"AHHH"
Arthur woke to a scream. A very Eugene-like scream.
He bolted upright just in time to hear:
"GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME—"
Arthur stepped onto the deck just in time to witness Hope the Chicken in full attack mode, launching itself at Eugene's face.
Eugene flailed, running in circles, swiping at the bird that was somehow dodging all of his hits.
Arthur grinned.
He knew exactly what this was. Retribution.
Years ago, Arthur had once released an entire flock of chickens onto Eugene as a prank—and now?
Now, it seemed his daughter had inherited his genius.
Rhyssand, completely unaffected, simply leaned against the mast, smirking.
Because of course he was. Animals loved him.
(Except Fin. Fin tolerated him.)
Arthur chuckled under his breath. For the first time in weeks, he truly smiled.
Then—a familiar blur shot from the sky. Speak of the devil
Fin.
The small falcon swooped in, landing smoothly on Rhyssand's shoulder.
"Letter, my liege," Fin said, offering a rolled-up parchment.
Rhyssand took it—and immediately threw it into the ocean.
Silence.
Everyone just stared at him.
Arthur blinked. "What was in the letter?"
Rhyssand turned his back, arms crossed. "Nothing."
Fin flapped his wings and cackled. "Oh, but she also sent a verbal message!"
Before Rhyssand could catch him, Fin opened his beak—and out came Artizea's voice.
"Rhyssand RIMAT PENDRAGON—YOU LEFT ME TO DEAL WITH YOUR TWO GREMLINS! MAY I REMIND YOU—I AM PREGNANT! YOU BASTARD—"
Rhyssand lunged for Fin, snatching him mid-air.
Too late.
Arthur laughed. Not a chuckle. Not a smirk. A full-bodied, shoulder-shaking laugh.
And that was all it took.
Because now, Gilgamesh was laughing. Then Eugene. Then the crew.
And Rhyssand was once again a victim, to his own family.
The King of the Seas sliced through the water like a blade, cutting through the waves as if answering Arthur's unspoken desperation.
The crew moved like clockwork, hoisting the sails, tying the ropes, keeping the course steady—but even through the motion, Arthur felt it.
The weight of why they were here.
For Cesealia.
For their family.
Arthur kept his hands steady on the wheel, watching the endless horizon, the glow from Gilgamesh's treasure pulsing like a heartbeat.
They were getting closer.
The sea roared beneath them, the wind tugged at the sails, but in this moment, it was just the two of them.
Arthur exhaled, voice quieter this time.
"…Why did you come, Dad?"
Gil, standing beside him, didn't answer right away.
Instead, he watched the waves.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of everything unsaid between them.
"I just got you back."
Arthur's hands tightened around the wheel.
Gil continued.
"I just got the whole family back. And now, it's falling apart again." He exhaled. "I left you at sea for years… It's only fair I come with you this time."
Arthur swallowed.
Gil turned to look at him, golden eyes steady.
"So you don't kill yourself in the process."
Arthur scoffed, shaking his head. And after a long pause, he said, "She's everything like her mother. She only got my eyes."
Gil's lips twitched. "Welcome to fatherhood, No Appreciation, Apologies or Redemption ."
Arthur chuckled. The old man was right.
For a long moment, the two Pendragons just stood there, father and son, staring into the endless blue.
Gil let out a soft exhale, resting a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"I'm sorry about the baby. There's nothing worse than bearing love for someone who will never feel it."
Arthur took a glance at where his daughter was. He left her sleeping soundly in the captain's chambers.
His grip on the wheel tightened as he stared at the compass of sorts, guiding them toward the lost sword.
It almost felt impossible.
But they were the Pendragons.
And impossible was what they did best.
Rhyssand, leaning casually against the mast, watched Arthur with mild amusement.
"So, let's get this straight," he mused, arms crossed. "You, the great Arthur Pendragon, dropped Excalibur into the depths of the sea."
Arthur's lips pressed into a thin line.
