The man striding through the lush forest dozens of miles away from the heart of the magical kingdom of Camelot would never have been recognized, at least by those who did not know him well, as the champion and king of that remarkable place, and of this entire land. Most people who might have looked for his arrival almost certainly would have expected to see a man striding tall, covered in fine armor and accompanied by a full contingent of well-armed soldiers. To say nothing of the heralds and bards that would have trumpeted and sang of his approach. A man as important as King Arthur Pendragon did not travel inconspicuously.
Or so many would have thought.
And yet here he was. A man who appeared to be in his early thirties, his black hair worn long, down to his shoulders while a neatly trimmed beard adorned his face. He walked alone, wearing a simple brown tunic and matching robe, with the hood up to cover his head. No sword was worn upon his hip or back. Indeed, he appeared to carry no weapon at all, aside from the stout walking stick, which he used to pick his way through the thick forest. There was something resembling a path here, but it was thickly overgrown from being so seldomly used. Mostly because the people of the nearby village believed the area was haunted. A useful thing, for the reclusive tribe of wooden Relukun people who lived deep within. But Arthur wasn't heading for their home. He wouldn’t be bothering them at all. The person he intended to meet was far different. And if this went well (a possibility his wife and many others claimed impossible), perhaps they could bring a very lasting peace to both the hiding Relukun and the nearby village. And to everyone else gathered under the banner of Camelot and its assorted allies.
Yes, it was a long shot. But Arthur believed that the goal was worth pursuing. Particularly as the person he was meeting today was perhaps the only one he trusted to both keep their word and plausibly be capable of following through with it. Sure, there were other Seosten who might have been trustworthy, but they were not in the position that the one known as Chayyiel was. They were not as capable, not as important to the Seosten war against their true enemies, not as… perfectly positioned to plausibly create the truce and alliance that she and Arthur wanted.
And now he was late. He had agreed to meet the girl alone in this forest to have a discussion ten minutes earlier. He had planned to arrive first and be waiting when the girl showed up, but a last minute talk with Guinevere had delayed him longer than anticipated. Particularly because he did not enjoy seeing his beloved wife so dismayed and convinced that this was a mistake. He spent the time it took to allay her fears as much as he possibly could, promising to return soon and charging her with keeping their people safe just in case the Seosten chose to mount an offensive while he was away. Not that they would know that, but their probing offenses often came at unexpected times. If they brought their flying ships within range and he wasn’t there to assist in tearing them down out of the sky (his presence was one of the main things that prevented them from attempting many such aerial assaults), the damage could be incalculable before he was able to return. Camelot had defenses, of course. Magical shields, ballista capable of launching explosive ammunition miles into the sky, and more. To say nothing of their other people who were capable of flight and great destruction (Guinevere included). Yet Arthur knew that it was the risk of facing him that kept the Seosten from risking bringing their most valuable and powerful air ships near Camelot. He needed to be the visible threat keeping them away.
But this was worth the risk. If they could form an alliance with even some of the Seosten, it would allow them the chance to make this whole world (and far beyond) far better. The Fomorians were the true enemies, and the moment the Seosten truly realized that and accepted that their best way forward was a true alliance, the better. The longer everyone here spent fighting one another, the worse off they would all be when the Fomorians eventually found their way to this place. Arthur didn't want that. He needed to prepare things for that inevitable invasion. Which meant he needed this ongoing conflict with the Seosten to end. Hence taking this risk. Coming to an agreement with Chayyiel, he truly believed, was the best, if not only way of ensuring that this world, and everyone who lived here, would survive long into the future.
But first, they had to actually reach an agreement. Which meant getting there before the girl decided he had stood her up. He was, of course, tempted to fly that way, given it would have gotten him there so much faster. But Arthur didn’t want to attract that sort of attention. Not that it was likely that anyone was paying attention to him, but on the off-chance that any eyes passed over the forest, he needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible. It was the best chance he had of having this meeting without any unwanted interruptions.
