Dearly beloved, we gather here today —"
Arthur stood before the gathered court of the sea, dressed in the traditional ceremonial groom's attire.
It could only be described as his funeral —a dead man walking.
Mandoriya, glowing with excitement, stood beside him in an extravagant gown, her train floating like delicate tendrils in the water.
"I told them I wanted to get married with legs," she whispered, leaning in toward him. "I thought it would make you happy."
He didn't even look at her. "It doesn't." His voice was flat, his gaze hollow.
The ceremony continued. But Arthur barely registered it.
His heart, his soul, everything that made him a man, that made him Arthur, had died the moment he lost her.
When it was time for vows, Mandoriya grinned and began with enthusiasm.
"I vow to love you until the sea runs dry—"
A shockwave rippled through the water. Small, but noticeable.
A guest muttered, "Probably the sperm whales at it again."
Another laughed. "I certainly hope this guy goes at it too."
Arthur stared ahead, stone-faced. Kill me now. It was the only thought in his mind. Actually… what was stopping him?
Maybe… a sliver of hope.
A flicker that maybe, just maybe, he'd see her again.
He had waited seven years before—seven years knowing where she was, watching from afar, never daring to reach for her.
And then, when he finally got her back…
She was taken from him again.
The King's booming voice pulled him back to reality.
"And you, Prince Arthur Pendragon ?" His voice dripped with mockery.
Arthur stared at him. Really?
He turned to Mandoriya, who beamed, awaiting his declaration of love.
Arthur's lips curled. Oh, she'll get a declaration, alright.
"I vow," he began.
She smiled brighter.
"To hate you."
Then vanished.
A gasp rippled through the court. But he continued.
"Until my last breath, I will hate you. You are a liar. And a scheming bitch. "
More gasps.
Mandoriya's eyes welled with tears, but to his shock, she laughed it off—turning to the audience.
"That's just human language!" she said, flustered. "They even eat chickens up there!"
Laughter filled the halls. But Arthur was dead serious.
The King nodded and raised a hand.
"Does the bride take the man?"
"I do," she chirped, eager.
Now, all eyes fell on Arthur.
The weight of the final vow hung in the water like a noose.
Arthur opened his mouth—
And another pulse of power shattered through the kingdom. Stronger this time. And then—BOOM.
A portal exploded open with a blinding golden light.
The entire court was blasted backward from the sheer force.
Mandoriya was flung to the ground. A pillar cracked overhead, breaking loose.
Arthur saw it—and despite every ounce of hatred in his body, he caught her before she was crushed.
She looked at him with desperate joy.
"I knew you loved me!"
Arthur dropped her like a sack of potatoes.
His attention snapped to the figures stepping through the portal
And his breath stopped.
Cesealia.
Excalibur glowed like a second sun in her grasp. She stood at the entrance, her boots planted firmly in the kingdom of the sea, a force of nature itself.
Arthur's lips parted. How?
She raised Excalibur, her hazel-green eyes burning with something he had never seen before.
War.
Cesealia's voice rang clear and undeniable—
"I will destroy everything here."
Mandoriya scrambled to her feet, shrieking.
"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance —"
Cesealia's gaze snapped to her, her grip tightening on Excalibur.
"Starting with you."
A blast of pure light ripped through the kingdom.
Mandoriya was blasted back, her form twisting violently as she crashed into the tides.
When she emerged, her true self was fully unleashed—
Her shimmering tail gleamed with raw energy, her power raging with the ocean itself.
She snarled, her magic twisting the waters into a storm.
Arthur barely had a moment to react before the waves raged toward Cesealia.
His hands glowed with his power— and light met water.
When two media that were never meant to touch each other, theyrefract.
Mandoriya's petrifying scream shook the kingdom.
He turned to Cesealia, his heart pounding. " Ce—What did you do? "
Cesealia smiled, " What I had to."
Arthur looked ahead.
The king was rising from the blast, his gaze landed on his daughter, and she wasn't breathing.
