For once, the winds were in their favor.
The sails stretched taut as they charted their course home.
Arthur stood at the helm, Excalibur strapped to his back, his grip firm on the wheel.
The journey was finally over.
But peace was a fleeting thing.
As the sky darkened.
The once-clear waters rippled with an unnatural force, the winds howling, the air buzzing with danger.
Then, the ocean itself split apart.
From the depths, a colossal figure rose, clad in deep-sea armor, eyes like the abyss, his trident sparking with untamed magic.
The King of the Atlanteans.
His voice boomed, rattling the very ship beneath their feet.
"My daughter is dead because of you, Arthur Pendragon!"
Arthur barely had time to react before Rhyssand, utterly unimpressed, blurted out—
"The shark?"
Silence.
Even the storm hesitated.
Arthur stared at him. Gilgamesh snorted.
The Atlantean King's face twisted with rage. "You MOCK ME?" His voice boomed, rattling the very ship beneath their feet.
Arthur didn't flinch.
Eugene, however, let out an exasperated groan.
"What did you DO to the sea for it to hate you so much, Arthur?!"
"I just danced on it—"
"YOU WHAT?"
Arthur ignored him.
His eyes locked onto the King of the Seas, but before he could speak—
The Atlantean king's gaze shifted. To Gilgamesh.
A King of the Sea versus a King of the Land.
Two ancient powers.
Two immovable wills.
Gil, unimpressed, simply tilted his head.
"My condolences for your daughter." His tone was almost mocking. "I happen to have three myself."
Arthur's head snapped toward him.
"Three?!" Eugene echoed.
Gil didn't even look at them.
His gaze never wavered from the Atlantean king as he took a single step forward.
"And I have not forgotten the treason against my wife."
The wind and waves were stilling around him. "For someone who hasn't done a damn thing in two wars, you've become quite active lately… kidnapping, threats, promises you have no right to make." Then, the air changed. Gil's eyes glowed red, and when he spoke again, his divine voice poured out—echoing with the authority of gods."You've gotten bold in my absence of tyranny.""From this moment forward, merfolk are forbidden to set foot beyond their territory."
"Break that command—and the price is death."
A King's Decree.
The air tensed. Even the sea seemed to hesitate, as if afraid to move.
Silence.
A silence so heavy it suffocated.
Gil exhaled. His voice was back to normal now.
"Am I making myself clear?"
The Atlantean king's trident sparked, his hands clenched into fists.
And then— A small voice cut through the tension.
"A Pendragon bows to no one!"
Arthur's heart stopped.
His daughter.
Elizabeth stood, tiny but fierce, beside Gilgamesh, her arms crossed defiantly.
She stared up at the Atlantean King as if he were nothing more than an inconvenience.
Her ginger curls glowed in the sunlight, her blue eyes burning with a righteous fury far too old for her age.
"Your head is too high for Grandpa."Then, she lifted her chin, looking at her grandfather.
Gil's smirk widened, pride gleaming in his gaze.
"You are correct, Elizabeth."
His eyes burned red. One more "Kneel."
The command struck like a bolt of lightning.
The King of the Seas shuddered.
His jaw clenched, his body trembled under the sheer weight of the order.
Arthur, Rhyssand, and Eugene stood ready to fight, but they didn't need to.
The Atlantean King. Bowed. On his sea.
The ocean swirled angrily, rejecting his submission, but it was done.
Gil's smirk vanished. He was dead serious now and painfully bored.
"Leave." His voice was a blade. "Before I change my mind."
The King of the Seas clenched his jaw. Then dated back to Arthur.
"…The ocean will never forgive you, Pendragon," he muttered.
Arthur smirked. "Then I guess I won't be going for a swim anytime soon."
And with a final, seething glare, he vanished beneath the waves.
The ocean was calm again.
Elizabeth huffed, crossing her arms. "He was rude."
Arthur blinked.
Rhyssand let out a low whistle. " That was fun. She could give Artizea a run for her crown. "
Eugene replied, "Define fun."
Elizabeth turned to Gil.
"What did he do to grandma, anyway?"
He opened his mouth to speak—he had told this story a thousand times. But today…
He couldn't say it.
The words caught in his throat.
So instead, Arthur knelt beside her, his voice calm and reverent.
"Your grandmother—my mother—was once a great king. The greatest of kings."
He placed a hand on Excalibur, resting it across his lap.
"This was hers, long before it was mine. Then… bad things happened. And she swore never to raise it again."
Elizabeth furrowed her brows.
"But… I thought our name came from Grandpa?"
Arthur smiled.
"It's thanks to Grandpa that it lives on."
