CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
SWEET DREAMS ( ii. )

Calliope isn't sure what the cause of all the odd behavior around the castle is, but she doesn't have time to put much thought it as she takes on extra guard duties for their guests to ensure maximum safety. She hasn't seen much of Arthur. He's been busy throughout the day in meetings with his father and the other Kings to discuss the terms of peace while she's been patrolling the halls with Leon. With the castle packed to the brim with people from all over the Five Kingdoms, she expected more excitement, but so far, all has been quiet amongst the corridors of Camelot. In other words, Calliope is bored out of her mind.

She picks at the dirt under her fingernails as they enter the armory. Leon shrugs off his armor; they're finally about to get relieved by two other guards, and Calliope plans on going to the practice field to cure some of her boredom.

In the corner of the room, a shadow flashes. She barely catches the movement, but her hand drops to her belt. A dagger is in her grasp as she squints her eyes towards the back door.

"What is it?"

"I thought I saw something," she answers.

Her boots click against the armory floor as she approaches the row of shields in front of the door. The assassin's eyes drop, and she notices a faint, dusty footprint.

Calliope pushes the door open. She steps into the autumn breeze, scanning the path to the tree line for any sign of the owner of the footprint.

"Pst," she whips her head to the left, drawing her dagger back. "Over here." It's a guard she's never seen before; his face is hidden by his helmet as he beckons her closer, but she simply narrows her eyes. "I mean no harm."

Calliope keeps a firm grip on her dagger. She takes cautious steps towards him until they're right under the cover of a balcony.

"Do you need something?" she asks in an impatient tone, eyes still darting to their surroundings.

He nods, looking at her through his helmet, "Yes, I'm here to warn you."

She takes a threatening step, "Choose your next words wisely."

"Oh, no, I'm not a threat!" he holds up his shaking hands. "There's been trouble in Mercia—a rogue gang of mercenaries have been declared enemies of the kingdom."

"What does that have to do with me exactly?"

"Because they're coming for Camelot next," the guard answers. "There was a spy in their ranks. They were robbing secret vaults, building up funds for something big. The last we heard from our spy, this gang was planning on infiltrating the walls of Camelot to find someone."

"Who?"

The guard shakes his head, "I don't know. We think our spy was caught and killed."

Even if a dangerous group of mercenaries are coming for Camelot, this seems like information he should be relaying to the King or Arthur, or even a knight, so why her? Calliope notices sweat rolling down the exposed portion of his face as well as the guard's uneven breathing.

"Why are you telling me this?" Another step from her causes him to retreat a few paces and hold up his hands again.

His throat bobs as he swallows heavily, "I'm to deliver a message...to you." A bolt of adrenaline spikes through her. The man's skin is ghost white; he's terrified. "The Wolf can't save you."

"Cal?" Leon steps out from the armory. When Calliope looks over her shoulder, his eyes are wide, and he's drawing his blade.

When her eyes land on the guard again, he has his sword in his right hand, "Blood will rain on Camelot, and you will be the last to see it fall," the guard raises his sword. "As far as it takes."

And then, he runs himself through with the blade, choking on blood as he falls to the grass—dead.

Calliope stares in shock, but Leon is quick to move towards him.

The guard's helmet lays a few paces away, his eyes trained on the forest, cold and lifeless, just like the chill that runs through Calliope's bones as his last words echo through her.

As far as it takes.

Five words she has spoken many times, and always to the same face.

The same face that haunts her wherever she goes.

Calliope's gaze hardens as she looks away from the dead guard. If Sepharin is coming back to Camelot again, blood will rain on this city.

But it won't be hers.

♛ ♛ ♛

"What happened this morning was a direct threat to my kingdom from the Mercian court."

Calliope stands before Uther with her hands laced behind her back. The four other Kings are present in the room, including the King of Mercia, Lord Bayard. In the past, Camelot and Mercia have not gotten along all too well, so something like this could ruin the talks of peace between them. The highest ranking officials of his court stand behind him in their royal blue, and Uther's hard gaze is unrelenting.

A few details were left out of the story which Leon relayed to the King. First, that this guard was sent with a message for Calliope specifically, and that this message was likely from Sepharin, who the entire city of Camelot still believes to be the dead Red Dragon.

