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Alistair's clothing was covered in soot from the fire they'd set to the house; and dirt from the ground. His ribs were hurting and he wasn't sure the damage to the rest of his body; between the fight with Vaughn; and the fight with Asher's men or the final showdown with Asher himself. Vaughn had asked for allot in return for helping him; and Alistair had only agreed because he planned to kill the man.

Just walking hurt enough to make him want to crawl into bed; and not wake up for a year. Walking to her room he looked at guards outside her room. How the bloody hell did he get in? Climbing a window was not going to happen. Was there another way? Fuck it. He was not going to sneak around; she said they would be getting married soon; and he was not going to keep pretending.

Walking past them; they asked what the hell happened to him and he ignored them; "You can leave." Let them think he was either reporting to her about the happenings to comprising the hell out of her. The room was dark and Alistair walked toward the fire for enough light to take off his boots. Instead of being able to bend over and remove his boots, he just sat down and leaned back; letting out a old druid curse as the pain in his whole body shifted.

[My memory is a bit rusty on the details of that night but . . . .eh]

This was why he wasn't keen on the idea of looking at books; it left his restless. She was picking over the words; and the bound leather; and holding the baby close. He on the other had had nothing to do. Alistair wanted to be out there and find who had done this; reverse it and undo the damn spell for the soul purpose of knowing the truth!

Yet he was here; watching her pour over books as if one of them would have a drawing of a man; with writings saying he was evil; and had done this. He walked to one side of the room slowly; looking over the books and in his mind trying to guess their worth. Without thinking about it; he walked slowly to the other side of the room; where there were more books. If he needed to disappear; and took even a hand full of these he could have enough coin to make it far from here. Moving back to the other side of the room; he had not even realized he was pacing. Slowly; but still with an edge of being caged. He did not like the walls; and he didn't like not being able to see the sky to know things. Even more so he hated how the walls hid things; and let people hide.

Watching her and the babe; he wondered if he should take the child. It would free her other hand; and let him see how realistic his plan was to take the babe--and maybe the mother--and leave. Yet he did not; knowing that he knew nothing of holding anything that small and easily hurt. He did not want to bring harm to the girl.

Why the hell were their two pitchers? What was in his? Alistair didn't think that he would try to openly to kill him; but he also never met a Pendragon he could trust. After the events of the man's no-wedding; he didn't want to know what was going on in his head. While Alistair knew it would never be an issue; for he kept his woman too busy in his bed to have the will to seek out another; he knew that should he had found her with another man; he'd not have locked the man in a cell. He'd have removed every limb from his body. All five of them.

Lunch with a Pendragon? Why? What were they not rushing? Nobles and their bloody annoying tendency to never get straight to the damn point. That was all he wanted; to know why he was here. Something solid. Something that didn't leave him like he was in the middle of that annoying labyrinth. Alistair waited until the worker's had set everything down; before standing and very openly switching Arthur's and his own cups. Right where the king could see him. "A toast then. To . . . lunch." So the king would have to drink; or expose any ill will.

Alistair followed the worker into the room and took notice of the unarmed king; who mocked him for his weapons. "I sought to seek out the training grounds." He lied; trying to explain his weapons when in truth he did not trust the Pendragon summons. The unknown was a fear for him; and this here was unknown! He'd not seen it coming! Alistair did not often see everything; but he would have thought this meeting alone in the royal bed chambers might have been something worth seeing.

Pulling out the chair; Alistair looked in it before trying to figured out one one sat down with a sword belt on. Did you move it forward; or stick it though the arm hole? Eventually; Alistair pulled the belt off and put it on the other end of the table. Not removing his other weapons. Was he to be poisoned then? They had nothing in common; why meet with him here? Where no one could stand witness? Threats? A 'request' to not come back like he'd requested of his lady love? "Why would a busy King wish to lunch with his foes?"

Why the bleedin' hell did people put berries and nuts into bread? More disturbing; Why could he not stop eating it? The challenge of this endeavor was not to finish the whole thing; but discover a way to get the kitchens in Gwent baking it; without admitting to liking anything this kingdom made. Disturbing challenge indeed.

The interruptions that came was enough that Alistair forgot the bread; and everything else he was thinking. The king was summoning him to his private chambers for a meal? He made the servant repeat the message about ten times before deciding that it was a trap and he wasn't going to go.

Only he knew he had to. Alistair made the servant wait there while he dawn the sword belt; the side dagger that did nothing more then got int he way of his arm; put a dagger in each boot, and picked up the heavy club to carry with him. After a moment of thought; he left the club but tucked another dagger under his shirt; and the final one up the shelve of his shirt.

He was now ready to lunch with the king. "Lead." He told the servant; not knowing the way and wanting something between him and whatever was coming his way. The king had NO reason to meet with him; and they'd avoided each other this whole trip.

