The Sins of the Mother (Arthur, Nicolae, Delilah)

[Sasha]

Sasha had never been so angry with someone. She could feel her rage pulsing through her veins. She had been away from Camelot trying to find her brother after she had overheard her mother and some other witch called Nimueh -whom she could not see because of the shadows- plotting to kill both the King of Camelot and his son, and also Sasha in the end. She had felt sorry for her mother, that Delilah couldn't stop doing these horrible things. But now. . . after hearing what HER OWN FATHER had said about her. . . Sasha wanted nothing more but for her mother to pay for what she had done. THAT was what made her return to Camelot earlier than she should have. Her brother had come along with her, despite having fled Camelot after he had supposedly stolen a bracelet or something from the Queen of Camelot. . . who just so happened to be the Lady Sasha's mother. Right now, Sasha found no humour in the fact that Arthur was temporarily her step-brother or Uther her step-father.

Leaving her brother in the courtyard, Sasha stormed up the steps with her left hand on the hilt of her brother's sword. This strong hatred needed to be taken out on someone, and Sasha knew a person who deserved it. "Queen" Delilah Kastus. Walking rapidly down the halls as she headed for the throne room, where her mother would be. The servants, for some strange reason, were glaring at her with surprise and also a mix of fear. She could not understand the fear, or the surprise either, but mostly the fear. Where had that come from?! But she kept on walking, ignoring the stares from everyone. She only had one purpose here, even if it still slightly hurt to think about it.

She only cared about confronting her mother with the little story that her father had told her. That her MOTHER was responsible for his death, not Sasha. How could Delilah keep this from her?! Why would she blame Sasha for killing her own father when she herself was responsible? Perhaps to hide her crimes, and enjoy the pain she had felt while going through this. Arthur had trusted her enough to believe that she was not responsible for Sir Peter's death, and that still meant so much to her. At least someone trusted her like that. When the Lady Sasha entered the throne room, she instantly saw Delilah. Then just an uncomfortable silence as they both made eye contact.

Delilah stared at her with her mouth hung open a bit and stammered for a second. She smild as she said how happy she was to see her alive and Sasha only gave her a blank stare. She knew all to well it was faked. She didn't know, and she didn't care. She just focused on Delilah. . . showing the most fury in her bright green eyes.


Tags: Arthur Pendragon, Nicolae Rei Jacob, Delilah Kastus

Timeline: Middle of Season 3

Time of Day: Evening

Muse Song;: Papercut - Linkin Park

[Delilah Kastus]

How was this possible. . .?? Sasha was alive?! But Delilah had made sure she was dead, or at least could not return! Uther was not there, so she did not have to fae any reactions. Why hadn't the guards restrained her?! "Sasha!" She advanced toward her and then gave a genuine smile. "You're alive. . ." Her mind had been feeling a bit more clear and less evil since the day she had cast a spell on the King, and so was strangely a it more friendly with her daughter. But then she caught the look in Sasha's eyes. It was something more than blank and cold. . . it was something that held fury in it. She could sense the fire ablaze in her daughter that very moment.

"What a pleasant surprise to see you here. . . alive," Delilah said with surprise, and also a bit of coldness. When Sasha threw down her single gauntlet in front of the Queen, she narrowed her eyes. As much as she was suddenly developing a thirst for bloodshed, she would refuse. Sasha was her daughter and that would give her a bad look in public if it reached someone's ears. "I refuse," she said simply. Sasha went on to calmly, yet furiously, threaten her that if Delilah did not pick it up that she would slice her where she stood.

Wait. . . did she not realize that for ONCE IN HER LIFE Delilah was refusing the chance to kill her?! Did she not respect that? Or even appreciate it?! Delilah gave a light chuckle. "You would never strike a defenseless woman," she smiled. Sasha narrowed her eyes brows and Delilah sighed, knowing just how serious the young woman was. "Then do so," she lifted her chin, as if to welcome her daughter's strike. She didn't believe Sasha had the guts to do it, though. . .

