drunken grin.

    Genesis sighed before he gave the guards instructions, ¡°Set him over on the couch.¡± They did and walked out of the Family Suit. He turned to Jacob, giving his cousin a disappointed look. ¡°So, Jacob, what do you have to say for yourself?¡±

    Jacob rolled his head on his shoulders and his drunken glazed eyes rested on the General. With a pleased smile, he replied, ¡°I had fun.¡± There was a pause. ¡°You would do the same if it was you¡­getting married against your will, to a woman you never met.¡± Jacob lend back against the couch, ¡°I don¡¯t know what she looks like, what she talks like, or anything about her.¡± He brought up a hand and rubbed his face, ¡°So, I thought it would be best to have fun now, since I don¡¯t know if I will have any in the future or if I have to leave the house to have fun.¡±

    Genesis knew what Jacob felt like. Ever since he heard that his grandmother was trying to set up marriage arrangements, he worried if he would be forced to be with a woman who were less then pleasing to the eye, maybe an air head, or straight out boring. While Genesis was getting lucky on not being forced to get married, yet, that luck didn¡¯t extend to Jacob. The acting Head of the White Hall Family knew he would be acting the same way if it was him instead of Jacob that had to travel to the Southern islands.

    The red headed General knew the reason why his lovely grandmother hadn¡¯t been able to find him a wife so far, was to his reputation as an Explosive warrior. Most of the time, he worked with the General mindset while he was out in public and most of the stories that were spread was of him losing his temper on his men when they did something extremely dangerous to their job, or how he love watching a makeshift bomb going off at the correct moment and how his enemy reacted to the explosives.

    However, he often wondered how long it would be before one of the ladies his grandmother sought for him or a member of the Court decided to it was worth the trouble of trying to gain his affections and told his grandmother the dread ¡®yes¡¯. He knew, off the top of his head, several ladies of the court were activity looking for a husband and a couple of them would love to snag him up. He shuddered, silently, thinking of Lady Margiette of House Black and Lady Victoria of House Flora.

    Both ladies were a force to be reckon with on the best of days. Lady Victoria came from one of the old families, nearly as old as the White Hall Family, dating back to the early days of Camelot. However, over the years, the House Flora had lost their wealth, demoting them back to the status of a minor family. Genesis knew if Victoria managed to get her hands on him, it would mean an increase of wealth to the Flora Family with the White Hall Family paying the Bride price.

    It would be the same with Lady Margiette, despite the fact, the White Hall Family and the Black Family have been at odds for the last century or two. If Genesis married Margiette, it could be viewed as a treaty between the two families. Genesis shook his head. He wouldn¡¯t marry either of the ladies. They were not what Genesis was looking for in a wife.

    He resisted the urge to sigh. Perhaps it was time to settle down and start his search for a wife. He knew the type of woman he wanted - strong willed, kind, gentle, and caring, intelligent, and someone he could talk to. In some ways, Valentina fit the bill, but she was too close on the family tree for his comfort, being his first or second cousin through Great Aunt Nami.

    There was something else about Valentina that set the idea of her being his wife off. It was him queasy to his stomach and left a bad taste in his mouth. He would marry Lady Victoria or Lady Margiette before he would take Valentina as his wife.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Remus cut through Genesis¡¯ thoughts.

    ¡°Marriage,¡± Genesis stated, ¡°How long I have before a woman decides to ignore the stories about me and maybe I should start searching for my own wife before Grandma announces she had found me one.¡±

    Remus nodded, ¡°That would be a good idea.¡± He sighed, ¡°I do admit, I¡¯m thinking the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Lucky you,¡± Jacob groaned, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±

    Genesis glanced at Jacob who held his head in his hands. He sighed, ¡°Well, cousins, let¡¯s get ready for the funeral parade. Jacob, maybe a bath will help you get your head on straight.¡±

    Remus agreed and Jacob slowly stood up from the couch, stumbling a bit before he found his balance. Genesis reached out and grab Jacob¡¯s arm, steady him. Jacob muttered something before he walked over to one of the side rooms, obviously planning to go with Genesis¡¯ suggestion.

    The General turned to one of the butlers and asked, ¡°Could you make sure he doesn¡¯t drown himself while he gets cleaned up, please?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the butler replied and followed Jacob into the side room.

    The General turned his gaze back to the door way to his room. He would be wearing his Military uniform. A part of him was glad his grandmother wasn¡¯t here to witness the parade. She would have thrown a hissy fit over his choice of wardrobe. He knew she didn¡¯t approve of him taking the Military route instead of following in his father¡¯s footsteps to Knighthood. When she had found out that Victor and Vincent were, it appeased her enough to let Genesis walk the path he wanted to take in his career.

    ¡°So,¡± Remus started, ¡°Are you planning to name a proxy for the parade?¡±

    Genesis glanced over at him and nodded, saying, ¡°I think it would be best if I named you as my proxy.¡± He walked into his room with Remus following him.

    ¡°If I may, Genesis,¡± Remus said, ¡°Perhaps you could choose another. One closer to you on the family tree then myself.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Genesis chuckled, ¡°Jacob?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Remus let a small smile to pull at his lips at the thought of Jacob becoming the proxy of the White Hall Family. Their cousin wouldn¡¯t know what to do if something should happen. ¡°Lady Valentina.¡±

    Genesis paused, thinking. He didn¡¯t know what to think about Valentina taking over as proxy. She was strong willed and not afraid to challenge those on a higher station then herself. He remembered how she acted in the Seasonal Throne Room and on the Training Grounds. He barely remembered the aftermath of his punishment, but from Remus¡¯ retelling, she had taken charge, ordering the seconds around like he would or a Lady from an Ancient and Noble House would have.

    ¡°Why?¡± He asked, entering his room. He spotted his formal uniform laying on the edge of the bed. One of his towels laid beside it. He grabbed the towel and threw it over his head, rubbing his damp hair, trying to get it a bit dryer. His gut told him it wouldn¡¯t stay that way long. He had spotted thunder clouds rolling in while he kept to his routine, running over the inner walls with his men. He let out a sigh and tossed the towel back onto the bed for later. He strolled over to the night stand and grabbed his brush, running it through his shoulder length red hair.

    ¡°For several reasons,¡± Remus stated, walking in with his own outfit for the day. He went to the far side of Genesis¡¯ bed and tossed the clothes down before he reached for the bottom of his tunic and pulled it over his head. He allowed it to fall onto the top of Genesis¡¯ bed. ¡°One of the reasons, she knows how to take charge when another woman would have freaked out.¡±

    Genesis nodded as he reached for the bottom layer of his formal winter uniform and held it up. He looked it. It was a dark tan color. He narrowed his eyes into a glare before he glanced at his cousin, commenting, ¡°Have I told you how much I hate getting dressed in this thing?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Remus sent him a smirk, ¡°I do believe this is the 15th time you have complained about it since you heard about the funeral parade.¡±

    Genesis sent him a rude gesture with a hand before he moved the layer behind him and slipped his arms through the sleeves. He jerked it up over his shoulders and straightened it over his torso. He buttoned the bottom layer up before he reached for the second layer, a light tan color, and slipped it on over the first layer. He reached for the bottom of it and started to button it up. He asked, ¡°you said there were several reasons why I should choose Valentina to be my proxy. What is another reason?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s closer to you on the family tree then Jacob, Rose, or myself,¡± Remus explained with a nod.

    Genesis hummed. He knew that alone carried enough power with the Court during times of crisis or at least it did in the Court of Camelot. There have been times where a Proxy had been used by another noble family when they couldn¡¯t be there in person for various reasons. In his opinion, the laws for the ancient and noble families were known to be complicated. He wouldn¡¯t have time to give Tina the run down on those laws.

    ¡°Another reason is she isn¡¯t afraid to speak up against the Queens of House Drake,¡± Remus pointed, ¡°If it becomes necessary.¡±

    Genesis felt a smirk pull at his lips as he grabbed the third layer. It was a dark rich leather jacket. He slipped it on, saying, ¡°That is true.¡± There was a hint of laughter in his voice. ¡°Help me put the breast plate on, would you?¡±

    The red head General grabbed the breast plate with the White Hall Family Crest engraved in the huge chest piece. He placed it over his head and allowed it to settle down on his shoulders. He grunted when the weight was placed on his shoulders. He hated wearing the armor. He would prefer to have the simple leather armor that his archers used, but he considered himself a front line fighter and needed to stay alive through out the entire battle. He wished he didn¡¯t have to dawn it for the funeral parade.

    The butler assigned to him strolled over to him and helped tie the straps of leather on Genesis¡¯ sides.

    ¡°The last reason is a bit more personal,¡± Remus admitted, giving Genesis a sheepish grin. The General raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I am more willingly to listen to her then I am to Jacob or Rose.¡±

    ¡°From her previous actions?¡± Genesis asked. Remus nodded. The General let out a sigh. ¡°I do admit I am curious on what she did to gain your loyalty like that.¡±

    Remus gave him a smile, saying, ¡°One day, I will tell you. Until then, I will leave you wondering.¡±

    Genesis shot him a glare as Remus began to dress in the three piece mourning suit. It wasn¡¯t long before Jacob joined them, looking more awake and alert then he did when he was dragged in. He took a deep breath and dressed in his own three piece mourning suit.

    A knock rang out, echoing through the Armstrong family suite, silencing the conversation the women were having. Tina took a deep breath, slowly closing her eyes, centered herself and opened her eyes again as she slowly stood up from the armchair by the fire. Kagome peeled away from what she was doing at one of the small tables and answered the door before she stepped away with a small bow, allowing the person who knocked to enter the Suite.

    Genesis swept into the suit followed by Remus. Tina paused, looking her older brother - cousin! - over. The way he was dressed reminded her of how the 4 star General dressed for a political function in Washington DC with various medals over the breast areas of the jacket. The only difference between the Washington DC Generals and Genesis was the fact, Genesis wore a red duster that appeared to be brand new or at least the leather looked like it was polished. The General did wear a breast plate with the White Hall Family crest engraved on it.

    Remus, on the other hand, appeared to be a three piece, black suit. The style of the suit was something Tina had seen in a documentary of a member of the British Royal Family¡¯s funeral, but the major difference was Remus wore the crest of his house on the left breast pocket on his suit jacket. His tie also had his family crest, but the tie was in his house colors.

    Bringing up the rear, Jacob shuffled into the Armstrong Suite. There were a few differences between his and Remus¡¯ suits. Jacob¡¯s tie was in his house colors. The Crest of House Morning Glory was on the tie and the left breast pocket of the jacket.

    The three men were sharp looking.

    ¡°My, my,¡± Tina started, ¡°It appears, Rose, we might have to run interference for our handsome cousins to protect them from some of the handy women who are looking for a wealthy husband to wed.¡±

    Rosemary shot her an amused look, ¡°I think I may have to agree.¡± She glanced toward the three. ¡°Can¡¯t take away Lady Freya fun, can we, dear Tina?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Tina smirked.

    Rolling his eyes, the General asked, ¡°Are you ladies ready?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Rosemary chirped, ¡°As usual, we had to wait on you, boys.¡±

    Tina reached out and grabbed the cloak she was suppose to wear for the day. She glanced toward one of the open-curtain windows. Dark gray clouds brew in the distance. She sighed. She knew it was going to rain. She could hope it didn¡¯t last long.

    ¡°Lady Valentina,¡± the red head young woman turned away from the window and looked at her -older brother - cousin. He stood and held out an arm, ¡°I would like to have a word with you. May I escort you down to the courtyard?¡±

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not in trouble,¡± Tina gave him a small smile. Amusement danced through her.

    Genesis chuckled, amused, and replied, ¡°No. At least, there is nothing that has been brought to my attention for you to get into trouble.¡± Tina wrapped her arm around his offered arm. ¡°Unless there is something you want to tell me.¡±

    Trying to keep the conversation light, Tina hummed, before she commented, ¡°Nope.¡± She popped the ¡®p¡¯ sound. She did partly want to tell him who she was, but she didn¡¯t know how he would react to that knowledge, despite what Remus had informed her late last night. ¡°So,¡± she started as Genesis guided her out the Armstrong Suite and down the hall, leaving the White Hall Wing, and headed through the various hallways leading to the Courtyard. She asked, ¡°What do you want to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°It is really a favor to ask,¡± Genesis started, ¡°I know I have almost no right to ask this of you, but it was Remus¡¯ idea, so, if you want to, yell at him for it.¡±

    Tina turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the General, feeling a bit of a mixture of confusion and amusement. She turned to look over her shoulder at Remus. The named man just grinned brightly at her and waved. She raised her eyebrow before she directed her attention back to her escort.

    Genesis took a deep breath before he began, ¡°I will be riding with my branch of the Military during the parade. I need a proxy to act as the Head of the White Hall Family while I attend to my Military duties.¡±

    Tina lost her amused smile as she stared at Genesis. It was a good thing he did confess it was Remus¡¯ idea. She was not expecting to be put in a position like that. However, Remus did know the truth behind her secret relations with Genesis, even though the General wasn¡¯t aware of it. She bit her lower lip as she reached the conclusion and voice it, ¡°You want me to act as your Proxy in case something happens.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Genesis replied.

    She didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment as Genesis guided her to the Courtyard. They reached one of the archways for the Courtyard and behind that, Tina could see the open top carriages lined up. She spotted House crests on the side of the carriages and frowned when she spotted the Crest of the White Hall House on the carriage directly behind a familiar red dragon crest. Lady Morgana was being helped into that Carriage by Merlin. He climbed in after her.

    ¡°Lady Valentina?¡± Genesis caught her attention again. She turned to him as he stepped through the archway and pulled her to the side.

    ¡°Why do you want to make me the White Hall House proxy?¡± she asked, finally.

    ¡°You know how to handle yourself in a crisis,¡± Genesis started, ¡°You are closer to me on the family tree then the rest of our cousins currently in Camelot.¡±

    Tina frowned, looking at him with a confused look. ¡°How does that give me the right to be your proxy?¡±

    ¡°Laws of Camelot,¡± Genesis waved his hand, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to give you the run down on the various family laws and how they will benefit each family.¡± He sighed. ¡°The third reason is you are not afraid to speak up against the Ruling Family if it become necessary.¡±

    Tina glanced down at the ground, feeling embarrassed as she remembered what happen the previous day in the Seasonal Throne Room when she introduced herself to the Queens of Camelot.

    ¡°I should really apologize for that,¡± Tina started, ¡°I spoke out of turn.¡±

    ¡°While it had been a long while since someone spoke that way to Queen Belladonna,¡± Genesis admitted, ¡°It was still good see that someone was willingly to remind her that she wasn¡¯t the High Queen anymore.¡±

    He looked at her before he went on, ¡°Remus, for whatever reason, is more willingly to listen to you if you have to give any orders then to Rosemary or Jacob.¡±

    Tina turned to him with an wide eyed expression. He nodded. ¡°That statement alone from him showed me the wisdom in appointing you to be the Proxy Head of the White Hall House while I fulfill my military duties for today.¡± She tried to opened her mouth to question, but Genesis beat her to it, ¡°Remus didn¡¯t tell me the reason behind his statement, just he will tell me one day.¡± His eyes met hers in a pleading look, ¡°Please, Lady Valentina, would you be the White Hall House proxy for today?¡±

    Tina turned away from the pleading look. It didn¡¯t suit him. She chewed her lower lip as she watched as Remus helped Rosemary into the open top carriage with the White Hall Crest on the side, allowing her to take a seat in the middle of the second row before he climbed in to the carriage himself, claiming the seat on her right. Jacob walked around the carriage and climbed in, sitting next to Rosemary, on her left.

    The way they were sitting - those three already decided she was going to be sitting in front of them. She sighed. There was a part of her that didn¡¯t want to be in the spot light. She knew she would be leaving in a couple days. She didn¡¯t want to make any sort of impact on Camelot, its polities, or its people.

    However, the other part of her was screaming that this was a chance of a lifetime, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get another chance to be part of Camelot¡¯s History, and be able to experience something that usually happens once in a life time. On the plus side, she would be able to help her brother for the time being. It was a pleasant surprise when she thought about it. Maybe she could put someone like Genesis, Remus, Rosemary, or Jacob on a path to change Camelot to bring the Kingdom up to modern day United States standards, at least.

    There was a third part of her whispered there was a reason why she was there in Camelot, during the transition between the Ruling powers. Everything she had went through until this point had prepared her for this. This part longed for an adventure, a meaningful purpose, and to have a destiny, to be part of something greater then herself. It would be mean being apart of a team again.

    The part of her that was trying to heal from the heartbreak she experienced nearly a month ago, spoke up. She could start over in Camelot. She could fashion herself to be someone with great influence or an adviser to someone with great importance. Hell, she could even go on a quest to find Lord Godric¡¯s mysterious flame breathing creature he had mention the night before at dinner. This world had many possibilities for Tina.

    Tina sighed and looked at Genesis before she answered him, ¡°Yes, I will be your proxy for the day.¡±

    His eyes widened with surprised delight and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Thank you, Lady Valentina.¡±

    She stared, opened mouth over his shoulder. She was barely aware Reno stood several feet away, watching them. His head was tilted to the side as confusion colored his face. Meanwhile on the far side of the Court yard, Tristan stood over by a carriage with a crest she had never seen before with an raised eyebrow, watching them.

    Genesis pulled away and grabbed her hands. He brought them up to his mouth and kissed the back of her knuckles. He gave her a grateful smile, ¡°You have no idea how much you are helping me right now, dear cousin.¡± He glanced at the courtyard before he stated, ¡°I¡¯ll escort you over to the carriage before I join my men.¡±

    Genesis guided her over to the White Hall Carriage. He stood by her as she grabbed the long skirt in one hand before she placed a foot on the step on the side of the Carriage then climbed in, holding onto her cousin¡¯s - brother¡¯s - hand. She let go of his hand and settled in the middle of the front row. She felt the clasp for the cloak pushed on her neck. She twisted her neck side to side, trying to get comfortable. She adjusted her skirts and pulled her cloak up from under her. The clasp immediately stopped feeling like it was trying to choke.

    ¡°Again,¡± Genesis started, ¡°Thank you, Lady Valentina.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Tina tried to waved it off, ¡°It just means you owe me one.¡± She grinned at him. He nodded in understanding before he hurried away, heading to Reno.

