by Ben Zackheim
It had been a long, weird day and it wasn’t even half over. Spending time with the troll was a lot more fun than he’d thought it would be. He could do without the deadly flying pet, but Maille probably had a way to get rid of it.
Simon knew he should visit Red, but he couldn’t make himself move. He sat for hours, just staring at the spot where he’d planted the seeds. Red would just have to wait for the Yellow Swirl.
Simon was confident something was about to happen. He could feel it.
The first clouds of the day rolled in, covering the sun. That’s when he heard the pops. The dirt around his seeds shook. A small, bright green sprout poked its head up. Simon couldn’t believe it. He rolled over on his stomach to get a closer look.
One of the seeds he’d planted was growing! He could see the little, shivering plant get bigger in front of his eyes.
But then the clouds passed and the sun came out again. The sapling stopped moving immediately. Soon enough, a lone cloud covered the sun a second time. The plant shivered and grew.
Simon watched it happen a few times. It didn’t take a genius to see that it was sprouting only when the sun was weaker. After an hour of this, the plant was shin high. As best he could tell, it was a small tree. Its branches had the slightest sign of tiny leaves.
But how was a tree going to help him speak to his parents?
As the sun began to set, Simon watched the tree get higher. He knew he had to get back to the castle soon, but it was an amazing sight.
“Simon?”
He was so enthralled with his miracle plant that he hadn’t heard Gwen approach. She smiled weakly, sensing she’d intruded on a private moment. Simon stood up and brushed himself off, speechless.
She looked beautiful. Her white chain mail top made her glow, while a dark purple skirt gave her a gravitas beyond her years. If he’d seen her wear it at Graham Academy it would have been weird. But in New Camelot she fit right in.
“Hey. Hi. Uh. How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long,” she answered. That weird girl told me where you were.”
“Who?”
“The one with the, um, bat.”
“Oh. Yeah. Maille.”
“She sure is a big fan.”
Gwen was probably trying to break the ice, but he didn’t know where to take the conversation. His brain got stuck on the fact that Maille sent Gwen his way, after all the mean stuff she’d said. What was her problem?
“So, anyway. I wanted to say hi.” She turned to walk away.
“Kind of crazy, huh?” Simon said. “All of this, I mean. One day I’m dodging bullies in the halls and now I’m training to be a knight.”
But Gwen didn’t seem to think it was amusing. In fact, she looked confused. “You didn’t know you were Lancelot’s blood?”
“No one told me. I still have a hard time believing it.”
“It’s not for you to believe or not believe,” she said. “It’s true.”
“So you knew about all this?”
“Of course,” she said with a shrug. “We both did. Our mother never let us forget.” Gwen said this last part with a disdain that would have been unsettling if Simon hadn’t been stuck on a word.
“We?”
“My brother and I.” It was hard to miss the confusion on his face, so she helped him out. “Chester. He’s my twin.”
“No way.” Simon sat back down on the grass, thinking how an afternoon of predictability would be appreciated.
“I know what you’re thinking. Kind of weird that Arthur and Guinevere’s torch bearers are brother and sister. But, contrary to legend, the king and queen did have children and we’re both descendants of them, after all.”
“I was actually thinking, how could you be that moron’s sister?” He wondered if it was a mistake right after the words left his mouth. But he couldn’t help it. It was true. Gwen smiled.
“I’ve been asking that for years. But it is what it is, and we’re blood. I’m nothing like him, though. He’s arrogant and stupid.”
“And mean, don’t forget mean. And petty like an old lady. And stupid,” he added. She laughed. “You used that already, didn’t you?”
“He’s also scared right now,” Gwen said. “Ma may have prepped us for the day Merlin knocked on our door, but it’s a whole other thing when it actually happens. I bet he nearly wet his pants when Merlin introduced him at the ball. Wish I’d been there for that.”
“No wonder he always acts like he owns everything. You don’t seem to be like him at all.”
“Thanks, Simon. But I know you don’t really think that. I treated you badly at school. And I’m sorry.”
“You weren’t as mean as the high and mighty king, that’s for sure. I figured you avoided me because of what a dork I was.”
“No. It’s… New kids aren’t very popular, and it’s always about being popular at school, right?”
“Not really,” he said.
She blushed. He felt bad, but it was true. Simon had never bought into that whole “popular kids” thing. All he ever wanted was a couple of nice people to hang out with.
“What are you doing out here, anyway?” she asked, trying to change the subject. “It’s getting late. I think most people are wrapping it up at the fair.”
“Just getting away from things.”
He glanced down at the plant. It was the size of a bush now, and growing. He’d have to pull her away from it before she realized that the frantic sound of rustling leaves was coming from his mutant tree.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. It can be a little much,” she said. “I’ve only been here for a few hours and I’ve already told some people to bug off.”
“Merlin, right? He can be pushy.”
“It’s like he wanted me to be as uncomfortable as possible on my first day!”
“He’s into that kind of thing. Mind games.”
Simon noticed she was wearing a vambrace. It was familiar.
“Can I see that?” She slipped it off and handed it to him. It was identical to his. “I have one just like this in my backpack. Where did you get it?”
