Savior of Avalon

Chapter Two

It had been like an eternal winter in Avalon and Camelot alike ever since Morgana had taken the throne. Nimue stood at Guinevere's side as she did the laces of her extravagant gown and curled the shiny tresses of her brunette hair. Guinevere—although older now than she was when she had first taken her place as Arthur's queen—was still a thing of beauty.

Her hazel eyes met Nimue's with pity when she saw the sadness in the redhead's eyes.

"Merlin is strong," Guinevere assured her, turning to face her friend. "You needn't worry about him."

"If it were Arthur going to some strange land, would you not worry?" Nimue asked, sinking down onto the bed.

The Elves had granted King Arthur, his knights, his queen and Nimue and Merlin rooms and beds in their village. It was the only beauty that hadn't been completely crushed by Morgana's magic. It was nestled deep within Avalon's forest and hidden with a magic so old, even Morgana could not hope to crush it.

Guinevere didn't answer that. She couldn't. She worried enough when he ventured off into dark forests and the far parts of Camelot with his knights. But going to a strange land called America was something she never wanted imagine Arthur doing.

"I know that you're worried," Guinevere began, walking toward the window and looking down on the Elven village. "But you shouldn't be, Nimue. Merlin is the only sorcerer to venture into the Shadows of Death and return. This... America... is nothing compared to Merlin's abilities. You know what he can do."

It was true that Merlin could perform incredible feats of magic, but that didn't stop Nimue from worrying. Whenever everyone else looked at him, all they saw was Merlin, the great and powerful sorcerer. But when she looked at him, all she saw was Merlin, the man. The man who could bleed and die just like the rest of them. Sure he had lived five hundred years fit as a fiddle, but in an instant, that could change.

"I just hope whoever this wizardess is can do what the prophecies say she can do," Nimue murmured, mostly to herself. "Is such magic real?"

Guinevere hummed and sang the song that she had heard since she was a child.

"Her heart of gold

Shall be heard in the songs of the new and the age of the old

Her skin of radiance and her eyes of mercy

Shall be part of a story to forever be told

When Camelot's eternal winter is at hand

And Avalon's children are too weak to stand

Out she will come from the great willow tree

Out she will come to save you and me."

Nimue supposed that eased her worry a little. This wizardess was supposed to be more powerful than Merlin. She supposed that as long as he found her, their power together would be unstoppable. She let out a breath and prayed that this wizardess was everything the songs and prophecies said.

☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪

We pulled into the driveway of the posh apartment from my childhood. Gaping up at it, I realized it was exactly as I remembered it yet different. The same because it towered over the hustle and bustle of the busy Upper East Side streets. It was different in a way I couldn't exactly explain. No matter how hard I tried to put my finger on it.

"Are you ready, Lucy?" Mom asked, snapping me out of my daze and forcing me to turn my attention back to her.

I nodded firmly. I was ready to get inside and have her explain what the hell was going on. I was ready for the secrets to stop. I was ready to achieve some sense of normalcy in my life.

Once we were inside, I took in the scenery. High ceilings, tastefully decorated, and floor to ceiling windows that showed the busy Manhattan streets.

Taking a deep breath, I turned away from the view and focused on Mom who was already looking at me warily. Our eyes met and I saw in hers that she had always dreaded this moment.

"You're going to want to sit down for this, Lucinda."

Her tone of voice was so serious and carried such a heavy weight that I found myself obeying her without thought, sitting on one of the plush, elegant chairs in the main room.

Mom sighed, sat down beside me and closed her eyes for a moment. She seemed to be trying to figure out where to start.

"Do you remember when you were younger, how you used to always ask about your father?"

I nodded, thinking of how odd it was for her to begin her explanation like this.

"Your father... we met in a land far from here, Lucy. I was young—a little older than you—and I was free from my father for the first time in my life. All my life, I'd heard of the beautiful town of Avalon. A town where magical creatures lived." She snuck a glance in my direction and all I could do was blink as she continued. "While I was there, I ended up in deep in Avalon's forest. I remember how scared I was. Night was coming and already it was getting cold.

"Then, this unicorn came," she spoke softly, eyes closed as she remembered. "He was beautiful. He was so white, it seemed like he was shining in the darkness. Suddenly, I was afraid anymore. I was so at peace all of a sudden. Right before my eyes, he became a man. A handsome one, too. He was..." Mom trailed off, shaking her head. "Before I even knew what was happening, I was falling in love with him. I would visit the forest everyday to see him and many times, he would come to the human world to come see me."

She got really quiet all of a sudden and I had a feeling her story was about to take a turn for the worst.

"I found out I was pregnant. Your father feared for your life and mine. He said it was against the rules for Unicorns and Mortals to conceive a child because the children of such a union were so powerful. He was afraid of what they might do to us. So he took us to see Merlin, the greatest sorcerer in all of Camelot.

"I remember that Merlin came really close to my belly—I was only a month pregnant with you—and held his hand there, closing his eyes. When he opened them he said, 'She's the Chosen One, the one songs and prophecies speak of."

