Topic: A Terrible Solution

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:16 EST

The peace of Avalon pervaded even the dreams of those who slept the night away within her borders. Ian and Aurelia had sat up late into the night, discussing options, formulating a plan that might just work, if only they could locate the lore they needed to nudge them in the right direction. As dawn came, they dragged themselves from their warm - and distinctly lumpy - bed, parting ways at the cottage door. Aurelia was going to the Temple, to speak with the Lady and Elaine. Ian, however, was going in search of knowledge, sure steps taking him straight to the great library of Avalon.

A hasty and rather bland breakfast of porridge and milk filled their stomachs for now, and left Ian hoping for something more tasty for the mid-day meal, but food was not the primary thing on his mind right now - knowledge was. He had kissed Aurelia at their parting and gone straight to the library. Though he'd had to ask for directions along the way, Elaine hadn't lied when she'd said her handmaidens were helpful. They directed him to wear he had to go and only giggled a little when he turned his back to follow their directions, though he wasn't sure why.

Upon his arrival at the library, Ian found himself in awe of the place, which he thought must rival the once great and ancient library of Alexandria. A shame the place had been destroyed and so much knowledge and history along with it, but here in Avalon was a place that had to rival even that. A scholar and lover of knowledge and history and lore, he was like a kid in a candy store, surrounded by a multitude of choices. He thought he could spend an entire lifetime exploring these shelves and still have volumes left untouched. But he was not here to explore those ancient tomes - he was here for a specific purpose, and he realized that without some guidance, finding what he needed might be a little like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Thankfully, there was help available in the form of several people - a few young men, who were clearly still learning the lay out of the library itself; older scholars working on their own projects; and one elderly man, wearing the Templar sign on his rich blue robe, sitting in front of the fire with said robe up to his knees, warming his skinny legs in the glow.

Of all those there, Ian felt most drawn to the elderly man near the fire, not only because he seemed the most likely to know what he was searching for, but because of the Templar sign he wore on his robes. The scholars seemed too self absorbed, and he had deemed the younger men simply not knowledgeable enough to help him. He hesitated a moment, unsure if he should disturb the man before he gathered his courage at last and made his approach.

"It's very rude to stare." The old man looked up, peering around the edge of his chair to look Ian dead in the eye. He had a stern face, yes, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Even a lore-master should learn to introduce himself before admiring another man's ankles." Chuckling, he dropped his robe back down to cover those skinny legs of his. "I shouldn't do it where the Handmaidens might see, I suppose. It only encourages them."

"I'm sorry," Ian found himself apologizing again, as he blinked out of his thoughts. It seemed the man, whoever he was - and Ian had a feeling this man might be someone important, perhaps even the leader of the Templars - already knew who he was. "It seems you already know me," he said, extending a hand in greeting, even if it wasn't one of the common courtesies of the day. "I'm Ian. Ian Evans. I'm from..." It was more a question of when he was from, rather than where. "From Oxford," he said, though he knew the place of his birth would not have been known by such a name in this time. To the best of his knowledge, there was no known settlement there during this period of time, or if there was, it had never been named and recorded in the history books.

"My dear boy, I know of you," the old man chuckled, easing himself up onto his feet to clasp arms with Ian - not quite the greeting Ian may have had in mind, but close enough. "I am Pellam, Master of the Temple for the next, oh, four months or so. I plan on retiring after that." He grinned, showing off teeth that had definitely not withstood the test of time. "Well met, Lord Ian. What brings you to the finest repository of knowledge in the known world?"

"Well met, Master Pellam," Ian returned, undisturbed by the man's choice of greeting. "I am looking for demon lore, actually. I need to know how to separate two souls in one body, one good and one evil, if it's at all possible." He turned his head to take in the vast amount of volumes and scrolls that surrounded them. "But I'm afraid I don't have the foggiest where to begin."

"Demon lore, hmm?" Master Pellam looked genuinely intrigued by this request. "Well, there are a number of ways to look at it, but if you are focusing on removing one soul from a body containing two ..." He frowned, gesturing to one of the younger men moving about. "Fetch down the Malificarum, would you, lad" And the Ambrosius treatise on possession." As the boy hurried away, Pellam turned back to Ian. "Theory or practical knowledge, Lord Ian?"

