Page 29 of To Love a Dark Lord

“In theory.” She arched an eyebrow.

“This is uncharted territory, my love.” He smirked. “I am doing my best. If you have another suggestion, I would be glad to hear it.”

No, she was out of ideas. Especially since Galahad had refused to tell her where the Iron Crystal was. Letting out a grunt, she shrugged. “Fine. Let’s try it. Worst-case, we stand here like a pair of morons.”

“Precisely.” He rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes. She did the same. “I want you to focus on remembering your surroundings, the place where you fell asleep. Picture yourself there. Wake up, just a little—just enough, so that you are in both places at once. I can?—”

“Stop.”

The unexpected voice cut Mordred off. Only, it was a voice that Gwen recognized.

She blinked in surprise, turning to face the newcomer.

It was Mordred.

Another Mordred. Not the one standing next to her, in his horrifying iron armor. This one was human. His hair wasn’t iron, but blond. His eyes were green, not shades of molten rust. And his armor looked similar in style to King Arthur’s. He held Caliburn in his hand, head held high. “You will stop here, fiend.”

“What the actual fuck—” Gwen’s eyes went wide.

Her Mordred chuckled darkly. “Yes, I had supposed this might be the final test.” He took a step forward, summoning his own blade. It was in stark contrast to Caliburn’s beauty and simple, clean lines. It was jagged and rusted like the rest of Mordred, the sections of the blade that were missing only making it look all the more dangerous. No, not dangerous—fiendish.

The human Mordred met the elemental’s challenge and prepared for a fight. “You shall die here, monster. I will not allow you to spread your plague upon Avalon any longer.”

“Hold the fuck up—” Gwen stormed in between the two men. “Will one of you explain what’s going on?”

The human Mordred was the one who spoke first. “There is still goodness within him. Within me. There is honor and duty. There is a part of my conscience that clings to the promises I made to Arthur so long ago.”

The iron Mordred scoffed. “And if I am to be free—then I must kill the part of me that clings to the path that I mistakenly sought for so many centuries. If I am to set foot outside the Iron Crystal, I must surrender entirely the man I once was.”

“But…why?” She furrowed her brow.

“Because only then will I be capable of doing what is required…” The iron Mordred shifted his gaze to her. “To protect you.”

“No, no—this isn’t about me. This isn’t, this?—”

The human Mordred interrupted her. It seemed he liked to do that. “You are correct, in part. No, this is not about you. This is about killing the corruption that has spread in me. If you free him, the bloodshed will be unlike anything Avalon has ever known. I deserve to die in here, in this prison.”

His iron half laughed cruelly. “What a coward I have been. The answer has been in front of me for so long. I tried my best to find a middle ground, to negotiate a truce in my own heart. Imprisonment was better than death, surely. Yet when the seasons stopped and the clouds covered the sun, and the world lost its color, I still somehow believed my actions to be just. Please.” He took a few steps to the side, circling his human self. The blond Mordred swiveled to watch him. Gwen had the option of jumping in the middle again and stopping the fight, but something told her it wouldn’t matter. This fight was coming, one way or another. It had been coming for a very long time.

And everything depended on who won.

“If I am freed, they all must die. They will come for us. They will never let us rest. They will hound us until the end of time, or until we both lie dead.” The elemental shifted his grip on his sword. “To be free, I must embrace the darkness in my heart.”

“Which is precisely why I must stay here and perish. My soul depends upon it. That kind of slaughter is beyond cruel. Better I die.” Human Mordred raised Caliburn, readying for the fight that was about to begin.

The sound of steel on steel followed. It was…so bizarre, watching Mordred fight with himself. Both figures moved identically. They had identical strengths, identical weaknesses. Good versus evil. Duty versus love. Soul versus heart.

Gwen didn’t know who she wanted to win.

Both of them, honestly.

But that time was long gone. That wasn’t an option. It was clear this was a fight to the death. The ringing of the metal was deafening as the swords clashed. Blade met armor. Fist met face. Neither side was winning. Neither side was losing.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to use her magic to stop the battle—but she had no power here. All she could do was watch and avoid getting crashed into.

A chair wasn’t so lucky, as the human Mordred threw his iron self through the furniture, smashing it into tiny pieces as the weight of the enormous knight turned it to kindling and splinters. The Prince in Iron rolled onto his side, spitting blood onto the ground. He didn’t get up.

The human Mordred wiped some blood from his split lip. “You can stop this, Gwen. You can make this choice for me.”

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