The Will of a Pendragon

Prologue

Change is inevitable. 

    When I was a boy, I would watch my parents interact. My father loves my mother more than he ever will himself, but my mother isn't the type of being that has preferences. She calculates and makes choices that best fit her and those that follow her. She married my dad because he has something that benefitted her. The cannon he wields. The cannon I now have along with her celestial powers. I often wondered why he stuck around when she didn't. She went along with the way he acted around him but it's easy to see that whole thing is one-sided. It wasn't until I met Lily that I understood why my father endured. Why he loves my mother so much. 

The difference is that she loves me back.

    I knew things were going to change once we returned home. She has already changed so much with what happened to her back on Primal. Those things that had defiled her are all dead and I'm more than okay with the fact that we had killed them all. This is a different change. She's starting to settle into the life of a knight and the Pendragon Princess.

    She loves to learn. The way she greets people and welcomes them is nothing like the Lily from Primal. This one is evolving into the goddess she's supposed to be. Like a magnet to metal, she pulls people in. Her real abilities rarely filter through when she's practicing, but it's obvious that those who are training her see the magnificence of her power. The potential behind what she can really do. If they don't already question her true nature, they will start soon. After two years of breezing through basics and knight school, the question is bound to come up.

    "You're always watching her," I glanced over at my mother and then turned my attention back to Lily. 

    "You're home early," I brushed her off. 

    "Yeah, with you taking on extra work I seem to have more and more spare time," she sighed as if it bothers her. I can honestly say that it's not for her benefit. It's for my father. I owe him at least that after everything I put him through.

    "Maybe you should spend some time with dad," I suggested. 

    "Your father is busy with the King," 

    "He'd make time for you," 

    "I didn't," 

    "That's the difference between you and him, mom. Dad goes that extra mile to please you. He's given you everything your heart has ever desired. Maybe you should do something to show that you are grateful," 

    "Maybe you're right," she nodded. "I thought that marriage was more of a physical-" 

    "No, no, no. I don't need to know that. You don't get it because you're not like us. You're a goddess that was raised as a goddess. With the shift of power, you're going to need to get used to more mundane affairs. You're going to need to practice a different kind of magic and use those faint combat abilities you rarely show," 

    She scoffed as she climbed up on the veranda and looked down towards the courtyard. Lily, Lucy, and Meer are sitting under the biggest Pendragon Williow at court. Lily's eyes met mine and a little smirk pulled on the left side of her lips. Even the way her eyes glow sparked with a light glimpse. Meer and Lucy looked up at us catching the change in her mood. My mother waved at them and they waved back at her. 

    "Can she hear me?" my mother asked. I didn't answer and neither did Lily but my mom knows. "Knights can't do that. Maybe you should come for a visit one of these nights and we can test your potential, Liliann. It's been a very long time since the Gods have blessed the realms with a female. It's significant. I'd love to for you to learn more about what you are from me rather than from those who hate what we are," 

    Without another word she walked away. Lily glanced back up at me with a stare that says she doesn't like that someone outside of us two knows what she is. The two of us have been trying to get a hold of her powers. We've been trying to find a way to suppress them. Through the libraries stored within the swords' memories and Uther Pendragon's study, but she's a complete mystery. This is new. It's like the universe is preparing us for something bigger.

    "There you are," I looked away to see that the King and my father are walking in my direction. 

    "Here I am," I confirmed playfully. 

    "Your mother was here?" he asked taking in a deep breath. I hate that he's as in touch with his senses as I am. It makes things awkward for all of us sometimes. 

    "Yeah, you just missed her. She's headed home. She's done for the day," 

    "You've been pulling extra weight, huh?" he smirked. 

    "It doesn't feel that way. I'm just trying to help. Everything kind of comes easily now that I'm here," I don't want him to know how sensitive I am. After all, I'm going to lose him one day. I will outlive all the people I love. Except for her. 

    "The power boost?" the King asked. 

