35. Arthur
Chapter thirty-five
Arthur
Whatever comes next, we face together
O ur army waited along the outskirts of the mist, our gazes locked on the boats returning from Avalon and our weapons poised to strike. Morgana’s white dragon perched on the top of St. Michael’s Tower, its claws causing several stones to crumble beneath its might. It was clear she planned to let her army weaken us first, maybe even kill us and save her from the effort of doing so herself.
Gerry’s siblings were interspersed between us, their weapons glinting with a Hellish glow. Some chose to remain in their more feline forms while others chose to be humanoid.
I stood at the front of the line with, strangely, Gerry at my side. That wasn’t the strange part, though. For some reason, Gerry held no weapon, only a glass bowl his sister Jessica had brought from Hell with a small, reddish-gold fish in it. Gerry Jr. Jr. His betta.
From makeshift platforms, dozens of archers waited with bows, arrows nocked.
When the first boats were within range, the archers let loose their first volley.
Creatures and beings screamed as they were struck, some falling out of their boats and into the water. After the second round was loosed, Morgana’s army blocked most of the projectiles by raising shields, though several soldiers still perished in the water.
Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t hold back their impending attack much longer; their numbers were far too overwhelming.
Whispering at my side distracted me, and when I glanced over, I found Gerry speaking to his fish too low for me to hear. Then I watched in confusion as he dumped the fish into the shallow lake.
I didn’t understand why Gerry beamed at me, his eyes full of cruel amusement and pride.
But then I heard the screams.
Whipping forward, I watched as boat after boat capsized, dumping their riders into the water. Only, their screams didn’t stop. Not until something dragged them beneath the surface, leaving only crimson pools in their wake.
Gerry sighed happily. “He really is such a good pet. Too bad he doesn’t play well with other fish. It’s a territorial thing, you know?”
I gaped at the demon. “Your fish is doing that?”
He shrugged. “Well, duh. He’s not just any betta fish. He’s a hybrid; half-demon and half-betta.”
I... had no words.
But even with the aid of Gerry Jr. Jr., dozens of boats continued toward us, and I tightened my grip on Excalibur.
Off to my other side, Will murmured to his family, letting them in on his plan he’d concocted earlier. I wasn’t sure I cared for it, and the looks from the others showed they shared my thoughts. But the fear in their eyes when they realized Dorothy had been taken from under all our noses was haunting.
But we’d get her back. I’d make sure of it.
Jogging back over to Gerry and me, Will’s face was set in determination. The Treasure he held whined in his unforgiving fist. “Do you have it?” he asked Gerry, confusing me.
Gerry nodded, handing over something wrapped. “Be careful, Lord Will.”
He nodded, and I didn’t have time to ask him about the exchange before several little folk flew over our heads, moving for the archers. So instead, I pressed a hard kiss to his lips. “Don’t die.”
He grinned. “Ditto.”
I didn’t understand that word and he didn’t stop to explain, weaving through the crowd.
I didn’t get to watch his retreating figure long before the army was upon me.
Excalibur sang through the air, singing the song of war. Creatures and beings fell to its glowing blade, and each new kill left me moving quicker, swifter, harder.
Because I had made many mistakes, had lost much in my life, but I wouldn’t fail these people fighting at my side.
The beast inside me growled with determination as we swung Excalibur through enemy after enemy, urging me to release it upon these foes. And though I didn’t give into its demands, for some reason, I didn’t fear it would attack those on our side. That it wanted to protect us. Protect Will.
Gerry shifted into his large feline form and pounced on one enemy after another, not allowing Morgana’s soldiers to escape past us.
Otto arrived at our side, White-Hilt poised to attack as a giant, this one a female with sagging skin and rotting teeth, charged toward him.
The flaming blade seared into the giant’s thigh, and she yowled in pain and anger as she retreated several steps, knocking several little folk from the air.
Gerry didn’t even let them fall to the watery ground before he snatched them up in his sharp teeth.
