England

ARTHUR WAS WAITING for me just outside the maze, looking clean and handsome. His blue eyes lit up when he saw me, and everything Merlin had just said wormed its way out of my mind.

It amazed me that this beautiful boy wanted me.

And not just because I was about to be crowned king, though I'm sure it didn't hurt.

"How was your day?" Arthur asked, offering me his arm. We walked in the direction I had come from, towards the maze.

"It was busy," I said, looking up at him. Though I wasn't short, he was taller than me by a couple inches and I had to look up to make eye contact with him.

"I saw all the people crowding the castle. I'm assuming you had to meet with all of them?"

"Not all of them," I sighed. "Just the people Alfred thought were the best."

"So all of them?"

"Yeah."

Alfred chuckled quietly, his chest rumbling with laughter. 

The moment was so peaceful, so serene, that I forgot about all of the extra people staying in my home. Being with Arthur was like being in my own little bubble of happiness, and I couldn't get enough.

We walked together for a time, strolling along leisurely through the garden. We lost track of time, caught up in the laughter and euphoria of the moment.

I almost felt let down when he led me through the palace to my rooms.

"Well I had a wonderful time tonight," Arthur said, looking down bashfully.

"I did as well," I blushed, copying his motion and looking down.

After an awkward moment of silence, we both looked up at the same time, resulting in a head-on collision of hurtful proportions. 

"Ow!" I winced, touching my forehead tenderly. My head was pounding from where Arthur had bumped his head against mine, and I closed my eyes to help with the ache.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry, that hurts so bad, I didn't mean-" Arthur was genuinely concerned, lifting my face to his.

Instead of continuing to wallow in my pain, I lifted up onto my toes and pressed a playful kiss to Arthur's lips.

Arthur laughed against my lips, kissing me back one more time before pulling back.

"Are you truly okay?" Arthur asked, worry clouding his features.

"I am," I replied, smiling.

"I need to turn in. I would hate for the staff to think that something inappropriate was happening out in the hallways at night," Arthur winked.

I giggled. "Alright, then. Good night, Arthur."

"Good night, Lyra," Arthur brushed his lips over my knuckles, his blue eyes connected with mine the whole time.

I watched Arthur walk down the hallway with a small smile before falling into my room.

"You're out late, my lady," Rose said, standing in the middle of my sitting room with a bundle of dirty sheets.

"And it seems like you took advantage," I replied, holding in a laugh at her priceless expression when I looked down at the sheets.

"Well I figured that... that I could get some work done!" Rose sputtered.

"You're fine! Thank you so much for everything you do," I walked up and took the sheets from her arms. "How about I carry these down to the laundry room for you?"

THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up to Merlin standing over me.

I screamed, bouncing upright while pulling the sheet up to my chin.

"Merlin! God's bones, what are you doing here so early?" I asked, attempting to calm my pounding heart.

"We leave today to see Nimue, of course! Come on, did you have your lady's maid pack for you? The stable hands have brought the carriage out front, so the only thing holding us up is you." Merlin delivered all of this information without once blinking, so it took a moment for the things Merlin had told me to sink in.

"Wait- the Lady of the Lake? As in the one that lives in a lake in Avalon?" I asked, speaking slowly to make sure I had actually gotten everything right.

"That sounds about right. It's only a day's ride, and you do need to see her about your knight situation."

Merlin stood, and without a backwards glance left the room.

I allowed myself a moment to calm my racing heart before hauling my body out of bed to pull the calling rope.

This was a job I would need Rose's help with.

It took all of three minutes before Rose arrived in my room, breathless and with a travel bag in tow.

"I have the bag ready, Lyra, so don't worry! We'll get you packed for Avalon in no time!"

I wasn't particularly worried, but it was nice to have someone like Rose who could do this stuff for me and be so bright and cheerful.

"You have no idea how much that means to me, Rose. I'm serious. Once I'm officially the king, your pay is getting raised."

Rose peeked her head out of my closet. "Oh, it's really not necessary- I'm more than happy to keep my current salary."

"Not happening. You're too good to me," I replied, and Rose blushed before going back to packing my bag.

I took my time getting out of bed, cleaning my face, getting dressed in travel clothes. By the time I was finished with my leisurely routine, I walked out into the main area to find Rose waiting with my packed bag beside her and a riding coat resting on her arm.

"All ready to go to the carriage then, Lyra?" Rose asked. "I'm ready if you are."

I nodded, walking towards the door. Rose and I made our way through the halls, stopping occasionally to tell the numerous guests at the palace where I was going, and that I would be unreachable for the next couple of days.

The people Alfred had helped pick to be the main designers of the coronation weren't thrilled, but they accepted my excuse anyway before going about their frantic planning.

I certainly didn't feel the need to stay in the palace any longer.

When we got to the main courtyard in front of the castle, Merlin was waiting in the same coach that had taken me to the palace that first day.

The day I pulled the sword.

I was dressed in comfortable trousers, a loose linen shirt, and a hat. To the outside world, I was still a man, and I wasn't mad at that fact for the moment.

It meant I didn't have to ride six hours in a dress.

Someone handed me the sword, and I was loaded into the coach. Merlin said nothing until the carriage was well on its way to Avalon.

"So, are you ready to meet the Lady?" Merlin finally broke the icy wall of silence that had formed between the two of us.

"I have no idea what to expect," I confessed.

"That's normal. But I must warn you... Nimue can be a tad intense. Not in a bad way, if you're on her good side. But you should definitely try to stay on her good side."

"What happens if I say the wrong thing?"

