I do love you, Trystan. Perchance someday…
Had Trystan imagined those words, or had Emrys spoken them at one point in his past? Perhaps it was a moment preceded by a choice Trystan had made as a—what had Emrys called it?—destiny bender.
Emrys casually glanced over at Trystan, a barely-there, smile spread over his lips and a touch of heartache in his eyes. Trystan countered Emrys’ pain with a small, hopeful smile. For a moment, he wondered if Emrys could hear his thoughts. With everything else revealed, he supposed it was entirely possible.
The sun had finally dipped below the horizon. Mist surrounded them under the encroaching darkness, held at bay by the flickering orange glow of the fire.
Marc and Emrys crossed the overgrown courtyard to where Trystan sat. Marc sat down next to him and leaned against the wall they’d sat on earlier. With his hand, he reached over and rubbed Trystan’s back.
Marc thought about everything he’d experienced over the last week. Oddly, the details of Trystan’s past that Emrys had revealed had surprised him very little. He thought of what his mother had told him about Trystan needing him and filling a destiny. He wondered how much his mother actually knew. And if Trystan was as powerful as Emrys claimed, what could he possibly need from him?
Emrys took a seat on Trystan’s other side, just out of arm’s reach. He watched Trystan as the dancing flames reflected in his eyes. He was trying to give him as much time as possible to come to grips with everything he’d told him. It was a lot, after all, but time, he was afraid, was a luxury they didn’t have.
“Trystan,” he said. “I expect you will need some time—”
“No,” he said, hypnotized by the fire. “I do believe you. I don’t like that you kept secrets from me all this time, but I understand. The fact that I have these powers and I’m not entirely human is a little much to take in, but honestly, it all makes sense now.”
Trystan tore his eyes away from the flames and looked at Emrys. “When you told me the other day that I was the lost heir, I wasn’t shocked. I was angry. My best friend had lied to me. I just wish I’d known more before that dream called me to the lake.”
“Perchance that choice needed to be made. Had you stayed, you may not have Excalibur right now.”
“I could have done without the near drowning.” Trystan scrunched his lips. “Just tell me one thing, Emrys.”
Emrys nodded.
“Are dragons real?”
Emrys couldn’t help the laugh that fell out of him, and Trystan couldn’t help but smile.
“You never cease to amaze me. And yes, they are quite real. As are many other beings of legend. Just remember, not all will be friendly toward you.”
Trystan’s smile slowly faded. “I have this feeling that there is more to you than you’ve shared thus far. What have you truly sacrificed?”
“It does not matter, Trystan.” Emrys looked down at his own linked hands, cracking his knuckles, and pressed his lips into a thin line. He tilted his head, regarding Trystan with a hidden longing. “I would give my life for you.”
“My mother, father, even you, all sacrificed so much… for the kingdom… for humanity… for me.”
Emrys saw a flicker of strength in Trystan’s eyes.
“You were given these gifts for a reason. Even as a child, you influenced the course of your own destiny. You were meant to be here. Meant to restore Camelot.” Emrys reached out and placed his hand over Trystan’s. “And I will be here to help guide you every step of the way.”
“Then tell me, Emrys, what am I to do now?”
“The first step was to claim Excalibur. The next is a little unclear. The prophecy speaks of two things needed to save Camelot.If Arthur’s blood should at last unite.I’ve struggled to figure this one out, but my thought is that you and another blood descendant of Arthur must unite against the fallen one.”
“If Arthur died in battle, how is it there would be any other blood descendants?” Trystan asked.
“A childwasborn of Arthur with another woman long before he married your mother. And should you find his descendant, you may not know.”
Trystan turned to Marc. “The other day, your mother mentioned that your father’s historians claimed your family was directly descended from King Arthur. Do you know if it’s true or not?”
“As much as I would like to say that it is, I can’t say it with any certainty,” Marc replied.
“I feared as much.” Trystan sighed.
“The prophecy also mentions that true loveis the key.”
“How is love the key?”
