chapter thirty!
030. to kill a unicorn

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

   SHE KNEW BETTER than to venture this far out. Her parents told her not to leave the camp, were she to venture too far, the hearts of the people would not be so forgiving to a girl such as her. But one early morning▬this early morning, in fact▬she couldn't resit. The sunrise was so bright, it cast a heavenly glow upon the lake and shone right through the cracks of their home to wake her up with a gentle caress, and she couldn't find no other better omen than that to sneak out into the unknown.

    And for a good amount of time, it was beautiful▬it was amazing. She hopped across the rocks in the shallow creeks. She climbed trees that let her see far off into the distance where a wonderful castle rested just inside the valley; she could see its golden turrets stand over the pastures and slopes: a kingdom bountiful in riches and resources▬beautiful, now that it has been returned to its rightful legacy. A Pendragon now sat on the throne of Camelot once more, and he had a sorceress in his court: the powerful High Priestess Nimueh whose powers only flourished the beauty around the kingdom. It made the leaves of the forest of her home bright and green, the grass under her feet lush▬the flowers bloomed with a gorgeous happiness that made her smile so bright, she seemed to bloom with them.

    The flowers were lovely colours of snow white and blood red roses with some that were tinted sweet pink. There were lavender flourishes and azure bluebells▬no season seemed to matter in this wonderful part of the Darkling Woods, each and every flower bloomed. Each and every bird sang and butterflies danced and tickled on top of her fingertips. She giggled, helping them return to the sky with a breath of an enchainment that made their wings glow with the sun▬blessing them with a gift to a bountiful life. She protected them against whatever evil might try and take their innocent ways of life away.

    She was a young girl▬but she was almost on her way to becoming a woman! She would always say. But at the age of fourteen, she was beautiful▬stunning, some would say. With skin so without blemish, it may as well have been painted upon her rosy cheeks. With lips so wonderfully plump and red, they could have been kissed with the same petals as the roses she picked only to conjure up another to take its place. Her hair was long, and it fell in waves down her back, chestnut and polished with the same glow of a copper evening.

    The young girls heart was in love with the golden sunlight. She shared its hopeful nature, sang with the beauty of a girl so innocent and naive▬who would grow to learn the days wisdom just like the sun did from the beginning of time, and each day she would grow wiser, more understanding, more kind, and endlessly more beautiful.

    And with a better knowledge of the world, that was for sure, the moment she saw the apple sitting there, alone and perfect on the ground. For a girl who has never once seen anything wrong in this sweet world, she smiled and rushed over to pick it up▬

    She let out a short scream when she was lifted up into the sky. The young girl gasped, shocked to find rope where there was once grass. She was twisted and she turned, trying to see what had happened▬she jolted and she squealed ... but then it settled and the young girl grasped the rope around her, managing to sit up and look down, horrified to see herself suspended far off the ground. Her apple had fallen from her fingers and now rolled along the grass below.

    The sleeves of her tunic had shifted up, and the sun glowed down on a small triskelion inked into the skin underneath her wrist.

    "Oh no!" the voice startled her. Out from the brush, scrambled forward a boy with hair sun-kissed and eyes the colour of warm amber. He was young, struggling in chainmail still too heavy for him and a scarlet red cape with a gleaming gold dragon stitched across his back. The armour he wore dragged him down, even if it was the lightest the forge could have made him.

    He couldn't be no older than fifteen, and he flung out his hands, staring up in horror at the▬the literal girl he captured! (Oh, no▬what gentleman does that make him?!). "Oh no," he breathed. "Oh, no▬I▬I am so sorry! I was▬It was▬this was not what I meant to do it was just▬I was just testing the trigger, I▬"

    The boy faltered as he gazed upon the girl frowning at him through the rope. The young knight stammered, his eyes growing wide, becoming lost in the warm hearth of the girls' own. "Uh▬" he became at a loss for words. "Um," he smiled. "Hello."

    The girl he had accidentally trapped frowned, not too sure what sort of greeting that was▬but she had little time for greetings. She struggled in the rope, making it swing a little back and forth. "What is wrong with you?!" a girl so kind held a sudden tongue of menace. The boy blinked, taken aback. "What knight goes around entrapping girls?"

    "It was a mistake!" he defended, flushed in his embarrassment. "I do not▬I would never▬oh, Mother is going to be horrified by this," he clung at his cheeks, absolutely mortified by the situation he has gotten himself in. "You▬you must forgive me, My Lady▬"

    "I am not a lady," said the girl, miffed as she pushed her leg against the ropes, trying to lose it. "And you▬sir▬are most definitely not a knight, going around and trying to trap ladies with apples! Who uses an apple anyway? Certainly not a man who is trying to ensnare an innocent animal going about their day!"

    He didn't like her tone. It only made him more flustered. He stamped his foot, trying to defend his honour to this stranger (who was easily the prettiest stranger he has ever met), "I was not▬I did tell you! It was to test the trigger. I was to throw a stone at it but you walked ahead and seemed to find it perfectly sane to pick up a random apple on the forest floor!"

    "Why should there not be an apple on the forest floor?" rebutted the girl, the trap swinging a little. "What cursed soul would leave an apple with the intention of evil?"

    He guffawed, "I was not▬I am not evil▬"

    "What are you then?" she quirked a brow, tugging the ropes wide enough to set her chin on the twine and peer at him through the gaps.

    The boy stammered. Then, he quickly flung back his cloak and bowed, "I am Sir Sulien Cadwallader of the Camelot Knights."

    When he heard her giggle, his gaze shot up, confused. "Why do you laugh?"

    Immediately, the stranger pursed her lips, pretending as if she never did. The young girl bit back a warm feeling to know that his name meant he was born from the sun, and she found it very fitting. She titled her head, her eyes wandering off, "I did not laugh."

    "You laughed."

    "I did not."

    "I heard it."

    "You must be hearing things, Sir Knight."

    "I am not hearing things," Sir Sulien crossed his arms, quite flustered. "You▬you are lying!"

    And there it was, her giggle▬a sweet, innocent laugh that made his breath hitch. The stranger who was not a lady, but very much looked like one, even in her dress stitched of many different earthen fabrics▬as if she was a fairy of this forest▬she was a Lady. "And there you go, accusing a lady of lying▬that is not very charming of you, Sir Knight."