"Practical knowledge. This isn't an experiment. It needs to work," Ian told the older man, a little in awe, not to mention relieved, that he seemed to know exactly where to start the research. He wasn't sure how much the man knew or had been told regarding the purpose behind Ian and Aurelia's visit here, nor did he want to ask just yet.

"I see. Most intriguing, most." Taking up a crutch that stood against his chair, Pellam began to make his way toward one of the many tables laid out for reading and research, gesturing for Ian to come with him. "It will take a little while for the boy to fetch down those volumes. The Ambrosius, in particular, is ten scrolls long." He chuckled cheerfully. "Oh, but you won't need to look through them all. Souls are detailed in the third scroll."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with either of those tomes," Ian said with a frown. Scholar or no, his area of expertise was Arthurian lore, not demonology. He was no hunter, like Rhys; only a simple college professor.

"The Malificarum is the best work on demons and the dark side of magic," Pellam explained, letting out a groan of relief as he sat down heavily. "Oh, that's better. Ambrosius was an historian, but he maintained links to the old ways that were old even in his time. There are a lot of secrets hidden in his works."

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:17 EST

Ian frowned a little as the man took a seat, waiting for him to do so before claiming a chair for himself. He didn't believe himself to be a young man, but compared to both Pellam and Viviane, he felt like a child. It was no big surprise that he'd never heard of them. Logically, since Avalon was hidden in his own time, so too was this library, with its many ancient tomes. "This place is amazing. I would love to explore when I have more time."

"Ah, a man could lose a lifetime in here and barely have scratched the surface," Pellam told him, his admiration for the library and isle itself clear on his aged face. "Only a Lore-master could touch on every piece of work here, and we haven't had one of those in years."

"A Lore-master?" Ian echoed, arching a brow, unsure what he meant by that exactly or what might be expected by such a person. They seemed to have already decided on that title for him, but whether it was a formal title with regard to Avalon or simply a description of what he did for a living he wasn't sure. "Do you not have scholars and such who study and impart knowledge?"

"Ah, yes ..." The Master of the Temple seemed to have disappeared into his memories for a moment. "I will never forget the first time I saw the Merlin do it. I was just a child, but even as a man, I never lost the wonder. So many books, so much writing, and all he had to do was lay his hand against one of the great trees in the library to have what he needed appear for him on the table nearest. Astonishing, quite astonishing." He shook his head happily, surfacing from those memories in time to hear Ian's query. "Oh, we have scholars and tutors, yes, each with their own area of expertise."

This was the second time Ian heard the legendary wizard referred to as The Merlin, rather than just Merlin, and he wasn't sure why. His eyes widened further when he heard the Master of the Temple describe what he'd seen as a child. Merlin, it seemed, was no longer a part of Arthur's story, but Ian had no idea what had happened to him, other than the stories that had been passed down through the ages. "Is he dead then or lost?" he asked, each answer prompting further questions.

"Oh, it was a terrible thing," Pellam frowned. "Such a good man, corrupted by his own power. He raised the king, you know - protected him from Uther's insanity and the dangers of the court at Winchester, instilled in the boy every attribute that made him the good man he has become. Yet when Arthur took the throne, the Merlin seemed to lose himself in his arts. His magic became darker, more dangerous. He tried to take Excalibur from Arthur and corrupt it. The Lady had no choice. She sent one of the Handmaidens to deal with the Merlin, and Nimue did as she was asked. She seduced the man, and imprisoned him within the Tor. No one knows if they still live, or if they died long ago. For all we know, they are still raging at one another as we speak."

There were many different versions regarding Merlin's fate, some as fictitious and fabricated as a fairytale, while others seemed closer to the truth. Ian had always had his own theory regarding the many mysteries of Arthurian lore, but even so, he found himself having to stifle a shudder at the idea that Merlin had been trapped forever within the Tor. It explained some things, however. "Is there no way to free her?" he asked of the Lady's handmaiden, one of many names that had come down through the ages whose true history had been lost to antiquity.

Pellam shook his head, the regret he felt for that loss stark on his face. "She made her sacrifice willingly for the sake of Britain," he said in a quiet tone. "Only Avalon knows the Merlin's fate, and Avalon will keep it, for all time."