Mom cut off her story, looking at me full on, her eyes more serious than I'd ever seen them before. I once thought she looked serious when it was time for us to move from one place to the next, but I was wrong. Right here, right now. This was the most serious I had ever seen her.

"There is a prophecy that a king would bring the magic world and the human world together—the magic world being Avalon and the human world being Camelot. This king would be aided by a great and powerful sorcerer, the greatest the two kingdoms had ever known. But, at during the kingdom's glory age, it would fall, snatched from the king and the powerful sorcerer by the Evil One—in the prophecies she's called Ayleth. She would take control of the kingdom and bring despair and eternal winter.

"But a child would be born on the full blood moon in a strange land. A child made of human blood and pure blood and when the time was right, she would help the king and the powerful sorcerer reclaim the kingdom and slay the wicked Ayleth. In the prophecies, they call this child Sibyl. It's believed that the child could be powerful enough to speak to the gods and they believe the child will rule Avalon and forever cast evil out of the realm.

"So when Merlin told me that you were the Chosen One," Mom continued, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't know what to do. Merlin warned me that if he could sense your power, Morgana could, too. He told me that I would have to run with you all my life. I wanted your father to come with me, but he couldn't. He was the prince of the unicorns and he couldn't just abandon his people. He told me to take care of you and that when the time was right, we would all see each other again. He gave me my weight in gold and then Merlin opened the portal and sent me to this world."

I was quiet for a good minute. I wasn't sure whether I believed this or not. I mean, my mind was screaming at me that all of this was impossible. I was torn between thinking my mother was crazy and wondering if she had been high and really thought all of this happened. But, my heart believed her. My heart could see the emotion on her face when she talked about my father, when she talked about Avalon and Camelot, places that should only exist in fiction.

Swallowing, I asked, "So, what happened to Dad?"

Mom sucked in a shuttering breath, closed her eyes and said, "When Morgana took the throne, she heard of the prophecy of a child born with human blood and pure blood, she put two and two together and found out that the pure half of the child was unicorn blood. So she executed them all. Your father with them."

I let out a deep breath, my heart hurting at the pained look on Mom's face. I had never known my father but Mom did and it was clear she had loved him with all her heart.

"But, if you were in this world, how did you hear about his death?"

"Thom was one of Arthur's Knights in Camelot," Mom explained. "When your father died, Merlin feared we were in trouble and told Arthur that Morgana would be looking for you and we would need protection. Thom is Arthur's most trusted knight. Second only to Lancelot."

"That's why Thom's always around," I muttered to myself. "Wait, did you say Lancelot? I thought Guinevere had an affair with Lancelot that caused Arthur to lose the kingdom."

"In this world, stories are twisted," Mom said with a roll of her eyes. "Guinevere and Lancelot were put under a spell by Morgana. It was a little while before she took the kingdom from Arthur. She snuck into Guinevere's chambers and put a spell on Guinevere's favorite necklace. Whenever Guinevere wore the necklace, she was overwhelmed with desire for Lancelot. The necklace made it so he wanted her, too. Whenever she took it off, though, she would be back to her normal self.

"Well, one day, while she was wearing the necklace, she and Lancelot gave into that. Arthur found them and somehow he knew the necklace was responsible so he removed it and Guinevere and Lancelot were both themselves again. Both of them were ashamed by what they had done. But there was no time for shame because Morgana had snuck her men past Camelot's walls and took over. They all had to flee."

I was quiet because quite honestly, I didn't know what to say. It wasn't everyday your mother told you that she once lived in Camelot, then moved to Avalon for a new start. Then, she met a unicorn who turned into a man, fell in love with him and got pregnant with you, met the sorcerer Merlin who sent her away to a far away land to protect you. It's also not everyday you realize a man who you've known and trusted since you were a child is actually one of King Arthur's knights.

It was a good thing Mom had told me to sit down because at this moment—if I had been standing—my knees would have given out from under me.

"So, in my dream..."

"It was a dream, but it wasn't a dream," Mom said, her words were the exact same words Merlin had used. "It was a method sorcerers use to talk to one another when things aren't safe. If in your dream Merlin said he was coming for you, then things will be fine. We just have to wait for him to get here."

"But, how did he contact me? I'm not a sorcerer, Mom."

"You were born of human blood and pure blood, Lucinda. You're far more powerful than you realize."

"In my dreams," I began after a lengthy pause. "Merlin said Morgana wanted me dead. Then you said the prophecies say that a child with human blood and pure blood would help Merlin and Arthur defeat Morgana, right?"

Mom nodded once, seemingly impressed that I remembered all that. Like I could forget.

"But, isn't she back in Camelot?" I asked, unable to believe I was really having this conversation. "How can she kill me if she's in another land?"

"Morgana may be in another land, Lucy, but she is more powerful than you realize. Every year, your power grows and every year, it becomes easier for Morgana to find you. That's why I've been running. Morgana sent some of her knights to this world after me once she found out I was the one who was pregnant with the child who could defeat her. At first, you were easy to hide. We only had to move once every couple of years. But when you turned ten, your power grew tremendously. Some of Morgana's men showed up here, wanting to kill you. If it hadn't been for Thom, we would have both been dead."