Vincent held the Knife strong, dancing with two dwarves, both armed with battle axes of gleaming silver. But he was holding his own against them.
Nana Joanne’s hoots of victory sounded after each blast of her gun, though she remained hidden beneath my Mantle.
And Will...
Will stood off to the side of the battle. As I watched, the Halter glowed a brilliant gold before expanding to fit the towering shape now leashed within its confines.
Several people screeched in alarm, and some even fell over in fear as the red dragon turned its reptilian-like eyes toward them.
Silky scales in varying shades of burgundy to vermillion to almost pink lined the dragon’s skin, and as it growled, a plume of smoke rose into the air.
Will caught my eye and winked as he scaled the dragon’s back. He clutched the Halter tight in his fists, and the dragon’s wings spread wide, sweeping the grounds with a massive blast of air.
My heart thrummed at the sight of the leviathan, and I wondered how similar it was to the dragon-shaped comet my father had claimed to see.
People gave Will and the dragon a wide berth, and when I saw the dragon start forward with the clear intention of taking off toward the sky, I knew it was now or never.
“Do you have this?” I asked the others, catching Otto, Gerry, and Vincent’s eyes.
When they noticed me taking a single step toward Will, Vincent nodded approvingly. “Do what you need to do. We’ve got this here. Go save the rest of my family.”
I nodded at them before turning around and charging for the nearest platform. The archers atop it still shot arrow after arrow at the enemy’s forces, but I noticed they were running low on supplies.
The dragon’s wings caught the air, and it began a slow ascent toward the shadowed ceiling. When it neared my platform, I knew this was my moment.
Backing up as far as I could, I ran and leapt onto the beast’s tail.
My hands gripped the scales, but they were too sleek for me to gain purchase, and I started to fall...
But then Will was there, grabbing my wrist. His eyes glowed a brilliant, hypnotic blue, and warmth wrapped around me as he used his magic to lift me onto the dragon’s back.
He scowled over his shoulder at me, and he shouted his words to be heard over the howl of wind. “What the hell were you thinking? I thought I told you not to die and there you go jumping off of things!”
We tilted slightly, and I scrambled to wrap my arms around his waist to keep from sliding off. “I was thinking about what you said!”
“What?” he yelled.
“About showing her that we’ll meet whatever challenges she puts before us!” I tucked my face close to his ear to help him hear me better. “Whatever comes next, we face together. Remember?”
His head shook, but a small smile played on his tempting lips. “Fine. But you’re not allowed to die!”
I grinned. “Didn’t plan on it.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I wanted to kiss the look right off his beautiful face. But then his expression morphed into a brilliant smile, and I could do nothing but stare. “Then let’s go kick Morgana’s ass.”
The dragon’s wings stretched wide as we soared higher and higher, and the feeling of weightlessness was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I crowed toward the shadowed ceiling above us, letting my arms expand to feel the air beneath them.
Will whooped as our ride turned, and we had to grab on tight to make sure we didn’t slip off.
Morgana’s face was a blank mask where she sat on the back of her flying steed, but then her mouth curled in a semblance of a sneer before she urged her dragon into the sky.
Will tensed beneath my hold around his waist, and I gave him a gentle squeeze. “It will be okay. You can do this.”
He nodded, but I could see the faintest hint of fear hidden in his gaze.
As Morgana neared, she cast those smoking arrows toward us, just like the ones in Amesbury. Will urged his magic forward, creating a shield of electricity that shattered the arrows when they collided with it.
Thankfully, the dragon’s hide protected it from the magical projectiles, and it dove downward as Morgana blasted us with another barrage of arrows.
Our red, scaly friend hovered in the air as Morgana and her creature came for us again, and when the white one’s throat glowed hot with embers, Will’s eyes widened.
He grit his teeth as he cast a wall of water to block the flames the white dragon breathed at us, but some of the heat curved around the wall and made the air unbearably hot.
