Chapter 572: Chapter 572
Lucia's Point of View
Pendragon Estate
Elincia stayed with me after Typhon had been sent home. Rock continued to watch over Marina's slumber as she tried to recover. We spoke about nothing in particular. Night had fallen as we set a fire in the living room where we waited for Arthur to return home. He'd been gone for hours. There were no more indications of his energy flaring up either. I was starting to grow anxious.
However, the creaking of the front door opening grabbed our attention. "Arthur?" I called out to him.
There was a shuffling that could be heard. Both of us stood as we waited to see if it was him. When he finally came into view, a smile made its way to my face as I rushed to the entryway where he was. Elincia followed me, but we both came to a stop as something seemed off. Arthur's armor looked like it was vibrating.
He turned his head to us slowly. His appearance was rather ragged. No longer was his hair up in a ponytail. It was disheveled as was his face when he turned to us. I looked at his eyes and it almost seemed like he was on the verge of crying. Arthur's eyes turned to Elincia for a moment before he studied her.
His gaze then moved to me. They widened for a moment as he studied me. Everything about his demeanor seemed to change as his lip trembled. With a shaky breath, I sat his eyes focus on my body. Then, they flickered, and quickly disappeared into silver irises.
As I was about call out to him as my hands reached for his arm, his armor seemed to phase through his body before falling to the floor. I pulled my hand back in surprise as he walked by me without even acknowledging my presence. More pieces fell in succession as he made quite the commotion, but his body was slumped as if tired.
Arthur's legs shuffled as he moved toward the stairs. His armor leaving a trail from the front door to his room. We watched as he lazily grabbed his sword and dropped it at the top of the stairs with a clatter. He didn't even acknowledge Rock standing guard next to Marina's creek. Instead, the man simply dragged himself to his room before closing the door behind him.
My breathing quickened. "Arthur...?"
Elincia stepped beside me with a frown on her face. "We need to be careful."
"He won't hurt me." I told her, confidently. Rock was looking up the stairs and looked to me to grumble as we were about to climb them. "I'll check on him." Placing my hand on one of his arms, he bobbed his head as he backed to the creek. "You should probably-" I tried to tell Elincia, but she moved up the stairs quickly.
I shook my head before I followed. "I've never seen him discard his sword so carelessly." Elincia commented as she reached for it. A spark shot out and struck her hand. "Really?!" She yelped as she held it with a hiss.
Grabbing Defiance from the floor, I carried it with both hands as Arthur likely didn't want Elincia to touch it. Taking it in my hands made me realize how truly large this sword was. It was heavy and almost as tall as I was. The sword reminded me of him for a moment before I carried it to Arthur's room. Slowly, I opened the door to check on him as I peeked inside.
"Arthur?" I called softly as I expected to see him on the bed.
"..." There was no response.
Entering the room, I carefully leaned Defiance against the wall. My eyes scanned the room, but he wasn't visible. I turned to Elincia to find she had stayed outside the room. Not that I blamed her. My search began out of concern for the man. The bathroom door was opened, so I assumed he wasn't in there as there was no light. That left only one spot.
My gaze drifted to the other side of the room where the balcony was. A breeze entered the room and made the curtains flutter in the wind revealing the balcony door was open. Moving through the room, I went to go speak with Arthur. Little did I realize he was in no condition to talk.
As I peered out to the balcony, I spoke curiously. "Arthur?"
He was sitting in a chair. Barely. I knew he had some fancy metallic patio furniture out here, but I had never seen him actually use it. Arthur was slumped backwards in the chair with his arms hanging off the sides. His head was leaned back with his eyes staring blankly at the moon. Even his legs were lazily resting in strange positions. Almost as if he had fallen asleep in the chair. It didn't look comfortable in the slightest.
I went out onto the balcony to speak with him. "Are you okay?" I asked I got closer.
However, there was no response. Stepping beside him showed his eyes were glossed over. Unblinking, Arthur laid there in his chair. His bangs flickered over his eyes, but they remained frozen as I could almost see the reflection of the moon in them. I stood there was his hair blew in the breeze as he laid there unmoving.
