The Guards Captain placed the receiver back on the phone cradle, his face ashen as the information he just received sank in. It was the task ahead of him that was causing him the most stress, he had to inform Harold. There were very few things that caused the Captain fear, but this was a whole other situation, all had seen the descent into madness. It was a real lottery as to what would cause the King to explode in a fit of violent rage that could lead to at best serious injury, the worst is of course, death. He sat at his desk and considered just standing up and walking out, he was a good man, and this mad man had forced him to order bad things, heinous things. He didn't want to die, he wanted to have a family, live a normal life, and this was the chance that it would all end.
It was a close run thing, but in the end, it was his sense of duty and the thought of someone else having to face the madman that kept him from walking away and starting again. He rose from his desk and straightened his uniform, if he was going to die, he would do so with all the dignity he could muster. He strode from his office and headed for Harold's suite, he knew the King was up, he heard him yelling at some poor servant girl that had forgotten three serviettes, only bringing two. So he was in a foul mood already, his stomach dropped and he had to control his breathing as he approached the double teak doors. He knocked lightly, was a pet hate of the King's when someone banged on his door.
"What?" He heard clearly through the door. He opened the door quietly as he could and walked across to the massive bed Harold took his breakfast in.
"Sire, I have word from the palace." The Captain said softly.
"What could be so important that you would interrupt my debacle of a breakfast?" He demanded.
"There was a raid on the palace this morning at around two AM.?"
"What?" Harold yelled. "Who would be so stupid as to risk the wrath of the King?" He was spitting bits of egg and toast across the pure white linens.
"The reports I have received have indicated that a well-armed and trained force attacked the palace in numbers. The target it seems was the Sword in the courtyard." He paused to gauge the King's reaction, but there was none. "The force wiped out the Guard platoon, leaving no one alive, all the servants were herded into food lockers and locked in."
"Go on, Captain." Harold said calmly.
"The Sword has been removed from the stone and the statue has changed position." There was a very deadly silence that followed the Captains report, in fact the lack of reaction was scaring the large soldier even more than if the King had exploded in one of his famous rants. But all Harold did was stare at the window that faced his bed.
"Sire, shall I prepare the trailer for a return to London?" He asked.
"No, I shall complete my duties here and then we shall plan for our response to this egregious attack on my property. Leave me." If anything, Harold was as calm as the Captain had ever seen him, but he wasn't going to force the issue and spun on his heels and left. The relief was written all over his face as the door closed behind him and he was out of range of the King's expected explosion. He raced back to his office and locked the door, he was not going to tempt fate and be seen by the King again for at least a day.
Arthur sat in Merlin's office and considered the weapon laying on the table in front of him. This was the most powerful weapon ever created, allegedly, now he, Arthur Pendragon was the only person that could control the raw and destructive power that lay undisturbed in its matrix for time unknown. According to Merlin, the power of the Sword was so great that not even the most powerful Mage in the history of the Council would be able to bend the Sword to their will. It was designed and made for the hands of one family, and one family alone. The Pendragon line of men.
The runes that had been engraved into the flat of the blade were so powerful that it could bring about the destruction of the world leaving nothing but dust. Arthur had tried to accept the power as simply part of his legacy as the King of Britain, but the sheer magnitude of this weapon's capabilities was too much for him to contemplate wielding. He rose from the chair and walked from the room, he was not the man for this, he was raised by his Uncle Percy in Hong Kong, far from the intrigue and back stabbing politics of the court. He wanted desperately to run, and run far, he was a normal man, not a King, not the leader of a nation torn asunder by a madman. For Heaven's sake he had only experience two women in his short life.
How could he possibly be the one to make the decisions that affect the entire Empire? For all intents and purposes, he was really just a kid in real world terms. It was all too much for him at that moment, and he tried his best to run, get away and just fade into obscurity, be Joe Blow the guy at the end of the lane. The guy that says hello and doesn't disturb the neighbours and just lives a quiet life. He walked calmly down the hall to the entry hall and stood looking out into the entry yard, all he had to do was walk out the door and keep going.
"That would be the easiest route to take, Arthur." A deep voice behind him said. Arthur jumped with shock and turned to see Merlin standing there looking out the door also.
"I have stood on that spot myself and wondered if just disappearing would be the more attractive option. No one expecting you to have the answers and deciding the fate of some poor soul that lost their way. But I never went out the door, do you know why?" he asked. Arthur just shook his head and looked back out the door.