He did, at least, have other ways of ensuring the girl didn’t leave. As he walked, the man ran his thumb over a rune that had been painted on one part of his walking stick. A muttered word activated the spell there, before he spoke a quick sentence or two, explaining the delay and that he would be there soon. With that, Arthur gestured with the stick. That small piece where the rune had been carved snapped off, folding and transforming itself into a two inch long wooden bird. It flew up into Arthur’s face, gave a bright chirp, then flew off. When it found Chayyiel, the bird would speak the message he had given it in his voice, then turn back into a simple chunk of wood before falling to the ground.
Very few realized that Arthur was as capable of magic as he was martial pursuits, and his own dragon-based gifts. To most of the general populace, Arthur the king and Merlin the wizard were two different people. He maintained the separate identities for several reasons, including the fact that it allowed him to appear as one or the other in public and hear what people truly thought. Not because he wished to pursue vengeance against any slights, but because there were important things that people would not complain about to the face of a king. Not to mention, Camelot’s enemies believing that Arthur was not very capable with magic had proven useful in the past.
Beyond that, people believing that he and Merlin were two separate beings allowed Arthur to embark on certain tasks many would have tried to keep a king away from. But the court wizard? They left him alone. Which also gave him the opportunity to step away from his courtly duties.
In all, having a second identity was the best way Arthur could find to do the things he needed to. And besides, why should Guinevere/Lancelot have all the fun with that? Even if that particular identity had led to many believing Arthur’s head knight and his wife were having some sort of affair, given how often ‘Lancelot’ was seen leaving the queen’s chambers. Scandalous as that might have been, Guinevere was thoroughly amused by the rumors. Arthur was half-convinced she was spreading them herself, just to see what people would do. It was the type of person she was, and a large part of why he loved her so much.
Finally, Arthur found himself nearing the spot they were supposed to meet. However, he didn't go striding straight in. As he approached, the man ran his thumb over other parts of the walking stick, bringing forth spells that silenced his approach and turned him invisible to almost all forms of detection. He had no idea if the girl was still alone, late as he was. Huh, girl. Arthur shook his head with slight amusement at himself. He should really start thinking of her as a woman, given she was a couple thousand years old, but with her appearance it was so easy to fall into the trap of seeing her as a young girl. A fact he was certain she had exploited in plenty of other conflicts. But he could not make that mistake. As much as he wanted to believe she was trustworthy (and everything he’d seen made that appear to be the case), there was still the chance, slight as it may have been, that this was all a trap. So he would enter this place prepared for anything. Or at least, as close to that as possible.
The clearing was just up ahead. Stopping where he was, Arthur studied the trees ahead of him. He was watching for anything dangerous. Another rune on his stick conjured a spell that allowed him to see any invisible figures that could have been hiding amongst the trees. He could see the outline of a single girl, perched on a log about a hundred feet away. That was her, presumably. But beyond that, the spell revealed no hiding figures, no one else within range. The girl was, thus far, apparently alone. So he turned his attention to the sky. Again, there appeared to be no would-be ambushers. No ships in the air, no one hovering magically above.
Satisfied, Arthur activated yet another spell. This would detect any magic that might have been cast upon the surrounding trees, or anywhere else nearby. Immediately, he saw a couple of protection spells. Those led to the girl on the log, and were clearly meant to warn her if anyone, including Arthur himself, approached. He wasn’t quite to the point of tripping those spells, though a glance behind him showed others he would have set off. None of which was surprising. He expected her to want to know when he was coming, and had already assumed her relaxed, supposedly clueless pose on the log was a show, likely meant to put him at ease. Not a lie so much as… a sort of diplomacy. Though in the long years of his life, Arthur had come to see the two as inextricably entwined.
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And yet, there was something else. Something more than the alert spells. As he focused on the lounging figure once more, Arthur saw another piece of magic attached to her. One he was fairly certain she was unaware of, given it looked like someone else's work. He stood there, staring that way while trying to piece together what the spell was for. It would have been easier to do if he was right there and could study it in person, but something told the man he needed to do this the hard way. There was something about that spell, something about the fact that it had been put on the Seosten girl--woman by someone else, that just… ticked off every alarm box he had. No, something was wrong here. He needed to know what exactly that spell was, and more importantly, whether there were more where it had come from, before taking another step.
