Grail of Stars (10 page)

The king frowned. “Morgan Le Fay… now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I’d hoped never to hear it again. Is the witch still alive?”

“Not exactly,” Rhianna said. She shuddered when she thought of Lady Morgan’s ghost, which sometimes still appeared in her dreams.

“She’s in Annwn now,” Sir Bors explained. “The Crown of Dreams killed her, like it
killed her son, Mordred, last year.”

“Or not,” Gareth muttered.

“Have you brought the Crown of Dreams, too?” the king said, his eyes gleaming.

“It’s in here, Your Majesty,” Arianrhod whispered, hugging her pack tightly.

“The Sword, the Lance, the Crown, and three youngsters to carry them… I can see there’s more to this quest than meets the eye.” The king smiled. “You must be weary after your long journey. Come into my hall and tell me your story over some refreshment. The princess must cleanse herself and prepare to meet my queen.” He looked at Rhianna again and shook his head. “King Arthur’s daughter on a Grail Quest, who would have believed it?”

They entered the castle under an archway of blue and green lights. The king led Sir Bors and Cai away, while four of the grey-cloaked guardians escorted Rhianna and Arianrhod to a pool that was open to the night sky. It looked big enough to swim in and had been beautifully tiled with underwater scenes. Stars reflected in the steaming water and flowers grew around the edge, scenting the air.

Rhianna eyed the water, reluctant to remove her armour and sword in this strange castle. “You bathe,” she told her friend, jumping up on one of the marble benches. “I’ll keep watch.”

Arianrhod folded her arms. “I’m not letting you attend a feast at the Grail Castle smelling of horse! If they wanted to kill us, they could have done so already back there on the quay.”

“I’d like to have seen them try,” Rhianna
said loudly, peering between the lights. She could just make out the shadowy forms of their grey-cloaked escort standing guard around the pool.

“Where are our friends?” she called.

“Bathing with the men, Princess,” the nearest guardian said without turning round. “In the Fisher King’s castle, damsels and knights do not bathe together. You’re perfectly safe, don’t worry. We shall not peep.”

Rhianna scowled at the grey-cloaked back. To test this claim, she drew Excalibur and sprang off the bench.

The guardian tensed as her blade whispered past his ear.

“You were looking!” she accused.

“I heard you jump off the bench, Princess,” said the guardian. “But I have orders not to
hurt you, so if you wish to kill me then go ahead. No one will stop you. But we do not shed blood in this castle.”

Rhianna slid Excalibur back into its scabbard with a sigh. She wasn’t about to blood her blade now, not after keeping it clean for so long. Except for her own blood, when the Sword had briefly been in Mordred’s hands last year, not a drop had soiled Excalibur’s blade since she’d won the sword from Lady Nimue at the very start of her quest.

“No,” she said. “I’m keeping my blade clean so I can take Excalibur back to Avalon for my father.”

“Glad to hear it,” the guardian said with a smile, and Rhianna got the feeling that she had passed some kind of test. Slim fingers reached up, the grey hood dropped, and she found
herself looking at a girl not much older than herself. The guardian laughed at Rhianna’s surprised expression. “You’re not the only damsel who can fight, Princess,” she said.

“Come on in, my lady!” Arianrhod called. “The water’s lovely, and there are fish in here as well… they tickle when they nibble your toes!”

Rhianna gave in. She took off her armour and folded it neatly, leaving it beside the pool with their packs. She laid Excalibur in its red scabbard over the top, so she could grab her sword easily if need be. Then she slipped into the water to join Arianrhod.

While they were bathing, a girl appeared with two white dresses and laid them on the bench. She placed two crowns of white flowers on top and gathered up their dirty clothes. But when the girl picked up the armour, Rhianna
sprang out of the water and snatched up Excalibur again.

“Don’t touch that!” she said.

The girl dropped the armour at once. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I thought you might like it cleaned?”

“It doesn’t need cleaning,” Rhianna said. “It was made in Avalon, so it’s magic. It cleans itself.”

“What about these?” the girl dangled her riding leggings and tunic at arm’s length. Even Rhianna had to admit they stank. The thought of putting them back on now she had bathed made her itch. But she might need to fight.

“Leave them – they’ll be fine,” she said, pulling a face at the dresses. “You can wash Arianrhod’s clothes and clean my boots for me, but I’m keeping my armour and my sword!”