    Tina heard a shifting sound over her right shoulder. She glanced over it to see Remus lending forward. He cupped the back rest, separating the two rows. He commented, ¡°So, Genesis made you the Proxy and you said yes.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, a little birdie chirped annoying in his ear about that,¡± Tina narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°He isn¡¯t the only one who owes me a favor, now.¡± She gave him a pointed stare.

    Remus chuckled and replied, ¡°Actually, I think, we are even, Lady Valentina.¡± He gave her a smirk, ¡°Remember our conversation from last night.¡±

    Tina huffed in annoyance, saying in a defeated tone, ¡°Alright.¡± She turned away from him. She heard his chuckles as he settled back against the second row back rest. She looked forward. She frowned, catching the glances of Merlin and Lady Morgana sent her way from the carriage in front of the White Hall carriage.

 Chapter 54 The Funeral Parade

    In front of the Magi carriage, Tina could see Queen Vivian sitting with her back toward Tina. The eldest Queen sat alone in the Carriage. She thought she spotted the Warrior Queen in front of Queen Vivian¡¯s carriage, but Tina wasn¡¯t for sure.

    Tina turned in her seat and looked behind the White Hall Carriage, seeing several more carriages lined up. All of the carriages gave off the air of nobility. It could be have the way they looked with the fancy ribbons. However, she had a feeling it was something else. She frowned as she watched the rest of the Court slowly climbed into the various carriages.

    The carriages were arranged into columns. Tina spotted Lord Godric Lionheart stepping into a carriage at the front of the second column. From her seat, it looked like his carriage was next to the High Queen¡¯s carriage. He sat down and disappeared from her sight. She glanced back at the Castle and saw Lord Salazar moving through the crowd as they parted like the Red Sea for Moses and the escaping Hebrews from their Egyptian former masters.

    Salazar¡¯s red eyes darted to over to Tina¡¯s, meeting her gaze straight on. She gasped as she tried to move her gaze somewhere else then his eyes. She saw his lips twitched in an amused smirk. The horses pulling the White Hall Carriage danced nervously as the Vampire Lord walked between them and the Magi Carriage. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he tilted his head at her. He walked to a Carriage on the far side of the Courtyard and climbed into it.

    She sighed. She didn¡¯t want to be caught in his mystical gaze again or lure - whatever it was. She turned to the carriage in front of the White Hall and frowned. The crest was a black dragon with a red background. She didn¡¯t recognized the crest itself, but she did take noticed of Lady Morgana sitting in the carriage.

    ¡°Hey, Rose,¡± Tina started, turning to her cousin, who sat between Jacob and Remus in the carriage. ¡°I¡¯m curious. Why is the White Hall Carriage right behind what appears to be the Pendragon Carriage?¡±

    Rosemary smiled at Tina and replied, ¡°After King Arthur¡¯s death in the year 535, our common ancestor, Godric of House White Hall, Head of the Family, Third of his name, Knight of Camelot, The 9th Knight of the Round Table, managed to be chosen by the Holy Sword, the following day after our Great King death¡¯s.¡± The way she rattled off the information made Tina thought she was forced to commit the information to memory in the exact wording.

    Rosemary continued, ¡°King Godric ruled from the end of June 535 until 545 when he died of natural causes, but we know now it was a part of the Curse. However, during his lifetime, he managed to keep the peace that King Arthur created and sought to keep the peace between the various non-human cultures and the human cultures, often through political alliances, treaties, and even agreed to marry off several of his daughters off to the Kings of the following tribes, some of them were non-human: The Yuanti tribe that lives in the catacombs under Camelot, The Ninja Tribe of the Dead End Forest, The Dwarf Tribe in the Mountains, and the Silver Elf Tribe of the Moonlight Forest.¡± Rosemary paused.

    Tina¡¯s jaw dropped slightly. That was a lot of information to remember. She truly believed that Rosemary had been taught to memorized that. Rosemary went on, ¡°I do believe there was at least two more Kingdoms, at least one of them were non-human, that King Godric married his sons off too. If I remember correctly, they were the Storm Magi Tribe in the Far East and the Dragonborn Tribe in the Far West of our great island.¡±

    Tina blinked before she asked in stun tone, ¡°So, Yuanti, Dwarfs, Elfs, and Dragonborns exists?¡±

    Rosemary nodded, continued, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the princes and the princesses names or titles at this moment.¡± She froze. Her face transformed into horror. She lunged forward at Tina and grabbed one of her hands with both of hers. ¡°Please, Tina, please, don¡¯t tell Lady Freya I said that. She would make me go through the lesson over King Godric¡¯s family again and again until I could commit it to memory.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Tina started off, ¡°That should be something you don¡¯t have to worry about.¡± She glanced around the carriage, seeing some of the remaining folks disappearing into the carriages or hopping on top of horses. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on seeing Lady Freya anytime soon, if ever.¡± Tina knew that would spark a line of questions from Rosemary and Remus, maybe even Jacob, so she changed the subject back to the one they were having, ¡°Anyway, did the White Hall Family have anymore Kings or a High Queen?¡±

    Rosemary sighed and nodded, ¡°There was King James, he was the 15th King of Camelot. He ruled from August 638 to August 648. Nothing much happened during his reign, but he did renew several treaties and married off two of his daughters. I think one was married into a Sea Kingdom, along the coast line, while the other one had to renew the Treaty we have with the Ninja Village. Our first High Queen was High Queen Mary. She married King Ernest Of House Hugo in 715 and sat on the throne for 5 years before her husband died of natural causes in 720, leaving her to raise three children by herself. She didn¡¯t remarry, but she stayed in Camelot to raise her three children and help guide the new High Queen through the transition and gave advice to the new King.¡± She paused with a thoughtful expression. ¡°There was King Erza. He ruled in 1217 until 1227, dieing of natural causes. His rule was peaceful and prosperous, overall. I think he did have to renew the treaties and face some court related issues.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not forget about King Hunter,¡± Remus cut in with a mile wide grin, ¡°He was chosen by the Holy Sword in 1590 and ruled until 1600. He created alliances with the Mer-folk by marrying off one of his daughters to their High Prince, re-new the various treaties our family had with the non-humans that King Godric created by marrying off daughters, sons, nieces, and nephews close to the family, and started advance Camelot¡¯s technology and various sciences toward the end of his reign. The only son he didn¡¯t marry off was his eldest. King Hunter thought his son would be chosen by the Holy Sword to rule after him, but Grand Duke Victor of House Beckett was chosen.¡±

    Rosemary nodded and finished, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a White Hall King since then.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Tina whispered. That was a lot of information dumped on to her. She mentally counted, ¡°So there has been 4 White Hall Kings?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rosemary confirmed.

    ¡°And Usually when there was a White Hall King, he made sure the treaties and alliances were either made or re-newed,¡± Tina stated.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Remus, this time, replied.

    ¡°And there hadn¡¯t been a White Hall King in 400 years?¡± Tina asked.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Jacob answered, ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Tina shot him a look before she stated, ¡°I only asked those question to make sure I understood some of the family history.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Rosemary grinned. ¡°I would prefer you to ask us the questions¡± she mentioned between herself and Remus, ¡°Then ask the wrong person and get some bad information.¡± She lend forward. ¡°After all, there is a reason why the White Hall family isn¡¯t the most favored family around right now.¡±

    Tina frowned at that and opened her mouth to ask why when Remus muttered a curse word loud enough for Tina turn her head to look at him. She saw he was staring forward and directed her gaze that way. Her eyes widened and spun in her seat. The Pendragon Carriage was several feet a head of the White Hall Carriage. The Coachman, on the raise seat in front of Tina, flickered the reins and the carriage moved forward with a jerk. Tina let out a small gasp as her heart raced in her chest.

    The clock tower sounded out the hour. It echoed through the silent courtyard and the town. The last toll ran out as the White Hall Carriage passed the carriage with Lord Godric and went through one of the archways. The wheel made a thump-thump-thump as they rolled over the wooden bridge.

    Tina spotted two rows of courtly dressed men on far side of the bridge. They held long funnels. The men raised one end to their faces as the White Hall Carriage approached. Flags unfolded, revealing the Drake Family Crest, floating in the salty sea breeze.

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Rosemary muttered loudly.

    ¡°Cover your ears!¡± Remus warned.

    Tina half turned her head to ask Remus why when the first, long, loud, note blared from the long funnels. She went cross-eyed as she almost slapped her hands over her ears. She knew what the funnels were. Old fashion trumpets. The sound died away, slowly, and she heard the court announcer cried out in a loud solemn tone the former King¡¯s name, and bloodline before he went on to announce High Queen Kalliope as her carriage rolled by him.

    Tina turned her attention to the town. A sense of wonder overcame her as she, for the first time as she could remember, rode in an open carriage into the city. She immediately recognized the first area the carriage entered as the one she had walked through the other night. There was a small bakery on the right hand side of the guard tower at the far end of the bridge she had spotted during her midnight walk and she remembered riding by it when she first arrived at the castle.

    Far in front of the parade line, Tina managed to spot the glass casket with the King laying inside, on view for the rest of the Kingdom. That sight somber her. This wasn¡¯t a joy ride through the kingdom. It was a funeral parade.

    The only royal funeral parade she had witness was King Charles when he passed away nearly decade ago. For some reason, her mom and grandma decided to take their vacation and dragged Tina and Natasha to London, England to witness the entire ceremony. They didn¡¯t give an actually reason behind it other then, the typical answer from a parent to a child, ¡®You will understand when you are older¡¯.

    Tina frowned as she remembered her mother commenting about the ceremony. It was something about how different it was from ¡®home¡¯ and how Belladonna would have flipped her hat if she had seen this, claiming it wasn¡¯t steeped in tradition and didn¡¯t show the proper respect the King deserved. Tina blinked in surprise as it clicked. Belladonna. The single name her mother had said off handily and the knowledge she had gained over the last day or so, her mother had to be referring to the Former High Queen Belladonna. She glanced past the Pendragon Carriage at the Black Carriage. She couldn¡¯t believe it. It was another piece of the puzzle.

    From the edges of her vision, she saw the citizens of Camelot standing long the edges of the parade route as the ones leading the parade made a left hand turn. Tina managed to spot a sign with the road¡¯s name - King St before the White Hall Carriage rolled by it. She had to remember to school her expression into a natural expression. She didn¡¯t want to come across as a tourist, especially during the mourning of the Kingdom. It would be insensitive. That didn¡¯t stop the sense of wonder and adventure from growing in her gut.

    She took a deep breath to calm herself and straightened her back as the White Hall Carriage silently followed the Pendragon Carriage down King Street before they traveled down a street called Mayflower. Tina briefly wondered if it was named after the ship that brought the settlers to the New World from England. She fought against the urge to frown at the thought. There was a chance it was a reference to the ship in question, but Tina doubted it unless there was some settlers that managed to slip through the void between the worlds and found themselves in Camelot¡¯s countryside like she did.

    However, those thoughts drifted out of Tina¡¯s mind as she gazed at the various buildings on either side of the streets. It was amazing to see them. She could tell which ones were inspired by the various time periods from their design. Sanji, the Head Cook, had suggested that there were more Outsiders in the kingdom. He might have not known much about the immigration of the Outsiders and how they ended up in the Legendary Kingdom. However, he seemed held a wealth of information. She hoped she could talk to him more if she returned back to Camelot.

    Riding down Mayflower Rd, a small clothing shop with a large bay window showed off dresses from the 1950¡¯s, from Tina¡¯s guesstimate, caught her attention. One of the dresses was a mid-calf length black dress. A sign sat in the bay window, proclaiming a sale on any of the black dresses and other mourning outfits. It was an interesting site to see. Right next to the store was a hat store. Tina wondered if it was an old fashion hatter or not. She remembered something about the hatter from the medieval ages used mercury for some reason and most of them went mad. She resisted the urge to giggle as an image of a Mad Hatter from children¡¯s book then later a movie appeared in her mind.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the parade started down a familiar looking road and Tina made the connection of the entrance she had used a couple days before hand to enter the lower city. She spotted the stables she saw when she first entered the lower city.

    The White Hall Carriage rolled past it and followed the Pendragon Carriage as it rolled past the street Tina had used to get to the Castle. Tina tried not to look like a tourist as she spotted the strange book store she had paused by during her midnight walk. The bay window no longer display the strange stone tablets, now displaying regular books. She managed to caught the subject of the books. All about the previous King. Perhaps, she had been seeing things. She might swing by there before she left the kingdom and try to get one of the books or better, one of the strange stone tablets.

    Tina felt eyes on her as the Carriages rolled by the citizens of the lower classes. She glanced toward her right as they past an alleyway. A glint of the half hidden sun reflected off of something around head height on a man. She spotted him. Her heart leaped into her throat. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. The blood pounded in her veins. Her mouth went dry.

    In the mouth of the alleyway, Ralph stood alone. His arms crossed over his chest. His silver hair was covered by a black cloth. He didn¡¯t wear his ninja uniform, but a simple black outfit, making him blend in with the rest of the crowd. He did wear the head band with the metal piece stitched to the cloth band, informing everyone who know what the symbol meant where he was from. That what was gave him away. He gave her a smirk and a small wave from his right hand. He didn¡¯t move from his position. He watched them. The White Hall Carriage rolled on.

    A hand landed on Tina¡¯s right shoulder. She jumped. A soft squeak gasped from her. Her left hand flew to the hand on her shoulder and grabbed it tightly. A hiss of pain reached her ears. It sounded like a female note. Tina glanced over her shoulder and saw the hand belong to Rosemary. The red head woman let go of her cousin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rose,¡± Tina said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Rosemary waved off the apology, ¡°You got a strong grip.¡±

    Tina¡¯s lips flickered in a tight smile. She glanced at Remus. He stared at her with a hard, but curiosity gaze. She shot a look at Jacob. He watched her with a raised eyebrow. She ignored both of the men and turned back, facing forward. Her mind immediately went to the problem.

    Ralph and his team finally arrived in Camelot. Tina had to admit to herself, she had been wondering how long it would take for them to catch up to her. She snorted, softly. It only took them four days to catch up to her. She thought they were professionals. She planned to rub that fact in his face the next time they had the time to chat. She pushed what she would say to his face out of her mind and focus on what she knew of Team Ralph.

    First fact, there were four members: Ralph, Kikyo, Waya, and Abasi.

    Second thing she knew, they were hired by Lady Freya to bring her back to the White Hall Estate.

    Third fact, they were ninja, deadly Assassins with an unique energy that allow them to perform magical feats like blowing fireballs from their mouths or turning the ground to mud. They were trained to kidnap, kill, and possible recuse people. They were hired to do various jobs.

    Tina had spotted Ralph, the leader of the team. A feeling of unease settled in her stomach. It left the question - where the rest of the team? She still didn¡¯t know their skill set.

    Her eyes darted over the crowd as the Carriage round a bend onto a street Tina didn¡¯t explore the other night on her midnight walk as she looked for the other members of Ralph¡¯s team. She glanced over her shoulder. She didn¡¯t spot Ralph. It didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t following the carriage. It just mean that he was able to blend in with the crowd better then she could see him.

    She took a deep breath, held it for a long moment then exhaled. She turned her gaze forward, still searching for the rest of Ralph¡¯s team. She tried to find a street sign, but she couldn¡¯t find one. She turned her eyes to peer over the tall wall to see the forest slowly fading away to open, darken sky.

    There was a crack of lightening in the distance followed by the sound of booming thunder. A breeze blew, bring with it the scent of rain and salty ocean air. Tina could have sworn something light gray between the ocean and the dark clouds. It might have been rain, coming down in sheets.

    Tina turned forward. She kept an eye on the crowd, the various alleyways, and sometime peeked at the roof tops. However, her attention was pulled to the right side of the street as she spotted women wearing some of the shortest dresses she had seen in Camelot. The front bottom of the dress barely covered the hips , but the back lower half of the dress floated down to the women¡¯s calves while the top of the dresses covered half of the breasts. The dresses didn¡¯t have sleeves or shoulders.

    The women stood in clusters, on the porches of the inns and houses that appeared to be gambles houses. They stared, emotionless, at the parade as the parade went by. Their eyes were dull and almost lifeless. Some of them glared at the parade.

    It clicked in Tina¡¯s mind. The parade traveled through the red light district. That was something Tina was not expecting. She almost laughed. Most of the time or at least in the United States, parades didn¡¯t go through the Red Light district part of the town. In fact, in the past couple years, Sex Work became a legal profession. Tina couldn¡¯t walk down the side walk while she was at college without a few men coming up to her, asking her what her rate was. It was a great shock when Tina first attend college, but she eventually got used to and carried a pocket knife.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    In the past, sex work was illegal and often a front of the sex slave trade and much darker dealings. Tina wondered if they - the guards and other law enforcement agencies - had the same problem in Camelot.

    Before the parade rolled by the last of the inns and gamble houses, Tina thought she spotted a woman with light red skin color. The skin color reminded Tina of someone out in the sun for a long time, but this red was different. It was a deeper shade of red. Her black hair blossomed up over the back of her head before it fell down over her shoulders. However, it was pushed out of Tina¡¯s mind when the Carriage through an archway and the wall suddenly curved to the left. The parade followed the wall for several feet until the wall disappeared into the sea.

    Tina blinked in surprise as she gazed out over the gray sea. The ocean¡¯s surface was choppy. A flash of lightening zap down and met the ocean¡¯s surface. She knew the water sizzled with the electrical energy, even though she didn¡¯t hear it. Apparently, Thor was warming up, still or was being kind enough to hold off the storm until the parade was over.

    The wind blew. This time, it brought the stink of rotten fish. Tina wrinkled her nose. She didn¡¯t travel this way the other night. She tried to remember the reason for that. Perhaps the gate was down, blocking her path to this part of town.

    Tina¡¯s gaze drifted over the docks, spotting one of the largest ships she had seen in person. The size of this ship reminded her of some of the smaller US battleships in what remain of the Navy. On the top of the mast, a flag flapped in the wind. She managed to spot the symbol on it. It was a large wooden cross.

    ¡®So, that¡¯s the ship the Pope, the Bishops, and the Templars arrived on,¡¯ Tina thought. She thought she spotted a few of the Templars roaming over the deck, possible keeping an eye out of any sort of trouble. There were several smaller ships in port, but none of them caught Tina¡¯s attention like the Christian ship did.

    Tina turned her head in time to see a reflected flash of lightening off of a metal plate. It came from a nearby rooftop. Her gaze went up and spotted another member of Team Ralph. She frowned, trying to remember this ninja¡¯s name.

