Merlin's Daughters

by

Meredith Rae Morgan

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010 Meredith Morgan

All Rights Reserved

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Chapter 1

The Fairy Queen stood at the window of her bedchamber with her eyes closed and her Soul reaching out into the moonless night. There was a disturbance somewhere far away that she could feel even in the Fairy Realm. She enlarged her Soul further until she could sense the outline of the Tor of Avalon and hear the Druids and Priestesses chanting antiphonally. Their music was plaintive and desperate. That alarmed her because the Druids only invited the Priestesses of the Grail to join them in prayers when they were afraid. She stilled her Soul, enlarging it as far as she could, and listened to the chanting. She sensed trouble and could feel the fear emanating from both the Druids and the Priestesses. Gwyneth knew that when the ordinarily serene inhabitants of Avalon were worried, something was seriously wrong.

She could sense no immediate danger to the Fairy Realm, but something was clearly amiss beyond the Druids' Tor. Something in the Human Realm was disturbing Avalon, and its effects reached as far as her palace, deep in the Fairy Realm. To her knowledge no Human disturbance had ever reached that far into the Nether World.

Gwyneth knew in her heart that whatever was going on had to do with Excalibur's disappearance, although she tried to block that thought as too horrible to contemplate.

“Damn her, anyway!!!”

Gwyneth turned away from the window and dropped her night wrapper, summoning her chambermaid in the silent language of the Fairies. The maid materialized in front of her queen holding a travel gown and a warm cloak. Gwyneth said, “Have the Boatman prepare my vessel, and send a message to the Druid that I am coming.”

The chambermaid bowed and disappeared. Gwyneth dressed quickly in her traveling clothes, a shimmering gown woven from spider webs and a black hooded cloak that had been treated with a magic spell, rendering it warm, waterproof – and invisible, if necessary. Gwyneth usually preferred to walk through the palace, visible to her Court, in order to be approachable to anyone who might wish to speak with her. That evening, she embraced the sanctuary of invisibility as she flew toward the dock at the portal to the Fairy Realm.

The Boatman was waiting for her on the dock; her Oarsmen were already seated in the boat, poised and ready. As soon as the Queen's second foot landed on the deck, the boat glided forward – and disappeared. A moment later it appeared beside the dock at the portal to Avalon. The Boatman of Avalon greeted Gwyneth with appropriately respectful words due one of her station, but he said them with the irritating air of superiority and condescension exhibited by most of the inhabitants of Avalon. Gwyneth felt the urge to cast an itching spell on him, but she resisted, and locked her mind and Soul to deny him the pleasure of discovering how much he annoyed her.

He informed her that the Druid was waiting for her. She ignored him and hurried up the path toward the residence of the Sorceress.

A young priestess fell in beside her and chuckled, “The Druid will not like being kept waiting, Your Majesty.”

Gwyneth smiled and winked, “The Druid will get over it. Is the Sorceress available?”

“Yes, Milady, she's waiting for you.”

“What's going on?”

“I don't know. The Druids have been very worried. Of course they don't share what they know with us. We, being merely women, are unworthy of their confidence. The Sorceress met with the head Druid this evening. Perhaps she knows more now.”

Gwyneth muttered, “Damnable Druids!”

The priestess' laughter tinkled like a wind chime, “That seems to be a fairly widely held opinion outside of Avalon.”

Gwyneth raised her eyebrows and asked, “And upon the Isle of Avalon?”

The priestess laughed, “Well, Your Majesty, the Isle of Avalon is occupied by Druids, Priestesses of the Grail and those Human Christians over by the portal to the Human Realm. I'd say that your opinion is shared by two out of three of those groups.”

Gwyneth smiled with her mouth but there was no mirth in her eyes, “Unfortunately the Tor itself is in the hands of the Druids, so you have to tolerate them.”

The priestess nodded. The sorrow in her eyes tore at Gwyneth's heart. Gwyneth raised her hand in blessing. The Grail Priestesses were being pushed back into a smaller and smaller corner of Avalon by both Christians and Druids. On several occasions, Gwyneth had offered them refuge in the Fairy Realm. The High Priestess said she would consider it if a safe hiding place could be found for the Holy Grail. Gwyneth took that as a (justifiable) swipe at her for losing Excalibur. She would have taken offense, but for her own self-flagellation and guilt at the very thought of being responsible for the loss of the Nether World's most precious treasure. She forced herself to re-focus her thoughts on her meeting with the Sorceress.

At the clearing surrounding the Sorceress' cottage, the priestess stopped, “Will you visit the High Priestess while you are here?”

“I don't know. I hope I will be able to stop by to see her when I have finished here. I do so enjoy her company – and her tea cakes!” She grinned and then turned toward the Sorceress' dwelling, saying over her shoulder, “I don't know how long this will take. I suppose it depends on what kind of news the Sorceress has for me by way of the Druids.”

The priestess disappeared and Gwyneth walked toward the cottage, her bearing regal and showing no sign of the nervousness she always felt in the presence of the Sorceress of Avalon. The door was opened for her by an invisible hand. After she passed through, the door swung closed behind her and she ascended a long stairway leading upwards, deep into the Tor. Gwyneth followed the stairway which was lighted by glowing walls that shimmered, first pink then gold. The light became brighter the higher she rose into the Tor. Just when its brilliance became almost uncomfortable to her eyes, she passed into the Sorceress' Chamber, a simple room that throbbed with magical power.

The Sorceress sat in a low seat by a grate where a small charcoal fire flickered. She motioned for Gwyneth to join her. A round wooden table that stood between two chairs was set with a snack of olives and bread with a pitcher of wine. The Sorceress poured Gwyneth a cup of wine and invited her to refresh herself. A maid appeared with a bowl of warm water and a towel so she could make her ablutions. Gwyneth washed her hands and face, and then dried them on the towel. The maid bowed and withdrew. Gwyneth turned to the table and ate a few bites of an olive to be polite. Having gotten the preliminaries out of the way, she looked at the Sorceress and raised her eyebrows.

The Sorceress laughed, “Gwyneth, you simply must learn someday to play by the rules.”

“And just why should I do that?” She tried very hard to keep the laughter out of her voice, but she was aware that the Sorceress knew her well enough to know that she was not annoyed at the very old joke about her brusque manner, which many in the Nether World viewed as rude.

The Sorceress made a face and ignored the rhetorical question. She sighed, “Okay, since you refuse to make all the preliminary opening statements that are supposed to happen before important conversations, I'll get right to the point. The Druids are very worked up....”

Gwyneth snorted, “When aren't the Druids worked up about something?”

The Sorceress raised her eyebrows and said softly, “Careful, my dear. The Druids are everywhere on this isle.”

Gwyneth looked alarmed, “They have invaded your private space?”

The Sorceress shook her head and then she paused for a long time, switching to the silent Fairy language as a precaution, “Not yet. At least I don't think so.” She waved her hand as if to erase the thought and went on, “But that is a conversation for another day. A conversation that will take place at your palace to be absolutely certain we are not overheard.

“Sadly, the issue that has the Druids worried now is a matter of true concern for both Humans and all the folk of the Nether World.”

She paused and took a sip of wine, broke off a piece of bread and, then, instead of eating it, she proceeded to break off tiny pieces and squeeze them into balls. The Sorceress was nervous! Gwyneth had known her for hundreds of years and had never before seen anything phase the Sorceress of Avalon. Gwyneth struggled to contain her growing alarm. The Sorceress continued, “It appears that Excalibur has surfaced in the Human Realm.”

“What?! Where is it? How could that have happened?”

The Sorceress raised her hand to halt the torrent of questions, “We don't know how it happened exactly, although I would be willing to wager that the Black Fairy had something to do with it.” She probed Gwyneth with her eyes and her Soul for a reaction; Gwyneth steeled her body and Soul, and did not react, but she sensed the Sorceress knew her heart was pounding in her ears and it was all she could do to maintain her seat.

The Sorceress continued, “Anyway, we don't know how it happened but Excalibur has been substituted for the Pendragon sword in the stone at Londanum. Excalibur is evidently not happy about being so exposed on the one hand and so trapped on the other.”

Gwyneth stood and whirled around, her emotional anguish causing physical pain. She doubled over and for a moment she feared she might be sick. She swallowed and took a long, slow breath. Then she straightened herself, pacing back and forth across the room a few times, breathing deeply in a desperate effort to calm herself. The Sorceress waited patiently, munching on an olive, until Gwyneth collected herself sufficiently to take her seat again. “I apologize for that outburst, Milady.”

The Sorceress dismissed that statement with a wave, “You handled the news better than I did when the Druid told me. I think the Druid learned some new swear words, in several languages.” She paused and sighed. “Anyway, Excalibur is stuck in a stone in Londanum and is crying out for someone to free it.”

Gwyneth chimed in, “Someone like a little boy who has no idea of what Excalibur is nor has he any training in the use of his own power much less the incredible might of Excalibur.”

“That would be our guess. The Druids fear that that Arthur might inadvertently remove Excalibur from the stone. That would be a disaster. Excalibur is capable of doing both good and evil. It must be wielded carefully and by someone who understands its Magic. We, of course, wish to ensure that Excalibur will only be wielded by a being of good character.”

The Sorceress paused to allow Gwyneth to digest those ideas, and asked, “What do you think we should do?”

Gwyneth giggled, “Before I try to figure out what I think we should do, tell me what the Druid wants to do.”

The Sorceress closed her eyes and her lips twitched, “Only if you promise not to destroy my house with your reaction.”

“That bad?”

The Sorceress nodded, “The Druid wants to call Merlin.”

Gwyneth almost fell out of her chair laughing. She had to take a sip of wine to get rid of the hiccups. “Merlin!” She interrupted herself with another fit of laughing, this time tinged with a hard edge, “Merlin's meddling in Human affairs is the cause of most of this trouble in the first place.” She paused, “Merlin's the cause for Arther's predicament. Pray tell, Milady, what in the name of all of Earth's Realms does the Druid think Merlin can do to help?”

The Sorceress said, “Actually, he thinks Merlin should become Arthur's Mentor. The knights who have raised Arthur are good folk and by all accounts they are giving him the appropriate training for a future knight, but they are not training him to rule a kingdom, even by Human standards. The Druid thinks that Merlin could help open Arthur's eyes and heart to the whole Earth and make him understand that his future decisions as High King will affect not only his Human subjects but other Realms as well.” She paused and folded her hands in her lap.

Gwyneth looked into the fire, and said more to herself than to the Sorceress, “To be perfectly honest, I wanted to kill Arthur before he was born. I offered Igraine an abortion potion but Merlin and/or Uthur had filled her head with ideas about what a great king Arthur will be, so she refused. Personally, I have no interest in Arthur's future or anything that might happen in the Human Realm. My only interest is in keeping Excalibur out of the wrong hands, and bringing it back to the Fairy Realm where it belongs. However we go about it, we must prevent Arthur from unwittingly unleashing Excalibur's power.”

She stared into the fire clasping and unclasping her hands in her lap, “Perhaps sending a Teacher to Arthur is a good idea. Arthur's Human pedigree is almost as good as it could possibly be. There can be little doubt he could be a High King of the first order.” She grimaced and winked, “At least as good as a Human monarch could be!

“Arthur would benefit from a Teacher who understands Power and Magic. I like the idea. What I don't like is assigning Merlin to such an important task. Surely we could find someone else!”

The Sorceress sighed. “If you can think of someone else for the job, I'm sure the Druid would be delighted. You know how terrified he is of Merlin's magic.”

Gwyneth made a face. “The Druid operates under the delusion that Merlin is a god. I hope Merlin never finds out about that, or he would truly make the Druids lives miserable. You know what a prankster he can be.”

The Sorceress looked as though she had tasted something sour, “That isn't exactly the word I would use to describe him. You know how I feel about Merlin.”

They were both quiet for a long time. Gwyneth tended to forget that the Sorceress had a history with Merlin, too, although Gwyneth did not know exactly what it involved. She understood that the Sorceress was as conflicted about Merlin as she was.

Having wracked her brain, Gwyneth sighed, “Arthur's teacher has to be a male. My Fairies can change into lots of beings, but we can't change gender. What about an Elf?”

The Sorceress shook her head, “You know how the Elf King hates Humans. He would never help Arthur.”

“How about a Dwarf?”

“I don't know very much about Humans but it is my understanding Uthur would be unlikely to approve having a Dwarf – or a Troll before you suggest it – to become Arthur's mentor and tutor.”

Gwyneth twitched as though waving away a fly, “Humans are so shallow and narrow-minded; they get way too caught up in appearances!” Her voice trailed off and she stared into the fire looking annoyed, “Oh, alright, let's say for the sake of argument we do call Merlin to be Arthur's teacher. How is that going to help with the immediate problem of Excalibur?”

“We were actually hoping you might have a suggestion about what to do about that.”

Gwyneth pondered the problem for a long while. The Sorceress waited patiently. Eventually, Gwyneth cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, “Does your Magic work in the Human Realm, Milady?”

The Sorceress raised her eyebrows and turned her palms up, “I don't know. I've never been there.” The tone of her voice made it clear that she would prefer to keep it that way. “Why?”

Gwyneth leaned forward and stared into the fire, her voice low and almost chanting, “We need to free Excalibur from the stone. It would be best if we could find the Pendragon sword, but I'm guessing that my sister has hidden it away in order to use it someday for some nefarious purpose. We don't have time to search for the real one, so we have to make a replica. Perhaps we could have an Elf make it – if we don't tell him what it's for. You must go to Londanum and exchange the replica for Excalibur. Someday Arthur will claim his Pendragon birthright, but it will be with a safe sword, not one with the dangerous magic of Excalibur.”

“Assuming my magic works in the Human Realm and assuming Excalibur is willing to let me handle it, where would I hide it?”

Gwyneth tapped her chin, “You know I'd prefer you to bring it home to the Fairy Realm, but there are several reasons I don't think that's wise. I think you should hide it in the Human Realm.”

The Sorceress thought about that for a while and said, with the same low-sounding sing-song voice, “I think the time has come for me to leave Avalon. The Druids have seized control of the Isle, and I no longer feel safe here. They are looking for the Grail treasure and they are digging tunnels throughout the Tor. I'm afraid they'll tunnel right into my home one of these days. The Priestesses are terrified they will find the Grail.

“As much as I fear venturing into the Human realm, I will go and find a hiding place and then, if Excalibur will permit me to handle it, I'll guard it until it is either safe to return it to the Fairy Realm or a worthy knight arises who can wield it safely.”

Gwyneth hissed, “Humans! They are constantly pushing their boundaries and causing no end of problems!” She shook her head and re-focused her attention on the immediate problem. She did not look at the Sorceress. They were both looking at the future in the fire. Gwyneth said softly, “You must go into exile to the Human Realm to become Excalibur's guardian and protector. Merlin will be Arthur's.”

The Sorceress squinted as if trying to see more detail in the fire, “What will you do?”

Gwyneth sighed from the bottom of her Soul, “First, I will help the Priestesses find a new place to hide the Grail Treasure. Second, I will free Merlin from his cave and send him to Arthur.” She shuddered and rubbed her temples at the very thought of having to deal with her father. After a long pause to collect herself, she said in a voice that echoed with pain and dread, “And then, when the time comes, I shall deal with my infernal twin sister.”

She turned and looked at the Sorceress, with love streaming from every pore, “We probably shall not see one another again for some time, Milady. May I ask you a personal question?”

The Sorceress smiled, returning Gwyneth's smile with similar affection and humor, “Certainly.”

“What kind of a Being are you and where is your Realm?”

The Sorceress chuckled, “Actually, I think I may be the only one of my kind. My mother was a Witch and my father was a Human. I have no Home Realm other than Avalon. I was born here and have never ventured elsewhere. A Human is not safe in the Witch Realm, and do you have any idea what Humans do to Witches?” She shuddered, and fell silent.

“Your powers make you equal to Queens and Kings in all the Realms.”

“Either that, or I have fooled you all.”

Gwyneth looked startled for a moment at that thought, then she realized that the Sorceress was teasing, and she smiled, “In any case, now you have the chance to prove your worth, and demonstrate the extent of your powers.”

“Do you think I can do it?”

Gwyneth smiled, “Oh, yes. Magic like yours can't be faked. You certainly have all the power that might be necessary here in Avalon. The question becomes whether or not it will work in the Human Realm. We'll only know that when you go there and try it.”

The Sorceress changed the subject, “Do you want to meet with the Druid?”

“Frankly, I'd rather not. You have given me his news. I would prefer to visit the Grail Priestess and discuss what we can do to protect her treasure.”

“That's certainly more important than pandering to the ego of the Druids. I'll make some excuse. He'll be annoyed but he's such a prickly bastard, I'm used to him being annoyed about something almost all the time.”

The women stood and bowed to one another. Gwyneth said, “I'll send one of my most trusted Fairies to be your companion and a messenger to me. She must know where you decide to hide Excalibur so we'll know where to look for you when the time comes to return Excalibur to its rightful home. I swear to you, no one will know other than the three of us where you are hiding.”

She bowed low to the Sorceress, who was the only being in any Realm to whom she had ever made such obeisance, and walked down the stairs, her steps slow and regal but her heart heavy and sad. Once outside, the young priestess who served as her escort rejoined her. Gwyneth asked, “Do you think the High Priestesses could spare a moment for me?”

“She is waiting for you in her house.”

The girl led her to the High Priestess' house and left the women alone. The High Priestess of the Grail rose and genuflected to the Fairy Queen. Gwyneth raised her with a quick motion, sat down and invited the High Priestess to sit as well. Gwyneth said, “I have come from a meeting with the Sorceress. She tells me that your Treasure and your very lives are no longer safe here on Avalon.”

The Priestess' eyes filled with tears that spilled over and ran down her cheeks. She made no effort to wipe them away, saying in a bitter tone, “She's right. I live in fear for the safety of the Treasure as well as the safety of my priestesses, both of which it is my sacred duty to protect. Druids are supposed to be celibate, but there are more of them every year, and not all of them are as true to their vows as they should be. So far I have managed to protect my priestesses, but there have been too many close calls. To make matters worse, Christians have moved to Avalon, starting with a monastery housing only a few old, dried-up monks, but now there is a whole village over by the western portal. Not all of the residents are monks, if you know what I mean.

“I fear that neither my Treasure nor my priestesses are safe in Avalon any longer.”

Her misery was evident as she looked into Gwyneth's eyes, imploring, “Your Majesty, wherever can we go?”

Gwyneth pondered that question for a long time. “Your Priestesses are all Human, is that correct?”

“All are Human but two. We have one Dwarf and one Witch.”

Gwyneth looked confused, “Why would an Dwarf and a Witch care about protecting the Grail? It's a Human treasure, isn't it?”

The Priestess said, “Well, we like to think that the Grail brings blessing to all of Earth's Realms, but it originated in the Human Realm and I know how beings in other Realms often dismiss items of Human origin. Those two came to us for their own reasons, but they are now part of us and we will not go anywhere without them.”

“That means you can't go back to the Human Realm. I don't think you can bring your Treasure into the Fairy Realm because it was made by Human men, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then we have to find a place in the Human Realm to hide the Grail Treasure. You and your Priestesses can then move to the Fairy Realm.”

The High Priestess nodded and said, “I know a place far to the North in the Human Realm where we can hide the treasure. There are four of us who have transcended our Human origins and achieved the status of Immortals, but we can still pass for Humans. We will go with the treasure and protect it it. The rest can go to your Realm. Will the Fairies accept them?”

“Fairies are generally afraid of Humans, but we'll build them a convent in an out-of-the-way place where my Fairies can avoid them. They will be safe.”

“That's all I can ask. When do you think we should to leave?”

“Hide the Grail according to your own schedule. Let me take one of your priestesses with me now to find a place to build the convent. When she has the place ready, she can come back for her sisters.”

The High Priestess nodded. Both women stood, embraced and felt the enchanted world of Avalon crumbling under the pressure of Human aggression. The High Priestess called the young woman who had been Gwyneth's escort, and said, “Viviene, I want you to go with Her Majesty to the Fairy Realm and find a beautiful place for you and your sisters to live. When you have a convent ready for them, come back and take your sisters to their new home. The Fairies will keep you safe.”

Viviene did not ask any questions or object. All the Priestesses of the Grail had been expecting such a thing for some time, and she bowed to her superior's orders without question or pause. Her aura darkened to the point she became all but invisible in the inky cloud of her sorrow. Gwyneth and the High Priestess embraced once more, in the knowledge that this would be their last meeting. Gwyneth turned and beckoned to Viviene. The young woman followed her to the portal to the Nether Realms, her sorrow spilling over into Gwyneth's heart. Or maybe that was just Gwyneth's own sorrow welling up on its own.

The Queen's Boatman assisted the women to board the vessel, and the Oarsmen propelled it silently out onto the water, where it disappeared.

Chapter 2

As soon as she stepped on the dock at the portal to the Fairy Realm, Gwyneth closed her eyes, raised her arms and expanded her Soul as far as it would go, silently summoning the Fairies to gather for a general assembly.

She turned to Viviene and said, “My dear, I recommend that you wait in the Boatman's cottage for a little while.” Gwyneth patted Viviene's arm. “For one thing, an assembly of Fairies can be overwhelming – sometimes even for me. It isn't something you'll want to experience on your first day here. Secondly, Fairies are very nervous around Humans. Until I explain who you are and why you are here, it would be best if you kept out of sight.”

Viviene agreed and accepted the hospitality of the Boatman, a silent Troll who showed her into his house and then went to sit on the dock where he worked at mending nets in order to watch over her without imposing his hideous presence on her.

Gwyneth flew to the palace and changed from her traveling clothes into a purple gown that shimmered with an inner glow from thread spun by spiders. She wore slippers made of amber, but no jewelry. Unlike other monarchs Gwyneth never wore a crown of gold or jewels of any kind. She didn't need adornment. Her beauty was legendary. Occasionally if she wanted to impress a visitor or emphasize her role as queen, she had her dresser wind her hair in a wreath around her head and weave flowers into it, making a more beautiful crown than those worn by any other monarch in the Nether World.

For this assembly of Fairies, which Gwyneth considered to be something of a family meeting, she wore her hair Fairy-style: long and loose, and unadorned. Four hundred years old, and in the prime of her life, she was reputed to be the most beautiful Fairy who had ever lived. More importantly to her, she was the most powerful monarch in the Nether World, reigning for centuries over a Realm at peace. The prosperity and productivity of the Fairies was legendary. The happy world of the Fairies had been protected for centuries by the wisdom of their magnificent Queen and guaranteed by the might of the sword, Excalibur.

That peace and prosperity was now in peril and every Fairy in the Realm knew it. Virtually every Fairy who was not posted to some assignment far from the Realm responded instantly to their queen's summons. Within a half an hour, the air around the palace thrummed with the buzzing of tens of thousands of Fairy wings. The Fairies lighted wherever space could be found. They filled first the courtyard and then the tops of the walls and turrets. Late arrivals lighted on rooftops and some of the most tardy simply hovered in the air. Fear had long been an uncommon emotion in the Fairy Realm, but the Fairies were afraid.

Gwyneth stepped out onto the portico in front of the main entrance to the palace, radiant in beauty and exuding power and magic. She stood for a long time in silence, willing her subjects to be calmed and comforted by her presence. It worked. Gradually, the Fairies settled down. Gwyneth began to speak, in the silent language of Fairies, her magic sending her voice deep into the hearts of each of the Fairies in attendance, as well as those Fairies who were far away and unable to attend in person.

The Queen said, “You know that Excalibur has been missing for some time. We have all worried about it. I can now tell you that our sacred sword has been located.”

The Fairies buzzed with excitement. Gwyneth held up her hand, palm out, and went on, “Unfortunately, somehow Excalibur has made its way to the Human Realm.”

The buzzing of the Fairies rose to an alarmed crescendo and then ceased when Gwyneth glared at the assembly. She went on, “Plans are in place to rescue Excalibur. I won't lie to you: the Fairy Realm is in grave danger and the happiness and security we have enjoyed these many centuries will likely be interrupted at least for a while. First, I want to say that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. However, I have to warn you that I cannot guarantee I can prevent harm from coming to our Realm.

“What is more, it is very likely I will have to travel to the Human Realm...” She shuddered and closed her eyes to quell her nausea at the very thought of traveling east of Avalon. The Fairies were silent, waiting respectfully for their queen to compose herself. Eventually, Gwyneth raised her head and continued, “I have no idea how long I will be gone. I want you to go on with your lives. Work hard. Be happy. Fill your days with work and song. Project as much Fairy-light out into Earth's Realms as you can.

“At the same time, I want each of you to find or build a hiding place for yourself, preferably underground and at some distance from your home. Practice turning yourselves into inanimate objects. There may come a day when the Fairy Realm will be under direct attack from outside enemies. Without Excalibur's protection and in my absence, you will be on your own. I don't want you to fight back! I want you to wrap yourselves in magic and hide.”

The Fairies' wings whirred in acknowledgment.

Gwyneth went on, “I also want to tell you that a group of Human women will be arriving soon...”

That news alarmed the Fairies more than anything she had said before and the buzz of their wings rose to almost a roar. Gwyneth silenced it with a raised hand. “They are the Priestesses of the Grail from the Isle of Avalon. Many of you have met them. They are no longer safe in their convent on the Tor because of the encroachment of the Druids and other Humans who have built a village there. The Priestesses are Humans -- most of them, anyway -- but they have lived in Avalon for generations and they have lost most of the Human aggression and hubris that Fairies so rightly fear and loathe.” She tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress a shudder. “The women are Humans but they pose no danger to us. On the contrary, they are in grave danger from other Humans. I invited them here for their protection. One of them has arrived already. She is here to search for a place to build a convent for her sisters. She will then return to Avalon and bring the others back with her.”

Gwyneth looked around and picked out a Fairy she knew to be especially smart and courageous, saying, “Peach, I want you to assist her in the search for a safe place for their convent. Keep me informed of your progress.” She looked around and said, “These women are our guests and their safety is our responsibility. Please treat them with kindness and respect.” The Fairies buzzed unhappily but Gwyneth knew they would obey.

She sighed, and added, “Does anyone have any questions?”

One of the oldest and wisest of the Fairy-Crones asked, “How can we help you, Majesty?”

Gwyneth closed her eyes and smiled. No monarch in any Realm could ever have been prouder of her subjects than she was at that moment. She had just informed them they were in mortal danger and she was bringing into their midst beings whose species they already feared. They were not happy about it, but there was no hint of rebellion. They were alarmed, but there was no panic. Instead, they asked what they could to to help her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked around and made loving Soul-contact with every one of her beloved subjects. The aura around the Fairy throng changed from the purple of fear to a shimmering golden glow as the love among the Fairies imparted courage, which – combined with their magic – marshaled awesome power. Gwyneth paused for a long time to let that power grow and to ensure all the Fairies participated in it.

Eventually she said, “There are a number of things you can do. First, Gretel, I want you to move into the Palace and act as Regent in my absence. Your wisdom and magic are known and revered throughout the Realm. The Fairies know and trust you. Please see me in my chamber after this gathering.

“Second, I need perhaps a dozen or so volunteers to serve as messengers. I want Fairies who can fly fast and whose magic will allow them to shape shift and even turn into other species when necessary. It goes without saying that your missions will be dangerous.” She looked around, and pointed, “Ruby, I want you to pick the best from among the volunteers. I'll meet with your group in the morning.”

She paused again waiting for more questions. A tiny voice from a Fairy child asked, “How bad will it be, Majesty?”

Gwyneth shook her head and answered honestly, “I don't know how bad, but I can tell you that it will be worse than anything the Fairies have experienced in my lifetime. Some of the oldest of the Fairy Crones tell stories of a time long ago when there was a war between the Elves and the Witches, much of which was fought within the Fairy Realm. We have experienced nothing like that in hundreds of years. Perhaps we have become complacent. I hope we have not lost our courage.

“Whatever happens, rely on your magic to protect you. Hide and live to fight the more important battle of rebuilding our Realm when the attacks end. Understood?”

The Fairy throng vibrated with alarm, but their confidence in their magic prevented panic. Their Queen blessed them with a beatific smile filled with love and revealed to them the power of her own magic. They were both consoled and inspired to face whatever was coming with courage and in obedience to her commands.

“You are dismissed.”

The assembly of Fairies disappeared instantly and the courtyard fell silent. Gwyneth stood alone on the portico for a long time with her eyes closed, wrapping her magic around her subjects and hoping to the bottom of her Soul that it might help. She could almost hear the echoes of the Fairy wings in the silence.

She turned to Peach and said, “Go to the Boatman's cottage and fetch the young Priestess. Find a beautiful spot somewhere far inland where she and her sisters can feel safe. Build them a convent. Assist her in bringing her sister priestesses here.”

Peach said, “Majesty, when the Trouble comes, how can we protect them? Humans can't turn themselves into other objects, can they?”

Gwyneth shook her head, “Not to my knowledge. Perhaps they should dig a cellar or find a cave. I don't think Fairy magic will help them. When the Trouble comes, they will be better off here than in Avalon, but they will be on their own.”

Peach flew off to do her Queen's bidding. Gwyneth noticed with satisfaction that Peach made a valiant effort to hide the disgust she felt at having to interact with Humans. Gwyneth wished she could believe the priestesses would appreciate the efforts the Fairies were making on their behalf. She knew they wouldn't. The Priestesses of the Grail were perhaps the best of Humans, but they were Humans nonetheless. She suspected they would be all but oblivious to the challenge their presence posed to the Fairies who were protecting them. Gwyneth shuddered, trying to put down her own disgust at the thought of having such beings inhabiting her Realm.

Gwyneth was tired the next morning. Her meetings with Gretel and with the Messengers had run long into the night. She lingered in bed partly out of fatigue, but more because the task she faced that day was so odious she wanted to delay it as long as possible. She told herself that was no way for a Queen to behave in a crisis, so she forced herself to get up and to dress carefully.

She wanted to travel comfortably, but she also wanted to make a spectacular entrance upon her arrival. She selected a scarlet gown that had gold thread woven into it. Her dresser wound her hair in a braid and wrapped it around her head in a wreath, which would be practical for traveling, as well as regal and beautiful. Her beauty was astonishing, but she and her dresser decided to guild the lily a bit by adding flowers to her halo: tiny roses – red ones that looked like rubies in her crown of tresses.

The dresser stepped back and folded her hands, “Oh, Majesty, you have never looked more wonderful! Where are you going? To visit the Elf King?” Gwyneth almost laughed at the quavering in the dresser's voice when she mentioned the Elf King. Gwyneth was aware that virtually every Fairy in the Realm (with the exception of herself) had a crush Elves in general. The Elf King was reputed to be the most handsome and magical of all the Elves, and the Fairies had developed a sort of group fantasy about the prospect of a relationship between him and their Queen. Gwyneth never had the heart to tell any of them that she thought the Elf King was a conceited bastard who was probably a coward to boot. She couldn't stand him, and she was fully aware the feeling was mutual. Nevertheless, she humored the Fairies and refrained from demonstrating her true feelings for the Elf King .

She laughed and said, “Oh, how I wish the trip were that pleasant!” She closed her eyes to still her Soul and slow her pounding heart, “I am going to see Merlin.”

The dresser hovered in mid-air as she placed the last of the roses in Gwyneth's hair. “Merlin?! You can't stand Merlin! Why are you going to see him? And, why have you taken such pains with dressing to visit such an ancient old Druid?” She made a sour face.

Gwyneth smiled and said, “You're right: for the most part I loathe him. Sometimes I think Merlin has caused more trouble in Earth's Realms than all the Humans combined.” She paused, “Maybe that's an exaggeration, but he's certainly responsible for a lot of my headaches.

“Unfortunately, we need his help.” She made a face, “Which makes this trip all the more distasteful because I have to be nice to him and try to enlist his cooperation. That is why I wanted to take care with my appearance. Merlin is famous for enjoying beauty in females. Perhaps even in his daughter.” She shuddered even as she said that.

She ate only a few bites of breakfast and then, leaving Gretel in charge, she flew off toward the lower reaches of the Nether World. After Merlin's meddling resulted in the birth of Arthur, the goddess Nimue and the monarchs of the Nether World banished him, confining him to an underground prison of fantastic beauty where he lived in luxury, attended by Dwarfs and Trolls. Gwyneth let the Dwarf guards know that she was coming, but asked them not to tell Merlin of her visit.

She composed herself as best she could at the entrance to his underground world.

She could smell Merlin long before she reached his chamber. Merlin's species was a mystery. Whatever he was, it was an ancient and probably extinct-but-for-him variety of Earthling. He smelled like wet sod. She steeled herself because Merlin's magic and allure were the most powerful she had ever experienced other than that of the Sorceress. The Sorceress did everything she could to minimize the effects of her potent magic except when she needed it. Merlin maximized his power during every encounter. Having a conversation with him was an exhausting – not to mention dangerous – experience.

