In a sense, Godwyn truly was the greatest winner in the Lands Between.
Because throughout the entire affair, the only real risk he ever had to take was whether he could become one of the first demigods to die simultaneously with Ranni.
Once Arthur's reasoning reached this point, his original hypothesis no longer mattered.
Whether Godwyn had known about the Night of the Black Knives or not, he was unquestionably its greatest beneficiary. Marika had already arranged everything—her plans interlocking perfectly, one step leading seamlessly into the next.
First came the Night of the Black Knives.
Godwyn and Ranni became the first demigods to die, yet through a kind of "bug abuse," both survived in different ways.
Ranni survived as a soul.
Godwyn survived as a body.
Some believed that Ranni herself was the mastermind behind the conspiracy, seeking to abandon her Empyrean body and escape the control of the Two Fingers.
But as Ranni's consort, Arthur knew very well—
She was absolutely not the true mastermind.
After the Night of the Black Knives, Marika shattered the Elden Ring, imprisoning both herself and Radagon within the Erdtree. She then forced her children—those who had not participated in the conspiracy—to take part in the Shattering War, granting them a chance to become either king or god.
(Radagon was Marika, so in a sense, even the so-called "outer lineage" were still her children.)
Unfortunately, none of those children satisfied her.
Recall that during the Night of the Black Knives, Rykard accepted the Blasphemous Claw from Ranni under the guise of a "gift of thanks."
That claw could repel Maliketh's Black Blade power—it was Rykard's trump card for challenging Maliketh in the future.
And challenging Maliketh was precisely the task Marika had assigned to Rykard, with the goal of releasing Destined Death.
Ideally, if the Rune of Death could be released during the Shattering War, everything would have proceeded perfectly.
But Rykard's will was corrupted by the God-Devouring Serpent, turning him into a grotesque creature ruled by gluttony.
That path came to a dead end.
In truth, Marika had already designated the victor of the Shattering War—
Miquella.
Among all her children, Miquella was the only one who openly rejected the laws of Golden Order Fundamentalism and instead established his own doctrine: "Unalloyed Gold."
But Marika's calculations were ruined by her unfilial third son—
Mohg, a devotee of the Outer God known as the Formless Mother.
Mohg tore Miquella from the Haligtree's cocoon. A chain of consequences followed, stripping Miquella of any chance to compete for godhood.
Thus, the Shattering War ended with no true victor.
When that failed, Marika activated her second contingency.
She recalled the Tarnished—those once exiled from the Lands Between—including her first husband, Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.
It was obvious.
Godfrey was her chosen successor this time.
There was a crucial detail here.
Melina was revived during this period.
And it was at this exact moment that she encountered Arthur, newly arrived in the Lands Between.
Her resurrection served two purposes.
First, to act as the kindling needed to burn away the Erdtree's thorns that rejected all entrants.
Second, to prevent the Frenzied Flame ending.
Poor Melina.
A pure, unfiltered tool.
If even among the Tarnished no one managed to become the new Elden Lord, and the Lands Between remained mired in chaos, Marika still had another trump card.
That trump card was none other than Godwyn, the Prince of Death.
Even without a new Elden Lord, Godwyn's power of death would continue spreading throughout the Lands Between. Those Who Live in Death would be born endlessly.
No matter how things turned out, he would eventually become either the god or king who governed death itself.
Godwyn was, without question, the ultimate "lying-flat winner" of the Lands Between.
However—
The fortunate Prince of Death was about to meet an unfortunate variable today.
A special Tarnished.
His name was Arthur.
...
Deeproot Depths.
Arthur snapped out of his deep contemplation and remembered why he had come here in the first place.
Stepping over countless black thorns symbolic of death, he arrived at the base of the Erdtree's main root—standing before the Prince of Death.
Fia, the Deathbed Companion, sat quietly before Godwyn.
Compared to Ranni's cold, lethal composure after hunting the Two Fingers, Fia appeared far more fragile and gentle.
The moment she saw Arthur, her brows knitted together. She summoned the spirits of heroes who had once received her blessing.
Though she had cooperated with Arthur before, she could not be certain whether he was now friend or foe.
And her mission was nearing completion—she could not afford to take risks.
Unfortunately for her, those heroes were no match for Arthur.
