Chapter 11: Pendragon, The Pendragon bloodline

Claudius couldn't help sneaking glances at the women in black. He had this odd feeling in him about her that he couldn't quite grasp what it is. He picked up a stick and started poking at the fire.

"Claud, keep sneaking glances at me like that then I'm going to start thinking you fell in love with me."

"Sorry" he looked down and then back up "Where are we?"

"Don't know."

"Huh" she giggled "I tend just to wonder."

"….."

"Things always just work out for me."

"Oh" this was all he could manage out as he processed what she said, "Do you have any family?"

"No, the only child, my parents are both dead."

"So, you're alone."

"I guess you could say that" as she turned her head toward the lake that seemed that was glowing from the night of the moon. "It's beautiful don't you think" she started to take off her clothes, revealing horrifying scars and burn marks. "It makes you want to swim."

Claudius face turned from red to pale in the couple of seconds that he watched when she dove into the lake. She had so many scars, it looked like she was tortured in the worst ways possible. He felt himself trying to imagine the amount of pain she went through.

It had been some time, and Faith still hadn't emerged he started to panic as he took off his cloths and dove into the lake too. He swam deeper and deeper, and he still couldn't find her. A bright light soon shone towards the bottom, almost blinding him. He swam closer to the bottom, the moment his feet touched the surface he realized he could breathe again, and the light dimmed and formed into a path. He followed the strange path filled with coral on its sides and strange pinkish flowers that he had never seen before. Coral is strange this far inland, Claudius didn't know what to make of it as he followed the path, it became stranger as more strange looking plants riddled the sides of the path. Strange but oddly beautiful. He came close to an odd-looking building that had the same vide as the path. All of it mysterious and beautiful making him nearly forget who he came to find until he heard her familiar voice far into the building.

Claudius saw Faith talking to a purple clothed elder woman who was sitting on the surface of a pool. It was the elderly women who first noticed hi.m

"Hello, Claudius," she said

"How do..."

"I Know all of the Kings children" she sighs "The future rulers of Avalon is always supposed to come here. To receive their first trial here."

"So, my brother came here to"

"No, he not of the Pendragon line." She signed "It seems your father has not told you the truth"

"What truth?"

"Claud" Faith looked at Claudius "This is Meredith, the lady of the lake. Meredith is one of five of Avalon's guardians. Who protect the land and look after the seals of a great beast known as Dautan, of the celestial dragon race."

King Grim of the Celestial dragon race imprisoned him in this elaborate seal. Appointing five guardians of the seal. Including myself, the snow youth, the lord of the forest, the light priest and the king of Avalon. Your ancestor the original Pendragon was an adopted child raised by Grim herself, hence the name Pendragon and the rest of your line. And Faith don't call me a guardian of Avalon, I guard the seal not the country" Meredith said scowling at Faith

"King Grim didn't just adopt your ancestor she also adopted the original guardians of the seal. Don't think the Grim is weaker than Dautan that she needed to seal him, she could have wiped him from existence a long time ago but chose to seal so that he could heal the land." Faith looked at Meredith

"The power in Avalon is supplied by Dautan, the seals each one stripping him from his power and feeding the land and its people. That's why Avalon's harvests never fail. Making you a guardian of Avalon" Meredith rolled her eyes and huffed before looking back at Claudius.

"I see, so the king of Avalon guards one of the seals. But, my brother…"

"It became a tradition in the Pendragon line that the King marries a trustworthy woman not from the country. And she chooses and adopts children who have similarities to the King and passes them off as the king's children." Faith said

"Why?"

"Because your line was cursed to only give birth to one child. Do you remember Queen Grace Pendragon?"

"Yes, she was a female queen who faced a lot of opposition in her rising. She had an awful reputation; the nobles still talk about some stories of her. Her decisions ruined Avalon; they say she was a witch and that she started the Cold disease"

"Claudius if you trance back before her birth you would see that Pendragon's only ever gave birth to one child."

"The nobles said it was because of her death that they were able to…." He trailed off

"The tradition was enforced by Grace's son Arthus. She wasn't an awful Queen like the rumors said, she had heavy opposition to the throne because none of the nobles could stand the idea that they had to listen to a woman. They destroyed her credibility, denied her achievements, and blamed her for every little thing. Queen Grace decided to use this reputation to take down the corrupt nobles, she had then publicly executed, and then when she was finished, she had her son raise a revolt against her and then kill her using the rite of passage." Faith looked sadly at Claudius "So, in case if the bloodline ever had a female heir, they would be protected because the of the other children."

"Wait, the rite of passage…" Claudius started to realize

"After you pass the trials giving by the four of the guardians. You'll receive the amulet of passage."

"You should know the rest," Meredith said

"The amulet that the future king needs in order to call upon the rite of passage, the future heir is sent on a journey to attain this amulet. Which will allow the heir to call upon the call upon the rite of passage the ritual in which the heir has to kill the king in combat." Claudius said with understanding and then looked to Faith "It wasn't a coincidence that we meet was it?"