"That's horrible," Ian heard himself say. If what Pellam was telling him was true - and he had no reason to doubt it - he felt little sympathy for Merlin, but his heart ached for the girl who had sacrificed her freedom and most likely her life for the sake of her people. "There must be something we can do." Besides pray, though Ian was not sure how much good prayer would do.

The Master eyed him with faint confusion. "For an intelligent man, you seem not to understand how these things work, Ian," he said thoughtfully. "For every act that makes the world a better place, there must be sacrifice. For Arthur to be born, Gorlois of Cornwall had to die. To entomb the Merlin, Nimue sacrificed her freedom and her life. It is simply the way things are."

Ian felt a prickle of pride and defensiveness at the older man's remark, but then, he had to remind himself that these were not modern times and people thought differently here. "Apologies, Master Pellam, but I do not believe that is always the case." And he sure as bloody hell wasn't going to sacrifice Aurelia or himself so that Avalon could be hidden away and kept safe. What did Galahad have to sacrifice in order to find the Grail?

"When you've lived another two score years, my dear boy, you may see things differently," Pellam said gently. His own wisdom had not been acquired when he was a young man, after all. "Ah, here he is." He looked up as the young man he had sent for the books returned, bent almost double beneath the weight of four leather bound tomes and a wooden crate containing the scrolls the Master had warned Ian about. "Thank you, lad."

Ian might have debated the point with him if the requested volumes had not arrived at that moment. "Good Lord," he whispered, as he noted the heavy volumes, along with the equally heavy crate of scrolls. Without Pellam's help, he might have spent the entire day here and still not found what he was looking for.

"Now ....if I recall correctly, it's the third scroll," Pellam was muttering to himself as he looked through the crate to locate it. One hand gestured toward the four heavy tomes that had been set down in front of Ian. "Volume two of that monstrosity contains the demonology."

Ian turned his attention to the monstrous stack of tomes, carefully searching the pile for the requested volume. The books appeared to be written in Latin, a mostly forgotten and unused language in modern times. Not even Catholic Mass was sung in Latin much anymore. Thankfully, he'd had a professor who'd insisted he learn it. Hours of searching through tedious lines of text passed, and still they had not found what they were looking for, though both men refused to give up. Pellam insisted what they were looking for was there; they only needed to find it.

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:18 EST

Lunch was brought to them as midday came and went, and still they studied, for the Master of the Temple seemed to have decided this was as good a way as any to spend his day. You did not live for so many years on Avalon without learning to have some sense of the future and who might affect it, after all. Quite suddenly, the old man let out a strangled exclamation, delight showing on his aged face. "I've found it!"

Ian had been deeply involved in something he'd been reading, which he'd found fascinating, but which wasn't quite what they were looking for when Pellam startled him out of his reverie with his delighted exclamation. "What' Where" What does it say?" he asked, blinking out of his drowsy delirium.

"It's a little incoherent in places," the old man admitted. "My Greek is not what it used to be ....let me see." He bent over the scroll once again, scowling as his lips moved silently for a moment, translating what he found there. "Ah, yes ....the joining of two souls in one form, two beings in a single entity, is not so rare as it first seems. We are each dual in nature ....no, no, that's just him rambling on ....Oh, wait, here it is ....In some, the peaceful co-existence of light and dark is untenable. In such cases, it has been proved possible to separate these two beings, with the darkness fleeing into the world to seek a body of its own. Success has been found in the willing invitation of another being, offering a resting place for the soul that is to be expelled ..."

"A body of its own!" Ian exclaimed, echoing the old man. "No, no....we need to trap it somewhere, so that it can never cause anyone any harm." Besides, who in bloody blazes would ever agree to invite such a malevolent spirit into their own body knowing the havoc it might cause" None but someone who was either powerful enough to control it or dark enough to welcome it.

Pellam gave him a stern look. "This is the first indication we have come across that there is even hope to succeed in your self-appointed task, young man," he pointed out. "If you have specialist knowledge you are not sharing with me, then by all means, argue with a long dead authority on the subject."

"Yes, but..." Ian leaned his elbow against the table as he tried to rub the weary ache from his temple. They had been at it all day, and this was the first thing they'd stumbled on that sounded even half-way promising. "What else does it say?" he asked with a weary sigh.

