So I really hoped you guys enjoyed the last one! This is the second last chapter or third last, it depends on how much I can fit into one. So, we've reached the climax (gasp!). What's going to happen now? Haha. I'm going to stop talking so you can read! :)!

She ran down the path, ignoring the sudden tears that graced her face.

With each step she took, bringing her further away from the boy with blue eyes.

With each aching breath she breathed, she remembered about the sister and mother she left at home.

Home.

What a foreign sounding word now.

In just a few months, she had forgotten about it.

Instead, the man who looked so much like his son haunted her dreams.

But his son was different.

It was someone who she grown to tolerate as a human being.

It was someone she'd grown to love.

...

The screaming stopped after a few minutes.

Sophie kicked her legs and flung her arms around, her head clogged with the nightmare. A strand of blond hair fell over her eyes and she quickly snatched it away. Breathing and whimpering, Sophie choked down a sob as she scrambled to sit up. The room was humid and moist and Sophie swore she could taste blood. Hazy light shone in her eyes and she turned away, the sun was too bright, too welcoming.

"Mom?"

Sophie's voice echoed in the ominous house, her footsteps sent creaks rolling through the room. Callis was no where to be seen.

"Mom? Where are you?"

Sophie's voice rose with trepidation, trying to staunch her heartbeat. Not even a sound. Where was her mom? Creeping around the room, Sophie every corner of the house, which frankly isn't that big. She listened for another sound, but nothing greeted her expect for her own breath.

Maybe her mom had gone out. That was possible. The village was preparing after all, for war.

They needed more supplies. Tedros had underestimated how much men were willing to fight for their lives. Sure, everyone was starving and desperate, but desperation leads to determination and determination leads to hope.

Hope that today would be the last day of suffering.

Unlocking the door, Sophie stepped out in her streaked nightgown that blowed lazily in the summer wind. Dust stirred up from the red ground. Sophie walked down the path, her feet warmed by the sun. Reaching the old grey wooden house that looked like it was poorly built by a small toddler. Stefan.

Climbing up the steps, Sophie knocked. One, twice... Stefan swung open the door, eyes bright and alert, paranoid if someone was to ruin their plan. But instead of a Camelot guard, he found a beautiful girl with blond locks and glassy green eyes. Stefan immediately noticed the stressed look on her face.

"Sophie, what are you doing this early up?"

His voice was hushed and quiet, as if someone could hear them. But Sophie didn't say anything back, instead she burst into tears and rammed into Stefan, sobbing and blubbering nonsense. Stefan immediately steadied her, shocked by her behavior.

"She's gone, I don't know..know where she is"

Sophie hiccuped, her mouth soggy with saliva from crying. Stefan softly rubbed her back, Sophie was like a daughter to him, and he felt obliged to be the father she never had.

"Sophie, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened"

And so she did, every single tiny detail that erupted from her head, from the nightmares to frantically searching for her mother to all that stress she was under those few weeks. When Sophie was finally done, her mouth was strangely dry. Stefan's eyebrows were knotted together with worry and he scanned the surroundings.

"It seems strange that Callis just disappear. I feel like King Arthur had something to do with this."

Stefan whispered, grabbing Sophie's shoulder and leading her inside the safety of his house.

"But he doesn't even know about this? And even if he did, why Mom?"

Sophie finally whispered once she felt like talking. Stefan shook his head and combed through his silver grey hair, murmuring soft words. Sophie crouched against the wall, bathed by shadows. Something was very wrong. And she didn't know.

"Do you think something happened to Agatha?"

Sophie's voice peaked with anxiety, suddenly, if her dream had anything to do with this, she wondered if Agatha was even alive at all. Was she? What if she was the only one left in the family? What if Agatha was dead?

"No, your sister is smarter then that, I'm sure she wouldn't let this leak."

Stefan reassured her, resting against the wall. He too seemed to be deep in thought.

"No one is hurt Sophie, everything's going to be ok."

...

He and his father sat opposite of each other, each studying each other, each oh different sides.

