"Are they assumptions?" Arthur asked. "Or observations?"
Sun Wukong laughed suddenly. But it wasn't a happy sound. It was bitter and sharp. "You're either very wise or very foolish, Your Highness. I haven't decided which yet."
"The two are not mutually exclusive," Arthur replied with a slight smile.
They stared at each other. The tension in the courtyard had grown thick enough to cut. But neither showed any sign of backing down.
"The vow I made to you," Sun Wukong said finally. "Back in the Heavenly Sword Sect. When I pledged to follow you if you proved stronger."
"I remember," Arthur said.
"I've been reconsidering it," Sun Wukong admitted. His voice was frank now. Direct. "Wondering if I made that promise too hastily. Before I fully understood... certain things."
"Understood what things?" Arthur asked.
"Who I am," Sun Wukong replied. "What I was. What I might become again."
Arthur's expression remained calm. "And have these reconsiderations changed your intentions?"