Slowly, my hand reached out. Placing it on his shoulder, I expected some manner of response, but there was none. I then waved my hand in front of his eyes. He merely laid there unblinking. My finger carefully moved his bangs from his eyes as I watched him.
"Can you hear me, Arthur?"
His voice came out with a rasp. "I can hear you." Arthur replied, but his voice sounded older, and more tired.
"Did something happen?" I asked as I moved a chair to his side so I could sit.
The man seemed to be responding well enough, so I figured he wasn't in danger of breaking down. His lack of alertness was worrying, though. Using my magic, a shield to soundproof the area around us formed. Just so he wouldn't feel overly pressured or regret saying something he shouldn't have.
"..." Arthur was silent for a moment before he answered. "Why do I have to be the one to deal with all of this?" He questioned back.
"I-" I was cut off.
"Before, I didn't care about any of it. The Priestesses trying to kill me didn't matter. Being the Knight of Lestrania was just a pastime. I never intended to stay. All the accusations and suspicions I received were inconsequential. Disapproval of the Nobles of this place meant nothing." He spoke. "Everything I did, I did because I didn't care."
My brow furrowed at that. "You didn't care about Lestrania?"
"About any of it. New people in a new world... Why would any of it matter?" He inquired as he stayed there, unmoving. "Everything was boring and uninteresting." Arthur then scoffed. "Most of it anyway. There was some manner of interest in this world that made me agree to anything and everything. Exploring didn't interest me, so I immediately threw myself into the first thing presented to me."
My hand gently held one of his hands. "That may be so, but you've acquired a place here. You've achieved so much. Many look up to you, and you clearly have an untold amount of wealth to do anything you wish."
Slowly, his head tilted to me. "This world has nothing that I wish to buy or purchase for ownership. Wealth is a means to an end, but what do you do when there is no end." He told me. "I now have purpose for my gold, but it's still not for me. When have I ever asked for a reward, Lucia?" Arthur asked softly. "My duties as a knight were completed mostly without pay."
"What about those slavers you killed when you saved Rennal?"
He turned away from me at that. "Part of me cared, but I have standards when it comes to such things." His head shook slightly. "If I hadn't seen her get kidnapped in front of me, I doubt I would've acted. There's still slavery in other kingdoms, so it's not like I'm adamant about stopping it."
A sigh came from my lips as I gave his hand a squeeze. "What happened, Arthur?"
"It was another High Elf." My eyes widened at that. "I had a feeling something was lurking in the water's depths, but I thought Thana might've already placed claim over the seafolk. Why else would the Leviathan ignore Crawlana... Yet, it was another High Elf. Another one." He sighed. "She's far too old to leave her be, but I need her and her information."
"Can you trust her?"
"No, but there are usually some truths mixed in with lies."
"What truth do you think she told you?"
He sighed. "Something that Rudnurth had already said. I just don't want to say it until I'm positive." To my surprise, his fingers weakly squeezed my hand three times, which confused me. "Despite everything that's happened, in spite of my uninterest in this world, your future is what I'm working for. A world united in peace with no fear of demons running amok."
I smiled at that. "A noble goal. Many would praise you while calling you foolish at the same time. Is such a thing truly possible?"
"Not while these remnants remain. However, once this war is over, and everything is said and done, the world will enter a new age. One of unimaginable growth."
A giggle came from my lips at that as I patted his hand with my freehand. "Not even taking into account that we might lose."
To my surprise, Arthur replied instantly, but it was a rather foreboding response. "If we don't win, no one wins. I'll make sure of that." Before I could press his reply, he continued. "Is Marina okay?"
Despite the obvious change of topic, I answered. "She'll be fine. Aydalia has your severed hand."
"I'll deal with that tomorrow."
"Can I ask you something?" I said softly.
"...Yeah."
"Is everything you do really for me?"
