The Dragon War (3)

Gwyr was in sight.

The last stop of this unplanned campaign and the place where the last active 'heir' to Pendragon which I wasn't allied to would face his demise. I didn't exactly have much on this version of Vortigern beyond the fact that he was employing monsters and demons in the battlefield. And that he wasn't shy from sacrificing his own citizens to gain an advantage against his opponents.

Not a nice guy and definitely part of the Pendragon Family's branch that had that deep hatred and maliciousness towards innocents which Morgan seemed to be also part of. She wasn't amused when I reminded her that, but at this point I grew accustomed to her expressions. Glares, interested frowns, fascinated gazes and absolutely adorable pouts. Despite the fact that this woman was the main reason behind what would have been Ria's troubles in her life as a King, I couldn't help but find that degree of restraint in her expressions fairly cute and intriguing in its own way.

Still, the matter at hand wasn't as simple as planned. While the premises and the villages surrounding our last target were devoid of life and filled with minimal presence of monsters, the real issue was that the main entrance was already being sieged as we spotted the city. Ria had indeed managed to beat us to it, but it took her some damn time to get there. The problem I could see with her army was that, not only was it smaller than what I was currently in charge of and the number of stronger defenders, but it looked severely demoralized and ready to beat retreat at the first hint of defeat. Quite an unsightly disposition for the girl to work in, but not the worst by all means.

It just translated into the fact that we had to push into the city ourselves and pull most of the defenses away from their side. The plan of attack was simple, and it took under consideration that we had to avoid hitting Ria's own forces in the process. By delivering a well-aimed artillery barrage to the side of the walls we were running into, we were going to create a second main entrance to the settlement.

Gwyr was well-fortified but not prepared to taste the wrath of Mini-Urbanus with our cannons set to deliver one of the biggest barrages ever accomplished. It was going to deplete most of the reserve ammo, but it was also going to severely destroy most of the defending monsters inside. The order was given, we were all ready and prepared to rush at the newly-opened entrance and… it began.

The loud screeching noise of the explosives careening into the thick walls was interrupted by the ferocious roars of the ensuing blasts tearing through the main line of defense of the castle. The entire thing collapsed before our eyes and, as the walls finally fell, we attacked. The cannoning would continue for a little while as we charged in, but it would stop just several minutes before we were inside the city proper. Screeches of broken and devastated demons were the first hint of the sheer damage caused by the destruction, while the sight of numerous demons no longer alive and mostly shredded by the explosions further cemented the entire situation.

The first line was down, and we were granted a stable foothold in Gwyr. I rushed forward, followed by Lancelot, Gareth and Gaheris. The rest of the men spread all around and secured the various alleys and sections of the main square, patrolling and cleaning those few pockets of resistance that had survived the first bombing. Some of the demons survived and were quick to jump the moment they thought they had the upper hand against their aggressor, but there were too many men that were experienced now in handling this kind of fright to actually remain truly at ease and allow these to be successful.

While most of the army continued that systematic elimination, I led a small force through the inner circles of the castle, eventually breaching into the gates that led to the main building. In there, the resistance was tougher and made by smarter monsters. Still far from the arduous training I was subjected to by Scathach, and the rest of the Knights easily destroyed those fiends that managed to elude the first wave of attacks. We were moving deeper and toward the throne room, but the more we approached the more the defense turned more vicious and troublesome to push back.

Still, we finally arrived at our destination without anyone getting even injured during the advance. We took position as I carefully reached for the massive closed doors and kicked them open, revealing quite the dangerous scene unfolding right in front of us.

A fight seemed to have happened, I could see several armored knights and a couple I was familiar with, or so I could say due to their appearances. Ria was trying to run towards the smiling bastard that I could only recognize as her uncle. Blonde, cold blue eyes and his dark-black armor was shredded about from what seemed to have been a vicious battle he had lost. That was definitely Vortigern and he really didn't look like he was winning that situation. Which is why I instantly found his mad grin troublesome and worthy of a quick investigation. He was backing away from getting stricken by the killing blow, one of his hands still holding tightly the hilt of his sword while his other was reaching for one of the pockets available in his pants, to retrieve a… flask?

While I might not be a master potioneer I knew that if the potion was enough to create this reaction out of a defeated foe, then it wasn't anything good for us to see unfold. I didn't hesitate knowing that with the pace Ria was running, she wasn't going to stop him before he could reach with his lips the content held within the small container. I had an idea, but it was mostly theoretical due to the fact I hadn't tested it properly but… it was meant to work the way I wanted. Technically.

