CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
LANCELOT AND CALLIOPE ( ii. )
( TRIGGER WARNING: there is a scene of attempted sexual assault in this chapter. i will mark the beginning and end of the scene**** for anyone who wishes to skip it. also trigger warning for some gruesome violence and gore. this is where the mature rating starts for real so buckle your seatbelts friends.

Calliope is forced to change into the clothes thrown inside her cell. Her anger is like a simmering pot as several men stand outside with sly grins, awaiting the show. She has no where to hide, so the assassin faces the group of bandits, her gaze drilling into each of them with a fierceness that causes a few to look away as she pulls her shirt over her head, but she is not given one shred of decency from those tasked with guarding her. She feels exposed and vulnerable like this, but she does not let herself feel afraid.

It's hard to even call the garments she's wearing clothes. The red shirt covers her breasts in a crisscross pattern and then ties below her belly button, almost exposing her fully. The matching skirt has two long slits on both of her thighs, and she is given no shoes. Her bare feet pad against the stone floor as she stands in front of the open door.

Kendrick steps forward, grabbing her arm roughly, "Hengist is looking forward to your presence tonight."

The assassin keeps her mouth closed, her darkened eyes sparking with the thirst for blood, and she almost sees Kendrick recoil, but he clears his throat and shoves her into the hallway.

Echoes of drunken laughter and voices reach her ears before she's even thrown into the dining hall, where a long table sits in front of a tall wooden cage. There's an opening covered by metal bars that leads below the earth, and Calliope is all to familiar with what lies beneath it.

Hengist sits at the head table, enjoying a feast with his men celebrating. indulging in the pleasures of wine and the women forced to sit on their laps. Calliope has a flashback to when she sat at that head table, dining with Hengist and getting him so drunk, he wouldn't awake to her breaking into his vault.

The blonde is stopped in front of the table where Hengist looks down at her, his lips turning up into a wicked smile, "Well, don't you clean up nicely?" He turns to his men. "Doesn't our guest look...nice?"

He is answered with whoops and cheers and the disgusting gazes of all the bandits focus shifting to Calliope.

Calliope clenches her fists so hard, her fingernails draw blood from her palms.

His eyes rake over her body in a way that makes bile rise to her throat, "Do you really have nothing to say?"

The blonde shakes her head, "My thoughts cannot be shared with words," blue eyes narrow, images of every way she could kill Hengist flashing through her mind, "only daggers."

Hengist nearly flinches, but he simply nods to the men holding her in place, "Throw her in the ring." His men cheer again, and Calliope finds herself in the cage. The bandits shift so they can get a front row view of the chaos about to unfold. "Let's see how good this little bitch actually is!"

Her opponent enters the ring wielding two metal swords. He's tall and burly, and filled with an eagerness that Calliope can easily take advantage of.

She looks around noticing there are no weapons for her, and she knows this is intentional.

"The rules are simple. Kill him and live another day," Calliope turns to look at Hengist as he laughs. "Lose, and I'll let the wilddeoren eat you alive."

Calliope inhales a sharp breath as the men around her rattle the cage and cheer for her demise. Her opponent grips his swords, extending one to motion the blonde closer.

She steps across the ring, raising her fists, and then he takes his first swing. Calliope hears the ring of metal as she dodges his forceful attacks. She maneuvers around him, her steps agile and quick as one wrong move could end with a blade puncturing her skin, but each swing from him is only met with air.

The assassin manages a punch to his nose that sends him stumbling, eyes watering. Blood drips from his crooked nostril, which only angers him more. The edge of Calliope's lip twitches as he yells and lunges himself at her with all his strength.

She ducks, using all his momentum against him as she shifts her weight and flips him over, his back colliding against the ground with a painful thud. His swords clatter on the floor, giving Calliope just enough time to wrap her palm around the handle of one while he scrambles to grab the other.

They face each other, rumbling of mixing voices drowning out the man's heavy breathing.

Calliope strikes first this time, each step she takes forcing the man to retreat to the wall. He struggles to block her coordinated attacks, and Calliope kicks him in the stomach, racing to him before he can recover, and twists his right arm before bringing her elbow down onto it. The echo of his bone snapping causes gasps to go through the crowd

Her opponent screams, dropping the second sword. His arm hangs limp, and Calliope locks her eyes onto Hengist, as if to say, 'you're next' as she drops her own sword.

