the otherness came (and I knew its name)

PART 3: WHATEVER HERE THAT'S LEFT OF ME

PART THREE: WHATEVER HERE THAT'S LEFT OF ME

With a steady stony glance— / Like some bold seer in a trance, / Beholding all his own mischance, / Mute, with a glassy countenance— / She look'd down to Camelot.

--

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The Lady of Shalott (1832)

THE CARRIAGE RIDE TO FOUR POINT was a relatively short one, thankfully.

In the centre of a parade of guards marching soldiers and standard bearers, Sophie and Rhian were displayed to the people in their open-top carriage, both clothed in gold and scarlet, lion insignias every which way-- around their necks in lockets and chains, emblazoned on Rhian's shield, hung from the spears of the knights riding beside them, embroidered on Rhian's cuffs and Sophie's hemline, and on the hilt of Excalibur, which was resting across Rhian's lap. They rode through the town to the cheers of the crowds lining the streets, waving yet more lions and banners emblazoned with Rhian's face. Sophie couldn't help but notice, though, the ones who didn't cheer-- grandparents skulking in shopfronts, a gaggle of teenage girls in black boots, servants with the royal insignia on their shoulders... people with a lingering loyalty to Tedros, the prince they'd seen grow up, or those who had been endeared to Agatha. The people who had been forced into bending the knee to Rhian, now seeing an opportunity to resist him.

Sophie smiled and waved, and Rhian did the same, playing to the crowds as ever; accepting flowers from onlookers and smiling at children with toy Excaliburs. Sophie bit back a sigh, externally trying to look as loving as possible, and glanced away--

Kei, riding beside them, caught Sophie's gaze and shot her a look of blackest loathing. His eyes were red-rimmed. Poor boy. Didn't understand that, really, they were working towards the same goal. Rhian would lose, and he could have him all to himself for all Sophie cared. But Sophie had to ensure it, and that was at the cost of Kei and Rhian's relationship. Whether Rhian would be decent enough to try and repair it was quite another matter.

Sophie turned her face away, and caught Nicola's eye, who nodded at her. Nicola had been invaluable, these past few weeks. Deliberately leaving her alone with Rhian, consistently trying to get Kei to complain about Rhian, reporting conversations between Rhian and advisors...

Everything Sophie needed to break him.

They reached Four Point by sundown, and rode a path lined by supporters from every corner of the Woods. At first, Sophie thought they were all in favour of Rhian-- and then she heard the variety of shouts.

"HAIL TO THE LION!"
"BASTARD!"
"IMPOSTER!"

"ALL HAIL KING RHIAN!"

"DEATH TO THE USURPER!"

"KILL TEDROS!"

"LIAR!"

Rhian's face stiffened slightly, but he managed to keep his composure, looking nobly ahead. Sophie copied him-- smiling serenely, but silently taking in everything around her.

Four Point had been completely transformed from the last time she'd been here. Neutral ground as it was, representatives from every kingdom had gathered amongst striped tents, teetering sets of stands already seating hundreds, and vendors furiously selling Lion merchandise or encouraging people to make bets on the final outcome. The crowd was immense. Nymphs and sirens from Ooty, man-wolves from Bloodbrook, humans of every shape and size, giants from Frost Plains and Glass Mountain, fairies from Gillikin... the scope was enormous.

With any luck, Rhian would not rule them.

They rode down the fields, approaching a huge set of covered seating, towering above everything else. Looking up, Sophie could see the standards of all of the kingdoms in the Kingdom Council hung from the bottom.

All except one gap in the centre.

Left open for the standard of the Camelot's victor.

Sophie swallowed her nerves. She had done all she could. Rhian was as unstable as she could make him. Nervy about his potential illegitimacy, isolated from Kei, uncertain about Tedros's plans and wildly unsure about his strategy, heavily reliant on Sophie, who would soon be gone. His dangerous brother was dead, his manipulative aunts too...

She wondered if he knew how alone he really was.

No matter.

He would.

The carriage drew to a stop, and Sophie caught sight of the two of them on the immense Spellcast screens looming before the seating-- resplendent in their gold and red, a matching couple in a snow-white carriage, the perfect vision of Good.

Too bad both of them were rotten to the core.

Sophie caught sight of the pirate guards riding beside them, an ever-present irritation, and a line came, unbidden, into her head--

Not yet eighteen, but still damn mean!

She smothered a snort as the carriage drew to a stop. Whiskey Woo? Now?
Well, she couldn't argue with it.

Rhian was going to find out exactly how mean she could be, soon enough.

She looked up at the seating, and found the Kingdom Council in the centre, all staring down at them-- some with approval, some with distaste, some with no expression to speak of. It made sense. Some kingdoms had openly declared allegiance to Tedros from the start-- Arne and Mahati were both visible, wearing black, with steely expressions turned away from Rhian. Others, like Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the Sultan of Shazabah, had rejected Rhian after he'd imprisoned the students of the School-- Sophie could see Reena beside her father, and Dot with hers. Anadil was sitting with the Bloodbrook party, next to her equally severe mother-- a Countess, who had the ear of the King. They must have come over with Mahati and Arne earlier that day.

Still, there were plenty of Rhian supporters-- despite his initial wavering, the King of Foxwood was clearly desperate for Rhian to win, clutching a Lion flag tightly and clapping furiously. So too was the Empress of Putsi, the Maharani of Mahadeva... the list went on. Queen Jacinda of Jaunt Jolie's face was completely neutral as she clutched her two young sons. To Sophie's surprise, Bettina was next to her, looking uncomfortable in a high-necked gown. Clearly Tedros had sent anyone who might have even the smallest bit of influence over the final result to the stands. Slightly morally questionable. Very Never. Sophie thought she might be rather proud of him.

But perhaps she should reserve that judgement until the winner was announced.

Actually, she thought as Rhian helped her down from the carriage, where is Tedros? The summons had not technically specified a time beyond sundown, but she had assumed they would arrive at around the same time, and the sun was almost completely gone.

Trying to keep her face neutral, she let Rhian lead her across to a dais set up for them, as the spectators filed into the remaining stands, muttering nervously. The King of Foxwood kept standing up, looking north. Several Ever leaders were whispering frantically to each other. Arne and Mahati looked calm, which suggested to Sophie this was planned...

"He's late." snorted Rhian, settling in his chair and crossing his legs idly. "Typical."

Sophie smiled faintly. The guards assembled around them-- Nicola next to Sophie, Kei on the very fringe, determinedly looking away from Rhian. Sophie looked across at the other, currently empty, dais-- where Agatha would sit, once the Trial started. Always on opposing sides, weren't they? Well, to hell with that. It was cold, so she could go over and share her cloak. Who was going to stop them? They weren't the ones fighting.

Sighing, she sat back and waited. And waited.

And waited.

The Rhian supporters in the stands started to chant;

"LION! LION! LION!"

The Nevers booed and hissed and a couple of small fights broke out. The Kingdom Council muttered too.

"Maybe he's bailed out." grinned Rhian. "Always was a coward--"

That was when Sophie heard the drums.

Rhian heard them too, and his smile faded, but he recovered himself quickly.

"Too much to ask for, clearly. Let us see what he's trying."

He stood and folded his arms, eyes narrowed, squinting into the dark trees northwards. Sophie stood too, quietly anticipatory. The drumming got louder, a rhythmic hammering in time with the pounding of feet and the clatter of hooves, and Rhian's smile faltered again as the light of torches swept through the trees.

The first to emerge were ranks of foot soldiers, all armoured identically in ordinary iron, helmets completely covering their faces-- all soldiers from different kingdoms, all united under one banner.

The banner...

Sophie heard a creak of wood as everyone leaned forward, the standard bearers emerging from the trees for the first time-- Galahad and Kay, she realised-- but the flag was unrecognisable, carried limp--

Until the wind snapped through the trees and yanked it out, and several people gasped.

Not the snake at all, though coiled much like one-- but a dragon, red on black, spitting smoke and flame as it chased itself in an endless circle.

Rhian's jaw tensed visibly. His Lion carried less weight this way, and he knew it. Not only that, but Tedros was clearly underscoring his undeniable legitimacy in light of Rhian's uncertain one-- exaggerated further by the presence of his mother, on horseback next to the knights.

Sophie smirked and hastily turned it into a yawn when Rhian glanced at her.

More cavalry-- the rest of the Knights of the Round Table, surrounded by the drummers and ever more marching infantry. Sophie and Rhian had brought some soldiers, but Tedros seemed to have come prepared for an actual battle. Prudent, Sophie supposed-- foolish to expect Rhian to play fair after everything that had happened. And it was certainly making an impact. People were standing up, now, and several people had run onto the field to get a better look as the first ranks arrived in front of the stands. The King of Foxwood looked jittery, Jacinda was watching carefully, and Arne and Mahati were muttering to one another, looking smug.

Then--

"There, there!" shouted the King of Foxwood.

Tedros had indeed had new armour forged.

Blonde hair stark against the black metal, Tedros rode in surrounded by soldiers, two swords at his side, bloody cape slung across his right shoulder. His face was fully exposed-- though Sophie could see the twisted black helm under his arm-- and breathtakingly disdainful, in a way Sophie had only seen in second year, when he'd taken the position of School Master. His hair was longer, gaze sharper, more focused. His armour was intricately carved with the dragon insignia on the chest, and looked more jagged than the norm, possibly sharp enough to cut his assailant, if he was hit wrong. Interesting. Sophie had no doubt Ravan had drafted in some Akgul blacksmiths to work on that.

And beside him...

Someone in the stands above them gasped.

Once, Agatha had been considered the cat in the nightingale's nest.

Now, she looked like a ghost.

Sophie had always been of the opinion that white made Agatha look unwell, since it clashed with her very similar complexion and made her hair and eyes too prominent. Now was no exception-- but this time, that was clearly the goal.

Agatha rode next to Tedros in a white gown, clasped at the throat and by a chunk of diamond, loose and long at the arms but tight at the waist and chest, exaggerating her bony, almost gaunt figure. The high collar made her eyes look prominent and kept her head up, to expose her sharp, sallow, face. A needle-like crown of pearls was set in her dark hair, and her girdle was similarly decorated. She still looked slightly unsteady, Sophie thought, which might account for how close Tedros was riding to her, and why Hester and Eris were on her right and behind her, respectively. But it worked.
She looked like an Ever.

