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Perhaps she had been easier to manipulate when she had been this age the first time around, but in her heart she was much older than her father believed.

“I shall not remain here,” she said proudly, lifting her chin to meet his stern gaze. She was taken aback by the expression on her father’s face, and searched for some sort of leeway on his visage. Nothing. He seemed quite ready to have a battle of wills. But she was determined to not allow her father to have his way. She was in the mood to take no prisoners! She had been told many lies concerning her mother, and who knew what else, and she was sick and tired of it.

She wanted out of her father’s bedchamber, because it reeked of Gwen. The atmosphere was too oppressive for her and she needed to get back to her own familiar space. Familiar space? She hadn’t been here for over fifteen hundred years. How familiar could it be? Glancing around the room she swallowed the lump in her throat. It still felt like yesterday when she’d been running carefree through these halls. But it wasn’t yesterday. She’d lived an entire lifetime without her family. Now to have them given back to her, well, it boggled her mind. If she wasn’t a witch and she wasn’t used to such fantastic occurrences she would have already had a mental meltdown.

After she rested for a while, she wanted answers from both her mother and father. Only then, would she be ready to move on.

“Why did you leave me?” she managed to croak out. Her mother’s face seemed to fall straight down to the floor. She lost any hint of color and her eyes widened to a point where they looked ready to fall right out of her head. Reaching for her mother’s hand, she grasped it tightly, hoping to evoke some honesty from her mother. Several emotions flickered in her mother’s eyes, and then pure desperation reflected back at Molly. Mildred sighed.

“I had to. Arthur and I had made an agreement. When he found out I was with child, he made me undertake a solemn oath. We couldn’t fight over you…and since he had other responsibilities, our love had to be denied. He realized that you would need your mother during your tender years. So, I was to raise you until you were nearly a lady, and then Arthur was to have sole guardianship of you. He wanted you more than anything, and he did me a great service by allowing me to keep you, for as long as I did. He was coming for you anyway, but when the dark riders attacked us, I knew that the time had come for me to send you to him. I truly did not know I would survive. I am sorry, Molly. I should have been honest with you, but at the time I believed my decision was just. At the last possible moment, Queen Argante of Avalon sent out a force of Warrior Elves to help me. She had only recently heard of my predicament, as she had been preoccupied with other matters. I knew I had to allow you to believe I was dead, or you would have never stayed with Arthur and Merlin. You are as stubborn as your father is in that matter, and I knew you had to be around both Arthur and Merlin in order to become the woman that you have blossomed into. If you’d known the truth…well you would have run away from Arthur, broken his heart, and in doing so, you would have been denied your true destiny. I have been raised to put my full faith in your destiny. Your birth had been foretold when I was very young. As such, you were born into greatness. Your father’s line, and my line…united, and in turn, you became the epitome of what was the best in both of our lineages. “

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 46

“And King Llewellyn? Is he dead, or did you whisk him away to Avalon with you? Of course, I won’t be surprised if he’s still alive, he always did seem too prickly to die. Ornery old bugger, that’s what he was,” Molly rasped. Her mother had given her more than enough information. She still didn’t understand what her mother had meant about her lineage being great. The ancient line of the Celts her mother came from must have held some great power.

Molly’s hand trembled as she reached for the refilled goblet of water.

“Llewellyn fell. He is truly dead. He died with honor and with courage. He would not have wanted more. His men proved their allegiance to him, for they all gladly gave their lives for their king. Even though Llewellyn seemed to be an aloof and imposing man to you, he did treat me with kindness. We were not madly in love, but still… my heart did grieve for him,”

Mildred said, as a small token of sorrow filled her voice. Molly drew her mouth in a stern line, and nodded her head with understanding. She had never felt any deep grief for Llewellyn but the passing of her mother had shattered her. To have her back in her life seemed almost too good to be true.

“Nonetheless, you should have come back for me. I’ve missed you more than you will ever know. “ There it was. Her stubbornness was yet again rearing its ugly head. She still felt betrayed. Even though she knew her mother had been acting in her best interests, Molly still felt the sting. Her entire life had been based on one gigantic lie. She felt as if someone had robbed her of her happiness.

