A Week with a Prince

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

"How do you do this?" Ginny asked, waving her hand at the mist as she urged her horse to walk at Myrddin's side the instant the narrow path allowed her.

"It is a pretty simple yet effective magic, Princess Guinevere," the wizard replied. His warm brown eyes, so similar to Garreth's, were the only dots of colour on his ancient face, as they sparkled with amusement from beneath his hair and beard as silvery-white as the fog.

"Garreth can do it too now," she said, observing him intently, not sure how openly she should talk to him, how little he wanted her to know...

"I noticed." Myrddin smiled. "I would never have left the four of you travelling alone so often during the past week if I did not know how strong your cousin's magic is. He has a lot to learn yet, but he is already stronger than many other wizards his age."

Ginny nodded, wondering about how proud he sounded, curious if he had talked to Garreth finally, if he had told him that... Surely her cousin deserved to know what he might have been suspecting his whole life-- that he really was a wizard, and moreover, Lord Myrddin's son.

She opened her mouth to ask even as the old wizard, as if he could read her thoughts, silenced her. "No more questions, child. There are more pressing things to be done now than chatter; let us hurry."

Pressing his heels into his horse's sides, he urged it into a trot, leaving Ginny, frowning and more curious than before, behind. Well, she would ask Aunt Ealasaid, she resolved, as she rode behind the old man in silence.

They found Aunt Ealasaid pacing the courtyard of her castle, waiting for their arrival impatiently.

"Finally, you are here, both safe and well!" she called even before Ginny and Myrddin crossed the drawbridge.

Just why are they so worried? First Myrddin and now even her aunt acted as if they had an army of Saxons at their heels... But it was not so, this part of the country was safe. It was the men gathered on the northern borders of King Uther's Caledonia who were facing the danger, fighting the enemies for them... Her heart skipped a beat or two as she realised that her knight might be risking his life in that very moment.

When her feet touched the cobblestones of the courtyard and her, or better Sir Lancelor's black horse was led to the stables while her bags were carried inside the castle at her aunt's orders, she felt so faint and weak that she did not even feel surprised when old Myrddin morphed into the middle-aged bard they had met in Saintsbury before her very eyes even as he dismounted his steed.

Aunt Ealasaid bestowed a quick peck to Ginny's cheek then rushed to him, lacing her fingers through his hair and pulling him down for a kiss which he reciprocated willingly, pulling her into him, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

At last, Aunt Ealasaid remembered her niece and pulled away from Myrddin, rosy-cheeked and out of breath like a young girl.

Ginny giggled. "Go on, don't mind me, I have figured you two out."

Ealasaid smiled, happy that at least to Ginny, she did not need to explain anything.

"Come inside. The lunch is ready," the Countess said, taking Myrddin by the hand to make him follow.

He brought their joined hands to his lips as he said, "I can't, Ealasaid. They are waiting for me in Celidon Wood, and before I reach them, I must stop in Avalon..."

Ealasaid took a deep breath as her eyes followed Myrddin's finger, pointing to the Sword hanging from Ginny's belt. "So it's true... Then the other rumours must be true as well, King Gwynedd..."

Ginny frowned, not understanding what King Gwynedd of Combrogia had to do with her Excalibur, but Myrddin, shaking his head seriously at her aunt, bidding silence, did not give her time to think about it.