Page 2 of Arthur

“Arthur, you’ve turned into such a handsome warlock. Please come.”

I bowed slightly, not quite sure what the proper etiquette was when talking to a goddess. I’d seen her from afar before, but never had she come to talk to me personally. I had assumed she only talked to Father, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“How may I be of service, Goddess?” I asked, still not looking up from where I was bowed.

“I see Edison has told you who I am. You may rise. There’s no need for such formality.”

I offered a small smile while tipping my head toward her. “Father has indeed let us know who you were. But even if he hadn’t, it is difficult to not know when one has a certain glowing presence about them.”

“Touché. Very well, then. I’ll get to my reason for being here.”

“If you require my services, Goddess, you only need say so.” I would never deny her. It simply wasn’t something you did.

“Hmm, yes. Very much like Edison,” she sighed. “I had hoped that Wallace would lighten him up a bit, but it would appear not if you are just as formal as he is. I’ll have to drop in and see him after we’re through. I’m here regarding your One, Arthur.”

She had my complete attention in an instant. She had news of my One? She had come to tell me who my forever love was? “My One. Are they okay?” I asked.

“He is. For now, but he’s going to need you very soon.”

“He?” I was being matched with a male? Personally, I thought that was wonderful news, but I would have been just as happy with a female One. I would never be so picky when it came to someone who was supposed to be my absolute perfect match.

“He, yes. You need to go to Switzerland and rescue your One. His parents, I’m afraid, there are some issues with them, and they’re trying to force a pairing with a young female that simply isn’t for him. Sadly, it won’t end well with his parents. They willneed to be dealt with, unfortunately, or they will continue to cause issues for not only you but him.”

“Meaning I’m to kill my One’s parents?” Would he ever forgive me for such a thing?

The goddess looked at me with a sad expression on her face. “No. That task isn’t yours to bear. But your One will need you immensely after.”

That was completely understandable. “Very well. Am I to get more to go on other than Switzerland? Or do I just magick in from place to place until I feel his presence?”

“Your One is at the northern point of a lake, where he’s been since his parents moved there when he was younger. Go without haste. I’ll have your fathers following shortly.”

The clearing was suddenly inky when the goddess left, taking the light that was with her. Switzerland. It was the middle of the winter, and I was headed to Switzerland. Winters were much milder in England, but Switzerland was going to be cold. With that thought in mind, I had myself bundled against what I knew would be breath-stealing temperatures.

I teleported myself to Switzerland and found myself on the shore of a frozen lake. The dim lights of Zürich were easy enough to see, but I figured I’d have a time of it locating my One. At least I knew two things: my One was male, something that was a relief as I found much more enjoyment with male relations than I did those of females, and I knew my One was at the northern point of a lake. That perfectly described the location of Zürich. That was more than some had to go with, so I was thankful for that.

A quick glance around, followed by a slight expense of magic to feel for others, told me that everyone else had enough sense to not be out in the bitterly cold weather like I was. I teleported to the edge of town, just outside where I could feel the aura of others. I didn’t want to take any chances in someone seeingme, but now that I was here, there was a pressure in my chest, pushing me to locate my One.

“Where are you?” I whispered as I started walking down the narrow street. I felt nothing from my One, which told me I was on the wrong side of town. I had no real plan, other than to walk from one end to the other and back until I located the man that was mine.

It wasn’t until I had reached over the halfway point that I started to sense something. More aptly put, my aura started to vibrate. That was a sure sign that my One was somewhere nearby. I knew he wasn’t in the direction I’d come, but was he ahead of me? Or to my left or right? Which way did I need to go? I figured there was only one way to find out, so I continued on straight ahead.

A block later told me that I’d chosen poorly when the vibrations I’d started to feel had dissipated. This caused me to turn around and backtrack to where I’d first started sensing them. He was here somewhere. I knew it. The goddess had even said so. But now that I’d gotten a slight sense of him, I was even more determined to locate my One.

I went back to the direction I’d come from, and when I started sensing him again, I stopped. I was certain I looked like I’d gone mad, standing there in the middle of the street during the icy night, but I needed to call upon my own senses and see what they were telling me.

When I concentrated and listened to my aura, it told me to go right. I walked in that direction and wanted to weep with joy when the vibrations steadily became stronger. My One was here. He was in a house somewhere in the area, and I was getting closer to him.

I opened myself up to what was going on around me, and my senses took me down a dark passageway. Not something I was overly concerned about since the vibrations just continued toincrease in strength. My One was down the walkway, therefore I, too, would go down it.

I discovered that the passageway led me to a tavern, and I didn’t hesitate to enter through the door. I was met by the scent of stale ale and unwashed bodies, but I would not let that deter me. I glanced around, looking for an open seat, and I finally located one off to the left side. I squeezed into the chair and sat there, waiting.

He was here. My One was in this tavern somewhere. Was he behind the bar? In the back? Upstairs? One of the other patrons here? I wasn’t sure, but that wasn’t the biggest concern. Was he human? I should have thought to ask the goddess. Then again, from past experiences that Father had with her, there was no guarantee that she would be forthcoming with more information.

What she had said was that my One was here, as he had been since his parents had moved here. He needed me, and his parents were going to be an issue. Issue in what way? Were they going to stop us from being together? Most frowned upon two men together. It simply wasn’t done. Would we face those issues? Most likely.

I had more questions than answers, and I knew I wouldn’t get any answers until I located my One. But how did I go about that? I didn’t even have a name to ask for. Darn goddesses and their helpful yet unhelpful ways.

I ordered an ale when the young lady came and asked. Her gaze lingered just a little long for my liking, and I kicked myself for not changing into something a little less nice before I rushed off in search of my One. Nothing could be done about that now. I was simply here to locate my One and see if I could determine how difficult it was going to be to convince him that we were meant to be together.

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