"where did you say lia came to camelot from?"

[1.9 — Excalibur]

Everyone was gathered in the Hall of Ceremonies. It was the day of Arthur's twenty-first birthday and the kingdom had been preparing for weeks. Not only was it a grand celebration, but he had finally come of age. It was time for him to be appointed as the Crown Prince of Camelot. As the Heir Apparent, not much would change, except for Arthur taking on a few more duties. However, the ceremony set in stone the fact that Arthur would be the next King of Camelot once Uther passed, and no one could legitimately contest it.

Arthur was kneeling before Uther, ready to take his vows.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and its dominions according to the statutes, customs, and laws laid down by your forebears?"

"I do, Sire."

"Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgments?"

"I do, Sire."

"And do you swear allegiance to Camelot, now and for as long as you shall live?"

"I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service and to the protection of the kingdom and its peoples," Arthur recited. Lia smiled, knowing that Merlin had been practicing with him for days to make sure he didn't say the wrong thing.

Uther then grabbed the thin, golden crown off a pillow, and lowered it onto Arthur's head. "Now being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth, you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot."

Uther smiled proudly down at his son as the court applauded, who then stood to face the crowd.

"So how does it feel to be servant to the Crown Prince of Camelot?" Gwen asked Merlin in a teasing tone.

"Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege," Merlin muttered, not wanting to give away how pleased he was.

"You're proud of him, really. Even though you complain about him constantly," Lia said, nudging his side. "You can't lie to me."

"I am not," Merlin denied.

"You are," Gwen said, smiling. "I can see it in your face."

"Those socks are very clean. Of course, I'm proud of them," Merlin stated, making the girls laugh.

Their joy was cut off by the large stained-glass window breaking. A knight, dressed in black armor, burst in on a horse. Screams erupted throughout the room as all the knights of Camelot drew their swords. The Black Knight slowly approached the group of warriors, stopping right in front of Arthur.

But the knight did not attack as everyone expected. Instead, he threw down his gauntlet at Arthur's feet. Arthur sheathed his sword and moved to pick it up, but another, much younger knight, beat him to it.

"I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge," he declared.

The Black Knight sharply turned his head to face Owain. "Single combat. Noon tomorrow. Till the death."

No one stopped the Black Knight as he left. Lia's eyes did not land on Sir Owain, as most people in the court's had, or Arthur. Instead, she kept her focus on Uther, who suddenly looked as if he had seen a ghost. By the fear on his face, she knew that this Black Knight was no stranger.

| | |

The celebrations for Arthur's ceremony had understandably been canceled. Lia and Merlin had quickly followed Gaius back to the physician chambers with few words spoken. They were all still a bit shocked by the arrival of the knight. They could only hope that Sir Owain would be able to beat him.

"Have you ever seen this Black Knight before?" Merlin asked Gaius.

"I don't believe so," Gaius muttered.

"You didn't recognize his crest?" he asked.

"Crest?"

Lia frowned at the seemingly clueless look on Gaius' face. "Which house is it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I didn't see it that clearly," Gaius replied, not looking up from the remedy he was brewing.

"Some kind of white bird," Lia stated, though Gaius acted as if she hadn't spoken.

"But he's not someone you'd forget in a hurry, is he?" Merlin asked, trying to get more out of Gaius.

"No."

"So you don't think he's from around here?" he prodded.

"That would seem likely."

"Then what's he doing here?" Lia asked. "Why challenge the knights?"

Gaius sighed in frustration. "Merlin, Lia, your faith in my all-seeing knowledge is both touching and wholly misplaced. Maybe if you've finished your work, you could go to bed and leave me to finish mine."

"Okay, we're going," Merlin told him. Both he and Lia started to go towards their room, but Merlin stopped. "Gaius?

Once again, Gaius sighed in annoyance. "Merlin?"

"Do you think Owain can beat him?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Gaius said.

Then he caught Lia's gaze, who was frowning. Out of all the knights, Owain was one that was frequently in for injuries. He wasn't a careful fighter by any means. They could only hope that he was good enough to beat the Black Knight.

Once Lia and Merlin retired to their room, she sat in front of her mirror and started brushing her hair out of its braid. Then she glanced at Merlin in the reflection, who was getting ready for bed. "That was odd, wasn't it?"

"Uh, a mysterious knight in black armor crashing through the window? Yeah, I'd say so," Merlin said, chuckling.