“Of course, Princess,” said the girl, giving her a dazzling smile. “Only our queen can clean your sword.”

“That’s not quite true,” Rhianna muttered. “Lady Nimue cleaned it after my father fought Mordred...” But the girl had already vanished through one of the archways.

Rhianna frowned after her, while Arianrhod chewed her lip.

“I’m not used to people waiting on me,” the maid whispered, looking at the white dress the girl had left for her. “What am I going to wear? That gown is much too fine for me.”

“No it isn’t,” Rhianna said firmly. “And you’ll look much nicer than me in white, with your dark hair and skin. You were born here don’t forget. You wouldn’t have been a maid if you’d stayed. Maybe you’d have been a princess.”

Arianrhod shook her head as they both got dressed. “Oh no, my lady. I’m no princess. And I’m glad my mother left me at Camelot, or I would never have met you. Now sit still, and let me do your hair.”

While they waited, Rhianna reluctantly let her friend arrange her hair in tumbling copper curls over her armour. The boots came back smelling of fish oil, but she pulled them on thankfully. Before Arianrhod could protest, she picked up one of the flower crowns and settled it on her friend’s head.

“There!” she said. “A proper princess!”

She said it to make her friend feel better. But Arianrhod did look beautiful, standing by the star-filled pool with the flowers glowing in her dark hair.

The maid shyly picked up the other flower
crown and hesitated. “This doesn’t feel right, my lady,” she whispered. “You should be the special one at this feast. I know what might work with your armour…”

Rhianna buckled Excalibur back around her waist, while Arianrhod rummaged in her pack. At first she thought her friend was after some bit of jewellery she’d brought along. Then she saw the green glitter in her hand.

“Oh no,” she said. “No, Arianrhod, I can’t wear
that
crown tonight.”

“Yes, you must! It’s perfect. All bright colours, and the green jewel at the front will match your eyes. Besides, you might need it when you take your Grail test.” She settled the Crown of Dreams on Rhianna’s damp hair and stepped back with a satisfied smile. “That’s much better!”

Rhianna tensed, expecting to feel the familiar heat from the jewels. But the Crown sat lightly on her head, and even the Jewel of Annwn only glowed gently. She touched it, and sighed when her fingers came away cool. Maybe the third Light was less dangerous in the Grail Castle? And Arianrhod was right – it might give her an advantage when she took the test of the Grail.

“All right,” she said. “But only until I’ve been presented to the queen. I’m not wearing this crown all night. I need to be awake to get the Grail, not go off on another spirit ride with the dragon. If you see me falling asleep, pinch me.”

Arianrhod nodded.

“Hard, mind!” Rhianna added. “You’ve seen what this Crown can do, and Elphin’s not
here this time to wake me with his harp.”

Her friend bit her lip at the reminder, and promised she would try.

Their escort materialised from the shadows and looked them up and down. If the guardians disapproved of Rhianna’s armour, they did not say anything. “Ready, Princess?” asked the one she’d threatened earlier with Excalibur.

She had never felt less ready in her life. But she drew a deep breath and nodded.

Rhianna had attended Lord Avallach’s feasts in Avalon, where the Avalonians danced all night and made song pictures in the crystal walls of his palace. She had seen Camelot’s Great Hall decorated with blossoms at midsummer, and with holly and candles to celebrate Christ’s
mass at midwinter. But she’d never seen anything like this.

She paused at the entrance to catch her breath. The hall of the Grail Castle turned out to be a huge sea-cave. Blue and green lights twinkled across the soaring arches like stars. A pool occupied most of the floor, the lights reflected in its depths. Tables set with food and drink floated slowly around the pool. The Fisher King’s people sat on steps around the edge with their legs in the water, chattering and laughing as they ate. White doves fluttered overhead. The guardians in their grey cloaks melted into the shadows, and Rhianna saw more tunnels leading from the cave deep into the island.

The maidens all wore white dresses and white flower crowns like Arianrhod, who lifted
her chin a little when she realised she was not the only one dressed so finely. The knights wore dazzling white tunics. She spotted Sir Bors looking uncomfortable, with a grease stain already visible on his.

