The Queen & Her King (sequel to the princess & the lost boy) Completed

Chapter 17: Watching You Burn

A/N: Hey guys, I hope you all had a great weekend. I hope that you guys like this chapter. Comment your thoughts and vote. I'd love to hear from you guys.

(Ash's P.O.V.)

"So you decided to spend the rest of your days in a tavern...really?" I questioned, sliding into the chair across from my father.

It was strange seeing him as an old man. The long gray hair and beard didn't help matters. Honestly, if I hadn't been able to recognize that it was truly him by looking into his eyes, I doubt I would have even been able to tell it was him myself. His face was covered in wrinkles that hadn't been there before. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping lately. His red robe looked dirty and worn. Mainly, it looked baggy on him. He looked nothing like the man I had known from my childhood.

"Ashlynn, you shouldn't be here."

"I shouldn't be here," I scoffed, "and what about you? Why are you here, father, hmm? I would have thought you'd be far away from Camelot since you never came back to the palace."

"I suppose that you know that Morgana is-"

"My mother? She told me everything."

"I need you to know that everything I did was for you. I did it to protect you."

"How is abandoning me protecting me? You lied to me for years. You gave your own daughter up! And for what? What could have been so bad about having me as your daughter?"

"You don't understand-"

"You're right. I don't understand. I don't understand how my own father could take me from my mother. I don't understand how my own father could give me to my aunt and uncle to raise. I don't understand how my own father can sit by, watching someone else raise me as their daughter. I don't understand how that when I came back to Camelot, you never bothered to show up! You left me to take over a whole kingdom by myself. You lied to me my whole life, and you just think that I'm going to be okay with that?"

"Ashlynn, your mother doesn't care about you. She hasn't cared about anything for years. All she cares about is power. She craves it. She craves the power that you have because she knows that you are far stronger than she could ever be. She used you to get to the throne, and once she has tired of you or deems you unfit to rule...she will take over. She will try to manipulate you into giving your throne to her."

He's wrong. He's the one who has never cared for you. He handed you over to your uncle and aunt with no remorse. He made you think you were crazy when you had your dreams. Tore you away from your mother's arms. He abandoned you.

"You're wrong," I said, squeezing my eyes shut as the same words kept replaying over and over again.

He has never wanted you.

Why else would he give you up?

Why else would he never come back for you?

"Ash, are you alright?" Pan mumbled.

At least I think he mumbled. The voices were getting louder and louder, making everything else seem like noise. A static that just kept buzzing nonstop. My head was being penetrated my too many voices happening at once. Pan saying something that I couldn't quite make out. Merlin eying Pan and me curiously while looking concerned as to what was going on. The rest of the tavern chattering only intensified the noise. The voices in my head reigned supreme, reminding me that my father never cared for me.

He's lying. They all lie. Arthur...Guinevere...Merlin...Pan. All have lied to you. Except for Morgana.

She cares for you. She wanted you. She is to be trusted.