Merlin's Daughters

by

Meredith Rae Morgan

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010 Meredith Morgan

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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.