    Sir Sulien stammered once again. He puffed out his chest and squared his shoulders▬but he was always the one falling behind with the other knights, merely a recruit just old enough to go to war, and doing his very best to prove that he could. "I am charming. Knights are charming."

    Her smile was mesmerising▬her gaze, it sparkled with a childish mischief, "Well, I suppose if you insist, Charming."

    He frowned at her, realising the joke she played. "That is not my name. I am Sir Sulien▬"

    "No," she shook her head, fighting back another giggle, "I like Charming better."

    Charming huffed, looking so ridiculous it made her chest grow warm like he▬himself▬gazed upon her with a sweet sunlit glow. "And what is your name, then? Woodland stranger?"

    She kept her chin propped on the rope she had tugged, and the smile she sent him was shy and gentle, "Irvetta," she answered simply.

    The boy stared up at her▬a gentle breath left his lips and she saw him match her smile. She found herself blushing. "White river," he murmured its meaning▬her name was as beautiful as she. 

     Irvetta's eyes seemed to brighten, staring at the knight with sudden wonder. Names and their meanings were always special amongst her people. Their names were important to whoever bore them▬her own was blessed upon she who was born near a river during a winter snow. He understood its meaning, just like she understood the meaning of his. Her smile brightened.

    Then, with eyes that flashed gold, she giggled again as she watched the wind trip Charming right off his feet. He yelped out, landing face-first in the forest bed. He scrambled onto all-fours to stare back up at her with eyes filled with wonder and awe. "You are a fairy!" he exclaimed.

    The beautiful Irvetta had the heart not to tell him otherwise as he cut her down, and the two children that were so determined to prove they were older played in the secluded opening of the forest▬giggling and laughing, both promising to themselves that they would never forget this moment once the sun set▬and never once they did.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    ODETTE DIDN'T watch the sunrise that morning. She made her way to her favourite window in the castle, during the brink of dawn before she would have to tend to Morgana once she woke▬Odette shuffled to the very window silence, subtly unlocking the latches in the corridor where she stood alone, prepared to gaze out to the rising sunlight ... but instead it found something else. Odette's fingers slackened their grip on the latch▬and she felt something hitch painfully inside her to see him. She watched him brush a hand down his horse's mane, muttering some words to the steed in the early morning as Merlin struggled under the weight of multiple hunting bags. The smell in the air suggested fair weather for a hunt, so it was no surprise that Odette would see Arthur out so early. But the strange ache in her chest was something new. 

    She hadn't been able to speak to him since they returned from Ealdor. She had gotten used to the freedom the pastures and cattle had given her▬given them. Odette had let herself fall into the trap of treating him any different, laughing and smiling with him; sitting at the same table and fighting at his side. Sharing moments in the cover of night where every barrier broke down, and Odette was left breathless for something more. Where she stood so close▬where she felt this hands around her own; felt a part him weigh down from her neck ...

    And then suddenly, they were back in Camelot, and she had to forget all that transpired▬forget what it changed between them. Even Odette couldn't deny it. She could not force it form her mind as she had no other choice but to watch him pass silently in the hallways, listen to him bicker with Morgana at the table as they shared a luncheon▬pour his wine and clear his plates, and no matter how happy she was do to so; how honoured ... she could not miss the glance he sent her way as she passed▬how he tried not to watch her fill his goblet or search for her in a room, finding her standing beside Morgana without fail. And they'd lock gazes, and she'd had to force herself to look away, feeling this strange lump in her throat▬because just meeting the sky of his gaze hurt; it was a painful reminder that what happened in Ealdor ... no matter how innocent or otherwise it may have been ... it could never happen again. They both understood that. 

    That was why she held this ache as she watched him from a distance. Because no matter how much it hurt her, she could not stop herself. She could not forget. 

    And Odette realised that she was going to keep watching. Just as she promised she will scrub his floors and she will air out his curtains and his tapestries▬she will clean his plates and she will fill his goblets, she will serve him with pride ... and yet with heartache, watching him turn into the King she know he will become▬as she always has, as she always will. Odette will watch him rise, but she will not follow. She will stay exactly where she was now. 

    Hearing footsteps settle in beside her, Odette briefly glanced over to meet Ronyn's gaze. Surprised, but not wanting to scare him away, she pursed her lips and returned her gaze back outside. She watched Arthur mount his saddle, waiting with a breath of annoyance as Merlin continued to struggle with his. 

    "You are up early," she commented.

    Ronyn hummed, agreeing with her. "Perhaps we had the same idea▬your sunrise has a begrudging effect, Odette."

    Odette sighed sadly, "I am glad it is helping someone."

    Deciding not to say anything about her sombre words, Ronyn matched her sigh and leant against the side of the window; his hair brushed against the stone. He crossed his arms, "Maybe the sunrise is not so perfect," he muttered. "Each time it rises, it brightens the day ahead▬and I look at it and I hope and I dream ... and then I realise those hopes and those dreams are just out of my reach; rising up, and then back down in the sky until it disappears into evening."

    A silent understanding settled between the two old friends▬neither of them spoke on it, neither of them explored what made them so stranded ... but while Odette watched Arthur disappear out of the citadel, Ronyn was there to watch someone else enter. And somehow, somewhere along the way, the two standing at this window had found themselves in a similar heartache. 

    So, instead, Odette changed the subject. She took a sharp breath through her nose and smiled at her friend, "So▬tell me, how does it feel to be a man now, My Lord? You are no longer a boy."

    Ronyn immediately scoffed, rolling his eyes and she chuckled. "See, this is what I do not understand," he made a face and Odette continued to smile. "How is it, that a young girl such as yourself is considered an eligible woman at a far younger age than a boy can be considered a man? I can go to war at fifteen, but I cannot be of age until I am twenty-one? What science is that? Tell me?"

    Odette bounced her brows, "I suppose a girl becomes a woman when she can then become a mother. But then, I do not consider myself a woman yet despite that fact and it would seem you do not either▬"

    "I▬" Ronyn blinked at her and she cut her words off, staring back at him and frowning at his dubious rise of his brows. "Odette," he said in a very light chiding tone.

    "What?"

    "That subject of conversation▬" he guffawed at her, all good-natured and she chuckled, "▬is by far not the one conversed between a lady and a lord."

    "Well," she quipped, "I suppose it is a good thing I am not a lady."

    "Yes, but I am a Lord▬"

    "▬What a shame that is, then."

