Chapter 107
Arthur opened his arms trying to sweep her into his arms, but she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder. Fear filled him and anxiety. He didn’t know what to make of her sudden apology or what he should say in response.
“I’m so sorry, Arthur! I should have never gone! I shouldn’t have left you. I should have made Mamie and the others leave me behind, at least they would have been alive.”
Arthur’s eye burned with an unfamiliar sensation. He didn’t remember the last time he’d cried or if he’d cried at all, but the tightness in his chest felt like it was going to burst. It sounded like she was regaining her memories, but had she regained all of them?
She hiccupped, “The baby… It wasn’t your fault. I…”
Arthur tightened his grip on her with a relieved sigh, burying his nose in her neck.
“Daphne,” he whispered. “You remember me?”
She nodded, “I’m so sorry, Arthur.”
Arthur pulled back, pressing his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. She slid her hands into his hair, holding him to her mouth until he had to break for air. She wasn’t out of breath, but he scooped her up into his arms and spun her around. She clung to him, laughing as he laughed. His eyes were misty as he took deep breaths of her scent. Ignoring the little changes and grateful to just have her in his arms.
“I promise Daphne, we’ll leave all of this. I promise.”
“Arthur—”
“But, Your Majesty, you—”
Arthur pulled Daphne closer, turning his head just enough to glare and growl at Tom as he came closer. He and Rex froze in place in front of the other werewolves who looked frightened of him. That was good. They should be. It was all their fault Daphne had agreed to go with Nicole. It was all their fault that any of this had happened.
“I’ll fucking kill you, Tom.”
He froze in place with Rex and the others just behind him. He felt his anger simmering in his blood. His wolf growled low in his chest as he pulled Daphne closer to him.
“You have a duty to—”
Rex stumbled back at the searing rush of fire that cut between them from the edge of Nicole’s sword. Arthur stared, shocked by the display as her unit formed a tight line between them and the other werewolves. It was clear that while he didn’t have the loyalty of the werewolves, Daphne had the loyalty of Nicole and her unit.
“We can just as easily add your bodies to the fire if you want to keep them from leaving,” Nicole glared.
“Y-Your eyes,” Tom stammered looking between Daphne and Nicole. “That’s… You’re related to her?”
Daphne looked up at Arthur, and Arthur braced himself for what she would say. Would she ask him to reconsider? After all this, would she ask him to go back to those same people who wanted her dead? He had caved before. There was still nothing he wouldn’t do for her, but he couldn’t imagine stomaching it.
He wondered if he grabbed her and ran fast enough if they’d get far enough away that she would stop considering it.
She said nothing, her eyes searching his before turning her head to speak to Nicole’s back.
"I think Arthur and I should talk.”
Nicole turned to her and nodded, “Of course.”
“I would… prefer if there wasn’t a fight about it.”
Nicole gave her a cold smile and looked over her shoulder at Tom and the other werewolves, “How you all managed to garner her mercy, I will never know.”
Tom bristled as Arthur transformed and lowered his body so Daphne could climb onto his back. It was a warm, feeling to feel her on his back. She was a bit heavier with her armor and weaponry, but something inside him settled as he stood. His wolf growled with contentment and seemed to relax.
“There’s a cottage on the border,” Nicole pointed into the distance. “Not too far.”
Arthur looked in that direction.
“You should be able to find it with a simple seeking spell,” Nicole said. “Don’t worry about these idiots following you.”
She gestured over them and a wave of light settled over them. Nicole offered them a small smile, “Take all the time you need.”
Daphne nodded, “We will.”
Nicole stepped back as Arthur turned and took off into the distance.
“Your Majesty!” Tom all but wailed, Nicole flicked another line of flame to cut them off.
Rex turned, growling, “Vampire witch, what—”
“The only reason I am not going to kill you is that Daphne has asked me not to.”
She looked at them all, “I would suggest that you all return to your side of the border peacefully. Your king is busy being a husband to our queen right now.”
Nicole sighed, “We’ll return to the castle after a bit of rest. For now, tend the injured and get me a final count of what else we’ll be up against.”
Rex growled, “And who are you to command us?”
Nicole narrowed her eyes at him, “Who are you to command a king?”
Rex stuttered, “No one—”
“It is often that the powerless seek more powerful people to protect them… It is even more often that those people forget their place. If you wish to continue to agitate your king further, he can gladly come live at August castle with his wife.”
“As if we would ever—”
“You don’t have a choice,” Nicole shrugged and sat on an outcropping of rock. “I will not lift my sword first. You will have to get over the border and attack to get the fight you want.”
Tom and Rex looked at one another before clenching their jaws and Nicole sat back, looking up at the sky. She didn’t plan for Daphne to return. Arthur seemed to be the kind of man that wouldn’t even consider it, so she would have to make some sort of plan about how to keep the vampire nation together.
She chuckled. Princess Rose had been trouble. She should have known that her daughter would be just as much of a trouble-maker.
Daphne glanced behind them to check that no one was following them. She heard nothing but the wind and saw nothing but the trees, so she guessed they were in the clear.
She sent forth a seeking spell that pointed her to further away from the battlefield and into the vampire territory.
“Head that way,” Daphne told Arthur.
He turned a bit following the path the seeking spell was pointing them.
Of all the times she’d ridden on his back, this time seemed the strangest. Should they talk? If it was too far, would they take a break? It had always been her that needed the break, but she didn’t get tired the way she used to.
She felt like she was still running on the high of battle and able to stay awake for days. Exhaustion felt like it was waiting to pull her into sleep, but it hadn’t taken hold yet. She kept listening to the forest for anything that sounded like danger, but nothing came. The animals of the forest seemed to sense they didn’t want to bother and darted out of their path.
As Nicole promised, the cottage was barely a few hours running away from the battlefield. It felt shorter as she had been so lost in her thoughts.
Arthur hadn’t been much better.
He stopped running as they came upon the cottage. It was no bigger than the house they shared in Sharp Armor. A part of him hoped that they would just stay here or find some other little house to live in for the rest of their lives away from the grudge between vampires and werewolves. A large part of him knew that was probably impossible, but as Daphne slid off his back, he wanted to remain hopeful.
Maybe the first Arthur had lost hope, but he didn’t have to.
He shifted back into his human form and took her hand gently. A bit of his unease died down at the solid warmth of her hand in his. She was here. They weren’t going to be parted. There was no group of rogues waiting to attack them here or patrol members trying to kill him.
It was oddly comforting to come to a simple place like this after everything that had happened.
“It’s like the house in Sharp Armor,” she said looking up at it. “Maybe a little nicer.”
Arthur hummed, “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Arthur,” Daphne said, squeezing his hand a bit, “About the war—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Arthur said and tugged her hand so that she faced him. He cupped her cheek and looked down into her eyes. “I just want to be here with you. Can we just have this for a little while?”
She smiled and sighed, leaning into his chest, “I agree.”
Thank goodness.
