Our hands slid into the pedestal for what would hopefully be the last time. The darkness closed in around us as the dreamscape dragged us back in.

--

The memories passed the emotional torment still like a knife in the heart for both us. We reached the end and light flooded our eyes. This was not a memory we were in I instantly recognized. It was a vision.

A ragged and battered man knelt in plain of corpses. Black mist surrounded him but could not hide the blood dripping of him. He lifted his head and an bestial howl tore from his throat. Crimson eyes burned through the black mist full of rage and hatred. Not another living soul could be seen. Howerer many corpes could be seen, bodies of horrifying monsters littered the ground torn into pieces and shredded to the bone. It wasn’t just monsters though, men were impaled on their own weapons, women lay half naked into pools of their own blood and the caved in skull of a child were just a taste of the horror and carnage that surrounded the beast. It was the scene out of nightmare, more real and visceral than anything a horror movie could produce and with an air of malice that made my skin crawl.

Looking down I saw I was not a disembodied spirit as I had been in my memories. I had a physical form. My hand was entwined with Guinevere who also stood next to me in physical form. I looked around confused at this change in the pattern.

“What is this place?” I asked my voice echoing and reverberating through the space.

“This is what will transpire if you ascend to godhood,” a voice spoke out.

Guinevere and I went back-to-back our months of fighting against waves of monsters returning to us in a moment. We looked around but could see nothing. Then a feminine figure made of pure light appeared in the space with us.

“What are you?” Guinevere asked.

“I am the barrier that guards this tower,” the spirit said. “I have watched you struggle to gain entrance for many months now. I am here to convince you to go back.”

“Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Because this is the fate that awaits you,” she said gesturing to representation of me. “Behold, Mordred God of Blood and Slaughter the scourge of all life.”

“You can’t know that,” I said scornfully.

“Can’t I?” the figure asked, she turned to Guinevere. “You have seen him fight, felt his rage and madness. You have seen visions of the carnage he will unleash. Are you willing to unleash that on the world?”

“And what would you have me do?” Guinevere asked. “Kill him? if you’ve been watching us you know I won’t.”

“Kill him? No that’s not what I’m asking you to do,” the light spirit said. “I’m asking you to pull your hand back. Don’t try to go through the barrier again. Live out the rest of your days here on the island with him, grow and old with eachother and have children.”

“I’ve seen the future myself,” I said. “I’ve also changed it, the future is not set in stone. That,” I said gesturing to my alter self. “is not inevitable.”

“You seem so certain,” the spirit said. “But the choice is ultimately Guinevere’s will you risk unleashing another black god upon the world?”

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Guinevere paused and turned to stare and the bloodstained creature. You couldn’t call it a man, there was no emotion or soul behind its eyes just a mindless feral rage that would lash out at anything in its field of view. When I looked at it, I felt a twinge of unease. Despite my words to Guinevere, a part of me did resonate with this beast, I understood it more than I was comfortable with.

“Is this what you want to become?” Guinevere asked.

“No!” I snapped reflexively.

“I know you Mordred,” Guinevere said. “Better than anyone, maybe even better than yourself. I hate to say it, but this is a path you’ve already stepped down.”

“If you really believe that than why are you here?” I asked dropping her hand and stepping away from her. “And could you stay with someone like that?” I asked gesturing to the beast. “Could you spend the rest of your days on this island with someone as much beast as a man?”

“I could,” Guinevere said taking my right hand in both of hers. “Because I don’t believe that is what you are, but I fear it is what you will become. You have so much anger and its eating away at you; I see the good in you, I’m just worried that you don’t.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked her my voice suddenly tired and defeated.

“I want you to want more than to just to win at any cost,” Guinevere said. “I want you to believe your worthy of being loved.”

My left hand closed around hers as I brought it to my lips kissing the back of her palm. “I don’t know if any of us are worthy of that, I think it just happens to us.”

Guinevere met my eyes. For a long moment she said nothing than she stepped closer and put her head against my chest.

“I trust him,” was all she said.

“Well done,” the spirit said surprising us both. “You have passed the trial.”

“Wait seriously?” I asked. “This was the test?”

“Whatever my creators’ intensions were they created me only to ensure that those who tried to break the seal had enough trust in each other to be able to witness the raw creatures that are you humans,” the guardian spirit said. “You two have completed that, whatever you become now is up to you.”

“What happens to you?” Guinevere asked.

“My work is done,” the spirit said. “I have no more purpose… except perhaps one thing. We will speak again one day daughter of winter.”

With that the spirit vanished and we were sucked out of the dreamscape.

--

Guinevere leaned against me sagging from relief as we exited the trial. I froze as I held her in my arms, her hair soft against my cheek, despite her strength she seemed so fragile right now and I was afraid to move and break the moment between us. For a long time, we just stood there, then we looked up at the steps towards the white tower.

“We should get ready to leave,” I said.

“Yeah,” Guinevere agreed.

Neither of us moved.

“What happens to us now?” Guinevere asked.

She wasn’t asking about our immediate future, and I knew it, but I didn’t have an answer to her yet.

“Are you still going to marry him?” I asked.

“I don’t want to,” Guinevere said.

“But you’re going to do it anyway,” I said. “We’ve been gone for a year, there’s no way he hasn’t moved on.”

“It isn’t about him!” Guinevere said pushing back against my chest, so our eyes met again. “It’s not about his actions, its about mine. I gave my word, to preserve the peace of my kingdom, my word means something to me. If I break my promise… I won’t be me.”

“So, what happens when you get there, and you find he’s already moved on?” I asked.

“If he’s broken his promise to me than I’m free of my obligations to him,” Guinevere said.

“And then?”

“Then…” Guinevere sighed. “I don’t know.” She looked away.

“Do you want to be me with me?” I asked gently, turning her head by her chin to look me back in the eyes.

“Yes,” Guinevere admitted. “But… you’re the Warlord, and I’m a lady of Camelot.”

“Does that matter?” I asked her.

“It should,” she said. “but I don’t want it to. If Arthur has broken his word to me, I’ll… I’ll come find you.”

“And if he’s kept it,” I said. “I’ll come find you.”

“And do what?” Guinevere asked, a tear-filled laugh escaping her throat. “There is only a slim chance of a future for the two of us.”

“A slim chance is all I need,” I said. “As long as there is hope, I’ll never stop pursuing you.”

Moving in I pressed my lips against hers. Guinevere trembled but returned the kiss her hands sliding around my neck, her fingers gripping my hair. We held each other like that for I don’t know how long before finally both breaking away.

The moment was done but I refused to let it be the last. Turning my gaze to the tower I hardened my resolve. Nothing and no one was going to stop me, I had something more than just anger to guide me now.