Gwyneth was Merlin's elder daughter. Her own powers were prodigious, and she could hold her own against him, but only with great effort and concentration. She closed her eyes, marshaled her magic and marched into Merlin's lair as though she were Queen in his realm as well as her own.

By the time she entered his chamber, Merlin was waiting at a table with refreshments laid out on a table. He knew she was approaching and was ready for her. He smiled his wicked smile and said, “Well, if it isn't my dear daughter come to pay her once every two or three hundred years visit to her ancient father.”

Gwyneth laughed and sat down on the opposite side of the table from him. A Troll offered her a bowl to wash her hands and a towel. She made her ablutions without rushing, showing no sign of nerves. Finally, she turned to Merlin and said, “It's nice to think that you are so touched by my filial piety.”

He laughed out loud. Gwyneth steeled herself, gripping her hands in her lap. When he traveled abroad in the Human realm, Merlin liked to take on the appearance of what Humans thought Wizards were supposed to look like. He wore garments with silly designs and effected age with long white hair and a beard. In his personal abode, he looked very different. Gwyneth had trouble looking directly at him because his allure was so strong it made her feel faint. His ancient origins as a Tree Person were visible in his lithe and willowy shape, but he preferred to appear Human, taking on the appearance of a young, handsome and incredibly sexy Man. As disgusting as Gwyneth generally found Humans, Merlin's magic was powerful enough to make his Human appearance attractive. She knew he put on this act for her because she was his daughter and, therefore, it made her uncomfortable. Merlin always liked to keep people off balance, and he could zero in on their vulnerabilities. He had learned long ago he could not overpower Gwyneth with his magic, but he could make her uncomfortable and he could embarrass her with his allure.

He leaned back and turned on the charm, smiling. Gwyneth poured a cup of wine for herself and refilled his, “Oh, stop it, Merlin. You've made your point. I'm not immune to your allure. I am, of course, embarrassed by that. Are you satisfied?”

He arched his eyebrows and looked at her for a long time. Dropping his act completely, he leaned forward and asked with what appeared to be honest concern in his voice, “What's wrong?”

She made a face. She feared him when he was serious and treated her as an equal even more than when he toyed with her. She could keep up with him as far as magic was concerned, but she was not as cunning as he was – or thought he was. Having no choice, however, made her bold. She said, “What is wrong is that your meddling in Human affairs has resulted in a situation that could cause disaster for the Fairy Realm, and maybe all of Earth's realms.”

“Now what have I done?”

She sipped her wine and said, “Arthur has evidently received a decent education thus far by Human standards, but he is desperately in need of a mentor who can teach him things he will really need to know when he assumes the throne: things like how to wield power and the effect his actions may have not only in the Human Realm but beyond. That's for the long term. For the short term, he needs to be protected from the power of Excalibur and the evil of my dearly beloved sister, who seems to have inherited your meddlesome ways, compounded by an evil streak that even you can't match.

“Have you seen her lately, by the way?”

He made a disgusted face, “She paid be a visit a few years ago. Her main purpose at that time was to test her powers and torment me.”

Gwyneth raised her own eyebrows in a gesture identical to Merlin's, and asked, “How did she do?”

He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, “Not bad, as a matter of fact. She had been making the rounds of practitioners of black magic. She had learned a lot.”

“Could you best her?”

“I could then.”

“What about now?”

He made a face, pursing his lips. “I rather doubt it. I've been shut up here for a few years with nothing to practice on but a bunch of Trolls and Dwarfs who have no powers at all and who are totally a my mercy, the poor things. I am out of practice. I'm also old.”

“How old are you Merlin?”

He laughed, “I have no idea.”

He changed the subject, “What does your sister have to do with Arthur's need for an education?”

Gwyneth said, “I'm not sure, other than that Excalibur disappeared from the Fairy Realm a few months ago. It recently appeared in the Human realm.”

“Where?!” Gwyneth was pleased to see that Merlin looked truly alarmed by that. He understood the seriousness of the situation. Perhaps he would be willing to cooperate without a lot of drama.

“Excalibur has been substituted for the Pendragon sword in the stone at Londanum.”

Merlin's horrified reaction was immediately replaced by a bland expression and a short laugh. “Well, I have to give the wench credit for a great trick.” He paused. “So what does this have to do with me?”

“We think you should be Arthur's mentor. You can teach him what he needs to know about power. If he is going to be High King in the Human realm and if my sister has taken an interest in him, he needs all the help he can get. We believe Uthur will allow you to become Arthur's mentor. You can keep him away from Excalibur until he is prepared to wield its power, assuming Excalibur wishes him to do so.”

Merlin looked alarmed, “Are you suggesting that Excalibur will choose Arthur as its Companion.”

“I don't know if Excalibur has chosen or will choose Arthur. Regardless of Excalibur's choice, I'm afraid that my sister will put Excalibur into Arthur's hands, when he's unprepared for it. I suspect that you might have a better idea than I do of what kind of calamity that would cause.”

“It would not be good.” They both smiled at the massive understatement.

“We want you to go to Uthur and volunteer to serve as Arthur's teacher and mentor.”

“What's in it for me?”

Gwyneth put her hands on the table and stood up, leaning toward him and snapped, “What's in it for you is the opportunity to prevent a disaster that your meddling and incompetence precipitated in the first place. What's in it for you is the chance to help prevent my sister from establishing some kind of base in the Human Realm from which she can launch attacks on the Nether World.” She paused and pushed him over the edge, “What's in it for you is eternal fame as the greatest wizard who ever lived, the mentor of the Great High King, Arthur. In short what's in it for you is immortality.

“Isn't that what you wanted when you manipulated the players to give birth to him?

“We thought we could prevent the wars that will lay waste to all of Earth's Realms by hiding Arthur and letting him live in obscurity. Unfortunately, it appears we were wrong. From what I hear, Arthur shows signs of the greatness that you had in mind for one of his breeding. My sister seems to be determined to use Arthur's power for her own purposes. We would prefer that she not have the opportunity to do so.”

“And you want me to help you?”

“We're simply asking you to go ahead and finish what you started, since our efforts have evidently failed.”

“Who is 'we' by the way?”

“The Monarchs of the Nether Realm and an alliance of other powerful beings who would like to maintain peace in the Nether World and the Human Realm as well. Personally, if I thought that war and pestilence in the Human realm would have no other effect beyond wiping out the entire species, I'd join forces with my sister to help that along. As you know, it doesn't work that way. Cataclysm in the Human Realm spills over into all Realms. I am determined to protect my Fairies at all cost.”

He smiled, this time almost kindly, “Is Nimue involved in this?”

She knitted her brow, “I don't know anyone named Nimue.”

He laughed, the sound dancing among the crystals high in the dome of the room, sounding like music, “You may not know her by that name, but I am positive you know her. Who do you know who exudes the most powerful magic other than yours or your sister's?”

Gwyneth said, “The Sorceress of Avalon.”

“Tell me about her.”

“I have known her since I was a child studying with the Priestesses, but I know little about her. She lives deep inside the Tor. The Grail Priestesses revere her. Even the Druids give her wide berth. She told me she's half Human and half Witch.”

Merlin laughed. “Has she ever mentioned me?”

“I know she doesn't like you.”

He laughed again, this time the music rang with undertones of bitterness and even sorrow, “Nimue and I have what might be called a love-hate relationship.” He paused and visibly withered, looking for a second like the ancient wizard he was, “Or at least we did a long time ago. I'm a little surprised to learn she's willing to let me go to Arthur.”

Gwyneth raised one eyebrow and one corner of her mouth, “We tried to come up with a better idea, but couldn't think of one.”

“I was the last resort.”

“Merlin, you are the only option. I confess, I don't like it. The Sorceress doesn't like it. The Druids are positively quaking in their skins at the thought of you being let loose abroad in the Human realm. Nobody likes the idea. There just doesn't appear to be any other alternative.”

“You know how to make a person feel wanted.”

“You started this. You need to be involved in trying to avert disaster.”

“Do you expect me to succeed?”

“You have powerful magic. I sense that Arthur will be a great High King. You will be revered in the Human Realm as the Wizard who put him on the throne. There is no doubt his reign will not be peaceful. As I said, I wouldn't care if the Humans all died in their stupid wars. My role in this is to protect my Realm and the Nether World in general. Ultimately, I want to bring Excalibur back to the Fairy Realm where it belongs.”

“You hate Humans that much?”

“When I bother to think about them.”

He poured more wine and ate a grape. “They're not so bad.”

“I'll take your word for it.” She held out her hand palm up. “What do you say? Will you do it?”

“Of course I'll do it. I know you don't believe I'm capable of a pure emotion, but I truly love Arthur and I want to help him.”

“Whatever your reason may be, go to him, and whatever else you may do to prepare him for the throne, keep him far away from Excalibur.”

“You can't leave it exposed like that.”

“The Sorceress is going to try to move it into hiding.”

Merlin smiled, “Then you can rest assured Excalibur will be in the best of hands and she will not turn it over to anyone who is not ready for it.” He looked at her for a long time. “What are you going to do?”

“Wait to see what happens next. You are free to leave here. Go to Arthur as quickly as you can.”

“I will leave immediately.” He stood and kissed her hand, saying, “I'll keep in touch, Daughter Dear.”

“Thank you,” she paused, and managed to add, through only slightly clenched teeth, “Father.”

Shortly after she returned to her palace in the Fairy Realm, the Messenger arrived from the Sorceress. She reported that Excalibur was very angry and was creating more of a disturbance every day. Even some Humans could hear the sound of its cries. Fortunately all they could hear was a deep vibration coming from the stone in which Excalibur was held captive. The Sorceress intended to visit Excalibur right away.

Another Messenger arrived to report that the Immortals among the Grail Priestesses had left Avalon with their Treasure. The rest of the Priestesses eagerly awaited news from the Fairy Realm as to when their new convent would be ready.

Peach reported that she and Viviene had found a beautiful glade and had enlisted a team of Elves to build a convent. Gwyneth asked, “You got Elves to build a convent for Humans?”

Peach rolled her eyes and said, “Well, you see, Majesty, I didn't tell them it was for Humans!” She added that Viviene was staying out of sight but was supervising the construction and relaying instructions via Fairies. Gwyneth complimented Peach for her creativity, and Peach glowed with pride, her wings whirring with happiness at the compliment.

Gwyneth had done all she could do from her palace in the Fairy Realm. She tried not to think about what she had to do next.

Chapter 3

Some time later, a Messenger arrived to announce that the Sorceress was on her way to visit the Fairy Realm. Gwyneth ordered her household staff to prepare a suite of rooms for her friend, appointed with every luxury available to Fairies. She assigned an entire team to serve as the Sorceress' personal staff. The Fairies were a-twitter at the impending arrival of a personage who was so revered by their beloved Queen.

The Sorceress arrived the next day. She was evidently ancient and her Human aspect seemed old beyond imagining. Her Witch aspect radiated power and love. Gwyneth had never spent a lot of time around Witches. They were feared in the Human world for reasons Gwyneth did not understand, but in the Nether World Witches were universally revered as healers, midwives, magicians and intermediaries with the spirit world. Gwyneth had always benefited from superb health so she had never needed a Healer. She had incredible magical powers of her own so she had never needed to resort to their spells or potions. She had no interest in interacting with any spirit world that might exist, so she had never had reason to call upon Witches for any of her personal needs. After studying the Sorceress' witchy aspect for a while, Gwyneth decided it might not be a bad idea to recruit some Witches to take up residence in the Fairy Realm before the Trouble started.

The Sorceress cleared her throat and said, “I'm sorry to interrupt your contemplation, my dear, but I am going to employ your method of moving things along. I need to be on my way, but wanted to talk to you before I disappear to guard Excalibur.”

The queen could sense the Sorceress' efforts to keep her fear at bay, and Gwyneth tried to minimize her own alarm, saying, “Please, do tell me your story.”

The Sorceress told her that she had visited Excalibur in Londanum. It was angry and noisy. She begged it to be patient, promising that she would return to take it to safety. She extracted a promise that Excalibur would stop calling for help in return for her promise to come back in a few days and free it. Immediately thereafter, the Sorceress appeared at an Elf forge and ordered a replica of the Pendragon sword. The replica was to be ready the following day and the Sorceress planned to substitute the copy for Excalibur and then take Excalibur into hiding.

Gwyneth asked, “Do you intend to bring it back to its Temple in the Fairy Realm?”

The Sorceress said, “I don't think it would be safe here, although I know how desperately the Fairies want it back and how heroically you would guard it. Instead, I have located a hiding place in the Human Realm where I can guard it myself.”

Gwyneth nodded so sadly the Sorceress reached out and touched her hand for a moment. Gwyneth was jolted by the power in that touch. Gwyneth somehow knew that the Sorceress had a power that far exceeded the reputation of any Witch she had ever heard of, much less a Witch/Human mix. Human genes generally diluted magical power. The Sorceress' power approached or exceeded Merlin's. Gwyneth felt it like an electrical shock.

The Sorceress laughed, “I apologize. I rarely touch others for that reason. I was reacting to your sorrow.”

“It's alright. Fortunately, I have some pretty strong magic myself and I can take it.” She looked at the Sorceress, pursing her lips and said, “Human and Witch? I don't think so.”

“Actually, I have no idea what species I am. I am ancient and perhaps unique. I happen to like the way Humans look and I love the kindness and gentleness of Witches, so centuries ago, I took on a Human appearance and assumed the role of a healer and sorceress. I sometimes forget how much power I actually have.”

Gwyneth knew they did not have time to explore that subject in detail at the time (although she tucked it in the back of her mind to revisit later on), so she changed the subject, asking, “Will you tell me where you plan to take Excalibur?”

“Yes. I'll send you a message when Excalibur and I have arrived safely at the hiding place. I don't want anyone else to know other than you, the messenger and me.”

“I understand.”

The Sorceress paused for a long time as if considering whether or not to tell Gwyneth something. Eventually making up her mind, she simply blurted out, “The Black Fairy is in Londanum.”

“How do you know? Did you see her?”

“No. But I could feel her. She is lurking about in the vicinity of Excalibur.”

“Do you think she knows you were there?”

“I'm certain of it. I have to move Excalibur before she moves it.”

“Was it safe for you to leave it?”

“I put a very strong spell on it. I can't know for sure that it will be safe, but it should take her some time to break the enchantment. By which time, Excalibur and I will be gone. I wanted to deliver the message to you personally while I am waiting for the Elf to finish the replica of the Pendragon sword. Your sister is up to some serious mischief. I think you should prepare for the worst. I also think you should alert the other monarchs in the Nether World, as well as,” she made a face, “The Druids on Avalon.”

Gwyneth sighed and nodded. She stood and said, “Will you rest and take some refreshment?”

“I'd love a bath and a place to sleep for a little while.”

Gwyneth led the Sorceress to her apartments, “Consider this yours. It will always be ready for you whenever you need a place of refuge and have the opportunity to get away.”

The Sorceress looked at Gwyneth with tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you, my dear, for your consideration. I doubt I will have many opportunities to take advantage of your offer, but it is kind of you and I will cherish the knowledge that I have place of my own if the occasion to retreat presents itself.”

“I'll leave you to your rest.”

“I shall probably leave during the night in order to travel without detection. I'll send you a message when I have hidden Excalibur.”

Gwyneth would have embraced the woman, but stopped herself when she remembered the shock she had received from the casual brushing of hands. She didn't think she could tolerate a full-body embrace.

She started to go and then turned, “Milady, may I ask your name?”

The Sorceress laughed softly, the laughter rumbling up from deep with in the Earth, “Didn't Merlin tell you my name is Nimue?”

“He mentioned that name and said he thought you were she. How do you know Merlin?”

“I have never not known Merlin. We are both such ancient beings neither of us is sure what we are or where we came from. At various times we have been allies and at others we have been enemies.”

“Merlin says you have a relationship that spans both love and hate.”

Nimue laughed again, “At one time or another, Merlin and I have shared the ultimate extremes of both of those things, and everything in between, I assure you. Good-night, my dear.” She turned and closed the door of her chamber.

Gwyneth could not ever remember anyone dismissing her. As Queen, it was her prerogative to decide when conversations were over. She was a little shocked, but it surprised her even more to discover that she was not annoyed. In fact, she realized that she always had intuitively deferred to the innate authority of the Sorceress of Avalon who was a being of fantastic power, named Nimue.

Gwyneth realized that the Sorceress was every bit as powerful as Merlin. It occurred to her that if the two of them were to oppose one another, it would be a very bad thing for others in the vicinity. On the other hand, she was comforted by the thought that if those two matchless mages teamed up on the same side, hardly a force in any of Earth's realms could stop them. She hoped that Nimue's devotion to Excalibur and Merlin's devotion to Arthur would be close enough to avert disaster.

Nimue was gone when Gwyneth awoke. She called Gretel and told her that she would be visiting other Realms to alert them to the potential of danger. She instructed Gretel to begin making plans to store food and supplies and she added that she intended to invite some Witches to take up residence in the Fairy Realm.

Gretel shuddered, “You think it will be so bad we'll need Witches to heal injuries?”

“I hope not, but I'd rather have them here and not need them than the other way around.”

Gretel agreed and promised to begin preparing for the worst.

Gwyneth sent out a silent mental invitation to the monarchs of the Nether Realms to meet her at their special meeting place. Having had a head start, Gwyneth arrived first.

The monarchs of the Nether Realms had a neutral meeting place on an island in a lake that touched the borders of all the Realms, similar to the way that the waters surrounding the Isle of Avalon provided a neutral zone between the Human Realm and the Nether World. In fact it occurred to Gwyneth that it was so much like Avalon the Priestesses of the Grail might like it, but she decided not to mention it to them. The Elves hated Humans and the Dwarfs turned into lecherous animals around Human women. The Priestesses would be safe in the Fairy Realm, especially if they were hidden away and no one knew they were there.

The Witch Queen arrived shortly after Gwyneth. Gwyneth took the opportunity to request some of the best Witch healers be stationed throughout the Nether World, and she specifically invited the Witch Queen to send several of her most experienced healers to the Fairy Realm. The Witch Queen looked alarmed but promised to send volunteers to those places.

The rest of the monarchs arrived soon after that. The Elf King was the last to arrive, making it very clear he resented being summoned to the gathering by a mere Fairy. As different as they were, the species (other than Humans) generally got along well enough to cooperate when they had to. The monarchs usually bent over backwards to accommodate one another, and they always tried to mediate disputes between their subjects. There had been peace in the Nether World for centuries. The last war had been so devastating they were all resolved to do whatever it took to avoid war in the future.

That didn't mean they liked each other. Gwyneth was good friends with the Troll King and the Sprite Queen, for very different reasons. The Troll King was the wisest and most well-educated of all the monarchs; Gwyneth relied on him for information and for historical context when important decisions had to be made. She liked the Sprite because she was funny and entertaining. The Dwarf King and Queen kept to themselves, although they always cooperated when the Realms of the Nether World needed to work as one. The Warlocks were an unpredictable lot whom nobody trusted; fortunately, they had been so beaten down at the end of the last war, they generally kept within their borders out of self-preservation.

Gwyneth knew that most Fairies were attracted to Elves. The Elves took advantage of that which often caused disputes between individual Fairy and Elf families. Gwyneth and Edgar, the Elf King, often had to address those disputes. She had developed a rather unhealthy distaste for his superior and condescending manner vis a vis her Fairies in general and Gwyneth in particular. She tried with all her prodigious might not to let it show.

Once they were all assembled Edgar said, “Okay, Gwyneth, tell us why you have summoned us so urgently? What is it that the Fairies are excited about these days?”

Gwyneth let the remark go. She didn't acknowledge him at all. Instead she addressed the entire group, “I apologize for calling you so urgently. I would not have done so but I think this is such important news, I think we should address it among ourselves first. Hopefully, we can come up with a plan, preferably one that does not involve warfare.”

She explained that Excalibur had gone missing and that the Black Fairy was the most likely suspect. She told them that the Sorceress of Avalon had volunteered to hide Excalibur. She paused and then hurried on with her most alarming bit of information, “Merlin is going to serve as Mentor to Arthur in an effort to keep him safely away from Excalibur and from the Black Fairy.”

The entire group erupted in howls of protest. The Elf King shouted, “You let Merlin loose? How could you do that without consulting with us first?”

Gwyneth stood her ground, explaining she believed there had not been time for her to consult with them. They all knew that was a lie; she did it without telling them in the full knowledge they would have opposed the decision. They talked it over for a while. Eventually all the monarchs agreed that, as distasteful as it was, Merlin was the logical choice to serve as Arthur's mentor. The Troll King muttered, “After this is over, I wonder how we'll get him back under control.”

Gwyneth asked, “How did you do it the last time? You never shared that information.”

The Troll King said, “I used the only weapon I knew would work. The problem is, she subsequently disappeared and is no longer available.”

Gwyneth smiled and raised her eyebrows ever so slightly, “Perhaps that weapon is more available than you may think.”

The Troll King understood and smiled, a hideous sight that caused everyone to look away.

The conversation switched to what kinds of Trouble they might expect and how to prepare for it. The Witch Queen said, “If the Black Fairy is behind this, there is likely to be a terrible magical assault on the Nether World.”

The Dwarf King commented, “If she moves in on Excalibur, it will defend itself in whatever way it can.”

The Sprite Queen asked Gwyneth, “Do you think Merlin will be able to keep Arthur away from Excalibur, especially if it is true that Excalibur is calling for Arthur?”

Gwyneth responded, “No. I don't. I am counting on the Sorceress of Avalon to keep Excalibur away from Arthur at least until he grows up and Merlin can teach him how to wield the power of Excalibur without endangering us all, at least more than is necessary. The Sorceress tells me that Excalibur has been calling for Arthur. If Excalibur has chosen Arthur as its Companion, there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to make sure Arthur understands what to do with the Excalibur before it is put into his hands.”

The Troll King added, “And we'd better all hope that the Black Fairy doesn't get her hooks into Arthur in a way that would cause him to enlist Excalibur in fighting on the wrong side.”

Gwyneth gasped, “Do you think that could happen?!!”

The Elf King interjected, “She's your sister. What do you think? Exactly how powerful is she?”

That hung in the air. Everyone knew that the Fairy Queen had the most powerful magic of all of them. Her sister had spent hundreds of years apprenticing herself with practitioners of black magic. No one knew exactly what she had learned, but they knew her threat was potent.

Gwyneth again ignored his tone and replied to the substance of the question, “I haven't seen her in hundreds of years. I don't know what she is capable of doing. I do know that she is power mad and I believe she plans to either seize power in the Human Realm or at least to use it as a safe place from which to launch attacks on the Nether World, and the Fairy Realm in particular.”

The Witch Queen said, “I think she plans to do both. I have heard rumors that she plans to foment wars in the Human Realm for the purpose of creating enough of a distraction among us to give her an opening to move directly against us. The fact that she stole Excalibur and took it to the Human realm makes me think those rumors are true.”

The assembled monarchs nodded with a mixture of dread and resignation.

The Troll King asked the question that lay heavy on everyone's mind, “On which side will Merlin be?”

The monarchs all looked at Gwyneth for the answer. She shook her head and said, “I believe Merlin will be on the same side as always.”

That comment was met with puzzled stares. The Sprite Queen asked, “Which side is that, Milady?”

Gwyneth laughed with a tinge of bitterness, “Merlin's.” She paused and continued, “Our only hope is that Merlin's desire to become known as 'the Wizard who put Arthur on the High King's throne' will cause him to take the side of right this time.”

That gave only the faintest hint of consolation to the assembly.

****************************************************************************

After the monarchs disbursed, Gwyneth headed for Avalon to meet with the chief Druid. She didn't think she owed it to the Druids to keep them apprised of these developments. After all, they were Humans and they could find out for themselves about what was happening in their Realm. However, the Sorceress wanted her to alert the Druid to their plans, and Gwyneth valued the Sorceress' opinions to the point she was willing to accommodate even such an odd – and, Gwyneth thought, unnecessary – request.

Gwyneth met with the head Druid, who received her with an icy greeting. He was clearly annoyed that she had failed to make her obeisance to him on her last visit to Avalon. She pretended not to be aware of his rudeness, and he appeared not to notice her pretense. She found it humorous that Human males seemed to think females of any species were so stupid they did not notice slights or even overt rudeness. Everything in her made her want to tell him quite bluntly that she was perfectly aware of his condescension and rudeness, but she did not feel she could afford to alienate him at that moment. The Druids were Humans but they occupied Avalon, which was a sort of bridge between the Human Realm and the Nether World.

Everyone in the Nether World wanted to maintain Avalon as a buffer zone between their Realms and the Humans. Even most Humans did not like to be around Druids. As long as the Druids held Avalon, the beings of the Nether World believed that Humans would be unlikely to overrun the place. The village on the other side of the Isle worried the monarchs and made them wonder how much longer they would be able to continue to rely on that “conventional wisdom”. Gwyneth considered it worth the effort to cooperate with the Druids on the chance that they could be helpful.

The various groups that in habited Avalon and the Nether World often were at odds among themselves, but time Gwyneth believed it served nothing for them bicker among themselves. It would take all of them working together to counter the dark magic of the the Black Fairy. As much as Gwyneth loathed the Druids, who all but worshiped Merlin, she felt she could not afford to alienate them.

Instead she explained to him that the Sorceress was going to hide Excalibur and Merlin was going to serve as Arthur's mentor. The Druid asked where the Sorceress was going to put Excalibur. Gwyneth replied that she didn't know and wasn't particularly concerned because she knew the Sorceress would not rest until she found a place to safeguard the sword.

The Druid looked dubious, and asked, “Don't you think we should consult with Merlin about where to hide it?”

Gwyneth snorted, “And why would we do that? For one thing this whole mess is Merlin's fault. I would prefer not to have him involved at all. I would prefer to have sought out someone else to send to Arthur, but we needed to move fast and we could not think of anyone else we thought could get past Uthur.” She made an exasperated noise with her lips, “Besides, Merlin couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it. In this case, since the lives of a whole lot of folk in all the Realms of Earth depend on keeping Excalibur safe, Merlin will be the very last to know where the Sorceress hides it.”

The Druid turned towards her and shook his finger at her, “You should not be so disrespectful of Merlin. He is the spawn of the Great God and his powers are beyond all ability to imagine them. I think you should consult with him and beseech his advice.”

Gwyneth could not help herself: she burst into peels of hilarity. “Is that what you think Merlin is?” She put her hand over her mouth and willed herself to be sober as it was clear the Druid was bordering on a rage. She said, “Merlin is not a god. I'm not sure what he is beyond an incredibly ancient and powerful wizard, but take my word for it, he is not the spawn of any god, great or small.” She muttered under her breath, If anything, he's a demon from the depths of Hades.

The Druid said, “You should be ashamed to be so disrespectful of the gods and their power. You and the Sorceress have taken precipitous action without duly consulting the gods and begging for their wisdom and guidance. In so doing you have endangered all of us.”

Gwyneth shook her head as if a fly were buzzing in her face, “We took immediate action because it was necessary to do so. We did it in consultation with one another. That was sufficient.”

“Have you no respect for the spirits or fear of the gods?”

That brought her up short. No one had ever asked her that question before. In the Fairy Realm, the cardinal power was magic and the cardinal virtue was honesty. Fairies reverenced life in all its forms, they obeyed the laws of nature and the wishes of their queen (although Fairies were perfectly capable of challenging their queen when they thought she was wrong) and relied on their magic. To the extent they thought about the spirit world at all (which was rare) they were agnostic about it. Gwyneth was acquainted with Druids and the Grail priestesses who prayed to certain gods. She also knew that the Dwarfs had a kind of religion; their queen had tried to explain it to her once. Her general opinion of the gods she had heard about was that they were considerably more trouble than they were worth. She realized she had paused for so long the Druid was becoming angry. She responded with the typical honesty of a Fairy who stood on sure ground in her own mind, “I don't believe in your gods nor would I be willing to implore help from any Powers that would demand sniveling, chanting and pleading. The only thing I believe in is the Magic I wield and its power to inspire others to help me when I need it.”

The Druid stepped back as though she had turned into some kind of monster, which she realized he thought she was. She was a shameless Fairy who failed to show due respect to the god Merlin. She met his astonished glare with an even look that was neither fearful nor arrogant. She forced her expression to be neutral and wondered what would happen if she told the Druid she was Merlin's daughter.... and the Black Fairy's twin. She elected to maintain her silence because she did not want to end up at the bottom of a well somewhere. It was all she could do not to laugh at the thought of the expression that news might bring to the pickle-faced the Druid.

All the Realms needed to prepare for the coming of the Black Fairy. Gwyneth shook off the temptation to bait him further and tried a different tack, “In any case, the Sorceress of Avalon asked me to inform you of this news because we believe that when the Trouble comes, it will strike Avalon first, and with force. You should be ready.”

He nodded, and thanked her with his words, while his eyes still glittered in anger. He asked, “What has become of the Priestesses and their Treasure?”

“They are hidden away in far places.”

He seemed disappointed. The Sorceress had been right: the Druids had been looking for the Grail Treasure. He clearly wondered how the Priestesses had secreted it away without his knowing about it. Gwyneth smiled inside her mouth without changing her expression. Those invisibility spells had their uses. She grudgingly admitted that was one very useful thing Merlin had taught her.

He sighed and made it clear to her from his tone and his body language that it disgusted him to have to continue the conversation with her, but he understood the importance of cooperation. “Perhaps my Druids can hide in the abode of the Sorceress if you do not think she will mind.”

Gwyneth reached out with her Soul and explored the chamber where the Sorceress had lived for as long as Gwyneth could remember. It was completely empty but for cobwebs and dust and showed no signs of ever having been occupied. Its glowing walls were dark and damp. She said, “I feel certain the Sorceress would not mind your taking refuge there.”

“I will contact the Christians in the village yonder and warn them as well. Perhaps we can work together to protect ourselves.”

“I think that is a good idea. I have already met with the monarchs of the Nether World. We will be preparing as well. By all means let us know if there is any way we can help you and, just as importantly, if you come across any intelligence we might all be able to use, please let me know.”

“How can I reach out to you without the Priestesses here?”

“The Boatman will remain on Avalon. He will be able to get messages to me.”

“When do you think the Trouble will come?”

She shook her head and raised her beautiful hands in a gesture of uncertainty, “There is no way to tell. If the Sorceress is able to hide Excalibur, it could be several years before the Black Fairy is able to make another move. I expect Arthur will continue to be her preferred tool to bring havoc. If we foil her efforts to put Excalibur in his hands now while he's a child when he could do nothing but damage with it, she may have to wait a few years until he grows up to make her next move. I think we have a little time. We should never allow ourselves to become complaisant, however. If she finds an opening in the meantime, she will take it.”

They parted with polite words and cold eyes.

The Druid was no friend of the Fairies, but he occupied the place which would be the first to be affected when the Trouble came. Gwyneth did not require her allies to be her friends. She had been allied with the Dwarfs for centuries without any real mutual affection. Political alliance was a matter of increased strength in the face of a common enemy. Gwyneth, as a reigning monarch, understood that. The Druid, as a mere religious leader, did not have her perspective, although she was somewhat impressed by his ability to put aside his prejudices and continue the conversation with her. She realized that she felt the same repugnance and condescension towards him – both because of his religious beliefs and his Humanity – as he exhibited towards her. She, however, had the manners not to reveal her prejudices to the Druid. They had a common enemy in her sister, and, therefore, it was in their best interests to be allies. Even the Druid appeared to understand that. Gwyneth gave him credit for at least a modicum of pragmatism. That would have to be enough for her to work with.

Chapter 4

When Nimue picked up the replica of the Pendragon sword at the Elf forge, she noted that this version was more finely crafted than the original: it was better balanced, with a stronger blade and the decorative carving was a work of art. The sword's beauty was perhaps second only to Excalibur's. She knew that the Black Fairy would notice the difference, even if few Humans would. At first she considered asking the Elf to make it look more like the product of human hands. Upon further consideration, she decided she wanted the Black Fairy to know that she had been foiled.

After lavishing an appropriate amount of praise (and an exorbitant amount of gold) on the Elf, she took the sword and headed for Avalon. Before she left Avalon, she hid the sword deep inside a tree and transformed herself into a tall woman whose rough hands and ragged clothes told a tail of hard work tilling uncooperative soil. She went to the village and purchased a rough cloak, tunic and skirt from a haberdasher. Then she purchased a hoe, shovel and a pitch fork from a vendor at the market. She hurried back to her hiding place and changed into her new clothes. She hid the sword in the middle of the bundle of tools and wrapped them all in her old cloak, tying the packet with a rope. The ends of the tools stuck out from the package, but she managed to hide the sword completely.

