[Azura Rayume]

A different world? That sounded a bit fishy, but all the same... That was the only thing that seemed reasonable at this moment. If no one knew what England was, not even this fine gentleman he was speaking to, there had to be some reason for it. Countries didn't just disappear off maps when you weren't paying attention to them.

"Yes, I know quite a bit about magic," he said with confidence. Finally, a topic he knew something about. "I don't know if the magic here is the same as what I know, if your idea of different worlds holds true, but I have been around it before." The man who raised me for a while was actually a wizard by the name of Merlin. He did quite a few things with magic, but he never moved anyone or anything from one world to another as far as I know."

No, the kind of magic that he was familiar with was more along the lines of personal transformations- changing someone or something into someone else- and seeing into the future. Nothing like trans-dimensional movement like what seemed to have happened here. "There wouldn't happen to be the kind of magic that could pull someone such as myself from my own reality to yours close by, would there?"

[Freezair]

Halvard's face suddenly brightened--then he pulled back in shock. Merlin! Well, he'd never heard of England, but the name Merlin, now, that he knew. What kind of person had never heard of Merlin before? If this man knew Merlin...

But wait. Might this not be a trick? Hal pulled himself back together and squinted. The man seemed well and truly concerned, didn't he? If he was an actor, he was an excellent one, and Hal liked to think he knew well when people were not what they seemed. He'd... trained himself, during that... time, so long ago now, it seemed. If this man was going to start name-dropping Merlin, it might well be the other shoe dropping as well.

Perhaps he should stay on his guard. Other worlds... that he did know how to answer. "...Other worlds? As a matter of fact, I do believe there is. I've never seen one myself, but I know a few of our shop patrons have traveled here from other worlds. And... I believe the Merlin you mention was reputed to be quite the traveler..." Hal looked down warily. That question would test the waters. Let them see now how the man responded.

[Azura Rayume]

"Oh was he now?" Arthur said with surprise. "Well, he never told me anything about that, though it might explain why he would disappear for days at a time." Ah, Merlin, how he missed the old man. That wizard was the closest thing he had to a father here or anywhere. Sure he knew who his genetic father was; most people did by now. Uther had been king before him, and most people had learned of his son's succession to the throne through such an odd means.

"Well, maybe I will see him again," he said with a faint smile. "I haven't seen much of the old man in years. He started staying farther and farther away after I became king. Right after I received Excalibur, actually." He reached instinctively for the blade that hung from his waist... and found nothing. Panic shot through his mind at the thought of losing something so precious to him.

"Di-Did I have a sword when I walked in that shop?" His voice was shaking slightly with worry. Damn him if he had lost that thing. Someone might be able to claim his throne with it while he was away!

[Freezair]

"Perhaps," said Halvard warily. Unbeknownst to Arthur, of course, the legends of Merlin that Hal knew were probably somewhat different than the actuality of Merlin's life. Or at least, the Merlin that Arthur knew. Evelon was a strange place in that it shared many odd snippets of culture with a bizarre multitude of worlds, borrowing names and even historical figures from many different places, almost as if it had been made of a collective of human imagination.

But Hal's attention was diverted when the strange man began to panic. "Oh! A--a sword? I'm... sorry, I didn't see one. Are you supposed to have one?" Well, a missing weapon, now, that was a legitimate concern! The Guidebook hammered in the importance of having one's weapon with you at all times, and never letting it fall into enemy hands. Hal knew his was resting at home that moment, but Arthur seemed genuinely worried. "When was the last place you saw yours?"

[Azura Rayume]

Well, now his panic was genuine. He couldn't have just... left it somewhere could he? "I-I can't remember when I saw it last," he confessed, ashamed that he could make such a foolish mistake. Even if this was a new world, he would hate to be without that blade. After all, when someone such as the Lady of the Lake simply hands you an artifact of such power, it is generally considered unwise to later lose said artifact.

Wait, the well. "The well!" he said suddenly, the realization finally hitting him. "I might have dropped it then. I know I didn't know where I was after I was there. I haven't the foggiest what happened to me before then. And I was so focused on the girl, I didn't even think about Excalibur." Why he would fail to think about something he found so vital escaped him, but there was no way to change that now.

"My greatest apologies, friend, but I must go see. If my blade is there, I must have it. If not, well, I haven't a clue what i might do, You may follow if you wish, but I must find Excalibur."

[Freezair]

"Wait! The well?" Halvard began to dash after him. "You don't mean that old Wishing Well, do you?" The soldier kept stride with Arthur perfectly, his long legs pumping. "Because if you do... that might explain it! Why you're here, that is!"

He followed Arthur up the street. He could understand why the man wanted his sword back, but at the same time, he needed to explain what was going on. Things were falling in place now. The Wishing Well! He should have suspected that from the start! Ah, but it was so rarely benevolent, he didn't think that perhaps this once was the time it decided to be kind.

[Azura Rayume]

((Long post is gonna be long. Just sayin'.))

"I suppose that's the one," he said, rounding another corner. "If that's the only well you have in this town, then it must be."