Cai stood self-consciously near the pool holding the Lance of Truth, which cast a glittering blue reflection in the water. He waved to them in relief. Rhianna slid Excalibur a short way out of its scabbard and saw its blade shining too. Magic. She quickly slid the sword back again. But she could do nothing about the Crown, which had sensed the enchantment of the Grail Castle and begun to glow.

Coloured sparks flew from her head as she walked towards the pool. The dancers all turned to stare at her. She heard a few whisper ‘Arthur’s daughter’ and ‘Grail Quest’.
Others shielded their eyes. Rhianna saw Sir Galahad chatting with another ghostly young knight. A shiver went down her spine as they turned to look at her too.

Arianrhod hesitated. “I think that’s Sir Percival,” she whispered. “He died on his quest like Galahad did, but nobody knows how.”

Rhianna didn’t need the reminder. She grasped her friend’s hand and pulled her on. She marched up to the pool and hissed at Cai, “Well, go on then. Announce me.”

Cai was mouthing something at them, pointing urgently at the water. When Rhianna glared at him, he cleared his throat, banged the Lance on the floor and said, “Princess Rhianna Pendragon, Your Majesties!”

The king climbed to his feet and nodded in approval at the Crown on Rhianna’s head.
He frowned slightly as his gaze travelled down to her armour and the Sword strapped around her waist, but smiled and said, “Welcome, Princess! Come feast with us, and we shall see if the Grail judges you good enough to drink from it. Sit beside my queen down there. She’ll look after you now.”

One of the women seated at the pool looked round, and Rhianna froze. She’d expected the queen to be old like her husband, and had assumed her hair would be silver, reflecting the green and blue lights like the king’s. But when she saw gills open and close on the slender neck, Rhianna knew she’d made a mistake. The Queen of the Grail Castle was ageless and beautiful. She had green hair and turquoise eyes and, splashing in the starlit water, a beautiful fish’s tail.

Rhianna felt dizzy. The Fisher King’s strange name… the ship appearing at the enchanted lake where she had won Excalibur from its fish-tailed guardian… the same fish-lady who had helped them get the Lance of Truth from Mordred… Suddenly, everything fell into place. Who else had been testing her from the very start of her quest?

“Lady Nimue!” she breathed.

L
ady Nimue smiled. “Welcome, Rhianna Pendragon! You took your time, but you're here now – and with three of the Lights, which is more than Arthur's knights ever brought me. You've done better than I expected. Come and join us.” She patted the step beside her.

With a start, Rhianna realised that at least half of the people sitting around the pool, feasting from the king's floating tables, had fish-tails like Lady Nimue –
Queen
Nimue. That would take some getting used to.

“But how… How did you get here?” she asked.

The last time she'd seen Nimue was on the bridge below Camelot, when the fish-lady had been washed downriver by Mordred's conjured flood. No wonder they hadn't found her in her lake. Though, now she came to think about it, Nimue always had known a lot more than she should do for a water spirit trapped in an enchanted wood.

“I swam, of course.” Nimue said with another smile. “Water connects all worlds. Are you ready for your final test?”

Rhianna descended the steps and eyed the pool warily. Everyone was watching her.

“What test?” she asked. “Do I have to swim with you again? Because it's going to be a bit difficult in my armour, and I'm not removing it again – last time I did that, one of your maidens tried to take it.”

Nimue smiled again. “You know what I'm going to ask, Rhianna Pendragon. My final riddle, the one you couldn't answer when I asked you before. You remember it, don't you?”

Rhianna froze. “
What does the Grail contain
?” she whispered.

Nimue nodded. “A question many men have died over. If you drink and answer correctly, then you may take the Grail from this place and use it as you wish. Wrong, and it may kill you too. Are you ready?”

A hush fell over the cavern as the fish-lady lifted a battered silver cup from its floating table and filled it with clear liquid from a flask. The cup smoked slightly as she held it out to Rhianna. Sir Bors frowned.

Rhianna did not move, her eyes fixed on the goblet. Was that it? The Grail of Stars? It looked so ordinary, apart from the liquid Nimue had poured into it. She remembered Sir Galahad's warning.
Be careful what you drink in the Grail Castle
.

“If you're afraid, you can always feast at the king's table instead. You won't be the first to refuse the test.” Nimue's turquoise gaze rested on Sir Bors, who wiped crumbs from his tunic and flushed.

