Merlin ficathon entry: "In Orbits"
working Title: In Orbits.
Proof-reading & Title Art: Babnol
Author: Keenir
Characters: Nimue, Uther, Arthur, the Dragon, Gaius.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine!
…but if you’d like to set a fic in this universe, you’re welcome to.
Rating/Category: PG-13 ?
Written for the Ladies of Camelot AU fic Challenge lj comm..’s Merlin ficathon.
(that was the contest itself; this is the comm itself)
My prompt was Mild AU: Uther/Nimue. Nimue is Arthur’s mother.
(note: since that is my canon anyway for this show, I interpretted the AU)
Spoilers: 1.01-1.07
Summary: Just as the Earth goes around its planet which goes around the sun, Nimue is both removed from and in orbit around Uther….a relationship which is brought back when things begin going terribly wrong again.
Notes/Warnings: This is an AU. Picture it this way: there are only three things in our solar system: the Sun, Jupiter, and the Earth - in that order, each revolving around the object named before it was. No other planets, no asteroids….not a single thing in the night sky, other than the unmoving stars.
Imagine how different that would be. That is where this story takes place.
Fic Disclaimer: yes, I did all that to rationalize away the dragons and the magic? While I normally go for historical accuracy, in this instance, I just had fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nimue is old. For this story to make sense, you must not abandon that fact: Nimue is old.
There are no dragons younger than her, nor will there ever be. The age of dragons, basilisks, and other fantastic beasts - all of that is in the past, never to emerge again…the few survivors we see in our day, they are remnants, the last glowing embers of what once had been a glorious burning fire.
Nimue has been around long enough to have seen the brilliance of the sun obscuring the pale disk that is Jove, seen hundreds of the rare eclipses covering the sun - and oh how the populace ever-predictably panicked, every time.
But here and now, Nimue shivered as the wind whipped around her. Clearly it was that time once more, which did not bode well. This wind was a harbinger.
Nimue knew that what followed the wind would be worse than things she could conjure alone. So she watched the swift retreat of the deer she had strapped a message to.
The portents did not auger well, and the options were too far too few.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uther, my King, my Lord, my Sun.
The time is upon us. I know not to ask for the dragon I helped capture. We have few alternatives left to us. Time runs short before lapse’s arrival, thus if you wish to confer, best to do so as promptly as possible.
Name The Place.
Nimue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under the castle upon which the realm of Camelot was centered, the last of the great dragons - the last Dragon at all - could feel the change in the air. Even down here, the air was detectably different.
Not delectably different, though. No, for no dragon has fond memories of the dawn of the draconic era.
“In the beginning,” this dragon recited, drawing strength from the memory of doing battle alongside his kind, “all was devoid of form, for all was chaos. Chaos gave way to the primal waters, the World Sea.
“In that sea, there was movement, call it life. That which moved through the World Sea thrived and made a vast empire in the ever-changing Sea.
“To entertain, That Which Moved created the dragons and sea serpents, made them fit only for the sluggish areas of air and sea.” Made the dragons and serpents capable of magic, which That Which Moved could not perform.
“They did not anticipate the revolt, dragons creating the land and calming the waters and stilling the air. That Which Moved lost. But the realm which had birthed That Which Moved still existed, and not even the combined force of will of all the dragons and all the other created things, not even that could change the nature of the universe one iota.” The dragon knew that a human would find the tale horribly depressing; the dragon knew that this tale was The Truth, and was worth preserving for that very reason.
“Existance became a constant battle to keep the world from sliding back to how it had been. None of the created things wanted it like that again - it was the one point all could agree upon, then and for always. All used their magic and their power and their force to hold things steady.” The magic of the dragons enveloped the world, thicker in some places and thinner in others, a constant state of flux that the dragons kept active - in part, by their continued existence.
“Together they expanded the land, shaped it, made things to crawl upon the land and weak-winged things to move through the tepid air and paper-fragile things to swim through the placid seas. Among the things made were humans.
“Humans began to push away at the dragons,” and the chains’ weight reminded him of that with no hesitation, “and lapse began to appear. It was periodic episodes wherein the calm and cool world began to return to the turbulent physics it had been during the early days of the dragons’ existence.”
