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James Lake remembered the day children started disappearing. He was young and only had vague memories of faces and frantic parents shouting and panicking before his father whisked him away from town. They hopped from town to town, country to country. He was sure his father was looking for something. What time wasn’t spent moving around his father was always pouring over some book, going to a museum, exploring a jungle.
“This will all make sense when you’re older, James.” His father said as he handed James yet another book on Arthurian myths. “I’ve been hiding it for too long…”
During these years James read a lot about King Arthur and his court. He read a lot about Merlin and Morgana. Magic and monsters, light and dark, everything his father handed him, he read. All in the hopes that it would make sense as to why they were moving around all the time.
Eventually they stopped moving. They settled down in a small town. The name wasn’t really important, and he figured that it wouldn’t be long before he moved again. This time of his own choice. He was going to a good college, get a degree in Mythology, put his childhood to some use.
After a fight with his father and the school system, he applied to Stanford and was accepted. He wanted to get away.
“James…” His now aging father presented him with a book as he was packing. “Take this with you. I think it will explain everything I haven’t.”
The book was very old. Older than most things James had ever studied with. He slowly traced a finger over its cover. “What is it?”
“The true myths of King Arthur.” His father placed a hand over his. “This book has been passed through our family for generations. It’s time it became yours.” He smiled. “And when your time comes, you’ll know why I’ve done everything I have.” He pulled James into a hug. “I know I haven’t been the best father. I just hope you don’t hold it against me.”
James left for college.
And promptly forgot about the book entirely.
No indeed, for most of college his attention was taken by something else.
Vespas.
He loved those bikes. They were just so cool, when riding on one you could just… lose yourself. The wind blowing through your hair. It was just perfect. One day he almost hoped his son or daughter would also take up an interest in vespas too. Maybe they’d even build one together.
But for that to happen he’d have to find a girlfriend, and girls were not the first thing on his mind.
He poured all his time into either working to pay for college or studying to get good grades. Any time that wasn’t spent at his job or classes was spent in the library, or maybe on a rare Vespa ride.
Maybe he was lucky in that respect. If he’d spent his time anywhere else…
“Uh… Excuse me.” A woman with ginger hair interrupted him one day, “I was hoping you could help me…” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “I see you here almost every day and you get a lot of mythology books…”
He slowly set down the book about Greek legends he’d been reading. “Do you need help?”
She sat down, “Yeah. You see I’m taking a mythology class for my fine arts credit.”
James listened to her story. She was just having a little trouble understanding the larger importance of Greek myths and the similarities and differences to Roman myths, nothing too huge. He explained it in a way she might be able to understand.
About half way through his explanation he began to wonder if she was lying to him. She seemed to grasp it all just a bit too quickly for someone having trouble. Sometimes she even knew the myths better than he did.
But… He didn’t really care.
The more he talked, the more she laughed. The more she laughed the more his heart fluttered in his chest.
“Have you seen any films based off the myths?” Oh god, This one was a long shot.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well.” He was going all in. “You Oddessy them.”
Silence.
And then, a soft chuckle.
“That was terrible.”
“I won’t Apollogize for my puns…” He glanced to the side. “Uh…”
“Barbara.”
He extended his hand over the table. “Pleasure to meet you, Barbara.”
“You too, …?”
“James.”
“James.” She smiled and his heart jumped in his chest.
They made another study date. Same place slightly different time.
He told himself he wouldn’t stress about it. James had other things to worry about, after all. But when the next meeting came he dressed up (in fresh washed clothes, nothing too fancy). He showed up to the library early, nervously smoothing his hair back.
Soon after that Barbara showed up and- oh no- She was beautiful.
Her ginger hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a knee length skirt with a nice button up suit-jacket. She was even wearing make-up. She pushed her glasses up her nose a bit.
“Hello, James.”
“Uh.” He jerked up from the table to pull a chair out for her. “H- Hello, Barbara. You look… I mean you’re-”
“Yeah.” She sat down. “I have to wear this to an interview.” She pulled out a notebook, “I’m sorry, I… I think I should have changed.”
“No. You’re fine.” He smiled. “I don’t mind. Besides, you look great.”
She blushed. “Thank you. Anyway. I wanted to get your help with Arthurian myths today...”
“From Greek to Arthurian? What class are you taking again?”
“You know… Mythology 101, it’s always jumping from myth to myth.” She opened it up. “Let’s get to work.”
James sighed and started from the beginning of what he knew.
It was explaining it all to Barbara that reminded him of the book his father had given him the “true myths of King Arthur”. It had been months since he’d even seen the book, but surely it was somewhere in his room. He made a mental note to check around for it.
