Tea

Merlin sat in the dark illuminated by a single candle. He had a writing feather in one hand and his head rested against the other. He made no motion to write, but simply stared down at the page. I walked slowly over to Merlin and tapped his desk to let him know I was here. He looked up with eyes that could only be reddened by a loss of tears.

He set his pen down. "Sister."

"Are you all right, brother?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same." His eyes then fluttered to my hand. "What have you there?"

"Oh," I handed Merlin the letter. "Aurelius wanted me to give you this letter."

Merlin took the letter slowly, as if he was unsure of whether the letter was safe or not. Once opened he read it in front of the candle to himself and with each second that passed his expression grew graver. After he had finished it, he folded it slowly and set it down. He then picked up his candle and rummaged with his herbs and medicines, leaving the letter and I in the dark.

"What did the letter say?" I asked, running my finger over the words I could not read without light, imagining Aurelius' pencil writing softly and gracefully across the page.

"It is just a few orders to be done during Aurelius' absence." Merlin did not turn to me for some moment, and in his tone I felt him to be hiding something from me, but I let him continue with his business without walking over there.

"What is it that no one will tell me?" I asked, trying to remain calm and kind to my brother whom seemed very troubled.

"It is nothing, sweet sister." He handed me a cup. "Here, drink this tea. It will help you to relax and sleep well."

"Will you promise to wake me up tomorrow, if I do not wake, so that I may say goodbye?" I asked, giving a yawn after a few sips of the tea. If the room could get any darker, I felt that it had.

"Do not worry..." He said, leading me through the dark to my bed.

I woke up the next day and the sun was high in the sky, and everyone attending to their business in the town square.

Popcorn

We ate the popcorn together in front of the fire. It was slightly burnt, but I did not mind. After we finished eating, we stood outside and had the idea to climb to the top of Edgar's small house. Aurelius climbed a nearby tree and dropped onto the house quite gracefully. I was unsure of know how to climb a tree, so Aurelius reached his arms down and pulled me up with ease.

The sunset was a beautiful wave of purple, pink, and red hues. Aurelius stared at the sunset intently, hugging his knees to his chest. His thoughts were a thousand miles away, but his presence was still a comfort to me. After the sun went down Aurelius slid off the roof and then motioned for me to do the same.

I looked down, noticing all the pointy rocks and sticks waiting to impale me. "It looks dangerous." I noted.

"So, you can travel across galaxies but you can't slide down a roof?" He chuckled a little bit. "I will catch you, I won't fail you." He held out his arms as if to catch me.

I took a deep breathe. "All right... I'm trusting you with my life here." I said, and then allowed myself to slip off the roof and into his arms. All of the air from my lungs rushed out in a mix of excitement and fear.

Aurelius smiled down at me. "Told you I would not fail you." He said.

I gave him a little smile before he set me down on my own feet. "Well... I suppose we should head back. You know how the creepies like to lurk about. They may have all ready got me, but we can still save you."

He smiled a little bit and nodded. "Yes, we can't both die by the hands of the creepies... or whatever it is they have in place of hands."

So we walked back to the castle in silence, and I could feel Aurelius tense up as the time waltzed by us in the forest. When we reached the castle he walked me up the dark corridor to Merlin's chambers and paused outside of the door. I stood with my back to the door and looked to Aurelius. I knew not what to say or do, but simply that I wanted to hold him and never let go.

Aurelius took a small step forward, which nearly covered all of the space between us. He reached into the pocket located inside his vest pocket pulling out an envelope. He held it out to me. "Can you give this to Merlin for me?"

I nodded and reached for the letter, grabbing it lightly. For a moment neither one of use moved, still clinging to the letter. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against mine. I breathed in his earthly scent, treasuring each second. Oh, how I wish he would stay.

"Thank you for the walk." He said, and paused for a minute, as if he was struggling with something. "Was this a good last day?" He asked quietly.

"It was perfect." I whispered back.

 He smiled, releasing the letter that caused my hand to drop. He tucked some of my hair behind my ear and lingered for a little bit. "Don't forget to give Merlin the letter. " He said, now backing away until I could see him no more.

Creepies

We walked along the trail where I had first in silence. The ground was soft from the rain we keep getting and the green leaves of the trees stuck out against the gloomy gray of the sky. After a little bit I began to notice where we were and got a little excited. I could show Aurelius Edgar's house. Surely he would find it enjoyable to see.

I grabbed his arm quickly and shouted, "Hurry, come with me!" And I let go and ran off towards Edgar's little home. I turned around, still backing up to see Aurelius greatly confused. "Better hurry, there are monstrous things behind you, but if you move quickly enough they cannot get you!" I explained.