But it lasted only for a moment, and when Will dropped the wall of water, ours surged forward, talons extended, and clawed at the white dragon’s face. It screamed as our beast tore at its eyes, and it snapped out with its teeth in a desperate attempt to fend us off.
However, when our dragon retreated, we watched as the white whipped its head left and right, unable to see.
As it flailed, it began its descent down toward the lands below, and Morgana shifted, sprouting shadowed wings and taking off from its back.
When the dragon crashed down upon the ground, its body dissolved into smoke.
We didn’t hesitate a moment longer, barreling toward Morgana as she fled toward some trees below. Will shot bolt after bolt of lightning after her, and beads of sweat raced down his face from exertion. I didn’t think that was a good sign.
But when Morgana disappeared beneath us, slinking into an area with plenty of foliage, I frowned. Because why was she hiding?
“Where is she going?” I asked, and Will’s jaw twitched.
“I think I know.”
I studied the side of his face as we dropped lower, wondering what that look was about, but as we neared the spot Morgana had disappeared, a blast of black shadows shot upward from the trees.
They wrapped around the dragon’s legs, pulling, pulling, pulling, and Will shouted as his hold on the Halter faltered.
The dragon bellowed as it was dragged down, unable to stop its fast descent. And after a split-second decision, Will reached forward and removed the Halter.
With a flash, our red, scaly behemoth disappeared, leaving us to free-fall toward our deaths.
A yell tore from my throat as the ground rose to meet us, but then we halted a mere 10 feet above it as Will’s magic caught us.
I met his panicked eyes just before his magic spluttered out, leaving us to crash the rest of the way.
Pain ricocheted up my side as I collided with the ground, Will landing on top of me.
All the air left me, and I was sure I’d bruised several ribs from that fall.
We didn’t even have a chance to right ourselves before Morgana was there, her magic wrapping around us individually and lifting us from the forest floor.
I squirmed as her smoke slithered over my skin, and the beast growled menacingly when Morgana moved in closer to grin at us.
“Looks like I’ve got you exactly where I wanted you,” she said, eyes hard. “You should have known better than to follow me.”
“You have someone of mine,” Will hissed, his blue eyes narrowed to slits.
In the dim light, Morgana looked almost bored as she glanced over her shoulder, and for the first time, I noticed Dorothy, bound and bloodied at the base of a fountain. Her mouth was gagged, and her fearful gaze was locked on her son.
“I suppose I do. Tell me, little sorcerer.” Morgana shifted Will until they were face to face. “If I were to give you a choice between saving your lover”—she nodded toward me—“or your new mom, who would you pick?”
A tendril of smoke wrapped painfully around Dorothy’s neck, making her scream around her gag.
Will spit at Morgana, and his saliva smacked her right in the face. She scowled as she wiped it off, her gaze turning dangerous. “Remember Morgana. After this, remember that you were the one who made this personal.”
“It’s always been personal,” she hissed. “Merlin knew Arthur was dangerous. He knew! But instead of putting him down like the rabid dog he was, he protected him. And at what cost?” Tears filled her eyes as she looked at me. “Why was your life worth more than theirs? Than his .”
My eyes softened. “It’s not. It never was. I have lived every day hating myself for that day in Camlann. For taking all those lives. For taking Mordred’s life. And I’m so, so sorry, Morgana,” I said, voice thick and hoarse. This apology was 1,500 years too late, and it most likely didn’t matter now, but I gave it all the same. “I’m sorry for the heartache I caused you. But don’t you see that this”—I looked in the direction where the sounds of war could still be heard, toward where Dorothy’s face was reddening—“is wrong? That the lives you took were innocent people? Innocent children, even? I understand your anger with me, but you’ve done the same thing I have spent the last 1,500 years repenting for.
“I regret the lives I ended. Do you?”
Her lips thinned, and she didn’t reply. She didn’t need to, though, because the answer was clear.
No, she didn’t regret a single one.
