I really like this chapter. Interestingly enough this chapter wasn't planned. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, but you know I like it. Comment, Questions, ect. Review please. =D
A funeral for the Servants was… different. Those from Camelot expected a pyre or some kind of burning of the body, but instead Artemis's body would rest on a marble slab for 7 days. Her body would be kept in perfect condition by the Servants' magic. After the seven days would pass, her body would break down into nothing but ash before the weather does what it can with it. The ceremony was done at an island not far off from Camelot. The ceremony was kept to friends and family. But even then there was a large amount of people from all different points of the world. Some those of Camelot have met and those they haven't.
The ceremony was strange again as it officially started. There was a man who conducted it. He spoke in a language they did not know, but one can assume that he was saying something about death, life, and Artemis. There were tears from those who were not Servants and those who were Servants kept reserved faces. Doves were released and Erus using magic allowed flowers to grow around the marble altar.
Slowly the group thinned as the funeral finished. Merlin looked at his sister mournfully with his mother. Both were crying. Merlin lead his mother away. Amice and Arthur were left. Amice put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. He looked at her. She smiled gently before leaving him alone. She had taken the effort to attempt to comfort him the passed few days. It hadn't work. He looked down at Artemis's body mournfully. He turned away, but a voice caught him.
"It's unfair, isn't it?" a woman asked. She sat on the marble slab not touching Artemis's body but looking rather nonchalant being next to a dead body. She had hair and eyes as dark as a raven. She wore all black with an ankh around her neck. Arthur turned to her. "She just started her time. She was young, lovely, brave, loved, and yet she was taken from you." Arthur looked at her lost. He was unsure what to do, what to say to this women. Should he yell at her? Lash out at her? "What would you give to have her back? To touch her skin once more, to kiss her again, to love her, to live a lifetime with her?"
"I don't understand."
"What would you give?"
"Anything, everything. Whatever it takes, but nothing can bring the dead back." She smiled.
"Are you sure?" she asked. He stared at the woman.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Me?" she asked pointing to herself. "I am known by many names. I am a entity, a god, a goddess, a deity. I am a friend, a lover, an enemy, an omen. I am the Reaper. I am Death." He stared at her. "You do not believe me? Are you sure?" A nearby bird that had been singing stopped and fell to the dead with a snap of her fingers.
"You are…," he muttered. "You took her from me," Arthur said. "You stole her!"
"I did no such thing. For the most part, I don't actually kill. It is the people that kill themselves. Artemis chose this path. I only took her soul to it's next pathway."
"What do you want?" he asked.
"To give you a chance," she told him. "I was brought here to Artemis by a charm she wears around her neck. A charm she got from a dying, diseased King. Her soul still has a chance, Arthur Pendragon, if you are willing to give it one."
"How?"
"Someone must retrieve it, by which I mean someone must die to bring back."
"I don't understand."
"Put your body in suspended death. I will take you to Avalon. I will let you take her back if you can get to her. If you don't reach her in time, you will die indefinitely."
"How do I-" he didn't finish his question. She disappeared in a murder of crows.
"Is it possible to put my body in a suspended state of death?" Arthur asked busting into Erus's room. She was temporarily in Camelot. She stared at him and frowned.
"Yes," she replied, "but why would you want to?"
"I met a woman. She claimed she was Death. She said I can bring her back." Erus stood carefully. This boy was fragile. He had just lost the woman he loved. It was not her to decide and tell him that he was foolish.
"Come this way," she said walking out of the room.
There was a meeting in the council hall. It consisted of Arthur, Erus, Ava, Everett, Amice, Cassandra, Gwen, Jack, Merlin, and Arthur's closest knights who knew Artemis.
"You want to kill yourself?" Amice asked once he explained what had happened.
"Just temporarily," he replied.
"This is insane. How do you know this woman really was Death?" Ava asked.
"It was," Cassandra said. "I saw her approach."
"Then why would she-"
"Don't question Death," Cassandra replied.
"So will you do it?" Arthur asked Erus. She put a hand to her head. She looked frustrated.
"Arthur Pendragon, you are the only heir to Camelot besides Morgana. If you die, there will be trouble. You may not succeed. Uther is useless right now. This isn't right."
"I don't care what's right," he told her. "I'm doing this for her."
"Are you doing this for her or you?" Erus asked. Arthur took a breath.
"She didn't want to die. I am doing for both of us. I won't lie. I want her back, but I know she wants to watch what Camelot and the world will become." There was silence. Erus sighed. She nodded.
"You must do this alone, Arthur," she said.
"I know," he replied. "I am willing."
Arthur laid on the table in Gaius's chambers. It was the best place to do it. Erus carved symbols into the table.
"Drink this," she said shoving it in his hand. He did as he was told. He heard her voice chant a spell. It was a bit disturbing to Arthur, who still didn't know the true good in magic, but it was for Artemis. He shut his eyes and the dark consumed him.
Arthur found himself in a barren land, a wasted land. He wondered were he was.
"The sunless lands," a voice came. He turned and found Death waiting there. "Walk with me, and we will reach Avalon." They walked side by side.
"Why… why did you do this? Why are you giving me… giving Artemis this chance?"
"Because I will not allow her to die when her destiny is unfulfilled. I gave her this life, and only I will take it away. Not Ambrose. Not Erus. Not Morgana. Not Morgause. I will. I will take her when it is time."
"I don't understand."
