CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE LABYRINTH OF GEDREF ( ii. )

Sometimes, when Calliope surfaces from a nightmare, her terrors drift into waking hours until she is able to pinch herself back into reality and show her racing mind that she's safe. Much like this morning as she shoots upright in bed, drenched in sweat and her body shaking violently. Her heart hammers so hard against her chest that it aches. The blonde takes several deep breathes, running her hands through her hair and pinching her forearm; there's always a red mark present there.

As her heart descends to it's normal pace, Calliope swings her legs off the edge of the bed, but flashes from the nightmare remain in her thoughts. In her gut-wrenching dream, the blood wraiths had found her, and they were crushing her lungs from the inside out while she was forced to watch everyone she cares about suffer the same fate.

Fear is weakness. She reminds herself, clutching the wooden sides of her bed so hard her knuckles turn a pearly white. You cannot be afraid.

She can't ignore now much the nightmares are increasing as her inevitable fate creeps closer to her like an ominous shadow. Sleep is no longer peaceful, but something she dreads, laying awake at night with her eyes on the ceiling until her body forces her into a fretful slumber. Constant bags drag down Calliope's gaze, but today is worse somehow.

As she walks through the markets, joining Morgana and Gwen for a quick outing to get the king's ward silk for a new dress, she struggles to pay attention to any words they are saying. Her eyes droop; her muscles aching for a good rest and lulling her to drift amongst the terrors that haunt her during the night. Calliope wishes she could say that the faces of the men she has killed never visit her dreams; that their limp bodies and fixed eyes never implant themselves behind her closed lids, but that would be a lie. No matter how much she tries to play off her remorse like the common cold, it always finds her--entraps her in it's skeletal grip.

Of course she misses Morgana's question, not moving her head to examine the fresh silk threading between her fingers as she asked for an opinion, "...Cal?"

Calliope's eyes snap back to reality, focusing on the sheer material, "Oh, yeah, it's nice."

"Are you alright?" Gwen asks, her eyes prodding for an honest answer that Calliope would never give.

"I guess I'm just kind of on edge with everything going on," it's a sufficient lie; something flickering through everyone's minds.

The king's ward shrugs her shoulders, "Gwen and I handed out what we could from the palace kitchens. Having the water running through the city again is a miracle, but without food..." she trails off, not wanting to finish the sentence because just the thought is almost too much to bear.

Arthur had passed his first test, and his reward saved the city from dying of thirst, but he would have to do even better to bring the crops back to life. In the back of her mind, Calliope knows his next test won't be an easy task. She only hopes, for the sake of everyone, that he's prepared.

Calliope almost wants to go to him and give him a few words of advice, but she wonders how much longer she will be able to stand in his presence without shattering from the inside out. Still, she longs to be near him, even if it means destroying the parts of her she has been trying to mend. That he's been mending. Cracks and crevices of her stained heart, once a beautiful color now encompassed in ugly hues of gray.

He is the reds and blues and yellows and every color in between. And I will always be the gray.

For the rest of the morning, Calliope does her best to distract herself with conversation. Gwen and Morgana want to keep their minds off the troubling situation with the food and Calliope needs to keep her darkness at bay. They provide the company she needs, but the other two women can tell their friend is off by the limited jabs and sarcastic comments. She just seems so...distant from the present moment; from everything.

It isn't until she arrives back in the physician's chambers in the late afternoon when she finally seems to be gripped into the scene before her where Merlin does his usual pacing. What now? What has the prince fucked up this time?

As if the young sorcerer can read her thoughts, he turns to her in a frenzy, his words quick and crisp.

"Arthur failed the second test." What? When did that even happen? He sees the puzzled expression lining her face, stepping forward to explain further. "We decided it would be best to seek Ahnora out. There wasn't time to come find you, and Arthur and I... we got separated."

"Well, there's another test, right?" Calliope asks, knowing very well everything at stake, but from the downfall of Merlin's face, she knows the answer.  The blonde slumps down at the bench by the table, rubbing her eyes in frustration. "Shit." These two idiots get left alone for five seconds, and this is what happens?

Merlin sits across from her, "The grain leftover in storage has already rotted. There's nothing left."

Calliope brings her knee up on the bench, resting her elbow against it as her eyebrows pinch in thought, "Do you think, if you went and spoke to Anhora, that he would give Arthur one final chance?"

"I don't know," he says through a sigh. "But, I guess there's only one way to find out."

♛ ♛ ♛

There is one more chance for Arthur to save Camelot; one more chance for him to right the wrong of killing the unicorn, but such a test will not be easy, and it will likely cater to the prince's greatest weaknesses so he can truly prove himself.

He wants to go alone. The burden of bringing famine and drought to his people has made him insistent on no one else suffering because of this curse. Calliope cannot shake the overwhelming feeling to go tack up a horse right now alongside him. There's no doubt Merlin is having the exact same thoughts. He's always there to have Arthur's back; to use his magic, something dangerous and forbidden, to ensure the prince's survival.