Sparks flashed out of the corner of my eye, and in the next moment, the smoky restraints binding Will dissipated. He cast a bright wave of light over Dorothy, blasting away the shadows around her throat. Next, he charged at Morgana, reaching into his pocket and grabbing something circular and made of glass from its wrapping. With a shout of exertion, he brought the glass orb up and smashed it into Morgana’s face.
She cried out in pain as glass pierced her skin, and blindly, she waved her arms in front of herself in defense, her magic knocking Will backward.
He went sprawling toward Dorothy who immediately tried scooting toward him.
But just as she reached him, wisps of smoke snaked around his legs and dragged him away from her. Morgana ripped shard of glass after shard of glass from her face, her eyes filled with fury.
Will scrambled for purchase, his magic too depleted to help him.
“I think I’m ready for this to end,” she said, and Will’s eyes widened at something behind me.
In the next moment, searing pain lanced through me, making me cry out in pain.
Morgana chanted something low and melodic, and Will shouted for her to stop.
The beast inside of me raged in protest as some sort of magic weaved around us, warping and oppressing. But pinned as I was, I couldn’t do anything about it.
My body shifted painfully against my will, and the demon screeched as it was torn from me. My jaw ached, my gums burned, and my skin itched from all the fur.
I was rage . I was fury .
The frenzy took hold of me, and I writhed with the need to attack. I wanted to rip, and bite, and devour.
Someone laughed. Someone shouted. We screamed. And screamed. And screamed.
We screamed as whip after whip sliced into us. We couldn’t think past the molten agony.
When the pain finally ceased, we collapsed to the ground.
“Let’s see if he comes back now,” the woman said, hiding herself in the shadows of the trellises beyond the fountain.
Our sight fell on the figure backing up away from us, and we took a cautious step toward him. Then another.
The man’s eyes widened with fear, and our grin spread wider.
He darted away down a path leading farther into the gardens, and we gave chase. Laughter followed after us, grating on our ears.
We pounded after the man, adrenaline fueling us faster and faster, and he barely ducked out of the way through a decorative archway when we lunged at his back. He backed up several steps, nearly tripping over some plants and falling into a small pool. A drizzle of water flowed down a tiny waterfall made from some flat, horizontal stones up ahead, and a narrow path in the ground allowed it to drain into the small pool.
“Arthur, snap out of it,” the man said, breathing heavily as his eyes scanned our surroundings.
Our brain went fuzzy again, and we shook it, trying to clear the fog. When we glanced back once more, we found the man sprinting away from us.
We roared in fury, chasing after him immediately. He almost made it to the next archway when we struck.
He yelped as we knocked him to the ground. But even as our teeth pierced the flesh of his arm... we hesitated. When the silky heat of his blood flowed over our tongue, we stilled. When the man cried out our name, filled with so much pain and fear, we pulled back.
Because... Because we didn’t want this. Why were we hurting the storm man? The man who freed us? Whose magic felt so good to us?
Why, why, why...
We screamed in a blend of pain and fury when something sharp stabbed through our back. A whimper escaped us, and when we looked down, a sword so bright it seemed to be made of light, had impaled us through our stomach. Shadows tore something from our clothes, and red dripped from our torso.
The man shouted at us... No, at someone behind us.
We were blasted off the man, and whips of smoke snared us in a cruel grip as the woman from earlier sneered at us, tossing our sheath aside with her magic. We hadn’t even realized she’d stolen our sword. “Looks like I’ll have to finish you both myself.”
We couldn’t move, could barely think through this pain. This pain that felt all too familiar. Our heart pounded faster because... Because we couldn’t go through that again. We couldn’t endure it.
The man stood, his fingers flexing at his sides. Sparks guttered out at his fingertips, and he glared at the woman. “This is pathetic! All this for revenge for something that happened 1,500 years ago? Enough is enough, Morgana.”
“It will never be enough,” she hissed.
