Page 77 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“What was he like, Merlin?”

“Obscenely powerful and always the smartest man in the room. Which is of course to say, he was a complete arse.” He smiled and, while it was sad, it seemed real.

“What happened to him?”

“When Avalon chose me, he simply wandered off and disappeared. He is long dead by now, I expect. He was a powerful wizard, but he was a mortal man in the end.” Mordred shook his head. “I was a disappointment to him. And to all the others.”

She glanced back up at the statue of Arthur. “Was he really your dad?”

Mordred barked a laugh. “Lancelot told you that, did he?”

“Yeah.”

“In short, firefly? I do not know. My mother never shared the truth of my parentage with me. And in the end, it did not matter.” He walked to the remains of the wooden table in the center, and picked idly at the back of one of the destroyed and weathered chairs. “Though perhaps that is why he chose me as his successor, not Lancelot.”

For some reason, she couldn’t imagine Lancelot being in charge of anything. She wrinkled her nose. “I get the feeling he isn’t responsible enough to handle a crown. I mean, I know he’s old, and probably a great fighter. He’s perfectly nice. But he…kind of reminds me of the guys I knew at school.”

“Then you are wise beyond your years. If you believe he is impulsive and immature now, you should have seen him all those years ago when we were but humans.” He shut his eyes and let out a dreary sigh.

“I still don’t understand why people hate you so much, if the elementals were as bad as you say.”

“You saw the world we flew over. What did you think of it?”

“I…don’t know.”

“No. You do. Do not spare my feelings. Tell me, what did you think of Avalon?” He walked up to her slowly, stopping only a foot or two away.

“I could tell how beautiful it must have been once, when the sun shone and there was magic.” She hugged her arms to herself. It was chilly and damp in the old battered-down place, and she was almost always cold now to begin with.

“Precisely. Most of those who live on Avalon are of normal lifespans. They have lived and died for centuries without seeing the sun. Without knowing the horrors of rampaging, marauding elementals who believed themselves to be above all others.” He reached out a hand and ran the back of his metal knuckles over her cheek. “Memories are short.”

“You said you did all this to protect them. Butwhy, if they hate you? You didn’t answer me before.”

He looked up at the statue of Arthur. “Because I was trusted to do so. Because, despite what all the others may think of my uncle’s choice, I made a vow to be as rational and good a king as I could be.”

King Arthur was a hell of an act to follow, she had to give him that. Something in the tone of his voice broke her heart. It was suddenly clear to her—Mordred had lived in that man’s shadow all his life. And he was still haunted by him now.

“Hey. Ditch the armor.”

“Pardon?” He arched an eyebrow down at her.

“Just ditch the armor.”

With a slight shrug, he did as she asked. “I do not see what you—”

She hugged him. Wrapped her arms around him—though her hands didn’t touch in the back—and rested her cheek to his chest.

She felt the air rush out of him. Finally, after a long pause, he returned the gesture and rested his chin atop her head. They stood there like that, silently, for a long time. Simply holding each other.

“I get it now.” She shut her eyes. “And I’m sorry.”

“Pity me not, dear firefly. Do not forget what I have done to my knights. Do not forget how I create my armored servants. You know how harsh my reign can be.”

“Yeah. I guess. I’m still sorry.”

He tilted her head up to look at him with the crook of a claw beneath her chin. He lowered his head to hers, and caught her lips in a kiss. It was slow. It was gentle. And it was a thank you.

When he finally broke away, her knees felt weak. He took her hand in his, and led her silently from the abandoned castle. When they were back on Tiny, and he wrapped his arms around her, she rested her head back against him.

---