"Did he really?" I asked Mordred. He nodded. It had been a week since I had been let out of Merlin and Gaius' quarters, and Mordred was finally telling me of the secret that had been revealed to Arthur during my days of unconsciousness. "And he said nothing else?"

"Not a single other thing," he responded.

"How has he reacted toward you since then?"

"Fairly normally," he told me. "He had questions, but… Other than that… Nothing's really changed."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come-"

"Claire!" Merlin exclaimed, barging through the door.

"Yes Merlin, come on in. I'm wonderful, thank you for asking," I said jokingly.

"Sorry, Claire. It's Arthur. He's asked me to inform you that he and Gwyn wish to have you for supper. He said you could bring Mordred if you'd like."

"Very well," I said standing, ignoring the pain still obvious in my side, emanating from my wound. "How long do I have to get ready?"

"Half an hour."

~:~:~:~:~

I finished putting powder on my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a simpler dress. It was cream in color with threading that matched my hair, and had a full skirt. The 'V' in the skirt exposed the cloth underneath that matched the threading, and the threading of the corset was of the same golden color and made of ribbon.

"Thank you for helping me with my corset, Merlin."

"You look so beautiful," he told me, looking at my lovingly.

"Merlin, I'm just going to dinner, not a ball. The only difference from usual is a dress and light powder."

He took me in his arms, careful to avoid my hair. I had put a thick braid across the front and left the rest of my curls down to cascade against my back.

"You've grown up so much… I can't believe…" he trailed off, holding me tighter.

"Merlin, is… Are you alright?" I asked, confused. He pushed back, and I saw he had tears in his eyes, but he was smiling.

"You'd best get to dinner."

~:~:~:~:~

"Merlin was acting… odd… earlier. Right before I left the room." I told Mordred as he and I walked toward the dining hall.

"Odd?" he asked. "How?"

"He started crying… He embraced me, telling me how much I've grown up. But then… he smiled, and shooed me off to dinner. Do you think it has anything to do with what Arthur wanted me for?"

He was silent for a moment, contemplating. "Perhaps. But I can't be sure."

It was then that we walked through the double doors. I curtsied as Mordred bowed before we split to sit across from one another.

"Claire," Gwyn greeted.

"Mordred," Arthur said. "It's good to see you both. It's been too long."

I nodded. "Aye it has, sire. It's good to see you again."

"Arthur," he reminded me.

"Arthur," I agreed with a small smile.

We began eating, and I noticed Merlin stood refilling our wine and water as we ate, but always stayed in the room. We talked of silly things, including The Adventures of Claire and Mordred When They Were Young.

It wasn't until dessert came and we had been eating cut fruit and pound cake when conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Claire," Arthur said. I looked up from my food to look at the king. "Er—you know that er…"

"You know that we trust you and you know that we love you, don't you?" Gwyn asked me.

"O-of course I do."

"So you will understand when we ask you to please tell us what is holding you back from accepting our offer?"

I hesitated and shared a look with Mordred before taking a shaking breath.

"Please believe me when I tell you I just haven't been able to find the words until now. Out of fear. Mere cowardice had been holding me back because I knew the laws of Camelot." I looked strongly between the two of them and they nodded for me to continue. "You know of Mordred's abilities. You know of what he is capable of. But you do not know mine." At this I put my head down to look into the small tea candle in front of my plate. It was silent. "I was born the way I am. I was created the way I am. I was born from the sun, the moon, and the earth. The earth gave me my green eyes and my light weight, the moon gave me my pale skin, and the sun gave me my hair. I was born by magic and kept in a lake containing merpeople who kept watch over me until the man who was to free me came. I was there, in a sleep, stuck at five years old until the man—a sorcerer—came to free me. I was created to change Mordred's destiny. I was created to protect you through magic. And my powers are great. Greater than you can imagine."

I looked at Arthur, trying to convey everything through words that I had been so unable to speak before. I stood, avoiding any eyes that may have been looking at me.

"If you'll excuse me," I said, bowing my head before turning to walk from the room. I knew they'd need time to digest what I had just told them.