Sir Galahad and Sir Percival were watching her more eagerly than the rest. Galahad
whispered something to his friend, and the other ghost chuckled. Gareth, hovering nearby, clutched his throat and pretended to choke.

“Careful, Damsel Rhianna,” Sir Bors warned.

“I'm not afraid!” Rhianna said.

Before she had a chance to think about it too much, she seized the cup from Nimue and took a brave swallow. White fire burned all the way into her stomach.

She closed her eyes until the burning stopped, and found herself sitting on the step between Nimue and another fish-lady, with her legs in the water and Excalibur's scabbard trailing in the pool. The other fish-people swam across to stop her falling in. Suddenly, it seemed a very good place to be.

“What does the Grail contain?” Lady Nimue asked again, taking the cup from
Rhianna's numb fingers and setting it safely back on the table. She ran her webbed hand around the jewels in Rhianna's crown. “Do you see the answer yet, Rhianna Pendragon? Maybe it's in one of these pretty jewels hiding their Pendragon secrets? Why not take a look?”

The Crown warmed under her touch, and Excalibur shone brighter. Light flashed from Nimue's cup until the whole cavern filled with rainbows. Rhianna heard Cai gasp as the Lance of Truth flashed with colour, too.

She thought of Elphin's words, before he'd ridden out for the Lonely Tor.
I'm not sure what'll happen when all four Lights come together
. Using the Crown to look for the answer to Nimue's riddle no longer seemed like such a good idea. Panicking, she tried to get up. The Lights were meant to come together in
Avalon to wake her father, not here… Then her head shattered with colour and light, and pictures magically formed in the glittering surface of the pool.

King Arthur knighting Mordred with Excalibur…

The shadrake shrieking over the battlefield…

Her cousin swinging his axe with two hands towards the king's head…

Her father's body lying in the bottom of Merlin's boat, covered by the Pendragon shield—

She snatched off the Crown with trembling hands and flung it into the pool, destroying the images that shimmered there. “Enough! I already know all that. Make it show me the answer to your riddle, or I'm not wearing it again.”

She didn't want her family's secrets reflected
in the pool for all at the feast to see, like song-pictures in the walls of Lord Avallach's crystal palace. What if the Crown showed everyone the secret of dragon riding next, and some heroic fool tried to do it?

Lady Nimue dived gracefully into the pool and retrieved the Crown of Dreams. She gave Rhianna a sympathetic look. “I know it's painful for you to remember your father's death, but there's more here – something buried deep, a secret nobody wants you to see. I'll help you, shall I?” She replaced the crown on Rhianna's head.

Rhianna's limbs felt heavy, and her sword weighed her down. She nearly slipped off the step into the depths of the pool. The fish-people's webbed hands gripped her sword belt and held her tightly.
A secret nobody wanted her 
to see
… Morgan Le Fay had worn this Crown in Dragonland before it killed her. Had the witch sabotaged it so that Rhianna would not be able to use it to gain the fourth Light?

“Damsel Rhianna!” Cai called from a long way off, but she didn't even have the strength to turn her head and tell him she was all right, she was just searching for the answer to the riddle of the Grail.

Nimue rejoined them on the steps and pushed Rhianna's head down into her scaled lap. “Don't fight the magic,” she whispered, stroking her hair. “Now, let's see what the Crown of Dreams was trying to tell us, shall we?”

Rhianna tried to make the Crown show her the answer to Nimue's riddle, but now she could feel the dark magic working against her. The fish-people's webbed hands held her
firmly, and the jewels grew warm again.

A shadow formed in the light over the pool, and more pictures appeared in the water.

Morgan Le Fay, young and beautiful with oak leaves in her hair, dancing in a druid grove…

Merlin in his man's body showing the witch how to use the spiral pathfinder on the end of his staff… the shadrake shrieking as the sly Morgan kissed her surprised tutor…

A baby born in blood and shadow…

Mordred as a small boy, laughing while his witch mother drew her dagger and cut a pentacle into the pale cheek of her young maid…

Seeing her younger self reflected in the pool, Arianrhod screamed. “Rhia!”

Her friend's cry broke through the visions. Rhianna groped for her sword. As soon as her hand touched Excalibur's hilt, some of
her strength returned. She drew the blade awkwardly, and the fish-people dived into the pool to avoid it, releasing her belt. She scrabbled backwards around the steps and lifted the sword two-handed, looking for an enemy, its blade wobbling between her and Lady Nimue.

