“What’s it really say?” Guinevere asked me.
“To break the seal requires two hands bound by heart, trust and love,” I read aloud.
“What kind of lock is that?” Guinevere asked. “How is that designed to keep out their enemies?”
“I think the lock is a statement,” I said. “The Champions of the gods aren’t going to be the type of people to trust anyone.”
“What about normal people?” Guinevere asked.
“You think normal people would survive down here?” I asked her. “You’ve seen the waves of monsters we’ve been fighting.”
“What about me?” Guinevere asked. “I’m not a champion.”
“And I still don’t get why you’re not,” I said. “But even so what are the odds two people fulfilling those requirements would make it through this maze and make it here?”
“So, it’s not the worst lock in the world,” Guinevere admitted. “How do you plan on getting past it?”
“Well, I think its safe to say we don’t fulfill the requirements,” I said. “But we should probably try opening it anyway.”
We looked down at the handprints and both removed our gauntlets and placed our hands onto the grooves on the pedestal. A buzzing feeling went through my arm then my vision went dark as my body was locked in place.
--
I found myself watching myself. Not the giant of man I was now but the small afraid child I had been. I was like a ghost observing myself in third person and I could feel through not see myself or Guinevere beside me.
My mother held a washcloth filled with ice against my face. It stung and I felt more tears gather at the corner of my eyes, but I did my best to hold them back. My father walked into the kitchen and looked me over.
“What happened to him?” he asked.
“Some boys have been bullying him at school,” mom told him. “I’ve talked to the school board, but they say they can’t do anything about it; its just Mordred’s word against theirs. Maybe you can talk to the principal and see if he can have a talk with those boys.”
“Mordred needs to man up,” my father said. “You need to learn to hit back and hit harder then them. They only pick on you because your weak.”
I looked down. “Sorry dad.”
“Don’t be sorry be stronger,” my father said then left the room.
My mom wiped some blood leaking from my nose. “It’s alright Mordred,” she said. “Your father just wants you to be able to take care of yourself. You just need to stand up to those bullies and they’ll leave you alone.”
“I tried mom,” I said my voice quavering. “I’m just too little.”
“You don’t need to be physically strong,” mom said tapping my chest. “You have all the strength you need in here.”
Another memory began to play but I couldn’t take it anymore and I especially couldn’t handle it with Guinevere right there observing my most private and worst moments in my life. I yanked my hand back breaking free of my grip on the pedestal. Guinevere staggered backwards as well expelled from the dream state the moment, I pulled free.
Loosening my jaw I stopped clenching my teeth together. My eyes opened and I sat up loosening muscles that had stiffened with rage. A memory that might have given someone else a fond reminder of their mother only caused me to remember how she had abandoned me in the end when I’d needed her the most.
“Never mind,” I growled the anger from observing my past weakness still fresh in my mind. “that’s the best damn lock in the world.”
“Why?” Guinevere asked.
“Because you have to be willing to show your deepest most private moments with another person,” I said. “The reason you have to trust the other person isn’t because that’s what opens the barrier but because that’s the only way, you’ll be able to get past that.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Guinevere insisted.
“You trust me enough to let me watch every bad memory you’ve ever had?” I asked.
Guinevere was silent when I asked her that.
“That’s what I thought,” I said sitting on the white marble steps. “So, we need to find another way out of here.”
“Your going to just give up like that?” Guinevere asked.
“I’m the Warlord,” I said. “Your destined enemy, you think we’re going to be able to open that together?”
Again, Guinevere was silent.
“I’m going to look for another tunnel we’ll have to find somewhere with system access or a tunnel to the surface,” I said.
Jumping off the stairs I hit the water and started running across its surface. I hit another barrier headfirst and bounced off sinking into the water. The current carried me along and I slid along the barrier underwater before I surfaced spluttering. Teleporting up I began running along this second barrier that had popped up my fingers tracing along it. The new barrier started about a hundred feet from shore and went around the entire island. I began trying to teleport over, under, swimming down and digging under it but to no avail. I trudged back to Guinevere who’d been watching me the entire time.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“So, we’re completely trapped?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said dejectedly. “It probably popped up when we touched the pedestal.”
“Fucking magi,” Guinevere swore. “So, what now?”
“Well,” I said blowing out a breath. “I guess we’re going to have to learn to trust each other.”
We both walked up to the pedestal again and placed our hands into the sensors. Again, my vision went dark as I was pulled into the memories.
--
The same memory played out again, but its emotional impact was not lessened. In fact, every emotion I had felt magnified in this place. The scene played out and another memory began to play out.
A punch struck me across the face, and I fell back into the grass. I looked up at the face of my bully, Chase was a year older than me and had nearly forty pounds and two feet of height on my small scrawny frame. I didn’t have my father’s tall athleticism yet, instead having my mother’s small frame.
“Get up Mordred,” Chase said. “You talk big when you’re at school.”
I didn’t move.
“Come on,” Chase goaded me.
Screaming, I jumped up and threw myself at him. I barely got a single hit before I was lying in the grass kicks pummeling my ribs.
My mother pressed ice up against the bruises on my face and ribs.
“That’s it,” she snarled. “They’ve gone to far this time the school board has to do something.”
