𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳February, 506 AD
Some say that extremes are dangerous, which is unfortunate because I like living life to the limit.
After finding the courage to put my heart on the line – knowing that it could be torn apart at any minute, but trusting that it wouldn't be – I finally let go of any flight responses that my body had reached for. And in a world as uncertain as the one I lived in, that means that the remaining choice is to fight.
As soon as my arm had recovered, I convinced Sir Gareth to teach me how to fight with a sword, as well as hand-to-hand combat – against Arthur and Uther's protests. I also spent quite some time polishing my archery skills, and began wearing some bits of armour every time we went out – mostly just chest protection. And I can't lie: I felt like a superhero every time I looked in the mirror!
My new superpowers came in handy in the quest to find Morgana. Uther had fallen into a spiralling state ever since her disappearance. He had practically become a vegetable, allowing Arthur to play a much larger role in ruling, more than making up for his father's weakness. He was respected as a leader, and the people loved him – for the most part. Taxes had increased a significant amount as the Pendragons sought to fund the search for the missing Lady, which affected many people and made them resentful towards the King and Prince.
Arthur and Merlin were outside with a party that included several knights. I was originally meant to go with them, but when we had been supposed to leave, I'd found myself caught up in a game of chess with the King. For the first time in weeks, a smile had been tugging at his lips as he came close to beating me – I was allowing it – and I hadn't had the heart to walk away. So I'd swallowed the fear I still felt every time the boys went out and stayed back to play with Uther.
It was fun for a while, until a shadow was cast over his face again and he got up and walked away without a word.
Later that night, Gaius dragged me into the throne room. He wanted to speak to Uther about his declining mental health and his willingness to throw lives away as his attempts to find the Lady got progressively more reckless; but knew that the King wouldn't listen if he went in alone. "He values your opinion above most. Even above Arthur's, sometimes," he had said.
With an ego boost like that, I couldn't say no.
"Sire – how many more men are you going to lose in this quest?" Gaius asked, our eyes carefully following the King's figure as he paced the room. "As many as it takes," was the man's cold reply.
I scoffed. "Utah, these are men with families! Wives, children. They're not pawns on a chessboard!" I raised my voice, trying to knock some sense into him. But he did not want reason. He wanted Morgana back. I could sympathise with him, but his ends did not justify his means.