    He sat on the edge of the roof. His legs swung back and forth, nonchalantly. He didn¡¯t bother to change out of his ninja uniform like Ralph did. He sent her a grin before he sent her a wave. He didn¡¯t move from his spot, but Ralph appeared behind him.

    The silver haired ninja knelt beside the second ninja and drew him into a conversation. Both watched Tina.

    Tina turned her attention to the Pendragon Carriage. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her chest heaved as she tried to control the raising panic. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She knew the game they were playing. Psychology warfare.

    Her heart rate slowly returned to normal as she leveled out her breathing. Feeling raindrops hitting her exposed skin, she opened her eyes as the Carriage rolled through another archway, entering the Northern part of the city. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the streets, the nearby buildings, and the people. It was a different of night and day between the Southern part of the City and the Northern part.

    The Streets were slowly turning to mud from the rain. Tina spotted small trenches on the edge of the streets, leading toward the docks. She guessed what was those were used for. Human waste. Unless these people used the streets to get rid of human waste. She shuddered. Either way, Tina wasn¡¯t going to get out of the carriage unless she had no other choice.

    The crowd standing on either side of the street reminded Tina of the homeless people that lived in the parks back in Vermont. Men, women, children - nearly all of them wore ripped clothing that was discolored from being wore everyday. Their faces were covered by dirt, but their eyes glowed with emotion. Tina could easy identify greed for the brightly rich decorated carriages and people who rode in them.

    Several of the men leered at Tina and she knew she wasn¡¯t the only one they leered at. She heard Rosemary muttered a soft pray and shifted closer to one of their cousins for protection. Another emotion she recognized was anger. She figured the anger came from the fact the carriage riders were rich and appeared to everything their hearts¡¯ desired while these people wondered if they were going to have their next meal soon or not.

    The buildings behind the crowd were in various stages of disrepair. Tina spotted a sign hanging from a rope. It had faded words of some sort of Inn. Another building nearby was large 4 story building. There was no sign indicating what the building was, but Tina spotted several kids at the windows, peering down at the parade. Some of them pointed at the carriages before they lend toward another kid and said something.

    Tina brought her gaze back down and spotted the last ninja - his name was Waya? - standing on the edge of the crowd with a hand on a small boy¡¯s shoulder. She met his gaze as her heart threatened to leap from her chest. He sent her a smirk. She narrowed her eyes.

    He pushed the small boy out in the street, right in the middle of the White Hall Carriage. Rosemary screamed from fright. It seemed to be louder to Tina due to how quite the town was. It echoed, loudly. Tina tensed up. Her heart leaped into her throat.

    Tina moved before she realized she did, leaping from the carriage, over the coachman, over the horses. The horses reared back, their hooves kicking the air. Tina landed in front of them, crunching over the boy. She grabbed the boy¡¯s upper arms and hauled him up to his feet. She glanced toward the last ninja - Waya, she remembered his name.

    He waited on the edge of the crowd. He held a knife in one hand. He still had the confident smirk on his lips. Tina wanted nothing more than to wipe it off, but she had to get the boy to safety. She narrowed her eyes in a menacing glare.

    ¡°Tina, the horses!¡± Rosemary cried out. Tina wrapped her right arm around the boy¡¯s middle and hurried out of the way as the horses¡¯ hooves came back down, sending mud everywhere. She felt the boy¡¯s hands on her lower arm as she sped on the side of the carriage, keeping the carriage between herself and Waya until she reached the step to climb into the carriage. She just had hope Remus would be enough to keep Waya from launching an attack.

    ¡°Get into the carriage,¡± Tina ordered the boy, holding him up to the platform of the carriage. The boy grabbed the edge of the carriage and climbed up. He quickly sat down on the front seat and gave her a wide eyed expression. She climbed up after him. She sat down next to him and threw her cloak around him as the rain started to come down harder. Tina looked at the coachman who had turned around, waiting for orders. She snapped, ¡°Go!¡± she internally winced. She probably shouldn¡¯t have used that tone. She spoke again, using a softer tone, ¡°We can¡¯t stop the parade.¡±

    The coachman nodded with a ¡®Yes, ma¡¯am¡¯ before he took the reins up and got the horses moving after the Pendragon Carriage. Tina glanced past the coachman to see Lady Morgana and Merlin standing up in their carriage. From the distance between the two carriages, Tina couldn¡¯t see their expressions, but she could sense their worry and amazement. However, their carriage didn¡¯t stop.

    Tina turned to gaze at Waya and blinked as Ralph and the other male ninja grabbed Waya¡¯s arms and pulled him away from the front of the crowd, going to one of the alleys.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, here?¡± Genesis¡¯ voice caught her attention. Tina turned to face him and opened her mouth to explained, but she lost her voice when she heard.

    ¡°Afternoon, General Apple!¡± the boy half hidden in Tina¡¯s cloak chirped. She gasped, choked on her spit and coughed in response as Genesis¡¯ face fell and he let out a groan. She glanced down at the boy¡¯s amused grin and looked up at Genesis in time to see him to close his eyes and brought a hand up before he pinched the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°General Apple?¡± Remus whispered loud enough for the rest of the family to hear. Rosemary giggled softly. Jacob snorted. Tina smirked. ¡°Ammo!¡± Remus whisper-yelled.

    Tina glanced over her shoulder at Remus, meeting his eyes. They grinned at each other, brightly. One of them was planning to how to the unique nickname against him.

    ¡°What are you doing with my cousin, Luke?¡± Genesis asked. His eyes flicked between Tina and Luke.

    ¡°She¡¯s your cousin!¡± the boy named Luke cried out in surprise and looked up at Tina, ¡°She is too pretty to be your cousin, Apple Head.¡± Genesis narrowed his eyes at Luke. ¡°She saved me. A bad man took me away from my brothers and threw me in the middle of the road. She jumped out of this carriage like you do when you are after me and my brothers and got me out of the way of the horses.¡± Luke explained. ¡°She¡¯s cooler then you are.¡±

    Tina giggled in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. She looked at the boy and hugged him to her side. She announced, ¡°I think I like you, little one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone does. Him and his brothers have been giving me trouble for the last couple years,¡± Genesis grumbled, giving the boy a glare. Luke responded by looking away and tried to look innocent. ¡°Anyway, Lady Valentina, if you are keeping him with you for the rest of the parade, keep him out of trouble.¡± He steered his horse around and called out over his shoulder, ¡°We will talk later.¡± He rode away.

    The coachman flicked the reins for the horses. The horses reacted and hurried to catch up to the rest of the parade. Tina stared after him and commented, ¡°Well, I think I may be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always in trouble, according to Apple Head,¡± Luke stated in an understanding tone. Tina saw the cute confused look he sent her as she started to giggle uncontrollable with Rosemary, Remus, and Jacob.

    ¡°What were you thinking!¡± Ralph fought to keep his voice down as he tossed Waya against a brick wall. They were several streets away from the Funeral parade route. He turned to Waya with a death glare. ¡°You could have caused an international issue for our village and the House of White Hall!¡±

    Abasi placed a hand on Ralph¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t. Be glad for that.¡±

    Ralph turned on Abasi, eyes flashing with anger, hissing, ¡°If this dumbass managed to get caught by Belladonna, we wouldn¡¯t be able to help him in anyway. In fact, he would have been marked as M.I.A.¡± He snarled. ¡°Right now, we don¡¯t have a treaty or any sort of alliance with the Ruling Family of Camelot.¡±

    Ralph never failed a mission since he had become a Ninja. He didn¡¯t plan on failing it now. Not with so much riding on the success of this mission. If his team couldn¡¯t take Valentina to the White Hall Estate, they could take her to the Hidden Bark Village and arrange the meeting with Lady Freya. The mission would be still a success. They just had to make sure Lady Freya and Valentina had a meeting. It was proving harder and harder to do with the time line Lady Freya had set. The old lady of the White Hall House never explained why she had to meet Valentina.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have a treaty with the White Hall House,¡± Waya asked, confused. He reached up and wiped off his face, but it didn¡¯t help. The rain was coming down hard.

    ¡°Right now,¡± Ralph raised an eyebrow, questioning. Waya nodded. Abasi stared at Ralph. ¡°Yes, we do have a treaty with the White Hall House, but it is on the verge of expiring.¡± The leader of Team Ralph sighed. ¡°If we managed to return Lady Valentina to the White Hall Estate, Lady Freya would talk Lord Bardock into renewing the Treaty.¡±

    ¡°Why do we need a treaty with the White Hall Family, in the first place,¡± Abasi asked. He cocked his head to the side.

    Ralph glanced at him and let out a sigh as his shoulders slump, ¡°I keep forgetting you came from a civilian family.¡± He took a deep breath and explained, ¡°Back during the early days of Avalon, our founding families didn¡¯t have any allies when they found out they managed to wonder into Avalon. One by one, they reached out to the various Kingdoms, but most of them were turn away or killed for being dishonorable warriors by the various Knights of the Kingdoms.¡±

    Ralph paused, thinking about to his historical lesson with his own teacher and current Lord of the Hidden Bark Village, Master Raizen, during one of his missions before he went on, explaining, ¡°When Lord Shikaku Vinsmoke saved Bridgette of the White Hall House and escorted her back Camelot, this very castle walls we are in now, he discovered she was one of the daughters of King Godric and he was rewarded by given a title. Lord Shikaku rejected the title, but the King still wanted to reward Lord Shikaku so they reached an agreement, later, it became a treaty between the White Hall House and the Bark Village when Lord Shikaku and the daughter of the Lord became husband and wife, thus sealing the treaty in a scared bond.¡±

    Abasi¡¯s jaw dropped. A long moment, he voiced, ¡°I knew Lord Shikaku married a civilian and got resources to grow the Bark Village, but I wasn¡¯t aware he married a Princess of Camelot.¡± Ralph nodded. ¡°Now, that the treaty is on the verge of expiring, how does it get renewed?¡±

    ¡°The same way it was sealed,¡± Ralph said, ¡°Marriage.¡±

    Waya paled, realizing what could have happened. ¡°So, in other words, I could have jeopardized the Treaty.¡± Ralph nodded. ¡°Shit.¡±

    The trio stood there in silence as they thought about what it meant. Since the Bark Village entered an alliance with the White Hall House, the Ancient and Noble House helped the Bark Village through various troubling times, sending various supplies the Village may have asked for over the years. If that treaty didn¡¯t renew, it meant the next time the Bark Village experienced troubling times, they would have to make due, alone, and hope for the best when they were vulnerable. Lightening flashed before the thunder broke the silence.

    ¡°Has Lord Raizen announced who will be getting married to up hold the treaty?¡± Abasi asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Ralph replied, ¡°When I last spoke to him, Lord Raizen didn¡¯t know who will be handed to us for the renewal of the Treaty.¡± He glanced toward the Funeral Parade. ¡°It could be Lady Valentina.¡± The three of them shared a glance.

    ¡°If it is her,¡± Waya started, ¡°We have made a great impression.¡±

    Abasi hummed. Ralph nodded, ¡°But it could be easily one of her brothers - Genesis, Victor, Vincent.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Abasi said, turning to Ralph with a surprise look on his face, ¡°What do you mean it could be General Genesis?¡±

    ¡°He is unmarried,¡± Ralph commented, ¡°But it would mean he would have to live in the Bark Village.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that will happen,¡± Abasi stated, ¡°He is too important to the safety of Camelot to be forced to move to the Bark Village.¡±

    Waya whipped his forehead with an sharp exhale, ¡°Thank the gods for that.¡± Ralph sent him a questioning look as did Abasi. ¡°Can you two imagine if he was forced to live in the Bark Village? There would be a riot among our female ninja to see who would be marrying him.¡±

    Ralph cracked an amused grin. Abasi laughed softly.

    ¡°I really hope he doesn¡¯t come to the Bark Village,¡± Abasi said, ¡°I know my chances of finding a wife are slim, but with him there, I wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell to get married.¡±

    ¡°I hear you,¡± Ralph agreed. ¡°However, in the past, it has been a female member of the White Hall House, either a distinct cousin like Lady Rosemary or a direct daughter like Lady Valentina or one of her younger sisters, Lady Natalie or Lady Natasha.¡±

    ¡°Lovely. I really fucked up,¡± Waya stated.

    ¡°Yes, you did, my friend,¡± Ralph nodded. They stood, listening to the storm and watched the funeral parade flow past the mouth of the alley.

    Miserable, Tina huddled deeper into her cloak and pulled Luke closer to her side. The rain had soaked through her cloak and her dress. She shivered, slightly, as a breeze played with the edges of her cloak. Luke let out a moan and snuggled as he close as he could get to her, resting his head on her chest.

    Lightening flashed over head. Thunder boomed as the bright light faded away. She couldn¡¯t wait until the parade was over. It meant she could change out of the water clothes and get warmed up. She hoped she didn¡¯t get sick from this event.

    An small arm slipped around her waist. Tina blinked before she looked down. Luke had the side of his face pressed against the side of her stomach, just above her hip. A flash of guilt went through her. When she had saved him, it was a reflective instinct. Now, she felt like she had to come up with a plan. She knew one thing before she let him go - the poor boy was going to get a bath and get a hot meal.

    Maybe she could try talk him into spending the night in the Armstrong Suite to make sure he doesn¡¯t get sick. If she couldn¡¯t get him to stay, maybe she could at least send him with a few hot meals for his family, assuming he has one. She glanced toward the front of the parade where she got glimpses of Genesis riding one of the Military horses.

    The Pendragon Carriage rolled into the Court yard of The Crypt of the Rulers as the Ruling Family left their carriages and walked toward the rows of logs. Tina watched the High Queen strolled, her head held high to the first row.

    At her side, the Prince walked at her side until they reached the front row and stood on the High Queen¡¯s left. The rest of the Queens and their escorts filled the first couple rows. Behind the Ruling Family section, ten columns of logs spread out over the crypt grounds.

    The Pendragon Carriage rolled to a stop and an attendant stepped forward. He held up a hand and Lady Morgana grabbed it as she stepped out of the carriage, closet to the Crypt. Merlin climbed out through the other side. The Coachman of the Pendragon Carriage flicked the reins and the carriage rolled out of the way.

    Tina took a deep breath to calm her nerves as the White Hall Carriage moved forward. She scouted in to a half turn to face the side she was going to climb out of and waited. The Carriage stopped. She patted on Luke¡¯s shoulder. He hopped up from the seat and jumped from the platform, landing on in a crunch, spraying mud. He turned to her, giving her a grin of child like glee.

    Feeling exasperate, Tina could only sigh and shook her head in amusement. She grabbed her wet skirt in one hand and grabbed the hand the attendant offer to her before she climbed out of the carriage. She sunk into the soak ground an inch or two. She gave the attendant a small smile and a nod of thanks before she threw the cloak around the boy. She kept him by her side as she guided him forward. She glanced at Genesis who jerked his head, indicating she should come over to him or at least to the log him and his horse stood by.

    ¡°Our seat is over by Genesis,¡± Remus said, just loud enough for Tina to hear him. She nodded in understanding. She strolled to the front log on the left hand side. She noticed Lady Morgana and Merlin claimed the log on the right hand side, talking softly to each other. Lady Morgana looked up at Tina. The red head didn¡¯t meet the mage¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t want to take the chance of the Lady of Pendragon House having the ability to read her mind.

    Tina ignored the Magi¡¯s gazes as she went in front of the log and walked down the log before she sat down, a few feet away from the edge where Genesis sat on the back of his horse. She adjusted her skirt and cloak before she pulled Luke into the space between her and Remus. The rest of the White Hall family settled down on the log as more carriages into the crypt courtyard and emptied. She spotted the glass casket sitting in front of the crypt. Inside the casket, the former King Uther laid there with the appearance to be sleeping, despite the face his skin color was a pale gray hue.

    She wondered, briefly, if he was em-bombed or not. If he wasn¡¯t, how on earth did he have the appearance of someone sleeping? She glanced toward the other side of the courtyard for a second when the answer came to her. Magic. Either Merlin or Morgana had used magic to preserve Uther¡¯s appearance.

    The Crypt courtyard was silent as the rest of the church filled up the logs. Tina gazed around, slowly. The High Queen stared ahead with a stoic expression while the Prince¡¯s face was hard as stone, but his eyes were red rimmed. Tina couldn¡¯t see the other Queen¡¯s expressions, but she figured their faces were similar to the Prince¡¯s. She pushed it out of her mind.

    Tina returned her gaze to the entrance of the Crypt. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. She stared as inside the mouth of the Crypt, white blurred shadows moved. One of the white shadows appeared to be standing in the doorway, preventing the other white shadows from exiting the crypt. She tired to ignore them. If she acknowledged them, they might not leave her alone.

    She wondered why they hadn¡¯t moved on, yet. They must have known they weren¡¯t part of the living anymore. She glanced up at the doorway. The doorway was covered with white shadows. They danced around like they were trying to see who was about to join them. How many were stuck there? She frowned, thinking about what she had learned.

    Lucky, it wasn¡¯t long before the Pope to stand up from the front log where he sat with the High Queen and the Prince and made his way forward. Shock went through Tina as she watched him. She didn¡¯t even know he was there. She had thought he would have stayed at the Castle since he led the service last night. The old Christian leader spoke, going through the last rights for a Christian burial.

    As soon as the Pope was done with the burial rights, the Prince stood up from the log and walked forward. He was followed by several knights. Tina recognized Tristan as one of them. They formed a line on either side of the coffin and picked it up by the side pole. They walked as one to the doorway of the Crypt as thunder boomed overheard followed by the flashed of lightening.

    Tina raised her eyes to the darken skies. It was an easy mistake to think it was the middle of the night instead mid-afternoon. She looked at the door way for the Crypt and her lips parted in awe.

    The lead white figure had moved. He or at least Tina thought the figure was a he, stepped out of the door way of the Crypt and faced the casket with an expected look.

    Tina gasped, softly. Luke stiffened next to her as her arm tightened around him.

    Raising up from the glass covered casket, the previous King looked around with a confused look. He floated as the casket moved out from under him as the pallbearers slowly entered the Crypt. He turned to the First white figure.

    Tina strained her ears to hear what was being said through the storm.

    ¡°Welcome, brother-king,¡± The white Figure announced.

    ¡°What happened?¡± King Uther asked.