“Merlin gave it to me today. He gave one to Chester too.”
That’s when it hit Simon like a troll hits a gargoyle.
Merlin had given him the vambrace.
The robed guy in New York hadn’t been seven feet tall but that could have been a trick.
“Are you okay, Simon?” Gwen asked. “You look sick.”
“When I was in New York, before everything went crazy, somebody gave me a vambrace, too. It must have been Merlin.”
Just then, the sun set. The last of the light touched the treetops and Camelot went dark. The torches around town lit up instantly, casting a warm orange glow over everything. The circle of stones nearby shone a dim blue, as if the moon were spotlighting it.
And that’s when it happened.
With a loud groan the little sapling shook and grew twenty feet in three seconds. Gwen and Simon stepped back and watched leaves emerge from the branches.
But they weren’t normal leaves. They were gold.
The kids waited for a moment, to make sure it was done growing. They glanced at each other, then looked around to make sure they were alone. Then, carefully, tiptoeing, they walked under the tree. A slight breeze blew the gold leaves gently. They made a clinking sound against one another, like tiny bells. Simon reached for one and pulled it off. He and Gwen studied it in the torchlight. It was gold all right.
“What’s going on?” Gwen asked.
Simon couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t know why he was opening up so quickly, but he trusted her. He explained everything: how his parents had died, how they loved Camelot and wanted to prove it was real, and how he hoped the seeds would allow him to see them one more time. Just to tell them that they were right all along.
Maybe then, their spirits could rest.
Maybe his father would stop haunting his dreams.
“But I don’t see
how a gold tree can help me.”
“Someone’s coming,” Gwen whispered. She put a hand on Simon’s shoulder to stop him from talking.
A young couple from the fair walked down a nearby hill. It had been a mistake to plant the seeds in plain sight. Simon realized that as soon as he got over how nice Gwen’s touch felt. But as the couple passed, they simply smiled and waved politely. Simon wondered how they could miss the tree with golden leaves standing right behind him.
“Excuse me!” Simon shouted after them.
“Shh!” Gwen hushed him, but it was too late.
“Yes?” asked the young man.
“Do you… don’t you notice anything odd?”
The couple seemed puzzled. Finally, the young man said, “She’s a lot taller than you, but otherwise I’d say you’re a cute couple.”
And with that, they were off, leaving behind a very uncomfortable Gwen and Simon.
“They can’t see it,” Simon said. But to be sure, Simon asked a couple more passersby. All of them responded with the same confused expression.
“We should tell Merlin,” Gwen said.
“No way. If this tree can help me speak to my parents then I don’t want him to know a thing. Please, Gwen.”
It obviously made her nervous, but after a moment she nodded.
“Let’s head back,” she said. “They’ll notice we’re missing.”
They walked out of the clearing and back on to the path together. He glanced over his shoulder to get one last look at the tree.
Should I worry that the plant thrives on darkness? he thought, before all thoughts were crushed by a kind smile from Gwen.
WHEN SIMON AND Gwen arrived at the castle, they discovered that the festivities weren’t over — they’d merely moved indoors.
The knights in training mingled with kids from town, while some adults, including Hector, made sure everyone behaved. The stone hall reverberated with music and laughter. No one seemed to remember that the day before Merlin had announced the end of everything.
Simon spotted Russ and Josh. He was about to say hello when he noticed that Maille was with them. He put on his best cold shoulder for her. Just because she’d sent Gwen his way didn’t mean Simon was going to easily forgive her.
“Where you been?” Josh asked. “We just got done with the best big doughy, buttery thing you ever tasted. What was it, anyway?”
“And before that, Hut the dwarf put on a magic show,” Russ added, ignoring Josh’s question. “Animalization and everything!”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t turned me into a turkey myself,” Josh said. “The world is really messed up to a turkey!”
The boys noticed the cold silence between Maille and Simon.
“What’s wrong with you two?” Josh asked.
“Nothing,” Maille and Simon said at the same time. Gwen shifted on her feet and searched for an excuse to be elsewhere.
“I see my brother,” Gwen said, walking off. When Russ and Josh saw her march right up to the king, they were confused.
“Brother? Who’s her brother? That guy with the king?”
“No,” Simon answered, regretting that he’d chased her off.
Russ put two and two together.
“Eeeeewwwww,” Josh said first.
“King Arthur is Guinevere’s brother now?” Russ moaned. “That’s so wrong!”
But Russ realized that Simon wasn’t so revolted by the idea, and his expression quickly transformed to glee.
“Oh! Wait! Wow!” Russ yelled far too loudly. “That means you have a clear shot at Guinevere, Simon!”
“No it doesn’t,” Simon said quickly, trying to pat down Russ’ volume with his hands.
Now he sounded like Maille. It occurred to Simon that Maille was right about Gwen and him after all. Simon’s crush was strong, but it was also doomed. Not only had she not shown any interest in him, she probably didn’t trust him due to their inherited history. Why should Guinevere fall for Lancelot again when it would just cause trouble?
It wouldn’t be easy to be around her, though. Actually, it would be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Russ and Josh could tell Simon needed a moment alone with Maille. With a polite goodbye they backed up into the crowd of kids.
