38. Waking Up

Lucy hesitated as she went to the door, as she had no idea what to even say. She continued on though, stepping out of the cabin to see Arthur, chopping wood for the winter, shirtless. His arms and chest were well toned and rippling in muscle, every movement accenting their definition. His chest and pecks were glistening with sweat as it rolled down his abs. His pants hung low on his waist and Lucy was taking in every piece of skin she could lay her eyes on. He was a strong man and was more than capable of taking down any foe in front of him.

She shook her head, trying to focus. She was here to talk to him, not creep on him. She approached him with a shyness she has never exhibited before. She was nervous to be around him, her heart beat faster and butterflies developed in her stomach. Where had this feeling come from?

"Hey," she whispered.

He stopped mid-stroke, ax in the air, ready to drop down and split the log and his eyes looked up to meet with hers.

"You're awake." He smiled and the ax came down, splitting the wood with ease. He was charming as ever and seemed to be in his element, working.

"Yeah, I just woke up," Lucy replied awkwardly. "But I see you got us to my destination," she answered, looking around at the place. It was exactly like what she was in her dreams. A cozy cabin in the middle of no where.

"The wolf led me here. I needed to find help." He nodded, the potential pain still present in his voice. Lucy's heart clenched for him. His care for her seemed endless and undeserved. She had put him through countless worrisome experiences, most of which were still mysterious to even her. He was a strong man who deserved a strong women, someone she was not.

"What happens now?" She asked. Her voice felt so quiet and timid. She felt embarrassed, dragging the King of Britain out into the forest and for what? To see an old lady and try to find a girl that doesn't want to be found? Lucy internally rolled her eyes at herself, what was she thinking? She was thinking he wouldn't follow her, but still.

"You do what you came here for." He shrugged, going back to chopping some more wood. Lucy gawked at him as his strong arms lifted the ax above his head then down through another stump of wood, splitting it in half with such ease.

"And what about you, shouldn't you be going back to Camelot?" Lucy asked him curiously. Surely he had no intentions of waiting around for her. He was a king with responsibilities of which he shouldn't just ignore.

"My men can handle it, besides you need me here." He replied without a hint of hesitation but with a shrug of his shoulders. The kingdom could wait, she could not.

"Arthur?" She whispered.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You're too good for me."

"I am many things but that is not one of them. Now go catch up with your aunt. I have some work out here to finish up." Arthur smiled at her with love in his eyes. Getting out of the castle with just the two of them was the best thing that could have happened to him. He could finally get to know her and spend time with her. He wanted to see her in her element and this was a perfect opportunity.

Lucy smiled gratefully at him before going back inside the little cabin.

Amora greeted her with a bubbly smile. "Ah young love, it has been so long since I've been able to see it in person." The little old lady mused.

"How long have you been out here? Arthur told of stories that this place was haunted. I take it you had a part in that?" Lucy asked, trying to direct the attention away from Arthur and her.

"Yes," the little old lady nodded her head, "I ran from the city the day the great mage war started. My sisters refused to come with me, they thought they could disguise themselves and be okay, but I knew better. I escaped to these woods and endeavored to make this place mine. I have gotten crafty over the years and now less and less men venture into these woods." Amora explained and Lucy felt for her.

"It must be lonely." Lucy frowned. She couldn't imagine the isolation. Lucy wondered if her sister has been alone this entire time and how awful that would be.

"It can be, but it makes visits like yours all that more special." Amora smiled at the young girl who looked so much like her mother.

"Speaking of this visit, I need your help in finding my sister." Lucy stated, trying to focus on the mission. While visiting and catching up was fun, she didn't want to waste time either. The king couldn't be away forever.

"Yes, about that. I already know where she is and how you can find her, but the real question is are you ready to take her on?" Amora replied with a question of her own. Lucy was a little taken a back.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you dear, but you sister has been practicing her craft much longer than you have, and I'm afraid she holds a lot of resentment towards you. She will not come willingly." Amora answered with such an honesty that Lucy could not doubt.

"But why, why would she hate me so much?" Lucy asked as her mind reeled and she tried to understand where she went wrong.

"Families are complicated, and your parents left you in no position to raise yourself and your sister, but you did. And sometimes your sister didn't understand what you were doing or why and she developed her own perspective of the situation. She turned alot of her fear and pain into hate and you have come out on the butt end of that." Amora explained gingerly. It was time Lucy knew the truth, but there was no way of telling how she would handle it.

"How do you know of all of this?" Lucy inquired. What more did this little old lady know?

"I'm a seer dear, what else would you expect of me?" Amora chuckled.

"Well than how come you didn't come help us, or at least get us out of the city like you did?" Lucy accused Amora harshly. If she had known all along, why hasn't she done anything about it?

"Lucy, just because I can see what is happening doesn't mean I can do anything about it. I can't alter the timeline just because I can see what is coming. The ability of the sight has a lot if responsibility that comes with it and how someone uses that responbility matters. Your sister has been abusing her powers and you need to stop it."

"How do I even do that? I'm so tired of everyone telling me I'm special but not showing me why!" Lucy grabbed her hair and tried not to start pulling it out. When did everything in her life become so cryptic?

