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Cupboard Chicanery

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For a moment, the world seemed to move in slow motion. Gwen managed to break free of Morgana's grasp and before either Nerissa or Morgana could grab hold of her once more, Gwen sprinted as fast as her feet would carry her toward her falling. Her cries for her father were painfully heartbreaking. Each one was more emotional and guttural-sounding than the last.

After a quick glance at each other, Nerissa and Morgana chased after Gwen. Their friend was clearly beside herself and in no shape to plead for her father alone. But Nerissa also wanted to reach Prince Prat before the doors were shut and they were left in the corridor. As much as Nerissa hated to admit it, Prince Prat was their only hope at this moment. And that was only if she could get him to listen to her.

Morgana and Nerissa were nearly to the door when Uther's voice commanding voice echoed down the corridor. "Seize her!"

Nerissa and Morgana exchanged worried glances. By the time they entered the room, Gwen was in the hold of two knights, still struggling to make her way to her father as tears streamed down her cheek. "Please! There's been some mistake!" Gwen cried. "He's innocent! He's done nothing wrong!"

But her desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. Or at least unwilling ears. Uther ignored Gwen and cast his gaze upon her father instead. Tom looked worriedly at Gwen and then to Uther. Tears stained his cheeks.

"My daughter has done nothing wrong, my lord. Please, let her go. I'll do whatever it is you ask if you let her go. Please!" The man was desperate and willing to do anything. "I beg of you."

"The only thing you should be begging for is mercy." Uther narrowed his eyes and clasped his hands behind his back before he paced slowly between Gwen and her father. "I have been told that there is only one way to recover from this recent illness," Uther spoke calmly as if he were trying to bait them. "An illness from which you seem to have miraculously recovered."

Gwen and Tom exchanged confused glances. It was obvious neither of them had a clue where Uther was going with this game of his. Much to Nerissa's dismay, Prince Prat seemed to keep his gaze on the ground, looking almost ashamed by what was happening. Was it too much to ask for that Prince Prat would turn her way for a moment so she could get his attention?

"Sorcery! Is the only remedy for this peculiar ailment!" Uther stopped in front of Tom and made sure the poor man saw him glance at his daughter. "One of you has committed treason against Camelot and for that, you must pay. The severity dependant on putting an end to this contagion."

"She's innocent! I know she is!" Morgana pleaded with Uther. But he didn't even look in his ward's direction.

"We didn't do anything. I didn't do anything," Gwen cried. "He got better. He just recovered."

"Impossible!" Uther shouted back.

"Why won't you believe us?" Gwen pleaded.

"Because only one person has survived this disease!" Uther turned toward Gwen and roared. "And the only known cure is magic!"

Morgana stepped between Uther and Gwen. "Perhaps this is a disease that is not always fatal," Morgana argued, spreading her arms wide as if she were protecting Gwen. "Have you thought of that? Perhaps he recovered naturally."

"This is not your place, Morgana," Uther hissed. "Stand aside or I will be forced to make you."

This was not going well. Nerissa needed to make her move and fast. Because the further this spiraled out of control, the less likely Uther was to see reason. Despite the chaos of the moment, Prince Prat looked away and in Nerissa's direction. With her lips pursed, Nerissa reluctantly motioned him toward her with a finger. He looked at his father, who was standing his ground against Morgana, before turning toward her, closing the distance between them.

"What could you possibly want at a moment like this?" Prince Prat hissed in a voice so low that only she could hear.

Nerissa's breath shuddered for a moment, but she stood tall against him, trying to steel her nerves. "After your victory against Valiant, you told me that if I had a reasonable request . . . "

Prince Prat looked at her in bewilderment. "And you think now's the time?" He threw his hand out and gestured toward the scene unfolding before them. "Are you mad?"

"Considering, I'm trying to save Gwen and her father, I think now to be the perfect time." Nerissa narrowed her eyes at him and rested her hands on her hips.

He shook his head. "What is it?"

"I only ask that you hear me out. I'm not asking you to accept my counsel, but I'd like to share a few points that seem to be overlooked in the heat of the moment. All I'm asking is that you listen to what I have to say. That's all."

Prince Prat sighed rather dramatically. "The request does seem reasonable, especially considering your last one, but make it quick. I'm not sure how much longer we have." He then grabbed Nerissa's arm and ushered her through a door just off the throne room where they could better converse.

"Speak," Prince Prat commanded her as he folded his arms across his chest. His head was tilted down so that he could look directly at her.