She looked like a martyr.

And it had clearly been her idea.

To come in matching Tedros, while typical of her, would have cast into doubt the idea that she was able to balance him out, and made people sceptical of her being 100% Good. To come in dressed like this, she affirmed herself as an Ever, and proved her ability to moderate Tedros-- but she also made people terribly, terribly guilty. She was a reminder that the position of Tedros's future bride and Queen had been taken from her, in white and crowned as she was...

And in exaggerating the fact she still looked ailing, she was reminding everyone of exactly what Rhian had let happen to her.

Swallowing a smile, Sophie glanced at Rhian, who had gone the same colour as Agatha's dress. She'd been right to assume he was still guilty about this.

People were starting to mutter nervously, glancing between Tedros's stony face and Agatha, sticking out in the sea of black and red.

Tedros reached the field and dismounted, moving around to help Agatha down. Yes, they'd calculated this perfectly, Sophie realised as Hester and Eris followed behind Agatha, faces shadowed by hoods-- supposedly attendants, much more likely to be bodyguards. Ravan and Beatrix walked behind Tedros, Beatrix carrying Tedros's shield and Ravan his banner.

"Claimants," said Queen Jacinda, chosen as the Master of Ceremonies due to her status as the leader of the second most powerful Ever Kingdom, voice booming across the field. "I bid you, shake hands."

Identical disdain crossed both Tedros and Rhian's faces, but Sophie knew they wouldn't be able to get out of it, trying to look favourable as they were. Reluctantly, they stepped down from the twin daises and grasped each other's hands-- Sophie heard the clash of metal on metal as their gauntlets collided and slid, as the two tried their best to crush one another's fingers. She sighed and glanced at Agatha, who caught her eye and flicked her gaze away before she could laugh, visible on the Spellcast screens as they were.

"By coming here, you promise to honour the summons upon which you arrived." said Jacinda. "The victor, decided by the Kingdom Council after the Third Task, will be hailed as the King. The loser must honourably surrender their claim, or face the judgement of the winner, whatever that may be. You must act honourably, as your every move will be observed. In the event one of you yields, the surrender will be final, and the surrendering claimant will be the loser."

Rhian smirked. Tedros scowled. Clearly, they didn't consider that an option.

"Claimants," said Queen Jacinda. "Declare your weapons, and let your Queens proffer your weapon of choice to his majesty, the King of Akgul, who will examine them to ensure they are acceptable for use."

Rhian smiled.

"I bring only one weapon," he declared. "Excalibur, Good's Sword which proclaimed me King. My father's sword."

He drew it and handed it to Sophie, whilst the crowd cheered. Sophie turned to Agatha and Tedros--

"I carry two swords." said Tedros calmly, drawing the first one-- the black Akgul blade he'd killed Japeth with. "First, a sword of Akgul iron, with which I slew the Snake." He handed it to Agatha as the Nevers stamped their feet and the Camelot supporters who'd come in favour of him cheered. "And the second..." he drew it. "Caliburn, the Sword in the Stone. The Sword of Kings."

A second.

Sophie gawked. Rhian's face went stony--

All around them, the crowd erupted into shouting.

"Caliburn was lost." spat Rhian.

"It was kept by the Lady of the Lake." said Tedros loudly, over the tumult. "I rode to Avalon to draw it from stone, with Nimue herself and Agatha to witness it. I took it from the stone like all the Kings before me, and now I bring it to this Trial to assert my claim."

Agatha took it from him and moved forward to where the King of Akgul stood behind a table, wiry black eyebrows raised. He took Excalibur from Sophie, first.

"Excalibur... yes, seems to be in good condition. Enchantments?"

"None added." said Sophie. "Apart from the ones implicit in it."

"Naturally, naturally. And you, my lady? Ah, one of my kingdom's swords... in lovely nick. Bequeathed by the Tedros's seneschal, I hear. Enchantments?"

"The blade is tainted with poison." said Agatha.

"By who was this work done?"

"The poison was provided by me, my lord. It was added to the blade by Tedros."

More mutters. Rhian frowned disapprovingly. Sophie snorted quietly. Probably Callis's Last Resort, if she knew Agatha. Clearly, she was taking no chances.

"I see." said the King of Akgul. "And this..." reverently, he took Caliburn from her. "A beautiful blade."

"It has to be fake!" insisted Rhian.

"If you like, I'll stick it in your chest and draw it back out to prove it's real." snapped Tedros. The crowd jeered. "Besides, Sir Bedievere, who threw it to the Lady of the Lake, can attest it."

Everyone turned to the old knight, who inclined his head.

"I threw Caliburn to the Lady of the Lake, and gave Excalibur to Tedros when Arthur died. It is real."

The King of Akgul seemed to agree.

"An ancient blade." he said, turning it over and over. "Clearly the true Caliburn. Swords like this cannot be faked. Enchantments?"

"Those implicit in it, and a temporary shattering enchantment, which can be removed once the Trial is over." said Agatha.

"Hmm. Satisfactory."

"He defiles it!" insisted Rhian.

"Do you know the meaning of temporary?" snapped Tedros.

"Claimants, hold your peace." said Jacinda, looking calmly between the two men. "Retrieve your weapons. All properties of weapons have been declared. There is no more preparation to be done. Please mount your horses. You will be led to the first task."

One of the horses that had drawn the carriage had been saddled for Rhian, and Tedros returned to Benedict silently, seeming unperturbed by this instruction. Sophie was more wary. Clearly, whatever this first task was, it required a lot of space...

Rhian stalked after Tedros, trying to look unbothered, but clearly he'd been thrown by the Caliburn revelation. He kept glancing at the sword, returned to Tedros's scabbard, and every time he did his face darkened. If he had drawn it from the stone, then that meant...

Sophie had expected Kei to follow him, but now noticed Agatha had followed Tedros and realised she was supposed to do that. Hastily, she snatched up her skirts and hustled after Rhian over the grass, not sure what she was meant to do. Tedros and Agatha were muttering urgently to one another, faces inches apart. Whether it was a profession of love or a reaffirmation of strategy, Sophie could only guess. Probably both.

She reached Rhian and turned to find him looking at her.

They stood apart, for a moment, facing one another. Rhian's face was unreadable. Sophie could see that hers, in the looming Spellcast, was similarly blank. Neither spoke. Neither made a move to turn away.

Shrieks and cheers erupted from the crowd, and Sophie didn't need to look to know that Agatha had kissed Tedros. Several Ever noblewomen in the front row-- Camelot, Jaunt Jolie, Putsi-- were openly sobbing.

She made no move to copy Agatha, and Rhian didn't look as if he expected her to. His gaze shifted briefly to Tedros and Agatha, but his expression didn't change. He looked back towards the crowd, fidgeting with the lion-headed hilt of Excalibur, and his expression faltered slightly.

Sophie knew who he was looking for.

Of course he was. But the damage he had done to that relationship would not be so easily repaired.

With a smile, she leaned over and pressed her lips to Rhian's cheek. She saw the Captain on the end of the line of Camelot guards tense.

"May the best man win." she said.

----

TASK THE FIRST

STRENGTH
TO FIGHT FOR THE KINGDOM

Tedros and Rhian said nothing to one another for the entire journey.

Tedros found that he had nothing to say, to his surprise. Rhian clearly didn't, either. Petty potshots were useless without a crowd to play to, and there was no use arguing over legitimacy, now. This was the decider. There was nothing to be gained from calling the other man a liar, or a bastard, or a fraud.

And it wasn't as if their old relationship could be salvaged. Rhian had seen to that.

Tedros glanced across. Rhian gazed straight forwards, eyes only visible through the slit in his helmet. As far as Tedros knew, he'd not looked his way once.

They rode on, the Spellcast bubble floating lazily behind them. Presently, they came to an open clearing, several acres wide, surrounded by the banks of an immense lake. Tedros's eyes narrowed. This felt magically altered, unnatural.

"This is where I leave you, my lords." said the herald leading them, turning his horse around. "I wish you luck. Whichever of you slays the creature will win the challenge."

"Thank you." said Rhian. Tedros didn't say anything, scanning the landscape suspiciously. This was clearly going to be a fight, but with what? He half-expected the Lady of the Lake, bald and withered, to burst out of the water.

The herald galloped away, and Tedros slowly put his helmet on, tense with anticipation. They wouldn't want to wait, so...

He counted down from five, as the herald's hoofbeats faded.

Five...

Four...

"There's something in the water." said Rhian, hand drifting to Excalibur. "I can hear it."

Tedros tightened his grip on Benedict's reins. Three...

It emerged on two.

There was an immense rumbling noise, like an approaching earthquake, and the surface of the water roiled and jumped, and then--

With a piercing scream, something burst from the depths of the lake, erupting into the open air and spraying water everywhere.

Rhian's horse reared, terrified, and even, Benedict, a born and bred knight's horse, skittered fearfully. More and more of it twisted above the water-- so blue it was almost black, long and sinuous, plated with scales all the way up--

It turned a jagged snout on them and screamed again, exposing rows and rows of knife-point teeth, and finally, Tedros realised.

"A wyrm." he spat, watching it loom above the water, thrashing furiously. Goddamn it. Of course. He scrabbled from the saddle and slapped Benedict's hindquarters.

"Get out of here! No place for a horse!"

Benedict, thankfully, listened-- nostrils flaring and eyes rolling, he turned and bolted back the way they'd come, as water sloshed over the bank in waves and Rhian struggled to get his horse under control. Not only a wyrm, Tedros realised, but a sea wyrm. Wingless, water-dwelling relatives of the dragons-- more snake than dragon, truly, but they could fly for short periods of time, at low heights, and their preferred weapon was--

A jet of boiling water slammed into the ground between them, and Tedros dove sideways, swearing loudly. Of course this is what they chose. Somewhere between snake and dragon, water instead of fire.

"You think this is funny?" he bellowed at the Spellcast orb, then immediately ran for the bank as the dragon sucked in another breath, cursing his choice to wear armour. Either he'd fall in the lake and drown, or be boiled alive in the metal. As for his weapons... he'd have to get close enough to use the damn swords. He should have brought a spear.

He stopped in front of the wyrm's underbelly, and glanced behind him, where Rhian was running over, having only just dismounted and sent his horse after Benedict.