I watched him for a moment before he lazily sat up into an upright position. He struggled for a bit, so I helped him. To my surprise, Arthur seemed adamant about keeping his hand in mine. Once upright, the man looked at me more directly. His eyes glimmered in the moonlight as there was almost a pain hidden in them.
Squeezing my hand three times again, he spoke. "It is. I don't want you to ever go through what I did. A world without problems is impossible to create. There will be struggles you will face, and I have no doubt that you will overcome them as you have in my absence. But war? I'd do everything in my power to keep you away from such a terrible creature." His eyes turned down as he continued. "Even though I know I can't right now, my hope is in the future that you will live more happily than I ever did."
"That's very sweet of you."
He smiled softly. "Don't worry. No one will hurt either of you. Alwin too, I guess." I was confused at that, but his next question baffled me more. "Have you thought of any names yet?"
"Names?"
"For the baby." Arthur clarified.
Or so he thought. "What baby?" I asked back slowly.
His eyes widened slightly at that. "You don't know?" I titled my head at his question, and he sighed. "You don't know." Arthur took his hand back before he covered his face. "Of course, you wouldn't. It likely just happened."
My lips trembled at what he was implying. "Are you saying I'm pregnant?"
"Congratulations, Lucia. You're going to be a mom." Arthur told me as his hands dropped after he gestured to his eyes. "You got a new energy dwelling inside you, and it's not from Alwin, which only leaves one explanation. Unless you did something strange with your magic, you're definitely pregnant. I've seen this before with other women through Helmsforth."
"By the gods!" I whispered in disbelief as my hands went to my stomach.
Arthur snorted at that. "By Alwin seems to fit more." Irritated, I smacked his shoulder. "Ow." He said as he shook his head slightly while looking at me, but his gaze softened when he saw me shaking. "Lucia..." I felt his hand softly rest on my knee. "You're going to be fine."
"You don't know that!"
To my surprise, he stood for only a moment before he took a knee in front of me and took my hands in his. "What are you so scared of?"
Gripping his hands tightly, I spoke. "I'm not ready for this." My voice came out weak and in a whisper.
Arthur chuckled. "No one ever is. No matter what you do, there is no getting ready to be a parent. People try to prepare, but it is never what you expect. You can only do the best you can when the time comes." He gave my hands a small squeeze. "You'll be fine, and you have wonderful people around you to help you."
The stress of everything seemed to finally catch up with me and tears started to fall from my cheeks. "I'm sorry!" I let out. "I'm sorry!" My head shook as I looked at him through watery eyes. "I don't know why I'm crying."
A small smile came to his lips. "Because you now have a responsibility that scares you. A piece of you will come into this world, and your fearful for everything that might happen. What they might think, who could hurt them, and so much more. You will continue to do this for the rest of your life. That's what being a parent is." He stood and wiped my tears. "It never goes away."
Wiping my nose, I looked at him. "You sound like you experienced all this."
"..." Arthur's eyes became more downcast.
"Arthur?" He didn't look at me. "Did you have a child?"
A tight grin came to his lips. "I had you. Marina, Bree-" He started, but I stopped him.
"Stop. Did you have another child before me?"
Sitting back down, Arthur continued to avoid my gaze. "I did." I stared at him in disbelief. "A wonderful, beautiful, baby girl. She was perfect in every way."
"From before you came here?" He only answered with a solemn nod. "What happened to her."
I watched his lower lip tremble as a few tears fell down his cheeks. "She, uh..." He rolled his jaw around as his voice shook. "She died. Her mother too." Wiping the tears away firmly, Arthur turned to me. "...And I remained." There was more I wanted to ask, but he spoke softly. "This isn't something I like talking about. I would appreciate it if you would be understanding."
"Of-Of course." The words left my lips just as softly. "What if the same happens to-"
Arthur's hand quickly grabbed mine before I could finish. "That won't happen."
"But-"
"I promise, Lucia. That won't happen. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you'll be safe, and you'll have a happy family." He told me.
"If all that happened to you-"
His grip tightened slightly. "That happened before I was Arthur Pendragon." There was an intensity that entered his eyes. "You have my word, Lucia. Nothing will happen to you or the baby."