Nerissa arched a brow. "Freely?" she questioned.

"I'll grant you some leeway, but try not to waste my time with insults," Prince Prat looked at her pointedly before motioning toward the door. "They don't have time for them."

Nerissa nodded her head in understanding. He made a good point. She then folded her arms across her chest because they were standing rather close to each other in what appeared to be a boom closet. "Don't take what I'm about to say as a sign that I even remotely like you . . ."

Prince Prat rolled his eyes and turned toward the door, but Nerissa snaked out her hand and grabbed his arm. "From the little I know of Camelot from my time here, there is only one person who can make the king see reason. You."

He sighed. "He never listens to me when he's like this," Prince Prat muttered.

"Then counsel him to make him see reason." Nerissa whose hand still held Prince Prat's arm gave it a squeeze. "You know as well as I do that Tom and Gwen are innocent. You probably even more so. What evidence was it that prompted his arrest?" Nerissa asked.

"There was none," Prince Prat offered. "I thought that perhaps my father might want to talk to him. I didn't arrest him. He approached the castle as a free man."

Nerissa's brow furrowed. "Then who did?"

"One of my father's men," Prince Prat scoffed. "He met us at the entrance to the castle and arrested poor Tom on the spot for the crime of sorcery."

"What proof did he offer?"

"He said that if I wouldn't do the job my father had ordered me to do, he would. My men fell under his command."

"I thought you controlled your men."

"So did I." Prince Prat slammed a closed fist against the bricks.

"Don't do that," Nerissa chided him before pulling down on his arm. "I fear there's something more sinister running amok in Camelot than only this disease. And you injuring your hand at the most inopportune moment isn't going to help us any. You might be a prat, but you are the best swordsman in the kingdom, so please spare your hand."

Despite the insult, Prince Prat couldn't help but smile at the compliment Nerissa had delivered to him. Had the moment not been so dire, he probably would have mercilessly teased her over said compliment. But now wasn't the time.

Nerissa hummed as she exhaled a breath. It seemed that everything that could be going wrong in Camelot was. But she needed to reason this through with Prince Prat before looking into anything else. "If Tom was the sorcerer why would he make himself ill?"

"He wouldn't. I don't think he is the sorcerer. As I told you, I thought maybe he had seen or heard something that he wasn't sharing with me and I thought my father might be able to persuade him."

Inside, Nerissa's heart sank a bit. What if Tom had seen Merlin sneak in and was covering for him? But Prince Prat was watching her intently, expecting her to continue this line of thought. "And if Gwen was the witch, why would she poison her father, only to heal him?"

Prince Prat shrugged. "An accident, perhaps?"

Nerissa looked at Prince Prat pointedly. "Have you ever seen where Gwen lives?"

He shook his head.

"There's hardly anything in their croft. Their sandwiches are more smoke than pigeon and their soup has more water than cress. If they had magic at their disposal, they wouldn't live like they do. They work too hard for people who could get whatever they wanted with a snap of their fingers."

Prince Prat appeared to ponder her words. "I agree with you, but none of that is proof enough for the burden my father holds against them."

He was right. That would never be proof enough for Uther. At this point, Gwen and Tom were guilty until they were proven innocent. Nerissa chewed her bottom lip, trying to ponder a different direction of thinking.

"Why do you do that?" Prince Prat said, interrupting her thoughts, and pointing at her face.

Nerissa furrowed her brow. "Do what?"

He gestured toward her lips, which made Nerissa pull her head back. "You chew your lip when you're thinking, did you know?"

She swatted his hand away from her face "That's not helping," she hissed. She swatted his hand once more for good measure.

Prince Prat took a step away with his hands raised defensively in the air.

After a long sigh, Nerissa finally responded, "You don't think he'd believe Tom had a different illness, do you?"

Prince Prat folded his arms across his chest. "All reports are that it was the same as what's currently ailing Camelot. I even spoke to Gaius - Gwen herself confirmed to him that it was the contagion."

"Well, maybe Gwen was wrong. Maybe it only looked like . . ."

Prince Prat reached out a hand to stop her. "We're trying to convince my father. Not me. Whatever we come up with has to be . . . "

"Convincing?" Nerissa finished for him, looking up at him pointedly. He simply shrugged and then nodded his head. Nerissa sighed and then chewed her lip once more.

"You're doing that thing again," Prince Prat pointed out.