Straining only slightly against his chains, the dragon looked ceilingwards, and could see the colors of the rock start to run together into a slurry; it stayed put, but then, it was just an initial change.
In a speaking voice, “You wanted to get rid of magical creatures,” the dragon said to nobody, “that was your choice. You seek to rid the world of magic, and the world will seek to return to how it was before magic existed.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the deer arrived, it having successfully dodged and cleared above the guards and knights alike, it stopped and knelt before the High King.
Uther took the parchment from the message cylinder around the beast’s neck, reading it. “Leave me!” he commanded all his men. “Not you, Gaius,” and let his physician take the parchment from his hands once he had finished reading it. “Nimue.”
“Perhaps she is wrong, sire,” Gaius suggested. “The world has changed a great deal since the last lapse. Nimue may simply be engaged in wishful thinking,” though ‘wishful’ was not a good word to use in relation to a lapse.
Seriousness and a trickle of amusement coexisted in Uther’s voice as he said, “I’ve never known you to underestimate her, Gaius.” All amusement was replaced by regret and sorrow in, “When the last lapse took place, it was I who was turning the evidence for a sight of the better angels of Nimue’s nature.” And found I loved her.
“Now is not then, sire. We cannot allow her back within -”
“She has kept her side of the agreement, old friend,” Uther said. “She has not bodily egressed against Camelot’s interests The anfanc and the sickness did not require proximity, you agree?” And, ultimately, both advanced the interests of Camelot.
“I do,” Gaius said, a bad feeling as to where this discussion was going. “Though she tried to kill your son.”
“Nimue would not,” Uther said. “Though in deference to you, Gaius, I shall broach the issue.”
It was as good as he was going to get, Gaius knew. “Thank you, sire. And where shall this meeting be taking place?”
“Here. In my throne room. Just the three of us.”
“Three?”
“Yes. You shall be present as well.”
Of course. “I shall do what I can.”
* * *
Uther watched Nimue’s stride through the throne room, the casual regalness she bore without realizing it; he knew he’d missed that about her.
He didn’t miss the fact that she never aged.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Lord,” Nimue said, using Old English’s third form - not Masculine or Feminine, but Master - to address him. “It does make my heart pleased that you allow me proximity to your Grandeur.”
“You orbit well, Nimue,” Uther replied, knowing that they both were making references to old poetry that spoke of eternal orbits of celestial bodies. “I am pleased you are back.”
Nimue smiled. “If your Majesty wishes it, I may stay.”
Rather than open up that shapely can of worms, Uther said, “It has been suggested quite strongly, that you staged an attempt on the life of Arthur Pendragon of Camelot.”
Nimue looked at Gaius, who met her gaze evenly. She then returned her attention to Uther. “As I vowed years ago, my King,” Nimue said, “I would never bring Arthur to harm. I myself informed him when he came to visit me, that it was not his destiny to die by my hand.
“There were spiders, yes, and a pit. But you know me well enough, my Lord - and Gaius - to know that everything in my home is an extension of my will.”
“Nonetheless,” Gaius said, “he could have died.”
Only through Arthur’s interaction with the magic that invaded my own home. “Not by my hand, and I would not have allowed another to end Arthur where I have absolute sway.
“But you, Gaius, you have two users of magic here in Camelot - and I exclude myself from that number.”
Merlin, Gaius knew. “And who might they be?”
Nimue shrugged, an uncommon gesture for her. “I do not know their names. I know only that one of them will doom Camelot, while the other saves Camelot - and it is not yet certain which will fufil which outcome.”
“Destiny?” Gaius asked.
“In the sense that both of their fates are locked into an either-or, then yes.” To Uther, “No action is needed against either of them, my Lord my King. They will be revealed in time.”
“I see,” Uther said uneasily - it was magic, nonetheless. But if both Nimue and Gaius were in agreement, then he could stay his hand - Those two were so very rarely in agreement that it marked a great thing indeed. “Thank you, Gaius, you may go now.”
“My King,” Gaius said, and departed.
