Lucia's Point of View

Pendragon Estate

The room was quiet. There was small talk here and there but nothing of consequence. Many kept glancing at Arthur as he ate. He had zoned out as he ate incredibly slowly. His eyes focused on some spot on the wall as he didn’t blink. I think many of us were concerned. A sigh would leave his lips every so often.

When he was finished, he just continued to sit there. Arthur had crossed his arms as he leaned on the table. Clearly, something was on his mind, but what that might be, was anyone’s guess. Cass moved to the other side of the counter. She sat directly across from him, and his eyes moved for the first time to focus on her.

“Ya doin alright?” She asked him genuinely.

“Yeah. Just thinking.” He said as he sat upright.

“Wanna share?”

Arthur shrugged. “There’s a lot I need to do. Things I need to address.”

Cass chuckled. “Yer gonna have ta be a little more specific than that.”

Putting his elbows on the table, Arthur rubbed his eyes. “I’m tired, Cass.”

The redhead smiled at him. “Ah know, but we can’t help ya unless ya tell us what’s on yer mind.”

His hands flopped to the table. “No offense, but there’s nothing you can do to help. Not right now, anyway.”

“We just got done hearin about all the things ya’ve been dealin with. Ya really gonna hold back now?”

Arthur looked down sourly. “I have to figure out how to move forward from here. Arceana can’t be a Priestess, and I no longer want to be a knight.” He quickly shrugged. “There’s no point to it anyway.” Many were alarmed at that. “That means I’ll have to confront the Priestesses again with the intent of having Elincia rule.” A sigh came from the man as he hunched over. “The remaining Succubae will need to be dealt with. One way or another. I still need to kill Graham, which this is looking to be a perfect time so I can let off some steam.”

There was silence through the room as many wished to speak, but no one was quite sure of what to say. Many opted for him to continue as we waited. We exchanged glances here and there as he looked around the room.

“Many of you have your own questions I’ll need to answer. The Dwarves, theirs. Even the Druids, including Camoa, will likely have questions.” Arthur ranted. “That doesn’t include Rudnurth, who I am on the verge of deciding to kill if he cannot undo what he did.” A dismissive wave came from the emotional man. “All of you have sided with me, but I don’t know what roles any of you can play or if any of you will be targeted.” His shoulders slumped. “And on top of it all, I can no longer sit idly by while Thana is making such large plays in the world.” Arthur sounded exhausted. “Everyone in this world will be caught up in this war, one way or another, and they’ll have to choose a side.”

“Arthur…” I let out sadly as the man seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He let out a weak laugh. “The funny thing is, I thought you all finding out about me would make me feel better, but it didn’t.” His eyes then met mine. “From what I can tell, only one good thing came from all of this, and I’m not at all happy about how it happened.” Arthur’s voice grew wary. Almost that of an old man. “All I want to do is rest and spend time with those who matter, but I fear I will not get the chance.” Then he turned back to Cass. “So, how can you help me?” He genuinely asked, and all of us were quiet at that.

All of us except for Cass. “Ya seem ta forget who got ya ta Marina ta get rid of that poison.” She shot back. “Ah’m not taking credit since it was all of us, but ya got run so ragged ya collapsed, leaving ya ta Elincia’s mercy.” Her eyes narrowed. “There were some, who Ah won’t name, who wanted ta cut ya into pieces so ya’d no longer be a threat.” She then shrugged. “Of course, ya’ve come back from the dead before, so it’s possible ya didn’t need our help. All’s Ah’m sayin is that it’d be easier ta move forward if ya were ta at least try an rely on us.”

Arthur’s gaze drifted around the room. “Do all of you feel this way?”

Many nods were the response to the man’s question. “I think most of us understand what is at stake, Arthur.” I told him. It was still weird to call him dad or father. “At least, as long as you leave Arceana alive.”

“I have no plans to kill the Priestess. Only remove her from power, and if needed, imprison her should it be needed. At least until we figure out how to remove Rudnurth’s control over her mind.”

“Then you have my support.” I told him, and everyone else agreed.

Sighing, Arthur replied. “It would appear we have work to do, but not tonight. Tonight, we all need to rest.” His eyes then settled on me. “You most of all. You’ll have some decisions to make tomorrow. A choice, if you will.”

I quirked a brow at that. “Choice?” I echoed. “What choice?”