Chapter 176: Interlude: Arthur - Fate vs. Destiny

After calling the doctor overseeing his care and receiving confirmation that nothing they were doing was working, Arthur left the black site. He’d talk with Rachel herself in the coming days to better understand what she’d done to him and see if there were other options; given Galahad’s strength, he had time, but not a lot.

The personally selected team of Secret Service agents the President had given him drove them around DC, and he stayed on his phone, contacting his old company of soldiers. Almost all of those who had survived had become knights of legend, including many of their family members. None of this could be a coincidence, and all of it had the shadow of design.

Many thoughts spun through his head on the chilly March day; the forecast called for a very light snowfall that would blanket the city overnight. Lancelot messaged him that his plane would be leaving within the hour to visit his wounded son, and he was half-looking forward to the reunion; they were lucky the airports between their nations hadn’t been shut down yet.

The father was understandably pissed that Merlin went to Arthur first with the news, even if Galahad disapproved of both his parents’ past actions and had distanced himself. Now, Merlin had forced him into something the boy was vehemently against. They really were a mess of contradictions.

So many conspiring parties were at play, and he had to assume the French representatives he’d briefly passed had their own cards on the table. President Campell gave him far too grand of a scope to consider; it would be a wonder if he’d even be able to sleep tonight. He’d know soon enough as the time of the meeting drew near.

Naturally, he called his wife to let her know he was dining with another woman, prompting a snippy remark that made him smile before she hung up. Gwen was like that.

When precisely 10 p.m. came, he stepped out of his vehicle at the famous Italian restaurant and made his way to the front desk. "Reservation for Arthur," he said to the woman behind the polished granite countertop.

She smiled welcomingly, directing him to a notice board. "Of course, Mr. Arthur, but please note that we do host beastkin and other such changed individuals. Allergies might be a concern, but all dishes are prepared by human hands, and we are very strict on our grooming and cleanliness practices. We also have two fairies and one beast person on our serving staff, so if there are any allergies, please inform us now."

Bemused by the disclaimer, he assumed it was something they might have had a problem with in the last few days and didn’t want to be seen as discriminating. He shook his head. "No issues here, Ma’am."

"Wonderful. Your companion said the same."

"I appreciate the concern." Keeping a charming exterior, he raised his guard as she guided him to a far-back corner table that was totally isolated from the others; this was planned, and he’d been the one to set the reservation, yet she’d beaten him to the punch.

His brow furrowed when he found a young blonde woman in a red dress, already browsing a wine menu. Her lime-green eyes displayed a vibrancy as she offered a pretty smile.

"Cabinet Member Arthur Pendragon, it’s my pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine," Arthur politely returned, shaking her hand before sitting across from the unexpected company. "I was under the impression you had darker hair."

"Disappointed?" she chortled.

The woman seated beside them paused as the blonde spontaneously shifted her appearance to that of a dark-haired beauty before returning to her golden radiance.

"I can look like anything I desire, King of Knights. Now, why don’t we order some wine and chat a little before diving into the meat of the discussion? Do you have any suggestions?" she asked, handing him the menu before the hovering woman could get in a word. "I have yet to sample such things."

Arthur had already browsed the sheet and their private stock before coming and decided this kind of meeting deserved something more memorable. "2008 Teso La Monja," he said, handing the booklet to their server, who looked somewhat speechless at the luxury bottle order. "Toro, Spain, would do beautifully."

"Of...course, Mr. Pendragon. I’ll have it out right away, and your server will be out shortly."

She left in a hurry, the rest of the room melting away for him as his senses honed in on this shapeshifting femme fatale in front of him. "You aren’t Relica, are you? To whom do I have the pleasure of dining with on this chilly night?"

The woman’s eyes sparkled as she folded her fingers atop her lap before glancing at the other tables with their classy-dressed occupants.

"I always used to daydream about having a risqué meet-up with a handsome, dangerous man when I was innocent and reading mystery novels under my covers at night, trying to hide them from my parents... Even that rebellious behavior was a product of a greater design."

Arthur’s gut tightened as the world seemed to slow, and he felt an unusual zone expand from the blonde, yet it was so invasive, casual, and off-putting that it slid right past his guard. Blinking, he saw rose petals falling outside their window like snow.