“What can one say?” Nimue asked Uther. “Time passes and the heart wants. Yet promises are kept regardless.”
“For which you have our thanks,” Uther said, heartfelt. “While duty and the law stayed my own hand from reaching for yours.”
Stepping closer to him, leaving only a few meters between them, Nimue let their shadows overlap. “My intact neck and my still-beating heart are not alone in thanking your forebearance, my King, my heart.”
“Enjoyable as this is, we both know it is not your reason for asking to come to Camelot,” Uther said.
“It would be a benefit. But yes, there is another matter.”
“Lapse,” Uther said with clear distaste. The last one had scarred his face and killed half the horses in the realm.
“Yes. The time is upon us again, Uther,” Nimue said. “And for the same reason.”
“I will not release the dragon, wife.”
Nimue nodded acknowledgement. “I would not ask it, husband. There are other options. One, that is.”
“Arthur,” Uther said.
“No. Our son would be of negative use on a task such as this.”
“He is our son, in equal measure.”
“Of that, there can be no doubt. But his capabilities are vital to Camelot.”
“Because I refused to permit you to do to me what you did to yourself?” Lasting youth. Were I to have accepted, my kingship over Camelot could have endured for centuries at the least.
“Yes; your decision, though it could have been easily repudiated, has remained in effect, steadfast.”
“As it should be,” Uther said without rancor or hostility.
“As you wish it,” Nimue replied kindly.
They shared a moment before Uther said, “If not Arthur, who does a task of this stature fall to?”
“Morgana.”
“No.”
“There are not other candidates.”
“I gave my word to her father.”
“Oaths and vows are never taken lightly by either of us,” setting her hand on his chest. “But consider what you know will happen if you do not send her off. Would not that too qualify as a violation of your oath?”
As Uther considered that, the doors to the throne room opened - “Father, I -” Arthur started to say as he walked in. As soon as he saw Nimue, he drew his sword. “Unhand him!” Arthur commanded.
Nimue smiled. “Arthur.”
“Did you hear me, witch?”
“Quite well in fact.”
“Then obey -”
“Or taste your steel?” Nimue guessed. “Your performance against the basilisk is proof enough that your bladework is not equal to your father’s when he was your age.”
“Then let him get a sword, so he might behead you,” Arthur said.
Under her breath to Uther, “Clearly we’re spoiling him.” Nimue took a step back, holding out her hands, palms up. “Anais -” and Arthur’s sword was abruptly flat atop her hands. “My King,” Nimue said to Uther, “that should not have been so easy.”
“Not even for one such as you?” Uther inquired.
“Not even I,” she confirmed. “At the least, more words should have been needed.”
“So our straits are indeed desperate.”
“As I have said.”
“So you have. I have need to talk with Arthur a moment; then we may proceed.”
Nimue nodded, then curtseyed. On her way out, she patted Arthur’s scalp. “You’re a good boy.”
When she had left, doors closed behind her, “Uther said, “Your mother means well.”
* * half of an hour after that * *
Uther found Nimue in the sitting at the desk with the covered-over mirror in the Queen’s Chambers…where she had once slept. “I explained things to Arthur,” Uther said as he shut the door.
Looking over and rising to her feet, “I doubt he would have recovered so quickly,” Nimue said.
“Oh he’s still trying to deny it,” Uther said. “Now, you were saying about Morgana?”
Nimue nodded. “For ages, the dragons used magic to prevent the lapse. You and I, we used magic and non-magic to prevent it’s occurrence. We weaned the world, and now Morgana must use non-magic to finish it off.”
“The final lapse," Uther asked.
“In our lifetime, yes.” While foresight qualifies as magic, it is a tool, not a weapon. So in that sense I did not lie. “If she has no suitors, send her confidante with her.”
“The blacksmith’s daughter. Yes.”
Pleased that the discussion was complete - as all the portents and signs had pointed to Morgana and Gwenevere being the ones to end this lapse…but this was not the final lapse at all - Nimue asked, as demurely as was possible for her, “If that is all, what then?” having never been any good at batting her lashes.
Smiling, knowing what was on both their minds, Uther said, “Surprise me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Success Is Never Final.”