Suddenly, and to Delilah's satisfaction, the guards stormed into the throne room and grabbed Sasha tightly around the shoulders. They looked up at Delilah for a second, silently asking her permission. With an abrupt dip of her head, they obeyed her command and dragged Sasha out of the Throne Room. Instinctively, Lady Sasha tried to fight against them but despite her foolishness in returning to Camelot, she was no fool. She quit struggling, knowing she would never over power the guards. Delilah had everyone, even the King himself, believing that Sasha was a druid and traitor to Camelot. If Sasha had come here to kill the Queen, then she knew what would come next. . . or at least, once it reached the King's ears.

[nicolae]

Nicolae had seen his half-sister's father for the first time in his life, and also for the last time as it was only a spirit. Peter, or in Rome known as Petronius, seemed like a good man. He couldn't say better than his own father for he had never met him, nor had he spent much time with his mother either. He felt so horrible when Sasha's father had revealed that Delilah -also Nicolae's mother- had been his murderer. He knew that Sasha blamed herself for his death, and he knew the reason why. Because that was all she had ever heard, and she could not remember past the age of 13 to prove her mother wrong. Poor girl. Imagine thinking you're responsible for one of your parent's deathes? He was not surprised when Peter said that Delilah was responsible, either. He had been suspicious about that woman since he laid eyes on her.

But now, Sasha and Nicolae were back in Camelot. He had a pretty good idea of where Sasha was storming off to, with her hand on the sword that he had given to her for better protection. As any caring brother would do, he followed her into the castle and ignored the cold glares everyone gave him. He had been banished for stealing a bracelet or something from Queen Delilah, but he had not stolen it at all. He was hurt by the accusations his mother had made. It was like she didn't even care about him. In which she probably did not. While following Sasha he spotted Prince Arthur in the halls. "Arthur!" He called over to him, forgetting to refer to him as 'My Lord' or 'Sire' for the time being. It seemed as if it did not matter at the moment, really. . . He needed to hurry and tell Arthur what was happening.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Things were a complete and utter mess. His father had married, again! This time it was not to a troll. No. It was something far worse. It was . . . Delilah. Arthur had encountered her once before, when she used a spell to freeze him in place. That was not what had deemed her evil in his mind though. What had determined her true cruelty was the way she treated the Lady Sasha, her daughter. Somehow, she had managed to enchant his father, for Arthur refused to believe that the king would be so willing to marry her, under his son's strong protest. It was truly like the Lady Catrina Troll Fiasco all over again, and such as last time, Arthur did not know how to break this enchantment. It had to be one. There was no other way. No way at all! Merlin was being his usual helpful self -- shockingly Arthur's thoughts were not the least bit sarcastic. Both him and Gaius were hard at work trying to figure out a way to break this marriage up. Who knew if it would truly be a recreation of last time. Arthur could very well be disowned again, or his father could propose raising taxes again . . . he could not rely on Uther to rule if his mind was so irrational. Arthur trusted in Merlin and Gaius to find a solution.

It was what happened between then that was causing even graver concerns.

Sasha had left. Arthur refused to believe her mother's lies about her death. After all, had she not once told Sasha that he himself had died, only to cause her grief? No. Arthur refused to believe that Sasha was dead. It may be denial, but he was trusting his strong instincts that told him otherwise. Besides, Delilah was not exactly the trust worthy type. He would not believe a word from her, even if others did . . . even if others had no choice but to do so. She not only lied about Sasha, but also about Nicolae's crime. Arthur had no doubt about that. If he did believe that Nicolae had done it, then he would not have helped him find a way to escape. He would not have told him to go find Sasha, wherever she was. Arthur did not care if this was a violation of Delilah's 'laws'. He was still the Prince, and he still had a say in matters. He would not let this go on for much longer, he could not! He could only imagine what Delilah's intentions were, but he knew that either way, they were not good. And once again, the Pendragons were being used as pawns in their enemy's plans.

Until the time this spell would be broken, Arthur's stress level was high, and tension within the kingdom was strong. Gaius would find a way to fix this. He had to. What other choice did they have? If he did not then Camelot would be doomed. Especially with a tyrant like Delilah ruling this kingdom. These thoughts plagued Arthur's mind as he made his way down the hallway. Suddenly, a distracting -- and desperate -- voice pulled him out of his thoughts when he heard someone call his name. He did not recognize it immediately, and it was even more confusing as it was spoken without titles. When his eyes searched for the source, they slightly widened with surprise. Nicolae?! When had he returned? Wait, what was wrong? Why did he look so worried? So many questions suddenly filled the Prince's mind, knowing that there was only one way to discover the answers to them. "What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice stern but it stemmed from concern, for he was a fugitive here. And he could be arrested -- or worse -- by just being seen. Arthur had helped him escape under the assumption that he would only return once everything had calmed down -- aka, once Delilah was out of power.