Lia rolled her eyes at how oblivious he could be sometimes. "Not that, Lin. Gaius. He was being shifty."

"Shifty?" Merlin repeated.

"I think Gaius knows more about that knight than he's letting on," she told him. "And not just him. I think Uther knows who it is as well. They both looked almost scared once he left."

"Well, whoever it is, Gaius doesn't want us to know," he said, frowning. "Maybe we'll find out tomorrow during the challenge."

"I just hope this doesn't end badly."

| | |

The crowd was still, no one daring to make a sound. The Black Knight stood unmoving in the center of the arena. His helmet faced forward pointed right at King Uther. He had the same nervous look on his face, but he masked it well — only Lia knew to look for it. She stood by Gaius' side at the entrance to the arena. They were to provide medical attention to the winner of the battle if needed.

Soon, Arthur led Sir Owain into the arena. Merlin had been walking with them but stopped at Lia's side. Slowly, the Black Knight turned to face Owain and Arthur as they approached.

"The fight shall be to the knight's rules, and to the death!" Arthur announced loudly for all to hear. Then he moved towards the stands, joining Uther. Owain put on his helmet, and then both knights raised their weapons. "Let battle commence."

As soon as it started, they saw how aggressively the Black Knight fought. Owain could do nothing but defend himself with his shield as one brutal attack after another landed. The Black Knight did not let up in his attacks long enough for Owain to even get his bearings, and the crowd knew he could not take the attacks much long.

"One well-aimed blow!" Arthur shouted at him.

Arthur seemed to have snapped some sense into Owain. It happened very quickly, but Owain's sword pierced the Black Knight's armor in the stomach.

"Yes!" Merlin exclaimed while Lia cheered.

However, the Black Knight did not go down as they expected him to. Lia was confused as he kept fighting. She had treated enough sword wounds to know that a hit like that should have set the Black Knight down — it even could've killed him. But instead he kept fighting, just as violently.

Owain didn't stand a chance. Once he was knocked to the ground, the Black Knight kicked off Owain's helmet. Then he stood over him and plunged his sword into Owain's chest. Lia hid her face in Merlin's chest just before the mortal blow landed.

The crowd had barely processed Owain's death before the Black Knight was walking towards where Uther and Arthur sat in the stands. "Who will take up my challenge?" he asked, once again throwing his gauntlet down.

Arthur bolted to jump over the barrier of the stands, but Uther quickly grabbed him, keeping him in place. Another knight, Sir Pellinor, jumped over the stands and grabbed the gauntlet instead.

"I, Sir Pellinor, take up the challenge."

"So be it," the Black Knight said.

His head snapped towards Uther for a moment before he exited the arena. As he passed, Merlin moved Lia behind him, as if he needed to shield her from the Black Knight. She watched him carefully as he walked. He didn't look the least bit affected by the battle.

"Should we tend to his wounds?" Merlin asked Gaius. "He took a hit."

"Owain didn't land a blow," Gaius denied.

"No, he's right. I saw it," Lia told him. "The sword definitely pierced him."

"Are you sure?" he asked them.

"Our eyes are quicker than yours," Merlin said.

"He should be dead, Gaius. I know it," Lia added.

"Perhaps he already is."

Lia looked at Gaius with wide, worried eyes. What could he possibly mean by that?

| | |

As it turned out, Lia didn't want to know what he meant. In fact, the last place she wanted to be was heading down the tunnel to the burial vaults under the castle searching for answers. But they needed them, and Merlin had dragged Lia along.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Merlin asked Gaius nervously.

"You're not scared, are you?" Gaius asked him in a teasing tone.

"No, but I'm assuming Lia is from how tightly she's holding my hand," Merlin said. Lia muttered an apology and loosed her hold, but didn't dare let go of him in the dark. "Besides, I love old crypts. I wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else."

Suddenly, the door to the tunnel slammed closed.

"Please tell me your magic did that," Lia squeaked out.

"Must've been a gust of wind," Gaius said, seeming unworried.

"We should've brought a torch," Merlin muttered, trying to see through the dark. Then he muttered a spell, pointing at an unlit torch on the wall. Once the flames sprang up, Merlin grabbed it off the wall.

"Handy!" Gaius said, smiling.

