Chapter 14

Tuesday December 25th, 2001
Camelot
The private ballroom in Josephine's wing
8:27 p.m.

Eighteen months had passed since the world as they knew it was torn down and rearranged once more. The first six months had passed with almost no chance to sit and even breathe easy for a matter of minutes, let alone for a period of time. There had been Millicent and Luciano's wedding in the midst of trying to bring things back to normal in appearance with Lucius back from Avalon full time while Josephine had sought sanctuary and peace in Avalon once the funerals and final executions were finished, and the wedding she had to be around for to arrange. Thomas had followed to be there when what should have been her due date, had the explosion and attempt on the lives of the six ruling Royals hadn't taken their child from them; only then did she return. But even then there were just so many things waiting to take up her attention.

The first Christmas had passed, Josephine having a party to have everyone back that could come so they wouldn't be alone, only Ginny hadn't come, otherwise their group of 'girls' was complete, though they all were aware of the missing member. Eva had given birth four days later on her eldest daughter's second birthday, twin girls named Satine Margarita and Blaise Liliana, after her uncle Blaise she would never know. Not a month later Pansy had given birth to her first, a son named Agapito Draconis after her long time friend; like Eva she had written Ginny to see if she would be okay with her child being named after one of her late husbands, and like Eva she had never gotten an answer to be honest, but they had both taken the chance.

Valentine's Day saw the news coming from Russia that Gabrielle and Aleksey had welcomed their first child, a son named Malcolm Darius. Then word had come in March, Ginny had given birth to her third child, a daughter that as those in Camelot learned from the announcement was named Luciana Josephine, though little else was known. As much as the members of their 'group' wanted to go to Narnia, there never seemed to be time with young children around and they didn't expect Ginny to leave Narnia to see them by this point.

Ginny had left Camelot before Josephine ever had another chance to see her after she woke up, she had written but had no replies, instead seeking Charlie for information on Ginny, letting her grieve while she dealt with her own grief amidst everything else going on. Then while in Avalon, she hadn't heard anything from the outside world, completely losing herself in her healing in the Goddess' arms. The others were writing but not getting answers, followed Josephine's lead in approaching Ginny. After she had returned, and the following months had passed swiftly with their 'family' growing ever so quickly, Josephine turned her free time that she had to Ginny and her brother. But she was at a standstill, not wanting to push Ginny, not wanting to push her brother, wondering if there was a way to get the two in the same room again, prayed that perhaps getting the woman and her idiot brother back in the same area once more would get one of them realizing that they would only be whole together now, she had been unable to figure out why in the name of all that was holy under the sun that Lucius wasn't trying to at least speak to and find out how the woman he loved was doing, instead much like Ginny who seemed to be hiding in Narnia, he was hiding behind his work, his own grief, and other things she hadn't been able to completely identify since he had put up a minor wall on his side, another sore point between the two of them but he wouldn't explain why, no matter how much she pried gently, not pushing as hard as she might have before, convincing herself he didn't want her to have his grief making things worse for her when she already had her own and her husband's feelings floating around in her head.

She hadn't been able to pull anything off though, Lucius gone much of the time from Camelot with the work of a King, the would be war with the former Order taking much of his and Thomas' time as they found the last of the members and things were dealt with. The news of the new princess of Narnia saw Lucius away from Camelot even more, much to Josephine's annoyance and thus giving her even more to do in his absence and keeping her from trying to find a moment to go and see Ginny. So they passed the months as best they good before she returned to Avalon once more for a few months when she learned she was expecting once more. When she returned this time, she found Bill, Fred, and George waiting for an audience on their and Charlie's behalf.

Charlie was concerned, more than concerned honestly, since Ginny's return she hadn't taken back her duties as Queen, something none of them really begrudged her initially with the loss of not one husband but both, letting her grieve, and then the new baby… But now eighteen months had passed and it was becoming apparent to Charlie and Aslan that it wasn't her husbands' death she was hiding from as much as something else, something more. Charlie didn't know what to do quite frankly, but he had gladly listened to Aslan's advice that he seek Josephine's help on the matter, his brother's agreeing whole-heartedly. So, she had turned her attention to trying to figure out a way to get Ginny to Camelot, driving her husband, Regulus, and Jozséf nuts in the process as she was already quite frankly crazy with pregnancy hormones.

