Chapter Three
Maud saw herself floating in blackness. There were no walls. There was no floor or ceiling, yet she felt she was in some sort of room.
�Lady Maud��
She heard her name being called, but she could figure from where it came from. She glanced around her to make sure, but she saw nothing.
�Lady Maud��
Suddenly, in front of her, an image of a girl about her age appeared. Her long fiery curls shone brightly in an unseen light. It was Lady Rhiannon. �Lady Rhiannon! What�s going on!� Maud called out.
�Maud!� came a sudden cry. Suddenly, Rhiannon�s image broke into shards like Maud was looking at a mirror breaking. The shards flew away, taking the image of Rhiannon with them. Another sharp cry rang out. �MAUD!�
Maud woke up with a start and she rammed her head into something hard. She grabbed her forehead and gazed dizzily at Alwyn, who was doing likewise. �Alwyn! I�m sorry I hit you!� Maud cried.
�It�s all right, Lady Maud, you didn�t hurt me too badly.� Alwyn winced again and rubbed his forehead. �We have been summoned, Lady Maud, by Master Merlin.�
Maud knew what that meant. She ushered Alwyn out of her room and got dressed as quickly as she could. All the time, she was wondering what her dream meant.
When she came out of her room, she found Alwyn waiting for her ever patiently. �Come. We are needed.� Alwyn said shortly. Then, he grabbed her hand and tugged her forward.
They made it to the dining hall in a surprisingly quick amount of time. Alwyn, apparently, seemed to be able to move exceptionally fast. At the back of the hall were five women in thrones, including Lady Morgana in the middle.
Alwyn and Maud were joined by Sir Rain and they walked to the seated women. Merlin joined the women when the five ladies stood up. �Welcome, Lady Maud, Alwyn, and Sir Rain. I have an announcement to make.�
There were a few people in the hall and they all seemed to be staring at the three. Maud could feel her cheeks burning from the attention. Lady Morgana stepped out from the four ladies around her.
�Lady Rhiannon has been kidnapped by the other kingdom we share this enchanted forest with.� There was much whispering and scuffling at the statement.
Maud noticed Sir Rain�s face set itself in a harder expression, if that was possible. Maud stepped forward to ask something, but Lady Morgana continued.
�I am charging you three with the task of going and bringing back Lady Rhiannon from the other kingdom. Will you do this for me?�
Maud was finally able to speak. �I will ma�am! But why would anyone kidnap Lady Rhiannon?�
�Who will go with Lady Maud of Kenelm on this journey?� Merlin said loudly.
Alwyn and Rain stepped up behind Maud. �We will, Sire!� they both said at once.
�Then, it is done. You three will travel through the Forest of Mysteries to the kingdom of Westfall and retrieve Lady Rhiannon.� Lady Morgana said softly. �I wish all of you the best of luck.�
Before Maud could ask anymore questions, she was suddenly ushered into Merlin�s quarters by Alwyn. There, he smiled at her and closed the door.
Merlin stood in front of her with an indecipherable smile on his face. She started to speak, but he put up a hand. �I know what it is you are wondering. Why Rhiannon?�
He ushered her to a seat and then kneeled down to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he faced her. �Rhiannon is the next in line to the Five Keepers of Camelot. When Lady Rhysenn backs down from her position, Rhiannon will take her place and she will then be in direct line to Lady Morgana�s position as head of the Five.�
He put his hand on Maud�s face and gently caressed her cheek. �You do your best and you will win. I feel something in you that you do not even know is there.�
Then, he stood up and went over to a table. �I�ll get you a map and some other supplies. Alwyn will retrieve you when you are to go.�
He walked over to the door and opened it for Maud. �And do not forget to make yourself a pack of things you will need.�
Alwyn smiled at Maud as she passed by him out the door. �I will see you later, Lady Maud,� he said softly. Then, he closed the door behind him, leaving her outside Merlin�s door.
She wrestled with herself over whether or not she should go then. She silently pressed her ear to the door and listened. Alwyn was speaking. �She will want to know about Westfall, Master. I feel as though I can�t keep it from her for much longer.�
�You won�t.� Merlin�s voice was soft, but quite clear. �I can feel it in her. She has the ability to be much more. It�s no wonder that you feel as though you can�t keep anything from her.�
There was some shuffling around and Maud fell forward into Merlin. She looked up as he put her back on her feet. �As I said, Alwyn, you can�t keep anything from her, because she will listen in at any rate. Lady Maud, I thought I was quite clear in my instructions. Please go back to your quarters and pack your things. Alwyn will come for you and then you will be on your way.�
Maud nodded numbly. �S-s-sorry, Mr. Merlin.� Then, she ran down the hallway as quickly as she could. When she was sure she was far enough away, she turned a corner and pressed herself against the wall.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest. There was something about the connection between Westfall and Sir Rain that she needed to know, but they were keeping from her.
