I grabbed the sword as Young plunged his blade between the gaps in Galahad’s shoulder armor.
Galahad’s fight dimmed. His body convulsed, his mouth falling open to let out a low gurgle that came from the back of his throat. Finally, his movement extinguished. Minseo got back to his feet. My heart slammed my chest, as Minseo was badly cut across his cheek, his clothes, armor, and the exposed skin on his hands and face covered in debris and blood. The battle had hardly begun and he already looked like he was on his last leg.
I turned to Young, holding the red dragon-hilted sword to him like I had when I’d first given it to him. “Here,” I said. “It belongs to you.”
He smiled softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You keep it. You’re the Dragon Princess, after all.”
I turned back to the fight; they were nearly here. “I’m no princess,” I said.
My heart sank as the next wave of attacks was not, as I expected, foot soldiers from Arthur’s army but Lancelot, Merlin, and King Arthur himself.
Fear tore through me as my gaze locked with Merlin’s. If she wanted, I would have been dead already. Why did she hesitate? Did she already expel too much energy or had she forgiven me for leaving? After all we’d been through, I didn’t want her to be harmed, but keeping Minseo alive through this fight was my top priority and I’d cut through anyone to save him, even her.
Merlin’s armor was scarce, her dark skin lined with intricate markings made with white paint. Her mint green braids flowed free, and her eyes were intense with focus.
Minseo squeezed my free hand, sending my thoughts to the five days we spent tangled together in Gabriel's empty home. The small, innocent gesture was a goodbye, an act of surrender I wasn't ready to reciprocate. Even if Garix was gone, the enemy was approaching, and the three largest threats had targeted my small group. I wasn’t going to go down without blood on my sword. A loud clang drew my attention from the Viran side of the canyon, where Jay Hyun fought one on one with Percival. Percival’s blade collided with Jay’s, sending him to one knee. I turned away, unable to watch and refocusing on Merlin who was almost upon us. I clenched my jaw as I made a vow to myself not to die. We would find the will to win. Make your move, Merlin.
As if she’d heard me, she lifted her hand. A concentrated gust of wind pushed between Young, Minseo, and me, sending us in three different directions. I tumbled through the dirt, scratching my face on the pebbled ground. Pain rang out in my limbs and, for a fraction of a second, I considered staying down. Instead, I leapt to my feet and ran to collect my sword a few yards away. I grabbed it and turned in time to see Arthur charging at me, Excalibur raised to strike me down.
I delighted in the weight of the dragon-hilted broadsword, relished the power I felt as adrenaline surged through my body. Arthur dismounted his horse and stepped closer, as if a suitor asking for a dance. I touched the tip of my sword to Excalibur. He lunged wildly. I dodged with ease and stabbed my sword in his exposed side. My blade stopped an inch away from his body. I leaned in to notice condensed air shielding him. I looked back over my shoulder as I blocked Arthur’s clumsy attacks. Merlin held back a row of Viran foot soldiers that had made it to us with a wall of wind that only slightly distorted the image of the soldiers on the other side, like a painting. With her other hand, she pinned Young down with a tornado-like gust.
How? How could she still protect Arthur? Was her power that unlimited? I’d seen her wear out before. What was she fighting for?
Arthur swung wildly at me and I stepped aside, causing him to stumble and fall.
I looked over at Lancelot who was locked in battle with Minseo. If Merlin was protecting Lancelot too, we had absolutely no chance at winning. Furious, I slammed my sword down on Arthur in a series of slices that should have killed him, but each stopped an inch away from him.
Breathless, I swung uselessly at Arthur until a sudden gust of wind from Merlin knocked me off my feet.
I landed on my back, and before I could roll away, Arthur stomped his golden-plated boot on my chest and pushed the air from my lungs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Viran soldiers breaking through Merlin’s wind wall, and Young wiggled beneath the waning tornado. She was finally weakening. If she ran out of magic, we could still win. Arthur lifted Excalibur over me, his cobalt eyes wide with fear as he prepared to end my life.
Even as the Viran soldiers pushed through Merlin’s gusts and Young slipped from her hold, I realized they weren’t going to make it to me in time.
