"Is it worth it, old friend?" Tennant scratched his beard, "You have done more good in this world than--"

"Than evil? I really don't think so. But here is my chance. I can't leave her in there. She will be killed." Aru spoke stoically, looking at the gates of Versailles.

"She doesn't even have a name, Aru. The only thing you know is that she is Callas's sister." Tennant put his hand on Aru's shoulder.

"So was Beatrice. She was worth everything."

"Aru, listen to me. Callas wouldn't want this. One girl's life for yours, even if the life is her sister."

"No, Tennant, listen to me. Strawberries told the truth, when she said this girl was the only way to defeat Lazlo, otherwise the rest of the world is lost. Modred is dead by Gavião's hand. It won't be long before Morgan puts that together, and who is going to suffer for it? The girl. If she dies, Lazlo kills us all in our sleep. What price for the world, Tennant?"

"There has to be another way. We are becoming things we never dreamed of. Wait another day or a week. The child may live. Why do you choose to die today?"

"I never chose the day, the day chose me. Back in 1066." Aru said, staring straight ahead.

Tennant removed his hand from Aru's shoulder.

"You know what you have to do, Tennant? And keep your promise."

Tennant nodded. Aru strode forward, moving quickly to the gates of Versailles. The guards at the gate opened them quietly. The shield parted to admit Aru to Versailles.

"Keep your mind in the present, Aru. If she catches any stray thought, it's all over." Aru told himself.

A ripple of energy parted from Aru heading to another part of the building. Tennant was gone heading to find the girl.

Aru passed through the gardens, and stopped for a minute. So much evil in this place but even here there is a beauty. The plants still grow and bloom. Magic may be dying but this kind of magic will outlive everyone. Morgan was sitting at a table, her head in her hands. Aru stopped next to her.

"Morgan, I have word of the traitor."

"Traitor?" Morgan never raised her head, "What traitor are you talking about?"

"The traitor in the council."

"Not now, Arumaga. My son is dead, give me some time to grieve, just one damn day."

"I would like to, but the circumstances don't allow for us time to grieve. I believe you said that to me once long ago, the day my wife died."

Morgan raised her head, to look at Arumaga. There it was, in the eyes. No fear anymore, just defiance and hatred. A hatred that was directed at her. In that instant she knew Arumaga was no more. Aru had returned and the traitor could only be him. Aru's fingers lashed out and wrapped around Morgan's throat and he squeezed.

Tennant stole through the hallways, silent at the night reclaiming its reign back from the sun. In his wake, guards dropped to the ground, like droplets of rain. Blood ran from throats cut as he walked. The girl's room was not far and a few more guards. A roar behind him was his first sense that the battle had been joined. Fire exploded down the corridor. One of Morgan's specialties, time to move more quickly. The guards fled from the fire, leaving the door unguarded. Tennant felt the power coming from it. Trapped, as he expected. Just a few seconds to remove, seconds that he didn't really have. A shimmering door opened in front of him. He stepped through and into the room. If you don't have time to play with traps, avoid them, he thought as he let the dimension door drop behind him. The girl looked frightened, probably the fire or maybe the weird shimmering door that had just appeared in her room.

"Come child, I am going to take you home."

"To Callas?"

"Yes, if I can." Tennant grabbed her by the hand and tried to pull her up.

"OW!" She screamed. Tennant looked down her legs had been broken recently and reset wrong. It wasn't the first time that had happened.

"Sorry, child, I will carry you." Tennant scooped her up in his arms, "Now the question is how to get out of here? That shield is still active."

A thunderous boom echoed down the corridor. Glass shattered in the distance. Dust fell on them. A second boom sent timbers raining down on them. A hole in the ceiling opened up. Seconds later the rest of the roof ripped off, in a third boom. Tennant took the opportunity to fly into the open sky. He shot into the air, but not very far, he could feel and see the shield approaching rapidly. He hovered just below it. Scanning for any sign of Aru and Morgan, all he could see were flashes of light. Still the shield held. Two of them maybe could take her. Tennant flew down to set the girl down. I have to get to Aru. This was crazy when he proposed it. What difference does it make if she knows they both were in on it, if she is dead? Aru's words came back to him. Don't come for me, it will be far too late. Only she can save us. Remember that. Tennant flew back up.

