Morgana patted her gently on the head. “Don’t worry, if you fall over dead, I will bring you back to life.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” she quietly replied.
Why was I seeing this? Then I noticed it, mounted up on the wall for all to see: Excalibur. Morgana did have it! We suspected she did...but now we had proof.
Gail snapped her fingers in front of my face, snapping me back to the present.
“Sorry, lost in thought,” I said.
Gail grinned. “I do the same thing. Take a vacation in my mind. It’s fun.” She led us down the hall. “Come on, let’s get to class!”
My notes
I can’t be certain that Art is Arthur, but the spark that I felt when I touched his hand makes me believe he is. Of course, I might just want to believe that. I’m not thrilled with the way Art reacted to me. But, Arthur has always been a proud man. Maybe I should have let him handle those two? I do like the way Sebastian and Mika had my back against Bart and Brett. Even though it turned out I didn’t need their help. Bart and Brett seem to respect power. They may have potential.
As for my vision: If true, that means Morgana has Excalibur, and that will make defeating her even more difficult. After all, Excalibur makes its owner invulnerable. Well, first things first. First, the knights and then I’ll worry about dealing with Morgana. People don’t realize that being Queen can be a tough job, especially when you’re thirteen!
Chapter 6
My first couple of classes, English and Math went smoothly. At least as smooth as they could for a new kid in school. I’ve got to admit, it helped a ton to have Mika and Sebastian and Gail with me. For the first time in a long time...I didn’t feel alone in school. I took that as a great sign. I was onto something here.
Third period, the one right before lunch, I had history with Ms. Vivian; a young woman with perfect skin, the most perfect I had ever seen. She also had sharp dark eyes that seemed to jump out at you. Her face almost looked too perfect. She was also the peppiest teacher I had ever met.
She jumped around the classroom. She sang. She spun the globe. She pulled down maps. I felt like we were being taught by an intelligent tornado. Her moves and her voice had the class mesmerized.
“History is a marvelous thing!” Ms. Vivian said with a natural grin. “It’s like more exciting than reality TV. It allows us to learn from the past so we can have a better future. Plus, it gives us examples from the past to emulate. Great minds, like Divinci, Ben Franklin, and Einstein. Great leaders, such as Washington, Churchill or even King Arthur.
Bart and Brett giggled.
Ms. Vivian stopped talking and looked at them. “You find that funny, boys?”
“Arthur was just a made up dude,” Bart said.
Ms. Vivian walked towards them. Her eyes locked on them. Both boys sunk back into their seats.
“Right?” Brett said meekly.
Ms. Vivian shook her head but smiled. “No, he was real. Maybe not the stuff of legends we hear about. The Arthur we know of today was much more likely a mix of many other men and some legends. But still, for a man to be known hundreds of years after his death, he must have been a great man.”
“He was,” I said without thinking.
The class laughed.
I sunk back in my seat. I felt my face turn red. “I read a lot,” I said defensively.
Ms. Vivian snapped her fingers. The class froze in place. She walked over to me. “So, my feelings about you were correct?”
I sat there motionless, pretending to be frozen.
Ms. Vivian waved her hand in front of my eyes. I forced my eyes not to blink. “I don’t think I’m wrong about you, Gwen. I can tell you are special. You may even be HER. The one I’ve been waiting for. The one who can stop Morgana.”
“Wait, you know about, Morgana?” I asked, coming out of my feign.
“Of course I do!” Ms. Vivian said. “I am sworn to stop her.”
“Are you one of our knights? Or an ancient wizard or fairy?” I asked anxiously. I figured she knew who I was so there couldn’t be much harm in opening up.
She shook her head. “Not unless you consider being born in the 1980s as being ancient.”
“Just kind of ancient,” I grinned.
“Magic still exists, Gwen. It’s just harder to find now, compared to the days of Arthur. Morgana is hogging most of it,” Ms. Vivian told me.