"Because it is not my way to avoid that which is difficult, that which leads to sadness, or that which leads to happiness. All of those situations are what we are here to adjudicate, consider, weigh up, and sometimes get wrong. You are the true heir to the Throne and you need to understand that it isn't your fault that you haven't had the training or the exposure to the environment. Your father was taken from you in a most horrible manner and you learned to not remember him, mostly to spare you the loss and the hatred that comes with that loss. Percival raised a strong, intelligent thoughtful man, a man that I can see would agonize over the decisions he makes. I know that sounds horrific, but think about the joy and the pleasure that those decisions can make in the world." The tall Mage was silent for a moment before going on. "There will be times in the future where every decision will be draped in cloud and misunderstanding. As King, you can only do the very best you can do with the information you have to hand. Men and women will die, families will be left homeless and destitute, but those are the requirements of achieving the best possible outcome for the entire Empire. Your father struggled greatly with the loss of his men, and when a family was shattered he wanted to personally fix their pain." Merlin's eyes were filling with tears at the thought of his long lost friend and King. "But he knew that he couldn't fix everything, he could only do what he knew was right in his heart, to do the best for all. Do you understand Arthur?"
"Yes, but I am not my father, Merlin. I don't know in my heart what is best for me, let alone an entire empire. Christ I made a complete twat of myself the last time I tried to bed a pretty girl. I was so embarrassed that I ran away without a word to the poor girl." Arthur explained, his face reddening with embarrassment. "If I am that hopeless in my own life, how could I possibly be expected to
The Guards Captain placed the receiver back on the phone cradle, his face ashen as the information he just received sank in. It was the task ahead of him that was causing him the most stress, he had to inform Harold. There were very few things that caused the Captain fear, but this was a whole other situation, all had seen the descent into madness. It was a real lottery as to what would cause the King to explode in a fit of violent rage that could lead to at best serious injury, the worst is of course death. He sat at his desk and considered just standing up and walking out, he was a good man, and this mad man had forced him to order bad things, heinous things. He didn't want to die, he wanted to have a family, live a normal life, and this was the chance that it would all end.
It was a close run thing, but in the end, it was his sense of duty and the thought of someone else having to face the madman that kept him from walking away and starting again. He rose from his desk and straightened his uniform, if he was going to die, he would do so with all the dignity he could muster. He strode from his office and headed for Harold's suite, he knew the King was up, he heard him yelling at some poor servant girl that had forgotten three serviettes, only bringing two. So he was in a foul mood already, his stomach dropped and he had to control his breathing as he approached the double teak doors. He knocked lightly, was a pet hate of the King's when someone banged on his door.
"What?" He heard clearly through the door. He opened the door quietly as he could and walked across to the massive bed Harold took his breakfast in.
"Sire, I have word from the palace." The Captain said softly.
"What could be so important that you would interrupt my debacle of a breakfast?" He demanded.
"There was a raid on the palace this morning at around two AM.?"
"What?" Harold yelled. "Who would be so stupid as to risk the wrath of the King?" He was spitting bits of egg and toast across the pure white linens.
"The reports I have received have indicated that a well-armed and trained force attacked the palace in numbers. The target it seems was the Sword in the courtyard." He paused to gauge the King's reaction, but there was none. "The force wiped out the Guard platoon, leaving no one alive, all the servants were herded into food lockers and locked in."
"Go on, Captain." Harold said calmly.
"The Sword has been removed from the stone and the statue has changed position." There was a very deadly silence that followed the Captains report, in fact the lack of reaction was scaring the large soldier even more than if the King had exploded in one of his famous rants. But all Harold did was stare at the window that faced his bed.
"Sire, shall I prepare the trailer for a return to London?" He asked.
"No, I shall complete my duties here and then we shall plan for our response to this egregious attack on my property. Leave me." If anything, Harold was as calm as the Captain had ever seen him, but he wasn't going to force the issue and spun on his heels and left. The relief was written all over his face as the door closed behind him and he was out of range of the King's expected explosion. He raced back to his office and locked the door, he was not going to tempt fate and be seen by the King again for at least a day.
*****
Arthur sat in Merlins office and considered the weapon laying on the table in front of him. This was the most powerful weapon ever created, allegedly, and now he, Arthur Pendragon was the only person that could control the raw and destructive power that lay undisturbed in its matrix for over seventeen years. According to Merlin, the power of the Sword was so great that not even the most powerful Mage in the history of the Council would be able to bend the Sword to their will. It was designed and made for the hands of one family, and one family alone. The Pendragon line of men.
The runes that had been engraved into the flat of the blade were so powerful that it could bring about the destruction of the world leaving nothing but dust. Arthur had tried to accept the power as simply part of his legacy as the King of Britain, but the sheer magnitude of this weapon's capabilities was too much for him to contemplate wielding. He rose from the chair and walked from the room, he was not the man for this, he was raised by his Uncle Percy in Hong Kong, far from the intrigue and back stabbing politics of the court. He wanted desperately to run, and run far, he was a normal man, not a King, not the leader of a nation torn asunder by a madman. For Heaven's sake he had only experience two women in his short life.
