by Leilani Love
Guinevere slowly shook her head. “I was never allowed in the King’s wing. It was always strictly forbidden to anyone. There are guards that stand at the top of the stairs, only allowing people that the king has given express permission to.”
“Are you trying to tell me you listened and never attempted to see what was over there?” Arthur asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice.
She bit her lip. “I did try once when I was younger. I didn’t make it very far. The room closest to mine was barred from the outside and I was too small to move it, so I went to the room next to it and hid. When I was older and realized that the king housed several of his mistresses in his wing, I never tried to go back. I’m sorry.”
He gently squeezed her hand, wondering what the king had locked in that room. Could his mother truly be alive after all these years? If it wasn’t her, then what was locked inside?
Tristan was the first to break the long silence. “So, what happens now? Is Morgana’s demon army coming back?”
His father pounded a fist onto the table. “Let them try. We defeated them once, and we will do it again. Let’s enjoy the dinner your mother has prepared, and tomorrow we can decide what to do next.”
Arthur reached across the table with his free hand and squeezed his mother’s hand before taking his first bite. His father was the better cook when he was growing up, but his mother made the best stew. Guinevere pulled her hand free of his so that he could eat. Almost immediately, he missed the warmth of her touch.
Everyone was silent for the rest of the dinner. Normally, Tristan and David asked him a thousand questions about his travels. Dinner was almost finished when David finally asked, “If he’s the king, does that make me a prince?” He flashed Katrina a big cheesy smile as he sat up straighter.
At first, no one said anything, and Arthur looked at his parents, whose eyes were widened in shock. Tristan chuckled, breaking the tension, and Guinevere quickly followed suit. As he looked around, he realized everyone looked like they were trying not to laugh.
“David, you are a lot of things, but no one has ever mistaken you for a prince. Now, me, on the other hand…” Tristan winked at Guinevere, making everyone laugh.
Arthur shot his brother a look, which Tristan returned with wide-eyed innocence. When dinner was done, Tristan and David did the dishes. Arthur had been to other homes and knew that men didn’t often help with the housework, but his father had always helped his mother, and all the children were taught how to do housework.
Guinevere yawned, drawing his mother’s attention. “Come dear, you can sleep in Mary’s room tonight. You must be exhausted.”
Arthur watched her walk away. She glanced over her shoulder and he realized that he would rather sleep outside on the rocks, with her, than on his feather mattress alone. Merlin gave him a knowing look and chuckled before heading outside.
He and his father followed, standing on the porch, looking out into the woods. Normally the front yard had several wolves lying around, guarding the house, but tonight all of them were gone, except for the youngest female.
“Are they out there, Merlin? Have Morgana’s demon men found us?” His father asked, his gaze scanning the woods.
“They are searching, but your wolves are keeping them away, and I’ve strengthened the protection spell around the house,” Merlin said, his blue eyes almost glowing in the night.
Bryan rubbed the back of his neck. “How do I protect my son and my family, Merlin?”
“If I turn myself in, will they quit hunting my family?” Arthur asked before Merlin could answer.
“No!” his father practically shouted.
Merlin shook his head. “Turning yourself in will not protect anyone. I know you are scared, Arthur, but the only way to protect your family is to fight and take your place as King of Camelot.”
“People will die if I fight,” Arthur said, running a hand through his hair.
“More people will die if you don’t. Your family, Guinevere’s…she will be forced to marry the prince. You know what kind of man he is. He will make her pay for leaving with you. How long do you think until he kills her spirit and she becomes a ghost of herself?” Merlin inched closer to him until Arthur was forced to meet his gaze.
“How am I supposed to take down the king? He has an army. What do I do? Show up with my sword and ask nicely for him to let us through the gate so I can stab him?”
Merlin’s lip slowly curved into a smile. “No. But never underestimate what a small army can do when they follow someone they believe in.”
“I’m a hunter, not a leader,” Arthur pointed out, feeling like his world was crumbling around him.
“You are the King of Camelot. Don’t give in to your fears. Take your place on the throne. There is no room for self-doubt and pity, Arthur. More than your life hangs in the balance.” With that Merlin walked away, leaving him and his father on the porch. Neither of them said anything for several minutes.
Finally, Arthur whispered, “I don’t know what to do.”
“You have a tough decision. On one path you have what Merlin considers your destiny. You fight and take back Camelot from the current king and Morgana. Free its people. On the other hand, you can either sacrifice yourself or run away.”
He snorted. “With the second option no one dies to protect me.”
“Your father did. Your mother told me he left Merlin’s cabin and she is pretty sure he was the reason she had enough time to make it as far as she did. He has already died to protect you. As well as the knights that helped your mother. Knowing the king, everyone who has even whispered of your return will die.”
Arthur knew his father’s words weren’t meant to be cruel. He was simply pointing out facts and letting him know that neither option was not without consequence. His father patted him on the back. “Get some sleep. It will help clear your mind, and tomorrow you can tell me how it is you came to be traveling with a princess dressed as a commoner.”
