Chapter 18
Mulder turned around from the direction he was headed when he heard an agonizing scream from behind him.
"NO! MOLLIE!" Came the distant voice.
Hearing Mollie's name, he broke out into a swift sprint, following the sound of the scream. It sounded torturous, and threatened to bring tears to his eyes, almost like someone was in deep pain. He hoped to God that person wasn't Mollie, or worse, Scully.
Keeping his pace up, he ran until he stumbled as the solid ground turned into soft sand beneath his feet. He fell, catching himself with his hands.
Standing up and brushing off his pants, he surveyed his surroundings. He was standing on a deserted beach, a large lake spanning the distance in front of him. Looking out, he could only see a few meters out before a thick wall of mist or smoke, he wasn't sure which, rose as far as he could see into the sky.
Running to the waters edge, he heard another heartbreaking scream. Frantically, he searched for a boat or raft of some kind so that he could get past the mist clouds to see who was screaming.
"You don't want to disturb them." Came a voice laden with a thick Irish accent from behind him.
He froze. He knew that voice.
Slowly, he turned around to see the face of Ewan O'Brien.
"What do you mean disturb them? Disturb who?" Mulder asked, although he had a pretty good idea who it was.
"All of them. Even your partner. They are all in negotiations at the moment. It would be unwise to disrupt them right now. Who knows what Morgayne will do if she realizes you are here." He replied, a twinkle in his eyes.
"I have to get to Scully." Mulder said. "Why aren't you worried? They have your daughter! Are you that heartless?" Ewan just smiled.
Realization dawned suddenly on Mulder.
"Oh, I get it now. You are in on this. You are letting them do this to Mollie, letting them torture her. Letting them kill your wife, her boyfriend! What kind of sadistic bastard are you?" He yelled.
"Don't go making rash assumptions on me, Mr. Mulder! You have no idea what is going on, so don't pretend. Your petulance really is quite tiresome." Ewan said, narrowing his eyes.
"Fine. Why don't you enlighten me? Why are you allowing this to happen to Mollie?" Mulder growled.
"A very long time ago, there was a king, who had a sister. That sister was very powerful, and many believed her to be evil. One day, a new woman arrived, claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of the king's father."
"Wait, wouldn't that be the sister's father as well?" Mulder interrupted.
"No. The sister and king had the same mother, but different fathers." Ewan paused. "The woman asked for riches and acceptance. The sister denied her. Feeling betrayed and alone, the woman cursed the lineage of the sister and brother, who would come to have a son together."
"You're talking King Arthur." Mulder pondered. At Ewan's affirmative nod, Mulder pressed on. "The tale is that the sister, Morgayne, was evil. I've never heard anything about a third sibling, who I'm guessing would be Kiara."
"You catch on quickly. No, the tale has warped things, quite a bit. Morgayne was not evil, she was misunderstood."
"So where do you and Mollie fit in. And why do they want Scully?" Mulder questioned.
"I am Arthur, in a manner of speaking." Ewan smiled a smile that Mulder suddenly found very regal.
"That's why she called you brother." Mulder whispered. "You're the reincarnated spirit of King Arthur?"
"In a sense. Not technically reincarnated, but I don't feel like getting into the semantics of it all." Ewan nodded.
"So what about Mollie, what about Scully?" Mulder pressed.
"Mollie is in the direct lineage of both Morgayne and I, and Kiara. Her mother, was a child of Kiara, her roots traced all the way back to Kiara. I am in the direct line of Arthur. Mollie is the catalyst. She was never supposed to be, but she is. Kiara cursed the future children and lineage of Morgayne and I, but she never meant to curse her own."
"Scully?" Mulder urged.
"She…well let's just say that Dana isn't exactly fully Dana."
Mulder squinted his eyes in deep concentration.
"What does that mean, not fully Dana?"
"Mr. Mulder, it doesn't matter. I have told you what you needed to know. Now, do not disturb them." Ewan turned and walked towards the forest.
"Wait…what happens to Mollie?"
Turning around, Ewan raised an eyebrow. "She gets to choose a side. If not, well let's just say that the future will not be as bright."
Mulder shook his head and looked back towards the mist. Turning back to Ewan, his eyes widened as he saw that Ewan was gone. Taking a deep breath Mulder turned back to the water, spying a small boat wading in the shallow waters.
He had to get to Scully!
Tears streamed down Mollie's face as she stared into the eyes of Kiara, her eyes! They were her eyes! The same deep green and everything!
Unable to stand the pain she saw reflecting in their depths, she squeezed her own eyes shut. Hearing a loud laugh, she opened them and turned towards Morgayne.
Morgayne stared at Kiara, then turned to Mollie, who was still holding onto Scully.
"Don't worry anymore Mollie. It's all ending today. No more pain, I promise." Morgayne smiled and spoke in a quiet whisper. Suddenly she turned to Kiara. She reached inside her coat and pulled something out. Mollie gasped at the object and pushed farther back into Scully's embrace.
Scully's eyes widened as she saw Morgayne pull the shimmering sword out from behind her cloak. She instantly recognized it as the one that the king had carried. Coming out of her reverie, she heard Morgayne speaking.
"It is over for now." She said to Kiara, and thrust the sword into Kiara's stomach.
A weak gasp seeped from Kiara's lips as she doubled over in pain. Looking up at Mollie one more time, a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"Goodbye….my child." She breathed.
Mollie just cried harder into Scully's arms.
Kiara looked back at Morgayne, as a bright silver light erupted from her eye sockets and open mouth. As she took her last breath, she exploded in a bright white light.
Scully closed her eyes and turned her head from the intense brightness. Once it faded, she looked back only to realize, everything had turned black and she was once again hopelessly alone.
