The Paradox Corridor

Chapter 32: High Treason

They all stood there, frozen on the spot, not daring to believe all of the implications of what had just happened. After a while, Andrew stood up, dropping his sword in surprise, suddenly realizing what Amber's 'superpower' was.

"Amber...you're a witch!" he said. Amber huffed:

"Call me witch again and next time it'll be you who spontaneously combusts."

"Well then...what do you want to be called?" asked James.

"I don't know yet," said Amber, "You guys are definitely knights, for sure."

"I know, right?!?" asked Andrew excitedly, "I jumped super high and swung this super heavy sword, and you blew up a tree...this is soooooo cool! Thank you, Paradox Corridor!"

"You're welcome." replied the presence, laughing. They laughed too, their nerves and their circumstances finally sinking in. Amber was somehow a witch and Andrew and James were epic knights. Suddenly, saving the universe didn't seem nearly as daunting as before. After a while, they stopped laughing, and Amber spoke up:

"Where do you think Arthur is? We have to find him if we want to save him."

"True point," admitted Andrew, picking up the helmet off of the ground and spinning it around, "But where should we start?" As soon as he said that, they heard voices from behind them, a bunch of them, all male, from the sound of it. They were shouting things with British accents, saying things like:

"This way, lads!"

"This is the place where the sound was heard!"

"Be ready!" It was quite obvious that the sound they were talking about was the tree exploding, and James realized that if they were seen at the scene that their situation would get very bad very quickly. But it was far too late. As soon as he thought of telling his friends to high-tail it out of there, the group of men they had heard broke the clearing of the forest that they were in. As soon as they did, they froze. James suddenly realized that they must look ridiculous. They had 21st century clothes on, and were holding swords that were waaaaay to big for them, and, in Amber's case, a stick. The men pointed and whispered amongst themselves, looking just as stunned as the friends felt. Then, the men separated into two halves, and down the center of the groups strode a young man.

He was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Everything that Amber had ever wanted in a guy (strong, handsome, etc.) was imbued in this man's every step, the confidence practically visible in his stride. His long brown hair, scraggly beard, and ripped muscles answered her unasked question: this was King Arthur. No need to look further. Here was the real deal. King Arthur looked at all three of them in turn, his gaze lasting a bit longer on her (or so she thought). Finally, he said;

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Andrew was surprised that Amber hadn't already swooned for Arthur. Her look of adoration was obvious, and she looked even paler than when she had blown up the tree. Arthur's question went unanswered for a while, and finally he spoke again;

"I am a giver of second chances, but that is all you will get. Answer my question, sooner rather than later, if you don't mind. I have a battle to plan." Andrew saw James shift forward, hesitate, and finally step forward.

"King Arthur, we believe you are in great danger. People a-" But he was interrupted mid-sentence by the group of men laughing, Arthur included. James realized his mistake when the presence whispered to him;

"He isn't king yet..." But of course it was far too late for that. Arthur stopped laughing after a while and looked at James, chuckling.

"I'm not king. At least...not yet. But soon that will all change. Am I right?" he asked loudly to his men, who cheered loudly and shook their weapons in the air. He held up his hand, and the cheering died down.

"As you can see, strange travelers, I am a very busy and important man, albeit one with many enemies. So when my scouts report an extremely loud noise and fire, it seems very suspicious. So of course, as the great knight that I am, I go to investigate, and rout any trouble makers I find. So now, I ask one last time: Who are you? Your getup is very strange, and your accents unheard of. Are you my friends, or my enemies?" he asked, his hand resting on his sword hilt.

"F-f-friends" replied Amber, holding up her hands in a show of peace. But the reaction she got was completely different than she expected. All of the men physically stepped back from Amber, some of them pulled their swords out of their sheaths, arrows were drawn, and gasps of surprise were heard. Arthur sighed, and pulled a brightly shining broadsword from his sheath, its size and durability as obvious as the one holding it.

"Excalibur..." muttered James under his breath, confused about what was happening.

"W-w-what's going on?" asked Amber, paler than ever and shaking, "Have we done something wrong?" King Arthur stared at her, seeming surprised that she didn't already know.

"Your crime against this world is that you are a witch. You are most clearly carrying a witch's wand! And you two," he said, pointing Excalibur at James and Andrew, "your crimes are almost as bad. You were caught speaking with and probably conspiring with a witch, which explains your strange clothing, and you have stolen the helmets and swords of two knights, as you are far too young to be knights already. Moreover, you have clearly cast a spell on this poor tree here, probably as a show of rebellion against this country. You will be executed before my enemies arrive to turn you against me. Do you have any last words before I end your sorrowful life?"

"Yeah, I do," replied Andrew angrily, "What's wrong with being a witch? She's my sister, for Pete's sake! And why don't you let us explain ourselves?" Arthur gasped, then brandished his glowing sword at Andrew.

"She's your sister too! On top of everything else, there is no point of letting you explain yourselves. The evidence is overwhelming. Prepare to be executed!" As he said that, he swung his sword around his head (probably for effect) and then charged at Amber.

James wasn't having any of it. As soon as Arthur swung the sword above his head, James realized that they no longer had a choice. It was time to fight.