She grabs the man's neck between her hands and gives it a painful, sudden twist. His body thuds against the floor, and all the cheering goes silent as the men around the cage stare with hanging jaws at the bone that protrudes out of the man's throat, his eyes frozen and wide.

Even Hengist himself appears to be slightly startled as Calliope walks to the gate. Several men grab her and clasp chains around her wrists while a few others go inside the cage to drag her opponent's body out. Calliope only stares at the wall, her lips closed in a hard line—the echo of her kill still haunting faces of men that step out of her path, praying to the heavens that their leader will not be throwing them into the arena to face her wrath next.

"You've earned yourself another day," Hengist says to the blonde, "but your night's not over."

He nods to Kendrick, who approaches the assassin with two other men behind him. Calliope's stomach twists in knots as she wonders what will happen to her next. Another fight? Torture?

"Where are you taking me?" She asks in an angered voice as they wind through the hallways.

*****

Kendrick doesn't answer. He and his men continue forcing her to walk with them until they come to a door at the end of the hall. Calliope is pushed inside, and before she can process what's happening to her, she is forced to the ground, and the chains around her wrists are fastened to a rise in the floor. She thrashes and kicks as panic and true fear seeps into her brain when the realization of their intentions hits her.

She shakes her head as Kendrick leans over her. Calliope brings her knee up, contacting his groin, and he cries out, slapping her across the face.

"Come hold this bitch down!" He orders the other men.

"No!" Calliope screams as she feels their hold on her feet.

Kendrick smiles evilly as he rips her shirt, fully exposing her chest. Calliope feels tears welling in her eyes as she continues fighting and screaming against all of them.

Her skirt is heaved up her thighs as Kendrick reaches into his pants. Calliope looks to the ceiling, her entire body frozen with fear and dread and the shock that this is even happening to her. She doesn't know what to do except try to shut everything out as she squeezes her eyes shut, tears rolling onto the ground.

And just before the bandit can force himself on her, an unexpected voice rises from the hallway, "Hey! Get off her!"

*****

Lancelot. How is he even here? Calliope watches as he shoves Hengist's men off her, and Kendrick stands to face him.

"This doesn't concern you."

"I think it does," Lancelot answers, facing him. "Now, get away from her before I make you."

The two men with Kendrick are afraid of the dark-haired man, not willing to fight through him to get to her, and Calliope furrows her eyebrows.

Kendrick looks him up and down before glancing back down at the blonde, "Take her back to her cell."

Calliope's body is still paralyzed as she hears her chains being unlocked from the rise in the floor. Lancelot leans down, taking off his brown jacket and letting it fall around her shoulders. The blonde gives him a small nod of thanks, and is led out of the room with her old friend watching until she is out of his line of sight.

♛ ♛ ♛

Prince Arthur washes his face in a nearby creek, wiping away the stinking berries that protected him and Merlin from the flesh eating wilddeoren in the Caves of Andor.

They traveled with little rest, which caused Merlin to fall off his horse a few times along the way, but they were close to Hengist's fortress, and he feels more determined than ever to pick up their pace. Even if he tries to sleep, Arthur will be kept awake by thoughts of her, wondering if she's okay or has been harmed. He can't rest until she's safe again.

Arthur glances over at Merlin as leans over the creek, "The gaja berries worked then."

Merlin freezes, blinking several times, "You didn't know if they worked?"

"Not for sure."

The Prince stands, Merlin scoffing in disbelief, "Now you tell me? 'Oh, what's that wilddeoren eating? It's alright, it's just Merlin!'" A small laugh escapes his lips as Merlin shakes his head. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have risked your life like that."

"Well..." Merlin gets a sly look in his eyes. "They do say love makes you do strange things."

"What are you talking about?"

With a knowing stare, Merlin quirks his eyebrows at the Prince, "Why can't you just admit your feelings for Cal?" Arthur feels as if Merlin has just punched him in the gut as he lets out a laugh of disbelief and turns away. "It's so obvious. A blind man could see it. Is it really that hard to admit you like her? Just say it."

