24. Realization

"So was that what I was supposed to see?'' Lucy asked Kharon.

"I told you, it's not that simple.'' He replied.

''I get it! Nothing is simple, life is complicated. You don't have to rub it in.'' She pouted.

"I will do no such thing,'' Kharon replied.

''Well you seem to be doing a great job of it,'' Lucy whined.

''And you seem to be misinterpreting the objective of this pilgrimage,'' Kharon explained.

''I don't care about the objective. I just want to go home, I want things to go back to the way they were before.'' She threw her hands up in defeat. She was sick of this place. She didn't want to be here anymore.

''Don't live in the past, look to the future.''

Lucy shook her head. She was getting tired of Kharon's cryptic responses. She didn't have the patience to decrypt his every word.

''I want to go home and I want to go now.'' She demanded like a stubborn child.

Suddenly the scene changed before her she was standing in the castle courtyard, witnessing Arthur's crowning again, only this time it was just him and her, nobody else was present, not even his knights. All she could see was him standing there, holding out his mighty sword for his whole kingdom to see.

''Why are we here?'' Lucy questioned Kharon, studying the frozen scene before her. His dull and beaten clothes reminded you that he wasn't raised as royalty but rather as a street rat. His stunning but tough good looks were enough to melt any woman's heart.

''You said to wished to go home, in order to get there, the void must know where home is.''

''So you're saying the void thinks Arthur is my home?" Lucy asked.

''The void doesn't think anything.'' He replied.

''What do you mean by that?'' She sighed, growing increasingly frustrated with the cryptic being.

''The void does not think, the void only shows.'' He answered.

''Well it is showing me Arthur and that can only mean one thing. It wants me to go back to him, be his willing and easy pristine bride, and 'fulfill the prophecy', " she sighed impatiently.

''You are nothing but a foolish girl if that is what you interpret from the void,'' Kharon replied as if he was shaking his head disappointingly at her.

''There is nothing to interpret! The void is nothing! That is why it's called the void! It a damned empty undefinable amount of space!" Lucy yelled into the void she spoke of.

Kharon did not respond.

''Hey! I'm talking to you!''

He still remained silent.

''Whatever, I was sick of talking to you anyway.'' Lucy sighed, suddenly starting to feel lonely, and slightly crazy. How long until she started talking to herself? Then she wondered, how long have I been in here? How much time has passed?

She turned her attention to the frozen scene before her. Arthur washolding out his sword and their eyes had made contact. She realized that she really hadn't seen anyone else in that moment, making it truly just him and her, standing in that courtyard. She also started to realize that she was beginning to miss him, and the castle had really started to feel like home. But was she ready accept that responsibility? To be his bride, his queen? No, not yet. She needed to save her sister first. It was her fault that Mary was in this mess, it was the only thing she could do to redeem herself.

She looked up into Arthur's eyes for a little longer, cherishing the memory she would never re-live. In that moment, she felt so young and innocent. Now, she was barely the same person. She had become braver, smarter, and stronger. She no longer was the weak seamstress she once was, she was quickly becoming a strong mage.

She sighed. Her magic was apart of the prophecy everyone won't shut up about. Her marriage to Arthur would finally unite Britain and bring back magick again. She shook her head. Why was marrying Arthur so intimidating? It went beyond logic, but she knew exactly why it was intimidating. All the attention would be on her. Nobody would care about Arthur by then, he'd be old news, but she would be fresh meat for everyone to rip into.

Lucy had always imagined a small and simple life. A little cottage in the outskirts of the city, much like her parents' home. She wished she had met Arthur as a nobody, before getting to know him as King. Maybe then things would be slightly different then. She probably wouldn't be in the pickle that she was in today. But her heart knew one thing was true, her future was undeniable.

...

The night had dragged on, Arthur nodded in and out, sitting in the chair next to her. He wanted to be here with her when she woke up and refused to leave until she did so. He had his meal brought to him and ate in silence with her. After hours of holding her hand and waiting for her, waiting for something, he began to nod off, exhaustion overcoming his reluctant body.Sometime in the night, he climbed into the bed beside her, craving to hold her in his arms.

He wasn't ready for this to be the end. He had barely gotten a chance to spend time with her, be with her. She was too precious for this world, and she didn't deserve anything that was happening to her. He wished he could just take away all of her pain, simply with the force of his love.

He held her, thinking about the future they were supposed to have together. He imagined her standing by his side, probably with a baby on her hip. He saw a prosperous kingdom with a happy family. What more he truly ask for? His future was the only thing he had to look forward to. But suddenly that future only mattered if Lucy was there with him.

Author's Note:

2AM. This is what I do on friday nights instead of 'normal things' like go to the bar because I'm 21. No, instead I stay home and brainstorm plot ideas with my bf like a boss and finish this beast. Otherwise, I'm out cub scout, its been a long ass week!

Hope you enjoy!! :)

-Surviving (9/16)