I tried with everything in me to remember, but found I couldn't.

"I don't remember that at all."

"You were asleep. I woke you up right after it happened and then we left." Mom looked defeated. "I don't have magic, Lucinda. I'm just a ordinary human girl who fell in love with a man and gave birth to a beautiful child. I didn't know that you would be as powerful as you are, I didn't know you would be in danger. I didn't know your father would die because he fell in love with me." A single tear slipped down my mother's cheek and my heart dropped. I had never seen my mother cry before and I decided that I never wanted to see her cry again. "I've done all I can to protect you all your life, but your abilities are too strong and I'm not enough to protect you anymore. We need Merlin. Once he's here—"

There was a knock on the door that interrupted whatever Mom was about to say. We both turned our attention to the door.

"Maybe Merlin's here already," I suggested.

Mom frowned and shook her head. "Merlin would have materialized in here already. You'll come to find sorcerers have a knack for being dramatic. Stay here. I'll see who it is."

Mom got up from her seat and walked toward the door, soon she was out of sight. While she was gone, I let my mind wander. I didn't want to believe any of this was true, but for some odd reason, it all made sense. All my life, Mom made sure I studied Camelot and Avalon. At night, she used to tell me stories about the forests of Avalon, filled with lush green trees, beautiful flowers and home of Pixies, Fairies and Elves.

I knew my Mom well enough to know she wouldn't lie about something like this. She wouldn't lie about my father. The tears and the emotion on her face and in her voice said that this was all very real. As impossible as it seemed, I believed it.

Mom came running back into the room, her eyes wide and panicked.

"Lucinda, you have to get out of here," she gasped, out of breath. I think she was more out of breath because of how terrified she was.

I got up from the couch and Mom grabbed my arm with her clammy hand, pulling me forward.

"Mom, what's—"

My sentence was cut off by a loud crashing. Mom and I whirled around to see two enormous men barreling into the penthouse. They were both dressed simply in jeans, T-shirts and jackets to protect them from the cold. They moved menacingly toward us and Mom slipped in front of me, trying to shield me with her body.

When they moved forward, we moved back until we were pressed against the wall. The man in front reached out, prepared to snatch Mom, but she pulled out a bottle of mace from her back pocket and sprayed him in the eyes.

He yelped in pain, dropping to his knees and holding his hand to his burning eyes. His friend charged toward us. Mom moved quickly, grabbing a vase beside us and smashing it across his head. He didn't fall down, but it slowed him enough for Mom to kick him in between the legs. That stopped him completely.

"Run, Lucinda!" Mom yelled, pulling me forward.

Mom was pushing me ahead of her as we ran to the front door. I opened the door when all of a sudden, Mom's hand was pulled from mine. I looked back in time to see Mom's boy flying across the room, slamming into the far wall and crumpling to the ground.

"Mom!" I shouted, escape forgotten.

"That's right, little girl," one of the men leered, giving me a grin and showing off his yellow teeth. "Come over here and Mommy won't get hurt."

"No, Lucinda," Mom said weakly, lifting her head and looking in my direction. She was bleeding and her face was twisted in pain. "Run."

The other man—this man, I now realized, had a beard—stepped on Mom's hand hard enough that I could hear the c***k of her broken bones from here. Mom let out a weak scream before she passed out, her body finally having had enough of the pain.

"If you have me will you let her go?" My voice shook and my heart was pounding.

The man gave a sadistic smile and drew an X over his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die, princess."

I swallowed hard and started to walk forward when a lightning bolt struck the ground between the men and me. From that lightning bolt, a man's figure became visible. His back was to me, but I recognized that blue cloak and the proud way he held himself from my dreams.

Merlin.

The men grew wide eyed and backed away. They didn't seem very sadistic now.

"Hasn't Morgana taught you to pick on people your own size?" Merlin asked, sarcastically, a smile in his voice. "Yet here you are, picking on a little girl. Pathetic."

I bristled at the words little girl, but was too focused on my mother's unconscious body to shoot back a sharp retort.

"Give us the girl, Merlin," the man spoke, making a gesture to his bearded friend who scooped up my mother's unconscious body and held a knife to her throat.

"Mom," I yelled, my legs moving forward. Merlin held out an arm to stop me, not even looking in my direction.

"If you don't give the girl to us, her mother gets it."

"You won't kill her mother," Merlin said tauntingly. "Her mother is the only leverage you have. Without her, you're back to square one. If you killed her mother, you'd have to return to Camelot empty handed. We—all three of us—know how much Morgana hates it when her men return home empty handed. How many of your fellow soldiers has she killed for failing to retrieve the child?"

Both men swallowed hard, growing pale. This Morgana woman seemed horrible.

"Very well, then," the beardless man spoke, his eyes flickering to me as he smiled coolly. "We'll be taking your mother with us."

He pulled a leather, drawstring pouch from his pocket and grabbed a handful of some kind of golden dust, throwing it into the air around himself, his friend and my mother. They disappeared almost immediately.