"Then tell me!" Viviane burst out, the desperation she felt clear and stark on her face as she leaned toward him. "Help me save my people, Ian. Do not tell me that you have nothing to give us, for I know that to be a lie."

He was at first startled by her outburst, but he quickly realized that it came out of desperation. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, even grief. For all her power, this was one thing she could not accomplish on her own, no matter how much she wanted it, no matter how much Avalon needed it to survive. It would seem he was going to agree, since the Avalon of his own time was warded and safe, and yet, he had no knowledge as to how it had been accomplished, and he was in fear for Aurelia's life. "I'm sorry, but it's not in my power to help you. I can only tell you how it might be accomplished."

"As a lore-master would, Viviane," Elaine interjected, her voice gentle as she reached to calm the Lady. "His betrothed, the woman who came with him ....there is power in her. Yet we cannot identify it. As a lore-master, Ian may be able to do so for us."

Viviane sat back, laying her hand over Elaine's on her arm. "You are right," she conceded reluctantly. "Forgive me, Ian. I am weary of my burden."

Ian looked between the two, wondering why they were in such a hurry, unless it was because the elder was nearing death. From what he saw of Arthur, he was still young and robust and years still from the Battle that would threaten his life. Galahad was just a child, after all. They must have at least another decade before all the betrayals became clear. Where was Mordred" How old was he" Did he dare even ask" Ian exhaled a long sigh, feeling a little of the burden she bore. "Lady, I promise I will do everything in my power to help you, but Elaine is right. It is Aurelia who is the key to all this, not me."

"But her very nature is duality," Viviane pointed out. "I cannot ask her, and nor can you. Your knowledge is the key to this, but knowledge in the wrong hands can be terrible. Knowledge in the hands of a demon would destroy not only Avalon, but Britain, too."

"Perhaps," he replied, though there was something he knew that she didn't. "I think you may be underestimating her. If she learns her help is needed, she will do her utmost to do what she can to help you, even at risk to her own safety." He was only a little surprised to find out that Viviane knew of the demon and even so, had allowed Aurelia to come here. Or perhaps it was Elaine. Someone had obviously left the astrolabe there for them to find, set for this very point in history. He wished someone had thought to leave them a message, as well, telling them all would be well, as far as Aurelia's safety was concerned. It seemed to him the decision had already been made for them, albeit by themselves. It was enough to boggle even the most astute mind. "So, you know about the demon," he continued. "What else do you know?"

Viviane's firm expression faltered, and she actually looked away, avoiding his gaze. "I cannot See beyond the fall of Camelot," she confessed quietly. "Beyond the year when Avalon will fail, if we do not act. What is it that you are asking me, Ian?"

"Lady, you should know that in my time, Avalon is very real and very much alive. I know because..." His gaze darted now to Elaine, if only briefly. "Because I've been there."

The sheer raw relief that washed from Viviane at his words was shocking to see. She sagged in her seat, and for a moment, it was easy to believe that she was thousands of years old, ready to give up her guardianship of the sacred isle.

Elaine gripped her hand, smiling with delight. "There now, Viviane," she assured the Lady. "You will not fail. You will save Avalon, and guide us for many years to come."

Ian frowned at the two women. Though Viviane might save Avalon, he was not so sure she would guide them much longer. He looked from one to the other, sensing the elder's weariness of her burden, and the other's youth. Elaine did not seem ready or willing to take on the burden herself just yet, and yet, if what Rhys had told him was true, she would become the reigning Lady of Avalon for over a millenia. He said nothing of this, however. He was not here to tell them of their futures, but to help them ensure Avalon would survive. "I have a thought," he started, "but I cannot decide for her. I will not decide for her."

Viviane looked at him, genuinely confused by his refusal to make a decision on behalf of his chosen bride. "The men of your time do not assume their rights over the women they choose?" she asked curiously. "Perhaps the new religion will not grow so very strong, then."

Beside her, Elaine shook her head. Ian knew, from Rhys' intimations, that the Avalon of the future was blissfully tolerant of all religions. In this moment, with this Lady, it was a little hard to imagine.

"No," he replied. "Well, some do....but I do not. Where I am from, men and women exist as equals, or as very near to equals as is feasible. I'm afraid that will not become common practice, however, for many centuries to come."

"We cannot risk the being within her making use of this knowledge," Viviane pointed out. "Yet you seem confident that she has control over the beast. Our lives, then, are in your hands. If you have a need to speak with your lady before you can put a plan to us, then so you must. It is your choice."

It seemed she did not yet want to hear what thoughts he had in mind, at least, not until he'd had a chance to speak with Aurelia. "I would like to speak with her first, yes, if that is permitted."

Viviane studied him for a long moment, and old though she was, her gaze seemed able to pierce his mind and soul, reading there the truth of his being for herself. Elaine watched, a silent shadow in the background, uncertain what would now be decided. Finally, the Lady of Avalon nodded wearily. "You will do as you must," she conceded the point with reluctance. "I cannot force your hand. We need you, Ian. Please, do not tarry long with your decision."

"I would ask only one thing of you," he said, focusing his attention mostly on Viviane, though he was well aware that Elaine was as important to the survival of Avalon as any of them, perhaps more. "I would ask for your assurance that no harm will come to Aurelia, not so long as she has the demon under control. I am afraid if we attempt this, it risks setting the demon free, but if you know of any way to contain it, perhaps draw it from her and trap it, please, tell me. She wishes to be free of it, Lady, but I believe if we can somehow harness the demon's power, we might be able to accomplish what you desire."

"Me?" he echoed in surprise, frowning again as he remembered his first venture to Avalon all those years ago. "I stumbled upon Avalon once, many years ago. The Tor is the key, you know. Glastonbury. That is where the portal will be. A church will be built there someday, on the other side of the portal. Most of it will be destroyed, but for the tower. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, I suppose, and when I walked through..." He shrugged as if the rest went without saying. "When I came through to the other side, I was denied entry."

"All that means is that it was not the right time for you to enter Avalon," Elaine assured him. "I confess I do not quite know what you are talking about when you speak of a portal, but I am sure that I will, someday. That you were able to locate the entrance to Avalon without guidance or invitation ....you truly are a master of lore, Ian."

He chuckled to himself a little, falling back into step to continue onward. "You know, when I was a boy, I fancied myself one of Arthur's knights. I tried to pick up a sword once. Bloody heavy it was, too. A real sword, I mean. Not one of those silly things they make for Ren Faires and such." He realized with a start that he was not only babbling, but referring to things she could have no way of understanding. "Sorry. I don't mean to go on. It's just....There are few people who care for such things in my time." He looked to her a moment, wondering if he dared ask a question that both he and Aurelia had been pondering and what it was that had started all this. "May I ask you something?"

"The past is what makes us who we are," Elaine said quietly, not even trying to follow his babbling. She could sense that he had relaxed a little since leaving Viviane's presence, allowing him the chance to get some of that nervous tension off his chest. "The questions that may be asked on Avalon are limitless, Ian," she assured him. "I am not yet the Lady, so my answers may yet have a limit."

"I'm afraid I have many," he admitted with an almost bashful smile. He was not accustomed to talking with women of great beauty who would one day be also of great power. With great power, comes great responsibility, he remembered with a small frown, suddenly realizing how great a burden such a future might mean for one such as she.

She shrugged, her hands clasped together at her waist as they walked, stepping out of the Temple itself and into the gardens. "I will answer any questions you have, if I am able to," she assured him. "Viviane is already concerned that my guardianship of the isle will be very different to hers."

"And why should that be a concern" If Rhys is right and it is you who are the Lady in the future, then it seems you have guarded it well." He paused a moment, as if he was unsure how much to tell her again. "Lady, I come from over a thousand years in the future."

That seemed to give her pause, but she rallied quickly. "A thousand years is not so very long a time," she said carefully. "Viviane has been Lady since people populated this part of the world. Her term has been far longer."

It was almost two thousand years, but he thought he had better leave it at that. She would find out herself soon enough, it seemed. "Yes, but my point is that you will still be guardian here over a thousand years from now. Avalon will still be here, untouched and untarnished, just as it is today. A place of peace and wisdom for all the ages. It would seem to me that is due in good part to your guardianship."

"Perhaps," she conceded. "But this is not your question, Ian. I appreciate your wish to reassure me, to give me confidence in what is to come. But I do not feel it is necessary. I do not fear what is to come. Let me help you, if I can."

"I have several questions, if I may," he started, feeling a little bashful about putting upon her for answers, but they were important questions that needed answering, and he dared not ask Viviane or even Morgaine. "We saw knights with red crosses on their chests. Such knights were once known as Templar Knights, but they will not become known here for a few hundred years. Aurelia and I were curious about their origins. The Order was said to have died out centuries ago, but we stumbled on something back home that gives us reason to believe they may have only gone into hiding. They are....warriors, soldiers....They fight against evil."

Elaine chuckled softly. "The knights you saw are the Knights of the Temple of Avalon. They are sworn to the protection of Avalon, and obedience to the Lady. There may come a time in the future when their presence in the wider world may yet be needful, but there will always be Templars on Avalon. They are an order almost as old as the isle itself."

That seemed to answer his question for now. If what she was telling him was true, and he had no reason to believe it was not, then Aurelia was right. The real question then was whether or not Dylan had been a Templar, and if so, why he had never shared that information with Rhys. He nodded quietly as he pondered that information.

That was just one question, and he had said he had many. But Elaine was not about to push him into asking his questions, grateful for the distraction of walking and talking to take her thoughts away from the son who had left the isle that very day. "If you wish it, I am certain the Master of the Temple would not begrudge you a little time to speak with him."

"The Master of the Temple?" he echoed curiously. He was not so interested in religion or the salvation of his soul as he was in knowledge, but he was willing to speak with anyone who could give him the answers he craved. "You know, I have longed for this place ever since I was denied entry. I have longed for it with all my heart and soul. It was only when I met Aurelia that I found a little peace."

"The Master of the Temple is the leader of the Templars," she explained the title for him. "He is an old man now, grooming his own successor, but he enjoys talking of the past and the history of the order." As he went on, her smile turned gentle, understanding that longing only too well. "Avalon touches those who search for it," she told him. "Often, we do not know that Avalon is what we are searching for. I came here when I first learned that I was expecting my child. I have never left since."

"I can understand why Rhys and Natalya hold it so dear. I am not sure why they trusted me with such a secret, but I am honored that they have." He slowed his step as they strolled through the gardens, not only so that he could admire his surroundings, but so that he could ask her yet another question that was needed asking. It was the mention of her own son that brought it to the fore. "Galahad was not conceived here, though," he said, more question than answer.

"He is a fool, Elaine," Ian argued back, though it was good for his heart to hear her laugh, even if it was at his expense. "He has never been a favorite of mine. He had everything a man could have ever wanted. He was a favorite of Arthur's - one might even say, his closest friend. Was, is..." he corrected himself with a small shrug. "He has the love of a beautiful woman, a son to be proud of, and what does he want more than anything else? Another man's wife. And not just any man, but the High King of England. It's despicable. Do you know what he should have done" Sorry, should do. He should come here to Avalon, take you for a wife, and claim Galahad as his son, but he will not. Do you know why' Because he's a selfish bloody bastard. That's why."

"If Aurelia was another man's wife, could you stop yourself from loving her?" Elaine asked him suddenly, her gentle eyes sharp with curiosity. "It is easy to judge where you do not know all the facts. We all do it. But to vilify someone we do not know, for acts we have not witnessed and did not experience ourselves ....is that not also a selfish act, Ian?"

"No, but I could stop myself from sleeping with her behind my best friend's back," he said, sighing as he realized it was an argument not worth having. "Where I'm from, the couple would simply divorce and move on."

"Lancelot has not been to the queen's bed, nor has she been to his," Elaine told him quietly. "Not yet. When the time comes, yes, it will be a despicable act. But in this moment, at this time, it is Guinevere who is the selfish one. She banished him from court for fathering a child, and swore to him that he would never return to Camelot should he ever take a wife. It is because of her edict, his obedience to the woman he loves, that Elaine of Astolat died, heartbroken, because Lancelot could not love her in return. He is a good man, but all men have their weakness. Try not to judge him so harshly, Ian. A man so despicable as the one you describe could never have fathered Galahad."

He flushed, not in anger but embarrassment, realizing he'd gone too far. He had only met this woman a few hours earlier and he found himself so easy in her companionship that it was difficult for him not to say what he was thinking. It was very unlike him to be so forward and blunt. "I apologize, Lady," he told her with an incline of his head. "I overstepped myself. It will not happen again."

"It will," she assured him, her smile deepening as he apologized. "Do not apologize for speaking your mind. Far better to speak it aloud than to hold it in, and I do not think you have had much chance to speak on this in your past. But come, Ian, I know there is something else you wish to ask of me. You need not fear that I will take offense."

He frowned again, a serious look on his face now that he had said too much, even though she had not seemed to take offense. "I'm not sure I should," he admitted, turning quiet again. It was an important question, but one that was relevant not only to himself, but to Aurelia, as well.

"Ian, if you fear my response, think on what we have spoken in these past moments," she suggested gently. "I did not grow angry with you for speaking ill of the man I love, nor did I hide my own feeling at Viviane's mistakes. I think if you cannot ask me, then you will not ask anyone, and that could well be the worst mistake you could make."

He listened, quietly considering her words. It was one thing to ask something for someone else, but asking a question for himself was a very different thing. And yet, it wasn't just for himself, but for Aurelia, as well. "It's just..." He paused a moment to nervously gnaw at his lip. "Aurelia and I....We would like to be married, here in Avalon and....We were wondering what would happen if we conceived a child here."

Elaine smiled softly, understanding his reticence at last. "I see," she murmured, curling her arms about her waist as they walked along. "From what I know of you, and of your lady, your children will special, no matter where they are conceived. But a child conceived in Avalon will always have a link to this place. For some, it is a calling to the sisterhood; for others, it can be more subtle. It is impossible to tell how Avalon may affect the child who began here, but any child of Avalon will always be welcome."

He was sure there was nothing so special about him, except perhaps that he'd found his way to this place, but Aurelia was another story entirely. She was not even wholly human. The thought of the demon that lived inside her made him shudder. "And if she conceives before the demon is expelled from her body?" he asked further, not wanting to give birth to a demon child.

"So long as it is Aurelia who conceives, and not the demon, you have no need to fear," Elaine told him, her expression turning curious once again. "You do not quite seem to grasp that she is two beings in a single body. Aurelia, and the demon. Two beings, one form, merged with magic at her conception. Once separated, the demon can be destroyed without Aurelia losing any part of herself in the process. But I do not know how to separate the demon from her."

He arched a brow as she explained this to him. It was so simply that he had not realized it himself. "But I thought..." He trailed off again. He'd always thought that the demon was part of Aurelia, not a separate being at all. "Two souls in one body, one dark and one light," he murmured aloud. "Have you ever performed an exorcism?" he asked abruptly.

"I have not," she told him sadly, but hope sprang up in her eyes as she recalled a turn of phrase Viviane had used when Ian had been speaking with her. "The Lady said that the human soul does not bear the power a spell would need to protect Avalon," Elaine said carefully. "The human soul. I believe your lady has a spare, inhuman soul we may yet make use of."

"Yes, well....that is what I was thinking, but perhaps we should talk to Aurelia before we start making plans," he suggested, feeling just a little bit guilty that he had not yet returned to her, as he'd promised, and that he was discussing her fate without her knowledge.

"Yes, you should," Elaine smiled at him. "And I should return to Viviane. She will send for you in the morning, but should you come to a decision before then, bring Aurelia to the Chalice Gardens. The vines will open for you, if Viviane orders them to."

He nodded his understanding as she seemed to be telling him that this was one conversation he and Aurelia needed to have in private. "Elaine," he said, faltering a little, as if he had become bashful again. "Thank you." It was not exactly what he was going to say, but he thought he'd asked her enough for one day.

"It is an honor to assist the Lore-master of Avalon, Ian," she told him softly, touching her hand to his cheek for just a moment. "If you need me, at any time, simply ask one of the Handmaidens. I will join you as soon as I am able."

He felt himself flush hotly at such a simple and innocent touch, though there was no romance between them, nor would there be. She was beautiful, yes. Lovely and lonely, kind and caring, but she was not for him, nor was he for her. "The honor is all mine, My Lady," he countered, as cordially as he could, despite the warmth between them, the first hint of friendship.

She smiled once again, that soft expression reassuring him that nothing they had spoken of would go any further than her own mind and thoughts. "Good evening, Lore-master," she told him, inclining her head respectfully. "Be well."

Lore-master, he thought. Not a knight, like he had always dreamed of, and yet, an important person in this place that his heart had yearned for for so long. "I will see you soon, Lady," he replied, promising her without saying so that they'd see each other again. He paused a moment, fingering the astrolabe that hung from his belt, debating whether he should show it to her, but deciding against it. As far as he knew, it was their only way home.

"We shall," she assured him, gesturing toward the lake's edge, where Aurelia was sitting, her shoes by her side on the grass, legs immersed to the knee in the cool water of the lake itself, watching the mist swirling over the surface. "Your lady awaits."

Ian turned to find Aurelia sitting on the shore, dangling her legs in the water, looking very young, very girl-like in that moment. A smile touched his lips at the sight of her, and his heart swelled with love. As lovely and lonely as Elaine was, Aurelia had claimed his heart completely. "So she does," he replied, softly, obviously enamored with his betrothed. "Good day, Elaine. I look forward to speaking with you again," he told her, but he was already starting toward Aurelia with a song in his heart and a spring in his step. He may not have learned all that he'd hoped to learn during his talk with Viviane and then Elaine, but at least he now knew what it was they'd been brought here to do, and he felt hopeful they would find some way to do it.

((More to come - we had a productive weekend! Hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!))