Now was his time with Barbara. He wasn’t going to waste it thinking about some weird old book his absent father gave him. “Everything is all over the place in Arthurian myths.” He waved his hands in the air. “In some Arthur is an upstanding hero, in others a terrible human being… Morgana could be Morgan, Morgane, or something, She could be a good healer, an impartial queen, or your worst nightmare. Merlin too! In most he’s a helpful advisor but in some he’s a lecherous old man.”
She laughed. “That does sound frustrating. What’s your favorite version?” Her eyes sparkled.
He swallowed, suddenly finding words hard to come by. “There was… this version my father told me as a child…” He could only just barely remember it. “King Arthur was visited by Merlin, who was a… I don’t remember, it wasn’t human. He warned Arthur of a coming battle, one much larger than humanity. Meanwhile Morgana was something similar to Merlin, a dangerous being I think she might’ve been a very powerful fae, Or maybe the same thing as Merlin? That’s… That’s all I can remember.”
She tilted her head. “That sounds interesting. Have you ever found it again?”
“No… Which is kind of a shame…” But the more he thought about it the more uneasy he became.
“James?” Barbara placed a hand on his arm. She was warm. It snapped him out of it.
“I’m fine. Just thinking.” He ran a hand through his hair, realizing now that he desperately needed a haircut. “Do you… Think we could meet up later? Next week Wednesday, same time...” He placed his hand over hers. “Maybe not here? There’s uh… A coffee shop just off campus…”
She twisted her hand to squeeze his. “It’s a date.” Then she got up and walked off like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“A date?” James repeated quietly. The air had to have been knocked out of his lungs at that moment.
He walked back to his dorm in a daze. Not quite sure about what to do. He had classes and homework, yes, but that story…
He spent all that night looking for that book, and he found it, tucked away under various leaflets he had collected over the months. The old leather cover sat uneasily in his hands. The front had some arcane language that wasn’t any he’d ever seen. It almost amplified the feeling from earlier. He shoved it under his bed, deciding against reading it.
More months passed. Eventually he and Barbara started dating. They were the happiest couple, but not much came beyond that for a long time, she had to focus on her studies to be a doctor, and he had to focus on keeping his goals straight.
He forgot about the book again until it was time to move out. He and Barbara were going to get an apartment together, and he was the happiest he’d been in years.
But as he was unpacking that unwelcome piece of his past resurfaced, and this time he couldn’t resist the temptations of just cracking it open to read a little bit of it. The pages were yellowed, and the whole book written in that same arcane writing, but someone had provided translations, first in Old English, then in Modern English.
In the Time of Merlin, there was a young human named Arthur Pendragon, This human became caught between the Battle of Trolls. It was Merlin who rescued Arthur during a fearsome battle in the night.
“Careful, human.” The great Merlin wanted. “Our kind is not meant to mingle with yours.”
“Why not?” Questioned Arthur. “Your kind fight a battle for the safety of us, do they not? Why should we be left to wait and see who the victor is?”
Merlin presented then the Amulet. “Fear not, human. For I have created this for the Trollhunter, they shall be a champion of our kind to protect both our kinds.”
“My question stands! Why should only your kind protect us? Why can we not work together?” Arthur questioned again.
“Our kind is best built for this, the bringers of terrible horrible painful deaths would fell yours in seconds, we stand the best chance.”
The hubris Arthur held pushed him on. He separated from Merlin, setting off on his own quest to find a way to combat the bringers of terrible horrible painful deaths. With a small group of compatriots he set out. He and the Knights that would follow him searched for a talisman much like the Amulet of Merlin to help their kind participate in the battle.
Their travels took them far and wide. They fought in many battles and gained many followers, until Arthur had obtained the title “King”.
Eventually his hubris attracted the attention of Morgaine, the sorceress and foil to Merlin. She too held a certain grudge towards The Great Merlin, and took King Arthur under her wing.
“Who are you, Witch? Why have you approached me?”
“Fear not, human. For I shall give you what Merlin has not.” To King Arthur she offered an Amulet, glowing red as blood from a wound, “But it shall come at great cost. Do you still accept it?”
“Whatever the cost shall be I will accept the power!” He took the Amulet of Morgaine.
Arthur’s Hubris would be his undoing. “Human, I now lay a curse upon you and your descendants. As for the exchange of this power, The Darkhunter, your bloodline shall be cursed to never live a peaceful life until the day Power is traded between Human and Troll.”
Arthur, now The Darkhunter, returned triumphant in his quest, yet disheartened.
“Human Arthur! What have you done!” Merlin was outraged, “Why would you ever make such a deal with Morgaine?”
“You refused me!” King Arthur argued. “I only asked for our kinds to fight side-by-side. To be kindred in the fight against evil, yet you turned us away.”
