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

The Plight of the Pendragons (Reuben)

He couldn't kill the future king.

Reuben tried to remember this as he watched Morgana angrily lead his stunned sister away from the field. He tried to remember this as he turned back toward Arthur, whose face was just as impassive as it had been before. But mostly, Reuben tried to remember this as he opened his mouth to speak again: "You're sacking her?"

He picked up his sword and held it out to Reuben, who took it without question. "Long overdue, if you ask me."

Lancelot glanced back at Emrys, who was almost back to the castle. "You don't actually mean that, do you, Arthur?"

"Sire," Arthur corrected. "And do you have a problem with that, Sir Lancelot?"

Percival stepped forward and peered down at the prince. Reuben wondered if Percival had to remind himself not to harm Arthur as well. "I do," he said, as if there should've been no question to what he was feeling.

Arthur threw a deadly glare over his shoulder, and Reuben suddenly found himself thankful he'd taken Arthur's sword. "You do," Arthur repeated slowly, in a voice almost above a whisper. "And the rest of you?"

For a while, all the other knights were silent. Reuben wondered if he should say something himself—as if it wasn't obvious enough that he disapproved of it all. Then, finally, Gwaine cleared his throat and said, "She was just coming to talk to you, mate. The least you could've done was hear her out."

"There's much less I could've done. And much more I could still do to you lot," Arthur said between gritted teeth.

Gwaine's eyes grew dark. "A good king listens to his subjects."

Reuben knew that Gwaine had struck a nerve even before he saw Arthur's body tense up. He moved the prince's sword behind his back, in case the sight of it would inspire an outlet for Arthur's anger. He wasn't even sure what he should do if Arthur were to lunge for Gwaine. He couldn't fight the future king any more than he could kill him.

Then, all at once, Arthur's anger seemed to vanish. He relaxed his shoulders and straightened his back as he exhaled through his mouth. In a quiet voice, he said, "What would any of you know about what it means to be a good king?"

Lancelot put a hand on Gwaine's shoulder, silencing the smaller knight. "We're only saying that this may not be the best way to handle things, sire. In the future, should you find yourself in an argument with another person—"

"You lot will take their side like you're taking Emrys' now," Arthur shot back.

Finally, Reuben found his voice: "No one's trying to take anyone's side, sire. There isn't even a side to take. Our concern, as your friends, is for both of you."

"Friends," Arthur scoffed. "My father was right, then—what happened this morning was my fault."

"Your father," Reuben asked. He'd thought that Arthur had gone straight to the training grounds after coming back from the failed mission. He'd been so focused on finding his sister that he hadn't given much thought to Arthur's whereabouts.

"You told your father everything, then," Percival said. For the briefest of moments, Reuben thought he saw Percival's hand clench into a fist.

Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sun. "He made it clear that my inability to handle you all more seriously has allowed you to become lazy and inefficient. As knights, you all are called to be prepared to protect the crown and the people of Camelot from threats that would otherwise challenge our current status."