No young man-no matter how great can know his destiny.
Astrid Ashryver Morgan, the Queen of the once-great kingdom of Ambience, lost everything centuries ago, and her once loving heart lies broken and in darkness.
And so Astrid's life is about to...
After Merlin and I had buried Daegel, the two of us and Gaius made plans to get Arthur to see that Gwen is under an enchantment, controlled by Morgana. Merlin volunteers to take Arthur to the meeting place at dawn the next morning to show him, and asked me to stay back with Lila.
Then we'd gone to the castle, with me donning my pink dress. Lila is wearing a purple dress.
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I was to help Merlin and Arthur in getting Gwen out of the enchantment. After Arthur had breakfast, he'd called Leon and Mordred into a room, away from all ears, so their route wouldn't be ambushed.
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Back in the house, Merlin had gone through all of my spell books, hidden in an upstairs room. Sitting in the stairs leading from the shelf balcony, Merlin mutters, "I promised to help save Gwen. But I've no idea what to do. Is there really no remedy?"
I lean against the wall by the window as I say, my arms crossed below my chest, "When I was in the tower, Morgana threw me in a cell and I found countless Mandrake Roots hanging from the ceiling." This causes Merlin to jerk his gaze to me. "If I had to take a guess, I'd say Morgana put Gwen through the same thing. An ancient ritual known as the Teine Diaga."
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""Teine Diaga"?" Merlin echoes, stepping down the stairs to perch himself on the lower ones.
I explain, "The Sacred Fire. A ritual used on a Mandrake Root to bring unimaginable terror to the victim. Their screams could be heard twenty leagues away. And when it was finally over, their will was no longer their own. They were slaves of the High Priestesses for all eternity." I shudder at the memory of my time in The Dark Tower.
"Who performed this ritual? Where?" Merlin asks, gaze softening as he notices my shudder.
"I've told you all I know. Such mysteries were revealed to only a handful of female initiatives," I say.
Getting up and coming over to me, Merlin asks me, "How did you get out of the Mandrake's hold, Astrid?"
"It's simple: love. I thought of you, and Lila, and I remember the people I love. My love for you was strong enough to break the enchantment," I murmur.