Nodding slowly, his grip eventually loosened. "So..." I trailed off. "Your name wasn't always Arthur Pendragon?" The man shook his head. "I suppose that makes sense. Do you just enjoy changing names?"
"No." He replied with a weak scoff as he turned away from me so he could wipe his eyes once more. "I just..."
Arthur never continued. "Well, what was your name? Maybe it could be a baby name."
"Absolutely not."
That surprised me. "...I see." I nudged him a little bit, and he glanced over at me. "Why did you choose Arthur Pendragon?"
He was silent for a moment before he answered. "That name has significant meaning where I come from. A name of legends that's been passed down through history." I listened intently while he spoke. "It seemed fitting to use such a grand name no one would recognize. I thought it was amusing at best."
I quirked a brow at that. "You did it to insult your heritage?"
"It's not my-" His voice caught as he stopped. "Well, I suppose it is now regardless. A name known by almost everyone was known by no one here. Don't you think that's a little funny?"
"Not really." A smirk then came to my lips. "Well, it actually is when you think of how famous you are now. Everyone in this world likely knows the name 'Arthur Pendragon', so you've mostly just help spread its glory." Arthur grumbled at that. "New places, new people, and new legends. I don't know the story behind your name and what it has to deal with where your from..." I told him softly. "But I know everyone will know the story of our Arthur Pendragon here and now."
"Laugh it up."
I did giggle at that. "Are you really okay, Arthur?"
He sighed deeply through his nose. "Yeah. Just dealing with some new information that feels more like a punch in the dic-" Arthur caught himself before he said something inappropriate. "I'm just tired. Dealing with Crawlana was a lot more than I was expecting and the High Elf there didn't care too much about her people."
"Alright. I just wanted to make sure. You seemed really tired."
"I am." Scratching the side of his head, Arthur eventually rubbed his lips in a thoughtful manner. "It feels like I've done nothing but fight since I got here. Which really sucks because I know it's not going to stop any time soon."
"Mmh..."
Arthur glanced at me once more. "Something on your mind?"
Instinctively, my hands went to my stomach. "Alwin... What should I do?"
"You mean marriage or...?"
"Well, I've always thought we would get married, but what if he-"
"I'll kill him. Simple as that."
"Arthur! I'm serious!"
"So am I."
Smacking him, I huffed. "You're not helping! I meant; how do I tell him?"
Arthur seemed amused at that. "I'd love a camera for that, but those don't exist here. All I ask is that I be present when you tell him."
I stared at him for a moment. "That doesn't help me..."
"Do you love him?" He asked softly as studied me, and I went to respond, but he quickly continued as soon as I did. "As far as boytoys go, I'd give him-" Smacking him again, got him to flinch and rub his arm. "Ow! A little low on energy, so that does hurt."
"Humph!" That got a laugh out of him, which just frustrated me more. "Alwin isn't a boytoy!"
"Sorry." Arthur apologized. "Man-toy." He then patted my leg. "In all seriousness, do you love him, Lucia? Does he love you? Because that's all that matters."
"Mmh..." Scooting my chair directly next to his, I laid my head on his shoulder. "I hope Alwin doesn't take it too poorly."
"Well, regardless of how he takes it, I bet Aydalia, and Ayda will be thrilled." Arthur commented as he rested his head on top of mine. "Alwin will likely be rather shocked at first, but if he loves you, I'm sure he'll pull through."
I hummed happily at that and closed my eyes. Even though I knew Arthur was still hiding things, it was nice to know that he was opening up slowly. He might not always share, but he always tries for me, which was enough. Maybe the stress of the day finally caught up with me, or maybe I was just really exhausted; either way, I fell asleep like that.
Arthur's Point of View
Pendragon Estate
Lucia's breathing softened as she fell asleep. My eyes drifted up to the moon once more as the day's events kept running through my head. Allen and the Dwarf would need to be dealt with tomorrow. Along with moving forward with my plan for them. Although, I'd need to take another trip to Dwardew most likely for their assistance.
