Savior of Avalon

Chapter Twelve

Merlin sat next to Thom with Nimue pressed against his side. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't really paid much attention to her when we first stepped through the portal. I was so amazed at the fact I'd stepped through a freaking portal and into a land many people swore never existed, I didn't have a chance to really see the woman Merlin was with.

Now, I realized, she had long, soft tresses of red hair—more copper and not at all like Aengus's bright ginger hair. Her eyes were strange. One eye was blue and the other was green. She was beautiful in an interesting way. In a way that, her features were so enthralling, you couldn't help but stare until you were sucked into her beauty.

Now I understood why Merlin was with her. She was beautiful, womanly. There was no way Merlin could ever call her a little girl.

After I had eaten my meal, one of the servants came to me with a large slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

I laughed in delight, looking at her. "You have ice cream here?"

Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me in awe. "You know of this delicacy, m'lady?"

I raised a brow. "Yes," I answered slowly, looking around only to realize the dining hall was quiet and everyone was staring at me. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Is it not common here?"

"No, m'lady. Faelyn travelled all the way to Italy once and she learned this. It was a long trip. She made the trip seven days before you got here."

I smiled. "Well, tell her I said thank you. I love ice cream."

She curtsied once and hurried off. Everyone watched as I cut into the pie and ate. It was honestly the most awkward thing, having hundreds of people watching you eat.

Aengus guffawed suddenly, slamming down his cup and crying out, "Where's the ale?"

Everyone in the room laughed and cheered and just like that, my shoulders relaxed. I looked at him in thanks and he winked at me as a maid came hurrying over, filling his cup with ale.

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Later that night, I was in the large bed, staring up at the canopy. Arthur had promised that tomorrow, we'd discuss what needed to be done to save the kingdom and my mother. Now I was having trouble sleeping.

After dinner in the dining hall, Reyna had taken me away from everyone to ask me if I had any more questions for her. In only a short amount of time, she seemed to know me so well. Then again, maybe it was obvious how confused I was.

"Why is everyone treating me like their queen already?" I'd asked. "No one seems to give a rat's ass about Nimue."

"Nimue does not rule Avalon. She rules over the Lake of Avalon," Reyna explained, smiling in amusement. "Now that you're here, however, she will have to relinquish her rule over the Lake of Avalon. When you ascend the throne, you will rule all of Avalon. The lake included."

Getting out of bed, I put the cloak Merlin's mother had given me over my shoulders and headed out. I knew where I was going because Reyna had told me earlier. It didn't take long before I was at the stables, my eyes seeking out the familiar golden mane.

"Aurea," I said, softly, going to her.

Once I was in front of her, I stroked her soft mane. She snorted, bumping my head with her soft muzzle. Her eyes met mine and she seemed worried about me.

"I'm okay," I assured her, taking a deep breath. "Well, actually—if you want to know the truth—it's all happening a little fast." I shook my head. "I mean, can you imagine me being queen of anything, Aurea."

She snorted once, her eyes saying yes.

I laughed. "You're just flattering me." I pet her muzzle softly. "Everyone expects so much from me. To defeat Morgana, to save my mother, to save two kingdoms, to be queen. I might go crazy before I can even manage to do one of those things."

"You'll do fine," Aurea's eyes said. "I believe in you."

"You know, Aurea," I said, hugging her. "I haven't known you very long, but I love you."

She whined in a way that said, "I love you, too."

"You can understand her?" Came a voice from the entrance of the stables.

Startled, I turned to see Merlin there, watching me with fascination. Out of nowhere, though, an odd expression took over his face and he turned away from me.

"Could you at least cover up?" He hissed.

I looked down at the white sleeping gown I was wearing. I guess this gown was the equivalent of a man seeing a woman in her underwear.

Rolling my eyes, I wrapped the cloak around me so that the sleep dress was covered.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I wondered.

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted, a tad warily. "I saw you heading to the stables and I figured I should follow you before you get yourself into trouble."

"I just wanted to see Aurea," I said, patting her softly. "I wanted to make sure she was okay."

"You never answered my question."

I turned to look at him. "What question?"

He sighed, the annoyance on his face was strong. "I asked if you could understand her, little girl."

I glared at him. "Aurea's an open book. She doesn't have to speak. I just know." My voice was sharp. If he kept calling me "little girl" one of these days I was going to snap. "Shouldn't you be getting back to Nimue?" I asked, ready to be rid of him. "If she wakes up and you're not there..."