A hint of a smile flickered across Aurelius' face and he picked up his pace. I led him to Edgar's home, occasionally telling him look out for creatures he could not see. When we reached Edgar's house we both ducked collapsed onto the floor, panting and laughing, me more so than Aurelius. After a little bit we both sat up and Aurelius looked around. The house didn't look too different. It was a little more tidy, and a few books were missing because Edgar brought them to the castle, but other than that it was the same.

"This was Edgar's home before he came to hide out in the castle." I got up and closed the door to keep the cold breeze outside and started a fire in Edgar's rabbit sized fireplace.

"It's... quaint." He said, moving to sit in front of the fireplace with me. "So, tell me Fia, what was it that was chasing us so intently?"

I looked at him with all the seriousness I could scrounge up and said, "Creepies."

Aurelius laughed. "Creepies?"

"Yes, creepies. They're the creepiest monsters out there. They are the size of squirrels, but they're made of dark energy, so they glow of black matter. Also, they have three teethe." I explained.

"Only three?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

I nodded, still being serious. "Two on the top" I made fang motions with my fingers, "and one on the bottom." I then stuck one finger up that would go between the two fang fingers. "Very vicious."

Aurelius smiled, "Well, it looks like one of them may have gotten you." He tugged at the hem of my skirt where I had snagged a thorn, and poked his finger through the hole.

"So it appears. Looks like I only have a day left to live now. It's very tragic." I said, a little quietly, trying to suppress a smile.

"Well, then we'll just have to make it a good last day." Aurelius got up and grabbed some corn out of the small pantry. "I'll make us some popcorn."

"You do know how to make everything better." I smiled.

A Tasteless Meal

Dinner was a lot different from usual. Merlin was still gone, so it was Igraine, Uther, Aurelius, and myself. We ate mostly in silence, which never seemed to happen before to my knowledge. Perhaps it was Merlin's absence that silenced everyone, but I would think Igraine and Uther would just go on with their wedding conversation. Aurelius didn't seem to be eating much, but simply sat there and nudged at the food a bit, staring down at his plate. He was wearing red in place of his green and his hair was slightly damp from being washed.

Mid-way through the meal a brown haired messenger with rosy red cheeks came through the doors panting. He bowed before the table, and Aurelius motioned for him to come forward.

"What is it that troubles you, Fredrik?"Aurelius asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"The saxons are already on the move, sire. If we are to be set up before their arrival we must leave first thing in the morning." Fredrik was breathing a little easier now, but his distress was all over his face.

Aurelius nodded. "Yes, I felt as much would happen. Go on and find the other knights and let them know we are to set out with the sun tomorrow."

Fredrik bowed once again and backed out of the room.

No one said anything, and Aurelius simply went back to nudging his food. I began to grow upset at the apathy present within the room. Surely they felt the same despair I felt at this news.

Uther looked to Igraine and then to Aurelius. "We must be on our way now, we shall meet you at the stables in the morning to say our goodbyes." Uther spoke with no emotion behind his voice.

Aurelius simply nodded.

These were not the brothers I had known before, and it angered me so. Upon Uther's leave with Igraine I turned to Aurelius, unhappiness clearly written upon my own face. "I do not understand, how can you sit there as if nothing in the world has happened? Are not you distraught?"

Aurelius looked to me, a kind of pain etched in his face. "I am filled with so much anguish that none of it can release itself."

I stood up and pushed my chair back in. I was filled with so many emotions I could not even understand, and all I could think to do was just leave. I then proceeded to sit back down, feeling to heavy to move. "I do not know what to do, Ari. I do not wish you to go."

A small, sad smile crossed Aurelius' pale face. "It is my last night here, would you do me the honor of taking a walk with me? At least for a little bit?" He asked softly.

"If you so wish it." I whispered.

Bench Talk

I sat at a bench that looked over the training area where the men drenched themselves in sweat. Aurelius had not slowed down from what I could see, which made me feel a little comforted, but it was very little. Uther was also there to help with training, even though it has been decided that Uther will not be going to battle. Camelot would not know what to do with itself if it should lose both of their Pendragons. At least that is how it has been described to me. Watching them fight I was surprised by how much different they appeared comparatively to the way they fought before, no expressions ever crossed any of their faces and it left me feeling overwhelmed and alone on this cold stone bench.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" A gentle voice asked.

I looked to my right to see Igraine standing, the sun shining behind her, making the ringlets that framed her face radiate. I motioned for to sit and she flashed a sweet smile at me. She was wearing a dark blue dress today that made her sapphire eyes seem deep and endless.

"I am uncertain we have ever had the chance to speak with one another like this, my name is Igraine." She stuck out her hand, light and delicate.