Nerissa was quick to retort. "And you're being insufferable again."

"Perhaps we should consider that Tom and Gwen are behind this." Prince Prat offered.

Nerissa scoffed and pushed herself off his arms to get as far from him as she could. At least as far as the small broom closet would allow her. "How you'll ever make it as king someday will be a mystery to us all. God save us before that happens."

Prince Prat blinked rapidly at her. "That was rude and uncalled for," he scoffed with his arms folded across his chest. "Seeing as I granted you some leeway, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Nerissa rolled her eyes. He was the Prince of Camelot. She was quite literally at his disposal. She knew that he could throw her in the stocks or prison at that very moment if he very well pleased. She didn't think he would, but he could. And that would be enough to scare most people. But Nerissa couldn't think of that right now. She needed to save Gwen. But that possibility was growing less likely with comments like that from Prince Prat.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "And I don't want to believe that Tom and Gwen are behind this any more than you do. But we're running out of time standing here in a broom closet."

Time. They needed more time. She was sure Merlin's book of magic had something about time in there, but neither of them was well-versed enough in magic to do anything about it. Nor would using sorcery be the best idea right now. Using sorcery was what got them into this mess in the first place. Time was constant. How could they possibly get more of it? Nerissa's eyes widened as a plan fell into place. "We need more time," she whispered to Prince Prat.

"Were you listening to a single thing I said?" Prince Prat scoffed. "We don't have any spare time, we're literally running out of it."

"I know that," Nerissa retorted. "I'm not a dunderhead. What we need is to buy us some more time to prove their innocence."

"My father is literally about to condemn them to death out there," Prince Prat hissed, gesturing to the closed door. "If he hasn't already."

"Which is why you are going to ask for more time to prove their guilt." Nerissa poked him in the chest for emphasis.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Come again? I thought we were trying to prove their innocence. Why would I want to prove their guilt?"

Nerissa rolled her eyes. "Must I explain everything?" she muttered. She glanced up to find Prince Prat staring at her, waiting for her to explain. "Apparently, I must. We both agree that we need more time. Perhaps you can convince your father that if you were given time, you might be able to draw the cure out of them to save Camelot. When really . . . "

Understanding dawned on his face. "We can have more time to find the true guilty party."

Nerissa nodded her head. "And I would hope that you'd be kind enough to provide Gwen and her father with decent food and blankets for their . . . torture."

He mused for a moment before shaking his head. Nerissa's heart sank. Was he truly going to deprive them of common decency?

"I might not be able to provide those things, but I should be able to distract the guards long enough for you to sneak them in."

Nerissa's eyes widened in understanding. He had a point. It would look bad for the Prince of Camelot to be playing favorites. Especially with those accused of sorcery. Nerissa was pleasantly surprised by how decent Prince Prat's plan was. Not that she would ever bestow such a compliment to his face. No need to make his head bigger than it already was.

So, she simply nodded her head in agreement. As much as she disliked Prince Prat this was the only conceivable way she could think of to save Gwen and Tom. But there had to be something more afoot here. The thought of Prince Prat's men not obeying his command didn't sit well with her.

"You're doing it again," Prince Prat pointed out during her silence. He then gestured to her face. "You're thinking."

"Well, someone has to."

He sighed. "Am I going to have to command you to divulge your thoughts?"

Nerissa rolled her eyes. "I'm thinking of your men."

Prince Prat's eyes widened for a moment and a slight blush crept up his neck before his facade fell back into place. "Need I remind you that now is not the time for that."

"Not that way, you dollophead," Nerissa scoffed smacking his arm. "I was thinking that there's got to be something else going on. I might not particularly care for you, but since I've been in Camelot I haven't once seen one of your men fall out of line. And now this? Too much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

Before Prince Prat could respond, the sound of Uther sentencing Gwen and Tom to death at sunrise struck their ears. Prince Prat didn't say anything before he quickly flung open the closet door and marched toward his father. "Father! Wait! We mustn't be too hasty!"

Nerissa pressed her back against the stone wall, not wanting to make an appearance before the angry king, but still wanting to hear if Prince Prat could sway his father. Although, the sound of her heart practically pounding in her ears didn't help her anxiety.

"They've been found guilty of sorcery. We must be rid of them!" Uther shouted at his son.

"I agree," Prince Prat responded smoothly. "But give me time to work them over for the cure or a way to end this. What if we kill them and the sorcery doesn't die with them? Then Camelot may never recover."