Continued in Chapter 19
Mulder turned around from the direction he was headed when he heard an agonizing scream from behind him.
"NO! MOLLIE!" Came the distant voice.
Hearing Mollie's name, he broke out into a swift sprint, following the sound of the scream. It sounded torturous, and threatened to bring tears to his eyes, almost like someone was in deep pain. He hoped to God that person wasn't Mollie, or worse, Scully.
Keeping his pace up, he ran until he stumbled as the solid ground turned into soft sand beneath his feet. He fell, catching himself with his hands.
Standing up and brushing off his pants, he surveyed his surroundings. He was standing on a deserted beach, a large lake spanning the distance in front of him. Looking out, he could only see a few meters out before a thick wall of mist or smoke, he wasn't sure which, rose as far as he could see into the sky.
Running to the waters edge, he heard another heartbreaking scream. Frantically, he searched for a boat or raft of some kind so that he could get past the mist clouds to see who was screaming.
"You don't want to disturb them." Came a voice laden with a thick Irish accent from behind him.
He froze. He knew that voice.
Slowly, he turned around to see the face of Ewan O'Brien.
"What do you mean disturb them? Disturb who?" Mulder asked, although he had a pretty good idea who it was.
"All of them. Even your partner. They are all in negotiations at the moment. It would be unwise to disrupt them right now. Who knows what Morgayne will do if she realizes you are here." He replied, a twinkle in his eyes.
"I have to get to Scully." Mulder said. "Why aren't you worried? They have your daughter! Are you that heartless?" Ewan just smiled.
Realization dawned suddenly on Mulder.
"Oh, I get it now. You are in on this. You are letting them do this to Mollie, letting them torture her. Letting them kill your wife, her boyfriend! What kind of sadistic bastard are you?" He yelled.
"Don't go making rash assumptions on me, Mr. Mulder! You have no idea what is going on, so don't pretend. Your petulance really is quite tiresome." Ewan said, narrowing his eyes.
"Fine. Why don't you enlighten me? Why are you allowing this to happen to Mollie?" Mulder growled.
"A very long time ago, there was a king, who had a sister. That sister was very powerful, and many believed her to be evil. One day, a new woman arrived, claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of the king's father."
"Wait, wouldn't that be the sister's father as well?" Mulder interrupted.
"No. The sister and king had the same mother, but different fathers." Ewan paused. "The woman asked for riches and acceptance. The sister denied her. Feeling betrayed and alone, the woman cursed the lineage of the sister and brother, who would come to have a son together."
"You're talking King Arthur." Mulder pondered. At Ewan's affirmative nod, Mulder pressed on. "The tale is that the sister, Morgayne, was evil. I've never heard anything about a third sibling, who I'm guessing would be Kiara."
"You catch on quickly. No, the tale has warped things, quite a bit. Morgayne was not evil, she was misunderstood."
"So where do you and Mollie fit in. And why do they want Scully?" Mulder questioned.
"I am Arthur, in a manner of speaking." Ewan smiled a smile that Mulder suddenly found very regal.
"That's why she called you brother." Mulder whispered. "You're the reincarnated spirit of King Arthur?"
"In a sense. Not technically reincarnated, but I don't feel like getting into the semantics of it all." Ewan nodded.
"So what about Mollie, what about Scully?" Mulder pressed.
"Mollie is in the direct lineage of both Morgayne and I, and Kiara. Her mother, was a child of Kiara, her roots traced all the way back to Kiara. I am in the direct line of Arthur. Mollie is the catalyst. She was never supposed to be, but she is. Kiara cursed the future children and lineage of Morgayne and I, but she never meant to curse her own."
"Scully?" Mulder urged.
"She…well let's just say that Dana isn't exactly fully Dana."
Mulder squinted his eyes in deep concentration.
"What does that mean, not fully Dana?"
"Mr. Mulder, it doesn't matter. I have told you what you needed to know. Now, do not disturb them." Ewan turned and walked towards the forest.
"Wait…what happens to Mollie?"
Turning around, Ewan raised an eyebrow. "She gets to choose a side. If not, well let's just say that the future will not be as bright."
Mulder shook his head and looked back towards the mist. Turning back to Ewan, his eyes widened as he saw that Ewan was gone. Taking a deep breath Mulder turned back to the water, spying a small boat wading in the shallow waters.
He had to get to Scully!
Tears streamed down Mollie's face as she stared into the eyes of Kiara, her eyes! They were her eyes! The same deep green and everything!
Unable to stand the pain she saw reflecting in their depths, she squeezed her own eyes shut. Hearing a loud laugh, she opened them and turned towards Morgayne.
Morgayne stared at Kiara, then turned to Mollie, who was still holding onto Scully.
"Don't worry anymore Mollie. It's all ending today. No more pain, I promise." Morgayne smiled and spoke in a quiet whisper. Suddenly she turned to Kiara. She reached inside her coat and pulled something out. Mollie gasped at the object and pushed farther back into Scully's embrace.
Scully's eyes widened as she saw Morgayne pull the shimmering sword out from behind her cloak. She instantly recognized it as the one that the king had carried. Coming out of her reverie, she heard Morgayne speaking.
"It is over for now." She said to Kiara, and thrust the sword into Kiara's stomach.
A weak gasp seeped from Kiara's lips as she doubled over in pain. Looking up at Mollie one more time, a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"Goodbye….my child." She breathed.
Mollie just cried harder into Scully's arms.
Kiara looked back at Morgayne, as a bright silver light erupted from her eye sockets and open mouth. As she took her last breath, she exploded in a bright white light.
Scully closed her eyes and turned her head from the intense brightness. Once it faded, she looked back only to realize, everything had turned black and she was once again hopelessly alone.
Continued in Chapter 19
