Page 12 of The Sword & the Stone

Gaius’s eyes were grave in the flickering torchlight. “Arthur has to travel to the heart of the Wandering Wood and fetch the Holy Grail from the ancient stone temple. Only then will Uther recognize her as his true successor.”

My breath caught in my throat, my mind racing. The Grail. The most sacred relic, rumored to grant eternal life and healing to anyone who drank from it. People had been searching forit for centuries, often losing their minds or their lives in the process. King after king had failed, even Uther himself. And now Arthur,myArthur, was expected to succeed where so many had failed.

“But that’s…that’s impossible,” I whispered, shaking my head. “The Wandering Wood is like a maze of magic and illusions filled with creatures. And even if she makes it to the stone temple, the Grail is poison to anyone it deems unworthy. How can Uther expect her to survive all of that?”

Gaius sighed, his weathered face reflecting my horror. “I’m worried Uther might be setting Arthur up to fail,” he said. “There are plenty of people at court who don’t think a woman should take the throne. They see it as going against the natural order of things. By sending her on this impossible quest, Uther’s giving them the perfect chance to question her worth.”

A surge of white-hot anger shot through me, and I clenched my fists at my sides.How could they? How could they try to bring Arthur down before she even had the chance to show what she could do?Excalibur chose her, and she had courage and strength that far surpassed her years. Yet they were ready to dismiss her just because she was a woman.

“I won’t let that happen,” I said, nearly growling it. “I’ll go with her and use every bit of my magic to protect and guide her. When we come back victorious, they’ll have no choice but to recognize her as their true queen.”

“Good.” Gaius nodded, as if that was exactly what he’d been wanting to hear from me.

I left Gaius in the shadowed corridor, my mind churning with plans and possibilities as I made my way through the labyrinthof passages in the castle. I reached the ornate door to Arthur's new chambers, feeling for her familiar presence, as I always did.

The guard posted outside was looking the other way, so with the wave of my hand, I sent a spell towards him. It took effect immediately, and he slumped against the stone wall, asleep. With another wave of my hand, the lock slid open, and I slipped silently into the room, the heavy oak door swinging shut behind me with a muffled thud.

The chamber was bathed in the warm glow of flickering candles and the dying embers of a fire in the hearth. Tapestries depicting scenes from Camelot's history adorned the stone walls, their rich colors muted in the dim light.

And there, standing in front of a full-length mirror, was Arthur. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her, in a tunic of deep crimson, the color of the Pendragon crest. Black breeches clung to her long, muscular legs, tucked into knee-high boots of supple leather. Her hair, usually a wild tangle of curls, had been tamed into a single braid that snaked down her back.

My cock hardened the way it always did when I looked at Arthur.

As she turned to face me, her large brown eyes widening in surprise, I felt my heart constrict with a fierce rush of pure desire. "Merlin," she breathed, a relieved smile playing at the corners of her full lips. "I didn't hear you come in."

Her face was flushed, her cheeks a light rosy tint and made the singular dark brown freckle under her right eye more prominent. It was the reason I’d started calling her Wart when we were kids, because I loved to tease her about it, despite it being my most favorite feature of hers. How many years had I imagined placing a kiss right there under her eye?

"I have my ways," I said, stepping further into the room. The air between us felt charged, as it always did when we were alone together. "I just spoke with Gaius."

She always loved Gaius. The moment we realized I could wield magic, Gaius took me under his wing. Arthur made it her mission to make sure I was in good hands. Gaius was amused by Arthur and sometimes even allowed her to sit in on a lesson or two.

Arthur's smile faltered, and she looked away, her shoulders tensing beneath the fine fabric of her top. "The king thinks I need to prove how worthy I am."

I crossed the room in a few long strides, grasping her shoulders and turning her to face me. "You have nothing to fucking prove. Not to me, not to anyone. Youareworthy. You always have been."

She swallowed hard, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "He chose the Grail for a reason. He thinks it’s impossible. Evenhefailed when he was our age, and so did his father and his father’s father.”

I tightened my grip on her shoulders, my heart aching at the pain and self-doubt I saw in her eyes. "Listen to me, Wart. You are not Uther, or his father, or any of the kings who came before them. You are something entirely new. Something Camelot has never seen before. A queen, yes, but more than that. A leader who will rule with compassion and wisdom, who will unite the land in a way no one else could."

Her eyes suddenly shone with familiar mischief, and her pink lips quirked up on one side, sending my heart once again racing. “Does this mean you’re coming with me then?” Her lashes fluttered dramatically.

A slow grin spread across my face as I looked down at her, my hands still gripping her shoulders. "Of course I'm coming with you, you idiot. Did you really think I'd let you go off on some deadly quest without me?"

She laughed, a sound that never failed to make my heart soar. "I don't know, Merlin. You're getting a bit old. Might slow me down."

I scoffed, releasing her shoulders to place a hand over my heart in mock offense. "Old? I’m three years older than you. I'll have you know I'm in the prime of my life.”

She snorted, shoving at my chest playfully. "I can still pick pockets faster than you."

I caught her hand, bringing it to my lips to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I’m sure you can, Wart. But I’d slay a thousand fucking dragons and go on endless deadly quests just to keep up."

Something in her expression softened, the teasing glint in her eyes replaced by a heat that made my breath catch. "Merlin," she whispered, her fingers tightening around mine.

Yes…Yes, yes, yes.

Suddenly she was kissing me, her lips soft and insistent against my own. I groaned into her mouth, my hands coming up to tangle in her braid as I pulled her flush against me. We’d almost kissed back in the barn, and being interrupted by those mercenaries had ruined years of tension that had been ready to combust between us.

I’d dreamed of kissing Arthur this way, of having her pink lips pressed against mine. I dreamed of feeling her supple skin under my calloused palms as I did things to her that would have her writhing for me.

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