Returning his gaze to the scroll, Pellam read a little while longer, translating as he went. "Let's see now ....I have heard tell of a charm, burned into the stones, that will hold a demon in place, whether it wears a body or not. In all my years of searching, I have not located it, yet often hear tales of its use ....Does that sound familiar to you?"

"I know of something similar, yes," Ian replied soberly. Though demonology was not his area of expertise, nor was he a hunter, Rhys had told him a little about demons, and he had flipped through a few old tattered books in Dylan's cellar. Though no expert on the subject, he thought between them, they should be able to come up with some workable plan.

"There seems to be very little here in the way of expelling a demon without offering it a place in which to go," Pellam mused, frowning thoughtfully. "Ambrosius says the only successful exorcisms have occurred when the demon has a body to enter. Apparently even a dead body will do."

"Yes, well....I'm told that an exorcism only expels the demon from the host body. It takes a further ritual to send it back to Hell, but this particular demon is not like the norm. This demon is..." Ian paused a moment to consider how to explain, so that the other man would understand. "It's from another plane of existence. Do you understand what I mean by that?"

"Not entirely, I must admit," the old man admitted, unashamed to confess to gaps in his knowledge. "But then, there is so much I do not know. If this demon is so very different, should not the person harboring it currently be a part of this search of yours?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Ian replied, with a troubled expression. "What she knows, the demon knows," he explained. "And the less the demon knows, the better. You do not share your plan of attack with the enemy, after all. It's very important that the demon be expelled without causing the host harm. Once it's expelled, we must either destroy it, trap it, or send it to its own world."

"Ah. A difficult proposition." Pellam fell silent for a long moment, scowling as he thought things through. "Perhaps it is possible to expel the demon into a beast of some kind," he suggested, clutching at straws. "The new religion speaks of demons being put into pigs. If it is possible, then there would be no crisis of conscience to destroy the creature."

"I have no crisis of conscience when it comes to destroying the demon, but I will not harm the woman who harbors it." He frowned, wondering if he should just tell the man everything. How could he expect him to help if he only knew bits and parts of the situation' "Is there a place where we can talk in private" A place where there's no chance of anyone eavesdropping?"

The old man considered him thoughtfully. "There are few in Avalon who would willingly eavesdrop," he said, his tone mildly censuring, "but you are welcome to come with me to my own quarters. It is a bit of a walk, I'm afraid -"

A sudden disturbance by the doors of the library made him look up, and a low chuckle escaped his lips. Moments later, a familiarly royal voice interrupted their conversation.

"Master Pellam, it is good to see you," the king declared, utterly failing to keep his voice down. "Lord Ian ....I have come in search of some explanation as to what is going on. Viviane is being awfully secretive, you know."

Ian was about to respond to Pellam, insisting on privacy, when they were interrupted by a boisterous and very familiar voice that was anything but private. He flushed hotly at Arthur's insistence he offer some explanation, looking from one man to the other with that troubled frown still tugging the corners of his mouth downward. "Majesty," he replied with a respectful incline of his head. "I was just about to make such an explanation to Master Pellam here. If you would care to join us, I would be happy to explain myself to you both," he said, though he didn't sound happy at all.

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:19 EST

"Of course," Arthur agreed easily enough, automatically offering Pellam his arm. It seemed he knew the denizens of Avalon better than it might first have appeared, though the presence of the king no doubt made many eyes turn in their direction. "Forgive my manner, Lord Ian," he added, finally moderating his tone as he helped Pellam to his feet. "The Lady is not in the best of tempers this morning. I believe she and your own lady may have shared words."

"Lady Viviane is quite insistent with her wishes," Ian explained, "And rather impatient. We have only been here a day. She does not seem to realize that it will take some time to formulate a plan, and she demanded an answer by morning. I only wish it was that simple."

"Viviane has never been a patient woman," Pellam commented as the men began to move through the library, leaning gratefully on the king's arm. "But she is no fool."

"Yes, well ..." The reservation in Arthur's voice suggested he did not hold a very great love for the Lady of Avalon, especially when she was in a temper. "Morgaine and Elaine are with her now. Perhaps they can talk her into a right-seeming state of mind."

