The little group went back down through the castle towards the outer courtyard. The sounds of battle had faded away, leading Philip to believe that either the Guardians were waiting for them or Merlin had driven them off. Whichever the case, Philip was prepared for anything. He didn't really care what was coming.

Mimi was still unconscious, mumbling under her breath. Philip was a little worried the knock to her head had permanently injured her, but he didn't dwell on it. He had enough problems without imagining new ones to add to them. Holding her in his arms, he narrowly avoided getting slapped in the face when she squirmed around, her arms flailing.

Finally—it didn't happen soon enough for Philip—they reached the doors leading outside. They were wide open and badly burned, but still in decent shape. At the very least, they weren't falling off the hinges. The rebellion was standing around the courtyard, some tending to injuries, others just standing there stupidly. Chances were, it was their first battle, and Philip was willing to bet that it was startling to them, to say the least.

Merlin approached them, a cut on his forehead but otherwise unharmed. "Where were you?" he said irritably.

"Killing the dragon," Philip snapped. "That nearly killed your prisoners."

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You killed the dragon?"

"Yeah," Philip said. "It's dead."

"Philip killed it. No thanks to you," Martin said in an unfriendly tone. Philip shot him a glare that clearly told him to cut it out. The boy subsided, though he looked unhappy about it.

Merlin's voice was practically dripping in venom. "Oh, really," he said. "Well, congratulations to him, isn't it? I trust that you are unharmed, dragon killer?"

"I'm okay," Philip answered, taking a more neutral tone of voice. It was obvious that Merlin was hostile towards Mimi and Martin—he wouldn't have put them in a cell if he wasn't. The only way to keep both of them safe would be to appeal to Merlin's better nature. Hopefully, he had one. "What's the plan now?"

"The plan," Merlin said, "is to place Miriam Winthrop on trial for treason, attempted murder, and betrayal. The Guardians found us through her. And she will be put to death."

"Now, hold on just a minute," Philip protested. "She literally can't betray you! I mean, her oath on the River Styx and all that? In case you forgot?"

Merlin shook his head. "She found her way around it. There's no one else who would betray us so blatantly."

"Maybe it's not as blatantly obvious as you think," Martin said. "Or can you—" Again, a look from Philip stopped him.

"She will be put on trial. The rebellion will decide her fate."

"At least wait to put her on trial until she can actually defend herself," Philip said. "She's unconscious. Give us an hour?"

After a long moment, Merlin finally gave a curt nod. "One hour," he said. "Any longer than that, and the trial will commence. Remember that." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

Philip made a face at his retreating back. "Remember that," he spat. "Honestly. I'm getting sick of his attitude every day that goes by."

"You haven't even been here for a day," Goldie pointed out.

Philip shrugged. "That just goes to show you how annoying he is, then. Come on. Let's go somewhere private where we can figure out how to prove Mimi innocent to the rest of the rebellion."

. . . . . . . . . .

To Philip's surprise, Goldie accompanied the others to an empty and undestroyed room in the castle. Why she was still hanging around, he wasn't sure, but by the time they reached the room, Mimi had regained consciousness. It only took them a few minutes to tell her what had happened, but she didn't seem happy, judging from the intensity of the words coming out of her mouth.

Martin swiftly got them back on track from Philip's bed. Philip sat with his legs straight out next to the bad, and Goldie leaned on the foot of it. Mimi sat beside Martin. "How are we to prove she's innocent?" he asked, getting to the heart of the problem.

"We've got to appeal to the rebellion's better nature," Philip said. "Even if Merlin has no mercy, they might have some."

"What if Merlin influences them?" Mimi questioned. "Then we'd be in trouble. Or, more appropriately, I'd be in trouble."

"I won't let anything happen to you," Philip promised. "Trust me."

"Instead of making empty promises, let's have some action," Goldie suggested. "There must be a connection you can make to them. Merlin is going to paint Mimi as a pitiless Guardian, and you need to show that she's not. That she feels like we feel."

"Can you do that?" Philip said to Mimi.

Mimi stared at her feet. "How can I connect to them?" she asked. "I ..."

Philip extended his hand. "A word, if I may?" he said. Looking at him like a cornered animal, she reluctantly placed her hand in his palm and let him help her up. She followed him out into the hallway and Philip looked at her. "Mimi ... I know you don't like to talk about this, but you need to tap into your emotional side. There's a perfect way to connect with them and you know it."

Mimi was suddenly blinking back tears. "Philip, you know I can't talk about that. I'll just—just go to pieces."

Philip laid his hands on her shoulders. "Miriam, you've got to. If you don't seem like a real person, they'll kill you. I can't ... can't live without you. You know that, even if you don't accept it."

Mimi swallowed, chewing her lip. "But it just feels wrong to use ... use them as my reasoning. Like an insult to them."

"I don't think they'd mind for you using it to save your life," Philip replied. "And it's not like you're lying. It really happened, and it really affects you. You just have to show them that you're a real-live person."

"I don't think I can do this," Mimi said, her voice trembling. "Phil ..."

He ignored any reservations he had and put his arms around her. After a moment of hesitation, she returned the gesture. It was, hands-down, the most awkward hug Philip had ever had, yet he didn't want it to end. Since it was the first time she had ever let him embrace her, he wanted it to continue.

However, it ended only a few moments later, and Mimi's face was beet-red. He distinctly heard her mutter something about "Martin" before raising her eyes to meet his. "Let's go back in," she said. "I'll ... I'll try to do what you ask."

. . . . . . . . . .