    Odette giggled when Ronyn lightly elbowed her. "This▬" he then said, pointing a playful finger at her, "▬is why you are still considered a child because you act like one."

    She quickly slipped away, knowing the consequences of what her next comment will ensure, "Then you cannot be a man yet, either▬!"

    Odette laughed and took off running down the corridor as Ronyn threatened to chase after her. As soon as she turned the corner, she skidded to a sensible pace, clearing her throat and nodding in acknowledgement to another servant passing by. But once they could not see, she stifled another chuckle and added a slight skip in her step, thanking Ronyn for making her morning far better than it had started. 

    By the time Arthur and Merlin had returned from their hunting trip, the morning had drifted over to early afternoon. Odette's duties at Morgana's side in her chambers had been fulfilled and with little on the Lady's agenda today, the rest of her young handmaiden's afternoon was to be used to complete other errands. Gwen had taken upon the evening as well to stay with Morgana, as it was decided between her two friends that it was well enough time deserved for Odette to have a break. 

    Naturally, the handmaiden found herself becoming Merlin's shadow for most of it. Her mind was filled with questions on what had happened. It did not go quiet that the Prince had returned from his hunt with a prized keepsake: the horn of a mythical unicorn. 

    Odette thought the creatures had long been extinct▬and if not, were few in numbers. And since she was not permitted to enter the vaults and see the piece herself, Merlin was her next closest witness. She found him wandering the hallways with Arthur's platter for lunch.

    "Merlin!" she called and rushed along, skidding her slippers along the stone floor. "Merlin, Merlin, Merlin!"

    The manservant sighed▬she did not notice his down mood as she came to an even pace beside him, taking the strawberry he had saved for her off Arthur's plate with a pleased: "Thank you."

    "Why do I never see you doing any actual work?" Merlin wondered sarcastically as they continued their way down the castle hallways together.

    "Is it true?" she instead asked him. "That Arthur slayed a unicorn?"

    His manservant huffed and grumbled out, "I wish it were not so. I do not understand how Arthur can have taken any pleasure from killing the unicorn?"

    Odette's shoulders fell a little. Her step slowed and she pursed her lips, her initial excitement over the creature disappearing as she too, remembered, that while the sighting was indeed magnificent, the poor animal was also now dead. 

    "I suppose he does not think like you or I," she decided to say.

    "What? Intelligently?" 

    She quietly snorted at his comment. "Yes," she nodded. "But also ... he is a hunter. He does not think of how beautiful a creature might live, but only how beautiful it might look upon a wall. Or how valuable it might be in the vaults▬or in the eyes of his father."

    Merlin watched her curiously. His annoyance settling enough for a breath of intrigue to replace it. "How do you know all of that? I should say, how are you able to read all of that?"

    Odette flattened her skirts, "I know him, Merlin," she said softly. "Even though he does not like that fact. Though, it is quite sad that he found a unicorn and not another boar."

    Merlin sighed, "It was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen," he told her. Then, he gave her a little smile. "I wish you had been there. If anyone has the heart to deserve to bear witness to such a sight as that ... it sure would be you."

    She smiled, too, genuinely touched by his compliment. "It would have been something of a treasure▬a real life fairytale."

     "Maybe you should try and convince Arthur such," and Merlin went back to grumbling. "If you start getting upset, he will surely listen. Shed a tear, maybe two▬" he mocked a pout and she rolled her eyes. "And Arthur will be out that door before you can even blink!"

    Odette chuckled, "Oh, no, Arthur will look at me, make that face he always does▬" she copied it to such perfection, Merlin laughed (and it was something good to hear after all that happened in Ealdor), "▬and ask me: 'What is wrong with you, Odette'▬?" she mimicked his voice, "▬'What is that on your face? Stop it. It is distracting'." 

    Merlin gaped, continuing to chuckle, "Now that▬that is freakishly accurate!"

    They stopped outside his chamber door and Odette continued, facing Merlin front on. "'Why don't you just go and do some actual work, Odette'▬" she did not notice the slow fall of Merlin's face as he noticed something behind her, "▬'or whatever it is you, Gwen and Morgana do all day?'"

    "O▬Odette▬" Merlin tried. 

    "'Merlin,'" she continued without a care in the world, not catching onto the manservant's fearful look▬or the footsteps that slowly came to a stop behind her. "'My shoes need polishing, my horse needs grooming, my chambers need to be cleaned because I cannot pick up after myself, oh, and someone▬'"

    "Odette."

    The young handmaiden's face dropped. 

    Merlin mouthed to her, Busted. He was positively glowing at the thought of Odette finally getting into trouble instead of him. She scowled at him before mustering all of her courage to turn on her heel and place a sheepish smile on her face.

    "Sire!" she greeted to Arthur who stared back at her, not impressed. (Odette wondered, after how many times she has found herself in this exact position, she has not learnt from her mistakes). She curtsied, clenching her hands at Merlin's stifled snickers. "I▬erm▬" Odette closed her eyes and awkwardly chuckled, "▬I was just▬that was not what you thought it was. N▬not that you thought it would be anything, obviously, because I am not insinuating it was about you whatsoever! I would never▬" she cleared her throat, looking anywhere but his stern gaze, "▬I would never impersonate and make fun of my Prince▬make fun of you▬I mean▬I wasn't making fun of▬"

    It did not help that Odette was blushing profusely just standing this close in front of him. She remembered that night▬the feeling of his hands around her own as he taught her how to land a mortal blow; the tenderness of his words as he asked her to be careful, and the moment they shared when he passed her his necklace▬a promise that both of them will make it through to the next sunrise.

    "She was making fun of you," Merlin stated helpfully. 

    "Merlin!" she whispered to him harshly. She cleared her throat and placed her hands behind her back, straightening her shoulders and smiling up at Arthur▬hoping if she played off enough innocence, she'll get away with it (again). 

    Arthur only just smiled back at her, very sarcastic. "Well, Odette," he started and with that tone she knew she was not going to get away with this. "If you have enough time to mock your Prince and take away my manservants time, you must not have anything to do for Morgana. Which means▬" he clicked his finger at her, as if coming up with a fantastic idea, "▬you must be happy to take on some of Merlin's duties for the rest of the day?"

