You found the culprit?" Arthur asked as his eyes fell upon each of the men in front of him.

They had all rushed to find him in concern. When the commander had realized that Arthur was safe, they had proceeded to explain it all to him.

"Yes, your Grace." The commander replied with his head bowed.

"Where is he?" Arthur asked.

"He's escaped." The commander replied.

"Escaped?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Yes. We fear he had help." The commander replied. "The men who were guarding him are in custody."

"And what do they say?" Arthur asked.

"They won't speak. The only way to make them would be..." The commander began.

"To torture them." Arthur completed.

"Exactly." The commander confirmed.

"Is there no other way?"Arthur asked sadly.

"Your Grace, I know you have a good heart but at times kindness can be mistaken for weakness." The commander said.

"So you want me to be ruthless? To have no regard for people's feelings?" Arthur asked. "If that's the kind of King you wanted then you should have put Miraz on the throne. Not me."

"Forgive me. I didn't mean it that way." The commander immediately apologized.

Arthur was quiet for a moment.

"Did you at least get something from your escaped prisoner?" He asked.

The commander hesitated for a moment and Arthur saw it.

"What is it?" Arthur asked with piqued interest.

"He had a ... note on him." The commander said slowly. "One we believe was given to him by whoever put him up to the task."

He held it out to Arthur. Arthur gingerly took it and unfolded it.

'Your services were greatly appreciated but no longer required. We hope the gold was plenty compensation to handle the bastard.'

The bastard. He felt his blood boil. The bastard. He struggled to maintain his calm demeanor but he did either way.

"These guards you have held. When were you planning on interrogating them?" He asked. "Take me to them."

Commander Boulivir bowed as he watched Arthur stand up. Together, they led him to where they were holding the guards.
Because the commander didn't know who to trust, they had placed the guards in a secret room and the commander had placed his most trusted few on guard. As they approached, the guards bowed in respect to Arthur as they opened the door to let them in. There were two of them and they both stood when he entered.

He looked from one to the other before he spoke.

"I'm told that you were left in charge of a prisoner and that somehow he magically escaped whilst you stood watch over him." He began. "Why is that?"

They didn't respond neither did they look up at him.

"I asked you a question." He repeated.

Still they did not respond. He pursed his lips and frowned. He had been told that they were being difficult. That they would have to resort to torture even when he had adamantly refused to go down that path. But now, he wasn't so sure about his resolve.

"An innocent girl lost her life today. Others were lucky but they are very I'll because of the poison that man put into my food." Arthur continued. "I don't want to be a merciless King but if it means I can get justice for innocent blood spilt then so be it."

He the turned to the commander.

"Do whatever is necessary to get them talking." He said sternly.

The commander bowed in acknowledgement. With that, Arthur turned to leave.

*****************************

"Really? Tell me all about it." The young dark haired elf asked curiously in the native tongue as she poured the scented oil onto Nymeria's silver hair.

The young Queen was laid back in her bathtub whilst her young maid and confidant Baela assisted her.

"He was sweet ... and gentle." She replied with a smile and a blush spreading on her cheeks. "It was everything I imagined it would be."

"Careful, my Queen. One would think you're smitten by him." Baela said with a giggle.

"Perhaps I am." Nymeria said with a far away look. "Perhaps that would explain why I can't stop thinking about him."

"Have you told him about your feelings for him?" Baela asked as she rinsed Nymeria's hair.

"Of course not!" Nymeria said as her face grew red in embarrassment. "It's not that simple for us women."

"Well, well. If the new King could see you now." Baela said with a giggle. "The Silver Queen is less of a warrior and more of a blushing bride every time he is mentioned."

"Oh, Baela, stop it!" Nymeria complained as she rose from the bath and dried off.

"It's a good thing he turned out to be a King." Baela said as she helped her dry off. "At least now you can be interested in him all you want."

"Yes because for all our talk of freedom to love, we're no different than these people who talk of legitimacy." Nymeria said bitterly with a sarcastic tone. "You can eye whoever you want, Nymeria, but as long as he's not a King or any other strategic alliance then he's not a fit match. Because duty and honor go before my happiness."

"At least with King Arthur you will achieve both." Baela said with a fond smile.

"Yes, I will." Nymeria replied with a smile. "It seems this once the gods have smiled upon me."

She made her way towards her dressing room where a silver gown had been laid out for her. Baela helped her into the dress. Once she was dressed, the young Queen sat on a padded stool whilst her beloved maid brushed her hair till it shone before it was pulled back into a braid. With a silver tiara on her head she looked every bit of a Queen as she was. Once she was fully prepared, Nymeria left for a walk in the castle grounds with a small company that consisted of six guards and two of her hand maidens.

Whilst enjoying the fresh breeze, she could not help notice how much everyone seemed to be engrossed in gossip of sorts. It had nothing to do with her, that much was obvious, but whatever it was it seemed quite important.

"Has something happened in court that I'm not aware of?" She asked one of the two maidens who were with her.

"Well, I heard rumours. I don't know how true it is." One of them, named Gilpa said.

"What did you hear?" Nymeria asked curiously.

"Well, apparently someone tried to poison the new King." Gilpa replied.

