AM I THE ONE? | Arthur Pendragon [1]

The Bite of the Questing Beast

*Annabelle's P.O.V.*

"The creature you describe has all the characteristics of the Questing Beast." Gaius told the King as they, Arthur, Merlin, some of the most trusted knights, and I stood in the Council Chambers. Arthur, my brother, and the Knights have returned from a hunt about 15 minutes ago, and Arthur immediately wanted to summon the Court. Apparently, he and the other men have been attacked by a giant, scaled creature with the body of a leopard and the head of a cobra. One of the Knights, who was also one of my friends, Sir Bedivere, was killed.
"Surely that's a myth." Arthur said, and I took in a deep breath. It might be just a myth, seeing as the creature hasn't been seen for ages, but it might also be true... Just like the Griffin. As my thoughts trailed to the beast we defeated quite a long time ago, Lancelot's clouded my mind, and  I swallowed hard in order to keep myself from showing any emotions as I stood in the corner of the Council Chambers. Even after all this time, I still miss the brave and noble man.
"According tot he old books, the appearance of the Questing Beast is supposed to foreshadow a time of great upheaval." Gaius continued, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Gaius, it's an old wives' tale." Uther said somewhat dismissively, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who could hear the strain in his voice and see the tension in his posture.
"Look, whatever it is, it's spreading panic." Arthur cut in, most likely also seeing how tense his father is. "The people fear it will enter the city."
"Then we must kill it." Uther said. "Arthur, gather the guard together. You ride at dawn." He ordered, and I saw Arthur share a look with Merlin before everyone bowed and started to leave, with me following quietly after I curtsied.

*Evening*

"This is no ordinary beast, Merlin." Gaius warned, an open book in his hands, as I sat on a bench in his quarters, stitching up a small whole in one of Morgana's robes' sleeves,  while Merlin balanced his sword (the one he kept after Gwen gave it to him a few hours before we left for Ealdor two and a half months ago) in his hand.
"Don't worry." Merlin answered with a small dismissive smile, but I saw that Gaius was being deadly serious.
"No, listen to me, you don't understand." He said, making my brother look at him as he also heard the seriousness in our guardian's voice. "Uther may not respect the Old Religion, but it is very real." He said as he stepped closer to Merlin to show him something on a page in the book he was holding, and I quickly put Morgana's robe down on the table and walked over to them, standing on Gaius's other side. "To face a beast such as this, you must understand where it came from."
"What do you mean?" I asked, and Gaius looked over at me before looking down at the picture of a creature, which fitted Arthur's description perfectly, in the book.
"At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself." Gaius said as he closed the book, making Merlin stop cleaning his sword and look at him. "The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die. And there is no cure." My eyes widened slightly and I looked at Merlin with fear in my eyes, knowing that he and Arthur will both face that thing tomorrow.

*2 Hours Later*

    After Merlin assured me at least 55 times that he and Arthur will be safe, I reluctantly finished stitching up Morgana's robe and walked to her chambers in order to return it to her wardrobe. As I neared the doors to her chambers, I heard an all too familiar scream from the other side of the door. Without thinking twice, I quickly ran into her chambers, only to see my best friend sitting up in her bed, with beads of sweat on her forehead as she looked around the chambers, a far away look in her eyes which lead me tot eh conclusion that she is still caught up in the nightmare, even if her eyes are open, as whimpers escaped her lips.
"Morgana?! Morgana!" I exclaimed as I threw her robe down on the nearest chair and ran over to Morgana, grabbing her arms gently. "Wake up! Wake up! It's me, it's Annabelle! Stop it." I exclaimed, my voice softening at the end, as I struggled against her, trying to calm her down as continued to let out screams and whimpers, the horrible images of her nightmare continuing to flash before her eyes. "It was just another dream." I said quietly as I placed my hands on either sides of her face and stroked her cheekbones with my thumbs gently, trying to calm her down, knowing that her nightmare must have been awful.
"It was terrifying." Morgana whimpered, finally looking into my eyes, and I could clearly see the fear in hers.
"Oh, it's going to be alright." I soothed as I sat on her bed, hugging her close to me as she hugged me just as tightly (if not tighter), tucking her face in the crook of my neck. I felt something wet on my neck, and I knew that she started to cry, which made me rub her back comfortingly as I whispered comforting words in her ear. But at the same time, fear rose up in my chest. What was she dreaming about?... And will it come true?