To Break a Curse

Chapter 13

A/N   Hello all, here's chapter 13 for you all - it would be great to hear any feedback you have and I hope you enjoy it :)

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'Sit, please,' the queen smiled at Rose, Oliver and Will.

They were in the private chambers for the king and queen the following day. Tom had moved into the royal apartments and Will, Rose and Oliver had been given the rooms that the guests usually had. The entire kingdom was planning days of celebrations because the missing heir to the throne was home and the curse had been lifted.

'I gather my son,' and here the king broke off and smiled at Tom, still overwhelmed that his son was returned to him. 'I gather he has conveyed our wish that you will stay for the celebrations? As time has stopped where you came from, another week should not be a problem.'

'Thank you, Your Majesty,' said Rose. 'We would love to stay for the week.'

'Coolsies,' said Tom. He laughed when his mother raised an eyebrow at his language. He felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and had barely stopped smiling since he had been reunited with his parents.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. A maid brought in a tray of beautifully arranged fruit.

'Chef said he thought you might like these, Your Majesties,' she bobbed a curtsey.

'Thank you,' said the queen graciously.

When the maid had left, they all chuckled.

Chef had got into such a fluster when he had found out who Tom was and remembered how he had treated him, it had been necessary for the king and queen to visit him and assure him that his job was not in peril, although he could try to be more pleasant to his workers in the future. Now, he sent up extra food for Tom and the others several times every day.

'Can I ask a question?' Will asked. 'Why did the stones know to bring Tom here and why were we brought here as well? I mean,' he added hurriedly. 'I'm glad we could help and everything, but surely Tom would have been able to lift the curse by himself?'

Good point, thought Oliver.

Queen Guinevere inclined her head thoughtfully:

'I have spoken to Merlin about this, and he believes that the stones knew who Tom was and that he would be able to break the curse because he would have been brought through the stones all those years ago by the wizard. They called to any memories his heart still held, which drew him into the stone circle, meaning they could transport him here.'

'So the stones knew?' asked Oliver, a little sceptical.

'They are not ordinary stones,' said King Arthur sternly. 'They have magic in the heart of them and the power of a circle of stones should not be underestimated.'

'So why were we brought here as well?' asked Rose.

'I also asked Merlin this,' said the queen. 'And he has no answer apart from the suggestion that you were all connected somehow at the exact point the stones started to transport Thomas to Camelot.'

The four of them were silent for a moment, trying to remember the events of that dark, rainy and windy night, then understanding dawned on Rose's face.

'Ah, Do you remember we all grabbed hold of you when the stones started to glow silver? That must have been it – we were all touching you at the same time!'

'Oh, yeah,' Tom nodded. 'That makes sense.'

'Also,' said Rose. 'What are we going to say when we get back and have to explain Tom's disappearance? They'll think we've kidnapped him or something.'