As Calliope looks around the room, she's surprised to see Arthur vacant from beside his father. Where could he be when something like this has happened?

"I assure you, Uther, I am just as shocked as you. The threat does not come from within my court, but from a rogue band of mercenaries that have been plundering through my kingdom."

"Why was this not brought to our attention sooner?"

Bayard shrugs, "I'm handling the situation."

"Clearly not very well, it seems," Uther mutters just loud enough for Calliope to catch. "What do these mercenaries want?"

"They've robbed several burial vaults and armories."

Leon steps forward, "The guard mentioned Camelot is their next target."

Uther nods, "We must stay vigilant and increase the guard presence throughout the entire city, even the low town. Arrest anyone behaving suspiciously and question them. We will not let a rogue group of mercenaries cause chaos in this kingdom, and I encourage my fellow Kings to do the same." The other four Kings bow their heads in agreement. "Now, we can return to the council chambers to continue reviewing our terms of peace."

The King of Camelot looks to Calliope as everyone else begins to leave the Throne Room. She knows he has more to say to her about what occurred, and perhaps even a request he did not want to make in front of the court. Though they have never seen eye to eye, the King knows who to go to when a problem needs to be solved quietly, or with blood spilled, and Calliope usually agrees because what protects this kingdom also protects Arthur. A common goal will do wonders to bring people together.

When the door finally shuts, a moment of silences washes over them. The King stands from his throne, but Calliope doesn't move.

"You were there to see this unfold?"

"I was."

"And why do you believe the guard took his own life after delivering the message?"

The moments before his death flash in her mind. The way he almost seemed to be resisting the words, like something else was taking over his body. The sweat was too much for nerves, and the way he was shaking was beyond fear. Like convulsions.

"He looked to be under some kind of compulsion," Uther raises his eyebrows. "Like someone else was controlling him."

"Sorcery," Uther says.

Sepharin has contacts with the power for something like this. Hell, he has a witch powerful enough for the strongest cloaking spell Calliope had ever seen. Who knows what else he's capable of, especially with her betrayal still so fresh in his mind.

"I believe so," Calliope answers.

"Then we must assume these mercenaries are using dark magic to accomplish their goals, which makes them even more dangerous," Uther stops pacing right in front of her, his eyes pinching. "Your past is something I have not questioned you much on because your present skills matter more than those details, but I gather, you are probably familiar with the the type of people we are dealing with—these mercenaries."

"You could say that."

"Good," Uther replies. "Because I want you to track them down and assassinate their leaders before they can even reach Camelot's borders." The irony in this situation is almost enough to make Calliope laugh out loud. "Do you think that's something you are capable of, Calliope?"

A clever grin spreads across her lips as she replies, "Absolutely."

"Excellent," he replies. "Also, go find Arthur for me will you? He doesn't need to miss any of the peace talks, and I haven't seen him all morning."

Calliope nods as the King leaves to join everyone else, and she begins her trek through the halls in search of the missing Prince. Even though she knows the meetings are probably extremely boring, not attending them is out of the ordinary for Arthur. Has he overslept or something?

When she arrives at his chambers, she doesn't even bother knocking. She pushes the doors open, prepared to awaken the Prince from a deep slumber, but instead, she knocks right into his chest.

Startled, she steps back, "Arthur, what the hell? Where have you been all morning? You've missed a lot, and your father sent me to find you—"

"Shh," Arthur places a finger on her lip, and her eyebrows furrow. "I'm distraught."

Calliope grabs his hand roughly and shoves it away from her face, "What are you talking about?"

He sighs, "I've made a fool of myself."

"Well, you certainly are right now."

He ignores her rude comment, "I have made a gesture, but it was not well received."

Wait...does he mean the note and the flowers?

Calliope's gaze softens. She thought the note was a tad tacky, but the flowers were nice. She has to admit that. And she's bee too busy to come and see him since then.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic."

Arthur nods, "You are quite close to the lady in question."

Laughing, she crosses her arms over her chest, "I am, huh?" When he smiles, she shakes her head. "Look, the gesture was appreciated, and it was really nice of you, Arthur."

"So, you think there's hope?"