His feet carried him, clanking armor and all, past street bends and alleyways, shops and groups of children. Though he would normally have stopped to be social with such people or investigate the nooks and crannies of the city, he had only one thing on his mind: his sword. He needed that sword, and he only needed to get back to that well to find it.

He managed to make it there, even without knowing where he was going. He certainly could have allowed Hal to lead, since he would have known the easiest way there, but his desire to be the first one there went beyond his need for the most direct route.

His boots slid on the grass ever so slightly as he skidded to a halt, gaze scanning the area for any sign of his sword. Everything appeared just as it had that morning, minus the little girl and all the spinning in his head. The well was just as worn and faded, the leaves still spotted with dew as if the day had yet to touch here with warmth. Even the morning cool seemed trapped between the emerald leaves of the plants he failed to recognize. Still, that glint of gold he was searching for eluded him. Nowhere in the clearing was there a sword to be seen, not even a scabbard.

He almost left, almost gave up, when he saw it: a tiny shine of something just inside the walls of the well. His heart almost skipped a beat in that moment. In two strides he was over there, on his knees, arm thrust deep into the well and fumbling around. His hand brushed metal, and he snatched at it and pulled. He fell back on the grass, sword in hand, a look of elation on his face.

That expression soon faded, though, as he remembered. Not just how he had almost lost Excalibur, not the day, not even how he had come to be here, but everything. He remembered his wife's face as she rode away, the look of sorrow as well as joy on the face of his most trusted knight, the sound of people calling for revenge, for war! He could see the battle, oh that horrid day, the child stow-away he had sent home that very morning. He heard the clang of steel on steel, and felt the pain of a mortal wound.

Why, oh, why did these thing come to him now? Perhaps this was the Lady's idea of mercy, taking his memories and making him think he had lost the blade she had bestowed upon him as well. Not like any of that mattered now. Right now he, King Arthur, a man now reduced to tears, had remembered his own death.

In that same instant, a tiny blue reptile appeared on Arthur's shoulder, its minute weight imperceptible to its perch. The almost clear blue liquid leaking down its face almost matched the tears of the king, and it bore a look of sorrow as well. The blue of its scales shone iridescent in the muted sunlight, a glimmer that changed whenever the creature shifted slightly to maintain balance on such an unsteady surface.

It hunched over, heart shaped face pressed close to the king's hair, tail drooping down. It seemed like a dog coming to comfort his distressed master.

[Freezair]

"Yes," Halvard began to explain. He started as Arthur rooted around for his sword. Given the distraction in the man's face, Hal couldn't be sure if Arthur even got half of what he was saying, but he tried anyway. "It's not the only well of course, but it's definitely the well. The Wishing Well... The powers bestowed upon it are unlike anything anywhere else in the world. Quite literally, it makes dreams come true. ...You may think this is just some foolish mysticism, but believe me. There was a species of creature, the Palmie, completely unknown to these lands until someone made a wish for their existence in this well. I think someone wished for you to be here... Though whom, and for what purpose, I could not say."

Hal waited patiently while the man looked for his sword. He made a cursory glance around the surroundings, but, he admitted, he didn't know exactly what this sword looked like. The man found it, though. And as he took it into his hands, Hal noticed a change. A small blue shape appeared on his shoulder... One with a heart-shaped head. Hal frowned.

"I... I'm sorry," Hal said. "I don't know what happened to you, but... I feel for you. ...I do hope you have Bleeders where you're from, or else I may have to explain even more to you about this world..."

[Azura Rayume]

Arthur heard what Hal said, every bit of it. So someone had wished him here, whether for benevolent means or no. Why someone would bother to do that he had no clue. No one here could have known of his... his... Oh, it was difficult for him to even connect the word "death" with himself. He understood now... Well, sort of. Obviously this well had done some magical things in the past, so he could easily believe it had done so again, no matter how long it had taken a break from such activities.

The main thing that caught his attention was the mention of something called a "Bleeder." He had no idea what that might be, but it didn't sound very pleasant. He pressed the back of his hand to his eyes, then glanced back to Hal, catching a glimpse of something blue so close to his ear.

"I'm only going to assume that that's a Bleeder," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking, "but, no, I have never seen such a thing before. I'm afraid you must tell me a bit more, if you don't mind."

[Freezair]

Hal sighed. "Many people do react with shock upon seeing a Bleeder on their shoulder, but never quite like that. You really are from another world."

Hal knelt on the grass and made himself comfortable. He scratched his bristly chin, looking for the right words. Especially the right warnings. He knew very well that most Bleeders were utterly harmless, but only if unprovoked. And mightn't an off-worlder be most likely to provoke one? How should he go about that without inducing panic? But after mulling it all over, he simply began, hoping the words would just come to him.

"Bleeders are... what's a good way to put this...? They're the manifestations of... an emptiness in you're heart, I guess I would say. Has someone betrayed your friendship? Have you lost someone dear to you? Unrequited love? That's basically what Bleeders are--little spirits of that hurt and loneliness. They tend to hang around on the people who, er, 'create' them. They do drip a little," Hal said, indicating the cracks in the Bleeder's thick, flat, heart-shaped head. "Oh--but they're mostly harmless! Just... don't try to shoo it off. If you attempt to harm them, they do bite, and they have nasty teeth. But... if you can learn to live with them, they're nonthreatening, I assure you."