I could hear the clash of Minseo locked in battle with Lance. I turned my attention back to Excalibur, it’s golden light reflecting gray sunbeams onto my face. I held my breath, suddenly wishing I had squeezed Minseo’s hand one last time.
A dark shadow passed through the sky. I held my breath. Garix.
He was too late.
Beneath Arthur’s armored boot, I felt my bones grind into the rocks beneath me. So this is how I die. Arthur’s cold eyes bore into me. His hair was darkened with caked blood, his teeth gritted like a feral beast. Excalibur glinted over me, its blade thirsty for blood.
I settled into a moment of acceptance. Comfort covered me like a blanket and I felt poised to surrender to my final moment, ready to leave this world and all its darkness behind.
The ground shook with Garix’s landing and Arthur lowered his blade. Suddenly, I saw Morgana. In a split second, I thought Arthur had struck, and my thoughts brought her to my mind to bid me farewell. But hurling toward Arthur was an unnaturally crimson flame and, behind it, Morgana ran towards us. Her eyes were wide with fear, her brows furrowed with determination.
“No, Morgana! Get out of here!” I screamed. But it was too late. I covered my face with my arms as Arthur lit up in a blast of red fire. I rolled just in time for a molten Excalibur to drop to the ground where I’d just been.
“No!” Merlin screamed, releasing Young and sending her hand back with a gust so strong that Arthur’s charred corpse extinguished. My gaze moved from Merlin to Morgana, whose mouth drooped in the corner. Her eyes met mine as her shirt filled with the red of her blood. How? I leapt up, half numb to a shooting pain in my leg. I ran to Morgana and pulled her in just as her little body collapsed. I turned her in my arms and held pressure on the source of the blood. Merlin’s cut of air had sliced several inches into Morgana. It marred her skin from her hip to her shoulder. My heart beat in my throat. “You’re okay, honey. It’s okay,” I said, but her eyes were already glassy.
I looked up to Merlin whose eyes bulged with understanding. Viran soldiers clamored towards her. “I’m sorry, Charlotte,” she whispered. I couldn’t hear the words above the battle, but I saw them on her lips. I watched in horror as she dropped all of her spells at once, her eyes carrying the same loss and regret that raged within me. Beneath her, Young pulled himself up, the other Viran soldiers on her heels. Before she took another breath, Young’s blade pierced through her. Her gaze remained on me but moved just beyond me as the light left her eyes and blood dribbled down the corner of her mouth. I traced it to Lancelot who reached for her before dropping Excalibur and falling to his knees at Minseo’s feet.
Stunned, I turned away, dropping my eyes to Morgana’s lifeless body. I held her to my chest, tears streaming down my face and defeat coursing through my veins. I screamed with every ounce of power in my body.
The battlefield went quiet as both sides halted their advance. “The king has fallen,” I heard a voice say.
My body shook. I would not accept this. Morgana wasn’t dead. Take me instead. I clutched my dagger. I couldn’t let her die without me. I had to go with her into whichever realm she moved to. This couldn’t be real. She couldn’t be gone. I pulled her back to look down at her face. She was more doll-like than ever. Breathless and already growing cold. I swept a curl from her face, already missing the smile I knew I’d never see again.
“Morgana!” I screamed, my throat already raw. “Morgana!”
I sobbed, holding her to my c
hest.
I didn’t know if the world had gone quiet or if I could no longer hear it. All was still, each second dragging into an endless eternity as my daughter failed to take another breath. She saved me. She saved us all. I threw my head back, whispering my thoughts to any deity that would listen. “Take me instead,” I begged.
Why would she come here? She was safe. Had she called Garix?
I moved my gaze down from the sky to Minseo. Tears streamed down his face as he watched me, a lump of what was once Sir Lancelot at his feet.
I shook my head, willing Morgana’s heart to beat again. I reached in my heart for the magic that Merlin had tried to coax from me, but there was no magic. My daughter was dead.
