?????'s Point of View

Unknown Location

Things were proceeding with no major issues. Minuscule things like my army being unable to pierce the sudden shield that appeared was one, but the rest were so mundane that I merely sat and waited. It did not take as long as I thought it would either. A messenger had finally arrived from Lestrania, and he was just as fast as I had hoped.

With a giggle, I looked to Flare, who stayed by my side. "Give chase but do make sure he makes it back to report to Sir Mordred. Just give him some extra incentive to be as fast as he possibly can be." I ordered, and my Demon General quickly took to the sky before roaring.

Skelds that were lying in wait quickly took to the air as the messenger made haste back to Lestrania. Another part of the plan proceeding exactly as I had envisioned. It will not take much longer for this 'Mordred' to arrive. If he comes with his army, it will take a few days to march here unabated, but he might come by himself to lend aid as quickly as possible.

Things were going perfectly, until… "My Queen." A Demon voice called out to me as a black portal opened off to the side.

Eying my most valued General, who appeared to be disobeying orders, I felt my mood dipping. "Why are you not back at the castle? You were supposed to keep an eye on things in my stead."

"Credo and Pestilence have fled. They are now missing." He reported as shadows hovered about the area.

"They… Fled…" I repeated slowly as my smile was now nonexistent. "And you did not give chase?"

"Your favorite prisoner created a bit of a stir. While I was distracted, they took the opportunity to leave. I am unaware of how long they have been missing." He replied as Flare landed beside us, but at a distance and bowed.

Standing before the mass of shadows, I looked down upon my General. "And is the prisoner still locked away?"

He bowed low. "Of course."

My frown deepened as I looked to Flare. "Spread out our Skelds and make sure no one but the Lestranians get close or the one known as Mordred. Credo and Pestilence have finally made their move. Be on guard."

Once again, Flare took off as the shadows spoke once more. "Should we really concern ourselves with-"

Turning to him quickly, he stopped speaking. "Both are powerful enough to hinder us, and I was hoping for them to make a mistake a slip up with the prisoner… It would have been much easier this way. Never in my life did I imagine them abandoning…"

If Pestilence and Credo have fled, that means they were likely ordered to, but why now? Both have listened to my orders, and I knew they were plotting something, so this does not add up. What changed? Neither have the power to challenge me, and Tor was obviously on guard… Were they always waiting for a chance to run?

"This changes things." I said softly as I sat back down. "More pieces are in play than I care for. Your new task is to make sure the prisoner is secured by the remaining Generals. Once that is done, take whoever you might need and take the Lestranian Capital by force. Wait for Mordred to leave though."

"Why not just head there directly yourself?" My General inquired.

"When you want pieces for yourself, you do not break them before they are yours." Leaning back and crossing my legs, I continued. "The Royal Family is the only thing I want from this country. One is already mine. You are to take three more after Mordred leaves. When he is here, I will measure his worth and either break him or take him with the last piece."

My General nodded in understanding. "It will be done. May I ask a bolder question, my Queen?"

Interested at that, I leaned to the side and place my cheek on my knuckles. "By all means… Speak your mind."

He was hesitant at first, but he eventually worked up the nerve. "Why are you so keen on this Mordred? Do you think he poses some manner of threat?"

"While I doubt he poses a threat to me, that does not include my other forces. He has made it a point, time and time again, to slaughter my Ghouls, Demon Hordes, and Ancient Demons." My smile returned ever so slightly. "If a man such as that has appeared and can cull the Royal Family into submission with the entire Kingdom following right behind, I am interested in seeing if he is worthy of being one of us." Giggling ever so slightly, my attention shifted to the distance. "I am also interested in meeting the man who has been a thorn in my side."

Arthur's Point of View

Lestrania Capital

Moving from Aydan's Lab, I moved through the palace to my room. However, before I could get there, Robert stopped me with concern in his eyes. He seemed troubled and was obviously looking for me.

"We have a problem." Robert began immediately.

Instantly on alert, I moved closer. "What kind of problem?"

With a frown on his face, he gestured behind him. "Rudnurth is nowhere to be found. His room is empty."

My expression quickly copied his. "Were there signs of a forced entry, or did he simply leave?"

Robert shook his head. "No one broke in. It would appear he simply vanished. I am no Elf, but if anything, I would say it is likely he teleported away." Then he shrugged. "To where? I have no clue."

"Tell no one of this and make sure this doesn't spread. Inform Aerowyn and have her begin an investigation with Varvara. I don't want the people finding out about this. They're a superstitious bunch as it is. We don't need to cause a panic."

"It will be done." Robert left once more, and I continued to my room.

Upon coming to my doorway, I sighed when I saw the door was already opened, which meant one thing.

"Ma-." My greeting caught her attention from my bed where she laid, but my voice caught in my throat.

"Mordred." She called out rather seductively.

Mara had asked me to use my chambers to get away from the life of a princess and would often hide there. We'd read together, sit and relax. Listen to the rain, and many other things. All which I greatly enjoyed in a time with so little to do for entertainment. It was at this time that Mara had really grown on me, and I had come to look forward to our time together.

Then there were times like these. "Are you enjoying my bed?" I asked in a steadier tone as I moved past her more provocative pose and began grabbing a few things I needed.

Ignoring her obviously irked her as she slid out of my bed and made her way to me. "How are you fairing, Mordred?" Titles were something we dropped in private, and she knew how much it irked me to be called 'king'.

"I'm doing well, Mara. How are you?"

"You seemed tense earlier, and I was concerned about you, so I thought I would check in on you."