What is up with him today? Calliope can only scoff, "Of course there is."

His eyebrows knit together, "If only I had some way of knowing."

Calliope smirks. She's not sure what game he's playing, but she's always known how to win.

She leans in, close to his ear, and whispers, "Perhaps you'll receive a gesture of your own later tonight after the signing of the peace treaty." The assassin is walking away before he can respond, and she calls to him over her shoulder. "Now, get to your meeting before your father sends the whole castle looking for you,  Pendragon."

♛ ♛ ♛

When night falls on the castle, everyone is gathered in the Throne Room for a momentous occasion. All five Kings have come to an agreement on the peace talks and are ready to sign a treaty to make it official. The hall is bustling with chatter and flickering candlelight as Calliope scans the crowd for a few missing faces. She finds Gaius, but no sign of Merlin, and Arthur is nowhere to be seen either.

There's no way he would miss something like this. All of his odd behavior is starting to seriously worry Calliope as she considers slipping out to find him, and Merlin as well, because the young sorcerer has been acting funny as well. They're up to something, and Calliope doesn't appreciate being left out. She shifts her weight and fidgets with the sleeves of her black tunic as she contemplates her next move. Uther wants her here for security reasons, but would he notice if she left for a few minutes?

No, Arthur will be here. He's just running late is all, probably with Merlin nagging him to hurry up.

Calliope tries to set her mind at ease, until Leon approaches King Uther.

She steps closer to hear what the knight says, "We can't find Arthur."

"Is there a problem, Uther?" King Alined asks.

"No, not at all. Arthur is just running a little late."

Panic seeps into her mind as she makes eye contact with the King. Is he in danger? What if Sepharin is already in Camelot and has chosen the night of the peace treaty signing as the perfect time to strike. Calliope wants to scream at herself for not being more vigilant, especially with everything that happened this morning. She's prepared to search every inch of the city for the Prince and face down with Sepharin—

"As is the Lady Vivian," Alined points out, causing King Olaf to give Uther an angered stare.

The assassin feels this odd, clenching in her chest, and a flame arising in her gut, but no, no it's ridiculous to think such a thing—that Arthur is with Vivian at this very moment. It's too ridiculous to even entertain, especially after everything they have been through together.

However, King Olaf does not find the comment ridiculous.

He orders that every guard search the castle for Vivian and Arthur, starting in her bedchamber, and Calliope has to tag along because for some reason, her heart is pounding in her ears. King Olaf and Uther lead the charge through the corridors to where Vivian's chambers are, and she is right on their heels.

Before the door even opens, she feels her hands shaking. It's crazy to think Arthur will be in there. Olaf will look like a fool when he walks into an empty room, but before Calliope can start to come up with other places to search, she hears an outraged voice.

"I knew it!"

"Arthur?!" Uther exclaims.

The only way to describe walking into a darkened room and finding Prince Arthur in bed with Lady Vivian, his hand still cupping her face, his lips swollen and red from her kisses, and their clothes wrinkled, is like falling through ice into bone-chilling water and having every inch of skin frozen, unable to move or think or breathe. Time stands still as Calliope takes it all in.

As her chest caves in on itself; as if some huge blade from one of her daggers is lodged into her ribcage, Calliope feels hot tears pooling in her eyes, but she blinks them away. The ice has melted around her, and what replaces it is white, hot rage. With her ears ringing and all sounds blurring, she doesn't even notice that Merlin is in the room trying to talk to her and explain this away, but she can't hear him. She doesn't care to. Calliope's anger is murderous, and it's all directed at the one and only Prince Arthur.

When Calliope gets hurt, her first instinct is revenge, and her first emotion is always rage. In times like this, she falls back to that familiar place.

Uther is looking between his son and the assassin in a state of shock as Olaf yells curses.

And when she can finally speak again, her voice shakes.

"How could you do this?"

"Cal—" Merlin tries to interject.

Calliope shoves the sorcerer away, and looks into Arthur's eyes as he holds onto Vivian, "I never want to see your fucking face again."

And then, she storms out of the room, tears blurring her vision and her fingernails digging into her palms so tightly that she draws blood.