Rhyssand smirked.
"And now you're leading an expedition to retrieve it?"
Arthur shot him a glare.
"Yes, Rhys, that is exactly what's happening."
Rhyssand grinned.
"You know, I've heard of great kings retrieving swords from stones, but this is new."
Arthur ignored him.
Gilgamesh, however, was not amused.
"Rhyssand, unless you plan to dive after it yourself, cease volume."
He chuckled. "Noted."
Eugene, very green in the face, gripped the railing and groaned.
"I'm never—coming on—another one of these trips—again."
Gil, unimpressed, glanced down at him. "You insisted on coming."
Eugene waved a shaky hand. "I thought I'd be helping! Not vomiting my soul out."
Arthur sighed as Rhyssand patted his back.
"Breathe, Eugene."
Eugene shot him a murderous look "Quit talking to me like im in labor!—oh gods—" before nearly hurling over the deck again.
Arthur's hands tightened around the wheel as he glanced at the horizon.
The ocean stretched far and endlessly, but—
The glow from Gil's treasure chest flickered, pulsing like a heartbeat.
They were getting closer.
Gilgamesh, watching the glow intensify, exhaled.
"We're on the right course."
Arthur nodded.
Hold on, Cece. I'm coming.
He raised his voice. "Full speed ahead!"
The crew cheered.
The hunt for Excalibur was on.
The glow pulsed like a heartbeat beneath the ocean, guiding them straight to Excalibur.
Rhyssand, eyes flickering with power, raised a hand, summoning a portal like a mirror. The surface of the water rippled, parting like glass, revealing the depths below.
And there it was.
Excalibur, wedged deep within the ocean floor, rests like a fallen king upon a throne of stone and coral.
"I'll keep the portal open," Rhyssand said. "Eugene, use the spell I taught you."
Eugene blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Oh—right."
He quickly chanted, his magic weaving around Arthur's form, altering the way the sea touched him. Water no longer weighed on his body—his feet pressed against the ocean floor as if he were walking on land.
Arthur clenched his fists. "No time to waste."
The compass glowed so brightly it could have been mistaken for a fallen star.
Eugene stepped forward, weaving his spell to ensure that Arthur and Gilgamesh could walk and breathe underwater.
The only problem?
Unlike Rhyssand, Eugene's divine magic had a time limit.
And Rhyssand, for all his celestial might, couldn't maintain two portals at once while fighting if things went sideways.
Arthur adjusted his grip on Excalibur's hilt and exhaled, his gaze flickering to the restless sea. A storm was brewing.
So when he stepped toward the portal, Gil followed.
"Good luck, Daddy!" Elizabeth called from the sidelines, cradling Hope tightly to her chest.
Arthur turned and smiled at his daughter.
Gil placed a hand on his son's shoulder, silent agreement passing between them.
Then, together, father and son stepped through the portal, plunging into the depths.
The world below the sea was eerily still.
The ruins around them told stories of a kingdom lost to time.
Arthur's boots landed firmly on the ocean floor, each step steady despite the impossible nature of it.
His fingers wrapped around the hilt, its weight familiar, yet foreign. He pulled.
Nothing. He braced his stance, dug his heels in, and pulled again. Still nothing. This didn't make any sense
"Arthur." Gil's voice was sharp.
Arthur gritted his teeth. "Kinda busy, Dad!"
"Arthur, stop."
Something in his father's tone made him pause. Then, **slowly—**Arthur turned his head.
Gil's face was unnervingly calm.
Arthur frowned. And then he felt it.
The water around him shifted. A shadow swelled above them.
His stomach dropped. No way…
Arthur slowly tilted his gaze up.
And there—rising from the depths like an ancient god.
The Megalodon.
The very same beast he had sworn he killed. Only—he hadn't. It was very much alive.
And very much pissed.
Arthur tried again to yank Excalibur from the sand, water swirling around its blade as its power reignited.
"Shit—" Arthur started.