Turning the palm which I was wearing the Gamon Gauntlet, I pushed some of my energy in it and allowed for the runes to activate. A simple punch aimed to the direction where Vortigern was swiftly turned in a wind-fueled wave that slammed and slashed at the exposed figure. Surprise adorned his face as he had just managed to bring the flask to his mouth when the attack struck. His frame was properly yeeted towards the closest wall, causing debris to fall upon him.

Ria paused, her gaze turned at me with a shocked look. It's been a while since I last saw her by person and… she looked absolutely tough as hell. The war sure got her to man up against the sheer deadliness exerted by this enemy. Definitely a cuter version than before. Relief washed over her when she realized that it was me and not another enemy to worry about… but I was more worried about another matter. Her uncle still had managed to actually drink some of that liquid before being slammed onto the wall. It was clear that something was still going to happen and I didn't restrain myself from giving a sudden warning about it to the others.

"He was trying to drink something!" I yelled, and my voice broke the brief surprise on her face. The blonde turned her attention back to her uncle and she swiftly rushed once more towards him. She was over him, a quick descent and… Excalibur pierced through the armor and into his chest. Blood exploded, and that should've been it. It was a simple case of death and… that proved to be an incorrect assumption. Again.

What is it with mad kings and pseudo-immortality nowadays?!

Just as Ria pulled her sword out of the supposed corpse, the ground started to vibrate and I could feel that this was one of those 'boss battle music' kind of situations. I was quick to realize it, the others much less. I had to run swiftly to retrieve Artoria, the young woman sparing me a confused look as I suddenly pulled her away from the proximity of the dangerous corpse and in safety's way. I moved us just in time to avoid a massive tower of pure fire to consume us both in its range.

I turned around, and I felt Ria shift to peek from my shoulder as we both watched the pillar of flames form a particular shape. Big, massive- it tore through the ceiling of the room and revealed its humongous form to the rest of the city. With most of the demons killed, the soldiers of the two armies paused to see the cause of this 'earthquake'.

Dragon. Vortigern just turned in a frigging White Dragon. And the bastard was looking at us as his first meal in that body. I saw it in his slit pupils that were craving for flesh.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, and we both jumped away in time to avoid for his claws to reach us both and make us his food. Retreating to our respective groups we began providing orders and taking advice. I glanced at Lancelot.

"Anything we can use against this big trouble?" I asked, the man providing me with a grim look.

There wasn't exactly a clear standard to fight a dragon. Maybe there were some lessons Scathach herself didn't think would have been of value to me due to the state of the world and how Dragons were rare to find even at her active time.

I also realized that we didn't have much time to work on a solution as I felt a strange pressure being exerted by the dragon itself. Something powerful that was pulling at us and… I saw that pretty much every single weapon we had at our disposal was… losing their lights?

I couldn't exactly explain what was happening, I could feel Aurea Mors slightly weakened, but still fairly stronger compared to the rest of the weapons used by my own group. This was a phenomenon that branched into Ria's round table from the looks of it. Even Excalibur seemed to be dimmer than usual. And that was bad news.

Was this even part of the legend? Did my arrival cause this kind of situation?

Could it be that… by being here and becoming a bigger threat that Ria, I forced Vortigern's arm in taking more drastic actions?

I remember his legend being tied to his affiliation with the invaders, with the Germanic Tribes, but I could see how the fact I repelled and defeated the invaders could have led him to take on extra steps to secure his victory. It was possible, not fully, but still within the realm of possibilities.

"He almost became the personification of Britain," A familiar voice pointed out and I looked up at the broken rooftop to see Merlin perched by one of the edges that gave to the room we were in. "I've to praise you for preventing him from attaining true immortalization, but the monster you both are fighting isn't one that can be fought by blunt power. It had to be… something driven by magic. Something that severs an individual from an idea."

I was clueless about what he was talking about considering how immensely strong such a tool had to be but, as I looked over at the other side, I saw that Ria had just revealed a different weapon that I could tell wasn't just a fancy paperweight. A spear of sorts, it looked to be of similar nature to Excalibur and Caliburn, yet it had a completely different element to it. Something unique, and devastating if fully unleashed. And the thing that surprised it the most? It wasn't influenced by the pressure exerted by the Dragon.

The trump card? I wanted to believe so and, knowing that I was the only one that could offer her some cover, I decided to advance.

"I will aid Arthur to this victory. Aurea Mors is the least influenced by the final monster."

