Chapter Five: Suspect

Arthur had one arm bandaged in a sling when Gwen finished climbing down from the airship. He looked up at her and said, "No. Absolutely not, you're not coming with us."

She set her jaw, the other wounded soldiers heaving themselves onto the ladder behind her. "I'm coming, Arthur," she said firmly. "Don't try to stop me. If anyone should stay behind, it's you! Your arm-"

"It's fine," he snapped, flinching away from her touch. Arthur's face was drawn in lines of misery and anger, and a longing to hug him flashed through her. "You should stay behind. It's dangerous."

"She knows Olaf," Gaius pointed out, panting as he came to a stop beside Gwen. "Let her come, Arthur. Perhaps she will get through to him when no one else could."

Arthur didn't look happy, but he said no more. Alice bustled up, clucking over Arthur's poorly bandaged arm. "You must let me look at it, sire," she insisted, peering at the bruised skin.

"Do what you can for now," Arthur said, "but quickly. We can't delay this meeting. I'm surprised Olaf has even paused his attacks."

The three metal airships hung over the plaza, which was covered in debris from the tsunamis. The Water Tribe warships, bristling with ballistas and spears, loomed at the end by the docks.

Gwen hesitantly touched Arthur's good arm. He blinked, looking away from the damage to meet her eyes. "Is it true?" she whispered. "What the messenger you sent said. Is-?"

"That's what Percival told us," Arthur replied, closing his eyes briefly.

She bit her lip. "Poor Olaf."

His jaw clenched. "His grief doesn't excuse this."

He didn't argue with Gwen going to their party again, instead moving around to pick others. Alice, of course, with Gaius and Valdis, and a few other soldiers who were mostly firebenders. Alice fussed over Arthur's arm; the fingers of his good arm tapped restlessly against his leg. Gwen dithered at his side, wondering if she should take his hand.

Percival returned alone soon after, his square face creased with lines of anger. "I managed to convince him to talk with you," he said, nodding at Gwen over Arthur's shoulder. "The rest of the waterbenders . . . we want to keep the peace. You don't need to worry about us."

He led the group up to the center ship, which moved in close enough to lower a gangplank. Soldiers peered over the sides, watching their approach.

Percival walked in front of Arthur as they entered the ship, eyeing his fellow Wolf Guard despite his earlier words. And just like that, they were surrounded by waterbenders. The Tribesmen didn't look hostile, more . . . anxious. Gwen found herself shunted more toward the center of the group by Valdis, whose eyes flitted rapidly from one soldier to the next.

Olaf stood in the center of the ship, his hands clenched into fists. Freya stood at his side, wringing her hands. Arthur approached them slowly.

The two men sized each other up in a moment of silence.

Be the bigger person, Arthur, Gwen thought, eyeing the hard line of Arthur's jaw and his narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Olaf," Arthur mumbled-but he said it.

Olaf pulled his sword out of its sheath so fast Gwen barely had time to react. Percival and Valdis both dove forward at the same time, the older woman wrenching her sword out while Percival yanked on Olaf's arm. Gaius yelled and knocked Alice over in an attempt to protect her, sending them both tumbling to the deck.

"No, my lord!" Percival yelled. Metal rang as soldiers reacted. Owain ignited a flame in his hand. Heart pumping, Gwen clenched her fists and positioned herself at Arthur's back; there wasn't anything she could do on this wooden ship but defend him with her own body.

Arthur reached for Excalibur as well, but stopped and held his hands up. "Wait, wait!" His soldiers didn't lower their weapons, but none of them charged.

Olaf was yelling almost incoherently. "I'll kill you!-I'll kill you!-" while Percival restrained him.

"My lord! My lord, you said you would listen!" Percival pled. The other Tribesmen looked at each other uneasily. Freya scurried forward between Arthur and Olaf, fending off the uneasy guards with her hands.

"Everyone just-just calm down!" she yelled, her entire body shaking. "No one attack!"

"You killed her!" Olaf roared, breaking free of Percival's arms and lunging at Arthur.

Everyone dove forward at once, yelling incoherently. Gwen tried to get in front of Arthur, but Valdis hip-checked her. Arthur scrambled for Excalibur to ward off Olaf's wild blow, and Freya ended up smushed between the two men as Olaf slammed full-tilt into her. The whole ship rocked from side to side as all the waterbenders reacted, and Gwen almost lost his footing, turning to push Valdis off to the side. Arthur was surrounded by waterbenders, a confusing mush of people trying to both defend Olaf and stop him from killing Arthur.

