❝ when she looks into his eyes, she feels the gripping temptation to tell him all her darkest secrets; the names of the men she has killed, but she learned a long time ago that the only people who can keep secrets are resting in overgrown graveyards...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
There is a serene stillness of dawning sun that Calliope has grown to appreciate. The delicate streams of orange fanning over a sleeping city, peaking into windows through the cracks of soft curtains. It glides over the castle with a hazy mist and bleeds into Prince Arthur's chamber, where she lies tucked away in his steady embrace, beneath his familiar silken sheets. It's in this moment when she first awakens that she feels his arms tighten around her and pull her closer. He places a gentle kiss on her head, and then, they usually fall back asleep together for a while longer until the castle begins to stir.
Sometimes, it all feels like a dream. A really, really good dream that just can't be true for her. Like it could vanish and fade away in mere seconds.
Calliope turns in Arthur's embrace. His breath is still even as he sleeps. Her fingers ghost his cheek, and then drift down to rest against his strong chest, right above his heart. Her own chest is brimming with warmth as she moves closer and closes her eyes. Home, she thinks. This is what home feels like.
The assassin drifts off again until she feels Arthur awaken. He strokes her hair, and her blue eyes open slowly to meet his own.
Neither one of them speak at first. He continues playing with her hair, and it feels so nice she could fall into another deep slumber, but they need to get their day started, so her hand glides up to intertwine with his.
"What are you thinking about?" she says when she notices his contemplative gaze.
He shrugs, "Just that I could wake up like this forever."
Calliope smiles and brings his face to hers. Their lips meet for a slow, sensual kiss that sends sparks twirling down her spine.
But, the Prince pulls away, resting his forehead against hers, "And that I love you."
"I love you too," she answers, and he pulls her in for another kiss.
It feels so nice to be able to voice those words. They've come so far since their first meeting in Camelot, and Calliope never could have imagined that she'd be here, waking in his arms, and looking forward to what the future could hold for them.
As Calliope sits up in Arthur's bed and stretchers her arms, she gazes out the window to the expanse of the city. Somewhere, beyond the forests and rolling hills, Sepharin still lurks. Her one, last obstacle to overcome, and she knows it's all connected. Her dreams, the images from the crystal, and the last remnants of the guild that still follow her old mentor. She can feel it shifting towards a coming end, and this time, she's going to ensure Sepharin is gone for good.
Through the chaos of the past few days, Calliope has not had time to interrogate their most recent prisoner, but with the crystal safely returned to Camelot, the tension from Uther has lessened, and his focus is returning to the threat of the rogue band of mercenaries inching closer to his kingdom. So, Calliope kisses Arthur goodbye in the hallway as they go their separate ways. She won't be joining him for training this morning. Instead, her path lies in the dungeons. her boots click against the stone stairs as she descends to the lower region of the castle, and several guards await her at the entrance.