She summoned the Boatman who operated the ferry from Avalon to the Human Realm. Before stepping onto the vessel she cloaked herself in an enchantment that made her magic invisible. She knew the Black Fairy would be watching for her. She wanted to approach unnoticed.

She made her way to Londanum on foot. She did not dare use magic. She traveled in the guise of a widow who had been turned off her lands by a landlord and who was going to Londanum to appeal to the High King. Others traveling with her sympathized but advised her not to press her case in Uthur's court. She insisted that she had heard Uthur was a fair and just king who looked out for his subjects. It was hard for her to get those words out of her mouth because in reality nothing could have been further from the truth. The ruse, however, got her to Londanum without incident. Her traveling companions considered her to be a person of slow mind (if she believed all that rot about Uthur), and were very protective of her as they traveled.

After arriving in Londanum she split off from her group and wandered around in what she hoped would appear to be aimless exploration of the city. Eventually she approached the place where Excalibur stood with its blade driven deep into the stone. Excalibur responded to her presence with glee. Using the silent Fair language she ordered it to be silent and, for once, it cooperated.

She dared not use magic in casting about to find the Black Fairy. Instead, she used her nose. She knew that Gwyneth exuded a faint musky and earthy odor that was similar to Merlin's. She smelled the same scent and knew the Black Fairy was near. She settled down to wait. Sleeping in a nearby stable, in exchange for cleaning out stalls and feeding the horses, she waited.

After three days, the scent was gone. Nimue wandered up and down the streets, stopping by inns and taverns, making sure the Black Fairy was not hiding.

Having assured herself the moment had come, Nimue waited until the darkest part of the night, and was grateful clouds blocked the moon and stars. She approached Excalibur with a stern admonishment that it was to remain silent and not to respond to her touch. She jumped up on the stone, grabbed the handle of the blade and pulled it straight out of the rock. Before the rock could solidify in the wake of the removal of the glowing blade, she plunged the replica deep into the stone, jumped down and covered Excalibur in a black cloak. The magnificent sword glowed and hummed. It throbbed with power and its rage at the Black Fairy was almost more than Nimue could bear. Excalibur's rage and might traveled up her arm and into her heart, and filled her with a blind desire to seek out the Black Fairy and cut her down.

It took most of Nimue's enormous self-control to resist the temptation to call out the Black Fairy then and there. She stood in a dark corner holding Excalibur like a mother would embrace a beloved but unruly child and eventually convinced Excalibur that it must be quiet and wait until the appropriate time to take revenge on the Black Fairy. Excalibur fell silent and cold. Nimue urged the sword to remain silent and still as long as the were out in the open.

Nimue hurried away from Londanum, clutching the most precious treasure of the Nether World under her cloak. When she was far enough from Londanum that she thought the Black Fairy might not detect her, she cast off the enchantment that hid her magic, and turned herself into a knight. Then she cast an enchantment on Excalibur disguising it as an ordinary sword. Excalibur protested but she convinced it to cooperate a while longer. The knight slid the sword into the scabbard at his waist. A horse emerged from the fog; the knight mounted and streaked off into the night, disappearing into the darkness.

At daybreak, the knight appeared at the edge of a lake in a remote area of the ancient forest. Nimue silently summoned the Fairy Messenger who appeared in the guise of a humming bird which perched on the pommel of the saddle. Nimue explained her plan to the Messenger and instructed her to fly straight to Gwyneth with the news. The Messenger bowed in a birdish manner and flew away in the direction of Avalon, and then disappeared.

The knight dismounted and patted the horse's nose. The horse walked away into a clearing and began to munch grass. The knight walked into the lake fully clothed, carrying both sword and shield. Had anyone been watching, it would have appeared to be a suicide.

Once under the water, Nimue cast off the enchantments that disguised both herself and Excalibur. She dove for the bottom of the lake with Excalibur vibrating and humming in her hand. Far in the inky depths of the lake there was a pocket of air inside a Temple that was an exact replica of Excalibur's abode in the Fairy Realm. Nimue lay Excalibur on a silken pillow atop the stone altar. Then she turned her body into a sarcophagus that would look like a rock to any observer who might by some miracle dive to that great depth in the dark and frigid waters of such a remote lake.

Excalibur wanted to break free and fight the evil that threatened the safety of the Nether World it was committed to protect. Nimue whispered, “Wait. The day will come when you will rise to the surface of this lake and I will put you in the hands of One who will love you the way the beings of the Nether World love you. That One will wield you in battle against many enemies, including the terrible one who endangered the Nether World by bringing you to this Human Realm. Excalibur vibrated sadly for a while and then stilled itself to wait for that day.

Nimue guarded and protected Excalibur, and foiled the Black Fairy – at least for a while.

************************************************************************

The Druid thought about his conversation with the Fairy Queen for a few days. He wanted to dismiss her warning as the hysterical rantings of an unstable female, who was not even Human. The problem was that the Queen's story rang true and he knew her to be anything but unstable. As a Human, the Druid did not like non-Humans, but after decades living on Avalon he had encountered many of them. Fairies were strange creatures but he knew them to be smart and courageous; they were also among the most honest beings of any of Earth's Realms. By reputation no monarch in the Nether World had ruled longer or better than the Fairy Queen. Something told him, he should heed her warning.

He sent a group of young Druids to explore the Sorceress' abode. They came back and reported it was abandoned and appeared to have never been inhabited at all. The Druid wondered what kind of a creature the Sorceress was that she could disappear and remove all evidence of occupancy that, as he understood it, had spanned many centuries.

The Druid instructed the acolytes to prepare the Sorceress' former abode into a hiding place. They were to install lights and store food and water in the deepest parts of the cave, exploring the various rooms as they went. The unstated but understood ancillary task was to search the interior of the Tor for the hiding place of the Grail Treasure. The Druid knew it was gone, but if he could find the place where it had been, he might find some clue as to what it was. He somehow knew that the Priestesses or the Sorceress probably eliminated all evidence that the Treasure had ever been there as well. Still, he could not resist taking the opportunity to look for clues.

After a few days, the Druid decided he owed it to the people of the village to give them a warning of what was to come, even though he despised the Christians almost as much as non-Humans. Putting aside his feelings in the interest of the safety of Avalon, he went to the small monastery and asked for an audience with the abbot.

Brother Peter was an old man who had led a small band of monks to Avalon when he was a newly professed monk. Their goal had been to convert the heathen inhabitants of Avalon to the Christian religion. They had utterly failed in that task, which was a foregone conclusion, because the only occupants of Avalon at the time included a coven of Druid priests and the Grail Priestesses: not one person in either of those groups was a candidate for conversion to Christianity. As Brother Peter saw it, Avalon was populated by unrepentant pagans (evil Druids and some kind of coven of priestess/witches) who were often visited by every manner of strange creature from the Nether World. Brother Peter was never sure whether or not those creatures qualified as pagans. In any case, they were not Human, which meant they had no souls; therefore, they were not worth his time. The Priestesses stayed away from Humans and he was never sure whether or not they were truly humans; in any case, they were merely women and he didn't care if they burned in hell. Despite everything, Brother Peter had never given up his vain hope of converting the Druids.

In the early days the Druids welcomed the new settlement. They liked the fact that Humans were moving to Avalon, if only because it would be easier to obtain food and other supplies. The Druids knew that most of the Grail Priestesses were Human, but they had withdrawn from the Human Realm and involved themselves too much with the magic and beings from the Nether World. The Priestesses avoided contact with others. Avalon was a transitional land between the Human Realm and the Nether World, and the Grail Priestesses had turned themselves into almost a transitional species as well. The Druid had the sense that some of the older Priestesses had ceased to be Humans at all. Therefore, the Druids welcomed the new Human residents. That turned out to be huge mistake.

The Druids soon learned that the Christians were determined to stamp out every vestige of the ancient religion, of which the Druids held themselves to be the priests and guardians. The Druids held the high ground on Avalon, literally. At first the Christians were few and poor and terribly ignorant. As their numbers grew, they remained poor and ignorant, but they became bolder. The Druid had heard terrible stories about what the Christians were doing to people they called “pagans” in the land across the deep water: they hunted them down and killed them, often after torturing them in an effort to get them to convert or at least to divulge the whereabouts of others of their kind. In less than a generation the Druids across the sea had been all but wiped out. The situation was not much better in the Human Realm near Avalon. There were still pockets of Druids in remote places, high in the mountains or on rocky islands off the coast. The Druid community at Avalon was the largest surviving community of practitioners of the ancient religion still in existence. For some time it grew to be larger than it ever had been as refugees arrived from other communities that had been under siege. In recent years, however, the community began to age and fewer new acolytes arrived every year. The old religion was dying.

The Druid was tempted not to share the intelligence he had received from the Fairy Queen in the hope the Christians would be wiped out during the Trouble that was to come. Unfortunately, the Druid was a decent and ethical person, and he believed he had a duty to share the warning to his neighbors, as vile and mean as they were.

More or less against his better judgment, he sought out the abbot and warned him of the Trouble that threatened to overtake them. The abbot laughed at the thought that a mere Fairy could cause any trouble for his monastery or the village that surrounded it. He did not take creatures from the Nether World seriously, most especially not female creatures who claimed to have magical powers. He said his god would protect the village and, if the Druid were smart, he would swear fealty to the Christian god and accept his protection as well. The Druid thanked the abbot for the offer, but declined.

The Druid returned to his cell, feeling both sad and fearful. He recognized that if his community were – by some miracle – to survive the coming of the Black Fairy, it would ultimately succumb to the onslaught of the Christians who were systematically stamping out old gods, old religions, old ways of all types – and the priests and practitioners who held the knowledge about those ways. The Druid felt old. And tired. And useless.

**************************************************************************

Merlin, in the meantime, had presented himself to Uthur and requested to be assigned as mentor and teacher to Arthur. He told Uthur that the household where Arthur was being apprenticed was a wonderful home and Sir Hector was providing an appropriate education for a knight, but Merlin suggested that a future High King needed education beyond what his guardians were able to provide. Without going into any detail, Merlin told Uthur that he had reason to expect trouble from the Nether World and he thought that Arthur would benefit from special training that only Merlin could provide.

At first Uthur was reluctant to agree to Merlin's request. He knew (from hard personal experience) how meddlesome Merlin could be, and how Merlin's lack of understanding about some important aspects of Humanity caused him to do stupid (and often dangerous) things. On the other hand, Uthur acknowledged that it would be a good idea for Arthur to have some special training in dealing with the various species that inhabited other Realms of Earth beyond the Human. Uthur himself had been tripped up by his own ignorance about the magic and powers of the non-Human creatures who shared the Earth. He would have preferred Arthur to obtain that education from a teacher other than Merlin, but Merlin was the only wizard Uthur knew. With great reluctance, Uthur agreed to Merlin's proposal.

Uthur wrote a sealed message to Sir Hector, asking him to welcome Merlin into his household as Arthur's tutor. Merlin carried the letter of introduction to Sir Hector's castle and presented it to the Lord. Sir Hector had little use for wizards, or any teachers who used books, for that matter. Hector was a knight and the lord of a large and rich feudal estate, which he managed well. He was illiterate himself as was almost everyone in his household, and he was suspicious of teachers, especially those with other-worldly roots and magical powers.

Arthur had been sent to Hector when he was a baby; Hector's instructions were to raise Arthur as a foster child, and not to tell Arthur he was the Uthur's son. Hector assumed that meant Arthur was a bastard, in which case the best future Arthur could hope for would be to become a knight, and maybe, if he were very lucky, marry into a family that owned an estate. Hector believed all Arthur needed to know was how to take care of his weapons and to fight like a beast, first and foremost. He also thought Arthur should learn a little about animal husbandry in the event he got lucky in marriage, or – more likely – if he did not make a good knight and might have to make his living doing more menial jobs on an estate. Arthur didn't need books or wizards for the kind of future Hector anticipated he would face.

Nevertheless, Uthur was High King and he asked Sir Hector to accept Merlin as Arthur's tutor. Hector would not turn Merlin away, despite his reservations about having such a being under his roof for the next few years until Arthur. He allowed Merlin full access to Arthur, but ordered his other sons and all the rest of the castle residents to stay away from Merlin as much as possible.

Arthur questioned why he was singled out for such special treatment. Hector told him that it was by orders of his father. Arthur demanded to know who his father was and Hector refused to tell him. Arthur was a small boy at the time, but he was not stupid. Because Hector did not even try to hide his distaste for Merlin's presence, but allowed him to live in the castle and act as tutor for Arther, Arthur deduced that his father was a lord who outranked Hector. That was the first clue he ever had about his parentage, and he seized it.

He asked Merlin about his parentage. Merlin thought about it for a while and eventually promised to tell Arthur the whole story when he was older. He asked Arthur to refrain from asking questions to anyone until the appropriate time came for Merlin to share the story. Arthur agreed, and never asked another question about his father, but Merlin knew that Arthur remained alert for any clues Merlin might accidentally drop.

Arthur did ask questions about everything else on Earth, and beyond. Hector insisted that Arthur continue his regular training in horsemanship and combat, leaving only a few hours of each day for him to spend with Merlin. During those few hours, he assaulted Merlin with a barrage of questions that he had thought up and saved during the day. He was curious about everything, and the more he learned the more he wanted to know. Merlin fell more in love with Arthur with every lesson he taught. Arthur's insatiable curiosity combined with his quick mind were a teacher's dream. Hector and his sons taught Arthur to fight and to ride. Merlin taught him everything else Merlin thought he needed to know.

It never occurred to any of them to teach him about women.

****************************************************************************

Gwyneth returned to her palace and began to lay specific plans to protect her Realm when the Trouble came. She was fairly certain she would be elsewhere during the worst of whatever was to come, so she was careful to put together a team of Fairies to assist Gretel in doing everything they could to keep the Fairy Realm as safe as possible.

She also increased the frequency of her communications with the monarchs of the other Realms in order to share intelligence and make plans for sending assistance where it might be needed. The Witch Queen agreed to send teams of Healers to reside in each of the other Realms where they would be welcome, except the Elf Kingdom, where female visitors would not be safe.

The improved cooperation between the monarchs and increased contact between inhabitants of the Realms bore some immediate beneficial results: trade between the Realms increased immediately, materially benefiting everyone.

Gwyneth and the Witch Queen lamented that it was sad it took an impending crisis to foster improved cooperation between the Realms. The two of them were moving in the direction of the kind of deep friendship females of every species seem to be able to achieve once or twice in a lifetime. Gwyneth was glad of that. She feared she would need the help of the Witch Queen, and any other friends she could find, in the coming years.

Gwyneth did not take time to think about it, but her stature among the monarchs of the Nether World – which had always been very high – was significantly increased. Her prestige grew until she was virtually on a par with the Troll King, who had long been considered the wisest and most erudite of any monarch in Earths Realms. Gwyneth had long relied on the Troll King for the wise counsel of a deep-thinking philosopher. The situation facing the monarchs did not require (or even allow for) contemplation and reasoned arguments. It required action, and Gwyneth assumed a role something like to a female warlord, the driving force that kept the Nether World vigilant.

Much had been accomplished: Excalibur was safely hidden away; Arthur was under Merlin's tutelage (Gwyneth tried not to shudder every time she thought about that); the Nether Realms were as ready as they could be for whatever the Black Fairy might throw at them. With that done, the inhabitants of the Nether World went about their business more or less as usual.

Gwyneth missed visiting with the High Priestess of the Grail and with the Sorceress, but she enjoyed her budding friendship with the Witch Queen and she deepened her friendship with the Troll King. Her Fairy Messengers spread far and wide in the Human Realm, listening and watching. Spies from other realms did the same. The spies reported back to the monarchs, who shared the intelligence with one another. Some of the spies even teamed up and worked together seeking clues about the Black Fairy's whereabouts or intentions, but the Black Fairy remained hidden.

For approximately a decade everything remained at an equipoise. It seemed that the entire Earth was waiting for Arthur to grow into manhood.

Chapter 5

As the years passed, the monarchs of the Nether Realms, who were acquainted with the Black Fairy and knew her capabilities, maintained their vigilance and stockpiled food, medicine and weapons. For most of the regular inhabitants of the Nether Realms, however, life went on as it always had.

The Druids and the villagers on Avalon became complacent. The Druid decided that the Fairy Queen must have been either mistaken or she had been trying to trick him. The Human villagers were unaware of the warning because the abbot had not seen fit to bother to tell anyone.

Virtually all of the residents of the Human Realm were oblivious to the approaching storm. Merlin and the Nether World spies were the only exceptions.

Merlin did not know where the Black Fairy was hiding, but he knew that she was waiting and watching for an opening. As Arthur grew in wisdom and power, Merlin became certain that Arthur was the weapon the Black Fairy had chosen to use against her sister. She might use Human beings as her tools and their Realm as one of her battlefields, but the real object of her aggression had nothing to do with Humans. The Black Fairy's goal was nothing less than the throne of the Fairy Queen.

Well before Merlin believed Arthur was ready, Uthur sent word to Merlin that he was dying and he wanted to recognize Arthur and designate him as heir.

The time had come for Arthur to assume his birthright. Merlin spoke first to Sir Hector, explaining that Arthur was not a bastard, but was in fact the crown prince and rightful heir to the throne of the High King. Sir Hector was pleased to have been the chosen guardian for so precious a treasure, although he would have preferred to have been informed about it earlier, preferably by Uthur rather than a wizard whom he didn't really trust.

Sir Hector and Merlin spoke with Arthur, together. They informed him that he was the son of Uthur Pendragon, and that he would be king. They also informed him that Uthur was dying and wanted to recognize Arthur to protect his claim to the throne. After an appropriate amount of humble protestations as to his unworthiness for the role, Arthur accepted its reality and asked Merlin to accompany him to Londanum. He was eager to meet his father before Uthur died.

They left for Londanum the next day, escorted by Sir Hector and Arthur's foster brother, Kay. While they were still miles from Londanum, they received word that Uthur had already died. Arthur worried that no one would believe he was the rightful heir to the throne. Merlin told him not to worry about it. He said he was sure Uthur would have told someone to expect Arthur's arrival.

Merlin was wrong about that. Whether due to the machinations of the Black Fairy or because Uthur was much sicker than he realized, Uthur died without mentioning to anyone the fact that he had a legitimate son and heir. He also failed to make any provisions for a Regent to rule until Arthur came of age.

Arthur's entourage arrived in Londanum only hours after Uthur's burial. The city was in chaos. Bands of thugs roamed the streets stealing, raping and pillaging at will. Sir Hector's group came under attack near the center of the city. Kay and Sir Hector moved to Arthur's side in an effort to protect him. A melee broke out and someone knocked Kay's sword from his hand. It fell to the ground and a horse stepped on it, breaking it. Kay and Arthur looked at the broken sword in horror, paralyzed with fear. Merlin had moved in close to Arthur as well. He laughed silently and then yelled at Arthur, “Your brother needs a sword. Go fetch him that one,” pointing at a sword sheathed in a block of stone in the middle of the square. Without hesitating or thinking about the impossibility of pulling a sword out of a block of stone, Arthur whirled his horse and rushed to the stone, pushing aside would-be attackers. He jumped off the horse and vaulted up onto the block of stone, not hesitating so much as an instant to consider the impossibility of extracting a sword from a block of solid granite.

Arthur grabbed the haft and pulled upwards. As if it were melting, the stone gave way. Arthur raised the sword above his head, shouting to Kay over the din of the fracas, “Brother, here, take this sword in place of the one that was lost!”

The fight halted instantly as the combatants from both sides marveled at the sight of the gloriously handsome and powerful young man standing atop the stone, wielding what appeared to be the Pendragon sword over his head. Arthur was ignorant of the significance of the sword in the stone, but everyone else in the square that morning knew the story of the Pendragon sword that could only be freed by the rightful heir to the throne. Those present in the square knelt and did obeisance to their new king, and then they scattered to the four corners of the city to announce the news that the new King had revealed himself.

Arthur's party moved on toward the palace, with the citizens of Londanum lining the streets bowing and cheering, and greeting King Arthur for the first time.

With Merlin as his principal advisor, along with his foster brother Kay, whom he knighted within minutes of his own coronation, Arthur's rule began on an auspicious note.

He did not like the cramped and dank castle in the city of Londanum, so he moved his court to the nearby village of Carleon where he built a castle he called Camelot and gathered around him a cohort of knights whose mission would be to recruit and train fighting forces. Uthur's kingdom had shrunk during the last years of his reign, as his strength had wained and the Saxons and other enemies took advantage. Arthur was determined to take back the lost territory, and, after that, to expand the Pendragon kingdom to include the whole of Britain.

Arthur's knights were to be the key to his plans. His kingdom was under siege and Arthur planned to break the dual threats of Saxon invaders and Norse raiders by force of arms. In order to do that he had to overcome the fear and timidity of the Britons, turning thousands of otherwise meek peasants into warriors. He recruited knights from Britain as well as from across the seas. With Kay running the household and Lancelot, Gawain, Gaheris and others recruiting and training more knights, Arthur devoted himself to making alliances, and building up a war chest to fund the battles to come. It was a busy and heady time. It seemed to those around him that everything Arthur undertook succeeded beyond even Arthur's expectations. His successes bred confidence in his knights and subjects alike. The growing reputation of Arthur's army attracted more knights and strong young men who wanted to learn to be knights.

Arthur's transformation of his kingdom from a sleepy land populated by peasants and the odd peddler into an armed camp got the attention of other kings in the land. Some sought to become his allies. Others – especially the Saxon invaders – prepared for war.

Merlin knew he could not protect Arthur in battle. He sent a message to the Fairy Queen requesting a meeting in Avalon. She agreed and met him in the Boatman's cottage to avoid the prying eyes of the Druids. They talked for a few minutes and then argued for hours. When the shouting and swearing was over, Merlin left for the Human Realm and the Fairy Queen waited in the Boatman's cottage until she was sure he was far away. Hours later, she sent a Messenger to Gretel and then, under the cover of a moonless night, she, too, took the ferry toward the Human Realm.

Disguised as a peddler she made her way to the hidden lake her Messengers had described. She hid in the trees for a long time, wrapping herself in an enchantment that rendered both her person and her magic invisible. Then she entered the icy waters and plunged to the depths. When she arrived at the Temple, she shook herself dry and touched the stone sarcophagus, saying, “The time has come, Milady. Arthur has need of strong protection in war.”

The stone sarcophagus melted revealing Nimue, who greeted the Fairy Queen. They discussed the situation and Nimue agreed that it was time to put Excalibur in Arthur's hand. Nimue stood next to the altar and laid her hands on Excalibur with the gentleness and love of a mother toward her infant, “Are you sure Arthur is ready? Has Merlin prepared him well?”

Gwyneth pursed her lips as though she'd tasted something sour, “Quite honestly, I doubt it. I don't know that Merlin himself even understands the power or significance of Excalibur. I don't. Do you?”

Nimue smiled, “Excalibur is almost as ancient as Merlin and me. Its significance is something none of us can fully comprehend with our minds. Excalibur's importance is in its power, not in its meaning. The important question for us now is whether or not Excalibur will choose Arthur.”

“Do you think it will?”

“I don't know, but there is only one way to find out. We have to put it in Arthur's hand and let Excalibur determine whether or not he is worthy. That will be dangerous, because if Excalibur does not choose Arthur as its Companion, Arthur will die when he touches the sword.” She hesitated and looked at the box in which Excalibur rested, adding, “The problem is that Excalibur will continue to be vulnerable until it finds a Companion of its choosing.”

“How do you propose to protect it until we can get it to Court?”

“I don't think we can risk moving it all the way to Camelot. Arthur will have to come here to fetch it.” Nimue paused, thinking for a long time, “Go to Merlin. Tell him to bring Arthur here. Excalibur trusts me. I will put it in Arthur's hand. Then we will just have to see what happens.”

Gwyneth flew to Camelot, under the cloak of invisibility. Before exiting the forest, she assumed the form of a Wise Woman seeking an audience with Merlin. They met in his chamber, arguing and debating late into the night. Finally, Merlin agreed to the plan because he could think of no acceptable alternative. He admitted that he believed Arthur was as worthy to handle Excalibur as any Human could be, but he insisted he had always had the understanding that Excalibur was never to be wielded by a Human. Gwyneth suggested that he might be wrong, knowing she was perhaps the only creature in any of Earth's realms who could get away with saying that to Merlin. They argued and debated for a few more hours, until Merlin relented.

He finally agreed that they had to take the chance. If Excalibur chose Arthur, the glorious future Merlin had invented in his head would surely come to pass. If Excalibur did not choose Arthur, he would die, but if Merlin refused to put Arthur to the test, he would very likely die anyway – at the hands of a bloody Saxon on some remote battlefield. With Gwyneth's urging and in the knowledge that the idea originated with Nimue, whose wisdom he trusted, Merlin finally agreed that it was worth the risk.

Gwyneth returned to the lake to alert Nimue that Arthur would be coming shortly. Nimue released Excalibur from its sarcophagus. She held it up for Gwyneth to see, and its power and it pent up energy vibrated, emitting a low hum that sounded as though it came from deep in the earth. The shaft of the sword glowed with a bluish cast, like the surface of a lake at dawn on a windless day. It sang out joyously at its liberation. Nimue shushed it. Excalibur stopped singing, but continued to vibrate and shimmer.

Gwyneth asked if she might touch it. Excalibur went silent and ceased to glow. Gwyneth chuckled and jerked her hand away. “I'll take that for a 'no'.”

Nimue laughed, and Excalibur resumed its throbbing and humming, at a slightly higher pitch. Gwyneth thought the humming sounded like laughter, too. She gazed on the amazing sword in awe and gratitude for all the years it had protected her and her subjects. They all knew that difficult times lay ahead and they would face the trials together. Gwyneth bowed low before the sword and it accepted her obeisance with a happy hum.

After a while, a change came over the sword, in both its appearance and the noise it made. Its color changed from bluish to a golden glow that was almost to bright to look at, and the noise it made was ecstasy that rose up from the Earth and reached the Heavens. Neither Gwyneth nor Nimue had any doubt that Excalibur had chosen its Companion, and Arthur was approaching.

Nimue said, “Arthur is coming. I must take Excalibur to the surface.”

Gwyneth asked if she might be allowed to watch. Excalibur did not protest, so Gwyneth hid in the trees opposite the place Arthur and Merlin would emerge from the forest. Nimue carried Excalibur to a place in the middle of the lake, and held it just beneath the surface.

Merlin, who knew how to participate in theater even when he wasn't creating it, led Arthur to the edge of the water and ordered him to simply wait and watch. Arthur stood beside the still water that was so deep and murky it looked like melted chocolate. Not so much as a breath of wind disturbed the glassy surface of the lake. Nothing happened. Arthur turned to Merlin with a question on his face. Merlin motioned for Arthur to concentrate on the lake, making a rather impatient gesture.

Hidden away in the trees, Gwyneth was amused at the silent tug-of-war going on between Merlin and Nimue. He irritably wanted her to get on with the presentation of Excalibur. She preferred to take her time. She supposedly wanted Excalibur to consider Arthur's merits. Merlin knew she was playing a game with him. Gwyneth wanted to laugh but was afraid that any sound or movement would break the tension. Excalibur's energy vibrated just under the surface of the water and tiny wavelets could soon be seen traveling outwards from the center. Arthur noticed, and stepped into the water itself in an effort to see beneath the dark surface. Excalibur responded by shooting up out of the water and cart-wheeling directly toward Arthur. As though he knew what was happening, Arthur raised his right hand. Excalibur flipped over, slowed down and slid its haft into Arthur's waiting hand. The sword glowed golden and emitted a high-pitched moan, quivering and throbbing in delight.

Merlin looked terrified.

Gwyneth could tell that beneath the lake, Nimue was laughing, laughter that could be seen as pulses on the surface of the water.

Gwyneth had mixed feelings at seeing Excalibur so delighted to be in Human hands. She was thrilled to see the might and beauty of Excalibur raised high and ready for action, but she feared what might befall her and the Fairies if the Humans claimed Excalibur forever. In addition, she took a moment to enjoy Merlin's discomfiture. She shared Nimue's delight at the joke on Merlin. It was fun to trick the ultimate trickster, if only once.

Up until that point, she had focused solely on Excalibur. When she happened to glance at Arthur, she was struck dumb with awe at the incredible sight of the young king standing ankle-deep in the dancing water, hoisting the joyous Excalibur over his head. Arthur was looking up at Excalibur with the kind of naked adoration Gwyneth felt when she looked at it. After the power in that bonding between man and weapon sunk in to Gwyneth, she joined in Merlin's terror: that a Human might wield such power was beyond her most horrific nightmares.

To make matters worse, Gwyneth sensed that the Black Fairy was a witness to the event as well – and she was utterly delighted.

Nimue and Merlin noticed the presence of the Black Fairy as well, and all three of them were petrified. They could feel the Black Fairy's laughter. Then her presence was gone.

Arthur and Excalibur were oblivious to the danger. They were transported by feelings of power and love. Or the love of power. Or the power of love. Or some combination of all of those things.

Soon Merlin suggested to Arthur that it was time to return to Camelot, where a new phase of his reign was about to begin.

Gwyneth and Nimue met in the Temple at the bottom of the lake to consider what to do next. They decided they both needed to be at Camelot to do what they could to avert disaster. They didn't trust Merlin to be able to handle the situation on his own. Merlin loved Arthur with a zealot's single-minded devotion. They knew that Merlin's actions would be focused on advancing Arthur's cause. Nimue and Gwyneth were as impressed by Arthur as either of them ever had been by a Human, but their concern was for Excalibur and the well-being of all of Earth's Realms, not just Arthur and his tiny kingdom. They could not understand why Excalibur would be so joyful at being allied with a Human. (If they had spoken candidly, both of them would have admitted they were rather disgusted by that.) Regardless of their feelings on the subject, Excalibur had chosen Arthur as its Companion, and they would have to deal with whatever happened because of it.

Nimue and Gwyneth knew the Black Fairy would make her move, probably very soon.

They visited the Court under the cloak of invisibility and then met in the forest near Camelot. Nimue transformed herself into a lady-in-waiting who called herself Niniane and insinuated herself into Arthur's household. Arthur soon recognized a woman of ability and placed her in charge of his household.

Arthur reigned in Britain. Sir Kay ruled in Camelot. The Lady Niniane was the boss in Arthur's apartments. Merlin, Sir Kay and Niniane were Arthur's most trusted (and trustworthy) advisors. Niniane never lost her doubts about Arthur's merits, but she had to give him credit for an uncanny ability to surround himself with at least some good advisors.

Gwyneth posed as a kitchen maid, purportedly a widow in her late twenties, serving meals and drinks to Arthur's guests and observing the assembled Knights of the Round Table. She was modest and quiet, but her beauty and the the musical sound of her voice attracted more attention than she would have preferred. Many times she wished she had posed as an old woman, or at least someone plain and unremarkable.

Lancelot was the favorite in Camelot. The women loved him for his good looks and reckless behavior. The knights loved him for his horsemanship and his astonishing abilities with the lance. Arthur in particular doted on him, almost like a lover or, perhaps, like the younger brother Arthur had never had. There was something about Lancelot Gwyneth found disturbing. He exhibited a slight petulance about the mouth and his arrogance went beyond the normal self-confidence of a battle-hardened knight, most of whom were rather humble people. Lancelot appeared to believe he deserved the accolades he received.

On the other hand Gwyneth found herself drawn to the youngest and most gentle of the knights. Something told her that he might be the least vulnerable to the Black Fairy's powers. Gwyneth, the serving girl, gave him special attention and soon worked her way into a position as lady-in-waiting to Sir Galahad.

Three years passed during which Arthur led his knights and their armies into battles against the Saxons and other enemies, always with spectacular success, thanks to the magical might of Excalibur – and sometimes with a little help from Merlin. “Camelot” became an almost magical word in Britain. Arthur's Court was renowned throughout the Human Realm (even beyond Britain) as a center of chivalry and culture. Arthur's armies, led by the High King and his amazing sword, were victorious in every battle they engaged, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake.

Following a series of particularly magnificent victories, Arthur returned to Camelot to prepare for the harvest festival. The first night of of the four-day feast, the entire Court was invited to a feast in the Great Hall of Camelot. Prior to the dinner, the guests gathered in the throne room for a formal audience. Arthur stood on the podium in front of the throne, with Excalibur gleaming at his left side, humming happily. Lancelot stood one step down, on Arthur's left, more arrogant and self-satisfied than ever after his glorious achievements in battle. Galahad stood on Arthur's right, having fought with valor in his first major campaign. Arthur recognized him, saying he had kept up with Lancelot and, even, with Arthur himself. Galahad was Arthur's guest of honor for the evening.