[nicolae]

"What are you doing here?"

He had gotten the Prince's attention. Great, now he just needed to explain what was going on quickly. "I shouldn't be here, Sire," he started, not quite knowing what to say. "But it's Sasha." That's all he could say for now. He didn not want to speak of what had happened with the High Priestess Nimueh and Sasha's father out here in the open. But he would mention Sasha's intentions. He could understand how she must feel, wanting to avenge her father's death. He would like to avenge his own father's death, but his determination wasn't that strong when it came to that. Poor girl, though. . . he was her brother, and felt bad that he couldn't do anything to ease the pain she was feeling. "She's found out the truth, involving her father's death," he said in a quieter tone so that only Arthur could hear. His expression grew from worried to deeply concerned. "She won't listen to me, and I think, from what I've seen, that you're the only person she'll even consider listening to right now." Okay, maybe he wasn't going to state her intentions. . . but he was hinting at it, hoping Arthur would guess correctly that Sasha wanted deeply to slice Delilah to little bite-size pieces for this.

But then, he saw two guards dragging a woman by the shoulders in direction that the dungeon would eventually be located. Sasha! He said nothing, for it was too late for Arthur to do anything now. Or so he thought. But what could he do? Either Delilah or Uther had given this order, and who could disobey them? In the end, the King had the final say. . . but Nicolae knew that Uther would agree to send "the witch" to the dungeon in an instant. Nicolae made eye contact with her for one moment but she looked away almost instantly, possibly embarrassed to be dragged away by guards in front of the Prince. So what now? They were to just let her be sentenced to death by Uther, who wasn't in his right mind even without the love spell? No. It was his place to protect his sister, and he would try even if it meant getting rrested himself. He took a few steps toward the guards who were restraining the Lady Sasha, clueless of what to do. But something had to be done about this! Anything!

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was trying to follow along, but the more that Nicolae explained -- in haste -- the more questions were raised in the prince's mind. The moment he heard Sasha's name though, so many different thoughts entered his mind, and so many emotions filled him. She was alive then! While Arthur had not doubted it, it was a legitimate fear. She had been out there, god knows where . . . so to now hear that she was alive, Arthur just felt a massive wave of relief fill him. Of course, all was not well for Nicolae seemed to be in utter panic. That wasn't good. If she had returned, who knew what her mother would do to her. Upon the subject of her father's death, well, even Arthur did not know the truth about that. He had heard Delilah blaming Sasha for it, but he did not know what the actual truth was, no one did. Though, that seemed to drastically change now. Whatever the truth was, it was not good and apparently, Sasha had not taken to it well. Especially if that was the reason she had returned to Camelot which already held many dangers for it.

Arthur had no time to further inquire into Nicolae's revelations. His gaze followed the servant as they both now rested on Sasha. Arthur had gone to hoping she was alive, to hearing she was alive, to seeing that she was alive. If possible, he felt even more relief fill him, though that did not minimize his concern. He had never seen her so . . . he wasn't sure what the word was. Angry perhaps. She seemed livid, and she was being forced away by the guards, being dragged away. Whatever she discovered, whatever she intended to do with that truth, she did not deserve the way she was being treated right now. When Nicolae took a step towards them, Arthur held his arm out to block him before he could take a step further. He knew the man was trying to help, but quite frankly, he could not. In fact, he would only get thrown in the dungeon right along with her.

"You need to leave," he told him in a low voice, urging him to go before his presence was made known for it would only land him a cell in the dungeons as well. There was no use in the two of them getting caught. "I'll handle this," he added, unsure if that provide Nicolae with any reassurance. Either way, he would have more of a chance helping for he still held position as prince . . . and Nicolae was still a fugitive, thanks to Delilah. "Go," he added one last time, as he approached the guards, and Sasha. Once he got there, the guards both stopped upon Arthur's command for them to. At least he still had influence, and he was going to use that to the best of his abilities. "Where are you taking her?" Arthur questioned, already having a pretty good idea of where they were dragging her off to.