So, after some thinking and plotting, the small kernel of thought in the back of her head, she began plotting this year's Christmas gathering for their 'family', Elena and Diego coming with Eva, Horacio and the girls. Pansy and Joaquin were there with their little son who was up and walking and getting into everything; Gabrielle and Aleksey came from Russia with little Mal as they were calling him, she already pregnant again and due in February, leading to a joke that there was some secret plan for having younger children be the birthday presents for their older siblings from Eva and Gabrielle. Millicent and Luciano had been the last to arrive with little Draco, save for the Weasley clan who had arrived only two days before Christmas. Well Fred and George, Bill and Fleur had arrived that day, it hadn't been until earlier that morning that Charlie had arrived with a sleeping Ginny and his three nieces, the three familiar cheetahs there as well – Rickon and Cassius had stayed, each of them watching over one of the daughters of their beloved former Kings.

At the moment, Ginny was still sleeping soundly, thanks to the potions Charlie had slipped her to get here there, in the rooms that were hers with a charm to let Josephine know when she started to wake; while the girls were there in the private ballroom Josephine always saw decorated for the holidays with a large tree surrounded by gifts, many of them already opened. The elder two were playing with the other children while Josephine had laid claim to her youngest namesake, Luciana sound asleep in her arms, though she had no idea how the girl could be sleeping peacefully with Josephine as big as she was, ready to give birth any day really… She just accepted it and smiled down at the little blonde-haired girl with Malfoy blue eyes, eyes she knew better than most, and watching her brother across the room throughout the day. He hadn't been happy when Charlie had shown up with the three girls, explaining Ginny was sleeping in her chambers, quite frankly he had looked ready to run before Josephine had cornered him and informed him in no uncertain terms that if he left she would quite frankly do things that were better left unsaid, though she made sure he saw every one of them in his mind thanks to the bond they shared, he hadn't been happy but he had stayed…

Tilting her head when she heard the little bell ringing in her mind she smiled to herself, "Come on little one, I gotta go see your momma and you get to go see your Uncle Fred... poor thing," she chuckled as she carefully managed to get herself up from her chair, making her way towards Fred and dropping off the sleeping girl, before waving at Thomas as she slipped out of the room and headed towards Ginny's chambers, knowing she was starting to wake up.

"Kiya?" Ginny called quietly from where she still lay in the bed, the cheetah hopping up on the bed next to her.

"Yes Mistress?" asked Kiya curiously.

"Please tell me we're not where I think we are," Ginny said.

"I'm afraid so Mistress," Kiya said sadly. She had been against the plan to get her Mistress to Camelot from the start knowing how her Mistress felt about everything that had happened to her in the last eighteen months, having been her Mistress' only confidant.

"My girls?" Ginny asked sitting up slowly.

"They are with the High Queen and her court, as are you brothers. Rickon and Cassius are with them, keeping an eye on the children," Kiya said hopping down off the bed.

"Tell our people to prepare the carriage," Ginny instructed as she rose. "We leave…leave immediately," she said fighting back a wave of dizziness.

"Are you sure Mistress?" asked Kiya in concern, knowing that her Mistress' health was not as good as she let everyone believe.

"I'm fine Kiya," Ginny said steadying herself on the bed post. "Please just do as I asked."

"Of course Mistress," Kiya said as they walked towards the door.

"Thank you," Ginny said opening the door.

"Morning my love, Happy Christmas," Josephine smiled when she saw the younger woman.

"Where are my daughters?" demanded Ginny.

"In my private ballroom with the rest of the family, they're fine sweetheart, Kaylen and Dracen are playing with the other children and Luciana is with her uncle Fred..."

"I'm collecting my daughters and we're returning to Narnia," Ginny said pushing past Josephine and making her way down the hall.

