Kiersten White

The gripping conclusion to the acclaimed Arthurian fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White finds Guinevere questioning everything—friends and enemies, good and evil, and, most of all, herself. While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her. Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war. Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past...even if it means destroying herself. Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?

The Excalibur Curse

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"You should fight her with me," Fina said. 

Mordred shrugged. "Family is complicated."

"You are complicated!" Guinevere snapped. 

Mordred nodded. "I wish I could be Arthur for you. I really do. Walk in the sunlight, cut through the world with a sword of justice and absolute surety. But I am the night. My eyes have always been open to the darkness, and there are so many shades once you get used to the dark. So many subtleties. I cannot unsee them, or unfeel them."

"I could never hold his attention for more than a moment."

"I am sorry," Guinevere said through chattering teeth.

"We come to them with human hearts and emotions, and they break us, not because they are cruel but because they cannot meet us on that level. They do not exist here. Any parent soaked in the old world of magic is the same. My mother was poisoned by it, made new by what she took from it, both bigger and somehow smaller. It even poisoned Arthur the same way. They are all embroidered in things larger and deepee and older than themselves, and they cannot see anything small anymore. They cannot care about us. I spent so long thinking it was myself who was unlovable, who had not done enough yet to deserve their love. But it has nothing to do with me."

"Like my mother. When they look at us, they see plots and pawns and weapons. How could anyone who looks at you and sees only what you can do for them ever tell you who you are?" 

"If she is your mother, then I am glad she had a hand in creating you, and that brief gratitude is all we ever owe her. You do not owe her loyalty, just as you owe Merlin nothing, just as I owe my mother and my grandmother and the whole damned lot of them nothing." His voice became harsh. "We may have come from them, but we are not like them. You are not like them. That is why you are so unhappy, so lost. You are trying to be one of them, trying to offer your life on the altar of sacrifice to Merlin as Arthur has, trying to move through the world like an ancient power, unseeing and caring for nothing but your goals. You cannot helo but care. You see people for what they are: tragic, wonderful, devastating individuals. Each with their small worth and potential for good and evil."

Her heart seized. She should not be imagining Camelot at all. She was letting herself be drawn into decisions that were not hers to make, battles that were not hers to wage. She could not go back to Camelot. Not ever. She had to do right by the real Guinevere. 

Brangien and Isolde would have to mourn Sir Tristan's absence along with Guinevere's. She was certain they would be kind to the real Guinevere, but it would not be the same for them. And whe would look after Fina? She would need a friend and ally in Camelot. Guinevere would make sure Lily, Brangien, and Dindrane stepped up to the task. Though she could not imagine Dindrane and Fina getting along. 

She wished she could watch them try, though. Doubtless it would be hilarious. And she wished she could watch Fina's trials, see he knighted alongside Lancelot. She wished so many things. Knowing what she knew now, she almost regretted her decision to seal the city and then walk away from it. If she had known those would be her last moments there, she would have done things differently. Said better goodbyes.

Arthur scooted closer and brushed away a tear. "Why are you crying?"

"Is not here and I have never known her. I do know the Lady of the Lake, and -" 

"And you do not want to lose her? Is that it? The Lady of the Lake crashed over that scared girl like a wave, erasing everything they both were. I drowned with her. Your beloved Lady drowned her, and still you do not want to give her up?" 

"I did not love her that way. I knew nothing of this plan. If Merlin had asked, I would have told him not to do it." 

"Then why are you angry with me for wanting to undo it?" 

Arthur rubbed his forehead as though he could push into his mind and find the right words. "I am angry because I am here due to Merlin's magic, too. I have worked hard my whole life to make certain my place on this earth us worth what it cost. Meanwhile, you want to tear yourself out of existence for a princess none of us knows. You, who became queen because you were needed, who figured out how to protect all of Camelot in my absence." Arthur pressed her hands to his heart. "I need you. And I am sorry for the way you were created, but I am not sorry you are here. You deserve to be here." 

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