Their reply went along with his assumption, as they answered that under the order of the 'queen' they were taking her to the dungeons. "I will take her," he stated, holding a strong and authoritative tone. The guards both exchanged looks, but they trusted their prince enough to do this. After all, no one was exactly thrilled with the new queen . . . and he could not blame them for this. He had to save them from her before she consumed the kingdom with her wrath. They released their hold on her, and Arthur gave them a short nod before gently taking her arm and leading her towards the dungeons. He knew he would have to take her there eventually -- for she would be safe there for now. Of course, he was not going to just leave her there. He would devise a plan to break her out and make sure she was some place safe . . . but he could only do this when there were not so many eyes on them. And when they could use the darkness of the night as concealment. He did not say a word, as he had to keep up the appearance of him escorting a prisoner to the dungeons.

But as they descended the stairs, he looked both ways before pulling her to the side in a totally secluded hallway. This would grant them a few moments of privacy, so that they could talk. He had not seen her for so long, and her mood still seemed, rather darker than what he knew Sasha to be. When he finally stopped, he moved to stand in front of her, gently putting both his hands on either side of her upper arms, slightly lowering his head so that they were somewhat on the same eye level. "Are you alright?" He asked in a soft tone. That seemed like the most important question right now. He wanted to try and determine her state of mind, wanted to make sure she was calm. For if she was not ready to talk about it, then Arthur would not press for it. He would eventually get to the rest, but that was his primary concern right now: her well being.

[Sasha]

When she was able to glance back at her brother, he was already gone. Sasha knew it was dangerous for him to be here, and had warned him to stay away from Camelot as long as he could. . . and he had, until Sasha found him stubbornly following her not long after. So to know he was leaving was a huge relief to her. Even with all of the rage and hatred that was rushing through her, she could still manage to give Arthur a softer look when he stopped the guards and asked them where they were taking her. He offered, or more demanded, that he take her to the dungeon. And with that, Prince Arthur escorted the deeply infuriated woman, not speaking a word. She kept silent as well, knowing that he was trying to give the impression of escorting a prisoner to the dungeon. When they were both finally in the dungeon, Arthur and Sasha would be able to have a bit of privacy for the time being. "Yes, I'm okay," she said abruptly, but the tone of softness was evident in her voice. Physically? Yes. Mentally? Hell no. Arthur would remain the one who could always manage to calm her, though. Of course the anger in her face was still apparent. Feeling as if she were safe with Arthur around her, she let her hand drop from her brother's sword.

"Did Delilah hurt anyone while I've been gone?" She asked, in almost a stern voice. Sasha was deeply concerned about the well being of Camelot and its people, and therefore needed to know what had become of the kingdom with Delilah as their ruler. . . alongside the King, who right now she was liking more than ever. He had executed many innocent people, but at least he did not try to poison his own son with red yew berries. She had such a hard time referring to Delilah as her mother, especially after what her father had told her! The new, suddenly stern-talking Sasha might come as a surprise to him, but that didn't matter now. She needed to put an end to Delilah's rule. . . she needed to confront the woman that had murdered her father! "Arthur, I can't stay down here!" She blurted out quietly. "I know I don't stand a chance doing so. . . but. . . she. . ." She gritted her teeth, and managed to say with the deepest hatred in her voice. "She KILLED my father." SHe would not be leaving the dungeon anytime soon, but she was not in her right mind -- obviously.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur did not quite believe her when she said that's he was okay, but he knew her well enough to know the strength of her character. Not a great deal would upset her in the way she currently was, and it would take a great deal more for her to admit that she was anything but alright. Whatever had happened, Arthur was going to do all he could to help resolve it. Starting with finding out what the source of her apparent rage was. He was not blind to where her hand was positioned in terms of her weapon. Arthur had fought many men, and part of his training included keeping a close eye on your opponent's position, from how they stood, to where their body was leaning more towards, to where their hands were placed; it decreased that element of surprise if they were ever to issue an attack. While Sasha was no opponent to Arthur, she clearly had a sword attached to her for a reason; she had her hand placed on the hilt of it for a purpose. He needed to try and determine what that reason was.