Silence. All Nerissa heard was silence. It wasn't a good silence. But it also wasn't a bad silence. It did seem eternal though.

"Father, please" Prince Prat pleaded. "For the sake of Camelot, give me three days!"

Again, more silence. Nerissa closed her eyes and wished for Uther to see some semblance of reason. They needed time to solve this mystery and she needed some hope for Gwen and Tom.

"One day. I'll delay the execution by one day. No more. We can't risk any more sorcery finding its way within the walls of Camelot."

Nerissa heard the sound of a door being slammed. Her heart began to hammer harder at the thought of being left with Uther. But thankfully, it was Prince Prat who poked his ugly head in through the doorway causing Nerissa to scream. He arched his brow at her as Nerissa attempted to stifle her scream by covering her hands over her mouth.

"We must work quickly," Prince Prat stated.

"I heard," Nerissa responded, breathing heavily, as her hand rested over her heart.

"Then perhaps we best get going instead of hanging about broom cupboards."

Nerissa rolled her eyes before storming past Prince Prat, purposely bumping into him with her shoulder. He rolled his eyes before following after her. "Where do you think you're going?" he called after her.

"Can't seem to please you, can I?" Nerissa scoffed.

"You're absolutely impossible," Prince Prat muttered under his breath, not thinking Nerissa could hear him.

But she did.

"The feeling is mutual," Nerissa retorted at him over her shoulder.

Prince Prat took the opportunity to snake out his hand and take hold of her arm. She stumbled, nearly crashing into him before she tried to forcibly remove her arm from his grasp. But her attempt made no difference.

"I asked you where you were going," Prince Prat told her. "If we're going to work together we ought to be on the same page."

Nerissa groaned and stopped fighting him. She didn't want to admit that he was right. But he had a point. However minuscule it might be. "I don't know," Nerissa reluctantly confessed. "I need to clear my head so I can focus."

Prince Prat nodded his head in understanding. "Follow me," he told her.

She glanced up at him incredulously. "I just told you . . ."

"I heard you," Prince Prat retorted. "Just . . . follow me."

Knowing that she would likely just waste more time arguing with him, she relented. "Then by all means, lead the way then, sire," Nerissa responded with a sardonic tone and an eye-roll.

Prince Prat sighed but opted not to comment on Nerissa's retort, no matter how desperately he wanted to. Instead, he led her down several corridors constantly glancing over his shoulder to see if she was following him. She was. And every time he looked her way, she shot him a glance telling him that she knew he was keeping an eye on her.

They came to a stop at the end of a corridor where a beautiful red tapestry hung on the wall. Nerissa narrowed her eyes as she examined the tapestry before she leaned toward Prince Prat and whispered, "It's not really to my liking. So, I'm not sure how it's supposed to help . . ."

But before Nerissa could finish, Prince Prat lifted the tapestry to reveal a wooden door. He then fished a key ring from his pocket and fiddled with he stuck a golden key in the door. "If you tell a single soul about this . . ." he began.

"You'll have me sentenced to death?" Nerissa offered.

Prince Prat groaned as he reached for the handle. "Nothing that drastic."

"Exiled from Camelot then?"

Prince Prat paused and looked at her, blinking rather slowly. "You don't have a very high opinion of me. Do you?"

Nerissa arched a brow. "Have you met you?"

After a long sigh, Prince Prat twisted the knob and opened the door. He motioned for Nerissa to enter. She was about to take a step when she paused. "You're not planning to kill me in here, are you?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, he took hold of her wrist and tugged her inside before shutting the door behind him.

Nerissa's eyes widened in amazement as she stumbled into the room . . . or was it a courtyard? She wasn't entirely sure. But wherever they were - it was beautiful. The place was covered in greenery. Strands of ivy covered the brick walls. Stone pathways twisted among bushes and flowers leading to a fountain in the middle.

"If I'd have known this was all it took to shut you up, I'd have shown you this far sooner," Prince Prat muttered to himself.

"I heard that," Nerissa commented softly, but her tone wasn't accusatory. It was quite light as she was still amazed by her surroundings. All this? In the middle of the castle? She couldn't help but wonder if some sort of magic was involved to keep things looking this beautiful.

Prince Prat sighed before he walked over to a stone bench and sat on it.

"Where are we?"

"A garden," Prince Prat answered nonchalantly.

Nerissa cast him a pointed look.

He sighed once more. "I come here to think," he said softly as he twisted his hands. "It was once my mother's garden. Or so I was told."