Before we could blink, a smoking blade appeared in the woman’s hand, and she threw it at our magic man.
She laughed as the man stumbled back. Pain crinkled his face, and something twisted inside us at that expression.
A dagger protruded from his chest, and blood seeped down his front.
But... We didn’t enjoy the sight of blood. Not on him. Didn’t like his pain. Our chest ached, ached, ached .
The man collapsed to his knees, touching the hilt with shaking fingers. As we watched, the knife dissolved back into smoke.
His mouth opened and shut, but no sound, no breath came out.
It was loud. Too loud. We couldn’t hear past the deafening scream. And it was only as the woman stepped toward him that we realized... it was us screaming.
The man peered up into the woman’s triumphant face, and as he fell back into some shallow water, she stumbled slightly. Shaking her head, like she needed to clear it, she frowned. But then a smile returned to her lips. “Fitting that you should die in the same spot he did.”
But the man... smiled. It was bloody and full of too many teeth. “Funny. I was going to say the same about you.”
“Wha—” Her words cut off with a cough, and hesitantly, she touched her throat with wide eyes. Eyes that started to bleed .
“For months I’ve researched everything I could about Merlin, about Arthur, about the Grail, about you . But the more I learned, there was just one thing that didn’t make sense.” His eyes darkened like glittering jewels. “Merlin had the Grail. Yet he never returned to Avalon to fulfill his oath. I couldn’t figure out why . Why he would have taken the Grail and left Arthur to suffer after all his efforts to save him. And then the pieces of what I’d discovered, as well as the tales of Merlin’s demise, slowly seemed to fall into place.
“So let’s see if I guessed right,” he said through gritted teeth. “When you learned Merlin had the Grail, you knew you couldn’t allow him to enter Avalon. So you tricked him. You brought him here, disguised as Viviane, the woman he loved and trusted. And then you threw him down the well and sealed it shut with a slab of stone infused with your dark magic, leaving him to die.”
Her knees buckled, and she fell forward, just barely catching herself on the stone path with her hands.
The man watched without sympathy as she struggled to breathe. “For days, you came back to the well and taunted him, using the voice of his lover. And when he finally died, you celebrated, thinking you’d won and no one would ever find out what you’d done. The secret of what you kept hidden here.”
A wretched, choking noise sounded as the woman writhed on the ground, clutching at her throat as blood splattered from her mouth. Her face darkened, and horrific lesions formed over her skin, as if she were being burned from the inside out.
“There’s a reason the waters here are said to have healing properties,” he said, watching as her eyes pleaded for mercy, and she reached toward him. “It’s because you didn’t just seal Merlin in the well.”
“Wha... What did you... do to me?” she wetly choked out.
“Have you ever heard of the Voistren dimension? A good friend of mine once acquired a snow globe from there filled with poisonous gas, where if inhaled, it would eat your body from the inside out and make you bleed from every orifice of your body.” He smiled, gaze hard. “I didn’t know how long it would take for the effects to take place. Apparently, around 20 minutes.”
We watched as the woman attempted to crawl on her belly toward the pool, leaving a bloody trail behind her.
“I promised him that I wouldn’t die,” he said hoarsely, and briefly, his eyes fell to our panting form. Then, to our astonishment, he shifted his shirt high, but where there should have been a hole in his chest, all that remained was a thin, red scar. The man grinned at the woman who was struggling to reach the water. “And I always keep my promises.”
She stretched a blistered, trembling arm toward the pool. “ Please.”
“I could save you,” he whispered. “But I won’t.”
And with one last hitched breath, the woman stilled, her black eyes staring unseeing. Her fingers resting inches from the water.
Immediately, the shadows disappeared, leaving the sky clear and our limbs free.
He watched her for several moments, as though making sure she was truly dead. And then his blue eyes swept over to us.
Stumbling over, the man reached out to us.
“I made another promise to you,” he rasped, his slick fingers stroking our fur. “That night on the rooftop. I promised I wouldn’t let you break.”