"Yes," Merlin said, glad his magic was being praised for once. The trio then made their way down to the vaults. Lia and Merlin glanced at all the different caskets, not sure what — or rather who — Gaius was trying to find. "What are we looking for?"

"Bring your torch over here," Gaius said, pointing to one casket in particular.

"We're breaking into someone's grave?" Merlin asked in disbelief.

However when they reached the tomb in question, the top was completely smashed apart. Whoever had been inside was now gone.

"We're too late," Gaius said. "I think someone's already broken out."

A chill ran down Lia's spine and she held onto the back of Merlin's jacket for comfort. "Can't we ever just have nice, normal days?"

The three of them rushed back up to the castle. They had to find out what had happened and how to stop the Black Knight before he could harm any more of the knights of Camelot, or worse, Arthur. It at least helped that Gaius seemed to know just who had come alive and escaped the vaults.

"Tristan de Bois was the brother of Ygraine, Uther's wife," Gaius explained once they were safely away in the physician chambers.

"Arthur's mother?" Merlin asked, in surprise. Neither he nor Lia had heard anything about Arthur's mother since arriving in Camelot. It was likely too hard for them to talk about.

"Ygraine died in childbirth. He blamed Uther and came to the gates of Camelot and challenged him," he told them.

"To single combat," Merlin muttered.

"Uther won. But in his dying breath, Tristan cursed Camelot to one day suffer his return," Gaius said while getting a book out. "I thought it was the ramblings of a dying man."

"Men don't just rise up from the dead, though, no matter how angry they are," Merlin said.

Gaius opened the book and flipped to a particular page. It had a drawing of a horrible skeletal knight come to life on the page. "It's my guess we're dealing with a wraith."

"A wraith?" Lia asked, never having heard of the creature.

"The spirit of a dead man conjured from the grave," he explained.

"So this is the work of a sorcerer?" Merlin asked.

"Powerful magic can harness the grief and rage of a tormented soul and make it live again," Gaius told them.

"How do we stop it?"

"We can't," he told Merlin. "Because it's not alive, no mortal weapon can kill it."

"Surely there must be something," Lia said. She didn't want to sit by and watch the Black Knight kill off the knights of Camelot one by one.

"Nothing can stop it until it has achieved what it came for," Gaius said.

"And what's that?" Merlin asked, worried about the answer.

"Revenge."

"On Camelot? What does that mean for Sir Pellinor?" Lia asked, worried for the man's life.

Gaius only gave her a grim look. "I'm afraid it doesn't look good."

| | |

"Do not worry, Sir Pellinor is one of our best fighters." Leon had joined Lia before the challenge as people slowly started filling the stands. He could make out the worried look on her face from across the arena, so he made his way over to her to console her. "I am confident in his ability to beat the Black Knight."

"And what if he isn't?" Lia asked, frowning. She kept her eyes glued to the Black Knight, who was unmoving in the center of the arena. Leon didn't know what she, Merlin, and Gaius knew.

"Then another knight will accept his challenge—"

"Not you," Lia interrupted quickly. She turned to look up at him to make sure Leon knew how serious she was being. "I know you have your code and your honor, but please don't be the one to pick up the gauntlet. Do not make me watch you die."

"You should have more faith in my skills as a knight," he said playfully, trying to cheer her up.

"Leon, I'm serious. There's something... wrong about this knight. I cannot watch you meet the same fate as Sir Owain if Sir Pellinor is not successful. You've proved yourself as the best knight Camelot has. You don't need to face him to prove that," she told him. "Promise me, Leon."

Leon tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from Lia's ribbon behind her ear, before nodding. "The challenge is about to begin. I must join the other knights."

Once again, Merlin, Gaius, and Lia waited by the entrance of the arena as the fight commenced. Lia watched the battle closely, thinking back on all she had read about wraiths the night before. The Black Knight fought just as aggressively as he had against Owain, but Sir Pellinor was at least more prepared. He fought well, which gave the crowd hope that he could win.

"Maybe you were wrong," Merlin said to Gaius with a hopeful smile.

"I hope so," Gaius said.

As the fight continued, no one knight got the upper hand over the other. And then as Pellinor blocked an attack with his shield, he ran the Black Knight all the way through with his sword. Everyone cheered, thinking that the battle was over.

But the Black Knight did not fall, and Sir Pellinor was too stunned to defend himself from the fatal blow. Pellinor fell to the ground, dead, and the crowd grew silent. Without waiting, the Black Knight walked up to the stands.