"What are you hiding from Gin? The Goddess knows you had every right to stay away and grieve, but it's been over a year, they wouldn't want you to be hiding away from everyone who loves you..." she spoke quietly as she followed Ginny.

"I am not…" Ginny began as she spun around; only she spun a little too fast and had to pray she didn't fall over from the dizziness. "…not hiding from anything Josette. I merely want to collect my daughters and leave."

"You're about dead on your feet Gin, you're not hiding physically perhaps, but you are trying to kill yourself, unconsciously or not," she countered as she reached out to help Ginny remain upright. "I can't bury you too tesoro (treasure), too much blood already stains my hands..." she pleaded softly.

"Don't touch me," snapped Ginny. "I'm fine. I just want to collect my daughters and go."

"Nothing I say huh?" Josephine sighed before moving to walk down the hall, "Come on then, the two awake ones are eager to see you, can't wait to show you what St. Nick brought them..."

"They can show me when we reach Cair Paravel," Ginny said as she followed Josephine down the hall to her private ballroom. "Rickon, Cassius," Ginny began as she entered the room. "Get Dracen and Kaelyn, we're leaving immediately," she said as she walked over to Fred, intent on taken Luciana out of her uncle's arms.

Josephine followed her, stopping right next to her as she reached for her youngest child, "I should probably take her," she spoke softly, seeing her brother across the room watching them, "Know you'd never intentionally hurt your daughter but wouldn't put it past an accident happening with my brother coming this way," she continued as she took Luciana. "Talk to him before you go Gin, didn't take me but a minute to recognize the eyes my niece has, he should hear it from you," she whispered in Ginny's ear before hurrying away towards her nephew and cousins' girls as they gathered their presents under Rickon and Cassius' watchful eye.

"Forgive me, Your Grace," Ginny apologized as she curtseyed. "I am here against my will and my wishes. I will be out of your way momentarily," she said as she rose and turned around and walked over to where Josephine was now standing. "Give me my daughter Josette."

Josephine glanced between Ginny and her brother, coming to a decision that her husband was not going to be happy about, "Have a safe trip Gin, I'll come visit you in Narnia as soon as this one makes her appearance," she smiled as she passed Luciana to her mother.

"Rickon, Cassius, bring the girls, Kiya's getting the carr…carriage ready," Ginny said as she put her hand out to steady herself on the chair, her vision swimming before her eyes.

Josephine reached out, grabbling Luciana, shifting her to one arm as she reached out to help balance Ginny with her other, "You know, you're not going to get out of here if you keep that up. I'm about tempted to summon the Healers for you," she spoke quietly so only Ginny would hear, giving others looks that kept them from coming closer, well except her brother who was refusing to listen as he walked towards them.

"Are you alright, your Majesty?" Lucius asked quietly as he reached out to balance her as well.

"I am fine," Ginny said as she tried to pull her arm away from Lucius' hold.

"No you're not Ginny," said Charlie from his spot near the fire.

"Charlie…"

"No Ginny," he said stepping forward. "You may be my Queen but you're still my baby sister and I will not stand by any longer and watch you slowly die."

"Ahem," Josephine cleared her throat distinctly, "Can someone please take the children to get some hot chocolate... Eva, Gabby, Pansy, Milli..." she looked at them. They nodded before herding the majority of the kids out, Eva stopping as she stood next to Kaelyn and Dracen, "Is it okay if they take the girls while we hopefully avoid any arguments here?" she focused on Ginny.

Ginny gave a slight nod in agreement.

Eva quickly led the girls out, while the husbands began following, Horacio stopping long enough to take Luciana until only Ginny, Josephine, Lucius, Thomas, Charlie, Bill, Fred and George remained with Kiya and Seraphine.

"Let go of me," Ginny demanded, her voice flat as she didn't have the energy required to put the necessary malice into her words.

"Uh, any particular one of us, or both of us?" Josephine frowned.

"Both."

Josephine immediately pulled her hand away, giving her brother a dark look as she yelled at him in their minds to let go too, it took a moment but he did too.

