The Will of a Pendragon

The Dream Team

    Meerlyn and I have been working on combining our skills so that we can work together. Since there are twelve of us now, we're splitting up into three teams of four. Meer, Preston, and Leo are on my team. Young has Talia, Camilla, and a new guy. Bann Bedivere. BB for short. Lucille is leading the dream team. She's been out on the field for a whole year now. She's the one that volunteered to go after William. 

    The dream team is made up of Drago Bor de Ganis, Brice Brunor Le Noir, and the lioness of Camelot, Riley Palomedes. The team was originally led by Riley who specializes in camouflage magic. That girl can break in anywhere without being seen. She walks right in. When my father named Lucille the official team leader she tried to kill Luc. Lucille beat that girl into the ground and made her eat crystal dust to ensure that she never questions Lucille's leadership ever again. We let it happen. Lucille is really getting into the Knight of One position with Young training her every step of the way. She's a little tiny female version of him. I swear. 

    Brice is Riley's boyfriend. The guy is something else. He's quiet, very observant. He always has the best candy. His specialty, kind of like Young's is teleportation between dimensions. The difference between him and Young is that, Young has been to different worlds and can take from each world as he pleases. Brice doesn't go anywhere without Riley and she stays on Crystallis because her father is sick and she comes home to him every night. I had him taken to the palace so he can have round the clock care. 

    Drago De Ganis, where do I start with him? Drago's father Bragdon De Ganis doesn't live on Crystallis. In fact, he married into a Royal bloodline in the Tokage Realm. Yeah, the lizard realm. Where the people there are either walking lizard people or Gorgons. Drago has a tail and scales on certain parts of his body. He is incredibly handsome for someone who is partially lizard. Not just that, he's an amazing marksman as his father before him and takes a bit after his mother who is, you're not going to believe this. Medusa. The stories of Medusa are close to the real one but so much worse and very pro-feminist.

    Drago has a thing for Lucille, but Lucille has officially come out and is dating Poppy Alymere. Poppy is the sweetest girl I have ever met and she's also the girliest knight I have ever met. Lucille adores her and the two seem to be happy. So, now that we are all officially active, Poppy is crying. Clinging to Lucille the way Rose is clinging to me. 

    "I don't want you to go," Rose cried out for the millionth time since last night when I told I was going to find Will. "You're gonna get hurt," 

    "Rose," I groaned.

    "I won't let you," she shouted, putting a barrier around the castle. Oh, yeah. She can do that now.

    "Rose, your barrier doesn't work on me. Mom!" 

    "You shouldn't have told her until you were halfway out the door," 

    "I already knew," Rose swears. She's been having nightmares. A lot of them. Most revolving around me. "Lily, please. I don't want you to go. You can't see anymore," 

    "Rose, I can see just fine. Dad and I have been practicing with my instincts. All of them and sometimes it involves a blindfold," 

    "No," she shook her head. Her little hands came up to my face. Her eyes are watery. She covered my eyes and began to cry. I hate seeing her like this. "You can't see anymore. It's black. Everything. I don't want you to go," 

    So far, she hasn't been wrong. Rose predicted Young's car accident the night before he wrecked my car. Not his fault, but it happened. She asked him to wear his seatbelt all the time. She predicted Poppy the morning before she arrived. She told Lucille to wear something pretty and to straighten her hair. She also helped Talia win a really expensive raffle. 

    "I have to go, Rosy. Do you remember what I told you when we came here?" 

    "Yeah," she nodded. "You said you need to help the people from the bad man," 

    "That's right. The bad man is doing bad things again and even if it's dark. I have to go. We have to keep fighting," 

    "I just don't want you to have ouchies in your heart again," she wrapped herself around me. I lifted her up into my arms holding her tightly. 

    "I'm not going to have ouchies in my heart again because I have you now. You always make the ouchies go away. You're going to start the academy soon and I need you to be as smart as you've always been. When I come back I want to see your good grades and your magic progress. Yeah?" she pulled away, wiping her face. she's gotten taller. Heavier. 