Through sparkling stars, she saw Sir Bors struggling with a knot of grey-cloaked guardians, who were trying to disarm the big knight and march him from the hall. She blinked to clear her vision and saw more of the guardians closing in on Cai, who swung the Lance in a wild circle to keep them at bay.

“They've poisoned Princess Rhianna!” the boy yelled.

“What did you give her?” Sir Bors shouted at the fish-queen. “What was in that cup?”

The guardians did not seem to consider Arianrhod a threat. Before they could stop her, the maid pushed past them and jumped into the pool. With her white dress swirling around her, she splashed across to the floating table, snatched up the cup Rhianna had drunk from, and flung it across the cave. White light flashed out of it, and everyone – ghosts as well as the living – ducked.

Arianrhod stared down at her hands in surprise. They shone like Sir Galahad's had when Rhianna summoned his ghost to the Round Table. But Excalibur and the Lance dimmed, and the Crown grew cooler on Rhianna's head. She blinked in relief as the pictures in the pool faded. She felt stupid letting Arianrhod talk her into wearing it in the first place. Of course the answer she sought
was not hidden in the Pendragon jewels – otherwise her father would have told his knights the correct answer so they could bring him the Grail, instead of dying on their quests!

The maid looked in horror at the goblet she'd thrown. It rolled up against the rock near one of the tunnels, where its glimmer slowly faded.

“Did I break it?” she whispered. “Oh, I'm sorry…”

Lady Nimue sighed. “You broke the magic, that's for sure. No matter, I've seen enough.” She frowned at Arianrhod. “Well don't just stand there, child. Go and pick up that cup. It takes more than a few dents to break a grail. Galahad will show you where to put it. And you can put your sword away, Rhianna Pendragon. You haven't passed my test, but it seems you're
made of sterner stuff than most of Arthur's knights so at least you'll live. I shouldn't be surprised. You grew up in Avalon, after all. My guardians will show you to your room, where you can sleep off my potion in peace.”

“You didn't have to trick her like that!” Sir Bors yelled, tugging at the hands that held him. “I should have guessed what you meant to do, luring the poor girl here with your quests and your riddles, just so you could take a sneaky look at the secrets in the Pendragon Crown! You're worse than Morgan Le Fay, using an innocent girl for your own ends. Are you sure you're all right, Damsel Rhianna?”

Rhianna felt terrible, but she managed to stagger up the steps without dropping Excalibur. “Let Sir Bors and Cai go,” she ordered, swinging her blade at the nearest
guardians, who were a blur of grey cloaks.

The guardians looked at their queen, who raised a webbed hand to stay them.

“What do you want me to do with this, my lady?” Arianrhod called, nervously edging past the guardians to pick up the Grail from where it had rolled against the wall. No longer shining, it looked like an ordinary battered cup again. But the magic they'd seen earlier said different.

“Put it in my pack,” Rhianna told her.

“Put it where Galahad shows you,” Nimue corrected.

Rhianna squeezed her eyes shut. The cavern spun, and her ears rang with a sound that reminded her of Elphin's broken harp.

“Arianrhod, put it in my pack and GO!” she said.

Her friend hesitated.

“Arianrhod,” Lady Nimue snapped. “You're the daughter of a Grail maiden. I won't tell you again. Take that cup out of here, before it does kill somebody.”

The maid looked in anguish at Rhianna. Nimue impatiently waved two of the guardians towards the girl. Desperate to keep her friend free, Rhianna leaped between them and told the guardians, “It's all right, she'll do it.” Then she winked at Arianrhod and whispered, “You'd better do what she says,
but remember our trick with Excalibur at the North Wall
.”

Arianrhod gave her a puzzled glance. Then she understood. Ducking her head to hide her smile, she clutched the cup to her chest and hurried out of the hall after Sir Galahad's ghost. Gareth, who had been at the North Wall with them, grinned at Rhianna and followed.

As they passed Cai, the Lance flared brightly. Cai gave a yell of surprise and dropped it. One of the grey-cloaked guardians picked it up. The others closed around the boy, seized his arms and dragged him out of the hall after Sir Bors.