And as dawn approaches, after another night of no sleep, Calliope cannot keep her thoughts to herself any longer. She lunges out of bed, grabbing her boots and lacing them up quickly before heading for the stables. She doesn't know if she will reach him in time. A small part of her worries that when she arrives at the stables, his horse's stall will be empty and the prince no where to be found.

Her feet stop moving, a wave of relief rushing through her as she sees Prince Arthur standing by his horse, reins in hand. He is clad in chainmail with his sword hanging at his side. She arrived just in time; just before the dawn can sneak into the darkness.

The sound of her boots clicking against cobblestone draws his attention. He's not surprised to see her, and he can already catch the conviction and strong words behind her sparkling blue eyes.

Calliope stops beside him, words flashing through her mind, and she can't seem to pick which ones to tell him first.

"You shouldn't go alone," she decides it's worth a shot to try and convince this stubborn prince to see reason.

A small laugh leaves his lips, "You and Merlin are so relentless. I've already told him this is a journey I have to take by myself."

"I know you feel like you always have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and that the pressure is suffocating," she says, catching his gaze. "It wouldn't hurt to let other people help hold it up sometimes."

"I appreciate the advice, Cal, but I caused this and I need to fix it so no one else has to suffer."

She watches him mount his horse, knowing that when he makes up his mind about something, there's not much anyone can do about it.

"Fine," she says, her jaw clenching as he grabs the reins. "Just be careful, alright?"

The prince smirks as he echoes her words from last week, "It's so cute how you're worried about me."

And then, he kicks the sides of his horse and is riding off into the dawn. Calliope leans against the wall of the stables, eying her own horse with her inner voice raging to follow after him, no matter what he had said.

When she spots Merlin's head peeking around the corner, Calliope lets out a small laugh unsurprised that he's having the same thoughts as her.

"So, are we following this idiot or not?"

Merlin walks up to his his horse, "Of course we are. Arthur always needs me there to save his ass."

Minutes later, the two friends are riding out of the city with Prince Arthur not too far ahead of them in the distance. They make sure to stay far enough away so he cannot see them as the sun rises higher and higher in the fresh, morning sky.

The horses' hooves tread over the dewy grass, a misty fog coating the valleys and ponds beneath the expanse of mountains. Birds chirp, echoing their melodious awakening songs as they race for the fluffy clouds above. The serene landscape brings Calliope's mind away from the haunting darkness that has been trying to take over for so many weeks. Here, amongst sunlight and greenery and birdsongs, she feels her chest lighten ever so slightly.

But as they get closer to their destination, the white, fluffy clouds turn into an ominous gray and their horses neigh in protest as they stand on a hill overlooking a winding hedge maze that seems to go on for miles and miles. Calliope knows this is part of Arthur's final test. She watches from the hill as the prince dismounts his horse, gripping his sword and stepping into the jade-colored labyrinth.

Calliope and Merlin descend down the hill. They tie their horses' reins to a nearby tree before hurrying to the entrance of the maze, which towers over them like a steeple. The blonde unsheathes her sword, the sound of steel rippling through the air.

They step between the green walls, two different paths laid out before them. Calliope and Merlin exchange a quick glance, and she motions for him to go right while she will go left. At first, the young sorcerer seems to protest them splitting up.

"This maze is huge. We have a better chance of finding Arthur if we split up," Calliope motions to her sword. "I'll be fine, wizard boy."

Reluctantly, Merlin nods, "Stay safe."

"You too."

Calliope walks deeper into the maze, turning sharp corners and having to backtrack several times after coming to multiple dead ends, cursing under her breath. Dust filters through the air, kicked up from the dirt beneath her riding boots. The blonde constantly looks over her shoulder with an eerie, sinking feeling that someone is watching her; like there's a figure behind her back, but every time she turns, she's met with only her own shadow.

Not sure how much time has passed, she picks up her footsteps, moving more swiftly through her emerald surroundings. Calliope feels like she's going the right way; she hasn't come across a dead end in several minutes.

Then, as she makes another turn, the assassin halts. There, in the middle of her path, stands the robed sorcerer Anhora.

Calliope tightens her grip on the sword in her hands as the sorcerer looks her up and down, holding his winding staff. She's not able to read the expression on his face, unsure if he's a threat, but either way, she doesn't let her guard down.

"Let me pass," she finally says, strong and sharp.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," he replies, as if everything should be obvious. "I can't have you interfering with the final test."

A sense of danger overtakes her mind, "I just want to protect Arthur. That's all."

"Your feelings for the young Pendragon are noble, Calliope," She's getting tired of all these sorcerers and magical creatures knowing her name without giving any explanation. "As are his for you, but this is not a test of love."

Her eyebrows pinch in confusion, "What do you mean—"

And before she can figure out what the sorcerer meant by his comment, a white, blinding light fills the maze, and then it's replaced by a heavy darkness as Calliope falls to the ground.

♛ ♛ ♛

When Calliope regains consciousness, for a moment, she forgets why she's lying on the dirt, but then her encounter with Anhora singes through her mind. She jolts up, her head snapping over to where her sword had clattered to the ground. Quickly, she grabs it and springs to her feet. Calliope begins running as fast as her legs can carry her through the maze, winding through each corner.