"How am I supposed to kill this?" he shouted, less to Tedros and more to himself. Tedros, who'd been having the same thought, scowled deeply and cast around for an idea--

The wyrm's head came sailing towards them, and they launched themselves aside just as it skimmed them, ridged teeth sailing past. With a roar of irritation, it plunged itself into the water on the other side, the rest of the body whipping in between Tedros and Rhian, and disappeared briefly.

Tedros moved further inland, racking his brains for anything he knew about wyrms. Merlin had mentioned them once. Almost every piece of them was armoured, except for the mouth, but he wasn't going to be able to stab it in the throat without getting his arm torn off--

Armoured.

Tedros's eyes shot down to the swords at his side. He'd put the shattering jinx on Caliburn. Perhaps if he could break the scales... he could stab it.

Behind them, the wyrm burst from the water once more, and Tedros caught sight of the scales flexing at the base of his head. Weaker than all the rest, but almost impossible to reach...

He caught sight of the fins on its back and gritted his teeth.

He'd have to get on the wyrm's back.

Then he saw Rhian emerging from the water below the wyrm, hefting Excalibur, which he dug under one of the scales on the creatures' belly and yanked--

The wyrm screamed, and Tedros cursed that they'd had the same idea of removing scales.

Then the wyrm's tail burst from the water and clouted Rhian, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Tedros winced at the metallic crack his armour made, watching Excalibur skitter across the grass, but glanced back at the scale--

It had shifted, slightly, blueish blood oozing up from around it.

So it was possible.

Now, how to get onto the thing's back...

His gaze alighted on the pine tree Rhian was coughing under.

His common sense, a low voice that sounded far too much like Agatha, started shouting at him as he sprinted for the tree, but he didn't stop.

"Tedros!" shouted Rhian, staggering to his feet as he approached. Tedros looked irritably at him.

"What do you want?"

"My sword!"

Tedros glanced at Excalibur, lying in the mud. Above them, the wyrm coiled again, preparing to strike.

"NOW!"

Tedros booted Excalibur across the ground. Rhian dived and caught it--

The wyrm lunged and Rhian slashed the blade across its unarmoured nose. Wailing, the wyrm lurched back, spewing blood and steam. Tedros took the opportunity to scramble up the tree closest to the water, trying not to think about the last time he climbed a tree in a fight--

His hand slid and he only just caught himself, his armour slippery from the steam pouring out of the wyrm's nose. Frustrated, he yanked his helmet off--

The wyrm noticed him and roared, coiling back ready to strike. The snakelike motion made Tedros's resolve harden.

This wouldn't be the first Snake he'd killed.

He hurled his helmet into the water, and as the wyrm followed the motion, he jumped from the branch.

It was an undeniably stupid move, and it shouldn't have worked.

It worked.

Tedros landed on the wyrm's back, knocking the wind from himself, and grabbed onto one of its fins, gasping shallowly.

The wyrm careened backwards, thrashing madly, trying to turn its head. Somewhere between praying and swearing, Tedros clawed his way up the fins, embedding his feet in the jagged scales, making for the soft patch at the back of the wyrm's head--

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" bellowed Rhian from down below. The wyrm turned its head sharply to him and Tedros nearly fell off. Wishing Rhian would just disappear, he scaled the final fin and struggled astride the beast's neck. Rhian made a few more swipes at the wyrm, and the great head surged downwards to meet him, baring its teeth.

"STOP IT, YOU GIT!" shouted Tedros, struggling to hold on and draw Caliburn at the same time. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA KILL IT LIKE THAT!"

Rhian ignored him, stabbing furiously at the wyrm's eyes, but Tedros could tell; he was out of practice. He'd spent months surrounded by guards. There'd been no need for him to even lift a sword, let alone fight. Poor form for a former liege. Whereas Tedros has spent months being kicked around by the Knights, plus the fight at the wedding... it was clear who was in better shape. Still, Rhian was clever--

The wyrm lurched again and Tedros flung himself flat to avoid sliding off. Clever enough to try and make knocking him off the beast's back look like an accident.

Bastard.

Rhian was knocked backwards again, jarring his sword arm, and Tedros took the opportunity. He clamped his hand around Caliburn, drew it, positioning it towards the scales, and struck.

With a crack like shattering rock, the scales broke and slipped apart, revealing a tiny sliver of skin at the back of the head, just enough for the blade--

The wyrm howled and arched back, and Tedros was thrown almost completely off, only catching himself with one hand--

Caliburn slipped from his sword hand and tumbled, blade down, to embed itself into the sodden mud and grass below, quivering slightly. Spitting curses, Tedros put his other hand on the fin and struggled back onto the wyrm's flank as the creature whipped back and forth, desperately looking for its assailant. Tedros yanked his Akgul sword out, positioned it over the exposed skin--

Rhian got desperate.

"TEDROS! HOW CLOSE DID SHE COME TO DYING, HUH?"

Tedros jolted and lost concentration, the beast's head lashed towards Rhian and expelled a blast of boiling water, and Tedros's sword came down just as he was knocked off the wyrm's back and into the lake.

---

Somehow, he didn't drown.

He landed just close enough to the bank to be able to stand, but it was at the cost of jarring pretty much every joint in his body when he hit the lake floor.

Heaving, he staggered upright, coughing furiously--

And immediately had to throw himself out of the way as the wyrm smashed into the water next to him.

He scrabbled backwards up the bank, eyes wide, as the wyrm thrashed madly, screeching and spraying boiling water everywhere--

And blood.

Tedros's eyes snapped up to the Akgul sword, buried firmly at the base of the wyrms head, as the thing gargled and convulsed, spewing blood and foam, almost as if it was... coughing?

Then he remembered the properties of the poison imbued in the blade.

"Kills you, but makes it look like either cholera or tuberculosis."

Clearly that dose had been the correct amount for tuberculosis. Far too much, in fact.

With a rattling howl, the wyrm lunged forwards--

And kept toppling, until it crashed into the water, great head smashing into the mud, and was still. Blood and foam leaked from its jaws.

Slowly, Tedros scraped to his feet and went to pull the sword from its head, tentatively avoiding the jaws in case it was not as dead as it appeared.

"My thanks to the Wardwells." he said weakly, carefully wiping the blade on his cloak and returning it to his scabbard. Water sloshing in his boots, every bone aching, he turned--

And saw Rhian standing behind him.

And remembered why he'd fallen off the damn thing in the first place.

Rhian barely had time to say anything before Tedros punched him in the face, knocking him into the mud and cutting his face with the jagged surface of the metal gauntlet.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" he barked, scrabbling backwards.
"I'D BE FASCINATED TO KNOW HOW YOU DID MEAN IT!" bellowed Tedros, aiming a kick at his head which only just missed. Rhian leapt to his feet, casting around for some way to defend himself, ducking another swing--

He caught sight of Caliburn buried in the ground nearby.

He lunged for it, grabbed the hilt, yanked--

It didn't move.

It should have moved. It was in mud, not buried particularly deeply.

It did not.

Rhian visibly reddened, and pulled again. And again.

"Stupid mud." he spat.

"Not the mud, is it?" said Tedros sweetly. Rhian ignored him, pulling harder, digging his feet into the wet ground, heaving as hard as he could.

It was starting to rain. Tedros stood and watched him strain, feeling savagely satisfied by the similarities to the scenarios Rhian had put him in, months earlier...

But wasn't quite as amusing as he'd expected it to be.

It got pathetic fast.

Tedros stalked forward and shouldered Rhian out of the way, grabbing his face before he could fall and pulling them nose-to-nose.

"Try and goad me like that again," he said softly. "And you're returning to Four Point in that many pieces. You understand?"

Rhian glanced desperately at the Spellcast orb, but it didn't move, floating languidly above them with no indication that there was going to be an intervention.

"Whatever." he said harshly, pulling out of Tedros's grip. Tedros let him, turning to pull Caliburn from the ground and taking it to the lakeside so he could wash the mud off it.

"Maybe you can win the next one without cheating." he said, sloshing water up the blade.

Rhian, who'd been watching him pull Caliburn, suddenly looked alarmed as he realised what Tedros meant--

---

Back at Four Point, Agatha sighed as the dragon banner was unfurled in the first space.

"Thank god."

She'd managed to leave nail marks in Sophie's hand, for how hard she'd squeezed her when Tedros had been thrown off the back of the wyrm.

Now, huddled together under Sophie's cloak on the Tintagel dais, Agatha glanced at her sister.

"What do you think?"

"Rhian was out of practice." said Sophie slowly, trying to look displeased for the Spellcast and mostly failing. "Teddy was always going to win that one. Smarts can only get you so far, and he's not good enough at magic or swordplay to be able to win with that."

"Unlike him to not practice." said Hester.

"Not really." said Sophie, examining her nails. "I'm very... distracting."

Nicola looked displeased.

"Savvy of him to thank us." said Eris, sitting at Agatha's feet. "Our family has a lot of influence over Never politics, so if everyone knows we're on his side... might be inclined to vote for him."

"The Wardwells are sounding more and more like a mafia." said Hester.

"We are, essentially." said Eris.

"Cool."

----

TASK THE SECOND
WISDOM

TO MAKE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THE KINGDOM

They didn't have to walk very far to encounter the second task.

Just on the other side of the trees behind the lake, a sphinx waited for them.

"Riddles?" demanded Tedros, immediately realising what they wanted. "This isn't wisdom. This is subjective."

"All intelligence is subjective." said Rhian, slowly sitting on a log on the other side of the clearing.

"Shut up." said Tedros, flinging himself down on a tree stump. What he didn't say was: we both know you're going to win, anyway."

He put his elbows on his knees and dropped his chin into his palm. At least he could admit it to himself. They both knew that Rhian was far cleverer than he was, even if he was a git.

The Sphinx swished her tail, but her face was coolly neutral. Tedros was beginning to find a cruel sense of humour in whoever was providing these beasts. First a snakelike dragon, now a woman with the body of a winged lion.

"Three riddles." she said. "Whoever guesses the majority correctly will be the victor. You have three guesses for each riddle."

"Will you eat us if we're wrong?" grumbled Tedros.

"That would not allow you to proceed to the third trial, son of Arthur."

Rhian cut in.

"Would you give us the first one?"

The Sphinx bowed her head.

"I have a heart that never beats, I have a home but I never sleep. I can take a man's house and build another's, and I love to play games with my many brothers. I am a king among fools. Who am I?"