    Odette stammered, "I▬uh▬"

    He crossed his arms, brows raising▬challenging as he stared down at her, "My horse threw a shoe. Take it to the blacksmith. Make sure he does a good job. Actually, my shoes do need polishing. My cloak needs mending. Merlin▬" he glanced over his shoulder at the servant who bit back his grin. "What else is on your list for today? Odette here will be glad to lighten your workload."

    "I▬I▬" she spun around, shaking her head subtly at Merlin. 

    He just grinned.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    ODETTE HID herself away in Gaius's chambers, working on her extra list of errands (she was going to get Merlin back!) in the calm silence that was the the Court Physician wandering back and forth, the slight flicker of the flames under his potions and the brush of a page turning every few minutes. She asked questions whenever she wanted a break in polishing Arthur's shoes (she will get back at him, too), sitting and watching Gaius pour contents of different mixes he had already made. Just as he used to when she was little, he let her pound herbs and refill his vials with rosemary, yarrow and sage. She read some of his books, asking every now and then what this word was and doing her best to remember for next time, frowning at the letters▬corresponding them to how they sounded together from her lips to how she would read them in her head. 

    She was sure she was a much calming student and onlooker to his practice than Merlin would be▬then again, Odette has been doing such since she could remember. She spent a lot of her childhood in these rooms when her mother was busy and she couldn't annoy Ronyn and Arthur. Gaius had gotten used to her presence▬however rushed, calm, tired, chaotic or frustrated it may be. He gave her some bread and cheese to eat as she finished with Arthur's shoes and turned her attention onto mending the jewels of Morgana's dress back onto the fabric with a delicate stitch she used to make sure it was hidden from view. (Gwen taught her how to do it▬it was like magic ... (she is very funny, isn't she?)). 

    Though, Gaius had to leave her very soon at the King's orders. She was sure the guard didn't notice she was there, but she heard the concerning news: reports of the farmers' crops dying overnight. She tried not to think too much on it▬as she was sure it would send her into a bout of nerves. But Odette knew what happens when crops die before they can be harvested. Keeping a breath of hope, she told herself not to head straight towards such drastic predictions; there are many farmers in the fields of outlying villages. There were plenty coming in every day with fresh produce and traders with their treats from overseas and across the borders. 

    Merlin joined her not long after, as he was not invited to come with the Prince. Odette turned up her nose, giving him a miffed huff as she chucked Arthur's shoes towards him. He caught them with a fumble, nearly tripping over. 

    Noticing the side-eye she sent him, the warlock pointed one of the boots at her, "Karma," he told her simply. "How many times have you gotten me in trouble with Arthur from things that you dragged me into?"

    "His boots stink," she grumbled to him.

    "He stinks," Merlin corrected her before shoving her aside so he could sit on the same stone step she had taken. She huffed again, but shuffled over so he had room. "Speaking of Arthur, I need help with something."

    Odette frowned and set her needle down, "What is it? What did you do?"

    He gaped at her, "I did not do anything!"

    She hummed, not quite believing him. 

    Merlin rolled his eyes and elbowed her lightly to grab her attention again, "You are not tending to Morgana this evening?"

    Odette shook her head, "No..." she began slowly, eyeing him with a breath of suspicion.

    The sorcerer clasped his hands together, linking his fingers to beg a prayer her way, "I need help in finding a rat in Arthur's chambers."

    Her eyes widened. "No!" exclaimed Odette immediately. 

    Merlin slumped, "Oh, come on▬please▬?"

    "No!" she said again, horrified. "I'm not▬I'm not looking for a rat! They are gross▬they▬they carry disease, did you know that? I am not▬I am not touching such a thing▬!"

    "▬You don't have to touch it," Merlin continued to try and convince her. "You just need to help me find it and then I'll get rid of it with a bit of hands-off▬" he wiggled his fingers at her, "▬magic."

    "They're big," she went on, shaking her head. "A▬and they are scary▬and they're so fast."

    "So, you are scared of them?"

    "I▬" Odette back-tracked. She huffed a breath of angry steam, narrowing her gaze onto Merlin who grinned, smug. "I am not scared of rats."

    He hummed, disbelieving, "Well ... sort of sounded like you are..."

    "I am not scared of rats! In fact▬I will be the one to kill when we find it because I am not scared of them!"

    Merlin nodded, sitting back with a very satisfied gleam in his eye▬watching Odette grow red in frustration at the cheeks as she realised she had done exactly what Merlin had wanted. But she would not back out of it, now. 

    Understanding, Odette took a sharp breath and clasped her hands in her lap, "I hate you," she told her friend.

    "I know," the sorcerer stole some of her cheese, indifferent to her declarations that were as heavy of meaning as a small feather. 

    The two dearest friends spent their time waiting for Gaius to return finishing off their lists of things to do. Once they were done with them, Odette gossiped about many things she has heard during the day while Merlin practiced his magic. He kept charming her hair to blow into her face to the point she ended up kicking him off the step. When the Court Physician finally stepped back through the door to his chambers, both servants scrambled to their feet, desperate to hear everything that had happened. He did not even manage to take a step inside before he was bombarded with questions:

    "Is it true about the crops▬?"

    "▬Are they all dead▬?"

    "▬What caused it▬?"

    "▬Can you cure whatever it is▬?"

    "▬What is going to happen now▬?"

    Gaius held his hand up and both young servants of seventeen pursed their lips, falling silent and sharing an identical sheepish look on their faces. They were not related by any possibility, but they spent so much time together that their mannerisms had been copied so much off the other they might as well be. They rushed towards him, and exasperated Gaius's days with so much energy they could very much be his own children. He definitely felt as if he had become the father of two impulsive and energetic troublemakers that were making his already white hair turn more white. Gaius did not know when it happened▬as if he had woken up one day and the Lord had decided this was his purpose, to take care of two children who often felt as if they had barely anyone in this world who cared for them. He quickly realised that he had taken on that responsibility with a warm heart▬there was nothing he would not do for the two standing in front of him. 

    "If you would let me set my supplies down," the physician chided them and both servants shared a quick exchange. "I have barely stepped through my own door."

    He watched Odette and Merlin hold their breaths, fighting every urge they held to ask more questions▬it did not work. Gaius expected the next burst of rushed sentences that were blurred over the top and underneath the other. 

    "But the crops, are they all gone▬?"

    "▬Will we starve▬?"

    "▬what happened? What is it? What happened to the crops▬?"

    "▬Are we going to starve▬?"