“I’m looking to bring back Arthur and the knights,” I said. “I want to stop Morgana.”
Ms. Vivian put a hand gently on my shoulder. “I know. We share a common goal. If you need me. I will be here for you.”
“Ah, thanks,” I said.
She walked back to the middle of the classroom. She snapped her fingers. Everybody moved again. Ms. Vivian continued the class as if nothing had happened.
My notes
Things are moving so quickly. I don’t know who exactly Ms. Vivian is. She claims to be a new mage. I never talked to Merlin about the possibility of new magic beings existing. Silly me. I must ask him! It would be great if I had another ally. Of course, she wasn’t one of my knights or one of the fairies in my past, but that doesn’t mean she can’t help. Facing a power like Morgana’s is dangerous and I’ll take any help that is offered.
Chapter 7
After a day of classes, Mika, Sebastian, Gail and I headed to the school’s fieldhouse to pick our fall sports. CMS was big in their sports. They insisted that each student plays two sports (though they did count chess and choir as sports, which was nice). For the fall, Mika and I went for fencing. Gail and Sebastian chose wrestling. Both were coached by Coach Locke who insisted we call him Coach Rob, which is pretty cool.
“I’m a little nervous,” Mika admitted to me. “I’ve never done this before.”
“It’s fun,” I told her. “I can help you after school if you want. My parents are a little weird, and they love fencing and stuff like this!” I told her.
“Thanks, I’d like that,” Mika said. “But what if I don’t make the team?”
Coach Rob overheard us talking and walked over towards us. “First off, Gwen, nice teamwork offering to train a new member. I like that!” He pointed to Mika, “Mika, second, no fears, as my rules are…no cutting players from teams. I believe we learn by watching and then doing.”
He led us and a few other kids over to a long fencing mat. Standing at the other end was Art, dressed in all white fencing gear and holding a foil.
“Well, we only have one returning fencer and that is Art here. He is quite good, and he's a decent teacher.”
Art saluted us with his sword.
“The good news is, we do have another quite experienced fencer in Gwen.”
I felt all eyes turn to me.
I shrugged. “I do love to fence,” I admitted.
Mika clapped for me. Coach Rob pointed to a fencing uniform hanging over a chair. “Gear up, grab a foil, and let’s see what you’ve got.”
I stood up and smiled. In the past, I had fenced with Arthur on many occasions. True, we used bigger swords, but the fencing basics were still the same. It’s about timing, speed, and learning about your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Arthur had taught me how to fence, but Lancelot was the one who made me a great fencer. Back in the day, I would always let Arthur win. Times, though, had changed. I would go all out to see what Art was made of.
I quickly put on the gear and grabbed a foil. I made a couple of practice lunges and pares. I slashed the foil just for fun.
I stood on the opposite end to where Art stood.
“Good luck,” I told him as I lowered my face mask.
“I’ll take it easy on you,” he told me lowering his mask. Those words churned in my gut a bit.
We took our stances and approached each other.
Coach Rob stood in the middle, officiating. “Let’s just keep this nice and friendly,” he said slowly. “First touch wins.”
I knew that Arthur (from hundreds of years ago) was a defensive fighter
. He would let the other person make the first move then counter strike. Of course, that was when he wielded Excalibur so he couldn’t be wounded. This Art, if he was my Arthur, might be different.
Sure enough, he lunged at me the second he came within striking distance. I saw his shoulder hitch. I pared his thrust, guiding it harmlessly to the side. I slid my foil under his, lunged, and touched him square in the chest.
“Point!” Coach Rob cried.
Art threw off his mask. His mouth dropped open and his eyes dropped to the bottom of their sockets. “I’ve never lost…” he sighed.
I patted him on the shoulder. “Well, my old coach used to say that you learn more from your losses than from your victories.”
Coach Rob walked up to me. “Your coach must have been very wise.”
“You’d be surprised,” I told him.