Tedros groaned. Why couldn't Agatha have taken this trial instead of him? Or Ravan. Or anyone. He'd been infamously bad at these as a child. Merlin had given up on giving them to him. How could someone have a heart that didn't beat, unless they were dead? Maybe that was the answer. Probably not, though.

It was hard to focus. He thought he'd cracked a rib in the fall from the wyrm, and his armour was chafing pretty much everywhere, wet as it was. His hands were bloody and raw from where he'd clung onto the fins. The only small solace was that Rhian didn't look much better-- bruised and bleeding from where Tedros had punched him, limping from where he'd been thrown into the tree. On equal ground in that sense, at least--

"The King of Hearts in a deck of cards." said Rhian, suddenly.

The sphinx inclined her head.

"Correct."

Tedros swore. He'd barely even started thinking about it, and Rhian had gotten it already? On the first guess, nonetheless? Definitely a lost cause. Whatever this last task was, he was going to have to win it.

"How'd you get that?" he demanded.

Rhian glanced at him.

"Does it matter?"

Tedros shrugged irritably.

"Just curious."

Rhian looked oddly at him for a second.

"The house line." he said finally. "I realised it meant a house of cards. Then I linked it to the idea of games, and the heart, and so on, and knew I was right."

"Ah." Tedros frowned. "I was thinking too literally."

Rhian didn't seem to know what to say to that, and just turned back to the sphinx in silence.

"The second riddle is this." said the sphinx. "Someone seen never by God, seldom by the king, and every day by most."

"Theme developing here, isn't there?" sighed Tedros. Kings. Typical. Somehow, though, he didn't think it had much to do with the actual answer.

Both the sphinx and Rhian ignored him. Rhian was already frowning, working through it. Tedros sat back slightly, trying to stamp down his frustration. Never seen by God? Probably best not to think too deeply into that one. Seldom by the king...

"The ordinary man." said Rhian. Tedros tensed--

"Incorrect." said the sphinx. Rhian grimaced. Tedros let out his breath. He still had time to get this.

He glanced across at Rhian, who was reddening, frustrated. They were far too similar in some ways. Rhian probably didn't think that, and a few months ago, Tedros would have scorned it, too, but it was true. Rhian bested him in some places, Tedros bested him in others, but overall they were almost completely equally weighted. Tedros was the better knight and Rhian the better politician, Tedros unable to conceal his true thoughts and Rhian a born liar, and yet--

This trial wasn't going to work.

It came to him suddenly, the thought surfacing fully realised. It wasn't really based on strength, wisdom, or honour. It was luck. There was no way to fully evaluate it. Unless someone forfeited, whoever won would be luckier, not superior. This was a show, to entertain the nervous people of the Woods. But, behind the curtain...

They were too equal.

It pained Tedros to admit it, but it was true. Had he been facing Japeth, it would have been a different story. He would have felt no kinship to Japeth. He had felt none. But Rhian and Tedros were too close to equals for comfort. Two sides of the same coin, brothers or not. How rare, to encounter two similar candidates for King--

Tedros bolted upright. Seldom seen by the king!

He turned to the sphinx. Rhian's head jerked towards him.

"An equal." Tedros said. "The answer is an equal."

Even as he said it, he wasn't sure he was right--

But the sphinx inclined her head. Rhian stared at him. Tedros thought he was probably wondering if he'd been lying about struggling with these, but he hadn't. It had just sort of... come to him.

"Your final riddle." said the sphinx. Rhian sat up straight, clearly intending to win this one. Tedros frowned, wondering what it would be.

"The cost of making only the maker knows, Valueless if bought, but sometimes traded. A poor man may give one as easily as a king. When one is broken, pain and deceit are assured. What is it?"

It wasn't even a competition.

Rhian got it right away.

"A promise." he said quietly. "It's a promise."

"Yes," said the sphinx. "A promise."

Tedros swallowed. He'd known he wasn't going to win this task, but now he and Rhian were neck to neck, it felt more real. Equals or not, one of them had to win.

And he intended for it to be him.

Rhian looked back at the Spellcast orb, briefly. He didn't revel in his victory. He didn't even smile. If Tedros didn't know better, he'd say he looked sad. Desperately sad, in fact.

Tedros wondered how many promises he'd broken.

"We've both won one, now." Tedros said, uncomfortably trying to draw his attention back to the trial.

Rhian glanced at him.

"Yes." he said. "So we have."

----

TASK THE THIRD

HONOUR

TO BE TRUSTED BY THE KINGDOM

The third task required them to split up.

"Where do they go?" asked Tedros, staring at the two identical cave mouths in front of them.

"I don't know." said Rhian. "I suppose we'll find out."

Tedros frowned suspiciously. He didn't like the feel of this. Separating them and putting them in a confined space...

"Well," he said. "Best get on with it."

"Yeah."

Tedros waited for Rhian to move.

He did not.

Hoping he was losing his nerve, Tedros forged forwards for the left cave, trying not to let Rhian's weirdly melancholy mood affect him--

"I'd heard that riddle before." said Rhian suddenly.

Tedros turned.

"That's how I got it." said Rhian. "They used to make us repeat it all the time, at Arbed."

Even when they'd been friends, Rhian had never mentioned his schooling.

"Oh." said Tedros. He didn't know what else to say. "That was lucky."

They stood facing one another for a moment. Tedros found himself compelled to say something, though he wasn't sure what. What do you say to your ex-liege who's spent months baying for your blood, the moment before one of you is to be chosen as King? Good luck? He didn't particularly wish him luck.

No, there was nothing to say.

Tedros turned and walked into the cave.

This time, he saw Rhian go into the other one.

It was pitch black, but oddly dry and spacious. Suspecting another magically created setting, Tedros paced slowly into the darkness, listening to his armour clinking on the rock, the daylight from the mouth slowly fading until it disappeared completely. The very faint glow of the Spellcast orb, which had split into two to follow both of them, was the only light source.

He wasn't sure how this was going to be related to a test of honour. There was nothing around. No light, no sounds, no deviation from this long tunnel...

But it was going down.

He slowed, wary, as the tunnel dipped, the ceiling lowering so he had to stoop, shuffling down the incline--

He stumbled out into a huge cavern, too big to be lit by the Spellcast orb, stretching off into ambiguity and dark corners. Immediately on guard, Tedros put his hand on Caliburn. Was this to be another fight? It was certainly big enough for it. But somehow, he didn't think they'd do the same challenge twice...

A rushing sound, and something shot past his ear. Tedros spun, trying to track it, but either it was already concealed in the darkness or it had never been visible in the first pla--

"Tedros Pendragon."

It was so loud that Tedros felt the reverberations in his chest. Clamping his hands over his screeching ears, he stared around, wondering what the hell the idiots on the Kingdom Council thought they were doing. Were they trying to kill them? How did this this test honour--

"What secrets do you have, son of Arthur?"

It was a little quieter now, but no less powerful. Slowly, Tedros lowered his hands to his swords.

...secrets?
And then it made sense.

This was the real test. The Kingdom Council trying to sift through the nebulous web of Truth and Lies that this conflict had become entangled in, straining to reach the real story. Tedros didn't know what kind of magic this was, but he knew it was strong, could sense it pulsing through the cave. They were doing everything they could to discover the truth.

Secrets.

Secrets.

For a moment, he stood still.

Then Tedros laughed. Laughed himself breathless.

They were practically handing it to him. He, who had been humiliated and exposed, his biggest secret revealed in front of everyone, he who had tried to tell the truth and had been shouted down...

It occurred to him that he should answer.

"None which are unknown." said Tedros, trying to catch his breath. "At which point, they cease to be secrets. So, none. None which matter."

"I see your heart, and your mind." said the voice. "It would be unwise, and dishonourable, to lie."

Tedros's mirth faded.

"Then you should see that I speak true." he said coolly, straightening up.

The voice did not respond. Anger sparked in Tedros's chest.

"No. I am many things. Impetuous and rash, maybe. Aggressive, perhaps. Foolish and hard-headed, yes. I was a coward, overcome by my insecurity. This I know, and I tell it to you. I am a Never. I am Evil. I was driven out of my own Kingdom for it. But I am not a liar. You will not accuse me of being dishonourable!"

"You will be tested."

"Test me, then." spat Tedros.

No response. Tedros thought it lightened slightly. And then--

Before him was the statue of Arthur from King's Cove, eyes gouged out and empty. Tedros gritted his teeth--

Then it fell forward, shattering just in front of him, spraying white marble everywhere. He leapt back-- then heard metal hitting stone, and looked down to see an iron crown lying on its side on the floor.

It had changed into the statue of his father he'd broken in Tintagel.

Was he supposed to be sorry for that?
He came forward and picked up the iron crown he'd worn in the fortress. He paused for a second, then put it aside carefully.

"I don't see how this is supposed to be secret." he said. "When I was upset, I defiled images of my father. Not always on purpose, but I don't regret it. I reject him."

"You would reject me?"

Tedros closed his eyes briefly.

"Cute trick." he said.

"I asked you a question, boy."

It was painfully realistic. For a moment, Tedros felt nine years old again.

The he said;

"I wish to honour the kings who came before him. Not just my father. I staked my entire claim on him, on proving I was his son, and look where it got me. Still fighting for my throne. I need more than his blood."

"Address me properly, boy."

Tedros ignored the reprimand. This wasn't Arthur.

"I spent my whole life trying to be him."

"You were noble, then."

"I was scared. Scared I was unable to live up to his legacy. Frightened of what would happen if I didn't. Now I know it's better to reject it entirely, to ensure I can't lean on it. I don't need it. I shouldn't need it."

"You do. It is your bloodright."

"If Rhian, a bastard at best and deluded at worst, can be in the same competition as me... I feel that my bloodright is less important than it would seem." snapped Tedros.

"You are ungrateful."

"Ungrateful?" spluttered Tedros, losing his temper, and his attempt to not address the voice directly. "This is all your fault! You were warned that marrying out of duty could yield a Never child, and you didn't listen! And when it happened, you tried to cover it up. You lied and frauded and bribed and you didn't even bother attempting to be a good father whilst you did it. You could have helped me. Instead, you set me up to fail. You ensured I paid for your mistakes. I don't care if you meant for this to happen. It happened because of your obsession with yourself. Your reputation."

Still damp and cold and bruised, with broken ribs and bloody hands and every bone aching, the whole Woods watching, Tedros shouted it again, like he had at Tintagel;

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

His voice echoed around the cavern.