Gwyneth looked upon the three of them and her heart beat madly. They were in many ways the very best of Humankind. The greatest of them was not Arthur, whose wisdom and goodness arose out of Merlin's teaching and whose power derived from the sword that hung at his side, nor was it Lancelot, the handsome and witty knight whose fearlessness and fury in battle were already legendary. Gwyneth knew that the finest Human among the throng gathered there, and perhaps one of the most perfect Humans ever born was Galahad. Her heart went out to him, filled with love and, for some reason she didn't understand, pity.

Before she had time to wonder where that pity had come from, the atmosphere in the room darkened and an odor of death wafted through the hall. Gwyneth felt sick. The moment was over in a heartbeat and just for a second Gwyneth thought she might have imagined it, because none of the humans seemed to notice anything amiss. She looked at Nimue and she could tell that Nimue felt it, too. Merlin had not reacted, but Gwyneth knew him well enough to be able to tell he was suddenly on the alert.

The next moment an entourage of knights and ladies-in-waiting walked into the room leading the most beautiful Human woman anyone had ever seen. Her hair, which hung loose and free signifying her virginity, fell almost to the floor in waves of golden splendor. Her gown was of the finest silk, cornflower blue, exactly matching her eyes. From the minute she walked through the entrance she locked eyes with Arthur, and he was smitten.

Guenevere walked forward at an excruciatingly slow pace in order to allow the Court to appreciate her beauty and to torture Arthur as long as possible before she had to speak to him. Her allure was so powerful virtually every man and most women in the room fell in love with her before she uttered a sound.

There were five exceptions. Merlin, who was standing behind Arthur, cast an enchantment around himself. It was almost too late: Merlin was always susceptible to the charms of beautiful females of any species, and he almost fell into her trap. Nimue cast an enchantment around Lancelot. She was too late: Lancelot, like Arthur, was lost to Guenevere's powerful charms. Excalibur vibrated and screamed in fear and rage, crying out its desire to cut her down (Arthur was oblivious to Excalibur's ranting). Gwyneth used her own powerful magic to force Galahad to make eye contact with her. She didn't waste time on mere protective enchantments: she employed serious magic to cast a spell on Galahad to keep him out of Guenevere's clutches.

Guenevere did not look at Gwyneth, but Gwyneth knew her sister was aware of her presence – and her reason for being there.

Gwyneth moved carefully around the room so she could position herself behind Galahad and beside Merlin. Nimue was standing to the side with Arthur's household, facing Gwyneth from the crowd, focusing her attention and magic so intently on trying to calm Excalibur that she was trembling and perspiring. Nimue reached out to Excalibur with her Soul and tried to help still its fear and anger.

Arthur stepped down from the pedestal and greeted Guenevere with a courtly kiss on the back of her hand. Excalibur fell silent and ceased to glow with its previous radiance. It's sorrow was so intense both Nimue and Gwyneth were reduced to tears. They needn't have worried about being spectacles, however, because nearly everyone in the room had shed a few tears at the transcendent beauty of Arthur and Guenevere together, lost in one another's eyes. The darkly handsome and powerful High King and the tiny woman whose porcelain beauty, the like of which had not been seen in the Human Realm since the Trojan Wars, stood transfixed, basking in one another's gaze and oblivious to the presence of others around them.

No one other than Nimue and Gwyneth (and, more than likely, Guenevere) noticed Lancelot's expression. Lancelot gazed at Guenevere for a moment with naked lust. Nimue's enchantment helped him gain sufficient control at least to look away until he could bring himself under control. When he looked back at Guenevere it was with the same look of rapture as Arthur.

Nimue and Gwyneth looked at one another for a moment, their eyes reflecting a combination of matching fear and determination. Gwyneth raised her eyebrows slightly and Nimue nodded her head in the barest gesture of agreement: they were allies, joined in the greatest battle of their long lives. The Black Fairy had arrived, and the Trouble had begun.

Chapter 6

The courtship of Arthur and Guenevere was brief. Due to the exigences of war and the pull of passion, they married in the late winter. Gwyneth was disgusted that Guenevere passed herself off as a Christian. She brought with her a coterie of priests and monks and insisted that the members of the Court attend church services. Many, including Arthur, allowed themselves to be converted, at least nominally. Of all the deceitful and insidious weapons Guenevere wielded, the Church proved to be one of the most potent in many ways because it undermined the traditional culture and religion at a time when both were changing anyway. The cultural and religious shift exacerbated the general feeling of fear and uncertainty that weighed heavy in Britain at the time, despite Arthur's victories and Camelot's rising glory.

Guenevere exploited the malaise, using the Church's obsession with sin and guilt and penance. The priests in effect did her dirty work, making the courtiers and towns folk feel afraid for their future. What was more, they were encouraged to feel guilty about sensual pleasures that had never before been taboo for them. At the same time Guenevere played the coquette among the knights (at first only when Arthur was safely away in battle) and kept the sexual tension at court just barely below the boiling point. The priests told the knights that women were the repositories of evil and sin, while Guenevere paraded in front of them, a beautiful woman, oozing sexuality.

Both Nimue and Gwyneth were apoplectic over Guenevere's behavior, but their disguise roles were such that they rarely had occasion to approach her. Gwyneth in particular went out of her way to avoid her sister, staying in Galahad's apartments most of her waking hours inventing small projects such as making new needlepoint covers for the chairs and footstools in every room to keep herself busy and out of the common areas of the palace. This behavior unintentionally enhanced Gwyneth's reputation as quiet, modest and demure, the ideal against which Guenevere came up short in some eyes.

Nimue did the same, hiding in Arthur's apartments as many hours of the day as she could justify. She was an unsurpassed embroiderer, and set herself the task of embroidering Arthur's tunics with decorative trimming. Arthur was so handsome his clothes needed no adornment, but his beautifully embroidered shirts and tunics became his trademark. He asked her to make a wedding shawl for Guenevere, but she begged him to withdraw the request, claiming that her work was too rough and bold for such a beautiful woman's garment. She said she felt her work was only suitable for a man's clothing. Arthur, who knew nothing of women's clothing and decoration (and cared less), took her word for it and let the matter drop. She trembled at the very idea of having to sew a garment for Guenevere to wear, if for no other reason than that Guenevere might be able to capture some of her essence she might leave on the fabric, and use it to do her harm.

Sewing for Arthur gave Nimue access to his private apartments, including his bedchamber, which allowed her to be near Excalibur at least at the times when Arthur was in Court and not out on the battlefield somewhere. It was clear to Nimue that Excalibur loved to escape the Court (where all it wanted to do was slay the queen), so she used her access to encourage Arthur to undertake sorties and engage enemies in faraway places he might not otherwise have done. Arthur and his amazing sword became renowned throughout Britain for the glory of its accomplishments in battle.

Arthur may have been safest when he was off to do battle somewhere else, but the knights he left behind in Court were at Guenevere's mercy. She tormented them with illicit kisses (kisses which made them guilty of treason) and pitted them against one another for her favors. She flirted with them and fanned the flames of their passions until some of them acted inappropriately, at which point she threatened to either banish them or tell Arthur – or both. Arthur had designated Lancelot as Guenevere's Champion, which meant that when Arthur was away Lancelot was required to remain in Court to look after Guenevere.

Lancelot was despondent. He was miserable when he was in Court because his love for Guenevere was so painful he could barely look at her without weeping; he was even more miserable on the rare occasions when Arthur chose to stay in Court and sent Lancelot away on missions which took him away from Guenevere's side for even short periods. The other knights made the mistake of teasing Lancelot about Guenevere, once. His rage was so fierce, they never did it again.

Galahad was the only knight who seemed oblivious to Guenevere's charms. The protective spell Gwyneth had cast helped, but Gwyneth was fairly certain that Galahad's own internal honor and decency might have been sufficient even without her magical assistance. (She did not withdraw the spell, however, to be on the safe side.) Guenevere was aware of Galahad's failure to capitulate to her charms, and she redoubled her efforts where he was concerned. Like Gwyneth, Galahad tried to hide as much as possible. He stayed in the stables or out in the fields practicing his horsemanship, his archery and his sword work. In the evenings or on inclement days, he remained in his apartments reading and listening to bards singing songs or telling poems. Sometimes he and Gwyneth read to each other late into the night.

Galahad believed himself to be an orphan (he had been fostered out as had Arthur), and he looked up to Gwyneth as a maternal figure, even though her guise was only a few years older than Galahad. She encouraged that and never failed to give him good advice. The name Guenevere never passed their lips in their conversations with one another, but her presence hung over the Court like a specter of death.

At some point over the summer of the first year Guenevere and Arthur were married, Guenevere and Lancelot became lovers. Somehow Excalibur seemed to know it first. Arthur returned from a battle, and from the moment he walked into the palace Excalibur screamed and vibrated in a rage. Gwyneth, Nimue and Merlin already knew they were the only ones who could hear Excalibur's tantrums. They were fairly certain Guenevere could hear it as well but she never let on. No one else seemed aware of Excalibur's emotions.

In that particular situation it was a blessing that no one could hear the torment of the sword or the hatred it had for Guenevere, which threatened to lash out at her by itself if Arthur continued to refuse to help. Nimue pleaded with Excalibur to calm down and be quiet, just in case anyone else could hear. She finally convinced it to be quiet when she explained that Guenevere herself would know that Excalibur was aware of her treachery and she would take care to protect herself from its wrath.

Arthur did not seem to be aware of Excalibur's noises or vibration, but he must have somehow sensed the emotions that Excalibur expressed, even if he did not know they were coming from outside himself. The day Arthur returned and Excalibur went mad, even Arthur seemed to be aware something was wrong with the sword. He removed his scabbard in the Great Hall and asked Nimue – who, aside from Arthur's man-at-arms and his page, was the only person permitted to touch Excalibur – to take Excalibur back to his apartments. She took it away and stayed with it; she dared not allow Guenevere to steal it. In that manner, Nimue publicly resumed her role as Guardian of Excalibur, at least when it was not safely hanging at Arthur's side or being engaged in battle someplace.

When Arthur was away from Court, Guenevere and Lancelot did not even pretend to be discrete. For a while, Guenevere all but quit flirting with the other knights and focused all her attentions on Lancelot. Most of the people at Court believed that Guenevere genuinely loved Lancelot. They saw the situation shaping up as a tragic love triangle in which one of the men would probably kill the other one.

Gwyneth knew that Guenevere loathed Humans as much as she did and was only using Lancelot to foment dissension in the court on the one hand and, on the other, to ingratiate herself with Arthur's right hand man. He was the most likely Knight to have prosecuted Guenevere for treason and adultery; by making him the object of her affections, she prevented him from telling Arthur about her other infidelity.

Gwyneth found it surprising to discover that there were some Humans whom she actually liked. Gwyneth was glad to have had the opportunity to meet at least a few Humans who called into question her life-long prejudice against them. Most of the Round Table Knights were decent fellows, but they were weak and easily distracted from their self-interests. They were also combative and, in Gwyneth's opinion, overly-competitive. Arthur was a good and honorable man but he had a tendency to turn a blind eye to the faults of his friends. For a monarch, that could be a fatal flaw. And Galahad.... in Gwyneth's eyes, Galahad was as close to perfection as a creature in any of Earth's realms could ever be.

Everyone at Court with the exception of Arthur and Guenevere's infernal priests knew about the affair between Guenevere and Lancelot. No one dared discuss it openly, even in such a hotbed of gossip and intrigue as the High King's Court. The general opinion was that Arthur had to know about it, and either he didn't care or he was afraid of Lancelot. Either way, Arthur's reputation suffered as a result of the affair more than either Guenevere's or Lancelot's. Nimue knew that Excalibur's magic would be able to kill Guenevere and she considered telling Arthur about the affair and inciting him to kill her. That was exactly what Excalibur wanted her to do; in fact, it nagged her about it day and night to the point she could get no rest. Nimue was afraid to tell Arthur, in part because she knew that Lancelot would kill him if he killed Guenevere. Only later was she able to admit that the real reason she did not tell Arthur was because she did not want to hurt him.

Arthur set about to create a small corner of paradise in Camelot, to provide for himself and his knights a refuge that would counterbalance the increasingly vicious wars he was waging with the Saxons and the Northmen elsewhere in Britain. He invited musicians, bards and the most educated and entertaining people in the kingdom to Court to bolster Camelot's reputation for culture and glamor. He invited many of the kings and nobles who were his allies to Court. In addition to adding to the glitter of the court, it also kept them close by, preventing them from plotting against Arthur with third parties.

The one thing Arthur wanted more than conquest or glory for Camelot -- or anything else in the world -- was a son. His battles on that front were pathetic and heartbreaking to the few who were close enough to know about them. They did everything in their power to make sure that no one outside Arthur's most intimate circle ever heard about his pain and anguish over Guenevere's failure to conceive that she had convince Arthur was his fault.

The seasons went around, and life at Camelot settled into something of a routine. When Arthur was at home, he was the sun around which everything in his world revolved. When he was away, Guenevere and Lancelot were twin moons revolving around each other at the center of the Court while everyone else pretended not to see them.

During her second year at Camelot, Gwyneth began to receive disturbing messages from the Nether World. Apparently Guenevere had settled into her role as Queen comfortably, and she felt free to attack the Nether World while she knew Gwyneth was tied up in Camelot. It started with small things: an unexplained fire here, a spring gone bad there, livestock sickening for no reason. Soon there was suffering and pestilence everywhere in the Nether World. Disease. Famine. Neighbors began to suspect their friends of being responsible for their troubles. Soon suspicion and distrust were rampant, and violence often broke out between different species. Worse (and for the first time in anyone's memory) there were occasional outbreaks of violence between members of the same species.

Gwyneth was beside herself with despair. She wanted to return to the Fairy Realm and do what she could to help, but she knew the source of the Trouble was in Camelot, and she believed that, in the long run, she could do more by staying in the Human Realm, keeping watch and hoping for an opening she could use to move against Guenevere.

Occasionally Gwyneth and Nimue would sneak away together, cloak themselves in magic to hide their plotting and speak honestly. They believed that Guenevere did not know Nimue's identity, and therefore the Queen was not aware that Gwyneth had an ally in the Court. They also came to understand that Gwyneth had hidden herself so well that, while Guenevere knew she was at Court, she did not know which courtesan was Gwyneth's guise. Gwyneth took advantage of the fact that Galahad's attendant was known to spend most of her time within Galahad's apartments. Gwyneth occasionally took on other guises and moved around the castle in roles other than Galahad's lady. Gwyneth and Nimue believed that gave them the (slight) edge of anonymity. Gwyneth was frantic to “do” something but could think of no way to move against the Queen that would not potentially get them both Nimue and Gwyneth killed. Gwyneth was prepared to die in the process, but she wanted it to be done in the course of a plan that would be guaranteed to destroy Guenevere and leave Nimue alive to care for Excalibur. They couldn't think of failsafe plan, so they elected to bide their time and stay alive.

Merlin was no help. For one thing, Merlin was almost as much in the thrall of Guenevere as Arthur. Guenevere was his daughter and he was proud of her powerful magic, even if he was furious at the way she treated his beloved Arthur. She played him like she played all the other males in the palace, stroking his ego and using him for her own purposes. Gwyneth had never shown Merlin much respect because she believed that his bumbling incompetence was the cause of most of the problems in her life. She knew her powers to be more or less equivalent to his and she was a reigning monarch, so she treated him more or less as an equal, when she wasn't lecturing him for his incompetence and troublesomeness. Merlin had always seemed amused by that, and went out of his way to annoy Gwyneth.

Once Guenevere learned that Merlin had no skills in the dark magic she sought to learn, she had rarely had anything to do with Merlin, but now she took a different tack. She flattered him and flirted with him, stroking his massive ego and all but enlisted him in her evil plans. Of all the terrible things Merlin had done in his life Nimue and Gwyneth thought that Merlin's role in bringing Arthur to birth was the worst. They were terrified at the thought of Guenevere flattering him into helping her do something even worse. They knew he would never betray Arthur on purpose – his love for Arthur was too great. They also knew Merlin's ego could cause him to make a mistake that would ruin everything.

They decided Merlin had taught Arthur everything he needed to know and, therefore, the time had come to get rid of Merlin before he could do any real harm. Nimue knew she was capable of doing the job (she had done it once before), but she did not want to leave Excalibur or Arthur. Gwyneth knew that she was the last person in any of Earth's Realms who would have any influence over Merlin. Their relationship had always been prickly and she was in particularly bad graces with Merlin because he was so enthralled by Guenevere' flattery.

Nimue believed that the same trick that she used to imprison him in the past would work again. His ego and his libido had changed little. Gwyneth asked Nimue what kind of female Merlin was attracted to. Nimue answered, “He'll go for a redhead with blue eyes every time. There has long been a rumor that Merlin originally came from the great Isle to the west of Avalon, where the maids have red hair, blue or green eyes and porcelain skin. He especially likes Human females, if you can imagine that.” She made a face and shuddered.

Gwyneth said, “There is a woman among the Grail Priestesses who fits that description exactly. She has long curly auburn hair and amazing pale blue eyes. She is every bit as beautiful as Guenevere's guise, perhaps not as vivacious, but a thousand times more genuine.”

Nimue wondered if the woman would be willing to cooperate. Gwyneth did not know, but she agreed to try to find out. She sent a Messenger to Gretel and asked her to inquire whether or not Viviene would be willing to help with a project that might be unpleasant but would not be dangerous. The affirmative response came back as fast as the the Fairy Messenger could make the round trip. Viviene promised to leave for Camelot as soon as possible.

Nimue suggested to Sir Kay that she needed an extra chambermaid for Arthur's household. Nimue (who had assumed the identity of Lady Niniane, a widow of a king far to the north country) was the highest ranking woman on Arthur's household staff and Arthur's special favorite. As a result, Sir Kay was disinclined to deny her any reasonable request. He asked if she had anyone in mind. She told him she had a niece who lived on the Isle to the west of Avalon. She gave him a sob story about how the girl's mother had died when she was a child and her father had recently been killed fighting in Arthur's army. She told Kay she wanted to call the girl to Camelot where she would be safe, and where she might even find a husband. Sir Kay agreed and offered to send an escort to meet the maiden at the port where she would arrive in Britain. Nimue accepted the offer and favored Kay with her most gracious smile. Nimue/Niniane was considerably older than Kay, but she was a beautiful woman; her smile lit the room and melted Kay's heart. The enchantment Nimue threw in for good measure didn't hurt.

Sir Kay collected a group of knights and personally went to the western port to greet the Lady Viviene. It gave him something to do while Arthur spent his days and nights in his chamber with Guenevere vainly trying to sire an heir. Nimue and Gwyneth were moved by the intensity of Arthur's love for Guenevere and his desire to do his duty as King, siring an heir to the throne. They knew that Guenevere would never let him sire a Human child on her. They discussed the possibility of combining their magic and attempting to overcome Guenevere's contraception measures until it dawned on them what a dreadful mother she would be. They did not want to risk putting a child of any species into her clutches.

A few weeks later, Viviene arrived with her escort. It was clear to anyone who looked that half of the knights in her entourage were smitten by her. Nimue and Gwyneth watched with amusement as Viviene captivated the men at Court. She was even lovelier than Gwyneth remembered her. Perhaps her time in the Fairy Realm had something to do with it, or maybe it was her joy at the opportunity to be back in the Human Realm after being shut away in a convent in the Fairy Realm for so many years. She responded to the men as they responded to her. Gwyneth knew she was going to have to employ some powerful magic to keep Viviene focused on the seduction of Merlin and not on the handsome young knights who swarmed around her.

At dinner that evening, Viviene was presented to Arthur. The entire Court was captivated by her beauty. Guenevere paid no more attention to Viviene than she did any of the other other beautiful young courtesans, of which there were dozens in Arthur's household. Soon Viviene had all but overshadowed Guenevere's popularity among the knights. She provided a much needed – and not so dangerous – alternative to Guenevere. The knights were attracted to Guenevere, but she was their Queen and the beloved wife of Arthur, their liege lord and High King, so their attraction was mixed with a certain amount of guilt, shame and fear. Viviene was a single maiden, an orphan and not betrothed. She was, quite literally, up for grabs and the knights made a mad scramble for her attention.

That got Guenevere's attention, and she was not pleased with the turn of events. Her plan had been to keep the Court in an uproar, with all the knights in love with her. Viviene was an unwanted and unwelcome distraction, although it did keep the drama going, so Guenevere made no move to stop it. She simply redoubled her own flirting with the knights, increasing their frustration.

Interestingly, Viviene seemed oblivious to the attentions of the knights. She devoted herself to her role as one of Arthur's chambermaids with a demure modesty that would have made any mother in the realm proud. Viviene knew that Gwyneth was posing as a lady-in-waiting for Galahad, but Gwyneth's disguise was so perfect, Viviene did not know which of his maids was Gwyneth – at least not until she learned that his primary attendant was a lovely but very shy raven-haired beauty, named, of all things, Gwyneth. Viviene knew the Sorceress was in the Court as well. Her disguise was perfect, but her power and allure were such that Viviene suspected Niniane was actually the Sorceress. Viviene did not give any sign of recognizing either of them. She merely did her job and waited for them to let her know what they wanted of her.

After a few weeks, Gwyneth and Nimue spirited Viviene away from the Court in the middle of the night and the three caucused in the chamber at the bottom of the lake where Nimue had hidden Excalibur. It was one place they believed that Guenevere would not be able to overhear their conversation, if they cloaked themselves in enough magic.

Gwyneth and Nimue took turns explaining to Viviene what they wanted her to do. If she was disappointed at being expected to turn her back on an entire court filled with lusty young men in order to seduce an ancient wizard, she never gave any sign of it. She listened and agreed to the plan without hesitation. She asked appropriate questions. They answered truthfully, and both were impressed by Viviene's willingness to cooperate. They did not know until it was too late that Viviene's most burning desire was to learn magic. Seducing the greatest wizard who had ever lived might go a long way toward getting her wish. She cared nothing for the attention of the knights. From the moment of her arrival, her primary goal had been to please Arthur with her work so she would be able to stay in Camelot and escape the monotony of life in the Grail Convent. Once they explained to her why they brought her to Camelot, she set out to please Merlin in any way he wanted. She must have known at least a little magic already because she managed to keep her real ambition hidden from both Nimue and Gwyneth.

Merlin proved to be too easy a target for her. Viviene was exactly the kind of female who attracted Merlin most. Even more than her physical beauty and skills as a coquette, Merlin responded to her admiration of his skills as a wizard. His vanity was stronger than his libido at that point in his life, not that his libido failed to play a role.

Through a combination of cunning and innocence, Viviene soon reduced Merlin to the same kind of helpless devotion that Lancelot felt for Guenevere. It did not take long for her to have him where she wanted him: at her beck and call. Gwyneth and Nimue saw how that relationship was progressing and they explained to Viviene about Merlin's home/prison in the Crystal Cave. Viviene agreed to lure him to his den. She told the others that she thought she should stay there because she thought Merlin might need her. Gwyneth would have preferred Viviene to return to the convent, but Nimue (who was no fan of convents of any religion) thought it might be better to let Viviene keep Merlin company. If nothing else, it would keep him occupied and make him less likely to try to escape and return to Camelot.

Gwyneth eventually agreed, but not without reservations.

Guenevere initially reacted badly to Viviene's success among the knights, but once she determined that Viviene appeared to be (inexplicably) more interested in Merlin than in the knights, Guenevere, too, let down her guard.

Merlin responded to Viviene's attentions in exactly the way an elderly male of virtually any species could be expected to react to the attentions of a beautiful, young female: he was putty in her hands. Viviene revered his magical powers, but she lost a lot of respect for him, given the ease with which he fell for her ruse. That made it easier for her to do what Gwyneth and Nimue asked her to do.

Nimue encouraged Viviene to get Merlin out of the way while Arthur was distracted by his efforts to make Guenevere pregnant during the winter, while the wars were at something of a standstill. Viviene complied and persuaded Merlin to take her to his cave in the farthest reaches of the Nether World. Nimue explained to Viviene how to imprison Merlin in the crystal of his lair. When they arrived at the cave, Viviene trapped Merlin as Nimue had instructed her, but she allowed him just enough freedom to move a little and to talk to her. In exchange for his sharing secrets about his powers, she provided brief moments of freedom for him as well as sexual favors. Merlin missed Arthur, but he was not discontented in the refuge of his cave with his doting concubine who asked only that he share with her some of the secrets of his magic. In exchange for news, a bit of freedom and occasional sex, Merlin shared with her a few tricks and illusions. She thought she was learning magic.

Only later, when she learned how little Merlin actually tried to teach her, did Viviene attempt to even the score. At first, however, Viviene and Merlin seemed to have reached an equilibrium between his lust for her body and her lust to learn the secrets of his magic. Their little dance kept Merlin occupied and out of the way.

In Merlin's absence, Nimue became Arthur's primary mentor. That was an unexpected and beneficial side effect of getting rid of Merlin. Arthur valued her opinion and sought her guidance on a number of topics. Nimue assumed the role of something like a Queen Mother. Arthur missed Merlin, and made an effort to search for him when he first disappeared. There was no sign of Merlin, and Arthur accepted the fact that Merlin would return when he was ready. Nimue convinced him that a wizard could be expected to act unpredictably. As time went on, he increasingly relied on the woman he knew as Niniane for the kind of advice and counsel he previously got from Merlin. Nimue intended to keep it that way.

With Merlin out of the way and Nimue/Niniane firmly in charge of Arthur's household, Gwyneth considered her options. Galahad was the only knight who had resisted Guenevere, and, having captured the hearts of all the others, Guenevere redoubled her efforts to seduce Galahad. Gwyneth decided she needed to get Galahad out of Guenevere's way. Arthur was keeping close to the palace, and the knights were getting on each others' nerves and getting into trouble. Galahad continued to resist Guenevere's advances, but was becoming increasingly subject to harassment by the other knights because of it. They accused him of snubbing the queen.

Gwyneth knew that if that kind of talk went much further Galahad was in for trouble no matter what he did. If he succumbed to Guenevere's charms, he would risk Arthur's ire as well as Lancelot's. If he was perceived as snubbing her, he would find himself in almost as much trouble from the same sources. Gwyneth decided that the best course of action would be to remove Galahad from the palace altogether.

She sent a message to the Troll King suggesting a ruse that might help. A few weeks later news began to filter into the Court of an enormous Green Knight who was wrecking havoc on the countryside, looting and plundering, threatening maidens and generally making a nuisance of himself. Gwyneth suggested that Galahad, who had not left the palace in a very long time, should volunteer to pursue the Green Knight. She gently floated the suggestion by Galahad while serving him breakfast one morning. He jumped at the idea and said he would make the offer to Arthur during their hunt later that day. Gwyneth said she thought that was a good idea. She suggested that he take a small entourage with him and she volunteered to come along as the cook. At first Galahad resisted, but he had grown accustomed to her ministrations and the wisdom of her advice. He knew that a few of the other knights traveled with an entourage, so he thought he could try it, even though he had previously preferred to travel alone.

Arthur agreed to dispatch Galahad and a small group of knights and pages to rid the countryside of the nuisance of the Green Knight. It took them a while to find the Green Knight, who seemed to be moving away from Camelot. Eventually, they caught up with him and Galahad bested the Knight in a short but violent battle.

Technically, their purpose for being away from the Court was accomplished (and Gwyneth cursed the Troll King for sending such an incompetent villain!), so they should have returned to Court. They were, however, near the southern coast and Galahad began to wax nostalgic about his home among the Normans across the water. Gwyneth encouraged his longing to return home and soon he was determined to visit his homeland. They chartered a boat and crossed the raging waters just ahead of a violent storm. Galahad worried about leaving Britain without permission from Arthur. Gwyneth assured him that she had sent a message to Niniane who would make sure Arthur understood their purpose.

They traveled around in the beautiful Norman countryside, with it green pastures and fat cows. Galahad believed he was an orphan, but he had many friends, mentors and protectors in that land. They visited Galahads old haunts and Gwyneth grew fonder of the lad every day. She never would have imagined she could feel so protective of a Human. She knew in her heart she loved him but could not bring herself to admit it.

Gwyneth was a Fairy, and, as such, she was incapable of producing a male heir. Fairies could have sexual relations with males of many species, although very few Fairies were willing to engage in relations with Humans, conjugal or otherwise. Fairies lived for hundreds of years and rarely reproduced. When they did have children, the offspring were always female Fairies (no matter what species the father might be). Occasionally new Fairies were created in the manner Gwyneth and Guenevere had become Fairies: powerful magic.

Fairies loathed and feared Humans, especially Human males. Gwyneth found it ironic that she should become so fond of Galahad, Arthur and several other Humans at Camelot. She couldn't quiet decide if it was a flaw in her character or if it was a sign she was growing as a mage. Whichever was the cause, she felt that her sudden affection for Humans might turn out to be an impediment if she had the opportunity to use one of them as a weapon against Guenevere.

She forced herself not to dwell on those disturbing thoughts for long. She and Galahad kept on the move and, while Galahad was catching up with friends and mentors in the public halls of the manors they visited, Gwyneth made friends among the Human staff and serfs in the kitchens and laundries. She also discovered that the monarchs of the Nether Realm had dispatched spies everywhere among the Human Realm. She met Fairies, Trolls, Sprites, Elves and Dwarfs who all greeted her as a heroine, protecting the interests of the Nether World at Camelot, despite the dangers from Humans and Demons alike. They shared their intelligence with her, and she filled them in on what was going on at Camelot, intelligence the spies passed on to the Nether World.

Eventually they made their way back across the great water into Britain, but they did not hasten back to Camelot. A network of informants and communications among the spies from the Nether World had developed over the years, and Gwyneth exploited it to keep Galahad busy and on the move. Everywhere they went they encountered dragons and evil knights, pilferers and exploiters of maidens or widows. Galahad came to the aid of the beleaguered people everywhere they went, slaying dragons and punishing evildoers. Gwyneth's goal of keeping him far from Camelot was easily accomplished: his compassion and courage made him a natural champion of those who were beset by evil.

As a beneficial side-effect, Galahad achieved renown throughout Britain as the guardian and champion of the poor and the downtrodden. He became a national hero second only to Arthur. Neither Galahad nor Gwyneth was aware that, in some places, Galahad was more loved than Arthur, who was a king who imposed taxes, drafted his subjects into service of various kinds and fought bloody battles in the fields of Britain.

Wherever they went, Galahad collected admirers and his fame spread throughout the land of Britain and beyond. The name Galahad itself came to convey an almost magical aura of power and goodness.

Chapter 7

Gwyneth took advantage of her travels to do some work on her own. Everywhere they went, she met with the Nether World spies, and in particular the Witches who had spread out among Earth's Realms, taking up residence in small out-of-the way places, serving as healers and midwives, ready to help in times of Trouble. Gwyneth tapped that network for information and she passed along what she learned from her travels to the spies from the Nether World.

Gwyneth had no idea that she was part Witch, but she knew she had an astonishing array of magical powers including healing powers. When Galahad's band entered a village, Galahad provided assistance by going out and fighting with whatever enemy was besetting the people, and he never failed to win. Gwyneth, in the meantime, addressed the suffering of the people directly, healing wounds, assuring and comforting the fearful, and (perhaps most importantly of all) simply sitting quietly and listening to peoples' stories.

In addition to healing and listening to the poor and suffering, Gwyneth sought out the leaders and potential leaders in each village and hamlet. She spent time with each of them, bolstering their courage and casting enchantments in an effort to develop a layer of leadership in Britain that could care for the people after she and Galahad had moved on. She let the Nether World spies know which Humans they should notify in the event of trouble.

Slowly, while Galahad rid the countryside of dragons and evildoers, Gwyneth prepared the Human Realm for the Trouble that was to come, just as she had prepared her own Realm. Her fame as a healer and a wise woman spread as broadly and rapidly as Galahad's. She was known among the people as “Galahad's Maid.”

Of course, Gwyneth's actions did not escape detection by Guenevere's spies and cronies. As Galahad's fame spread, so did Gwyneth's. Guenevere knew what her sister was up to, and she was both amused and annoyed. Consequently, she redoubled her attacks on the Fairy Realm, sending hoards of Warlocks to roam the countryside, terrorizing the gentle Fairies. They found the land virtually uninhabited, the Fairies having taken refuge in underground hiding places or by turning themselves into inanimate objects like stones. Warlocks were not particularly fond of killing, but they liked to terrorize people; they loved to torture and maim, watching fear rising in the eyes of their victims, whom they generally refrained from killing. They liked for their victims to live in order to tell others of the experience, and thereby spread fear of the Warlocks. The problem was that they found almost no Fairies alive to terrorize.