About fifty minutes later, the group was escorted back down to the courtyard, where the rebellion was assembled. Hostile eyes fell on Philip and his friends, and he cringed a little. Hopefully, his plan would work. Otherwise, they were all dead, and not just Mimi. He decided not to voice that particular thought. Things were bad enough as it was.

Their armed guard stopped them in the middle of the rebels, and silence fell. Merlin stood in front of them, his expression unfriendly. Then again, he always looked like that. Philip said nothing, merely returning his gaze with a neutral look of his own. He would not let the other man intimidate him. "Miriam Winthrop, you have been charged with betraying the rebellion," Merlin said, his voice quiet but carrying to the rebellion's ears. "How do you plead?"

Mimi raised her chin and fixed Merlin with a look of displeasure. "Not guilty," she replied.

That was evidently the reply Merlin had been hoping for; his lips turned up in a smile. "Indeed," he said. "Miriam Winthrop pleads not guilty. Let the trial commence. Miss Winthrop, you will be allowed three minutes to defend yourself. Your time begins now."

For a brief moment, Mimi looked Philip in the eye, terror written across her face. He gave her the slightest hint of a nod and a smile, despite the fear inside of himself. Taking a deep breath, Mimi began a speech she had not practiced. "People of The Story. If I had been standing before you yesterday, or the day before, the speech I would be making you would have been very different. It would have been about how I believed that you were nothing, that you deserved nothing more than to be controlled by the Guardians. How you were nothing but characters in a book, words on a page. I would have claimed that you deserve what you have, those of you who were former Guardians, and that those who were not Guardians were not even people. I would have said that you have no souls, that death means nothing to you. I would have declared the Guardians superior and accepted my death sentence as a badge of honor, serving the Guardians until death."

Oddly enough, the assembled members of The Story made no sound. From the expressions on their faces, none of them knew where Mimi was trying to go with her speech. Not even Philip knew if she would be able to finish it. He could hardly listen for the prayers he was whispering soundlessly and fervently.

Taking another deep breath, Mimi went on, "I know differently now. I can see how blind I was, how foolish. The Guardians call for people to serve them without question, obey them indisputably, and punish them for any disobedience, intention or not. Is that right? No. I realize now how flawed the Guardians' methods are. I was shown the truth by someone very close to me. And I realize now just how wrong I truly was. Perhaps people will call me foolish. I should have realized the truth far earlier. You see, several years ago ... my parents were Guardians. So were my two older brothers. I was the youngest, the only girl of my family. Aside from my mum, of course. Life couldn't have been any more perfect. I never even had to come into The Story. My brothers or my parents always did it. I lived, completely oblivious to how positively naïve I was. What could be better for a young girl, than to live knowing that fairy tales are real? But I never knew how dangerous The Story actually was."

A pin drop could have been heard, it was so silent in the courtyard. Even the animals in the forest were silent.

"One day, my parents and my brothers had to go into The Story. It was a massive problem. I never knew what it was." Only Philip could hear the tension in her voice, the heartbreak lingering beneath her seemingly calm appearance. "They went into The Story and ... they never came back. My whole family, wiped out in a moment. I am the last of the Winthrops. And do you know the worst part? I cannot carry on my family name. Only my brothers could have done so. There will never be another Winthrop. Only me." Her voice had fallen in volume, and tears slid down her cheeks. Somehow, she kept going. "In one day, I went from a naïve little girl to having to grow up. Did the Guardians care that I was young, that I had never gone into The Story before? No. I had to do what my parents had done, without being trained, without being taught. Any mistake would've gotten me written in. My bitterness at the members of The Story comes from this, and only now do I realize that some of you—a lot of you—have been forced to live this kind of life, over and over. Losing a person you love. Dying. Death is a daily thing for you. And it must stop. So, in conclusion, Merlin has accused me of betraying you. I am not going to attempt to sway you either way. Let me words be your decision. Am I telling the truth? Am I really bitter against the Guardians?" She stopped, breathed, and said, softly, "Do I deserve the fate my family had?"

For a minute, nobody spoke. Mimi turned to Merlin, her face unreadable. "I'm finished," she said.

Merlin nodded, unmoved by her speech. "Make your choice, rebels. Those who would let this traitor live, stand behind her. But those who would see her die ... remain where you are."

Merlin's words remained for a few seconds, echoing in the silence. Philip, Goldie, and Martin stood behind Mimi, but nobody else made a move. Terror welled up in Philip, and he saw Martin clench his fists, ready to fight his way out if necessary. Philip desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Then someone moved towards Mimi. It was a man with red hair and a lute slung over his shoulder. He bowed to her. "Lady Winthrop, your words ring true with the bard of Sherwood Forest," he said, and took his position behind her.

Inspired by the bard, the rest of the Merry Men flowed behind her. Knights of Camelot, led by the gray-haired Bedivere, took up position with them. Princesses, knights, witches, warlocks, even animals also moved behind her. Of the close to two thousand assembled for the rebellion, only about fifty condemned Mimi, including Merlin. Mimi was crying freely, her hands at her sides, letting the tears stream down her face. Philip went up to her, wrapping his hand around her shoulder. She turned and took him by surprise when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Those who had sided with Mimi let out a rousing cheer. Merlin turned and entered the castle with a scowl on his face. Those who had sided against her followed Merlin, but none of the others paid them any heed. Some of the men put Mimi and Philip on their shoulders, cheering for the "dragon killer" and the "noble Guardian". Martin stood by, laughing and cheering them on.

Mimi kissed Philip again—both times on the lips—and he stared at her. She smiled. "Martin told me to give you another chance," she whispered. "And I shall."

"Don't worry," he answered in the same tone. "I won't do something stupid this time."

The rebellion had declared Miriam Winthrop innocent.