51
Minseo
I wasn’t sure what was more agonizing, Charlotte’s screams or Garix’s, as he echoed her pain so vividly. The crackling sound had brought the entire battle to its end, the canyon dust settling. Garix shielded Charlotte and Morgana with his tail, but it was too late. They could no longer be protected; one was dead and the other broken. I walked over to Charlotte who hugged her lifeless child. I wrenched her dagger from her hand and kicked it away. It clanged on something metal and I looked up to see Arthur’s charred crown. I lifted it, warmth still embedded in the gold. I had so many questions. Why was Morgana here?
My thoughts drifted to the day I saw her training in the mountains. My gaze lifted to Young. The moment I saw him, I knew the truth. He told her to come. He put the idea in her mind that she could save her mother if she joined the battle.
I walked over to him, his sword still lodged in Merlin’s chest, her dead eyes still open and sorrowful.
Young shook beneath my gaze. “I-I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s my fault.”
“She’s a child,” I said, my thoughts blank as my emotions took over. “It’s our job to protect her.”
He nodded, tears falling from his eyes. He reached out and took the tip of my sword and put it to his chest. “I’m sorry, brother. I thought I could save Vires.”
“You have saved Vires,” I said, gesturing to the frozen battlefield. “Was it worth it?”
His face dropped as he cried. He spoke again, but his voice shook too hard to understand. “P-please,” he said, pulling my sword to his chest. “It’s okay.”
He killed my daughter. He made every sacrifice to save his kingdom and, as I looked at the stunned armies and corpses of Camelot’s leaders, I knew he’d somehow made us victorious. But the cost was too great. Many years ago, I’d raised my sword to my brother and lived to regret it, but taking his life wouldn’t bring Morgana back. She was gone.
I held out the late King Arthur’s crown. “Take it,” I said.
His gaze rose to the charred crown and his brow came together.
“You are the new King of Vires and Camelot, if you wish. You’ve certainly sacrificed a lot for it. Take it!” I yelled, filling the canyon.
He shook his head, tears streaming down his blood-spattered cheeks. He took a steadying breath and took the crown, the pooling sadness in his eyes an indication he understood this was goodbye.
I took one last look at him. “We are no longer brothers.”
I turned away and walked over to Charlotte. I sat on the ground beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. Morgana’s curls tickled my hand. I looked over to Garix and saw the sorrow in his eyes. I could feel his heart sync with mine as I rocked Charlotte back and forth in agony.
Under her breath, I heard her mutter, “Take me instead.” My stomach clenched, my whole body rife with pain, and still my heart beat in sync with Garix’s. Caught in his gaze, all I could think about was how I wished I could take Charlotte’s suffering away, and I too wished I could take Morgana’s place. Garix laid his head beside Morgana, a whimper slipping through his fangs.
The warmth of his breath sent dust through the air around us. Sunshine beamed through the golden hour as if nothing had been lost. Garix’s breaths slowed more than mine, throwing off our sync, and for a moment I thought he might’ve fallen asleep, but he was very still. Something was wrong. I stood, placing my hand on his body, and when I didn’t feel his breath, I put my face against his scales.
“What’s wrong?” Charlotte whispered, her voice gravely from screaming.
“Garix stopped breathing,” I said, listening to his chest for any sign of life.
Charlotte looked at me, fear in her eyes.
Panicked, I spun. “What do I do?”
Adrenaline swelled when I heard her whisper, “Morgana?” She yelled, “Morgana?”
My attention snapped down to the child in Charlotte’s arms. Morgana fidgeted then pulled herself up. Disbelief surged through me as Morgana wiped stray curls from her face. I dropped to my knees, taking her tiny hands in mine. Charlotte continued to whisper to her. “Morgana? Honey? Talk to me, please.” Charlotte ran her hands up and down Morgana’s body where the wound had been, frantically trying to find it. But it wasn’t there. Her skin was inexplicably unmarred. “Morgana? Baby?”
Morgana reached up and touched Charlotte's face. “Is the war over? Did I do good?”
Charlotte nodded, tears running down her cheeks. “Of course, baby. We beat those bad guys. You did great!”
Morgana smiled wearily, resting her head on Charlotte’s chest. “Good.”
