"I should have seen this coming," King Uther said, his voice heavy.
"I didn't exactly expect you to, Uther." The stunning woman in red looked at the slightly aging Uther with a playful, mocking glare, her eyes full of sarcasm and satisfaction. She clearly enjoyed seeing Uther display weakness in front of her.
"Nimue. Don't you ever get tired of this vicious circle of vengeance?" Uther both hated and feared the beautiful woman before him. He knew exactly how powerful she was. He had truly thought they would never cross paths again, but...
"What about you? You started this war, Uther! You drove me out of the court and slaughtered my people!" Nimue, who had been so poised, suddenly became agitated, her eyes blazing with hatred and rage, making Uther feel a wave of heat.
But even at this moment, Uther didn't feel he was in the wrong.
"You brought it on yourselves! You were dabbling in dark magic! You left me no choice."
Seeing that Uther had absolutely no guilt, even now, Nimue felt a pang of despair.
"I was once your friend, Uther. You welcomed me into your court."
"But you betrayed our friendship!" Uther cut Nimue off. He didn't want to relive the pleasant past, because it would only remind him of the bitter memories that followed.
"I simply did what you wished! I used the magic you always despised to let your barren wife conceive the son you desperately craved!"
When Nimue mentioned his wife, Uther's eyes instantly sharpened. He suppressed his anger and said, "Don't you dare talk about her that way! She was my dearest love, my very soul."
Perhaps recalling his wife, Uther's voice softened slightly, carrying a hint of tenderness toward the end. It was an emotion rarely seen on Uther's face, but that single trace of affection infuriated and deeply envied Nimue. Though neither of them would ever admit it, there had definitely been a period where they were attracted to each other.
Unfortunately, that relationship, which never truly had a chance to start, was soon put through a devastating, life-and-death test.
"But you took her away from me."
Seeing the hatred on Uther's face, Nimue was also filled with sadness. She thought if she gave Uther what he wanted most, he would be happy. Sadly, things didn't work out that way.
"She died to bring your son into the world! That wasn't my choice; it's a law of magic. To create a life, a life must be taken. The balance of the world must be respected."
But that explanation only made Uther angrier! He leaned forward, bracing himself on the table, the fire in his eyes threatening to burn everything in sight!
"You knew she would die! Yet you just stood there and let it happen!"
"No! You're wrong, I didn't know!" A hint of regret flashed in Nimue's eyes. It all started when she fulfilled Uther's wish, but the price of that wish was both of them falling into an abyss of hatred and regret. "If I could have foreseen her death, and your subsequent revenge against me... I would never have granted your wish."
Uther lowered his head. Hadn't he, too, been living with regret all these years? His witch-hunts and his destruction of everything related to magic were mostly just a way to vent his pain. But what good did it do? If he could, he would give anything to make sure none of it had ever happened.
"I wish you hadn't, either..."
Now it was Nimue's turn to be surprised. She looked at Uther, astonished. "You wish you didn't have this son?"
Nimue knew exactly how desperate Uther had been for an heir. If he hadn't been so consumed by that desire, why would she have ever helped Queen Ygraine conceive?
Uther opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he thought of Arthur, the words caught in his throat.
Seeing Uther's struggle, Nimue smiled.
"Well, I can help make that dream come true for you, too."
At that, all the sadness and regret vanished from Uther's face, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve.
"I won't let you hurt him! Absolutely not!"
Unfortunately, that didn't scare Nimue.
"I have already watched too many people I loved die by your hand, Uther Pendragon. It's about time I had my turn..."
But just as Nimue was speaking, Uther's door was violently kicked open with a loud bang, and a flash of cold steel shot out instantly, heading straight for Nimue's back! At the same time, a figure burst into the room.
Nimue's face changed. She spun around and pushed out her palm, intercepting the flash of light. The projectile instantly stopped mid-air—it was a knight's longsword!
In that same moment, the figure rushed right up to Nimue.
Nimue pushed her palm out again, and the frozen longsword shot back. But the intruder was just as fast; as the sword flew toward him, he grabbed it and instantly slashed back at Nimue.
A faint red glow sparked in Nimue's eyes. The longsword in the man's hand suddenly turned scorching hot, as if it were melting in a fire. Smoke started to rise from the hand holding the sword.
Yet, the man acted as if he didn't feel a thing. The sword in his hand didn't waver for a second; in fact, he became even more determined, his speed doubling.
Seeing this, Nimue frowned. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to be so incredibly tough, holding a burning piece of metal without flinching. She had no choice but to sidestep out of the way. She didn't have enough time to cast another spell.
The figure didn't pursue her, instead flashing in front of King Uther.
Only then did Nimue clearly see who the intruder was.
"Kay?"
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Nimue." Kay finally switched the longsword to his other hand. Nimue's attack had indeed caused some minor burns on his palm, but it wasn't serious since he was wearing gloves. After switching the sword, Kay gave Nimue an elegant knight's salute.
"You're still as beautiful as ever. Would you mind sharing your secret? You know I'm engaged now, and if you'd be willing to give me a few tips, I could really spoil the girl I love."
Kay, naturally, knew Nimue.
Twenty years ago, Kay was just a little kid, but he was fascinated by magic. He even, somewhat embarrassingly, played the cute child, hoping to butter up Nimue and learn magic from her. Unfortunately, Uther wouldn't allow Kay to become a sorcerer, and later... after the tragedy involving Kay's foster mother, Nimue vanished while being hunted by King Uther. It had been exactly twenty years since they last saw each other.
Like Kay, Nimue held no ill will toward him. After all, she had watched him grow up. The grievances between the adults shouldn't be held against Kay.
"I can't believe the little kid who used to follow me around begging to learn magic has grown up! Now you're engaged. Oh, dear... The old Kay always said he was going to marry me when he grew up. I can't believe you've fallen for another woman so quickly. Does this mean I'm truly getting old?"
As she spoke, she playfully touched her face.