There was a lot to deal with, but there were other issues continually arising. Focusing on my eyes, everything shifted as I could see magic auras once more. Including the select few that were observing the house from the forest. Others were coming from above and high up in the sky.
My gaze eventually turned away from them and to Lucia. Using my eyes, I floated her in the air carefully to support her head so she wouldn't wake up. Lowering her into my arms, my eyes focused on her stomach and the new life that growing inside her. It always irked me when Alwin would show up here because I always knew when they had been together, and I didn't really want to know such information.
I was still unsure of whether my eyes could see when life was formed and created, or if it was at a certain point in the pregnancy. Like if it had been a few weeks or if it was as soon as sperm met egg. Not like it really mattered. Moving into my room, I sighed as my thoughts shifted to Elincia.
Thankfully, Elincia showed no signs of being pregnant, but I was waiting for that fateful day where I looked at her and saw little magic auras in her lower abdominal area. Which was a blessing given everything that had been going on. Speaking of whom. My eyes saw her energy pacing around outside my bedroom door.
Opening the door seemed to startle her, as did seeing Elincia sleeping soundly in my arms. "Is she okay?" The better Priestess inquired as she moved to look her over.
"She's just sleeping." I said in a hushed tone.
"Did she fall asleep on her own or did you..." She trailed off.
"Lucia fell asleep on her own. Bit of a rough day for her."
Elincia smirked weakly at that. "This coming from the man who had his hand cut off." Her eyes returned to Lucia as she stared at her sweetly. "Although, I can imagine how stressful it was for her."
My eyes looked at the girl in my arms who seemed so vulnerable. "I'm glad you're here, though." I spoke. "Can you wait for a moment while I put her to bed? I'd like to speak with you."
Looking at her, she seemed a littler surprise, and a little nervous. "Of course, but I do think Lucia is a little old to be tucked in."
"Maybe so..." I replied softly. "But I will cherish this moment."
"I see. Take your time. I'll wait for you in your living room." She whispered.
After moving Lucia to her room, which was next to mine, I put her to bed. When I headed down the stairs to the living room, Rock nodded at me. Peeking into Marina's creek was pointless as Rock had sealed it. It was a little worrying, but I assumed he knew what he was doing. If not, I'd check on her in the morning.
As I entered the living room, Elincia stood quickly from her chair. A fire was going. She looked almost nervous as the flames flickered throughout the room. Sitting in my chair, the Priestess followed suit. I didn't say anything as her eyes darted about.
"Are you okay?" Elincia asked me softly.
"Yeah. About as well as I can be all things considered."
She nodded at that. "I see... So, what did you wish to speak to me about?"
"A few things. First and foremost, what do you know about Crawlana?"
Elincia frowned. "Not much. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of the seafolk in my life. Wistful ways and lofty ideals. They do have their warriors, and there were raids on some ships in the past, but not for several hundred years."
I leaned forward. "None of them have ever tried to contact you or Arceana at all?"
She shook her head as she crossed her legs. "Never. Most were random encounters from what I could tell that had no real meaning. If there was some manner of plan, it was beyond me."
My middle finger traced my lower lip in thought. "What about High Elves?" I asked, and she quirked a brow at that. "Aside from the cloaked one we met after my confrontation with Graham, and the one who attacked in Dwardew, have you ever met or heard any rumors about more of your kind?"
Elincia's eyes became downcast. "Aside from our family, we have never had any communication with other High Elves. At least, I know I never have. It was disturbing to find out that there are some out there that know about me."
"I can imagine."
"Why do you ask? Does it have to deal with what happened to you in Crawlana?"
"A little bit."
"Would you be willing to tell me what happened?"
I shook my head this time. "Not right now. Until I have more information, I don't want to tell you anything I'm not positive about. Especially with shaky evidence at best." She nodded at that. "Moving on from Crawlana, there are a few things you need to know, and I have a request for you."
Elincia perked up at that. "A request after all this time? I thought you had forgotten all about our agreement."