    ¡°You were killed by the Curse placed upon the Holy Sword, many years ago,¡± the Figure explained, ¡°I am Arthur of House Pendragon.¡± He swept out an arm toward the Crypt. ¡°Go, Uther of House Drake, join your brothers in this accursed damnation.¡±

    Tina couldn¡¯t see the former king¡¯s expression, but she managed to hear what he asked next. ¡°Are we bared from entering the Kingdom of Heaven?¡±

    ¡°We are bared from moving on, no matter what God we had prayed to during our lifetime,¡± Arthur answered, ¡°Until the Curse is removed from the Holy Sword, we are stuck here, waiting our loved ones grow old and die, waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled by the Ruler who will be able to break the Curse.¡±

    Uther¡¯s slumped and he walked through the doorway. Arthur stood outside of the doorway, waiting. He stared at the crowd, but Tina felt his gaze on her.

    ¡°I know you heard me, child,¡± he voiced, ¡°Remember your destiny. Remember who you were before Merlin casted that spell upon you. It is your time to led my Kingdom in prosperity and forge it how you see fit, little one. Your enemies will be great in number. Both close to home and afar. One day, you will either join us or set us free. It will be your choice. Be warned - The Death Mage has not perished yet. She will come for the Holy Sword. You will do what she has desired to do since my Battle Mage placed the Choosing spell on the Holy Sword. Best of Luck, Child.¡±

    Arthur turned and disappeared through the entrance. No one moved as they waited for the Prince and the rest of the pallbearers to reemerge from the depths of the Crypt.

 Chapter 55: The Stonewall Brothers

    Tina let out a sigh as she entered the Armstrong Suite with Luke following her. She shivered as the heat from the roaring fire washed over her. Her mind raced. She had questioned Remus, Rosemary, and Jacob once they were back in the carriage about what happened after the pallbearers disappeared into the Crypt. They didn¡¯t see anything, let alone hear a conversation through the thundering rain. She pushed it out of her mind as she turned to see her maid, Kagome, walking out of her chambers.

    Kagome paused as she caught sight of the boy. Tina glanced at him. She had given him her cloak to keep warm once they had reached the courtyard, wrapping him up in it like a burrito. The cloak dragged out behind him.

    ¡°Kagome,¡± Tina started, ¡°Could you find pipsqueak here some clothes that will fit him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± Kagome nodded and walked out of the room.

    Tina turned to Luke and gave him a half of a smile, ¡°Hey, let¡¯s get warmed up by the fire. I don¡¯t want you to get sick, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Luke said, shyly. He walked over to the fireplace and sat down in front of it. Tina could hear the sigh he let out as the warmth washed over him. She frowned.

    Luke had been a lot more outgoing when Genesis was with her, but the moment her cousin- older brother - left, the boy seemed to shut down. She hummed at the thought. She shrugged her shoulders. It could be the fact she was a complete stranger to him and he knew Genesis more then he did her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get changed, Lu,¡± Tina announced, ¡°I will be right back.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Luke replied.

    Tina hurried into her bedchamber and shut the door before she reached behind her and undid the strings of the annoying corset she had been forced to wear with the dress. She hated it - the corset. It had cut off her breathing more then once during the parade. She felt the dress immediately loosen and she took a deep breath. She let it out slowly as she pulled at the strings to loose the top more before she was able to pull at the top of the dress.

    Her eye twitched as she realized getting the dress off was going to be a fight by itself. She growled softly and tried to pull out one of her arms of her dress. She huffed as she managed to get her right arm free. She fought to get her other arm free before she started to shove the dress down her body. It fought her the entire way until it past her hips and it fell to the ground.

    ¡°Thank the gods,¡± she muttered as she stepped out of the accursed dress. She shivered as she hurried over to the bathroom or what past as a bathroom during the medieval ages to grab a towel to dry off. She rubbed her skin dry as she walked over to the closet and walked in.

    She groaned as she realized she couldn¡¯t see anything in the darken closet. She turned around and went to the fireplace where a fire glowed and grabbed a log before she hurried back. She wanted to get something on before Luke started to wonder what was taking her so long and try to walk into her bedroom to see her running around, wearing a pair of shoes and her underwear.

    She entered the closet and held it up. The fire glow lit up the closet and she found the simple dresses. She grabbed a pale blue dress. She exited the closet and strolled over to the fireplace. She tossed the log into the fire. She slipped the dress on and she glanced down.

    Luckily, the dress didn¡¯t have an opening on the front. She reached behind her and pulled on the strings until she felt the dress tightened a bit. She tied the strings into a bow at the top of her tail bone and slipped off her shoes. She grabbed the wet shoes. She hurried over and bent over to grab the wet dress before she went to the hamper in the closet. She threw the wet clothes in it.

    Tina grabbed the towel and went back to the common room of the Armstrong Suite. She spotted Luke sitting in front of the fire. The cloak was piled around him. The firelight danced over his face as he stared into it, looking sleepy. She frowned as she wondered when was the last time he slept decently.

    ¡°So,¡± She called out as she approached with the towel in her right hand, ¡°How old are you?¡±

    Luke looked at her. He cocked his head to the side, studying her for a long moment before he replied, ¡°I¡¯m 5.¡±

    Tina sat down in a chair near the fire and placed the towel over her knee. She grinned, ¡°Really? I thought you were older then that, considering you haven¡¯t cried over what happen to you, earlier.¡±

    ¡°Drew says I¡¯m a crybaby, I¡¯m too old be one,¡± Luke frowned, ¡°I¡¯m trying to stop being a crybaby.¡±

    ¡°Well, what does your mom or dad say about that,¡± Tina asked. She couldn¡¯t let an opportunity pass like that. She had been wondering how the boy¡¯s parents had stepped forward to claim him yet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡±

    Her eyebrows shot up and stared at him in shock, ¡°You don¡¯t have a mom or dad?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Luke surprisingly looked alright with that, ¡°They disappeared one day and haven¡¯t been back. I was alone until I met Drew, Seth, Ichigo, Marco, and Lenus then I wasn¡¯t alone anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you have your friends,¡± Tina admitted, ¡°Come over here, Luke. I want to dry your hair.¡± Luke got to his feet and walked over to Tina. She parted her knees and allowed him to stand close to her as she placed the towel over his head. She began to rub his dark hair dry. ¡°Tell me about your friends.¡±

    ¡°My brothers,¡± Luke corrected her.

    ¡°Okay, brothers,¡± Tina said.

    ¡°Well, there is Andrew,¡± He started as Tina uncovered the boy¡¯s head and rubbed the ends of his hair, ¡°He is a meany! He is always calling me a crybaby. He did try to kill me when I first met him.¡± Tina paused at that. Her mouth opened as she stared at Luke¡¯s head. ¡°But he didn¡¯t because Seth stopped him.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Seth is the bestest big brother ever! He lets me have some of his food when we have it. He wants to be a¡­a¡­a..oh what¡¯s that word?¡± Luke got a thoughtful expression before he shrugged, ¡°He tells the best stories about pirates finding treasure, people digging for history and finding lost treasure, knights saving kids from the scary monsters, those kind of stories. He wants to tell the greatest adventure story ever when he grows up.¡±

    ¡°So, Seth wants to be an author,¡± Tina summarized. She returned to rubbing the ends of Luke¡¯s hair was dry.

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s the word!¡± Luke excitedly turned to her with a mile wide smile on his face. ¡°Ichigo is our big, big brother. He likes making sure Drew, Seth, and I are safe. He thinks I shouldn¡¯t go out on food runs since I am the baby.¡± The boy pouted at that, crossing his arms over his chest.

    ¡°Maybe he is right,¡± Tina said. She resisted the urge to laugh when he sent her an outrage look. She went on, ¡°I mean look what happened today. You could have been killed by the carriage or the horses if I hadn¡¯t acted like I did.¡±

    There was a knock on the Suite door and Kagome walked into the common area as Luke nodded before he continued talking about his brothers to Tina. She glanced up when the maid walked in and raised an eyebrow at the other woman. Kagome nodded. Tina turned her attention to Luke, cutting him off, ¡°Hey, do you want to take a bath and get changed into dryer clothes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Luke nodded.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to my chambers and find the bath tub,¡± Tina suggested, standing up. She held out her hand to him. To her surprise, he reached up and grabbed it. She smiled at him before she led him to the bath tub in a chamber off her bedroom.

    General Genesis yawned as he entered his military office. He had slept well the night before, but it seemed like the parade took a lot out of him. He fell into his chair with a huff. His legs stretched out in front of him as he slouched in the chair. Hopefully, the rest of the day would be quite, thanks to the storm. He glanced at his uniform. He wanted to get out of the formal uniform. However, it meant he would have to get back up and walk all the way to the White Hall Wing of the Castle to his room to get changed.

    ¡°Decisions, decisions,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°WHERE IS THAT GENERAL BASTARD!?¡± a roar echoed from the hallway. Genesis turned to the door with a frown. ¡°I WANT TO KNOW WHERE IS MY BROTHER!¡± that voice was familiar. He groaned as the running footsteps came closer and the door to his office burst open. The red head didn¡¯t bother getting to his feet as his gaze rested on the teenager, around Natalie¡¯s age, standing in the doorway. ¡°Where is Luke?¡±

    ¡°If I had to take a guess,¡± Genesis started, giving the teen all of his attention, ¡°I would say he is with my cousin, Lady Valentina of House Armstrong, in her family suite, Ichigo.¡±

    Ichigo glared at the General and growled, ¡°I want him back.¡±

    Genesis stared at the teen, studying him. Ichigo had been slowly getting thinner. ¡®Like he wasn¡¯t thin enough,¡¯ Genesis thought. Ichigo¡¯s hair could have been red or blonde, but the older man couldn¡¯t tell from the amount of dirt on the teen. He asked, ¡°When¡¯s the last time you had a decent meal?¡±

    Ichigo blinked then growled, ¡°None of your business.¡±

    Genesis sent the teen a smirk as the teen¡¯s stomach let out a rumble. Ichigo¡¯s face turned red. The General brought his legs up and stood up, saying, ¡°Go get the rest of your brothers. I¡¯m sure my cousin is forcing your brother to eat something hot before she lets him go.¡± He strolled across the office and stopped in front of Ichigo, ¡°You and the rest of your brothers are welcome to join me while I join my cousin for an early dinner.¡±

    Ichigo scoffed before he glanced over his shoulder. Genesis followed his gaze to see the four other brothers standing on the far side of the courtyard, trying to stay out of sight. ¡°The offer is still open - Come work for me and your brothers will never go hungry again.¡± A grunt came from Ichigo, indicating he heard the General, but he didn¡¯t reply.

    Genesis walked past Ichigo and started to head to the White Hall Wing of the Castle when Ichigo finally said, ¡°We will go with you.¡± The General stopped and half turned to face the teen as the rest of the brothers hurried over to Ichigo and Genesis ran his eyes over each of the boys.

    Marco stood half-way hidden by Ichigo¡¯s right shoulder, his head poked over Ichigo¡¯s shoulder, giving Genesis a glare with his piecing blue eyes. His hair was a dark color, perhaps brown, but the General couldn¡¯t tell with the dirt. Marco¡¯s clothes hung off of him, just like Ichigo, but the second eldest brother didn¡¯t appear to be as thin as his older brother.

    Glaring up at Genesis, Seth stood on Ichigo¡¯s left. He was one of the youngest boys, not yet hitting puberty, and barely reached Ichigo¡¯s chest. While his clothes didn¡¯t hang off of him, he did appear to be eating well enough to keep some weight on and his clothes fitted him like a glove.

    Andrew, Genesis knew, had dark hair and hateful dark eyes. He was a bit thinner then Seth, but gave the appearance he did eat enough to keep on the weight. His clothes was a mixture of formfitting and hanging off of him.

    Lenus stood slightly above the younger four, but a few inches shorter then Ichigo. He was pale with shadows under his golden, critical eyes. He was almost as thin as Ichigo was. Over his shoulders, a bag bounced off his back. Genesis had no doubt that it held the boys¡¯ most prized processions and knew they were few.

    ¡°Are we going to Luke or not?¡± Ichigo snapped.

    Genesis glared at Ichigo before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself then he replied, ¡°Yes.¡± He stepped around the boys and started toward the White Hall Wing. He heard the boys scramble after him.

    Tina laughed at the tale Luke spun about his brothers. It sounded like the boys could be the poster kids for worshiping Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, from the amount of trouble Luke was retelling. She reached for the goblet, sitting on the far side of her plate and took a drink of water. She eyed Luke who sat next to her.

    He looked a lot better after a bath. He had the healthy look of a 5 year old boy who simply played in the dirt too much and at the end of the day, didn¡¯t bother to clean up before crashing. He had black hair that curl at the ends. His dark brown eyes glowed with a joy of getting attention. Kagome did managed to find some spare clothes from the White Hall Suite that fitted Luke perfectly. Tina didn¡¯t know why Kagome thought it would be best to go through the White Hall Suite for boys¡¯ clothes. Maybe Genesis had a younger brother that Tina didn¡¯t know about.

    She thought back to the letter. It did mention about a Vincent and a Victor, but nothing about their ages. Her mother hadn¡¯t disappeared in the last decade for nearly a year like she did when she came home with Natasha when Tina was 6 years old. Perhaps, those clothes belonged to one of her mysterious brothers from when they were a lot younger.

    A knock echoed through the common room. Kagome went to it and opened the door. She was immediately pushed aside and a tall teen stormed in to the room, ¡°LUKE!¡±

    Tina narrowed her eyes at the tallest of the boys. She watched from the corner of her eye as Luke looked up and grinned. He launched himself from the chair, tipping it back until it fell with a thud. He ignored it as he ran across the room to the group of boys, crying, ¡°Ichigo! Marco! Seth! Drew! Lenus!¡± he wrapped each boy into a tight hug before he let out, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°To get you,¡± The tall teen replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Tina cut in. She eyed each of the boys with a critical gaze. They didn¡¯t appear much better then Luke when they had entered the Armstrong Suite. ¡°Luke is staying the night here to make sure he doesn¡¯t get sick and has a couple hearty meals in him. You are more then welcome to join him.¡±

    The door to the suit shut. She glanced up to see Genesis standing with his back to the door. Kagome was back on her feet, glaring at the boys. There was a familiar look in her eyes. One that made Tina pause and think about. When Kagome blinked, the look was gone and she straightened up.

    ¡°Should I retrieve more clothes and food?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, please, Kagome,¡± Tina said, ¡°And thank you for your help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job, miss,¡± Kagome bowed at her before Genesis opened the door for her and she disappeared into the hallway.

    ¡°No,¡± the tallest of the boys announced, ¡°He is not going to stay here.¡± Tina turned her gaze back to the group of boys. ¡°He is coming with us.¡±

    ¡°He will in the morning when I am sure he isn¡¯t coming down with a cold,¡± Tina argued, ¡°Unless you can retrieve one of his parents.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need anyone to take care of us,¡± the boy shot back with a glare.

    ¡°What is your name?¡± Tina asked, lending back in her chair.

    ¡°None of your business,¡± the boy answered.

    Tina smirked, ¡°Well, None of your business,¡± Genesis snorted in amusement as Luke giggled, the rest of the boys snickered as the boy nicknamed as ¡®None of your Business¡¯ glared at Tina, ¡°My name is Valentina of the Armstrong House, please call me Tina, and I have took Luke under my protection for the day. You see, he was nearly killed by someone pushing in front of my carriage. I saved him from becoming a pancake by a pair of horses.¡± She pushed away from the table. ¡°So, in a way, he owes me his life. He can repay it by staying the night in a warm place and have a couple decent meals in his belly before he is free to return to his previous life.¡± She stood up and she walked over to the group of boys, looking them over, ¡°Like I said, you are more then welcome to join him.¡± She stopped in front of ¡®None of your business¡¯, saying, ¡°Think about it. When was the last time you had a hot meal? Possible a warm bed? Not have to worry about waking up with one of your brothers sick?¡±

    One of the younger brothers stepped forward. She turned her attention to him. He gave her a toothy grin. She noticed he was missing a tooth. He spoke up, ¡°Well, my lady, you have given my brothers and I some good arguments.¡± She raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. ¡°Please, give me, my lady, I didn¡¯t introduce myself. I am Seth Stonewall and this is my eldest brother, Ichigo Stonewall or as he introduce himself as None of your business.¡± A quick glance at the newly named Ichigo informed Tina that he didn¡¯t appreciate when Seth calling him out on his bull shit. ¡°If you would excuse us, my lady, my brothers and I need to discuss your kind offer.¡±

    Tina wanted to laugh. The way Seth had sneer the word kind told her all she need to know on his thoughts of his offer. However, she didn¡¯t let the boy know how much she was amused by his tone and nodded, ¡°As you wish, little one.¡±

    She stepped around the group of boys and walked over to Genesis.

    ¡°They won¡¯t take the offer,¡± he said in a way of greeting.

    ¡°On the contrary, I think they will,¡± Tina shot back, ¡°So, care to enlighten me on what the name of Stonewall means.¡±

    ¡°It is given to the children born without fathers,¡± he explained, ¡°There are a lot of them in Camelot. Most of them are street urchins.¡± He paused, watching over Tina¡¯s shoulder as the boys whispered in nearly unheard tones. ¡°Camelot does have a couple of orphanages, but they are overrun, underfunded, understaffed, and nearly falling apart.¡± He went on, ¡°After the Era of the Kingless Kingdom, many of the children left alive had no where else to turn to and most of them went to the orphanages. If they had any family left, they weren¡¯t retrieved from the orphanages, so a lot of them stayed in the Northern Area, staying in poverty.¡±

    ¡°There was no aid available in that aftermath for the kids or the family looking to adopt,¡± Tina asked. Genesis shook his head no.

    ¡°The Ancient and Noble Houses like mine had vessel houses to look after beside their own,¡± Genesis explained, ¡°We had to build damn near everything..¡± He glanced at Tina, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my colorful language. It¡¯s no way to speak in front of a lady.¡±

    ¡°Well, damn, cousin, I don¡¯t see a lady in this room,¡± Tina said, ¡°I don¡¯t really give a damn or not if you speak freely or not.¡± She blinked innocently at him as he gapped at her.

    ¡°You are a handful,¡± Genesis said, ¡°I almost feel sorry for your future husband.¡±

    ¡°Assuming I will have one,¡± she shot back.