    "▬What are you going to do fix the crops▬?"

    Gaius just sighed, blocking them out and forcing his way towards his workbench. They followed like lost ducklings, hovering over his shoulder and peering around as he set down his saddle bag of all that he had gathered. "Merlin, Odette," Gaius said curtly. They turned to look up at him, both of them leaning against his table▬prepared to watch very closely. "If you would like me to answer your questions, I would ask you to step back and watch▬silently▬from a distance so you are not in my way."

    The two servants pursed their lips, but did as they were told, shuffling back. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, watching intently by the stairs. Neither could stay still, they rocked on their heels, whispered to each other and gave the other slight shoves when they felt as if one was leaning against the other too much (or they wanted to see better). 

    Though, in the end, their silence broke. Merlin asked the same question they had been asking since Gaius arrived, desperate to know: "Any idea what caused the crops to die?"

    The physician closed his eyes briefly, but as he poured a dark substance into his vial of grain, he decided to finally answer: "I've yet to complete all the tests, but no disease I have heard of could spread through the entire kingdom in a single night."

    Odette felt her heart sink at these words, "The entire kingdom?" she whispered, horrified. "You mean▬every crop has been affected?"

    "I am afraid so," said Gaius, severe. 

    "What could kill all the plants other than a disease?" the two of them wandered back over, watching Gaius hold the vial up and give it a slight shake. He did not tell them to step back this time.

    "It is not killing all the plants," said the physician. "The trees and hedges around the crop fields are unharmed. Unfortunately, you cannot eat trees and hedges."

    A horrible realisation struck the servants. Merlin swallowed harshly, "It is only killing plants we can eat?"

    "It appears so."

    The warlock set his jaw, "If it is not a disease," he murmured, "then it must be magic."

    Gaius set his vial down, "We cannot assume that, Merlin. Perhaps there is something in the soil and water that can explain it▬I cannot tell the King it is caused by sorcery until I am completely certain."

    Odette softly met Merlin's gaze across the worktable, very concerned for what this would mean. 

    Already, by the late afternoon, the line up for rations stretched from the courtyard all the way to the Lower Town bridge. Word got around fast▬and Odette saw guards chase looters through the streets, fights had broken out between those that were trying to steal from those who already had their grain. A woman was begging at the front of then line to have more for her children, tearful when the guard told her that he could not give out any more than he has for anyone else. 

    Ronyn found her and Merlin outside the citadel walls, returning from their walk to the markets to try and gather what food they could find. They weren't the only ones who had the same idea. Odette stared sadly at the stale bread that▬all of the sudden▬started to grow mould after being freshly picked to sell this morning. She would have to cut it off and pray that it wouldn't harm her. Merlin had no better luck, clutching what was left of the butcher's meat▬neither of them were sure on what meat it actually was ... or where it came from ... or whether that smell it had made it edible. It was so strange. Odette had walked through the markets this morning, passing the butchers with a 'hello' and a smile on her face, seeing his cuttings clean and perfect ... now, it was as if they had been hanging out in the sun for days. (It didn't make sense).

    As soon as the Lord Vecentia saw what they carried, his nose turned up, "What is that?"

    "Food," Merlin whispered, hiding it from anybody who might see and try to steal it off them. He wrapped the cloth around the meat and hid it in his jacket. "The last of it at the markets."

    Ronyn stared, horrified at the mould on Odette's bread. "A▬are you seriously going to eat that?"

    "We don't exactly have our own kitchen with maids that will cook for us," grumbled Merlin at the Lord and he sighed.

    "That is not what I meant," he said to the manservant, walking beside them with little care of who might see▬not that anyone would. With everyone so focused on rations and keeping the crowd calm, there was not a wandering eye who would notice a Lord walking amongst lowborn servants. Odette had started to grow rather surprised by the amount of times he has walked up to her in situations he once never would. "What I mean is that I do not wish for either of you to come down with a terrible sickness out of desperation to find whatever food there is."

    "I am afraid there won't be a choice," sighed Odette. "Look at the line," she nodded to the stretch of people all the way back towards the bridge. "Soon we will be out of rations, too. It is good that we found what we did."

    Merlin pursed his lips. He turned to Ronyn, "You went to see the crops...?"

    "Dead," answered the Lord. "It felt as if I was touching sand. Every field had suddenly become barren▬a wasteland where just yesterday it was thriving."

    The warlock frowned, grave in his own thoughts. The group of them passed the well where Guinevere stopped to rush forward and hang off the edge of the stone, "Ronyn▬" she blurted out his name before she could take a moment to think. 

    The Lord stopped, startled to hear it. He spun back around so quickly, Odette had to shuffle out of his way. She shared a confused glance with Merlin at her side. "Guinevere," he greeted▬just as rushed. "Guin▬I mean▬Gwen?" Ronyn cleared his throat and crossed his arms, nodding to her. "Gwen," he finished in a voice considerably deeper than it was moments before. 

   Merlin's look turned incredulous. He leaned in close to Odette, "What in the name of the Holy Christ...?"

    She shook her head, agreeing. 

    Ronyn uncrossed his arms just as quickly, shuffling on the spot as if to make himself seem more nonchalant. "I▬How can I help you, Guinevere?"

    Gwen's cheeks were rosy. Odette gaped▬Merlin elbowed her to make sure she closed her jaw. "I▬" very suddenly, the handmaiden dipped into a curtsy with stiff politeness. "Forgive me, My Lord. I only wish to clarify what it is they say about the crops? They are all dead?"

    Merlin was horrified at her words. "Forgive me, My Lord?" he repeated them in shock to Odette▬neither of them have heard Gwen speak with such clipped societal elegance. She had a wise, mature way about her, yes▬but she was a blacksmith's daughter, and she very much acted like a blacksmith's daughter when they were in each other's company. Odette has heard her curse and has watched her say very unlady-like comments under her breath that belonged somewhere deep in a very dirty bog. "Clarify▬what is this? Who is this?"

    As if knowing they were questioning and making fun of her, Gwen briefly shot a narrowed scowl towards where the young servants quickly replied with the same innocent grin. 

    Ronyn was no better. He nodded, "Yes," he spoke as if he was in conversation to another person of high birth such as himself. "I am afraid to say it, Miss Guinevere, but I saw it with my very eyes."

    "Miss Guinevere?" echoed Merlin in breathless disbelief so that neither Gwen nor Ronyn could hear him. "What on Earth...?"