"Thank…" Ginny's words trailed off as everything suddenly went black around her, only Lucius' quick reflexes kept her from crashing to the floor.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" demanded Lucius as he carefully picked Ginny up and carried her over to one of the couches and gently laid her down.

"She's dying, if we don't find a way to bring her back soon," Josephine admitted on a sigh. "Can you four please go check on the children?" she looked at the Weasley brothers. "Please..." she added seeing the fact they were all about to argue.

"I won't leave her," argued Charlie.

"Alright," she nodded, "In that case, I need to see you in my study," she focused on Lucius.

"No," argued Lucius, who still had not left Ginny's side.

Seraphine's head lifted at the distinct and quite angry growl that echoed through the room before giving a slight 'huff' of air. Someone was in trouble...

"Alright, I don't care who but I do not have the energy to argue and I'm at the point I'll resort to violence and the Goddess herself won't be able to blame me!" Josephine snapped. "I need to speak with you, now, and it's either going to happen here with you four stepping out, or you and I are going somewhere so her brothers can stay here. You five figure it out because you have one minute before I won't be held responsible."

"I'll go," came the quiet response from the couch as Ginny tried to sit up.

"Somehow sweetheart I doubt that is an option that is going to work with the psycho overprotective men in the room. Well the ones worried about you," Josephine smiled as she saw her husband roll his eyes.

"I'm leaving. I'm not supposed to be here," Ginny said as she continued in her struggle to rise to at least a sitting position, accidentally slipping from the couch and hitting the floor.

"Ginevra, don't do this," Lucius urged as he helped Ginny to her feet.

"I don't have a choice, Your Grace, you should know that," she said.

"Okay..." Josephine nodded before focusing on the four Weasley men and a moment later they all disappeared with a pop as she forced them to apparate without a conscious thought out of the ballroom, a silent spell locking the door on the outside. "Now that we're not involving your brothers, you two need to talk. Yell at me later but do it now," she focused on her brother and Ginny, "I'm going to go sit across the room and pretend I'm not here unless I need to poke you or something," she nodded decisively before moving to the other side of the room, Thomas on her heels.

"You might as well come back Josette because your brother and I have nothing to talk about. I may be ill but I haven't forgotten that I'm no longer welcome in Camelot so if you will excuse me I need to collect my children and return home," Ginny said as she carefully made her way across the room.

"Alright, now we have a problem," Josephine grumbled as she turned around, "My husband is about to become very irate with me because I am about ready to ring one or both of your necks. I don't know what the hell happened but something happened and there is nothing I can do, save tying you two up in the same room long enough for the bond to kick in and hopefully that will make you talk to each other. You," she pointed at Lucius, "stop being an ass, I don't know exactly how or why, but you are, and you," she pointed at Ginny, "for the love of the Goddess! At least yell at him for being an ass or something!"

"Calm down beloved," Thomas spoke quietly.

"You shut up!" she snapped at him before focusing back on Lucius and Ginny, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you want me to say Josette? That I love him? Is that what you want me to say? Well guess what, I said it and what has it gotten me? It's gotten me nothing… nothing except a broken heart and a shattered soul. When I lost Draco and Blaise and the bond re-established itself I thought maybe, just maybe there might be a chance for us but then before I could do or say anything I was banished from court. So if your Majesties will excuse me, I will remove my unwanted self from your presences and return to Cair Paravel and you will never have to lay eyes on my unwanted self ever again as despite what I've lead my brother to believe, I may not live long enough to see Luciana's first birthday, let alone Dracen and Kaelyn's third."

"Lucius, you don't make this right so help me I'll deal with ruling the world on my own because I'm going to murder you in your sleep, hell I'll murder you while you're awake, right now I don't rightly care but I am not burying another member of my family!"

"Ginevra…" Lucius began stepping towards her.

"Don't," Ginny said cutting him off, fighting back tears as she backed away from him, stumbling slightly but righting herself with the use of the nearby chair. "Please don't…I will do as you wish and I will leave."