"Asking you or your sister for anything seemed pointless when neither of you honored your word previously." She flinched at that. "As far as I'm concerned, neither of you have really respected any of our bargains."
"There is truth in your words. I know Arceana's situation and my own is unique, but that does not make it right. Hopefully you know I have been trying to make it up to you." The blonde told me with a soft gaze.
A sigh escaped my lips as I nodded. "I know, and I appreciate it, Elincia. Anyway, before I get to my request, I wanted to let you know I plan on making a trip to Dwardew. So, expect a spike in Dwarven presence in Lestrania." She opened her mouth to ask the obvious question. "They're needed for a personal project. That's all I'll say on the matter. Allen Harlow and his crew will also be assisting me, so don't expect them to return to service."
Her eyes widened. "That is quite the blow to our personnel, Arthur. Leaving our forces is not as simple as-"
Cutting her off, I spoke firmly. "Then I trust you will be able to figure out a workaround."
Elincia's lips tightened for a moment before she slowly nodded. "Very well. If they are vital to you, I will do my best to assist in their dismissal, but you are putting us in a very tough position." She gestured to me. "Many know you left as well. A knight quitting is not something our people would expect. I have been able to keep rumors to a minimum with starting a few of my own. Just... Please put them to good use. They will be sorely missed."
I quirked a brow at that. "You spoke of punishing them for something miniscule in Dwardew." She looked away at that. "However, it will alleviate some of your apprehension, they will still be helping Lestrania in way. Just think of them as being put under new management."
"That does little to easy my concern. Had this been early on, I would suspect you of trying to execute a coup." Elincia then shrugged. "But I know that you would never do that, and you certainly wouldn't need any help. Expect some news from General Alwin about their dismissals."
"It doesn't matter to me if I hear about it or not. Allen and I have already come to an understanding."
"I see. What else did you need, and is there anything else I should know?"
"I'm pretty sure I brought up everything I needed to keep you informed about. Did Alwin tell you to keep everyone out of the Hollow Forest."
She nodded. "He did. The General was rather adamant about it, but not many people go in there anyway. However, our forces in the Lowest Rung have been informed to keep an eye out for any comings and goings from the forest. Your little train project is also expanding to other cities, which is calling for more of our forces to keep an eye on."
My fingers tapped against the arm of my couch. "And how many people are keeping an eye on my estate?"
Elincia looked more confused than anything as she spoke. "What do you mean?"
"There have been many people around my home as of late, Elincia. Are you telling me they're not yours?"
Immediately shaking her head, Elincia answered. "Absolutely not." She adopted a more hardened expression. "Do you want me to take care of them?"
"I was going to ask you to remove yours if you had any, but I'm sure that Arceana likely sent some. There is one I'm specifically waiting to appear again since I sensed it the first time. If you don't have a hand in this, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."
"Of course. Please try not to make too big of a commotion when you do so. If you find out who sent them, Arceana or someone else, please let me know."
"I will." The conversation quickly died out when she told me she was uninvolved with the spectators surrounding the estate. "Well, did you need anything from me?"
Elincia fiddled with her fingers as she looked at me. "I was hoping we would have a chance to talk about things." She smiled weakly. "We haven't had a chance to go over some topics I think we should." I gestured for her to continue. "Well, can you please tell me how you acquired that ring?" Her eyes focused on Aydan's ring. "Do you know who that belonged to?"
"I do."
She waited for more. "And?"
My fingers twisted the ring on my finger for a moment before I answered. "I'm sorry, Elincia, but until I know how affected you are, I think it would be best for that to remain a mystery."
Her expression dropped. "Okay..." Biting her lip, the Priestess was clearly frustrated. "You should know, my research for Arceana is going well. I was hoping that maybe you would be able to assist me first when we try to fix our memories." She offered. "If I can fix my memories, I should be able to fix hers."
"And are you confident in your ability to fix your memories and mess with your own mind?"
"Not yet."
I took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "When you are," My eyes met hers. "Come find me."
R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freew𝒆(b)novel.c(o)m Only