I shook her hand and smiled. "My name is Fia."

"That is a lovely name she said." She raised her hand to my head and rubbed a few strands of my hair between her fingers. "Your hair is very lovely as well. I do not think I have ever seen anyone with such a bright color. I must say I am quite jealous of its beauty." She never seemed to stop smiling, and I wondered if our people back home ever smiled as she does now.

"Oh, thank you." I said, modestly looking back towards the training grounds. "How are you enjoying your stay here?" I asked.

"I am very grateful to be here. I cannot tell you how long I have waited for the day I could be with Uther. I have loved him ever since we met." I looked over to see her gazing dreamily at Uther, who was holding a shield that Aurelius was striking at.

I did not understand what she meant by loving someone the instant she met them. Love was something completely foreign to me. Edgar tried to explain it to me once, after he had told me some story of love, but none of it made sense to me. How someone could end their life for love was beyond me. "You were married at the time, though, were you not?" I asked.

She looked over at me and her smile drooped a little, but never did it disappear. "I was, but it was a loveless marriage. Our parents wanted our kingdoms to have peace between one another, so we were forced into marrying each other. I thought I would learn to love him, but the moment I met Uther I knew I could never love another." She kind shrugged, as if she had no control over her emotions. "I of course miss the presence of my former husband at times, he was good company, but I feel his death was almost a gift to me, as horrible as that sounds."

It sounded dreadful. How anyone could be grateful for a death was beyond me.

Lady Igraine stood up and gave me a smile. "Well, it appears the men are off to clean themselves up for dinner, would you care to accompany me to the dinning hall?"

I shrugged and stood up. "It would be my pleasure." As odd as speaking with Igraine was, I was grateful for the distraction she provided, and suddenly I felt I understood Uther's actions, if only they weren't so caught up in one another.

Ribbons

It's been three days since I woke up from the dragon's hushed, toxic words. The days are quickly dwindling down, and I can feel the tension in the air every time I wake. Each morning I get dressed with Edgar's help then I go to breakfast with Merlin. I can't help but notice how the tension seems to get worse every morning as I sit with Aurelius, who does not express it facially, but emanates it from his bodily presence. I can tell Uther feels it as well, but he tries to push it away by constantly turning his attention to Igraine and speaking of wedding matters at every meal time. I can now understand the nausea Aurelius spoke of before.

After breakfast, Aurelius and I will then usually go for walks together to get things for Merlin, and I think it helps Aurelius. His eyes will get a little brighter and he smiles a little more, yet, I sometimes think it would be helpful for Aurelius to talk things through, but all he ever speaks of is little things: the way the birds sound or how the wind is blowing that day. His voice and words are like bits of beauty, but it is as if he is hiding behind his own beautiful world, a world he knows he cannot hold on to.

We headed back to Merlin with a basket of ribbons, which Merlin uses to tie around people arm's and legs to reduce blood flow.

"We come, baring tidings of beautiful ribbons to pretty your hair with." Aurelius announced as we entered Merlin's room.

"Very funny, Aurelius. Set them over there." Merlin pointed to a shelf as he concentrated on a purple colored mixture that bubbled a little in front of him.

I walked closer to Merlin to get a better look at the purple filled bottle, and was assaulted by a most wretched smell. "Oh, that's awful! What are you doing, Merlin?" I pinched my nose together, trying to keep myself from gagging, my eyes already starting to water.

"It's a new remedy to help with coughs." He looked up at me and smiled, and I was certain I would never get a cough. Never. Ever.

"Can we help you with anything else?" Aurelius asked.

Merlin set his things down. "Ah, yes, come here I need to see how your shoulder is getting a long."

Aurelius sat on a cot and pulled his forest green shirt over his head, causing his hair to stick up randomly like when I first met him.

Merlin poured some clear liquid on a cloth and touched it to the scar that was starting to form around the wound, and starting rotating the cloth in small circles to clean the area. "I'd say this is healed up pretty well. I do not think it will open up now... unless one gets himself stabbed again." Merlin gave Aurelius a knowing look and Aurelius simply shrugged. "Well, I am quite a good physician if I do say so myself." Merlin disposed of the cloth and put a thin coat of his healing paste and then helped Aurelius put his shirt back on. "I would not be objected to you returning to training, just don't let your men strike at your shoulder. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, of course. You know, I thought, being a king and all, I could do what I want anyway." Aurelius huffed.

Merlin patted Aurelius' head. "Perhaps, but a wise king always listens to his friend." He announced. "Fia, walk with Aurelius and make sure he listens to his doctor, will you? I need to make a house call, so I am not certain when I will return."

"Of course, brother. See to it you make them well." I said.

"Always do." He smiled, with something odd behind his eyes.