Silence.

"I cannot change the fact that you are my father. I loved you, and I admired you." said Tedros, trying to rein himself back in. "And I cannot change my birthright. I will be King, because it is my duty. But I resent you for curbing me in every way you could, to defend your own reputation. You could have changed everything. Helped me. Instead, you had me humiliated and usurped. Coward I may have been, but no matter how bad I was, I didn't know better. You should have."

Again, silence. The voice said nothing.

"And if you're going to try and goad me with my father's voice, you could at least do it with the man who did more parenting." hissed Tedros.

A pause.

Then;

"Interesting." said Lancelot's voice.

"Are we done, here?" demanded Tedros.

"No rest for the wicked, boy."

"Shut up." sighed Tedros, glancing around the cavern. There were images moving, on the fringes of the cave. They kept changing.

Tedros paced closer, recognising himself. Stalked by Aric, stood with Filip in the Blue Forest, hunched over Agatha in the back of the wagon from the wedding... they flipped so fast it was almost impossible to focus on them. As if they were skimming through his consciousness, looking for something they could use, anything...

"Good luck with that." said Tedros. "I told you. None that matter."

They flipped faster--

Then stopped, and shut off.

Tedros stood, waiting for something else. Nothing came. He turned in a circle, wondering if that was the end, or whether he needed to do something else...

Somewhere in the cave, someone shouted.

Tedros turned, startled. On the other side of the cavern, by the sound of it... and it was definitely Rhian.

He hadn't realised he was so close.

Slowly, he turned and started making his way towards the other side of the cavern. No one shouted again, but there was a certain scuffling, possibly...

There was another tunnel, opposite the one he'd come through. Rhian hadn't gotten as far as the cavern, then.

Why?

Tedros paused outside the tunnel, wondering if he ought to go in...

When he did, he stepped into a secret.

----

"You're obsessed." said Kei. He was younger, here, less cruel-faced, dressed in the uniform of Arbed House. "I want out."

"You don't believe me?" demanded the younger Rhian, incredulous.

"I--" Kei looked around helplessly. "I don't know if I believe you. But I know that your belief in it is changing you."

Tedros glanced around, and found that the older Rhian was standing nearby, face white and tense.

"You don't mean that." said the younger Rhian desperately. "It's true!"

"I don't care if it's true."

Rhian's face darkened. Became uglier.

"So you're just going to abandon me?"

"I want you to give this up." said Kei. "I want out. I don't want to leave you, but--"

"This is my birthright!" spat Rhian. "And you want me to give it up?"

"This is what I mean!" cried Kei. "You're getting obsessive!"

"You're betraying me!"

Kei backed away.

"Rhian, listen--"

"Go." said Rhian harshly. "I'm not giving this up for anyone."

Kei's face went slack.

"But--"

He seemed to summon his resolve, and straightened.

"Fine." he said. "I'm not going with this crazy plan. Not even for you."

Rhian watched him go with cold eyes--

"Maybe I'll become a Camelot guard." said Kei loudly, from the doorway. "For King Tedros."

Rhian didn't react, for a second. Kei turned and stalked out of the door--

"YOU'LL COME CRAWLING BACK!" Rhian shouted after him, suddenly crazed. "WHEN MY PLAN WORKS, YOU'LL COME AND GROVEL AT MY FEET!"

Kei turned.

"If I do," he said venomously. "Know that it will be with the aim of bringing you down."

He slammed the door shut.

The scene dissolved.

So this was the infamous betrayal, Tedros realised. Kei had been doubtful from the very beginning of the plot.

He glanced over at Rhian, but he didn't seem to have noticed him, staring at the spot where the younger Kei had been standing--

Then the scene reformed.

The Rhian here was a double of the one that stood with him, the only difference being that his armour was pristine instead of dented and bloodied. This had to have been today.

They stood outside of a room in Camelot's castle, the door ajar, as the earlier Rhian listened to a conversation inside.

"You double-crossing snake." Kei's voice hissed. "I heard you and Agatha questioning Tedros with my own ears, and you have the audacity to tell me that when I do the exact same thing, I don't love him?"

"That's not what I said." replied Sophie's voice.

A pause.

"It doesn't matter." Kei snapped. "What matters is that I know you're trying to set him up to fail--"

"And I know that it was you who told Tedros the allegations in the first place."

Outside, Rhian jerked like he'd been shocked. The current Rhian watched, white-faced and tense.

Kei's shadow shifted, and Rhian crept away from the door.

"You don't understand." Kei said.

"I don't." said Sophie. "Enlighten me as to how actively working to have him overthrown proves any kind of love."

"I don't want Rhian to win. He's not the same. The power is getting to him. He's become obsessive with it, obsessed with winning over Tedros, obsessed with proving himself and getting to rule and getting everyone to love him..."

Tedros stopped listening, looking over at the two Rhians-- one flattened against the wall expressions struggling as he strained to listen, one stood stock-still in his ruined armour. Kei's doubts had finally resurfaced, and within earshot of Rhian? Sophie had done this on purpose, he knew it.

Kei's voice rose, and Tedros tuned back in as Rhian shifted, looking as if he was considering entering the room.

"--I thought, if Tedros won, Rhian might have a chance of regaining himself. But if he wins, and it's proven later that his father is Rafal..."

A flash of real, brutal anger crossed the earlier Rhian's face and he finally made his decision, stalking over to the door and wrenching it open.

"Proven, Kei?"

Tedros shifted forwards to try and see inside, but the current Rhian didn't move.

"Proven." hissed earlier Rhian, stalking over to Kei and Sophie. "You, of all people, believe Tedros's lies? And not only that, you fed them to him? I should have known. You betrayed me once before. I always knew you would do it again. I was a fool to give you a second chance--"

A hand clamped down on Tedros's shoulder and shoved him.

"Trying to sabotage me?" the current Rhian spat, looking rather wild. "How long have you been here? Can't you leave me alone?"

"I noticed the passage." Tedros spluttered, trying to regain his footing. "I didn't know how to get out--"

"And you came to sabotage me, did you?" barked Rhian, reddening. "Kill me?"

"What? No! Not a fair game if one of us dies, is it, bastard--?"

Rhian hit him, and Tedros collided with the cave wall, the illusion flickering madly.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?"

"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT!"

"Oh." Tedros hauled himself upright, clutching his smarting cheek. "Oh, I see. Getting insecure, are you?"

"Fuck off!"

Raised voices came from the room.

Tedros turned towards it, but Rhian shoved him again. Tedros elbowed him away and dove inside, just in time to see Rhian clutching Kei furiously, Sophie looking on, apparently calmly. But Tedros recognised the expression-- the gleam in her gaze and the slight tilt of her head.

The face she wore when she knew she was winning.

"After this tournament," Rhian said. "I will no longer require your services."

"...what?"

"I am relieving you of your duties. You may return to your mother and sister in Foxwood."

"You're... firing me? Rhian. No, Rhian, you can't--"

"You will be given an honourable discharge once I have won the Trial of Kings." said Rhian. "I'd say that Tedros would offer you a job, but you betrayed him first. Perhaps you can go and work somewhere where trust is not a requirement."

"You're choosing her." said Kei in disbelief. "Over me. Her."

Rhian didn't respond, letting go of him and holding his arm out to Sophie--

The current Rhian bulled inside and grabbed Tedros again.

"Get out, reprobate!"

"You fired him?" demanded Tedros, ignoring the command and the insult. "He's all you have left!"

"I have my Queen." snarled Rhian. Tedros turned to him, incredulous.

"Sophie? You think you have Sophie? Rhian. No one has Sophie. I didn't, Hort didn't, Rafal didn't, and you certainly don't. You're a goddamned fool if you think she's on your side. The only side she's on is her own."

"You're just jealous she loves me." hissed Rhian, as the earlier version of him offered Sophie his arm.

"I'm definitely not." snorted Tedros. "The only person she loves is Agatha, and even then she's loath to show it."

Rhian's expression wavered slightly.

"Rhian." said Kei behind them. "Rhian, you can't do this. Don't be a fool--"

Hr rushed forward and grabbed his shoulder. The earlier Rhian turned on Kei, face so wrathful that Tedros, for a second, could only see Japeth. He shoved him away, so hard that he knocked the other man into the wall.

"What's your problem?" Tedros demanded of the current Rhian, as the old one snarled out behind him;

"Traitor."

Kei's face crumpled--

Rhian shoved Tedros, Tedros hit him back, they grappled against the wall--

The scene changed, and behind them, a child started to wail.

Both Tedros and Rhian turned, confused.

Rhian went completely still.

They were in a dark, dank room, with a single bed, rickety chair, and wash-basin the only furniture. In the bed lay Evelyn Sader, bloodied and slick with sweat, clutching two babies-- clearly newborn twins. Three old midwives were clustered around her.
Rhian and Japeth.

Tedros came closer to get a better look. Behind him, Rhian didn't move.

"What will you name them?"

Tedros jumped as the icy voice echoed from the corner, and whirled to find--

"Rafal." said one of the midwives.

"Brother." said another.

Tedros recoiled as he realised who they were-- the Mistral Sisters. They were Rafal's sisters? So there had been five siblings; Rafal, the Good Brother-- the original Rhian-- Alpa, Bethna and Omeida. How had that been kept quiet? How had Arthur not known they were related to the School Master?

Well, he probably had. No wonder he'd thought them good choices. That line-- this Mistral line-- clearly produced powerful sorcerers.

Wait.

Rafal was here.

That meant that--

"I will name them to honour their heritage." said Evelyn.

Rafal's face soured, but he said nothing.

Evelyn smiled at him, tight lipped. Clearly, she knew he would object.

"Rafal Japeth," she said, indicating the paler boy. "After his father and grandfather."

"After Japeth Sader? You don't care for your father, Evelyn."

"I imagine he won't care for his, either," said Evelyn smoothly. "Absent as he will be."

Rafal ignored the dig.

"And the other boy?"

"Rhian August."

Rafal looked cooly at the children, no real emotion on his face.

"After the despised brothers of ours."

"That's right."

"You are a foolish woman. He will be ill-fated."

Evelyn sneered at him.

"He will be powerful. Sader, Mistral... the two most ancient Woods families. It won't be hard to believe that they are also members of the third. Rhian will be named after two of the most famous Good figures in the Woods. That is something that Arthur would approve of."