"Don't assume that everything will be shown, you have to learn on your own too, but I will show you the basics. I will train you as much as I can for one week and we will start tomorrow. Tonight we will feast and rest for you have a lot of work to do."

"Thank you Amora." Lucy nodded appreciatively. She wasn't satisfied nor convinced by the answers she had received, but she was still quite tired and hungry. Resting for the night sounded ideal.

"It's my pleasure dear. Now come, let's start getting dinner ready." Amora smiled at her niece before getting up and directing her to the small and cozy kitchen.

"I am really no cook." Lucy confessed.

"I will teach you that too then." Amora laughed. She would greatly enjoy the presence of the girl, and looked forward to passing her knowledge on to someone.

Amora directed Lucy about the kitchen as they prepaired a fresh quail and veggie meal that would be served with a side of fresh bread and the highly coveted butter. Lucy was accustomed to seeing such delicacies at the castle, but not out in the middle of no where, in a small isolated cabin. The meal they made smelled delicious and it wasn't long before Arthur, donning his shirt, had come in, inquiring about the intoxicating scents.

Amora served up two full plates and placed them at the table, and seated Lucy and Arthur across from each other. She then made herself a plate and excuses herself from the cabin, leaving the two alone.

Arthur and Lucy stared at each other awkwardly.

"This smells good, did you make it?" Arthur asked, sniffing at the hot food before using his fork to feed himself a bite.

"I helped, Amora did most of the work." Lucy shyly smiled in reply.

"It's amazing. I look forward to you cooking more in the future." He winged at her as they both continued to eat more as their food cooled down.

"Let's not talk about the future tonight, lets just focus on right now." Lucy suggested, not wanting to have another one of those conversations with him tonight. He was ready to be married.and have kids and she was still wrapping her mind around being in a relationship, much less marrying the King of Britian. She knew she should feel honored and excited for such an opportunity, and women across the kingdom would die for such an offer, but she couldn't relate to their excitement. She did however notice the familiarity she was starting to feel towards him and that was scary enough. He was unbelievably sweet and caring, but also strong and stern. She had never known a man to exhibit both types of qualities before and this intrigued her. She trusted Arthur, but what truly amazed her is how much he trusted her.

They enjoyed the dinner together with a little bit of small talk. Arthur told her about all the work he was doing for a Amora, getting her ready for winter and fixing up her home and shed. Lucy was amazed but how much he had gotten done in one day. He also seemed much more comfortable out here than he was in the castle, and Lucy was glad to be able to see this side of him.

When they were done eating Lucy cleaned up and Amora came back in. Arthur bolstered the fire as the sun set and the temperature outside dropped. They sat around the fire and Arthur shared the stories of Amora's hauntings and the three of them laughed as Amora told them the truth behind the supernatural events. The three of them exchanged stories into the night until they called it and went to sleep. Amora didn't have an extra bed but Arthur had one more surprise for Lucy.

"I built us a little shelter outside and loaded it up with spare furs Amora has been storing. I figured it was better than us trying to sleep on the floor in here." Arthur told her and Lucy couldn't help but blush. Of course he would do such a thing.

Arthur took her hand and lead her outside into the chilly but crisp fall air. Out on the edge of the forest line was a decently sized lean-to shelter that had a fire ready to be lit and more furs than Lucy had seen in her life.

Arthur helped her into the lean-to then started the fire with the materials he had already prepped earlier that day. Once the fire was started and roaring, Arthur slid back into the shelter beside Lucy and wrapped a fur around their shoulders.

"This is much better than the floor."

"I was hoping so." He looked at her lustfully. They were so close together, all he had to do was lean in and he could taste her lips on his.

Lucy inches closer to him, slightly intoxicated by his close proximity. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, just millimeters apart, one waiting for the other to make the move. Lucy's nervous system was going haywire, and getting worse by the second. She wanted so badly to touch him, feel him, but she couldn't. She was so afraid and didn't possess the courage to do it herself.

"Lucy?"

"Yes, Arthur?" She answered breathy and drawn out.

"Tell me what you want."

"I want..."

He nodded, his nose coming in close to her ear, nearly touching the sensitive skin of her neck, she could feel his breath on her and her heart skipped a beat.

"Tell me." He whispered.

"I want... you to..."

"To what?"

"To kiss me." She finally breathed out, her heart beating a million miles a minute and her skin felt hot to the touch.

And he did.

Author's Note: 2200k words

Wow guys, what delayed start to the year. For the first time in forever I've actually been away from writing, but for good reason. In my absence, the story has blown up and we've taken on a lot of new readers, which is always so encouraging. I thank Lucamalfoy again for my new cover and attracting so much attention. I also love talking to you guys, its what makes writing this story so rewarding. Keep messaging me, I promise to respond, even if isn't always very timely. That being said, I apologize for my absence. Writing has become a little difficult lately as there just isn't enough hours in the day. Work is just exploding right now. I work for a company called Big Dot of Happiness and we make all sorts of party supplies and decorations. So if you ever wonder what it is I am doing when I'm not writing just google us and check out our website and see the hundreds of different products that I deal with everyday! We even have product going to Canada, the UK, and Australia - mostly through Amazon.

Love you guys

-Surviving

P.s. I hate winter with a passion. It's freaking -2 F here right now!