He noticed the coldness in her tone when she spoke of her mother. That was to be expected since she had never taken kindly to her -- and with completely justified reasons. Delilah deserved no kindness for she thrived on ruining the lives of others, and in this case, the entire kingdom. When he had first encountered her mother that day in the woods, he remembered wondering to himself how on earth someone as kind and considerate as Sasha could be related to that witch. He was not about to use terms that would express her relationship the cruel woman. "Not yet," he answered. While she had not quite killed anyone yet, he knew it was only a matter of time. She was trying to eliminate those who opposed her -- part of the reason she had probably started rumors about Sasha's death and then falsely accused Nicolae. He knew that she should not have to stay down here -- though little did he know her full and true motives for wanting to leave. He was about to start explaining how he would find a way to get her out of here, when her next words completely distracted him from this explanation.

"She KILLED my father." Upon hearing this, Arthur's eyes ever so slightly widened at the shock of her revelation. He knew that he should not be too surprised as he would not put anything past that woman. But at the same time, he was. She had accused Sasha of killing him, and that had been her 'justification' for attempting to kill her daughter, and holding such a strong grudge against her. To hear Sasha now say that Delilah had been the one to kill him . . . skewed the woman's motives even more, and raised great concern within him over what exactly she was planning on doing. He did not think Sasha would be making this up, but he felt the need to question how certain she was about this. "How certain are you?" he asked in low voice, but it held a strong tone of concern. He wanted to know how reliable the source that Sasha had learned this from, truly was. If it was true, then it was indeed horrific. If it was not true, then Arthur was still left fearing of Sasha. Either outcome was not a good one, but never the less, finding out the truth made all the difference.

[Sasha]

Sasha didn't really notice his concern over where her hand was placed on the sword, nor did she realize it was in a threatening way. She was just expectant to be leaving the dungeons soons, so that she could finish what she had started in the Throne Room. She just wanted to do what she had come her for in the first place. . . to confront her mother about this. "I am certain of it," she said, glancing toward at the steps. She wasn't going to go into detail on what had happened, for Arthur could see her as a threat. Consorting with a sorcerer, of course. "That's why I need to get out of here." She growled. "I need to confront her about it!"

Deep down, she knew she would not be getting out of the dunegons very soon. But she could still hope she would. "I don't know why she wanted to marry your father, but I'm fearing the worst," she said to him. "And hoping for the best." Sasha was referring the Delilah's cold nature and the fact that she had killed both her father and Nicolae's father. And to the fact that maybe she wanted to kill Uther. If she did succeed in that, it would be the last things he ever did.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Her tone was sincere enough for Arthur to believe her. That her mother had been the one to kill her father. It was unsettling enough for him, he could not even begin to imagine what she was going through right now. It was when she said that she needed to confront Delilah about it that Arthur began to grow more worried. "I don't think that's the best idea right now," he told her, not wanting to upset her but trying to reach into rationality. He knew how easy it was to allow anger to consume oneself . . . he had gone through enough incidents where his anger got the better of him. That time he tried to kill his father being a prime example. But this was not the time to compare situations. He wanted to protect Sasha to the best of his ability, even if it may be difficult with her cruel mother sitting on the throne and the king doing her evil bidding.

Arthur felt slightly disappointed when she said she did not know why Delilah had married his father, but this feeling was temporary for he knew it was selfish of him at the moment. While it would always be his concern, he was trying to help her first before he got back to the bigger problem. "Sasha, you need to stay down here for the time being," he told her regrettably, wishing he could offer better circumstances for her. "Delilah, she told us all that you were dead," he told her, unsure of just how far the rumors had spread. He had not believed her and was so very relieved to see with his own eyes that she was wrong. "I can not tell you how much of a relief it is to see you alive," he told her, ensuring his voice was low, but entirely sincere. He wanted to just keep conversation going in the hopes of calming her down . . . before she stormed away in another attempt to confront her mother.

[Sasha]

Sasha sighed. Perhaps he was right. But her feelings were telling her completely otherwise! Soon Sasha would demand to fight Delilah. To end this right here in Camelot. Forever. To show the King that he couldn't be blinded by a spell any longer. She felt stronger than she really was, because her sub-conscience knew she'd probably loose the fight if she tried. But the woman who killed her father... how could she let another bring an end to her treachery?

