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.
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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.”
https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08MBFS53L . The Paperback is scheduled to be released on Feb 8 2025. I am working on a Hardcover edition, which I am hoping to have out by the end of February 2025.