    "I believe," went on the Lord, hands clasped behind his back, "that is wise for us all to be cautious in order to preserve the food we do have."

    Guinevere nodded, "Yes, quite so."

    "I am glad that you agree."

    "What you say is right, My Lord."

    "Quite."

    Before Odette was sure she would die of dubious embarrassment instead of starvation, the young handmaiden interrupted the strange tense air between her two friends and exclaimed, "Well! I am sure Arthur will think of something▬as he always does. Ronyn, let's go."

    He blinked, startled to hear her words that sounded much more like an order rather than a suggestion. "Sorry?"

    "Come on," added Merlin in the same tone. Together, they started walking back towards the citadel▬Ronyn followed, a little dumbfounded. As soon as they were far enough away from Guinevere, the two servants were about to demand answers out of their high-born friend, until a horrified cry made them all stop dead in their tracks.

    "Ronyn!" 

    The Lord spun back and took off at a run towards the well at the sound of Guinevere's distressed voice. Odette and Merlin were not far behind. The three of them skidded back out of the walls, and their stomachs churned at the sight of what had made Gwen so scared.

    Pale and with a pounding heart, Guinevere pushed down the lever and into her bucket spilled not water ... but sand. 

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    PANIC GREW. The lively tone between Odette and Merlin had fallen away the moment they saw every drop of water had run dry from their reserves. Their jokes fell just as parched, and the strange moment between their two friends had become lost on their mind. Famine was something fearful▬starvation was dreadful, but the diseases that followed famine were even worse. But water? No man could go without water for long. Quickly, they knew that this was far from some natural disease▬this was the work of magic. For not even Merlin's gifted sorcery could turn the sand back into water. It was something more powerful than even he, and that was concerning. 

    New laws were announced that day. Any looters were to be executed. There would be a curfew placed upon the entire city to ensure no one would try and steal under the cover of night. And there was a vicious hunt through the streets, determined to find the sorcerer who could have cursed Camelot to hold such a horrible fate. They all knew that it would be fruitless▬whoever had done this would be far from inside the city walls. 

    Admittedly, searching for this rat with Merlin that evening gladly took all of Odette's fears from her mind. Instead of stressing over what she will eat and what she will drink, she was focused on trying to prove to Merlin she was not scared▬and that she will find this rat and kill it! 

    However, this damned rat was nowhere to be found. He left his droppings under Arthur's bed and had eaten through the Prince's shoes, but even the rodent seemed to be adhering to the new strict rules once the sun had set into nightfall. 

    Annoyed and frustrated, they left, locking Arthur's chambers as they did. Odette trudged after Merlin, ignoring how already, her stomach twisted with hunger. Tonight, she had found comfort in the physician's chambers▬a bed, blankets ... she took it gratefully, preferring it far over a servants' dark and cold quarter near the kitchens. 

    They rushed down the stairs into the citadel courtyard, daring on the verge of curfew. Time had flied for them▬searching for a rat, nonetheless, but it had. They hadn't realised until they glanced out the window, and noticed they should have left about an hour ago. 

    Merlin believed they would get away with it. They only needed to cross the courtyard to reach the Court Physician, but he underestimated the diligence of the Prince. And it took him only seconds to turn around and let out a frustrated sigh to see them jog past. He rolled his eyes and marched away from the bridge▬of course, it would be them that would break the law after he had just sent guards off to enforce it. 

    "Merlin! Odette!" he called out to them. The servants stopped. 

    They faced him as he made his way over, not impressed (but never surprised). Arthur scowled at them both, "You do realise there is a curfew?" he grumbled as he stopped in front of them. 

    Merlin shrugged. Odette realised he did not care at all about any rules▬she huffed a small, exasperated sigh, knowing that the will get them both in trouble. What was next? Will she be mucking out Arthur's stables? "Oh, yeah, I was just in your chambers hunting for the rat. Odette was helping me."

    Arthur arched a brow. His gaze travelled from Merlin, down to Odette, and then back to his manservant. "Did you find it?"

    "No."

    "So..." the Prince crossed his arms, "... not only were you unable to find the rodent yourself, Merlin, you asked the assistance of Morgana's handmaiden and still, the two of you, together, were outwitted by a rat."

    Odette wasn't too sure on how to take those words. She pursed her lips and shuffled in her slippers. "Well," she piped up helpfully, "I have heard that rats are very intelligent."

    Arthur rolled his eyes, "Yes," he muttered, "more intelligent than either of you, it would seem. Go home," he said to the handmaiden sternly. "I would rather not lock you up and have to deal with Morgana's anger because of it."

    Merlin frowned, "Wait ... you're letting her go, but not me?"

    "There is a food shortage, Merlin," quipped Odette childishly, "he is unable to throw you to the pillory. The cells below Camelot are the next closest thing."

    The warlock mimicked her before adding: "One of these days, it will be you in the stocks instead of me, and I will happily chuck rotten fruit at you▬"

    "▬You dragged me into finding this rat tonight▬this is your fault▬!"

    "▬Since when were you completely innocent▬?"

    "▬I hate rats! Rats are ugly and big▬"

    "▬I thought you weren't scared of them▬hey!"

    Amongst their quiet bickering and scuffles as Odette shoved Merlin for his comment about her bravery▬and Arthur blocking the two of them out, as he usually did ... he noticed something shimmer in the shadows of the open courtyard hallways. He stiffened, seeing the blinking moment of a figure draped in long, white robes▬he disappeared down the stairs towards the underground barracks; shrouded so quickly in darkness it was almost as if he was never there. But Arthur saw him▬he jolted into action.

    "Quiet, both of you!" he snapped in a harsh whisper to the servants. "Did you see that?"

    Merlin scoffed at the Prince's tone, reluctantly glancing over. When he saw nothing, he made a face, "See what?"

    Arthur just lightly hit his shoulder, ushering him forward. As they started off, the Prince glanced back and gestured wildly to Odette, "Stay here!"

    She flung her hands up, annoyed, "What do you mean, 'stay here'▬?" she picked up her skirts and followed after them. "I cannot 'stay here'▬there is a blooming curfew!"

    Odette, Merlin and Arthur ran towards the barracks gate. Together, they all disappeared down the shadowy staircase. The boys took two, even three steps at a time while Odette tottered downwards▬barely able to see where her slippers and the stone met. She held her skirts tight▬bundled up into fists, her pounding feet echoing all around her. 