"And if I wish you to stay?" asked Lucius, a note of uncertainty in his voice as he took in the true appearance of the woman before him, who was a mere shadow of the vibrant young woman he had come to love.

"Please don't do this, don't torment me by giving me a reason to hope."

"Oh for Christ's sake, tell her how you feel you idiot!" Josephine grumbled, "Oh for crying out loud I hate being pregnant," she continued as she shuffled towards the door."

"I'll follow her to the ladies room," Thomas pointed after Josephine before hurrying after her.

"You're not coming in to the restroom with me!"

"Josephine..."

"Don't make me hurt you Thomas..." her voice trailed off as they left the room.

"I never meant to banish you Ginevra," Lucius told her, hesitating to take a step towards her. "I wanted to give you the time and space necessary to grieve for my son and Blaise."

"So you turn on me? You throw me out of Camelot?" Ginny demanded.

"I thought Narnia would be a better place for you to grieve than here where the bond between us would continue to work on us, pulling us together whenever we were both asleep at the same time. You needed to deal with everything without having to deal with me and this bond we share. I knew Narnia would protect you from that," Lucius explained.

"That was not the first time the bond has been active Lucius," Ginny said.

"And we both know what happened the last time the bond was active," countered Lucius.

"That's not what I mean," snapped Ginny in frustration, gripping onto the chair hard enough for her knuckles to whiten as she tried to ride out a dizzy spell.

"Sit down Ginevra," Lucius instructed quietly as he stepped towards her and took her hands before leading her around the chair and urging her down into it. "What do you mean?"

"The bond has slowly been working its way back to the surface ever since I confessed my feelings for you two years ago. It's why I didn't try to push you away when we were together after Blaise and Draco's deaths. Ever since my confession I had been having dreams, dreams of a mysterious lover who I knew but could not place…not until that day we were together again for the first time. I have wanted you every day for as long as I can remember and when you threw me away for the second time…I don't want to die Lucius. I want to see my daughters grow up. I want to see our daughter fall in love and get married. I want to see all my girls happily married."

"Ginevra, you can do just that, you can see them grow into beautiful strong young women…"

"I'm dying Lucius. I know I am…"

"We can change that," he told her as he cupped her cheek. "The Healers of Avalon…"

"Cannot help me Lucius. I am not dying from some ailment. If I was then the Healers in Narnia should have been able to identify what it is that's killing me and yet they haven't the slightest idea of what it is but I do."

"You do?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm dying because a person cannot live if their soul is not whole," Ginny said quietly. "I didn't know it until I nearly died giving birth to Luciana but I've been dying ever since we were first together the night of the Winter Ball," she said, dropping her gaze to her hands.

"Ginevra that was four years ago," said Lucius in shock.

"I know. My marriage to Blaise and Draco slowed the progress of it since my connection to them suppressed the connection between us. I've been dying slowly every day since the bond between us was re-established eighteen months ago. It's how I know I won't live to see our daughter's first birthday. I had to fight to live through her birth but I no longer have the energy to continue fighting. If you will excuse me, Your Grace," Ginny said rising carefully, "I know my time in this world is short and I wish to end my days in Narnia."

"Ginevra, isn't there some way we can reverse this?" asked Lucius as he rose, taking a light hold of Ginny's arms.

"There is. There is one person who could possibly reverse the effects but it is not something I foresee happening…"

"What is it? Who is it?"

"It's you, Your Grace. You hold the other half of my soul. Every day that you deny me, another small piece of me dies. Forgive me, Your Grace, but I really must go," Ginny said stepping away from Lucius.

"Ginevra wait," Lucius ordered, causing Ginny to stop where she was standing, knowing better than to disobey the High King.

"My Lord please don't…"

"I love you, Ginevra," he said as he made his way over to Ginny and turned her around.