However another gauntlet was thrown at his feet. A soft gasp left Lia's lips when she realized who it belonged to.

"I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you."

"So be it," the Black Knight replied.

"Single combat. Noon. Tomorrow."

| | |

"You were right," Merlin told Gaius as he nervously paced the physician chambers.

"I wish I wasn't," he said.

"If Arthur fights that thing, he'll die," Lia said, her voice cracking. She was already a mess just thinking about it.

"He is Camelot's strongest warrior. If anyone can defeat it, he can," Gaius said, trying to think on the bright side.

"You said yourself, no mortal weapon can kill it," Merlin reminded him. "Which means we have to find a way to defeat the wraith ourselves."

"How do you propose to do that?" Gaius asked.

"If no mortal sword will kill it—" Merlin suddenly ran into his room and returned with the magic book. "—then I will. With mortal magic."

"Merlin, it's too dangerous," Gaius warned.

"We don't have a choice," Merlin said, flipping through the book.

Merlin and Lia continued to look through the book for several hours. It felt like they had read each page before Merlin found a spell that he thought would work. The sun had set by the time they rushed down to the training grounds, where the Black Knight was waiting.

He didn't move, not even as Merlin muttered a spell sending an attack of fire towards him. It was as if the Black Knight didn't even feel the flames that licked at his armor. Slowly, the fire died out, and then the Black Knight turned to look right at Merlin and Lia.

Merlin grabbed Lia's hand and quickly ran away, though the knight didn't bother chasing after them. Merlin ran them all the way to Arthur's chambers to warn him against fighting the wraith. Without knocking, he burst into the room. Arthur had been practicing his sword maneuvers but stopped upon their arrival.

"Merlin, you know that conversation we had about knocking—"

"You have to pull out," Merlin interrupted. He dropped Lia's hand as he walked up to the Prince.

"And why is that?" Arthur asked, rolling his eyes.

"Because he'll kill you," Merlin stated.

"Why does everybody think that?" Arthur asked angrily.

"Because they're right! Just pull out. You're the Crown Prince. No one wants to see you die over some stupid challenge," Merlin told him.

"I am not a coward," Arthur claimed.

"I know that. I've stood there and I've watched you overcome every fear you've ever faced."

"That's what's required of me," Arthur said, inspecting his sword.

"But you are more than that. You're not merely a warrior. You're a prince, a future king! You've proved your courage, but you must prove your wisdom," Merlin argued.

"I'm not backing down," he said before going back to practicing with his sword.

"Please, Arthur, listen to me. This is no ordinary knight," Merlin said. He walked over to the window to look down at the Black Knight in the training grounds. "Look at him. He doesn't eat. He doesn't sleep. He just stands there, in complete silence. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"No one is unbeatable."

"If you fight him, you will die," Merlin warned.

"I'm not listening to this," Arthur muttered.

"I'm trying to warn you, Arthur—"

"And I'm trying to warn you, Merlin!"

Arthur swung his sword to Merlin's throat as he shouted. Both men heard the small gasp that left Lia's lips — the only sound she had made since arriving — but they continued to stare each other down. Eventually, Merlin shook his head and stalked off. Lia glanced at Arthur for a moment, not sure if she should say anything before following.

"Just go, Lia," Arthur said, looking to the ground. "I don't need another person I care about telling me that I'm not good enough to beat him."

"I understand," she said. And Lia did understand. She knew better than most what it felt like to have the pressure of a whole kingdom on your shoulders. Despite how much she hated it, she knew why Arthur would not withdraw from the duel. "You'll beat him."

"You're the first to say that to me," he told her. "You really think so?"

Lia bit her tongue and forced a smile on her face. "The alternative is much too unthinkable."

Arthur nodded in understanding. "Have a good night, Lia. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes. After the match," she said, nodding. "Rest well, My Lord."

Once Lia left Arthur's chambers, she found Merlin. They would not give up on finding a way to stop the wraith, so they made their way to the Hall of Records. Of course, they had to use Merlin's magic to sneak in given that it was much too late to be in there.

The pair searched through the countless scrolls and books, not knowing where to start. When Merlin was searching one of the shelves, he knocked a large book to the ground. The thumping noise attracted the attention of Geoffrey, who they had been trying to avoid.

"How did you two get in here?" he asked as Lia joined Merlin's side.

