Let Justice Be Done Ch. 81

"So, um..." Katrina tried to start a conversation with the visibly pregnant Viviane, but her mind kept going to the same set of questions. 

"Yes, I am pregnant, Miss Katrina. No, it didn't grow like that in a week." Viviane explained from where she was sitting knitting infant sized clothes. 

"So--I mean, um..." Katrina stumbled for words. 

"Don't worry, I won't hold a debt on you for that. But that is good practice when interacting with a fairy, so keep it up." Viviane smiled. "Simply put time moves differently in the fae world. So while for you it had been a week since we last met, it was a few months for me and Raguel since we last met." She explained. 

"Oh, I see!" Katrina's eyes lightened up in understanding. "Sounds like a confusing place, and somewhere that kids shouldn't think of running off to explore!" She shouted the last part. 

"Yes, mam! I'm not going anywhere!" Merlin shouted back from where he and Raguel were chopping wood outside the house. 

"Aren't you technically not here." Raguel smirked, as he placed another piece of lumber for Merlin to chop. 

"Oh shut up, past self doesn't count." Merlin hissed, which made Raguel chuckle. 

"You sure you don't want me to..." Raguel pointed at the pile of cut branches next to them. "Magic up this." He waved his fingers. 

"One, physical exercise is good for you. Body being active is good for the mind and all that. Two, bro, this is the 500s, the fuck are we gonna do if we finish early?" Merlin said back. 

"I suppose." Raguel shrugged. 

For Raguel, over the past few months, he had been searching all over the different isles and pocket dimensions of the Fae Realm for the Black Beasts, but he couldn't capture or fight any of them. 

The only one he could find, was one he dubbed the 'Fish-Knight', a towering armored monster, that looked like a knight, but with aquatic features. However, whenever it so much as senses Raguel being even remotely near, it would jump into any body of water and vanish away. 

Any other Black Beast seems to have left for the Human World, but thankfully stayed along the Isles of Britain.  

After that, Viviane's pregnancy became more prominent, thus Raguel held off on his hunt till she was well and safe with her delivery. 

The one good news was that upon telling Queen Mab that his Father would attend the Time Discussion Meeting, Mab had granted him a boon for that. 

"You have fulfilled one of the tasks I presented you. Thus I shall give you 15 years where you do not have to hunt the Black Beast. Should you complete the second task, which is letting me bless your firstborn, I shall grant you an addition 15 of not having to fulfill the hunt for the Black Beast."

The reward was...nice, if a bit frustrating as a reminder that Mab held her favor to Viviane over their heads till the three tasks were completed. 

"How is the hunt going?" Merlin swing the axe down, splitting the lumber piece neatly. Raguel took the two pieces, and another another. 

"Not good, since it seems all of them fled to here. There is still one in the Winter Court, but it's slippery." Raguel scowled. 

"Sounds like you need to make it come to you. As for the ones here..." Merlin chopped the lumber, Raguel removed it and added another piece. "I think you should go find help." 

"My siblings are busy, and I don't want to bother them." Raguel said. 

"That's not the best attitude to have. I'm sure they would love to help you." Merlin said back. 

"They are training and I don't want to bring them to a dangerous situation like the Black Beasts. And for the Seraphs, they have too much responsibilities for me to pull them away." Raguel said back. 

Merlin sighed and shook his head. 

Chop. Remove lumber. Set another piece of wood. 

"Again, that's not a good way to look at it. It's fine to want to do things yourself, but not asking for help just to be polite is stupid. Not asking for help just because it's dangerous?" Merlin spoke.   

Chop. Remove lumber. Set another piece up.

"That's kinda disrespectful toward them." Merlin said, and Raguel flinched at that. "They are all aware of the dangers of protecting people and fighting evil. You would be spitting on their resolve and duty by looking at it like that."

"...I just don't want anyone under my responsibility getting hurt. If that happens...then it's my fault." Raguel looked away. 

"Orkney." Was all Merlin said. 

Chop. Remove lumber. Set another piece up.

"That's different," Raguel looked at the mage with a frown. "I was in the heat of the moment, more focused on saving everyone. Turning the situation, the battle around rather than think on individual casualties." Raguel looked down. "Maybe I should have. Could I have planned things better? Maybe I should have. I've never been a general, but I just acted. I never stopped to think." Raguel was lost in his thoughts, as the subject matter pull his mind in a negative spiral of what he could have done better.   