    "Yeah, I think I was so accustomed to the limitations of primal that now that I'm back, everything is better. Easier to figure out," 

    "That makes sense. You were basically mortal there," my dad nodded. 

    "Did you need me for something?" I asked. 

    "I did," the King motioned me to follow. "I'll talk to him. Why don't you catch up to Elise?" 

    "Are you sure?" my dad asked him. 

    "Yeah, it'll be easier coming from me," 

    That caught my attention. My dad bowed to him before placing his hand on my shoulder giving me what I think is a reassuring squeeze. I followed the King back to his study. He locked the door when we were both inside. The walls had been under a strong glamour. One I hadn't picked up on. I may be thriving in just about everything but there are still some sore spots I need to work on. 

    "Sir?" the walls are covered in pictures of Lily. No, not pictures. Surveillance shots. They're keeping a close eye on her. Too close. What catches my more immediate attention are the pictures of the other women along with hers. They all look like suspects.

    "Do you know who these women are?" he asked. 

    "This is your daughter," I pointed out. "Your ex-wife, I remember this one but she's not from here. That one is Aria Mordred," 

    "Correct, this one is Alissa Curran," 

    "Curran, my King?" I glanced over at him. That's my mother's maiden name. He went behind his desk. "No, that's not possible. If I am correct this woman is from Primal. She's Lily's caseworker. I met her once and she was human. Her memories of Lily and me should have been wiped when we came home," 

    "Yes, well. She's not from Primal, son," he looks completely stressed out now. How he hides it so well is beyond me. "This is what she looks like now but this is her real face," he slid a picture across his desk towards me and even without picking it up chills ran up my arms, over my chest, and throughout the rest of my body. The woman in the picture looks exactly like my mother. I'd go as far as saying it is her. "This is Elise's twin sister. We thought she had died in the last nation war. Before me," 

    "Does my mother know she's alive?" 

    "Your father asked me to keep this to myself for now. The two of us are the only ones who know. Now you," 

    "What's our next move?" I asked. He smiled. 

    "I want you to take Lily and the others to the Crystallis festival in New Stone neutral grounds so that we can try to eliminate the problem before Lily or Elise find out," 

    "With all due respect, sir. That's not a good idea. If this woman is who you say she is, my mother and I have to be the ones to confront her. This kind of power is beyond a knight's limitations. If something were to happen to any of you, Lily would lose her s**t. She just got everything she could ever want and you'd be taking that from her. Not to mention what it will mean to the rest of us," 

    "I hear what you're saying loud and clear, Grayson. Believe me when I say that I have thought of all the ways this can turn out. Lilianna is attached to this woman. She dreams of her. She misses her. A deep longing has set. I've been monitoring her closely. I swore to you and to her that I wouldn't but after we found this woman here, I needed to know more of Lily's relationship to her. I know now that if we tell my kid that the woman that raised her is here, she'll want to go to her. She'd want us to accept this woman,"

    "What's wrong with that?" I asked unable to understand. I have heard Lily talk about her friend Alissa and it seems like she's a good person. Generally.

    "Gray, I know what she is," 

I looked up at him meeting his gaze. "What is she?" 

    "Don't play dumb with me, Gray. I know what Lilianna is. How she's-" he stopped shaking his head. "Thank you for taking care of her. I know you'd never do anything to hurt her. That's all I want," 

    "Sir, if you know-" 

    "Stop," he put his hand up. "Stay focused. Alissa Curran is the mother of the Mordred bloodline and by the looks of things, it looks like she's the one who's been giving the orders from day one. This goes back to my  father's time and it's infecting the new order. This is something I have to-" 

    "I can't let you do that, my King. If you're moving in on her so am I. If you deny me this I will walk out of this room and go straight to my mother with it. You don't understand how dangerous our kind can be. I nearly killed my mother when I was a kid. This woman knows exactly what she's doing with her powers just as well as my mother. I cannot let Lily suffer more than she already has. I would rather see her angry at the fact that her mentor has been lying to her since the very beginning than to have her mourn the loss of her real family,"

    "Grayson, I need you to take Lily out of here tonight," he ordered. 