Elizabeth lit up. She turned to Gil, beamed, and said:
"Thanks, Grandpa!"
Then promptly ran off to chase Hope the chicken across the deck like the miniature whirlwind she was.
Rhyssand leaned on the railing next to Arthur, whistling.
"I gotta pack mine on a ship too someday. Maybe then they'd show some gratitude."
Gil crossed his arms with a scoff.
"That came from her mother's side of the family. I've yet to be appreciated."
He was almost sulking.
Arthur just grinned.
Rhyssand snorted.
Eugene shook his head. "I still don't understand how Arthur manages to piss off everything that lives."
And somewhere in the distance, a chicken screamed.
Arthur, restless and impatient, gripped the ship's railing, his mind racing.
"How fast can we get home?"
One of the crew members hesitated before answering. "A few days, Captain."
Arthur sighed. "Too long."
Before anyone could suggest an alternative, Rhyssand leaped into the air, his wings unfurling in full span.
He turned to Gilgamesh, smirking. "Gil, may I borrow some chains, please?"
Gil raised a brow but obliged, the golden chains shifting through the air toward Rhyssand's outstretched hand.
Arthur frowned. "What are you doing?"
Rhyssand didn't answer. Instead, he flew high above the water, scanning the surface like he was waiting for something.
And then—it came.
A shadow the size of a small island moved beneath the waves.
The ocean split open.
A massive megalodon breached the surface, its gargantuan mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth, roaring loud enough to shake the ship.
The crew screamed, gripping the railings for dear life.
"Is that thing immortal?" Gil said.
Arthur jumped back. "RHYS, ARE YOU INSANE?!"
But Rhyssand didn't move.
Instead, as the monstrous shark's maw opened wide, he reached out his hand—and touched its snout.
For a split second, everything went silent.
Then—it stopped.
The megalodon's eyes pulsed with celestial light. It growled—but not in rage.
In obedience.
Gilgamesh and Arthur's mouths fell open.
Rhyssand grinned. "Perfect."
And before the shock could fully settle in, he looped the golden chains around the beast's tail, securing it to the ship.
The moment he tugged the chain, the megalodon surged forward—and the ship shot through the water with incredible speed.
Arthur nearly fell over the railing from the force.
He looked down at the beast, now pulling them through the ocean at a speed faster than any wind or sail could ever dream of.
"…You've got to be kidding me. All the hell we went threw for nothing?"
" I didn't want to ruin your lovely father-son moment, Brother."
When he landed back on deck, Eugene stared at him in pure awe.
"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but—Rhys, you're awesome."
He flicked back his hair dramatically. "I do try."
Eugene, still watching the massive shark drag them across the ocean like an overgrown sled dog, muttered, "Is that what you did to Fin?"
He nodded. "Yep."
Eugene sighed, disappointed. "Can you teach me?"
"Nope."
Eugene groaned. "Why not?"
He shrugged, like he waited years to say one specific line.,
"It's a rimat thing, not a Pendragon thing."
Eugene pouted. "That's discrimination."
Gilgamesh, standing off to the side, watching all of this unfold with an unreadable expression, finally sighed heavily.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to need more wine."
Arthur gripped the wheel tightly, his heart pounding. The ship was flying across the ocean as if it had wings, the massive megalodon pulling them with unstoppable force.
The crew, who had been terrified minutes ago, were now whooping and cheering, hanging onto the ropes as the ship cut through the waves like a blade through silk.
Arthur, still holding onto the wheel, glanced at Rhyssand.
"You tamed a goddamn megalodon."
Rhyssand, leaning lazily against the mast, smirked. "It's a skill."
Eugene, struggling to hold onto the railing, yelled, "IT'S NOT A SKILL, IT'S A DAMN CHEAT CODE!"
Arthur turned to the crew and shouted over the roaring winds:
"EVERYONE, HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!"
The crew scrambled, grabbing whatever they could as the ship surged forward even faster.
The King of the Seas was moving at incomprehensible speed, the winds howling, the waves exploding in their wake.
At this rate—
They would be home in mere hours.
As the ship rocketed forward, the crew still trying to process what had just happened, a small burst of laughter caught Arthur's attention.
Elizabeth.
She was at the railing, gripping it with both hands, her blue eyes wide with pure delight.
"WHEEEE! This is amazing!"
She turned to Arthur, beaming. "I wish Mom were here to see this!"
Arthur felt his heart clench.
His smile softened as he walked over, gently placing a hand over hers on the railing.
"Me too, love. Me too."
Elizabeth leaned into his side, watching the endless sea rush past them, faster than she had ever seen.
Arthur pressed a kiss to her golden curls and whispered,
"We'll be home soon."
Hold on, Cece. We're coming.