Hal would know, but--no. That time was past. He wasn't going to think about it. And since reuniting with Miss Kaiben, that spirit had entirely vanished. He wasn't about to bring it back.

"That one you've got there; they're even considered... somewhat pleasant," Hal chuckled weakly. "They can make lovely colors in the sky. It's very heartening and hopeful, despite what they represent, I think."

[Azura Rayume]

Arthur listened in silence, now unsurprised that the thing would appear. As far as he could tell, he fit all the categories mentioned for the creation of such a creature. Betrayed friendship and lost love, he couldn't blame the thing for existing if those were the requirements.

He pushed a finger up to the reptile's legs. It stepped up to the perch provided, claws wrapped like a bird's. He brought the beast around to his face to get a better look at it, and it simply blinked at him as he did so, dripping that clear-ish liquid to the ground all the while. It was a pretty thing, really, for something meant to represent such pain. And so much blue... It reminded the king of his tabard...

"You look so much like him, you know, he muttered to the beast, which nodded in response. "I think you should be called Lancelot for that and because you wouldn't exist except for him."

[Freezair]

Arthur changed his tone so quickly, it made Hal suspicious again. From shock to acceptance, like that? Given how upset he'd been, wandering around? Surely, that was off? ...But, Hal privately mulled, perhaps it simply had been that bad. He didn't know this man's history. Perhaps, if it was such that he was so willing to accept that Bleeder, it wasn't something for him to know.

"...I'm glad to see you can accept it," Hal sighed. "It's not my place to pry, but I hope that Bleeder does not give you undue trouble. It's a good world, this one we live in, but it definitely has its... quirks. Some people have been known to befriend their Bleeders to the point where another one pops up when they lose the first one, for it's still quite a loss to them!"

But though he'd said he wouldn't pry, Hal couldn't help perking up his ears. "...Lancelot...?"

[Azura Rayume]

Lancelot skittered up Arthur's arm back to his shoulder perch. The creature blinked at Hal for a moment as if to convey his understanding through a look. He stared a moment longer, then curled up beside his master's ear in a contented manner.

Arthur glanced back to Halvard, a trace of a smile on his face. "Yes, Lancelot," he said quietly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to explain, but there was always the possibility that it might help. Just a bit. "I loved him like a father loves his son, but he fell for my wife. There was a battle, and I... I..." Oh, here came the tears again, ever so faintly. His grip tightened on the hilt of Excalibur as if to find some anchor through the blade. "I died. But someone, something, brought me here, took away what I remembered of that day. I was saved from death somehow."

There was only one thing that didn't make much sense now. He remembered what the Lady had told him, should he ever fall. He should have gone to Avalon to be healed if mortally wounded so he would be able to help his kingdom in its time of greatest need, and yet this place looked nothing like what she had described. "What is the name of this world, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Freezair]

A double blow, then. A loved one lost to a dear friend--Hal couldn't write a more perfect origin for a Bleeder if he'd tried. Oh, he was certain one of Aisling's romance authors had written one--one of those publishing imprints she liked did a whole range of "Bleeder Stories," right alongside "Vampires," "Millionaires," and whatever a "Secret Baby" was supposed to be. "Well... So long as you can acknowledge the wound," Hal said. "Some try to hide or disguise their Bleeders or do them harm. As I mentioned, not wise. They can and do bite if need be, though the wounds are always... always deeper emotionally."

Hal looked off for a second, momentarily mesmerized by a Tali happily strolling along the hill. No, focus. He snapped back to Arthur. "Hmm? Well, coming back from death... that can happen. Did you, perhaps, see a creature known as a Placid Paragon? They're long and lizardy, with large, kind eyes, small, man-sized bodies, and soft spines like hair at the backs of their skulls. They're known to have the gift of resurrection, and perhaps one helped you out of kindness...? It's quite possible."

Ah, but names. Names were a thing indeed. "This land...? Why, Evelon, of course. And I am Halvard."

[Azura Rayume]

Evelon? Arthur laughed, a slight chuckle at first that grew into a full-fledged fit of laughter. It certainly seemed quite logical now and quite hysterical as well. The shaking of his shoulders nearly dislodged Lancelot, who dug his tiny claws into the ridges of the shoulder plate he had almost fallen asleep on. The reptile chittered quietly in a small fit of anger but was quite ignored. With a huff, he set his head back down but kept his eyes open just in case his perch underwent another earthquake.

"Evelon? Are you sure?" he managed to ask between giggles. That might have seemed like an odd question to poor Halvard, but he needed to know that he was correct in his assumption. And, if he was correct... Well, he supposed that would prove that even the powers that be were not infallible. Ah, what a mix-up this would be if he were proven right! Avalon and Evelon... Who would have thought that such a thing could happen?