"The door was open," Merlin quickly lied.

"No, I locked it," Geoffrey said, no doubt in his tone.

"Well, someone else must've opened it, then," Merlin said.

"And you thought you'd come in and help yourself?" he asked, unimpressed.

"We were looking for a book. For Gaius," Lia said. Then she decided that being honest was the best bet since they were on a time crunch. "He thinks the Black Knight is a wraith."

"Then Arthur is in grave peril," Geoffrey said, his face falling.

"Which is why we're here," Merlin said. "I need to find a weapon that will kill something that's already dead."

"Well, I've read of such things in the ancient chronicles," he told them.

"Really? What did they say?" Merlin asked.

"Well, several fables speak of ancient swords."

"That can kill the dead?" Lia asked hopefully.

"The swords the fables speak of could destroy anything, alive or dead," he explained.

"Can you show us one of these fables?" Merlin asked him.

"Well, let me think. Yes," he muttered. Geoffrey slowly moved to one of the shelves and began combing through it.

Merlin rocked back and forth on his feet restlessly. "I'm sort of in a hurry."

"Yes, you young people always are," he retorted.

Geoffrey certainly took his time finding the book and flipping to the correct page. Lia and Merlin leaned against the table impatiently waiting for him to finish.

"This is the Chronicle of Beltain. Now then, ah, here we are. Sir Marhaus looked upon the great sword, begotten in the dragon's breath and found it passing good," he read.

"What did you say?" Lia asked, sharing a look with Merlin.

"Sir Marhaus—"

"No, no. No, no. Not about him," Merlin said. "The dragon."

"The great sword begotten in the dragon's breath—"

Merlin and Lia had taken off before Geoffrey could even finish reading the end of the sentence.

"We need a sword," Merlin said as they rushed down the halls. "Where are we gonna get a sword?"

Lia paused and Merlin stopped with her. A determined look crossed her face. "I've got one."

"Lia, are you sure?" Merlin asked. He knew how much the sword from her father meant to her.

"It's to save Arthur's life," Lia said. "Of course I'm sure."

Once Merlin was positive that she would not regret the decision, they ran back to their shared chambers. Lia grabbed her sword from under her bed, and then they were leaving just as quickly. They ran until they reached the Dragon's Cave, knowing they needed to hurry.

"Merlin. Illyria," the Great Dragon greeted.

"Do you know why we're here?" he asked him.

"It may surprise you, Merlin, but my knowledge of your life is not universal," the Great Dragon replied.

"It's to do with Arthur. His life's in danger. He will die unless I can make a weapon that will kill the dead," Merlin explained.

"So what do you come to ask of me?"

Lia held out her sword, and Merlin used his magic to float it in front of the Great Dragon. "Will you burnish it to save Arthur?"

The dragon eyed the sword carefully for a moment. "This was forged in Lórien," he noted. "Perfectly made."

"It's mine," Lia told him.

"The dead do not return without reason. Who has he come for?" the Great Dragon asked, looking away from the weapon.

"Uther."

"Then let him take his vengeance and the wraith will die without my aid," he replied.

"But it's Arthur who's going to fight him. You have to save him," Lia pleaded.

"That is the young warlock's destiny, not mine," he told her.

"But if Arthur fights the wraith and dies, Camelot will have no heir. I will have no destiny," Merlin argued.

The Great Dragon thought for a moment. "A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power."

"I know," Merlin told him.

"You do not know. You can only guess. You have not seen what I have seen. If you had, perhaps you would not ask this of me," he said.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.

"In the wrong hands, this sword could do great evil. It must be wielded by Arthur and Illyria, only them alone."

Merlin glanced at Lia and nodded. "I understand."

"You must do more than understand. You must promise."

"I promise," Merlin said.

"I promise," Lia repeated.

The Great Dragon reared back before breathing fire on the sword. Lia and Merlin stepped back and shielded their eyes from the bright flames. Once it was finished, Lia looked at her sword, which had changed. There was gold plating on the blade, and she could see something written on it, but could not make out the words. The sword floated back to them, and Lia was the one to grab it. She was surprised when it was cool to the touch.

"Heed my words," the Great Dragon warned once more. "The sword was forged for Arthur and Illyria, and them alone."

| | |

The morning of the challenge, Lia accompanied Merlin to the armory. They both knew that Arthur would recognize her sword, meaning it would likely take some convincing on Lia's part to get him to accept it. Lia watched Merlin with a smile as he admired the sword as it shined in the sunlight. It would make her proud to see Arthur wield it.