This doesn't make any sense. Calliope's chest heaves as a sob arises from her throat and echoes around her. Arthur he...she thought that he loved her. Calliope can't control her breathing. They finally can be together, and this is what he does; after everything they've been through? She stops to brace herself against a wall to stay steady. How can he do this to her? And with Vivian? It's a blow to her chest that leaves a gaping wound.

Her thoughts are spiraling out of control, and that's how Merlin finds her. Nearly hyperventilating with rage and hurt and confusion as she leans against the wall of cool stone for support. Tears staining her red cheeks.

"Go away, Merlin," she spits through labored breaths.

"No, Cal, please just listen—"

Calliope finds enough strength to straighten her back and glare at him, "I really don't want to hear you defend him, Merlin. Actually, that's the last thing I want right now!"

"Cal—"

"Fuck, just leave me alone!"

"Arthur is enchanted, Cal!"

"Yeah, with Lady Vivian. I saw that one for myself!"

Merlin huffs before yelling out, "No, he's under a fucking love spell, you idiot!"

As reason seeps back into the assassin's mind, she can finally breathe normally again, "W-what?"

"Alined doesn't want peace, and so he's using the jester, who has magic, to manipulate the peace talks, and the best way to do that is to get Olaf's kingdom to declare war on Camelot, which is very likely because he and Arthur are fighting to the death tomorrow over Lady Vivian. Are you up to speed now?"

Calliope sees everything clearly again, and she gives Merlin an apologetic look, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I thought I could handle it before it got out of control, but things didn't go as planned," Merlin says. "Besides, you know how Arthur feels about you. He'd never do this in his right mind."

"Well, how do we snap him out of it? We can't let him and Olaf kill each other."

The sorcerer sighs, "I've tried spells, but none have worked."

"We have to figure out something," Calliope says. "If we don't, Arthur could die and Camelot could end up at war."

♛ ♛ ♛

As the morning heat settles over the arena, Calliope struggles to remain calm while she sits in the stands next to Morgana and Gwen. With no clue how Merlin can undo the enchantment, all she can hope for now is that Arthur survives, and they can deal with the consequences later. The crowd seems just as nervous, Uther most of all as he explains the rules—a fight to the death in three stages with three different weapons: the quarterstaff, maces, and finally swords.

As the King raises his hand, a servant turns over the large hourglass, and as the sand begins running, Olaf makes his first strike at a distracted Arthur, who's too busy winking at Lady Vivian to gain the upper hand early. Luckily, his training pays off as he snaps into focus and deflects the blow. Calliope feels each clank of the staffs in her gut as she grips the wooden handle of her seat.

Arthur's agility proves useful as he dodges an attack from Olaf. he swings his staff and catches the King's jaw. The crowd claps, and he blows a kiss to Vivian, causing Calliope to roll her eyes.

Morgana places a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm wonderful, Morgana."

They're drawn back into the fight as the opponents continue to swing their staffs back and forth. Arthur hits Olaf right in the gut, but celebrates too early, thinking he has the King bested, he turns his back. Olaf cries out and hits him right in the back of the legs. The Prince falls, and the crowd gasps. Calliope does her best to keep her cool.

Luckily, time runs out before Arthur can be injured any further. The ringing of the gong signals the end of the first round.

Where is Merlin? They need to put an end to this right now, and as she scans the crowd, she spots him and Gaius going to Arthur's tent.

"I heard about what you said to Arthur when he was discovered with Vivian," Morgana says.

"Yeah, everyone did," Gwen adds.

Calliope sighs, "Well, it was quite a shock."

"I can't believe he would do something like this," Morgana shakes her head. "I really thought you two would end up getting married someday."

"Married?"

Morgana nods, "If Uther is already allowing the two of you to be together, it would probably only take another year or two before he warmed up to the idea of an engagement, especially if we could start getting the court to approve of the match."

Before Calliope can respond the second round begins, and this time, the weapons are maces.

Arthur struggles throughout the entire round, forced to stay on defense as Olaf swings mercilessly and with all his anger fueling every strike. It isn't looking good for the Prince, and when Calliope sees Merlin run into her view, beckoning her to join him, she breathes a sigh of relief. He has to have found a solution by now.

The assassin exits the stands and walks to the tents, where Merlin paces back and forth.

