It was a midsummer night.
Stars dotted the sky, and the river of stars rose like egrets taking flight.
In the courtyard, a tall bonfire burned on the grass.
King Uther held his beloved youngest daughter and looked at the two men before him.
One was his closest brother-in-arms, whom he could trust with his life; the other was a powerful traveling mage of mysterious origins.
After rounds of drinking and exchanging toasts, the adorable little blonde girl had fallen sound asleep in her father's arms.
And Uther finally spoke, revealing why he had summoned them to the inner court.
"Ector, my closest brother, Mage Merlin, my respected scholar!"
"I invited you here because there is something I must ask your help with!"
King Uther straightened his back and, holding his daughter, bowed his head slightly as he spoke in a pleading tone.
Startled, Ector hurriedly stood up.
"Your Majesty, there is nothing you could ask that I would refuse. Please speak freely."
Ector had been Uther's brother-in-arms and dearest friend for decades, and their lineages had been on friendly terms for generations.
Meanwhile, the mage Merlin watched the scene with a smile on his lips. He naturally knew what this "something" was.
He, too, stood up and bowed slightly.
"I, too, shall follow Your Majesty's wishes!"
Looking at the little blonde girl in King Uther's arms, he no longer felt any of the astonishment he had experienced upon first arriving in this era.
If I can accept King Arthur being a girl, why couldn't I help raise a child?
He said to himself inwardly.
Seeing the two men make their positions clear, King Uther's expression relaxed.
"Thank you both. In truth, as you know, the Red Dragon King Angsaisis is about to return in force, and this time he