.-Winston Churchill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Proof-reading & Title Art: Babnol
Author: Keenir
Characters: Nimue, Uther, Arthur, the Dragon, Gaius.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine!
…but if you’d like to set a fic in this universe, you’re welcome to.
Rating/Category: PG-13 ?
Written for the Ladies of Camelot AU fic Challenge lj comm..’s Merlin ficathon.
(that was the contest itself; this is the comm itself)
My prompt was Mild AU: Uther/Nimue. Nimue is Arthur’s mother.
(note: since that is my canon anyway for this show, I interpretted the AU)
Spoilers: 1.01-1.07
Summary: Just as the Earth goes around its planet which goes around the sun, Nimue is both removed from and in orbit around Uther….a relationship which is brought back when things begin going terribly wrong again.
Notes/Warnings: This is an AU. Picture it this way: there are only three things in our solar system: the Sun, Jupiter, and the Earth - in that order, each revolving around the object named before it was. No other planets, no asteroids….not a single thing in the night sky, other than the unmoving stars.
Imagine how different that would be. That is where this story takes place.
Fic Disclaimer: yes, I did all that to rationalize away the dragons and the magic? While I normally go for historical accuracy, in this instance, I just had fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nimue is old. For this story to make sense, you must not abandon that fact: Nimue is old.
There are no dragons younger than her, nor will there ever be. The age of dragons, basilisks, and other fantastic beasts - all of that is in the past, never to emerge again…the few survivors we see in our day, they are remnants, the last glowing embers of what once had been a glorious burning fire.
Nimue has been around long enough to have seen the brilliance of the sun obscuring the pale disk that is Jove, seen hundreds of the rare eclipses covering the sun - and oh how the populace ever-predictably panicked, every time.
But here and now, Nimue shivered as the wind whipped around her. Clearly it was that time once more, which did not bode well. This wind was a harbinger.
Nimue knew that what followed the wind would be worse than things she could conjure alone. So she watched the swift retreat of the deer she had strapped a message to.
The portents did not auger well, and the options were too far too few.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uther, my King, my Lord, my Sun.
The time is upon us. I know not to ask for the dragon I helped capture. We have few alternatives left to us. Time runs short before lapse’s arrival, thus if you wish to confer, best to do so as promptly as possible.
Name The Place.
Nimue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under the castle upon which the realm of Camelot was centered, the last of the great dragons - the last Dragon at all - could feel the change in the air. Even down here, the air was detectably different.
Not delectably different, though. No, for no dragon has fond memories of the dawn of the draconic era.
“In the beginning,” this dragon recited, drawing strength from the memory of doing battle alongside his kind, “all was devoid of form, for all was chaos. Chaos gave way to the primal waters, the World Sea.
“In that sea, there was movement, call it life. That which moved through the World Sea thrived and made a vast empire in the ever-changing Sea.
“To entertain, That Which Moved created the dragons and sea serpents, made them fit only for the sluggish areas of air and sea.” Made the dragons and serpents capable of magic, which That Which Moved could not perform.
“They did not anticipate the revolt, dragons creating the land and calming the waters and stilling the air. That Which Moved lost. But the realm which had birthed That Which Moved still existed, and not even the combined force of will of all the dragons and all the other created things, not even that could change the nature of the universe one iota.” The dragon knew that a human would find the tale horribly depressing; the dragon knew that this tale was The Truth, and was worth preserving for that very reason.
“Existance became a constant battle to keep the world from sliding back to how it had been. None of the created things wanted it like that again - it was the one point all could agree upon, then and for always. All used their magic and their power and their force to hold things steady.” The magic of the dragons enveloped the world, thicker in some places and thinner in others, a constant state of flux that the dragons kept active - in part, by their continued existence.
“Together they expanded the land, shaped it, made things to crawl upon the land and weak-winged things to move through the tepid air and paper-fragile things to swim through the placid seas. Among the things made were humans.
“Humans began to push away at the dragons,” and the chains’ weight reminded him of that with no hesitation, “and lapse began to appear. It was periodic episodes wherein the calm and cool world began to return to the turbulent physics it had been during the early days of the dragons’ existence.”