The caused the young Queen to pause mid stride. She turned and looked at her in shock.

"What?" She asked in shock.

"Yes I heard that too." The other one named Felice added.

With this confirmation, Nymeria turned on her heel and headed towards Arthur's quarters. When the guards saw her they nodded in acknowledgement. One of them went inside to inform Arthur. Moments later, he came back and opened the door for her.

She found him seated by the patio. When he saw her, he stood up and dismissed his guards. She didn't wait for him to say anything but immediately rushed to him. Before she knew what she was doing, she hugged him.

"I was so afraid when I heard." She said to him in a voice choking on emotion.

"I'm sorry I frightened you." He replied as he embraced her. "You don't need to be afraid. I'm fine."

She looked up at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You don't have to put on an act, you know. At least not with me."

"Well, if you say so." He said sadly as he pulled away.

Taking her hand, he led her to a seat.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked.

"No, thank you." She replied with a warm smile.

With a nod, he sat opposite her. They sat there, not moving but simply staring at each other. She took his hand gently in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm here for you. I want you to know that." She reassured him.

"Thank you. That means more to me that you could imagine." He said. "Hey, do want to do something crazy?"

"What did you have in mind?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"We could sneak out of here in disguise. Wonder around in the city. Have all the fun in the world before we have to come back to this crazy world." He said enthusiastically.

"I fear I may have corrupted you." She said with a laugh. "But yes, I would love that."

"Great. Let's go then." He replied, pulling her up.

This caused her to fall into his arms, giggling. They stayed like this for minutes as they stared into each other's eyes. But this moment only lasted until they heard footsteps approaching them.

"Forgive me for the intrusion." The guard said. "You have a visitor."

From the way he was hesitant, Arthur guessed it was someone he probably didn't want to see.

"Who is it?" He asked curiously.

"Lord ... Miraz. Your Grace." The guard replied in obvious discomfort.

Well that explains his obvious hesitation, Arthur thought.

"You don't have to see him. You know that, don't you?" Nymeria asked in concern. "I don't know why he's here to see you but I doubt it's a genuinely friendly visit."

"You're right. Someone tried to poison me and now he wants to see me. It can't be a coincidence." He replied. "But I don't want him or anyone else to be under the impression that I fear him. I don't want to give him that power over me. Please trust me."

"Very well then." She replied in defeat.

He knew she wasn't happy about it but there was nothing he could do. With that in mind, he turned to the guard.

"You can let him in." He said.

The guard bowed respectfully before he went and led Miraz in.

The first thing Miraz noticed was the close proximity between the two but he decided not to say anything. He been acted as if he hadn't seen anything. In actual truth it bothered him because he knew that if Arthur had the support of Venetia then it was most likely that the present Matador had shown his support as well. In simpler terms, getting rid of him would not be that easy. If he was to do that, it would have to be discreet.

That was why he was here. He had heard why had happened. He had known that Lord Vern had been serious about getting rid of the bastard but apparently the fool had made a mess of things. There was no doubt now that they suspected him the way they eyed him. That is why it fell to him to tidy up the mess the idiot Lord had made. He decided he would have to pull all stops with his acting skills today if he wanted to win him over.

With that in mind, he bowed in what was a show of respect.

"Your Grace." He said in a somewhat cheerful tone. "And the lovely Queen Nymeria."

"Lord Miraz." Arthur said.

"Please, there's no need to be formal. I am your servant." Miraz said. "But above that, you are my nephew. It would be an honor to hear you call me uncle."

This made Arthur raise his brow in confusion.

"Well, uncle, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked curiously.

"Can an uncle not visit his nephew without being suspicious?" Miraz asked with a smile. "Especially one he just learned of?"

"If you'd attended the council meeting yesterday then your visit now wouldn't be suspicious, uncle." Arthur said with a calm expression.

"Yes, that. I feared I had offended you by not showing up. That's why I am here, to apologize." Miraz said with a downcast expression. "I had a lot on my mind that I had to deal with. A lot to accept. Please, I meant no disrespect. You see, it hurt me that my brother had a child, one he loved so dearly and yet I his only sibling knew nothing of this. I felt betrayed."

Looking at him, Nymeria wanted to laugh. It was quite obvious that Miraz was acting. And he was quite good at it too. She just hoped Arthur wasn't falling for any of this.

"If indeed you feel remorse then perhaps you'll make sure not to abandon your duties next time." Arthur replied.

He seemed unfazed by Miraz's show of emotion. He knew he was pretending. He just didn't know why but whatever it was, he had no doubt it was something bad.

"I will keep that in mind, your Grace." Miraz said.

"Will that be all?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, your Grace. Please don't let me keep you from your other commitments." Miraz replied.

"The guards will show you out now." Arthur said whilst beckoning to them.

With that, Miraz was led out.

"What do you think that was about?" Nymeria asked after a while.

"I think he wanted to dispel any rumours that he had anything to do with this morning." Arthur replied thoughtfully.

"So what will you do? About him, I mean." Nymeria said.

"I need to keep a close eye on him." Arthur replied. "For that to happen I have to play his game."

Nymeria nodded in agreement. She didn't like it but he had a point.