If inanimate objects in Arthur’s dream world look shiny and unreal, the Shadow King’s crown feels like a beacon of reality—dented and dinged, streaked with dirt. Its claw shape, the color, the way that light seems to be absorbed into the metal rather than reflected.

“And what did you wish to show me?” the dream Arthur asks.

I consider not for the first time what makes this interaction between Arthur and his half sister a dream and not a memory. Sometimes, our dreams are memories revisited, sure, but other times, dreams depart from what was, and become something else.

I wonder if the easygoing, open nature of Morgaine is the quality of this vision that makes it a fiction. How much she shares with her brother, and how proud she is of her apprenticeship. The girl I saw in Arthur’s banquet memory was far more nervous and withdrawn. An object for him to protect and care for, not an advisor or a confidante to share secrets with.

Morgaine circles the crown. “Do you see the way it seems to have grown dim since you took it from the Shadow King?”

Arthur steps closer, and I join him. “Yes,” he says. “Is it dust?”

She shakes her head. “I have a theory.”

“Do share.”

She preens at his attention. “I think that this crown is not unlike your Caledfwlch.” Morgaine draws closer, inspecting the crown as she speaks. “Caledfwlch absorbs your power, but it’s also tied to you. Connected. That’s why no one else can wield it in battle but you. When it is away from you, it grows dim, too.”

A line appears between Arthur’s brows. “An aether weapon?”

Morgaine nods eagerly. “Yes. And since it is the Shadow King’s aether weapon, then he was not just bereft of his crown, but he has lost his ability to lead and fight. That is why he became weak and why he perished. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Arthur rubs at his beard. “Will this stop the war, forever?”

Morgaine sighs and leans down so that the crown is at her eye level. “I don’t know. The Court will be trapped on the other side, but as for the other Shadowborn? The chaos may make them stronger. That is why Merlin is working on the Spell of Eternity for you and the Table….” Her fingers hover over the barrier. “But what if there were a way to harness even the dying power of this crown, brother? Use it to our advantage?”

Arthur pulls his sister back gently by the shoulder. “Nothing good can come from playing with Shadowborn magic, Morgaine.”

She resists him for a moment before relenting. “You don’t know that.”

“What does Merlin say?”

She stands. “That he does not trust demonkind, and that he would know better than most why their magic cannot be trusted.”