“I’ve kept a watchful eye on you, but Avalon needed me. My sister needed me. I am sorry to have caused you pain, my love. No mother wants to see her child in pain…but you have to know that I did everything for your greater good and for the good of the world itself. “

Mildred reached to caress Molly’s cheek, and Molly pulled away from her touch.

“I do not understand. Mama, you speak in riddles. My head cannot take much more of this bloody nonsense,” she muttered, as she fought against another wave of exhaustion. She felt as if she could sleep for a good week. Why did Avalon matter to her mother? And what was this about a sister? Her mother had never mentioned having a sister. She had always believed that her mother had been an only child.

“Has Merlin not told you?” Mildred asked, casting an accusatory glare at Merlin who flinched, and moved back toward a still silent Arthur. Beneath her breath, her mother muttered something in the Elvin tongue. Shocked, Molly nearly drew away. The oath her mother had muttered was something that Molly never thought her mother would say.

“It slipped my mind. I have a great many things running around in this head of mine; you cannot possibly expect me to remember everything, Mildred,” Merlin muttered. Arthur puffed his chest out. Obviously, her mother intimidated him. But she hadn't intimidated him enough to cause him to back away from his convictions. Merlin on the other hand, shuffled his feet nervously. Why did her mother put the fear of God into both men? None of it made any sense to Molly. Her head still felt heavy. If she didn’t know better she could have sworn that she’d had a whole bottle of red wine. Whoa. Stars began fluttering in front of her eyes. That was so not a good sign. Mildred rested her angry gaze on the warrior king. Merlin remained as silent as the grave. In fact, he looked as if he’d never talk again.

“I am Queen Argante’s younger sister. The Elvin Kingdom of Ardara has been at war for many years with dark invaders that threaten their peaceful shores. I was one of Argante’s faerie warriors sent to assist them in their fight. They have barely managed to keep the dark forces at bay all of these years. So far we have lost many of the battles but we must win the war. If we do LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 47

not…then I shudder to think of what will become of humankind,” she murmured. At long last, Molly finally understood.

“But Ardara is a magical realm; what happens to it can’t possibly affect our realm. “

Molly blew out a gust of impatient air. Pain pulsed at her temples. This entire conversation was becoming tiresome.

“Oh, but it can. You see all of the realms must remain in a state of balance. If one tips too far to the other side…the balance of power shifts in all of the realms. “

Dry mouthed, Molly had to reach for another swig of water. Now she knew why Merlin seemed so desperate to right the wrongs that had been committed as soon as the Avalon Diaries had passed from her possession into the hands of an evil madman. Someone needed to shoot Molly, for her idiocy. Right now, she felt too stupid to live.

She knew what it meant to be a warrior, a protector. She understood her mother’s situation. Arthur was a powerful man, and he had Merlin on his side. She had been treated as a possession and taken away from her mother. It was all about to end.

“Take me back to Avalon. I’m not asking, Mama, I’m begging you,” she murmured.

Her mother shook her head, even as she clasped onto her mother’s arm for all that she was worth.

Maybe this was why she had been hurtled back into the past…perhaps the Avalon Diaries were only part of a bigger picture. Maybe Merlin had realized that he’d served her with a grave injustice when he had taken her mother away from her. As it was, she couldn’t even look at Arthur. At the moment, she hated him…and she didn’t know if she’d ever feel the same way about him again.

“I cannot,” Mildred answered. Resolution shone in her mother’s eyes. Molly’s heart plummeted. So this was how it was going to be. Her stomach lurched. Whatever happened, she had to make her mother see reason. Mildred had always been levelheaded and prepared to compromise with her in the past, why was now any different?

“Of course you can. I’ve been to Castle Breena in the Northern Kingdom, and I know the ways of the Elves that live there. I know that Elves and Faeries co-exist peacefully on Avalon.

Merlin instructed Adria and I there for over a year. It is a wonder we never crossed paths,” she said, shaking her head. Merlin raised his head and snorted.