His eyes burned with vengeance. " You will pay for this with your blood, " his trident raised.
Behind them, the guards unsheathed their weapons as Arthur's crew charged forward.
Arthur and Cesealia fought in perfect sync, moving like twin flames through the battlefield of the ocean depths.
The King of the Seas wielded his trident with deadly precision, commanding the tides to close in.
The very ground beneath them disappeared into an abyss.
Arthur barely had time to react as Cesealia plunged Excalibur into the seabed—
The sword hummed, responding to her plea.
A dome of golden energy expanded, pushing back the relentless waves.
Excalibur against the Trident.
The clash of two divine weapons shook the ocean floor.
Cesealia gritted her teeth, her body screaming in agony.
The sword wanted more.
It demanded more of her than she could give.
Arthur saw the way her legs buckled, the way her breath shortened, how she clenched her fists so hard her knuckles went white.
She wouldn't last.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let go. Go through the portal."
She didn't move. Her eyes locked onto his.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Please." His voice cracked.
"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" She was trembling, but not from fear.
From conviction.
"I love you, Arthur," she said, her voice strong. "I want to grow old with you. I want to be your family."
His heart shattered. He had loved her since he was a boy. Since the day Eric dragged him to her grandmother's bakery, where she shoved a cookie in his mouth and called him an idiot before flashing him that brilliant smile. Since the day she told him she wanted to sail the world. Since the first time he heard her say his name like it meant everything. She had always been his family. That was always a part of the plan.
He placed his hand on Excalibur. The sword recognized him instantly—wielder and blade becoming one once more. He took all his strength, all his spirit, and poured it into the sword."Hold on to me," he whispered.
Cesealia gripped him tighter.
The ocean erupted with blinding light. The force of it tore them from the battlefield— and suddenly, they were above the waves.
They had made it.
They were free.
But something was wrong.
Arthur's lungs burned—but not from the water.
Cesealia could swim.
But he had Excalibur.
And with Excalibur in his hands… he would never reach the surface in time.
It was her. Or the sword.
There was never a choice.
Arthur let Excalibur slip from his grasp.
He wrapped his arms around Cesealia, kicking upward with everything he had left.
She gasped as they breached the surface, sucking in air like it was her lifeline.
She turned to him, eyes wide. "Your sword—"
Arthur shook his head.
His chest heaved, exhaustion threatening to drag him under.
But he smiled.
"Cesealia, I have loved you since Eric dragged me to your grandmother's house," he murmured, his voice rough. "Since you gave me that cookie. Since you told me you wanted to sail the world when we were kids."
She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.
"I loved you then. I love you now. No sword in a stone will ever change that."
Her breath hitched.
He took her face in his hands, brushing back wet strands of her hair.
"Grow old with me."
Her lips quivered.
"See the world with me."
Her arms tightened around his neck.
"Just Arthur. Your Arthur."
She crushed her lips against his.
He groaned, deepening the kiss—
Until he suddenly sank beneath the water.
"Arthur—!"
He chuckled, pushing himself back up. "You're sinking me, Cece."
"I'm sorry—"
"I'm kidding."
She splashed water in his face.
His golden hair stuck to his forehead, and he grinned.
"Salty."
She scoffed. "How can you be so—"
"Incredibly funny, handsome, smart—"
"Airheaded."
He gasped. "Airheaded?"
"Yes!"
Before he could argue, a voice boomed from the distance.
"THERE! THE CAPTAIN!"
Arthur turned his head—And there it was.
The real KING OF THE SEAS
His ship.
His crew.
His home.
Cesealia exhaled in relief.
They made it. They won.
As they climbed onto the ship, Arthur's wet boots hit the deck, water dripping from his clothes.
He looked down at the waves below, at the place where Excalibur had disappeared forever.
Gone.
The legendary sword of kings. The blade of his ancestors.
Lost beneath the tides.
His face paled as a realization struck him.
Cesealia stepped beside him.
"…Your mother is going to kill you."
He swallowed.
"…Worse. My father is going to kill me."