The only beings they found living openly were Witches. Occasionally a really powerful or exceptionally sneaky Warlock could best a young, inexperienced or marginally competent Witch, but they generally left Witches alone because, in a fair fight, Witches were much stronger than Warlocks. The roaming bands of Warlocks left the Witches alone, although they did report back that there seemed to be an inordinate number of Witches in the Fairy Realm, and virtually no Fairies.

Guenevere found that odd.

The Priestesses of the Grail would be in grave peril had the Warlocks found them. Gretel had met with several of the Monarchs and some of the most experienced and powerful mages among the Nether World to consider how to protect the Priestesses. The group decided to cast a spell on the entire glade in which the Priestesses lived, making it invisible. The spell would only work if the Priestesses remained inside the glade and did not venture close to the boundary of visibility. They would essentially be prisoners.

A delegation of Fairies, Witches and a couple of Trolls met with the leaders of the convent and explained the plan. The woman who had taken charge after Vivien left agreed to the plan because imprisonment in their cozy convent would be preferable to taking their chances with a hoard of Warlocks bent on terrorizing the populace. The Priestesses, with help from a group of Fairies who came out of hiding for the purpose, gathered supplies that would last them several years. They also gathered seeds to plant a garden in the courtyard and brought in chickens and cows for eggs and milk. Once they were as prepared as they thought they could be, Gretel and her allied mages cast the spell. The convent disappeared and would remain out of contact with anyone until the Trouble was over and the spell was lifted.

Guenevere's Warlocks ranged further into the Nether World, and everywhere they went they found one of two things: on the one hand, in the Realms of the Fairies and the Sprites, they found villages and hamlets that were empty of creatures and bare of crops or animals; on the other hand, in the Realms of the Trolls, Dwarfs and Elves, they were met with armed resistance. The entire Nether World, it appeared, was prepared for War. The Warlocks reported back to Guenevere that their campaign of terror was not having the desired effect.

Guenevere ordered them to travel through the Fairy and Sprite Realms, setting fire to every building they found, destroying fields, killing any animals they encountered. She told them to lay waste to the land itself. Even Warlocks balked at that senseless destruction, but they did it anyway because they knew that if they didn't follow her instructions, Guenevere would find someone else who would, and she would punish them for their disobedience.

Gwyneth heard the news from the spy network and she was devastated. It was all she could do not to abandon Galahad and return home. She didn't do so, because she knew that was exactly what Guenevere was trying to get her to do. As long as Gwyneth remained in the Human Realm under the protection of Arthur's household, Guenevere could not directly attack her. She knew that one day she would have to face her sister, but Gwyneth was determined to make that a day and a place of her choosing, not Guenevere's.

The messengers from the Nether World and the spies Gwyneth met on her travels had nothing but bad news. Gwyneth steeled herself to take it, and she responded with loving and encouraging words for her Fairies and the others who were suffering so much because of what amounted to a family feud between sisters. Gwyneth had never felt guilty about being the sister of the Black Fairy, but as the tales of Guenevere's evil mounted, Gwyneth sometimes did feel guilty that she had not recognized how wicked Guenevere was earlier in their lives and had not figured out a way to neutralize her. She shook off those feelings knowing that there was no way to change the past, and knowing that she had enough to deal with in the present.

Gwyneth found herself enjoying the traveling life, questing and meeting new and interesting people. If nothing else it gave her the satisfaction of both keeping Galahad out of Guenevere's clutches and directly helping a lot of people who were beset by trouble from a variety of origins. She liked being of service to those in need.

Unfortunately, Arthur did not like having Galahad away from Court for such long periods of time. Arthur ordered them to return to Camelot.

The first couple of days they were back in Court, they rested in Galahad's apartments, bathing, mending clothes and preparing themselves to deal with the combined drama and claustrophobia of the Court. On the third night, Arthur hosted a feast in honor of Galahad's return. Galahad was seated at the head table between Arthur and Guenevere. Lancelot sat to Guenevere's right.

The ladies-in-waiting hovered in the background. Nimue attended Arthur. Gwyneth attended Galahad. Lancelot did not have a regular attendant because Guenevere was too jealous to let him get too close to any one woman, so one Guenevere's maids usually waited on both of them. While they were waiting for the kitchen staff to bring the food from the kitchens, Gwyneth greeted Niniane and the two of them chatted with the other attendants. Niniane turned to a new woman and said, “Gwyneth, I want to introduce you to Morgaine, Guenevere's lady.”

Gwyneth looked into the eyes of Morgaine Le Fay and couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Gwyneth did not know where Morgaine came from or anything of her lineage (if she had, she might have pursued a different course of action), but she did know that Morgaine had been an acolyte of Merlin's and was a long-time friend and ally of Guenevere. That was bad enough. Gwyneth probed around Morgaine's aura as they chatted. She was somewhat gratified to discover that Morgaine was not a powerful mage. She was primarily trained as a healer and she had evidently learned some of the tricks Merlin taught women acolytes, usually involving changing their appearance. She was not a potent magical force. That did not mean she wasn't dangerous. On the contrary, a creature with a little knowledge of magic and the lust for more was the most dangerous creature of all in Gwyneth's experience.

She greeted Morgaine with a kiss on the cheek and a few blandly pleasant words. After that the kitchen staff brought the first trays of food from the kitchen, trays upon trays of roast meats and stews and every other manner of disgusting Human food. During dinners at Camelot it was all Gwyneth could do not to be sick or to run away. Gwyneth found herself thinking that it was no wonder Humans only lived a few decades, given their abominable diet. Nimue must have picked up on that thought or thought the same thing simultaneously because she looked at Gwyneth and made a nasty face. The two women laughed. That was a mistake.

Guenevere had discovered Gwyneth's disguise because of her fame as “Galahad's Maid.” She also suspected Niniane, who had insinuated herself into Arthur's household, but she had not determined for certain why. When Nimue laughed, her magical aura glimmered for an instant, revealing the powerful mage for only a second. Both Guenevere and Morgaine saw it. They didn't know who Nimue was, but they knew she was allied with Gwyneth and they could tell she was strong. Gwyneth and Nimue had lost their anonymity.

Gwyneth watched Morgaine. There was something troubling about the relationship between Morgaine and Guenevere. It seemed to Gwyneth that Guenevere genuinely liked Morgaine and saw herself to be Morgaine's mentor and protector. Morgaine seemed to have a very different understanding of the relationship. She felt that Guenevere was wrong to trust Morgaine.

The entire atmosphere at Court had changed while Gwyneth and Galahad were abroad. The wars Arthur had been fighting against Saxons and other enemies had been very successful, and, for the moment, Britain was at peace. That meant that virtually all of the knights remained at Court most of the time. The presence of the knights attracted kings and lords from all over Britain, and beyond, who would marry their daughters to a Knight of the Round Table. Too many beautiful women and too many restless knights, pages and other young males living under the same roof was a recipe for disaster. Disaster happened on a more or less regular basis, and the drama at Court ran as high as the hormones.

It might have been amusing to watch had it only involved the pages and lesser knights.

Gwyneth was alarmed to discover that the rampant seduction was not so limited. The torrid affair between Guenevere and Lancelot continued. In the past, they had been careful to limit their assignations to those times when Arthur was away. With Arthur in Court almost all the time, Guenevere and Lancelot became stupidly bold and spent time alone in her apartments more or less regularly, and right under Arthur's nose.

To make matters worse, Guenevere persisted in toying with most of the other knights as well, often pitting them against one another in a rivalry for her “second favorite”. Those rivalries occasionally erupted into fights among the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur railed against them for their immature behavior, without knowing the source of the problem.

Arthur was not immune to the cabin fever. Having spent several years trying to impregnate Guenevere and without Merlin to do his magic, Arthur turned to Nimue for advice. Nimue made a suggestion that nearly got her banished from the court at first and which, in the end, resulted in catastrophe. She suggested that Arthur put Guenevere aside and marry a maiden, perhaps the daughter of some lesser king, a girl who had grown up in the country and was healthy and ready to bear children.

Arthur's rage upon hearing her words made Nimue understand that was exactly what Arthur had in mind. Nimue had never dared probe Arthur's mind and heart before, but she risked it during his tirade if only to avoid listening to his hurtful words. Nimue learned that Arthur had not admitted to himself that Guenevere and Lancelot were lovers, but he was hurt and embarrassed by her constant flirting with Lancelot and the other knights. He knew Guenevere was the source of much of the dissension in Court. He also had enough information to know that Lancelot and Guenevere were lovers, but had consciously chosen not to put all the pieces together. She learned he had been considering various women as possible replacements for Guenevere. She was shocked to discover that he had chosen Gwyneth.

She pulled back and focused on listening to Arthur's angry words, trying to remain calm and not become defensive as he abused her for suggesting the very thing he had already decided to do.

Nimue said nothing to Gwyneth about Arthur's interest in her. For one thing, she knew Gwyneth could protect herself from Arthur, and she knew Gwyneth's prejudice against Humans was so intense it was unlikely she would greet favorably any advances from him. Nimue watched and worried through the winter as the intrigue and infighting raged on unabated.

Galahad was somehow immune to the goings-on. Guenevere flirted with him every chance she got, but he did not give her many chances. He spent most of his time in the stables with his horses on inclement days or in the fields practicing his archery and swordsmanship. When he was in the palace he spent virtually all of his waking hours in the chapel.

At first that alarmed Gwyneth. The thought of Galahad becoming a Christian was, to Gwyneth's way of thinking, the second worst thing that could happen. (The worst was that he would give in to Guenevere's attentions and find himself in mortal danger from both Arthur and Lancelot.) Fortunately, he showed no signs of being interested in any of the women in the Court. For reasons she could not have articulated, that alarmed her as much as anything else.

One day he returned to his apartments earlier than usual and Gwyneth had the opportunity to talk to him privately. They had developed an almost unheard of openness and honesty. Galahad saw Gwyneth as a mother figure and he was very open with her. That gave her permission to probe deeper and express her opinions more directly than any other lady-in-waiting at court, with the possible exception of Nimue/Niniane. She never allowed herself to probe her own feelings for Galahad.

She was embroidering when he came into the sitting room. He poured himself a glass of water (which he had the kitchen boil and then cool for him) and sat by the fire closing his eyes and warming himself, waiting for dinnertime. They exchanged small talk. They never gossiped about Court intrigue and, since neither of them had been outside for days, due to the fierce cold and snow, they had little to talk about. Gwyneth screwed up her courage and asked, “My Lord, have you considered that the time might be coming when you should consider taking a bride?”

He laughed and looked directly at her, which he rarely did, turning his chair to face her. He watched her sewing long enough to make her feel uncomfortable, then he said, “Milady, you must be the most honorable attendant at Court. I have never once heard you so much as a hint at any of the dreadful gossip about what goes on here. I am grateful to you for that. I am also grateful, and somewhat amazed, that you have never offered your opinions or advice. Others tell me their attendants are full of nosy questions and unasked-for advice.”

Gwyneth caught his casual tone and quipped, “Well, nothing goes on in these apartments to gossip about and I know you are a person who follows your own ways so there is no point in me wasting my breath offering advice you don't need and wouldn't heed.”

He laughed out loud, and offered her water or wine. She accepted a glass of wine. He motioned her to a seat next to him, in front of the fire. She put down her sewing and joined him. For a moment she felt awkward sitting companionably with him, so deeply had she subsumed herself in her guise of maid. After a moment, she remembered herself to be a Queen, and relaxed.

He watched her and chuckled. He looked at her and asked, “Who are you?”

She answered, “My name is Gwyneth. I come from the West.”

“How far west?”

She laughed, and relaxed fully, “Very far.” Without completely reverting to her Fairy visage, she showed him a glimpse of her Fairy-nature and added, “My name is Gwyneth, Queen of the Fairies.”

He nodded and smiled. “I figured out a long time ago that you were no mere maid. I took you for a sorceress. I am surprised to be attended by a Queen. Why are you here?”

She thought about that for a long time before she answered and finally said, “My Realm is in grave danger. That danger has its origins in the Human Realm and I believed it would spring to the surface here. I came here to do what I can to protect my Realm. If I can't prevent trouble from happening, I want to be in a position to fight it.”

He poured himself more water and ate a piece of cheese, chewing for a long time, thinking. Gwyneth sat patiently, watching the fire. Waiting.

His silence dragged on for perhaps ten minutes. Gwyneth did not interrupt nor did she fidget. He chuckled again and said, “Thank you for giving me the time to think. I have not spoken to anyone of these things since my childhood. I am grateful to have the opportunity now, but I wanted to be sure I could trust you and I have a lot of self-imposed reserve to overcome.”

Gwyneth nodded and said, “My Lord, for what it may be worth, as long as you are on the side of justice, you can trust me.”

He smiled, “What if you and I disagree about what constitutes justice?”

“Is it not a self-evident truth?”

He shook his head and said, “Fundamentally, I think it is. However, I am learning that people seem to be able to define it in a variety of self-serving ways.”

She pursed her lips and nodded, muttering, “Perhaps other species do that as well. Hence the problem of war.”

He downed his water and pushed aside the plate of cheese and olives, leaning forward and looking directly into her eyes, something no Human had ever done. It made her uncomfortable at first, but she met his gaze and took the opportunity to probe his Soul with hers. What she found was a Soul of such splendid purity and goodness it was almost painful to touch with her own Soul. She withdrew her probing and realized that he had been doing the same thing to her. She somehow doubted that her Soul was remotely as beautiful as his, corrupted as it was by Merlin's blood and her battles with her sister.

He said, “Milady, I have two problems, and I need your advice. A woman's advice. I think I also need your help, a courtesan's help.”

“Tell me.”

He sighed and put his head in his hands. Gwyneth could tell that he was tormented by something. She put her hand on his arm. He pulled back. She cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrows. He said, “That is problem number one. First, let me hasten to say, I am not one of those men who prefers other men, but my refusal to participate in the courtly rituals which appear to include knights bedding as many maidens as they can catch – willingly or not, I might add – has caused some to believe that I am.” He paused and blushed, adding, “Actually, some of the men who prefer men believe that of me as well, which adds to my difficulty.”

He went on, “The stakes became even higher when Her Majesty began to pursue me.” He made a face that bordered on hatred and added, more to himself than to her, “You'd think she would be satisfied with the King, Lancelot, half the knights and no small number of pages and stable boys, not to mention visiting lords and kings.” He looked at her with a miserable, forlorn expression, shaking his head and asking, “How can Arthur not know that his wife is such a whore?”

Gwyneth was shocked both by the information (to which she had been oblivious other than the affair with Lancelot) and by the fact that Galahad had the nerve to say it out loud within the walls of Camelot where there were spies everywhere. She put her finger over her mouth, looked around as if she would be able to see the spies, and cast an enchantment around them that would make chatty small talk for others to hear, allowing her and Galahad to talk freely. She answered, “My Lord, love does strange things to one's ability or willingness to see the truth.”

He nodded. “In any case, one of my problems is that the Queen is relentless in her pursuit of me. I suppose I present something of a challenge as the only Knight of the Round Table who has not submitted to her charms. At the same time, my celibacy causes others to think things of me that are not true.”

Gwyneth nodded, “You could fix the problem by getting married.”

He nodded and made a face, “That would be easy except I am a vowed celibate for life. I cannot take a wife or a lover,” he paused, and added with a wink, “of either gender or any species.”

She smiled and winked back, “That is a problem, especially given the raging sexuality in this Court.” She looked at him and tilted her head to the side, “Are you a monk?”

“If you mean one of those Christian vowed celibates, many of whom are anything but celibate, the answer is no.” He looked at her for a minute and added, “And, if it will make you feel better, I'm not a Christian either. Actually, that's my other problem.”

He rubbed his face and said, “I have to back up. Do you know what a nazarite is?”

“No.”

“Well, I guess it's a little hard to explain but it is an ancient custom. I don't know all the history, but some Humans are capable of great strength, and they can, under certain circumstances, enhance that strength into great power by certain practices. There are various strains of the tradition, most of them are religious. I learned about the practice from an ancient Druid when I was very young and showed exceptional strength. My own practice is not religious in nature, it is completely physical.”

“A nazarite is celibate, drinks no alcohol, and takes on the role of protector and defender of a given person, group of people or even a nation. I took vows as a lifelong nazarite when I was a boy. The Druids told me I needed to be ready to serve a great master. They told me I would be seen to serve a Human master, a great king, who would rely on me and whose lordship I would own publicly, but they told me my true Master would be something else.”

“What?”

He shrugged and smiled, “I don't know. That's problem number two.”

Gwyneth sipped her wine and pondered his dilemma. His celibacy was running him afoul of Guenevere as well as causing misunderstandings among the knights that could cause him problems that she could not imagine. On the other hand, he was vowed into the service of a master who was unknown to him.

She mused, “Well, I think for one thing, Arthur is the king you are to serve, so you're on the right path there. Remain his faithful servant and your true master will reveal itself.” As soon as she said that, she knew who his true master was and her entire Being exploded into a burst of gratitude and joy that Galahad could see.

He laughed and said, “Care to tell me what that was about?”

She grinned and found herself so filled with joy she actually levitated for a second until she remembered that Humans were not supposed to do that. She said, “I know the name of your true master.”

He asked, with bated breath, gone pale for a moment, “Who is it?”

“Not who. What.” She paused and said with the voice of an oracle that rose from the depths of the Nether World and echoed deeply, “You serve Excalibur.” After a long, reverent pause, she added, “As do I.”

She explained to him about Excalibur's place as the protector of the Nether World and its disappearance. She told him about her alliance with the other realms and Nimue's role as the guardian of Excalibur itself. When she was finished they sat quietly for a long time as she reveled in the pleasure of stepping outside of her guise if only briefly and he tried to absorb the amazing story. After a long while, he asked, “Who stole Excalibur? And why?”

She said, “My sister, who is known in the Nether World as the Black Fairy, because of her powerful and evil magic. She stole it because she wants my throne. She brought Excalibur into the Human Realm where it could do so much damage in order to draw me out. I think she was hoping my Fairy magic would not work in the Human realm.”

He looked at her, alarmed, “Who is your sister? And where is she?”

She shook her head and rubbed her brow, “She is here at Court.” She paused and looked at him adding, “You have bigger problems than you know, my Lord. Her name is Guenevere.”

He looked as though he might collapse from shock and fear, and whispered, “What am I to do?”

She glanced at the window, realizing that they were running late for dinner. She stood and said, “For now, you must do what you have always done. Maintain your purity of heart. Serve Arthur, and keep in mind that you serve Excalibur too. For now, that amounts to the same thing so it should not be a problem. Make no changes in how you treat the Queen or any other women.

“Let me ponder the question of your reputation. Perhaps we can think of a ruse that will help.” She grinned, “I know that your honest and pure heart will find it difficult, but I live in a world where ruses and magic are normal. If you are willing to try it, I'll do what I can to help you.”

He nodded, “Let's discuss that further at a later time.”

Chapter 8

The winter raged outside with unusual fury, causing the entire Court to be cooped up inside. The pent up energy and frustration erupted in arguments and scheming. Galahad spent all his time in the stables, the Chapel or his apartments. Guenevere was beside herself with fury at what she saw as Galahad's snub. At those times when Galahad was unable to avoid her, she tormented him and all but threw herself at him, even in front of Arthur, who pretended not to notice. Lancelot didn't pretend not to notice. Lancelot's emotions careened wildly between fury at Galahad for snubbing the Queen and gratitude that he did not return her advances.

Even Arthur was not immune from the raging epidemic of lust and scandal that swept the court. He had all but given up on producing an heir with Guenevere and had decided to send her away to a convent far in the north or maybe in the Isle to the West after the spring thaw made travel possible. In the meantime, to Nimue's horror, Arthur started catting around the palace flirting with the various princesses and noble daughters whose fathers had been showing them off to the knights. He still went to Guenevere's chambers often enough to satisfy his legal obligations, and on the off chance she might conceive, but he went to her with less and less enthusiasm and seemed to avoid her company most of the rest of the time.

Guenevere pretended not to notice, but she watched him carefully. She didn't want him, but she was not about to let another woman have him. At first he merely flirted with the maidens, but did it always in public and in accordance with the usual rules of chivalry, which essentially required no physical contact and that all flirting be conducted in the full view of the Court. As time went on, Arthur became bolder and he occasionally risked catching women in the hallways. Soon he was inviting willing girls to his chamber. Nimue spun enchantments around them rendering them invisible as they came and went from Arthur's chambers. There was nothing she could do about the adoring gazes the favored ones gave to Arthur for days afterwards, at least until they realized he was not likely to invite them back for a repeat performance.

Worse, she noticed that he often stared at Gwyneth openly. He kept Galahad close, which meant that Gwyneth was usually near at hand as well. Occasionally at dinner, Arthur would ask Gwyneth to pour his wine or dip some sauce on his food. That required her reaching across in front of him. He never touched her, but Nimue noticed, he openly studied her, and seemed to be attracted to her smell, which was musky and earthy like Merlin's. Nimue had noticed Guenevere covered her earthy smell with floral perfumes. Gwyneth wore no perfume or cosmetics of any kind. Her beauty was natural and fresh. Where Guenevere's human guise was flaxen-haired and blue eyed, Gwyneth's had long black curly hair and black flashing eyes. Guenevere's skin was like the finest porcelain, clear and pale. Gwyneth's skin was like alabaster, glowing with in internal fire of passion and health. She was very modest and almost always wore a covering over her hair and shawl or modest blouses covering her bosom. Her role as Galahad's attendant, however, gave her something of a high profile at Court where she was considered to one of the greatest beauties of a Court as renowned for the beauty of its women as for the fighting prowess of its knights.

Morgaine openly flirted with Arthur, and Guenevere seemed to encourage her. Morgaine's guise was raven-haired and almost swarthy. Her most striking features were her emerald green eyes and her long, tapering, graceful fingers. She often played the harp for Arthur and his guests. When she was finished, the men often could not have said what song she had played, so mesmerized were they by watching her hands plucking at the strings. Arthur often asked her to play, but seemed not to be interested in her.

For a while there was some relief. A few warmish days allowed the knights to go hunting. That had the dual effects of letting the knights escape the confines of the palace, get some exercise and let out some of their aggression. When the knights came back with their various kills, the women got busy in the kitchens cooking the food and elsewhere in the palace preparing baths and washing their dirty hunting clothes. It was a welcome change from the unrelenting boredom of the days and weeks before. Unfortunately a late winter storm raged for several days after that, dumping another several inches of snow and forcing everyone to stay indoors again. That was all the harder after the brief preview of spring that had set the knights' sap to rising.

Nimue watched Arthur carefully. She knew that a crisis was likely to ensue once spring broke, because Arthur had decided to send Guenevere away. The court might have accepted that, given Guenevere's wanton behavior. The problem was that Arthur suddenly seemed not willing to wait until Guenevere could be got out of the way before he replaced her. He set his sights on Gwyneth, and moved in on her.

At first, Gwyneth did not notice. Gwyneth's attention generally focused primarily on Galahad, Guenevere and Morgaine. When she did look in Arthur's direction her attention was most often on Excalibur, which Arthur kept at his side all the time except when he was sleeping. Nimue slept with Excalibur under her mattress. Gwyneth's reverence and awe for Excalibur were palpable. Arthur may have detected – and misinterpreted – Gwyneth's emotions. In any case, Arthur began to flirt with Gwyneth, at first openly in Court, in an acceptable way. It made her uncomfortable, but she thought she handled it well.

Galahad mentioned it to her one evening after dinner; he was concerned about Arthur's behavior. At first Gwyneth brushed off the idea that Arthur was doing anything other than passing the time and making polite conversation. Galahad chuckled, “Milady, there was nothing polite about that conversation or the look in his eyes.”

“I don't look into the King's eyes.”

Galahad replied, “Perhaps you should. You might see something interesting.”

Gwyneth forgot herself for a moment and said, “What could I find interesting about a Human?”

Galahad said, “Milady, the last I checked, your guise here is as Human woman, a Human woman who is remarkably beautiful, graceful and pleasant to be around. You have played a maternal role with me, which prevents me from responding to your allure. My vow gives us both further protection. Arthur is older than I am and he is not so inhibited. What would you say if Arthur sent Guenevere away and asked you to take her place?”

Gwyneth laughed, “First you would hear the laughing all the way from the Nether World at the delicious irony of the Fairy Queen on a Human throne. My attitude about Humans is well known. Immediately thereafter you would hear the gnashing of teeth from all the Realms of the Nether World as Guenevere begins to take out her wrath and punish them for my refusal to submit to her.” She shook her head, “Even if I were inclined to engage in a dalliance with a human – which I am most decidedly NOT –, it would not be with Arthur!”

Galahad asked gently, “Have you ever been with a man?”

“There are no males among Fairies.”

“How do you reproduce?”

“Every now and then a Fairy will become involved with a male of another species, most often an Elf (some Elves are very handsome) or a Human, but Fairies have been known to fall for Trolls and Dwarfs also. It doesn't happen often, but they do reproduce in those circumstances. The offspring are always Fairies. There have been occasions when babies are born to people of other species that must be hidden away. Sometimes the Fairy Queen employs a very powerful spell to turn them into Fairies. They retain some residual qualities of their original species, but they take on the life of a real Fairy.

“That is sufficient to maintain the population because Fairies live for hundreds of years.”

He was thoughtful for a while, “But you are here in the guise of a Human. Don't you have Human desires?”

She shook her head, “No. I don't think so. My guise is more like clothes. It rests on the outside of me and does not reach my core reality. Make no mistake, my Lord, I am very fond of you personally and I want only the best for you, but my general aversion to Humans remains intact.”

“Could you immerse yourself more fully into the Human guise and experience Human feelings and emotions?”

She said, “I suppose I could, but I not have no desire to do so.”

His obvious sorrow was painful for her to look at. She asked, “Why does that make you so sad?”

He smiled with his mouth but not his eyes and fiddled with his water tumbler, “Because the two people I love most in this world would, I think, be spectacular together, but for the fact that one of them is a Fairy who thinks Human men are disgusting.”

She laughed and said, “I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.” Without thinking about it, she reached out and touched his arm. He recoiled. She raised her eyebrows.

He said, “Sorry. I suppose we both have problems with relationships.” He paused for a long time and said, “If you reject the kings advances, it could go badly for you.”

She laughed and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, “Arthur can have his pick of the women in this court. I'm quite sure he doesn't need to add me to his collection.”

Galahad answered with a crooked expression, “The Queen can have her pick of the men in the Court as well. She is fixated now on the one she cannot have. You can add perversity to the things you despise about Humans.”

The conversation languished and Galahad went off to bed. Gwyneth stared into the fire for hours with a horrified look on her face.

Things hung in a sort of equilibrium for a time. Guenevere seduced every knight, page and stable boy she could get her hands on, except for Galahad who avoided her. Arthur was more discreet but he began to work his way through the maids of the Court. Within three months of Arthur's first such affair, the girl announced she was pregnant. Arthur was thrilled, and considered divorcing Guenevere and marrying the girl immediately. Nimue convinced him to wait a bit until it became clear that the pregnancy would continue without complications. The girl miscarried the next day. Nimue never admitted to helping that process along, but Gwyneth suspected she had, and was grateful.

Arthur was heart-broken, but Nimue consoled him by reminding him that the experience taught him that Guenevere was barren. She said, “Remember, my Lord, Guenevere's barrenness will give you a legal reason to put her away. I would remind you as well – forgive me for speaking out of my station – that now that you know you are capable of siring children, you should perhaps be more discriminating about the women you bring into your bed.”

Arthur laughed so hard he fell to the floor and doubled over holding his stomach. When he recovered, he looked at her and said, “Niniane, are you even aware that you could be arrested and hanged for making a remark like that?!”

She made a face, and said, “Sire, I have made more scandalous suggestions with impunity. I suppose I have become too bold.”

Arthur was still chuckling, “I have given you permission to be bold. You are merely being yourself.” He thought about it for a while and said, “You also have the advantage of being right. I can't run the risk of getting a child on some stable wench with a pox.”

Nimue shuddered, and Arthur nodded. He added, “I promise to be more discriminating.” He cocked his head and asked, “Do you have any one in mind for me?”

Nimue shook her head emphatically and said, “No, Sire, and I strongly urge you to hold your horses until after you get rid of Guenevere.” After she said it, she realized that her passion rendered her voice almost shrill. Her loathing for Guenevere was evident in her tone. Arthur said, with a chill in his voice, “Watch yourself, Madame. She is still my Queen.”

She bowed low and apologized sincerely, “I did not mean to offend, Majesty.”

“Leave me now.”

Nimue stood and held out her hands. Arthur handed over Excalibur and she withdrew to her own chamber, quaking in terror at the mistake she had just made. Arthur might be ready to put Guenevere aside in order to sire a son with a fertile woman, but it was clear that Arthur was still in Guenevere's thrall. Nimue reminded herself she must be more careful.

While Guenevere seemed to believe Morgaine was her acolyte and disciple, Morgaine had her own agenda. She intended to become Arthur's Queen. She flirted with him openly and used all the tricks that Merlin had taught her in an effort to attract him, without knowing that most of those “tricks” were actually gimmicks without any power whatsoever if the man in question was not already interested. Arthur showed no interest in Morgaine, whether out of respect for Guenevere or for some other reason.

Arthur began to show more and more interest in Gwyneth. That made Gwyneth uncomfortable. To make matters worse, Guenevere noticed. That made Gwyneth afraid.

As soon after the spring thaw as they could arrange it Nimue and Gwyneth arranged to meet at the bottom of the lake in the middle of the night. They talked at length about what they should do to avoid a crisis with Arthur. Arriving at no resolution, they returned to their chambers shortly before dawn.

When they arrived in the main hall for breakfast they realized that something had happened while they were gone. Arthur was bordering on delirious. He said he was famished and ordered a huge breakfast, the very thought of which made both Nimue and Gwyneth gag. After breakfast he wanted to go hunting and ordered the pages and stable boys to ready the horses. Guenevere appeared to be trying to act angry, but she was not hiding her satisfaction at some evil scheme. Lancelot and Galahad were both quivering with rage.

Gwyneth offered Galahad fruit and he hissed at her without looking up, “Be gone from this room, out of my sight. I'll see you in my chamber later.”

No one had ever spoken to Gwyneth with that tone and she didn't like it. She might have been posing under the guise of a servant, but she was a Queen and a mage. She thought about turning him into a frog or something of that nature, just to let him know her power, but then she remembered her role – and her place. Bowing low, she murmured, “Yes, my Lord,” and started to scurry away.

Arthur stopped her, saying, “Come back here, Lady. If Galahad is in a pique, you may serve me.”

Every person in the room other than Arthur, Gwyneth and Nimue gasped. Even Guenevere seemed to be taken aback. Gwyneth looked around and realized Morgaine was gone. A horrible thought crossed her mind, which she tried to ignore. It could explain the mood in the Great Hall, but it was too awful to believe. Gwyneth, in her panic, looked directly at the Queen. Gwyneth was standing behind Arthur, facing the Court. Guenevere turned around with her back to the assembly and met Gwyneth's gaze, with a malevolent expression that made Gwyneth break out in a sweat.

Communicating in the silent manner of Fairies, Gwyneth said to her sister, “What have you done?”

Guenevere paused for effect and said, “I took a page from Merlin's book.”

Gwyneth felt sweat dripping down her back and under her breasts. The Human heart in her disguise-body was racing madly, but her Fairy-voice was calm, “How so?”

Guenevere's cat-like eyes narrowed further and she said, “Well, you see, I know how you loathe Humans and you, my dear, pure and untouched sister,” she spit the words in a staccato fusillade that was physically painful for Gwyneth, “would never lower yourself to acquiesce to the bestiality of Human copulation. But, my dearly beloved husband, Arthur, has been pining away from lust for you. Not wanting him to be unhappy for any reason, I took advantage of your absence last night to send in a ringer. Someone who looked and sounded like you, but someone who certainly enjoyed the whole experience more than you would have.”

Gwyneth looked around wildly, Guenevere added softly, almost purring, “She is gone.” She started to turn back to her food and then added, almost as an afterthought, “She is pregnant.”

Gwyneth croaked, “Who?”

Guenevere grinned and said, “Morgaine. The daughter of Igraine and Gorlois.”

Nimue, who could hear the conversation, dropped a pitcher which shattered. Gwyneth doubled over and vomited on the floor.

Guenevere laughed and ordered her to clean it up and then leave the hall if she couldn't behave. Arthur seemed inclined to say something but Guenevere shot him a withering look and he finished his breakfast in silence. Galahad said, through clenched teeth, “I told you to go.”

