𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 ( arthur pendragon ) ¹

009. the nightmare begins

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔑𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔅𝔢𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔰

VICTORIA'S FACE HAD WRINKLES. That's what she saw when she gazed into the mirror behind the boy standing above her, sword point held to her neck. The boy was faceless yet words still flowed through a mouth that couldn't not be seen.

"It's time for a new era to begin," it boomed, young but powerful and in pain. "You and my father have shown too much pity to those who defy your laws. You are too kind!"

"I raised you on kindness, my son," she heard herself beg. "You do not have to do this. You can stop and I will forgive you."

"What's happened to you?!" He shouted, sword trembling in his hand and scraping the delicate skin in her throat. "You were once known as the Red Queen, the woman of bloodlust and vengeance! And now you forgive those who have murdered your kin in old blood feuds?! You are weak and Albion needs someone strong. And that person is me."

The dream ended as thunder cracked loudly in the sky. Victoria reached a hand up to her throat, feeling wetness but pulling it back only to see clear sweat and not the crimson color of blood. She sighed in relief, laying back down against her pillows and closing her eyes.

"Victoria," Arthur murmured, eyes cracking open at the shift in the bed.

Victoria grabbed his hand, as much for her own comfort as his, saying, "I'm alright. Go back to sleep."

He groaned and rolled back over to his side, drifting off while she lay awake, thinking about her dream. But what Nimueh had said to her that night stuck with her and caused her to rethink the things she was seeing. Perhaps it was not a dream but a vision. 

Victoria turned over to hopefully lull herself back to sleep as well. However, her hopes of this happening were shattered as a shrill scream echoed through the castle. 

Arthur, alert as if he hadn't just been snoring so deeply that Victoria would have thought there was a storm outside, jumped up and grabbed his sword that he kept leaning up against his nightstand. 

"Stay here!" He advised Victoria, throwing open their chamber door and running down the hall to investigate the commotion. 

Victoria, never one to let a man tell her what to do, was quick to follow him after throwing on a robe. She found the origin of the scream to be in Morgana's room, the large swarm of guards surrounding her being a very obvious tip-off. 

"What happened?" Victoria found herself asking as she entered the room to a shaking Morgana wrapped up in her robe and Gwen's arms. 

"Her bedroom caught on fire and the window burst," Uther informed her. 

"I came back in with some extra blankets. There was a candle, but I put it out," Gwen tried to explain. 

"Are you sure?" Uther pressed. 

"I blew it out. I swear." 

"Gwen's been Morgana's servant for years," Arthur began as he rose from inspecting the window. His eyes flickered to Victoria. "If she said she blew it out, I believe her."

Uther's eyes were still flaming with wrath. "She could have been burnt alive."

"Lightning struck the roof, that could have caused the fire," Victoria attempted to remedy the situation with a claim that was the most likely.