"First, you betray me and then you let her escape"

His father drawled. Tedros spat on the floor, glaring at him. He wondered when this man turned into a monster, when was his humanity stripped of him, when had he decided to kill millions.

"I'll never help you or say anything, I won't because of what you have done was evil. You're worse then Lancelot, Father. Worse"

King Arthur ripped from his seat and sent a hard punch at his son's jaw. Tedros swung from the momentum, landing on the floor. His eyes rolled, but nothing came out.

"Do anything to me, I'm not talking"

Tedros gagged out the words as he crawled back up. King Arthur towered over him, eyes steely and emotionless.

"You're not even a son to me, you filthy bastard!"

He roared, and pushed his son into the seat. Tedros stubbornly held his stare, flickers of fears crawled into him, but he didn't say anything.

"Did you ever wonder what happen to Mother? Do you? Father? Do you? No, because you kept her prisoner! You showed her no love or respect and she was lucky leaving you! You forced her to choose you, and she payed the price for it. You're not even human. And everyone told me lies, that you were a great king, but you weren't! You abused your people and your wife! You tricked me, Father! You're a liar!"

Tedros leaped up from his seat, hand balled up into a fist. But his father was to fast, he knocked Tedros sideways into the marble floor, his head cracking. Losing consciousness, Tedros looked up to see two blue eyes that were narrowed at him, bird like and deadly.

"Send all the guards to the village! I want that girl now!"

King Arthur's voice drifted into his head. And Tedros's eyelids slowly closed. Before his world plunged into starch blackness, he saw the small girl sitting on a rock, wearing a black dress, eyes looking at the kite in his hands. Agatha.

...

By now everyone in the village was alerted with Callis's disappearance. Sympathetic voices and hugs engulfed Sophie as she swam her way around the crowd. She didn't even know them, but the sympathy was nice. Stefan was talking to the group of men who all wore masked expressions. Everyone was out of their houses, huddled in small groups. They were whispering in tight voices, occasionally pointing to the polished swords and coils of ropes that was in the center.

But Sophie was somewhere else, eyes unfocused and drifting towards the thick forest. She wasn't listening to the villager's worries, How Agatha hadn't replied to their recent letter, How they were waiting for the signal to come, how there was no sign for them to attack or do anything at all. How it might have all been a trap.

Turning away from everyone, Sophie focused on the teeming forest, full of life and surprises, she waited for a sound or shadow.

Nothing.

But then,

"Sophie!"

...

Agatha called.

Her heart was aching and her voice choking down sobs.

Her beautiful sister swished her head around, vibrant green eyes darting around.

Waterfalls of tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the sweat that wet her face and neck.

After all these months, she was finally home.

Crying, she ran forward, her feet sore and red.

Finally Sophie spotted her.

Her eyes went wide.

And she dropped her hands.

Then she ran forward.

...

Sophie ran, breathing heavily and arms wide for a embrace. Agatha had appeared among the trees, ghostly pale and scared.

But her sister was back.

Stefan turned around and he spotted Agatha.

"Agatha!"

He shouted and everyone turned their attention to the girl who created a rebellion fueled by hope and fear. A girl who finally returned.

There were gasps and shocked expressions, but everyone wore a jubilant smile on their faces, showing off yellow and crooked teeth. Everyone surged forward wanting to greet their hero.

But there was one person ahead of all of them.

Sophie.

The two sisters hugged each other tightly, tears wetting fabric, crying freely, hair blowing in the summer wind.

"I missed you so much! So so so much, I can't even describe it"

Sophie said, her voice full of emotion. Agatha nodded furiously, feeling the warm wet trail of tears that stained her cheeks.

"I missed you and Mom so much, I was so scared there but then..then...where's Mom?"

Agatha whispered, a cold feeling sunk inside her. She slowly pulled away, still gripping Sophie's shoulders. Sophie's smile dropped immediately, like a brilliant moon plunged into the darkness.

