Nearly two weeks had passed since that night.
Two long, heavy weeks.
The room was quiet, filled with the faint scent of lavender from a vase nearby.
Shadows crawled lazily across the walls as the sun began its descent beyond the distant hills.
Arthur remained still on his bed, laying on his side with one arm tucked beneath his head.
He wasn't asleep.
He hadn't truly slept properly in days.
Most of his hours were spent in the same silence, split only between resting in bed or sitting beside the coffin where his mother rested.
A soft knock broke the quiet.
Arthur turned his head slowly, half-expecting another butler or guard.
But as the door creaked open, he recognized the familiar black-haired maid with the gentle voice and ever-present kindness.
Elaine Westcott.
She walked in carefully, holding a tray of warm food.
"Good afternoon, Sir Arthur."
She said with her usual soft smile.
Arthur gave her a lazy wave and nodded toward the nightstand.
"Just put it there."
She nodded wordlessly, placing the tray beside the bed with practiced grace.
The scent of warm soup and fresh bread briefly filled the room.
As Elaine turned to leave, she nearly ran straight into Kay.
Both froze.
Kay fumbled back slightly, Elaine's cheeks turned pink, and they awkwardly stammered out greetings.
"H-Hey, E-Elaine. H-How is... uhh..."
"G-Good afternoon, S-Sir Kay. Y-You look..."
A long pause and neither moved.
Both seemed to forget how words worked.
Then Elaine suddenly bowed and rushed off down the hallway, her footsteps quick and flustered.
Kay exhaled through his nose, sighed in relief as he stepped into the room.
Arthur's eye twitched.
"Jesus fucking Christ. I feel like a man dying of thirst watching another man drown."
Arthur muttered.
Kay blinked, confused.
"What?"
Arthur rolled onto his back with a groan.
"None of your concern, dumbass."
Kay just laughed, taking the insult in stride.
Despite everything, the cousins had grown… used to each other.
Maybe not close, but familiar.
Kay saw Arthur as a sharp-tongued troublemaker with too much pain bottled inside.
Arthur saw Kay as an annoyingly noble golden boy, but at least the tolerable kind.
Kay pulled a chair and sat beside the bed.
"How's the estate treating you?"
He asked.
Arthur shrugged.
"Not bad. Honestly… more comfortable than I expected. Thought someone would say something racist about me being a half-devil hybrid by now."
Kay smirked.
"That's because my father's very thorough about who he hires. Every maid, guard, cook, or guest under this roof swears loyalty and respects character above all else."
Arthur gave a small nod.
"Huh… guess Uncle Uther's more smarter than he looks."
A brief pause.
Then Arthur looked at him.
"So… why are you here?"
Kay's smirk faded slightly.
He straightened his posture.
"I'm here to remind you that… tomorrow morning is Auntie Artoria's funeral. The ceremony will be at the Pendragon burial grounds."
Arthur's heart sank.
He looked away, saying nothing.
His expression darkened again.
Kay sighed and rose from his chair.
"I have done my part. If you will excuse me..."
As he walked to the door, he paused.
He looked back at Arthur.
"You know… you've got every right to grieve. But you can't stay like this forever."
He said quietly.
"The world keeps turning, even if you're not ready. And I didn't know Auntie Artoria like you did, just stories from my father, but even I know she wouldn't want her death to hold you back."
He showed an empathetic look towards Arthur.
"She'd want you to live. To grow. To move forward… the same way my mother wanted for me."
He offered a brief, sad smile and walked out, closing the door behind him.
The room fell into silence once more.
Arthur sat up slowly, staring blankly ahead.
Kay's words echoed in his head.
"She'd want you to live…"
Arthur glanced down at his hands, then at the golden locket resting against his chest.
His fingers brushed over it gently.
Arthur's lips moved, his voice dry and quiet.
"…I haven't forgotten."
He looked down at the floor, eyes clouded.
"But…"
His voice cracked.
"How the hell do I live without you when I don't even know what I want to do?"
DxD
The golden glow of the sunset bathed the horizon in hues of amber and rose, painting the sky in a calm that Arthur hadn't felt in a long time.
He sat alone on a large, smooth stone by the small lake that shimmered just beyond the Pendragon estate's garden walls.
The surface of the water rippled gently with the evening breeze.
In his hand, he clutched a flat stone.
He exhaled slowly and flicked his wrist.
*Skip.*
The stone bounced once, twice, then sank with a soft plunk.
Arthur watched it disappear beneath the surface.
He sighed and reached for another.
A small pair of footsteps crunched against the gravel path behind him.
He glanced back, already guessing who it was.
A little girl, no older than seven, stepped into view.
Her long blonde hair danced in the breeze, and her frilly white dress swayed gently as she walked toward him.
Her large blue eyes blinked up at him with childlike curiosity.
"Hey Morgan. What are you doing out here?"
Arthur said, a tired but warm smile tugging at his lips.