Aru bled from everywhere, there wasn't a patch of skin on him that wasn't burned and blistered from all the fire that was raging, but still he held on. His hands clenched harder and harder, trying to squeeze the life from her. A click from her neck, soft in its sound, told him that he had succeeded, Morgan dropped to the ground lifeless. It was over, for the both of them. Aru fell to the ground, blood pooled around him.

Strawberries appeared, blond hair and a scarlet/gold dress. She sat down and picked Aru's head up from the floor and put it her lap. She cried, holding him there as his life slipped away from him. Epona appeared, behind Strawberries' shoulder.

"We can save him."

"We can't. The rules." Epona put her hand down on her head.

"Morrigan doesn't play by the rules. Why should we?"

"She has broken no rules, so far, but if either one of do this, we will have. Then the gods will battle and the world will suffer even more." Epona answered.

Morgan sat up, her dress covered in blood. She was surprised to see two gods sitting there. Then nothing. Time stopped for her.

"What about that? Morrigan just resurrected that bitch after Aru killed her in fair combat." Strawberries contended.

"No, she didn't. That one has spells in place to bring her back from the dead. Her death triggered one of them. Morrigan did nothing, as she should."

Another voice joined them, "Epona is correct. I did nothing. Morgan did it all herself." Morrigan answered, "Am I to be blamed for the intelligence of my worshippers to preserve their lives? He could have used the same powers to save himself."

"He is not a magic user." Strawberries answered.

"He was. Epona stripped him of those powers. Not me."

"Just go, Morrigan. You won today. Go gloat somewhere else." Epona said.

"I will take my pupil and leave then. Remember the rules." Morrigan faded, Morgan with her.

Strawberries flicked her fingers, in the same instant that Morrigan disappeared. Tennant vanished, to reappear over Madrid.

Aru breathed, blood came from his nostrils, he shuddered and the light went from his eyes.

Strawberries held him for over an hour, rocking slowly. Epona had to gently pull her from Aru's body.

"He's home now. Beatrice was waiting for him. Home, where all my clerics go after they die. Let him go, Aine."

Strawberries struggled against Epona, "Callas can still save him, she can get somebody to resurrect him. Then we wouldn't be interfering."

"The point, Aine, is that he would be hunted for the rest of his life. Morgan would still be alive and Gemma, as Callas named her would probably be dead. Lazlo needs to be stopped, he knew that. He knew enough that Gemma and Callas are the only ones that could stop him. Just like Gavião had to stop Modred. He also knew that he would be found out sooner or later."

"He knew, I knew. We all knew. Doesn't mean I have to like it!" Strawberries shouted.

"A rash action would not be the best course." Epona said bending over Aru's body. She touched him and the both disappeared.

"Rash is not the word that I would use. Morrigan wanted a war, she got it." Aine disappeared.

Germany, seconds later.

A spy with message whispers to the Kaiser of Germany, "Louis is dead. His country is ripe for the taking."

England, seconds after that.

A spy with message whispers to the King of England, "Louis is dead. His country is ripe for the taking."

Tennant was surprised to find himself over Madrid. He would have smiled if not for knowing his friend probably died back there. Nothing to do but keep his promise.

Tennant brought Gemma to a couch inside the temple of Epona. He laid her gently down. Strangely, she slept. He strode directly to a guard, whose weapon was already out, pointing at Tennant's chest.

"Your name?" Tennant asked.

"Matthew." The young guard stammered back.

"Bring them all here to the girl. Tell them to read that note. Tell them I couldn't stay."

"Who are you?" Matthew asked.

"Tennant." And he left.

Matthew roused them all and forced them to make their way to a sleeping Gemma.

Gavião took the note from Matthew, glanced at it briefly, then stopped Callas from rushing to wake her sister.

Gavião's baritone voice rang out, reading from the note.

"Callas and company." Gavião paused, and rubbed his face, clearing his emotions and continued.

"I know what I do today will probably not make sense to any of you, but it does to me and that is all that matters. I don't doubt that Tennant delivered Gemma to you. He always keeps his promises. I died today in battle with Morgan le Fay. I have no doubt that Morgan, even if I killed her, still lives. Demons like that don't die easily, nor do inner demons. But today, mine did. I ask just one thing. Don't follow my path, any of you. Anger and vengeance led me to this fate. Love is what gave me salvation. Some of you believed in me before I did, I need you to believe I did the right thing. I did it for love, my love for all of you. Goodbye. Aru."

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