“But I--” She started, but then stopped herself. There was obviously no way Arthur was going to let her back up there. And there was no use trying to persuade him. But what caught her ear was when the Prince said that Delilah had told everyone that she had been dead. “She actually told them that?” She inquired, with disbelief evident in her voice. “Just like she did when we first left Camelot.” She remembered as clear as day when her mother had told her that Arthur had been killed by bandit... or had it been a druid? It didn't matter, she didn't care for it anymore.

Sasha put the sword back in it's holder. No use for it now, right? It would be coming right back out if Delilah suddenly appeared down here, though. “I missed you too, Arthur,” she told him. Sasha knew that he didn't love her back, but her love for him never seemed to cease. And she had to express that somehow, even if he didn't want her to. “But I had to leave. There were too many questions that needed to be answered.” She then let out a deep sigh. “And... I think I've found all the answers I need to last me three lifetimes...”

Then she remembered her brother with an intense feeling of fear. “Is Nicolae safe?” She asked Arthur. Oh please say he is...

[Arthur Pendragon]

"She actually told them that?" Arthur looked to make sure no one was coming, just to be on the safe side before he turned his attention back on Sasha and continued to answer her question. "I did not believe her. She does not exactly give reason for anyone to trust her." Least of all him. "I remember you telling me that she had told you such rumors. And that there was no way for her to have known whether you were alive or not." Though hearing her announce it to everyone wasn't exactly the best thing. For others may be quicker to believe such a rumor. Arthur had refused to. For he did not believe a word that came out of that woman's mouth.

When she said that she had missed him, he gave a slight smile, wishing that the circumstances of her return could have been less dark. More jovial. But with her mother doing . . . whatever the hell she was doing . . . there was no way for this reunion to be anything but worrisome. Especially considering she had technically gotten arrested. Though he had not yet put her in the dungeon. And would not do so unless there was absolutely no other choice. "What answers did you find?" He inquired, curious as to what had made her so upset in the heat of the moment, wanting to kill her mother. "Where they all pertaining to your father?" He further asked, as she had just told him that she found out her mother had killed her father. He could not imagine having discovered something so dark.

It would be like finding out . . . that his own father had killed his mother. Though, he knew that his father was not remotely like Delilah. For Delilah tortured her daughter; having kidnapped her and tried to poison her as his memory recalled. It would be far more believable -- but still tremendously heinous -- if Delilah was indeed responsible for the death of Sasha's father. "Is Nicolae safe?" It was not difficult to tell that she was worried for him. "He was the one who came to get me," he explained to her. "I'm sure he is fine. But I will check to be sure later," he promised. "No harm has come to him," he further assured for extra comfort; so that Sasha could rest her mind on this particular concern.

[Sasha]

“Thank you for still having faith in me,” Sasha gave him a light smile. “I'm sure you're the only person here who does.” That's why he was such a valued friend of hers. He would never give up on her. That was what she loved about him, along with his many other characteristics. “But the King... I'm sure he would not be too happy to see me here, assuming he believes my mother's lies.” Her 'lies' that she was a sorceress. Delilah was right of course, but Camelot didn't need to know that. She would never use it for evil.

She was becoming a little more calm, but it didn't settle her mind and thought flow. She was still thinking about Nicolae and the two huge secrets that she had learned. They had just changed her life, and she knew that it would never be the same again. Ever. And when he asked her if all the secrets she had learned all pertained to her father she found it as a good time to start venting. The second secret made her a happy, but it also made her furious that her mother had not let her know about Nicolae's true relation to her. "No, the second secret I learned has to do with Nicolae," she said. A long moment passed where she wondered how he would react. "I have found out that he is... my... half-brother." It still made her shiver. All this time, even though she had never known it, she had been living with her brother so close to her. "I can't understand how, but... he is."

To hear that her half-brother was safe was a great relief to her. She let out a relieved sigh. “I care for him greatly, even when I didn't know he was my brother,” she said quietly. “I wish I hadn't let him come. Or stolen his sword.” She was holding it in her sword's sheath.