    ¡°If Grandma has anything to say about it, you will,¡± the general grinned, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how he will react your ladyship skills.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°That would be amusing to see,¡± she agreed, ¡°Anyway, getting back to rebuilding¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± her cousin - older brother - started, ¡°Many families didn¡¯t have the extra money to help out the poor anymore.¡±

    ¡°You mean they were before,¡± she asked in surprised. From what she knew of history, that didn¡¯t happen. In fact, the welfare state was a new thing, started in the 20th century when the New Deal was signed into law thanks to President Roosevelt in the aftermath the Great Depression as a way to help the unemployed to get back onto their feet while they were looking for another job or the single mom who tried to make ends meet.

    However, shortly after the Plague of the 21st Century swept over the world, there was a new surge of welfare programs put in place thanks to the Administration of the early 20¡¯s. While Tina understood the reason why such programs existed, she didn¡¯t like the idea of living off the programs for long periods of time. The programs were a safety net that work for a short while, but when the safety net ran out, that where the real problems started, at least for the unemployed. The rest of the society who worked had to pick up their burden and had to work longer and harder hours to make ends met due to the high taxes for the welfare programs to work. It was something she was not looking forward to when she returned home.

    Genesis nodded. Tina sighed. It was starting to seem like Camelot wasn¡¯t the Legendary Kingdom she had grew up to thought it was.

    ¡°Remember Mikey!¡± one of the boys raised his voice. Tina and Genesis glanced at each other before they turned to look at the boys. Ichigo¡¯s back straightened then he slumped forward. Drew kicked at the rug before he nodded. Ichigo nodded back before he faced Tina and the General, walking over.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Ichigo admitted defeat. His hands in his pockets of his brown pants. He didn¡¯t meet Tina¡¯s eyes. ¡°We will stay the night here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tina said, gently, ¡°I know it is not easy asking for help.¡± The teen scoffed, looking to the side of Genesis, at the door. ¡°Now, I would like you and your brothers go get washed up for¡­well, is it almost dinner time?¡± She glanced at Genesis.

    ¡°It¡¯s an early supper,¡± he answered, ¡°It¡¯s only 5.¡± Tina gave him a wide eyed look. ¡°Usually, the kitchens won¡¯t serve Supper until closer to 7 on most days, but I do believe someone requested the Head Cook to serve Supper early.¡±

    Tina nodded, ¡°Hopefully, by the time you and your brothers are finished getting cleaned up, Kagome will be back with fresh clothes you boys to wear.¡± Ichigo jerked his head down, sharply, understanding. ¡°Luke, could you show your brothers where the tub is?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, Miss Tina,¡± Luke chirped with a grin, ¡°Come on, Drew, Seth, you guys are going to love this tub. It¡¯s HUGE!¡± he walked to the same room where he used earlier. His brothers shuffled behind him, but Ichigo didn¡¯t move, still standing in front of Tina and Genesis.

    She raised an eyebrow at him when he blurted out, ¡°I still won¡¯t take your apprenticeship, General!¡± He spun on his heel and followed his brothers.

    Tina frowned before she turned her head to Genesis. He looked sheepish and he headed to the table. She crossed her arms over her chest, walking after him, asking, ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing you have tried to persuade him into taking an apprenticeship, possible in the military, under you, General?¡±

    Genesis let out a deep sigh and claimed a seat at the table while Tina went back to the seat at the end of the able. She stared at him, waiting for him to give her an answer.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Genesis huffed.

    Tina didn¡¯t stop the amused smile from pulling at her lips, ¡°He keeps saying no.¡± He glared at her. That was all she needed to hear before she started to giggle. He scrawled.

    Arthur wanted to bang his head against the nearest stone wall until the gray matter exploded from his skull. His grandmother Bella would not drop the topic of Arthur being King. She had started talking about it the moment they had entered the Queen¡¯s Tower, nearly a hour ago.

    ¡°I am sure the reason why the Holy Sword has not chose you, yet, Arthur, is because you are unmarried,¡± Nana Bella argued. ¡°Looking at the past several decades, the Chosen King was already married or at least had chose a bride when the Holy Sword chose them to be King.¡±

    He wished she would shut up, already. He already announced he won¡¯t be King of Camelot. Plus, he wasn¡¯t ready to get married. He should be out there, on quests, proving he was a skilled fighter, not wasting his time arguing with Nana Bella about his options over the various eligible women in the Court who were already looking for a husband. He silently groaned. He looked toward Kalliope.

    She sat in the Queen¡¯s Chair, sipping on tea. Her eyes were red rimmed, still, but she had the image of a collected Queen. He would like to know how she did it. It felt like there was a hole in his chest and whenever he looked toward the future, he was unsure on what to do or where to go. The only former queen that wasn¡¯t in the common room was Grandma Clarine.

    Grandma Clarine retreated to her room and hadn¡¯t been seen since the Ruling Family had return to the Queen¡¯s Tower. One of her servants had made an appearance, claiming the former queen had been requested to be left alone for the rest of the day to mourn her remaining son.

    Aunt Elizabeth never showed up for the funeral. Arthur sighed. He had been hoping she would suddenly show up again and at least saw her brother lay to rest with the rest of the Chosen Kings. Of course, it had been too much to hope for. He understood why she didn¡¯t bother making her way to Camelot after all these years.

    Maybe, the new Chosen King would allow him to track his Aunt down and figure out what had happened to her. It was an interesting thought. Maybe it will help Grandma Clarine finding some closure. In a way, he needed some closure as well.

    From her seat by the window, Aunt Holly finally voiced her annoyance, ¡°Mom! Leave Artie to alone!¡± she slapped the arm of the chair she sat in. ¡°He will find a wife when he is ready to.¡±

    ¡°He still needs to claim the throne,¡± Nana Bella shot back, glaring at Aunt Holly, ¡°Unless you want another Era of a Kingless Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± Aunt Elsa groaned. She rose a hand to cover her face. She sat in one of the chairs in the back of the common room, by a large bookcase. She had a large book in her lap.

    ¡°Elsa Marie!¡± Nana Bella shouted, ¡°You will not take the Lord¡¯s Name in Vain!¡±

    Aunt Elsa rolled her eyes as Nana Bella glared at her. Arthur bit his lower lip to hid a smile. Aunt Elsa knew how to make a scene and directed Nana Bella¡¯s ire somewhere else.

    ¡°I frankly don¡¯t care if I took your Lord¡¯s name in vain or not,¡± Aunt Elsa started, ¡°Suggesting anyone here, in this room, wanting another Kingless Kingdom era is highly irresponsible.¡± She closed the book on her lap with a loud snap. She straightened up from the way she was sitting and swung her legs from over the arm of the chair. Her feet barely made a noise as they landed on the stone floor. ¡°As right now, we don¡¯t know if there will be another time where Camelot won¡¯t have a King on the Throne. We just know Arthur wasn¡¯t found worthy by the Holy Sword, nothing more, nothing less.¡± She pushed herself into a standing position, allowing her simple icy blue dress she had changed into after she returned to the Queen¡¯s Tower to flow around her legs. ¡°We just have to hope one of the Knights are found worthy of the Holy Sword.¡±

    ¡°What if none of the Knights are found worthy, then, my winter daughter?¡± Nana Bella asked, ¡°What if the Lords of Camelot are the same way? The Free Men of the Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°I am sure the Battle Mage and the Black Mage have plans in place,¡± Aunt Elsa¡¯s voice held a note of confidence as she spoke, ¡°for cases like that.¡±

    Arthur didn¡¯t want to ask the one question that roam around his skull. A glance around the room told him the other members of the Ruling Family thought the same way. However, Nana Bella voiced it, ¡°What if they don¡¯t?¡±

    The former crowd prince wished she had voiced that question. The entire room was silent as they wondered what the answer would be.

    ¡°It is a serious question,¡± Nana Bella argued, ¡°One that needs to be answered soon.¡± Elsewhere in the castle, Merlin groaned, silently as another Knight was rejected by the Holy Sword. Belladonna wouldn¡¯t like this. He rubbed his face. Hell, he wasn¡¯t beginning to like where this was going. He would have to send out a summons for all of the Lords in Camelot, stating they were allowed to try to pull out the Holy Sword. If they weren¡¯t able to, the next step was to allow all of the free men to try. If the Holy Sword doesn¡¯t find a worthy King among them, he would have no clue on what to do.

    He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. This was one of the reasons why he hated living as long as he did or at least being forced to stay inside Camelot. He raised his head and stared out the window, seeing the sky had cleared up.

    He would love to feel the wind beneath his wings as he soar through the skies, to see distance lands, and only return when it was necessary - perhaps once a century or two. It was a dream. He was trapped in Camelot by an oath he took many years ago when Camelot was still trying to find its place in a post-Roman world then when the magi moved the Kingdom into the parallel world.

    ¡°Lord Battle Mage,¡± a nearby scribe spoke up, ¡°What are you planning to do, now?¡±

    ¡°Send a summons to all of the Lords in the Castle,¡± Merlin spoke, trying to keep his aggravation out of his voice. ¡°They are required to try to pull the Holy Sword.¡± The scribe nodded, his attention turning to the scroll on the top in front of him, and started to write a letter. The team of scribes Merlin had ordered to help him started to copy what the first scribe wrote.

    A loud noise echoed from the hallway. He glanced up to the doorway as a guild member of the South Messenger appeared in the doorway, panting. Merlin blinked as he took in the Messenger¡¯s form. Strands of black hair stuck to the sides of the Messenger¡¯s face. Wild, panic eyes met Merlin¡¯s. The messenger¡¯s clothes were mud splatter. ¡°Lord Merlin!¡± He panted as he hurried forward. ¡° Lord Merlin! I have terrible news.¡± In one hand, he held a scroll. His knuckles turned white from how tight he was holding the scroll.

    Merlin felt something heavy land in his stomach at the messenger¡¯s tone, but he gave the messenger his attention, waving his hand, ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The kingdoms of Mercy and Franks have came to arrangement of alliance through marriage,¡± The messenger started, panting, ¡°The Princess of Franks is to marry the Prince of Mercy in less then three weeks time. The Kings of Mercy and Franks will march on Camelot to claim the Holy Sword and the Throne of Camelot for themselves.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Merlin breathed. This was something he feared. He nodded at the messenger, ¡°Thank you for bringing me the news.¡± That explains the bad feeling he had been having for a bit. He turned his attention to the Holy Sword, wondering what the Sword was waiting for or whom, in this case. He shook his head. He should really have cast a spell on it where it could speak.

    However, he remembered the last time he cast such a spell on an object. While the reactions had been amusing, the comments coming from the said object were not. He could have sworn many ladies wanted to throw the object into the fires and cheer as it melted. Lucky for him, no one found out who cast that spell because magic was still legal and there were many magi within the castle walls.

    He shook his head. His thought came back to the problem at hand. They had to find the Next Chosen King before the armies of Mercy and Franks arrived at the gates of Camelot. The fate of the Kingdom, once again, rested on the unknown King.

    The bells from the clock tower rang out. Merlin counted the tolls. It was only 6 o¡¯clock. He sighed. It was going to be a long night. He, now, had to inform the Queens, Lady Morgana, and The heads of the Military and Knights of the current developments. They had to plan for the worst case happens - another Era of the Kingless Kingdom or the utter destruction of Camelot.

    He glanced at the Scribes still working away. He called out to them, ¡°Once you have wrote the letters to the Lords in Camelot, please, write a letter to the Ruling Family, the Generals, and the Head of the Knights, requesting they met me in the War Room, at 8.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Mage,¡± The acting Head scribe nodded, ¡°I will personally see it done.¡±

    Merlin nodded. He started to pace back and forth, trying to think of a way to deal with the Kingdoms of Mercy and Franks while they were without a King. First, he had to let Morgana know so she wasn¡¯t blindsided by the Queens¡¯ reactions. He immediately thought of Belladonna¡¯s reaction. He winced.

    On the top floor of the Queen¡¯s Tower, Morgana frowned when she heard a peeking noise at her balcony doors. She strolled over it and opened one of the doors to see one of the falcons Merlin used to pass messengers to her when he couldn¡¯t get to her faster then the messengers did.

    She took the small scroll from the bird and unrolled it, before she read it. The color drained from her face. She twisted on her heel and darted through the hallways and staircases, running as fast as she dared. She panted as she threw herself into the common room, startling the Queens, the Princesses, and the Princes sitting in the room.

    ¡°What is wrong,¡± Susan started to stand up when there was a knock on the door to the tower. A servant nearby answered it and stepped out of the way, allowing the Southern Guild Messenger to step in. Morgana heard him gulp out of nerves before he announced, ¡°There has been a political alliance announced between the Kingdoms of Mercy and Franks. The Princess of the Franks is to be wed in three weeks time to the Prince of the Mercians before the two kingdoms plan to march on Camelot.¡±

    Merlin had said so in his letter. Morgana, hearing it straight from the messenger, slumped her shoulders. War was coming rather they like it or not. She wasn¡¯t sure now if the Chosen King was announced would cause the two Kingdoms to back off. She sighed.

    Belladonna slipped to her feet, looked at Morgana, and announced, ¡°I¡¯m calling the war council.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for Morgana to reply before she hurried out of the room. Arthur jumped from his seat and rushed after her.

    ¡°Merlin already did it!¡± the black mage called out after the warrior queen, ¡°We are meeting in the War Room at 8, Belladonna!¡± It took a heartbeat to realized the Warrior Queen had ignored her, but Arthur paused long enough to glance over his shoulder at her before he resumed his fast pace after his grandmother.

    Morgana glanced at the rest of the Queens and the Royal children. She didn¡¯t have the time to instruct them on what to do next. Most of them were either child, teens, or young adults the last time they faced a war time.

    ¡°Go, Morgana,¡± Vivian spoke, ¡°I will handle the rest of it here.¡±

    The black mage nodded before she ran after the Warrior Queen and the Prince. Vivian would know how to handle the situation, given the fact she was the one handing out orders for the Ruling Family to follow.

    Morgana followed the path Belladonna and Arthur took to get to the War Room, near the Seasonal Throne Room. She saw several servants leap to get out of the way of Belladonna. She rolled her eyes. She knew the Warrior Queen could be fearsome, but such dramatics was out of line.

    Tina glanced at the spare room as she heard cheerful chatter echoing off the stone walls before she turned her attention to Genesis. He still stood by the door to the Suit, looking tired. The shadows had grown under his bloodshot eyes. He still wore the same outfit he had earlier that day. Apparently, he didn¡¯t have time to change or didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡°Are you going to sit down,¡± She asked, ¡°You look like you could fall over any moment, cousin.¡± She still fought the urge to call him brother. ¡°Besides, once the boys get out here, we are going to eat.¡± She lend back in her chair, ¡°You should join us.¡±

    Genesis stared at her for long moment then he nodded. He strolled over and claimed the seat at the other end of the table. He relaxed. His legs stretched out in front of him. ¡°So,¡± he spoke up, ¡°What are your plans?¡±

    ¡°I kinda need a time reference, there, Gen-gen,¡± Tina smirked at him as he glared at her when she spoke the nickname, ¡°I have plans for tonight, possible tomorrow morning, tomorrow night, next week, next month¡­¡±

    His glared deepened as he snapped, ¡°Are you planning to leave Camelot and when?¡±

    Tina giggled before she answered, ¡°Yes, I do plan on leaving Camelot, possible tomorrow night after dinner while it is still light.¡±

    ¡°Why not the following morning,¡± Genesis asked with a raised eyebrow, ¡°At sun break?¡±

    ¡°Personal reasons,¡± Tina said. She had thought about that, but she didn¡¯t want to stay any longer then she had to after she spotted Team Ralph in the crowd during the Funeral Parade. She still had no clue where Kikyo was hiding at. Tina mused the female ninja was hiding in the last place the red head would think of.

    A knock on the suit door echoed through the room and the door opened. Kagome stepped into the common room, holding several articles of clothing. She shut the door behind her. ¡°After I leave, I think I will heading home, perhaps. I might go exploring the country side. I really don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t thought that far ahead.¡± Tina explained, ¡°Thank you, Kagome.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my lady,¡± Kagome bowed and left the pile of the clothes on the couch.

    ¡°You got those from the White Hall Suite, didn¡¯t you?¡± Genesis lend forward. There was a look of suspicion in his eye.

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Kagome admitted.

    Tina raised an eyebrow at Genesis. He nodded.

    ¡°Next time, ask,¡± Genesis ordered, ¡°My family has heirlooms we pass down from parent to child.¡±

    ¡°Even clothing?¡± Tina asked, surprised.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he glanced at her, ¡°Some of the clothes stashed away are for my own kids or one of my siblings¡¯ brats. My mom has her wedding dress stashed away for my sisters to use when they get married while my dad has his wedding uniform at ready for when I get married and my brothers will use it when they settle down.¡±

    Tina blinked, surprise. She had no clue her mother still had her wedding dress and wanted her to use it when Tina got married. Maybe that was why her mom had pushed so hard when she found out Tina was suppose to marry her ex to return home and have family-only vacation.

    She frowned, thinking back to that conversation. She did remember her mother arguing her ex wouldn¡¯t understand where Tina was from and wouldn¡¯t allow him to accompany them to wherever the hell they were going. Tina refused to visit home for the plan fact her ex wasn¡¯t allow to accompany them and that started the rift between herself and her mother. Now, looking back with the knowledge she had, Tina figured her mother had wanted her and Natasha to met the rest of their family before Tina got married and possible found another man to marry. She sighed. Her mother didn¡¯t like her ex for many reasons, but the old lady had respected Tina¡¯s decision to date him.

    There was a loud clamber from the spare room and Luke led his brothers out, rushing to the table. He climbed into the seat closet to Tina. He looked at her with a grin, saying, ¡°They smell a lot better.¡±

    She cracked a smile at him before she glanced over to the boys, ¡°They look a lot better, too.¡± The eldest boy - Ichigo, right? - glared at her. ¡°But I think they would look ten times better if they had new clothes to wear, don¡¯t¡¯cha think, Gen-gen?¡± Genesis stared at Ichigo who stared back. ¡°Genesis?¡± Tina asked, glancing between them. He didn¡¯t answer. She scrawled. Her gaze dropped to the table and spotted a red apple. A grin slid across her face. She grabbed it and tossed it between her hands. ¡°Apple head!¡± she called out as she throw it across the table, aiming to hit Genesis¡¯ head.

