Little Gawain hugged her father tightly, unwilling to let go. In her heart, she remembered what her mother had just said. It wasn't easy for her father's belongings to come into his possession, and if he could give them to her, she must not fail him.
"It would be great if I could help my father earlier," Gawain thought seriously in Lott's arms.
As the castle moved west toward Wales, panic gripped both civilians and nobles. What did they see? A giant dragon soared across the sky. Its massive body radiated destructive power, and its terrifying breath sent shivers through the hearts of all who witnessed it. People felt as if the end of the world had come.
Fear and panic spread throughout the southwestern part of Britain.
Days later, news emerged that this magical dragon was none other than Vortigern, previously known as the Humble King. The crowd's panic intensified. If it had merely been a simple evil dragon, they might not have cared as much. After all, legends spoke of dragons wreaking havoc in isolated places before leaving, causing suffering but not much else.
However, Vortigern was different. The people of Britain were unaware of his true intentions: he desired to rule the entire land. Now, as a magic dragon, was their future to be under the rule of a dragon?
Even the Saxons shared this sentiment. They were willing to submit to the humble king, but they would never dare to submit to the white dragon. As a ruler among men, Vortigern had limits, but as a magic dragon, what would his reign entail?
No one had certainty in their hearts.
Indeed, the Saxons' fears were not unfounded. Upon returning as a dragon, Vortigern unleashed his fury upon the people still present, breathing fire that resulted in many instant casualties. After wreaking havoc, he returned to his palace and lay down, needing rest to heal his wounds.
At that moment, he was determined to recover, using his terrifying dragon's breath to instil cruelty upon the Saxons.
News of Vortigern's defeat soon followed. People learned that he had been badly injured in the battle against Camelot, and despite his great strength, he was still vulnerable. His nemeses were none other than Lott and Morgan.
Even the Saxons found themselves hoping for Lott and Morgan to rally their army to combat and vanquish Vortigern. Many began to migrate toward Camelot, believing that, no matter how humble life might be there, it was better than facing the unpredictable wrath of the devil dragon.
Vortigern, noticing this migration, made no effort to stop it. "You can run," he thought. "But I am here. After I heal, I will set out to rule all of Britain. When the time comes, we shall see where you can escape."
Vortigern wanted to close his eyes and recuperate, but someone interrupted his rest.
"Do you want to die?" he growled, glaring at the small fairy clan messenger standing before him, his impatience evident.
The fairy messenger, unfazed, smiled and replied, "Your Majesty Vortigern, of course, you can kill me. It's just like the compatriots who betrayed me. We truly did not expect to follow the heroic Humble King. Your Majesty's fairy warriors did not return."
"I must ask, your Majesty Vortigern, why did you send troops without authorization?" the messenger inquired.
Before he could finish, Vortigern lashed out, striking the messenger down and turning him into a gruesome mess.
"When I do something, do I need to inform you fairies?" he scoffed, glancing at the deputy envoy of the fairies. "You truly think I am your subordinate? This one died for nothing, as did those you placed in my army. Even if they did not fall in battle, I would find a way to eliminate them all. Do you have any objections?"
"No, we dare not," the ambassador stammered, having witnessed the fate of his colleague.
"Well, that's more like it," Vortigern said, nodding in satisfaction. "Now, tell me, what do you fairies want this time? Your kin's bodies are likely on display before Morgan, and it's obvious we are tied together. Shouldn't you provide me with some assistance?"
A sly glint appeared in Vortigern's eyes.
"We will do our best to help Your Majesty, but right now, we need assistance from you," the fairy deputy envoy whispered.
"What kind of assistance?" Vortigern asked.
"Please, begin raging and destroying Britain entirely," the envoy said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Destruction? You want me to draw fire away so you can achieve your own goals?" Vortigern realized their intentions.
"Yes," the envoy confirmed.
"Fine. Let's see what you fairies can do," Vortigern replied, nodding in agreement.
He then unleashed his fury upon the surroundings, obliterating the palaces that had taken great effort to construct. As he soared into the sky, he glanced back at the fairy envoy. "But let me warn you, if this is a calculation, even you fairies will not stand a chance against Lott. To defeat him, you must rely on true strength."
With that, the magic dragon took flight and began its brutal rampage.
From the northern reaches of England, close to the border of Scotland, to the southern seas, fear of Vortigern gripped the land. The devil dragon's figure flew above, using its breath to wreak havoc on the cities.
This destruction wasn't limited to England; Wales and Ireland also faced Vortigern's wrath. He even contemplated attacking Scotland, but as he flew over, a red spear shot toward him.
No one witnessed the specifics of this encounter. All that was known was that from that moment on, Vortigern did not dare to set foot into Scotland again. Nonetheless, he continued his relentless assault on England and other regions.
"Either Vortigern, despite his loss against Scáthach, has returned fully restored, or…" Lott pondered as he reviewed the information, replying to Morgan.
"Or what?" Morgan pressed.
"Or Vortigern has managed to gather support," Lott concluded.
"Good grief! So you're sure my sister is the one who emerged victorious," Morgan remarked, unable to suppress her annoyance.
"Don't you think so?" Lott countered.
"On this island, only you, the Lord of the island, or Altria, influenced by the properties of Rhongomyniad, can face Scáthach. Of course, I may also have some influence," he added.
Morgan listened, her expression shifting. She was not surprised by her strength but was taken aback by her sister's. Why had Altria shown up wielding another holy spear?
Morgan recalled what her beloved husband once thought about another version of her. One in which she claimed she would kill her sister in the future. If she hadn't become the lord of the island in that timeline, what had happened to her sister who picked up the holy spear?
With confusion and caution swirling in her mind, Morgan contemplated the implications of Lott's words.