"Your Majesty-" Lancelot tried to pull me away from this suicidal plan but I gave him a stern look. I could see both the twins looking rather reluctant to let me go against the big spooky dragon I was planning to kill.

"It's an order, not a request, Ser Lancelot," I remarked with a serious tone. "And then again, I got someone to rely on that will definitely not kill me in the process. Believe in the magic of friendship."

Okay, I can't exactly keep serious straight with that last sentence. Seriously, who would ever believe that BS beyond friends?

Somewhere in the Crystal Empire, a certain ruler sneezed without notice, pausing over his paperwork duty and huffing. "Goddamn Joseph..."

"Your Highness?"

"Nothing. Go back to work, Shadow Mark."

I spared a brief glance and a nod with Ria, with the two of us advancing alone towards our target. Vortigern roared again, preparing to release another wave of flames to stop our approach. I moved in by using the Gamot Gauntlet again, the wind breaking the fire before it could get too close to us and giving the blonde the opportunity to strike. She bolted away from the ground, jumping towards the surprised winged lizard and slamming the tip of the lance into its chest… but not piercing it properly.

The dragon realized what was going on a little too quickly and tried to swipe Ria away with its right claw. It tried to, but it was unable to succeed as I used most of the energy I had left to block, stall and then push away the attack. I didn't expect for such a slow and simple-looking strike to hold this much might, and I was perplexed by the fact that I just didn't sever its arm away. It made me realize that the dragon was impervious to normal magic, and that the lance Ria was using was the solution to that problem. In that regard, instead of pressing my luck with my sword, the moment I was back on the ground I jumped back up and in the girl's direction.

I could see her struggle to try and pierce the weaker scales of the monster, failing by just a little to accomplish that win. Carrying some momentum, I managed to drive more strength into the push the moment I added my speed and my inherent power into the push. The weapon finally stabbed deep into the dragon, a pained roar leaving its maws as the beast started to glow yellow and…

It exploded. One moment I was holding the spear, the other I was slammed on the ground, with Ria landing onto me and suffering less trouble in that abrupt fall. Vortigern was no more as the lance exploded with energy and vaporized it. Blinking tiredly, I felt my chest hurt at the weight of the blonde above me.

"J-Joseph?" She asked, a hint of worry in her tone as she tried her best to keep up appearances at the same time. The mix of concern and pain made it difficult, but her acting was still on point about it. Despite that, I was troubled by something else.

"I- I think I broke my arm."

In current medicine, that was the way a warrior came the closest to lose its capacity to fight. Fixing a broken arm without some magical assistance or some advanced medical procedure was terrible, but I had long worked on having doctors specialize in fixing this kind of minor injury.

Nonetheless, it was hurting like a bitch. And…

Now that Vortigern was dead, it was time for me to face some ugly music with Ria.

I have slain a dragon.

Technically speaking, it was a combined effort made by both Ria and me. A true instance of unbreakable friendship at work… until now that we were facing the very point of no return about our relationship.

All because of morals.

"She should be killed, Joseph. You know better than me that she is dangerous and that she isn't someone that can't be allowed to live for too long."

We were back at my tent. My own men were tending at her soldiers and prepared a proper feast to celebrate the grand victory we just accomplished. If before my name would have been sung with divine attributes, now many were calling me an Angel from God's own Ranks. Why? Well, considering that dragons were mostly tied to the Devil himself as a form for Lucifer to take on and attack the Lord's creation, I was the one that actually 'saved the world' together with Arthur.

And while that was good, the conversation I was having with her right now wasn't. Ria was… angry, rightfully so. I didn't blame her for being pissed. I knew that this was happening and… I was glad that Morgan was being quiet about it. Silently staring, watching and hopefully understanding that the tension was so high at the moment that any intervention was going to cost her losing a head.

"She will not harm anyone," I guaranteed tensely. "I've taken precautions to make sure this is indeed the case and-"

"It's not about her causing more harm. It's about her paying her crimes against those that she wronged, those that she killed, manipulated, tortured-"

"She will be judged fairly," I interrupted her sternly. "I will not allow her to get a free pass out of this."

"And yet she still lives."

"Killing her now wouldn't solve the problem. Not when she bears an innocent child that has the right to live."

"My child, Joseph. A child born from rape, my rape!"

"BUT NOT ONE THAT WANTED TO BE BORN IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES!" I exploded furiously. "Don't think even for just a moment that the conception was something I agree to, that I condone and forgive her crimes. She will pay, but I will not harm an innocent!"