Fed up with Merlin's attempts to figure everything out between him and Calliope, Arthur turns back to his servant, "I can't!" he exclaims. "How can I admit that...I think about her all the time? Or that I care about her more than anyone? How can I admit that I don't know what I'll do if any harms comes to her?" He can feel his heart clenching in his chest as the words continue to pour from his lips. "How can I admit that when I had to watch her sacrifice herself on that alter, I felt like I was the one who died?"

"Why can't you?"

"Because nothing can ever happen between us!"

"But, you guys have...kissed—"

Arthur scoffs, "Well, nothing can ever come of it, and to admit my feelings knowing that—it just hurts too much."

Merlin furrows his eyebrows, "Whose to say nothing can happen?"

"My father won't let me rescue a guard, do you honestly believe he'd let me marry one?" The words slip out before he can think them over—not even realizing the depth of what they mean until they're exposed.

"You want to marry Cal?!"

"No—no—I don't know!" Arthur sighs, and Merlin puts up his hands in surrender as the Prince looks back to the creek. "It's all talk, and that's all it can ever be."

Merlin refuses to believe that, "When you're King, you can change that."

"I can't expect Calliope to wait for me. I mean, even though most men in Camelot are afraid of her, I know there's several that have expressed intentions of courting her."

"And how do you think Cal will respond to that?"

A grin lifts his lips, "Honestly, she might try to kill them."

"I know she's complicated and closed off and sometimes extremely scary, but I'm certain she wouldn't want anyone else," Merlin says in a genuine tone. "She cares for you very deeply."

A thought passes through the Prince's mind, causing him to look to the ground, "We don't even know if she's still alive."

"Come on, this is Cal we're talking about. Our resident badass secret assassin," Merlin answers. "She's a survivor. I know she's still alive."

Merlin's right, Calliope always finds a way to survive, "Let's go. We have a long trek ahead." But Arthur stops in his tracks to say one last thing to the servant. "Oh, and Merlin, if you dare tell anyone about this, I promise I will make your life a living hell."

"You mean more than you already do?"

Arthur nods, "Yeah."

The Prince begins the rest of their trek, "We could talk about your feelings while you walk."

"Shut up, Merlin."

♛ ♛ ♛

Calliope can't sleep.

Every time she closes her eyes, she sees Kendrick over her and feels his hands on her body. She feels like she might throw up what little contents remain in her stomach. She hasn't eaten since she was captured, but she's never felt so nauseous.

She wants to find a rag and try to scrub away the memory of Kendrick until her skin is left broken and raw. Calliope hasn't felt that helpless since the night her village was raided, and it brings back feelings she thought she had buried. Her rage is building and building, and the second she gets the chance, every person in this entire fortress will be faced with it's consequences. She's been putting together a loose escape plan, which basically consists of killing everyone in her path until she's free, but that might be hard with her dwindling strength.

When she hears footsteps approaching, Calliope's entire body tenses, thinking it may be Kendrick coming back to finish what he started, but then she hears a whispered voice echo through her cell.

"Cal?"

Her head lifts up to where Lancelot leans down by the small opening covered by small metal bars above her cot. She stands on it so she can be face-to-face with her friend.

"Lancelot, what are you doing here?" she asks. "Are you one of Hengist's men?"

"No, there are few opportunities for men like me, so I have been earning a living the only way I know—with a sword in my hand."

"I know the feeling," Calliope answers as his chocolate eyes scan over the bruises and cuts on her face.

"How did you end up here? Did you leave Camelot?"

Calliope shakes her head, "No, I was helping escort Morgana to her father's grave, and we were ambushed. I gave her and Gwen time to get away, but I was captured. I kind of have a history with Hengist. It's a long story." The mention of Gwen causes his eyes to grow heavy with emotions, "What happened to you, Lancelot? You used to have so much hope, and now you just seem...defeated."

"Well, I was wrong. The world is not like that."

The blonde scoffs, "Trust me, I know—more than most probably, but you shouldn't give up the goodness in you. If you keep going down this path, you may look back and find that it's gone forever."