Arthur drew the Prince of Death's Staff, now reinforced to its maximum.
A few casts of vengeful spirit–summoning sorcery were enough to wipe them out.
Watching Arthur walk toward her step by step, Fia spoke softly:
"So… you really have come. I expected as much. Then tell me—what do you intend to do? Will you deny us, like those crude Golden Order fundamentalists? If so… please, go ahead and strike."
Her voice was filled with weakness, helplessness, and sorrow—
Yet also completely fearless.
She had already found her purpose.
To become the Prince of Death's bedfellow once more, and fulfill the duty of a Deathbed Companion.
For that, even death itself held no terror.
Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Hey. Didn't we cooperate before? I should be the one asking—why did you suddenly attack me?"
"I'm sorry," Fia said softly. "I could not be certain whether you would become my enemy. Acting first was… my own decision. I truly apologize."
Then she asked, "So—why have you come here?"
"I came to give you something."
As Arthur spoke, he took out Ranni's half of the Cursemark of Death.
"Ah…! That is Godwyn's mark. I obtained one half at the Roundtable Hold—I never expected the other half to be in your hands. Please… please give it to me!"
Fia looked at Arthur with eyes full of hope.
Arthur was slightly surprised. He'd assumed the other half would be on Godwyn's body.
Had Rogier been the one to find it?
His thoughts drifted, but his hands did not stop.
He passed the Cursemark to Fia.
She received it reverently, gratitude overflowing.
"Thank you! With this, Godwyn can become a true First Dead—pure and complete. I will surely restore noble life to him."
She continued:
"You are my—no… our hero. What I can offer is limited, but even if only for a moment… please, allow me to embrace you."
This time, Arthur did not refuse.
He knelt down, allowing Fia's slender arms to wrap around his head.
She pressed his head against her chest.
The warmth, the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, the steady heartbeat—
Arthur's mind quieted.
For a long while, he thought of nothing at all.
He simply basked in that fleeting peace.
After some time, Fia maintained the embrace and drew forth a final blessing from within herself.
It took the form of a softly glowing bedchamber within a hidden sanctuary.
This blessing was different from the one she had given Arthur before—it radiated warmth.
Arthur knew its name.
Radiant Baldachin's Blessing.
It was something a Deathbed Companion could bestow only once in her lifetime—the sole thing she could decide for herself.
At all other times, a Deathbed Companion existed merely as a tool to revive great beings.
"This is the only thing I can give you. Please—accept it," Fia said.
Arthur took the blessing.
Seeing this, Fia continued:
"I will soon lie with Godwyn. I will repair the Cursemark, making him a pure First Dead—not the soulless demigod he is now.
...…
Everything will be worth it. Everything will bear fruit.
The Golden Prince, First Dead of the demigods—he will regain life.
And the Rune that exists for Those Who Live in Death will be born.
I wish to ask you—could you present my child, that Rune, as king? As Elden Lord, who permits Those Who Live in Death to exist… as our lord?"
Her words were cryptic, but Arthur understood.
Fia wanted him to use Godwyn's restored Rune to mend the Elden Ring—making death a legitimate part of the Golden Law.
So that Those Who Live in Death could step out of the shadows and become lawful inhabitants of the Lands Between.
Arthur thought for a moment.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
This was the last wish of the girl before him.
Even if it proved impossible, it was not something he could reject.
He had never intended to save Fia's life—despite knowing full well that reviving a great being meant the death of a Deathbed Companion.
The reason lay in her next words.
Feeling Arthur's assent, Fia spoke again:
"My deepest thanks. Truly… I am content.
Because I am not being forced to lie with a corpse—but choosing, of my own will, to lie with Godwyn… and bear a child.
I believe that child will inherit your warmth.
To be born a Deathbed Companion—what happiness could surpass this?"
Though it sounded, at first glance, almost like Arthur had been NTR'd—
In truth, the "child" she spoke of was Godwyn's restored Rune.
Fia chose this path willingly.
To deny her would be to deny the meaning of her existence.
She appeared fragile, yet her resolve surpassed even Melina's.
Because unlike Melina, Fia was rich in emotion.
And like Melina, she would never allow anyone to deny the purpose of her existence.
For that purpose—
She had even stained her hands with blood.
Including the life of D, Hunter of the Dead.
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