She pouted cutely, her cheeks puffing up.
"Brother Arthur, I told you to call me that!"
Arthur chuckled softly and held up his hand in surrender.
"Alright, alright. Sorry, Le Fay."
He patted the open spot beside him on the rock.
She trotted over and sat down, her feet dangling just above the grass.
Arthur had met Morgan "Le Fay" Pendragon the day after waking up in the Pendragon estate.
She was shy at first, hiding behind her brother's back and mumbling half-words.
But eventually, curiosity won her over, particularly her fascination with Arthur's half-devil nature.
She wasn't afraid or repulsed.
She just asked a lot of questions.
Arthur picked up another stone and tossed it across the lake.
*Skip. Skip. Plunk.*
"Whoa… How do you do that?"
Morgan whispered.
Arthur smirked.
"Just takes practice."
"I wanna try!"
She said excitedly, scrambling to find her own stone.
She found one, stood up, and flung it with both hands. It flew like a bird with a broken wing, crashed into the water, and immediately sank.
Arthur laughed gently, watching her frown deepen.
"I suck…"
She muttered, sitting down again.
He reached over and ruffled her hair softly.
"Don't worry. You'll get better eventually. Everyone starts somewhere."
She leaned against his side slightly, her frown turning into a little smile.
For a while, they sat in comfortable silence, Arthur continuing his stone-skipping while Morgan simply watched, her chin resting on her knees.
"Brother Arthur. Why are you out here?"
She finally asked.
Arthur flicked another stone into the water, watching the ripples spread.
"No reason. Just distracting myself."
"Why?"
She asked, innocently tilting her head.
He paused.
"Because I want to forget something."
"Why?"
Arthur sighed through his nose.
"It's... complicated."
"Why?"
He stopped mid-throw.
He turned to look at her.
Those big purple eyes just stared up at him, curious and patient.
"…Because I'm sad, Le Fay."
"Why?"
She whispered again, still not understanding the weight of the question.
Arthur let out a tired laugh and shook his head.
"Because I lost something important to me, Le Fay."
Morgan's lips formed a little 'o' as she nodded, like that finally made sense to her.
She looked down at her feet, then back up at him.
"Then maybe… me and Big Brother Kay can help Brother Arthur find it!"
Arthur blinked and turned to her.
Her smile was so pure, so sure of itself.
He softened, his voice low and gentle.
"It's not something I can find again. It's gone forever, Le Fay. I'll never get it back."
He tossed another stone.
This one didn't skip. It just fell with a quiet splash.
They sat together in silence for a while, the sun slowly sinking past the trees, painting the water in deeper orange and crimson.
"…Did you lose your mommy too, Brother Arthur?"
Arthur's fingers froze mid-reach.
He turned his head slowly and looked down at her.
Her voice was innocent. Not accusing. Just curious.
She continued.
"Big Brother Kay looked the same way as you did… when I asked about Mommy."
Arthur's jaw tightened slightly, but his eyes softened.
"Yeah…"
He finally said.
He reached out and patted her head softly.
"You got it right. You're pretty smart for your age."
She giggled quietly and hugged her knees to her chest.
"Hehe! It's because I studied, Brother Arthur. One day, I'll be the best magician in the whole wide world. I'll make all my dreams come true… and yours too, Brother Arthur!"
Arthur smiled for the first time that day, a real one.
"Then I'll be rooting for you, Le Fay."
They sat together in the last light of the day, the breeze cooling as the sky darkened.
"I miss my mom. Every single day."
Arthur said quietly, almost to himself.
Morgan looked up at him.
"…I never met my mommy."
She said.
"Daddy told me she went to sleep after I was born… but he said she was the best mommy ever."
She looked at the sky.
"So I miss her every day too."
She smiled gently and looked at Arthur.
"Maybe… your mommy and my mommy are in the same place now. Maybe they're friends and watching us."
Arthur looked at her, his throat tightening.
He let out a breath, and a small smile crept onto his lips.
"…I hope so. That'd be nice."
When the sun had fully set and the stars began to peek out from the darkening sky, Arthur bent down and crouched in front of Morgan.
"C'mon. Time to head back."
"Piggyback?"
She asked hopefully, clasping her hands.
Arthur chuckled.
"Yeah, alright. Hop on."
She climbed onto his back and he stood up, carefully carrying her on his shoulders as they made their way back to the estate.
"Can we fly back next time? You have wings, right?"
She asked excitedly.
Arthur laughed.
"Still working on the flying part, sorry."
"Awww…"
"But I promise, once I've got it down, I'll take you flying."
He said, glancing back at her with a grin.
"Yay!"
She cheered happily, her little arms wrapped around his neck.
Arthur chuckled again, her joy a welcome distraction from the weight that loomed over him.
Even if just for a little while, he could forget about tomorrow.
DxD
Hello readers!
I NEED MORE POWER... Stones.
Thank you everyone and see you later!