Nerissa paused for a moment and glanced at him. His expression was cast downward on the stone pathway. She had never heard him make mention of his mother. In fact, she really hadn't ever noticed much before that she'd never met his mother. She felt a little guilty for having not noticed. Knowing that now wasn't the time for some pithy retort, she opted to keep her mouth shut because she wasn't quite sure what to say to him. Better to say nothing than something she might regret.

Instead, she found herself drawn to the fountain. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but something drew her there. She ran her fingers across the rose-coloured pearls that lined the rim of the fountain. There seemed to be something familiar about them despite the fact that she had never seen them before. Waves were carved into the stone basin and Nerissa ran her fingers against them.

Prince Prat must have noticed her admiration of the fountain, but Nerissa hadn't noticed him walk up beside her. "A gift from Gaeafel," he murmured, running his fingers against the pearls.

"Gaeafel?" Nerissa mused.

"It's a small principality on the coast," he offered. "Camelot surrounds it from all sides but the sea."

Nerissa nodded her head. She'd heard of Gaeafel before, but only in passing. And she'd never been formally taught geography, so she hadn't a clue where it was in relation to Camelot.

Unable to resist its draw, Nerissa dipped her fingers into the cool waters. She gasped as she felt an unknown power surge through her and quickly removed her fingers from the water, severing the connection. She blinked several times at the water. What had just happened?

Prince Prat looked at her curiously. Thankfully, not only had power surged through her, but a vision of sorts. Nerissa took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The last thing she wanted to do was inform Prince Prat of what just happened. Although, it would likely see Gwen and Tom's execution postponed.

"You had mentioned your men defying you earlier," Nerissa said cooly.

He nodded his head. "What of it?"

"The cause of the illness amongst the people has already been sourced to the water supply. Is that the same water that supplies your men?"

Prince Prat folded his arms across his chest and hunched forward in thought. His tongue briefly licked his upper lip. "Come to think of it, I don't believe so," he commented, looking at her questionly. "When Camelot was first settled, it was chosen because of its proximity to several rivers and springs."

"One supplies the town," Nerissa mused. "One supplies the castle."

He cocked his head quizzically. "Not all of it."

Nerissa's brow furrowed.

Prince Prat reached out and skimmed the surface of the water of the fountain. "There's a spring beneath. . ." he began. He licked his lip again. "It sources this very fountain. . ."

"Which supplies the men?" Nerissa asked.

"The river."

"Then we ought to . . ."

"No," Prince Prat interrupted. "The men who defied me. They were the men I sent to the spring beneath the castle. They were the only ones who were sent there. When they were there they must have . . . "

Nerissa's eyes widened in acknowledgment she made to move, but Prince Prat's hand grasped hers. She looked at him in bewilderment.

"You will stay here," he commanded her. He rolled his eyes. "Well, in the castle and away from the spring. Far away from the spring."

"But . . ." she attempted to argue.

"If I'm right, then that's not a place for someone like you."

Her eyes flared in anger. "If you're right? Someone like me?" she seethed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Prince Prat shook his head. "It means that I have enough trouble to deal with at the moment and I don't need you mucking anything else up."

She scoffed.

He released her arm and quickly turned on his heel. "Don't even think of finding your way to that spring," he told her over his shoulder. "I'll be sure that someone is guarding the staircase. One of my men who didn't go to the spring."

Nerissa's face scrunched in anger, he was telling her that he'd find a man who wouldn't defy him. One that she wouldn't be able to convince to allow her down those stairs. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. He said that someone would guard the staircase. Nerissa only hoped that there would be some other tunnel to connect her to the spring. One from the area of the dungeons, which she had his permission to be in.

Two could play this stupid game he had decided they ought to play.

So with some bread, apples, cheese, and two blankets rolled in her satchel, Nerissa waited behind a door for Prince Prat to descend the stairs to find a guard for the passage to the spring, which should be enough time for her to sneak past and bring Gwen and Tom the food. Thankfully, she was right about the guards being distracted and she was able to sneak down the passage that led to the dungeon cells.

Nerissa walked slowly so that the sound of her skirts swishing wouldn't echo down the corridor. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself as she found Gwen & Tom at the cell at the end of the corridor.

"Nerissa!" Gwen gasped at the sight of her before running to the gate that separated them.

Nerissa motioned with her finger for Gwen to be quiet. "I shouldn't be here," Nerissa whispered. "But I couldn't see you being treated like this."