"You intend to go along with this, then? To pass them off as sons of Arthur? He will dispute it."

"By the time they will reveal themselves," said Evelyn. "Arthur will be long dead. August has foreseen it."

"How can he have told you?"

"He didn't." said Evelyn. "But he's not so hard to work out. He worries about Arthur and allies himself with Camelot. He knows it will be thrown into chaos, soon. The only person standing in their way will be Guinevere's child. And his claim will be fragile."

"The boy is doomed to be Evil." cackled Alpa. "We all know this."

"We do." said Evelyn. "Arthur does not."

"He does." said Rafal, coming forward to look closer at the children. "But he refuses to accept it. A foolish man. It will be his downfall. I expect he will come crawling to me for help, soon enough."

He looked down at the paler baby.

"This... Rafal Japeth. You are treading on dangerous ground."

"He will go by RJ, or his middle name."

"That is not what I mean. I sense something in him. Dangerous."

"Are you surprised?" scoffed Evelyn.

"No." said Rafal. "But I would be wary. Favour the other boy as the champion. He is less volatile."

"Will you tell them?" asked Bethna. "That it is a lie?"

"Do not." said Rafal sharply. "Let them believe it. If they think even for a second that they might fail, they will. Believing it wholeheartedly is much easier. The rags to riches story... it has always been compelling."

"You'd know all about stories, wouldn't you?" snorted Omeida. Rafal barely spared his sister a glance.

"I would." he said. "And theirs will need to be very, very convincing."

The scene dissolved.

Tedros looked around for the current Rhian, but before he could locate him, the scene had reformed.

Evelyn Sader was knelt behind a building with a much younger Japeth.

"You may not tell him." she was hissing. "You will have no chance of ultimate power if Rhian knows the truth. He will fail."

It was clear from his face that Japeth resented his mother, but his face shifted slightly at the idea.

"Maybe I want him to fail." he said, nonetheless spiteful.

"If he fails, you will be imprisoned at best and killed at worst. You must keep this secret."

Japeth looked ready to argue--

Evelyn appealed to his worst nature.

"You will hold all the cards." she said in a low voice, looking like she was regretting it even as she said it. "You need Rhian-- he is charismatic and will manipulate his way up. But you have your magic, and that knowledge-- what's to say you can't overthrow him, once he is on the throne?"

Japeth's young face became savage, and Tedros knew the appeal had worked--

"Mother?" The young Rhian appeared around the side of the wall. "What are you talking about?"

Evelyn smiled at him.

"Your brother has been bullying the neighbour's son again." she said, the lie coming easily. "We were having a talk."

Rhian looked at Japeth, who scowled at him, so convincingly that Tedros shuddered.

When Rhian turned away, the scowl turned into a smile--

The scene changed again.

"So," said Japeth, this time the age Tedros had known him at, in his snakeskin suit. "You came crawling back."

Kei said nothing. They stood in a forest clearing, almost pitch black save the torch Kei held.

"I misjudged him." said Kei. "He has accepted my apology."

"Yes, he has." said Japeth. "But I will tell you something."

Kei waited--

"You were right." said Japeth.

"What?"

"Right to doubt him."

Kei's face hardened.

"You won't trick me into being disloyal again."

Japeth smiled thinly.

"I am not trying to trick you into anything. But you ought to know."

"Know what--?"

"We're not Arthur's sons."

Kei went still.

"...what?"

"Don't pretend to be shocked, Kei. You know our mother was obsessed with the School Master. You know my name is Rafal, and he is named after the Good Brother. Our father is Rafal Mistral, not Arthur Pendragon. We have no claim."

"But--" Kei floundered for a second. "Rhian is lying?"

"Oh, no." said Japeth slyly. "He believes it. He doesn't know the truth. My mother didn't tell him-- only me. He has to believe it, you see. Else we'll fail."

"He... you can't--" Kei looked desperately back at the distant lights of the camp.

"Pick your poison, Kei." said Japeth, looking cruelly amused. "Reject him again, and lose him forever. Or follow him, knowing that he will eventually be exposed as a fraud. It's your choice."

He brushed past him and headed back to the camp, leaving Kei white-faced and shocked in the clearing--

The illusion dissolved completely, and Tedros was back in the dark cave, stunned.

It was true, then. He really was the only legitimate heir. Rhian had been exposed completely-- probably even more thoroughly than Tedros had seen, through previous secrets he'd missed. Exposed as a liar, a fraud, a fake--

And dishonourable.

"It can't be true."

Tedros turned.

Rhian stood in the centre of the hall, grey and clammy.

"It can't be." Rhian repeated numbly.

"Lying to us seems to be a trend in our fathers." said Tedros. "Guess we're not brothers after all."

Silence. Rhian's mouth was shaking.

"We were, once." he said.

Tedros sighed, suspecting it was going to take Rhian a good long time to get over this. He thought he should probably feel victorious, but he didn't. He just felt tired. This was too familiar. This was meant to be the triumphant end, his justice at last, but... it wasn't.

"Taste of your own medicine, isn't it?" he said wearily. Rhian didn't respond.

Tedros looked up at the Spellcast orb, wondering what was supposed to happen, now. He was slightly wary of Rhian. Perhaps he'd suddenly fly off the handle, or try to attack him, or manipulate him, or--

There was a thud, and Tedros turned, hand flying to his sword--

Rhian fell to his knees before him, mumbling something almost inaudible.

Almost.

"I forfeit."

Tedros stared at him, sure he'd misheard.

"What?"

"I forfeit."

"You can't do--"

"I, Rhian Mistral, surrender my challenge of Camelot's throne and accept Tedros Pendragon as my King."

It was almost comic. Tedros stood, incredulous, and Rhian hunched at his feet, both men bruised and beaten in dented armour. After all this, this entire endeavour, Rhian was just going to give up?

But Tedros knew what it was to be misled.

"Claimants," said the voice suddenly, finally piping up. "Please exit."

Rhian didn't move, still hunched on the floor. Tedros hesitated.

"Rhian--"

"Get out." croaked Rhian.

"We both have to leave." said Tedros.

"You think I want to go back out there?" hissed Rhian. "To them? To her?"

"You have to."

"I told you to get out."

"I--"

"GET OUT!" screamed Rhian, mottling an ugly purple. "GET OUT, GET OUT--"

He scrabbled for Excalibur.

Tedros turned and fled.

He ran down the tunnel once again, ducked back into the large cavern and found, this time, a break in the rock, large enough for him to get through.

There was a rumbling behind him, and when he turned to look, he realised Rhian hadn't followed. Confused, he hovered for a second--

"Exit." snapped the voice, clearly impatient with his dithering.

Reluctantly, Tedros stepped outside into the cool night. They were on a hill, with a lake far below--

The rumbling got louder, followed by the sound of something heavy falling, echoing through the tunnels.

Tedros froze, one foot still in the cave. Why hadn't Rhian followed him? He'd assumed he'd follow at a distance behind, even though he was upset...

Another boom. What was wrong with the cave? It sounded almost as if it was--

As if it was collapsing.

The rock shook. More booms echoed--

And Rhian screamed.

There was no reason Tedros should turn back for him. He was a liar, a manipulator, selfish, murderous and had made Tedros's life hell for the last year. There was no denying that Tedros hated him.

But he was also seventeen, a pawn in Rafal's game, and he was probably going to die if Tedros left him in there.

They were brothers, once.

"Shit." said Tedros. "Shit."

He turned and ran back into the cave.

"LEAVE HIM!" bellowed the voice, but Tedros ignored it, sprinting across the shaking cavern and scrabbling back into the tunnel--

Barely avoiding being flattened by a descending chunk of rock.

Tedros flung himself back against the wall, shocked, as the tunnel shook and collapsed inwards, the voice screaming at him;

"BREACH OF PROTOCOL! BREACH OF THE RULES! GET OUT!"

"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?" Tedros bellowed back at it, furious. "I'M A NEVER!"
"Tedros!" cried Rhian from somewhere further down.

Spitting all the curses he knew, Tedros rushed towards him, scrabbling over fallen rocks, sliced on the neck and face by shards being knocked from the ceiling--

Rhian was lying on the floor, pinned down by a huge chunk of stone on his left leg. Blood was seeping from below it. Tedros knelt over him.

"The hell is this? What did you do?"

"Nothing!" sobbed Rhian. "It just started collapsing! Don't leave me to die." he begged, clawing at Tedros's knees. "I don't want to die like this, please--"

He was rapidly becoming more incoherent. Tedros stood, wondering how the hell he was supposed to move this rock--

His hand caught the swords at his belt.

"Stay still." he said to Rhian, but it was largely unnecessary-- he was barely conscious. Teeth clenched, Tedros drew Caliburn and swung it at the piece of stone, hoping it worked on things other than armour--

It shattered like glass, spraying shards everywhere. Tedros hastily resheathed the sword, relieved, and knelt to haul Rhian over his shoulder, hoping he could carry him all the way without injuring or killing them both.

Everything shook harder as he staggered down the hall, Tedros struggling to keep his footing as stones clattered around him. He was going to have to crouch to get back into the cavern, which might overbalance him...

The gleam of light caught his eye, and Tedros noticed a long crack at the end of the tunnel, in a similar place to the one in the cavern. If he could break through that, surely they'd end up in the same place?

As he got closer, Tedros lost confidence in the idea. There was no guarantee he'd be right, and the cavern was probably safer--

He turned back just as a huge chunk of rock fell from the roof and smashed into the floor, blocking their way and knocking them both sprawling onto the floor from the impact, dust billowing everywhere.

Oh, Tedros was going to kill the Kingdom Council.

Seething, he propped a semi-conscious Rhian against the wall and swung Caliburn for the crack, praying it opened onto the hill--

After the dust cleared, he peered over the edge.

It didn't.

Open sky, sheer cliffs, and, far below, black water.

For a minute, Tedros considered letting them get crushed. Might be faster.

Then, more shaking and falling rocks, and Tedros looked desperately down at the water again, knowing falling from this high up was dangerous at best and fatal at worst, and Rhian was already injured. He could try and break through the rock blocking their way, but the tunnel was already unstable. He'd probably just make it cave in completely.

Tedros looked down at the black water, thinking this had probably all just been pointless. If he even got the crown after this, it was going to be a miracle--

Then Rhian collapsed against him, Tedros's legs buckled, and they both went over the edge--

Tedros hit the water and thought no more.

