The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken tensions. I could feel Corvin's presence, somehow solid and unwavering, his shock still radiating through the connection we shared. Whatever Merlin's response would be, at least one person would hear the full truth of this confrontation.
"Very well," Merlin responded finally, though resignation colored his words like ink bleeding through parchment. He cleared his throat. "How did you learn of this?"
“The Riddle of Blood Trial,” I answered coldly, each syllable honed by fury. “It showed me everything. You. The Lady of the Lake. Myrealmother. My birth. The Lady's decision to hide me with the people I thought were my parents.” My voice sharpened with each revelation, cutting like a blade. “I saw it all—the truth you kept from me while sending me to spy onyourenemy.”
Merlin exhaled heavily, the sound distorted by the watery lens between us. Yet I felt its weight like stones pressing against my chest. “I planned to tell you,” he said at last. “When the time was right.”
“When would that have been?” I snapped. “After I fulfilled your mission? After Arthur was dead? Ornever, if it suited your plans to keep me ignorant? Or did you want me to meet my own end here, in Camelot?”
His eyes softened with regret, but I didn’t flinch. I wanted guilt. Iwantedhim to feel every inch of the pain that was nearly suffocating me.
“I never wanted you to meet your own end, Guinevere. Not in Camelot, not in Annwyn. Nowhere.”
"Then why—"
"—because you weren’t ready."
“Ready forwhat? To be used? To become your blade in a war I never asked to fight?” My voice trembled, but it didn’t break. Irefusedto break—not now, not in front of him.
He opened his mouth to answer, but the words failed him. For once.
“Was it all just manipulation? Is that why Excalibur accepted me? Because of my bloodline, not my worth? Was it the sword’s magic choosing its next weapon—not thepersonholding it?” I paused. "Or was that your doing? Did you somehow force the sword to choose me?"
“No,” Merlin said, his voice firmer than before. “The sword chooses based on worthiness. Nothing else.”
We stared at one another, silent. Five heartbeats passed—long, deafening, full of all the things neither of us could say. Then I glanced at Corvin and found his eyes wide, his expression one of shock. I could only wonder at the thoughts going through his head because he remained so quiet, almost alarmingly so.
“I had hoped…” Merlin began again, his voice cracking on the edge of some long-buried wish.
I scoffed. “Hoped what? That I’d never ask questions? That I’d obey, like some loyal little soldier you forged in secret?”
Merlin lowered his gaze. The silence that followed felt like a canyon, vast and echoing.
“This was never about control,” he said finally. But even he sounded unsure.
“Then whatwasit about?” My frustration surged, and water droplets flew from my fingertips, striking the stone floor like angry rain. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like every step of my life was decidedforme.”
“That’s unfair." Pain flickered across his features. “Isearchedfor you, Guinevere. For years. After Nimue hid you, I—” He stopped himself and took a breath. “I felt your presence the moment you crossed the Standing Stones."
"And you knew all along why the Stones hadn't killed me when I passed through them—because I carriedyourblood."
"Yes, I did know." He sighed and then paused. "I was awaiting your arrival—all these years. It is the reason why I intercepted you personally when you crossed the Standing Stones.”
“You didn’t intercept me,” I shot back. “The Twilight Wardens did.”
“Onmyorders. Your magic signature was unmistakable.”
I clenched my jaw. His answer only raised more questions. “Then why keep pretending I was just another refugee? Why not tell me who I was—whoyouwere?”
His expression darkened, shadowed by something I couldn’t name. “Nimue feared me. Feared what I might become." He paused. "I did not want word getting back to her that you were… our daughter."
"Why not?"
He breathed in deeply. "I feared she would… take you from me."
"But you had to have known she would figure it out!"
"No," he shook his head. "I never imagined you would even meet her. Other than to Arthur, she does not appear. And she only surfaces when the sword chooses a new bearer. And, Guinevere, there was no reason for me to believe the sword would ever call to you."