Ian's thoughts turned to Aurelia, wondering what it was that had been said between the two woman to set Viviane off. He thought it more than likely Viviane had demanded something of Aurelia and the younger woman balked at being treated in such a way. "She only fears for Avalon, Majesty, as do we all, but I can assure you, as I assured the Lady, that we will do out utmost to help. Master Pellam and I have found something we think might help. We only need to sort out the details."

"I see." Arthur nodded, carefully navigating the door to bring both men out into the afternoon sunlight. There was a chill in the air, but Avalon still clung to the memory of summer, allowing warmth to permeate that autumnal breeze. "I have come to offer my aid, such as it is. The Lady Aurelia did not seem in any like mood to accept such an offer, and I must admit, my curiosity is piqued."

Pellam chuckled, steering the two younger men toward a tall stone building not too far from where they had left the library. "Whatever ails Avalon, I believe Ian here may yet have the answer to cure it."

Ian followed the lead behind the two men - one old and one young. He was glad Arthur would not die at Camlann, though it grieved him that the man would have to suffer much before he could find some peace in Avalon. So far, it seemed to him that Arthur had lived up to all his expectation and then some, but he didn't really know him very well yet. "I have ideas, but as yet, no answers. A lot depends on Aurelia and Lady Viviane. I am no wizard, just a simple scholar, I'm afraid."

"As I am constantly being reminded, Lord Ian, without knowledge, there is no action to be taken," Arthur pointed out, adjusting the sword at his belt to push it out of his way before reaching to open the great door that led into the building Pellam was directing them to. "As I understand it, you are knowledge, and your lady is action. Without you, she could do nothing. You are not "just" anything."

Ian wasn't so sure about that. Aurelia seemed quite capable of doing a lot without him, but Arthur was right about one thing, at least - they were better together than alone. "There is someone who knows far more about such things as demons than I, but I will do my best." He had little choice in the matter. Not only was Avalon depending on him, but so was Aurelia.

Once the three men had arrived at the Master Templar's quarters, and Ian was sure they were alone, he wasted little time in explaining the situation, though he left out the eventual fall of Camelot and focused instead on the need to secure Avalon against all future enemies. He explained how that might be accomplished, but that by doing so, they were risking loosing the demon that resided inside his beloved.

Both king and Master of the Temple listened without interruptions, allowing Ian to explain everything he could before there was even a chance of their saying anything further. When Ian was done, Arthur leaned against the hearth, looking down into the fire as he considered what he had been told. "I had no idea the Lady was so fearful for Avalon's future," he said finally, looking over to Pellam. "You say you found something that could be used, Master?"

The old man nodded, frowning himself as he thought over what he now knew. "The demon within Ian's lady could be invited into another body, or expelled into one, but how we would secure it to make use of its power, I cannot say."

Arthur nodded once again, looking to Ian. "What is it that makes you wary of sharing this knowledge with the Lady, Lord Ian?"

Ian did not have a chance to reply to Arthur's comment regarding Avalon before the man was moving on. He couldn't tell him what would happen in the future, even if he wanted to. It was too important that nothing about that future changed. He could, however, point out something else. "Majesty, it is not a question of whether Avalon is actually in danger or not. It is the Lady's responsibility to do everything she can to keep Avalon and those who live within her borders safe against any and all threats, and I can assure you, if she does not accomplish this, there will be plenty of threats in the future." He turned then to Pellam, who seemed to only understand part of the plan.

"Securing the demon inside the body of another is not the problem, Master Pellam," Ian pointed out. "I know of a way that it can be done. It is deciding who or what will harbor the demon so that we can make use of its power before we destroy it." He paused a moment before turning again to Arthur. The question he asked was the most difficult to answer, and he needed to choose his words carefully so as not to offend. "The Lady is impatient. I'm afraid she will want to take action before we are ready. Before we have thought it all through. There is more at stake here than just the future of Avalon. If we fail, the world as we know it could one day be destroyed."

"I see," Arthur mused, even as Pellam nodded, both men glad to have the situation made clearer for them. "Ian - I may call you Ian, may I" - though this plan revolves around your lady, she cannot be told of its intricacies, because of the demon residing within her, yes?"

