Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 89

Arthur sat at their dining table in their chambers, parchments strewn about the table stamped with the Pendragon seal, as he read over something, Miriam walking over to stand behind him, rubbing his shoulders.

"Are you ready to tell me what has you so troubled these days?" she asked as she leant down next to him, rubbing his shoulders gently as the tension eased from him.

"I think so," he admitted as he leaned back in his chair. "I think it might have something to do with why Elyan's been acting so strangely."

Miriam moved to sit next to him.

"Arthur, surely you don't think it's because of Gwen?" Miriam asked. "You gave her a choice and she chose to reap the consequences, Elyan can't blame you for that. And he doesn't."

"How can you be sure? And anyway, that's not entirely the reason," Arthur admitted, not able to look at his wife.

"Then what is?" she questioned, and Arthur knew that if he didn't want to answer she wouldn't push it, but she loved him unconditionally and vowed to be with him for life, she deserved to know.

But she didn't get an answer before she jumped slightly at the sight of Elyan himself, having entered through the back door of their rooms.

"Elyan, you startled us," Arthur said as he reached for Miriam's hand, but the knight stayed silent, motionless, almost robotic.

"Is everything alright?" Miriam asked, but again he stayed silent as he approached them and then drew his sword.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Arthur exclaimed as he tackled his wife to the floor, her chair toppling with them as Arthur barely dodged the blade Elyan swung into the table.

He then rolled them over as Elyan wedged his sword into the floor instead of them, but he pushed Miriam to roll further out of the way as he stayed to block Elyan's attacks with a wooden stool that he easily broke.

The king scooted back further, thinking he was done for when what would've been a killing blow was blocked by another sword.

A high slit had been cut in Miriam's nightgown to reveal the white pants that covered her legs underneath, allowing her easy movement as she moved Elyan's sword to the side and stepped in front of Arthur who jumped to his feet.

"Guards!" he called as Miriam blocked a few more swipes with her husband's sword as the two guards ran in.

Seeing that he was about to be trapped, Elyan rushed forward, pushing Miriam's body into Arthur's before he made a run for it, the guards on his tail.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked as he cupped the queen's face, looking her over for injuries as he breathed heavily.

"I'm fine, I promise," she panted, the sword still gripped in her hand as he hugged her tight. Elyan could try to kill him all he wanted, Arthur wouldn't care so long as it meant his queen went unharmed.

"What happened?" Merlin asked worried as he burst into the room.

"Elyan, he attacked us, well, me," Arthur explained before he moved over to grab his wife's sheathed sword.

"Are you alright?" he asked his sister.

"I'm ok," she said to him as her husband walked back over, handing her her sword as she handed him his. "That's not Elyan. Elyan would never attack us."

"He's been possessed by an evil spirit," Merlin claimed, and Miriam's eyes widened.

"Tell me that Elyan didn't touch the shrine after I told him not to?"