The Heart of A Pendragon

I Vow To...

    It's easy to maneuver through a crowd. Easy to get lost in one when you don't want to be found. The cars lined up at the starting line. I leaned over to see that Cameron is sitting in the passenger seat of my car and Talia is at the wheel. I looked around knowing that the others aren't able to see through the dark tinting of my car the way I can. He's trying to explain something to her and she's completely ignoring him.

    For a few months now, I've been able to do things I couldn't before. Things that normal people shouldn't be able to do. I used to be tired all the time and now it feels like my body runs on some kind of energy drink. My senses are better than before. I want the crazy to be just that but it all seems to make sense. It's all scares me and I'm not sure I'm ready to admit to it.

    When I was a kid, I had to wear glasses. Now I can see things I shouldn't be able to see. The tiny letters on the back of a shampoo bottle, I can read them from over fifty feet away. I'm stronger than I was before. My instincts are changing. They're becoming sharper and a part of me feels like this is just the beginning. If what they're saying is true then it's definitely is. I don't know if I like the answers I'm getting.

    A black challenger pulled up next to my car and right away I knew there was no way in hell that it was going to beat my car. At least, if Cam or I were driving it. I really don't know anything about Talia other than she thinks that she's a knight of the realm. Tristan, well his daughter.

    As the countdown began, I noticed a girl walk over to the challenger. She placed her hand on the car briefly and just like when Meerlyn had done when she cleaned up the mess at PCs for Your D's, a white smoke swirled from her leg up towards her hand and into the car. I pulled my phone out and called Cam. 

    "We're about to start the race," he answered. 

    "Put Talia on the phone, Cam. Now," 

    "You are worse than your old man. You know that? Demanding as s**t," she answered. 

    "A woman did something to the challenger. The smoke was white," 

    "Are you sure?" she asked. Her tone is alert.

    "Completely," 

    "Dammit. Alright, I need you to go back to lover boy. Push comes to shove I want you to create a distraction. Anything until we can get back to you," 

    "Will you be okay?" 

    "Duh," she laughed. 

     The woman turned to look at me. Her eyes scanned my body as they sparkled silver and just like that, she retreated. There was even fear in the way she moved away. I turned around to see Young standing behind me. My heart began to hammer in my chest as he peered down at me the way he always had but it was clear that he had seen what I did.

    "You're like them. Like Talia," I stated. He sighed. 

    "Not completely," he answered. 

    "You've been watching me all this time? You knew?" he shook his head. 

    "No, when I was sent out of Camelot. I was a kid. I had to find my mom. I did and I sent her home. If I returned I wouldn't have been able to ever return to this realm," 

    "Who are you?" I asked. 

    "My name is Grayson Gwaiin. Like the others, I'm a knight. I'm just a little different to them. I'm a knight of my father's side," 

    "And your mother's?" 

    "My mother is the daughter of the Lady of the Lake," 

    "You're a half-god?" 

    "Celestial," he corrected. 

    "So, half-god," I laughed. "I always knew you were full of yourself," 

    "There's no f*****g way that Challenger is taking the lead on Constantine," someone shouted. 

    I turned around to see that the Challenger was in fact taking the lead in the race. Young stepped forward discreetly holding his hand out towards the track where they're coming from. The challenger drove over a small puddle. The water sprayed up higher than normal. A blue glow surrounded it as the water washed over the car. The car swerved just enough to give Constantine a chance to surpass it. It wasn't able to catch up to it as my car crossed the finish line. Everyone began to cheer as Talia stopped in front of us. 

    "What did you do?" I asked him. 

    "Purified the spell," he smirked. 

    Before I could tell him off for being so cocky, Young grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. My chest smacked against his hard as he used himself to cover me with his body. I looked up to see Talia pull a pen out of her jacket as she rushed over to us. She clicked the pen. I watched in awe as the pen released a liquid looking metal that instantly surrounded her creating actual armor around her body. Young tucked me into him as she rushed towards us and jumped right over our heads. 

    "What the f**k?" I called out as I pulled away from Young. 

   He pulled out his cell phone and pressed something and the same thing happened. In an instant, he was wearing the type of armor she is. He spun around as a sword materialized in his hands. The woman that had done something to the challenger is standing there with two others. They're going to get all these people hurt if they fight here. I pushed my body off the ground and rushed forward. 

    "STOP!" I cried out putting out my arms in front of me.

    A surge rushed through me. This isn't the first time it's happened. The last time I almost flipped an entire car. The surge burst out of me like a fiery blue flame. The sound of it screeched in my ears as it relentlessly charged towards the three assailants. The blue wave crashed against them propelling them back. The sound of the surge crushing the metal armor around them cried out the way a baby pterodactyl would in a Jurassic Park movie. They burst into ash. 

