Arthur took a shaky breath, looking at Penelope's hand that was on his as he continued to stroke it with his thumb. His heart was racing in his chest, he was conflicted, on what to tell her and what not to tell her, yet. Penelope was watching Arthur's face intently, she could see his eyebrows furrowing, and his nostrils widening as he breathed heavily.
'Why is he so nervous, is it something bad?' She wondered. This time she didn't speak, she would wait as long as it takes for him to be able to speak to her confidently, hiding nothing. Penelope appreciated they were still strangers really, so understood why he wasn't going to tell her everything, but was going to tell her something, which is a sign he trusted her straight away, which she loved.
Arthur sighed heavily and started from the beginning...
"So my mother and father are humans from the subdivision race Anima De A Animālis".
Penelope didn't understand what that meant, but Arthur read her mind already, even though he wasn't looking at her.
"It means Soul Of A Animal, it's latin".
Penelope's eyes widen at this, but she let him continue speaking.
"It's said hundreds of years ago, a lone human wandered in a forest, starving and cold, and a bright orange super moon appeared in the sky".
"The super moon was that orange and bright it caused the human to look up to the sky, it instantly blinded him, but not for long".
Arthur looked at Penelope, who was entranced by his story. He was relieved he could carry on, he moved his hand to entertwine his fingers with hers, she smiled sweetly, still looking at his face. She was in awe of him, and vice versa. Arthur happily smiled now, and continued...
"That human that was left all alone in the woods, close to death, got blinded by that great moon, but it gave him a great gift, the moon saved his life. A strange feeling ran through the human, and it hurt like hell, but as soon as the strange feeling subsided, his vision came back. He was in the perfect place at the perfect time, only those who are worthy get blessed by the Great Moon's power, and he was worthy".
Arthur paused momentarily to make sure Penelope was still listening.
"I'm listening" Penelope smirked and squeezed his hand, knowing what he was thinking.
"Good" He smirked back.
"Anyway, this man was strong, caring, good and brave, he lost his family in a boat wreckage, and he wanted to die in the woods, but ultimately, his pain is what saved him in the end, and the subvision of the animal soul was created. Each person in the race Anima De A Animālis has their own unique animal soul, and his is the great Bald Eagle. We now call him 'Our Immortal King', but there is not many of us compared to the original human race, the last count was two hundred and two".
At this moment, Penelope jumped in...
"Immortal King, so he can live forever?"
Arthur smiled wide at her.
"You really were listening".
"Come on carry on" Penelope shuffled closer to Arthur in excitement.
"Ok ok calm down" He butted his head softly on Penelope's, she came to realise, she loved it when he did that.
"Ok so where was I?" Arthur lost his place momentarily, "ah yes!" He proceeded.
"So yes, immortal meaning he can live forever, but that is not all of the people in the Anima De A Animālis race, only a rare few, just four, have unlocked that power. Those four being the Immortal King, my grandmother Lois, my father Elias and my mother Ester".
"So hang on who is the Immortal King to you, it seems to run in the family somewhat?" Penelope, not being a stupid woman, caught on quickly, and Arthur enjoyed how brainy she was.
"You don't miss much" Arthur smirked at her.
"Come on tell me!" Penelope suddenly grabbed Arthur's arm and shook it hard with excitement.
"Ok ok calm down" He smiled and held both her hands in his, resting them on the tabletop.
"So the Immortal King is my grandfather".
"I KNEW IT!" Penelope shouted, causing Arthur to whince a little.
"Ok settle down" He squeezed her hands.
"Sorry sorry carry on" She hurried him impatiently.
"So when his soul turnt into that of a bald eagle, bearing in mind his original soul is intertwined with it now, he became instantly healthy, and he didn't know he had this gift until a actual bald eagle appeared from his chest one night like a ghost, then turnt into an actual living breathing bird, and it went back into him by his demand, and followed his every wish and thought".
"To have the power of the immortal for others, you first have to go through a great deal of pain, to the point you have to comtemplate ending it all because you see no way forward, and then meet your soul mate. They do exist".
He smiled at Penelope, her eyes wide at this realisation.
"For example, when my grandfather, The Immortal King met my grandmother, he already had his great loss, and she just went through a loss of her own. Her beloved best friend died in a hurricane, and she was heart broken, till she met him. She was slumped in a tavern one night passed out, and my grandfather had just won the right in battle to become king, so he went for a celebration drink".
"He had just walked through the tavern door, everyone roared with their congrats to their new king, he enjoyed the strong back-slapping hugs he recieved, until he saw my grandmother slumped on a table. He decided to cut short his celebrations and walk over to her, he carefully picked her up and carried her to his new palace, and nursed her sleepy hangover".
"She was very aware of who he was, so she was extremely greatful for his aid. Which was strange to her was that he helped her himself, not getting one of his many servants to do it"...