How could he possibly be the one to make the decisions that affect the entire Empire? For all intents and purposes, he was really just a kid in real world terms. It was all too much for him at that moment, and he tried his best to run, get away and just fade into obscurity, be Joe Blow the guy at the end of the lane. The guy that says hello and doesn't disturb the neighbours and just lives a quiet life. He walked calmly down the hall to the entry hall and stood looking out into the entry yard, all he had to do was walk out the door and keep going.
"That would be the easiest route to take, Arthur." A deep voice behind him said. Arthur jumped with shock and turned to see Merlin standing there looking out the door also.
"I have stood on that spot myself and wondered if just disappearing would be the more attractive option. No one expecting you to have the answers and deciding the fate of some poor soul that lost their way. But I never went out the door, do you know why?" he asked. Arthur just shook his head and looked back out the door.
"Because it is not my way to avoid that which is difficult, that which leads to sadness, or that which leads to happiness. All of those situations are what we are here to adjudicate, consider, weigh up, and sometimes get wrong. You are the true heir to the Throne and you need to understand that it isn't your fault that you haven't had the training or the exposure to the environment. Your father was taken from you in a most horrible manner and you learned to not remember him, mostly to spare you the loss and the hatred that comes with that loss. Percival raised a strong, intelligent thoughtful man, a man that I can see would agonise over the decisions he makes. I know that sounds horrific, but think about the joy and the pleasure that those decisions can make in the world." The tall Mage was silent for a moment before going on. "There will be times in the future where every decision will be draped in cloud and misunderstanding. As King, you can only do the very best you can do with the information you have to hand. Men and women will die, families will be left homeless and destitute, but those are the requirements of achieving the best possible outcome for the entire Empire. Your father struggled greatly with the loss of his men, and when a family was shattered he wanted to personally fix their pain." Merlin's eyes were filling with tears at the thought of his long lost friend and King. "But he knew that he couldn't fix everything, he could only do what he knew was right in his heart, to do the best for all. Do you understand Arthur?"
"Yes, but I am not my father, Merlin. I don't know in my heart what is best for me, let alone an entire empire. Christ I made a complete twat of myself the last time I tried to bed a pretty girl. I was so embarrassed that I ran away without a word to the poor girl." Arthur explained, his face reddening with embarrassment. "If I am that hopeless in my own life, how could I possibly be expected to make the right choice if we are war with an enemy that has experienced generals leading the fight? Or if a politician, well-schooled in the art of deception comes to me with one story that would lead to the destruction of others, because I couldn't see through the veil of deceit?"
"That my boy is what you have advisors and friends for. Do you think you will be sitting there alone, with no advice or intelligence on what is going on?" Arthur just shrugged. "I can tell you now, the group you have around you were the men that your father turned to when he was perplexed or unsure. I am only too happy and honoured to serve the son as I did the father, and if you asked the Geraint, Galahad, Gaheris or any of the others, I feel positive they would tell you exactly the same thing." He placed his hand on Arthurs shoulder and gently turned the lad toward him. "I am not going to stop you walking out that door, but, I will ask you to consider the consequences of that action. Remember, the Sword only responds to you." Merlin looked him in the eye, turned and strode back toward his office leaving Arthur alone in the entry hall with his thoughts.
The blue sky and the breeze he could see ruffling the leaves in the trees was so inviting, the freedom to just walk in the sunshine and not have the weight of the world on his shoulders, it was almost too much to resist. But, Merlin had seen into him, on the most basic levels, deep in his soul, and he knew that he would never be happy, nor satisfied with himself if he walked out that door. Arthur took a deep breath and let it slowly out, he was committed, whether he liked it or not, he was the last hope for the people and the country. He looked down at his boots, seeing his face looking back at him in the mirror shine, and he cursed softly turned and headed back to the Master Mages study.
Harold sat in the parlour room of his trailer, his mind was still trying to come to grips with the fact that the Sword was gone. After all the years of planning and preparation, the instrument of his victory was now in the hands of the one person he hated more than anyone. He would have to change his tact and make Arthur hand him the sword, yes he would make the pretender walk up and hand him the Sword and with it he would strike down his only true opponent. It that was left was to devise a plan that would force the young man to do as he desired. If Arthur wanted to protect the people of this country, then he would have to lay his own life down to do it, yes, unleash the hounds and let them feast on the fodder, that would flush the bastard out. Harold clapped his hands as would a child at a puppet show, laughing madly the whole time.