    Genesis took her by surprise when he raised his hand and grabbed the apple from the air. He tore his gaze away from it and glanced down at the apple. He waved his hand, holding the apple. ¡°Thanks, cousin.¡± He said and took a bit from the apple.

    Tina crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, glaring at her older brother - cousin. Luke giggled. One of the brothers snorted, Tina didn¡¯t know which one.

    ¡°However, Tina is right,¡± Genesis said, ¡°You will look better in newer clothes.¡± He took another bit. ¡°Still look too thin for my likening, though.¡±

    Tina rolled her eyes at the General. She knew he was playing some sort of psychological game with the boys, especially with Ichigo, the eldest boy.

    ¡°Okay, you two,¡± Tina stood up and pointed at Genesis then at Ichigo, ¡°Stop this pissing contest.¡± Genesis gasped before he started to cough. Ichigo turned his attention to her. ¡°This won¡¯t help you or your brothers, ¡®None of your business¡¯,¡± the boy glared, pressing his lips together, and an angry flush across his cheeks. ¡°We are trying to help you, believe or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Ichigo drawled.

    ¡°All I¡¯m asking is you stay the night, have a couple hot meals, fresh set of clothes, and have a safe place for you and your brothers to stay the night,¡± Tina stated, ¡°In the morning, you are free to leave if you wish.¡±

    ¡°And him?¡± Ichigo jerked his jaw to Genesis. Tina glanced at her cousin - older brother.

    ¡°He won¡¯t stop you from leaving,¡± Tina stated. She narrowed her eyes at the General, staring at him from her end of the table. He met her gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest. She spoke sternly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Genesis?¡± He didn¡¯t answer as the boys hurried over to the table and claimed seats. Neither red head spoke as they stared each other down. Tina wondered if she was going to be the one who would up cracking first when there was a knock at the door.

    She didn¡¯t bother looking at the door, knowing Kagome would be the one answering it. She let out a low throaty growl as she kept Genesis¡¯ gaze.

    ¡°Yes, the General is here, Lieutenant Reno,¡± Kagome¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss,¡± Reno¡¯s voice sounded. Tina sensed him strolled across the room and paused. His gaze traveled between Tina and Genesis then over the brothers, ¡°Well, this is an interesting site to see. I will have to get the story from you, later, General.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Genesis spoke, ¡°What is it?¡± His gaze didn¡¯t leave Tina¡¯s stare.

    ¡°An Urgent Meeting in the War Room,¡± Reno explained, ¡°at 8.¡±

    Genesis and Tina blinked before they turned their gaze onto Reno. Tina felt a flash of amusement as a panic expression darted over Reno¡¯s face as he saw both of them had turned to look at him before he managed to school his face into a stoic expression. He continued, ¡°Something about the Mericans and the Franks being united in marriage before they march their way to Camelot.¡± He rose a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Belladonna and Merlin both called for the Meeting. They are already in the War Room, waiting on us and the rest of the Generals and their seconds. Merlin also called for the Head of the Knights.¡±

    Genesis nodded, standing up. He directed his next comment to Tina, ¡°I believe we will discuss this more when I return.¡±

    ¡°Assuming the boys and I are still up,¡± Tina shot back, ¡°If we are not, you will have to wait until morning. I will need my beauty sleep.¡±

    Genesis snorted, ¡°You will never have enough beauty sleep then.¡±

    Tina blinked once then twice before her eyes flew to the table, glancing over it to see what she could throw at her cousin- older brother - and decided against it. She shot back, ¡°Obviously, you have not look in the mirror, lately. Oh wait! You break mirrors if you look into them.¡±

    Luke burst out laughing as one of his brothers snorted. Genesis opened his mouth to reply, but he snapped it close when he couldn¡¯t think of a comeback. He stalked out of the room. Reno shook his head and followed him. Tina smirked at Genesis¡¯ back. The door shut behind the two military men. She glanced at Ichigo who had claimed the seat on her left hand. He looked impressed. His voice radiated it when he spoke, ¡°I have never seen Apple Head like that before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed that small bit of entertainment,¡± Tina gave the teen a grin. ¡°I could have kept going if he did.¡± She winked at them.

    Nearly two hours had passed since Merlin requested the Lords of Camelot to visit the Chamber of the Holy Sword. He sighed as he watched the last Lord attempted to pull out the Holy Sword. The Lord couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You have been found unworthy of the Holy Sword and ruling Camelot,¡± Merlin intoned for the unknown time.

    ¡°I knew I would be,¡± the Lord admitted, shrugging his shoulders, ¡°Ruling a kingdom wasn¡¯t my thing. I only did it so we wouldn¡¯t experience another Kingless Kingdom.¡±

    Merlin nodded in understanding. There had been a few lords who truly wished they didn¡¯t have to try to pull the Holy Sword out of the stone, but did it anyway for the sense of duty. No one wanted to go through what happened 20 years ago. He sighed before he ordered, ¡°Go home and rally your forces.¡± The lord raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°We are facing war with the Mercians and the Franks.¡±

    The lord paled, but he nodded, saying, ¡°As you commend, Lord Battle Mage.¡±

    The scribes at the nearby table could be heard scratching with a quill at the scroll held opened. Merlin sighed, again.

    ¡°Alright, thank you for your help,¡± he directed his statement to the scribes, ¡°But I need everyone to clear out so I can lock up this room.¡± The head scribe nodded. ¡°Prepare an announcement of the Public Choosing, Ori, starting at noon tomorrow for all free men.¡±

    The Head Scribe¡¯s, Ori, eyes widened, ¡°Public Choosing for all Free Men?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Merlin nodded, ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to waste. We need to find the next Chosen King before our enemies get here.¡±

    Ori nodded. The Head scribe ordered the rest of the scribes under his command to leave the room. ¡°Will you be in the War Room? It won¡¯t take me long to draft an announcement of the Public Choosing. I would like have your approval before I send it out to the Messenger Guilds.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Battle Mage nodded, ¡°I fear I will be there for most of the night.¡±

 Chapter 56: Rumblings of War

    General Genesis of White Hall House walked into the War Room, near the Seasonal Throne Room. The War Room was the largest room in the entire castle. It had to be, Genesis mused as he glanced at the room, instantly reading it as tense. He wanted to sigh, already. He joined the rest of the advisers at the extremely large table at the center of the room, sitting at one of the chairs for the Military Generals.

    His father should have been there, sitting on the far side of the table where the White Hall House Chair sat empty. One of his younger brothers would have been sitting there since the Lord of the White Hall House was away. However, the only White Hall Male was himself. He sighed. He didn¡¯t want to have the weight of two positions on his shoulders. He lend back against the high back chair and mused over the fact he could have asked Valentina to join him at the Round Table as the White Hall House Proxy.

    She did a good job by acting his proxy during the Funeral Parade. She even surprised him by saving Little Luke. Hell, she somehow managed to perused his brothers into staying the night in the Armstrong Suite.

    He heard the footfalls as the various Knights who earned the right to sit at the large Round Table claimed their seats. He knew some of the Knights were Legacy Knights. Their forefathers had earned the right to sit at the table during King Arthur Pendragon¡¯s time and had managed to passed down the Rights to the Table through father to son. Some of the original bloodlines had trickled out of existence over the centuries and had been replaced by new blood.

    His eyes darted over the large map of the Kingdom of Camelot, showing the entire kingdom, going from the edge of the Sea over to the Border where Camelot met the edge of Mercy and Frank on the East. On the North right corner Edge of the Kingdom, Roma was consider natural land, often being used as a way for the various Rulers to meet with each other to discuss various issues that come up, discuss treaties of all kinds, and discuss the possible war alliance against other countries on the far side of the seas.

    The Former High Queen Belladonna sat in the chair, usually reserved for the King, at the left side of the Round Table. She stared at the Table with critical, tired look. Her normal perfect hair was falling about her head, strands of black hair curled out of the up-do she had her servants style for the Funeral.

    Her dark, bloodshot eyes darted over the table, looking at the edges of the Kingdom bordering the Kingdoms of Mercy and Frank before her eyes darted back to the Heart of the Kingdom. Her lips were pulled into a frown. In the firelight, it appeared her dress was a bit loser then she normally wore her dresses. The red head General felt something heavy land in his stomach.

    Prince Arthur, sitting on the right hand side of the King¡¯s Chair, tried to hid the fact he was yawning. He had bags under his eyes, pale in the firelight, and his eyes were blood shot. The top three buttons of his formal shirt was unbutton, revealing the Prince¡¯s collarbone.

    It didn¡¯t take a genius to know the Queen and the Prince came straight from the Queen¡¯s Tower and hadn¡¯t been able to take a nap to recover from the emotional strain of the day. Genesis felt sorry for the Prince and the Former High Queen. They had been through a lot over the last few days and now, they had to plan for a possible war with two kingdoms, united against them.

    High Queen Kalliope sat in her chair with her arms on the table and her head laying on top of her arms. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know she was trying to catch some sleep when she could. No one knew how long this meeting was going to take. While they did hope it was short due to the fact they couldn¡¯t really do anything without a King¡¯s permission, they were prepared to stay there well through the night.

    The General turned his attention away from the members of Ruling Family and settled it on the Head of the Knights¡¯, Lord Jack. Lord Jack tapped on the wooden arm of the chair. His eyes weren¡¯t bloodshot, but they give the appearance he didn¡¯t get enough sleep with the size of the bags under his eyes.

    He had the time to change out of his ceremonial formal uniform, now wearing a simple tan tunic with the strings undone. His eyes darted over the Round Table, thinking about possible routes the enemy could take, battlefields they could use to their advantage, and what kind of men Camelot would need to fill the war positions.

    General Bartholomew, sitting on Genesis¡¯ right, didn¡¯t look tired as he lend forward, a elbow on the edge of the Table. His eyes didn¡¯t have the bloodshot appearance, indicating he had managed to take a nap after the Parade. Genesis shifted in his chair as the thought of how lucky his brother in arms was to get the time to take a nap. Bartholomew had changed mostly out of his formal General uniform into a simple cream tunic, kept the same pants he had wore with his formal uniform, and switched out his formal jacket to his everyday duster.

    General Honor, on Genesis¡¯ left, managed to do the same as Bartholomew did. That caused the red head to scrawl at his friends. He moved his gaze onward. There was an empty chair on the other side of Honor. Merlin, whenever he arrived, would be sitting there.

    Sitting next to the empty chair for the Battle Mage, Lady Morgana picked at her nails with a barely concealed worried look. She had been able to change out of her formal funeral dress and into a simple dark gray dress. The hair style she had chosen for the day was gone, allowing her black hair to fall over her shoulders and down her torso. The edges curled.

    ¡°Where is Merlin,¡± Belladonna growled, breaking the silence.

    ¡°He is finishing up in the Chamber of the Holy Sword, I bet,¡± Morgana answered, ¡°He did ask to meet us at 8, not immediately when he heard the news.¡±

    Belladonna glared at the Black Mage, but she didn¡¯t say anything. They all knew what Merlin was doing. Supervising the only way they knew of to avoid going to War with the other Kingdoms on the island and possible the nearby countries across the ocean, on the Mainland.

    Beside Morgana, the Master of Strategy lend forward. He placed an elbow on the edge of the table. His gaze focus on the map. Genesis could smell the smoke, hear the gears moving, and knew the Master of Strategy was trying to figure out what was the best path for the Forces of Camelot take.

    Genesis heard the door open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the door shutting silently. He frowned as something moved in the shadows of the room. He watched the figure as it strolled to the table, sticking close to the walls until it reached the open seat next to the Master of Strategy and claimed it.

    ¡°Evening,¡± the newcomer purred. The Master of Strategy jumped. His eyes widened with surprise. The Strategy Master turned in his seat and sent the newcomer a glare.

    ¡°Spy-Master!¡± The Master of Strategy growled, ¡°Next time, make some noise before you seat down.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± The Spy Master of Camelot asked, innocently, ¡°It¡¯s so much fun sneaking up on you.¡± The Strategy Master glared at the Mater of the Spy Network. Genesis lowered his gaze to the map and held a chuckle. From the corner of his eye, Honor smirked in amusement and Bartholomew¡¯s eyes glittered with the same emotion. ¡°However, did you know that we have a team of The Hidden Bark Ninja in town, for the last two days?¡± Genesis blinked. ¡°No?¡± The Spy Master went on, ¡°Apparently, they are searching for your sister, General Genesis, from what my little birdies have been able to gather. One could take a guess that they were hired by Lady Freya of the White Hall House to bring her back to the Estate and discuss a possible marriage arrangement while the poor woman goes through the Lady mannerism training.¡±

    Expressionlessly, Genesis directed his gaze at the Spy Master. He knew the Spy network of Camelot was vast. Whoever the current spy master was, he had connections in every house that was a member of the Court. The General knew the benefits of doing that, but it did breed mistrust of servants. To his knowledge, there wasn¡¯t any spies among the servants of the White Hall Estate or at least there wasn¡¯t while he was growing up there. Perhaps, things had changed since he left the Estate and new servants were brought in, who didn¡¯t like the White Hall Family for a number of reasons.

    ¡°So, my grandmother managed to find someone for my sister to marry,¡± Genesis drawled, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should sorry for the poor bastard or for my sister.¡±

    ¡°I already feel sorry for the poor bastard,¡± Honor commented, ¡°If your sister is anything like you, Gen, he will have his hands full.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s assuming she doesn¡¯t end up killing the poor bastard in the first place,¡± Bartholomew added.

    Genesis looked at Honor then at Bartholomew, saying, ¡°I am not that bad.¡±

    There was a snort mixed with a cough from behind the red headed General. He turned in his chair and glared at Reno.

    ¡°You mean there is another White Hall sister, roaming around the castle?¡± Belladonna asked, ¡°Uncounted for.¡±

    ¡°Good possibility, my queen,¡± the Spy Master answered.

    Belladonna slumped in her chair and sent a glare at Genesis. He blinked innocently at her. ¡°Great,¡± the warrior queen said, ¡°Just great.¡±

    Genesis pouted, ¡°Gosh, you make it sound like I¡¯m go around and cause trouble when it is really my younger brothers doing that.¡±

    ¡°They had to learn it from someone,¡± Morgana added her two cents into the conversation. ¡°I must say you White Hall boys really make the days here in Camelot interesting. I can¡¯t wait to see what kind of mischief your sister causes while she is here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Belladonna grumbled.

    Morgana ignored the Warrior Queen as she reached for a goblet, continuing, ¡°Most of your family, General, have causes the Ruling Family all kinds of headaches over the number of years since the White Hall Family joined the Court, but the warriors your family managed to create have one thing in common. It seemed to be passed down through the generations.¡±

    ¡°And what is that, my lady,¡± Genesis asked, curiously. He didn¡¯t have many chances to talk to the Lady Morgana through his years at Camelot. It did come as a surprise. Usually, he was too busy to have a conversation with her.

    ¡°That creative, ruthless, thirst for destruction,¡± Morgana gave him a smirk, ¡°It usually shows itself on the battlefield.¡± She brought the goblet up to her lips before she took a long drink from it. She shallowed before she went on, ¡°Perhaps, that is why my brother, Arthur, favored your house so much while he was still alive.  Also, maybe that is way he had talked about desiring a bride from your house¡­.¡±

    The War Room door burst opened and Merlin hurried into the room with one of the scribes and the Master of Coin hot on his heels. Genesis tore his gaze away from the Black mage. He half wondered what she meant by her statement of King Arthur I favoring the White Hall Family when he was still alive.

    He remembered the various historian lessons he took while growing up at the White Hall Estate and none of them suggested that the First King of Camelot showed any favoritism toward the House of White Hall. Unless the she-mage had suggested a reason why there had been so many man in the White Hall Family managed to be promoted to high ranked positions in the Military and granted Knighthood. Of course, there was a family legend that one of the White Hall Daughters was rumored to be promised to a Pendragon Son, but that, to Genesis¡¯ knowledge, never happened.

    ¡°I am sorry for running late,¡± Merlin announced as he strolled to his place beside Morgana. The Court Scribe swept past the War Table to the small desk in the corner of the room and sat what he held down onto the table. Scrolls rolled about the desk¡¯s surface. An ink well clattered on the wood. A dozen quills could be heard pit pattering on the wood before they settled.

    The Master of Coin claimed the seat between the Spy Master and the Prince. He set a leather bound book on the edge of the table and flipped it open to a page.

    ¡°Now, that we all are here,¡± Merlin started, ¡°As you read in my letter, the Kingdoms of Franks and Mercy are having a political marriage and plan to move against us within the month.¡± The Battle Mage glanced around the table. ¡°It goes without saying, we will want to meet them outside the castle to prevent the causalities. Where do you think we should meet them?¡±

    Genesis nodded, absentmindedly. He turned his gaze to the map, lending forward. He placed his elbow on the edge of the table and held his chin between his index and thumb. There were a lot of different possible battle fields they could chose.

    ¡°Before we get started on any battle plans,¡± Lord Jack spoke up, ¡°How did the Choosing go? Were you able to find the Chosen King?¡±

    Feeling a flash of hope go through him, Genesis blinked and looked up at Lord Jack before he directed his gaze over to the Battle Mage. Merlin slumped in his chair. A loud tired sigh echoed through the room. Any hope Genesis felt evaporated when he heard that. The Fiery General¡¯s shoulders slumped.

    ¡°No,¡± Merlin replied, ¡°I will be announcing a public choosing tonight. The public will no doubt hear it in the morning, considering how late it is getting.¡±

    ¡°When will it started,¡± Morgana asked.

    ¡°At noon,¡± Merlin stated, ¡°It will give the men enough time to gather in the Court yard and line up.¡± He rubbed his face. ¡°It will be something else we will be planning tonight.¡±

    ¡°I think we need to go ahead and plan for that,¡± Lord Jack suggested, ¡°This way we have an idea of what to do when the Next King is chosen. As of right now, we have plenty of time to go over our battle plans before the Kingdoms of Mercy and Frank start marching on Camelot¡¯s territory.¡±

    Belladonna muttered something, but it was too low for Genesis to hear. It was no doubt something negative since she was didn¡¯t approve of the Choosing Ceremony. Apparently, she still thought that Arthur could and would be Chosen by the Holy Sword.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°We will have to also tighten security around Camelot during the Ceremony,¡± Honor spoke up. Genesis nodded in agreement. It was something he didn¡¯t think of right away. The group discussed their plans for when the Holy Sword chose the next King and the battle plans with what knowledge they had.