Our body vibrated beneath his touch, and our snarls intensified when he touched the place where the sword still protruded. Then it was gone, the man having yanked it free of us.
We whimpered in pain, and the man offered soothing words. We liked the sound of his voice. We didn’t like the pain in our body.
His eyes were compassionate as they took us in. “I know you think you’ve lost. That there’s no coming back. I know you’re tired and it hurts to keep fighting. But if there’s anything I’ve learned over these past few months, it’s that there’s always something to keep fighting for.”
Inhaling slowly, he ran his fingers down our snout, and...
Our snarls shifted to a low whine as he started to heave us toward the pool, shifting our large body around the dead woman’s. We were in too much pain. We didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to swim. But we didn’t have enough strength left to fight him.
“So please, Arthur,” he said, wading into the shallow water with us in tow, “don’t give up now. Not now when you’ve fought so hard to get this far. Fight for me. Fight for yourself. Fight for your future .”
As the water washed over our fur, we shivered. The coolness of the pool felt familiar somehow, giving us pause. And when we blinked our vision filled with color.
The transformation was swift, and I barely even felt the pain as my bones rearranged and shifted back into place. As the fur receded and my skin cooled. As control of my mind returned back to me.
The beast sighed as it returned to the back of my mind, and I sucked in a rasping breath of air.
“There you are,” Will said, and a tear fell down his face and caught at his chin.
I peered up into his eyes with so much wonder and awe. “Will?”
“I’m here,” he promised, hugging me to him. Water lapped at our clothes, and I realized I didn’t... I didn’t hurt.
Backing up, I gazed down at my body, tugging my torn clothes aside to see my skin beneath. I still had my scars, but the wound made by Excalibur... was healed.
“How?” I asked, though I recalled what Will had said while I’d been a passenger in my own body. “The Grail?”
He nodded, but when he opened his mouth to explain, another voice spoke instead.
“It lies in the Chalice Well. It’s why the water here heals. The water in the pool here comes from that well.”
I was in a defensive stance before Will in the next moment, but when I reached for Excalibur, I found it and its sheath missing, on the stones outside the pool.
Viviane stood at the mouth of the archway with Dorothy at her side.
Dorothy let out a sob of relief when she spotted Will and me, and she rushed to her son, jumping into the pool without a care.
The Lady of the Lake stood back, watching Will and his mother hug with a serene sort of smile. When Dorothy turned back toward me, she beamed, her wounds healing.
“Did you know?” I asked her as I stepped out of the pool and in her direction, pausing to scoop up Excalibur. “That the Grail was here this whole time?”
She shook her head. “I did not.”
“Then why are you here?”
Will and Dorothy had ended their embrace, though they still clutched each other close as they eyed Viviane.
“I followed Morgana’s army here. Almost got eaten by a fish in the process, I might add.” She smiled up at the now clear sky. “This is the first time I have seen the sky in 1,500 years. I missed it so.”
The demon inside me growled in warning when she took another step in my direction, and confusion swarmed my gut at that realization.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered in despair. For though I had control of my mind, body, and spirit, I still sensed the beast within, lurking. “I thought the Grail would heal me. Would exorcise this demon from my body so that I might be free of it at last.”
Viviane kneeled and dipped her fingers into the pool, and where she touched, lily pads with white and pink blossoms bloomed. She didn’t glance at me as she spoke, instead choosing to watch the plants bob on the water. “I thought it would be obvious by now, My King.”
“Obviously not.”
She laughed, the grating sound like the call of gulls near the sea, and then she stood. “Don’t you understand? The Grail was never going to rid you of your demon, for it is a part of you.”
“I don’t care for your games, Viviane,” I growled, taking a menacing step toward her. She didn’t show any concern as she cupped a flower in her palm. “You warned me that if I were to use Excalibur with hate in my heart, then hate I would become. I’ve suffered from that demon ever since.”