I walked over to the other kids. They all got up and patted me on my back. “That was amazing,” Mika said.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Okay, people! Form a line and I will start,” Coach Rob said.
Suddenly, I had a massive urge to pee. I’m not kidding. It felt like my bladder had an ocean in it. I raised my hand, “Coach can I go…ah….”
Coach Rob motioned to the locker room with his head. “Go!”
I raced towards the locker room as fast as I could without risking a leak. Yeah, that would have been so bad on the first day. The girl who wets her pants is not what I wanted to be known as.
A tall blond older girl greeted me in the locker room. I knew this girl from reading about her online. She was Nina Waters, the town’s world class swimmer.
“Wow, you’re Nina Waters,” I said, forgetting that I was on the verge of wetting myself.
Nina nodded. “Took you long enough to get here.”
“Excuse me,” I said taking a step back.
Nina walked up and tapped me on the head. “Think girl! Water, beauty, power.”
“OMG! You’re Nimue! The lady of the lake!” I gasped.
“Why are you here? Your magic is as powerful as Morgana’s! No way her spell could bring you here!”
Nimue grinned, “Please, my magic is far more powerful. I came here because here is now.”
“Oh right, you are immortal,” I said.
Nina patted me on the head. “Good girl, Gwen.”
“So, why the contact?” I asked.
Nina sat down on a bench. She patted the bench. I dropped down next to her. “I like this world,” she told me. “It’s not perfect. But it’s way better than the time you came from. People live longer. They are happier. I like where I see this world going. And I don’t want it ruined.”
I put my hand on my chest. “I’m not going to ruin it. I’m just going to stop Morgana from controlling it.”
Nina locked her beautiful eyes on me...they looked like perfect ocean water on a sunny day. I couldn’t turn away. “Well here’s the thing, honey. I’m not sure Morgana is wrong. These people, while more knowledgeable than people of old, still need leadership and guidance. I’m trying to figure out if Morgana, or you, or others are the best choice. There are a lot of factors at play.”
“And you mean Arthur,” I said.
Nina giggled. “I consider him as one of the others. We’ll see. I just want you to know I’m watching.”
“Will you help?” I asked.
Nina shrugged. She disappeared in a poof of steam.
That night at home I summed up the day with Merlin and my parents over dinner.
“So Nimue has finally revealed herself to you,” Merlin said. “That’s such a good sign. We are on track.”
“Agreed,” Claude and Maude both said.
“What’s the deal with Ms. Vivian?” I asked. “She claims not to be a fairy.”
Merlin licked his fur. “Magic still exists. She’s right though. It’s harder to find these days, but it is around. It is always around. Although mortals make it dangerous.”
“What about Art?” Maude asked me.
I sighed. “I think he could be Arthur. But he’s different. Not as confident.”
“That might be a good thing,” Claude said.
“Agreed, he’d be more likely to accept my advice,” Merlin said.
“It’s bad that Morgana has Excalibur. Right?” I asked.
“It’s not good, but it’s not surprising,” Merlin replied.
“Well, now you know for sure where it is, and that’s good. Right?” Maude said.
“We’ve been reading up a lot,” Claude added.
“It may be a good sign,” said Merlin. “We know the sword will never accept her. Maybe we can get Nina to take it from her.”
“I really like my friends Mika, Sebastian, and Gail!” I smiled. “Think they might be old knights?”
Merlin grinned. “Not sure. But we'll know better after Saturday when you charge your staff! For now, just observe and learn.”
“The cat is right,” Maude said.
I smirked.
My notes
I have new friends who may or may not be old friends. I have made contact with Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. I have had contact with Morgana. I have a good idea who Arthur is. Progress is being made. I’m excited! I’m scared! What if I’m not up to this task? I guess that’s why I have my friends.
Chapter 8
I sat in my room texting back and forth with Mika, Sebastian, and Gail while also studying my history book. It was great to have friends. Well, human friends who were my own age and didn’t fart all the time like my cat. Of course, my mom and dad were great but nothing like interacting with my peers.