    The bell tower rang out the hour as Genesis left the War Room. He rolled his shoulders as he mentally counted the bell tolls. 10 o¡¯clock. Surprised, he thought they would have took a lot longer then 2 hours. On the other hand, he mused as he walked toward the White Hall Wing of the Castle, they didn¡¯t have much to go on. The Masters of Spy and Strategy were waiting on their sources to bring back more information on the actions of the enemy. Genesis had no doubt he will be back in that room at least dozen more times over the next week, discussing what the Masters were able to find out.

    He sighed, stopping on the edge of the Courtyard. He felt a sense of something looming on the horizon. He realized it could be a danger since the Holy Sword had not been able to find a worthy man to take over as King. He shifted, uneasy. He blinked. He looked down at the stone walkway. He placed his hands on his hips. He shook his head to order to clear it. He glanced back up at the starry sky. He just had to hope that the Holy Sword managed to find a worthy man to take over ruling Camelot. Genesis took a deep breath and started on his way to the White Hall Wing. He didn¡¯t want to experience another era of a Kingless Kingdom.

    In the distance, he heard the town criers spreading the word about the public choosing. He wondered what would happen when the sun rose in the morning.

    The White Hall Wing

    Remus closed his bag and glanced around the room. He didn¡¯t know how long he would be gone this time. The last couple times he went on a scouting mission, he was able to get it done within a few days. This time, Remus didn¡¯t know how long he would be gone. He would be heading to the secret village hidden in the Dead End Forest to discuss the reason why there was a team of Ninja sent after his cousin, Genesis¡¯ sister, The Missing White Hall Sister. He remembered what the letter had said, but he wanted to make sure he understood it, fully.

    Maybe there had been letters exchanged on who would be marrying into the Hidden Bark Village in order to renew the White Bark Treaty. If Valentina had been chosen, he didn¡¯t know if he should feel sorry for her or for the Village. From the recent interactions, he got the feeling she wouldn¡¯t be too pleased over an arranged married so soon after getting out a relationship. He sighed.

    There was a knock on the door. He half turned to it and hollered, ¡°It¡¯s open!¡±

    Remus wasn¡¯t surprised when he spotted Genesis walking through the suit door. He was expecting the General to show up before he left, anyway. Just not this soon after the War Room Meeting. He thought it would have lasted nearly all night.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the War Meeting didn¡¯t last long,¡± Remus started as a way of greeting.

    ¡°You are not the only one,¡± Genesis admitted, ¡°I thought it would last a good portion of the night.¡± There was a pause, ¡°Has Valentina and Rosemary went to bed, yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Remus nodded. He turned to face the General. ¡°Rosemary went to bed, nearly a hour ago. I already checked on her. Valentina was in the process of tucking the boys into the spare beds in her suite when I checked on her. She didn¡¯t allow her maid to do it, surprisingly, saying she wanted to do it herself,¡± Genesis¡¯ expression transformed into a look of surprise. ¡°I was surprised, too, but somehow she managed to get the eldest boy -Ichigo?¡± His red head cousin nodded. ¡°Ichigo promise to keep his word and stay the night to make sure none of the boys got sick.¡± Remus sat on the edge of the bed, continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure she went to bed afterwards.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll check on her before I head to bed, as well,¡± Genesis said, ¡°I guessing you are getting ready to leave.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Remus gave him a wolfish grin, ¡°Perhaps I can drag it out and charge you more.¡± Genesis glared at him causing him to laugh, softly. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take me long to get the information you desire, cousin, no more then a week, at worst a fortnight.¡± Genesis nodded in understanding. Remus sighed and stood up before he reached out for his pack. He tossed the strap over his shoulder and walked over to Genesis. ¡°Watch after our ladies while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°I always do,¡± Genesis stated. The tone he used was full of promise. Remus nodded. He knew the General would. He approached Genesis and they shared a hug before he walked to the hallway with Genesis following him.

    Once in the hallway, Remus went left, walking past the Armstrong Suite. That was where Genesis stopped and disappeared into the Armstrong Suite without a sound. Remus, however, went on, walking through the silent, darkness halls of the Castle. He reached the stables and went to one of the horses that Rosemary had brought with her the day they had arrived in Camelot. He saddled up the horse and led the creature into the Courtyard. He tied his pack behind the saddled before he climbed onto the horse¡¯s back. He grabbed the reins and soft kick to the animal¡¯s side. The horse moved forward, heading to the Southern edge of town.

    Remus passed by dozens of Knights and guardsmen patrolling the empty streets. Majority of the townspeople already retired to their homes and the Pleasure Ladies walked through the town, looking for a lonely soul to keep company.

    In the Armstrong Family Suit, Tina sighed as she laid out the items she had packed in her travel bag over her bedspread. It had been nearly a hour since she had put the boys to bed and dismissed Kagome for the night. Putting the boys to bed was an experience. She rubbed at her chest. She glanced upward as her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to be a mother, already. She let out a shaky breath. She closed her eyes, allowing several tears to escape.

    Whenever she had brought the subject with her ex, he brushed her off, saying they were young and had their whole lives ahead of them. He also stated that she had other worries to take care of first, like the course work she had been assigned to finished. In the end, she stopped bringing the subject up and buried the topic deep in her heart. Just like the many other topics he had brushed off or made an excuse not to talk about.

    She didn¡¯t expect the urge to be a mother would raise up while she tucked the youngest boys into bed. Now, she didn¡¯t know if she would be granted the chance to have kids. Right now, she had to heal from her heartbreak and slowly take the time to find the right partner for her and possible a good father for her unborn children. A few more tears trailed down her cheeks. She lifted a hand and wiped away the tears. Maybe in the future, she would be a mother. After all, the future wasn¡¯t set in stone. She turned her focus onto the items she had laid out on her bed.

    Someone had went through her travel bag and took the clothes down to the laundry, washed them, and brought them back. Tina admitted to herself she wasn¡¯t expecting that. However, she did leave her travel bag out and Kagome might have took it down to the wash room or whatever the laundry room was called in this Kingdom. She mentally went through the list of items she had brought with her and compared it to the items in front of her. All of it was there. She thought someone would get curious enough and take one of the items. It wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°So,¡± a voice rang out causing Tina to jump. She jerked her head up and looked to the open bedroom door to see her cousin- older brother, Genesis, standing in the doorway, ¡°When are you planning to leave?¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± Tina confessed, ¡°I¡¯m planning on going home.¡±

    ¡°Where is home?¡± Genesis stepped in the bedroom and headed over to one of the plush chairs by the crackling fire. He sat down and straighten out his legs.

    ¡°Far, far away,¡± Tina smirked in amusement, ¡°It almost seems like it is on another planet.¡± Genesis raised an eyebrow at her. An amused smirked played on her lips. She knew the reference went over the General¡¯s head, but it was nice to make it.

    She cleared her throat before she continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will go straight home, yet or not.¡± She turned her attention to the bed and started to roll up one of her pairs of jeans before she packed them away. ¡°I want to see the Kingdom before I do, I think.¡± She repeated the process with a second pair. ¡°It will help me, to heal.¡± She voiced, ¡°I recently went through a bad experience and I want to experience something good without hurting someone else.¡±

    She blinked, ¡°Well, hurt someone else emotional.¡± She corrected herself as she shoved the rolled up pair of jeans in the bag and wiggled it down to the bottom of the bag. ¡°Maybe see some things that Lord Godric spoke up.¡± She smiled in excitement. ¡°I won¡¯t mind seeing a creature that breaths fire, or summons ice spikes, or another magical based attack.¡±

    She looked up at Genesis and he stared at her, just watching her as she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t have those kind of creatures back home unless I travel to find a secret pathway between the worlds.¡± She turned her gaze to a folded shirt and started to roll it up.

    ¡°You are from the Outside World,¡± Genesis stated, firmly. He brought his legs up into a bending position and lend forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together.

    Tina paused. She set the shirt down and straightened. She stared at Genesis with guarded expression. He stared back with the same expression. She replied, ¡°Yes, I am.¡± There was silence in the room as she waited for Genesis to say something else.

    ¡°It does explain a lot,¡± he said after a minute, resting his back against the back of the chair, ¡°The way you act, how you didn¡¯t know how the Court was run, and how bold you are with everyone including the Ruling Family.¡± He sighed. His eyes darted back and forth. ¡°How long have you in Avalon?¡±

    ¡°Avalon?¡± Tina raised an eyebrow at the name. She knew it was the mythical place that once upon a time ago, in another story, the Lady Morgana took King Arthur to heal and eventually it become his final resting place. She frowned, thinking about a similar conversation she had with the Head Cook, Sanji, the other night. She didn¡¯t remembered if he had given a name to this world where Camelot resided in or not.

    ¡°Avalon is this world,¡± Genesis waved his hand. There was note of excitement in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure the outside world - the one you are from - is called Earth, right?¡±

    Tina thought about that statement before she repeated a part of, ¡°The one I¡¯m from is called Earth? You mean there are other worlds connected to Avalon!?¡±

    Genesis nodded. Eyes widened in shock, Tina turned and sat on the edge of the bed. There are other worlds connected to this one. That blew her mind. She knew the Spirit World connected the Human and the Demon Worlds, but she wondered if it would also act as the Entry point to the afterlife. A sense of adventure bloomed in her stomach.

    ¡°I think I will be staying in Avalon for a bit longer then I thought I would.¡± She started to rumble, before she stood up and twisted on her heel, with a giggle, ¡°I would have to let mom and grandma know what was going on so they didn¡¯t have to worry. Plus, Tasha would probably want to come with me since it was summer vacation.¡± She stopped and shifted from side to side.

    She glanced at the red head general, sitting rigidly. ¡°Mom probably won¡¯t like it since it would mean Natasha would have to start her training early and I would be in charge of it. On the other hand, it would explain the Ninja. I thought those guys came from Japan and from the way Ralph and his team were dressed, they might be have been from the early 20th century, but I don¡¯t know. That would required more study and the fact I would have to go with them to their village then I would be dragged to the Estate to meet Freya, for whatever reason she had to hired them to kidnap me, in the first place.¡± She hummed. ¡°Perhaps, after words, I could head home and explain things with mom then take Natasha with me when I come back. Oh, the possibilities!¡±

    She grinned widely enough to cause her cheeks to hurt. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to start exploring this world. I don¡¯t know if mom and grandma would like to make it a family trip. Mom always complained that we haven¡¯t took one and she wanted to visit a few places she had while growing up. I know she had said she wanted to share those places with her kids. Of course, Aunt Nami would probably want to come along. Perhaps, I should call her when I get home and explain what happened.¡±

    She paused and thought about it. ¡°Perhaps, not. She will rip me a new one for what happened and summon me to the compound for some more hellish training with the Detectives.¡± She glanced down at the stone floor. ¡°I won¡¯t mind seeing them again, but not while I¡¯m supposed to be going back through training with Aunt Nami. They would get a laugh out of it for bit before they would get roped into training me.¡± She sighed. She let out a giggle. ¡°Maybe I can finally start healing from the heartbreak.¡±

    Genesis got to his feet in one fluid movement that took Tina by surprise. She stopped talking and stared at him. His eyes flashed with hurt and anger. He opened and shut his mouth. A fist curled tightly and opened. The fire flared behind him, outlining his figure. He shook his head before he stormed out of the room. She watched him go, blinking.

    There was door slamming shut. She jumped in surprise. Genesis had left. Apparently, from the sound of how hard the door slamming shut behind and the way he was acting, he was upset about something. She briefly wondered if it was something she had said. She sat on the edge of the bed. She frowned as she mentally review the conversation then something hard settled in her stomach as a mental red flag went up. She had blown her cover story apart.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± she breathed. She glanced at the doorway. Her shoulder slumped and she slowly got back to her feet. She finished packing her bag. She noticed Remus didn¡¯t give her back the scroll Ralph had given her. She sighed. There was nothing she could do about that.

    The Edge of the Dead End Forest

    Ralph glared at Waya before he huffed and turned his gaze back to the glowing windows of the Castle. He couldn¡¯t blame Waya for acting out like he did. He, too, was getting tired of this retrieval mission. Hopefully, they would be able to charge more the White Hall Family more with all the trouble Tina had caused them. It should have been a simple mission. He was starting to think that there was nothing simple when it came to the White Hall family or their vassal houses. He sighed. He briefly remembered the few missions involving the Family. His first mission with the White Hall Family was around the New Years after he had graduated

    ¡°I wish Kikyo would hurry up,¡± Abasi grumbled from his spot several branches above Ralph. ¡°I want to get this mission over with already.¡±

    The leader of the team agreed. They had been waiting on her since sunset. She had gone undercover as one of the Maids for the Castle. According to her report, a few hours before, she had managed to be assigned to their target. So far, Tina had been unaware of Kikyo being so close to her. Ralph knew it would be her down fall.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Ralph,¡± Kikyo began as she landed on a nearby branch. Her legs bent until she found her balance then she slowly stood. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get away any sooner then I did. Our target just went to bed.¡±

    Ralph¡¯s eyes ran over Kikyo and noticed she was still dressed as a maid. It was his first time seeing the Clan Heiress wearing a dress. He knew better then to comment about the black dress with a white apron.

    ¡°Nice outfit,¡± Waya commented. It didn¡¯t mean the rest of Ralph¡¯s teammates had the same instinct. Ralph sighed.

    Kikyo¡¯s eyes narrowed in a glare and her arm flew out to the side. A whistling sound cut through the air. Waya lend to the left, dodging a kunai. The throwing knife landed in the side of the tree where Waya¡¯s head use to be. Waya smirked at Kikyo.

    ¡°Enough.¡± Ralph barked, narrowing his eyes at Waya who put on an innocent look, ¡°Report.¡± He turned to Kikyo.

    ¡°Valentina is planning to stay another day then is planning to leave the following morning,¡± Kikyo said, ¡°She¡¯s using a cover story, claiming to be Lady Nami¡¯s granddaughter instead of niece. So far, it is working.¡± Kikyo giggled before she explained, ¡°Valentina is causing a stir at Camelot¡¯s Court. There are some ladies who would prefer her to be gone already while some lords are plotting ways to ensnare her in possible marriage contracts.¡±

    ¡°Of course she is,¡± Ralph sighed. That could make kidnapping Tina difficult. They would have Knights and Lords on their tail the moment it got out who kidnap Tina.

    ¡°I pity the man she ends up marrying,¡± Waya laughed, ¡°That marriage life would be something to see.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if she would kill a simple man,¡± Abasi said before he snorted, ¡°Of course, she would. She may need a strong will man to put her in her place.¡±

    Ralph turned to look at his male teammates, adding, ¡°You do realize there is a treaty deadline coming up and the Bark Village needs to renew it with the White Hall House through any means necessary, right.¡± Both men froze. ¡°It may mean a marriage contract.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Abasi started, ¡°That explains a lot.¡± Waya nodded in agreement. ¡°I had been wondering why the major families have been in uproar for the past couple months. They have been trying to figure out the best candidates they have to name for a marriage contract.¡±

    ¡°I thought you would have known that,¡± Waya commented, looking up at Abasi, ¡°considering family ties.¡± Waya shifted uncomfortable and added, ¡°Ralph reminded me of it this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I had heard about the treaty and the deadline,¡± Abasi said, ¡°But I didn¡¯t know it was this close.¡±

    ¡°I heard on the way out here,¡± Kikyo spoke up, ¡°They will be having a public choosing starting tomorrow at noon.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Ralph breathed.

    ¡°You mean they haven¡¯t been able to find a worthy person to be chosen by the Holy Sword?¡± Abasi asked, shocked coloring his voice.

    ¡°It would explain why Arthur announced he wouldn¡¯t be taking over the throne a few days ago,¡± Waya stated.

    Ralph nodded, ¡°It would mean also tighten security.¡±

    ¡°Fucking lovely,¡± Waya stated, ¡°What is the plan?¡±

    Ralph glanced between his teammates before he turned his gaze to the teammate¡¯s resident strategy, ¡°Abasi, what are your thoughts?¡±

    Abasi hummed and brought his legs in crossed legged position on the branch. He closed his eyes and slipped into a mediative state, thinking. The rest of the team settled down on their branches, knowing he will think through several plans they could use and waited.

    Ralph turned his gaze toward Camelot. A gentle wind played with the strands of his hair. His gut tightened. There was something brewing within the walls of Camelot. He knew it had to deal with Tina. He had to find what was that was before he would be forced to deal with it on the fly.

 Chapter 57: The Dungeon of Secrets

    The Secret Dungeons of Camelot

    The torches flickered with fire along the path leading deeper into the dungeons. Queen Belladonna glanced over her shoulders at the two guards escorting her. She stopped in front of a plain oak door. She pulled out a small iron key from a pocket and slipped it into the lock. She turned the key to the left and heard the click, announcing the lock was unlocked. She grabbed the large circle handle and pulled on the door.

    She fought to keep her face straight and emotionless as she ordered over her shoulder, ¡°Stay here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my queen,¡± the guards replied as they stood on either side of the door.

    Belladonna looked forward before she went through the door and a smirk crossed her face. She entered a separate hallway, strolling down it to another door and pulled it opened. Beyond this door, there was several cells on either side of the door. She turned to the first one on the left hand side.

    In the cell, a creature, a simple human, would call a man. The former High Queen knew better. It was known as an Elf. The ville creature had pointed ears, sticking out of its matted discolored hair. It raised its head to glare at Belladonna with a pair of striking blue eyes. Its lips curled back in a snarl. Belladonna raised her right hand and waved her fingers at the Elf. It had been chained to the wall of its cell for the better part of four months.

    ¡°How are you doing, Prince Oaken,¡± she started. It had been a while since she had visited her private dungeons she had commissioned during her time as High Queen.

    ¡°You damn well how I am doing,¡± Prince Oaken growled, ¡°I¡¯m guessing the reason why my father hasn¡¯t sent an army to retrieve me yet is the fact you or one of your family lied saying I didn¡¯t arrive at Camelot.¡±

    Belladonna laughed softly, ¡°You are correct.¡± She titled her head to the side, ¡°It was so easy to deceive your so called intelligent people. It was amusing.¡±

    The Prince growled.