For the next couple of minutes, he focused on checking for anything else. He knew that she knew he was there. She was simply being polite, giving him time to decide when to come forward. Most likely, she knew he was checking for traps, but had no idea he had found anything. Yes, the more he examined that spell, the more convinced he was that she knew nothing about it. There was magic attached to it that would hide it from her sight. It would have hidden the spell from him as well, but the masking magic only extended out to a certain range. He was outside of that range, thus he could actually detect the spell. Clearly, whoever had put it on her, and he already had a very good idea of the person responsible, had not wanted her to know about it. Which just gave Arthur more confidence that she was on the level.
On the other hand, they couldn’t exactly negotiate while that spell was on her. Particularly considering its specific effects, if he was reading it right. No, this whole situation would have gone very badly had he not stopped and examined the girl this carefully. Hell, it would have gone badly had he arrived on time and been there waiting when she showed up, as planned.
On the other hand, he didn't exactly have a lot of time to explain what was going on. The moment he made himself known, that spell would trigger. And then, the man was certain, many bad things would happen. And a look at the spell once more revealed an added bit that would apparently make it trigger if she found out anything about it. So using a message spell to explain first was out of the question. No, he was going to have to take care of this himself, then explain it. Which, given how dangerous this girl was, could be a problem if he wasn’t careful. He had to do this just right, or knowing about the trap ahead of time wouldn’t matter.
To that end, Arthur plucked a golden coin from his pocket. There was already a spell inscribed on it. It was not one he expected to have to use today, but one didn't go as far as he had without preparing for the future. And this was a very useful spell to have, quite literally, in his pocket.
A thought and bit of effort activated the spell, just as he took those last few steps into the clearing where Chayyiel was waiting. She looked up, but he gave her no chance to react before hurling the coin. Her hand was already snapping up to knock it aside, but the spell triggered before it had crossed half the distance to her. Instantly, every magical effect within a relatively small radius around them was delayed. What once would have happened immediately was stalled several seconds. It wasn't a lot, but it gave Arthur time to move that way. Before Chayyiel could do more than process what his hurled coin had done, he had Excalibur in one hand, and had lashed out with it. The very tip of the magic-cutting blade passed through the spell on her arm, disabling it entirely while barely touching the Seosten girl herself. She quite literally had only the tiniest scratch where the rune had been.
By that point, Chayyiel had a blade of her own in one hand, and had twisted just enough to take her arm away from his weapon before reflexively lashing out with hers. But Arthur caught her arm with his own. Rather than shoving the small girl backward and to the ground, as was his instinct, he yanked her closer and snapped in a low voice. “Your people betrayed you. Come with me if you really want to talk. Three seconds to decide before they realize their trap failed. One, two--”
“Let’s go,” the girl quickly agreed, hand grabbing his arm.
Without another word or thought, Arthur triggered his escape spell, and the two vanished from the clearing. In the next moment, when the Seosten ambushers arrived, they would find no one there.
******
“Puriel,” Chayyiel snarled the name several minutes later, after the two of them had arrived in the remains of an old cottage almost a week’s horse travel away from where they had just been, and Arthur had explained the exact situation. “It had to be him.”
“That was my assumption,” the man confirmed. “But whoever was responsible, had that spell activated, you would have been sent to another world very far from this one. Meanwhile, what I presume was a very large waiting army would have appeared in your place. It also would have blocked all transport spells in and out of the area.” His voice was flat, eyes narrow as he added, “They really wanted to make sure I wouldn’t go anywhere.”
Turning away from the broken table she had been staring at, the Seosten girl focused on him. “You know I had nothing to do with any of that. Puriel acted completely against my wishes. He… he promised me he would leave it alone and give me the chance to talk to you. He lied to me.” The betrayal and anger in her voice was readily apparent.