“I heard you and Caradoc made some memories at the fair,” Maille started, trying to keep it light.
“Yeah…”
“The mayor missed you. He wanted to show off his root beer. I think he’d like to make you a steady customer.”
“He could start by getting new chairs for his pub. And some soap. That would be good.”
“I’m really sorry, Simon,” Maille said, softly.
“No, you were right. I guess. This whole… I just never liked a girl before. Thanks for looking out for me.” He swung an arm so his fingers grazed the back of her hand lightly. “I’d be alone without you.”
“I dunno. Seems like you’re doing fine on your own.”
Merlin entered the room, and the fun exited at the exact same moment. Those who saw his arrival hushed up, including the musicians, leaving the people who hadn’t seen his entrance screaming over crowd noise that was no longer there.
Quickly, the whispers filled the room with a low buzz, like rustling leaves on the ground. Merlin moved through the crowd, which parted for him. Finally he sat in his seat by the throne and glanced around as if he’d just noticed that everyone was there.
“Well? Go about your merrymaking, will you?” he hollered, flicking his fingers as if a fly were buzzing him. “Making me nervous with all your… nervousness.”
The music came back up awkwardly and Merlin gestured to Chester to come sit by him. Chester broke free from his sister and a couple of doting girls and did his best regal strut to the throne.
Once again, the din of the room was silenced as he took a seat. Merlin’s eyes lit up. He was pleased by the crowd’s interest in even the slightest movement Arthur’s heir made. Simon, on the other hand, was irritated by the whole thing, so it didn’t help when the room broke out in enthusiastic applause.
“Why are they clapping?” Simon asked with disgust.
“The descendant of Arthur is sitting in his throne for the first time.”
Simon noticed that some people were watching him, so he clapped politely, but not hard. Chester was pleased with himself at first, but then realized that the whole room was waiting for him to speak. Since the most interesting thing Simon had ever heard Chester say was “Get out of my way,” he was confident the king was about to lose some of his shine.
“Hi, everyone. Uh, I guess I want to say thank you for this great party,” Chester said. “It was really great. And thanks for being so nice to me and my sister, being this is a great new place and all that for us. My great Ma once said to me something about going on to do great things, so I guess this great party is a great start to doing great things, probably.”
“Great speech,” Simon whispered and Maille chuckled. A couple of older boys shot them a mean glare.
Merlin began to applaud, probably hoping to end the boredom settling in on the room. Boredom, after all, was a direct threat to the excitement of hearing their king speak again for the first time in more than a thousand years.
But Chester raised his hand in the air, dismissively. “I’m not done.”
Merlin’s eyes could have burned a hole into the side of Chester’s head, but the kid was completely oblivious.
Chester droned on. “Some of you are probably wondering about me and what I like. I like water polo and wrestling.”
Simon was about to laugh when he spotted something terrifying. A man, dressed in black from head to toe, was hanging from the ceiling beams above them like a spider.
“Maille,” Simon pointed to the ceiling and Maille followed his finger.
“What?”
“Don’t you see him? The guy on the ceiling.”
“There’s no one there, Simon.”
The man in black pulled
a set of daggers out of his sleeve. He came out of a crawling position and stood upside down on the rafters. He was about to throw the blades at someone. Simon was sure of it.
Gwen saw him too. She screamed, which finally shut her brother up. Merlin glanced up to where she was looking, squinting to see what she was pointing at.
Simon grabbed Maille’s bat out of her holster and chucked it as hard as he could. The wand left his hand perfectly, looping into the sky with a graceful arc that ended right on top of the attacker’s head. He fell like a rag doll into the crowd. Unfortunately so did his daggers, one of which lodged into a musician’s shoulder.
The screams of the injured man finally got Merlin to act. He moved swiftly to the center of the room by floating above people’s heads. He shoved at the air and the crowd was pushed back gently.
As far as everyone else in the room was concerned, there was nothing on the floor where the man had fallen. They tripped over something completely invisible to them. The wizard poked around with his walking staff. After a few tries, the clicking of wood against the stone floor was broken by a soft thud. The crowd gasped.
“An invisibility spell. Fine one, too,” Merlin said.
Invisible? Simon wondered what he was talking about. He could clearly see the guy on the floor, though his face was covered with a skintight black mask.
Merlin asked, “Who else can see this man?” Gwen and Chester raised their hands.
“Hector, take that man to the healer.” Hector carried the injured musician from the room, as if he were light as a child. “Everyone else, out. Except you four.”
Merlin waved his hand over Maille, Simon, Gwen, and Chester.
29
The room cleared fast. A couple of people stepped on Simon’s toes in their haste to get out of the old man’s sight. Russ and Josh shrugged as they passed by, obviously wishing they could help. Simon smiled. He was getting used to being in trouble with the greatest wizard of all time.
Merlin circled the invisible man, muttering words that none of the kids could make out. If he was trying to break the spell, it wasn’t working. Finally, frowning so hard his eyes disappeared under his brow, he pulled a sheet from out of nowhere and covered the man. The bump in the sheet was still.
