Chasing Stars: Wizards of Arcadia

Meanwhile, In Camelot

Maia was nervous when the hunting party came back. She had a few ideas of what to expect—her father riding triumphant with the heads of the trolls he'd killed, or him angry that he'd returned empty-handed.

What she didn't expect, however, was the party coming back sad. In the king's hand, Excalibur was shattered and chipped. And Morgana was nowhere to be seen, though Maia was sure the sorceress had ridden out with them at daybreak. Surely that couldn't have been the doing of the trolls?

She watched silently as her father pushed past her, heading for his sleeping quarters without so much as a word or glance spared. "It didn't go well?"

The king stopped, hand resting on the door. "I think it would be best to ask your young friends for the details, daughter. I...I will be in my room should anyone need me."

"Oh, o-of course." She quickly headed off without another word, making her way to Merlin's tower. She passed the barracks, where Lancelot was training half-heartedly with the dummies. It was as if the whole castle had paused to mourn.

Even Merlin's tower, which was usually filled with the sound of tinkering and magic at that hour, seemed unnaturally quiet.

"Merlin?" she asked quietly, pushing her way inside. Immediately she was greeted with the loud clattering of pots and pans as Past-Douxie winced. One of the shelves had come down around him. "Oh, it's just you."

"I didn't mean to startle you, Maia," he said quickly. "I was just...looking. Around."

"Mmm, I can tell." She took a seat on one of the chairs and motioned him to sit beside her. "Have you talked to Merlin? Was he acting weird at all?"

"He told me to work on my spells but..." Past-Douxie shrugged as he took a seat. "No more than usual, why?"

"Because he was on that hunting party," she said quietly. "They came back, Father's sword was decimated, Aunt Morgan's missing, and everyone seems to be sad." Then she frowned. "Wait, weren't you supposed to be there too?"

"The other me hexed me," he grumbled. "Personally, I thought that was quite rude."

Maia patted him on the head with a slight laugh. "You are so weird."

"Thank you."

"So what do you think happened?"

"Well..." He was silent for a moment, before he decided to busy himself with putting the fallen supplies away. "You said it looked like the kingdom was sad, right?"

"Yes...?"

"And that Morgana was missing?"

She frowned. "Are you insinuating that...Aunt Morgan is gone?"

"I'm saying it's a possibility."

"And the others didn't even think to tell me?" She pressed her lips together thinly. "Douxie, do I have your permission to throttle the other you?"

"You want to kill him?" he asked worriedly.

"No, just...intimidate."

"Then by all means, Maia."

~ • ~

"Hisirdoux Casperan!" Maia said loudly, swinging the door to the shared space open. Douxie paled, offering her a nervous chuckle as he attempted to hide his hands behind his back and edge his way back against the window.

"Princess! Uh...what can I do for you, this fine eve—"

She grabbed the front of his tunic and held him against the wall. "What happened to Aunt Morgan?"

"Woah, woah." Steve put a hand on her shoulder. "Chill, Princess, it's all good."

"Oh, is it? Is it 'all good'? Well then, excuse me for worrying." She glared at Douxie. "What did you do, Hisirdoux?"

"Maia, let him go," Claire said gently.

"No, no, don't worry about it, guys," Douxie said. "She's fine."

"Hisirdoux—"

"It wasn't us, Maia," he told her. "Well...might've been a little bit us. Morgana...she got into a fight with Arthur."

"That doesn't explain why Excalibur is shattered and Aunt Morgan is missing," she seethed.

"Morgana's dead," Claire blurted out.

What?

Maia let go of Douxie and frowned at Claire. "Say that again?"

"Arthur and Morgana got into a fight and he...might've gone a bit too far. The sword cut off her hand and then she fell off a cliff and then Arthur shattered the sword and—"

"She's dead?" That would explain why Arthur looked so distraught.

"I should've been more careful," Douxie murmured. "I'm sorry, Maia."

She sucked in a breath. "Was she supposed to die?"

"No."

Maia turned around, took a few deep breaths. Aunt Morgan is dead? "You three...give me one good reason I shouldn't have you all executed."

"Because we have to fix this," Douxie said. "And plus, I know for a fact that you'll want to see us again."

"What does that mean?"

"Not here, but...in the future."

She whipped around to glare at him. "Morgana is dead. You think I'm concerned with the future?"

"No, but..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Maia, it's my fault. Please, don't take it out on them."

"Fine, fine..." She sighed. "You had better fix this, wizard, or I will get you—and your friends—executed."

And with that, she set out for Merlin's tower again.

~ • ~

"Welcome back, Princess," Past-Douxie said, playing his lute as Maia stormed into the tower. "How'd it go?"

"Aunt Morgan's dead," she muttered.

The tune ended on a discordant twang. "What?"

"Those bloody time travellers messed up," she said, leaning against the table. "They messed up, Doux. Aunt Morgan isn't supposed to be dead and Father's sword isn't meant to be shattered...none of this was supposed to happen!"

"They're only human, Maia," he said. "Well...not the other me. But they're all bound to make mistakes, regardless."

A wave of sadness washed over her and she hid her face in her hands. Aunt Morgan? Dead? It didn't seem possible, she was a sorceress. Maia was always under the impression that Morgana was undying.

"Are you alright?" Past-Douxie asked.

"No, I'm not. Of course, I'm not." But she couldn't bring herself to face him. "None of this is okay, Douxie, I can't..."

She felt his arms wrap around her and she choked back a sob. "I'm s-sorry, I—"

"Maia," he said gently, "you're allowed to cry. You're allowed to feel."

"But—"

"No one's going to judge you," he added. "Just...let it all out. You're safe here."