Across from the last turn, she sees a tall archway revealing the shore of a rocky beach. She doesn't have time to question how odd it is. All she can think about are Arthur and Merlin, and that they could be in danger. She has no idea how long she was knocked out.

As she sprints through the archway, the blonde is met with an unexpected scene that sends terror striking in her heart.

Behind a table with two golden goblets, Merlin leans over Arthur. The prince's eyes are closed, and from the look of sadness on Merlin's face, Calliope knows the situation isn't good.

She feels her heart sink to her stomach, her legs wobbling as Merlin turns to Anhora, who stands unflinching, "What have you done?" He says through tears. "You've killed him! I was meant to protect him!"

No. Calliope forgets about anything else, not even bothering to ask what happened. She rushes to Merlin's side, knees colliding with the rocky shore as she leans over Arthur, taking his face in her hands,.

"No," She feels tears welling in her eyes as she strokes his hair gently.

"He's not dead," the whiplash of emotions that go through Calliope's mind is almost enough to knock her out again. "He's merely consumed a sleeping draft. He will come around shortly."

"What?"

"A unicorn is pure of heart. If you kill one, you must make amends by proving you are also pure of heart. Arthur was willing to sacrifice his life to save yours. He has proven what is truly in his heart. The curse will be lifted."

Calliope feels like stringing together about one million curse for the sorcerer for putting them through this, but all her anger is washed away by the relief that Arthur will be okay.

Cradling his head in her hands, a single tear slips down her cheek. Her heart is still racing, her body nearly shaking. Just the thought, for a few seconds, that she had lost him was enough to shatter every part of her being. She had forgotten all rationale—all reason and sense, and she would have done anything to save him. She breathes heavily, eyebrows furrowing as it all sinks in, just how deep her feelings for the Prince truly go. To a place no other had ever reached before.

When Arthur's blue eyes drift open and meet her own, her heart skips a beat.

"Calliope?" He asks, partly in confusion, and partly in relief. "You're here."

She strokes his dark, blonde hair, nodding with a faint smile, "I've never listened to you before. What makes you think I'd start now?"

A small laugh escapes his lips, "You really are the most stubborn person in the world."

And then as he sits up amongst the sand and rocks, Calliope wraps her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. She buries her head into the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent of pine and chainmail and citrus. His arms immediately embrace her waist, letting out a long, shaky breath.

"I'm here too, you know." Calliope and Arthur break away from their hug to look at Merlin as he crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes flickering between them. "Just thought I'd point that out."

With a roll of her eyes, Calliope gives the young sorcerer a quick embrace and a ruffle of his hair before getting to her feet.

The three of them ride back to Camelot, arriving to find the curse lifted and the city recovering with joy sparking through the streets.

♛ ♛ ♛

The unicorn horn had been laid to rest, the Prince vowing to never harm one ever again as long as he may live. Calliope leans against a tree as she waits for him to finish his moment of silence. She has one hand propped on the trunk while the other carves into the wood. Her eyebrows are pinched in concentration as the scraping sound fills the forest. 

Sounds of crunching leaves signal Arthur's approach. She doesn't have to look over her shoulder, sensing his presence a few feet away and his eyes on her hand.

"What are you doing?"

Calliope lets out a breath as she finally finishes carving, "Killing time."

"And the tree, apparently."

"No, you idiot," she motions to her handiwork—the small C she had drawn out. "I'm leaving my mark."

Arthur raises his eyebrows as he strolls over, "For who?"

"Anyone who travels through this forest. Once I'm dead, they'll see the letter and a small piece of me will always be around."

"Are you expecting to die some time soon?"

Yes, "No," she answers, looking to the forest floor. "It's like...memento mori," before he can ask, she yanks down the collar of her tunic so he can see the Latin words below her throat. He had seen the words once, when he tended to her wounds, but he was too distracted by how much skin was showing to actually read them. "'Remember that you will die'. It's symbolic of the inevitability of death."

Arthur leans an arm against the tree, right above her head, "That's..."

"Disturbing? Morbid?"

He shakes his head, his eyes catching hers, "Beautiful," the word catches her off guard. Her breath hitches in her throat. Then, his hand reaches out, fingers skimming her hand. She lets him take her dagger, and Arthur presses the tip against the trunk, right next to her letter.

A few minutes pass as he carves. She watches in silence, and when he steps back, their eyes are locked onto their etchings. The C and the A  are right next to each other, permanently part of this forest.

Their gazes meet, and Calliope smiles, "Now, all you need is a tattoo."

"Not happening," Arthur says as they turn to the path back to Camelot.

"Come on. It'd be fun."

"For who exactly?"

"Me. You'd cry like a little baby."

"I would not!"

"Perhaps we should put it to the test."

"....Shut up, Cal."

♛ ♛ ♛

PLEASE READ

hey everyone! so, i think i can do episode 12 in one chapter, and then... we will have 2-3 chapters focusing on calliope as she tries to stop sepharin and the blood wraiths once and for all. i'm so excited to write that. in my opinion, it's going to be the best part of this story so far.

after that, we'll have episode 13, and then season one and part one will be done!

and then...it's onto part two :)

as always, remember to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments <3