"You know about that?" he asked, wondering even as he asked the question why he should be surprised about that. She knew things, could see things before they happened or as they happened. He had no doubt that very little came as a surprise to her, though as far as he understood it, she saw things that might be, not necessarily that would be. There was a perfectly logical reason why the Lady couldn't see Aurelia clearly, but Rhys wasn't sure what she'd think when he told her what that reason was. "Her mother was a demon," he explained. "I met her on Rhy'Din a few years ago. She....she helped me with something."

The Lady's brow furrowed just a little, more in confusion than for any sense of anger or distrust. "I was not aware that demons could reproduce," she said, unsettled by this lack of knowledge. "Unless ....You say you knew her on Rhy'Din" Then perhaps she is not of an Earth that I know. Perhaps she is of a world where a demon is not a possessing spirit, but a physical manifestation."

"I don't think she's from Rhy'Din or my Earth. Another Earth, I think. But..." He seemed confused about something, as well. "Na'amah tried to seduce me. Something about trying to create a hybrid. Is that even possible" How could a demon possibly breed with an angel?"

"Theoretically it is possible," the Lady told him thoughtfully, "though it has never been done in practice. Angels and demons, as we know them, possess human forms; the human form is perfectly suited to reproduction with its own species. If there is a successful conception between an angel-possessed human and a demon-possessed human, the theory states that the child will be born with an even mix of angel, demon, and human within them. No one knows how that might translate into practical power; as I say, no attempt has ever been successful."

"She seemed sure it would work. She was pretty persistent," he told her with a grim expression on his face. Of all the demons he'd ever known, he had quite possibly hated Na'amah the most. She was certainly somewhere at the top of his Most Hated Enemies list, at least, before he'd finally killed her. "I've never had much power, I don't think. It doesn't seem right that they deposited me on Earth without an instruction manual." Though all of that was in the past, it still irked him and only made him take most angels with a grain of salt, even though he'd supposedly once been one himself.

"How could you possibly have kept your sanity, if you had known from the moment of your conception what you were and what your purpose was?" the Lady asked him gently. "It was something you had to come to gradually, and that, too, was something you agreed to before you were sent from Heaven. It does not help, in retrospect, I know, but perhaps you can see the logic behind the decision now you are no longer their pawn."

"It's like sending a child into battle," he argued, but he hadn't come here to talk about himself. Not directly, anyway. "Their pawn. That's a good word for it, even if I did agree to it. I've been wondering lately though..." He paused a moment to catch her gaze. "So much has happened, it seems there's been a greater force at work in my life. Maybe in Nat's, too. Something more powerful than angels. Something that's been steering my life right from the beginning. It's the old question of Free Will versus Fate. Are the choices you make in life really yours or not?"

Something in the way she looked at him made the point that some things were not left to chance. The fact that a child of his line would become the next Lady of Avalon was evidence of that. "It is my experience, Rhys, that our choices are our own," she said carefully. "But there are many influences upon our lives, some more powerful than others. Why do you think that mythology always makes mention of some being, some group, whose entire purpose is to guide and shape mortal lives" We feel their influence, even if we do not know it. The choices we make are our own, but I believe they are often informed by some power that likens itself to fate, or destiny."

He nodded his head in complete agreement, but she wasn't quite getting the point, and he thought maybe he had to be clearer. "Yes, but what if I told you I think I knew one of them' I mean, I know it sounds crazy, but I have no other explanation for it." He licked his lips a little excitedly. He'd been thinking about this a long time, and it was the only thing that made sense. "There was a time when I was....I was attacked by a horde of demons. You know what a horde is" I mean....the sky was black with them. There's no way I could have gotten out of that alive. And then, I wasn't there at all. I was somewhere else. There was this woman, and she wasn't an angel."

"Angels are not the only powerful beings in your world, Rhys," she pointed out, waiting patiently for him to come to the point. "There are far more beings out there than most know about. The world is not solely populated by monsters, angels, demons, and humanity."

"Yes, but..." He frowned, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I haven't seen her in years, and I don't know what happened to her, but I keep feeling like....like she's out there somewhere still leading me, guiding me." He sighed, a little frustrated by his inability to explain. "It's not Lailah. I know she's there, too, but it's different."

"You believe one of the Fates has a hand in your life," the Lady said calmly, and something in her tone suggested that he was right to believe such a thing. "I am aware that you are often under scrutiny, Rhys, that someone is gently manipulating you away from danger, toward those events that give you most satisfaction, most achievement. Your first meeting with Natalya, for example. I had no hand in that first meeting, though I confess I did intercept you when you were returned from Heaven, to make certain you arrived close to Natalya in your newly mortal form."

"You didn't?" he echoed, looking surprised, even shocked, by that news. He'd always assumed it had been the Lady who had somehow guided him to Natalya. "Then she's not dead. Why'd she disappear" I haven't seen or heard from her since....since before the accident." And that was well before he'd met Nat; before he'd ended up in Rhy'Din, even.

"I would assume that this she you keep speaking of has some reason for keeping herself on the sidelines. Perhaps she has enemies of her own who will not allow her to exist as she is, or perhaps she simply wishes to live a quieter life. It is difficult to say without knowing her for myself."

"She called herself Nikki, but I'm sure that wasn't her real name. What kind of goddess calls themselves Nikki?" he asked, sounding just a little perplexed by the whole mystery. "She saved my life more than once, and I've never had a chance to say thank you."

"I see." She smiled her mysterious, timeless smile once again. "You do not have anyone you trust not to judge your friend for the blood she carries. You have no one who will not kill her simply for being what she is." Again, it was unnerving to hear it said aloud, but it had to be said. "Would you trust a friend of Avalon to keep watch over her, Rhys" Even if you had never met them?"

"The only person I really trust is Adam, and he's got Gina and Joey to worry about now. The only other people I can think of are hunters, and I don't trust any of them enough not to let their preconceived prejudices get in the way," he explained further. "She had a whitelighter once. An angel, but I don't think he can follow her here." He frowned in concern. Whatever it was Aurelia meant to him, it was obvious he was concerned about her. "I trust you. I trust your judgement."

"There are a few names I could bring to your attention," the Lady mused thoughtfully. As she considered these names, their faces became momentarily visible on the surface of the pool, proof that she was not just thinking of them, but looking at them as well. "You require someone with an open mind, someone who can be trusted to act as asked and not to react without thinking should the issue become clouded. Someone who is capable, obviously, but does not reach for a weapon before considering other options. Tell me if I am wrong."

"No, you're right. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Someone who isn't going to judge her. Someone who can help her if she needs help. Someone with some knowledge of witchcraft might be helpful, too." Though he wasn't looking for a witch or a warlock, he didn't want someone who would be too weirded out by Aurelia's abilities or her mixed bloodline, but just who that person was" He wasn't sure. Not a hunter, not an angel, not a witch. Not a cop or an FBI agent. The list of those unsuitable seemed longer than those that might be suitable.

"Let me see ..." She concentrated, and four faces cleared in the pool. Each of them was engaged in some way - one with teaching, it seemed; another was reading; another appeared to be sketching something unseen; and the last was apparently beating the ever living crap out of a burning mattress. The Lady smiled at those faces, though there was no way they could know they were being watched. "Henry, Ian, Christian, Wyatt," she offered names to Rhys to go with the faces she showed him. "They are close by to the location you came from, close enough to do as you ask, yet they do not travel here to Avalon and they do not fight unless they have no other choice. I can give you the means to contact them, but the choice is yours, Rhys. This is your friend."

He gazed into the water again, taking in each face. How was he supposed to decide" It didn't escape his notice that all of them were men, and he suddenly felt like he was playing matchmaker, rather than trying to look out for a friend's safety. "Um..." He cleared his throat anxiously, wondering if he should ask for their resumes and subject them each to an interview. Eeny meany miney mo was no way to go about choosing. "What are their....qualifications, exactly?"

"Henry is a lecturer at the university close to where your friend will be living," the Lady explained, and as she spoke, that face took center stage, showing animation, amusement, and fervent passion for whatever it was he was lecturing about at that moment. "His subject, officially, is the Classics, but he has a deep knowledge of the supernatural practicalities that underpin your Ancient Greece and its poets."

Rhys watched the pool while the Lady explained, taking it all in. The first nominee - Henry - was a scholar. Interesting, but would he be capable of protecting her if the need arose" "Go on," he said, reserving judgement until he had learned about all of them.

"Ian." The second name brought a new face to the center of the pool, a face deep in concentration in what appeared to be a library. "A career academic, he came to Avalon by his own means. Through his studies, he discovered us, and he made an attempt to cross the mists that could have gone badly wrong had I not realized his intention was purely academic. There is little fear in him, and a great deal of practical curiosity, more inclined to ask questions than to shoot. He has, however, killed for Avalon in the past, and has never taken the action lightly."

"Hmm," Rhys murmured thoughtfully, wondering if he should have Adam pull up whatever information he could find on the foursome before he decided. Or maybe he should just let Aurelia pick one for herself. "I feel I'm playing matchmaker," he mused aloud.

The Lady laughed, shaking her head. "Such a match would be of their choosing, not yours," she pointed out, as the third of her options drew to the middle of the pool. This one was sketching something, as fiercely focused as anyone could be. "Christian. An archaeologist and engineer, who specializes in the recreation of ancient artifacts. He is the one who unearthed the Mirror - you see he is missing the two last fingers of his left hand" He brushed the Mirror's surface and lost them to the darkness beyond. We had to approach him to make sure the Mirror was donated to the Institute, and since then, he has been attached to us, rather than any other academic institution."

Rhys frowned a little when he noticed the loss of the man's fingers. That didn't really play much into his decision, though he felt a little sympathy for the man. "The recreation?" He asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your ancients were far more advanced than you seem to believe," the Lady chuckled softly. "They created machinery, a great deal of which has been lost to time. Christian studies the writings for clues as to how each piece would have worked, and builds it. If he should discover something that should not have been unearthed, those secrets come to Avalon."

"He rebuilds it' That's crazy. Would he be able to rebuild the....the Ark of the Covenant?" he asked, picking an artifact out of thin air, based on his late night TV viewing habits. "What about Excalibur? Can he recreate that' What about a-a flying carpet' A cloak of invisibility' Pandora's Box." He was wagging a finger at her now, as he listed every item that popped into his head. "The Holy Grail!"

"Machinery, Rhys," the Lady laughed at his enthusiasm. "That is his true passion. It is Wyatt who has the skills to recreate swords of old, magical artifacts." The last face came sharply into focus. "He is an alchemist of sorts, though he applies himself to the study of magic as it can be applied to creation. He has abilities that span everything from smithying to spell creation, to fighting - a little of everything, just enough to keep him working. Though, as you can see, not everything works seamlessly." This was true - Wyatt appeared to have set fire to his own bed.

"Naturally. Though she can cross the mists whenever she chooses, I still need that link to her," the Lady smiled fondly. "Should she need me, I will hear her, just as I will hear you. I would have thought that you both would have deciphered that before now, and without my help."

"I guess I'm not as bright as you give me credit for," he replied with a frown, feeling a little stupid. He'd thought there was more to the amulets than mere adornment, but no one had ever thought to explain to him and he'd never thought to ask. "Maybe you should have picked someone else for your Champion."

"I chose you because you are my Champion," she told him firmly. "No other could perform these duties as you can, Rhys. I do not make mistakes."

"No, you don't, but I do," he replied with a sigh, though he got the point. "Sometimes I think things might be easier if I'd stayed an angel." But then, he wouldn't have Nat and he wouldn't be about to become a father. No, he'd made the right choice there. Earning a human soul was what his life struggle had been all about, after all. "Sorry, it's just frustrating being human sometimes." With all his human faults and flaws. He wondered momentarily how Zach was dealing with it.

She chuckled softly, laying her hand over his. "Try living as one for a few hundred years," she suggested, reminding him that, though she had great power and long life, she was still as mortal as he was. "I promise you, it grows no less frustrating. But it has its rewards, as you know better than I."

He frowned again, his compassion and fondness for her outweighing his own personal feelings of inadequacy. He found himself turning his hand so that he could curl his fingers around hers, a simple touch of human flesh to human flesh. "You're not alone either, you know. Not so long as I'm alive."

"I know," she smiled. "And though it may not seem so, I am very glad of it. I may be more excited to hold your daughter than you are - it will not be her, but one of her children, her grandchildren. My time can be counted in decades now, thanks to you. It is a gift I will forever be thankful for."

"I have you in part to thank for that. If it wasn't for Nat, I don't know where I'd be right now." Dead, most likely, though that thought drew his mind back to the question of whether there was a higher power steering his life. "I should be thanking you, not the other way around," he told her, his voice softening. There was no mistake that he loved her, thought not in the same way he loved Natalya or Rachel or even Aurelia. He sighed, wondering what else there was to say. If she could hear his thoughts, then she already knew how he felt about her. I love you, he told her wordlessly.

Her only reply was a gentle squeeze of his hand, understanding his feelings the way a mother or sister might, far better than a lover could. And yet she was all these things - mother, sister, aunt, lover, daughter - everything in one smile. Her heart, had it been hers to give, would have rested with another, but that was the sacrifice she had to make in order to fulfill her duty as the Lady of Avalon. "You and Natalya are everything I have hoped for over these long years," she told him softly. "I had thought, once, that Morgaine might take my place, but there was another fate awaiting her. You are my Champion, not just for your skill, your talent, your unique circumstance of birth, but for the friendship you have shown me. It has a value greater than you may ever know."

Greater than my wisdom and knowledge, he thought to himself, though he didn't say it out loud, the look on his face enough to hint at what he might be thinking. He could never be anything more to her than a friend, the grandfather or great-grandfather of her successor. He wondered if she had any idea how much she meant to him or how honored he was that she'd chosen him for her Champion. Words could not come close to expressing his feelings, though he hoped she knew already. "Morgaine?" he echoed. "The Arthurian Morgaine?" he asked, feeling ridiculously uneducated again. He had grown up learning how to kill demons and vampires and werewolves, not the legend and lore of Avalon.

"Yes, Arthur's sister," the Lady nodded, chuckling at his expression. "These are not facts known to many, Rhys. Arthur was Avalon's first Champion, your predecessor. Morgaine, his sister, was her first Priestess. Since they left us, there has been no Champion or Priestess, not until I gave you and your wife their places. Those places are yours by right and by honor."

"Right," he replied. "I remember Lionel telling me that." He chuckled a little, mostly at himself. "Sometimes I wonder how I remember anything!" He had been an amnesiac, after all, though his memories had returned when he'd crossed through the Nexus into Rhy'Din a few years ago. "It still kind of blows my mind that I'm following in Arthur's footsteps."

"He was a very special man," she said, though a seasoned Lady-watcher could tell that the warmth in her voice, the softness in her smile, was intended for the man who had already told her Champion about his lineage. "As are you. I have met no one worthier, in many, many years."

"Even though it took asking to figure out how to use the amulet?" he asked with a smile. He didn't want to make her sad, and he knew there was some sadness beneath that soft smile. "There is no one I would feel more honored to serve than you, my lady." Not even the angels in heaven seemed as worthy compared to her.

"The fact that you asked, rather than continue to stumble blindly, is part of what makes you worthy," she pointed out to him, her spirits rising even as he renewed his promise to serve her. "Rhys, you are a dear friend, before everything. I am honored that you choose to serve me."

He blinked a little in surprise when she named him friend, though he wasn't sure why. They were friends of a sort, he hoped, though he always thought of her as someone to be worshiped and respected and loved, more so than befriended. "Should we have a sleepover sometime?" he teased. "I'll bring the movies, and you can bring the popcorn." He nudged her good-naturedly with an elbow. "I bet you don't even know what popcorn is."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I will have you know that popping corn has been around far longer than you imagine, my incorrigible companion," she informed him cheerfully, glancing up as a single clear note sounded across the Chalice Well. A regretful smile touched her face. "Alas, our time here must come to an end. I am needed, and you must visit with your sister a while before you return to Earth."

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled back at her, glad he had at least made her laugh. He picked up the parchment from his lap and moved off the bench to one knee before her, head bowed respectfully and reverently, knowing how lucky he was to be in her service, how fortunate he was to be the Champion of Avalon - only the second after none other than King Arthur, of all people. He wondered what Dylan would have made of that, and the thought of it brought some wetness to his eyes. "Thank you for everything, my Lady."

She caught his hand between hers, warm and soft, palm to palm for a long moment before she released him. "Be safe and well, my Champion," she told him, a last benediction before he had to go. "And do not worry so much. You have a friend out there who is guiding your path. I do not think she will lead you wrong."

He lifted his gaze to hers as she took his hand and moved to his feet, spontaneously leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek, warm and affectionate and just a little bit bold. "Be well, Elaine, and remember that you are never alone," he whispered for her ears alone.

The kiss surprised her - no one had been so bold with her for many, many years, too many to count. The expression on her face was impossibly vulnerable for a long moment after he drew back, until she remembered herself. "Thank you."

He was reluctant to leave her, knowing how lonely a life it must be for her, and yet, he smiled a little, knowing she was really never alone, not so long as she had Sir Lionel and Natalya and himself to love and care for her. And when he was gone and his life was over, there would be others of his own bloodline to carry on and care for her in his stead, until the one was born who would free her from her servitude and allow her to find peace, at long last. He smiled back at her for a long moment, before turning away to leave her garden, not allowing her to see the tears that had gathered in his eyes, hinting at his own vulnerability.

She watched him go, a silent princess in her beautiful prison, unable to reach out to others as so many took for granted. She had love, yes, but a love she could not allow herself to enjoy; instead, she must make do with the friendship of a select few who were able to see beyond the Lady, to the woman who stood before them. The Lady of Avalon stood alone, a guardian over the secrets of the Isle, ever patient, waiting for that one day when she might, at last, be allowed to set her burden down and rest. But until that day came, she would always be there, watching and waiting, whenever he needed her.

((I love playing the Lady, always a pleasure. And, of course, massively humongalosa thanks to Rhys' player!))