Owain hooked his ankle around Olaf's and swept his feet from under him. Percival rushed forward and dove to his knees by his chief, protecting Olaf's body from any attack. "My lord, my lord, please listen to him!"

Olaf was crying, cowering on the deck, all fight gone. "How could you have taken her from me?"

Gwen clasped her hands together. Arthur, who had finally managed to unsheath his sword, stood with open mouth at the sobbing chief. He looked at Gwen helplessly.

She raised her eyebrows significantly, then knelt by Percival's side. Hesitantly, Arthur copied her on Olaf's other side.

"I didn't kill Vivian," he said, watching the chief warily. "Or order her death. If you want me as your ally, you must work with me."

He glanced at Gwen again, and she nodded. Go on. He fidgeted. "But I really am sorry for your loss. Vivian was a . . . good friend and I will mourn her."

Olaf still didn't answer. Arthur looked at him for a second, then stood abruptly, his eyes still hard. "Let's take this up to the caldera," he said, and turned to leave.

---

It took a while to calm Olaf down, even once they had reached the palace. Alice sat on one side, Gwen on the other, and patted his hand awkwardly as he cried.

Arthur sat on Gwen's other side, his leg jiggling impatiently. "Tell me everything that happened," he muttered to Percival. Gwen kept her eyes on Olaf but tuned her ears in.

"A group of firebenders attacked the tribe about nine days past," Percival explained. "They stole a valuable artifact and, in the struggle, Vivian was killed."

"She died protecting her people," Freya added. "An honorable death."

Arthur flinched as Olaf dropped his head into his hands with another sob.

"Firebenders?"

"We didn't recognize any of them," Percival said. "But they wore Fire Nation uniforms."

Arthur clenched his jaw. "Morgana."

"She had many firebenders who followed her," Owain pointed out from his spot behind Arthur's chair, ignoring Valdis' shushing noises. "They still wore their uniforms."

"We've been wondering where she went off to," Percival muttered. "Now I guess we know. Many of them covered their faces."

"Looks like this is exactly what she wanted," Arthur said harshly, turning sharply in his chair to face Olaf. "You fell into her trap. I'm your ally, Olaf; why didn't you send a message? Something? You could have caused a war with both our nations!"

Percival and Freya exchanged uneasy looks when Olaf still didn't answer. "Vivian was his only child," Percival explained. "He's very protective of her."

Arthur didn't quite hide his scowl. Gwen knew that his father had tried to set up an engagement with Vivian when she and Arthur were both children, not knowing that Vivian was a waterbender, but Olaf had quickly shut that down. Vivian was-had been-Olaf's golden child, his shining light in the cold, dark North Pole.

She shot Arthur a quelling look and turned to Percival. "You said they stole a valuable artifact?"

"Yes, that seems to be the reason they attacked," Percival confirmed. "It was well-coordinated; we didn't have the time to beat them back. Most waterbending thieves, of course, attack at night, but they worked to their strengths and-"

"-attacked at noon," Arthur finished, nodding. It was a typical firebender move. "What did they steal?"

"An ancient crystal, known as the Crystal of Neahtid."

Arthur sat up straight. "The Crystal of Neahtid? But . . ." He slowly sunk back into his chair, his eyes drifting off into the middle distance. Gwen sat up in her chair, interested; she had never heard of such a thing, but Arthur obviously had.

"You've heard of it, then?" Percival asked, looking surprised. "Most people haven't, even in the North. I hadn't until Olaf explained it."

"It's an old story," Arthur said slowly. "Not many people know it."

Gwen leaned forward. "What is the story?"

Arthur slowly stood, like he hadn't heard her; his eyes were unfocused.

"Arthur?" Gwen questioned.

He didn't look at her. "I'll be right back." He turned on his heel and marched out, two firebenders following.

"Where's he going?" Olaf demanded, seeming to pay attention for the first time.

"My lord, he'll return shortly," Gwen soothed, laying her hand on the chief's arm. She turned back to Percival. "What's the story with this crystal?"

"Thousands of years ago," Freya responded, "an old sorcerer came to the Water Tribe-back when there was only one Tribe-and gifted us with the Crystal of Neahtid. It's said that it can give visions to the worthy."

"It's true," Olaf grunted. "It really can show you things."

"What sort of things?" Gwen asked. Olaf didn't answer and Freya shrugged.

"The future, I suppose."