----

"Bit of a round table, isn't it?" said Dot, stopping in the doorway and looking around.

"Not intentionally." sighed Tedros. "My father had all the meeting room tables made round."

"Ridiculous." snorted Ravan, leaning back in his chairs with his boots on the table.

Tedros muttered a vague agreement as everyone else sat down.

"Where's your lady love?" demanded Hester, casting a glance around.

"Don't know." said Tedros. "Kitchens, maybe. She wasn't going to come, anyway."

"This meeting appears to be Nevers only." said Anadil, looking around at the assembled-- Hester, Anadil, Dot, Ravan, and Tedros.

"It is." said Tedros. "I wanted your opinion on something."
"Tedros isn't a Never." snorted Hester.

"Did you spend most of the last few months in a coma?" asked Dot dryly.

"No, Agatha did." snapped Hester. "I'll specify; he's not a proper Never."

Tedros picked at the wood of the table, irritated and wishing he'd not said anything. He knew full well Hester was probably never going to be impressed about it.

"He killed Japeth." said Dot, frowning.

"Extremely dramatically." muttered Ravan.

"So?"

"So, he--"

"If you wouldn't mind," said Tedros sharply. "I didn't bring you here to fight about whether or not I'm a proper Never."

Hester turned her gaze on him, unimpressed.

"Then what did you--"

"In the event that I win, I brought you here to ask if you think I should kill Rhian."

Everyone stopped bickering.

Dot and Anadil exchanged looks. Hester's face turned grim. Tedros thought he already knew what her answer would be.

Ravan, however, dropped his chair onto all four legs with a bang, and turned his gaze coolly on Tedros.

"Why are you asking us?" he said calmly, sounding mildly interested, as if they were discussing the weather.

"Because I know that all of the Evers will say no." said Tedros. "And I want a perspective closer to mine. I've spoken to Sophie already, but I--"

"Their perspective is closer to yours." snapped Hester. "You're not one of us."

"You just can't stand the fact that you can't use me as your punching bag anymore!" Tedros lashed back, finally losing his temper. "You've ridiculed me for years, and the second it looks like you and I might be on more equal footing than before, you're still determined to slap me down! You may as well go to Rhian if you're going to act like I'm still the only person unworthy of your respect--"

"I'm not here for you, I'm here for Agatha!"

Tedros had always known that, but hearing it out loud stung.

"Yes," he said icily. "I'm only accepted on Agatha's merit quite often."

"Made obvious by your lack of friends--"

"Teddy and I are friends." frowned Dot. "Right?"

"--who aren't just Agatha's that have to pretend to like you for her sake." finished Hester icily.

Tedros reddened like he'd been slapped--

"I never spoke to Agatha, really." said Ravan idly, watching them through the curtain of his hair.

Everyone turned to stare at him. He didn't elaborate.

Hester took a breath--

"There are pros and cons to it." said Anadil, as calmly as if she hadn't witnessed the entire argument, stroking one of her rats at the foot of her chair. "Killing Rhian would definitely solidify your appeal in terms of the Evil Kingdoms, but it might make you look unreasonable. It depends if you want that. And keeping him alive might run the risk of another challenge, later on."

"If he's beaten badly enough, he won't want to challenge again." pointed out Dot. "Daddy gets let off too lightly by Robin because they're secretly friends, and so he keeps coming back. If you don't kill him, you'll have to humiliate him beyond all reason."

"There's no pros to keeping him alive." snapped Hester. "He's a smug prick and he deserves to die."

"There are a few." said Ravan. "It keeps the Ever kingdoms, especially Foxwood, on your side and leaves Rhian as a walking reminder of your win. It also makes you look more merciful than Japeth. And it will martyr him, if you kill him. Someone will take him as a symbol to pitch a campaign against you."

"Anyone is more merciful than Japeth." muttered Hester.

"We'll vote." said Dot. "Then Teddy can take what we said into account. I think you shouldn't. Ani?"

"Personally, I'd like to see his head on a spike." said Anadil. "But I can see why you'd not do it."

"It's up to you." said Ravan calmly. "But I wouldn't do it. In any other circumstances, I would. But given your precarious claim and the political situation... not a good idea."

"Kill him." snapped Hester. "But be prepared for the fact that the betting pools are currently not in your favour."

"Hester, can I talk to you?" demanded Tedros. "Alone?"

Hester clearly started to say no--

"Do it, Hester." said Anadil, rising with her rat following. "Come on, Dot. Ravan."

"Anadil--"

Anadil shot her a look as she held the door open for the other two. Dot waved at Tedros as she left. Tedros waited as the door shut, and their footsteps faded--

"You let that happen to Agatha." snarled Hester, the second they were gone.

"Oh." said Tedros. "Oh. So it's about that, is it?"

"Yes, it's about that."

"I've already spoken to Agatha about it--"

"Oh, and of course she forgave you, because that's what she does, but I--"

"Hester, listen, I'd have died if I stayed--"

"BETTER YOU DIED THAN LET JAPETH GET HOLD OF HER!"

They stared at one another for a second.

"I didn't do it on purpose," said Tedros desperately. "I didn't know he was alive, let alone what he could do--"

"And leaving her with Rhian was much better, was it?"

"She could have gone head to head with Rhian." snapped Tedros. "She's just as clever as he is. You treat her like she's helpless."

"I do?" sneered Hester--

"Beating a dead horse, aren't you?"

Tedros and Hester whirled to see Agatha in the doorway, Reaper dangling from one arm and a basket from the other.

"Overheard my name." she said, unimpressed. "Hester, I want your help with these plants."

"But--"

"Now." said Agatha coolly. "Tedros, Galahad was looking for you. You need to get fitted for armour."

Looking distinctly chastened, Hester barged past Tedros and slunk over to stand in the doorway. Agatha bundled Reaper into Tedros's arms.

"He keeps trying to eat the poisonous plants. I'll see you at dinner."

She kissed his cheek and followed Hester. Hester paused in the doorway, watching him narrowly.

"Hester, come on--"

"Do you want to kill Rhian?" Hester said to Tedros. "Surely that's the question."

Tedros looked at her.

He didn't answer.

Hester turned and left without another word, and Agatha followed her without comment.

----

The next thing he knew, Tedros was being hauled out of the water into a foggy, dark night.

"God, that portal was a bit off." said Beatrix's voice from above him, holding one of his arms. "Chucks them into a river in the trees?"

"Closest body of water, I suppose." came Ravan's voice from the other side. "And out of sight of the crowd."

Coughing and twitching, Tedros tried to get his bearings as they dragged him up the bank. People were shouting and chanting in the distance, stamping their feet and bellowing.

Ravan shook him.

"Tedros, can you hear us?"

Tedros must have made some sort of response, because Ravan seemed satisfied, but he could barely hear it over the ringing in his ears. Beatrix sighed, hauling him upright.

"We're just gonna go through here, really quick, come on-- you can walk--"

They half-dragged, half-carried him through the trees. Too stunned and exhausted to even ask where they were going, Tedros staggered along with them, stumbling over tree roots. There was still shouting in the distance, accompanied by the sound of explosions and drums. Tedros barely paid attention to it as he was led to a tent on the fringe of the field and Ravan ushered him inside.

"Go, quick, get changed--"

He shoved him inside and hurried off. Tedros ducked shakily under the flap, stumbling as it threw him off balance--

A pair of warm arms caught him.

"You won." said Agatha. "Tedros, you won."

Tedros doubled over, putting his head against Agatha's shoulder and trying to regulate his hammering heart rate. Yes. He'd won. And now he had to...

What did he do now?

"What's happening?" Beatrix demanded of Agatha, starting to unstrap Tedros's armour for him. Agatha gently pushed Tedros's shoulders back, trying to get him to stand upright. It only sort of worked.

"Victory parade back to Tintagel." she said. "They want Tedros to deliver his verdict there."

"They think he's gonna be in a shape to do that?" asked Beatrix doubtfully.

"Whatever shape he's in, Rhian's in a worse one." said Agatha grimly.

"Is Sophie with him?"

"I don't think so."

Tedros, half-heartedly trying to help with his armour until Beatrix slapped his clumsy hands away, was struck with the image of Rhian, alone in a similar tent, with a shattered leg and the knowledge he was going to be carted back to Tintagel as the loser...

"Tedros, say something." pushed Agatha, rubbing grime off his face. "You've got to make a speech in a few hours."

Tedros looked helplessly at her.

"What am I supposed to say?" he croaked. Agatha looked tensely back at him. She still looked sallow.

"I don't know." she admitted. "But they're baying for blood, out there."

How close did she come to dying?

The stomping of feet from the stands got louder.

Once Beatrix had gotten all of his armour off, Tedros was flung into a too-hot bath and shakily scrubbed the dust and blood from his skin, digging under his nails for mud and picking shards of rock out of his scalp. He slicked his hair back and slapped some semblance of colour back into his face. Then, new clothes-- another doublet, bloody red, choked with gold fastenings and chains. A matching cloak. Breeches, boots. Gloves.

Someone brought him the crown of Camelot.

He gave it to Agatha and took back the iron one he'd worn on the way.

He got his swords back, too, looking no worse for wear. He made for the door of the tent-- then paused, listening to the members of the Kingdom Council shouting to the roaring crowd. He couldn't hear the exact words from here, but the tone was clear. Celebration.

They'd changed their tune.

His face darkened, and he stepped out of the tent, trying not to let his exhaustion become too apparent--

Eris appeared at his elbow with a smoking goblet.

"Drink this, you look dead on your feet."

Clearly he looked worse than he'd thought. Tedros took it gratefully and threw back a few mouthfuls--

"What is this?" he spluttered as a peppery, acrid taste smacked the back of his throat.

"Does it matter?" snorted Eris, as his horse was led over to him and Agatha emerged behind them. "It'll keep you on your feet."

Tedros sighed and drank the rest, knowing that Eris was at least vaguely trustworthy, by now.

Then he set his face and mounted his horse.

----

The amount of people packed into Tintagel's crumbling courtyard had to be over a thousand. Tedros looked out at their faces as he stepped up onto the dais, his retinue around him-- the Knights, who'd all hit him with various amounts of force, his white and relieved mother, Eris, Agatha, the Coven, Ravan... Sophie was nowhere to be seen.