"Yes, because if the demon were to find out what we are planning, she will do whatever she can to thwart us. You might have noticed the pendant Aurelia wears around her neck," he explained further. "It keeps the demon inside her under control, but she told me that the demon is awake and aware and clamoring for control. If that happens, then all is lost. We cannot delay long, but for now Aurelia is still in control. I would know if she wasn't."

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:20 EST

"I must ask, Ian," Pellam interrupted. "You say your reason for not telling Viviane of this now is that you do not trust her not to act before you are prepared for it. Has it occurred to you that perhaps she is the vessel you require" A demon would certainly be tempted by her power, and she is ready to let go. It is the matter of a moment to pass her power to Elaine, and your Aurelia has the means to destroy the demon herself, does she not' So long as the vessel agrees to such a thing, I see little to stay your hand."

Ian looked appalled at the very idea, and yet, it held merit. "Are you suggesting Viviane invite the demon in, at the very moment she is to pass her power to Elaine?" he asked, needing confirmation before he could contemplate such a plan.

"I am suggesting that she may well suggest such a thing herself," Pellam pointed out, trying to avoid Arthur's eyes. The High King might not feel much warmth or affection for the Lady of the Lake, but to suggest that her death was so close was horrifying to him.

"You realize that would be the same as sentencing her to death," Ian pointed out, almost as horrified as Arthur, though in the end, it was not their decision to make. "The timing will be crucial. If the demon gains control over Viviane before she passes her power to Elaine, she will destroy us all."

"Which is why it should be a decision she comes to herself, should Viviane make such a choice," Pellam pointed out. Arthur shook his head.

"We should not speak as though it is our only choice," the king insisted with a frown. "There must be another way. Can you think of no other option, Ian' I do not wish to be present when we inform the Lady of Avalon that she must die to save her people."

"Agreed on both counts," Ian replied to both men. "However, what was it you said to me earlier, Pellam' For every act that makes the world a better place, there must be a sacrifice. If someone must sacrifice themselves in order to safeguard Avalon, who better than the one charged with its safety' Anyway, I suspect she may already know and is impatiently waiting for us to realize it is the only way."

Arthur swore, turning away to land a heavy fist against the stone mantle above the hearth. "I do not like it," he declared, angry at the idea, but not the men who seemed agreed upon it. "Avalon has always been a place of peace. Should blood be shed to safeguard its future" What will become of it, if such a dangerous precedent is set' Will I then have to return to Camelot to tell a young boy that his mother will give up her own life to protect the place where he was born?"

Ian visibly flinched at the violent reaction from Camelot's King, jaw clenching in a pale face to witness his anger and frustration. He wasn't overjoyed with the plan, either. He had just finished telling Pellam that he didn't believe in sacrifices, but there were few alternatives. He sighed, his voice barely above a whisper when at last he spoke again. "We will find another way then. Aurelia can tap the demon's power to move Avalon out of this world, but I cannot guarantee what will happen after that. She used her power once before to help someone, and inadvertently, set the demon free. If we can force the demon from her, it is simply a matter of finding a vessel in which to trap her."

"There may be no other way," Pellam said, and for the first time since Ian had met him that morning, he truly was the Master of the Temple. Old he might be, but there was strength in him still. It was easy to see now, in his wise, stern gaze, how he had led Avalon's only warriors for decades without rival. "If we reach for something that does not exist, Avalon will fall."

Ian dropped heavily into a chair, weary of talk and at a loss for a solution. He rubbed at the ache in his temple. "If it is any comfort, we must somehow achieve this. In our world, in the future....Avalon is..." He trailed off as another thought occurred to him. "In the future, it is Elaine who is the Lady of Avalon." He lifted his head, looking from one to the other. There was no Arthur, no Pellam, no Viviane, no Morgaine. Rhys had made no mention of those names. They must have been long gone by then; others had taken their place. "You should both know I would never knowingly and willingly wish harm on anyone," Ian continued in that quiet, raspy voice of his.

For some reason, this seemed to comfort the two men with him. Pellam relaxed into his seat once more, sighing heavily. "All you can do is tell the Lady what you have discovered, Ian," he said quietly. "Ultimately, it will be her decision, no matter what course is chosen. We do not have to like it, or even agree with it, Arthur. If the Lady chooses, then we will abide by her choice."