She raises her eyebrows, "Well? What's the plan, wizard boy?"

"I can't break the spell, but...you can."

"What do you mean?"

"This is going to sound crazy, Cal, but trust me alright?"

"Just spit it out, Merlin, what do I need to do to save Arthur?"

Merlin breathes in, "All you have to do is kiss him."

"Kiss him?" That's really it?

"Yes, a kiss from the person he truly loves will break the spell. I'm sure of it."

There's no time to question him or ask for a better explanation because when the second round ends, Arthur has barely avoided death, and if he doesn't snap out of this trance, he won't make it out of the third round alive.

Calliope has to trust Merlin, but also, she has to trust in what she and Arthur have together. Their feelings for each other are stronger than this enchantment. They have to be. Arthur's life, and avoiding a nasty war depend on it. So, when Arthur goes into his tent before the last round, Calliope marches through the camp until she reaches the entrance.

She inhales a sharp breath and forces any doubts away from her mind. Then, the assassin pulls back the flap of the tent and marches inside to find Arthur pulling on his shirt. His head turns, and he smiles, still in a clueless daze.

"Ah, Calliope, have you come to wish me luck? I really don't think I need it anymore."

"No, Arthur," she shakes her head. "I'm not going to wish you luck."

He scrunches his face, "Well, I'd say that's rather rude."

"And I'd say you're an ass, so I guess we're both right."

"Why have you barged into my tent then? To insult me some more?"

Calliope shrugs, "It's definitely making me feel better."

"Well, it's making me feel very unpleasant."

"That's a shame," Calliope strides across the tent. "I think I can help."

In less than a second, she's reaching for him, and their lips collide as she backs him into the pole that holds up the tent. At first, he's frozen under her touch, his eyes wide and confused, and Calliope starts thinking this isn't working, until she feels him relax.

He leans into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. Warmth spreads throughout Calliope's body at the familiar tingles and sparks that course through her veins from his lips pressed against her own. Her arms wrap around his neck as she pulls their bodies even closer, and she knows Arthur is back to himself as he pulls away slowly and looks into her eyes.

He gasps, his face contorting for a second as the last tendrils of the spell wear off. It's like the haze has vanished from his eyes as he glances around with full awareness.

"Cal?" He asks in a state of confusion. "What am I doing?"

"Well...you're in a fight to the death."

His eyes widen, "I'm in what?"

"Yeah, and you're getting your ass kicked, Pendragon," he opens his mouth to ask for a better explanation, but Calliope places her hands on his cheeks. "There's no time to explain, just please don't die out there."

He nods, holding up his hand, "Pinky swear."

Calliope grins and wraps her pinky around his just as the horn blows to beckon the two fighters back to the arena.

Now that Arthur is himself again and he can fight with a clear mind, he should be able to defeat Olaf, but how will they prevent a war in the aftermath?

Her nerves are high as they leave the tent. Calliope walks to the fence around the arena and watches as the Prince speaks with Merlin before the fight. King Olaf awaits his opponent, prepared for this to end in spilled blood for his daughter's honor. Every time Arthur enters into this arena, which happens far too often, Calliope wants to jump over the fence and fight in his place. It's unbearable to simply sit back and watch.

But it's all she can do as the fight begins. Olaf starts strong, his swings forceful and fueled with determination. Arthur parries each blow, and Calliope grips the wooden post below her. Get off defense, find his weak point. The King seems to put most of his weight on his left leg as he swings. She wants to shout out instructions, but she chews on her lip instead and trusts that Arthur can do this.

When Arthur stumbles, she inhales a long breath, and the Prince looks over to her. Her eyes dart to the King's left leg, hoping that the unspoken hint is enough. Break his stance, and you'll win.

The Prince strikes with a new vigor, and Calliope's eyes are glued to his every motion. He dodges an attack, and takes an opening to charge forward, shoving his shoulder into Olaf's chest, and kicking in his left knee. Just as Calliope predicted, the King falls with a loud gasp, and Arthur knocks him on his back, a cloud of dirt jumping up with the heavy impact.

Everyone goes silent. Arthur has his sword pointed down at Olaf's neck. He can take his life with one clean motion. Arthur raises his sword, and every person in the crowd prepares for the gruesome end, but it never comes.