Arthur returned not long after, a curve to his spine that Gwen didn't ofen see. "It is as I feared. The Phoenix Eye is missing from the vaults. Morgana must have taken it when she fled from the Fire Nation."

"The Phoenix Eye?" Freya gasped. "Here?"

"What's that?" Gwen asked, feeling out of the loop.

"There were three other crystals besides the Crystal of Neahtid," Freya said. "The sorcerer granted one to each nation. I thought the Phoenix Eye had been lost long ago!"

"We found it in the Sun Warriors ruins fifteen years ago. Morgana was interested in them. She researched them for months, if not years." Arthur twisted his mother's ring feverishly. "I helped for a while."

"What could she want these crystals for?" Gwen asked. Everyone else shook their heads.

"Does anyone know where the other two are?" Percival said, leaning forward.

"The Water Tribe crystal has been stolen back and forth between the two tribes for centuries. No one knows who originally had it."

Arthur frowned. "There are four Air Temples and the Earth Kingdom is huge. The other two crystals could literally be anywhere. Father never would tell us much about the crystal. He got angry at us from even asking. But we discovered there were books in the library we could read to find out about the crystals. And we found some interesting things."

Gwen raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Like what?"

"Some legends say the crystals were stolen from their original owner by a powerful dragon who distributed them to the four nations, back in the times when spirits roamed the earth at will."

Percival smirked. "Dragon? Now that sounds like a Fire Nation slant."

Arthur shrugged. "Not any less believable than a sorcerer. Everyone know magic's not real, Percival."

"What say you, Gaius, Alice?" Freya asked.

Gaius put his chin into his hands. Alice shook her head.

"I knew about the crystal," she said, "but I know nothing about it. My focus is on the future, not the past."

"I studied the Eye of the Phoenix when Uther obtained it in the Sun Warrior ruins," Gaius added. "But I know precious little else than Arthur does. Some texts say the crystals came from a location in the Spirit World, known as the Crystal Cave."

Percival frowned. "That sounds familiar."

"That's where Merlin met the Puppetmaster, isn't it?" Arthur's eyebrows drawn together. "And Morgana went there, to gather information."

Freya was nodding. "Yes, that makes sense. Merlin said he saw visions in those crystals. Just like the visions you might find in the Crystal of Neahtid?"

They all glanced at Olaf, but he offered nothing more about the visions. "Gaius and I will look into it," Alice offered, and Arthur nodded.

"What do we do now?" Freya asked softly. "It've been nine days since the attack. Morgana could be anywhere."

"I'm not stopping until she's dead," Olaf growled. "She murdered my daughter."

"We'll have to change tactics," Arthur said quickly. "The Fire Nation also wants to stop her, but we might also need to work on why she wants these crystals. She has two of them, so she might target an Air Temple or the Earth Kingdom next."

He turned to Valdis. "Send messages to Queen Annis and the four Air Temples warning them of this new threat right away." She bowed and walked away. "Perhaps we could even visit the Western Air Temple, see what they know of the crystals," Arthur suggested.

"The head monks do seem to know things they don't tell the general airbender population," Percival said, rolling his eyes. Gwen knew he referring to how they had told Mordred for years that he was the Avatar.

They talked for several more minutes, throwing ideas around, but there was simply no way to know for sure where Morgana would go next. Finally, Arthur stood. "Let's adjourn for today, it's getting late."

The others followed suit. Gwen laid her hand carefully on Olaf's arm. "My lord? It's night, why don't we find you a room to sleep in?"

Arthur came to stand at her side, his eyes still wary. "We have many comfortable guest rooms. In the morning, we'll talk more and find a solution."

Olaf shook his head, seeming to sag against the side of the table. "I haven't slept . . . I haven't slept since I lost her."

For the first time since the tsunami hit, Gwen saw compassion flood Arthur's face, and he took the chief's arm.

"Let me walk you to your room," Arthur said.

"I'm not lying about the visions in those crystals, you know," Olaf said suddenly, looking earnestly into Arthur's eyes. "I saw something once." His eyes looked damp, but he did not cry. "It was when I was a very young man, before I was even betrothed, and my father took me down to the vault to view the treasures. I looked into the crystal, and I saw . . . I saw . . ."

He put a hand over his mouth. Gwen didn't even dare breathe.

Olaf raised his eyes to the window, where the moon could faintly be seen, glowing ghostly in the dark sky. "I saw the day Vivian was born. I saw myself holding her in my arms, looking into her eyes, holding her tiny hand. I looked forward to that day for years. It was the first time I felt truly alive."