"That's a fine blade." They both looked up to see that Uther had entered the armory. Only, he was dressed in chainmail and looked ready for battle.

"It's for Arthur," Merlin told him, smiling.

"He won't be needing it today. I will be taking Arthur's place," Uther revealed.

"My Lord?" Lia questioned, worried for his safety in the fight.

"It is my decision," he assured her. Then he looked to Merlin. "Prepare me for battle."

"Arthur should be the one that fights today," Merlin protested.

"The grievance is with me. The fight is mine," Uther stated.

"I don't have your armor," Merlin said. As he spoke, he slowly covered the sword with a cloth, hoping Uther would forget about it.

"That'll do," the King said, nodding to Arthur's armor. "It's likely to make little difference."

Merlin moved to gather everything and noticed Uther eyeing the sword. "Um, I'll get you your sword."

"This will be fine," he said, picking it up.

"No, Sire. You don't understand. Um, that one is a gift for Arthur," Merlin explained.

"From who?" Uther questioned, eying the craftsmanship with a calculated look.

"From me, My Lord," Lia admitted. Uther looked at her, surprised. "It's my blade, but the Prince has commented on many occasions that he'd like to borrow it sometime. I thought this a fitting time."

Uther looked from Lia to the blade with something similar to recognition in his eyes. "Who made it?"

Lia swallowed thickly. "My father."

"It's worthy of a King," Uther said. Merlin nervously continued to put his armor on while the King did not take his eyes off the sword.

"You would be better off with a sword you trusted," Merlin said, trying to change his mind. Lia knew it was hopeless though. She knew the sword and she knew a warrior like Uther would not turn it down.

"No. It has perfect balance," Uther said, doing a test swing. He gave Lia an impressed look. "Your father must be the best swordsmith there is. You must pass on my praise when you see him next."

"He was not a swordsmith, Sire, and I'm afraid he's dead," she said, keeping her eyes to the ground. "I should be joining Gaius. Good luck, My Lord."

Lia rushed from the armory, not wanting to be under Uther's hawk-like stare anymore. It was as if she could read his mind as he studied the sword and then her, making the connections in his mind. And she did not want to be around for him to question.

| | |

Everyone in the crowd was shocked when King Uther entered the arena instead of his son. Though Lia noted that Gaius was not surprised to see him, meaning he had likely been involved in the switch. Uther marched up to the wraith.

"You can have what you came for. The father, not the son."

A guard removed Uther's cape before he put on his helmet. The battle began just as the others had, with the Black Knight making the first move. Lia was almost shocked when Uther matched each of the Black Knight's blows with surprising strength. He fought just as well as any of his young knights.

And then Uther knocked the helmet off the Black Knight.

It was revealed to all that the Black Knight was not a man. He was dead, with rotted skin and sunken eyes. The reveal did not stop the fight though — if anything, the wraith's attack grew more violent. Uther was knocked to the ground and his sword fell away. The Black Knight attacked relentlessly, and everyone began to think that all was lost. But then the Black Knight's sword got stuck in Uther's shield.

It gave the King time to roll away and grab his sword. The wraith was too busy trying to free its sword, so it didn't have time to defend itself from Uther's attack. He ran his sword straight through the wraith's chest. They all watched as the wraith caught fire and then exploded into nothingness.

Slowly, Uther got to his feet and tossed the sword to the ground as the crowd cheered. Lia and Merlin shared a worried look before glancing back at the weapon. Yes, the wraith had been defeated, but at what cost?

| | |

After the fight, Gaius tended to Uther's wounds in the council chambers alone.

"I thought you said a wraith couldn't be killed," Uther said, frowning.

"Yes, it was remarkable," Gaius noted. Then he spotted the weapon sitting with the rest of Uther's armor. "Is that a new sword, Sire?"

"Yes, I was wanting to speak with you about it," Uther told him. He picked up the blade and handed it to Gaius. "It's the best I've ever fought with, and likely ever will fight with."

"Strange," Gaius muttered, reading the writing on it. "These markings read, "Take me up," and on the other side, "Cast me away." May I ask from where you got it, Sire?"

"From your apprentice."

Gaius looked to the King with wide eyes. "Lia gave you this?"