Abruptly, she sat up and looked at Garix. She jumped up and to his side. “Garry! Garry, wake up.” But Garix didn’t stir.
Charlotte turned to me, confusion in her eyes. “Did he...?”
I nodded, my mind going back to the moment when our heartbeats fell out of sync until his faded away completely. “I-I think… I think he gave his life for hers,” I whispered.
Charlotte stared at me and took a labored breath. “Did I make him do that?”
I shook my head, unable to answer. It was possible she had and I wasn’t sure if we’d ever know for certain. “He loved Morgana,” I said.
I looked over to Garix, Morgana’s panicked hands pushing at his scales. I sat down next to her and explained that Garix had passed on. I told her it was okay, that he loved her and was ready to go. I wiped her tears. “He came to us to be a hero. And he was.”
I swallowed a mouthful of pain as Morgana fell to her knees and cried. My heart ached for her, for Charlotte, for us all.
The sudden quiet loss of Garix drained the last bit of strength in me. A gentle, loving hero had once again faded to mere myth. Even though she never said it, I was certain Charlotte blamed herself for his loss, but the guilt she carried was a price any parent would pay for more time with their child.
We sat, quiet in our thoughts of Garix, of the carnage, and of Morgana. We rested until Morgana cried herself out and we could start to think about leaving that awful place.
“Charlotte? Can you walk? Maybe we should think about leaving, going home.”
She looked at me blankly. “Shouldn’t we bury Garix? I mean, we can’t just leave him…” she muttered.
I took her hand in mine. “I need you to take Morgana to Gabriel’s. I’ll take care of the rest.” She nodded, lifting Morgana and scrambling to her feet. Her gaze turned to Young, and I shuddered at the darkness in her as her rage bore into him, fearful she’d attack. But Young was already broken. She passed wordlessly carrying our daughter to the safety of the Viran capital.
Among the carnage of war, I wondered if any of us would ever be the same again. Or if these vivid horrors would fade in memory and the lessons carried forward to birth a better world. Where there is love, there will always be loss. Where there are kingdoms, there will always be wars. So, when the dust settled, Charlotte and I took Morgana to a land outside the scope of kings and queens.
52
Young
I sat on my father’s throne, Arthur’s golden crown taking its toll. Even though it had been a month, I still hadn’t gotten used to its weight. I drew a circle with my finger on the armrest. There was so much still to do—decisions to make.
“Y
our Majesty,” Hanbit said. “King Ruban of Faresa has arrived.”
I waved him in and a few moments later the stubborn king stood at the foot of my throne.
“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing low. “I...I don’t know what to say. I underestimated you. I should have joined your cause. I’m very sorry.” He dropped his gaze. “Faresa is at your mercy.” He looked up to me, his posture diminished.
He was the last of the kings to arrive. The last of the five neighboring kingdoms that I'd asked to help with the war. They’d all given different variations of the same apology. Since the start of Arthur’s reign, fear had been the currency between kingdoms. They’d all come in person to find out if the new King of Vires would prove to be another cruel tyrant. I handled each one with forgiveness, cementing strong alliances between their kingdoms and Vires, but I knew the truth. I was a cruel king. I’d made a choice, duty over love, and as my gaze gravitated to the empty throne beside me, I wondered if I’d made the right one.
I stood. “I appreciate the gesture of you coming all the way here, but I harbor no ill will towards you or your kingdom. I’ve dissolved Camelot’s tax and I look forward to nurturing the relationship between our kingdoms.”
King Ruban’s face lit in surprise. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He backed away, as if attempting to flee before I changed my mind. As he got near the door, he turned back. “You know, Princess Euway of Nilith is unmarried. I could put in a good word.”
My thoughts shifted to Charlotte, the pain in her eyes, the ring of her screams on the battlefield as she held our lifeless child. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I remembered the warmth of her smile, or how her soft skin felt under my fingers. “Thank you,” I said, “but I’m afraid I must respectfully decline.”
He nodded, giving a half-smile before he left the throne room.
I sat back on my throne, exhaling my conflicted nerves.
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