“She is no ordinary princess, father. She is fierce and compassionate. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to help her people, or a stranger she just met who keeps showing up,” Arthur told him, smiling.
“There is a story I can’t wait to hear. Don’t forget to kiss your mother goodnight. She’s been worried about you.”
David and Tristan were gone, having finished the dishes, and his mother was sitting next to the fireplace mending one of his father’s shirts. She was biting her lower lip, brow furrowed in concentration. She looked up as he approached and gave him a smile. Her blonde hair hid most of the streaks of silver, but near the light they shimmered and the fine lines around her mouth and her eyes were more defined.
“You know when you sew distracted you always take it apart because it’s never in a straight line.” Arthur pointed out as he sat across from her.
Her lips came up in a soft smile. “True, but it helps me to not think about the fact that I can’t protect you from everything.”
Arthur chuckled at the pout in her voice. “I think I’ve waited my whole life to hear you say that.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I would lock you up, but even as a child you always seemed to find a way to escape.”
When she put down the shirt he leaned forward and took her hands in his. “I love you, Mother.”
Her eyes quickly filled with tears and she pulled her hands back to wipe them from her cheeks. “I love you too, now go get some sleep. I feel like soon, sleep will be a luxury.”
With a soft kiss on her cheek, Arthur walked down the hall to his own room. One more door down was his sister’s room, and an image of Guinevere lying there waiting for him played in his mind. Her lips curved in a smile of invitation as her eyes sparkled with the promise of the pleasure he knew he would find with her.
A groan escaped him as he forced himself to open his own door. He’d takena dip in the cold lake earlier when he went to help his brothers. Not the soothing bath he had hoped for, but at least he no longer smelled like h
orse.
When he was finally naked, he crawled into his bed and under the fur. The fire was crackling, and shadows danced against the wall. He wondered if Guinevere was sleeping. He missed the feel of her in his arms.
As a yawn escaped him, he realized how little sleep he had gotten last night. First, waiting for his body to calm down from kissing her, and then from watching her sleep. In another life they would be married and as his hand rested on her belly, he had found himself imagining it round with his baby.
As he began to drift off, he imagined what it would be like to crawl into her bed every night. The throaty little sounds she would make when he kissed her would be music to his ears.
Chapter 21
Guinevere stretched as someone knocked on the door. A look around the room reminded her of where she was, and she practically flew out of the bed to put her dress on. “I’ll be right there!” she called out.
The front of the dress was barely laced as she opened her door to find David standing there. “My mother is preparing breakfast for everyone. We are leaving soon. Men are coming.”
Guinevere nodded. Since all she had was the borrowed dress she was wearing and the one she needed to return, there was nothing much for her to do. She went and relieved herself, washing her hands in the basin in the back, before going to the front room.
Katrina was dressed, her hair in a long braid. She stood, making plates of eggs and slices of ham. Curious about what men David was talking about, she took two of the plates from Katrina’s hands and put them on the table. “David said men were coming?”
Katrina snorted. “They are not men, but demons Morgana brought with her because she’s a spoiled brat who was mad that she couldn’t have the king. Merlin should have killed the bitch when he had the chance.”
When the last plate was fixed, the men all came in as if on cue and she looked to Arthur, confused as to what was going on. “The wolves came back, some of them bloody as if they had been fighting. Mother is going to take David with her to visit Mary at a cousin’s, while we go south to meet with Lancelot and the others.”
She glanced at the table thinking about all the things they should be doing to prepare when Katrina spoke up. “You two sit and eat. Everyone needs their strength. And I want to have one more meal with my husband and sons.”
Guinevere nodded, understanding that Katrina was just putting off saying goodbye for a few minutes. Her back was straight, and her head held high, but when Katrina went to pick up her fork, her hand was shaking.
They ate in silence, most of them taking a few bites before pushing their food around their plates. Every time Guinevere glanced at Katrina, she noticed how Bryan kept touching her and whispering in her ear. Guinevere felt like she was intruding and lowered her gaze.
The boys ate quickly and in no time, the dishes were clean. The boys were gathering food to take on their journey and wrapping it up. Guinevere helped them carry it out and put the cheese and bread they’d prepared for her in the saddle bag.
When she got on her horse, she winced, and Arthur stepped closer to her. “I’m sorry for the short rest, but Merlin said this ride won’t be as hard. I also made sure to grab extra furs for those nights outside.”
Guinevere was touched by his actions and whispered, “Thank you.”
His gaze went to his mother and father, who were saying their goodbyes. His father wiped a tear from his mother’s cheek before giving her a kiss and holding her tight. There was no mistaking the love the two had for each other.
Arthur left Guinevere and went to Tristan. The two of them went to hug their mother before she got up on the wagon. Guinevere gave them their moment and while David was talking to his father, Katrina looked at her and motioned for her to come over after the other two had left.
Just as Guinevere stopped by the wagon, Katrina wiped away another stray tear. “You know, you are everything Merlin told Arthur’s mother you would be. He told her you would be beautiful, and she told him that she didn’t care about that. She asked if you would be strong, strong enough to help Arthur when the times were rough, and compassionate enough that you would put others before yourself when needed. You are all those things and so much more. I wish she was alive to meet you.”