Gwyneth cleaned up her mess and ran to her chamber where she huddled in a corner trembling at the thought of the terrible thing that happened.

Galahad came in a few minutes later in a murderous rage. For a moment, Gwyneth thought he might hit her. The Fairy Queen stepped out from behind her guise and rose to face him, as angry as he was. He said, “You told me you wouldn't have anything to do with Arthur! What got into you?”

Gwyneth took a long, slow breath to calm herself so she would not lashing out at him. She said, “It wasn't me. I wasn't here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nimue and I were meeting secretly in a place far from the palace where we could talk without Guenevere overhearing. Guenevere took advantage of our absence to disguise Morgaine as me and send her to Arthur.”

“How do you know that if you weren't here.”

Gwyneth closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and fought for control of her temper. She said, “Fairies communicate with out verbalizing words like humans do. Guenevere just told me herself in the middle of the hall.”

“Is that what made you sick?”

Gwyneth said, “No. What made me sick was that she told me Morgaine is pregnant. And she told me who Morgaine is – besides the soon-to-be-mother of Arthur's bastard.”

Galahad's rage had drained away along with all the color in his face as he realized that Gwyneth was telling the truth. He asked, “Who is she?”

Gwyneth motioned to a chair, “You'd better sit down.” Galahad sat and looked at her expectantly. She continued, “Morgaine is Arthur's half sister.”

Galahad leaned over and vomited on the floor. He looked from the mess to Gwyneth with a piteous look. Gwyneth laughed. She didn't have the patience to clean it up in the Human way, so she waved her finger and used magic.

That broke the tension and Galahad slumped in his chair, spent. He asked, “What do we do now?”

“We have to find her.”

“And then what?”

“We should do what I wanted to do when Igraine was pregnant with Arthur.”

“What is that?”

“I offered Igraine an abortion potion. She refused it. I was going to kill her and the baby, but Merlin was able to hide them.”

“Could he do it again this time?”

“Merlin is not a factor this time. This time it's me against my sister.”

She sighed and slipped back into her guise as his lady-in-waiting, “My Lord, I think it's time you went on a quest.”

“What am I questing for?”

“It doesn't matter. You quest for something. Let me search the Human Realm for Morgaine.”

He stood, “I'll ask leave of the king while we are hunting.”

She bowed low. He stood in front of her, and for the first time, he touched her hand, raising her to her feet. Then he bowed and said, “In the Human Realm you may be my attendant and you may play that role for both our safety, but I want to acknowledge that I know you are a Queen, of higher stature and infinitely more goodness than Guenevere. In your Realm, I would be your Champion, Majesty.”

Gwyneth accepted his obeisance as her due, and, putting her hand gently on his head she murmured, “I accept your kind offer, Sir Galahad, assuming I have a Realm to return to when the Black Fairy is finished with her rampage.”

He looked at her for a long time and realized, for the first time, the true size of the canvas on which the story was being played out. She smiled to discover that a Human could actually look up and see that there was more to Earth than what they could see or experience. She was surprised to discover that she was happy to be back on good terms with Galahad. She realized she had come to love him in ways she preferred not to explore.

She said, “Go to Arthur. Ask for his leave. I'll prepare for traveling.”

Gwyneth's secret was out with Guenevere, so she risked sending a silent message to Nimue asking her to come to her chamber, knowing Guenevere would hear it. Nimue, dispensing with Human limitations, appeared in Gwyneth's room instantly and the two women cloaked themselves in a potent silence and invisibility spell. Seconds later Guenevere appeared. Nimue and Gwyneth were gone, and the spell hid their trail.

Arthur was willing to give Galahad leave to go on a quest, but he wanted him to leave the Lady Gwyneth behind. Galahad asked the king for a moment alone, they moved aside and spoke quietly. Galahad said, “My Lord, think before you make this decision. Will you move another woman into your bed under the Queen's very nose.”

Arthur spat on the ground and said, “Oh, be serious. Guenevere has been whoring with every man in the palace...” Galahad drew back and shot Arthur an offended look. Arthur put his hand on Galahad's arm, “except for one.” He paused and looked at Galahad with shining eyes and said with a husky voice, “One, faithful and true friend to me and to the ideals of the Round Table.” Arthur bowed his head to collect himself and Galahad put his other hand on Arthur's shoulder.

After Arthur composed himself, he agreed to let Gwyneth accompany Galahad, but he said he wanted to see her before they left. Galahad told Arthur he would send Gwyneth to the king's apartment.

Gwyneth and Nimue were gone for several hours. They had traveled to Avalon, informing the Druid and dispatching messengers to the Nether World that Morgaine was to be found at all costs and her baby was to be killed. If that meant killing the mother, so be it.

When Gwyneth reappeared in the chamber, Galahad was sitting in front of the fire. He looked up and grinned, “I thought you were going to prepare for traveling, my lady.”

She made a face, “I had other business to attend to. Do we have Arthur's leave to go?”

He nodded. She snapped her fingers and their luggage appeared inside the door. He drummed his fingers on the the table and said, with raised eyebrows, “I could get used to that kind of service.”

She pursed her lips and said with the same light tone, “Don't. Outside this chamber it's back to normal for us.”

He stood up and cleared his throat, “Arthur wants to see you before we go.”

“Did you tell him it wasn't me?”

“No. I had no idea what to say. So, I said nothing.”

She put her hands over her face and sat down with her knees on her elbows. He bent over her and whispered, “Are you ill, milady?”

Gwyneth looked up into his lovely blue eyes and said, “I am sick unto death, my Lord, and I think it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.”

He raised her to her feet, whispering, “I wish there were something I could do to help.”

She started to pat his hand, but hesitated, thinking he would pull away. He took her hand and, she said, “My Lord, Galahad, your affectionate support will make all the difference.”

She turned and headed for Arthur's chamber, making no effort to be discreet. She knocked openly. The chamberlain looked as though he was going to faint. Gwyneth swept past him and entered Arthur's sitting room, looking every bit the queen she actually was rather than the serving girl she pretended to be. Nimue was in the corner, supposedly doing needlepoint; when she saw Gwyneth she started laughing silently. A bard was singing. Arthur and several others were playing a card game.

Gwyneth said, “My Lord Galahad tells me you wanted to see me, Majesty.”

Arthur looked up and a range of emotions played across his face. At that very moment Guenevere walked in and stood inside the door with her arms folded and an amused look on her face. Galahad followed her and stood on the other side of the doorway, looking not in the least amused.

Gwyneth paused until the entire room fell silent. Nimue was still laughing silently in the corner. Guenevere was laughing too, and said, in silent Fairy-speak, “Okay, Sister dear, now you have everyone's attention. What do you have to say?”

Gwyneth looked at Guenevere and said nothing, pondering whether or not to dignify that taunt with a response. She decided not to reply.

Arthur, regaining his composure momentarily, invited Gwyneth to join the card game. She did not move other than to shake her head. She said, “My Lord Galahad desires to go on a quest and we will be leaving shortly. I do not know when or even if he will permit me to return to Court. Before I go, it is important to me to clarify recent events that I believe have been misunderstood.”

The king looked at her, not even trying to hide his anger at her arrogance. Through gritted teeth he said, “Yes?”

“Majesty, you have been the victim of a cruel and terrible ruse.” Guenevere, still standing just inside the door, went rigid. Nimue stopped laughing and also quit pretending to do her needle work. Gwyneth went on, dancing carefully along the line between truth and lie. Many lives hung in the balance, depending on what she said next. She could feel the Black Fairy's wrath building inside the Human guise at the same time the Human Guenevere was terrified. As much as she would have loved to do so, Gwyneth could not exploit that terror without making things worse for the Nether Realm, and for Arthur, too. She had to let Arthur save face, and – in order to do that – she had to let Guenevere off the hook. If only that one time.

Gwyneth faced Arthur, ignoring his angry glare, and said, “Last night you were visited by a person who pretended to be me.” She paused to let that sink in. Then she swallowed hard in an effort to say the next part and sound believable, “I am flattered, my Lord, that you would accept the attentions of someone you thought to be me.” Nimue fell to laughing again and Guenevere laughed too, out loud – a cruel, hateful laugh. Gwyneth wanted to kill them both, but she could not let them distract her.

She continued, “The lady Morgaine, who was your Queen's lady, was an impostor. She pretended to be a lady-in-waiting, when she is actually a …. a sorceress. She assumed my aspect last night while I was sleeping – alone – in my chamber, and it was she who came to you. I assume you were sleeping and she took you by surprise. Any man would respond to a woman who comes to him in the dark of the night, waking him from a deep sleep with words of love. I am sure you thought it was my lady, the Queen. Later, when it became clear that it was not Her Majesty, it was too late.

“This morning I came to serve breakfast to my lord Galahad, ignorant of what had had transpired. I apologize to you, Majesty, and to you, Lady.” She bowed to Arthur and then to Guenevere. That touched off a hale of silent laughter from both Nimue and Guenevere. “I am sorry I made such a scene this morning. Fortunately, my lord Galahad understands the situation and he is no longer angry with me, but he desires to remove me from the Court in order to avoid further scandal. It remains to be seen whether or not he will allow me to return at the end of our journey.”

Gwyneth stood demurely in front of Arthur. Guenevere's Human guise still stood with a sardonic expression inside the door, but the Black Fairy stepped out from behind her guise and revealed herself to Gwyneth and Nimue. She stood applauding Gwyneth's performance with bitter irony. Nimue's Sorceress aspect did the same, only her applause was genuine. Gwyneth ignored them both.

Arthur did not move from his seat. For several long moments he sat at the card table looking at Gwyneth, his brown eyes looking directly into her Soul, opening a window into his heart. His gaze told her he understood that she had just handed him a way to save face in front of the Court and his wife. His eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration, and something else that Gwyneth did not recognize. Whatever it was touched something in Gwyneth that she had never felt before, and it both thrilled and terrified her.

Then Arthur did something that astonished everyone. He stood up, walked across the room and took Gwyneth's hands in his, still gazing into her eyes. Next he slowly raised her hands to his lips and kissed the them, first her right hand, then her left. He looked into her eyes, this time she could feel the fire of his love, and he said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “My dear lady, you have been a loyal and faithful servant to Sir Galahad and to me. For that I thank you.

“I confess I have noticed your beauty, which is extraordinary. I am not alone in that, I might add. If you were not so modest and discreet with your gaze you would have noticed that half the men in this court watch you and would welcome your attention. I confess to being one of them.

“Besides your beauty and skill as an attendant, I have noticed with pleasure your decorum and the respect you have never failed to show to Sir Galahad and the other members of my household. You have been a respectful and dutiful servant to the Queen and to me, despite our lack of worthiness to merit respect from such a pure and decent woman.”

He waited for the murmuring in the room to die down, and continued, “I responded – passionately – to the woman who pretended to be you because I have been watching you for some time. I responded because I thought it was you, and because I wanted it to be you. I have to tell you that while I am angry at being so duped, and I intend to track down and punish the woman who tricked me.

“I want you to know that my feeling upon learning that the person who came to me last night was someone other than you was more sorrow than anything. Sorrow that I had not actually earned the love of the woman I want – at least not yet.”

The atmosphere in the room was electric. Nobody moved, or even breathed. Arthur went on, “As soon as the weather breaks to allow her to travel, my wife will be going to live permanently in a convent far to the north. I intend to divorce her. For the sake of propriety I will use her barrenness as my reason, as opposed to her wanton unfaithfulness.”

He waited for the exclamations to die down. Gwyneth noticed, with no small pleasure, the fetid smell of fear emanating from Guenevere's guise. Arthur continued, “I give you my permission to go on a quest with Galahad, in the confidence that you will continue to serve him well and faithfully and that he will keep you safe. When my personal affairs have been settled and I am free to do so, I will send for you, inviting you to come back to Court, not as Galahad's maid, but as my Queen.”

Only Nimue, Gwyneth and Guenevere saw Excalibur light up in ecstasy or hear it trilling a joyful noise that was inaudible to Humans but which they knew was ringing throughout the Nether World, a glorious cry of hope directed to all the Nether Realms that were under attack by the Black Fairy.

Arthur, who was as oblivious to Excalibur's joy as all the other Humans, paused, swallowed and bowed, touching his forehead to the backs of her hands. Straightening again, and looking deeply into her eyes, he whispered, “You will have some time to consider your answer. I pray it will be 'yes'.”

Then he turned to Galahad, holding out her hand toward him and said, “Take your lady and go questing. Add to your reputation as the guardian and defender of the people of this land and to hers as 'Galahad's maid', the healer and wise woman who is the image of faithful service to her lord, her King, and, also to the people of Britain. Go.”

Galahad stepped forward, with joy radiating from every pore and tears in his eyes. He genuflected before Arthur, saying aloud, “My Lord, I will travel and act always in the glorious name of Arthur the King.” He added in a low voice that only Arthur and Gwyneth could hear, “Welcome 'back', my dearest friend.”

Arthur raised him from the floor, embraced him like a brother and bade both Galahad and Gwyneth a safe journey.

Chapter 9

Gwyneth and Galahad said nothing as they walked toward his apartments. Gwyneth could feel the electricity of the news traveling like a wildfire through the Court. The instant Galahad closed the door, Gwyneth whirled and leaned close to him, “We have to get out of here quickly before Guenevere retaliates. May I have your permission to use magic?”

He nodded.

In an instant, they and their entire entourage, were riding on a trail, miles from Camelot. No one spoke of what had happened. Gwyneth had cast a spell to make sure that no one but she and Galahad remembered the magical departure from Court.

Later in the day, Gwyneth received a Fairy messenger from Nimue requesting Gwyneth to meet her at their special place beneath the lake. Gwyneth agreed. She urged her horse forward in the line and pulled up next to Galahad, saying softly, “I have to meet Nimue to plan what we must do next. I am going to try something I have never done before. I will leave my guise with you, while I go elsewhere. It should be able to function in more or less normally for day-to-day matters. Don't try to have a conversation with it beyond what would be normal for a Lord to his attendant. I will let you know when I return.”

She paused and added, “Oh, and if the guise can't function normally, put her on a stretcher and tell everyone she is overwhelmed by events and has fallen ill.” She winked, “That might be more believable than having her behave as though nothing happened.”

Galahad nodded, turning his head so she could see his face but the escorts behind could not, and whispered, “As you wish, Majesty.”

She chuckled and withdrew from her guise, flying under the cloak of invisibility to Nimue's hiding place. Nimue would not be able to come until after nightfall which gave Gwyneth several hours to ponder what she should do next. She sat staring into the fire in the grate trying to still her mind so she could focus on the most pressing issue. Her critical task was to identify which of all the critical problems she faced was the most pressing issue. But, first, she needed to quell the vortex of her emotions.

When Nimue arrived several hours later, the Fairy Queen still sat at the small table, gazing into the fire, her eyes blazing with fear, anger, hatred – and something else that had never been there before.

Nimue sat across the table from Gwyneth, and poured wine, which neither of them touched. They were silent for a while. Eventually Nimue broke the silence, “I apologize for my inappropriate giggle fit this morning.”

Gwyneth tried to look angry, but failed, “And well you should be. What got into you?”

“I couldn't help it. You walked into the room and filled it with power and decency, while standing there speaking humble words that would save Arthur's face and let your wicked sister off the hook. The irony of that was funny enough. The thing that put me over the edge was Guenevere's reaction. I think I was laughing more out of relief than anything. My dear, Guenevere is terrified of you.”

Gwyneth pondered that information for a minute and then said, “I could smell her fear, but I thought it was fear of what Arthur would do to her human guise. If she is afraid of me, that must mean she knows herself to be vulnerable somehow. We have to find out what her vulnerability is, quickly. On the other hand, like a wounded animal, she will be more dangerous than ever until we figure out how to exploit her vulnerability.”

They were quiet for a while. Gwyneth asked, “What do you suggest we do?”

Nimue said, “I think we should do several things right away. The first thing I have already done. I sent a messenger to Avalon and to the Nether Realms informing the Druid and the monarchs of what happened, so they will be warned to expect renewed attacks from Guenevere.”

Gwyneth put her head on the table and sobbed at the thought of the suffering her Fairies and the other species from the Nether World were enduring through no fault of their own. Nimue silently gazed into the fire while her daughter cried, and was grateful that Gwyneth could not see the pain on her face – the pain of a mother witnessing her beloved daughter's suffering, helpless to ease her pain.

Nimue shook off her paralyzing grief and continued, “Second, I propose to send a messenger to Viviene; I want to find out what Merlin might know about Guenevere's vulnerabilities. I can't think of what they might be, but Merlin might be able to help.” Gwyneth pulled herself together and nodded.

“Third, we need to search for Morgaine. I propose to use Warlocks. What do you think about that?”

Gwyneth thought about it. She knew that Guenevere already had retained a cohort of Warlocks in her attacks upon the Nether Realms. She wondered on which side the Warlock monarch stood. If he would cooperate, they might be able to infiltrate Guenevere's own inner circle. Gwyneth nodded. Nimue went on, “I propose to go to the Warlock monarch myself.”

Gwyneth looked puzzled, “But can you leave Excalibur – and Arthur? It seems to me they need you now more than ever.”

“I will stay in Camelot to protect Excalibur until Guenevere is safely away to her convent. I talked to Arthur today. I think he has been under some kind of enchantment for a long time. Now, he has cast it off and recovered his own power, and his innate decency.” She smiled, “I think you had something to do with that.”

Gwyneth leaned forward and turned her hands up in a pleading gesture, looking bemused, “Please explain that! What in all of Earth's Realms happened that Arthur should have noticed me and desired me in such a way?”

Nimue smiled into Gwyneth's eyes and said, “When you first came to Camelot under the guise of a household servant, you were one of hundreds of such women. However, over time, your own character began to reveal itself through your guise. Your dignity and faithfulness stood out in the cesspool that Camelot had become over the winter. Your guise carried herself with a regal bearing that rivaled and soon exceeded Guenevere's. While the rest of the inhabitants of the Court, including Arthur, were mating like goats in every corner of the palace, you and Galahad were paragons of virtue. Soon your guise was transformed into the most beautiful woman in Camelot, perhaps the most beautiful Human I have ever seen.”

Gwyneth made a face. “Calling attention to myself was the last thing I wanted to do.”

Nimue nodded, “I know, but the problem is, you are a Queen and one of the most powerful mages in any of Earth's realms. You use your power for Good, as you see it. Beauty and magic of that degree are difficult to hide.”

They were quiet for a while. Gwyneth said, “Okay, so we search for Morgaine and kill the Bastard, hopefully before he is born. We try to find out where Guenevere is vulnerable and exploit that to try to neutralize her, giving the Nether World some respite from its torment. But, nothing will change in my Realm over the long term until we get Excalibur back. How do we do that?”

Nimue looked deeply into Gwyneth's eyes and said, in the voice of prophecy that rose from the depths of her ancient Soul, “You will ask Arthur to give it to you.”

Gwyneth laughed, “And what makes you think he would do such a ridiculous thing!?”

Nimue's eyes glimmered with some deep wisdom born of experience, “Humans do crazy thing when they are in love.”

Gwyneth nodded, but did not look convinced.

Nimue went on, “Once Guenevere is gone, I think you should hasten to return to Camelot, undertaking responsibility for guarding Excalibur and Arthur. I will take over the search for Morgaine's Bastard and marshaling help from the monarchs of the Nether Realms.”

Gwyneth nodded, this time more emphatically, “In the meantime, as I travel with Galahad, I'll do the same thing I did before, making contacts with our spy network, identifying potential Human leaders and searching for Morgaine at the same time.” She paused and her eyes flashed with hatred, “And, if I find her, I will kill her and her unborn Bastard.”

Nimue stood, and said, “It would appear we have a plan.” She left quickly before Gwyneth could see her tears.

Galahad and Gwyneth cut a swath through Britain accumulating glorious accomplishments like beads on a necklace. Galahad slew dragons, bested evil knights, rescued damsels in distress and wiped out dozens of small bands of robbers. Gwyneth healed wounds, attended births, and assisted the unfortunate in burying the dead, offering comfort and courage in each circumstance. She taught women how to identify medicinal plants to treat common ailments. She taught children about the plants and berries to avoid in their foraging for food. Even men consulted with her not only about physical ailments but about their personal worries and their political concerns. She offered intelligent and helpful advice to every person who sought her out.

Galahad's star rose higher than Arthur's, which concerned him somewhat. It is rarely a good thing for a knight to become more popular than the King he serves! Gwyneth told Galahad not to worry about it. Galahad did all his deeds in Arthur's name, and the people of the land needed encouragement and help. Arthur would gain residual credit for their work among his subjects.

There were rumors that Arthur had decided to burn Guenevere for her adulterous affairs. Neither Galahad nor Gwyneth believed them. It was possible the rumors came from Arthur himself, because he had learned that Guenevere was hated among the people for her traitorous unfaithfulness to the king. A bard visited one of the inns where they were staying, singing a melodious tale about how Lancelot swooped in to rescue Guenevere at the last minute before the flames engulfed her. He spirited her off to a nunnery and then fled back to Normandie from whence he had come.

Before they retired, Galahad asked Gwyneth what she thought of the story, she laughed and said that she thought the whole thing had been staged, reminding him that sending Guenevere to a convent had been Arthur's plan from the beginning. This new twist had the dual benefits of getting rid of Guenevere, while restoring some confidence in Arthur's leadership and, as a side benefit, getting rid of Lancelot, whose reputation for chivalry had been destroyed by his involvement with Guenevere.

Galahad remarked, “I think Arthur may be too tender-hearted for a king. His love for the woman he thought Guenevere to be when he married her blinded him to the reality of her evil. He should have burned her!”

Gwyneth nodded, “I agree! Letting her live will only prolong the agony for everyone, in the Human Realm and beyond. Hopefully she will be buried alive in a convent far away and guarded day and night by nuns who will burn or drown her if they catch her doing magic.”

Despite Nimue's request, they did not hurry back to Camelot. Gwyneth took every opportunity she could to go out on her own, leaving her guise with Galahad's party, searching for Morgaine. After months passed with no success, Gwyneth refocused her search for newborn baby boys. They found many babies, but none who appeared to be the one they were seeking.

After several months, Arthur sent for Galahad and Gwyneth. Galahad was ready to return to Court immediately. Gwyneth hesitated.

She met with Nimue for a long time under the lake. Nimue told of Guenevere's ignoble departure from Camelot, in the company of a cohort of knights, led by Lancelot, who escorted her to a convent far away in the north country where the nuns promised to watch her every move, never to leave her alone and permit her no visitors. Neither of them had full confidence that even those drastic measures would keep Guenevere's evil at bay, but it was better than nothing.

They talked of personal things, including Gwyneth's overwhelming desire to return to the Fairy Realm. Nimue urged her not to attempt it because the evil that Guenevere had launched still tormented the Nether Realms, whether or not Guenevere was still directing it. It would be too dangerous for Gwyneth to venture there. Nimue encouraged Gwyneth to return to Camelot. “I can't leave Camelot for more than a few hours at a time until you are there to protect Excalibur. It would be safer for me to go to the Nether World than for you to go. Please return to Camelot, so I can search the Nether World for the Bastard.”

Still Gwyneth hesitated. Nimue asked, “What is wrong, my dear?”

“May I speak freely, Lady?”

A look of pain washed across Nimue's face, but she turned to Gwyneth with a bland look, “Of course, my dear.”

Gwyneth said, “Several things worry me about accepting Arthur's invitation. First, is my aversion to Humans. When I looked into Arthur's eyes at our last meeting I felt his love and I felt something stirring in me as well, but I am not sure that will be enough to overcome my anti-Human prejudices.

“Second, I have never been with a male of any species, and I am afraid.

“Related to that, I am a Fairy. If I were to become pregnant, my baby would be a Fairy. Arthur needs a Human heir. I would be a completely inappropriate Queen for him.”

Nimue pursed her lips and nodded, “I hadn't thought about that latter issue. There might be something we could do about it if we put our minds and our magic to it, but it would be risky. If we were caught using magic on Arthur's heir, it would not go well with us. I was so caught up in the idea of a monarch from the Nether World sitting on the throne in the Human realm, I did not think through all of the complications.”

Gwyneth said, “Actually, that's another thing that bothers me. If I am Queen in the Human Realm, then Arthur would be King in the Fairy Realm. The Fairies would – rightly, I think – depose me, if I married Arthur.”

“What are you thinking of doing?” Nimue looked alarmed.

Gwyneth sighed, “Did you tell him who I am?”

“Yes.”

“That's a good start. I will return to Camelot. Arthur and I will have to talk at some length about the implications of a relationship between the two of us. I have to tell you, my preference would be to be his friend and mentor. I have been a Queen for hundreds of years; I know I could help him as a mentor and teacher. It won't hurt that I could also employ my magic if necessary. Unfortunately, I doubt a Human male would ever agree to an arrangement like that. They seem to have difficulty seeing females as potential equals or advisors.

“The other possible alternative would be for me to be his consort. If I agreed to that, it would be with the understanding that we would not have children and he would be free to marry in order to produce an heir.”

Nimue nodded and said, “That makes sense. The problem is that Humans operate out of emotion more than Fairies. Mistresses are not held in especial esteem in the Human realm.”

Gwyneth giggled and said, “So I have noticed. I don't especially care what Humans think of me, and I know the Fairies would prefer that I take Arthur as a lover if I must rather than to introduce him as King of the Fairies.” They both collapsed in a mutual giggle-fit over the very suggestion of a king in the Fairy Realm.

“I will return to Camelot. If Arthur asks me to be his Queen, however, I have to tell you it is my intention to reject his offer.”

Nimue commented, “In which case, Excalibur could be in continued danger because Arthur will not want to let it come back to us as long as he might need it in battle.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm glad you understand my dilemma.

“First, I want to ask you a favor. I know how to make abortion potions and I know how to cast anti-conception spells on other females. I can't cast such a spell on myself. I want to know if you would cast the spell on me.”

“If Arthur knew that I was contemplating casting a contraception spell on you, he'd kill me.”

“Does that mean you won't do it?”

Nimue laughed, “Of course, I'll do it. I just want to make sure that Arthur doesn't find out.”

“Well, I'm certainly not going to tell him!”

Nimue raised her hand and closed her eyes for a moment. “There.”

“Thank you. It's better this way.”

Tears stood in Nimue's eyes. Her own experience of motherhood had been a disaster. She'd struggled with Merlin at every turn for a couple of millennia. Every mention of Guenevere's name made her wish she'd aborted the twins as Merlin had demanded. But, Gwyneth more than made up for the problem of Guenevere.

“Why are you crying?”

“I always cry when I am changing the course of a person's destiny. That is not something that should be undertaken lightly.”

“It's for the best.”

“I know, but I think you'd be a wonderful mother.”

“I am already a mother! I have hundreds of thousands of Fairies for whom I am responsible. …. Not to mention all the Humans and other Species whose lives will be affected by our quest to return Excalibur to its rightful home.”

Nimue turned to go, but Gwyneth held out her hand. “One more thing, if you please.”

“Anything.”

“I don't know what to do – with a male. Can you give me any advice?”

Nimue longed to take Gwyneth into her arms and rock her like a child, instead she looked into the eyes of her beloved daughter and said, “All you need to do is to forget about everything. Give yourself over to the experience. If it helps, let yourself sink more deeply into your Human guise and let her body take over. Human sex is about physical pleasure. Your guise's body will know what to do.”

“That sounds so easy.”

“It won't be easy for one such as you, who has been responsible for others for so long you have lost touch with your own desires. If you can manage to give yourself over to the experience, I think you'll find it worth the effort.”

Gwyneth held Nimue's gaze for a long time, looking up into the black eyes that reflected both love and agony. Their Souls mingled and agreed that cross-species reproduction was not wise.

Nimue hastened back to Camelot and Gwyneth returned to Galahad's entourage. She reluctantly re-entered her guise and told Galahad it was time they returned to Court.

The closer they came to Camelot, the more news they received of the events they had missed. None of the news was good. Guenevere had gone to a convent. Lancelot had returned across the sea. The Invaders from the East seized the opportunity to encroach on Arthur's kingdom. Camelot was in chaos.

Galahad was greeted as a returning hero. Gwyneth played the part of his maid, at least until the Court dinner the night after they returned. Gwyneth assembled near the kitchen with the other maids. Nimue called her aside and said, “Arthur wants you to be his guest. You are to sit beside him at dinner.”

“He's crazy.”

“As a matter of fact he is. He's crazy in love with you, or with the person he thinks you are.”

Gwyneth sniffed and made a face, “Falling in love with the woman he thought Guenevere was didn't work out so well for him. What makes him think he can do better with her twin sister?”

“Uh. Well. I, um. I told him about you being the Fairy Queen.”

“But, you neglected to mention the little detail about me being his wife's twin sister.”

“His ex-wife. They are divorced.”

“Let's not get bogged down in technicalities.”

Gwyneth sat between Arthur and Galahad at dinner. Nimue served all three of them. Galahad and Arthur seemed to be having a wonderful time. They both enjoyed Gwyneth's company, and they seemed to enjoy having her sitting at the table rather than waiting on them. Gwyneth was a Queen. She was used to associating with monarchs and other notables, so she was not intimidated by being seated next to the king. She was, however, concerned about how others in the Court might take her “promotion”.

After dinner, Arthur invited Gwyneth and Galahad to meet with him in his apartments. Nimue joined them. The four of them talked until almost dawn, sharing stories and speculating on what Guenevere might still have up her sleeve to throw at them.

Arthur asked Gwyneth for a private audience later. She demurred, saying she was tired from traveling, and requested to defer any private conversations until the following day. Arthur acquiesced to her request, but he whispered as he kissed her hand to bid her good-night, “You can't avoid me forever.”

The next morning while Arthur attended to his official audiences, Gwyneth entered the throne room, dressed not as Galahad's maid, but as befitted her station as a foreign monarch. She waited just inside the door, in the back of the crowd, where Arthur could not see her. The people of Camelot had been told she was a royal princess from a faraway land, whose family had sent her to Camelot for her safety, because of internal warfare in her country. That made her an acceptable consort for the king. The fact that she had been universally liked by the staff at Camelot and had developed a reputation for kindness throughout Britain while posing as Galahad's maid helped minimize the suspicion and intrigue that might otherwise have attended Arthur's selection of a new companion, so soon after the terrible ending of his marriage. Letting the Court know that she was a person of royal lineage would help as well. It would be important not to let anyone know of her relationship to Guenevere, much less the fact that she was a Fairy.

Gwyneth waited until all the other supplicants and messengers had finished their business with Arthur. Then she approached the High King, her royal blue cloak setting off her raven hair and alabaster skin. She stood in front of the throne, bowed low and said, “My Lord, I believe you wished to speak with me.”

“I do.”

She stood in front of him and said nothing, her eyes cast to the ground, looking demure as a maiden, and radiantly beautiful. Arthur waited for her to speak but she was silent. After a very long pause, she lifted her chin and met the king's gaze. The corner of her lip twitched and she lifted the inner corners of her eyebrows ever so slightly, and then she winked. Arthur threw back his head and laughed. Gwyneth stood smiling at Arthur, thrilled by the sound of Excalibur's joyful singing.

Arthur descended the three steps from the throne to where she stood, “Perhaps our conversation should take place in my private office.”

She smiled up into his eyes, “Perhaps it should.”

They talked for hours. She knew nearly everything there was to know about the facts of Arthur's life. He shared with her his impressions, his hopes and his dreams. He knew nothing of her life. When she told him she had reigned for more than three hundred years, he laughed and suggested that she would be a good mentor for him. They shared their lives, their imaginations floating on the stories each of them told. They laughed and, occasionally, shed tears, and they nearly drowned in each other's eyes.

Periodically servants brought food and drink. Neither of them touched the food or so much as noticed when the servants removed the untouched trays and replaced them. Late in the afternoon, they went for a ride in the countryside to get fresh air and exercise after sitting inside for so long.

“You ride as though you were born in a saddle.”

“Actually, I had never seen a horse until I came to the Human Realm. Fairies don't need such transportation, you understand.”

“How did you learn to ride so well in such a short time?”

“I don't know. I just ask the horse if it is willing to take me where I want to go. Usually the horse says yes. There are a few horses in the stable who don't seem to like me, and I avoid them. This one is my favorite. She told me her last mistress was fat. She likes me because I'm small and don't weigh much.”

Arthur said, “I don't want to know what my horse thinks of me.”

Gwyneth pulled up close and leaned over toward Arthur's magnificent roan stallion. In a minute she scratched his ear and turned to Arthur, “He adores you like everyone else does, although he's not so thrilled when you wear your armor.”