"I am fine. Merely packing a few things Aydan asked me to grab before we left."

Mara put her arms around my waist from behind and hugged me. "Would you tell me what this project of yours is that has gotten you so worked up?"

Grabbing her arms, I removed them. "Aydan has had a breakthrough, and we will be leaving momentarily. Maybe another time." Was my muted response.

The princess hummed out in thought for a moment and grabbed my hand as I tried to pass her. "Why do you refuse to let me in?" Mara suddenly inquired, and I froze.

I felt the gentle touch of her fingers in my palm as she slowly caressed my hand. Moving in front of me, I watched almost helplessly as this was a new tactic the princess had yet to try. Bringing her hand across my arm, both came to my chest as she looked up at me.

"I know you feel something towards me too. Why not admit it? You know my feelings, and they will not change, but please end this suffering you put us through!" She pleaded, and I remained motionless.

Slowly, I watched as her hands crept up towards my cloak, and my eyes widened further as I stayed still. At the same time, she slowly moved closer and stood on her tippy toes as her face moved closer to my enchanted hood. Her hands touched the cloak for a moment, and I found myself breathless.

"Are you ready to-" Aydan asked as he entered the room but clearly wasn't paying attention as he froze when he saw us. "Am I interrupting something?" The Sage inquired as he stopped shuffling about.

Moving away from the princess, I replied. "No. Let's go."

The Great Sage and I left the castle quicker than in the past. Mara would be in charge upon our leaving, and she knew that. As such, we quickly entered the forest, and I eventually slowed down to let Aydan lead. He knew where we were heading and what we were doing. However, I needed to pay close attention to where we were, so I could find this place in the future.

As we walked in silence, Aydan could no longer take it and spoke as he glanced at me over his shoulder. "May I ask what happened back there?"

"Another attempt by Mara to seduce me. She was far more forward this time than her other attempts, and it caught me off guard."

"Interesting. May I inquire what stopped you?" He asked next.

"We've been over this." I groaned out.

"No, you keep telling me an excuse! Not the real reason you're afraid to let any of the princesses get close to you!" The Sage replied in a firm voice.

My arms were brought forward in an annoyed manner at his question. "How does 'I'm returning to the future' end up being an excuse?!" I asked in bewilderment.

Aydan came to an abrupt stop and turn to me in full. "I am no fool, Arthur." Stopping as well, I frowned. "I've seen you change over the course of these last three years, and as I've told you before, I think of you as one of my greatest friends. So, please do not insult me with such lies. Something is holding you back. That much is clear."

"…" Offering no response made him sigh.

"I know you care for Mara. None of us would mind if you took all the Princesses and married each one of them." He explained. "It's plain to see you're at least interested in one, and from your expression when we talk about them, you're clearly fond of all of them." Placing his hands on my shoulders, Aydan continued. "Arthur, talk to me. What do you have to lose?"

Removing his hands from my shoulders, I lowered my hood. "I have standards on these things, Aydan. Age is a part of it but making sure I'm not abandoning them is also a pretty big thing for me."

Taking in a deep breath, The Sage exhaled through his nose slowly. "Age is weird enough for Elves with other races and with the Princesses… I can see where you are coming from, but I know I've said the marriage doesn't need to be immediate." Shaking his head, he stepped back before gesturing to me. "No. Something still doesn't add up. You always vehemently deny this thought process and what it entails. Excuses, past, present, future, time, and more. There is always something you call upon so that you don't have to tell the truth." Then he poked me in the chest, and I slapped his hand away. "What's the real reason, Arthur!?"

Gritting my teeth, I stayed silent. "…"

"Your time is running out! You can't keep doing this!" Pulling out a book, he waved it in front of my face. "I keep all your personal information out of this! However, this is a way to tell future generations about you! Maybe you have kids! What would you tell them!?"

"That my reign wasn't short enough." Was my dull response. "There are no children of mine in the future, Aydan. That I can promise you. However, if you must know why I am so against this, it's because I was engaged once."

"What?" The Sage whispered in disbelief. "I didn't know that…"

"How would you? I've never brought her up. My life before coming to this world was nothing short of torturous. It's one of the reasons the Star Creature sent me here. Apparently, she looked into my mind and found my life amusing." Looking up to the sky, I continued. "Of course, I have no idea if she is still watching, but if she is, I'm sure she's delighted by this turn of events."

Aydan was quiet for a time before he eventually spoke once more. "You never speak of your time on your homeworld. I knew it was likely a sensitive subject, but…"

Shaking my head, I started walking. "Nothing about that world left me with any pleasant memories. Every decision I've ever made just made things worse."

His eyes darted around, confused. "I still don't understand. If you were engaged once, why would that deter you from marrying Princess Mara or one of the others? Do you think she is still alive back-"

Cutting him off, I chuckled. "No!" My amusement was clear. "She most definitely isn't alive. I can assure you of that. My fiancé died." Turning to him with a smile on my face, he looked at me pitifully. "She loved the wrong man, and it got her killed."

"I-I don't follow."

"My father was the furthest thing from a just man that you could possibly imagine. Vile, cruel, and so much more." Gesturing to myself, I continued. "For my brother and me, we were brought into the family business at an age much younger than you would imagine." My emotions started to flare, and I tried to sound as emotionless as possible. "I did things I'm not proud of. Those same cruel acts that scared me, I committed. The same vile crimes and deeds carried over to me as a burden that I had no choice but to take on."

"What happened to your father?"

"…" I was quiet for a moment before looking at Aydan in a manner that unnerved him. "A life for a life. He robbed me of everything that I cared for, so I did the same in turn."