"If anyone finds out . . ." Gwen began.

"I have someone's permission to be here," Nerissa said. "Just not for very long." This was technically true, but she didn't need to rope Gwen into what scheme she planned for next.

Gwen looked at her curiously, but that didn't distract from her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"Please don't make me say his name," Nerissa begged. "I won't do it."

The answer dawned on Gwen and was quickly replaced by confusion. "Arthur sent you?"

"More like I told him to send me."

Gwen attempted a chuckle, but it got stuck in her throat. "That sounds more like it."

Nerissa's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Knowing that Nerissa wasn't ready to hear what she thought, Gwen chewed her bottom lip for a moment before responding, "Nothing. It meant nothing."

With a shrug of her shoulders, Nerissa accepted Gwen's words before she began to pass the items through the bars. "It isn't much, but it's likely better than what you have," she told Gwen. "You know who and I are trying to do everything we can to get you out."

"You're working with Arthur?"

Nerissa looked at Gwen pointedly. "Shows how much I care about you that I'm willing to submit to such torture, hm?"

Wisely, Gwen said nothing. She simply nodded her head as Nerissa unrolled the blankets so that they could be handed through the bars. Gwen handed her father a blanket and some of the food before returning to Nerissa.

"Thank you," Gwen whispered. "For everything. You've been a true friend to me, Nerissa. Please – please remember me when . . ."

"Don't talk like that," Nerissa interrupted, not wanting to have this conversation with her friend. "There's still time yet."

Tears began to fall from Gwen's eyes. "Nerissa, please. Just promise me that you'll remember me."

Nerissa clasped her hands around Gwen's. "I'll never forget you," Nerissa promised. "You were my first and kindest friend in Camelot. And because of that, I'm going to do everything in my power to see you free once more. Do you understand me?"

Gwen nodded her head. She couldn't voice any words without sobbing. Nerissa felt tears sting at her own eyes before she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. "Don't lose hope yet," Nerissa whispered before she turned away from Gwen, lest emotion overtake her.

Nerissa . . .

That bloody voice again. Nerissa stopped dead in her tracks. It had been some time since she had heard that voice. She had thought she'd been making it all up. But it was back. Nerissa glanced over her shoulder. Gwen was no longer in sight, likely having gone to her father's side.

Nerissa . . .

She closed her eyes. It was all in her head. It was all in her head.

Nerissa . . .I can help you.

Nerissa arched a brow as her heart beat hard in her chest. How did this voice know she needed help? Perhaps it was Prince Prat playing tricks on her. Maybe he had changed his mind about her help. Or worse yet, it was Merlin.

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

"Will you please shut up?" Nerissa muttered through gritted teeth.

Suddenly there was silence. Nerissa breathed a sigh of relief before the sound of Prince Prat's voice came echoing down the corridor with orders to his men. Never in her life did she think that she'd be thankful for the sound of his voice.

Nerissa . . .

It wasn't Prince Prat calling her. She could still hear him speaking with his men through the calling of her name.

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

Nerissa . . .

"Oh all right!" Nerissa ground out in exasperation if only to appease the voice from nowhere. She only hoped that whoever it was calling her was located close enough to the spring she wasn't supposed to go near.

So Nerissa ventured further down below the earth as the sound of her name grew louder and louder. She felt like she was going insane following this voice. But it's one promise to help her and the thought that she might find the spring kept her going forward.

Nerissa came to a stop at a stone staircase that seemed to go into the heart of the earth. The gate that looked like it should be blocking those stairs was open. And the voice was louder than ever. After a long deep breath, Nerissa slowly descended the stairs her heart rapidly beating with every step.

The steps came to a stop and a stone path covered in dirt was all that was left. Bravely Nerissa followed the path until she found herself in a huge cavern where the path ended in a steep cliff. The sound of a chuckle echoed as Nerissa frantically glanced around for sight of something anything. What was this place? Where was she?

Just as Nerissa was about to turn on her heel and hightail it out of there, the voice spoke once more. And something more than just her name.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Little Siren."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! Lots of Arthur & Nerissa . . . and we finally get Nerissa meeting the dragon! lol. What will he tell her???? haha.

Shoutout to those who commented on the last chapter: 

Darth-Caillic

ninjasawakendmystar

Comments are always greatly appreciated.  They keep many authors going! Even if it's just an emoji to let us know you enjoyed the chapter!