“Fool! I was trying to save you. Now you carry a weight heavier than any upon your shoulders. I pity your children, and your children’s children. This curse upon you is one that may never be broken, I did not create the Trollhunter’s power is not meant for human hands, just as Morgaine did not create the Darkhunter’s power for troll hands.” Merlin wiped the memory of Arthur. “And to further punish you for your hubris, I shall wipe your mind clean. I have learnt my lesson of trusting ourkinds secrets and battles to yours.”
True to both Morgaine and Merlin’s word, King Arthur never saw the trolls again, he went on to found Camelot, where he and his compatriots settled and only fought away the small threats that presented such as Goblins, Fae, and Changelings not smart enough to hide themselves.
Never did Arthur get the chance to undo the damage he had done to his family line. And he felt the pain of it himself, his queen Guinevere left with his head knight, Lancelot and sired young Galahad. His own son, Mordred refused the title Darkhunter, but it became a relentless mantle, eventually becoming the destruction of Camelot.
James set down the book. Was this the version of King Arthur his father told him?
“Hey.” Barbara placed a cool hand to his cheek. “Are you okay? You’re white as a sheet.”
“I uh…” His mouth was dry. Everything his father did came rushing back, it made sense why everything seemed to just… go wrong. “I’m fine.” Even if he didn’t know his family carried the burden of Darkhunter, it just made sense.
His father held the mantle now. When would it pass to him? How long would he have with Barbara?
She gently took the book from his hands. “James, you’re scaring me.”
Without saying a word he pulled her to him and held her tightly. This was fine. He would do what he could with the time he had. Who knew? Perhaps it was all a lie, anyway.
Within the year they were engaged, and stayed engaged until after Barbara was ready for her residency. The marriage was a quick affair, they both knew they loved each other and they didn’t need a huge service to prove it. It wasn’t long after that that the news came.
“James, I’m pregnant!” She announced.
“What- really?” The elation he felt at that moment outweighed the feeling he’d carried for the longest time. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” He wrapped his arms around her and swung her around. “You’re pregnant! We’re having a child!”
But the elation quickly wore off, as other news reached them just a day later.
A man in a sharp suit arrived at their doorstep with a box tucked under his arm. “I’m looking for James Lake.”
“I’m James.” He shooed Barbara back into their house, “What’s this about?”
The man held out the box. “I am the executor of your father’s estate, he passed away the other night. This is all he could leave you and he even asked I deliver it in person..”
In that moment James’s world came crashing down around him. He took the box, a terrible numbness seeping into his bones. “How… How did he die?”
“A freak bear attack near a town named Arcadia Oaks.”
James felt like he was going to be sick. “I… I see. Is that all?”
“Yes. I have already scattered his ashes, as per his request. I’m sorry we had to meet under such circumstances.”
The man left.
He slowly closed the door. If this box contained what he thought it did…
“Are you okay?” Barbara slowly walked over.
He didn’t want to cry. James set the terrible box aside and just hugged her tight. “All that matters is that we take care of each other.”
He tried to forget about the box like he had that book. Nine months passed at an agonizing pace. James hopped from job to job during that time, He was going to forget. The so-called curse would not affect him.
But occasionally when he was alone in the house the Amulet would call to him in an oddly feminine voice.
“James Lake.”
He would block it out with music. Or by leaving the house himself.
But after those agonizing months their wonderful son was born. At that time he only had James’s eyes. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Barbara’s weaty forehead. “When he grows up he’s going to be exactly like you.”
She gave a weak laugh. “If he’s going to be exactly like me… Then he should be named like you.” Her voice was soft as she gently stroked her baby’s face. “James Jr..”
“Jim.” He corrected. He didn’t want his son to share anything of his. He wanted his son to be free of the curse that followed his family.
“We’ll call him Jim. But he’s going to be James Lake Jr., no matter what you say.”
James smiled. He couldn’t argue with her, that was one thing he had learned over the years. “Fine. Little Jim Jr. it is.” He kissed her again.
Things changed greatly after Jim was born. James quit his job to be a stay-at-home dad. And it became significantly harder to block out the amulet. It just got louder, but at the very least it had the common decency not to wake him at night. That was Jim’s job.
He did his best to be a good father. He showed little Jim all his interests. James showed Jim all his magazines about vespas, and even told Jim some horror stories about how his mother cooking. Barbara was a disastrous chef, so cooking fell to James as he assumed it would eventually fall to Jim.
Things went back to crawling along.
And then one night James couldn’t sleep.
“James Lake!” The Amulet cried out again, seemingly more insistent than before.
Finally he gave up. He went down to where he hid the box and opened it. Just as he’d always feared, inside the box was another book, and on top of that the Amulet, glowing red.
“James Lake!”
His heart pounded in his chest. He felt tired, he was tired. He needed to just end this, if he just took it maybe it would just shut. Up.
“JAMES LAKE!”
James Lake grabbed the Amulet of Morgaine. He knew the risks, he knew what this would do to his family. His hope was that he could just keep it together.