Most of the crowd were cheering, but some looked sullen, or uncertain. It made sense. His verdict was yet to be delivered.

Tedros glanced at the huge dragon banners hung from the walls, and felt a spark of satisfaction. By his side, Agatha nudged him slightly, and smiled at him. She had been given a new overgown, gold over the white, and someone had provided her with gloves and a set of pearls. Several little girls in the crowd were staring at her in wonder.

Queen Jacinda came to stand before them. Bettina, stood at her side, caught Tedros's eye and winked at him, mouthing well done.

"People of the Woods!" cried Jacinda. "Look upon your champion!"

Cheers rose from the crowds. Nevers pounded swords upon the stone. A cluster of Evers clapped demurely. Tedros raised his hand vaguely in acknowledgement, but his attention was elsewhere, drawn to the procession emerging from the right--

"And now," said Jacinda. "Let the victor deliver his verdict."

The guards who accompanied Rhian were stripped of all Camelot insignia, including the lion crest, and they kept their faces turned away from him, as if they were ashamed to look upon him. Kei walked silently behind them, face white and eyes downcast. Sophie was nowhere to be seen. It was a pathetic little assembly, really, compared to the grand entrance he'd made to the tournament.

The guards flung Rhian, chained, at Tedros's feet, ignoring his whimper as his injured leg was jarred. Tedros looked down on him, anger building pressure in his chest. Rhian didn't look back, looking desperately behind him at Kei.

Surely he knew Kei could do nothing to help him, now.

Tedros turned suddenly to the Kingdom Council, standing on the steps nearby.

"Is this how you treat an honourable surrender?" he demanded. They startled and glanced at each other.

"This was what was advised by the Camelot officials--"

"Who had prepared for Rhian to win, not me." snapped Tedros. "Perhaps I would have been treated this way, but I will not return the favour. Unchain him."

A pause.

"Now."

They did. Rhian finally looked up at him, bewildered, as they unlocked his shackles and sent him sprawling on the steps.

Jacinda tried to take control of the situation, again.

"King Tedros, please deliver your verdict."

Tedros looked down at Rhian. Rhian gazed back at him.

"Get on with it." he croaked.

He looked a mess; bloodied and filthy, his leg clearly severely damaged-- blood was seeping from in-between the shattered armour. They clearly hadn't bothered with giving him a change of clothes. For all Tedros knew, they'd thrown him on the floor in a tent and left him there until it was time to leave. They probably had. He could barely hold himself up as he rolled over, supporting himself on shaking arms.

"With what?" said Tedros.

Rhian bared his teeth in something between a wry smile and a grimace. Blood and grime smeared his mouth and lips.

"Killing me." he croaked.

Tedros stared at him, fighting between revulsion and pity.

"That's what you're expecting?"

"Of course. That's what you'll deliver." Rhian put his head against the cold stone. "Please. Make it quick."

Tedros glanced at Agatha, who looked uncertain, and caught sight of the Coven and Ravan watching him from the shadows, faces grim. He turned back and his eyes fell on a cluster of people at the front of the crowd.

The Camelot delegation, come to set eyes on the ruined remains of their Lion.

The guards, the supporters with Lion flags dragging in the mud at their side. The advisors. The pirates, in a huddle that suggested they knew they weren't keeping their jobs, and their heads weren't in a much more secure position, either.

There was movement beside him, and Tedros and Rhian both looked over at Sophie, coming to stand beside Agatha. Dressed in black like a widow, she looked back at Rhian, mane of loose hair blowing in the wind.

Neither said a word, but Tedros got the distinct impression Rhian was remembering something.

He lowered his head and looked away. Sophie's mouth curled in a cruel little quirk, and Tedros knew she had far more to do with this than he'd realised. He needed to ask her, later.

"Your judgement, please." said Queen Jacinda. Tedros drew breath--

Kei finally broke.

"Tedros, please! Don't kill him, don't-- you can't--" He rushed forward, looking desperately between Agatha and Tedros, eyes wide in the most emotion Tedros had ever seen on his face. Tedros thought they both knew his plea carried practically no weight. He was a known traitor to both claimants, had no political advantage, had nothing to offer.

Rhian turned to look incredulously at Kei. Clearly he'd not expected this.

People started to chant; Nevers in the crowd.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"

Rhian's face struggled as Kei grabbed him, holding him up, and Tedros knew it was all bravado. He didn't want to die.

We were brothers, once.

"Kei, I'm sorry--" croaked Rhian amongst the chanting, trying to touch his face. Kei shushed him, looking desperately at Tedros--

"Rhian Mistral," said Tedros. The crowd went silent almost immediately, eyes wide. "I have decided to spare your life."

In the stunned pause, he saw the Coven and Ravan look at each other.

"As you said, we were once brothers." said Tedros. "You have done unforgivable things in pursuit of the crown, but you too, were deceived. I do not wish to have you killed. You will be sent to live in exile, in Foxwood. You may take the Captain with you. If you return unlawfully, or stage any kind of coup, you will be sentencing yourself to death. But I will not have it be said I am not merciful. Your brother is dead at my hands, but you will live by them. I cannot forgive you for what you have done. But I can spare you. I want you to always reflect on what you've done."

The assembled started to mutter, bewildered, passing on his words--

Then people started to cheer-- Evers, mostly. A few Nevers. Not everyone; never everyone. But it was hard to resent mercy.

Kei stared at Tedros in shock, hands slack on Rhian's shoulders--

Rhian staggered up the remaining steps, seized Tedros's hands, and kissed them, shaking so hard Tedros had to hold him up.

"Thank you," he gasped. "Thank you."

Tedros drew his hands back as Kei came to help Rhian down the steps. It was true; he would never forgive Rhian fully. But he didn't want him dead, like he had Japeth--

He turned and found Hester watching him.

She nodded, once, then turned away to Anadil.

Tedros glanced back--

And found Rhian scrabbling at his belt. With shaking hands, he drew Excalibur, and turned to Agatha. Tedros went for Caliburn, people cried out--

He plunged it into the stone at her feet.

"Have it." he croaked. "I know you can draw it. You need to take it."

Tedros turned, confused--

With no comment, Agatha turned and took the hilt of the sword.

She drew it from stone as easily as Tedros had taken Caliburn from Nimue.

----

Rhian left Tintagel the next day.

Sitting on the crumbling steps in the muggy early morning, hunched over to disguise his face, he watched Kei yoke the horse to the ancient carriage, and hoped no one would see them leave.

He'd left Tedros a note with all the details he needed to know; the location of the documents he'd exposed him with, should he want them. The Camelot Beautiful details. Money spent. The fact he'd had Merlin sent to the Caves of Contempo.

He'd also enclosed two extra notes. One to Agatha, apologising, and another-- unsigned, just a scrap of paper.

You win.

Out of the two games he'd lost that day, he knew which one stung more.
But Tedros had shown him mercy, even if it had been with a look that suggested he'd do differently, next time. But there would not be a next time. Rhian was pragmatic enough to know that. Even if he wanted to-- and he didn't want to-- Tedros would run him down if he tried. Japeth would have tried again. But Japeth was dead, and there was Rhian's proof for how far Tedros's mercy stretched.

Japeth was dead.

Thank god.

He could admit that, now. His raging, wrathful brother was dead, and he was relieved. He'd been tempted to thank Tedros for it. Complicit as he may have been in Japeth's transgressions, he could hardly feel grief for him. But he'd left it out of the letter. It had been long enough.

Rhian was nothing if not thorough, even if he was the loser.

And he was the loser, he reminded himself. He hadn't thought he'd live long enough to even realise it. But here he was. He'd been grateful at the time, but now, as the hot spike of shame started to penetrate the numbing shock of his inverted worldview... perhaps it had been the crueller choice for Tedros to leave him alive, after all.

I want you to always reflect on what you've done.

It didn't feel particularly merciful.

Rhian hauled himself to his feet and lumbered over to Kei on his newly-repaired leg, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. How odd it felt, to wear ordinary clothes. He'd spent the last year either in guard's livery, King's clothes, or the guise of the Lion. Now... well. Now, he was nothing.

He quickened his pace, hoping to leave faster, and ignoring how a lance of pain rolled through his bad leg-- then reached the carriage and found that Kei was looking past him.

Rhian turned to follow his gaze, and noticed someone on one of the overlooking balconies; Agatha, leaning on the balustrade, watching them. Tedros was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he wasn't interested in seeing them off.

Rhian didn't think he blamed him.

Trapped in the slightly muddled fog of his numb brain, he accepted Kei's hand up, and, without knowing why, glanced back. Agatha was wearing Excalibur at her side; he could see the shadow of the scabbard at her hip.

"They're going back to Camelot, today." murmured Kei, seeming to notice, too. "Holding the wedding there."

"Oh." Rhian frowned, thinking of the last failed wedding. "In the chapel?"

"Seeing as I heard Agatha suggest burning the chapel down as part of the nuptials, I don't think so."

"Ah."

Then, to his surprise, Agatha acknowledged them.

She straightened up and raised a hand in farewell, before turning and disappearing back inside, shutting the doors behind her.

Another of those quick spikes of guilt jabbed Rhian, and he jerked his head away. Odd girl. He'd never been able to fathom Agatha. Had she not been under Japeth's control, he found it highly likely he'd have not been a match for her.

The thought unsettled him, and he hunched over himself again as Kei climbed into the driver's seat and spurred the horses on, glad that no one else was around to see them. Even this rickety old carriage was too reminiscent of the ride to Four Point.

At least Sophie wasn't with him, this time.

Damned witch. She'd beaten him fair and square.

He twisted around for one last, nervous look, checking to see if no one was around--

And although he'd never be able to prove it, Rhian was sure he saw two overly familiar shadows on one of the breezeways, watching them recede into the distance.

By my father's blood, you'll be sorry.

And you think that you, you, a sadistic little boy with a wobbly claim to your daddy's throne, can manipulate me?

Yes, Rhian had lost two games that day.

He should have known.

Shaking slightly, he turned firmly away from Tintagel, and from Camelot, looking back towards Foxwood. He could still do... something. Do some good. Go back to Arbed, find more kids like him. Steer them away from getting into the mess he had.

Still, he didn't think the Camelot throne was going to become precarious again for a very long time.

These Evers-turned-Nevers were too goddamn clever for their own good.

The castle was barely out of sight before Rhian started to cry.