    "Okay," she nodded. "I'll read it to you when you come back," 

    She let go and rushed out. It's unsettling. When she dreams of me, she sees things through my eyes and I see it her mind. Something Durendal taught me. She sees those around me and then everything darkens. There is no more light. Just the sound of swords clashing. Growling. Screaming. 

    "There's a spell that cures blindness in Delikipos," my mom whispered when none of us said a word. 

    "Whatever it is, we'll find a way out," my dad nodded. 

    "It's not that simple," I shrugged. "It's not blindness. It's-" 

    "It's what?" my dad demanded. 

    "I do it to myself. I destroy my eyes," they both looked me over shaking their heads. 

    "Why the hell would you do that?" 

    "My powers are only getting stronger. Grayson, Lucille, and I have come to an agreement. Should the Mordreds ever find out what I can really do, I have to find a way to keep them from replicating anything. From using me to bring something we're not going to be able to handle back. Destroying my eyes ensures that nothing is ever atomically scanned and recreated. The dead needs to stay dead," 

    "I can dampen your powers," my mom suggested. "We can keep them weak," 

    "Then I wouldn't be able to control the rest of them," 

    "That's why you've been insisting on the blindfold," my dad sighed. "I can't ask you to do that," 

    "You're not asking me to do anything. As a matter of fact, you're not even supposed to know what I am. No is. We told Lucille because she'll try to stop Grayson and she can," 

    "Baby, don't this," mom pulled me into a hug.

    "I'm not dying," I reassured her. "It sucks but there is no other way. I have instincts, other ways to keep going. Besides, I've scanned the structure of my eyes and once we deal with the problem, I can get them back," 

    "We're going to stop them. I swear," my dad nodded. "It'll be temporary. I promise," 

    "Let's talk about the Dream Team. Lucille has been in charge for a while now and she's efficient," Mom changed the subject. 

    "You have to listen to her but she's not calling the shots," my dad added. "Lizard boy is easily swayed but Riley and Young squared aren't. He does have Young's summoning technique but like you being good at everything, it's a cover for his real mana nature. He's like us. Your mom and me. I mean. He's a demigod. He's Durga's son," 

    "The Hindu Goddess with the eight arms?" 

    "Yeah," my mom nodded. 

    "That explains so much actually. The lion familiar. I swear I've seen his other arms discreetly move things behind him," 

    "He's dangerous," my dad chuckled. 

    "Why are you two laughing?" mom asked. 

    "Because it's kind of funny. He has eight arms," I shrugged. 

    "You have a teammate who has a lizard tail," 

    "Yes, I've seen him use that thing to climb things. He strangled Cam with it once. That was pretty funny too,"   my dad smirked. 

    "Why does everyone hate my little guy?" 

    "I don't know how to tell you this, baby. But, Cameron is annoying. His parents are amazing. He's annoying," 

    "Dad," I scolded. 

    "I'm just saying," he waved it off. 

    "What is your deal with the Dream Team?" I asked them.

    "I don't trust Riley," they both admitted. 

    "Eight arms' girlfriend?" 

    "Yeah, she's Guenever's niece," 

    "What the f**k?" we both turned around to see Young standing in my father's study doorway. We've been waiting for him. "Why weren't we told about this? I knew there was something wrong about her," 

    "Hey," I scolded him. "Just because she's Guenevier's niece doesn't mean she's evil," 

    "Says the girl that said: Just because he's Aria Mordred's son doesn't mean he's evil. Dude is trying to wish us away," he shook his head. 

    "He has a point," my mother agreed. "You two have a soft spot for the misunderstood. It's how the Pendragon princesses came to be," 

    "Gross," I groaned. 

    "We're giving her the benefit of the doubt. Lucille asked for it personally. I, myself, trust Lucille with both of your well-being. I just want to let you know what you should expect," my dad defended.

    "Guenevere wasn't evil," I sighed. "Her experiences led her to where she needs to be. Lucille is her daughter and you trust her with my life and Rose's," 

    "Luc is different. She was raised with us. Under our eyes," my mom defended. 