“Not a wonder, my dear. I ensured it would never happen. Whenever your mother was not in Ardara she was by our sister’s side in the Summerlands. Mildred would have never caught sight of you. Not if my magical eye didn’t betray me,” he said. Molly’s heart hardened toward the wizard. “If you had known about your mother, the forces she was battling would have come for you. And they would have found you. You have great power within you, Molly. Power that you have never tapped into. “ His voice fell silent, as their gazes met. There was no doubt in Molly’s mind that he could see the hatred in her eyes. He almost seemed hurt by the way she looked at him. Then Molly turned her head, as Merlin’s voice entered her mind.

‘You haven’t even tapped into the power you are capable of, even in the 21st century.

You are the daughter of a great Warrior King whose ancestry is filled with magic, and your mother’s line is even grander than Arthur’s is. You are my hope. You are the one that will destroy Lord Cardan, and restore the fate of the future. ’

“Stuff that hope, now that I’m in this shape,” she muttered, gesturing to her wound.

Arthur and Mildred both frowned. They hadn’t been part of the telepathic conversation, and so therefore had been left out of quite a lot of information. “I’m too tired to argue with you further, Merlin. I want to go back to Avalon, and nothing you can say can dissuade me in my decision!”

A forceful edge seeped into her voice and the tone of voice she used did not go unnoticed. Her LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 48

mother heaved out a long and prolonged sigh. She broke her eyes away from Merlin and rested them on her mother.

“You must stay here. Arthur needs you. Merlin needs you. You still need my brother’s guidance, my dear. I shall come back to visit you whenever I can. My daughter, my duties will take me away from you for a great amount of time. Until you are better, Tintagel Castle is the best place for you to be. And when you are better, I’d warrant that you should have quite a lot to do. But Arthur needs you. You give him his strength. I am strengthened just in the knowledge that you are safe. You are my beloved daughter and I will do anything to keep you safe, but you simply must realize what I am saying is the truth. Do not waste the gift that has been given to you the second time around,” Mildred advised, winking conspiratorially, which revealed to Molly that her mother knew about everything.

“You know!” she gasped. Her heartbeat quickened. Everyone seemed to know more than she did. That in itself grated on her nerves. Arthur grunted and scratched his head.

“Know what?” he asked. His eyes widened and he inched closer to them.

“I told you I was watching you. I can see into many worlds, time is not immune to my magic,” she murmured, “You forget my dearest, or mayhap Merlin never told you. Not only is Merlin your teacher but he is also your uncle. He’s my brother, and his remarkable powers are shared by all of those in his family,” Mildred declared. Bending down she began to whisper in Molly’s ear. “By the way, Collin is quite handsome, and I believe he is worthy of you. You may rest easy in the knowledge that you both have my blessing. “ Mildred kissed Molly’s cheek, and then gave her a warm hug.

“When will I see you again?” Molly asked quickly. She could see that her mother was preparing to leave. Her mother stood up to her full height. Molly craned her neck so that she could meet Mildred’s gaze.

“When you need me. “ Mildred smiled. Molly could see her father coming up behind her mother. Her mother remained immobile but Molly knew that Mildred could sense Arthur.

Arthur placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him.

“You cannot leave me like this. I was made to believe that you were dead, and now that you have returned to me, I will not let you go. That day, when I set out to bring Molly back home with me, I wanted to bring you home as well. I wanted to damn all that everyone expected of us. I’d forsake anything if it meant that you would be by my side,” he said fervently. The richness of his love filled his voice. It was so strong Molly was rocked by the intensity of it.

Her father never talked in such a tone to Gwen, and in a way, it made her quite pleased to realize that he loved her mother, more than any other woman.

Mildred put her hand up and gently brushed her fingers across Arthur’s face. “The time is not ours my love. You are married. You cannot abandon Queen Gwen. She leans on you. Until she finds her own inner strength, you must remain by her side. I shall go on without you, even though my heart will always be yours. “ She pressed her hand to her heart, and then she touched Arthur’s chest, and felt his heartbeat for the briefest of seconds. Molly began to choke up. To see that her mother and father still loved each other, it made her quite sick to realize they might not have their happily ever after. She had never found such a bright flame when she’d been seeking out her own love…though she’d thought a spark had kindled between her and Collin.