MIKA>What did you think of the place?
GWEN>I liked it. As far as school goes it’s cool
SEBASTIAN>Agreed
GAIL>I am so so so soGLAD you all like it!!!!
GWEN>It’s funny…I feel at home in school for the first time
GWEN>ever…
MIKA>Nice
SEBASTIAN>Great!
GAIL>Happy!!!!!!!!
GWEN>It’s great to have friends
MIKA>Ah u r so sweet!
SEBASTIAN>Man, Gwen u r pretty and smart, you should have had a ton of friends at your old schools!
GWEN>Just never felt right until now
MIKA>We do share a bond….
SEBASTIAN>Well two of us do share blood and a bathroom
MIKA>Yeah, lucky me
GWEN>Very Happy
GAIL>Like I said, I got a great feeling about u guys!
I felt a chill behind me.
“Oh poop,” I heard Merlin say.
I turned to see Morgana standing behind me reading over my shoulder. I covered my phone with my hand. “How crass!”
Morgana sighed. “How sweet, little Gwen has friends. Finally. The once and wanna be queen has friends, not subjects.”
I grabbed my staff and stood up. I showed the staff to Morgana. “Get out, now!”
Morgana sat down calmly on my desk. “Please girl, that staff isn’t even charged.”
I waved the staff in her face. “I could still whack you with it. Hard!!”
Morgana nodded. “True, but then I would turn your parents into ferrets. Do you want that?”
“lOghtnOng bIlt hOt har!” I shouted pointing at Morgana.
A bolt of lightning shot from my finger towards Morgana. Morgana blew on my lighting bolt. It fizzled out before it reached her.
“Not bad,” she said looking at her nails. “Magic is more civilized than whacking. So I won’t turn your adopted parents into ferrets. Yet!”
“What do you want from me, Morgana?” I demanded.
She raised her hands. “I’m here, believe it or not, to sweeten my deal. I know you can’t stop me. A wave of my hand and you’d be that gross stuff I blow into a tissue. But believe it or not, Gwen I do like you. I can do more with you than without you. You’re that good, potentially. So here’s my deal, you give up trying to charge your staff and uniting the knights and I give your parents a milli
on dollars. When you turn 18 you become my apprentice, paid of course. I promise I won’t ever fire you.” Morgana stopped talking to allow her words to sink in. “All you have to do to accept my offer is to utter the words: Morgana I give up.”
“I’ll never say those words!” I shouted.
Morgana smiled and faded away.
Maude and Claude burst into my room carrying baseball bats. “Was she here?” Maude asked.
I nodded. “She was.”
Claude hit his hand with his bat. “Bummer I’d love to give her a piece of my mind.”
Merlin stood up. “Please, she would have turned you into baseballs and whacked you with your own bats. It was good you missed her. You do not want to make her mad.”
“Still, I appreciate the thought,” I told them, glaring at Merlin.
“What did she want?” Maude asked.
“Don’t tell them,” Merlin said. He scratched his butt. “Actually they deserve to know.”
I looked at Merlin, “Of course I’ll tell them.” I turned to my parents. “She offered to give you a million dollars if I give up. And she wants to make me her apprentice when I turn 18.”
“Do you trust her?” Claude asked.
“No, of course not, but she never directly lies. I’m sure she would do that for us.” I paused. “If you guys want me to take the deal, I will.”
They both looked at each other. They both laughed. “Honey we would never want you to take that deal unless you want to,” they both said at once.
“I don’t want to,” I said stomping my foot.
“Then it’s settled,” Maude said.
“Yeah, we’d never let you endanger the world just for us to get rich,” Claude added.
I smiled. My parents may not be my blood but I couldn’t have been prouder of them if they were. I leaned in and gave them both a giant bear hug.
“I would have taken the money,” Merlin said. “But that’s probably just the cat in me talking.”
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