"Don’t be afraid." A sly half-smile lifted the corner of her lips as she held her fingers to her breast. "Wasn’t it you who invited me?"

Sitting back and crossing his legs, Arthur could feel, more than see, countless rouge-hued strings attached to nearly everything within this person’s range, with her bright-green eyes having changed to a glowing rose-pink.

His gaze lifted to a picture that floated down from seemingly nowhere and landed in front of him, showing a smiling Rachel beside a black-haired girl, who was baring her fangs.

"Destiny has thousands of faces... Why does she choose...to wear this one? Want to take a guess?"

Arthur looked up at the mysterious figure in front of him, remaining calm. Whoever this figure was, it had to be one of the entities President Campell warned him about; he was being welcomed to this grander stage.

"I haven’t gotten your name yet. I thought we were having an introduction before the real meal?"

Vision narrowing, the woman’s chest shook with gentle laughter as she gestured around them at the veil of petals. "Aren’t we?"

She snapped her slim fingers, and the zone shattered like glass, making him suppress a shiver as their female server appeared beside them, holding the bottle of wine.

"Your bottle, Sir."

"Of course..." he whispered, trying not to show his discomfort or shock as the woman held up her glass for the server to fill.

"It’s Twilight, by the way," she said, catching him off-guard as she stared into her crystal cup, filling with the musky liquid. "I used to go by another name, but that was a long, long time ago...at least it was for me. This color reminds me of the Red Sea... It’s comforting," she said, bringing the rim up to her nose to sample the scent as Arthur had his own filled.

"What a perfect smell for the perfect time of day."

Arthur followed her gaze to the window, where not a single rose petal could now be seen as if it had all been an illusion; the in-between moments of night and day cast a radiant orange across the street, yet twilight should have already fallen into night. This person clearly outmatched both him and Merlin, and she wanted to let them know it.

"Thank you," he said to the server as she set the bottle down, picking up her notepad that already had an order placed, making him frown. Was she manipulating him, the others, or both?

"I’m happy to make all the accommodations you’ve requested," the server chimed, rosy-cheeked and acting as if they’d had a lovely conversation. "I will bring your appetizers out shortly. Please, excuse me."

Arthur’s focus returned to the blonde, holding her glass up, bangs partly covering her left eye as she showed a secretive smile. "I do enjoy this freedom to do whatever I please."

He set down his wine, the woman commanding his full attention. "What kind of company are you hoping to cultivate by these displays of control? Clearly, you have a vested interest in Rachel and that girl beside her. I’m not quite following who you mean by this ’she’ who is the ’face of Destiny,’ but you have my ear."

His focus shot to the glint of a light-red string that brought him to the back of the serving woman walking away, with Twilight swirling around the liquid in her hand.

"The Oscillation..." she whispered in return. "The rules of this game are like reality: we all think there are infinite possibilities, yet when you put that under scrutiny, every inquiry and revelation is enslaved by previous choices. One such choice may come in the form of a loose heel strap due to the infidelity and guilt that spurred you out of your secret lover’s bed to make it on time for work."

Arthur’s fingers curled against his palm as the thread snapped, and the server yelped, the strap breaking and taking a short, embarrassing fall. She hastily rose to her feet and retreated to the back amidst the concerned guests’ inquiries.

"Such is the case when it comes to every pluck between Fate and Destiny that brought you to this enthralling rendezvous... We have much to discuss," she said with an unassuming smile, her pink irises lifting to his.

"Which includes Rachel?" Arthur studied the picture in front of him. "Before we continue, are you for or against the Scarlet Hand?"

Twilight’s smile lifted ever so slightly, her perfectly manicured fingernail coming down on the photo to turn it upside down. "All of the above... And Relica has served her purpose for me, but I am sure you will have use for her in Ireland."

Tapping Rachel’s left ear on the image, she giggled. "On another note, isn’t it strange the duality and contrast between luck and misfortune? I used to think they were polar opposites, but now...it’s so hard to distinguish between the pair. Karma will have her say, so I must pluck as many strings as I can before that day."

Her mysterious eyes lifted to him. "We will not meet like this in the future. I am free, and I will make my own decisions as to how this game will play out. Won’t you join me? I have wonderful benefits if you’ll only hear them."

Several seconds passed as he looked into the body snatcher’s intense, welcoming gaze. "...I’m listening."