    "Lily," Young called out. 

    He pulled me to him then shoved me into Talia's arms. I looked back to see him toss a water bottle in the air and slice it in half with his sword. The water sprayed over the blue flames extinguishing them instantly. I stood there letting Talia hold me as the realization of what I had done washed over me. I killed three ladies. 

    The first time this had happened was four weeks ago when I was chased out of the foster home I was staying in after the man of the house tried to force himself on me. I was panicking as I reached the end of the street. The surge rushed through me just like it had now but it didn't do the same thing. It had clashed against a parked car. It slightly lifted off the ground before it disappeared and then dropped it. This was nothing like that. 

    "Your majesty, are you alright?" Talia rushed out. She pushed me back at arm's length and began to check me for any wounds. 

    "I'm fine," I choked out pushing her away. I looked back to where the three women had been standing. "I-I-I killed them," 

    "They were here to kill you," Young shot back angrily. I looked down at my trembling hands to see that my fingertips are black. I shook my hands to see that it was just ash. I wiped them against my jeans. It came right off. 

    "Lily, did you know that would happen?" Talia asked. I shook my head. "Did you know something was going to happen?" 

    "Yeah," I whispered. 

    "How many other times has something like that happened?" Young asked. 

    "Once," 

    "The amount of distress required to trigger the cannons at this age is unheard of," Talia took my hands and made me look at her. "Who hurt you?" 

    "What are you talking about?" I asked her.

    "The first time this happened to you. Who was hurting you?" I stepped away from her trying to push the memories her questions are bringing away. If I pretend they didn't happen, they didn't happen. 

    "I don't know what you're talking about," I repeated. I looked around to see that no one is moving. The area is completely silent. "What's happening?" 

    "The time delay. When we take our battle forms, time changes for us," Young answered. 

    He held his sword out. His armor began to melt away towards it until it was all consumed by the blade of the sword. The sword them morphed, reshaping into his cellphone. Talia did the same thing until her armor turned back into the pen she had been holding. The loud cheers of the crowd erupted again and everyone began to move. 

    "You won," Cam shouted rushing over to us. 

    "We won," Talia smiled at him. Her demeanor completely changed like nothing had happened.

    "I have to admit that I thought I was going to die the entire time. Where did you learn to drive like that?" he asked her. 

    "God-given talent. There isn't a single ride that I can't master," she gave him a little devious wink. 

    "Gross," Young pretended to gag. I would have laugh at the expression on Cam's face if I wasn't in shock still.

    "I have to go," I announced. I turned away to start walking only to have Young stop me. 

    "You're leaving your car?" Cam asked. 

    "Take care of it," I shot back.

    "I can give you a ride," Young suggested. 

    "The last thing I want is to be alone with either of you," I shouted. "I just need some space," 

    "What did you do?" Cam accused him. 

    I didn't stay for Young's reply. I can feel him following me. It's a weird sensation. One I'm familiar with when he's around. There are so many things happening right now and they're hard to follow. I thought I had imagined it back then. I thought my mind was trying to give me some kind of escape. I don't know what's real anymore.

    "Stop following me," I basically growled at him when I spun around to look at him. 

    Young towers over me. He always has. I want to be angry at him. I want to be angry at all of them. The smirk on his face is one I've always tried to ignore. I can't be angry at him. I've spent so long pretending that being around him and Cam were the only things I shouldn't be upset about. They are the only good things in my life and being mad at them feels completely wrong to me. 

    "I'm not going to stop following you until you get home or wherever it is that you're going," he shrugged. 

    "Because you think I'm a Pendragon?"  

    "No, you being the King's daughter has nothing to do with it. I didn't know you were her until your first surge. Not the last one before today but the first one. The one that brought them here,"

    "That first nightmare," I whispered. It had happened four months ago. 

    "I don't know what happened to you, Lily. Everything that's happening is premature. You had months before any of this should have triggered. I'm not- I wasn't chosen to look after you but I look at you and all I want is for you to be safe. You're not just the King's daughter to me. I vow to protect you with my life. Everything that I am is yours to do with as you please," 

    He got down on one knee in front of me and lowered his head. When he stood up his green eyes were no longer their normal forest green shade. They're glowing bright lime green. Regardless of how insane all of this is, how intense is that? To have the boy I've had a crush on since I was twelve years old tell me something like that. 

    "You could have just told me you liked me. You know, without the jokes and stuff," I sighed looking away. My life is turning into an episode of Once Upon A Time. 

    "Are you hungry?" he asked making my face redden even more. 

    "Offering me food is the equivalent of handing your life over to me,"

He laughed. The grin on his face is one I've never seen before. It lit up his features making him a lot prettier than before.

    "Alright then. Food it is,"