It was nice knowing that the queen would have approved of her, but there was a deeper sense of pride knowing the woman that had saved Arthur’s life did. “Thank you, milady.”
Katrina gave her a sad smile before continuing. “I don’t know what is going to happen, and it’s unfair for me to ask you, I know you two are little more than strangers. But, my son needs you and if I’m not mistaken, you need him. Fate has brought you two together and started this whole thing. You will need to be strong when he is weak and be his light in the dark.”
For the first time, Guinevere wasn’t sure if she could do what was asked of her. “I will do my best.”
“You and my son are the future of Camelot. Remember that milady,” Katrina said, before the others joined them.
Arthur gave her a curious look, obviously wanting to know what his mother was telling her, and she gave him her best innocent smile as everyone said their final goodbyes. When Merlin approached, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. Katrina nodded and when she pulled back, she gave him a look. “You keep my family safe, Merlin. That includes Guinevere. If anything happens to them…”
Merlin gave her a playful grin. “Yes, milady. You just keep yourself safe and I promise in the end all will be well.”
Katrina waved as David drove the cart up the hill. There were several wolves on the top of the hill that turned and followed the cart as it disappeared. They turned to follow the cart, and Guinevere looked at Arthur, who had mounted his horse.
“One of the wolves is pregnant. She and some of the younger wolves will go with my mother and help protect her. The others will follow us,” Arthur informed her, like having wolves for protection was something everyone had.
“How many other wolves are there?” Guinevere asked.
“They are never all around at once, but at any time we should have about twenty near us,” Arthur replied as they all started to ride at a decent paced gallop.
Merlin led the group while Bryan rode behind them, flanked between Tristan and Arthur. As they rode she noticed occasionally she would see a wolf running alongside them in the woods next to the road. There was only ever one at a time, and she doubted she would spot them at all if she weren’t specifically looking for them.
Even though the pace wasn’t as fast, they only stopped to water the horses and give them a moment to relieve themselves, eating again from their packs while they rode. That night, Merlin lit a fire, saying that with the wolves surrounding them, he wasn’t worried about Morgana’s men.
Guinevere found herself missing her bow and arrow more and more. She had a small dagger in her dress, but that was only good if someone got close. She wondered if they found her stash of weapons and clothes hidden in the barn yet, or if the little groomsman in training had kept it hidden for her.
She had only heard tales of Morgana’s demon men and how they had terrorized everyone, looking for the baby prince. She even went so far as to kill several families who were trying to protect their newborn sons. Her army, along with Camelot’s, would cause massive destruction until they were stopped.
When they stopped for the night, Guinevere smiled upon seeing a pile of furs for her. She looked around to find Arthur unloading the horses. When he turned, she smiled at him, a gesture which he returned with a nod.
“He was very insistent we bring extra furs,” Tristan said from behind her.
Her cheeks heated up as she turned to find him grinning from ear to ear. He was handsome, and she knew as he got older he would become more so. His hazel green eyes sparkled with mischief while the dimple on his right cheek drew attention to his full lips.
“On our ride to your home we didn’t have a lot and we became very aware of exactly how many rocks were on the g
round,” Guinevere told him.
He chuckled. “Well, in that case, I am very grateful he thought to make sure we brought them. Nothing is worse than riding hard all day just to lay on a pile of rocks.”
He gave her a wink before walking away to help take care of the horses. Bryan made them a fire and Merlin took off. Having nothing to do, she walked to where Merlin had told her there was a stream and washed the dust off her face.
When she’d finished washing her face, she took a sip of the fresh running water. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up to find a large white wolf. He was the largest wolf she had ever seen with snow white fur and blue eyes. As beautiful as he was, she had no doubt he was deadly.
The sound of a twig breaking behind her made her jump. She turned away from the wolf to find Arthur standing there. “That is Freki, the pack leader.”
“He’s beautiful,” Guinevere whispered, turning her attention back to the wolf.
Arthur inched close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath on the back of her neck. “His grandfather’s name was Snow. He was the pack leader and the one my father took care of when he found him wounded in the woods.”
Freki watched them. Then, his ear twitched as if he heard something before he shot off into the woods. Guinevere wondered what had caught his attention, but when Arthur simply went to the stream and cleaned off his face, she didn’t worry about it. Instead, she found herself missing the closeness they’d just shared.
“Merlin said as long as no unforeseen circumstances come up we should be there tomorrow night,” Arthur informed her.
“Do you think Lancelot and Elizabeth will already be there?” she asked, worried about her friend.
“If they haven’t killed each other,” he said as he stood up.
“I’ve never seen Elizabeth instantly dislike someone so much…besides Prince Greggory,” she confessed, thinking that Elizabeth had shown remarkable restraint with the prince when compared to her overreaction to Lancelot.
Arthur chuckled. “Women usually fall at his feet. I think his pride is wounded that Elizabeth hasn’t done so.”