    "I was raised with her. Under her eyes," I whispered. "I'm going to get ready. We have a long trip ahead of us," 

    "Gray, a word," my dad stopped him from following me. Young bowed his head and motioned me to go ahead. 

    I prepared for the trip and then sat down on the bed. When the idea first popped into my head, I had a massive portrait of my family and friends placed on the wall by my door. That's the image I want to remember in the darkness. It was never a question of if. It was always a when. It's the only way.

    "You look as tired as I feel," Young stated as he climbed the steps up to my bed and sat down next to me. 

    "We are way too young to feel this old," I laughed. 

    "I think you're supposed to feel old when you're young and young when you're old. Experiencing s**t is hard. Once we're old and have a s**t load of time to do what we want. Then the fun begins," 

    "You're probably right," I grinned. 

    "I don't think it will come to it," he whispered, placing his hand over mine. "We can be careful. Extra careful," 

    "He's not going to let us. Neither of them is. We know that. They want to see what we've got and I will not sacrifice any of us to hide this. I can do it. We've been training. It's not going to make me weaker. If anything it's going to amplify everything else. I can't let them have it. I refuse to be the object of Crystallis' end," 

    "Alright," he nodded. He stood up and then knelt down in front of me. He materialized a box in his hands smoothly. "I've been saving this for a while. I know once you make up your mind there is no way to change it so, I made you this to cover up the fact that you're going to rip your eyeballs out," 

    "Eyepatches?" I asked, taking the velvet box. 

    "Something like that," 

    The tiara is beautiful. Gold is the color that the heir is supposed to wear. I've been told many times now but it's not something I'll ever get used to. The tiara is designed to wrap around my head. It will sit on my face like goggles. It will be part of who I am soon. Next to it is the upgrade for my defender. Young insisted that pink is alright for training and casual outings with the knights but I am representing the Arturian House of Pendragon now and I have to dress as required. Everything is gold now. 

    I lifted the tiara up to my face, shutting my eyes, and clicking it into place. I opened my eyes and was met with absolute darkness. I can see the light slipping through the bottom of the tiara and there's a bit of comfort in that for now. Young was the one who took it off. The worry in his eyes made me reach for him. I slipped onto his lap as he held me to him tightly. 

    "I hate it," he whispered against my lips. 

    "I'm glad I got to see it. It's beautiful," I ignored his comment. He pulled away to look down at me. 

    I can't look away from the beautiful jade green in his eyes. The intensity in them has gotten brighter since our arrival. He's changed. Gotten bigger, more handsome, a little more mysterious. But he's also the same person I've always known him to be. He's fragile. Stronger and with more to lose. 

    "I wish there was another way. Anything that keeps you from putting the f*****g thing on," 

    "Me too," I admitted. "But loopholes have a way of f*****g s**t up for us and I can't afford that with everything at stake," 

    "I can do it for you. We can pretend that this all me and she'll think it was me the entire time. We can pull that off. I can summon as you materialize," 

    "What kind of girlfriend would that make me?" I chuckled. 

    "One that gets to keep her sight. I know you have my entire scan memorized over and over. You can just give me new ones," 

    He's begging. His last resort. He's also not wrong. I make sure I know his complete structure every chance I get. We'd be able to pull that off, but the idea of something as beautiful as his eyes is repulsive and unthinkable. I'm not the kind of person that would be that selfish. I wish I could be but I can't.

    "I love you," I smiled at him as his tears slip down his cheeks and landed on my own. "You are the only reason why I know this will work. You can be my eyes for a little while. I look away. I always look away when it gets too hard and you don't. You're stronger than me," 

    He lifted me off the ground and laid me down on the bed before he settled over me. We didn't turn the lights off. I didn't look away from him and he didn't look away from me. This is going to suck again and the only thing I understand and am relieved by is that I'm going to do some f****d up s**t and I'm glad that I don't have to see it.