    She moved onto the next cell. She ran her eyes over the male demon with bat like leather wings. The demon had pale skin, black hair that hung limply around his head, and a pair of purple eyes that shone with hatred and the promise of revenge. This prisoner had been living in the cell for nearly 2 decades. Belladonna had been surprise and impressed the Bat like demon had been able to live that long without proper meal. She really thought he wouldn¡¯t survive at long as he has. Now, she was able spot the creature¡¯s hip bones at its waist line where his pants hung off him.

    ¡°Save your energy, Battie, there is no need to address me,¡± Belladonna giggled as she noticed the Bat Demon¡¯s glared deepen. She could almost feel the hatred and the rage directed at her. Almost. ¡°I see you are doing just fine.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°That¡¯s a load of bull shit,¡± a gravely voice rang out. It came from the cell across from Prince Oaken. Belladonna half turned to see the Dwarven King. He came to Camelot nearly six months ago, claiming to be on a diplomatic mission to increase trade between his Kingdom and Camelot¡¯s.

    However, Belladonna¡¯s forces managed to catch him before the Dwarven King could reach The Camelot Castle and met with King Uther. The Warrior Queen had ordered the Dwarven King to be taken to her private dungeon and killed the guards in order make sure the news of the King of a Dwarven Kingdom had arrived, but was taken captive. ¡°In my 250 years, I have never met a more cruel woman then you.¡±

    ¡°I take that as a compliment,¡± Belladonna smirked at the Dwarven King. He had lost weight as he hung from the chains a foot above his head.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be a compliment,¡± he spat a word causing Belladonna to frown. She knew he had spoke in his native tongue, but she didn¡¯t understand what the word meant. She could take a guess as she cocked her head to the side, studying the Dwarven King. His bead, once taken care with pride, lay limply on the King¡¯s chest and messy. She could cut it. The thought cause her lips to twitched with amusement. It would hurt his pride more then anything she could do to him physically.

    ¡°You should have been struggled in your crib when you were born,¡± another voice rang out. She turned to see the large red skinned Tiefling sitting in the far corner of the dungeon. He was chained to the wall and the floor. A part of Belladonna was surprise he didn¡¯t try to escape. He was strong enough to do. Another part of the former High Queen worried the reason why he didn¡¯t try.

    ¡°Just like you should have been,¡± Belladonna purred, ¡°Maybe I could do it right now and leave your corpse for the others to feed upon.¡±

    The silence in the dungeon was pleasing. It was something she had done before. The only one who didn¡¯t take part of that carnage was the Bat Demon.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nice,¡± this voice belong to the newest demon in the private dungeon. She turned to view the blue-black haired male with blood red eyes. He looked bored as he stared at her. ¡°I think I have seen the Hell Demons with more compassion then you have shown us when they take people captive.¡±

    Belladonna cocked her head to the side, ¡°Hell Demons?¡±

    The New Demon snorted, ¡°Hell Demons are our cousins, if you want to think of it as a family tree. They are cursed to roam the pits of Hell with the Fallen Angels.¡± He paused, ¡°Even our Kings and most powerful demons take pause and hide when they hear about the Hell Demons roaming in our Countryside.¡±

    The Warrior Queen rolled her eyes in annoyance. She ignored him as she ran her eyes over her collection of creatures who were illegally in her Kingdom. They were progressively declining in health. Soon they would be ready to raze her enemies to the ground. Soon, she would take her rightful place. She grinned as she left the dungeon, pleased. The dungeon door shut and she locked before she tucked the key away.

    Meanwhile, in the dungeon, the locked up creatures breathed a sigh of relief. They never knew when she would reappear. They did wonder who will end up joining them.

    ¡°So, why does she leave us locked up,¡± The newest demon to the collection asked.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± the Bat Demon replied. His voice was hoarse from disuse.

    ¡°She is the reason why Camelot has become unfriendly to the non-humans in the last couple decades,¡± Prince Oaken replied, ¡°This Kingdom was one my people used to count on until half of century when she became High Queen. Then relations went south.¡±

 Chapter 58: Trollish Deeds

    Unknown Location

    A cloaked figure hurried through the darken tunnels, heading to the cavern where his mistress lived. She would be pleased to hear the news of King Uther¡¯s passing and the fact the Holy Sword still hadn¡¯t chosen the new King. Perhaps, she would take action or not. The figure didn¡¯t dare to presume to know how its mistress¡¯ mind worked.

    The figure turned its attention to the cave system as it approached a fork in the road. It stopped. The cloaked head looked at the left fork, trying to find a sign. It shifted back and forth. The cloaked head turned to the right fork. Which way was it, again?

    It hated when the mistress decided to move hideouts again. In its opinion, they were hidden away and not a lot of people thought the Mistress was still alive, considering the last time she was seen among the average villager was over 300 years ago. Even then, according to its forefather, the Mistress went out in a disguise, but something happened where the Mistress lost her temper, revealing her identity and they had to destroy the village in order to protect the fact Mistress was still alive. Of course, they took slaves for various reasons.

    The figure frowned. They would have to go out and raid a village, again, soon. Their slaves were slowly dying out after a few years. It seemed like they just raided a village for fresh bodies last month, not five years ago. The figure sighed. It really wished they would find a group of people who would support the Mistress. Hopefully, after the letters the Mistress had ordered it to send out to old allies, they would get some help they need. The Mistress had informed the Figure it was time to gather up their old allies. Maybe the old allies would bring slaves with them.

    The cloaked Figure released another sigh and turned its attention to the fork. Did the right fork led to the hideout? Or was it the left? It didn¡¯t remember. Usually, the screams of the slaves would have echoed through the rocky halls.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    There was a loud thump coming from behind it. It spun around, the hood of the cloak fell off its head to reveal a wide of pair blue eyes, sunless skin pulled over a thin, masculine, almost skeleton face, stringy black hair, and thin lips. The thump came again and again, in a rhythmic walking of a large creature.

    His eyes ran over the area, looking for a hiding place. He spotted a large rock and hurried over as the creature approached. He darted behind it, trying to melt into the shadows. He closed his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. It was a moment before the creature lumbered into sight.

    It was a green troll, standing around 16 feet. It wore a loincloth around its hips, but it swayed when it walked, revealing the fact it was a male.

    The Figure¡¯s mouth went dry. Male trolls were dangerous to be around. They were usually highly territorial of their cave and their females. However, a part of him was glad the Troll walking by him was not a female with a child. A mothering Troll was a lot more dangerous then a male troll.

    He pushed himself back against the wall, trying to appear smaller then he was. He knew from previous experience, trolls required several dozens Knights to combat them and possible a few squadrons long rang fighters. Even then, there was no guarantee in defeating Trolls.

    The troll lumbered by. The hidden figure waited for a few more heartbeats, watching as the Troll paused at the fork and turned his head back and forth. It was obviously he was looking at the rocky hallways. He reached and stretched his head before he reached to his loin cloth. He held up a piece of paper and stared at it. The piece of paper was regular sized for a human to use, but in the Troll¡¯s hand, it looked extremely small.

    ¡°Take the left fork to meet our mistress,¡± the Troll¡¯s voice rumbled. It was deep and echoed from the rocks. The Troll looked up and headed down the left fork.

    The cloaked figure wanted to bang his head off the nearby rocks. Of course, it was the left fork. He forgotten about it because he had been so busy preparing for his mistress¡¯ guests. He sighed. The Troll Representative had arrived. He knew it would be a matter of time before the others would arrive. He still had a lot of work to do.

    He stepped from the shadows and glanced toward the entrance. He didn¡¯t think someone would be following the Troll. He turned away and hurried down the left fork, keeping a good distance between himself and the Troll in case the Troll figured out the cloaked figure was following him and turned to attack or try to the Cloaked figure a sneak.

 Chapter 59 Dreams of the Past

    Lady Valentina of House Armstrong kicked off the blankets as she tossed and turned in the huge, too hot bed. She laid for a long moment, feeling the slightly cooler air wash over her form. Her green eyes popped open and she stared up at the canopy with annoyed expression. The nightmare floated in her mind as she remembered what happened a few days ago before she arrived in Camelot with Tristan.

    Tina sensed more then she saw the arrow slicing through the air, leaving a trail of her spiritual energy before the empowered arrow slammed into the stack of black powder barrels.

    BOOM!

    Tina¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the barrels disappeared into the blooming flower of red, orange, yellow. Her gaze followed the flower as it reached into the sky before she felt the heat wash over her. At first, it was a sensation of a warm sunny day then it turned into the feeling of stepping under a too hot shower, before it transformation to the ¡®Holy shit! That¡¯s Hot!¡¯ feeling and finally, Tina felt the burning feeling of standing too close to a open flame.

    She shook her head before she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up and glanced over at the fireplace. She blinked, her lips parted and stared at the still roaring fire. She thought the fire would have died out or at least burnt itself to embers. The flames flickered back and forth like it was just brought back to life. She stepped around the bed and walked over to the fireplace, stopping once she was a few feet away from it and knelt down to peer into the fire. She raised an eyebrow as she didn¡¯t spot a fresh log. In fact, the fire should have been embers now. She frowned as she spotted a faint blue color in the heart of the fire. She hoped she was imagining that. If not, something else was going on.

    ¡°Why is it so hot?¡± someone whined.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Luke,¡± another voice spoke up.

    ¡°Open up a window,¡± a third voice drawled.

    Sighing, Tina turned on her balls of her feet and turned her attention to the bedroom door. She slowly stood up and walked over to the door, leading to the common area. She paused. Her hand floated above the doorknob as she thought about who else would out in the common room.

    Genesis. Her bother.

    What she said the night before drifted through her head.

    ¡°I think I will be staying in Avalon for a bit longer then I thought I would.¡± She started to rumble, before she stood up and twisted on her heel, with a giggle, ¡°I would have to let mom and grandma know what was going on so they didn¡¯t have to worry. Plus, Tasha would probably want to come with me since it was summer vacation.¡± She stopped and shifted from side to side.

    She glanced at the red head general, sitting rigidly. ¡°Mom probably won¡¯t like it since it would mean Natasha would have to start her training early and I would be in charge of it. On the other hand, it would explain the Ninja. I thought those guys came from Japan and from the way Ralph and his team were dressed, they might be have been from the early 20th century, but I don¡¯t know. That would required more study and the fact I would have to go with them to their village then I would be dragged to the Estate to meet Freya, for whatever reason she had to hired them to kidnap me, in the first place.¡± She hummed. ¡°Perhaps, after words, I could head home and explain things with mom then take Natasha with me when I come back. Oh, the possibilities!¡±

    She grinned widely enough to cause her cheeks to hurt. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to start exploring this world. I don¡¯t know if mom and grandma would like to make it a family trip. Mom always complained that we haven¡¯t took one and she wanted to visit a few places she had while growing up. I know she had said she wanted to share those places with her kids. Of course, Aunt Nami would probably want to come along. Perhaps, I should call her when I get home and explain what happened.¡±

    She paused and thought about it. ¡°Perhaps, not. She will rip me a new one for what happened and summon me to the compound for some more hellish training with the Detectives.¡± She glanced down at the stone floor. ¡°I won¡¯t mind seeing them again, but not while I¡¯m supposed to be going back through training with Aunt Nami. They would get a laugh out of it for bit before they would get roped into training me.¡± She sighed. She let out a giggle. ¡°Maybe I can finally start healing from the heartbreak.¡±

    Tina winced as she silently hoped Genesis wasn¡¯t in the common room. She knew she would have to face him, eventually, but he might need some time to figure things out on his end with the new knowledge of her identity. It was touchy situation. She took a deep breath. There was no point in hiding when they will have to be seen together, outside of the White Hall Wing, since they were family. She let out her breath out slowly and twisted the doorknob, pulling the door toward her.

    In the common room, Tina spotted the six boys sitting on the couches. She walked out and crossed her arms over her chest. She peered down at the nearest one - Ichigo, if she remembered correctly. He had his legs over one of the armrests and rested his back against the other one. His red hair was messed up like he just rolled out of bed. She couldn¡¯t see his face with his back toward her.

    She turned her gaze to another boy, Marco. He sat on the end of the couch. His legs stretched out and his bare feet on the table. His blond hair looked like he had ran his fingers through a hundred times, making some parts stand on end. His blue eyes reflected the roaring fire in the fireplace. She glanced at it to see a small blue flame at the heart of the fire. She frowned. It was just like in her room. That was strange.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°I wonder what has caused the fires to take on a blue heart,¡± she mused out loud. All six boys jumped in surprise. Ichigo spun in the chair while Marco jerked his feet from the table and planted them on the carpet. Luke let out a squeak as he fell over the far armrest, hiding behind side of the couch. Andrew scrambled to his feet and glared at Tina, standing in a protective stance. Seth stood up in a graceful fluid motion from his seat in the middle of the couch. Tina resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at that. The last boy, his name began with L, right, slipped from the end of the couch opposite of Luke and closet to her before he twisted around to stare up at her with startled expression. ¡°I know adding certain chemicals to the fire will turn it blue, but I doubt you boys will have any of these chemicals on you.¡±

    The six boys gave her a blank stare until the one closet to her spoke up, ¡°What are Chemicals?¡±

    She turned her attention to him, explaining, ¡°It is a substance with a define composition that changes into a new substance.¡± She was rewarded with a blank stare. She went on, ¡°Take this table,¡± she walked forward and bent down before she rapped her knuckles on the surface. From the looks of like, it was some of wood. The sound of her knocking echoed around the room. She opened her fist and cupped the edge of the table, trying to lift one end up. It was some sort of heavy wood. ¡°We all know this is wood. It will burn, but it make take a few days to burn into ash, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have seen Yule logs take up to a fortnight to burn to ash,¡± Seth commented. She glanced up. The tone he used suggested he knew what he was talking about like he had seen it.

    ¡°Yule Logs changes substance from a log of wood to a fine ash,¡± she said, ¡°This suggest there was a chemical reaction between the fire and the wood. The wood couldn¡¯t handle the heat the fire produce so the wood had to change to something else.¡±

    ¡°So, it is magic,¡± Luke spoke up with a wide grin.

    ¡°Yeah, it is a form of magic called science,¡± Tina gave him a small smile. ¡°Anyway, why are you doing up already? It has to be close to 5 or 6 o¡¯clock in the morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too hot in our room, Miss,¡± Seth explained, ¡°The fire in our hearth is acting similar to this one.¡± He waved toward the fire. ¡°Ichigo even opened up the widow, but it doesn¡¯t help.¡±

    Tina nodded and stood up, looking around. She was sure the Maid had left a pitcher or two of water. She walked toward the dinning table and looked for water. She eventually found it in a small room off the common area. She wrinkled her nose as she smelt something when she entered the room, but she didn¡¯t stick around to figure what the source of the smell was.

    She walked across the room and went to the room the boys were using. Heat washed over her as she stepped into the room. She gasped. It felt like it was close to a 100 degrees in the room. She glanced to the window and saw the horizon in the distance where a thin line of sunlight appeared and the sky lightening up from the darkness of night. She would have to remember to pray to Sol in a few minutes. She turned to the fire and saw it had a blue flame as its heart. She walked over and tossed the entire pitcher over the flame.

    Loud hissing echoed through the air. Smoke clouded Tina¡¯s vision for a brief moment. She waved a hand in front of her face and turned away, walking away from the fire. She spotted the youngest trio poking their heads in.

    ¡°There you go, boys,¡± She spoke to them, ¡°It should be cooler in a couple minutes. It will be easier for you to sleep if you are interested in getting more sleep.¡±

    ¡°I think it would be best if we be on our way, Miss,¡± Ichigo said as he walked up to the youngest trio. Tina spotted Luke crossed his arms over his chest and pout, giving Ichigo a glare. ¡°Thank you for saving Luke yesterday.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Ichigo,¡± Tina started, ¡°Would you please stay until breakfast?¡± Ichigo opened his mouth, but she held up a hand, ¡°Please. I don¡¯t know your situation or how often you are able to get fresh food or who is willingly to help you survive.¡±

    Ichigo sent her a glare as the youngest trio teamed up and gave him puppy eyes. Marco stared at Ichigo with a hopefully expression and the last boy, the one with name beginning with L, hugged Ichigo¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Maybe I can talk to the cooks to toss together a bag with enough food for a couple days,¡± Tina suggested, trying to get them to stay. She would admit she was worried. They were too skinny. Ichigo looked like he was around 13 years old instead of being closer to 16, according to Genesis. Most 16 years olds would be either working for the Military or with a Master of a Trade. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about where you are finding food or what you will have to do to earn it.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Luke grabbed Ichigo¡¯s arm and pleaded with his older brother.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Ichigo sighed as he rolled his eyes. Apparently that was it - Luke¡¯s pleading - to make Ichigo to agree to stay for breakfast. ¡°We will stay through breakfast and you better give us what you promise.¡±

    Tina cupped Ichigo¡¯s shoulders and noticed he stiffen. She ignored it as she stepped and hugged him. ¡°You are doing the right thing - staying for breakfast and getting extra food.¡± She whispered in his ear, ¡°You are welcome to stay as long as you want to if you don¡¯t want to leave.¡±

    She stepped back and walked by the group of boys, heading to the front door. She paused when she heard the doorknob rattled and Kagome stepped in. The Maid had dark shadow under her eyes as she blinked in surprise to see Tina standing a few feet away from her. Tina raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are you alright, Miss¡­Kagome, right?¡±

    The Maid blinked again and slowly nodded before she curtsied before Tina, saying, ¡°My deepest apologizes, my lady, my brother¡¯s son didn¡¯t sleep last night and kept the entire house up.¡± She stood straight and looked at Tina before she finished, ¡°Yes, my name is Kagome.¡±

    ¡°How old your brother¡¯s son?¡± Tina asked, deciding to use the same phrase as she did. She didn¡¯t know if the word nephew was used in Camelot or not.

    Kagome seem to freeze. Her eyes held a note of panic before she blinked it away so fast that Tina thought she had imaged it. She spoke, ¡°He is 4 months old.¡± She paused for a heartbeat before she asked, ¡°What can I do for you, my lady?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes,¡± It was Tina¡¯s turn to blink and mentally scrambled to the reason why she was approaching the door. ¡°Could you please run down to the kitchens to see if they are open? If so, Could you please bring up breakfast to us? Also, I do have special request for the kitchens - gather up any leftovers from this morning or food that will last a few days, placed it in a medium or large bag for these boys to take with them.¡±

    Kagome curtsied again, saying ¡°As you wish.¡±