⚔︎ Arrows & Goodbyes ⚔︎
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Renly didn't think one could ever get used to the sight of Arthur Pendragon using Excalibur. It was the sort of thing nightmares were made of and yet she felt completely safe as she watched the true-born king take down their enemies.
An arrow was launched from somewhere on the opposite wall to the one Renly stood by. It sailed through the air and into the fight below. More arrows followed.
She raised her bow knocking back an arrow and firing at the snipers. One by one. Then she set her sights on the Blacklegs down in the courtyard. She might not have a magical sword but she would be damned if she let Arthur be the only one to fight.
She stayed on the wall. She fired arrow after arrow, trying her hardest to ignore Arthur as he fought. She needn't worry about him, she knew that, and yet the urge to look back and check on him was overwhelming.
She moved towards the stairs, slowly walking down them while she still fired arrows at the surrounding Blacklegs. When she finally reached the edge of the staircase everything had stilled.
The fight was over.
Arthur stood surrounded by bodies and chaos. His chest heaving.
She walked slowly over to stand behind him. Her bow was still drawn as she pointed the tip of her arrow wildly around them.
Blacklegs surrounded them at all sides but none of them attacked.
For a moment all was silent.
Then the sound of steel meeting the ground echoed through the courtyard. One by one Blackleg after Blackleg laid down their swords.
Arthur stood there speechless as he watched them surrender.
Renly stood by his side now, her gaze flickering around them, her eyes were filled with a mixture of paranoia and disbelief. It felt slightly surreal to watch the people she had for so long considered the enemy to surrender.
She swallowed thickly before nudging Arthur with her elbow.
"Let's not wait around for them to change their minds."
She muttered under her breath.
Arthur nodded dazedly before grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the courtyard.
The tower stood looming in the distance and Renly came to an abrupt halt as she let her eyes take in the monstrosity. She glanced over at Arthur who was glaring up at the building with determination in his eyes.
They had reached a crossroads. The fight that was going on in the city below could be heard echoing against the stone walls that surrounded them. To their right was a stairwell leading down into the chaos. She couldn't go with him, no matter how much she may have wanted to. This was his fate, and she had to face hers.
"Arthur."
Renly's voice had the true-born king halting in his steps. His shoulders tensed and his jaw clenched. He turned around to face her, meeting her determined eyes with his own. He had known that this moment would come.
There was a silent conversation held between them. A battle of wills.
Arthur shook his head violently and stepped closer to her.
"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight you're delusional."
His words were firm and angry, but they were also desperate and pleading.
"And if you think that you can keep me out of this fight so are you."
She shot back. Unlike Arthur however, her voice was filled with understanding.
This was it, the moment they would both have to face their fates. The moment they had both been moving towards for their entire lives.
She glanced over his shoulder at the large looming building in the distance and her face contorted. Tears began to form in her eyes and she desperately tried to keep herself together. She moved without thinking. Grabbing his arm and pulling him closer to her gazing into his piercing blue eyes. It was annoying how beautiful he was. Even covered in sweat and blood.
She swallowed and let a small tear fall down her face. His hand instantly reached for her face, his thumb moved across her cheek wiping it away.
He had seen Renly cry before, he had seen her afraid and grieving. It always felt like he was being stabbed in the gut whenever he saw her in pain. But the way she looked now, the way her eyes shone with unshed tears and her hand clutched at his arm as if she never wanted to let him go, as she argued for him to let her walk towards death felt like somebody was ripping out his heart.
"Do you think this is easy for me?"
She asked searching his eyes.
"Do you think that letting you walk into a fight with your insane uncle, knowing that there is a possibility that you don't make it out alive, is easy?"
She demanded. They were so close now. Their noses almost brushed, their breaths mixed as they both heaved for air, both of them staring into one another's eyes.
"It isn't. It is terrifying."
She admitted her voice breaking.
"But we were always meant to end up here Arthur."
She let out a bitter laugh. It seemed so obvious now.
"We were always meant to end up right here, forced to let one another go."
Arthur let her words hit him. He let himself consider the possibility.
And then he laughed.
It felt like such a twisted game. A final test. Could he let her go, for the good of his people?
The obvious answer should have been yes.
Renly seemed to see the hesitance within his eyes and brought her own hand up to cup his cheek. A soft watery smile pulled at her lips as she gazed up at him.
He shook his head.
He didn't want her to look at him like that. Like she was telling him it was okay. Like she was telling him goodbye.
But she was right. It had all led them to this.
Every smile, every laugh. All the late nights in the war room and sparring practices.
Every 'Your Grace'.
It had all led them right here.
To this final moment, where they both had to let one another go.
The stabbing in his heart seemed to only intensify with the realization.
And yet in the middle of all the terror and pain, he couldn't help himself, he let a cocky grin coat his lips as he peered down at her.
"Are you falling for me as I'm falling for you?"
He asked.
Renly's entire face lit up with a smile at the memory. She let out a pathetic watery laugh shaking her head at him.
"Yeah."
She whispered nodding up at him.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am."
He didn't hesitate to pull her closer after that. His soft grip on her cheek tightened just a little as he brought her face to his.
Arthur was not ashamed to admit that he'd imagined what it'd be like to kiss Renly before. Often. His imagination had nothing on the real feeling of her lips upon his.
When they finally pulled away there was a finality in the air that made Arthur desperately want to pull her back in and hold her to his chest.
She stepped out of his reach before he could succumb to the urge.
Her smile was wobbly as she looked up at him, slowly walking backward towards the staircase that led towards the fighting below.
"You're going to make a brilliant king, Your Grace."
She whispered, nodding confidently before turning around and walking down the staircase to join the fight. Knowing that he was walking towards his last battle with his uncle, towards his fate, and desperately hoping that he would win.
Knowing that she would die tonight.
(Sorry it took so long to get this admittedly short chapter out. I was honestly not sure how to write the magical sword fight. Something I've come to learn while writing this book is that fights are incredibly hard to write and throwing a magical sword into the mix is so much worse. In the end, I took the coward's way out and skimmed over it a little. XD)
(How I felt writing the Renly & Arthur kiss scene.)