Page 54 of Kings and Monsters

"That will be up to her to decide." Bleddyn ground his jaw shut. He didn't want to give Gwyn the satisfaction of upsetting him, and he certainly didn't want to deal with the fallout of being a bad host when he drove his sword through the Lord of the Hunt.

"Do you intend to stay in the Aos Si, Seren Du?" Gwyn asked.

"No. My time has passed in this place."

"So you would abandon your kingdom once again. Your father would be disappointed."

"My father is dead, so his opinion no longer matters."

"Why not make Rosa the queen in your stead? She already wields the Seelie sword with remarkable ease. If she was to be your heir, she could rule the whole of the Aos Si."

Ice ran through Bleddyn's veins. The thought of leaving Rosa to such a fate, to let all the life and vitality fade into a vessel of power was repugnant.

"Rosa isn't interested in a kingdom. If you knew anything about her at all, you wouldn't wish such a life on her," he answered coldly.

"It was only out of curiosity that I asked. I did not mean to offend." Gwyn's smile was sly. "She would be a great queen if one as equally strong could sit by her side."

"And that would be you, I suppose? You don't want to rule the Aos Si, Gwyn. You only want access to her power."

"She is a woman I could easily learn to love."

"She would be a dalliance until you got bored and killed her like you do all the rest. You don't know what love is," Bleddyn hissed.

"And you do, Bleddyn Seren Du? I have seen the way General Eira still looks at you. Will you leave her again like you would your kingdom?" Gwyn got to his feet and walked towards him, stopping to whisper by his ear. "You despise me because I remind you of the truth of what you are—a coward who runs from his responsibilities and abandons those who love him. Your daughter is the noblest thing about you, but don't worry, I will never abandon her, and I will make sure she knows it."

Bleddyn looked up at him and smiled, his fangs sharp and vicious and eager to tear Gwyn's throat out. "Do it. She's never going to choose you, Lord of the Hunt, no matter how many wars you help her win."

"We'll see."

When Rosa woke,she found Merlin sleeping on a couch outside of her bedroom door, cuddling a sword almost as big as he was. His raven hair was riotous as if he had spent the night restlessly tossing and turning. Still and unguarded, without the intensityof his personality illuminating every inch of him, Rosa could see how much weight he'd lost in the past few weeks. At Gwaed Lyn, she had only been managing to get some weight back onto him, and now it was gone from worry, drinking too much, and eating too little. She swore then and there that she would start taking better care of him.

As if an extra sense told him he was being watched, Merlin's long black lashes fluttered, and his golden eyes looked up at her.

"And what are you doing, blocking my entrance and guarding my door?" Rosa asked.

He sat up, and she climbed over the back of the couch and settled in beside him.

"You answered your own question," Merlin mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "There are too many unsavory characters living in the palace now for me to be comfortable leaving you alone."

"Unsavory characters meaning Gwyn?"

"One of many."

"And you think you could take him on if he decided to come for a visit?"

"I might surprise you, Rhosyn," he said, pulling at the end of her braid.

"You always do. Is it just Gwyn, or is it something else that's worrying you?" Rosa pressed. "Bleddyn would have warded this room against the Lord of the Hunt, so you're here for something else."

"I got a vision last night from Nimue. It was fragmented, just flashes of images that didn't make sense, and before you ask, no, I didn't see Bal. I think the queen is killing her Court for entertainment. She was killing someone at least. Nimue is scared and worried. I felt that clear as day, but everything else is scattered." Merlin pushed his hands through his hair and leaned back beside her. Rosa rested her head on his shoulder.

"That must've really sucked. Sometimes, I wish could see Bal just for a second, but it would just make it worse. I want to go home, Merlin. I want to wake up in the attic, with everything smelling like paint, and Balthasar warm and sleeping beside me. And bacon. God, like a whole plate of bacon."

Merlin sighed dreamily. "I want to watch Nimue dancing in the lounge room to jazz music. Of all the things I thought she'd love, jazz music wouldn't have even occurred to me."

"When we get them back, we should go to New Orleans," Rosa suggested. "I always wanted to try my hand at Creole cuisine. It'd be fun."

"Nimue would love that, and it will probably terrify Arthur," Merlin said with a grin. "Bleddyn will be sick of looking at us by then and will let us go."

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