Arthur, in turn, gave a short nod. “Believe me, if I thought you knew anything about it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But perhaps you should look at that as an explanation for why I might be reluctant to trust your people to keep to any sort of alliance. That's what you want, isn't it? You want humans and Seosten to work together against the real enemies. And yet, how could I even start to believe something like that might be possible when they would betray even you for a chance to put me in the ground? It doesn’t… exactly inspire confidence.”
Rather than respond immediately, Chayyiel turned to look out through a hole in the side of the cottage, her eyes focused on the remains of other buildings. “This is your home, isn’t it?” She murmured the words thoughtfully. “The one you grew up in, I mean. This used to be your home village. They never rebuilt it?”
“Turns out, when a dragon shows up and kills everyone, it makes other people a bit suspicious,” Arthur replied. He stepped over to run his hand over the broken table. But yes, this is where I grew up, with my mother, father, Chadwick, and Morgana.” He paused before giving a long, slow sigh. “Being a child really is a simpler time.” His gaze rose to look at her. “But then, from what I heard, you didn’t really get a chance to experience that yourself.”
“I wasn’t that much younger than you were before becoming what you are now,” she pointed out. “Or… starting along that path, anyway.”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “The dragon did start things, but I had a very long way to go before becoming what I am. I'm not even sure that I'm done becoming whatever it is I will eventually be. Maybe we're never done with that, until the very end.”
Turning to face the man fully, Chayyiel nodded. “And, from what I recall, a large part of that growth involved trusting one of my people.”
“One of your people who happens to be considered an outcast, a traitor,” Arthur pointed out simply. “That is a far bit different then trying to strike up a real alliance. And growing up with her as my mentor is also a lot different than accepting what you're proposing. You don’t simply want to teach me. You want to… work together on a whole different level. You want to be joined, you want me to open myself up to you entirely, in a way… in a way that’s closer than any other relationship. Only my wife knows me in that way, and there is an argument to be made that you would be even closer than that. You would be a part of me, our minds completely linked. For this to work the way that you are proposing, there could be no secrets between us. I don’t think it’s possible for two people to be any closer connected than what you are proposing.”
“Yes, well, one doesn’t make the sort of dramatic changes that need to happen without taking drastic steps,” she replied simply. “To bring our people together, they need someone strong enough to lead them, and to beat anything in their way. Because there will be people who get in the way. But more importantly, they need someone who can face the Fomorians and break them. They need the two of us. Together. You have the potential to become one of the strongest beings in the universe. I can help. We can help each other, help our people. This war… it only makes things worse. It only weakens both of our people, which the Fomorians will use to destroy all of us. If we don’t stop it, if we don’t make our people work together, every living being in this universe who isn’t Fomorian will die. No matter who wins in this war between our people, everyone will lose. We have to do something else. We have to change things.”
“And you believe the best way to make those changes is for me to allow you to possess me?” Arthur asked, raising one eyebrow. “From everything Nimue has said, you… truly are that capable. According to her, you are one of the strongest beings in the universe, and physical limitations are the only thing holding you back.”
Chayyiel met his gaze without blinking. “You’ve spoken to her about me, then.”
“Oh, yes,” he confirmed. “There’s no way I would have made this decision without asking for her advice. She thinks quite highly of you.”
“You made a decision?” Chayyiel asked, lifting her chin curiously. “Before ever coming here?”
“I suppose I did,” the man murmured, before extending his hand. “But what I saw back there only confirmed it.”
Chayyiel stared at his hand, standing there motionless for a moment within the remains of the house that the Dragon-Bonded had grown up in. Slowly, she raised her hand, setting it against his. Their eyes met, as they gazed silently for a long few moments. Finally, the girl vanished, disappearing into him.
Arthur’s eyes closed, as he rocked backward on his heels. Excalibur appeared in one hand, as the man drew himself up to his full height. The simple brown robe and tunic vanished, revealing his full, gold and ruby armor with the dragon emblazoned across the front.
“Now,” he announced in a voice that seemed to make the very walls of the broken house shudder. “Let’s go see this Puriel of yours.”
“Yes,” his voice, yet spoken by another, agreed.
“I wish to make my displeasure known.”