Lancelot reaches his fingers through the small openings, meaning to only give Calliope a touch of comfort amidst the darkness, but his fingers linger over own as he speaks, "I've missed you, Cal."

"I missed you too," she replies with a small smile.

"I promise, I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"If you can get my cell unlocked, I can do the rest," Calliope answers, her voice growing sharp. "There's a few things I have to do before I leave."

Lancelot raises his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it," she answers, suddenly noticing their hands are still touching. Calliope glances down at them before pulling her arm back down to her side. "Just get the key and some actual fucking clothes for me, and I'll be ready."

Part of him knows very well what Calliope meant. The desperation for revenge is evident in her crystal eyes as she steps off the bed, pulling Lancelot's jacket tighter against herself.

"What will you do to them?" She hears him ask in a quiet voice.

Her eyes stay locked onto the door as she replies, "Make them beg for hell."

♛ ♛ ♛

It's late into the night when Calliope hears the lock in the door jingling. Her body is aching for rest and some food and water, but the only thing that will quench the awful feelings is the view of Hengist and his men's blood splattering the ground beneath her. She closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling several times to push away the weakness caused by her fatigue.

And when her blue orbs snap open, they are focused and dark.

She stands when Lancelot enters, throwing some loose pants and a shirt in her direction. Like a true gentlemen, he turns his back while she changes quickly, and then offers her a stolen sword. Calliope shakes her head.

"I have to find my weapons."

"But, Cal—"

She raises her hand to stop him, "Get yourself out of here, Lancelot. Trust me, you won't want to stick around for what's about to unfold."

His eyes are overcome with worry, and a desire to stop her from lunging herself into even more danger and the possibility of losing her chance at escape, but he knows his words would be useless.

Lancelot simply nods, stepping out her way, and before she can leave him, he grabs her arm, "Please be careful."

"I will be," she answers, "Now, get out of this place while you still can."

Confusion filters across her face as Lancelot lets go of her arm, and brings the back of her hand to his lips, "Good luck, Cal."

But what puzzles her the most is the slight flutter of her heart.

"You too," she says before pulling her hand away from him and heading down the dimly lit hallway.

All of her thoughts stray from Lancelot as she turns a corner and finds two bandits standing watch.

Both gasp with startled breaths, and Calliope offers them a mocking wave as they draw their blades, their own deaths already flashing before their eyes.

She makes quick work of them, disarming their blades and slicing through their chests in seconds—before they can even make a sound of alarm. Calliope searches through one of the unmoving bodies until her hand closes around a small dagger. This will work until she finds her own weapons.

Calliope moves like a cat through the shadows, her steps silent and soft. She stops when she hears someone coming down the other end of the hallway. Calliope presses her back against the wall, holding the dagger close to her chest until the unsuspecting guard comes into her field of vision. She jumps out, placing one hand over his mouth while the other punctures the side of his neck. The life drains out of him, and she pulls his body out of the main hallway.

She only runs into two more guards on her way to Hengist's quarters, and when she arrives at his door, her blade is already dripping with blood. Calliope doesn't bother keeping up her act of stealth as she brings her foot back and kicks the door open with as much force as she can muster. The door falls halfway off the hinges, and a light scream comes from inside the room.

The assassin is not met with Hengist, but instead, Kendrick sits on the edge of the bed with a half-naked woman standing beside him, looking absolutely terrified.

Calliope glances at her, "Get out of here."

The girl nods and sprints out of the room, leaving the blonde alone with Kendrick.

He doesn't move. He just looks her up and down with an evil smile, "Here for round two, blondie?"

"Shut your fucking mouth," Calliope spits, her grip on the dagger so tight that she could almost break the handle.

Kendrick stands, walking to the center of the room where a circular table with a goblet of wine sits. He takes down a big gulp, "I promise you'd like it. Come on, don't be such a prude—"

His scream echoes through the air as Calliope marches up to him and shoves her dagger into the hand he has resting on the table. It goes all the way through his flesh and bone and into the wood.

"I said, shut your fucking mouth."

His eyes are wide as he realizes there is no escaping her, "What are you going to do to me?"

It's Calliope turn to smile as she leans over him, glancing to the corner of the room where her weapons lay, her sword leaning against the wall "Nothing you don't deserve."