"Claire!" I heard Arthur call out to me. I stopped, turning slowly to face the people at the table. Mordred was standing. "Come here, please."

I slowly walked back to where I had been before. I caught Merlin's eye from where he stood and he looked… uncertain. Before I even reached my seat I saw the look Arthur was sharing with Gwyn.

"Sorcery is no longer outlawed in Camelot," he told me.

"But is it still outlawed in your heart, sire?" I asked him, still looking down. "Even if it is my destiny to protect you and aid you as you become the king you're destined to be—to complete your own destiny—I know you still are wary. But sire, you were born from magic. It was purely your father's mistake that led him to hate magic. And now, there are so many quiet sorcerers in quiet villages that only use their magic for good and yet cannot be free, but all you see are those who try to avenge their people in oppressive ways because they are the only ones that are bold enough to use magic. It is not magic that is evil, sire. It is man."

"So it is true, then?" Arthur said after a time. "My mother wasn't just a conjuring?"

My head shot up to look at him in confusion, "I'm sorry, sire?"

He turned and looked at Merlin. "It truly was my father's doing?"

Merlin nodded and looked down, "He asked me to never tell you the truth. He didn't want you thinking badly of him. It was a mistake. He didn't realize it was her life that would have been taken."

It was silent for a time and Arthur put his head down into his hands.

"It was my father's idiocy that caused him to take away the free will of those with magic. His hatred was never about sorcery. It was about him."

We stayed still, all watching him. Mordred and I were still standing. Suddenly Gwyn stood and slowly moved to him.

"Your father made many mistakes and lied about many more things," she told him, crouching down. "Perhaps it is time to reverse some of those mistakes and lies."

It took another few moments of bated breath before Arthur picked his head back up and sighed. Suddenly he hit the platter holding the food, sending it flying. It was almost halfway to the ground when my eyes flashed silver and the platter and everything on it suddenly stilled. I felt Arthur and Gwyn's eyes on me and I let it fall, my concentration breaking.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"No, don't apologize. Why do you think I did that?" Arthur asked. I looked at him, my brows furrowed. "How were you able to do that without speaking?"

"I told you I was born with these abilities, sire. I don't really need spells to do magic. It just happens."

"Honestly, I think that's fantastic," Gwyn said with a grin.

"Really?" I asked, light in my eyes.

"What sort of things can you do?" Arthur asked me. I looked at Mordred, grinning. He was smiling so large I thought his smile soon wouldn't fit his face if it kept growing.

The rest of the evening was spent recounting more of The Adventures of Claire and Mordred When They Were Young. Only this time, we told them the magic, too.

"Remember the first birthday you began giving me those flower crowns?" I asked Mordred from across the table. We were finally sitting down again. "The ones you enchanted so they would never wilt or die?"

"Aye," he said. "You were always so excited for them."

"You know I still have them, right?" Mordred's eyes grew.

"Where in the world did you keep them?"

"You know that little box I always had in my rucksack?" I asked, grin growing. He nodded. "I shrank some and turned some into silver so they wouldn't get crushed. One was turned into a bracelet, and two were turned into earrings. The rest were wound slightly and tucked away. They're still just as beautiful as they were when you first gave them to me."

He grinned and it was quiet. Mordred and I were so engrossed in string at each other that we didn't notice the look Arthur and Gwyn shared. One of knowing. And then the next look, the look of urging Gwyn sent to Arthur. He cleared his throat and the trance Mordred and I were in was suddenly broken.

"Claire," Arthur started. "I hope you realize the offer Gwyn and I proposed does still stand. We both understand your need for secrecy in the past, and our opinions toward you have not changed in the least. If we have had a change in opinion this evening, it has been… toward sorcery."

I looked at Mordred, wide-eyed. My mouth gaped open slightly and I was so shocked I didn't know what to say. Mordred looked ecstatic, like he'd burst at the seams at any moment. His happiness for me was so endearing, it made me want to cry. A grin suddenly broke onto my face as I looked between the two royals on either side of me.

"Then I accept your offer."

~:~:~:~:~

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