Unfortunately, saving the world doesn't always mean a happily-ever-after ending.

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Alex sat in her bedroom in her parent's house. She looked around at all the bookshelves and their many books. She had worked so hard to grow that collection, and now she rarely even looked at it. She rarely even came into her old, er, new room at her parent's house. Heck, she rarely even came to her parent's house in general. But, she wanted to change that now.

After getting out of the curse the witches had put on her, Alex had been realizing how quickly things could change in her world. She realized that in an instant someone could make her do things she never intended to ever do. She had decided that she was going to try to make the most of life and do what she knew she needed and wanted to do before life was over.

So, here she was, at her parent's house, visiting for a weekend, making the most of life with her family.

"Conner, someone's at the door for you!" Alex heard her mom call from the living room downstairs.

"Coming!" Conner called back.

Alex descended the stairs in time to see Conner peck a kiss on Bree's lips. They had officially become a "thing" a few weeks ago, and Bree was back at their house for dinner for what seemed the millionth time. Thankfully, Bree's mood had lightened a little from when she used to be all tough and self-contained. Alex felt like she could actually talk to her and relate to her. She also felt like she kinda had to since she was her brother's girlfriend.

"Hey, Alex," Bree said as Conner put an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey Bree," Alex said, trying to contain her smile. She turned to her brother. "You know, I remember a boy who used to say that kissing was, what was the word... 'yucky'? Yes, that was the one."

"I hadn't met Bree yet," Conner answered, his cheeks barely rose-tinted. He had worked a lot on his blushing thing.

"You know I asked you not to be mushy," Bree said, feigning annoyance, turning her face up to his.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, his cheeks flushing more than before. Okay, maybe not so much on the blush thing.

"Do you want to play a board game or something?" Conner asked.

"Sure," Bree said and looked at Alex expectedly.

"Oh, um, have something to do in my room, I'll be down in a few moments," Alex said and started upstairs.

Once in her room, she let her smile slide. She wasn't always very happy when Bree came over. It had nothing to do with Bree, it actually had more to do with Conner. Or Bree, maybe? Probably both.

Ever since Alex had sent Arthur back to Camelot she had missed him more and more every day. Seeing Bree and Conner together was a painful reminder of what she had given up for Arthur to complete some stupid future. She had started regretting forcing him to go back to Camelot and finish his future. She knew why she had done it, and she knew it was the right thing, but whenever she really missed Arthur, like now, she would second guess herself. Why make him finish a future he didn't want?

Because it was his destiny. That was always the answer her mind came to. Stupid destiny.

Alex walked over to her classic shelf and picked up 'King Arthur'. She held it close to her chest and sighed a very dramatic sigh. She just felt like being dramatic. She just felt like being a hopeless romantic. She just felt like being a lovesick teenager.

But she also knew she was being a little too dramatic. Unfortunately, every day she didn't hear from Arthur, which had been two months and four days, she felt like a little part of her heart was being chipped away and falling into the bottom of her stomach in regret. Why hadn't she been a poet? Maybe now she understand more of the greatest villains of all time's issues.

But Alex knew she had to feel good about Conner and Bree being together. They were meant to be together. She had known that they were going to get together from the moment she saw them interact at thirteen. She had known it from the way Conner had talked about Bree. It was the first time he had ever seriously been interested in another person. Someone interesting enough for him to be interested in. She had known it from the way Bree looked at Conner. It was the only time she ever thought the girl could show a serious emotion other than fear.

She had known it all along and now she was being sad about her own love life while her favorite ship was finally together. She knew she should be happy for them, and she was, but it was still hard to watch while they threw loving looks at one another passingly as if they could stay that way together. Alex knew from personal experience that the person you loved wouldn't always be there to give loving glances.

Oh boy, did she ever know that.

-

"You need anything, sis?" Conner asked as Alex pushed open his door. It was 10:00 and Alex's head peeked around the doorframe into Conner's room.

"Just a talk," she answered, slinking around the doorframe and into Conner's room, shutting the door behind her. She crossed the room over to him and sat down at the foot of his bed.