Her footsteps echo around them as she grabs the sheath, steel ringing as she pulls out her sword. Kendrick tries to pull the knife out of his hand, struggling to find some kind of escape from his fate, but his efforts are futile.

Once Calliope has her weapons secured, she twiddles her dagger between her fingers, eyes locking with Kendrick's.

"Please don't kill me."

She cocks her head, "You're not so brave now, are you? No, you're nothing more than a disgusting coward," she sneers at him, bringing the dagger in her grip down into his other hand, nailing him to the table completely. "How many girls have you touched without their consent?" He remains whimpering in pain, and Calliope twists the knife harder. "Answer me!"

"I don't know!" He exclaims. "I've...lost count."

Calliope nods, "You truly are the scum of this earth."

"No—no, please, please, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promise!"

Calliope holds her sword to his neck, "Your promises mean nothing to me."

His eyes widen as she raises her blade, "No—!"

Her blade enters the top of his chest, right below his neck, and she begins pulling and pulling it down while he can only gasp and feel himself being cut open. She doesn't stop until she gets to his naval, and finally, she yanks her sword back, his insides falling out and colliding with the floor with a disgusting splat.

Calliope stares at the gruesome scene, a tear cascading down her cheek as her arms and torso are painted with blood. The tears are not for Kendrick, but for herself—for what he did to her. For taking away what little peace she finally had begun to feel.

For once again, awakening the monster within her.

She turns her head when she hears commotion in the hallway. Calliope peaks her head out, her breath hitching when she sees Lancelot being dragged into the dining hall, bloodied and beaten.

Calliope sets her weapons in place as she follows at a fair distance behind them, slipping through the door before it closes and slinking in the shadows.

"Where is she?!" Hengist yells angrily as he flips the table over, surrounded by his men. "You helped her escape? Are you a fucking idiot? Do you know what she's capable of?!"

"Very well," Lancelot answers. "And I will gladly give my life knowing she's safe."

Hengist nods, "Throw him to the wilddeoren!"

The assassin brings her elbow back, the man leading Lancelot to the fighting ring completely unaware when she lets her dagger fly. It soars through the air for a moment, and then lodges into his skull.

Everyone in the room jumps, and the men close to Calliope who have noticed her presence simply step out of her way, creating a clear path right to Hengist.

The girl he faces sends a shudder through his entire being that he cannot hide. Her skin is splattered with blood that is not her own, some of it dripping from her fingertips and onto the floor. She looks like something that has risen from the depths of hell with her eternal fury pointed at one singular person. And her eyes...her eyes are flaming with a war cry so brutal Hengist has to clear his throat and look away.

"This is just foolish," he says, trying to build up his false authority, "You'll never fight through all of my men."

"No, I could," Calliope answers from across the split sea of bandits, her eyes flickering to where Lancelot stands by the entrance of the arena. "but I will not kill anyone else if you let me and my friend walk out of here right now."

Hengist's laughter echoes through the room, "And why the fuck would I let that happen?"

She takes a strong step, "Because if I do cut through all these men to get to you, I'm going to butcher you like the fat pig you are."

Calliope sees the flinch of a man to her right. Before he can even unsheathe his sword, her dagger slices through his throat in a clean line that sends him stumbling and choking on his own blood.

Another dares an attempt at the assassin, swinging his axe near her head. She dodges his attack, dragging her blade against his side, and delivering the painful, killing blow as she stands and plunges the sword deep into the soft flesh between his neck and shoulder.

His cry of agony rocks the room as crimson pools beneath him. Calliope turns, her dagger in her other hand, plunging it into a man's chest who got too eager with his weapon.

When a pair of bandits try their hand, she dodges an attack near her stomach, grabbing the man's arm and plunging his sword into the other man's abdomen before snapping the first one's neck. More men begin to descend on her, but Lancelot disarms a bandit to his left and joins in on the fight, back-to-back with the assassin as bodies fall under her blade.

"Cal!" Her head snaps to the door, her jaw dropping.

"Merlin?"

"Look out!"

Calliope turns back to the fight, deflecting an attack from a one-eyed man before plunging her blade into his chest.

Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a head of blond hair pushing his way through the bandits, and Calliope's heart does backflips in her chest as his eyes meet hers. Arthur. He came for her.

"Lancelot," he says as he manages to get to them, "what are you doing here?"

"Saving Cal. What about you?"

"Same here."

Calliope rolls her eyes as she turns while stabbing a man through the stomach, "Lancelot, I literally saved you from being eaten by a rat just a few minutes ago."

"Is anyone else concerned by how casual Cal is while killing people?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Arthur answers as he ducks from a blade near his head.

The number of bandits around them has dwindled, and Merlin, as usual, has to get in one of his tricks. Calliope notices his gaze on the chandelier above Hengist, and it begins rattling before making a loud snap and falling fast from the ceiling.

Hengist yells and jumps out of the way, but another unfortunate bandit gets crushed underneath the heavy, spiked metal. The commotion causes the fighting to come to a sudden halt with the few remaining men breathing heavily.

Calliope turns to them, blade outstretched as their awaiting executioner, "Who else wishes to die for Hengist?"

Every man left in the room looks as if he has seen an image from his worst nightmare. The way she kills when she is out for revenge is simply terrifying as if some force from above is strengthening each flex of her muscles. It's almost inhuman the way she is able to plow through the bandits.

Not one man stands his ground. The sound of their weapons clattering against the ground infiltrates the room, and they step back.

"Cowards!" Hengist exclaims, picking up a fallen sword. "You're all fucking cowards! I'll kill all of you—"

Calliope's foot colliding with his throat causes Hengist to drop his sword and fall to the ground, gasping for air, "No one asked for your opinion."

"I'll...kill...you..." he says through strangled breaths.

The assassin leans down, her sword dangling above him, "I'm going to ask you a question, and if you do not answer me honestly, I'm going to nail you to the table and dissect you just like I did to Kendrick," Hengist gulps as she lowers her voice. "Where would I find a slaver called Drak?" The slaver who supposedly has her mother. If Hengist didn't know if him, he truly was a ghost.

"D-Drak?" Fear flickers through his eyes. "He's—he's not been heard from for over ten years."

Calliope's blade tickles the skin of his face, "Where. Is. He?"

"His last known location was..." Hengist takes a deep breath, "Mercia. Near Tillbrook."

The assassin nods, lowering her blade. Hendrick lets out a small breath of relief, but as Lancelot, Arthur and Merlin watch, she climbs the stairs and walks behind the table, sitting herself atop his self-proclaimed throne while he lays on the floor recovering.

Calliope crosses her legs, looking to his men, "Feed him to the wilddeoren."

"What?"

"This man is a known thief, smuggler, murderer, and rapist," Calliope says, looking down at the shaking man, "and these are all crimes he must pay for...severely."

"My men won't betray me," he says in a fearful voice.

The assassin smirks, "They already have."

Not wanting to defy the assassin, some of Hengist's men step forward to grab him, "No! No, I command you to let me go!" None of them listen as he is thrown into the cage. "Please, no! Have mercy!"

Arthur, Lancelot, and Merlin join Calliope by the table. She feels the Prince place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze—a small whisper of relief that she's safe.

"Maybe you should show mercy."

Calliope stares forward, "I have plenty of mercy," she says, "just not for men like him."

And she never looks away as the wilddeoren is released. Her stare is vacant of anything but pure venom as he is ripped limb from limb until all that is left is some blood and bones.

They leave after almost singlehandedly taking out Hengist's entire fortress, wiping a constant threat off the map without even planning on it, and they trek through the forest for a while before stopping for a short break.

Calliope lays by a crackling fire halfway back to Camelot. Now that she's escaped, her mind can finally process everything that happened to her over the past two days, and her thoughts always come back to one face. Kendrick's. Calliope squeezes her eyes shut. I killed him, I killed him, I killed him. He's dead.

The debilitating fear of what almost unfolded stays with her.

Her wrathful vengeance stays with her too. The way she ripped through everyone in her path, almost uncontrollably. Sometimes, the monster roaring within her is scary even to her. She doesn't feel regret though, or remorse. She can't be sure if that's good or bad, but what she does know is that the world is a better place without Hengist's fortress.