Straining only slightly against his chains, the dragon looked ceilingwards, and could see the colors of the rock start to run together into a slurry; it stayed put, but then, it was just an initial change.
In a speaking voice, “You wanted to get rid of magical creatures,” the dragon said to nobody, “that was your choice. You seek to rid the world of magic, and the world will seek to return to how it was before magic existed.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the deer arrived, it having successfully dodged and cleared above the guards and knights alike, it stopped and knelt before the High King.
Uther took the parchment from the message cylinder around the beast’s neck, reading it. “Leave me!” he commanded all his men. “Not you, Gaius,” and let his physician take the parchment from his hands once he had finished reading it. “Nimue.”
“Perhaps she is wrong, sire,” Gaius suggested. “The world has changed a great deal since the last lapse. Nimue may simply be engaged in wishful thinking,” though ‘wishful’ was not a good word to use in relation to a lapse.
Seriousness and a trickle of amusement coexisted in Uther’s voice as he said, “I’ve never known you to underestimate her, Gaius.” All amusement was replaced by regret and sorrow in, “When the last lapse took place, it was I who was turning the evidence for a sight of the better angels of Nimue’s nature.” And found I loved her.
“Now is not then, sire. We cannot allow her back within -”
“She has kept her side of the agreement, old friend,” Uther said. “She has not bodily egressed against Camelot’s interests The anfanc and the sickness did not require proximity, you agree?” And, ultimately, both advanced the interests of Camelot.
“I do,” Gaius said, a bad feeling as to where this discussion was going. “Though she tried to kill your son.”
“Nimue would not,” Uther said. “Though in deference to you, Gaius, I shall broach the issue.”
It was as good as he was going to get, Gaius knew. “Thank you, sire. And where shall this meeting be taking place?”
“Here. In my throne room. Just the three of us.”
“Three?”
“Yes. You shall be present as well.”
Of course. “I shall do what I can.”
* * *
Uther watched Nimue’s stride through the throne room, the casual regalness she bore without realizing it; he knew he’d missed that about her.
He didn’t miss the fact that she never aged.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Lord,” Nimue said, using Old English’s third form - not Masculine or Feminine, but Master - to address him. “It does make my heart pleased that you allow me proximity to your Grandeur.”
“You orbit well, Nimue,” Uther replied, knowing that they both were making references to old poetry that spoke of eternal orbits of celestial bodies. “I am pleased you are back.”
Nimue smiled. “If your Majesty wishes it, I may stay.”
Rather than open up that shapely can of worms, Uther said, “It has been suggested quite strongly, that you staged an attempt on the life of Arthur Pendragon of Camelot.”
Nimue looked at Gaius, who met her gaze evenly. She then returned her attention to Uther. “As I vowed years ago, my King,” Nimue said, “I would never bring Arthur to harm. I myself informed him when he came to visit me, that it was not his destiny to die by my hand.
“There were spiders, yes, and a pit. But you know me well enough, my Lord - and Gaius - to know that everything in my home is an extension of my will.”
“Nonetheless,” Gaius said, “he could have died.”
Only through Arthur’s interaction with the magic that invaded my own home. “Not by my hand, and I would not have allowed another to end Arthur where I have absolute sway.
“But you, Gaius, you have two users of magic here in Camelot - and I exclude myself from that number.”
Merlin, Gaius knew. “And who might they be?”
Nimue shrugged, an uncommon gesture for her. “I do not know their names. I know only that one of them will doom Camelot, while the other saves Camelot - and it is not yet certain which will fufil which outcome.”
“Destiny?” Gaius asked.
“In the sense that both of their fates are locked into an either-or, then yes.” To Uther, “No action is needed against either of them, my Lord my King. They will be revealed in time.”
“I see,” Uther said uneasily - it was magic, nonetheless. But if both Nimue and Gaius were in agreement, then he could stay his hand - Those two were so very rarely in agreement that it marked a great thing indeed. “Thank you, Gaius, you may go now.”
“My King,” Gaius said, and departed.
“What can one say?” Nimue asked Uther. “Time passes and the heart wants. Yet promises are kept regardless.”