She turned to walk down the hall and ran into something cold and hard. Arms encircled her immediately to keep her from falling. She looked up and saw Sir Rain staring down at her in surprise. She noticed a bit of pink coming to his cheeks.
She blushed madly and shoved herself from him. �I�m so sorry, Sir Rain!�
He gained his hard expression once again and moved his hair out of his face, looking away from her. �Watch where you go, wench, I do not need you to be a burden on me while I fight to get Lady Rhiannon back.�
�As well as worm your way into Morgana�s heart, I�ll bet,� Maud muttered.
Rain didn�t seem to hear her. She sighed. �Look� I�m sorry I ran into you. I need to get my things together so I can get Rhiannon back, okay?�
Rain stared at her, and then got in her face angrily. �Look here, you witch, I�LL be the one that gets Rhiannon back! Not you, not Alwyn, it will be ME.�
Maud growled at him and got in his face as well. �Hey! I�m trying to be nice!�
Rain snorted. Then, he pushed her aside and walked past her. She growled at him, but he turned around and narrowed his blue eyes at her. �Don�t entertain the thought that you could EVER be anything better than Lord Merlin or Lady Morgana. You are nothing more than a selfish girl who so happened to find herself in our kingdom. Never forget your place.�
Then, he walked off. She punched the wall and then leaned against it as she fumed in her anger. Now all she wanted to do was prove Rain wrong. She growled and ran off down the corridor to her room.
Inside her room, she rummaged around for her backpack. When she found it, she took out all her school books and put in an extra shirt from the dresser. She knew it would more than likely be too big for her, but she didn�t care.
She put in the pack and put in her favorite book, Haunted Kingdom. She zipped it all up and then sat on her bed and sulked. She was going to find Rhiannon and bring her back even if it killed her. She was not about to let Rain and Merlin get to her.
There was a knock at her door not five minutes after she finished packing. She grabbed her black blazer and put it on, then grabbed her hat, and back pack, and opened the door.
Alwyn smiled down at her cheerfully. �It is time, Lady Maud! Let us walk down to the hall together, shall we?�
He put out his hand and she took it. He, again, tugged her along at a faster than she had expected speed. It was phenomenal how fast he was. They reached the gate quickly. There, Sir Rain, the five ladies of Camelot and Merlin were waiting.
�We are here, ladies� master.� Alwyn bowed his head toward them with a smile on his young face. He looked even closer to her age now then he had before.
One woman with long, straight, brown hair walked forward and gave Alwyn a kiss on his cheek. He blushed a slight shade of pink and smiled even bigger. Maud rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.
�Alwyn, Lady Maud, and you Sir Rain, shall go forth, now, to Westfall and retrieve Lady Rhiannon,� said Merlin plainly. He smiled down at Maud with fondness in his eyes. �Lady Maud, I wish you all the luck in Camelot.� Then, he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
When Merlin let go of her, Morgana pulled her into a hug and kissed both of her cheeks. �I wish you well, Lady Maud. May the spirits guide you well.�
Maud smiled and hugged Morgana back. When she let go, Maud hefted the backpack up on her shoulders and put her hat on securely on her head. Her heart felt ten times bigger in her chest than it was before. �I won�t let you down!� Then, the three set off into the Forest of Mysteries together.
Dark came all too quickly on the traveling threesome. The mist seemed to swarm in on them like bees. Maud stopped and leaned against a tree to rest. �Rain! Stop! She�s stopped again. Rain!� Alwyn cried out to Sir Rain.
Rain growled and picked up Maud by her blazer. �How dare you slow me down!� he spat at her.
Maud growled and pushed herself from him, hitting the tree with her shoulder. �Stop it! I need to rest some, besides� we�re LOST!�
Rain grabbed the backpack from her shoulders and pulled out the map, waving it in front of her tauntingly. �You are the one with the map, why aren�t you finding a way out of this mess, then?�
Maud growled and made a grab for the map. Rain pulled it away before she could get at it. Alwyn growled. �Rain� this isn�t the time for this.�
Rain growled and pulled the map away again as Maud made another grab for it. �Give it back! Mr. Merlin gave it to me to use, not you, Rain!� Maud growled. Then, she kicked his shin, which was guarded by his armor, but seemed to get his attention. She grabbed the map away from him and took her backpack all in one swoop.
Rain growled and made a grab for her. She slipped away from him and ran hard into the forest. She could still hear Rain�s cries of outrage and Alwyn shouting at him, but it soon became too distant to catch.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she ran headlong into the forest. When she finally stopped, she leaned against a tree and slid down to the ground. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head against them. This was all she needed. She was now on her own without much protection from anything that could attack her.
She was very tired, she realized. She leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes. The air was chilly against her legs as she tried to keep warm. Then, she fell asleep.