A Heart For A Heart

To Kill the King Part 1

Alexandra's Point of View:

A stone glowed a fiery orange as magic poured from it. The lead transformed into gold. But what price would be paid for an item like this to be made? I jumped up from my sleep alarmed that the dream was real and so were the feelings of this powerful stone. I had no idea what had caused this or where it had come from. All I knew were the rumors spreading around the palace. Tauren, an evil sorcerer has been running around causing chaos. It made me uneasy that a corrupted sorcerer is so close to Camelot. The King wants this bandit found and killed as soon as possible. I stepped out to see Merlin and Gaius were still awake.

"Something woke me," I stated into the abyss.

"What?" the physician questioned.

"A dream, a feeling I had. There was a fiery stone and lead was turned to gold."

Merlin looked at me, "I felt it too. A powerful magic is here in Camelot." Gwen came running into the chambers. Panic was evident on her face.

"My father's been arrested!"

I held her as Merlin asked, "Arrested, What for?"

"They say he was making weapons for a sorcerer and they are charging him with treason!" She wept into my shoulder.

"Gwen, you must go see your father. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I want to just talk to him. Him and me." I nodded and watched as she left weeping. She returned fifteen minutes later and explained that Tauren offered her father gold to perform an experiment that involved a stone. My body tensed. It wasn't a dream, it was a vision. I offered Gwen our bedroom and let her rest. Gaius went to a book and started flipping through the pages. Both us of knew that from what Gwen explained Tauren was performing alchemy. Merlin and Gaius continued to search for the stone in his research books. I left to talk to Arthur. I knew Morgana was furious, especially with Uther. I knocked on his chamber doors. Once I was welcomed, I saw him stretched over the dining table staring into the unknown.

"How are you with all this?" I asked.

"Not well, you?"

"Not well either. I assume Uther's mind can't be changed."

"No, the people of Camelot must know that the laws must not be trifled with," he mocked. I laughed even though it wasn't the best time to laugh. I apologized.

"I just wasn't expecting your impression of your father to be that good," I teased. He smiled and sat on the table facing me.

"He talks like that enough. It's easy to pick up on," Arthur said.

"If you were in his shoes, would you have spared Tom even if he wasn't Gwen's father or the best blacksmith?"

He pondered for a moment, "I would spare Tom. Although the offer might have been suspicious, he may have not known that Tauren was using magic."

"See, now you're starting to think like me. I think my influence has been doing you some good."

"Is that so," he smirked making his way to me. His body towering over me. At this moment, I realized, I may have had a little crush on the prince. It was harmless, but...

As the sun rose, Merlin set off to assist Prince Arthur for the day, leaving me to wait for Gwen to wake up. Suddenly, I felt a surge of power emanating from the stone, and I knew that Merlin had felt it too. My mind raced with possibilities, wondering if this was the clue we had been searching for. I focused my thoughts on the power of imaging the stone, hoping that it might unlock another piece of the mystery that had been haunting us. Just as I was lost in thought, Moragna's voice interrupted me. I quickly shut the book of magic artifacts and looked up to greet her.

"How is she?"

"She's doing okay." Morgana exited, but her demeanor was different. She was angry and an angry woman was a danger to us all. Later that day, Merlin told me that he watched Arthur and the guards arrest a couple for giving a sorcerer a place to rest. Although he was just a man and deserved a place to sleep, he also was a person with magic which made him a threat to Camelot. Sometimes I wonder if Merlin's or my secret were to slip then would we become an enemy. In Uther's eyes, we would be. The following day it was reported that Tom tried to escape and he was given a key. Gwen seemed devsated which was evident from the bags under her eyes. Merlin sat on the bed with her rubbing her back. I was propped by the doorway watching them. There was a knock on the bedroom door. It was the prince. The air tensed a bit.

"Guinevere, I want you to know that your position here is safe and your home is yours for life. I guarantee you that. I know under these circumstances that it's not much. Anything you want, anything you need..." he looked at me, "all you have to do is ask. I'm sorry." I know it bothered him. It bothered us all and we all felt pitiful for our Gwen. She thanked him before he left the bedroom. I followed Arthur out of the room.

"That was really nice of you," I complimented.

"It's the least I can do. I feel terrible."

"I do too. The best thing we can do to bring Gwen comfort is try and catch Tauren."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I have an idea, but I need to find something first."

"Whenever you need me, you know where to find me."

I filled in as Morgana's maidservant giving Gwen a break to grieve. The ward was telling me about how she yelled at Uther and he looked her away. Uther only cared about his pride and it showed through his actions. He didn't like to be challenged. I washed her face with a cloth before brushing her hair. Morgana's actual maidservant burst through the door. She was in a panicked state.

"Guinevere, are you alright?" Morgana questioned rising from her chair and meeting the woman by the door.

"Tauren, he said I had to find and return a stone to him. I haven't seen a stone, but he said he'd kill me." She cried.

I spoke up, "Did he say where he wanted to meet?"

"The Darkling Woods."

"Gwen, you are safe and Tauren is no threat to you," Morgana stated trying to bring comfort to the girl.