Why now? What had he done this time? Was this about the horse and the maid? It was the only thing that made sense; and Alistair was not going to apologize for that! "Knock." He told the worker; making sure he stood back from the door.

Alistair heard the witch talking; and making her points; but all he heard were her willing to sacrifice the innocent to further her cause. She might have a good plan; hell it might be the perfect plan; but he wasn't letting his mother's people take the hit and pay the cost so she could reap the benefits! At least he did his own dirty work; and when he involved innocents he damn well made sure they were not harmed nor killed!

"You're a coward; woman." She told her in a heated and thick tone. Let her grow angry and use her magic to silence him. He cared not in this moment. She was hiding behind the skirts of innocents while she plotted with the spoiled little princess; in the mist of her bodyguards! "You would let innocent farmers and peaceful people take the brute force in the wake of your plan because it inconvenienced you to to send the ward back to servants and castle?" He hated talking; and he was growing tired of the effort. She was killing people; and no better then the king she hated.

Alistair didn't care if she believed him; and didn't care if she did. He was not here to make friends; and join her little group of mindless minions who didn't do anything but follow orders. He swore to himself then that he was never going to become such an mindless idiot who's only goal in live was to protect the woman who did nothing but told them what to do. She could call him a lair; and pretend he was anyone she wanted him to be. It would not change the message he brought; the demand he was making.

"The loss of so many lives is not worth whatever game you two seek to play. Families are dying. Mothers clutching their children; sons who are too young to pick up a blade. Fathers who have done nothing wrong but protect their families!" He was thinking of his own; and the anger in his tone apparent. "If you seek to harm the king then just kill him; this game you are playing with others lives will stop." Or he'd take whatever actions he needed to stop her. It would not be hard. The world of magic was filled with powerful people; and some people were stronger then others. While she was strong; the druids had stories of others stronger. Surely one of these idiots could be tracked down. If not; then he would see just how strong the blood guard was.

"I have withheld nothing from people who seek my help." Because the druids were too afraid to seek help from him! He could pretend he was protecting them all he blood well wanted but the truth was he was still living in his father's rule! druids feared him! "I helped a druid boy, sentenced to be executed, escape from the dungeons in this very castle." That stopped his words of planning to tell the boy his thoughts. He'd helped a Druid boy?Why? What was offered to him?

"I am no fool. I know that the druids are a peaceful people. But you are slowly destroying that reputation." Alistair knew that he'd not lived up to the Druid rules and beliefs. He often wondered how disapproving his mother would be. "So I should have watched them die?" He countered, "Every coin I earned went to feed them and help them escape this kingdom; that would have sought them out to have them killed. A kingdom they did not wish to leave because of some damn prophecy they thought was coming."

Then he went on to question his kidnapping of the woman. "And you feel that those actions held honor?" "I was not seeking honor." "You claim not to target those who are defenseless, yet kidnapped her because you wished for one man's embarrassment." "I claim not to hurt the ones defenseless." He corrected, "And no harm came to either women. I made sure they were unharmed; and taken care of. The princess has no regrets from my actions-" Non that he knew of "-and the maid . . . " This was going to hurt to say; and he knew that. "I will apologize for my actions to her; but not the other two." He'd not apologize for his princess for he would not be sorry he'd taken her.

"There is no honor in that. Nor any justification." "Just because you can not see the means to the end do not think there was no justification." He plan and worked how he planned for it to work. "You say you would protect them--prove it." He demand, "Prove you are not man the who sired you." An idea formed in his head; and he knew it was a stupid one even as he was suggesting it. "Steal your servant's clothing for a night; let me take you see how the live. How they fear the name of you."

Alistair hated talking; and hated being this open to someone whom he wasn't even sure he trusted or liked. Yet he had to make the offer if it would help his people. If they went there as to travelers; and the king saw the people in need he could better understand the name his father built. Alistair wasn't a fool to think that it would change things over night; for the Druids were untrusting and afraid and it would take YEARS to repair that even a little. Yet it would show the young prince the people. "I would swear on my princess' life that I would make sure you returned and this was no trap."

Not against her will? The Pendragon ward wanted to be here? Somehow he doubted her words; and yet she was hard to read. Most people's faces gave away things. A tilt here; an eye brow raised; or even how they looked at you. Things people didn't think to hide. He didn't trust the witch; but he didn't think she'd lie when he could do easily find out the truth.

"I care not of the whims of some child." He told her; his own face never anything but impassive and blank. He'd learned years ago to hide any emotion he might feel. The only one that made it to the surface at times was anger; something he had trouble hiding. "People are dying. Let her play her games on someone's life."

Alistair hated talking; hated the uncertain feeling he often had when he needed stronger words. Yet there was one topic that always loosen his tongue. Families dying; his people; and his hate of anything Pendragon. "You look of age to know what happen the last time the Pendragon king decided to rid the world of magic. He's on the edge of doing it again and she'd the key to stopping it."