“For which you have our thanks,” Uther said, heartfelt. “While duty and the law stayed my own hand from reaching for yours.”
Stepping closer to him, leaving only a few meters between them, Nimue let their shadows overlap. “My intact neck and my still-beating heart are not alone in thanking your forebearance, my King, my heart.”
“Enjoyable as this is, we both know it is not your reason for asking to come to Camelot,” Uther said.
“It would be a benefit. But yes, there is another matter.”
“Lapse,” Uther said with clear distaste. The last one had scarred his face and killed half the horses in the realm.
“Yes. The time is upon us again, Uther,” Nimue said. “And for the same reason.”
“I will not release the dragon, wife.”
Nimue nodded acknowledgement. “I would not ask it, husband. There are other options. One, that is.”
“Arthur,” Uther said.
“No. Our son would be of negative use on a task such as this.”
“He is our son, in equal measure.”
“Of that, there can be no doubt. But his capabilities are vital to Camelot.”
“Because I refused to permit you to do to me what you did to yourself?” Lasting youth. Were I to have accepted, my kingship over Camelot could have endured for centuries at the least.
“Yes; your decision, though it could have been easily repudiated, has remained in effect, steadfast.”
“As it should be,” Uther said without rancor or hostility.
“As you wish it,” Nimue replied kindly.
They shared a moment before Uther said, “If not Arthur, who does a task of this stature fall to?”
“Morgana.”
“No.”
“There are not other candidates.”
“I gave my word to her father.”
“Oaths and vows are never taken lightly by either of us,” setting her hand on his chest. “But consider what you know will happen if you do not send her off. Would not that too qualify as a violation of your oath?”
As Uther considered that, the doors to the throne room opened - “Father, I -” Arthur started to say as he walked in. As soon as he saw Nimue, he drew his sword. “Unhand him!” Arthur commanded.
Nimue smiled. “Arthur.”
“Did you hear me, witch?”
“Quite well in fact.”
“Then obey -”
“Or taste your steel?” Nimue guessed. “Your performance against the basilisk is proof enough that your bladework is not equal to your father’s when he was your age.”
“Then let him get a sword, so he might behead you,” Arthur said.
Under her breath to Uther, “Clearly we’re spoiling him.” Nimue took a step back, holding out her hands, palms up. “Anais -” and Arthur’s sword was abruptly flat atop her hands. “My King,” Nimue said to Uther, “that should not have been so easy.”
“Not even for one such as you?” Uther inquired.
“Not even I,” she confirmed. “At the least, more words should have been needed.”
“So our straits are indeed desperate.”
“As I have said.”
“So you have. I have need to talk with Arthur a moment; then we may proceed.”
Nimue nodded, then curtseyed. On her way out, she patted Arthur’s scalp. “You’re a good boy.”
When she had left, doors closed behind her, “Uther said, “Your mother means well.”
* * half of an hour after that * *
Uther found Nimue in the sitting at the desk with the covered-over mirror in the Queen’s Chambers…where she had once slept. “I explained things to Arthur,” Uther said as he shut the door.
Looking over and rising to her feet, “I doubt he would have recovered so quickly,” Nimue said.
“Oh he’s still trying to deny it,” Uther said. “Now, you were saying about Morgana?”
Nimue nodded. “For ages, the dragons used magic to prevent the lapse. You and I, we used magic and non-magic to prevent it’s occurrence. We weaned the world, and now Morgana must use non-magic to finish it off.”
“The final lapse," Uther asked.
“In our lifetime, yes.” While foresight qualifies as magic, it is a tool, not a weapon. So in that sense I did not lie. “If she has no suitors, send her confidante with her.”
“The blacksmith’s daughter. Yes.”
Pleased that the discussion was complete - as all the portents and signs had pointed to Morgana and Gwenevere being the ones to end this lapse…but this was not the final lapse at all - Nimue asked, as demurely as was possible for her, “If that is all, what then?” having never been any good at batting her lashes.
Smiling, knowing what was on both their minds, Uther said, “Surprise me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Success Is Never Final.”
.-Winston Churchill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End