…

"I'm the parent-"

"And by that definition you should also be the detentor of the right of wherever your child lives or not? Do you seek to take that road, Ria?" I almost dared her to say yes, but she didn't answer the challenge, actually looking unable to answer that 'simple question'. "Let me ask you something, do you know how you were born, Ria? How were you conceived? Who was your mother?"

Her confusion roused the more I pressed her on the argument, something I was sure Merlin didn't tell her. Not when it was so horrifying and so disgusting about her upbringing. Another dark taint that Uther had left for their children to suffer about and… finally Morgan spoke up.

"Igraine the Fair, the wife of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall. The lover of a vassal to our dear father, one that gained his interest and which he waged to conquer for himself," The witch explained with a flat tone. "He found her and he didn't waste time taking her night to prepare my birth."

"S-She could have wanted this," The young blonde tried to reason, but her sister didn't allow her to grow into that illusion.

"She begged her husband to be brought away. To be given the best defensible castle and be secluded in the safest room of that castle. The servants of that fortress were forced to keep quiet, to never tell a soul about the screams that came out of that room. An open secret known to anyone that had kept attention to this matter," Morgan further elaborated. "I was the product of that night. But while both our father and Merlin thought that I was going to be the heir that was prophesied, the impurity of the act behind my birth manifested on a curse imposed unto my flesh."

The red marks around her body. Those were glowing a little more than usual, but it didn't exude any dangerous magic. A reminder.

"You were lucky. With me being a failure, Merlin took it upon himself to make sure the second child was without this curse. The soul of a dragon, he would say to his assistants, the power to subvert the happening of a curse so heinous that would limit the ascension of a true king among kings."

…

"You might think you have a right to decide whenever one lives and dies, but you already lost that battle when Joseph decided to let me live. You think this will end well for me? Didn't you hear how your friends refused me to see my child? That she will never know of the truth about me?" Morgan pressed fiercely, channeling the anger that she had bottled until now. "You think I fear death? That I fear the cold embrace of my ultimate demise? I'm not our father, nor I'm that foolish bastard you call the greatest mage. My last child will grow away from me, she will learn to despise me and- and everything doesn't matter. Death is simple, but life now? It's eternal failure! I lost, and you won. I tried and you succeeded because you were set up to take a place that should have been mine to begin with!"

"I-I-"

"'You' what? What are you going to do? Swing your sword, wear a pretty crown, call yourself the perfect king and then live to see how fake your life really is. Do you ever think for a moment how much you were spoon-feed into glory? How many things were given to you as granted? Caliburn? Now Excalibur? Do you think for once you worked to the point to attain this stage?" Morgan was utterly furious at this point. "Do you want to know why I hate Joseph the most between the two of you? He worked to arrive at the point he is. He wasn't part of a prophecy- no, he actually defied so many by being around. He is an anomaly… but the real reason why I hate him is the fact he wasn't carried to this point. Sure, to suddenly have a kingdom to rule? That sounds absurd, but to govern it correctly and without much of a helping hand? Preposterous, but telling of something you are not. He might have started good, but he aimed to do more and to do everything in his power to make changes for good happen. You kept by status quo because you were told to. You never thought for yourself about straying from their decision, from their impositions, all because it's too convenient for you to not help your own people and-"

"ENOUGH!" I yelled loudly, glaring at Morgan and stopping her. She might have some points done right, but the rest was just inflated pettiness against Ria. A single glance was enough to show how much of an impact her words had. Shivering, hiding her face with her right palm pressing over her eyes and… Ria stormed away, just a sob leaving her mouth before she was out of the tent. I was about to give pursuit, but Morgan chuckled darkly.

"You might try to sugarcoat it, but we both know that she isn't a true king."

"You- You seriously think for a moment that you yourself have a right to judge people?" I rebuked while glaring at her as viciously as possible. I was boiling in anger at what I just heard. So much was said, and so many wrong things were intensified only for the sake of hurting Ria more. "You think for a moment you have the right to speak so happily about knowing pain and being able to give true judgment?"

"You know my story-"

"A woman that directed her own vengeance to someone that didn't have relevance in your fate? You want to find agreement over the fact you brought your hate to the closest thing you could find to the cause of your pain after your father died? Do you really want me to agree that you were in the right by manipulating so many innocents, ruining so many lives all for the sake of saying 'the legacy of my father is no more'?!"