"Artemis told you of a man name Sindri coming to her village and giving her 5 Babylon candles and telling her to go to the Caves of Vetus. I gave those candles to that man. I told him to find her and tell her to go to the caves. Five. Why do you think I gave 5? Those candles have brought her to her destiny. One candle brought her to the caves where she would become a Servant. One candle saved her life and brought her the vision of love instead of duty. Who do you think gave her that vision? I did. One candle brought her to Nimueh and ultimately caused you to discover the mirror. The same mirror that caused you and her to become close. One candle brought her to Gwydion where her fears were dulled. Where she began to question duty? One candle brought her to realize that you need her there and vise versa. Who do you think brought Cassandra the image of Artemis bringing peace that caused her to stop Erus from killing her? Who do you think created the mirror that Artemis uses? Who do you think brought the good dreams of Artemis to Saoirse and Gwydion and Galen before they met her? I did. Who took Kael? I did. I planned out her life. I am the one who leads her."
"Why?" Arthur asked.
"Because I am tired, Arthur Pendragon. I am tired of useless deaths. I am tired of this life. I want peace, Pendragon. People presume because I am Death that I am cruel, and I seek as much death as possible, but that is not true. I do not like taking lovers to their grave. I do not like war. All people see me in the end, it is true, but most do not have to come so soon. Artemis is my hope of humanity. I gave her my visions of death in hope that she could stop them. I gave her my power and myself. Everything she is, everything she has become was my doing. I am the puppet master. However… you… you were only supposed to see her as an advisor. You were not supposed to love her as you did. I do not plan for that, but here you are, and I am happy. Ambrose is finally dead for now."
"Does she know?"
"She has met me once, but she knows not."
"This path has been torture to her."
"It will be worth it. She will be happy." Arthur fell silent. "I understand that you feel conflict on what you have learned. You will be with her in time. Children are in her future. Who do you think Rhian's mother is? Who do you think told Cassandra to send her here? I did. Artemis needed it. She needed to see the good she would bring."
"Will you tell her?"
"No. I will tell her in time, but now is not the time." She stopped. The border to the sunless lands was a lake. "I cannot go farther. Only you. You will not see past the island. The island is not the afterlife. It is where souls go while they wait for the afterlife. It is where Artemis resides." Arthur stepped on the boat. "Good luck." He moved off. The fog grew heavy as he moved to an island, but as he reached it everything became bright. Everything became clear. It was like the world around him was perfection. There was a crystal city. People moved around, but they seemed so much at peace. It was like a dream as he walked up the steps. He looked everywhere looking for her, and then he saw someone. He didn't recognize him, but he saw something in him, something of Ava, and something of King John. Arthur stepped in front of him. The man blinked.
"…You are dead?" the man asked. "Artemis died for you! Are you-"
"Who are you?"
"I am Kael. You are Arthur."
"Where is Artemis?" he asked. Kael nodded. Arthur followed him through the crystal city and into a building. Artemis was sitting in a snow white dress under a window. She looked out of it with a sigh. She has never looked more beautiful. Arthur realized it wasn't the city she was looking at, but somehow she was looking at a view of Camelot.
"Artemis?" he choked. She tensed before looking at Arthur. She opened her mouth before closing it. She got up and walked to him before pulling back her hand and slapping him across the face.
"How dare you! You're dead! I sacrifice myself for Camelot, and this is what's happened! Are you- I am never talking to you again, Arthur Pendragon!"
"I'm not dead, Artemis," he told her.
"What?" she asked confused.
"She gave me a chance to save you. Death. I am half-dead."
"To save me?"
"She said a necklace you were wearing called her to you," Arthur said confused.
"The Fisher King," she breathed. He didn't hear her. Artemis frowned and looked to Kael, her former lover.
"Artemis, don't look at me that way. Go," he told her. "You have the chance to live again."
"Kael," she muttered. She had a look of pain on her face.
"You want this," he told her. "Don't make excuses. You love him more than you love me, and I love you, but I can't stop how you feel. Now go home. Go to Camelot." Artemis leaned up and kissed Kael gently. Arthur shifted slightly uncomfortable with this even if it was just to say goodbye. She pulled away. Kael sighed. "It's time for me to finally go to the land of the dead, to the afterlife. I no longer have to wait for you." His spirit started to fade. "Goodbye, Artemis. I love you."
"Goodbye Kael." He was gone. Artemis sighed. She looked to Arthur.
"You're not mad, are you?"
"No. I understand." Artemis threw her arms around Arthur.
"You came for me," she breathed.
"You die, I die, remember? Come on," he told her. "Let's go home."
Arthur took his first breath since he had died. His eyes flew open, and he sat up quickly. Merlin started calling for someone, but Arthur wasn't quite all there.
"Artemis," he muttered. "Alive." Erus stared. Cassandra grinned.
"You owe me ten gold pieces," Cassandra told her. Erus scowled.
Miles away on a marble grave stone on a small island, Artemis's woke from the dead. She awoke alone, but she wouldn't be alone for long.
"Welcome back," a woman said appearing.
"Death," she muttered.
"Take my hand, Artemis. He awaits you." Artemis slipped her hands in the cold, pale hand of death, and she found herself at Gaius's door. She entered. Arthur, Merlin, Ava, Erus, Cassandra, Amice, Gwen, Jack as well as the knights (Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, Percival, and Everett) stared at her. Arthur slid off the table before practically running to her and kissing her with everything he had, and she kissed him back with everything she had.