Everyone stopped, the happy mood blown away by the wind.

"Sophie. Where. is. Mom."

Agatha said slowly, biting down hard on each word. Her breathing quickened and her vision blurred. Sophie's face crumpled, her voice soft and almost silent.

"I don't know"

"What do you mean? Where is Mom?

"I don't know, she vanished completely, I...I'm sorry Aggie, I don't know"

Almost dying was terrifying and would haunt her, but her mom vanishing somewhere unknown, dead or alive, was hell. Agatha dropped her arms, panic surging inside her.

"She's gone? How? She wouldn't...she doesn't just go off into the night like that! Sophie, you must have, you had to, hear something or know something! Why? Did she say anything? At all?"

Sophie looked at her with fear, eyes wide. It reminded Agatha of a little girl who was lost. She shook her head.

"Mom just...vanished..thats all I know! I woke up and she was gone!"

Stefan silently walked over. He sighed and dropped a hand on Agatha's shoulder.

"Maybe...maybe we should all go inside, Agatha can go clean up and tell us what's happened and we can all go think of a plan"

Sophie nodded and gripped Stefan's arm like suddenly she had trouble standing up. Agatha looked at Stefan, determination flickering like a flame inside her eyes.

"No, Stefan. The old plan won't work."

Agatha whispered. She looked over the distance, where she could see the hills and forests that would lead to the castle of Camelot.

"King Arthur knows that I'll come back to the village..."

She finally snapped her eyes back at Stefan.

"No, no, new plan."

...

He woke again.

Shuddering from the cold.

His head ached.

He was frustrated and angry.

Powerless.

He tried.

He tried so so hard.

And it didn't work out in the end.

It was what he did best anyways.

Try,

and

fail.

"Tedros...Tedros.."

A lilt voice spoke and entered his thoughts.

Two pale opaque blue eyes searched his.

Wavy strands of golden hair fell across her freckles.

"Maris? What are..are you doing here?"

The maid looked away, biting her lip.

"I brought it back, Tedros."

He frowned, lifting his head to search the room. He was in his bedroom, with the pale sky and fluffy clouds outside the windows.

"You bought what back..Maris?"

He asked again, but she opened her eyes wide and huge. Shaking her head violently, putting a thin finger on her lips.

There are guards outside the door.

They are listening.

You are a prisoner now, Tedros.

You cannot go at all.

Excalibur is missing, his only defense.

Probably with it's rightful owner, Arthur.

Maris pointed to the hot tea.

"They didn't suspect me at all. It was all laid on her shoulders"

Maris said sadly. She was talking about Agatha. He shook his head.

"It wasn't..you were just helping, Maris. But I need-"

The door burst open, Maris leaped back a few steps away from Tedros, her eyes pinned on the stranger. The guard snarled at her.

"Why are you so slow? You're just delivering his tea, now would you get out?"

He yelled, and motioned Maris to leave. She shot him one desperate look before walking away. Tedros watched helplessly as his only chance of escaping left. The door slammed shut. Silence filled the room.

He searched the interior.

Bought what back?

Maris?

He slowly got out of bed, stepping cautiously on the cold floorboards. Bought what back?

Opening the closest thing next to him, the closet, Tedros glanced at his neat clothing, to the painting of his father, mother and six year old Tedros that sat in the middle. His mother was beautiful and belong to a ugly monster like him. His wretched father. Crouching down and picking up the frame, he felt the thin crackling paint beneath his fingers. And a bump.

A hard shaped bump that felt relatively similar to the handle of...

Excalibur.

Tedros grinned, flipping the painting on the back.

A sword was strapped on the back, the hilt and handle well hidden behind the painting.

That maid was smart. Genius. If..if he was ever able to defeat his father, then Tedros would allow her to go off to school and grow to her potential.

Thanking Maris mentally in his head, Tedros slipped the sword off the painting. The handle put some comfort inside the fear. Excalibur would defend him. He knew it.

Slinging the sword with his hand, he walked towards the doors and smashed into them.