"Uh oh," Conner said. "I know that look. We're about to have some serious conversation about something deep and important, right?"

"You know me too well," Alex said with a smile that quickly disappeared as her gaze shifted to her lap. "It's about Arthur,"

Conner's eyes sharpened and he looked more awake than before. "What he'd do? I swear if he did something to you-"

"No, no, nothing like that," Alex said calmingly, placing a hand on her brother's arm. "I just haven't heard from him, that's all,"

"But didn't you ask him not to contact you?"

"Yes! But I didn't think he'd actually listen! He normally finds a way to get around the rules, but now it feels like he's not even trying," Alex said, deflated.

"Normally?" Conner asked suspiciously. "Where are your standards? What kind of guy are you dating, or not dating for that matter?"

"I have very high standards, thank you very much," Alex said proudly. "Arthur is a very nice, kind, respectful guy. He just likes to find ways around things for his advantages, sometimes, in certain situations, sometimes,"

"Normally situations including you?"

Alex blushed.

"I see your point though, though I don't know too much about this guy," Conner said, leaning forward to adjust his legs to Indian-style. "Tell me about what happened in Camelot. How'd you meet? How'd you fall in love?" he asked the last question teasingly, making Alex lightly slap his arm.

"Well, Mother Goose and I landed in Camelot and I wanted to search the place to see where we were. As I walking I came upon Arthur and Merlin..." Alex told the major plot points of the story, leaving out exactly how they met and the part of them kissing all night. She was going to tell him that part, but after seeing his face after she relayed the part were she kissed Arthur, she decided not to mention it after all.

"You know, I thought I had a weird love story, but, heck, yours is worse!" Coner said after she was done. "But, I get why you like him... kind of,"

There was silence between them for a moment before Conner realized what was on Alex's mind.

"I'm sorry having Bree over makes you miss Arthur."

Alex looked shocked he had read her mind. She sighed. "You've been picking up Bree's detective skills. But, yeah, that's the reason I brought this up. It's not that I don't like Bree, she's awesome, but you guys being together is kinda hard for me."

"I get it. If I was around you and Arthur, even for dinner once a week, it would make me miss Bree. But that's only because I would be lonely as a third wheel. Pause. You don't feel like a third wheel, do you? Around me and Bree, I mean."

"Only sometimes. But not really when she comes over for dinner since mom and dad are here as well."

"That's good, I was worried there for a second!"

There was a comfortable silence between them for a little bit as Conner watched his sister play with her hair as she thought, almost oblivious to the fact Conner was there.

"Do you think you're going to marry her?" Alex's question caught Conner off guard.

"Bree?" Alex nodded. Conner blushed. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I think so. There's so much future in front of us first though, so I'm not really sure. But, if you want to get sappy, then I would give the world to have a future with Bree."

"You really are a sappy romantic, aren't you?" Alex asked, knowingly.

"You'll never know,"

"You're right, I can just ask Bree, she'll tell me,"

Conner's blush brightened.

"Why the original question, though?"

"I just wanted to know from a guy's standpoint if the girl you were dating was one you thought of a future with. Arthur really wanted to stay in The Land of Stories with me, but did that mean he wanted to marry me one day? Had he already thought of that? That far in the future?"

"I hope he had, or otherwise why stay in The Land of Stories? I really don't know, sis, I'm assuming he loves you so much that he, like me, would give the world to be with the one he loves. He was willing to give up his future to at least try, I think that's pretty darn good."

Alex smiled at her brother. No matter how much he looked like a tomato talking about love sometimes, he really was a sappy boy at heart. And she loved that about her brother.

"But, as much as I love deep conversations," Conner said, moving to turn his lamp on. "I have to get to bed, you don't want a grumpy brother tomorrow."

"You're right," Alex said as she laughed. She crossed over to the door and opened it. She turned back to her brother. "Thanks for the talk,"

"Get out of here, sappy," Conner said.

"Alright, mushy," Alex retorted and turned and closed the door behind her before he could fire back. She heard his muffled gasp through the door, though.