    "Wait!" she puffed after the two of them, scrambling to keep up with her short legs and heavy clothing. Odette felt like she was eight-years-old all over again, desperately trying to keep up with the long twelve-year-old legs of her friends. "Wait for me! I am coming!"

    She had no idea who▬or what▬they were chasing after, but Odette followed Merlin and Arthur blindly through the winding corridors that were dimly lit with torches on either side. They passed the guards' sleeping quarters, the armoury and narrow doorways that led into the castle fortress walls. They descended even lower, flying down a deep stone staircase that wrapped the entire way towards the underground vaults. 

    Odette finally caught up with them, jumping down the last two steps and landing onto the stone-brick floor. She breathed heavily, jogging up towards Merlin and Arthur with flushed cheeks. She stopped, frowning at the way the Prince spun around, his eyes narrowed into the long, dark corridors that spread out in every direction. 

    "What is it?" she asked, desperately trying to catch her breath.

    He jumped at the sound of her voice and spun to her. She could see the frustration strain at his temple▬Arthur held up his hands, annoyed. "Odette▬" he let out a long, angry sigh. He pointed back to the staircase, "I told you to stay back up there!" said the Prince in a hushed, urgent tone. 

    Odette scoffed lightly into the back of her throat, "And get locked up for breaking curfew? No, thank you."

    He shook his head, scoffing, too. "Then▬oh, I don't know▬go to Gaius and stay inside?"

    "You ran off!" she whisper-shouted back to him, admittedly upset at being left alone. "I was not going to stand there, alone!"

    "Oh, my God▬" Arthur pressed his fingers together, huffing through them into his hands. "Do you ever listen?"

    "No," muttered Merlin, unable to keep himself from butting in. "Odette does not know how to listen at all▬"

    "Shut up, Merlin," Arthur ignored the way his servant rolled his eyes and focused his attention purely on the frustrating handmaiden in front of him. "You▬go back up those stairs, now."

    "No," she replied stubbornly. Odette tilted her chin up daringly, "You will have to make me."

    The look on Arthur's face told her that he might've very much been prepared to. Perhaps grab her and chuck her over his shoulder▬even she would not be able to fight her way out of that. But then there was a distant, strange sound▬almost like a whisper, drifting out from the shadows. Arthur glanced over, alert. 

    Forgetting his determination to drag Odette out of here, he spun to Merlin. Quiet and curt, he gestured for him to head left and wrap back around to cut the figure off. Once he did, Arthur grabbed Odette's arm with an angry grip and tugged her with him down the right corridor, prepared to do the same. She happily followed, and he wanted to grab a fistful of his own hair at the fact. 

    When she heard a third pair of footsteps, she stopped and frowned. Glancing over her shoulder, Odette chuckled lightly, "Merlin?"

    (Arthur wanted to execute the both of them). Gritting his teeth, the Prince swivelled on his boots and stormed up to his manservant who had followed. "That means you▬" he started in an furious whisper, pointing at Merlin before jabbing his finger over his shoulder, "▬go the other way▬!" He gestured the finger back to him. "▬And cut him off!"

    A shadow made its way down the staircase. They all started up, startled. Arthur closed his eyes, muttering curses to see the curious▬and incredulous▬frown of Ronyn Vecentia. He reached the bottom and stared at them all very suspiciously, "... What is going on down here? I saw you lot running."

    "What are you doing out?" Merlin questioned the Lord bluntly, having no thought to be quiet. "There is a curfew."

    "I heard arguing," Ronyn came to stand beside the manservant. "I thought I should come and check to make sure Arthur had not combusted."

    Odette peered around Arthur's arm, "He is annoyed with me."

    "Oh, so everything is normal. That is a relief."

    Arthur took a deep breath to keep himself composed enough to form words. At this stage, the figure was probably long gone▬and it would be because the Prince somehow managed to summon a small swarm of frustrating idiots. 

    "All right," he said after a breather, speaking through clenched teeth. "Ronyn, you go with Merlin▬" he gestured to the dark hallway to the left, "▬wrap around and make sure the idiot does not startle the sorcerer with his loud mouth▬!"

    "We are hunting a sorcerer▬?" gasped Odette, shamefully admitting to herself that she was thrilled at the thought▬she had been wanting to go on some sort of adventure. 

    Ronyn gaped, not hiding the childish excitement that glinted in his gaze. He grasped Merlin who hunched up, turning his nose up at how eager he was. "Yes▬!" whispered the Lord. "Another daring quest. Come on, Merlin, let us guess whether the sorcerer has a hooked nose or not on the way..." he practically dragged the warlock along into the dark corridor. The last thing Odette saw of Merlin before he disappeared, was the pleading: kill me stare he shot over his shoulder. 

    Arthur clenched his hands, as if imagining he was strangling their necks. He took a final, deep breath through his nose before turning Odette around by her shoulder. They stepped into the shadows of the right corridor. 

    As if knowing exactly what she was planning on doing, in the silence that followed, as soon as Odette opened her mouth to make a comment, the Prince grumbled, "Stay quiet, or so help me, Odette ... I am not in the mood for games."

    His anger didn't faze her. The young handmaiden only bit back her want to chuckle at the sound of his furious huffs and puffs beside her. Odette supposed she should give the Prince of Camelot a breather▬in fear that he truly will spontaneously combust out of anger beside her (and that will help no one▬especially not Camelot if their heir burst into little angry Arthur pieces). 

    She nodded to herself, pushing down her amusement in order to pay attention to the corridors around them. She and Arthur jogged lightly down the hallway, frowning into the shadows in search of whatever sorcerer he had spotted. Odette stayed behind him, clutching his sleeve without thought as they wrapped around. She glanced around him down the long hallway as they slowed, and even though it was hard to see, she could tell that there was no sorcerer to be seen.

    Merlin and Ronyn met up with them in the centre, shrugging at Arthur's exasperated gesture▬they hadn't seen anyone either. 

    Odette heard that whisper again. She froze. Glancing around, her breath hitched. The others hovered around her in an instant, catching a glimpse of the shadow that passed just where they had been before. A hunched figure in long robes▬gliding in the flicker of torch light with a staff in hand. Yet, there was no body that passed with it. 

