Page 82 of To Love a Dark Lord

Walking to the door, she hesitated before leaving, resting her hand against the doorjamb. She didn’t look over her shoulder at him. “Goodbye, Mordred.”

“Goodbye, my firefly.”

She shut her eyes, flinching in pain, before she left down the hallway.

Sitting in his chair, Mordred shut his eyes, and let himself weep.

The morning came. Gwen had spent the night alone—well, okay, the dog didn’t count—in her old room. It felt like a goodbye to the keep. And it was. She remembered how terrified she’d been when she arrived. Cowering and panicking at everything she saw. And now?

Now, she was queen.

Of the whole island.

The sun had just started to rise as she walked down the stairs to the beach where the skiff waited. Eod came with her. Standing at the shore were Maewenn and Galahad, quietly talking. The cook was shoving baskets of food into the knight’s arms, even as she sniffled loudly.

Eod walked up to Galahad, tail wagging sadly.

Today was a day of goodbyes.

Galahad knelt to hug the dog, letting the hound lick his cheek.

“It is all right, friend,” Galahad told the animal quietly as Eod whimpered. “I am going home. I will find peace there. All joy for me has left this island.”

Gwen had the sudden urge to ask him to change his mind. To rethink the slow death of attrition he’d suffer when separated from Avalon’s magic. But the words didn’t leave her mouth because they were purely selfish. She wanted him to stay for her. Because she wanted her friend.

This was what Galahad wanted. This was what he needed to do.

Walking up to him, she waited for him to stand before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I will never be far. We fae do not believe in death like you do. We are always in the world and the life that shines around you.” He stroked her hair. “I will only ever be a dream away.”

Now, she was the one crying. She wiped at her eyes and sniffled. Everything in her wanted to beg him to stay. To change his mind. But the look on his face—the grief, the sadness, the tiredness—she knew it was time. Anything else would be cruel.

He climbed into the skiff. “Farewell until another day.”

“Goodbye, Galahad.” Gwen could barely get the words out through her tears.

The skiff lurched. And slid into the mist that formed around it.

Gwen held Mae as they cried.

Gwen gazed up at the ruins of Camelot. It felt right to call it home, to try to fix it up and everything. But it still felt like she was pretending, somehow—just standing in the shoes of her father when she was a toddler.

“It is yours, now.”

“Gah!” Gwen jumped almost a foot in the air.

Merlin chuckled. He had a large wooden walking stick with him. It really completed his I-just-crawled-out-of-a-D&D-campaign vibe. She opted not to make fun of him about it. “That never gets old.”

“Yeah, but you do.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Very queenly.”

“Whatever.” She looked up at the castle again. “You sure Arthur wouldn’t mind?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“He’s not haunting the place, is he?”

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