A smile

Amy felt the power in the sword go to work against her; she tightened her grip and focused her will on it, it quickly submitted to her. She shifted her eyes so that she could see in the inky darkness. "Grandma," she said bewildered for a moment. Her eyes jerked to the blade she held, her eyes ran over the simple, even non-descript blade that she pointed at her grandmother. "Excalibur," she breathed, before she dropped it letting it clatter to the ground. She felt the insistent pull of the sword, to pick it up and hold it in her hands but she refused even knowing that it was probably too late. The King's Blade had submitted to her and in lore of old Excalibur only could be wielded by a king or by it's maker without turning on them."How did you know the sword's name?" Vivian asked with a slightly shaky voice. She hadn't changed, she was still tall and willowy with long wavy brown hair and deep honey coloured eyes. She was alarmed at the apparent ease this stranger had used to first avoid her blows and then disarm her, never had she been disarmed while wielding Excalibur.Amy sighed, obviously, this Vivian had never met her before or she would know how Amy could know Excalibur's name, that she had shown the sword to Amy and warned her never to touch it or she would be destined to rule humankind for a very long time. "I just do," she answered evasively.The hall slowly brightened and Amy shifted her eyes back to normal, as the room brightened others came from hallways or simply appeared, all carried some kind of weapon in their hands. Rhun stepped forward pressing his sword to Amy's throat, Guinevere also raised her sword and rested the tip of her blade against Amy's throat. Vivian reached down and scooped Excalibur up."How did you get in here?" Rhun demanded harshly.Amy tried to keep the smile from her face as she turned to Rhun. "I opened the door." She answered with just a slight condescending note to her answer."Only Ancients can open the door..." He growled, pressing the razor sharp edge closer to her skin and just nicking it, not enough to make her bleed but enough of a cut to sting like a paper cut. "How did you get in?" He demanded again."You answered your own question Rhun... I opened the door... the door let me in... ergo... I... am... Ancient." She answered starting to feel the impatience and rage of her beast rise up making her more frustrated. Both Amy and her beast also didn't like to have swords pointed at them even if they could do no permanent harm."How do you know my name?" Rhun asked pulling his sword away, Guinevere followed his lead.Amy glanced around to see who was here, "I know all of your names. Vivian the lady of the Lake, Rhun an early Britton king in the dark ages, Arthur another dark age Britton king, Guinevere a dark age Britton queen, Cleopatra queen of the Nile, Boadicea queen of Picts, Noah builder of the ark, Robin of Loxley or Robin Hood, Taliesin Pen Berd and finally Mryddin the last two being nicknamed the Merlins."They watched her in surprise, not only did she know their names but the stories that were connected to those names."Although technically Noah never built an actual Ark." She corrected herself moments before Noah said anything to contradict her.He looked at her surprised at how much she actually knew, "How did I do it then?"Amy sighed in annoyance, she knew he was testing her, "you did what any Ancient would have done if tasked with the salvation of humanity and all that lived on land. You willed them to a point forward in time when the great deluge was no more. It took you two years." She crossed her arms and waited for him to ask more questions. When he didn't, she glanced around again, "But where is D'Artagnan the Musketeer and Rhiannon the goddess of war?" she asked the room.Taliesin pushed forward, like all of the Ancients there was nothing different between this man and the man she had breakfast with this morning, his eyes were still a vivid shade of violet and his hair was white even though he looked no older than thirty. "D'Artagnan is off on an errand but there is no Rhiannon goddess of War in our ranks." He told her beginning to get an inkling of who this woman was, or more importantly, where this woman was from."Yes there is." Amy argued."No there isn't," Vivian threw back at Amy.Amy thought for several moments then turned to Vivian, "No wonder you guys don't know me, I don't exist in this universe. No Rhiannon... means no Me."Mryddin stepped forward; he still looked like a weird forty-ish man, with his weird beard with the V on his chin and wild eyes. "Obviously she is Ancient, the Temple would never have let her in had she not been, and she is obviously from some parallel universe brought here to do something." He told the room, "Why don't we sit down and hear her story before we go any further." He suggested.Amy shrugged and walked away, she took the first left hallway with everyone following then took the second right walking them into the very sitting room she had met them in all those years ago. Everyone followed her bemused, if they hadn't been convinced before, her knowing the layout of the temple proved it. She sat and everyone joined her, they waited for her to start."First before we get onto my story what year is it?" She asked curious."2024." Mryddin answered, "What year did you come from?" He asked curious."2018." She answered.Cleopatra frowned and tucked a curl of red hair behind her ear her green eyes thoughtful. "Fate rarely removes someone from their universe and time at the same time." She said to fill the void as everyone had thought what she had said."Is this your first foray into the duties of an Ancient?" Vivian asked.Amy shook her head, "No but it is the first time I've been removed from the universe I was born in... I think..." She said as there was no guarantees that she had been born in the universe she lived in until they found out who her other mother was.Amy shook her head to clear it and to stall any questions the tacked on comment might have raised. "My name is Amy Wildheart." She said using her true Ancient name and not the name she used in her day to day life. "Daughter of Rhiannon Wildheart and granddaughter of Vivian the lady of the Lake."There was a minute of complete and utter silence, then suddenly there was an uproar as some jumped to their feet. One word came out of the loud noise, "Impossible."Taliesin waved his hand and everyone went silent, "Amy... Ancients are made not born... it's why there are so few of us." He told her firmly.Amy sat back in her chair, "Yeah... I was told that's what you all said when Vivian fell pregnant and gave birth to Rhiannon." She took a deep breath, "You thought Rhiannon was a fluke, an aberration to Fate's design. Noah even tried to kill her after her birth but Fate made him rethink his action.""How?" Vivian asked."I asked that, Cleopatra said he just fell down and started writhing on the ground until he promised not to try to kill Rhiannon again." Amy answered, "He then vanished for a long time.""They thought she was a one off, then I showed up and rocked your foundations further. A year later, I gave birth to triplets, all are Ancient and have Ancient abilities.""Ancients... don't... breed." Noah stressed.Amy rolled her eyes, "Yeah they do... if they manage to hook up with their soul mate." She told him firmly.A woman walked into the room, Amy smiled as she recognised Rhun's mate Taylor as they had met several times. Her skin was dark chocolate brown and had dark wiry hair that was always kept braided tightly to her skull. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air to smell the stranger. She frowned in confusion, "What are you?" She asked Amy."I'm complicated." Amy answered with a smile.