"It was meant for Arthur, but yes," Uther said. "Where did you say Lia came to Camelot from?"

"She and Merlin both came from a small village in Essetir called Ealdor," Gaius said, clearing his throat. He wasn't comfortable with the direction the conversation was going.

"Has she lived there her whole life?" he prodded.

Gaius knew if he tried to lie, the King would see through it. "No, Sire. I believe she moved there when she was very young with her father."

"She comes from Lórien." It wasn't a question. Uther spoke with certainty as he looked back at the sword. "I don't know how, but she does."

"My Lord, no one in the kingdom survived—"

"Well she did," he declared. "Perhaps they were traveling somewhere else during the attack. I don't know how she escaped that sorcerer's wrath, but she did."

"And what do you wish to do about it, Sire?" Gaius asked hesitantly.

After a moment, Uther shook his head. "Nothing, though perhaps I will ask her about it in the future. Lia and this sword are all that remain Florian's kingdom. I am glad we have her."

Gaius calmed slightly, happy to know that Uther hadn't uncovered everything that Lia had been trying to cover up for her entire life. "As am I, Sire."

| | |

Lia and Merlin stayed silent throughout dinner. They were both rushing through it, feeling anxious with Gaius' beady stare on them.

"You both know why I'm looking at you," he eventually said.

"No," Merlin muttered.

"Not a clue," Lia mumbled, looking down at her stew.

"Uther told me you provided him with his sword today," Gaius said, looking at Lia.

"It must have been a very powerful blade to slay the dead," Merlin said while Lia continued to stare at the table.

"Did you enchant it for her?" he asked Merlin.

"No. I didn't," Merlin denied.

"Who did then?" Gaius asked.

"Wasn't me," he said, technically not lying.

Gaius thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Shame. It saved the King's life. I'd have been very proud of you."

Merlin began to smile proudly. "Well—"

"Never mind," Gaius said, looking back down at his dinner. He gave Merlin, who was frowning, a knowing smile. Then he looked to Lia with a more serious look. "The King knows where you're from, Illyria."

"What?" she asked, dropping her spoon in the bowl.

"He doesn't know who you are, though," he assured her. Lia calmed down the slightest bit. "But don't be surprised if he approaches you about it. You're the only survivor in all of Albion. Be prepared to answer some hard questions."

Lia nodded in understanding. This had been her first real slip-up in her attempt to hide her identity. She'd have to be more careful.

| | |

Lia had never heard the Great Dragon's voice in her head before, so it was a shock when it woke her up. She squinted through the dark at Merlin, who had also just woken up. They shared a look before getting up and rushing to the dragon's cave. They had some explaining to do.

"So, does Arthur live?" the Great Dragon asked.

"Yes, the sword worked. It was incredible. Amazing," Lia told him, smiling nervously.

"As I promised," he replied.

"But," Merlin muttered.

"Yes?"

"Things didn't quite go according to plan," Merlin admitted hesitantly. Lia gave him an encouraging nod. "I mean they did, except it wasn't Arthur who wielded the sword. It was Uther."

"NO!" the Great Dragon yelled before roaring loudly in anger.

"I tried, but he just took it!" Merlin shouted. The Great Dragon flapped his wings and continued to roar. "Uther's the King. I couldn't stop him!"

"The sword was born of the old magic. You have no idea of its power. In the hands of Uther, it will bring only evil," he said.

"I'll get it back," Merlin promised.

"You have betrayed me. You are not ready to be trusted," the Great Dragon said.

"I'll bring it to you. You can destroy it," Merlin said.

"What is made cannot be unmade," he stated.

"So what do you want us to do?" Lia asked.

"Take the sword far from here and place it where no mortal man can ever find it," the Great Dragon instructed before flying away.

Once they left the cave, Lia and Merlin snuck into the armory where Uther had left the sword. The next morning, they set off to the woods. Merlin led them to the lake of Avalon, thinking that it was the safest bet. He handed the sword to Lia, letting her do the honors.

She looked down at the gift from her father with a sad smile. It made her sorrowful, knowing she'd never see it again, but she knew it needed to be done. Lia took a deep breath before throwing the sword into the lake, where it sank to the bottom.

"You threw that pretty far," Merlin noted, trying to cheer her up.

Lia smiled and linked her arm with his as they started walking back towards Camelot. "Well, I've had a lot of practice with throwing rotten tomatoes at your face."