"I'm truly sorry we brought this upon you. You should know that we didn't come here of our own accord." He lifted the astrolabe which hung from his belt. "This is what was responsible for bringing us here. I suspect someone arranged for our trip here. Someone who knew what it was we are supposed to accomplish here. I suspect that someone is Viviane."

"You have brought nothing upon us, Ian," Arthur told him with a frown. "If you had not come at this time, then who would save Avalon' It is your knowledge that has brought us to this moment, true, but nothing more can be done without the Lady's consent. If what you believe is true, then her decision may well already be made."

"If it is, then she is as brave and courageous as any of your greatest knights, and she should be remembered as such." Ian knew she would not be remembered in such a way in his own world, but he wasn't talking about Earth; he was talking about here in Avalon.

"She will always be remembered," Pellam sighed, sounding old and tired, and a little heartsore. "She has always been here, the first to live upon the isle. The first Lady of the Lake. It is hard to imagine a world without her."

"There is one other possibility," Ian interjected, though he was as unsure about this plan as the other. At least, it would offer the Lady an option. In the end, it would be her choice which option she choose. "Obsidian stones," he said simply.

The utter lack of reaction to his simple suggestion made it patently obvious that neither man had the first idea what he was talking about. Pellam cleared his throat, scratching his head as he tried to come up with something tactful to say, but Arthur beat him to it. "If you are suggesting that we stone your betrothed with obsidian, I shall have to lower my opinion of you, Ian."

Aurelia · Date: 2014-09-29 10:22 EST

Ian chuckled mirthlessly at Arthur's remark. "No, of course that's not what I'm suggesting." He sighed. "I wish I had one here to show you. Elaine will give the future Champion of Avalon an obsidian stone. I'm not sure how it works exactly, but essentially, it traps the demon's soul after it is expelled from the host during an exorcism. I'm not sure whether or not it would work as far as this demon is concerned, but it gives us a possible alternative."

The king brightened at this suggestion. "It is certainly a feasible option," he nodded. "Master Pellam, are there such stones in the Treasury?"

Pellam frowned, glancing between the two men. "I wonder that this did not occur to you at first moment, Ian," he commented, nodding to the king's query. "I am able to lay hands upon such stones, yes."

Ian frowned at the Master Templar, flushing brightly at the scolding from the older man. He wasn't sure if he should bother making any excuses in his own defense. It had been a long couple of days, and all of this had been a lot for him to absorb. "My apologies, Master Pellam. I will try not to be so dense in future." He rose to his feet, feeling just a little hurt and embarrassed by the scolding. With all of this weighing so heavily on his mind, he couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a good night's sleep.

Pellam sighed at Ian's reaction to his comment. "You should not take such things to heart," he said quietly. "And Viviane can wait. By all accounts, we have years before the worst comes, even with her impatience. You should seek out your betrothed and relax a while. Arthur ....would you accompany me to the Temple?"

"Matters of life and death should always be taken to heart, Master," Ian countered, wishing there was a way to be sure which plan, if any, would work. He offered a small nod of his head to Arthur, surrendering to Pellam's suggestion. All he wanted right now was to soothe his hurts in Aurelia's arms. "Good day, my King."

"My friend," Arthur corrected him, moving to clasp arms with Ian, the smile he had shown the day before reappearing on his face. For all his disapproval, it seemed that the king had a healthy respect for the visiting lore-master.

Ian offered a strained and weary smile for the King who had been his lifelong hero, his heart heavy with worry as he made his way from the Master's private quarters to find his way back to the cottage he was sharing with Aurelia. He took his time as he walked, admiring Avalon in all its autumnal beauty. Tears prickled at his eyes, but he refused to let them come. He felt as though the fate rested heavily upon his shoulders, though he was only the lore-master. He could not decide for them, and yet, he wanted to offer them wise choices and give them some hope, and he wasn't quite sure he had accomplished that.

There was only one place he wanted to be in that moment and that was with Aurelia. Though he could not tell her what was going on, he didn't have to. She knew him well enough that she would know how to comfort him with only a smile and an embrace, and so, with a heavy heart, he headed home to his beloved's arms.

((Like I was going to be able to resist including King Arthur again! This is proving to be a fun little challenge of a storyline, and huge thanks have to go to my writing partner for indulging me!))