HERA OLYMPUS II
Our lips met, a spark igniting between us, a fire that threatened to consume me, a fire that felt both familiar and dangerously new. He pulled me close, his arms enveloping me in a warmth that I had never felt before, a warmth that chased away the chill of fear and loneliness, a warmth that felt like home. In that moment, I understood why we had so many children in this dream.
But before the kiss could deepen, before the dream could unfold further, reality called me, shattering the illusion with a brutal force...
…
— ATTENTION!! THE ARMY RETURNED!! — the cry echoed through the air, harsh and jarring, ripping me from the embrace of the dream.
I awoke with a start, disoriented and breathless, as if I had fell from a great height, the lingering warmth of Arthur's embrace a cruel taunt. — HMMM?! — I grunted, blinking against the harsh light, the remnants of the dream clinging to me like a shroud. — Who called me? I will kill...
— THE KING IS BACK!! — a servant shouted in the courtyard; his voice filled with excitement.
I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest, hope and fear churning in my stomach, a tempest of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. — THUD! — I fell because of the sheet attached to my foot.
— WHAT?! — I whispered, my voice barely audible, lost in the roar of my anxieties. — Seriously...? He's here?
I rushed to the window, peering out at the scene below. The mansion was a hive of activity, everyone rushing towards the exit, anticipation and apprehension etched on their faces.
I fled to the bathroom, splashing water on my face, trying to wash away the lingering traces of the dream, the lingering scent of Arthur. I hastily dampening my hair, my fingers trembling.
I paused and looked at my image on the golden mirror, a light smirk formed on my face. "I am going to make that dream come true!" I thought, with flames of desire and excitement burning on my chest.
I grabbed my cape, throwing it over Arthur's tunic in me. I couldn't appear before the king dressed in his clothes. It would be disrespectful, a terrible breach of protocol, and a betrayal of the respect I held for him, even in my fear. Arthur would kill me, and the people would misunderstand the message.
I burst from the room, the Amazons guards hurrying after me, their footsteps echoing behind me. — Madam, wait for us!
— Arthur is back... — I breathed, a hopeful smile blossoming on my face, though a knot of anxiety tightened in my chest, a premonition of disaster. My eyes sparkled with anticipation, but a shadow of doubt lingered in their depths, a fear that whispered in the back of my mind.
With every step I took, the sunlight seemed to grow brighter, the air charged with a strange energy, a palpable tension. The scent of metal, sweat and blood in the air, mingling with the thunder of the marching feet, the cacophony of sounds a stark reminder of the reality that Arthur had returned from the battlefield.
The memory of Aphrodite's fate was fresh in my mind, and the dream noise of our perfect life together had ignited a desperate longing within me, a yearning for a future that seemed increasingly impossible. I was vulnerable, alone, and afraid. I needed Arthur, his strength, his love, his reassuring touch.
…
— What?! — Selena's voice was a whisper, trembling with fear, a fragile thread in the hands of dread. Her face was ashen, her eyes wide with terror, reflecting the fear that gripped us all. — Where is Arthur...?
— M-My mother... Where's my... Mom, Butler? — Allana stood before the stoic Butler, her voice young with worry, her small hand clutching the edge of her gi, knuckles white.
Merlin and Thalia stood silently, their faces pale, their bodies trembling, their eyes filled with a quiet despair. They had heard the messengers' reports—Arthur was injured, his condition even more dire than the queen's.
We stood at the entrance to Camelot. The streets were lined with silent crowds, their faces grim, etched with worry and fear, their eyes with hope and anxiety. The soldiers, their uniforms dusty and torn, their faces streaked with grime and blood, had halted their march before us. Their expressions were not those of victors. They were the faces of men who had seen too much, who had lost too much, who had witnessed the horrors of war firsthand.
I scanned the ranks, my heart clenching with each missing face, each empty space a stab of pain. Astrid, Orion... so many were gone, their absence a gaping wound in the heart of our army.
A cold dread seeped into my bones, the image of Arthur's lifeless form flashing before my eyes, a vision that made my stomach churn. "No... it can't be." I swayed, my breath catching in my chest. ~
"NO! NO! NO!" screamed a voice in my head, a frantic denial echoing the frantic beat of my heart, a desperate refusal to accept the truth.
Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision, making the world a hazy, distorted landscape of fear and sorrow. "It is just a dream... isn't it?" they thought was a desperate plea, a lifeline I clung to even as it threatened to snap, a fragile hope against the crushing weight of reality.
Lancelot and the other commanders, their faces etched with grief and exhaustion, their shoulders slumped in defeat, removed their swords, the steel ringing against the cobblestones, the sound sharp and final, a somber echo in the silence. They knelt before us, their heads bowed in a gesture of utter defeat, their bodies trembling with the weight of their failure.
— Forgive us! — Lancelot's voice was choked with sobs, thick with pain, the words wrenched from his soul. — We have failed as soldiers...! As protectors. — he beat his chest with clenched fist, the sound a dull 'thud' against the silence, a somber echo of the grief in our hearts, each blow a manifestation of their pain.
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat growing larger, more painful, until it felt like it was choking me, cutting off my air. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the crushing weight of fear.
"Arthur... dead?" the thought was a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath, my body reeling from the impact. My chest tightened, a vise squeezing the life from me, making my heart ache with a pain so intense it was almost unbearable, a pain that radiated outwards, consuming me.
My vision swam, the world tilting precariously, the faces around me blurring into a kaleidoscope of fear and sorrow, the setting sun casting long, ominous shadows.
— MA'AM!! — The Amazons caught me as I stumbled, their strong arms supporting my weight, preventing me from collapsing onto the hard cobblestones, their faces etched with concern.
Butler's eyes filled with a deep, unyielding grief, the weariness of a man who had seen too much death, too much loss, etched into the lines of his face. He sighed, a sound heavy with regret, the sound of a man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. — We cannot lie to you. — he said, his voice and grave, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence.
— We do not know what happened to the lord. He's unconscious, and we fear... — he trailed off, the unspoken words hanging in the air like poisoned dart, each one a potential death sentence, each syllable a hammer blow against my heart.
His words were a bucket of ice water, drenching us in a chilling wave of fear, extinguishing the last flickering embers of hope. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Selena's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with terror.
Merlin's face paled, the lines around her eyes deepening, etched with worry.
Thalia swayed, her breath catching in her throat, a sob threatening to escape.
Allana, blessedly too young to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation, looked from face to face, her eyes wide with confusion, her brow furrowed in silent question.
The rest of us stood frozen, trapped in a nightmare we couldn't wake from, our bodies numb with shock. It felt like a cruel joke, a macabre jest played by the gods themselves, a cruel twist of fate that had snatched away our hope, our future, my Arthur...
I couldn't stand, couldn't breathe. My body trembled uncontrollably, a cold sweat slicking my skin, making my tunic cling uncomfortably to my body. — My dreams... — I whispered, my voice barely audible, lost in the sea of grief. The images of Arthur's smile, his touch, his warmth, mocked me with their impossible beauty, their unattainable perfection. They were ghosts now, haunting me with their memory.
It was true. Arthur... he... The world spun, the ground tilting beneath my feet. I gasped, my vision blurring, and then, mercifully, I knew.