…

"Your punishment wasn't dictated by mere mercy. It was justice. Your eternal punishment is driven by the way you conveyed this hatred to destroy lives. You are a murderer, Morgan, and worse, a monster that didn't feel any remorse in the acts you have committed," I declared without hesitation. "You think I chose wrongly your punishment? You think that this is unfair? Then perhaps you should have surrendered to Ria much earlier, because I doubt you would have found anything else out of me."

She didn't speak, too shocked by the way I repelled her attempt to find me accepting of her horrible take on the situation. I was so murderous and… so worried. For the first time ever, I actually worried for a friend I knew was going to hurt a lot. A friend that I hurt myself through my recent decisions and… that I needed to find at once!

I muttered to the guards standing outside that I was going to be out for a while. Some muttered about escorting me, but I refused the offer and quickly moved to follow up where Ria might have gone. The forest was so deep and filled with so many small critters. I tried to keep up with what I could find about possible wanderings made in the area, hoping to not follow up any wayward scout while doing so.

Much to my relief, I was granted a quick route to where she had gone. Kneeling down on the cold and wet grass, the blonde was looking down and holding back as many tears and sobs as she could. I paused, staring at the sight with utter pain entering my heart. This wasn't something I was prepared to handle but… I had to face it. For the good of us both.

My steps were light, yet the girl perceived my approach and quickly turned to look at me. I was given a full look of her crying face and… it was heart-breaking. I always imagined her crying to be limited, to be easier to manage at first glance. But what I found there was truly horrifying and hurting. Gone was the sight of a perfect king, the legendary King Arthur as a woman, no- I was granted the sight of a poor young lady that was geared for a fate way above herself. Something so inhuman, so painful, so unfair and now, so difficult to support on her own. She tensed up, but she allowed me to walk closer and… place my left hand to cup her check.

"Stand up. You're gonna catch a cold by kneeling like that."

My voice cracked a little bit, surprising me and shocked her out of the surprise at my kindness. She obliged by following my instructions, still confused over my words.

"S-She is right," She tried to reason, agreeing to that foolish speech from her sister. "I was in the wrong. I- I allowed myself to be controlled, to become a symbol not for my subjects, but for those in power. I became… a puppet with a crown."

"No. You're just… lost. Controlled maybe in part, but never a puppet. I refuse to allow you to foolishly address yourself in such a wrong manner. Not when it's unfairly wrong on you and the truth."

"T-Then what is true?"

…

"Do you love your people, Artoria?"

She blinked, surprised by the sudden query. "Y-yes."

"If those like Merlin asked you to kill them, because it was necessary for a greater good, would you do it?"

"No!" She exclaimed, her voice growing wavering but still strong despite the current state of mind she was in.

"Then tell me, what is true about yourself, Artoria?"

She was speechless, confused and yet… knowing. She knew that the answer was there for her to use, and yet she couldn't speak. Not because of the weight behind this reply, but because it was so radiant and absurdly opposing to what she just heard that it didn't make sense to her.

"I might be- wrong."

"No. You are not. Say the truth, Artoria. Tell yourself what is true. Answer yourself. And don't let go of that truth."

…

"I'm… I'm a king. But I'm also human."

"And do you love your people?"

"Yes."

"So?"

"And I fight for them. I'm a king for my people."

"Would you kill them if some of those you trust for advice demanded their death?"

"No."

"And so?"

…

"I'm a king for my people and… and I refuse to allow others to dictate what I do with my decisions to help them. I- I refuse to be a puppet."

I smiled, pulling her close and she didn't oppose the hug. Actually enjoying the pleasant embrace as I gave her some warmth.

"That's the truth. While there was some sense and logic behind Morgan's own words, it is also true that she isn't exactly the best way to know what you do wrong. To know when you give too much to those that shouldn't be allowed to power."

…

"I'm sorry," She muttered quietly, almost making it a whisper.

"No. Don't apologize for being wrong. Not to me, not to the people you rule, nor those that you care for. If you 'feel' sorry, then you should look at why you feel guilty and fix it. Because, as a king, you know when something is wrong and what to do or say to fix it."

…

"Jo- Jojo?"

I blinked, not expecting her to use that nickname. "Yes, Ria?"

"Why are you so good at this?"

…

"I'm not. I just do what I think it's right and… then I work things around it."

…

"I- I think I understand."

I nodded, smiling. "I'm glad you do."

This moment would be kept hidden by the annals of history, yet a big event would soon come out of this as a direct response to this matter. A peace of two kings, a true heaven between Christianity and Druidism. And… the beginning of other problems.