-

Alex laid in bed, starting to drift into sleep. She felt her body slipping away into subconsciousness and her brain numbing. Finally she was carried away to the land of happy dreams.

Or at least it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, she found herself in Camelot. That was never happy. She hadn't been here since, when was it, that's right when Arthur contacted her in a dream and she was under the curse. That had been so long ago, Alex had almost forgotten it had happened. Almost. She treasured her few good memories of Arthur in Camelot and replayed them in her mind often. Far too often probably.

But this didn't look like one of her memories. This was a newer looking Camelot. There were different plants and new saplings, it was recent. As Alex looked around, she saw a shadow in the trees.

"Hello?" she asked timidly. It was such a strange dream that she didn't know how to respond.

"Are you real?" came a voice that obviously wasn't the person's real voice.

"Am I real?" Alex repeated the question to herself. "Um, I'm from The Land of Stories, but this is my dream world. My name's Alex. Who are you?"

"Did you just fall asleep?" came the voice again.

"Um, yes. Why?" Alex grew more timid by every question.

"Then we'll have a lot of time to talk," came a very familiar voice. Arthur stepped out of the shadows.

Shock coursed through Alex's body. Neither had seen the other in two months, and four days and they took a moment to stare at each other.

"You've changed," Alex said in a small voice, still not sure this moment was even hers. Or if it was even happening. Arthur seemed taller than before. Maybe an inch or two taller.

"You too. You're more beautiful than before," Arthur said, not meaning to be sappy, the words just came to his lips. Alex had been in his mind over the past two months, and four days, but they were only memories of her. Her hair had gotten longer and wavier, her blue eyes were sharper, her presence more comforting than ever.

Alex blushed under his gaze and suddenly became aware of her short pajama shorts. Her top was modest, thank god.

"It's really you," she said softly as he walked towards her.

"In the flesh," he said as he stopped right before her. They were standing close to one another, and to Arthur's relief, Alex didn't back away. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him. He wasn't fully taken aback by the gesture, she had done that before. He was just still so surprised by her presence. He kissed her back and she put her arms over his shoulders and hugged him. He put his arms around her waist and hugged her back.

"I missed you so much, you won't believe it," Alex murmured into his shoulder, her head barely reaching it since his growth spurt. She pulled her head back, her arms still resting on his shoulders.

"I think I might just be able to," he said and pressed another kiss to her lips, his arms still clinging onto her waist, willing her to stay in his arms. "I missed you too," he whispered against her lips.

Alex closed her eyes and tried to memorize his scent.

"Boo," he said quietly, startling her from her resting state.

She took her arms off his shoulders and stepped away, his arms now resting at his sides.

"You scared me," she said, quieter than he had.

"You should've seen your face," he said, quieter than she.

There was a silence between them as they both remembered the first time they had said those words to each other. Alex grabbed Arthur's hand and led him to the middle of the clearing where she sat down on the soft grass. He sat down beside her and she rested her head against his shoulder, not being tall enough to put it on his shoulder.

"Why did you contact me?" she asked.

"I wanted to see you. I've been trying to reach you for weeks, but I just got to you now."

"I'm visiting my family in the Otherworld, your time is more similar to theirs. The Land of Stories' time is just about the opposite."

"So I won't be able to see you after you leave the Otherworld?" Arthur asked, already dreading the inevitable answer.

"Yes, so we should make the most of the time we have until I visit my family again."

"How long are you staying with them?"

"Five days,"

The silence that hung around them was filled with sadness of the upcoming deadline.

"Arthur?" Alex asked after a while.

"Yeah?"

"When you wanted to stay in The Land of Stories to be with me, had you thought about our future?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were going to give up this great future already planned out for you to spend it with me. Did you really want to spend the rest of your future with me?"

"I do want to spend the rest of my future with you, Alex Bailey,"

"Really?"

"Really."

As if to prove his point he leaned over and started kissing her. They lay kissing under the stars as they used to until morning.

-

~ edited 25/6/2022