    Arthur shook a rough gesture to Ronyn and Merlin to circle back around. They darted away▬silent and urgent. Odette shuffled on the dusty and dirty stone, doing her very best to stay quiet as she stayed close to Arthur's side. She glanced down the hallway once they reached the intersection, trying to see the sorcerer in the winding, endless abyss that stretched all the way towards the burial vaults. 

    "Odette," the Prince whispered, grabbing the fabric of her tunic at her elbow and pulling her to the left. 

    She listened and hurried to catch up with him, holding her breath as they ran back towards the staircase. When they emerged back out into the open, the sorcerer was still nowhere to be seen. 

    Merlin and Ronyn were already there, waiting with heavy breaths and frowns on their faces. Odette was bewildered▬she glanced behind her and up the stairs, wondering where the warlock could have gone. 

    "Where is he?" Arthur demanded, his tongue clipping with annoyance.

    Merlin shook his head, breathless, "We didn't see anyone," he answered. 

    The Prince's face contorted with growing anger, "He was right here!" he exclaimed, pointing to the ground at their feet. The finger flung up to hover under Merlin's nose, "Don't tell me you let him get past you!"

    "Arthur," Ronyn cut in, sharp, "no one passed us."

    "Are you two blind?!"

    "Are you looking for me?"

    Odette jumped, hitching back a startled squeal at the voice. They all turned to stare at the man standing where moments before, there had been no one. Immediately, Arthur tugged her behind them and she stared through their arms at the mysterious stranger. He looked more like a ghost than he did man▬his robes where white like snow; they draped long and hunched on the floor. His hair was just as light▬wispy around a narrow, drawn face of a man who looked ancient in his years. The staff he clutched tight in his palm was crooked; twisted with the knotted wood of a tree that might just be as old as him. But his eyes, they were truly something of magic; for they were as stark as winter ice. 

    "I am Anhora," said the sorcerer. "Keeper of the unicorns."

    Arthur's brows furrowed▬incredulous, he turned to the others, expecting them to be similar; it quickly fell as soon as he noticed their rapt, serious attention. He set his jaw, hoping no one noticed. The Prince held out his blade towards the sorcerer, "Camelot is under curfew. What is your business here?"

    Anhora held his staff in both hands, staring down Arthur's blade calmly. "I have come to deliver a message."

    "And who is this message for?"

    "It is for you, Arthur Pendragon."

    Merlin met Odette's gaze back over his shoulder, and the same understanding settled between them. They made the connection with ease▬this man was here in consequence of Arthur slaying a unicorn. But an even worse thought weighed down in Odette's chest; was there something more as a result of Arthur's decision? The crops, the water ... only magic could have done such a thing ... the young handmaiden stared at Anhora with a new breath of fear. 

    Arthur thought the same. Grinding his teeth in anger, he tightened his grip on his sword and seethed, "Is it you who is responsible for killing our crops and turning our water into sand?"

    The ancient sorcerer sighed deeply, as if these words saddened him. He watched the Prince evenly. "You, alone, are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen Camelot."

    In his anger, no one would notice the way Arthur momentarily staggered▬his sword arm dropped slightly, a terrible jolt aching in his chest. He pushed it away, letting his fury rise as he took a threatening step closer to the stranger, "Me?!" he let out. "You think I would bring drought and famine upon my own people? Who do you think you are, sorcerer?!"

    Ronyn was quick to his friends' defence, stepping forward as well. "How dare you. You do not know him▬Arthur would never harm his people▬!"

    The Prince glanced at him, silent▬but Ronyn understood. Setting his jaw, he stepped back as the Prince pleased, but not without fixing a withering glare upon the sorcerer Anhora. 

    "When you killed the unicorn you unleashed a curse," explained the sorcerer with a gentle breath▬he was not at all threatened by the Prince's fury. He seemed to pity it. "For this, Camelot will suffer greatly."

    "If you have put a curse on Camelot," said Arthur lowly, raising his blade, "you will lift it or you will pay with your life."

    "The curse was not my doing."

     Arthur's sword-grip trembled, "Undo the curse or face execution."

    Anhora shook his head. "Only you can do that," he murmured; his words soft and simple. "You will be tested."

    The Prince had enough. He clenched his free hand. "You're under arrest▬" he growled and launched forward to grab the sorcerer before him▬he stumbled, the tip of his blade scraping the ground. Arthur stumbled, spinning back around to stare, wide-eyed and shocked. The sorcerer had disappeared into thin air. 

    "Until you have proven yourself," the voice of the keeper of the unicorns echoed from the staircase above. There, he stood, unharmed. "Until you have proven yourself and made amends for killing the unicorn, the curse will not be lifted. If you fail any of these tests, Camelot will be damned for all eternity."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    a/n: ODETTE'S PARENTS FLASHBACK!!! YES I DO LOVE HER ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM GOOD PEOPLE WHO DID LOVE HER UNTIL SOMETHING (UNFORTUNATE) HAPPENED THEY ARE SO CUTE AND ODETTE LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE HER FATHER>>>>>>

    arthur literally about to execute himself because of odette, ronyn and merlin. mans is smoking and ready to combust from their chaos. 

    also:

    no one:
    arthur: *constantly grabs odette and merlin as if someone is going to steal them away*

     ANY HEADCANNONS COMMENT HERE <3: 

    also can we just appreciate how gwen and ronyn are not subtle at all from anyone else's point of view? they think they're so sly, tryna act like nothing happened while everyone else is watching them and thinking: wtaf...?

     can I just say that this episode ... I srsly think half of Arthur's insecurities about being good enough to be able to rule camelot and look after his ppl stem from the mistake he made here. 

    oh and:

    no one:
    arthur: *walks off*
    odette: *pouts* *is upset* *follows him* 

    no but like, part of their dynamic is such a 'hero-worship' and i actually love it. 

    not them all actually excited about hunting a sorcerer because they're all literally like: um, yeah, life's been boring recently, so...

    also not me making all the dominant!arthur jokes merthur fans make constantly on TikTok. I am just imagining the audio: 'act a fool, act a fool, act a fool-' when odette is telling Arthur to make her head back up the stairs. merlin's just standing there like:   :|   what am witnessing here?

     see its super funny cos odette's just so innocent. 

    I need to stop ranting before I make this chapter's word length get even more over 10 000. 

     that sentence technically doesn't make sense but I don't care. (how am I a writer?)