They rode and talked for more hours, ending up late for supper. They went straight into the hall, still in their riding clothes. Nimue brought them water and towels to wash the dust from their faces and hands, thinking that no court in any Realm had ever see two such glorious beings as Arthur and Gwyneth. His swarthy good looks and broad shoulders reeked of power, but the small lines around his mouth and wrinkles on his brow reflected the burdens of his responsibilities as king; the sorrow and slight mistrust in his eyes, reflected more personal tragedy. She, a dainty dark and exotic beauty, exuded not the demure frailty of the typical tiny woman, but power and authority that went beyond Arthur's warrior-strength; hers was the power of magic and the authority of an experienced monarch.

Arthur called for his food and ate with relish. Gwyneth looked at the table and saw little she was willing to touch. Arthur raised his eyebrows, “You don't like the food?”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Nimue came out of the kitchen and set a plate of olives, nuts and fruit before Gwyneth, bowing low. Gwyneth whispered, “Thank you, my friend. I was about to expire from hunger!”

She ate her dinner, without tasting it, trying not to drown in Arthur's gaze or faint with the terror that welled up in her every time she thought about the dangerous path she was walking.

The Court was surprised that Arthur did not take Gwyneth to his apartments that night. Or the next. Or for many nights afterwards. More surprisingly, there was no talk of marriage. Word leaked out that, while they loved one another, there were complicated negotiations taking place. Most of the people at Court understood that marriage negotiations between monarchs involved extensive and intricate negotiations that might or might not bear fruit.

Gwyneth moved into apartments built and appointed especially for her. They were not the Queen's apartments; they were the apartments of the King's Consort. Soon the Court came to understand that there would be no marriage. No explanation was forthcoming from Arthur, Gwyneth or anyone close to them. While the curiosity of the Court was aroused, there was no information to fuel any gossip. Eventually the residents of Camelot accepted the relationship between Arthur and Gwyneth for what it was: a partnership that operated on multiple levels.

In the end, while the residents of Camelot, and as time went on, all of Britain would have preferred them to marry, Camelot was a happy place for the first time in years. The Knights of the Round Table regained their reputation as the King's instruments, ranging throughout Britain, battling enemies of the people and giving help wherever they could. The knights often traveled with wise women and healers who did what they could to alleviate suffering wherever they went. If Arthur's subjects couldn't have a Queen, they were glad to have a Consort of Gwyneth's beauty, talent and grace.

Years passed. The idyllic life Gwyneth led in Camelot and the peace that descended over Britain for that short time was not shared in the Nether World. The Warlocks Guenevere had unleashed on the Nether World continued to cause trouble everywhere they could. The suffering and misery of the people of the Nether World was appalling. The knowledge that her Fairies were in such torment while she lounged about Camelot eating olives and drinking wine nearly drove her mad with grief and guilt.

Guenevere was safely locked away in a nunnery, and Gwyneth's spies made sure she stayed there. The original nuns who ran the convent had been replaced by Witches who had been hand-picked by the Witch Queen to watch Guenevere's every move and prevent her from doing magic or receiving visitors. They knew she could communicate telepathically, so Gretel dispatched Fairies to try to intercept messages Guenevere might try to send. Everyone knew that as long as she lived, Guenevere would be dangerous, but she was contained as much as was possible. The Elf King wanted to kill Guenevere, but the monarchs of the Nether World feared the murder might be blamed on Gwyneth and they did not want to risk what the Humans might do to her if they expected her of killing the former queen.

Nimue traveled the Human Realm and the Nether World searching for the Bastard, and rallying the inhabitants, exhorting them to have courage and to persevere. She spent some time in the Fairy Realm, reveling in the luxury of having apartments of her own in the palace. She regaled the Fairies with stories of their Queen's conquest of the hearts of the Britons and their King. She knew how Fairies felt about Humans, but the stories were entertaining, and they seemed to enjoy hearing about their Queen's travels with Galahad more than they cared about Arthur's love for her. The Fairies were not interested in the opinions of Human men, but they did enjoy hearing tales about their Queen's adventures traveling around a strange country, helping those in need and networking with the Nether World spies. They especially enjoyed the stories of their Queen's encounters with the Black Fairy (whose name they preferred not to use). They also enjoyed the stories of her encounters with Merlin. Nimue told them as many tales as she could remember. It seemed to her to be small comfort to a Realm that had been more or less continuously under assault for years. It was all she had, however, and the Fairies appreciated the gesture.

Gwyneth was not only the Consort to the King but the temporary Guardian of Excalibur. When Arthur spent the night in her apartments, Excalibur stood in a stand by the bed. When Arthur did not come to her, he entrusted Excalibur unto her care while he slept. As Nimue had done, Gwyneth slept with the sword under her mattress for its protection. At first – recalling the time she tried to touch Excalibur in the temple under the lake – Gwyneth feared Excalibur would not let her handle it, but Nimue had explained the errand she was on, and encouraged Excalibur to accept Gwyneth's ministrations. Excalibur never greeted Gwyneth with the joyful abandon with which it greeted Nimue, but it accepted her as its temporary guardian.

Years passed. The attacks on the Nether World abated somewhat, but no one felt safe with Excalibur so far away, although the news that Nimue continued her relentless search for the Bastard and that Gwyneth cared for Excalibur was greeted with universal happiness everywhere in the Nether World.

Gwyneth's relationship with Arthur was met with mixed feelings in both the Nether World and the Human Realm.

In Britain, the Christian priests railed against the Whore of Camelot. It seemed to Gwyneth they were more angry with her because she refused to convert to their religion than because she refused to marry their King. Guenevere's supporters (who were mostly people who had never visited the Court to know of her wanton behavior) castigated Arthur for putting aside a barren wife only to take up with a barren mistress. Gwyneth always enjoyed pointing out to those people that it was precisely because of her barrenness that she refused to marry Arthur: she wanted him to keep his options open to marry a women who could give him a child. She always enjoyed the shocked looks she received for suggesting that she would encourage Arthur to marry a fertile wife.

In the Nether World, the reaction was more subtle and more complicated. The religions (to the extent they had what could be called religions) of the Nether World recognized that sometimes a “consort” arrangement was wise for a variety of reasons. There was no particular moral stigma against co-habiting under those circumstances. The monarchs of the Nether World and the Fairies, however, understood that in the Human Realm, Gwyneth was seen as little better than a whore. They resented the fact that Humans (who were looked down upon by all the species of the Nether World) would presume to question the character of such a universally respected and beloved queen. They also had their doubts about Arthur's integrity because, now that he knew of the significance of Excalibur to the safety and security of the the Nether World, and especially the Fairy Realm, Arthur made no move to return Excalibur to its rightful home. Many Nether World folk (especially the Fairies) viewed both Excalibur and Gwyneth as hostages to Arthur's ego and ambition.

There may have been some truth to that, but Truth can be complex and the biggest complexity of all was that Gwyneth and Arthur loved one another, in a very special way. She did not put aside her anti-Human prejudice completely, although living among Humans and getting to know them personally went a long way towards moderating her views, at least where some Humans were concerned. Gwyneth made an exception for Arthur. Her love drowned her prejudice, and she viewed Arthur through the lens of affection.

That did not mean she could not see Arthur objectively or that she was blind to his faults. On the contrary. Gwyneth was usually Arthur's harshest critic and the person at Court (often the only person) who was most likely to call him out when she felt he was wrong about something. Her love for him was passionate and sincere, but it was neither blind nor subservient. Arthur appreciated that, provided she reserved her critical comments to private conversations in their apartments. Gwyneth never criticized him or questioned him in public. They often disagreed in private – sometimes loudly and vehemently. Some of Arthur's household staff who knew about those conversations thought it was very inappropriate for Gwyneth to stand up to Arthur. More people – and virtually all of the Knights of the Round table – respected both Gwyneth and Arthur for their willingness to consider various points of view.

The years passed and something as close as the Human Realm could come to peace settled over Britain. The Court at Camelot experienced a general sense of happiness and contentment. Only two unmet desires prevented Arthur and Gwyneth from enjoying utter and complete contentment: his desire for an heir and hers to return Excalibur to the Fairy Realm. Even the thorns of those frustrations became less painful as the happy years stretched out behind them.

The Round Table was once more renowned and respected everywhere in Britain, and beyond. Arthur ruled a kingdom that was united and prosperous, with few enemies remaining within and whose enemies abroad hesitated to attack such a powerful king. A number of the original Round Table knights retired, making way for younger knights to join the inner circle of Camelot. The older knights became mentors, teachers and guardians for pages and knights-in-training. Many of them had married princesses or widows of kings or lords, and, consequently, they had their own lands and estates to manage and protect. Those knights who did not quite measure up to the Round Table standards could often find places among the retainers of the Retirees.

During those halcyon years, life in Camelot was good. Arthur and Gwyneth passed their days working diligently at being good monarchs of their respective Realms. Gretel still served as Regent in the Fairy Realm, but Gwyneth assumed the helm in absentia. Those were glory days, and both Arthur and Gwyneth counted and savored each one, knowing that the peace could not last forever.

Pages and would-be knights descended on Camelot like a plague of locusts. Sir Kay and others did the best they could to find foster homes for orphans and to weed out the potential knights from those with no hope of advancing. It was a thankless and never-ending task, which Kay did – as he did everything else for Arthur – without complaint.

One late spring afternoon an entire family of would-be knights arrived unannounced. They were the sons of King Lot of Orkney, come from the far north country to test themselves against the other potential Knights of the Round Table: Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth, Gawain and Mordred. At first, Gwyneth thought they were nice boys, like so many other would-be knights. The older four were huge red-headed, freckle-faced kids who looked like the farm-boys from the Highlands. Given the remoteness of Lot's kingdom and its relative lack of prosperity, that is more or less what they were.

Mordred was different in every way from his brothers. He was a small, sparrowish boy who looked rather “bookish”. He reminded Gwyneth of one of the monks on Avalon. At first she thought he was shy, but upon closer observation, she decided he was shifty and sneaky. Gwyneth feared she was being unkind in thinking that of him. But, even her overall dim view of him could not diminish her admiration for his brilliant intellect.

Mordred was extremely well-read for someone brought up in such a remote place, but he had almost no formal education. He didn't suffer for the lack of formal instruction: Mordred assimilated information with phenomenal ease. He took advantage of the library at Camelot and also spent time with virtually every person at Court, picking their brains and learning everything there was to know about their various functions in running the Court as well as probing what they knew about the culture and geography of every place they had ever been.

In a very short time, Mordred knew more about the actual operations of Camelot than anyone, not excepting Arthur and Gwyneth, and even Kay.

Mordred did nothing to ingratiate himself with the Court. His brothers made it loudly clear they had come to Camelot to claim their places at the Round Table and to seek glory as Arthur's Knights. (Gwyneth noticed – and pointed out to Arthur – that they appeared to covet glory for themselves, not on Arthur's behalf.) Mordred held himself aloof from that kind of campaigning. When he wasn't in the library reading history and military tactics or interviewing people who worked at Camelot, he was riding. The only person in Camelot who could out-ride Mordred was Arthur, and even he knew that, given his age and sedentary life at Court, Mordred's horsemanship would overtake his very soon.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Mordred deserved a place at the Round Table, ahead of even his brothers, whose skills in combat were exceeded only by those of Galahad. Arthur initiated all of them into the brotherhood of the Round Table and drew Mordred into his innermost circle. Sooner than anyone would have expected, Mordred became Arthur's most trusted knight, and was a frequent ambassador to other kingdoms. He did a brilliant job in that capacity, with apparent modesty and humility.

Gwyneth's reaction to Mordred was irrational fear. She tried to hide it because she didn't think it was fair to Mordred, and it made no sense to her. When Mordred was in the room Gwyneth often felt ill with fear. Arthur often invited Mordred to sit with them at dinner, which frequently caused Gwyneth to take to her bed in fits of weeping. She could not understand why she reacted in such a way to Mordred's presence, and she fought the feelings as best she could because she knew Arthur loved and depended on Mordred. Sir Kay was old and tired; Mordred appeared to be the logical person to take over as senechal of Camelot.

The one thing that Gwyneth found most upsetting about Mordred was the way he sometimes looked at Excalibur. That frightened Gwyneth more than anything. Mordred seemed to understand something of Excalibur's power, even if he seemed ignorant of its origin and significance.

Because she knew Arthur was fond of the boy and she also knew he was the best ambassador Arthur had available, she made the biggest mistake of her life: she failed to act on her instincts, and did not mention her fears about Mordred to Arthur.

She did, however, send for Nimue, in the belief that she needed help to protect Excalibur. Nimue had never found the Bastard, who would now be an adult. Gwyneth believed him to be dead. She missed Nimue, and so did Excalibur. Gwyneth begged Nimue to return to Camelot.

Nimue came immediately. She had already given up her search for the Bastard. Things in the Nether World had calmed down greatly in recent years. There were occasional skirmishes amongst the Realms, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing that seemed to originate from an external source (i. e.: Guenevere). The various inhabitants of the Nether World were beginning to crawl out from their hiding places and attempt to resume some semblance of a “normal” life.

Nimue and Gwyneth discussed that, and Gwyneth sent messages to the monarchs exhorting them to send their people back into hiding. She did not know why or when or how, but she believed the Nether World still was not safe, and that the inhabitants should not become complacent. Until Excalibur returned to protect them, she believed the peoples of the Nether World should hide.

Nimue's reaction to Mordred was not as violent as Gwyneth's, but she didn't trust him or his brothers, all of whom she thought were trouble-makers, like everyone else she had ever known from the North Country. Nimue, too, remained silent on the subject of Mordred because, like Gwyneth, she believed she was being irrational and operating out of prejudice.

The long, peaceful idyll at Camelot was clearly nearing its end. Saxons were once again testing the boundaries of Arthur's kingdom, perhaps because Arthur was getting older and the Saxons thought he might have become soft. The kingdoms of the North were agitated as well, perhaps for the same reason as the Saxons. Worse still, from abroad came word that Lancelot had raised an army and was making a lot of crazy war-talk about punishing Arthur for his treatment of Guenevere.

It had been years since Arthur had gone into battle and both he and his army were out of shape. With the help of Mordred, Galahad and the sons of Lot, Arthur raised and trained the largest army he had ever mustered. The Knights of the Round Table drilled the troops relentlessly and whipped them into a fearsome fighting force.

Craftsman all along the southern coast were conscripted to build boats. Arthur intended to take the battle to Lancelot instead of waiting for Lancelot to muster the resources to invade Britain.

When Arthur left Camelot for Normandie, he took Nimue with him as his maid and he took all the Knights of the Round Table, except for one. Arthur left Mordred behind as Regent.

Gwyneth took to her bed for days.

Arthur's victories in Normandie were quick and decisive. He vanquished Lancelot's army and, in the process, killed one of his first and most beloved and trusted knights. The night after the battle Arthur was inconsolable. He curled up on the floor of his tent and wept for hours. Nimue had never seen him in such a state, and she silently reached out her Soul and called for Gwyneth. Gwyneth appeared a few minutes later, and asked Nimue to sit in the anteroom of Arthur's chamber with Excalibur. Gwyneth held Arthur all night while he cried bitter tears for the friendship he had offered to Lancelot, which Lancelot had repaid with betrayal and treason. Arthur's response was legally and morally justified, but his affection for Lancelot left him feeling bereft and guilty at the death of his friend.

Arthur was most upset by the very fact he was so grief-stricken over killing Lancelot, who had repaid Arthur's friendship with treason. Arthur feared he was losing his courage which was a death knell for a warrior-king. Gwyneth held him in her arms cooing and soothing his body and his soul. She tried to explain to him that it was important for a warrior never to forget that taking a life – even the life of one's bitterest enemy – always carries a price, and that it should never be done lightly. Even as she spoke the words, she knew she was making excuses. While it was true that she believed that killing should never be anything other than a last resort, after all other avenues had been explored and failed, she personally had never experienced any remorse over killing an enemy.

She rationalized her advice to Arthur by thinking that she never had a friend who turned into an enemy – ignoring the little voice deep in her Soul whispering your greatest enemy is your twin sister and you know without a doubt you could kill her with your bare hands if you had the chance and you would experience not one bit of guilt, if it would bring back the peace and prosperity of the Realm for which you are responsible.

Arthur was terrified by his weakness. Gwyneth tried to console him, but her consolation rang hollow, because she, too, believed that Arthur had shown a potentially fatal flaw.

When Arthur finally went to sleep, Gwyneth went out into the anteroom and woke Nimue, who was asleep with Excalibur in her arms. Gwyneth asked Nimue to sit with Arthur, and make sure he rested well. She thought perhaps Excalibur's presence in the room would help soothe Arthur's spirit. Before Gwyneth returned to Camelot, the women agreed never to breathe a word to anyone about that night.

Gwyneth hastened back to Camelot in time for breakfast, waiting for word to come about Arthur's great victory over Lancelot. The word came a few days later, and the Court reacted strangely. On the one hand, Camelot was grateful for Arthur's victory, but the celebration was muted because almost everyone in the court loved Lancelot almost as much as they loved Arthur. There were some grumblings to the effect that the whole business of the affair between Guenevere and Lancelot could have been avoided if Arthur had better control over his wife. For the first time during his reign, people in Arthur's own Court questioned his authority.

That was the window of opportunity Mordred needed.

As Arthur's army slowly wended its way back toward the coast, Mordred made his move. During his many trips around Britain as ambassador for Arthur, Mordred had taken the additional steps of building up his own personal alliances. Before Arthur crossed the deep water between Britain and Normandy, Mordred seized the throne and declared himself King.

Gwyneth sent a silent Fairy-message to Nimue, asking her to tell Arthur he must return home immediately, then she dressed in her finest, most regal robes and marched into the throne room to confront the bastard …

Only then did it dawn on her that Mordred was “The Bastard” she had been seeking for years.

She stood in front of the throne, where Mordred slouched, issuing orders that would give him firm control of Camelot and Britain. Gwyneth had reigned in the Fairy Realm for hundreds of years and she recognized matchless administrative skills when she saw them. She listened to Mordred dictating orders and knew that, from an administrative standpoint, Mordred would make a senechal even more competent then Sir Kay. What Mordred lacked, however, was any kind of love for the greater good of the people of Britain. Arthur made every decision with his subjects in mind. Gwyneth did the same thing in her own Realm. Mordred might be a great technical administrator, but he wanted to be king out of ambition and a lust for power, not as a service to the people of his Realm.

Gwyneth said nothing, and stood waiting for Mordred to notice and recognize her. Soon she realized he knew she was there, but he was ignoring her. She continued to wait patiently before Mordred, silently demanding him to take notice of her. He continued to ignore her throughout the entire morning. When it came time for the daily audience with the king to be over, Mordred stood to leave.

Gwyneth said, “There is still one petitioner remaining. I have waited all morning, and I claim the right to an audience.”

Mordred said, “I have no reason to consider the wishes of the previous king's whore.”

Gwyneth looked at Mordred and laughed out loud. The Court fell silent, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Gwyneth wrapped herself in dignity and said, loudly enough to be heard in every corner of the now silent hall, “I reject the title of whore, although I admit to being Arthur's consort, and happily so. As such, I feel it my duty to look after his interests when he is not here, especially when his throne is being stolen out from under him by his unrecognized bastard son who would destroy Arthur and everything he stands for.”

It was Mordred's turn to laugh, “You are wrong, milady. I am not here to destroy the dream of Camelot or the ideals of the Round Table. Rather, I seek to fulfill them. The previous king lost his way. I intend to return to the original goals Arthur set out to accomplish before he was bewitched by you.”

Gwyneth smiled at him, “I suggest you prepare yourself for war.”

“You think Arthur will go to war against his son.”

“He doesn't know you are his son.”

“How can he not know? You know. Everyone else here knows.”

“The King only knows what people tell him. No one will tell him you are his son. For Arthur, you are merely an upstart knight from the sticks who seized his throne while he was away at war. Make no mistake, Mordred, Arthur will defend his throne.”

“Fine. We will do battle for it, and the best man will win.”

Gwyneth approached Mordred with blazing eyes. He stepped back and bumped the backs of his knees against the throne, sitting down heavily. Gwyneth leaned forward and hissed, “In the unlikely event you should best Arthur in battle, I make you this promise, Mordred, you will die within 24 hours of that battle, and you will never … ever … sit on Arthur's throne again.”

He laughed, “And who's going to kill me after Arthur is dead?”

“I will.”

He started to laugh again, but looked closer and saw not just the hatred in her eyes, but the determination and, for the first time, he recognized her power. He shuddered, but recovered quickly saying, “Then I'll have to neutralize you, too.”

“Good luck with that.”

Gwyneth did not wait for leave from Mordred. She turned on her heel and marched out of the room (with her back to the king), looking like both the queen and the Mage she was. No one but Mordred heard what she had said to him, but every person in the room understood the substance of that conversation by the look on her face. What was more, the raw personal power that she exuded, compounded with what the Court already knew of her healing and administrative skills, made it clear that she might well claim the throne for herself. There was a small sense of relief that blew through the room when that thought rippled through the Court.

Gwyneth smiled to herself as she walked slowly through the palace toward her apartments. It had not previously occurred to her to take the throne herself but after the idea raced around the palace like some kind of electric current, she thought it might at least be worth considering. When Mordred went out to do battle with Arthur, Gwyneth could seize the throne. If Arthur won, she would cede the throne to him. If Mordred won, she would kill him. After that, she would deal with her sister and then take Excalibur home where it belonged. She had no interest in planning for an orderly succession. As much as she loved Arthur, she still thought of Humans as a lesser species and she was not concerned about the possibility of Britain sinking back into tribal rivalries and lying open to invasion. In fact, she believed that the greater good of both Britain and the Nether World would be served if that happened. It had been the rise of Pendragon power, seeking the unification of the kingdoms of Britain under one High King, that started the trouble in the Nether World.

That, and her sister's quest to steal her throne.

Gwyneth went to her apartment and told her lady she was going to bed and did not wish to be disturbed by anyone for any reason. She went into her bed chamber and locked the door, whereupon she disappeared. She reappeared in the room several hours later looking refreshed and revived. It had been years since she had dared to visit the Fairy Realm. That day, she knew her need was great enough that it was worth the risk she took in going home.

She flew directly to the courtyard of her palace and summoned the Fairies to assemble. The entire Fairy Realm came out of hiding and combined in what might have looked to an observer from space like a giant swarm of bees, humming and buzzing. The Fairies huddled together in what amounted to a group hug, feeding each others' spirits and bolstering their courage and determination to see the fight through to the end. Gwyneth returned to her bedchamber at Camelot, recommitted to preventing Mordred from reigning in Camelot because she feared he might free Guenevere from her convent prison, leaving her free to launch more direct attacks on the Nether World. Gwyneth's determination to prevent that, combined with her hatred for Mordred, made her bold.

Days later, word came that Arthur's army had arrived in Britain. Mordred's own army, under the temporary command of Agravain, had been camped several leagues from Camelot. Mordred went out to meet his troops and marched off to go to war with Arthur, his father and liege lord.

Only moments after Mordred left the palace, Gwyneth claimed the throne as Regent for Arthur. The old men and the women who were left in Court hailed her as the rightful Regent. If Arthur won the battle, they knew Gwyneth would cede the throne to him. If he lost, at least they would have a good and kind monarch, if Mordred didn't kill her.

Gwyneth spent several days consolidating her power as Regent and making arrangements for administrators not appointed by Mordred to take over key positions. She knew that she had no ability to raise an army, because every able-bodied man in Britain was on the way to Camlan, either under the command of Arthur or Mordred. She sent a message to the monarchs of the Nether World and to Nimue. They met briefly. Gwyneth explained her predicament and asked the monarchs to replace their spies with mages. None of them cared for the political intrigue in the Human Realm, but they had a vested interest in protecting Arthur, who was Excalibur's chosen Companion. They agreed that if Gwyneth couldn't protect Arthur's throne (and Excalibur's safety) with the might of Arthur's army, the folk of the Nether World would protect it with Magic. Gwyneth returned to Camelot reassured that she had done all she could do to protect Excalibur.

A few days later, she left her guise seated at a table playing cards with her maids and flew to the battlefield where the armies of Arthur and Mordred faced one another. Gwyneth hovered behind and above Arthur, unseen by any but the other Fairies and Nether World spies who had gathered for the momentous battle. Gwyneth sent out a summons to the spies and mages who had been dispatched to Britain to come to the aid of Excalibur. Scores of Fairies and Witches, along with a few mages of unknown species, who had been stationed all around Britain arrived in only moments. Gwyneth was almost positive she could sense Nimue's presence as well, but she couldn't find her. She suspected Nimue was hiding somewhere in a Human guise. It occurred to Gwyneth that she would rather have Nimue in the air with her, but she had to trust that Nimue knew what she was doing.

The Human troops surrounded Arthur on the ground furiously fighting their brothers in an effort to protect Arthur. The Nether World beings hovered above Arthur to protect Excalibur. Excalibur vibrated, glowed and howled that it was ready for battle. Only the Fairies and the Witches could hear it, but Arthur could feel it, and he, too, readied himself for the fight of his life.

The battle raged without pause from the break of day until mid afternoon. Arthur's army was already reduced due to casualties and exhausted after its battles with Lancelot, but the remaining soldiers were seasoned warriors, comprising the most powerful fighting force on British soil since the Romans had departed, trained by the finest cadre of knights ever assembled and led by a High King of matchless military skills. They may have been battered and tired, but they were also strong and experienced. What was more, every man in Arthur's army was in a killing rage. The anger that Arthur's troops directed at the treasonous upstart, Mordred, was palpable above the battlefield. To Gwyneth it smelled like rotten eggs, sulfurous and vomitous.

For its part, Mordred's army consisted of old men and young boys, most of whom had either never seen battle at all or had not been in a fight in years. Agravain was a great knight but he had had little time to train them properly, even if they had been decent material for an army. The Nether World observers were surprised to see that Mordred's army held its own for a little while, partly because Arthur's army was tired and their rage had rendered them slightly unfocused at first. Before long, Mordred's army's inexperience began to show. Arthur's warriors, led by the Knights of the Round Table, forgot their fatigue and focused their rage, slaughtering the majority of Mordred's army in a few heinous hours of bloody hand-to-hand combat. Most of those in the rear of Mordred's army, witnessing the juggernaut of Arthur's murderous warriors rolling over the advance lines that were made up of Mordred's best troops, fled.

By mid afternoon, only a few knights remained to protect Mordred, primarily his four brothers who were the only Round Table Knights to fight on Mordred's side. Throughout the day Mordred and Arthur had each fought their way towards the middle of the battlefield until, eventually, at mid-afternoon, Arthur and Mordred faced off, man-to-man.

Mordred taunted Arthur, calling him old and weak and unable to make difficult decisions required of a monarch. They feinted for a few minutes, and then Arthur raised Excalibur to land the killing blow and be done with Mordred's arrogance and insults once and for all.

Mordred smiled at him with Morgaine's evil eyes and said, “You wouldn't kill your only son, would you, Father.”

Arthur hesitated.

Mordred did not. He swung his sword up in a vicious swath that sliced Arthur across the abdomen from lower left to upper right. Mordred's eyes were filled with hate and bitterness. He smiled, knowing the High King was dead.

Even as Arthur was falling backwards, already dead, Gwyneth and the Fairies, swooped in under the cloak of invisibility and pushed Arthur's body forward. Gwyneth raised his right hand which still held Excalibur. The Fairies pushed Arthur's body forward and Gwyneth guided Excalibur forward into Mordred's solar plexus, while Excalibur throbbed and screamed with blood lust. Half of Excalibur's shaft disappeared into Mordred's abdomen and opened a gash from which a cascade of blood gushed over his abdomen and down his legs. Mordred fell backwards and Arthur fell on top of him, their lifeblood mingling and draining away into the ground.

Excalibur quivered and sang out in victory, with the tip of its blade in the earth and the haft sticking out of Mordred's belly. Excalibur celebrated the victory of the killing of its mortal Enemy. It did not seem to notice that Arthur was dead.

The Fairies hovered over the sword, while Gwyneth looked on the body of Arthur, mad with grief. She did not have long to give in to her pain, however.

A blackness grew in the distance and the earthy smell of rotting sod overpowered the smells of blood and shit and fear and death. Gwyneth knew her own battle was about to begin. The wounded Humans from both sides of the battle cried out for help, the camp women keened in mourning and horror. The screaming and moans of the wounded filled the air. All that was soon drowned by the unholy cry of the Banshee.

Guenevere had somehow escaped from her captors, and streaked toward the battlefield, intend upon capturing Excalibur. The Fairies hovered close around Excalibur, and Gwyneth flew out to face her sister. The twins circled one another in the air, testing the strengths of the other's magic and realizing they were more or less evenly matched for that type of contest. This would come down to physical combat, Fairy style. They feinted and jousted, at first without trying to land any real blows. After a while they flew straight toward each other and engaged, like wrestlers hovering in the air. They struggled fiercely, tumbling in the air with grunting and swearing on both sides. Neither showed any sign of weakness. They both knew they were in for a long and mortal fight that would require physical strength, endurance, and the appropriate use of magic at just the right time. Gwyneth was not afraid. Nor was Guenevere.

While the Fairy Queen and her sister struggled in the air, Humans crawled over every inch of the battlefield. Some were medics looking for the wounded. Some were women looking for their loved ones, dead or alive. Some were looters, stealing the meager possessions from the dead. All of them appeared to be oblivious to the battle raging – invisible to them – in the air above them.

A lone female made her way towards the very center of the battlefield, picking her way among the dead and wounded soldiers and the detritus left by the fallen and the ones who fled. She was covered from head to toe in a rustic wool cloak of nondescript color. She looked from side to side as she walked as though she were searching for someone, but her straight-line trajectory indicated that she knew where the object of her search was located. The closer she came to the center of the combat zone, the slower and more deliberate were her movements. She walked hunched over, wrapped in a cloak that covered her entire body, but that did not completely hide her purposeful movements. While the Fairy Twins battled far above the ground, the woman slowly made her way toward the place where Arthur and Mordred lay in macabre embrace.

Gwyneth and Guenevere scratched, bit, and wrestled with one another, neither side gaining any advantage. While the battle between the Fairies, which took place in the air above the bloody battlefield in the Human Realm, was noiseless and unseen by any of the Humans, it struck terror in the hearts of the Fairies and other Nether World spies who had come to fight on the side of Excalibur. The powerful magic being launched by both the Fairies unleashed dreadful violence and destruction in the Nether World, destroying the Tor of Avalon and turning what remained of the Fairy Realm into a wasteland.

The female figure on the ground made her way to the place where Arthur had fallen on top of Mordred. Excalibur stuck out of the body of Mordred, not unlike it had stuck out of the stone in the center of Londanum, glowing and thrumming with excitement. The woman bent over as though she intended to minister to Arthur, but, instead, she pushed Arthur's body aside, grabbed the sword from Mordred's belly and tucked it – still dripping Mordred's and Arthur's blood – beneath her cloak. Then she disappeared, with Excalibur.

The Fairies who had been guarding Excalibur went berserk – cheering and shouting in celebration of Excalibur's liberation.

Guenevere and Gwyneth stopped fighting in mid-air. Guenevere howled with rage at the disappearance of the object of her desire, setting of fires and earthquakes throughout the Nether Realm, and scorching the earth around the battlefield.

Gwyneth turned her back on her sister, and flew to Arthur, keening and crying over his body. Her Soul knew that soon she would rejoice with the rest of the Fairies because Excalibur was safe, but at that moment, the only thing she could feel was her grief at the loss of the man who had been her lover, friend and colleague for so many years.

The battle of Canlam was over.

Excalibur was gone, and both Guenevere and Gwyneth knew that Nimue would not let its whereabouts be known to anyone until and unless she was positive that it was safe. With the object of their war no longer available to either of them, there was no point in the Fairy twins continuing the combat. Guenevere showed her hatred for her sister with a malevolent glare and then disappeared. Gwyneth assumed the Black Fairy was returning to Hades to plan her next move.

Gwyneth stayed with Arthur's body (under the cloak of invisibility) until she saw the surviving Knights of the Round Table coming for him. As they lifted his body onto a shield to take it away, she noticed that all of them were crying. Galahad had assumed command and was giving instructions for moving the body, carefully and gently. Knowing Arthur was in hands of others who loved him as much as she did, Gwyneth returned instantly to Camelot, where she reentered her guise and left the card game, sequestering herself in her apartments until the official word of the horrible outcome of the battle was delivered to the Court.

That announcement came hours later by way of Sir Kay who wept openly as he gathered the Court in the Great Hall and narrated the story of Arthur's final struggle with Mordred, in which Arthur, though mortally wounded, found the strength to lunge forward and bury his sword in Mordred's gut. Of course, Kay had not seen the Fairies who had pushed Arthur forward and guided Excalibur's movement, after Arthur was already dead.

The Court fell into mourning.

Gwyneth's rule as Regent was universally accepted by the Court and Arthur's subjects, who had known her first as Galahads Maid and later as Arthur's Consort. Neighboring kings waited for her to show a sign of weakness that would allow them to swoop in, but Gwyneth had centuries of experience as a monarch and knew how not to show any weakness or vulnerability she might have felt.

From a military standpoint, she had the advantage of now owning Arthur's army, under the command of Galahad. The junior Knights of the Round Table scoured the realm seeking new recruits. The senior Knights nights drilled and trained the the troops constantly, pairing up raw recruits with seasoned veterans for additional training and mentoring.

With Galahad commanding her army and Kay returning to the role of senechal at Court, Gwyneth felt safe from military encroachment by the surrounding kings, at least until they could forge alliances with others. She had a small buffer of time in which to plan her next moves.

Arthur's body was cast adrift on the sea and set afire. Mordred's body was left on the battlefield, food for carrion. Both Britain and the Nether World lay still for a while, in shock and pain. As Regent and as Arthur's lover and friend, Gwyneth allowed everyone (including herself) space and time for mourning. She made no changes in the administration of the realm other than very subtle things, mostly having to do with backing away from some of the odious laws enacted by Mordred. She made it clear she was committed to the ideals of the Round Table, and to continuing Arthur's policies.

Arthur left no heir. Other than Gwyneth there was no real “pretender” to the throne of Camelot, either. Among the remaining Knights of the Round Table, only Galahad possessed the qualities of a monarch, but Galahad refused to claim the crown. He preferred the role of Knight in service to a monarch, and he chose to serve Gwyneth. She ruled Britain and ran the day-to-day operations of Camelot as best she could, but no one's heart was in the dream any more. Gwyneth's own heart was far away – in the Fairy Realm, where she longed to return.

She called a meeting of the surviving Knights at the Round Table. She stood behind Arthur's chair, knowing that if she sat in it, she would dissolve into hysterical weeping. They discussed many options, and ended by making the most radical decision of all: they would abandon Camelot and turn Arthur's dream into a legend in the hope of keeping it alive in Story, where it might one day fire another brave heart to try it again.

It was mad, but they knew that everything about Arthur's dream had been mad. They gambled the entire legacy of Camelot on the hope that future generations of humans (and others) would be wiser than the people of Arthurian Britain.

First, Gwyneth summoned every bard in the land and ordered them to make up songs and stories about the gallant Knights of the Round Table, the beautiful and faithless Guenevere and her traitorous affair with the King's first knight and best friend, and most of all about the glorious reign of the great High King, Arthur Pendragon, and his dream of a strong and united Britain at peace, and its subjects living happily and safely under an equitable rule of law. The bards tested their songs and stories on the Court in the evenings during dinner. Gwyneth was amused at the outlandishness of some of the stories, but she also noticed that some of them were so poetic and inspiring she and the Court often found themselves caught up in the stories, even when the facts were all wrong. That was when Gwyneth knew she had made the right decision. If even the members of Arthur's own inner circle could be inspired by the newly-born legends, she knew the people of Britain (and, perhaps, others) would be as well.

After she felt that there were enough bards with enough stories to keep Camelot alive in Story, she summoned the six kings from the various realms that were adjacent to Britain and offered to sell them each a section of Britain, dividing it equitably. No one king would get more than the others, but all would have their lands enhanced. Most of them agreed immediately. Two, who were strapped for cash due to the war, said they wanted to take part in the deal, but did not have the money. The other four arranged loans.

For a few days, Gwyneth was fabulously wealthy, and many Humans watched her with suspicion, wondering if she would take the money and abandon them. They did not know that Human money was of no value to Gwyneth where she planned to go, and they needn't have worried about her integrity.

Gwyneth called the entire Court and all the residents of the village beyond Camelot to a great assembly in the castle keep. She instructed the residents and villagers to destroy the palace at Camelot, and leave no trace of it having been there. She told them to take what they wanted from among the furniture and fixtures and to move the building stones to other places, using them for repairs or additions to their homes and barns that had been damaged in the wars. She explained that the village of Caerleon would henceforth be subject to a new king. She explained that Britain would no longer enjoy the protection of a High King – at least not until some day in the future, when a worthy successor to Arthur would arise and claim his role as High King and Liege Lord of Britain.

She divided the money the kings had paid for Britain's land among Arthur's subjects, sending the Round Table Knights throughout the land, dispensing cash to the people. The Knights took every opportunity to spread stories about the great High King, Arthur, who was the source of the largess; they were under orders never to mention the name of Gwyneth or refer in any way to her as Consort or as Regent. She commanded the messengers to make it clear to the people that source of the financial gifts was Arthur.

Some of the knights and all of the nobles violently disagreed with Gwyneth's decision to turn the money over to the people of the land, but she would not listen. Galahad feared for her life and moved in close to protect her in the days that followed.

Soon the palace of Camelot was empty and stone by stone it disappeared as though it were melting back into the land from which it had sprung. In only weeks there was nothing but a raw scar upon the land to give any evidence of its location. Gwyneth knew that in time the grass would hide the last evidence of the great palace. The wealth of Camelot drained out into the hamlets of Britain where it fed families for a year or two, started businesses, built houses, and caused the people to feel grateful to their fallen King, whose stories they told their children and grandchildren. The stories lived on long after the money was gone.

Having done all she could in the Human Realm, Gwyneth decided the time had come for her to return home to the Fairy Realm. Galahad offered to go with her. At first she declined, somewhat horrified at the thought of taking a Human male into the Fairy Realm. She soon reconsidered. She knew that her Realm lay in ruins. She was emotionally battered by the devastation in the Human Realm, which she didn't even care about. How much more difficult would it be for her to go home and find her beloved Fairies suffering so terribly? It would be good for her to have a trusted friend to support her, and she liked the idea of being able to talk about Arthur to someone who knew him. She agreed to let Galahad go with her on the condition that he agreed to leave if his presence was too disturbing to the Fairies, who had been through enough.

Gwyneth sent word of her intention to the Fairy Realm by way of warning, and to give them an opportunity to object. Gretel responded that, while the Fairies were nervous at the prospect of a Human male coming into their Realm, they knew Galahad to be a true friend to the Queen and to Excalibur. The Fairies were willing to accept him.

Gwyneth turned her back on the Human Realm, and she and Galahad took the boat to Avalon. The Human village was destroyed. Only a few elderly and frail Druids remained of the once powerful priesthood that had inspired and terrorized the lands of Britain and Normandy. They told of being persecuted by the Christians and all but wiped out in the wars that had spilled over from the human realm. Gwyneth had never lost any love on the Druids, mostly because she despised their reverence for Merlin, but she felt compassion for these pitiful old men, and gave them the last of the money she had held back to pay for her journey. She would have no further need for Human money.

The Nether World knew she was coming and prepared to welcome her as best it could, despite the widespread destruction the wars had caused. Rather than simply appearing at her palace, as she originally intended, Gwyneth traveled visibly. All the boatmen who plied the waters between Avalon and the Nether World were waiting on the dock at Avalon. Gwyneth and Galahad stepped onto one of the boats, and all the others arrayed themselves as an escort around her vessel.

When Gwyneth saw the destruction in her Realm, it was all she could do not to double over and be sick or tear her hair and scratch her face in grief. Instead, she stood tall and straight, accepting the greetings of the exhausted and bedraggled Fairies who lined the road for the entire distance between the portal from Avalon and her palace. Gwyneth walked slowly and greeted as many of the Fairies as she could in person, thanking them for their faithfulness and offering hope that things would soon improve. Galahad followed, endearing himself to the Fairies by his obvious devotion to their Queen and the tears he shed at the sight of their suffering.

The Fairy Queen's palace was heavily damaged but parts were still habitable. Gretel, who appeared even older than her eight hundred years, greeted Gwyneth and bowed low, “Welcome home, Majesty, I wish I could turn your Realm back over to you in the same condition in which you entrusted it to me.”

Gwyneth took Gretel in her arms in a loving and healing embrace, “My dear sister, the fact that there are any Fairies who survived the devastation wrought by the war between me and the Black Fairy is a credit to your leadership and love for the entire Realm. All Fairies everywhere will be forever in your debt – I, more than all the rest.”

The Fairies were skittish in the presence of Galahad, but they knew he came as a friend and protector for their Queen, so they accepted him as best they could, even if most of them avoided getting too close to him.

Gwyneth received reports from the Fairies about the appalling conditions throughout her Realm and greeted messengers from the other monarchs, who reported on the destruction in their Realms as well. Occasionally, when the burden of the stories that piled up became too much to bear she fled to her chamber weeping in frustration and grief at the pain caused by her sister's jealousy and lust for power.

Gwyneth and her advisors met for long hours over the coming weeks. Messengers flew back and forth between the monarchs, and no fewer than three assemblies of the monarchs took place as they worked together to repair their alliances and cooperate on rebuilding their Realms. Gwyneth's role in recent years as the focal point around which much of the conflict revolved and the most significant witness of the events in the Human World elevated her to a position of something resembling a High Queen, or at least the first among equals of the monarchs.

After protracted negotiations and with some modifications, her plans for reconstruction of the Nether World were accepted, and all the Realms of the Nether World committed to cooperate in rebuilding their lands and to work together more closely in the future. They knew, but did not expressly state, that they believed Human encroachment would not stop, despite the current setback in Britain. Their plans provided for pulling away from the Human Realm, turning inward and building up defenses, which had never been necessary when Excalibur protected the Nether World. They started with the assumption that it would not be safe to bring Excalibur back to the Nether World any time in the foreseeable future. Therefore, they had to protect themselves in other ways.

Gwyneth's spies in the Human realm brought stories of pitiful suffering. The kings who had purchased portions of Arthur's lands almost immediately fell to fighting over the boundaries of their lands, each trying to take more than his share. One day, after hearing reports from several spies about the in-fighting among the kings, at dinner Galahad shook his head and looked at Gwyneth with admiration, “The aftermath of War in the Human Realm is continued fighting among the lords increasing the suffering of their subjects. You are using the destruction here as an opportunity to build a world that is better than it had been, in cooperation with other monarchs. How is that possible?”

She smiled. “Humans see the Nether World in one of two ways. Some Humans deny it even exists. Other Humans, most notably the Christians, attribute demonic characteristics to all peoples of the Nether World. It is true there are mean and evil folk among us just as there are among Humans, but, just as in the Human Realm, most folk here are good and decent creatures who are simply trying to do their best to get along. I spent most of my life despising Humans for their prejudice against my kind as well as their barbarism. It sort of served me right to fall in love with a Human.” She paused and cleared her throat, “Working as your maid and then, later, loving Arthur made me understand that Humans have their good points as well. I confess that I still do not have a high opinion of Humans in general. As a species, Humans have brought nothing but grief on the Fairy Realm since they first became civilized. I always thought of Humans as a species that was somehow beneath the Fairies. Now, I'm not so sure about that. I think perhaps Humans are just another species, like Fairies or Trolls or Witches. Neither better nor worse. Just different.

“As I see it, the biggest difference between Humans and the creatures of the Nether World is that we generally try to cooperate with one another and Humans almost always compete against one another. The monarchs of the Nether World don't always agree, and we frequently don't like one another. As a matter of fact, I despise the Elf King and he doesn't like me either. However, Elves and Fairies are natural allies, so we work together despite our personal animosity. Humans seem to have trouble doing that. I don't understand why.”

He peeled an apple and cut it into slices, noticing that he missed meat less every day, “There is a competitiveness built into humans that I don't see in you or most others of your kind, with the exception of Guenevere, who carries competitiveness to the extreme. I have mixed feelings about that. As a knight, I was trained from childhood to be competitive in everything I do, and I like other people who are also competitive. Sometimes Fairies seem too compliant and too content for my tastes.”

Gwyneth nodded, “That's why the Fairy culture has changed so little in thousands of years, and Human culture has grown from savages living in caves and eating bugs and berries to the level it has become now in a relatively short period of time. I see no evidence that the development of Human culture will slow any time soon. On the contrary: it seems to be accelerating.”

He leaned back in his chair, and raised his eyebrows, “How do you feel about that?”

She looked at her dear friend for a long time and asked, “Are you sure you want an honest answer?”

He didn't answer for a long while, looking first at Gwyneth and then into his glass of water. Eventually he said, “Yes. I do want to hear your answer, Majesty.”

“I hate it and despise it with every breath I draw. I believe Human aggression will destroy the Nether World that I have spent the last three hundred years of my life working to protect. I can protect my Realm from the likes of my evil twin. I can't protect it from Human encroachment. I resent and hate that.

“Before I went to Camelot, I was inclined to fight if Humans tried to move further than Avalon. I think I would have incited the monarchs of the Nether World to declare war on Humans in order to impede their advance on our lands. Living in Camelot and getting to know Humans on a personal level made me understand that would be futile -- and disastrous. If Fairies are to survive as a species, I think we have to go underground and hide. I will rebuild my Realm, but it will be with the understanding that my Realm will be smaller and less important as time goes on and the Human advance progresses. Fairies will have to learn to hide if we are to survive as a species. I think perhaps we may need to cloak the entire Nether World under an invisibility spell and encourage the Humans who say the Nether World does not exist.

“But even if we hide, our long-term survival is anything but certain.”

“You said that without sounding bitter.”

“That's true, and I know you don't understand how I can do that. You should know, however, that my sadness over the knowledge that my Realm will never return to the splendor it was when I first assumed the throne and that my very species is endangered is shredding my very Soul.” She put her head in her hands, but she did not allow herself to weep, knowing that she might never be able to stop.

“How could you love Arthur, while despising Humans so?”

“The answer to that is: I despise Humans less because I loved Arthur. His goodness pierced the armor of my prejudice, and I was able to love him. Actually, I have to tell you that I think I was only able to love Arthur because I loved you first. As your maid, I saw, from up close, your integrity and decency, and that made me look at Humans through new eyes. Then I saw other kind and wonderful Humans at Camelot. That made a chink in the armor of my anti-Human prejudice. Arthur's charm, wit and allure capitalized on that opening, and captured my heart.”

Galahad stared into the fire with tears in his eyes, “I miss him.”

Gwyneth put her hand on his arm and rasped, “Me, too.”

Galahad went to his apartments and Gwyneth went to bed. They both cried themselves to sleep.

In the months that followed, the Nether World slowly healed. Magic returned and, with it, beauty. Fairies sang while they worked, rebuilding homes and replanting gardens. It sometimes seemed to Galahad that the entire Realm hummed a happy tune. He felt his own Soul healing and joy returning. Galahad enjoyed helping the Grail Priestesses, perhaps mostly in order to spend some time with other Humans. The Priestesses were grateful for his help rebuilding their damaged convent, especially after they overcame their initial fear in the presence of such a powerful Human male. Galahad became known in the Nether World as the champion of the Grail Community.

One day while Galahad and Gwyneth were picking apples in the orchard outside the palace walls, a Witch appeared and bowed low before Gwyneth. That was odd; Witches generally gave obeisance to no one. Gwyneth raised the Witch to her feet and invited her to sit and refresh herself with water they had brought in a jug. The Witch sat, but declined the refreshment. She asked in an almost inaudible voice, “Is it safe to talk here?”

Gwyneth nodded and said, “We believe so. There has been no sign of the Black Fairy since the last battle in the Human Realm. I can tell if she is near and I have had no sense of her presence.”

The Witch nodded and visibly relaxed, “I bring a message from Nimue.”

Gwyneth and Galahad both leaned forward, eager for news of Excalibur's whereabouts. The Witch shook her head, “No, I am not permitted to tell you where Excalibur is hidden. I am to tell you that it is safe. Nimue believes it would not be safe to return it to the Nether World at least as long as there is the possibility that the Black Fairy might try to seize it. Nimue has found a hiding place where she believes it will be safely hidden as long as necessary. Her first message is that word of encouragement to you.

“Her second message is a request for help. As you know, Nimue is an Immortal. She is presently guarding Excalibur without help and intends to continue to be its primary guardian as long as necessary. However, in the event the Black Fairy, or someone else, tries to come for Excalibur in the future, she thinks she needs help. She wants to create a small group dedicated to protecting Excalibur. She thinks that most of the Guardians should come from the ranks of Nether World beings whose magic is strong, especially Witches and Elves. She says she also wants to recruit some Humans who have become Immortal. She knows that a few of the old Grail Priestesses are Immortals, and has sent messages to them. She knows that you made the acquaintance of many Humans during your years in Camelot. She wants to know if you could identify any who possess the qualities of bravery and strength that it will take to protect our treasure from evil, but who also have the courage to achieve immortality.”

Galahad was standing behind the Queen, at a respectful distance, but close enough to hear the Witch's words. Both the Witch and the Queen smiled behind their hands as they could feel Galahad's entire Being, both body and Soul, vibrating. Gwyneth raised her eyebrows ever so slightly answered in the silent Fairy language which Galahad could not hear, “I can think of one.”

The Witch nodded, and replied in the same language, “Nimue would have you send that one with me.”

Gwyneth nodded, saying aloud, “Please go to the palace and refresh yourself. I will speak with you again later.”

The Witch bowed again and disappeared.

Galahad sat down on the log the Witch had vacated, facing Gwyneth, who was sitting on a stone bench. He leaned forward and reached out his hands in a penitent gesture, not quite touching the Queen's hands which lay in her lap, “Send me, please.”

Gwyneth stood up and took his hand, “Walk with me a while.”

They walked through the orchard and into the fields beyond, talking for hours. Gwyneth explained at length the burden of immortality. “Everyone you know and love will die, and their children will grow old and die. Wars and famines and every manner of hardship will come and go in an endless cycle. There are joys, but they become less significant with time because what gives joy is surprise, but after a few centuries of Immortality, surprises happen infrequently.”

“Are you Immortal, Majesty?”

“No. Fairies live for centuries but we can be killed in battle or in accidents. We are not susceptible to diseases, at least none that has ever been recorded. When we get very old, usually after eight or nine hundred years, our powers fade and a Fairy simply shrinks away until she disappears.”

“What happens then?”

“I don't know.”

“Do you believe in Heaven?”

“I suppose it is possible that when beings die they might go to another Realm. Maybe all beings are Immortal. I don't know. Frankly, I don't really care. I have enough to think about right now. I can't worry about what may happen when I fade away.”

They walked in silence for a long time while Galahad pondered the choice he faced. “What is Nimue like?”

“You knew her as Niniane.”

“Niniane was not a Human?”

Gwyneth shook her head, “Nimue is the greatest Sorceress the Nether World has ever produced. She and I went to Camelot to guard and protect Excalibur.”

“You weren't there to help Arthur?”

“Not at all. We serve Excalibur. Excalibur chose Arthur as its Companion, so in protecting Excalibur, we protected Arthur as well.”

“Niniane served Arthur well, and he relied on her.”

“The three people in his Court Arthur could completely trust were you, Niniane (whom I knew as Nimue) and me.”

Galahad put his hands against his temples. Gwyneth put her hand on his arm, “My lord, Galahad, you have much to ponder and you have a weighty decision to make. I suggest you take all the time you need to make it.”

He nodded, “I think I would like to go on a quest through the Human Realm, to revisit places I have known.”

“That's a good idea. Revisit the places you have loved. Perhaps you should even reconnect with some of the Knights from Camelot if you can find them. Find out if you think you can leave that life forever to enter the service of Excalibur.”

He bowed, kneeling before her. She gave him her blessing, and sent him on his way.

Several months later, he returned. The first thing Gwyneth noticed was that Galahad wore an almost haunted look. She greeted him publicly in the Court, and the Fairies greeted him with happy buzzing as well. They knew that Galahad's presence pleased the Queen, who had missed him in his absence, and they were glad her friend had returned. As soon as they could decently do it, Gwyneth and Galahad retired to her private dining room where they talked far into the night.

Galahad told her of the deplorable conditions in Britain, where the people suffered from every manner of disease, grinding poverty and hunger, while the lords lived in what amounted to Human luxury (he laughed because the splendor of the luxury in Gwyneth's palace exceeded anything he had ever seen in the Human Realm) and occasionally marched out and killed one another for sport. He leaned across the table with angry eyes but a catch in his voice, “The dream of Camelot is dead.”

Gwyneth knew he did not like to be touched, but sometimes she could not help herself. She put her hand against his cheek, leaned forward and asked, “Do people still tell the stories?”

He laughed, “Oh, yes, and they are being embellished, expanded and spinning off in a hundred different versions.”

She clapped, “Excellent!”

He looked puzzled, “But most of the stories being told aren't even true!”

“Are they about the glorious dream of the High King who dared to try to unite Britain by creating a new order of Knights committed to using chivalry for the benefit of all the people?”

He thought about that for a while, “Yes, I think they are. There are wild tales about the exploits of all the knights.” He blushed, “I ended up traveling in disguise and using a different name because some of the stories about me are just embarrassing.”

She laughed out loud and raised her hands in a gesture of thanksgiving, “Then Arthur's Dream is not dead. It is alive in the hearts of humanity. It will change and grow and splinter into a thousand variations, but it will not die. Someday it may come true in all its glorious splendor. Perhaps that will be when a High King returns and reunites Britain. Perhaps it will come true in some other way. In the meantime, it will give hope and inspiration to many. It will fire the imagination of the old who will tell the stories to the young, which they will, in turn, pass on to their children.”

“You think a story is that powerful.”

She looked at him directly, “Do you believe in my Magic?”

“Oh, yes, Majesty. I have seen your Magic in action. It's amazing in its power.”

“My Magic is nothing compared with the power of Story.”

After a few days, while Galahad rested from his travels and spent long hours wandering the fields with Gwyneth, she summoned Nimue's Witch and said, “My lord Galahad is ready to go with you.”

The Witch bowed low, “My Lady will be most pleased by that, I am sure.” The Witch raised her arm and she and Galahad disappeared.

Gwyneth made a tour of her Realm and satisfied herself that something like normalcy had returned and there was once again a joyful energy in the Fairy Realm. Gwyneth visited all the other monarchs in the Nether Realm, solidifying friendships and smoothing over rough edges in the relationships that were not as close. She was gratified to know that no one had picked up any hint of the presence of the Black Fairy.

Gwyneth told them she planned to visit the Human Realm. They objected, but she insisted, she had a mission that only she could accomplish. While she was at it, she planned to visit with the various spies stationed around Britain. The monarchs all knew that it was a good idea to have someone take the pulse of the Human Realm, but they didn't like the idea that the “someone” would be their most powerful mage and most effective monarch. They also knew better than to argue with her.

Gwyneth did not bother with the boat to Avalon. She disappeared from her bedchamber and reappeared a second later in Avalon. She went to the Druid in charge and explained her mission, saying that she needed a companion, preferably the best singer in his community. He told her that most of the remaining Druids in Avalon were too old to travel. She said she thought she could fix that with her Magic. The Druid shook his head and said he doubted that any of the Druids would be willing to accompany her. She became annoyed and started to argue with him.

He waved his hand in front of her face, and said, “I think I can make a suggestion that will help both you and someone else.”

“What is that?”

“There is a young man who lives in what used to be the kitchen in the ruins of the former Christian monastery in the village. I think he is the only survivor in the village. He must have been a monk because he sings like an angel. Perhaps he will go with you.”

She made a face at the very thought of traveling with a Christian monk – assuming he would even be willing to travel with a Fairy. Still, if the Druids had become old and afraid, she felt she had no choice. She sought out the young man, who was easy to find. She simply followed the beautiful music. He was working in the garden behind the rubble that had once been the monastery, singing as he weeded the rows of vegetables. Gwyneth had not heard the song before; it was obviously something he had made up about the loss of everything in his world and the rebirth of new life in his garden. She was looking for a bard. It appeared she had found a highly talented one.

She approached him in her human guise. He was startled to see another person, but he recovered quickly and invited her to sit and take some water and fruit for refreshment. After she had eaten and they chatted for a few minutes she decided to be honest with him. She told him who she was and what she wanted to do on her journey through the Human Realm.

He listened to her entire story without interrupting. Then he poured them each a cup of beer and he looked off into the fields for a very long time, pondering her proposal. She sat patiently and respectfully, knowing she had burdened him with a huge decision. After a while, she suggested he might want to think about it for a while. If so, she would go to the Sorceress' old dwelling and wait.

He shook his head and said, “That won't be necessary. I'll go with you happily. I wasn't debating with myself whether or not to accept your proposal. I was fighting the simultaneous urges to either stand up on this chair and scream with relief or to cast myself at your feet and weep in gratitude.”

“Would you care to explain that?”

“I can tell you the story in detail as we travel the road, milady. Suffice it to say that I did not come willingly to this monastery. I was kidnapped by monks when I was very small because of my singing. When the monastery was destroyed, I stayed here because I have no where to go. I don't remember where my home is.”

She stood, “Then I think we should go. Perhaps we will find your home as we travel.”

David the Bard went inside to gather his few belongings while Gwyneth flew to the ruins of the Grail Priestesses convent. She knew the High Priestess always kept some Human money stashed away for times when people from the Nether World traveled to the Human Realm. She helped herself to enough money for a few days. She knew they would make plenty of money once they got started.

At the portal to the Human Realm, the Boatman waited patiently as she took on the guise of an old Human woman and clothed young David as a bard. The boatman helped her into the boat and her guise sat heavily in the middle of the boat. David hopped aboard and sat beside her. When they reached the dock at the Human realm, they walked slowly toward the village.

They found an inn with a large dining room. She paid the innkeeper cash for the room but asked if he would agree to let David sing for their supper. She said his voice would very likely draw others. It did. His beautiful voice carried throughout the village and soon men and women filled the dining room, and even some village urchins hung about the doors and windows listening to the amazing songs about knights and damsels, dragons and monsters. Once David had everyone's attention, he smiled and said in a sing-song voice, “Everybody get comfortable. I have a tale to tell. A long and wonderful tale about a Dream and a Sword....”

He sang the epic of Galahad, from his ignoble birth as a bastard in Normandy, his training as a knight, his growth to manhood as a Knight of the Round Table and his faithful service to Arthur, the High King. At the end of the tale, the singer reached a joyful crescendo telling of Galahad's role as everlasting guardian of Excalibur. When he finished, the audience was in tears. The owner of the inn was ecstatic, having made more money that evening than on any one night in the history of the establishment. He offered to let Gwyneth and David stay in the inn for free for as long as they liked, or until the patrons tired of the story.

The next night, David sat in front of the fire and sang new songs about errant knights and damsels in distress. He sang the tragic story of Lancelot and Guenevere, which made Gwyneth laugh behind her hand, it was so far from the truth. As the evening wore on David teased the audience, first with stories of Arthur, then with other songs. Finally, one of the children at the door called out, “Sing us the story of Galahad the Great!” David sang the story, embellishing it and polishing it as he went.

After a few days David the Bard and his “mother” were invited to visit the next village, where he sang his stories for new crowds. They spent several days in each place. Innkeepers insisted they stay for free, because they brought in so much business. Grateful audiences put money into the bard's hat. At the end of their stay, Gwyneth took out just enough money to get them to their next destination and for emergencies. The rest of it she gave to either the innkeeper or the village midwife, with instructions to use it for the benefit of the poor. David became known far and wide as the greatest bard in Britain, and his nameless “mother” became known as something bordering on the patron saint of the poor.

They traveled throughout Britain, avoiding the cities and large towns, but stopping in every small village and hamlet they could find. If anything, David's singing and storytelling powers improved with daily practice, and he refined his epic to the point that it was so inspiring it continued to thrill Gwyneth no matter how many times she heard it, and despite the fact that there was so very little of David's epic that bore any resemblance to the actual events or people Gwyneth had known.

As they were passing through the countryside near the place where Camelot had once stood, Gwyneth could not resist the urge to take David to see it. The grass had not completely obliterated every remnant of the castle walls but the previously well-manicured keep had grown over the foundations of the palace itself. They stood on the remaining cornerstone of one of the turrets and Gwyneth pointed out to David where everything had been, gesturing with her arms and becoming animated as her mind took her back to those years in the Court. After a while, she grew quiet and sad, the grief she thought had healed welling up from the place deep in her heart where she had buried it. David suggested that she rest while he explored.

She sat on a stone bench that still stood in the shade of an ancient oak tree, the very bench where she and Arthur had spent many afternoons reading and talking. Somewhere in the distance David began to sing the story of Arthur's glorious victories over the Saxons, the amazing tales of the quests of the Knights of the Round Table and the spectacular palace of Camelot.

Gwyneth leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes, listening to David's song and re-inhabiting the experiences. When David reached the part about Guenevere's arrival, Gwyneth tensed as she always did during that part of the story. It bothered her that, in order to remove Gwyneth from the tale altogether (a point on which she was adamant) and still make the story “work” the bards had turned Guenevere from an evil Fairy, whose Human guise behaved like a wanton hussy, into a tragic and romantic Human queen. Once again, Gwyneth allowed the exigence of the moment to paint over the wickedness of her sister. It crossed her mind that she might suffer from the same tragic flaw as Arthur in her inability to hate the one who posed the most danger to her. She allowed herself to ponder for a moment the result of Arthur's unwillingness to deal with Guenevere or to kill Mordred. She resolved to steel herself against any affection she might still harbor for Guenevere and heed the lesson.

She turned away from that thought and let her mind float on David's music, returning to Camelot in its glory days, in the presence of a great King, brave knights, all under the protection of the mighty sword Excalibur.

Unfortunately, her thoughts had started down the path of reflecting on unpleasant truths and she allowed herself to reflect on other matters she had always purposely avoided.

In thinking about her days as Galahad's Maid, she admitted to herself that the first Human Male she loved was Galahad, and not in the maternal way she had forced herself to behave towards him. Her respect for Galahad's calling as Excalibur's eternal Companion and his nazirite vows had forced her to be, first, a mother figure and, later, Queen to his First Knight. She had never once allowed herself to think about her original feelings for Galahad, feelings that had never diminished. Only after Galahad was permanently removed from her sphere could she allow herself to look into her heart and feel the passionate devotion she felt for him. She rested against the tree and allowed the grief for what-might-have-been to wash over her until she thought she would die of sorrow.

That led her to finally have the courage to face the reality that she was not Arthur's first or dearest love. Arthur had never loved her with the total devotion he had reserved only and forever for Guenevere. She knew Arthur had been bewitched by Guenevere long before he noticed Gwyneth and that enchantment had never completely worn off. For the first time she was able to face the fact that Arthur had continued to love Guenevere the entire time he was with her.

She took some consolation in the knowledge that she and Arthur shared a special bond of affection and mutual support and encouragement, but it had not been enough to avert disaster. She had not talked Arthur out of going to war with Lancelot. She had not objected to Mordred's presence in the palace. She felt herself consumed with sorrow and grief and guilt over all the things that she could have done (or not done) that might have made a difference.

She looked around at the ruins of Camelot, but in her mind and heart she saw it in the glory of its halcyon days, with Arthur's banner flying from the turrets and knights from all over the Human Realm vying for seats at the Round Table. Now it was all gone, because of Human weakness and Nether World wickedness.

In the distance David the Bard was singing a new song she had never heard before, a sad plaintive song about star-crossed lovers who were the victims of deception and treachery that kept true loves apart and made enemies of those who should have been allies. Just when it seemed the song was too sad to be endured for one more moment, it changed into a joyous ode to the power of righteousness to use both the wicked and the good to further its purposes, ending with a climax promising that one day the mighty Excalibur would rise from its hiding place under the protection of the Lady of the Lake, its faithful guardian, and in the hand of Galahad the Great, its true and noble Companion, to be used in the service of a new High King who would rebuild Camelot.

Gwyneth leaned her head back and pinched her eyes closed to hold in the tears, listening to the glorious voice of a master bard singing the epic of Galahad and Excalibur. Ensuring the endurance of the past by embedding it in Story. Keeping Hope alive in a world of darkness, and poverty. Weaving a Dream to be planted in the hearts of people who would cherish it, embellish it and pass it along to others, for generations.

Gwyneth's task in the Human Realm was finished.

She disappeared from the Human Realm with David's final notes still ringing in her heart, returning to her palace in the Fairy Realm where she still dreams of the return of Excalibur. The Fairy Queen's joyful hope for Excalibur's liberation is tempered by the knowledge that the Black Fairy awaits it, too.

Even today, Merlin's daughters remain hidden, deep in the Nether World most Humans don't even believe in, waiting for the once and future king to to summon Excalibur from its hiding place … setting the stage for their final battle.

Other books by Meredith Rae Morgan

Always Faithful

The Way Home

Marianne's Vacation

A Home for Two

Meredith's Blog

Meredith's Website