My father stepped into the room and looked me over. “He didn’t have to go the emergency room, did he?” he asked.
“No,” my mother said. “But look at what they did to him Arthur!”
“I fought back,” I told my father proudly. “Just like you told me too dad.”
My father looked at me coldly. He didn’t even say anything, just turned his back on me and walked away.
Another memory began but I yanked my hand back from the pedestal unwilling to continue. Guinevere was pushed out from the dreamscape as well. I sat down on the steps, my hands clenching and unclenching as I worked the rage out of my system.
“I can see why you hate your father,” Guinevere said tentatively. “It must be painful having to watch that.”
“It’s not him I hate when I relive those memories,” I said my teeth clenched the words barely getting passed. “It’s me. I hate myself for ever wanting to try and prove myself to him; and I hate that eventually I became exactly who he wanted me to be.”
Guinevere didn’t have anything to say to that. She sat down on the steps as well as I tried cooling off.
“I’m not sure if we’re going to be able to get through this,” Guinevere said.
I looked around at the cavern. “You want to spend the rest of your life of this island down here?”
“I’m not sure if we have a choice,” Guinevere said. “I’ve barely looked into your past and you haven’t even glimpsed mine. We’re incredibly different people with very different goals and perspectives. How are we supposed to be able to trust each other.”
Sighing I got to my feet. “Lets give it at least another shot.”
We both placed our palms into position our vision going dark as our minds were sucked into the dreamscape.
--
Steeling against the memories we relived my past again. It wasn’t just the pain of watching it but I also experienced the memories of my childhood self in time as I watched them feeling everything both emotional and physical that he went through. The visions of the past ended, and a new memory came but this time it wasn’t mine.
A storm raged outside the castle. Guinevere looked out one of the windows to see her mother drenched to the bone going up one of the ramparts. Getting up she rushed to the window pressing her face against the glass. Lightning flashed outside and she saw her mother hurrying up the winding outer steps.
Guinevere rushed to the hall and pushed open the door to outside. The wind threw a torrent of water into her face soaking her dress instantly. Ignoring the downpour Guinevere rushed after her mother.
“Mommy!” Guinevere called out the wind and thunder stealing her voice away.
Nearly slipping and falling back down she climbed the slick stone steps of the castle following her mother’s retreating figure.
“Mommy!” Guinevere called out again desperately. “Come back!”
For a moment, it seemed like she stopped but then she kept running. Hurrying after her Guinevere activated her ability she’d been born with Grace of the Fey. She didn’t have much mana, but her feet stopped slipping and she gained a little ground.
“Mommy!” she called out again.
She reached the top of the tower and looked at her mother standing on the edge of the ramparts overlooking the raging waters below the castle.
“Mother!” Guinevere shouted in fear and panic.
Her head spun around, and she stared at Guinevere, her eyes wide and sleepless. Her body was rail thin and her skin pale as snow.
“Go back to your room, Guinevere,” Elain said shakily, her body shivering from the cold.
“Where have you been mother?” Guinevere begged, stepping forward, reaching out a hand. “I need you mommy.”
“I’m sorry Guinevere,” Elain said tears running down her face. “But I can’t go back to him.”
“Why mommy?” Guinevere asked, taking another step forward.
“I love you,” Elain said and stepped forward.
Guinevere screamed, jumping forward and watching as her mother’s dress disappeared into the churning waters below. Her scream kept going until she ran out of air then she wept the rain drenching her to the bone her tears whisked away to join the flood waters below and her mother’s body somewhere in those dark waters.
I was pushed out of the dreamscape as Guinevere yanked back her hand tears streaming down her face. Like my own memories I had felt the emotions of child Guinevere as if they were my own. I reached out to touch Guinevere but stopped myself pulling back. She sagged and leaned her back against the pedestal.
“I can’t show you more,” she said. “I can’t go through that again.”
I didn’t naysay her just nodded. “I’ll set up camp.”
---
Dindraine curtsied as she stood before the king. Merlin stood behind her his hands holding the new staff. King Arthur eyed his brother warily, that staff created for the first Merlin was a tier IV artifact and in the hands of the wrong person could level the entire country.
“You agree to the terms set?” King Arthur asked her.
“Yes, my king,” Dindraine said demurely.
“You are fine with the amendments to the betrothal contract?” Arthur asked.
“Of course,” Dindraine said without hesitation. “I understand if you have…. Other needs that you need to be filled.” She said delicately.
Merlin read the contract and raised his eyebrow. “What is this line about?” he asked pointing it out.
“In the event that Guinevere somehow did survive and returns this arrangement will be nulled and she will be accepted to take her place,” King Arthur said.
“Guinevere is dead,” Merlin said stiffly.
“We have only the word of Lady Kira for that,” King Arthur said. “And her mental state was not the best when she was questioned, it is unlikely that she survived. However, if she did, your eldest daughter is required to fulfill her oath to the crown.”
“She won’t agree to the changes made father,” Arthur said.
“My daughters will do what they must,” Merlin responded bowing his head to King Arthur.
“Dindraine is still too young to marry,” Arthur said.
“I’ll be sixteen this summer,” Dindraine said.
“Then I shall send out word for the Dragon Tourney to be held starting Midsummer day,” King Arthur said. “I shall see you then brother.”