"Hey," Calliope hears a gentle voice across the fire.

She sits up, meeting Lancelot's eyes, "Hey," she answers with a small smile.

He rises to his feet and walks over to sit beside her. The dark-haired man inhales a sharp breath, "I think this is where I leave you."

"What?" Calliope asks. "You're not coming back to Camelot with us?"

Shaking his head, he shoots a quick glance to Arthur, who lies sleeping across from them, "I must go on a journey to find myself—to prove that I can truly be a good man and warrior."

"You've already proven that."

"Not to myself," he says, gazing over at the assassin in the soft firelight. "Not to you."

Her eyes lock with his, "Lancelot—"

"I will see you again, Cal, I know it," he says. "And you have many people that care for you in Camelot...including the Prince," Calliope scoffs, looking away from him. "Do you honestly think he'd disobey his father's orders and come on a dangerous rescue mission with only Merlin for just anyone?" Her eyebrows furrow slightly, and Lancelot places a hand on her arm. "I wish you well. Both of you."

And after a long embrace, Lancelot grabs his pack and sword and disappears into the night.

♛ ♛ ♛

Everyone is relieved to see Calliope back in Camelot. She spends a long time talking with Morgana, who is a mess over the assassin having to go through so much pain to save her from the bandits, but feels better knowing her friend is safe and sound.

Calliope eats dinner with Merlin and Gaius, mostly because she missed them, but also because she doesn't really want to be alone either. When she's alone, the thoughts return, and she isn't sure exactly how to deal with them anymore. Before, it was thoughts of her parents or the men she killed to avenge them, but now, she just sees Kendrick's eyes over her as he tries to defile her. Her stomach feels unsettled every single time his face appears in her mind. Another ghost, following her every step.

As if she didn't have enough already.

When she finally does start walking towards her room, Calliope stops in the middle of the hallway. Thinking about trying to fall asleep while all her demons haunt her is not a peaceful idea, and her body needs rest. True rest.

Her feet start moving, and minutes later, she finds herself in front of Arthur's door.

She only has to knock a couple times before the door is pulled open. Calliope sucks in a breath. He's already shirtless and his hair is tousled like he has been lying in bed for a while.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

He shakes his head, stepping aside so she can come into the room, "I can't sleep."

"Me either." The sound of his door shutting causes her heartrate to pick up as she turns to him, "Thanks for coming after me by the way. I'm sure your father wasn't a fan of the idea."

The Prince shrugs, "Nothing would have stopped me, even him." His words cause a stirring in her chest, and she smiles lightly, "Although, it didn't appear you needed much saving."

Not from the bandits trying to kill her at least.

The memory of Kendrick threatens to surface again, and the Prince notices how her expression darkens and recoils. Arthur steps forward, "Calliope, what else happened to you in there?" She feels a lump in her throat that prevents her from speaking, tears welling in her eyes.

"I—I can't," she says through rising sobs. "I'm sorry—I..." she can't control the tears that start rolling down her cheeks and the sob that breaks through her defenses.

Arthur doesn't ask for an explanation. He simply crosses the room and envelops her into his strong arms.

And then, she falls apart completely.

He strokes her hair and lets her cry into his chest, whispering that everything will be okay. That he's here for her, no matter what. She's never had this before—someone to crumple into and lean on for support in her darker and more vulnerable moments. For so long, she only had herself, and that's what led her to the edge; to giving into the darkness instead.

Eventually, they make it to his bed where she lies her head on his chest, his hand in her blonde locks. As the night rages, the Prince wraps her into his arms.

And he doesn't let go.

♛ ♛ ♛

okay, wow, that was a long chapter lmao. i know i changed ALOT, but the way the episode went just did not fit well with cal's character, and through this we finally got a lead on HER MOTHER YAY.
also, we have some chapters coming up where calliope and arthur go on a solo adventure to find her mother, and she might end up actually needing to be saved so that's what it wasn't just like a major arthur heroic moment because i didn't want it to be repetitive.
and, let me know in the comments, do you prefer peaceful cal or chaotic vengeful cal? also what do you think cal's star sign and hogwarts house are?

remember to vote and leave thoughts in the comments :)