"Nimue will be fine," he interjected, his voice cold. "You're the one who needs looking after."

I huffed, turning in Aurea's direction and facing away from him. I swear, sometimes his haughty attitude pissed me off.

"Well, you can go," I snapped, leaning my head against Aurea's soft, firm neck. Oddly enough, she smelled like apples. "I don't need a babysitter."

Merlin sighed, sounding annoyed like he always did, before he asked, "Why are you down here in the middle of the night, anyway? It's a long walk from your room, Sibyl."

"I told you," I muttered, wanting this conversation to be done with. "I came to see Aurea."

I didn't have to look at him to know he was watching me closely. I could feel his eyes on my skin. Almost as if it were a flame and I were a moth.

"Maybe that's partly true," he murmured slowly. "But, over the last few days we've spent together, I've come to know you fairly well. Why are you really awake?"

I looked over at him, our eyes meeting. The ice in his amber gaze melted, his expression almost...soft. At this moment, he looked like a completely different person.

"I'm scared," I admitted. Although my words were quiet, they carried in the darkness between us. My hands on Aurea's mane tightened a little, my heart pounding as I finally admitted my fear aloud.

"Why?"

"Because what if I'm not as good as everyone thinks I am," I spoke up, my voice trembling. "What if I can't save my mother, let alone an entire kingdom. What if I just disappoint all of you?" I turned away from Merlin as I spoke, unable to face him. I ran my fingers through Aurea's soft mane as she watched me gently.

"You're right," Merlin spoke up. "There are a lot of what ifs. It's very possible that you could fail and Morgana could kill all of us—your mother included. There is a chance she could rule Camelot for the rest of time. Soon, Avalon would fall, too. Their crops grow now, due to pixie dust, but what would happen when Morgana killed them all off? Avalon would eventually surrender."

"Is there a point to all of this?" I inquired sharply, whirling around to face him.

"Yes. My point is one of those what ifs may be what if you lose, but what if you don't? Prophecies can be a fickle thing, Sibyl. Sometimes they come true and sometimes they don't. But I've seen what you can do. Back in the parking lot yesterday, you controlled weather. That's something no sorcerer or sorceress has ever done."

I didn't realize Merlin had come closer to me until suddenly we were standing toe to toe, forcing me to crane my head to look up at him. His sandy colored hair swept over his amber eyes as he looked at me intensely, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I know I'm not the most...encouraging of men," he said. "But I do believe in you, Sibyl. You'll get stronger and you'll learn to control your magic as only you can. And when the time comes, I believe you will save Camelot, Avalon and your mother. I believe you'll save us all."

I couldn't find words to say in that moment. There were no words to describe how surprised, relieved and grateful I was to hear those words. And from Merlin, no less. So, I did the only thing I could do. I smiled up at him gratefully, hoping he could feel the thankfulness in the air and hoping that he could see it on my face in the dim moonlight.

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The next morning, Calem and Lhun bought me my breakfast. They were as kind as always as I ate, before showing me to the room where I could take my bath.

I sat in the fragrant rose bath, my muscles relaxed despite the tense turn of my thoughts. Today was the day Arthur was supposed to discuss with me how we would free my mother. Thom assured me that, when it came to strategy, there was no better man than Arthur.

Once I was dressed and my hair was taken care of, I stepped out of my room to find Aengus waiting for me, a grin on his face.

"Ye know, m'lady," Aengus began. "These clothes suit ye best."

I looked down at this world's version of a casual dress. It was a long sleeved wine colored number. I only knew it was casual because, compared to all the other dresses I'd worn, it was more flowy. Not to mention it didn't have laces.

"Do you think so?'

Aengus nodded. "Don't get me wrong, yer world' clothes suit ye, too. In fact, if I were about nineteen years younger, I'd court ye." He winked at me causing me to laugh. "But ye look much more...yourself like this, m'lady. It suits ye."

I smiled warmly at Aengus. We had only known each other two short days, but already he was such a good friend to me. I knew I could rely on him. I looked around this empty wing, remembering Reyna's words and wondering if I would truly find someone I trusted as much as Aengus, let alone an entire wing full.

"C'mon, then," Aengus spoke up. "Arthur wants us all to meet about now. I'll lead the way."

I followed Aengus as he walked confidently forward, seeming to know this castle better than I did. Along the way, we came across a few people who all bowed deeply when they saw me. I smiled, but on the inside, I was pretty sure this would take some getting used to.