    The order of the king moved through me but it didn't stick. I follow his orders and I do as I'm told but the truth is that Arthur Pendragon is not my King. I answer the Pendragon who has stolen every beautiful emotion I have ever felt. He knows that. The rules don't change because he wants them too. This is the way of our world. Not to mention that if Lily accepts me when her time to reign comes. I will be taking his place.

    "I can't do that, sir," I stepped away from him. "You can try to keep me here but she'll come for me if she feels the change even if it's slight," 

    "Grayson-" the sound of cannon going off outside stopped him from pressing the matter. 

    My sword instantly materialized as  I pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall. Lily is standing there with a smile on her face as she faces off with Gabriel Galahad, Talia's father. The two of them have this weird sparring thing going on. The two of them stopped when they caught on to the hostility the King and I are emitting, 

    "Did we interrupt?" she asked putting her sword down. 

    "Hey," I shouted when Talia released her attack. It clashed against the tip of my sword just before striking Lily. I wasn't able to deflect all of it, but she didn't even flinch when it stuck her.

    "I am so sorry. Why the hell did you put your sword down, you i***t?" Talia scolded her. 

    "Are you alright?" I asked her. The scent of her blood wafted in the air between us for an instant. 

    "Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded stepping closer to me so they wouldn't see the wound on her shoulder stitch together as fast as it is. Her father came up next to me covering her more. 

    "Are you sure?" he asked her playing along. 

    "Yeah," she nodded once it was gone. "Lucky Gray was here or she would have hurt me," 

    "I am so sorry," Talia continued. 

    "I'm okay. Besides, it was my fault. I shouldn't have let my guard down," 

    "I swear I felt it strike you," she whispered. 

    "No more of that," the King dismissed her comment.

    "Sir, about what we were talking about," I added. He looked over at me and then at his daughter. She smiled at him brightly. I want her to look like that always but our lives aren't that simple.

    "Do what you must. Let me know how she reacts," he shook his head before heading back to his study. Lily's eyes instantly searched mine. 

    "What's going on?" she asked. Talia came over to us equally concerned. Gabriel went after the King. 

    "T, let me talk to her for a minute. We'll catch up," I dismissed Talia. She bowed before leaving in the same direction she had come from. 

    "You're scaring me a little," Lily smiled. 

    "Baby-"

    "Oh s**t. This is bad," she sighed. "I thought we had more time. I've been chill,"

    "What?" I smirked. 

    "You only start with "Baby" when s**t's about to hit the fan," 

I pulled the picture out from inside of my sleeve. I had planned to tell her as soon as I was out of there. 

    "You're not going to like this, Li. The intel is solid. My dad was the one who gathered it along with Lance and Lord Lionel. They're never wrong. Ever," I handed her the picture I had sneaked off the wall. 

    "What the f**k?" erupted out of her mouth the way it does every time something that takes her by surprise is staring back at her. 

    "Alissa is my aunt. She changed her face but she's the same person. Her name is Alissa Curran. My mom's twin sister. My mom is the Goddess of the Sea. Alissa Curran before her death was the Goddess of Immortality. She's the reason why we live as long as we do. She's the reason why the Mordreds are what they are," 

    "No," she shook her head shoving the picture back to me. 

    "Li, why would any of us make this up?" 

    "There has to be some kind of misunderstanding. Alissa could be like Cam and Ana. We didn't notice her come back with us and they have her," she countered. That was my first initial thought.

    "Li," I can see the light in her eyes slipping. 

    "No," her voice broke as she furiously shook her head. "No," 

    Change is inevitable and this just flipped something inside of her. There is no more going back. From now on, we are all going to live at the mercy of this woman and what she decides to do will decide the future of everyone's fate. Her will shall be our command and there isn't a single person who can stop her.