"Please don't…" Ginny pleaded desperately. "Don't do this to me. Don't tell me you love me because I know you don't mean it…"

"But I do mean it Ginevra. I love you. I don't remember when or how but I somehow seem to have fallen completely head over heals in love with you. Actually if I think about it, I would say that the day you kissed me in the halls of Hogwarts would be when I first fell in love with you. I'm sorry if I hurt you. It was never my intention. I'm afraid my wooing abilities were never truly put to use as my marriage to Narcissa was arranged and there was no love between us. I stayed with her and pushed you away because I was under the mistaken impression that she and I were bonded. When I finally learned the truth about her relationship with Snape, you were already Queen of Narnia and then the whole business with the coronation and my sister's wedding and I know that I could have handled the situation between us so much better at the coronation ball but it was the first time I'd seen you in so long that all I wanted to do was hold you and when I realized that my words and actions had hurt you it was too late and you were married to Blaise. I swore to myself that I would step back and not interfere, even when I learned of your later marriage to my son, again I forced myself to step away from you. I would not take from you that which you wanted so desperately. After the explosion I thought I was doing what was best for you. I didn't want to start a relationship between us while you were still mourning the loss of Draco and Blaise. I never in the world meant to banish you or to cause this to happen. Goddess Ginevra, if I could…if I could do it all over again I swear to you I would. I would go back to that morning after the Winter Ball and I would do everything differently. I've been lost all these years without you. I love you Ginevra; with every fibre of my being, I love you. I am not whole without you."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said suddenly as she rose as quickly as she could and ran from the room.

"Ginevra wait!" Lucius called as he raced out of the room after her. "Goddess no," he cried when he turned a corner a few minutes later only to stop short before he nearly tripped over something, that something being Ginny, who was laying on the floor in front of him Kiya laying next to her. Falling to his knees, he rolled Ginny over into his lap, "Ginevra?" he called quietly, trying to wake her. "Ginevra, please wake up. Come back to me…"

"I'm sorry your Grace," Kiya said quietly as she rose and walked over to him, resting her paw gently on his arm as she sat beside him. "But you are too late…"

"You know, this is the one thing I will certainly not miss when this little one enters the world," Josephine chuckled as she and Thomas made their way back towards the ballroom.

"I can quite imagine," he smiled.

"Well you should try having to pee a million times a day," she rolled her eyes before stopping short as the cry echoed through the halls, and more importantly in her mind.

"Was that..."

"Lucius..." she breathed before trying to move as quickly as possible down the hall, which sadly because of her pregnancy wasn't nearly as fast as she would have liked.

When they rounded the last corner, she stopped short and Thomas reached out to grab her, "No," she breathed as they took in the scene, Lucius kneeling on the ground cradling Ginny in his arms as he cried, Kiya lay beside them, her head resting in Ginny's lap. "Oh no..."

"Josephine," Thomas caught her as she started to fall, ending up sinking to the ground with her as she just stared in shock at her brother and friend.

"By the Goddess," Eva's whisper drew Thomas' attention and he looked up to see Horacio catching her arm as she faltered, Gabrielle, Pansy, and Millicent near them being steadied by their husbands as the Weasley men just stared in shock, where the children were he didn't know. Right now though, honestly he wasn't concerned, his full focus returning to his wife as she began to sob, though unlike the other gathered women she didn't let him pull her gaze from her brother and friend, merely letting him pull her towards him to lean against him as she cried.

/-/May the Goddess watch over her until her next life/-/ he prayed.

Wednesday December 25th, 2002
Camelot
The High King's Bedchamber
8:27 p.m.

Josephine sighed as she shifted in her chair, stretching out her hands before returning to the quilt she was embroidering. Looking to her right she checked on her youngest daughter, little Ginevra was nearly a year old already, named for the aunt she would never know. It had been a year since Ginny's death, none of them had expected it so soon, Josephine had been making plans to travel and stay in Narnia, Eva already said she would stay with them, to be with Ginny until the end if she and Luc hadn't worked things out. But in the end, fate stepped in and took her before any of them really had a chance to accept that they would be loosing her.

Fortunately, yet unfortunately, that hadn't been the case with her brother. Looking to her left she smiled sadly at the sight of her brother, a shell of his former self as the same fate, which took Ginny from them, took him as well. She knew in her heart he would not live past this night, the anniversary of the day his love was taken from him. Thomas had tried numerous times to get her to leave Lucius' side even for a short while, but she would not, she hadn't been with Ginny when she had gone to wait for her next life, she would at least be with her brother.