"You know this castle so well, Aengus," I observed.

He laughed and nodded. "It's my job as yer knight to know this castle inside and out, m'lady. I spent the better part of my night getting acquainted with it. I saw ye sneaking out to see Aurea and I attempted to follow ye, but Merlin assured me he could watch out for ye while I got meself used to this castle."

I raised a brow at that. Merlin always seemed so annoyed by me, I would have thought he'd jump at the chance to pass me off to someone else. Yet, now I was hearing he'd offered to stay and guard me.

It was weird.

It made me feel weird.

We arrived in the main hall. Where there were once long tables filled with food and hundreds of people, there was now a single round table. King Arthur and his knights all stood as I entered. I saw Mordred among them as well as Thom and Merlin. Guinevere remained seated, but she smiled welcomingly at me.

I had briefly met Queen Guinevere last night. We hadn't talked much—what, with all the eyes on me and my boundless nerves—but she had seemed kind. When she looked at Arthur, I could see how much she loved him. Not to mention, she and Mordred shared the same smile.

"Lucinda, please take a seat," Arthur encouraged.

I took the seat next to Thom, who smiled at me, his eyes holding a promise as we looked at each other. We were going to get Mom back and this was the first step. This was what we had been waiting for. Aengus sat next to me and once we were seated, Arthur and his knights did the same.

"These are my most trusted knights," Arthur began, gesturing at the thirteen knights sitting around us, some of them eyeing me mistrustfully. Almost as if they were wondering if a little girl like me could really bring Camelot back together.

"This is Lancelot," he said, resting his hand on the shoulder of the man to the right of him. Lancelot was tall, broad shouldered and grey eyed. He was actually insanely attractive, especially for someone his age.

"He," continued Arthur, "is my right hand man. My most trusted knight. I sent Thom to watch over you seventeen years ago. He is my second most trusted knight. There is no man more honorable than he. Of course, you've met my son, Mordred."

He gestured to the fresh faced boy I had met yesterday. The boy was sitting by Guinevere's side and he turned to smile warmly at me, his dimples flashing as he did.

He continued on this way, introducing me to all thirteen of his knights. Once he was done, he began the conversation we had all come here for.

"As you all know, we couldn't discuss this until Lucinda arrived," said Arthur, looking around and meeting everyone's eyes as he spoke. "Now that she is here, we can truly begin taking back our kingdom. Morgana—as we all know—has Lucinda's mother locked up in the castle. No matter what happens, rescuing her will be our main priority. No harm should come to her, understood."

All the knights nodded their heads and when Arthur was satisfied, he continued.

Looking straight at me, he said, "The is a stone located on the Isle of the Lost. This stone holds great power, power only a Unicorn can wield. Since you are a half-blood, Merlin believes you can unlock its power."

"Okay," I said slowly. "But, how is a powerful stone going to help me save my mother or help you save your kingdom?"

"We're not just going for the stone," Arthur explained, patiently. "There is a sword there to which the stone belongs to. This sword is said to have magical properties. They call it—"

"Excalibur," I guessed.

Eyes grew wide and everyone turned in my direction, looking stunned. All except Thom, who looked wildly amused.

"You know of Excalibur?" Asked Merlin, his eyes wide with disbelief.

I nodded once, my mind already a million miles away. So, I was going to find a stone, unlock its power, somehow merge it with a magical sword, and give it to Arthur. This sword would be able to stop Morgana once and for all.

"And you're sure Excalibur can defeat Morgana?"

Arthur nodded once. "Merlin is positive and if he's positive, then I trust his judgement."

"Okay," I said, sighing. "When do we get started?"

"We will rise with the sun tomorrow morning. We'll load up our equipment, saddle up our horses and begin making our way to the Isle of the Lost. It will be all thirteen of my knights and me as well." Arthur looked at me seriously and said, "I must warn you, Lucinda. Few have traveled to the Isle of the Lost and lived to tell about it. We could be walking to our deaths."

"I guess we'll just have to be the few that do live to tell about it," I said. "Let's kick this mission in the ass, save my mother and this land and go on peacefully. Sound good?"

A few knights looked shocked. I assumed in this day and time, it wasn't acceptable for girls to say the things I'd said, but Arthur laughed, seeming as amused by me as Thom was.

"Let's do just that, Lucinda." He stood and stretched out his hand to me.

I stood and extended my own arm, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. In his eyes and in mine, there was a promise. A promise to help each other for as long as we lived.