Raising a daughter on a ship was not easy.
It was anything but actually.
As the months turned into a year, Arthur and Cesealia learned how to adapt.
The crew adored their little captain, treating her as both their youngest recruit and their most spoiled treasure.
When they docked at islands, it was as if an entire new world unfolded before her tiny, curious eyes.
She would point at everything. Ask a thousand questions. Run barefoot across the sand, tugging on Arthur's hand and demanding—
"What's that? What's that, Daddy?"
However, Arthur had infinite patience and an infinite love for the sound of her voice and endless questions that came out of her mouth every chance imaginable, would kneel beside her and explain every shell, every creature, every tree. But his favorite part?
The stories.
At night, as she was wrapped in both her parents' arms, Arthur would whisper legends about the family.
The pendragons who ruled a kingdom of gold. The celestial king enemy turned brother-in-law and her other cousins, the ones waiting to meet her someday.
Atlantis, though he left out the part where he was nearly married off and her mother was killed, he supposed this is what his mother meant by truth and half-truth, sometimes…one does not need to know the full story, just the part where the hero defeated the villain, all call it a day.
Elizabeth would listen intently, her little hand resting over his heart, her eyes full of wonder. And when she turned two, that wonder turned into chaos. She had her father's spirit. She had her mother's fire. And she had the wild, untamed energy of a Pendragon; she started acting like a pirate. She stole hats, climbed onto barrels, ordered the crew around in a tiny, commanding voice—
"Raise the sails! Bring me my juice!"
Arthur could barely contain his laughter every time she stomped across the deck, her little boots clanking, a too-big captain's coat dragging behind her.
"She's getting a little too comfortable with this lifestyle," Cesealia warned one evening as they watched Elizabeth attempt to duel one of the crew members with a wooden sword.
Arthur, sipping his rum, only grinned. "She'll be okay."
Cesealia rolled her eyes at him and his hair—by the gods, his hair was long now, past his shoulders, though he still kept it tied back in his signature messy bun. Elizabeth's hair grew at the same alarming rate. She crunched noise at the fact that maybe it was a Pendragon thing.
A striking mix of her parents, though Arthur was still recovering from the shock that his child had ginger hair.
One evening, as Arthur braided Elizabeth's hair before bedtime, she suddenly asked—
"Daddy? "
"Yes, love? "
She peeked up at him with big, innocent blue eyes.
"When can I meet Grandpa Gil?"
Arthur froze mid-braid.
Cesealia, from across the cabin, stifled a laugh.
Arthur, clearing his throat, resumed his task and muttered—
"Oh, my darling flower… Not yet. Not yet." He chuckled '
Arthur felt a warmth in his chest as he finished braiding Elizabeth's thick curls, securing the end with a small ribbon.
"Daddy?"
Her voice was soft, thoughtful.
He smiled. " Yes, love? "
Elizabeth twirled the end of her braid between her tiny fingers. "If our family is so amazing… why did you leave?"
Arthur's hands stilled.
The room was quiet, the sound of the waves outside the only thing filling the space.
He exhaled, smoothing a hand over her hair.
"Before you were born… many, many years ago, when I first met your mother," he began, his voice calm but distant, "I made her a promise—that where she goes, I would go."
Elizabeth's eyes widened with curiosity.
Arthur gave a sad chuckle. "And I broke that promise once. So now… I'm making up for that."
She tilted her head. "You met Momma when you were a kid like me?"
Arthur smiled at the memory. "I did. And I fell head over heels for her."
Elizabeth giggled. "Then when did you break your promise?"
Arthur's lips parted, his hands falling to his lap as he thought of the best way to explain.
After a moment, he spoke.
"Because sometimes… life is the sea."
His daughter watched him intently.
"It can be calm. It can be stormy."
His voice dipped into a playful growl as he said, "It can be kind. It can be angry."
Elizabeth giggled at his exaggerated tone, and Arthur gave her a wink before continuing.
"Sometimes, life gets in the way of what truly matters."
Elizabeth nodded slowly, as if considering the weight of his words, then hopped up and looked at her reflection in the small mirror.
She ran her hands over the braid, then turned back to him with the biggest smile.
"I love it, Daddy. Thank you."
Arthur grinned, heart swelling. "Anytime, my love."
Then, her little face turned serious again.
"Does that mean we won't see Grandpa for a long time, too?"
Arthur hesitated.
But then, he smirked, a familiar mischievous glint in his eye.
"Have no fear, we're on the King of the Seas. Nothing will stop us or get in our way. because we have…"
Elizabeth's face lit up as she finished the sentence with him.
"GODSEEPD!"
They both burst into laughter, Arthur scooping her up and twirling her in the air as she squealed in delight.
Right at that moment, Cesealia walked in, arms crossed, watching them with an affectionate smile.
Arthur set Elizabeth back down, and the little girl ran straight to her mother, hugging her waist.
Cesealia smoothed down her daughter's hair, eyeing the identical smirks both father and daughter wore.
"You two are impossible."
Arthur grinned. "It's a Pendragon thing."
Cesealia sighed but smiled, shaking her head.
It was always a Pendragon thing.
Elizabeth ran to Cesealia, hugging her tightly. Cesealia leaned down, brushing a kiss into her hair.
And soon after, they tucked her in, her breath evening out as sleep took her.
The room was quiet again.
Soft. Still.
Arthur was just pulling the blankets higher when Cesealia's voice broke the silence.
"Arthur… I'm pregnant."
He turned, stunned, heart thudding. But before he could say anything, she stepped forward, eyes glinting with emotion.
"And—" she swallowed, smiling faintly, "I think Lizzie's right. Life as the sea has been amazing. And you…"
She took his hand, placed it gently on her belly.
"You fulfilled your promise."
Her voice lowered, steady with conviction.
"Now I need you to make another one. For us."
His heart caught in his throat. Without a word, he pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her shoulder.
"I promise," he whispered.
And he meant it with everything he was.