"GET DOWN!" Gil roared.
Arthur barely had time to react before Gil's chains shot forward, wrapping around the beast's monstrous body.
But underwater, they weren't nearly as strong.
The water shifted.
The air—or what little magic allowed them to breathe—turned suffocating.
Arthur yanked at Excalibur, but the sword still did not budge.
Was he unworthy?
Gil's chains of Enkidu snapped forward, wrapping around the monster's body, pulling it back—but it wouldn't hold for long.
Arthur, gritting his teeth, placed both hands on the hilt of Excalibur, drawing on every ounce of strength in his body.
The Megalodon thrashed, knocking into the ruins. The very ground trembled as the beast roared through the water, its teeth inches away from devouring them whole.
"Arthur," Gil gritted out, golden eyes burning as he held the chains, "GET THE DAMN SWORD."
He was not going to fail. The woman he loved was waiting, the daughter he loved was waiting. His family was waiting. If the great kings can't see that—Then they're not worthy either.
Arthur roared as he pulled. And then—
Excalibur rose.
The moment the blade left the stone, a shockwave burst from the ocean floor, sending ripples of power that cut through the dark.
The Megalodon faltered, its movements sluggish under the sheer pressure of Excalibur's returned energy.
Gil held the chains taut, trying to anchor the creature long enough for Arthur to escape.
"Dad, come on!" Arthur shouted, gripping Excalibur.
He grimaced, tightening his hold. "I thought you killed this thing."
"I thought I did!"
Gil cast him a glare; he might as well have said he was adopted, because his thinking is too flawed.
"Well, it doesn't look DEAD to me."
"So dID the pet cow—"
Another chain SNAPPED.
Gil winced. "Get closer to the portal. Don't worry about me."
Arthur didn't move.
"I'm not leaving you here, Dad!"
He growled, annoying. "Would you stop being so dramatic and get the hell out of here?!"
"You're insane!"
"I'm a father, I'm allowed to be insane !"
SNAP. Another frayed.
Arthur hesitated—for one split second.
Then, he turned and sprinted toward the portal.
Gilgamesh's arms strained, his power fading as the Megalodon twisted against its bindings.
Arthur grabbed the chains.
His head snapped toward him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE?!"
Arthur set his jaw. "Being a disobedient son!"
Gil said, "And you wonder where Elizabeth gets it from!"
Together, they pulled.
With every ounce of strength in their bodies, they hauled the beast downward, its weight becoming its undoing.
The last chain latched onto the seafloor, pinning the beast.
The beast shrieked, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through the water—
Arthur turned to his Father.
"RUN!"
They sprinted.
Gil grabbed Arthur's arm as they lunged toward the portal.
And then—They broke through.
Soaked.
Gasping for air.
Collapsing onto the ship deck.
And Then There Was Silence.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, Elizabeth clapped.
"That was amazing !"
Gil grumbled, "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Arthur groaned, rolling onto his back. "Yeah, me too."
The crew cheered, the ship roaring with victory.
Rhyssand, arms crossed, smirked. "So. Did you have a fun father-son bonding time ?"
Arthur groaned once more. "Oh, yeah, sure —we had a great time, we should do this again someday "
Gilgamesh, horrified, shouted, "Like hell we will !"
Rhyssand still smirked and turned to Arthur.
"Did you at least get the sword?"
Arthur lifted the sword lazily.
A familiar golden chain suddenly wrapped around his wrist—before disappearing with dust.
Gil, smirking slightly, raised a brow. " Now that is how you kill a fish, Son."
Arthur let out a breathless laugh. "You were waiting for the right moment to say that ."
Gil stood over him, still perfectly composed, arms crossed.
"Stop lying around," he said flatly. "We're wasting time."
Arthur, drenched, sore, and completely exhausted, glared at his father.
"Would it kill you to say good job?"
Gil raised a brow.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
Gil sighed dramatically.
" Good job."
Arthur beamed.
She just got his eyes, my ass.