"What?"
Arthur's brow furrowed, his body tensing with slow-building dread.
Mandoriya flinched under his stare, shifting uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her voice wavering. "But I knew you felt the same! I saw it in the way you looked at me! I know you love me too—it's just that she's in the way! If we take her out of the equation, we can be free to love!"
Arthur's stomach dropped. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Mandoriyah's father sighed, rubbing his temple, as if this entire situation was beneath him.
"What a mess."
Arthur's eyes snapped back to him, his heart pounding.
The king exhaled. "A deal was made. Find love above the sea within seven days, or marry below it." He tilted his head at Arthur. "It seems you are the product of that deal."
Arthur laughed.
A sharp, bitter sound that echoed through the hall.
"This is a mistake," he said coldly. "I can't possibly love her. I already have the love of my life—the woman you kidnapped."
The king barely looked interested. "Is this the one you desire?"
Mandoriyah clasped her hands together, pleading, eyes glowing with delusion.
"Yes! Oh, Father, he makes sea bubbles and pearls—"
Arthur stared at her as if she had lost her mind.
He could end this.
He could end all of this right now.
His fingers brushed over Excalibur's hilt.
Then, he saw the children.
The innocents.
The people who would die in the process.
And then—his mother's voice.
"Every time I picked up that sword, more people died than had to."
Then his father's.
"I wonder if you acted in haste and clouded your judgment."
And Artizea's.
"Remember when we trained so hard my bones started to crack? I wanted to be strong. Strong so I could shoulder the weight placed on me."
Arthur exhaled shakily.
He couldn't kill them. He wouldn't. But he wouldn't let Cesealia die either.
His jaw tightened. Then, slowly, Arthur said:
"I'll do it."
The hall fell silent.
"But Cesealia lives."
The king nodded. "Naturally."
Mandoriyah spun toward him, furious."But, Father—"
The king raised a single hand.
"You got what you wanted, honey. What more could you possibly ask for?"
She mumbled something under her breath, but Arthur didn't care.
Arthur exhaled sharply, steadying himself. His gaze was locked only on Cesealia.
"At least let me tell her goodbye."
Cesealia screamed against the seaweed gag binding her lips, her emerald eyes flooding with tears.
The king of the seas, King Tywin, considered him with a bored expression, then flicked his wrist.
The enchanted chain of woven seaweed unraveled from her wrists and mouth, setting her free.
The moment she was able to move, Cesealia ran to Arthur.
And he ran to her.
She collapsed into his arms, gripping him so tightly he thought she might break him.
"I'm not leaving without you," she sobbed into his chest. "You can't ask me to do that. I won't."
Arthur placed his hands on either side of her face, tilting her forehead to his. "Promise me something," he whispered.
"No." She shook her head violently.
His grip tightened, pleading. "Please."
She went still, breathless, as Arthur unsheathed Excalibur. He pressed the sword into her trembling hands.
"Take it to my mother. Whatever you do, don't let your blood touch the blade," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell her I—" he swallowed, choking on the words, "Tell them I love them."
Her eyes squeezed shut, her entire body shaking.
Then came the final blow.
"I love you," he murmured, his voice breaking. "With all my heart, Cesealia—"
Her breath hitched.
Arthur looked at her as if trying to memorize her, as if he could carve the sight of her into his soul.
"And if never seeing you again means you get to live…" his throat tightened. "Then I will die for you."
She gasped, gripping him tighter. "Don't leave me, Arthur—" her voice cracked, "Don't leave me like my brother—"
His heart broke and mended in the same second.
"I love you," he whispered again.
"I love you too," she sobbed.
He kissed her, fierce and desperate, pouring everything into it.
And just before she could realize what he was doing—
Arthur shoved her backward into the portal.
She barely had time to scream. "Arthur—"
She was gone, and the portal disappeared, leaving only silence.
Arthur looked down at his hands.
They shook.
They felt empty.
Like he couldn't recognize them without hers in them.
He exhaled, turning his gaze back to Mandoriyah.
His golden eyes were haunted.
"I hope you never know what love is. "
The waves crashed against the shore, the cold sea wind whipping through Cesealia's hair as she sat frozen in the sand.
Excalibur lay heavy in her trembling hands.
The weight of loss settled into her chest like an anchor, suffocating her.
Footsteps pounded toward her—her second-in-command, the captain now by default, skidded to his knees beside her, panting.
"Where is Arthur?" he demanded, desperate, searching the empty shore for a man that would never come.
Cesealia stared down at Excalibur.
Her voice shook, her tears fell, but her words came out clear as day—
"He's gone."
Her breath hitched, her fingers trembling around the sacred steel.
"And there's nothing I can do to save him."
She clutched the sword to her chest as if it could fix what had been taken from her.
"He's all I have." She let out a breath that shattered into sobs. "All I want. I just—" her voice broke, "I just want him back…"
And then—
The sword glowed.
Not with fire, nor with magic meant to kill—
But with something ancient. Something divine.
A voice, not of this world, echoed into the night.
"Lady Cesealia. The Kings have heard your prayers. And they have answered."
Her breath stilled.
The voice continued—a choir of power, a whisper of fate.
"We will lend the strength you need to bring back that which you love the most. The power that has helped many conquer kingdoms… You shall wield to conquer your heart."
Cesealia's grip tightened.
The glow grew, and suddenly—her bleeding palms healed.
Her lips parted in awe as she looked down at her unblemished hands, the blood that had been there moments ago now gone—as if Excalibur itself had accepted her plea.
"Why?" she whispered, her voice barely above the wind. "Why would you help me?"
The sword hummed, and the voice answered—
"A Vow was made, I vow must be kept."
Her breath shook as she remembered what Arthur said, " Whatever you do, don't let your blood touch the blade."
She understood well enough of the Pendragons and their Vows.
But right now. She didn't care.
Her hands clenched around the hilt, too tight, too painful, and blood streamed from where the sharp edges bit into her palms.
She rose to her feet, Excalibur gleaming in her grasp.
The blade pulsed again, and then came the final question—
"Will you accept this pact, Cesealia Quinn?"
Her tears stopped. But her grief did not leave her; something stronger took its place.
Determination.
Resolve burned behind her hazel-green eyes as she looked ahead at the ocean—the entrance to the abyss, where Arthur was still trapped.
"I want to bring Arthur back."
The sword flared with power.
"Accepted "
Behind her, the crew watched in silent awe.
Her second-in-command stepped forward. Without hesitation, he removed his hat—Arthur's hat—and placed it in her hands.
"Orders, Captain?" he asked, his voice steady.
Cesealia placed the hat upon her head.
She turned toward the entrance of the hidden kingdom, her grip on Excalibur firm.
Her gaze burned with purpose.
She took a step forward.
And she gave the only command that mattered—
"We fight."