The Prince lowers his sword, speaking out to everyone gathered in the arena, "This is no way to achieve peace."

He offers Olaf his hand, and as the King takes it and rises to his feet, putting his hand on Arthur's back, Calliope's shoulders relax and she lets go of the wooden post, which she was holding with a death grip. She joins in with the clapping from everyone around her as a chorus of cheers echoes around the city of Camelot. The people wave their flags for their Prince, and for the promise of peace throughout the Five Kingdoms.

A soft smile lifts her lips, and Prince Arthur looks across the arena to her. As sweat clings to his face, he bows his head in a gentle nod. Once again, Camelot has been saved from an evil plot to destroy everything they hold dear. Today, they may have have avoided war, but as Calliope's eyes flicker to King Uther, she's reminded of her task. Now, it's up to her to ensure the safety of this kingdom. Sepharin is still out there, and he will do whatever it takes to destroy everything she loves. She'll just have to find him before he finds her.

And finally deliver the killing blow she should've dealt a long time ago.

♛ ♛ ♛

The castle is quiet when the four kings and their parties have departed. It's a peaceful feeling to be able to walk down the halls without having to weave between a chattering group of people around every corner. Calliope revels in the serenity. All she can hear is her own footsteps padding against the floor as she approaches her quarters.

As soon as she steps inside, she's met with the cool autumn breeze drifting in from the open window which overlooks the courtyard. She shrugs off her belt of weapons and raises her arms in a long stretch. The temperature in her room is perfect for a quick nap. She can already feel the soft sheets falling around her before she even starts to climb onto her bed.

It's then that she notices a beautiful rose sitting on her bedside table. Curiously, she picks it up and smells of it.

"I thought I'd better deliver it myself this time."

Calliope whirls around to see Arthur standing in the corner of her room. He no longer wears his armor, just a simple white shirt and trousers.

She sets the rose back down on the table, meeting his blue eyes, "I'm sorry," he says, "for what I put you through."

"It wasn't really you, Arthur. I know that."

"You must believe that my feelings for Lady Vivian were not real," Arthur takes a few steps across to the room towards her.

The assassin nods, "It was an enchantment to ruin the peace treaty."

Even though everything that's been said is true, Calliope still remembers the gut-wrenching feeling of seeing Arthur and Vivian in bed together. It has awoken a new fear within her—that one day, he'll want something different—someone different.

Prince Arthur takes one of her hands in his own and uses the other to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, "You are the only person I want to be with, and that's not going to change, Calliope," his fingers move under her chin to tilt her head up so that she's looking right into his eyes again. So there won't be any doubts present in her mind when he lets her know the depth of his feelings—words he's known for so long, in his heart, but never let himself speak, but this moment, here with her under the fading light of an autumn sky, he has to tell her. "I love you, so much that sometimes it's overwhelming and infuriating and maddening," the corner of her lip quirks up, and her chest is exploding with warmth and happiness and disbelief that these words are finally being voiced. "I love you, Cal. I have for a long time. I was an idiot to try and deny it in the beginning because truly there's no way to not love you, and I don't care what the world around us has to say about it because I know in my heart that it's always been you and me."

It's hard to find words to respond. There's so much she wants to let him know—for a long time, she bottled up all her feelings for him, and it's so foreign for her to be able to voice them without fear of things not working or ending in betrayal or heartbreak. The walls around her heart were made of steel, impenetrable and cold, but somehow, this Prince found a way to tear them down. it happened before she could even realize it, and the truth is, she's loved him all along too.

Calliope leans into his touch and speaks softly, "And it always will be."

She presses her lips to his for a short kiss before letting that final wall fall down and fade away.

"I love you, Arthur Pendragon."

♛ ♛ ♛

the L word has been spoken, ahh!!

so, sorry for being inactive the month of august. life has been way busier than i originally anticipated, but we are in the final stretch of this book. i can't promise any certain updating schedule at the moment because i'm in a clinical program that is very time consuming and i also have my job taking up time. but there are only 3 canon episodes left to cover, and then the finale episode, which is an original one and the conclusion of this book.

thanks again to all my readers for sticking around, even when i can't update as often as i would like. remember to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments <3 :)