"Then you're on her bad side and you should probably stay away from water for a little bit."

I barked out a laugh, before seeing the dead serious look in Merlin's eyes.

I gulped and looked out the window.

This might be way worse than I thought.

The rolling countryside raced past the window, and my eyes couldn't latch onto one particular thing. Trees and bushes were brilliant green bursts against golden yellow fields and shocks of tiny pink flowers. It was so perfect I worried something terrible was about to happen.

Perfect things never lasted.

"Are you happy with how the coronation is being planned?" Merlin asked, drawing my eyes to him from the window.

"Well, actually, I've been meaning to ask you-"

"The knights Uther chose are on their way to the palace to be debriefed as we speak. I hope you find them suitable, and he did choose three women of the seven he picked for you." It was odd how easily Merlin could read me, but I wasn't complaining. It was nice to have people around me who were always on top of everything I needed them to be on top of.

At this rate, ruling the kingdom would be a piece of cake.

"Have you heard the news of the Saxons on the front?" Merlin seemed to know the answer to his own question, but he was interested in my answer.

"No, I have not."

"They're advancing from the west, as you predicted. Congratulations on your first ever victory as the leader of our great country. Though, I do wonder how on Earth the news didn't reach your ears." Merlin tapped his chin contemplatively. 

I thought about who had the power to stop the story from reaching me. Silas, surely, would have rushed back to the castle to bring the news, and yet...

He hadn't.

 I thought it would have been of the most importance to deliver such news to the king, but instead they had withheld the information.

A plot seemed to be afoot, and I had to hope it wasn't sinister, though I knew the chances of that were slim.

"Now, who were the fellows that came for a visit the other day? And do you trust them?" Merlin was asking all the right questions, and honestly I only knew the answer to the second.

"No, I don't trust them. I wouldn't trust them with your life, and I certainly wouldn't trust them with mine."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or severely insulted."

"Why can't you be both?" I asked, grinning at the offended wizard. This carriage ride wasn't so bad after all.

After three more hours, I withdrew my statement and decided it might have been better to walk to Avalon. Surely it would hurt by bottom less.

When the carriage finally pulled to a stop, I could have wept in relief. Instead, I was in shock.

Avalon was more beautiful than the stories had ever indicated. And we weren't even on the island yet.

The coachman led Merlin and I to a small rowboat on the shore, and we pushed it into the ocean together, fighting against the choppy waves.

When Merlin was satisfied with the boat, he levitated himself inside of it, and I was more than a little jealous. Like the normal person I was, I had to walk through the water and climb clumsily into the boat.

By the time I had fought my way through the salty spray, drenched and sputtering, Merlin had already enchanted the paddles to row themselves.

I laid back against the wooden hull of the boat and coughed up all of the seawater I had consumed. The water was colder than ice, and I felt the chill down to my bones.

"First time climbing into a boat?" Merlin asked, his face alight with merriment.

"Clearly," I replied, my teeth chattering, annoyed that while my boots were filled to the brim with water, Merlin's slippers were bone dry.

"There are so many benefits to practicing magic," Merlin sing-songed, looking way too delighted for my liking.

Soon enough the boat scraped against the beach, but this time Merlin had the decency to levitate the both of us out of the boat this time, instead of leaving me stranded in the boat.

Small blessings.

The minute my soggy feet touched the ground of Avalon, I could feel the magic in the air. It caressed my skin and hugged my muscles. I found myself warming up, drying off. There was a certain reverence in the air, as if the island itself worshiped the legendary Lady of the Lake.

But then, who wouldn't?

Merlin led the way along a path I wouldn't have seen if it hadn't been for his guidance. We trekked up the mountain forming the top of the island, never once stopping, though I did have the desire to relieve myself.

Somehow I knew the Lady wouldn't appreciate my pee on her sacred ground.

Finally, the trees thinned out and Merlin stopped moving abruptly. In front of us, at the end of the trail, there was a lake.

It wasn't a lake like any I had ever laid my eyes on before, though. This lake looked like glass; like one touch would shatter the whole surface. The water was strangely reflective, and so very blue.

The trees lining the lake shore seemed to lean away from the water instead of towards it like normal tree behavior. The oddest part, however, was that there were no frogs jumping or ribbiting. There were no birds flying or chirping. There was no sound at all.

Certainly this was where the Lady of the Lake held court.

"Nimue!" Merlin called, and the water rippled as though it was affected by the slightest noise.

Suddenly a pillar of brilliant water shot up in a beautiful display of the Lady's magic, and when the water fell, it left a woman in its wake.

Raven hair fell to her waist in straight lines, and not one hair was out of place. Her skin was pale alabaster, her eyes vivid green. She was dressed in a plain white smock, but everything about her posture spoke of power and superiority.

I had the strangest instinct to cower behind a tree.

"Merlin," the woman smiled, before her eyes settled on me. "And who are you?"

Word Count: 2183

Total Word Count: 23028

This story is rapidly approaching the ending, which I'm a little bit sad about, but at the same time that's a good thing! Plus, and this is a pretty big announcement(!!) I will be extending this NOVELLA into a NOVEL at the end of the tournament. I think this story line has so many possibilities, and I want this book to live up to its potential.

So anywho: what do you think of Nimue? Are you excited to see what happens? Do you think there will be an appearance of a certain legendary sword?

As always, thank you so much for reading, commenting, voting, sharing, and following! I love seeing all of your comments, and I promise I'm telling the truth when I say they make my day!

Have a wonderful, wonderful night/day!

CJ