"You can stop staring Josette," Lucius' voice drew her from her thoughts and she focused on him, setting the quilt aside as she rose and moved to sit on the side of the bed.

"But it's my job to annoy you mon frère (my brother)," she countered with a smile, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. "Are you thirsty?" she asked softly.

"No," he countered quietly, "You shouldn't be here; you shouldn't watch me leave this life Josette."

"And you should know better than to try and tell me to do something, you know I never listen," she argued, "And stop it to begin with, you needn't use your strength to talk to me aloud when you can do it just as easily as we always have."

/-/Brat/-/ he mentally chuckled. /-/How Tom puts up with you…/-/

"The same way you did," she smiled, "He loves me, faults and all."

/-/I'm glad, it makes it easier some, knowing you have someone who will care for you now that the rest of our family is gone./-/

"Please, don't talk like you're dying. It's hard enough knowing that you are," she whispered, finding his hand with her own and bringing it towards her lips so she could press them against his skin before she held it against her heart. "I can't bear to lose you too."

/-/Shh. You'll be fine Josephine. You always were stronger than me. This can't be undone; I sealed myself to this fate. And perhaps this is my punishment for taking Ginny from all of you, from the world…/-/

"No," she growled, "This isn't a punishment. You didn't kill her Lucia, everything was complicated and wrong, and screwed up beyond belief, but no one person is to blame. It was her time, the Goddess called her back to await her next life."

/-/Just as she now calls me/-/ he countered gently. /-/You're going to be an amazing Queen Josette, even more than you already are. And someday, I know I'll see you again, perhaps we'll all be together once more./-/

"Perhaps," she agreed softly. "I don't want to do this on my on Lucia, I never did… How am I supposed to live without you?"

/-/You'll live because you have to Josette, for Thomas, for your children, for our people… You're going to be fine, you're going to live a long life, watch your children, my daughter and granddaughters grow. You'll see them crowned at Cair Paravel, and perhaps your own crowned here at Camelot if you choose to step down. You'll see your own grandchildren born and drive them nuts with your matchmaking skills, and Goddess willing, none of them will ever give you as much trouble as I did/-/ he mentally laughed once more.

"You always did love to annoy me," she smiled, before sensing another presence in the room and turned to see the Lady there, silently watching. Turning back to Lucius she smiled sadly, "I'm going to miss you every single day Lucia."

"Shh," he whispered, "I love you, I mei cari angioletti (my beloved angel)," he smiled.

"I love you too mon frère (my brother)," she whispered, leaning down to press her lips against his forehead before she shifted to lay next to him, her hand that held his moving to rest over his heart. "May the Goddess watch over you, and hold you in her arms until we meet again." Closing her eyes she listened to his heartbeats as they slowed, felt his presence in her mind drift away until it was gone, and the familiar rhythm of his heart gone as well.

Only then did she slip her hand from his and carefully rise from the bed, silently she laid his hands upon his chest before moving over to where the Lady still stood. "I'm sorry, my Lady Queen," she spoke quietly.

"Thank you," she whispered before looking back at him. "Make sure he looks as he did, please…"

"We will," she agreed before moving her cloak and pulling out the sword, "It is yours now."

"I know," Josephine sighed before taking Excalibur from her. "Until I pass it to my son."

"As it was meant to be," the Lady agreed. "Go in peace, my Lady Queen; we shall tend to the High King."

She nodded before turning and making her way towards where she had sat, using a spell to fold the blanket up and gather her supplies, sending them back to her rooms with a flick of her wrist. Setting Excalibur down for the moment, she picked up her sleeping daughter, settling her in one arm before sending the bassinet back to her rooms as well, and then she reached out with her free hand for the blade once more. Silently she made her way towards the door, finding Thomas waiting on the other side to take Ginevra and follow in silence as she traveled to the Throne Room to make the announcement of the High King's passing.