“We all have a demon inside us, one capable of doing terrible things. We can’t get rid of it, so therefore, we must learn to tame it, so that it can’t override our will.
“The demon was always a part of you, Arthur. As it is with all of us. For some, it is stronger. Because of Excalibur’s magical qualities, to use it with hate, it would draw that demon out and give it physical form. To overcome this curse, all you ever needed to do was to surrender your hate, tame it, and remember what you lost.”
I shook, my entire frame trembling. “What did I lose?”
She smiled sadly, moving toward me to place a hand against my chest. “Your heart.”
My knees buckled, and I dropped to them as the weight of her words pressed down on me. Because if what she said was true, then... “Then it was all my fault? The deaths of my men? The ruination of my kingdom and lands?”
As she removed her hand from my chest, she returned to watching herself in the reflection of the shallow pool, those eerie eyes full of contemplation. “Your actions have only ever been your own. Though magic played its part, it was you who sought it out with Excalibur’s aid to begin with. However, take comfort in the knowledge that your actions were twisted and manipulated through magic. Even the brightest suns can be swallowed up by darkness. There’s nothing more to do about the past, My King. For it is set in stone. The future, though, is ever-changing. The curse will not bother you unless you let hatred rule your heart.”
“Then what was the purpose of all this?” I asked, frustrated and tired. “Why make me seek out the Treasures and Grail if they served no purpose?
“Did they not?” Viviane raised a delicate eyebrow. “By searching for them, were you not forced to face your fears, face your demons, and learn to overcome them? Would you have found yourself, been reminded of your purpose, tamed that fiery fury, and become the man you needed to be if you had not faced the trials presented with retrieving each object?” She shook her head. “I do not pretend to understand Merlin’s mind, but I could only guess that over time, he discovered the truth of your curse and what needed to be done to save you.”
I could not fault her logic then. Because I knew it was true. Had my values and beliefs, my weaknesses and strengths, my hopes and fears not been tested, would I be the same person I was now? No, I didn’t think so.
She nodded, seeing the acceptance in my expression, and glanced at Will then. “I told you I would ask of you a favor. I’m here to collect.”
“What do you want?” Will asked, voice hard, and I watched in confusion as a blue mark appeared around his wrist and arm, almost like a vine of water.
“I ask of you to restore life back to Avalon.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “And how in the world would I do that?”
She waved her hand at Will, the pool, then the gardens. “The Grail. Help me mend the damage Morgana and the others caused to the lands. Return Avalon to its original beauty, and I shall consider the favor paid.”
Slowly, Will nodded. “I can do that. But I have a purpose for it here first.”
Viviane didn’t ask what purpose that was. She only nodded. “Then after.”
“After,” Will agreed.
The mark on his arm melted into his skin in the next moment, disappearing completely.
“I’ll meet you in Avalon then, Will Towers.”
Then she moved to Morgana’s body, her gaze lacking any warmth or sadness over seeing the dead queen. She knelt beside her, murmuring softly. “May you find peace and forgiveness in Annwn. Deities know you’ll need it when those you killed discover you’ve crossed.”
Then a brilliant fire engulfed her body in bluish-white light. In seconds, Morgana’s remains burned away, leaving nothing more than ashes, which got carried away on a soft breeze.
Viviane stood then, looking prepared to leave. But I still had a question for her.
“What about the favor you asked of me? When gifting me Excalibur?”
She grinned, and it was a devastatingly beautiful thing. “Avalon needs a ruler.”
My heart thumped faster at her insinuation. “What about you?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I do not wish to rule. Only protect. Something I failed at for too long.” She started away from me then. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Arthur Pendragon. Welcome back.”
We watched her leave, and it felt surreal to be standing here. Free from Morgana, free from the burden of the curse, free of pain.
I met Will’s intense gaze over my shoulder, and slowly, my lips tipped up in a wide smile.
Because the past might be set in stone, but I would use that stone as a foundation to build my future. One day, one stone, at a time. With him.