Swords & Spells (Book One):The Magic of Emrys

A Man's Fate (Arthur)

"Her brother," Gwaine asked, almost dropping his sharpened sword in the process. "You can't be serious."

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Silas just confirmed it. They're all related."

"Reuben did mention once that he had a younger sister," Lancelot mused. "But I thought he said she was still in his hometown."

Percival grunted and spit on the ground beside him. "Apparently not anymore. I can't believe we didn't see it."

"It makes sense, though, why Reuben watched over her so much."

"And," said Gwaine, tilting his sword toward the other knights, "why he was always such a stiff when someone talked about her." He stared off into the distance and sat back. "I can't believe Heior actually tried to—"

Arthur cleared his throat and raised a disapproving eyebrow at Gwaine, who silenced himself immediately. The prince wasn't in any mood to talk or think about what might've happened if he'd been any later. "I need all of you to focus on the situation at hand. We have a small window of time to prove Reuben's innocence. I don't know how long it'll take Malin to come to a conclusion, but I doubt it'll be in our favor."

He stopped suddenly as the door to the armory opened. Emrys hurried through without even bothering to close the doors back. As she came closer to him, Arthur realized how exhausted she looked. By his orders, she'd returned to her duties and put Morgana to bed, giving Arthur time to find his knights and inform them of the current events. She'd probably wasted little time in getting to Arthur, not even bothering to change into a new dress.

Through ragged breaths, Emrys managed to get out, "What's the plan to save Reuben?"

He was almost afraid to tell her the truth, but he did it anyway: "There isn't one yet." Quickly, before the hope in her eyes could fade away, he added, "But we've got everyone on board and focused on the mission at hand. Won't be long now before we come up with a solution."

Despite hearing this, Emrys' shoulders fell as she said, "I fear we won't have much time."

Arthur put his hands on her forehands and gripped them tightly, making her look up at him. There were dark circles starting to form underneath her eyes. She wouldn't make it much longer without sleep and Arthur knew she wouldn't sleep without her brother's safety secured. "Don't think like that."

"How else am I supposed to think? My brother is a servant, Arthur. If they come to a decision before we find a solution, his fate is set, and there'll be no changing it."

It sickened Arthur to think that Emrys was right. If Malin got Reuben to confess, Uther's mind would never be changed. Arthur set his face determinedly and said, "I don't know much about fate, but it seems to me that anyone should be allowed to change it." Arthur began to blush when he heard one of the knights cough, but seeing Emrys encouraged made him forget about that. "No man should be denied his right to determine his own destiny. Not even a servant."

Arthur could sense Emrys' discomfort at being brought back into the stables, but she didn't complain. She must've realized it was necessary to their investigation. As the knights spread out across the stables, Arthur heard Gwaine mumble, "Why are we starting in here?"

"This is where the incident started," Arthur informed him.

"Are we supposed to recreate the scene then? Mind if I don't play Heior?"

Emrys glared at Gwaine and said, "I'm going to assume that you're being glib in order to cope."

He seemed unfazed by her glare as he walked over to her and pulled some hay out of her hair. Arthur watched on enviously as all of Emrys' fierceness melted away. "You'd be right, moppet," Gwaine admitted softly. "But if you think it's Heior's death I'm trying to come to terms with, you're wrong."