Merlin stopped, and gave the Archangel a quirky look. 

"Fatherhood hitting you hard, huh?" He said with a smirk. "You're not even a dad yet." Merlin chuckled. 

"What?" Raguel looked back on the mage in confusion. 

"Did you forget the situation back then? You can't just sit and have a strategic meeting when everything was going to hell." Merlin chuckled. "You listened to the situation, got the information available and acted on it as best as you can. People are always are gonna die or get hurt, and acting like you should have personally prevented it is the height of arrogance and stupidity." Merlin smirked. "You did your best, after that, what happened, happened."

Raguel grew quiet as he felt Merlin was right, and was now mentally berating himself feeling doubt, and disrespecting the memory of those that followed him into battle that day. 

He then felt a soothing feeling of tranquility, love and acceptance. He looked toward the house, to see Viviane looking back and smiling through one of the windows. 

Just like that his negative thought train was halted. 

"Yeah, guess you're right. I was just being stupid." Raguel smiled, and Merlin chuckled. Then a thought occurred to the Archangel. "By the way, what brought on his talk about 'Fatherhood'?"

"I remember when you used to look after Lancelot in my time. Even if he wasn't yours, you used to be a worrywart about the kid." Merlin said. They returned back to the routine of chopping wood. 

"Okay, what's the deal with Lancelot? You said Viviane didn't have kids in your time, but Lancelot was our first child, so what is it?" Raguel complained. 

"God told me that's what you would have named your first kid." Merlin began to explain. "In my timeline, what happened is that Maeve couldn't have kids with her husband due to her body's extreme cold temperature and energy, so Viviane helped her out. When Maeve and her husband had a kid, Maeve asked Viviane to name the child, and Viviane gave him the name she would have given her firstborn." As Merlin explained, Raguel grew sad as he thought of that timeline and the state of that future Viviane.

As he looked once more toward his wife and caught her smile, that feeling of uneasiness washed away. That version of them from that timeline may have suffered, but this time he averted that sadness. 

His mind immediately pointed out that such events were offset by the creation  and destruction of Alastair, along with the release of the Black Beasts and Spectres. He pushed that thought away, telling himself for each positive event, there is a counterbalance, and he shouldn't only focus on the negatives. 

He filed the information about Maeve for later. 

"Okay, that's...heavy." Raguel finally said. 

Chop. Remove lumber. Set another piece up.

"Basically what I'm trying to say is...chill. Don't over think things and you'll be fine. Or maybe act more then think, and you'll be fine." Merlin said. 

"The more you talk, the more that advice sounds shaky." Raguel said back. The two chuckled, and went back to their task. 

 Chop. Remove lumber. Set another piece up.

Eventually they finished, and roped up the lumber to carry it to the house. Merlin had one bundle while Raguel carried the rest of the bundles. 

"Show off." Scoffed Merlin. 

"Git gud, scrub." Raguel said not looking back. 

The two grinned at each other, and carried on. 

"So what are you about the Black Beasts? I can tell you that after doing some divination, I found three in Cameliard." Merlin said. 

"Hmm," Raguel considered Merlin's words before on getting help. "Say, where is Arthur?"

"In Cameliard." Merlin said with a smirk.  

"Cheeky brat." Raguel grinned.

"Shota reject." Merlin said back. The two chuckled once more. 

"Guess I'm gonna go get Arthur then." Raguel finally said. "By the way..." He began to asked, but felt embarrassed about his question.

"Yes, my mam knows how to midwife. Lady Viviane can stay here, while you're doing your hunting." Merlin said back without looking. 

"Thanks, Merlin." Raguel said sincerely. "And I promise to get you back. It's only a month now." He said. "Was your treatment during your capture--"

"It was fine." Merlin chuckled. "They treated me as well slaves there, really well so we would be presentable for the guests. Of course, it was a life with golden handcuffs, no matter how pretty it looked."

"I won't fail." Raguel told him with a determined tone. 

"I know." Merlin said back with a melancholic smile. "Just..." He looked into the house to see Katrina and Viviane noticing them. The two waved as they entered the house. "Don't be reckless." From Merlin's tone, it sounded like he was warning against a forgone conclusion.   

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AN: I'm not sure if there will be a chapter tomorrow as I'm feeling sick. Trying to change my diet and routine, but I'm getting hit with a headache, and mini-stomachache from cutting out sugar or caffeine, till have to drink something with them to feel better. It's really annoying that I can't just cold turkey these things.