Page 81 of The Sword & the Stone

I stood, stretching my stiff muscles. The others looked up at me questioningly. "I'm going to find her," I said simply. Lancelot started to rise, but I held up a hand. "Let me go alone. She needs space, not all of us crowding her."

He nodded reluctantly, sinking back down. I could see the worry etched in the tightness around his eyes, the way his jaw clenched. We were all feeling it; the weight of Arthur's pain, of all of our pain.

I made my way through the twilit forest, following the faint trail of Arthur's energy. Here in Avalon, magic thrummed through every living thing, and those attuned to it could sense the echoes left behind. Arthur's signature was unmistakable—a blazing golden thread woven through the tapestry of the forest.

I came to the massive tree where Galahad's birds had spotted Arthur. Its trunk spiraled upwards, easily as wide as ten men standing shoulder to shoulder. As I climbed, I felt the tree's ancient consciousness brush against my mind. It was a fleeting touch, alien and incomprehensible, yet somehow welcoming. The moss beneath my hands glowed brighter at my touch.

About halfway up, I noticed a change in the tree's energy. The moss pulsed with a gentler rhythm, and the very air seemed to hum with a protective warmth. I knew I was nearing Arthur.

I found Arthur curled up in a natural hollow formed by several converging branches. Her face was tear-stained, her brow furrowed even in sleep. The golden circlet still rested on her head, the rubies pulsing faintly in time with her breathing.

My heart clenched at the sight of her, so small and vulnerable in this vast, ancient tree. I settled myself on a nearby branch, content to keep watch over her as she slept.

She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her for too long. Her soft, but wild curls framing her devastating face. I’d never wanted a female more viscerally than I wanted Arthur. My entire body craved to be near her. To touch her and taste her.

She’d fit so perfectly around my cock, writhing beneath me as I fucked her last night. I’d gone to sleep with that image seared into my mind. She was everything I wanted in a mate.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about returning to Avalon without her when all this was done. How could I stand to live out my years worlds away from the woman I couldn’t get out of my head? Before Arthur, Avalon was all I dreamed about, but something had shifted. Suddenly, it wasn’t the thought of home that kept me going, becausehomesuddenly felt like some place else…someoneelse.

In the distance, I could hear the haunting song of the nightstalkers. Creatures with bodies of living shadow and voices like deep, haunting brass bells. Their melody wove through the forest. They were attracted to the magic that fed off of pain, and I only hoped they stayed far away from Arthur.

A soft gasp drew my attention back to Arthur. Her eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding her features for a moment before recognition set in. When her gaze landed on me, a flicker of pain crossed her face before she quickly looked away.

"Arthur," I said softly, keeping my voice gentle. "Talk to me. Please."

She remained silent for a long moment, her fingers idly tracing patterns in the glowing moss. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "What's there to talk about? You've all made your decision."

I sighed, shifting on my branch to face her more fully. The ancient tree creaked softly, as if lending its voice to our conversation. "Things are never that simple. Especially not for me."

She finally looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with a mixture of hurt and curiosity. I took that as an invitation to continue.

"Do you know what it's like to see fragments of possible futures constantly? To be bombarded with visions that shift and change with every decision, every fleeting thought? It's...overwhelming," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "One moment, I see you crowned in glory, ruling Camelot. The next, I see you laying at Mordred’s feet."

Arthur's eyes widened, her lips parting. I rarely spoke of my visions, the weight of them often too heavy to share. "Every choice we make, every path we consider, it all ripples through the fabric of time. Here in Avalon, where time flows differently, the visions are even more intense. It's like trying to navigate a storm-tossed sea where the stars keep rearranging themselves."

She shifted in her mossy hollow, her brow furrowing as she absorbed my words. The soft glow of the bioluminescent fungi cast dancing shadows across her face, highlighting the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the fullness of her lips.

"Arthur, I'm not even sure I want to come back to Avalon when this is all over."

Her eyes widened as she searched my face. "But...it's your home. You've been away for so long. Don't you want to come back?"

I smiled sadly, reaching out to brush a stray curl from her cheek. The touch sent a jolt through me, like lightning coursing through my veins. "Avalon has been my home for centuries, yes. But home isn't always a place. Sometimes…sometimes it's a person."

The leaves around us rustled, as if the great tree itself was leaning in to listen. In the distance, the haunting song of the nightstalkers grew fainter, as if even they were retreating to give us privacy.

"When I'm near you, the chaos in my mind quiets," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. "The endless parade of possible futures slows to a trickle. For the first time in centuries, I feel grounded. Present. I've spent lifetimes lost in visions, always one step removed from the world, and I’m fucking tired.”

Arthur's eyes were rimmed in silver, a mix of emotions flickering across her absurdly beautiful face: surprise, hope, and something deeper that made my heart fucking race. Before I could react, she surged forward, her hands coming up to cup my face.

Her lips crashed into mine, soft yet insistent. I groaned into her mouth, my body responding instantly to her touch. The kiss was magic, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through every nerve ending. Arthur's fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently as she deepened the kiss.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer until she was practically in my lap. The moss beneath us pulsed with a soft, rosy glow, as if the tree itself was blushing.

My cock hardened, straining against the confines of my breeches. Arthur shifted, and I knew she could feel my arousal pressing against her thigh. She made a small, needy sound in the back of her throat that nearly undid me.

I broke the kiss, trailing my lips along the curve of her jaw and down the column of her throat. Arthur tilted her head back, giving me better access as I nipped and sucked at the sensitive skin. Her pulse fluttered beneath my lips, rapid and enticing.

My hands roamed over her body, mapping every curve and hollow. Even through the layers of her clothing, I could feel the heat of her skin, the way she trembled at my touch. I slipped a hand beneath her tunic, tracing the soft skin of her lower back. Arthur arched into me, a breathy moan escaping her lips.

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